Std 8 English chapters › Unit 2 · Question Answers ↓ · Take the lesson test ↓
In short: The poem paints the little village river in summer, when it is shallow and calm and full of village life, and in the monsoon, when it floods and the whole village comes alive.
(ही कविता गावाच्या छोट्या नदीचे चित्र रंगवते: उन्हाळ्यात ती उथळ, शांत आणि गावजीवनाने भरलेली असते, तर पावसाळ्यात तिला पूर येतो आणि संपूर्ण गाव जिवंत होते.)
- Type: Poem
- Poet: Rabindranath Tagore
- Speaker: A villager describing the river of his village
- Unit: 2
Summary in English
The little river winds along. In summer the water is only knee-deep, so cows and carts cross it easily. There is no slime, the sand shines, white kash flowers bloom on one bank, mynahs chirp and jackals howl at night. Across the river are mango and palm groves where village priests live.
Boys and girls bathe near the bank, splashing with their gamchhas. At dawn and dusk they trap small fish in their washcloths, and the women scrub their dishes with river sand before going home to their housework.
In the month of Ashadh, clouds gather and the river floods. The current becomes strong and the muddy water rushes along with loud, babbling sounds. The woods on the shore come alive again, and the village wakes up to celebrate the rain.
मराठीत सारांश (Summary in Marathi)
छोटी नदी वळणे घेत वाहते. उन्हाळ्यात पाणी फक्त गुडघाभर असते, त्यामुळे गायी व गाड्या सहज पलीकडे जातात. तिथे शेवाळ नसते, वाळू चमकते, एका काठावर पांढरी काशाची फुले फुलतात, मैना किलबिलतात आणि रात्री कोल्हे ओरडतात. पलीकडे आंबा आणि ताडाच्या राया आहेत, जिथे गावाचे पुजारी राहतात.
मुले-मुली काठाजवळ अंघोळ करतात आणि गमछे घेऊन पाणी उडवतात. पहाटे आणि संध्याकाळी ते आपल्या कपड्यांनी छोटे मासे पकडतात आणि बायका नदीच्या वाळूने भांडी घासून घरकामाला परततात.
आषाढात ढग जमतात आणि नदीला पूर येतो. प्रवाह जोरदार होतो आणि गढूळ पाणी खळखळ आवाज करत वेगाने वाहते. काठावरची झाडी पुन्हा जिवंत होते आणि पावसाचे स्वागत करायला संपूर्ण गाव जागे होते.
Theme and Message (मध्यवर्ती कल्पना)
A river shapes village life, and it changes beautifully with the seasons.
नदी गावाचे जीवन घडवते आणि ऋतूंप्रमाणे तिचे रूप सुंदरपणे बदलते.
Figures of Speech (अलंकार)
- Alliteration (अनुप्रास): 'sands shine', 'cows and carts', 'dusk and dawn'.
- Onomatopoeia (ध्वन्यनुकारी शब्द): 'chirping', 'howl', 'splashing', 'babbling'.
- Personification (चेतनगुणोक्ती): 'the woods onshore stir to life' and 'our village wakens'.
Useful Words (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | मराठी अर्थ | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| meanders | वळणे घेत वाहते | The river meanders through the valley. |
| slime | चिकट शेवाळ, बुळबुळीत थर | There was green slime on the stones. |
| wade | (उथळ पाण्यातून) चालणे | We waded across the stream. |
| scour | घासून स्वच्छ करणे | She scoured the pots with ash. |
| in spate | पूर आलेली | The river was in spate after the storm. |
| torrent | वेगाने वाहणारा प्रवाह | A torrent of water rushed down the hill. |
For the Exam (परीक्षेसाठी)
- Compare the river in summer (knee-deep, calm, clear, people crossing) and in the monsoon (in spate, strong current, muddy, noisy).
- Know these figures of speech for the appreciation: alliteration and onomatopoeia.
2.3 The Little River: English Workshop Question Answers
Every English Workshop activity for this poem, as games. Score points, earn stars and challenge a friend on WhatsApp! (खेळा, गुण मिळवा आणि मित्रांना आव्हान द्या!)
🌦️ Warm-up: Seasons in India
🧩 Match each season with its weather.
Season → weather
Mid February to mid April is Vasant, which in English is ___.
Answer: Vasant = Spring, Grishma = Summer, Varsha = Monsoon, Sharad = Autumn, Hemant = Pre-winter, Shishir = Winter.
🤔 Think as you read
How do we know the river is just knee-deep in summer?
Answer: The water is so shallow that animals and carts walk across.
How does the river change in Ashadh?
Answer: Clouds gather, the river is in spate and the muddy torrent swirls along.
Q1 (A). Name from the poem
🧩 Match each category with its answer.
Category → answer
Q1 (B, C). Sounds or flow?
🗂️ Does the word describe a sound or the flow of the water?
Sound or flow?
Q2. Alliteration and onomatopoeia
👉 Tap the correct figure of speech.
‘No sign of slime, the sands shine bright’ has ___.
Answer: The ‘s’ sound repeats: sign, slime, sands, shine.
‘The jackal’s howl is heard there at night’ has ___.
Answer: ‘howl’ imitates the sound itself.
‘The air is rife with babbling sounds’ has ___.
Answer: ‘babbling’ sounds like running water.
More lines
Alliteration: And cows and carts can cross it with ease (c) / No sign of slime, the sands shine bright (s) / Splashing with their gamchhas (s) / To their household tasks (t) / As the muddy torrent swirls along.
Onomatopoeia: Chirping mynahs through that site / The jackal’s howl is heard there at night / Splashing with their gamchhas as they wade / The air is rife with babbling sounds.
Q3. Alphabetical order
🔤 Put the words in alphabetical order.
Set (2)
- babbling
- banks
- bathe
- blossom
- boys
Set (1)
- sand
- scour
- shade
- sign
- slime
- sound
- stir
- strong
- summer
- swirl
Set (3)
their, there, these, they, though, throng, too, torrent, trap
Q4. What does each phrase describe?
🧩 Match the phrase to what it describes.
Phrase → what it describes
Q5. Summer or monsoon?
🗂️ Sort the pictures of the river.
When is it like this?
Q6. Guess who I am!
👉 I always run, never walk; I murmur but never talk; I have a bed but never sleep; I have a mouth but hardly eat.
Who am I?
Answer: A river runs, murmurs, has a river-bed and a mouth where it meets the sea.
Q7. Saved by my classmates
✍️ Write 12-15 lines, then compare
Last December our class went for a picnic to the banks of the Godavari. After lunch we played catch near the water. While running backwards to catch the ball, I slipped on a wet stone and fell into the river. The water was deeper than I thought and the current pulled me. I panicked and shouted for help. Rohan, who knows swimming, quickly threw me his long scarf, while Priya and Amit formed a human chain from the bank. I grabbed the scarf and they pulled me slowly to the shore. Our teacher wrapped me in a towel and made me sit in the sun. I was shivering but safe. I thanked my friends with tears in my eyes. That day I learnt to be careful near water, and how precious true friends are.
Think and Write (विचार करा, लिहा)
- Describe a river or lake near your village or town in two seasons.
- How can we keep our rivers clean? Give four ideas.
- Solve the riddle in the lesson: 'I always run, I never walk…' Who am I?
Online test · 15 questions
2.3 The Little River: Lesson Test
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शिक्षकांसाठी: धडा शिकवून झाल्यावर ही test वर्गाला पाठवा. प्रत्येक विद्यार्थ्याचे गुण तुम्हाला आपोआप मिळतील.
These are original study notes by englishresources.in to help you revise. Read the lesson in your Balbharati textbook first: these notes do not replace it and do not reproduce its text.