In CBSE Class 8 English Poorvi Book, Unit 5 (Science and Curiosity), “Feathered Friend” by Arthur C. Clarke is an interesting science fiction story that shows how a small living creature can prove more useful than advanced machines in space.
The story is set in a space station orbiting Earth. Sven Olsen, a skilled construction worker, secretly brings his pet canary named Claribel to the station (as there is no strict rule against pets). At first, the crew is surprised and slightly annoyed by the bird. However, Claribel quickly adapts to zero gravity. She floats gracefully, changes direction in mid-air, and fills the station with her cheerful whistling and singing. Soon, she becomes the crew’s beloved mascot.
One day, while the narrator is working in his office, he hears Claribel’s usual whistle suddenly stop. He finds her lying unconscious on the floor. The crew rushes to revive her with oxygen. She briefly recovers but faints again. This strange incident alerts the crew that something is seriously wrong with the air inside the space station. They discover that the air purifier has malfunctioned, and the air is becoming poisonous. Thanks to Claribel’s sensitivity (canaries are highly sensitive to bad air), the crew fixes the problem in time and saves everyone’s life.
This chapter teaches important lessons about the value of animals, observation, friendship across species, how living beings can warn us of dangers that machines might miss, and the importance of curiosity and care in science.
Watch the full explanation, summary and NCERT solutions of Class 8 Poorvi Chapter 9 Feathered Friend here:
If you are a Class 8 student looking for easy summary, important questions and answers, word meanings, or complete NCERT explanation of “Feathered Friend” by Arthur C. Clarke, this video will help you understand the chapter clearly and score better in exams.