NCERT Solutions for Class 7th English Chapter 1 The Day the River Spoke (Kamala Nair) — Let us learn (Crossword and Prepositions)
Book page 10–12 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
Solve the crossword puzzle based on words related to water transport.
The crossword grid on page 10, with the letters already printed in it.
Across — 1. a large vessel used for transporting goods or passengers by sea; 2. a small vessel for travelling on water, typically propelled by oars, sails, or an engine; 3. a flat floating structure for travelling across water; 4. a boat or ship driven by steam. Down — 5. a small, light, narrow boat, pointed at both ends and moved using a paddle; 6. a boat with a powerful engine which can change direction easily and is used to pull large ships into and out of port; 7. a boat with sails and sometimes an engine, used for either racing or travelling for pleasure, rhymes with ‘cot'.
Answer
The letters already printed in the grid (S, C, T, U, G, Y, O, T, B, R, H, T, M, E, R) fix every answer:
No.
Direction
Clue in short
Answer
1
Across
large sea vessel for goods or passengers
SHIP
2
Across
small vessel rowed, sailed or driven by an engine
BOAT
3
Across
flat floating structure
RAFT
4
Across
ship driven by steam
STEAMER
5
Down
narrow paddled boat, pointed at both ends
CANOE
6
Down
powerful little boat that pulls big ships into port
TUGBOAT
7
Down
sailing boat for racing or pleasure, rhymes with ‘cot'
YACHT
Check it yourself: The printed letters confirm each word — C at the top of 5 Down and the O further down give CANOE; T-U-G-B reading downwards gives TUGBOAT; the Y…H, T column gives YACHT; and M, E, R at the end of 4 Across gives STEAMER.
Tip: ‘Yacht' is spelt with a silent ch — the clue tells you it rhymes with ‘cot' so that you do not try to write ‘yat'.
Q2.
Read the highlighted words in the following lines from the text: “She goes down towards the sea. I've seen her; she always takes the same way—over the mountains and down to the sea, like me!” Now, fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions given within the brackets. Jahnavi takes the River's advice and goes to school. On her first day 1. ______ (at/in/on) school, Jahnavi stood nervously 2. ______ (in/outside/above) the gate, clutching her bag close to her. The bell rang and she hurried 3. ______ (outside/through/inside) the bustling classroom. She found a seat 4. ______ (among/between/from) two friendly classmates. The teacher greeted them warmly and started the lesson 5. ______ (about/in/for) numbers. Jahnavi listened attentively, feeling excited 6. ______ (at/about/for) the new adventure ahead.
Answer
Blank
Preposition
Why
1
at
We say “her first day at school” — at is used for a place seen as an institution.
2
outside
She has not gone in yet; she is standing on the other side of the gate.
3
inside
She moves from outside the room to within it.
4
between
Between is used for exactly two; among for three or more.
5
about
A lesson is about its subject.
6
about
We are excited about a thing that is going to happen.
Why it happens: A preposition is always followed by an object — a noun or pronoun. In “over the mountains”, the mountains is the object, so over is a preposition. In “She rang me up”, nothing follows up, so there it is an adverb telling us more about the verb.
Q3.
Fill in the blank with a preposition or an adverb: The cat jumped ___________ the table. (preposition)
Answer
onto — “The cat jumped onto the table.”
Onto is followed by the object the table, so it is a preposition. (on or off would also work, depending on where the cat began.)
Q4.
Fill in the blank with a preposition or an adverb: The children played ___________ until dark. (adverb)
Answer
outside — “The children played outside until dark.”
Nothing follows outside here; it simply tells us where they played, so it is an adverb. (outdoors works equally well.)
Q5.
Fill in the blank with a preposition or an adverb: She quickly ran ___________ the park. (preposition)
Answer
through — “She quickly ran through the park.”
The park is the object of through, so it is a preposition. (across, towards or around would also be correct prepositions here.)
Q6.
Fill in the blank with a preposition or an adverb: The helicopter was hovering ___________. (adverb)
Answer
above — “The helicopter was hovering above.”
No noun follows it, so above is being used as an adverb. (overhead is just as good.)
Tip: The same word changes class with the company it keeps: “hovering above” = adverb; “hovering above the field” = preposition.
Q7.
Fill in the blank with a preposition or an adverb: We were just walking ___________, chatting. (adverb)
Answer
along — “We were just walking along, chatting.”
Along stands alone and describes how the walking went on, so it is an adverb.
Q8.
Fill in the blank with a preposition or an adverb: After thoroughly wiping his shoes, he stepped ___________. (adverb)
Answer
in — “After thoroughly wiping his shoes, he stepped in.”
In has no object after it, so it is an adverb. (inside is also correct.)
Q9.
Fill in the blank with a preposition or an adverb: She drove slowly ___________ the sharp curve. (preposition)
Answer
around — “She drove slowly around the sharp curve.”
The sharp curve is the object, so around is a preposition. (round is the same word in British usage.)
Q10.
Fill in the blank with a preposition or an adverb: He placed the keys ___________ the mat before leaving. (preposition)
Answer
under — “He placed the keys under the mat before leaving.”
The mat is the object of under, so it is a preposition showing position.
Check it yourself: In every sentence marked ‘preposition' you can point to the noun that follows; in every one marked ‘adverb' you cannot.