NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Chapter 5 Culture and Tradition (PDF) – 2027

Bharat has always been known worldwide as a land of wise and heroic individuals.

Bharat’s rich and diverse culture is attractive. It has attracted numerous travellers since ancient times.

The people of Bharat live together in unison, and so they present to the world unity in diversity. They follow many religions and speak many languages, yet they live in peace as one nation.

The passage mentions four kinds of natural features:

• Rivers
• Lakes
• High mountains
• Green forests, which are “home to many plants, insects, birds, and animals”

The line is: “Bharat is a land rich with rivers, lakes, and high mountains. Its green forests are home to many plants, insects, birds, and animals.”

The advice is that we, the inhabitants of Bharat, must continue to work hard so that our country keeps prospering.

We like to decorate our homes with our folk art.

f o l k  a r t — the missing vowels are o and a.

Our culture consists of our ideas, customs, traditions, values, arts, and languages.

c u l t u r e — both missing vowels are u.

All of us celebrate our festivals together.

f e s t i v a l s — the missing vowels are e, i and a.

We tell stories to our children to teach them about our culture, history, and legends.

We have our own languages to talk to each other.

l a n g u a g e s — the missing vowels are a, u and e.

The programme is about knowing that we all belong to one nation and share one bond. As Renu says, our unity in diversity makes us the most wonderful country in the world. Children from different states meet (here, on a video) and learn about one another’s culture.

It is conducted to bring people of different states closer — to help them interact and understand one another, to celebrate our unity in diversity, and to strengthen the bond that makes us feel we are one nation.

The printed table on page 136 has four cells already filled — Aipan, clay, brass scrap, wax, fire, Andhra Pradesh and Kondapalli. Here is the completed table.

The designs for Aipan are taken from our cultural traditions and observations of nature.

Dhokra metal craft is very old because it is 4000 years old.

Priyaranjan says, “My tribe practises a 4000-year-old metal craft named Dhokra.” So it is one of the oldest crafts still practised in our country.

A base is needed for coconut shell craft to make it stable — so that the round shell does not move or roll over.

Soft wood, makku and colours are used to make Kondapalli toys.

Balamurali explains what makku is: “we use makku—a paste of tamarind seed powder and sawdust to join the pieces together.” It is the natural glue of the craft.

Akanksha’s family makes Aipan to decorate the home on family functions and festivals. It is drawn on the floors and walls of puja rooms and outside the main door. It is also a family tradition: the women of the family make it, and the designs come from their cultural traditions and observations of nature.

Because the clay-covered figure is put into the fire, and the heat melts the wax. Melted wax is a liquid, so it flows out through the small openings left in the clay.

Both crafts use natural materials — soft wood from the hills for the Kondapalli toys, and coconut shells in Kerala. Both are made by hand, step by step, and are finished with polish or colour. Both give us useful and beautiful things — toys, bowls and jewellery.

The completed paragraph:

How I Get Ready for School
1. First, I get up and go to take a shower. 2. Then, I wear my school dress. 3. After that, I eat my food. 4. Next, I wear my shoes. 5. Finally, I pick up my bag and go out of my home.

Join a pronoun, a verb and a part of a sentence. Add -s/-es to the verb only with he, she or it.

The completed notes (the transcript is printed on page 162 of your book):

The completed flowchart:

The five answers are: wheat, roast, roast, chopped, bharta.

I know about the art form called rangoli. They need rice flour, coloured powder, flower petals and small diyas. To make it, first we sweep and wash the floor. After that, we mark a grid of dots with white flour. Next, we join the dots to draw a lotus. Then we fill in the colours. At last, we place lighted diyas around it.

I liked Dhokra from Odisha the most. In Dhokra, a clay figure is covered with wax, and melted brass takes the place of the wax. I like it because one figure passes through clay, wax, fire and metal. I also like it because Priyaranjan’s tribe has practised it for 4000 years. I would love to watch a Dhokra artist at work one day.

Colour the painting with natural colours: yellow (haldi) for the birds’ bodies and flower centres, green (crushed leaves) for the leaves and branch, red (geru or red flowers) for the border and flowers, orange (flower petals) for some flowers, and blue (neel) for the peacock’s body and tail. Keep the black outlines clear.

The passage tells us that the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme pairs states and UTs with each other. Its aim is to increase interaction and mutual understanding, celebrate unity in diversity, strengthen the emotional bonds between citizens, and help people feel a common identity.

Yes, I have flown a kite. I flew it on the terrace of my uncle’s house in Ahmedabad on 14 January, the day of Makar Sankranti, when the whole sky was full of kites.

My kite was diamond-shaped and bright yellow, with two red triangles near the nose. A thin bamboo spine ran down the middle. Its tail was a long red ribbon with three paper bows, and it swung from side to side as the kite climbed.

When my kite rose high in the sky, I felt proud and happy. It looked as small as a bird, and I thought how wonderful it would be to look down on my town from up there.

In the video I saw hundreds of colourful kites in the sky and crowded terraces. People were flying kites in pairs — one held the reel and the other let the kite go. They took part in competitions, cheered when a kite was cut, and ate til laddoos and chikki.

Yes, I would love to take part. Everyone enjoys this festival together, on every rooftop. I would also like to learn how to feel the wind and keep my kite up the longest.

I would like to fly a big delta kite in the three colours of our flag, with a long white tail. Its wide triangular wing catches even a slow breeze, so it stays up on calm days.

I would add (1) a friend holding the reel for the girl, and (2) more kites of different colours in the sky.

If I were the child, I would let out more line so that my kite flew even higher than the birds.

If I were the kite, I would fly above the clouds and look down at the whole town at once.

Every answer can be proved from a line of the poem. Seven are True and four are False.

The kites have been compared to b i r d s because they fly high in the sky in many bright colours, just as birds do.

The child wishes to be as l i g h t as a i r. The child wishes this to be able to c l i m b on a kite and fly.

Yes. The similes help us imagine better. “Like coloured birds” makes us see the kites as bright, living shapes moving in the sky, not just paper. “Light as air” makes us feel how weightless the child wants to be. A simile compares something new with something we already know, so the picture forms in our mind at once.

Stanza 1: wind-whipped — both words begin with the /w/ sound.
Stanza 3: wild wind — both words begin with the /w/ sound.

Four sets of my own: silver stars shine softly; busy black bees buzz; round red rooftops; the merry monkey munched a mango.

In the last stanza, the two words that the poet repeats are High, high to tell us that the kite is flying v e r y high.

The line is: “High, high in the air.”

In every stanza only the second and fourth lines rhyme. The first and third line endings are the ones to circle.

So the rhyme scheme of every stanza is a b c b.

care — joy, excitement and happiness are pleasant feelings like fun, but care means worry or looking after someone, which is a serious feeling.

The line is “To look right down,”. You can look right down at something only when you are high above it.

Picture (ii) — rooftops and trees seen from above. High on the kite, the child would “look right down, / Over the park / And the rooftops of town.”

In the first two lines, “Up in the air / See the kites fly,” the poet shows the kites flying high up in the air and invites us to see them. In the next lines she compares them to “coloured birds / In the wind-whipped sky.”

The child says they would first need to be “small / And light as air”. Only then could they climb on a kite and sail up with it, because a paper kite cannot carry anything heavy.

They are the songs of the wind — “And hear the songs / That the wild wind sings.” High up in the sky, the whistling and humming of the wind sounds like singing to the child.

The people stare because a child sailing through the sky on a kite is an amazing, unbelievable sight. They also wish they were up there — “And wish they were me”.

Sample answer: If I saw that, I would feel amazed and excited, and a little jealous — I would wish I were up there too.

“Hold on tightly and do not be afraid. Sit still, because I am only paper and sticks. Now look right down — there is your park, and there are the rooftops of your town! When the wind grows tired, I will bring you down gently.”

The completed conversation:

• Bina: I like the long tail at the end of my kite. What is your kite like?
• Saroj: My kite’s cover is bright. The spine is black.
• Bina: Oh wonderful! My kite’s line is attached to the reel that wraps it. I really like it.
• Saroj: Did you know that the tip of a kite is called a nose?
• Bina: Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know. Let’s go and fly our pretty kites.

Rain
cool, silver
falling, drumming, washing
softly, suddenly
shower

Circle: slow and float. Downward and round and round may also be circled, because something that drifts can sink gently or turn slowly in the wind. To drift is to move slowly and gently, carried along by the wind or water — not fast, quick or upward.

First find each expression in the poem, then use it in a sentence of your own.

Four sentences have a wrong word (1, 2, 3 and 7); three are completely correct (4, 5 and 6). The transcript is printed on page 163.

Last Makar Sankranti, I flew a kite from the terrace of my grandmother’s house in Jaipur. We went up early in the morning because the wind is best then. My cousin held the reel, and I let the kite go when he shouted. It dipped once, then soared higher than the water tank. We kept it up for an hour before another kite cut our thread.

Sample notes: Looks — diamond-shaped, yellow and red, bamboo spine, long ribbon tail. Life — I fly from Ravi’s terrace; I soar, glide and drift; my friends are the birds, the clouds and other kites. Message — do not use sharp manjha; do not leave torn kites on trees.

I am a Kite

I am a diamond-shaped kite, bright yellow and red, with a thin bamboo spine and a long paper tail. I belong to a boy called Ravi. Every evening he takes me to his terrace and lets me go. I soar above the rooftops, glide over the park and drift wherever the wind carries me. The birds and the clouds are my friends up there. My message to humans is simple: fly me with plain thread, not sharp manjha, because manjha hurts birds and people. Let me carry your happiness, never your harm.

This note tells us that kite-flying in Bharat is very old. The thirteenth-century Marathi saint-poet Namadeva called a kite a gudi in his poems (gathas), and he mentions that kites were made of kaagad (paper).

The diamond-shaped kite is the one commonly seen in India. It is simple, light and cheap, and is sold in every bazaar before Makar Sankranti and Independence Day.

Steps to make a diamond kite: First, tie two thin bamboo sticks in a cross. After that, run a thread around the four tips. Next, paste coloured paper over the frame, folding the edges over the thread. Then, tie a short bridle thread and knot the kite line to it. At last, paste a long paper tail at the bottom and let it dry.

Make the kite at home with an elder’s help and let the paste dry overnight. Before you bring it, check that the frame is straight, both halves are equal, the tail is long enough and the bridle knot is tight. In class, show it and name its parts — nose, spine, cover, tail, kite line and reel.

Write a short message in big, bold letters on the cover so that it can be read from below — for example, Happy Independence Day!, Jai Hind, Happy Makar Sankranti! or No manjha — save our birds.

No, Pranav’s task is not simple. He was born without both hands, so he paints by holding the brush with his feet. Controlling a brush, mixing colours and moving the paper with the feet is very hard and needs years of practice. He has also become a singer and a para-sportsperson, which needed even more hard work.

Pranav’s ability makes me feel amazed, because he paints whole pictures with his feet. It also makes me feel inspired — my own excuses now look very small. Most of all, I feel respect for him, because he worked hard to become an artist, a singer and a sportsperson.

Pranav needed determination (will power), patience, hard work and regular practice, a positive attitude and courage. The support of his family and teachers also helped him to succeed.

Pranav’s story tells us that a physical challenge need not stop a dream. With determination, practice and hard work, we can find another way to reach our goal — and we should never decide for others what they cannot do.

Yes — the steps can be done with the feet, but each becomes much harder. Threading the needle, holding the cloth steady, making fine stitches and fixing the mirrors would all need years of practice. Ila Sachani proved that it can be done.

Yes, it is possible — Ila Sachani did it. It would need years of daily practice to make the toes steady and flexible, great patience and the will never to give up, and a family that teaches and encourages. People must also value the work for its beauty.

Three main ideas and two pairs of details are already printed. Here is the whole table filled in.

different

‘Unlike other children’ means not like other children — that is, different from them. The prefix un- turns like (similar to) into its opposite.

She must have felt sad, left out and helpless, and perhaps a little envious. She “wondered why she could not join them”, and she “too wanted” to draw like the others.

Ila could not draw figures on the slate because she was born with her hands hanging loose by her sides and could not use them in the usual way, so she was unable to hold a chalk.

Ila’s family decided to train her feet instead of her hands. Her mother and grandmother taught her Kathiawar embroidery with her feet. Her parents helped her learn to eat and comb her hair with her legs. Her younger brother and sister helped her too, and Ila kept practising until she could even thread a needle.

The new independence helped Ila to earn a regular income, so she could support herself. It also let her find joy in doing what she loved. The text calls it “the most important change for Ila”.

It was the turning point of her life. At the state exhibition, people outside her village saw her work and readily bought it. She was “no more a hidden talent, but famous!” It “opened new doors” for her — more exhibitions, awards, the President’s Medal and independence.

It tells us that art comes from the mind and the heart, not only from the hands, so a physical limitation cannot stop a true artist — Ila embroidered with her feet. Good art also moves the people who see it, deep inside, whoever made it and however it was made.

We can believe in the person, be patient, and help them learn to do things themselves instead of doing everything for them. We can include them in our games and work, praise their efforts honestly and tell others about what they achieve — just as Ila’s family and friends did.

Ila’s story shows that challenges can be turned into victories with “focus, hard work, positivity and never giving up”. It teaches others not to wait for a difficulty to disappear but to find another way, to keep trying at the hardest step, and to accept help and then work hard on their own.

Each sentence in Column B is a clue. Read it, decide what the word means there, and pick the matching synonym.

The two extra synonyms that are not used are happy and dangerous.

(ii) Large quantity — lots of and many tell us that the amount or number is big.

Six different quantity words fit the six rows — one for each.

Two sentences of my own for each word:

The transcript is printed on page 164. Here is every answer with the line that proves it.

Two questions I would ask Ila Sachani:
1. How long did it take you to learn to thread a needle with your feet? (a Wh- question — the voice falls at the end ↘)
2. Were you nervous at your first state exhibition? (a Yes/No question — the voice rises at the end ↗)

A Peacock from a Waste Basket

I made a peacock from things that were going to be thrown away — cardboard, dry leaves, blue wool, two black buttons and an old birthday card. First, I cut the cardboard into a square. After that, I stuck on a peacock’s body cut from the card. Next, I fixed dry leaves in a fan for the tail. Finally, I added button eyes. I like it because waste became art.

My grandmother does Kantha embroidery. She learnt it from her mother in her village in West Bengal when she was about eleven. She uses a simple running stitch to join old sarees into a soft quilt. She learnt by watching, trying and correcting her mistakes.

Try the running stitch with an elder beside you: thread a large needle and knot the end; draw a straight line on an old cloth; push the needle up and down along the line — in, out, in, out — keeping the stitches the same length; finish with two tiny stitches at the back and cut the thread.

I liked Phulkari from Punjab the most. Its bright silk threads cover almost the whole cloth, so a shawl looks as if it is made of flowers. I also liked that it is traditionally made by grandmothers and mothers for the girls of the family.

Read the poem slowly and clearly, in a firm, respectful voice. Pause at the commas, slow down at “Each name etched, each stone, each story”, lower your voice for the eternal flame, and end firmly on “their sacrifice forever”.

Stand straight, look at your listeners and speak from memory, slowly and clearly, pausing at the commas. Do not shout or sing — it is a poem of quiet respect. The class can take one couplet per group and say the last two lines together.

Learn it one couplet at a time: read a couplet aloud three times, cover it and say it from memory, then add the next couplet and say both from the beginning. The rhymes — behold/retold, pride/confide, wide/side, glows/shows, mind/remind, remember/forever — help you remember each pair.

Sample notes: The National War Memorial in New Delhi, near India Gate, was established in February 2019 in honour of our brave soldiers. It has four circles — the Amar Chakra with the eternal flame, the Veerta Chakra, the Tyag Chakra with the names on granite tablets, and the Rakshak Chakra of trees. More than 25,000 names are etched there.

Before: check the visiting hours, take permission, and carry water, a cap and a notebook. During: walk quietly, stand in silence before the eternal flame, and read some of the names on the tablets. After: write a short report or draw the memorial for a class display.