Unit 3: Gopal and the Hilsa Fish

Q1Written answer

Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?

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Worked solution

Answer: The king did not want to listen any more talk about the hilsa-fish because everyone in the entire kingdom kept talking only about the hilsa-fish and this irritated the king.

Question 2. What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?

Answer: The king asked Gopal to prove that he was clever so that while Gopal was on this challenge, he would try as much as possible that people didn’t speak anything about the Hilsa-fish.

Question 3. What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?

Answer: The three things that Gopal did before he went to buy his hilsa-fish were:

i) He half-shaved his face.

ii) He smeared ash on his body.

iii) He wore rags.

Question 4. How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?

Answer: When he reached the palace, he told the guards that he wanted to meet the king. The guards stopped him from going inside. Gopal began to dance and sing loudly. The king heard the noise and ordered to get the man inside the palace. That’s how he got inside the palace.

Question 5. Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.

Answer: The reason why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought was that people were more surprised by his appearance – half-shaved face, ash on the body and rags instead of proper clothes. This made them wonder what had happened to him.

Q6Written answer

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. _________

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Worked solution

(i) The king lost his temper easily. True

(ii) Gopal was a madman. False

(iii) Gopal was a clever man. True

(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. False

(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. False

Q2Written answer

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 _________________.

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Worked solution

(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.

Q2 (2)Written answer

Question 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

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Worked solution

Challenge: Radhika challenged Kshama to the debate competition.

Mystic: Some sages are considered to have mystic powers.

Comical: Shinchan is a comical character.

Courtier: The courtier had to obey the orders of the king.

Smearing: Smearing oil before playing holi helps in getting the colour off the skin easily.

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