The Fight: 8th Class CBSE English ‘It So Happened’ Ch 6

The Fight 8th Class NCERT CBSE English ‘It So Happened’ Chapter 6

Question: 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: 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: 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: 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.

Question: In what way is the forest pool different from the one which Ranji knew in the Rajputana desert?

Answer: The forest pool was clean, cold and inviting, whereas the Rajputana desert had sticky, muddy pools where buffaloes wallowed and women washed clothes.

Question: The other boy asked Ranji to ‘explain’ himself.

1. What did he expect Ranji to say?
2. Was he, in your opinion, right or wrong to ask this question?

Answer:

1. He expected Ranji to apologize to him and immediately leave the pool.
2. He was wrong to ask this question because the pool was in the forest. It was not his personal property.

Question: Between Ranji and the other boy, who is trying to start a quarrel? Give a reason for your answer.

Answer: Between Ranji and the other boy, the other boy was trying to start a quarrel. When Ranji saw him, he did not say anything. It was the other boy who asked Ranji to explain himself. Ranji was prepared to be friendly, but was taken aback by the boy’s hostile tone. He even asked the boy to come and swim with him. However, the boy said that it was his pool, and started a fight by calling himself a ‘warrior’.

Question: “Then we will have to continue the fight,” said the other.

1. What made him say that?
2. Did the fight continue? If not, why not?

Answer:

1. When even after a lot of fighting Ranji refused to leave the pool, the other boy said that they would have to continue their fight.
2. No, the fight did not continue. After they decided to continue the fight, neither of them took the initiative. Then, the other boy said that they would continue the fight the next day if Ranji dared to come back to the pool.

Question: What is it that Ranji finds difficult to explain at home?

Answer: At home, Ranji found it difficult to explain the cuts and bruises that showed on his face, legs and arms. It was difficult to hide the fact that he had been involved in a fight.

Question: Ranji sees his adversary in the bazaar.

1. What does he wish to do?
2. What does he actually do, and why?

Answer:

1. When Ranji saw his adversary in the bazaar, he wished to turn away and look elsewhere. Then, he wished to throw the lemonade bottle at his enemy.
2. He actually stood his ground and scowled at the other boy. He did not throw the lemonade bottle because he did not want to start a fight in the bazaar.

Question: Ranji is not at all eager for a second fight. Why does he go back to the pool, then?

Answer: Ranji was not eager for a second fight, but he still went back to the pool because if he had not turned up, it would have been an acknowledgement of his defeat. He could not quietly accept his defeat. If he surrendered, he would be beaten forever. However, if he fought and got beaten, he could come again to fight and be beaten again. As long as he fought, he had the right to the pool in the forest.

Question: Is fighting the only way of resolving differences of opinion? What else can be done to reach a mutually acceptable settlement?

Answer: This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

Question: Have you ever been in a serious fight only to realize later that it was unnecessary and futile? Share you experience / views with others frankly and honestly.

Answer: This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

Question: 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: This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

Question: Who was the better swimmer? How do you know it?

Answer: Ranji was the better swimmer. When the other boy made fun of him by saying that he would not be able to swim across the pool, Ranji dived straight into the water and surfaced at the other end in a flash. The boy was amazed at how well Ranji had dived, and later, at how he had swum underwater. He said that he did not know how to dive or swim underwater, and asked Ranji to teach him both.

Question: What surprises the warrior?

Answer: The warrior was surprised to see how well Ranji had dived and later, at how he had swum underwater.

Question: Now that they are at the pool, why don’t they continue the fight?

Answer: The warrior asked Ranji to teach him how to dive. Ranji agreed. He even surprised the warrior by swimming under water. The warrior made efforts to dive and swim underwater. Ranji did not discourage him, and promised to teach him. In return, the warrior promised to turn Ranji into a wrestler. Consequently, they became friends and therefore, did not continue the fight.

Question: 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.

Answer: The following are the areas in which Ranji is superior to the other boy: good diving, swimming under water and willingness to help.

Question: What, according to you, makes the two adversaries turn into good friends in a matter of minutes? Explain it as you have understood it.

Answer: The two adversaries admired certain skills in each other, which they themselves lacked. When the other boy saw how well Ranji dived and swam underwater, he forgot about the fight and asked him to teach him these skills. Ranji’s willingness to help the other boy made their friendship possible. Noticing Ranji’s thin body, the other boy promised him that he would turn him into a wrestler like himself. As a result, in a matter of minutes, the adversaries turned into good friends.

Question: 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: 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: 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.