NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 6 The Fight
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 6 The Fight
COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 49)
1. In what way is the forest pool different from the one which Ranji knew in the Rajputana desert ?
2. The other hoy 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 ?
3. Between Ranji and the other boy, who is trying to start a quarrel ? Give a reason for your answer.
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 ?
Answers
1. The pool which Ranji knew in the Rajputana desert dried up in the hot summer season. However, the forest pool never dried up.
2. (i) The other boy expected Ranji to feel sorry. He expected Ranji to be frightened.
(ii) He was wrong to ask this question. The pool was not his property.
3. It was the other boy who was trying to start a quarrel. He asked Ranji to run away from the pool. He threatened to beat him if he didn’t.
4. (i) The Punjabi boy Suraj said these words. He was too tired to continue the fight that day. Yet he did not want to spare Ranji. Ranji had not yet accepted defeat. So he proposed to continue the fight next day.
(ii) The fight didn’t continue. The Punjabi boy was awed by Ranji’s clean dive in the pool. He gave up the idea of fighting. He asked Ranji to teach him to dive. Ranji agreed. They became friends and so the fight didn’t continue.
COMPREHENSION CHECK (Page 53)
1. What is it that Ranji finds difficult to explain at home ?
2. Ranji sees his adversary in the bazaar.
(i) What does he wish to do ?
(ii) What does he actually do, and why ?
3. Ranji is not at all eager for a second fight. Why does he go back to the pool, then ?
4. Who was the better swimmer ? How do you know it ?
5. What surprises the warrior ?
6. Now that they are at the pool, why don’t they continue the fight ?
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.
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.
Answers:
1. There are many cuts and bruises on Ranji’s face and arms. Ranji finds it difficult to explain them at home.
2. (i) At first Ranji wants to ignore him. Then he wants to hurt him. In the end he only
teases him with a scowl on his face.
(ii) He scowls at Suraj. He does so to tease him.
3. He goes to the pool because he can not refuse a challenge. Not to go to the pool could be an acknowledgement of defeat. He could not quietly accept his defeat. He wants to gain self-respect.
For this, he has to defy his enemy to the last. As long as he fights, he has a right to the pool in the forest. So, he goes back to the pool.
4. Ranji was a better swimmer. That was why Suraj forgot to fight. Instead, he asked Ranji to teach him to dive.
5. The warrior is surprised at the clean dive which Ranji had executed.
6. Suraj is taken aback by the dive of Ranji. So he forgets to fight. He wants to learn this art from Ranji. They become friends. So they can,not continue to fight.
7. Good diving, sense of humour, swimming under water, willingness to help.
8. There are two reasons. First, both of them are tired of fighting. They have come to fight rather unwillingly. Ranji in particular has come to fight only to keep self-respect. Secondly, Ranji’s swimming acumen becomes a pretext. Suraj says that he has ended the quarrel because he wants to learn diving. They agree that the best solution is to learn from each other.
EXERCISE (Page 54)
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:
Fighting cannot resolve differences of opinion. They can be resolved only through dialogue. For this, they may, if necessary, seek the help of a third party. This third person must enjoy the trust of the both involved in quarrelling.
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:
Yes. I have been once involved in a serious fight. Now I realise that it was unnecessary and futile. In fact this happens when we stake our prestige. The ego prevents a solution.
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:
It is the inferiority complex which provokes some people to prove their worth. It makes people put such signs on their cars or anywhere else. I will be amused to see it at the back of the car.
MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED
I. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Question 1:
How has Rajpur’s summer been described in the lesson ‘The Fight’?
Answer:
The earth was parched, the grass brown, the trees listless, hardly stirring, waiting for a cool wind or a refreshing shower of rain.
Question 2:
Why did the pool not dry even in the extreme summer?
Answer:
The pool didn’t dry up like the pools in the plains because the rocks held the water in it.
Question 3:
How did Suraj try to scare away Ranji? Did he get success in his mission?
Answer:
Suraj tried to scare away Ranji by his strong built and gruff voice. But his effort proved in vain. Ranji, though weaker than Suraj, didn’t feel scared. He came forward bravely and became ready to fight with Suraj.
Question 4:
Where was the second fight occurred. What was its result?
Answer:
The second fight occurred across waters of the pool. But the two adversaries couldn’t fight for long there. Soon, they became friends because both were tired and needed each other’s help. Ranji promised to teach Suraj the art of swimming and Suraj offered to make Ranji a good wrestler.
II. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Question 1:
Narrate the episode of the fight between Ranji and Suraj in the forest in about 100-125 words.
Answer:
Ranji was a thin built boy, fond of swimming. Once he discovered a pool in the forest. It was a hot summer day. He got into the pool. Soon a boy, taller and stronger than him, arrived there. He said that it was his pool and he would swim alone. He tried to frighten Ranji. He called himself a warrior. Ranji stood his ground and proclaimed himself a fighter. The two fought over the right to the pool. Both were tired and exhausted in the very fist fight. In the second fight, they faced each other across the pool. They challenged each other. Ranji was decidedly a better swimmer than Suraj. He could dive and swim under water. He established his superiority over his adversary. Now the two agreed to help each other rather than fight. Ranji promised to teach Suraj the art of swimming. Suraj offered to make Ranji a wrestler. They became friends.
Question 2:
Compare and contrast the character traits of the two adversaries or contestants in the story ‘The Fight’.
Answer:
Suraj was a tall, thickset wrestler. He was a bully. He proclaimed that he was a warrior and he had exclusive right to swim in the pool. He tried to scare Ranji away. But Ranji had a strong feeling of self respect. He accepted the challenge to fight. He thought if he surrendered he would lose his right to the pool for ever. He suffered cuts and bruises. But he went to the pool ready for a second fight. This time he proved his excellence as a swimmer. Suraj got influenced by Ranji’s art of swimming. He also wanted to be a good swimmer. So he agreed to get training from Ranji and in return make Ranji a wrestler.
Question 3:
In the fight between Ranji and Suraj, who was the winner?
Answer:
Ranji was physically no match for Suraj, the tall wrestler. Yet they fought over the right to use the pool. Ranji suffered cuts and bruises all over his body, but he refused to surrender or accept defeat. In the first round the fight ended in a draw. Next day they faced each other across the pool for a second round of fight. But Ranji this time proved himself a better swimmer than his adversary. They fought together to learn something worthwhile. They suspended the fight after a while and became good friends. Hence neither was the winner.