Class 7 English Honeycomb Question Answers - The Ashes that Made Trees Bloom

Q1. How did the old couple treat their dog?
Ans: The old couple treated the dog as their own child. The old farmer had created a cushion made of blue crepe for the dog. During the meals they used to feed the dog plenty of rice and tidbits of fish from their own chopstick.

Q2. Describe the change, the cherry tree, underwent after the kind old man poured a pinch of ash over it.
Ans: It was winter season and the cherry tree in the old couple’s garden didn’t have leaves. The old man sprinkled a pinch of the ashes and blossoms sprouted out of it. Pink flowers came on it and their fragrance filled the air.

Q3. Why did the leader ignored the kind old man sitting on the cherry tree?
Ans: The leader of the van allowed the old man to remain seated at the cherry tree considering him to be very old.

Q4. Why daimios did punish the wicked couple?
Ans: The wicked farmer was killed brutally by the daimios men and was thus punished for his greed.

Q5. How did the old couple treat their pet?
Ans: The old couple love their dog as it were their own baby. The old man made a cushion of blue crape for the dog. They were kind towards all the living creature.

Q6. Did the old man work very hard? If yes why?
Ans: Being a farmer, he worked very hard and went to the fields with hoe or spade and work from morning until evening.

Q7. What did the old couple do as they were rich?
Ans: The old couple bought a piece of land. Arranged a feast for their friends and their poor neighbours. They were also kind to their pet no doubt rich or not.

Q8. What happened when the dog took the greedy couple near the pine tree?
Ans: As the dog took near the pine tree growing in their garden, they began to paw and scratch the ground with spade and hoe to find the treasure beneath ground.

Q9. What did the spirit of the dog say to his master in his dream?
Ans: The spirit of the dog appeared to his master and said to cut down the pine tree over his grave and make a mother for rice pastry and a mill for bean sauce.

Q10. What was the advices given by the spirit of the dog to his owner in his dream again?
Ans:  The spirit of the dog said him to take the ashes of the mill and spread it on the withered trees. They would bloom again.

Q11. Why was the wicked man killed by the daimio?
Ans: The man climbed the withered tree and threw handful of ashes over the daimio. Rather the dust below into the nose and eyes of the daimio thus, the result took him to death.

Q12. Did the farmer forget his virtues after becoming rich?
Ans: No, he didn’t. The kind farmer bought a piece of land hosted a feast for his friends and helped his poor neighbours when he became rich.

Q13. How did the farmer please the daimios?
Ans: The daimio was pleased by seeing the magic of the withered cherry tree bursting into blossom.

Q14. What preparations did the kind old couple make for the New Year?
Ans: For the New Year the old couple planned to make rice pastries and bean sauce.

Q15. Why did the neighbours kill the dog?
Ans: The neighbours killed the dog in anger. They have expected the dog to help them get a treasure, but the dog had rather taken them to a foul smelling dead kitten.

Q16. What meal was given to the dog?
Ans: The old couple fed their dog with titbits of fish from their own chopsticks, and also boiled rice to eat.

Q17. What type of dog Muko was?
Ans: Muko loved his owners and was loyal to them. He followed his master to his work everyday to the field without harming the white heron that walked in the footsteps of the old man to pick up the worms.

Q18. Why did the wicked couple coaxed the dog and where?
Ans: As they heard their neighbours good luck, the wicked couple coaxed the dog to their garden and offered him fish and other dainties, hoping for he would also find treasure for them.

Q19. Who killed the dog and why?
Ans: The dog was killed by the greedy couple. The reason was that they did not get any treasure on the ground found by the dog. But a dead kitten. This made the couple furious at the dog and beat him to death.

Q20. What did the greedy couple do with the mortar and mill?
Ans: The couple began to pound and grind with the mortar and the mill. Later the pastry and source turned in a mass of worms. Therefore, they angrily chopped the mill into pieces of wood.

Q21. The unconditional love of old couple made them rich. Elucidate.
Ans: The old couple was issueless so when they found a little dog, they look after as if it were their child. Once he was taken to a heap with buried gold by digging. Later during the New Year feast, they were made rich. Further the king showered him with gifts. Thus, if we spread selfless love to the animals, they too reciprocate with their bountiful love. So, without having selfish interests one should unconditionally love the animals. The one who has selfish interest, would remain empty handed.

Q22. The old farmer is a kind person. What evidence of his kindness do you find in the first two paragraphs.
Ans: The old farmer is a kind person. He loved his dog as if it was his own baby. He fed it with fish with his v- own chopsticks and all the boiled rice it wanted. He was patient and kind to everything that had life and often dug up a sod on purpose to give food to the birds.

Q23. (i) How did the spirit of the dog help the farmer first?
(ii) How did it help him next?
Ans: 
(i) The spirit of the dog came in the farmer’s dream and first asked him to chop the pine tree and make mortar and hand-mill out of it. With the mortar and mill it gave the farmer heaps of gold.
(ii) The dog’s spirit again came in the farmer’s dream for the second time and told the farmer to collect ‘the ash of the mortar and the mill and sprinkle it on the withered trees and they will blossom’. The farmer did this in front of the daimio and was awarded with lavish gifts.

Q24. How did the dog repay to the love of his masters?
Ans: 
The dog was treated like a family member by the old couple. The dog made his masters rich by giving them gold coins. His masters became prosperous with it and bought a piece of land.
He then asked them to collect the ashes which had the power to sprout blossoms of a withered tree. The magic was seen by the daimio who had rewarded the old couple.

Q25. Explain how the dog was killed.
Ans: The greedy couple who was hoping the dog to find them a treasure, coaxed him into their garden and set fish and other dainties before him. But the dog did not had a bit of it. They dragged him outside and the dog took near the pine tree growing in the garden. The greedy couple began to dig the pit with a spade, but the result was a dead kitten. This made lost temper and beat the dog furiously to death.

Q26. How does the story underscores values such as honesty, compassion, diligence with a hint of magical realism?
Ans: The love of the dog for old couple was obvious as they look after it with affection. The story is different as magic of his appearance in dreams and of changing food into gold. These elements create interest of the reader. Moreover, the love, kindness and compassionate behaviour made the couple rich. However, they did not leave their virtues; they were appreciated by the king also. On the contrast, the cruel and wicked couple were punished for their misdeeds.

Q27. What did the dog do to lead the farmer to the hidden gold?
Ans: The dog came running to the farmer and kept on whining and ruining to and for till the farmer followed him. The dog began a lively scratching. Thinking it was possibly a buried bone or fish, the farmer struck his hoe in the earth and found the hidden gold.

Q28. Why did the daimio reward the farmer but punish his neighbour for the same act?
Ans: The daimio rewarded the farmer for making an old withered cherry tree blossom once again. Like the farmer his greedy neighbour also sprinkled ashes over a withered cherry tree. However, the result this time was different. The tree did not blossom, while the wind blew the dust into the noses and eyes of the daimio and his wife. This was the reason why the greedy neighbour was punished.

Q29. The wicked farmer wanted to be rich like his neighbour. What happened every time when he tried to do so?
Ans: First time when the neighbour tried to be rich, all he got was a foul smelling dead kitten. In their second. attempt, the old couple got heap of worms from the dough of rice pastry and bean sauce. In the third attempt, the old man failed to create magic with the ashes. He spoiled daimio’s procession and was killed by his men as punishment.

Q30. What were the customs during the days of daimios?
Ans: During the days of daimios, people would shut their windows when their landowner passed by people were not allowed to look down on the landlords. All the people of the village would kneel down upon their hands and knees until the procession passed by as the train drew near, the tall man asked everyone to kneel down on their knees and would remain prostrate.