NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 1

Class 8 English Chapter 1

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 1 The Best Christmas Present in the World. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 1 consists of various units consisting of prose and poems along with practice and activity-based questions.

Class 8 English Chapter 1, We have covered each and every question in NCERT English Textbook comprehensively. Our subject experts have solved the unit questions in a simple manner as per the latest CBSE syllabus.

In this competitive era, it is imperative for school students to always be ready to face challenges. Exams are one of those challenges in their life. Class 8 English Chapter 1.

Class 8 English Chapter 1, To excel in the exam, students must be extremely well versed and have a thorough understanding of all the lessons in the textbook. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English to help your child answer accurately in their final exam.

class 8 English chapter 1 question answer

Comprehension Check (Page 10) Class 8 English Chapter 1

1. What did the author find in a junk shop?

कबाड़ की दुकान में लेखक को क्या मिला?

Answer:- The author found a roll-top desk in a junk shop. It was made of oak wood and its condition was very bad.

लेखक को एक कबाड़ की दुकान में एक रोल-टॉप डेस्क मिला। यह ओक की लकड़ी से बना था और इसकी हालत बहुत खराब थी।

2. What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?

गुप्त दराज में उसने क्या पाया? आपको क्या लगता है कि इसे वहां किसने रखा था?

Answer:- He found a small black tin box in a secret drawer. It had a letter in it. Mrs. Connie Macpherson had put the letter in it.

उसे एक गुप्त दराज में एक छोटा काला टिन का डिब्बा मिला। उसमें एक पत्र था। श्रीमती कोनी मैकफर्सन ने उसमें पत्र डाला था।

 

Comprehension Check (Page 14) Class 8 English Chapter 1

1. Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?

पत्र किसने, किसको और कब लिखा था?

Answer:- Mr. Jim Macpherson wrote this letter. He wrote it to his wife, Mrs. Connie Macpherson. It was written on December 26, 1914.

यह पत्र मिस्टर जिम मैकफर्सन ने लिखा था। उन्होंने इसे अपनी पत्नी श्रीमती कोनी मैकफर्सन को लिखा था। यह 26 दिसंबर, 1914 को लिखा गया था।

Q.2. Why was the letter written-what was the wonderful thing that had happened?

पत्र क्यों लिखा गया था-क्या अद्भुत बात हुई थी?

Answer:- The letter was written because something wonderful had happened. The wonderful thing was the Christmas party, football match, and exchange of carols of the fighting English and German soldiers on the no man’s land.

पत्र इसलिए लिखा गया क्योंकि कुछ अद्भुत हुआ था। अद्भुत चीज थी क्रिसमस पार्टी, फुटबॉल मैच, और नो मैन्स लैंड पर लड़ते हुए अंग्रेजी और जर्मन सैनिकों के कैरल का आदान-प्रदान।

 

Q.3. What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?

जब वे सैनिक नहीं थे तो हंस वुल्फ और जिम मैकफेरसन के पास क्या काम थे?

Answer:- When they were not soldiers, Hans Wolf used to play cello in an orchestra and Jim Macpherson did the job of a school teacher.

जब वे सैनिक नहीं थे, तब हंस वुल्फ एक ऑर्केस्ट्रा में सेलो बजाते थे और जिम मैकफर्सन एक स्कूल शिक्षक का काम करते थे।

4. Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?

क्या हंस वुल्फ कभी डोरसेट गए थे? उसने क्यों कहा कि वह यह जानता था?

Answer:- No, Hans Wolf had never been to Dorset. He said he knew it because he had learned all from school and from reading books in English.

नहीं, हैंस वुल्फ कभी डोरसेट नहीं गए थे। उन्होंने कहा कि वह इसे जानते हैं क्योंकि उन्होंने स्कूल से और अंग्रेजी में किताबें पढ़ने से सब कुछ सीखा है।

5. Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?

क्या आपको लगता है कि जिम मैकफेरसन युद्ध से वापस आ गया? आप यह कैसे जानते हो?

Answer:- I think Jim Macpherson never came back from the war. The author went to meet Mrs. Macpherson. The matron also told that Mrs. Macpherson had no family.

मुझे लगता है कि जिम मैकफर्सन युद्ध से कभी वापस नहीं आए। लेखिका श्रीमती मैकफर्सन से मिलने गई। मैट्रन ने यह भी बताया कि श्रीमती मैकफर्सन का कोई परिवार नहीं था।

NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 1

Comprehension Check (Page 15) Class 8 English Chapter 1

1. Why did the author go to Bridport?

लेखक ब्रिजपोर्ट क्यों गए?

Answer:-The author went to Bridport in search of Mrs. Connie Macpherson.

लेखिका मिसेज कोनी मैकफर्सन की तलाश में ब्रिजपोर्ट गई थीं।

2. How old was Mrs. Macpherson now? Where was she?

श्रीमती मैकफर्सन अब कितनी उम्र की थीं? वह कहाँ थी?

Answer:- Mrs. Macpherson was 101 years old now. She was in Burlington House Nursing Home.

मिसेज मैकफर्सन अभी 101 वर्ष की थीं। वह बर्लिंगटन हाउस नर्सिंग होम में थी।

 

Comprehension Check (Page 16) Class 8 English Chapter 1

1. Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?

कोनी मैकफेरसन किसे अपना आगंतुक मानते थे?

Answer:- Connie Macpherson thought her visitor was her husband, Jim Macpherson.

कॉनी मैकफर्सन को लगा कि उनके मेहमान उनके पति जिम मैकफर्सन हैं।

 

Q.2. Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?

पाठ में कौन सा वाक्य इंगित करता है कि आगंतुक ने अपनी पहचान छिपाने की कोशिश नहीं की?

Answer:-“I said I was a friend who came to visit Mrs. Macpherson to bring her a Christmas present.” This sentence shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity.

“मैंने कहा था कि मैं एक दोस्त हूं, मिसेज मैकफर्सन से मिलने उन्हें क्रिसमस का तोहफा देने आया था।” इस वाक्य से पता चलता है कि आगंतुक ने अपनी पहचान छिपाने की कोशिश नहीं की।

 

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS

Class 8 English Chapter 1 Working with the Text:

1. For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer:- I think Connie had kept Jim’s letter for almost 70 to 75 years. The following reasons substantiate it.

(a) The junk seller had told that the desk was from the early 19th century.

(b) The letter was dated 26 Dec. 1914.

(c) Now Mrs. Macpherson was 101 years old.

 

Q.2. Why do you think the desk had been sold and when?

Answer:- I think the desk had been sold because it had badly got scorch marks all down one side. It had been sold when Mrs. Macpherson left her house to live in Burlington House Nursing Home.

 

3. Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?

Answer:- Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts because they do not kill anyone, and make children orphans and wives widows. Yes, I agree with this concept.

 

4. Do you think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other? Find evidence from the story to support your answer.

Answer:- I think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other. They are not different from each other.

On Christmas, they wished each other- “Happy Christmas, Tommy!”  “Same to you, Fritz!”  They shared schnapps, rum, and sausages. They played football on no man’s land. They exchanged carols.

Even Jim said, “Both armies long for peace” At the end of the war, they would like to go home back and see the family. These are the pieces of evidence from the story.

 

Q.5. Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.

Answer:- The wishing of ‘Happy Christmas’, the sharing of schnapps, rum and sausages, the playing of a football match on the no man’s land, and the exchanging of carols are the various ways that make the British and the German soldiers friends. A mingling of breaths, longing for peace and home, etc. are the things in common at Christmas.

 

Q.6. What is Connie’s Christmas present? Why is it “the best Christmas present in the world?”

Answer:- Connie’s husband Jim is her Christmas present. It is the best Christmas present in the world because for a wife without a husband the world is insipid.

 

Q.7. Do you think the title of this story is suitable for it? Can you think of any other title(s)?

Answer:- I think the title of this story is suitable for it. The story opens, develops, and concludes around this title. Husband, a human, is the best Christmas gift for Connie. There can be no other title suitable for this story.

NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 1 Questions

Class 8 English Chapter 1 Working with Language:

Q.1. (i) Read the passage below and underline the verbs in the past tense :

A man got on the train and sat down. The compartment was empty except for one lady. She took her gloves off. A few hours later the police arrested the man. They held him for 24 hours and then freed him.

Answer:- A man got on the train and sat down. The compartment was empty except for one lady. She took her gloves off. A few hours later the police arrested the man. They held him for 24 hours and then freed him.

 

(ii) Fill in the blanks using the correct form of the verbs in brackets:

Answer:- My little sister is very naughty. When she came back from school yesterday, she had torn her dress. We asked her how it had happened. She said she had quarreled with a boy. She had beaten him in a race and he had tried to push her. She had told the teacher and so he had chased her, and she had fallen down and had torn her dress.

 

(iii) Underline the verbs and arrange them in two columns, Past and Earlier Past.

(a)  My friends set out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at home because I had seen them already.

(b)  When they arrived at the station, their train had left. They came back home, but by that time I had gone out to see a movie!

(c)  So they sat outside and ate the lunch I had packed for them.

(d)  By the time I returned, they had fallen asleep.

Answer:-

(a) set out, stayed, had seen

(b) arrived, had left, came, had gone

(c) sat, ate, had packed

(d) returned, had fallen Past

Past                 Earlier Past

set out             had seen

stayed              had left

arrived             had gone

came                had packed

sat                    had fallen

ate

returned

 

Q.2. Class 8 English Chapter 1 Dictionary Work:

Find these Phrasal Verbs in the story :

burn out,   light-up,   look on,   run out,   keep out

Write down the sentences in which they occur. Consult a dictionary and write down the meaning that you think matches the meaning of the phrasal verb in the sentence.

Answer:-

Burnt Out:

“House No. 12 turned out to be nothing but a burnt shell, the roof gaped, the windows climbed up.” This line means that there was a fire in the house.

Light Up:

“That was the moment his eyes lit up with recognition and his face suddenly filled with a gleam of joy.” – This line means that Connie’s face lit up with happiness.

Look on:

“Hans Wolf and I watched and rejoiced, clapping our hands and stamping our feet, to keep the cold as far away as we can.” – This line implies that both Jim and Hans used to look at each other and cheer while playing a football match.

Run Out:

“The time had come, and very soon, when the game was over, the schnapps and the rum and the sausage were long over, and we knew it was all over.” – This line means that the game was over and so the fun and food were used up.

Keep out:

“Hans Wolf and I watched and cheered, clapping and stamping our feet, to keep the cold away as much as we could.” This line means that he tried to escape from the cold by clapping and stamping his feet.

(i) burnt out            completely burnt

(a) lit up                   glow up

(m) looked on         watched

(iv) run out              finished

(v) keep out             to keep something away

 

Q.3. Class 8 English Chapter 1 Noun Phrase:

Read the following sentence.

I took out a small black tin box.

The phrase in italics is a noun phrase.

It has the noun – box – as the main word, and three adjectives before it.

Note the order in which the adjectives appear—size (small), color (black), and the material (tin) it’s made of.

We rarely use more than four adjectives before a noun and there is no rigid order in which they are used, although there is a preferred order of modifiers/adjectives in a noun phrase, as outlined below.

 

 

 

 

Class 8 English Chapter 1 Question 4:

The table below contains a list of nouns and some adjectives. Use as many adjectives as you can to describe each noun. You might come up with some funny descriptions!

Nouns                     Adjectives

elephant                  circular, striped enormous, multicolored,

face                          round, cheerful, wild, blue, red, chubby,

building                  large, medium-sized, cold

water

Answer:-

(a) Elephant- Enormous Elephant, Enormous wild Elephant, large wild Elephant, etc.

(b) Face- Round face, round cheerful face, round cheerful chubby face, round cheerful chubby cold face, etc

(c) Building- Circular building, circular multicolored striped building, medium-sized red building, multi-colored building, etc.

(d) Water- Bluewater, enormous water, cold blue water, etc.

 

Class 8 English Chapter 1 Speaking (page 19)

Question 1:

Discuss in groups whether war is a good way to end the conflict between countries. Then present your arguments to the whole class.

Answer:-

War brings with it much hatred and devastation. It shows the unseen and unfair side of human beings. Nations sometimes fight wars for small reasons like sharing or winning a piece of land or because of religion.

War soldiers leave their families behind and their children become orphans and their wives become widows when they sacrifice their lives for their respective countries. Therefore, war is certainly not an ideal way to end conflicts and cause enormous destruction to life and property.

(Note: Students can present their ideas in front of the whole class).

 

Class 8 English Chapter 1 Question 2:

What kind of gifts do you like and why? What are some things you keep in mind while buying gifts for others? Discuss with your partner. (For example, you can buy a book because it can be read and reread over time.)

Answer:-

On the personal front, I do not like the practice of exchanging expensive gifts. However, if we really want to thank someone with a gift, we can buy some flowers as a token of affection for the person concerned. For this reason, we see that many guests on formal occasions bring bouquets of flowers as gifts to express their warmth.

(Note: Students can express their views and discuss with their partners at their convenience).

 

Class 8 English Chapter 1 Writing (page 20)

Question 1:

Imagine you are in a gym. You have returned to your city after the war. Record in your diary how you feel about the changes and happenings in your city. you can start like this

December 25, 1919

Today is Christmas, but the city looks…..

or

Suppose you are a visitor. You are in a dilemma. You don’t know whether to reveal your identity and disappoint the old lady or make her believe that her beloved Jim is back. Write a letter to a friend highlighting your worries, fears, and feelings.

Answer:-

December 25, 1919

Today is Christmas, but the city looks different from other days. The city was devastated by the war. The buildings have been destroyed and are in complete ruins. My house has almost burned down due to the war bombing.

All such incidents have made a huge impact on the lives of the soldiers as well as the common citizens. I am completely distasteful of what is happening around me and want to curse those who fight. I really wish for peace and brotherhood among the countrymen and people across the border.

 

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 1 Question 2:

Class 8 English Chapter 1 Below is an outline of a story. Build the story using the outline.

A young, newly married doctor _____________ freedom fighter _______________ exiled to Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the British _______ infamous Cellular Jail __________ tortured by prisoners _______ rebellion ____________ doctor hanged __________ wife awaits his return __________ grows old _______ of hope Continues to wait with Faith.

Answer:-

In the year 1929 when India was under the British Raj, the English education system enlightened the minds of some people. Gradually people started thinking progressively and were fighting hard to get the country free from British rule.

At that time, a young, newlywed doctor was implicated in a conspiracy case and sent to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which was located in the Bay of Bengal. He was a freedom fighter who was exiled to the infamous Cellular Jail for a few years.

He, along with other prisoners of this prison, was subjected to inhuman torture due to the revolt by the prisoners. Exactly one day he was hanged. But his wife kept waiting for him to return till he was old. However, she never lost her hope and faith and waited for her husband to return someday.

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 1 Books pdf

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