KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 English Prose Chapter 8 Luther Burbank

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Karnataka State Syllabus Class 8 English Prose Chapter 8 Luther Burbank

Luther Burbank Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes

Mother Earth

(Listening passage L – 8)

ILA – Your teacher reads a story. Listen to it. Then answer the following questions.

Question 1.
Name anyone trick which the magician says he can perform.
Answer:
a) Make a lunch box disappear.
b) Change a piece of paper into a hundred rupee note.

Question 2.
Usually how does a magician play a trick?
Answer:
The magician hypnotises the people and captures their attention.

Question 3.
Do you think a magician can grow many kinds of mangoes on a single tree?
Answer:
No, he cannot.

IRA – Read the paragraph and answer the questions given below.

Question 1.
What is Haji Kalimullah Khan’s main achievement?
Answer:
Haji Kalimullah Khan has grown 300 different kinds of mangoes on a single tree.

Question 2.
How has the government recognised his achievement?
Answer:
He has been awarded the Padmashri for his achievement.

Question 3.
Say which words are used to mean the following:

1. greatly
2. unbelievable event
3. of late
4. kinds
5. technique.

Answer:

1. greatly – immensely
2. unbelievable event – mystery
3. of late – recently
4. kinds – varieties
5. technique – craft.

Textbook Questions and Answers

C1. Answer the following questions and share your responses with your partner.

Question 1.
Name the fields in which Luther Burbank’s influence prevails.
Answer:
Luther Burbank’s influence prevails in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, forestry and livestock.

Question 2.
When was Luther Burbank born?
Answer:
Luther Burbank was born on March 7, 1849.

Question 3.
What was Luther Burbank’s goal in life?
Answer:
Luther Burbank’s goal in life was to grow new varieties of plants.

Question 4.
Name the book that helped Burbank to decide on his goal in life.
Answer:
Charles Darwin’s ‘Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication’.

Question 5.
Mention the name of the new variety of potato plants grown by Burbank.
Answer:
Idaho potato.

Question 6.
How was the weather in the State of California?
Answer:
The weather in the State of California was mild; the soil was rich and varied.

Question 7.
How many varieties of fruits did Burbank grow on an acre of his farm?
Answer:
Luther Burbank was able to grow several thousand different varieties of fruits.

Question 8.
What is grafting?
Answer:
Grafting is a method in which a small shoot is cut from a living plant and fixed in a cut made in another plant so that it grows there.

C2. Which of the following things was Burbank able to do because of his experimentation? Tick [✓] against the true statement and [✗] against others.

a) Growing hundreds of varieties of apples [ ]
b) Spending 15 years for a tree to bear fruit [ ]
c) Making a young plant yield fruit in a year or two [ ]
d) Growing about 526 varieties of apples in an acre of his farm [ ]
Answer:
a – ✓; b – ✗ ; c – ✓ ; d – ✗.

Read and Write:

C3. Read and discuss your responses with your partner. Then write.

Question 1.
How did Burbank’s’genius benefit the life of the common man?
Answer:
The products of his genius continued even today to play a part in the day-to-day lives of people throughout the world. His inventions are more powerful in the Scientific Community and in the field of agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and livestock.

Question 2.
Why did Burbank move from Massachusetts to California?
Answer:
The climate of his native place was not suitable for his work and he moved Massachusetts to the State of California because the weather was mild and the soil was rich and varied.

Question 3.
What did Burbank call his new home? Why?
Answer:
Burbank called his new home ‘The Chosen Spot’, because, according to him, it was the right place on this earth for all his experiments.

Question 4.
How did grafting help Burbank in his experimentation?
Answer:
By adopting the technique of grafting, he was able to grow 526 different types of apples on the same tree. He could save space and speed up his experiments. Instead of waiting for 15 years for a tree to bear fruit, he was able to get fruits in just two or three years.

Question 5.
In what way did Burbank save space and speed up his experiments?
Answer:
Burbank grafted many twigs on a single tree. In this manner, he could grow 526 different types of apples. He also grew 500 different varieties of cherries on a single tree. This helped him to save space and speed up his experiments.

Question 6.
What were Burbank’s experiments on cherry, blackberry, cactus, and Shasta daisy?
Answer:
Burbank improved the quality of cherry, a thornless blackberry, a cactus without thorns and Shasta Daisy was the beautiful flower among 73 new flowers.

C4. Write a paragraph on each of the following:

Question 1.
Write a note on Burbank’s early life.
Answer:
Luther Burbank was born on March 7, 1849. He was brought up on a farm in the State of Massachusetts. He learned the techniques of growing various crops and plants during his early years. After reading Charles Darwin’s book ‘Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication’, he decided to dedicate his life to grow new varieties of plants.

Question 2.
Describe the three techniques on which Burbank experiments were based.
Answer:
The experiments were based on three basic techniques.

1.  He would collect different kinds of domestic plants and bring in many foreign varieties of plants. When they were grown under different conditions, they would prove strong, plentiful, or hard or else, show other desirable changes or new qualities.
2. He grew many varieties of fruits, flowers, and vegetables by changing water, food supply, temperature, light, or space. Other variations were achieved by crossing plants, which had very dissimilar qualities.
3. The third and final technique was he could recognize and select the plants which showed desirable changes. He could also choose them for further experiments.

Question 3.
How did Burbank react when some of his efforts ended in failure?
Answer:
Though many of his efforts ended in failure he did not loose his unending patience. His devotion was so deep and strong that nothing could disappoint him.

Comprehension:

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Was he a master gardener, a skilled plant grower, a talented and patient breeder, or a miracle-working magician?
a) Who is the ‘he’ referred to here?
b) What was he in reality?
c) What miracle did he perform?
Answer:
a) Luther Burbank.
b) He was a scientist and a well-known plant breeder.
c) Burbank turned a yellow flower into red, made the seeds of plums disappear, made a blackberry white, and grew 500 different kinds of cherries on one tree – all these were no less magical.

Question 2.
He described his new home as “The chosen spot” of all this earth as far as nature was concerned.
a) Who is referred to here?
b) Where was his new home?
c) What did Burbank describe as “The chosen spot”?
Answer:
a) Luther Burbank.
b) Near the city of San Francisco.
c) Burbank described his new home in Santa Rosa near the city of San Francisco as “The chosen spot”.

Question 3.
“He delighted flower lovers with 73 new flowers including the Shasta Daisy and a rose that bears his name”.
a) From which lesson is this extract taken?
b) Who does ‘he’ refer to?
c) What is Shasta Daisy?
Answer:
a) ‘Luther Burbank’.
b) Luther Burbank. ,
c) Shasta Daisy is a flower.

Vocabulary:

V1 Look at the following phrases and see how the two words go together. They are collocative words.

1. sunny weather
2. smiling face
3. hard-working scientist
4. improved cherry.

Now fill in the blanks with the most appropriate describing words given in the box below.

1. ________ community
2. ________ soil
3. ________ blackberry
4. ________ cactus
5. ________ attempt
6. ________ value

Answer:

1. scientific
2. rich
3. thornless
4. desert
5. successful
6. commercial.

V2. Given below are some names. Classify them into categories of flowers, fruits and vegetables. You may consult a dictionary/encyclopedia if necessary.

Answer:

A. Listen and Speak:

Drunken Monkey Kung Fu Scares Village

1. Chikkanayakanahalli: A monkey, addicted to alcohol and often attacking people, is scaring the wits out of the residents of Shettykere, a village here.

2. The monkey was first noticed in the village a month ago. It has taken a liking for alcohol, perhaps due to some mischievous alcohol addicts in the village initiating it into drinking. It is now addicted to the brew and often gets high. It has also become indiscriminate in its eating habits and has put on weight and become aggressive. .

3. Once inebriated, the monkey begins harassing passersby and even attacking them. The aggressive monkey scares even a large crowd. So far it has attacked at least 30 persons and injured many of them. Even dogs are among its victims.

4. The monkey, which has made the bus terminal it’s home, snatches travelers’ bags and their belongings. Anyone resisting it is attacked.

5. But pious, if not cowardly they are, the residents see it as an incarnation of Hanuman, the monkey god, and worship it, but their piety is wearing thin, and they want someone to get rid of the rowdy Simian.

Questions:
1) Where and when was the drunken monkey noticed first?
2) How did addiction affect the monkey? (See paragraph 2)
3) You may have come across new words in this news report. The words used, meanings and paragraph numbers in which they appear are given. Find out and write them in the blanks provided.

4) Match the phrases with their meanings:

Answer:
1. The monkey was first noticed in Shettykere village.

2. Addiction often made the monkey get high. The monkey had become indiscriminate in its eating habits and had put on weight. It had also become aggressive.

3. takes away – snatches avatar – incarnation troubling – harassing Monkey God – Hanuman

4. Match the phrases with their meanings:

1. Scaring the wit out of – making one very afraid
2. Getting high – being overdrunk
3. Wearing thin – vanishing
4. Getting rid of – avoiding
5. Feeling very difficult to do something – going up the hill

B. Grammar:

The Passive Voice:

Task. Match the names in the left-hand column with the discoveries/inventions/compositions etc., in the right-hand column. Then write sentences in both active and passive voice using the agent and appropriate verb.

Kalidasa – Geeta Govinda
Jayadeva – Shakuntala
Tagore – Film ‘Tare Zameen Par’
Amir Khan – Jai Ho
Gulzar – Harry Potter
J.K. Rowling – Geetanjali
Galileo – Telescope
e.g., Galileo invented the telescope.
The telescope was invented by Galileo.
Answer:
Kalidasa wrote Shakuntala.
Shakuntala was written by Kalidasa.
Jayadeva composed Geeta Govinda.
Geeta Govinda was composed by Jayadeva.
Tagore wrote Geetanjali.
Geetanjali was written by Tagore.
Amir Khan produced the film Tare Zameen Par.
The film Tare Zameen Par was produced by Amir Khan.
Gulzar wrote the lyrics of ‘Jai Ho’.
The lyrics of ‘Jai Ho’ were written by Gulzar.
J.K. Rowling authored Harry Potter.
Harry Potter was authored by J.K. Rowling.

C. Writing:

Task 1. An outline of a story is given below. Complete the story supplying the required words and phrases.

A cap seller on his way to market ______ very hot the cool shade of a huge tree ______ takes a nap beside his basket of caps _______ wakes up ______ basket empty _______ thinks they are _________ stolen ________ noises above ________ monkeys with caps on _______ desperate efforts to recover the caps _________ at last snatches his own cap off his head and throws it down _______ monkeys do the same ________ he picks up the caps happy.
Answer:
A cap seller on his way to the market feels tired as it is very hot. He decides to rest in the cool shade of a huge tree. He takes a nap beside his basket of caps. When he wakes up, to his shock, he finds the basket empty. Initially he thinks that the caps are stolen. Just then he hears some noises above. When he follows the sound, he finds some monkeys with caps on the branches. He makes desperate efforts to recover the caps, but fails. At last, he snatches his own .cap off his head and throws it down. To his pleasant surprise, he finds the monkeys doing the same. He picks up the caps and goes away, happy that he was able to ‘ recover all the caps.

Task 2. Expand any one of the following proverbs in 5 or 6 sentences of your own:

1) A stitch in time saves nine.
The proverb speaks about the benefits of timely action. The proverb states that we can avoid unnecessary complications with prompt actions. The equivalent of this is ‘There is no point in lamenting over spilt milk. ’ The proverb is especially applicable to those who unnecessarily procrastinate. We should remember the significance of the proverb if we want to succeed in life.

2) Jack of all trades, master of none.
The proverb refers to those who lack in-depth knowledge and skill. Such people may know a little bit of everything, but they lack wisdom and expertise. They may initially impress others. But in the long run, their inadequacy is known to all and they are ridiculed. However, in modem times, slowly but surely there’s a change in our attitude and we often feel that it is better to be a Jack of all things even if one is unable to have complete mastery over them.

3) Prevention is better than cure.
This proverb is similar to ‘A stitch in time saves nine.’ It is a call for timely action. It means that before the complication manifests itself, it is better to find a solution to the problem. Prevention would take less time too.

4) Where there is a will, there is a way.
This proverb throws light on the power of the mind. It shows that if we resolve to do something, however complicated it might be, we will find a way out. With positive thinking, everything is possible. This, of course, does not mean to say that anyone can achieve anything by willing alone. The wish to achieve something has to be backed up by necessary knowledge, hard work, and application. A man who has a strong ambition to achieve something and who works for its fulfillment will not find himself lacking in the means to achieve it. What is required is a sufficiently strong and persistent will.

5) All that glitters is not sold.
This proverb warns us against those who may fool us with Wrong impressions. The proverb is the same as ‘Do not judge a book by its cover. The words advise us not to fall for external, superficial beauty. We should be circumspect and know that behind the attractive exterior there can be lurking, hidden danger.

Luther Burbank Additional Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Who was Luther Burbank?
Answer:
Luther Burbank was a well known U.S. plant breeder.

Question 2.
What did Burbank start when he was 21 years old?
Answer:
Burbank started market gardening. He was successful in selling the high-quality vegetables that he grew on his farms.

Question 3.
How was he able to produce the ‘Idaho Potato’?
Answer:
Burbank planted 29 seeds from an early rose potato plant. He produced a new variety of seeds. Its superior quality made it very popular among the local farmers. Today, this potato is called Idaho potato. Even to this day it is grown on thousands of acres in North-western U.S.

Question 4.
Which incident proves that he had unending patience?
Answer:
Burbank’s patience was tested all the time. After successfully producing a white blackberry, he set fire to all the rejected seedlings. It is said that the pile of seedlings was 12 feet high, 14 feet wide, 22 feet long and contained 65000 two to three-year-old berry plants. He kept aside less than two dozen plants for further study.

Question 5.
How is Burbank’s work equated to present-day miracles in science and technology?
Answer:
In the present times, miracles are happening in steel mills, the automobile industry, markets of commerce and industry, and so on. But, Burbank experimented with the simple elements of nature to produce desirable changes and effects. Hence, his works are as remarkable as the production of shiny cars, bridges, tunnels, etc.

Multiple Choice Questions

Four alternatives are given for each of the following questions/ incomplete statements. Choose the most appropriate one.

Question 1.
Luther Burbank is a well known
A) plant breeder
B) gardener
C) physicist
D) agriculturist
Answer:
A) plant breeder

Question 2.
Luther Burbank was influenced by
A) J.C. Bose
B) Gregor Mendel
C) Carolus Linnaeus
D) Charles Darwin
Answer:
D) Charles Darwin

Question 3.
When Burbank was 21 years old, he started
A) animal husbandry
B) market gardening
C) cattle rearing
D) livestock farming
Answer:
B) market gardening

Question 4.
The Idaho potato is grown in
A) California
B) the north-western U.S.A.
C) Santa Rosa
D) the southern U.S.A.
Answer:
B) the north-western U.S.A.

Question 5.
Burbank moved from his native place to the state of California because
A) California was more suitable for his work
B) there were no farms in California
C) only California was suitable for growing vegetables
D) varieties of plants were available there
Answer:
A) California was more suitable for his work

Question 6.
How did Burbank achieve variations in plants?
A) By crossing foreign varieties of plants
B) By crossing similar plants with dissimilar qualities
C) By crossing plants that had dissimilar qualities
D) By crossing plants that had similar qualities
Answer:
C) By crossing plants that had dissimilar qualities

Question 7.
According to Burbank, the production of this fruit/vegetable was a paradox
A) Cherry
B) Idaho potato
C) White blackberry
D) Peach
Answer:
C) White blackberry

Question 8.
An acre on Burbank’s farm yielded several thousand different varieties of fruits. This was made possible by
A) grafting many twigs on a single tree
B) crossing plants that had dissimilar qualities
C) grafting a twig from a young plant to a fruit-bearing tree
D) changing water, food supply, temperature, and light.
Answer:
A) grafting many twigs on a single tree

Question 9.
How did Burbank get fruits in just two or three years?
A) By grafting seeds from a young plant to a fruit-bearing tree
B) By grafting fruits from a young plant to a fruit-bearing tree
C) By grafting a twig from a young plant to a fruit-bearing tree
D) By crossing plants that had dissimilar qualities
Answer:
C) By grafting a twig from a young plant to a fruit-bearing tree

Question 10.
Which of these was not developed by Burbank?
A) Idaho potato
B) White blackberry
C) Cactus without thorns
D) an improved tomato
Answer:
D) an improved tomato

Luther Burbank Summary in English

Luther Burbank was a simple, hard-working scientist. He became a famous U.S. plant breeder. He was a master gardener, a skilled plant grower, a talented and patient breeder. He conducted thousands of experiments on plants. He was able to turn a yellow flower into red, he produced seedless plums, he made the desert cactus grow a thousand times faster. He developed white blackberry and he could grow 500 different varieties of cherries on a single tree. He was awarded many titles.

His genius has an impact on the lives of common people and the scientific community even to this day. Luther Burbank was born on March 7, 1849. He was brought up on a farm in the State of Massachusetts. He learnt the art of growing crops and plants in his childhood. He was greatly influenced by Charles Darwin’s book “Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication”. He decided to devote his life to grow new varieties of plants.

At the age of 21 he became a market gardener. He grew high-quality vegetables on his farms and sold them. He developed a new variety of potato, which has become famous as ‘Idaho Potato’. Burbank found that the climate of his native place was not conducive to his work. Hence, he moved to the State of California where the weather was mild and the soil was rich and varied. He set up a nursery, greenhouse and experimental farms in Santa Rosa, near the city of San Francisco. He described his new home as “The Chosen Spot” on this earth.

Luther Burbank adopted three basic techniques for his experiments. First, he collected plants from local and foreign countries, grew them under different conditions and produced strong, plentiful plants with new qualities, or desirable changes. Secondly, he grew many varieties of fruits, flowers and vegetables by changing water, food supply, temperature, light or space. He crossed plants with dissimilar qualities.

The third technique was, after growing such plants, he would recognize and select the plants that showed desirable changes and experimented on them further. He had a lot of patience. It is said that, after developing a white blackberry, he set fire to the pile of rejected saplings which contained 65000 berry plants. He selected only about two dozen berry plants for further investigation.

By adopting the technique of grafting he was able to grow several thousand varieties of fruits in an acre on his farm. He could even grow 526 kinds of apples on a single tree. This technique helped him to speed up his experiments and save space. He would graft a twig from a young plant to a fruit- bearing tree and get fruits in just two or three years.

Burbank conducted more than 10,000 experiments with 600 kinds of plants. He was successful in developing an improved cherry, a thornless blackberry, a thornless cactus and a peach tree which could withstand freezing temperatures. He developed 73 new flowers including a rose and the Shasta Daisy.

Many a time his attempts failed. But, he was neither disappointed nor disheartened. He had so much devotion and perseverance, that he continued to work. Once he crossed a tomato plant with a potato plant and produced a new vegetable. But, it was not a success. Burbank’s achievements can be equated with the present day technological innovations.

Luther Burbank Summary in Kannada