NCERT Solutions: Gopal & the Hilsa Fish

Q1: Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?

Ans: The king grew annoyed as everyone in the kingdom couldn’t stop talking exclusively about hilsa-fish, and he didn’t want to hear any more discussions on the topic. 

Q2: What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?

Ans: To showcase his cleverness, Gopal was tasked with purchasing a large hilsa-fish and delivering it to the palace without anyone inquiring about the fish. 

Q3: What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?

Ans: Before purchasing hilsa-fish, Gopal deliberately half-shaved his face, applied ash to his body, and dressed in tattered and dishevelled clothing. 

Q4: How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?

Ans: After purchasing the fish, Gopal arrived at the palace and expressed his desire to see the king to the guards. When denied entry, he started dancing and singing loudly. Upon hearing the commotion and observing the crowd’s reactions, the king requested the man to be brought before him.

Q5: Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.

Ans: No one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish that Gopal bought because of Gopal’s ridiculous appearance. Some people found him comical, others thought he was a madman, still others thought he was a mystic. They were so engrossed in discussing his appearance that the hilsa-fish went unnoticed.

Q6: Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following sentences.
 (i) The king lost his temper easily.___________
 (ii) Gopal was a madman. ____________
 (iii) Gopal was a clever man. _____________
 (iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. ____________
 (v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. _______________

Ans :
(i) True, The king lost his temper easily.
(ii) False, He was just acting as a madman so that people’s attention would be diverted from the hilsa fish he was carrying.
(iii) True, Gopal was a clever man.
(iv) False, He wore rags so that people would notice them and not talk about the hilsa-fish.
(v) False, The king laughed and congratulated Gopal for achieving the impossible yet again.

Working with Language

Q1: Change the following sentences in the story to reported speech. The first one has been done for you.
(i) How much did you pay for that hilsa?
The woman asked the man how much he had paid for that hilsa.
(ii) Why is your face half-shaven?
Gopal’s wife asked him _____
(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.
Gopal told the king___________ __
(iv) I want to see the king.
Gopal told the guards_____ 
(v) Bring the man to me at once.
The king ordered the guard________

Ans:
(ii) Why is your face half-shaven?
Gopal’s wife asked him why his face was half-shaven 

(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.
Gopal told the king that he accepted the challenge.

(iv) I want to see the king.
Gopal told the guards that he wanted to see the king.

(v) Bring the man to me at once.
The king ordered the guard to bring the man to him at once.

Q2: Find out the meaning of the following words by looking them up in the dictionary. Then, use them in sentences of your own. 
[ challenge, mystic, comical, courtier, smearing ]

Ans:
(i) Challenge – Every difficult situation should be taken up as a challenge and not be run away from.
(ii) Mystic – The mystic from the Himalayas had great words of wisdom to share with the villagers.
(iii) Comical – Everyone appreciates the comical side of a man.
(iv) Courtier – Birbal was Akbar’s most trusted courtier.
(v) Smearing – Smearing the forehead with tilak is one of the traditions of the South Indians.

Q3: Complete the following word ladder with the help of the clues given below.

Clues
 1. Mother will be very ____if you don’t go to school.
 2. As soon as he caught ____of the teacher, Mohan started writing.
 3. How do you like my ____kitchen garden? Big enough for you, is it?
4. My youngest sister is now a ___old.
 5. Standing on the ___, he saw children playing on the road.
 6. Don’t make such a ___. Nothing will happen.
 7. Don’t cross the ___till the green light comes on.

Ans :