CBSE Class 8EnglishQuestions & AnswersChapter level
Feathered Friend Questions & Answers | Class 8 English | CBSE NCERT
Chapter-wise questions and answers for Feathered Friend in Class 8 English, with a clear summary, key points, and exam-ready model answers.
What you will find on this page: a clear chapter summary, revision notes, word meanings, important questions, MCQs, and exam-ready question answers for Class 8 English.
After reviewing the chapter explanation, answer the short-answer, long-answer, extract-based, and objective questions below.
About 117 min readFeathered FriendUpdated 29 Sep 2026
Questions and answers
1 marks · mcq
1. Q1. (MCQ) Why is the narrator "quite certain" that Sven would have ignored a rule against pets?
(a) Sven was the captain and could make his own rules
(b) Sven was the kind of man who would do as he pleased
(c) Pets were officially encouraged on space stations
(d) Sven had special permission from Earth
To the best of my knowledge, there's never been a regulation that forbids one to keep pets in a space station. No one ever thought it was necessary—and even had such a rule existed, I am quite certain that Sven Olsen would have ignored it. Actually he was a wiry little fellow, like most of the early spacers, and managed to qualify easily for the 150-pound bonus that kept so many of us on a reducing diet. Had he been built otherwise, his chances of getting a job in space would have been very slim.
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(b) — The narrator's confident tone implies that Sven was strong-willed; the story later proves this when Sven smuggles a canary aboard.
1 marks · mcq
2. Q2. (MCQ) The word 'wiry' tells us that Sven was:
(a) tall and muscular
(b) thin but strong
(c) nervous and jumpy
(d) lazy and slow-moving
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(b) — 'Wiry' describes someone who is lean/slight in build yet tough and strong.
1 marks · mcq
3. Q3. (MCQ) The 150-pound bonus "kept so many of us on a reducing diet" because:
(a) the food in the space station was tasteless
(b) overweight spacers were fined heavily
(c) staying light enough to qualify for work in space earned extra pay
(d) the doctors on Earth refused to treat heavy spacers
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(c) — Spacers dieted to remain within the weight limit, since lighter crew members qualified for the bonus; heavier people had "very slim" chances of a space job.
1 marks · direct
4. Q4. (True/False) Sven Olsen was a heavily built man. ______
Show answer
False — he was "a wiry little fellow, like most of the early spacers".
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5. Q5. (Short Answer) Who are referred to as the "early spacers"?
Show answer
The early spacers were the first human beings who travelled to and worked in space, like Sven Olsen. Being small and light-bodied was an advantage for them.
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6. Q6. (Short Answer) Why would Sven's "chances of getting a job in space" have been "very slim" had he been "built otherwise"?
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Space work demanded a light body weight, as the 150-pound bonus shows. If Sven had been heavier, he would not have qualified for space work and would have had little chance of being selected.
1 marks · mcq
7. Q1. (MCQ) The phrase "slow-motion, three-dimensional ballet" describes:
(a) a dance performance put on by the crew
(b) the graceful floating movement of girders in weightlessness
(c) the spinning of the space station
(d) the way astronauts exercise in space
Sven was one of our best construction men, and excelled at the tricky and specialised work of collecting assorted girders as they floated around in free fall, making them do the slow-motion, three-dimensional ballet that would get them into their right positions, and fusing the pieces together when they were precisely dovetailed into the intended pattern: it was a skilled and difficult job, for a space suit is not the most convenient of garbs in which to work. However, Sven's team had one great advantage over the construction groups you see putting up skyscrapers down on Earth. They could step back and admire their handiwork without being abruptly parted from it by gravity.
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(b) — In free fall the girders float and drift slowly in all three dimensions, like dancers performing a ballet.
1 marks · mcq
8. Q2. (MCQ) Sven's job was 'skilled and difficult' chiefly because:
(a) the girders were too heavy to lift
(b) the work had to be finished very fast
(c) working inside a clumsy space suit made precise work hard
(d) he had no team to help him
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(c) — The narrator says "a space suit is not the most convenient of garbs in which to work".
1 marks · mcq
9. Q3. (MCQ) The one "great advantage" Sven's team had over construction groups on Earth was that they:
(a) earned much higher wages
(b) could admire their finished work without gravity pulling anything down
(c) used better quality steel girders
(d) did not need to wear safety helmets
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(b) — On Earth, gravity would "abruptly part" builders from their handiwork; in space they could "step back and admire" it safely.
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10. Q4. (One word) What does 'dovetailed' mean in this extract? ______
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Fitted together precisely/exactly (the way the girders joined into the intended pattern).
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11. Q5. (Short Answer) Why does the writer compare the movement of girders to a 'ballet'?
Show answer
In the absence of gravity, the girders float and drift gracefully in slow motion in all directions, which resembles the smooth, choreographed movements of ballet dancers.
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12. Q6. (Short Answer) What does this extract tell us about Sven's professional ability?
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Sven was "one of our best construction men" who "excelled" at tricky, specialised work. He was clearly highly skilled, patient and expert at handling weightless structures.
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13. Q1. (MCQ) The narrator says "I'm not a psychologist" because:
(a) he failed psychology in college
(b) he cannot explain the reason behind Sven's behaviour
(c) psychology is not taught in space
(d) he dislikes analysing people
Don't ask me why Sven wanted a pet, or why he chose the one he did. I'm not a psychologist, but I must admit that his selection was very sensible. Claribel weighed practically nothing, her food requirements were tiny—and she was not worried, as most animals would have been, by the absence of gravity.
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(b) — He honestly admits he cannot explain why Sven wanted a pet or chose that particular one; only whether it was sensible.
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14. Q2. (MCQ) Claribel was a 'very sensible' choice of pet for a space station because she:
(a) could sing beautifully for the crew
(b) was lightweight, ate little, and was unconcerned by weightlessness
(c) could be trained to deliver messages
(d) needed no oxygen to survive
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(b) — The extract lists her three virtues: she weighed "practically nothing", her food needs were "tiny", and she was "not worried... by the absence of gravity".
1 marks · mcq
15. Q3. (MCQ) The phrase 'absence of gravity' means:
(a) double gravity
(b) zero gravity / weightlessness
(c) gravity on the Moon
(d) reduced air pressure
Show answer
(b) — There is no gravity felt in the orbiting station, so everything, including Claribel, floats weightlessly.
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16. Q4. (Fill in the blank) Most animals would have been ______ by the absence of gravity, but Claribel was not.
Show answer
worried.
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17. Q5. (Short Answer) Who is Claribel, according to this extract?
Show answer
Claribel is the pet that Sven Olsen brought to the space station. Though her name is not explained here, she is introduced as a remarkably sensible choice because she is tiny, light and undisturbed by weightlessness.
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18. Q6. (Short Answer — personal response) Do you agree with the narrator that Claribel was a 'sensible' choice? Give a reason.
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Yes — in a crowded space station, a pet that weighs almost nothing, eats very little and stays calm without gravity creates no practical problems, unlike a larger, heavier or frightened animal would.
1 marks · mcq
19. Q1. (MCQ) The narrator was in his 'office' to:
(a) listen to music on the intercom
(b) check lists of technical stores
(c) repair the angle beam
(d) write a report for Earth
I first became aware that Claribel was aboard when I was sitting in the little cubbyhole laughingly called my office, checking through my lists of technical stores to decide what items we'd be running out of next. When I heard the musical whistle beside my ear, I assumed that it had come over the station intercom, and waited for an announcement to follow. It didn't; instead, there was a long and involved pattern of melody that made me look up with such a start that I forgot all about the angle beam just behind my head. When the stars had ceased to explode before my eyes, I had my first view of Claribel.
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(b) — He was "checking through my lists of technical stores to decide what items we'd be running out of next".
1 marks · mcq
20. Q2. (MCQ) Why did the narrator first assume the whistle came from the intercom?
(a) It sounded exactly like a human voice
(b) Whistling was usually heard only through the intercom in a station
(c) He had heard an announcement being made earlier
(d) The intercom was placed right beside his ear
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(b) — Since sounds in a station normally came over the intercom, he naturally expected an announcement to follow the "musical whistle beside my ear".
1 marks · mcq
21. Q3. (MCQ) The humorous expression "when the stars had ceased to explode before my eyes" means:
(a) the narrator watched a fireworks display
(b) the narrator banged his head on the angle beam and saw flashing lights
(c) Claribel flew past his face very fast
(d) the station lights flickered briefly
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(b) — He looked up with a start, forgot the angle beam behind his head, struck it, and saw 'stars' as people do after a bump.
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22. Q4. (One word) What was the narrator's office "laughingly called"? ______
Show answer
A cubbyhole (a small, cramped enclosed space).
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23. Q5. (Short Answer) What was unusual about the 'melody' the narrator heard?
Show answer
It was a "long and involved pattern of melody" with no announcement following it — unlike any normal intercom broadcast. This surprise made him look up suddenly and get his first glimpse of Claribel.
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24. Q6. (Short Answer) What does this extract tell us about the narrator's duties on the station?
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He was in charge of technical stores — checking supplies and planning which items the station would need next. It shows he was a responsible administrator on the space station.
1 marks · mcq
25. Q1. (MCQ) Claribel could hang motionless in the air "with much less effort" than a hummingbird because:
(a) she was stronger than a hummingbird
(b) in weightlessness she did not need to flap her wings at all
(c) she was resting on the angle beam
(d) the air inside the station was very thick
She was a small yellow canary, hanging in the air as motionless as a hummingbird—and with much less effort, for her wings were quietly folded along her sides. We stared at each other for a minute; then, before I had quite recovered my wits, she did a curious kind of backward loop I'm sure no earthbound canary had ever managed, and departed with a few leisurely flicks. It was quite obvious that she'd already learned how to operate in the absence of gravity, and did not believe in doing unnecessary work.
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(b) — Without gravity she did not have to fight to stay up, so her wings stayed "quietly folded along her sides".
1 marks · mcq
26. Q2. (MCQ) The "curious kind of backward loop" that Claribel performed:
(a) proved she was unwell
(b) was a trick Sven had taught her
(c) was possible only because there was no gravity to pull her down
(d) made her crash into the bulkhead
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(c) — The narrator is "sure no earthbound canary had ever managed" it, since on Earth gravity would make such a loop impossible.
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27. Q3. (MCQ) The line "she... did not believe in doing unnecessary work" shows that Claribel was:
(a) lazy and unfit
(b) intelligent and quickly adapted to weightlessness
(c) afraid of the narrator
(d) unable to fly at all
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(b) — She had "already learned how to operate in the absence of gravity" and used only the few "leisurely flicks" needed — an intelligent adaptation, not laziness.
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28. Q4. (True/False) Claribel flapped her wings constantly to remain suspended in the air. ______
Show answer
False — her wings were "quietly folded along her sides" as she hung motionless.
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29. Q5. (Short Answer) Why does the narrator compare Claribel to a hummingbird?
Show answer
A hummingbird can hover almost still in mid-air. Claribel too hung "motionless" in the air — but with "much less effort", because in space she was weightless and needed no wing-beats to stay up.
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30. Q6. (Short Answer) What does the narrator's remark "I'm sure no earthbound canary had ever managed" suggest about Claribel's condition?
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It suggests that Claribel was perhaps the first canary ever to fly in zero gravity. Her backward loop was something impossible for any ordinary bird on Earth.
1 marks · mcq
31. Q1. (MCQ) The phrase 'a general pet' means that Claribel:
(a) belonged to the station's commanding general
(b) was cared for and loved by the whole crew
(c) was kept in a cage in the general store
(d) was treated like an ordinary bird
Sven didn't confess to her ownership for several days, and by that time it no longer mattered, because Claribel was a general pet. He had smuggled her up on the last ferry from Earth, when he came back from leave—partly, he claimed, out of sheer scientific curiosity. He wanted to see just how a bird would operate when it had no weight but could still use its wings.
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(b) — 'General' here means 'belonging to everyone'; the entire crew had adopted her, so Sven's ownership no longer mattered.
1 marks · mcq
32. Q2. (MCQ) The word 'smuggled' tells the reader that Sven:
(a) bought the bird legally at the station shop
(b) brought the bird secretly, without permission
(c) received the bird as a gift from a VIP
(d) found the bird already living on the station
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(b) — To smuggle is to bring something in secretly, breaking the rules; no one was even supposed to know.
1 marks · mcq
33. Q3. (MCQ) Sven's 'scientific curiosity' was to find out:
(a) whether canaries could sing in space
(b) how a bird would fly when it had no weight but still had wings
(c) whether birds could survive without food
(d) how fast a bird's heart beats in space
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(b) — He "wanted to see just how a bird would operate when it had no weight but could still use its wings".
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34. Q4. (Fill in the blank) Sven brought Claribel up on the last ______ from Earth, when he came back from ______.
Show answer
ferry; leave.
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35. Q5. (Short Answer) Why did it 'no longer matter' that Sven hadn't confessed to owning Claribel?
Show answer
Because within a few days Claribel had become "a general pet" loved by everyone on the station, so nobody cared who officially owned her.
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36. Q6. (Short Answer — personal response) Was Sven's reason for bringing Claribel purely scientific, in your opinion? Why/why not?
Show answer
Partly, perhaps — he really did want to see how a bird would fly without weight. But the word "partly" and his love for the bird suggest he also wanted the companionship of a pet far away from Earth.
1 marks · mcq
37. Q1. (MCQ) The line 'Claribel thrived and grew fat' shows that:
(a) Claribel was unhealthy in space
(b) Claribel was happy, healthy and well fed on the station
(c) the crew overfed her deliberately
(d) Claribel was about to be sent back to Earth
Claribel thrived and grew fat. On the whole, we had little trouble concealing our guest when VIPs from Earth came visiting. A space station has more hiding places than you can count; the only problem was that Claribel got rather noisy when she was upset, and we sometimes had to think fast to explain the curious peeps and whistles that came from ventilating shafts and storage bulkheads. There were a couple of narrow escapes—but then who would dream of looking for a canary in a space station?
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(b) — 'Thrived' means flourished; she ate well and settled in comfortably.
1 marks · mcq
38. Q2. (MCQ) The ONLY problem in hiding Claribel from visiting VIPs was that she:
(a) shed yellow feathers everywhere
(b) was too large to hide
(c) became noisy when she was upset
(d) always attacked the visitors
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(c) — Her "curious peeps and whistles" from the ventilating shafts and storage bulkheads forced the crew to "think fast" for explanations.
1 marks · mcq
39. Q3. (MCQ) 'There were a couple of narrow escapes' means the crew:
(a) escaped from the space station twice
(b) nearly got caught keeping the pet on two occasions
(c) lost Claribel twice in the shafts
(d) narrowly avoided two accidents
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(b) — A 'narrow escape' is a near-miss; twice they almost had their secret discovered, but nobody suspected a canary.
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40. Q4. (One word) The ducts that allow fresh air into the closed station are called ______.
Show answer
ventilating shafts.
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41. Q5. (Short Answer) Why does the writer say "who would dream of looking for a canary in a space station?"
Show answer
A canary is the last thing anyone would expect aboard a space station, so no visitor would ever suspect the strange bird-sounds to be a hidden pet. This is the crew's best protection.
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42. Q6. (Short Answer) How does this extract show that the whole crew protected Claribel?
Show answer
Everyone helped conceal her — hiding her in the station's countless hiding places and thinking up quick excuses for her peeps and whistles when VIPs visited. This teamwork shows their affection for her.
1 marks · mcq
43. Q1. (MCQ) There is no real 'day' and 'night' on the space station because the crew:
(a) works in permanent darkness
(b) floats in permanent sunlight
(c) sleeps through the nights
(d) keeps the windows covered
We were now on twelve-hour watches, which was not as bad as it sounds, since you need little sleep in space. Though of course there is no 'day' and 'night' when you are floating in permanent sunlight, it was still convenient to stick to the terms. Certainly when I woke that 'morning' it felt like 6:00 a.m. on Earth. I had a nagging headache, and vague memories of fitful, disturbed dreams. It took me ages to undo my bunk straps, and I was still only half awake when I joined the remainder of the duty crew in the mess. Breakfast was unusually quiet, and there was one seat vacant.
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(b) — The station orbits in "permanent sunlight", so the crew merely found it "convenient to stick to" Earth's day/night terms.
1 marks · mcq
44. Q2. (MCQ) The narrator's physical condition that 'morning' — a nagging headache, disturbed dreams and half-awake dullness — is a sign that:
(a) he had slept too much
(b) he was homesick for Earth
(c) the air in the station was slowly going bad
(d) he was suffering from fever
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(c) — These are the early effects of the failing air purifier; later the narrator realises his "sluggish" mind was caused by the same problem that made Claribel faint.
1 marks · mcq
45. Q3. (MCQ) Why did it take the narrator 'ages' to undo his bunk straps?
(a) The straps were jammed and broken
(b) He was dull and slow-witted because of the bad air
(c) He did not want to leave his bunk
(d) His hands were bandaged
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(b) — Along with the headache and disturbed dreams, his unusual slowness foreshadows the trouble with the air.
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46. Q4. (Fill in the blank) At breakfast, one seat was vacant because Sven was ______.
Show answer
looking for Claribel.
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47. Q5. (Short Answer) Why do spacers need "little sleep in space"?
Show answer
According to the narrator, living in the weightlessness of space reduces the body's need for sleep, which is why long twelve-hour watches "was not as bad as it sounds".
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48. Q6. (Short Answer) What atmosphere is created by the details 'unusually quiet' breakfast and 'one seat vacant'?
Show answer
These details create an atmosphere of unease and gloom. Something is wrong — the crew feels dull (bad air), and Sven's absence while searching for the missing Claribel hints that trouble is coming.
1 marks · mcq
49. Q1. (MCQ) Why was Sven's seat vacant at breakfast?
(a) He was on duty outside the station
(b) He was searching for Claribel, who was missing
(c) He was unwell and sleeping in
(d) He had gone to receive the ferry from Earth
"Where's Sven?" I asked, not very much caring. "He's looking for Claribel," someone answered. "Says he can't find her anywhere. She usually wakes him up." Before I could retort that she usually woke me up, too, Sven came in through the doorway, and we could see at once that something was wrong. He slowly opened his hand, and there lay a tiny bundle of yellow feathers, with two clenched claws sticking pathetically up into the air. "What happened?" we asked, all equally distressed. "I don't know," said Sven mournfully. "I just found her like this."
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(b) — Someone answers, "He's looking for Claribel... he can't find her anywhere."
1 marks · mcq
50. Q2. (MCQ) The word 'retort' means:
(a) to reply sharply or answer back
(b) to repeat slowly
(c) to whisper softly
(d) to ask a question
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(a) — The narrator was about to retort (answer back) that Claribel usually woke him up as well.
1 marks · mcq
51. Q3. (MCQ) "A tiny bundle of yellow feathers, with two clenched claws sticking pathetically up into the air" is:
(a) a toy Sven had made
(b) Claribel, lying lifeless as though dead
(c) a yellow glove
(d) another bird from Earth
Show answer
(b) — It is Claribel, so still and limp that her clenched claws point upward — a heartbreaking picture of the unconscious canary.
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52. Q4. (One word) Which word in the extract means 'in a sad, sorrowful manner'? ______
Show answer
Mournfully.
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53. Q5. (Short Answer) How did the crew react when Sven opened his hand?
Show answer
They could see at once that something was wrong and asked "What happened?", all "equally distressed". The whole crew was anxious and worried about Claribel.
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54. Q6. (Short Answer — personal response) Why do you think the narrator describes Claribel's claws as 'sticking pathetically up into the air'?
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The word 'pathetically' shows the narrator's pity and affection for the little bird. Her helpless, upturned claws make her condition appear sadder and touch the reader's heart.
1 marks · mcq
55. Q1. (MCQ) Jock Duncan's title 'cook-doctor-dietitian' suggests that on a space station:
(a) only one man is paid a salary
(b) each crew member handles several jobs at once
(c) cooking is the most important duty
(d) there are no trained doctors anywhere
"Let's have a look at her," said Jock Duncan, our cook-doctor-dietitian. We all waited in hushed silence while he held Claribel against his ear in an attempt to detect any heartbeat. Presently he shook his head. "I can't hear anything, but that doesn't prove she's dead. I've never listened to a canary's heart," he added rather apologetically. "Give her a shot of oxygen," suggested somebody, pointing to the green-banded emergency cylinder in its recess beside the door. Everyone agreed that this was an excellent idea, and Claribel was tucked snugly into a face mask that was large enough to serve as a complete oxygen tent for her. To our delighted surprise, she revived at once. Beaming broadly, Sven removed the mask, and she hopped onto his finger. She gave her series of "Come to the cookhouse, boys" trills—then promptly keeled over again.
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(b) — It humorously shows that crew members are multi-skilled and perform many roles in a small station.
1 marks · mcq
56. Q2. (MCQ) Why could Jock not be sure whether Claribel was dead?
(a) His stethoscope was broken
(b) He had never listened to a canary's heart before
(c) The station was too noisy
(d) Claribel was struggling too much
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(b) — He admits, "I can't hear anything, but that doesn't prove she's dead. I've never listened to a canary's heart."
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57. Q3. (MCQ) Claribel 'revived at once' with oxygen but 'promptly keeled over again' because:
(a) she was allergic to oxygen
(b) she was tired and wanted to sleep
(c) the air in the station itself was faulty, so she collapsed the moment she left the mask
(d) Sven handled her too roughly
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(c) — The pure oxygen revived her, but the moment she returned to the station's polluted air, she fainted again — the first clue that the air itself was the problem.
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58. Q4. (One word) What colour band marked the emergency oxygen cylinder? ______
Show answer
Green.
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59. Q5. (Short Answer) Why did everyone wait in 'hushed silence' while Jock examined Claribel?
Show answer
The whole crew loved Claribel and were deeply worried about her. Their anxious, silent watch shows how much the little canary meant to everyone.
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60. Q6. (Short Answer) What does 'keeled over' mean? What made the crew finally understand why this kept happening?
Show answer
'Keeled over' means collapsed or fainted. The narrator later realised she fainted because "there's something wrong with the air" — just as miners' canaries once warned of gas underground.
1 marks · mcq
61. Q1. (MCQ) The phrase 'tugging at my memory' means:
(a) a memory being slowly pulled back into the narrator's mind
(b) the narrator's coat being pulled by Sven
(c) a headache troubling the narrator
(d) a strange noise in the station
"I don't get it," lamented Sven. "What's wrong with her? She's never done this before." For the last few minutes, something had been tugging at my memory. My mind seemed to be very sluggish that morning, as if I was still unable to cast off the burden of sleep. I felt that I could do with some of that oxygen—but before I could reach the mask, understanding exploded in my brain. I whirled on the duty engineer and said urgently: "Jim!" There's something wrong with the air! That's why Claribel's passed out. I've just remembered that miners used to carry canaries down to warn them of gas.
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(a) — Something he half-remembered was insistently coming back to him — the old practice of miners' canaries.
1 marks · mcq
62. Q2. (MCQ) The narrator's mind was 'sluggish' that morning because:
(a) he had overslept badly
(b) he had worked a double watch
(c) the faulty air was dulling his brain too
(d) he was suffering from fever
Show answer
(c) — He even "felt that I could do with some of that oxygen"; the polluted air was slowing everyone's thinking, not just affecting Claribel.
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63. Q3. (MCQ) The narrator suddenly remembered that miners carried canaries down the mines to:
(a) keep them company while they worked
(b) warn them of dangerous gas
(c) catch mice in the tunnels
(d) entertain the workers during breaks
Show answer
(b) — Canaries, being more sensitive, would faint from gas before humans noticed it, giving the miners a warning in time.
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64. Q4. (Fill in the blank) "Understanding ______ in my brain" — the narrator suddenly realised that there was something wrong with the ______.
Show answer
exploded; air.
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65. Q5. (Short Answer) Why does the narrator say 'understanding exploded in my brain'?
Show answer
After minutes of sluggish half-remembering, the realisation came all at once, sudden and powerful like an explosion: Claribel's fainting was a warning that the station's air had gone bad.
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66. Q6. (Short Answer) Why was the narrator's own dull, sluggish condition an important clue?
Show answer
His headache, disturbed sleep and slow thinking were the same mild symptoms of the bad air that had knocked Claribel out completely. Connecting his own condition with hers is what finally led him to the truth.
1 marks · mcq
67. Q1. (MCQ) Jim cried "Nonsense!" because he was confident that:
(a) space station air can never go bad
(b) the duplicate alarm circuits would surely have warned them
(c) Sven was joking about Claribel
(d) the engineers had checked everything that morning
"Nonsense!" said Jim. "The alarms would have gone off. We've got duplicate circuits, operating independently." "Er—the second alarm circuit isn't connected up yet," his assistant reminded him. That shook Jim; he left without a word, while we stood arguing and passing the oxygen bottle around like a pipe of peace. He came back ten minutes later with a sheepish expression. It was one of those accidents that couldn't possibly happen; we'd had one of our rare eclipses by Earth's shadow that night; part of the air purifier had frozen up, and the single alarm in the circuit had failed to go off. Half a million dollars' worth of chemical and electronic engineering had let us down completely. Without Claribel, we should soon have been slightly dead. So now, if you visit any space station, don't be surprised if you hear an inexplicable snatch of birdsong. There's no need to be alarmed; on the contrary, in fact. It will mean that you're being doubly safeguarded, at practically no extra expense.
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(b) — He believed the "duplicate circuits, operating independently" made an undetected air failure impossible — until the assistant revealed the second circuit was not connected.
1 marks · mcq
68. Q2. (MCQ) What actually caused the air purifier to fail?
(a) an eclipse by Earth's shadow froze part of it, and the single alarm failed to sound
(b) a short circuit burnt it out
(c) Claribel had damaged it while flying around
(d) the crew had forgotten to switch it on
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(a) — During "one of our rare eclipses by Earth's shadow", part of the purifier froze up and "the single alarm in the circuit had failed to go off".
1 marks · mcq
69. Q3. (MCQ) The expression 'a sheepish expression' on Jim's face means he looked:
(a) proud and satisfied
(b) embarrassed at being proved wrong
(c) frightened of the dark
(d) eager to argue further
Show answer
(b) — 'Sheepish' means embarrassed; his confident "Nonsense!" had turned out to be mistaken.
1 marks · direct
70. Q4. (True/False) The second alarm circuit was working perfectly that night. ______
Show answer
False — the assistant admitted "the second alarm circuit isn't connected up yet".
1 marks · direct
71. Q5. (Short Answer) Why is the statement "Half a million dollars' worth of chemical and electronic engineering had let us down completely" ironic?
Show answer
All the expensive machinery with its duplicate alarms failed to detect the danger, while a tiny canary brought for fun succeeded in warning the crew. The cheapest alarm proved to be the most reliable one.
1 marks · direct
72. Q6. (Short Answer) Why does the narrator tell future visitors to a space station not to be alarmed by "an inexplicable snatch of birdsong"?
Show answer
He jokes that stations may now keep canaries as extra safety devices. Birds — far more sensitive to bad air than machines or even humans — provide "doubly" protection "at practically no extra expense".
2 marks · short
73. 1. Who was Claribel, and how did she reach the space station?
Claribel was a small yellow canary. Sven Olsen smuggled her up from Earth on the last ferry when he returned from leave.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
74. 2. Why does the narrator call Sven's choice of pet "very sensible"?
Claribel weighed practically nothing, her food requirements were tiny, and she was not worried by the absence of gravity, unlike most animals would have been.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
75. 3. What was Sven's job on the space station, and what made him good at it?
Sven was one of the best construction men, excelling at collecting assorted girders floating in free fall, manoeuvring them into position, and fusing the pieces together precisely.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
76. 4. Where was the narrator when he first heard Claribel's whistle?
He was in the little cubbyhole laughingly called his office, checking through his lists of technical stores to decide what items they would soon run out of.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
77. 5. Why did the narrator mistake Claribel's whistle for the intercom?
He heard a musical whistle beside his ear and assumed it had come over the station intercom, so he waited for an announcement to follow — but none came.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
78. 6. What was Sven's scientific reason for bringing Claribel to space?
He claimed it was out of sheer scientific curiosity: he wanted to see how a bird would operate when it had no weight but could still use its wings.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
79. 7. How had Claribel learned to "operate in the absence of gravity"?
She could hang motionless with folded wings and fly with only a few leisurely flicks, even performing a backward loop no earthbound canary could manage. She "did not believe in doing unnecessary work".
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
80. 8. What difficulty did the crew face while hiding Claribel from VIPs?
Claribel got noisy when she was upset, so the crew had to think fast to explain the curious peeps and whistles that came from ventilating shafts and storage bulkheads.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
81. 9. What signs of trouble did the narrator notice on the morning Claribel was found unconscious?
He had a nagging headache, vague memories of fitful disturbed dreams, and a sluggish mind, and breakfast was unusually quiet with one seat vacant.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
82. 10. Who was Jock Duncan, and what did he try to do for Claribel?
Jock Duncan was the crew's cook-doctor-dietitian. He held Claribel against his ear to detect a heartbeat, though he had to admit he had never listened to a canary's heart before.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
83. 11. What happened when Claribel was given a shot of oxygen?
She revived at once, hopped onto Sven's finger and sang her "Come to the cookhouse, boys" trills — but promptly keeled over again because the station's air was faulty.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
84. 12. What did the narrator suddenly remember about miners?
He remembered that miners used to carry canaries down into the mines to warn them of gas, because the birds sensed dangerous air before humans could.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
85. 13. Why was Jim so sure the air could not be at fault?
He believed the duplicate alarm circuits, operating independently, would have gone off if anything had gone wrong with the air supply.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
86. 14. What had actually gone wrong on the station that night?
During a rare eclipse by Earth's shadow, part of the air purifier had frozen up, and the single alarm in the circuit failed to go off — because the second alarm circuit was not connected up yet.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
87. 15. What does the phrase "Without Claribel, we should soon have been slightly dead" mean?
It humorously means that without the canary's warning, the crew would have died from the polluted air. The understatement "slightly dead" adds to the humour.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
88. 16. Why does the narrator say visitors to any space station may hear "an inexplicable snatch of birdsong"?
He jokes that space stations may now keep canaries, like Claribel, as living warning systems — so birdsong means the air is being doubly safeguarded at practically no extra expense.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
89. 17. What is meant by the phrase 'a narrow escape' in the story?
It refers to the couple of occasions when the crew nearly got caught hiding Claribel from visiting VIPs, but escaped discovery because no one would dream of looking for a canary in a space station.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
90. 18. Explain the meaning of the word 'smuggled' as used in the story.
'Smuggled' means brought in secretly and illegally. Sven smuggled Claribel up on the last ferry from Earth without anyone's permission or knowledge.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
91. 19. Why did it "no longer matter" that Sven kept his ownership of Claribel a secret for days?
By the time he confessed, Claribel had become a general pet of the whole crew, loved and cared for by everyone on the station.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
2 marks · short
92. 20. What value does the story highlight through Claribel's rescue of the crew?
The story highlights that even the smallest, humblest creature can be precious, and that careful observation of nature can save lives where costly technology fails.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
93. 1. Trace the crew's changing attitude towards Claribel, from her arrival to the end of the story.
At first the narrator is merely startled by a musical whistle and curious about the strange bird. Soon Claribel becomes a general pet, loved by all, with the crew hiding her from VIPs and covering up her noisy peeps. When she is found unconscious, everyone is equally distressed, and they try desperately to revive her. By the end, the crew realises they owe their lives to her, and the story closes with the canary celebrated as a safeguard in space stations.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
94. 2. How does Arthur C. Clarke create a sense of foreboding (coming trouble) in the second part of the story?
The 'morning' begins wrongly: the narrator has a nagging headache, fitful disturbed dreams and a sluggish mind, and breakfast is unusually quiet with one seat vacant. Sven enters looking worried, holding a tiny bundle of yellow feathers with clenched claws pointing up. Each small detail — the strange silence, the missing crew member, the sick bird — builds tension and hints that something is wrong with the station itself, long before it is revealed.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
95. 3. "Half a million dollars' worth of chemical and electronic engineering had let us down completely." Discuss the irony in this line.
The station's air purification and alarm systems were enormously expensive and supposed to be fail-safe, with duplicate circuits. Yet a rare eclipse froze part of the purifier, and the alarm did not sound because the second circuit was not connected. Ironically, the tiny canary — costing almost nothing to feed and keep — succeeded as a warning system where the engineering failed. The cheapest 'alarm' on the station was the most reliable one.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
96. 4. Describe the character of Sven Olsen, drawing on evidence from the text.
Sven is a wiry little fellow and one of the station's best construction men, excelling at the tricky, specialised work of manoeuvring floating girders. He is playful and unconventional: he smuggles a canary aboard, claiming scientific curiosity about how a bird would fly without weight. His affectionate side shows in his grief when Claribel collapses and his broad beam of delight when she revives. He is also rule-defying but responsible, and his 'pet project' ends up saving everyone's life.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
97. 5. How does the story show that life in space is different from life on Earth?
Life in space is shown as strange but matter-of-fact: spacers work twelve-hour watches but need little sleep, and there is no real 'day' or 'night' in permanent sunlight. Girders float in a 'three-dimensional ballet', and construction workers can admire their handiwork without being parted from it by gravity. A bird can hang motionless with folded wings, and even a backward loop becomes possible. Ordinary routines — breakfast, offices, bunk straps with straps that must be undone — carry on, but everything is reshaped by weightlessness.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
98. 6. What role does chance play in the near-disaster on the space station?
A whole chain of unlikely events had to occur together: a rare eclipse by Earth's shadow that night, part of the air purifier freezing in the cold, the single alarm failing to go off, and the second alarm circuit not being connected up yet. The narrator calls it "one of those accidents that couldn't possibly happen" — yet it did. The story warns that technology can fail precisely when several small faults line up, which is why a backup as humble as a canary matters.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
99. 7. How does the writer blend science with humour in 'Feathered Friend'?
The science is realistic — free fall, air purifiers, oxygen cylinders, eclipse shadows — but it is served with gentle humour. The narrator's office is a 'cubbyhole' only laughingly called an office; Jock Duncan is a 'cook-doctor-dietitian' who has never heard a canary's heartbeat; the oxygen bottle is passed around 'like a pipe of peace'; and death is dismissed as being 'slightly dead'. This light touch keeps the danger real but the story delightful.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
100. 8. Why is Claribel's collapse the turning point of the story?
Until that morning, Claribel is a cheerful mascot, and the story is a comedy about a hidden pet. Her collapse transforms her into a life-saving alarm: her oxygen revival followed by repeated fainting gives the narrator the clue that the air itself is bad. Because he remembers the miners' canaries just in time, the crew discovers the frozen purifier — so the pet's illness directly saves everyone aboard.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
101. 9. What message does the story convey about overconfidence in machines?
Jim's confident "Nonsense!" shows how completely people trust their machinery — duplicate circuits, independent alarms, half a million dollars of engineering. But human error (the unconnected second circuit) and natural accident (the eclipse) defeat it all. The message is that machines, however advanced, are not infallible, and natural, simple safeguards — and alert human observation — must back them up.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
3 marks · short
102. 10. Imagine you are the duty engineer Jim. Write a short paragraph on how you felt when you discovered the truth.
I felt my face go red with embarrassment. I had laughed at the very idea of bad air, boasting about our duplicate circuits — and then my assistant quietly reminded me that the second circuit was not even connected. When I checked the purifier and found it frozen, my 'impossible accident' had actually happened. I returned with a sheepish expression, realising that if it hadn't been for that little canary, none of us would have been alive to argue about alarms.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
5 marks · broad
103. 1. Draw a character sketch of Sven Olsen, supporting your points with evidence from the text.
Sven Olsen is one of the most memorable characters in the story, though he speaks only a few lines. Physically, he is "a wiry little fellow, like most of the early spacers", light enough to qualify easily for the 150-pound bonus that kept his colleagues on reducing diets. Professionally, he is outstanding — "one of our best construction men", who excelled at collecting assorted girders floating in free fall, making them perform their "slow-motion, three-dimensional ballet" and fusing them together when they were precisely dovetailed. Personally, he is unconventional and warm-hearted: no rule against pets existed, but the narrator is certain Sven would have ignored one, and sure enough he smuggled Claribel up on the last ferry from Earth. He justifies it as "sheer scientific curiosity" — wanting to see how a bird would operate with no weight but usable wings — though his fondness is obvious. When Claribel collapses, he is grief-stricken and "lamented"; when she revives, he is "beaming broadly". Through Sven, Clarke shows that curiosity, skill and simple affection can achieve what half a million dollars of engineering cannot.
Show answer
Answer not supplied in the source file.
5 marks · broad
104. 2. Draw a character sketch of the narrator, using evidence from the story.
The narrator is an observant, honest and humorous member of the space station crew, in charge of technical stores, sitting in "the little cubbyhole laughingly called my office". He is modest — he admits "I'm not a psychologist" and cannot explain Sven's behaviour — and he records his own failings frankly: his slowness to realise the truth, the headache and sluggish mind he at first blamed on sleep. His intelligence shows in the way his mind works: something keeps "tugging at my memory" until "understanding exploded" and he connects Claribel's fainting with the miners' canaries and the bad air. He is humane — distressed with the others over the tiny bird — and generous in giving Claribel the credit for saving them all. Above all, he has a fine sense of humour: stars "explode" before his eyes when he hits the angle beam, the oxygen bottle is passed "like a pipe of peace", and death becomes being "slightly dead". His easy, self-mocking narration is what makes the story so enjoyable.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
5 marks · broad
105. 3. What is the theme of 'Feathered Friend'? Explain the message the story conveys.
On the surface, 'Feathered Friend' is a science-fiction anecdote about a canary on a space station; beneath, it is a story about the limits of technology and the value of living things. The station's life-support system — "half a million dollars' worth of chemical and electronic engineering" with supposedly independent alarms — fails completely because of an accidental eclipse, a frozen purifier and one unconnected circuit. Against this, a bird weighing practically nothing succeeds as a warning system, just as miners' canaries once detected gas underground. The title itself makes the point: the 'friend' is 'feathered' — small, cheap and humble — yet it guards the crew's lives. The story's message is twofold: never place blind faith in machines, because a chain of small failures can defeat the best engineering; and never underestimate small creatures or small observations, for the narrator's memory of an old mining practice is what converts Claribel's fainting into a life-saving alarm. Curiosity (Sven's experiment) and alertness (the narrator's reasoning) together save the day.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
5 marks · broad
106. 4. What values do you learn from 'Feathered Friend'? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
First, we learn compassion for animals: the crew hides Claribel from VIPs, "thinking fast" to explain her peeps and whistles, and falls "hushed" with worry when she lies lifeless. A creature others might ignore is treated as a crew member, and this very affection is repaid when she saves their lives. Second, we learn the value of curiosity: Sven's "sheer scientific curiosity" — wanting to see how a bird would fly without weight — is what puts a living alarm on the station in the first place. Third, we learn alertness and presence of mind: the narrator's nagging memory of miners' canaries turns a pet's illness into a warning. Fourth, we learn humility before nature: expensive machines "let us down completely", while the smallest bird proved the most reliable safeguard "at practically no extra expense". Finally, the story teaches teamwork — everyone, from the cook-doctor-dietitian to the duty engineer, plays a part in the rescue. Together these values show that kindness, curiosity and observation are as important as engineering.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
5 marks · broad
107. 5. 'Without Claribel, we should soon have been slightly dead.' How does the story demonstrate that animals can serve as early-warning systems in real life?
Long before modern gas detectors, miners carried canaries into coal mines because the birds, being far more sensitive to carbon monoxide and other gases, would faint while the air was still breathable for humans — giving the miners time to escape. In the story, the same principle operates in space: when part of the air purifier froze during an eclipse and the alarm failed, no machine warned the crew, but Claribel collapsed. The narrator realised that her fainting, and even his own headache and sluggish mind, were caused by the failing air. Real life offers many such examples: during the 2004 tsunami, animals such as elephants, flamingos and dogs reportedly fled before the waves struck; sharks have been observed swimming to deeper waters before hurricanes. The story's gentle joke — that every space station should keep a canary and visitors should feel "doubly safeguarded" at "practically no extra expense" — carries a serious truth: living creatures often sense danger before our instruments do.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
5 marks · broad
108. 6. Imagine you are Sven Olsen. Write a diary entry describing the day you found Claribel unconscious and how events unfolded.
Dear Diary — Today began as the worst morning of my life. Claribel, who usually wakes me up with her trills, was nowhere to be found. I searched everywhere — the ventilating shafts, the storage bulkheads — until I found her lying lifeless, a tiny bundle of yellow feathers, her little claws sticking up. My heart sank as I carried her to the mess. Jock, our cook-doctor-dietitian, held her to his ear and could not hear a heartbeat — though he admitted he had never listened to a canary's heart before! Someone suggested oxygen, and when we tucked her into the face mask, she revived at once. I was beaming as she hopped onto my finger and gave her "Come to the cookhouse, boys" trills — and then she keeled over again, and my joy collapsed with her. It was the narrator who saved us all: he remembered that miners used canaries to warn them of gas, and realised our air was bad. Jim discovered the purifier had frozen during the eclipse, and the alarm had failed. My little joke of smuggling a bird aboard had kept the whole crew alive. Tonight I gave Claribel extra seeds — she has earned them, and so has my gratitude forever.
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
5 marks · broad
109. 7. 'The best safety system is not always the most expensive one.' Discuss this statement with reference to 'Feathered Friend' and your own experience.
In 'Feathered Friend', the space station's safety rests on the finest engineering money can buy: an air purifier of chemical and electronic sophistication worth half a million dollars, protected by duplicate alarm circuits operating independently. Yet this system fails without warning — a rare eclipse by Earth's shadow freezes part of the purifier, the single connected alarm does not sound, and the 'duplicate' backup turns out to be not connected up yet. The crew's lives are saved not by this machinery but by a canary that eats almost nothing and cost nothing to install. She collapses when the air goes bad, revives under oxygen, and collapses again — a pattern that alerts the narrator to the truth. The story's closing advice, that a snatch of birdsong in a space station means you are "doubly safeguarded, at practically no extra expense", makes the irony complete. In my own experience, we see the same principle everywhere: a smoke detector costing a few hundred rupees, a seatbelt, or simply a watchful neighbour can avert disasters that no amount of sophisticated equipment guarantees against. The lesson is to combine good technology with simple, natural safeguards and, above all, with alert human attention.
End of Chapter 1 Question Bank — Feathered Friend
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Answer not supplied in the source file.
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