NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality is available here. These solutions are prepared by our subject expert to help students in their exams and homework. NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Chapter 5 Quality questions and answers are very helpful for CBSE exam. Students of Class 7 can study the answers provided here to score well in their school exams.
Working with the Text
Answer the following questions.
Question 1: What was the author’s opinion about Mr. Gessler as a bootmaker?
Answer: The author had a high opinion about Mr Gessler as a bootmaker. He knew that Mr Gessler made only what was ordered, and the boots that he made never failed to fit. The author felt that to make such boots as Mr Gessler did seem mysterious and wonderful.
Question 2: Why did the author visit the shop so infrequently?
Answer: The author visited the shop so infrequently because the boots made by Mr Gessler used to stay quite long.
Question 3: What was the effect on Mr Gessler of the author’s remark about a certain pair of boots?
Answer 3: When the author’s remark about a certain pair of boots, Mr Gessler surprisingly looked at him for a time to withdrew or qualify his statement. After that, he asked the author to get the pair back and if he could do nothing of them then he would take them off his bill.
Question 4: What was Mr Gessler’s complaint against “big firms”?
Answer: Mr Gessler complained that the big firms didn’t value the money of the customers. They were capturing the markets from advertisements and not from the quality of their work. He was mostly out of work because of those firms and day by day the volume was getting reduced.
Question 5: Why did the author order so many pairs of boots? Did he really need them?
Answer: The author ordered many pairs of boots because he felt pity for the bootmaker. He knew that his boots were the best in quality. Yet the man was dying of starvation. So the author ordered several boots although he did not need them.
Working with Language
Question 1. Study the following phrases and their meanings. Use them appropriately to complete the sentences that follow.
look after: take care of
look down on: disapprove or regard as inferior
look in (on someone): make a short visit
look into: investigate
look out: be careful
look up: improve
look up to: admire
(i) After a very long spell of heat, the weather is __________________ at last.
(ii) We have no right to __________________ people who do small jobs.
(iii) Nitin has always __________________ his uncle, who is a self-made man.
(iv) The police are __________________ the matter thoroughly.
(v) If you want to go out, I will __________________ the children for you.
(vi) I promise to __________________ on your brother when I visit Lucknow next.
(vi) __________________ when you are crossing the main road.
Answer:
(i) After a very long spell of heat, the weather is looking up at last.
(ii) We have no right to look down people who do small jobs.
(iii) Nitin has always looked up his uncle, who is a self-made man.
(iv) The police are looking into the matter thoroughly.
(v) If you want to go out, I will look after the children for you.
(vi) I promise to look in on your brother when I visit Lucknow next.
(vi) Look out when you are crossing the main road.
Question 2: Read the following sets of words loudly and clearly.
cot — coat
cost — coast
tossed — toast
got — goat
rot — rote
blot — bloat
knot — note
Answer: Do it yourself.
Question 3: Each of the following words contains the sound ‘sh’ (as in shine) in the beginning or in the middle or at the end. First speak out all the words clearly. Then arrange the words in three groups in the table
| sheep | trash | marsh | fashion |
| anxious | shriek | shore | fish |
| portion | ashes | sure | nation |
| shoe | pushing | polish | moustache |
Answer:
| Initial | Medial | Final |
| Sheep | Fashion | Trash |
| Shriek | Anxious | Marsh |
| Shore | Ashes | Fish |
| Sure | Nation | Polish |
| Shoe | Pushing | |
| Moustache |
Question 4: In each of the following words ‘ch’ represents the same consonant sound as in ‘chair’. The words on the left have this sound initially. Those on the right have it finally. Speak each word clearly.
| cot | coat |
| cost | coast |
| tossed | toast |
| got | goat |
| rot | rote |
| blot | bloat |
| knot | note |
Question 4: In each of the following words ‘ch’ represents the same consonant sound as in ‘chair’. The words on the left have this sound initially. Those on the right have it finally.
Speak each word clearly.
| choose | bench |
| child | march |
| cheese | peach |
| chair | wretch |
| charming | research |
Underline the letters representing this sound in each of the following words.
(i) feature (iv) reaching (vii) riches
(ii) archery (v) nature (viii) batch
(iii) picture (vi) matches (ix) church
Answer: (i) feature
(ii) archery
(iii) picture
(iv) reaching
(v) nature
(vi) matches
(vii) riches
(viii) batch
(ix) church
Speaking
Question 1. Do you think Mr Gessler was a failure as a bootmaker or as a competitive businessman?
Answer: Mr Gessler was successful as a bootmaker because his customers were immensely satisfied with the boot he made. This perfectly fit them and lasted long. Yes, he was a failure as a competitive businessman. He didn’t have money like the big firms so couldn’t invest on advertisements. He lost his business to them. He took time in delivering the boots because he made them alone. He lost his customers because of the delay in delivery. He worked hard, striving for long hours. Whatever, he earned went on paying the rent for his shop and for buying leathers. He spent days of great penury.
Question 2. What is the significance of the title? To whom or to what does it refer?
Answer: The title “Quality” refers to the great quality of boots made by Mr Gessler. He was proficient at it. He would not let others even touch the boots until it gets ready. He was a true perfectionist who believed in quality. He was losing business but still never compromised on the quality of the boots he made. Quality is not much a concern for the big firms. They rely on their advertisements for lurking customers.
Question 3: • Notice the way Mr Gessler speaks English. His English is influenced by his mother tongue. He speaks English with an accent.
• When Mr Gessler speaks, p,t,k, sound like b,d,g. Can you say these words as Mr Gessler would say them? It comes and never stops. Does it bother me? Not at all. Ask my brother, please.
Answer: • Mr Gessler speaks English with the accent of his mother tongue. It appears to be funny sometimes.
• Mr Gessler would say the following line in the following way :
Id comes and never sdobs. Does id bother me ? Nod ad all. Asg my brother
blease.
Question 4. Speak to five adults in your neighbourhood. Ask them the following questions (in any language they are comfortable in). Then come back and share your findings with the class.
(i) Do they buy their provisions packed in plastic packets at a big store, or loose, from a smaller store near their house?
(ii) Where do they buy their footwear? Do they buy branded footwear, or footwear made locally? What reasons do they have for their preference?
(iii) Do they buy ready-made clothes, or buy cloth and get their clothes stitched by a tailor? Which do they think is better?
Answer:
(i) They buy their provisions packed loose from a smaller store near their house.
(ii) They buy their footwear from local cobbler. They prefer handmade shoes. They are a few who prefer branded shoes from Bata stores.
(iii) They do the both. At times they buy readymade clothes and at times get them stitched from the tailor. They find it easy to buy readymade clothes. They get the latest fashion and it saves time as well.
Question 5. Look at the picture.
Let pairs of students talk to each other about leaving the country. One student repeats Ajit’s statement. The other gives a reason for not agreeing with Ajit. The sentence openings given below should be used.
- If I leave this country, I’ll miss ………….
- There are some things which you can get only here, for example ………….
- There are some special days I’ll miss, particularly ………….
- Most of all I’ll miss ………………. because …………..
- I think it’s impossible for me to leave my country because …………..
- How can you leave your own country except when …………… ?
- Depends on one’s intention. I can’t leave for good because ……………..
- Maybe for a couple of years ……………..
Answer:
Ajit: I have decided to go abroad for higher studies
Anisa: Have you? I don’t think I’ll ever do that. I love my country.
• If I leave this country, I’ll miss my friends with whom I’ve played and spent so much time.
• There are some things which you can get only here, for example snacks that are particularly prepared here, our traditions, festivals, etc.
• There are some special days I’ll miss, particularly festivals like Holi, Deepawali, etc.
• Most of all I’ll miss my younger brother because we spent almost the entire day together.
• I think it’s impossible for me to leave my country because I can’t go away from my family and friends, and I can’t go so far from them.
• How can you leave your own country except when there is truly no way you can stay here?
• Depends on one’s intention. I can’t leave for good because I can’t even wonder how will I survive so far from my close ones.
• Maybe for a couple of years I can stay this far from home.
Writing
Question 1. Based on the following points write a story.
• Your aunt has gone to her mother’s house.
• Your uncle does his cooking.
• He is absent-minded.
• He puts vegetables on the stove.
• He begins to clean his bicycle outside.
• The neighbour calls out saying something is burning.
• Your uncle rushes to the kitchen.
• To save vegetables, he puts some oil on them.
• Unfortunately, it’s machine oil, not cooking oil.
• What do you think happens to the vegetables?
Begin like this:
Last month my aunt decided to visit her parents…
Answer: Last month my aunt decided to visit her parents. My uncle was alone at home and so he used to cook for himself. He was a little absent-minded. Once it so happened that he put vegetables on the stove and went outside to clean his bicycle. After some time, the neighbor called him out saying that something was burning. Uncle rushed inside. To save the vegetables, he put some oil on them. Unfortunately, it was machine oil and not cooking oil. The vegetables were not fit to be eaten now. Uncle had to throw it all away.