NCERT Solutions Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing At a Time

F R E E S T U D Y M AT E R I A L F O R E V E R Y S T U D E N T

CLASS 4 · ENGLISH

NCERT Solutions

Chapter 4: One Thing at a Time

NCERT Textbook — Santoor

BOOK PAGES SECTIONS QUESTIONS MEDIUM

35 – 42 9 22 English

Solutions, notes, sample papers & more at 26 pages

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

CLASS 4 · ENGLISH · SANTOOR

NCERT Solutions — Chapter 4: One Thing at a Time
Chapter 4 of Santoor opens Unit 2, My Beautiful World. One Thing at a Time is a poem of sixteen lines,
printed as four stanzas of four lines each. The book does not name a poet. The poem gives one simple rule:
do one job at a time, and do that job fully. Work when it is time to work, and play when it is time to play. The
rest of the chapter takes that rule into your own day — you match three new words, describe a busy village
painting, listen for the letter l that goes missing, write out your daily routine, and guess three riddles.

TEXTBOOK BOOK PAGES

Santoor (Class 4) 35 – 42

SECTIONS QUESTIONS

9 22

MEDIUM

English

Let us Recite — Page 35
One Thing at a Time (poem)

LET US RECITE

Poem Let us Recite — One Thing at a Time. Read the poem aloud and enjoy it.

Here is the whole poem. Read it aloud twice. The second time, stop for one beat at the end of
every line.

Page 1 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Work while you work,

Play while you play;

To be useful and happy,
That is the way.

All that you do,

Do with all your might;

Things done by halves,

Are never done right.

One thing at a time,
And that done well;

Is a very good rule,

As many can tell.

Moments should never,

Be trifled away;

So, work while you work,

And play while you play.

What each stanza says:

1. Stanza 1. When it is time to work, only work. When it is time to play, only play. This is the way
to be useful and happy.
2. Stanza 2. Whatever job you take up, put your full strength into it. A job left half done is never
done properly.
3. Stanza 3. Do one thing at a time, and do it well. Many people will tell you that this is a very
good rule.
4. Stanza 4. Never waste small bits of time on silly things. So — work while you work, and play
while you play.

Why the poem repeats its first line: The last two lines are almost the same as the
first two lines. The poet says the rule again at the end so that you carry it home in
your head. It is the one idea the whole poem is built on.

Page 2 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Tip for reciting: Say “Work while you work” in a firm voice. Say “Play while you play”
in a happy, light voice. The two voices show that work and play are two different
times.

Look at the pictures on page 35: A boy writes at a table under a lamp. A girl skips
with a rope. A teacher shows a page to a boy at a desk. A girl sits on a bench, eats an
apple and reads. A boy lies on the grass and writes in his book. A clock with arms
and legs walks along and points one finger. Every child is doing one thing, and the
clock is watching the time.

Let us Think — Page 36
A. Answer the following.

LET US THINK

A.1 1. Why is it important to focus on doing one thing at a time?

It is important because then the work is done well and done fast. The poem says, “One thing at
a time, / And that done well; / Is a very good rule.”
Three things happen when you focus on one job:

You make fewer mistakes, because your whole mind is on that job.
You finish sooner, because you do not keep starting again.
The job is fully done, not left half done.

Why it happens: Your mind can hold only one job at a time. If you do your sums and
watch television together, your mind keeps jumping from one to the other. Each
jump costs time, and mistakes creep in. The poem calls such work “things done by
halves”.

Try this: Copy ten words while somebody talks to you. Then copy ten more words in
a quiet corner. Count the mistakes in each. You will see the answer yourself.

Page 3 of 26

as e
Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
2. Make a list of words that rhyme in the poem ‘One thing at a time’.
e
A.2

m l as
.co a g
a s em
a gl rhyme when their ending sound is the same. In this poem the second line and the fourth
Words
line of every stanza rhyme.

co m
m . ag
se
STANZA THE TWO LINES RHYMING WORDS

1 Play while you play; · a
That
l a
g is the way. play — way

2 Do with all your might; · Are never done right.
co
might — right
m
em.
m l as
.co
3 And that done well; · As many can tell. well — tell

a g
se m
l a
4 Be trifled away; · And play while you play. away — play

a g
The full list of rhyming words: play – way, might – right, well – tell, away – play.

om a s
e
. c
m to the end of the word. Play, way and away all agl
s
Why these words rhyme: Listen only

a
end with the sound “ay”. Might
glaand right both end with “ite”. Well and tell both end
with “ell”. The letters are different, but the sound is the same, and it is the sound that
matters.
co m
m .
o m l a se
g So three of the
.cyou notice? Play, way and away all rhyme with one another.
a
m
Did

aserhyming words in this poem belong to the same sound family.
agl
se m
com
Tip: Say each pair aloud, one after the other. If your mouth ends in the same shape
g l a
m . a
ase
both times, the words rhyme.

agl

co m
.
A.3 3. How do you feel after finishing a task that you have done well?

em
com g l as
. a
sem

a
agl
This is about your own feeling, so write what you really feel. Most children feel happy, proud
and light.
.c
s e m
om a
agl
How to answer:
. c
s e m
1. Name the feeling in the first sentence — happy, proud, relaxed.
a well.
agl
2. Name one task you finished
3. Say what you did next, or how your body felt.

com
m .
m ase
.co


a g l Page 4 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Sample answer: I feel very happy and proud after finishing a task well. Last week I
finished my science chart on my own. When I put it on the wall, I felt light and glad. I
could go out and play without worrying about it.

Why the feeling comes: A job left half done keeps sitting in your mind. When you
finish it well, that weight goes away. The poem calls this being “useful and happy” —
the two go together.

A.4 4. What are some of the things you do every day that help you stay calm and
focused?

Name two or three small habits from your own day. A good answer names the habit and says
how it helps.
Things children usually name:

waking up early and not rushing;
taking a few slow, deep breaths before class;
keeping the desk and school bag tidy;
making a list of the work to be done, and doing one item at a time;
drinking water and eating breakfast properly;
playing outside for some time every evening;
going to bed at the same time every night.

Sample answer: Every morning I wake up at six and make my bed. Before I start my
homework, I keep my table tidy and take five deep breaths. I do one subject at a
time. In the evening I play badminton for half an hour. These things keep me calm
and help me focus.

Why these small habits work: A calm body makes a calm mind. Slow breathing,
tidy things around you and enough sleep all take away the hurry. When the hurry is
gone, your mind can stay on one job.

Tip: Simple yoga helps too. Pranayama (slow breathing) and the Tree Pose, where
you stand on one leg, both teach your mind to hold still on one thing.

Page 5 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Let us Think — Page 36
B. Think and discuss.

THINK AND DISCUSS

B.1 B. Think and discuss. What do you like doing in your free time?

This one is for talking, not only for writing. You say your answer and then listen to your friends’
answers.
How to take part in the discussion:

1. Say what you like doing, in one sentence.
2. Say when you do it — after school, on Sunday, in the holidays.
3. Say why you like it.
4. Then listen quietly while the next child speaks.

Free time can be spent in many ways — playing a game, reading a story book, drawing, singing,
helping at home, gardening, cycling, or playing with a pet.

Sample answer: In my free time I like drawing with colour pencils. I draw for about
half an hour after school. I like it because I can make anything I imagine. On
Sundays I also play cricket with my cousins in the park.

How this joins the poem: The poem says, “Play while you play.” Free time is your
play time. Enjoy it fully, without thinking about your work — just as you should work
fully without thinking about play.

Let us Learn — Pages 36–37
A. Match the words with their meanings.

LET US LEARN

A.1 A. Match the words with their meanings.
Meanings given: helpful or beneficial · short periods of time · strength or power
1. might

might — strength or power

Page 6 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Might means how much strength you have. The poem says, “Do with all your might.” That
means: use all the strength you have.

Why not the other two meanings: Might is not about being helpful, and it is not
about time. It is about power. Think of the phrase “with all his might” — it always
means a big push or a big effort.

Careful: There is another word spelt the same way. In “It might rain today”, might
means perhaps. In our poem it means strength. The same spelling can do two
different jobs.

Your own sentence: I pulled the rope with all my might and won the tug of war.

A.2 A. Match the words with their meanings.
Meanings given: helpful or beneficial · short periods of time · strength or power
2. useful

useful — helpful or beneficial
A useful thing is a thing that helps you. The poem says, “To be useful and happy, / That is the
way.” It means: be a person who is of help to others.

Why useful means this: Look inside the word — use + ful. Something that is full of
use is something you can use to help you. So useful means helpful.

Tip — its opposite: The opposite of useful is useless. A broken pen is useless. A sharp
pencil is useful.

Your own sentence: A torch is very useful when the lights go off.

A.3 A. Match the words with their meanings.
Meanings given: helpful or beneficial · short periods of time · strength or power
3. moments

moments — short periods of time

Page 7 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

A moment is a very small bit of time — just a few seconds. The poem says, “Moments should
never, / Be trifled away.” It means: do not throw away even the small bits of your time.

Why the poet worries about moments: Small bits of time look too small to matter.
But many small bits add up to a whole hour. If you waste ten minutes six times a day,
one full hour is gone.

The full matching, all three together:

WORD MEANING

1. might strength or power

2. useful helpful or beneficial

3. moments short periods of time

Your own sentence: I waited for a few moments outside the staff room.

A.4 Now use the words and frame meaningful sentences.
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................

Write one sentence for each of the three words — might, useful and moments. The book gives
you three dotted lines, one for each.
What a good sentence must have:

the word used with its chapter meaning, not some other meaning;
a capital letter at the start and a full stop at the end;
something real from your own life, so the sentence makes sense.

Model answers:

1. might — The farmer lifted the sack with all his might.
2. useful — This umbrella is very useful in the rainy season.
3. moments — I rested for a few moments after the race.

Page 8 of 26

as e
Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
Two more you may use instead: She pushed the door with all her might. /

m as e
l
Grandmother’s advice is always useful. / The best moments of the trip were on the
boat.
m .co a g
l a se
g
aWhy we write our own sentence: You only truly know a word when you can put it

co m
ag
into a sentence of your own. Copying the poem’s line does not show that you
m .
understood the word.
as e
a g l

co m
m.
Let us Speak — Pages 37–38
m as e
.co a g l
se m
g l a
a
m a s
m .co agl
l a se
a g

co m
m .
m as e
.co a g l
se m
g l a
a
se m
com g l a
m . a
ase
agl

co m
m .
m as e
.co a g l
se m
g l a
a c
m .
m a s e
e m . co agl
g l as
a

co m
m .
m ase
.co


a g l Page 9 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Describe what everyone is doing in the picture

LET US SPEAK

S.1 Describe what everyone is doing in the picture.

The picture on page 37 — what you can see in it: The book prints a big
painting in the Madhubani folk style. It has a bright orange, blue and
white patterned border all round it. Inside the border is one busy
village scene.
In the sky: a rainbow, three blue clouds, an aeroplane, a kite and a
big colourful bird.
At the top left: a tree branch with an orange fruit, and a person
sitting on it.
In the middle: a blue pond with a fish and a turtle in it, and a low
desk with an open book on it.
On the right: a camel with a rope round its neck, a loaded cart with
wheels, a very big tree, a wooden ladder leaning on the tree, and a
swing hanging from a branch.
At the bottom: a yellow hut with an orange door, a small tree with red
flowers, a wheelchair with a bright wheel, school bags with name
tags, and a bird on a stand.
About twenty-five children and grown-ups are spread all over the
picture, each one in a different place and each one busy with
something.

A short description of the painting on page 37, because the book prints it as a full-colour
folk painting that cannot be redrawn here.

Speak in full sentences. For each person use is or are with an -ing word: is climbing, are walking.
Go round the picture in order, so that you miss nobody:

Page 10 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

WHERE TO WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE
LOOK

In the sky An aeroplane is flying. A kite is flying. A big bird is flying near the rainbow.

Top left A boy is sitting on a tree branch and playing a flute. A girl is playing hopscotch on the
numbered squares.

Under the A girl in an orange dress is standing on the grass and dancing with both arms raised. A
rainbow butterfly is sitting near the red flowers.

Near the pond A boy is drinking water from a pot. A fish is swimming and a turtle is resting in the pond.

Middle of the A man in a blue kurta is juggling coloured balls. Two children are sitting on the ground
picture and playing a clapping game. A woman is raising both her hands and dancing. A girl is
sitting at a low desk and reading an open book.

Right side A man is leading a camel by a rope. A cart is standing beside the camel. A boy is
standing and holding a pot.

Near the big A boy is climbing a ladder. A girl is swinging on a swing tied to a branch. A girl is holding
tree the ladder steady. A line of children are standing one behind the other and reaching up.

Bottom left Two children are walking to school with bags on their backs. A boy is sitting on the
ground and giving a book to his friend. A girl is pushing her friend, who is sitting in a
wheelchair. Another girl is waving her hand.

Model spoken answer (say about eight sentences): This is a village picture
painted in the Madhubani style. In the sky, an aeroplane and a kite are flying near a
rainbow. A boy is sitting on a branch and playing a flute. A girl is playing hopscotch
and another girl is dancing on the grass. Near the pond, a boy is drinking water, and
a turtle is resting in the water. In the middle, a man is juggling balls and two children
are playing a clapping game. On the right, a man is leading a camel, a boy is
climbing a ladder and a girl is swinging from the big tree. At the bottom, children are
going to school, and a girl is pushing her friend in a wheelchair.

Why we say “is” or “are” with the -ing word: Everything in a picture is happening
right now. For one person we say is — “A boy is climbing.” For more than one we say
are — “Two children are walking.”

Tip: There is no single right answer here. Any action you can really see in the picture
is correct, as long as your sentence is a full sentence.

Page 11 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

S.2 Using the above sentence structure, create sentences of your own. Write at least
seven sentences in your notebook.
Example: Two girls are going to school.
A woman is typing on a computer.

WHO IS/ARE DOING WHAT (ACTION)

two girls are going to school

a woman is typing on a computer

The table printed at the top of page 38, with the two examples the book gives.

The table gives you the three parts of the sentence. Take one part from each column, in order,
and you get a correct sentence.

Who + is / are + action word + ing

two girls + are + going to school → Two girls are going to school.

The one rule to remember: use is for one person and are for two or more.

Model answer — seven sentences of my own:

1. A boy is playing a flute on the branch.
2. Three children are walking to school with their bags.
3. A man is leading a camel.
4. A girl is swinging from the big tree.
5. Two children are playing a clapping game.
6. A woman is dancing on the grass.
7. A turtle is resting in the pond.

Page 12 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

WHO IS/ARE DOING WHAT (ACTION)

a boy is playing a flute

three children are walking to school

a man is leading a camel

a girl is swinging from the tree

two children are playing a clapping game

a woman is dancing on the grass

a turtle is resting in the pond

Why is and are change: The word must match the number of people. One boy, one
girl, one man — use is. Two children, three girls, many birds — use are. If you get
this wrong the sentence sounds odd at once.

Check it yourself: Read each of your seven sentences aloud. Cover the middle word.
Ask: is this one person or more than one? Then put back is or are.

Let us Listen — Pages 38–39

Page 13 of 26

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Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The case of missing ‘l’
co m
em.
m as
LET US LISTEN

.co a g l
a s emcase of missing ‘l’. Read aloud the following lines:
gl
The
a
L.1
All that you do,
Do with all your might;

co m
. ag
Things done by halves
e m
as
Are never done right.

a g l

co m
em.
Read aloud the following lines:
m l as
m .co All that you do,
a g
l a se
g
Do with all your might;
a Things done by halves

m a s
.co agl
Are never done right.

a s em
agl the parchment
The four lines printed inside box on page 38. The book prints All, all and
halves in bold.

co m
m .
m as e
.co a g l
em the four lines aloud slowly. Listen carefully to the three words the book has printed in bold:

a s
gl
Read
a All, all and halves.

se m
comHOW IT SOUNDS g l a
WORD DO YOU HEAR THE ‘L’?
m . a
ase
agl
All Yes “awl” — the tongue touches the roof of the mouth

“awl” — the same sound again
m
all Yes

. co
e m
as
halves No “havz” — the l is written but not spoken

m l
.co a g
a s emwritten, but it disappears when you say the word.
So this is the case of the missing l. In all the letter l is heard. In halves the very same letter is

agl
.c
s e m
m a
co agl
Why a letter can go missing: English does not always say every letter it writes. In

m .
e
some words the l became silent long ago, but people went on spelling it. Your ear
must decide, not your eye.
g l as
a

co m
m .
m ase
.co


a g l Page 14 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Tip: Put your hand on your throat and say all, then halves. In all your tongue lifts to
the roof of your mouth for the l. In halves it never lifts at all.

L.2 Your teacher will read aloud a few words to you. Circle the words in which you don’t
hear the ‘l’ sound.

leaf calm pale jail palm

hall clean calf shelf chalk

talk silk balm plum self

The fifteen words printed on page 39, in the same three rows as the book prints them.

Six words must be circled: calm, palm, calf, chalk, talk, balm.

Page 15 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

WORD IS THE ‘L’ HEARD? HOW YOU SAY IT

leaf heard leef

calm not heard — circle it kaam

pale heard payl

jail heard jayl

palm not heard — circle it paam

hall heard hawl

clean heard kleen

calf not heard — circle it kaaf

shelf heard shelf

chalk not heard — circle it chawk

talk not heard — circle it tawk

silk heard silk

balm not heard — circle it baam

plum heard plum

self heard self

Why the ‘l’ goes missing in just these six: Look at the three letters after the a. The l
is silent in -alm, -alf and -alk.

-alm → calm, palm, balm
-alf → calf (and half, halves from the poem)
-alk → chalk, talk (and walk, stalk)

In every other word here the l sits beside a different letter, so it is spoken normally.

Careful with two pairs: calf and shelf look alike, but the l is silent only in calf. chalk
and silk look alike, but the l is silent only in chalk. Always say the word aloud before
you circle it.

Page 16 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Try this: Add these to the list at home — walk, talk, half, folk, yolk, salmon. The l is
silent in every one of them.

Let us Write — Pages 39–40
Write down your daily routine; then write it as a paragraph

LET US WRITE

W.1 ✓
Write down your daily routine in the space given below. Tick ( ) if they are work or
play.

TIME WHAT I DO WORK PLAY

The empty table printed on page 39. It has four columns and six rows for you to fill.

Fill the table with your own day, from morning to night. In each row, put a tick (✓) in only one
of the last two columns — Work or Play.
How to fill it:

1. Start with the time you wake up and go down the day in order.
2. Write the time in the first column, like 7:00 a.m.
3. Write the activity in short words in the second column.
4. Ask: is this work or play? Put the tick in that column only.

Page 17 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Sample answer:

TIME WHAT I DO WORK PLAY

6:30 a.m. Wake up, brush my teeth and bathe ✓
7:30 a.m. Eat breakfast and get ready for school ✓
8:00 a.m. Go to school and attend my classes ✓
11:00 a.m. Play kho-kho in the ground during recess ✓
4:30 p.m. Play badminton with my friends ✓
6:30 p.m. Do my homework and read my book ✓

Why the book asks you to mark work and play: The poem says, “Work while you
work, / Play while you play.” When you tick the boxes you can see your day split into
the two kinds of time. A good day has both, and each one is kept in its own hours.

Tip: Some things are hard to place — is eating work or play? Choose the one that
feels closer, and be ready to say why. Eating is usually put under work, because it is
something you must do.

W.2 Now write the above routine as a paragraph.
My Routine
I begin my day at ........................... a.m. I ............................... and then ...........................
. After this, I ........................... . By ............................... a.m., I am ready for
...................................... . My mother helps me to ........................... and then I leave for
school at .............................. .

Copy the sentences from the book and fill each blank from your own table in the last question.
The blanks go in this order.

Page 18 of 26

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Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
THE BLANK WHAT GOES IN IT

m as e
.co
I begin my day at ___ a.m. the time you wake up
a g l
se m
g l a your first two morning jobs
a
I ___ and then ___ .

After this, I ___ . the next thing you do

om
actime, and what you are ready for
. ag
By ___ a.m., I am ready for ___ .
e m
g l as
My mother helps me to ___ .
a one thing your mother helps with

I leave for school at ___ . the time you leave home
co m
em.
m l as
.co
Model answer: I begin my day at 6:30 a.m. I brush my teeth and then take a bath.
a g
a s emthis, I say a short prayer. By 7:30 a.m., I am ready for my breakfast. My mother
gl helps me to pack my school bag and then I leave for school at 7:50 a.m.
After
a
m a s
m .co agl
se
Why we say a.m. and p.m.: A clock shows 7 twice in one day. a.m. means the hours

g l a
from midnight to noon — the morning. p.m. means the hours from noon to
a
midnight — the afternoon, evening and night. So 7 a.m. is when you get ready for

m
school, and 7 p.m. is when you sit down to study.

. co
e m
m l as
.co a g
Tip: Write the times in the same order as the clock moves. A routine that jumps

se m
a
backwards and forwards is hard to read.

a g l
se m
com g l a
At School
m . a
ase
W.3

agl
My school starts at .................. a.m./p.m. I have .................. periods before recess.
When the time on the big clock reads .................., the students goes to the
playground and play many games together. The school ends at .................. p.m.

co m
m .

o m l a se
Fill.cthe four blanks with the real times and numbers from yourgown school. Strike out the one
e m a
a s
agl
of a.m. / p.m. that you do not need.

.c
s e m
m a
e m . co agl
g l as
a

co m
m .
m ase
.co


a g l Page 19 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

THE BLANK WHAT GOES IN IT

My school starts at ___ a.m./p.m. your school’s starting time (keep a.m.)

I have ___ periods before recess. a number, such as three or four

When the big clock reads ___ your recess time

The school ends at ___ p.m. your closing time

Model answer: My school starts at 8:30 a.m. I have four periods before recess.
When the time on the big clock reads 11:00 a.m., the students go to the playground
and play many games together. The school ends at 2:30 p.m.

A mistake in the book: Page 40 prints “the students goes to the playground”. That is
not correct English. Students is more than one, so it must be “the students go to the
playground”. Write go in your notebook.

Why it must be “go”: The action word changes with the number of people. One
student goes. Many students go. This is the same rule you used with is and are in Let
us Speak.

W.4 At Home
.......................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................

Here the book leaves the lines completely empty. You write two or three sentences of your
own about what you do after school.
What to put in your sentences:

1. the time you reach home, and what you do first;
2. your play time and your study time;
3. dinner, and the time you go to bed.

Model answer: I reach home at 3 p.m. and change my clothes. After a glass of milk,
I rest for a while. At half past four I go out and play badminton with my friends. I do
my homework from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. We have dinner together at 8:30 p.m., and I
go to bed by 9:30 p.m.

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Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why this part is left blank: The morning is nearly the same for everybody, so the
book could print it with blanks. Evenings are different for every child — some help at
home, some go for music or games. So this part is yours to write from start to finish.

Tip: Use a.m. and p.m. here too. After school it is always p.m., right up to midnight.

Let us Do — Page 41
A. Guess the following riddles.

LET US DO

A.1 A. Guess the following riddles.
1. Thirty white horses
On a red hill
Now they chomp
Now they stomp
Now they stand still

The answer is teeth (your teeth in your mouth).

LINE OF THE RIDDLE WHAT IT REALLY MEANS

Thirty white horses your white teeth, standing in a row

On a red hill the red gums they stand in

Now they chomp the teeth bite and chew your food

Now they stomp the upper and lower teeth bang together

Now they stand still when you stop eating, the teeth are still

How a riddle works: It gives you a picture in words. Your job is to find the real thing
that fits every line. White things standing in a row on something red, that bite and
then keep quiet — only teeth fit all five lines.

Careful — the picture is a trick: The book prints a real white horse beside this
riddle. That is only a picture of the words. The answer is not a horse.

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Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Did you know? A grown-up person has 32 teeth, not 30. This riddle is very old, and it
counts a round thirty to make the line sound nice.

A.2 A. Guess the following riddles.
2. Tall lady
In a white frock,
With a yellow face,
And a red nose.
The longer she stands,
The shorter she grows.

The answer is a candle.

LINE OF THE RIDDLE WHAT IT REALLY MEANS

Tall lady in a white frock the tall white wax of the candle

With a yellow face the yellow flame on top

And a red nose the red-hot tip of the burning wick

The longer she stands, the shorter she grows the longer it burns, the smaller the candle gets

Why the last two lines give it away: Almost everything in the world grows taller
with time, or stays the same. Only a thing that is being used up gets shorter the
longer it is there. A burning candle does exactly that — its wax melts away.

Careful — the picture is a trick again: The book prints a lady in a long white gown
beside this riddle. The riddle only calls the candle a lady. The answer is the candle.

Tip for solving riddles: Read the last line first. It usually carries the biggest clue.

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Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

A.3 A. Guess the following riddles.
3. Hard and brown outside
Soft and white inside
Who am I?

The answer is a coconut.

Hard and brown outside — the coconut’s shell is hard, rough and brown.
Soft and white inside — break the shell and you find soft white flesh, with sweet water in it.

Why the shell is so hard: The white part inside is the food for the new coconut
plant. The hard brown shell is its box. It keeps the soft food safe when the coconut
falls from a tall tree.

Other answers people give: Some children say an egg or an almond. An egg is white
outside, not brown, so it does not fit. An almond is brown and hard, but its inside is
cream, not white and soft. The coconut fits both lines best.

Try this: Make your own riddle in the same shape. Take any fruit. Write one line
about its outside and one line about its inside, and end with “Who am I?”

Let us Do — Page 42

Page 23 of 26

as e
Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

B. Draw or paste the activities you enjoy in the holidays
co m
e m.
m as
LET US DO

.co a g l
s m the space to draw activities that you enjoy doing in holidays. You may also
eUse
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paste pictures from old newspapers or magazines.

co m
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co m
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m l as
m .co a g
l a se your drawings and cut–outs go here
a g
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m .co agl
l a se
a g

co m
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o m l a se You draw or paste
m .c ag
The big empty box printed on page 42, with a dotted purple border.

l a se inside it.

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ase
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This is a doing activity. Fill the big dotted box on page 42 with your own holiday pictures.
Steps to follow:

1. Think first. Make a short list of four or five things you love doing in the holidays.
co m
m .
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2. Divide the box. Draw light pencil lines to split it into four parts, one picture in each.

om g l as
.cmagazines
3. Draw or paste. Draw what you can. For the rest, cut pictures from old newspapers and

em4. Colour your drawings brightly. a
s
and paste them neatly.

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5. Label each one with two or three words, like flying my kite or helping in the kitchen.
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Ideas you may use: playing cricket or kho-kho, cycling, flying a kite, swimming, reading story
a g la
s e m grandparents, gardening, helping to cook, playing with a
books, drawing and painting, visiting
a the zoo or a fair.
pet, learning a song, goinglto
ag

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a g l Page 24 of 26

Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Sample answer — four labelled pictures:

1. A boy flying a kite on a terrace — flying my kite.
2. Two children watering plants — watering the garden.
3. A child reading a story book under a tree — reading my story book.
4. A family on a train — going to my grandmother’s village.

How this joins the poem: The poem says, “Play while you play.” Holidays are your
play time. Draw them, enjoy them fully, and do one thing at a time — then each one
will be a happy memory.

Tip: Paste with a very little glue at the four corners of the cut-out. Too much glue
makes the page wrinkle and the colours run.

Chapter at a glance
Stanza 1 — one thing at a time. “Work while you work, / Play while you play; / To be useful
and happy, / That is the way.” Do not mix the two. That is how you become useful and
happy.
Stanza 2 — do it fully. “All that you do, / Do with all your might; / Things done by halves, /
Are never done right.” A half-finished job is never a good job. Put your full strength into it.
Stanza 3 — the good rule. “One thing at a time, / And that done well; / Is a very good rule, /
As many can tell.” Many people have tried this rule and found that it works.
Stanza 4 — do not waste time. “Moments should never, / Be trifled away; / So, work while
you work, / And play while you play.” Small bits of time should not be thrown away. The
poem ends with the same line it began with.
The rest of the chapter. Let us Think asks about focus, rhyme and free time. Let us Learn
matches might, useful and moments with their meanings. Let us Speak is a big folk painting to
describe, with a Who · Is/Are · Doing What table. Let us Listen is ‘The case of missing l’. Let us
Write is your daily routine. Let us Do has three riddles and a drawing space.

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Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Quick revision

WORD WHAT IT MEANS WHERE IT COMES IN THE A SENTENCE OF YOUR
CHAPTER OWN

might Strength or power. “Do with all your might;” (page 35) I pushed the heavy gate
with all my might.

useful Helpful or beneficial. “To be useful and happy,” (page 35) A torch is very useful
when the lights go off.

moments Short periods of time. “Moments should never, / Be trifled I waited for a few
away;” (page 35) moments outside the
office.

trifled Wasted on small, silly things. “Be trifled away;” (page 35) Do not trifle away the
away whole Sunday.

halves The two equal parts of one “Things done by halves,” (page 35) Amma cut the mango into
thing. two halves.

focus To put your whole mind on one “Why is it important to focus on I focus on my sums and
thing. doing one thing at a time?” (page finish them quickly.
36)

calm Quiet inside, not worried or in “help you stay calm and focused?” Slow, deep breathing
a hurry. (page 36) keeps me calm.

rhyme Words that end with the same “words that rhyme in the poem” ‘Cat’ and ‘hat’ rhyme with
sound. (page 36) each other.

routine The set of things you do every “Write down your daily routine” My morning routine starts
day, in order. (page 39) at six o’clock.

recess The break time in the middle “I have ...... periods before recess.” We play kho-kho in the
of the school day. (page 40) field during recess.

riddle A puzzle question that hides its “Guess the following riddles.” My uncle asked me a
answer in a picture of words. (page 41) riddle about the moon.

chomp To bite and chew loudly. “Now they chomp” (page 41) The horse chomps the
fresh green grass.

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