NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 1 The Wit that Won Hearts (prose) — Let us do these activities before we read

Book page 1 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.

I. Select qualities of a person who uses wit from the box given below. wise · serious · clever · powerful · humorous · stubborn · courageous · observant · charming · creative · punctual · confident · energetic Now, discuss reasons for your choice of qualities.

Answer

Seven of the thirteen words describe a witty person: wise, clever, humorous, observant, charming, creative and confident.

Quality chosen	Reason
clever	Wit is quick thinking. The reply has to arrive while the moment is still alive.
humorous	Wit works through laughter. Without humour a clever remark is only an argument.
observant	A witty person notices the small thing everyone else has missed — Rama noticed that everybody yawns.
wise	Knowing when to speak, and when a joke will heal rather than hurt.
creative	Wit finds a new route to an old problem, like curing a quarrel by talking about paddy seeds.
charming	People must enjoy being corrected. Charm is what makes that possible.
confident	You need nerve to stand in a full court and risk a joke on the king.

Why the others do not fit: serious and stubborn are close to the opposite of wit — a witty mind stays light and changes direction easily. Powerful, punctual and energetic are good qualities but have nothing to do with wit; a person can be all three and still be dull. Courageous is a near miss: courage helps, but it is confidence in speech, not physical bravery, that wit actually needs.

Q2.

II. Work in pairs and answer the riddles that are given below. Share the answers with your classmates and teacher. • I can be a friend or a foe, depending on how you use me. I can bring both joy or pain. What am I? • I can be measured, but I cannot be touched. I can be spent, but I cannot be saved. What am I? • What is always in front of you but can’t be seen? • What has to be shared before you can keep it? (Note: You will find the answers of these riddles on page 16.)

Answer

Riddle	Answer	How the clues fit
Friend or foe; joy or pain	Words	The same word can comfort or wound. Nothing else in the story matters more — the whole quarrel begins over a poem, which is only words.
Measured, not touched; spent, not saved	Time	We measure it in hours, but no hand can hold it; we “spend” it whether we want to or not, and none of it can be put away for later.
Always in front of you but can’t be seen	The future	It lies ahead of every person at every moment, yet nobody has ever looked at it.
Shared before you can keep it	A secret	Somebody must tell it to you before you can be the one keeping it.

Tip: A riddle is solved by refusing the first, literal meaning of a word. “Spent” makes you think of money; the answer comes only when you allow spend to mean “use up”. That is exactly the habit of mind this whole unit is about.

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