Important Questions for CBSE Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 4 - The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom

A. Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark)

1. Word – Meaning from the given chapter

i. Coaxed

Ans: To gently persuade someone to do something.

ii. Whining

Ans: Making a long, high-pitched cry.

iii. Gleamed

Ans: Shine.

iv. Smothered

Ans: Cooking in a container.

2. Fill in the blanks

i. In the good old days of the ……….., there lived an old couple whose only pet was …………..

Ans: daimios, a little dog.

ii. The people treated; the dumb creature loved its ……………. like a being with a soul.

Ans: protectors 

iii. One day the dog came running to him, putting his paws against his legs and motioning with his head to ………..

Ans: some spot behind.

iv. Thinking it was possibly a buried bone or bit of fish, the old man struck his hoe in the earth, when, lo! gleamed before him.

Ans: a pile of gold.

3. True – False

i. The old couple fed the dog tidbits of fish from their own chopsticks and all the boiled rice.

Ans: True

ii. The old man was a rice farmer who worked hard and petted a dog.

Ans: True

iii. When he dug deep, the old man found a bone for the dog.

Ans: False

iv. The greedy neighbour had coaxed the dog because they wanted the dog to find gold for them.

Ans: True

4. Did the old couple love the dog?

Ans: Yes, the elderly couple adored the dog as if it were a child.

5. Did the old man take the dog with him to the fields?

Ans: Yes, the old man used to take the dog with himself to the fields.

B. Short Answer Questions (2 marks)

1. What did the dog do in the fields?

Ans: The dog was very good. It did not cause damage to the white heron ever and walked in the steps of the old man to pick up the worms.

2. What did the old man do with the worms he collected? 

Ans: The man was extremely kind towards the things in his life, so frequently he would give the worms to the bird occasionally.

3. What was the dog doing one day at the field?

Ans: After the dog had run-up to the old man's legs and placed his paws against his legs, he motioned with his head to a position behind them.

4. Why did the dog act weirdly?

Ans: The dog acted weirdly because he had smelled something under the tree and wanted his protector to see it.

5. What was under the tree in the old man’s field? 

Ans: When the dog didn’t stop whining, the old man dug deep into the earth, and to his surprise, he found a pile of gold under the earth.

C. Short Answer Questions (3 marks)

1. What did the old couple do with the gold they found? 

Ans: The gold was utilised in a variety of ways by the elderly couple. As they were made wealthy in an hour, they bought a piece of land, made a banquet for their friends, and donated an abundance to their neighbours.

2. Who were the wicked old husband and wife? How did they react when they heard about the old couple? 

Ans: The old, wicked husband and wife were the people living in the same village. They were not at all sensitive and kind. And also always kicked and scolded any dog that passed their house. When they found out about the old couple, they had coaxed their dogs into their garden and gave him fish and treats as they hoped he would find them the treasure.

3. What did the wicked husband and wife find when they dug deep? What did they do with the dog?

Ans: The wicked husband and wife had dragged the dog out of doors. They saw that the dog was scratching under the pine tree. They started jumping in joy. But on digging deep, they found that it was not some treasure but only a dead cat that smelt bad.

4. What did they do with the cat when he couldn’t find them the treasure?

Ans: When the couple didn’t find the treasure, they got furious. The old man kick-off and knocked him to death and the old woman nearly slashed off his head with the sharp hoe. They then threw him into the hole and poured soil on top of his body.

5. What is the poem “Chivvy” about?

Ans: The poem “Chivvy” is about a child complaining about the things that grownups say to them. The grown-ups say things like speak up, don’t talk with your mouth full, don’t stare, don’t point, or don’t pick your nose. Their habit of ranting or complaining never ends. “Can't you make your own mind up about anything?” the poet asks the adults.

D. Long Answer Questions (5 marks)

1. How did the real owner of the dog react?

Ans: After the owner of the dog heard about the death of the dog, the old man went at night under the pine tree and mourned for him as if he was his own child. The old man set up some bamboo tubes in the ground, as they are used in tombs, and put some fresh flowers in them. He also kept a cup of water, a plate of food on the grave and burned numerous expensive sticks of incense. He mourned by calling him numerous dear names.

2. Who comes in the dreams of the old man? What happens in the dream? Does the man do what the dog had told? What happened when they did so?

Ans: The dog appears in the dreams of the old man. According to the story, the dog seemed to tell the old man to cut the pine tree which is around his grave and make a mortar for his rice pastries and a grind for his bean sauce. Yes, the elderly man performed what the dog had instructed him to do in his dream; nevertheless, it cost him a tremendous amount of effort. When New Year’s time got near, the old couple wanted to make some rice pastry. After performing all the procedures, they noticed that the whole mass was transformed into a heap of gold coins. And the ground beans had turned into gold.

3. What does the envious neighbour do when they see that the couple got gold again?

Ans: When the envious neighbour noticed that the old man and woman got wealthy again, they lent the mortar and the magic mill. They loaded the one with boiled rice and the other with beans; they noticed that none of it was transformed into gold but a foul mass of worms. The selfish couple got angry at this also and sliced the mill into bits that will be used as firewood.

4. Why did the old man sprinkle the ashes on the withered trees? What happened when he did this?

Ans: The old man crushed the ashes on the faded trees because he again dreamed of his dog that informed them about the actions of the wicked people and how they had burnt the mill which the old man produced from the pine tree. When the old man sprinkled the ashes on withered trees all the trees blossomed. When their master the Daimio saw the sorcery, he complimented the old man and presented him with silk robes, fans, and sponge cake. This incident once again made the old couple live to a green old age.

5. What happened when the old man’s neighbours sprinkled the ashes over Daimio and his wife? What was the result of doing it?

Ans: When the old man’s neighbour saw that Daimio and his wife had rewarded the old couple because of the ashes they had showered and that the trees had blossomed, the neighbours tried to do the same. He ascended the tree with some magical ashes. When Daimio arrived, the wicked man threw a handful of ash onto Daimio and his wife. As a result, it didn’t change into a particle and the ash harmed the nose and eyes of the two. As he had spoiled the dignity of the procession, he was punished by Daimio and his guard who left him for dead.