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NCERT Solutions for Class 8th English Chapter 1 A Concrete Example (poem by Reginald Arkell) — Let us learn

Book page 21–23 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
I. Select the appropriate word from the brackets that correctly replaces the underlined word in the sentences from the text. 1. A sundial with a strange device, (unusual, peculiar, new, rare, external)
Answer

unusual — “A sundial with an unusual device”.

Why not the others: Peculiar is the closest rival and is not wrong, but it leans towards “oddly wrong”, while the speaker only means “not like other sundials”. New and rare change the meaning altogether — a strange thing need be neither recent nor scarce. External means “on the outside” and has nothing to do with strange.
Tip: In a word-replacement exercise, put your chosen word back into the poet’s line and read it aloud. If the meaning of the whole line shifts even slightly, choose again.
Q2.
2. … which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice. (pleasant, superior, agreeable, gentle, charming)
Answer

pleasant — “which Mrs. Jones thinks rather pleasant”.

Why: Here nice carries its mildest, most everyday sense — she finds the sundial agreeable to look at. Pleasant matches that exactly. Agreeable would also serve, though it is more often used of people than of objects. Superior claims far too much, gentle describes manner rather than appearance, and charming is stronger than the deliberately flat “rather nice” the poet chose.
Q3.
3. They are so delicate… (delicious, fragile, dainty, graceful, weak)
Answer

dainty — “They are so dainty and small”.

Why: Dainty means small, neat and pretty, and the poet’s next word is “small”, so the two run naturally together. Fragile is a reasonable second choice, since delicate can mean easily damaged. Weak is too harsh — it implies sickliness, which the plants are not. Graceful describes movement or line, not size, and delicious belongs to taste and is simply a different word.
Q4.
4. “Where is this lovely thing?” I cried. (exclaimed, wept, shouted, announced, whispered)
Answer

exclaimed — “‘Where is this lovely thing?’ I exclaimed.”

The trap in this item: Cried has two meanings — to weep, and to call out suddenly. Here it plainly means the second, because the words are a question spoken aloud. So wept is the wrong branch of the word. Shouted is too loud for a neighbour standing beside you; whispered is too quiet for the eagerness of the moment; and announced is far too formal for a question.
Did you know? Choosing between two meanings of one word is exactly what the whole unit trains you to do — the same skill the riddles on page 1 and the pun in the title depend on.
Q5.
II. The ‘sundial’ is referred to as a ‘device’ in the poem. Work in pairs to infer the meaning of ‘device’. Share your thoughts with your classmates and teacher.
Answer

Inferring from the line: “A sundial with a strange device”. The word with is the clue — the device is something the sundial has, not the sundial itself. So device here means an emblem, design or motto marked on the face of the sundial — perhaps an unusual figure or an inscription about time. This is an older sense of the word, still found in phrases like “a coat of arms with a strange device”.

The everyday modern sense is different: a device is an object or piece of equipment made for a particular purpose — a measuring device, an electronic device. In that sense the sundial itself is a device, since it is an instrument for telling the time.

Why both senses matter to the poem: A sundial is one of the simplest instruments ever made — a stick and a shadow. What delights Mrs. Jones is not its usefulness but the odd little design carved on it. That is her taste in one detail: the ornament matters more than the function.
Q6.
Now, match the type of instruments in Column 1 with their definitions in Column 2. Column 3 shows one example of each type of instrument. Add more examples in Column 3. Column 1: 1. implement, 2. tool, 3. equipment, 4. appliance, 5. gadget Column 2: (i) something that is electrical and is used to do work in the house, (ii) something small that is mechanical or electronic, (iii) something that works on being moved by hand, (iv) a set of necessary items for a particular purpose, (v) something used by hand to make or repair Column 3: spade, knife / hammer / cricket bat, helmet, batting gloves, etc. / mixer grinder / mobile phone, laptop
Answer
Column 1Column 2Column 3 — givenColumn 3 — more examples
1. implement(iii) something that works on being moved by handspade, knifesickle, plough, hoe, rake, crowbar
2. tool(v) something used by hand to make or repairhammerscrewdriver, spanner, saw, chisel, pliers
3. equipment(iv) a set of necessary items for a particular purposecricket bat, helmet, batting gloves, etc.laboratory equipment, camping equipment, fire-fighting equipment, diving equipment
4. appliance(i) something that is electrical and is used to do work in the housemixer grinderrefrigerator, washing machine, microwave oven, electric iron, geyser
5. gadget(ii) something small that is mechanical or electronicmobile phone, laptopsmart watch, earphones, fitness band, pocket torch, calculator
How the five differ — the distinctions worth remembering:
  • Implement and tool are both hand-held, but an implement is usually the larger, simpler thing you work the land with (spade, plough); a tool is what you make or mend with (hammer, saw).
  • Equipment is uncountable and plural in sense — a set of items, never one object. You cannot say “an equipment”.
  • Appliance is domestic and electrical: it does household work for you.
  • Gadget is small, clever and often more entertaining than essential.
Q7.
III. Complete the table by making new words in Column 1 using the hints given in Column 2. Replace the first letter of the given word to create new words. One example has been done for you.

1.

Column 1Column 2
nice
(i) dicecut into small pieces
(ii)grain that we cook
(iii)plural of mouse
(iv)bad habit
Answer
WordHintIn a sentence
(i)dicecut into small piecesDice the onions before you add them.
(ii)ricegrain that we cookThe rice is still on the stove.
(iii)miceplural of mouseTwo mice had got into the store room.
(iv)vicebad habitGambling was his one vice.
Did you know? Words that differ by a single sound in the same position — nice, dice, rice, mice, vice — are called a minimal set. Reading them aloud in a row is one of the quickest ways to train your ear for English spelling, because the ending stays fixed while only the first sound moves.
Q8.
2. soil — (i) ____: heat something; (ii) ____: work very hard; (iii) ____: length of wire in a circle; (iv) ____: sheets to wrap food items
Answer
WordHintIn a sentence
(i)boilheat somethingBoil the water for two minutes before drinking it.
(ii)toilwork very hardThe farmers toil from dawn until the light goes.
(iii)coillength of wire in a circleA coil of copper wire lay beside the motor.
(iv)foilsheets to wrap food itemsWrap the rotis in foil so they stay warm.
Try This: Two more words fit the pattern — coil also names a spiral, and foil can mean “to defeat a plan” (The rain foiled our picnic). Look for the second meaning of every word you learn; this unit rewards the habit.
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