NCERT Solutions for Class 6 ENGLISH – Chapter 8 – The Banyan Tree

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 8 The Banyan Tree

Working with the text

Question A:

Complete the following sentences.

1. The old banyan tree “did not belong” to grandfather, but only to the boy, because

————————————————————————————————————————————————————

2. The small gray squirrel became friendly when ————————— —————————————————————————————————————

3. When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel —————————————————————————————— —————————————————————————————————————

4. In the spring, the banyan tree —————————————–, and —————————————– would come there.

5. The banyan tree served the boy as a —————————————–—–—————————————————————————————————————

6. The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree —————————————–—————————————–—————————————–———–––—

Answer:

1. The old banyan tree “did not belong” to grandfather, but only to the boy, because his grandfather was sixty-five years old and could no longer climb it.

2. The small grey squirrel became friendly when he found that the boy did not arm himself with catapult or air gun.

3. When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel grew quite bold and was soon taking morsels from his hand.

4. In the spring, the banyan tree was full of small red figs, and birds of all kinds would come there.

5. The banyan tree served the boy as a library where he had made a crude platform to sit and read books.

6. The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree when it was not too hot, leaning against it and reading story books.

Question B:

Answer the following questions.

1. “It was to be a battle of champions.”(8)

(i) What qualities did the two champions have? Pick out words and phrases from the paragraph above this line in the text and write them down.

Mongoose	Cobra
(a)	(a)
(b)	(b)
(c)	(c)

(ii) What did the cobra and the mongoose do, to show their readiness for the fight?

Answer:

1. (i)

Mongoose	Cobra
(a) superb fighter	(a) skilful
(b) clever	(b) experienced fighter
(c) aggressive	(c) swift

(ii) To display their preparedness for the impending battle, the cobra emitted a challenging hiss, flicking its forked tongue in and out, and elevated half of its entire length off the ground while expanding its wide, spectacled hood. Conversely, the mongoose bristled its tail, and the extended hair on its spine stood on end.

2. Who were the other two spectators? What did they do? (Did they watch, or did they join in the fight?) (10)

The remaining two onlookers were a myna and a jungle crow. They perched on the cactus to observe the outcome, but mere observation didn’t satisfy them. They actively joined the event, engaging with the cobra by swooping and attacking.

3. Read the descriptions below of what the snake did and what the mongoose did. Arrange their actions in the proper order.

Answer:

Snake	Mongoose
(ii) tried to mesmerize the mongoose	refused to look into the snake’s eyes
(vi) struck on the side that the mongoose pretended to attack	pretended to attack the cobra on one side
(v) struck again and missed	sprang aside, jumped in and bit
(iv) struck the crow	darted away and bit the cobra on the back
(iii) coiled itself around the mongoose	grabbed the snake by the snout
(i) ceased to struggle	dragged the snake into the bushes

4. (i) What happened to the crow in the end?

(ii) What did the myna do finally?

Answer:

(i) As the fight approached its conclusion, the crow was forcefully propelled nearly twenty feet across the garden by the cobra’s powerful strike. The cobra’s head snapped back, striking the crow with tremendous force. The crow’s body thudded against the cobra’s snout, and it fluttered briefly before succumbing, lying still in death.

(ii) Observing the outcome, the myna descended carefully to the ground, hopping around cautiously. It peered into the bushes from a safe distance, then emitted a shrill cry of congratulation before taking flight and flying away.

Working with language

Question A:

1. The word ‘round’ usually means a kind of shape. What is its meaning in the story?

In the story, the word ’round’ refers to the various stages of the fight between the snake and the mongoose.
2. Find five words in the following paragraph, which are generally associated with trees. But here, they have been used differently. Underline the words.

Hari leaves for work at nine every morning. He works in the local branch of the firm of which his uncle is the owner. Hari’s success is really the fruit of his own labour. He is happy, but he has a small problem. The root cause of his problem is a stray dog near his office. The dog welcomes Hari with a loud bark every day.

Answer:

Hari goes to work at nine o’clock every morning. He works at a nearby office that belongs to his uncle’s company. Hari has done well at his job because of his hard work. He’s a happy person, but there’s a small issue he faces. A stray dog near his office is the main reason for his problem. The dog barks loudly to welcome Hari every day.

Question B:

The words in the box are all words that describe movement. Use them to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.

dived                                  gliding                                    sprang                               dartingwhipped…back                  delving

1. When he began to trust me, the squirrel began _____________ into my pockets for morsels of cake.

2. I saw a cobra _____________ out of a clump of cactus.

3. The snake hissed, his forked tongue _____________ _____________in and out.

4. When the cobra tried to bite it, the mongoose _____________ aside.

5. The snake _____________ his head _____________ to strike at the crow.

6. The birds _____________ at the snake.

Answer:

1. When he began to trust me, the squirrel began delving into my pockets for morsels of cake.

2. I saw a cobra gliding out of a clump of cactus.

3. The snake hissed, his forked tongue darting in and out.

4. When the cobra tried to bite it, the mongoose sprang aside.

5. The snake whipped his head back to strike at the crow.

6. The birds dived at the snake.

Question C:

Find words in the story, which show things striking violently against each other.

1. The cobra struck the crow, his snout th — — — ing against its body. (15)

2. The crow and the myna c — ll — — — — in mid-air. (13)

3. The birds dived at the snake, but b — — — — d into each other instead. (14)

Answer:

1. The cobra struck the crow, his snout thudding against its body.

2. The crow and the myna collided in mid-air.

3. The birds dived at the snake, but bumped into each other instead.

Question D:

Look at these sentences.

Choose would and could to replace the italicised words in the following sentences.

Grandfather says, in the old days,

1. elephants were able to fly in the sky, like clouds. They were also able to change their shapes. They used to fly behind clouds and frighten them. People used to look up at the sky in wonder.

2. because there was no electricity, he used to get up with the sun, and he used to go to bed with the sun, like the birds.

3. like the owl, he was able to see quite well in the dark. He was able to tell who was coming by listening to their footsteps.

Speaking

Look at these sentences.

• The tree was older than Grandfather.
• Grandfather was sixty-five years old.

How old was the tree? Can you guess?

• The tree was as old as Dehra Dun itself.

Suppose Dehra Dun is 300 years old. How old is the tree?

Probably, the tree was 300 years old too.

When two things are the same in some way, we use as…as.

Here is another set of examples.

• Mr Sinha is 160 centimetres tall.
• Mr Gupta is 180 centimetres tall.
• Mrs Gupta is 160 centimetres tall
• Mrs Gupta is as tall as Mr Sinha.

Use the words in the box to speak about the people and the things below, using as…as or -er than

tall – taller                                       cold – colder                                                     hot – hotterstrong – stronger                            short – shorter

(Notice that in the word ‘hot’, the letter ‘t’ is doubled when -er is added.)

1.

(i) Zeba is as tall as Rani.

(ii) Zeba is taller than Ruby.

(iii) Rani is taller than Ruby.

(iv) Ruby is shorter than Rani as well as Zeba.

2.

(i) Vijay is as strong as Akshay.

(ii) Anwar is stronger than Akshay as well as Vijay.

(iii) Neither Akshay nor Vijay is as strong as Anwar.

3.

(i) Shimla is as cold as Gangtok.

(ii) Srinagar is colder than Shimla and Gangtok.

(iii) Neither Gangtok nor Shimla is as cold as Srinagar.

4.

(i) Romi’s pencil is as long as Raja’s pencil.

(ii) Mona’s pencil is longer than Romi’s pencil and Raja’s pencil.

(iii) Neither Romi’s pencil or Raja’s pencil is as long as Mona’s pencil.

5.

(i) Delhi is as hot as Nagpur.

(ii) Chennai is not as hot as Delhi or Nagpur.

(iii) Delhi is hotter than Chennai.

(iv) Nagpur is hotter than Chennai.

Writing

Question 1:

‘My Favourite Place’

Read again the paragraphs of the story in which the author describes the banyan tree, and what he used to do there. Is there a place in your house, or in your grandparents’ or uncles’ or aunts’ houses, that you especially like? Write a short paragraph about it, saying

• where it is
• what you do there
• why you like it

You may instead write about a place you dislike, or are afraid of.

Answer:

My favorite spot in my home is the balcony connected to my bedroom. My room has a big window that looks out onto the garden. I like to go out on the balcony and see the pretty garden. In the morning, sunlight comes into my room and makes it bright. Sometimes, a nice breeze comes in, making my room feel fresh. I have a table near my window where I sit to do my schoolwork and lessons. I really like my room because I can enjoy nature’s beauty every day.

(Note: Students can now share their own favorite place in their home and describe why they like it.)

Frequently Asked Questions about NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 10

Q1. Why should I use the ThoughtChakra Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 10?

The ThoughtChakra Solutions are designed considering the marks distribution for each chapter as per the CBSE blueprint.

Detailed solutions help students grasp the concepts effectively.

Step-by-step explanations are provided for the numerical problems in this chapter.

The language used is simple and logical, aiming to boost students’ confidence.

Q2. Do the ThoughtChakra Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 10 align with CBSE guidelines?

The ThoughtChakra Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 10, prepared by our team, strictly follow the CBSE guidelines. Every solution is created with utmost care to assist students in performing well in the board exams. By utilizing ThoughtChakra Solutions, students can understand the chapter better and clarify their doubts promptly. The interactive explanations for each answer help enhance problem-solving skills in students, which are crucial for scoring well in the Class 6 exam.

Q3. How to do the ThoughtChakra Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 10 aid in CBSE Board Exams?

ThoughtChakra Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 10 offer a variety of questions for regular practice. This enables students to attempt all the exam questions within the allotted time. The short-answer type and multiple-choice questions keep students engaged in problem-solving throughout the academic year.

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