Class 8 English · Original EZT practice
A Tale of Valour (Class 8 English Chapter 4): summary and practice
This is the true account of Major Somnath Sharma, India's first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, and the ninety soldiers of D Company who held Badgam in November 1947. It is a chapter about numbers that should have been hopeless - 90 against about 500 - and about a promise kept to the last round. Below: a plain summary, the facts examiners ask for, and original EZT practice questions with model answers.
5 original worked examples, 5 fresh self-check questions and 4 mixed questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 18 October 2026:
1. Summary in plain words
In August 1947, soon after Independence, Pakistan launched Operation Gulmarg to annex Jammu and Kashmir, pressuring Maharaja Hari Singh. The Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947, and Indian troops were flown into Srinagar from 27 October. Among them was the 4 KUMAON regiment under Major Somnath Sharma. On 3 November 1947, patrolling companies were ordered back one by one, leaving D Company's 90 soldiers as the last in the Badgam area. About 500 invaders attacked - first a distracting strike, then a major assault from another side. Major Somnath requested air strikes and laid out ground panels to guide the aircraft. When ammunition ran low and Brigade headquarters asked him to pull back, he answered: "The enemy is only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round." Minutes later, crouched in a trench to help a machine gun operator load his gun, he was killed by a mortar shell. Inspired by his example, his men held their position for over six more hours before being overrun. Their resistance bought time for reinforcements - including soldiers of the Punjab regiment - and inflicted more than 300 casualties on the enemy, including injuring their leader. D Company's sacrifice saved Srinagar for India; the battalion received the Battle Honour, Srinagar, and Major Somnath Sharma was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously - its first recipient.
2. Facts and values that earn marks
Firsts and names: Major Somnath Sharma (1923-1947), first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra; 4 KUMAON regiment; D Company; Battle of Badgam, 3 November 1947. The accession sequence: Operation Gulmarg (August 1947), then the Instrument of Accession (26 October 1947), then troops flown to Srinagar (27 October 1947). The odds: 90 soldiers against about 500 invaders - nearly seven to one. The quote: "I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round." The values: courage that holds under hopeless odds (valour), responsibility to the mission over personal safety, and leadership by example - he filled magazines and directed fire alongside his men.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
Explain who Major Somnath Sharma was
Choose the method: Use the facts examiners ask for: name, regiment, battle and the national honour.
EZT practice question
Who was Major Somnath Sharma and why is he remembered?
Show the worked solution
- He was an officer of the 4 KUMAON regiment.
- He led D Company at the Battle of Badgam on 3 November 1947.
- He died defending Srinagar and became India's first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.
Answer: An officer of the 4 KUMAON regiment who led D Company at the Battle of Badgam (3 November 1947) and died defending Srinagar; he became India's first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.
Check: The answer joins identity (regiment, company, battle) to the honour (first Param Vir Chakra).
Watch for this: Do not remember him only by the award; the answer needs the Badgam stand that earned it.
Now try it yourself
Which regiment did Major Somnath Sharma belong to?
Check your answer
4 KUMAON.
The chapter names the regiment as 4 KUMAON.
Explain why troops were flown to Srinagar
Choose the method: Reconstruct the accession sequence in date order before answering.
EZT practice question
Why were Indian troops flown to Srinagar in late October 1947?
Show the worked solution
- Pakistan launched Operation Gulmarg in August 1947 to annex Jammu and Kashmir.
- Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947.
- Indian troops began arriving the next day, 27 October, to defend the state.
Answer: After Pakistan launched Operation Gulmarg to annex Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947, and Indian troops began arriving the next day to defend the state.
Check: Each step carries its date: August 1947, 26 October, 27 October.
Watch for this: Do not say troops arrived before the accession; the airlift followed the signing.
Now try it yourself
On which date was the Instrument of Accession signed?
Check your answer
26 October 1947.
The chapter gives this exact date for the Maharaja's signature.
Read the enemy's first attack as a trick
Choose the method: Separate the first strike from the major assault that followed.
EZT practice question
What trick did Major Somnath suspect in the enemy's first attack, and was he right?
Show the worked solution
- He judged the first attack to be only a distraction.
- The major attack came shortly after from another side.
Answer: He judged the first attack to be only a distraction - and he was right: the major attack came shortly after from another side.
Check: The answer states both his suspicion and its confirmation.
Watch for this: Do not treat the first strike as the main assault; the chapter stresses the two-stage plan.
Now try it yourself
Why had the enemy been arriving in small groups?
Check your answer
To avoid detection.
The chapter contrasts the rumours with the reality of small, hidden movements.
Describe how D Company was caught and responded
Choose the method: Follow the events in order: withdrawal of the other companies, the two-stage attack, air support, the refusal, the mortar shell.
EZT practice question
Describe how D Company was caught at Badgam and how it responded.
Show the worked solution
- On 3 November 1947 the patrolling companies were ordered back one by one, leaving D Company's 90 soldiers as the last in the area.
- The enemy, about 500 strong, saw the small group and attacked - first with a diversion, then a major assault.
- Major Somnath called for air strikes and laid ground panels to guide the aircraft.
- When ammunition ran out and headquarters ordered withdrawal, he refused with the famous "last man and last round" message, kept directing fire and filling magazines, and was killed by a mortar shell.
Answer: Caught as the last company in the area, 90 against about 500, D Company fought back with air support, refused to withdraw when ammunition ran out, and - inspired by Major Somnath's example - held on for over six more hours after his death.
Check: A long answer should reach at least the diversion, the air panels, the refusal and the six-hour stand.
Watch for this: Do not skip the ground panels; guiding the aircraft was part of his response.
Now try it yourself
How long did D Company hold after Major Somnath was killed?
Check your answer
Over six more hours.
His example inspired the men to hold their position before being overrun.
Explain how the stand changed Srinagar's outcome
Choose the method: Connect the delay and the enemy's losses to the arrival of reinforcements.
EZT practice question
How did D Company's stand change the outcome for Srinagar?
Show the worked solution
- The six-hour resistance delayed the invaders until reinforcements - including the Punjab regiment - could be flown in.
- It cost the enemy over 300 casualties, including their leader being injured.
- The attack lost its momentum.
Answer: The sacrifice of Major Somnath and his men delayed the invaders and broke the attack's momentum, directly saving Srinagar and its airfield for India, which was the invaders' objective.
Check: The answer links delay plus enemy losses to the saving of Srinagar.
Watch for this: Do not credit the air strikes alone; the ground stand bought the time.
Now try it yourself
Which regiment's soldiers were among the reinforcements flown in?
Check your answer
The Punjab regiment.
The chapter names the Punjab regiment among the reinforcements flown into Srinagar.
Try a mixed set
Choose a method or explanation before opening each answer.
1. How many soldiers of D Company faced about 500 invaders?
Show answer and reason
90 soldiers.
The chapter frames the odds as 90 against about 500, nearly seven to one.
2. Who launched Operation Gulmarg, and when?
Show answer and reason
Pakistan, in August 1947.
The operation aimed to annex Jammu and Kashmir soon after Independence.
3. Which battle honour did the battalion receive?
Show answer and reason
The Battle Honour, Srinagar.
D Company's sacrifice saved Srinagar for India.
4. On which date was the Battle of Badgam fought?
Show answer and reason
3 November 1947.
D Company was the last patrolling company ordered back that day.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- What were Major Somnath Sharma's exact last words to Brigade headquarters?
- Why did the enemy choose the moment they did to attack?
- What is the Param Vir Chakra, and what distinction does Major Somnath Sharma hold with it?
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Questions about this practice page
- Is A Tale of Valour a true story?
- Yes - it is the historical account of the Battle of Badgam (3 November 1947) and Major Somnath Sharma, the first Param Vir Chakra recipient.
- In which book and unit does this chapter appear?
- In Poorvi, the NCERT English textbook for Grade 8, Unit 2 (Values and Dispositions), first piece - chapter 4 by piece order.
- What is the central value of the chapter?
- Valour - courage and duty that hold even when the odds are hopeless, shown through a leader who chose the mission over his own safety.
- Why did Major Somnath refuse to withdraw?
- With the enemy 50 yards away and Srinagar's airfield at stake, withdrawing would have opened the valley to the invaders; holding on, even at fatal cost, bought time for reinforcements.
- Are these the NCERT exercise questions for A Tale of Valour?
- No. EZT pages are original practice written by our tutors, aligned to the chapter's syllabus - use them to prepare for the textbook exercises, not as a substitute for your book.