Feathered Friend — Class 8 MCQs with Answers
Class 8 CBSE English · Chapter 13
48 practice questions · 16 Easy · 16 Medium · 16 Hard · Updated
Practise the most important Class 8 CBSE English questions from Chapter 13, "Feathered Friend". You get 6 timed quizzes made from 48 NCERT-based MCQs, with answers and explanations. The questions are split into 16 Easy, 16 Medium and 16 Hard. Warm up on the basics, then move on to the exam-level questions that top scorers in CBSE Board exams get right.
To score well in "Feathered Friend", focus on comprehension, grammar and writing skills. Each MCQ here is timed and uses exam-style marking (+4 correct, −1 wrong, 0 skipped). This helps you stay accurate when time is short, just as real papers need. Every question has a short explanation, so a wrong answer becomes a quick lesson. It is the fastest way to fix gaps before a test.
Use this chapter for focused revision. Start with the Easy set to check your basics on Feathered Friend, then move to Medium and Hard to practise applying them. Your accuracy, streaks and XP save automatically. This chapter also adds to your overall Class 8 English mastery score. 9 sample questions are solved in full below, with the answer and a worked explanation. Sign in free to start practising.
Feathered Friend — important questions & MCQs with answers (Class 8 English)
9 solved questions from this chapter's difficulty levels, each with its answer and explanation.
- Q1Easy
Who is the author of the story 'Feathered Friend'?
A.Ruskin BondB.H. G. WellsC.Arthur C. Clarke✓ CorrectD.Isaac AsimovAnswer: C. Arthur C. Clarke
Explanation: 'Feathered Friend' was written by Arthur C. Clarke, a famous science-fiction author known for stories about space.
- Q2Easy
What was the name of the pet canary in the story?
A.Claribel✓ CorrectB.ChirpyC.GoldieD.BellaAnswer: A. Claribel
Explanation: The little yellow canary kept aboard the station was named Claribel.
- Q3Easy
Where does the story 'Feathered Friend' take place?
A.On a space station✓ CorrectB.In a coal mineC.On an aeroplaneD.In a submarineAnswer: A. On a space station
Explanation: The whole story is set aboard a manned space station orbiting in weightless conditions.
- Q4Medium
The crew sharing the oxygen bottle 'like a pipe of peace' creates a mood of:
A.Relief and shared survival✓ CorrectB.Anger and blameC.Boredom and impatienceD.Fear of the canaryAnswer: A. Relief and shared survival
Explanation: Passing the oxygen round 'like a pipe of peace' pictures the calm relief of a crew who have just come safely through danger together.
- Q5Medium
The narrator notes that no regulation forbade keeping a pet on the station. This mainly suggests that:
A.Pets were compulsory on every stationB.Sven had clearly broken a written ruleC.No one had ever thought a pet on a station worth making a rule about✓ CorrectD.The crew disliked all animalsAnswer: C. No one had ever thought a pet on a station worth making a rule about
Explanation: There was no rule against pets simply because the situation was so unusual that nobody had imagined needing one.
- Q6Medium
Why did construction workers on the space station need to be light and wiry?
A.So they would eat less foodB.Because small, wiry men could move and work more easily in space✓ CorrectC.So they could fit inside the ferryD.Because heavy men could not singAnswer: B. Because small, wiry men could move and work more easily in space
Explanation: Being small and wiry was almost a necessary qualification for space work, where such build made moving about easier.
- Q7Hard
'Feathered Friend' is best described as which kind of story?
A.A biographyB.Science fiction✓ CorrectC.A folk taleD.A travelogueAnswer: B. Science fiction
Explanation: Set on a space station with weightless flight and life-support systems, it is a work of science fiction by Arthur C. Clarke.
- Q8Hard
What does the narrator's instant memory of the coal-mine canaries reveal about him?
A.He was too panicked to thinkB.He secretly disliked ClaribelC.He was observant and could link old knowledge to a new crisis✓ CorrectD.He wanted an excuse to leave the stationAnswer: C. He was observant and could link old knowledge to a new crisis
Explanation: Connecting the fainting bird to the miners' practice shows an alert, thoughtful mind that reads the warning correctly under pressure.
- Q9Hard
Choosing a canary, rather than a dog or cat, as the story's unlikely hero is fitting because:
A.Canaries are unusually large animalsB.Canaries are completely unable to flyC.A canary would be simple to illustrateD.A canary's small size makes it react to bad air first, echoing the miners' practice✓ CorrectAnswer: D. A canary's small size makes it react to bad air first, echoing the miners' practice
Explanation: A canary's tiny body reacts to spoiled air before humans do, the very reason miners used the bird and the reason it works here.
Key concepts: Feathered Friend (Class 8 English)
'Feathered Friend' by Arthur C. Clarke is a science-fiction story set aboard a manned space station. Sven Olsen, a construction man, smuggles a little yellow canary named Claribel up from Earth out of scientific curiosity about how a bird flies with no weight. In the weightless station Claribel delights the crew by hanging and looping in mid-air. During an eclipse the station cools, part of the air-purifying plant freezes, and the air slowly goes bad, but the single alarm fails and its duplicate is not yet connected. Claribel, being tiny and sensitive, faints first. The narrator remembers that miners once carried canaries to warn them of gas, grasps the danger in time, and the crew use oxygen to survive. The bird recovers, and the story celebrates observation, curiosity, and the value of a small life.
- Sven Olsen and the narrator
- Sven is a skilled, wiry construction man who smuggles the canary aboard; the unnamed narrator is the observant crew member whose quick thinking saves everyone.
- Claribel the canary
- A small yellow canary weighing almost nothing, a 'stowaway' pet who becomes the crew's feathered friend and, in the end, a life-saving early-warning system.
- Space-station setting
- The story unfolds in orbit under weightless (zero-gravity) conditions, where a bird can hover motionless like a hummingbird and loop about with no effort.
- Scientific curiosity
- Sven's stated reason for bringing Claribel is curiosity about how a bird uses its wings with no weight, tying the story to its unit theme 'Science and Curiosity'.
- The eclipse and the frozen air plant
- During an eclipse the station passes into shadow and cools, so part of the air-purifying plant freezes and stops cleaning the air, which slowly turns bad.
- The failed alarm
- The single alarm in the circuit fails to go off and its back-up duplicate has not yet been connected, so the crew receive no mechanical warning of the danger.
- Canary in a coal mine
- The narrator recalls that miners once carried canaries underground because a small bird faints from poisonous or thin air long before humans notice it.
- Claribel's collapse and rescue
- Being tiny, Claribel faints first; her collapse warns the narrator in time, the crew breathe from oxygen bottles 'like a pipe of peace', and the bird revives.
- Theme and message
- Careful observation and quick thinking, plus a small living creature, prove more reliable than complex machinery, an ironic and warm celebration of small lives.
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Start this chapter free →Feathered Friend — FAQs
What are the key concepts in Class 8 English Feathered Friend?+
'Feathered Friend' by Arthur C. Clarke is a science-fiction story set aboard a manned space station. Sven Olsen, a construction man, smuggles a little yellow canary named Claribel up from Earth out of scientific curiosity about how a bird flies with no weight. In the weightless station Claribel delights the crew by hanging and looping in mid-air. During an eclipse the station cools, part of the air-purifying plant freezes, and the air slowly goes bad, but the single alarm fails and its duplicate is not yet connected. Claribel, being tiny and sensitive, faints first. The narrator remembers that miners once carried canaries to warn them of gas, grasps the danger in time, and the crew use oxygen to survive. The bird recovers, and the story celebrates observation, curiosity, and the value of a small life. Key ideas include Sven Olsen and the narrator, Claribel the canary, Space-station setting, Scientific curiosity, The eclipse and the frozen air plant, The failed alarm.
What does Class 8 English Chapter 13 (Feathered Friend) cover on XamBaaz?+
It has 48 NCERT-based MCQs on "Feathered Friend": 16 Easy, 16 Medium and 16 Hard. Together they make 6 timed quizzes, and you never get the same set twice. Every question has an instant explanation. They help you prepare for CBSE Board exams.
Are these "Feathered Friend" questions free to practise?+
Yes. Sign in with Google to practise "Feathered Friend" free. Full unlimited access is ₹999/year. One year from the day you pay. You stay in Class 8 till 31 March; on 1 April your account moves up to Class 9 and the rest of your year carries over. No chapter is charged separately.
How should I revise "Feathered Friend" for the exam?+
Start with the Easy quiz to check your basics, then try Medium and Hard to practise applying them. There are 6 timed quizzes on this chapter, so you can come back for a fresh set instead of one you have seen. Read each explanation, retry the questions you miss, and track your accuracy until it stays high.
Are these "Feathered Friend" MCQs available with answers?+
Yes. 9 sample questions are shown here in full, each with the correct option and a step-by-step "Why" explanation. Sign in free with Google to start practising, with instant scoring.
Is there negative marking in the "Feathered Friend" quizzes?+
Yes. The timed quizzes use exam-style marking: +4 for a right answer, −1 for a wrong one and 0 for a skip. MHT-CET and CBSE board papers have no negative marking. Our mocks for those are scored their way.
What are the important questions from Feathered Friend (Class 8 English)?+
The questions that matter most test Sven Olsen and the narrator, Claribel the canary, Space-station setting, Scientific curiosity, The eclipse and the frozen air plant, The failed alarm. This page shows 9 solved important MCQs with answers and explanations. Sign in to practise all 48 questions on the chapter as timed quizzes.
Is there an online quiz for Feathered Friend?+
Yes — Class 8 English Feathered Friend has timed online quizzes at Easy, Medium and Hard levels, with instant scoring and a worked explanation on every question. The first quiz on the chapter is free.