Paper Boats — NCERT Solutions

Given: The poet writes his name and the name of his village on the paper boats before floating them down the stream.

Answer: The poet writes his personal details on the paper boats because he hopes to connect with someone in a distant, unknown land. By writing his name and village on the boats, he sends a little piece of his identity out into the world. It is a child's innocent and imaginative way of reaching out beyond the boundaries of his own small world. He wishes that someone far away will find the boat, read his name, and come to know who he is. It reflects the universal human desire to be known, remembered, and connected with others — even strangers in faraway places.

Given: The poem 'Paper Boats' by Rabindranath Tagore.

Answer: The poem is rich with examples of a child's vivid imagination:

1. Writing name and village on paper boats: The child imagines that these tiny paper boats will travel to a 'strange land' and that someone there will find them and know who he is. This shows the child's imaginative belief that a fragile paper boat can carry his identity across great distances.

2. Filling boats with shiuli flowers: The child imagines that the flowers he places in the boats will be 'safely' carried to another land at dawn. This shows the child's imaginative hope that nature will protect his little offerings.

3. Clouds racing with the boats: The child looks up at the clouds and imagines them as companions racing along with his paper boats. This is a beautiful example of how a child's imagination transforms ordinary clouds into playful friends.

4. Fairies of sleep sailing in the boats: At night, the child dreams that 'fairies of sleep' sail in his paper boats, carrying baskets full of dreams. This magical image shows the child's imagination blending the real world of paper boats with a fantasy world of fairies and dreams.

Thus, the entire poem is a celebration of a child's boundless imagination.

Given: The poem 'Paper Boats' by Rabindranath Tagore.

Answer: The poet skillfully weaves together reality and imagination throughout the poem to create a rich and interesting experience for the reader.

Reality is present in the concrete, everyday actions of the child:

• The child actually makes paper boats every day.
• He writes his name and village on them — a real, physical act.
• He collects shiuli flowers from his garden and places them in the boats.
• He watches the clouds in the sky as he launches his boats.
• At night, he buries his face in his arms and goes to sleep.

Imagination transforms these real actions into something magical:

• The child imagines the boats travelling to a 'strange land' where someone will find them.
• He imagines the clouds as racing companions for his boats.
• He dreams that the boats float on endlessly under the midnight stars.
• He imagines 'fairies of sleep' sailing in the boats, carrying baskets full of dreams.

By grounding the poem in the real, everyday world of a child and then lifting it into a world of dreams and fantasy, the poet makes the poem both relatable and enchanting. The reader can identify with the simple actions of the child and at the same time be carried away by the magical imagery. This blending of reality and imagination is what makes the poem timeless and deeply moving.

Given: Words from Column 1 and Column 2 are to be combined using 'of' to form poetic phrases.

Possible phrases (Column 3):

1. wings of the wind
2. wings of the birds
3. waves of the ocean
4. waves of the rain
5. dreams of the children
6. dreams of the evening
7. dreams of the stars
8. songs of the birds
9. songs of the rain
10. songs of the children
11. glimmers of the stars
12. glimmers of the evening
13. cries of the thunder
14. cries of the children
15. tears of the rain
16. tears of the clouds
17. roars of the thunder
18. roars of the ocean
19. shadows of the clouds
20. shadows of the evening

Note: Many combinations are possible. Students are encouraged to create as many meaningful and poetic phrases as they can.

Given: Words related to different parts of the day are to be sorted into four columns.

Concept: Vocabulary — time of day.

Explanation:

• Morning words refer to the early part of the day from sunrise onwards: dawn, sunrise, daybreak, sunup, forenoon.
• Afternoon words refer to the middle of the day: noon, noontime, noonday, midday.
• Evening words refer to the time when the sun sets: twilight, dusk, sunset, sundown.
• Night words refer to the dark hours: midnight, nightfall, night-time.

Given: A vocabulary exercise on antonyms (opposites).

Matching:

1. strange → (v) ordinary

(Strange means unusual or unfamiliar; its opposite is ordinary/familiar.)

2. dawn → (iv) dusk

(Dawn is the beginning of the day/sunrise; its opposite is dusk, the time of sunset.)

3. launch → (i) halt

(To launch means to set something in motion; its opposite is to halt/stop.)

4. bulging → (vi) shrinking

(Bulging means swelling outward; its opposite is shrinking/contracting.)

5. float → (iii) sink

(To float means to stay on the surface of water; its opposite is to sink.)

6. lading → (ii) emptying

(Lading means loading/filling; its opposite is emptying/unloading.)

Note: This is a listening activity. The answers are based on the transcript provided to the teacher (pg. 137 of the textbook). Students should listen carefully to the audio/teacher reading the transcript and select the true statements.

Based on the typical content of such a conversation about origami, the true statements are likely:

2. Sai's father used to do origami as a child. — True

5. There is a belief that if you make a thousand paper cranes, your wish will come true. — True

6. The art of origami is about enjoying the process. — True

Note to students: Please listen carefully to the conversation read by your teacher and verify your answers against the transcript. The above answers are indicative; the actual true statements must be confirmed by listening to the audio/transcript.

Given: A speaking activity requiring a structured presentation about a self-made eco-friendly craft item.

Sample Presentation:

Today, I'm going to show you a paper bag I made.

This paper bag is made of old newspaper and jute string. It's brown and rectangular in shape, about 25 cm tall and 15 cm wide. It can be used to carry small items like books, fruits, or stationery instead of using plastic bags.

First, I started by cutting the newspaper into a large rectangular sheet. Then, I used a ruler and pencil to mark the fold lines carefully. I folded the sides and bottom neatly and used glue to hold the edges together. Finally, I punched two holes at the top and threaded jute string through them to make handles.

The most difficult part was to make the base of the bag strong and flat so that it could hold things without tearing.

This bag is special to me because it is made entirely from recycled materials and helps reduce plastic waste. It shows that we can create useful things from what we might otherwise throw away.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my craft and learning about it. Thank you for your attention.

Note: Students should prepare their own presentation based on the actual craft item they have made.

Given: A diary entry writing task. Guidelines: mention day, date and time; begin with a general sentence; give details; conclude with a final remark.

Sample Diary Entry:

Friday, 15 July 20XX
6:30 p.m.

Dear Diary,

It was quite humid today. On my journey back from school, I wished that it would rain. And it did!

Just as I stepped out of the school gate, the sky turned a deep shade of grey and a cool breeze began to blow. Within minutes, large, heavy drops of rain began to fall. I could smell the wonderful fragrance of wet earth — that fresh, earthy smell that I love so much. I spread my arms wide and let the rain wash over me. My friends and I laughed and splashed through the puddles on the road, completely forgetting that we were supposed to stay dry!

By the time I reached home, I was soaked to the skin, but I was smiling from ear to ear. Mamma scolded me a little and handed me a warm towel, but even she was smiling. She made me a cup of hot ginger tea and we sat by the window together, watching the rain pour down on the garden. The shiuli tree in our garden looked so fresh and green, and little streams of water ran along the paths.

I made a few paper boats from old newspaper and floated them in the puddle near the gate. It reminded me of the poem we read in class today — 'Paper Boats' by Rabindranath Tagore. I wondered if my little boats would travel far.

Today was one of those perfect days that I never want to forget. Rain truly makes everything feel alive and new.

Goodnight,
[Your Name]

Given: An exploratory activity about fragrant flowers in one's locality.

Sample Answer:

Here are some trees and plants with fragrant flowers commonly found in India:

Note: Students should find out the names of fragrant flowers specific to their own locality and write them in their regional language. They should also draw and colour any two flowers of their choice in their notebooks.

Answer: The Ocean (Sea)

Explanation:

• 'Water that you cannot drink' — the ocean has salt water, which is not drinkable.
• 'People come to see how in me the Sun sinks' — people watch beautiful sunsets over the ocean.
• 'I can be rough, I can be calm' — the ocean can be stormy or peaceful.
• 'Dolphins and the whale' — these are marine animals that live in the ocean.

Thus, the answer is the Ocean.

Answer: A Lake (or Pond)

Explanation:

• 'I sit in stillness' — a lake is a still body of water, unlike a river.
• 'Move with the wind' — the surface of a lake ripples when the wind blows.
• 'My surface mirrors the world' — a calm lake reflects the surrounding trees and sky like a mirror.
• 'Home to ducks, frogs, fish' — lakes are home to these creatures.
• 'You can take a dip daily' — people swim or bathe in lakes.

Thus, the answer is a Lake.

Answer: A Stream

Explanation:

• 'I gently travel through valleys deep' — a stream flows gently through valleys.
• 'My soft murmur can make you sleep' — the soft sound of a flowing stream is soothing and sleep-inducing.
• 'Little paper boats float on me in rain' — this is a direct reference to the poem 'Paper Boats', where the child floats paper boats on a stream.
• 'Skips along, crystal clear' — a stream skips and bounces over rocks and is clear and transparent.

Thus, the answer is a Stream.

Answer: A River

Explanation:

• 'I have a bed, but I do not sleep' — a river has a riverbed (the floor of the river) but does not sleep.
• 'I have a bank, but no money I keep' — a river has banks (the sides of the river) but not the kind of bank that keeps money.
• 'I carry stories, old and new' — rivers have been witnesses to human civilisation and history for thousands of years.
• 'High mountains to the oceans blue' — rivers originate in mountains and flow down to meet the sea.
• 'I journey far to meet the sea' — rivers travel long distances before merging with the ocean.

Thus, the answer is a River.