| Book Name | : Blossom |
| Subject | : English |
| Class | : 7 (Madhyamik) |
| Publisher | : Prof. Nabanita Chatterjee |
| Chapter Name | : The Riddle (2nd Chapter) |
Activity 1
Choose the correct answers from the given alternatives:
(a) Emperor Akbar was walking
- in his place
- in the royal garden
- in the house of Birbal
Answer
(ii) in the royal garden
(b) Birbal was Akbar’s
- most trusted and faithful minister
- greedy and unfaithful minister
- rival
Answer
(i) most trusted and faithful minister
(c) The emperor was
- happy
- clam
- worried
Answer
(iii) worried
(d) The fast things on earth is
- the human mind
- bullock cart
- horse
Answer
(i) the human mind
(e) The neighbour was outwitted by
- Akbar
- Birbal
- the neighbour’s friend
Answer
(ii) Birbal
Activity 2
Identify which of the following statements are true and which are false. Give a supporting statement for each of your answers.
- Emperor Akbar was very worried when he was roaming his garden.
- There were no flowers or fruits in the garden of Akbar.
- Birbal was indifferent to Akbar’s troubles.
- Birbal succeeded in answering Akbar’s query.
- The people of Akbar’s court admired the wisdom of Birbal.
Answer
- True – because he couldn’t find the answer to a riddle.
- False – Emperor Akbar’s plants produced fruits and flowers.
- False – Birbal noticed that emperor Akbar did not have peace of mind that day.
- True – Birbal answered the riddle and roved it as well.
- True – people were amazed at the wisdom of Birbal.
Activity 3
What kind of text is this?
It is a (i) play (ii) essay (iii) story
Answer
(iii) story
Activity 4
Give another title to the story. Give reasons for your answer.
Answer
Power of the human mind.
Because in this story Birbal proved how fast a human mind can solve a problem.
Activity 5
Complete the sentences meaningfully :
- Akbar asked Birbal ____.
- Most people of the court of Akbar were puzzled ____.
- ____ withdrew his claim immediately
- ____ the faster things on earth.
Answer
- “What is the fastest thing on this planet?”
- after listing to the question that troubled emperor Akbar.
- The neighbour realized that he was outwitted by Birbal and
- the human mind is
Activity 6
Fill in the chart information from the text:
| Cause | Effect |
| 1. Akbar was troubled | |
| (2) Emperor Akber asked Birbal to solve a riddle | |
| 3. the neighbour wanted to change money for drawing water from the well |
Answer
- Emperor Akber couldn’t find the answer to a riddle.
- Birbal solved the riddle and proved it is well.
- The neighbour claimed that he had sold the well only, not the water in it.
Activity 7
Answer the following question :
- What were the things that the great emperor Akber loved?
- Why did Akbar not have peace of mind ?
- What was the problem presented by the man from the audience ?
- How did Birbal solve the problem?
Answer
- The great emperor Akbar loved arts, science, literature and music.
- Because he couldn’t find the answer of the riddle.
- The man said that he bought a well from his neighbour but that seller wanted more money for the water in it.
- Bibal asked the buyer to change rent from the seller to keep his water in the buyer’s well. Then the seller realized his mistake and withdrew his claim.
Activity 8
Identify the words from the text which are synonyms of the following words
- confused
- demanded
- argument
- surprised
Answer
- confused – puzzled
- demanded – claim
- argument – dispute
- surprised – amazed
Activity 9
Complete the following sentences with the proper degree of adjectives:
- Shiela has the ____ (long) hair in the class.
- Mr Ghosal is ____ (busy) than Mr Patnaik
- We should be ____ (careful) in our speech.
- Shenawaz is as ____ (thin) as pralay.
- The owl is considered the ____ (wise) of all.
- His house is ____ (far) away from my house than Sanjeev’s.
Answer
- Shiela has the longest hair in the class.
- Mr Ghosal is busier than Mr Patnaik.
- We should be more careful in our speech.
- Shenawaz is as thin as Pralay.
- The owl is considered the wisest of all.
- His house is farther away from my house than Sanjeev’s.
Activity 10
Fill in the blanks with either Present Continuous Tense or Past Continuous Tense:
- It ____ (rain) now.
- Dr Manmohan Singh ____ (visit) Kolkata today.
- Hari ____ (study) at 9 pm yesterday.
- The boys ____ (play) in the field now.
- Rahim ____ (talk) to his friend when his mother called him.
Answer
- It is raining now.
- Dr Manmohan Singh is visiting Kolkata today.
- Hari was studying at 9 pm yesterday.
- The boys are playing in the field now.
- Rahim was talking to his friend when his mother called him.
Activity 11
Suppose your friend asks you to solve a riddle and you don’t know the answer to it. Write a dialogue in about 75 words based on the conversation that you had with your friend.
Begin like this:
Sunil: Hello Rohit! What’s going on?
You: Nothing serious. Just having a crack at this crossword.
Sunil: Good to see that you like puzzles. Well, here’s a riddle for you.
Sunil: Well, ……….
Answer
Sunil: Hello Rohit! What’s going on?
You: Nothing serious. Just having a crack at this crossword.
Sunil: Good to see that you like puzzles. Well, here’s a riddle for you.
Sunil: Well, here’s the riddle: “I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?”
You: Hmm, that’s an interesting riddle. I’m not sure I know the answer. Can you give me a hint?
Sunil: Sure! Think about things that can produce sound without having a physical form.
You: Ah, I think I have an idea, but I’m not completely sure. Is it… a echo?
Sunil: Spot on, Rohit! That’s the correct answer. Well done!
You: Thank you! That was a tricky one. I enjoy these brain teasers. Do you have any more riddles to share?
Activity 12
Try to write a story that you may have heard before using the following points (in about 80 words):
A crow — finds meat — flies to a tree — a cleaver fox — sees says to crow — sing — crow sings — meat falls — fox takes — crow sad — flies away.
Begin like this:
A crow was flying for a long time. He became very hungry …………………..
Answer
A crow was flying for a long time. He became very hungry and started looking for food to eat. Soon he finds meat hanging on a tree branch. He was about to eat it when a clever fox saw him. The fox said to the crow, “You have a beautiful voice. Would you sing for me?” The crow was flattered and started to sing. As soon as he opened his beak, the meat fell to the ground. The fox quickly picked it up and ran away. The crow was left hungry and sad.
Moral of the story:
Don’t be too trusting of strangers, especially if they are trying to flatter you.
