Flying Together – NCERT Class 5 English Solutions

Explore the solutions for “Flying Together,” Class 5 English NCERT. This story teaches us important life lessons about listening to wise advice and acting promptly. It shows how ignoring good advice and procrastination can lead to trouble. The story also emphasizes the value of teamwork and quick thinking in difficult situations. Through this tale, students learn that it’s crucial to take timely action and not delay important tasks.

Story Summary (English)

The story “Flying Together” is about a flock of wild geese living in a tall tree in a forest. A wise old bird among them notices a small creeper growing at the foot of the tree and advises the other birds to destroy it while it’s still young. However, the other geese ignore his advice, thinking the small creeper can’t harm them. Over time, the creeper grows strong and thick. One day, a hunter uses this creeper to climb the tree and sets a trap for the geese. When the geese are caught, the wise bird helps them escape by making them pretend to be dead. The hunter throws them down thinking they’re dead, and the birds fly away to safety.

कहानी का सारांश (Hindi)

यह कहानी जंगल में एक ऊंचे पेड़ पर रहने वाले जंगली हंसों के झुंड की है। उनमें से एक बुद्धिमान बूढ़ा पक्षी पेड़ के नीचे उग रही एक छोटी बेल को देखता है और अन्य पक्षियों को सलाह देता है कि जब यह छोटी है तभी इसे नष्ट कर दें। लेकिन अन्य हंस उसकी सलाह को नजरअंदाज कर देते हैं, क्योंकि उन्हें लगता है कि छोटी बेल उन्हें कोई नुकसान नहीं पहुंचा सकती। समय के साथ बेल मजबूत और मोटी हो जाती है। एक दिन एक शिकारी इस बेल का इस्तेमाल करके पेड़ पर चढ़ता है और हंसों के लिए जाल बिछाता है। जब हंस जाल में फंस जाते हैं, तो बुद्धिमान पक्षी उन्हें मरने का नाटक करने की सलाह देकर बचने में मदद करता है। शिकारी उन्हें मृत समझकर नीचे फेंक देता है, और पक्षी सुरक्षित उड़ जाते हैं।

Word Meanings

Let’s Read

1. Where did the geese live?

The geese lived on top of a very tall tree deep in a forest. The tree had leafy branches that spread out like strong arms, making it a safe home for the flock of wild geese.

2. Why did the old bird advise the other birds to destroy the creeper?

The wise old bird advised destroying the creeper for the safety of all geese. He foresaw that:

• The small creeper would grow thick and strong over time
• Once grown, it could help hunters climb the tree
• The hunters could then easily catch and kill all the geese
• It would be easier to destroy the creeper while it was still young and tender

3. Why did the geese cry, “Help Help”?

The geese cried “Help Help” because they were trapped in the hunter’s net. When they returned home in the evening, they didn’t notice the net that the hunter had spread on the tree. As they flew into the tree, they got caught in it. Despite struggling hard, they couldn’t free themselves, which made them cry for help in desperation.

4. What did the hunter do when he thought that the geese were dead?

When the hunter thought the geese were dead, he:

• Climbed up the tree to check on the trapped birds
• Muttered to himself that they were all dead
• Started removing them from the net one by one
• Threw each bird down to the ground
• Planned to collect all the birds once he climbed down

5. Why did the geese pretend to be dead?

The geese pretended to be dead following the wise old bird’s clever plan to escape. They did this because:

• The hunter wouldn’t want dead birds
• He would throw them down from the tree
• This would give them a chance to escape
• Once all birds were thrown down, they could quickly fly away

6. State whether the following statements are True or False

1. The tree was the house of a flock of parrots. – False (It was home to a flock of wild geese)

2. The wise old bird wanted the creeper to be destroyed. – True (He advised destroying it while it was young)

3. The hunter climbed the tree with the help of a ladder. – False (He used the creeper to climb)

4. When caught in the net the foolish birds began to weep. – True (They cried for help when trapped)

5. The wise old bird helped them to escape. – True (He came up with the plan to pretend dead)

Let’s Listen

Why do you think the dove helped the ant?

The dove helped the ant because it was kind and compassionate. When it saw the tiny ant drowning and crying for help, it immediately took action to save its life. This shows that the dove had a helpful nature and cared for other creatures, even ones as small as an ant.

How do you think the ant felt on finding the leaf?

The ant must have felt extremely relieved and grateful on finding the leaf near him because:

• It was drowning and panicking in the water
• The leaf became its lifesaving support
• It could use the leaf to get out of the water safely
• The help came just when it needed it the most

Have you ever been in trouble like the ant? Did anyone help you?

Yes, once I was stuck in the rain without an umbrella after school. My friend’s mother saw me and offered me a ride home in their car. I felt very grateful for their help, just like the ant must have felt when the dove helped it.
(Note: Students can share their personal experiences of receiving help in difficult situations)

Let’s Talk

1. Work in pairs. Ask your friend questions about all the things he does.

Here’s how the conversation should go:

• Anu: I watch TV in the evening.
  Amit: When do you watch TV?
• Anu: I play games.
  Amit: What games do you play?
• Anu: I collect stamps.
  Amit: Where do you get your stamps from?
• Anu: I play in the ground.
  Amit: Who do you play with in the ground?
• Anu: On Sunday I go shopping.
  Amit: Why do you go shopping on Sunday?

2. Answer these questions about yourself:

Here are some sample answers that students can use as reference:

• What is your name?
  My name is Rahul Kumar.
• What languages do you speak?
  I speak Hindi, English, and my mother tongue Marathi.
• How old are you?
  I am 10 years old.
• Which is your favourite food?
  My favourite food is rajma chawal (kidney beans with rice).
• Where did you go yesterday?
  Yesterday I went to the park with my friends.
• Which country do you belong to?
  I belong to India, and I am proud to be an Indian.
• When do you go to sleep?
  I go to sleep at 9:30 PM every night.
• Why do you drink milk?
  I drink milk because it makes my bones strong and helps me grow taller.

3. In groups of five discuss what you would do if you were caught in the following situations:

Here are some suggested responses for different situations: a) Your friend falls in the play field and is hurt…

• First, I would stay calm and check how badly my friend is hurt
• If it’s a minor injury, I would help them to the school nurse
• If it’s serious, I would call a teacher immediately
• I would stay with my friend until they get proper help

• First, I would stay low to avoid smoke
• I would cover my nose and mouth with a wet cloth
• I would look for the nearest emergency exit
• I would call out loudly for help
• I would follow the ‘stop, drop, and roll’ rule if my clothes catch fire

• I would stay patient and calm
• I would inform my parents or teacher about the delay
• I would follow traffic rules and not honk unnecessarily
• I would keep some distance from other vehicles
• I would listen to music or read a book while waiting

Let’s Write

1. The words in the clouds describe something or someone in the story. Name them in the blanks provided and make sentences using these words.

Here are the descriptive words with their sentences:

• Wise – Describes the old bird
  Sentence: Always listen to wise people’s advice as they have more experience.
• Careless – Describes the young geese
  Sentence: The careless driver didn’t follow traffic rules.
• Thick and strong – Describes the grown creeper
  Sentence: The rope must be thick and strong to pull the heavy box.
• Foolish – Describes the geese who ignored the warning
  Sentence: It was foolish of me to forget my homework at home.
• Tall – Describes the tree
  Sentence: The tall tree provided shade to everyone in the park.

2. Here are some answers about the given picture. Frame questions for these answers:

The answers and their corresponding questions are:

1. Q: What is the colour of the ant?
   A: The colour of the ant is black.
2. Q: Where does it live?
   A: It lives on land.
3. Q: How many antennae does it have?
   A: It has two long antennae.
4. Q: How does it move on the ground?
   A: It crawls on the ground.
5. Q: What does it eat?
   A: It eats sugar.

3. Fill in the blanks with prepositions such as to, at, off, on, in, into, with:

Here are the completed sentences with correct prepositions:

1. This tree was the home of a flock of wild geese.
2. He noticed the creeper at the foot of the tree.
3. It would be a pity to destroy it now.
4. As they flew off the tree they were trapped.
5. The boy ran with the dog.
6. The frogs jumped into the well.
7. The girl was thrilled to see her new bicycle.
8. The birds were caught in the net.
9. The children walked on the bridge.

4. Complete the paragraph with suitable words from the box:

Here’s the completed paragraph using the words: around, across, with, along, to, after, next to, into, from

One day, as I was walking along the bank of the river, I saw my friend running across the field. He was calling my name and waving at me. I stopped and waited. After sometime he reached where I was standing. He said, “I went all around the town looking for you. I have some exciting news to share with you. Do you remember the old house next to the neem tree? Guess who is moving into that house? Janak Das, the great magician. Now we can learn lots of magic tricks from him.”

5. Fill in the blanks given below with question words:

Here are the questions completed with appropriate question words:

1. Where do you play?
2. When do you get up?
3. What do you have for breakfast?
4. How do you go to school?
5. What do you like best in the school – games, art or music?
6. When is your birthday?
7. What do you want for your birthday?

6. Reference to context:

Fun Time

1. Proverbs Discussion

Here’s an explanation of the given proverbs:

• Old is gold – Things from the past, including old wisdom and traditions, are valuable and precious
• As you sow so shall you reap – Your actions determine your results; good actions bring good results
• Unity is strength – When people work together, they become stronger and can achieve more
• United we stand divided we fall – We are stronger when we stay together; division makes us weak
• A friend in need is a friend indeed – True friends are those who help us when we are in difficulty

2. All’s well that ends well

This proverb means that if the end result of something is good, then any problems or difficulties that happened along the way don’t matter. It’s like our story where despite the geese getting caught in the net, they eventually escaped safely thanks to the wise bird’s plan. Example: Once I lost my school bag on the bus. I was very worried. But the bus conductor found it and returned it to me the next day. All my books and homework were safe. All’s well that ends well!

3. The clap word game

Let’s break down the words by syllables:

• One clap: creep, geese, throw
• Two claps: cree-per, fool-ish, trap-ped, flap-ped, no-ticed
• Three claps: to-mo-rrow, care-ful-ly, strug-gl-ed, pos-si-ble, re-turn-ed, eve-ning, sur-pri-se