CBSE Class 8 English A Concrete Example Worksheet Set 03

Fill in the Blanks

Question. The mood of the poem is described as humorous, amusing, and ________.
Answer: light-hearted
Explanation: The poem is fun and playful; it is written to make readers smile.

Question. The speaker thinks the plants must be so small that they are inserted with a ________.
Answer: pin
Explanation: The green plants are so tiny that big garden tools would not fit between the stones.

Question. The poet and his neighbour chatted about a ________.
Answer: flower
Explanation: Both neighbours stood outside for fifteen minutes talking about one little plant.

Question. The narrator in the poem is ________.
Answer: the poet
Explanation: The poet himself tells the story of visiting his neighbour's unusual garden.

Question. The garden includes an unusual sundial that she finds ________.
Answer: charming (or nice)
Explanation: Mrs. Jones loves her sundial and thinks it looks very pretty in her stony yard.

Question. When the speaker inquires where the ________ flower is, Mrs. Jones points it out.
Answer: lovely
Explanation: The visitor looked around for the special flower Mrs. Jones talked about so proudly.

Question. The word 'concrete' can apply to the structures and decorations made of ________ in Mrs. Jones' garden.
Answer: concrete
Explanation: Concrete is hard building material made of stone and cement.

Question. Mrs. Jones plants small, ________ plants between the stones.
Answer: delicate (or flower)
Explanation: Delicate means soft and fragile, like little baby seedlings that need gentle care.

Question. One day, Mrs. Jones invites the speaker to see her garden, and they chat about a ________ that Mrs. Jones treasures.
Answer: flower
Explanation: Mrs. Jones is proud of her little flower and wants her neighbour to admire it.

Question. The title also offers a symbolic meaning, providing a clear or 'concrete' example of Mrs. Jones' ________ gardening habits.
Answer: obsessive
Explanation: Concrete example means a clear and real proof of how dedicated she is to her garden.

Questions / Short Question Answers

Question. Outline Mrs Jones’ garden.
Answer: Her garden has a stone path, a lily pond, a rockery, and a sundial, with small delicate plants growing between stones.
Explanation: Her garden is an artistic space made mostly of rocks, water, and tiny hidden flowers.

Question. Where was Nek Chand's Rock Garden showcased?
Answer: It was featured on an Indian postage stamp in 1983.
Explanation: The post office printed a stamp showing the famous garden made from recycled art.

Question. What does the neighbour place between the stones?
Answer: She puts little plants between the stones.
Explanation: She tucks tiny green plants into the small gaps between the rocks.

Question. The word ‘plants’ has been used twice. Explain the difference in meaning.
Answer: The first time, 'plants' is a noun meaning green seedlings. The second time, 'plants' is a verb meaning the action of putting them in the ground.
Explanation: A noun is the name of a thing (the plant), and a verb is the action (to plant it).

Question. Why does the poet say that the seedlings don’t mean anything at all?
Answer: Because the plants are so tiny that an onlooker can barely notice them among all the rocks.
Explanation: They are so little that they almost look invisible against the big stones.

Question. How is the Rock Garden structured?
Answer: It is divided into three distinct phases, each showing artworks made from recycled materials like broken pots and tiles.
Explanation: The garden has three big sections, each filled with sculptures made from waste items.

Question. What view does the poet have for the garden?
Answer: He finds it strange and amusing, wondering how anyone could plant tiny seedlings between hard rocks.
Explanation: The poet thinks the stone garden is funny and very unusual.

Question. Which word makes a rhyme with ‘pin’?
Answer: 'In' creates a rhyme with pin.
Explanation: Both words end with the sound 'in', so they rhyme.

Question. What is the ‘lovely item’?
Answer: It is the prized little flower that Mrs. Jones and the speaker were discussing.
Explanation: The lovely thing is the tiny flower hidden among the stones.

Question. What does the poet intend by 'crazy path'?
Answer: He means a winding, irregular stone walkway that leads past unusual garden ornaments.
Explanation: The walkway curves and twists around rocks instead of going in a straight line.

Question. How does Mrs. Jones think about her garden? Support your answer with evidence from the poem.
Answer: She is very proud of it. She thinks her strange sundial is 'rather nice' and invites neighbours to spend time admiring her stones and flowers.
Explanation: She loves her garden and happily spends fifteen minutes showing off her little flower.

Question. Name any one thing that has been converted into a piece of art in the Rock Garden.
Answer: Broken toilet pots and discarded terracotta fixtures have been transformed into art.
Explanation: Old, broken items were cleverly reused to build beautiful statues.

Question. Name the line from the poem that serves as the refrain.
Answer: The line 'My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones' is the refrain repeated at the start of each stanza.
Explanation: A refrain is a line that repeats throughout a poem like a chorus in a song.

Question. Why do you think the speaker depicts the plants as being so small that they could be planted with a pin?
Answer: The poet uses playful exaggeration to show that the plants are microscopic and tucked into tiny cracks with great care.
Explanation: It is a joke to help us picture how incredibly tiny the plants really are.

Question. What type of sculptures does the Rock Garden have?
Answer: It has colorful sculptures made from recycled household waste materials.
Explanation: The statues are built using broken bangles, tiles, and ceramic pieces.

Question. How does the poet characterize the plants?
Answer: He describes them as delicate and small.
Explanation: He tells us that the plants are tiny and very fragile.

Question. Name two poetic techniques in the opening stanza.
Answer: Alliteration (e.g., 'next-door neighbour') and anaphora.
Explanation: These are poetic tools that give the lines rhythm and catchy musical sounds.

Question. What does the poem teach us about the way people think differently about the world around them?
Answer: It shows that while one person sees a boring pile of stones, another person sees an artistic, beautiful space worthy of love and care.
Explanation: People have different tastes, and what looks plain to one person can be precious to another.

Question. Identify the lines from the poem that show situational irony.
Answer: We stood and talked about a flower for quite a quarter of an hour. "Where is this lovely thing?" I cried. "You're standing on it," she replied.
Explanation: It is ironic because the speaker looked everywhere for a flower that he was already crushing underfoot.

Question. Draft a formal notice informing students of Grades 6–8 about the launch of the Herb Garden.
Answer:
SUNSHINE PUBLIC SCHOOL, SECTOR-1, CHANDIGARH
NOTICE
Date: 27 August 2025
Inauguration of the Herb Garden
Students of classes 6 to 8 are informed to attend the inauguration of the Herb Garden on 1 September at 10 am near the school grounds. For more information, kindly contact the undersigned.
Ananda
Secretary, Nature Club
Class 9
Explanation: A notice is a short note posted to give everyone the date, time, and place of an event.

Question. The poem presents Mrs. Jones in a positive light. Support this statement.
Answer: Mrs. Jones is shown as creative, cheerful, and welcoming. She takes great joy in gardening and kindly invites her neighbour to share the beauty she created.
Explanation: She is a friendly lady who loves nature and shares her joy with others.

Question. What perspective does Mrs Jones have of her garden?
Answer: She considers her garden to be very nice and takes pride in her detailed arrangement of stones and plants.
Explanation: She feels happy and proud of how she decorated her yard.

Question. What does the poet mean by stating – ‘they don’t mean anything at all’?
Answer: He means the plants are so small that they seem insignificant compared to the large stones.
Explanation: He jokingly suggests that such tiny plants are too small to make a big difference.

Vocabulary Activity - "Guess the Word"

Question. Word Transmutation: Replace 'S' in SOIL to mean 'to warm something'.
Answer: boil
Explanation: When you heat water until it bubbles, you boil it.

Question. Select the word that properly replaces the underlined word: A sundial with a strange device. (unusual, peculiar, new, rare, external)
Answer: rare (or unusual)
Explanation: A strange device is unusual and uncommon.

Question. Word Transmutation: Replace 'N' in NICE to mean 'grain that we boil'.
Answer: rice
Explanation: Rice is the grain that we cook and eat every day.

Question. Word Transmutation: Replace 'S' in SOIL to mean 'sheets to wrap food products'.
Answer: foil
Explanation: Aluminium foil is used to wrap rotis and sandwiches to keep them warm.

Question. Word Transmutation: Replace 'N' in NICE to mean 'a bad behavior'.
Answer: vice
Explanation: Vice means a bad habit or wrongdoing.

Question. Word Transmutation: Replace 'S' in SOIL to mean 'length of wire in a ring'.
Answer: coil
Explanation: When wire or rope is wound into circular loops, it forms a coil.

Question. Select the word that substitutes the underlined word: ... which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice. (pleasant, superior, agreeable, gentle, charming)
Answer: charming
Explanation: When something is nice, it is lovely and charming.

Question. Word Transmutation: Replace 'N' in NICE to mean 'cut into small cubes'.
Answer: dice
Explanation: Dicing means cutting vegetables like potatoes into small square cubes.

Question. Select the word that correctly replaces the highlighted word: They are so delicate... (delicious, fragile, dainty, graceful, weak)
Answer: fragile
Explanation: Fragile things are gentle and break easily, like tiny seedlings.

Question. Word Transmutation: Replace 'N' in NICE to mean 'plural form of mouse'.
Answer: mice
Explanation: One mouse, but many mice.

Question. Select the fitting word for the underlined word: “Where is this lovely thing?” I cried. (exclaimed, wept, shouted, announced, whispered)
Answer: exclaimed
Explanation: Cried here means saying something out loud with surprise.

Question. Word Transmutation: Replace 'S' in SOIL to mean 'to work very intensely'.
Answer: toil
Explanation: Toil means doing very hard and tiring work.