My Brother's Great Invention Questions & Answers | Class 7 English | CBSE NCERT

(b) — Anand's burglar alarm was rigged to loosen a water bag over the door, and it fell on Papa when he entered.

(c) — Ma asks, "Where's that boy? I'm sure he rigged this up," clearly suspecting Anand.

(b) — 'Scowling' means having an angry or frowning expression, which suits Papa's soaked and furious state.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

Anand tried to disappear from the house at once and had vanished by the time Papa began asking questions. He reappeared only after dinner, once Papa had cooled down.

Papa was in a very angry mood. The words 'roared', 'scowling' and 'grimly' show that he was furious about being soaked by the water bag.

(b) — Anita is fourteen and Anand is one year younger than her, so he is thirteen.

(b) — 'Tinkering' here means experimenting or fiddling with gadgets, which is Anand's favourite pastime.

(c) — The narrator introduces herself with the words, "I am Anita, fourteen years old."

Answer not supplied in the source file.

The trouble with Anand is that he thinks he is a scientist. He keeps creating 'inventions' that never work out as they are supposed to, and this annoys Papa and frightens the family.

Yes, because a sibling like Anand would fill the house with fun and surprises, and his fearless experimenting would be entertaining. (Accept any reasoned personal response.)

(b) — A series of thefts in the colony made Anand feel that a burglar alarm was needed.

(c) — He began "the minute Papa left for the office and Ma for the market".

(c) — Here 'shelling' means a scolding; Anita warns Anand not to involve her if he is caught.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

Anita was doubtful about the alarm and did not want to be blamed or punished for its failure. She had been dragged into the plan though she would rather have finished her novel.

A blueprint is a detailed technical drawing used by real engineers and scientists. Using such words makes Anand feel like a genuine inventor, not just a boy playing with gadgets.

(b) — Anand explains that the alarm is tripped off the moment the door opens, making a clanging sound before the water bag falls.

(b) — Since the alarm worked only when the door was opened gently, Papa, who always opened the door softly, became its victim.

(c) — 'Sceptical' means doubtful, which is exactly how Anita felt about Anand's alarm and its 'guessing powers'.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

Anita knew that when Anand was in one of his inventive moods, nothing could stop him. Pointing out the flaws would be useless, so she only warned him not to involve her if he got a scolding.

They show that Anand was proud and over-confident. He believed he had planned everything perfectly, even though his design had an obvious flaw that soaked his own father.

(b) — After watching the film 'Back to the Future', which is about a time machine, Anand decided to make one himself.

(b) — During his inventing binges Anand took apart household gadgets to collect parts, so Papa tried to stop him by locking away the tools.

(b) — His room became a network of wires, springs, levers and bulbs, with an enormous panel meant to be the control switchboard.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

Ma was worried that Anand, in his inventing frenzy, would take apart her oven and mixer to use their parts for the time machine, as he often did with household gadgets.

It suggests that Anand was so absorbed in his work that he forgot about his appearance and daily routine. He did not even comb his hair unless Ma was watching, showing single-minded dedication.

(c) — After "a fortnight of frantic activity", the time machine was ready.

(b) — Papa's firm "When I say NO, I mean NO" disappointed Anand and made him sad.

(c) — 'Frantic' means hurried and disorganised, describing Anand's intense activity.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

Papa is strict and firmly refuses to allow any trial of the machine. Ma, on the other hand, is sympathetic; noticing Anand's crestfallen look, she pleads, "At least let's take a look at it."

It shows that Papa is unsure of the machine's safety and expects it to go wrong, yet he gives reluctant permission. The remark is half a warning and half a joke about Anand's inventions.

(a) — Papa and Ma were going to Kharagpur, a few hours from Calcutta, for a wedding.

(c) — Kharagpur is described as "a few hours away from Calcutta (now Kolkata)", where the family lives.

(b) — Ma sternly made Anand promise not to touch the time machine until his parents came back.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

Anita told Ma that they were old enough to look after themselves and could go next door to Sharma Aunty if they needed anything. Anand added that their parents would be away for only one night.

Anita was relieved because she feared that Anand would try out the time machine and create trouble. With Ma extracting a promise from him, she hoped the house and its gadgets would stay safe.

(b) — Anita stayed up to finish a novel while Anand fell asleep immediately.

(b) — Anita first heard the scratching at about eleven thirty at night.

(a) — 'Groggily' means sleepily, describing how Anand muttered his reply.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

Anita was reading a murder story, and the strange noises in the middle of the night made her imagination run wild. The combination of the frightening story and the sounds at the door frightened her badly.

Half asleep, Anand muttered, "Go and open it then," showing he had not understood the danger. Once he realised that someone was trying to break in, he sat up alertly and suggested they holler for help.

(b) — Boppa was the fellow who had recently begun sweeping out the compounds in their row of houses.

(b) — As the sweeper of the compounds, he knew exactly when the occupants were out, "leaving the coast clear".

(b) — 'Brandishing' means waving a weapon, here his cudgel, in a threatening manner.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

Giving an evil grin, Boppa warned, "One squeak out of you and see what happens," while brandishing his cudgel. He then backed out of the room and slid the latch in, locking the children inside.

The phrase means leaving the way open and unguarded. Boppa's sweeping job told him exactly when the residents were away, so he could burgle houses without being caught.

(b) — Boppa demanded to know where their father's room was.

(b) — Anand deliberately directed Boppa to his own room to buy time, knowing the intruder would take a while to find the light switch there.

(b) — Anand gasps, "My time machine, he's started it!", explaining the crash, scream, whine and humming.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

Anita was angry because Anand had sent Boppa to Anand's own room. She feared that when the thief found nothing of value there, he would come back "as mad as mad can be" and harm them.

Instead of panicking, Anand quickly thought of a clever plan. By sending Boppa to his dark, cluttered room, he gained time to think, and he immediately urged Anita to shout for help.

(b) — Hearing their shouts, Mrs. Sharma, her husband and Dr. Mohan, all neighbours, came running to help.

(c) — Anand pointed to the green scarf near the panel of switches, which Boppa had been wearing.

(b) — Sharma Uncle said there was only one way out and they had come the same way as soon as they heard the children.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

The neighbours looked puzzled when the children tried to explain. Anita quickly added that the intruder had been near the time machine when they last heard him, because the machine was still humming and strange noises had come from that room.

Dr. Mohan found it hard to believe that a man could vanish from a closed room, so he wondered if the children had imagined it. Anita protested that both of them could not have imagined the same thing at the same time.

(b) — Anand insists that his time machine worked and Boppa disappeared into the past.

(c) — Papa had the machine dismantled because he considered it unsafe; maybe he also secretly suspected it worked.

(c) — Anand has launched a new project: a telephone to contact creatures in outer space.

Answer not supplied in the source file.

It shows that Mr. Sharma was fond of Anand and treated his wild claims with affectionate tolerance. He did not believe the story but enjoyed the boy's imagination rather than scolding him.

Despite everyone's disbelief, Anand remains convinced that he is a genius and immediately starts a new project. This shows that his curiosity and enthusiasm cannot be dampened by failure or mockery.

The story is narrated by Anita, a fourteen-year-old girl who lives in Calcutta (now Kolkata) with her parents and brother. Anand, the cause of all the 'hoo-ha', is her younger brother, one year younger than her.

There had been a rush of thefts in the colony recently. Anand got it into his head that what was needed was a burglar alarm, so he built one the moment Papa left for the office and Ma for the market.

According to Anand, the moment the door was opened gently, the alarm would be tripped off and make a clanging sound. Then a water bag would be loosened and fall on the thief's head, giving the family time to call the police.

Anand had rigged the alarm to work only when the door was opened gently, believing that only a thief would open a door stealthily. Papa, however, always opened the door softly, so the water bag fell on him and he returned home sopping wet and scowling.

Anita was dragged into Anand's scheme though she would have preferred to finish her novel. She was sure the invention would misfire, so she warned Anand that if they were scolded, she would take no responsibility for it.

A blueprint is a detailed technical plan or drawing of a design. Anand loves words like 'blueprint' because they make him feel professional, like a real scientist or engineer.

Papa locked up his tool box and hid the key, while Ma kept a wary eye on her oven and mixer. They did this because during his inventing binges Anand took apart all the gadgets in the house to collect parts.

Anand's room was transformed into a network of wires, springs, levers and bulbs, with an enormous panel meant to be the control switchboard. There was continuous hammering, sawing and clattering, and he would not let anyone enter.

Ma made him promise not to do anything with the time machine till his parents returned. Anand felt offended at this lack of respect for his creation, so he promised half-heartedly, without any real intention of respecting the machine.

Papa and Ma had gone to Kharagpur, a few hours away from Calcutta, for a wedding, leaving by the afternoon train. They were to return the following evening, so the children were alone for just one night.

At about eleven thirty, Anita heard a scratching at the front door, followed by a rattle and a click. Since she was reading a murder story, she was really scared; she woke Anand and whispered, "Listen, there's someone at the door."

Boppa was the fellow who had recently begun sweeping out the compounds in the children's row of houses. Because of his job, he knew exactly when the occupants were out, leaving the coast clear for him to burgle houses.

Boppa gave an evil grin and said, "One squeak out of you and see what happens," brandishing his cudgel. He then backed out of the room and slid the latch in, locking the children inside their room.

When Boppa demanded to know where their father's room was, Anand quickly directed him to the room next to theirs, which was actually Anand's own room. He knew the thief would take a while to locate the light switch there, giving the children time to think and shout for help.

There was a crash followed by a loud scream, then muffled thumps, an eerie whine and a low, humming sound, and finally another howl and a great deal of clattering. Anand realised that Boppa had started the time machine.

Mrs. Sharma, her husband and Dr. Mohan, all neighbours, came running to the children's help. We know they hurried because Anita mentions hearing "footsteps running up our drive", and the door was unlocked within a minute of their arrival.

Anand pointed to the floor near the panel of switches, where the green scarf lay. Since Boppa had been wearing the green scarf around his neck when he entered, it proved he had been near the time machine.

Boppa was never seen again, even though there was only one way out of the house and the neighbours had come in the same way. Anand therefore insists that the time machine worked and that the thief disappeared into the past.

Papa had the time machine dismantled because he thought it wasn't safe. Anita adds that maybe he also had a niggling suspicion that it worked, which is why the family could never try it out.

Anand is convinced that he is a genius and has launched a new project: a telephone to contact creatures in outer space. This shows that failure and ridicule cannot dampen his curiosity, confidence and inventive spirit.

Anand is a thirteen-year-old boy who believes he is a scientist. He loves tinkering with electrical gadgets, tools, dynamos and planks of wood, and uses impressive words like 'blueprint' to feel professional. He is over-confident and smug about his inventions, which never work as they are supposed to — his burglar alarm soaks his own father. Yet he is determined and single-minded: during his fortnight of frantic activity he even forgets to comb his hair. Above all, he shows remarkable presence of mind when he cleverly misleads Boppa into entering his own room.

Anita's words prove largely true. Anand thinks like an inventor — he draws blueprints, plans carefully and explains his designs confidently — but his inventions misfire in practice. The burglar alarm, meant to catch a thief, drenches Papa because it works only on doors opened gently, and Papa does exactly that. The time machine, built from wires, springs, levers and bulbs, is never properly tested. Ironically, it is his 'failed' invention that mysteriously rids the colony of the thief Boppa, which is why Anand insists he is a genius.

Papa and Ma left by the afternoon train for a wedding in Kharagpur. Anand fell asleep immediately, but Anita stayed up reading a novel. At about eleven thirty she heard a scratching at the door and, later, a rattle and a click. She woke Anand in fear. Before they could act, the door swung open and a ruffianly fellow with a green scarf — Boppa, the compound sweeper — walked in. He threatened them with his cudgel, locked them in, and returned to ask for their father's room.

When Boppa demanded to know the father's room, Anand cleverly directed him to his own room, hoping to buy time. In the dark, Boppa stumbled into the time machine and started it. There was a crash, a loud scream, muffled thumps, an eerie whine and a low humming sound. Boppa was never seen again, and only his green scarf remained near the panel of switches. Thus the machine Anand was forbidden to touch defeated the colony's thief, and Anand insists Boppa disappeared into the past.

The humour grows out of the gap between Anand's grand plans and their ridiculous failures. For example, the burglar alarm, designed to soak a thief, drenches Papa, who "always opens the door softly". Anita's dry remarks add to the fun — she says "You silly goose!" to Anand and notes that when Ma doesn't notice, "the fellow didn't even comb his hair". Even the ending is comic: Anand, undeterred by the whole adventure, launches a new project — a telephone to contact creatures in outer space.

The story deliberately leaves the question open. Reasons to believe it worked: Boppa vanished without a trace even though there was only one way out of the house; the machine was humming when the neighbours entered; only the green scarf remained behind; and even Papa may have had "a niggling suspicion that it worked". Reasons to doubt it: Boppa may have escaped unseen, as Mrs. Sharma suggests, and machines made from household parts can hardly travel through time. One can take either side, as the text supports both. (Accept any well-reasoned view.)

When the ruffianly Boppa threatened the children with his cudgel, they were helpless and locked in. Yet Anand kept his wits about him. When Boppa asked for their father's room, Anand immediately said, "The one next to this one," sending the thief to his own dark, cluttered room. He knew Boppa would take a while to locate the light switch, which gave the children time to shout for help. Their loud shouting brought Mrs. Sharma, her husband and Dr. Mohan to their rescue within minutes.

The parents react to Anand's experiments with caution: Papa locks up his tool box and hides the key, Ma watches her oven and mixer, and both forbid the trial of the time machine. Yet none of this can curb Anand's inventive spirit; he simply collects parts and carries on. The story suggests that while parental caution protects the home, a child's creativity needs understanding and guidance. Ma's gentle, sympathetic handling of Anand's crestfallen look shows the better way — firmness tempered with warmth.

The Sharmas and Dr. Mohan show what good neighbours are. When the children shout for help, footsteps come running up the drive within minutes. Mrs. Sharma calls out anxiously for the children, the door is unlocked at once, and everyone searches the house for the intruder. Mr. Sharma then spends the night in the house so that the children "needn't worry about any more intruders". Their promptness, courage and kindness turn a frightening night into a safe one.

The statement is ironic because the one invention that Anita dismisses may actually have worked. The burglar alarm, meant for a thief, soaks Papa — a perfect failure. The time machine is never tested and is dismantled as unsafe. Yet on the one night it matters, the machine seems to swallow up Boppa, the colony's thief, who is never seen again. The 'failure' thus achieves exactly what the burglar alarm was built for: ridding the colony of the thief. Anand's insistence that he is a genius suddenly sounds less absurd.

Anand, Anita's thirteen-year-old brother, is the heart of the story — a boy who genuinely believes he is a scientist. He loves tinkering with electrical gadgets, tools, dynamos and planks of wood, and keeps creating inventions that never work out as they are supposed to. He is ambitious and imaginative: a series of thefts inspires his burglar alarm, and after watching 'Back to the Future' he decides he must build a time machine. He is over-confident, using words like 'blueprint' because they make him feel professional, and explaining his designs smugly and loftily. His dedication borders on obsession — during the fortnight of frantic activity he lets no one into his room and does not even comb his hair, going around "like a savage". He is also brave and quick-witted: when Boppa threatens the children, Anand cleverly misleads him into entering his own room, saying "The one next to this one", and plans to shout for help. Though his father scolds him and dismantles his machine, Anand remains undeterred, convinced that he is a genius, and ends the story by launching a new project — a telephone to contact creatures in outer space. He is, in short, a comic but admirable portrait of the young inventor: flawed, funny and unstoppable.

Anita, the fourteen-year-old narrator, tells the story in a dry, affectionate and often amused tone. She is the voice of reason in the family: she is sceptical of Anand's alarm from the start, questions how "the alarm knows that a burglar is opening the door", and repeatedly warns, "If you get a shelling, don't bring me in". Her scepticism is always justified — Papa is soaked, and the time machine is forbidden. Yet she is a caring sister: she stays up reading but wakes Anand the moment she suspects danger, whispers warnings to keep him safe, and shouts "in unison" with him for help. She is observant and witty, noticing that Anand loves the word 'blueprint' because it makes him feel professional, and describing him as going around "like a savage". In the crisis she is honest and sensible, explaining to the neighbours that the last they heard, the thief was in the time machine. Her sensible nature is also seen in her relief when Ma extracts a promise from Anand. Through her eyes we see the family with both exasperation and love, which is what makes the story warm and funny.

The central theme of the story is that curiosity, creativity and persistence matter more than success. Anand's inventions fail spectacularly — the burglar alarm soaks his own father because Papa "always opens the door softly", and the time machine is dismissed and dismantled as unsafe. Yet the story rewards his inventive spirit in an unexpected way: it is his 'useless' time machine into which the thief Boppa stumbles, and after the crash, the scream and the humming of the machine, Boppa is never seen again. The message is that failures should not stop us from dreaming and experimenting; even a failed invention taught the family something. A second theme is the value of presence of mind and teamwork in danger — Anand's clever misdirection and the children's shouting save them. Finally, the story gently suggests that adults should balance caution with encouragement: Papa locks the tool box, but Ma's sympathetic "Poor boy... At least let's take a look at it" shows understanding of a child's dreams. The story belongs to a unit called 'Dreams and Discoveries', and Anand embodies both.

The story teaches several values. First, persistence: Anand never gives up despite failures and scolding; after the alarm soaks Papa, he soon returns to inventing, and even after his time machine is dismantled, he launches a new project — a telephone to contact creatures in outer space. Second, presence of mind and courage: when Boppa threatens the children with a cudgel, Anand thinks quickly and directs him to the wrong room, and both children shout "for all we were worth" instead of giving in to fear. Third, honesty and responsibility: Anita makes it clear she does not want to be wrongly blamed, and explains the truth to the neighbours. Fourth, community spirit and neighbourliness: Mrs. Sharma, her husband and Dr. Mohan rush to the children's help at night, and Mr. Sharma spends the night in their house to guard them. Fifth, family love and balance: even while scolding Anand, the parents care for him — Ma notices his crestfallen look and pleads for him, and Papa's "if the house falls, it's your fault" is stern affection in disguise. Together these values show that failure, fear and family friction can all be handled with courage, kindness and a sense of humour.

In the story, Anand's burglar alarm fails by soaking Papa, and his time machine is dismantled without a proper trial; yet the family's problems with the colony thief are solved by that very time machine, and Anand carries on inventing with full confidence. This mirrors how real inventors work — Thomas Edison made thousands of unsuccessful attempts before the light bulb worked, famously saying he had found ways that did not work rather than failures. Like Anand, the students of the unit 'Dreams and Discoveries' learn that every failed experiment removes one more wrong answer. In my own life, I have seen this while learning to cook or to code: the first attempts went wrong, but each mistake showed me exactly what to change the next time. Anand's refusal to be discouraged — starting a telephone for creatures in outer space immediately after losing his time machine — is the attitude every learner needs. Failure is not the opposite of success; it is the path to it, provided we keep our curiosity, note our mistakes and try again. (Accept any relevant real-life example.)

Papa's approach is strict and precautionary. After the burglar alarm soaks him, he demands to know who is behind the nonsense; when Anand begins the time machine, he locks up his tool box and hides the key; and when the machine is ready, he declares, "When I say NO, I mean NO". His concern is genuine — gadgets are taken apart, the house is noisy, and the machine may be unsafe — and in the end he has the machine dismantled for safety. Ma's approach is gentler. She tries to soothe Papa after the water-bag incident, keeps a wary eye on her oven and mixer instead of punishing Anand, and notices his crestfallen look when Papa refuses, pleading, "Poor boy... At least let's take a look at it". She also trusts the children enough to leave them alone for one night, though she extracts a promise about the machine. Papa's firmness protects the family, but Ma's sympathy protects the child's spirit. The better approach is a balance of both — safety rules set clearly, as Papa does, but delivered with Ma's understanding, so that a child's creativity is channelled rather than crushed.

Last night was the most exciting night of my life, and my time machine finally proved itself! I had promised Ma not to touch it, and I honestly did not — it was Boppa, the compound sweeper who is really the colony's thief, who did. Anita heard him scratching at the door at about eleven thirty, and then he barged in with his green scarf and a cudgel, threatening to harm us if we made a sound. He locked us in and came back to ask where Papa's room was. I knew Papa's room was upstairs, but I quickly said, "The one next to this one" — my own room! I figured the darkness and all my wires, springs and the enormous control panel would slow him down, and I was right. There was a crash, a loud scream, muffled thumps, an eerie whine and then the low humming of my machine. He had started my time machine! When the Sharmas and Dr. Mohan rescued us, all that was left of Boppa was his green scarf near the panel of switches. Papa still had the machine dismantled, saying it wasn't safe — maybe he secretly suspects it worked, and I know it did. Boppa disappeared into the past, and I am a genius. Now I have already begun my next project: a telephone to contact creatures in outer space. (Accept any imaginative version consistent with the text.)