TEXT BOOK ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS A SHORT MONSOON DIARY CBSE – CLASS – VIII

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

·
Name – Ruskin Bond

·
Born – 19 May 1934 at
Kasauli, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India

·
He is one of the prominent
Indian authors of British descent.

·
His famous writings –

i)
The room on the roof

ii)
A flight of Pigeons

III) The Blue umbrella

Iv ) The Night train at Deoli

v) The tiger in the Tunnel

·
Famous awards –

a)
Sahitya Akademi Award (1992)

b) Padma Shri (1999)

TEXTBOOK SOLUTIONS

1) Why is the author not
able t o see Bijju?

Ans. The early monsoon rain had created mist. The mist had covered the
hills and t he adjacent areas. Nothing was visible. So, the author could hear
Bijju but he could not see him.

2) What are the two ways
in which the hills appear to change when the mist comes up?

Ans. At the advent of the mist the birds in the hills fall silent.
Besides, because of mist an uncanny silence prevails everywhere which makes the
whole atmosphere gloomy and melancholic.

1) When does the monsoon begin and when does it end? How do you
prepare to face the monsoon?

Ans. As adduced by the author and as experienced by him monsoon ushers
in the month of June and comes to an end by the end of August.

2) Which hill- station
does the author describe in this diary?

Ans. Ruskind Bond has presented a subtle sensitive description of his
native land. In this lesson we are acquainted with Mussoorie.

3) Where do the snakes
and rodents take shelter? Why?

Ans. Snakes and rodents take shelter in roofs attics and godowns.

They do so because the holes and burrows are flooded in
the heavy monsoon rain.

4) For how many days does
it rain without stopping? What does the author do on these days?

Ans. About eight or nine days the author experienced torrential rain
fall.

The author had very less things to do due to rain. He
paced about the room. Sometimes he started feel the rhythm of the rain. And
sometimes he looked out of the window where there had been a few bobbing
umbrellas.

5) What did the author
receive in the mail?

Ans. The author received a cheque in the mail. The author mentioned
this only to mean the musk rats being lucky. As there was a visit by a musk
rat, he got this wealth.

Q.1. Look carefully at the
daily entries for June 24-25, August 2 and March 23. Now write down the changes
that happen as the rains progress from June to March.

Ans:-

June 24.

It is marked as the first day of monsoon as well as mist.
As the mist veiled the hills, the birds lost their visibility and fell silent. The
author describes it as melancholic one.

June-25.

There had been true monsoon rain on June 25. The weather
is warm and moist and it is just adverse of what we see in the high altitude. In
the high altitude is very cold. Even the plants knew this change in weathers. A
cobra lily reared its head from the ferns.

August-02.

It is marked as true tropical downpour. Torrential
rainfall without storm and thunder keeps the author confined in his room. The
author fells the presence of rain truly as he says “being untouched by and yet
in touch with the rain”.

March-23.

This date declares the end of winter. From the blackest
cloud there comes heavy hailstorm which dears the sky. The whole atmosphere
becomes aesthetic one with a rainbow forming.

Q.2. Why did the grandmother
ask the children not to kill the chuchundar?

Ans. Grand mother forbade all the children not to kill the chuchundar
because chuchundars are believed to be lucky. These creatures’ presence
signifies monetary gain.

Q.3. What signs do we find in
Nature which show that the monsoons are about to end?

Ans. Some late monsoon flowers are at sight which signifies the end of
monsoon.

Besides, the seeds of cobra lily turning red shows that
monsoons is at end.

Q.5. Complete the
following sentences.

1) Bijju is
not seen but his voice is heard because the monsoon mist covered everything in the
surroundings.

2) The writer
describes the hill station and valley as “a paradise that might have been”

3) The leopard
was successful in attacking
Bijju’s cow but
had to flee when Bijju’s mother came screaming imprecations.

4) The
minivets are easily noticed because the minivets are of bright colours.

5) It looks
like a fashion display on the slopes when ground orchids move lady’s slipper and the white
butterfly orchids flower.

6) During the
monsoon season, snakes and rodents are found in roofs and attics because their holes and burrows
are flooded by the monsoon rain water.

Q.5. “Although tin roofs are
given to springing uncountable leaks, there is feeling of being untouched by
and yet in touch with, the rain.”

1) Why has the writer
used t he word ‘springing’?

Ans. The author hints at increasing intensity by the word springing.
It talks about the increasing numbers of leaks in the tin roofs.

ii)
How is the writer untouched by the rain?

Ans. The author is untouched as the author is protected by the tin
roof. The leakages even did not touch him.

iii)
How is the writer is touch with the rain at the same time?

Ans. The writer could hear and feel the presence of rain. Besides, the
leakages gave him the feeling of being in close touch with the rain.

Q.6. Mention a few things
that can happen when there is endless rain for days together.

Ans. Endless rain makes everything cold and damp. People stay confined
within their houses. Activities of birds and animals stop because of mist.
Snakes and rodents find temporary shelter as their holes and burrows are
flooded. A number of monsoon insects, animals, trees, and flowers show their
presence.

A.7. What is the
significance of cobra lily in relation to the monsoon season, its beginning and
end?

Ans. Cobra lily is symbolically presented as the arrival and departure
of monsoon rain. When monsoon begins cobra lily appears from the ferns and seeds
of cobra lily turning red signify the end of monsoon.