The Wise Parrot

The merchant kept the parrot in a cage of gold because he loved the parrot very much and wanted to give it the best possible home. The golden cage showed how precious and special the parrot was to him. He valued the parrot greatly and wished to keep it safe and comfortable.

The parrot was a favourite pet of the merchant because it was very intelligent and could talk. It was witty, clever, and entertaining. The merchant enjoyed the parrot's company and was charmed by its ability to speak and hold conversations. Its wisdom and sharp mind made it truly special.

The parrot asked the merchant to convey a message to its friends in the forest. It requested the merchant to tell the other parrots that it was living happily in a golden cage and was being well looked after. This was actually a clever trick — the parrot wanted to send a secret signal to its friends about how to help it gain freedom.

After the merchant gave the parrot's message to the parrots in the forest, one of the parrots immediately fell down from the tree as if it were dead. The merchant was surprised and confused by this strange reaction. He did not understand that this was actually a signal — the forest parrot was showing the caged parrot what it needed to do in order to escape.

The caged parrot understood the signal sent by its friends. It pretended to be dead — it fell to the bottom of the cage and lay still, just as the forest parrot had done. The merchant, thinking the parrot had died, opened the cage to take it out. The moment the cage was opened, the parrot quickly flew away to freedom. This shows the parrot's great intelligence and presence of mind.

If I were the merchant, I would think carefully before responding. Although I would feel sad to lose such a wonderful and intelligent companion, I would understand that every living creature deserves to be free. Keeping a bird in a cage, no matter how golden, is not truly kind. I would open the cage and let the parrot go, wishing it well. True love means wanting happiness for others, even if it means letting them go.

Yes, there are many real-life situations where intelligence is more useful than strength. For example, during a chess game, a smaller and physically weaker player can defeat a stronger opponent by using smart strategies and thinking ahead. Similarly, a scientist or a doctor uses their knowledge and intelligence to solve problems that no amount of physical strength can solve. In the story itself, the small parrot used its wit to escape from the cage, which physical strength alone could never have achieved.

According to me, the caged parrot was truly wise. Here are my reasons: First, it did not try to break the cage by force, which would have been impossible. Instead, it used its mind to find a clever solution. Second, it understood the signal sent by the forest parrot immediately and acted upon it without hesitation. Third, it pretended to be dead convincingly enough to fool the merchant into opening the cage. This shows sharp thinking, patience, and the ability to act under pressure — all qualities of a truly wise being. The forest parrot also showed wisdom by sending a clever signal, but the caged parrot's ability to understand and execute the plan makes it the wiser of the two.

The completed paragraph is as follows:

One winter morning, as I stepped out of my home, I saw that the snow was all over the place. While walking uphill towards my shop, I came across a small puppy. Its leg was injured and it was about to collapse. Being in pain it was unable to stand upright. So, I decided to take it home and look after it. With good care, all its pain went away.

A flight of parrots came to the forest.

(Note: This is the example already provided in the textbook.)

I saw a flock of sheep in the fields.

*Explanation:* The correct collective noun for sheep is 'flock'.

A pack of wolves was howling loudly.

*Explanation:* The correct collective noun for wolves is 'pack'.

We gave a bouquet of flowers to the chief guest.

*Explanation:* The correct collective noun for flowers (arranged together) is 'bouquet'.