NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 3 The Selfish Giant

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Chapter 3 The Selfish Giant help students understand Oscar Wilde’s touching fairy tale and its deep moral message. The chapter tells the story of a giant who owns a beautiful garden but selfishly stops children from playing there. Because of his greed, the garden remains covered in snow and frost throughout the year, showing how selfishness brings loneliness and sorrow.

The Selfish Giant question and answer sets explain how nature itself reacts to the giant’s behavior. Spring refuses to visit the garden, and only winter stays. However, when the giant sees children struggling to enter his garden, his heart begins to change. Their laughter fills the space with joy, and the garden slowly comes back to life, symbolizing hope and renewal.

A small child who cannot climb a tree plays an important role in the story. The giant helps him, which shows the beginning of his transformation. This child later represents love, forgiveness, and spiritual salvation. Through clear explanations, NCERT Solutions highlight the key themes of kindness, sharing, repentance, and redemption, making it easier for students to answer textbook questions and understand the lesson that true happiness comes from caring for others

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Class 8 English Chapter 3 The Selfish Giant Questions Answers

Question 1: Why is the Giant called selfish?

Answer: The Giant is called selfish because he did not allow the children to play in his garden. He built a high wall around it and put up a notice saying that trespassers would be punished. He wanted the garden only for himself.

Question 2: On one occasion the children said: “How happy we are here!”

Later they said: “How happy we were there!”

What are they referring to in both the cases?

Answer: In the first case, the children are happy because they are playing freely in the Giant’s garden after school.
In the second case, they are remembering the same garden after the Giant stops them from entering it. They miss playing there and feel sad.
In both cases, they are referring to the Giant’s beautiful garden.

Question 3:

(i) When spring came, it was still winter in the garden. What does winter stand for or indicate here?

(ii) Winter has been presented like a story with its own characters and activities. Describe the story in your own words.

Answer:

(i) Winter here indicates sadness, loneliness, and lifelessness. Since the children were not allowed to play in the garden, there was no joy, no flowers, and no birds. The garden remained dull and cold, showing the Giant’s selfishness.

(ii) Winter is shown as if it were alive with characters like Snow, Frost, North Wind, and Hail. Snow covered the garden with a white blanket, and Frost painted the trees silver. North Wind roared and blew strongly, while Hail jumped on the roof and broke the slates. These characters made the garden cold and lifeless.

Question 4: Was the Giant happy or sad over the state of the garden?

Answer: The Giant was sad and worried about the condition of the garden. He wondered why Spring never came to his garden while it had come everywhere else.

Question 5: What effect did the linnet’s song have over Hail and North Wind?

Answer: When the linnet started singing, Hail stopped jumping, and North Wind stopped roaring. Soon, Spring began to enter the garden, and the Giant felt happy and surprised.

Comprehension Check (Page 24)

Question 1:

(i) The Giant saw a most wonderful sight. What did he see?

(ii) What did he realise on seeing it?

Answer:

(i) The Giant saw that children had entered the garden through a hole in the wall and were sitting on the branches of trees. The trees were covered with flowers, birds were singing, and the garden looked lively and beautiful again.

(ii) He realised that Spring had not come to his garden because he had not allowed the children to play there. He understood that his selfishness had made the garden lifeless.

Question 2: Why was it still winter in one corner of the garden?

Answer: It was still winter in one corner because a small boy could not climb the tree there. Since no child was playing near that tree, it remained covered with snow and frost, and Winter did not leave that part.

Question 3: Describe the first meeting of the little boy and the Giant.

Answer: The Giant saw the little boy standing under a tree and crying because he could not climb it. The Giant gently lifted him and placed him on the branch. At once, the tree bloomed, and birds started singing. The little boy hugged and kissed the Giant to thank him.

Question 4: Describe their second meeting after a long interval.

Answer: One winter morning, the Giant saw a beautiful tree full of white flowers and golden branches. Under it stood the little boy. When the Giant came closer, he saw nail marks on the boy’s hands and feet and became very sad and angry. The boy told him that these were wounds of love and said that the Giant would now come with him to Paradise. That evening, the Giant died peacefully in the garden.

Question 5: The Giant lay dead, all covered with white blossoms. What does this sentence indicate about the once selfish Giant?

Answer: This sentence shows that the Giant was rewarded for becoming kind and unselfish. The white blossoms show peace and purity, and it means that the Giant went to Paradise after death.

Exercise (Page 24)

Discuss the following topics in groups.

Question 1: The little child’s hands and feet had marks of nails. Who does the child remind you of? Give a reason for your answer.

Answer: The marks of nails on the little child’s hands remind us of Jesus Christ. When the Giant met the child for the second time, he noticed the imprints of nails on the little boy’s palms and feet. This made the Giant angry, and he cried out loudly, asking who had done such harm to the little boy. If we remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, it reminds us that there were similar nail imprints on his palms and feet. He had sacrificed his life for the sake of humanity, and he had also forgiven those who caused him such pain and dishonour. Similarly, the little boy in the story told the Giant that these marks were the wounds of love.

Question 2: Is there something like this garden near where you live? Would you like one (without the Giant perhaps) and why? What would you do to keep it in good shape?

Answer: Yes, there is a park near my house. The park has huge trees which bear beautiful flowers and fruits on them. There is a jogging track in the park where people come for morning strolls and brisk evening walks. There is a swing and a slide in the middle of the park where children of the neighbourhood come and play with each other. I love gardening, and I have planted a few saplings recently, which I water whenever I go to the garden. I also try to ensure nobody tramps over the plants or grass unnecessarily.

Read More: Prepositions of Manner

Mastering The Selfish Giant Question Answer for Class 8 

Studying the themes of transformation and generosity is a vital part of your literary journey. When you explore the selfish giant question answer class 8 curriculum, you'll discover why the North Wind and the Hail decided to stay in a garden where no children were allowed. The story teaches us that nature itself thrives on joy and sharing, rather than high walls and "No Trespassing" signs.

Many students mistakenly look for the selfish giant question answer class 8 but this specific version is a cornerstone of the Class 8 "It So Happened" reader. To prepare effectively, many find that keeping a the selfish giant question answer helps in revising the symbolic meanings of the seasons. At the end of the day, understanding the giant’s redemption helps you score better in character analysis questions.

The Giant's Garden and His Selfishness

Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant’s garden. It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass and twelve peach trees that broke into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl.

• The Giant's Return: After staying with his friend the Cornish ogre for seven years, the Giant came back and saw the children playing.

• The Selfish Act: He cried out in a gruff voice and built a high wall all around the garden to keep the children out.

Winter in the Garden: A Perpetual Frost

Because there were no children, the Spring forgot to visit the Giant's garden. The flowers didn't bloom, and the birds didn't sing. The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost.

1. The Guests: The Snow covered the grass, and the Frost painted the trees silver. They invited the North Wind and the Hail to join them.

2. The Atmosphere: The Hail rattled on the roof until he broke most of the slates, and the North Wind roared about the garden all day.

3. The Giant's Confusion: The Giant sat at his window and wondered why the Spring was so late in coming.

The Arrival of Spring and the Small Hole

One morning, the Giant heard some lovely music—it was a little linnet singing outside his window. He noticed a delicious perfume coming through the open casement.

• The Miracle: The children had crept in through a little hole in the wall.

• The Change: On every tree that he could see, there was a little child. The trees were so glad to have the children back that they had covered themselves with blossoms.

The Little Boy and the Giant's Change of Heart

In one corner, it was still winter. A tiny boy was standing there, but he was too small to reach the branches of the tree. The tree bent its branches down as low as it could, but the boy was still too small.

• The Realization: The Giant’s heart melted as he looked out. He realized how selfish he had been.

• The Kind Act: He went out into the garden, picked up the little boy gently, and put him up into the tree. The tree immediately broke into blossom, and the boy flung his arms round the Giant's neck and kissed him.

The Final Meeting: A Vision of Paradise

Many years passed, and the Giant grew old and feeble. He no longer hated the Winter, for he knew it was merely the Spring asleep. One winter morning, he saw a marvelous sight in the corner of the garden.

• The Boy Returns: The little boy he loved was standing under a tree covered with white blossoms.

• The Wounds: The child had the prints of two nails on his hands and feet. He told the Giant these were the "wounds of Love."

• The Reward: The child invited the Giant to his garden, which was Paradise. That afternoon, the children found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.

Also Read: How to improve English speaking skills

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