NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 9 The Great Stone Face 1

The Great Stone Face 1 NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 9

The Great Stone Face 1 NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Great Stone Face 1 Comprehension check

Write ‘True’or ‘False’ against each of the following statements.

1. The Great Stone Face stood near where Ernest and his mother lived. False
2. One would clearly distinguish the features of the Stone Face only from a distance. True
3. Ernest loved his mother and helped her in her work. True
4. Though not very rich, Gathergold was a skillful merchant. False
5. Gathergold died in poverty and neglect. True
6. The Great Stone Face seemed to suggest that Ernest should not fear the general. False

The Great Stone Face 1 Working with the text

Question 1.
Answer the following questions.

i. What was the Great Stone Face?
Answer:
The Great Stone Face was a work of nature, formed on the perpendicular side of a mountain by some immense rocks, which had been thrown together so that, when viewed at a proper distance, they resembled the features of a human face.

ii. What did young Ernest wish when he gazed at it?
Answer:
Young Ernest wished that the Great Stone Face could speak. He found the face to be very pleasant and wanted to hear him talk.

Question 2.
What was the story attributed to the Stone Face?
Answer:
The story attributed to the Stone Face was that at some future day, a child should be bom near there, who was destined to become the greatest and noblest person of his time and whose face, in manhood, should bear an exact resemblance to the Great Stone Face.

Question 3.
What gave the people of the valley the idea that the prophecy was about to come true for the first time?
Answer:
One of the natives of the village, Gathergold, returned with a lot of wealth from the city and decided to retire in the village. His wealth and power made the villagers believe that it was the return of the Great Stone Face to the village.

Question 4.
i. Did Ernest see in Gathergold the likeness of the Stone Face?
Answer:
No, Ernest didn’t see the likeness of the Stone Face in Gathergold.

ii. Who did he confide in and how was he proved right?
Answer:
He confided in the Great Stone Face. He was proved right when the old man grew poor and the villagers seemed to agree that there was no likeness between him and the Great Stone Face.

Question 5.
i. What made people believe General Blood-and-Thunder was their man?
Answer:
The fact that General Blood-and-Thunder had earned a lot of fame by becoming a commander led the villagers to believe this. The villagers believed that he was the greatest man that had ever lived.

ii. Ernest compared the man’s face with the Stone Face. What did he conclude?
Answer:
Ernest concluded that there was no likeness between the face of the soldier and the Great Stone Face.

The Great Stone Face 1 Working with language

Question 1.
Write the noun forms of the following words by adding -ness or -ity to them appropriately. Check the spelling of the new words.
Solved
i. lofty – loftiness
ii. able – ability
iii. happy – happiness
iv. near – nearness
v. noble – nobility
vi. enormous – enormity
vii. pleasant – pleasantness
viii. dense – density
ix. great – greatness
x. stable – stability

Question 2.
Add -ly to each of the following adjectives, then use them to fill in the blanks.
Solved
i. Why didn’t you turn up at the meeting? We all were eagerly waiting for you.
ii. Perfectly write your name and address in capital letters.
iii. I was pleasantly surprised to see him at the railway station. I thought he was not coming.
iv. It is kindly believable that I am not responsible for this mess.
v. He fell over the step and nearly broke his arm.

Question 3.
Complete each sentence below using the appropriate forms of the verbs in brackets.
i. I …………………….. (phone) you when I (get) home from school.
ii. Hurry up! Madam …………….. (be) annoyed if we ……………… (be) late.
iii. If it ………………….. (rain) today, we ………………… (not) go to the play.
iv. When you ……………. (see) Mandal again, you ………………….. (not/recognize) him. He is
growing a beard.
v. We are off today. We …………………… (write) to you after we ……………….. (be) back.
Answer:
i. phoned; got
ii. will be; are
iii. rains; cannot
iv. see; will not recognize
v. will write; are

The Great Stone Face 1 Speaking and writing

Question 1.
Imagine you are Ernest. Narrate the story that his mother told him.
(Encourage the students to use their creativity and formulate their answers.)

Question 2.
Imagine you are Gathergold. Write briefly the incident of your return to the valley.
Answer:
Sample answer: My name is Gather gold. I left the valley of the Great Stone Face fifty years ago. I am now going back home. Will the people of the valley welcome me? Do they know that I am very rich? I have heard rumours that the villagers believe that I am the prophecy man of the Great Stone Face.

But I know in my heart that I am not the one. I haven’t done so many noble things that would merit such an honour. You cannot become a businessman without being shrewd. I have earned enough wealth.

So, now I want to go back to my roots and spend my time in the lap of the Great Stone Face. How eagerly I am looking forward to my old home and village. I can’t wait to be there.