North, South, East, West – Class 7 English Poorvi Question Answer by C.G. Salamander (NCERT 2026–27)

Complete NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Poorvi Unit 3 (Dreams and Discoveries) – “North, South, East, West” by C.G. Salamander: summary, theme, word meanings and every textbook exercise (Let us discuss, Let us think and reflect, Let us learn) answered in full. The questions are reproduced exactly as in the NCERT Poorvi book, and every table, matching and fill-in task is written out as readable text so the North, South, East, West Class 7 question answer set is complete and exam-ready.

Class: 7 Subject: English Book: Poorvi Unit: 3 – Dreams and Discoveries Type: Prose / Travel postcards (C.G. Salamander) Session: 2026–27
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About the chapter

“North, South, East, West” is a travel piece from Unit 3, ‘Dreams and Discoveries’, told entirely through postcards. A young girl named Shaana, who lives on Rameswaram island, travels “the length and breadth” of India with her parents (Amma and Appa). From the Thajiwas glacier in Kashmir in the far north to the Olaikaadu beach near home in the south, she sends letters to her classmates describing the glaciers, forests, wetlands, deserts, rivers, plateaus and beaches she sees. Through her cheerful, curious voice the chapter celebrates the amazing diversity of India’s geography, people and cultures – and gently notes how some of these places are changing.

About the author

C.G. Salamander is a contemporary Indian writer best known for children’s books and picture books. This NCERT text is made up of “Excerpts from North, South, East, West”, presented as a series of dated postcards written by the young traveller Shaana to her schoolmates. The epistolary (letter-style) form lets the writer mix real facts about Indian places – glaciers, the Sundarbans wetlands, the Thar desert, the Narmada river – with a child’s playful imagination and warm sense of humour. The simple, friendly language makes geography feel like an adventure and encourages young readers to explore and love their own country.

Summary

Shaana lives on Rameswaram island and sets off on a long journey across India with her parents, writing postcards home all the way. Her first card comes from the Thajiwas glacier in Kashmir, far up north, where everyone wears four layers of clothing and her parents throw snowballs – though they say there was more snow the year before. Next she reaches Himachal Pradesh, all mountains and birdsong, where she jokes that the “growling bears” are really only Appa snoring. She is surprised to learn that Arunachal Pradesh, though also a ‘Pradesh’, is far away in the east, with a forest so thick you could get lost tying your shoelaces.

Travelling on, she visits the Sundarbans in West Bengal, a wetland where mangrove trees grow in seawater and crocodiles and a snake appear during a boat ride; her mother is sad about how much it floods now. From east to west she crosses to the hot, sandy desert of Gujarat with its beautiful colourful clothes, then drives to the Narmada river in central India for some wild, scary rafting. In Goa she admires the plateaus, hills, beaches and train tunnels she once feared. Finally she returns south – learning to surf near Chennai and Puducherry, crossing the sea on the Pamban bridge, and stopping at Olaikaadu beach to float and collect pebbles. In her last card to Amma and Appa, she marvels that they crossed the whole country, and hopes to travel like this again, next time with her friends.

Theme & message

The central theme is the vast diversity and beauty of India’s geography and culture, seen through the wonder-filled eyes of a child. Travelling from glaciers to deserts to beaches, Shaana discovers that one country can hold snow, forests, wetlands, rivers, plateaus and seas, and many different languages and people. A quieter message runs underneath: nature is changing – there is less snow on the glaciers and more flooding in the Sundarbans – a gentle hint about climate change. The chapter also celebrates family, curiosity and the joy of learning by exploring, and shows how travel broadens our understanding and love for our own land.

Word meanings

WordEnglish meaningHindi meaning
glaciera large, slow-moving mass of iceहिमनद / ग्लेशियर
chirpingshort, sharp sound made by birdsचहचहाना
snoringmaking a loud noise while sleepingखर्राटे लेना
treehousea small house built in a treeपेड़ पर बना घर
wetlandsland covered with shallow water; marshआर्द्रभूमि / दलदल
mangrovestrees that grow in coastal salty waterमैंग्रोव (ज्वारीय वन)
plateaushigh, flat areas of landपठार / प्लेटो
deserta dry, sandy region with little rainरेगिस्तान / मरुस्थल
raftingtravelling down a river in a rubber boatरबर की नाव से नदी में सैर (रैफ्टिंग)
surfto ride waves while standing on a boardसमुद्र की लहरों पर बोर्ड से बहना
dive(here) to swim underwater with equipmentगोता लगाना / पानी में डुबकी लगाना
pebblessmall, smooth stonesकंकड़ / छोटे चिकने पत्थर
landscapesthe natural features of an area of landभू-दृश्य / प्राकृतिक दृश्य
length and breadthall over; from one end to the otherचारों ओर; सम्पूर्ण फैलाव
postcardscards sent by post without an envelopeपोस्टकार्ड / पत्रक कार्ड
diversityvariety; many different kindsविविधता / अनेकता
extinctno longer existingविलुप्त / समाप्त

Let us discuss

Complete the table given below based on Shaana’s postcards. An example has been done for you. (Places Visited | Interesting Descriptions and Activities)

Places VisitedInteresting Descriptions and Activities
1. Thajiwas glacier, Kashmirwhite and blue glaciers; throwing snowballs (given)
2. Himachal Pradeshquiet hills with many mountains seen from the cabin; colourful birds chirping at sunrise; she jokes that the “bears growling” are really Appa snoring
3. Arunachal Pradeshwalking through a thick forest to reach the tree house
4. Gujarathot, dry desert with sand everywhere – “a beach without the sea”; pretty, colourful clothes; she scored 88% in a surprise test
5. The Narmada riverwent rafting in the wild, fast water; got fully wet; Appa was so scared he decided never to raft again
6. Chennailearnt to surf on the way to Puducherry; fell only twice; the beaches have rougher waves and browner water than her island
7. Olaikaadu beachfloating and looking at the fish; Appa and Amma went for a dive

Note: The Sundarbans (West Bengal) and Goa postcards also appear in the lesson; the table above lists only the rows printed in the NCERT book. The Sundarbans card describes a boat ride past mangroves, crocodiles and a snake, and the Goa card describes plateaus, hills, beaches and train tunnels.

Let us think and reflect

I.1. Extract – “Amma tells me that places like the Sundarbans are called wetlands… We also saw crocodiles and a lonely snake while boating. I hope they don’t follow us home. How is everyone? Are you missing me yet?”

ANSWER (i) D. wonder. Saying “I never knew such a place existed…” shows that Shaana is amazed and full of wonder at discovering a new kind of place. (ii) Amma is sad about the frequent flooding in the Sundarbans because this delicate wetland and its mangroves are being damaged by the rising water, which shows how human-caused climate change is harming such natural habitats. (iii) The evidence showing slight nervousness is: “We also saw crocodiles and a lonely snake while boating. I hope they don’t follow us home.” (iv) A. Both the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason correctly explains the assertion. Shaana asks “Are you missing me yet?” and wants to know how everyone is – her wish to know their well-being shows that she is missing her friends.

I.2. Extract – “Amma and Appa are fast asleep, and I should be sleeping too, but I just love looking out of the window… I used to be afraid of tunnels, but I’m not any more. Someday, I wish we could all go on a tour of the plateaus.”

ANSWER (i) The speaker chooses to stay awake because she loves looking out of the train window at the beautiful plateaus, hills and beaches of Goa and does not want to miss the lovely view. (ii) By saying ‘You won’t believe how nice the plateaus look’, Shaana means that the plateaus are so unexpectedly beautiful that her friends would find it hard to imagine just how lovely they are unless they saw them for themselves. (iii) A. from fear to comfort. She used to be afraid of tunnels but is no longer scared of them. (iv) The speaker’s wish indicates her sense of connection as well as the value she places on shared experiences with her peers.

II. Answer the following questions.

ANSWER 1. Shaana mentions that she used to be afraid of tunnels. What could have been the most likely reason for her to be scared of tunnels? Shaana most likely feared tunnels because they are dark, narrow and enclosed, and the train suddenly plunges from daylight into pitch blackness with loud, echoing sounds. As an island girl used to open beaches and sea, such a closed, dark passage would have felt strange and frightening until she got used to it. 2. Do you think Shaana’s Appa and Amma enjoyed themselves, just like children do? Support your answer with evidence. Yes, they clearly enjoyed themselves like children. In Kashmir they “like throwing snowballs at each other”; near Chennai they “splashed water on each other and behaved like children”; and at the Narmada they went rafting, where Appa got so scared that he decided never to raft again. These playful moments show their childlike joy. 3. Shaana mentions less snow in the glaciers and more flooding in the Sundarbans. Explain what these observations indicate. These observations indicate that the climate is changing and the environment is under stress. Less snow on the glaciers points to global warming and melting ice, while increased flooding in the Sundarbans shows rising water levels harming fragile wetlands. Together they hint at the effects of climate change on India’s natural regions. 4. Shaana’s visits highlight the diversity of India’s geography. Support this statement with evidence. Shaana’s journey covers an astonishing range of landscapes: snowy glaciers and mountains in Kashmir and Himachal, thick forests in Arunachal Pradesh, mangrove wetlands in the Sundarbans, the hot sandy desert of Gujarat, the fast Narmada river, plateaus, hills and tunnels in Goa, and sandy beaches and the sea near Chennai and Rameswaram. This shows India’s rich geographical diversity. 5. How does Shaana use language to convey her excitement, curiosity, and sometimes her fears? Shaana uses lively, exclamatory language and direct address to her friends. Excitement shows in lines like “You won’t believe where I am!” and “Today was the best day ever!” Curiosity appears in “I never knew such a place existed…” Her fears come through gentle remarks such as “I hope they don’t follow us home” and admitting she used to be afraid of tunnels. Her warm, humorous tone makes her feelings vivid. 6. What might Shaana have learnt from her travels across India? How would it impact her understanding of the country? Shaana would have learnt that India is huge and wonderfully varied – one country containing snow, forests, deserts, rivers and seas, with many languages, foods and ways of life. She also learnt about caring for nature and noticing changes like melting glaciers and flooding. This experience would deepen her love and respect for her country and make her a more aware, open-minded citizen. 7. What could be the author’s purpose of presenting the text in the form of postcards? By using postcards, the author gives the text a personal, intimate and informal tone, as if Shaana is speaking directly to the reader. The short, dated entries make it easy to follow her journey day by day and place by place, build curiosity for “what comes next”, and mix real geography with a child’s honest feelings, making the learning lively and relatable.

Let us learn

I. Match the words with suitable pictures

Read the words from the text in Column 1 and match them with suitable pictures in Column 2: 1. glaciers, 2. treehouse, 3. wetlands, 4. plateaus, 5. pebbles, 6. rafting.

ANSWER – what each picture shows glaciers → a huge mass of white-and-blue ice in the mountains. treehouse → a small wooden house built up in a tree. wetlands → low, watery, marshy land with mangroves (like the Sundarbans). plateaus → high, flat-topped areas of raised land. pebbles → small, smooth, rounded stones found on a beach or riverbed. rafting → people riding a rubber boat down a fast-flowing river. (Match each word to the picture that shows the object described above.)

II. Choose the associated word for each situation

Read the situations in Column 1. Choose the associated words from the box (blink, scary, existed, amazing, splashed, floating) and write them in Column 2. An example has been done for you.

ANSWER 1. A boy hears a loud noise at night and is too afraid to sleep → scary (given) 2. A bookstore that was once near the house has now shifted to the town → existed 3. Flashes of light make her close and open her eyes several times → blink 4. Children jump into the pool and throw water at each other → splashed 5. Grandmother’s beautiful place with green paddy fields and palm trees → amazing 6. The clouds were not staying in one place; they were moving across the sky → floating

III. Word grid (travel words)

The word grid has six words related to ‘travel’ used in the lesson. Circle the words; you can search horizontally and vertically.

ANSWER The six travel words hidden in the grid are: BOAT, TRAIN, DROVE, WALKED, RAFT and SURF (all words used by Shaana to describe how she travelled – she went by boat, by train, drove long distances, walked through a forest, went rafting and learnt to surf).

IV. Underline the subject and the verb

Read the sentences and underline the subject and the verb. 1. Amma and Appa are fast asleep. 2. It’s hot, dry, and there is sand everywhere. 3. There are so many hills here, and beaches too.

ANSWER 1. Subject: Amma and Appa  |  Verb: are (two nouns joined by ‘and’ take a plural verb). 2. Subjects: It … there  |  Verbs: ’s (is) … is (with ‘it’ the verb is ‘is/was’). 3. Subject: hills (and beaches)  |  Verb: are (with ‘there’ the subject comes after the verb, and a plural subject takes ‘are’).

V. Choose the correct verb (subject–verb agreement)

Choose the correct option from the words given in the brackets.

ANSWER 1. A pair of sunglasses is essential when travelling to sunny destinations. 2. Either the tour guide or the tourists have to arrive first at the meeting point. 3. The information on travel expenses is useful for first-time travellers. 4. Neither the flight crew nor the pilot was aware of the delay. 5. The news about the heavy rains makes many people reconsider their vacation plans. 6. A pair of binoculars is useful for spotting wildlife on a safari. 7. The hill stations in India remain a popular travel destination during winter. 8. Keeping accounts is important for spending money wisely during travel. 9. Either the ticket or the bus passes need to be used for travelling in the tourist bus. 10. Neither the passengers nor the taxi driver was aware of the best route to the hotel.

Note: The Let us do these activities before we read (discussing a place you travelled to; State/UT details; ‘Pradesh’ states), Let us listen (the story of how Agartala got its name – answers: 1. under the agar tree, 2. gharuwood, 3. woody and flowery, 4. when the tree gets infected, 5. perfumes and wood carvings), Let us speak (telling a partner your travel preferences), Let us write (a leave-of-absence application to the Principal) and Let us explore (the States/UT crossword, ancient places, the Hornbill festival) are class-based speaking, listening, writing and project tasks to be done with your teacher.

Extra questions

Short answer (30–40 words)

1. Where does Shaana live, and how does she share her travel experiences?

ANSWERShaana lives on Rameswaram island in the south of India. As she travels the length and breadth of the country with her parents, she shares her experiences by writing dated postcards to her friends and teachers back at school.

2. Why was Shaana surprised about Arunachal Pradesh?

ANSWERShaana was surprised because she had thought all the ‘Pradesh’ states sat next to each other. She learnt that Himachal Pradesh is in the north while Arunachal Pradesh is far away in the east, and it took two trains and a long drive to reach it.

3. What did Shaana see during her boat ride in the Sundarbans?

ANSWERIn the Sundarbans wetlands she saw mangrove trees growing in seawater, and during boating she spotted crocodiles and a lonely snake. She jokingly hoped they would not follow her home, and her mother spoke sadly about the area’s heavy flooding.

4. Describe Shaana’s rafting experience on the Narmada river.

ANSWEROn the Narmada, Shaana, Amma and Appa went rafting, which was wild and scary. She had always thought rivers were calm but found them really fast up close. She got fully wet and loved it, while Appa was so scared he vowed never to raft again.

5. What did Shaana do near Chennai and on the Pamban bridge?

ANSWEROn the way to Puducherry she learnt to surf and fell only twice. Later she crossed the Pamban bridge by train, seeing the ocean on both sides, and felt amazed that a train could travel across the sea like that.

Long answer (100–120 words)

6. Trace Shaana’s journey across India from north to south, naming the main places she visited.

ANSWERShaana’s journey begins far up north at the Thajiwas glacier in Kashmir, where she enjoys the snow. She then visits the mountains of Himachal Pradesh and the thick forests of Arunachal Pradesh in the east. Travelling on, she explores the mangrove wetlands of the Sundarbans in West Bengal, then crosses west to the hot desert of Gujarat. From there she goes to the Narmada river in central India for rafting, and to Goa to admire its plateaus, hills, beaches and tunnels. Heading south, she learns to surf near Chennai and Puducherry, crosses the sea on the Pamban bridge, and finally stops at Olaikaadu beach before reaching her island home, having travelled the whole country.

7. How does ‘North, South, East, West’ show both the beauty of India and the changes happening in nature?

ANSWERThrough Shaana’s cheerful postcards, the chapter celebrates India’s breathtaking variety – glaciers, mountains, forests, wetlands, deserts, rivers, plateaus and beaches – along with its many languages, foods and people. Yet within this beauty the writer slips in quiet warnings about a changing environment. In Kashmir, her parents note there was “much more snow last year”; in the Sundarbans, Amma is sad about how much the place floods now; and at the Narmada, Appa recalls there used to be far more water. These details hint at melting glaciers, rising floods and shrinking rivers caused by climate change. Thus the story makes readers admire India’s land while also reminding them to protect it.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. On which island does Shaana live?

(a) Majuli   (b) Rameswaram   (c) Sundarbans   (d) Goa

ANSWER(b) Rameswaram.

2. How does Shaana share her travel experiences with her friends?

(a) phone calls   (b) emails   (c) postcards   (d) a travel diary

ANSWER(c) postcards.

3. Which glacier does Shaana visit in Kashmir?

(a) Siachen   (b) Gangotri   (c) Thajiwas   (d) Pindari

ANSWER(c) Thajiwas.

4. What does Amma say Shaana hears in the “west” at Himachal Pradesh, instead of growling bears?

(a) the wind   (b) Appa snoring   (c) a waterfall   (d) chirping birds

ANSWER(b) Appa snoring.

5. The Sundarbans, where mangroves grow in seawater, are called …

(a) plateaus   (b) wetlands   (c) deserts   (d) glaciers

ANSWER(b) wetlands.

6. In which state did Shaana visit a hot, sandy desert?

(a) Rajasthan   (b) Gujarat   (c) West Bengal   (d) Goa

ANSWER(b) Gujarat.

7. On which river did Shaana and her parents go rafting?

(a) Ganga   (b) Narmada   (c) Kaveri   (d) Yamuna

ANSWER(b) Narmada.

8. What did Shaana learn to do on the way to Puducherry?

(a) dive   (b) raft   (c) surf   (d) sail

ANSWER(c) surf.

9. Which bridge did Shaana cross, seeing the ocean on both sides?

(a) Bandra–Worli   (b) Howrah   (c) Pamban   (d) Bogibeel

ANSWER(c) Pamban.

10. Who is the author of ‘North, South, East, West’?

(a) Ruskin Bond   (b) C.G. Salamander   (c) Anita Rau Badami   (d) Rabindranath Tagore

ANSWER(b) C.G. Salamander.
MCQ Answer Key: 1-(b), 2-(c), 3-(c), 4-(b), 5-(b), 6-(b), 7-(b), 8-(c), 9-(c), 10-(b)

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): Shaana’s parents say there was much more snow at the glacier last year.

Reason (R): Changing climate is causing glaciers to hold less snow over time.

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

2. Assertion (A): Shaana was surprised that Arunachal Pradesh was far from Himachal Pradesh.

Reason (R): She had thought that all the ‘Pradesh’ states sat next to each other.

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

3. Assertion (A): Shaana enjoyed rafting on the Narmada river.

Reason (R): Appa enjoyed the rafting so much that he wanted to go again.

ANSWER(c) A is true, but R is false – Appa was so scared he decided never to go rafting again.

4. Assertion (A): The text is written in the form of postcards.

Reason (R): The postcard form gives the writing a personal tone and lets readers follow Shaana’s journey day by day.

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

5. Assertion (A): Shaana is no longer afraid of tunnels.

Reason (R): During her train journey through Goa she passed through many tunnels and got used to them.

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

Exam tips & common mistakes

Exam tips

• Learn the order of places: Kashmir → Himachal → Arunachal → Sundarbans (Bengal) → Gujarat → Narmada → Goa → Chennai/Puducherry → Pamban → Olaikaadu. Examiners often ask about the sequence.
• Always name the author (C.G. Salamander), the narrator (Shaana) and the postcard / epistolary form in long answers.
• For environment questions, quote the three ‘change’ clues: less snow, more flooding in the Sundarbans, and less water in the Narmada.
• For subject–verb agreement, remember: ‘a pair of’ takes a singular verb, and with ‘or/nor’ the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Common mistakes

• Do not say the desert was in Rajasthan – in this text the desert is in Gujarat.
• Himachal Pradesh is in the north and Arunachal Pradesh in the east – do not mix them up.
• Shaana goes rafting on the Narmada and learns to surf near Chennai – these are different activities; do not confuse them.
• The crossing with the ocean on both sides is the Pamban bridge, not the tunnels in Goa.

FAQs

Who wrote ‘North, South, East, West’ and what is its form?

It was written by C.G. Salamander and is presented as a series of dated postcards written by a young traveller, Shaana, to her classmates.

What is the main theme of ‘North, South, East, West’?

The main theme is the rich diversity and beauty of India’s geography and culture, seen through a curious child’s eyes, along with gentle hints about environmental change.

Which places does Shaana visit on her journey?

She visits Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, the Sundarbans in West Bengal, Gujarat, the Narmada river, Goa, Chennai and Puducherry, and finally Olaikaadu beach near her home in Rameswaram.

Questions are taken verbatim from the NCERT Poorvi textbook; the summary, author note and all answers are written originally by ClearStudy.

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