KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 English Prose Chapter 8 The Woman on Platform 8

KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 English Prose Chapter 8 The Woman on Platform 8

Karnataka State Board Class 8 English Prose Chapter 8 The Woman on Platform 8

The Woman on Platform 8 Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes

Comprehension:

I. Answer the following in two or three sentences each:

Question 1.
What was Arun doing all alone on the platform? Why? Arun was sitting on platform no. 8 at Ambala station waiting
Answer:
for the north-bound train. His train was at midnight and he had arrived at the station in the evening itself.

Question 2.
What normally happens when a train arrives at the platform?
Answer:
When a train arrives, the platform will be an inferno of heaving, shouting, agitated human beings. As the carriage doors open, people will rush towards the exit gate.

Question 3.
“Are you alone, my son?” How did Arun react when he heard the voice of a stranger? Why?
Answer:
Arun replied in the affirmative and said that he was going to schoot. He stood up respectfully because there was a dignity about her that commanded respect.

Question 4.
How did the bond between Arun and the stranger develop?
Answer:
Arun liked the stranger for she seemed kind, sympathetic and understanding. She spoke to him affectionately. She took him to the station dining room and made him eat some food. Arun felt comfortable in her company.Question 5.
What was the reason behind Arun ‘s instinctive dislike towards Satish’s mother?
Answer:
Satish’s mother was an imposing woman. She did not care for other people’s sentiments. Her authoritative manner made him develop an instinctive dislike for her.

Question 6.
Why did Arun say, “I like strangers”?
Answer:
Satish’s mother advised Arun to be very careful when his mother was not with him. She sternly told him not to talk to strangers. Arun wanted to assert himself, so he said that he liked strangers.

Question 7.
How did Satish and Arun react to the advice of Satish’s mother saying “Never talk to Strangers”?
Answer:
Arun glared resentfully at her, and moved closer to the woman who had befriended him. Satish stood griming behind his mother. He was enjoying Arun’s clash with his mother.

Question 8.
What did Satish’s mother give and say to Satish as a parting advice?
Answer:
She gave him a bag of fruits, a cricket bat and a big’box of chocolates. She told Satish to share the food with Arun.

Question 9.
Why didn’t Satish’s mother think Arun’s ‘mother’ a very capable person?
Answer:
The stranger did not seem to show so much of concern as Satish’s mother. Satish’s mother dominated the conversation. She went on advising the two boys. She thought Arun’s ‘mother’ was incapable of taking care of her son.

Question 10.
How did Arun repay the strange woman for her goodness?
Answer:
When the train was about to move, Arun kissed the strange woman on her cheek. He addressed her as ‘mother’ and bade her goodbye.

II. Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow:

1. “She drew me out very well”.

Question i.
Who is the speaker?
Answer:
Arun is the speaker.

Question ii.
What do you mean by the above sentence?
Answer:
The stranger extracted information from Arun in a pleasant manner.

2. “Yes, I am Arun’s mother”.

Question i.
Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The strange woman.

Question ii.
What do you think is the reason behind the speaker saying so?
Answer:
She did not want Satish’s mother to think that Arun’s mother had not come to see him off.

3. “These das one has to be very careful of strangers”.

Question i.
Who said these words?
Answer:
Satish’s mother.

Question ii.
Why did the speaker say so?
Answer:
Nowadays strangers and suspicious characters are hanging around robbing, cheating and kidnapping people.

III. Complete the following:

Question 1.
The woman in a white sari was totally a stranger. But Arun developed an instant liking for her the moment she spoke to him.
Answer:
Mention three things that Arun liked about this woman.
The woman was dressed in a simple manner. She had dark kind eyes. There was a dignity about her that commanded respect. The serenity of her face, the deep soft soothing voice impressed Arun.

Question 2.
Arunsays, “I had taken an instinctive dislike to Satish’s mother.”
Answer:
Mention three things that made Arun dislike her.
Satish’s mother had an imposing personality. She was proud and domineering. Her talk and her insulting behaviour made Arun dislike her.

Multiple Choice Questions:

Four alternatives are given for each of the following questions/ incomplete statements. Choose the most appropriate alternative.

Question 1.
The story ‘The Woman on Platform 8’ is about
A) a boy who had an encounter with a woman on platform 8
B) the stranger a boy meets while traveling in a train
C) the people a boy comes across and his feelings for them
D) the strangers a boy meets on platform 8
Answer:
A) a boy who had an encounter with a woman on platform 8

Question 2.
Arun was waiting at the station.
A.) Amalapura
B) Mathura
C) Ambala
D) Kashi
Answer:
C) Ambala

Question 3.
Arun spent his time at the railway station
A) pacing up and down the platform
B) browsing at the book-stall
C) feeding broken biscuits to stray dogs
D) all of the above
Answer:
D) all of the above

Question 4.
The woman Arun met at the railway station
A) had a dark face and pale kind eyes
B) wore lot of jewels.
C) was dressed in a white saree
D) was very young
Answer:
C) was dressed in a white saree

Question 5.
Arun liked the woman in the white saree
A) for the simplicity of her dress
B) for her deep, soft voice
C) for the serenity of her face
D) all of the above
Answer:
D) all of the above

Question 6.
The strange encounter had little effect on my appetite. This means that
A) A run ate as much as he could through the lady offering the food was a stranger
B) Arun could not eat much
C) Arun began to talk freely to the woman under the influence of tea and sweets
D) none of the above
Answer:
A) A run ate as much as he could through the lady offering the food was a stranger

Question 7.
The woman and Arun cemented their friendship
A) with the woman offering him something to eat
B) when Arun began to talk quite freely to the woman
C) when she took pleasure in watching him eat
D) when Arun took a new interest in the woman
Answer:
B) when Arun began to talk quite freely to the woman

Question 8.
The woman did not ask Arun
A) why he was in Ambala
B) in which school he was studying
C) about his family or where he lived
D) why his parents had not come to see him off
Answer:
C) about his family or where he lived

Question 9.
Satish introduced Arun to his mother as
A) his classmate
B) a boy of his age
C) his best friend
D) one of his friends, and the best bowler in the class
Answer:
D) one of his friends, and the best bowler in the class

Question 10.
Satish’s mother
A) was a large imposing woman who wore spectacles
B) had a dignity about her that commanded respect
C) had a deep, soft voice.
D) was dressed in a simple white saree
Answer:
A) was a large imposing woman who wore spectacles

Question 11.
Satish’s mother staggered a little because
A) she was surprised to see Arun talking to strangers
B) she was not used to being contradicted by small boys
C) Arun said that he liked strangers
D) Satish was delighting in Arun’s clash with his mother
Answer:
B) she was not used to being contradicted by small boys

Question 12.
Satish’s mother advised him not to
A) jump on and off moving trains
B) stick his head out of the window
C) eat any rubbish on the way
D) all of the above
Answer:
D) all of the above

Question 13.
Satish’s mother did not give Satish
A) tea and sweets
B) a bag of fruits
C) a cricket bat
D) a big box of chocolates
Answer:
A) tea and sweets

Question 14.
Satish’s mother looked sternly at me through her spectacles. Here, the word ‘sternly’ means
A) angrily
B) harshly
C) leniently
D) forgivingly
Answer:
B) harshly

IV. Work In Pairs And Complete The table:

Answer:

V. Listening:

Your teacher will read out some words which describe the two women. Listen and write the words under appropriate columns:

Answer:

Sequencing of Events:

VII. The sequence of events has been jumbled up. Rewrite them according to the sequence in the lesson:

1. I looked straight into the eyes of the woman who held my hand, and she smiled in a gentle understanding way.
2. I had already forgiven her for lying; and besides, I had taken an instinctive dislike to Satish’s mother.
3. She stood there on the busy platform; a pale sweet woman in white, and I watched her until she was lost in the milling crowd.
4. Now tired of this game and of ambling about the platform, I sat down on my suitcase and gazed dismally across the railway-tracks.
5. She drew me out very well, and I had soon forgotten that we were strangers.
6. She allowed me to share the benefit of her advice, as she probably didn’t think my ‘mother’ a very capable person.
7. We placed ourselves at the open windows, and the two women stood outside on the platform talking up to us.
8. She told a coolie to look after my suitcase and then she led me away down the platform.
9. I looked from Satish’s mother to the woman who had given me tea and sweets and then back at Satish’s mother.
10. Satish was standing behind his mother, grinning at me, delighting in my clash with his mother.

Answer:

1. Now tired of this game and of ambling about the platform, I sat down on my suitcase and gazed dismally across the railway-tracks.
2. ‘She told a coolie to look after my suitcase and then she led me away down the platform.
3. She drew me out very well, and I had soon forgotten that we were strangers.
4. I had already forgiven her for lying; and besides, i had taken an instinctive dislike to Satish’s mother.
5. I looked from Satish’s mother to the woman who had given me tea and sweets and then back at Satish’s mother.
6. Satish was standing behind his mother, grinning at me, delighting in my clash with his mother.
7. We placed ourselves at the open windows, and the two women stood outside on the platform talking up to us.
8. She allowed me to share the benefit of her advice, as she probably didn’t think my ‘mother’ a very capable person.
9. I looked straight into the eyes of the woman who held my hand, and she smiled in a gentle understanding way.
10. She stood there on the busy platform; a pale sweet woman in white, and I watched her until she was lost in the milling crowd.

Write appropriate statements as response to the questions with the help of the examples and clues given below:
Eg:

Answer:

1.

Answer:

2.

Answer:

3.

Answer:

4.

Answer:

5.

Answer:

6.

Answer:

7.

Answer:

IX. Read the conversation and complete the following:

1) Ramani : Our new servant has a tendency to steal things.
Somu : Is anything missing?
Ramani : Yes, he has stolen one of our blankets.
Somu : Which one?
Ramani : It’s the one we took from Hotel Palm Beach.

1. Ramani told Somu that …………. to steal things.
2. Somu asked Ramani …………………. .
3. Ramani answered that ……………… .
4. Somu further asked her which one and Ramani replied that …………. from Hotel Palm Beach.

Answer:

1. Ramani told Somu that their new servant had a tendency to steal things.
2. Somu asked Ramani if anything was missing.
3. Ramani answered that he had stolen one of their blankets.
4. Somu further asked her which one and Ramani replied that it was the one they had taken from Hotel Palm Beach.

2) Child: I want a balloon, which I can release into the air.
Belloon Man: Which colour balloon do you want?
Child: Which colour balloon will take me up with it?
Balloon Man : It is not the colour of the balloon, it is what is inside that makes it go up.

1. The child told the balloon man that ……. which he could release into the air.
2. The balloon man asked him …………… .
3. The child asked him ………… up with that.
4. The balloon man told him that it was not the colour of the balloon but ………… go up.

Answer:

1. The child told the balloon man that he wanted a balloon which he could release into the air.
2. The balloon man asked him which colour balloon he wanted.
3. The child asked him which colour balloon would take him up with that.
4. The balloon man told him that it was not the colour of the balloon but what was inside that made it go up.

3) Father : Why were you late from school yesterday?
Ashwin : There was a friendly football match between our school and G.K. Public School.
Father : Why didn’t you inform us earlier?
Ashwin : I rang home but nobody picked up the phone.

1. Father asked Ashwin ………… .
2. Ashwin replied that …………… and G.K Public School.
3. Father asked ………. earlier.
4. Ashwin replied that he ……………. up the phone.

Answer:

1. Father asked Ashwin why he had been late from school the day before.
2. Ashwin replied that there was a friendly football match between their school and G.K. Public School.
3. Father asked why he had not informed them earlier.
4. Ashwin replied that he had rung home but nobody had picked up the phone.

4) Man : You are becoming very lazy these days. Didn’t I ask you to get my breakfast ready by 8 o’clock?
Servant : I’m sorry sir. I got up very late today. That’s why I couldn’t prepare it on time.
Man : Didn’t you set the alarm before going to sleep? Servant : Yes, I did sir.
Man : Then, what happened?
Servant : I forgot to wind the clock.

1. The man scolded the servant …………….. .
2. He questioned him …………. .
3. The servant apologised to him respectfully and explained ……………. .
4. The man asked him …………… .
   to this, the servant answered politely that he had done so. His master further inquired the reason for the delay.
5. The servant answered humbly that ………… .

Answer:

1. The man scolded the servant that he was becoming very lazy those days.
2. He questioned him if he had not asked him to get his breakfast ready by 8 o’clock.
3. The servant apologised to him respectfully and explained that he got up very late that day, and that was why he could not prepare it on time.
4. The man asked him if he had not set the alarm before going to sleep. To this, the servant answered politely that he had done so. His master further inquired the reason for the delay.
5. The servant answered humbly that he had forgotten to wind the clock.

5) Employer : Why did you leave your previous job?
Applicant : That didn’t meet my requirement.
Employer : What salary do you expect here?
Applicant : I am expecting Rs. 5,000 per month.
Employer : We can pay you just Rs. 3,000 per month.
An applicant went for an interview in an office.
The employer asked him why he had left his previous job.

1. The applicant replied that ……………. .
2. The employer further enquired …………….. .
3. The applicant told him …………………. .
4. The employer concluded by saying …………… .

Answer:

1. The applicant replied that it had not met his requirement.
2. The employer further enquired what salary he expected there.
3. The applicant told him that he was expecting Rs. 5,000 per month.
4. The employer concluded by saying that they could pay him just Rs. 3,000 per month.

6) Customer : Please show me a good cap.
Salesman : What type of cap do you want, sir?
Customer : One that covers the face.
Salesman : It won’t be a cap then, it would be a mask.

1. A customer went up to a salesman and …………. .
2. The salesman asked him ………………… .
3. The customer …………….. .
4. The salesman, on hearing the request …………… .

Answer:

1. A customer went up to a salesman and requested him to show him a good cap.
2. The salesman asked him respectfully what kind of cap he wanted.
3. The customer replied that he wanted a cap that would cover the face.
4. The salesman, on hearing the request, said that then it would not be a cap, it would be a mask.

Writing:

After Arun reaches his boarding school, he writes a diary entry about his strange encounter with the woman at platform 8 from 5-00 p.m. in the evening to 12-00 midnight. Imagine you are Arun and write the diary page on his behalf in the table given below:

Answer:

Pronunciation:

You have already learnt about syllables. When we pronounce words in English, we stress one part of a word more than the other. Say the following words along with your teacher. The syllables to be stressed have been marked.

artificial ’emotions ‘beautiful su’perior ‘magic
ma’gician op’tician ‘festival ‘active

The following words are taken from the story. Mark the stress and practice saying them aloud. Notice the shift in stress.

Answer:

Grammar:

Direct And Indirect Speech:

A) Rewrite the following sentences in the reported speech:

1. He said, “Amuda was dancing”.
He said that Amuda had been dancing.

2. My servant says, “Tea is ready”.
My servant says that tea is ready.

3. “I never eat meat”, he explained.
He explained that he never ate meat.

4. “I have found a flat”, he said.
He said that he had found a flat.

5. She said, “We will discuss the matter tomorrow”.
She said that they would discuss the matter the next day.

The Woman on Platform 8 Summary in English

Arun was a student at a boarding school. He was going back to school. His parents considered him old enough to travel alone. So, he had left his town by bus and arrived at Ambala early in the evening. The train he had to board was at 12 midnight. He was sitting on platform no. 8 at Ambala station waiting for the north-bound train. It was a long wait for him. He walked up and down the platform, browsing at the book stall, feeding biscuits to stray dogs. He watched the trains come and go. Whenever a train arrived the platform would become a centre of activity, and it would become quiet after the train departed. Tired of pacing about the platform he sat down on his suitcase gazing at the railway tracks.

A soft voice asked from behind if he was alone. Arun saw a middle aged woman in white sari, with dark kind eyes leaning over him. There was some kind of dignity about her which made Arun stand up respectfully and answer. He told her that he was alone and that he was going to school. She asked him if his parents had not come to see him off. Arun said that he did not live there and he could travel alone. The lady agreed with him. Arun liked her for her simplicity, her deep soft voice and the serenity of her face. The stranger found out his name and the train he was waiting for. She took him to the dining room and ordered jalebies, samosas and tea. Arun told her about his school, his friends, his likes and dislikes. In this way the bond between them gradually developed. He did not ask her any questions.

Arun returned with her to the place where he had left his suitcase under the charge of a coolie. He saw Satish, one of his school-mates, standing on the platform with his mother. The two boys greeted each other. Satish introduced Arun to his mother as one of his friends and the best bowler in the class. Satish’s mother said she was glad to know that. Satish’s mother was an imposing woman. She looked at the stranger who held Arun’s hand and asked if she was his mother. The woman replied that she was Arun’s mother, before Arun could talk.

Satish’s mother went on complaining about waiting for trains in the middle of night. She said it was dangerous to let the children travel alone for anything might happen at a big station with suspicious characters and strangers hanging around. The woman said that Arun could travel alone, in spite of all the dangers. Arun had taken an instinctive dislike to Satish’s mother. Her proud, domineering nature had made him to do so. Satish’s mother advised him to be very careful when his mother was not with him, and to never talk to strangers. Arun looked at the stranger and said he liked strangers.

Satish’s mother was offended by Arun’s answer. She wagged her finger at Arun and advised him to listen to what his mother tells him. She again warned him not to talk to strangers. Arun glared resentfully at her. Satish.grinned as he watched the confrontation between his mother and Arun.

Just then the station bell rang. The train moved slowly into the station. As soon as it stopped Satish jumped onto the footboard of an empty compartment and shouted at Arun to get in. Arun boarded the train with his suitcase. They sat at the open windows and the two women stood outside on the platform.

Satish’s mother started telling them what to do and what not to. She told them not to jump on and off moving trains, not to stick their heads out of the windows and not to eat any rubbish on the way. The woman stood silently. Satish’s mother seemed to have formed an opinion about Arun’s ‘mother’ as an incapable person who did not show any concern for the safety of her son. She gave Satish a bag of fruits, a cricket bat and a box of chocolates. She asked Satish to share the food with Arun.

Arun was smarting under the patronising tone of Satish’s mother. He guessed that Satish’s mother thought that his was a very poor family. He did not want to give the other woman away. He let her hold his hand. He hated Satish’s mother for her rude behaviour. When the train was about to move he leaned out and kissed the stranger on her cheek. Satish bade goodbye to his mother. Arun addressed the stranger as his mother and bid goodbye to her. Arun kept looking at the woman in white, till she was lost in the crowd.

Glossary:

pacing – walking slowly
browsing – examine in a casual way
inferno – a place that is like hell.
heaving – panting with short quick breath.
agitated – anxious
ambling – walking at an easy gentle pace.
dismally – sadly
serenity – calmness, peace
thaw – soften (here)
encounter – sudden or unexpected meeting.
embarrassed – shy, awkward
nuisance – troublesome, annoying
instinctive – natural
sternly – harshly
staggered – reeled in shock
contradicted – disagreed with
wagging – shaking
resentfully. – angrily
befriended – making friendship
apparently – clearly seen
squatting – sitting on the floor
smarting – feeling pained
patronizing – showing superiority in a rude and insulting way
milling – a throng of people moving about in a place.