Lesson 7 – A King Tale | Chapter Solution Class 8

A King Tale
Book Name : Blossom
Subject : English
Class : 8 (Madhyamik)
Publisher : Prof. Nabanita Chatterjee
Chapter Name : A King’s Tale (7th Chapter)

Activity 1

Tick the correct alternative:

(i) During the reign of King Uther-Pendragon, the people of Britain lived a

  1. peaceful
  2. disturbed
  3. unhappy life

(ii) Merlin, the prophet and Sir Ulfius, the brave knight, were trusted by the

  1. opponents of the king
  2. members of the royal family
  3. counsellors of the king.

(iii) The royal baby was to be brought up by

  1. Sir Ulfius
  2. Merlin
  3. Sir Ector

(iv) After the passing away of King Uther-Pendragon, there was

  1. lawlessness
  2. prosperity
  3. development in Britain

Answer

  1. peaceful
  2. members of the royal family
  3. Sir Ector
  4. lawlessness

Activity 2

Rearrange the following sentences in the correct order and put the numbers in the given boxes:

  1. Sir Ector promised to obey Merlin and Sir Ulfius.
  2. King Uther-Pendragon was loved by his people.
  3. There was trouble in Britain after the king and queen died.
  4. Lady Igraine was the beautiful wife of King Uther- Pendragon
  5. The two trusted counsellors placed in Sir Ector’s hands the royal baby.
  6. The royal baby was born to King Uther-Pendragon and Lady Igraine.

Answer

King Uther- Pendragon was loved by his people.

Lady Igraine was the beautiful wife of King Uther- Pendragon.

The royal baby was born to King Uther –Pendragon and Lady Igraine.

There was trouble in Britain after the king and queen died.

The two trusted counsellors placed in Sir Ecto’s hands the royal baby.

Sir Ector promised to obey Merline and Sir Ulfius.

Activity 3

Answer the following question:

Why do you think Merlin and Sir Ulfius entrusted Sir Ector with the baby of the king and queen?

Answer

Sir Ector was the trustworthy and loyal subject of the king so Merlin and Sir Ulfius thought that he was the right choice to take care of the royal baby.

Activity 4

Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

  1. After King Uther- Pendragon, Britain had no king because ____.
  2. The magnificent sword was fixed ____.
  3. Arthur was eighteen when ____.
  4. The beautiful arm that rose from the water ____.

Answer

  1. After King Uther- Pendragon, Britain had no king because none of the fighting barons had managed to become the king.
  2. The magnificent sword was fixed on a large stone in a churchyard.
  3. Arthur was eighteen when he succeeded in lifting the sword.
  4. The beautiful arm that rose from the water held a sword set with rubies and emeralds.

Activity 5

Answer the following questions:

  1. What was written upon the stone on which the sword was fixed?
  2. What happened on the bright May morning?
  3. Why did Arthur need a new sword?

Answer

  1. “Whoever pulls out this sword is by right of birth, the king of England.” – this was written upon the stone on which the sword was fixed.
  2. On the bright May morning, Arthur lifted the sword easily.
  3. Arthur needed a new sword because he had lost his royal sword in a battle.

 Activity 6

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

  1. The people of England were unhappy during Arthur’s rule.
  2. Merline took King Arthur to the glided pavilion on his birthday.
  3. Fifty people could sit at the Round Table.
  4. The goodness and kindness of the knights were known all over the country.

Answer

  1. False; King Arthur could gift peace and prosperity to England.
  2. False; On the wedding day, Merlin took him to a richly glided pavilion, painted crimson and dark blue.
  3. True; In the middle of the room was a huge, round oak table, richly carved, capable of seating fifty people.
  4. True; The stories of their goodness and kindness spread throughout the country.

Activity 7

Answer the following questions:

  1. Who, according to Merlin, could possess the Excalibur?
  2. Describe the pavilion where the round table was placed.
  3. What did King Arthur’s devoted knights promise?
  4. Why did King Arthur smile when he was informed that the Excalibur was taken back into the lake by a beautiful arm?

Answer

  1. According to Merlin, only an honest and fearless knight who protects the common people can possess Excalibur.
  2. The pavilion was richly glided, painted crimson and dark blue. The floor was marbled. In the middle of the room was a huge, round, oak table, richly carved, capable of seating fifty people.
  3. King Arthur’s devoted knights promised that they would help the helpless, be gentle to the weak and to punish the wicked.
  4. King Arthur smiled when he was informed that the Excalibur was taken back into the lake by a beautiful arm because he had done his duty and realized that the Excalibur was back to its original place.

Activity 8 (a)

In the following sentences underline the groups of words that do the work of an Adjective:

  1. The king is wearing a crown ____.
  2. He walked on the path ____.
  3. He has a friend ____.

Answer

  1. The king is wearing a crown which is made of gold.
  2. He walked on the path that was stony.
  3. He has a friend who is very helpful.

Activity 8 (b)

In the following sentences underline the groups of words that do the work of an Adverb:

  1. He returned home when it was raining.
  2. The knight fought in a manner which was brave.
  3. The student could not understand the lesson as he was not present in the class.

Answer

  1. He returned home when it was raining.
  2. The knight fought in a manner which was brave.
  3. The student could not understand the lesson as he was not present in the class.

Activity 8 (c)

In the following sentences underline the groups of words that do the work of a Noun:

  1. I expect that he will come.
  2. That you behave like this, hurts me.
  3. Mother was very happy that her child had succeeded.

Answer

  1. I expect that he will come.
  2. That you behave like this, hurts me.
  3. Mother was very happy that her child had succeeded.

Activity 8 (d)

Underline the Clauses in the following sentences and state what kind of clauses they are:

  1. He was a man whom everyone admired.
  2. I hope that my uncle will visit me.
  3. He could not walk further as he was tired.
  4. They live in a place where it is always cold.
  5. My friends took me to a garden which was very beautiful.
  6. The artist hoped that he would win an award.

Answer

  1. He was a man (independent clause) whom everyone admired (adjective clause).
  2. I hope (independent clause) that my uncle will visit me (noun clause).
  3. He could not walk further (independent clause) as he was tired (adverbial clause).
  4. They live in a place (independent clause) where it is always cold (adverbial clause).
  5. My friends took me to a garden (independent clause) which was very beautiful (adjective clause).
  6. The artist hoped (independent clause) that he would win an award (noun clause).

Activity 9

Find words in the passage that mean the following:

  1. To care for someone or something
  2. the state of being successful
  3. having great love and being loyal
  4. died

Answer

  1. Protect
  2. Succeeded
  3. Devoted
  4. Perished

Activity 10 (a)

Imagine you are Merlin, the wise counsellor to King Arthur. Write a paragraph in about eighty words on the advice you would have given the king in his times of trouble.

Answer

My King, in times of trouble, it is important to remember your strength and your courage. You are the rightful king of England, and you have been chosen by the Lady of the Lake to lead this kingdom. Do not let your enemies see you weak or afraid. Stand strong and proud, and show them that you are the rightful ruler of this land.

I would also have reminded Arthur of the ideals of chivalry that he and his knights had sworn to uphold. He should be merciful to the people of his kingdom, but he should also be just and fair. He should protect the innocent and fight for justice. By following these ideals, Arthur would be able to overcome any challenge that came his way.

Activity 10 (b)

Write a summary of the following passage:

Long ago during the reign of Khalifa Haroon-ul-Rashid, there lived a businessman called Ali. One day Ali went on a pilgrimage. He had five hundred gold coins which he put in a jar and filled the jar with oil. Ali left the jar with his neighbour Abdul. While Ali was away, one day, Abdul ran out of cooking oil in his house. He took out some oil from Ali’s jar. As Abdul was pouring the oil several gold coins fell out from the jar. He became greedy. Abdul took out all the oil and the gold coins from Ali’s jar. Then he replaced the oil in the jar from an oil trader. Ali returned several months later. He did not find his coins. Abdul said he knew nothing of it. Ali went to the Khalifa. Khalifa Haroon-ul- Rashid heard Ali’s complaint. But there was no proof against Abdul. The Khalifa was called an oil merchant. He tasted the oil and said it was two months old. Ali had been gone for seven months. He could not have put that oil in the jar. So, Abdul was caught. Ali got back his coins. (190 words)

Answer

Ali, a businessman, left his five hundred gold coins with his neighbour Abdul while he went on a pilgrimage. Abdul, who was running out of cooking oil, took some oil from the jar. When he saw the gold coins, he became greedy and took them all. He replaced the oil with new oil from an oil merchant.

When Ali returned, he found that his coins were missing. Abdul denied taking them, so Ali went to the Khalifa. The Khalifa could not find any evidence against Abdul, so he called an oil merchant to taste the oil in the jar. The oil merchant said that the oil was two months old, even though Ali had been gone for seven months. This proved that Abdul had replaced the oil, and he was forced to return the gold coins to Ali.

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