Class-5th English (Poem)

 

Poem : Notebook

Understanding the poem

 

B. Answer the questions.

1. What does the speaker do every morning?

Ans. Every morning, the speaker writes down his questions in his notebook. He then nags his elder brother for the answers as the brother yawns.

 2. Which line in the poem tells us that the speaker uses an old notebook?

Ans. These lines in the poem tell us that the speaker uses an old notebook:

 • Pages of notes I have squiggly-wiggly written.

 • From the start I’ve written down all I’ve ever wondered.

 3. Describe the speaker’s handwriting.

Ans. The speaker’s handwriting is a careless scrawl.

4. What does the speaker wonder about locusts?

Ans. The speaker wonders why locusts are attractive (‘spiffy’).

 5. Why do you think the speaker’s elder brother yawns?

Ans. The speaker’s elder brother probably yawns because he has still not woken up completely.

 6. What puzzles the speaker about curry leaves?

Ans. The speaker knows that ‘curry’ is a sauce with a hot flavour and so wonders where the sauce is in curry leaves. This doubtlessly is all nonsense, and it is not wise to try to find logic in it.

C. Read this line from the poem and answer the questions that follow.

You haven’t read my notebook, no wonder you are foxed

1. Why is the listener ‘foxed’?

Ans. The speaker says that the listener is ‘foxed’ because they would not be able to understand anything unless they read the notebook that has, according to the speaker, all the answers to the questions he talks about

in the poem.

2. Do you think the listener would still be ‘foxed’ if he/she read the speaker’s notebook?

Ans. Yes, I think that the listener would still be ‘foxed’ even after reading the speaker’s notebook as there is hardly any logic in what the speaker has written down in the notebook.

 3. What kind of a person is the speaker in your opinion?

Ans. The speaker seems to be a highly curious person who wants answers to a lot of odd questions. He seems to be slightly obsessed with finding answers to his questions.

 4. Use ‘foxed’ in a sentence of your own.

Ans. I have had strange anonymous letters in my letterbox for the last few days. I am really foxed as to who is sending them to me.

D. Think and answer- do it yourself.

 

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Class-5th - English L3

 

LESSON 3: How the cat became

Reading comprehension

A. Complete these sentences

1. the hollow of a tree in the wood

 2. of the sounds produced when he would tune his violin

 3. to find a job and start working

 4. the three birds—Jay, Magpie and Parrot—went after him shouting ‘Get a job!’ all day long

 5. no other creature had ever dared to come up to the farm and knock on his door

B. Answer the questions.

1. Name the creatures that lived in the wood

Ans. The creatures that lived in the wood were bats, Cat, Beaver, Weasel, Jay, Magpie, Parrot, Deer, Wild Boar, Bear, Ferret, Mongoose, Porcupine and different kinds of birds.

 2. Why did the creatures form a Committee?

Ans. The creatures formed a Committee so that the members of the Committee could persuade Cat to take up a job and start working than lounge around all day and sleep in the sun.

 3. What did Jay, Magpie and Parrot start doing all day long?

Ans. Jay, Magpie and Parrot started chanting, ‘Get a job! Get a job!’ wherever Cat went, pestering him to take up work.

 4. How did Cat find a job?

Ans. Cat wanted a job that was comfortable and would leave him with time to practise playing his violin. So, he went to Man’s farm and asked him for a job. Man gave him the job of catching rats and mice in his farm.

 5. Why would Cat catch just a few rats and mice each night when he could have easily caught so many more?

Ans. Cat was clever. He knew if he caught all the rats and mice in the farm, then there would not be any rats or mice to catch very soon. That would mean he would not be required any more. So, in order to keep his job for a much longer time, he would catch just a few rats and mice each night.

C. Read these sentences from the story and answer the questions that follow.

1. He’s a bad example,’ said Beaver. ‘He never does a stroke of work!’

a. Who was Beaver talking about?

Ans. Beaver was talking about Cat.

 b. Why was ‘he’ considered ‘a bad example’?

Ans. The creatures of the wood worked hard to gather their food. They respected hard work, but Cat hardly did any work. He would simply sleep throughout the day and play his violin at night, disturbing the rest of the creatures. The creatures did not want the other animals or their children to follow his example because they thought to do no work and laze around all day would set a ‘bad example’ for other animals.

 c. What did the creatures of the wood ask the ‘bad example’ to do?

Ans. The creatures of the wood asked Cat to get a job for himself.

 d. Was Beaver’s view of the ‘bad example’ right? Give a reason for your answer

Ans. Yes, Beaver was correct in thinking that Cat could set a bad example for other animals of the wood. Everyone needs to work hard to earn their living, and it is not good to be utterly lazy and do nothing all day long.

2. I’ve come for a job,’ he said.

‘A job?’ asked Man, hardly able to believe his ears.

a. Why did Cat ask for a job?

Ans. Cat asked for a job because he wanted to start working and earn his living as he had left the wood to get rid of the creatures pestering him to work.

 b. What work did Man give Cat?

Ans. Man asked Cat to catch rats and mice in his farm.

 c. What pay would Cat get for his work?

Ans.  Cat would get milk, meat and a place by the fireside for resting.

 d. What difficulty did Cat face at the beginning of his job?

Ans. The rats and mice teased Cat a lot at the beginning of his job. They pulled his tail and bit his ears. They even dropped down on him from the rafters in the barn in the dark.

D. Think and answer.

1. Compare Cat’s attitude towards work and life with the attitude of the other creatures in the wood.

Ans. Cat was laidback in his attitude towards life. The other creatures spent their day in the pursuit of food and shelter, but Cat thought that he was a musician and had better things to do. So, he would sleep in the sun all day long and practised playing his violin at night, disturbing the rest of the creatures. The other creatures respected hard work to earn their living, but Cat was too lazy to do the same.

 2. Imagine you are Cat. Would you have misused your job by working for only a short while each day and then retiring into the barn to play the violin for hours on end? Share your response in class.

Ans. The clear answer is NO. One should not misuse their job at any cost as it is unethical to do so.

 

Class-5th English (Poem)

 

Poem :The Plaint of the Camel

Understanding the poem

A. Complete the sentence answers

1. poodles 2. sand 3. straight 4. rides 5. lumpy

B. Answer the questions.

1. Why does the camel talk about canaries and parrots?

Ans. Canaries have sugar and seed, and parrots have crackers. The camel talks about them to make a complaint about the kind of food he gets to eat and compares it to the food the birds get.

 2. What examples does the camel give to complain that he never gets a nice place to sleep when compared to other animals?

Ans. The camel talks about all the good and safe places where puppies, lambs, hens, kittens and pigs stay and complains that only camels do not have any nice place to take a rest.

3. How is a camel ‘handy’ when it comes to his resting place?

Ans. The camel says that he comes ‘handy’ because the people riding the camel do not have to think about giving a shelter to him to rest. It can easily sleep on the sand of the desert unlike some people who have to build homes for their pets such as hens, lambs, dogs and cats.

 4. What does the camel have to say about the kind of load he carries on his back?

Ans. The camel not only carries load but also carries people across the desert. However, the camel has a lot of grievance about the kinds of loads he has to carry.

 5. What is the camel’s final complaint?

Ans. The camel’s final complaint is about the way he looks. He complains that he has no shape at all; he is all lumpy and bumpy, and even has a hump on his back. He feels sad especially when he compares his own shape with the shapes of other animals.

C. Read these lines from the poem and answer the questions that follow.

‘It’s nobody’s habit to ride on a rabbit, Or try to bestraddle a fox. But as for a Camel, he’s Ridden by families— Any load does for me!

1. Why does the camel talk about a rabbit and a fox?

Ans. The camel talks about a rabbit and a fox to complain that no one rides on them whereas a camel has to ride heavy loads such as entire families.

 2. Why do you think people don’t ride on rabbits and foxes?

Ans. Both rabbits and foxes are small animals, and human beings cannot ride on them. Moreover, foxes are wild animals and difficult to tame for people to ride on.

 3. What is the camel’s complaint in the lines above?

Ans. The camel’s complaint is that he is not treated with respect. Whereas no one rides on most animals, people not only make the camel carry their loads but also they ride on them. No one thinks about how the camel would feel.

 4. Use ‘load’ in a sentence of your own.

Ans. The lorry is carrying a very heavy load over the wooden bridge.

D. Think and answer

1. Do you think the camel is unlucky as compared to other animals? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans. I do not think that the camel is unlucky. It is a beloved animal of the people who live in or near deserts. The camel also has many wonderful abilities that make him able to navigate across deserts in any condition. It is often called ‘the ship of the desert’.

 2. In what ways is a camel better off than the animals to which he compares himself?

Ans. A camel is a big animal and has some special abilities. He can store water in his body and can go without water for days on end. He has a special nose that can close to keep sand from entering the nostrils. He also has a tongue that can enable him to eat thorns. Besides, his feet are padded, and this helps him to walk over the sand without his feet sinking in it.

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Class- 5 English L2

 

2. Birbal’s Khichdi

Reading comprehension

B. Answer the questions.

 1. What were Emperor Akbar and Birbal doing one winter morning.

Ans. One winter morning, Emperor Akbar and Birbal were taking a walk along the lake.

 2. What were Emperor Akbar and Birbal doing one winter morning?

Ans. Birbal said to Emperor Akbar that a man would do anything for money.

 3. What did Emperor Akbar challenge Birbal to?

Ans. Emperor Akbar challenged Birbal to find a person who would be willing to spend an entire night in the cold water of the lake for money.

 4. How did Birbal meet the challenge?

Ans. Birbal found a poor man who readily agreed to spend a night in the cold water of the lake for the thousand gold coins from the Emperor. The man then completed the task successfully, and Birbal met the challenge.

 5. Why did Emperor Akbar go to Birbal’s house?

Ans. Emperor Akbar went to Birbal’s house because he knew that Birbal was up to something when he did not turn up at the court that day. The messenger had come back from Birbal’s house to report to the Emperor that Birbal would come to the court once the khichdi was cooked. After waiting for him for hours, Emperor Akbar went to Birbal’s house to find out what was going on at Birbal’s end.

 6. Why did Emperor Akbar and his attendants laugh?

Ans. Emperor Akbar and his attendants laughed because they found that Birbal was sitting on the ground near some burning twigs, and an earthen pot filled with khichdi was hanging several feet above the fire. It was impossible to cook the khichdi this way as the heat from the fire would hardly reach the pot.

C. Read these sentences from the story and answer the questions that follow.

1. ‘I am sure I can find such a person.’

 

a. Who said these words, and to whom?

Birbal said these words to Emperor Akbar.

 b. What kind of a person did he say he could find?

Birbal said that he could find a person who would be willing to spend a night in the cold water of the lake for a handsome reward.

 c. What reward was promised to the person?

 A thousand gold coins as reward was promised to the person who would be able to spend the night in the cold water of the lake.

 d. Write the opposite of ‘sure’. Use it in a sentence of your own

Ans. unsure

Sample answer: I am unsure about the weather today; it may or may not rain.

 2. ‘How can you cook the khichdi if it is so far away from the fire?

a. Who said these words, and to whom?

Emperor Akbar said these words to Birbal.

 b. Where were they?

They were at Birbal’s house.

 c. What made the speaker say these words?

 Emperor Akbar said these words because he and his attendants found Birbal sitting on the ground near some burning twigs, and an earthen pot filled with khichdi was hanging several feet above the fire. It was impossible for the khichdi to be cooked this way, so Emperor Akbar asked Birbal this question rather sternly.

d. What was the listener’s response?

Ans. Birbal said, in response, that the khichdi would be cooked by the heat of the fire so far below in the same way as the warmth from the lamp in the palace must have travelled furlongs away to the poor man in the lake to keep him from freezing to death in the cold water.

D. Think and answer.

1 & 2- write the answer in your own words.

 

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Class- 5th English (poem)

 

Poem: God Save the Beetle

Understanding the poem

A. 1. a. twice 2. b. thrice 3. c. tired 4. b. in five minutes

B. Answer the questions

1. What blunder, according to the speaker, is the beetle making repeatedly?

Ans. The beetle keeps falling into the goldfish bowl and risks getting drowned.

 

2. What request does the speaker make to God?

Ans. The speaker requests God to give the beetle some sense of direction so that it does not make the silly mistake of diving about the room and falling into the goldfish bowl and risk being drowned.

 

3. Why did the speaker return the beetle to the garden twice?

Ans. The speaker must have thought that the garden was the home of the beetle and he would be safe there.

 

4. What, according to the speaker, makes the goldfish nervous?

Ans. The speaker thinks that every time the beetle falls into the goldfish bowl with a plop, it startles the goldfish and makes the goldfish nervous.

 

C. Read these lines from the poem and answer the questions that follow.

And if you don’t get this beetle

To look after himself, who will.

 

1. Where is the beetle at this point?

Ans. The beetle is in the goldfish bowl and looks very tired.

 

2. Why does the speaker say that the beetle cannot look after himself?

Ans. The beetle keeps getting himself into a dangerous situation by falling into the goldfish bowl repeatedly. That is why the speaker says that the beetle cannot look after himself.

 

3. What else is the speaker worried about?

Ans. Besides worrying that the beetle might drown in the goldfish bowl when the speaker is sleeping at night, he is worried that the beetle falling into the goldfish bowl repeatedly makes the goldfish nervous.

 

4. The speaker requests God to help the beetle. What does this tell us about

the speaker?

Ans. Requesting God to help the beetle tells us that the speaker is a kind person and is also annoyed and getting impatient with the beetle.

 

D. Sample answers:

 

1. Give examples from the poem to bring out the humour in it.

Ans. The opening line of the poem—‘Lord, please give some sense of direction to this beetle’—is humorous. It makes us feel that the beetle is a bumbling, foolish creature that does not know where he wants to go. These lines, too, are extremely funny:

 ‘But he keeps coming back

 Zooming and diving about the room, until

 P-L-O-P!

 He’s in the goldfish bowl again,’

 We can almost hear the annoyance and impatience in the speaker’s voice.

 

2. Do you agree with the speaker that the presence of the beetle in the bowl makes the goldfish nervous? Give reasons to support your answer.

Ans. The bowl of water is the home of the goldfish, and the beetle is a stranger in that environment. I think just as a stranger’s sudden appearance in our home would make us nervous, the goldfish could also feel nervous with the beetle in its bowl swimming round and round.

 

 

 

Class V English

 

UNIT 1: THE FARMER WHO BECAME A DOCTOR

SUMMARY:

The story revolves around a farmer who wished to become a doctor. One day, he sold all the grass of his farm to a doctor in exchange for his cane, cloak, hat and a thick book on medicine. He put on the clothes the next day and felt that he could be a doctor. He put up a signboard informing people of that. However, being not very well-read, he made a big mistake that led to an unexpected turn of events. He got tired of it all and eventually threw the signboard into the bin.

 

Reading comprehension:

1.     What did the farmer receive from the doctor for selling all the grass?

Ans. The farmer received the doctor’s cane, hat, cloak and a thick book on medicine.

2.     Why did the farmer’s wife refer to the doctor’s items as ‘useless stuff’?

Ans. She was a farmer’s wife and did not see any use in the items that her husband had received from the doctor. They could not be put to good use in the business of the farm.

3.     What ‘big mistake’ did the farmer make?

Ans. Instead of writing ‘doctor’, the farmer wrote ‘detective’ on the signboard he put up outside his house.

4.     Why was the king’s messenger surprised to read the farmer’s prescription?

Ans. The king’s messenger was surprised to read the farmer’s prescription as it did not seem to have any connection to the king’s missing horses for which the messenger had come to ask for the farmer’s help.

5.     Why do you think the king’s messenger rushed back to inform the king about the farmer?

Ans. The farmer gave the king’s messenger a prescription that he had found inside the doctor’s book on medicine and asked the messenger to follow the instructions. The messenger bought the medicine, and he had a severe headache on having it. He felt that he must take rest somewhere. He stopped at the nearest house and asked for permission to rest a while on the porch. A few minutes later, he heard the neighing of the king’s horses. The messenger did not know if it was merely by fluke that he had found the two missing horses. He thought that this had happened because the ‘detective’ knew exactly how to help him. So, he rushed back in great excitement to inform the king about what a great detective the farmer was.

6.     Why did the thieves think the farmer knew they had stolen the ring?

Ans. The three servants of the king had stolen the ring and were already feeling nervous and guilty. On the other hand, the farmer and his wife, when invited by the king to have lunch at the palace with him, had decided to count the number of dishes served during the meal. So, every time a servant brought a dish to serve, they counted them aloud. The three servants knew that a detective had come to the palace to find the missing diamond ring and felt sure that the farmer was referring to the thieves who had stolen the ring when counting the dishes aloud.

Read the sentence from the story and answer the questions that follow.

‘Perhaps a doctor is supposed to give a prescription even for something like this.’

1.     What do the words ‘even for something like this’ mean?

Ans. The words ‘even for something like this’ refer to the case of the stolen horses of the king. Not knowing what a doctor is supposed to do, the farmer thought that perhaps a doctor is supposed to give prescriptions for such cases, too.

2.     What ‘prescription’ does the farmer make, and for whom?

Ans. The farmer finds a prescription inside the doctor’s book on medicine and decides to give that to the king’s messenger.

 

3.     What happens after the person follows the farmer’s prescription?

Ans. After the king’s messenger takes the medicine as was written in the prescription, he begins to feel unwell and has a severe headache. He feels that he must rest somewhere and stops at the nearest house. He asks for permission to rest a while on the porch of the house. A few minutes later, he hears the neighing of the king’s horses. The messenger does not realise that it is merely by fluke that he ends up finding the horses. He thinks all of this happened because the ‘detective’ exactly knew how to help him, so he rushes back in great excitement to inform the king about what a great detective the farmer is.

 

Think and answer.

1.     Why do you think the farmer wanted to become a doctor?

Ans. The farmer must have admired doctors from afar and thought that doctors were of a higher social status than farmers. This could be the reason why he aspired to become a doctor.

2.     Why do you think the farmer finally gave up his dream of becoming a doctor?-

Ans. The farmer’s life went for a toss soon after he had made the mistake on the signboard. He didn’t expect things to turn out the way they did even when he saved his skin on two counts and got rewarded both times. He finally gave up his dream of becoming a doctor because he must have realised that it is very risky to pose as someone without having the knowledge or skills essential to that profession.