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Solutions

Overview

Step-by-step NCERT solutions for Science and Curiosity (Chapter 5, NCERT Class 8 English) — every question and answer worked out in full, not just the final result. You can also read the Science and Curiosity textbook chapter.

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What these solutions cover

All 83 questions in Science and Curiosity are solved in the PDF. Here's what's inside, exercise by exercise:

Let us do these activities before we read — Feathered Friend

  1. Who can a 'feathered' friend be?
  2. Which 'feathered' friend do you like? Why?
  3. If you have a choice between a 'feathered' and a 'furry' friend, who would you choose? Why?
  4. Do you think a 'feathered' or a 'furry' friend can accompany astronauts to space? If yes, why? If no, why not?
  5. Complete the vocabulary activity: Fill in the vowels to complete the words using the meanings given alongside. (REGULATION, FORBID, FUSE, ABRUPTLY, CONFESS, DIETITIAN)

Let us discuss — Feathered Friend

  1. Why did the narrator think Sven had sneaked a bird aboard? What was Sven's scientific reason?
  2. How did Claribel adjust to the new surroundings?
  3. What made the narrator mistake the musical whistle for a sound from the intercom?
  4. Do you think the presence of the canary would lead the spacers into trouble? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Let us discuss — True/False — Feathered Friend

  1. True or False: The alarm at the space station failed to work properly because they were not connected.
  2. True or False: Claribel was brought to the space station for an official experiment on animal behaviour in space.
  3. True or False: The canary's suffering helped the crew discover a problem with the air purifier.
  4. True or False: The air purifier froze because there was a rare eclipse.
  5. True or False: Claribel could fly gracefully in the space station, performing loops in the air.
  6. True or False: The space station crew was uninterested in Claribel and hardly noticed her presence after she was discovered.
  7. True or False: Claribel had fainted and had to be revived with oxygen supply.

Let us think and reflect (Extract I) — Feathered Friend

  1. Extract …
    • (i) What can be inferred about Sven's abilities from his job description?
    • (ii) How can we conclude that Sven was working in zero gravity?
    • (iii) Assertion-Reason: (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. Select the correct option.
    • (iv) Replace the underlined word 'garbs' with a word similar in meaning from the extract. 'During the festival, people wore colourful outfits that represented their culture.'

Let us think and reflect (Extract II) — Feathered Friend

  1. Extract …
    • (i) Fill in the blank: The narrator references canaries and miners in order to __________.
    • (ii) Complete: Jim initially dismisses the warning about the air because __________.
    • (iii) What does 'shook Jim' mean?
    • (iv) What does passing the oxygen bottle around 'like a pipe of peace' suggest?

Let us think and reflect (Long answers) — Feathered Friend

  1. What was the purpose of the alarm? What had caused its failure?
  2. How does the crew's reaction to Claribel change over the course of the story?
  3. What does the last part of the story tell us about the significance of unusual ways of problem solving?
  4. Justify the appropriateness of the title of the story.
  5. 'Without Claribel, we should soon have been slightly dead.' What does this line suggest about uncertainty of life in space?
  6. Explain how has the writer presented science fiction with a touch of humour.
  7. How would Sven reflect on his experience of almost losing Claribel and for saving the lives of the entire crew?

Let us learn — Adjectives + Merged Words + Future Tense — Feathered Friend

  1. Choose the appropriate adjectives from the box (nagging, vague, delighted, narrow, sluggish, hushed, inexplicable, sheepish) to match with the words 1–8: (1) path, (2) worry, (3) plan, (4) look, (5) reason, (6) traffic, (7) voices, (8) expression.
  2. Combine the word pairs to make merged words and give their meanings: (ii) motor + hotel, (iii) smoke + fog, (iv) situation + comedy, (v) video + log, (vi) spoon + fork, (vii) web + seminar.
  3. Read: 'It will mean that you're being doubly safeguarded.' 'will' denotes __________ (past/present/future) time. Then fill in the blanks with the correct future form: 1. Our flight __________ (leave) at 10.00 a.m. tomorrow. 2. They __________ (finish) the project by the end of this week. 3. The weather forecast says it __________ (rain) later today. 4. We __________ (move) into our new house…
  4. Fill in the blanks with suitable future forms of verbs in brackets for the AI passage: By 2040, artificial intelligence 1.________(revolutionise) medical treatments. Researchers 2.________(develop) AI-powered diagnostic tools that 3.________(transform) healthcare by the end of this decade. Next week, the International Science Congress 4._______(open) to showcase advancements. In the coming…

Let us speak — Feathered Friend

  1. Read the words aloud and circle the silent letters: ballet, alarm, whistle, psychologist, receipt, debris, pneumonia, island, wreck, aisle, almond, campaign, foreign, fasten.
  2. Work in pairs. Use the situations to ask for and give suggestions:
    • (a) making a model of the solar system for the Science Exhibition;
    • (b) preparing for the inter-class quiz on Chandrayaan-3.

Let us write — Article on The Importance of Internet — Feathered Friend

  1. Write an article titled 'The Importance of Internet' using the social media web of internet uses. (Format: Heading/Title, Name of writer, Para 1: introduction, Para 2: uses and importance with examples, Para 3: concluding comment with thoughtful idea/quote.)

Let us explore — Feathered Friend

  1. The phrase 'a canary in the coal mine' describes early signs of potential danger. Coal miners in places like Arunachal Pradesh used canary birds to detect carbon monoxide. How does the story 'Feathered Friend' illustrate this concept?
  2. Read how astronauts manage routine tasks in space without gravity: Write, Exercise, Eat, Sleep. Share what you find most surprising and why.
  3. Animals can sense natural calamities. Read the examples (tsunamis, earthquakes, storms) and discuss whether this is true, based on the scientific explanation given.

Let us do these activities before we read — Magnifying Glass

  1. What is common in all the pictures (showing people using magnifying glasses)?
  2. Why do you think the people in the pictures need to use a magnifying glass?
  3. If you have a magnifying glass, what would you like to use it for and why?

Let us discuss — Magnifying Glass (poem)

  1. Complete the summary: 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…
  2. Fill in the blanks: 1. The main idea of the poem is the transformative power of __________ (wonders in nature/close observation) through the magnifying glass. 2. The tone of the poem is __________ (wonder and curiosity/peaceful and emotional). 3. The poem has __________ stanzas with __________ lines in each stanza. Hence, it is a quatrain. (four; six/six; four) 4. The rhyme scheme of the poem is…
  3. Pick examples from the poem for: 1. Simile, 2. Alliteration, 3. Metaphor.
  4. Visual imagery: 1. In 'A myriad shells show in a scrap of chalk', the magnifying glass reveals ______. 2. In 'A forest—flowers and trees' the poet uses the imagery of nature to emphasise ______.
  5. Complete the sentences with a reason: 1. The poet uses exclamation marks in 'The tigerish claws he has!', 'With all those eyes!' and 'In an afternoon!' because it ______. 2. In 'Magic talk' the poet uses personification because it ______. 3. The repetitive pattern of introducing an ordinary object then describing extraordinary magnified detail supports the theme of __________ as the speaker…

Let us think and reflect (Extract I) — Magnifying Glass

  1. Extract …
    • (i) 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 'an inch of moss' compared to 'a forest' suggest about the speaker's view through the magnifying glass?
    • (iv) How does the poet feel about the magnifying glass's ability to reveal hidden wonders?

Let us think and reflect (Long answers) — Magnifying Glass

  1. What is the significance of the spider in the poem?
  2. How might the speaker's view of the natural world change if there was no use of a magnifying glass?
  3. Why does the poem end with the idea of the moon being within reach?
  4. What is the speaker's attitude towards nature and the act of observation?
  5. Which is your favourite part of the poem? Why?

Let us learn — Vocabulary + Collective nouns + Eye idioms + -ish suffix — Magnifying Glass

  1. Fill in the blanks with words from the box (woven, myriad, deft, stumble, surpass, marvellous): 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. What makes the story interesting is the superb way of describing the 4.__________ emotions and…
  2. Match collective nouns: 1. a swarm of ___, 2. a constellation of ___, 3. a grove of ___, 4. a troupe of ___, 5. a battalion of ___, 6. a fleet of ___. (Column 2: ships, soldiers, dancers, locusts, trees, stars)
  3. Match eye idioms with meanings: 1. apple of one's eye, 2. in the blink of an eye, 3. keep an eye on something/somebody, 4. turn a blind eye, 5. see eye to eye, 6. bird's-eye view. (Meanings: watch closely, act as if not noticing, something that happens very quickly, an overall look, a very precious person, agree with each other)
  4. The poem uses 'tigerish' (tiger + -ish). Choose the nouns from (girl, glass, book, silk, boy, water, moon, scrap) to which -ish can be added to make adjectives.

Let us speak — Magnifying Glass

  1. Practise /v/ and /f/ sounds. Note the difference: /v/ has vibration, /f/ has no vibration. Read words with beginning/middle/end /f/ (forest, flowers, from, deft, afternoon, of, itself) and /v/ (vase, valour, victory, woven, even, hive, marvellous) sounds.
  2. If you could travel to space, which planet would you like to visit? Why? What five things would you take along?
  3. If you could invent something, what would you invent and how? Give reasons for your choice and speak about your wonder invention.

Let us write — Conversation — Magnifying Glass

  1. Create a conversation between Deepa and Asma, members of the Science Club, deciding on a model for an upcoming Science Fair. Begin: 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…'

Let us explore — Visual aids + Telescopes + Ancient Indian Astronomers — Magnifying Glass

  1. Visual aids for low vision: magnifying spectacles, stand magnifiers, hand-held magnifiers, and telescopes each serve different purposes. Summarise how each type helps people with low vision.
  2. Telescopes also use lenses. Summarise the four notable telescopes/observatories described: (1) Nainital telescope, (2) Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO), (3) James Webb Space Telescope, (4) Mauna Kea Observatory.
  3. Read about ancient Indian astronomers: Āryabhaṭa, Varāhamihira, and Bhāskarachārya II. What were their key contributions?

Let us do these activities before we read — Bibha Chowdhuri

  1. What qualities do you associate with a scientist? Complete the word web.

Let us discuss — Bibha Chowdhuri

  1. Arrange the following events from Bibha Chowdhuri's life in correct order: (1) IAU renames a star 'Bibha'; (2) first woman faculty at TIFR; (3) born in pre-independent India; (4) Government declares chair professorship in her name; (5) joined University of Manchester under Blackett; (6) nominated for Nobel Prize by Schrödinger.

Let us think and reflect (Extract I) — Bibha Chowdhuri

  1. Extract …
    • (i) Why is the mention of Patrick M.S. Blackett significant?
    • (ii) What can be inferred about public perception of women scientists in the 1940s from the title?
    • (iii) In 'celebrated Nobel Laureate', what does 'celebrated' NOT mean?
    • (iv) Complete: 'She has an eye for Cosmic Rays' suggests that __________.

Let us think and reflect (Extract II) — Bibha Chowdhuri

  1. Extract …
    • (i) What can be inferred about challenges faced by women scientists today?
    • (ii) What does 'Bibha Chowdhuri's legacy lives on' suggest?
    • (iii) Why is Bibha Chowdhuri referred to as a 'beacon' and 'beam of light'?
    • (iv) Is the last sentence a fact or an opinion?

Let us think and reflect (Long answers) — Bibha Chowdhuri

  1. Why is Bibha Chowdhuri considered a pioneer in the field of science?
  2. What does Bibha Chowdhuri's nomination by Erwin Schrödinger tell us about her abilities?
  3. Bibha Chowdhuri never worked for awards or recognition. Support this statement with evidence from the text.
  4. How does the renaming of a star as 'Bibha' serve as both a literal and symbolic recognition of her contributions to science?
  5. How do the roles of women in ISRO today reflect broader changes in societal attitudes towards women in STEM in India?
  6. What is the writer's purpose of highlighting the contributions of Bibha Chowdhuri and other modern women scientists?
  7. How might this text help shape people's perception of the role of women in other traditionally male-dominated fields?

Let us learn — Antonyms crossword + Vocabulary substitution + Suffixes + Acronyms + Clipping + Passive voice — Bibha Chowdhuri

  1. Complete the crossword with antonyms from the text. Across: 4. core, 5. dependent, 7. extinguish, 8. terrestrial. Down: 1. effortless, 2. weakness, 3. neglect, 6. trivial.
  2. Substitute the underlined phrases with words from the box (physicist, peers, luminaries, barriers, pioneers, persistence): 1. the first people to start online markets; 2. a scientist who studies matter, energy, light; 3. friends who are classmates and same age; 4. famous and important people welcomed at award ceremony; 5. his continuous efforts and determination; 6. remove all things that block…
  3. Add suffixes -ship, -ment, or -hood to: 1. member, 2. govern, 3. partner, 4. child, 5. citizen, 6. entertain, 7. brother, 8. agree.
  4. Circle the acronyms in the grid for: 1. NASA, 2. AIIMS, 3. AYUSH, 4. NIPER, 5. WHO.
  5. Clipping: Identify the clipping type (back/front/middle) for: lab (laboratory), exam (examination), ad (advertisement), phone (telephone), net (internet), bike (motorbike), flu (influenza), fridge (refrigerator).
  6. Complete the news report using passive form of verbs (discover, test, measure, publish, record, take): Last year, significant advancements 1.__________ in leading medical journals when a new vaccine 2.__________. The vaccine 3.__________ through several clinical trials and results 4._________ in those journals. Blood samples 5.__________ regularly from participants. The amount of antibodies…
  7. Rewrite the experiment report using passive voice: 'I conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of light on plant growth. I placed various plants under different light conditions and measured their growth over several weeks. I recorded data daily. At the end, I analysed the results and found that plants exposed to natural light grew significantly taller. I concluded that sunlight plays…
  8. Complete the Chandrayaan landing passage choosing correct passive voice form: 1. spacecraft __________ towards Moon (was launched/is launched/were launched/launched); 2. it __________ to enter Moon's orbit (was positioned/is positioned/has positioned/position); 3. spacecraft's path __________ for landing (was adjusted/is adjusted/adjusted/were adjusted); 4. spacecraft __________ near Moon's…

Let us speak — Panel Discussion on Mobile Phones — Bibha Chowdhuri

  1. Panel discussion: 'Evaluating the Impact of Mobile Phones — Beneficial or Harmful'. Roles: Moderator, Principal (opposed — discipline), Teacher (partially in favour — educational use with limits), Parent (opposed — health/social), Student (in favour — connectivity and learning). Prepare talking points for each role.

Let us write — Report on Zonal Science Exhibition — Bibha Chowdhuri

  1. Write a report on the Zonal Science Exhibition for the school magazine. Cues: organiser, date/time/venue, purpose, participants (25 schools), Chief Guest, competitions (Science Quiz, Science Models), topics of models, best exhibit trophy, Chief Guest's observations. Format: headline, reporter's name, three paragraphs. Use past tense, passive voice, third person.

Let us explore — AR/VR in Education + Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar — Bibha Chowdhuri

  1. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are changing how students learn. NCERT has developed the e-Pathshala AR App. How do AR and VR enhance learning, and what is the significance of the e-Pathshala AR App?
  2. Describe the four categories of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) awards.
Sample

Worked examples

3 questions from Science and Curiosity, solved step by step.

Let us do these activities before we read — Feathered Friend

Who can a 'feathered' friend be?

A 'feathered' friend refers to a bird. Birds have feathers, so the phrase is a playful way of describing a bird that someone keeps as a pet or feels fondly about, such as a parrot, canary, or sparrow.

Answer: A bird — any feathered creature kept as a pet or felt close to.

Let us discuss — Feathered Friend

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

The narrator suspected Sven had sneaked a bird aboard because one day, while sitting in his office checking technical stores, the narrator heard a musical whistle near his ear. He assumed it came from the station intercom, but instead it continued as a long, involved pattern of melody. Looking up, he saw a small yellow canary — Claribel — hanging motionless in the air. Sven did not confess to owning her for several days, which added to the suspicion that she had been smuggled on board.

Sven's scientific reason was sheer scientific curiosity: he wanted to see how a bird would behave and operate when it had no weight but could still use its wings. Since there is no gravity in space, he was interested in observing a bird's movement in a weightless environment.

Answer: The narrator heard Claribel's song unexpectedly; Sven's scientific reason was curiosity about how a bird would fly with no weight but functioning wings.

Let us think and reflect (Long answers) — Feathered Friend

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

The purpose of the alarm was to warn the crew of the space station if the air supply became dangerously compromised. The station had duplicate alarm circuits designed to operate independently, so that if one failed, the other would still trigger.

The failure was caused by a combination of factors. During one of their rare eclipses by Earth's shadow, part of the air purifier froze up. This led to a deterioration in the air quality. However, the single alarm circuit that was connected at the time failed to go off. The second alarm circuit had not yet been connected, so there was no backup. As Jim's engineer said, it was 'one of those accidents that couldn't possibly happen' — half a million dollars' worth of chemical and electronic engineering had completely let them down.

Answer: The alarm was meant to warn of air supply failure; it failed because the air purifier froze during an eclipse, the one connected circuit malfunctioned, and the second circuit was not yet connected.

All 83 questions in Science and Curiosity are solved step by step in the Solutions PDF above.

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