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NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 2 The Unlikely Best Friends — Let us learn

Book page 46 to 49 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Opposites can be formed by adding some letters before a word. For example, un- unhappy, in- incorrect, dis- disconnect, mis- misuse. Now, take help from the words given as hints and fill up their opposites in the puzzle. ‘We are opposites!’ Across: 3. unkind 7. yelped 8. awake 9. relieved 10. missing. Down: 1. started 2. appeared 4. sad 5. untouched 6. hate
Answer

Every answer is the opposite of the clue word, and every answer comes from the story you have just read.

No.ClueAnswer (opposite)Where it is in the story
Across 3unkindKIND“The mahout was a kind man…”
Across 7yelpedLAUGHED“The mahout laughed.”
Across 8awakeASLEEP“As soon as he finished eating, he fell asleep.”
Across 9relievedWORRIED“Now, the mahout was worried.”
Across 10missingFOUND“He was glad he found him now.”
Down 1startedFINISHED“As soon as he finished eating…”
Down 2appearedDISAPPEARED“…ever since he disappeared from his house.”
Down 4sadDELIGHTED“The dog was delighted to get a ride.”
Down 5untouchedTOUCHED“That night too, Gajaraj did not touch his food.”
Down 6hateLOVEThe opposite of “he hated taking showers”.
Check your grid: The letters already printed in the puzzle fit exactly — F…I…H of FINISHED, the S of DISAPPEARED, the K of KIND, the L…U…H…D of LAUGHED, the A…E…P of ASLEEP, the W…R…D of WORRIED and the F…D of FOUND. If a letter does not match, one of your words is wrong.
Remember the prefixes: un- (unkind, unhappy, untouched), dis- (disappear, dislike), in- (incorrect, invisible), mis- (misuse, misunderstand). But not every opposite is made with a prefix — sad → delighted and hate → love are completely different words.
Q2.
Now, complete the paragraph with some of the words you have used in the puzzle. My pencil was _____________. I was very ________________ as it was a gift from my friend. I woke up my elder brother who was ____________ on the bed. I told him that my pencil seemed to have ________________. He _______________ and told me to look under my pillow. I was ___________________ when I ______________ the pencil there.
Answer

The completed paragraph:

My pencil was missing. I was very worried 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 delighted when I found the pencil there.

BlankWordWhy it fits
1missingThe pencil cannot be seen — the problem is stated first.
2worriedA gift from a friend is precious, so losing it causes worry.
3asleepYou have to wake up someone who is asleep.
4disappeared“seemed to have ______” needs the third form of a verb.
5laughedThe brother finds it funny because he knows where it is.
6delightedThe feeling changes from worry to great happiness. (‘relieved’ also fits.)
7foundThe opposite of the ‘missing’ we began with — the story comes full circle.
Q3.
Given below are some verbs from the story. Put the verbs in their correct column in the table given above (Simple Past Tense / Past Progressive Tense / Past Perfect Tense): was looking, looked, gave, had ordered, was missing, hated, had followed, noticed, was munching, went, had remained, served, told, asked, felt, touched, had tied, joined, arrived, threw
Answer

Sort them by their shape: was/were + -ing goes to Past Progressive, had + third form goes to Past Perfect, and everything else is Simple Past.

Simple Past Tense
(second form of the verb)		Past Progressive Tense
(was/were + verb + ing)		Past Perfect Tense
(had + third form)
looked, gave, hated, noticedwas lookinghad ordered
went, served, told, askedwas missinghad followed
felt, touched, joined, arrivedwas munchinghad remained
threw—had tied

That is 13 verbs in the Simple Past, 3 in the Past Progressive and 4 in the Past Perfect — twenty in all. (The printed table has only four blank rows in each column, so write two words in a row where you need to.)

How to tell them apart in one look:
  • was / were + -ing → the action was going on: “Gajaraj was munching his food.”
  • had + third form → the action was already over before another past action: “The king had ordered that the elephant should be well looked after.”
  • Second form alone → a plain finished action: “The mahout laughed.”
Q3.
Select the correct form of the verb to complete the passage. 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. The farmer ____________ (felt/was feeling/had felt) that Buntee ____________ (missed/was missing/had missed) Gajaraj and set him free.
Answer

The completed passage:

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.

BlankCorrect formReason
1noticedIt happens at the same time as “came back” — one simple finished action after another.
2had tied“the day before” — an action completed earlier than the rest of the story, so Past Perfect.
3askedA single completed action in the past.
4feltSimple Past. Feel here means ‘think, believe’, and such verbs are not normally used in the -ing form.
5was missingThe missing was going on all through those days — an unfinished, continuing action.
Q4.
‘…neither the farmer nor the mahout noticed that the two friends were in tears.’ The words ‘neither’, ‘nor’ connect two negative choices; ‘either, or’ is used when you choose between two things. Discuss the given sentences with your teacher to practise: • Neither Shikha nor Anuj likes to tell stories. • Either Bhavesh or Abha made this painting.
Answer

What the two sentences mean:

  • Neither Shikha nor Anuj likes to tell stories. = Shikha does not like telling stories, and Anuj does not like it either. Both are ruled out.
  • Either Bhavesh or Abha made this painting. = One of the two made it — we are sure it is Bhavesh or Abha, but we do not know which one.
neither … noreither … or
MeaningNot this one and not that oneOne of the two
Extra ‘not’ needed?No — ‘neither’ is already negativeNo
From the story“neither the farmer nor the mahout noticed…”Either Gajaraj or Buntee had to give in — and it was Buntee who ran back.
One rule to remember: the verb agrees with the nearer subject — “Neither the boys nor Rahul was present”, but “Neither Rahul nor the boys were present”.
Your own sentences: Neither the elephant nor the dog touched his food. • Either the mahout or the farmer will bring the food today.
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