The Tiny Teacher - Solutions
CBSE Class–7 English
NCERT solution
An Alien Chapter - 1
The Tiny Teacher
Page No: 3
Comprehension Check
1. The story of an ant’s life sounds almost untrue.
The italicised phrase means
(i) highly exaggerated.
(ii) too remarkable to be true.
(iii) not based on facts.
Ans: (ii) too remarkable to be true.
2. Complete the following sentences.
(i) An ant is the smallest, .......
(ii) We know a number of facts about an ant’s life because.......
Ans: (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.
3. In what ways is an ant’s life peaceful?
Ans: An ant’s life is peaceful because each does it`s work intelligently and bravely and never fights with other members of it`s group.Each member has a designated place to stay and a definite work to do. a soldier ant never goes out to search for food and similarly a worker never enters the domain of a soldier ant. No worker or soldier has ever harmed any grub. Each one loyally and diligently does his duty and relentlessly carries on with their work peacefully. They know sharing and contribution and do not interfere in each other’s work.
Page No: 5
Comprehension Check
1. How long does it take for a grub to become a complete ant?
Ans: It takes two or three weeks for a grub to become a cocoon. After another three weeks the cocoon breaks and a complete ant appears.
2. Why do the worker ants carry the grubs about?
Ans: The worker ants carry them about daily for airing, exercise and sunshine.
3. What jobs are new ants trained for?
Ans: The new ants are trained as workers, soldiers, builders, cleaners, etc.
4. Name some other creatures that live in anthills.
Ans: Some other creatures that live in anthills are beetles, lesser breeds of ants, and the greenfly.
5. Mention three things we can learn from the ‘tiny teacher’. Give reasons for choosing these items.
Ans: Though ants are very small and unassertive they are undoubetedly great teachers for our life. We can learn team work as ants do their work by sharing and contributing without interfering in each other`s work.
We can learn hard work as ants spend their most of time in doing their respective jobs without hesitation.
We can learn loyalty, power of cohesive work and discipline as ants live a disciplined life and always follow the rules of their group and are loyal towards it.
Exercise
Discuss the following topics in groups.
1. (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?
Ans:
1.(i) We may face several problems in keeping ants as pets.
They are too tiny to keep a watch on. They may bite and cause an itchy skin. Making a suitable and a safe home for them woul not be practically possible.
(ii) Ants appear to greet each other when they move in a single file but actually they touch the feelers of each other to inform them about the location of food.
Page No: 6
2. 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
Ans: Soldiers live in barracks
And bird 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.
