The Unlikely Best Friends – Class 6 English NCERT (Poorvi) Summary, Explanation and Questions Answers
Introduction to The Unlikely Best Friends – Class 6 English NCERT Chapter
“The Unlikely Best Friends” is a heart-warming story from the Class 6 English NCERT book Poorvi. The chapter tells the story of an elephant named Gajaraj and a dog named Buntee, who become close friends even though they are very different animals. Their friendship shows that true friendship is based on love, kindness, and emotional understanding rather than similarity. The story also teaches us that animals, just like humans, feel happiness, sadness, and loneliness.
Table of Contents
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Complete Summary of The Unlikely Best Friends
Gajaraj was a royal elephant who lived in the king’s stable and was well cared for by the mahout. Although he had a comfortable life, he felt lonely because he had no friends.
One evening a hungry stray dog wandered into the stable. Gajaraj kindly shared his food with the dog. Soon the dog started staying with the elephant and they became good friends. They spent time together, went for baths together, and played happily.
One day a farmer recognized the dog as his lost pet Buntee and took him home. After being separated, both the elephant and the dog became very sad and stopped eating.
When the farmer realized how much Buntee missed the elephant, he allowed the dog to return. Buntee ran back to the stable and the two friends happily reunited. In the end, the mahout and the farmer also became friends.
The story shows that true friendship is powerful and brings happiness even in difficult situations.
Paragraph-wise Analysis of The Unlikely Best Friends
Original Paragraph
Gajaraj, the elephant, lived in the best booth of the royal stables. The king was fond of Gajaraj, and he had ordered that the elephant should be well looked after.
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 wish I had a friend I can play with,” thought Gajaraj. One late evening, a dog strayed into the stable. Gajaraj could see that the visitor was tired and hungry.
Word Meanings
booth – rectangular space
stables – living spaces for animals
interacted with – communicated with
strayed – came by mistake
mahout – elephant trainer
Simple Explanation
Gajaraj was a royal elephant who lived comfortably in the king’s stable. The king liked him very much and made sure he was well cared for. However, despite all these comforts, Gajaraj felt lonely because he had no friends. The only person he interacted with was the mahout who looked after him. One evening, a stray dog wandered into the stable looking tired and hungry.
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Original Paragraph
He pushed some of the food he was munching towards the dog. The visitor wagged his tail, looked up at the elephant to convey his thanks, and then turned his full attention to the food in front of him. As soon as he finished eating, he fell asleep.
The next morning, the mahout found the stray dog in the stable. He did not mind the dog. He also noticed that Gajaraj seemed to like the company. So, he threw some crumbs to the dog, which the animal accepted wagging his tail.
Word Meanings
munching – chewing food
wagged – moved from side to side
convey – communicate
crumbs – small pieces of food
company – presence of someone
Simple Explanation
Gajaraj kindly shared his food with the hungry dog. The dog happily wagged his tail to thank him and ate the food. After eating, the tired dog fell asleep in the stable. The next morning, the mahout saw the dog but did not send him away. He noticed that Gajaraj enjoyed the dog’s company and even gave the dog some crumbs to eat.
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Original Paragraph
When the elephant went out for a bath, the dog accompanied his friend. Plunging into the water, the elephant gave himself a shower using his long trunk, as the dog watched.
The elephant took a trunkful of water and playfully splashed the water on his friend. The dog yelped for he hated taking showers. The mahout laughed.
On their way home, the elephant picked up the dog with his trunk and placed him on his back. The dog was delighted to get a ride.
Word Meanings
accompanied – went with someone
plunging – jumping in
trunk – elephant’s long nose
splashed – threw water
yelped – cried
delighted – very happy
Simple Explanation
The dog started following the elephant everywhere. When Gajaraj went to the pond for a bath, the dog went with him. The elephant playfully splashed water on the dog, but the dog did not like getting wet and cried out. The mahout laughed at the funny scene. While returning home, the elephant lifted the dog with his trunk and gave him a ride on his back.
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Original Paragraph
A farmer passing by saw the dog. “Buntee,” he yelled. The dog ran to him. The farmer hugged the dog and told the mahout that he was looking for his dog ever since he disappeared from his house. He was glad he found him now.
The mahout had no objection to the farmer taking the dog home. The farmer tossed a rope round the neck of the dog, saying, “Come Buntee, let’s go home.”
Word Meanings
hugged – held closely
disappeared – was not seen
objection – disagreement
Simple Explanation
A farmer saw the dog and recognized him as his lost pet Buntee. He was very happy to find him and hugged him. The mahout allowed the farmer to take the dog home. The farmer tied a rope around Buntee’s neck and prepared to leave.
Original Paragraph
Only when the farmer pulled the rope did the dog realise that he was being taken away from his friend. He yelped, the elephant winced, but neither the farmer nor the mahout noticed that the two friends were in tears.
The next day at lunch time the mahout served Gajaraj his favourite food. When the mahout came back after finishing his other chores, he was surprised to see that the food had remained untouched.
Word Meanings
realise – understand
winced – shrunk back in pain
chores – daily duties
untouched – not eaten
Simple Explanation
The dog realized he was being separated from his friend Gajaraj and cried sadly. The elephant also felt upset. The next day the elephant refused to eat because he missed his friend.
Original Paragraph
“Why Gajaraj, aren’t you hungry?” he asked concerned. The elephant did not react. “He may have slight indigestion. Let me not force him to eat,” thought the mahout.
That night too, Gajaraj did not touch his food—nor the next day. Now, the mahout was worried. He ran his hand on Gajaraj’s tummy and felt there was nothing wrong. “Why was he not eating then? Is he missing his friend, that dog?” the mahout wondered.
Word Meanings
concerned – worried
indigestion – upset stomach
tummy – stomach
Simple Explanation
The mahout became worried when the elephant refused to eat. At first he thought Gajaraj had indigestion, but when the elephant continued refusing food, he realized the elephant was probably missing his friend.
Original Paragraph
Meanwhile at the farmer’s house, the dog had also not touched his food ever since he was brought home.
“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.
Word Meanings
meanwhile – at the same time
removed – untied
Simple Explanation
At the farmer’s house, the dog also refused to eat because he missed Gajaraj. The farmer understood that the dog was sad without his friend and decided to let him go back.
Original Paragraph
The dog, though weak, sprang to his feet. He licked the farmer’s hand once and then ran. He stopped only when he arrived at the stable.
The elephant picked up the dog with his trunk and gave him a joyous swing. The mahout was relieved. He quickly brought the food. “Both of you eat first,” he said.
By then the farmer who had followed the dog, joined him. The two of them watched with satisfaction the two friends eating food. “It’s not only Gajaraj who has found a friend,” said the mahout hugging the farmer, “I’ve also found one.”
Word Meanings
sprang – jumped quickly
joyous – full of happiness
relieved – feeling relaxed after worry
satisfaction – feeling of happiness
Simple Explanation
The dog quickly ran back to the stable to meet Gajaraj. The elephant happily welcomed him and lifted him with his trunk. The mahout was relieved to see the elephant eating again. The farmer and the mahout watched the two friends happily eating together. In the end, the mahout and the farmer also became friends.
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Main Themes and Lessons – The Unlikely Best Friends
-
True Friendship – Friendship can exist even between very different beings.
Kindness – Gajaraj’s kindness begins the friendship.
Emotional Bond – Both animals miss each other deeply.
Understanding Feelings – The farmer understands Buntee’s emotions.
Questions Answers of The Unlikely Best Friends Class 6 English NCERT (Poorvi)
Let us discuss
Why did Gajaraj not eat his food?
Answer: Gajaraj did not eat his food because he was very sad after Buntee was taken away by the farmer. He missed his friend and therefore refused to eat.
Who were friends at the end of the story?
Answer: At the end of the story, Gajaraj and Buntee remained friends, and the mahout and the farmer also became friends.
Let us think and reflect
I Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
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: mahout : kind :: Gajaraj : sad
(ii) The mahout was a good caretaker because he gave _________ to Gajaraj and a ______ in the pond.
Answer: The mahout was a good caretaker because he gave food to Gajaraj and a bath in the pond.
(iii) What do you think is the difference between a friend and a caretaker?
Answer: A caretaker looks after someone’s needs and responsibilities, while a friend shares feelings, spends time together, and provides companionship and emotional support.
Extract 2:
2.“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: The farmer uses the word friend to refer to the elephant.
(ii) How did the farmer know that Buntee was hungry?
Answer: The farmer knew that Buntee was hungry because the dog had not eaten any food since he was brought home.
(iii) Why did the farmer remove the rope with which he had tied Buntee?
Answer: The farmer removed the rope because he realized that Buntee missed his friend Gajaraj and wanted to go back to him.
(iv) Complete with one word:
Gajaraj : Buntee : : __________ : farmer
Answer: Gajaraj : Buntee :: mahout : farmer
II Give two examples to show that Gajaraj was very happy to have a friend.
Answer: Gajaraj shared his food with Buntee and played with him by splashing water during bath time. He also gave Buntee a ride on his back.
III How did the mahout come to know that Gajaraj was sad?
Answer: The mahout realized that Gajaraj was sad when he saw that the elephant was not eating his favourite food.
IV Why do you think Buntee licked the farmer’s hand?
Answer: Buntee licked the farmer’s hand to show gratitude and affection before running back to meet Gajaraj.
V What was ‘unlikely’ about the friendship of Gajaraj and Buntee?
Answer: The friendship was unlikely because Gajaraj was a large elephant and Buntee was a small dog, yet they became very close friends.
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