The story “Taro’s Reward” is taken from Melody English for Class 6 for students of JKBOSE and Honeysuckle English for NCERT students. The story is about the reward of honesty and good deeds. In this post, you will read Taro’s Reward Class 6 Question Answers and Explanation. Here I am providing you with Working with Text, Working with language, Speaking and Writing and Dictation. You can also read the Summary and Word Meaning of the Chapter Taro’s Reward in an earlier post. Let’s not waste much time and get started:

Taro’s Reward Class 6 Question Answers and Explanation
Introduction
The story “Taro’s Reward” is about a young honest woodcutter named Taro who was awarded for his goodness and kindness. He used to work hard for his living and fulfilling the wishes of his parents. He found and magical waterfall which gave him sake and water for other villagers. He was also rewarded by the king for his good deeds.
Taro’s Reward Class 6 Question Answers
Working with the Text
A. Answer the following questions.
1. Why did Taro run in the direction of the stream? (5)
Ans. Taro ran in the direction of the stream because he was thirsty. Also, he had never heard of or seen any stream flowing in that part of the forest.
2. How did Taro’s father show his happiness after drinking saké? (7)
Ans. Taro’s father was so happy after sipping saké that when he swallowed the liquid, he stopped shivering and did a little dance in the middle of the floor.
3. Why did the waterfall give Taro saké and others water? (12)
Ans. The waterfall gave Taro Saké and others water because Taro was a very thoughtful and caring son. He used to serve his parents sincerely. The saké from the waterfall was a reward for his goodness. On the other hand, the people of his village got plain water because they were greedy for saké.
4. Why did the villagers want to drown Taro? (10, 11)
Ans. Taro’s villagers went to the waterfall with pitchers and other vessels to collect saké. But they found plain cold water in the waterfall instead of saké. They thought that Taro had tricked them. So that wanted to drown Taro in the waterfall.
5. Why did the Emperor reward Taro? (13)
Ans: The Emperor of Japan rewarded Taro for his goodness and kindness towards his parents. This was Emperor’s way to encourage all children to respect, obey and serve their parents.
B. Mark the right item.
- Taro earned very little money because
(i) he didn’t work hard enough.
(ii) the villagers didn’t need wood.
(iii) the price of wood was very low.
Ans. (iii) the price of wood was very low.
- Taro decided to earn extra money
(i) to live a more comfortable life.
(ii) to buy his old father some sake.
(iii) to repair the cracks in the hut.
Ans. (ii) to buy his old father some sake.
- The neighbour left Taro’s hut in a hurry because
(i) she was delighted with the drink.
(ii) she was astonished to hear Taro’s story.
(iii) she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall.
Ans. (iii) she wanted to tell the whole village about the waterfall.
Working with Language
A. Strike off the words in the box below that are not suitable.
Taro wanted to give his old parents everything they needed. This shows that he was ….
thoughtful hardworking loving honest considerate trustworthy efficient kind |
Ans. honest, trustworthy, efficient
B. 1. ‘This made Taro sadder than ever.”
This’ refers to
(i) a strong wind that began to blow.
(ii) Taro’s father’s old age.
(iii) Taro’s inability to buy expensive sake for his father.
(Mark the right item.)
Ans. (iii) Taro’s inability to buy expensive sake for his father.
2. ‘This, said the emperor was to encourage all children to honour and obey their parents.”
This’ refers to
(i) the most beautiful fountain in the city.
(ii) rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.
(iii) sending for Taro to hear his story.
(Mark the right item.)
Ans. (ii) rewarding Taro with gold and giving the fountain his name.
C. Arrange the words below in pairs that rhyme.
Example:
young – lung
money – sunny
young | sad | money | chop | lung | last |
wax | could | bad | sound | axe | wood |
way | stop | sunny | fast | round | day |
Ans.
sad bad
chop stop
last fast
wax axe
could wood
sound round
way day
D. 1. Fill in the blanks with words from the box.
Lonely little hard young thoughtful delicious beautiful |
A ——————–— woodcutter lived on a ——————–— hillside. He was a ——————–——— son who worked ——————–——— but earned ——————–——— money. One day he saw a ——————–——— waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and found it ——————–———
Ans. A young woodcutter lived on a lonely hillside. He was a thoughtful son who worked hard but earned little money. One day he saw a beautiful waterfall hidden behind a rock. He tasted the water and found it delicious.
2. Find these sentences in the story and fill in the blanks.
(i) This made Taro ——————–——— than ever. (3)
(ii) He decided to work ——————–——— than before. (3)
(iii) Next morning, Taro jumped out of bed ——————–——— than usual.(4)
(iv) He began to chop even ——————–———. (4)
(v) Next morning, Taro started for work even ——————–——— than the morning before. (10)
Ans.
(i) This made Taro sadder than ever.
(ii) He decided to work harder than before.
(iii) Next morning, Taro jumped out of bed earlier than usual.
(iv) He began to chop even faster.
(v) Next morning, Taro started for work even earlier than the morning before.
Speaking and Writing
- Speak the following sentences clearly but as quickly as you can. Learn them by heart.
(i) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood.
(ii) Betty bought a bit of butter, but the bit of butter was a little bitter so she bought some better butter to make the bitter butter better.
Ans. Activity to be done by students themselves.
B. 1. The story ‘Taro’s Reward’ shows that Taro is thoughtful, hardworking and also wise. Read aloud the parts of the story that show these qualities in Taro.
Ans. (i) …. he was a thoughtful son and wanted to give his old parents everything they needed. (Para 1)
(ii) Though he worked very hard, he earned very little money. (Para 1)
(iii) But Taro had been wise enough to slip behind a rock……………. (Para 11)
2. (i) Like Patrick in the story ‘Who Did Patrick’s Homework’, Taro is helped by magic. Do you believe in magic? What are the magical things that happen in these stories?
Ans. I don’t believe completely in magic is some supernatural agency that carries out the tricks. In Patrick’s story, there was an elf or tiny man while in Taro’s story there appears a waterfall behind the rocks. Secondly, its water tasted like sake. These were magical things.
(ii) Which story do you like better, and why? Do you know such stories in other languages? Discuss these questions in class.
Ans. I like both the stories because both the stories are based on moral lessons and both have a magical touch. Patrick’s story was better because the suspense of who did Patrick’s homework remained till the end and he completed his homework unknowingly.
3. Now write a paragraph or two about these two stories, comparing them.
The story “Who did Patrick’s homework?” is an interesting story about a young boy Patrick who did not like to do his homework. One day he found an elf and he save it from the cat and in return elf granted him a wish. Patrick asked the elf to do his homework till the end of his semester and the elf complied with it. The elf made Patrick do all his homework unknowingly. This is a very natural story of all students who hate homework and want someone else to complete their work.
On the other hand, “Taro’s Reward” is the story of a young and hardworking woodcutter who is a thoughtful son to his parents. He tries his best to keep his parents happy and even God favours his thoughtfulness and rewards him. A magical waterfall offers saké instead of plain water for his old father to drink. This story has a moral lesson that hard work always pays off and that we should always respect and obey our parents who sacrifice so much for our sake.
C. 1. Listen to these children. What are they talking about?
more difficult than driving. The second boy disagrees with his view. He thinks that swimming is much less difficult than driving. But the third boy says that learning English is much more difficult than swimming and driving.
2. Work in groups. Come to some agreement on each of the activities given below. Decide which is the most interesting, dullest, most dangerous, safest, most rewarding, most exciting.
cooking | fishing | playing football |
knitting | dancing | listening to music |
reading | sewing | mountain climbing |
walking | swimming | learning languages |
painting | watching TV | stamp collecting |
Ans.
Most interesting: dancing, watching TV, listening to music
Dullest: knitting, sewing, learning languages
Most dangerous: mountain climbing
Safest: walking, stamp collecting
Most rewarding: cooking, reading, fishing, painting
Most exciting: playing football, swimming
Dictation
- Your teacher will speak the words given below. Write against each two new words that rhyme with it.
- bed —–———–———— —–———–————
- wax —–———–———— —–———–————
- fast —–———–———— —–———–————
- chop —–———–———— —–———–————
- young —–———–———— —–———–————
Ans.
- bed red shed
- wax axe tax
- fast last cast
- chop hop shop
- young tongue unsung
Taro’s Reward Class 6 Line by Line Explanation
- A YOUNG woodcutter named Taro lived with his mother and father on a lonely hillside. All-day long he chopped wood in the forest. Though he worked very hard, he earned very little money. This made him sad, for he was a thoughtful son and wanted to give his old parents everything they needed.
Explanation: There was a young woodcutter named Taro who lived in a lonely hut along the hillside. He was very hardworking and used to work from morning to night but he used to earn a little amount of money. He was not happy with his earnings because he was a caring son and wanted to fulfil the needs of his parents.
- One evening, when Taro and his parents were sitting in a corner of their hut, a strong wind began to blow. It whistled through the cracks of the hut and everyone felt very cold. Suddenly Taro’s father said, “I wish I had a cup of saké; it would warm me and do my old heart good.”
Explanation: One day while Taro and his parents were sitting in their hut a strong wind blew. The wind rushed into the hut through the cracks in the walls and all of them felt cold. Then Taro’s father expressed his desire to have a cup of sake (Rice wine) because it would make him feel warm and was good for his heart.
- This made Taro sadder than ever, for the heart-warming drink called saké was very expensive. ‘How do I earn more money?’ he asked himself. ‘How do I get a little saké for my poor old father?’ He decided to work harder than before.
Explanation: Taro felt very sad when his father expresses his wish to have a cup of sake because it was a very expensive drink and he could not afford it for his father. He questioned himself how to earn more money to buy a cup of sake for his father. Finally, he decided to work harder than before.
- Next morning, Taro jumped out of bed earlier than usual and made his way to the forest. He chopped and cut, chopped and cut as the sun climbed, and soon he was so warm that he had to take off his jacket. His mouth was dry, and his face was wet with sweat. ‘My poor old father!’ he thought. ‘If only he was as warm as I!’
And with that he began to chop even faster, thinking of the extra money he must earn to buy the saké to warm the old man’s bones.
Explanation: The next morning, he left for the forest earlier than usual. He cut down the trees continuously as the sun was getting hotter and very soon it was very hot that he had to remove his jacket. He was feeling very thirsty and his feet were wet with sweat but he thought of his father’s desire to have a cup of sake and continued to work even faster. His mind was full of thoughts about extra income to earn money to buy a cup of sake for his father.
- Then suddenly Taro stopped chopping. What was that sound he heard? Could it be, could it possibly be rushing water?
Taro could not remember ever seeing or hearing a rushing stream in that part of the forest. He was thirsty. The axe dropped out of his hands and he ran in the direction of the sound.
Explanation: Suddenly Taro stopped working because he heard the sound of something which he felt was of flowing water. He was surprised because he had never heard of or seen any stream in that part of the forest. He was very thirsty as a result the axe dropped from his hands and he ran in the direction of that sound.
- Taro saw a beautiful little waterfall hidden behind a rock. Kneeling at a place where the water flowed quietly, he cupped a little in his hands and put it to his lips. Was it water? Or was it saké? He tasted it again and again, and always it was the delicious sake instead of cold water.
Explanation: To his surprise, he discovered a beautiful little waterfall hidden behind the rock. He sat down on his knees at the stream and hold a little water in his hands and tasted it. He could not believe that it was not water but sake.
- Taro quickly filled the pitcher he had with him and hurried home. The old man was delighted with the saké. After only one swallow of the liquid, he stopped shivering and did a little dance in the middle of the floor.
Explanation: He was overjoyed after finding that stream has sake for him. He took out the pitcher and filled it, and went home quickly. His father was so happy to find the sake. When he took a sip of the drink, he stopped shivering and expressed his happiness by dancing on the floor.
- That afternoon, a neighbour stopped by for a visit. Taro’s father politely offered her a cup of the saké. The lady drank it greedily and thanked the old man. Then Taro told her the story of the magic waterfall. Thanking them for the delicious drink, she left in a hurry. By nightfall, she had spread the story throughout the whole village.
Explanation: On that day, Taro’s family had a visitor from the neighbourhood. His father offered the lady a cup of sake. The lady drank the sake greedily and thanked Taro’s father for the drink. Taro told them the story of the magical stream. The lady left the place hurriedly after thanking the family. She spread the story of magical spring in the whole village by the evening.
- That evening there was a long procession of visitors to the woodcutter’s house. Each man heard the story of the waterfall and took a sip of the saké. In less than an hour, the pitcher was empty.
Explanation: On that day, all the people of Taro,s village were at their home to hear the story of the magical stream. They heard the story of the magical waterfall and also have a sip of sake and in about half an hour pitcher was empty.
- Next morning, Taro started for work even earlier than the morning before. He carried with him the largest pitcher he owned, for he intended first of all to go to the waterfall. When he reached it, he found to his great surprise all his neighbours there. They were carrying pitchers, jars, buckets — anything they could find to hold the magic saké. Then one villager knelt and held his mouth under the waterfall to drink. He drank again and again, and then shouted angrily, “Water! Nothing but water!” Others also tried, but there was no saké, only cold water.
Explanation: The next day Taro left for work earlier than the previous morning and took the largest pitcher with him to bring the sake. When he reached the stream, he was surprised to find that all his villagers were already at the waterfall carrying pitchers and other containers to hold the sake. One of the villagers tasted the liquid from the stream but found that it was water, not sake. He tasted it again and again but found it the same. He got angry over this. Other villagers also tasted it but found that it was water.
- “We have been tricked!” shouted the villagers. “Where is Taro? Let us drown him in this waterfall.” But Taro had been wise enough to slip behind a rock when he saw how things were going. He was nowhere to be found.
Explanation: The villagers shouted that they have been deceived by Taro. They were very angry with Taro and searched for him. They wanted to drown him in the stream. Taro hid himself behind the rock when he saw people getting angry and left the place to get escaped.
- Muttering their anger and disappointment, the villagers left the place one by one. Taro came out from his hiding place. Was it true, he wondered? Was the saké a dream? Once more he caught a little liquid in his hand and put it to his lips. It was the same fine saké. To the thoughtful son, the magic waterfall gave the delicious saké. To everyone else, it gave only cold water.
Explanation: The villagers left the place in anger and disappointment. After all the villagers left the place, Taro came out from his hiding place. He came to the to check out whether it was sake in the waterfall or was it was his dream. He tasted the liquid from the waterfall and found it was sake. He was surprised because the waterfall gave sake to him and water to other villagers.
- The story of Taro and his magic waterfall reached the Emperor of Japan. He sent for the young woodcutter and rewarded him with twenty pieces of gold for having been so good and kind. Then he named the most beautiful fountain in the city after Taro. This, said the Emperor, was to encourage all children to honour and obey their parents.
Explanation: The story of Taro and his magic waterfall reached the king of Japan. He called the woodcutter and rewarded him with 20 coins of gold for his goodness and kindness. The emperor also named the most beautiful fountain in the city after Taro. This was done by the Emperor to encourage the children to honour and obey their parents.
That’s all we have about Taro’s Reward Class 6 Question Answers and Explanation. Hope it has helped you with your query. Do share your views in the comment section.
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