NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 11 The Selfish Giant

NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 11 The Selfish Giant Solutions to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse through different chapters NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 11 The Selfish Giant and select need one. NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 11 The Selfish Giant and After Question Answers Download PDF. NCERT English Class 8 Solutions.

NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 11 The Selfish Giant

Also, you can read the NCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Book guidelines. CBSE Class 8 English Solutions are part of All Subject Solutions. Here we have given NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 11 The Selfish Giant and After, NCERT Class 8 English Textbook of Honeydew and It So Happen. for All Chapters, You can practice these here.

The Selfish Giant

Chapter: 11

IT SO HAPPEN

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Page No – 20 

1. Why is the Giant called selfish?

Ans: The Giant is called selfish because he was very rude and did not allow anyone to enter his garden. He did not like that the children should come and play in the garden. To stop them from entering his garden, he built a tall wall around the garden. He also put a notice on the notice board which had a warning on it.

2. On one occasion the children said: “How happy we are here!” Later they said: “How happy we were there!” What are they referring to in both the cases? 

Ans: In the first case the kids were talking about the happy times they had with their friends when they visited and played in the Giant’s garden. The Giant soon refrained from entering and playing in the garden and the kids were reminiscing about the good old days in the second case. They are referring to the Giant’s garden in both cases. 

3. (i) When spring came, it was still winter in the garden. What does winter stand for or indicate here? 

Ans: Winter symbolizes lifelessness, as nature appears dormant, and trees stand still, covered in snow, stripped of their leaves. It represents sadness, loneliness, and a deep yearning for warmth and happiness. In the Giant’s garden, where joy and warmth were absent, winter refused to leave. No children played there, and no birds came to sing, leaving the garden cold and desolate.

(ii) Winter has been presented like a story with its own characters and their activities. Describe the story in your own words. 

Ans: When spring came, the birds did not sing because there were no children. The trees didn’t blossom and if a flower sprung from the soil, it went back to dormancy seeing the sad atmosphere that was a part of his garden. But, snow and frost were very happy because the snow could cover the grass, the frost covered the trees. They invited the North Wind to hang about with them, and later even the Hail was asked to come there. The Hail fell and rattled on the roof of the castle every day and ran around the garden as fast as it could.

4. Was the Giant happy or sad over the state of the garden? 

Ans: The Giant was sad about the state of his garden. There was winter eternally in the Giant’s garden. Spring didn’t come to his garden and Northwind, hail, and snow didn’t leave which made him upset about its state. He couldn’t comprehend why the spring didn’t show up in his garden.

5. What effect did the linnet’s song have over Hail and the North Wind?

Ans: The hail stopped and the North Wind stopped roaring when the linnet sang. When the Giant allowed children to play in his garden again, Spring returned, and the linnet began to sing. Hearing its sweet melody, Hail and the North Wind stopped their harsh, cold presence in the garden and left.  

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Page No – 24 

1. (i) The Giant saw a most wonderful sight. What did he see?

Ans: The children entered the garden through a small hole and climbed onto the branches of the trees. Filled with joy at the return of warmth, the trees bloomed once again. Birds chirped, flowers blossomed, and the grass turned lush and green, restoring the garden’s beauty. It was a breathtaking sight that filled the Giant with wonder.

(ii) What did he realise on seeing it? 

Ans: He realised that spring had stopped coming to his garden because he had not allowed the children from playing in the garden. He realised that he had been egoistic and selfish in not allowing the children to play in his garden.

2. Why was it still winter in one corner of the garden?

Ans: A little boy was standing near the tree but couldn’t reach its branches. The North Wind was still blowing over it and it was covered with frost and snow. Since the tree was in one corner of the garden, spring couldn’t arrive there.

3. Describe the first meeting of the little boy and the Giant. 

Ans: The first meeting of the little boy and the Giant was beneath the tree that was covered with frost and snow. The boy was crying because the tree’s branches were too high. The Giant gently lifted the boy and placed him on the tree. The tree at once blossomed, and the birds came and sang on it.

4. Describe their second meeting after a long interval. 

Ans: Their second meeting took place after a long interval on a winter morning. The Giant was surprised to see that in the farthest corner of the garden, there was a tree covered with lovely white blossoms. Under the tree stood the same little boy he had met before. The sight filled the Giant with joy, but as he moved closer, he noticed something strange, the boy had wounds on his hands and feet, resembling the marks of crucifixion. When the Giant asked about them, the boy gently replied, “These are the wounds of Love.” Then, he invited the Giant to his own garden, which was paradise.

5. The Giant lay dead, all covered with white blossoms. What does this sentence indicate about the once selfish Giant?

Ans: The Giant changed his ways. He was once cruel and selfish but eventually accepted humanity and allowed his heart to love. The Giant had been blessed with paradise after his death because the Giant was no longer selfish and nasty. That’s why he is covered with white flowers which are a symbol of peace.

EXERCISE

Discuss the following topics in groups. 

1. The little child’s hands and feet had marks of nails. Who does the child remind you of? Give a reason for your answer.

Ans: The child reminds me of Jesus Christ because when the Giant met the little child for the second time, he saw marks of nails on his palms and feet. When he was crucified on the cross, nails were dug into his palms when he sacrificed himself for humanity. This act freed the humans from the sins they committed. Hence the child told the Giant that these marks were actually wounds of love.

2. Is there something like this garden near where you live? Would you like one (without the Giant perhaps) and why? What would you do to keep it in good shape?

Ans: