THE BOY WHO SOLD WISDOM Chapter 2 Textbook Questions And Answers OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose

You are going to go through Textbook Questions And Answers OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose THE BOY WHO SOLD WISDOM Chapter 2. Understanding a text meticulously in its entirety is very important for a learner for scoring better in the exam. Efforts have been made to ensure a thorough and proper Textbook Questions And Answers OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose THE BOY WHO SOLD WISDOM Chapter 2.

About the author

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker, and the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Immensely successful in his lifetime, he is often referred to as both the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. He was also one of the great portraitists of his time.

The Parasol (also known as El Quitasol) is one of a cartoon series of oil on linen paintings made by the painter Francisco Goya. This series of paintings was specifically made in order to be transformed into tapestries that would be hung on the walls of the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, Spain.

Theme

Importance of wisdom.

The story is based on a boy named Nagendra,  who had a stall in the market place called “wisdom on sale”. One day an ignorant boy named Babu came and bought some wisdom worth a nickel from him but this angered his father and they went back to return the wisdom and get back the money.

Later, as Babu didn’t use the wisdom of not to stand and watch when two people are quarrelling he fell into deep trouble as he was a witness to the quarrels by the maids of the queen. He then went to Nagendra and bought more wisdom to get out of the situation.

As the king heard about Nagendra’s wisdom, he too bought some and used it. As he was ill, one of his conspiring queens and the doctor had given him a poisoned medicine. However as the king used Nagendra’s wisdom he didn’t consume it and his life got saved. He hanged the queen and the minister and banished the doctor for his treachery. Nagendra was later made his minister.

It was all possible because of wisdom. Hence, it’s quite an important virtue.

YOU ARE READING: THE BOY WHO SOLD WISDOM Chapter 2 Textbook Questions And Answers OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose

I. Comprehension Exercises:

A. Re-order the following jumbled sentences in the right sequence as they occur in the text:

1. Nagendra advised Babu to pretend madness.

2. Gupta was unhappy after the incident because his son would have to feign madness always, or else the king would find out.

3. According to Nagendra’s advice, Babu went to the king and told him the whole story.

4. The king sent for Nagendra.

5. The king bought the wisdom, “Think deeply before doing anything”, from Nagendra.

 6. He engraved it on his cups and plates so that he wouldn’t forget it.

7. The minister and one of the queens planned to kill the king.

8. The king ordered that the queen should be hanged.

B. Complete the following sentences:

1. set up a shop.

2. wisdom.

3. quality.

4. he had paid a nickel and bought a piece of advice as wisdom.

5. asking him to return the wisdom his son had bought.

6. a document; that his son would never use his advice and that he would stand and watch people fighting.

7. he watched the quarrel between the two maids.

8. pumpkin.

YOU ARE READING: THE BOY WHO SOLD WISDOM Chapter 2 Textbook Questions And Answers OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose

C. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each:

 1. Nagendra was an orphan and jobless. He was clever and he had learned many things by observing his father. He decided to open a shop and sell wisdom.

2. Babu, a merchant’s son, was a stupid boy. He heard the wisdom seller and did not know what was really being sold. He thought wisdom was some kind of a vegetable or a thing he could hold in his hand.

3. Babu put down a nickel and asked Nagendra to give him a nickel’s worth of wisdom. Nagendra sold the wisdom, “It is not wise to stand and watch two people fighting”, for a nickel.

 4. Babu’s father was angry because he had paid a nickel for a worthless piece of wisdom. He scolded his son for wasting money on a useless thing.

5. Nagendra made him sign a document which said that his son would not make use of the wisdom. When Gupta and Babu came again for his advice, he made Gupta pay a thousand rupees.

6. The two maids went to the same shop and both of them wanted to buy the same pumpkin. As,  there was only one pumpkin, they started quarrelling.

7. Babu stood and watched the quarrel between the two maids. Each of them wanted him to be her witness. The two queens threatened to get his head chopped off if he did not support them. So, Babu and his father went to Nagendra to buy wisdom. As advised by Nagendra, Babu pretended to be mad and escaped the king’s anger.’ Gupta did not want his son to act like a mad fellow always. For the second time, they went to Nagendra to save themselves from the king’s wrath if he found out that Babu was not insane.

8. Babu followed the advice given by Nagendra. When the king and the minister asked him questions, he pretended to be mad and he just babbled incoherently. The king lost his patience and drove him out. Babu was happy because the trick was a success.

YOU ARE READING: THE BOY WHO SOLD WISDOM Chapter 2 Textbook Questions And Answers OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose

9. The meaning of the expression is that we should always think about the pros and cons of the situation before we act. As the saying goes “doing something in haste will be a waste”.

10. The minister and one of the queens conspired to kill the king. The king followed the advice of Nagendra. He was able to find out the treachery of the minister and the queen. He sentenced them to death and made Nagendra his minister.

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:

1. ‘a. The king was asked to think deeply.

b.Nagendra gave this piece of wisdom. The king asked him to sell some wisdom to him.

c. The king was able to find out the conspiracy hatched against him by the minister and the queen. He saved his own life by following Nagendra’s piece of wisdom.

2. a. Nagendra said this.

b. This was said to Babu.

c. When Babu asked Nagendra how much it would cost per kg.

d.Wisdom is not a commodity. We can judge wisdom only by its quality to know its worth.

II.

Dear Salim,

I want to tell you about a very unusual incident.

Two months ago I saw a new shop in the market place. A young boy called Nagendra was selling ‘Wisdom’. So, I went in to see what he was selling. I thought it was a vegetable or a thing. I asked Nagendra the cost of wisdom per kg. He replied that he did not sell wisdom by weight, but sold it by quality.

I gave him a nickel and asked him to give me a nickel’s worth of wisdom. He wrote “It is not wise to stand and watch two people fighting” on a piece of paper and gave it to me. I went home and showed it to my father. He became so angry that he immediately rushed to Nagendra’s shop and scolded him for cheating me. He demanded the nickel back. But, Nagendra made him sign an agreement which said, I should not follow his advice.

YOU ARE READING: THE BOY WHO SOLD WISDOM Chapter 2 Textbook Questions And Answers OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose

After a few days, I was walking near the market place. Two women were fighting. They were the maids of the two quanted me to be their witness. The maids complained to their queens who in turn complained to the king. The two queens sent word that I should speak for them, else they would have my head chopped.

My father and I were in a state of panic. We decided to go to Nagendra. Nagendra charged five hundred rupees and advised me to pretend to be mad. I pretended insanity in front of the king and did not answer any of his questions properly. He drove me away and I escaped punishment. Nagendra is very famous now. If you get into trouble at any time visit Nagendra.

Your affectionate friend

Babu

III.

i) furious = extremely angry.

The teacher became furious when I said I had not done my homework.

ii) wisdom = having knowledge, experience and good judgment.

King Solomon was famous for his wisdom.

iii) persuade = convince someone to do something.

The king persuaded Nagendra to become his minister.

iv) feign = pretend.

When the police questioned the thief, he feigned innocence.

v) errands = short journeys made to deliver or collect something.

The queen sent her maid on an errand.

YOU ARE READING: THE BOY WHO SOLD WISDOM Chapter 2 Textbook Questions And Answers OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose

vi) contract = an agreement

He has agreed to sign a new contract.

vii) document = record in writing.

A sale deed is a legal document.

viii) bargain = discuss prices, conditions, terms of trade, etc., in order to reach an agreement.

Geetha bargained with the fruit seller and bought mangoes at 40 rupees a kilo.

ix) witness = a person who sees an event take place.

Babu was a witness to the accident.

x) ruse = trick

A cheat promised to double the money. Many people fell for his ruse and lost their money.

IV. Let’s Use Language:

A. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the right options:

1. brilliance

2. Wise

3. Though

4. dearth

5. paucity.

YOU ARE READING: THE BOY WHO SOLD WISDOM Chapter 2 Textbook Questions And Answers OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose

B. 

1. since

2. for

3. for

4. since

5. since.