NCERT MCQ Solutions for Class 5 English Marigold Chapter 6 Class Discussion, The Talkative Barber

The poem clearly states “In the class discussion Jane, you hardly said a word. We all aired our opinions but from you we barely heard”.
This indicates that a class discussion was the main activity where students were sharing their opinions and views on a particular topic.

The poem specifically mentions Jane as the quiet student. The speaker addresses her directly saying “In the class discussion Jane, you hardly said a word” and later asks “Now tell me Jane and please be plain, is there anything the matter?”
This makes it clear that Jane was the student who remained silent during the discussion.

When Jane finally spoke, her response was “There are many people in this world Who are rather quiet you know!”
This shows that Jane was explaining her nature as simply being a quiet person, indicating that being quiet is a natural characteristic for some people and not necessarily a problem.

In the poem, “aired” is used in the phrase “We all aired our opinions”. The word “aired” here means to express or make public one’s thoughts and opinions.
The poem’s glossary also confirms this meaning by defining “aired” as “make public”, which fits the context of students sharing their views during a class discussion.

The poem states “You sat and stared in silence surrounded by the chatter”.
This line clearly describes Jane’s behavior during the class discussion – she remained quiet and simply stared, not participating in the conversation while others were talking around her.

The word “chatter” refers to the continuous talk and conversation of the other students who were actively participating in the class discussion, creating a contrast between Jane’s silence and everyone else’s active participation.

The poem describes Jane’s response with “Jane looked up and then she spoke, Her voice was clear and low”.
This description suggests that although Jane was quiet during the discussion, when she did speak, she spoke with clarity and in a calm, measured tone, indicating confidence in her statement.

The poem uses “barely” in “from you we barely heard” and the glossary defines “barely” as “only just”.
This means that Jane spoke so little that the others could hardly hear anything from her – she participated minimally or almost not at all in the discussion.

The poem is clearly attributed to Gervase Phinn, as shown at the end of the poem. Gervase Phinn is known for writing educational and children’s poetry, and this poem reflects his style of addressing classroom situations and student behaviors in an understanding and gentle manner.

The poem’s main message is conveyed through Jane’s response that “There are many people in this world Who are rather quiet you know!”
This suggests that being quiet or introverted is a natural personality trait that should be accepted and understood, rather than something that needs to be changed or corrected.

The story begins with “In the city of Cashgar, lived a barber who was a great talker”.
Cashgar (also spelled Kashgar) is a historical city along the ancient Silk Road. The setting establishes the story’s Middle Eastern/Central Asian context, which is typical of Arabian Nights tales.

The barber specifically states “I have six brothers whom you might call chatterers”. He then proceeds to name all six brothers: Bacbone, Bakbarea, Bakbac, Alcouz, Alnaschee and Schacabac.
This makes the barber the seventh brother in total, but he has six brothers besides himself.

The Sultan reveals his urgency when he tells the barber “he was giving a feast to some friends at noon which was why he was in a hurry to leave”.
This explains why the Sultan repeatedly asked the barber to hurry up and finish the shaving quickly, as he had guests waiting for him.

When the Sultan lost patience with the barber’s talking, he cried “Give him three pieces of gold and send him away.
I will not be shaved today”. This shows the Sultan’s desperation to get rid of the talkative barber, even offering to pay him without completing the service.

When the barber heard about the feast, he exclaimed “That reminds me. Yesterday, I invited four or five friends to come to my house today.
But I had quite forgotten it and have not made any preparations for them”. This shows how the barber’s mind wandered from his work to his own concerns.

The story states “The Barber left off shaving the Sultan to examine each dish separately. This took up half an hour”.
This demonstrates the barber’s excessive attention to detail and his inability to focus on his primary task of shaving the Sultan.

Near the end of the story, after examining all the food, the barber “stopped suddenly and cried, ‘I never knew that you were so generous'”.
This comment came after the Sultan had provided food and fruits for the barber’s friends, showing the barber’s recognition of the Sultan’s generosity.

The story explicitly mentions its source: “This is one of the stories, from the Arabian Nights”.
It also provides context about Sultan Shahriar and his queen who was a storyteller, referencing the frame narrative of the Arabian Nights where Scheherazade tells stories to the king.

The barber describes his brothers as having various physical defects: “One is humpbacked, one is toothless, one is half blind, one is quite blind, one is deaf and the other has a defect in his speech and they are all great talkers”.
Despite claiming to be quiet himself, he acknowledges all his brothers are talkative.

The story’s irony lies in the barber’s complete lack of self-awareness. While he talks non-stop throughout the story, he claims “everyone says I am very quiet” and “I am very quiet and sparing with words”.
This contradiction between his actions and his self-perception is the central humor and lesson of the story, showing how some people lack awareness of their own behavior.