CBSE Class 8 It So Happened Chapter 5: Princess September NCERT Solutions

Solution: The royal couple had a total of nine daughters. These daughters were named after the twelve months of the year, which sometimes caused confusion for the Queen.

Solution: The King and Queen named their numerous daughters after the months of the year as a way to manage and remember them. Having so many daughters made it difficult for the Queen to keep track of their individual names.

Solution: The King's peculiar habit was that he gave gifts to others on his birthday, rather than receiving them. This habit is considered peculiar because the common and expected tradition is for people to receive gifts from others on their birthdays.

Solution:

1. Princess September was devastated by the loss of her parrot. She began to cry uncontrollably and could not be comforted by anything, indicating deep sadness.
2. Her mother reacted quite harshly. She dismissed the Princess's grief as nonsense and threatened to send her to bed without supper.
3. Princess September's reaction shows she was a sensitive and emotional child who formed strong attachments to her pets. Her mother's reaction suggests she was practical, perhaps a bit stern, and did not fully understand or empathize with her daughter's deep sorrow over the parrot's death.

Solution: While Princess September was lying on her bed, overcome with sadness, a small bird hopped into her room. The sight of the bird and the beautiful song it sang helped to lift her spirits and pull her out of her deep gloom.

Solution: The Maids of Honour realized that the Princess and the bird had formed a close friendship when they observed the bird eating grains of rice directly from Princess September's hand and taking its bath in her saucer during breakfast.

Solution: The old parrots in the King's household had a very limited vocabulary. All they could say was the phrase 'God save the king', and some of them were also trained to say 'Pretty Polly' in as many as seven different languages.

Solution: The King believed that his Councilors were like the parrots. He formed this opinion because the parrots would repeat the same phrases, like 'Pretty Polly', in various languages without any real understanding or meaning behind their words. Similarly, the King felt his Councilors often said things in different ways but their statements lacked substance or genuine thought, much like the parrots' repetitive chatter.

Solution:

1. The eight Princesses offered to pool all their pocket money together to buy Princess September a beautiful green and yellow parrot, similar to the ones they owned.
2. They likely made this offer out of a mix of jealousy and a desire for conformity. They were probably distressed that everyone was admiring Princess September's unique bird, while their own parrots seemed dull and repetitive. They wanted Princess September to have a pet like theirs, perhaps to regain a sense of superiority or simply to have her fit in with their own preferences.

Solution: The Princess's sisters advised her to keep the little bird in a cage. Their intention was to ensure that the bird could not fly away and that Princess September would always know where it was.

Solution:

Under the circumstances: This phrase refers to the specific situation Princess September was in after her sisters advised her to cage the bird. She became worried that the bird might forget her, grow tired of her, or even start to like someone else. She feared losing her beloved pet under these conditions.

A very unfortunate remark: The remark made by the bird, which is considered unfortunate, was its statement upon returning that it had 'very nearly did not come back that'. This statement, coming after the Princess's anxieties about losing it, was unfortunate because it confirmed her fears and caused her further distress, even though the bird meant no harm.