English

Grade 6
Chapter 2: The Cherry Tree, Class 4

CLASS NOTES-ANSWERS

Reading Comprehension
A – Write T for True and F for False for these sentences.

1. Rakesh ate all the cherries before he reached his grandfather’s house. -

2. His grandfather told him stories about animals and ghosts. - T

3. The cherry tree grew slowly in the monsoon. - F

4. After the goat ate leaves, Rakesh’s grandfather said that the tree would

die. - F

5. When Rakesh was nine and the tree was four, it was taller than him. - T

6. Rakesh’s grandfather would sit under the cherry tree on a cane chair. – T

B – Read these sentences and answer the questions that follow.

1. ‘Hey, not there!’

a) Who said these words?

Answer: Grandfather said these words.

b) Why did the speaker say, ‘Not there’?

Answer: He did not want Rakesh to plant the cherry seed there because

he had planted mustard in that flower bed.

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Chapter 2: The Cherry Tree, Class 4

c) Did the listener go somewhere else? If so, where?

Answer: Yes, the listener went somewhere else. Rakesh went to a

corner of the garden where the earth was soft and yielding.

2. ‘What’s so special about this tree? Why do we like it so much?’

a) Who said this?

Answer: Rakesh said these words.

b) Why did they like the tree so much?

Answer: They liked the tree so much because they had planted the

seed themselves and had watched it grow into the tree.

c) How did the speaker feel about himself after watching the tree grow?

Answer: The speaker felt almost like God who had created everything.

C – Answer these questions.

1. ‘ Grandfather says, ‘Nothing is lucky if you put it away. If you want

luck, you must put it to some use.’ What do you think he means?

Answer: I think Grandfather wants Rakesh to realise that we must work

towards being lucky. We should make use of the opportunity given to us

to achieve something. If things are not put to proper use and just stored,

they will be of no use to us.

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Chapter 2: The Cherry Tree, Class 4

2. Why did Rakesh only look the cherry tree out of the corner of his

eye?

Answer: Rakesh thought the tree had stopped growing. So, he stopped

looking at it as he knew he would be disappointed. Yet, he couldn’t resist

looking at it. So, he looked at it from the corner of his eye to see if there

was any sign of the tree growing.

3. Do you think that Grandfather was as excited as Rakesh about the

cherry tree? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: Grandfather was as excited as Rakesh about the cherry tree. He

was the first to see the pale pink blossom at the end of a branch of the

cherry tree. He called Rakesh immediately to come and look at it before

it fell. When the tree was fully grown, he sat under it on a cane chair and

enjoyed looking at the leaves.

4. Who benefitted from the cherry tree besides Rakesh and

grandfather? How?

Answer: Besides grandfather and Rakesh, the birds benefited from the

cherry tree. They came to feed on the nectar in the blossoms and tiny

birds pecked at the blossoms. They liked the cherries too, especially the

bigger birds, such as the bulbuls and scarlet minivets which flitted in and

out of the foliage, feasting on the fruit.

5. Describe how nature slowly fascinates Rakesh and his grandfather

one evening?
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Chapter 2: The Cherry Tree, Class 4

Answer: Rakesh and his grandfather were fascinated by nature one

evening. Grandfather was reclining on a cane chair under the cherry tree

and was enjoying seeing the leaves. Rakesh said the leaves were pretty

and always ready to dance if there is a breeze. Later, Rakesh lay down on

the grass under the cherry tree and gazed up at the blue sky through the

leaves of the tree. He saw the mountains striding away into the clouds

and both he and Grandfather remained there till it was dark. Rakesh was

in awe when he realised that one small seed they had planted had grown

into such a big tree whose smooth bark he could touch and whose leaves

he could feel. He almost felt like God when he realised what he had

created.

D – Think and answer.

1. ‘ How many years of Rakesh’s childhood does the story cover?

Describe how his relationship with his grandfather changes as the

tree grows.

Answer: The story covers four years of Rakesh’s childhood. When the

story begins, Rakesh enjoyed a good relationship with his grandfather,

who taught him how to put the cherry seed to good use by planting it,

how to look after it and nurture it. Grandfather told stories whose ending

depended on his moods. After Rakesh grew older, he read a lot of books

but he still liked listening to Grandfather’s tales. The cherry tree which

they had planted and nurtured brought them closer and they watched

over it carefully. They enjoyed spending time under

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Chapter 2: The Cherry Tree, Class 4

the cherry tree, Grandfather reclining on a cane chair and Rakesh lying

on the grass under it. They were fascinated by the tree which was so

special to them because they had planted it, tended it and watched it

grow. Their bond of affection became stronger as the tree grew and

yielded fruit.

2. ‘ Do you think it will be righto say that Rakesh discovered the joy of

creating?

Answer: Yes, it will be right to say that Rakesh discovered the joy of

creating. Grandfather advised him to plant the cherry seed in a corner of

the garden and he did so. He watched it with great care, watered it even

when it rained and kept glancing at it to see if it had grown. Finally when

the tree had grown, he could touch the trunk, feel the tip of the leaves

and rejoice that one small seed had grown into a tall tree because he had

nurtured it, guarded it and cared for it. He felt as if he was the creator of

the cherry tree.

Vocabulary

Complete the crossword with the help of the clues given.

Across:

2 without much strength Weak

6 an insect that grows to become a butterfly Caterpiller

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Chapter 2: The Cherry Tree, Class 4

8 Moved quickly in and out Flitted

9 Walked slowly with heavy feet Plotted

10 a particular point in time Moment

Down:

1 to look at something quickly Glance

3 Stopped from growing to its full length Stunted

4 soft and easy to move or bend Yielding

5 a flower on a tree Blossom

7 the low point between two mountains Valley

GRAMMAR

A – Circle the subjects and underline the predicate in these sentences.

1. Rakesh kept the cherry in his mouth for some time.

2. The cherry tree bent low.

3. We planted it ourselves.

4. The seed we planted last year has come up!

5. There is just the right amount of shade there.

6. He could run and jump and climb trees as well as most boys.

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Chapter 2: The Cherry Tree, Class 4

7. Rakesh removed it quickly.

8. He stopped in front of the Cherry tree.

A. Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense form of the verbs

paying attention to the subject-verb agreement.

During the long summer evenings, Rakesh and Grandfather sit in the

shade of the cherry tree. Grandfather tells Rakesh stories of people

who had turned into animals and Rakesh reads the paper aloud.

Sometimes Rakesh gazes up at the sky through the trees. Grandfather

and Rakesh often wonder why they enjoyed looking at this particular

tree when there are so many in the valley around them. Grandfather

thinks it is because they planted it themselves. Rakesh says he feels like

God because they nurtured the seedling to a tree.

Listening

Tick the correct answer.

1. Another name for the deodar tree is Himalayan Cedar

2. The deodar tree grows 1500-3500 meters Above sea level

3. The tree grows to a height of 40-60 meters

4. In Kashmir, the wood is used to build Houseboats

5. The inner wood of the deodar is used to keep off Insects

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Chapter 2: The Cherry Tree, Class 4

Spelling

Make anagrams from these words.

1. Alter - Later

2. Ruby - Bury

3. Name - Mane

4. Glean - Angle

5. Race - Care

6. Seal - Sale

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