Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 8 Question Answers - A Short Monsoon Diary

Q1: What happened on August 3?
Ans: On August 3, the rain stopped, the clouds began to break up, the sun struck the hills, he heard the tinkle of cowbells, and suddenly, clean & pure, the song of the whistling thrush emerged like a dark sweet secret from the depths of the ravine.

Q2: How did the author describe the hill station and valley?
Ans: When a school boy asked him to describe the hill station & valley in one sentence, he said that “A paradise that might have been”.

Q3: Why is the author not able to see Bijju?
Ans: The author is not able to see Bijju because of the mist that concealed the hills. So he could only hear the voice of Bijju.

Q4: Why is mist called Melancholy?
Ans: Melancholy means very sad. And it is called so because as the mist comes climbing up the hills, birds fall silent, the forest becomes deathly still, and it shows the unhappy environment.

Q5: For “how many days does it rain without stopping? What does the author do on these days?
Ans: It rained without stopping for eight or nine days. The author has nowhere to go but to sit in the room and look out of the window at a few bobbing umbrellas.

Q6: What were creeper doing at the trunk of the tree?
Ans: The creeper was moving rapidly up the trunk of the oak tree. They were snapping up insects all around. As there is rain, so there is no dearth of insectivorous birds.

Q7: What are the two ways in which the hills appear to change when the mist comes up?
Ans: When the mist comes up, the hills cover with silence. It also conceals the hills with its cover blanket.

Q8: What happened in late March or the end of winter?
Ans: At the end of winter, he saw the blackest cloud over Mussoorie, and then it hailed marbles for half an hour. As he wrote, he saw a rainbow forming.

Q9: Why does the grandmother stop small children from killing chuchundars?
Ans: Shrews are weak of eyesight. Grandmother stops children from killing them because according to her, “chuchundars are lucky; they bring money”.

Q10: How can you say that “Plants know that the monsoon rain had come”?
Ans: When monsoon rain (warm & humid) comes, the first cobra lily rears its head from the ferns. So we can say that “Plants know that monsoon had come”.

Q11: Why can scarlet minivets not conceal themselves under the trees?
Ans: Scarlet minivets (bright red bird like a cuckoo) they flit among leaves like brilliant jewels. But they cannot conceal themselves, no matter how leafy the tree, because they are very bright in color.

Q12: Where did the author find the leopard and what was he doing there?
Ans: The leopard was near the servant’s quarter below the school, and he was lifting a dog. In the evening, the leopard attacked one of Bijju’s cows. He approached Bijju’s mother who was screaming imprecations.

Q13: Why were hillsides lush?
Ans: The hillsides were lush as late-monsoon flowers began to appear: wild balsam, dahlias, begonias, and ground orchids.

Q14: What were the feelings of the author on August 2?
Ans: On August 2, all night rain was falling on the corrugated tin roof. There was no storm, no thunder. His tin roofs were springing unaccountable leaks. So there was a feeling of being untouched yet in touch with the rain.

Q15: When does the monsoon season begin and when does it end? How do you prepare to face the monsoon?
Ans: The monsoon enters India from the east and south somewhere around mid-May. It reaches the northern part of the country around the second week of June. The monsoon ends around September. We take out our raincoats and umbrellas to face the monsoon.

Q16: Why was the author feeling alone on January 26?
Ans: The author was feeling alone in the hushed silence of the house because his friend went away from him. So it was very lonely and quiet in the silence.

Q17: What were the natural phenomena which were showing that rains are coming to an end?
Ans: Lush monsoon growth has reached its peak, the seeds of the cobra lily are turning red, all these signify that rains are coming to an end.

Q18: Do you really think that “chuchundars are lucky”? Explain why?
Ans: Yes, we really think that chuchundars are lucky because the author received a cheque in the mail. Not a large amount of money but something was there.

Q19: Where do the snakes and rodents take shelter? Why?
Ans: The snakes and rodents take shelter on roofs, attics, and godowns in order to save themselves from rainwater.

Q20: Write the name of seasonal visitors that rain heralded.
Ans: The rain heralded the arrival of some seasonal visitors i.e., a leopard, several thousands of leeches, scarlet minivets, drongos, a tree creeper, etc.