For CBSE Class 8 students, NCERT Solutions for English Chapter 3 – The Selfish Giant solutions are provided in this article. Our panel of specialised teachers has solved the NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Language of Chapter 3 in compliance with the newest CBSE rules.
The “Selfish Giant” chapter is about a Giant’s lovely garden, where children used to enjoy playing. However, the egotistical Giant built a high wall around his garden to keep them out. The children, as well as Spring and Summer, did not return to the garden after that. Seeing this, the Giant had a change of heart and began to mourn his small companions, particularly a young child.
Students in the eighth grade can look for NCERT Solutions in the English Supplementary textbook It So Happened, which is listed below. Experts have solved all of the textbook and supplementary exercise questions in accordance with the new CBSE English syllabus. Students can check out the linked page to learn more about the other major subjects covered in the NCERT Solutions for Class 8 and to improve their exam scores.
Chapter 3 – The Selfish Giant: Summary
The story Selfish Giant, written by Oscar Wilde, is about a young boy who was God’s messenger and the egotistical Giant. Children are seen playing in a spacious and beautiful garden at the start of the story. The trees produced fruits, flowers, and birds perched on them, singing sweetly. The Giant was staying with a friend in that garden. When he spotted the kids playing, he told them they couldn’t play there. Children were terrified of him and fled. The Giant erected a fence around the garden and posted a sign that read, ‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’.
Children were depressed because they had nowhere else to play. They strolled around the garden’s high walls, recalling the grandeur of the interior. Although spring had arrived in the country, it was still winter in the park. The flowers and fruits returned to behold the colossus. Then the north wind blew all day, wrapping itself around the garden and roaring. Autumn declined to let the Giant know when spring would arrive in his garden because the Giant was too self-centred.
One morning, the Giant heard mesmerising music sung by the linnet outside his window. He sensed the arrival of spring and noticed children accessing the garden through a small hole. They were sitting and playing on the tree branches. Birds were chirping, and he could see trees budding and flowers sprouting. However, he was shocked to find winter in one corner of the garden. He noticed a small boy standing beneath the tree and realised he couldn’t climb it. This made Giant’s heart melt, and he realised how selfish he was.
He chose to hang the child from a tree branch. He tore down the wall and let the kids play in the garden indefinitely. When the children spotted him, though, they bolted. The garden was once again transformed into a winter wonderland. But the boy did not run since he was crying, and the Giant placed him on a tree branch, which immediately flowered. He kissed Giant on the cheek.
The other kids realised that the Giant wasn’t evil, and they returned. With them saw the return of spring. Every day, the Giant played with the children, but the small kid was unable to be found, and he became weaker as the year progressed.
He saw a tree blossomed with white flowers one winter, and the boy was standing beneath it. Giant grew enraged when he saw the boy was injured. He inquired of the young man who had armed him. The boy explained that those were the wounds of love. The youngster laughed and invited the Giant to his garden, which he described as ‘heaven’. Class 8 NCERT Solutions English It So Happened The Selfish Giant. The Giant was motionless on the ground with white petals all over him when children came to play in the garden in the afternoon.
Chapter 3 -The Selfish Giant: Important Points To Remember
- This chapter introduces a selfish Giant who wanted to keep the garden to himself and had forbidden anybody from entering.
- There were no traces of joy or greenery in the giant’s garden. Because there are no flowers blooming in the park, the author is aware of this.
- The giant was disappointed to see the garden’s state because it had not changed with the seasons.
Chapter 3 -The Selfish Giant: NCERT Solutions
Comprehension Check (Page 20)
The Selfish Giant
Question 1:
Why is the Giant called selfish?
Answer: The Giant is referred to as selfish because he did not let the children play in his garden. He evicted them, erected a high fence around his garden, and posted a sign that stated, ‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’.
Question 2:
On one occasion, the children said: “How happy we are here!”
Later they said: “How happy we were there!”
What are they referring to in both cases?
Answer: They refer to the Giant’s garden in the first example, where they used to play on their way home from school. They had a great time in the garden whenever they were there.
In the second scenario, they’re referring to the garden and discussing how happy they were before the Giant forbade them from playing in it.
The children are referring to the Giant’s garden on both occasions.
Question 3:
(i) When spring came, it was still winter in the garden. What does winter stand for or indicate here?
(ii) Winter has been presented as a story with its own characters and their activities. Describe the story in your own words.
Answer: (i) Winter represents a hostile, barren, and lifeless setting in the novel. Trees and flowers do not bloom in this environment. Winter also connotes a mood of sadness and idleness in this context. Winter stayed in the garden longer than usual because birds didn’t sing, children didn’t play, and spring didn’t come.
(ii) Because there were no children, the birds did not sing when spring arrived. Neither the trees nor the flowers bloomed. At one point, a flower poked its head out from the grass. When it saw the giant’s notice board, however, it felt sad and sorry for the youngsters, returned to the grass, and went to sleep.
Question 4:
Was the Giant happy or sad over the state of the garden?
Answer: The Giant was depressed because his garden had deteriorated. He couldn’t figure out why spring was taking so long to arrive.
Question 5:
What effect did the linnet’s song have over Hail and the North Wind?
Answer: The Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring when Rhen the linnet sang.
Comprehension Check (Page 24)
The Selfish Giant
Question 1:
(i) The Giant saw a most wonderful sight. What did he see?
(ii) What did he realise on seeing it?
Answer: (i) The Giant noticed the children sitting on tree branches after entering the garden through a small hole in the wall. Every tree has a child on it. The trees had adorned themselves with blossoms in celebration of the return of the children. The flowers and grass were laughing out loud, and the birds were soaring around and twittering in glee.
(ii) He realised that spring had failed to arrive in his garden because he had forbidden his children from playing in it. He realised he was being selfish by not allowing the kids to play in his garden.
Question 2:
Why was it still winter in one corner of the garden?
Answer: There was a tree in the corner of the garden that was completely decked with ice and snow. Above it, the North Wind blew and roared. A small youngster stood in front of it, unable to grasp its branches. As a result, winter lingered in one section of the garden.
Question 3:
Describe the first meeting of the little boy and the Giant.
Answer: The first encounter between the little boy and the Giant took place beneath a frosty and snow-covered tree. The Giant tenderly lifted him in his arms and carried him up into the tree. The tree immediately flowered, and the birds flocked to it to sing. The young child reached his two arms out in front of him, flung them round the Giant’s neck, and kissed him on the lips.
Question 4:
Describe their second meeting after a long interval.
Answer: Their second meeting occurred on a cold winter morning, after a long hiatus. At the farthest point of the yard, the Giant was surprised to see a tree covered in exquisite white blossoms. The branches of the tree were golden, with silver fruit hanging from them. Underneath it, a small boy stood. The Giant rushed up to him, beaming.
When he saw impressions of nails on his palms and feet as he got closer to the child, his face flushed with rage. The Giant asked the small kid who had injured him and told him that whoever had done so would be killed. Those were the wounds of love, the child replied. Kneeling in awe before the small boy, the Giant inquired about his identity. The youngster smiled at the Giant and told him that since he had allowed him to play in his garden once, he would accompany him there that day.
Question 5:
The Giant lay dead, all covered with white blossoms. What does this sentence indicate about the once selfish Giant?
Answer: The Giant was covered in white blooms, indicating that he was no longer selfish. He’d realised what he’d been getting at by not allowing the kids to play in his garden. He had realised his error and had since been sympathetic to the youngsters. That’s why, when he died, his body was covered in white blooms.