Class 6 English Poorvi - What a Bird Thought: Summary Q&A and Exercises Solved

Summary of What a Bird Thought

The poem describes a bird’s journey of understanding the world. At first, the bird thinks its world is small, safe, and made of its egg shell. Then, living in a nest, it believes the world is made of straw. When it steps out, it sees leaves and realizes it was blind. Finally, the bird flies far and admits it and its neighbors do not fully know the world. This shows how knowledge grows with experience and there is always more to learn.

Let us discuss

I Read the poem again. Identify the main idea of each stanza. There are two extra sentences are given.

1. The bird steps out into the world. ✕
2. The bird lived happily in a small world. ✔ (Stanza 1)
3. The bird becomes blind due to leaves. ✕
4. The bird flies away as an adult. ✔ (Stanza 4)
5. The bird is unhappy with the straw nest. ✕
6. The bird lived in a cosy nest with its mother. ✔ (Stanza 2)

Main Idea for Each Stanza:

1. Stanza 1: The bird lived happily in a small world.
2. Stanza 2: The bird lived in a cosy nest with its mother.
3. Stanza 3: The bird steps out into the world.
4. Stanza 4: The bird flies away as an adult.

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II Look at the pictures 1–4 and write the matching line from the poem for each.

1. Picture 1 (Egg): "I lived first in a little house,"
2. Picture 2 (Nest with mother): "I lived next in a little nest, Nor needed any other,"
3. Picture 3 (Leaves): "I said the world is made of leaves,"
4. Picture 4 (Flying off branch): "At length I flew beyond the tree,"

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III Answer the following with a word from the poem and check the answers with your partner.

1. What was the shape of the bird’s first house? O V A L
2. What was the bird’s second nest made of? S T R A W
3. What did the bird see when it came out of its nest? L E A V E S
4. What did the bird do at the end? F L E W

Let us think and reflect

I Write whether the following sentences are True or False.

1. The bird changed its house two times. True
2. The neighbours tell the bird about the world. False

II Read the following lines from the poem and answer the questions given below.

1. I thought the world was made of straw,
   And nestled by my mother.
   1. Who lived in the nest along with the baby bird?
      Its mother.
   2. Complete the following by choosing the correct option.
      The bird thought the world was made of straw because _______.
      B. its nest was made of straw
   3. Which word tells us that the baby bird was warm and comfortable?
      Nestled
2. I said the world is made of leaves,
   I have been very blind.
   1. Why did the bird think the world was made of leaves?
      Because when it left its nest, it saw only leaves around.
   2. What does the set of words ‘I said’ mean?
      C. spoke
   3. Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.
      The bird felt that it had been very blind because it could not see the leaves from inside the nest.

III Why did the baby bird think that its first world was small, round and blue?

Because the baby bird was inside its egg at first.
The egg was small, round, and had a pale blue shell.
So, the baby bird thought its world was small, round and blue like the egg.

IV Where did the bird go when it fluttered from its straw nest?

The bird flew out among the leaves on the tree.

V What quality did the bird say it had, when it flew away?

The bird said it was "fit for grown-up labours," which means it was ready to work and take care of itself.

VI Who do you think were the bird’s neighbours? Why do you think so? Discuss.

The bird’s neighbours could be other birds or animals living nearby.
They lived close, but they also did not know how the world was made.
This is why the bird says, "neither do my neighbours."

Let us learn

I Let us write some rhyming words. One has been done for you.

Words from the poem	Stanza 1	Stanza 2	Stanza 3	Stanza 4
well	shell	nest	blind	neighbours
New rhyming words	fell	rest	kind	visitors

Now, complete a new stanza with rhyming words at the end of each line.

I fly high and I fly low,
But one thing I surely know.
Whenever I wish to rest,
My little nest is the best.

II The poet uses words like ‘pale’, ‘blue’, ‘round’, ‘straw’ and ‘little’ to describe the bird’s nest.
Read a few more describing words.

pointed green thin brown small wooden hanging round

Now, use the describing words given in the box to create six sentences based on the given picture.

1. The bird lives in a small wooden house.
2. There is a pointed red roof on the nest.
3. A green branch is hanging above the bird's home.
4. The nest looks thin and round from the front.
5. The house has a brown perch for the bird to sit.
6. Leaves from the branch make the nest look green.

Let us listen

You will listen to a short poem. As you listen, fill in the missing words.
You can listen to the poem more than once. (refer to page 102 for transcript)

I’m a parrot, my name is Paro,
My feathers are bright and they glow.
In the morning, I spread my wings,
Fly around and see wonderful things.
Come with me through the skies so blue.
To places old and places new.
Among the trees where the breeze is light,
Many new stories, oh, what a sight!

Let us speak

Speak about which bird you would like to be. Include the following points.

• Which bird are you? [I am a peacock]

• What do you look like? [I am blue and green in colour. I am a big bird. I have beautiful feathers.]

• Where do you live? [I live in forests and gardens. It is (where) there are lots of trees.]

• What do you do during the day? [I dance in the rain. I also search for food.]

• Do you have any message for humans? [I want to tell the humans to care for nature and protect animals.]

Let us write

I Read how the bird perceived its world.

My world was small, round and light blue at first.
After that my world was warm and comfortable. It was made of straw.
In this world I could only see leaves whenever I stepped out.
In the end, my world became big. It had the sky and the earth as a part of it.

II Now, discuss with your teacher and classmates how you think the world would look to the following.

1. a baby      2. a fish

III Now, write five sentences each, for both 1 and 2, in your notebooks. You can take help from the example given in I.

For a baby:
1. My world is soft and cosy, with blankets around me.
2. I see smiling faces and hear gentle voices.
3. I watch bright colours and toys near my bed.
4. My world smells of milk and powder.
5. When I open my eyes, I feel safe and loved.

For a fish:
1. My world is watery and cool all around me.
2. There are shiny bubbles and wavy plants.
3. I swim with other fish in my pond.
4. I see the stones and sand below me.
5. My world is peaceful and full of gentle light.

Let us explore

I The bird’s first home was made of a shell. Later its home was among leaves and made of straw.

• Look at your home carefully and make a list of all the materials it is made of.
  
  • Bricks
  • Cement
  • Wood
  • Glass
  • Steel
  • Tiles
  • Paint
• Why do you think our homes are not made of straw?
  Our homes are not made of straw because straw is not strong. It cannot keep us safe from weather like rain and wind.
• If you had to own a home of your choice, what would it look like and what materials would you like to use?
  I would like a home with a garden and big windows. I would use bricks, glass and wood for building it.
• How is a home different from a house? Discuss with your classmates and teacher.
  A house is just a building. A home is a place where you live happily with your family.

• Look at the list of some workers who build houses. Find out the work they do and write, as shown in the example. You can think of other workers and add them too.

Workers	Their work
Example: mason	lays bricks and stones
1. painter	paints walls and ceilings
2. electrician	fits wires and lights
3. plumber	fixes water pipes and taps
4. carpenter	makes doors and furniture
5. architect	draws house plans
6. welder	joins iron parts
7. roofer	makes roofs and fixes them

II Look at the different kinds of nests and homes the birds make. Have you seen any? Discuss these type of nests with your teacher and classmates.

• I have seen nests made of sticks in trees like in the first picture.
• Some birds make hanging nests, which look soft and safe.
• I have noticed a bird sitting in a tree hole like the owl in the third picture.
• I saw a nest made from green leaves which looks different and special.
• Each type of nest helps birds to keep their babies safe and comfortable.