Gopal & the Hilsa Fish English Honeycomb Class 7 Chapter 3 Question & Answer

Solutions For All Chapters Honeycomb Class 7

Working with the Text

Answer the following questions.
Question 1:
Why did the king want no more talk about the Hilsa fish?

Solution:
Everyone around the king was talking about Hilsa fish. This had infuriated the king so he didn’t want anyone to talk about the Hilsa fish.

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

Solution:
The king asked Gopal to buy a huge Hilsa fish from the market and to ensure that no one should talk to him about the fish on the entire way from the market to the palace.

Question 3:
What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his Hilsa fish?

Solution:
Gopal half-shaved his face. Smeared ash on his body himself and wore rugs before going out to buy Hilsa fish.

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

Solution:
Gopal started singing and dancing in front of the palace at a loud voice. The king heard the noise and asked the man to be brought inside.

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

Solution:
No one was interested about the Hilsa fish. Gopal had bought because of Gopal’s condition. He was wearing rugs, his face was half-shaven and ash was smeared over his body. People were more interested in his appearance than the fish.

Question 6:
Write True or False against each of the following sentences.

1. The king lost his temper easily
2. Gopal was a madman
3. Gopal was a clever man
4. Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes
5. The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong

Solution:

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. False

Working with Language

Question 1:
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.

1. How much did you pay for that Hilsa?
2. Why is your face half-shaven?
   Gopal’s wife asked him……………….
3. I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.
   Gopal told the king ………………..
4. I want to see the king.
   Gopal told the guards ………………….
5. Bring the man to me at once.
   The king ordered the guard ………………….

Solution:

1. The woman asked the man how much did he pay for that Hilsa.
2. Gopal’s wife asked him why his face was half-shaven.
3. Gopal told the king that he accepted the challenge.
4. Gopal told the guards that he wanted to see the king.
5. The king ordered the guard to bring the man to him at once.

Question 2:
Find out the meaning of the following words by looking them up in dictionary. Then use them in sentences of your own.

Solution:
Challenge: A call to take part in a contest or competition.
Vikram accepted the challenge of his teacher and won prize in the annual day celebrations.
Mystic: Spiritual, occult
The sufi saints like Salim Chishti were mystic.
Comical: Funny
Mr Bean is one of the most famous comical characters on television.
Courtier: A person, who attends a royal court as a companion or advisor to the king or queen.
Birbal was one of the most important courtiers in Akbar’s court.
Smearing: Coat or mark carelessly with grease or oil.
Before the game, Rakesh smeared his body with oil.

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
How did the fishmongers lure the customers to buy Hilsa?

Solution:
The fishmongers lured the customers by saying that the price had been down that day.

Question 2:
Who was Gopal?

Solution:
Gopal was a courtier in the king’s court known for his wisdom and presence of mind.

Question 3:
What did Gopal’s wife think about him?

Solution:
Gopal’s wife thought that her husband had gone mad.

Question 4:
What were the remarks of two men on seeing Gopal in the market?

Solution:
On seeing Gopal a man said that he must be a madman while the other called him a mystic.

Question 5:
What was the king’s reaction when he came to know that he had lost the challenge?

Solution:
The king was happy about it and congratulated Gopal for winning the challenge.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
What happened when the king hear his courtiers talking about Hilsa fish?

Solution:
When the king heard his courtiers talking about Hilsa fish, he lost his temper and warned them that they were courtiers and not fishermen. But the king soon felt guilty, looking at his nervous and humble courtier when he had rebuked. His tone changed and he said that it was the season of Hilsa and nobody could be stopped from talking about it.

Question 2:
Why did Gopal’s wife find his activities strange?

Solution:
Gopal had half-shaven his face. Smeared ash over himself. Had put on rags and was looking disgraceful. She asked Gopal the reason for such weird acts. She stopped him from going out like that but Gopal told her that he was going to buy Hilsa fish. At last she concluded that Gopal had gone mad.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
Who was Gopal? What was the challenge given to him by the king? How he won it?

Solution:
Gopal was one of the wise men in the king’s court. When the king was fed up with ongoing talks about Hilsa fish he challenged Gopal.
Gopal happily accepted the challenge of buying a huge Hilsa fish from the market and to ensure on the way from the market to the palace no one should talk to him about the fish.
He was an intelligent man. He dressed up like a mad man and his appearance caught everyone’s attention. He reached the court without anyone talking about the fish as every one was drawn towards his appearance.

Question 2:
Why was Gopal barred entry to the palace?
How did Gopal manage to get in? What was the king’s reaction to Gopal’s deed?

Solution:
Gopal looked suspicious or rather mystic since he had dressed himself filthly. Moreover his beared was half-shaved and ash was smeared on it. Therefore the guards barred his entry to the palace. He started dancing and singing loudly so that the king might hear him and call him inside. The king ordered him to be taken inside but he could not recognise him.
When Gopal reminded him of his challenge and proved that he had fulfilled it the king was surprised and burst into laughter.

Value Based Question

Question 1:
We should not give up in any situation. If we try hard we can definitely find a solution. Why do you think so?

Solution:
Yes, we should not give up in any situation. We should find out a solution to come out of it. Sometimes, it might be tough to find the solution, but if we try hard, nothing is impossible. We learn from the efforts we make in life. If we won’t make efforts then our learning will stop.
It is OK to commit mistake but we should learn bur lesson from them and must not repeat them again. The world remember the great people because they did things differently and took up those risks in life.