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NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 2 Somebody's Mother — Let us learn

Book page 76 & 77 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
The grid given below has the antonyms of the words from the text. Locate these words in the grid horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. One example has been done for you. You may refer to a dictionary. (firm, meek, merry, kind, anxious, bent)
Answer

All six words are in the grid. The example already circled for you is STRAIGHT, the antonym of bent, along the bottom row.

Word from the textAntonym in the gridWhere to find it
firmFRAGILERow 2, reading left to right (cells 3–9): F R A G I L E
meekBOLDColumn 3, reading downwards from row 4: B O L D
merrySADColumn 8, reading downwards from row 4: S A D
kindCRUELDiagonally down-right from row 6, column 5: C R U E L
anxiousCALMColumn 1, reading downwards from row 3: C A L M
bentSTRAIGHTBottom row, left to right — the worked example
How to search a grid efficiently: do not scan the whole grid for each word. Instead, think of the antonym first, then look only for its first letter and check the eight directions from each occurrence. For kind you are hunting a C; there are only four Cs in this grid, and the one at row 6 works.
Two things you may notice in the printed grid. (1) Row 8 reads P E A S E F U L F — clearly an intended PEACEFUL (another antonym of anxious) with a misprinted letter, so use CALM, which is spelt correctly in column 1. (2) The letters R U D E also appear reading down column 4; rude is a fair antonym of kind, so if you found that one, you were not wrong — but CRUEL is the stronger match.
Q2.
Match the words from the text given in Column 1 with the underlined phrases in Column 2. Column 1: 1. hastened 2. heeded 3. stir 4. lend 5. piled 6. offered. Column 2: (i) The mother heard the baby move slightly in the cradle at night. (ii) It is our duty to give support to the poor. (iii) The students worked quickly to complete the project and submit it on time. (iv) All the boxes were kept in a heap at one place. (v) They came forward to help us when we were in need. (vi) The stranded people were brought to safety because they paid attention to our advice.
Answer
Column 1Column 2MeaningThe line in the poem
1. hastened(iii)worked quickly / hurried“Hastened the children on their way.”
2. heeded(vi)paid attention to“Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eyes.”
3. stir(i)move slightly“So meek, so timid, afraid to stir”
4. lend(ii)give (support, help)“I hope some fellow will lend a hand”
5. piled(iv)kept in a heap“Hailing the snow piled white and deep”
6. offered(v)came forward (to help)“Nor offered a helping hand to her”
The pair worth pausing over is 3 — stir. In everyday use, stir means to mix your tea. Here it means to move at all, even slightly. The poem depends on that narrow sense: the woman is not merely reluctant to cross, she is afraid to move a single step. Reading the sentence “The mother heard the baby move slightly in the cradle” makes that sense obvious.
Tip: when a matching exercise takes words from a text, always go back and read each word in its original line. The line fixes the meaning far better than a dictionary can.
Q3.
In the poem, the poet uses the idiom ‘lend a hand’ which means ‘help somebody’. Some more idioms using ‘hand’ are given in Column 1. Match these idioms with their meanings in Column 2. You may refer to a dictionary. Column 1: 1. get out of hand 2. try your hand at something 3. give somebody a free hand 4. give somebody a big hand 5. work hand in hand 6. have your hands full. Column 2: (i) do something new (ii) applaud somebody (iii) work together (iv) become difficult to control (v) be very busy (vi) allow somebody to do something with full freedom
Answer
IdiomMeaningUsed in a sentence
1. get out of hand(iv) become difficult to controlThe argument in the playground got out of hand and the teacher had to step in.
2. try your hand at something(i) do something newAfter watching the potter at the mela, I decided to try my hand at the wheel.
3. give somebody a free hand(vi) allow somebody to do something with full freedomOur class teacher gave us a free hand in designing the notice board.
4. give somebody a big hand(ii) applaud somebodyLet us give a big hand to the students who organised the Republic Day assembly.
5. work hand in hand(iii) work togetherThe panchayat and the school worked hand in hand to clean the village pond.
6. have your hands full(v) be very busyAmma has her hands full with the wedding preparations this week.
Why so many idioms use “hand”. The hand is what a person works, gives, holds and greets with, so it stands in for action itself. Notice how the six divide neatly: lend a hand, a big hand and hand in hand are about giving and sharing; a free hand, out of hand and hands full are about control and capacity.
Careful with 2 and 4: “give somebody a big hand” = clap for them; “give somebody a free hand” = let them decide for themselves. One adjective changes the whole meaning, so read idioms as complete units, never word by word.
Q4.
Complete the following analogy by filling in the blanks with the correct words from the poem. 1. ___________ : winter :: heat : summer
Answer

chill

chill : winter :: heat : summer
The relationship: each blank holds the characteristic temperature of the season named beside it. Summer brings heat; winter brings chill. The word comes straight from the poem's second line — “And bent with the chill of the Winter's day.”
Tip: always state the relationship in words before you fill an analogy. Here it is “X is the temperature of Y”, and once you have said that, the answer is fixed.
Q5.
2. hurt : ___________ :: old: aged
Answer

harm

hurt : harm :: old : aged
The relationship: the two words in each pair are synonyms. Old and aged mean the same, so hurt must be paired with a word of the same meaning — harm. The poem supplies the phrase: “She placed, and so, without hurt or harm”.
Q6.
3. whispered : shouted :: humble : ___________
Answer

proud

whispered : shouted :: humble : proud
The relationship: this pair is antonyms, not synonyms — whispering and shouting are opposites. So humble needs its opposite, proud, and the poem gives it in the very next line after the whisper: “Proud that his own were firm and strong.”
Notice the trap: questions 2 and 3 look alike but work on opposite rules. Always check the given pair before filling the blank — never assume the pattern continues.
Q7.
4. eyes : ___________ :: legs : walk
Answer

glance

eyes : glance :: legs : walk
The relationship: each blank names the action performed by the body part beside it. Legs walk; eyes glance. The poem uses the noun form in “Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eyes”, and here it works as the verb.
Also acceptable: see or look. But the question asks for a word from the poem, so glance is the one to write.
Q8.
5. having a lot of money: wealthy :: densely packed people: ___________
Answer

throng

having a lot of money : wealthy :: densely packed people : throng
The relationship: each side gives a definition followed by the single word that means it. “Having a lot of money” is wealthy; “densely packed people” is a throng. The poem uses it in the line that carries the woman's loneliness — “Alone, uncared for, amid the throng”.
Word family: throng works as both noun and verb — “a throng of people”, and “people thronged the temple gate during the festival”.
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