A Friend’s Prayer – Class 6 English NCERT Solutions

Explore the solutions for “A Friend’s Prayer,” Class 6 English NCERT. This beautiful poem teaches children about the true meaning of friendship, selflessness, and acceptance. It shows how friendship is not just about sharing happy moments but also about understanding, supporting, and accepting friends as they are. The poem carries an important message about praying for friends’ happiness and well-being, teaching young readers the value of genuine friendship.

Summary of the Poem

Summary in English:
This poem is a heartfelt prayer about friendship. The poet expresses her wish to always value friendship in her life. She feels blessed to have special friends and wants to give her best to these friendships. The poem emphasizes going beyond just sharing hopes and plans – it’s about actively helping make friends’ wishes come true. The poet believes in using her heart to understand friendship and accepting friends without judgment, just as they are.

हिंदी में सारांश:
यह कविता दोस्ती के बारे में एक हार्दिक प्रार्थना है। कवि अपनी जिंदगी में दोस्ती को हमेशा महत्व देने की इच्छा व्यक्त करती है। उसे विशेष दोस्तों के साथ आशीर्वादित महसूस होता है और वह इन दोस्तियों को अपना सर्वश्रेष्ठ देना चाहती है। कविता सिर्फ आशाओं और योजनाओं को साझा करने से आगे जाने पर जोर देती है – यह दोस्तों की इच्छाओं को पूरा करने में सक्रिय रूप से मदद करने के बारे में है। कवि दोस्ती को समझने के लिए अपने दिल का उपयोग करने और दोस्तों को बिना किसी फैसले के, जैसे हैं वैसे स्वीकार करने में विश्वास करती है।

Word Meanings

Let us do these activities before we read

1. Which of the three sentences (a)-(c) is closest to a prayer? Explain to your teacher and classmates.

Sentence (c) “May my friend get well soon” is closest to a prayer. This is because:

• It uses the word “may” which is commonly used in prayers to express hopes and wishes
• It shows concern for someone else’s well-being
• It has the tone of a request or wish addressed to a higher power
• Unlike sentences (a) and (b) which are simple wishes, this has the formal structure of a prayer

2. What would you pray for your friend?

As a student, I would pray for my friend’s:

• Good health and happiness
• Success in studies and other activities
• Strong relationship with family and friends
• Achievement of their dreams and goals
• Safety and protection from all troubles

Let us discuss

1. Read the poem silently. As you read, underline the parts of the poem that you agree with.

As a student, I would underline these lines:

• “May my friendships always be, The most important thing to me” – because true friendship is indeed very important in life
• “With special friends I feel I’m blessed” – because good friends are truly a blessing
• “Let me use my heart to see” – because understanding friends requires emotional connection
• “But love my friends the way they are” – because accepting friends without trying to change them is important

2. Share the details of your underlined parts of the poem in groups and explain why you liked those lines.

I would share these explanations:

• The first lines show how friendship should be valued above material things
• The blessing line reminds us to be grateful for our friends
• Using heart to see means understanding friends with empathy and love
• Accepting friends as they are shows true friendship without conditions

3. Which line was underlined by most people in your group?

Based on the poem’s message and common feelings about friendship, I believe the line “But love my friends the way they are” would be underlined by most people because:

• It captures the essence of true friendship
• It’s a relatable and universal feeling
• It shows unconditional acceptance
• Many students can connect with the feeling of wanting to be accepted as they are

Let us think and reflect

1. Complete the summary of the poem by circling the correct highlighted words.

Here’s the completed summary with correct words selected:

• The poet says a prayer for friendship and friends
• Friendship should always be an important part of her complete life
• Her friendship makes her feel special
• She wants to listen to the wishes of her friends
• As a good friend, she prays that she is able to make her friend’s wishes come true
• She wants her heart to understand what a true friend is
• She prays that she loves her friends as they are
• A true friend accepts their friend for all their qualities

2. Answer in one word only.

(a) How does the poet feel about special friends? Blessed

(b) What does the poet use to realise what friends can be? Heart

3. Read the following lines from the poem and answer the questions.

Part (a)

(i) These lines tell us that the speaker is caring

(ii) The speaker will make her friends’ wishes come true by trying hard

(iii) My friends will feel happy if their wishes come true

Part (b)

(i) The line “Let me use my heart to see” tells us that feelings are important to understand friendship

(ii) These lines tell us that the speaker is thoughtful

(iii) The speaker does not wish to make any judgements. She cares for them just as they are.

4. Give one reason why we can say that this poem is a prayer.

This poem is a prayer because it starts with the word “May” and continues with wishes and requests like “Let me” throughout the poem. These phrases are typically used in prayers when asking for blessings or making humble requests to a higher power.

5. Why does the speaker ‘want to do more’ for her friend?

The speaker wants to do more for her friend because she values true friendship and believes that friendship isn’t just about sharing things but also about actively helping friends and making their wishes come true. She wants to go beyond basic friendship duties to show her deep care and commitment.

6. Do you think that the speaker knows about the wishes of her friend? How can we say so?

Yes, the speaker knows about her friend’s wishes because in the poem she mentions “The hopes and plans of friends who care.” This line shows that the friends share their hopes and plans with each other, indicating open communication and trust in their friendship.

7. Do you also pray for your friend? What do you wish for? Discuss.

Yes, I pray for my friends:

• I wish for their happiness and success
• I pray for their good health and well-being
• I hope they achieve their dreams and goals
• I wish for our friendship to grow stronger
• I pray that they overcome any difficulties they face

Let us learn

1. Select the words that are similar to the meaning of being blessed.

From the given words, grateful and thankful are similar to the meaning of being blessed. These words express the feeling of appreciation and fortune that comes with being blessed.

2. Good friends have a lot of qualities. Complete the words:

The complete words are:

• helpful
• kind
• caring
• honest

Now, filling in the blanks:

(a) My friend is always kind to me even when I make a mistake.

(b) My friend shares things with me. She is very helpful.

(c) My friend is caring because he always supports me.

(d) My friend never lies. She is an honest person.

(e) My friend and I believe in caring for each other.

3. Think of any three of your friends. Write three sentences on why you like each one of them.

Here are three sentences about my friends:

• I like Riya because she always helps me understand difficult subjects and never makes fun of my mistakes.
• I like Arun because he is very loyal and keeps all my secrets safe.
• I like Priya because she always cheers me up when I am sad and shares her lunch with me.

Let us speak

1. In pairs, act the role of friends speaking to each other.

Situation A: A walk in the park

Friend 1: “Hi Rahul! How are you today?”
Friend 2: “Hi Priya! I’m good. Would you like to go to the park with me?”
Friend 1: “Yes, I’d love to! We can play on the swings and maybe have some ice cream.”
Friend 2: “That sounds fun! I enjoy spending time with you in the park.”

Situation B: Sharing tiffins at school

Friend 1: “Hello Meera! What did you bring for lunch today?”
Friend 2: “Hi Anu! I have chapati and vegetable curry. What about you?”
Friend 1: “I have sandwiches. Would you like to share our tiffins?”
Friend 2: “Yes, that would be great! I love sharing lunch with you. It makes me happy!”

2. Create a new situation and have another conversation.

Situation: Working on a school project together

Friend 1: “Hi Sanjay! Shall we work on our science project today?”
Friend 2: “Yes, Sarah! I brought all the materials we need.”
Friend 1: “Great! I love working with you because you have such creative ideas.”
Friend 2: “And I like how you make everything organized. We make a good team!”

Let us explore (continued)

1. (a) What do you think is the meaning of these quotations?

“A friend in need is a friend indeed” means:

• True friends help us during difficult times
• Someone who helps during problems is a real friend
• We discover our true friends when we need help

“My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me” means:

• Good friends help us become better people
• True friends encourage our positive qualities
• Best friends motivate us to improve ourselves

1. (b) Think of an experience in your life with your friend that suits this quotation.

Here’s my experience as a student: When I was struggling with mathematics, my friend Ria spent extra time after school helping me practice problems. She never made fun of my mistakes and always encouraged me to try again. Because of her help and support, I improved my math scores. This experience fits the quotation “A friend in need is a friend indeed” because Ria helped me when I really needed support.

2. Look for some famous quotations on friendship.

Here are some meaningful friendship quotes:

• “Friendship is like a garden – it needs care to grow beautiful flowers”
• “True friends are like stars – you can’t always see them, but they are always there”
• “Friends are the family we choose for ourselves”
• “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light”

Let us write

Describe how your friendship with your friend started.

Title: My First Day Friend

When: First day of Class 6
Where: In my new classroom
How: We sat together and shared our lunch

It was my first day in a new school, and I was feeling nervous. As I entered the classroom, I saw an empty seat next to a girl with a friendly smile. She introduced herself as Mira and offered to share her chocolate. During lunch break, we discovered that we both love reading story books and playing badminton. Since that day, Mira and I have become best friends. We study together, play together, and share all our secrets. What started as a simple seat-sharing has grown into a beautiful friendship that I treasure every day.

Let us listen

1. What do the two friends purchase and use on the park bench?

Based on the image shown in the book, the two friends are reading books on the park bench. They might have purchased books to read together.

2. Circle pictures showing activities.

Looking at the pictures provided, we can see the following activities:

• Two friends reading together on a park bench
• Friends walking and cycling together
• Friends enjoying ice cream in the park
• Friends playing and spending time together outdoors