CBSE Class VII English (Poorvi) Unit 1: Learning Together — Three Days to See Questions and Answers

THREE DAYS TO SEE

Students exploring and using their senses outdoors.

Let us do these activities before we read

I. Work in pairs. Recall a visit to a place that you liked. Discuss the details of that place and write about the following:

1. Name of the place: A botanical garden.

2. The person(s) you went with: My family and classmates.

3. The things that you could:

• see: Colorful blooming flowers, green trees, and fluttering butterflies.
• listen: Birds singing and water splashing in the fountain.
• smell: The fresh fragrance of roses and wet earth.
• taste: Fresh mango juice and sweet apples.
• touch and feel: The soft petals of flowers and the rough bark of trees.

II. How does this memory make you feel?

This memory makes me feel happy, peaceful, and refreshed.

III. Do you think your visit/experience would be different if you could not see or hear? Share your answers with your classmates and the teacher.

Yes, the experience would be very different because without sight or hearing, I would miss the beautiful visual colors and peaceful sounds. However, I would have to rely completely on touch, smell, and taste to experience and feel the place.

Helen Keller experiencing nature through touch.

Let us discuss

I. Work in pairs. Identify the statements that are true from the ones given below. Share your answers with the teacher.

1. The author expresses a deep longing to experience the world through the sense of hearing. — False (She longingly wishes to experience the world through sight).
2. The author would like exploring the city only to observe how people are suffering. — False (She wants to see smiles, determination, and suffering to understand their daily lives).
3. The author would spend the first day seeing the people whose kind-heartedness and friendship have enriched her life. — True
4. The author acknowledges that even in three days, she would not be able to see everything. — True
5. The author feels that everyone can find the greatest joy merely by the sense of touch. — False (She believes sight must be the most delightful sense).
6. The author advises those who can see to appreciate every moment as if they might lose their senses tomorrow. — True
7. On the third day, the author would like to observe people in their daily lives and understand their experiences. — True

True Statements: 3, 4, 6, and 7.

II. Complete the table given below with what Helen Keller wanted to do on the three days if she had sight.

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
See the people whose kindness and companionship made her life worth living; know her friends from the feel of their faces and see into their eyes ("window of the soul").	Arise with the dawn to see the transformation of night into day; visit museums to see the pageant of man's progress and condensed history of the earth.	Greet the dawn and spend the day in the workaday world in the city, observing people going about their daily lives to understand their happiness, determination, and suffering.

III. The author says that you need eyes to be able to 'see' the true self of a person. Therefore, she refers to the eye as 'window of the soul'. How is the narrator able to understand the feelings of a person?

The narrator is able to understand the feelings of a person through her fingertips by touching the outline of their face, through which she can detect laughter, sorrow, and other obvious emotions.

Let us think and reflect

I. 1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
"I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough, shaggy bark of a pine. In spring, I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud, the first sign of awakening Nature after her winter's sleep. Occasionally, I am very fortunate; I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song."

(i) What does the 'delicate symmetry of a leaf' symbolise?
It symbolises the evenness, beauty, order, and perfection found in Nature's creations.

(ii) List two phrases from the extract that describe the texture of objects in nature.
"smooth skin of a silver birch" and "rough, shaggy bark of a pine".

(iii) Complete the sentence appropriately.
The phrase 'awakening Nature after her winter's sleep' refers to the arrival of spring season when buds bloom and life returns after cold winter.

(iv) What is the tone of the writer in this extract?
C. admiring

I. 2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
"The next day I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling miracle by which night is transformed into day. I should behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with which the sun awakens the sleeping earth. This day I should devote to a hasty glimpse of the world, past and present. I should want to see the pageant of man's progress, and so I should go to the museums."

(i) The word 'thrilling' has been used with 'miracle'. Which of the following words does not match with the word 'thrilling'?
C. knowledge

(ii) Why does the writer refer to the earth as 'sleeping earth'?
Because during the dark night, the earth is quiet and inactive until sunrise brings it to life.

(iii) Complete the sentence with an appropriate reason.
The writer wishes to dedicate the day to a brief look at the present and past world because she wants to see the pageant of man's progress and the condensed history of the earth in museums within her limited given time.

(iv) Why does the writer use 'should' multiple times in the extract?
To express her strong desires, intentions, and imagined plans if she were given the opportunity to see.

II. Answer the following questions.

1. The sense of touch makes up for the loss of sight and hearing. Explain this statement with reference to the text.
Helen Keller feels hundreds of interesting things through mere touch, such as the delicate symmetry of leaves, smooth or rough tree barks, buds in spring, and the quiver of a singing bird. She also recognizes her friends by feeling the outlines of their faces to detect laughter and sorrow.

2. Why does the author believe that the sense of sight is the most wonderful?
She believes sight is the most delightful because if touch alone brings so much pleasure, seeing the beauty, light, colors, and faces of the world would reveal vastly more beauty.

3. How might the author's opinion on making the most of our senses guide us to be kinder towards people with special abilities?
It makes us realize how precious our senses are and helps us empathize with the challenges faced by visually or hearing impaired individuals, prompting us to treat them with respect, inclusion, and kindness.

4. What is the significance of imagining the loss of a sense, according to the author?
Imagining losing a sense makes us appreciate what we have and reminds us not to take our senses for granted, encouraging us to fully experience and glory in all sensory pleasures every day.

5. How does the author encourage people to approach their everyday sensory experiences?
She urges people to use their senses fully—to listen to music, touch objects, smell flowers, and taste food as if they might lose those senses tomorrow.

6. What do the author's choices for the three days tell us about her values and priorities?
They show that she values human relationships, love, nature, human history/progress, and everyday life in society above material items.

Let us learn

I. Complete the following table with sensory words from the text in Column 2 for the five senses in Column 1. Add new words in Column 3.

Column 1 (Sense)	Column 2 (Words from Text)	Column 3 (New Words)
What you see	panorama, light, glimpse, pageant	colorful, bright, shimmering
What you hear	music, song, strains, quiver	melodious, echo, whisper
What you smell	perfume	aromatic, fragrant, pungent
What you taste	relish, morsel	delicious, sweet, savory
What you feel	rough, smooth, shaggy, delicate	soft, silky, coarse

II. Read the following sentences from the text and underline the verbs.

• I should divide the period into three parts.
• On the first day, I should want to see...
• The next day I should arise with the dawn...
• I should behold with awe...

III. Identify the modal verbs in the following sentences. Choose the functions they express from those given in the box below.

1. You can learn a lot from this experience. — ability / possibility
2. They might arrive late due to traffic. — possibility
3. She must finish her homework before dinner. — necessity
4. They ought to apologise for their mistake. — moral obligation
5. He would like to have some lassi, please. — polite request

IV. Read the situations in Column 1 and functions in Column 2. Fill in the blanks in the sentences in Column 4 with appropriate modal verbs from Column 3.

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4
1. You want to leave work early.	permission	can, could, may, might, must, ought to, shall, should, will, would	(i) May I leave early today if I finish all my tasks?
2. You have an important deadline tomorrow.	obligation / necessity	"	(ii) I must finish this report by tomorrow.
3. Your friend is thinking whether to join Art class.	advice	"	(iii) You should consider all the pros and cons before making a decision.
4. There are dark clouds in the sky.	possibility	"	(iv) It might rain later today.
5. Asking someone to pass the salt at the dinner table.	polite request	"	(v) Could you please pass the salt?
6. Advising someone to apologise for a mistake.	moral obligation	"	(vi) You ought to apologise for the mistake you made.
7. Deciding where to go for picnic.	suggestion	"	(vii) We can go to any park nearby for picnic.

Let us listen

Select four true statements from 1–7 given below based on the conversation between Mother and Anuj (Transcript pg. 41-42).

1. Anuj finds the concept of Braille fascinating and wants to learn more about it. — False
2. Mother is unsure of the school's efforts to include students with visual impairment. — False
3. Anuj initially thinks that Digital India is only about learning how to use computers. — True
4. Mother believes that screen readers are very effective for persons who are visually impaired. — True
5. Anuj already knew that persons who are visually impaired can use computers and smartphones. — False
6. Anuj wants to know about the effectiveness of assistive technologies for persons who are visually impaired. — True
7. Mother believes a right mindset is the best support for persons who are visually impaired. — True

Four True Statements: Statement 3, Statement 4, Statement 6, and Statement 7.

Let us speak

Work in pairs. Take turns to speak for a minute on any one of the senses you value the most using the given prompts.

I value my sense of sight the most because it lets me see the colorful world around me. One of my favourite experiences is watching the golden sunset by the lake. This is so because the colors of the sky look magical and peaceful. I appreciate being able to see my friends, family, and nature every day. God forbid, if I were to lose the sense of sight, it would make me feel scared and helpless. I would not be able to read books or see the faces of my loved ones. I thank God that I am able to see.

Let us write

Write a descriptive paragraph describing a place that you visited recently using the provided guidelines.

Standing at the edge of the misty hill station in Shimla felt like stepping straight into a magical postcard. As I walked down the quiet pathway, my eyes were treated to endless pine trees swaying like green giants against the clear blue sky. The crisp morning air smelled of fresh pine and damp earth, while the sweet melodious chirping of wild birds created music for my ears. I tasted steaming hot tea and fresh crisp apple pie at a cozy roadside stall, which warmed me up completely. Brushing my hand against the rough, cool bark of ancient oak trees grounded me in nature. Visiting this hill town refreshed my mind completely, and the tranquil harmony of nature is something everyone should experience at least once.

Let us explore

Louis Braille and tactile Braille script.

I. Study the Braille code given in the textbook and write your name using it. You may use bindis or grains of daal to make the dots that you can touch and feel.

(Student activity to map individual letters of their name using the Braille alphabet chart and affix raised bindis/daal on paper).

II. Have you heard about the International Day of Persons with Disabilities? Find out when and how it is observed in India. Write your findings on a sheet and put it up on the class board.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed globally on 3rd December every year. In India, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment organizes national awards, awareness campaigns, and sports and cultural events to promote accessibility, rights, and equal opportunities for individuals with special abilities.

III. Do you want to know about sign language? Go to the provided link to learn about Indian Sign Language.

Indian Sign Language awareness banner by Ministry of Education.

Visit the official NCERT portal at NCERT ISL Guide to learn basic signs and expressions in Indian Sign Language.