NCERT Solutions for Class 4th English Chapter 4 One Thing at a Time
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
Stanza 1 — one thing at a time. “Work while you work, / Play while you play; / To be useful and happy, / That is the way.” Do not mix the two. That is how you become useful and happy. Stanza 2 — do it fully. “All that you do, / Do with all your might; / Things done by halves, / Are never done right.” A half-finished job is never a good job. Put your full strength into it. Stanza 3 — the good rule. “One thing at a time, / And that done well; / Is a very good rule, / As many can tell.” Many people have tried this rule and found that it works. Stanza 4 — do not waste time. “Moments should never, / Be trifled away; / So, work while you work, / And play while you play.” Small bits of time should not be thrown away. The poem ends with the same line it began with. The rest of the chapter. Let us
- One Thing at a Time (poem)
- A. Answer the following.
- B. Think and discuss.
- A. Match the words with their meanings.
- Describe what everyone is doing in the picture
- The case of missing ‘l’
- Write down your daily routine; then write it as a paragraph
- A. Guess the following riddles.
- B. Draw or paste the activities you enjoy in the holidays
Quick revision
| Word | What it means | Where it comes in the chapter | A sentence of your own |
|---|---|---|---|
| might | Strength or power. | “Do with all your might;” (page 35) | I pushed the heavy gate with all my might. |
| useful | Helpful or beneficial. | “To be useful and happy,” (page 35) | A torch is very useful when the lights go off. |
| moments | Short periods of time. | “Moments should never, / Be trifled away;” (page 35) | I waited for a few moments outside the office. |
| trifled away | Wasted on small, silly things. | “Be trifled away;” (page 35) | Do not trifle away the whole Sunday. |
| halves | The two equal parts of one thing. | “Things done by halves,” (page 35) | Amma cut the mango into two halves. |
| focus | To put your whole mind on one thing. | “Why is it important to focus on doing one thing at a time?” (page 36) | I focus on my sums and finish them quickly. |
| calm | Quiet inside, not worried or in a hurry. | “help you stay calm and focused?” (page 36) | Slow, deep breathing keeps me calm. |
| rhyme | Words that end with the same sound. | “words that rhyme in the poem” (page 36) | ‘Cat’ and ‘hat’ rhyme with each other. |
| routine | The set of things you do every day, in order. | “Write down your daily routine” (page 39) | My morning routine starts at six o’clock. |
| recess | The break time in the middle of the school day. | “I have ...... periods before recess.” (page 40) | We play kho-kho in the field during recess. |
| riddle | A puzzle question that hides its answer in a picture of words. | “Guess the following riddles.” (page 41) | My uncle asked me a riddle about the moon. |
| chomp | To bite and chew loudly. | “Now they chomp” (page 41) | The horse chomps the fresh green grass. |
Exercises
- One Thing at a Time (poem) — Let us Recite Page 35
- A. Answer the following. — Let us Think Page 36
- B. Think and discuss. — Let us Think Page 36
- A. Match the words with their meanings. — Let us Learn Page 36–37
- Describe what everyone is doing in the picture — Let us Speak Page 37–38
- The case of missing ‘l’ — Let us Listen Page 38–39
- Write down your daily routine; then write it as a paragraph — Let us Write Page 39–40
- A. Guess the following riddles. — Let us Do Page 41
- B. Draw or paste the activities you enjoy in the holidays — Let us Do Page 42