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Karnataka State Syllabus Class 8 English Prose Chapter 5 The Swan and The Princes
The Swan and The Princes Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes
ILA – Your teacher reads a passage. Listen to it. Then answer the following questions.
Question 1.
What did each woman claim?
Answer:
Each woman claimed that she was the real mother of the baby, and she had the right to own and look after it.
Question 2.
What did the minister suggest?
Answer:
The minister ordered that the baby be cut in two and each woman given a half of the baby.
Question 3.
Why do you think the second woman offered the baby to the first woman, after she heard the minister?
Answer:
She was the real mother. She loved her baby so much that she did not want it to die.
Question 4.
How did the minister come to the correct conclusion? What was the reason for his judgment?
Answer:
When the second woman offered the baby to the first woman, the minister realized that the second woman was the real mother. The reason is, no woman would allow her child to die. The second woman decided to sacrifice her love for the life of the baby.
Text Questions and Answers
C1. Answer the following questions and share your responses with your partner.
Question 1.
What was the complaint of Devadatta against Prince Siddhartha?
Answer:
Devadatta complained that Siddhartha had taken away his swan and was refusing to give it to him.
Question 2.
Why did Siddhartha claim that the swan was his?
Answer:
Siddhartha claimed that the swan was his because he had saved it.
Question 3.
How did the bird react to Devadatta’s call?
Answer:
It was frightened. It trembled and cried with fear.
Question 4.
What did Siddhartha say to the swan? What did the bird do?
Answer:
Siddhartha went near the swan. He asked the bird to sit on his arms and not to be afraid of him. The swan flew into Siddhartha’s’ arms.
Question 5.
What made Devadatta and Siddhartha approach the King?
Answer:
Dev Datt and Siddhartha both wanted the swan. They are unable to decide, so they approached the King.
Question 6.
How did each of them defend their actions?
Answer:
Dev Datt claimed that he had shot the bird so it belonged to him and Siddhartha claimed it because he has saved and protected its life.
Question 7.
How did the Chief Minister resolve the dispute in the end?
Answer:
The Chief Minister thought a plan to resolve the dispute. He told Siddhartha to keep the swan on the stool. He directed Dev Datt to call the bird. When Dev datt called the swan the bird trembled and cried with fear. Then Dev Datt came back. Next Siddhartha called the bird lovingly. It came and sat on his arms. The swan itself decided the dispute. All agreed and were pleased. The swan now belonged to Siddhartha.
C2. Put the following events in the order in which they occur in the play and write them in a paragraph:
- The swan flew onto Siddhartha’s arms.
- Devadatta appealed to the King for justice.
- Siddhartha nursed the bird with great care.
- Devadatta called the swan to him.
- Siddhartha called the swan lovingly.
- Devadatta shot an arrow at the bird.
Answer:
Devadatta shot an arrow at the bird. Siddhartha nursed the bird with great care. Devadatta appealed to the King for justice. Devadatta called the swan to him. Siddhartha called the swan lovingly. The swan flew onto Siddhartha s arms.”
C3. After the swan had been saved by Siddhartha, it was very happy and wanted to thank the prince. Write an imaginary dialogue between the swan and Prince Siddhartha. The beginning of the dialogue is given:
- Swan: Dear Siddhartha, I want to talk to you.
- Prince: Yes, my dear, what’s it? Tell me, don’t fear anyone.
- Swan: Dear prince, it’s only because of your kindness I am still alive today.
- Prince: Why __________________________________ ?
- Swan: Imagine what would __________________ ?
- Prince: Don’t you think it was _________________?
- Swan: __________________________________________?
- Prince: _________________________________________?
Answer:
- Swan: Dear Siddhartha, I want to talk to you.
- Prince: Yes, my dear, what’s it? Tell me, don’t fear anyone.
- Swan: Dear prince, it’s only because of your kindness, I am still alive today.
- Prince: Why do you say so?
- Swan: Imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t saved me?
- Prince: Don’t you think it was my duty?
- Swan: Maybe. But, all people would not do that. Anyway, thank you very much.
- Prince: You’re welcome.
Comprehension:
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:
Question 1.
l am puzzled. It’s a strange case. I don’t know how to decide it.
a) Who is puzzled here?
b) Why is it a strange case?
c) Whose help does he seek?
Answer:
a) King Suddodhana.
b) It is a strange case because the king is not able to decide who the rightful owner of the swan is – the one who shot at it or the one who saved it.
c) He seeks the help of the chief minister.
Question 2.
Your Highness, the swan has decided the case.
a) Who has made this statement?
b) What was the swan’s decision?
c) To whom did the swan go?
Answer:
a) The’Chief Minister.
b) The swan solved the problem by going to the person who saved it.
c) The swan went to Siddhartha who had saved it.
Vocabulary:
Through prefixes, you can understand the meanings of many words. Some frequently used prefixes are given below with their meanings.
anti = against, the opposite of
auto = self, same
bio = life, living organism
hemi = half
inter = between, among
micro = very small, minute
multi = many
non = not, without
pre = earlier, before
V1. Some definitions are given below. Substitute each of them with a single word using the prefixes given above.
e.g.
- One’s own signature _________ [_______ graph]
- Place of living organisms ________ [_______ sphere]
- More than one purpose _________ [_______ purpose]
- Effective against bacteria ________ [________ biotic]
- Half of the earth’s surface ________ [________ sphere]
- True, not fiction _________ [______ fiction]
- Between nations ________ [_______national]
- To wash before _________ [_______wash]
- Very small, not visible to the naked eye _________ [_____ scopic]
Answer:
- autograph
- biosphere
- multipurpose
- antibiotic
- hemisphere
- non-fiction
- international
- pre-wash
- microscopic.
V2. 1. The suffixes _______ ful, _______ous, _______ y mean ‘like’ or ‘full of’
2. The suffixes _______ ism, ______ and ment mean ‘act’ or ‘quality of’
3. The suffixes _______ or, _______ and ________ er mean‘one who’.
Use a correct ending with the words given in brackets to complete the sentences:
Ashwin was awakened with a feeling of excitement (excite). It was a ______ (slory) day, not _____ (cloud) at all. His ______ (teach) Mr. Pradeep had a guest ______ (speak) on that morning. Mr. Anil Kumar, the speaker, was the ______ (invent) of the machine and so, was famous throughout the world. By a ______ (continue) study of _____ (magnet) and its forces, he was able to develop a device to generate heat using sun rays.
Answer:
Ashwin was awakened with a feeling of excitement (excite). It was a glorious day, not cloudy at all. His teacher Mr. Pradeep had a guest speaker on that morning. Mr. Anil Kumar, the speaker, was the inventor of the machine and so, was famous throughout the world. By a continuous study of magnetism and its forces, he was able to develop a device to generate heat using sun rays.
V3. Add one letter and make a new word to mean the word given in brackets:
____ ONDER [surprise]
____ OMPLAIN [express dissatisfaction]
____ TRANGE [unusual]
____ AVE [protect]
____ RMS [part of the body]
____ ELONG [possess]
Answer:
Wonder, Complain, Strange, Save, Arms, Belong.
V4. Fill in the blanks with the given words using the suffixes – ‘ful’ or ‘less’ appropriately.
e.g. care:
i) Mohan usually drives on the right side of the road. He is a careless driver.
ii) The teacher is very careful while crossing the road. She looks to her right and left and always uses the zebra crossing.
1. cheer:
i) Hari’s father died just a few days before Diwali. It was a __________ Diwali for Hari.
ii) My friend has many problems. He has to support a large family, but he is always smiling. He is a ___________person.
Answer:
i – cheerless
ii – cheerful.
2. thought:
i) I was very ill. My neighbour called a doctor. It was very ______ of him.
ii) Most young people live in the present. They are often _______ about the future.
Answer:
i – thoughtful
ii – thoughtless.
3. power:
i) A boy picked a quarrel with a boxer. The boxer lost his temper and gave him a _______ blow.
ii) I was going for a walk with my friends. Suddenly a robber pounced on me and held my arms from behind. I felt totally ________ .
Answer:
i – powerful
ii – powerless.
Revision Exercise:
Task 5. So far, you have been able to identify 12 vowel sounds. Some words are given below. Pronounce them and write them in the respective columns. Note that some words have more than one vowel. For such words, a particular vowel is underlined. Put them in the right columns.
Words
Answer:
Please note that the phonetic script of ‘devil’ is /’deval/, in which case ‘devil’ should be in the sixth column under/e/.
B. Spoken English:
Requesting:
Task 1. Think of appropriate requests in these situations.
1. You’ve missed the last bus to your house, (request a friend)
2. You’re bored watching TV. (request your mother)
3. Your scooter won’t start, (request the mechanic)
Answer:
1. Could you drop me home?
2. Please switch off the TV Mom.
3. I would be grateful if you could repair my scooter.
C. Reading:
Scanning:
Task 1. The following table gives the minimum and the maximum temperatures of some cities during summer. Read it and complete the sentences given below.
Now we can draw the following inferences:
a) ______ is the coolest city.
b) Delhi is hotter than _______ and Bengaluru.
c) ______ is the hottest city in India.
d) ______ is cooler than Delhi and Ahmedabad.
Answer:
a) Bengaluru
b) Mumbai
c) Ahmedabad
d) Mumbai
D. Grammar:
Prepositions:
Look at the table. Here prepositions are categorized into three groups.
Task 1. Now fill in the blanks using the appropriate prepositions from the table.
a) Shanthigrama is a small village _______ Chikkamagalore district. There lives a boy Nameeth. He is studying ________ 8th standard. He is very punctual. Every day he gets up early _____ the morning. His school is three kilometres away ______ his village. So, he leaves his home _______ 8-30 a.m. He goes ______ school _____ foot. He always reaches school ______ time.
Answer:
in, in, in, from, at, to, on, in.
b) Nameeth participates ______ all the school activities. He listens attentively, recites poems, solves maths sums, plays games and draws beautiful pictures. His classes usually close ______ 4p.m., but he stays _____ the school ______ 5 p.m. _____ the classes, he sits ______ a tree ______ his friends and practises music _____ an hour. He leaves the school campus _______ 5’o clock, and reaches home _______ 6 p.m. He refreshes himself and plays ______his friends _______ an hour. Then he studies ______ two hours and watches news _____ the TV. ______ supper he goes _______ a walk ______ 10-30 p.m. he goes to bed.
Answer:
in, by, in, till, After, under, with, for, at, by, with, for, for, on, After, for, At.
Task 2. Study the given map carefully and complete the sentences below using appropriate prepositions:
1. Vidhana Soudha is ______ Bengaluru _______ Karnataka.
2. Sri Lanka lies _______ the south of India.
3. The Tropic of Cancer divides India ______ two equal halves.
4. 82V2°E Longitude passes ______ Allahabad _____ Uttar Pradesh.
5. Delhi is _______ the banks of the river Yamuna.
6. The Palk Strait and the Mannar Bay separate India ________ Sri Lanka.
7. Madhya Pradesh lies ________ Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
8. KRS has been constructed ______ the river Kaveri.
9. There are many natural harbours ______ the Western him.
Answer:
1. in, in, 2. to, 3. into, 4. through, in, 5. on, 6. from, 7. between, 8. on, 9. on.
Task 3: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate prepositions. If no preposition is needed, leave the space blank.
1. If Apoorva felt Dinesh was right, she would agree to ______
2. The economy of India is based on _____ farming.
3. What time does the bus arrive _______ Mangalore?
4. I wish you’d stop shouting ______ us angrily.
5. ‘Kumar is down here!’ she said _____ a loud voice.
6. People differ _______ one another in their ability to handle stress.
7. Amulya applied ______ a job with the local newspaper.
8. Has Harish replied ______ your letter yet?
9. I apologize _____ losing my temper.
10. Do you believe ______ God?
Answer:
1. with, 2. on, 3. at, 4. at, 5. in, 6. from, 7. for, 8. to, 9. for, 10. in.
E. Writing:
Letter writing:
Task 1. Complete the following letter supposedly written by Hirachand to King Akbar telling him that he is innocent. Use the clues given below.
Dear Sir,
I feel lam ____ for no mistake of mine. You want to execute me because I ______ but I feel it is not fair. What will ______ me? What wrong have I done? I say I am innocent. I _____ and request you to free me.
Yours truly,
Hirachand
1. have an unlucky face.
2. beg for your mercy.
3. punished.
4. my wife and children do without.
Answer:
punished, have an unlucky face, my wife and children do without, beg for your mercy.
Letter:
Task 2. Imagine that you are Parvathi, C/o Shri Somashekhara, D.No. 131, Temple Road, Gorur.
Write a letter to your father requesting him to send Rs. 600 using the clues given below:
About your studies — performance in tests — excursion arranged by your school — places to be visited and date — money required.
131, Temple Road
Gorur
18 August 2017
Dear Dad,
How are you? I am healthy and happy here.
I have consistently been among the top five scorers in my class as seen from the results of the past few tests. My science teacher praised me for my project submission and gave me the
opportunity to present it in class. We have a singing competition coming up and I have started preparing for it. These are all the recent developments in school. But the main reason for writing this letter is that we have an excursion arranged by the school next month to Bandipur. It wilt be very exciting to see the wild animals and the greenery. It would also serve as an educational trip as we will be learning about our environment and ecosystem. The fee for the excursion is Rs. 600 and I have to pay it to my class teacher in two weeks. Could I go for the excursion please? I request you to please send the money as soon as possible.
Please convey my love to Grandpa, mom and little brother Pruthvi.
Love,
Parvathi
Task 3. Imagine that you are Ramappa, studying in VIII standard, Government High School, Thammadihalli.
Write a letter to your class teacher, requesting him for grant of leave using the points given below:
Class and section — reason for leave — days — father’s consent — how you will make good the lessons done during your absence.
Ramappa
VIII Standard, B Section
Government High School
Thammadihalli
14 September 2017
The Class Teacher
VIII Standard ‘B’ Section
Government High School
Thammadihalli
Dear Sir,
I seek your permission to leave school for three days as I have to attend my cousin’s wedding in my native place. I have informed my father and he has already given his consent. Both
my father and I are aware that I will be missing out on quite a few classes. I have promised my father that I will make up for my classes by putting in extra efforts. my class monitor Shashi Kanth has agreed to share his notes with me once I return.
Hope you will grant me the leave.
Thank you.
yours faithfully,
Ramappa
The Swan and The Princes Additional Questions and Answers
Question 1.
What was King Suddodhana doing at the beginning of the play?
Answer:
King Suddodhana was sitting on his throne, the tie was in conference with his ministers.
Question 2.
Who wanted to come in and meet the King?
Answer:
Devadatta wanted to come in and meet the King.
Question 3.
What did the second Minister think of Devadatta’s visit?
Answer:
The second Minister thought that he was coming there to complain against someone.
Question 4.
What did the third Minister say about Siddhartha?
Answer:
The third Minister said that Prince Siddhartha would never do anything wrong.
Question 5.
Who did King Suddodhana send for?
Answer:
King Suddodhana sent for Prince Siddhartha.
Question 6.
Who did Siddhartha come with?
Answer:
Siddhartha came to the court with a white swan in his arms.
Question 7.
Why was the king puzzled?
Answer:
The king thought it was a strange case, so he was puzzled.
Question 8.
Whom did the King ask to solve the dispute?
Answer:
The King asked the Chief Minister to solve the case.
Question 9.
Where did the Chief Minister ask Siddhartha to put the swan?
Answer:
The Chief Minister told Siddhartha to put the swan on a stool.
Question 10.
Who is a suppliant?
Answer:
A suppliant is a person or a living being that seeks the protection of someone.
Multiple Choice Questions
Four alternatives are given for each of the following questions/ incomplete statements. Choose the most appropriate one.
Question 1.
‘The Swan and the Princes’ is a/an
A) extract
B) folk play
C) short story
D) life sketch
Answer:
B) folk play
Question 2.
‘The Swan and the Princes’ deals with an incident in the life of
A) Siddhartha
B) the swan
C) Suddodhana
D) the chief minister
Answer:
A) Siddhartha
Question 3.
_______ was the king of Kapilavastu.
A) Devadatta
B) Siddhartha
C) Satyavan
D) Suddodhana
Answer:
D) Suddodhana
Question 4.
When Devadatta shot an arrow at the bird, it was injured. Who nursed it?
A) Suddodhana
B) Siddhartha
C) the chief minister
D) the guard
Answer:
B) Siddhartha
Question 5.
Who appealed to the king for justice?
A) Devadatta
B) Siddhartha
C) Suddodhana
D) the swan
Answer:
A) Devadatta
Question 6.
‘But a Kshatriya cannot give up a suppliant either’. The word ‘suppliant’ means
A) sufferer
B) wrongdoer
C) complainant
D) a person seeking something humbly
Answer:
D) a person seeking something humbly
Question 7.
The swan sought the protection of
A) Devadatta
B) the king
C) Siddhartha
D) the chief minister
Answer:
C) Siddhartha
Question 8.
Whose help did the king seek to solve the case?
A) Devadatta’s
B) the minister’s
C) Siddhartha’s
D) the chief minister’s
Answer:
D) the chief minister’s
Question 9.
Where did Siddhartha put the swan?
A) on the floor
B) on the stool
C) on the table
D) on his arm.
Answer:
B) on the stool
The Swan and The Princes Summary in English
When the play begins we see King Suddodhana, the King of Kapilavastu, in conference with his ministers. A guard comes in and says that Devadatta, Siddhartha’s cousin, wants to meet the King. The King permits him to come in. The Chief Minister wonders why Devadatta wants to see the King.
One of the ministers thinks that he is coming to complain against someone. Devadatta comes in and complains against Siddhartha, the Prince of Kapilavastu, for not giving him his swan. The King asks him if Siddhartha had taken away his swan from him. Devadatta says that he had shot the swan and when it fell on the ground, Siddhartha had taken it.
King Suddodhana sends for Siddhartha. The third Minister tells the fourth minister that Siddhartha would never do anything that is considered wrong. Siddhartha comes in with a white swan in his arms. He bows to the King. King Suddodhana asks him if he has taken away Devadatta’s swan. Siddhartha claims the swan as his. Devadatta says that he had shot it and it belongs to him.
The King asks Siddhartha why he is claiming the ownership of the swan. Siddhartha replies that he had saved its life. The King tries to convince Siddhartha that if a Kshatriya had shot something, he is the rightful owner of that. Siddhartha does not agree with him. He says that a Kshatriya cannot give up a suppliant who seeks his protection. The swan had come to him for protection and he would not let it go. Devadatta argues that it was injustice. The King is confused. He requests the Chief Minister to help him.
The Chief Minister asks Siddhartha to put the swan on a stool. When he does so, the Chief Minister tells Devadatta to call the swan to come to him. Devadatta calls the swan to come, but the swan trembles and cries out with fear. The Chief Minister, then asks Siddhartha to do the same. When Siddhartha calls the swan, it happily flies into his arms. The Chief Minister says that the swan itself has decided the case. King Suddodhana agrees with him and declares that the swan belongs to Prince Siddhartha.
The Swan and The Princes Summary in Kannada
