Class-7 English: Honeycomb-The Invention of Vita-Wonk
The Invention of Vita-Wonk
By Roald Dahl
Summary
Mr. Willy Wonka was a scientist. He invents a medicine named as Vita Wonka. This medicine makes people younger. Mr. Wonka mentions different kinds of trees in the lesson. He tells that the Bristlecone tree lives the longest for more than 4000 years. We can find this upon the slopes of Wheeler Peak in Nevada, U.S.A. He also collected many different items from the oldest living things.
Mr. Wonka prepared a black liquid by boiling and mixing of different parts of different living things.He gave four drops of that black liquid to a 20 years old man named as Oompa-Loompa. The volunteer, who swallowed four drops of the new invention, became an old man of 75. The name of the invention was Vita-Wonk. Finally, the scientist got success in his new invention of Vita-Wonka.
Textual Questions and Exercises
Q1. What trees does Mr. Wonka mention? Which tree does he say lives the longest?
Ans. Mr. Wonka mentions so many kinds of trees –Oak, Douglas fir, cedar and bristlecone pine tree. The bristlecone pine tree lives the longest.
Q2. How long does this Bristlecone pine tree live? Where can you find it?
Ans. Bristlecone pine lives for over 4ooo years. We can find this tree on Wheeler Peak in Nevada, USA.
Q3. How many of the oldest living things can you remember from Mr. Wonka’s list? (Don’t look back at the story!) Do you think all these things really exist, or are some of them purely imaginary?
Ans: I can remember five of the oldest things from the list of Mr. Wonk. These are:
- The tail of a 51-year-old Horse in Arabia.
- The tail of a 207-year-old giant Rat from Tibet.
- The black teeth of a 97-years-old Grimalkin living in a cave on Mount Popocatepetle.
- The toe-nail clippings from a 168-year-old Russian farmer called Petrovitch Gregorovitch
- The whiskers of a 36-year-old cat called Crumpets.
I think most of the things are imaginary old things collected from a Russian farmer, a tortoise, a flea, a rat and a horse.
Q4. Why does Mr. Wonka collect items from the oldest things? Do you think is the right way to begin his invention?
Ans. Mr. Wonka collects items from the oldest things in order to invent a new medicine that would make the young people older. No, this is not the right way to invent a new thing.
Q5. What happens to the volunteer who swallows four drops of the new invention? What is the name of the invention?
Ans. After taking four drops of medicine, the volunteer grows very old. His hair and teeth start falling. His skin becomes dry and wrinkled. A twenty year old man looks seventy five. The name of invention is Vita –Wonk.
Q6. Choose the correct answer.
(i) Mr. Willy Wonka is
(a) a cook
(b) an inventor
(c) a manager.
Ans. (i) Mr. Willy Wonka is (b) an inventor
(ii) Wonka-Vita makes people
(a) older
(b) younger
Ans. (ii) Wonka-Vita makes people (b) younger
(iii) Mr. Wonka wants to invent a new thing which will make people
(a) younger
(b) older
Ans. (iii) Mr Wonka wants to invent a new thing which will make people (b) older
Q7. Can anyone’s age be a minus number? What does “minus 87” mean?
Ans. No, one’s age cannot be a minus number. Here, “minus 87” means a person will have to wait for 87 years to take birth.
Q8. Mr. Wonka begins by asking himself two questions. What are they?
(i) What is _____?
(ii) What lives _____?
Ans. (i) What is the oldest living thing in the world?
(ii) What lives longer than anything else?
Q9. What was the effect of the medicine Vita-Wonka?
Ans: Mr. Willy Wonka invented a new medicine named as Vita-Wonka.It reduced people’s age. The age became minus and people disappeared.
Q10. What does the lesson tell you about Vita Wonk?
Ans: Mr. Wonka invented a medicine. It was named as Vita- Wonka. It was helpful in reducing the age of people’s age. The people looked young.
Q11. Which type of things did Mr. Wonka collect?
Ans: Mr. Wonka collected old things of ancient time. He also wanted to collect things of the longest age.
Q12. What do you know about venomous squerkle?
Ans: The venomous squrekle is very powerful and it can throw its poison fifty yards away from it.
Q13. Name the volunteer who swallowed the medicine?
Ans: Oompa- Loompa swallowed that medicine.
Q14. What was his first step to make a new tonic?
Ans: He planned to find out the oldest living creature or plant in the world.
Q15. What the phrase ‘rolled of my sleeve’ mean?
Ans: It means got ready.
Q16. Why did he select very old animals and things?
Ans: He selected old animals and things to prepare a liquid that could make people very old.
Q17. How did he produce his magic liquid?
Ans: He took something from all old animals, boiled them and produced the liquid.
Q18. Who was Charlie?
Ans: Charlie was Mr. Wonka’s friend
Working With Language
Q1. Fill in the blanks in the recipe given below with words from the box.
Ans.
Ingredients
One Onion
One cup dal
Two thin green chillies
Half a teaspoon red chilli powder
Eight small bunches of palak
Two tomatoes
Salt to taste
Wash and cut the vegetables; shred the palak. Put everything in a pressure cooker. Let the cooker.Whistle three times, then switch if off. Fry a few cumin seeds in oil and add to the palak-dal.
Q2. Given below are a few emphatic utterances. Say them to your partner. Let your partner repeat your utterance without the emphasis. Your partner may also add something to show she/he disagrees with you.
YOU: I did study.
PARTNER: You studied? I don’t believe you. Look at your marks!
YOU: I did go there.
PARTNER: You went there? Then…
YOU: I do play games.
PARTNER: I don’t believe you.
YOU: He does read his books.
PARTNER: I don’t believe you.
YOU: You do say the most unbelievable things!
PARTNER: I don’t think you say the most unbelievable things.
YOU: The earth does spin around.
PARTNER: I don’t feel.
YOU: We all do want you to come with us.
PARTNER: then why didn’t you invite me to come.
YOU: Who does know how to cook?
PARTNER: I don’t know how to cook.
YOU: I do believe that man is a thief.
PARTNER: I don’t believe.