Paper Boats

– Let us discuss (Pages 111-112) I. Choose the correct words from the brackets to complete the summary of the poem given below. Answer: The poet sends paper boats down a 1. stream (stream/river) each day, writing his name and the name of his 2. village (school/ village) on them. He hopes that someone in a 3. strange (strange/familiar) land will find them and know who he is. The poet fills his boats with 4. shiuli (rose/shiuli) flowers from his garden, hoping they will be safely carried to another land at 5. night (night/morning). As he launches his boats, he imagines that the 6. clouds (clouds/birds) in the sky are like friends, racing with his boats. At night, he dreams that his paper boats continue to 7. float (swim/float) under the midnight stars, with the fairies of sleep sailing in them, their baskets full of 8. dreams (dreams/fruits). II. Choose the correct option for the following. The theme of the poem is __________. 1. innocence 2. imagination 3. ignorance 4. playfulness 5. travel (i) 1,2 and 3 (ii) 3, 4 and 5 (iii) 1, 4 and 5 (iv) 1, 2 and 4 Answer: (iv) 1, 2 and 4 (innocence, imagination, and playfulness) III. Identify whether the following statement is true or false. The setting of the poem is a natural, outdoor environment. Answer: True (The poem happens outside with a stream, flowers, clouds, and stars, showing a natural setting.) IV. Complete the following sentence by choosing the correct word given within the brackets. The tone is __________ (sad and serious/gentle and wishful) and the mood is __________ (thoughtful / boring). Answer: The tone is gentle and wishful and the mood is thoughtful. V. Identify the examples of alliteration from the poem. Answer: Examples of alliteration from the poem are: 1. “Day by day” 2. “Big black” 3. “Strange land” 4.4’ “Shiuli flowers” 5. “Baskets full of dreams” VI. Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the poem. 1. The repetition of words ___________ and ___________ emphasises the passage of time. 2. The poet uses imagery like ___________ and ___________ to create a clear picture in the minds of the readers. Answer: 1. “day by day”, “one by one” 2. “little clouds setting the white bulging sails”, “midnight stars” VII. Match the descriptions in Column 1 with what they symbolise in Column 2. Column 1 Column 2 1. the child’s innocence, dreams, hopes, and messages sent out into the world (ii) paper boats 2. purity, beauty, and the start of a new day (iii) shiuli flowers 3. the vast universe and the child’s dreams continuing through the night (i) midnight stars – Let us think and reflect (Pages 112-113) I. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Question 1. When night comes, I bury my face in my arms and dream that my paper boats float on and on under the midnight stars. The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, and the lading is their baskets full of dreams. (i) Select the option that is most likely to be the speaker as per the extract. Answer: Option C is the correct answer (Reason – bury my face in my arms) (ii) What can be inferred about the speaker’s feelings when night comes? Answer: The speaker feels dreamy, peaceful, and imaginative. (iii) What kind of beings are the ‘fairies of sleep’ imagined as? Select the most appropriate option. A. Mischievous B. Gentle C. Fearsome D. Playful Answer: B. Gentle (iv) Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option from those given in the brackets. The phrase “lading is their baskets full of dreams’ suggests that the speaker imagines the fairies of sleep carefully __________ (carrying his dreams/collecting his wishes) in their baskets. Answer: carrying his dreams II. Answer the following questions:(Textbook page 113) *1. Why do you think the poet writes his personal details on the paper boats? Ans. The poet writes his name and the name of his village in big black letters on his paper boat. He does this with a bright hope that someone in some strange land will find his boat and know about him. *2. The poet talks about the imagination of a child. Support this view with examples from the poem. Ans. A child's imagination has no bounds. The poet proves the same by describing an innocent child who sails paper boats after writing his details on them. The child hopes that someone in some strange land will find them and know about him. The boats are loaded with shiuli flowers and sail all though the night. He imagines that the clouds make his boats drift and the fairies sail in them loaded with dreams. *3. How does the poet bring together imagination and reality to make the poem more interesting? Ans. The act of making paper boats is quite real as children love to sail them and imagine that they sail far away. Similarly, the child in the poem imagines that it is the clouds that are his playmates who help his boats to sail in the night and they will reach a strange land soon. The boats are loaded with shiuli flowers but the child imagines that there are also dream carrying fairies riding in them at night. This mix of reality and magic makes the poem fascinating and enjoyable to read. 4. What do the various elements in the poem symbolize? Ans. The paper boats with the child's name on it are a symbol of joy, innocence and hope - a hope that someone will find them. The stream that crosses many lands represents the journey of life. The clouds eager to race with the boats are a symbol of enthusiasm and energy. The fairies who carry a basket of dreams symbolize wide range of possibilities and a bright future. – Let us learn (Pages 113-114) I. The poet has used phrases like ‘blooms of the dawn’ and ‘fairies of sleep’ in the poem. In the same way we can create phrases. Now, select words from Column 1 and Column 2 and combine them with ‘of. Write as many phrases as possible in Column 3. An example has been done for you. Answer: Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 wings the birds wings of the wind waves the wind waves of the ocean dreams the evening dreams of the children songs the children songs of the birds glimmers of the rain glimmers of the stars cries the stars cries of the rain tears the thunder tears of the clouds roars the ocean roars of the thunder shadows the clouds shadows of the evening II- homework III homework Let us listen – homework Let us speak – pg no 115 ( Class activity) write a diary entry expressing your joy experiencing a rainy day. You may begin as given below: (CBQ) Friday, 15 July 20XX 6.30 pm Dear Diary. It was quite humid today. On my journey back from school, I wished that it would rain. And it did! The sky turned dark followed by thunder and lightning. Before I could reach home, I was caught by the big rain drops falling down. Those without raincoats or umbrellas ran in search of shelter. Though I had an umbrella, I chose not to open it. I wanted to soak myself and feel the rain as if there was no tomorrow. The first rain of the season is most awaited one and thus special. I did not wish to miss the moment. How much I enjoyed getting wet! The rain drenched the thirsty city without any mercy. The scent of the mud, the drenched birds, the refreshed looking leaves, the grey sky, every bit of the nature had geared up to welcome the monsoon. I stood standstill in the corner of the street enjoying every bit of it. What a perfect rainy afternoon it was! I hope it rains again tomorrow so that I can play football with Arnav and Rhiyan. Good night, dear diary, Anand