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NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 5 My Dear Soldiers (poem by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam) — Let us do these activities before we read

Book page 199 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Look around and identify the people who contribute to your life selflessly with a risk to their own lives. Share your answers with your classmates and the teacher.
Answer

Look for people whose work puts them in danger so that you are safe.

WhoThe risk they take for us
Soldiers of the Armed ForcesGuard borders in snow, desert and sea, away from their families
Police personnelFace armed criminals and control crowds so that streets stay safe
FirefightersEnter burning buildings that everyone else is running out of
Doctors, nurses and ambulance staffTreat infectious patients — as they did through the COVID-19 pandemic
Sanitation workersHandle waste and enter drains so that our neighbourhoods do not fall ill
NDRF and rescue teamsWork in collapsed buildings and flooded villages
Electric linemen and railway gangmenRepair live wires and tracks in storms and at night
Farmers and fishermenWork in extreme heat and go out to sea in uncertain weather to feed us
Sample answer: “The person I thought of first is not a soldier. It is the lineman in our colony. Last monsoon he climbed a pole in the rain at eleven at night so that the whole lane got its lights back. Nobody clapped for him.”
Q2.
Work in pairs. Discuss at least three questions that you would like to ask the people identified in I.
Answer

Frame questions that ask about feelings and experience, not just facts — those get the interesting answers.

  1. “What made you choose this work, and did your family agree at first?”
  2. “Can you tell us about the day you were most afraid, and what you did with that fear?”
  3. “What is the one thing people misunderstand about your job?”
  4. “What is the hardest part of your day — and the part you enjoy most?”
  5. “What do you want school students like us to do, or to stop doing, to make your work easier?”
Interview tip: begin by introducing yourself and asking permission. Write the answers down in the speaker's own words — a real sentence from a real person is worth more than a page of your own.
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