The Golden Touch - Chapter 2 - English - Rainbow I - Class 6

(SCERT)

State Council of Educational Research and Training.

CLASS : VI

SUBJECT : ENGLISH (Rainbow i)

Lesson— 2

The Golden Touch

COMPLETE CHAPTER SUMMARY

The Golden Touch is an educational story set in ancient Greece about a wealthy yet miserable monarch named King Midas, who suffers from extreme greed. He spends all his time wishing for more gold. One day, he encounters a Divine Spirit and treats him kindly. Pleased, the Spirit rewards him with a single wish. Midas asks for the "golden touch"—demanding that everything he comes into contact with turn into gold.

Though the Spirit warns him of potential consequences, the king insists on his choice. Initially, Midas is thrilled to watch stones turn to gold. However, his joy turns to panic when his food and water turn into solid gold, leaving him unable to eat or drink. The tragedy peaks in the garden when he hugs his young daughter, changing her into a stiff, lifeless golden statue.

Overcome with grief, King Midas cries out for mercy. The Divine Spirit reappears and advises him to wash his hands in the nearby river to remove the curse. The king rushes to the river, rinses away his power, and restores his daughter to life with a hug. From that day on, King Midas values love and human relationships over material possessions, living happily with what he already has.

অসমীয়াত অধ্যায়ৰ সাৰাংশ (Chapter Summary in Assamese)

'দ্য গোল্ডেন টাচ' (The Golden Touch) নামৰ কাহিনীটো প্ৰাচীন গ্ৰীচৰ এজন অতি ধনী কিন্তু অসুখী ৰজা মিডাছৰ ওপৰত আধাৰিত। ৰজা মিডাছৰ সোণৰ প্ৰতি অতিপাত লোভ আছিল আৰু তেওঁ সদায় অধিক ধন-সোণ লাভ কৰাৰ উপায় বিচাৰি ফুৰিছিল।

এদিন ৰজা মিডাছে এজন পবিত্ৰ ঐশ্বৰিক আত্মা (Divine Spirit) ক লগ পায় আৰু তেওঁক বৰ আদৰ-সদৰ কৰে। ৰজাৰ ব্যৱহাৰত সন্তুষ্ট হৈ ঐশ্বৰিক আত্মাই তেওঁক এটা বৰদান খুজিবলৈ কয়। ৰজা মিডাছে বৰদান খুজিলে যে তেওঁ যিয়েই স্পৰ্শ কৰে, সেই সকলোবোৰ যেন সোণলৈ ৰূপান্তৰিত হৈ পৰে। ঐশ্বৰিক আত্মাই ৰজাক সাৱধান কৰি দিছিল যে এই বৰদানে বিপদ মাতি আনিব পাৰে, তথাপিও ৰজাই নিজৰ জেদত অটল হৈ থাকিল। অৱশেষত আত্মাই তেওঁৰ ইচ্ছা পূৰণ কৰিলে।

প্ৰথমতে ৰজাই শিল স্পৰ্শ কৰি সেয়া সোণ হোৱা দেখি বৰ আনন্দিত হৈছিল। কিন্তু অতি সোনকালেই তেওঁৰ এই আনন্দ দুখলৈ সলনি হ'ল। যেতিয়াই তেওঁ ভোক-পিয়াহত কিবা খাবলৈ বা খাবলৈ লয়, তেওঁ স্পৰ্শ কৰা মাত্ৰকে সকলো খাদ্য আৰু পানী সোণ হৈ পৰে, যাৰ বাবে তেওঁ একো খাব নোৱাৰা হ'ল। ইয়াৰ পিছত আটাইতকৈ ডাঙৰ বিপৰ্যয়টো তেতিয়া ঘটিল যেতিয়া বাগিচাত তেওঁ নিজৰ মৰমৰ কন্যাক সাবটি ধৰিলে। ৰজাৰ স্পৰ্শ পোৱাৰ লগে লগে ৰাজকুমাৰীজনী এটা নিৰ্জীৱ সোণৰ মূৰ্তিলৈ সলনি হৈ পৰিল।

নিজৰ ভুল বুজি পাই ৰজাই হাহাকাৰ কৰি কান্দিবলৈ ধৰিলে। ৰজাৰ ক্ৰন্দন শুনি ঐশ্বৰিক আত্মা পুনৰ আবিৰ্ভাৱ হ'ল আৰু ৰজাক নদীৰ পানীত হাত ধুবলৈ উপদেশ দিলে। ৰজা মিডাছে লগে লগে নদীলৈ লৰ মাৰি হাত ধুলে আৰু নদীৰ পানীয়ে তেওঁৰ হাতৰ পৰা সেই 'সোণালী স্পৰ্শ' (Golden Touch) ধুই লৈ গ'ল। ইয়াৰ পিছত তেওঁ দৌৰি বাগিচালৈ গৈ জীয়েকক স্পৰ্শ কৰাৰ লগে লগে ৰাজকুমাৰীজনী পুনৰ জীৱিত হৈ উঠিল।

সেই দিনটোৰ পৰা ৰজা মিডাছ সম্পূৰ্ণ সলনি হৈ পৰিল। তেওঁ বুজি পালে যে মৰম-চেনেহ আৰু সুখেই হৈছে প্ৰকৃত সম্পদ, যাৰ মূল্য সোণ বা ধনতকৈ বহুত বেছি। তেওঁ নিজৰ থকাখিনিৰে সন্তুষ্ট হৈ সুখৰে জীৱন কটাবলৈ শিকিলে।

Activities:

1. Answer the following questions:

a) What did the king wish for?

Answer: King Midas wished that whatever he touched would turn into gold.

b) How did the king test his power?

Answer: The king tested his power by touching a stone, which instantly turned into gold.

c) What happened to the princess when the king hugged her?

Answer: When the king hugged her, she instantly turned into a statue of gold.

d) How did the king get rid of his golden touch?

Answer: The king got rid of his golden touch by going to the river and washing his hands in its water.

e) What lesson did King Midas learn at the end?

Answer: King Midas learned that love and happiness are the true wealth, and they are worth much more than gold and money.

2. Read the following statements. Put a tick (✓) on the correct statement, and a cross (X) on the incorrect ones:

a) King Midas was very happy with his wealth.

Answer: X

(Note: He was rich but unhappy.)

b) The king tested his new power by touching a stone.

Answer: ✓

c) The Divine Spirit did not warn King Midas.

Answer: X

(Note: The Divine Spirit warned him that the wish may lead to trouble.)

d) When King Midas touched a stone, it turned into gold.

Answer: ✓

e) The river didn't solve King Midas' problem.

Answer: X

(Note: The river water washed away the golden touch and solved his problem.)

3. Read the sentences given below, and replace the underlined part with a word from the box:

Box Options: shocked, excited, granted, insisted

i. King Midas was surprised.

Answer: shocked

ii. The Divine Spirit agreed to fulfil his wish.

Answer: granted

iii. King Midas demanded forcefully that his wish be fulfilled.

Answer: insisted

iv. King Midas was happy and enthusiastic when his wish was fulfilled.

Answer: excited

4. Choose the correct alternative from the options to complete each sentence:

a) King Midas' greatest desire was

i) to hug his daughter

ii) to have more gold

iii) to wash his hands

iv) to walk in the garden

Answer: ii) to have more gold

b) __________ granted the wish of King Midas.

i) The stone

ii) The Divine Spirit

iii) Midas' daughter

iv) A golden statue

Answer: ii) The Divine Spirit

c) King Midas got rid of his golden touch

i) by wishing it away

ii) by washing his hands in the river

iii) by taking a walk in the garden

iv) by hugging his daughter

Answer: ii) by washing his hands in the river

d) The lesson that King Midas learnt from his experience is that

i) gold is the key to happiness

ii) power is more important than love

iii) love and happiness are worth more than gold

iv) greed is everything in life

Answer: iii) love and happiness are worth more than gold

e) After losing the golden touch, King Midas

i) became greedier

ii) became wiser

iii) remained the same

iv) lost his kingdom

Answer: ii) became wiser

(Note: The text states he became a changed person and learned to be happy with what he had.)

f) The message that the story conveys is that

i) material wealth gives happiness

ii) greed makes a man blind and foolish

iii) gold is more valuable than life

iv) a golden touch is more valuable than happiness

Answer: ii) greed makes a man blind and foolish

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ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

Very Short Answer Questions

Q1. Where did King Midas live?

Answer: He lived in ancient Greece.

Q2. How did King Midas treat the Divine Spirit?

Answer: He treated the Divine Spirit very well.

Q3. What warning did the Divine Spirit give King Midas?

Answer: The Divine Spirit warned him that his wish might lead to trouble.

Q4. Why couldn't King Midas eat or drink?

Answer: Because any food or drink he touched immediately turned into gold.

Q5. Where did the king go when he discovered he couldn't eat?

Answer: He went out into his garden.

Short Answer Questions

Q1. Why was King Midas unhappy despite being very rich?

Answer: He was unhappy because his greed made him constantly long for more money and more gold.

Q2. Describe the scene when King Midas' daughter approached him in the garden.

Answer: The king called out to his daughter. They ran together and hugged each other affectionately, but she instantly turned into a rigid statue of gold.

Q3. How did King Midas' happiness turn into despair?

Answer: His happiness turned to despair when he realized his magical power had ruined his life by stopping him from eating and turning his beloved daughter into a lifeless statue.

Long Answer Questions

Q1. Describe how King Midas transformed from the beginning of the story to the end.

Answer: At the beginning, King Midas was greedy, unhappy, and obsessed with gathering gold. After receiving the golden touch, his greed cost him his food and his daughter's life. This trauma made him realize his foolishness. By the end of the story, he became a wise, changed person who valued love and family over material wealth.

ADDITIONAL MCQs

Q1. What is the setting of the story 'The Golden Touch'?

a) Ancient Rome

b) Ancient Egypt

c) Ancient Greece

d) Ancient India

Answer: c)

Q2. What did the king touch first to test his magical powers?

a) A rose

b) A stone

c) A chair

d) A gold coin

Answer: b)

Q3. Who appeared before the crying king to help him take back the wish?

a) His queen

b) The prime minister

c) The Divine Spirit

d) A local wizard

Answer: c)

Q4. What did the king do to bring his daughter back to life after washing his hands?

a) He sprinkled river water on her

b) He prayed to the sun

c) He hurried to the garden and hugged the statue

d) He gave her a magic potion

Answer: c)

Oral Questions from

'The Tale of the Talking Cave'

i. What trick did the fairies play?

Answer: The fairies cast a spell on the cave to make it talk and speak to the meditating monk, Deva.

ii. What lesson did Deva learn?

Answer: Deva learned that taking pride in your work is fine, but being boastful is bad; he needed to remain humble.

iii. What happened to the cave after the lesson?

Answer: The fairies lifted the spell, and the cave fell silent again.

iv. What message does the story convey?

Answer: The story teaches us to overcome vanity and practice true humility.

HOTS QUESTIONS:

Q1. Why do you think the Divine Spirit granted the wish even though he knew it would bring trouble?

Answer: The Divine Spirit granted the wish to let King Midas learn a lesson through real-world experience. Sometimes, experiencing the negative results of our own greed is the only way to build true wisdom.

Q2. If you were given a choice between unlimited wealth or spending time with your loved ones, what would you choose based on this story?

Answer: I would choose to spend time with my loved ones. As King Midas discovered, gold and money cannot provide real companionship, affection, or comfort; true wealth lies in family love and peace of mind.