📑 Table of Contents (tap a topic to jump)
🧠 Let Us Think
1Explain the meaning of the word 'bow' used in the poem.
In the poem, 'bow' refers to the curved, arch-like shape of the rainbow — similar to the curve of an archer's bow — stretching across the sky like a bridge.
2Which bridge does the poet like more, and why?
The poet likes the rainbow — described as 'the bow that bridges heaven' — more than ordinary bridges, because it beautifully connects the earth to the sky and is far prettier than anything built by people.
3The word 'these' is used for different things in stanzas one and two. What does it refer to in each stanza?
In the first stanza, 'these' refers to the boats and ships sailing on rivers and seas. In the second stanza, 'these' refers to the bridges built on rivers.
4State whether the following are True or False.
- Ships sail on the river. — False (ships sail on the sea)
- Boats sail on the sea. — False (boats sail on rivers)
- Bridges are built on the river. — True
- A road is built from earth to the sky. — True (the rainbow is described as building 'a road from earth to sky')
✍️ Let Us Learn
5Rearrange the letters to form words from the poem.
sail, river, sea, clouds, bridges, heaven, overtops, bow, road
(sial→sail, vierr→river, sae→sea, oduscl→clouds, risebgd→bridges, nhveea→heaven, eoptvros→overtops, owb→bow, droa→road)
(sial→sail, vierr→river, sae→sea, oduscl→clouds, risebgd→bridges, nhveea→heaven, eoptvros→overtops, owb→bow, droa→road)
6Find two pairs of words from the poem that rhyme.
Example rhyming pairs: 'seas' and 'these'; 'please' and 'trees'. (Students may also note 'sky' rhyming across stanzas with similar end-sounds.)
7Complete the word-pair table (word + friend word = new word).
- rain + bow = rainbow
- tea + cup = teacup
- wrist + watch = wristwatch
- arm + chair = armchair
- earth + worm = earthworm
- sun + flower = sunflower
- table + cloth = tablecloth
- note + book = notebook
- ear + ring = earring
- tooth + brush = toothbrush
8Write opposites beginning with 'S' for: large, weak, fast, rough, dull, curved, finish, addition, complicated, mild, blunt.
- large × small
- weak × strong
- fast × slow
- rough × smooth
- dull × shiny/sharp
- curved × straight
- finish × start
- addition × subtraction
- complicated × simple
- mild × strong/severe
- blunt × sharp
9VIBGYOR — name the seven colours of the rainbow in order.
Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red.
🔎 Let Us Explore
10Did You Know — What did Isaac Newton demonstrate with a spinning disc?
Isaac Newton created a spinning disc painted with the seven rainbow colours to show that white light is actually made up of all these colours combined. When the disc spins very fast, our eyes see white instead of the individual colours.