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

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 9 The Great Stone Face -I are provided below. These solutions contain answers to all the textbook questions. All the questions are solved by experts with a detailed explanation that help students to complete their assignments and homework. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 9 The Great Stone Face Part 1 are prepared as per the latest CBSE syllabus and curriculum. Students of Class 8th can study the answers provided here to score well in their school exams.

The Great Stone Face -I Class 8 NCERT Questions and Answers

Textbooks Questions
Comprehension Check (Page 125)

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

Working with The Text

Answer the following questions.

Question 1: (i) What was the Great Stone Face?

Answer: The Great Stone Face was a work of nature. It was formed on the perpendicular side of a mountain by some immense rocks that 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 gazed at the Great Stone Face. It smiled on him. Ernest wished that it could speak because it looked very kindly. Its voice must be pleasant. He would love the man whoever bore such a face dearly.

Question 2: What was the story attributed to the Stone Face?

Answer: The story attributed to the Stone Face was that some day a child with the likeness of that face would be born. He would become the greatest and noblest person of his age.

Question 3: What gave the people of the valley the idea that the prophecy was about to come true for the first time?

Answer: There was a rumour in the valley that the great man resembling the Great Stone Face had appeared. A young man, named Gathergold had left the valley. He had grown a rich merchant by the time he became old. He had decided to return to his native valley. The rumour went that he had the living likeness of the Great Stone Face. It made the people of the valley think that the prophecy was about to come true.

Question 4: (i) Did Ernest see in Gathergold the likeness of the Stone Face?
(ii) Who did he confide in and how was he proved right

Answer: (i) No, Ernest did not see the likeness of the Stone Face in Gathergold. He could not see the kindness or truthfulness in Gathergold’s face as it was missing in his unpleasant face due to his wrinkled shrewdness.

(ii) Ernest confided in the valley, where the Stone Face was formed. He was proved right because Gathergold died after sometime. He was then a poor man. All the people, then, said that he had no likeness with the stone face.

Question 5: (i) What made people believe General Blood-and-Thunder was their man?
(ii) Ernest compared the man’s face with the Stone Face. What did he conclude?

Answer: (i) General Blood-and-thunder had risen to high position from a soldier. When he returned to the valley, his childhood friends said that the General had always looked like the Stone Face.

(ii) Ernest compared the face of Blood-and-Thunder with the Stone Face. He could not recognise any likeness between them. He concluded that the man, bearing likeness to the Stone Face had yet to come.

Working with language (Page 126-127)

Question 1: Look at the following words.
like – likeness
punctual – punctuality

The words on the left are adjectives and those on the right are their noun forms.

Write the noun forms of the following words by adding -ness or -ity to them appropriately. Check the spelling of the new words.

(i) lofty ______________ (vi) enormous ______________
(ii) able ______________ (vii) pleasant ______________
(iii) happy ______________ (viii) dense ______________
(iv) near ______________ (ix) great ______________
(v) noble ______________ (x) stable ______________

Answer: (i) lofty loftiness (vi) enormous enormity

(ii) able ability (vii) pleasant pleasantness

(iii) happy happiness (viii) dense density

(iv) near nearness (ix) great greatness

(v) noble nobility (x) stable stability

Question 2: Add -ly to each of the following adjectives, then use them to fill in the blanks.

perfect

near

kind

pleasant

eager

(i) Why didn’t you turn up at the meeting? We all were _______ waiting for you.
(ii) _________ write your name and address in capital letters.
(iii) I was _________ surprised to see him at the railway station. I thought he was not coming.
(iv) It is _________ believable that I am not responsible for this mess.
(v) He fell over the step and _________ broke his arm.

Answer: (i) Why didn’t you turn up at the meeting? We all were eagerly waiting for you.

(ii) Kindly 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 perfectly 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/recognise) him. He is growing a beard.

(v) We are off today. We _________ (write) to you after we _________ (be) back.

Answer: (i) I shall phone you when I will get home from school.

(ii) Hurry up! Madam will be annoyed if we are late.

(iii) If it rains today, we shall not go to the play.

(iv) When you see Mandal again, you will not recognise him. He is growing a beard.

(v) We are off today. We shall write to you after we are back.

Speaking and Writing

Question 1: Imagine you are Ernest. Narrate the story that his mother told him. Begin like this: My mother and I were sitting at the door of our cottage. We were looking at the Great Stone Face. I asked her if she had ever seen any one who looked like the Stone Face. Then she told me this story.

Answer: She had heard that story from her own Mother that some day a child would be born resembling the Stone Face. In manhood he would become the greatest and noblest person of his time.

Question 2: Imagine you are Gathergold. Write briefly the incident of your return to the valley.

Begin like this: My name is Gathergold. 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?

Answer: I drove to my native village in a horse drawn carriage. The people mistook me for the Great Stone Face. They welcomed me and shouted, “Sure enough, the old prophecy is true and the great man has arrived at last”.