Hi Everyone!! This article will share A Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg Questions & Answers.
The story is written by Leo Tolstoy and its main idea is that one should feel happy with what he has and should not get jealous of others. In one of my previous posts, I have also shared The Lame Boy’s Lament Questions & Answers so, you can check that post as well.
A Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg Questions & Answers
Question 1: Describe the object that the children picked up from the ravine.
Answer: The children found a thing shaped like a grain of corn, with a groove in the middle, as large as a hen’s egg in the ravine.
Question 2: Read the extract given below and answer the following questions:
The King called together his wise …………………………….till one day.
(a) Give the synonym of the word ‘pondered’.
Answer: The synonym of the word ‘pondered’ is ‘thought about’.
(b) How did the wise men know what the thing was?
Answer: When one day the thing was lying on a window-sill, a hen flew in and pecked at it till she made a hole in it, and then everyone saw that it was a grain of corn.
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Question 3: What did the king do to collect information about the grain?
Answer: The king ordered the learned men to find out when and where such corn had grown.
Question 4: Why could the learned men not find the answer to the king’s question? What were their suggestions?
Answer: The learned men could not find the answer to the king’s question because when they pondered and searched in their books for answers, they could not find anything. So they suggested that the king must ask the peasants who might have heard about the grain from their fathers.
Question 5: Read the extract given below and answer the following questions:
So the King gave orders that a very old peasant should be brought before him; and his servants found such a man and brought him to the King. Old and bent, ash pale and toothless, he just managed with the help of two crutches to totter into the King’s presence.
(a) What does the word ‘totter’ mean?
Answer: The word ‘totter’ means to move in an unsteady manner.
(b) Who is referred to as ‘he’ in the above lines?
Answer: The old peasant’s father is referred to as ‘he’ in the above lines.
(c) Who according to the first peasant would know about the gain of corn?
Answer: The first peasant thought that his father might have heard of such a grain of corn.
(d) Describe the first peasant.
Answer: The first peasant was old and bent; ash pale and toothless, he just managed to totter into the King’s presence with the help of two crutches.
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A Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg Questions & Answers
Question 6: What was the king’s question to the old peasant who came first?
Answer: The king asked him if he knew where such a grain grew and if he had ever bought such corn or sown such in his fields.
Question 7: What was the first old peasant’s answer?
Answer: The first old peasant’s answer was that he had never sown or reaped such grains and the king should ask about the same to his father.
Question 8: How did the old peasant’s father come to the king? Was he able to see?
Answer: The old peasant’s father came to the king walking on a single crutch and was able to see well than his son did.
Question 9: How was the peasant’s father different from his son?
Answer: The peasant’s father was different from his son as he walked with one crutch, he was still able to see and hear better than his son did.
Question 10: Read the extract given below and answer the following questions:
“Answer me two more questions,” said the King. The first is, ’Why did the earth …………………….now?’ And the second is, ‘Why your grandson walks …………………………………….. you yourself with none?”
(a) To whom did the king ask two more questions?
Answer: The King asked two more questions to the oldest peasant/ the grandfather.
(b) Why did the earth bear large sized grains in olden times and had ceased to do so now?
Answer: The earth bore large sized grains in olden times and had ceased to do so now because men have ceased to live by their own labour and have taken to depending on the labour of others.
A Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg Questions & Answers
Question 11: Which lines suggest that the land was free during the oldest man’s time?
Answer: The following lines suggest that the land was free during the oldest man’s time: “My field was God’s earth, wherever I ploughed, there was my field. Land was free. It was a thing no man called his own.”
Question 12: Why did the people never think of buying or selling bread during the grandfather’s time?
Answer: During the grandfather’s time, the people never thought of buying or selling bread because they did not know about money and each man had corn enough for his own.
Question 13: What did the King come to know about the olden times from the old grandfather?
Answer: The King came to know that in the olden days there was no such thing as buying and selling as people knew nothing about money and each one grew enough corn for himself. Land was free and labour was the only thing that man called his own. People could plough wherever they wanted. The earth bore large sized grains in the olden times and men lived according to God’s law.
Question 14: What did the peasant’s grandfather do with the grain?
Answer: The peasant’s grandfather turned the grain around in his hand; he bit a piece off and tasted it.
A Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg Questions & Answers
Question 15: Why was the land free during the old peasant’s grandfather’s time?
Answer: The land was free during the old peasant’s time as people could grow grain wherever they wanted and there was nothing except their own labour which they called their own. All of God’s earth belonged to all mankind.
Question 16: Why was the grandfather healthier than both his son and his grandson?
Answer: The grandfather’s health was better than that of his son and grandson because nowadays, men have ceased to live by their own labour. They depend on labour of others. They have begun to want, to covet what others have which has resulted in poor health and discontentment.
Question 17: Analyze the traits of the three generations. What can you conclude from the comparative study?
Answer: In earlier times, people lived according to God’s law. They laboured for what they ate and never coveted what others produced. Hence, they yielded good quality produce, ate what was their own and lived healthier lives. However, with the passage of time, money was introduced. People started depending on others and became greedy. This resulted in poor quality of the produce and even their health deteriorated.
So, these were A Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg Questions & Answers.