CBSE Class 8 English Chapter 5- Princess September Important Question Answers from It so Happened Book
Class 8 Princess September Question Answers – Looking for Princess September Important questions and answers for CBSE Class 8 English It so Happened Book Chapter 5? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practicing Class 8 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Chapter 5: Princess September now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given Text book Questions (NCERT Solutions) to the chapter’s Extract-based Questions and Extra Question Answers
Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.
- Princess September Text Book Questions
- Princess September Extract Based Questions
- Princess September Extra Question Answers
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Class 8 English Princess September Text Book Questions – NCERT Solutions
Comprehension Check
1. How many daughters did the royal couple have?
Ans. The Royal couple had nine daughters.
2. Why were they named after the months of the year?
Ans. The Queen of Siam was worried that it would confuse her to have to remember so many names, so the king decided to call their daughters January, February, March (in Siamese) till he came to the youngest whom he called September.
3. The King had a peculiar habit. What was it? Why is it called peculiar?
Ans. The King of Siam had a peculiar habit. Instead of receiving gifts on his birthday he gave ifts away. It has been called ‘peculiar’ because generally, on birthdays, one receives gifts but strangely, the King of Siam gave them away.
4. (i) What was Princess September’s reaction to the loss of her parrot?
Ans. When Princess September got to know about the death of her parrot, she burst into a flood of tears, and nothing that her Maids of Honour could say comforted her. She cried so much that the Maids of Honour, not knowing what to do, told the Queen about it.
(ii) What was her mother’s reaction to it?
Ans. Her mother, the Queen, was quite normal upon hearing it and she said it was only stuff and nonsense. She further suggested that the child better went to bed without any supper.
(iii) What do the reactions indicate about the nature and temperament of each?
Ans. Princess September’s reaction to the loss of her parrot tells us that she was young, sensitive and emotional. Her sudden outburst into tears revealed how much she loved and cared about him. The Queen, on the other hand, was a little insensitive in handling her child’s suffering. She did not console her. Her behaviour indicates that she was least bothered with the loss of her daughter’s parrot.
5. What pulled the Princess out of her gloom?
Ans. Seeing a little bird hop onto her window and sing so beautifully, pulled the Princess out of her gloom.
6. How did the Maids of Honour come to know that the Princess and the bird had become intimate friends?
Ans. When the Maids of Honour brought in the Princess’s breakfast, and the bird ate rice out of her hand and he had his bath in her saucer, the Maids of Honour came to know that the bird and the Princess had become intimate friends.
7. The new bird was full of new songs but the old parrots always repeated themselves. What did they say?
Ans. The new bird was full of new songs but the old parrots always repeated themselves by saying ‘God save the King’ and ‘Pretty Polly’.
8. What is the King’s opinion about his Councillors? Why did he form that opinion?
Ans.The King said that the way his daughter’s parrots could say ‘Pretty Polly’ in seven different languages, reminded him of his Councillors who would say the same thing in seven different ways and it didn’t make sense in even one of the ways they said it. He thought his Councillors were just like parrots who kept on repeating the same thing in different ways without knowing what it actually meant
9. (i) The eight Princesses made an offer to Princess September. What was it?
Ans. After Princess September lost her parrot, the eight Princesses made an offer to her. They told her that they have put their pocket money together to be able to buy a lovely green and yellow parrot for her.
(ii) Why, in your view, did they do it?
Ans. The eight Princesses were quite vexed at the way everyone liked September’s little singing bird while their parrots could only repeat a few words that they taught them. The eight Princesses put their heads together. So, in order to take Princess September’s attention away from the singing bird, they decided to offer her a new parrot. This way, everyone would have had the same pet bird.
10. What did the sisters advise the Princess to do about her bird?
Ans.The eight Princesses advised their sister, Princess September to put her little bird in a cage and lock it as soon as he came back. The sisters told her that she would be lucky enough if the bird finds her way back.
11. In the following sentence elaborate the parts given in bold. Under the circumstances it was a very unfortunate remark for the bird to make.
Ans. Princess September grew anxious when the little bird was away for a long time. Moreover, her eight sisters had added to her uneasiness by filling her mind with doubt. They told her to lock him in a cage upon his return, and that she would be very lucky if he did. Thus, the words “Under the circumstances”, refer to the tense situation the little Princess was in as she thought about the possible mishaps that could happen with the bird that she was so fond of.
Upon returning, the little bird told September that he very nearly did not come back that night. Thus, it has been referred to as “a very unfortunate remark” as it made the Princess more anxious. She did not want to take a risk with it, and thus, she ended up locking him in a cage.
12. (i) What did Princess September do to ensure the safety of her pet?
Ans. To ensure the safety of her pet and to eliminate the risk of losing him, Princess September locked the bird in a golden cage.
(ii) How did the bird react to it?
Ans. At first, the bird suspected nothing and he was so surprised when she carried him over to the cage, popped him in, and shut the door on him that for a moment he could think of nothing to say. But in a moment or two he hopped up to the ivory perch and asked the Princess about her joke. The little Princess told him that this was no joke and that she wanted him to be safe because her mother’s cats were out prowling that night.
13. Why did the bird refuse to be taken out in her cage?
Ans. When Princess September offered the bird to take her out in a cage almost everyday, the bird refused. According to him, it was not at all the same because the rice-fields, the lake and the willow trees looked quite different when one saw them through the bars of a cage.
14. (i) What persuaded Princess September to give the bird his freedom again?
Ans. Princess September was already worried about the little bird because he had stopped singing and eating. The next day, when Princess September wished him Good Morning and he did not reply, seeing him lay down lifelessly made Princess September think that she’d almost lost him. Thus, upon realising that the bird won’t be able to sing in a cage and if he didn’t sing, he would die. Therefore, the Princess decided to give the bird his freedom again.
(ii) How did the bird react to it?
Ans. The bird was so happy upon realising that he was a free bird again. He was excited about seeing the lake, the willow trees and the green rice-field. He even promised September that he would come back and sing the loveliest songs for her.
15. Princess September kept her window open day and night.
(i) How did it help the bird?
Ans. It helped the bird come in and out as he pleased.
(ii) How did it help the Princess herself?
Ans. Keeping the window open day and night helped Princess September to grow up into an extremely beautiful woman.
16. The eight sisters kept their windows shut. How did it affect them?
Ans.The eight sisters kept their windows shut. Thus, they grew up to be extremely ugly and undesirable.
Class 8 English Princess September Chapter 5 Extract Based Questions
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow-
A. The little bird gave her a bow. “Would you care to have me in place of your parrot?” said the little bird. “It’s true that I’m not so pretty to look at, but on the other hand I have a much better voice.” Princess September clapped her hands with delight and then the little bird hopped on to the end of her bed and sang her to sleep.
When she awoke next day the little bird was still there, and as she opened her eyes he said, “Good morning!” The Maids of Honour brought in her breakfast, and he ate rice out of her hand and he had his bath in her saucer. He began to sing again so beautifully that the Maids of Honour were quite surprised, for they had never heard anything like it, and Princess September was very proud and happy.
Q1. How was the bird better than the parrot?
Ans. It had a better voice.
Q2. What did the bird do to put the princess to sleep?
Ans. It sang her to sleep.
Q3. Who was surprised to hear the bird’s song?
Ans. The Maids of honour.
Q4. What did the bird eat? How?
Ans. It ate rice out of the princess’s hand.
Q5. How did the princess feel on having such a bird?
Ans. She felt proud and happy.
B. The Princesses were vexed at this, and the parrots looked very glum indeed. But Princess September ran through all the rooms of the palace, singing like a lark, while the little bird flew round and round her singing like a nightingale.
Things went on like this for several days and then the eight Princesses put their heads together. They went to September and sat down in a circle round her. “My poor September,” they said, “we are sorry for the death of your beautiful parrot. It must be dreadful for you not to have a pet bird as we have. So we have all put our pocket-money together and we are going to buy you a lovely green and yellow parrot.” ‘‘Thank you for nothing,” said September. “I have a pet bird which sings the most charming songs to me and I don’t know what on earth I should do with a green and yellow parrot.”
“Well, my dear,” they said, “it’s absurd to talk of your bird when the little fellow flies in and out just as he likes.” They looked round the room and raised their eyebrows.
Q1. ‘Vexed’ means-
Ans. worried
Q2. With what has the author compared Princess September’s singing to?
Ans. Her singing has been compared to a lark.
Q3. What did the princess do while she sang?
Ans. She ran around all the rooms of the palace.
Q4. Why were the eight princesses sorry for September?
Ans. They were sorry because she had lost her parrot.
Q5. What did the eight princesses suggest?
Ans. They suggested to put their pocket money together and buy September a lovely green and yellow parrot.
C. THE King and Queen of Siam had many daughters, and the Queen said that it confused her to have to remember so many names. One day the King decided to call them January, February, March (though of course in Siamese) till he came to the youngest whom he called September.
The King of Siam had a peculiar habit. Instead of receiving gifts on his birthday he gave them. One year on his birthday, not having anything else handy, he gave each of his daughters a green parrot in a golden cage. The princesses were very proud of their parrots and they spent an hour every day in teaching them to talk. Presently all the parrots could say ‘God save the king’ and some of them could say ‘Pretty Polly’ in no less than seven Oriental languages.
Q1. Who gifted the parrots?
Ans. The king of Siam gifted each of his daughters a parrot in a golden cage.
Q2. What peculiar habit did the king have?
Ans. He had a peculiar habit of giving gifts on his birthday instead of receiving them.
Q3. What confusion did the queen face?
Ans. Having so many daughters, she got confused about having to remember so many names.
Q4. What solution did the king have for the queen’s confusion?
Ans. The king solved the problem by naming all the daughters after the names of the months.
Q5. In how many languages could the parrots speak?
Ans. they could speak in seven different Oriental languages.
D. But one day when Princess September went to say good morning to her parrot she found it lying dead at the bottom of its golden cage. She burst into a flood of tears, and nothing that her Maids of Honour could say comforted her. She cried so much that the Maids of Honour, not knowing what to do, told the Queen, and the Queen said it was stuff and nonsense and the child had better go to bed without any supper. The Maids of Honour wanted to go to a party, so they put Princess September to bed as quickly as they could and left her by herself. And while she lay in her bed, crying still even though she felt rather hungry, she saw a little bird hop into her room. She wiped her tears and sat up. Then the little bird began to sing and he sang a beautiful song all about the lake in the King’s garden and the willow trees that looked at themselves in the still water and the goldfish that glided in and out of the branches that were reflected in it. When he had finished, the Princess was not crying any more and she quite forgot that she had had no supper. “That was a very nice song,” she said.
Q1. Why was the princess crying?
Ans. She was crying at the death of the parrot.
Q2. What did the queen order?
Ans. She said that this stuff was nonsense. She ordered the Maids of honour that the child better go to bed without eating supper.
Q3. What made the princess wipe her tears?
Ans. The arrival of a little bird in her room made her wipe her tears,
Q4. What was the bird’s song about?
Ans. The bird sang a beautiful song all about the lake in the King’s garden and the willow trees that looked at themselves in the still water and the goldfish that glided in and out of the branches that were reflected in it.
Q5. The Maids of honour were in a hurry to go to ___________(a party / home / market)
Ans. a party
Class 8 Princess September Extra Question Answers
Answer the following questions-
Q1. Why did September release the bird from the cage?
Ans. When she realised that the bird was uncomfortable in the cage and couldn’t sing; she decided to release it.
Q2. What message does the story convey?
Ans. The story conveys an important message that if someone loves you, they shall come back to you. You don’t have to put them in cages and restrictions to ensure that they stay with you. Let them free and then, if they love you, they will remain with you.
Q3. Why had the princess shut the little bird in a cage?
Ans. When the bird was away to meet its father-in-law, the princess was advised by her sisters to cage it. Then she would not worry about the bird’s whereabouts. She found the idea convincing and caged the bird at the first opportunity that she got.
Q4. Why did the bird scream to be taken out of the cage?
Ans. The bird yearned for its freedom. It wanted to fly to see the trees and the lake and the green rice growing in the fields.
Q5. The sisters advised September to be ____ with the bird. (firm / patient / relaxed)
Ans. firm
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