Textbook Question & Answers
Here are given answers to questions given in the English Textbook ‘Reading Adventures’ for class 5 published by Sultan Chand & Sons. Answers may carry more than one version also for proper understanding and doing school work.
A. Understanding the Poem
1. Choose the most appropriate options.
a. What are daisies?
i. Birds
ii. Bees
iii. Flowers
Ans. iii. Flowers
b. What time of the day does the poem describe?
i. Morning
ii. Afternoon
iii. Late evening
Ans. iii. late evening
c. The children of the ladybird are _____ .
i. Resting in their nest
ii. Having a tea party
iii. Lighting the lamps
Ans. ii. having a tea party
2. Answer the following questions briefly.
a) Why does the speaker ask the ladybird to fly away to her home?
Ans. The speaker asks the ladybird to fly away to her home because it’s getting late in the evening, and it’s time for the ladybird to rest too.
Another Answer: The speaker asks the ladybird to fly away home because it’s late in the day, and the fieldmouse has gone to her nest, the daisies have closed their petals, and the birds and bees are at rest. The ladybird’s wings might also get damp with the falling dew.
b) Explain the line ‘The glow worm is lighting her lamp’.
Ans. The line ‘The glow worm is lighting her lamp’ means that the glow worm is turning on her natural light. Just like we turn on a lamp at night, the glow worm is lighting up to shine in the dark.
Another Answer: The line ‘The glow worm is lighting her lamp’ refers to the bioluminescence of glow worms. They emit light to attract prey or mates. In the context of the poem, it signifies the glow worm’s activity in the evening.
c) Why does the speaker refer to the ladybird’s children as ‘so dear’?
Ans. The speaker refers to the ladybird’s children as “so dear” to emphasize their importance and endearment.
Another Answer: The speaker refers to the ladybird’s children as ‘so dear’ because the children are very precious and loved by the ladybird. They are important to her.
B. Reference to Context
Read these extracts and answer the questions that follow.
1. “The daisies have shut up their sleepy red eyes.”
a. Identify the figure of speech in the above line.
Ans. Personification.
b. What are the daisies compared to? Why?
Ans. The daisies are compared to humans who close their eyes when they are sleepy. The personification suggests that the daisies’ petals are closing, resembling closed eyes.
Another Answer: The daisies are compared to people or creatures with “sleepy red eyes” to show that the daisies’ petals are closing as if they’re going to sleep, just like people close their eyes when they sleep.
2. “The dew is falling fast, and your fine speckled wings
Will flag with the close-clinging damp.”
a. Who does ‘your’ refer to?
Ans. ‘Your’ refers to the ladybird.
b. How does the speaker describe the wings?’
Ans. The speaker describes the wings as “fine speckled,” indicating the ladybird’s delicate and patterned wings.
Another Answer: The speaker describes the wings as “fine speckled wings,” meaning they are delicate and have small colourful spots.
c. What will happen if the dew falls on the wings?
Ans. If the dew falls on the wings, they will become damp and heavy, causing them to lose their ability to fly properly.
Another Answer: If the dew falls on the ladybird’s wings, they will become wet and damp, and the weight of the dampness might cause the wings to droop or flag down.
C. Vocabulary Enrichment
1. Write lines from the poem where the consonant sound is repeated to create a musical effect.
eg. And the birds and the bees …’
Ans. Examples of lines from the poem where the consonant sound is repeated to create a musical effect:
- “Ladybird! Ladybird! Fly away home;”
- “The daisies have shut up their sleepy red eyes,”
- “The glow worm is lighting her lamp”
- “The dew is falling fast, and your fine speckled wings”
- “Will flag with the close-clinging damp”
- “To your house on the hollow tree.”
2. Write the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Ans. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABCB.
