NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 3

Taro’s Reward

Taro’s Reward
Working with the text (Pages 34-35)
1. Answer the following questions.
Question 1:
Why did Taro run in the direction of the stream? (5)
Answer:
Taro ran in the direction of the stream because he was very thirsty. He had never seen a rushing stream or
heard the sound of falling water in that part of the forest.
Question 2:
How did Taro’s father show his happiness after drinking saké? (7)
Answer:
Taro’s father was so delighted with the saké that when he swallowed a sip of the liquid, he stopped shivering
and became energetic and did a little dance in the middle of the floor.
Question 3:
Why did the waterfall give Taro saké and others water? (12)
Answer:
The waterfall gave Taro saké and others water because Taro was a very thoughtful and dutiful son to his
parents. He used to serve his parents with dedication and sincerity. The saké from the waterfall was a
reward for his goodness. On the other hand, the people of his village got plain water because they were
greedy.
Question 4:
Why did the villagers want to drown Taro? (10, 11)
Answer:
When the villagers went to the waterfall with big pitchers and vessels to collect saké, they simply got plain
water from the waterfall. They thought that Taro had fooled and tricked them. Hence, they decided to punish
him by drowning him in the same waterfall.
Question 5:
Why did the Emperor reward Taro? (13)
Answer:
Taro was a very dutiful son to his parents and served them with devotion. The Emperor rewarded him with
twenty pieces of gold for being so good and kind to his parents. He also named the fountain after Taro.
Through this reward, the Emperor declared Taro a role model for all children and wanted to encourage all of
them to love, honour and obey their parents.

1. Mark the right item.

 NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 3
Taro’s Reward

1. Taro earned very little money because

(i) he didn’t work hard enough.
(ii) the villagers didn’t need wood.
(iii) the price of wood was very low.
2. Taro decided to earn extra money
(i) to live a more comfortable life.
(ii) to buy his old father some saké.
(iii) to repair the cracks in the hut.
3. The neighbour left Taro’s hut in a hurry because
(i) she was delighted with the drink.
(ii) she was astonished to hear Taro’s story.
(iii) she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall.
Answer:
1. Taro earned very little money because
(iii) the price of wood was very low.
2. Taro decided to earn extra money
(ii) to buy his old father some saké.
3. The neighbour left Taro’s hut in a hurry because
(iii) she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall.
Working with language (Pages 35-36)
Question A:
Strike off the words in the box below that are not suitable.
Taro wanted to give his old parents everything they needed.
This shows that he was …

thoughtful hardworking loving honest

considerate trustworthy efficient kind

Answer:
honest, trustworthy, efficient.
Question B:
 NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 3
Taro’s Reward

1. “This made Taro sadder than ever.”

‘This’ refers to
(i) a strong wind that began to blow.
(ii) Taro’s father’s old age.
(iii) Taro’s inability to buy expensive saké for his father.
(Mark the right item.)
2. “This, said the emperor, was to encourage all children to honour and obey their parents.”
‘This’ refers to
(i) the most beautiful fountain in the city.
(ii) rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.
(iii) sending for Taro to hear his story.
(Mark the right item.)
Answer:
1. “This made Taro sadder than ever.”
‘This’ refers to
(iii) Taro’s inability to buy expensive saké for his father.
2. “This, said the emperor, was to encourage all children to honour and obey their parents.”
‘This’ refers to
(ii) rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.
Question C:
Arrange the words below in pairs that rhyme.
Example: young – lung
money – sunny

young sad money chop lung last

wax could bad sound axe wood

way stop sunny fast round day

Answer:
 NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 3
Taro’s Reward

sad bad

chop stop

last fast

wax axe

could wood

sound round

way day

Question D:
1. Fill in the blanks with words from the box.

lonely little hard young

thoughtful delicious beautiful

A ——————–— woodcutter lived on a ——————–— hillside. He was a ——————–——— son who

worked ——————–——— but earned ——————–——— money. One day he saw a ——————–———
waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and found it ——————–———.
Answer:
A young woodcutter lived on a lonely hillside. He was a thoughtful son who worked hard but
earned little money. One day he saw a beautiful waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and
found it delicious.
2. Find these sentences in the story and fill in the blanks.
(i) This made Taro ——————–——— than ever. (3)
(ii) He decided to work ——————–——— than before. (3)
(iii) Next morning, Taro jumped out of bed ——————–——— than usual.(4)
 NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 3
Taro’s Reward

(iv) He began to chop even ——————–———. (4)

(v) Next morning, Taro started for work even ——————–——— than the morning before. (10)
Answer:
(i) This made Taro sadder than ever.
(ii) He decided to work harder than before.
(iii) Next morning, Taro jumped out of bed earlier than usual.
(iv) He began to chop even faster.
(v) Next morning, Taro started for work even earlier than the morning before.
Speaking and Writing (Pages 36-37)
Question A:
Speak the following sentences clearly but as quickly as you can. Learn them by heart.
(i) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood?
(ii) Betty bought a bit of butter, but the bit of butter was a little bitter so she bought some better butter to
make the bitter butter better.
Answer:
Activity to be done by yourself.
Question B:
1. The story ‘Taro’s Reward’ shows that Taro is thoughtful, hardworking and also wise. Read aloud the parts
of story that show these qualities in Taro.
2. (i) Like Patrick in the story ‘Who Did Patrick’s Homework’, Taro is helped by magic. Do you believe in
magic? What are the magical things that happen in these stories?
(ii) Which story do you like better, and why? Do you know such stories in other languages? Discuss these
questions in class.
3. Now write a paragraph or two about these two stories, comparing them.
Answer:

1.
1. “All day long, he chopped wood in the forest. Though he worked very hard, he earned very
little money. This made him sad, for he was a thoughtful son and wanted to give his old
parents everything they needed.”

“But Taro had been wise enough to slip behind a rock when he saw how things were going.”

1.
1. (i) Yes, I believe in magic. But I also know that it is a matter of playing tricks that require
practice. In Patrick’s story, there is an elf that helps him to do his homework. In Taro’s story,
magical things happen when the water of the beautiful little waterfall behind the rocks tastes
like saké.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 3
Taro’s Reward

(ii) Honestly speaking, I do like both stories as they are interesting and have a hint of magic in them.
However, I really appreciate Taro’s story as it teaches us a major lesson that hard work always pays off and
that we should always respect and obey our parents, who sacrifice so much for our sake.
(For the second part of the question, please attempt by yourself).

1. The story “Who did Patrick’s homework?” is an interesting story about a young boy who hated doing
his homework. One day he saves an elf from the cat, and the little man grants him a wish. Patrick
asks the little man to do his homework until the end of his semester, and the elf complies with it.
This is a very natural story of all students who hate homework and want someone else to complete
their pending work.

On the contrary, “Taro’s Reward” is the story of a young and hardworking woodcutter who is a thoughtful son
to his parents. He tries his best to keep his parents happy, and even God favours his thoughtfulness and
rewards him. A magical waterfall offers saké instead of plain water for his old father to drink. This story has
a moral lesson that hard work always pays off and that we should always respect and obey our parents, who
sacrifice so much for our sake.
Question C:
1. Listen to these children. What are they talking about?

Answer:
The three boys are discussing their problems. The first boy considers swimming to be more difficult than
driving. The second boy disagrees with it. He thinks that swimming is much less difficult than driving.
However, the third boy thinks that learning English is the most difficult task in comparison to swimming and
driving.
2. Work in groups. Come to an agreement on each of the activities given below. Decide which is the most
interesting, dullest, most dangerous, safest, most rewarding, most exciting.
 NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 3
Taro’s Reward

cooking fishing playing football

knitting dancing listening to music

reading sewing mountain climbing

walking swimming learning languages

painting watching TV stamp collecting

Answer:
most interesting: dancing, watching TV, listening to music
dullest: knitting, sewing, learning languages
most dangerous: mountain climbing
safest: walking, stamp collecting
most rewarding: cooking, reading, fishing, painting
most exciting: playing football, swimming
Dictation (Page 38)
Question 1:
Your teacher will speak the words given below. Write against each two new words that rhyme with it.
1. bed —–———–———— —–———–————
2. wax —–———–———— —–———–————
3. fast —–———–———— —–———–————
4. chop —–———–———— —–———–————
5. young —–———–———— —–———–————
Answer:
1. bed red, shed
2. wax axe, tax
3. fast last, cast
4. chop hop, shop
5. young tongue, unsung