“The Balloon Man” is a lesson of Class 8 Textbook of MPBSE. Here all the Exercises Questions are done by teachers.
A) Pick out the rhyming words from the poem for the following words:
- folds → holds
- funny → sunny
- dining → shining
- mug → tug
- failing → sailing
B) Write the encircled words against their correct meanings:
(cart, sky, market, baloon, string)
a) Where the things are sold market.
b) A bag of thin rubber that becomes larger and rounder when filled with air balloon.
c) A vehicle with two or four wheels pulled by a horse cart.
d) A thread used to tie the balloon string.
e) The space above the earth that you see when you look up sky.
Comprehension
Answer the following questions:
a) Who always comes on market days?
Answer: The Balloon Man always comes on market days.
b) What does he hold?
Answer: He holds a lovely bunch of balloons.
c) What are the colours of the balloons which shine far away?
Answer: The colours of the balloons are red, purple, blue, and green.
d) What do the balloons look like in the sky?
Answer: The balloons look pretty in the sky when they sail high.
e) Write any four lines of this poem.
Answer:
He always comes on market days,
And holds balloons – a lovely bunch,
And in the market square he stays,
And never seems to think of lunch.
f) What does the poet say in the third stanza?
Answer: In the third stanza, the poet describes how the balloons are tied together with a string. They come in different sizes—some big and some small. If there is any wind, the balloons tug and pull at the string.
Let’s Read
Read the following passage carefully:
In a small village, there lived a rich man. He had a friend, who could not hear. The deaf friend learned that the rich man was ill. So he went one afternoon to visit the rich man.
“I must see my friend and try to make him happy,” he said to himself. “But I must think of what I’m going to say. I must take care and not say anything that might make him angry. First I’ll ask, ‘Well, how are you today?’ He’ll answer, ‘Fine, Thank you.’ Then I’ll ask him about his food. He’ll say. ‘Rice without salt.’ And I’ll say, ‘That’s good for you. I hope it helps you.’ Then I’ll ask, ‘who is your doctor?’ and he will tell me that such and such person is his doctor, and I’ll say, “I hope god will help him with his work.”
The deaf man then reached the rich man’s house and sat down near his bed. The rich man was too sick and was not too happy to have someone to talk to.
“My dear friend, how are you?” asked the deaf man.
“I’m troubled with a bad fever,” answered the rich man. “I can’t sleep at night.”
The deaf man smiled and said, “Very good! I hope god will keep you this way!”
Then he asked, “What do you eat?”
By this time the rich man was angry. “The dust of the earth!” he answered.
“That’s good for you,” said the deaf man. “I hope it helps you. And tell me, who is your doctor?”
“Doctor?” cried the rich man. “Death himself !”
“Oh, that’s good,” said the deaf man. “I hope god will help him with his work.” And he returned home.
Now answer the following questions:
1. Where did the rich man live?
Answer: The rich man lived in a small village.
2. Why did the deaf friend go to visit the rich man?
Answer: The deaf friend went to visit the rich man to see him and try to make him happy.
Fill in the blanks with the correct words given in brackets:
a) The rich man was ill. (deaf / rich)
b) The deaf man wanted to make the rich man happy. (angry / happy)
Say whether the following statements are True or False:
a) The deaf man’s questions made the rich man happy. [False]
b) The deaf man said all the ‘wrong’ things because he could not hear the rich man’s answers. [True]
c) The deaf man went home, thinking that he had made his friend happy. [True]
Let’s Write
Read carefully the second stanza of the poem again. The poet has described the colours of the balloons. Have you ever been to a fair and seen a balloon seller? Write a paragraph about the shapes and colours of the balloons and also other things he sells. Begin like this ….
Once I had been to a fair near my village, I saw a balloon seller standing near the entrance. He had a large bunch of balloons in bright colours like red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. Some of the balloons were round, some were heart-shaped, and others looked like animals and stars. The balloons sparkled in the sunlight and swayed in the wind, making them look magical. Apart from balloons, the seller also had small toys, whistles, and colorful windmills. Children gathered around him, pointing excitedly at the balloons they wanted. The sight of the vibrant balloons and the happy children made the fair even more enjoyable.