NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 6 The Fight

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 6 The Fight 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 It So Happened Chapter 6 The Fight 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 Fight Class 8 NCERT Questions and Answers

Comprehension Check (Page No 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 in the pool.

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, Suraj, expected Ranji to say ‘sorry’.

(ii) He was wrong to ask this question because the pool was in the forest. It was not his personal property.

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

Answer: Between Ranji and the other boy, the other boy was trying to start a quarrel. When Ranji saw him, he did not say anything. It was the other boy who asked Ranji to explain himself. Ranji was prepared to be friendly, but was taken aback by the boy’s hostile tone. He even asked the boy to come and swim with him. However, the boy said that it was his pool, and started a fight by calling himself a ‘warrior’.

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: (i) Suraj spoke the above words because he was tired but he did not want to spare Ranji who refused to accept defeat. So he deferred the fight for the next day.

(ii) No, the fight didn’t continue the next day. Both Suraj and Ranji needed each other’s help, so they compromised. Suraj asked Ranji to teach him to dive and swim underwater. While Ranji agreed to become a wrestler with the help of Suraj.

Comprehension Check (Page No 53)

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

Answer: At home, Ranji found it difficult to explain the cuts and bruises that showed on his face, legs and arms. It was difficult to hide the fact that he had been involved in a fight.

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) At first Ranji felt like turning away and look the other way. His second thought was to hit his enemy with the lemonade bottle.

(ii) He actually stands his ground and only scowls at Suraj. Ranji decides to go back to the pool to gain self-respect. If he surrenders now, he will be beaten for all time.

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

Answer: Ranji was not eager for a second fight, but he still went back to the pool because if he had not turned up, it would have been an acknowledgement of his defeat. He could not quietly accept his defeat. If he surrendered, he would be beaten forever. However, if he fought and got beaten, he could come again to fight and be beaten again. As long as he fought, he had the right to the pool in the forest.

Question 4: Who was the better swimmer? How do you know it?

Answer: Ranji executes another perfect dive. Swimming underwater, he circles Suraj and comes upon him from behind.

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 this skill 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, swimming under water, willingness to help, sense of humour.

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: Ranji and Suraj, two adversaries, turned into good friends in a few minutes for a couple of reasons. Both were tired of fighting. Both needed each other’s help, guidance and support. Suraj wanted to learn diving from Ranji. While Ranji liked the idea of becoming a strong wrestler with the help of Suraj.

Exercise

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: This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

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

Answer: People usually quarrel over minor issues which can be resolved over a cup of tea. Such violent quarrels harm both the parties. In a war, no party actually wins. Both suffer equally and feel sorry later on. Every person can recall one or two occasions of this type.

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: This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.