Let us think and reflect NCERT Poorvi pages 7–9

Last updated at August 26, 2026 by

I
Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.
The required extract is printed below each extract number. Read it fully before answering its subquestions.
1.
“… The king thought I was disrespecting his poem and stormed off. Since then, he has not spoken to me. If I had known this would happen I would have chosen another day. Help me, please, Rama. Only you can help the king understand.”

Rama nodded thoughtfully. “If you like, I will try my best to resolve this matter, Your Highness. But this needs a well-planned approach and I may need time to find the right strategy.”
(i) Why does the queen believe that only Tenali Rama can help the king understand?
How to answer: Start with Rama’s reputation for quick wit and clever solutions, then connect it to the queen’s failed attempts.
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Answer: The queen feels only Tenali Rama can help because he is famous for his quick wit, humour and clever fixes for tough problems. Her own tries to sort out the mix-up have failed, so she trusts Rama's smarts and his clever-and-polite style to make the king understand without upsetting him.

(ii) What does the queen’s statement, “If I had known this would happen, I would have chosen another day”, suggest about her feelings?
A. She is angry at the king for overreacting.
B. She regrets the unintended misunderstanding.
C. She believes the poem was not worth listening to.
D. She is worried that the king might punish her.
How to answer: Look at the feeling behind “If I had known…”. It expresses regret about an unintended result, not anger.
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Answer: (B) She regrets the unintended misunderstanding.

Reason: The queen never wanted to insult the king. She was just super tired, and her yawn got read the wrong way. She only wishes she had picked a different day.

(iii) How does Tenali Rama’s response reflect his wisdom and problem-solving skills?
How to answer: Name the quality first—wise, patient, or strategic—then prove it with his decision to use a well-planned approach.
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Answer: Tenali Rama plays it smart. He does not react in a rush. He knows that telling the king straight-up that he is wrong will only make things worse, so he asks for some time to plan a clever move. This shows he is patient, thoughtful and a pro at handling touchy problems.

(iv) Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option from those given in the brackets.
The king’s reaction shows that he is sensitive and (has a lot of faith/takes great pride) in his poetry.
How to answer: Focus on the king’s relationship with his poetry. The sentence is about how strongly he values and takes pride in it.
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(iv) The king’s reaction shows that he is sensitive and takes great pride in his poetry.
Reason: He gets super offended when he thinks the queen dissed his poem — that shows how much his poetry means to him.
2.
That evening, the king approached the queen with a softened expression. “Thirumalambal”, he began, his voice gentle, “I have been foolish. I see now that I overreacted. I let my pride blind me. I’m so sorry.”

The queen, who had longed for this moment, smiled and replied, “If you like, we can leave this quarrel behind us. I would very much like to listen to your poem.”
(i) Complete the following with a suitable explanation.
When the king said, “I let my pride blind me”, he means that .
How to answer: Paraphrase the metaphor. Explain how pride stopped the king from judging the situation fairly.
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(i) When the king said, “I let my pride blind me”, he means that his pride prevented him from thinking clearly and judging the queen’s action fairly .
Reason: He took a normal yawn as a personal insult, instead of thinking that the queen was probably just tired.
(ii) Why does the queen say, “If you like, we can leave this quarrel behind us”?
How to answer: Explain what “leave this quarrel behind” means, then connect it to the queen’s forgiving nature.
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Answer: The queen says they can leave the fight behind because she is ready to forgive the king and move on. This shows she cares about peace and their bond way more than proving she was right.

(iii) Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option from those given in the brackets.
The king acknowledges that his pride clouded his judgement, which shows (intelligence and courage/maturity and self-awareness).
How to answer: A person who recognises that pride clouded their judgement is showing maturity and self-awareness.
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(iii) The king acknowledges that his pride clouded his judgement, which shows maturity and self-awareness .
Reason: He owns his mistake and admits that his pride messed with his judgement.
(iv) State any one characteristic that the queen’s response to the king’s apology shows about her.
How to answer: Name one quality and immediately support it with the queen’s response to the apology.
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Answer: The queen’s response shows that she is forgiving . Even though the king’s behaviour had hurt her, she takes his sorry and is happy to leave the fight behind.

II
Answer the following questions.
  1. Why was the Vijayanagara Empire considered to be in its ‘Golden Era’ during Krishnadeva Raya’s reign?
    How to answer: Name what flourished during the reign—art, literature and architecture—and connect this with the king’s support for learning.
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    Answer: The Vijayanagara Empire is called its “Golden Era” during Krishnadeva Raya’s reign because art, writing and buildings grew a lot. The king also loved learning big time, was a famous warrior and a gifted poet. All this culture and brainpower made his time super rich and celebrated.

  2. How did Tenali Ramakrishna gain a special place in the king’s court?
    How to answer: Link Rama’s quick wit and humour to the difficult problems he solved in the court.
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    Answer: Tenali Ramakrishna earned a special spot in the king’s court because of his quick wit, humour and his knack for cracking super tough problems in clever ways. These qualities made him valuable — not just as a poet, but as a trusted and witty adviser to the king.

  3. How did the quarrel between the king and the queen affect the palace?
    How to answer: Describe the effect on the palace: the king’s absence, silence, and the gloomy atmosphere.
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    Answer: The fight made the palace gloomy. The king stopped talking to the queen and stopped visiting her for weeks. His absence hung over the whole palace like a shadow, and the once-cheerful corridors went quiet and sad.

  4. What strategy did Tenali Rama use to make the king realise his mistake?
    How to answer: Write Rama’s plan in order: paddy seeds → the sower → yawning → the king yawns → the king realises the truth.
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    Answer: Tenali Rama used a sneaky, well-planned trick. During a talk about growing paddy, he brought in some “special” seeds and then shifted everyone’s attention from the seeds to the person planting them. He raised the idea of someone yawning while sowing. When the king himself yawned, Rama pointed out that yawning is as natural as breathing. That made the king link it to the queen’s yawn and realise he had got her all wrong.

  5. What was the reaction of the courtiers when Tenali Rama introduced his ‘special’ paddy seeds?
    How to answer: State the courtiers’ reaction and give one concrete sign of it, such as sarcasm, snickers, or a mocking remark.
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    Answer: The courtiers reacted with total disbelief and mockery when Tenali Rama showed his “special” paddy seeds. They made sarcastic jokes, teased that the seeds might be magical or from the moon, and snickered at his claim. Their reaction shows they thought his idea was ridiculous.

  6. How does the story conclude, and what lesson can be learnt from it?
    How to answer: Answer in two parts: first the ending, then the lesson or message.
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    Answer: The story ends with the king realising he had unfairly misread the queen’s yawn. He says sorry, she forgives him, and their bond is back to normal. Tenali Rama gets rewarded for solving the mess so cleverly. The lesson: use your wit with tact and wisdom, and never let pride stop you from spotting and fixing your own mistakes.

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