NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 8 A Short Monsoon Diary

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 8 A Short Monsoon Diary are provided below. These solutions contain answers to all the textbook questions. All the questions are solved by experts with a detailed explanation that help students to complete their assignments and homework. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 8 A Short Monsoon Diary are prepared as per the latest CBSE syllabus and curriculum. Students of Class 8th can study the answers provided here to score well in their school exams.

A Short Monsoon Diary Class 8 NCERT Questions and Answers

Textbook Questions
Comprehension Check (Page 111)

Question 1: Why is the author not able to see Bijju?

Answer: The author could not see Bijju because of the mist that concealed the hills. He could only hear his voice but could not see him.

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

Answer: When the mist comes up, the birds fall silent. The mist covers the hills. The forest becomes deathly still as though it were midnight.

Comprehension Check (Page 113)

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

Answer: The monsoon season in Mussorie begins from June 24/25. By August 2, the people are fed up with rain. It ends by August 31. Then begins winter rains which end by late March. We take out our rain coats and umbrellas to face the monsoon.

Question 2: Which hill-station does the author describe in the diary entry?

Answer: The author has described Mussoorie in the diary entry.

Question 3: For how many days does it rain without stopping? What does the author do on these days?

Answer: It rained continuously for eight to nine days. As the weather was damp and soggy outside and he could not go outside, he kept pacing his room and looked out of the window at a few bobbing umbrellas.

Question 4: Where do the snakes and rodents take shelter? Why?

Answer: The snakes and rodents take shelter in roofs, attics, and godowns because they are flooded out of their holes and burrows due to excessive rain.

Question 5: What did the author receive in the mail?

Answer: The author received a cheque in the mail.

Working with the Text

Question 1: Look carefully at the diary 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.

Answer: Rains in Mussoorie begin in June and end by March. June 24 is the first day of monsoon mist which covered the hills and spreads silence. On August 2 it rained all night and made sleeping difficult. By late March ends winter as well as the rains.

Question 2: Why did the grandmother ask the children not to kill the Chuchundar?

Answer: The grandmother told the children not to kill the Chuchundars because they brought good luck and money.

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

Answer: By the end of the monsoon the greenery is at its peak. The seeds of the cobra lily turn red. A rainbow is formed in the sky.

Question 4: Complete the following sentences.

(i) Bijju is not seen but his voice is heard because __________________.

(ii) The writer describes the hill station and valley as __________________.

(iii) The leopard was successful in __________________ but had to flee when ______________________.

(iv) The minivets are easily noticed because __________________.

(v) It looks like a fashion display on the slopes when __________________.

(vi) During the monsoon season, snakes and rodents are found in roofs and attics because __________________.

Answer: (i) Bijju is not seen but his voice is heard because the dense mist conceals the hills and the surroundings.

(ii) The writer describes the hill station and valley as a paradise that might have been.

(iii) The leopard was successful in attacking one of Bijju’s cows but had to flee when Bijju’s mother arrived and screamed imprecations.

(iv) The minivets are easily noticed because of their bright colours.

(v) It looks like a fashion display on the slopes when ground orchids, mauve lady’s slipper and the white butterfly orchids bloom.

(vi) During the monsoon season, snakes and rodents are found in roofs and attics because they have been flooded out of their holes and burrows.

Question 5: ‘Although tin roofs are given to springing unaccountable leaks, there is a feeling of being untouched by, and yet in touch with, the rain.’

(i) Why has the writer used the word, ‘springing’?
(ii) How is the writer untouched by the rain?
(iii) How is the writer in touch with the rain at the same time?

Answer: (i)The word ‘springing’ refers to moving suddenly at once. The author uses this word to indicate how the tin roofs are prone to development of sudden unexpected leaking.

(ii) The author is left physically untouched by rain because he is safe inside his room and the tin roof stops the rain from leaking inside.

(iii) The writer is in touch with the rain at the same time because he can see the rain from inside his room and feel it as it has been drumming on the corrugated tin roof of his house.

Question 6: Mention a few things that can happen when there is endless rain for days together?

Answer: When there is endless rain for days together, everything becomes damp and soggy. There is no place for anybody to go to. The hillsides are lush as late monsoon flowers such as wild balsam, dahlias, begonias and ground orchids begin to appear.

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

Answer: When monsoon begins, the first cobra lily appears from the ferns. When the seeds of the cobra lily turn red, it signifies that the monsoon is coming to an end.