The Talkative Barber – Class 5 English NCERT Solutions

Explore the solutions for “The Talkative Barber,” Class 5 English NCERT. This entertaining story teaches children about the importance of being concise in communication and how excessive talking can irritate others. The story also shows how patience and generosity can help handle difficult situations.

Story Summary (English)

The story is from Arabian Nights, where a Sultan named Shahriar once called a barber to shave his head. Instead of doing his work, the barber kept talking continuously. He spoke about his six brothers and their peculiarities. Despite the Sultan’s repeated requests to finish the work quickly as he had an important feast to attend, the barber continued talking. When the Sultan mentioned the feast, the barber remembered his own guests and managed to get all the Sultan’s feast food for his friends. Throughout the story, the Sultan shows remarkable patience despite being half-shaved and running late for his commitment.

कहानी का सारांश (Hindi)

यह कहानी अरेबियन नाइट्स से है, जहाँ एक सुल्तान शहरयार ने अपना सिर मुंडवाने के लिए एक नाई को बुलाया। काम करने के बजाय, नाई लगातार बातें करता रहा। उसने अपने छह भाइयों और उनकी विशेषताओं के बारे में बात की। सुल्तान के बार-बार जल्दी काम खत्म करने के अनुरोध के बावजूद, क्योंकि उन्हें एक महत्वपूर्ण दावत में जाना था, नाई बातें करता रहा। जब सुल्तान ने दावत का जिक्र किया, तो नाई को अपने मेहमानों की याद आ गई और वह सुल्तान की दावत का सारा खाना अपने दोस्तों के लिए ले गया। पूरी कहानी में, सुल्तान ने अपने आधे मुंडे सिर और अपनी प्रतिबद्धता के लिए देर होने के बावजूद उल्लेखनीय धैर्य दिखाया।

Let’s Read

1. Why was the Sultan in a hurry?

The Sultan was in a hurry because he had organized an important feast at noon for his friends. He needed to finish getting his head shaved quickly so he could prepare for and attend this special gathering. The timing was crucial for him as he had to manage his guests and arrangements.

2. Why did the Barber take so long to shave the Sultan?

The Barber took an exceptionally long time to shave the Sultan because:

• He kept talking continuously instead of focusing on his work
• He spent time telling stories about his six brothers
• He stopped working frequently to examine the feast food
• He would often pause shaving to ask questions or give unwanted advice
• Despite claiming to be quiet, he proved to be extremely talkative

3. Write True or False:

• The Barber was shaving the Sultan’s beard. – False (The barber was shaving the Sultan’s head, not his beard)
• The Sultan gave him three gold coins. – True (The Sultan offered three pieces of gold to make the barber leave)
• The Barber refused to leave the Sultan’s palace. – True (He insisted on completing the shaving despite being asked to leave)
• There were seven brothers altogether in the Sultan’s family. – False (The seven brothers were in the barber’s family, not the Sultan’s)

4. Why did the Barber want a lot of food?

The Barber wanted a lot of food because he had invited four or five friends to his house for a feast that day. He had completely forgotten about this invitation and hadn’t made any preparations. When he learned about the Sultan’s feast, he cleverly used this opportunity to get food for his own guests. He even requested additional items like fruits for dessert to ensure he had enough variety for his friends.

5. How many brothers did the Barber have?

The Barber had six brothers. Their names were:

• Bacbone (buk-bon)
• Bakbarea (buk-buria)
• Bakbac (buk-buk)
• Alcouz (ul-kooz)
• Alnaschee (ul-nashi)
• Schacabac (sha-ka-bak)

Let’s Talk

1. Did the Sultan enjoy the Barber’s talk? Why do you say so?

No, the Sultan definitely did not enjoy the Barber’s talk. This is evident from several instances in the story:

• He repeatedly asked the Barber to stop talking and focus on shaving
• He offered three gold coins just to make the Barber leave
• He showed signs of anger and impatience throughout the story
• He even tried to explain his hurry regarding the feast to make the Barber work faster
• He stamped his feet in frustration when the Barber was examining the food

2. Which part of the story did you find the funniest?

The funniest part of the story was when the Barber started examining each dish of the Sultan’s feast separately, taking half an hour to do so, while the Sultan was left waiting with his head half-shaved. The contrast between the Sultan’s impatience (stamping his feet) and the Barber’s casual attitude makes this scene particularly humorous. It shows how the Barber was completely oblivious to the Sultan’s discomfort and was more interested in checking the food for his own guests.

3. What are the things the Sultan gave to the Barber?

The Sultan gave several things to the Barber:

• Three pieces of gold initially to make him leave
• All the food that was prepared for his feast
• Additional fruits for dessert when the Barber requested them

4. Do you think the Sultan was really very generous? Why do you say so?

Yes, the Sultan was indeed very generous, but not by choice. His generosity was more out of desperation than kindness. Here’s why:

• He gave three gold pieces to the Barber just to make him leave
• He offered all his feast food to the Barber despite it being prepared for his own guests
• He even provided additional fruits when the Barber asked for them
• He showed patience despite the Barber’s annoying behavior
• He made these offerings just to get his head fully shaved and to be able to attend his important meeting

Word Building

1. Write the opposites of the following using un-, im-, dis-

Here are the opposites of the given words:

• believe → disbelieve (showing rejection of truth)
• shaved → unshaved (not having shaved)
• perfect → imperfect (having flaws)
• satisfied → unsatisfied (not content)
• polite → impolite (not showing good manners)
• respect → disrespect (lack of respect)
• pure → impure (not clean or pure)
• expected → unexpected (not anticipated)
• obedient → disobedient (not following orders)

2. Fill in the blanks with joining words (if, or, till, where, unless, so, while)

1. Please wait with me till the bus arrives.
2. Do you like football or cricket?
3. My father packed my lunch while my mother combed my hair.
4. We will reach on time if we go by the car.
5. Your speech cannot be heard by the audience unless you use a powerful mike.
6. It was a beautiful day so they decided to go for a picnic.
7. We went to the zoo where we saw many animals.

3. Fill in the blanks by adding un-, im- or dis- to the given words

1. The teacher got upset with Rani because her work was untidy.
2. The dog was unable to climb the tree to chase the cat.
3. I dislike hot milk, I like it cold.
4. It is impossible to cross the road during peak traffic hours.
5. The magician waved his magic wand and made the rabbit disappear.
6. The passengers became impatient when the train was late again.
7. It is very unkind to make fun of another person’s weaknesses.

Word Fun

What do you do when you are at:

Here are the activities we typically do at different places:

• At a feast: serve food, eat, drink, enjoy, sit together
• At a race: run, compete, win, cheer, wave
• At a cricket match: cheer, wave, yell, shout, enjoy
• At a cinema: sit, enjoy, watch, relax
• At a fair: play games, buy things, walk around, shout with joy
• At a party: sing songs, dance, drink beverages, enjoy with friends

Let’s Write

Describe two of the following processes:

1. How to send an e-mail (continued)

4. Type the recipient’s email address in the “To” field
5. Write a clear subject in the “Subject” line to tell what the email is about
6. Write your message in the main body area
7. Check if you need to attach any files by clicking the paperclip icon
8. Review your email for any spelling mistakes
9. Click the “Send” button to send your email

2. How to make a salad

Follow these simple steps to make a fresh vegetable salad:

1. Gather all the fresh ingredients:
   • Cucumber
   • Tomatoes
   • Carrots
   • Onions
   • Lemon
   • Salt and pepper
2. Wash all vegetables thoroughly under running water
3. Peel the cucumber and carrots
4. Chop all vegetables into small, even pieces
5. Put all chopped vegetables in a large bowl
6. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the vegetables
7. Add salt and pepper according to taste
8. Mix everything well
9. Your fresh, healthy salad is ready to serve!

Fun Activity

Try making your own creative story about a talkative person. Think about:

• Who is this person?
• What do they like to talk about?
• How do other people react to their talking?
• What funny situations happen because of their talking?