NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Unit 3 : Chapter 8 : Paper Boats

Class 7 English Chapter 8, Paper Boats, by Rabindranath Tagore is a gentle and imaginative poem reflecting a child’s innocence, dreams, and creativity. The poem describes how a child floats paper boats on water, fills them with wishes, and imagines them travelling to faraway lands. Through these simple images, the poem teaches students to value imagination and hope.

The NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Chapter 8 provided in this page is in a clear and student-friendly PDF format. The answers are prepared as per the latest NCERT syllabus and they follow the CBSE exam guidelines. The solutions can help students understand the poem’s meaning, emotions, and poetic ideas in simple language. Their regular practice can improve comprehension of poetry, answer-writing skills, and confidence in exams.

1.0Download NCERT Solutions Class 7 English Chapter 8 : Paper Boats : Free PDF

The NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Chapter 8: Paper Boats, that answers the textbook questions in a simple and effective manner is available for download from the link below. Download the free PDF now to revise quickly, practise answers, and prepare confidently for your Class 7 English exams.

2.0Key Concepts Covered in Class 7 English Chapter 7 My Brother's Great Invention

This poem highlights imagination, childhood innocence, and emotional expression. Some important lessons from the poem are as mentioned below.

• The poem shows how imagination helps children express their dreams and feelings.
• Simple activities can carry deep emotions and hopes.
• Creativity and wonder are some core elements of childhood innocence.
• In shaping the imagination of a child, nature itself plays a crucial role.
• Emotional comfort and joy is brought out by expressing feelings and emotions rightly..

3.0NCERT Class 7 English Chapter 8 : Paper Boats : Detailed Solutions

Let us discuss

I Choose the correct words from the brackets to complete the summary of the poem given below.

The poet sends paper boats down a 1.......(stream/river) each day, writing his name and the name of his 2. ......(school/ village) on them. He hopes that someone in a 3. ....... (strange/familiar) land will find them and know who he is. The poet fills his boats with 4........ (rose/shiuli) flowers from his garden, hoping they will be safely carried to another land at 5. ......(night/morning). As he launches his boats, he imagines that the 6. ......(clouds/birds) in the sky are like friends, racing with his boats. At night, he dreams that his paper boats continue to 7. .......(swim/float) under the midnight stars, with the fairies of sleep sailing in them, their baskets full of 8......... (dreams/fruits).

Ans. 1. stream 2. village 3. strange 4. shiuli 5. night 6. Clouds 7. float 8. dreams

Choose the correct option for the following. The theme of the poem is .

II. innocence 2. imagination 3. ignorance 4. playfulness 5. travel

(i) 1, 2 and 3 (ii) 3, 4 and 5 (iii) 1, 4 and 5 (iv) 1, 2 and 4

Ans. (iv) 1, 2 and 4

III. Identify whether the following statement is true or false. The setting of the poem is a natural, outdoor environment. 

Ans. True

IV. Complete the following sentence by choosing the correct word given within the brackets.

The tone is (sad and serious/gentle and wishful) and the mood is (thoughtful/boring).

Ans. gentle and wishful, thoughtful

V. Identify the examples of alliteration from the poem. 

Ans. Examples of alliteration from the poem are:

1. “Day by day”
2. “Big black”
3. “Strange land”
4. “Shiuli flowers”
5. “Baskets full of dreams”

VII. Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the poem.

1. The repetition of words .... and .... emphasises the passage of time.
2. The poet uses imagery like and to create a clear picture in the minds of the readers.

Ans. 1. “day by day”, “one by one”

2. “little clouds setting the white bulging sails”, “midnight stars”

VII. Match the descriptions in Column 1 with what they symbolise in Column 2.

Let us think and reflect

I Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

When night comes I bury my face in my arms and dream that my paper boats float on and on under the midnight stars. The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, and the lading is their baskets full of dreams.

1. Select the option that is most likely to be the speaker as per the extract. Take image from book

Ans. Option C is the correct answer (Reason – bury my face in my arms)

2. What can be inferred about the speaker’s feelings when night comes? 

Ans. The speaker feels dreamy, peaceful, and imaginative.

3. What kind of beings are the ‘fairies of sleep’ imagined as? Select the most appropriate option.

A. mischievous B. gentle C. fearsome D. playful 

Ans. B. gentle

4. Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option from those given in the brackets.

The phrase ‘lading is their baskets full of dreams’ suggests that the speaker imagines the fairies of sleep carefully (carrying his dreams /collecting his wishes) in their baskets.

Ans. carrying his dreams

II Answer the following questions.

1. Why do you think the poet writes his personal details on the paper boats?

Ans. The poet writes his name and the name of his village to send a piece of himself into the world, hoping that someone far away will find them and feel a connection with him. This act reflects a child’s longing for connection, discovery, and a desire to be known beyond their immediate world.

2. The poet talks about the imagination of a child. Support this view with examples from the poem.

Ans. The poet vividly portrays a child’s imagination through examples like hoping the boats reach a stranger, imagining clouds as playmates racing with the boats, and dreaming of fairies of sleep sailing in them with baskets of dreams.

Examples:

“I hope that someone in some strange land will find them and know who I am.”

“I know not what playmate of mine in the sky sends them down the air to race with my boats.”

“The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, and the lading is their baskets full of dreams.”

3. How does the poet bring together imagination and reality to make the poem more interesting?

Ans. The poet blends reality of making and floating paper boats with imagination such- as boats reaching strange lands, clouds racing, fairies sailing, creating an enchanting narrative that elevates the poem’s charm and depth.

4.0Key Features and Benefits of Class 7 English Chapter 8

• Fully aligned with the latest NCERT syllabus, making the solutions highly relevant and useful for Class 7 examinations
• Focuses on understanding the poem’s meaning, imagery, and underlying emotions for deeper literary appreciation
• Presents answers in simple, clear, and easy-to-read language suitable for young learners
• Enhances interpretative and analytical skills through detailed explanation of poetic elements
• Encourages creative thinking and emotional awareness by engaging students with imaginative content
• Serves as an effective resource for school exams, assessments, and competitive exams like English Olympiads