We have shared Class 8th NCERT Honeydew Chapter 1 The Best Christmas Present In The World to help the students of Class 8th with the lesson along with the NCERT Solutions For Class 8th The Best Christmas Present In The World.
We have also penned down some important MCQs along with the summary to help the students to know the crux of the lesson as it will be beneficial for the students with the lesson.
The Best Christmas Present In The World Class 8th: Summary
The Story is all set around the author who took a decision about buying an old roll-top desk that is in not so good in condition. he had a desire once and he was much certain that he could restore it easily. So, he took the desk home and started working on it before Christmas.
While working on the desk, he found a secret drawer. in that drawer, he found a letter addressed to some woman whose name was Connie from her husband Jim. the letter was dated December 26, 1914, and at that the author remembered there was war between Germany and Britain.
The letter enlisted the series of events in the words of Jim and it also holds the account of some wonderful things that happened during that cold time. he wrote about two armies that came in front of each other to celebrate Christmas despite being enemy nations.
During that period they all forgot that they were enemies and realized that they all had one thing in common and that is humanity. they shared their meal, and the two officers Jim and Hans Wolf shared a good repo with each other. They laughed and had a good conversation. They were of the view that countries should deal with peace and resolve their matters of conflicts by conducting a match of Football and Cricket.
That night, they also exchanged Christmas Carols, and as Jim told his wife about all these things, he also assured Connie about their reunion the next Christmas. The author, who was reading the letter should reach out to her and should find the address that was mentioned on the envelope.
The author, soon discovered that the house was burnt and Connie is now living at a nursing home. He visits there and gave that letter to Connie. Connie was overwhelmed on reading that letter but misunderstood the author to be her husband Jim and told him that it was the best Christmas present in the world.
The Best Christmas Present In The World Class 8th: MCQs
We have penned down The Best Christmas Present In The World Class 8th MCQs to help the students with the crux of the lesson so that class 8th students can be aware of the minute detail of the lesson.
Read the given passages carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing the right alternative:
(1) I should like to be able to tell you that we began it. But the truth, I’m ashamed to say, is that Fritz began it. First, someone saw a white flag waving from the trenches opposite. Then they were calling out to us from across no man’s land, “Happy Christmas, Tommy! Happy Christmas !” When we had got over the surprise, some of us shouted back, “Same to you, Fritz! Same to you! ” I thought that would be that. We all did.
Question 1.
What does ‘Tommy’ refer to?
(a) Germans
(b) Britishers
(c) Shepherds
(d) Indians
Answer
Answer: (b) Britishers
Question 2.
What does ‘Fritz’ refer to?
(a) Germans
(b) Britishers
(c) Shepherds
(d) Indians
Answer
Answer: (a) Germans
Question 3.
Who wrote the letter to whom?
(a) Jim to Connie
(b) Connie to Hans
(c) Connie to Morris
(d) Jim to Hans
Answer
Answer: (a) Jim to Connie
Question 4.
For whom the pronoun ‘you’ is used?
(a) The author
(b) Jim’s wife
(c) Jim’s friend
(d) Jim’s enemy
Answer
Answer: (b) Jim’s wife
Question 5. What happened in no man’s land?
(a) Both armies fought there
(b) Both armies wished Happy New Year to each other
(c) Both armies wished Christmas to each other
(d) None of these
Answer
Answer: (c) Both armies wished Christmas to each other
(2) One of the Germans was waving a bottle above his head. “It is Christmas Day, Tommy. We have schnapps. We have sausage. Do we meet you? Yes?” By this time there were dozens of them walking towards us across no man’s land and not a rifle between them. Little Private Morris was the first up. “Come on, boys. What are we waiting for ?” And then there was no stopping them. I was the officer. I should have stopped them there and then, I suppose, but the truth is that it never even occurred to me I should.
Question 1.
What was the German doing?
(a) Mending his rifle
(b) Doing nothing
(c) Waving a bottle
(d) Waving a bottle above his head
Answer
Answer: (d) Waving a bottle above his head
Question 2.
What does ‘Tommy’ refer to?
(a) Germans
(b) Britishers
(c) Shepherds
(d) Indians
Answer
Answer: (b) Britishers
Question 3.
For whom ‘I’ is used here?
(a) Jim Macpherson
(b) Connie
(c) Hans Wolf
(d) The author
Answer
Answer: (a) Jim Macpherson
Question 4.
Which day was being celebrated?
(a) Christmas
(b) Diwali
(c) Holi
(d) Good Friday
Answer
Answer: (a) Christmas
Question 5.
Give the meaning of ’sausage’.
(a) meat
(b) vegetables
(c) yogurt
(d) soups
Answer
Answer: (a) meat
(3)
The last drawer was stuck fast. I tried all I could to ease it out gently. In the end I used brute force. I struck it sharply with the side of my fist and the drawer flew open to reveal a shallow space underneath, a secret drawer. There was something in there. I reached in and took out a small black tin box. Sello-taped to the top of it was a piece of lined notepaper, and written on it in shaky handwriting: “Jim’s last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes.” I knew as I did it that it was wrong of me to open the box, but curiosity got the better of my scruples. It usually does.
Question 1.
Who is ‘I’ here?
(a) The author
(b) The author’s brother
(c) The author’s friend
(d) The author’s mother
Answer
Answer: (a) The author
Question 2.
What was he doing?
(a) Trying to find out something
(b) Trying to open the drawers
(c) Trying to read the letter
(d) Eating food
Answer
Answer: (b) Trying to open the drawers
Question 3.
What did the author take out from the drawer?
(a) A tin box
(b) A small tin box
(c) A box
(d) A small black tin box
Answer
Answer: (d) A small black tin box
Question 4.
What was written on the box?
(a) Jim’s last letter
(b) Jim’s last letter to his friend
(c) Jim’s last letter was written on Jan. 25, 1915.
(d) Jim’s last letter was received on Jan. 25, 1915
Answer
Answer: (d) Jim’s last letter was received on Jan. 25, 1915
Question 5.
Who wrote this letter?
(a) Jim’s wife
(b) Jim’s girlfriend
(c) Jim’s friend
(d) Jim’s mother
Answer
Answer: (a) Jim’s wife
(4)
I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport, a roll-top desk. The man said it was the early nineteenth century and oak. I had wanted one, but they were far too expensive. This one was in a bad condition, the roll-top in several pieces, one leg clumsily mended, and scorch marks all down one side. It was going for very little money. I thought I could restore it. It would be a risk, a challenge, but I had to have it. I paid the man and brought it back to my workroom at the back of the garage. I began work on it on Christmas Eve.
Question 1.
Who is ‘I’ here?
(a) The author
(b) The author’s mother
(c) The author’s friend
(d) The author’s sister
Answer
Answer: (a) The author
Question 2.
Why did the author not buy the roll-top desk from the junk shop?
(a) He did not like it
(b) It was very expensive
(c) It was not beautiful
(d) None of these
Answer
Answer: (b) It was very expensive
Question 3.
(a) At the back of the ground
(b) At the back of the house
(c) At the back of the garage
(d) He had no workroom
Answer
Answer: (d) He had no workroom
Question 4.
“I began work on it on Christmas Eve.” What does ‘it’ refer?
(a) Garage
(b) Desk
(c) Raincoat
(d) Letter
Answer
Answer: (b) Desk
Question 5.
Which word in the passage means ’spotted’.
(a) saw
(b) wrote
(c) noted
(d) having a spot
Answer
Answer: (a) saw
(5)
Hans Wolf and I shared what was left of your wonderful Christmas cake, Connie. He thought the marzipan was the best he had ever tasted. I agreed. We agreed about everything, and he was my enemy. There never was a Christmas party like it, Connie. Then, someone, I don’t know brought out a football. Greatcoats were dumped in piles to make goalposts and the next thing we knew it was Tommy against Fritz out in the middle of no man’s land. Hans Wolf and I looked on and cheered, clapping our hands and stamping our feet, to keep out the cold as much as anything. There was a moment when I noticed our breaths mingling in the air between us. He saw it too and smiled. “Jim Macpherson,” he said after a while, “I think this is how we should resolve this war. A football match. No one dies in a football match. No children are orphaned. No wives become widows.”
Question 1.
Name the lesson.
(a) A Short Monsoon Diaiy
(b) The Best Christmas Present in the World
(c) A Visit to Cambridge
(d) The Summit Within
Answer
Answer: (b) The Best Christmas Present in the World
Question 2.
Who was Hans Wolf?
(a) The Chief of the German Army
(b) The Chief of the British Army
(c) The Chief of the Indian Army
(d) The Chief of the Russian Army
Answer
Answer: (a) The Chief of the German Army
Question 3.
What did a man bring on that day?
(a) A volleyball
(b) A ball
(c) A football
(d) None of these
Answer
Answer: (c) A football
Question 4.
How should the wars be resolved?
(a) By fighting each other
(b) Through peace-by playing matches
(c) By criticizing each other
(d) None of these
Answer
Answer: (b) Through peace-by playing matches
Question 5.
Where was a football match played between both armies?
(a) On the war field
(b) In a trench
(c) In a football ground
(d) In a garden
Answer
Answer: (a) On the war field
(6)
I sat down beside her, and she kissed my cheek. “I read your letter so often Jim, every day. I wanted to hear your voice in my head. It always made me feel you were with me. And now you are. Now you’re back you can read it to me yourself. Would you do that for me, Jim dear? I just want to hear your voice again. I’d love that so much. And then perhaps we’ll have some tea. I’ve made you a nice Christmas cake, marzipan all around. I know how much you love marzipan”.
Question 1.
Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?
(a) The author
(b) Hans Wolf
(c) Jim
(d) None of these
Answer
Answer: (a) The author
Question 2.
Who is ‘she’ in the above lines?
(a) Jim’s mother
(b) Jim’s friend
(c) Jim’s sister
(d) Jim’s wife
Answer
Answer: (d) Jim’s wife
Question 3.
What did the lady ask the author to do?
(a) To read the letter for her
(A) To take her to Jim
(c) To talk with her
(d) To give her the letter
Answer
Answer: (a) To read the letter for her
Question 4.
The old lady prepared something for Jim. What was it?
(a) A dish
(b) A pizza
(c) A pullover
(d) Christmas cake
Answer
Answer: (d) Christmas cake
(7)
The old lady was sitting in a wheelchair, her hands folded in her lap. She had silver-white hair pinned into a wispy bun. She was gazing out at the garden. “Hello,” I said. She turned and looked up at me vacantly. “Happy Christmas, Connie,” I went on. “I found this. I think it’s yours.” As I was speaking her eyes never left my face. I opened the tin box and gave it to her. That was the moment her eyes lit up with recognition and her face became suffused with a sudden glow of happiness.
Question 1.
Who was the old lady?
(a) Jim’s mother
(b) Jim’s wife-Connie
(c) Jim’s sister
(d) None of these
Answer
Answer: (a) Jim’s mother
Question 2.
Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?
(a) The author
(b) Hans Wolf
(c) Jim Macpherson
(d) None of these
Answer
Answer: (a) The author
Question 3.
What did the author give to Connie (the old lady)?
(a) A cake
(b) A book
(c) A gift
(d) The last letter written by Jim
Answer
Answer: (d) The last letter written by Jim
Question 4.
‘That was the moment her eyes lit up. What was the moment?
(a) When the author called her
(b) When she saw the author
(c) When the author handed Jim’s last letter
(d) None of these
to his wife
Answer
Answer: (c) When the author handed Jim’s last letter
Question 5.
Give the meaning of ‘suffused’.
(a) confused
(b) refused
(c) glow of happiness
(d) enjoyed
Answer
Answer: (c) glow of happiness
NCERT Solutions For Class 8th The Best Christmas Present In The World
Comprehension 1
Question 1:
What did the author find in a junk shop?
Answer:
The author found an old roll-top desk for sale in the junk shop. It was made of oak wood and worn out but looked repairable so he bought it.
Question 2:
What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think to put it in there?
Answer:
The author found a letter in the secret compartment of the bottom drawer. It was in a small tin box safely kept. I think the previous owner of the desk had put it in there.
❖Comprehension check Pg-14
Question 1:
Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?
Answer:
Jim Macpherson, a captain in the British army, had written the letter to his wife Connie from the world front on the day after Christmas in 1914.
Question 2:
Why was the letter written? What was the wonderful thing that
the British & German armies on the border had made merry together, keeping aside the war for the spirit of festivity.
Question 3:
What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?
Answer:
Hans Wolf was a cello player in the orchestra and Jim was an English teacher in his hometown of Dorset, England before they joined their respective army for a fight in the World War.
Question 4:
Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?
Answer:
Hans had never been to Dorset but he knew everything about it from reading books. He had learned all about England from school and from reading books in English. His favorite writer was Thomas Hardy from whose novels he must have learned a lot about England.
Question 5:
Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?
Answer:
No, I don’t think Jim Macpherson came home from the war because the author discovered his old wife alone and she had mistaken him to be her returned husband.
❖Comprehension check Pg-15
Question 1:
Why did the author go to Bridport?
Answer:
The author had gone to Bridport to return Mrs. Jim Macpherson he husband’s last letter.
Question 2
How old has Mrs. Macpherson now? Where was she?
Answer:
Mrs. Macpherson was now a hundred years old and being put up in a nursing home after the accidental fire at her home.
❖Comprehension check Pg-16
Question 1:
Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?
Answer:
Connie Macpherson thought the visitor was her husband who had returned from the war.
Question 2:
Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?
Answer:
When Mrs. Macpherson said to the author ‘You had me you’d come home by Christmas’ and asked him to sit closer to her mistaking her for her husband, the author had said nothing to correct her which shows he did not try to hide his identity.
❖Working with the text
Question 1:
For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
I think Connie kept Jim’s letter with her forever. It was safely kept in the secret drawer of the roll-top table which must have been at her house until the unfortunate fire. This can be assumed on the basis of her reactions when she found the letter.
Question 2:
Why do you think the desk had been sold, and when? Answer:
I think the desk had been sold after the fire accident at the Macpherson. It was old, worn out, and had looked a bit damaged in the fire.
Question 3:
Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?
Answer:
Hans and Jim were short services commissioned soldiers who had joined their national armies only because there had been a war. Hans was a cello player and Jim was a teacher, they were not seasoned commanders in the armies to see war as the only rational way of conflict resolution. They had suffered a great loss and hated the war, and felt sports was a better way of reaching a solution. I agree with their ideas of an alternative to expensive wars.
Question 4:
Do you think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other? Find evidence from the story to support your answer.
Answer:
The soldiers in either army were no different from one another. Their countries and their leaders might have hated each other but did not have personal differences with the soldiers on the opposite side. They came together to celebrate Christmas on the no man’s land and played a football match with sportsmen spirit. It shows human bonding and a lack of hate.
Question 5:
Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.
Answer:
The British and German soldiers were on the opposite side of the war but they were all humans at the end of the day. They put down weapons for a day and came together to celebrate Christmas as friends. They shared stories and food, played games together, and sang carols in their trenches at night. Soldiers on both sides despised the war and were anxious to go back home.
Question 6:
What is Connie’s Christmas present? Why is it the best Christmas present in the world?
Answer:
Connie mistook the author to be her husband. She had long waited for her Jim to come back from the war on Christmas and finally had him by her side. Even if it were a mistake, the old lady was happy after years of waiting, the joy she must have felt was definitely the best Christmas present in the world.
Question 7:
Do you think the title of the story is suitable for it? Can you think of any other title(s)?
Answer:
The title of the story is most suitable for the climax. For old Mrs. Macpherson, no present could have been better than having her husband back from the war and with her at home on Christmas day. She had long waited for him, anxious for his safety and feeling alone in the long journey that her life has been. Since the story is centered around the theme of Christmas and Wars, an alternate title could be ‘Christmas Home Coming’.
❖Working with Language
Question 1 A:
Look at these sentences from the story. I spotted it in a junk shop in Bridport… The man said it was made in the early nineteenth century … This one was in a bad condition… The italicized verbs are in the past tense. They tell us what happened in the past, before now. Read the passage below and underline the verb in the past tense. A man got on the train and sat down. The compartment was empty except for one lady. She took her gloves off. A few hours later the police arrested the man. They held him for 24 hours and then freed him. Answer: A man got on the train and sat down. The the compartment was empty except for one lady. She took her gloves off. A few hours later the police arrested the man. They held him for 24 hours and then freed him.
Question 1 B:
Fill in the blanks using the correct form of the verbs in brackets. My little sister is very naughty. When she ___ (come) back from school yesterday, she had ____ (tear) her dress. We ____ (ask) her how it had ____ (happen). She ___ (say) she_____ (have, quarrel) with a boy. She ___ (have, beat) him in a race and he ___ (have, try) to push her. She ___ (have, tell) the teacher and so he ___ (have, chase) her and she ___ (have, fall) down and ____ (have, tear) her dress.
Answer:
My little sister is very naughty. When she came (come) back from school yesterday, she had torn (tear) her dress. We asked (ask) her how it had happened (happen). She said (say) she had quarreled (have, quarrel) with a boy. She had beaten (have, beat) him in a race and he had tried (have tried) to push her. She had told (have, tell) the teacher and so he had chased (have chased) her, and she had fallen (have, fall) down and had torn (have, tear) her dress.
Question 1 C:
Underline the verbs and arrange them in two columns, Past and Earlier past.
(a) My friends set out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at home because I had seen them already.
(b) When they arrived at the station, their train had left. They came back home, but by that time I had gone out to see a movie! (c) So they sat outside and ate the lunch I had packed for them.
(d) By the time I returned, they had fallen asleep!
| Past | Earlier Past |
Answer:
(a) My friends set out to see the caves in the next town, but I stayed at home because I had seen them already.
(b) When they arrived at the station, their train had left. They came back home, but by that time I had gone out to see a movie!
(c) So they sat outside and ate the lunch I had packed for them. (d) By the time I returned, they had fallen asleep!
| Past | Earlier Past |
| Set out, Stayed | Had seen |
| Arrived, Came back left, Had gone | |
| Sat, Ate | Had packed |
| Returned | Had fallen asleep |
Question 2:
Dictionary Work
By the end of the journey, we had run out of drinking water. Look at the verb run out of in this sentence. It is a phrasal verb: it has two parts, a verb, and a preposition or an adverb. Phrasal verbs often have meanings that are different from the meanings of their parts.
Find these phrasal verbs in the story.
| Burn out | Light up | Look on | Run out | Keep out |
Write down the sentences in which they occur.
Consult a dictionary and write down the meaning that you think matches the meaning of the phrasal verb in the sentence.
Answer:
- House no. 12 turned out to be nothing but burned out shell…. (destroyed by fire)
- That was the moment her eyes lit up with recognition…. (brightened)
- Hans Wolf and I looked on and cheered…. (watched)
- The schnapps and the sausages had long since run out…… (finished, consumed)
- Hans Wolf and I looked on and cheered clapping our hands and stamping our feet, to keep out the cold as much as anything…. (to avoid it)
Question 3:
Noun Phrase
Read the following sentence.
I took out a small black tin box.
- The phrase in italics is a noun phrase.
- It has the noun – box – as the headword, and three adjectives preceding it.
- Notice the order in which the adjectives occur – size (small), color (black) and material (tin) of which it is made.
- We rarely use more than four adjectives before a noun and there is no rigid order in which they are used, though there is a preferred order of modifies/adjectives in a noun phrase, as given below.
| Determiner Modifier 1 | (opinion,
feeling) |
Modifier 2 (size,
shape, age) |
Modifier 3 (color) | Modifier 4 (material) | Headword |
| a/am/the | nice/lazy/ beautiful | tall/round/ old/young | Red/white/ light/dark | Silk/cotton/ woollen | Woman/
Man table/chair |
Answer:
Students do yourself.
Question 4:
The table below contains a list of nouns and some adjectives. Use as many adjectives as you can to describe each noun. You might come up with some funny descriptions!
| Nouns | Adjective |
| Elephant | circular, striped, enormous |
| Face | multi-colored, round, cheerful, |
| Building | wild, blue, red, chubby, |
| Water | large, medium-sized, cold |
Answer:
- Elephant- enormous grey animal
- Face- beautiful round chubby cheeks
- Building- tall large circular
- Water- deep blue icy cold
Conclusion
We have shared in detail the summary of Class 8th Honeydew Chapter 1 The Best Christmas Present In The World along with NCERT Solutions For Class 8th The Best Christmas Present In The World to help the students with the lesson and give them the best possible content on cbseguides.com.
