Native Wisdom Questions & Answers Question 1: Who was Leon? What did he do for a living? Answer: Leon was a poor South American hunter. He earned a living working as a guide for tourists who came to see wildlife in the Amazon rainforest. Question 2: According to the story, what do you have to do if you want to see the Amazon rainforest? Answer: According to the story, if you want to see wildlife in an Amazon rainforest, you must walk the small, narrow trails made by animals like peccaries and tapirs. Question 3: Why did Leon take his shoes off? How did the tourist react? Answer: Leon took his shoes off because he could see where he was going and what he was stepping on and so, felt that he did not have to wear shoes. The tourist was surprised to see Leon do this and thought it was stupid of him to do so. Question 4: Where did Leon take the tourist? Describe the things they saw there. ‘Answer: Leon took the tourist inside the rainforest, along a small trail which he found off the river bank, While walking through dark, damp vegetation, they saw a hummingbird, a boa constrictor as well as dangerous plants like nettles. Question 5: Why did the stingray attack the tourist? Answer: As the tourist was walking barefoot in the water, he couldn't see what was beneath his feet and so, he stepped on the stingray. Therefore, it attacked him, ‘Question 6: ....30 what does your rainforest have that is worth seeing, eh?’ Who said these words to whom? Why did he say this? Answer: The tourist said these words to Leon because he believed that forests were useful only if they yielded timber and other things which could be sold for a good sum of money. He did not appreciate forests for the richness of plant and animal life that could be found there. Question 7: ‘Not by our friends’ Who said these words to whom and why? ‘Answer: Leon said these words to the tourist because he called him ‘Buckman’ which is an insulting way to refer to a forest-dweller.Question 8: ‘Man, this takes the cake!’ Who said these words to whom? What happened after this? Answer: The tourist said these words to Leon. While they were crossing the stream, the tourist, who had taken off his shoes, suddenly screamed in pain. He was crossing barefoot and didn't see a stingray hidden in ‘the water bed. It stung him when he stepped on it. Question 9: ‘Where the eye can't see, is where people need shoes. Who was the speaker? Why did he say these words? Answer: Leon said these words to the tourist. The tourist thought Leon was stupid for removing his shoes on land and wearing them while crossing the stream. Therefore, Leon wanted to make the tourist realise that he had a sensible reason for wearing his shoes while crossing the stream. Question 10: Throughout the story, the tourist laughs at natives because he thinks they are stupid. ‘What does this tell you about him as a person? Answer: The behaviour of the tourist tells us that he is an arrogant person who thinks he is smarter and better than the natives. Under Ground Questions & Answers Quarrying - digging Solitude ~ alone Populous - full of people Gigantic - huge Intrude ~ go somewhere you are not welcome Toil - work hard Marvellous — wonderful + Secure - safe Tread ~ step, walk Question 1: Read the lines and answer the questions: Sometimes a fork or spade intrudes Upon their earthy solitudes. (a) How can fork and spade intrude life under the ground? ‘Answer: Fork and spade are mostly used to dig the earth for planting saplings, for making a well, burying the dead and so on. These tools could accidentally wedge into the homes of the creatures living underground.(b) What is earthy solitude? ‘Answer: Earthy solitude in the above line refers to living alone under the earth's surface, without disturbance from the outside world. (c) What else do you think can interfere with their quiet life? Answer: Vehicles running above the ground, drilling or piling machines, children playing, heavy rain, ete. can interfere with their quiet life. Under Ground Questions & Answers Question 2: Who, according to the poet, is busy under the ground? Answer: The poet is able to visualise many creatures busy under the ground. The rabbits, the mole and the ants make place under the earth to live peacefully. He is also able to imagine some creatures which sleep and do not toil. Question 3: What does the poet mean by ‘populous empire’? Answer: By ‘populous empire’, the poet means the colonies of ants built underground. Question 4: Read the lines and answer the questions: In the dark kingdom underground How many marvellous things are found. (2) Why does the poet call the place a kingdom? Answer: He call it a kingclom because there are plenty of creatures that live underground almost as if there is a separate kingdom present there. (b) Why is it dark? Answer: It is dark because light does not reach there as the kingdom is below the ground, Question 5: Who does the poet think will stop their work and why will they stop? Answer: According to the poet, ants, rabbits and moles will stop their work to hear the footsteps of the poet walking over the ground.Under Ground Questions & Answers Question 6: Why does the poet call the underground as ‘the country of dead’? ‘Answer: He said so because the creatures living below the ground often die there. Question 7: What thoughts cross the mind of the poet as he walks on the ground? Answer: While visualising some insects and animals busy underneath the ground, the poet wonders whether they would stop their work and hear him walking on the ground above. He thinks of the ants that run to and fro, always busy trying to make their densely populated empires grow. There are some creatures which the poet feels are quiet. These creatures feel secure underneath the ground but sometimes are disturbed when people decide to dig the earth for some work. The roots of the tree, he feels, are also busy spreading into the graves of the dead. The poet says, further down there are buried rocks and stones which are like earth’s huge sharpening tools. Overall, the poet is wonderstruck at the marvellous world that exists under the ground. Question 8: Write a few pairs of rhyming words from the poem. Answer: Fro-grow, overhead-tread, toil-soil and stones-bones.