NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 1 The Best Christmas Present In The World | The Ant And The Cricket

What did the author find in a junk shop?

What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?

Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?

Why was the letter written - what was the wonderful thing that had happened?

What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?

Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?

Why did the author go to Bridport?

How old was Mrs Macpherson now? Where was she?

Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?

Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?

For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer.

Why do you think the desk had been sold, and when?

Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?

Do you think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other? Find evidence from the story to support your answer.

Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.

What is Connie's Christmas present? Why is it 'the best Christmas present in the world'?

Do you think the title of this story is suitable for it? Can you think of any other tiles?

1. Look at these sentences from the story.
I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport... The man said it was made in the early nineteenth century… This one was in bad condition…

The italicised verbs are in the past tense. They tell us what happened in the past, before now.

(i) Read the passage below and underline the verbs in the past tense.

A man got on the train and sat down. The compartment was empty except for one lady. She took her gloves off. A few hours later the police arrested the man. They held him for 24 hours and then freed him.

(ii) Now look at these sentences.

The veneer had lifted almost everywhere. Both fire and water had taken their toll on this desk.

Notice the verb forms had lifted, had taken (their toll).

The author found and bought the desk in the past.

The desk was damaged before the author found it and bought it.

Fire and water had damaged the desk before the author found it and bought it.

We use verb forms like had damaged for an event in the ‘earlier past’. If there are two events in the past, we use the ‘had…’ form for the event that occurred first in the past.

We also use the past perfect tense to show that something was wished for, or expected before a particular time in the past. For example, I had always wanted one…

Discuss with your partner the difference in meaning in the sentences below. When I reached the station, the train left. When I reached the station, the train had left.


When I reached the station, the train left.


When I reached the station, the train had left

Fill in the blanks using the correct form of the verbs in brackets. My little sister is very naughty. When she __________ (come) back from school yesterday, she had __________ (tear) her dress. We __________ (ask) her how it had __________ (happen). She __________ (say) she __________ __________ (have, quarrel) with a boy. She __________ __________ (have, beat) him in a race and he __________ __________ (have, try) to push her. She __________ __________ (have,tell) the teacher and so he __________ __________ (have, chase) her, and she __________ __________ (have, fall) down and __________ __________ (have, tear) her dress.

Underline the verbs and arrange them in two columns, Past and Earlier past.
(a) My friends set out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at home, because I had seen them already.

(b) When they arrived at the station, their train had left. They came back home, but by that time I had gone out to see a movie!

(c) So they sat outside and ate the lunch I had packed for them.

(d) By the time I returned, they had fallen asleep!

By the end of the journey, we had run out of drinking water.
Look at the verb run out of in this sentence. It is a phrasal verb: it has two parts, a verb and a preposition or an adverb. Phrasal verbs often have meanings that are different from the meanings of their parts.
Find these phrasal verbs in the story.
burn out  light up   look on    run out      keep out
Write down the sentences in which they occur. Consult a dictionary and write down the meaning that you think matches the meaning of the phrasal verb in the sentence.

Read the following sentence.
I took out a small black tin box.

The phrase in italics is a noun phrase.

It has the noun — box — as the head word, and three adjectives preceding it.

Notice the order in which the adjectives occur — size (small), colour (black) and material (tin) of which it is made.

We rarely use more than four adjectives before a noun and there is no rigid order in which they are used, though there is a preferred order of modifiers/adjectives in a noun phrase, as given below.

The table below contains a list of nouns and some adjectives. Use as many adjectives as you can to describe each noun. You might come up with some funny descriptions!

In groups discuss whether wars are a good way to end conflicts between countries. Then present your arguments to the whole class.

What kind of presents do you like and why? What are the things you keep in mind when you buy presents for others? Discuss with your partner. (For example, you might buy a book because it can be read and re-read over a period of time.)

Suppose you are the visitor. You are in a dilemma. You don't know whether to disclose your identity and disappoint the old lady or let her believe that her dear Jim has come back. Write a letter to a friend highlighting your anxiety, fears and feelings.

Given below is the outline of a story. Construct the story using the outline.
A young, newly married doctor _______________ freedom fighter _______________ exiled to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the British _______________ infamous Cellular Jail _______________ prisoners tortured _______________ revolt by inmates _______________ doctor hanged _______________ wife waits for his return _______________ becomes old _______________ continues to wait with hope and faith.

The cricket says, “Oh! what will become of me?” When does he say it, and why?

Find in the poem the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” (Shakespeare).

What is your opinion of the ant’s principles?

The ant tells the cricket to “dance the winter away”. Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here? If so, why?

Which lines in the poem express the poet's comment? Read them aloud.

Write the comment in your own words.