NCERT Solutions for Class 5 English Chapter 6 What a Tank (PDF) – 2027

What a Tank! tells us that India has stored water for hundreds of years — in Ooranis, Panam Keni wells and Tankas — and that in the villages of Punjab, overhead water tanks are built in special shapes, like a football, a rooster or a tractor.

We use a water tank to store water, so that we have water ready when we need it — for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing and farming. The huge old tanks also protected cities from floods and brought people together.

Punjab is in the north-western part of India. The passage says, “Punjab is a state in the northwestern part of India.”

The water tanks in Punjab are made of cement. First, the frame of the tank is made using steel rods. Then concrete is used to give it its final shape. Finally, the tank is installed on the roof of the house.

“Every tank tells us something about the people of the house.” The shape shows the owner’s work or what he loves. If the owner is a farmer, the tank may be shaped like a tractor, a bullock cart or a rooster. If the owner likes football, the tank may be shaped like a football.

Yes. Water can also be stored in underground tanks like the Tankas of Rajasthan, in ponds like the Ooranis of Tamil Nadu and in wells like the Panam Keni of Kerala. At home we store water in clay pots (matkas), buckets, drums and underground sumps. Rainwater harvesting tanks also store rainwater.

If I had to build a water tank, I would make it look like a big open book, with white pages and a dark blue cover. I would choose a book because I love reading and our house is full of books. Anyone walking past would know at once that a reader lives here.

A contraction (short form) joins two words into one. Some letters are left out, and an apostrophe (’) takes their place: are not → aren’t, would not → wouldn’t.

do not = don’t

The o of not is thrown away, and the apostrophe takes its place.

Your own sentence: I don’t waste water when I brush my teeth.

is not = isn’t

Again the o of not goes away.

Your own sentence: The tank isn’t full today.

are not = aren’t

This one is already given as an example in the book. The o of not is dropped.

Your own sentence: The taps aren’t running because there is no water.

cannot = can’t

Cannot is one word. Two letters, n and o, are left out, and one apostrophe takes their place.

Your own sentence: I can’t reach the tap on my own.

could not = couldn’t

Notice that the word could does not change at all. Only not loses its o. The same thing happens in would not → wouldn’t and should not → shouldn’t.

Your own sentence: Suma couldn’t brush her teeth because there was no water.

did not = didn’t

Your own sentence: We didn’t know that a water tank could be shaped like a tractor.

Partho isn’t feeling well today. His parents have decided that he’ll stay at home till he gets better. Partho’s bored and cannot stay at home anymore. He decides to ask his grandmother if he can go outside, but he thinks she, too, wouldn’t agree.

It’s a rainy day, and Tina isn’t happy. She can’t go out to play with her friends. Her brother doesn’t want to play indoors either. They’ve decided to watch a movie instead. Their mother says she’ll make popcorn for them.

This is an exclamatory sentence. It shows amazement and wonder (and praise). The exclamation mark (!) shows the strong feeling. That’s = That is.

This is an exclamatory sentence too. It shows surprise — a rooster, a tractor and a football, all made of cement! There is no word like “Wow”; the exclamation mark alone shows the feeling.

This shows joy and excitement. The exclamatory word is Hurrah, and the exclamation mark comes straight after it. “India has won the match” is a plain statement, so it ends with a full stop.

Four emotions: joy (happiness), sadness, anger and fear.

(sentences from Santoor, Grade 4):

Each row is one animal family — the male, the female and the young one.

I would add the sun, clouds and birds in the empty sky, a nest in the tree, a clay bowl of water for the birds, and a friend reading beside the girl. Far away I would draw a house with a water tank shaped like a rooster, like the tanks of Punjab.

Sample answer — what our group discussed:

1. A dripping tap wastes water all night. We can get the tap mended at once.
2. The overhead tank overflows when we forget the pump. We can switch the pump off in time.
3. The tap runs while we soap the dishes. We can soap all the dishes first and then rinse them together.

• Do both phrases use the word ‘tank’? — Yes.
• Do they mean the same thing? — No.

‘What a tank!’ is an exclamation of surprise about one tank. ‘Water tank’ is just the name of a tank that holds water.

• Do both phrases sound the same? — Yes.
• Do they mean the same thing? — No.

‘I scream’ means “I shout loudly”. ‘Ice cream’ is the cold sweet we eat.

Listen carefully while your teacher reads the passage, then choose the answers. Answers: 1 – b · 2 – b · 3 – b · 4 – b · 5 – c.

Option (b) — There was no water in the tap.

The passage says: “when she turned on the tap, no water came out! She was surprised.” Her mother then explained, “There’s no water in the tank. The whole area has no water today.”

Option (b) — They bought bottles and waited for tankers.

The passage says: “Some ran to the nearby shop to buy water bottles, while others waited near a water tanker that came from another place.”

Option (b) — To never waste water again.

The passage says: “That evening, the water was finally restored. Suma felt very happy and promised herself that she would never waste water again.”

Option (b) — Poster-making and planting trees.

The passage says: “They planned activities like poster-making, planting trees, and even a water-saving competition.”

Option (c) — To fix a rainwater harvesting system.

The passage ends: “She asked her parents to set up a rainwater harvesting system at home. Her parents agreed happily.”

• Tanks store rainwater for the dry months.
• They give us water to drink, cook and farm.
• A clean tank keeps the village healthy.

Here are ten words ending in ‘er’, one for each blank:

Ten words ending in ‘or’:

Ten words ending in ‘at’:

Sample answer — the chart, ready to copy:

Safety: Tank cleaning is grown-ups’ work. A child must never climb into a tank.

Sample answer — a short scene: