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Class 8 English · Unit 5 · Science and Curiosity

Magnifying Glass

Complete textbook exercise solutions — NCERT Poorvi, Class 8 English (CBSE).

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Let us do these activities before we read

IAnswer the questions about the pictures.

1. What is common in all these pictures?
In all the pictures, people are using a magnifying glass.

3. Why do you think the people in the pictures need to use a magnifying glass?
They want to see small things clearly. A magnifying glass makes tiny details look bigger, like lines on a palm, footprints, insects or small plants.

4. What other instruments magnify objects?
A microscope, a telescope, binoculars and the zoom lens of a camera also magnify objects.

IIIf you have a magnifying glass, what would you like to use it for and why?

I would use it to study insects, leaves and flowers. I want to see the tiny details that my eyes cannot see.

Let us discuss

IComplete the summary with suitable words from the poem.

The poem describes the magic of seeing the world through a 1. round glass. It reveals how tiny things like 2. chalk and 3. moss can appear vast and complex. Even a 4. drop of water can seem like a hive of 5. bees. The poet is impressed at how the spider spins its 6. web-silk from its 7. spinnerets. The poem ends with the idea that, through lenses, the 8. moon could seem within reach.

IIFill in the blanks by choosing the correct answer.
  1. The main idea of the poem is the transformative power of close observation through the magnifying glass.
  2. The tone of the poem is wonder and curiosity.
  3. The poem has six stanzas with four lines in each stanza. Hence, it is a quatrain.
  4. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABCB.
IIIPick examples from the poem for the poetic devices.
  1. Simile: A drop of water / Like hive of bees
  2. Alliteration: I lie in wait and watch; the silly flies… stumble
  3. Metaphor: Of but an inch of moss / A forest—flowers and trees
IVComplete the sentences about visual imagery.
  1. In the line, ‘A myriad shells show in a scrap of chalk’, the magnifying glass reveals countless tiny shells hidden in a small piece of chalk.
  2. In the line, ‘A forest—flowers and trees’, the poet uses the imagery of nature to emphasise how a tiny patch of moss looks like a large and rich forest.
VComplete the sentences with a reason.
  1. The poet uses exclamation marks in these lines because it shows his wonder, surprise and excitement at what he sees.
  2. In ‘Magic talk’, the poet uses personification to describe the magnifying glass because it reveals hidden secrets of tiny things, as if magic were speaking to him.
  3. This pattern supports the theme of discovery through close observation as the speaker reveals the hidden wonders of small, ordinary things.
  4. In the final stanza, the poet shifts to the moon because he wants to show that lenses can also bring faraway things close. The power of lenses has no limits.

Let us think and reflect

IRead the extract and answer the questions.
With this round glass
I can make Magic talk—
A myriad shells show
In a scrap of chalk;
Of but an inch of moss
A forest—flowers and trees;

(i) The poet uses his magical powers to make the round glass powerful. (True/False)
False

The magic is in the glass itself. It shows hidden details of tiny things.

(ii) Select the line that expresses the presence of intricate patterns in ordinary objects.
“A myriad shells show / In a scrap of chalk”

(iii) What does the comparison of ‘an inch of moss’ to a ‘forest’ suggest about the speaker’s view of the world?
It suggests that the world is full of wonders. Even the smallest things hold a whole world inside them.

(iv) How does the poet feel about the ability of the magnifying glass to reveal hidden wonders?
B. Fascinated

IIAnswer the following questions.

1. What is the significance of the spider in the poem?
The spider shows the hidden wonders of tiny creatures. Through the glass, the poet sees how skilfully it spins its web and how it traps flies with its ‘tigerish claws’. These details cannot be seen with the naked eye.

2. How might the speaker’s view of the natural world change if there was no magnifying glass?
He would miss the tiny details. Chalk would be just chalk and moss would be just moss. The natural world would look ordinary to him.

3. Why does the poem end with the idea of the moon being within reach?
Lenses can also make faraway things look near. By ending with the moon, the poet shows that close observation can open up the whole universe.

4. What is the speaker’s attitude towards nature and the act of observation?
The speaker is curious and full of wonder. He is patient, as he ‘lies in wait and watches’. He admires even the tiniest things in nature.

5. Which is your favourite part of the poem? Why?
I like the lines about a drop of water looking like a hive of bees. It is amazing that one drop holds so many tiny living things.

Let us learn

IFill in the blanks with the words in the box.

With his 1. marvellous description, the author has written the story beautifully 2. woven with fascinating details. When you read the story, you will surely enjoy the 3. deft storytelling technique that attracts all kinds of readers. What makes the story interesting is the superb way of describing the 4. myriad emotions and feelings of the characters. The reader will 5. stumble upon the unexpected twists and turns that 6. surpass all our understanding…

IIMatch the phrases to make collective nouns.
  1. a swarm of locusts
  2. a constellation of stars
  3. a grove of trees
  4. a troupe of dancers
  5. a battalion of soldiers
  6. a fleet of ships
IIIMatch the idiomatic expressions with ‘eye’ with their meanings.
Column 1Column 2
1. apple of one’s eye(v) a person who is very precious or important
2. in the blink of an eye(iii) something that happens very quickly
3. keep an eye on something or somebody(i) watch something or someone closely
4. turn a blind eye(ii) act as if you do not see or notice
5. see eye to eye(vi) agree with each other
6. bird’s-eye view(iv) an overall look at something
IVChoose the nouns to which you can add the suffix ‘-ish’ to make adjectives.

girl → girlish boy → boyish book → bookish

Let us listen

IMark the true statements.
  • 1. The father is surprised by the fact that India was involved in the invention of radio broadcasting and fibre optics. — True
  • 2. The daughter appears indifferent when learning the origins of the USB port. — False
  • 3. The father shows little interest in the information about the origin of snakes and ladders. — False
  • 4. The father was simply confirming all the facts shared by the daughter. — False
  • 5. The daughter expresses pride and admiration for India’s role in global inventions. — True
  • 6. The daughter is excited as she shares new discoveries about India’s contributions with her father. — True

The question asks for four true statements, but only 1, 5 and 6 match the transcript. The father shares a new fact about the USB port, so statement 4 is not true.

Let us speak

II & IIISpeak about travelling to a planet and about your wonder invention.

Sample

If I could travel to space, I would visit Saturn. Its beautiful rings fascinate me. Before the journey, I would train like an astronaut and learn to live without gravity. I would take a space suit, packed space food, a camera, a telescope and my diary to record everything I see.

Let us write

Create a conversation between Deepa and Asma about a model for the Science Fair.

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. Tell me about it.

Asma: I want to make a model of a rainwater harvesting system for our school building.

Deepa: (excitedly) That’s a great idea! Our area faces water shortage every summer.

Asma: We can show how rainwater from the roof goes through pipes into a filter and then into a tank.

Deepa: Er… but won’t it be difficult to show the water flowing?

Asma: We can use small transparent pipes and a mini pump. Then the judges can see the water moving.

Deepa: (nodding) Perfect! I’ll make the chart explaining the steps. You can build the model.

Asma: (smiling) Deal! Let’s meet in the lab tomorrow after school to start.

Let us explore

I–IVVisual aids, telescopes, ancient Indian astronomers and Jantar Mantar.
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