Tom Meets the Water-Babies
- from The Water-Babies
by Charles Kingsley (Roots)
Start Here
Rivers are a very important source of fresh water. We need water for most of our daily chores. Here are some ways in which we use water at home.
Can you think of two ways in which we can keep our rivers clean?
= The two ways in which we can keep our rivers clean are - i) We should not dispose factory wastes into the river water. and ii) We should not Plastic wastes into the river water.
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Read these sentences and put a tick (✓) if they are true and a cross (X) if they are false.
a. There were only five other water-babies in the river. [X]
b. Tom had been searching for the water-babies for weeks. [✓]
c. The water-babies wore blue dresses with pink hats. [X]
d. There was an ugly storm the week before Tom met the water-babies. [✓]
e. Crabs are responsible for mending broken seaweeds. [X]
2. Fill in the blanks with words from the brackets.
a. The water-babies put Tom in the middle and danced around him. (danced/sang/jumped)
b. Tom had mistaken the other water-babies for shells and sea-creatures. (seaweeds/sea-creatures/boulders)
c. Tom and the other water-baby planted flowers and smoothed the sand. (picked/arranged/planted)
d. The water-babies sang every evening before going home. (sang/napped/cried)
e. The water-baby Tom met was sitting on the white sand. (boulders/seaweeds/sand)
Reference to context
3. "And it ran to Tom, and Tom ran to it, and they hugged each other."
a. Who did Tom run to and hug?
=Tom ran to a water-baby and hug.
b. Why did they hug each other?
= They hugged each other because they were delighted to see each other.
c. Do you think they are happy to see each other? Why do you think so?
= Yes, I think they are happy to see each other.
They were waiting for each other for so long. At last they found each other. That is why they are so happy to see each other.
4. "A boulder came rolling on this poor dear little rock in the last storm and rubbed off all its flower..."
a. Why did the boulder come rolling on the little rock?
= The boulder came rolling on the little rock because of the storm.
b. What happened to the little rock?
= The boulder came rolling on that little rock in the last storm and rubbed off all its flowers.
c. How did Tom help the water-baby?
= Tom helped the water-baby to plant flowers and smooth the sand round it.
5. "Soon Tom heard all the other babies coming, laughing, singing and shouting."
a. When did Tom see the other water-babies?
= Tom saw the other water-babies while he completed the work and was about to go home.
b. How does the author describe the noise made by the water-babies?
= The author describes the noise made by the water-babies as just like the noise of the ripple.
c. Why had Tom not heard their voices before?
= Tom had not heard their voices before because he did not know them as his eyes and ears were not open.
Reflect and answer
6. Do you think the water-babies are real? What message is the author trying to give us through the water-babies?
= I don't think the water-babies are real. The author has created them in his imagination.
According to the poet, they are the little fairy-like water-creatures who are protecting the water-world. The author is trying to give us the message to protect the water world. He also further says not to pollute the water. We should stop water pollution.
7. You are going to play, but someone in your family needs your help. What will you do? Here are some ideas. See if you can add to the list.
a. Ask is you can help him/her later.
b. Help the person and then go out to play.
c. I can ask my friends to help him/her.
d. If it is a serous problem, I shall call the other members of the family and tell them about this.
About the Author :
Charles Kingsley (1819-1875) was born in England. He did many things through his life like teaching History, and writing novels and poems. He was also a priest. He cared deeply about nature, the rights of humans, the environment and cleanliness. All these causes are seen in his novel The Water-Babies.