Solution “The Unlikely Best Friends” English Class 6 Unit 2 Chapter 1

The Unlikely Best Friends – Part 1

2. The title of the chapter is ‘The Unlikely Best Friends’.

(a) What can be the meaning of ‘unlikely’? Discuss in groups, and then discuss with your teacher.

(b) Can you think of some unlikely friends? Share your answer with your teacher.

Answer:

(a) Meaning of “Unlikely”

“Unlikely” means something unexpected or surprising, like a friendship you wouldn’t normally expect.

(b) Examples of Unlikely Friends

Examples of unlikely friends could be:

• A lion and a mouse
• A cat and a bird

Let Us Discuss:

1. Talk about the things that Gajaraj and Buntee did together. Now, write in the shapes given below. One has been done for you.

 Buntee  and  Gajaraj

Played

Bathed

Slept

Ate

2. Why did the farmer hug Buntee?

Answer: The farmer hugged Buntee as he was glad to see Buntee. The farmer has been looking for Buntee since he disappeared from his house.

3. Do you think Buntee will leave Gajaraj and go home with the farmer?

Answer:
No, Buntee is unlikely to leave Gajaraj and go home with the farmer voluntarily. The story shows that Buntee and Gajaraj share a deep bond and have become inseparable friends.

Let Us Discuss:

1. Why did Gajaraj not eat his food?

Gajaraj did not eat his food because he was sad and missed his friend, Buntee, the dog.

2. Who were friends at the end of the story?

At the end of the story, Gajaraj and Buntee were friends, and the mahout and the farmer also became friends.

Let Us Think and Reflect:

1. (a) Read the lines and answer the questions:

(i) Complete with one word:

Mahout : kind : : Gajaraj :  sad

(ii) The mahout was a good caretaker because he gave  food  to Gajaraj and a   bath  in the pond.

(iii) What is the difference between a friend and a caretaker?

Ans. A friend is someone who plays with you, spends time with you, and makes you feel happy. A caretaker looks after your needs, like food and cleanliness, but might not spend time with you as a friend does.

(b) Answer the questions:

(i) The farmer uses the word  friend  to refer to the elephant.

(ii) How did the farmer know that Buntee was hungry?

Ans.  The farmer knew that Buntee was hungry because Buntee hadn’t eaten any food since coming back home.

(iii) Why did the farmer remove the rope with which he had tied Buntee?

Ans. The farmer removed the rope with which he had tied Buntee because he saw how sad Buntee was without his friend Gajaraj, and he didn’t want Buntee to stay unhappy.

(iv) Complete with one word:

Gajaraj : Buntee : : Mahout : farmer

2. Give two examples to show that Gajaraj was very happy to have a friend.

Ans.  i) Gajaraj gave Buntee some of his food when they first met.

ii) Gajaraj played with Buntee by splashing water on him during their bath.

3. How did the mahout come to know that Gajaraj was sad?

Ans. The mahout noticed that Gajaraj was not eating his food and seemed uninterested in everything, which made the mahout realize that Gajaraj was sad.

4. Why do you think Buntee licked the farmer’s hand?

Ans. Buntee licked the farmer’s hand to show his gratitude and love for letting him go back to his friend, Gajaraj.

5. What was ‘unlikely’ about the friendship of Gajaraj and Buntee?

Ans. The friendship was unlikely because Gajaraj was a large elephant, and Buntee was a small dog. Normally, animals of such different sizes and types don’t become close friends, but they did.

Let us learn

1. take help from the words given as hints and fill up their opposites in the puzzle. (Note: All the words are from the story you have just read.)

2. Now, complete the paragraph with some of the words you have used in the puzzle.

Answer:

My pencil was  missing.  I was very  sad  as it was a gift from my friend. I woke up my elder brother who was  asleep  on the bed. I told him that my pencil seemed to have  disappeared.  He  laughed  and told me to look under my pillow. I was  relieved  when I  found  the pencil there.

3. The words that tell us about an action are called verbs. In the story, the author tells us what happened before. To do that, the past form of the action word (verb) is used. Let us learn about the three forms of past tense.

Select the correct form of the verb to complete the passage. Check your answers with the teacher.

The farmer came back and ____________ (noticed/was noticing/had noticed) that Buntee was sad. He ____________ (tied/ was tying/had tied) Buntee with a rope the day before. He ____________ (asked/was asking/had asked) Buntee why he was sad. Farmer ____________ (felt/was feeling/had felt) that Buntee ____________ (missed/was missing/had missed) Gajaraj and set him free.

Answer:

The farmer came back and  noticed  that Buntee was sad. He  had tied  Buntee with a rope the day before. He  asked  Buntee why he was sad. The farmer  felt  that Buntee  was missing  Gajaraj and set him free.

Let us listen

1. You will listen to a story about ‘Unlikely Friends’. Use exact words from the story to fill up the missing details in the paragraph. (refer to page 71 for transcript)

The leopard is a ___________ animal but it became a friend of a cow. When the leopard grew up, it left the village. It came in the
_______________ to meet the cow. The leopard would sit __________________ the cow. They also played together. _____________ were surprised at their friendship.

Answer:

The leopard is a  wild  animal, but it became a friend of a cow. When the leopard grew up, it left the village. It came in the  night  to meet the cow. The leopard would sit  beside  the cow. They also played together.  Villagers  were surprised at their friendship.

2. Now, listen to the story again and number the sentences in correct order.

4. The leopard stopped coming regularly.
1. The cow took care of the leopard cub as a mother.
3. The leopard came to meet the cow at night.
2. The leopard left the village after growing up

Let us write

Write six sentences about your friend with the help of the facts collected in the above task. Mention how you are not only similar but also different. You may take help of the words given below. same different and but both still like unlike neither nor either or

Here are six sentences about a friend, showing similarities and differences:

1. My friend and I both like to play football.
2. I enjoy reading books, but my friend prefers watching movies.
3. We are the same in how much we love animals.
4. Unlike me, my friend enjoys cooking.
5. Neither of us likes waking up early in the morning.
6. Either we go cycling together, or we go for a walk.

Let us Explore

1. The story, ‘The Elephant and the Dog’ is found in the Jataka tales. These stories are ancient Buddhist stories of life values and wisdom. These stories have been told from one generation to the next for over two thousand years. Find and read another Jataka story

Jataka Tales:  The Jataka tales are a collection of ancient Buddhist stories that convey life lessons and moral values. One well-known Jataka story is “The Monkey and the Crocodile,” which teaches the importance of cleverness and thinking ahead. You can explore many other Jataka tales to learn about wisdom, kindness, and the values that have been passed down for centuries.

2. Elephants have historically held significant roles in Indian culture, spanning history, warfare, religion, festivals and more. However, contemporary ecological challenges have strained the relationship between humans and elephants. Have a discussion in the class.

Elephants in Indian Culture:  Elephants have played an important role in Indian history and culture, symbolizing strength, wisdom, and loyalty. They have been used in warfare, religious ceremonies, and festivals. However, modern challenges such as habitat destruction and human-wildlife conflict have strained the relationship between humans and elephants. Discussing this issue in class can help raise awareness about the importance of conservation and coexisting with wildlife.

3. Given below is a news report from an Elephant Sanctuary in the United States about a real-life friendship between an elephant and a dog. The elephant’s name is Tarra and the dog’s name is Bella. Bella came inside a forest for elephants and became Tarra’s friend. Tarra spent most of her time with Bella. One day, Bella had an injury so she could not walk. She was kept inside a building for three weeks. Tarra stood outside for three weeks. Finally, they met and were very happy

Real-life Friendship between an Elephant and a Dog:  In an Elephant Sanctuary in the U.S., a unique friendship formed between an elephant named Tarra and a dog named Bella. When Bella was injured and couldn’t walk, Tarra stood outside the building where Bella was being treated for three weeks. Their reunion after Bella recovered was a heartwarming example of the deep bond that animals can share, even across species.