NCERT Solutions for Class 6th English Chapter 5 The Kites — Let us learn
Book page 146 to 148 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
Look at the picture of the kite and read what some of its parts are named. The labelled kite on page 146 — nose, spine, cover, kite line, tail and reel. Now, complete the given conversation by filling the blanks with some ‘parts of a kite’ from above. Bina: I like the long t _ _ _ at the end of my kite. What is your kite like? Saroj: My kite’s c _ _ _ _ _ is bright. The s _ _ _ e is black. Bina: Oh wonderful! My kite’s l _ _ _ is attached to the r _ _ l that wraps it. I really like it. Saroj: Did you know that the tip of a kite is called a _ _ s _?
Answer
The labelled picture on page 146 names six parts. Here is what each one is, and then the completed conversation.
Part
Where it is on the kite
Nose
The pointed tip at the very top.
Spine
The stick that runs down the middle, from nose to bottom.
Cover
The coloured paper or cloth stretched over the sticks.
Kite line
The thread that joins the kite to your hand.
Tail
The strip that hangs from the bottom and keeps the kite steady.
Reel
The spool on which the line is wound.
The completed conversation:
Bina: I like the long tail at the end of my kite. What is your kite like?
Saroj: My kite's cover is bright. The spine is black.
Bina: Oh wonderful! My kite's line is attached to the reel that wraps it. I really like it.
Saroj: Did you know that the tip of a kite is called a nose?
Bina: Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know. Let's go and fly our pretty kites.
Tip: Use the number of dashes as a check — t _ _ _ is four letters (tail), s _ _ _ e is five ending in e (spine), r _ _ l is four ending in l (reel), _ _ s _ is four with s third (nose).
Q2.
Let us create a poem using words in a kite! (Line 1 – the subject, one noun; Line 2 – two describing words; Line 3 – three action words; Line 4 – two words that describe the action words; Line 5 – one word with the same meaning as the subject. Example: Kite / pretty, colourful / flying, floating, soaring / quickly, happily / paper-bird.) This is called a cinquain poem… Now, create a cinquain poem yourself on anything you like.
Answer
A cinquain is a five-line poem with a fixed shape. Copy the empty kite outline on page 147 into your notebook and fill one line into each row.
River wide, restless flowing, twisting, shining quietly, endlessly stream
Why a cinquain is worth writing: Because you are allowed so few words, every word has to earn its place. The last line is the hardest — a synonym that makes the reader see the subject in a new way. ‘Paper-bird’ for ‘kite’ is a lovely example: it packs the poem's own simile into one word.
Q3.
The poet uses the word ‘fly’ and ‘drift’ to tell us about the kite’s movement. Circle the words that match with the ‘drift’ movement. You can choose more than one word: slow, fast, quick, upward, downward, round and round, float.
Answer
Circle: slow, downward, round and round, float.
To drift is to move gently, without effort, carried along by the wind or by water. So it cannot be fast or quick, and it is not a strong push upward.
Word
Matches ‘drift’?
Why
slow
Yes
Drifting is always unhurried.
fast
No
Speed is the opposite of drifting.
quick
No
Same reason — drifting has no sudden movement.
upward
No (mainly)
Rising needs a push or a lift; drifting is being carried, not lifted.
downward
Yes
A drifting leaf or kite sinks gently.
round and round
Yes
Something adrift turns lazily in circles.
float
Yes
‘Float’ is almost a synonym of ‘drift’.
In the poem: “Then I would drift upon / The paper wings” — the child does not imagine roaring through the sky. He imagines resting on the kite and being carried wherever the wind takes him. That is why ‘drift’ is exactly the right word there.
Q4.
Study some other words about the kite’s movement and share what type of movement they show. You can look at 1 for the type of movement: glide, dive, soar, swoop, circle.
Answer
Word
Type of movement
Sentence about a kite
glide
Smooth, steady, silent — moving along without flapping or effort
The kite glided across the sky without a single jerk.
dive
Fast and steeply downward, head first
The line went slack and my kite dived towards the trees.
soar
Rising high, upward, on the wind
The kite soared until it was only a dot above the water tank.
swoop
A sudden sharp rush downward, often curving up again
The kite swooped down at the rooftop and rose again.
circle
Round and round, in loops
The two kites circled each other before the thread was cut.
Group them to remember them: going up — soar; going down — dive, swoop; going along — glide, drift, float; going round — circle. Notice that ‘dive’ and ‘swoop’ are fast, while ‘glide’ and ‘drift’ are slow.
Q5.
The poet has used expressions like — up in the air; look right down; stay up there; stand and stare. 1. Read how these expressions are used in the poem. 2. In pairs, make sentences using these expressions. Discuss with your teacher and then write in your notebooks.
Answer
First find each expression in the poem, then use it in a sentence of your own.
Expression
In the poem
What it means
A sentence of my own
up in the air
“Up in the air / See the kites fly”
High above the ground
The balloons we let go on Sports Day are still up in the air.
look right down
“What fun it would be / To look right down”
To look straight downward from a height
From the top of the lighthouse we could look right down at the boats.
stay up there
From “And sail up there” — to remain high above
To remain high in the sky
If the wind holds, my kite will stay up there till evening.
stand and stare
“The people below / Would stand and stare”
To stop and go on looking in surprise
When the elephant walked into our lane, we could only stand and stare.
Tip: Do not change the words inside an expression. We say stand and stare, not ‘stand and see’; up in the air, not ‘up in the sky’. Fixed expressions must be used exactly as they are.