Sympathy, Chapter -7, Class-8, English, SEBA New Book
Sympathy, Chapter -7, Class-8, English, SEBA New Book
Pre-Reading Activities (Page 1)
This section asks you to think about helping others. Here are some ideas for the discussion points :
* A beggar hit by a car:
* Help to offer: Immediately call for an ambulance or medical help. Cover him with a cloth if it’s cold. Offer him water and try to comfort him. Stay with him until help arrives.
* An elderly lady waiting to cross:
* Help to offer: Politely ask her if she would like help. Offer your arm to support her and walk with her to the other side of the street when it is safe.
* A dirty little child watching you:
* Help to offer: Instead of just giving money, buy the child some of the fruit you are buying. You could also ask if they are hungry and buy them a small meal.
Reflection Question: What kind of help do people prefer – money or physical help?
* Answer: Most people prefer physical help or sympathy over just money. Money can be spent and the problem might remain, but physical help (like the poor man’s) shows genuine care and “heavenly sympathy” . This kind of help makes a person feel valued and not alone.
Activity 1 (Page 3)
Here are the correct options to complete the sentences :
* (a) The poet was in deep sorrow. A proud man came and helped him by (iii) giving him gold .
* (b) When the poet lay in want and grief, the one [who helped him was] (ii) a poor man.
* (c) The poor man gave the Poet (ii) sympathy.
* (d) When the poet’s sorrow passed, he went to the proud man and (i) gave him back the gold.
* (e) The poet refers to sympathy as ‘heavenly’ because sympathy (iv) is a blessing from God .
Activity 2 (Page 4)
2. (a) Comprehension Questions
(i) How did the proud person help the poet when the poet was unhappy?
Ans. The proud man helped the poet by giving him gold, but he did not offer a single kind word .
(ii) What did the poor man do when he found the poet lying in pain and sadness?
Ans. The poor man found the poet in pain, bound his head, gave him bread, and watched over him night and day until he recovered .
(iii) Why does the poet think that he cannot help the poor man back in the same way?
Ans. The poet feels he cannot repay the poor man because the poor man gave him “heavenly sympathy” . This is a priceless feeling that cannot be paid back with money, unlike the gold which was easy to return .
(iv) “Oh, gold is great, but greater far Is heavenly sympathy.” Why does the poet think so?
Ans.The poet thinks so because gold is a material, worldly item that can be given and paid back . Sympathy, however, is a “heavenly” or godly quality. It is a selfless act of kindness and care that is far more valuable than any amount of money.
(v) Why is the poor man’s help greater than gold?
Ans. The poor man’s help is greater than gold because it came from the heart. He gave his time and care by binding the poet’s head, giving him food, and nursing him back to health . This act of “heavenly sympathy” is far more valuable than the proud man’s cold gift of gold .
2. (b) Match the Lines
(i) I was sad and very unhappy.
* Line: “I lay in sorrow, deep distressed;”
(ii) I was in need and was sad and hurt.
* Line: “I lay in want, and grief, and pain.”
(iii) He fed me and took care of me.
* Line: “he gave me bread, / He watched me night and day.”
(iv) Gold is valuable but sympathy and love are far more valuable.
* Line: “Oh, gold is great, but greater far / Is heavenly sympathy.”
2. (c) Make Sentences
(i) looks were cold: The proud man passed the suffering poet, and his looks were cold.
(ii) night and day: The nurse worked night and day to take care of the patients.
(iii) pay him back: I will surely pay him back for all the kindness he has shown me.
Activity 3 (Page 4-5)
Here are the correct meanings of the underlined words :
* (a) distressed: unhappy
* (b) gold: money
* (c) charity: kind help
* (d) passed my way: to move past
* (e) heavenly: godly goodness
* (f) sympathy: the feeling of being at
another’s sadness
Activity 4 (Page 5)
Here are the correctly spelled words, their antonyms, and their type (noun/adjective) :
* wsoror
* Correct Word – sorrow
* Antonym – joy
* Noun/Adjective – noun
* ymsapyth
* Correct Word – sympathy
* Antonym – apathy / cruelty
* Noun/Adjective – noun
* dkiynl
* Correct Word – kindly
* Antonym – unkindly / cruelly
* Noun/Adjective – Adjective/Adverb
* ifegr
* Correct Word – grief
* Antonym – joy / happiness
* Noun/Adjective – noun
* rdupo
* Correct Word – proud
* Antonym – humble
* Noun/Adjective – adjective
* ycahirt
* Correct Word – charity
* Antonym – selfishness / meanness
* Noun/Adjective – noun
* lcod
* Correct Word – cold
* Antonym – warm / kind
* Noun/Adjective – adjective
Activity 5 (Page 6)
Here are the rearranged sentences :
* (a) He was deeply distressed.
* (b) A proud man heard of his grief.
* (c) His looks were cold.
* (d) He didn’t offer a kindly word.
* (e) He paid the gold back to him.
* (f) I even thanked him.
* (g) The poor man gave him bread and looked after him.
* (h) The poor man’s sympathy is greater than gold.
Activity 6 (Page 6)
Here is the correct matching of the paragraphs to the poem’s stanzas :
* Paragraph 1: “The poet was lying in sorrow and in pain…”
* Matches: Stanza 3 (“I lay in want, and grief, and pain…”)
* Paragraph 2: “When the poet recovered, he went back to the man…”
* Matches: Stanza 2 (“My sorrow passed – I paid him back…”)
* Paragraph 3: “Once the poet was full of grief and was very depressed…”
* Matches: Stanza 1 (“I lay in sorrow, deep distressed…”)
* Paragraph 4: “The poet wonders how to repay an act of selfless kindness…”
* Matches: Stanza 4 (“How shall I pay him back again…”)
Activity 7 (Page 7)
These are discussion questions. Here are sample answers:
* (a) What is meant by the word ‘values’?
* Answer: Values are the guiding principles, beliefs, or standards that a person or group holds. They determine what is considered important, right, or desirable in life.
* (b) What is meant by the term ‘human values’?
* Answer: Human values are the positive, universal virtues that are essential for human beings to live together in harmony. They include qualities like kindness, honesty, compassion, respect, and peace.
* (c) List of human values (with meaning, synonym, and antonym):
* Human value – Kindness
* Meaning – The quality of being friendly, gentle, generous, and considerate .
* Synonym – compassion
* Antonym – cruelty / unkindness
* Human value – Honesty
* Meaning – The quality of being truthful, sincere, and free of deceit.
* Synonym – truthfulness / integrity
* Antonym – dishonesty / deceit
* Human value – Compassion
* Meaning – A deep awareness of the suffering of others, coupled with the wish to relieve it.
* Synonym – empathy / pity
* Antonym – cruelty / indifference
Activity 8 (Page 8)
This activity asks you to write a story based on the poem’s theme and the hints provided . Here is a sample story:
Sympathy is Greater Than Gold
In a small village lived a skilled weaver named Rohan. He was neither too rich nor too poor and lived happily with his family. One year, a terrible flood washed away his home and his loom. He was in deep distress, with no money and no way to feed his children .
Desperate, Rohan approached the richest man in the village, a wealthy landlord. The landlord listened with a cold look, opened a drawer, and gave Rohan a bag of money, saying, “This should be enough. Do not bother me again.” Rohan felt no kindness from the man, but he took the money.
Rohan worked hard, rebuilt his loom, and his business slowly recovered. As soon as he had saved enough, he repaid the rich man’s money . He stood tall, thanked the man for the help, and left.
A few months later, Rohan fell terribly sick with a high fever . He had no money left for a doctor. His neighbor, a poor farmer named Ali, saw Rohan’s condition. Ali, who had very little himself, came to Rohan’s hut. He nursed him back to health, bringing him hot soup, binding his head with cool cloths, and sitting by his side night and day .
When Rohan recovered, he went to Ali with tears in his eyes. “How can I ever repay you for what you did?” he asked.
Ali smiled and said, “You need not repay me. We are neighbors.”
Rohan realized then that the rich man’s gold was a cold debt he could repay, but Ali’s “heavenly sympathy” was a priceless gift that he could only pass on to others.
Activity 9 (Page 8)
This is a grammar practice activity . It teaches how to make polite requests using “could” and “would” instead of just giving a command .
* Instead of: “Give me some bread.”
* Polite way: “Could/Would you give me some bread?” or “Would you mind giving me some bread?”
There are no questions to solve here; it is an activity for practicing speaking polite English in the classroom .