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NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 1 The Wit that Won Hearts (prose) — Let us explore

Book page 16 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
I. Limericks are poems in five lines that have a twist in the last line. Read and enjoy the following limericks and create one on your own. Raju flew his kite in the sky so wide, It soared with grace, full of pride. But a crow came along, Singing its song, And now it’s the crow on a joyride!
Answer

The rules of the form, taken from the example:

  • Five lines, rhyming A A B B A — here wide / pride / along / song / joyride.
  • Lines 1, 2 and 5 are long; lines 3 and 4 are short. Read the model aloud and you can hear the two short lines speed up.
  • Line 1 introduces a person and a situation; lines 3–4 bring in the complication; line 5 delivers the twist.
  • The tone is light. A limerick is never sad.
Sample answer

A poet in Hampi, quite pleased with his rhyme,
Read it out to his friends one whole time.
  They yawned, every one —
  He thought he had won,
And read it again, which was the crime!

Try This: Write yours in this order — pick the last line first, because the joke has to arrive there, then work backwards to find a rhyme for it. That is how most limericks are actually made.
Q2.
II. Go to the library and read a story of your choice. Share its theme and the interesting parts of the story with your classmates and teacher.
Answer

Method. Choose one story, and when you share it cover exactly three things — the theme in one sentence, the two or three moments that made you keep reading, and one line you would quote. Do not retell the plot from beginning to end; your classmates want a reason to read it, not a substitute for reading it.

Sample answer: I read Gopal the Jester and the Fish from a collection of Bengali folktales. The theme is that a clever person can obey an order exactly and still defeat it. The Maharaja, tired of Gopal, forbids him to enter the court “dressed as he usually is”; Gopal arrives in a fisherman’s clothes carrying a large fish, and cannot be turned away. The most enjoyable part is the moment the courtiers realise the order they helped write has been kept word for word. My favourite line is the Maharaja’s: “I should have chosen my words as carefully as he chose his fish.”
Q3.
III. You must have read stories of wit, humour, and wisdom in your own language or English. Make a list of these stories that you have read on a chart paper. Each student should read at least one new story from the list.
Answer

Method. Make the chart a table rather than a list, so that a classmate can choose a story from it. Four columns work best.

StoryWhere it comes fromThe witty characterWhy it is worth reading
The Wit that Won HeartsVijayanagara, Telugu traditionTenali RamaA quarrel cured by a joke about yawning
Gopal Bhar and the MaharajaBengalGopal the jesterOrders obeyed so exactly that they collapse
Birbal and the Pot of RiceMughal court talesBirbalA test of common sense that a whole court fails
The Blue Jackal (Panchatantra)Sanskrit, Panchatantrathe jackal himselfCleverness without honesty does not last
Vikram and BetalSanskrit, Betal PachisiBetalEvery tale ends in a riddle the king must answer
Mullah Nasruddin Rides His DonkeyPersian / Central AsianMullah NasruddinVery short, and each one turns on a single idea
Tip: Add a fifth column headed “Read by” and let each student sign against the new story they take up. The chart then does the work of a reading register as well.
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