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Find Solutions for NCERT Class 7 English Chapter 5 “The Bear Story” here.
Exercises
Answer the following questions.
1. Where did the lady find the bear cub? How did she bring it up?
Answer:
The lady found the tiny and helpless bear cub in the forest, half dead of hunger. The lady had to bring it up on the bottle with the help of the cook.
2. The bear grew up, but “he was a most amiable bear”. Give three examples to prove this.
Answer:
Three examples that prove that he was indeed a most amiable bear are:
- He would sit looking amicably at the cattle grazing in the field nearby.
- He indulged the three dogs who played with him and allowed them to pull his ears and tease him.
- Children were occasionally found asleep in his kennel between his two paws.
3. What did the bear eat? There were two things he was not allowed to do. What were they?
Answer:
The bear was a vegetarian. He ate the same food as the dogs – porridge, bread, potato, cabbage and turnip. He also liked fruits, especially apples and was quite fond of honey.
He was not allowed to do the following two things:
- Pluck apples from the apple tree.
- Touch the beehives on the tree.
4. When was the bear tied up with a chain? Why?
Answer:
The bear was tied with a chain only at night and on Sundays when his mistress went to spend the afternoon with her married sister.
He was tied up so that he did not wander about alone in the forest with all its temptations. The lady also chained him sometimes to punish him for disobedience.
5. What happened one Sunday when the lady was going to her sister’s house? What did the lady do? What was the bear’s reaction?
Answer:
One Sunday, the lady chained the bear up and set off for her sister’s house. Half-way through the forest she heard a branch cracking behind her. She turned around and saw the bear rushing after her. She scolded him and then hit him on the nose with her parasol.
The bear stopped, shook his head, opened his mouth as if to say something, then turned around and shuffled away.
6. Why was the bear looking sorry for himself in the evening? Why did the cook get angry with her mistress?
Answer:
The bear was looking sorry for himself in the evening because he did not like being chained up in his kennel. He was waiting for his mistress to release him on her return. The cook got angry with her mistress because she unjustly scolded the bear for following her into the forest. The cook testified that he had not moved all afternoon and had been staring at the gate waiting for her return.
Discuss the following topics in groups.
1. Most people keep dogs and cats as pets. Can you think of some unusual pets that people keep?
Answer: Most people keep dogs and cats as pets. Some people have unusual preferences such as:
- Mongoose
- Tigers
- Seals
- Snakes
- Monitor lizards
- Rats
- monkeys
2. The second bear did not attack the lady because he was afraid of her. Do you agree?
Yes, I agree that the second bear was too frightened by the lady’s fury to attack her. Normally people are intimidated by the sight of a full-grown bear, but instead of shrinking with fear, the furious lady scolded him sternly and whacked him hard on his vulnerable nose with her parasol which broke in two.
Extra Questions on NCERT Class 7 English An Alien Hand Chapter 5 “The Bear Story”
A. Multiple Choice type Questions
1. Where did the lady live?
(i) in a manor house
(ii) In a cottage near the forest
(iii) On the edge of a big forest
(iv) Both (i) and (iii) above
2. The lady had a pet ________
(i) ponies
(ii) dogs
(iii) bear
(iv) All of the above
3. What was the bear like when it was found by the lady in the forest?
(i) small
(ii) hungry
(iii)helpless
(iv) All of tne above
4. The cook said that the bear was as meek as
(i) a mouse
(ii) a lamb
(iii)a dove
(iv) an angel
5. What did the bear not eat?
(i) Potato
(ii) porridge
(iii) pork
(iv) turnip
6. What did the lady promise to give the bear if he was good during her absence?
(i) a hug
(ii) honey
(iii) bread
(iv) an apple
7. The bear grew up so big and strong that he was feared by ______
(i) the shaggy mountain ponies
(ii) children
(iii) the three dogs who played all sorts of games with him
(iv) None of the above
8. He would look with wistful eyes at ________
(i) the cattle grazing in the field nearby
(ii)ripening apples in the orchard
(iii) at the forest with all its temptations
(iv) all of the above
9. The bear was put on the chain _______
(i) at night
(ii) On Sunday afternoons when his mistress went out
(iii) whenever he needed to be punished
(iv) all of the above
10.The lady hit the bear with her parasol so hard that _________
(i) the bear’s nose started bleeding
(ii) her parasol broke in two
(iii) the lady hurt her shoulder
(iv) None of the above
Answer:
1. (iv) Both (i) and (iii) above
2. (iv) All of the above
3. (iv) All of tne above
4. (iv) an angel
5. (iii) pork
6. (iv) an apple
7. (iv) None of the above
8. (ii)ripening apples in the orchard
9. (iv) all of the above
10. (ii) her parasol broke in two
B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the box to complete the following sentence
| game | clumsy | small | movements | wide |
| apple | law | find | apples | easily |
Bears look ________and slow in their _________, but try a bear with an ________tree and you will soon _______out that he can ________ beat any school boy at that _________. Now he had learnt that it was against the ______, but he kept his ______eyes ________open for any ____________that fell to the ground.
Answer:
Bears look clumsy and slow in their movements, but try a bear with an apple tree and you will soon find out that he can easily beat any school boy at that game. Now he had learnt that it was against the law but he kept his small eyes wide open for any apples that fell to the ground.
C. Match the words in column A with those in column B
| A | B |
| The bear would sit and look amicably | At the ripening apples in the orchard |
| The bear would look with wistful eyes | For any apples that fell to the ground |
| The bear kept his small eyes open | but did not want to go back and kept on sniffing her |
| He had been sitting quite still on his haunches as meek as an angel | at cattle grazing in the field nearby |
| He looked at her with his cunning eyes | waiting for his mistresses’ return |
Answer:
| A | B |
| The bear would sit and look amicably | at cattle grazing in the field nearby |
| The bear would look with wistful eyes | at the ripening apples in the orchard |
| The bear kept his small eyes open | for any apples that fell to the ground |
| He had been sitting quite still on his haunches as meek as an angel | waiting for his mistresses’ return |
| He looked at her with his cunning eyes | but did not want to go back and kept on sniffing her |
D. State whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:
1. The bear had grown so big that he could have slain a cow and carried it between his two paws if he wanted to.
2. Bears are too clumsy to climb trees.
3. The bear was obedient and only picked up the fallen apples after being forbidden to pluck them off the trees.
4. A bear is likely to get ill-tempered if kept on the chain for long.
5. The lady was frightened at the sight of the wild bear.
Answers:
1. True
2. False – Bears are quite adept at climbing trees and can easily beat any school boy at that game.
3. True
4. True
5. False- The lady did not realise that the bear was wild. She thought her pet bear had beeen disobedient and followed her into the forest. So she was angry, scolded him sternly and then hit him hard. Her anger and her confidence in facing the wild bear saved her life because the wild bear was taken aback by her belligerent attitude and went away without harming her.
E. Very Short Answer type Questions:
1.Where did the lady live?
Answer:
The lady lived in an old manor-house on the border of a big forest.
2. Which pet was the lady very fond of?
Answer:
The lady was very fond of her pet bear.
3. How did the lady come by the bear?
Answer:
The small and helpless bear cub was found in the forest half dead of hunger.
4. Who helped the lady bring up the bear cub?
Answer:
The bear cub was brought up on the bottle by the lady and her old cook.
5. How strong was the bear when he grew up?
Answer:
He was so big and strong that he could have slain a cow and carried it away between his two paws.
6. What was the bear’s temperament like when he grew up?
Answer:
He was the most amiable bear who wouldn’t dream of hurting anybody, man or beast.
7. What did he look wistfully at?
Answer:
He looked wistfully at the ripening apples in the orchard in autumn.
8. How was the bear punished for being naughty or disobedient?
Answer:
He was put on the chain for two days.
9. Where did the lady go every Sunday?
Answer:
The lady went to visit her sister every Sunday.
10. Where did the lady’s sister live?
Answer:
The lady’s sister lived in a solitary house on the other side of the mountain-lake. It was a good hour’s walk through thre dense forest.
11. Why did the lady leave the bear at home?
Answer:
The lady did not think it safe to let him wander about in the forest with all its temptations.
12. Why did the cook rush out of the kitchen?
Answer:
The cook rushed out of the kitchen to defend the bear who was being unjustly scolded by the lady.for following her through the forest.
F. Short Answer Type Questions:
1. What do you know about the bear’s diet?
Answer:
The bear was a vegetarian and had the same food as the dogs – porridge, potato, bread, cabbage and turnip. He was partial to apples and honey. He had never tasted meat. He had a fine appetite and the doting cook ensured that he never went hungry.
2. Why did the narrator call him “a most amiable bear”?
Answer:
The narrator calls him a most amiable bear because he was gentle and friendly by nature and would never harm anyone, man or beast. The ponies were comfortable in his presence. Children loved riding on his back and often fell asleep in his kennel between his two paws. He was good -humoured and did not mind the three dogs who teased him by pulling his ears and his stump of a tail.
3. What were the lessons he had learnt in his youth ?
Answer:
In his young days he had not been able to resist the temptation of climbing up apple trees to help himself to a handful of them, but he had been taught that such liberties were against the law and was content now with picking up apples that fell to the ground. He also had a bitter experience while raiding beehives. The memory of a bleeding nose and of being chained up for two days had cured him of the urge to repeat his offence.
4. Why did the lady leave the bear alone at home while going to visit her sister?
Answer:
The lady left the bear at home while going to visit her sister because it was a good hour’s walk through the dense forest . She thought that it was not good for him to wander about in the forest with all its temptations. It was better to be on the safe side. Moreover, he was also a bad sailor and had once been so terrified by a sudden gust of wind that he had capsized the boat. As a rseult he and his mistress had to swim ashore.
5. How did the bear feel when the lady chained him up before leaving for her sister’s place every Sunday?
Answer:
When his mistress put him on the chain on Sundays, gave him a friendly tap on his head and promised to reward him an apple if he behaved himself, the bear felt sorry, but resigned himself to accept the inevitable like a good dog.
6. When did the lady realise that she had a dangerous encounter in the forest?
Answer:
When the cook told the lady that the bear had been as good as gold all day and had been siiting on his haunches as meek as an angel, waiting for her return, she realised that she had had an encouner with a wild bear.
G. Long answer Type Questions
1. What happened one Sunday as the lady was walking through the forest to meet her sister
Answer:
One day while walking through the forest on the way to meet her sister, the lady heard the sound of a cracking branch. She turned around to see the bear following her at full speed. In a minute he reached her and started sniffing at her heels.
The lady was very angry with him for having disobeyed her. She was already late for lunch so there wasn’t time to take him back home.
She scolded him severely and asked him to go back, but the bear did not budge. Her annoyance mounted when she saw that he had lost his new collar and she smacked him so hard on the nose with her parasol that it broke in two.
The bear opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something then turned round and went away.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on NCERT Class 7 English An Alien Hand Chapter 5 “The Bear Story”
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The bear had never tasted meat. He was a vegetarian and had the same food as the dogs – porridge, potato, bread, cabbage and turnip. He was partial to apples and honey. He had a fine appetite and the doting cook ensured that he never went hungry.
The narrator calls him a most amiable bear because he was gentle and friendly by nature and would never harm anyone, man or beast.The three shaggy mountain ponies were comfortable in his presence. Children loved riding on his back and often fell asleep in his kennel between his two paws. He was good-humoured and did not mind the three dogs who teased him by pulling his ears and his stump of a tail.
On Sundays, the lady went to spend the afternoon with her married sister who lived in a solitary house on the other side of the mountain lake. It was almost an hour’s walk through the dense forest. Before she went, she would put the bear on the chain, tap him playfully on the head and promised to give him an apple if he was good during her absence.
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