Very Short Questions
Question 1 : Who was Taro? Where did he live?
Answer : Taro was a young woodcutter. He lived with his mother and father on a lonely hillside.
Question 2 : Mention some qualities of Taro as a good son?
Answer : Taro worked very hard for his parents. He was a thoughtful son and wanted to give his parents everything they wanted.
Question 3 : What was the demand made by Taro’s father?
Answer : Taro’s father wanted a cup of sake – a popular Japanese drink. It could have provided him warmth and benefit his heart.
Question 4 : Why did Taro decided to work harder?
Answer : The ‘sake’ desired by Taro’s father was very expensive and he could not afford it. He wanted to fulfil his father’s demand and decided to work harder.
Question 5 : What did Taro find in the forest when he was cutting woods?
Answer : Taro heard the sound of rushing water in the forest when he was cutting woods. He found a beautiful little waterfall hidden behind a rock.
Question 6 : Why there was a long possession outside Taro’s house?
Answer : There was a long procession because people have heard about the story of the waterfall and the magic sake. They were curious to know more.
Question 7 : How did the emperor of Japan reward Taro?
Answer : The emperor of Japan rewarded Taro by giving him twenty pieces of gold and named the most beautiful fountain in the city after Taro.
Short Questions
Question 1 : How did Taro get the magic sake for his father?
Answer : Taro went to the forest and chopped and cut more woods. His mouth was dry and his face was wet with sweat. He hard the sound of rushing water and found a waterfall. He got the delicious sake for his father from the waterfall.
Question 2 : Do you think Taro worked harder? How?
Answer : Yes, he worked harder. He got up earlier in the morning and went to the forest to chop and cut more woods. He began to chop faster without any break and thought about making extra money to buy sake for his father.
Question 3 : Give a character sketch of Taro.
Answer : Taro was a young woodcutter who lived with his mother and father on a lonely hillside. He worked very hard, but earned very little money. He was a thoughtful son and wanted to make his parents happy.
Long Questions
Question 1 : Who was Taro? Do you think he loved his parents? Give reasons.
Answer : Taro was a young woodcutter and lived with his mother and father on a lonely hillside. All day long he chopped wood in the forest. Though he worked very hard, he earned very little money.
Yes, Taro loved his parents because he took care of them. He was very worried about getting the sake for his father as it could have provided him warmth and was good for his heart. He decided to work harder than before for getting the sake which was expensive. He chopped and cut more woods to earn more.
Question 2 : Who informed Taro’s neighbours about the magic sake? Why did the neighbours want to kill Taro?
Answer : A lady came to Taro’s house and his father offered her a cup of sake. She drank it greedily and thanked the old man. Taro told her the story of the magic waterfall. She spread the story throughout the village. The neighbours visited the waterfall in the forest to get the sake. They carried pitchers, jars and buckets to fill the sake in them. But they could not get the magic sake. They got only cold water and this made them angry. The neighbours said they have been cheated by Taro and wanted to drown him in the waterfall.
Question 3 : Why did Taro get the sake while villagers get cold water?
Answer : Taro was devoted to his old parents. He wanted to make them happy. One evening his father was shivering and wanted to have a cup of sake. The sake was expensive and Taro could not afford it. God helped Taro as his intentions were good and selfless. He got the sake from waterfall.
He gave it to his shivering father and became happy. But when the greedy villagers went to the waterfall, they did not find the sake. They found normal water as their intentions were not good. Taro’s intentions were good so he got the sake.
Value Based Questions
Question 1 : Do you think Taro was being rewarded by God? Give reasons in support of your answer.
Answer : Yes, Taro was being rewarded by God as he loved his parents and could do anything to fulfil their wish. He wanted to get the sake for his father. He could not afford it so he decided to work harder. He later found a beautiful waterfall which was the source of magic sake for him. He took it home and gave it to his father. The waterfall gave cold water to those who were selfish and greedy. It gave the sake only to Taro who was selflessly serving his parents. This was God’s way of rewarding Taro.