Grade - 8 - Poorvi - Unit - 1 - WIT AND WISDOM - A Concrete Example - Bookback exercises - NCERT - CBSE
Grade – 8 Unit - 1
A Concrete Example
I. Read the names
of items you usually find in a garden and write their names against each
picture given below.
|
garden hose,
sapling, hedge, flower beds, flower pot, pebbles, rockery, fence, vine,
wheelbarrow |
Let
us discuss (Pages 19-20)
I. Complete the following summary with
exact words from the poem. One example has been done for you. Share your
answers with your classmates and teacher.
The poem describes Mrs. Jones, the speaker’s next-door neighbour, who has a
unique garden filed with 1. _________. Her garden includes a peculiar 2.
_________, a pond, and a rockery, along with an unusual 3. _________ that she
fids charming. Mrs. Jones plants tiny, 4. _________ plants between the stones,
which the speaker thinks must be so small that they are planted with a 5.
_________. One day, Mrs. Jones invites the speaker to see her garden, and they
discuss a 6. _________ that Mrs. Jones treasures. When the speaker asks where
the 7. _________ flwer is, Mrs. Jones says that the speaker has been 8.
_________ on it all along.
Answer:
1. stones
2. path
3. device
4. delicate
5. pin
6. flower
7. lovely
8. Standing
II.
Select the correct option to fill in the blanks for the following sentences.
1. The tone of the poem is _________
(i) mocking (ii) humorous (iii)
mournful (iv) amusing (v) light-hearted
A. (i), (ii), and (iii)
B. (i), (ii), and (v)
C. (ii), (iii), and (iv)
D. (ii), (iv), and (v)
Answer:
D. (ii), (iv), and (v)
2. The speaker in the poem is
(i) Mrs. Jones
(ii) the poet
(iii) a gardener
(iv) a child
Answer:
the poet
3. The
rhyme scheme of the poem is
(i) AABBCC
(ii) ABABCC
(iii) AABCAC
(iv) ABBACC
Answer:
(i) AABBCC
III.
Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct answer given in the
brackets.
1. The poet uses the word ‘stones ’ in all
stanzas in order to emphasise her _________ (obsession with a stony
garden/pride in gardening skills)
2. The poet uses imagery to describe the
features of the garden that help readers _________ (understand Mrs. Jones love
for plants /visualise the garden’s peculiar nature)
Answer:
1. obsession with a stony garden
2. visualise the garden’s peculiar nature
IV.
Pick examples of alliteration from the poem.
Answer: Puts plants, flower for quite a quarter
V. A
refrain is a repeated line or phrase that appears in each stanza. Identify the
refrain from the poem.
Answer: My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones.
VI. Irony is a literary device that
emphasises the difference between what is expected and what actually happens.
It often involves a situation where the outcome is the opposite of what is
expected, creating a surprising or a humorous effect. For example, Mrs. Jones’
excitement about her garden contrasts with the speaker’s disappointment on how
ordinary it is. Identify the line(s) from the poem that display(s) situational
irony.
Answer
: “You’re standing on it,” she replied.
VII. Complete the following sentences
appropriately.
1. The word ‘concrete’ can refer to
_________ in Mrs. Jones’ garden.
Answer:
the stones and hard surfaces
2. The title also has a symbolic meaning,
as the poem provides a clear or ‘concrete’
example of Mrs. Jones’ _________ gardening
habits.
Answer:
clear or fixed
VIII. The title ‘A Concrete Example’
carries both literal and symbolic (metaphorical) meaning. Such word play is
called a pun. A pun is a figure of speech that uses words with multiple
meanings or words that sound alike but have different meanings, creating a
humorous effect.
I tried arguing with my pencil but it kept
making sharp points, (suggests the idea of an actual sharp pencil point and
strong argument points)
Answer: Literal: Garden made of
concrete/stones
My pencil and I had a disagreement but we
finally got to the point, (refers to solving an argument and the pencil’s tip
Answer: Metaphorical: Clear example of Mrs.
Jones’ strange gardening style
Let
us think and reflect (Pages 20–21)
I.
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
My next-door
neighbour, Mrs. Jones,
has got a garden full of stones:
A crazy path, a lily pond, a rockery and,
just beyond A sundial with a strange device,
which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice.
(i) What can be inferred about Mrs. Jones’s
taste in gardening from the description of her garden being ‘full of stones’?
Answer: She likes simplicity and prefers an
uncommon, stone-based garden design.
(ii) Identify whether the following
statement is true or false.
The garden serves as a means to reveal more
about Mrs. Jones herself. - True
(iii) What does the poet mean by ‘crazy path’?
Answer: The phrase ‘crazy path’ refers to
an uneven or irregularly shaped pathway.
(iv) What does the sundial with a ‘strange
device’ suggest about Mrs. Jones’ personality?
A.
She has a fascination with unusual items.
B. She prefers traditional garden
decorations.
C.
She is uninterested in her garden’s appearance.
D. She likes modern and expensive items.
Answer: A. She has a fascination with
unusual items.
II.
Answer the following questions.
1. How
does Mrs. Jones feel about her garden? Support your answer with evidence from
the poem.
Mrs. Jones feels
proud of her garden. She genuinely admires its unique look and finds happiness
in its every minute detail. The line,
“A sundial with a strange
device,
which Mrs. Jones thinks
rather nice”
suggests that Mrs. Jones is proud of her
garden.
2.
Why do you think the speaker describes the plants as being so small that they
could be planted with a pin?
The speaker says
this because the plants are extremely tiny and delicate. He was surprised how
it is carefully planted in between the stones. So the speaker thought that the
plant could be planted only using a pin.
3. What
do we get to know about Mrs. Jones— based on her gardening style and her
interaction with the speaker?
From her gardening
style and behaviour, we can understand that Mrs. Jones is careful, imaginative,
and has an eye for detail. She enjoys beauty in simple, overlooked things. In a
way, she is unique and she is happy about it.
4.
The poem portrays Mrs. Jones in a positive light. Support this statement.
Yes, the poem
shows Mrs. Jones as creative and passionate about her hobby. Her gardening
reflects her love for nature and is not worried about the opinion of others.
She is meticulous in her way of life and it is not a burden to her.
5.
What does the poem tell us about the way people think differently about the
world around them?
The poem teaches
that everyone sees beauty in different ways as beauty is in the eye of the
beholder. It encourages us to value different
viewpoints and appreciate individual opinions.
Let us learn (Page – 21)
I. Select the
appropriate word from the brackets that correctly replaces the underlined word
in the sentences from the text.
- A sundial with a strange
device, (unusual, peculiar, new, rare, external)
- … which Mrs. Jones thinks
rather nice, (pleasant, superior, agreeable, gentle, charming)
- They are so delicate…
(delicious, fragile, dainty, graceful, weak)
- “Where is this lovely thing?”
I cried. (exclaimed, wept, shouted, announced, whispered)
Answer:
- Strange → peculiar
- Nice → charming
- Delicate → fragile
- Cried → exclaimed
II. The ‘sundial’ is referred to as a
‘device’ in the poem. Work in pairs to infer the meaning of ‘device’. Share
your thoughts with your classmates and teacher.
Answer: The
term device means a piece of equipment designed to serve a particular
purpose or perform a specific task.
Now,
match the type of instruments in Column 1 with their definitions in Column 2.
Column 3 shows one example of each type of instrument. Add more examples in
Column 3.
|
Column 1 |
Column 2 |
Column 3 |
|
1. implement |
(iii) something that works
on being moved by hand |
spade, knife, scissors |
|
2. tool |
(v) something used by hand
to make or repair |
hammer, saw |
|
3. equipment |
(iv) a set of necessary
items for a particular purpose |
cricket bat, helmet, batting gloves, seat belt |
|
4. appliance |
(i) something that is
electrical and is used to do work in the house |
mixer grinder, microwave, toaster |
|
5. gadget |
(ii) something small that
is mechanical or electronic |
mobile phone, laptop, remote control |
Answer:
III.
Complete the table by making new words in Column 1 using the hints given in
Column 2. Replace the first letter of the given word to create new words. One
example has been done for you.
Answer:
(i) dice
(ii) rice
(iii) mice
(iv) vice
Answer:
(i) boil
(ii) toil
(iii) coil
(iv) foil
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