A Bottle of Dew
NCERT Poorvi · Unit 1: Fables and Folk Tales. Answers to all the textbook questions and activities, in simple words.
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Let us do these activities before we read
- worried – the girl resting her chin on her hands with a worried look
- plantation – the field with rows of crops
- sage – the old man with a white beard in saffron clothes
- surprise – the boy with his mouth open
Last year I worked hard for the school drawing competition. I practised drawing every evening for two weeks. It helped me to draw neatly and quickly. I won the second prize. I felt very happy and proud.
This is a sample answer. Write about your own experience.
Let us discuss
1. What did Rama Natha believe?
Rama Natha believed that there was a magic potion that could turn any object into gold.
2. How did the sage help Rama Natha?
The sage told him how to make the potion. Rama Natha had to plant banana plants, collect five litres of dew from their leaves with his own hands and bring it to the sage.
3. Do you think Rama Natha will be able to collect the dew? Give a reason.
Yes. Rama Natha never gave up. He would work hard and plant many banana plants to collect the dew.
1. Why was Rama Natha angry?
Rama Natha was angry because the dew did not turn the copper vessel into gold. He felt that he had been cheated and had wasted six precious years.
2. How did Rama Natha and Madhumati create wealth?
Rama Natha worked hard on his land and grew a big banana plantation. Madhumati sold the bananas in the market. They earned a lot of money in this way.
Let us think and reflect
(i) Complete the sentence with a suitable reason.
Rama Natha did not ‘give up’ because he strongly believed that there was a magic potion that could turn any object into gold.
(ii) Write the correct outcome.
| What Happened | Outcome |
|---|---|
| A. People promised to tell Rama Natha about the magic potion. | They cheated him often and took his money. |
| B. Rama Natha was spending a lot of money. | His wife was worried that soon they would be without money. |
(iii) Write True or False.
A. Madhumati was troubled about what her husband did. — True
B. Rama Natha was very happy digging his fields. — False He did not spend even one day looking after his land.
C. The sage wanted to show the right path to Rama Natha. — True
(i) Choose the option that lists the events in the correct order.
Answer: (b) b, a, d, c, e
Rama Natha gave the bottle to the sage → the sage smiled → he said something in a low voice → Rama Natha dropped a few drops on a copper vessel → he waited to see if the magic worked.
(ii) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the lines.
Seeing that the plant had dried up, the gardener sprinkled some water on it.
(iii) How might Rama Natha have felt when nothing happened to the copper vessel?
He might have felt angry, sad and cheated.
1. What did the sage ask Rama Natha to do to make the magic potion?
The sage asked him to plant banana plants and water them with his own hands. In winter, he had to collect the morning dew from the leaves and store it in a bottle. When he had five litres of dew, he had to bring it to the sage.
2. Why did the sage ask Rama Natha to do everything himself?
The sage wanted Rama Natha to work hard on his own land. He knew that hard work, not magic, would make Rama Natha rich.
3. How could Rama Natha have a big banana plantation after six years?
Rama Natha cleaned his empty fields and planted rows of banana plants. Every year he planted more and more plants. He looked after them carefully. So, after six years he had a huge plantation.
4. How did the sage make Rama Natha believe that there is no magic potion?
The sage muttered something over the dew and asked Rama Natha to try it. Nothing turned into gold. Then the sage showed him the box of gold coins that Madhumati had earned by selling bananas. He explained that their hard work had created this wealth.
5. Fill in the ‘before’ and ‘after’ table about Rama Natha.
| What he did before meeting the sage | What he did after meeting the sage |
|---|---|
| (i) He did not look after his land at all. | (i) He cleaned his fields and planted banana plants. |
| (ii) He spent all his time and money looking for a magic potion. | (ii) He worked hard on his plantation and collected dew. |
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Let us learn
There was a farmer who had a huge coconut plantation. He worked hard and did not depend on luck. Every day was difficult but he did not give up. One day, a man bought a bag of coconuts from him, and promised to pay him the money the next day. Days passed and the man did not pay him anything. The farmer felt cheated. About two months later, he met the same man and asked him about his money. The man said, “Oh! I had forgotten. Now, I remember buying coconuts from you.” And he paid the money.
Extra words: spending, market.
| Column A | Column B | Meaning of words in Column B |
|---|---|---|
| I | eye | the part of the body with which we see |
| your | you’re | short form of ‘you are’ |
| dew | due | happening at some time in the future |
| son | sun | the star that gives us light and heat |
| one | won | past tense of win |
| ate | eight | the number 8 |
| see | sea | a large body of salt water |
- I hurt my eye, so I went to the doctor.
- My son likes to play in the sun.
- Our team won only one match.
- We can see big ships on the sea.
- The children submitted their work before the deadline.
- He did not want to try rock climbing because of his fear of heights.
- The children ran towards the gate as soon as the bell rang.
- Nitin was late to school today as there was a traffic jam.
Sweet Sita sells sixty sweet samosas on Sunday.
Say it slowly first, then faster each time.
Let us listen
- Visits her mother and gives her two dozen bananas
- Goes to the market to sell the bananas
- Meets her friend Kalawati in the market
- Gives twelve bananas to her friend
- Chooses to go home as only some bananas were left
- Gives two bananas to a boy who is hungry
- Visits her neighbour and gifts them a bunch of bananas
So the numbers in the boxes are: 1 – 6, 2 – 3, 3 – 1, 4 – 5, 5 – 7, 6 – 4, 7 – 2.
Let us speak
- beds – /z/
- sand – /s/
- clothes – /z/
- sea – /s/
- was – /z/
- keys – /z/
- bags – /z/
- nose – /z/
1. What does hard work mean to you?
It means doing my work sincerely and not giving up until it is complete.
2. Give three reasons why hard work is important.
- Firstly, I feel hard work is important because it helps us to reach our goals.
- Secondly, I think it builds confidence since we learn new things.
- Lastly, I believe it brings success as there is no shortcut to success.
3. Share three ideas for someone who needs to work hard.
- To begin with, it is important that you make a timetable.
- Next, you could break a big task into small parts.
- Finally, I think you should not give up when things become difficult.
Let us write
A banana is a long fruit with a soft inside. The colour of its outer covering is green when raw and yellow when ripe. The fruit inside is white. The outer covering feels smooth and silky. It has a sweet and fresh smell. It tastes sweet and creamy. Bananas are healthy because they give energy and are rich in vitamins. I like to eat a banana at breakfast.
Class activity. Divide the story into scenes (Rama Natha at home, meeting the sage, working in the fields, the bottle of dew). Write short dialogues for Rama Natha, Madhumati and sage Mahipati, and act them out.
Let us explore
Some common varieties are Robusta, Dwarf Cavendish, Poovan, Nendran, Rasthali, Red Banana, Elakki (Yelakki), Grand Naine and Malbhog.
The Blue Java banana is called the ‘Ice Cream banana’ because it is creamy and tastes like ice cream.