Class 8 English (It so Happened) Chapter 5 Question Answers - Princess September

I. Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. What did the King of Siam give his daughters one year on his birthday?
Ans. One year on his birthday, the King of Siam gave each of his daughters a green parrot in a golden cage.

Q2. What happened to Princess September’s parrot one day? How did the princess react to it?
Ans. One day, Princess September found her parrot lying dead at the bottom of its golden cage. She burst into tears suddenly. She cried so much that the Queen got angry and told her to go to bed without any support.

Q3. What made Princess September act upon her sister’s advice?
Ans. After the death of her lovely parrot, Princess September got the company of a little song bird. He comforted her with his sweet songs. One day, her sisters advised her to put the bird into a cage lest he should fly. Princess September loved the bird too much to take chances. So, she acted upon their advice.

Q4. Why was the little song bird surprised?
Ans. The little song bird was surprised to see how ruthlessly Princess September treated him one day. She carried him over to a cage, popped him in and shut the door on him. He became speechless. For a moment he could think of nothing to say.

Q5. Who was Princess September married to? Why?
Ans. Princess September was married to the King of Cambodia, because she was extremely beautiful.

II. Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Suppose you are Princess September. Give a brief account of your heart breaks, sufferings and eventual happiness.
Ans. I am the ninth daughter of the royal couple of Siam. My father, the King, used to give gifts to us on his birthdays. One year, on his birthday he gave each one of the princesses a green parrot in a golden cage. I also got a parrot in a golden cage. All other sisters taught the bird to say ‘God save the King’ and ‘Pretty Polly’. But I was different from them. Unfortunately, my parrot died one day. I wept and wept. I slept without supper. At night a small song bird flew into my room. It sang so sweetly that I forgot the loss of my parrot. I showed it to my sisters. They grew jealous of my happiness. They advised me to put the bird in a cage. And I acted foolishly upon that advice. The bird stopped singing. It appeared to be dead. So I set it free. I then had the last laugh. I was married to a Prince of Cambodia while my sisters were ugly and were married to my father’s councillors.

Q2. Compare and contrast the characters of Princess September and her other eight sisters.
Ans. Princess September was different from her elder sisters. She was sweet-natured and simple-hearted. She cried bitterly when her parrot died. A little bird made her happy with his song. Her sisters were jealous, mean and wicked. They made a plan to rob her of her happiness. They told her to put the bird in a cage. Their wicked plan worked for a while. The bird stopped singing in captivity. Princess September cared more for the bird’s life than her own happiness. So she let him off. She was duly rewarded for her goodness.