The Scholar's Mother Tongue - Class 4 English NCERT Solutions

Get complete solutions for "The Scholar's Mother Tongue," Class 4 English NCERT. This humorous story highlights how even the most learned scholar can struggle with the language they first spoke as a child. The page provides accurate answers, key vocabulary, and extra questions, helping students understand the story’s clever message while preparing for exams.

Vocabulary List

Reading is fun

1. Who came to Akbar's court?

A learned Pundit visited Akbar's court.

2. What did he claim to know?

The Pundit claimed to have mastery over many different languages.

3. How did he challenge everybody?

He challenged everyone at the court to name his mother tongue.

Let's talk

What is your mother tongue?

This is a personal question for students to answer based on their own background.

Tell the class a joke in your mother tongue.

This is an activity for students to perform in class.

Do you know any other language? Do you know a joke in English? Tell your friends.

This is another activity for students to share in class.

Let's listen

1. Listen to your favourite advertisement on the radio or T.V. Repeat it with stress on the words. Act, draw and write the advertisement.

This is an activity for students to perform individually.

Word building

1. Tick (✓) the words which end with the sound 'id'. Say each word aloud

Words ending with the 'id' sound: accepted, completed, created, waited

2. Write all the words that show you are happy.

Examples: Hurray, Ha! Ha!, Yay, Woohoo, Fantastic, Great

3. Tick (✓) the right answer.

(i) 'I visited the court of Akbar' means: (b) You came there for a short time.
(ii) To imitate someone means to: (a) copy someone

4. Look and fill in the columns.

fluent - fluently
angry - angrily
sad - sadly
fierce - fiercely
gentle - gently

5. Match the words in Column 'A' with words in Column 'B'.

king - courtiers
teacher - students
doctor - patients
bus driver - passengers
lawyer - clients
mother - children

Short Answer Questions

1. What was special about the Pundit who visited Akbar's court?

The Pundit could speak many languages fluently and claimed to have mastery over them.

2. Why couldn't anyone at the court find out the Pundit's mother tongue?

The Pundit was so fluent in many languages that no one could identify which one was his mother tongue.

3. Who accepted the challenge to identify the Pundit's mother tongue?

Birbal accepted the challenge to identify the Pundit's mother tongue.

4. What did Birbal do at night to find out the truth?

Birbal went quietly to the Pundit's room when he was asleep and whispered into his ear, tickling it with a feather.

5. How did the Pundit react when Birbal tickled his ear?

The Pundit, half awake, cried out suddenly and shouted words in his mother tongue.

6. What language did Birbal identify as the Pundit's mother tongue?

Birbal identified Telugu as the Pundit's mother tongue.

7. How did the Pundit respond when Birbal revealed his mother tongue?

The Pundit was surprised and accepted the truth about his mother tongue.

8. What explanation did Birbal give to King Akbar about how he found out the truth?

Birbal explained that in times of difficulty, a person speaks only in their mother tongue.

9. Why do you think Birbal chose to tickle the Pundit's ear at night?

Birbal likely chose to tickle the Pundit's ear at night because the Pundit would be less guarded and more likely to react instinctively.

10. What does this story teach us about the importance of mother tongue?

The story suggests that one's mother tongue is deeply ingrained and comes out naturally in moments of surprise or difficulty.