Gopal and the Hilsa Fish
Introduction
Once upon a time, there was a special kind of fish called Hilsa, and everyone was very excited about it. People couldn’t stop talking about the Hilsa fish, even in the king’s court. The king got tired of hearing about it all the time, so he made a rule. He said that whoever could bring him a Hilsa fish without anyone talking about it would win a special prize.
Gopal, who worked in the court, took up the challenge. He had a clever plan. He decided to disguise himself by half-shaving his face, smearing ash on himself, and wearing torn clothes. Then, he set off to the palace carrying a big Hilsa fish.
On his way, everyone he met laughed at his funny appearance, but nobody mentioned the fish. Finally, Gopal reached the palace, but the guards wouldn’t let him inside. So, Gopal started singing really loudly. His singing was so funny that even the king couldn’t resist and let him come in.
Inside the palace, nobody asked about the fish. They only talked about Gopal’s strange clothes and appearance. Even the king was curious about his funny outfit and didn’t mention the fish. In the end, Gopal reminded the king about the challenge. The king was amazed by Gopal’s cleverness and congratulated him for completing the impossible task.
So, Gopal became a hero and everyone learned that sometimes you have to be clever and think differently to solve a problem.
Gopal and the Hilsa Fish – Summary
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom where everyone was talking about a special kind of fish called the hilsa fish. They were so excited about it! The king got tired of hearing about the fish all the time and scolded one of his helpers for talking about it. But then he realized that no one could stop people from talking about the hilsa fish, not even a clever person named Gopal.
When he arrived at the palace, the guards asked him what he wanted. Gopal said he wanted to see the king. But the guards didn’t let him in because of how he looked. So, Gopal started singing and dancing to create a commotion.
The noise bothered the king, and he finally allowed Gopal to come in. Everyone was surprised to see him like that. The king asked him why he looked so silly. Gopal said he had forgotten something. When the king asked what it was, Gopal explained that even though he had a hilsa fish with him, no one was asking about it. Instead, they were talking about his appearance.
The king laughed and praised Gopal for his cleverness. He congratulated him for achieving the impossible and showed him that he had indeed stopped people from talking about the hilsa fish.
Textbook Questions Solved
Q. 1. Why did the king want no more talk about the hilsa-fish?
Ans. The king was tired of hearing about the hilsa-fish all the time. He wanted a break from it because everyone was constantly talking about it.
Q. 2. What did the king ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?
Ans. The king challenged Gopal to bring a hilsa-fish into the palace without anyone asking about it. The king wanted Gopal to show his cleverness by completing this task.
Q. 3. What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Ans. Before going to buy the hilsa-fish, Gopal did three things. First, he didn’t shave his entire face, leaving half of it unshaved. Second, he applied ash on his face. Third, instead of wearing his usual nice clothes, he wore torn and ragged clothes.
Q. 4. How did Gopal get inside the palace to see the king after he had bought the fish?
Ans. When the guards at the palace refused to let Gopal enter, he started singing and dancing loudly to get the attention of the king and the people in the palace. The king, hearing his song, allowed Gopal to come inside. That’s how Gopal managed to enter the palace and see the king after buying the fish.
Q. 5. Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa-fish which Gopal had bought.
Ans. Nobody seemed interested in talking about the hilsa-fish that Gopal had bought because they were too busy noticing Gopal’s funny appearance. People were more focused on discussing whether Gopal was a madman or a mystic rather than paying attention to the hilsa-fish he was carrying. They laughed and made jokes about how he looked, and his appearance became more fascinating to them than the hilsa-fish itself.
Q. 6. Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following sentences.
(i) The king lost his temper easily. False
(ii) Gopal was a madman. False
(iii) Gopal was a clever man. True
(iv) Gopal was too poor to afford decent clothes. False
(v) The king got angry when he was shown to be wrong. False
Working with Language
Q. 1. Change the following sentences in the story to reported speech. The first one has been done for you.
(ii) Why is your face half-shaven?
Gopal’s wife asked him why his face was half-shaven.
(iii) I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.
Gopal told the king that he accepted the challenge.
(iv) I want to see the king.
Gopal told the guards that he wanted to see the king.
(v) Bring the man to me at once.
The king ordered the guard to bring the man to him at once.
Q. 2. Find out the meaning of the following words by looking them up in the dictionary. Then use them in sentences of your own.
Challenge
Meaning – a dare or a test of one’s abilities.
Sentence – Sarah gave her friends a challenge to see who could jump the highest.
Mystic
Meaning – a person who believes in spiritual or supernatural things.
Sentence – The old man claimed to be a mystic who could communicate with the spirits.
Comical
Meaning – funny or amusing.
Sentence – The clown’s silly antics were comical and made everyone laugh.
Courtier
Meaning – a person who is a part of a royal court and advises the king or queen.
Sentence – The courtier presented a gift to the king on behalf of a foreign dignitary.
Smearing
Meaning – spreading a substance on a surface.
Sentence – The children were smearing paint on their hands to create colorful handprints.
