NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Honeysuckle Chapter 3 - Taro's Reward

(A) Answer the Following Questions.

Q1: Why did Taro run in the direction of the stream? (5) 
Ans: Taro ran in the direction of the stream because he was very thirsty. He had never seen a rushing stream or heard the sound of falling water in that part of the forest.

Q2: How did Taro’s father show his happiness after drinking saké? (7)
Ans: Taro’s father was so delighted with the saké that when he swallowed a sip of the liquid, he stopped shivering and became energetic and did a little dance in the middle of the floor.

Q3: Why did the waterfall give Taro saké and others water? (12) 
Ans: The waterfall gave Taro saké and others water because Taro was a very thoughtful and dutiful son to his parents. He used to serve his parents with dedication and sincerity. The saké from the waterfall was a reward for his goodness. On the other hand, the people of his village got plain water because they were greedy.

Q4: Why did the villagers want to drown Taro? (10, 11)
Ans: When the villagers went to the waterfall with big pitchers and vessels to collect saké, they simply got plain water from the waterfall. They thought that Taro had fooled and tricked them. Hence, they decided to punish him by drowning him in the same waterfall.

Q5: Why did the Emperor reward Taro? (13)
Ans: Taro was a very dutiful son to his parents and served them with devotion. The Emperor rewarded him with twenty pieces of gold for being so good and kind to his parents. He also named the fountain after Taro. Through this reward, the Emperor declared Taro a role model for all children and wanted to encourage all of them to love, honour and obey their parents.

(B) Mark the Right Item. 

Q1: Taro earned very little money because
(i) he didn’t work hard enough.
(ii) the villagers didn’t need wood.
(iii) the price of wood was very low.
Ans: (iii) the price of wood was very low.

Q2: Taro decided to earn extra money
(i) to live a more comfortable life.
(ii) to buy his old father some saké.
(iii) to repair the cracks in the hut.
Ans: (ii) to buy his old father some saké.

Q3: The neighbour left Taro’s hut in a hurry because
(i) she was delighted with the drink.
(ii) she was astonished to hear Taro’s story.
(iii) she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall.
Ans: (iii) she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall.

Working with Language

A: Strike off the words in the box below that are not suitable.
Taro wanted to give his old parents everything they needed.
This shows that he was …

Ans: honest, trustworthy, efficient.

B: 1. “This made Taro sadder than ever.”
‘This’ refers to
(i) a strong wind that began to blow.
(ii) Taro’s father’s old age.
(iii) Taro’s inability to buy expensive saké for his father.
(Mark the right item.)
Ans: (iii) Taro’s inability to buy expensive saké for his father.

2. “This, said the emperor, was to encourage all children to honour and obey their parents.”
‘This’ refers to
(i) the most beautiful fountain in the city.
(ii) rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.
(iii) sending for Taro to hear his story.
(Mark the right item.)
Ans: (ii) rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.

C: Arrange the words below in pairs that rhyme.
Example: young – lung
money – sunny

Ans: 

D: 1. Fill in the blanks with words from the box.

A ____________ woodcutter lived on a ____________ hillside. He was a ____________ son who worked ____________ but earned ____________ money. One day he saw a ____________ waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and found it ____________.
Ans: A young woodcutter lived on a lonely hillside. He was a thoughtful son who worked hard but earned little money. One day he saw a beautiful waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and found it delicious.

2. Find these sentences in the story and fill in the blanks.
(i) This made Taro _______________ than ever. (3)
(ii) He decided to work _______________ than before. (3)
(iii) Next morning, Taro jumped out of bed _______________ than usual.(4)
(iv) He began to chop even _______________. (4)
(v) Next morning, Taro started for work even _______________ than the morning before. (10)
Ans: 
(i) This made Taro sadder than ever.
(ii) He decided to work harder than before.
(iii) Next morning, Taro jumped out of bed earlier than usual.
(iv) He began to chop even faster.
(v) Next morning, Taro started for work even earlier than the morning before.

Speaking and Writing

(A) Speak the following sentences clearly but as quickly as you can. Learn them by heart. 
(i) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood? 
(ii) Betty bought a bit of butter, but the bit of butter was a little bitter so she bought some better butter to make the bitter butter better.
Ans: Activity to be done by yourself.

B: 1. The story ‘Taro’s Reward’ shows that Taro is thoughtful, hardworking and also wise. Read aloud the parts of story that show these qualities in Taro.
Ans: (i )…. for he was a thoughtful son and wanted to give his old parents everything they needed. (Para 1)
(ii)Though he worked very hard, he earned very little money. (Para 1)
(iii)But Taro had been wise enough to slip behind a rock…………….. (Para 11)

2. (i) Like Patrick in the story ‘Who Did Patrick’s Homework’, Taro is helped by magic. Do you believe in magic? What are the magical things that happen in these stories?
Ans: My parents say that magic isn’t real and that it’s just a way of doing tricks. I only partly agree with them. Magic isn’t just about clever hand movements or hypnotizing people. There’s something supernatural that makes the tricks happen. For Patrick, it was an elf or a small man who was not like us. In Taro’s story, a waterfall appeared behind the rocks, and its water tasted like sake. These were magical things.

(ii) Which story do you like better, and why? Do you know such stories in other languages? Discuss these questions in class.
Ans: Truly speaking, I like both stories because both are interesting and educative. Secondly, both have a touch of magic. Still, Patrick’s story is better than Taro’s. Patrick learns to do homework unknowingly.

3. Now write a paragraph or two about these two stories, comparing them.
Ans: Who did Patrick’s Homework is, in my opinion, better than ‘Taro’s Reward.’. Patrick hated homework. He played hockey and basketball instead. This was something quite natural. All children find doing homework boring and dull. Taro, on the other hand, was a thoughtful, wise and hardworking boy. He was just the opposite of Patrick. Even God favours and rewards such a boy. A magical waterfall gave him an intoxicating drink for his old father. Both the stories teach us lessons.

C: 1. Listen to these children. What are they talking about?
Ans: The three boys are discussing their problems. The first boy considers swimming to be more difficult than driving. The second boy disagrees with it. He thinks that swimming is much less difficult than driving. However, the third boy thinks that learning English is the most difficult task in comparison to swimming and driving.

2. Work in groups. Come to an agreement on each of the activities given below. Decide which is the most interesting, dullest, most dangerous, safest, most rewarding, most exciting.

Ans: most interesting: dancing, watching TV, listening to music
dullest: knitting, sewing, learning languages
most dangerous: mountain climbing
safest: walking, stamp collecting
most rewarding: cooking, reading, fishing, painting
most exciting: playing football, swimming

Dictation

Your teacher will speak the words given below. Write against each two new words that rhyme with it.
1. bed ____________________________
2. wax ____________________________
3. fast ____________________________
4. chop ____________________________
5. young ____________________________
Ans: 1. bed red, shed
2. wax axe, tax
3. fast last, cast
4. chop hop, shop
5. young tongue, unsung