NCERT Solutions Class 8th English (Honeydew) Chapter – 7 A Visit to Cambridge Question & Answer

NCERT Solutions Class 8th English (Honeydew) Chapter – 7 A Visit to Cambridge 

NCERT Solutions Class 8th English (Honeydew) Chapter – 7 A Visit to Cambridge 

Chapter – 7

A Visit to Cambridge

Question & Answer

Comprehension Check PANG NO – 100

Which is the right sentence?
Question 1. “Cambridge was my metaphor for England.” To the writer,

(i) Cambridge was a reputed university in England.
(ii) England was famous for Cambridge.
(iii) Cambridge was the real England.

Answer – (iii) Cambridge was the real England.

Question 2. The writer phoned Stephen Hawking’s house

(i) from the nearest phone booth.
(ii) from outside a phone booth.
(iii) from inside a phone booth.

Answer: (iii) from inside a phone booth

Question 3. Every time he spoke to the scientist, the writer felt guilty because

(i) he wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask.
(ii) he forced the scientist to use his voice synthesiser.
(iii) he was face to face with a legend.

Answer: (ii) he forced the scientist to use his voice synthesiser.

Question 4. “I felt a huge relief… in the possibilities of my body.” In the given context, the highlighted words refer to .

(i) shifting in the wheelchair, turning the wrist.
(ii) standing up, walking.
(iii) speaking, writing.

Answer: (i) shifting in the wheel-chair, turning the wrist.

Answer the following questions

Question 1.(i) Did the prospect of meeting Stephen Hawking make the writer nervous ? If so, why?
Answer: Yes, the writer was nervous when he went to meet Stephen Hawking as he was fed up with the people asking him to be brave. Moreover, he was face to face with a legendary figure.

(ii) Did he at the same time feel very excited ? If so, why ?
Answer: Stephen Hawking was also totally paralysed, still he had made great achievement. He suddenly felt weak all over, being himself disabled. But it gave him enough strength to do better.

Question 2. Guess the first question put to the scientist by the writer.
Answer: The writer asked the scientist, “You have been very brave haven’t you?”

Question 3. Stephen Hawking said, “I’ve had no choice.” Does the writer think there was a choice ? What was it ?
Answer: The writer thinks that Hawking had a choice. He had to choose, to live creatively despite his paralysis so that he might feel his mind preoccupied.

Question 4. “I could feel his anguish.” What could be the anguish ?
Answer: Hawking’s anguish was that he found it difficult to find the correct words to express on his computer. He felt tired which disappointed him. Hence the writer could read his anguish on Stephen’s face.

Question 5. What endeared the scientist to the writer so that he said he was looking at one of the most beautiful men in the world
Answer: Stephen liked writer’s frankness. His face reflected on unmatchable beauty, without being sentimental, he asked that he felt annoyed when someone came to disturb him in his work.

Question 6. Read aloud the description of the beautiful man. Which is the most beautiful sentence in the description ?
Answer: “Before you like a lantern whose walls are worn so thin you glimpse only the light inside, is the incandesence of a man”. The most beautiful sentence is incandesence of a man.

Question 7. (i) If ‘the lantern’ is the man, what would its ‘walls’ be?
Answer: Its walls are like a case made of shadows.

(ii) What is housed within the thin walls ?
Answer: The eternal soul is housed within the thin walls.

(iii) What general conclusion does the writer draw from this comparison ?
Answer: Each of us is an eternal soul, the body is not such an essential thing.

Question 8. What is the scientist’s message for the disabled?
Answer: They should concentrate on what they are good at. Olympics for the Handicapped are a waste of time. They should make the best use of the things and trust in god.

Question 9. Why does the writer refer to the guitar incident ? Which idea does it support ?
Answer: The disabled people must not try to overreach themselves as Hawking had tried to play the guitar which was larger than his own size. So he felt defeated and then dejected. In dejection he destroyed it one night.

Question 10. The writer expresses his great gratitude to Stephen Hawking. What is the gratitude for ?
Answer: The writer expresses his gratitude to Stephen for giving him strength and confidence to be brave, and to live creatively. Hawking had to use his weak fingers efficiently on the keyboard of his computer. This enabled the writer to spend his time for talk.

Question 11. Complete the following sentences taking their appropriate parts from both the boxes below.

(i) There was his assistant on the line ……………
(ii) You get fed up with people asking you to be brave, ………..
(iii) There he was, ……………..
(iv) You look at his eyes which can speak, …………..
(v) It doesn’t do much good to know ……….

A

• tapping at a little switch in his hand and I told him
• that there are people
• as if you have a courage account
• and they are saying something huge and urgent

B

• trying to find the words on his computer.
• I had come in a wheelchair from India.
• on which you are too lazy to draw a cheque.
• smiling with admiration to see you breathing still.
• it is hard to tell what.

Answer:

(i) There was his assistant on the line and I told him. I had come in a wheelchair from India.
(ii) You get fed up with people asking you to be brave as if you have a courage account on which you are too lazy to draw a cheque.
(iii) There he was, tapping at a little switch in his hand, trying to find the words on his computer.
(iv) You look at his eyes which can speak, and they are saying something huge and urgent it is hard to tell what.
(v) It does not do much good to know that there are people smiling with admiration to see you breathing still.

Working and Language

Question 1. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below using the appropriate forms of the words given in the following box.

guide, succeed, chair, travel, pale, draw, true

(i) I met a …………………… from an antique land.
(ii) I need special …………………. in mathematics. I can’t count the number of times I have failed in the subject.
(iii) The guide called Stephen Hawking a worthy ………………….. to Issac Newton.
(iv) His other problems ……………………. into insignificance beside this unforeseen mishap.
(v) The meeting was ………………… by the youngest member of the board.
(vi) Some people say ‘yours ……………………’ when they informally refer to themselves.
(vii) I wish it had been a …… …………….. match. We would have been spared the noise of celebrations, at least.
Answer:
(i) traveller
(ii) guidance
(iii) successor
(iv) paled
(v) guided
(vi) truly
(vii) drawn

Question 2. Look at the following words.

walk
stick

Can you create a meaningful phrase using both these words?

(It is simple. Add -ing to the verb and use it before the noun. Put an article at the beginning.). …………..a walking stick. Now make six such phrases using the words given in the box.

read/session smile/face revolve/chair walk/tour dance/doll win/chance

Answer:

(i) A reading session
(ii) A smilling face
(iii) A revolving chair
(iv) A walking tour
(v) A dancing doll
(vi) A winning chance

Question 3. Use all or both in the blanks. Tell your partner why you chose one or the other.
(i) He has two brothers. ……………… are lawyers.
(ii) More than ten persons called. …… of them wanted to see you.
(iii) They …………….. cheered the team.
(iv) …………….. her parents are teachers.
(v) How much have you got ? Give me …………… of it.
Answer:
(i) He has two brothers. Both are lawyers.
(ii) More than ten persons called. All of them wanted to see you.
(iii) They all cheered the team.
(iv) Both her parents are teachers.
(v) How much have you got ? Give me all of it.

Question 4. Complete each sentence using the right form of the adjective given in brackets.
(i) My friend has one of the …………… cars on the road. (fast)
(ii) This is the ………………. story I have ever read. (interesting)
(iii) What you are doing now is ……………… than what you did yesterday. (easy)
(iv) Ramesh and his wife are both ………………… (short)
(v) He arrived ……….. as usual. Even the chief guest came ………. than he did. (late, early)
Answer:
(i) My friend has one of the fastest cars on the road.
(ii) This is the most interesting story I have ever read.
(iii) What you are doing now is easier than what you did yesterday.
(iv) Ramesh and his wife are both short.
(v) He arrived late as usual. Even the chief guest came earlier than he did.

Speaking and Writing

Question 1. Say the following words with correct stress. Pronounce the parts given in black loudly and clearly.

camel balloon
decent opinion
fearless enormous
careful fulfil
father together
govern degree
bottle before

In a word having more than one syllable, the stressed syllable is the one that is more prominent than the other syllable(s) A word has as many syllables as it has vowels.
man (one syllable)
manner (two syllables)

The mark (‘) indicates that the first syllable in ‘manner’ is more prominent than the other.
Answer:
Read the words with the stress-mark very carefully to know which syllable is more prominent than the other.

Question 2. Underline stressed syllables in the following words. Consult the dictionary or ask the teacher if necessary.

artist, mistake, accident, moment, compare, satisfy, relation, table, illegal, agree, backward, mountain

Answer: artist, mistake, accident, moment, compare, satisfy, relation, table, illegal, agree, backward, mountain

Question 3. Writing a notice for the School Notice Board.

Step 1 : Discuss why notices are put on the notice board. What kinds of ‘notices’ have you lately seen on the board? How is a notice different from a letter or a descriptive paragraph?
Step 2 : Suppose you have lost or found something on the campus. What have you lost or found? You want to write a notice about it. If you have lost something, you want it restored to you in case someone has found it. If you have found something, you want to return it to its owner.
Step 3 : Write a few lines describing the object you have lost or found. Mention the purpose of the notice in clear terms. Also write your name, class, section and date.
Step 4: Let one member of each group read aloud the notice to the entire class. Compare your notice with the other notices, and make changes, if necessary, with the help of the teacher.

OR

• Imagine that you are a journalist.
• You have been asked to interview the president of the village panchayat.
• Write eight to ten questions you wish to ask.
• The questions should elicit comments as well as plans regarding water and electricity, cleanliness and school education in the village.

Answer:

(i) Which steps have you taken to improve cleanliness of the surrounding?
(ii) How can you improve the life of innocent people without school education ?
(iii) What is the cause of lack of drinking water resources? How can you improve it?
(iv) Mention the status of your village with comparison to others.
(v) How can you indulge the people in saving electricity and using bio-gas?
(vi) Where do you feel the bio-gas plants are maintained?
(vii) What about your sport persons in the village ?
(viii) How can you force the authorities for the cemented road link to the nearby cities?
(ix) How can you recycle the garbage and waste of animals for the betterment of the village-folk ?

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