Hello students! Looking for the most accurate and reliable solutions to NCERT Class 7 English – Honeycomb Unit 6 – Poem, “Mystery of the Talking Fan” by Maude Rubin? Our team of English experts, trained both in India and overseas, have crafted excellent solutions to all the angles in this poem in a lucid, easy-to-understand manner. We have not only provided solutions to each and every question in the text, but also included plenty of additional questions which cover the all facets of the poem in detail to help you prepare. We recommend you go through them in detail – they should clear all your doubts, help you understand the concepts, and prepare you for the exams.
Find Answers to NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Honeycomb Unit 6 Poem Mystery of the Talking Fan here
Working with the Poem
1. Fans don’t talk, but it is possible to imagine that they do. What is it, then, that sounds like the fan’s chatter?
Answer:
The poet imagines that the noise emanating from the motor of the fan was its chatter. The noise was caused by friction between the motor components due to insufficient lubrication.
2. Complete the following sentences.
(i) The chatter is electrical because ____________________.
Answer:
The chatter is electrical because the noise is produced by the motor of the fan which runs on electricity.
(ii) It is mysterious because ____________________.
Answer:
It is mysterious because the poet cannot understand what the chattering fan is trying to convey.
3. What do you think the talking fan was demanding?
Answer:
I think that the talking fan was demanding that the parts of its motor should be lubricated. It was trying to attract the attention of the inhabitants of the house by rattling noisily. Once someone oiled the motor, it started whirling soundlessly.
4. How does an electric fan manage to throw so much air when it is switched on?
Answer:
An electric fan is powered by a motor and has three or more blades attached to it. When the motor is switched on, it begins to rotate and in turn causes the fan blades to spin generating a flow of air which circulates around the room.
5. Is there a ‘talking fan’ in your house? Create a dialogue between the fan and a mechanic.
Answer:
Yes, there is a talking fan in my house.
Dialogue between the fan and a mechanic:
Mechanic: Hey! I was called to check on you because are complaining loudly and irritating everyone.
Fan: That’s right! I have been trying to tell the people who live in the house that something inside me is hurting, but they don’t even listen to me. They keep saying that they should throw me away and buy a brand-new fan.
Mechanic: Don’t worry I can fix you! Tell me what’s hurting?
Fan: Nobody bothers to take care of me although I have been spinning day and night to give them cool air for the last ten years. My motor is struggling to rotate because it needs oiling.
Mechanic: I will take care of it and you will be as good as new!
Fan: Thank you, you are very kind.
Mechanic: Done! See you are whirling silently now and will not disturb anyone.
Fan: It’s a big relief for me as well as the inmates of the house!
Extra Questions for NCERT Class 7 English Honeycomb Unit 6 Poem “Mystery of the Talking fan”
A. Multiple Choice type Questions
Choose the correct option:
1. What do you call someone who talks incessantly?
(i) verbose
(ii) chatterbox
(iii) articulate
(iv) long-winded
2. What kind of noise does the talking fan make?
(i) Clanking
(ii) squeaky
(iii) creaking
(iv) electrical
3. “I couldn’t quite hear what he said?” Who is “he”?
(i) The poet’s brother
(ii) the mechanic
(iii)The talking fan
(iv)None of the above
4. Find a synonym for ‘whirling’
(i) rotating
(ii) whipping
(iii)whizzing
(iv) None of the above
5. Who wrote “Mystery of the talking fan”?
(i) Maude Rubin
(ii)Michael Rosen
(iii)Frank Flynn
(iv) Shirley Bauer
Answer:
1. (ii) chatterbox
2. (iv) electrical
3. (iii)The talking fan
4. (i) rotating
5. (i) Maude Rubin
B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the box:
| Matter | whirling | spoiled | electrical | water |
Once there was a talking fan –
_________his chatter.
I couldn’t quite hear what he said
And I hope it doesn’t _______
Because one day somebody oiled
His little _______motor
And all the mystery was _______ –
He ran as still as _____.
Answer:
Once there was a talking fan –
Electrical his chatter.
I couldn’t quite hear what he said
And I hope it doesn’t matter
Because one day somebody oiled
His little whirling motor
And all the mystery was spoiled –
He ran as still as water.
C. Match the words in column A with those in column B
| A | B |
| talking | chatter |
| electrical | motor |
| somebody | water |
| whirling | fan |
| still | oiled |
Answer:
| A | B |
| talking | fan |
| electrical | chatter |
| somebody | oiled |
| whirling | motor |
| still | water |
D. State whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:
1. The fan was magical.
2. The fan spoke to someone about his troubles.
3.The poet was irritated by the sound.
4.The mystery was spoiled when the fan was oiled.
5. The fan ran as still as water.
Answer:
1. False – The fan was an ordinary electrical one which was making a noise because it needed oiling. The poet imagines that the fan was chattering ceaselessly.
2. False – The fan did not speak to anyone. But someone in the house must have realised that the noise made by the fan was because of friction and took care to lubricate the motor parts.
3. False – The poet was not irritated by the sound. Rather she found it intriguing and mysterious because she could not quite understand what it said.
4. True – As soon as the fan was oiled, it started whirling soundlessly, so the mysterious chatter which intrigued the poet was spoiled.
5. True – After it was oiled, the fan made no more noise than a still pool of water makes. Flowing water from a tap, or a flowing river, or the waves of the sea all make their own sounds, but a stagnant pool of water on a windless day is absolutely still. The poet compares the running of the fan to a still pool of water.
E. Very Short Answer type Questions:
1. How does the poet describe the chatter of the talking fan?
Answer:
The poet describes the chatter of the talking fan as electrical.
2. What did the poet hear it say?
Answer:
The poet could not hear what it said clearly.
3. Why did the fan become silent?
Answer:
Someone oiled the fan so it started running silently.
4. Who oiled the fan?
Answer:
Someone other than the poet oiled the fan.
5. What was spoiled when the fan was oiled?
Answer:
The mystery of the fan’s language which intrigued the poet was spoiled.
6. What was the mystery of the talking fan?
Answer:
We all know that fans do not talk. But the electrical chatter produced by the fan due to friction when it was whirling seemed to the poet as if it was talking.
Extract -Based Questions
Read the extract given below and answer the following questions.
I couldn’t quite hear what he said
And I hope it doesn’t matter
Because one day somebody oiled
His little whirling motor
And all the mystery was spoiled.
He ran as still as water.
1. Who does “he’ in the first line refer to?
Answer:
‘He’ refers to the talking fan.
2. Who couldn’t hear what he said?
Answer:
The poet couldn’t quite hear what he said.
3. What was the mystery?
Answer:
The mystery was the electrical sound which could be heard when the fan rotated.
4. Why was it a mystery?
Answer:
It was a mystery because the sound emanating from the fan seemed to be saying something, but the poet was unable to understand it.
5. What did the poet hope didn’t matter?
Answer:
The poet was uneasy because she could not understand the language of the fan, but she hoped that her inability to understand did not matter because somebody else obviously was able to understand the fan’s complaint and reacted by oiling its motor.
6. Can you pick a simile used by the poet in the extract?
Answer:
The simile “He ran as still as water” is used by the poet to compare the noiseless whirling of the fan to the silence of a pool of still water.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Honeycomb Unit 6 Poem “Mystery of the Talking Fan”
Our team of competent English experts have crafted these accurate solutions taking into account every detail and presenting them in the most easy-to-understand way possible. Every single aspect of the poem has been explained in a clear and lucid manner. We are certain that going through these solutions will draw your attention to the important aspects of the poem and also help you to improve your understanding.
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The Poet uses her imagination to create a mysterious aura around an ordinary electric fan which is noisy because it needs oiling. She imagines that the fan is a person who is chattering continuously to attract attention and communicate something through its electrical chatter. It is a mystery because the sound emanating from the fan seems to be saying something, but the poet is unable to understand it.
Someone else, perhaps another inmate of the house, realises the cause of the fan’s distress and oils the motor which makes the fan rotate soundlessly.
The poet seems sorry that the mystery of the fan’s chatter was spoiled because the fan started running as silently as a pool of still water.
The simile “He ran as still as water” is used by the poet to compare the noiseless whirling of the fan to the silence of a pool of still water.
Since no one could interpret the sounds that the fan was making, it seemed mysterious. The mystery wore off when the fan was oiled and started running noiselessly.
Our team of experts have framed plenty of extra questions, which cover the lesson in detail and are similar to exam questions, to help you prepare. Do go through the solutions before your exams so that you are ready to take on any challenge that your examiner may pose!
To master this chapter, you need to first go through all the questions we have thoughtfully provided -both the questions at the back of the book and the extra questions.
Subsequently, you need to practise writing down the answers within a specific time frame. This step is essential because as we all know practice makes perfect. Only then can you ace your exams!
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