NCERT Solutions for Class 8th English Chapter 1 A Concrete Example (poem by Reginald Arkell) — Let us listen
Book page 23 Updated on2026-09-08
Q1.
I. You will listen to a presentation about the wonderful Rock Garden of Chandigarh. As you listen, answer the following questions using one to three exact words from the presentation.
1. Where was Nek Chand’s Rock Garden featured?
Answer
On an Indian postage stamp.
The transcript: “The garden was featured on an Indian postage stamp in 1983 and Nek Chand was awarded the Padma Shri a year later.”
Tip: The instruction says one to three exact words. Write “an Indian postage stamp”, not a sentence of your own. Copying the speaker’s words is the whole task.
Q2.
2. What kind of sculptures does the Rock Garden have?
Answer
Colourful sculptures.
The transcript: “it has several colourful sculptures and mosaic of art pieces.”
Q3.
3. How is the Rock Garden divided?
Answer
Into three distinct phases.
The transcript: “What is unique about the Rock Garden is that it is divided into three distinct phases.”
Q4.
4. Name any one thing that has been transformed into a piece of art in the Rock Garden.
The transcript: “Each area reveals a unique collection of installations including terracotta pots, light fixtures, and even broken toilet pots, that have been transformed into extraordinary masterpieces.”
Why the question says “any one”: The speaker lists three, so the task is to catch and hold just one item from a rapid list — a listening skill in itself. Note them down as you hear them and choose afterwards.
Q5.
5. Approximately, how many statues border the Rock Garden?
Answer
Around 5,000 statues.
The transcript: “the borders of the Rock Garden are lined with around 5,000 statues.”
Did you know? Nek Chand built the garden in secret from 1957, out of industrial and household waste, on land where building was forbidden. It now covers about 40 acres. It belongs beside this poem for a reason: like Mrs. Jones, he made a garden out of what nobody else considered garden material — and, unlike her neighbour, the world came round to his view.