The Unlikely Best Friends

Given: The story describes Gajaraj's behaviour regarding food.

Answer: Gajaraj did not eat his food because he was sad and lonely. He had no friends, and the absence of companionship made him lose his appetite. When Buntee (the dog) was taken away by the farmer, Gajaraj missed his friend so much that he refused to eat.

Given: The ending of the story describes new friendships formed.

Answer: At the end of the story, there were two pairs of friends:
1. Gajaraj (the elephant) and Buntee (the dog) — they were reunited and remained best friends.
2. The mahout and the farmer — the mahout hugged the farmer and said, "I've also found one," meaning he too had found a friend in the farmer.

Concept: This is an analogy. The word 'kind' describes the mahout's quality/nature. Similarly, we need a word that describes Gajaraj's quality.

Answer: mahout : kind : : Gajaraj : sad

(Just as 'kind' describes the mahout's nature, 'sad' describes Gajaraj's nature — he was sad because he had no friends.)

Given: The passage states: "The mahout was a kind man who served Gajaraj food, and gave him a bath in the elephant pond daily."

Answer: The mahout was a good caretaker because he gave food to Gajaraj and a bath in the pond.

Answer: A caretaker looks after someone's physical needs — providing food, shelter, and comfort — but does so out of duty or responsibility. A friend, on the other hand, shares a deep emotional bond. A friend spends time with you, plays with you, understands your feelings, and makes you happy. A caretaker may be kind, but friendship involves love, joy, and companionship that goes beyond duty. For example, the mahout fed and bathed Gajaraj (caretaker), but Buntee played with Gajaraj and made him truly happy (friend).

Given: The farmer says, "Are you missing your friend?"

Answer: The farmer uses the word 'friend' to refer to the elephant (Gajaraj).

Answer: The farmer knew that Buntee was hungry because Buntee was not eating his food. Despite the farmer placing food in front of him, Buntee refused to eat, which showed the farmer that Buntee was sad and missing Gajaraj, and that his sadness was causing him to go hungry.

Answer: The farmer removed the rope because he felt sorry for Buntee. He could see that Buntee was deeply missing his friend Gajaraj and was not eating food out of sadness. The farmer was a kind-hearted man and could not bear to see Buntee go hungry. So he untied Buntee and set him free to go and meet his friend Gajaraj.

Concept: This is an analogy based on friendship. Gajaraj's friend is Buntee. Similarly, the farmer's friend is the mahout (as stated at the end of the story).

Answer: Gajaraj : Buntee : : mahout : farmer

Answer: Two examples that show Gajaraj was very happy to have a friend (Buntee) are:

1. Gajaraj started eating his food again — Before Buntee came into his life, Gajaraj was sad and refused to eat. But once Buntee became his friend, Gajaraj ate happily.

2. Gajaraj picked up Buntee with his trunk and gave him a joyous swing — When Buntee returned to the stable after being away, Gajaraj was overjoyed and swung Buntee happily with his trunk, showing his immense happiness at being reunited with his friend.

Answer: The mahout came to know that Gajaraj was sad because Gajaraj stopped eating his food. The mahout noticed that despite bringing food for Gajaraj, the elephant was not eating. This unusual behaviour made the mahout realise that something was wrong and that Gajaraj was unhappy and sad.

Answer: Buntee licked the farmer's hand as a gesture of gratitude and love. The farmer had been kind enough to untie Buntee and set him free so that he could go and meet his friend Gajaraj. Buntee licked the farmer's hand to thank him for his kindness and to show his affection before running back to the stable to meet Gajaraj.

Answer: The friendship between Gajaraj and Buntee was 'unlikely' because they were two very different animals — one was a huge elephant and the other was a small dog. In nature, such animals would not normally be expected to be friends. Their difference in size, species, and nature made their bond surprising and unexpected. Usually, we expect friends to be similar to each other, but Gajaraj and Buntee formed a deep and loving friendship despite being so different, which is why it was called an 'unlikely' friendship.

Concept: Opposites can be formed by adding prefixes such as un-, in-, dis-, mis- before a word.

Based on the story 'The Unlikely Best Friends', the opposites using prefixes are:

| Word | Opposite (with prefix) |
|------|------------------------|
| happy | unhappy |
| likely | unlikely |
| noticed | unnoticed |
| tied | untied |
| relieved | unrelieved |
| appeared | disappeared |
| satisfied | dissatisfied |
| comfort | discomfort |

*(Note: The actual puzzle grid image is not visible, but the above opposites are drawn from the story's vocabulary and the prefix examples given in the textbook.)*

Concept: Use the opposite words formed with prefixes that were found in the puzzle.

Completed paragraph:

My pencil was missing. I was very unhappy as it was a gift from my friend. I woke up my elder brother who was sleeping on the bed. I told him that my pencil seemed to have disappeared. He smiled and told me to look under my pillow. I was relieved when I noticed the pencil there.

Concept:
- Simple Past Tense: Second form of the verb (action completed in the past).
- Past Progressive Tense: was/were + verb + ing (action was ongoing in the past).
- Past Perfect Tense: had + third form of the verb (action completed before another past action).

| Simple Past Tense | Past Progressive Tense | Past Perfect Tense |
|---|---|---|
| looked | was looking | had ordered |
| gave | was missing | had followed |
| hated | was munching | had remained |
| noticed | | had tied |
| went | | |
| served | | |
| told | | |
| asked | | |
| felt | | |
| touched | | |
| joined | | |
| arrived | | |
| threw | | |

Concept: Choose the correct tense based on the context:
- Simple past for completed actions.
- Past perfect for actions completed before another past action.
- Past progressive for ongoing past actions.

Completed passage:

The farmer came back and noticed (Simple Past — he completed the action of noticing) that Buntee was sad. He had tied (Past Perfect — tying happened before he came back, i.e., 'the day before') Buntee with a rope the day before. He asked (Simple Past — completed action) Buntee why he was sad. The farmer felt (Simple Past — completed action) that Buntee was missing (Past Progressive — the missing was an ongoing feeling) Gajaraj and set him free.

Concept:
- Neither...nor — used to connect two negative choices. It means 'not this one and not that one either.'
- Either...or — used to connect two positive choices. It means 'one or the other.'

Explanation of given sentences:

1. *Neither Shikha nor Anuj likes to tell stories.*
— This means Shikha does not like to tell stories, and Anuj also does not like to tell stories. Both have a negative preference.

2. *Either Bhavesh or Abha made this painting.*
— This means the painting was made by Bhavesh or by Abha. One of the two made it.

Example sentences for practice:
- Neither the elephant nor the dog wanted to be separated.
- Either the mahout or the farmer will bring the food.
- Neither Rohit nor I want to play football.
- Rohit wants to play either cricket or kho-kho.

Note: This activity is based on a listening transcript (refer to page 71 of the textbook). Based on the transcript provided, the completed paragraph is:

The leopard is a wild animal but it became a friend of a cow. When the leopard grew up, it left the village. It came in the night to meet the cow. The leopard would sit beside/next to the cow. They also played together. People/Villagers were surprised at their friendship.

Note: This activity is based on the listening transcript. Based on the logical sequence of events in the story:

| Order | Sentence |
|-------|----------|
| 1 | The cow took care of the leopard cub as a mother. |
| 2 | The leopard left the village after growing up. |
| 3 | The leopard came to meet the cow at night. |
| 4 | The leopard stopped coming regularly. |

Note: This is a speaking activity. Below is a sample answer that students can use as a model:

Sample Response:

My friend's name is Priya. My friend and I like to play. Both of us want to play badminton after school. I like to read storybooks but my friend likes to draw and paint. We are different as she is very artistic and I am more interested in reading. However, we both love animals and enjoy watching nature documentaries together. Even though we are different in some ways, we are the best of friends — just like Gajaraj and Buntee!

Note: This is a creative writing activity. Below is a sample answer that students can adapt:

---

My Friend

My best friend's name is Arjun. Both Arjun and I like to play cricket in the evening. Like me, he also enjoys watching animated movies. However, I like to eat spicy food but Arjun likes sweet dishes. We are different in some ways — he is very calm and quiet, and I am energetic and talkative. Still, we are the best of friends and enjoy each other's company. Neither Arjun nor I like to miss our evening playtime together.

---

*(Students should replace the sample details with their own friend's real information.)*

Answer: The story 'The Elephant and the Dog' comes from the Jataka Tales, which are ancient Buddhist stories more than two thousand years old. They teach values like kindness, friendship, honesty, and wisdom.

Another famous Jataka story: *'The Monkey and the Crocodile'*

A monkey lived on a fruit tree by a river. A crocodile became his friend and the monkey shared fruits with him. The crocodile's wife wanted to eat the monkey's heart. The crocodile tricked the monkey into sitting on his back to cross the river, then revealed the plan. The clever monkey said his heart was left on the tree and the crocodile turned back. The monkey jumped to safety. The story teaches us to be clever and to be careful about false friends.

*(Students are encouraged to find and read any Jataka story from their school library or online resources.)*

Points for class discussion:

Historical and cultural role of elephants in India:
- Elephants were used in warfare by kings and emperors (e.g., Chandragupta Maurya, Akbar).
- They are considered sacred in Hindu religion — Lord Ganesha has an elephant head.
- Elephants are used in festivals like temple processions (e.g., Thrissur Pooram in Kerala).
- They were symbols of royal power and prestige.

Contemporary ecological challenges:
- Habitat loss due to deforestation and human settlements has reduced elephant territory.
- Human-elephant conflict — elephants enter farmlands and villages, destroying crops.
- Poaching for ivory remains a serious threat.
- Climate change affects the availability of food and water for elephants.

What can be done:
- Protect elephant corridors and forests.
- Raise awareness about coexistence.
- Strict laws against poaching.

*(This is a discussion activity — students should share their own views in class.)*

Answer — Reflection on the news report:

The real-life story of Tarra and Bella is a beautiful example of an unlikely friendship, just like Gajaraj and Buntee in our story.

Key facts from the report:
- Tarra is an elephant and Bella is a dog — two very different animals.
- Bella wandered into the elephant sanctuary and became Tarra's friend.
- Tarra spent most of her time with Bella.
- When Bella was injured and kept indoors for three weeks, Tarra stood outside the building waiting for her — showing deep loyalty and love.
- When they finally met, both were very happy.

What this teaches us:
This story shows that true friendship has no boundaries — not of size, species, or background. Just as Gajaraj waited for Buntee and refused to eat, Tarra waited outside for three weeks for Bella. Both stories remind us that friendship is about love, loyalty, and caring for each other, no matter how different we may be.