Practice Questions with Solutions: Poem - The Last Bargain | English Honeydew Class 8 PDF Download

Q1: What was the time then?
(a) Sunset
(b) Noon
(c) Sunrise
(d) Late night
Ans: (a)
The poem mentions "In the heat of the mid-day," which indicates that it was around noon when the speaker encountered the different offers.

Q2: What did the young maiden offer to hire him with?
(a) Power
(b) Money
(c) Smile
(d) None of the above
Ans: (c)
The young maiden offered to hire the speaker with her smile, which is a symbolic gesture of kindness and warmth.

Q3: Who said “I will hire you with my money,”?
(a) Old man
(b) The speaker
(c) Child
(d) King
Ans: (a)
The old man in the poem said "I will hire you with my money," offering material wealth as a means of hiring.

Q4: Who said “I will hire you with a smile.”?
(a) Old man
(b) King
(c) Speaker
(d) Fair maid
Ans: (d)
The fair maid in the poem said "I will hire you with a smile," suggesting that her offer comes from a genuine and kind-hearted intention.

Q5: A ______ is an agreement in which both parties promise to do something for each other.
(a) Arguing
(b) Conversation
(c) Bargain
(d) None of these
Ans: (c)
A bargain is an agreement between two parties where both promise to do something for each other, often involving an exchange of goods or services.

Q6: What did the child offer to hire him with?
(a) Power
(b) Smile
(c) Money
(d) Nothing
Ans: (d)
The child offered to hire the speaker with nothing, symbolizing a simple and pure gesture of innocence.

Q7: Who offered a flower?
(a) King
(b) Child
(c) Old man
(d) Fair maid
Ans: (d)
The fair maid in the poem offered a flower, representing her modest yet meaningful offer.

Q8: What did the child hire the speaker with?
(a) Flower
(b) Gold
(c) Nothing
(d) Power
Ans: (c)
The child hired the speaker with nothing, emphasizing the idea of selfless giving without expecting anything in return.

Q9: Name the poet of the poem ‘The Last Bargain’
(a) Rabindranath Tagore
(b) John Keats
(c) Zulfikar Ghose
(d) None of them
Ans: (a)
The poet of the poem "The Last Bargain" is Rabindranath Tagore, a renowned Indian poet.

Q10: “_____ in hand the King came in his chariot”
(a) Power
(b) Sword
(c) Gold
(d) Wealth
Ans: (b)
The phrase "sword in hand" implies that the King came with his sword ready, suggesting power and authority.

Q11: The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. Why did he turn down the offer?
Ans: The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. But the speaker refused to take. Because the poet realised that money cannot give him happiness. When the old man was counting the gold coins, the speaker realised that once the money would be finished. He would again be out of work. Hence he turned away the bargain.

Q12: Why did the speaker deny the king's proposal?
Ans: The speaker denied the king's proposal because he considered the king's power to be insignificant and meaningless.

Q13: What did the old man want? Was he successful in his bargain?
Ans: The old man wanted to hire the speaker with his money. No, he was not successful in his bargain as the speaker did not find the old man's offer appealing.

Q14: Explain the line "I hire you with nothing"?
Ans: In this line, the child is expressing that he has nothing material to offer for hiring the speaker. Instead, he hires the speaker with his pure intentions, goodwill, and a smile.

Q15: Who is the speaker in the poem?
Ans: The speaker in the poem is the poet himself, Rabindranath Tagore.

Q16: Find the poem, lines that match the following. Read both one after another.
(i) I have nothing to give you except goodwill and cheer.
(ii) Her happiness was no more than sorrow in disguise.
(iii) the king’s might was not worth much.
Ans:
(i) ‘I hire you with nothing.
(ii) ‘Her smile paled and melted into tears
(iii) ‘But his power counted for naught’.

Q17: How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach?
Ans: After talking to the child on the beach, the speaker felt extremely happy.

Q18: Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
In the heat of the mid-day the houses stood with shut doors
I wandered along the crooked lane
An old man came out with his bag of gold.
He pondered and said, “I will hire you with my money.”
He weighed his coins one by one, but I turned away.

(i) Why were the houses with the doors shut?
Ans: The houses had the doors shut because of the heat of the mid-day.
(ii) What did the old man bring out?
Ans: The old man brought out a bag of gold to hire the man.
(iii) How did the speaker react to the old man’s offer?
Ans: Speaker turned down the old man’s offer.

Q19: Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
“Come and hire me”, I cried, while in the morning
I was walking on the stone-paved road.
Sword in hand the king came in his chariot
He held my hand and said, “I will hire you with my power”
But his power counted for naught and he went away in his chariot.

(i) Who is the speaker of the above lines?
Ans:  An unemployed but freedom loving person is the speaker of these lines.
(ii) What does ’sword in hand’ suggest?
Ans: ‘Sword in hand’ suggests the power of the king.
(iii) Why could the king not conquer the narrator?
Ans: The king could not conquer the narrator because the narrator did not give any importance to his power.