NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Poem 4 The Last Bargain

The Last Bargain NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Poem 4

The Last Bargain NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Last Bargain Working with the poem

Question 1.
Who is the speaker in the poem?
Answer:
The speaker in the poem is a man looking for work. He wants to be hired by someone.

Question 2.
“The king, sword in hand” suggests
i. wealth
ii. power
iii. more power than wealth.
Mark the appropriate item in the context of stanza 1.
ii: power

Question 3.
The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. Why did he turn down the offer?
Answer:
He turned down the offer on seeing how the old man was counting his money so carefully. This means that the poet realizes that it is not money that he is seeking. It is not his desire. The money would soon be finished, and he would have to look for another job again. So, he chooses not to work for money.

Question 4.
Find in the poem, lines that match the following. Read both one after another.

i. I have nothing to give you
except goodwill and cheer.

i. “I hire you with nothing.”

ii. Her happiness was no more than sorrow in disguise.
Answer:
Her smile paled and melted into tears, and she went back alone into the dark.

iii. The king s might was not worth much.
Answer:
But his power counted for naught, and he went away in his chariot.

Question 5.
How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach?
Answer:
The speaker felt free and happy after talking to the child on the beach. The child had hired the man for nothing, but his cheerfulness and happiness. The man did not make a bargain for power, wealth or beauty. He made the last bargain for his happiness.