NCERT Solutions Class 6 English – Chapter 3: Taro’s Reward

Summary:
“Taro’s Reward” is a story about a poor farmer named Taro who finds a large, heavy object while plowing his field. Upon digging, he discovers it to be a giant turnip. He struggles to pull it out alone but receives help from various members of his family and even some animals. In the end, they all work together to pull out the turnip, showcasing the importance of teamwork and cooperation.

Solutions:

WORKING WITH THE TEXT

Question A:

1. Why did Taro run in the direction of the stream? (5)

   Answer : Taro ran in the direction of the stream because he heard the sound of rushing water, which was unusual since he did not remember ever seeing a stream in that part of the forest. Being extremely thirsty from his hard work, he decided to find the source of the sound.

2. How did Taro’s father show his happiness after drinking saké? (7)

   Answer : Taro’s father showed his happiness after drinking the saké by stopping his shivering and doing a little dance in the middle of the floor.

3. Why did the waterfall give Taro saké and others water? (12)

   Answer : The waterfall gave Taro saké and others water because Taro was a thoughtful and dutiful son who wanted to provide for his parents, whereas the others were motivated by greed and selfishness.

4. Why did the villagers want to drown Taro? (10, 11)

   Answer : The villagers wanted to drown Taro because they felt tricked and angry when they found that the waterfall, which had given Taro saké, only provided them with plain water.

5. Why did the Emperor reward Taro? (13)

   Answer : The Emperor rewarded Taro with twenty pieces of gold and named a beautiful fountain in the city after him to encourage all children to honor and obey their parents, recognizing Taro’s goodness and kindness.

Question: B. Mark the right item.

1. Taro earned very little money because

(i) he didn’t work hard enough.

(ii) the villagers didn’t need wood.

(iii) the price of wood was very low.

2. Taro decided to earn extra money

(i) to live a more comfortable life.

(ii) to buy his old father some saké.

(iii) to repair the cracks in the hut.

3. The neighbour left Taro’s hut in a hurry because

(i) she was delighted with the drink.

(ii) she was astonished to hear Taro’s story.

(iii) she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall

Answers:

1. Taro earned very little money because

   (iii) the price of wood was very low.

2. Taro decided to earn extra money

   (ii) to buy his old father some saké.

3. The neighbour left Taro’s hut in a hurry because

   (iii) she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall.

WORKING WITH LANGUAGE

A. Strike off the words in the box below that are not suitable.
Taro wanted to give his old parents everything they needed.
This shows that he was …

thoughtful            hardworking         loving         honest
considerate           trustworthy         efficient      kind

Answer:

honest, trustworthy, efficient.

So, the suitable words are:

thoughtful, hardworking, loving, considerate, kind.

B. 1. “This made Taro sadder than ever.”
‘This’ refers to
(i) a strong wind that began to blow.
(ii) Taro’s father’s old age.
(iii) Taro’s inability to buy expensive sake for his father.
(Mark the right item.)

Answer: (iii) Taro’s inability to buy expensive sake for his father.

2. “This, said the emperor, was to encourage all children to honour
and obey their parents.”
‘This’ refers to
(i) the most beautiful fountain in the city.
(ii) rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.
(iii) sending for Taro to hear his story.
(Mark the right item.)

Answer: (ii) rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.

C. Arrange the words below in pairs that rhyme.
Example: young – lung
money – sunny

young       sad       money       chop       lung       last
wax         could     bad         sound      axe        wood
way         stop      sunny       fast       round      day

Answer:

  • young – lung
  • sad – bad
  • money – sunny
  • chop – stop
  • last – fast
  • wax – axe
  • could – wood
  • sound – round
  • way – day

D. 1. Fill in the blanks with words from the box.

lonely          little           hard        young
thoughtful      delicious        beautiful

A ——————–— woodcutter lived on a ——————–— hillside. He
was a ——————–——— son who worked ——————–——— but earned
——————–——— money. One day he saw a ——————–———
waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and
found it ——————–———.

Answer: A young woodcutter lived on a lonely hillside. He was a thoughtful son who worked hard but earned little money. One day he saw a beautiful waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and found it delicious.

2. Find these sentences in the story and fill in the blanks.
(i) This made Taro ——————–——— than ever. (3)
(ii) He decided to work ——————–——— than before. (3)
(iii) Next morning, Taro jumped out of bed ——————–———than
usual.(4)
(iv) He began to chop even ——————–——— . (4)
(v) Next morning, Taro started for work even ——————–———
than the morning before. (10)

Answer:

(i) This made Taro sadder than ever. (3)

(ii) He decided to work harder than before. (3)

(iii) Next morning, Taro jumped out of bed earlier than usual. (4)

(iv) He began to chop even faster. (4)

(v) Next morning, Taro started for work even earlier than the morning before. (10)