Lesson 4 – The Great Escape | Chapter Solution Class 8

Book Name	: Blossom
Subject	: English
Class	: 8 (Madhyamik)
Publisher	: Prof. Nabanita Chatterjee
Chapter Name	: An April Day (4th Chapter)

Activity – 1

Rearrange the following sentences in the correct order and put the numbers in the given below.

1. Subhas and Sisir chose the wanderer of their journey.
2. Sisir entered Subhas’s bedroom that December afternoon.
3. The police were keeping a watch on Subhas’s house.
4. Sisir was to help plan and carry out Subhas’s escape from India.
5. Subhas‘s nephew helped him listen to foreign broadcasts.
6. Sisir walked back to his own house in a state of wonder and excitement.

Answer

1. Subhas and Sisir chose the wanderer of their journey (6)
2. Sisir entered Subhas’s bedroom that December afternoon. (1)
3. The police were keeping a watch on Subhas’s house (4)
4. Sisir was to help plan and carry out Subhas’s escape from India (2)
5. Subhas‘s nephew helped him listen to foreign broadcasts (5)
6. Sisir walked back to his own house in a state of wonder and excitement (3)

Activity – 2

Complete the following sentences with information from the text.

1. On a December afternoon Sisir, ____
2. The task that Subhas gave Sisir was ____
3. Woodburn Park was ____ 
4. The escape plan of Subhas and Visit was ____

Answer

1. On a December afternoon Sisir, Subhas’s nephew entered Subhas’s bedroom.
2. The task that Subhas gave Sisir was to help plan and carry out Subhas’s escape from India.
3. Woodburn Park was the residence of Sisir Kumar Bose.
4. The escape plan of Subhas and Visit was to drive out, in the most natural fashion through the main gate.

Activity – 3

Why did Subhas and Sisir, as their plan of escape, decide to drive out in the most natural fashion through the main gate?

Answer

Subhas and Sisir drove through the main gate in the most natural fashion because they can elude whatever suspicions of the British soldiers keeping a watch on Subhas.

Activity – 4

Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false. Give S.S.

1. Akabar Shah operated in the northeastern frontier provinces.
2. The items of clothing for Subhas’s disguise were purchased from a shop in South Kolkata.
3. Everyone in Subhas’s family was aware of his plan of escape.
4. The policemen preferred warm blankets on the cool winter night of 16 January.

Answer

1. False. He operated in the northwestern frontier provinces.
2. False. They were purchased from a shop in Central Calcutta.
3. False. Only Subhas’s niece Lila and a male cousin, Damien, knew about his plan.
4. True. On the cool winter night of January 16th, they had preferred the comfort of the warm blankets on the charpoi.

Activity – 5

Answer the following questions

1. What items were purchased for Subhas to be carried with him on his Journey?
2. What was the real identity of Muhammad Ziauddin?
3. Why do you think Subhas had to put on a false identity?

Answer

Subhas Chandra Bose purchased a number of items for his journey, including:

• A German passport in the name of “Mohammed Ziauddin”
• A plane ticket to Berlin
• A visa for Germany
• A suitcase full of clothes and other belongings

Muhammad Ziauddin was a false identity used by Subhas Chandra Bose during his escape from India. His real identity was kept secret for security reasons.

Subhas Chandra Bose had to put on a false identity in order to escape from India. The British government was looking for him, and he knew that he would be arrested if he was caught. He also knew that the British government would be more likely to allow him to travel to Germany if he was using a false identity.

Activity – 6

Fill in the following chart with information from the text:

What	Why
(i) Subhas and Sisir tip-toed down the back stairs	_____
(ii) The light glowed in Subha’s bedroom	_____
(iii)  ____	The car engine faltered
(iv)  ____	Subhas wanted to catch the Delhi-Kalka Mall

Answer

Activity – 7

Answer the following questions

1. In which direction did Sisir drive after leaving Elgin Road?
2. Who was Ashok? How did he help in Subhas’s escape?
3. Describe Sisir’s last sight of Subhas.
4. Why did Sisir pick Subhas up in his car a little further from Ashok’s house?

Answer

1. Sisir drove in the direction of Howrah Bridge, which would take him out of the city.
2. Ashok was Sisir’s brother. He lived in a small village near Gomoh, which was the train station where Subhas planned to catch the Delhi-Kalka Mail. Ashok helped Subhas escape by providing him with a place to stay and by driving him to the train station.
3. Sisir’s last sight of Subhas was as he mounted the railway overbridge at Gomoh Station. Subhas was wearing a baggy shalwar, a black fez, and a shirt. He was carrying a suitcase and a walking stick. He walked with his usual majestic gait, and he disappeared into the darkness towards the opposite platform.
4. Sisir picked Subhas up in his car a little further from Ashok’s house because he did not want to attract attention. He knew that the British government was looking for Subhas, and he did not want to risk being stopped by the police.

Activity 8 (a)

In the following sentences, underline the words that act like verbs and take objects:

1. He likes to play badminton.
2. His habit is to read the newspaper daily.
3. Her greatest pleasure is to dance.

Answer

1. He likes to play badminton.
2. His habit is to read the newspaper daily.
3. Her greatest pleasure is dancing.

Activity 8 (b)

Underline the Infinitive in the following sentences:

1. Raja is not afraid to speak the truth.
2. The teacher was extremely sorry to hear it.
3. The guava is fit to eat.
4. To find fault is easy.

Answer

1. Raja is not afraid to speak the truth.
2. The teacher was extremely sorry to hear it.
3. The guava is fit to eat.
4. To find fault is easy.

Activity 9

Add suitable prefixes or suffixes to the given words in brackets and fill in the blanks to complete the sentences meaningfully:

1. The children were full of ____ (excite) as they went for a picnic.
2. We should not ____ (courage) anyone.
3. It was a ____ (comfort) journey as I got a place to sit.
4. India became an ____ (dependent) nation in 1947.

Answer

1. The children were full of excitement as they went for a picnic.
2. We should not discourage anyone.
3. It was a comfortable journey as I got a place to sit.
4. India became an independent nation in 1947.

Activity 10 (a)

Suppose you have read an interesting adventure story recently. Write a letter in about eighty words to your aunt describing the story and telling her why you liked it.

Answer

Dear aunt,

I hope you and your uncle are doing well. We miss you here. Recently I have read adventurous stories. I read 2 books from the Harry Potter series. The story is about an orphan boy who goes to a wizardly school and then the real adventure begins. In the first book, we come across many exciting characters and also magical spells. Also, we get to know about Harry’s best friends and his life. It is such an engaging book that I finished both books in just 5 days. I liked the books because not only they are full of adventure but also teach me many things.

I hope to see you soon.

Yours nephew

Mitesh

 Activity 10 (b)

Write a summary of the following passage:

Answer

This is an inspiring incident from Mahatma Gandhi’s life. One day there was an inspection at his school. At that time, the inspector gave a couple of English spellings to the students. Gandhi wrote one wrong spelling which was read by his class teacher. His teacher gestured for him to copy from another student’s book. But as Gandhi was firm with his honesty, he didn’t do that. When the inspector left, the teacher scolded him for not copying the correct spelling. But that didn’t stop Gandhi from being who he was. He replied that copying was an act of dishonesty and he didn’t like dishonesty.