Rama to the Rescue — NCERT Solutions

Note: The images cannot be seen, but based on context the three helpers are typically a Police Officer, a Doctor/Nurse, and a Firefighter.

1. Police Officer (Kotwal/Thanedar): A police officer helps us when there is a crime, theft, or any law-and-order problem. We can call them when we are in danger or when someone is behaving suspiciously.

2. Doctor/Nurse: A doctor or nurse helps us when we are sick or injured. They provide medical treatment and save lives during emergencies.

3. Firefighter: A firefighter helps us when there is a fire. They rescue people trapped in burning buildings and put out fires to prevent further damage.

Correct Option: 2. save someone

The word 'rescue' means to save someone from a dangerous or difficult situation. For example, a firefighter rescues people from a burning building.

The phrases that describe those who need to be rescued are:

1. A man stuck in a building on fire. ✔ — He is in immediate danger and needs to be saved.
2. A woman buying vegetables in the market. ✗ — She is doing a normal, safe activity and does not need rescue.
3. A dog who has hurt its leg. ✔ — The dog is injured and needs help/rescue.
4. A tree being cut down in a forest. ✗ — A tree is not a living being that can be 'rescued' in the usual sense; it is not in a dangerous situation requiring rescue.

Sample Answer:

In Hindi, a policeman is called 'Sipahi' or 'Daroga' (for a sub-inspector). In Tamil, he is called 'Kaavaalar'. In Telugu, he is called 'Police Constable' or 'Rakshaka'. In Marathi, he is called 'Shipayi'.

(Students should share the word used in their own regional language with their teacher and classmates.)

Sample Answers:

1. If the problem is small (like finding something I lost), I will try to solve it myself. If the problem is serious (like a fire or a stranger at the door), I will immediately call a trusted adult or emergency services for help.

2. The best way to deal with a problem is (iii) Think quickly about ways to solve the problem.

Reason: Being worried and giving up (option i) or feeling angry (option ii) does not help solve the problem — it only wastes time and makes things worse. Thinking quickly and calmly, as the man in the story does, helps us find a smart solution. Staying calm and using our mind is always the best approach in a difficult situation.

1. The characters are: husband, wife, children ← Odd one out.

(The story features the husband and wife as the main characters. Children are not mentioned as characters in the story.)

2. Who entered the house? guest, robber, Kotwal ← Odd one out.

(A guest and the Kotwal are people who come with good intentions. The robber/thief is the one who entered the house illegally and is therefore the odd one out in terms of intent — though the thief is actually the one who entered. Alternatively, 'Kotwal' is the odd one out as he is the law enforcer, not someone who 'entered' the house like the thief did.)

Most appropriate answer: The robber is the odd one out in question 2, as the guest and the Kotwal are welcome visitors, while the robber entered without permission.

1. The man tells his plan to his wife. — False

(The man does NOT tell his plan to his wife directly. He speaks loudly, pretending to have a conversation, so that the thief can hear him. His wife understands and plays along.)

2. The thief wants to know where they kept their jewels. — True

(The thief listens carefully to the man and his wife's conversation because he wants to find out where they have hidden their jewels/valuables.)

Activity-based answer:
This is a classroom activity. Students should practise calling out the name 'Rama' in three different volumes:

• Softly: in a low, quiet whisper — 'Rama...'
• Loudly: in a clear, firm voice — 'Rama!'
• Very loudly: in a strong, urgent shout — 'RAMA!!'

This activity helps students understand how the wife in the story cleverly used her voice to signal the kotwal without alerting the thief too soon.

Sample Answer (Prediction):
I think that when the wife calls out 'Rama' very loudly, the kotwal Rama will hear his name and come running to the house. He will find the thief inside and catch him. The thief will be arrested and taken away. The man and his wife will be safe, and their cleverness will be praised by everyone in the village.

Correct Matches:

Sample Story Map (based on the story):

• Characters: A man, his wife, a thief (robber), Rama the kotwal (village policeman)
• Setting: A house in a village, at night
• Problem: A thief breaks into the man and wife's house at night while they are in bed.
• Plan: The man cleverly speaks loudly to his wife about calling 'Rama' — first softly, then loudly, then very loudly — so the thief thinks they are talking about their money, but actually they are planning to call the kotwal.
• Solution: The wife calls out 'Rama' very loudly. The kotwal Rama hears his name, runs to the house, finds the thief, and catches him.
• Result/Ending: The thief is caught and taken away. The man and his wife are safe. Their cleverness saved them.

(i) The man says the first line because he notices that his wife is awake and staring at something (or looking in a particular direction) instead of sleeping. He is curious and concerned about what she is watching or listening to, so he asks her what the matter is.

(ii) Correct Option: D. be silent
The word 'Ssssh' is a sound used to tell someone to stop talking and be quiet so that they can listen carefully. Here, the wife uses it to signal to her husband to stop speaking and listen to the suspicious noise.

(iii) We can tell that the wife was listening carefully because:

• She noticed the noise of someone trying to get in and immediately alerted her husband.
• She also noticed when the noise stopped ('the noise has stopped'), which means she was paying close attention to every sound. The pauses shown by '...' in her speech also suggest she was concentrating hard and speaking cautiously.

(i) The villagers caught the thief and took him to the kotwal (Rama, the village policeman/law enforcer).

(ii) Correct Option: A. surprise
The words 'Oh, Oh!' express Rama's surprise at discovering that a thief had actually dug a hole to enter the house. It shows his astonishment at the method used by the thief.

(iii) We can tell that the kotwal was good at his job because:

• He was alert and on duty at night, patrolling the village.
• He responded immediately when he heard his name being called — he ran to the house without delay.
• He quickly assessed the situation and identified exactly how the thief had entered ('Some thief has dug his way into this house'), showing his experience and sharp observation skills.

The man and his wife were not able to fall asleep because they heard a suspicious noise — someone was trying to break into their house. The sound of someone attempting to get in kept them awake and alert, filled with fear and worry about what was happening outside.

The thief wished that the man and his wife would reveal where they had hidden their jewels or valuables. He was listening carefully to their conversation, hoping they would mention the hiding place of their money or jewels.

No, it did not happen. Instead of revealing the location of their valuables, the man cleverly used the conversation to signal the kotwal. The wife called out 'Rama' loudly, and the kotwal came and caught the thief. So the thief's wish was not fulfilled — he was caught instead.

The man and his wife got help from the kotwal through a clever plan:

1. The man spoke loudly (pretending to talk to his wife) about calling 'Rama' — first softly, then loudly, and then very loudly.
2. The thief thought they were talking about where to hide their money, but actually the man was instructing his wife on how to call the kotwal.
3. Following the plan, the wife first called 'Rama' softly, then loudly, and finally very loudly.
4. The kotwal Rama heard his name being called loudly, understood someone needed help, and ran to the house immediately.
5. He found the thief and caught him.

Thus, through their quick thinking and clever use of the kotwal's name as a signal, the couple managed to get help without directly confronting the thief.

Sample Answer:

Yes, I strongly believe that cleverness can help us solve our problems.

In the story, the man and his wife were in a very dangerous situation — a thief had broken into their house at night. They could not shout for help directly because the thief was right there and might have harmed them. Instead of panicking, the man used his intelligence to devise a clever plan. He spoke in a way that the thief misunderstood, while his wife understood the real message. This clever thinking helped them get the kotwal's help without putting themselves in greater danger.

This shows that when we stay calm and think smartly, we can find solutions even in the most difficult situations. Cleverness, combined with courage, is a very powerful tool for solving problems.