Chapter 3: Gopal and the Hilsa Fish

NCERT Textbook Questions & Answers

Working With The Text

1. Why was the King annoyed?

   The King was annoyed because during the hilsa fish season, everyone, including his courtiers, was constantly talking about nothing but hilsa fish. This obsession with the fish distracted from all other important matters in the kingdom and the court.

2. What did the King ask Gopal to do to prove that he was clever?

   The King asked Gopal to buy a large hilsa fish and bring it to the palace without anyone asking him a single word about the fish all the way from the market to the palace. This was his challenge to prove Gopal's cleverness.

3. What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa fish?

   Before he went to buy his hilsa fish, Gopal did three things: (i) He half-shaved his beard. (ii) He smeared ash all over his face. (iii) He wore torn, ragged clothes.

4. How did Gopal get into the palace to see the King after he had bought the fish?

   After buying the fish, Gopal was stopped at the palace gate by the guards because of his ridiculous appearance. To get in, he started dancing and singing loudly. This attracted the King's attention, who then ordered the guards to let Gopal in.

5. Explain why no one seemed to be interested in talking about the hilsa fish which Gopal had bought.

   No one seemed interested in talking about the hilsa fish because Gopal's bizarre appearance completely diverted their attention. People were too busy staring, pointing, and whispering about his half-shaven face, ash-smeared body, and ragged clothes, finding his look incredibly strange and comical. The fish became secondary to his eccentric display.

Working With Language

1. Match the sentences with their dialogues in the comic strip and write them.

   Sentence	Dialogue from Comic Strip (Example)
   The King lost his temper.	"Stop it! Are you courtiers or fishermen?"
   Gopal is a clever man.	"I accept the challenge, Your Majesty."
   Gopal’s wife is dismayed.	"What is the matter with you? Why are you smearing yourself with ash?"
   The King is amused.	"Ha! Ha! Ha! That’s more like it, Gopal!"
   Gopal is a madman.	"You must be mad!" (Said by people on the street)
   Everyone is eager to see Gopal.	"It’s Gopal, the madman!" (Said by children)

   (Table above provides example matches.)

2. Write True or False against each of the following statements.
   1. The King was annoyed because people were talking about hilsa fish. **(True)**
   2. Gopal was a madman. **(False)**
   3. Gopal bought the hilsa fish and went to the palace dressed like a king. **(False)**
   4. Gopal was arrested by the police. **(False)**
   5. The King became happy with Gopal’s success. **(True)**

   (Answers filled directly into the blanks above.)

Extra Questions & Answers

Short Answer Questions (30-40 words)

1. What was the main topic of discussion everywhere during the hilsa season?

   During the hilsa season, the main topic of discussion everywhere, from the market to the King's court, was the hilsa fish itself. People were constantly talking about its size, cost, and how to cook it.

2. How did Gopal's wife react to his appearance before he left?

   Gopal's wife was horrified and dismayed by his appearance. She repeatedly asked him what was wrong, why he had half-shaved his beard, and smeared ash on himself, trying to stop him from going out looking so ridiculous.

3. What was the King's reaction when Gopal finally appeared before him?

   When Gopal appeared before him, the King burst into laughter. He recognized Gopal and, upon realizing he had won the challenge, congratulated him heartily for his cleverness and for achieving what seemed impossible.

4. What does the story tell us about Gopal's intelligence?

   The story shows Gopal's intelligence lies in his ability to think creatively and unconventionally. Instead of trying to silence people directly, he cleverly uses his appearance as a distraction, proving that wit can be more effective than direct confrontation.

5. Why do you think the King proposed such a challenge to Gopal?

   The King proposed the challenge to Gopal because he was tired of the incessant hilsa talk and believed no one could stop it. He also likely knew Gopal's reputation for cleverness and wanted to see if he could indeed find an ingenious solution to this frustrating problem.

Long Answer Questions (80-100 words)

1. Describe Gopal's appearance when he went to buy the hilsa fish. How did people react to it?

   Before going to buy the hilsa fish, Gopal deliberately transformed his appearance to look utterly outlandish. He half-shaved his beard, leaving one side untouched, smeared ash all over his face, giving him a dirty and wild look, and donned torn, ragged clothes. When people saw him, they were not interested in the hilsa fish he carried. Instead, they were captivated by his bizarre look. They whispered, pointed, and exclaimed about his madness, asking each other if he was crazy or a mystic. His ridiculous appearance successfully diverted everyone's attention entirely to him, fulfilling the King's challenge.

2. How did Gopal win the King's challenge? What was the real secret behind his success?

   Gopal won the King's challenge by ingeniously diverting everyone's attention from the hilsa fish to his own absurd appearance. He dressed up in a ridiculous manner – half-shaven, ash-smeared, and in rags – and carried a large hilsa fish through the market and to the palace. People were so shocked and amused by his strange look that they never once mentioned the fish. They only talked about him. The real secret behind his success was his understanding of human psychology: people are more likely to notice and comment on something unusual or comical about a person than on a common, seasonal item like a fish, no matter how popular it is.

3. What message does the story convey about intelligence and problem-solving?

   The story "Gopal and the Hilsa Fish" conveys that intelligence in problem-solving isn't always about direct confrontation or brute force; sometimes, it lies in creative and unconventional approaches. The King's problem was the incessant talk about hilsa fish. Instead of ordering people to stop talking, which would have been ineffective, Gopal used his wit to change the subject indirectly. His method of distraction proved highly effective. The story teaches that a clever and humorous approach can often resolve seemingly impossible situations, highlighting the value of out-of-the-box thinking and understanding human nature in problem-solving.