Balbharti Maharashtra State Board Class 6 English Solutions Chapter 3.5 The Donkey Notes, Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers.
Maharashtra State Board Class 6 English Solutions Chapter 3.5 The Donkey
Class 6 English Chapter 3.5 The Donkey Textbook Questions and Answers
1. Rewrite the poem in the form of a prose passage.
Question 1.
Rewrite the poem in the form of a prose passage.
Answer:
The one-day-old foal tries to explore his surroundings but his shaky legs and large head render his steps rather clumsy than normal. He tries to frolic and leap but doesn’t quite know how to do it. His head, just like human babies, is too heavy for his weak neck to firmly hold it. He adorned with a rather strange coat in the guise of soft, grey fur in a lovely way around his neck.
His face looked serious, almost as if he was thinking of something that life longed for. He unsteadily moved around, as if on a daring, adventurous quest. Just when he lay down to relax, the poet realized how puny he was and hoped that the world treated the frail foal with care.
2. List the pairs of rhyming words in the poem.
Question 1.
List the pairs of rhyming words in the poem.
Answer:
The pairs of rhyming words in the poem are:
old – hold; loose – use; bit – it, grey – way; doubt – about; quest – rest; slim – him; round – ground
3. What does the poet pray for? Why?
Question 1.
What does the poet pray for? Why?
Answer:
The poet realizes that the one-day-old donkey is very frail and certainly can’t take care of himself. He prays that the world treats the little foal with care.
4. Have you seen a newborn of an animal?
Question 1.
Have you seen a newborn of an animal?
Answer:
Yes, I have seen the newborn of a dog. The newborns, that is the puppies cling onto their mother for their dear life. They are very puny and their mother is very protective of them. All the puppies nestle close to their mother at the time of drinking milk.
5. Talk to your parents and family members and write what you could do when:
Question 1.
Talk to your parents and family members and write what you could do when:
- you were a day old
- you were one month old
- you were six months old
- you were one year old.
6. Form groups and hold debutes on the following topics. Make bulleted lists of points in favour (pros) and those against (cons) the given statement. Let the whole class vote on who won the debate.
Question 1.
Form groups and hold debutes on the following topics. Make bullcted lists of points in
favour (pros) and those against (cons) the given statement. Let the whole class vote on
who won the debate.
a. Man should use animals for his own needs.
b. Contact with ‘flan has helped animals to survive.
Answer:
PROS:
- Animal testing has contributed to many life¬saving cures and treatments.
- There is no other alternative method to testing on a whole body system.
- Animals are appropriate research subjects because they are similar to human beings in many ways.
- Animal research is highly regulated with laws in place to protect animals from mistreatment.
- Animals often make better research subjects than human beings because of their shorter life spans.
CONS:
- Animals testing is cruel and inhumane.
- Alternative methods are now existing that can replace the need for animals.
- Animals are very different from human beings and therefore make poor test subjects.
- 95% of the animals used in the research are not protected by the Animal Welfare Act.
- Animal tests do not reliably predict results in humans beings.
7. Find what the young ones of the following animals are called.
Question 1.
Find what the young ones of the following animals are called.
- donkey –
- horse –
- Lion –
- tiger –
- elephant –
- sheep –
- lamb –
- cow –
- pig –
- whale –
- owl –
- swan –
- eagle –
- duck –
- peacock –
Answer:
| donkey – foal | swan – cygnet |
| horse – foal | eagle – eaglet |
| lion – cub | duck – duckling |
| tiger – cub | peacock – peachick |
| elephant – calf | kangaroo – joey |
| sheep – lamb | deer – fawn |
| cow – calf | frog – tadpole |
| pig-piglet | butterfly – caterpillar |
| whale – calf | goose – gosling |
| owl – owlet | goat – kid |
8. Complete the following using your own ideas.
Question a.
His head was too big to ……………… .
Answer:
His head is too big to hold his neck.
Question b.
He was too shy to ……………… .
Answer:
He was too shy to sing for the class.
Question c.
She was too proud to ……………….. .
Answer:
She was too proud to apologise.
Question d.
They were too tired to ………………… .
Answer:
They were too tired to explore any further.
Question e.
We are too busy to ……………….. .
Answer:
We are too busy to go on a vacation.
Question f.
He was too lazy to ……………. .
Answer:
He was too lazy to open the door.
9. Write a conversation between: (One is done for you. Write dialogues for the other two.)
Question a.
A donkey and a dog
Question b.
A donkey and a horse
Answer:
- Horse: How are you, Mr. Donkey?
- Donkey: Not so good. No time for enjoyment. How are you?
- Horse: I am good. I have got a good master. He takes good care of me.
- Donkey: My master is good too but he is poor. I am made to work from dawn to dusk.
- Horse: That is sad, dear. I hope things get better for you.
- Donkey: I don’t know about that. You know we are known as the ’beasts of burden’. We only carry loads of luggage on our back.
- Horse: I know. We are lucky. We have to carry our masters on our back. Our , masters are very proud of us.
- Donkey: You are lucky. People sit on you with pride. The same cannot be said about us. No one likes to sit on donkeys.
- Horse: That is very sad. I know that people look down upon donkeys. They do not like to sit on donkeys because they feel it below their dignity.
- Donkey: People feel that donkeys are there only to carry burden. They feel that donkeys are foolish. I have heard people and it is so disheartening to hear this statement.
- Horse: I hope things get better for you and people understand your worth.
- Donkey: May your words come true and we too get the same respect as you get.
- Horse: Yes, that will happen. Times are changing. People are becoming aware that animals too need their space and should be treated well. Bye for now, see you sometime soon, with a smile on your face.
- Donkey: Yes, I too hope things would change for us. At least our children will then have a better life. See you dear horse!!!
Question c.
A donkey and a schoolboy
Question 10.
If you saw someone ill-treating an animal, what would you do? Write about it in 5 lines.
Answer:
If I were to see someone ill-treating an animal, the first thing I would do is calmly but firmly suggest the person to stop his misbehavior act. I will explain to him that these vulnerable animals can’t speak for themselves. I will tell him that it is our duty to protect them and not harm them. If he continues the ill-treatment, I would call the Animal Protection Services.
11. Visit a library, find poems about animals. Copy them and recite them to your friends. (To be done by the students)
Question 1.
Visit a library, find poems about animals. Copy them and recite them to your friends. (To be done by the students)
Class 6 English Chapter 3.5 The Donkey Additional Important Questions and Answers
Reading Skills and Poetic Device.
Question 1.
I saw a donkey which was year old.
Answer:
False
Question 2.
He tried to gambol and frisk but could not do it confidently.
Answer:
True
Answer the following.
Question 1.
How were the legs of the foal?
Answer:
The legs of the foals were shaky, long and loose.
Question 2.
Describe the coat of the foal.
Answer:
The foal had a queer, little coat, which was soft and grey and it curled at his neck making I look lovely.
Poetic Device.
Question 1.
Give the rhyme scheme of the first four lines.
Answer:
abac
Question 2.
Pick out a pair of rhyming words from the second stanza.
Answer:
bit – it, grey – way
Question 3.
I saw a donkey one day old. (Name the figure of speech)
Answer:
The figure of speech is Alliteration. The sound of ‘d’ has been repeated for better poetic effect.
Personal Response.
Question 1.
Which animal/bird do you like? Why?
Answer:
I like the peacock a lot. It is so beautiful to look at. It has wonderful colours on its body and when it spread out its plumage, it creates an awesome sight. The peacock is a royal bird and also our National Bird. These are the reasons why I love the peacock very much
Language Study.
Question 1.
Project Work
Answer:
Visit a library, find poems about animals. Copy them and recite them to your friends. (To be done by the students)
Question 2.
From the following grid, find the words gievn below.
Answer:
The Donkey Summary in English
The one-day old foal tries to explore his surroundings, but his shaky legs and large head render his steps rather clumsy rather than normal. He tries to frolic and leap but doesn’t quite know how to do it. His head, just like human babies, is too heavy for his weak neck to firmly hold it. He adorned with a rather strange coat in the guise of soft, grey fur in a lovely way around his neck.
His face looked serious, almost as if he was thinking of something that life longed for. He unsteadily moved around, as if on a daring, adventurous quest. Just when he lay down to relax, the poet realized how puny he was and hoped that the world treated the frail foal with care.
Introduction:
The poem ‘The Donkey’ describes the behaviour of a newborn donkey for whom life is a new experience as he is taking the first steps of his life. He clumsily tries to walk around, his huge head and shaky loose legs making it all the more difficult for him to do so. The poem ends with the poet hoping that the world around the foal (baby donkey) would treat him with care.
Glossary:
- rocketed (v) – moved suddenly
- staggered (v) – tottered, moved unsteadily
- gambol (v) – to leap, move playfully
- wistful (adj) – full of hope, longing for something
- venturesome (adj) – daring, adventurous
- quest (n) – search, to look for something
- frisk (v) – gambol, skip, dance
- queer (adj) – weird, odd
- slim (adj) – slender, thin