A Tale of Two Birds — Important Questions

The second bird looked just like the first bird he had seen near the cave

Step 1: Recall what happened when the king reached the ashram. Step 2: After hearing the welcoming words of the second bird, the king looked up and saw a big, brown bird in the tree. Step 3: He said to himself, 'This one looks like the other bird outside the cave.' Step 4: This means the physical appearance was identical — both were big and brown — but their behaviour was completely opposite. Step 5: Options A, C, and D are not supported by the text. The king's surprise came specifically from the physical similarity combined with the completely different behaviour.

One is known by the company one keeps — surroundings shape character and behaviour

Step 1: Identify the moral by looking at what the rishi says at the end of the story. Step 2: The rishi explains, 'After all, one is known by the company one keeps.' Step 3: Both birds were born to the same mother and looked identical, but their behaviour became completely different because of the company they lived with. Step 4: The first bird lived with robbers and became like a robber. The second bird lived at a peaceful ashram and became gentle and welcoming. Step 5: Options A, B, and D are surface observations but not the moral lesson. The story's core message is about how environment and

One is known by the company one keeps

Step 1: The textbook itself asks students to choose from three proverbs. Step 2: 'A bird in hand is worth two in the bush' means something certain is better than something uncertain — this does not relate to the story's message. Step 3: 'A friend in need is a friend indeed' is about friendship in difficult times — also not the story's main message. Step 4: 'One is known by the company one keeps' directly matches the rishi's explanation and the story's theme — the birds' characters were shaped by who they lived with. Step 5: Option D is not even given in the textbook. The textbook-correct answe

Outside the rishi's ashram, a little distance away

Step 1: Go back to the opening paragraphs of the story. Step 2: After the storm, the wind blew the two baby birds to the other side of the forest. Step 3: One of them landed near a cave where robbers lived. Step 4: The other landed outside a rishi's ashram, a little distance away — not inside it. Step 5: Option A and B suggest the bird was inside the ashram, which is incorrect. Option D mentions a cave next to the ashram, which is a confusion of two different locations. The precise location is 'outside' the ashram.