NCERT Solutions for Class 4 English Chapter 4 One Thing At a Time (PDF) – 2027

Recite the poem clearly, with a short pause at the end of each line.

Main idea: Do one thing at a time, and do it fully. Work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be useful and happy.

When we focus on one thing, we do it well and quickly. We make fewer mistakes, and the work is fully done, not left half done. The poem says, “One thing at a time, / And that done well; / Is a very good rule.”

In each stanza, the second and fourth lines rhyme.

Rhyming words: play – way, might – right, well – tell, away – play.

I feel very happy and proud when I finish a task well. I feel light and free. Then I can play without worrying about the work.

I wake up early so that I do not have to rush. I keep my desk and school bag tidy. Before I study, I take a few slow, deep breaths. I do one subject at a time. I play outside every evening and go to bed on time.

In my free time I like drawing with colour pencils. On Sundays I play cricket with my cousins in the park. I like these because they make me happy.

might — strength or power

Sentence: I pulled the rope with all my might.

useful — helpful or beneficial

Sentence: A torch is very useful when the lights go off.

moments — short periods of time

Sentence: I waited for a few moments outside the staff room.

Model answers:

1. might — The farmer lifted the sack with all his might.
2. useful — This umbrella is very useful in the rainy season.
3. moments — I rested for a few moments after the race.

A boy is sitting on a branch and playing the flute. A girl is playing hopscotch. A woman is typing on a computer. A juggler is juggling balls. Two children are playing a clapping game. A man is leading a camel. A girl is climbing a ladder. Another girl is swinging. Two children are going to school.

Use is for one and are for more than one.

1. A boy is playing a flute on the branch.
2. Two children are walking to school with their bags.
3. A man is leading a camel.
4. A girl is swinging from the big tree.
5. Two children are playing a clapping game.
6. A girl is dancing on the grass.
7. A turtle is resting in the pond.

We hear the ‘l’ in all, but not in halves. In halves the ‘l’ is written but not spoken. This is the case of the missing ‘l’.

Circle these six words: calm, palm, calf, chalk, talk, balm.

In these words the ‘l’ comes after ‘a’ and before m, f or k, and it is not spoken.

(fill in your own day; tick only one column in each row):

Model answer (use your own times):

My Routine
I begin my day at 6:30 a.m. I brush my teeth and then take a bath. After this, I say a short prayer. By 7:30 a.m., I am ready for my breakfast. My mother helps me to pack my school bag and then I leave for school at 7:50 a.m.

Model answer (use your own school’s times):

At School
My school starts at 8:30 a.m. I have four periods before recess. When the time on the big clock reads 11:00 a.m., the students go to the playground and play many games together. The school ends at 2:30 p.m.

Model answer:

At Home
I reach home at 3 p.m. and change my clothes. At half past four I play badminton with my friends. I do my homework from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. We have dinner at 8:30 p.m., and I go to bed by 9:30 p.m.

Answer: Teeth.

The thirty white horses are our teeth, and the red hill is our gums. The teeth chomp and stomp when we eat, and stand still when we stop.

Answer: A candle.

The white wax is the white frock, the flame is the yellow face, and the glowing wick is the red nose. The longer a candle burns, the shorter it becomes.

Answer: A coconut.

Its shell is hard and brown outside. Inside, it is soft and white.

Sample answer — four labelled pictures in the box:

1. A boy flying a kite on a terrace — flying my kite.
2. Two children watering plants — watering the garden.
3. A child reading a story book under a tree — reading my story book.
4. A family on a train — going to my grandmother’s village.