Chapter 1 A Tale of Two Birds Important Questions Class 6 A Pact with the Sun English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What did the king do then?
Answer
The king quickly got on to his horse and ran as fast as possible.
Question 2. What did the bird tell the King?
Answer
The bird told him that the bird he had seen was his brother, but he had made robbers his friends.
Question 3. How were the two birds separated?
Answer
The two birds were separated by a strong wind.
Question 4. What did the second bird complain about his brother?
Answer
The second bird who lived near the Rishi’s ashram complained to the king that the bird in the forest near the robbers’ cave was his brother. He had befriended the robbers. He had learnt their foul language. He did not even talk to him any more.
Question 5. What surprised the king?
Answer
The talking birds, which looked similar but behaved differently when they met the king at two different places, surprised him.
Question 6. Why did the king go near the cave?
Answer
The king lost his way in the forest and was exhausted. To take some rest, he got down the horse and went to find a resting place near the cave.
Question 7. How did the Rishi explain the different ways in which the birds behaved?
Answer
The Rishi said, “One is known by the company one keeps. That bird has always heard the talk about robbing people. This one has repeated what he has always heard. He welcomes people to the Ashram.”
Question 8. Which one of the following sums up the story best?
(i) A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
(ii) One is known by the company one keeps.
(iii) A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Answer
(ii) The line that sums up the story best is “One is known by the company one keeps”.
Question 9. What happened to the young ones?
Answer
A strong wind blew the young ones away and they were separated from each other.
Question 10. Where do the two baby birds live with their mother?
Answer
The two baby birds live in a tall and shady tree.
Question 11. What amazed the king as he stood near the cave?
Answer
The king heard a big brown bird on the tree, calling out to the robbers to come and loot the stranger.
Question 12. Why did the king go to forest?
Answer
The king went to the forest for hunting.
Question 13. Where did the young ones land?
Answer
One of them landed near a cave, where the robbers lived and the other one landed near the Rishi’s Ashram a little distance away.
Question 14. How did the two baby birds get separated?
Answer
The two baby birds got separated as wind blew them away to the other side of the forest. Both landed at different places.
Question 15. Who was speaking the welcome words?
Answer
A bird, on some tree, was speaking the welcome words.
Question 16. Why was the king amazed?
Answer
The king was amazed to hear a similar voice of a bird again.
Question 17. What did the Rishi say to the King?
Answer
The Rishi welcomed the king and asked him to get inside and take rest.
Question 18. What did the first bird say to the stranger?
Answer
The stranger heard the first bird cried out. “Quick! Hurry up! There’s someone under the tree. Come and take his jewels and his horse. Hurry or else he’ll slip away”
Question 19. How did the other bird greet the king?
Answer
The other bird welcomed the king to the ashram. Gently he requested the king to make himself comfortable in the ashram.
Question 20. What did the second bird say to him?
Answer
The second bird asked the king to make himself comfortable in the ashram. She welcomed the king.
Question 21. What did the strange cry say?
Answer
The strange cry said that there was someone under the tree. His jewels and horse must be looted.
Question 22. How was the rishi?
Answer
The rishi requested the king to go inside the ashram. He asked him to make himself comfortable and share his food.
Question 23. What did the king think about bird?
Answer
The king thought that the bird looked like the one he saw near the cave.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. How did the Rishi explain the different ways in which the birds behaved?
Answer
The rishi smiled and explained the different ways in which the birds behaved by saying after all one is known by the company he keeps. The first bird has always heard the talk of robbers, imitates them and talks about robbing people. The other bird repeats what he always heard and so welcomes people to the ashram.
Question 2. Why was the king amazed?
Answer
The king was amazed to see a big brown bird near a cave calling out to the robbers to come quickly and rob the king of his jewels and horse. He was amazed a second time again when he reached a Rishi’s ashram and saw another similar big, brown bird gently welcoming him and asking him to make himself comfortable.
Question 3. How did different company affect the character and behaviour of the two birds?
Answer
The two birds were brothers. But they got separated when a storm blew. One came down near a cave where robbers lived. The other landed outside a rishis ashram. The former learnt the language of the robbers. The latter learnt to welcome the strangers sweetly. Thus, their company shaped their behaviour.
Question 4. What misfortune did the bird family meet?
Answer
The mother bird and two baby birds met with a misfortune. There was a big storm, with thunder and lightening and rain. The wind blew down many trees. The tree in which the birds lived was also uprooted. The mother bird died and the baby birds were separated from each other.
Question 5. “One is known by the company one keeps”. Do you agree? Give reasons.
Answer
Yes! I agree that one is known by the company one keeps because here in this story the bird that lived in the company of the robbers, learnt to talk about robbing the people. The other bird who lived in the company of the Rishi repeated what he heard from him about welcoming people warmly.
Question 6. How did the king encounter with those birds in the forest?
Answer
When the king came to the forest to hunt, he followed a deer and while chasing him he lost his way. He became tired and sat under a tree to have some rest. All of a sudden a brown bird called robbers to take his jewels away. He was shocked and became afraid and ran away from the place. The king reached the ashram and sat down under another tree to take rest. A bird welcomed him and asked him to take rest and to have some water and make himself comfortable. The king came to know that the bird looked like the same brown bird. The bird told the king that the brown bird was his brother and lived with robbers. Thus, the king encountered those birds in the forest.
Question 7. What is your opinion on the idea that a person is known by the company he keeps? Support your answer with arguments.
Answer
It is true that a person is known by the company he keeps. So is clear in the story also. In the story the two birds got separated due to a strong wind and one lived with robbers and the other stayed outside an ashram. They were brought up in their own places. Due to the bad company, the first bird imitated the robbers as it learnt bad things from them. It talked about robbing and harming people while, the second bird repeated what it learnt at the ashram and talked about helping people. It welcomed the king and offered him water and requested him to take rest as the king was extremely tired. Thus, both the birds behaved differently though they looked the same due to difference in their upbringing. Thus, it is true that we should have a good company.
Question 7. Narrate the tale of two birds in your own words.
Answer
Once there lived a mother bird in a forest. She had two new-born chicks. One day a storm came with thunder and lightning. The mother bird was killed. But the baby birds were blown away to the other end of the forest. One lived in the company of robbers. The other stayed with a rishi. One day a king heard them speak. The one asked the robbers to loot and kill the king. The other noble bird welcomed him sweetly in the ashram. They behaved differently because of the company they kept.
Question 8. How did the king reach the rishi’s ashram? Why did the two birds behave with the king differently?
Answer
The king came to the forest to hunt a deer. He rode after the game and lost his way. Tired, he stood near a cave. One bird informed the robbers to rob the traveller of his jewels and his horse. The king sensed danger and rode away. Soon he came to a rishi’s ashram. He sat down in a tree’s shade. He was amazed to hear another bird’s voice. It requested him to enter the ashram and rest. The two birds were real brothers, but one became crook in the company of robbers. The other became gentle in the company of the rishi. The holy man told the king that one’s good or bad company makes one noble or wicked.
Question 9. A man is known by the company he keeps. Comment
Answer
The story of two birds reveal this truth. Both the birds were siblings but the drastic difference in their attitude is evident. They responded in contrast with each other when they saw the king. The first bird behaved like robbers. Whereas the second bird welcomed him as it was bred in a rishi’s ashram.