NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 4 –197Waiting for the Rain (Kamakshi Balasubramanian) — Let us learn

Book page 193 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.

I. Solve a crossword using picture and word clues. All clues are related to the words from the text that are connected to weather or agriculture. — Down: 1. gentle wind, 2. (picture: lightning), 3. rumbling sound with rain, 4. grains etc. grown in large quantity in fields, 6. (picture: cloud), 7. (picture: rain). Across: 5. collected crops, 8. (picture: sun), 9. prepare and use land for crops, 10. turn up the field soil, 11. plant seed/s.

Answer

The three picture clues are arrows pointing into one drawing of a rain cloud — 6 points to the cloud itself, 2 to the lightning bolt and 7 to the falling raindrops. The picture beside Across 8 is the sun.

No.	Direction	Clue	Answer	Letters
1	Down	gentle wind	BREEZE	6
2	Down	picture — lightning	LIGHTNING	9
3	Down	rumbling sound with rain	THUNDER	7
4	Down	grains etc. grown in large quantity in fields	CROP	4
5	Across	collected crops	HARVEST	7
6	Down	picture — cloud	CLOUDS	6
7	Down	picture — rain	RAIN	4
8	Across	picture — sun	SUN	3
9	Across	prepare and use land for crops	CULTIVATE	9
10	Across	turn up the field soil	PLOUGH	6
11	Across	plant seed/s	SOW	3

Check every answer against the crossings — that is the proof, not the clue:

Crossing	Shared letter
1 BREEZE ends on the 5th square of 5 HARVEST	E
2 LIGHTNING crosses 5 HARVEST at its last square, and 8 SUN at its own 8th	T, then N
3 THUNDER begins above 5 HARVEST and crosses 9 CULTIVATE	H, then E
4 CROP crosses 5 HARVEST at its 3rd square	R
6 CLOUDS crosses 9 CULTIVATE, then 10 PLOUGH, then 11 SOW	L, U, S
7 RAIN crosses 9 CULTIVATE at its 7th square	A

How to solve any crossword safely: Never fill a square from the clue alone. Start with the answers whose length is fixed and whose meaning is certain — here SUN (3) and SOW (3) — then use every letter they give you to test the longer entries. 6 Down is the best example. The clue is only a picture of a cloud, so both CLOUD and CLOUDS look possible; but the grid gives the pattern _ L _ U _ S, and only CLOUDS fits. The grid is always the final authority.

Where the words come from: Every answer appears in the story. Velu 'felt a cool breeze on his back'; 'Soon there would be lightning. And thunder'; 'no crop will grow'; the fields must be ploughed, sown and cultivated; the sun rises 'glowing crimson like fire'; and 'the clouds were gathering in the distance'.

Q2.

II. Now, complete the paragraph by filling in the correct option of homophones given in the brackets. — 'The farmer looked at the sky and wondered 1. ______ (weather/whether) the clouds would finally bring rain. He sat down on the ground, breaking a small 2. ______ (piece/peace) of roti for his meal. The 3. ______ (plain/plane) fields stretched endlessly before him, completely dry. He thought about how he could 4. ______ (sell/cell) his last sack of grain to buy some essentials for his family. Without the rains, it didn't 5. ______ (seam/seem) possible to grow another crop this season. Despite his worries, he smiled, knowing that every farmer hopes for the next 6. ______ (rain/reign) by nature to bring life back to the land.'

Answer

No.	Answer	Why — and what the other word means
1	whether	'wondered whether' introduces an indirect question (if… or not). Weather is the state of the atmosphere — a noun, and this slot needs a conjunction.
2	piece	a piece of roti is a portion of it. Peace means calm or the absence of war, and cannot be broken off and eaten.
3	plain	plain here is the adjective for flat, level land — 'the plain fields stretched endlessly'. A plane is an aircraft or a flat mathematical surface.
4	sell	to sell is to exchange for money — the sentence says 'to buy some essentials'. A cell is a small room, or the unit of a living body.
5	seem	'it didn't seem possible' — to seem is to appear to be. A seam is a line of stitching.
6	reign	a reign is a period of rule, so 'the next reign by nature' means nature's next turn to take charge and bring the land back to life. Rain is the water that falls from clouds.

Why number 6 is the hard one — and how to decide it: Both words make some sense, so let the grammar of the phrase settle it. The sentence reads 'the next ______ by nature'. The pattern noun + by + doer ('a decision by the court', 'a reign by a king') requires a noun that names an action or a period, with nature as the one performing it. Reign fits that pattern; rain is a thing that falls, not an act performed by an agent. The sentence is also making a point: after every dry spell, nature takes charge again.

Check it yourself: Read the sentence both ways aloud. 'Every farmer hopes for the next rain by nature' sounds odd because 'by nature' has nothing to attach to; 'the next reign by nature to bring life back to the land' runs smoothly. If your teacher accepts rain, be ready to say why reign is the better fit for the phrase.

Q3.

III. Choose the correct meanings from the given options for the underlined words or phrases in the following sentences. 1. Being annoyed, she muttered something which nobody heard. (i) spoke in a low voice (ii) spoke slowly (iii) spoke angrily

Answer

(i) spoke in a low voice.

Why: The proof is in the second half of the sentence — 'which nobody heard'. If nobody heard her, the problem was volume, not speed or temper. Note that 'Being annoyed' is already in the sentence, so option (iii) would only repeat information the sentence has given, and would not explain why she went unheard.

In the story: '“It doesn't look encouraging,” he muttered to himself and got up.' Velu is speaking to nobody, so he speaks under his breath — exactly what muttering is.

Q4.

III. 2. At the new work place, Riya felt forlorn for a week. (i) upset and irritated (ii) angry and bitter (iii) sad and neglected

Answer

(iii) sad and neglected.

Why: The situation gives it away — a new workplace, where she knows nobody. That produces loneliness, not irritation or anger. Forlorn means sad and lonely because one has been left alone or abandoned.

In the story: 'The barren land looked forlorn and the farmers lived entirely on hope.' The empty, cracked fields look abandoned — as though nobody cares for them any more. Note that the writer applies the word to land, giving it a human feeling: another small piece of personification.

Q5.

III. 3. When all his friends had gone, he was at a loss because he did not know what to do. (i) confused (ii) shocked (iii) lonely

Answer

(i) confused.

Why: The sentence defines the phrase for you — 'because he did not know what to do'. That is exactly what 'at a loss' means: unable to decide or understand, with no idea how to proceed. He may well also be lonely, but loneliness is not what the phrase names.

In the story, twice in one paragraph: the weather office says '“We are at a loss ourselves!”', and then 'Velu, too, was at a loss.' Nobody knows what to do — which is precisely why the phrase belongs to that moment of the story.

Q6.

III. 4. When the little child saw her father, her eyes sparkled. (i) glowed dimly (ii) showed joy (iii) opened wide

Answer

(ii) showed joy.

Why: The occasion decides it — a child seeing her father is a happy moment, so the brightness in her eyes is delight. When 'sparkled' is used of eyes it always means a shine that comes from feeling. Option (i) says the opposite ('dimly'), and (iii) describes shape, not shine.

In the story: 'Her skin was wrinkled, but her eyes sparkled when she smiled.' The word does a lot of work in that line — the writer contrasts an old body with a lively spirit in a single sentence, and it is the first thing that makes us trust the old woman.

Q7.

IV. Match each word (adjective) in Column 1 with a word (noun) that collocates in Column 2. Write the adjective-noun collocation in Column 3. One example has been done for you. — Column 1: 1. favourable 2. wrinkled 3. dejected 4. fragrant 5. ceaseless 6. beloved. Column 2: (i) country (ii) activity (iii) weather (iv) skin (v) garden (vi) expression

Answer

Adjective	Noun	Collocation	Where the word appears in the story
1. favourable	(iii) weather	favourable weather (given)	'So many favourable conditions but still no rain.'
2. wrinkled	(iv) skin	wrinkled skin	'Her skin was wrinkled, but her eyes sparkled…'
3. dejected	(vi) expression	dejected expression	'He walked back to the village, tired, and dejected.'
4. fragrant	(v) garden	fragrant garden	'And sweet, fragrant rain.'
5. ceaseless	(ii) activity	ceaseless activity	'taking a break from the constant, ceaseless year-round cultivation'
6. beloved	(i) country	beloved country	'his beloved piece of land'

What a collocation is, and why it cannot be worked out by logic alone: A collocation is a pair of words that English speakers habitually put together. You can say heavy rain but not strong rain, and strong tea but not heavy tea — both are grammatically fine, and only one of each sounds English. Here, 'wrinkled' collocates with skin (a face wrinkles; weather does not), 'dejected' with expression (dejection shows on a face), 'fragrant' with garden (scent belongs to flowers), 'ceaseless' with activity (something that goes on and on), and 'beloved' with country (deep affection for a place).

Tip: Collocations are learnt by reading and listening, not by rule. When you meet a striking pair in a text — 'ceaseless year-round cultivation', 'sweet, fragrant rain' — write the pair down, not just the new word on its own.

Q8.

V. Underline the verbs and identify the forms of tenses for the following sentences from the text. 1. Oh, it is hard not to be able to work... 2. …I am too old. 3. What are you smiling at, Amma? 4. But my son, that is what I am talking about. 5. The earth has worked for years, centuries… 6. I have worked hard and honestly.

Answer

Sentence	Verb underlined	Tense
1. Oh, it is hard not to be able to work...	is	Simple Present Tense
2. …I am too old.	am	Simple Present Tense
3. What are you smiling at, Amma?	are smiling	Present Progressive Tense
4. But my son, that is what I am talking about.	is / am talking	Simple Present + Present Progressive
5. The earth has worked for years, centuries…	has worked	Present Perfect Tense
6. I have worked hard and honestly.	have worked	Present Perfect Tense

The book states it this way: the forms of tenses are Simple Present Tense (1 and 2), Present Progressive Tense (3 and 4), and Present Perfect Tense (5 and 6).

Why the present perfect carries the weight of sentences 5 and 6: 'has worked' and 'have worked' do something the simple past cannot — they connect the past to now. 'I worked hard' would be a closed statement about finished time; 'I have worked hard' means the effort is still standing, still relevant, still deserving of a reward. That is exactly Velu's complaint. And the old woman answers him in the same tense: 'The earth has worked for years, centuries, in fact, thousands of years.' She takes his own grammar and applies it to the soil — his years against the earth's thousands. The argument is won by a tense.

Tip: 'To be able to work' in sentence 1 is an infinitive, not a finite verb, so it takes no tense of its own. Only is is tensed.

Q9.

V. Now, fill in the blanks with the correct form of Simple Present, Present Progressive or Present Perfect tenses of the verbs given in brackets. — 'Ravi (i) ____ (be) a farmer who (ii) ____ (practise) crop rotation on his land. Each season, he (iii) ____ (plant) different crops to maintain the soil's health. This year, he (iv) ____ (grow) legumes, which help restore the nutrients in the soil. Over the years, Ravi (v) ____ (learn) that planting the same crop repeatedly (vi) ____ (deplete) the soil, making it less fertile. By rotating crops, he (vii) ____ (keep) the land productive and fertile. He (viii) ____ (see) a noticeable improvement in his yields since adopting this method. Now, Ravi (ix) ____ (share) his knowledge with other farmers, explaining how crop rotation (x) ____ (benefit) both the soil and their harvests.'

Answer

Blank	Answer	Tense and the clue that fixes it
(i)	is	Simple Present — a permanent fact about Ravi
(ii)	practises	Simple Present — a regular habit; third person singular takes -s
(iii)	plants	Simple Present — 'Each season' signals a repeated action
(iv)	is growing	Present Progressive — 'This year' marks something going on right now
(v)	has learnt (has learned)	Present Perfect — 'Over the years' links past experience to the present
(vi)	depletes	Simple Present — a general truth about soil
(vii)	keeps	Simple Present — what happens every time he rotates
(viii)	has seen	Present Perfect — 'since adopting this method' is the classic since marker
(ix)	is sharing	Present Progressive — 'Now' marks an activity in progress
(x)	benefits	Simple Present — a general truth about crop rotation

Read the time-marker, then choose the tense — in that order. Every blank here is decided by a word or phrase standing near it: Each season and general truths → simple present; This year and Now → present progressive; Over the years and since → present perfect. Students lose marks in exercises like this by choosing on feel; the paragraph has already told you.

Did you notice the subject? Ravi is doing in a modern, planned way exactly what the old woman told Velu to accept — giving the soil a chance to recover. Legumes host bacteria in their root nodules that fix nitrogen from the air back into the soil, so a legume year repairs what a grain year takes out. Fallowing and crop rotation are two answers to one problem.

Q10.

VI. Now, fill in the blanks by choosing the correct determiner from those given in the brackets. — 'It was 1. ____ (a/an) rainy afternoon, and 2. ____ (a/the) sky was thick with dark clouds. Mala noticed a large puddle quickly forming in front of 3. ____ (her/their) house. Excited, she called for her brother to join her, knowing that both of them always loved playing in 4. ____ (a/the) rain. While jumping from 5. ____ (some/one) puddle to another, Mala spotted 6. ____ (few/a few) snails slowly creeping along the wet sidewalk and pointed them out to her brother. With 7. ____ (each/every) jump, the sound of both 8. ____ (her/their) squeals and laughter was heard through the soft patter of raindrops. Though they were fully drenched 9. ____ (either/neither) siblings minded it. It had been a perfect rainy day.'

Answer

No.	Answer	Rule
1	a	'a' before a consonant sound — rainy begins with /r/. ('An' is used before a vowel sound.)
2	the	there is only one sky, so the definite article is used
3	her	possessive determiner matching Mala, the singular subject of the sentence
4	the	'in the rain' is the fixed expression for rain that is actually falling
5	one	'from one puddle to another' — a definite numeral determiner; the phrase one … to another is fixed
6	a few	'a few' means a small number and is positive; plain 'few' means 'hardly any' and would make the sentence gloomy, which does not suit 'spotted… and pointed them out'
7	each	'each' picks out the jumps one by one; 'every' would take them as a whole group
8	their	'both' refers to Mala and her brother, so the possessive must be plural
9	neither	'neither' = not one of the two; 'either' would mean one of the two did mind, which contradicts the sentence

The two pairs that decide most marks:

few / a few. 'Few snails' would mean almost none — a disappointing sentence. 'A few snails' means several, enough to be worth pointing out. The little word 'a' reverses the attitude of the whole sentence.
each / every. Both are distributive, but 'each' looks at members one at a time and 'every' looks at all of them together. 'With each jump' follows the individual jumps as they happen, which is what the sentence is describing.

A note on the printed sentence: the book prints 'neither siblings'. Strictly, 'neither' takes a singular noun and a singular verb — 'neither sibling minded it'. Fill in neither, which is what the exercise is testing, but it is worth noticing the slip.

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