CBSE Class 7 Honeycomb Chapter 3: Gopal and the Hilsa Fish NCERT Solutions

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NCERT Solutions PDF Class 7 PDF

CBSE Class 7 Honeycomb chapter 'Gopal and the Hilsa Fish' tells a delightful story about intelligence and quick thinking. The chapter highlights King Krishnadeva Raya's annoyance with everyone, from fishermen to courtiers, obsessing over the price and size of Hilsa fish. He challenges his courtier, Gopal, to bring a Hilsa fish to the palace without anyone in the court noticing it. Gopal accepts the challenge and devises a clever plan. He dresses in rags and smears himself with ash, behaving eccentrically. This unusual appearance distracts everyone, making them curious about him rather than the fish he carries. The NCERT Solutions for this chapter explore Gopal's strategy, the reactions of the king and the people, and the ultimate success of his plan. These solutions aim to help students understand the story's plot, characters, and the moral of using wit to solve problems, making it a valuable study aid for exams.

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Quick info

BoardCBSE
ClassClass 7
SubjectHoneycomb
Session2026
LanguageEnglish
TypeNCERT Solutions
Chapter3. Gopal and the Hilsa Fish

Chapter summary

Chapter 3 of the CBSE Class 7 Honeycomb textbook, 'Gopal and the Hilsa Fish,' focuses on a story that highlights intelligence and strategic thinking. The NCERT Solutions provided cover comprehension questions about the king's annoyance with Hilsa fish discussions, Gopal's clever plan to bring a Hilsa fish to the palace without attracting attention to the fish itself, and his subsequent success. The solutions also address the 'Working with Language' section, focusing on converting direct speech to reported speech, reinforcing grammar skills.

Learning outcomes

  • Understand the story of Gopal and the Hilsa Fish.
  • Identify the reasons for the king's annoyance.
  • Explain Gopal's clever strategy to bring the Hilsa fish to the palace.
  • Analyze why people were more interested in Gopal's appearance than the fish.
  • Convert direct speech into reported speech.
  • Answer comprehension questions based on the text.

Topics covered

Paper topics

  • Story Comprehension
  • Character Analysis (Gopal, King)
  • Plot Development
  • Theme of Cleverness
  • Social Commentary
  • Reported Speech
  • Direct Speech Conversion
  • Vocabulary Building

Important topics

  • Gopal's Clever Plan
  • King's Challenge
  • Gopal's Disguise
  • Reported Speech Conversion
  • Understanding Character Motivations

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Questions and Solutions

Question 1

Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?
Solution: The king had become extremely tired and annoyed by the constant discussions about the hilsa-fish among his courtiers and people in the kingdom. Since it was the season for hilsa-fish, everyone seemed to be talking about it, and the king did not want his court to waste time on such trivial matters.

Question 2

What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?
Solution: To prove his cleverness, the king challenged Gopal to buy a large hilsa-fish from the market and bring it all the way to the palace without anyone in the entire journey asking or talking about the fish he was carrying.

Question 3

What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Solution: Before heading to the market to purchase the hilsa-fish, Gopal prepared himself in a peculiar manner. He half-shaved his beard, smeared his body with ash, and dressed himself in old, ragged clothes, making himself look quite disheveled and unusual.

Question 4

How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?
Solution: After buying the hilsa-fish, Gopal went to the palace gates. When the guards refused him entry and told him he couldn't see the king, Gopal started to dance and sing very loudly. His unusual and noisy behaviour attracted attention, and the king, hearing the commotion, sent his messenger to call Gopal into the court.

Question 5

Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.
Solution: No one paid attention to the hilsa-fish Gopal was carrying because his appearance was far more striking and bizarre. His half-shaved face, the ash smeared on his body, and his ragged clothes made people curious and amused. They were so focused on discussing Gopal's strange look that they completely ignored the fish he had bought, thus fulfilling the king's challenge.

Question 6

Write 'True' or 'False' against each of the following sentences.

(i) The king lost his temper easily.

(ii) Gopal was a madman.

(iii) Gopal was a clever man.

(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes.

(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong.

Solution:

(i) True

(ii) False

(iii) True

(iv) False

(v) False

Question 7

Change the following sentences in the story to reported speech.

(i) How much did you pay for that hilsa?

(ii) Why is your face half-shaven?

(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.

(iv) I want to see the king.

(v) Bring the man to me at once.

Solution:

(i) The woman asked the man how much he had paid for that hilsa.

(ii) Gopal's wife asked him why his face was half-shaven.

(iii) Gopal told the king that he accepted the challenge.

(iv) Gopal told the guards that he wanted to see the king.

(v) The king ordered the guard to bring the man to him at once.

Common mistakes

  • Misinterpreting Gopal's actions as foolish rather than clever.
  • Confusing direct speech with reported speech.
  • Failing to grasp the king's motivation for the challenge.
  • Overlooking the social commentary on people's focus on appearances.

Revision tips

  • Read the story carefully to understand Gopal's plan and execution.
  • Pay attention to the king's reactions and Gopal's clever disguise.
  • Practice converting sentences from direct to reported speech, focusing on verb tense and pronoun changes.
  • Summarize the story in your own words to check comprehension.

Practice MCQs

Q1. Why was the king tired of hearing about Hilsa fish?

Q2. What was Gopal's challenge to prove his cleverness?

Q3. How did Gopal prepare himself to buy the Hilsa fish?

Q4. Why did the guards allow Gopal to enter the palace?

Q5. What was the main reason people noticed Gopal's appearance more than the fish?

Frequently asked questions

What is the main story of 'Gopal and the Hilsa Fish'?

The story is about Gopal, a clever man who accepts a challenge from the king to bring a Hilsa fish to the palace without anyone talking about the fish itself. He achieves this by making himself look so peculiar that people are more interested in his appearance than the fish.

Why did the king issue this challenge to Gopal?

The king was tired of hearing everyone, including his courtiers, constantly discussing Hilsa fish. He wanted to prove that Gopal was clever enough to handle such a situation and perhaps bring some peace from the Hilsa fish chatter.

How did Gopal succeed in his challenge?

Gopal deliberately dressed in rags, half-shaved his beard, and smeared himself with ash. His bizarre appearance attracted everyone's attention, making them talk about him instead of the Hilsa fish he was carrying.

What language skill is covered in this chapter's solutions?

The chapter's 'Working with Language' section focuses on converting sentences from direct speech to reported speech, a key grammar concept.

How do these NCERT Solutions help Class 7 students?

These solutions provide clear, rewritten answers to all questions, helping students understand the story's plot, characters, and themes, as well as practice grammar exercises for better comprehension and exam preparation.

Important links

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