CBSE 7th English - An Alien Hand

The Tiny Teacher

Question 1:

The story of an ant’s life sounds almost untrue.

The italicised phrase means

(i) highly exaggerated.

(ii) to remarkable to be true.

(iii) not based on facts.

Answer: 

The italicised phrase means too remarkable to be true.

 

Question 2:

Complete the following sentences.

(i) An ant is the smallest, _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

(ii) We know a number of facts about an ant’s life because

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Answer:

(i) An ant is the smallest, the commonest and the wisest insect.

(ii) We know a number of facts about an ant’s life because people have kept ants as pets and have watched their daily behaviour closely.

 

Question 3:

In what ways is an ant’s life peaceful?

Answer:

An ant’s life is peaceful because each ant does its share of work intelligently and bravely, and never fights with other members of the group.

 

Question 4:

(i) What problems are you likely to face if you keep ants as pets?

(ii) When a group of bees finds nectar, it informs other bees of its location, quantity, etc. through dancing. Can you guess what ants communicate to their fellow ants by touching one another’s feelers?

Answer:

(i) If you keep ants as pets, the problems would be plenty. First of all where would you keep them as they are so tiny. And then how would you keep track them and the most important of all is that they would bite you whenever they want. (ii) The ants touch the feelers and tell each other about the location of the food.

 

Question 5:

How long does it take for a grub to become a complete ant?

Answer:

After two or three weeks, a grub becomes a cocoon. After another three weeks, the cocoon breaks and a complete ant appears.

 

Question 6:

Why do the worker ants carry the grubs about?

Answer:

The worker ants carry the grubs about daily for airing, exercise and sunshine.

 

Question 7:

What jobs are new ants trained for?

Answer:

The new ants are trained as workers, soldiers, builders, cleaners, etc.

 

Question 8:

Name some other creatures that live in anthills.

Answer:

Some other creatures that live in anthills are beetles, lesser breeds of ants and the greenfly.

 

Question 9:

Mention three things we can learn from the ‘tiny teacher’. Give reasons for choosing these items.

Answer:

Three things we can learn from the ‘tiny teacher’ are sense of duty and discipline, cleanliness and loyalty to the land where they live. These are the qualities that most humans lack.

 

Question 10:

Complete the following poem with words from the box below. Then recite the poem.

Soldiers live in barracks

And birds in ———————,

Much like a snake that rests

In a ———————. No horse is able

To sleep except in a ———————.

And a dog lives well,

Mind you, only in a ———————.

To say ‘hi’ to an ant, if you will,

You may have to climb an ———————.

hole

kennel

nests

anthill

stable

Answer:

Soldiers live in barracks

And birds in nests,

Much like a snake that rests

In a hole. No horse is able

To sleep except in a stable.

And a dog lives well,

Mind you, only in a kennel.

To say ‘hi’ to an ant, if you will,

You may have to climb an anthill.

 

(Next Lesson) Bringing Up Kari
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