NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter-8

CoolGyan has come up with Snapshots on the tale of melon city Class 11 solutions. Chapter 8 Snapshot Class 11 comprises all the possible solutions that a student can face during the exam. Our team of subject experts has tried to cover all the significant questions in snapshot Class 11 Chapter 8 to come up with The Tale of Melon City Class 11 NCERT solution. 

The suggested answers to convenient questions have been enhanced with views of an expert to help students ace their write-up in the subject when they read the tale of the melon city Class 11 solutions. These Snapshot Class 11 Chapter 8 solutions are sure to help students set a mark in their writing.

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Access NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter 8 – The Tale Of Melon City

1. Narrate 'The Tale of Melon City' in your own words.

Ans: For the benefit of the students, a model answer has been provided. It is extremely advised that pupils prepare their answers.

The Tale of Melon City is a couplet-based narrative poem composed by Vikram Seth. The poem tells the story of an occurrence in which the monarch and citizens met in a long-ago city. The story is lighthearted, with a strong emphasis on the theme. The poem is divided into three sections, the first of which describes a king's desire to construct an arch. The second section is about his concerns about the arch's shoddy construction, and the third part is about how his decree ultimately falls on him, resulting in his hanging and death. The poem tells the story of the transition of authority from the king to a melon, which became the state's symbolic head. The poet begins by recounting how long ago there was a monarch in a city. One day, the king announced his intention to build an arch over the main thoroughfare to increase the morale and mental well-being of the viewers. The monarch was righteous and devoted to peace. The construction work was quickly completed with the help of a huge number of laborers.

The king went to view the newly erected arch after it was finished. It had a pretty low arch. His crown shattered when it collided with the arch. The king, feeling dishonored, planned to hang the chief of construction. The hanging had been planned in detail. The Chief of Builders defended himself by transferring blame to the laborers. The king was persuaded by the reasoning and ordered that all of the laborers be hanged.

The duty was shifted to the size of the bricks by the laborers. As a result, the king ordered the masons to be hanged. The masons, for their part, defended themselves and blamed the architect. The architect’s hanging was also ordered by the king. When the plan was shown to the king, the architect informed him that he (King) had made some changes to it. The architect blames the king in a roundabout way. Hearing the architect's explanation perplexed the king. The monarch sought the counsel of his kingdom's smartest man. As a result, the wisest man was tracked down and hauled before the court. He couldn't walk or see since he was so elderly. He concluded that the arch was the real criminal. The arch had slammed into the crown, causing it to fall off. As a result, the arch must be hung.

As a result, the arch was guided to the scaffolding. Meanwhile, a councilor pointed out that hanging the arch that touched the king's crown would be a very dishonorable deed. The audience that had assembled to watch the criminal be hanged was becoming agitated. The king, sensing their mood, declared that someone must be executed since the nation demanded it. The noose had been hung. It was a little high. Turn by turn, each individual was assessed. Only one man was tall enough to fit inside the nose, and that man was the King. The king was, interestingly, hanged. The third section of the poem is then narrated by the poet. The ministers exhaled a breath of relief when they realized they were able to select someone for hanging; otherwise, the riotous multitude would have risen in protest. It was necessary to appoint a new king following the death of the previous one. The ministers sent out the herald to announce that the next person to walk through the City Gate would choose a king. The City Gate was passed by an idiot. The guards inquired as to who would be the King. The idiot said that the next monarch should be picked from a melon. Because he enjoyed melons, that was his go-to response to any question. The ministers crowned a melon and reverently installed their Melon King on the throne.

According to the poet, the citizens were unconcerned with their symbolic heads. They were drawn to the concept of allowing things to happen. They treated their new ruler with great reverence because he did not meddle with their daily life.


2. What impression would you form of a state where the King was 'just and placid'?

Ans: For the benefit of the students, a model answer has been provided. It is extremely advised that pupils prepare their answers.

Peace, liberty, and justice were enjoyed in a state where the ruler was just and calm. The king was only a title and a symbol. Citizens had complete independence in all aspects of their lives. The public was in charge of the country's genuine governance. The king had to be hanged in the poem "The Tale of a Melon City" because the populace demanded someone to be hanged. The king was powerless to protect himself. Even though the smartest man concluded that the arch was the real criminal, the public demanded that someone is executed. The king was eventually hanged. This demonstrates that in a state where the king was just and peaceful, the inhabitants had a say in the king's fate.


3. How, according to you, can peace and liberty be maintained in a state?

Ans: For the benefit of the students, a model answer has been provided. It is extremely advised that pupils prepare their answers. If there is Laissez-faire, or the principle of the king not interfering in the actions of the population, peace and liberty can be preserved in a state. The king or the government, on the other hand, must preserve law and order, failing which chaos may reign in the state. There should be a happy medium between government intrusion and citizen rights. Only then can one expect a state to retain peace and liberty.


4. Suggest a few instances in the poem which highlight humor and irony.

Ans: For the benefit of the students, a model answer has been provided. It is extremely advised that pupils prepare their answers.

In the poem, the poet employs the devices of comedy and sarcasm. Humour is defined as cognitive experiences that cause a person to chuckle. The unexpected feature of a situation that is considerably different from what one anticipates is referred to as irony. The king's choice to hang the chief of the builders for erecting a low arch when his crown struck against it elicits laughs from the audience. It is a humorous example. It's also amusing to see how the king came to believe that the laborers who built the arch were to blame. The king intended the laborers to be hanged, but they were able to defend themselves. This circumstance is both hilarious and ironic in that it makes the readers chuckle and ironic in that the laborers can shift responsibility to the architect. The architect, ironically, is allowed to delegate the duty to the king himself. The choice of the wisest man to pronounce the verdict on who was the true criminal elicits laughter and is so amusing.

Finally, the elderly man blamed the arch and proclaimed that it must be hanged. One of the pastors pointed out, ironically, that the crowd wanted a guy to be hanged. The king was hanged because the noose fit his neck. The selection of a successor is amusing since an idiot is consulted in the process. The fool chooses a melon to serve as the state's symbolic leader.


NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 8 The Tale of Melon City

Summary of ‘The Tale of Melon City’

‘The Tale of Melon City’ showcases the play of a folktale. In the theme, the city is called Melon City due to its ruler being a melon. Interestingly, there is a curious tale around it. Once,  there was a fair and gentle king who used to rule over Melon city who had an arch built across the thoroughfare. Sadly, when he passed under the low arch, it had stuck his head and he lost his crown. He considered the act to be a disgrace and ordered the builder’s chief to be hanged. The chief later passed the blame on the workers who later blamed it on the bricks, putting the charge on masons. The masons later shifted the blame on the architect that was further blamed at the king’s door. 

Upon seeking a wise man’s counsel, the king held the arch guilty and ordered it to be hanged. Now since the king's head would only fit the noose, he was hanged. Later it was said that the next man who passed the City Gate would choose the king. Later, a melon passed it and was thus crowned the ‘Melon King’.


Highlights of the Poem

‘The Tale of Melon City’ is a bag full of instances where the readers can see humour and irony. To begin with, the king’s decision to build an arch to ‘edify’ spectators. Another instance can be seen when the king rides under a low angle and loses his crown. Another instance is when every accused shifts their blame on others is also funny. Another instance is the unstable behaviour of the king that is followed by the self-defence of the architect. The architect turns the essence of the poem by laying the blame on the king. The king’s anger and inability also create humour. 

Irony can also be witnessed when it comes to the selection of a wise man where age is considered to be the number to judge one’s wisdom. Lastly, the poem ends with the same humour when the criteria for the next king is revealed.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. Sketch an image on the King’s Ministers upon their actions after the King’s death.

The King had a bunch of ministers who used to believe in tradition and ceremonies. The ministers might not have been very modern but were loyal to the king and shouted in one breath, ‘Long live the king! The king is dead’. Yes, the ministers might have been following traditions for a long time but were also very practical-minded men when it came to running the system when it came to the events when the king dies. The ministers had the understanding that the throne could not be left unoccupied and that a king is a symbol of power.

2. Are NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 8 helpful?

Yes, the NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 8 the tale of Melon city are very effective when it comes to providing the students with a gist of the entire story and the coming up with questions that have high chances of coming in the exam. The curated answers dive into all the necessary elements of the poem in Class 11 the tale of melon city NCERT Solutions and resonate with the flow of the article throughout. One of the most significant benefits for the students who go with NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English the tale of Melon city is that they have an idea of what an excellent and unique answer should look like. The snapshot Class 11 Ch 8 proves to be a useful tool when you are preparing for the upcoming exams.

3. Why did the king ride down the thoroughfare and what was the result according to Chapter 8 of Class 11 English textbook Snapshots?

The king rode down the thoroughfare to educate and instruct the spectators who were down there. The arch was not built high enough. It was too low. As a result of this, the king lost his crown under it.

4. Comment upon the criteria of selection of the wisest man and the quality of counsel he offered as explained in Chapter 8 of Class 11 English textbook Snapshots.

The criteria of selection of the wisest man were the presence of grey hair. It was believed that wisdom comes with grey hair. The old man who was selected was blind and also could not walk.

5. Are solutions for NCERT Chapter 8 of Class 11 English textbook Snapshots available online?

The solutions for Snapshots, which is the NCERT English book for Class 11, is available online. Go to Google, and look for a website named CoolGyan. CoolGyan is a very reliable and trustworthy website that provides students with solutions for their NCERT subjects. The solutions are available to chapter wise on this website. The answers to all the questions are very accurate and also follow the CBSE rules and guidelines. The most convenient part about the CoolGyan solutions is that they are available online free of cost. The solutions can also be downloaded in pdf format for free.


6. How can I manage time while studying for Class 11 English exams?

Time management can be a problem for many students while they are preparing for their exams. Not to worry, these following few tips will help the students manage their time pretty well while they prepare for their examinations:-

  • First of all, the student should prepare a daily routine for themselves. In this routine, they will list down how they will divide up and utilise the 24 hours of a day. They should have a fixed time for waking up every day.  Proper meal times thrice a day at the same time every day and 8 hours for sleeping. Then it is up to them to decide how to utilise the remaining hours for their studies. 

  • For the remaining hours, the students should prepare another study routine. In this routine, the students should divide up the subjects and allot a certain amount of time for the revision and practise of that particular subject. Students must be careful to include all of their subjects in this list.

If they follow these steps. Time management will become pretty easy for all the students.


7. Are reference books necessary for Class 11 English textbook snapshots?

Reference books help students understand a subject better and clearer. Now, reference books might not always be necessary for the students. Students need to be very thorough with their textbooks. If they do so, reference books might not be necessary at all. For extra help, students can always refer to the CoolGyan solutions for their subjects. The CoolGyan solutions are enough of a reference for students to study better and score good marks in their examinations.