Chapter 1

                                                 A Tale of Two Birds

Short Questions and Answers:

  1. Where did the mother bird and her babies live?
    Answer: In a forest, in a nest on a tall shady tree.

  2. What happened to the mother bird?Answer: She was killed in a storm.

  3. How were the baby birds separated?
    Answer: Strong wind blew them to different parts of the forest.

  4. Where did one of the baby birds land?
    Answer: Near a cave where robbers lived.

  5. Where did the other baby bird land?
    Answer: Near a rishi’s ashram.

  6. Who came to the forest to hunt?
    Answer: The king of the country.

  7. What animal did the king chase?
    Answer: A deer.

  8. Why did the king get lost?
    Answer: He followed the deer deep into the forest.

  9. Where did the king rest after getting lost?
    Answer: Under a tree near a cave.

  10. What did the bird near the cave tell others?
    Answer: To take the king’s jewels and horse.

  11. How did the king react to the bird’s voice?
    Answer: He was amazed.

  12. Where did the king go after the cave incident?
    Answer: To a clearing that looked like an ashram.

  13. Who welcomed the king in the ashram?
    Answer: The rishi.

  14. What did the bird at the ashram say to the king?
    Answer: It welcomed him and invited him to rest.

  15. How did the birds behave differently?
    Answer: One imitated robbers, the other welcomed guests politely.

  16. What lesson did the rishi teach the king?
    Answer: One is known by the company one keeps.

  17. Why did the robber bird behave wrongly?
    Answer: It learned bad habits from robbers.

  18. Why did the ashram bird behave well?
    Answer: It learned good behavior from the rishi.

  19. Did the king see both birds?
    Answer: Yes, he saw the bird near the cave and the bird near the ashram.

  20. What is the story mainly about?
    Answer: How environment and company influence behavior.

Long Questions and Answers:

  1. Describe the life of the mother bird and her babies before the storm.
    Answer: The mother bird and her two young ones lived in a tall, shady tree in the forest. The mother took care of her babies day and night, feeding and protecting them.

  2. Explain the events of the storm and its effects on the birds.
    Answer: During a violent storm with thunder, lightning, and heavy winds, the tall tree with the nest was blown down. A branch killed the mother bird, and the strong wind carried the baby birds away to different parts of the forest.

  3. How did the two baby birds grow up differently?
    Answer: One baby bird was taken in by a gang of robbers and learned their speech and behavior. The other bird landed near a rishi’s ashram and grew up learning good manners and hospitality.

  4. Describe the incident when the king got lost in the forest.
    Answer: The king chased a deer deep into the forest and lost his way. Tired, he rested under a tree near a cave, where he heard a bird instructing robbers to steal his jewels and horse.

  5. How did the bird near the cave behave, and why?
    Answer: The bird encouraged robbers to take the king’s possessions because it had grown up hearing and imitating the robbers’ actions.

  6. How did the king come to understand the birds’ story?
    Answer: The king met the rishi at the ashram, who explained the different behaviors of the birds based on their upbringing and environment.

  7. Describe the behavior of the bird near the rishi’s ashram.
    Answer: The bird welcomed the king, offered him rest, and guided him politely, showing kindness and good manners learned from the rishi.

  8. What moral lesson does the story teach regarding upbringing?
    Answer: The story shows that a child, whether human or bird, is influenced by the company and environment it grows up in. Good company encourages good behavior, and bad company leads to wrong actions.

  9. How did the king react to seeing the two birds behave differently?
    Answer: The king was amazed and curious, realizing that though the birds looked alike, their behavior was entirely shaped by the environment they grew up in.

  10. Explain the rishi’s advice to the king about the birds.
    Answer: The rishi advised that one is known by the company one keeps. He explained that the bird near robbers imitated their behavior, while the bird near the ashram reflected good values.

  11. What role did the storm play in the story?
    Answer: The storm caused the death of the mother bird and separated the two baby birds, setting the stage for their different experiences and behavior development.

  12. Compare the two birds’ upbringings.
    Answer: One bird lived near robbers and learned dishonest behavior. The other lived near a wise rishi and learned hospitality, kindness, and proper speech.

  13. How did the king benefit from meeting the rishi and the birds?
    Answer: The king learned an important life lesson about the influence of company and environment, observing how the birds’ behavior was shaped by their experiences.

  14. Why did the robber bird stop speaking to its brother?
    Answer: It adopted the ways of the robbers and no longer recognized or communicated with the bird from the ashram.

  15. Describe the king’s journey through the forest.
    Answer: The king chased a deer, got lost, encountered the robber bird near a cave, and finally reached the rishi’s ashram, where he met the kind bird and learned the full story.

  16. How is imitation shown in the story?
    Answer: The birds imitated the behavior of the company they kept; the bird near robbers acted like a robber, while the bird near the rishi acted hospitably.

  17. What emotions did the king experience during the story?
    Answer: He felt amazement, curiosity, surprise, and ultimately understanding as he observed the birds and learned their story from the rishi.

  18. What differences in speech were noted between the two birds?
    Answer: The bird near robbers spoke like the robbers, encouraging theft. The bird near the ashram spoke kindly and politely, guiding the king gently.

  19. Explain how the story illustrates the proverb, “One is known by the company one keeps.”
    Answer: The story directly shows that the birds’ behavior reflected their surroundings: the robber bird mirrored thieves, and the ashram bird mirrored the rishi’s goodness.

  20. Summarize the main theme of the story in your own words.
    Answer: The story emphasizes the importance of environment and companionship in shaping behavior. It shows that upbringing and the company one keeps determine whether one becomes virtuous or wicked.

Here are the questions with their answers from the story “A Pact with the Sun”:

  1. How did the two baby birds get separated?
    Answer: A strong storm blew them away from their nest and carried each bird to a different part of the forest.Where did each of them find a home?

  3. Where did each of them find a home?
    Answer: One bird landed near a cave where robbers lived, and the other bird landed near a rishi’s ashram.

  4. What did the first bird say to the stranger?
    Answer: The bird near the robbers instructed others to take the stranger’s jewels and horse, imitating the robbers.

  5. What did the second bird say to him?
    Answer: The bird near the rishi’s ashram welcomed the stranger politely, offering rest, cold water, and hospitality.

  6. How did the rishi explain the different ways in which the birds behaved?
    Answer: The rishi explained that the birds’ behavior depended on the company they kept. The bird near robbers imitated them and learned bad habits, while the bird near the ashram learned good manners and kindness.

  7. Which one of the following sums up the story best?
    (1) A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
    (ii) One is known by the company one keeps.
    (iii) A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Answer: (ii) One is known by the company one keeps. This is because the story emphasizes how the birds’ behavior reflected the company and environment they grew up in.

Answer by Mrinmoee