SSLC KARNATAKA
Subject – English (3rd Language)
Textbook Solution
UNIT 6 – PROSE
Simpleton
Short Summary :
“Simpleton” is the story of a humble young man often ridiculed by his clever cousins. While on a journey, Simpleton’s kindness towards nature saves him from danger and helps him succeed where his brothers fail. With the help of ants, ducks, and bees—creatures he saved along the way—Simpleton completes three impossible tasks, breaking the curse on a castle and proving that kindness and simplicity can triumph over cunning.
Pre-Reading Activity:
One dark night, a small party of Moghul soldiers went to Golkonda. They saw a moat full of water around the palace. They had to cross the moat and get into the portals of the palace. They applied a ladder against the wall and began to climb it, just then a dog began to bark aloud on the top of the wall. At once the guards were alerted and they rushed towards the palace wall. The guards peeped down the wall from above. They saw some soldiers climbing towards them.
Immediately the guards pushed away the ladder and the soldiers on the ladder fell into the moat. The barking of the dog attracted some more guards. They made fires and spotted the enemy and they stopped the enemies from coming within the portals of the palace. Thus the plan of the Moghul soldiers was foiled and Golkonda was saved by the vigilant and faithful dog.
Answer these questions:
1. Who began to climb up the ladder?
Ans. – The Moghul soldiers began to climb the ladder.
2. Why did the guards rush to the place and peep down the wall?
Ans. – The guards rushed because the dog started barking, which alerted them to the presence of soldiers.
3. What did the guards do to the ladder?
Ans. – The guards pushed the ladder, causing the soldiers to fall into the moat.
4. What was the role of the dog in the event?
Ans. – The dog’s barking alerted the guards, helping save the palace.
I. Comprehension Questions:
A. Answer the following in one or two sentences:
1. What did the older brothers call their younger cousin?
Ans. – They called him “simpleton” because he was quiet and simple.
2. What did the three brothers see on the path when they were walking?
Ans. – They saw an ant-hill, ducks in a lake, and a bees’ nest on a tree.
3. What did the simpleton say when his brothers wanted to upset the ant-hill?
Ans. – He said, “No, no; let the poor little things alone. Don’t spoil their nice house.”
4. Why did the simpleton’s brothers wish to catch one of the ducks?
Ans. – They wanted to catch a duck to roast and eat it.
5. What did the old man give the brothers in the castle?
Ans. – The old man gave them food and a place to sleep.
6. How many pearls did the second brother collect?
Ans. – He collected only two hundred pearls.
7. What was the second task given to simpleton?
Ans. – He had to bring the key to the princess’s room from the bottom of the lake.
8. Who helped simpleton to find the youngest daughter of the King?
Ans. – The queen bee helped simpleton by identifying the youngest daughter.
B. Answer in two or three sentences:
1. How did the two older brothers spend their time?
Ans. – They wasted their time and money and didn’t do any good in the world.
2. Why did they call their youngest brother a simpleton?
Ans. – They thought he was not clever like them and was quiet and simple.
3. What was the attitude of the two older brothers towards the three things they met on the way?
Ans. – They wanted to destroy the ant-hill, catch the ducks, and burn the bees’ nest for honey.
4. What quality did the younger cousin brother show on all three occasions?
Ans. – He showed kindness and protected the ants, ducks, and bees.
5. How did the old man in the castle test the three brothers?
Ans. – He gave them difficult tasks like finding pearls, getting the key from the lake, and identifying the youngest princess.
6. What were the three tasks set for the youngest brother? How did he manage to solve each of them?
Ans. – First, he had to find pearls, which the ants helped him do.
– Second, he had to get the key from the lake, which the ducks retrieved for him.
– Third, he had to identify the youngest princess, and the queen bee helped him.
C. Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow:
1. “Don’t spoil their nice house”
a Who said this?
Ans. – The simpleton said this.
b What does the word ‘their’ refer to?
Ans. – “Their” refers to the ants.
c Why did he say so?
Ans. – He said this because he didn’t want his brothers to destroy the ants’ home.
2. “She quickly flew to each of the sisters and lit on their lips as if they were flowers.”
a. Who is ‘She’ here?
Ans. – “She” refers to the queen bee.
b. What did she do?
Ans. – The queen bee flew to each sister’s lips.
c. Who does she help here?
Ans. – She helped the simpleton find the youngest daughter of the King.
D. Write a fairy tale one like this lesson.
Create your own fairy tale similar to “Simpleton,” where animals help the hero overcome challenges.
Ans. – The Simple Shepherd
Once upon a time, in a small village by the mountains, there lived a humble shepherd named Leo. He was kind-hearted and quiet, and because of his gentle nature, people often called him a “simpleton.” His two older brothers, Eric and Theo, were much cleverer and stronger, but they used their wits for mischief and greed, often laughing at Leo for his simplicity.
One day, the king announced a great challenge: whoever could retrieve the Golden Rose from the Enchanted Garden would be granted half the kingdom and the hand of the princess in marriage. The two brothers, eager to prove their cleverness and gain power, quickly set out on the quest. Leo, feeling a tug in his heart, decided to try as well, despite their mocking laughter.
As Leo walked through the fields, he saw a small sparrow caught in a thorn bush. Gently, he freed the bird. “Thank you, kind Leo,” chirped the sparrow. “You have saved me. When you need help, just call for me, and I will come.”
Leo smiled and continued his journey until he came upon a river where a fish was struggling, trapped in a fisherman’s net. Leo quickly released the fish back into the water. The fish swam up and said, “You are kind, Leo. Call for me if you ever need help, and I will be there.”
Further along, Leo entered a dense forest and saw a squirrel frantically trying to gather food before a storm. He shared his bread with the squirrel, and it said, “You are generous, Leo. I will repay you if you ever need me.”
Finally, Leo reached the gates of the Enchanted Garden. His brothers had already tried to enter but had been turned away by the powerful magic that guarded it. The gatekeeper appeared and gave Leo three tasks to complete if he wished to pass through the garden and retrieve the Golden Rose.
The first task was to gather a thousand silver leaves scattered in the woods by sunset. Leo was unsure of how to find them all, but suddenly the sparrow arrived, along with a flock of birds. They quickly gathered the silver leaves and placed them in front of Leo. “Thank you,” he said gratefully, and he passed the first test.
The second task was to find a golden key hidden in the depths of a lake. Leo went to the lake and called for the fish he had saved. The fish swam deep into the water and brought back the golden key. Leo thanked the fish and moved on to the final challenge.
The third and hardest task was to identify the princess who had planted the Golden Rose among three identical sisters. They were all beautiful and looked exactly the same, making it impossible to tell them apart. But as Leo stood there, confused, the squirrel he had helped earlier appeared. It whispered in his ear, “The princess who planted the rose is the one with the smallest hands.”
Leo approached the princesses and looked closely at their hands. Just as the squirrel had said, the one with the smallest hands was the true princess. He gently plucked the Golden Rose and handed it to her.
With that, the spell of the Enchanted Garden was broken. The king, hearing of Leo’s success, invited him to the palace and declared him the winner. Leo’s brothers were amazed that the “simpleton” had achieved what they could not.
Leo married the princess, and they ruled the kingdom with kindness and wisdom. And whenever Leo needed help, his animal friends were always by his side, proving that true strength comes from a heart full of compassion.
And so, Leo, the simple shepherd, became a hero, living happily ever after.
E . Write out the attitude of the simpleton and older brothers towards the following:
Attitude of simpleton and elder brothers towards.
a. Ant hill: Simpleton protected it, but the brothers wanted to destroy it.
b. Ducks: Simpleton saved the ducks, but the brothers wanted to catch one.
c. Bees: Simpleton stopped his brothers from burning the bees’ nest, while they wanted to steal the honey.
II. Grammar and Vocabulary:
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct verbs choosing from the ones given in brackets:
(are, has, do, does, is, had, have, did, was, were)
A. Fill in the blanks:
1. The children are making a lot of noise.
2. Kumar has read all the letters.
3. When did you come to my house?
4. He didn’t do well.
5. Rita is going to Mysuru today.
6. Mr. Rao had gone to Hubballi yesterday night.
7. All my friends have met their Principal to ask about the examination now.
B. ‘Study the following’
He can lift the bag.
May I do this?
Would you please give me this?
Now make as many sentences as possible from the given table. One example is done for you.
Table – 1
1. I can speak English well.
2. He will climb a coconut tree.
3. Raju may clean the house.
4. Shaila shall wash clothes.
Table – 2
- I could help other workers.
- She would help other workers.
- Chandra might help other workers.
- Ramya should help other workers.
- They used to help other workers.
- We need to help other workers.
- You must dare to help other workers.
Make as many sentences as possible using the clues given in the table: Examples are given below.
e.g: 1. I am writing a letter.
2. He has written a letter.
Ans. –
- I am writing a letter.
- He has written a book.
- She were been writing a letter.
- We had written a poem.
- You are writing a story.
- They is writing a play.
Additional Sentences:
- I was writing a letter.
- He were writing a book.
- She has written a story.
- We had been writing a poem.
- You was writing a letter.
- They were writing a story.
C. Study the following:
He dances nicely.
He runs fast.
She sings well.
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words given in brackets:
1. Ashwini writes the answers correctly (correct)
2. The soldiers fought bravely against the enemy. (brave)
3. The rich man donated money generously to the orphanage. (generous)
4. The little boy held the old lady’s hand and kindly helped her to cross the street. (kind)
5. When our team lost, we boarded the bus sadly . (sad).
D. Use the word ‘hard’ both as an adjective and as an adverb in your own sentences.
Adjective: The exam was hard for everyone.
Adverb: He worked hard to complete the project.
List of Opposite Words from lesson:-
Clever – Foolish
Older – Younger
Awake – Asleep
Start – Stop
Kind – Cruel
Win – Lose
Day – Night
Alive – Dead
Success – Failure
1. Who were the two older brothers?
Ans. – The two older brothers were cousins of the simpleton and were considered clever.
2. What did the older brothers call their younger cousin?
Ans. – They called him a “simpleton.”
3. What did the brothers see on their path?
Ans. – They saw an ant hill.
4. Why did the older brothers want to disturb the ant hill?
Ans. – They wanted to see the ants run around in fright.
5. What did the simpleton say when his brothers wanted to disturb the ant hill?
Ans. – He asked them not to spoil the ants’ house.
6. Why did the simpleton’s brothers want to catch a duck?
Ans. – They wanted to roast it.
7. How did the simpleton feel about catching the duck?
Ans. – He asked his brothers to leave the ducks in peace.
8. What did the simpleton do when his brothers wanted to light a fire under the bees’ nest?
Ans. – He begged them not to harm the bees.
9. Who did the three brothers meet in the castle?
Ans. – They met an old man who was deaf.
10. What did the old man in the castle give the brothers?
Ans. – He gave them food and a place to sleep.
11. What was the first task written on the stone table?
Ans. – To find a thousand pearls lost by the King’s daughter in one day.
12. What happened to the eldest brother after he failed the first task?
Ans. – He was turned into stone.
13. How many pearls did the second brother find?
Ans. – He found two hundred pearls.
14. Who helped the simpleton find all the pearls?
Ans. – The ants helped him find all the pearls.
15. What was the second task given to the simpleton?
Ans. – To find the key of the princess’s room at the bottom of a lake.
16. Who helped the simpleton find the key in the lake?
Ans. – The ducks helped him find the key.
17. What was the third task given to the simpleton?
Ans. – To find the youngest princess and wake her up.
18. Who helped the simpleton identify the youngest princess?
Ans. – The queen bee helped him.
19. What spell was on the castle?
Ans. – The castle was under a spell, and anyone who failed the tasks was turned to stone.
20. What happened when the simpleton woke the youngest princess?
Ans. – The spell was broken, and everyone turned to stone became human again.
21. How did the older brothers view the simpleton after he broke the spell?
Ans. – They no longer thought he was a simpleton.
22. Who was called a simpleton?
Ans. – The younger cousin.
23. What did the brothers want to do to the ant hill?
Ans. – They wanted to destroy it.
24. Who helped Simpleton find the pearls?
Ans. – The ants helped him.
25. How did the ducks help Simpleton?
Ans. – They retrieved the key from the lake.
26. What did the queen bee do?
Ans. – The queen bee identified the youngest daughter.
