NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 3 (Binomials and Phrasal Verbs)My Brother's Great Invention — Let us learn

Book page 102 & 103 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.

II 1. Match the words in Column 1 with the correct pairs in Column 2 to make binomials. Column 1: (i) safe (ii) odds (iii) make (iv) pros (v) now (vi) give — Conjunction: and / or — Column 2: A. break B. cons C. never D. take E. sound F. ends

Answer

Column 1	Conjunction	Column 2	The binomial	What it means
(i) safe	and	E. sound	safe and sound	Unhurt, having come through safely
(ii) odds	and	F. ends	odds and ends	Small leftover things of no great value
(iii) make	or	A. break	make or break	Something that will bring either great success or complete failure
(iv) pros	and	B. cons	pros and cons	The points for and against something
(v) now	or	C. never	now or never	The last chance; act at once or lose it
(vi) give	and	D. take	give and take	Mutual adjustment; each side yielding a little

Why it happens: A binomial is a fixed pair. The order can never be reversed — nobody says 'sound and safe' or 'cons and pros'. Notice the rule of the conjunction: when the two words point the same way (safe/sound, odds/ends, give/take, pros/cons as a single set of considerations) the joiner is and; when they are alternatives that exclude each other (make/break, now/never) the joiner is or.

Q2.

II 2. Complete the following sentences with suitable binomials from 1. (i) This project will be a ______________ moment for our team's success. (ii) After a long journey, we were relieved to arrive home ______________. (iii) Every friendship works well when there is a balance of ______________. (iv) She organised all the ______________ in the cupboard, to make space for new clothes. (v) Before making a decision, it is important to weigh the ______________ carefully. (vi) This is our final chance to perform on stage, it is ______________.

Answer

(i) This project will be a make-or-break moment for our team's success.
(ii) After a long journey, we were relieved to arrive home safe and sound.
(iii) Every friendship works well when there is a balance of give and take.
(iv) She organised all the odds and ends in the cupboard, to make space for new clothes.
(v) Before making a decision, it is important to weigh the pros and cons carefully.
(vi) This is our final chance to perform on stage, it is now or never.

Tip: When a binomial comes before a noun and describes it, it is usually hyphenated — 'a make-or-break moment', 'a give-and-take arrangement'. Standing on its own after the verb, it needs no hyphens: 'we arrived safe and sound'.

Q3.

II 3. Complete the paragraph by using the phrasal verbs given in the box below (tripped off, let up, turned out, ran out of, rigged up). 'It had been raining and we (i) ___________ time to set up for the function, so we quickly (ii) ___________ some decorations using whatever materials we had. We accidentally (iii) ___________ the fire alarm because of the smoke from the bonfire. Thankfully, the rain (iv) ___________ just as the guests were arriving, and despite all the chaos, the function (v) ___________ to be a huge success.'

Answer

It had been raining and we (i) ran out of time to set up for the function, so we quickly (ii) rigged up some decorations using whatever materials we had. We accidentally (iii) tripped off the fire alarm because of the smoke from the bonfire. Thankfully, the rain (iv) let up just as the guests were arriving, and despite all the chaos, the function (v) turned out to be a huge success.

Phrasal verb	Meaning	A fresh sentence of your own
run out of	to have no more of something left	We ran out of chalk halfway through the class.
rig up	to put something together quickly out of whatever is at hand	Anand rigged up a burglar alarm with a bell and a water bag.
trip off	to set an alarm or a switch going, usually by accident	The steam from the kettle tripped off the smoke detector.
let up	to become less strong; to stop for a while	The rain did not let up until midnight.
turn out	to prove to be, in the end	The shortcut turned out to be longer than the main road.

Why it happens: A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word (a particle) whose combined meaning cannot be guessed from the parts — 'let' plus 'up' has nothing to do with allowing or with height. Two of these come straight from the story: Anand 'rigged up' the alarm, and the alarm was 'tripped off' by the opening door.

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