5.4 Supportive Friends
Complete textbook exercise solutions — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Six English.
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About the chapter
This is a story about Scurry the squirrel, who was always too busy for his friends. One stormy night, his tree blew over and he lost his home. His friends Amelia Mouse, Walter Woodpecker and Rocky Rabbit helped him. Scurry learnt the value of supportive friends.
Key points
- Scurry was too busy to listen to his friends.
- A storm blew his tree over and damaged his home.
- Amelia Mouse shared her warm bed with him.
- Walter Woodpecker gave him his new tree hole.
- Rocky Rabbit dug out the nuts buried under the fallen tree.
- Message: true friends help us in times of trouble.
Words to remember
- scurry – to move quickly with short steps
- snapped – spoke sharply and angrily
- whimpered – made a low, sad crying sound
- burrow – a hole dug in the ground by an animal
- supportive – giving help and kindness
- (i) I am tiny and quick, with whiskers and a tail… — a mouse
- (ii) I hop with strong back legs and twitch my nose… — a rabbit
Meaningful words from SUPPORTIVE: sport, support, port, rope, purse, prove, stir, trip, tour, spot, top, pot, vote, rest, pure, upset
Meaningful words from FRIENDS: friend, fried, fire, fine, ride, side, dine, den, end, red, fed, rid, fries
- (i) A mouse squeaked when it saw the cat.
- (ii) The parrot squawked loudly when someone came near its cage.
- (iii) The dog sniffed the ground to find food.
- (iv) The horse sighed after a long run.
- (v) The puppy whimpered because it was hungry.
| Sr. No. | Statement | Who said | To whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| i. | “No time! I’m in a hurry.” (snapped) | Scurry the squirrel | Walter Woodpecker |
| ii. | “Thank you” | Scurry the squirrel | Amelia Mouse (and later Walter) |
| iii. | “No problem” | Rocky Rabbit | Scurry the squirrel |
| iv. | “What’s the matter?” | Amelia Mouse | Scurry the squirrel |
| v. | “There’s plenty of space” | Amelia Mouse | Scurry the squirrel |
- Amelia Mouse — She had made a warm winter bed. On the stormy night, she shared it with Scurry.
- Walter Woodpecker — He had made his biggest tree hole. He gave it to Scurry as a new home.
- Rocky Rabbit — He could dig faster than anyone. He dug out Scurry’s nuts from under the fallen tree.
This is an acting activity. Students should perform it in groups.
Four roles: Scurry the squirrel, Amelia Mouse, Walter Woodpecker and Rocky Rabbit. One student may also read the narration between the dialogues.
- “Help!” cried Scurry.
- “What’s the matter?” called Amelia from her bed.
- “My tree’s blown over,” whimpered Scurry. “Where am I going to sleep?”
- “Come and share my warm bed,” said Amelia.
- “There’s plenty of space.”
- “Thank you,” said Scurry, quietly.
- The next morning, Scurry wept when he saw his damaged home.
- enjoy — enjoyment, enjoyable
- hard — hardness, hardly, hardship
- friend — friendship, friendly
- carve — carving, carved
- love — lovely, lovable, loving
- comfort — comfortable, comforting
- relate — relation, related
- fear — fearful, fearless
- value — valuable, valueless
- refresh — refreshing, refreshment
- agree — agreement, agreeable
- sad — sadness, sadly
- (i) Wow! What a beautiful flower.
- (ii) Oops! I dropped the glass.
- (iii) Oh! I forgot to study.
- (iv) Hurray! Our team won the match.
- (v) Ouch! I hurt my finger.
- (vi) Hey! Look at that.
Remember: Interjections show sudden feelings. They are usually followed by an exclamation mark (!).