Rip Van Winkle – Class 5 English NCERT Solutions

Explore the solutions for “Rip Van Winkle,” Class 5 English NCERT. This enchanting story teaches children valuable lessons about responsibility and the importance of being productive. Through Rip’s character, students learn that while being kind and friendly is good, we must also be responsible and hardworking. The story shows how time waits for no one and the consequences of wasting it.

Story Summary (English)

“Rip Van Winkle” is a fascinating tale about a kind but lazy man who lives in a village near the Kaatskill mountains. While Rip is beloved by children and neighbors for his helpful nature and storytelling abilities, he neglects his own farm work. One day, to avoid work, he wanders into the mountains with his dog Wolf. There, he meets mysterious men playing ninepins and drinks their mysterious brew, which makes him fall into a deep sleep. When he wakes up, he discovers that 20 years have passed! His dog is gone, his beard has grown long and white, and his village has changed significantly. The story beautifully illustrates how time passes by while we remain unaware.

कहानी का सारांश (Hindi)

“रिप वैन विंकल” एक दिलचस्प कहानी है जो एक दयालु लेकिन आलसी व्यक्ति के बारे में है जो काट्सकिल पहाड़ों के पास एक गाँव में रहता है। हालांकि रिप बच्चों और पड़ोसियों के बीच अपनी मददगार प्रकृति और कहानी सुनाने की क्षमता के लिए प्रिय है, वह अपने खेत के काम की उपेक्षा करता है। एक दिन, काम से बचने के लिए, वह अपने कुत्ते वुल्फ के साथ पहाड़ों में चला जाता है। वहाँ, उसकी मुलाकात रहस्यमय लोगों से होती है जो नाइनपिन्स खेल रहे हैं और उनका रहस्यमय पेय पीने के बाद वह गहरी नींद में चला जाता है। जब वह जागता है, तो पता चलता है कि 20 साल बीत चुके हैं! उसका कुत्ता गायब है, उसकी दाढ़ी लंबी और सफेद हो गई है, और उसका गाँव काफी बदल गया है। कहानी यह दर्शाती है कि कैसे समय बीतता जाता है जबकि हम इससे अनजान रहते हैं।

Word Meanings

Fun with New Words

1. Match the words in the box with their meanings:

Let’s understand these words better:

• Foothills – Found near the lower part of a mountain. For example: The small village was located in the foothills of the Himalayas.
• Grizzled – Describes someone with grey hair. For example: The grizzled old man had years of wisdom to share.
• Stroked – To rub gently. For example: She stroked the cat’s fur softly.
• Astonished – To be very surprised. For example: The children were astonished to see the magic trick.
• Familiar – Something or someone known to you. For example: The smell of mom’s cooking was familiar and comforting.

2. Circle the correct meaning of the words given:

Here are the correct meanings of these important words from the story:

• Idled away – Wasted time doing nothing useful
• Constant – Steady or continuous without change
• Companion – A friend or partner who spends time with you
• Realise – To understand or become aware of something
• Descend – To move down from a higher place
• Barrel – A large round container, usually made of wood
• Contents – The things that are inside something

Let’s Read

1. The old woman who recognized Rip was ______________.

The old woman who recognized Rip was one of his old neighbors who had aged during the twenty years he was asleep. She was probably someone who knew him well before he disappeared into the mountains.

2. Rip was kind to children.

True. Rip was exceptionally kind to children. He would spend time playing with them, teaching them various games like flying kites and shooting marbles. He also entertained them with interesting stories, which made him very popular among the village children.

3. Rip was a hardworking man.

False. Despite his kind nature, Rip was quite lazy when it came to work. He avoided working on his own farm, which resulted in his fences falling apart, his cow straying away, and weeds growing uncontrolled on his farm.

4. The short old man on the mountain was his constant companion.

False. Rip’s constant companion was his dog Wolf, not the short old man. The old man was a mysterious stranger whom Rip met in the mountains just before his long sleep.

5. Rip helped the old man in the mountains because he wanted to have a drink from the barrel.

False. Rip helped the old man carry the barrel because the man made signs requesting his help. It wasn’t because Rip wanted a drink – in fact, he was frightened of the mysterious men and only drank because he was trembling with fear.

6. Rip was away for twenty years because he was asleep in the mountains.

True. After drinking the mysterious liquid from the barrel offered by the strange men, Rip fell into a deep sleep that lasted for twenty years. When he woke up, he found everything had changed around him.

7. The drink from the barrel made him fall asleep for twenty years.

True. The mysterious drink from the barrel had magical properties that caused Rip to fall into an extraordinarily long sleep of twenty years. This magical sleep is a key element of the story that shows how time passed while Rip remained unchanged.

8. Nobody recognized Rip when he came back because he had reached the wrong village.

False. Rip had reached his own village, but nobody recognized him because he had changed significantly after twenty years. His beard had grown long and white, and his appearance had aged considerably. Moreover, most of the villagers he knew had either moved away or passed away during those twenty years.

9. Rip’s village was situated______.

Rip’s village was situated at the foothills of the Kaatskill mountains. This peaceful village was the setting where our story begins and ends, showing how a small community changed over two decades while Rip slept.

10. The children of the village loved him because ____________.

The children of the village loved Rip because he was like a fun playmate to them. He would spend time playing with them, teaching them exciting games like flying kites and shooting marbles. Moreover, he would entertain them by telling long, interesting stories that captured their imagination.

11. _______________ was his constant companion.

Wolf, his faithful dog, was Rip’s constant companion. Wherever Rip went, including his walks into the forest to avoid work, Wolf would accompany him. This shows the loyal friendship between Rip and his dog.

12. The villagers stared at him because ________________.

The villagers stared at him because they couldn’t recognize the strange old man with a long white beard who had suddenly appeared in their village. After twenty years, Rip’s appearance had changed dramatically, and many of the old villagers who might have known him were no longer there.

Let’s Write

1. What kind of a man was Rip Van Winkle?

Rip Van Winkle was a complex character with both positive and negative traits:

• He was exceptionally kind-hearted and always ready to help his neighbors with their tasks
• Children adored him because he was playful and spent time teaching them games and telling stories
• He was well-liked in the village for his friendly and helpful nature
• However, he was also very lazy when it came to his own responsibilities
• He would rather wander in the mountains with his dog than work on his farm
• His laziness led to his farm being neglected, with broken fences and overgrown weeds

2. What were the strange things about the men on the mountains?

The men on the mountains had several peculiar characteristics:

• They all had unusual appearances with beards of different shapes and colors
• Despite playing a game (ninepins), they maintained serious expressions
• They played their game in complete silence – the only sound was the thunderous echo of the bowling balls
• All of them wore identical clothing, which was odd for a group of strangers
• They stared at Rip with an unnerving fixed gaze that frightened him
• Their mysterious behavior and appearance added to the supernatural element of the story

Vocabulary Building

1. Read the speech bubbles. Who walks to school most often? Put them in order.

Here are the students arranged in order of how frequently they walk to school, from most often to least often:

1. Arjun – “I always walk to school” (Lives opposite to school, walks daily)
2. Nazim – “I usually walk to school” (Makes it a regular habit)
3. Mini – “I sometimes walk to school” (Alternates between walking and taking the bus)
4. Anu – “I don’t usually walk to school” (Prefers cycling)
5. John – “I rarely walk to school” (Lives very far away)

2. Find the opposites of the following words from the paragraphs:

3. Complete: “Shh! The baby is _____. Don’t make a sound, or she will _____.”

The sentence should read: “Shh! The baby is asleep. Don’t make a sound, or she will wake up.” This shows how we use opposite pairs of words to describe related actions.

4. Imagine you are a neighbor who greets Rip after 20 years.

Here’s how I would greet Rip and update him about the changes:

“Oh my goodness, Rip Van Winkle! Is it really you? We’ve all wondered what happened to you these past twenty years! Let me tell you about all the changes. Your children have grown up wonderfully – your son is now teaching at our village school, making us all proud. The village has developed significantly – we now have two new hospitals where doctors visit regularly, and several new shops have opened in the market area. Your old friends Tom and Sam moved to the city, but they visit annually with their families. You’ll be amazed to see how the children you used to play with have grown up – many of them completed their education and have their own families now. Your wife waited for you for a long time before moving to her parents’ home with the children. The village has changed so much, but we never forgot about you, Rip!”

5. Pick out names of games mentioned in the story.

The following games were mentioned in the story:

• Flying kites – A popular outdoor activity Rip taught the children
• Shooting marbles – Another game he played with the village children
• Ninepins – The mysterious game the strange men were playing in the mountains
• Mountain climbing – Though not exactly a game, it was an activity Rip engaged in

6. Words rhyming with “chalk”:

Words that rhyme with chalk include: walk, folk, talk, stalk

7. Words rhyming with “whistle”:

Words that rhyme with whistle include: thistle, bristle, mistle

8. Complete paragraph using combined describing words.

Mrs. Das has a part-time job in a clothes shop. Yesterday, an odd-looking woman walked into the shop. She was wearing high-heeled shoes. A sweet-looking dog was with her. “I want a long-sleeved shirt for my dog, please.” She said, “For your dog?” asked Mrs. Das, open-mouthed in surprise. “Yes,” replied the woman. “I want him to be well-dressed for my next party.”

9. Silent Letters – What is common in groups of words?

Here are the common silent letters in each group:

• knee, knife, knot, know – The letter ‘k’ is silent at the beginning
• neighbour, daughter, fight, straight – The letters ‘gh’ are silent
• honest, honour, hour, heir – The letter ‘h’ is silent at the beginning

10. More silent words with “gnat”:

Other words with silent ‘g’ like gnat include: gnash, gnaw

11. More silent words with “tongue”:

Words with similar silent letter patterns include: catalogue, rogue

12. Complete: “_____ and _____ quickly! You will be late…”

The complete sentence should be: “Wake up and get up quickly! You will be late for school!”

Creative Writing

1. Write about yourself using the given expressions.

Here’s a creative example of how to write about yourself using frequency expressions:

• I always complete my homework before playing
• I frequently help my mother with household chores
• I usually spend an hour reading storybooks
• I sometimes play video games on weekends
• I rarely watch TV during study hours

2. Write three new things you have done and haven’t done in the last three years.

New things I have done:

• I have started learning to play the guitar
• I have visited my grandparents in their village
• I have begun writing stories in my diary

Things I have not done:

• I have not missed any important school events
• I have not forgotten to do my homework
• I have not stopped reading storybooks