BBC Compacta Class 8 Solutions - Classroom Assignment- 6

Read the following passage carefully.

TWO GREAT PERSONALITIES, TWO FOLLIES

PART 1 —JAWAHARLAL NEHRU

As a boy, Jawaharlal Nehru once stole one of his

father's pens from his study thinking that his father

had two pens and he could not possibly use both of

them at the same time. That evening when his

father returned from court, he lost his cool on

finding one ofthe pens missing.

There was uproar in house and after frantic search,

the instrument was found in little Jawaharlal's

room. His father did not like the way his son had

taken his pen without his permission. He scolded

the boy so much that he wept bitterly and went

rushing to his mother.

That day he learned two important lessons — never

to do things on the sly and never to disobey his

father but more importantly, he understood why his

father had scolded him.

PART 2 — MAHATAMA GANDHI

Once, as a child, Gandhiji stole a bit of gold from his

brother's armlet to pay for the latter's debt Of

twenty-five rupees. It was an innocent thing for a

little boy to do to save his brother from disgrace. But

by doing so he had lost all peace ofmind and he could

not decide what amends he should make for the

wrong that he had done.

At last he decided to tell his father the whole truth.

He wrote a letter to him, telling him all about the

incident and promising that he would never steal

again. He asked his father to punish him as severely

as he wished and begged him not to feel pained

about it in any way. 

As the father read that letter, tears began to roll down his cheeks. This left Gandhi so devastated

with shame and remorse that he took a silent vow never to do an unrighteous deed again. He

strove to be good and truthful ever after. 

Q1: Tick(,/) the correct option for each of the following statements/questions.

Response to the Text and Questions on Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi

(a)One thing common to the conduct of both Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru was that they had:

(i) disobeyed their fathers

(ii) created uproar in their homes

(iii) told lies to their parents

(iv) stolen something important

Ans: Disobeyed their fathers.

(b) Jawaharlal Nehru's father 'lost his cool' to find one of his pens missing. Here the

expression 'lost his cool' indicates which of the following personality traits?

(i) patience

(ii) anger

(iii) eagerness

(iv) arrogance

 Ans: Anger.

(c)A vice that Jawaharlal's conduct displayed was:

(i)anger

(ii)disobedience

(iii)dishonesty

(iv)temptation

Ans: Disobedience.

(d)Gandhiji's fault was that he had:

(i) shown the courage to speak the truth 

(ii) sold something precious for a petty reason 

(iii) chosen the wrong means of doing a good thing 

(iv) failed to take his father's permission before selling the gold 

Ans: Chosen the wrong means of doing a good thing.

(e) How did their 'mistakes' affect both Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhiji?

(i) Both began to hold a grudge against their fathers 

(ii) Both cried and ran to their mothers for solace 

(iii) Both sought to be punished for their misconduct 

(iv) Both repented and vowed never to repeat their mistakes

Ans:   Both repented and vowed never to repeat their mistakes.

(f)One character trait common to both Gandhiji and Nehru was their ability to:

(i) deny (ii) justify  (iii) hide  (iv) realize 

Ans:  Realize their mistakes.

(g)The mistakes that both Nehru and Gandhiji committed were a result of their:

(i) desire to seek attention of people around them 

(ii) childish ignorance of the right and the wrong 

(iii) families' faulty style of bringing them up 

(iv) hope that they wouldn't be found out  

Ans:  Childish ignorance of the right and the wrong.

(h)The expression 'on the sly' means:

(i) without too much thinking 

(ii) in a secret manner 

(iii) without elders' permission 

(iv) towards the end of something 

Ans: In a secret manner.

Q2: After stealing gold from his brother's armlet Gandhiji felt:

(a) proud

(b) happy

(c) guilty

(d) disturbed

(e) ashamed

(f) confident

(g) upset

(h) contented

Ans: Guilty, ashamed, upset, and disturbed.

Q3: Answer the following questions as briefly as possible. 

(a)What did Jawaharlal Nehru steal from his father's study and why?

Ans: Jawaharlal Nehru stole one of his father’s pens from his study because he thought his father had two pens and he could not possibly use both of them at the same time.

(b)Why did Jawaharlal's father lose his cool?

Ans: Jawaharlal's father lost his cool because one of his pens was missing when he returned from court, and it was an important item for him.

(c)Why did little Jawaharlal rush to his mother?

Ans: Little Jawaharlal rushed to his mother after his father scolded him bitterly and wept, seeking comfort and solace from her.

(d)Why did Gandhiji decide to steal a bit of gold from his brother's armlet?

Ans: Gandhiji stole a bit of gold from his brother's armlet to pay for the latter's debt of twenty-five rupees, believing it would save his brother from disgrace.

(e)What did Gandhiji write in his letter to his father?

Ans: In his letter to his father, Gandhiji confessed the whole truth about stealing the gold, promised he would never steal again, and asked his father to punish him as severely as he wished, begging him not to feel pained about it.

(f)Why did Gandhiji's father weep on reading the letter?

Ans: Gandhiji's father wept on reading the letter because he was moved by Gandhiji's honesty and repentance, and the sincerity in his promise never to commit such an act again affected him deeply.

Q4: What two important lessons did Jawaharlal and Gandhiji learn from their respective mistakes?

Ans: Jawaharlal learned never to do things on the sly and never to disobey his father, understanding why his actions were wrong. Gandhiji learned the importance of honesty and the consequences of using wrong means to do a seemingly good thing.

Q5: List two traits of Gandhiji's personality as highlighted in Part 2 of the passage.

Ans: Honesty: Gandhiji confessed his mistake to his father.

Responsibility: He asked for punishment and resolved never to steal again.

Q6: Do you agree with the way Jawaharlal Nehru's father scolded him?

Ans: Yes, I agree with the way Jawaharlal Nehru's father scolded him because it taught him valuable lessons about honesty and obedience, which are important in a child's upbringing.

Q7: In your opinion, is your mindset more like Jawaharlal Nehru's or Gandhiji's?

Ans: My mindset is more like Gandhiji's because I value honesty highly and believe in taking responsibility for my actions, similar to how Gandhiji handled his mistake.