Summary
Chapter 8 of the Class 3 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "Thank God", is a Jataka tale about a wise farmer who brings grapes as a gift to the king, and cleverly thanks God when the king throws grapes at him — because he had considered bringing the much heavier watermelons instead.
- The Wise Farmer's Choice — A farmer who grew many fruits, including grapes and watermelons, decided to gift the best fruit to the king. He chose grapes over watermelons because watermelons were too heavy to carry on the long journey to the palace.
- The King's Playful Trick and the Farmer's Clever Reply — The King threw grapes playfully at the farmer, who each time said 'Thank God!' When the King asked why, the farmer explained that he was relieved he had not brought the much heavier watermelons, showing wisdom and presence of mind.
- Opposites in English — The chapter uses words from the story, such as heavy and light, to teach the concept of opposites (antonyms). Students practise finding the opposite of words like thick, long, soft, and slow.
- Using 'Is' and 'Are' — Students learn to use 'is' with singular nouns and 'are' with plural nouns by filling in blanks in sentences, reinforcing the concept of singular and plural.
Key points & formulas
- 01The story is a Jataka tale about a kind and wise farmer who grew a variety of fruits, including grapes and watermelons.
- 02The farmer chose to gift grapes to the king instead of watermelons because watermelons were too heavy for the long journey.
- 03When the King threw grapes playfully at the farmer, the farmer said 'Thank God!' and called himself blessed.
- 04The farmer explained his 'Thank God' reaction by pointing out that he could have brought the heavy watermelons instead, showing quick thinking.
- 05The chapter introduces new words such as journey, guard, royal, and popped, and sight words such as grow, kept, front, again, and wise.
- 06Students learn about opposites (antonyms) using word pairs from the story, such as heavy and light.
- 07Grammar practice focuses on using 'is' for singular subjects and 'are' for plural subjects in sentences.
Frequently asked questions
01What is the story 'Thank God' about?
It is a Jataka tale about a farmer who brings grapes as a gift to the king. When the king playfully throws grapes at him, the farmer thanks God — because he is relieved he did not bring the heavy watermelons he had also grown.
02Why did the farmer choose grapes instead of watermelons to gift the king?
The farmer's wife said watermelons and grapes were the best fruits that year, but the farmer chose grapes because watermelons were too heavy to carry on the long journey to the king's palace.
03What did the king do when he received the grapes?
The king was in a playful mood. He plucked a grape and popped it into his mouth, then threw another grape playfully at the farmer.
04Why did the farmer say 'Thank God!' when the king threw grapes at him?
The farmer realised that if he had brought watermelons instead of grapes, the king would have thrown the much heavier watermelons at him. He thanked God for guiding him to bring grapes.
05What did the farmer say to the king to explain himself?
The farmer said, 'O mighty King! I had grown the best grapes and watermelons on my farm. I chose the grapes to gift to you. Imagine if I had brought watermelons! Indeed, God is great!'
06Where did the farmer take the grapes?
The farmer put bunches of grapes in a basket and walked to the king's palace. A palace guard led him to the royal garden where the king was playing with the princess.
07Which type of tale is 'Thank God'?
It is a Jataka tale, which is a type of ancient story known for its wise characters and moral lessons.
08What new words does this chapter teach?
The chapter introduces the words journey, guard, royal, and popped as new words, and grow, kept, front, again, and wise as sight words.
09What grammar topic is covered in Chapter 8?
The chapter teaches students when to use 'is' and when to use 'are', linking the choice to whether a noun is singular or plural.
10What is the opposite-words exercise in this chapter?
Using the example of heavy and light from the story, students practise finding opposites for words such as thick, long, soft, and slow.
11What writing activity is included in Chapter 8?
Students arrange jumbled steps of Chandu's fruit salad recipe into the correct order and write them out, practising sequencing and writing skills.
12What moral can children learn from this story?
The story shows that wisdom and presence of mind can turn a difficult or surprising situation into a reason to be thankful, just as the farmer found a clever reason to thank God when the king threw grapes at him.
More chapters in Santoor
Read Chapter 8 of Santoor, the Class 3 English NCERT textbook (2026-27 edition), online for free: the complete chapter as published by NCERT with every diagram, solved example and exercise, with a chapter summary, question answers and revision notes. Open the NCERT PDF above, or browse all NCERT Class 3 textbooks.
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