10. Three Sacks of Rice
Complete textbook exercise solutions — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Five English.
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- begun — finished
- bought — sold
- reject — accept
- eldest — youngest
- lent — borrowed
- earned — spent
- narrow — wide
(1) What common qualities did the three brothers have?
All three brothers were honest, kind, hard-working, and very fond of their mother.
(2) What was the businessman looking for? Why?
The businessman was getting old and his only daughter was of marriageable age. So, he was looking for a son-in-law who would be a good husband to his daughter and who could also handle his prosperous business well.
(3) How did the middle brother use the rice?
The middle brother, who was a priest, was worried that the rice might get spoilt. Therefore, he distributed the rice among the poor in the businessman's name.
(4) Was it right for the youngest brother to ask for a share in the money? Why?
Yes, it was right for the youngest brother to ask for a share in the money because he had used his own hard work, labour, and money to sow the seeds, grow the crop, and yield the twenty-five sacks of rice.
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(1) Read the highlighted words. Find at least five other adjectives from the lesson.
Five other adjectives from the lesson are:
- small
- odd
- prosperous
- unused
- wide
(2) List as many words as you can that will go with the given adjective. (At least 3 each)
| Adjective | Related Nouns |
|---|---|
| simple | simple plan, simple problem, simple girl, simple question |
| odd | odd jobs, odd numbers, odd timing, odd shoes |
| honest | honest person, honest answer, honest mistake, honest boy |
| long | long time, long road, long journey, long hair |
| only | only child, only daughter, only way, only option |
(1) Imagine you are one of the three brothers. Write in short what you did with the rice.
If I were the youngest brother:
When my father's friend gave me the sack of rice, I kept it safely for a while. Then I realized it might spoil. I borrowed an unused plot of land from a neighbouring farmer and sowed the rice seeds. With hard work, the crop grew beautifully and gave me twenty-five sacks of rice! I kept five sacks for myself and sold the remaining twenty, keeping the money safe to return to the friend.
(2) Find any other story of three brothers or three sisters and rewrite it in your own words.
This is a story-writing activity. You can write any famous story, like the fairy tale "The Three Little Pigs" (three brothers) or "The Three Brothers" from Grimm's Fairy Tales, using your own simple words.
(3) Find out how rice is cultivated. Describe the process with the help of pictures or diagrams.
Process of Rice Cultivation:
1. Preparation of field: The field is ploughed and flooded with water.
2. Sowing/Transplanting: Rice seeds are either sown directly or, more commonly, young seedlings grown in a nursery are transplanted into the flooded field.
3. Irrigation and Weeding: The crop requires plenty of water. Weeds must be removed regularly to allow the plants to grow.
4. Harvesting: When the grains turn golden and the plants begin to dry, the crop is harvested by cutting the stalks.
5. Threshing and Milling: The grains are separated from the stalks (threshing) and then milled to remove the outer husk, giving us the white rice we eat.
This is a classroom art and discussion activity. In your groups, draw 4 to 6 square panels on a chart paper. Draw simple stick figures to show: the friend giving the sacks, the eldest brother selling the rice in his shop, the middle brother giving it to the poor, and the youngest brother farming in a field. Add small speech bubbles for their dialogues!