NCERT Solutions for Class 4th English Chapter 6 B. Think and discuss. — Let us Think
Book page 58 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
You may have seen people with blindness walking with a white cane. Why is the cane always white-coloured?The picture printed beside question 1 on page 58: a man wearing dark glasses walks along a road. He holds a long, thin white stick and taps the ground ahead of him with it.
Answer
Because white is the colour that is seen most easily from far away, and even in dim light.
Three reasons, in order:
It can be seen from a distance. A white stick stands out against a grey road, brown mud or green grass. A driver notices it long before he reaches the person.
It can be seen at night. White throws back the light of headlamps and streetlights. A brown or black cane would disappear in the dark.
It is a signal that everyone knows. All over the world, a white cane means: this person is finding the way by touch and by sound. Seeing it, drivers slow down and other people make way or offer help.
Why the cane itself is needed: The cane is swung gently from side to side just ahead of the feet. It touches a step, a stone, a pit or a wall before the foot does. So the cane tells the walker what is coming, the way a finger tells a Braille reader what is on the page.
Sample answer (for the discussion): The cane is white so that everybody can see it easily, even from far away and even at night. When people see a white cane they know that the person cannot see, so they slow down and give way. White is the safest colour for this.
Did you know? Many white canes have a strip near the bottom that shines brightly when a light falls on it. That makes the cane even easier to spot after dark.
Q2.
Imagine that the world becomes dark for a day and there is no light. What difficulties might one face on such a day?
Answer
This is a “think and discuss” question, so talk about it with your friends first. Give three or four real difficulties, and then say what would help.
Difficulties one might face:
Moving about. You would bump into tables, doors and steps. Going down a staircase would be frightening.
Finding things. Your bag, your shoes, your plate — you would have to hunt for each one by feeling around.
Reading and writing. No book, no blackboard, no notice could be read. School work would stop.
Roads and traffic. Drivers could not see the road or each other. Buses and trains would have to stop.
Work at home. Cooking on a fire, cutting vegetables or filling water would become risky.
Knowing who is there. You could not tell who had come into the room until the person spoke.
What would help on such a day: going slowly, keeping one hand on the wall, calling out and listening for answers, feeling the shape of things, and keeping everything in its fixed place.
Sample answer: If the world became dark for a day, I would not be able to see anything at all. I would knock into chairs and doors while walking. I could not read my book or write in my notebook. I would have to find my things by touch and listen carefully to know who was near me. I would go very slowly and keep one hand on the wall.
What this teaches us: For one day it would be hard for us. People with blindness manage all of this every day — and they manage it well, with a white cane, with Braille books, by remembering where things are kept, and by using their ears and hands. That is why we should never move a blind person’s things without telling them.