Chapter 3 The Selfish Giant Important Questions Class 8 It So Happened English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Describe the first meeting of the little boy and the Giant.
Answer
In the first meeting of the boy and the Giant, the Giant lifted him gently and put him in the branch of that tree. The tree suddenly broke into flowers and the birds began to sing. The child kissed the Giant.
Question 2. Describe in brief the Giant’s garden.
Answer
The Giant’s garden was very beautiful. It had soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars and there were twelve peach trees that in the spring time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in autumn bore rich fruit.
Question 3. What wonderful sight did the Giant see?
Answer
The Giant saw that the children had crept inside through the hole, trees were covered with blossoms, the birds were flying and the flowers were looking up. It was a lovely scene.
Question 4. What effect did the linnet’s song have over Hail and the north wind? . ‘
Answer
When the linnet song, the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the north wind stopped roaring.
Question 5. Who was the Giant’s friend? After how many years did the Giant come back?
Answer
The Giant had been out to visit his friend-the Cornish Ogre and had stayed with him for seven years.
Question 6. Where had the Giant gone? What did he see when he arrived?
Answer
The Giant had gone to his friend, the Cornish Ogre and had stayed with him for seven years. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.
Question 7. Was the Giant happy or sad over the state of the garden?
Answer
The Giant was wondering for the no show by the spring. He was felling sad for the winter in perpetuity. Now he was craving for a pleasant weather.
Question 8. Why did the Giant love the little boy the most?
Answer
The giant loved the little boy the most because he had kissed him.
Question 9. What was the weather in the Giant’s garden, when there was spring outside?
Answer
When there was spring outside, the Giant’s garden still had winter. There was snow and frost.
Question 10. What did the Giant do in his old age?
Answer
The Giant grew very old and feeble so he could not play about any more. He sat in his huge armchair and watched the children at their games and admired his garden.
Question 11. Why was the Giant angry?
Answer
The Giant was waiting desperately to meet the child for many years and when he returned he madly rushed to meet him. But when he saw the marks of nails on the palms and feet, he grew angry.
Question 12. Why did he build a high wall round his garden?
Answer
He didn’t want children to play in his garden. Therefore, he built a high wall round it in order to stop them from entering it.
Question 13. Why were the snow and the frost happy?
Answer
The snow and the frost were happy because the spring had forgotten the garden. So they can stay all the years round.
Question 14. What made the Giant think that the spring had come?
Answer
One morning when Giant heard a linnet singing, the hail stopped dancing and the North Wind ceased roaring, he thought that the spring had come.
Question 15. How did the Giant realized that spring has visited in his garden?
Answer
One morning, the Giant heard music from outside. It was a little linnet singing outside his window. Hail and north wind had stopped. He could smell delicious perfume of flowers hit him. So he was over-joyed with the adverb of spring.
Question 16. Why were the children happy in the garden?
Answer
The children were happy in the garden because it was very lovely with the grass and beautiful flowers. There were peach trees and birds singing sweetly.
Question 17. Why did the children say ‘How happy we were there’?
Answer
The children could not go to the garden as Giant had barred their entry. They could go to dusty roads to play so they were distressed and were missing the garden.
Question 18. Was the Giant happy or sad over the state of the garden?
Answer
The Giant was surely very sad. He could not infer why the spring and summer never visited his garden. Even the autumn gave golden fruit to every garden except the Giant’s where winter reigned the year round.
Question 19. Where do Giant go for seven years?
Answer
The Giant went to visit his friend the Cornish ogre and stayed there for seven years.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. The Giant lay dead, all covered with white blossoms. What does this sentence indicate about the once, selfish Giant?
Answer
The sentence ‘Giant lay dead, all covered with white blossoms’ indicates that the Giant had been blessed the paradise after his death. The Giant is no longer selfish and cruel. That’s why he is covered with white blossoms. White colour is a symbol of peace.
Question 2. Why was it still winters in one corner of the garden?
Answer
The isolated corner was to remind the Giant that he also needed to take some steps to keep the gloominess away. The presence of symbols of winter in that corner is to symbolize the past deeds of the Giant which led to over all unhappiness in the garden.
Question 3. Is there something like this garden near the place where when you live? Would you like one (without the Giant perhaps) and why? What would you do to keep it in good shape?
Answer
A park is a public place. It is like the lungs in human body. It gives us fresh air. The greenery is soothing to the eyes. A public garden, however has to be used by the people with care and caution. The children must not spoil the flower beds and the grassy lawns even in a public park. I would never play football in a park nor let other children do so.
Question 4. Describe their second meeting after a long interval.
Answer
When the little boy appeared after a long gap the Giant ran to meet him and to ask his whereabouts on seeing injury marks on little boys hands the Giant became restless. On the assurance of little boy that they were not injury marks but marks of love. The Giant could be pacified.
Question 5. (i) The Giant saw a most wonderful sight. What did he see?
(ii) What did he realise on seeing it?
Answer
(i) The-Giant saw that the children had entered the garden through a small hole in the wall, and were sitting on the branches of trees. There was a child on every tree. The trees had covered themselves with blossoms as they were glad to have the children back. The birds were flying about and twittering in delight, and the flowers and grass were laughing out loud.
(ii) He realised that spring did not come to his garden because he had prevented the children from playing in his garden. He realised that he was selfish not to allow the children to play in his garden.
Question 6. (i) When spring came, it was still winter in the garden. What does winter stand for or indicate here?
(ii) Winter has been presented like a stay with its own characters and their activities. Describes the story in your own words.
Answer
(i) Winter indicates that flowers did not bloom in the Giant’s garden. The birds did not sing. There was no sign of joy and greenery.
(ii) Winter has been portrayed as destroyer. It has its own characters. Snow and frost are the most prominent factors. Trees have been covered with a white cloak. The trees look lifeless. North wind has come to stay there permanently. Hails settle on the roof.
Question 7. What evidence do you find in the story about the Giant’s selfishness and wicked nature? Did he stick to this? How do you know?
Answer
The Giant was self-centred and wicked. He wanted his garden only for his own use. He forbade the entry of children there. He put up a notice board that who soever entered the garden without his permission would be punished. He also got a high wall constructed all around it. Children were horrified to see this. They flew away from the garden. It shows the giant’s selfishness and wicked nature. But he didn’t stick to this. He became soft towards the children. He broke the wall that he had constructed around his garden and allowed the children to play there. He regarded the children as the most beautiful flowers of all.
Question 8. Describe in brief the Giant’s garden.
Answer
The Giant’s garden was very beautiful. It had soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars and there were twelve peach trees that in the spring time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in autumn bore rich fruit.
Question 9. ‘Service for welfare of other should be the aim of human deeds’. Elaborate.
Answer
‘Humanity is the service of others’. Owing things is the basic human instinct. Accumulation of wealth and resources make one greedy. The Giant was selfish and blocked the entry of the children. But nature punished him. No spring refreshed his garden. When he realized his mistake, he showed generosity towards children and earned their love. Owning things is humane but sharing is divine. When the Giant learnt coexistence, he became contented and lead exemplary life for others.
Question 10. ‘The good always win over evil’. Describe in your words by using hurts from the lesson.
Answer
The Giant was selfish. He does not allow children to play in his garden. His garden was full of snow, Hail and north wind. Until the children entered into his garden, spring did not visit his garden. Once the children entered, the trees were full of flowers and fruits, the grass was green. The episode evoked essential humanity in him. He enjoyed watching the children playing till he grew old. He was affected when he saw the hurt hands of the child. Thus evil in the Giant was replaced by his essential goodness.
Question 11. What happened to the Giant’s garden when the spring came?
Answer
All over the country there were little blossoms and little words. But the Giant’s garden remained deprived of them. There was still winter there instead of the spring. The birds didn’t care to sing in it, as there were no children and the trees forgot to blossom.
Question 12. On one occasion the children said: “How happy we are here!”
Later they said: “How happy we were there!” That are they referring to in both the cases?
Answer
In the first case the children were referring to their joy when they were playing in the Giant’s garden. ,. When the Giant returned after a long gap, he shooed away all the children and erected a wall around his garden. Now children had no place to play. So, they were fondly remembering their old happy days.
Question 13. Who did the Giant love most? Why?
Answer
The Giant loved the little boy most because he had kissed him. He felt helpless and began to cry. The Giant saw him. His heart melted all of a sudden. He came to the little boy and put him into the tree. The tree broke at once into blossom and the birds came and sang on it. The little boy became happy. He stretched out his two arms and flung them round the Giant’s neck, and kissed him. The Giant’s joy knew no bounds. He (the Giant) made the little boy his friend.