NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 2 Somebody's Mother

Q1.

Read aloud the list of words from the poem that end in ‘-ed’. As you read, focus on the final sound of each word and place them in the appropriate columns. One example has been done for you. (ragged, aged, waited, heeded, offered, paused, guided, whispered) Note: Adjectives that come before a noun and end with ‘-ed’ have /id/ as the final sound.

Answer

Say each word aloud before you sort it. The ending is decided by the sound just before the ‘-ed’, not by the spelling.

/ɪd/ sound	/d/ sound	/t/ sound
ragged, aged, waited, heeded, guided	offered, paused, whispered	— none of these eight words

The rule in three lines:

Base ends in /t/ or /d/ → the ending is /ɪd/ — waited, heeded, guided. An extra syllable is added.
Base ends in any other voiced sound → /d/ — offered, whispered, paused (that s is pronounced /z/, which is voiced).
Base ends in a voiceless sound (/p, k, f, s, ʃ, tʃ/) → /t/ — hoped, walked, passed, hushed. None of the poem's eight words falls here.
Adjectives before a noun are the exception the book notes: ragged and aged are pronounced /ˈræɡɪd/ and /ˈeɪdʒɪd/ — two syllables — which is why they go in the first column.

A note on the printed table. The book's table already shows heeded under /d/ and paused under /t/. Say them aloud and you will hear that heeded has the extra syllable of the /ɪd/ group, and paused ends in the buzzing /d/ — so the sorting above is the one your ear will confirm. Use the rule, not the sample row.

Test it yourself: put a finger on your throat and say “pause”. You will feel a buzz on the final sound — it is voiced, so the ending is /d/. Now say “pass”: no buzz, so “passed” ends in /t/. Voicing is something you can literally feel.

Q2.

Work in pairs. Narrate an incident where you helped someone in the past. Take turns to speak and use the cue cards given below. (at school — classmate explaining a concept; at the market place — elderly carrying bags; in the neighbourhood — cleanliness campaign; in the playground — a friend gets injured) You may use the following prompts. Beginning the Story: It all started when… / The day began like any other… / I still remember… Describing the Experience: At that moment, I realised… / I was completely taken by surprise… / The next few hours were… / I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw… / I was overjoyed/thrilled/extremely satisfied / A wave of relief/joy/excitement washed over me… / I felt a mixture of emotions… / I have never felt… / From that day on… / This memory reminds me to always… / This experience taught me the value of… / In the end, I realised…

Answer

How to build a two-minute narration that holds a listener. Use the four-part shape below; it is the shape of the poem itself.

Set the scene in one sentence — where, when, who. (“It all started when…”)
Give the problem, with one concrete detail — the bag that split, the boy who could not stand up. One detail is worth five adjectives.
Say what you did, step by step, in the past tense. Keep the verbs simple and active.
Close with what changed in you — not what a good person you are. (“This experience taught me the value of…”)

Sample answer (at the market place): It all started when I went with my mother to buy vegetables at the Thursday market. I still remember an old lady near the gate whose cloth bag had torn, and her onions had rolled across the wet ground. Everyone was walking around them. I was completely taken by surprise at how many people simply stepped over the onions. I put my own bag down, picked them up, and carried her bag to the auto stand while she held my arm. At that moment, I realised she was walking very slowly, and I understood why she had not tried to pick them up herself. She did not say much, only patted my head. In the end, I realised that helping someone often costs nothing but a few minutes — and that the hardest part is not helping, it is noticing.

Speaking tips for the pair work: keep to the past tense throughout; use linking words (then, meanwhile, after that, finally) so the listener can follow the order; and when it is your turn to listen, ask one question at the end. A narration exercise is as much about attentive listening as about speaking.

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