NCERT Solutions for Class 4th The World Around Us Chapter 1 Helping Hands in the Community — Activity 3

Book page 7–8 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
Identify the people who help in maintaining your locality. What are their occupations?
Answer

Many people look after our locality. Each one has a different occupation — that is, a different kind of work.

Who I see in my localityOccupationWhat they do for us
The person who sweeps our lane every morningSweeperSweeps the road and empties the dustbins.
The person who looks after the park plantsGardenerPlants saplings, waters them and trims the hedges.
The person who climbs up to the street lightElectricianMends the street lights, wires and switches.
The person who builds and mends wallsMasonLays bricks and cement, and repairs broken walls.
The person who makes benches, doors and gatesCarpenterCuts and joins wood.
The person who mends the tap and the handpumpPlumberRepairs taps, pipes and the water line.
The person who brings letters to our doorPostmanDelivers letters and parcels.
The person in uniform at the cornerPoliceKeeps the area safe and controls the traffic.
The person at the health centreDoctor / NurseTreats people when they are ill.
The person at the corner shopShopkeeperSells food, clothes and things we need daily.

How to find out: walk around your lane with an elder, greet these people, ask their name and what work they do, and notice the tool each one carries. The tool often tells you the occupation.

Why this matters: In the story, Sameer, Babita and Noor helped with the park even though it was not their job. Some people look after our locality as their work, and others do it out of care. A locality needs both.
Q2.
Look at the table below. List different kinds of work required for developing and maintaining the park. Also, mention the material, tools and skills required. An example is given here.
People at workOccupationWhat they doMaterial/Tool
A man kneeling on the ground and laying a row of bricks, with a tray of cement beside himMasonMending walls using bricks and cement.
Trowel
A man sitting on the ground, cutting a plank of wood; the frame of a bench stands next to him________________
________
A woman bending over a flower bed and pouring water on the plants________________
________
A person in a uniform sweeping a path with a long broom________________
________
A woman standing on a raised platform and working on a street lamp, with a tool box below________________
________
Answer

Look at the tool in the last column first — it tells you the occupation. A saw belongs to a carpenter, a watering can to a gardener, a broom to a sweeper and a pair of pliers to an electrician.

Sample answer: the filled parts are in bold.

People at workOccupationWhat they doMaterial/Tool
A man kneeling on the ground and laying a row of bricks, with a tray of cement beside himMasonMending walls using bricks and cement.
Trowel
A man sitting on the ground, cutting a plank of wood; the frame of a bench stands next to himCarpenterMaking and mending the benches and gates with wood.
Saw; also wood and nails
A woman bending over a flower bed and pouring water on the plantsGardenerPlanting saplings and watering the plants.
Watering can; also saplings and soil
A person in a uniform sweeping a path with a long broomSweeperSweeping the paths and clearing the litter.
Broom; also a dustbin
A woman standing on a raised platform and working on a street lamp, with a tool box belowElectricianRepairing the street light and its wires.
Pliers; also wire and a bulb

All five kinds of work are needed to develop and maintain a park: building and mending walls, making benches, planting and watering, sweeping, and repairing the lights.

Why it happens: Every job needs its own skill and its own tool. The park in the story became ready only because Sameer brought wood and nails for the benches, Babita mended the street light, and Noor brought saplings from her plant nursery.
Q3.
Find out from your family members or neighbours about their work. What questions would you ask them? Here are some examples: (a) What do you like the most about your work? (b) What types of tools or things do you use? (c) What challenges do you face?
Answer

Do this:

  1. Choose one person at home or next door. Ask politely when they are free.
  2. Keep your questions short. Write the answers in a notebook in a few words.
  3. Ask one extra question about anything that surprises you.
  4. Say thank you at the end, and read your notes out to the class.

Questions I would ask (the book's three, and a few more):

  • What do you like the most about your work?
  • What types of tools or things do you use?
  • What challenges do you face?
  • Who taught you this work?
  • At what time do you start and finish?
  • How does your work help other people in our locality?
  • What should I learn if I want to do this work one day?

Sample answer:

My questionWhat my aunt, a tailor, said
What do you like the most about your work?"I like it when a child wears the dress I have stitched and smiles."
What types of tools or things do you use?"A sewing machine, scissors, a measuring tape, chalk, pins and thread."
What challenges do you face?"Before a festival there is too much work and very little time, and my eyes hurt at night."
Who taught you this work?"My mother taught me when I was fourteen."
How does your work help our locality?"People get their clothes stitched and mended close to home, so they do not have to go to town."
Why we ask: Asking questions is the simplest way to learn about the work that keeps our community running. It also shows the worker that we value what they do.
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