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NCERT Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 3 is a story about a selfish giant who prohibits kids from playing in his garden, To avoid any trespassing, he built a giant wall enclosing his magnanimous garden. However, on a fine day, children found a hole in the wall and entered the garden. They enjoyed coming there every day. But, one day, the Giant caught them and punished them. To know what unfolded after that check out the Summary section of the blog.
Also, check out important word meanings to get a better understanding of the lesson. In addition, you also get NCERT solutions to questions in the chapter ‘The Selfish Giant’. Do not forget to download the free PDF to revise before exams. Best of luck!!
Download NCERT Solutions of Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 3 ‘The Selfish Giant’ (Free PDF)
Table of Contents
Also Read: 160+ Best & Easy English Speech Topics for Students
Explore the Summary of all Chapters in Class 8 English It So Happened here:
Summary of NCERT Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 3 ‘The Selfish Giant’
“The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde tells the story of a giant who owned a beautiful garden, but because of his selfishness, he kept it all to himself. He put up a high wall and a sign to keep children out, leaving them nowhere to play. The garden fell into perpetual winter, while the rest of the world enjoyed spring.
The giant’s selfishness extended to nature itself, as even the seasons seemed to avoid his garden. The trees refused to blossom, and the birds stopped singing. Only the snow, frost, and hail found comfort in the barren garden, making it their home.
One day, the Giant heard sweet music, which turned out to be a little bird singing outside his window. He realised it was the first sign of spring. Looking out, he saw the children had found a way into the garden through a hole in the wall. Overjoyed, he decided to make amends for his selfishness. He helped a little boy onto a tree, which immediately blossomed, and the other children returned to play. The arrival of the children brought back the spring, and the garden flourished once more.
Years passed, and the Giant grew old. He watched the children play in his garden, realising they were the most beautiful flowers of all. One winter morning, he saw a miraculous sight: a tree in full bloom with the little boy he had helped standing beneath it. Upon closer inspection, the Giant noticed wounds on the child’s hands and feet.
Filled with anger, he asked who had hurt the child. But the boy explained that these were the wounds of love. The Giant, humbled and in awe, asked who the child was. The child revealed himself as someone the Giant had once allowed to play in his garden.
The child invited the Giant to his garden, which he described as paradise. Overwhelmed with emotion, the Giant followed the child to paradise, leaving behind a legacy of kindness and love.
When the children returned to play that afternoon, they found the Giant lying under the tree, surrounded by blossoms. He had passed away, but his heart had been transformed by love, leaving behind a garden that would forever be a place of joy and beauty.
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Important Words and Phrases and Their Meanings
After going through the summary of NCERT Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 3 ‘The Selfish Giant’, it is time to learn some words and phrases with their meanings to expand our English vocabulary. Also, these will help you understand the lesson better. Here we go!!
| Words/Phrases | Meanings |
| Ogre | A cruel giant who engulfs |
| Cornish Ogre | A giant belonging to Cornwall, UK |
| Gruff | Surly |
| Trespassers | Anyone who enters someone else’s property or land without her/their/his permission |
| Prosecuted | Punished by a court of law |
| Linnet | A brown-coloured singing bird in Europe |
| Casement | A window attached to hinges like doors |
| Snow, Frost, North Wind, Hail | These are characters in the story, where Hail refers to the hailstorm and North Wind represents the chilly wind |
| Stole up | Came silently without anyone noticing |
| Feeble | Weak |
| Nay | No |
| Slay | To kill |
Also Read: Speech on Importance of English in 250 to 500 Words [Class 10th & 12th]
Download NCERT Solutions of Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 3 ‘The Selfish Giant’ (Free PDF)
Download NCERT Solutions of all Chapters in Class 8 English It So Happened here:
NCERT Solutions Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 3 ‘The Selfish Giant’
Lastly, we have solutions to questions in NCERT Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 3 ‘The Selfish Giant’ for you to ace in your tests and examinations. Let’s begin our learning process!!
Comprehension Check I (Page No. 20)
Ques 1. Why is the Giant called selfish?
Ans: The giant is considered selfish because he banned children from entering his garden. To prohibit their entry he constructed a high wall around the garden and put up a signboard ‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’.
Ques 2. On one occasion the children said: “How happy we are here!”
Later they said: “How happy we were there!”
What are they referring to in both the cases?
Ans: In the first situation, the children were expressing their happiness when they got an opportunity to play in the Giant’s garden. The kids liked playing in the garden after coming back from school.
In the second case, the kids were missing playing in the Giant’s garden after he had prohibited them from playing by constructing a huge wall around the garden.
In both scenarios, the children are talking about the Giant’s garden.
Ques 3. (i) When spring came, it was still winter in the garden. What does winter stand for or indicate here?
(ii) Winter has been presented like a story with its own characters and their activities. Describe the story in your own words.
Ans:
(i) When Spring arrived, the garden remained stuck in Winter. This means that the garden was still cold, gloomy, and sad. In Winter, everything looks dull, with snow covering the ground, and cold winds blowing. Trees stopped bearing leaves or flowers and birds did not chirp happily. Since the children did not play in the Giant’s garden, Spring refused to come there. As a result, the trees did not bloom, and the birds stopped singing sweet songs in the garden.
(ii) When Spring arrived in other places, trees bloomed, and birds sang happily, but not in the Giant’s garden, where Winter still lingered. In the garden, birds stayed quiet and trees stayed bare because the children did not come to play there. Once, a lovely flower popped up, but seeing the warning sign, it hid back in the ground, feeling sorry for the children.
After seeing all these scenarios, winter, represented by Snow and Frost, decided to visit the garden. Snow covered everything in the garden with a thick white blanket and Frost painted the trees silver. They invited the North Wind, dressed warmly, who blew strongly across the garden. Further, hail joined too, making noise on the castle roof every day. It was running around the garden swiftly, dressed in grey, with breath feeling like ice.
Ques 4. Was the Giant happy or sad over the state of the garden?
Ans: The Giant was unhappy over the state of the garden as he failed to understand why spring was not coming to the garden.
Ques 5. What effect did the linnet’s song have over Hail and the North Wind?
Ans: After listening to the linnet’s song, the North Wind stopped roaring and Hail ceased to dance over the bird’s head.
Comprehension Check II (Page No 24)
Ques 1. (i) The Giant saw a most wonderful sight. What did he see?
(ii) What did he realise on seeing it?
Ans:
(i) The Giant noticed that the children had sneaked into the garden through a tiny hole in the wall. They were sitting on the tree branches, with each tree having a child on it. The trees had adorned themselves with blossoms, happy to see the children again. Birds flew around happily, chirping, while the flowers and grass seemed to be laughing joyfully.
(ii) The Giant understood that Spring did not come to his garden because he stopped the children from playing there. He recognised his selfishness in not letting the children enjoy his garden.
Ques 2. Why was it still winter in one corner of the garden?
Ans: In a corner of the garden, there stood a tree covered in frost and snow, with the North Wind howling above it. A small boy stood nearby, unable to reach the tree’s branches. Because of this, winter persisted in that part of the garden.
Ques 3. Describe the first meeting of the little boy and the Giant.
Ans: The Giant saw a boy trying to reach the tree covered in snow and frost. He knew it was still winter there. So, he lifted the boy onto the tree, and suddenly it bloomed with flowers. Birds happily sang on its branches. The boy hugged the Giant and gave him a thankful kiss.
Ques 4. Describe their second meeting after a long interval.
Ans: One winter morning, the Giant looked out of his window, knowing that Spring was resting and the flowers were asleep. He hoped to see the little boy he loved dearly again. Suddenly, he saw a marvellous sight: a tree covered in beautiful white blossoms in the garden’s farthest corner. Its branches were golden, with silver fruit hanging from them. Underneath the tree stood the little boy he had been waiting for. Excitedly, the Giant rushed downstairs and headed to the garden to reach the child. However, when he saw nail marks on the boy’s hands and feet, he became angry and asked who hurt him. He vowed to punish whoever caused the child pain. But the child explained that these were wounds of love. The boy said that because the Giant had been kind enough to let him play in the garden, he had come to take the Giant to his garden in Paradise.
Ques 5. The Giant lay dead, all covered with white blossoms. What does this sentence indicate about the once selfish Giant?
Ans: The white blossoms covering the Giant show that he was not selfish anymore. He realised how wrong he was to keep the children out of his garden. Understanding his mistake, he became kind to the children afterwards. That’s why white blossoms covered his body when he passed away.
Exercise
Ques 1. The little child’s hands and feet had marks of nails. Who does the child remind you? Give a reason for your answer.
Ans: The marks of nails on the little child’s hands remind us of Jesus Christ. When the Giant saw the boy again, he noticed these marks and became angry, asking who hurt the child. It is like when Jesus was nailed to the cross for humanity’s sake. He forgave those who hurt him. Similarly, the boy in the story told the Giant that these marks were from love.
Ques 2. Is there something like this garden near where you live? Would you like one (without the Giant perhaps) and why? What would you do to keep it in good shape?
Ans: That sounds like a wonderful park! It has big trees that bloom with beautiful flowers and fruits. People visit the park for walks in the morning and evening on the jogging track. There is even a swing and a slide where kids from the neighbourhood play together. You enjoy gardening and have planted new saplings, which you take care of by watering them regularly. You also make sure nobody damages the plants or grass unnecessarily. It is great to see someone taking such good care of their garden!
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You can also access notes and solutions of all Honeydew chapters here:
FAQs
Q1. Who is the author of the NCERT Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 3 ‘The Selfish Giant’
Ans: Oscar Wilde is the author of ‘The Selfish Giant’
Q2. What was the sign on the Giant’s garden?
Ans: The sign read ‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’.
Q3. What is a linnet?
Ans: It is a singing bird.
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