The Unlikely Best Friends - Textual Notes

Key Characters

Gajaraj: A gentle, affectionate royal elephant who longs for true companionship.

Buntee: A loyal and friendly dog who forms a deep bond with Gajaraj.

The Mahout: A kind elephant trainer who takes good care of Gajaraj and learns the value of true friendship.

The Farmer: Buntee's owner who shows empathy by understanding his dog's sadness and reuniting him with Gajaraj.

Let us do these activities before we read

Activity I

Friends are an important part of our lives. Why do you think so? Share your ideas with your friend. What do you do when you are with your friends and how do you feel?

Friends are an important part of our lives because they share our joy, give us comfort when we are sad, and help us when we face difficulties.

With my friend I: play games, share lunch, read books, ride bicycles.

With my friend I feel: happy, safe, joyful, cared for.

Activity II

1: The title of the chapter is 'The Unlikely Best Friends'. What can be the meaning of 'unlikely'? Discuss in groups, and then discuss with your teacher.

The word 'unlikely' means something that is unexpected or not probable to happen. In this context, an 'unlikely' friendship means a bond between two very different creatures that people would normally not expect to become friends.

2: Can you think of some unlikely friends? Share your answer with your teacher.

Yes, examples of unlikely friends include a dog and a cat playing together, or a lion and a dog living peacefully together in a sanctuary.

Let us read

Let us discuss (Part I)

1: Talk about the things that Gajaraj and Buntee did together. Now, write in the shapes given below.

1. Played together

2. Ate food together

3. Bathed in the pond

4. Went on rides

2: Why did the farmer hug Buntee?

The farmer hugged Buntee because Buntee was his lost dog whom he had been searching for since he disappeared.

3: Do you think Buntee will leave Gajaraj and go home with the farmer?

Buntee did not want to leave, but he was forced to go because the farmer tied a rope around his neck and pulled him.

 Let us discuss (Part II)

1: Why did Gajaraj not eat his food?

Gajaraj did not eat his food because he missed his best friend, Buntee, and was very sad without him.

2: Who were friends at the end of the story?

Gajaraj and Buntee were reunited as best friends. Additionally, the mahout and the farmer also became good friends.

Let us think and reflect

I: Extract-based Questions

1. Read the given lines and answer the questions:

"In spite of royal comforts, Gajaraj was sad because he had no friends. The mahout, or elephant trainer, was the only one he ever interacted with. The mahout was a kind man who served Gajaraj food, and gave him a bath in the elephant pond daily. He was a good caretaker, but not a friend."

(i) Complete with one word: 

mahout : kind :: Gajaraj : ______

Answer: sad (or lonely)

(ii) The mahout was a good caretaker because he gave ______ to Gajaraj and a ______ in the pond.

food; bath

(iii) What do you think is the difference between a friend and a caretaker?

A caretaker takes care of daily needs like food and cleaning. A friend shares happiness, plays, and forms an emotional bond.

2. Read the given lines and answer the questions:

"Are you missing your friend?" asked the farmer remembering the happy look on Buntee's face while sitting on the elephant's back. "I cannot see you go hungry," said the farmer, "If you miss your friend so much, go to him." The farmer removed the rope with which he had tied the dog.

(i) The farmer uses the word ______ to refer to the elephant.

Answer: friend

(ii) How did the farmer know that Buntee was hungry?

The farmer knew because Buntee had not touched his food ever since he was brought home.

(iii) Why did the farmer remove the rope with which he had tied Buntee?

The farmer removed the rope because he could not see Buntee go hungry and wanted him to be happy with his friend.

(iv) Complete with one word: 

Gajaraj : Buntee :: mahout : ______

farmer

II: Short Answer Questions

1: How did Gajaraj express his joy when Buntee returned?

Gajaraj picked up Buntee with his trunk and gave him a joyous swing.

2: What made the mahout realize that Gajaraj was unhappy?

The mahout noticed that Gajaraj refused to touch his favourite food for days and had no physical stomach problem.

3: How did Buntee show love to the farmer before running back to the stable?

Buntee licked the farmer's hand once to show affection and gratitude before running away.

4: Why is the title "The Unlikely Best Friends" suitable for this story?

The title is suitable because an elephant and a dog are very different in size and nature. Despite these differences, they formed a deep, emotional bond of true friendship.

 Let us learn

1. Opposites and Prefixes

Opposites can often be formed by adding prefixes such as un-, in-, dis-, or mis- before words.

Happy x   Unhappy

Correct  x  Incorrect

Connect x  Disconnect

Use x  Misuse

Crossword Answers:

Across:

3. unkind -> KIND

7. yelped -> LAUGHED

8. awake -> ASLEEP

9. relieved -> WORRIED

10. missing -> FOUND

Down:

1. started -> FINISHED

2. appeared -> DISAPPEARED

3. sad -> DELIGHTED

4. untouched -> TOUCHED

5. hate -> LIKE

2. Fill in the blanks using suitable opposite words:

My pencil was missing. I was very upset as it was a gift from my friend. I woke up my elder brother who was sleeping on the bed. I told him that my pencil seemed to have disappeared. He smiled and told me to look under my pillow. I was relieved when I found the pencil there.

3. Grammar: Tenses Overview

Simple Past Tense: Used to show an action completed in the past.

Examples from story: looked, gave, hated, told, asked, felt, joined, arrived, went, noticed, served, touched, threw.

Past Continuous Tense: Used to show an action that was going on in the past.

Examples from story: was looking, was missing, was munching.

Past Perfect Tense: Used to show an action that had been completed earlier in the past.

Examples from story: had followed, had remained, had tied, had ordered.

Passage Completion with Correct Tense Forms:

The farmer came back and noticed that Buntee was sad. He had tied Buntee with a rope the day before. He asked Buntee why he was sad. The farmer felt that Buntee missed Gajaraj and set him free.

Let us listen

1. Fill in the blanks from listening passage

The leopard is a wild animal but it became a friend of a cow.

When the leopard grew up, it left the village.

It came in the night to meet the cow.

The leopard sat beside the cow.

They also relaxing and played together.

The villagers were surprised at their friendship.

2. Number the sentences in correct order

1. The cow took care of the leopard cub as a mother.

2. The leopard left the village after growing up.

3. The leopard came to meet the cow at night.

4. The leopard stopped coming regularly.

Let us speak

I am: Rahul

I like: playing cricket

My friend is: Aman

My friend likes: reading books

Both of us like: eating ice cream and riding bicycles

Let us write

Six sentences about your friend:

1. My friend Aman and I study in the same class.

2. Both of us like playing football during lunch break.

3. Unlike me, my friend likes drawing pictures.

4. I like reading storybooks, but he likes solving maths puzzles.

5. We are different in our hobbies, still we help each other every day.

6. Neither he nor I like to fight with anyone.

Let us explore

News Report Summary (Tarra and Bella):

In an Elephant Sanctuary in the United States, an elephant named Tarra and a stray dog named Bella became best friends. When Bella was injured and kept inside a building for three weeks, Tarra faithfully stood outside waiting for her until they were reunited.