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NCERT Solutions for Class 5th English Chapter 3 A. Types of boats · B. Human-made and natural things — Let us Explore

Book page 40 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
Make a list of different types of boats. Collect pictures and information about the listed types of boats. Make a presentation to depict the differences among them.
Answer

How to do this project, step by step:

  1. Make your list first. Write down eight to ten kinds of boats. Do not start collecting pictures before you have the list.
  2. Decide what to compare. Three questions are enough: What is it made of? Who uses it, and where? How does it move — oars, sail, pole or engine?
  3. Collect pictures. Cut them from old newspapers and magazines, or draw them yourself. A neat drawing is as good as a photo.
  4. Write two lines under each picture — the name of the boat and one interesting fact.
  5. Arrange them on a chart paper in some sensible order: smallest first, or river boats first and sea boats last.
  6. Present it. Hold the chart up and speak for two minutes. Point at each picture as you talk about it.

Sample answer — a list of ten boats:

BoatWhere it is usedWhat makes it different
Rowing boatRivers and lakes, all over IndiaSmall and wooden. Moved by two oars.
Coracle (parisal, harigolu)Kaveri and Tungabhadra riversRound like a big basket. Spins as it moves. Made of bamboo and covered to keep water out.
ShikaraDal Lake, SrinagarLong and narrow, with a canopy and cushions. Pushed with a heart-shaped paddle.
KettuvallamKerala backwatersA houseboat. Once carried rice; now it carries visitors, and people sleep on board.
CatamaranSea coasts of Tamil NaduLogs tied side by side. The word comes from Tamil — kattu maram, tied wood.
Fishing trawlerOpen seaHas an engine and big nets. Stays out for days.
Sailing boatSeas and large lakesHas a cloth sail. Uses the wind instead of an engine.
FerryWide rivers and harboursCarries many people, and sometimes cars, from one bank to the other.
Bamboo raftHill streams and the GangaFlat, with no sides. Pushed along with a long pole.
SpeedboatHarbours and tourist spotsSmall, with a powerful engine. Very fast, and noisy.
What to point out in your presentation: The three big differences are what it is made of (wood, bamboo, fibreglass, steel), how it moves (oar, pole, paddle, sail, engine) and what it carries (people, fish, rice, tourists). If you cover those three, you have really compared the boats and not just named them.
Link back to the poem: The poem separates boats from ships. A boat is small enough for a river; a ship is big enough for the sea. Say that at the start of your presentation and everything else falls into place.
Q2.
Split the class into two groups. One group can talk about human-made things like ships and bridges. While the other discusses natural things like clouds and rainbows. Let them share their thoughts!
Answer

What the two groups are for: Human-made things are things people build. Natural things are already there in the world — nobody built them. The poem itself puts one of each side by side, so the class is doing exactly what the poet does.

How to run it:

  1. Split into two groups. Group 1 takes human-made things, Group 2 takes natural things.
  2. Each group makes a list of ten things in five minutes.
  3. Each group then agrees on three points to say about their side.
  4. Group 1 speaks first, then Group 2. Nobody interrupts.
  5. At the end, the whole class talks about what the two lists have in common.
Human-made thingsNatural things
ships, boats, bridgesclouds, rainbows, rivers
roads, railway lines, tunnelsseas, mountains, waterfalls
houses, schools, templestrees, flowers, forests
aeroplanes, cars, cyclesbirds, fish, animals
dams and canalsrain, wind, sunlight
lamps and electric lightsthe sun, the moon, the stars

Sample answer — what Group 1 might say (human-made things): Human-made things are useful because they solve a problem. A bridge lets us cross a river that we could never cross before. A ship carries thousands of tonnes of goods from one country to another. These things last for years, and we can repair them when they break. We can also build them exactly where we need them. Best of all, they were made by ordinary people using their hands and their minds — and that is something to be proud of.

Sample answer — what Group 2 might say (natural things): Natural things are free, and they belong to everybody. Nobody has to pay to look at a rainbow. Nature is also far bigger than anything we can build — the sea is deeper than any tank and the sky is wider than any roof. And natural things look after us. Clouds bring the rain that fills our wells; trees give us air to breathe and shade to sit in. That is why the poet says the rainbow is prettier far than the bridge.

What the class should agree on at the end: The two sides are not enemies. Every human-made thing is built out of natural things — a bridge is made of stone, sand and iron, all taken from the earth. So we should build what we need, and take care of the natural world we build it from.
A good closing question for the class: Is a field of wheat natural or human-made? It grows out of the soil like any plant, but a farmer ploughed, sowed and watered it. Answers like this one, which sit in between, make the best discussions.
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