Summary
Chapter 7 of the Class 5 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "Gilli Danda", is a poem about the traditional Indian outdoor game played with two sticks — download the PDF to read the poem, comprehension questions, and grammar exercises on prefixes, abstract nouns, and possessive pronouns.
- The Poem: Gilli Danda — The chapter centres on a rhyming poem that describes children gathering in a playground to play Gilli Danda, hitting the small gilli with a danda stick and watching it fly under the bright blue skies. The poem conveys joy, freedom, and the fun of playing with friends outdoors.
- Prefixes: un- and re- — The grammar section introduces word prefixes: 'un-' means 'not' (unhappy, uncommon) and 're-' means 'again' (redraw, rewrite). Students practise adding these prefixes to words like 'aware', 'comfortable', 'arrange', and 'think' to form new words with changed meanings.
- Abstract Nouns — Students learn that nouns naming feelings, thoughts, or ideas — things that cannot be touched, smelled, or seen — are called abstract nouns. Examples from the exercise include 'joy', 'anger', 'happiness', and 'fear', as opposed to concrete nouns like 'leaf', 'sun', or 'toffee'.
- Possessive Pronouns — The chapter introduces possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) that show ownership or relationship between people and things. Students fill in blanks with the correct possessive pronoun based on who an object belongs to.
- How to Play and Make Gilli Danda — A speaking and activity section explains the rules of the game: one player hits the short gilli with the long danda to make it fly, while others try to catch it. A hands-on craft activity guides students to make their own gilli and danda from waste materials like twigs and rough stones, with optional decoration.
Key points & formulas
- 01Gilli Danda is a traditional Indian outdoor game played with two sticks: a long danda and a short gilli; in English it is known as tip-cat.
- 02The poem describes players gathering in the playground, swinging the danda to hit the gilli, and watching it fly up under bright blue skies.
- 03New vocabulary words introduced in the chapter include: gather, gilli, quit, and underneath.
- 04The grammar section teaches two prefixes — 'un-' (meaning not) and 're-' (meaning again) — with examples like unhappy and redraw.
- 05Students learn to distinguish concrete nouns from abstract nouns; abstract nouns like happiness and fear have no physical shape and cannot be touched or seen.
- 06Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) are practised through a fill-in-the-blank exercise.
- 07A craft activity shows students how to make a gilli (about 3-4 inches long, both ends sharpened) and a danda from waste twigs and smooth them with a rough stone.
Frequently asked questions
01What game is described in the poem Gilli Danda?
The poem describes the traditional outdoor game of Gilli Danda, played with a stick (danda) and a small peg (gilli). Players hit the gilli with the danda to make it fly into the air.
02What two things are needed to play Gilli Danda?
Two things are needed: one short stick called the gilli and one long stick called the danda. One player hits the gilli with the danda while other players try to catch it.
03What is the English name for Gilli Danda?
Gilli Danda is known as tip-cat in English, as mentioned in the Did You Know section of the chapter.
04How do the players feel while playing Gilli Danda according to the poem?
According to the poem, the players feel free, joyful, and happy while playing. Lines like "Laughing, playing, having fun" and "With every swing, we feel so free" show their happiness.
05What happens to the gilli when the stick strikes it?
When the stick strikes it, the small gilli flies up high into the air, as described in the line "The small gilli, up high it flies, Underneath the bright blue skies."
06Which lines in the poem show that the children are playing outside?
The lines "Underneath the bright blue skies" and "Under the golden rays of the sun" show that the children are playing the game outdoors in open air.
07What does the line 'our game is so sound' mean?
The line 'our game is so sound' means that their game is very good, solid, and enjoyable. The word 'sound' here means something that is dependable and of high quality.
08Which word in the poem shows happiness?
The word 'joy' in the poem shows happiness, as seen in the line "We play with joy, watch it go!"
09How can you make a gilli at home using waste material?
You can use a small twig or a piece of a discarded stick about 3 to 4 inches long, sharpen both ends with a rough stone to give it a proper shape, then smoothen the surface. You may optionally colour or paint it for an attractive look.
10What are the new words introduced in the Gilli Danda chapter?
The four new words introduced in the chapter are gather, gilli, quit, and underneath.
11What are prefixes, and which two prefixes are taught in this chapter?
A prefix is a group of letters added at the beginning of a word that changes its meaning. This chapter teaches the prefixes 'un-' (meaning not, for example unhappy) and 're-' (meaning again, for example redraw).
12What are abstract nouns as explained in this chapter?
Abstract nouns are words that refer to things with no physical shape, such as feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Examples given in the chapter include happiness, sadness, joy, and fear, which cannot be touched, smelt, or seen.
More chapters in Santoor
Read Chapter 7 of Santoor, the Class 5 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 5 textbooks.
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