CHIVVY
NCERT Solutions Class 7 English – Unit 4
Poem Chivvy
Working with the Poem
Question 1. Discuss these questions in small groups before you answer them.
(i) When is a grown-up likely to say this?
Don’t talk with your mouth full.
Answer: The grown-ups are likely to say this when kids are eating and have their mouths full and alongside are trying to speak.
(ii) When are you likely to be told this?
Say thank you.
Answer: Grown-ups instruct kids to say thank you when someone offers them something or when someone helps them.
(iii) When do you think an adult would say this?
No one thinks you are funny.
Answer: Adults would say this when children are told to perform some activity and they are feeling shy.
Question 2: The last two lines of the poem are not prohibitions or instructions. What is the adult now asking the child to do? Do you think the poet is suggesting that this is unreasonable? Why?
Answer: The last two lines of the poem are not prohibitions or instructions. Instead, the last two lines pose an irony.
In these lines, the adult is now asking the children to take independent decisions.
Yes, the poet is suggesting that this is unreasonable because at all times, the grown-ups expect children to listen and follow the instructions of the adults blindly. And suddenly they want them to take their decisions.
Question 3: Why do you think grown-ups say the kind of things mentioned in the poem? Is it important that they teach children good manners, and how to behave in public?
Answer: I think the grown-ups say the kind of things mentioned in the poem in order to teach children the decent and proper ways of doing things. Yes, it is important that the adults teach children good manners and how to behave in public because they have experienced and learnt these things. But sometimes adults become so strict with children that they lose their innocence and playfulness.
Question 4: If you had to make some rules for grown-ups to follow, what would you say? Make at least five such rules. Arrange the lines as in a poem.
Answer: Don’t shout at children.
Don’t beat them.
Don’t use mobile while eating.
Don’t use abusive language for anyone.
Spend more time with pets and children.
Don’t stop children from playing.
Frequently Asked Questions on NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Unit 4 Poem
What does the Unit 4 Poem of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English depict?
The Unit 4 Poem of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English depicts how grown-ups keep instructing small kids as to what they should do and what they should not.
What are a few things that grow-ups say to their youngers in Unit 4 Poem of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English?
The grown-ups say things like speak up, don’t talk with your mouth full, don’t stare, don’t point, don’t pick your nose, sit up, say please, make less noise, shut the door behind you, don’t drag your feet etc… to the youngers.
What does it mean by when grow-ups tell “Take your elbows off the table” as mentioned in Unit 4 Poem of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English?
It’s not considered well-mannered to eat leaning with the elbows on the table. Hence, to teach table manners, grow-ups tell this to kids/children.