NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English an Alien Hand Chapter 1 The Tiny Teacher

An ant’s life is peaceful because it does it`s work with intelligence and bravery and never fights with other members of the group. Each member has a designated place to stay and a definite work to do. A soldier ant never goes out in search of food and similarly a worker never enters the zone of a soldier ant. No worker or soldier has ever harmed any grub. Each one does their duty with loyalty and diligence and relentlessly carries on with their work peacefully. They know sharing and contribution and do not interfere in each other’s work.

Comprehension Check I
Question:
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.
Answer:
The italicised phrase means (ii) highly exaggerated.

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.

Name some other creatures that live in anthills.
An anthill is a home not only for ants but also for some other creatures such as beetles, lesser breeds of ants and the greenfly.

What problems are you likely to face if you keep ants as pets?
We may face several problems in keeping ants as pets. They are too tiny in size to keep a watch on. They may bite and cause an itchy skin. Making a suitable and a safe home for them would not be possible in reality.

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

Mention three things we can learn from the ‘tiny teacher’. Give reasons for choosing these items.
Ants are very small and unassertive but they are undoubtedly 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.

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?
Ants greet each other when they move in a single file but in reality they touch the feelers of each other to inform them about the location of food.

The new ants learn their duties from the old ants and are trained as workers, soldiers, builders, cleaners, etc.

Question:
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________________.

Answer:
Soldiers live in barracks
And birds in nest,
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.