Summary
Chapter 4 of the Class 2 English NCERT textbook (Mridang), "Seeing without Seeing", tells the story of Onshangla and her mother Ava, who play a blindfold game to help Onshangla understand how a classmate who cannot see can still identify things through touch, smell, taste, and hearing.
- The Story: Onshangla's Blindfold Game — Onshangla comes home worried about a new boy in her class who wears black glasses and cannot see. Her mother Ava ties a scarf over Onshangla's eyes and lets her identify objects — a rose, a bell, and a glass of orange juice — using her other senses.
- Using the Five Senses — With her eyes covered, Onshangla uses touch to feel the rose, smell to name it, hearing to recognise the bell, touch and taste to discover the orange juice. The activity shows children that senses other than sight can tell us a great deal about the world.
- Empathy and Inclusion — After the game, Ava explains that a child who cannot see may face difficulties but can find out things in other ways. She hopes Onshangla and her classmates will be friends with the new boy, teaching children to be kind and welcoming to differently abled peers.
- Language Activities: New and Sight Words — The chapter introduces sight words such as is, from, what, how, and, it, me, our, some, and other, along with new vocabulary words: quiet, front, sniff, remove, joy, blink, and difficulties. Children practise these through reading, speaking, and writing exercises.
- Eye Care and the Vowel Sound 'o' — The chapter ends with a 'Let us do' section on caring for eyes — listing good habits like sitting straight and reading in good light — and an eye exercise activity. It also introduces the short vowel sound 'o' through picture words such as ox, orange, top, clock, and lock.
Key points & formulas
- 01Onshangla is a Class 2 girl who comes home quiet after a new boy who cannot see joins her class.
- 02Her mother Ava plays a blindfold game by tying a scarf over Onshangla's eyes.
- 03Onshangla identifies a rose by touch and smell, a bell by sound, and a glass of orange juice by touch and taste.
- 04Ava teaches that people who cannot see can use other senses to find out about the world.
- 05New vocabulary words in the chapter include quiet, sniff, remove, joy, blink, and difficulties.
- 06The chapter includes eye care tips such as reading in good light, eating carrots, and not sitting too close to the TV.
- 07The chapter introduces the short vowel sound 'o' with words like ox, orange, top, clock, and lock.
Frequently asked questions
01What is the story 'Seeing without Seeing' about?
It is about a girl named Onshangla who is upset because a new boy who cannot see has joined her class. Her mother Ava plays a blindfold game with her to show that people can use touch, smell, hearing, and taste to understand the world even without sight.
02Who are the main characters in this chapter?
The two main characters are Onshangla, a Class 2 girl, and Ava, her mother. A new boy who cannot see is also mentioned as the reason Onshangla comes home quiet.
03What does Onshangla's mother Ava do to help her understand?
Ava ties a scarf over Onshangla's eyes and holds different objects — a rose, a small bell, and a glass of orange juice — asking Onshangla to identify each one using her other senses.
04How does Onshangla identify the rose without seeing it?
Onshangla first touches the rose and says it is something soft and like a flower. When Ava asks her to smell it, she sniffs it and correctly names it as a rose.
05How does Onshangla identify the bell?
Ava shakes the small bell so it makes a 'Trin…Trin' sound. Onshangla recognises it immediately by hearing the musical sound.
06How does Onshangla figure out the glass holds orange juice and not water?
She first touches the glass and puts a finger slightly inside to feel the liquid. She thinks it is water, but when she tastes it she finds out it is orange juice.
07What lesson does Ava teach Onshangla at the end?
Ava tells Onshangla that a child who cannot see can still find out things in other ways, but may face some difficulties. She hopes Onshangla and her classmates will be friends with the new boy.
08What are the new words introduced in Chapter 4 of Mridang Class 2?
The new words are quiet, front, sniff, remove, joy, blink, and difficulties.
09What are the sight words in this chapter?
The sight words are is, from, what, on, how, and, it, me, our, some, and other.
10What does the 'Let us speak' activity ask children to do?
It asks children to close their eyes and think about how they would identify water, a flower, sugar, and the direction of a clapping sound using their senses other than sight.
11What eye care habits does the chapter teach?
The chapter says children should sit straight while reading, read in good light, eat carrots and vegetables, and close their eyes and splash water on their eyelids. It also says they should not sit very close to the TV, stare at the sun, or play on a mobile phone for a long time.
12What vowel sound is introduced in the phonics section of this chapter?
The chapter introduces the short vowel sound 'o' as in 'top', with picture words like ox, otter, orange, fox, dot, top, clock, lock, and frock.
13What does 'Ava' mean in the story?
Ava is the word Onshangla uses to call her mother. The 'Let us speak' activity asks children what the word for mother is in their own language, showing that different languages have different words for mother.
14What writing activities are included in Chapter 4?
Children fill in blanks using words like quiet, boy, biscuits, milk, game, and orange. They also write sentences about activities they like to do with family members and list five things they can do by themselves.
More chapters in Mridang
Read Chapter 4 of Mridang, the Class 2 English NCERT textbook (2026-27 edition), online for free: the complete chapter as published by NCERT with every diagram, solved example and exercise, with a chapter summary, question answers and revision notes. Open the NCERT PDF above, or browse all NCERT Class 2 textbooks.
Read offline with notes, solutions & mock tests
CBSE Prepmaster — free on iOS & Android