Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 1 Chapter 1 Adventures in a Banyan Tree

Use our worksheets, notes, questions and answers to score more marks in your SSLC English exam. Kerala SCERT class 10 English Chapter 1 Adventures in a Banyan Tree questions and answers are given below.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 1 Chapter 1 Adventures in a Banyan Tree (Short Story)

Adventures in a Banyan Tree | Textual Questions and Answers

1. Why did the boy say that the “house and grounds were of Grandfather’s domain. But the magnificent old banyan tree was mine”?

The boy said so because he could do just about anything on the banyan tree and there was no one to control those activities. This was not the case with the house and the grounds because his grandfather strictly controlled those areas.

2 How did the squirrel become a friend of the boy?

When the squirrel found that the boy carried no catapult or air gun, he started becoming less afraid of him. And when the boy started offering him pieces of cakes and biscuits, the squirrel became bolder and began to eat from the boy’s hands. He even started searching the boy’s pockets. Thus, the two of them became friends.

3. What did the friends of the squirrel think about his ‘friendship with a human? What might have made them think so?

His friends did not approve of his friendship with the boy. They thought he was foolish and headstrong to make friends with a human child. Humans, after all, kill squirrels for their meat, skin and even for fun.  

4. How was the banyan tree the noisiest place during the fig season?

Lots of birds like parrots, bulbul, crows, rosy-pastors and several animals came to eat the figs. They made lots of different sounds too. Hence, the banyan tree was the noisiest place during the fig season.

5. How did the boy make the spring season exciting for himself?

The boy built a platform on the tree and spent cool afternoons there. He brought in cushions from his home to make himself more comfortable and propped himself on a branch. While sitting on the tree, he would read books or watch the happenings around him.

6. What was the incident that triggered a long-lasting excitement for the boy in summer?

The one incident that got the boy really excited was a fight between a cobra and a mongoose. A crow and a myna were also involved in this fight. At the end of the fight, the cobra and the crow died. The crow died after being struck by the cobra whereas the cobra died after being bitten by the mongoose.

7. How did the cobra regard his opponent? Were they true warriors?

Yes. They were true warriors and fought valiantly. The cobra regarded his rival as a great fighter, clever and aggressive.

8. How did the mongoose manage to escape from the snake’s bite?

To save himself from the bite of the cobra, the mongoose bushed his tail. This made the hair on his spine stand up. Because the hair was thick, the cobra could not bite the mongoose.

9. The cobra was a good fighter. Briefly explain his fighting techniques.

The cobra swayed from side to side as if he was trying to mesmerize the mongoose. His hood was spread and came down really quickly. The writer thought that the mongoose would be killed.

10. The mongoose proved that he was clever. Mention one incident which proves this.

The mongoose was a clever fighter. When the cobra struck, he would move to one side and quickly dart in to bite the cobra on his back. Then he would dart away from the snake and thus saved himself from the bites of the cobra.

11. How did the spectators react when the cobra struck?

The spectators were a crow and a myna. When the cobra struck, they hurled themselves at him. However, they collided in mid-air and went back to the cactus, shrieking at each other.

12. How did the crow land himself in trouble?

The myna and the crow dived themselves at the cobra but missed him. Quickly the myna flew back to safety. The foolish crow tried to pull himself up in midair and turn back. The cobra struck him hard in the couple of seconds that the crow took to do this. The blow proved fatal for the crow.

13. The myna was wiser than the crow. Why?

Each time, the myna missed the cobra, it flew back to safety and perched on the cactus. Thus the myna saved itself from getting killed by the cobra.

14. Who won the battle? What did the myna peer into the bushes?

The mongoose won the battle by killing the cobra. The myna peered into the bushes to see if the cobra was really dead.

15. Why didn’t the grandfather try to tame the mongoose?

Grandfather knew that wild mongooses were more useful than tamed ones. Hence, he chose not to tame it.

16. Why would Grandmother forgive the mongoose for stealing the eggs?

The mongoose made sure that there were no snakes in the garden. Also, it didn’t attack the chickens. Hence, the grandfather forgave him for stealing the eggs.

17. Who was the new friend of the squirrel?

The new friend of the squirrel was a white rat which grandfather bought from the bazaar. They enjoyed each others’ company and often went on excursions among the branches. In the end they had white squirrel babies.

18. What was the wonder that nature had kept for them in the nest?

There were three baby squirrels in the nest and that was the wonder nature had kept for them. Grandfather had bought a white rat from the market and this rat was friends with the squirrel. Grandfather said that rats and squirrels were closely related and could have babies if they mate. So, the three white squirrels in the nest were probably the offspring of the white rat and the squirrel.

Activity 2

The boy was very much thrilled by his acquaintance with the squirrel. He writes a letter to his friend telling him about his new friend. Help him complete the letter.

Class 10 letter sample

Ivy Cottage

Landour Cantt

Dehradun

28 April 1997

Dear Sravan

Hope you are enjoying your vacation there. I am also having a good time here and I have got some exciting news to share with you. You know what! I have got a new friend and he is a squirrel. There is a huge banyan tree in my grandfather’s yard and I spend a lot of time on it. This squirrel is one of the occupants of that tree. At first, he was afraid of me and wouldn’t come anywhere near me, but when he realized that I had no air gun or catapult with me, he started becoming bolder.  I offered him pieces of biscuits and cakes to win his trust and he began to eat from my hand. Now he even searches my pockets. He is a nice guy to be with and the best friend I have here.

What about you? Did you make any interesting friends there? Give my love to your parents and little sister.

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Take care

Rahul

Activity 3

Watching the nature around us is really interesting. Each and every living being has its own characteristics. The boy in the story narrates certain features of a few animals. List them out.

The cobra

The cobra was big and black. He was a skilled fighter and could strike with lightning speed. Behind his sharp fangs, he had sacs full of deadly venom. Even so, the cobra was not as clever as the mongoose.

The mongoose

The mongoose was grey in colour and about three feet long. He was a valiant fighter, clever and aggressive. When the snake spread his hood, the mongoose bushed his tail. While both the snake and the mongoose were great fighters, the mongoose was cleverer than the snake and in the end killed the snake. The grandfather often fed him scraps and the mongoose also had the habit of stealing eggs, but he didn’t harm the chickens and hence the grandfather always forgave him.