CL01 EN06 MCB AMAZING ANTS

by

Amazing Ants

1. The Hook (The Literary Gateway)

Imagine if you were sitting at a table watching a line of tiny creatures, and suddenly one of them looked up and spoke directly to you! In this chapter, written by Vineeta Krishna, a young girl named Maria discovers that the bustling world beneath our feet is far from simple. When Maria places her hand on the table to block four tiny ants—Tut, Phut, Chit, and Pit—she steps into a miniature, highly organized society where every individual has a crucial job. Through this fascinating encounter, students not only discover the specialized roles inside an ant colony, but also unlock the linguistic power of action words—learning how adding -ing turns base verbs into ongoing today words, and how adding -ed transforms them into yesterday words that describe past events. Furthermore, before meeting the ants, students explore the real-world helping profession of Dr. Nafisa Batta, a thirty-year-old doctor who works in a hospital curing sick people.

2. The Human Element (Why This Matters)

This chapter serves as a profound real-life lesson in social structure, empathy, civic responsibility, and active communication:

  • Division of Labor & Social Harmony: By observing how Tut (the cook ant), Phut (the worker ant), Chit (the nurse ant), and Pit (the soldier ant) divide tasks, students learn that a thriving community relies on teamwork, mutual support, and hard work rather than individual self-interest. It teaches children to appreciate every role in human society—from healthcare workers (like Dr. Nafisa Batta) to builders, caregivers, and defenders.
  • Overcoming Misconceptions through Empathy: Maria initially assumes the ants are merely “having fun running from one end of the table to the other”. Once she stops to listen, she realizes that what looked like aimless play was actually essential labor for the survival of thousands. This develops perspective-taking in young learners, teaching them not to judge others’ actions based on surface appearances.
  • Mastery of Time in Language: Mastering today words (-ing) and yesterday words (-ed) empowers young communicators to accurately sequence events in time. Expressing whether an action is happening right now or took place in the past is foundational for logical storytelling, reporting experiences, and building functional literacy.

3. Structural Breakdown (The Narrative or Grammar Sequence)

A. Narrative & Textual Sequence

  1. Pre-Reading Context (Dr. Nafisa Batta):
    • Introduction of a Helping Profession: The chapter opens with an introductory activity presenting Dr. Nafisa Batta. Students identify key facts about her: she is thirty years old, works in a hospital, wears a white coat, and cures sick people.
  2. The Encounter (Rising Action):
    • Inciting Incident: Four tiny ants—Tut, Phut, Chit, and Pit—are walking in a line across a table while Maria watches them.
    • Human Intervention: Curious about what will happen, Maria places her hand directly in front of the first ant to block their path.
    • First Dialogue Shift: Pit yells, “Maria, let us go!”. Maria reacts with wonder and delight upon realizing the ants can speak: “Wow! You can talk! Talk to me!”.
  3. Exposition of Colony Roles (Development):
    • Misconception vs. Reality: Phut states, “We can’t stop. We have lots of work to do!”. Maria smiles, assuming they are just playing.
    • Role 1 – Tut the Cook Ant: Tut introduces himself as the cook ant, explaining that he works alongside thousands of cook ants to gather food for the entire colony. Maria marvels at the massive quantity of food needed.
    • Role 2 – Phut the Worker Ant: Phut introduces himself as part of a group of a thousand worker ants responsible for building and repairing the colony.
    • Role 3 – Chit the Nurse Ant: When Maria asks Chit who she is, Chit explains that nurse ants look after the eggs and care for sick ants.
    • Role 4 – Pit the Soldier Ant: Maria notices an ant carrying a flag and asks his identity. Pit marches ahead and proudly explains that he and many other soldier ants guard the colony.
  4. Resolution & Kindness (Climax & Outcome):
    • Acknowledgment & Reward: Maria acknowledges their dedication, saying, “You are right. All of you are really busy”.
    • Act of Hospitality: As a gesture of goodwill, Maria offers Tut some sugar to take with him as they continue their journey.

B. Grammar Sequence: Verb Tenses & Morphology

1. “Today Words” (Present Continuous / Action Verbs with -ing)

  • Rule: An action happening right now (“today word”) is formed by taking a base verb and adding the suffix -ing to the end.
  • Structural Formula: Base Verb + ing = Today Word (Ongoing Action)
  • Explicit Conversational & Visual Examples:
    • talk + ing = talking
    • cook + ing = cooking
    • stand + ing = standing
    • eat + ing = eating
  • Textbook Transformations:
    1. sing \(\rightarrow\) singing
    2. jump \(\rightarrow\) jumping
    3. pull \(\rightarrow\) pulling
    4. dream \(\rightarrow\) dreaming
    5. go \(\rightarrow\) going
    6. climb \(\rightarrow\) climbing
    7. sleep \(\rightarrow\) sleeping
    8. crawl \(\rightarrow\) crawling
  • Syntactic Sentence Construction: “The ants are climbing up the tree.”

2. “Yesterday Words” (Simple Past Tense with -ed)

  • Rule: To change a “today word” (present action) into a “yesterday word” (past action), add the suffix -ed to the end of most base verbs.
  • Structural Formula: Base Verb + ed = Yesterday Word (Completed Action)
  • Complete Textbook Matrix:
    1. laugh (Today) \(\rightarrow\) laughed (Yesterday)
    2. watch (Today) \(\rightarrow\) watched (Yesterday)
    3. rush (Today) \(\rightarrow\) rushed (Yesterday)
    4. walk (Today) \(\rightarrow\) walked (Yesterday)
    5. talk (Today) \(\rightarrow\) talked (Yesterday)

4. Literary & Linguistic Vocabulary (The Word List)

  • Colony – A community or group of organisms of the same type living and working closely together – “Food for the whole colony?” Maria said.
  • Guard – To protect or watch over a place or group from harm – “I, with many other soldier ants, guard the colony.”
  • Build – To construct or put together parts to form a structure – “We build and repair our colony,” said Phut.
  • Repair – To fix something that is damaged or broken – “We build and repair our colony,” said Phut.
  • Soldier – A member of a group tasked with defense and security – “I am the soldier ant.” Pit marched ahead.
  • Thought – Formed or entertained an idea or intention in the mind (past tense of think) – ‘What if I stop them?’ Maria thought.
  • Nurse – A caregiver responsible for looking after young, weak, or ill individuals – “I am one of the nurse ants. We look after the eggs and the sick ants,” said Chit.
  • Marched – Walked with regular, measured, and deliberate steps like a soldier – “I am the soldier ant.” Pit marched ahead.
  • Yelled – Shouted or cried out loudly – Pit yelled. “Maria, let us go!”
  • Today Words – Grammatical terms representing verbs in the present state or ongoing continuous form – We can change most today words into yesterday words by adding ed.
  • Yesterday Words – Grammatical terms representing verbs converted to the simple past tense using the suffix -ed – We can change most today words into yesterday words by adding ed.
  • Rhyming Words – Words that end with the same vocalic and consonantal sound – Match the rhyming words: hand – land, bite – kite, fun – bun, look – book.

5. Teacher’s Chapter Checklist

A. Literature & Comprehension Targets

  • [ ] Introduce the concept of community helpers via Dr. Nafisa Batta (age 30, hospital worker, cures sick people).
  • [ ] Track narrative plot points and dialogues between Maria and the four named ants (Tut, Phut, Chit, Pit).
  • [ ] Ensure students can identify the specific duty associated with each ant type:
    • Cook ant (Tut): Collects food for the entire colony.
    • Worker ant (Phut): Builds and repairs the colony.
    • Nurse ant (Chit): Cares for eggs and sick ants.
    • Soldier ant (Pit): Carries a flag, marches, and guards the colony.
  • [ ] Discuss the literary theme of empathy and hospitality (Maria sharing sugar with Tut).

B. Grammar & Language Skills Targets

  • [ ] Morphology (-ing): Master adding -ing to create ongoing “today words” (singing, jumping, pulling, dreaming, going, climbing, sleeping, crawling).
  • [ ] Morphology (-ed): Master adding -ed to create past “yesterday words” (laughed, watched, rushed, walked, talked).
  • [ ] Phonics & Word Wall Recognition: Practice rhyming trios (table/cable/fable, other/brother/mother, done/one/none, right/night/light).
  • [ ] Rhyme Association: Pair complementary rhyming words (hand \(\rightarrow\) land, bite \(\rightarrow\) kite, fun \(\rightarrow\) bun, look \(\rightarrow\) book).
  • [ ] Nursery Rhyme Ingestion: Complete contextual gaps in classic rhymes using lamb, mouse, sheep, birds.

C. Oral, Listening & Descriptive Writing Targets

  • [ ] Listening Skills: Distinguish between mother animals and baby animals through oral auditory cues.
  • [ ] Speaking Skills: Conduct peer interviews using key preference structures (“Do you like to play with blocks / dance / read books / make a greeting card / go for a walk / ride a bicycle / sing songs / have ice cream?”) with standard responses (“Yes, I do” / “No, I don’t”).
  • [ ] Descriptive Writing: Label and complete descriptive sentences for a peacock using anatomical vocabulary (head, neck, feathers, eyes, beak, crown).
  • [ ] Functional Life Skills: Internalize core values from ant behavior: teamwork, hard work, and helping others.

6. Ready-Reckoner Student Revision Notes

1. Character Summaries & Ant Roles

  • Dr. Nafisa Batta: A 30-year-old medical doctor who wears a white coat, works in a hospital, and cures sick people.
  • Maria: A observant girl who watches ants on a table, intercepts their path, engages in dialogue with them, and rewards them with sugar.
  • Tut (The Cook Ant): Works alongside thousands of cook ants to collect food for all the ants in the colony.
  • Phut (The Worker Ant): Works in a team of a thousand ants to build and repair the colony’s structures.
  • Chit (The Nurse Ant): Responsible for taking care of the ant eggs and nursing sick ants.
  • Pit (The Soldier Ant): Carries a flag, marches ahead, and guards the ant colony alongside fellow soldier ants.

2. Complete Story Plot Summary

  1. Maria observes four tiny ants (Tut, Phut, Chit, and Pit) walking in a single file line on a table.
  2. Curious to see their reaction, Maria places her hand in front of the lead ant.
  3. Pit yells at Maria to let them pass. Maria expresses amazement that ants can talk and asks them to chat with her.
  4. Phut explains that they cannot stop because they have work to do. Maria initially thinks they are just having fun running across the table.
  5. Tut clarifies that he is a cook ant bringing food back for the entire colony.
  6. Phut explains that as a worker ant, he builds and repairs the colony.
  7. Chit identifies herself as a nurse ant who looks after eggs and sick ants.
  8. Pit, holding a flag, marches ahead and announces that he is a soldier ant guarding the colony.
  9. Realizing how hard working and busy they are, Maria steps aside and kindly gives Tut some sugar to take along.

3. Grammar Master Rules

Rule A: Present Actions (“Today Words” with -ing)

Add -ing to base action words to show an action happening right now.

Base WordAdded SuffixCompleted “Today Word”
sing+ ingsinging
jump+ ingjumping
pull+ ingpulling
dream+ ingdreaming
go+ inggoing
climb+ ingclimbing
sleep+ ingsleeping
crawl+ ingcrawling
  • Key Model Sentence: “The ants are climbing up the tree.”

Rule B: Past Actions (“Yesterday Words” with -ed)

Convert present “today words” into past “yesterday words” by adding -ed.

Today Word (Present)Added SuffixYesterday Word (Past)
laugh+ edlaughed
watch+ edwatched
rush+ edrushed
walk+ edwalked
talk+ edtalked

4. Textbook Exercises & Reference Answer Keys

Word Wall Trios

  • table / cable / fable
  • other / brother / mother
  • done / one / none
  • right / night / light

Rhyming Pairs Matching

  • hand \(\leftrightarrow\) land
  • bite \(\leftrightarrow\) kite
  • fun \(\leftrightarrow\) bun
  • look \(\leftrightarrow\) book

Nursery Rhyme Completion

  1. Mary had a little lamb.
  2. Hickory, Dickory, Dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
  3. Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep.
  4. Two little dicky birds sat on a wall.

Descriptive Writing: The Peacock

  • Anatomy words: head, neck, feathers, eyes, beak.
  1. I have two eyes.
  2. I have a sharp beak.
  3. I have a long neck.
  4. I have colourful feathers.
  5. I have a crown on my head.
  6. I am a peacock.

Values & Life Skills

  • What we learn from ants: We learn to work as a team, help others, and work hard. We must avoid being lazy or making others do our work.

QUESTIONS :

Amazing Ants – Master Question Bank

1. The “Hidden” In-Text Questions (Mid-Chapter Extraction)

Section: ‘Let’s Start’ (Page 59)

Q1.1. What specific visual and factual details are provided about Dr. Nafisa Batta to distinguish her medical profession from other occupations like farming?

Section: Main Narrative – The Encounter & Misconception (Page 60)

Q1.2. How does Maria’s initial interpretation of the ants’ movement on the table differ from the actual purpose of their line formation?

Section: Main Narrative – Division of Labor & Colony Roles (Pages 60–61)

Q1.3. How do the four named ants (Tut, Phut, Chit, and Pit) represent the division of labor inside an ant colony?

Section: Main Narrative – Visual Identifiers & Actions (Page 61)

Q1.4. What specific object is carried by Pit the soldier ant, and how does his movement reflect his designated role?

Section: ‘Sight Words’ Sidebar (Page 61)

Q1.5. Identify the five vocabulary words highlighted in the ‘Sight Words’ box and explain how each word relates to the narrative of the ants or Maria.

Section: ‘Work with Words’ – Phonic Practice & Word Wall (Page 62)

Q1.6. Analyze the phonological organization of the ‘Word Wall’ and explain how rhyming trios are structured across the four word families.

Section: ‘Know Grammar’ – Verbs (-ing and -ed) (Pages 63–64)

Q1.7. What structural rule converts a “today word” into a “yesterday word”, and how does adding -ing alter the temporal aspect of a base verb?

Section: ‘Let’s Speak’ & ‘Fun to Do’ – Practical Communication (Pages 65–66)

Q1.8. What specific conversational sentence patterns are introduced in the ‘Let’s Speak’ and ‘Fun to Do’ sections for peer interaction and role-play activities?

Section: ‘Let’s Write’ – Descriptive Writing (Page 66)

Q1.9. What anatomical labels are used to complete the six-sentence descriptive paragraph about a peacock?

Section: ‘Life Skills’ Box (Page 67)

Q1.10. What specific behavioral traits are listed as lessons humans should learn from ant colonies, and which traits are explicitly rejected?

2. The Textbook Exercise Integration (Back-of-Chapter)

Comprehension Exercises (Pages 61–62)

Section A: Look at the pictures and name the ants.

  1. [Picture of Cook Ant with food] — __________
  2. [Picture of Worker Ant with tools] — __________
  3. [Picture of Nurse Ant with egg] — __________
  4. [Picture of Soldier Ant with flag] — __________

Section B: Answer these questions.

  1. Who were walking in a line?
  2. Who was watching them?
  3. What did Maria do to stop the ants?
  4. What did Maria give Tut?

Section C: Who said this? Name the ant.

  1. “We have lots of work to do.” — __________
  2. “We build and repair our colony.” — __________
  3. “We look after the eggs and the sick ants.” — __________
  4. “We guard the colony.” — __________

Work with Words Exercises (Pages 62–63)

Section D: Read the words on the Word Wall. Write the names of these pictures from the Word Wall.

  • Word Wall Reference Box:
    • table / cable / fable
    • other / brother / mother
    • done / one / none
    • right / night / light
  1. [Picture of 1] — __________
  2. [Picture of night sky] — __________
  3. [Picture of a table] — __________
  4. [Picture of a mother] — __________

Section E: Match the rhyming words.

  1. hand — a. bun
  2. bite — b. book
  3. fun — c. kite
  4. look — d. land

Section F: Fill in the blanks with words from the box.

  • Box: mouse | sheep | lamb | birds
  1. Mary had a little __________.
  2. Hickory, Dickory, Dock, the __________ ran up the clock.
  3. Little Bo Peep has lost her __________.
  4. Two little dicky __________ sat on a wall.

Know Grammar Exercises (Pages 63–64)

Section G: What are these ants doing? Label the picture with words from the box.

  • Box: cooking | talking | eating | standing
  1. [Ant speaking] — talking
  2. [Ant preparing food] — __________
  3. [Ant consuming food] — __________
  4. [Ant upright on feet] — __________

Section H: Add -ing to these words. Write the new words on the blanks.

  1. sing — singing
  2. jump — __________
  3. pull — __________
  4. dream — __________
  5. go — __________
  6. climb — __________
  7. sleep — __________
  8. crawl — __________

Section I: Write one sentence with any new word that you have made.

  • Model Prompt from Text: The ants are climbing up the tree.

Section J: Change these today words to yesterday words.

  1. laugh (Today) — laughed (Yesterday)
  2. watch (Today) — __________ (Yesterday)
  3. rush (Today) — __________ (Yesterday)
  4. walk (Today) — __________ (Yesterday)
  5. talk (Today) — __________ (Yesterday)

Let’s Write & Life Skills Exercises (Pages 66–67)

Section K & L: Label the parts of my body and write about me.

  • Box: neck | feathers | eyes | head | beak
  1. I have two __________.
  2. I have a sharp __________.
  3. I have a long __________.
  4. I have colourful __________.
  5. I have a crown on my __________.
  6. I am a peacock.

Section M: Life Skills Checklist

Ants live in colonies and work together. What do we learn from them? Tick (\(\checkmark\)) the correct answers.

  • [ ] work as a team
  • [ ] be lazy
  • [ ] help others
  • [ ] work hard
  • [ ] make others do our work

3. Exhaustive Objective Bank (The Factual Baseline)

Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

Q1. Who wrote the story “Amazing Ants”?

A) Nafisa Batta B) Vineeta Krishna C) Maria Krishna D) Chit Krishna

Q2. How old is Dr. Nafisa Batta according to the introductory activity?

A) Three years old B) Thirteen years old C) Thirty years old D) Thirty-three years old

Q3. What outfit does Dr. Nafisa Batta wear at her workplace?

A) A red coat B) A blue coat C) A white coat D) A green coat

Q4. Where does Dr. Nafisa Batta work?

A) On a farm B) In a school C) In a hospital D) In a restaurant

Q5. How many individual ants are named and given dialogue in the story?

A) Two B) Three C) Four D) Five

Q6. Where were the ants walking when Maria spotted them?

A) In a circle on the floor B) In a line on a table C) Up a wall D) Under a chair

Q7. What action did Maria take to stop the ants?

A) She placed her foot in front of them B) She placed her hand before the first ant C) She blew air at them D) She put a cup over them

Q8. Which ant was walking at the front of the line and yelled at Maria?

A) Tut B) Phut C) Chit D) Pit

Q9. What did Maria initially assume the ants were doing on the table?

A) Searching for sugar B) Having fun running from one end to the other C) Building a nest D) Fighting each other

Q10. What is the specific job of Tut the ant?

A) Worker ant B) Nurse ant C) Soldier ant D) Cook ant

Q11. According to Tut, who receives the food gathered by the cook ants?

A) Only Maria B) Only the soldier ants C) All the other ants in the colony D) Only the queen ant

Q12. What is the primary responsibility of Phut the worker ant?

A) Guarding the colony B) Cooking meals C) Building and repairing the colony D) Looking after eggs

Q13. How many ants belong to the group of worker ants mentioned by Phut?

A) A hundred B) A thousand C) A million D) Ten thousand

Q14. What are the two duties performed by Chit the nurse ant?

A) Building walls and carrying flags B) Cooking food and marching ahead C) Looking after eggs and sick ants D) Guarding doors and collecting sugar

Q15. What special item was Pit the soldier ant carrying?

A) A piece of sugar B) A flag C) An egg D) A leaf

Q16. What gift did Maria give to Tut before the ants continued their journey?

A) A drop of water B) A piece of bread C) Some sugar D) A flower seed

Q17. Which of the following words is featured in the ‘Sight Words’ box on Page 61?

A) Hospital B) Guard C) Peacock D) Table

Q18. How are most “today words” transformed into “yesterday words” in the grammar lesson?

A) By adding -ing B) By adding -s C) By adding -ed D) By adding -ly

Q19. Which word from the Word Wall rhymes with “light”?

A) Table B) Night C) Mother D) Done

Q20. Complete the line from the nursery rhyme: “Mary had a little ______.”

A) Mouse B) Sheep C) Lamb D) Bird

Q21. According to the descriptive writing exercise, what feature is located on top of the peacock’s head?

A) A sharp beak B) Colourful feathers C) A crown D) Two eyes

Q22. Which option represents a negative behavior that we should NOT learn from ants?

A) Work as a team B) Be lazy C) Help others D) Work hard

Fill-in-the-Blanks

  1. Dr. Nafisa Batta is a doctor who cures ______ people.
  2. Maria placed her hand before the ______ ant on the table.
  3. Tut, Phut, Chit, and Pit were ______ ants.
  4. Tut gets food for all the other ants in the ______.
  5. Phut works alongside a group of a ______ worker ants.
  6. Chit is one of the nurse ants who look after the ______ and the sick ants.
  7. Pit marched ahead carrying a ______.
  8. Maria offered Tut some ______ as the ants went on their way.
  9. To show an action happening right now, we add the suffix ______ to a base verb.
  10. The “yesterday word” for “walk” is ______.
  11. On the Word Wall, the rhyming partners for “table” are cable and ______.
  12. Little Bo Peep has lost her ______.
  13. In the peacock description, the peacock states, “I have a sharp ______.”
  14. The textbook model sentence states, “The ants are ______ up the tree.”
  15. In the ‘Life Skills’ activity, we learn that ants live in colonies and work together as a ______.

True/False Questions

  1. Dr. Nafisa Batta is three years old and works on a farm. (If False, correct the statement)
  2. Maria thought the ants were having fun running from one end of the table to the other. (If False, correct the statement)
  3. Tut is the soldier ant who guards the colony with a flag. (If False, correct the statement)
  4. Chit works as a nurse ant looking after eggs and sick ants. (If False, correct the statement)
  5. Phut works completely alone without any other worker ants to build the colony. (If False, correct the statement)
  6. Pit yelled, “Maria, let us go!” when Maria blocked the line of ants. (If False, correct the statement)
  7. We can change most today words into yesterday words by adding “-ing”. (If False, correct the statement)
  8. The rhyming word for “bite” in the textbook matching exercise is “kite”. (If False, correct the statement)
  9. A peacock has colourful feathers, a long neck, and a crown on its head. (If False, correct the statement)
  10. The Life Skills section teaches us that we should learn to be lazy and make others do our work. (If False, correct the statement)

4. Subjective & Competency Bank (Higher-Order Thinking)

Short-Answer Questions

Q1. Why did Maria put her hand in front of the first ant on the table?

Q2. Explain why Phut told Maria that the ants could not stop to talk to her.

Q3. How does Tut the cook ant describe his responsibility to the whole colony?

Q4. Explain the two primary duties performed by Chit the nurse ant.

Q5. How does Pit the soldier ant demonstrate his role both visually and verbally?

Q6. Why did Maria decide to give Tut some sugar before the ants departed?

Q7. Explain the structural difference between a “today word” and a “yesterday word” using examples from the text.

Q8. How do rhyming words help students build phonic practice in the “Work with Words” section?

Q9. Explain how the “Let’s Write” exercise guides students to construct a complete descriptive paragraph about a peacock.

Q10. Why does the “Life Skills” section emphasize teamwork and hard work over individual effort?

Scenario-Based / Competency Questions

Q1. Imagine a student sees a line of ants carrying food in a garden and tries to disrupt them; how can Maria’s experience in the chapter teach this student to respect insect labor?

Q2. A student writes the sentence “Yesterday I walk to school”; how would you use the “Know Grammar” rules from this chapter to correct and explain the error?

Q3. If a doctor enters a school classroom wearing a white coat, which facts from Dr. Nafisa Batta’s profile help students identify the doctor’s age, work location, and primary role?

Q4. Suppose a group of students is organizing a classroom cleanup project; how can they apply the ant colony roles of worker, nurse, cook, and soldier to divide their tasks effectively?

Q5. During a role-play activity based on “Fun to Do”, a student playing ‘Granny’ needs potatoes; how should the buyer frame the question and how should Granny respond using the textbook pattern?

Long-Answer / Essay Questions

Q1. Detail the complete narrative of “Amazing Ants,” analyzing how Maria’s perception of the ants transforms from seeing them as playful insects to recognizing them as dedicated community workers.

Q2. Compare and contrast the specific duties, group sizes, and visual behaviors of the four ants (Tut, Phut, Chit, and Pit) as presented in the chapter.

Q3. Synthesize the full grammatical framework presented in “Know Grammar,” detailing the formation formulas, rules, and complete textbook examples for both “-ing” today words and “-ed” yesterday words.

Q4. Analyze how the chapter “Amazing Ants” integrates literary story-telling, vocabulary building, grammar rules, and real-life values to create a holistic learning experience for young readers.

Q5. Provide an exhaustive breakdown of all practical exercises in the chapter, including the Word Wall, Rhyming Matching, Nursery Rhyme Completion, Descriptive Writing, and Life Skills.

5. The Master Answer Key & Marking Rubric

Section 1: In-Text Questions Key

  • Q1.1 Answer: Dr. Nafisa Batta is 30 years old, works in a hospital, wears a white coat, and cures sick people (unlike a farmer who works on a farm and grows crops).
  • Q1.2 Answer: Maria assumes the ants are having fun running back and forth; in reality, they are walking in a line to execute critical colony tasks.
  • Q1.3 Answer: Tut cooks/collects food, Phut builds/repairs, Chit nurses eggs/sick ants, and Pit guards the colony.
  • Q1.4 Answer: Pit carries a flag and marches ahead, visually symbolizing a military guard defending the colony.
  • Q1.5 Answer: The sight words are guard, build, repair, soldier, and thought. They represent the core concepts of construction, defense, and mental reflection in the text.
  • Q1.6 Answer: Words are grouped into three-word rhyming sets sharing identical ending phonemes: -able (table, cable, fable), -other (other, brother, mother), -one (done, one, none), -ight (right, night, light).
  • Q1.7 Answer: Adding -ing shows an ongoing present action (“today word”); adding -ed converts a verb into a completed past action (“yesterday word”).
  • Q1.8 Answer: Let's Speak uses “Do you like to [verb]?” \(\rightarrow\) “Yes, I do / No, I don’t”. Fun to Do uses “Granny, do we need some [item]?” \(\rightarrow\) “Yes, pick up… / No, we have them…”.
  • Q1.9 Answer: Labels: head, neck, feathers, eyes, beak.
  • Q1.10 Answer: Accepted: work as a team, help others, work hard. Rejected: be lazy, make others do our work.

Section 2: Textbook Exercises Key

  • Comprehension Section A: 1. Tut | 2. Phut | 3. Chit | 4. Pit
  • Comprehension Section B:
    1. Tut, Phut, Chit, and Pit (four tiny ants) were walking in a line.
    2. Maria was watching them.
    3. She put her hand before the first ant.
    4. Maria gave Tut some sugar.
  • Comprehension Section C: 1. Phut | 2. Phut | 3. Chit | 4. Pit
  • Work with Words Section D: 1. one | 2. night | 3. table | 4. mother
  • Work with Words Section E: 1 \(\rightarrow\) d (hand-land) | 2 \(\rightarrow\) c (bite-kite) | 3 \(\rightarrow\) a (fun-bun) | 4 \(\rightarrow\) b (look-book)
  • Work with Words Section F: 1. lamb | 2. mouse | 3. sheep | 4. birds
  • Know Grammar Section G: 1. talking | 2. cooking | 3. eating | 4. standing
  • Know Grammar Section H: 1. singing | 2. jumping | 3. pulling | 4. dreaming | 5. going | 6. climbing | 7. sleeping | 8. crawling
  • Know Grammar Section I: Student sentence using any -ing word (e.g., The ants are climbing up the tree.)
  • Know Grammar Section J: 1. laughed | 2. watched | 3. rushed | 4. walked | 5. talked
  • Let’s Write Section K & L: 1. eyes | 2. beak | 3. neck | 4. feathers | 5. head
  • Life Skills Section M: Ticked boxes: work as a team, help others, work hard.

Section 3: Objective Bank Key

Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

  1. B) Vineeta Krishna
  2. C) Thirty years old
  3. C) A white coat
  4. C) In a hospital
  5. C) Four
  6. B) In a line on a table
  7. B) She placed her hand before the first ant
  8. D) Pit
  9. B) Having fun running from one end to the other
  10. D) Cook ant
  11. C) All the other ants in the colony
  12. C) Building and repairing the colony
  13. B) A thousand
  14. C) Looking after eggs and sick ants
  15. B) A flag
  16. C) Some sugar
  17. B) Guard
  18. C) By adding -ed
  19. B) Night
  20. C) Lamb
  21. C) A crown
  22. B) Be lazy

Fill-in-the-Blanks

  1. sick
  2. first
  3. tiny
  4. colony
  5. thousand
  6. eggs
  7. flag
  8. sugar
  9. -ing
  10. walked
  11. fable
  12. sheep
  13. beak
  14. climbing
  15. team

True/False Questions

  1. False. Correct: Dr. Nafisa Batta is thirty years old and works in a hospital.
  2. True.
  3. False. Correct: Tut is the cook ant; Pit is the soldier ant who carries a flag and guards the colony.
  4. True.
  5. False. Correct: Phut works along with a group of a thousand worker ants.
  6. True.
  7. False. Correct: We change today words into yesterday words by adding “-ed”.
  8. True.
  9. True.
  10. False. Correct: The Life Skills section teaches us to work as a team, help others, and work hard (not be lazy).

Section 4: Subjective & Competency Marking Rubrics

Short-Answer Marking Rubrics (10 Questions)

  • Q1 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Curious / wanted to see what would happen / thought “What if I stop them?”.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for identifying Maria’s curiosity/thought; 1 mark for citing her action on the table.
    • Text Reference: Page 60, Paragraph 1.
  • Q2 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Lots of work to do / cannot stop / busy carrying out colony duties.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for stating “lots of work to do”; 1 mark for explaining that ant duties cannot be delayed.
    • Text Reference: Page 60, Paragraph 3.
  • Q3 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Cook ant / thousands of cook ants / gets food for all the other ants in the colony.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for stating job title (cook ant); 1 mark for stating that food is gathered for the whole colony.
    • Text Reference: Page 60, Paragraph 4.
  • Q4 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Nurse ant / look after eggs / look after sick ants.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for eggs; 1 mark for sick ants.
    • Text Reference: Page 60, Paragraph 7.
  • Q5 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Visually: ant with the flag / Verbally: “marched ahead”, “guard the colony”.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for mentioning the flag/marching; 1 mark for citing the statement “guard the colony”.
    • Text Reference: Pages 60–61, Paragraphs 8–9.
  • Q6 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Acknowledged they are busy / kindness / gesture of reward / sharing food.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for recognizing Maria’s change of perspective; 1 mark for stating sugar as a reward for their hard work.
    • Text Reference: Page 61, Paragraph 10.
  • Q7 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Today word = present action + “-ing” (e.g., climb \(\rightarrow\) climbing) / Yesterday word = past action + “-ed” (e.g., walk \(\rightarrow\) walked).
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for defining and giving an example of “-ing”; 1 mark for defining and giving an example of “-ed”.
    • Text Reference: Pages 63–64, Know Grammar.
  • Q8 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Sound patterns / matching ending sounds / phonic practice / vocabulary memorization.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for sound association; 1 mark for referencing rhyming pairs (e.g., hand-land).
    • Text Reference: Page 62, Work with Words.
  • Q9 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Body labels (eyes, beak, neck, feathers, head) / filling blanks in structured sentences / ending with identity (“I am a peacock”).
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for using precise anatomical words; 1 mark for constructing complete descriptive sentences.
    • Text Reference: Page 66, Let’s Write.
  • Q10 Rubric:
    • Keywords Required: Work as a team / help others / work hard / social harmony / avoiding laziness.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for listing key positive values; 1 mark for contrasting them with rejected habits like laziness.
    • Text Reference: Page 67, Life Skills.

Scenario-Based / Competency Marking Rubrics (5 Questions)

  • Q1 Rubric:
    • Application Steps: Explain that ants are not playing but working hard for colony survival; reference how Maria realized they have crucial jobs; advise leaving them uninterrupted.
    • Marks Allocation: 1.5 marks for connecting scenario to Maria’s realization; 1.5 marks for articulating respect for animal labor.
    • Text Reference: Pages 60–61.
  • Q2 Rubric:
    • Application Steps: Identify “Yesterday” as a time marker requiring a “yesterday word”; explain that “-ed” must be added to “walk”; correct the sentence to “Yesterday I walked to school”.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for rule identification (-ed); 1 mark for grammatical explanation; 1 mark for correct revised sentence.
    • Text Reference: Page 64, Know Grammar.
  • Q3 Rubric:
    • Application Steps: White coat + hospital = doctor; cures sick people = primary role; age = 30 years old (distinguishing from incorrect option of 3 years).
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for workplace/coat identification; 1 mark for primary role; 1 mark for age verification.
    • Text Reference: Page 59, Let’s Start.
  • Q4 Rubric:
    • Application Steps: Map classroom jobs to ant roles: Cooks = snack distributors; Workers = desk/room repairers and cleaners; Nurses = first-aid/caregivers; Soldiers = safety monitors/captains.
    • Marks Allocation: 1 mark for clear assignment of all 4 roles; 2 marks for logical justification based on text definitions.
    • Text Reference: Pages 60–61.
  • Q5 Rubric:
    • Application Steps: Buyer question: “Granny, do we need some [item]?”; Granny positive response: “Yes, pick up [number] of them”; Granny negative response: “No, we have them at home”.
    • Marks Allocation: 1.5 marks for correct question syntax; 1.5 marks for accurate Granny response options.
    • Text Reference: Page 67, Fun to Do.

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