Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 8 Important Question Answers - A Short Monsoon Diary

Q1: What happened to domestic animals?
Ans: During the monsoon, the leopard would emerge. Further to this, the leopard had attacked a dog from the servants’ quarter below the school on the afternoon of June 27. It also attacked one of Bijju’s cows in the evening, but when Bijjus’s mother shouted, it ran away.

Q2: What does the mist be able to provide?
Ans: According to the author, the mist provides a sense of privacy to people. Besides, whenever a student asked him to elaborate on the hill station in one line, the author could only say, “A paradise that might have been”.

Q3: What does the author intend to write in his diary on August 2?
Ans: The author’s diary on August 2 mentioned the rain that poured down all night on the tin roof. The author experienced a feeling of “being untouched by, and yet in touch with, the rain”. In addition to this, he added there was no thunder or storm.

Q4: What changes did the author observe in the environment and the weather on the last day of August?
Ans: It was 31st August, the last day of the month. The author describes how the lush monsoon growth had reached its apex. The flowers bloomed, and the cobra lily’s seeds turned red, indicating that the rainy season was ending soon. On the grassy slopes of Landour also, the ferns turned yellow. The ground orchids, mauve lady’s slippers and orchids were put on a fashion show. The animals and reptiles crawled out of their tunnels and holes, seeking refuge in roofs, attics, and godowns. Shrews were believed to be lucky.

Q5: What can we learn from diary writing?
Ans: A diary is a written document which records personal happenings in one’s life. People usually keep diaries for longer to record their daily activities and experiences. People can be genuine about their feelings, thoughts, and opinions in a diary. In addition, it is a secure environment to share your feelings and thoughts. Only the owner has access to one’s diary. The diary writing is all about you and for you. Someone’s feelings, thoughts, and ideas are shared and expressed in a diary entry.

Q6: What did the author notice on June 25 while travelling to the bank and post office?
Ans: On his walk to the bank and post office, the author notices the first cobra lily emerging from the ferns.

Q7: Summarise the poem “On the Grasshopper and Cricket” in your own words.
Ans: The grasshopper represents summers, whereas the cricket represents winter in the poem, The earth, according to John Keats, is continually chanting tunes. In addition, the grasshoppers chirp and soar from the hedge in the summers. When the birds are silent in the winter, the ground expresses its happiness by changing into a cricket. With each passing second, the warmth increases as the dirt sing a lovely song across the stones.

Q8: What does the writer observe about the creepers?
Ans: As soon as the monsoon began, a tree creeper climbed quickly up the oak trunk, and snapped the insects which came in its path. In addition, the birds also saturated their hunger by feeding on insects which came along with monsoons.

Q9: What does the author notice about scarlet minivets and the dragons?
Ans: Scarlet minivets flitted across the leaves like pearls, softly. In addition, he sees that the brightly coloured birds cannot hide in the green trees, but they can sometimes hide by remaining silent. Further, the minivets are chased away by a pair of ferocious drongos.

Q10: How did the weather differ from August 3 to August 13, as per the author’s diary?
Ans: The weather was very unpredictable, according to the author. The rain ceased, almost all clouds parted on August 3, and the sun shone on the left. A woman who came with the chopping sticks gazed at the cowbells consistently. Besides, the bird thrush whistled, and the night was blooming in silence. On August 12, it was mentioned that it was raining nonstop, and there was a constant mist. For almost eight or nine days, the sun remained buried once more. The author mentioned that people could not leave their homes because the land was damp and soggy. But, because it was late summer, flowers, such as wild balsam, dahlias, begonias, and ground orchids bloomed.

Q11: How did the author Ruskin Bond elaborate on January 26?
Ans: Ruskin Bond wrote a poem known as “Winter Rains in the Hills” to represent the 26th of January. He elaborated on the house’s silence when he’s alone, and his pal has gone. Furthermore, he mentioned how lonely and quiet the house has become. He was surrounded by the rhythm of rain and the steady flow of water on leaves, lemons, and the roof. The water was drowning from the dahlias and windows panes. When the author glances out of the window, he notices the rain stopping and starting again. The braid, which had been green, had turned grey and scared him with its loneliness.

Q12: “A short Monsoon Diary” is an extract from whose diary?
Ans: A short Monsoon Diary is an excerpt by Ruskin Bond, a brilliant novelist.

Q13: What harm does the leopard cause to pets?
Ans: During the monsoon, the leopard would emerge. It attacked a dog from the servant’s section below the school on the afternoon of June 27. In addition, it attacked one of Bijju’s cows in the evening, but when Bijju’s mother shouted, it ran away.

Q14: Name the flowers mentioned in the lesson.
Ans: Dahlias, begonias, ground orchids, cobra lilies, wild balsam, and other flowers are discussed in the class.