NCERT Solution for Class 7th English Honeycomb Chapter 9 A Bicycle in Good Repair

NCERT Solution for Class 7th English Honeycomb Chapter 9 A Bicycle in Good Repair

Comprehension Check

Page No. 128

Question:- 1. “I got up early, for me.” It implies that

(i) he was an early riser.

(ii) he was a late riser.

(iii) he got up late that morning.

Mark the correct answer.

Answer:- (ii) he was a late riser.

Question:- 2. The bicycle “goes easily enough in the morning and a little stiffly after lunch.” The remark is .

(i) humorous.

(ii) inaccurate.

(iii) sarcastic.

(iv) enjoyable.

(v) meaningless.

Mark your choice(s).

Answer:- (i) humorous.

Question:- 3. The friend shook the bicycle violently. Find two or three sentences in the text which express the author’s disapproval of it.

Answer:-

“Don’t do that; you’ll hurt it.”
“It doesn’t if you don’t wobble it.”
“Don’t you trouble about it anymore”

Question:- 4. “…if not, it would make a serious difference to the machine.” What does ‘it’ refer to?

Answer:- It refers to the ball bearings of the author’s bicycle.

Working with the Text

Answer the following questions.

Question:- 1. Did the front wheel really wobble? What is your opinion? Give a reason for your answer.

Answer:- No, the front wheel did not wobble much. We know this since the author claims, “It didn’t wobble, in fact—nothing worth calling a wobble.”

Question:- 2. In what condition did the author find the bicycle when he returned from the tool shed?

Answer:- When the author returned from the tool shed, his bicycle’s front wheel had been removed. His friend sat on the ground, the steering wheel wedged between his legs. He was playing with the wheel while the rest of the bicycle lay alongside him on the dirt path.

Question:- 3. “Nothing is easier than taking off the gear-case.” Comment on or continue this sentence in the light of what actually happens.

Answer:- “Nothing is easier than taking off the gear-case but putting it back together is impossible.” The author’s friend had no trouble removing the gear case, but he was having a difficult time replacing it.

Question:- 4. What special treatment did the chain receive?

Answer:- It was so tightened by the author’s friend that it didn’t move at all. He then tightened it till it was twice as loose as it had been previously.

Question:- 5. The friend has two qualities — he knows what he is doing and is absolutely sure it is good. Find the two phrases in the text which mean the same.

Answer:- Cheery confidence

Inexplicable hopefulness

Question:- 6. Describe ‘the fight’ between the man and the machine. Find the relevant sentences in the text and write them.

Answer:- The author’s bicycle required no maintenance. It was in good condition, but the author’s friend made a huge deal out of it and messed it up. He really made it so that it now need extensive repairs.

The following line in the text explains the battle between man and machine:

The bicycle would be on the gravel path, and he would be on top of it one second, and then the roles would be reversed—he on the gravel path, and the bicycle on him the next. He’d be standing, his face flushed with triumph, his bicycle firmly fastened between his legs. His victory, though, would be fleeting. It would release itself with a fast, quick movement and turn on him, hitting him square in the skull with one of its handles.

Working with Language

Question:- I. Read the following sentences.

We should go for a long bicycle ride.
I ought to have been firm.
We mustn’t lose any of them.
I suggested that he should hold the fork, and that I should handle the wheel.

The words in italics are modal auxiliaries. Modal auxiliaries are used with verbs to express notions such as possibility, permission, willingness, obligation, necessity, etc. ‘Should,’ ‘must’ and ‘ought to’ generally express moral obligation, necessity and desirability.

Look at the following.

We should go on a holiday. (suggestion: It is a good idea for us to go on a holiday.)
He is not too well these days. He must see a doctor before he becomes worse. (compulsion or necessity: It is absolutely essential or necessary for him to see a doctor.)
You ought to listen to me. I am well over a decade older than you. (more emphatic than ‘should’: Since I am older than you, it is advisable that you listen to me.)

Note: ‘Should’ and ‘ought to’ are often used interchangeably.

Rewrite each of the following sentences using should/ ought to/must in place of the italicised words. Make other changes wherever necessary.

(i) You are obliged to do your duty irrespective of consequences.

___________________________________________

(ii) You will do well to study at least for an hour every day.

___________________________________________

(iii) The doctor says it is necessary for her to sleep eight hours every night.

___________________________________________

(iv) It is right that you show respect towards elders and affection towards youngsters.

___________________________________________

(v) If you want to stay healthy, exercise regularly.

___________________________________________

(vi) It is good for you to take a walk every morning.

___________________________________________

(vii) It is strongly advised that you don’t stand on your head.

___________________________________________

(viii) As he has a cold, it is better for him to go to bed.

___________________________________________

Answer:-

You must do your duty irrespective of consequences
You should study at least for an hour every day.
The doctor says she must sleep eight hours every night.
You ought to show respect towards elders and affection towards youngsters.
To stay healthy, you must exercise regularly.
You should take a walk, every morning.
You must not stand on your head.
As he has a cold, he should to go to bed.

Question:- 2. Use should/must/ought to appropriately in the following sentences.

(i) People who live in glass houses _________ not throw stones.

(ii) You _________ wipe your feet before coming into the house, especially during the rains.

(iii) You _________ do what the teacher tells you.

(iv) The pupils were told that they_________ write more neatly.

(v) Sign in front of a park: You _________ not walk on the grass.

(vi) You _________ be ashamed of yourself having made such a remark.

(vii) He left home at 9 o’clock. He _________ be here any minute.

(viii) “Whatever happened to the chocolate cake?” “How_________ I know? I have just arrived.”

Answer:-

should
must
must
should
must
ought to
should
should

Question:- 3. Two or more single sentences can be combined to form a single sentence.

Read the following.

I made an effort, and was pleased with myself.

This sentence is in fact a combination of two sentences.

I made an effort.
I was pleased with myself.

Now read this sentence.

I did not see why he should shake it.

This is also a combination of two sentences.

I did not see (it).
Why should he shake it?

Divide each of the following sentences into its parts. Write meaningful parts. If necessary, supply a word or two to make each part meaningful.

(i) I went to the tool shed to see what I could find. (3 parts)

(ii) When I came back he was sitting on the ground. (2 parts)

(iii) We may as well see what’s the matter with it, now it is out. (3 parts)

(iv) He said he hoped we had got them all. (3 parts)

(v) I had to confess he was right. (2 parts)

Answer:-

I went to the tool shed.

I went to see

What could I find?

I came back.

He was sitting on the ground

We may as well see.

What is the matter with it?

Now, it is out.

He said.

He hoped.

We had got them all.

I had to confess.

He was right.

Question:- 4. ‘en’ acts as a prefix (put at the beginning) or as a suffix (put at the end) to form new words.

en + courage = encourage

weak + en = weaken

‘en’ at the beginning or at the end of a word is not always a prefix or a suffix. It is then an integral part of the word.

ending

barren

(i) Now arrange the words given in the box under the three headings — prefix, suffix and part of the word.

encourage	dampen	listen
barren	endanger	soften
fasten	enclose	weaken
even	enable	enclave

en (prefix) en (suffix) en (part of word)

_________ _________ ___________

Answer:-