A Bottle of Dew — Class 6 English Poorvi Questions and Answers

A Bottle of Dew questions and answers: review the story in Class 6 English Poorvi Unit 1 with a summary, word meanings, comprehension answers, homophones, listening order and sample speaking and writing activities.

Class: 6 Subject: English Book: Poorvi Unit: 1 – Fables and Folk Tales Type: Story (Sudha Murty) Source copy: Reprint 2026–27

Source: NCERT Poorvi, Grade 6, Unit 1, printed pages 1–12; listening transcript on page 36; supplied reprint 2026–27. Open-ended and personal responses are examples to adapt. These explanations are study support, not an official NCERT answer key.

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About the chapter

In Sudha Murty’s story, Rama Natha neglects his inherited land while searching for a potion that will turn objects into gold. Sage Mahipati sets him the task of growing banana plants and collecting five litres of dew. Farming and Madhumati’s sales create wealth; the dew does not turn the copper vessel into gold. The sage does not set a six-year deadline: six years is the time Rama Natha actually takes to collect the dew.

About the author

NCERT credits this story to Sudha Murty. The textbook acknowledgements identify her collection The Magic Drum and Other Favourite Stories, published by Penguin Random House India, as its source. Read the author’s storytelling through the characters’ actions and the final explanation of the coins.

Summary

Rama Natha was the son of a rich landlord who left him large tracts of land. Instead of looking after his fields, Rama Natha wasted all his time chasing a strange belief: that there existed a magic potion which could turn any object into gold. People often cheated him by promising to reveal the secret, and he kept spending money on them. His wife, Madhumati, grew tired and worried, fearing they would soon be ruined.

One day a famous sage called Mahipati visited their town. Rama Natha became his follower and begged him about the potion. To his surprise, the sage agreed to help. He told Rama Natha to plant banana plants, water them with his own hands, and collect the morning dew from their leaves in winter. When he had gathered five litres of dew, the sage would chant magic words to turn it into the potion. Rama Natha worried that this would take years, but the sage insisted he must do everything himself.

Rama Natha went home and, with his wife’s help, cleaned his long-empty fields and planted rows of banana plants. He tended them carefully and collected dew each winter, while Madhumati sold the banana crop at the market for a good price. Over six years their plantation grew huge, and at last he collected five litres of dew. He proudly took it to the sage, who muttered over it and told him to try it. But when Rama Natha sprinkled it on a copper vessel, nothing turned to gold. Angry, he accused the sage of cheating. The sage then called Madhumati, who opened a box full of gold coins. He explained that there is no magic potion – the real wealth had come from Rama Natha’s hard work on the land and his wife’s sales at the market. Rama Natha understood the wisdom behind the trick and worked even harder from that day on.

Theme & message

The story contrasts the search for a magical shortcut with patient, productive work. Rama Natha grows and tends the banana plants; Madhumati harvests and sells the crop. Both contribute to the wealth shown at the end. The sage’s plan helps Rama Natha learn through experience.

The message is to use one’s resources responsibly, work steadily and value practical effort. In this story, the coins are earnings from the banana crop, not evidence of magic.

Rama Natha watering a banana plant while Madhumati holds a basket of harvested bananas
An original AI-created conceptual scene inspired by the story: Rama Natha tends the plantation and Madhumati helps turn the crop into income. It is not an NCERT illustration or a photograph of real characters.

Word meanings

WordEnglish meaningHindi meaning
landlorda person who owns land or propertyजमींदार / भूस्वामी
large tracts of landlarge areas of landभूमि के बड़े हिस्से
potiona liquid with magical propertiesजादुई औषधि / मंत्रित द्रव
give upto stop tryingहार मान लेना / छोड़ देना
sagea wise and holy personआचार्य / साधु / ज्ञानी पुरुष
followera person who admires and obeys anotherअनुयायी / शिष्य
dewsmall drops of water on leaves that form during the nightओस
chantto repeat or sing a word or phraseमंत्र पढ़ना / जपना
plantationa large area where one type of plant is grownबागान / रोपण-क्षेत्र
tendedlooked afterदेखभाल की / संभाला
vessela container such as a pot or bowlबर्तन / पात्र
mutteredspoke in a low voiceबुदबुदाना / धीमे से बोलना
sprinkledscattered small drops over somethingछिड़काव / छिड़काव
preciousvaluableबहुमूल्य / कीमती
wisdomdeep understandingज्ञान / समझ
wealtha large amount of money or richesधन / संपदा
worriedfeeling anxious or troubledचिंतित
surprisea feeling caused by something unexpectedआश्चर्य
cropplants grown and harvested for foodफसल

Before we read — activities

I. Match the word to the textbook picture

Use the original pictures on printed page 1. The new plantation image below illustrates the story; it is not a replacement for those picture choices.

WordCorrect picture in that rowWhat to notice
WorriedLeftThe girl has an anxious expression.
PlantationLeftMany plants are grown together, rather than a single tree.
SageLeftThe seated wise man, rather than the vegetable seller.
SurpriseRightThe boy’s open mouth and raised eyebrows suggest surprise.

II. A time I worked hard

Sample: I practised reading a short passage every day. This helped me read more clearly and understand unfamiliar words. I felt pleased with my progress. Replace the example with something you actually did, how it helped and how you felt.

Let us discuss

Let us discuss (Part I)

1. What did Rama Natha believe?

ANSWERRama Natha believed that there was a magic potion which could turn any object into gold. Because of this funny idea, he spent all his time and money trying to learn how to make such a potion, instead of looking after the land his father had left him.

2. How did the sage help Rama Natha?

ANSWERThe sage Mahipati told Rama Natha that he could make the magic potion. He asked him to plant banana plants, water them with his own hands, and in winter collect the morning dew from the leaves into a bottle. When he had five litres of dew, the sage promised to chant magic words over it to make the potion. In this clever way, the sage led Rama Natha to start working hard on his land.

3. Do you think Rama Natha will be able to collect the dew? Give a reason.

ANSWER (sample)Yes, I think Rama Natha will be able to collect the dew, but only with a lot of time and patience. Since winter lasts only a few months, he must plant many banana plants and gather just a little dew each day. If he keeps working steadily, year after year, he will slowly collect his five litres of dew.

Let us discuss (Part II)

1. Why was Rama Natha angry?

ANSWERRama Natha was angry because, after working hard for six long years to collect five litres of dew, the ‘magic potion’ did not turn the copper vessel into gold. Nothing happened when he sprinkled it. He felt cheated by the sage and believed he had wasted six precious years of his life for nothing.

2. How did Rama Natha and Madhumati create wealth?

ANSWERThey created wealth through honest hard work. Rama Natha cleaned his fields and planted rows of banana plants, tending them carefully for six years until he had a huge plantation. Meanwhile, Madhumati gathered the banana crop and sold it in the market for a good price. The gold coins came from years of farming and selling fruit – not from any magic potion.

Let us think and reflect

I. Read the lines and answer

1. Extract – “He spent all his time to learn about the magic potion. People cheated him often, promising to tell him about it, but he did not give up. His wife, Madhumati, was tired of this and also worried because she saw how much money Rama Natha was spending. She was sure that soon they would be without money.”

ANSWER (i) Rama Natha did not ‘give up’ because he strongly believed that a magic potion really existed and was determined to find the secret of making it, no matter how often he was cheated. (ii) Read the column which shows ‘what happened’ and write the correct outcome:
What HappenedOutcome
A. People promised to tell Rama Natha about the magic potion.They cheated him and took his money, but never told him any real secret.
B. Rama Natha was spending a lot of money.His wife Madhumati became worried and was sure they would soon be left without any money.
ANSWER – (iii) True or False A. Madhumati was troubled about what her husband did. → True B. Rama Natha was very happy digging his fields. → False (at first he never even looked after his land) C. The sage wanted to show the right path to Rama Natha. → True

2. Extract – “Carefully, he took the bottle to the sage. The sage smiled and muttered something over the water. Then he returned the bottle and said, ‘Try it out.’ Rama Natha sprinkled a few drops on a copper vessel and waited for it to turn to gold. To his surprise nothing happened!”

ANSWER (i) Choose the option that lists the events in the correct order:
A. The sage smiled.   B. Rama Natha gave the bottle to the sage.   C. Rama Natha dropped a few drops of water on a copper vessel.   D. He said something in a low voice over the water.   E. Rama Natha waited to see if the magic worked.
Correct option: (b) b, a, d, c, e (ii) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the lines above:
Seeing that the plant had dried up, the gardener sprinkled some water on it. (iii) How might Rama Natha have felt when nothing happened to the copper vessel? Rama Natha must have felt shocked, disappointed and angry. After six years of hard work he expected gold, so when nothing happened he felt cheated and thought he had wasted precious years of his life for nothing.

II. Answer the following questions

ANSWER 1. What did the sage ask Rama Natha to do to make the magic potion? The sage asked Rama Natha to plant banana plants and water them regularly with his own hands. In winter he had to collect the morning dew that formed on the leaves and store it in a bottle. When he had collected five litres of dew, he was to bring it to the sage, who would chant magic words to turn it into the potion. 2. Why did the sage ask Rama Natha to do everything himself? The sage wanted Rama Natha to learn the value of hard work. By making him plant, water and tend the banana plants himself, the sage ensured that Rama Natha would actually work on his land. The real aim was not the dew, but to lead him to earn wealth through his own honest effort. 3. How could Rama Natha have a big banana plantation after six years? To collect enough dew, Rama Natha planted more and more banana plants every year and tended them with great care. As the years passed, these plants multiplied and spread across his fields, so by the end of six years his land had grown into a huge banana plantation. 4. How did the sage make Rama Natha believe that there is no magic potion? When the dew failed to turn the copper vessel into gold, the sage called Madhumati, who showed a box full of gold coins earned by selling bananas. The sage then explained that the wealth came from Rama Natha’s hard work on the land and his wife’s sales, not from any potion – proving the magic potion did not exist. 5. Fill in the ‘before’ and ‘after’ table about Rama Natha:
What he did before meeting the sageWhat he did after meeting the sage
(i) He wasted all his time searching for a magic potion and never looked after his land.(i) He cleaned his empty fields and planted rows of banana plants, tending them carefully himself.
(ii) He spent his money on people who cheated him, leaving the family close to ruin.(ii) He collected dew each winter and, with Madhumati selling the crop, the family earned real wealth.

Let us learn

1. Complete the paragraph

In blank order: huge, luck, difficult, promised, cheated, remember. The unused words are spending and market. This vocabulary paragraph is about a coconut farmer; Rama Natha’s story is about banana plants.

2. Homophones — meanings in Column B

Column AColumn BMeaning of Column B
IeyeThe body part used for seeing
youryou’reShort form of ‘you are’
dewdueExpected or scheduled at a particular time
sonsunThe star that gives Earth light and heat
onewonPast tense of ‘win’
ateeightThe number 8
seeseaA large body of salt water

Homophones sound alike but have different meanings and spellings.

3. Four sentences using both homophones — samples

  1. My son sat in the warm sun.
  2. The team that won the match scored one goal.
  3. If you’re ready, please pick up your bag.
  4. I could see a small boat on the sea.

4. Join the phrases using connecting words

  1. The children submitted their work before the deadline.
  2. He did not want to try rock climbing because of his fear of heights.
  3. The children ran towards the gate as soon as the bell rang.
  4. Nitin was late to school today as there was a traffic jam.

‘Before’ and ‘as soon as’ show time; ‘because’ and ‘as’ give reasons in these sentences.

5. Tongue-twister activity

Practise the two printed sentences slowly before increasing speed. Original sample: ‘Bina brings big baskets of bananas.’ Create your own sentence with a repeated sound and share it with the class.

Let us listen

Number the events in the textbook’s row order

The transcript on printed page 36 confirms the following. Write the order number beside each printed event, rather than copying its event number.

Printed eventOrder number to write
1. Gives two bananas to a hungry boy6
2. Meets Kalawati in the market3
3. Visits her mother and gives two dozen bananas1
4. Chooses to go home with only some bananas left5
5. Visits her neighbour and gifts a bunch of bananas7
6. Gives twelve bananas to her friend4
7. Goes to the market to sell bananas2

Chronological event sequence: 3 → 7 → 2 → 6 → 4 → 1 → 5. A dozen is 12; two dozen is 24. Listen to the narration before checking the key.

Let us speak

I. The sounds /s/ and /z/

WordSound of the letter ‘s’
sage, promising, sand, sea/s/
wisdom, trees, beds, clothes, was, keys, bags, nose/z/
surpriseFirst ‘s’: /s/; second ‘s’: /z/

Read the words aloud with your teacher; look at the sound, not just the spelling.

II. Partner discussion — samples

  1. Meaning: Hard work means making a steady, thoughtful effort to complete a task well.
  2. Three reasons: Firstly, it helps me improve my skills. Secondly, it develops patience. Lastly, it helps me make progress towards a goal.
  3. Three suggestions: Begin with a manageable plan. Next, practise regularly and ask for help when needed. Finally, take suitable breaks and learn from mistakes.

Use your own ideas and the speaking hints from the textbook.

Let us write

1. Describe a banana — a sample

FeaturePossible description
TasteSweet and soft when ripe
ColourOften a yellow ripe peel and cream-white flesh; an unripe peel is often green
TouchSmooth peel and soft ripe flesh
SmellA pleasant fruity smell when ripe
When I eat itAfter school
Why I choose itIt provides energy and is a convenient snack

Banana varieties differ; describe the fruit you observe. The following are eight sample sentences:

  1. A banana is usually long and curved.
  2. Many ripe bananas have yellow peels.
  3. An unripe banana often has a green peel.
  4. The flesh of many bananas is cream-white.
  5. The peel feels smooth.
  6. A ripe banana tastes sweet and feels soft.
  7. A ripe banana has a fruity smell.
  8. I like to eat a banana after school because it gives me energy.

2. A short script — original sample, not textbook dialogue

Narrator: Rama Natha is still searching for a potion.

Madhumati: ‘Our fields need care. We cannot keep spending our money on promises.’

Rama Natha: ‘Sage Mahipati, can you help me?’

Mahipati: ‘Grow banana plants, care for them yourself and collect five litres of dew.’

Narrator: Rama Natha tends the plants. Madhumati sells their crop. Six years later, the dew has no effect on the copper vessel.

Rama Natha: ‘It has not turned into gold!’

Madhumati: ‘Look at the coins we earned by selling bananas.’

Mahipati: ‘The money came from your work together, not from a magic potion.’

Adapt this script and use expressions, simple props and pauses to perform it.

Let us explore

Investigate banana varieties grown or sold in your region. The National Horticulture Board’s variety guide describes, for example, Robusta, Rasthali, Poovan, Nendran and Red Banana. Nendran is associated with Kerala; Red Banana is grown in parts of Tamil Nadu and other states. These are examples, not a complete or exclusive regional list. National Horticulture Board — banana varieties.

Record the variety name, region, appearance and source. Compare this information with a local grower or fruit seller, with an adult’s help. The textbook’s Blue Java note is supplementary reading; your project need not be limited to that variety.

Additional ClearStudy questions

This practice is separate from the printed textbook exercises.

Short answer (30–40 words)

1. What did Rama Natha’s father leave him, and how did Rama Natha treat it?

ANSWERRama Natha’s father left him large tracts of land when he died. However, Rama Natha did not spend even a single day looking after this land, because he was busy chasing his dream of finding a magic gold-making potion.

2. Why was Madhumati worried about her husband?

ANSWERMadhumati was worried because Rama Natha was spending a great deal of money on people who promised to tell him about the magic potion. She could see that they were being cheated again and again, and she feared the family would soon be left with no money.

3. What was the sage’s real purpose behind the dew-collecting task?

ANSWERThe sage’s real purpose was to make Rama Natha work hard on his land. By asking him to plant bananas and collect dew himself, the sage cleverly turned him into a hard-working farmer who would earn true wealth through his own honest effort.

4. How long did it take Rama Natha to collect five litres of dew, and why so long?

ANSWERIt took Rama Natha six years to collect five litres of dew. It took so long because the story describes collection during the winter months. A small amount was gathered over many mornings. This is the story’s collection plan; dew is not scientifically limited to winter.

5. What lesson did Rama Natha learn at the end of the story?

ANSWERRama Natha learnt that there is no magic potion that turns things into gold. He understood that the wealth in this story came from their patient work of growing and selling bananas. After grasping this wisdom, he worked even harder on his plantation from that day on.

Long answer (100–120 words)

6. Describe how the sage Mahipati cleverly changed Rama Natha’s life.

ANSWERWhen Rama Natha begged the sage Mahipati about the magic potion, the sage did not scold him or argue. Instead, he cleverly told him to plant banana plants, water them with his own hands, and collect five litres of morning dew. Rama Natha worked for six years, tending a huge plantation, while his wife Madhumati sold the bananas for good money. When the dew failed to make gold, the sage revealed a box of gold coins and explained that the wealth had come from their hard work, not magic. By tricking Rama Natha into working, the sage cured him of his foolish belief and taught him the lasting value of effort – changing him into a hard-working, wiser man.

7. How does ‘A Bottle of Dew’ teach the value of hard work over shortcuts?

ANSWERThe story shows that there are no shortcuts to success. At first, Rama Natha wastes years and money searching for an easy, magical way to become rich, and is cheated again and again. Only when the sage tricks him into farming does real wealth appear – built slowly from planting, watering, tending crops and selling them honestly. The ‘magic potion’ is a clever lie that hides the true secret: patient, steady labour. When Rama Natha finally understands that his gold came from six years of hard work and not from any spell, he respects the lesson and works even harder. The tale encourages dedication and practical effort instead of relying on a supposed magical shortcut.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. Who was Rama Natha?

(a) a sage   (b) the son of a rich landlord   (c) a banana seller   (d) a poor farmer

ANSWER(b) the son of a rich landlord.

2. What did Rama Natha believe the magic potion could do?

(a) cure illness   (b) bring rain   (c) turn any object into gold   (d) make plants grow

ANSWER(c) turn any object into gold.

3. What was the name of the sage in the story?

(a) Mahipati   (b) Madhumati   (c) Mahanta   (d) Kalawati

ANSWER(a) Mahipati.

4. What did the sage ask Rama Natha to collect?

(a) rainwater   (b) morning dew   (c) flower petals   (d) river water

ANSWER(b) morning dew.

5. How many litres of dew did Rama Natha have to collect?

(a) two litres   (b) five litres   (c) ten litres   (d) one litre

ANSWER(b) five litres.

6. From which plant’s leaves did Rama Natha collect the dew?

(a) mango   (b) coconut   (c) banana   (d) neem

ANSWER(c) banana.

7. How many years did it take to collect the five litres of dew?

(a) three years   (b) four years   (c) six years   (d) ten years

ANSWER(c) six years.

8. Who sold the bananas at the market?

(a) Rama Natha   (b) the sage   (c) Madhumati   (d) Kalawati

ANSWER(c) Madhumati.

9. What did the box that Madhumati opened contain?

(a) bananas   (b) gold coins   (c) dew   (d) seeds

ANSWER(b) gold coins.

10. What real lesson did the sage teach Rama Natha?

(a) magic is powerful   (b) luck brings wealth   (c) hard work creates wealth   (d) gold is everywhere

ANSWER(c) hard work creates wealth.
MCQ Answer Key: 1-(b), 2-(c), 3-(a), 4-(b), 5-(b), 6-(c), 7-(c), 8-(c), 9-(b), 10-(c)

Assertion–Reason – choose: (a) A and R true, R explains A; (b) A and R true, R does not explain A; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.

1. Assertion (A): Madhumati was worried about her husband.

Reason (R): Rama Natha was spending a lot of money trying to find the magic potion.

ANSWER(a) Both true and R correctly explains A.

2. Assertion (A): The sage asked Rama Natha to do all the work with his own hands.

Reason (R): The sage secretly wanted Rama Natha to learn the value of hard work.

ANSWER(a) Both true and R correctly explains A.

3. Assertion (A): The copper vessel turned into gold when Rama Natha sprinkled the dew on it.

Reason (R): The sage muttered some words over the water before returning the bottle.

ANSWER(d) A is false and R is true: the vessel remained copper, while the story says that the sage muttered over the water. Speaking the words did not make the liquid magical.

4. Assertion (A): After learning how the wealth was earned, Rama Natha worked even harder on his plantation.

Reason (R): He understood the wisdom that real wealth comes from hard work, not magic.

ANSWER(a) Both true and R correctly explains A.

5. Assertion (A): Rama Natha became angry with the sage and called it cheating.

Reason (R): After six years of effort, the dew failed to turn the copper vessel into gold.

ANSWER(a) Both true and R correctly explains A.

Exam tips & common mistakes

Exam tips

• Remember the key sequence: belief in potion → meeting the sage → planting bananas → collecting dew for six years → no gold → box of gold coins → lesson learnt.
• Always name the author (Sudha Murty), the main characters (Rama Natha, Madhumati, sage Mahipati) in long answers.
• In theme questions, clearly state the message: hard work, not magic, creates wealth.
• For value-based questions, mention honesty, patience and the dignity of labour.

Common mistakes

• Do not write that the potion actually worked – nothing happened to the copper vessel.
• The dew was collected from banana plants, not coconut or mango plants.
• It took six years, not a few months, to gather five litres of dew.
• The gold came from selling bananas at the market, not from any magic spell – do not confuse the trick with real magic.

FAQs

Who wrote A Bottle of Dew, and which unit contains it?

Sudha Murty wrote the story. It appears in Unit 1, Fables and Folk Tales, in the NCERT Grade 6 English textbook Poorvi.

What does A Bottle of Dew teach?

In the story, farming and Madhumati’s sales create wealth, while the supposed potion does nothing. The tale values patient work and responsible use of resources.

Did the copper vessel turn into gold?

No. Rama Natha sprinkled the liquid on the copper vessel, but nothing happened. The coins came from selling the banana crop.

How much dew was collected, and how long did it take?

Rama Natha collected five litres over six years. Five litres was the sage’s requirement; six years was the time the task took, not a fixed deadline.

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