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Three Questions

* Write meaning of the new words (those given in the text) under the head
VOCABULARY in Class Work.

* Write the following in Class Work.

Comprehension Check

Question 1:
Why did the king want to know answers to three questions?
Ans.
The king wanted to know answers of his three questions because he wanted to be a successful
ruler.

Question 2:
Messengers were sent throughout the kingdom

1. to fetch wise men.

2. to find answers to the questions.
3. to look for the wise hermit.
4. to announce a reward for those who could answer the questions.

Ans.
2.to find answers to the questions.

Check
Complete the following sentences by adding the appropriate parts of the sentences given
in the box.

1. Many wise men answered the king’s questions ……………….

2. Someone suggested that there should be a council of wise men ……………….
3. Someone else suggested that the king should have a timetable ……………….
4. The king requested the hermit ……………….
5. The king washed and dressed the beared man’s wound ……………….
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Ans.

1. Many wise men answered the king’s questions, but their answers were so varied that the
king was not satisfied.
2. Someone suggested that there should be a council of wise men to help the king act at the
right time.
3. Someone else suggested that the king should have a timetable and follow it strictly.
4. The king requested the hermit to answer three questions.
5. The king washed and dressed the bearded man’s wound but the bleeding would not stop.

* Write the following in Home Work.

Working with the Text

Answer the following questions.
Question 1:
Why was the king advised to go to the magicians?
Ans.
Some of the wise men thought that in order to decide right time for doing something, one must
look into the future and only magicians were able to do that. So, they advised the king to go to
the magicians.

Question 2:
In answer to the second question, whose advice did the people say would be important to the
king?
Ans.
In answer to the second question some people, suggested to seek advice of councillors, the
priest or the doctors or the soldiers.

Question 3:
What suggestions were made in answer to the third question?
Ans.
For the third question some people said science was the most important business while there
were others who believed it was fighting and then there were those who believed religious
worship should take the first place.

Question 4:
Did the wise men win the reward? If not, why not?
Ans.
No, the wise men didn’t win the reward because their answers were so different from each other
and king was not satisfied with their answers.
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Question 5:
How did the king and the hermit help the wounded man?
Ans.
The king washed the wound and covered the wound of the man with his handkerchief and kept
on dressing it until the bleeding stopped completely.
The king also offered the wounded man water to drink. The hermit helped the king to bring the
wounded man inside his hut and allowed the man to spend his night in the hut.

Question 6:

1. Who was the bearded man?

2. Why did he ask for the king’s forgiveness?

Ans.

1. The bearded man was an enemy of the king. He wanted to take revenge of his brother’s
death by killing the king and taking away all his property.
2. The bearded man asked for the king’s forgiveness because he wanted to kill the king but
the king has saved his life. He was grateful to the king now.

Question 7:
The king forgave the bearded man. What did he do to show his forgiveness?
Ans.
The king showed his forgiveness by promising the man that he will send his doctor and servants
to look after him and also promised to return him all his property.

Question 8:
What were the hermit’s answers to the three questions? Write each answer separately. Which
answers do you like the most and why?
Ans.
The most important time, the hermit said, is our present because it is the only moment when we
have the power to act. The most important person at a moment is we ourselves because the
future is unknown and we don’t know whether we will meet anyone in the future or not.
So, we should listen to ourselves.
The most important business is to be kind and good to others because we have been sent in this
world to serve this noble cause.
I liked the third answer the most because helping someone in need is like serving God. It makes
us a good person and brings a sense of satisfaction and contentment.
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* Write the following in Class Work.

Working with Language

Question 1:
Match items in List A with their meanings in List B.
fainted: lost consciousness

Use any three of the given words in sentences of your own. You may change the form of the
word.
Ans.

Question 2:
Each of the following sentences has two blanks. Fill in the blanks with appropriate forms
of the word given in the brackets.
He has ………………. to help me. Do you think he will remember his ………………. ?
(promise)
He has promised to help me. Do you think he will remember his promise?

1. The ………………. said that only fresh evidence would make him change
his ………………. (judge)
2. I didn’t notice any serious of ………………. opinion among the debaters, although they
………………. from one another over small points.(differ)
3. It’s fairly simple question to ………………. but will accept my ………………. as final?
(answer)
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4. It isn’t ………………. that ………………. should always be the mother of invention.

(necessary)
5. Hermits are ………………. men. How they acquire their ………………. no one can tell.
(wise)
6. The committee has ………………. to make
Jagdish captain of the team. The ………………. is likely to please everyone. (decide)
7. Asking for ………………. . is as noble as willingness to ………………. (forgive)

Ans.

1. judge, judgement
2. difference, differed
3. answer, answer
4. necessary, necessity
5. wise, wisdom
6. has decided, decision
7. forgiveness, forgive

* Write the following in Home Work.

Speaking and Writing

Question 1:
Imagine you are the king. Narrate the incident of your meeting with the hermit. Begin like this:
The wise men answered my questions, but I was not satisfied with their answers. One day I
decided to go and meet the hermit….
Ans.
I knew the hermit used to help only ordinary men, so I left behind my servants and bodyguards.
I went to meet him wearing simple clothes. The hermit was an old man and used to live in a hut
amidst the woods. He was digging the ground in front of his hut when I arrived there. He
greeted me and continued his work. I informed him the purpose of my visit, but still he
continued digging the ground. He looked tired so I offered my help. He agreed, so I took the
spade from him and started digging the ground.
After digging for many hours I again repeated my questions, but the hermit did not answer.
Evening was approaching and now I thought of returning. Suddenly, the hermit showed me a
bearded man who was running towards us.
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Question 2:
Imagine you are the hermit. Write briefly the incident of your meeting the king. Begin like this:
One day I was digging in my garden. A man in ordinary clothes came to see me. I knew it was
the king….
Ans.
but still pretended to be unaware of his identity. He told me that he has come to me to get
answers for his three questions.
I greeted him and continued digging the ground. I was tired digging the ground; the king
noticed this and offered his help. I agreed and gave my spade to him.
After digging two beds in the ground the king repeated his questions, I ignored him again and
rather asked him if he was tired and would like me to dig the ground. But he refused to do so
and continued the task.
Evening was approaching and it seemed that he was ready to leave, at that very moment we saw
a man running towards us.