Comprehension Check 1
- How many daughters did the royal couple have?
Answer: The royal couple had nine daughters. - Why were they named after the months of the year?
Answer: They were named after the months of the year because the Queen found it difficult to remember so many names. - The King had a peculiar habit. What was it? Why is it called peculiar?
Answer: The King’s peculiar habit was giving gifts on his birthday rather than receiving them. It’s called peculiar because it is uncommon for a person, especially a king, to give gifts on their own birthday. - (i) What was Princess September’s reaction to the loss of her parrot?
Answer: Princess September was heartbroken and wept bitterly when her parrot died.(ii) What was her mother’s reaction to it?
Answer: Her mother remarked indifferently that the Princess’s weeping was just a habit.(iii) What do the reactions indicate about the nature and temperament of each?
Answer: Princess September is sensitive and emotional, while her mother is practical and somewhat indifferent. - What pulled the Princess out of her gloom?
Answer: A little singing bird that flew into her room and sang beautiful songs helped to lift Princess September’s spirits. - How did the Maids of Honour come to know that the Princess and the bird had become intimate friends?
Answer: The Maids of Honour noticed the Princess and the bird conversing and spending time together, which showed their close friendship. - The new bird was full of new songs, but the old parrots always repeated themselves. What did they say?
Answer: The old parrots repeatedly said, “God save the King” and “Pretty Polly.” - What is the King’s opinion about his Councillors? Why did he form that opinion?
Answer: The King found his Councillors boring because they repeated the same advice, much like the parrots repeating the same phrases. - (i) The eight Princesses made an offer to Princess September. What was it?
Answer: The eight Princesses offered to buy a new parrot for Princess September.(ii) Why, in your view, did they do it?
Answer: They likely offered it out of jealousy, as they didn’t understand the value of her relationship with the singing bird. - What did the sisters advise the Princess to do about her bird?
Answer: The sisters advised Princess September to put the bird in a cage to prevent it from flying away.
Comprehension Check 2
- In the following sentence elaborate the parts given in bold: “Under the circumstances, it was a very unfortunate remark for the bird to make.”
Answer: The bird’s remark about longing for freedom was unfortunate because it upset Princess September, who had just caged him to keep him safe. - (i) What did Princess September do to ensure the safety of her pet?
Answer: Princess September locked the bird in a cage to keep him from flying away.(ii) How did the bird react to it?
Answer: The bird was unhappy and refused to sing in the cage, showing he valued his freedom. - Why did the bird refuse to be taken out in her cage?
Answer: The bird refused because he wanted to be free and fly in the open air, not be confined to a cage. - (i) What persuaded Princess September to give the bird his freedom again?
Answer: The bird’s health declined, and he told Princess September that he couldn’t survive in captivity, convincing her to let him go.(ii) How did the bird react to it?
Answer: The bird was overjoyed to be free and promised to come back and sing for her. - Princess September kept her window open day and night. (i) How did it help the bird?
Answer: Keeping the window open allowed the bird to come and go freely.(ii) How did it help the Princess herself?
Answer: Keeping the window open brought fresh air and happiness into her life, making her feel free as well. - The eight sisters kept their windows shut. How did it affect them?
Answer: By keeping their windows shut, the eight sisters became dull, as they lacked the joy and freshness that came with freedom and openness.
Exercise Questions
1. Are the sisters unkind and cruel? Find evidence in the text to support your idea.
Ans: Yes, the sisters were cruel and harsh. When The sisters noticed that a bird of Princess September could sing and their parrots could just repeat two lines, they became disturbed. They even offered to buy green and yellow parrots for her. When she refused their offer, they persuaded her to put it in the cage knowing the reality that it would hurt the bird. After she had placed the bird into the cage, it stopped singing and eating. When she consulted her sisters, they said they would soon get used to the cage. They even told them that she should be strong, and if it died, then it would be very ungrateful of it. If it was stubborn and died, then it would serve it right. When she left the bird free, they mocked her and said that the bird would never come back. All these occurrences reveal that they were very cruel and heartless.
2. Which, to you, is the most important idea in this story, and why?
- Importance of music
- value of freedom
- beauty of nature
Ans: The most significant idea in the story is the value of freedom. Nobody should be refused his freedom. A lack of freedom suffocates someone and precludes him from experiencing the beauty of life in its richness. The bird in the story was flying happily. It sang wonderfully and ate well. Though, when it was caged, it turned out to be sad and did not sing or eat. It said that to sing, it needed its freedom, and if it could not sing, it would die. This reveals that the beauty of life is in freedom, and not in confinement. It is true for every person. One can work and grow well when one achieves open space to work. Restrictions stop the flow of inventiveness.
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