NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 5 –

Princess September

Princess September
Comprehension Check (Page 38)
Question 1:
How many daughters did the royal couple have?
Answer:
The royal couple of Siam had nine daughters who were named after the months of the year.
Question 2:
Why were they named after the months of the year?
Answer:
The princesses were named after the months of the year because the Queen of Siam found it difficult to
remember so many names. Hence, the King decided to name the princesses as per the months of the
calendar year.
Question 3:
The King had a peculiar habit. What was it? Why is it called peculiar?
Answer:
The King had a peculiar habit of giving gifts instead of receiving gifts on his birthday. In one such year, on
his birthday, he gave each of his daughters a green parrot in a golden cage.
As a matter of fact, people receive gifts instead of giving away gifts on their birthday. But the King followed
an opposite tradition, and due to this reason, his habit was peculiar.
Question 4:
(i) What was Princess September’s reaction to the loss of her parrot?
(ii) What was her mother’s reaction to it?
(iii) What do the reactions indicate about the nature and temperament of each?
Answer:

1. When Princess September locked her parrot in the golden cage gifted by her father, the poor bird
soon died. She burst into a flood of tears and wept continuously at the loss of her dear parrot. Even
her Maids of Honour couldn’t comfort her pain.
2. Her mother said that Princess September’s weeping was utter nonsense. In a heartless manner, she
asked the Maids of Honour to put the girl to sleep without any supper.
3. From the reaction, we understand that Princess September was a very sensitive and simple-hearted
girl. She was grief-stricken when her parrot died. On the contrary, the Queen mother appeared to be
unmoved by the death of the parrot and her daughter’s grief and she did nothing to console her
child. She seems to be an unsympathetic woman.

Question 5:
What pulled the Princess out of her gloom?
Answer:
 NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 5 –
Princess September

The Princess was really upset and depressed over the sudden demise of her parrot and wept continuously.
While she lay in her bed crying, she saw a little bird hop into her room. She wiped her tears and watched the
little bird sing a beautiful song. This pulled the Princess out of her gloom.
Question 6:
How did the Maids of Honour come to know that the Princess and the bird had become intimate friends?
Answer:
The next morning when the Maids of Honour brought in the Princess’s breakfast, they noticed her in a good
mood. They saw the songbird eat rice out of the Princess’s hand and bathe in her saucer. After that, the little
bird sang a beautiful song, and the Princess thoroughly enjoyed it. Seeing this, they were convinced that the
two had become good friends.
Question 7:
The new bird was full of new songs but the old parrots always repeated themselves. What did they say?
Answer:
The little bird sang a different and new song every time. On the other hand, all the old parrots were taught
two phrases – ‘God save the King’ and ‘Pretty Polly’ in seven different Oriental languages. They would say
the same phrases repeatedly when asked.
Question 8:
What is the King’s opinion about his Councillors? Why did he form that opinion?
Answer:
The King saw the parrots say two phrases repeatedly – ‘God save the King’ and ‘Pretty Polly’ in seven
different Oriental languages, and this reminded him about his Councillors who, too repeated the same thing
differently. This made the King have a low opinion of all his Councillors, who blabbered about the same thing
repeatedly.
Question 9:
(i) The eight Princesses made an offer to Princess September. What was it?
(ii) Why, in your view, did they do it?
Answer:

1. The eight Princesses were jealous of Princess September’s singing bird. Hence, they made an offer
to buy her a lovely green and yellow parrot by contributing from their pocket-money together.
2. The other Princesses made this offer to Princess September since they were not happy as everyone
praised her singing bird. Their parrots appeared sad and repeated the same phrases over and
again. Out of jealousy, they offered to contribute some money to their younger sister to buy a parrot
similar to theirs.

Question 10:
What did the sisters advise the Princess to do about her bird?
Answer:
The sisters were very jealous of Princess September’s singing bird. With an evil intention, they advised her
to keep the bird in a cage, otherwise, it would fly away forever.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 5 –
Princess September

Comprehension Check (Page 43)

Question 1:
In the following sentence elaborate the parts given in bold. Under the circumstances it was a very
unfortunate remark for the bird to make.
Answer:
Under the circumstances – After Princess September’s sisters advised her about the singing bird, she was
really worried about him. She feared that the little bird might forget her and start liking someone else and
that she might lose her little lovely pet.
A very unfortunate remark – When the little bird returned, he said that he would not have come back that
night at all as his father-in-law was giving a party and everyone wanted him to stay. However, the bird
returned as he felt that the Princess might be worried if he didn’t return on time.
Question 2:
(i) What did Princess September do to ensure the safety of her pet?
(ii) How did the bird react to it?
Answer:

1. Princess September put the little bird in a cage to ensure the safety of her pet.
2. The bird didn’t like being trapped in a cage and felt like he was imprisoned. He felt that he had lost
his freedom and gradually stopped singing and eating.

Question 3:
Why did the bird refuse to be taken out in her cage?
Answer:
The bird said that he loves nature and he couldn’t stay happy and normal if he was kept in a cage. He would
not be able to enjoy the rice fields, the lake and the willow trees as they would look quite different and dull
when seen through the cage bars.
Question 4:
(i) What persuaded Princess September to give the bird his freedom again?
(ii) How did the bird react to it?
Answer:

1. Princess September felt very bad when she saw her little pet lie lifeless inside the cage as he had
stopped singing and eating too. This persuaded the Princess to let the little bird enjoy his freedom in
the open air. Otherwise, she feared that he would die in captivity.
2. The bird was filled with joy and happiness when the Princess freed him from the golden cage. He
opened his wings and flew right away into the blue in far lands and promised the Princess that he
would return and sing songs for her whenever she wanted.

Question 5:
Princess September kept her window open day and night.
(i) How did it help the bird?
 NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 5 –
Princess September

(ii) How did it help the Princess herself?

Answer:

1. Princess September kept her window open day and night. This helped the little bird to come into her
room and leave whenever he wanted.
2. By keeping the window open day and night, it provided the Princess with fresh wind and natural light.
This contributed to her beauty as she was exposed to the beautiful benefits of nature.

Question 6:
The eight sisters kept their windows shut. How did it affect them?
Answer:
The eight sisters who kept their windows shut grew up to be extremely ugly and disagreeable. They were
later married off to the King’s Councillors with a pound of tea and a Siamese cat.
Exercise (Page 44)
Discuss the following questions in small groups. Write their answers later.
Question 1:
Are the sisters unkind and cruel? Find evidence in the text to support your idea.
Answer:
Yes, the eight sisters of the princess were unkind and cruel. They were jealous when they saw that Princess
September’s little pet could sing so beautifully, which their parrots couldn’t. Therefore, they even offered
their pocket-money to their young sister to buy her a green and yellow parrot. They advised her to keep the
little bird in a cage so that he could never leave her. Princess September adhered to their advice and kept
her little pet in a golden cage. They convinced her to believe that if the bird tried to come out of the cage,
she should not allow him and that he would get used to staying inside it. Further, they also told her to be firm
even if he died in the cage due to its stubbornness. They even mocked her by saying that she should never
set the bird free as he would never return to sing sweet and melodious songs for her.
Question 2:
Which, to you, is the most important idea in this story, and why?

1. importance of music
2. value of freedom
3. beauty of nature

Answer:
(ii) value of freedom – This is the most important idea of the entire story. It is known to all that freedom is
the birthright of every living creature, and nobody should be denied it. Likewise, in the story, when the little
bird is denied freedom, he loses his charm and always remains sad in captivity. He stopped eating and
singing too. This indicates that the beauty of life lies in being free and not being in captivity. Hence, in a
closed environment, any living creature tends to lose its charm and creativity.
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 6
The Fight

The Fight

Comprehension Check (Page 49)

Question 1:
In what way is the forest pool different from the one which Ranji knew in the Rajputana desert?

Answer:
The forest pool was very clean and cold and inviting, whereas the one in the Rajputana desert was
known to be sticky and muddy where buffaloes wallowed and women washed clothes.

Question 2:
The other boy asked Ranji to ‘explain’ himself.
(i) What did he expect Ranji to say?
(ii) Was he, in your opinion, right or wrong to ask this question?

Answer:

(i) The other boy expected Ranji to apologize to him for entering the forest pool without seeking his
permission. He wanted Ranji to leave the pool immediately.

(ii) He was wrong to expect and ask Ranji to leave the pool because the forest pool was open to everyone
and he did not have personal right to its property.

Question 3:
Between Ranji and the other boy, who is trying to start a quarrel? Give a reason for your answer.

Answer:
The other boy actually started the quarrel between him and Ranji. This is evident from the fact that
when Ranji saw the other boy in the pool, he did not try to pick a fight or say a word to him. It was the
other boy who deliberately came to fight with Ranji, even when he tried to be friendly with that boy.
However, Ranji was taken aback by the hostile behaviour of that boy who strongly demanded that the
pool belonged to him and others needed to obtain his permission to use it. Soon enough after saying all
this, he started a fight with Ranji and referred to himself as a ‘Warrior’, to which Ranji replied that he
himself was a ‘Fighter’.

Question 4:
“Then we will have to continue the fight,” said the other.
(i) What made him say that?
(ii) Did the fight continue? If not, why not?

Answer:
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 6
The Fight
(i) When both Ranji and the other boy fought for a long while, Ranji refused to leave the pool and the
fight ensued. When that boy saw that Ranji did not accept defeat and was not listening to his words, he
said that the fight between them would continue the following day.

(ii) Apparently, the fight did not continue on the following day as both of them had a bitter experience
the previous day and were not willing to continue this fight any further. Although they thought they
would continue fighting, neither of them took the initiative or interest to pick a fight again. When the
other boy named Suraj, saw that Ranji could dive into the water, he was amazed and asked him to teach
him how to do it. Suraj promised that he would help Ranji to become a wrestler if he taught him how to
swim and dive into the water just like him.

Comprehension Check (Page 53-54)

Question 1:
What is it that Ranji finds difficult to explain at home?

Answer:
When Ranji reached home, he found it difficult to explain the cuts and bruises that showed on his face,
leg and arms. It was difficult to conceal the fact that he had been in an unusually violent fight with
Suraj. Therefore, his mother insisted on his staying at home for the rest of the day.

Question 2:
Ranji sees his adversary in the bazaar.
(i) What does he wish to do?
(ii) What does he actually do, and why?

Answer:

(i) When Ranji saw his adversary in the bazaar, he tried to avoid him by turning away and looked
elsewhere. He was so angry at that boy that he felt like throwing the lemonade bottle at his enemy.

(ii) Ranji did not do anything. He just stood his ground and scowled at his passing adversary. He did
not want to pick unnecessary fights with the other boy in the market. Even that boy said nothing either
but scowled back with equal ferocity.

Question 3:
Ranji is not at all eager for a second fight. Why does he go back to the pool, then?

Answer:
Although Ranji was not at all eager for a second fight with the other boy, he left his home unwillingly.
He remembered that he had accepted the challenge and he had to defy his enemy in order to gain
respect. If he gave up, this meant that he had acknowledged his defeat to the other boy.
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 6
The Fight
Question 4:
Who was the better swimmer? How do you know it?

Answer:
Ranji was definitely a better swimmer. This is evident from that fact that when the other boy made fun
of Ranji if he would be able to swim across the pool. Hearing this, Ranji dived straight into the water
and surfaced towards the other end of the pool quickly. The other boy named Suraj was amazed at
Ranji’s feat and asked him how did he do it so smoothly. He then asked Ranji to teach him how to dive
and swim under water and in return, he would help Ranji to become a wrestler.

Question 5:
What surprises the warrior?

Answer:
When Ranji dived into the water perfectly, Suraj was amazed to see this. Ranji was able to swim under
water as he circled Suraj and came up from behind him. This surprised Suraj and he admired Ranji’s
swimming skills.

Question 6:
Now that they are at the pool, why don’t they continue the fight?

Answer:
Although both the boys were at the pool together, they were not fighting with each other. Suraj, the
warrior was taken by surprise when he saw Ranji’s skills like diving and swimming under water. He
wanted to learn these skills from Ranji.

Question 7:
Ranji’s superiority over the other boy is obvious in the following:
physical strength, good diving, his being a fighter, sense of humour, swimming under water, making a
good point, willingness to help.
Underline the relevant phrases.

Answer:
Good diving, sense of humour, swimming under water, willingness to help.

Question 8:
What, according to you, makes the two adversaries turn into good friends in a matter of minutes?
Explain it as you have understood it.

Answer:
The two adversaries turned into good friends in a matter of minutes when they started admiring each
other’s skills and decided to learn those skills from each other. When the other boy, Suraj saw how well
Ranji dived and swam under water, he almost forgot about the fight and asked Ranji to teach him these
swimming skills. Suraj had a well-built physique and when he noticed that Ranji had a lean body
structure, he said that he would help him to become a good wrestler if Ranji taught him swimming
skills, to which Ranji readily agreed to help. Finally, the two claimants gave up their fight and became
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 6
The Fight
good friends.

Exercise (Page 54)

Discuss the following topics in small groups.

Question 1:
Is fighting the only way of resolving differences of opinion? What else can be done to reach a mutually
acceptable settlement?

Answer:
No, fighting is never the only way to resolve differences of opinion. Any differences between two parties
or people can be resolved in a coolhead manner through discussion. Even if the difference of opinion
continues, a middleman should try to resolve the conflict between the two parties peacefully.

Question 2:
Have you ever been in a serious fight only to realize that it was unnecessary and futile? Share your
experience/views with others frankly and honestly.

Answer:
Yes, it is in human nature to pick a fight on minor issues sometimes. However, such fights or arguments
can be resolved through discussion and respecting each other’s point of view. Once both the parties
agree to resolve the conflict, they can do it peacefully without hurting each other’s emotions and
sentiments.

Question 3:
Why do some of us find it necessary to prove that we are better than others? Will you be amused or
annoyed to read the following sign at the back of the car in front of you?
“I may be going slow but I am ahead of you.”

Answer:
It is common in human nature when one person tries to pull down another by exhibiting one’s
superiority over the other person. We should avoid ego clashes and misunderstandings from creeping
into our relationship with other people.
In my opinion, I would be amused to read the sign “I may be going slow but I am ahead of you.” and
take it on a lighter note and laugh it off.
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 8
Jalebis

Jalebis
Comprehension Check (Page 65)
Question 1:
Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to school?

Answer:
The boy did not pay the school fees on the day he brought money to school because his teacher, Master
Ghulam Mohammed who collected the fees was on leave that particular day and so the fees would be
collected the next day.

Question 2:
(i) What were the coins ‘saying’ to him?
(ii) Do you think they were misguiding him?

Answer:

(i) The coins in the boy’s pocket were actually his inner self which was urging him to buy hot and fresh
jalebis.

(ii) Yes, the coins were misguiding him because the money was actually meant for paying school fees.
However, when he saw the hot, sweet and syrupy jalebis, the boy couldn’t resist his sweet tooth
temptation.

Question 3:
Why didn’t he take the coins’ advice? Give two or three reasons.

Answer:
Initially, the boy didn’t take the coins’ advice because of the following reasons:
(i) He was an honest boy.
(ii) He could not spend the money meant for school fees on buying jalebis.
(iii) He was fully aware of the consequences of not paying the fees on time i.e. the teacher would punish
him by beating him with a cane.

Question 4:
(i) What did the oldest coin tell him?
(ii) Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?

Answer:
(i) The oldest coin convinced him that they were telling him to buy jalebis for his own good. It also said
that he could also pay his fees the following day with his scholarship money. Hence, he should not
suppress his desire for jalebis or resist himself from this temptation.
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 8
Jalebis
(ii) No, the boy did not follow the coins advice initially. He was an honest and promising student and
thought he couldn’t defame his reputed family by spending his school fees to buy jalebis. Moreover, he
was aware of the harsh punishment that the teacher would inflict upon him if the school fees were not
paid on time.

Question 5:
He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then?

Answer:
Upon reaching home, the coins in his pocket kept persuading him. When he went inside to have lunch,
they began to shriek. Thoroughly fed up, he rushed out of the house barefoot and ran towards the
bazaar. Unable to suppress his temptation and totally terrified, he told the halwai to weigh a whole
rupee worth of jalebis quickly. The halwai opened up a whole newspaper and heaped a pile of jalebis on
it.

Comprehension Check (Page 68)

Question 1:
(i) Why didn’t he eat all the jalebis he had bought?
(ii) What did he do with the remaining jalebis?

Answer:

(i) He didn’t eat all the jalebis that he had bought because the quantity of jalebis was too much for him
to finish all on his own. After eating many pieces, he was completely full. He felt if anyone pressed his
stomach a little, jalebis would have popped out of his ears and nostrils.

(ii) He distributed the remaining jalebis to the children who had assembled in the same gali where he
was relishing on the jalebis. Initially he bought a rupee worth of jalebis, but later he bought jalebis with
the rest of the money that he had with himself.

Question 2:
“The fear was killing me.” What was the fear?

Answer:
After spending the school fees amount in buying jalebis and eating them, it made the boy realise that he
had committed a big mistake. He was in complete fear of getting caught and thought that if his parents
found out about his act, they would not spare him. With every breath came a burp, and with every burp,
the danger of bringing out a jalebi or two; this fear was killing him.

Question 3:
“Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines.” What do you understand by that? Do you agree?

Answer:
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 8
Jalebis
This means that children have an active digestive system as they perform physical activity like walking
and playing games every day. The boy had popped in so many jalebis and felt his digestive system would
digest it by morning.
Yes, I do agree to this statement as children do have the capacity to digest a lot of things even if they
overeat sometimes.

Question 4:
How did he plan to pay the fees the next day?

Answer:
He planned to pay the fees the next day with his monthly scholarship that he would receive on that day.

Question 5:
When it is time to pay the fees, what does he do? How is he disobeying the elders by doing so?

Answer:
When it is time to pay the fees, the boy tucked his bag under his arm and left the school. He simply
followed his nose and walked on hoping that some miracle would save him in that situation. He was so
engrossed in his thoughts that soon he reached the point where the Kambelpur railway station began.
The elders had warned him to never cross the railway tracks or eat sweets with one’s fees money.
Hence, he had a deep sense of regret and remorse for disobeying their words.

Comprehension Check (Page 72)

Question 1:
What was the consequence of buying jalebis with the fees money?

Answer:
The ultimate consequence of buying jalebis with the fees money was that for the first time in his life, the
boy had to stay absent from his school. He knew that he disobeyed his parents for the first time and felt
sorry for spending the fees money to fulfill his sweet tooth craving.

Question 2:
His prayer to God is like a lawyer’s defence of a bad case. Does he argue his case well? What are the
points he makes?

Answer:
The boy tried very hard to please God with his requests and recited verses from the entire namaz. He
said that he even knew the last ten surats of the Quran by heart. He could also recite the entire ayat-al-
kursi for the Almighty right away. He deeply regretted his act of eating jalebis with the school fees
money. He admitted that he made a grave mistake. He added that he wouldn’t have spent the fees
money on jalebis if he was aware about the delay in scholarship that month. He also mentioned that he
knew that there is no shortage of anything in God’s treasury. Even the chaprasi at his place took a whole
lot of money to his home every month. Furthermore, he stated that he was the nephew of a big officer
and therefore, pleaded to God to give him just four rupees. Having said all this, he prayed earnestly to
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 8
Jalebis
Allah Miyan and argued his case like a lawyer in front of Him.

Question 3:
He offers to play a game with Allah Miyan. What is the game?

Answer:
The game was that he would go up to the signal, touch it and return. In the meantime, God should
secretly put four rupees under a big rock. Once he lifts it, he should be able to find the four rupees
underneath the rock.

Question 4:
Did he get four rupees by playing the game? What did he get to see under the rock?

Answer:
No, the boy didn’t get four rupees by playing the game with God. However, when he lifted the rock, he
found a big hairy worm curling and twisting that wriggled towards him.

Question 5:
If God had granted his wish that day, what harm would it have caused him in later life?

Answer:
If God had granted his wish that day, he would have never learnt a lesson from his mistake. He felt he
would have continued doing wrong and bad deeds and that God would always save him upon
persuasion.

Exercise (Page 72)

Work in small groups.

Question 1:
Select and read sentences that show
(a) that the boy is tempted to eat jalebis
(b) that he is feeling guilty
(c) that he is justifying a wrong deed

Answer:
(a) That the boy is tempted to eat jalebis
(i) Jalebis are meant to be eaten, and those with money in their pocket can eat them.
(ii) But then, these jalebis are no common sort of jalebis either. They’re crisp, fresh and full of syrup.
(iii) My mouth watered.
(iv) Thoroughly fed up, I rushed out of the house bare foot and ran towards the bazaar.
(b) That he is feeling guilty
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 8
Jalebis
(i) My head started to spin.

(ii) When the recess bell rang I tucked my bag under my arm and left the school.

(iii) Now for the crime of eating a few jalebis, for the first time in my life I was absent from school.

(iv) Sitting there under the tree, at first I felt like crying.

(c) That he is justifying a wrong deed

(i) I didn’t eat them all by myself, though I fed them to a whole lot of children too.

(ii) ‘Allah Miyan! I’m a very good boy. I have memorised the entire namaaz. I even know the last ten
surats of the Quran by heart.

Question 2:
Discuss the following points.
(a) Is the boy intelligent? If so, what is the evidence of it?
(b) Does his outlook on the jalebis episode change after class VIII? Does he see that episode in a new
light?
(c) Why are coins made to ‘talk’ in this story? What purpose does it serve?

Answer:

(a) The boy is definitely intelligent. The first evidence is that he was a promising student who had won a
scholarship at school. He knew the difference between what is right and what is wrong. He had never
been absent from school and listened to his elders always. Besides, he also puts valid points of his case
before God just like a defence lawyer.

(b) Yes, certainly his outlook changed after class VIII. He kept wondering what harm it could have
caused anyone if God would have sent him four rupees the other day. He later realised that everything
comes with a price. This means that if God provides all that man asks, then man would be living in nests
like birds and would have never learnt the art of making jalebis too.

(c) The coins are made to ‘talk’ in this story and indicate the greedy inner self of the boy. Although he
was an honest and virtuous boy, he couldn’t resist his temptation from eating jalebis with the school
fees money. His inner greed pushed him to buy the jalebis and devour them, thus projecting that the
coins in his pocket urged him to indulge in the sweet.
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 11
Ancient Education System of India

Ancient Education System of India

Comprehension Check (Page 92)
Question 1:
Why were travellers attracted towards India?

Answer:
Most travellers were attracted towards India because of the fame of Indian culture, its wealth, religions,
philosophies, art, architecture, along with its educational practices that had spread far and wide across
the world. The Indian education system of ancient times was considered as a rich source of knowledge,
traditions and practices that helped in guiding and encouraging humanity as a whole. For travellers,
India was a land of great wonder.

Question 2:
What were the sources of the ancient education system?

Answer:
The different sources of ancient system of education was the education imparted from the Vedas,
Brahmanas, Upanishads and Dharmasutras. The writings of Aryabhata, Panini, Katyayana and
Patanjali and the medical treatises of Charaka and Sushruta were also some of the rich sources of
learning. Besides, the sources of learning were drawn from various disciplines such as Itihas (history),
Anviksiki (logic), Mimamsa (interpretation), Shilpashastra (architecture), Arthashastra (polity), Varta
(agriculture, trade, commerce, animal husbandry) and Dhanurvidya (archery).

Question 3:
What were the features of education system in ancient India?

Answer:
Some of the features of education system in ancient India included the following:

(a) Teaching and learning followed the tenets of Vedas and Upanishads fulfilling duties towards self,
family and society, thus encompassing all aspects of life.

(b) Education system focused both on learning and physical development.

(c) The emphasis of education was on maintaining a healthy mind and healthy body.

(d) Education in India had a heritage of being pragmatic, achievable and complementary to life.

Question 4:
What was the role of guru in pupils’ lives?
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 11
Ancient Education System of India
Answer:
In ancient times, the Gurus and their pupils worked conscientiously together to become proficient in all
aspects of learning. Shastrartha (learned debates) were organized to assess pupils’ learning. Pupils at an
advanced stage of learning guided younger pupils, just as we have peer groups to share knowledge
among ourselves. During that period, the Gurus and their shishyas lived together and they would help
each other in everyday life. The main objective was to having end-to-end learning, leading a disciplined
life and realising a learner’s inner potential. Students would live away from their homes for many years
until their goals were fully achieved. The gurukul was the place where the Guru-shishya relationship
became stronger with time. While pursuing their education in different disciplines like history, art of
debate, law, medicine, etc., the emphasis was not just on the outer dimensions of the discipline. It also
enriched the inner dimensions of the personality.

Comprehension Check (Page 97)

Question 1:
Where did the nuns and monks receive their education?

Answer:
The nuns and monks received their education from various monasteries or viharas which were
educational centres of art and learning. These centres were mainly set up to meditate, discuss and
debate with the learned to satisy their quest for knowledge during the ancient period.

Question 2:
What is Panini known for?

Answer:
Panini was a legendary Indian Sanskrit grammarian who was an expert in language and grammar and
authored one of the greatest works on grammar called Ashtadhyayi. He was a revered scholar in ancient
India who was considered as the “Father of Linguistics” who gave a detailed scientific theory of
phonetics, morphology and phonology.

Question 3:
Which university did Xuan Zang and I-Qing study at?

Answer:
The Chinese scholars’ I-Qing and Xuan Zang visited Nalanda in the 7th century CE. When Xuan Zang
visited it, Nalanda was called Nala, which was a centre of higher learning in various subjects.

Question 4:
Which subject did Xuan Zang study in India?

Answer:
Xuan Zang studied Yogashastra, grammar, logic and Sanskrit during his time at the Nalanda University
in India.
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 11
Ancient Education System of India
Question 5:
How did society help in the education of the students?

Answer:
During ancient times, knowledge was considered sacred and hence no fee was charged for imparting it.
The contributions towards education from wealthy counterparts was regarded as the highest form of
donation. Different people contributed differently. Financial support mostly came from rich merchants,
wealthy parents and society. Apart from gifts of buildings, the universities would also receive gifts of
land from wealthy people. The free form of education was mostly prevalent in ancient universities such
as Valabhi, Vikramshila and Jagaddala.

Exercise (Page 97)

Discuss the following questions in small groups and write your answers.

Question 1:
Which salient features of the ancient education system of India made it globally renowned?

Answer:
Some of the salient features of the ancient education system of India that made it globally renowned are
listed as below:

(a) As our ancient education system in India evolved over the period, it focused on the holistic
development of the individual that included taking care of both the inner and the outer self.

(b) The ancient system focused on the spiritual, physical, moral and intellectual aspects of life.

(c) It emphasized on values such as truthfulness, humility, self-reliance, discipline and respect for all
creative works.

(d) Students were taught to appreciate and strike a balance between human beings and nature.

(e) Teachers taught and followed the tenets of Vedas and Upanishads, which mentioned fulfilling one’s
responsibilities towards self, family and society covering all the aspects of life.

Question 2:
Why do you think students from other countries came to India to study at that time?

Answer:
In ancient times, students from China, Korea, Tibet, Burma, Ceylon, Java, Nepal and other distant
countries were attracted to come to India and study as India was considered a land of wonder with a
rich source of knowledge that had educational centres of higher learning. Various monasteries or
viharas were set up for monks and nuns to meditate, debate and discuss with the learned to satisfy their
quest for knowledge during this period.
 NCERT Solutions Class 8 English - Chapter 11
Ancient Education System of India
Besides, Takshashila was also a noted centre of learning that included religious teachings of Buddhism,
for several centuries. It continued to attract students from around the world until its destruction in the
5th century CE.

Question 3:
Why is education considered ‘a way of life’?

Answer:
Education is considered ‘a way of life’ because in ancient India, there was the existence of both formal
and informal modes of education system. Indigenous education was imparted at home, gurukuls, tols,
temples, Pathshalas and chatuspadis. People in homes, villages and temples would guide young
children and help them in imbibing the pious and ideal ways of life.

Question 4:
What do you understand by holistic education?

Answer:
Holistic education refers to the development of the inner and outer self of an individual which prepares
them for life. Although ancient education system in India was free, it was not centralized. Its
foundations were mostly laid in the rich cultural traditions of India that helped in the development of
the physical, spiritual, intellectual and artistic aspects of life holistically.

Question 5:
Why do you think Takshashila and Nalanda have been declared heritage sites?

Answer:
Takshashila was an ancient Indian city that was declared to be a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in
1980 because it was considered an important archaeological site and a place of core learning due to its
teachers’ expertise.
Being one of the oldest universities of the world, Nalanda was a centre of learning from the 5th century
CE to 12th century CE. UNESCO declared the ruins of Nalanda Mahavihara as a world heritage site.