Welcome students to an amazing analysis of the story “Gopal and the Hilsa Fish” told through pictures in the form of a comic book. We have presented these solutions in a simple and interesting manner to ensure that you appreciate the essence of Gopal’s wit. Feel free to go through them in detail.
Find Solutions to NCERT Class 7 English Honeycomb Unit 3 “Gopal and The Hilsa Fish” here.
Gopal and the Hilsa Fish
Working with the text
Answer the following questions
1. Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?
Answer:
The king did not want to hear any more talk about hilsa-fish because it had become the sole subject of discussion throughout the kingdom. The fishermen, the fishmongers, the householders and the courtiers could talk about nothing else. The king was irritated by their obsession with hilsa-fish.
2. What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?
Answer:
The king challenged Gopal to prove that he was clever by buying a huge hilsa-fish and bringing it all the way from the market to the palace without anyone questioning him about the hilsa-fish.
3. What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Answer:
The three things that Gopal did to prepare himself to buy his hilsa-fish were:
(i) He half-shaved his face.
(ii) He smeared ash on his body.
(iii) He wore disgraceful rags.
4. How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?
Answer:
Gopal was stopped by the guards at the palace gate because they did not recognise him. So, he began to sing and dance loudly. The king heard the commotion and ordered the guards to let in the man who wanted to meet him.
5. Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought?
Answer:
No one expressed the slightest interest in the huge hilsa-fish that Gopal carried because their attention was focused on his ragged and unkempt appearance. Gopal had successfully diverted everyone’s attention from the fish by his disguising himself as a mad man.
6. Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following sentences.
(i) The king lost his temper easily. _________
(ii) Gopal was a madman. _________
(iii) Gopal was a clever man. _________
(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. _________
(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. _________
Answer:
(i) True
(ii) False – He dressed up like a mad man to divert people’s attention from the fish
(iii) True
(iv) False – He wore rags as a disguise
(v) False- The king congratulated Gopal for achieving the impossible.
Working with Language
2. Notice how in a comic book, there are no speech marks when characters talk. Instead, what they say is put in a speech ‘bubble’. However, if we wish to repeat or ‘report’ what they say, we must put it into reported speech.
Change the following sentences in the story to reported speech. The first one has been done for you.
For e.g., (i) How much did you pay for that hilsa?
The woman asked the man how much he had paid for that hilsa.
(ii) Why is your face half-shaven?
Gopal’s wife asked him _________________.
(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.
Gopal told the king _________________.
(iv) I want to see the king.
Gopal told the guards _________________.
(v) Bring the man to me at once.
The king ordered the guard _________________.
Answer:
(ii) Gopal’s wife asked him why his face was half-shaven.
(iii) Gopal told the king that he accepted the challenge.
(iv) Gopal told the guards that he wanted to see the king.
(v) The king ordered the guard to bring the man to him at once.
2. Find out the meaning of the following words by looking them up in the dictionary. Then use them in sentences of your own.
Challenge; mystic; comical; courtier; smearing
Answer:
Challenge: A call to take part in a game or competition
Finding a solution to global warming is one of the biggest challenges before us at present.
Mystic: A person who claims to attain, or believes in the possibility of attaining insight into mysteries transcending ordinary human knowledge, as by direct communication with the divine or immediate intuition in a state of spiritual ecstasy.
The old hermit was a mystic whose life was spent in searching for perfect harmony with God.
Comical: amusing, especially in a ludicrous or absurd way.
The antics of the circus clown were so comical that all the children squealed with laughter.
Courtier: A person who attends a royal court as an advisor to the king or queen.
The courtiers grew tense and silent when they the king lost his temper.
Smearing: coat or mark something messily or carelessly with a greasy or sticky substance.
The little girl was caught in the act of smearing her mother’s cream all over the mirror.
Picture Reading
1. Look at the pictures and read the text aloud.
Answer:
Do it yourself.
2. Now ask your partner questions about each picture.
(i) Where is the stag?
Answer:
The stag is standing beside a pond.
(ii) What is he doing?
Answer:
He is observing his reflection in the water of the pond.
(iii) Does he like his antlers (horns)?
Answer:
Yes, he admires his beautiful antlers.
(iv) Does he like his legs?
Answer:
No, he does not like his legs because he finds them thin and ugly.
(v) Why is the stag running?
Answer:
The stag is running for his life because hunters are chasing it.
(vi) Is he able to hide in the bushes?
Answer:
No, he is not able to hide in the bushes because his antlers get tangled in the bushes.
(vii) Where are the hunters now?
Answer:
The hunters are behind the stag.
(viii) Are they closing in on the stag?
Answer:
Yes, they are getting far too close for the stag’s safety.
(ix) Is the stag free?
Answer:
Yes, the stag is free because he outran the hunters with the help of his thin legs.
(x) What does the stag say about his horns and his legs?
Answer:
The stag says that beautiful horns he was proud of could have caused his death; whereas the thin and ugly legs he was ashamed of saved his life.
3. Now write the story in your own words. Give it a title.
Answer:
Beauty versus Utility
One day a thirsty stag went to drink water from a pond in the middle of the forest. As he bent his neck down to drink, he saw his reflection in the still water of the pond. He stared in amazement at the pleasing reflection of his beautiful antlers, but was disappointed to see that his legs were thin and ugly.
Just then a group of hunters sighted him from afar and hurried towards him. The stag fled as swiftly as his legs could carry him. He thought of hiding somewhere but his antlers got tangled in some branches and slowed him down. The hunters were closing in on him. Fearing for his life the stag shook his head with all his might to free his antlers and outran the hunters.
When he was out of danger, he thought of the irony that the antlers of which he was so proud could have cost him his life; whereas the legs he thought to be ugly saved him.
4. Complete the following word ladder with the help of the clues given below.
Answer:
1. Mother will be very ________ if you don’t go to school.
2. As soon as he caught ________ of the teacher, Mohan started writing.
3. How do you like my ________ kitchen garden? Big enough for you, is it?
4. My youngest sister is now a ________ old.
5. Standing on the ________, he saw children playing on the road.
6. Don’t make such a ________. Nothing will happen.
7. Don’t cross the ________ till the green light comes on.
Answer:
1. Mother will be very cross if you don’t go to school.
2. As soon as he caught sight of the teacher, Mohan started writing.
3. How do you like my tiny kitchen garden? Big enough for you, is it?
4. My youngest sister is now a year old.
5. Standing on the roof, he saw children playing on the road.
6. Don’t make such a fuss. Nothing will happen.
7. Don’t cross the street till the green light comes on.
Extra Questions for NCERT Class 7 English- Honeycomb Unit 3 “Gopal and the Hilsa Fish”
A. Multiple Choice type Questions
Choose the correct option to fill in the blanks:
1. The king was fed up because_______.
(i) hilsa fish was served for every meal
(ii) everybody in the kingdom talked only of hilsa fish
(iii) he had a lot of work to do
(iv) None of the above
2. The king ordered Gopal to ______.
(i) Catch a hilsa-fish
(ii) to eat a hilsa-fish
(iii) to buy a hilsa -fish
(iv)to cook a hilsa-fish
3. Gopal disguised himself to____________.
(i) to draw attention to himself
(ii) to hide from the king
(iii) to divert attention from the hilsa-fish
(iv)Both (i) and (iii)
4. Most people who saw him thought him to be a_______.
(i) clown
(ii) preacher
(iii) beggar
(iv) mad man
5. The king enquired why he had come _________.
(i) ridiculously dressed
(ii) in disguise
(iii) carrying a hilsa-fish
(iv) None of the above
6. “He’s gone mad!” Gopal’s wife said so because__________.
(i) He was half shaven
(ii) he smeared himself with ash
(iii) he wore tattered clothes
(iv) All of the above
7. Why did Gopal want to buy hilsa-fish?
(i) the price of hilsa-fish was cheap
(ii) he loved to feast on hilsa-fish
(iii) his wife loved hilsa-fish
(iv) he wanted to win the challenge
8. What did the courtiers say when they saw Gopal enter with the fish?
(i) he has lost his mind
(ii) It’s one of his crazy jokes
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of the above
9. Gopal declared that strangely no one was interested in _______today from the market to the court.
(i) him
(ii) the king
(iii) hilsa-fish
(iv) none of the above
10. How did the king react when he was reminded of the challenge?
(i) he was angry
(ii) he was sad because he lost to Gopal
(iii) he congratulated Gopal for achieving the impossible
(iv) none of the above
Answer:
1. (ii) everybody in the kingdom talked only of hilsa fish
2. (iii) to buy a hilsa -fish
3. (iv)Both (i) and (iii)
4. (iv)mad man
5. (i) ridiculously dressed
6. (iv) All of the above
7. (iv) he wanted to win the challenge
8. (iii) Both (i) and (ii)
9. (iii) hilsa-fish
10. (iii) he congratulated Gopal for achieving the impossible
B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words to complete the following sentences:
| Hilsa-fish | Gopal | season | householders | fishmongers |
| Fishermen | disgraceful | Congratulations | courtiers | comical |
1. It was the _______for hilsa-fish. ___________could think of nothing but hilsa-fish.
2. ___________sold nothing but ___________.
3. __________could talk of nothing but hilsa-fish.
4. In the palace the __________could discuss nothing but Hilsa-fish.
5.The king was annoyed because no one not even _________ could stop anyone from talking about hilsa-fish.
6. Please, you can’t possibly go out in those _________rags!
7.Mother, Look at that man! Isn’t he ________?
8. Well Gopal, __________! You have achieved the impossible once again.
Answer:
1. It was the season for hilsa-fish. Fishermen could think of nothing but hilsa-fish.
2. Fishmongers sold nothing but hilsa-fish.
3. Householders could talk of nothing but hilsa-fish.
4. In the palace the courtiers could discuss nothing but Hilsa-fish.
5. The king was annoyed because no one not even Gopal could stop anyone from talking about hilsa-fish.
6. Please, you can’t possibly go out in those disgraceful rags!
7. Mother, Look at that man! Isn’t he comical?
8. Well Gopal, Congratulations! You have achieved the impossible once again.
C. Match the words in column A with those in column
| A | B |
| disgraceful | Contains stories told mainly through pictures |
| smear | amusing |
| comical | Coat messily with greasy or sticky substance |
| ridiculous | Shameful, dishonourable |
| Comic book | Deserving or inviting mockery |
Answer:
| A | B |
| disgraceful | shameful, dishonourable |
| smear | coat messily with greasy or sticky substance |
| comical | amusing |
| ridiculous | deserving or inviting mockery |
| Comic book | Contains stories told mainly through pictures |
D. State whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:
1. The king was a sporting person and gladly acknowledged Gopal’s victory.
2. The fishmongers attracted customers by promising discounts on hilsa-fish.
3.The king was short-tempered and irritable.
4. Gopal’s wife was amused to see his attire.
5. Gopal had to sing and dance in order to attract attention of the king to gain entry into the palace.
Answer:
1. True
2. True
3. False – The king got fed up and lost his temper because everyone seemed obsessed with hilsa-fish, but he was not an irritable person because he apologised to the courtier immediately after.
4.False – Gopal’s wife was appalled to see him go out dressed in disgraceful clothes.
5. True
E. Very Short Answer type Questions:
1. What did the fishermen think about during the hilsa-fish season?
Answer:
The fishermen thought only about a big haul of hilsa-fish.
2. How did the fishmongers attract customers?
Answer:
The fish mongers attracted customers by offering a discount on hilsa-fish.
3. What did householders think of during the hilsa-fish season?
Answer:
Householders thought of buying the best hilsa-fish at the cheapest price.
4. What did the courtier talk about during the hilsa-fish season?
Answer:
The courtier boasted about the size of the fish he had caught.
5. Why did the king lose his temper?
Answer:
The king lost his temper because everyone around him seemed obsessed with hilsa-fish.
6. What did the king ask the courtier angrily?
Answer:
The king asked whether he was a courtier or a fisherman.
7. Why did the king feel guilty?
Answer:
The king felt guilty for losing his temper when he saw the courtier’s downcast eyes.
8. How did he apologise for his harsh behaviour?
Answer:
He apologised immediately by saying that he had lost his temper because everyone seemed to be obsessed with hilsa-fish.
9. What did Gopal tell the king when he exclaimed that no one, not even Gopal, could stop the people from talking about hilsa-fish even for five minutes?
Answer:
Gopal told the king that he thought he could stop people from talking about hilsa-fish.
10. What was the challenge thrown to Gopal by the king?
Answer:
The king challenged Gopal to buy a huge hilsa-fish and bring it to the palace without anyone asking him a word about it.
11. What did the child think of Gopal who was walking toward the palace with the hilsa-fish?
Answer:
The child thought that Gopal looked comical.
12.What did the two by standers think of Gopal?
Answer:
One of the bystanders thought that Gopal was a mad man,while the other thought he might be a mystic.
13. What happened when Gopal arrived at the palace gate?
Answer:
The guards did not recognise Gopal and prevented him from entering the palace.
14. What did Gopal do to meet the king?
Answer:
Gopal began to sing and dance loudly to attract the king’s attention.
15. What did the king do when he heard the commotion outside?
Answer:
The king ordered the guards to bring in Gopal.
16. What did the courtiers think of Gopal’s incongruous appearance?
Answer:
One of the courtiers thought that Gopal had lost his mind, while another thought that he was enacting one of his crazy jokes.
17. How did Gopal respond when the king asked him to explain his ridiculous appearance?
Answer:
Gopal told the king that he seemed to have forgotten something.
18. How did the king react when he remembered the challenge and realised that Gopal was successful?
Answer:
The king was delighted to see that Gopal had succeeded in achieving the impossible and congratulated him heartily.
F. Short Answer Type Questions:
1. Why was the king annoyed? How did he react when one of the courtiers talked about hilsa-fish?
Answer:
The king was fed up because all the people in his kingdom seemed to be discussing hilsa-fish. They could talk of nothing else.
He lost his temper when one of the courtiers started boasting about the size of a hilsa-fish that he had caught. He snapped at the courtier asking him whether he was a courtier or a fisherman.
But the king felt guilty for losing his temper when he saw the courtier’s downcast eyes. He apologised immediately by saying that he had lost his temper because everyone seemed to be obsessed with hilsa-fish.
2.Why did Gopal’s wife think that he had gone mad?
Answer:
Gopal’s wife watched in amazement as Gopal shaved half his face, smeared himself with ash and put on tattered clothes. She was puzzled by Gopal’s response to her repeated queries that he was dressing up to buy hilsa-fish. When he set off for the market wearing disgraceful rags, she concluded that he had gone mad.
3. What did Gopal say was strange during his walk from the market to the palace?
Answer:
Gopal told the king that strangely no one seemed to be interested in hilsa-fish that day. During his walk from the market to the palace not a soul had mentioned a word about hilsa-fish. So, he had succeeded in accomplishing what the king had thought was an impossible feat.
G. Long answer Type Questions
1. What was Gopal known for ? What was the challenge that the king threw him? How did he apply his intelligence to win the challenge?
Answer:
Gopal was one of the courtiers known for his wit and wisdom. When the king was fed up of discussions about hilsa-fish all around him, he challenged Gopal to buy a hilsa-fish and carry it to the palace without anyone asking him a word about it.
Gopal accepted the challenge and prepared himself for the task.
He shaved half his face, smeared himself with ash, and dressed in ragged clothes set off to buy fish much to his wife’s dismay.
As Gopal bought the huge hilsa-fish and proceeded towards the palace, people’s attention was rivetted on his ridiculous appearance . One man thought he was a mad man, another thought he was a mystic. A child thought he looked comical.
But,no one expressed the slightest interest in the huge hilsa-fish that Gopal carried because their attention was focussed on his ragged and unkempt appearance.
Gopal had successfully diverted everyone’s attention from the fish by his disguising himself as a mad man. So, by applying his intelligence, and using his insight of human nature, Gopal won the challenge.
3. Why was Gopal stopped by the guards from entering the palace?
How did he manage to meet the king?
Answer:
When Gopal reached the palace gate carrying a huge hilsa-fish which he had bought from the market, he was stopped by the palace guards.
His ragged and filthy appearance made the guards suspicious of his intentions. They thought he was mad and did not think it would be prudent to let him meet the king.
Once again Gopal used his wit to gain access to the king. He started singing and dancing loudly to attract the king’s attention. The king, drawn by the commotion created by Gopal, ordered the palace guards to bring the man to meet him .
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Honeycomb Unit 3 “Gopal and The Hilsa-Fish”
These solutions have been prepared by our seasoned team of English experts, educated both in India and aboard, following tested methods to ensure maximum learning and retention. Literally everything you need to know to understand and appreciate the wit of Gopal, which has been presented in a new format, i.e., the comic book format, is included in the solutions. We are confident that if you study them in detail, you will benefit greatly from them.
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The story “Gopal and the Hilsa-fish” shows the sharp wit of Gopal, the courtier, in a situation when he is challenged by the king to make people stop talking incessantly of Hilsa-fish. Gopal willingly accepts the challenge and succeeds in doing the impossible.
The three things that Gopal did to prepare himself to buy his hilsa-fish were:
(i) He half-shaved his face.
(ii) He smeared ash on his body.
(iii) He wore disgraceful rags.
When Gopal reached the palace gate carrying a huge hilsa-fish which he had bought from the market, he was stopped by the palace guards.
His ragged and filthy appearance made the guards suspicious of his intentionsand refused to allow him to meet the king.
Once again Gopal used his intelligence to outsmart the guard. He started singing and dancing loudly to attract the king’s attention. The king drawn by the commotion created by Gopal ordered the palace guards to bring the man to meet him .
This story has been presented in the format of a comic book. To master this lesson, you need to first go through it paying close attention to the pictures, strips of text at the top of the frame as much as to the direct speech of the characters which appear in bubbles.
Look up the unfamiliar words.
Then go through all the questions we have thoughtfully provided – both the questions at the back of the book and the extra questions. Our team of competent English teachers have carefully anticipated all the queries you may have about the lesson and crafted these excellent solutions which draw your attention to every detail in the comic strip and also explain the spirit of Gopal’s wit.
Subsequently, you need to practice writing down the answers within a specific time frame. You can then ace your exams! Remember there is no surer path to success than hard work. And practice makes perfect, so do not shy away from it!
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