Unit-5 Science and Curiosity Class 8th English (Poorvi) Ncert solution

June 8, 2026 • Admin ETeam • Class 8 ncert solution

Unit 5 · Science and Curiosity — Complete Solutions | EduGrown

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NCERT · Poorvi · Class 8 · Reprint 2026–27

Unit 5 — Science & Curiosity
Complete Question Solutions

Every in-text and exercise question from all three texts — Feathered Friend, Magnifying Glass and Bibha Chowdhuri — answered in detail, with the textbook’s own illustrations.

✦ 3 Texts✦ In-text + Exercises✦ Detailed Answers✦ Original Diagrams

🧭 Quick Navigation

Pick any text below. Each has a separate jump button for In-Text questions (Before-you-read & Let us discuss) and for Exercise questions (Think & Reflect, Learn, Listen, Speak, Write, Explore).

Text 1 · Story

Feathered Friend

Arthur C. Clarke

📖 In-Text ✍️ Exercises

Text 2 · Poem

Magnifying Glass

Walter de la Mare

📖 In-Text ✍️ Exercises

Text 3 · Biography

Bibha Chowdhuri

A Beam of Light…

📖 In-Text ✍️ Exercises

Text 1 · Science Fiction Story

Feathered Friend

— Arthur C. Clarke

📖 In-Text Questions

Let us do these activities before we read

I · Work in pairs and discuss (sample answers — your own views are welcome)

A cat, parrot, rooster and rabbit in a meadow — The textbook opener — a parrot & rooster (feathered) and a cat & rabbit (furry).

1. Who can a ‘feathered’ friend be?

Answer A ‘feathered’ friend is a bird kept as a companion or pet — for example a parrot, canary, pigeon, sparrow, parakeet, hen or peacock. The word “feathered” refers to the feathers that cover a bird’s body.

2. Which ‘feathered’ friend do you like? Why?

Sample I like the parrot most, because it is colourful, intelligent and can imitate human speech. Watching it whistle, mimic words and play makes it a cheerful, friendly companion. (You may choose any bird and give your own reason.)

3. If you had a choice between a ‘feathered’ and a ‘furry’ friend, whom would you choose? Why?

Sample I would choose a feathered friend like a canary — it needs very little space and food, is light and gentle, and fills the home with song. (A furry friend such as a dog or cat is also a fine choice if you enjoy cuddly, active company.)

4. Can a ‘feathered’ or a ‘furry’ friend accompany astronauts to space? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Answer A feathered friend (a light bird like a canary) can travel more easily, as the story shows — it weighs almost nothing, eats very little and adapts well to the absence of gravity. A furry friend like a dog or cat is heavier, eats more and may get distressed in weightlessness, so it is harder to take. In real missions, though, animals are taken only for careful scientific experiments, never as casual pets.

Complete the words by inserting vowels

II · Use the meanings given alongside

1. R_G_L_T__N → REGULATION — an official rule 2. F_RB_D → FORBID — to not allow 3. F_S_ → FUSE — join/blend into one 4. _BR_PTLY → ABRUPTLY — suddenly 5. C_NF_SS → CONFESS — admit one’s mistake 6. D__T_T__N → DIETITIAN — one who advises what to eat to stay healthy

Let us discuss — Answer briefly

I · Questions after Part I

A spacer working among floating girders — Sven’s “three-dimensional ballet” — joining girders that float freely in zero gravity.

1. Why did the narrator think Sven had sneaked a bird aboard? What was Sven’s scientific reason?

Answer The narrator realised the bird had been smuggled because Sven did not confess to owning her for several days, and Claribel had clearly been brought up secretly on the last ferry from Earth when Sven returned from leave. Sven’s stated scientific reason was “sheer scientific curiosity” — he wanted to see how a bird would behave and fly when it had no weight but could still use its wings.

2. How did Claribel adjust to the new surroundings?

Answer She adjusted remarkably well. She was not worried by the absence of gravity, unlike most animals. She quickly learned to operate in weightlessness — hanging motionless in the air with folded wings, doing a clever backward loop no earthbound canary could manage, and moving with a few “leisurely flicks.” She “did not believe in doing unnecessary work,” and soon thrived and grew fat, becoming a general pet.

3. What made the narrator mistake the musical whistle for a sound from the intercom?

Answer When he first heard the musical whistle beside his ear, he assumed it had come over the station intercom and waited for an announcement. Whistles and signals over the intercom were a normal part of station life, so he reasonably mistook the canary’s whistle for one — until a long, involved melody made him look up and discover Claribel.

4. Do you think the presence of the canary would lead the spacers into trouble? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Sample Partly yes, but ultimately no. At first she could have caused trouble — keeping a pet was unofficial, she got noisy when upset, and they had a “couple of narrow escapes” hiding her from visiting VIPs. But in the end she brought no real trouble at all; instead she saved the entire crew’s lives by fainting and warning them the air had gone bad. Her presence proved a blessing, not a danger.

True or False

Statements from Parts I and II

The crew eating breakfast in the mess — Breakfast in the mess on the “morning” the trouble began — one seat lay vacant.

1. The alarm failed to work properly because they were not connected.

False The single working alarm did not go off because part of the air purifier had frozen up during a rare eclipse. The second (back-up) circuit had not yet been connected, so there was no redundancy — but the failure was not simply “because they were not connected.”

2. Claribel was brought to the station for an official experiment on animal behaviour in space.

False Sven smuggled her up secretly on the last ferry, partly out of personal “scientific curiosity.” It was not an official experiment; keeping a pet was unofficial and hidden from the authorities.

3. The canary’s suffering helped the crew discover a problem with the air purifier.

True Claribel fainting (twice) was the clue that made the narrator suddenly remember that miners carried canaries to detect bad gas — revealing that the air had gone foul because the purifier had failed.

4. The air purifier froze because there was a rare eclipse.

True The text says they had “one of our rare eclipses by Earth’s shadow that night; part of the air purifier had frozen up,” and the alarm failed to go off.

5. Claribel could fly gracefully in the station, performing loops in the air.

True She hung in the air “as motionless as a hummingbird” and did “a curious kind of backward loop” no earthbound canary could manage — flying gracefully in zero gravity.

6. The crew was uninterested in Claribel and hardly noticed her after she was discovered.

False The opposite is true — she became a “general pet.” The crew hid her from VIPs, were distressed when she collapsed, and worked desperately to revive her.

7. Claribel had fainted and had to be revived with oxygen supply.

True She was tucked into a face mask serving as an “oxygen tent,” and “she revived at once.”

✍️ Exercise Questions

Let us think and reflect

I · Read the extracts and answer

Extract 1 — Sven’s work among the floating girders

“Sven was one of our best construction men, and excelled at the tricky and specialised work of collecting assorted girders as they floated around in free fall … fusing the pieces together when they were precisely dovetailed … for a space suit is not the most convenient of garbs in which to work.”

(i) What can be inferred about Sven’s abilities from his job description?

A. He is good at following instructions but lacks creativity.
B. He possesses a strong understanding of working in space. ✓
C. He struggles with the complexities of construction in space.
D. He prefers working on simpler tasks rather than complex jobs.

Why The “tricky,” “specialised” and “skilled and difficult” work he excelled at — handling free-floating girders in a clumsy space suit — shows a strong, expert command of working in space.

(ii) How can we conclude that Sven was working in zero gravity?

Answer The girders “floated around in free fall” and had to be made to do a “slow-motion, three-dimensional ballet.” Objects float and drift freely only when there is no gravity (weightlessness), so Sven was clearly working in a zero-gravity environment.

(iii) Select the correct option for Assertion (A) and Reason (R).
(A): Sven’s job required him to make girders perform a ‘three-dimensional ballet’ in space. (R): Working in zero gravity allows objects to float, making precise positioning more challenging.

A. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). ✓
B. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
C. (A) is true, but (R) is false.
D. (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Why Both are true, and (R) explains (A): because objects float in zero gravity and are hard to position precisely, Sven had to coax the girders through a careful three-dimensional “ballet” into place.

(iv) Replace the underlined word with a similar word from the extract:
“During the festival, people wore colourful outfits that represented their culture.”

Answer people wore colourful garbs that represented their culture. (“garbs” = clothing of a special kind.)

Extract 2 — “There’s something wrong with the air!”

“‘Jim! There’s something wrong with the air! That’s why Claribel’s passed out. I’ve just remembered that miners used to carry canaries down to warn them of gas.’ ‘Nonsense!’ said Jim. ‘The alarms would have gone off. We’ve got duplicate circuits, operating independently.’ ‘Er—the second alarm circuit isn’t connected up yet,’ his assistant reminded him. That shook Jim …”

(i) The narrator references canaries and miners in order to ______.

Answer …to explain the reason that caused Claribel to faint suddenly — i.e., to point out that, just as canaries warned miners of poisonous gas, Claribel’s collapse signalled that the station’s air had become dangerous.

(ii) Complete: Jim initially dismisses the warning about the air because ______.

Answer …because he firmly believed the alarm system would have detected any problem. He trusted the station’s “duplicate circuits, operating independently,” so he was sure the alarms would have gone off if the air were truly unsafe.

(iii) What does ‘shook Jim’ mean here? Jim was ______.

A. physically pushed by someone
B. startled by unexpected information ✓
C. cold and needed to warm up
D. trying to shake off sleepiness

Why Learning the back-up alarm circuit was not actually connected shocked Jim and shattered his confidence — he was startled by this unexpected news, which is why he left “without a word.”

(iv) What does passing the oxygen bottle around ‘like a pipe of peace’ suggest about the crew’s response?

Answer A “pipe of peace” recalls the Native-American peace-pipe shared to show harmony. So the image suggests the crew stopped arguing, calmed down and shared the oxygen together in solidarity. It hints at unity and reconciliation while they sensibly took precautions (breathing oxygen) and figured out the danger — a relaxed, co-operative response rather than panic.

II · Answer the following questions

1. What was the purpose of the alarm? What had caused its failure?

Answer The alarm’s purpose was to warn the crew of any dangerous change in the air (for example, a failure of the air purifier). It failed because, during a rare eclipse by Earth’s shadow, part of the air purifier froze up, and the single alarm in the circuit failed to go off. The second, independent alarm circuit had not yet been connected, so there was no back-up — “half a million dollars’ worth of chemical and electronic engineering” let them down completely.

2. How does the crew’s reaction to Claribel change over the course of the story?

Answer At first she is a secret curiosity — Sven hides that she is his. Then she becomes a beloved “general pet,” whom everyone helps to conceal from visiting VIPs. When she collapses, the crew is distressed and frantic, giving her oxygen to revive her. Finally, once they realise she warned them of the bad air, they feel deep gratitude and respect — she is honoured as a tiny life-saver who “doubly safeguards” the station.

3. What does the last part of the story tell us about the significance of unusual ways of problem solving?

Answer It shows that simple, unconventional methods can succeed where sophisticated, expensive technology fails. A little canary — an old miners’ trick — detected the danger that costly automatic alarms missed. The story teaches us to value creativity, observation and old wisdom, and not to rely solely on complex machinery; sometimes the humblest solution saves the day.

4. Justify the appropriateness of the title of the story.

Answer “Feathered Friend” is perfectly apt. Claribel is literally a feathered creature (a canary), and she is a true friend — not just a charming pet but the one who saves the whole crew’s lives by warning them of poisonous air, exactly as canaries once protected miners. The title captures both her nature (a bird) and her role (a faithful, life-saving companion).

5. ‘Without Claribel, we should soon have been slightly dead.’ What does this line suggest about uncertainty of life in space?

Answer It suggests that life in space is extremely fragile and uncertain. Despite advanced technology, a single small failure — a frozen purifier and a silent alarm — could have killed the whole crew. Survival sometimes hangs on chance and on an unexpected helper. The deliberately funny phrase “slightly dead” (you cannot be slightly dead) lightens the tone while underlining how narrowly they escaped death.

6. Explain how the writer has presented science fiction with a touch of humour.

Answer Clarke blends realistic space science (free fall, air purifiers, oxygen tents, zero-gravity construction, the 150-pound weight bonus) with gentle humour: a canary smuggled aboard, her comic “Come to the cookhouse, boys” trills, the cook who is also “doctor-dietitian,” the wry narrator’s voice, the oxymoron “slightly dead,” and the closing joke that an “inexplicable snatch of birdsong” means you are “doubly safeguarded, at practically no extra expense.” This warm humour makes the science fiction light and delightful.

7. How would Sven reflect on his experience of almost losing Claribel and saving the lives of the entire crew?

Sample Sven would feel a deep mix of guilt, relief and pride. He would be shaken at almost losing the little bird he loved, and hugely relieved that the oxygen revived her. At the same time he would feel proud and grateful that his harmless act of “scientific curiosity” ended up saving everyone — proof that even a tiny, gentle creature can matter enormously. He might also resolve to value simple living things and never again underestimate them.

Let us learn

I · Choose the appropriate adjective for each word

Box: nagging · vague · delighted · narrow · sluggish · hushed · inexplicable · sheepish

1. narrow path 2. nagging worry 3. vague plan 4. delighted look 5. inexplicable reason 6. sluggish traffic 7. hushed voices 8. sheepish expression

Sentences in the text that use these adjectives:

narrow — “There were a couple of narrow escapes…”
nagging — “I had a nagging headache…”
vague — “…and vague memories of fitful, disturbed dreams.”
delighted — “To our delighted surprise, she revived at once.”
inexplicable — “…don’t be surprised if you hear an inexplicable snatch of birdsong.”
sluggish — “My mind seemed to be very sluggish that morning…”
hushed — “We all waited in hushed silence…”
sheepish — “He came back ten minutes later with a sheepish expression.”

II · Make merged (portmanteau) words and give their meanings

Column 1	Column 2	Merged word	Meaning
breakfast	lunch	brunch	a meal eaten between breakfast and lunch hours (example)
motor	hotel	motel	a roadside hotel for motorists / travellers by car
smoke	fog	smog	fog mixed with smoke and pollution
situation	comedy	sitcom	a comedy TV series based on everyday situations
video	log	vlog	a personal blog kept in video form
spoon	fork	spork	an eating utensil that is part spoon and part fork
web	seminar	webinar	a seminar conducted over the web / internet

III · ‘will’ denotes which time?

“It will mean that you’re being doubly safeguarded.” — In this sentence, ‘will’ denotes ______ time.

Answer future time.

IV · Fill in the correct future form (Simple Present / Present Progressive / ‘will’ / ‘going to’)

1. Our flight leaves at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. (timetable → Simple Present) 2. They will finish / are going to finish the project by the end of this week. 3. The forecast says it is going to rain later today. (prediction with evidence) 4. We are moving into our new house next month. (fixed arrangement) 5. I am starting my new hobby class next Monday. (fixed plan) 6. She is going to the mall this afternoon. (personal plan) 7. The team has / is having a meeting at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow. 8. I will help you with your homework after dinner. (offer → will)

V · Complete the passage with future-time verbs

By 2040, artificial intelligence (1) will have revolutionised medical treatments. Researchers (2) are developing AI-powered diagnostic tools that (3) will transform healthcare by the end of this decade. Next week, the International Science Congress (4) opens to showcase advancements in AI and robotics. In the coming years, robots (5) will assist surgeons in performing complex operations. Years ago, experts had predicted that AI would reshape our world, and now, as we approach the future, this (6) will be our new reality.

Let us listen

Conversation between Monika and Toby, the stranded Martian

Monika talking to Toby the Martian — Toby the Martian and his friend Monika.

I · Tick (✓) the correct statements, cross (✗) the wrong ones

1. Toby misses his school. — ✗ (He misses his people and home.) 2. Monika accepts Toby as her friend. — ✓ 3. Monika asks about one of his facial features. — ✓ (his single eye) 4. Toby says she had a banana for breakfast. — ✗ (It was an apple.) 5. Toby can see clearly with a closed eye. — ✓

II · Fill in the blanks with the exact words you hear

1. I miss my people and home. 2. We Martians don’t need to eat anything. We get our energy from the Sun. 3. Don’t you ever feel like having ice-creams and chocolates! 4. How are you able to see only with one eye? 5. I can see beyond mountains and clouds, woods and even metals.

Let us speak

I · Circle the silent letters

ballet → silent t (ba-lay) whistle → silent t and h (wi-sl) alarm → silent r (uh-laam) psychologist → silent p (and the h in ‘ch’)

More words with silent letters

receipt → p debris → s pneumonia → p almond → l foreign → g island → s wreck → w aisle → s campaign → g fasten → t

II. Pair work — ask for and give suggestions (model)

Sample

Solar-system model — You: “What materials should I use to make a model of the solar system?” Friend: “It’s good to use a thermocol ball for the Sun, smaller painted balls for the planets, and wires or thread to hang them. You should ensure the sizes and distances are roughly to scale.”

Chandrayaan-3 quiz — You: “How can I prepare for the inter-class quiz on Chandrayaan-3?” Friend: “I feel you should read ISRO’s official page, watch the landing video, and note key dates, the lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan) names. If you have an issue remembering facts, try making flashcards.”

Let us write

I · Social-media web — uses of the internet

Social media web of internet uses — Uses of the internet branching out from a central globe.

Uses to fill in the web: communication (email, chat, video calls) · social networking · education / e-learning · entertainment (music, videos, games) · online shopping & banking · navigation / maps / location · news & information · research · work-from-home.

Now write an article titled ‘The Importance of Internet’.

Model Article

The Importance of Internet
— by Aarav Sharma

The internet has become one of the most powerful tools of modern life. It is a vast network that connects billions of people and devices across the world, putting information, communication and services at our fingertips within seconds.

Its uses are countless. We rely on it for communication through email, messaging and video calls; for education, where online classes and digital libraries help students learn anything, anywhere; and for entertainment like music, films and games. The internet also makes everyday tasks easier — we can shop, pay bills, bank, find directions on maps and read the latest news in moments. During the pandemic, for example, it allowed schools and offices to keep running from home.

Used wisely, the internet is a bridge to knowledge and opportunity. As the saying goes, “The internet is becoming the town square for the global village” — but we must use it responsibly, balancing screen time with real-world living.

Let us explore

I. ‘A canary in the coal mine’

Note Coal miners (for example in Arunachal Pradesh) carried canary birds underground to detect carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases. Canaries are very sensitive to such gases, so if a bird showed distress or stopped singing, miners knew to escape — preventing accidents. The phrase now means an early warning sign of danger. This is exactly why Claribel’s collapse saved the crew.

II. How astronauts manage routine tasks without gravity

Note Write: with a special Space Pen whose resin-ink works in any position, heat, cold or vacuum. Exercise: using resistance equipment and treadmills with rubber straps to hold the body down. Eat: dried, canned, vacuum-packed or frozen foods, prepared with water; plus ready-to-eat nuts, breads and fruits. Sleep: strapped into small compartments or sleeping bags so they don’t float away — they can sleep on floor, wall or ceiling alike.

III. Can animals sense natural calamities? Decide if it is true.

Answer: True Yes — this appears to be true. Before the 2004 tsunami, elephants ran uphill, flamingos left low nesting grounds and dogs refused to go out. Minutes before the Naples quake of 1805, oxen, sheep, dogs and geese cried out together. Sharks and dolphins swim to deeper or safer waters before hurricanes. Scientists explain that severe stress in deep rock before an earthquake produces ultra-low-frequency electromagnetic waves that animals can sense. So animals can indeed warn humans of disasters.

IV. Salim Ali — the ‘Birdman of India’

Note Salim Ali was an Indian ornithologist (a person who studies birds). He was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and wrote several books on birds. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan (1958) and the Padma Vibhushan (1976).

V. Make a bird feeder (group activity)

Four handmade bird feeders — Bird-feeder designs you can make from cardboard, chart paper and sticks.

How-to Take an empty cardboard carton or milk pack; cut a wide opening on one side and decorate it with chart paper. Make two small holes near the bottom and push a stick or pencil through for a perch. Punch a hole on top and pass a string to hang it. Fill the base with grains/seeds and hang it on a tree or balcony so birds can feed safely.

Text 2 · Poem

Magnifying Glass

— Walter de la Mare

📖 In-Text Questions

Let us do these activities before we read

I · Answer the questions that follow the pictures

People examining things with a magnifying glass — People closely examining small things with a magnifying glass.

1. What is common in all these pictures?

Answer In every picture, a person is using a magnifying glass (a lens) to look closely at something small — an object, a footprint, a plant or an insect.

2. Select the pictures you are familiar with.

Sample I am familiar with the picture of a person examining a leaf/plant with a magnifying glass and one studying footprints like a detective — both are everyday uses I have seen. (Choose the ones you recognise.)

3. Why do you think the people need to use a magnifying glass?

Answer They use it to see tiny details that are too small for the naked eye — the magnifying glass enlarges the object so its fine, hidden features become clear.

4. What other instruments magnify objects?

Answer A microscope, telescope, binoculars, hand lens, spectacles (eyeglasses), and a projector/magnifying camera all magnify objects.

II. If you had a magnifying glass, what would you use it for and why?

Sample I would use it to examine insects, leaves, coins and tiny print, because magnifying them lets me discover patterns, textures and details I could never notice with my eyes alone — it turns ordinary things into fascinating worlds.

Let us discuss — Complete the summary

I · Fill the blanks with suitable words from the poem

A child observing a spider and the night sky — The young observer watching a spider — and dreaming of reaching the moon.

The poem describes the magic of seeing the world through a (1) magnifying glass. It reveals how tiny things like (2) shells and (3) moss can appear vast and complex. Even a (4) drop of water can seem like a hive of (5) bees. The poet is impressed at how the spider spins its (6) web from its (7) spinnerets. The poem ends with the idea that, through lenses, the (8) moon could seem within reach.

Fill in the blanks (choose from brackets)

1. The main idea is the transformative power of close observation through the magnifying glass. 2. The tone of the poem is wonder and curiosity. 3. The poem has six stanzas with four lines each — hence a quatrain. 4. The rhyme scheme is ABCB.

Tip: In each four-line stanza, only lines 2 and 4 rhyme (e.g. talk – chalk, trees – bees), giving the pattern ABCB.

Let us discuss — Poetic devices, imagery & reasons

III · Pick examples of the following poetic devices

Simile: “A drop of water / Like hive of bees” (also “with lenses like it”) Alliteration: “Will make more marvellous” · “the woven web-silk” Metaphor: “Of but an inch of moss / A forest—flowers and trees” (moss is called a forest)

IV · Visual imagery

1. In “A myriad shells show in a scrap of chalk”, the magnifying glass reveals ______.

Answer …the countless tiny fossil shells and intricate structures hidden inside a small piece of chalk — details invisible to the naked eye.

2. In “A forest—flowers and trees”, the poet uses the imagery of nature to emphasise ______.

Answer …how even a tiny inch of moss looks as vast and complex as an entire forest when seen through the magnifying glass — small things contain whole worlds.

V · Complete the sentences with a reason

1. The poet uses exclamation marks (“The tigerish claws he has!”, “With all those eyes!”, “In an afternoon!”) because they ______.

Answer …because they express his wonder, excitement and amazement at the astonishing details the magnifying glass reveals.

2. In “Magic talk”, the poet uses personification because the magnifying glass ______.

Answer …because it is given the human-like power to “speak” and reveal hidden wonders, making ordinary objects seem to come alive and tell their secrets.

3. Each stanza introduces a small object, then its magnified details. This supports the theme of ______ as the speaker reveals ______.

Answer …the theme of wonder and curiosity / the power of close observation, as the speaker reveals the extraordinary hidden details inside ordinary, everyday objects.

4. In the final stanza the poet shifts from tiny objects to the moon because ______.

Answer …because he wants to show that the same power of lenses can reach even distant heavenly bodies — extending wonder from the smallest things to the vast cosmos, so that walking on the moon seems within reach.

✍️ Exercise Questions