NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 2 The Unlikely Best Friends — Let us think and reflect
Book page 45 & 46 Updated on2026-09-05
Q1.
Complete with one word: mahout : kind : : Gajaraj : ___________
Answer
sad (‘lonely’ is equally correct)
mahout : kind : : Gajaraj : sad
The pattern is character : the word the passage uses to describe him. The passage says “The mahout was a kind man”, and about the elephant it says, “In spite of royal comforts, Gajaraj was sad because he had no friends.”
Tip for analogy questions: First say the relation aloud — “mahout is kind” — then apply the same relation to the second pair: “Gajaraj is …”.
Q2.
The mahout was a good caretaker because he gave _________ to Gajaraj and a ______ in the pond.
Answer
The mahout was a good caretaker because he gave food to Gajaraj and a bath in the pond.
The line in the passage is: “The mahout was a kind man who served Gajaraj food, and gave him a bath in the elephant pond daily.”
Q3.
What do you think is the difference between a friend and a caretaker?
Answer
A caretaker looks after your needs because it is his duty; a friend shares your feelings because he wants to.
Caretaker
Friend
Why he comes
It is his work or duty
Out of love, by choice
What he gives
Food, a bath, medicine — things the body needs
Company, play, comfort — things the heart needs
In the story
The mahout fed and bathed Gajaraj daily
Buntee played with him, rode on his back and ate beside him
That is why the story says of the mahout, “He was a good caretaker, but not a friend.” Gajaraj had every royal comfort and was still sad — comfort is not company.
Q4.
The farmer uses the word __________________ to refer to the elephant.
Answer
friend — in “If you miss your friend so much, go to him.”
The farmer never says ‘elephant’. He says “your friend”, and then “him”.
Why the word matters: By calling Gajaraj Buntee's friend, the farmer admits that the dog's bond with the elephant is real and important — and that admission is what makes him untie the rope in the very next line.
Q5.
How did the farmer know that Buntee was hungry?
Answer
He knew it because Buntee's food lay untouched — “the dog had also not touched his food ever since he was brought home”.
The farmer could see the full bowl day after day and the dog growing weak, so he said, “I cannot see you go hungry.” He also guessed the reason correctly, remembering “the happy look on Buntee's face while sitting on the elephant's back”.
Q6.
Why did the farmer remove the rope with which he had tied Buntee?
Answer
He removed the rope to set Buntee free to go back to Gajaraj.
He had understood that his dog was starving out of sadness, not illness, and he loved Buntee too much to watch that happen: “I cannot see you go hungry… If you miss your friend so much, go to him.”
What this tells us about the farmer: He is unselfish. He had searched for his lost dog for days, yet he gave up his own claim on him for the dog's happiness. That is why the mahout later calls him a friend.
Q7.
Complete with one word: Gajaraj : Buntee : : __________ : farmer
Answer
mahout
Gajaraj : Buntee : : mahout : farmer
The relation is friend : friend. Gajaraj and Buntee are the animal pair of friends; the mahout and the farmer are the human pair. The last lines prove it — “It's not only Gajaraj who has found a friend,” said the mahout hugging the farmer, “I've also found one.”
Q8.
Give two examples to show that Gajaraj was very happy to have a friend.
Answer
Any two of these moments show his happiness:
He shared his food on the very first evening. “He pushed some of the food he was munching towards the dog” — an elephant that had been eating alone for years suddenly had someone to feed.
He played in the pond with the dog. “The elephant took a trunkful of water and playfully splashed the water on his friend.”
He gave the dog a ride home. “On their way home, the elephant picked up the dog with his trunk and placed him on his back.”
He swung the dog in joy when he returned. “The elephant picked up the dog with his trunk and gave him a joyous swing.”
Tip: When a question says “give two examples”, write two incidents from the text, not two opinions. Each example should be one or two sentences long.
Q9.
How did the mahout come to know that Gajaraj was sad?
Answer
He came to know it because Gajaraj stopped eating after Buntee was taken away.
The mahout served the elephant his favourite food at lunch time, and found later that “the food had remained untouched”. The same thing happened that night and again the next day. He then checked the elephant's body — “He ran his hand on Gajaraj's tummy and felt there was nothing wrong.” Since there was no illness, the only explanation left was sadness, and the mahout wondered, “Is he missing his friend, that dog?”
Why this shows the mahout's kindness: He did not scold the elephant or force him to eat. He first thought of “slight indigestion”, then examined him, then thought about his feelings. He watches Gajaraj closely enough to read his mood.
Q10.
Why do you think Buntee licked the farmer’s hand?
Answer
Buntee licked the farmer's hand to say thank you and goodbye — it was his way of showing love and gratitude before running back to Gajaraj.
Look at the order of events: “The farmer removed the rope… The dog, though weak, sprang to his feet. He licked the farmer's hand once and then ran.” The lick comes immediately after the kindness of untying the rope, and it comes only once — a quick thank-you, because the dog was in a great hurry to reach his friend.
Beyond the text: A dog cannot speak, so the writer gives him actions that mean words — a wagging tail for “thank you” to Gajaraj, a yelp for “don't take me away”, a lick for “thank you, I still love you”.
Q11.
What was ‘unlikely’ about the friendship of Gajaraj and Buntee?
Answer
It was ‘unlikely’ because the two were as different as two animals can be, and nobody would expect them to become best friends.
Different in size: a huge elephant and a small dog.
Different in rank: Gajaraj was a royal elephant who “lived in the best booth of the royal stables” and was the king's favourite; Buntee was a stray who wandered in, “tired and hungry”.
Different species and habits: the elephant loved his daily bath, while the dog “yelped for he hated taking showers”.
They did not even share a language — they understood each other only through actions like wagging a tail or pushing food across.
Yet the friendship became so strong that neither could eat when they were parted. That is the point of the title: real friendship does not need two people to be alike.