NCERT solutions for English Poorvi Class 8 chapter * - Magnifying Glass [Latest edition]

Work in pairs. Answer the questions that follow the pictures given below. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.

1. What is common in all these pictures?
2. Select the pictures you are familiar with.
3. Why do you think the people in the pictures need to use a magnifying glass?
4. What other instruments magnify objects?

If you have a magnifying glass, what would you like to use it for and why? Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.

Complete the summary of the poem given below with suitable words from the poem.

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

Fill in the blank by choosing the correct answer from the brackets.

The main idea of the poem is the transformative power of ______ (wonders in nature/close observation) through the magnifying glass.

Fill in the blank by choosing the correct answer from the brackets.

The tone of the poem is ______. (wonder and curiosity/peaceful and emotional)

Fill in the blank by choosing the correct answer from the brackets.

The poem has ______ stanzas with ______ lines in each stanza. Hence, it is a quatrain. (four; six/six; four)

Fill in the blank by choosing the correct answer from the brackets.

The rhyme scheme of the poem is ______. (ABCD; ABCB)

Pick examples from the poem ‘Magnifying Glass’ for the following poetic device.

Simile

Pick examples from the poem ‘Magnifying Glass’ for the following poetic device.

Alliteration

Pick examples from the poem ‘Magnifying Glass’ for the following poetic device.

Metaphor

The poem is rich in visual imagery, painting vivid pictures of small, everyday things magnified into something grand.

1. In the line, ‘A myriad shells show in a scrap of chalk’, the magnifying glass reveals ______.
2. In the line, ‘A forest—flowers and trees’ the poet uses the imagery of nature to emphasise ______.

Complete the following sentence with a reason.

The poet uses exclamation marks in lines, ‘The tigerish claws he has!’, ‘With all those eyes!’ and ‘In an afternoon!’ because it ______.

Complete the following sentence with a reason.

In the phrase, ‘Magic talk’ the poet uses personification to describe the magnifying glass because it ______.

Complete the following sentence with a reason.

Each stanza follows a repetitive pattern of introducing a small or ordinary object and then describing the extraordinary details revealed through magnification.

This is because it supports the theme of ______ as the speaker reveals ______.

Complete the following sentence with a reason.

In the final stanza the poet shifts from small, everyday objects being magnified to a celestial body like moon because ______.

Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow.

(i) Identify whether the following statement is true or false.

The poet uses his magical powers to make the round glass powerful.

(ii) Select the line from the extract that expresses the presence of intricate patterns in ordinary objects.

(iii) What does the comparison of ‘an inch of moss’ to a ‘forest’ suggest about the speaker’s view of the world through the magnifying glass?

(iv) How does the poet feel about the ability of the magnifying glass to reveal hidden wonders?

1. Satisfied
2. Fascinated
3. Grateful
4. Determined

What is the significance of the spider in the poem?

How might the speaker’s view of the natural world change if there was no use of a magnifying glass?

Why does the poem end with the idea of the moon being within reach?

What is the speaker’s attitude towards nature and the act of observation?

Which is your favourite part of the poem? Why?

Fill in the blanks in the sentences with the words given in the box below.

With his 1. ______ description, the author has written the story beautifully 2. ______ with fascinating details. When you read the story, you will surely enjoy the 3. ______ storytelling technique that attracts all kinds of readers. What makes the story interesting is the superb way of describing the 4. ______ emotions and feelings of the characters. The reader will 5. ______ upon the unexpected twists and turns that 6. ______ all our understanding and make us wonder at the narrative power of the author.

The collective noun ‘a hive of bees’, is used in the poem. Match the phrases in Column 1 with suitable words in Column 2 to make collective nouns.

The poet uses the expression ‘eyeing the moon’ in the poem. Match the idiomatic expressions with ‘eye’ given in Column 1 with their meanings in Column 2. You may refer to a dictionary.

The poet uses the adjective form ‘tigerish’ in the poem by adding the suffix -‘ish’ to the noun ‘tiger’. In the same way, we can make adjectives by adding the suffix -‘ish’ to some nouns.

Choose the nouns to which you can add the suffix -‘ish’ to make adjectives.

You will listen to a conversation between a father and daughter about lesser-known Indian inventions. As you listen, mark the four true statements from (1)–(6) given below. (Transcript for teacher on page 250)

When pronouncing /v/ and /f/, the lower lip lightly touches the edge of the upper teeth. Air flows through the small gap, creating a soft friction sound.

Note the difference between /v/ and /f/. When we pronounce words with /v/ sound, there is a vibration, whereas /f/ sound has no vibration. Both the sounds can occur in the beginning, middle, or at the end of words.

Read these words aloud with the help of your teacher.

If you could travel to space, which planet would you like to visit? Why? What preparations would you like to make? Speak about any five things that you would like to take along.

If you could invent something, what would you like to invent and how? Give reasons for the choice of your invention. Speak about your wonder invention.

In a conversation, we communicate through dialogues. While writing a conversation, we need to ensure that the dialogues are engaging and serve a purpose.

Points to remember:

• Mention where, when, and with whom the conversation is taking place.
• Identify the word choice and tone—formal or informal.
• Include key information, points of agreement and disagreement, etc.
• Use words in brackets to express emotions or actions, such as (joyfully) (sits down).
• You may use filler words like Uff, Er..., Ugh, etc.

Deepa and Asma, members of the Science Club have a conversation to take a decision about making a model for an upcoming Science Fair. Create this conversation between Deepa and Asma.

You may begin the conversation like this.

DEEPA: Hi Asma! Our Science teacher mentioned that you have a wonderful idea for the Science Fair project.

ASMA: (hesitatingly) Yes, I do. But I’m not sure if it is good enough.

DEEPA: (encouragingly) Don’t worry...

Children with low vision may benefit from different types of visual aids, such as magnifying spectacles, stand magnifiers, hand-held magnifiers, and telescopes. Magnifying spectacles are used for reading, threading a needle or doing other close-up tasks. Stand magnifiers rest above the object and are hands-free and help to keep the magnifying lens at a proper distance. Hand-held magnifiers with and without built-in lights, are usually smaller and lighter to move over printed material. They can be moved more easily. Telescopes are used to see objects or signs far away. Some telescopes can even be attached to eyeglasses.

Did you know that telescopes also use lenses?

1. The largest telescope in India for studying celestial objects is located in the district of Nainital, Uttarakhand. Commissioned in 2016, it is maintained and operated by ARIES (Āryabhaṭa Research Institute of Observational Sciences).
2. The Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) is a high-altitude astronomy station located in Hanle, Ladakh, India. It is situated at an elevation of 4,500 meters (14,764 ft), and supports optical, infrared, and gamma-ray telescopes.
3. The largest, most powerful, and most complex telescope ever launched into space is the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA launched it on, 25 December 2021. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. To learn more, visit the link below.
   https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/
4. The Mauna Kea Observatory, astronomical observatory in Hawaii, US, that has become one of the most important in the world because of its outstanding observational conditions. The Mauna Kea Observatory is operated by the University of Hawaii and lies at an elevation of 4,205 metres (13,796 feet) atop the peak of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on north-central Hawaii island. The summit hosts a world-renowned collection of astronomical research facilities and large telescope observatories, including the Keck Observatory and Subaru Telescope, for optical, infrared, and submillimeter astronomy.
   The observatories are set up here because of Mauna Kea's high elevation, dry environment, and stable airflow that make it a prime location for astronomical observation. The focus is scientific research across the electromagnetic spectrum.
   Public Access: The Onizuka Center for International Astronomy provides visitor information and exhibits about the mountain and its observatories, and offers guided tours of the summit.
   Find out more about them from the internet and discuss with your science teacher and classmates.

Read about ancient Indian scholars.

1. One of the eminent astronomers of the ancient India was Āryabhaṭa. His work Āryabhaṭiyam, laid the groundwork for various astronomers to develop in subsequent centuries and continues to be an important work even today. Āryabhaṭa proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system centuries before Copernicus. He also gave a scientific explanation of lunar and solar eclipses.
   

2. Varāmihira, the sixth-century CE astronomer, philosopher, and mathematician wrote the astronomical treatise Pañchasiddhāntika (Five Treatises), a compendium of Greek, Egyptian, Roman, and Indian astronomy.
   
3. The tenth-century CE mathematician-astronomer Bhāskarachārya II contributed significantly to the advancement of astronomical concepts. His works Siddhāntaśiromaṇi and Karaṇakutūhala, include compiled data on planetary positions, conjunctions, and eclipses.
   https://indianculture.gov.in/timeless-trends/unveiling-cosmos-journey-through-history-astronomy-india
   

Jantar Mantar in New Delhi is an astronomical observatory. It has large-scale astronomical instruments designed for precise calculations and measurements of celestial movements. It was built in 1724 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. The observatory is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Five such observatories were built by Jai Singh II, the other four are located in Ujjain, Mathura, Varanasi, and Jaipur.