The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom – Important Questions

Important Question and Answers

Q. What is the sun called in Japanese?

Ans. The sun is called O Tento Sama.

Q. How did the dog die?

Ans. The dog deceived the wicked old couple. They got furious at him, they kicked and beat him to death.

Q. Was the good old couple sad at his dog’s death? Why?

Ans. The good old couple was very sad at their dog’s death. They loved him as their baby.

Q. What happened to the wicked old man?

Ans. The wicked old man insulted the daimio who beat him soundly, left him in the mud where he died.

Q. How were the neighbours of the old couple?

Ans. The old couple had very wicked and greedy neighbours who scolded all dogs that passed by their house.

Q. What preparations did the kind old couple make for the New Year?

Ans. For the New Year, the old couple planned to make rice pastries and bean sauce.

Q. What did the leader of the van do with the kind couple?

Ans. The leader of the van allowed the old man to remain seated at the cherry tree considering him to be very old.

Q. What did the kind farmer do with the money he made from the gold?

Ans. The kind farmer bought a piece of land, hosted a feast for his friends and helped his poor neighbours.

Q. How was the wicked farmer punished for his greed?

Ans. The wicked farmer was killed brutally by the daimio’s men and was thus punished for his greed.

Q. Which pet did the old couple have? How did they look after it?

Ans. The old couple did not have their own child but they had a pet dog. They loved their dog, Muko, as much as they would have loved their own child. They fed it with as much pleasure as their own baby.

Q. How did the spirit of the dog help the farmer first?

Ans. The dog’s spirit asked the farmer to cut the pine tree and make a mortar for his rice pastry and a mill for his bean sauce from it. The old farmer did as he was asked. Gold coins dropped from his mortar and hand mill. The generous old couple were again provided with a lot of gold.

Q. What was the routine of the pet dog?

Ans. The owner of the dog was an old man, who was a farmer. He went to his field every morning, followed by his pet, Muko. There, the dog used to pick up worms in the footsteps of the farmer but Muko never harmed the bird, unlike the custom of any other dog.

Q. How did the old man come by the treasure?

Ans. The old man was a farmer and went to his field every day. His pet dog followed him. One day, the dog ran to him. At a spot, the dog began to dug the ground. He came by a treasure of gold.

Q. How did the daimio reward the kind farmer?

Ans. The daimio was pleased at seeing the magic the withered cherry tree bursting into blossom. So, he rewarded the kind farmer with many gifts.

Q. How did the kind old couple treat their dog?

Ans. The old couple treated the dog as their own child. The old man had made a blue crepe cushion for the dog. During the meals, they used to feed the dog plenty of rice and tidbits of fish from their own chopsticks.

Q. Describe the change the cherry tree underwent after the kind old man poured a pinch of ash over it.

Ans. It was the winter season and the cherry tree in the old couple’s garden didn’t have leaves. The old man sprinkled a pinch of the ashes and blossoms sprouted out of it. Pink flowers bloomed on it and their fragrance filled the air.

Q. How did the spirit of the dog help the farmer second time?

Ans. The second time, the spirit asked the old farmer to take the ashes of the mill, which had been burnt by the wicked neighbour, and to sprinkle them on any withered tree. The old man followed the spirit’s instruction say and on doing so, the withered tree suddenly sprouted and filled the air with a nice fragrance. On seeing this, the daimio became happy and rewarded the old man.

Q. What did Muko do to attract the farmer’s attention? Why?

Ans. A pile of gold was lying buried in the ground and it had been smelt by Muko. He put his paws against his owner’s legs and motioned with his head to some spot behind. Thus, the farmer’s attention was attracted by him. Muko wanted to attract the farmer’s attention towards the pile of gold.

Q. What was the old farmer’s reaction when their pet dog was killed?

Ans. The old farmer heard that their pet dog had been killed by the wicked neighbour. He became very sad as if he had lost his own son. He visited the place where his pet dog had been buried. He mourned for the dog for quite a long time. He called him many loving names. He put some bamboo tubes in the ground. He put some flowers in them. He put a tray of food and some water on the dog’s grave. He also burned costly sticks of incense. He shed tears and called him as if the dog was alive. He was mentally hurt. He had lost his dear pet dog who was like his own baby. The loss was unbearable for him.

Q. How did the dog repay to his masters?

Ans. The dog made his masters rich by giving them gold coins. His masters became prosperous with it and bought a piece of land. He then asked them to collect the ashes which had the power to sprout the blossoms of a withered tree. This magic was seen by the daimio and he rewarded the old couple for this magic.

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