Afternoon on a hill - Class 6 English (SCERT)

Afternoon on a hill

“Afternoon on a Hill” is the first chapter from the Class 6 English textbook prescribed by SCERT. This poem is written by Edna St. Vincent Millay and describes the beauty of nature as seen from the top of a hill.

In this chapter, students learn how the poet uses simple words to show trees, grass, sky, and moving clouds. The poem helps students develop imagination, observation skills, and an appreciation of nature.

In this post, I will give you easy explanations and complete solutions of Chapter 1 – Afternoon on a Hill. All answers are written in simple language, strictly following the SCERT syllabus, to help students understand the lesson clearly and score well in exams.

Summary of the Poem

The poem Afternoon on a Hill describes a peaceful afternoon spent by the poet on the top of a hill. From there, she enjoys a wide and beautiful view of nature. She can see the grass, trees, sky, valleys, and the distant countryside.

The poet feels happy and free while sitting quietly. She does not want to hurry or move away. The calm surroundings make her feel relaxed and content. She enjoys watching nature silently without any disturbance.

The poem shows how nature brings peace to the human mind. It teaches us that spending time in natural surroundings helps us feel joyful and refreshed. The poet finds simple happiness by observing the beauty around her.

Word Meanings

Words	Meanings
Afternoon	The time period after noon (12 PM)
Hill	A raised area of lands, smaller than mountain
Gladdest	Happiest
Cliffs	a high, steep area of rock, often on a coast
Grass	Small green plants covering the ground
Valley	Low land between hills or mountains

Key concepts & Meanings (Phrase wise)

Phrase	Meaning/Explanations
Afternoon on a hill	A peaceful time spent on the top of a hill, away from noise and disturbance
I will be the gladdest thing	The poet says she will be extremely happy
I will touch a hundred flowers	The poet will gently feel many flowers
And not pick one	She respects nature and does not harm it
I will look at cliffs and clouds	She observes the beauty of high rocks and the sky
With quiet eyes	She looks calmly and peacefully
And the grass rise	The grass stands up again after the wind passes
And when lights begin to show	Evening begins and lights appear in the town
Up from the town	Lights are seen from houses below the hill
I will mark which must be mine	She chooses a place to rest for the night
And then start down	She begins to go down the hill

Activities

1. Answer the following questions -

(a) What are the few things that the poet will see while standing on a hill in the afternoon?

Ans: While standing on a hill in the afternoon, the poet will see several beautiful sights of nature. She will see:

• Flowers around her
• Cliffs and clouds in the distance
• The wind bending the grass
• The grass rising again after the wind passes
• Lights beginning to appear from the town below in the evening

(b) When will the grass bow down and rise again?

Ans: The grass will bow down when the wind blows and it will rise again when the wind passes away.

(c) What will the poet do on the hill in the afternoon?

Ans: In the afternoon, on the hill, the poet will touch many flowers without plucking them and feel very happy. She will look at cliffs and clouds calmly and watch the scenery of wind bend the grass and see it rise again.

(d) When will the poet go home?

Ans: The poet will go home when evening begins.

(e) Why do you think the poet will not pick any flowers?

Ans: The poet will not pick any flowers because she loves and respects nature.

2. Write down the stanza from the poem you like the most.

Ans:

• I will be the gladdest thing
• Under the sun!
• I will touch a hundred flowers
• And not pick one.

3. Read the following explanations of the three stanzas of the poem given below. Identify and write the stanza number next to each explanation :

(i) The poet will look at cliffs and clouds and watch how the grass bows down because of the wind and rises again the next moment.

Ans: Stanza 2

(ii) The lights will begin to show up from the town when it gets dark. The poet will identify the light that belongs to her place and return home.

Ans: Stanza 3

(iii) The poet will climb a hill in the afternoon. She will be happy to do so. She will see and touch the flowers that are in abundance in the hill. But she will not pick a single flower.

Ans: Stanza 1

4. Match the following

The poet	show up from the town
A lot of flowers	Will be on a hill in the afternoon
The grass	are in the hill
Lights	bows down and rises again

Ans:

The poet	Will be on a hill in the afternoon
A lot of flowers	are in the hill
The grass	bows down and rises again
Lights	show up from the town

5. Discuss with your friends what you have understood from the poem and share with your class.

Ans: See summary of the poem.

6. Write the rhyming words from the poem for the ones given below -

Ans:

7. Read the following phrases from the poem

cliffs and clouds
watch and wind
mark which must be mine

Here the poet has used a literary device called alliteration for special effect.

Alliteration: Alliteration is a literary device. It is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of two more words.

Now write down a few sets of words using alliteration. One is done for you.

(a) tall towers
(b) big blue balloons
(c) shining stars
(d) clever cats

8.

(a) “I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun”

These two lines from the poem say that nature gives happiness to the poet. Besides happiness, nature gives us a lot of other things. Write down a few such things.

Ans:

1. Fresh air
2. Food
3. Water

(b) “Watch the wind bow down the grass
And the grass rise.”
The poet derives immense pleasure by looking at nature. Observe nature around you. What attracts you? Share with your friend.

Ans: When I look at nature, I notice many things that catch my attention. I enjoy seeing the wind move the trees and plants. The sound of birds in the morning is pleasant and calming. I also like the colorful flowers in gardens and the green fields. Watching clouds drift across the sky, especially at sunset, is something I enjoy too. These scenes make me feel peaceful and happy, just like the poet describes.

9. Look at the picture and write description about it. You can use the ideas given in the box:

beautiful sunrise	bright sunny morning	vibrant colors
beauty of nature	breathtaking view	nature at its best
birds chirping	flowers in bloom	flowing water

The image captures a lovely natural scene in the morning. The sun is going up at the back, and its warm golden rays are spreading all over the sky. Green stretches of land are on both sides of the river, which is making the place very quiet and peaceful. On both sides of the river with bright green leaves, there are tall trees and colourful flowers are opening in the front.**

A young boy stands happily, his arms raised showing his joy and excitement. Birds fly and sit on the trees, indicating peace and liveliness in nature. The whole scene is bright and lovely, full of natural beauty, freshness, and happiness.

10. Find words related to nature in the grid and encircle them. One is done for you.

Now, make sentences using each word:

Ans:
(i) Wind: The wind is blowing gently.
(ii) Sun: The sun gives us light.
(iii) Grass: The grass is green.
(iv) Table: The book is on the table.
(v) Gun: The policeman has a gun.

11. (a) In group, discuss with your friend how you can take care of nature. You can use the ideas given in the cards.

Ans:
(i) Green the earth by planting trees and caring for them.
(ii) Save water by using it wisely and not wasting it.
(iii) Put garbage in dustbins and keep the surroundings clean.
(iv) Turn off lights and other electrical appliances when leaving room.
(v) Walk to nearby places instead of using vehicles to reduce pollution.

(b) Look at the pictures. These represent some activities for nurturing a plant. Choose the appropriate words or phrases from the box and write them below the pictures:

Ans:
(i) Wedding
(ii) Providing nutrients
(iii) Fencing
(iv) Protecting from pests and diseases
(v) Ensuring sufficient sunlight
(vi) Watering regularly

12. (a) Draw a scenery

Ans:

(b) Describe the picture to your friend without showing it to him/her. Your friend will listen to you and draw accordingly. Match your drawing with the one your friend has drawn after listening to you. Are the two pictures the same? Now, take turns doing the activity. Have fun!

Ans: Do it yourself.

13. (a) Lets read these words aloud :

hill
rise
lights
wind
cliff
thing
pick
mine

Note that the letter ‘i’ is pronounced in two different ways in the words.

Ans: Do it yourself.

(b) Read the words again. In Box A, write the words in which the letter ‘i’ is pronounced as in ‘hill’. In Box B, write the words in which the letter ‘i’ is pronounced as in ‘rise’. An example is written in each box for you.

You may hear the word wind pronounced in two different ways.

Box A	Box B
hill	rise
….	….
….	….
….	….

Ans:

Box A	Box B
hill	rise
thing	lights
pick	mine
cliff	ripe
ring	kind

14. Read the poem ‘Afternoon on a Hill’ and find words which belong to different word classes. Write them down in the spaces given below. One word is provided as an example for each word class.

(a) Noun (a naming word): hill, ____________
(b) Pronoun (a word used instead of a noun): I, ____________
(c) Adjective (a word that describe a person or a thing): gladdest, ____________
(d) Verb (a word that expresses state or an action): touch, ____________

15. (a) Read this line from the poem

‘I will be the gladdest thing…’

Here the word ‘gladdest’ is the superlative degree of the adjective ‘glad’. The comparative degree of glad is ‘gladder’.

We use the comparative degree and the superlative degree of adjectives for comparison. Generally, ‘er’ is added to the adjective to make it comparative and ‘est’ is added to make it superlative.

Let’s learn the comparative and superlative degrees of a few adjectives.

Positive Degree	Comparative Degree	Superlative Degree
cold	colder	coldest
light	lighter	lightest
clean	cleaner	cleanest
bright	brighter	brightest
tall	taller	tallest

(b) Now complete the following table

Positive Degree	Comparative Degree	Superlative Degree
quiet	………………	………………
……………	safer	………………
……………	………………	slowest

Ans:

Positive Degree	Comparative Degree	Superlative Degree
quiet	quieter	quietest
safe	safer	safest
slow	slower	slowest

(c) Look at the two pictures given below. Which picture do you like more and why? Discuss with your friend. You can use the adjectives given in the box in the comparative degree form.

Work with your friend and suggest some ways to protect nature.

Ans: I like Picture 1 better because it is more green and looks cleaner than Picture 2. The trees look healthy, the river seems clean, and the area looks nice. In Picture 2, there is less green and it is a bit dirty, as trees have been cut and the land looks harmed.

Ways to protect nature:

1. We should plant more trees.
2. We should not cut trees unnecessarily.
3. We should keep our surroundings clean.
4. We should save water and electricity.
5. We should protect plants and animals.

16. Read these lines from the poem

I will be the gladdest thing…
I will touch a hundred flowers…
I will look at cliffs and clouds…
I will mark which must be mine…

When we talk about events or actions that will happen in the future, we use ‘will’. We also use ‘shall and other verbs to talk about actions that will occur at some time in the future.

Now, look at the sentences:

(i) The poet goes to the hill in the afternoon.
(ii) The poet touches the flowers.

When we talk about events or actions that take place regularly, we use the simple present tense.

Now, write down two sentences stating the activities that you will do tomorrow in the space given below. Use ‘will’ or ‘shall’.

Ans:
(i) I will complete my homework tomorrow.
(ii) I will go to school and attend my classes tomorrow.

Write down what you usually do in the morning. Use simple present tense.

Ans:
(i) I eat my breakfast.
(ii) I brush my teeth.

17. Listen to the announcement of an art competition made by your class teacher. As you listen, fill in the blanks with the information from the text.

(a) The art competition will be held on the occasion of _____________.
Ans: (a) The art competition will be held on the occasion of World Environment Day.

(b) The theme of the competition is _______.
Ans: (b) The theme of the competition is Save Nature.

(c) The competition will start at ___________ a.m.
Ans: (c) The competition will start at 10:00 a.m.

(d) The students have to bring the necessary ________.
Ans: (d) The students have to bring the necessary art materials.

(e) The school authority will provide only _________.
Ans: (e) The school authority will provide only drawing paper.

(f) ___________ winners from each group will be awarded.
Ans: (f) Two winners from each group will be awarded.