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Karnataka State Board Class 8 English Prose Chapter 2 The Boy Who Sold Wisdom
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The Boy Who Sold Wisdom Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes
Pre – Reading task:
King Akbar received a letter from a neighbouring king asking for a potful of wisdom. He in turn consulted his clever jester Birbal. Birbal requested the king to give him some time to give a potful of wisdom. The king agreed. So, Birbal grew a pumpkin in a pot and gave it to the king. The king in turn sent it across to the neighbouring king with a note: “The wisdom should be removed without damaging the pot or the wisdom in it. If you damage either of them you should be ready for a battle. ” The neighbouring king was surprised to see the potful of wisdom, realised his mistake and fell at the Emperor’s feet. He begged the emperor to forgive him.
Question 1.
What was the demand of the neighbouring king?
Answer:
The neighbouring king asked King Akbar to send him a potful of wisdom.
Question 2.
How did Birbal get a potful of wisdom?
Answer:
Birbal grew a pumpkin in a pot and gave it to Akbar.
Question 3.
What is the meaning of a potful of wisdom?
Answer:
Wisdom is not a thing. It cannot be measured. The neighbouring king wanted to insult king Akbar. Birbal grew a pumpkin in a pot. It was sent to the neighbouring king with a note that he should remove the wisdom without damaging the pot or the wisdom in it. As it was not possible, the neighbouring king begged Akbar to forgive him.
I. Comprehension Exercises:
A. Re-order the following jumbled sentences in the right sequence as they occur in the text:
- Gupta was unhappy after the incident because his son would have to feign madness always, or else the king would find out.
- The minister and one of the queens planned to kill the king.
- According to Nagendra’s advice, Babu went to the king and told him the whole story.
- Nagendra advised Babu to pretend madness.
- The king sent for Nagendra.
- The king bought the wisdom, “Think deeply before doing anything”, from Nagendra.
- The king ordered that the queen should be hanged.
- He engraved it on his cups and plates so that he wouldn’t forget it.
Answer:
- Nagendra advised Babu to pretend madness.
- Gupta was unhappy after the incident because his son would have to feign madness always, or else the king would find out.
- According to Nagendra’s advice, Babu went to the king and told him the whole story.
- The king sent for Nagendra.
- The king bought the wisdom, “Think deeply before doing anything”, from Nagendra.
- He engraved it on his cups and plates so that he wouldn’t forget it.
- The minister and one of the queens planned to kill the king.
- The king ordered that the queen should be hanged.
B. Complete the following sentences:
- Nagendra’s brilliant idea was to ………. .
- He sold ……………. .
- Wisdom was bought by ………….. .
- Babu’s father was angry with him because ……………… .
- Nagendra reacted to the fury of Gupta by ……………. .
- He returned the money after making Gupta sign ………… which stated ………. .
- Babu got into a problem for the second time when ………….. .
- The dispute between the two maids was over a ……………. .
Answer:
- set up a shop.
- wisdom.
- quality.
- he had paid a nickel and bought a piece of advice as wisdom.
- asking him to return the wisdom his son had bought.
- a document; that his son would never use his advice and that he would stand and watch people fighting.
- he watched the quarrel between the two maids.
- pumpkin.
C. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each:
Question 1.
Why did Nagendra open a shop?
Answer:
Nagendra was an orphan and had no job. He was clever and he had learned many things by observing his father. He decided to open a shop and sell wisdom.
Question 2.
Why is the merchant’s son called a stupid boy?
Answer:
Babu, a merchants son, was a stupid boy. He heard the wisdom seller and did not know what was really being sold. He thought wisdom was some kind of a vegetable or a thing he could hold in his hand.
Question 3.
What did Nagendra sell for a nickel?
Answer:
Babu put down a nickel and asked Nagendra to give him a nickel’s worth of wisdom. Nagendra sold the wisdom, “It is not wise to stand and watch two people fighting”,
for a nickel.
Question 4.
Why was Babu’s father angry?
Answer:
Babu’s father was angry’ because he had paid a nickel for a worthless piece of wisdom. He scolded his son for wasting money on a useless thing.
Question 5.
How did Nagendra make Gupta realise the value of wisdom?
Answer:
Nagendra made him sign a document which said that his son would not make use of the wisdom. When Gupta and Babu came again for his advice, he made Gupta pay a thousand rupees.
Question 6.
Why did the two maids quarrel?
Answer:
The two maids went to the same shop and both of them wanted to buy the same pumpkin. There was only one pumpkin. So, they started quarrelling.
Question 7.
Why did Babu and his father go to Nagendra twice?
Answer:
Babu stood and watched the quarrel between the two maids. Each of them wanted him to be her witness. The two queens threatened to get his head chopped off if he did not support them. So, Babu and his father went to Nagendra to buy wisdom. As advised by Nagendra, Babu pretended to be mad and escaped the king’s anger.’ Gupta did not want his son to act as a mad fellow always. For the second time they went to Nagendra to save themselves from the king’s wrath if he found out that Babu was not insane.
Question 8.
Why was Babu very happy?
Answer:
Babu followed the advice given by Nagendra. He pretended to be mad. When the king and the minister asked him questions, he just babbled incoherently. The king lost his patience and drove him out. Babu was happy because the trick was a success.
Question 9.
What is the meaning of the expression, “Think deeply before you do anything”?
Answer:
The meaning of the expression is that we should always think about the pros and cons of the situation before we act. If we do something in haste it will be a waste. And, it might be dangerous also.
Question 10.
Why did the king make Nagendra his minister?
Answer:
The minister and one of the queens conspired to kill the king. The king followed the advice of Nagendra. He was able to find out the treachery of the minister and the queen. He sentenced them to death and made Nagendra his minister.
Additional Questions:
Question 11.
What kind of a boy was Nagendra?
Answer:
Nagendra was a clever boy. He had learnt many things by observing his father.
Question 12.
What did Nagendra spend his money on?
Answer:
Nagendra spent his money on paper, ink and a pen.
Question 13.
What did the placard over Nagendra’s shop say?
Answer:
It said ‘Wisdom for Sale’.
Question 14.
Why did Gupta sign a document?
Answer:
Gupta’s son Babu paid a nickel and bought a piece of wisdom from Nagendra. Gupta became angry because everyone knew that one should not stand and watch two people fighting. He went to Nagendra, and demanded his money back. He even threatened to call the police. Nagendra asked him to return his wisdom. Gupta threw the piece of paper at him. Nagendra said he had returned only the paper and not the wisdom.
If he wanted his money back, he should sign a document which said, his son would never use his advice and that he would always stand and watch people fighting. The passers-by also supported Nagendra. So, Gupta signed the document and thought that he had undone what his son had foolishly done.
Question 15.
Why did Babu stand and watch the maid’s quarrel? Babu remembered his father’s contract with Nagendra and
Answer:
he went to watch the maids quarrel.
Question 16.
How much did the king pay for a piece of wisdom?
Answer:
The king paid a hundred thousand rupees.
Question 17.
Describe how the king was benefitted by the piece of wisdom.
Answer:
The king bought a piece of wisdom from Nagendra for a hundred thousand rupees. Nagendra gave him a piece of paper on which was written ‘Think deeply before you do anything’.
He made it his motto. He got it embroidered on his pillows and engraved on his cups and plates. Sometime later he fell ill. The minister and one of the queens had been conspiring to kill him. They bribed the doctor and persuaded him to poison the king’s medicine.
The poisoned medicine was brought to him in a golden cup. He lifted the cup to drink, saw the words engraved on it, lowered the cup and looked at the medicine deep in thought. Though the king did not suspect anything, the doctor who was watching thought that the king had guessed that his medicine had been poisoned. The doctor’s guilty conscience made him to fall at the king’s feet and confess everything.
The king got him arrested. He sent for his queen and the minister and ordered them to drink the poison in his cup. They also fell at his feet and begged for mercy. But, the king sentenced them to death and banished the doctor from his kingdom. He then appointed Nagendra as his minister.
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:
1. ‘Think deeply before you do anything’.
Question a.
Who was asked to think deeply?
Answer:
The king was asked to think deeply.
Question b.
Who gave this piece of wisdom and why?
Answer:
Nagendra gave this piece of wisdom. The king asked him to sell some wisdom to him.
Question c.
How did this piece of wisdom help the receiver?
Answer:
The king was able to find out the conspiracy hatched against him by the minister and the queen. He saved his own life by following Nagendra’s piece of wisdom.
2. ‘I do not sell wisdom by weight. I sell it by quality’.
Question a.
Who said this?
Answer:
Nagendra said this.
Question b.
To whom was this said?
Answer:
This was said to Babu.
Question c.
When was this said?
Answer:
When Babu asked Nagendra how much it would cost per kg.
Question d.
What does it mean?
Answer:
Wisdom is not a commodity. We can judge wisdom only by its quality to know its worth.
Multiple Choice Questions:
Four alternatives are given for each of the following questions/ incomplete statements. Choose the most appropriate alternative.
Question 1.
Nagendra opened a shop to sell.
A) wisdom
B) vegetables
C) pen and paper
D) clothes
Answer:
A) wisdom
Question 2.
The people who came to Nagendra’s shop could not see anything in the shop as
A) the shop was empty
B) he sold wisdom that could not be seen
C) everything was sold out
D) Nagendra made things disappear
Answer:
B) he sold wisdom that could not be seen
Question 3.
Babu asked Nagendra the cost of a kg. of wisdom because
A) he was stupid
B) he did not know what was really being sold
C) he thought it was a vegetable or a thing he could hold in his hand
D) all of the above
Answer:
D) all of the above
Question 4.
Nagendra sold wisdom by
A) kg.
B) litre
C) quality
D) quantity
Answer:
C) quality
Question 5.
Babu’s father was furious because
A) Babu had been fooled
B) Babu had wasted a nickel to buy wisdom
C) Babu had tied wisdom in his turban cloth
D) Nagendra had cheated his son
Answer:
B) Babu had wasted a nickel to buy wisdom
Question 6.
What had Gupta to do to get back his money?
A) He had to sign a document saying that his son will never use the advice.
B) He had to return the wisdom his son had bought.
C) He had to sign that his son would always stand and watch two people fight
D) all of the above
Answer:
D) all of the above
Question 7.
The dispute between the two maids was over
A) wisdom
B) grocery
C) a scrap of paper
D) a pumpkin
Answer:
D) a pumpkin
Question 8.
Babu was in a panic because
A) the maids wanted him as witness
B) each of the maids threatened to have his head chopped off if he did not support them
C) his father would have to give five hundred rupees to Nagendra
D) the king had called him as witness
Answer:
B) each of the maids threatened to have his head chopped off if he did not support them
Question 9.
The advice given by Nagendra to Babu when he went there a second time was
A) to stand and watch two people fight
B) not to give witness against the maids
C) to ask forgiveness of the king
D) to pretend to be insane
Answer:
D) to pretend to be insane
Question 10.
Who was called as a witness before the king?
A) Babu
B) Gupta
C) the maids
D) Nagendra
Answer:
A) Babu
Question 11.
The king drove out Babu from the courtroom because
A) he was foolish
B) he did not answer any questions and merely babbled
C) he told the king about Nagendra’s wisdom
D) he did not give witness against the maids
Answer:
B) he did not answer any questions and merely babbled
Question 12.
Gupta saw that his son would have to feign madness always. Here, the word ‘feign’ means
A) deceive
B) suppress
C) pretend
D) disguise
Answer:
C) pretend
Question 13.
How much fees did Nagendra demand from the king?
A) a nickel
B) five hundred rupees
C) nothing
D) a hundred thousand rupees
Answer:
D) a hundred thousand rupees
Question 14.
The advice given by Nagendra to the king was
A) Pretend to be insane
B) Think deeply before you do anything
C) It is not wise to stand and watch two people fight
D) None of the above
Answer:
B) Think deeply before you do anything
Question 15.
The king made Nagendra his minister because
A) he had sold him wisdom
B) the former minister was ordered to be hanged
C) he was clever
D) his wisdom had saved the king’s life
Answer:
D) his wisdom had saved the king’s life
Question 16.
“I do not sell wisdom by weight. I sell it by quality”. This means that
A) wisdom can be judged only by its quality to know its worth
B) wisdom cannot be weighed
C) wisdom has no weight
D) the value of wisdom depends on its characteristic
Answer:
A) wisdom can be judged only by its quality to know its worth
II. Let’s Write:
Imagine that Babu in this lesson writes to his friend Salim narrating how he was saved by Nagendra’s wisdom. Use the hints given below to write the letter.
Hints: One day – passing Nagendra’s shop – bought wisdom – father angry. Nagendra gave back money – condition not to use the wisdom. Watched queen’s maids quarrel …….
Called to king’s court – Nagendra’s advice – pretend insanity. Escape punishment. Nagendra famous. If in trouble visit –
Begin like this:
Dear Salim,
I want to tell you about a very unusual incident.
Two months ago I saw a new shop in the market place. A young boy called Nagendra was selling ‘Wisdom’.
So, I went in ……..
Answer:
Dear Salim,
I want to tell you about a very unusual incident.
Two months ago I saw a new shop in the market place. A young boy called Nagendra was selling ‘Wisdom’. So, I went in to see what he was selling. I thought it was a vegetable or a thing. I asked Nagendra the cost of wisdom per kg. He replied that he did not sell wisdom by weight, but sold it by quality.
I gave him a nickel and asked him to give me a nickel’s worth of wisdom. He wrote “It is not wise to stand and watch two people fighting” on a piece of paper and gave it to me. I went home and showed it to my father. He became so angry that he immediately rushed to Nagendra’s shop and scolded him for cheating me. He demanded the nickel back. But, Nagendra made him sign an agreement which said, I should not follow his advice.
After a few days, I was walking near the market place. Two women were fighting. They were the maids of the two quanted me to be their witness. The maids complained to their queens who in turn complained to the king. The two queens sent word that I should speak for them, else they would have my head chopped.
My father and I were in a state of panic. We decided to go to Nagendra. Nagendra charged five hundred rupees and advised me to pretend to be mad. I pretended insanity in front of the king and did not answer any of his questions properly. He drove me away and I escaped punishment. Nagendra is very famous now. If you get into trouble at any time visit Nagendra.
Your affectionate friend
Babu
III. Let’s Work With Words:
Write the meanings of the following words with the help of a dictionary and use them in sentences to bring out their meaning.
furious, wisdom, persuade, feign, errands, contract, document, bargain, witness, ruse.
Answer:
i) furious = extremely angry.
The teacher became furious when I said I had not done my homework.
ii) wisdom = having knowledge, experience and good judgment.
King Solomon was famous for his wisdom.
iii) persuade = convince someone to do something.
The king persuaded Nagendra to become his minister.
iv) feign = pretend.
When the police questioned the thief, he feigned innocence.
v) errands = short journeys made to deliver or collect something.
The queen sent her maid on an errand.
vi) contract = an agreement
He has agreed to sign a new contract.
vii) document = record in writing.
A sale deed is a legal document.
viii) bargain = discuss prices, conditions, terms of trade, etc., in order to reach an agreement.
Geetha bargained with the fruit seller and bought mangoes at 40 rupees a kilo.
ix) witness = a person who sees an event take place.
Babu was a witness to the accident.
x) ruse = trick
A cheat promised to double the money. Many people fell for his ruse and lost their money.
IV. Let’s Use Language:
A. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the right options:
- His …………….. brought honour. (brilliantly, brilliance)
- ……………. people solve problems. (wise, wisdom)
- ……………… he was clever, he was without a job. (in spite of, though)
- There was no ……………. of sympathy from the people when they heard of the cruel murder. (death, dearth)
- The …………. of funds made them abandon the project (paucity, pause)
Answer:
- brilliance
- Wise
- Though
- dearth
- paucity.
B. Use ‘since’ or ‘for’ with the following time expressions:
- The film has been on at the theatres ……………… July.
- She has been on holiday ……………. the last three weeks.
- She hasn’t been here …………… a month.
- No one has lived here ……………….. 1989.
- It’s the first time I have been here ……………. the accident.
Answer:
- since
- for
- for
- since
- since.
The Boy Who Sold Wisdom Summary in English
Nagendra was an orphan. He had no job. He was very clever and had learnt many things by observing his father. One day a brilliant idea struck him. He went to the town and hired a small place to set up a shop. He hung a board over his shop which said ‘Wisdom for sale’. He called out that all kinds of wisdom were available at reasonable rates. But, people who heard him laughed at him and did not buy even a single piece of wisdom.
One day, Babu, the son of Gupta, a rich merchant, passed by Nagendra’s shop. He heard Nagendra’s shouts. Babu was a foolish boy. He did not know the meaning of wisdom. He thought it was a vegetable or a thing. He asked Nagendra what it would cost per kg. Nagendra replied that he did not sell wisdom by weight, but he sold it by quality. Babu put down a nickel and asked Nagendra to give him a nickel’s worth of wisdom.
Nagendra wrote, “It is not wise to stand and watch two people fighting” on a piece of paper and gave it to Babu. Babu went home and showed his father what he had bought for a nickel. His father scolded him for wasting money on a useless thing. He went to Nagendra, scolded him and demanded his money back for he had cheated his son. He even threatened to call the police. Nagendra said he would return the money if Gupta gave back his wisdom.
Gupta threw the scrap of paper at him and asked him to give back the money. Nagendra said, it was only a piece of paper and not the advice he had given Babu. He told Gupta that if he signed a document to the effect that his son would never use his advice and that he would stand and watch people fighting, he would return the money. Gupta did so and went back.
The King of that land had two queens. There was a rivalry between them. Their maids also hated each other. One day the two maids went to the same shop and wanted to buy the same pumpkin. A quarrel started and it became very fierce. Babu, who wanted to honour the contract, went there and stood watching the quarrel. The two maids saw him and each of them asked him to be her witness.
The maids went back to the palace and reported the matter to their mistresses. The queens complained to the king. Each of them sent word to Babu that he was the witness on her side. They even threatened to get his head chopped off if he did not speak in their favour. Babu and his father were frightened. They went to Nagendra and asked for his wisdom. Nagendra took five hundred rupees and advised Babu to pretend insanity.
When the king sent for him, Babu went to the court. He behaved as if he was mad. When questions were asked he uttered nonsensical words. The king lost his patience and sent him away. Babu was very happy. He told everyone about Nagendra’s wisdom. Nagendra became very famous.
Gupta was worried that his son had to behave like a mad boy always. If not, the king would find out the truth and punish him. So, he went with his son to Nagendra and sought his help. Nagendra took another five hundred rupees from them. He advised Babu to go to the king when he is in a good mood and tell him the truth. Babu found the king in a happy mood and told him everything. The king laughed and forgave him.
The king, who came to know about Nagendra, sent for him and asked him if he had any wisdom to sell. Nagendra replied he had plenty of wisdom and would sell it to the king for a hundred thousand rupees. The king paid him the money. Nagendra wrote on a paper ‘Think deeply before you do anything’ and gave it to the king.
The king got the advice embroidered on his pillow and engraved on his cups and plates. After a few months the king fell ill. The minister and one of the queens had been planning to kill the king. They bribed the doctor and asked him to poison the king’s medicine. The doctor mixed poison in the medicine and brought it to the king in a golden cup. The king lifted the cup and saw the words engraved on it. He looked at the medicine thoughtfully for a long time.
The doctor felt nervous. He thought that the king had come to know of his treachery. He fell at the king’s feet and begged for mercy. The king, who came to know about the conspiracy, banished the doctor and awarded death sentence to the minister and his queen. He realised that Nagendra’s advice had saved his life. He made Nagendra his minister and honoured him.
Glossary:
weird – strange
stormed – rushed in very fast
errands – a short journey to get something for somebody
furious – very angry
babbled – to talk quickly or in a way that is difficult to understand
wisdom – experience and knowledge
banish – send somebody out of the country as a punishment
persuade – convince
feign – pretend
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