The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom

NCERT Solutions for Class 7th: Ch 4 The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom Honeycomb

William Elliot Griffis

Page No: 60

Comprehension Check

1. Why did the neighbours kill the dog?

Answer

The neighbours when heard about the good luck brought by the dog to the couple coaxed the dog into their garden in  hope that he would find treasure for them. They dragged him out of doors and the dog scratched and pawed the ground under a pine tree. When on digging the ground, they saw that there was nothing but a dead kitten, they became furious at the dog. They beat him to death and then flung him into the hole.

2. Mark the right item.
(i) The old farmer and his wife loved the dog
(a) because it helped them in their day-to-day work.
(b) as if it was their own baby.
(c) as they were kind to all living beings.

(ii) When the old couple became rich, they
(a) gave the dog better food.
(b) invited their greedy neighbours to a feast.
(c) lived comfortably and were generous towards their poor neighbours.

(iii) The greedy couple borrowed the mill and the mortar to make
(a) rice pastry and bean sauce.
(b) magic ash to win rewards.
(c) a pile of gold.

Answer

(i) - (b) The old farmer and his wife loved the dog as if it was their own baby.

(ii) - (c) When the old couple became rich, they lived comfortably and were generous towards their poor neighbours.

(iii) - (c) The greedy couple borrowed the mill and the mortar to make a pile of gold.

Page No: 63

Working with the Text

Answer the following questions.

1. The old farmer is a kind person. What evidence of his kindness do you find in the first two paragraphs.

Answer

The old farmer was a kind person. He and his wife had a pet dog named Muko, as his baby. Having no children, they loved it as though it were a baby.They fed him fish from their own chopsticks and all the boiled rice he wanted. He was patient and kind to everything that had life and often turned up a sod on purpose to give food to the birds.

2. What did the dog do to lead the farmer to the hidden gold?

Answer

The dog came running to the farmer and kept on whining and running to and fro till the farmer followed him. The dog began a lively scratching. Thinking it was possibly a buried bone or fish, the farmer struck his hoe in the earth and found the hidden gold.

3. (i) How did the spirit of the dog help the farmer first?

    (ii) How did it help him next?

Answer

(i) The spirit of the dog asked the farmer in his dream to cut down the pine tree over his grave and make a mortar for rice pastry and a mill for bean sauce. 

(ii) The spirit of the dog informed the farmer in his dream that his wicked neighbours had burnt the hand-mill. He advised him to take the ashes of the mill and sprinkle them on the withered trees and they would bloom again.

Page No: 64

4. Why did the daimio reward the farmer but punish his neighbour for the same act?

Answer

The farmer had the magical ashes. He made the old withered cherry tree blossom once again by sprinkling the ashes. So, the daimio rewarded the farmer for this.When his greedy neighbour heard about it, he took the ashes and when daimio was passing on the highway, he threw a handful of ashes over the tree. The tree did not blossom and wind blew the fine dust in the noses and eyes of the daimio and his wife. That is why his neighbour punished for the same act.

Working with language

1. Read the following conversation.

RAVI : What are you doing?
MRIDU : I’m reading a book.
RAVI : Who wrote it?
MRIDU : Ruskin Bond.
RAVI : Where did you find it?
MRIDU : In the library.

Notice that ‘what’, ‘who’, ‘where’, are question words. Questions that require information begin with question words. Some other question words are ‘when’, ‘why’, ‘where’, ‘which’ and ‘how’.
Remember that

• What asks about actions, things, etc.
• Who asks about people.
• Which asks about people or things.
• Where asks about place.
• When asks about time.
• Why asks about reason or purpose.
• How asks about means, manner or degree.
• Whose asks about possessions.

Read the following paragraph and frame questions on the italicised phrases.

Anil is in school. I am in school too. Anil is sitting in the left row. He is reading a book. Anil’s friend is sitting in the second row. He is sharpening his pencil. The teacher is writing on the blackboard. Children are writing in their copybooks. Some children are looking out of the window.

Answer

(i) Where is Anil?

(ii) Where is Anil sitting?

(iii) What is he doing?

(iv) Where is Anil's friend sitting?

(v) Who is writing on the blackboard?

(vi) What are some children doing?

Page No: 65

2. Write appropriate question words in the blank spaces in the following dialogue.

NEHA : ............... did you get this book?

SHEELA : Yesterday morning.

NEHA : .................. is your sister crying?

SHEELA : Because she has lost her doll.

NEHA : ................. room is this, yours or hers?

SHEELA : It’s ours.

NEHA : ....................... do you go to school?

SHEELA : We walk to school. It is near by.

Answer

NEHA : When did you get this book?
SHEELA : Yesterday morning.
NEHA : Why is your sister crying?
SHEELA : Because she has lost her doll.
NEHA : Whose room is this, yours or hers?
SHEELA : It’s ours.
NEHA : How do you go to school?
SHEELA : We walk to school. It is near by.

3. Fill in the blanks with the words given in the box. 
     how                   what                 when                    where                   which

(i) My friend lost his chemistry book. Now he doesn’t know ................. to do and .................. to look for it.
(ii) There are so many toys in the shops. Neena can’t decide ...................... one to buy.
(iii) You don’t know the way to my school. Ask the policeman ...................... to get there.
(iv) You should decide soon ...................... to start building your house.
(v) Do you know ...................... to ride a bicycle? I don’t remember  and  I learnt it.
(vi) “You should know ................... to talk and .................. to keep your mouth shut,” the teacher advised Anil.

Answer

(i) My friend lost his chemistry book. Now he doesn't know what to do and where to look for it.

(ii) There are so many toys in the shops. Neena can't decide which one to buy.

(iii) You don't know the way to my school. Ask the policeman how to get there.

(iv) You should decide soon where to start building your house.

(v) Do you know how to ride a bicycle? I don't remember when and where I learnt it.

(vi) "You should know when to talk and when to keep your mouth shut," the teacher advised Anil.

Page No: 66

4. Add im- or in- to each of the following words and use them in place of the italicised words in the sentences given below.

         patient                  proper                possible               sensitive                  competent

(i) The project appears very difficult at first sight but it can be completed if we work very hard.

(ii) He lacks competence. That’s why he can’t keep any job for more than a year.

(iii) “Don’t lose patience. Your letter will come one day,” the postman told me.

(iv) That’s not a proper remark to make under the circumstances.

(v) He appears to be without sensitivity. In fact, he is very emotional.

Answer

(i) The project appears impossible at first sight but it can be completed if we work very hard.

(ii) He is incompetent. That's why he can't keep any job for more than a year.

(iii) "Don't be impatient. Your letter will come one day," the postman told me.

(iv) That's an improper remark to make under the circumstances.

(v) He appears to be insensitive. In fact, he is very emotional.

5. Read the following sentences.

          It was a cold morning and stars still glowed in the sky. An old man was walking along the road.

The words in italics are articles. ‘A’ and ‘an’ are indefinite articles and ‘the’ is the definite article. ‘A’ is used before a singular countable noun. ‘An’ is used before a word that begins with a vowel.

                    • a boy                        • an actor

                    • a mango                   • an apple

                    • a university              • an hour

Use a, an or the in the blanks.

There was once ............. play which became very successful. ............. famous actor was acting in it. In ........... play his role was that of .............. aristocrat who had been imprisoned in ........... castle for twenty years. In ............ last act of ............... play someone would come on ............ stage with  letter which he would hand over to ............. prisoner. Even though ............ aristocrat was not expected to read ................ letter at each performance, he always insisted that ............ letter be written out from beginning to end.

Answer

There was once a play which became very successful. A famous actor was acting in it. In the play his role was that of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in a castle for twenty years. In the last act of the play someone would come on the stage with a letter which he would hand over to the prisoner. Even though the aristocrat was not expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that the letter be written out from beginning to end.

6. Encircle the correct article.

Nina was looking for (a /the) job. After many interviews she got (a/the) job she was looking for.

A : Would you like (a/an/the) apple or (a/an/the) banana?

B : I'd like (a/an/the) apple, please.
A : Take (a/an/the) red one in (a/an/the) fruit bowl. You may take (a/an/the) orange also, if you like.
B : Which one?
A : (a/an/the) one beside (a/an/the) banana.

Answer

A : Would you like an apple or a banana?

B : I'd like an apple, please.

A : Take the red one in the fruit bowl. You may take an orange also, if you like.

B : Which one?

A : The one beside the banana.