An Overview of Important Questions Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 4 Poem
Have you ever wondered what truly makes us happy? In Important Questions Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 4 Poem, you’ll discover the journey of a man searching for freedom and real happiness in Rabindranath Tagore’s poem "The Last Bargain." This poem helps you understand why things like power, money, or beauty can’t always bring joy, while innocence and simple moments mean so much.
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If you feel confused about the poem’s meaning or struggle with exam answers, these important questions will clear your doubts. Practicing them helps you understand the chapter in easy steps and prepares you for your final exam. You can also look at the Class 8 English Syllabus for a bigger picture of what you’ll study this year.
Download the Vedantu PDF for ready-to-use answers and more practice. Check out all Class 8 English Important Questions to prepare with confidence!
FAQs on Important Questions Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 4 Poem
1. What were the different bargains offered to the speaker in "The Last Bargain," and for what reasons did he turn them down?
This is an important question often asked for 3 marks. The speaker was offered three bargains before the final one, and he rejected each for a specific reason:
The King's Power: The king offered to hire him with power, but the speaker realised that the king's power was temporary and not worth his freedom. He stated, "But his power counted for nought."
The Old Man's Money: A rich old man offered him a large sum of money. However, the speaker understood that wealth cannot buy true happiness and would eventually be spent, leaving him empty.
The Fair Maid's Smile: A beautiful young woman offered her smile, symbolising beauty and temporary happiness. The speaker saw that this happiness was fleeting and would soon fade into sorrow.
He rejected all three because they sought to bind him, whereas he was searching for true, lasting freedom.
2. What is the central message that Rabindranath Tagore conveys in the poem "The Last Bargain"?
The central message of "The Last Bargain" is that true happiness and freedom cannot be purchased with material possessions like power, money, or temporary beauty. The poem highlights that worldly offers are transient and ultimately unsatisfying. The ultimate joy and freedom are found in simplicity, innocence, and shedding all materialistic desires, which is symbolised by the child playing with shells. The bargain that costs nothing, in fact, grants everything of value, making the speaker a free man.
3. Explain the symbolic significance of the child's offer in the poem.
The child's offer is highly significant and symbolic in the poem. The child offers to hire the man "for nought" (for nothing). This is an important concept for exams:
Innocence and Purity: The child represents innocence and a world free from the corrupting influence of power and greed.
Unconditional Freedom: Unlike the other offers that came with conditions and would have enslaved the speaker, the child's offer is without any obligation. Playing with the child makes the speaker feel utterly free.
True Happiness: The bargain makes the speaker a "free man," implying that he has found the ultimate happiness and fulfilment he was searching for, which is priceless and cannot be measured in material terms.
4. How is the title "The Last Bargain" justified? Why is the final agreement considered a 'bargain'?
The title "The Last Bargain" is highly appropriate. The poem describes a series of failed bargains, making the final one with the child the conclusive and ultimate agreement. It is considered a 'bargain' because a transaction does take place, but not a material one. The speaker gives his companionship to the child, and in return, he receives immense joy, satisfaction, and absolute freedom. This exchange, which costs him nothing in worldly terms, gives him the very thing he desires most. It is the 'last' bargain because after this, he no longer needs to search for a master or a purpose; he has found his fulfilment.
5. What are some of the expected important questions from "The Last Bargain" for the CBSE Class 8 English exam 2025-26?
For the 2025-26 exams, students should focus on questions that test comprehension, interpretation, and the central theme. Important question types include:
Reference to Context: Questions based on specific stanzas, asking you to explain lines like, "But his power counted for nought."
Short Answer Questions (2 marks): Why the speaker rejected the offers from the king or the rich man.
Long Answer Questions (3-4 marks): Questions about the central theme, the message of the poem, or the justification of the title.
HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills): Questions comparing the different offers or relating the poem's message to modern life.
Preparing these types of questions will cover the chapter thoroughly for the exam.
6. Compare and contrast the bargain offered by the fair maid with the one offered by the child.
This is a critical thinking question that requires comparing two different kinds of happiness. The key differences are:
Nature of the Offer: The fair maid offers her "smile," which symbolises fleeting, physical beauty and romantic happiness. It is a conditional happiness that can fade. The child offers "nothing," which symbolises unconditional, pure, and innocent joy.
The Outcome: The maid's smile turned into tears, showing its temporary and sorrowful nature ("her smile paled and melted into tears"). The child's offer, however, brought lasting freedom and made the speaker feel fulfilled forever ("the bargain struck in child's play made me a free man").
Binding vs. Freeing: The maid's offer would have been a form of emotional attachment or bond. The child's offer was liberating, as it involved no expectations or obligations.
7. How does the poem "The Last Bargain" critique the materialistic values of the adult world?
The poem serves as a powerful critique of the adult world's obsession with materialistic pursuits. Each of the first three offers represents a core value that adults often chase:
Power (The King): Represents the desire for authority and control over others, which the poem shows is empty.
Wealth (The Old Man): Represents the endless pursuit of money, which cannot buy happiness or peace of mind.
Beauty/Pleasure (The Fair Maid): Represents fleeting physical attractions and pleasures that are temporary and can lead to sorrow.
By having the speaker reject all these offers in favour of the simple, non-materialistic joy offered by a child, the poem argues that the adult world often misses the true essence of life in its complicated and hollow pursuits.
8. Analyse the speaker's state of mind at the beginning of the poem versus the end.
At the beginning of the poem, the speaker is in a state of desperation and seeking employment. He is crying out, "Come and hire me!" This shows he is looking for purpose and a master to serve, believing that this will bring him fulfilment. However, as he encounters different offers, he becomes more discerning and realises that what he truly seeks is not employment but freedom and genuine happiness. By the end, his state of mind has completely transformed. After accepting the child's bargain, he declares, "I felt I had never known before." He is no longer a seeker but someone who has found ultimate peace and freedom, not in being hired, but in being free.
