Std 8 English chapters › Unit 2 · Question Answers ↓ · Take the lesson test ↓
In short: A hard-working mason builds his last house carelessly because he wants to retire quickly, only to learn that the house was a gift for him.
(एक मेहनती गवंडी लवकर निवृत्त होण्यासाठी आपले शेवटचे घर निष्काळजीपणे बांधतो; नंतर त्याला कळते की ते घर त्यालाच भेट म्हणून दिले जाणार होते.)
- Type: Story
- Characters: a skilled mason and his contractor
- Unit: 2
Summary in English
A mason worked for a building contractor for many years. He always did his work with great dedication, used the best materials and gave a perfect finish. Owners loved his houses, the contractor got more business and paid the mason a good salary.
When he became a grandfather, the mason decided to retire and spend time with his grandchildren. The contractor was sad and asked him to build just one last house, as a special favour. The mason agreed unwillingly. This time he did not put his heart into the work. He used poor material and built quickly and roughly, with weak walls and a poor finish.
When the house was ready, the mason gave the keys to the contractor. But the contractor smiled and handed back the keys with the ownership papers: the house was his gift to the mason. The mason was shocked, because he would now have to live in the poorly built house himself.
मराठीत सारांश (Summary in Marathi)
एक गवंडी अनेक वर्षे एका बांधकाम कंत्राटदाराकडे काम करत होता. तो नेहमी मनापासून काम करायचा, सर्वोत्तम साहित्य वापरायचा आणि उत्कृष्ट फिनिशिंग द्यायचा. मालकांना त्याची घरे आवडत, कंत्राटदाराचा व्यवसाय वाढे आणि तो गवंड्याला चांगला पगार देई.
आजोबा झाल्यावर गवंड्याने निवृत्त होऊन नातवंडांसोबत वेळ घालवायचे ठरवले. कंत्राटदाराला वाईट वाटले आणि त्याने खास विनंती म्हणून शेवटचे एक घर बांधायला सांगितले. गवंडी नाखुशीने तयार झाला. या वेळी त्याने कामात मन घातले नाही; हलक्या दर्जाचे साहित्य वापरून घाईघाईत, कमकुवत भिंती आणि खराब फिनिशिंग असलेले घर बांधले.
घर तयार झाल्यावर गवंड्याने किल्ल्या कंत्राटदाराला दिल्या. पण कंत्राटदाराने हसून त्या किल्ल्या मालकी हक्काच्या कागदपत्रांसह परत दिल्या: ते घर त्याची गवंड्याला भेट होती. गवंड्याला धक्का बसला, कारण आता त्यालाच त्या निकृष्ट घरात राहावे लागणार होते.
Theme and Message (मध्यवर्ती कल्पना)
Always do your best, whatever the work; what we do today comes back to us tomorrow.
काम कोणतेही असो, नेहमी सर्वोत्तम करा; आज आपण जे करतो तेच उद्या आपल्याकडे परत येते.
Useful Words (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | मराठी अर्थ | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| dedication | निष्ठा, समर्पण | She teaches with great dedication. |
| zeal | उत्साह | He started the project with zeal. |
| diligence | परिश्रम, चिकाटी | Diligence leads to success. |
| recompense | मोबदला देणे | The company recompensed him for his work. |
| reluctance | नाखुशी | He agreed with reluctance. |
| to no avail | व्यर्थ | We searched for the key, but to no avail. |
For the Exam (परीक्षेसाठी)
- Language study: syllables (ma-son = 2, car-pen-ter = 3) and homophones (waste/waist, new/knew, made/maid).
- Learn noun forms: dedicate-dedication, measure-measurement, decide-decision, perfect-perfection, persist-persistence.
2.2 The House-builder: English Workshop Question Answers
Every English Workshop activity for this story, as games. Score points, earn stars and challenge a friend on WhatsApp! (खेळा, गुण मिळवा आणि मित्रांना आव्हान द्या!)
🏗️ Warm-up: Who does what?
🧩 Match each professional with the work.
Professional → work
🤔 Think as you read
Why was the mason a very good workman?
Answer: His measurements were perfect and his finish was excellent.
What was different about the last house?
Answer: He wanted to finish quickly and retire, so he did not care.
What shock awaited the mason?
Answer: The contractor handed him the ownership documents. He had built his own home badly!
Q1. Noun forms
🎯 Tap a verb or adjective and its noun form from the story.
Word ↔ noun
Q2. Complete with the right phrase
👉 Tap the phrase that fits.
(1) She does her job ___.
Answer: She works sincerely.
(2) One should ___ to help others when needed.
Answer: Decide firmly to help.
(3) As Mr Jadhav was transferred, he had ___ his responsibilities to his assistant.
Answer: To give charge to someone else.
(4) The labourer’s income was not sufficient ___ his family.
Answer: His income could not cover their needs.
(5) Because of faulty wiring, they will have ___ an electrician.
Answer: To call someone to come.
(6) Mother tried hard to change her son’s habits, but ___.
Answer: Her efforts were of no use.
(7) Mangoes from Ratnagiri are always ___.
Answer: Everyone wants Ratnagiri Hapus!
Q3. Answer in your words
👉 Tap the best answer.
(a) Why were the house owners extremely pleased?
Answer: The mason’s dedication showed in every house.
(b) How did the contractor reward the mason’s good work?
Answer: He recompensed him handsomely.
(c) When did the mason decide to retire?
Answer: He wanted to play with his grandchildren.
Q4. Count the syllables
🗂️ Sort the words by number of syllables. Clap as you say each word!
How many syllables?
Full table
One: work, leave, full, door, way, great, broad
Two: story, building, many, avail, complete, ready, happy
Three: perfection, architect, quality, measurement, excellent, documents, ownership
More than three: responsibility, material, sufficiently, subsequently
Q5. Homophones game
🎯 Same sound, different spelling. Tap the pairs.
Homophones from the lesson
✍️ Q5 (B). Sentences with three pairs. Try, then compare
(1) (i) This belt is loose around my waist. (ii) Do not waste water.
(2) (i) We won the match. (ii) I have one brother.
(3) (i) The patient is too weak to walk. (ii) We have a test next week.
Q6. Always do your best
✍️ Write a paragraph, then compare
Whatever we do today decides what we get tomorrow. A farmer who prepares the soil well and sows good seeds reaps a rich harvest. In the same way, a student who studies a little every day does well in exams without fear. The mason in the story built every house perfectly, but grew careless with the last one and that one became his own home. So we should always do our best, because the work we do may one day come back to us.
Think and Write (विचार करा, लिहा)
- Write a paragraph: 'Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.'
- What would you have done if you were the mason?
- Why did the contractor give the house to the mason?
Online test · 15 questions
2.2 The House-builder: Lesson Test
Multiple choice · instant score with answers · certificate for 80% and above · free, no login
शिक्षकांसाठी: धडा शिकवून झाल्यावर ही test वर्गाला पाठवा. प्रत्येक विद्यार्थ्याचे गुण तुम्हाला आपोआप मिळतील.
These are original study notes by englishresources.in to help you revise. Read the lesson in your Balbharati textbook first: these notes do not replace it and do not reproduce its text.