”Clouds” of Intizar Hussain is a lesson of textbook ”Blossom” approved by West Bengal Board of Secondary Education for class 8 students. Here all the Activity Questions are solved by English Teachers.
Activity – 1
Rearrange the following sentences in the correct order and put the numbers in the given boxes:
1.) He saw a grass cutter coming from the other direction (4)
2.) The grass cutter was surprised (6)
3.) He reached the old mud hut (2)
4.) He wandered in search of the clouds (1)
5.) He asked the grass cutter if he had noticed the clouds. (5)
6.) He turned into the dirt back . (3)
Activity – 2
Complete the following sentences with information from the text:
a.) The grass cutter had a bundle of freshly cut grass balanced on his head .
b.) He was disappointed to see that the grass cutter was still mystified.
c.) The farmer could not make sense of the boy’s question.
d.) He was asking for the clouds like a man who has lost his child and ask wayfarers if they have seen a child wandering.
Activity – 3
Answer the following question:
“But no one could give him a satisfactory answer”- Why do you think no one could give him a satisfactory answer?
Answer: I think that no one could give him satisfaction because none was as sensitive about the clouds as he was.
Activity – 4
Write ‘T’ for Tense and ‘F’ for false statements in the boxes given. Give supporting statements for each of your answers:
1.) In the morning the boy asked the first questions to his father. (F)
Supporting Statement: His mother was the first he had asked in the morning an exceptionally stupid question.
2.) The boy’s mother asked him to go to school. (T)
Supporting Statement: Wash quickly, eat your breakfast and go to school.
3.) When the boy got up in the morning , he saw that the sky was cloudless. (T)
Supporting Statement: The sky was clear and empty !
4.) The boy was happy to think that he had fallen asleep. (F)
Supporting Statement: And it suddened him to think that he had fallen asleep .
Activity – 5
Answer the following questions:
1.) Which question haunted the boy ?
Answer: The question that was haunted by the boy was about the place where the clouds had gone.
2.) What did the boy see in the middle of the night ?
Answer: In the middle of the night the boy saw that the clouds were rumbling.
3.) How did he feel as he walked between the fields?
Answer: While walking between the fields he felt that his body was on fire and his throat was dry.
4.) What did he do after reaching the shelter of the tree ?
Answer: After reaching the shelter of the tree he splashed the cool water from the Persian wheel on his dusty feet and washed his hand and face and had drunk his fill.
Activity – 6
Fill in the chart with information from the text:
| What | Why |
| (i) The boy was open-mouthed | The old man told the boy that he had once lived in a place where it had not rained for ten years. |
| (ii) The earth was damp underfoot. | It had rained hard a while ago. |
| (iii) The boy hurried home. | He wanted to see how fresh and clean the jamun tree in his courtyard looked. |
| (iv) When he got home, he saw everything had changed | There had been a good shower during his absence. |
Activity – 7
Answer the following questions:
1.) What did the old man say about the place where he once lived?
Answer: The old man told the boy that he had once lived in a place where it had not rained for ten years.
2.) How did the boy feel as he reached the mud -hut?
Answer: The boy felt a chill in the air and the damp earth undertook.
3.) What did the boy do as he stood under the Jamun tree?
Answer: The boy let the raindrops fall on his head and face when he stood under the jamun tree.
4.) Why did the clouds shed rain in the absence of the boy?
Answer: The cloud shed the rains as the natural condition was favourable but it was not conscious of the boy.
Activity 8 (a)
Underline the verbs that denote actions which will be progress at a time in the future:
(i) I shall be reading a book next week.
(ii) You will be going to school tomorrow.
(iii) They will be visiting our house next month.
The verbs you have underlined are in the Future Continuous Tense.
A Future Continuous Tense is a form of a verb that denotes an action that will be in progress at a time in the future.
Activity 8(b)
Underline the verbs that denote actions that will be completed in the future:
(i) I shall have written the story by then.
(ii) He will have left before you go to see the doctor.
(iii) You shall have gone to the fair.
The verbs you have underlined are in the Future Perfect Tense.
A Future Perfect Tense is a form of a verb that denotes an action that will be completed by a certain time in the future.
Activity 8 (c)
Read the following sentences. Identify the future continuous tense and future perfect tense and fill in the table given below:
(i) I shall be playing in the field.
(ii) She will have recited the poem.
(iii) You will have enjoyed the picnic.
(iv) They will be coming soon.
| Future Continuous Tense | Future Perfect Tense |
| shall be playing | will have recited |
| will be coming | will have enjoyed |
Activity 9
Write the antonyms of the underlined words by using the prefixes from the Help Box:
(a) It is possible for him to lift the chair.
Answer: It is impossible for him to lift the chair.
(b) His handwriting is legible.
Answer: His handwriting is illegible.
(c) Their claim is not reasonable.
Answer: Their claim is not unreasonable.
(d) He believes his friend.
Answer: He disbelieves his friend.
[Help Box: dis-, un-, im- ,il- ]
Activity 10 (a)
Write a story in about eight words using the following hints:
two friends passing through a forest bear came-one friend climbed a tree- the other friend could not climb the tree-helpless-lay down like a dead man- bear came near the man- thought he was dead-went away
Answer:
The True Friend
Once upon a time, there were two friends. They were going through a forest together. Suddenly a bear came. Both of them got scared. One of them climbed a tree to save himself without thinking about his friend. The other friend couldn’t climb the tree. He felt helpless. But then, he hit upon an idea. He lay down like a dead man, because he knew the bear wouldn’t harm the dead body. The bear went near the man and sniffed him. The bear thought that he was dead. When the bear had gone, the fake friend came down and asked what the bear had told him in his ears. The other friend said that the bear advised him to stay away from a fake friend who leaves in times of trouble.
Moral: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Activity 10 (b)
Suppose you have been waiting for a piece of good news. Write a paragraph in about eighty words on your experience of waiting:
the news you waited for-what you did while waiting-whether the news had come-your feelings.
Answer:
A DAY’S WAIT
Last year a story competition was held in our school. We had to write a story of our own within one hour. I wrote an imaginary story with Allen. After an hour a list of names was declared. It included my name, last name, how my story was selected from my section. Then we were asked to wait for the final announcement of the best story in the whole school. This time I felt my heart was pounding. Half an hour passed while the Judges were talking among themselves. At last, the Headmaster declared my name. I felt that I had been dreaming and felt very content.
Class 8 exam photo please ?