Free Bihar Board Class 8 English Reader Chapter 7 Solutions are available here. You will get written answers for all questions asked in chapter 7 – “Jalebis”, from the English Reader book – It So Happened.
This funny story is about a young boy who gets tempted by sweet jalebis. He has money for school fees but spends it all on jalebis instead. After eating too many, he gets sick and becomes very worried about what his parents will say. He prays to God asking for help but realizes he must face the consequences of his mistake. The story shows how temptation can lead us into trouble and teaches us to be honest.
Bihar Board Class 8 English Reader Chapter 7 Solutions
Contents
| Chapter | 7. Jalebis |
| Subject | English Reader (It So Happened) |
| Class | 8th |
| Board | Bihar Board |
COMPREHENSION CHECK
From Page No 58
1. Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to school?
Ans: Munna couldn’t pay his school fees that day because the teacher who collects the fees, Master Ghulam Mohammed, was absent. The fee collection was postponed to the next day.
2. (i) What were the coins ‘saying’ to him?
Ans: The coins were tempting Munna to spend them on jalebis. They seemed to whisper that he should buy the hot, crispy, syrupy jalebis from the market.
(ii) Do you think they were misguiding him?
Ans: Yes, the coins were misguiding him. The money was meant for his school fees, but the coins kept urging him to spend it on jalebis instead, which was wrong.
3. Why didn’t he take the coins’ advice? Give two or three reasons.
Ans: Munna didn’t listen to the coins because:
- He wanted to stay honest and not misuse the fees money.
- He was a good student with a reputation to maintain at school.
- He was afraid of getting caught and punished if he spent the money.
4. (i) What did the oldest coin tell him?
Ans: The oldest coin told Munna that they were giving him good advice. It said he could use the scholarship money he’d get the next day to pay his fees, so he should go ahead and buy jalebis with the money he had now.
(ii) Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?
Ans: No, Munna didn’t follow the oldest coin’s advice. Even though he really wanted the jalebis, he thought about his good reputation. He was a top student who had won a four-rupee scholarship in Class 4. His family was respected, and he didn’t want to ruin that by eating jalebis in the market like a careless kid. So, he went home instead.
5. He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then?
Ans: When Munna got home, the coins started “talking” again, urging him to buy jalebis. During lunch, they got so loud in his mind that he couldn’t take it anymore. He ran out of the house, barefoot, to the market. Even though he was scared, he asked the halwai for a whole rupee’s worth of jalebis. The halwai spread out a newspaper and piled it high with fresh, syrupy jalebis for him.
COMPREHENSION CHECK
From Page No 61
1. (i) Why didn’t he eat all the jalebis he had bought?
Ans: Munna couldn’t eat all the jalebis because his stomach was full. He had eaten so many that he felt like jalebis might come out of his ears or nose if someone poked him!
(ii) What did he do with the remaining jalebis?
Ans: Munna shared the leftover jalebis with some kids who had gathered around him in the gali. He even spent all his remaining fees money to buy more jalebis for them, leaving himself with no money at all.
2. “The fear was killing me.” What was the fear?
Ans: Munna was terrified that his parents would find out he had spent his school fees on jalebis. Every time he burped, he worried that jalebis might pop out, and that fear was making him miserable.
3. “Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines.” What do you understand by that? Do you agree?
Ans: This means children can eat a lot and digest food easily because they’re active and growing. Yes, I agree because kids often play, run, and jump, which helps them digest more food than adults.
4. How did he plan to pay the fees the next day?
Ans: Munna planned to use the scholarship money he was supposed to get the next day to pay his school fees.
5. When it is time to pay the fees, what does he do? How is he disobeying the elders by doing so?
Ans: When it was time to pay the fees, Munna grabbed his bag and left school. He wandered around, hoping for a miracle to save him. He even went to the Kambelpur railway station. His elders had told him never to cross the railway tracks or spend school fees on sweets. By running away and spending the money on jalebis, he disobeyed their advice.
COMPREHENSION CHECK
From Page No 65
1. What was the consequence of buying jalebis with the fees money?
Ans: The consequence was that Munna found out his scholarship money would only come next month, not the next day. Scared and ashamed, he ran away from school and went to the railway station to hide. For the first time, he missed school and disobeyed his parents, all because he spent his fees on jalebis.
2. His prayer to God is like a lawyer’s defence of a bad case. Does he argue his case well? What are the points he makes?
Ans: Munna’s prayer to God wasn’t very convincing, like a weak lawyer defending a bad case. He tried to impress God by saying:
- He had memorized the entire namaaz and the last ten surahs of the Quran.
- He was a good boy who made a small mistake.
- He didn’t eat all the jalebis himself; he shared them with other kids.
- God has plenty of money, so giving him four rupees wouldn’t be a big deal.
- Even a chaprasi gets paid, so God should help him, a good boy.
- He was the nephew of an important officer, so God should favor him.
His arguments were more about pleading and making excuses than giving strong reasons.
3. He offers to play a game with Allah Miyan. What is the game?
Ans: Munna wanted to play a game where he would run to a signal and back, while Allah Miyan would place four rupees under a big rock. When Munna returned, he would lift the rock and find the money.
4. Did he get four rupees by playing the game? What did he get to see under the rock?
Ans: No, Munna didn’t find four rupees. When he lifted the rock, he saw a big, hairy worm wiggling toward him instead.
5. If God had granted his wish that day, what harm would it have caused him in later life?
Ans: If God had given Munna the four rupees, he wouldn’t have learned from his mistake. He might have kept doing wrong things, thinking God would always save him. This could have made him lazy and dishonest in life.
EXERCISE
Work in small groups.
1. Select and read sentences that show:
(a) That the boy is tempted to eat jalebis.
Ans:
- “Jalebis are meant to be eaten, and those with money in their pocket can eat them.”
- “These jalebis are no common sort of jalebis. They’re crisp, fresh, and full of sweet syrup.”
- “My mouth watered. I rushed out of the house barefoot and ran towards the bazaar.”
(b) That he is feeling guilty.
Ans:
- “I felt like crying as loudly as I could.”
- “When the recess bell rang, I tucked my bag under my arm, left the school, and wandered aimlessly.”
- “For the first time in my life, I was absent from school—just because of the mistake of eating a few jalebis.”
- “Sitting under the tree, I felt like crying at first.”
(c) That he is justifying a wrong deed.
Ans:
- “I didn’t eat them all by myself, and I fed them to a whole lot of children.”
- “Allah Miyan! I’m a good boy. I’ve memorized the entire namaaz and the last ten surahs of the Quran by heart.”
2. Discuss the following points.
(i) Is the boy intelligent? If so, what is the evidence of it?
Ans: Yes, Munna is intelligent. He is one of the best students in his school and won a scholarship of four rupees a month for doing well in his Class 4 exams. He had never missed a single day of school before this incident, showing his discipline and dedication.
(ii) Does his outlook on the jalebis episode change after Class VIII? Does he see that episode in a new light?
Ans: Yes, Munna’s outlook changes after Class VIII. As a younger student, he wondered why God didn’t give him the four rupees to solve his problem. But later, he understood that if God had granted his wish, he wouldn’t have learned the importance of working hard and being responsible. He realized that getting things easily would make people lazy, like living in nests without effort, instead of striving to achieve their goals.
(iii) Why are coins made to ‘talk’ in this story? What purpose does it serve?
Ans: The coins “talk” to show Munna’s inner struggle. He really wants to buy jalebis, but he knows it’s wrong to use his fees money. The talking coins represent his temptation and greed, pulling him toward the wrong choice, while his good side tries to stop him. This makes the story fun and helps us understand how hard it was for Munna to decide what to do.
