NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality is a lesson on hard work. The theme of the story is on how one must adapt to changes and the author shows how the will to achieve quality trumps all other benefits. This story revolves around a shoemaker named Mr. Gessler who made quality boots for all his clients. The summary of the story along with MCQ, NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality is also provided below with an explanation.

Read more: NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Poem 2 The Rebel

Summary-NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality

NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality, For several years, the author had met the shoemaker since he used to make his father’s boots. Mr. Gessler was a shoemaker who lived in a store in London with his older brother. Apart from the name of the Gessler Brothers, the store had no labels. He used to make boots only for orders. Mr. Gessler was once asked by the author whether it was not bad to have such shoes fit ideally into the feet on which they were intended. With a thick German accent, the man responded that it was art.

Quality boots by Mr. Gessler

Most of the time, Mr. Gessler would be engrossed in his boot making art and did not speak much with his clients. He would look at every piece of material with awe. The Gessler brothers’ boots were of supreme quality and lasted a very long time. However, the author once said that his boots were creaking. He talked to Mr. Gessler about it, who said he will try to fix the shoe, and if he couldn’t, he would give the money back to the author.

Mr. Gessler’s problem

On one occasion, the author was a little absent-minded when making an order for a shoe. He was wearing a pair of boots ordered from a big store during an emergency. Mr. Gessler looked closely and squeezed at a point where it was not comfortable for the left boot. He commented with a sad face that it affects consumers, but there is also little self-respect for the multinational companies. Through their advertising and not through their service, they draw clients and because of this Mr. Gessler loses clients.

This is the first time that the author has learned such things from Mr. Gessler. He started feeling bad and immediately purchased several pairs of boots. He went to their shop again after several months, but this time he mistook Mr. Gessler for his older brother. He understood his mistake after a while and discovered that his older brother had passed away. He bought several pairs of shoes again, and shortly after, he went abroad.

Mr. Gessler’s legacy

When he got back, he headed back to his favorite store for boots. This time Mr. Gessler seemed older, just a year had elapsed, but it seemed by as though he had traveled a decade-long trip. Mr. Gessler did not recognize the author. The author placed his orders and the boots were better than ever this time around. One evening, the author went to personally thank Mr. Gessler for his magnificent work. But in the store, the nameplate was absent. The Englishman at the store told him that Mr. Gessler had died and that they had taken over the store. Furthermore, the man added that Mr. Gessler died of slow starvation.

This was because he used to make all the boots himself, and he never let someone else near them. To finish the orders on time, he used the best quality leather and worked hard day and night. He made the best boots with the finest leather in London, but he lost the race to his competitors who would advertise. Everything he earned went on paying the shop rent and buying leathers. He missed his meals operating for hours with each pair of boots. He took too long and lost clients this way.

Conclusion-NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality

Therefore, from the above summary of NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality the lesson learned is that one must strive to achieve quality in all the work we do. The author shows us the same through the theme of the story. The MCQ, NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality also gives an explanation in consonance with the same.

Working with the text-NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality

Find NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality below:

Answer the following questions.

Question 1. What was the author’s opinion about Mr. Gessler as a bootmaker?

Answer: The author was highly impressed with the work of Mr. Gessler as a bootmaker. The boots made by Mr. Gessler used to have an exceptional fit. They were made only on orders and had the best materials. They lasted so long.

Question 2. Why did the author visit the shop so infrequently?

Answer: The author visited the shop so infrequently because the boots made by Mr. Gessler used to stay quite long.

Question 3. What was the effect on Mr. Gessler of the author’s remark about a certain pair of boots?

Answer: On hearing the author’s remark about a certain pair of boots, Mr. Gessler looked at the author for a while as if expecting him to take back his words. Then he said that maybe the author had got them wet. He told the author to bring the boots back to him so that he will either repair or adjust the price of boots in the bills.

Question 4. What was Mr. Gessler’s complaint against “big firms”?

Answer: Mr. Gessler complained that the big firms were making money by attracting customers with advertisements. They were not earning because of the quality of their work but because of the marketing. And, because of them, small shops had to suffer the loss of customers.

Question 5. Why did the author order so many pairs of boots? Did he really need them?

Answer: No, the author did not really need so many pairs of boots. He ordered so many of them because he wanted to help the bootmaker financially.

Working with language

Find NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality below:

Question 1. Study the following phrases and their meanings. Use them appropriately to complete the sentences that follow.

look after: take care of

look down on: disapprove or regard as inferior

look in (on someone): make a short visit

look into: investigate

look out: be careful

look up: improve

look up to: admire

(i) After a very long spell of heat, the weather is __________________ at last.

(ii) We have no right to __________________ people who do small jobs.

(iii) Nitin has always __________________ his uncle, who is a self-made man.

(iv) The police are __________________ the matter thoroughly.

(v) If you want to go out, I will __________________ the children for you.

(vi) I promise to __________________ on your brother when I visit Lucknow next.

(vi) __________________ when you are crossing the main road.

Answer:

(i) After a very long spell of heat, the weather is looking up at last.

(ii) We have no right to look down people who do small jobs.

(iii) Nitin has always looked up his uncle, who is a self-made man.

(iv) The police are looking into the matter thoroughly.

(v) If you want to go out, I will look after the children for you.

(vi) I promise to look in on your brother when I visit Lucknow next.

(vi) Look out when you are crossing the main road.

Question 2: Read the following sets of words loudly and clearly.

cot — coat

cost — coast

tossed — toast

got — goat

rot — rote

blot — bloat

knot — note

Answer: Do it yourself.

Question 3:

Each of the following words contains the sound ‘sh’ (as in shine) at the beginning or the middle or at the end. First, speak out all the words clearly. Then arrange the words in three groups in the table on page 80.

sheep trash marsh fashion

anxious shriek shore fish

portion ashes sure nation

shoe pushing polish mustache

Initial	Medial	Final

Answer:

Initial	Medial	Final
Sheep	Fashion	Trash
Shriek	Anxious	Marsh
Shore	Ashes	Fish
Sure	Nation	Polish
Shoe	Pushing
	Mustache

Question 4: In each of the following words ‘ch’ represents the same consonant sound as in ‘chair’. The words on the left have this sound initially. Those on the right have it finally.

Speak each word clearly.

choose bench

child march

cheese peach

chair wretch

charming research

Underline the letters representing this sound in each of the following words.

(i) feature (iv) reaching (vii) riches

(ii) archery (v) nature (viii) batch

(iii) picture (vi) matches (ix) church

Answer:

(i) feature (iv) reaching (vii) riches

(ii) archery (v) nature (viii) batch

(iii) picture (vi) matches (ix) church

Speaking

Find NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality below:

Question 1. Do you think Mr. Gessler was a failure as a bootmaker or as a competitive businessman?

Answer: Mr. Gessler was an amazing bootmaker. His customers were highly satisfied with the quality of the boots he made.

He was a failure as a competitive businessman. He did not have much money to spend on the advertisements. Whatever he earned went into the raw materials and rent.

Question 2. What is the significance of the title? To whom or to what does it refer?

Answer: The title “Quality” refers to the great quality of boots made by Mr. Gessler. He was proficient at it. He would not let others even touch the boots until it gets ready. He was a true perfectionist who believed in quality. He was losing business but still never compromised on the quality of the boots he made.

Quality is not much of a concern for big firms. They rely on their advertisements for lurking customers.

Question 3 • Notice the way Mr. Gessler speaks English. His English is influenced by his mother tongue. He speaks English with an accent.

• When Mr. Gessler speaks, p,t,k, sound like b,d,g. Can you say these words as Mr. Gessler would say them?

It comes and never stops. Does it bother me? Not at all. Ask my brother, please.

Answer: Mr. Gessler would have said te above statement like:

It comes and never stops. Does it bother me? Not at all. Ask my rudder, please.

Question 4. Speak to five adults in your neighborhood. Ask them the following questions (in any language they are comfortable in). Then come back and share your findings with the class.

(i) Do they buy their provisions packed in plastic packets at a big store, or loose, from a smaller store near their house?

(ii) Where do they buy their footwear? Do they buy branded footwear, or footwear made locally? What reasons do they have for their preference?

(iii) Do they buy ready-made clothes, or buy cloth and get their clothes stitched by a tailor? Which do they think is better?

Answer:

(i) They buy their provisions packed loose from a smaller store near their house.

(ii) They buy footwear made locally. They prefer the local ones because the branded ones are too expensive and they don’t like to spend too much on regular footwear.

(iii) They buy both- the ready-made as well as the ones that are stitched by a tailor. If they want any customized stitch, then they prefer the one that is stitched by a tailor.

Question 5. Look at the picture.

Let pairs of students talk to each other about leaving the country. One student repeats Ajit’s statement. The other gives a reason for not agreeing with Ajit. The sentence openings given below should be used.

• If I leave this country, I’ll miss…

• There are some things which you can get only here, for example…

• There are some special days I’ll miss, particularly…

• Most of all I’ll miss…because…

• I think it’s impossible for me to leave my country because…

• How can you leave your own country except when…?

• Depends on one’s intention. I can’t leave for good because…

• Maybe for a couple of years…

Answer:

Ajit: I’ve decided to go abroad for higher studies.

Anisa: Have you? I don’t think I’ll ever do that. I love my country.

• If I leave this country, I’ll miss my friends with whom I’ve played and spent so much time.

• There are some things which you can get only here, for example, snacks that are particularly prepared here, our traditions, festivals, etc.

• There are some special days I’ll miss, particularly festivals like Holi, Deepawali, etc.

• Most of all I’ll miss my younger brother because we spent almost the entire day together.

• I think it’s impossible for me to leave my country because I can’t go away from my family and friends, and I can’t go so far from them.

• How can you leave your own country except when there is truly no way you can stay here?

• Depends on one’s intention. I can’t leave for good because I can’t even wonder how will I survive so far from my close ones.

• Maybe for a couple of years I can stay this far from home.

Writing

Find NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 5 Quality below:

Question 1. Based on the following points write a story.

• Your aunt has gone to her mother’s house.

• Your uncle does his cooking.

• He is absent-minded.

• He puts vegetables on the stove.

• He begins to clean his bicycle outside.

• The neighbor calls out saying something is burning.

• Your uncle rushes to the kitchen.

• To save vegetables, he puts some oil on them.

• Unfortunately, it’s machine oil, not cooking oil.

• What do you think happens to the vegetables?

Begin like this:

Last month my aunt decided to visit her parents…

Answer:

Last month my aunt decided to visit her parents. My uncle was alone at home and so he used to cook for himself. He was a little absent-minded. Once it so happened that he put vegetables on the stove and went outside to clean his bicycle. After some time, the neighbor called him out saying that something was burning. Uncle rushed inside. To save the vegetables, he put some oil on them. Unfortunately, it was machine oil and not cooking oil. The vegetables were not fit to be eaten now. Uncle had to throw it all away