25. The Man in the Moon
Complete textbook exercise solutions — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Five English.
ShareAdvertisement
This is a reading exercise to understand the meanings of specific words used in the poem:
- Skipper: captain of a ship or boat.
- Dipper: This word has two meanings. Dipper means a container for taking out water. Also, there are two constellations called Little Dipper (Little Bear) and Big Dipper (Big Bear) in the sky.
- Milky Way: The band of light consisting of stars that spreads across the sky at night.
(1) What mistake did the man in the moon make?
The man in the moon made the mistake of trying to take a drink of milk using the Dipper.
(2) What did he try to take the milk from?
He tried to take the milk right out of the Milky Way.
(3) Why did he spill the milk?
He spilled the milk because the Big Bear growled and the Little Bear howled, which frightened him so much that he dropped his drink.
Advertisement
(1) There is a man in the Moon.
Imaginary
(2) The Moon sails across the sky.
Imaginary — The Moon moves around the Earth; it does not “sail” like a boat.
(3) The Milky Way contains milk.
Imaginary — It contains stars, dust and gas.
(4) You can fill the Dipper in the sky with milk.
Imaginary
(5) The Big Bear in the sky can growl.
Imaginary
(6) There are a number of stars in the sky.
Fact
Note: The poet uses the names of real star constellations (Big Bear / Big Dipper, Little Bear / Little Dipper) and our galaxy (Milky Way) to create a funny, imaginary story about a man trying to drink milk from the sky.