NCERT Solutions for Class 6th English Chapter 3 Taro’s Reward

Chapter 3 Taro’s Reward A Japanese Story

The chapter ‘Taro’s Reward’ is a popular Japanese folktale. This is a story about a thoughtful and loving son who wanted to fulfill the wishes of his father.

Taro, the Woodcutter

Taro was a young woodcutter who lived with his parents on a lonely hillside. He worked hard to chop wood but didn’t make enough money. This made him sad because he wished to give his old parents everything they needed.

One evening, a cold wind started blowing and slipped through the cracks of Taro’s hut. Everyone felt cold and Taro’s father wished to drink some sake (a Japanese drink) to keep his body warm.

Taro became sadder as sake was an expensive drink. So, he decided to work even harder to earn more money and buy some sake for his father.

The Magic Waterfall

The next morning, Taro woke up early and went to work. He chopped and cut wood continuously. Soon, felt very tired and thirsty. His body was warm and wet with sweat. However, he continued working thinking of his old father and wishing that he could be warm too.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of rushing water. Although he knew that there was no stream near that place, he still ran towards that sound.

He discovered a small and beautiful waterfall there. To his surprise, it gave delicious sake instead of cold water. Taro quickly filled his pitcher with the sake and took it home.

His father was very happy to drink the sake. He stopped shivering and even started dancing.

The News Spread in the Village

A neighborhood lady visited Taro’s house that afternoon and Taro’s father offered her the sake. The lady drank the sake and thanked them.

Then, Taro told her the story of the magic waterfall. She told that story to everyone in the village and people visited Taro’s home to listen to the story ofthe magic waterfall and to drink the tasty sake.

The Villagers and the Waterfall

The next morning, Taro set out to work early with the largest pitcher he owned. However, on reaching the forest he found all his neighbors there, carrying pitchers, jars, and buckets to get the magic sake.

Unfortunately, they only tasted cold water when they drank from the waterfall. The villagers grew angry at being tricked and started looking for Taro to drown him in the waterfall. However, Taro wisely hid behind a rock.

When the villagers went away, Taro came out of his hiding place and decided to check the waterfall again. But he could still taste only the tasty and heart-warming sake.

Taro’s Reward

The magical waterfall gave only cold water to the greedy villagers. But Taro always received the delicious sake because of his thoughtful and caring nature.

The story of Taro’s magical waterfall reached the Emperor of Japan. He rewarded Taro with twenty pieces of gold and named the most beautiful fountain in the city after him.

The Emperor rewarded Taro to inspire the children to respect and obey their parents.

Word Meaning

Answer the following questions.

Question 1. Why did Taro run in the direction of the stream?
Answer: Taro ran in the direction of the stream as he was very thirsty due to having worked very hard the whole day. Further, he had never encountered any stream in that area of the forest so, he wanted to find it out.

Question 2. How did Taro’s father show his happiness after drinking sake?
Answer: Taro’s father was delighted to have the sake. After he swallowed the liquid, he stopped shivering. He even started dancing in the middle of the floor to show his happiness.

Question 3. Why did the villagers want to drown Taro?
Answer: The villagers wanted to drown Taro in the waterfall because they thought they had been cheated by him. They went to the waterfall to get the magic sake but got only cold water.

Question 4. Why did the waterfall give Taro sake and others water?
Answer: The waterfall gave sake to Taro because he was a thoughtful son. He was rewarded as he showered love and care to his parents. It gave cold water to others because they were greedy and dishonest.

Question 5. Why did the emperor reward Taro?
Answer: The emperor rewarded Taro as he was very good and kind towards his parents. The emperor wanted to encourage other children to respect and obey their parents

Mark the right item.

Question 1. Taro earned very little money because

1. he didn’t work hard enough.
2. the villagers didn’t need wood.
3. the price of wood was very low.

Answer: 4. The price of wood was very low.

Question 2. Taro decided to earn extra money

1. To live a more comfortable life.
2. To buy his old father some sake.
3. To repair the cracks in the hut.

Answer: 2. to buy his old father some sake.

Question 3. The neighbor left Taro’s hut in a hurry because

1. She was delighted with the drink.
2. She was astonished to hear Taro’s story.
3. She wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall.

Answer: 4. she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall

Working With Language

Question 1. Strike off the words in the box below that are not suitable. Taro wanted to give his old parents everything they needed. This shows that he was…
Answer: 

1.

“This made Taro sadder than ever.”
“This refers to

1. A strong wind began to blow.
2. Taro’s father’s old age.
3. Taro’s inability to buy expensive sake for his father.

Answer: 3. Taro’s inability to buy expensive sake for his father.

2. “This, said the emperor, was to encourage all children to honor and obey their parents.” “This refers to

1. The most beautiful fountain in the city.
2. Rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.
3. Sending for Taro to hear his story. (Mark the right item.)

Answer: 2. Rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.

3. Arrange the words below in pairs that rhyme.

Example:

• young-lung
• money-sunny

Answer:

1. Fill in the blanks with words from the box

A…….Woodcuter lived on a……… hillside. He was a………..son who worked…. but earned….. Money. One day he was a……… The waterfall is hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and found it…..

Answer: young, lonely, thoughtful, hard, little, beautiful delicious

2. Find these sentences in the story and fill in the blanks.

1. This made Taro…. than ever.
2. He decided to work….. than before
3. The next morning, Taro jumped out of bed than usual.
4. He began to chop even ……
5. The next morning, Taro started for work even…………than the morning before

Answer:

1. Sadder
2. Header
3. Earlier
4. Faster
5. Earlier

Speaking And Writing

Speak the following sentences clearly, but as quickly as you can. Learn them by heart.

1. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood?
2. Betty bought a bit of butter, but the bit of butter was a little bitter so, she bought some better butter to make the bitter butter better.

Answer: Do it yourself in the classroom.

Question 1. The story ‘Taro’s Reward’ shows that Taro is thoughtful, hardworking, and also wise. Read aloud the parts of the story that show these qualities in Taro. The following parts of the story show that Taro was thoughtful, hardworking, and wise.
Answer: He was a thoughtful son and wanted to give his old parents everything they needed. Though he worked very hard, he earned very little money. But Taro had been wise enough to slip behind a rock when he saw how things were going.

Question 2. Like Patrick in the story ‘Who Did Patrick’s Homework’, Taro is helped by magic. Do you believe in magic? What are the magical things that happen in these stories?
Answer: I don’t believe in magic and it has nothing to do with our real life. These stories are imaginative and are not inspired by real-life events.

But some supernatural powers exist and work on their own. In the case of Patrick, there was a little man who changed Patrick’s life and then suddenly disappeared.

In the case of Taro, there was a waterfall that gave delicious sake to Taro but gave cold water to other villagers. Both of these events were magical and had an impact on Taro and Patrick’s lives.

2. Which story do you like better and why? Do you know such stories in other languages? Discuss these questions in class.
Answer: Both the stories are good and teach us many things. But, I liked Taro’s story better because it teaches us to love and respect our parents. Yes, I know stories in other languages like Sanskrit.

Question 3. Now write a paragraph or two about these two stories, comparing them.
Answer: The stories of Taro and Patrick share many things such as magic and the values that make a person better. In the case of Patrick, there was a little man who made him do his homework and study hard.

As a result, Patrick becomes a better student and a better person. He stopped being rude to his elders and even became hardworking. Taro, on the other hand, was already hardworking and thoughtful.

The magic in his story acted as a reward for these good values. And the waterfall was indeed magical because it behaved differently for different people. Both of these stories teach valuable lessons about life

Question 1. Listen to these children. What are they talking about?

Answer: The children are talking about different activities and expressing their opinions on which one is more difficult to do than the others.

Question 2. Work in groups. Agree on each of the activities given below. Decide which is the most interesting, dullest, most dangerous, safest, most rewarding, most exciting.

Answer:

• most interesting: dancing, watching TV, listening to music
• dullest: knitting, sewing, learning languages
• most dangerous: mountain climbing
• safest: walking, stamp collecting
• most rewarding: cooking, reading, fishing, painting
• most exciting: playing football, swimming

Dictation 

Question 1: Your teacher will speak the words given below. Write against each two new words that rhyme with it.

1. Bed —–———–—————–———–————

2. wax —–———–—————–———–————

3. fast —–———–—————–———–————

4. chop —–———–—————–———–————

5. Young —–———–—————–———–————

Answer:

• bed red shed
• wax axe, tax
• fast last, cast
• chop hop, shop
• young tongue, unsung

Chapter 3 Taro’s Reward Question And Answers Review Exercise Part 1 Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1. What did Taro do all day long in the forest?

1. He searched for the magic waterfall.
2. He chopped wood.
3. He lay down and rested.
4. He collected valuable things.

Answer: 1. He chopped wood

Question 2. If only he was as warm as I’ who said the following line?

1. Taro’s father
2. The neighbour
3. Taro
4. Taro’s mother

Answer: 3. Taro

Question 3. And with that, he began to chop even faster, thinking of the extra money he must earn to buy the sake to warm the old man’s bones How is Taro most likely feeling in the lines above?

1. Helpless
2. Optimistic
3. Frustrated
4. Determined

Answer: 4. Determined

Question 4. Read the given statements and choose the correct answer.

1. Statement 1 Taro was very hardworking and thoughtful.
2. Statement 2 He wanted to earn more money to buy a better house for his parents
3. Statement 1 is correct, but statement 2 is incorrect
4. Statement 1 is incorrect, but statement 2 is correct
5. Both the statements are correct
6. Both the statements are incorrect

Answer: 3. Statement 1 is correct, but statement 2 is incorrect

Question 5. How did Taro feel when he first heard the sound of Water?

1. Grateful
2. Relieved
3. Surprised
4. Delighted

Answer: 3. Surprised

Question 6. Why did Taro drink the sake from the waterfall again and again?

1. He found it delicious.
2. He was extremely thirsty.
3. He wanted to make sure it was sake.
4. He was poor and had never tasted sake before.

Answer: 3. He wanted to make sure it was sake.

Question 7. When did Taro’s father stop shivering?

1. After only one swallow of sake
2. After drinking two cups of sake
3. After drinking a pitcher of sake
4. After only a few swallows of sake

Answer: 1. After only one swallow of sake

Question 8.‘Sake’ is a………..

1. Popular Chinese drink
2. Popular Indian drink
3. Popular Japanese drink
4. Popular Australian drink

Answer: 3. Popular Japanese drink

Question 9. Which of the following adjectives best describes Taro’s family?

1. Lazy
2. Greedy
3. Boastful
4. Generous

Answer: 2. Generous

Question 10. What quality does Taro’s decision to hide behind a rock show?

1. Maturity
2. Foresight
3. Conclusion
4. Cowardice

Answer: 2. Foresight

Question 11. The waterfall rewarded Taro for his

1. Selflessness
2. Hard wor
3. Patience
4. Honesty

Answer: 1. selflessness

Question 12. What is the purpose of this Story?

1. To provide a life lesson
2. To describe an adventure
3. To narrate a historical event
4. To explain a mystery

Answer: To provide a life lesson

Question 13. Read the given statements and choose the correct answer.

1. Statement 1 The magical waterfall gave delicious sake to Taro.
2. Statement 2 The magical waterfall gave cold water to the villagers.
3. Statement 1 is correct, but statement 2 is incorrect.
4. Statement 1 is incorrect, but statement 2 is correct.
5. Both statements are correct.
6. Both the statements are incorrect.

Answer: 5. Both the statements are correct

Question 14. Arrange the following options in the correct sequence.

1. Taro was rewarded by the Emperor of Japan.
2. Taro chopped wood without stopping to earn more money.
3. Taro’s father wished to drink some warm sake.
4. Taro’s father shivered with the cold wind.
5. Taro found the magical waterfall

Choose The Correct Option

1. (1), (2), (3), (5), (4)
2. (4), (3), (2), (5), (1)
3. (2), (4), (1), (3), (5)
4. (4), (1), (5), (2), (3)

Answer: 2. (4), (3), (2), (5), (1)

Extract Based Questions

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

It whistled through the cracks of the hut and everyone felt very cold. Suddenly, Taro’s father said, “I wish I had a cup of sake; it would warm me and do my heart good.

This made Taro sadder than ever, for the heart-warming drink called sake was very expensive.

Question 1.‘It’ in the extract refers to

1. The Snow
2. The Wind
3. The Water
4. None Of These

Answer: 2. the wind

Question 2. Who were present in the hut?

1. Taro
2. Taro’s father
3. Taro’s mother
4. All this one

Answer: 4. All of these

Question 3. What does ‘whistled through’ mean?

1. Whistling
2. passed through with a whistling sound
3. Crack through with a whistling sound
4. Very clear whisking sound

Answer: 2. Passed through with a whisking sound

Question 4. The word …….is the opposite of ‘expensive

1. Cheap
2. Lavish
3. Precious
4. Cosdy

Answer: 1. cheap

Question 5. Taro was sad because

1. Sake Was Not Available In His Area
2. He Could Not Afford Sake
3. He Did Not Get Sake
4. His Father Was Unwell

Answer: 2. he could not afford sake

Question 2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow

The next morning, Taro jumped out of bed earlier than usual and made his way to the forest. He chopped and cut, chopped and cut as the Sun climbed and soon he was so warm that he had to take off his jacket.

His mouth was dry and his face was wet with sweat. ‘My poor old father!’ he thought. ‘If only he was as warm as I!’.

And with that he began to chop even faster, thinking of the extra money he must earn to buy the sake to warm the old man’s body.

1. Why did Taro jump out of bed early in the morning?
Answer: Taro jumped out of bed early in the morning because he wanted to earn extra money.

2.‘He chopped and cut, chopped and cut…’ Why this has been repeated?
Answer: This has been repeated to emphasize that Taro worked harder that day.

3. Why did Taro’s father want to have the sake?
Answer: Taro’s father wanted to have sake because it would provide him warmth and comfort in extreme cold

4. The phrase ‘take off in the extract means
Answer: The phrase ‘take off in the extract means ‘to remove’

5. Which word from the extract is the opposite of wet’?
Answer: The word ‘dry’ from the extract is the opposite of ‘ wet’.

Question 3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

That afternoon, a neighbor stopped by for a visit. Taro’s father politely offered her a cup of sake. The lady drank it greedily and thanked the old man.

Then Taro told her the story of the magic waterfall. Thanking them for the delicious drink, she left in a hurry. By nightfall, she had spread the story throughout the whole village.

1. Who came to Taro’s house for a visit?
Answer: A neighbor lady came to Taro’s house for a visit.

2. How did the lady come to know about the magic waterfall?
Answer: The lady came to know about the magic waterfall from Taro.

3. How did the other neighbors come to know about the magic waterfall?
Answer: The lady who visited Taro’s house spread the story of the magic waterfall in the whole village.

4. from the extract is the opposite of ‘rudely’.
Answer: Politely

5. The old man in the extract refers to
Answer: Taro’s father

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Answer: The story of Taro and his magic waterfall reached the emperor of Japan. He sent for the young woodcutter and rewarded him with twenty pieces of gold for having been so good and kind.

Then he named the most beautiful fountain in the city after Taro. This said the Emperor, was to encourage all children to honor and obey their parents

1. What was the reward given to Taro?

1. 20 pieces of gold
2. 10 pieces of gold
3. 10 pieces of silver
4. 20 pieces of silver

Answer: 20 pieces of gold

2. The most beautiful fountain in the city was named after Taro to………

1. Encourage children to honor and obey their parents
2. Encourage him to honor and obey his parents
3. Encourage children to disobey their parents
4. Discourage him from obeying his parents

Answer: 1. Encourage children to honor and obey their parents

3.‘Sent for’ in the extract means

1. Ordered
2. Called
3. Obeyed
4. Rewarded

Answer: 2. Called

4. What words in the extract are used to describe

1. Magic and young
2. Young, good, and kind
3. Young, good, and kind
4. Story and beautiful

Answer: 2. Young, good, and kind

5. Which of the following words is not an antonym of the word ‘honor’?

1. Discredit
2. Disgrace
3. Praise
4. Shame

Answer: 3. Praise

Chapter 3 Taro’s Reward Question And Answers Part 2 Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. Why does the writer describe Taro as ‘thoughtful’?
Answer: The writer describes Taro as ‘thoughtful’ because he wanted to give his old parents everything they needed

Question 2. What was Taro’s father’s wish?
Answer: Taro’s father wanted a cup of sake – a popular Japanese drink

Question 3. Why did Taro decide to work harder?
Answer: The ‘sake’ desired by Taro’s father was very expensive and he could not afford it. He wanted to fulfill his father’s demand and therefore, he decided to work harder.

Question 4. What is ‘sake’?
Answer: Sake is a popular Japanese drink. It gives warmth to the drinker during cold weather.

Question 5. What did Taro see in the forest?
Answer: Taro heard the sound of rushing water in the forest when he was cutting wood. He found a beautiful little waterfall hidden behind a rock.

Question 6. What did the water from the waterfall taste like? Diksha
Answer: The water from the waterfall tasted like ‘sake’.

Question 7. Did the sake help Taro’s father? Give evidence from the Story to Support your answer. Competency-Based
Answer: The sake helped Taro’s father as after drinking a small amount of it, he stopped shivering and did a little dance.

Question 8. Why was there a long procession outside Taro’s house?
Answer: There was a long procession outside Taro’s house because people had heard about the story ofthe waterfall and the magic sake and were curious to know more about it.

Question 9. Who heard the story of Taro?
Answer: The Emperor of Japan heard the story of Taro.

Question 10. How did the Emperor of Japan reward Taro? Or What did the Emperor of Japan do?
Answer: The Emperor of Japan rewarded Taro by giving him twenty pieces of gold. He also named the most beautiful fountain in the city after Taro

Chapter 3 Taro’s Reward Question And Answers Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. Do you think Taro worked harder? How?
Answer: Yes, Taro worked harder. He got up earlier in the morning and went to the forest to chop and cut more wood. He began to chop faster without taking any break and thought about making extra money to buy sake for his father.

Question 2. How did Taro get the magic sake for his father?
Answer: Taro went to the forest and chopped and cut more wood. He was thirsty and sweating when he heard the sound of rushing water and found a waterfall. When he tasted the liquid of the waterfall, he found that it tasted like sake. Hence, he got the delicious sake for his father from the waterfall

Question 3. Does the term ‘herd-mentality’ apply to the villagers given their behavior at the waterfall?
Answer: Yes. The term ‘herd mentality’ applies very well to the villagers of Taro. First, they all went to Taro’s house to drink the magical sake.

Then, they all crowded in front of the magical waterfall to get some magical sake. Lastly, when they didn’t get the promised sake from the waterfall, they all decided to kill Taro for it, even though none of those events was his fault.

Question 4. Write a short character sketch of Taro.
Answer: Taro was a young woodcutter and a devoted son to his old parents. He was very kind and thoughtful, and there was no trace of selfishness in him.

He worked his body to the breaking point just to be able to buy some sake for his father. He did not show even a single thought or desire for himself throughout the story.

Even though the magical sake was very important to him, he still shared the story as well as the sake among his villagers

Chapter 3 Taro’s Reward Question And AnswersLong Answer Type Questions

Question 1. Who was Taro? Do you think Taro loved his parents? Give reason.
Answer: Taro was a young woodcutter who lived with his parents on a lonely hillside. Yes, Taro loved his parents because he took care of them. Even though he earned very little through woodcutting, he always thought about his parents first. Taro wanted to give his parents a comfortable and warm life.

When Taro’s father wished to drink sake, he got very worried as the sake could have provided him warmth. It was also good for the heart as his parents were old. He decided to work harder than before to buy the sake, as it was very expensive. He chopped and cut more wood in the forest to earn more money.

Question 2. Why did Taro get the sake while the villagers did not get it?
Answer: Taro got sake while all of the other villagers got cold water because Taro was a loyal and devoted son to his parents.

His intentions were pure as he wanted the sake of his father who would feel better after drinking it in the severe cold. In contrast, the villagers were greedy. As soon as they heard about the magical waterfall and sake, they reached Taro’s house and then the waterfall. Hence, they got only cold water.

Question 3. Do you think Taro was being rewarded by God? Give reasons in support of your answer.
Answer: Yes, Taro was being rewarded by God as he loved his parents and could do anything to fulfill their wishes. He wanted to get the sake of his father.

It was expensive and he could not afford it so he decided to work harder. He later found a beautiful waterfall which was the source of magic sake for him.

He took it home and gave it to his father. The waterfall gave cold water to those who were selfish and greedy. It gave the sake only to Taro who was selflessly serving his parents. This was God’s way of rewarding Taro.