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NCERT Solutions for Class 8th English Chapter 1 Wisdom Paves the Way (play) — Let us learn (I–III)

Book page 39–40 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
I. Complete the sentences by filling in the noun form of the textual words given in the brackets. 1. Some word games need a lot of thought and _________________. (deduce)
Answer

Some word games need a lot of thought and deduction.

How the noun is formed: deduce → deduction. Verbs ending in -duce drop the -ce and take -ction: produce → production, reduce → reduction, introduce → introduction. Learn the family, not the single word.
Tip: Deduction has a second, quite separate meaning — an amount subtracted, as in “a deduction from his salary”. Context decides which one is meant.
Q2.
2. We need to make close _________________ of animals in order to understand their behaviour. (observe)
Answer

We need to make close observations of animals in order to understand their behaviour.

Why the plural: the sentence says “make close ___ of animals” over a period of time, so more than one act of watching is meant. Observation (singular) would need “an”: “make a close observation of one animal”.
Q3.
3. A detailed _________________ of the documents shows a lot of errors. (scrutinise)
Answer

A detailed scrutiny of the documents shows a lot of errors.

Tip: This is the irregular one in the set. The noun is scrutiny, not “scrutinisation”. The word appears in the play’s own stage direction: “They scrutinise every detail, exchanging glances but saying little.”
Q4.
4. You should not make any false _________________ against anyone. (accuse)
Answer

You should not make any false accusations against anyone.

Why the plural again: the word any before the blank works with a plural countable noun here. The sentence is also the moral of the whole play, put into a grammar exercise — compare the King’s parting words to the merchant: “be mindful of whom you accuse in the future.”
Q5.
5. She was given an award in _________________ of her contribution to literature. (recognise)
Answer

She was given an award in recognition of her contribution to literature.

Did you know? “In recognition of” is a fixed phrase — the noun never takes a or the inside it. The same idea appears in Scene I: “I am confident he would recognise our talents.”
Q6.
II. Match the expressions in Column 1 with their meanings in Column 2. Column 1: 1. with all our hearts, 2. to be precise, 3. gain an audience with, 4. catch his breath, 5. erupts in applause, 6. grand scheme of things, 7. taken aback, 8. more than meets the eye Column 2: (i) surprised, (ii) starts cheering together, (iii) hidden information that is not obvious, (iv) exact and accurate, (v) meeting or hearing someone, (vi) complete sincerity, (vii) to pause or rest for some time, (viii) overall plan of life in a larger context
Answer
ExpressionMeaningWhere it occurs in the play
1. with all our hearts(vi) complete sincerityHar Datt: “a privilege we accept with all our hearts.”
2. to be precise(iv) exact and accurateRam Datt: “Ten days, to be precise.”
3. gain an audience with(v) meeting or hearing someoneHar Datt: “Gaining an audience with the King is no simple task.”
4. catch his breath(vii) to pause or rest for some timestage direction: “He pauses to catch his breath.”
5. erupts in applause(ii) starts cheering togetherstage direction: “The court erupts in applause.”
6. grand scheme of things(viii) overall plan of life in a larger contextDev Datt: “Ten days are but a short span in the grand scheme of things.”
7. taken aback(i) surprisedstage direction: “(Taken aback) How could you possibly know that?”
8. more than meets the eye(iii) hidden information that is not obviousRam Datt: “They may tell us more than meets the eye.”
Why these eight are worth learning as wholes: Each is an idiom — its meaning cannot be worked out from the separate words. “Catch his breath” has nothing to do with catching, and an “audience” with a king is not a crowd. Store them as single units, with the sentence they came from attached.
Did you know? “More than meets the eye” is quietly the motto of this play. Ram Datt says it of camel tracks in Scene I; by Scene II the King is saying the same thing about the four men themselves — “the ability to see beyond the obvious.”
Q7.
Now, make sentences using any five of the expressions from Column 1.
Answer
  1. with all our hearts — We thanked the villagers with all our hearts for sheltering us during the storm.
  2. to be precise — The train was late by an hour — fifty-eight minutes, to be precise.
  3. gain an audience with — The farmers waited three days to gain an audience with the district collector.
  4. taken aback — I was taken aback when my quietest classmate volunteered to give the vote of thanks.
  5. more than meets the eye — Her answer was short and polite, but there was more than met the eye behind it.
Tip: A sentence that only proves you know the meaning is not enough — “I was taken aback” could go with anything. Give the idiom a situation, as in each of the five above, so the reader can see why the expression was the right choice.
Q8.
III. Match the different meanings of ‘face’ with the correct usage in the sentences given in the table below. (n. stands for the word noun and v. stands for the word verb.)
WordsMeaningsSentences
face1. (n.) the front part of a person’s head from the forehead to the chin(i) Ravi turned to face his father, when he was called.
2. (v.) to be positioned with the face or front towards(ii) The face of the clock was painted red and blue.
3. (v.) to deal with a difficult task or situation(iii) She has a round, smiling face.
4. (n.) the front or surface of a thing(iv) We should be ready to face life’s challenges.
Answer
MeaningSentenceHow you can tell
1. (n.) the front part of a person’s head(iii) She has a round, smiling face.“round” and “smiling” can describe only a human face
2. (v.) to be positioned with the face or front towards(i) Ravi turned to face his father, when he was called.follows “turned to”, so it must be a verb of position
3. (v.) to deal with a difficult task or situation(iv) We should be ready to face life’s challenges.its object is “challenges”, not a person or a direction — the meaning is figurative
4. (n.) the front or surface of a thing(ii) The face of the clock was painted red and blue.“the face of” an object = its outer surface
The method for every word of this kind: settle the part of speech first. Two of the four are nouns and two are verbs, so half the work is done before you have thought about meaning at all. Then ask what the word is attached to — a person, an object, or an abstract idea like “challenges”.
Did you know? The play uses sense 3 twice, and both times it is a threat: “You shall come with me to face the King!” and “Bring forth the accused… to face the King.” The face that meets a difficulty is the oldest metaphor in the family — to face something is literally to turn towards it instead of away.
Q9.
Now match the different meanings of ‘bear’ with the correct usage in the sentences given in the table below.
WordsMeaningsSentences
bear1. (v.) tolerate(i) The trees that I planted in my garden took a long time to bear fruit.
2. (v.) accept(ii) I spotted a bear on a wildlife safari.
3. (n.) a large heavy mammal(iii) Riya agreed to bear the responsibilities with confidence.
4. (v.) produce; give birth to(iv) I can’t bear the sound of vehicles honking.
Answer
MeaningSentenceHow you can tell
1. (v.) tolerate(iv) I can’t bear the sound of vehicles honking.“can’t bear” + something unpleasant = endure
2. (v.) accept(iii) Riya agreed to bear the responsibilities with confidence.its object is a duty willingly taken up, not a discomfort
3. (n.) a large heavy mammal(ii) I spotted a bear on a wildlife safari.preceded by “a”, so it is a countable noun
4. (v.) produce; give birth to(i) The trees … took a long time to bear fruit.the fixed phrase “bear fruit”
Senses 1 and 2 look alike — how to separate them: ask whether the thing borne is unwanted or undertaken. Honking is inflicted on you and can only be endured; a responsibility is picked up on purpose and is accepted. The giveaway in (iii) is “agreed to” — you cannot agree to tolerate something you have no choice about.
Try This: “Bear fruit” also works figuratively — Their years of practice finally bore fruit at the district tournament. Look for a figurative twin whenever you learn a literal meaning; English keeps them in pairs.
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