Class 8 English (It so Happened) Chapter 8 Important Question Answers - Jalebis

Q1: Where was the boy heading at the start of the story?
Ans:1: The young boy is headed to his school at the story’s beginning.

Q2: The teacher who collected the fees, his name was –
(i) Master Monsur Ali
(ii) Dikbijoy Mallick
(iii) Master Ghulam Mohammed
(iv) Master Farhan Islam
Ans: (iii) Master Ghulam Mahammed.

Q3: After buying jalebis, what did the boy do?
Ans: After buying the jalebis, he went into a Gali after purchasing Jalebis. He ate so many jalebis there. After filling his stomach with jalebis, he was in the mood for some fun. He began passing out jalebis to the children in the area. He returned and stood on the chabutara of one of the houses, distributing jalebis to the children.

Q4: (i) What were the coins’ saying’ to the boy?
(ii) Do you think the coins were misguiding him?
Ans:
(i) The coins asked the young boy to spend his four rupees on buying the hot, sweet, crisp and freshly made jalebis. According to the coins, the jalebis were meant to be eaten, and people who had money in their pockets were the only ones who could eat those jalebis. The coins talking to him can also represent his inner voice, tempted to spend money on delicious jalebis.
(ii) Yes, they were leading him astray. He would utilise the money given to pay school fees for something else. The coins were telling him to buy jalebis, and as a child, he was enticed by the tasty jalebis.

Q5:
(i) Why didn’t the boy eat all the jalebis he had bought?
(ii) What did the young boy do with the remaining jalebis?
Ans:
(i) He didn’t finish all the jalebis he had purchased because the quantity was too large to finish on his own. He was completely satisfied after eating many pieces. He was convinced that if someone had gently touched his tummy, jalebis would have come out of his ears and nostrils.
(ii) He handed the remaining jalebis to the children who had gathered in the same Gali where he was eating the jalebis. He initially purchased jalebis for a rupee but afterwards purchased jalebis with the remainder of his money.

Q6: (i) What did the oldest coin tell him?
(ii) Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?
Ans: 
(i) The oldest coin stated that they were seeking his best interests. According to the oldest coin, he can collect the scholarship money the next day and use that money to pay fees. As a result, he can make excellent use of the fee money to purchase the jalebis.
(ii) No, he did not listen to its advice. Even though his mouth watered, he remembered that he was one of the most promising students in school. He had also received a scholarship of four rupees per month in the fourth-class exams. He also hailed from a highly wealthy family and had a lot of prestige. He’d never been beaten before.
On the other hand, his teacher had instructed him to beat the other boys. He believed it was inappropriate for a child of such prominence to be eating jalebis while standing in the centre of the market. He returned home, citing these reasons.

Q7:  the fear was killing me.” What fear was killing the boy?
Ans: The boy had quietly eaten the jalebis from his school fee. He was worried about how he would digest so many jalebis because if he didn’t, he would burp and end up throwing the jalebis up. Because his family was unaware that he had spent the money on jalebis, he would be punished. He was anxious about how he would eat dinner at this time. He couldn’t claim to be ill because if they did, a doctor would be called, who would think he had eaten a lot of jalebis. The boy was facing the fear of eating jalebis with the fee money; he was also worried about what he would do if his family found out.

Q8: What does the boy pray for to Allah? Where is he in between school?
Ans: The child asks Allah for four rupees. He reasoned that Allah would recognise his virtue if he behaved righteously and developed into a good youngster. He missed two days of school in a row so that he might pray to Allah at the railway station under a tree. He would leave the house dressed in his uniform, appear at the school’s entrance, and then make his way to the train station. All the while, he would beg: “Allah Miyan! At the very least, give it to me today. The second day has arrived.” 

Q9: When it was time to pay the school fees, what did the boy do? How is he disobeying his elders by doing so?
Ans: The boy tucked his bag under his arm and left the school when it was time to pay the fees. In the hope that a miracle would intervene to save him, he simply followed his nose and continued walking. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he quickly arrived at the start of the Kambelpur train station. The elders had warned him never to cross a railroad or purchase candy with tuition money. As a result, he felt profound regret and remorse for disregarding their words.

Q10: The boy’s prayer to God is like a lawyer defending a bad case. Does he argue his case well? What are the points he makes?
Ans: The young child prayed fervently and recited every verse from the whole namaz in an attempt to please God. He claimed to know the final ten verses of the Quran out from the heart. He could also instantly recite the complete ayat-al-kursi for the Almighty. He deeply regretted his action of consuming jalebis with the money for his school fees. He acknowledged that he had made a serious mistake. He continued by saying that if he had known about the scholarship delay that month, he wouldn’t have bought jalebis with the money used for fees. He said that he knew everything was abundantly available in God’s treasury.
Every month, the chaprasi at his school took a large sum of money to his house. Furthermore, he mentioned that he was the nephew of a high-ranking officer and begged God to give him only four rupees. After saying all of this, he prayed sincerely to Allah Miyan and presented his case before Him like a lawyer.

Q11: What game does the boy play with Allah? What does he get in return?
Ans: After praying to Allah, the youngster played a game with Allah, claiming that if he placed a large rock in a specified spot, Allah would place four rupees behind the rock. Therefore, he decided to set the rock in place, walk over to the signal, touch it, and then come back to retrieve the four rupees he had asked Allah for. When the youngster investigates beneath the stone, he learns that there are no four rupees but rather a worm curled up beneath the rock.

Q12: Discuss the following points.
(i) Is the boy intelligent? If so, what is the evidence for it?
(ii) Do the young boys’ outlook on the jalebis episode change after class VIII? Does he see the episode in a new light?
(iii) Why were the coins made to ‘talk’ in this story? What purpose does it serve?
Ans:
(i) The young man is undoubtedly intelligent. The first piece of evidence is that he was a brilliant student who had received a school scholarship. He was aware of the distinction between right and wrong. He always paid attention to his elders and never missed a school day. He also presents God with strong arguments for his position, just like a defence attorney might.

(ii) Yes, his perspective shifted after class VIII. If God had brought him four rupees the other day, he kept thinking about what harm it could have done to anyone. He eventually realised that everything has a price. It implies that if God granted every request made by man, man would live in bird-like nests and would not have mastered the ability to manufacture jalebis.

(iii) In this story, the coins are made to ‘speak,’ indicating the boy’s greedy inner side. Even though he was a good and honest boy, he couldn’t resist the need to eat jalebis with the money he received for his school fees. He projected that the coins in his pocket compelled him to purchase and consume the jalebis because of his inner greed.