NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English - Poem - The Last Bargain

NCERT Solutions for Class 8th: Ch 4 The Last Bargain (Poem) Honeydew English

Working with Poem

Q1. Who is the speaker in the poem?
Answer
The speaker in the poem is a man who is looking for work.

Q2. "The king, sword in hand" suggests
(i) wealth
(ii) power
(iii) more power than wealth
Mark the appropriate item in the context of stanza 1.
 Ans.  (ii) power

Q3. The old man offered the speaker a lot of money.
 Why did he turn down the offer?
Answer
The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. However, he turned it down because he realized that money cannot give him what he actually desires. He had not till then realized that what he actually desired was happiness. When the old man was counting the gold coins, the speaker realized that once the money was finished or the work the old man wanted to hire him for was done, he would again be out of work. More than that, he would be bound in this bargain. It did not satisfy him and therefore, he turned it down.

Q4. Find in the poem, lines that match the following. Read both one after another.
(i) I have nothing to give you
 Except for goodwill and cheer.
 (ii) Her happiness was no more
 Than sorrow in disguise.
 (iii) The king's might was not worth much.

Answer
(i) 'I hire you with nothing.'
(ii) 'Her smile paled and melted into tears'.
(iii) 'But his power counted for naught'.

Q5. How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach?
Answer
The speaker felt after meeting the child that he would get satisfaction, joy and freedom.