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NCERT Solutions for Class 4th English Chapter 4 A. Guess the following riddles. — Let us Do

Book page 41 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
A. Guess the following riddles.
1. Thirty white horses
On a red hill
Now they chomp
Now they stomp
Now they stand still
Answer

The answer is teeth (your teeth in your mouth).

Line of the riddleWhat it really means
Thirty white horsesyour white teeth, standing in a row
On a red hillthe red gums they stand in
Now they chompthe teeth bite and chew your food
Now they stompthe upper and lower teeth bang together
Now they stand stillwhen you stop eating, the teeth are still
How a riddle works: It gives you a picture in words. Your job is to find the real thing that fits every line. White things standing in a row on something red, that bite and then keep quiet — only teeth fit all five lines.
Careful — the picture is a trick: The book prints a real white horse beside this riddle. That is only a picture of the words. The answer is not a horse.
Did you know? A grown-up person has 32 teeth, not 30. This riddle is very old, and it counts a round thirty to make the line sound nice.
Q2.
A. Guess the following riddles.
2. Tall lady
In a white frock,
With a yellow face,
And a red nose.
The longer she stands,
The shorter she grows.
Answer

The answer is a candle.

Line of the riddleWhat it really means
Tall lady in a white frockthe tall white wax of the candle
With a yellow facethe yellow flame on top
And a red nosethe red-hot tip of the burning wick
The longer she stands, the shorter she growsthe longer it burns, the smaller the candle gets
Why the last two lines give it away: Almost everything in the world grows taller with time, or stays the same. Only a thing that is being used up gets shorter the longer it is there. A burning candle does exactly that — its wax melts away.
Careful — the picture is a trick again: The book prints a lady in a long white gown beside this riddle. The riddle only calls the candle a lady. The answer is the candle.
Tip for solving riddles: Read the last line first. It usually carries the biggest clue.
Q3.
A. Guess the following riddles.
3. Hard and brown outside
Soft and white inside
Who am I?
Answer

The answer is a coconut.

  • Hard and brown outside — the coconut’s shell is hard, rough and brown.
  • Soft and white inside — break the shell and you find soft white flesh, with sweet water in it.
Why the shell is so hard: The white part inside is the food for the new coconut plant. The hard brown shell is its box. It keeps the soft food safe when the coconut falls from a tall tree.
Other answers people give: Some children say an egg or an almond. An egg is white outside, not brown, so it does not fit. An almond is brown and hard, but its inside is cream, not white and soft. The coconut fits both lines best.
Try this: Make your own riddle in the same shape. Take any fruit. Write one line about its outside and one line about its inside, and end with “Who am I?”
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