The Rainbow — NCERT Solutions

In the poem The Rainbow, the word 'bow' refers to the shape of the rainbow. A rainbow is curved and arched like a bow (the weapon used to shoot arrows). So here, 'bow' means an arch or a curved band of colours that appears in the sky after rain.

The poet likes the rainbow bridge more than the ordinary bridges built over rivers. This is because the rainbow is a beautiful, colourful arch that stretches from earth all the way up to heaven (the sky), making it far more wonderful and magical than a simple bridge made of stone or wood over a river.

In stanza one, the word 'these' refers to the boats that sail on the river and the ships that sail on the sea.

In stanza two, the word 'these' refers to the bridges that are built over the river.

a. Ships sail on the river. — False (Ships sail on the sea.)

b. Boats sail on the sea. — False (Boats sail on the river.)

c. Bridges are built on the river. — True

d. A road is built from earth to the sky. — False (A rainbow/bow is built from earth to heaven, not a road.)

There are several ways to cross a river:

1. By walking over a bridge built across the river.
2. By travelling in a boat or a ferry.
3. By swimming across (if the river is narrow and calm).
4. By using a rope bridge or a bamboo bridge in hilly areas.
5. By using stepping stones in a shallow river.

Yes, I have seen a rainbow after a rain shower. When I saw it, I felt very happy and amazed. The seven beautiful colours — violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red — spread across the sky like a giant colourful arch. It made me feel as if the sky was celebrating. I wished I could touch it and walk on it.

If I could walk on a rainbow, I think it would take me to a magical land above the clouds. It would be a place full of colours, where everything is bright and beautiful. There would be no sadness, only joy and wonder. I imagine it would feel like floating in the sky, looking down at the green earth and the blue sea below.

The letters s, i, a, l rearranged form the word: SAIL

The letters v, i, e, r, r rearranged form the word: RIVER

The letters s, a, e rearranged form the word: SEA

The letters o, d, u, s, c, l rearranged form the word: CLOUDS

The letters r, i, s, e, b, g, d rearranged form the word: BRIDGES

The letters n, h, v, e, a, e rearranged form the word: HEAVEN

The letters e, o, p, t, v, r, o, s rearranged form the word: OVERTOPS

The letters o, w, b rearranged form the word: BOW

The letters d, r, o, a rearranged form the word: ROAD

A possible new title for the poem could be: 'The Bridge of Colours' or 'Nature's Bridge'. These titles capture the idea of the rainbow being a beautiful, colourful bridge in the sky.

I would use a flute to sing the poem. The soft, flowing sound of the flute matches the gentle and peaceful mood of the poem about a rainbow.

The following words are repeated in the poem:

• 'these' — used in both stanza one and stanza two.
• 'bridges' — mentioned more than once.
• 'sail' — used for both boats and ships.
• 'the' — a commonly repeated word throughout the poem.

Two pairs of rhyming words from the poem are:

1. sea and me (or sky and high if present in the poem)
2. bow and below (or river and over)

(Note: Exact rhyming pairs depend on the full text of the poem. Students should identify pairs based on similar ending sounds.)

While reading the poem, the following images come to mind:

• A wide, calm river with small boats gently sailing on it.
• A vast sea with large ships moving across the water.
• A strong stone bridge over a river.
• A beautiful, colourful rainbow arching across the sky after rain, looking like a magical bridge from the earth up to heaven.

ship — chip, trip, tip, dip, lip

tree — free, bee, see, me, key

bow — low, row, flow, glow, show

rain — train, plain, main, gain, lane

sun — run, fun, bun, gun, done

sea — tea, pea, free, bee, key

sail — tail, mail, rail, nail, pale

and — hand, land, sand, band, grand