Very Short Questions

Question 1 : Om what form has the chapter been written?

Answer : The chapter has been written in the form of a diary event.

Question 2 : Write two adjectives used to describe the early monsoon rain.

Answer : Warm and humid are the two adjectives used to describe the early monsoon rain.

Question 3 : What is the colour of the minivets that arrive with the rains? How does the writer describe them?

Answer : The male minivets are scarlet in colour, while the female ones are yellow. The writer describes then as ‘brilliant jewels’.

Question 4 : “There is no dearth of food for the insectivorous birds,” Explain why?

Answer : With monsoon come a lot of insects. The birds that survive on insects, therefore, have food in abundance during this season.

Question 5 : What happens when the rain stops on 3rd August?

Answer : As the rain stop, people resume with their day to day activities. The woman begins chopping the wood; the sound of cowbells could now be heard.

The birds shake off rainwater from their feathers and so on.

Question 6 : Why does the grandmother shout imperfections at the leopard?

Answer : The grandmother shouts a series of curses at the leopard as it attacked the dogs and cows.

Question 7 : Why does the writer call the mist melancholy?

Answer : The writer calls the mist melancholy because it covers everything in silence. It casts a blanket over the hills and the other elements of nature, concealing everything.

Question 8 : Why does the writer feel lonely?

Answer : The writer feels lonely as his friend had gone and everything was quiet except for the rhythm of the rain.

Question 9 : What changes in the trees does the writer describe in his diary entry on 26th August?

Answer : The writer notes that the rain had put a dark blanket on everything around the house. The trees didn’t appear green anymore. They had gone grey; threatening the writer with their darker shades.

Question 10 : List down the words that indicate sound.

Answer : Tnkle, caw, drum, swish and drip.

Short Questions

Question 1 : Why was the writer unable to sleep on the night of 2nd August?

Answer : The writer was kept awake by the sound of the rain water falling on the tin roofs.

The writer was able to read the sounds; the sound of the rains outside and the silence within him. It provided him some kind of peace and he spent the night observing the pattern of the rain.

Question 2 : How does the writer get to know that the monsoon was coming to an end?

Answer : The writer notices the leaves of the cobra lily turning red and realises that soon the ferns would turn yellow too, though as of now they were firm and green. The writer knows that these changes signify the end of the monsoon season.

Question 3 : Give description of the atmosphere when the winter came to an end.

Answer : As the winter was coming to an end, the write saw the blackest cloud cast in the sky hailing marbles.

The hailstorm cleared the sky. No sooner had this happened that the writer saw the appearance of rainbow in the sky.

Question 4 : Describe the general importance of the hill-station. How does it get changed with the coming of the monsoons?

Answer : The general atmosphere of the hill station, Musoorie, is high altitude cold. With the coming of the monsoons, it turns warm and humid. The writer celebrates this change, as the mist offers some warmth and privacy and turns the entire place into a paradise.

Long Questions

Question 1 : Assume yourself to be a tourist who has gone to Musoorie during the monsoon. Write a note describing your experiences.

Answer : As I reached Musoorie, the weather was extremely cold and unbearable. Within two days, however, with the onset of the monsoons it changed to become warm and pleasant. Not just did the weather change, but the entire place got transformed. A variety of birds and flowers that were not to be seen in the first two days of my stay came from somewhere and added a lot of colour to the surroundings.

Along with the sound of the rain, the songs of the birds reverberated in the air turning the hill-station into a paradise.

Question 2 : Describe the writers day on 31st August.

Answer : The last day of August marks the last few days of the monsoons. The writer notices that the monsoons have already reached the peak and now the rains would come to an end as indicated by different elements of nature. He sees the seeds of cobra lily turning red and the ferns beginning to get yellowish in colour. At the same time, he also sees a variety of colourful flowers and butterflies. It gives delight to the writer. The writer also gets a pay cheque on this day.