NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Unit 5 Culture and Tradition Chapter 02 The Kites

Let Us Do These Activities Before We Read

Question 1. Answer the following questions and share them with your teacher and classmates.
(a) Have you ever flown a kite or seen someone fly it? Where? When?
(b) Describe the kite—colour(s), shape, design of tail, any other detail.
(c) What did you think when you saw the kite up in the sky?
Answer: Here are my answers:

(a) Yes, I have enjoyed flying kites. I did this during Makar Sankranti in January, which is a famous kite-flying festival. We flew them from our house rooftop because the day was clear and windy, making it perfect for our kites.
(b) The kite was very colorful and bright. It was shaped like a diamond with yellow, red, and blue designs. It had a long tail made of paper strips that waved in the air. The structure was very light, made of thin bamboo and durable paper.
(c) Watching the kite glide high in the sky made me feel happy and free. It was beautiful to see it dance with the wind. The colorful sight against the blue sky felt magical, and I felt proud to share this old tradition.
In simple words: Flying a colorful, diamond-shaped kite on a windy festival day is an exciting tradition that makes us feel happy and free.

Exam Tip: Structure your answers by clearly labeling parts (a), (b), and (c) to ensure you address all the descriptive details requested.

Question 2. Search the internet for videos on Kite Festivals and watch them with your teacher and classmates.
(a) Share the things with your teacher that you saw and what the people were doing.
(b) Would you love to participate in this kind of festival? Why?
(c) What kind of kite would you like to fly?
Answer: Here are my reflections on the festival:

(a) This is a practical activity to do under the guidance of your parents or teacher.
(b) Yes, I would be thrilled to join a kite festival. It is a fantastic way to spend time with my family and friends outdoors. It feels exciting to see hundreds of colorful and uniquely shaped kites fill up the blue sky. It also helps us enjoy our rich cultural heritage and make sweet memories.
(c) I would love to fly a giant dragon-shaped kite. It should have bright green and golden colors, looking like a real mythical dragon. It would have a very long, patterned tail waving behind to look like a dragon's body, which would stand out beautifully in the sky.
In simple words: Participating in a kite festival is a wonderful way to enjoy nature with family, and flying a unique dragon kite would be very exciting.

Exam Tip: Use imaginative ideas like 'dragon-shaped' or 'eagle-shaped' when asked to describe your dream kite.

Question 3. Look at the picture and complete the sentences. Share your responses with your teacher.
[windy | kite | flying | birds | sky | looking | has ribbons]
Answer: Here are the completed sentences:

(a) I can see a kite, birds, and a child in the picture.
(b) The weather in the picture is windy.
(c) The kite is flying high in the sky.
(d) The child is looking up from below.
(e) The tail of the kite has ribbons.
In simple words: We filled in the missing words to describe the drawing: a child looking up at a kite flying with birds on a windy day.

Exam Tip: Match the clues in the box with the picture details, checking both grammar and word count to fill in blanks correctly.

Question 4. Now, think and answer.
(a) List two more things that you want to add to the picture.
(b) If I were the child, I would _________.
(c) If I were the kite, I would _________.
Answer: Here are my creative thoughts:

(a) Two things I would add to the picture are:
1. A cute picnic basket with a small blanket on the grass.
2. Other children running around, enjoying the wind.
(b) If I were the child, I would run happily across the grass, hoping my kite flies even higher.
(c) If I were the kite, I would float gently among the clouds and enjoy the beautiful view of the green trees below.
In simple words: This is a creative writing task where we imagine adding friends to the park, playing actively, or floating high like a kite.

Exam Tip: Creative questions starting with 'If I were...' are best answered using active, imaginative verbs like 'float', 'glide', or 'run'.

Let Us Read

Question 1. Read the poem silently. As you read, mark the given statements as True or False.
(a) The child is looking at the kites.
(b) The kites look like birds of different colours.
(c) It was a rainy day.
(d) The child wants to be like a kite.
(e) The child wishes to climb on a kite.
(f) The kite is made of cloth and plastic.
(g) The child wants to ride the kite.
(h) The child knows they would have fun.
(i) The child wants to look at the kite from a rooftop.
(j) The child would like to look at people down below.
(k) The child knows that the people would stare.
Answer: Here are the True or False markings for the statements:

(a) True
(b) True
(c) False
(d) True
(e) True
(f) False
(g) True
(h) True
(i) False
(j) True
(k) True
In simple words: We marked the statements True or False based on the poem, showing the child's dream of riding a kite and watching the world below.

Exam Tip: Double-check details from the poem to confirm if facts are true - for instance, the weather was windy, not rainy, so statement (c) is False.

Question 2. Complete the following sentences.
(a) The poet says that the kites are like coloured birds –
See the kites fly/Like coloured birds in the sky. The kites have been compared to b _ _ _ _ because they _________.
(b) The child wishes to be like air – I wish I were small / And as light as air.
The child wishes to be as l _ _ _ _ t as a _ _ . The child wishes this to be able to c _ _ _ m _ on a kite and fly.
Do you think that the use of simile in this poem helps us imagine better when we read the poem? Share your thoughts with your teacher and classmates.
Answer: Here are the completed answers:

(a) The completed sentence is:
The kites have been compared to birds because they glide smoothly and have bright, colorful patterns.
(b) The completed sentence is:
The child wishes to be as light as air. The child wishes this to be able to climb on a kite and fly.

How similes help us imagine better:
Yes, using similes in this poem makes it very easy to picture things in our minds. Comparing kites to 'colored birds' helps us visualize them flapping and soaring in the sky. Also, comparing the child's weight to 'light air' helps us feel how free and weightless the child wants to be. These comparisons make the poem beautiful and full of feeling.
In simple words: Comparing kites to colorful birds and the child's weight to light air helps us feel the weightlessness of flying.

Exam Tip: A simile is a comparison using 'like' or 'as'. Recognizing similes (e.g., 'as light as air') will help you explain a poem's imagery in tests.

Question 3. Find a set of words from the poem that begin with the same consonant sound.
Stanza 1: Which consonant sound do both words begin with?
Stanza 3: Which consonant sound do both words begin with?
This is called alliteration. For example, big bright blue bag, funny fan, etc.
Create 4 other sets of words using alliteration.
Answer: Here are the alliteration examples:

From the poem:
* Stanza 1: 'wind-whipped' (Starts with the 'w' sound)
* Stanza 3: 'paper wings' (Starts with the 'p' sound)

Four new examples of alliteration:
1. Smiling sun
2. Happy horses
3. Pink pigs
4. Green grass
In simple words: Alliteration is when words sitting near each other start with the exact same sound, like 'green grass' or 'smiling sun'.

Exam Tip: Alliteration focuses on matching consonant *sounds* at the beginning of words, not necessarily matching letters (e.g., 'city' and 'cat' do not alliterate, but 'city' and 'sea' do).

Question 4. In the last stanza, the two words that the poet repeats are _________, _________ to tell us that the kite is flying _________ y high.
Answer: In the last stanza, the two words that the poet repeats are high, high to tell us that the kite is flying very high.
In simple words: The poet repeats the word 'high' to emphasize that the kite has gone way up into the sky.

Exam Tip: Look at the exact spelling of repeated words in the final stanza of the poem to fill in the blanks correctly.

Question 5. Study each stanza and underline the rhyming words from the end of each line. Also, circle the end words in the stanzas that do not rhyme.
Answer: Here are the rhyming word pairs from each stanza:

* Stanza 1: fly, sky
* Stanza 2: air, there
* Stanza 3: wings, sings
* Stanza 4: down, town
* Stanza 5: stare, air
In simple words: Rhyming words have the same ending sound, like 'fly-sky', 'down-town', and 'stare-air'.

Exam Tip: Identify the last word of each line in a stanza and listen to their sounds to pair up the rhyming words.

Let Us Think and Reflect

Question 1. Read the given lines from the poem and answer the following questions.
What fun it would be
To look right down,
Over the park
And the rooftops of town.
(a) Circle the word that does not share the same feeling as 'fun':
joy, excitement, care, happiness.
(b) Which line tells us that the poet was somewhere above?
(c) Choose the scene the child saw.
Answer: Here are the answers:

(a) The word that has a different feeling than 'fun' is care.
(b) The line is: 'To look right down,'
(c) The matching picture is Scene (ii), because it shows an overhead view of rooftops and trees from high up in the air.
In simple words: Looking down at town rooftops is a high-up view, which matches the bird's-eye view shown in the second drawing.

Exam Tip: 'To look right down' tells us the viewer is high up in the sky, looking down on the streets and houses below.

Question 2. Answer the following questions.
(a) How does the poet describe the kites in the first two lines?
(b) Why does the child say that they have to climb a tree first to get onto the kite?
(c) What are the songs that the child hears when flying atop the kite?
(d) Why did the people look up at the child and stare? If you looked up and saw that, what feelings would you have?
(e) If you were the kite carrying the child high up in the air, what would you tell them?
Answer: Here are my answers to the questions:

(a) The poet says the kites are flying high like bright, colorful birds in a windy sky.
(b) The child wishes to climb on a kite, so climbing a high tree might help them get closer to the flying kite and leap onto it from the ground.
(c) The child hears the beautiful songs and whistling sounds made by the blowing wind.
(d) People would stare because seeing a kid flying on a kite is a very shocking and magical sight. If I saw that, I would feel extremely surprised, happy, and a little worried about their safety.
(e) If I were the kite, I would tell the child: 'Hold on tight and feel the cool wind! Look how small the world looks from up here! Enjoy this beautiful flying ride!'
In simple words: The child imagines riding a kite like a bird, listening to the whistling wind, and waving at the surprised people staring from the ground.

Exam Tip: Break down multi-part questions like (d) into two separate sentences: one explaining why people stared, and one sharing your own feelings.

Let Us Learn

Question 1. Look at the picture of the kite and read what some of its parts are named. Now, complete the given conversation by filling the blanks with some ‘parts of a kite’ words from above.
Bina: I love the long yellow t _ _ _ at the end of my kite. What colour is your kite?
Saroj: My kite’s c _ _ _ _ is pink. The s _ _ _ _ is black.
Bina: Oh wonderful! My kite l _ _ _ is red. The r _ _ _ that wraps it is green. I really like it.
Saroj: My kite line is red too. The tip of my kite has a blue _ _ _ e.
Bina: Beautiful! Let’s go and fly our pretty kite.
Answer: Here is the completed conversation:

Bina: I love the long yellow tail at the end of my kite. What colour is your kite?
Saroj: My kite’s cover is pink. The spine is black.
Bina: Oh wonderful! My kite line is red. The reel that wraps it is green. I really like it.
Saroj: My kite line is red too. The tip of my kite has a blue nose.
Bina: Beautiful! Let’s go and fly our pretty kite.
In simple words: We filled in the blanks using parts of a kite: tail, cover, spine, line, reel, and nose.

Exam Tip: Study labeled diagrams of objects carefully, as the names of specific parts are often used in word puzzles and fill-in-the-blank dialogues.

Question 2. Let us create a poem using words in a kite!
The first line is the subject. Keep this to one word. Use a noun. (kite)
The second line is two describing words for the noun. (pretty, colourful)
Line three includes three action words. (flying, floating, soaring)
Line four uses two words that describe the action words. (quickly, happily)
Line five is one word that has the same meaning as the subject/synonym. (paper-bird)
Answer: Here are two examples of cinquain (five-line) poems:

Kite Cinquain Poem:
Kite
pretty, colourful
flying, floating, soaring
quickly, happily
paper-bird

Tree Cinquain Poem:
Tree
tall, green
growing, sheltering, swaying
gracefully, peacefully
nature
In simple words: A cinquain is a beautiful five-line poem that starts with a single noun and adds descriptive words, action words, and synonyms.

Exam Tip: A cinquain poem follows a strict 1-2-3-2-1 word pattern. Count your words carefully for each line to get it right.

Question 3. The poet uses the word ‘fly’ and ‘drift’ to tell us about the kite's movement.
(a) Circle the words that match with the ‘drift’ movement. You can choose more than one word.
slow | fast | quick | upward | downward | round and round | float
(b) Study some other words about the kite's movement and share what type of movement they show. You can look at (a) for the type of movement.
[glide | dive | soar | swoop | circle]
Answer: Here are the correct matches:

(a) The words that describe a 'drift' movement are: slow, downward, and float.
(b) Here are the descriptions of other movement words:
* Glide: Moving very smoothly and gracefully without any effort, like sliding on air.
* Dive: Moving down very quickly and suddenly.
* Soar: Flying high up into the air in a fast, upward motion.
* Swoop: Flying down quickly and then rushing back up in a smooth curve.
* Circle: Moving around and around in a steady, circular shape.
In simple words: Movement words like 'glide' and 'soar' describe slow or upward motion, while 'dive' and 'swoop' describe fast downward actions.

Exam Tip: Pay attention to the speed (fast/slow) and direction (upward/downward) of movement verbs to define them correctly.

Question 4. The poet has used expressions like—
up in the air; look right down; stay up there; stand and stare
(a) Read how these expressions are used in the poem.
(b) In pairs, make sentences using these expressions. Discuss with your teacher and then write in your notebooks.
Answer: Here are the explanations and sentences:

(a) Here is what these expressions mean in the poem:
* up in the air: Talking about the kites floating high above us.
* look right down: Showing how a child imagines looking down from the sky.
* stay up there: Wanting to float high and enjoy the flight without coming down.
* stand and stare: Describing how people watch in surprise from the ground.

(b) Here are simple example sentences:
* Up in the air: The colorful balloons flew up in the air during the morning assembly.
* Look right down: From the tall hill, we can look right down at the houses below.
* Stay up there: The small squirrel climbed a tall branch and wanted to stay up there to eat its nut.
* Stand and stare: The magic tricks were so cool that everyone in the room could only stand and stare.
In simple words: These expressions describe being high in the sky, looking down, staying up high, and watching in surprise.

Exam Tip: Use simple everyday subjects like 'balloons', 'hills', and 'magicians' to build clear sentences with idioms and phrases.

Let Us Listen

Question. Listen about the Kite Festival in India. As you listen, circle the words that are not correct. Then, listen again and write the correct words. (refer to page 163 for transcript)
Answer: Here are the corrected facts about the Kite Festival:

(a) Incorrect: June | Correct: January
(b) Incorrect: Eastern | Correct: Western
(c) Incorrect: Maharashtra | Correct: Rajasthan
(d) This sentence is correct.
(e) This sentence is correct.
(f) This sentence is correct.
(g) Incorrect: Earth Day | Correct: Independence Day
In simple words: The correct facts are that the Kite Festival is in January (Western India), is celebrated in Rajasthan, and is also enjoyed on Independence Day.

Exam Tip: Listening tests check your ability to spot small errors. Focus on months, directions, and names of holidays while listening.

Let Us Speak

Question. Share a kite-flying experience with your classmates. If you have not flown a kite yet, share an experience of watching kites fly. Give details— Where? When? Why? How? Speak in complete sentences.
Answer: Here is my personal experience of flying a kite:

My Kite-Flying Experience

* Where: I was at my grandparents' home in a quiet town in Gujarat. Their house has a huge, open rooftop which is perfect for flying kites.
* When: We started early in the morning during Makar Sankranti, a winter festival celebrated in January.
* Why: We celebrated because it is an old Indian tradition. It was a wonderful way for our family to get together and enjoy the sunny, windy weather outdoors.
* How: We bought colorful kites and strong strings the day before. Up on the terrace, my uncle showed me how to hold the string. I launched a bright yellow kite with a long tail, and it flew beautifully! We had friendly matches with neighbors, and the sky looked magical with so many colors. It was a super exciting day!
In simple words: This is a story about flying a yellow kite on a windy January festival from a Gujarat rooftop with cousins.

Exam Tip: Structure personal experience speeches using clear 'Where', 'When', 'Why', and 'How' headings to tell a complete story.

Let Us Write

Question 1. Imagine yourself as a kite. In pairs, first discuss all the following hints.
• What shape of kite are you? What colours do you have? What other parts of yourself are you happy about?
• Where are you? Who do you belong to? What activities do you do? Who are your friends?
• Do you have any message for humans?
Answer: Here are my answers based on the hints:

* My Shape and Colors: I am a bright diamond-shaped kite. I have colorful rainbow stripes of red, yellow, green, and blue. I am proud of my strong spine and long paper tail that waves beautifully in the wind.
* Where I live and what I do: I belong to a sweet boy who flies me in the local park. I love floating high in the blue sky. My friends are the passing birds and other colorful kites, and we enjoy dancing together in the wind.
* My Message for Humans: I want to tell humans to look up and enjoy the beautiful sky. Don't worry too much! Enjoy simple things like fresh air, run in the parks, and keep your hearts happy and free.
In simple words: Pretending to be a rainbow-colored kite, I love floating with birds and telling humans to enjoy the beautiful sky.

Exam Tip: Use first-person language ('I am', 'my tail') to write an imaginative roleplay response.

Question 2. Now, write a paragraph of about 100 words, with the title— I am a Kite.
Answer: Here is a short paragraph on the topic:

I am a Kite

I am a bright, diamond-shaped kite with beautiful rainbow colors of red, orange, yellow, and blue. I have a long, flowing tail that dances gracefully in the wind. I belong to a happy young boy who loves to fly me high above the green fields on sunny days. Up in the sky, I glide, swoop, and play with my friends, who are the nearby birds and other colorful kites. As I float near the clouds, I look down at humans and remind them to enjoy simple pleasures, appreciate nature, and keep their spirits happy and free.
In simple words: This is a short essay written from the perspective of a happy kite flying high, playing with birds, and looking down at the world.

Exam Tip: A good creative paragraph has a strong title, stays around 100 words, and uses active verbs like 'glide', 'swoop', and 'float'.

Let Us Explore

Question 1. The mention of kites exists in ancient Indian texts. It can be found in the poetry of the thirteenth-century Marathi saint and poet, Namadeva. In his poems or gathas, he called a kite a gudi, and there is a mention that the kites were made from kaagad (paper).
Answer: This is a wonderful historical fact! It proves that flying paper kites is a very old custom in India, going back over seven hundred years. Thirteenth-century poems by Saint Namadeva call a kite 'gudi' and say it was made of 'kaagad' (paper). This shows how long Indian families have enjoyed this fun activity.
In simple words: Kite flying is an ancient Indian hobby that is mentioned in Marathi poems from over 700 years ago.

Exam Tip: Memorize historical terms like 'gudi' (kite) and 'kaagad' (paper) from Marathi poetry to use in literature questions.

Question 2. Have a look at some of the different types of kites. Choose which one is commonly seen.
[Parafoil | Delta | Rokkaku | Diamond-shaped kite | Box kites]
(a) Find out the steps to make a kite.
(b) Follow the steps and create your own kite. Get it to school to show your teacher and classmates.
(c) Write a message on the kite. For example: Happy Independence Day!
Answer: The Diamond-shaped kite is the most common kite we see in India.

Here are the materials and steps to make your own diamond-shaped kite:

Materials Needed:
* Two light wooden sticks (one longer, one shorter)
* A large sheet of thin paper or newspaper
* Strong string or thread
* Glue or tape, scissors, and colors for drawing

Steps to Make:
1. Make the Frame: Place the sticks in a cross shape. Tie them tightly in the middle with string so they form a right angle.
2. Cut the Cover: Place your stick frame on the paper. Cut out a diamond shape that is slightly larger than the frame.
3. Attach Paper: Fold the edges of the paper over the ends of the sticks and tape or glue them down securely.
4. Add String: Tie a long string to the top and bottom of the vertical stick to fly your kite.
5. Tail and Decorate: Glue a long paper ribbon to the bottom as a tail. Write a sweet message on it, like 'Happy Independence Day!'
In simple words: The diamond-shaped kite is the most popular type, and we can easily build one using paper, sticks, tape, and string.

Exam Tip: Follow chronological order when describing how to make things, using clear numbers (1, 2, 3...) to help readers follow your instructions easily.