Question 1.

Friends are an important part of our lives. Why do you think so? Share your ideas with
your friend. What do you do when you are with your friends and how do you feel?
Answer:
I think friends are really important because they make our lives happier and more fun.
Friends are there to share our joys and help us when we are sad. They make us laugh
and play with us, so we never feel lonely.

Question 2.
The title of the chapter is ‘The Unlikely Best Friends’.
(a) What can be the meaning of ‘unlikely’? Discuss in groups, and then discuss with
your teacher.
Answer:
The word “unlikely” means something that is not expected to happen or is not probable.
It suggests a situation or relationship that is surprising or unusual.

b) Can you think of some unlikely friends? Share your answer with your teacher.
Answer:
Yes, here are a few examples of unlikely friends:

● A Cat and a Dog

Why did the farmer hug Buntee?

Answer: The farmer hugged Buntee as he was glad to see Buntee. The farmer has
been looking for Buntee since he disappeared from his house.

Do you think Buntee will leave Gajaraj and go home with the farmer?
Answer:
No, Buntee is unlikely to leave Gajaraj and go home with the farmer voluntarily. The
story shows that Buntee and Gajaraj share a deep bond and have become inseparable
friends.
Let us discuss (Page 45)

Question 1.
Why did Gajaraj not eat his food?
Answer:
Gajaraj did not eat his food because he was feeling sad and lonely after Buntee, the
dog, was taken away from him. He missed his friend deeply, and this emotional distress
affected his appetite.

Question 2.
Who were friends at the end of the story?
Answer:
At the end of the story, the friends were:

● Gajaraj (the elephant)

Let us think and reflect (Page 45)

Question 1.
Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
(a) Despite royal comforts, Gajaraj was sad because he had no friends. The mahout, or
elephant trainer, was the only one he ever interacted with. The mahout was a kind man
who served Gajaraj food and gave him a bath in the elephant pond daily. He was a
good caretaker, but not a friend.
(i) Complete with one word:
mahout : kind :: Gajaraj : ___________
Answer:
Sad

(ii) The mahout was a good caretaker because he gave _________ to Gajaraj and a
______ in the pond.
Answer:
Food, Bath
iii) What do you think is the difference between a friend and a caretaker?

Answer:while both friends and caretakers play important roles in the lives of others.
Friends provide companionship, emotional support, and mutual understanding, whereas
caretakers focus on meeting practical needs and ensuring the physical well-being of
those under their care.

b) “Are you missing your friend?” asked the farmer remembering the happy look on
Buntee’s face while sitting on the elephant’s back. “I cannot see you go hungry,” said
the farmer, “If you miss your friend so much, go to him.” The farmer removed the rope
with which he had tied the dog.

i) The farmer uses the word __________________ to refer to the elephant.

Answer:Friend

(ii) How did the farmer know that Buntee was hungry?
Answer:
The farmer noticed that Buntee had not touched his food since coming home with him.
Hence he could see that Buntee was hungry.

(iii) Why did the farmer remove the rope with which he had tied Buntee?
Answer:
The farmer removed the rope because he empathized with Buntee’s longing for his
friend, Gajaraj. Seeing Buntee unhappy and not eating, the farmer realized that
Buntee’s happiness lay with Gajaraj. Therefore, he allowed Buntee to go back to his
friend by removing the rope.

iv) Complete with one word:

● Gajaraj shared his food with Buntee when the dog was hungry, showing his
generosity and care.
● Gajaraj playfully splashed water on Buntee during their bath together,
indicating their playful and joyful interactions.

Question 3.
How did the mahout come to know that Gajaraj was sad?
Answer:
The mahout noticed that Gajaraj was not eating his food, which was unusual behavior
for the elephant. Despite checking Gajaraj’s physical condition and finding nothing
wrong, the mahout suspected that Gajaraj might be feeling sad due to the absence of
Buntee, his only friend.

Question 4.

Why do you think Buntee licked the farmer’s hand?

Answer:

Buntee licked the farmer’s hand as a gesture of gratitude and affection. The farmer had
shown kindness and understanding by allowing Buntee to return to Gajaraj, which made
Buntee happy.

Question 5.

What was ‘unlikely’ about the friendship of Gajaraj and Buntee?

The friendship between Gajaraj and Buntee was unlikely because elephants and dogs
do not interact closely in natural settings. However, their friendship blossomed due to
their shared circumstances and the emotional bond they developed.

Question 3.

The words that tell us about an action are called verbs. In the story, the author tells us
what happened before. To do that, the past form of the action word (verb) is used. Let
us learn about the three forms of past tense.

Given below are some verbs from the story. Put the verbs in their correct column in the
table given above.

Select the correct form of the verb to complete the passage. Check your answers with
the teacher.
The farmer came back and ____________ (noticed/was noticing/had noticed) that
Buntee was sad. He ____________ (tied/ was tying/had tied) Buntee with a rope the
day before. He ____________ (asked/was asking/ had asked) Buntee why he was sad.
Farmer ____________ (felt/was feeling/ had felt) that Buntee ____________
(missed/was missing/had missed) Gajaraj and set him free.

Answer:

The farmer came back and noticed (noticed/was noticing/had noticed) that Buntee was
sad. He had tied (tied/ was tying/had tied) Buntee with a rope the day before. He asked
(asked/ was asking/had asked) Buntee why he was sad. The farmer was feeling
(felt/was feeling/had felt) that Buntee was missing (missed/was missing/had missed)
Gajaraj and set him free.