NCERT Solutions

Working with the Poem

(NCERT Pages 137 and 138)

  1. Answer the following questions.

(i) Pick out the line that suggests that the child is afraid of snakes.

Ans. “I saw a snake and ran away.”

(ii) Which line shows a complete change of the child’s attitude towards snakes? Read it aloud.

Ans. “I’ll stand aside and watch him pass.”

(iii) “But mother says that kind is good…” What is mother referring to?

Ans. The mother is referring to the garden snake.

  1. Find the word that refers to the snake’s movements in the grass.

Ans. Wiggle

  1. There are four pairs of rhyming words in the poem. Say them aloud.

Ans. (a) Good, food                                (b) Pass, grass

(c) Away, say                           (d) Mistake, snake

  1. A snake has no legs or feet, but it moves very fast. Can you guess how? Discuss in the group.

Ans. A snake has no legs or feet. It wiggles on the surface.

  1. Can you recall the word used for a cobra’s long sharp teeth? Where did you come across this word first?

Ans. A cobra’s long teeth are called fangs. I first came across this word on National Geographic Channel.

Questions and Answers

Very Short Answer Type Questions

  1. Why did the narrator run away seeing the garden snake?

Ans. The narrator thought the snake to be dangerous and out of fear ran away.

  1. What does a garden snake eat?

Ans. A garden snake survives on insects.

Short Answer Type Questions

  1. What makes the child comfortable the next time he sees the garden snake?

Ans. The first time the child sees the snake, he is overcome with fear.

However, on being told by his mother that this particular snake is not dangerous, the child becomes comfortable the next time he encounters the garden snake.

  1. What lesson does the young child narrator learn from his mother?

Ans. The young child narrator, in his ignorance, had assumed all kinds of snakes to be dangerous. However, from his mother he learnt that not every kind of snake is dangerous. Some are, most are not.

This makes him peacefully admire the garden snake whenever he saw it next. Also, the narrator learnt that it is important to gather knowledge about any new object or creature one encounters before making one’s opinion.