Class -6, English (A Pact With The Sun), Chapter - 10 (A Strange Wrestling Match ) Summary, Word Meanings, NCERT Solutions & Frequently Asked Questions

English

(A Pact With The Sun)

Class -6, Chapter - 10

(A Strange Wrestling Match)

Summary, Word Meanings, NCERT Solutions & Frequently Asked Questions  

-- Summary --

⭐ Summary In English:- 

Vijay Singh was a famous wrestler. But boasting was Vijay Singh’s weakness.

One day he was sitting in the market drinking milk. There were several youngmen surrounding him. Suddenly he boasted, “Why are people afraid of ghosts? I am not. I wish I met a stout ghost.

Thus, he declared his wish to meet a stout ghost. A person told him that ghosts roamed freely in the Haunted Desert. They looted and killed the travellers Vijay Singh felt scared. He felt that his boasting had pushed him into an awkward situation. Outwardly, he showed his disbelief in such fairy (false) tales.

Vijay Singh was told that the Haunted Desert was beyond an ugly black rock on the road to Jaisalmer. Vijay Singh made up his mind to find a ghost in the Haunted Desert. The entire village bade him farewell. An old woman handed him a small packet. Vijay Singh knew that the woman was very wise and not eccentric. Her gift, later on, helped him much to scare the ghost. Vijay Singh started walking. He reached the desert at sunset. It was a moonlit night. The ugly black rock was still a few miles ahead.

The night had advanced. Vijay Singh opened the old woman’s packet. It contained a lump of salt and an egg. Vijay Singh stepped into the Haunted Desert. He heard a voice calling him by his name. The voice named itself as his friend, Natwar. It told him that he would get lost in the Desert. Vijay Singh asked Natwar to come near him and show him the way. In fact-Vijay Singh wanted to size up his enemy. Every good wrestler does so before starting the fight.

The ghost appeared. Vijay Singh told the ghost that he had a great desire to meet him. He added that he was just a plain lying ghost. The ghost was taken aback at his insulting words. People generally started back in horror when they met him.

The ghost concluded that Vijay Singh was an unfeeling creature. He was ignorant of the reason why Vijay Singh desired to see him. Vijay Singh called him a stupid ghost. He could not even read other men’s thoughts.

Vijay Singh told the ghost that he wanted to fight a ghost. This made the ghost speechless. He could never think of a man who would challenge him to fight. The ghost sized him up. He said, “Vijay Singh, you don’t appear all that strong to me.” Vijay Singh told the ghost that he would show him his strength. Wishing to have a psychological victory on the ghost, he said that appearances are often deceptive.

⭐ Summary In Hindi:- 

विजय सिंह एक प्रसिद्ध पहलवान था। पर शेखी मारना, विजय सिंह की कमजोरी थी।

एक दिन वह बाजार में बैठा दूध पी रहा था। उसको घेरे कई नौजवान खड़े थे। अचानक उसने डींग मारी, ”लोग भूतों से क्यों डरते हैं ? मैं नहीं डरता। काश मुझे कोई ताकतवर भूत मिले !”

इस प्रकार, उसने किसी मजबूत भूत से मिलने की इच्छा व्यक्त की। एक व्यक्ति ने उसे बताया कि भूतहा मरुस्थल में भूत आजादी से घूमते हैं। वे यात्रियों को लूट लेते हैं और उनकी हत्या कर देते हैं। विजय सिंह भयभीत हो गया। उसे लगा कि उसकी शेखी ने उसे एक भद्दी परिस्थिति में पहुँचा दिया है। परन्तु बाहरी तौर पर उसने परियों वाली वैसी (झूठी) कहानियों में अविश्वास दिखाया।

विजय सिंह को बताया गया था कि जैसलमेर वाली सड़क पर, एक कुरूप काली चट्टान से परे भूतहा मरुस्थल है। विजय सिंह ने भूतहा मरुस्थल में जाकर भूत से मुलाकात करने का मन में संकल्प किया। समूचे गाँव ने उसे विदा किया। एक बूढी महिला ने उसे एक छोटा लिफाफा दिया। विजय सिंह जानता था कि वह औरत सनकी नहीं बल्कि बड़ी बुद्धिमान थी। उसके उपहार ने, बाद में उसे भूत को डराने में बड़ी मदद की। विजय सिंह ने चलना प्रारंभ किया। सूर्यास्त के समय वह मरुस्थल में पहुँच गया। चांदनी रात थी। कुरूप, काली चट्टान अभी भी कुछ मील की दूरी पर थी।

रात घनी (गहरी) हो चुकी थी। विजय सिंह ने बुढी महिला का लिफाफा खोला। उसमें नमक का एक ढेला और एक अण्डा था। विजय सिंह ने भूतहा मरुस्थल में कदम रखा। उसे एक आवाज सुनाई पड़ी जो उसे उसके नाम से पुकार रही थी। आवाज ने कहा कि वह उसका मित्र नटवर है। आवाज़ ने बताया कि वह मरुस्थल में गुम हो जाएगा। विजय सिंह ने नटवर से कहा कि उसके नजदीक आए और उसे मार्ग दिखाए। वास्तव में विजय सिंह अपने शत्रु का सही-सही अनुमान लगाना चाहता था। हर अच्छा पहलवान लड़ने से पहले ऐसा ही करता है।

भूत उपस्थित हो गया। विजय सिंह ने भूत से कहा कि उस (नटवर) से मिलने की उसकी (विजय सिंह की) बड़ी इच्छा थी। फिर उसने कहा कि वह तो सिर्फ एक सीधा सा झूठा भूत है। उसकी अपमानजनक बातों को सुनकर भूत दंग रह गया। प्रायः उसे देखकर लोग डर के मारे पीछे हट जाते थे।

भूत ने निष्कर्ष निकाला कि विजय सिंह भावनाहीन प्राणी था। उसे यह ज्ञान नहीं था कि विजय सिंह उससे मिलने के लिए क्यों लालायित था। विजय सिंह ने उसे एक मूर्ख भूत कहा। वह अन्य व्यक्तियों के विचारों को भी नहीं समझ सकता था।

विजय सिंह ने भूत को बताया कि किसी भूत से कुश्ती करने की उसकी उत्कट इच्छा है। इस बात ने भूत को अवाक् कर दिया। वह सोच भी नहीं सकता था कि कोई आदमी कभी उसे कुश्ती के लिए चुनौती देगा। भूत ने उसकी शक्ति का अनुमान लगाया। उसने कहा, “विजय सिंह, आप मुझे उतने तगड़े नजर नहीं आते हो।” विजय सिंह ने भूत को बताया कि वह, उसे अपनी शक्ति दिखा देगा। भूत पर मनोवैज्ञानिक विजय पाने के इरादे से उसने कहा कि शकले प्रायः धोखा दे जाती हैं।

-- Word-Meanings -- 

• Wrestler - पहलवान  

• Massive - भारी भरकम  

• Towered - ऊँचा होना  

• Shortcoming - त्रुटि / कमजोरी / कमी

• Awkward - विषम   

• Boasting - डींग मारना 

• Stout - बलिष्ठ / ताकतवर 

• Murmurs - बुदबुदाने की आवाज 

• Applauds - प्रशंसा 

• Apprehension - आशंका 

• Shrieks - तीखी चीखें 

• Moans - कराहने की आवाज 

• Nonchalantly - लापरवाही से 

• Lump - ढेला 

• Eccentricities - सनक 

• Size up - अनुमान लगाना 

• Longing - तीव्र इच्छा होना 

• Marshalling - नियंत्रित करके 

• Wits - बुद्धि / अक्ल  

• Scornfully - घृणा से , तुच्छ भाव से 

• Deceptive - धोखा 

• Rascal - पापी / शैतान  

• Crushing - टुकड़े - टुकड़े करना 

• Conquer - पराजित करना 

• Squeeze - जोर से दबाना  

• Stealthily - चोरी छिपके से  

• Oozed - टपकना 

• Crackling - चटकने की ध्वनि 

• Illusion - भ्रम 

• Astonished - दंग रह गया 

• Protested - विरोध प्रकट किया 

• Crumble - चूर - चूर करना 

• In vain - असफल रहा 

• Weakling - दुर्बल  

• Mesmerized - सम्मोहित करना 

• Vanquished - पराजित कर दिया 

• bout - आजमाई 

• Servile - चापलूसी वाला 

• Elated - अति प्रसन्न 

• Bowed - झुका  

• Vowed - शपथ ली 

• Duped - मुर्ख बना दिया 

• Bolsters - बड़े गोल तकिये 

• Slipped off - खिसक गया 

• Coverlet - चादर , कम्बल  

• Crouched - दुबक गया 

• Club - गदा 

• Brought down - वार किया 

• Flappings - फड़फड़ाना 

• Formidable - भयंकर 

• Ill-gotten - लूट खसोट से प्राप्त 

• Thenceforth - इसके पश्चात 

-- NCERT Solutions -- 

-- PART - I --

Question 1.- What was Vijay Singh’s weakness? Which awkward situation did it push him into?

Answer:- Vijay Singh’s weakness was that he was fond of boasting. He boasted that he wished that he met a ghost and taught him a lesson. This pushed him to an awkward situation where he was suggested to go to the Haunted Desert where he could find ghosts.

Question 2.- Was the old woman’s gift to Vijay Singh eccentric? Why?

Answer:- The old woman gifted a lump of salt and an egg to Vijay Singh. Yes, the gift was eccentric because Vijay Singh could not understand what the purpose of such a gift was on a desert.

Question 3.- Why did Vijay Singh ask the ghost disguised as Natwar to come closer?

Answer:- Vijay Singh asked the ghost disguised as Natwar to come closer so that he could size up his enemy like all other good wrestlers.

Question 4.- What made the ghost speechless? Why?

Answer:- Vijay Singh pretended to be brave. He looked at Natwar’s face and said that he was a plain, lying ghost. This made the ghost speechless because people used to get afraid when they saw him but here, Vijay Singh was brave and confident.

Question 5.- Why did Vijay Singh say “Appearances can be deceptive”?

Answer:- Vijay Singh said that “Appearances can be deceptive” because he wanted to insult the ghost. He wanted to show the ghost that he was very confident and strong enough to make the ghost lose.

-- PART - II --

Question 1.-  How did Vijay Singh use the egg? How did he use the lump of salt?

Answer:- Vijay Singh handed over a rock to the ghost and asked him to squeeze it. He told the ghost that the rock was full of fluid. The ghost was unable to squeeze the rock. Then, Vijay Singh insulted the ghost and carefully took the egg in his hand and took the rock from the ghost. He squeezed the egg, the yellow fluid dripped down and made the ghost think that he actually squeezed the rock.

Vijay Singh then challenged the ghost to crush another rock. This time, he said that it was nothing but salt. The ghost could not crush the rock. Then Vijay Singh took the lump of salt from his pocket and the rock from the ghost in his hand. He crumbled the lump of salt and let the rock drop into the darkness. Thus, Vijay Singh showed that he was way more powerful than the ghost.

Question 2.- Why did Vijay Singh conclude that the ghost would not be a worthy opponent to him? Was he fair in his judgement?

Answer:- Vijay Singh concluded that the ghost would not be a worthy opponent to him as he could not perform any of the challenges that Vijay Singh threw on him- neither could he crush the rock full of fluid nor he could crumble the rock made of salt.

No, he was not fair in his judgement because he used unfair tricks to prove that he was more powerful than the ghost.

Question 3.- Why did Vijay Singh ask the ghost to accompany him to town next day?

Answer:- Vijay Singh asked the ghost to accompany him to town the next day so that he could boast that he claimed victory even in a fight with a ghost. He wanted the ghost to accompany him as his prisoner.

Question 4.- What made the ghost believe Vijay Singh was dead?

Answer:- There was no sound or groan in response to the ghost’s beating on the bolster, which he thought to be Vijay Singh. This made the ghost believe that Vijay Singh was dead.

Question 5.- Vijay Singh complained of insects in the cave. What was he referring to, and why?

Answer:- Thinking that Vijay Singh was sleeping on the bed, the ghost had beaten him seven times with his stout club.

Vijay Singh complained that some insect flapped him with its wings seven times. He did so to prove that he was so powerful that those beatings with the stout club were as powerless as an insect’s flap.

Question 6.- Was it really a ghost who Vijay Singh befooled? Who do you think it was?

Answer:- No, it was not really a ghost who Vijay Singh befooled. I think he was a fraudulent human who used to trick people into thinking that he was a ghost. Taking advantage of their fear, he would loot them of their possessions.

-- Frequently Asked Questions --

Question 1.- Who was Vijay Singh? What did he look like?

Answer:- Vijay Singh was a famous wrestler. He was unbeatable. He had big shoulders and strong arms. He was so tall that he looked like a giant.

Question 2.- This pahalwan had but one shortcoming. What was that?

Answer:-  Vijay Singh’s one shortcoming was his habit of boasting. He wished to fight with a ghost and teach him a lesson.

Question 3.- How did Vijay Singh feel when he was told to go to the Haunted Deserts?

Answer:- Vijay Singh was frightened when he was asked to go to the Haunted Deserts. His heart missed a beat or two at the thought of fighting with a ghost.

Question 4.- Who really helped Vijay Singh in defeating the ghost? How?

Answer:-  An old woman really helped Vijay Singh against the ghost. She gave him a packet containing a piece of salt and an egg. These two things helped him befool the ghost.

Question 5.- Quote words that Vijay Singh uses to insult and demoralise the ghost.

Answer:- A plain, lying ghost, stupid ghost, a worthless ghost, a rascal of a ghost.

Question 6.- In what respect was the wrestling match strange? Who were the two ri­vals? Who was the winner?

Answer:- The wrestling match was strange because it was a light between a man and a ghost. The wrestler Vijay Singh had one weakness. He was boastful of his strength. This pushed onto an awkward situation. He accepted the challenge to fight a ghost in a haunted desert. The two gifts given by an old woman proved veiy useful. One was an egg and the other a lump of salt. It was in fact a trial of wit and wisdom. Finally Vijay Singh won the match and returned home with lots of gold.

Question 7.- Give a character sketch of Vijay Singh. How did he outwit the ghost?

Answer:- yijay Singh was a famous wrestler. He was boastful of his physical strength. He declared that he was unbeatable. His tall claim pushed him into trouble. He was challenged to fight a ghost. He went through the Haunted Desert. He carried a small packet containing an egg and a piece of salt. He used them wisely to befool and frighten the ghost. He crushed easily the lump of salt and cracked the egg. As it was dark, the ghost couldn’t understand Vijay’s trick and accepted his defeat. Thus Vijay won the match by cheating and his su­perior wit.

Question 8.- How did the old woman’s little gifts help Vijay Singh in vanquishing the ghost?

Answer:-  Vijay Singh was a bom and unbeatable wrestler. But his one great weakness 1 was his boastfulness. Once he was called upon to prove his power and fear­lessness. He went through a haunted desert to fight the ghost. An old woman’s gift of an egg and a piece of salt helped him befool and outwit the ghost. He squeezed the egg as well as the salt to prove his prowess. In the ghost’s cot­tage too he acted wisely and saved his life.

Question 9.- How did Vijay Singh outwit the ghost with his wit and wisdom?

Answer:-  Vijay Singh made good use of the old woman’s gift—an egg and a lump of salt. He challenged the ghost to squeeze a piece of rock. The ghost failed to do that. Vijay Singh took out the egg from his pocket and squeezed it easily. The ghost was non-plussed and he accepted defeat. Vijay Singh then threw another chal­lenge. He gave another piece of rock to the ghost to crush. The ghost failed to crush the rock. Vijay Singh took out the piece of salt from his pocket and cmshed it easily. The ghost felt demoralised and again accepted his defeat.

Question 10.- How did the ghost make a plan to trick Vijay Singh finally?

Answer:- The ghost invited Vijay Singh to his cave. He vowed silently to kill the wres­tler. He offered Vijay Singh a comfortable bed to sleep on. Vijay Singh saw through the ghost’s trick. He lay awake and at mid night, he slipped off his bed. He put a bolster in his place on the bed. Early next morning the ghost hit the bolster with his club. He took his enemy for dead. But. Vijay Singh faced the ghost who panicked. He fled from the cave leaving behind all his wealth for Vijay Singh.

-- By Durgesh Pandey

( Eklavya Coaching Institute )