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NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 1 Rama to the Rescue — Let us do these activities before we read

Book page 20 & 21 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Identify the following people. How do they help us when we are in trouble?
Answer

The three pictures on page 20 show a police officer, a doctor and a firefighter.

PictureWho she / he isHow they help us in trouble
Woman in khaki uniform and cap, salutingPolice officerKeeps the neighbourhood safe, patrols at night, catches thieves, files our complaints, helps find lost children. Dial 100 or 112.
Woman in a white coat with a stethoscopeDoctorTreats us when we are ill or injured, gives medicines and injections, and saves lives in an emergency. Ambulance: 108 or 102.
Person in a yellow helmet holding a fire extinguisherFirefighterPuts out fires, rescues people trapped in burning buildings, and helps in floods and accidents. Dial 101 or 112.
Link to the story: The helper in this folk tale is the police officer — but in an old Tamil village he is called the kotwal, and his weapon is only a long stick.
Q2.
Choose the correct option to complete the sentence. The word ‘rescue’ means to ______. 1. make fun of someone 2. save someone 3. ask someone for help
Answer

Answer: 2. save someone

To rescue means to save a person or an animal from danger or from a difficult situation. That is why the story is called “Rama to the Rescue” — Rama the kotwal comes and saves the couple from the thief.

Your own sentence: The fire brigade rescued a kitten that was stuck on the terrace of a three-storeyed building.
Q3.
Work in pairs: Put a tick mark at the end of the phrases describing those who need to be rescued. 1. A man stuck in a building on fire. 2. A woman buying vegetables in the market. 3. A dog who has hurt its leg. 4. A tree being cut down in a forest.
Answer
PhraseTick?Why
1. A man stuck in a building on fire.✓His life is in danger right now — this is the clearest case of a rescue.
2. A woman buying vegetables in the market.✗She is doing an ordinary, safe, everyday job. There is no danger at all.
3. A dog who has hurt its leg.✓An injured animal cannot help itself. It needs to be picked up and taken to a vet.
4. A tree being cut down in a forest.✓A living tree that is being destroyed also needs saving. Movements like Chipko in Uttarakhand were exactly this — people rescuing trees.

So tick 1, 3 and 4. If your partner argues that only 1 and 3 count, because a rescue must involve a living creature in danger, that is a fair point to debate — but a tree is a living thing too, and this is why the answer here includes it.

Q4.
The policeman in the story you are about to read is called the kotwal. Some people call him thaanedar. What do you call a policeman in your language? Share it with your classmates and teacher.
Answer

Every Indian language has its own word — and often more than one, because the old words came from different ranks in the police. Ask at home and add your own to this list.

LanguageWord for a policeman
Hindiपुलिसवाला, सिपाही, थानेदार, दारोगा, हवलदार
Tamilகாவலர் (kāvalar), போலீஸ்காரர்
Teluguపోలీసు, కావలివాడు
Kannadaಪೊಲೀಸ್, ಕಾವಲುಗಾರ
Malayalamപോലീസുകാരൻ
Marathiपोलीस, हवालदार, फौजदार
Bengaliপুলিশ, দারোগা
Gujaratiપોલીસ, ફોજદાર
Punjabiਪੁਲਿਸ, ਥਾਣੇਦਾਰ
Odiaପୋଲିସ, ଦାରୋଗା
Assameseআৰক্ষী, পুলিচ
Urduسپاہی (sipahi), تھانیدار
Did you know? Kotwal comes from kot, meaning a fort — the kotwal was originally the officer in charge of a fort or a walled town. Thaanedar comes from thaana (police station), so a thaanedar is the officer in charge of a police station.
Q5.
Imagine you are alone at home and you face a problem. Will you solve the problem yourself or wait for someone to help you?
Answer

My answer: I would first try to solve it myself, and at the same time call for help if the problem is a serious one.

Small problems — a spilt glass of milk, a fused bulb in one room, a stuck door — I can handle on my own. But for anything dangerous, such as a fire, a gas leak or a stranger at the door, the right thing is not to be a hero. I would keep the door locked, telephone my parents or a neighbour, and dial 112 if it were an emergency.

What the story says: The husband and wife in “Rama to the Rescue” do exactly this. They cannot fight the thief themselves, so they think of a clever way to bring help to the house — while pretending to do nothing at all.
Q6.
How will you deal with the problem? Give a reason. (i) Be worried about the problem and give up. (ii) Feel angry that only you have the problem. (iii) Think quickly about ways to solve the problem.
Answer

Answer: (iii) Think quickly about ways to solve the problem.

Reason: Worrying (i) and getting angry (ii) change nothing — they only waste the little time you have and stop you from thinking straight. Quick, calm thinking is the only one of the three that actually gets you out of trouble.

The whole folk tale is built on this idea. The man and his wife were frightened, but instead of panicking they thought fast and invented the ‘Rama’ plan. As the last panel of the comic says, “The man and his wife by their cleverness had saved themselves from being robbed.”

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