NCERT Solutions for Class 5th Maths Chapter 14 Manu faces the rising Sun; the Siberian Crane and the four little chicks — Finding Directions …
Book page 171 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
Manu is facing the rising Sun. That direction is ___________.
Answer
That direction is east.
The Sun rises on one side of the sky every single morning. We have given that side a name — east. So if you face the morning Sun, you are facing east.
The rising Sun always shows you east.
Why it happens: The Earth turns round and round once a day, always the same way. Because of that turning, the Sun seems to come up on the same side of the sky every morning. People long ago gave that side the name east, so that everybody could describe the same direction with the same word.
Check it yourself: Go outside early tomorrow and face the Sun. Now look for the same spot in the evening — the Sun will be behind you, going down in the west.
Q2.
His left hand is pointing in the _______ direction.
Answer
His left hand points to the north.
Do it yourself, step by step. It takes ten seconds.
Stand up and face the rising Sun. You are now facing east.
Stretch both arms out to the sides, like the boy in the picture.
Look at your left arm. It is pointing to north.
Face east: north is on your left, south is on your right, west is behind you.
Tip: On almost every map, north is drawn at the top. So if you turn your map so that north is up, the map is facing the same way as the world outside.
Q3.
His right hand is pointing in the ____________ direction.
Answer
His right hand points to the south.
Facing east Left hand → north Right hand → south Back → west
North and south are opposite directions, just as your two hands point opposite ways when you stretch your arms out.
Why it happens: The four directions are fixed in one order around you: north, east, south, west. When you face east, north must be on one side and south on the other. North is on the left, so south has to be on the right.
Remember it like this: Say N–E–S–W going clockwise, the way the hands of a clock move. Start at the top and go round: North, East, South, West.
Q4.
Which way is west?
Answer
West is behind Manu — the side away from the rising Sun.
Keep facing the rising Sun. That is east.
West is the exact opposite of east.
So west is straight behind your back. Turn round halfway and you are facing west.
Why it happens: The Sun comes up in the east and goes down in the west, on the opposite side of the sky. So the two are always back to back. If you know one, you know the other at once.
Another way to find directions: Use a compass — a small instrument with a needle that always turns to point north. Once you know north, the other three follow.
Q5.
I wonder how they find their path. (How do the Siberian Cranes that fly from Siberia to Bharatpur find their way?)
Answer
Birds do not carry a map. They use the sky and the Earth itself.
The Sun. By day many birds keep the Sun on one side of them, just as Manu found east by facing the Sun.
The stars. At night some birds fly by the pattern of the stars.
The Earth's magnetism. Scientists have found that many birds can feel which way is north, rather like a compass needle does.
Landmarks. Big rivers, coastlines and mountain ranges act as signposts, and old birds lead young ones along the same path year after year.
Did you know? The Siberian Crane flies thousands of kilometres from the freezing north of Russia to warm wetlands in India, such as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan. This long yearly journey is called migration.
Why it matters here: The chapter opens with birds for a reason. A bird finding its way and you finding your way both start with the same question — which direction am I going?