NCERT Solutions Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition

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 6 · ENGLISH

NCERT Solutions

Unit 5: Culture and Tradition

NCERT Textbook — Poorvi

BOOK PAGES SECTIONS QUESTIONS MEDIUM

131 – 164 28 99 English

Solutions, notes, sample papers & more at 78 pages

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

CLASS 6 · ENGLISH · POORVI

NCERT Solutions — Unit 5: Culture and Tradition
Complete NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition from the NCERT textbook Poorvi.
Every question from all five texts of the unit — Hamara Bharat — Incredible India!, Kalakritiyon ka Bharat,
the poem The Kites by Daphne Lister, Ila Sachani: Embroidering Dreams with her Feet and the poem
National War Memorial — is answered, heading by heading, from pages 131 to 164.

TEXTBOOK BOOK PAGES

Poorvi (Class 6) 131 – 164

SECTIONS QUESTIONS

28 99

MEDIUM

English

Let us discuss — Page 132
Hamara Bharat — Incredible India!

COMPREHENSION

1 What has Bharat always been known for?

Bharat has always been known worldwide as a land of wise and heroic individuals.
The very first line of the passage says so: “Bharat has been known worldwide as a land of wise
and heroic individuals.” In other words, our country is famous for two kinds of greatness — the
wisdom of its thinkers, saints and teachers, and the bravery of its warriors and soldiers.

Look at the picture on page 131: the artist has drawn exactly these two qualities
side by side — a soldier and a police officer for heroism, and a sage with a long
white beard for wisdom.

2 What is attractive about Bharat?

Its rich and diverse culture is what makes Bharat attractive.

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The passage says, “Its rich and diverse culture has attracted numerous travellers since ancient
times.” People from other lands have been coming here for hundreds of years to see our art,
crafts, festivals, languages, temples and ways of life.

Why ‘diverse’ matters: Bharat is attractive not because everything here is the same,
but because everything here is different — a new language, a new dress, a new sweet
and a new festival every few hundred kilometres. That variety is the attraction.

3 What is special about the fact that the people live here in unison?

What is special is that the people of Bharat present to the world unity in diversity.
The passage says, “The people here live in unison, presenting to the world unity in diversity.”
Indians follow many religions, speak many languages and wear many kinds of clothes, yet they
live together in peace as one nation. Very few countries in the world are so different inside and
still so united.

Tip: ‘In unison’ means ‘together, as one’. When a whole class sings the National
Anthem together, they are singing in unison.

4 What geographical features does the passage mention?

The passage mentions four kinds of natural features:

Rivers
Lakes
High mountains
Green forests, which are “home to many plants, insects, birds, and animals”

The line is: “Bharat is a land rich with rivers, lakes, and high mountains. Its green forests are
home to many plants, insects, birds, and animals.”

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

5 What is the advice given to everyone?

The advice is that we, the inhabitants of Bharat, must continue to work hard so that our
country keeps prospering.
The closing line says, “As its inhabitants, we need to continue working hard and make sure that
it prospers.”

Why the passage ends this way: The first part of the passage lists what Bharat
gives us — culture, rivers, forests, respect in the world. The last line turns it around
and asks what we must give back. Riches do not last on their own; they last only if
each generation works for them.

Let us do these activities before we read — Page 132
Kalakritiyon ka Bharat

BEFORE YOU READ

1 Complete these words with the correct vowels (A, E, I, O, U). We like to decorate our
homes with our f __ l k __ r t.

We like to decorate our homes with our folk art.
f o l k a r t — the missing vowels are o and a.

What it means: Folk art is the traditional art of ordinary people of a region — Aipan,
Madhubani, Warli, rangoli. It is learnt at home from mothers and grandmothers, not
in an art school.

2 Our c __ l t __ r e consists of our ideas, customs, traditions, values, arts, and
languages.

Our culture consists of our ideas, customs, traditions, values, arts, and languages.
c u l t u r e — both missing vowels are u.

Page 3 of 78

as e
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
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All of us celebrate our f __ s t __ v __ l s together.
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3

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a oflus celebrate our festivals together.
All g
f e s t i v a l s — the missing vowels are e, i and a.

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m . ag
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4 ag to teach them about our c __ l t __ r e, h __ s t __ r y, and
We tell stories to our children
l __ g __ n d s.

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g and legends.
.c to our children to teach them about our culture, history,
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We tell stories

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c __ l t __ r e culture u, u

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history
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l __ g __ n d s
alegends e, e

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om of Rani Lakshmibai or of the birth of the Ganga.aglas
Tip: A legend is an old, famous story that has been told for many generations — like
the.cstory
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We have our own l __ n g __ a g __ s to talk to each other.
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We have our own languages to talk to each other.

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l a n g u a g e s — the missing vowels are a, u and e.
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o m l a se
.cNotice the link: All five words in this activity — folk art,agculture, festivals, history,
m legends and languages — are the very things the four children in the lesson are
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Let us discuss — Page
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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Kalakritiyon ka Bharat, Part I

COMPREHENSION

1 What is the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme all about?

It is a programme that helps children of one state meet and learn about children of other
states, so that they understand that all of them belong to one nation.
Renu explains it in the text: “It is to know that we all belong to one nation and that is the bond
we share. And our unity in diversity makes us the most wonderful country in the world.”
The note on page 140 adds the official aim — states and Union Territories are paired with each
other, and the paired states share their languages, food, music, dance, handicrafts, sports,
literature, festivals and paintings.

In this lesson: the programme takes the form of a video call. Children from
Uttarakhand, Odisha, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh appear in “little windows” on a big
screen and each one describes a craft of their state.

2 Why is this programme being conducted?

It is being conducted to bring the people of different states closer to one another and to
strengthen the feeling that we are one nation.
Page 140 gives four clear reasons:

1. To increase interaction and promote mutual understanding between people of different
states and UTs.
2. To celebrate unity in diversity and strengthen the emotional bonds between citizens.
3. To help people develop a sense of common identity by sharing best practices and
experiences.
4. To contribute to nation building by showing how our many cultures and traditions are
connected to one another.

Why it works: It is hard to dislike a place once you know a child who lives there.
When Renu's class hears Priyaranjan describe Dhokra, Odisha stops being a name
on a map and becomes a friend's home.

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Let us discuss — Page 136
Kalakritiyon ka Bharat

COMPREHENSION

1 On the basis of what the speakers said about the art forms, complete the table
given below.

NAME OF THE CHILD STATE ART FORM THINGS NEEDED

Akanksha Aipan

Priyaranjan clay, brass scrap, wax, fire

Chitra

Balamurali Andhra Pradesh Kondapalli

The table printed on page 136, with the four cells that the book has already filled in.

The printed table on page 136 has four cells already filled — Aipan, clay, brass scrap, wax, fire,
Andhra Pradesh and Kondapalli. Here is the completed table.

NAME OF STATE ART FORM THINGS NEEDED
THE CHILD

Akanksha Uttarakhand Aipan (given) White rice flour paste; geru (red clay) to colour the
wall; floors and walls of the puja room

Priyaranjan Odisha Dhokra clay, brass scrap, wax, fire (given)

Chitra Kerala Coconut shell Brown coconut shell, sandpaper or a machine, a
craft base, wood polish

Balamurali Andhra Kondapalli Soft wood from the nearby hills, makku (tamarind
Pradesh (given) (given) seed powder and sawdust), oil and water-colours or
vegetable dyes and enamel paints

Note on the spelling: The reading on page 134 spells the girl's name Aakansha,
while the table on page 136 spells it Akanksha. Both refer to the same child from
Uttarakhand.

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Let us think and reflect — Page 136
Kalakritiyon ka Bharat

COMPREHENSION

I1 Fill in the blanks: The designs for Aipan are taken from ________________ and
________________.

The designs for Aipan are taken from our cultural traditions and observations of nature.
Aakansha's own words are: “The designs are very beautiful and mathematical, and are based on
our cultural traditions, and observations of nature.”

Did you know? Aipan designs are full of dots, squares, circles and triangles joined in
exact patterns. That is why the text calls them mathematical.

I2 Dhokra metal craft is very old because it is ________________ old.

Dhokra metal craft is very old because it is 4000 years old.
Priyaranjan says, “My tribe practises a 4000-year-old metal craft named Dhokra.” That means it
was already being practised at the time of the Indus Valley cities.

I3 A base is needed for coconut shell craft to make it ________________.

A base is needed for coconut shell craft to make it stable.
Chitra says, “Then we give it the shape we want, and make it stable by fixing a base under it.” A
coconut shell is round, so without a flat base a bowl made from it would roll over and spill.

Word note: the footnote on page 135 explains stable as “not able to move”.

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

I4 Soft wood, ________________ and colours are used to make Kondapalli toys.

Soft wood, makku and colours are used to make Kondapalli toys.
Balamurali explains what makku is: “we use makku—a paste of tamarind seed powder and
sawdust to join the pieces together.” It is the natural glue of the craft.

II Why does Akanksha’s family make Aipan?

Akanksha's family makes Aipan to decorate the home on happy and holy occasions — “on
family functions and festivals”.
It is drawn “on floors and walls of puja rooms, and outside the main door of the home”, so it is
both a decoration and a mark of welcome and auspiciousness. It is also a family tradition: the
text says, “It is an art form made by the women in the family,” so each generation of women
passes the designs on to the next.

Two reasons in one answer: a religious and festive reason (a beautiful, auspicious
floor and doorway for a puja or a wedding) and a cultural reason (keeping alive the
designs handed down by mothers and grandmothers).

III In Dhokra, why does wax come out of the small openings?

Because the clay-covered figure is put into the fire, and the heat melts the wax. Melted wax
is a liquid, so it flows out through the small openings left in the clay.
Priyaranjan's words are: “we cover the figure with clay, and put it in the fire. The wax melts and
comes out of small openings.”

Why the craftsman wants this to happen: When the wax runs out, it leaves behind
an empty space inside the clay that is exactly the shape of the wax model. Molten
brass is then poured into that empty space, “and the liquid metal takes the same
shape as the wax.” The wax must leave so that the metal can take its place.

Page 8 of 78

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
Did you know? This method is used all over the world and is called the lost-wax

m as e
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process. The famous ‘Dancing Girl’ of Mohenjo-daro was made in the same way.

m .co a g
l a se
a g
IV What is common in the toys made in Balamurali’s village and coconut shell craft in

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Kerala?

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Several things are common between Kondapalli toys and Kerala's coconut shell craft:

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Both use natural, eco-friendly material — soft wood from the hills, and the shell of a

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coconut. Nothing artificial is used, so both crafts are biodegradable.
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emare polished or painted at the end to make them look beautiful — wood polish for
Both are made by hand, step by step — shaping first, then joining or fixing, then finishing.

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gl the coconut shell, colours and enamel paints for the toys.
Both
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Both give us useful, everyday things — bowls and jewellery from the shells, toys and

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showpieces from the wood.

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Both are old traditional crafts of a particular place, passed down in the community.

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Tip: For a “what is common” question, do not describe the two things separately.
Write only the points where they meet, one point per line.
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las us learn — Page 137
agKalakritiyon ka Bharat — sequence words and the present tense
Let

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GRAMMAR

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Use some of these words to complete the paragraph given below. Use one word
only once. (Box: to begin, first, then, after that, next, finally, at last) — How I Get

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Ready for School: 1. ____________ I get up and go to take a shower. 2. ____________, I wear
my school dress. 3. ____________, I eat my food. 4. ____________, I m
s e wear my shoes. 5.

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The completed paragraph:
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1. First, I get up and go to take eam
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agl 5. Finally, I pick up my bag and go out of my home.
food. 4. Next, I wear my shoes.

co m
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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

BLANK WORD WHY IT FITS

1 First Marks the very first step of the day. (To begin is equally correct here.)

2 Then A plain link to the next step.

3 After that Shows one action following another.

4 Next Another step in the middle of the order.

5 Finally Marks the last step. (At last also fits.)

Why these words matter: They are called sequence words. They tell the reader the
order in which things happen. Notice how the four children in the lesson used them
— Chitra says, “First, we clean the outside and inside… After that, we make it
smooth… Then we give it the shape… At last, we polish it.”

Rule to remember: To begin and First can only be used at the start; Finally and At last
can only be used at the end. Then, Next and After that belong in the middle.

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

II Make five sentences with the help of the words given in the table below. Use -s/-es
wherever necessary. Two examples are given.

PRONOUNS VERBS PART OF A SENTENCE COMPLETE SENTENCES

I ask how to dance. I know how to dance.

You know questions to understand. We

He tell beautiful flowers. You

She draw a story every day. He speaks very loudly.

It make very loudly. She

We practise paintings in free periods. They

They speak spellings on Friday. It

The table printed on page 137. The last column already carries the two example
sentences and the pronoun each of the other sentences must begin with.

The first column gives the pronoun, the second the verb and the third the rest of the
sentence. Join one from each column, and add -s/-es only when the pronoun is he, she or it.

PRONOUN VERB PART OF A SENTENCE COMPLETE SENTENCE

I know how to dance. I know how to dance. (given)

He speaks very loudly. He speaks very loudly. (given)

We ask questions to understand. We ask questions to understand.

You draw beautiful flowers. You draw beautiful flowers.

She practises spellings on Friday. She practises spellings on Friday.

They make paintings in free periods. They make paintings in free periods.

It tells a story every day. It tells a story every day.

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The one rule you must not forget: in the simple present tense, add -s (or -es after
ch, sh, s, x, o) only with he, she, it and with a single naming word. With I, you, we,
they the verb stays plain.

She draws Aipan. / They draw Aipan.
He practises Dhokra. / We practise Dhokra.
It goes up. / They go up.

Tip: ‘It’ is used for a thing, so choose a part of the sentence that a thing can do — It
tells a story every day works if ‘it’ is a picture book or a wall painting.

Let us listen — Page 138
Kalakritiyon ka Bharat — gakkad bharta

LISTENING

I Listen to the description of gakkad bharta and complete the notes given below.
(refer to page 162 for transcript) 1. Name of the speaker 2. The town of the speaker
3. The state he belongs to 4. The name of the food item 5. Vegetables roasted for
bharta

The completed notes (the transcript is printed on page 162 of your book):

NO. NOTE ANSWER LINE IN THE TRANSCRIPT

1 Name of the speaker Sushil “I am Sushil from Jabalpur in Madhya
Pradesh.”

2 The town of the speaker Jabalpur “…from Jabalpur…”

3 The state he belongs to Madhya Pradesh “…in Madhya Pradesh.”

4 The name of the food Gakkad bharta “It is called gakkad bharta.”
item

5 Vegetables roasted for Brinjals and “To make bharta, we roast brinjals and
bharta tomatoes tomatoes.”

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Listening tip: Read the five headings before the audio begins. Then you already
know you are hunting for a name, a town, a state, a dish and two vegetables — and
you will catch them the first time.

II Now, listen to the description again and complete the flowchart on how to make
gakkad bharta.

1 To make gakkad, make balls of __________ dough and __________ them on high heat.

2 To make bharta, __________ brinjal and tomatoes and garnish with __________
onions, coriander, green chillies and salt.

3 To serve, crumble the gakkad, put some __________ on it and add one spoon of
ghee.

The flowchart printed on page 138, reproduced blank.

The completed flowchart:

STEP COMPLETED SENTENCE

1 To make gakkad, make balls of wheat dough and roast them on high heat.

2 To make bharta, roast brinjal and tomatoes and garnish with chopped onions, coriander, green
chillies and salt.

3 To serve, crumble the gakkad, put some bharta on it and add one spoon of ghee.

The five answers are: wheat, roast, roast, chopped, bharta.

Why the flowchart is in three boxes: The dish has two separate parts — the gakkad
(the roasted wheat balls) and the bharta (the roasted vegetable mash). Box 3 is
where the two come together on the plate. Sushil also adds a proud detail: “This
food item is made without frying.”

Let us speak — Page 138

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Kalakritiyon ka Bharat
co m
em.
m as
SPEAKING

.co a g l
s m about a local art form of your region. It can be any one out of painting,
eSpeak
gl a
a
1&2
rangoli, metal craft, embroidery, music, dance or drama. Remember to include: •
the name of the art form • what things do they need for it • how do they

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make/present it. You may use the words given below when you speak: • I know
ag
a s emneed ... • To make it, first ... after that ... next ...
about the art form called … • They
then ... at last ...
agl
. c om
m a s em → materials →
Build your talk in the same three parts that Chitra and Balamurali used — name

.
method. Useco the sequence words from page 137 so that your listener a l follow the order.
gcan
a s em
aglPART OF YOUR
TALK
WHAT TO SAY

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Name
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“I know about the art form called …” — give the name and the place it belongs to.
agl
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Things needed
agl …” — list the material, the colours and the tools.
“They need

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How it is made “To make it, first … after that … next … then … at last …” — four or five steps in

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order.

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a s em Sample answer: I know about the art form called rangoli, which we make in my

agl town on Diwali and on Pongal. They need dry rice flour, coloured powder, flower
m
petals and sometimes small diyas. To make it, first we sweep and wash the floor in

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front of the main door. After that, we mark a grid of dots with white flour. Next, we
. a g
e m
join the dots to draw a lotus or a peacock. Then we fill each part with a different

g l as outwards. At last, we place lighted diyas around the
colour, working from the middle
a one day, but the design belongs to my grandmother and
edge. A rangoli lasts only

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she has been drawing it for fifty years.
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Speaking tips: Face the class, speak slowly, and pause after each sequence word. If
m you can, bring a photograph or a small sample of the craft to hold up while you
g
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ag speak.
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Let us write — Page 139
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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Kalakritiyon ka Bharat

WRITING

1 You heard children from different states speak about the art forms from their state.
Discuss in pairs which art form you liked the most. Now, write a paragraph with five
sentences giving your reasons for liking it.

Plan the five sentences before you write:

1. Name the art form you liked most and the state it comes from.
2. Say in one line what it is made of or how it is made.
3. Give your first reason for liking it.
4. Give your second reason.
5. Close with a wish — what you would like to do about it.

Sample answer:
Of all the art forms in the lesson, I liked Dhokra from Odisha the most. In Dhokra a
clay figure is covered with wax, the fine details are carved on the wax, and hot brass
is poured in after the wax melts away. I liked it because a single figure passes
through clay, wax, fire and metal before it is finished, and each stage needs great
patience. I also liked the thought that Priyaranjan's tribe has been making these
figures for four thousand years, so every brass elephant carries a piece of very old
history. If I ever visit Odisha, I would like to sit beside a Dhokra artist and watch a
whole figure being made from beginning to end.

Checklist: exactly five sentences; the name of the craft and its state; at least two
clear reasons beginning with “because” or “I liked it as…”; capital letters and full
stops.

Let us explore — Pages 139 & 140

Page 15 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Kalakritiyon ka Bharat

PROJECT

1 Madhubani painting is a traditional art form from Bihar. The artists use natural
colours to make them on the walls of their houses. You can also make and use
natural colours as given below: • yellow from haldi • green from leaves • red from
red flowers/geru/sindoor • orange from flowers • blue from neel/indigo powder.
Given below is a Madhubani painting. Colour it with natural colours or any other
colour.

The outline printed on page 139 shows a large peacock in the middle with its tail curling
upward, a bird sitting on a branch in the top right corner and another bird at the bottom left,
all surrounded by leaves, flowers and a thick zig-zag border.
How to make each natural colour:

COLOUR FROM HOW TO PREPARE IT WHERE TO USE IT
HERE

Yellow haldi Mix a spoon of turmeric powder in a The birds' bodies, the
little water. flower centres

Green leaves Crush fresh green leaves and strain All the leaves and the
the juice. branch

Red red flowers / geru / Soak red petals in water, or mix geru The border, the flowers
sindoor powder with water.

Orange flowers Soak marigold or palash petals in The peacock's neck
warm water. feathers

Blue neel / indigo Dissolve a pinch of neel in water. The peacock's body and
powder tail

Tips for a neat Madhubani: add a spoon of gum or a little rice paste so the colour
sticks; fill the large shapes first and the tiny border patterns last; keep the black
outline visible — in Madhubani the line is never covered up; and do not leave any
space empty, because filling every gap with dots, lines and leaves is the special mark
of this style.

Page 16 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

2 Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Programme — Bharat has diverse languages, cuisines,
music, dance, theatre, movies and films, handicrafts, sports, literature, festivals,
paintings, sculptures, etc. The Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme aims to
enhance interaction and promote mutual understanding between people of
different states/UTs through the concept of state/UT pairing… Read and discuss.

What the passage tells us, in four points:

QUESTION ANSWER FROM THE PASSAGE

What does Bharat have Diverse languages, cuisines, music, dance, theatre, movies and films, handicrafts,
in plenty? sports, literature, festivals, paintings and sculptures.

How does the Through state/UT pairing — one state is paired with another so that the two
programme work? exchange visits, performances and ideas.

What is its aim? To enhance interaction, promote mutual understanding, celebrate unity in diversity
and strengthen the emotional bonds between citizens.

What is its vision? To help people develop a sense of common identity by sharing best practices and
experiences, and so to contribute to nation building.

Points for your class discussion: Which state would you like your own state to be
paired with, and why? What would you show a visiting child about your town — a
festival, a dish, a song, a monument? What one thing would you want to learn from
the paired state?

Link back to the lesson: The video call at the start of ‘Kalakritiyon ka Bharat’ is
exactly this programme in action. Renu's class did not travel anywhere, yet by the
end of one period they knew four crafts from four corners of Bharat.

Let us do these activities before we read — Page 141

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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Kites

BEFORE YOU READ

I1 Have you ever flown a kite or seen someone fly it? Where? When?

Answer in three short sentences — whether you flew it, where and when.

Sample answer: Yes, I have flown a kite. I flew it on the terrace of my uncle's house
in Ahmedabad, with my cousins holding the reel. It was on 14 January, the day of
Makar Sankranti, when the whole sky above the city was full of kites from morning
till sunset.

If you have never flown one: that is a perfectly good answer too. Say so, and then
describe a time you watched — “I have never flown a kite, but every Independence
Day I watch the older boys in my street flying them from the roof of the water tank.”

I2 Describe the kite—colour(s), shape, design of tail, any other detail.

Describe it in a fixed order so that nothing is left out: shape → colours → tail → line and reel
→ anything special.

DETAIL WORDS YOU CAN USE

Shape diamond-shaped, box, delta (triangular), parafoil, rokkaku

Colours bright red and yellow, sky blue, striped, chequered, tri-colour

Tail a long paper tail, two ribbon tails, a curly streamer, small paper bows tied along a string

Other details a thin bamboo spine, a shiny plastic cover, a wooden reel wound with manjha

Page 18 of 78

as e
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
Sample answer: My kite was diamond-shaped and about as wide as my arms. It was

m l a se
bright yellow with two red triangles near the nose, and a thin bamboo spine ran
o
down the.c g tied along it,
middle. Its tail was a long red ribbon with three paperabows
m
e tail swung from side to side as the kite climbed. The line was wound on a
sthe
g l
and a
awooden reel that my brother held.

co m
e m . ag
g l as
a
I3 What did you think when you saw the kite up in the sky?

. com

m a s
This question asks for a feeling and a thought, not a description. Begin withem“I felt…” or “I
. co a gl
em
thought…”.

a s
agl Sample answer: When my kite rose above the neighbour's roof I felt proud and a
s
little frightened, because the line was pulling hard at my fingers. Then it went so
m a
.co agl
high that it looked no bigger than a bird, and I thought how wonderful it would be to

se m
a
see my own town from up there — the roofs, the school ground and the road, all
made small.
a g l

com
Why this warm-up matters: The very wish you have just written down is the wish
m .
o m l a se
the poem is about. Daphne Lister's child looks up at the kites and says, “I wish I were

m .c / And light as air, / I would climb on a kite / And sail aupg there.”
ase
small

agl
se m
com g l a
.
Search the internet for videos on Kite Festivals and watch them with your teacher
a
II 1
m
ase
and classmates. Share the things with your teacher that you saw and what the

agl
people were doing.

c o m
Watch with a notebook open and write down three columns while them .
s e video plays: what you

. com people were doing, what you heard.
saw, what
a gla
as em
agl c
m .
m a s e
e m . co agl
g l as
a

com
m .
m ase
.co


a g l Page 19 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

WHAT I SAW WHAT THE PEOPLE WERE DOING

A sky filled with hundreds of kites of every colour; giant kites Standing on terraces and rooftops flying
shaped like fish, dragons and birds; long streamer tails kites, some in groups

Wooden reels wound with bright thread; stalls selling kites in One person holding the reel while another
narrow lanes lifted the kite and let it go

Children running in open grounds; families with food on the Taking part in kite-flying competitions and
terrace cutting one another's kites

Lighted lantern kites (tukkals) in the night sky Shouting, clapping, playing music and eating
undhiyu, chikki and til laddoos

Sample sentence to share: “In the video I saw the whole sky above Ahmedabad
covered with kites, and the terraces were so crowded that no roof was empty. People
were flying kites in pairs — one held the reel and the other released the kite — and
everyone shouted together whenever a kite was cut.”

II 2 Would you like to participate in this kind of festival? Why?

Give a clear yes or no, then two reasons.

Sample answer: Yes, I would love to take part in a Kite Festival. First, it is a festival
you enjoy with everybody at once — the whole street is on its roof and no one is
alone. Second, flying a kite is a skill: you have to feel the wind, let the line out slowly
and pull at the right moment, and I would like to learn to do it well enough to keep
my kite up the longest.

A ‘no’ can also be a good answer if you give a reason — for example, that sharp
manjha thread hurts birds and people, and you would rather watch the festival than
use such thread.

II 3 What kind of kite would you like to fly?

Name a kind of kite, say what it looks like, and give a reason.

Page 20 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

KIND OF WHAT IT IS LIKE
KITE

Diamond- The common Indian kite — light, cheap and easy to fly. This is the one shown as
shaped “commonly seen” on page 150.

Delta Triangular, with a wide wing; flies steadily even in a light breeze.

Box kite Made of two open boxes; very strong and needs a good wind.

Rokkaku A six-sided Japanese kite, often painted with a face or a fish.

Parafoil Has no sticks at all — the wind fills it like a small parachute.

Sample answer: I would like to fly a big delta kite in the three colours of our flag,
with a long white tail. I choose the delta because its wide triangular wing catches
even a slow breeze, so it stays up on days when a small diamond kite keeps falling.

Page 21 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

III Look at the picture and complete the sentences. Share your responses with your
teacher.

The picture printed on page 141, redrawn.

(Word box: windy, kite, flying, birds, sky, looking, has ribbons) 1. I can see ___________,
___________ and ___________ in the picture. 2. The weather in the picture is ___________. 3.
The kite is ___________ high in the sky. 4. The child is ___________ from below. 5. The tail
of the kite ___________.

The picture on page 141 shows a girl in an orange skirt standing on green grass. She is holding
the line of a bright kite that is high above her, two birds are flying beside it, and the sky behind
is pale blue with light clouds. Her hair and skirt are blown to one side.

Page 22 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

NO. COMPLETED SENTENCE WHAT IN THE PICTURE TELLS YOU

1 I can see a kite, birds and the sky in the These are the three things clearly drawn.
picture.

2 The weather in the picture is windy. Her hair and skirt are blowing, and a kite cannot rise
without wind.

3 The kite is flying high in the sky. The kite is far above the girl, at the top of the
picture.

4 The child is looking from below. She stands on the ground with her face turned up.

5 The tail of the kite has ribbons. A curly ribbon streamer hangs from the bottom of
the kite.

Tip: Each blank needs a different kind of word — a naming word in 1, a describing
word in 2, an -ing action in 3 and 4, and a whole verb phrase in 5. Match the shape of
the blank before you choose.

Page 23 of 78

as e
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
Now, think and answer. List two more things that you want to add to the picture.
e
IV 1

m l as
m .co a g
l a se
a g

co m
e m . ag
g l as
a

co m
em.
m l as
m .co a g
l a se
a g
m a s
m .co agl
l a se
a g
The picture printed on page 141, redrawn.

co m
m .
m as e
.co a g l
a s em
Choose things that would fit naturally into an outdoor kite-flying scene and would make it

agl livelier.

A friend holding the reel, so the girl can run ahead with the line.
se m
com g l a
. a
More kites of different shapes and colours in the far sky, as on a festival day.
m
ase
A big neem tree at one side, with its leaves bending in the same wind.

a gl
A little dog running after the girl.
A row of terraced houses in the distance with people watching from the roofs.

c o m
Sample answer: I would add two more children on the grass, m .
them s e one of them holding
a on them and
.co agl
reel, and a row of rooftops far behind with people standing

se m watching. That would turn one girl's afternoon into a whole town's festival.
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 24 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

IV 2 If I were the child, I would ___________.

The sentence begins If I were…, so it is imagining something that is not real. Finish it with would
+ a plain verb.

Sample answers:

If I were the child, I would let out more line so that my kite flew even higher than
the birds.
If I were the child, I would call my friends and hold a kite race with them.
If I were the child, I would tie a small paper message to the kite line before
letting it go up.

Grammar note: we say If I were, not ‘If I was’, when we imagine something untrue.
The poem uses the same form — “I wish I were small.”

IV 3 If I were the kite, I would ___________.

Now imagine being the kite itself, so the answer should be about flying, seeing and feeling from
up in the air.

Sample answers:

If I were the kite, I would fly above the clouds and look down at the whole town
at once.
If I were the kite, I would never let my line break, so that the child holding me
would never be sad.
If I were the kite, I would race the birds and carry the child with me for one whole
afternoon.

Keep this in mind: the ‘Let us write’ task on page 149 asks you to write a full
paragraph called I am a Kite. The sentence you write here is the first seed of that
paragraph.

Page 25 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Let us discuss — Pages 143 & 144
The Kites

POETRY

I Read the poem silently. As you read, mark the given statements as True or False. 1.
The child is looking at the kites. 2. The kites look like birds of different colours. 3. It
was a rainy day. 4. The child wants to be like a kite. 5. The child wishes to climb on a
kite. 6. The kite is made of cloth and plastic. 7. The child wants to ride the kite. 8.
The child knows they would have fun. 9. The child wants to look at the kite from a
rooftop. 10. The child would like to look at people down below. 11. The child knows
that the people would stare.

Every answer can be proved from a line of the poem. Six are True and five are False.

Page 26 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

NO. STATEMENT T/F LINE THAT PROVES IT

1 The child is looking at the True “Up in the air / See the kites fly”
kites.

2 The kites look like birds of True “Like coloured birds / In the wind-whipped sky.”
different colours.

3 It was a rainy day. False The sky is “wind-whipped”, not rainy. Rain is never
mentioned — and kites are flown on dry, windy days.

4 The child wants to be like a False The child wants to be “small / And light as air” so as to
kite. ride a kite — not to become one.

5 The child wishes to climb True “I would climb on a kite / And sail up there.”
on a kite.

6 The kite is made of cloth False “Then I would drift upon / The paper wings” — the kite
and plastic. is made of paper.

7 The child wants to ride the True “climb on a kite / And sail up there”; “drift upon / The
kite. paper wings”

8 The child knows they would True “What fun it would be / To look right down”
have fun.

9 The child wants to look at False The opposite is true — the child wants to look down at
the kite from a rooftop. the rooftops from the kite: “Over the park / And the
rooftops of town.”

10 The child would like to look True “The people below / Would stand and stare”
at people down below.

11 The child knows that the True “Would stand and stare, / And wish they were me”
people would stare.

Tip: Statements 4 and 9 are the traps. Read them slowly against the poem — in both
cases the poem says something close to, but not the same as, the statement.

Page 27 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

II 1 Complete the following sentences. The poet says that the kites are like coloured
birds – See the kites fly / Like coloured birds in the sky. The kites have been
compared to b __ __ __ __ because they ______________.

The kites have been compared to b i r d s because they fly high in the sky in many bright
colours, just as birds do.

Name the device: This is a simile — a comparison of two different things using the
word like or as. Here the word is like: “Like coloured birds”. A kite and a bird are
quite different things, but both are small, coloured shapes moving freely high above
us, and that one likeness is enough to build the picture.

Other ways to finish the blank: “…because they float high above us like living
things”, or “…because they are colourful and seem to have wings.” Any reason that
names a real likeness is correct.

II 2 The child wishes to be like air – I wish I were small / And as light as air. The child
wishes to be as l __ __ __ t as __ __ __. The child wishes this to be able to c __ __ m __ on a
kite and fly.

The child wishes to be as l i g h t as a i r. The child wishes this to be able to c l i m b on a kite
and fly.
The poem's own words are: “I wish I were small / And light as air, / I would climb on a kite / And
sail up there.”

Why ‘light as air’? This is the second simile of the poem, made with as … as. A paper
kite can lift nothing heavier than a breeze, so the only way a child could ride one is
by weighing almost nothing. The comparison is not decoration — it is the exact
condition the wish depends on.

Page 28 of 78

as e
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
Do you think that the use of simile in this poem helps us imagine better when we
e
II 3

m l as
.co
read the poem? Share your thoughts with your teacher and classmates.

a g
se m
g l a
a

Yes — the similes are what make the poem easy to picture.

co m
ag
A kite is only paper, sticks and thread. But the moment the poet writes “Like coloured birds”,

m .
se
you stop seeing paper and start seeing a flock of living, moving colour in the sky. And “light as

l a
ag what the child is wishing for.
air” does the same for the child: we all know exactly how heavy air is — it weighs nothing — so
in three words we understand precisely

co m
m.
SIMILE WHAT IT WHAT WE SUDDENLY SEE OR FEEL

as e
com
COMPARES

. a g l
a s em
“Like coloured kites — birds Many bright shapes moving alive in the sky, not flat

agl
birds” pieces of paper

s
“light as air” the child — air Weightlessness, floating, a body a kite could actually
m a
.co agl
carry

a s em
gl explains something new by holding it beside
Say it in one sentence: “Aasimile
something we already know, and that is why the picture forms in our mind at once.”

co m
m .
m as e
.co a g l
a s em
III Find a set of words from the poem that begin with the same consonant sound.

agl Stanza 1 — Which consonant sound do both words begin with? Stanza 3 — Which

m
consonant sound do both words begin with? This is called alliteration. For example,

a se
com l
big bright blue bag, funny fan, etc. Create 4 other sets of words using alliteration.
. a g
m
ase
agl

Stanza 1: the words are wind-whipped (“In the wind-whipped sky”). The consonant sound both

m
begin with is /w/.

. co
e m
Stanza 3: the words are wild wind (“That the wild wind sings”). Again the sound is /w/. In the

m l as
.co g
same stanza you can also point to songs … sings, which share the sound /s/.

m a
l a se
ag What alliteration does here: repeating the /w/ sound makes you purse your lips

.c
m
and blow slightly as you read — so the line itself sounds like wind. The poet is not

m a s e
co agl
just describing wind; she is making you hear it.

m .
as e
Four sets of your own:
a g l

co m
m .
m as e
.co


a g l Page 29 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

NO. ALLITERATIVE SET REPEATED SOUND

1 silver stars shine softly /s/

2 the busy black bees buzz /b/

3 round red rooftops /r/

4 the merry monkey munched a mango /m/

Careful: alliteration is about the sound, not the letter. Kite and circle both have a /k/
or /s/ sound that does not match their spelling, and wind and whipped alliterate
although one begins with ‘w’ and the other with ‘wh’.

IV In the last stanza, the two words that the poet repeats are __________, __________ to tell
us that the kite is flying __ __ __ y high.

In the last stanza, the two words that the poet repeats are High, high to tell us that the kite is
flying v e r y high.
The line is: “High, high in the air.”

Why repeat instead of saying ‘very high’? Saying a word twice makes the reader
pause on it and stretches the sound out, so the height feels greater. It also ends the
poem on the same word it opened with — the poem begins “Up in the air” and
closes “High, high in the air”, bringing the child's daydream full circle.

V Study each stanza and underline the rhyming words from the end of each line. Also,
circle the end words in the stanzas that do not rhyme.

In every stanza only the second and fourth lines rhyme. The first and third line endings are the
ones to circle.

Page 30 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

STANZA UNDERLINE (RHYMING PAIR) CIRCLE (DO NOT RHYME)

1 fly — sky air, birds

2 air — there small, kite

3 wings — sings upon, songs

4 down — town be, park

5 stare — air below, me

So the rhyme scheme of every stanza is a b c b.

Tip: Rhyme is about sound, not spelling. Air and there are spelt quite differently but
end in the same sound, so they rhyme. Songs and upon look as if they might rhyme,
but they do not.

Let us think and reflect — Page 145
The Kites

POETRY

I1 Read the given lines from the poem: ‘What fun it would be / To look right down, /
Over the park / And the rooftops of town.’ Circle the word that does not share the
same feeling as ‘fun’: joy, excitement, care, happiness.

care — that is the word to circle.

WORD DOES IT FEEL WHY
LIKE ‘FUN’?

joy Yes Great happiness — very close to fun.

excitement Yes The lively, eager feeling you get while having fun.

care No ‘Care’ means worry, or looking after someone. It is a serious,
heavy feeling, not a light and happy one.

happiness Yes The plain word for the feeling fun gives.

Page 31 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Tip: In an odd-one-out question, first say what the other three share. Here joy,
excitement and happiness are all light, pleasant feelings — so the odd word must be
the one that is not.

I2 Which line tells us that the poet was somewhere above?

The line is “To look right down,”.
You can only look right down at something if you are above it. The next two lines confirm it —
“Over the park / And the rooftops of town” — because you can be over the rooftops only from
the sky.

One more clue in the last stanza: “The people below / Would stand and stare.” If
the people are below, the child must be high above them.

I3 Choose the scene the child saw.

(i) (ii)

(iii) (iv)

The four pictures printed on page 145, redrawn.

Picture (ii) is the correct choice — the bird's-eye view of a colony of houses with coloured roofs
and green trees between them.

Page 32 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

PICTURE WHAT IT SHOWS WHY IT IS RIGHT OR WRONG

(i) A boy and a woman crossing a Wrong — this is seen from the ground, at eye level.
road at a zebra crossing, seen
from the side

(ii) Rooftops and trees seen from Right — the poem says “To look right down, / Over the
high above park / And the rooftops of town.” Trees for the park,
roofs for the rooftops.

(iii) A wide highway with cars, seen Wrong — it is a view from above, but there are no
from above rooftops and no park, only a road.

(iv) The fronts of houses in a street Wrong — this is what you see standing on the road, not
what you see from the sky.

How to choose: the poem names two things — a park and rooftops — and one
position, right down. Only one picture has all three.

II 1 How does the poet describe the kites in the first two lines?

In the first two lines — “Up in the air / See the kites fly,” — the poet describes the kites as flying
high up in the air, and she invites us to look at them by saying “See”.
She completes the picture in the very next line by comparing them to “coloured birds / In the
wind-whipped sky”. So the kites are bright, many-coloured shapes moving freely and alive,
high above, in a sky full of strong wind.

Notice the word ‘See’: the poem opens with a command, as if a friend beside you
were pointing upward. That is why we feel we are standing in the field with the child
from the very first line.

II 2 Why does the child say that they have to climb a tree first to get onto the kite?

The child never says this — there is no tree anywhere in the poem. What the child says is
that he would first have to become small and light as air:

Page 33 of 78

ase
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
e m.
“I wish I were small
m l as
.co
And light as air,
m a g
l a se
g
I would climb on a kite
aAnd sail up there.”

. c om ag
So the condition for climbing on to a kite is m
s e not height but weight. A paper kite is lifted by

a g la carry a child of normal size. Only a body as
nothing more than a breeze; it could never
weightless as air could sit on those “paper wings” without pulling them down.

co m
How to write this in your notebook: “The child does not mention climbing a tree.
em.
c o m g l
He says he would first have to be small and light as air, because only then would aas
.
m kite be able to carry him.” a
s e
paper

a gla
m a s
.co agl
What are the songs that the child hears when flying atop the kite?
m
II 3

l a se
ANSWER a g
m
They are the songs of the wind — “And hear the songs / That the wild wind sings.”

. co
e m
High above the town there is no traffic and no talking; the only sound is the wind rushing past.

m l as
.co g
Its whistling, humming and roaring is what the child calls ‘songs’.

m
eName a
a s
agl the device: This is personification — the wind is given a human power,

m
singing. Calling the noise a ‘song’ also tells us the child is not frightened up there; he

a se
com l
is enjoying it. And ‘wild wind’ is the poem's second piece of alliteration.
. a g
m
ase
agl
II 4 Why did the people look up at the child and stare? If you looked up and saw that,
what feelings would you have?
co m
m .
m as e
.co
a g l
a s emWhy they stare: because a child sailing through the sky on a paper kite is an impossible,
agl astonishing sight. Nobody has ever seen such a thing, so they stop walking, stand still and go on
.c
looking. The poem adds a second reason in the very next line — “And wish they were me” — so
s e m
om a
. c agl
they stare partly out of wonder and partly out of envy: they too would love to be up there.
m about yourself, in two or three sentences.
What I would feel: answer thisepart
s
a
agl

co m
m .
m ase
.co


a g l Page 34 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Sample answer: If I looked up and saw a child riding a kite over my street, I would
first be so amazed that I would not believe my eyes. Then I would feel a rush of
excitement and would shout to my friends to come and look. Along with that I would
feel a little envy, because I would want to be up there instead — and perhaps some
fear as well, wondering how that child would ever come down.

II 5 If you were the kite carrying the child high up in the air, what would you tell them?

Speak as the kite. A good answer has three parts — a promise, a warning, and something the
kite would want the child to notice.

Sample answer: “Hold my line tightly and do not be afraid — I have carried the wind
on my back all my life, and today I shall carry you. Sit very still, because I am only
paper and sticks, and one sudden movement could tear my wings. Now look right
down: that little green square is your park, that grey thread is your road, and those
tiny coloured boxes are the rooftops of your town. Remember what it looks like from
here, and remember that you are not big and the world is not small — it is only that
we are very high. When the wind grows tired I shall bring you down gently, and you
can tell everybody what you saw.”

Why this works: it stays in character (the kite speaks of its paper wings and of the
wind), it uses details from the poem (“look right down”, “the rooftops of town”), and
it ends with a thought, not just a description.

Let us learn — Pages 146 to 148

Page 35 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Kites — parts of a kite, the cinquain and movement words

VOCABULARY

I Look at the picture of the kite and read what some of its parts are named.

Nose

Spine

Cover

Kite line

Tail
Reel
The labelled kite on page 146 — nose, spine, cover, kite line, tail and reel.

Now, complete the given conversation by filling the blanks with some ‘parts of a
kite’ from above. Bina: I like the long t _ _ _ at the end of my kite. What is your kite
like? Saroj: My kite’s c _ _ _ _ _ is bright. The s _ _ _ e is black. Bina: Oh wonderful! My
kite’s l _ _ _ is attached to the r _ _ l that wraps it. I really like it. Saroj: Did you know
that the tip of a kite is called a _ _ s _?

The labelled picture on page 146 names six parts. Here is what each one is, and then the
completed conversation.

Page 36 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

PART WHERE IT IS ON THE KITE

Nose The pointed tip at the very top.

Spine The stick that runs down the middle, from nose to bottom.

Cover The coloured paper or cloth stretched over the sticks.

Kite line The thread that joins the kite to your hand.

Tail The strip that hangs from the bottom and keeps the kite steady.

Reel The spool on which the line is wound.

The completed conversation:

Bina: I like the long tail at the end of my kite. What is your kite like?
Saroj: My kite's cover is bright. The spine is black.
Bina: Oh wonderful! My kite's line is attached to the reel that wraps it. I really like it.
Saroj: Did you know that the tip of a kite is called a nose?
Bina: Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know. Let's go and fly our pretty kites.

Tip: Use the number of dashes as a check — t _ _ _ is four letters (tail), s _ _ _ e is five
ending in e (spine), r _ _ l is four ending in l (reel), _ _ s _ is four with s third (nose).

II Let us create a poem using words in a kite! (Line 1 – the subject, one noun; Line 2 –
two describing words; Line 3 – three action words; Line 4 – two words that describe
the action words; Line 5 – one word with the same meaning as the subject. Example:
Kite / pretty, colourful / flying, floating, soaring / quickly, happily / paper-bird.) This
is called a cinquain poem… Now, create a cinquain poem yourself on anything you
like.

A cinquain is a five-line poem with a fixed shape. Copy the empty kite outline on page 147 into
your notebook and fill one line into each row.

Page 37 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

LINE WHAT IT MUST CONTAIN PART OF SPEECH

1 The subject — one word noun

2 Two words describing the subject adjectives

3 Three action words verbs (usually -ing)

4 Two words describing the actions adverbs

5 One word meaning the same as line 1 synonym (a noun)

Sample answers — three cinquains you can adapt:
Rain
cool, silver
falling, drumming, washing
softly, suddenly
shower
Grandmother
gentle, wise
cooking, telling, smiling
slowly, lovingly
daadi
River
wide, restless
flowing, twisting, shining
quietly, endlessly
stream

Why a cinquain is worth writing: Because you are allowed so few words, every
word has to earn its place. The last line is the hardest — a synonym that makes the
reader see the subject in a new way. ‘Paper-bird’ for ‘kite’ is a lovely example: it packs
the poem's own simile into one word.

Page 38 of 78

as e
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
The poet uses the word ‘fly’ and ‘drift’ to tell us about the kite’s movement. Circle
se
III 1

o m l a
the words that match with the ‘drift’ movement. You can choose more than one

m
word:.cslow, fast, quick, upward, downward, round and round,agfloat.
e
ag
las

m
Circle: slow, downward, round and round, float.
. co ag
e m
To drift is to move gently, without effort, carried along by the wind or by water. So it cannot be

g
fast or quick, and it is not a strong push upward.
l as
a
m
WORD MATCHES WHY

co
m.
‘DRIFT’?

m as e
slow
.co
Yes Drifting is always unhurried.
a g l
se m
g l a fast Speed is the opposite of drifting.
a
No

s
quick No Same reason — drifting has no sudden movement.

m a
upward No (mainly) .co
emlifted.
Rising needs a push or a lift; drifting is being carried, not agl
a s
a gl
downward Yes A drifting leaf or kite sinks gently.

co m
round and Yes Something adrift turns lazily in circles.
m .
m as e
.co l
round

a g
s m
efloat
a
‘Float’ is almost a synonym of ‘drift’.
l
Yes

ag
In the poem: “Then I would drift upon / The paper wings” — the child does not
se m
com g l a
.
imagine roaring through the sky. He imagines resting on the kite and being carried
m is why ‘drift’ is exactly the right word there. a
a s eThat
agl
wherever the wind takes him.

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 as e
.co


a g l Page 39 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

III 2 Study some other words about the kite’s movement and share what type of
movement they show. You can look at 1 for the type of movement: glide, dive, soar,
swoop, circle.

WORD TYPE OF MOVEMENT SENTENCE ABOUT A KITE

glide Smooth, steady, silent — moving along without The kite glided across the sky without a
flapping or effort single jerk.

dive Fast and steeply downward, head first The line went slack and my kite dived
towards the trees.

soar Rising high, upward, on the wind The kite soared until it was only a dot above
the water tank.

swoop A sudden sharp rush downward, often curving The kite swooped down at the rooftop and
up again rose again.

circle Round and round, in loops The two kites circled each other before the
thread was cut.

Group them to remember them: going up — soar; going down — dive, swoop;
going along — glide, drift, float; going round — circle. Notice that ‘dive’ and ‘swoop’
are fast, while ‘glide’ and ‘drift’ are slow.

IV The poet has used expressions like — up in the air; look right down; stay up there;
stand and stare. 1. Read how these expressions are used in the poem. 2. In pairs,
make sentences using these expressions. Discuss with your teacher and then write
in your notebooks.

First find each expression in the poem, then use it in a sentence of your own.

Page 40 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

EXPRESSION IN THE POEM WHAT IT MEANS A SENTENCE OF MY OWN

up in the air “Up in the air / See the High above the The balloons we let go on Sports
kites fly” ground Day are still up in the air.

look right “What fun it would be To look straight From the top of the lighthouse we
down / To look right down” downward from a could look right down at the boats.
height

stay up there From “And sail up To remain high in the If the wind holds, my kite will stay
there” — to remain sky up there till evening.
high above

stand and “The people below / To stop and go on When the elephant walked into our
stare Would stand and looking in surprise lane, we could only stand and
stare” stare.

Tip: Do not change the words inside an expression. We say stand and stare, not
‘stand and see’; up in the air, not ‘up in the sky’. Fixed expressions must be used
exactly as they are.

Let us listen — Pages 148 & 149
The Kites — the Kite Festival in India

LISTENING

1–7 Listen about the Kite Festival in India. As you listen, circle the words that are not
correct. Then, listen again and write the correct words. (refer to page 163 for
transcript) 1. Kite Festival is celebrated during the month of June. 2. The
International Kite Festival is named Uttarayan in Eastern India. 3. Uttarayan is
mainly celebrated in Gujarat, but also in Maharashtra and Telangana. 4. During the
Kite Festival, we can see kites of different shapes, sizes and colours. 5. In
Karnataka, the Tourism Department organises the Kite Festival every year. 6. The
Punjab region celebrates Basant Panchami and Baisakhi by flying kites. 7. People of
India also enjoy flying kites on Earth Day.

Four sentences have a wrong word (1, 2, 3 and 7); three are completely correct (4, 5 and 6).
The transcript is printed on page 163.

Page 41 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

NO. WORD TO CORRECT LINE IN THE TRANSCRIPT
CIRCLE WORD

1 June January “it takes place during Makar Sankranti in the month of
January”

2 Eastern Western “This festival is celebrated as Uttarayan in Western
India.”

3 Maharashtra Rajasthan “Uttarayan is also celebrated in Rajasthan and
Telangana.”

4 — nothing — Correct “…a chance to look at kites of different shapes, sizes
and colours.”

5 — nothing — Correct “In Karnataka, the Tourism Department has also been
organising the Kite Festival once each year.”

6 — nothing — Correct “Punjab also celebrates this festival of kites during
Baisakhi and Basant Panchami.”

7 Earth Day Independence “people across India also fly kites to celebrate
Day Independence Day”

Listening tip: In this kind of task the wrong word is almost always a name — a
month, a direction, a state or a festival. Underline every name in the printed
sentences before the audio starts, and listen only for those.

What the talk tells us about the festival: the Kite Festival falls on Makar Sankranti
in January; in Western India it is called Uttarayan; Gujarat is the main centre, with
Rajasthan and Telangana also celebrating; Karnataka's Tourism Department holds
one every year; Punjab flies kites at Baisakhi and Basant Panchami; and all over India
people fly kites on Independence Day.

Let us speak — Page 149

Page 42 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Kites

SPEAKING

1 Share a kite-flying experience with your classmates. If you have not flown a kite
yet, share an experience of watching kites fly. Give details—Where? When? Why?
How? Speak in complete sentences.

Answer the four question words in order, one or two sentences each, and finish with how you
felt.

QUESTION WHAT TO SAY

Where? The place — a terrace, a field, a riverbank, your school ground.

When? The day and time — Makar Sankranti, Independence Day, a windy Sunday evening.

Why? The reason — a festival, a competition, a holiday with cousins.

How? The way it happened — who held the reel, how the kite rose, what went wrong or right.

Sample answer: Last Makar Sankranti I flew a kite from the terrace of my
grandmother's house in Jaipur. We went up at about eight in the morning, because
the wind is best then and the whole family was already on the roof. My cousin held
the reel and I ran to the far corner with the kite and let it go when he shouted. It
dipped once towards the neighbour's tank, and then the wind caught it and it
climbed higher than the water tank. We kept it up for nearly an hour before another
kite cut our thread. Even then I was not sad, because I had learnt how to feel the pull
of the wind on the line.

Speaking tips: tell it in order, use past tense verbs (went, held, ran, climbed), and
use one or two of the movement words from page 148 — soared, dived, glided.

Let us write — Page 149

Page 43 of 78

as e
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Kites — I am a Kite
co m
e m.
m as
WRITING

.co a g l
a s em yourself as a kite. In pairs, first discuss all the following hints. • What
gl
Imagine
a
1
shape of kite are you? What colours do you have? What other parts of yourself are
you happy about? • Where are you? Who do you belong to? What activities do you

com
. ag
do? Who are your friends? • Do you have any message for humans?
e m
g l as
a
Talk through the three groups of hints with your partner and jot down short notes. Your notes

co m
m.
become the three parts of the paragraph you write next.

m as e
.co a g l
m
GROUP OF NOTES TO MAKE WORDS THAT HELP

l a se
HINTS

g
a What I look Shape, colours, cover, spine, tail, nose, diamond-shaped, bright, striped, a long

a s
com
like ribbon tail

agl
line, reel

.
My life
a s earem
Where I fly, whose kite I am, what I do terrace, open field, my owner, soar, glide,

agl
all day, who my friends drift, other kites, birds, clouds

My message do not use sharp manjha; do not leave torn
m
One thing I want to say to people

. co
kites on trees; let me fly free

se m
o m l a
g questions aloud and
Tip.cfor the pair work: Take turns. One partner asks the hint
a
m
asethe other answers as the kite, in the first person — “I am a green delta kite…”.
agl Answering aloud first makes the writing much easier.

se m
com g l a
m . a
ase
2
agl
Now, write a paragraph of about 100 words, with the title—I am a Kite.

co m
.

se m
m l a
Write in the first person (I, my, me) and keep the three parts in order: what you look like, what
o
.c life is like, and your message. About 100 words is roughlyageight to ten sentences.
m
your

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

com
m .
m as e
.co


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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Sample answer:
I am a Kite
I am a diamond-shaped kite of bright yellow and red, with a thin bamboo spine
down my back and a long paper tail that swings behind me. I belong to a boy called
Ravi, who bought me for two rupees from a shop in the bazaar. All day I soar above
his terrace, glide over the rooftops and drift wherever the wind carries me; the birds
and the clouds are my only friends up there, and the reel in Ravi's hand is my one
thread to the earth. My message to humans is simple: fly me with plain thread, not
with sharp manjha, because that glass-coated string cuts the wings of birds and the
fingers of children. Let me carry your happiness, never your harm.

Checklist before you hand it in: the title is written; every sentence begins with
I/My; the three hint-groups all appear; at least two movement words from page 148
are used; about 100 words; capital letters and full stops in place.

Let us explore — Pages 149 & 150
The Kites

PROJECT

I The mention of kites exists in ancient Indian texts. It can be found in the poetry of
the thirteenth-century Marathi saint and poet, Namadeva. In his poems or gathas,
he called a kite a gudi, and there is a mention that the kites were made from
kaagad (paper).

This note tells us that kite-flying in Bharat is at least seven hundred years old.

FACT DETAIL

Who mentions kites Namadeva, a Marathi saint-poet of the thirteenth century

Where In his poems, which are called gathas

His word for a kite gudi

What kites were made of kaagad — paper

Page 45 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why this is placed here: Daphne Lister's poem calls the kite's surface “the paper
wings”. Namadeva, seven centuries earlier and in another language, recorded the
same material — kaagad. The kite has changed very little; only the words for it have.

Something to find out: In Maharashtra a bamboo pole with a bright cloth and a pot
on top is raised at every house on Gudi Padwa, the new year. Ask an elder whether
the word gudi in that festival is connected with Namadeva's word for a kite.

II Have a look at some of the different types of kites.

Parafoil Delta Rokkaku

Diamond-shaped kite Box kites

The five kinds of kite pictured on page 150.

Choose which one is commonly seen.

The diamond-shaped kite is the one commonly seen in India.
It is the simple four-cornered kite of coloured paper stretched over two crossed sticks, with a
paper tail. It is the cheapest and the lightest of the five, needs only a light breeze, and is the kite
sold in every bazaar before Makar Sankranti and Independence Day.

Page 46 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

TYPE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HOW OFTEN YOU SEE IT
HERE

Diamond- Four corners, a spine and a cross stick, a Very common — the everyday Indian
shaped paper tail kite

Delta A wide triangle like an aeroplane wing Seen mostly at kite festivals

Rokkaku Six-sided, Japanese, often painted with a face Rare

Parafoil No sticks at all; the wind fills it like a Rare
parachute

Box kites Two open boxes joined by a frame Rare; needs a strong wind

1 Find out the steps to make a kite.

Here are the steps for the common diamond-shaped kite. Ask an elder or a shopkeeper as
well, and write the steps in your notebook using the sequence words from page 137.

STEP WHAT TO DO

You One sheet of thin coloured paper, two thin bamboo sticks (one long for the spine, one shorter for the
need cross), glue or maida paste, thread, a pair of scissors, a strip of paper for the tail, and a reel.

First Cut the long stick for the spine and the shorter one for the bow. Tie them in a cross, a little above the
middle of the spine.

After Run a thread around all four tips to make the diamond outline, and knot it tight.
that

Next Lay the frame on the paper, cut the paper about two centimetres bigger all round, fold the edges over
the thread and paste them down.

Then Make two small holes near the nose and near the middle, and tie a short bridle thread through them.
The kite line is knotted to this bridle.

At last Paste a long paper tail at the bottom, wind the line on the reel, and let the paste dry completely before
flying.

Page 47 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Safety note: use plain cotton thread, never glass-coated manjha. It injures birds, and
it cuts the hands and necks of people below.

2 Follow the steps and create your own kite. Bring it to school to show your teacher
and classmates.

Make the kite at home with an elder's help, and let the paste dry overnight before you carry it to
school.

CHECK BEFORE YOU BRING IT WHY

Is the frame straight and the cross stick exactly in the A crooked kite spins instead of rising.
middle?

Are both halves of the paper the same size? An uneven kite leans to one side.

Is the tail long enough? The tail steadies the kite; too short and it
dives.

Is the bridle knot tight? The whole kite hangs from this one knot.

When you show it in class: hold it up and name its parts using the words from page
146 — nose, spine, cover, tail, kite line, reel. Then say in two sentences which step
was the hardest and what you would do differently next time.

3 Write a message on the kite. For example: Happy Independence Day!

Write the message in big, bold letters on the cover, because it has to be read from far below.
Keep it to five or six words.

Page 48 of 78

as e
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
OCCASION OR IDEA MESSAGE YOU CAN WRITE

m as e
National days
.co a g l
Happy Independence Day! • Jai Hind • Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat

se m
g l a
Festivals
a
Happy Makar Sankranti! • Happy Uttarayan!

Kindness to birds No manjha — save our birds • Fly kites, not sharp threads

co m
m . ag
se
The earth Plant a tree, clean the air • Save water, save life

l a
School
ag fly higher • Dreams have no ceiling
Read a book,

co m
m.
Why a kite makes a good poster: it is the only message in your town that hundreds

ase
coammessage worth sending that far up. l
of people will read at the same time, from their own roofs, without being asked to.
. a g
em
Choose
a s
a gl
Let us do these activities before weom a s
.c agl
read — Page 151
se m
g l a
a

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se m
g l a
a
se m
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m . a
ase
agl

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

co m
m .
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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Ila Sachani: Embroidering Dreams with her Feet

BEFORE YOU READ

I1 Look at the given picture and information.

The photograph on page 151 (described here; see the textbook for the
photograph itself). A smiling young man sits cross-legged on the floor
of an art gallery. He is wearing a green shirt and cream trousers, and
he has no hands. A long paintbrush is gripped between the toes of
one foot, and he is working on a sheet of paper spread on the floor in
front of him. Framed paintings hang on the white wall behind him,
and a few visitors are sitting further back in the gallery.
Pranav M. Balasubramaniam is from Palakkad in Kerala. Though he
was born without both hands, he has excelled as an artist, a singer,
and a para-sportsperson.

Page 151 — the photograph and information box printed beside this question.

Do you think Pranav’s task is simple? Why or why not?

No, Pranav's task is not simple at all.
The photograph shows him sitting on the floor of a gallery, painting with a brush held between
his toes, with his finished paintings hanging on the wall behind him. Almost every step of that
work is difficult without hands:

He must hold the brush steadily with his feet, which are not naturally made for fine control.
He has to mix colours, change brushes and move the paper using the same feet.
He must sit in one position for hours, and his legs and back tire far sooner than an artist's
arm would.
He had to train those muscles for years before the first straight line came out right.

And painting is only one of the three things he does — he is also a singer and a para-
sportsperson, and each of those needed its own years of practice.

What ‘simple’ really means here: His paintings look effortless, and that is exactly
the point. The work looks simple because he has made it look simple; the difficulty is
hidden in the thousands of hours of practice we do not see.

Page 50 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

I2 How does Pranav’s special ability make you feel?

Answer honestly, naming your feelings and giving a reason for each.

Sample answer: Pranav's ability makes me feel three things at once. First, I feel
amazed, because I cannot draw a straight line even with my hands, and he paints
whole pictures with his feet. Then I feel inspired, because it makes my own excuses
look very small — I usually give up on a drawing after two attempts. Last, I feel a
deep respect for him, not pity, because he has not asked anyone for sympathy; he
has simply gone ahead and become an artist, a singer and a sportsperson.

An important distinction: ‘Feeling sorry for him’ is the wrong answer. Pranav has
not lost anything; he has gained three skills. The right feelings are admiration and
respect.

I3 What qualities do you think were important for Pranav to become successful?

QUALITY HOW IT HELPED HIM

Determination (will power) He decided he would paint, and did not give up when the early attempts
failed.

Patience Training the feet to hold a brush steadily takes months before there is any
result.

Hard work and regular Skill of this kind is built only by working at it every single day.
practice

Positivity He looked at what he could do instead of what he could not.

Courage He showed his work in public and competed in sport, where people would
stare and judge.

Family and teacher support Someone had to believe in him and give him the brush in the first place.

Page 51 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Link to the lesson: The story you are about to read names almost exactly the same
list. Ila Sachani succeeded, the text says, “with focus, hard work, positivity and never
giving up.”

I4 What message does Pranav’s story give us?

The message is that a physical limitation is not the end of a dream — it only changes the
way the dream must be reached.
Pranav was born without both hands, yet he became an artist, a singer and a para-
sportsperson. He did not wait to be given hands; he trained the body he had. His story tells us
three things:

1. Ability is not in the hand; it is in the mind. The wish to paint is what makes a painter.
2. Never decide for another person what they cannot do. If someone had told Pranav that a
person without hands cannot paint, those pictures on the wall would not exist.
3. Effort is the real difference between a person who dreams and a person who achieves.

Why this comes before the lesson: Pranav paints with his feet; Ila Sachani
embroiders with hers. The book puts them side by side so that you meet the idea
twice, in two different states, and see that it is not a one-off wonder but a human
truth.

Page 52 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

II 1 Look at the picture of Kathiawar embroidery. Discuss in pairs.

The photograph on page 151 (described here; see the textbook for
the photograph itself). A piece of black cloth, stretched in a round
embroidery frame, carries a large ambi (paisley) motif. The paisley is
filled with rows of close blue stitching, has a purple band around it
and a yellow-and-orange centre, and its whole outline is ringed with
small round mirrors, each held down by red and white stitches. To
the left of the paisley stands a peacock worked in purple, blue and
green thread, with a tiny crown on its head and yellow feet. Bright
golden-yellow chain stitch outlines every shape.

Fig. on page 151, Kathiawar embroidery — described here; see the textbook for the
photograph.

List the steps you think are needed to create this embroidery.

The picture on page 151 shows a peacock beside a large paisley (ambi) motif worked on black
cloth in blue, green, red, yellow and gold thread, with round mirrors edged in red stitching all
around it.

STEP WHAT HAS TO BE DONE

1 Choose the cloth and stretch it tight on a frame so it does not pucker.

2 Draw or trace the design — here the peacock and the paisley — on the cloth.

3 Select the coloured threads and thread the needle.

4 Fill the outlines with stitches, mainly the chain stitch, one colour at a time.

5 Fix the small round mirrors by holding each one down with a ring of stitches.

6 Finish the edges, cut the loose threads and press the cloth.

Tip: Notice how much of the work is holding and steadying — the frame, the mirror,
the needle. That is exactly the part the next two questions ask you to think about.

Page 53 of 78

as e
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

co m
m.
Discuss if these steps can be done with feet, instead of hands.
e
II 2

m l as
.co a g
a s em
l every one of these steps can be done with the feet, but each becomes far harder.
Yesg—
a
That is precisely what Ila Sachani proved.

. com FEET ag
STEP WITH HANDS
e m WITH

Threading the A few seconds ag
las The hardest step of all — the text says, “Threading a needle
needle was hard, but Ila did not give up.”

co m
em.
Holding the One hand holds, the The cloth must be pinned to a frame, or held by the other

m l as
.co
cloth other stitches
g
foot

em a
a s
glstitch
Making the Fine finger movement Possible, but the toes must be trained for years to move that

a
precisely

a s
comstitching around it agl
Fixing a mirror One finger presses the Very difficult — the mirror must be held still while
mirror down
m .
ase
agl
The real answer: The question is not whether feet can do the work of hands. It is

m
whether a person is willing to train feet until they can. Ila's mother and grandmother
. co
m
believed the answer was yes, and so it was.

m as e
.co a g l
se m
g l a
a II 3 What efforts would be needed if someone has to embroider with their feet? Do you
think it is possible?
se m
com g l a
m . a
ase

agl
Yes, it is possible — the whole lesson is the proof of it. But it needs a great deal of effort of
four kinds.

co m
.
Physical effort: years of daily practice to make the toes flexible and steady enough to grip a
m
m
needle, and to sit in one position for long hours.
o l a se
ag especially at threading the
.cMental effort: patience through hundreds of failed attempts,
m needle, and the will not to give up.
l a se
ag
.c
Effort from the family: someone must teach the skill, arrange the frame and the light, and
keep encouraging. Ila's “mother and grandmother… were single-minded to help her
s e m
. c om
overcome her challenge,” and her younger brother and sister helped her too.
a g la
m be willing to look at the work and not at the disability, and
Effort from society: peopleemust
s
a
agl
to buy it because it is good.

co m
m .
m as e
.co


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Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Sample answer to say aloud: “I think it is possible, but only for someone with
enormous patience. The person would have to practise every day for years, and
would need a family that believed in her instead of doing everything for her. Ila
Sachani did exactly this, and today her work hangs in exhibitions.”

Let us discuss — Page 155
Ila Sachani: Embroidering Dreams with her Feet

COMPREHENSION

1 Read the paragraphs and write the main idea for each. Then, match the main idea
with two supporting details. (Paragraph 1 — Introduction to Ila Sachani’s colourful
embroidery: (i) Examples of embroidered things (ii) Ila’s use of shiny needle;
Paragraph 2 — Early challenges and family support; Paragraph 6 — Recognition at a
state exhibition; Paragraphs 8–9 — (i) Financial independence and joy (ii) Challenges
can be turned into victories.)

Three main ideas and two pairs of details are already printed. Here is the whole table filled in.

Page 55 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

PARA MAIN IDEA TWO SUPPORTING DETAILS

1 Introduction to Ila Sachani's (i) Examples of embroidered things (given)
colourful embroidery (given) (ii) Ila's use of shiny needle (given)

2 Early challenges and family support (i) She was born in a farmer's family in Amreli with her
(given) hands hanging loose by her sides.
(ii) She could not join other children who drew figures in
the sand, and longed to hold a chalk and draw on a slate.

3 Mother and grandmother teach Ila (i) They were skilled in Kathiawar embroidery and taught
embroidery with her feet her to make patterns with her feet.
(ii) Her parents also trained her to eat and comb her hair
with her legs.

4 Ila's hard work makes her an expert at (i) Threading a needle was hard, but she did not give up.
a young age (ii) She learned styles from outside Gujarat too — Kachhi,
Kashmiri and Lucknawi.

5 Embroidery becomes her way of (i) At first she made fine designs only for family and
expressing herself, and word of her friends, who were awestruck.
talent spreads (ii) The people of the village discovered her skill and
admiration for her work began to spread.

6 Recognition at a state exhibition (i) The government office in Surat displayed samples of
(given) her embroidery at a state exhibition.
(ii) People saw the beauty woven by her feet and readily
purchased her creations, so she was no longer a hidden
talent.

7 National fame, awards and honours (i) She took part in more exhibitions, at the state and then
the national level.
(ii) She received many awards and honours, including the
President's Medal, for her art and for her willpower and
creativity.

8–9 A new independence, and the power of (i) Financial independence and joy (given)
art to rise above physical limits (ii) Challenges can be turned into victories (given)

How to find a main idea: Ask, “If I could keep only one sentence of this paragraph,
which one would it be?” That sentence, put in your own words in five or six words, is
the main idea. The supporting details are the facts and examples that prove it.

Let us think and reflect — Page 156

Page 56 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Ila Sachani: Embroidering Dreams with her Feet

COMPREHENSION

I1 Read the lines: ‘Unlike other children, she could not use her hands in the usual way.
While other small hands drew figures in the sand or plucked wild flowers, she
wondered why she could not join them. She too wanted to hold a chalk in her hands
and draw figures on a slate.’ Choose the correct option to fill in the blank: ‘Unlike
other children’ means that Ila was _____________. (unaware/different/simple)

different
‘Unlike other children’ means not like other children — that is, different from them. The prefix
un- turns like (similar to) into its opposite.

OPTION CORRECT? WHY

unaware No ‘Unaware’ means not knowing something. Ila knew very well what she
could not do — she “wondered why she could not join them”.

different Yes ‘Unlike’ = not like = different from.

simple No ‘Simple’ means plain or easy. It has nothing to do with the comparison
being made.

I2 What could Ila have felt when she could not join others in things they did?

She must have felt sad, left out and helpless, and probably a little envious of the other children
as well.
The text shows this rather than stating it: “she wondered why she could not join them. She too
wanted to hold a chalk in her hands and draw figures on a slate.” The little word ‘too’ is full of
longing — she wanted the same ordinary pleasures as everyone else, and could not have them.

Reading between the lines: A child of that age would not only feel sad but also
confused — she was old enough to want to draw and to run after flowers, but not
old enough to understand why her hands would not obey her. That confusion is
what the word ‘wondered’ carries.

Page 57 of 78

Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

I3 Complete the following with a suitable reason. Ila could not draw figures on the
slate because ___________.

Ila could not draw figures on the slate because she was born with her hands hanging loose
by her sides and could not use them in the usual way, so she was unable to hold a chalk.
The passage says: “Ila was born with her hands hanging loose by her sides. Unlike other
children, she could not use her hands in the usual way.”

Tip: A ‘because’ answer must give the cause, not repeat the effect. “Because she
could not draw” is not an answer; “because she could not hold a chalk in her hands”
is.

II What creative ways did Ila and her family use to overcome the challenges she
faced?

The family's one great idea was to stop trying to make Ila's hands work and to train her feet
instead. Four creative steps follow from it:

1. Her mother and grandmother taught her their own art with her feet. They were “skilled
in the traditional art of Kathiawar embroidery and decided to share this art with Ila. They
taught her to create many beautiful patterns using her feet!”
2. Her parents trained her in everyday tasks with her legs — “like eating and combing her
hair” — so that she could look after herself and be independent at home.
3. She herself refused to be beaten by the hardest part. “Threading a needle was hard, but
Ila did not give up and became an expert at a young age.”
4. Her younger brother and sister helped her, so that learning happened in an ordinary,
cheerful, family way rather than as a treatment.

Why this was ‘creative’: Most families would have taught a child like Ila only to
manage. Hers taught her a skill — and not an easy skill either, but a fine, difficult,
respected art. They gave her something to be proud of, not merely something to get
by with.

Page 58 of 78

ase
Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition
a g l AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

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so she no longer had to depend on her family for everything, and she could support herself.
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Why was the first state exhibition.can important event in Ila’s life?
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that one exhibition.

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a g l Page 59 of 78