Important Questions Class 8 Chapter 2.5 Balbharati English Maharashtra Board

The Happy Prince

Short Questions

1. Where was the Happy Prince’s statue located?

• It was placed high above the city on a tall column.

2. Why was the Happy Prince’s statue admired by everyone?

• It was covered in gold and had beautiful jewels in its eyes and waist.

3. What did the Swallow find unusual when he landed on the statue?

• He found drops of water falling, even though there were no clouds in the sky.

4. Why was the Happy Prince crying?

• He could see the suffering of poor people in the city.

5. To whom did the Happy Prince first send help?

• He sent a red jewel to a poor woman whose child was sick.

6. Why did the Swallow decide to stay with the Prince?

• He felt sorry for the Prince and wanted to help the poor.

7. What did the Happy Prince ask the Swallow to give to the young writer?

• He asked him to give one of his blue jewel eyes.

8. Why did the Swallow refuse to go to Egypt?

• He wanted to stay with the blind Happy Prince.

9. What happened to the Happy Prince’s statue in the end?

• The statue was taken down and melted, but its heart did not melt.

10. What did God consider to be the best things in the city?

• The broken heart of the Happy Prince and the dead Swallow.

Long Questions

1. Why did the Swallow initially stay behind when his friends left for Egypt?

• The Swallow had fallen in love with a Reed and decided to stay, but later realized the Reed did not love him back. As winter approached, he regretted his decision but was too late to join his friends.

2. How did the Happy Prince help the poor woman and her child?

• The Prince saw the poor woman struggling to sew a dress while her sick child suffered. He asked the Swallow to take his red jewel to her so she could afford food and medicine for her son.

3. Why was the young writer in trouble, and how did the Prince help him?

• The young writer was cold and hungry, unable to complete his work. The Prince sacrificed one of his blue jewel eyes so the writer could sell it and buy food and firewood.

4. Why did the Happy Prince give away his second eye?

• He saw a little girl crying because she had dropped and broken her eggs, and her father would beat her. Despite the Swallow’s protests, he gave away his second eye to save her from trouble.

5. Why did the Swallow feel warm despite the cold?

• Although the weather was freezing, the Swallow felt warm because he was doing kind deeds. His happiness came from helping others rather than seeking comfort.

6. How did the Prince continue to help the poor after losing his jewels?

• After losing his jewels, the Prince asked the Swallow to strip the gold covering his body and distribute it among the poor, making them happy and reducing their suffering.

7. Why did the city authorities decide to remove the statue of the Happy Prince?

• The authorities found the statue ugly after it lost its gold and jewels. They declared it unfit for the city and ordered it to be melted down.

8. What happened to the Swallow in the end, and how did it affect the Prince?

• The Swallow stayed with the Prince despite the cold and eventually died. Seeing this, the Prince’s lead heart broke into two, symbolizing his deep sorrow.

9. What lesson does The Happy Prince teach about true happiness?

• The story teaches that true happiness comes from selfless love and helping others. The Prince and the Swallow found fulfillment in kindness rather than wealth and luxury.

10. Why did God consider the Swallow and the Prince’s heart the best things in the city?

• God valued kindness and sacrifice above riches, so He chose the Swallow and the Prince’s broken heart as the city’s most precious treasures, rewarding them in heaven.