Class 7 English Notes Chapter 1 (Three Questions ; The Squirrel) – Honeycomb Book

Alright class, let's get straight into Chapter 1 from your Honeycomb book. This chapter includes a thoughtful story, 'Three Questions', and a short, observant poem, 'The Squirrel'. Both are important, so pay close attention to these notes, especially if you're preparing for competitive exams where details matter.

Part 1: Three Questions

• Author: Leo Tolstoy (Remember this name, sometimes author names are asked). He was a famous Russian writer known for his profound stories often dealing with moral and philosophical themes.

• Central Idea/Theme: The story explores the fundamental questions about how to live a meaningful and effective life. It ultimately teaches the importance of living in the present moment, valuing the people currently with us, and performing acts of kindness.

• Characters:

  • The King: The protagonist. He is genuinely concerned with finding the right way to govern and live. He is thoughtful, determined, and ultimately shows humility and compassion. He seeks practical wisdom, not just theoretical answers.
  • The Hermit: A wise old man living a simple life in the woods, known for his wisdom. He doesn't give direct answers easily but prefers to let the King learn through experience. He represents practical, grounded wisdom.
  • The Learned Men: Scholars and experts from the kingdom. They offer various, often contradictory and impractical answers based on theoretical knowledge, highlighting the limitations of such knowledge without experience.
  • The Bearded Man: An enemy of the King whose brother was executed and property seized by the King. He comes seeking revenge but is wounded by the King's bodyguards. He represents conflict and the potential for forgiveness and reconciliation.

• Plot Summary:

  1. The King's Quest: A certain king believes that knowing the answers to three specific questions would ensure his success:
     • What is the right time to begin something?
     • Which people should he listen to?
     • What is the most important thing for him to do?
  2. Unsatisfactory Answers: He proclaims a reward for the answers. Many learned men try, but their answers vary widely (e.g., follow a timetable vs. impossible to decide beforehand; listen to councillors vs. priests vs. doctors vs. soldiers; focus on science vs. fighting vs. religious worship). The King is unsatisfied.
  3. Seeking the Hermit: Hearing of a wise hermit, the King decides to consult him. Knowing the hermit only meets common folk, the King disguises himself, leaves his guards behind, and approaches the hermit's hut on foot.
  4. Encounter with the Hermit: The King finds the frail hermit digging beds. He asks his questions, but the hermit continues digging. Seeing the hermit is tired, the King offers to help and digs for a considerable time.
  5. The Wounded Man: As evening approaches and the King is about to leave, a bearded man runs towards them, bleeding heavily from a stomach wound. The King immediately tends to the man, washing and bandaging the wound repeatedly until the bleeding stops. He helps carry the man into the hut.
  6. Reconciliation: The next morning, the bearded man, now conscious and recovered slightly, asks for the King's forgiveness. He reveals he was the King's sworn enemy seeking revenge, but the King saved his life. He pledges lifelong loyalty. The King is glad to have made peace with his enemy so easily.
  7. The Hermit's Answers: Before leaving, the King presses the hermit one last time for the answers. The hermit explains that the King has already found the answers through his actions:
     • The most important time was when he was digging the beds (because if he hadn't, he would have left and been attacked by the enemy) and later when he was caring for the wounded man (because the man might have died without his care). Therefore, the most important time is Now (the present moment).
     • The most important person was the hermit when he was digging, and later the wounded man. Therefore, the most important person is the person you are with at a particular moment.
     • The most important business was to do the hermit good (by digging) and later to do the wounded man good (by saving his life). Therefore, the most important business is to do good to the person you are with.

• Moral: True wisdom lies not in complex theories but in mindful action in the present moment, showing compassion and helping those around us.

• Key Vocabulary: Proclaimed (announced publicly), Councillors (advisors), Hermit (a person living in solitude, often for religious reasons), Affairs (matters, business), Fainted (lost consciousness), Seized (took possession of forcefully), Faithful (loyal), Reconciled (restored friendly relations).

Part 2: The Squirrel

• Poet: Mildred Bowers Armstrong

• Theme: Simple observation and appreciation of nature, specifically the playful characteristics of a squirrel.

• Summary: This is a short, six-line descriptive poem. The poet observes a squirrel sitting on a tree, eating a nut. The poet describes its tail as looking like a question mark and its fur as a grey overcoat. The squirrel is portrayed as playful and teasing, running away when the poet or others approach its tree.

• Analysis & Literary Devices:

  • Imagery: The poem uses vivid visual images ("question mark for tail", "overcoat of gray").
  • Metaphor: "He wore a question mark for tail" is a metaphor – the tail's shape is directly compared to a question mark without using 'like' or 'as'.
  • Personification: "He liked to tease and play" gives the squirrel human-like qualities (liking to tease).
  • Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme is ABCBDB (tail/gray, nut/play, tree/way - though 'gray' and 'play' is more of a near rhyme).
  • Tone: Light-hearted, affectionate, observational.

• Message: The poem encourages close observation of the natural world and finding joy in the simple actions and appearances of creatures like squirrels.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Here are 10 MCQs based on Chapter 1 ('Three Questions' and 'The Squirrel') for your practice:

1. What was the first question the King wanted an answer to in 'Three Questions'?
   a) Who were the most necessary people?
   b) What was the right time to begin something?
   c) What was the most important thing to do?
   d) Why should he listen to the hermit?

2. Why did the King disguise himself before meeting the hermit?
   a) He wanted to surprise the hermit.
   b) He was afraid of his enemies.
   c) He knew the hermit only received common folk.
   d) He wanted to test the hermit's wisdom.

3. According to the hermit, what is the most important time?
   a) The future
   b) The past
   c) When planning is done
   d) Now (the present moment)

4. Who was the bearded man who ran out of the woods?
   a) A friend of the hermit
   b) One of the King's soldiers
   c) An enemy of the King seeking revenge
   d) A lost traveller

5. What did the King do that ultimately saved the bearded man's life?
   a) He gave him food and water.
   b) He washed and bandaged his wound.
   c) He hid him from the hermit.
   d) He sent for his royal doctors.

6. What is the central moral of the story 'Three Questions'?
   a) Kings should always consult learned men.
   b) Revenge is always justified.
   c) Wisdom comes from acting kindly in the present moment.
   d) It is important to follow a strict timetable.

7. In the poem 'The Squirrel', what does the poet compare the squirrel's tail to?
   a) An overcoat
   b) A question mark
   c) A grey feather
   d) A nut

8. What literary device is used in the line "He wore a question mark for tail"?
   a) Simile
   b) Personification
   c) Metaphor
   d) Alliteration

9. According to the poem 'The Squirrel', what does the squirrel like to do?
   a) Sing songs
   b) Sleep all day
   c) Tease and play
   d) Sit very still

10. Who wrote the story 'Three Questions'?
    a) Mildred Bowers Armstrong
    b) Rabindranath Tagore
    c) Leo Tolstoy
    d) Ruskin Bond

Answer Key for MCQs:

1. b
2. c
3. d
4. c
5. b
6. c
7. b
8. c
9. c
10. c

Study these notes carefully. Understanding the plot, characters, themes, and the underlying message is crucial. For the poem, focus on the description and the simple appreciation of nature. Good luck with your preparation!