Class 8 English Solution New Course | Unit 14 The Magic Mirror - I

Unit 14

Reading I

The Magic Mirror

A. Match the given words with their meanings.

a. kingdom - v. a country ruled by a king or queen

b. merchant - iv. a person whose job is to buy and sell products

c. surround - iii. to be everywhere around something

d. convince - ii. to cause someone to believe something or to do something

e. pleased - i. happy or satisfied

B. Put these sentences in the order they appear in the story.

c. The king promised to give a good amount of money to those who would find him a bride.

a. The barber would have to tackle a lot of problems finding a bride for the king.

b. Many girls wanted to be the queen, but none dared to look into the mirror.

f. Every day, the king asked about the progress.

d. The barber suggested a shepherd girl to the king.

g. The shepherd girl was present in the hall.

e. The women present in the court knew that they were cheated.

C. Read paragraphs 1-10. Write whether these sentences are True or False. If the information is not given in the text, write NG.

a. A watchman conveyed the message of the king early in the evening. - False

b. The woman's dishonest character would be reflected in the mirror. - True

c. The girl interested in marrying the king must be in her twenties. - True

d. Many wanted to be queen but none wanted to look into the mirror. - True

e. The king found the suitable candidate at once. - False

f. Kings in other states were also facing the same problem as that of the king of Granada. - NG

D. Read paragraphs (11 - 16) and answer these questions.

a. What happened as soon as the shepherd girl was brought into the palace?

As soon as the shepherd girl was brought into the palace, the whole kingdom filled the royal hall to see the girl.

b. How do you know the king was happy at the first sight of the girl?

It is mentioned that the king was "very pleased" with the girl's appearance when she entered the hall.

c. Was the shepherd girl really shy? How can you say so?

Yes, the shepherd girl felt very shy when she entered the hall. It is mentioned she was shepherd girl living on the mountainside.

d. What was the secret about the mirror?

The secret about the mirror was that it was a trick played by the barber. Dishonesty would supposedly be reflected in the mirror, but in reality, it had no magic or power.

e. What did the other ladies realize at the end?

At the end, the other ladies realized that they had been deceived. They snatched the mirror from the shepherd girl and discovered that there was no magic in it, concluding that a trick had been played on them.

E. Read these lines from the story and answer the questions.

a. "I am afraid I will have great trouble finding a worthy lady for the king."

i. Who is the speaker? - The barber is the speaker.

ii. Who is he or she speaking to? - The barber is speaking to the people who questioned him about helping the king find a wife.

b. "What have you got to do with helping the king find a wife?"

i. Who is the speaker here? - The people who questioned the barber are the speakers.

ii. Whom does 'you' refer to? - 'You' refers to the barber.

c. "No ladies, you have only yourselves to thank."

i. Who said this? - The king said this.

ii. Whom did he say so? - The king said this to the ladies present in the court.

F. Recall a magic story you have read or heard. Tell it to your friends.

The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde

Once there was a fisherman who lived in a little hut by the sea, and every day he went out in his boat to fish. One day, he caught a big fish, and when he brought it on board, he saw that it was a talking fish.

"Please let me go," said the fish. "I am not a real fish, I am a magic fish. If you let me go, I will grant you three wishes."

The fisherman was surprised, but he agreed to let the fish go.

"Thank you," said the fish. "Now, for your first wish, I will give you a magic net. This net will never catch a small fish, only the biggest and the best fish in the sea."

The fisherman was delighted, and he went back out to sea. He used the magic net to catch many big fish, and he soon became very rich.

One day, the fisherman decided to use his second wish.

"I wish for a beautiful wife," he said.

The fish granted his wish, and the fisherman soon married a beautiful woman.

They lived happily together for many years.

One day, the fisherman decided to use his third and final wish.

"I wish to know the secret of the sea," he said.

The fish was silent for a moment.

"The secret of the sea is that it is always changing," said the fish. "It is never the same from one day to the next. That is why it is so beautiful."

The fisherman was grateful for the fish's wisdom, and he lived happily ever after.

Writing

Complete the story with the suitable forms of the verbs given in the brackets.

One day, a lamb was eating sweet grass away from her flock of sheep. She did not notice a wolf walking nearer to her. When she saw the wolf, she started pleading, "Please, don't eat me. My stomach is full of grass, you can wait a while to make my meat taste much better. The grass in my stomach will be digested quickly if you let me dance." The wolf agreed. While the lamb is dancing, she had a new idea. She said, "I can dance faster if you take my bell and ring it so hard." The wolf took the bell and started to ring it so hard. The shepherd heard the sound, ran quickly to see what had happened. And the lamb was saved.