Lesson 1 – The Wind Cap | Chapter Solution Class 8

Book Name	: Blossom
Subject	: English
Class	: 8 (Madhyamik)
Publisher	: Prof. Nabanita Chatterjee
Chapter Name	: The Wind Cap (1st Chapter)

Activity – 1

Tick the correct alternatives:

(i) The lad had wanted to be a

1. doctor
2. sportsman
3. sailor

(ii) Mother told the lad that he knew the smell of the

1. soil
2. food
3. flower

(iii) John put the title on his

1. back
2. head
3. hand

(iv) The fairy man wanted to know Jon’s

1. age
2. name
3. heart’s desire

Answer

1. sailor
2. Soil
3. head
4. heart’s desire

Activity – 2

Rearrange the following sentences in the current order and put the numbers in the given boxes.

1. Jon met the tiny green turtle. 
2. Mother said Jon was a farmer’s son.
3. The turtle changed to the tiny green fairy man. 
4. Jon plucked the turtle from his head.
5. Jon did not express his wish. 
6. Jon bowed back. 

Answer

1. Jon met the tiny green turtle. (2)
2. Mother said Jon was a farmer’s son. (1)
3. The turtle changed to the tiny green fairy man. (4)
4. Jon plucked the turtle from his head. (3)
5. Jon did not express his wish. (6)
6. Jon bowed back. (5)

Activity – 3

Answer the following questions

Why do you think you thought that the turtle would be safe on his head?

Answer

John saw the turtle while ploughing then he thought that the turtle would be safe on his head because of the turtle might have been run over if he put it in some other places.

Activity – 4

Complete the following sentences with information from the text.

1. The cap that sailors most desire ____.
2. Seeing a ship anchored near the shore ____.
3. By twisting the cap, John could summon ____.
4. John desired to see the land because ____.

Answer

1. The cap that sailors most desire was given to them by the fairy man.
2. Seeing a ship anchored near the shore John requested the capital to take him along.
3. By twisting the cap, John could summon the East wind and the west wind.
4. John desired to see the land because he had not set foot on land for one year and a day.

Activity – 5

Answer the following questions

1. Why did the fairy man offer Jon the wind cap?
2. was the condition that was associated with the wind cap?
3. Why did Jon become popular with the sailors ?

Answer

1. Because he wanted to show his generosity towards Jon so that Jon can feel fairy man was full of a sense of obligation to him and saved his life and so he offered him the wind cap.
2. When jon was working in his field then suddenly he saw fairy man and he wished from it that in return he gave him a magical wind cap. Then jon could go sailing and fullfil his desire but the condition was that no one hand can ever take it off from John’s head .
3. Jon become popular with the sailors because he was able to summon wind through all the sides with the help of his wind cap.

Activity – 6

Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements in the given boxes. Give a supporting statement for each of your answers.

1. John never dreamt about the land.
2. The squall was called up because John was sleeping
3. The captain was angry with John
4. John did not return the wind cap to the fairy man

Answer

1. False; John didn’t have a dream of the land.
2. False; It was called up the squall from the open sky so that hit the sea without warning.
3. True; The captain angrily snatched john with the tail of his stripped cap and twisted him thrice and flung him out of the sea.
4. False; John put the wind cap under a stone where he knew the fairy man would find it.

Activity – 7

Answer the following questions

1. Why did the sailors try to rip off the cap from Jon’s head ?
2. How did Jon divide his time between land and see ?
3. Do you think John was rightly called ‘captain turtle ‘ ? Give reasons for your answer.
4. Why did Jon want to return the wind cap to the fairy man?

Answer

1. Because the wind had been whirling about the boat tearing the sails and snapping the spars. Hence the sailors fully tried to rip off the cap from John’s head.
2. The way he spent half the year on a ship and half year on the shore, the same John divided his time between land and sea.
3. Yes, I think that John was rightly called ‘ captain of turtles ‘ because He was really on the water and land.
4. All the sailors blamed Jon for the storm and the damage so he too felt that the cap was responsible for all the damage so he wanted to return the wind cap to the fairy man.

Activity 8 (a)

Underline the verbs in the following sentences that suggest actions that began in the past and are still continuing:

1. They have been travelling for ten hours.
2. He thanked me for what I have been doing.
3. The baby has been sleeping all day.

Answer

1. They have been travelling for ten hours.
2. He thanked me for what I have been doing.
3. The baby has been sleeping all day.

Activity 8 (b)

Underline the verbs in the following sentences that suggest actions that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time:

1. They had been playing in the field for an hour before Mother called them.
2. When I visited my uncle, he had been teaching in a school there for five years.
3. Rita had been studying at our school for the last eight years since I met her.

Answer

1. They had been playing in the field for an hour before Mother called them.
2. When I visited my uncle, he had been teaching in a school there for five years.
3. Rita had been studying at our school for the last eight years since I met her.

Activity 8 (c)

Fill in the blanks with either the Present Perfect Continuous or Past Perfect Continuous Tense :

1. The rain ____ when I left home. (pour)
2. The engineers ____ the bridge for the past few months. (build)
3. The performers ____since evening. (sing)
4. At that time, Mr Roy ____ poems for one month. (write)

Answer

1. The rain had been pouring when I left home.
2. The engineers have been building the bridge for the past few months.
3. The performers have been singing since evening.
4. At that time, Mr Roy had been writing poems for one month.

Activity 9

Replace the underlined words with their antonyms:

1. Jon had always obeyed his mother.
2. Jon began his first-ever sea voyage.
3. He became very popular with the sailors.
4. In Jon’s dream, the seasons turned rapidly.

Answer

1. Jon had always disobeyed his mother.
2. Jon finished his first ever sea voyage.
3. He became very unpopular with the sailors.
4. In Jon’s dream, the seasons turned slowly.

Activity 10 (a)

Imagine you are out on the open sea in a boat with waves rising all around you. Would you feel scared or excited? Write a paragraph in about eighty words describing your experience of the sea voyage.

Answer

As the waves rise all around me, I am filled with a mix of fear and excitement. The vastness of the open sea both intimidates and enthrals me. The rhythmic crashing of the waves against the boat creates a symphony of adrenaline within me. Each swell and dip of the boat sends shivers down my spine. The salty mist in the air invigorates my senses, reminding me of the raw power of nature. At this moment, I feel small yet connected to something much greater. It’s an exhilarating and humbling experience that leaves me in awe of the untamed beauty of the sea.

Activity 10 (b)

Suppose you had wished to perform on stage for a long time. On the occasion of your school’s annual function, you finally got a chance to do so. Write a letter to your friend describing how you felt when your wish was fulfilled.

Answer

Dear [Friend’s Name],

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to share some amazing news with you! Finally, after longing for it for so long, I got the opportunity to perform on stage during our school’s annual function. It was an indescribable feeling of sheer happiness and excitement. Stepping onto that stage, I felt a rush of adrenaline and nerves, but as I started performing, all my worries vanished. The applause and cheers from the audience filled me with confidence and joy. It was a dream come true, and I couldn’t have asked for a better moment. I can’t wait to tell you more about it when we meet.

Take care and talk to you soon!

Warm regards,

[Your Name]