Class 8 Chapter 5 Solution
Princess September
1. Very Short Question Answer
1. What is the name of the author of the story “Princess September”?
Ans: The name of the author of the story “Princess Sep- tember” is William Somerset Maugham.
2. What is the name of king of Siam’s daughter?
Ans: The name of king of Siam’s daughter is Princess September.
3. How was the Princess?
Ans: Princess was very unhappy.
4. Who saw a little bird hop in and when?
Ans: Princess September saw a little bird hop in when she was weeping alone one day in her own room.
5. How was the song of the little bird?
Ans: The song of the little bird was beautiful.
6. Why was Princess September weeping?
Ans: Princess September was weeping because she was unhappy.
7. What did the little bird ask Princess September?
Ans: The little bird asked Princess September if she wanted him to live with her.
8. What did the little bird want to see?
Ans: The little bird wanted to see the trees and the lake and the green rice growing in the fields.
9. What did the little bird request Princess September?
Ans: The little bird requested Princess September to let him out of the cage
10. Why was the Princess anxious?
Ans: The Princess was anxious because the little bird did not eat a thing.
11. What did the Princess think when the bird did not eat a thing?
Ans: When the bird did not eat a thing the Princess thought that he would have got used to his cage by the next day.
12. How did September bid good morning to the bird?
Ans: September bade good morning in a cheerful voice to the bird.
2. Short Question Answer
1. How do you think our life would be if we had no friends to share our joys and sorrows with?
Ans: Friends are an important part of life. They are there for us when we need someone to talk to. They always stand by us. So I think that our life would be dull, boring, uninteresting and insignif- icant if we had no friends to share our joys and sorrows with. (ব
2. What was the subject matter of the little bird’s song?
Ans: The subject matter of the little bird’s song was about the lake in the king’s garden and the willow trees reflected in the still water.
3. ho were very jealous to Princess September and why?
Ans: The other Princesses were very jealous to Princess September because she had a beautiful bird who sang a different song for each of the princesses.
4. What did the other princesses advise September?
Ans: The other princesses advised September to pop the little bird into the cage and keep him there.
5. What did Princess September say to the other princesses in reply to their advice?
Ans: In reply to the other princesses’ advice, Princess September told that she liked to have him fly around the room.
6. Why did Princess September feel uneasy?
Ans: Princess September felt uneasy because it seemed to her that the little bird was away a long time and he might forget her or he might take a fancy to someone else.
7. How do you think Princess September spent her days when the bird was away?
Ans: When the bird was away, Princess September felt worried. It seemed to her that the bird was away for a long time. She thought that he might forget her or he might take a fancy to someone else. In this way Princess September spent her days.
8. Why did September feel her heart go thump-thump against her chest?
Ans: September felt her heart go thump – thump against her chest because she heard a tweet- tweet just behind her ear as the bird had come in quietly.
9. “So he suspected nothing.” Who is he? Why did he not suspect anything?
Ans: ‘He’ is the little bird.
He did not suspect anything because he was quite used to September’s holding him.
10. Why did the little bird stop in the middle of the song?
Ans: The little bird stopped in the middle of the song because he did not know what the matter with him was. Except that he did not feel like singing that night.
11. How did he try to free himself from the cage?
Ans: The little bird tried to slip through the bars of the cage, then he beat against the door and at last he began to cry.
12. When was the little bird surprised?
Ans: The little bird was surprised when Princess September carried him to the cage, put him in, and shut the door on him.
13. Why was the bird caged by Princess September?
Ans: The bird was caged by Princess September because she told him that some of her mamma’s cats were prowling about that night.
14. What was the Princess’ plan to keep the little bird happy?
Ans: To keep the little bird happy the Princess planned to give the bird three meals a day in return of putting him in a cage.
15. Why was the little bird not happy at the Princess’ plan?
Ans: The little bird was not happy at the Princess’ plan because he was caged by her. He could not sing unless he was set free and if he could not sing, he would die.
16. How did Princess September try to make the little bird happy
Ans: Princess September tried to make the little bird happy by picking up the cage and walking down to the lake round which grew the willow trees.
17. Why did the Princess give “a sob of relief”?
Ans: The Princess gave “a sob of relief” because she felt that the bird’s little heart was beating still.
18. Why was the little bird granted freedom by the Princess?
Ans: The Princess captivated the little bird in a golden cage but when she realized that the bird was dying in captivity, she set him free. This is how the little bird was granted freedom by the Princess.
19. “Then he opened his wings and flew right away in the blue.” Would the little bird return to the Princess again? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: The little bird would surely return to the Princess because he told that he would come as he loved her. He also told that he would always come back and he would never forget her.
20. Why did Princess September give a startled cry?
Ans: Princess September gave a startled cry because the little bird lay with his eyes closed in the cage and he looked as if he were dead
21. Where did the Princess allow the bird to ‘Go’?
Ans: The Princess allowed the bird to fly away among the trees that are round the lake and fly over the green rice-fields.
22. What did the little bird promise to the Princess?
Ans: The little bird promised that he would come back to the Princess and he also promised that he would never forget her.
23. “I shall go far away, but I shall always come back …” Who is the speaker? Do you think the speaker will really come back?
Ans: The speaker is the little bird. I think the speaker will really come back because he promised that he would surely come back as he loved the Princess.
24. Why did the Princess keep her window open day and night?
Ans: The Princess kept her window open day and night so that the little bird might come into her room whenever he wished.
3. True And False
1. (a) F The rice – fields and the lake and the willow trees look quite different when you see them through the bars of a cage.
(b) T But he wouldn’t eat a thing. The Princess was anxious.
(c) F She gave a startled cry, for there the little bird lay with his eyes closed, and he looked as if he were dead.
(d) T “Then take your freedom,” the Princess said.
2. (i) T “That was a very nice song”, she (the Princess) said.
(ii) F And for each of the princesses the little bird sang a different song.
(iii) T When he (the little bird) had finished, the Princess was not crying anymore.
(iv) F Princess September, the daughter of the king of Siam, was very unhappy.
(v) T Princess September clapped her hands with delight.