CBSE Class 8 English Feathered Friend Worksheet Set 03

Fill in the Blanks

Question. On the whole, we had little difficulty ____________ our guest when VIPs from Earth came visiting. (meaning: hiding)
Answer: concealing
Explanation: Concealing means hiding something carefully in a secret place so nobody can discover it.

Question. Actually he was a ____________ small fellow, like most of the early spacers. (meaning: thin but strong)
Answer: wiry
Explanation: Wiry describes someone who is lean and thin, yet possesses great muscle and strength.

Question. He came back ten minutes later with a ____________ look. (meaning: embarrassed)
Answer: sheepish
Explanation: A sheepish look is an awkward, shy smile you make when you know you did something silly.

Question. It was a skilled and hard job, for a space suit is not the most convenient of ____________ in which to work. (meaning: clothing of a special kind)
Answer: garbs
Explanation: Garbs is an older word for special protective clothing or uniforms.

Question. I had a ____________ headache, and vague memories of fitful, troubled dreams. (meaning: persistently painful)
Answer: nagging
Explanation: A nagging pain is a dull ache that keeps bothering you and does not go away easily.

Questions / Short Question Answers

Question. What role did the narrator play in resolving the crisis?
Answer: The narrator realised that Claribel's fainting was due to a problem in the air supply. He recalled how miners used canaries to detect poisonous gases. By connecting this fact, he identified that the air purifier had failed, thus helping the crew avoid disaster.
Explanation: The narrator remembered that coal miners used birds to detect bad air, which helped the crew find the problem fast.

Question. Who was Sven Olsen and why was he valuable in the space station?
Answer: Sven Olsen was a wiry, skilled construction worker in the space station who excelled in handling girders in zero gravity, making him valuable to the crew.
Explanation: Sven was a builder who knew how to join heavy floating metal beams together in space.

Question. What was the mechanical cause of the air supply failure?
(a) The second alarm circuit was not connected
(b) The emergency oxygen cylinder was empty
(c) Part of the air purifier had frozen up during an eclipse
(d) Sven had accidentally turned off the system
Answer: (c) Part of the air purifier had frozen up during an eclipse
Explanation: The station passed into the cold shadow of Earth during an eclipse, freezing the water inside the air purifier.

Question. Why did Sven bring Claribel into the space station?
Answer: Sven smuggled Claribel partly out of curiosity and partly for companionship. He wanted to see how a bird would adapt to zero gravity. Claribel’s small size and minimal needs made her a practical choice. His action reflected human emotional needs even in highly technical environments.
Explanation: Sven wanted to see how a bird flies without gravity and also wanted a sweet pet to keep him company in space.

Question. What happened to Claribel that worried the crew?
Answer: Claribel fainted suddenly, collapsing in Sven’s hand, which alarmed the crew and made them realise something was wrong with the air.
Explanation: The canary passed out and lay still, which showed the crew that the air had turned bad.

Question. How does the story showcase the limitations of technology?
Answer: The story highlights that despite advanced alarms and expensive machinery, the air purifier's failure went undetected. It was Claribel, a small bird, who revealed the danger. This irony stresses that nature can sometimes succeed where technology fails.
Explanation: Expensive machines and alarm circuits failed to work, but a simple little canary saved everyone.

Question. How did Claribel rescue the lives of the astronauts?
Answer: Claribel saved lives by fainting due to lack of oxygen, which alerted the crew to a malfunction in the air purifier that machines had failed to detect.
Explanation: By fainting before the humans felt sick, Claribel warned them in time to fix the broken air cleaner.

Question. What historical memory prompted the narrator of why Claribel might have fainted?
(a) A documentary about space stations
(b) Miners used to carry canaries to warn them of gas
(c) A previous accident on the station
(d) A conversation he had with Sven
Answer: (b) Miners used to carry canaries to warn them of gas
Explanation: Coal miners on Earth carried canaries into underground tunnels because the birds fainted when toxic gas leaked.

Question. Why was Claribel ideal as a pet in the space station?
Answer: Claribel was suitable because she weighed almost nothing, required little food, and quickly adapted to weightlessness without fear.
Explanation: Claribel was tiny, ate very little, and was not scared of floating in zero gravity.

Question. What valuable lesson does the story Feathered Friend teach students?
Answer: The story teaches students that even the smallest and seemingly insignificant beings can play a crucial role in life. It reminds them that technology, though powerful, is not infallible. Nature has its own wisdom and should be respected. The story also underlines the importance of companionship, humility, and being alert to signs from the environment.
Explanation: Even small animals can do big, wonderful things, and humans should always respect nature.

Question. How did the crew manage to hide Claribel when VIPs toured the station?
Answer: The crew concealed Claribel in various compartments and ventilating shafts to keep her hidden from inspecting VIPs.
Explanation: The astronauts hid her inside air pipes and small storage lockers whenever VIP guests came from Earth.

Question. How did the crew restore Claribel after she fainted?
Answer: The crew revived Claribel by placing an oxygen mask near her face and giving her a dose of pure oxygen from an emergency cylinder.
Explanation: They held a tiny mask near her beak and let her breathe fresh, pure oxygen.

Question. Describe Claribel's state when Sven found her that morning.
Answer: Claribel was found unconscious and motionless, lying on her side with her claws curled pathetically upward in the air.
Explanation: The little bird was lying completely still and unconscious because the air lacked oxygen.

Question. How did Claribel adjust to life in space?
Answer: Claribel adapted easily to zero gravity, folding her wings and floating effortlessly. She even performed loops and unusual movements, something no earthbound canary could do. Her cheerful whistles made her a favourite among the crew, showing her resilience and charm.
Explanation: She learned that she did not have to flap all the time and had fun floating and doing backward flips.

Question. What was Sven's scientific purpose for smuggling Claribel onto the space station?
Answer: Sven claimed he brought Claribel out of scientific curiosity to observe how a bird would operate and fly in zero gravity without weight.
Explanation: Sven wanted to test whether a bird could hover and use its wings without falling.

Question. Describe how Claribel modified her movement and behaviour to the zero-gravity environment of the space station.
Answer: Claribel adapted by learning to float motionless with folded wings and using gentle wing flicks to move, even performing graceful backward loops in the air.
Explanation: She stopped flapping constantly and learned how to coast and flip in the air like an acrobat.

Question. Why was Jim, the duty engineer, so certain that nothing was wrong with the air? What made him change his mind?
Answer: Jim was confident because the station had duplicate alarm circuits that should have sounded if anything failed. He changed his mind when his assistant admitted the second alarm circuit was not yet connected.
Explanation: Jim trusted the automatic alarm system until his helper reminded him that the backup wire was unplugged.

Question. Besides Claribel fainting, what other signs suggested that something was wrong with the air on the station that morning?
Answer: The narrator woke up with a sluggish, nagging headache and had unusual difficulty doing simple mental tasks, which were classic symptoms of oxygen deprivation.
Explanation: The narrator had a slow headache and felt dull and sleepy, which happens when air runs out of oxygen.

Question. At the end of the story, why does the narrator say that noticing birdsong on a space station is a reason to feel safe, not alarmed?
Answer: Hearing the bird sing meant the air quality was fresh and safe to breathe, as canaries are more sensitive to bad air than human instruments.
Explanation: If the bird is happy and chirping, it proves the oxygen in the room is fresh and safe.

Question. How does Arthur C. Clarke use comedy in the story?
Answer: Clarke uses humour in describing Claribel’s antics, like her loops in zero gravity, and in the irony of a canary being more useful than half a million dollars’ worth of machinery. The casual, light tone of the narrator also adds to the humorous style of the story.
Explanation: The author makes readers laugh by describing how a bird floats like a hovercraft and outsmarts fancy computers.

Question. What was Sven Olsen’s role on the space station?
Answer: Sven Olsen was a skilled construction worker who assembled metal girders to build the framework of the space station in zero gravity.
Explanation: Sven's duty was to put big metal beams together while floating in space.

Question. According to the narrator, why was Claribel a ‘very practical’ choice for a pet in space?
Answer: Claribel was a sensible choice because she weighed almost nothing, required minimal food, and was not troubled by zero gravity.
Explanation: She was as light as a feather, needed only tiny bird seeds, and loved floating in the air.

Question. How did the narrator first notice Claribel’s presence?
Answer: The narrator first discovered Claribel when he heard a melodious whistle near his ear and saw the small canary floating gracefully in zero gravity.
Explanation: The narrator was working at his desk when he heard a sweet whistle and saw a yellow bird floating in the air.

Question. Explain the title of the story Feathered Friend.
Answer: The title Feathered Friend is appropriate because the story revolves around Claribel, a little canary whose presence in the space station proves invaluable. Though initially smuggled for companionship, she becomes a true friend by saving the lives of the astronauts. The word “feathered” highlights her bird identity, while “friend” emphasises her importance as a companion and saviour. Thus, the title captures both the literal and symbolic significance of the story.
Explanation: The title fits because the little feathered bird became a true friend who saved all the astronauts from dying.

Question. This story shows a contrast between high-tech engineering and a simple, natural warning system. Discuss this theme, explaining how the expensive technology failed while the little canary succeeded.
Answer: The story contrasts complex technology with nature. The half-million-dollar space station had advanced air purifiers and dual alarm circuits, yet an eclipse froze the purifier and the alarm failed because a backup circuit was unconnected. In contrast, Claribel, a simple canary, reacted instantly to the drop in oxygen by fainting. Her biological sensitivity provided the life-saving warning that the sophisticated machines failed to give, proving that nature's simple wisdom can surpass human engineering.
Explanation: Costly computers and alarms stopped working, but a small living bird saved the entire crew.

Vocabulary Activity - "Guess the Word"

Question. Guess the word meaning 'thin but strong' used to portray Sven Olsen: ____________
Answer: wiry
Explanation: Wiry describes a person who is lean and thin, but very tough and strong.

Question. Guess the word meaning 'hiding' used when VIPs inspected the station: ____________
Answer: concealing
Explanation: Concealing means keeping something out of sight so others do not discover it.

Question. Guess the word meaning 'ashamed or awkward' used to describe Sven's expression: ____________
Answer: sheepish
Explanation: Sheepish means looking shy and guilty because you did something awkward or silly.

Question. Guess the word meaning 'clothing of a particular kind' used to describe a spacesuit: ____________
Answer: garbs
Explanation: Garbs refers to special clothes or uniforms worn for a specific job.

Question. Guess the word meaning 'persistently painful' used to describe the narrator's pain: ____________
Answer: nagging
Explanation: Nagging means something irritating or painful that continues for a long time.