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NCERT Solutions for Class 5th English Chapter 3 Recite two poems in three different voices — Let us Speak

Book page 31–32 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
Recite the poem given below in three ways: a. In a happy voice b. In an angry voice c. In a surprised voice
Answer

The same words can mean very different things, depending on how you say them. That is what this task teaches. Here is how to make each voice.

VoiceWhat your voice doesWhat your face and body do
a. HappyLight and quick. Your voice goes up at the end of lines. You almost sing.Smile. Eyes wide. Shoulders relaxed. Hands moving freely.
b. AngryLoud and hard. Short, sharp words. Your voice goes down and stays low.Frown. Jaw tight. Lean forward. Perhaps one hand on the hip.
c. SurprisedA small gasp first, then higher and faster. Stop suddenly in the middle of a line.Eyebrows up. Mouth open. Head pulled back a little. Hands up near your face.

How to practise, step by step:

  1. Read the poem once in your ordinary voice, so you know all the words.
  2. Pick one voice. Say only the first two lines in it, until it feels right.
  3. Now say the whole poem in that voice, without stopping.
  4. Do the same for the second and the third voice.
  5. Ask a friend to close their eyes and listen. Can they name the feeling without seeing your face? If yes, your voice is doing the work.
Why this matters: When you talk to people, only part of the meaning is in the words. The rest is in your tone — how loud, how fast, how high your voice is. “Come here” said kindly and “Come here” said angrily are the same two words and two completely different messages.
Note to remember: Do not shout for the angry voice. An angry voice can be quiet and still be frightening. Loudness is not the same as anger.
Q1.
1. Colours You have a few crayons, Red, yellow and blue. Green, purple and black, I have some too I need the red and you need the black. If we share our crayons, we have a full pack! — Santoor, Grade 3
Answer

What the poem says: Two children each have a few crayons. One has red, yellow and blue; the other has green, purple and black. Each one needs a colour the other has. So they share — and now together they have a full pack.

The idea: Sharing does not make you poorer. It makes both of you richer. Alone, each child had only a few colours. Together, they have all of them.

Reciting it in three voices:

VoiceHow to do itThe line to work hardest on
a. HappyThis is the natural voice for the poem. Say the colour names brightly, one by one, as if you are laying the crayons out on the desk. End loud and glad.“If we share our crayons, we have a full pack!”
b. AngrySay “You have a few crayons” as if you are complaining. Bite the words “I need the red”. It sounds like a quarrel over a pencil box.“I need the red and you need the black.”
c. SurprisedGasp a little at “I have some too” — as if you have only just noticed. Then say the last two lines as if the idea of sharing has just struck you.“If we share our crayons — we have a full pack!”
What you learn by doing it: The words never change, but the poem changes completely. In the happy voice it is about friendship. In the angry voice it is about a fight. In the surprised voice it is about a good idea arriving. Your voice decided which one it was.
Why this poem sits in this chapter: Unit 2 is called My Colourful World. This little poem names six colours, and the chapter’s rainbow has seven. Red, yellow, green, blue and violet (purple) are all rainbow colours.
Q2.
2. Aachoo! Once a mighty elephant, Got a mighty cold. It went to buy a handkerchief, Where handkerchiefs were sold. “A hanky for an elephant?” The sales girl was surprised, “Sorry sir but we don’t have A handkerchief that size.” “AACHOO!” said the elephant. And shook its mighty head, “Forget about the handkerchief Give me a sheet instead.” — Santoor, Grade 3
Answer

What the poem says: A huge elephant catches a huge cold. It goes to a shop to buy a handkerchief. The shop girl is astonished — no handkerchief is big enough for an elephant. So the elephant sneezes, shakes its head and asks for a bedsheet instead.

The joke: Everything about the elephant is mighty — its body, its cold, its sneeze. So an ordinary handkerchief is useless. The elephant solves the problem in one clever line: a bedsheet is simply a handkerchief of the right size for an elephant.

Reciting it in three voices:

VoiceHow to do itThe line to work hardest on
a. HappyTell it like a funny story to a friend. Bounce on the word “mighty” each time. Make the “AACHOO!” big and enjoy it.“AACHOO!” said the elephant.
b. AngryBe the elephant who is fed up. Growl the last three lines: it is unwell, it has been refused, and now it wants a sheet — at once.“Forget about the handkerchief. Give me a sheet instead.”
c. SurprisedThis poem is made for the surprised voice, because a character in it is surprised. Say “A hanky for an elephant?” with your eyebrows right up.“A hanky for an elephant?”
Recite it in pairs: One of you is the sales girl and says her two speeches. The other is the elephant and says “AACHOO!” and the last three lines. A third friend can read the rest as the storyteller. That way the poem becomes a tiny play.
Words worth noticing: mighty means very great or very powerful — it is used three times, and each time it makes the picture bigger. hanky is a short, friendly way of saying handkerchief, the way we say fridge for refrigerator.
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