Comprehension check:-
Q 1. How many daughters did the royal couple have ?
Ans. The royal couple had nine daughters.
Q 2. Why were they named after the months of the year ?
Ans. They were named after the months of the year because the queen was constantly confused about the correct names of her many daughters.
Q 3. The King had a peculiar habit. What was it ? Why is it called peculiar ?
Ans. The King had an odd habit of giving gifts on his birthday every year. This is a strange habit because kings usually receive gifts on their birthdays.
Q.4 (i) What was Princess September’s reaction to the loss of her parrot ?
Ans. Princess September was heartbroken after her parrot died. She sobbed uncontrollably. She didn’t eat anything that day.
(ii) What was her mother’s reaction to it ?
Ans. The mother was unconcerned about the event. Princess September’s sobbing over the loss of a bird struck her as absurd.
(iii) What do the reactions indicate about the nature and temperament of each ?
Ans. The reaction suggests that the Princess is not guilty. She is fascinated by birds. She is heartbroken over the loss of her pet parrot. She sobs uncontrollably. However, the mother believes that crying over the loss of a bird is absurd. She does not have a loving personality.
Q 5. What pulled the Princess out of her gloom ?
Ans. Princess September was depressed after her parrot died. She was asleep in her bed. She was even starving. She noticed a small bird fly into her room. The bird started singing a lovely song. This lifted the Princess’s spirits.
Q 6. How did the Maids of Honour come to know that the Princess and the bird had become intimate friends ?
Ans. The Maids of Honour noticed that the Princess was overjoyed and proud of the bird. They noticed the bird eating rice from the Princess’s hand and bathing in her saucer. As a result, they discovered that they had become close friends.
Q 7. The new bird was full of new songs but the old parrots always repeated themselves. What did they say ?
Ans. They were always saying “God save the king” and “Pretty Polly.”
Q 8. What is the King’s opinion about his Councillors? Why did he form that opinion ?
Ans. The King has a low opinion of his councillors. He claims that his councillors are like parrots, repeating the same thing over and over. Whatever they said was completely ineffective.
Q.9 (i) The eight Princesses made an offer to Princess September. What was it ?
Ans. They said they were going to get her a lovely green and yellow parrot.
(ii) Why, in your view, did they do it ?
Ans. They were envious of the bird’s song. They didn’t want September to live with that little bird. So they devised this plan.
Q 10. What did the sisters advise the Princess to do about her bird ?
Ans. The sisters advised the Princess to put the little bird in the cage or it would flee her forever.
Comprehension Check:-
Q 1. In the following sentence elaborate the parts given in bold. Under the circumstances it was a very unfortunate remark for the bird to make.
Ans. The Princess was very concerned about the bird. Her greatest fear was that the bird would abandon her at any moment. When the bird stated that he would not be returning that night, the Princess decided to put him in the cage. As a result, it was unfortunate that he made this remark.
Q 2. (i) What did Princess September do to ensure the safety of her pet ?
Ans. Princess September placed her pet in the cage for his protection.
(ii) How did the bird react to it ?
Ans. The bird initially thought the Princess was joking. However, when the truth was revealed to him, he reacted angrily. He refused to eat or sing songs.
Q 3. Why did the bird refuse to be taken out in her cage ?
Ans. The bird did not appreciate the beauty of the outside world while imprisoned in a cage. He stated that he will appreciate the beauty only when flying over the fields and lakes. As a result, he refused to be released from the cage.
Q.4 (i) What persuaded Princess September to give the bird his freedom again ?
Ans. The Princess discovered her bird in the cage, nearly dead. She removed the bird. She immediately apologized. She began to cry. When the bird opened his eyes, he told the Princess that he would die if he was not set free. This convinced Princess September to restore the bird’s freedom.
(ii) How did the bird react to it ?
Ans. The bird was filled with happiness. He promised the Princess that he would never abandon her and that he would sing her the most beautiful songs.
Q 5. Princess September kept her window open day and night.
(i) How did it help the bird?
Ans. It made it easier for the bird to fly in and out of the Princess’s room at any time of day.
(ii) How did it help the Princess herself ?
Ans. This open window let in a lot of fresh air into her room. Because of the fresh air, she grew up to be very beautiful. When she was old enough, she was married to a king.
Q 6. The eight sisters kept their windows shut. How did it affect them ?
Ans. The windows were closed by the eight sisters. There was no fresh air in their rooms. As a result, they grew up to be extremely ugly and disagreeable. They were married to members of the King’s Council.
Exercise
Discuss the following questions in small groups. Write their answers later.
Q 1. Are the sisters unkind and cruel ? Find evidence in the text to support your idea.
Ans. They grew up to be extremely unattractive and disagreeable. They were married to King’s Council members.
Q 2. Which, to you, is the most important idea in this story, and why ?
(i) Importance of music
(ii) Value of freedom
(iii) Beauty of nature
Ans. The most important concept in this story is the value of liberty. Even a bird cannot live happily in the absence of freedom. The example of the little singing bird exemplifies this point vividly.
