If you're a student in Class 8 studying "The Great Stone Face 1" chapter from Honeydew, you may be looking for some extra help to ace your exams. Look no further than these easy-to-understand NCERT solutions, available in PDF format. These comprehensive solutions will help you understand the chapter and prepare for any questions that may come up on your exams.

Introduction to "The Great Stone Face 1"

"The Great Stone Face 1" is a chapter from the Class 8 English textbook, Honeydew. It tells the story of a young boy named Ernest who lives in a small village at the foot of a mountain. Ernest is fascinated by a natural rock formation on the mountain that resembles the face of a great man. He believes that one day, a man will come to the village who looks just like the Great Stone Face and will bring peace and prosperity to the people. The chapter explores themes of heroism, identity, and the power of belief.

The Great Stone Face 1 summary of the Chapter

"The Great Stone Face 1" is a chapter from the Class 8 English textbook, Honeydew. It tells the story of a young boy named Ernest who lives in a small village at the foot of a mountain. Ernest is fascinated by a natural rock formation on the mountain that resembles the face of a great man. He believes that one day, a man will come to the village who looks just like the Great Stone Face and will bring peace and prosperity to the people. The chapter explores themes of heroism, identity, and the power of belief.

The Great Stone Face, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an interesting, fanciful short story. It is woven around the character named Ernest. Ernest, inspired by the legend narrated by his mother on The Great Stone Face, awaits its arrival from his childhood days. The legend is, a Child will be born resembling this image, exhibiting noble qualities. Such a divine kid would be the greatest person of his age. He spent hours gazing at the Great Stone Face every day, once his routine work gets completed. When there is a rumour on the arrival of such a person resembling a great stone face, his inner voice dismissed it with a reason, that it is not so. It is because he couldn’t relate that person (Mr. Gathergold) to the Great Stone Face.

The rumour did not last long, but when Gathergold died in poverty, people refused to accept him to be the human Great Stone Face. Ernest still awaited its arrival. Again a day came, when a chief Commander who is the citizen of the Valley, returned, to live his final days in his native. People again portrayed him to be the human Great Stone Face Again, Ernest dismissed the claim with the reason he does not resemble its appearance. His quest to see The Great Stone Face's human figure never ended till the end, but continued.

The Great Stone Face 1 question answer

NCERT SOLUTIONS CLASS 8 ENGLISH

Questions (Page No. 125)

(Comprehension Check)

Question 1. Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following statements.

a.     The Great Stone Face stood near where Ernest and his mother lived. ______

b.    One would clearly distinguish the features of the Stone Face only from a distance. ______

c.     Ernest loved his mother and helped her in her work. ______

d.    Though not very rich, Gathergold was a skillful merchant. ______

e.    Gathergold died in poverty and neglect. ______

f.      The Great Stone Face seemed to suggest that Ernest should not fear the general. ______

Answer:

a.     The Great Stone Face stood near where Ernest and his mother lived. – False

b.    One would clearly distinguish the features of the Stone Face only from a distance. – True

c.     Ernest loved his mother and helped her in her work. – True

d.    Though not very rich, Gathergold was a skillful merchant. – False

e.    Gathergold died in poverty and neglect. – True

f.      The Great Stone Face seemed to suggest that Ernest should not fear the general. – False

Questions (Page No. 126)

(Working with the text)

Answer the following questions.

Question 1.

a.     What was the Great Stone Face?

b.    What did young Ernest wish when he gazed at it?

Answer:

a.     The Great Stone Face was a work of nature. It was formed on the perpendicular side of a mountain by some gigantic rocks. These rocks were clustered together in such a position that when viewed from a certain distance, they resembled the features of a human face. However, the spectator lost the outline of the enormous face when he approached too close to the gigantic rock. He could see only a heap of enormous rocks that were piled one upon another. On the contrary, the Great Stone Face seemed positively to be alive when viewed from a distance. Most people dwelling in that place strongly believed that the valley owed much of its fertility to the gentle face that was continually smiling over it.

b.    Whenever Ernest gazed at the Great Stone Face, he felt it was smiling to him. The young boy wished it could talk to him because he felt that if it looks so very kindly, then its voice must indeed be pleasant. He said that if ever he sees a man with a similar face, he would love him very much.

Question 2. What was the story attributed to the Stone Face?

Answer: The story attributed to the Stone Face was that someday in future, a child would be born in the valley. He would be destined to become the greatest and noblest person of his time and that his face in manhood would bear an exact resemblance to the Great Stone Face.

Question 3. What gave the people of the valley the idea that the prophecy was about to come true for the first time?

Answer: A rumour was doing the rounds throughout the valley that the great man who was supposed to bear a resemblance to the Great Stone Face had finally appeared. A young man named Gathergold had left the valley and settled at a distant seaport. He had grown to be a wealthy merchant by the time he grew old. He decided to return to his native valley and live his last few days where he had been born. It was believed that he had a close resemblance to the Great Stone Face and the prophecy was about to come true for the first time.

Question 4.

a.     Did Ernest see in Gathergold the likeness of the Stone Face?

b.    Who did he confide in and how was he proved right?

Answer:

a.     No, Ernest did not see the likeness of the Stone Face in Gathergold. He could not see the kindness or truthfulness in Gathergold’s face as it was missing in his unpleasant face due to his wrinkled shrewdness.

b.    Ernest confided and poured out his heart to the Great Stone Face that Gathergold did not have the likeness of the Stone Face at all. By the time he died, his wealth and money had disappeared and he died in poverty and neglect.

Question 5:

a.     What made people believe General Blood-and-Thunder was their man?

b.    Ernest compared the man’s face with the Stone Face. What did he conclude?

Answer:

a.     General Blood-and-Thunder was another son of the valley who went to become a soldier and rose to the position of a famous Commander. He desperately longed to return to his valley. The inhabitants, old neighbours and friends in the valley felt that he bore the likeness of the Great Stone Face. This made people in the valley believe that General Blood-and-Thunder was their man who would fulfill the prophecy.

b.    When Ernest compared the man’s face with the Stone Face, he could not find any similarity between them. His heart assured him that the General Blood-and-Thunder was not the right person for whom they were eagerly awaiting. From this, Ernest concluded that the greatest and noblest man of his time who would bear the resemblance of the Great Stone Face was yet to come.

Questions (Page No. 126-127)

(Working with language)

Question 1. Look at the following words.

like – likeness

punctual – punctuality

The words on the left are adjectives and those on the right are their noun forms.

Write the noun forms of the following words by adding -ness or -ity to them appropriately. Check the spelling of the new words.

(i) lofty ______________ (vi) enormous ______________

(ii) able ______________ (vii) pleasant ______________

(iii) happy ______________ (viii) dense ______________

(iv) near ______________ (ix) great ______________

(v) noble ______________ (x) stable ______________

Answer:

(i) lofty loftiness (vi) enormous enormity

(ii) able ability (vii) pleasant pleasantness

(iii) happy happiness (viii) dense density

(iv) near nearness (ix) great greatness

(v) noble nobility (x) stable stability

Question 2. Add -ly to each of the following adjectives, then use them to fill in the blanks.

a.     Why didn’t you turn up at the meeting? We all were _______ waiting for you.

b.    _________ write your name and address in capital letters.

c.     I was _________ surprised to see him at the railway station. I thought he was not coming.

d.    It is _________ believable that I am not responsible for this mess.

e.    He fell over the step and _________ broke his arm.

Answer:

a.     Why didn’t you turn up at the meeting? We all were eagerly waiting for you.

b.    Kindly write your name and address in capital letters.

c.     I was pleasantly surprised to see him at the railway station. I thought he was not coming.

d.    It is perfectly believable that I am not responsible for this mess.

e.    He fell over the step and nearly broke his arm.

Question 3. Complete each sentence below using the appropriate forms of the verbs in brackets.

a.     I _________ (phone) you when I _________ (get) home from school.

b.    Hurry up! Madam _________ (be) annoyed if we _________ (be) late.

c.     If it _________ (rain) today, we _________ (not) go to the play.

d.    When you _________ (see) Mandal again, you _________ (not/recognise) him. He is growing a beard.

e.    We are off today. We _________ (write) to you after we _________ (be) back.

Answer:

a.     I shall phone you when I will get home from school.

b.    Hurry up! Madam will be annoyed if we are late.

c.     If it rains today, we shall not go to the play.

d.    When you see Mandal again, you will not recognise him. He is growing a beard.

e.    We are off today. We shall write to you after we are back.  

Character Analysis

Ernest is the protagonist of "The Great Stone Face 1" and is portrayed as a kind, optimistic, and determined young boy. He is deeply inspired by the Great Stone Face and believes that it represents a great man who will one day come to the village and bring happiness to the people. Ernest's unwavering belief in the prophecy drives him to become a better person and to strive for greatness himself. He is also shown to be empathetic towards others, as seen in his interactions with his mother and the old man who tells him the story of the Great Stone Face. Overall, Ernest's character represents the power of hope and the importance of having a positive outlook on life.

Theme Analysis

"The Great Stone Face 1" is a story about the power of hope and the importance of having a positive outlook on life. The protagonist, Ernest, is deeply inspired by the Great Stone Face and believes that it represents a great man who will one day come to the village and bring happiness to the people. His unwavering belief in the prophecy drives him to become a better person and to strive for greatness himself. The story also highlights the importance of empathy and kindness towards others, as seen in Ernest's interactions with his mother and the old man who tells him the story of the Great Stone Face. Overall, the theme of the story is about the transformative power of belief and the importance of striving towards a better future.