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Class 7 English · Unit 2 · Wit and Humour

A Funny Man

Complete textbook exercise solutions — NCERT Poorvi, Class 7 English (CBSE).

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Let us discuss

IIdentify the true statements.

True statements: 1 3 4 6

  • The poet says that she had never heard such an amusing song.
  • The funny man wore two hats on his feet.
  • The funny man hopped on his head to reach home.
  • The funny man smiled at the poet.

Statement 2 is false, as the funny man was polite. Statement 5 is false, as he gave her a currant bun, not a rose.

IIIdentify the words from the poem based on the meanings given.
  1. a small seedless raisin – CURRANT
  2. moved unsteadily – STAGGERED
IIIComplete the following sentences with a reason.

1. The tone of the poem is ______ because ______.
humorous; the funny man does silly and unusual things that make us laugh.

2. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ______; and it gives a ______ quality to the poem.
ABCB; musical (song-like)

3. The poet has frequently repeated the word ‘funny’ in order to ______.
stress how strange and amusing the man and his actions were.

IVChoose the correct answer from the options given in the brackets.
  • 1. The poem uses vivid imagery to create a ______ scene. — humorous and nonsensical
  • 2. The structure of the poem is in ______ form. — dialogue
  • 3. ‘sounding sight’ and ‘hopped home’ are examples of ______. — alliteration
VRewrite the line in the correct order. Why has the poet used phrases like ‘funny sounding sight’ and ‘funny feeling sound’?

1. But never had I seen before / Such a funny sounding sight.
But I had never seen such a funny sounding sight before.

2. Why has the poet used such phrases?
A sight cannot sound and a sound cannot be felt. The poet mixes up the senses on purpose. This adds to the nonsense and humour, just like the man’s upside-down actions.

VIReal-world situations where people do similar things for fun or performance.

Clowns in a circus wear odd clothes and do silly tricks. Street performers and mime artists entertain people with unusual acts. Comedians and jokers at birthday parties also do funny things to make people laugh.

Let us think and reflect

I.1Read the extract and answer the questions.
He said, “Allow me to present / Your Highness with a rose.” / And taking out a currant bun / He held it to my nose. …

(i) Why does the funny man address the poet as ‘Your Highness’?
He was being extra polite in a playful way. He treated the poet like a royal person just for fun.

(ii) Choose a phrase from the extract which indicates a polite request.
“Allow me to present”

(iii) Choose the option which shows a ‘currant bun’.
B. Image 2

(iv) When the poet says, ‘Well!’, it expresses surprise. This was so because ______.
the funny man held a currant bun to her nose and called it a rose.

I.2Read the extract and answer the questions.
You never heard in all your life / Such a funny feeling sound. / “My friend, why do you wear two hats / Upon your feet?” I said. …

(i) Choose the line from the extract which tells us that the sound was unique.
“You never heard in all your life / Such a funny feeling sound.”

(ii) The poet calls the funny man ‘my friend’ because ______.
he had been polite and friendly to her, so she felt friendly towards him.

(iii) What does the reaction of the funny man to the poet’s question tell us about him?
He did not answer the question. He turned around and hopped home on his head. This shows he was playful and carefree. He did not care what others thought of him.

(iv) The last line of the extract makes the readers feel ______.
D. cheerful

IIAnswer the following questions.

1. Which character trait of the funny man was most appealing to you? Why?
His politeness appealed to me the most. Even while doing silly things, he raised his shoe, smiled and spoke kindly. This shows that good manners make everyone like us.

2. The funny man does unusual things in the poem. How does it affect the overall mood of the poem?
His unusual acts make the mood light, cheerful and funny. The readers keep smiling and wonder what he will do next.

3. What alternative title would you suggest for the poem? Give reason(s) for your choice.
‘The Topsy-Turvy Man’ would be a good title. He does everything upside down—he wears a shoe on his head and hops home on his head.

4. Why do you think the poet has included dialogues in the poem?
Dialogues make the poem lively, like a short play. We can hear the characters speak. The dialogues about the rose and the hats also add to the humour.

5. What does the poet wish to convey by highlighting the unusual behaviour of the funny man?
The poet wants to show that humour and imagination bring joy. It is all right to be different and to have fun. We should not take life too seriously.

Let us learn

IMatch the phrasal verbs with their correct meaning. Then fill in the blanks.
  1. take up – (iii) to begin to study, practise, or do something
  2. take after – (v) to resemble or look similar to (usually a family member)
  3. take in – (i) to understand or comprehend something
  4. take over – (ii) to assume control or responsibility for something
  5. take off – (iv) to become successful or popular quickly

Fill in the blanks:

  1. The new technology is set to take over traditional methods of communication.
  2. I tried hard to take in what the writer wanted to say but was unsuccessful.
  3. Arjun decided to take up painting as a hobby.
  4. The smartphone quickly took off in the market.
  5. Sheela takes after her father; they have the same smile.
IIMatch the verbs with suitable adverbs or prepositions and write their meanings.
  1. look – look after: take care of; look for: search; look into: investigate; look up: find in a dictionary
  2. run – run away: escape; run into: meet by chance; run out: finish a supply; run after: chase
  3. put – put on: wear; put off: postpone; put out: extinguish (fire); put up: stay as a guest
  4. break – break down: stop working; break into: enter by force; break out: start suddenly; break up: end a relationship
  5. call – call off: cancel; call on: visit; call for: need or demand; call up: phone

Sentences:

  • My grandmother looks after our garden.
  • We ran out of milk in the morning.
  • The match was put off due to rain.
  • Our car broke down on the highway.
  • The principal called off the picnic.
IIIArrange the words in increasing order of pace.

stagger → walk → 1. trot → hop → 2. jog → run → 3. sprint

Let us listen

ISelect the picture related to the narration.

Picture 3 (the girl eating lunch at the table)

IIArrange the events in order of occurrence.
6. Prepared for the presentation
2. Took off shoes
1. Ate lunch
5. Placed the plate in the room
4. Laughed at the mistake
3. Put shoes in the room
7. Put the plate in the kitchen

Let us speak

Tell the joke in pairs and create a joke of your own.

Let us write

IIdentify the rhyme scheme of the limerick.

The rhyme scheme is AABBA (beard–feared–beard; Hen–Wren).

IIWrite a limerick on your own.

There was a child from Kanpur,
Who counted the stars by the door.
She counted all night,
Till the morning light,
Then fell fast asleep on the floor!

Let us explore

I–IVFunny characters, modern-day performers and nonsense poems.
← Animals, Birds, and Dr. Dolittle Say the Right Thing →