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NCERT Solutions for Class 5th English Chapter 8 Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa — Let us Listen

Book page 101–102 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
Listen to your teacher read out this passage and answer the questions by choosing the correct option. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Answer

How this task works: your teacher reads the passage aloud. You listen — you do not read it. Then you tick the right option for each of the five questions.

How to listen well:

  1. Put your pen down and look at the teacher while she reads.
  2. Listen for the names and the places first. They are what most questions ask about.
  3. Listen for any comparison — a sentence with the word like in it. That is nearly always a question.
  4. If you miss something, do not panic. Keep listening; do not go back in your mind.

Here is the passage, printed on page 101, so that you can check your answers afterwards.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

A long time ago, in a small village of West Bengal, there lived a kind and wise man named Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He loved to talk to people about God and taught that all religions are like rivers—they may take different paths, but they all lead to the same ocean. He lived a simple life, wearing plain clothes and eating very little, but his smile and loving words made everyone feel special.

One day, a curious young boy named Naren came to meet him. Ramakrishna saw something special in Naren and became his teacher. He taught Naren about courage, kindness, and how to find peace within.

Naren later grew up to become the famous Swami Vivekananda, spreading his teacher’s wisdom to the world. Even today, Ramakrishna’s teachings inspire many people everywhere.
The picture at the heart of the passage: all religions are like rivers. Rivers start in different places and take different paths, but every one of them reaches the same sea. Comparing two unlike things with the word like is called a simile. Here the simile says that people may pray in different ways and still be going to the same place.
Q1.
1. Where was Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa born? a. A colony in Kolkata. b. A small village in West Bengal. c. A mountain in the Himalayas. d. A forest in Kerala.
Answer

b. A small village in West Bengal.

The passage begins, “A long time ago, in a small village of West Bengal, there lived a kind and wise man named Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.”

  • a is wrong — Kolkata is a big city, and the passage says a small village.
  • c is wrong — the Himalayas are not mentioned at all.
  • d is wrong — Kerala is far away in the south; the passage says West Bengal.
Did you know? The village was called Kamarpukur, in West Bengal.
Q2.
2. Who was the curious boy that became Sri Ramakrishna’s student? a. Mahatma Gandhi b. Swami Vivekananda (Naren) c. Rabindranath Tagore d. Sri Aurobindo
Answer

b. Swami Vivekananda (Naren).

The passage says, “a curious young boy named Naren came to meet him… Naren later grew up to become the famous Swami Vivekananda.” Naren was his boyhood name; Swami Vivekananda is the name the world knows him by.

The other three were all great Indians, but not this teacher’s student: Mahatma Gandhi led our freedom movement; Rabindranath Tagore was a poet who wrote our national anthem; Sri Aurobindo was a thinker of Puducherry.
Q3.
3. What kind of life did Sri Ramakrishna live? a. A life full of luxury, b. A simple and loving life. c. A life of traveling. d. A secretive life.
Answer

b. A simple and loving life.

The passage says, “He lived a simple life, wearing plain clothes and eating very little, but his smile and loving words made everyone feel special.” Plain clothes and very little food make it simple; the smile and the kind words make it loving.

  • a is the exact opposite — luxury means costly comforts.
  • c is wrong — the travelling was done by his student, not by him.
  • d is wrong — secretive means hiding things. He talked openly to everyone.
Q4.
4. What did Sri Ramakrishna compare religions to? a. Trees in a forest b. Stars in the sky c. Rivers flowing to the ocean d. Books in a library
Answer

c. Rivers flowing to the ocean.

The passage says he “taught that all religions are like rivers—they may take different paths, but they all lead to the same ocean.”

What he meant: The Ganga, the Godavari and the Kaveri all start in different places and flow through different states. In the end every one of them reaches the sea. In the same way, he said, people follow different religions but are all moving towards the same God. It is a way of saying that no path need quarrel with another.
Q5.
5. What did Sri Ramakrishna teach Naren? a. To find a teacher b. To become wealthy c. To travel the world d. To find peace
Answer

d. To find peace.

The passage says, “He taught Naren about courage, kindness, and how to find peace within.” The words peace within mean a quiet, steady mind — peace inside you, not around you.

  • a is wrong — Naren had already found his teacher.
  • b is wrong — Sri Ramakrishna himself owned almost nothing.
  • c is wrong — Naren did travel the world later, but that is not what he was taught here.
Did You Know? (page 102) The banyan tree — the tree the Panchayat met under — is the national tree of India. It can live for over 200 years and grow to cover several acres of land. Its roots grow down from the branches and become new trunks, so one tree ends up looking like a whole forest by itself.
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