Class 6th -English-Lesson 1

 

LESSON NO 1: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING

Reading comprehension

A. Tick the correct option to complete each sentence.

 1. b. grocer. 2. a. kitchen and the bathroom. 3. c. kerosene.

 4. a. away from the stove. 5. a. sugar-coated biscuit.

B. Answer these questions.

 1. Why had Ramchand’s family curtained off one corner of their room?

Ans. Ramchand’s family lived in a small room. They did not have a separate bathroom, so they had curtained off one corner of their room and would use this space as a bathroom.

 

 2. What would Ramchand’s mother often make for him with dough?

Ans. Ramchand’s mother would often make sparrows and rabbits with dough for him.

 

 3. Who was Choo Hoo? Why did Ramchand’s mother tell him the story of Choo Hoo?

Ans. Choo Hoo was a little dough mouse Ramchand’s mother had once made. Ramchand’s mother told him that Choo Hoo had got her whiskers singed when she went near the kerosene stove. Ramchand’s mother had made up this story to stop him from going near the stove.

 

 4. Why did Ramchand’s father call out to his wife?

Ans. Ramchand’s father called out to his wife because he had misplaced a new tin of black pepper in the shop and needed her help to look for it.

 5. In what state did Ramchand’s mother find him when she came back to the room?

Ans. When Ramchand’s mother came back to the room, she found him sitting in the same corner where she had left him. He had the piece of dough in his hand and was crying.

 

 6. How did Ramchand’s parents comfort him?

Ans. Ramchand’s mother washed his face and hands, dried them gently with a soft cotton cloth and gave him some warm milk to drink. His father comforted him by sharing that even he did not know what the most beautiful thing in the world was. He later brought Ramchand a sugar-coated biscuit from the shop.

 

C. Read these sentences from the story and answer the questions that follow.

1. Then, seeing him look a little mutinous, for he always liked to be as close to his mother as possible, she pulled out a lump of dough from the vessel she had been kneading it in.

a.    Why did Ramchand’s mother pull out a lump of dough from the vessel

 Ans.  Ramchand’s mother was worried that her son might go near the stove and hurt himself. She pulled out a lump of dough from the vessel and gave it to him to keep him busy.

 

b.    What did she ask Ramchand to do with the lump of dough?

Ans. She asked him to make the most beautiful thing in the world with the lump of dough.

 

c.  Ramchand could not do what his mother asked him to, and started crying. Was his mother wise in reacting the way she did? Why do you think so?

Ans. When Ramchand’s mother found him crying, she was worried that he had hurt himself, the reason why she first checked him for injuries. She realised that something had hurt him deeply, and he needed to be comforted. She spoke to him gently, so she did react in a wise manner.

 

d.    Use the word ‘mutinous’ in a sentence of your own.

Ans. Although their grandparents asked them not to go out in the rain, they could see that the children looked mutinous.

 

2. The silence of his mother. The simple truth in his father’s voice. These were things Ramchand never forgot. There was perfect peace in the room after that moment

 

a. What ‘simple truth’ is referred to here?

Ans. Ramchand’s mother told his father that he was crying as he did not know what ‘the most beautiful thing in the world’ was. On hearing this, Ramchand’s father told him that he did not know the answer to that either. That is the ‘simple truth’ referred to here.

 

b. Why was Ramchand’s mother silent?

Ans. Ramchand loved his mother dearly. He was heartbroken when he could not fulfil his mother’s wish of making the most beautiful thing in the world with the lump of dough she had given him. His mother realised how hard he had tried and shared his pain, so she was silent.

 

 c. Write two adjectives to describe the behaviour of Ramchand’s parents as they comforted him.

Ans. The two adjectives that describe the behaviour of Ramchand’s parents as they comforted him are ‘kind’ and ‘sensitive’.

 

 d. Why do you think this incident left a lasting impression on Ramchand?

Ans. The incident left a lasting impression on Ramchand because he realised that his parents understood his feelings. He also realised that they would support him every time he went through a difficult time.

 

D. Think and answer.

Q. Why do you think Ramchand’s mother told her husband the truth when he found both her and Ramchand teary-eyed?

 

Ans.  Ramchand’s parents wanted Ramchand to learn the importance of being honest. They wanted him to face up to any situation honestly, no matter how difficult or embarrassing it was. She did not want to cover up the real reason behind Ramchand’s sadness with a handy lie. She also knew that her husband would react to the situation sensibly, so she told her husband the truth when he found both her and Ramchand teary-eyed.