CBSE 7th English Honeycomb Book

The Ashes that Made Trees Bloom

Question 1:

Why did the neighbours kill the dog?

Answer:

The neighbours dragged the dog around their garden to find a treasure for themselves.

When the dog stopped near a pine tree and started scratching the ground,

they dug happily hoping to find a treasure. When they saw that there was nothing in there except a dead kitten,

they became furious at the dog. They kicked it and beat it to death.

They killed it because it did not help them find a treasure.

Question 2:

Mark the right item.

(i) The old farmer and his wife loved the dog

(a) because it helped them in their day-to-day work.

(b) as if it was their own baby.

(c) as they were kind to all living beings.

(ii) When the old couple became rich, they

(a) gave the dog better food.

(b) invited their greedy neighbours to a feast.

(c) lived comfortably and were generous towards their poor neighbours.

(iii) The greedy couple borrowed the mill and the mortar to make

(a) rice pastry and bean sauce.

(b) magic ash to win rewards.

(c) a pile of gold.

Answer:

(i) The old farmer and his wife loved the dog as if it was their own baby.

(ii) When the old couple became rich, they lived comfortably and were generous towards their poor neighbours.

(iii) The greedy couple borrowed the mill and the mortar to make a pile of gold.

Question 3:

The old farmer is a kind person. What evidence of his kindness do you find in the first two paragraphs?

Answer:

The old farmer was a kind person. He loved his dog as if it was his own baby. He fed it with fish with his own chopsticks and all the boiled rice it wanted. He was patient and kind to everything that had life, and often dug up a sod on purpose to give food to the birds.

Question 4:

What did the dog do to lead the farmer to the hidden gold?

Answer:

The dog came running to the farmer, putting its paws against his legs and motioning with its head to some spot behind. He thought it was only playing and did not mind it. However, the dog kept on whining and running to and fro for some minutes. Then the farmer followed it a few yards to a place where it began scratching the ground. The farmer thought there was a bone or a bit of fish buried there and therefore, struck his hoe in the earth. However, what he found was a pile of gold.

Question 5:

(i) How did the spirit of the dog help the farmer first?

(ii) How did it help him next?

Answer:

(i) The spirit of the dog asked the farmer to cut down the pine tree over its grave, and make from it a mortar for rice pastry and a mill for bean sauce. The farmer did so. Some time close to the New Year, the farmer wanted to make some rice pastry. When the rice was boiled, his wife put it into the mortar and he pounded the mass into dough. When the pastry was ready for baking, the whole mass turned into a heap of gold coins. Similarly, when beans were ground in the hand-mill, gold started dropping from it like rain and in a few minutes, the tub under the mill was filled with gold.

(ii) Informing the farmer about how his wicked neighbours had burned the hand-mill, the spirit of the dog asked him to take the ashes of the mill and sprinkle them on withered trees to make them bloom. The old man did so and found to his delight that the words of the spirit were indeed true. The bare cherry tree in his garden sprouted blossoms when a pinch of the ashes were sprinkled on it. Later, he was rewarded by the daimio for making an old withered cherry tree blossom once again.

Question 6:

Why did the daimio reward the farmer but punish his neighbour for the same act?

Answer:

The daimio rewarded the farmer for making an old withered cherry tree blossom once again. Like the farmer, his greedy neighbour also sprinkled ashes over a withered cherry tree. However, the result this time was different. The tree did not blossom, while the wind blew the dust into the noses and eyes of the daimio and his wife. This was the reason why the greedy neighbour was punished.

Gift of Chappals (Prev Lesson)
(Next Lesson) Fire: Friend and Foe
Back to CBSE 7th English Honeycomb Book
Send Message To Edu Spot