Learnwell Smart Communicative English Class 8
Q.1. What observation has been made in this lesson ?
Ans. It is the observation that mothers usually hold their babies on the left side of their bodies.
Q.2. How do most mothers hold their babies and why ?
Ans. They hold their babies on the left side of their bodies because by doing that, they keep the baby nearest to their heart.
Q.3. What do you mean by ‘dominant arm’ as mentioned in the lesson ?
Ans. The dominant arm means the arm that is superior in strength and is used in doing most of the work. For example, the dominant arm in right-handed people is the right arm.
Q.4. How do most of the left-handed mothers hold their babies, and why ?
Ans. Most of the left-handed mothers, too, hold their babies on the left side of their bodies because that way, the child remains nearest to their heart.
Q.5. What has been observed in the Madonna-and-Child paintings ?
Ans. In 80% of such paintings, the baby is shown on the left breast.
Q.6. What do you mean by ‘heartbeat fixation’ as mentioned in the lesson ?
Ans. Heartbeat fixation means a deep-rooted attachment to the speed or sound of heartbeat in the human body.
Q.7. How does rocking lull a baby to sleep ?
Ans. When a baby is rocked at about the same speed as of the heartbeat, it is probably reminded of the rhythmic sensations it had become so familiar with inside the womb. It has a soothing effect on the baby and soon it goes to sleep.
Q.8. What examples of ‘heartbeat fixation’ do we find even in adults ?
Ans. When adults are in anguish or in a state of conflict, they rock their bodies at about the same speed as of the heartbeat. They find in it some kind of comfort.
Q.9. How does folk music and dancing have a comforting effect on us ?
Ans. Folk music and dancing usually have the rhythm of heartbeat. Due to our ‘heartbeat fixation’, it has a comforting effect on us.
Q.10. Explain the tests and conclusions drawn from :
i. tests on infants at bedtime.
ii. tests on right-handed and left-handed mothers.
iii. the observation of Madonna-and-Child paintings.
iv. tests on newborn babies in the hospital nursery.
Here is the text transcribed from the file you referenced, “Screenshot 2026-07-24 125738.jpg”:
Ans.
(i) Infants were put in four different groups :
- In a silent room.
- In a room where lullabies were played.
- In a room where a ticking sound at the heartbeat rate was played.
- In a room where the heartbeat recording itself was played. It was then found that the heartbeat group had dropped off in half the time it took for any of the other groups.
(ii) It was found that 83 per cent of the right-handed mothers held their babies on the left side while 78 per cent of the left-handed mothers also did the same.
(iii) An analysis was made on the basis of 466 Madonna-and-Child paintings. It was found that 373 (i.e. 80%) of the paintings showed the baby on the left side of the mother.
(iv) Groups of newborn babies in a hospital nursery were exposed to the recorded sound of heartbeat at the standard rate of 72 beats per minute. It was found that most of them were crying for 60% of the time when the sound was not switched on. But this figure fell to only 38% when the heartbeat recording was being played.
HOTS (PAGE 37)
| Things observed | Experiments set up |
| 1. Females carrying parcels | 1. Infants exposed to recorded lullabies, a ticking sound and a recorded heartbeat. |
| 2. Madonna-and-Child paintings | 2. Newborn babies exposed to heartbeat sounds in a hospital nursery. |
| 3. Mothers holding their babies |
WORD POWER (PAGE 38)
I. 1. = i; 2. = g; 3. = l; 4. = e; 5. = k; 6. = d; 7. = h; 8. = c; 9. = j.
II.
- attendance
- conference
- presence
- performance
- patience
- resemblance
- reference
- experience
- silence
- insistence
III.
- gradual
- label
- considerable
- vital
- fondle
- hospital
- level
- rhythmical
- cradle
- parcel
GRAMMAR IN USE (PAGES 39–40)
I. Main Verbs: 1. kill 2. come 3. told; asked 4. said; know; coming 5. woke; heard 6. do; tells 7. heard; went.
II. Auxiliaries: 1. has been 2. do 3. will have been 4. Do; are 5. were 6. are; have been 7. have.
III. Modals: 1. would; could 2. ‘ll; can 3. may 4. should; can 5. may; can 6. Could.
SPEAKING AND LISTENING (PAGE 40) (Left for children to do as a class activity.)
WRITE WELL (PAGE 40) 15 May 20_ _
Dear Amit
How happy I was to receive your letter. I hope you must be in the best of health and spirits.
I want to tell you of a very interesting thing that we learnt in our English Reader this week. In it, we learnt why most mothers hold their babies on the left side of their body. Do you know why ? It is because the heart lies under the left side of the chest. When the mother holds the baby on the left side, the baby hears the familiar sound of the heartbeat to which it had become fixated while inside the womb. On hearing it, the baby feels comforted and stops crying. A baby feels the same comfort when it is rocked in a cradle at the heartbeat speed. Isn’t this something very interesting ?
It is long since you came to stay with us. Please do come in the coming summer vacation.
Lots of love Mohit