Neem Baba — Class 6 English Poorvi Questions and Answers

Neem Baba questions and answers: study Amber’s dialogue in Class 6 Poorvi with its fact sheet, compound words, verb forms, personification and listening key.

Source: NCERT Poorvi, Grade 6, Unit 3, printed pages 75–84; listening transcript 101; supplied reprint 2026–27. Open-ended and personal responses are examples to adapt. These explanations are study support, not an official NCERT answer key.

About the chapter

“Neem Baba” is a lively conversation piece from Unit 3, ‘Nurturing Nature’. A girl named Amber sits in the shade of the neem tree in her courtyard and imagines that the old tree is speaking to her. She lovingly calls it ‘Neem Baba’, and through their friendly dialogue she learns how very old the tree is, where it grew up, the many names it has, and the countless ways it helps people – in medicine, farming, cleanliness and daily life. The lesson celebrates the neem tree as ‘nature’s gift to man’ and gently urges children to value, protect and discover more about trees.

About the author

The textbook identifies this dialogue as adapted from Neem Baba by S. I. Farooqi. Giving a tree human speech is personification. Its stories about age, naming and traditional uses should be read as statements in the passage, rather than independently proven scientific or medical claims.

Summary

Amber sits beneath the neem tree in her courtyard after school and feels that it whispers to her. She greets it, and the tree invites her to call it Neem Baba. It tells her about its family’s spread, Sanskrit and regional names, and the names associated with its usefulness.

The dialogue describes uses of neem in traditional remedies, crop protection, household products and wood. Amber recalls what her family told her, while Neem Baba stresses that remedies require trained, experienced people. She asks questions and promises to investigate more of the tree’s qualities when she grows up.

Reading context: the ‘millions of years’ statement concerns the tree’s personified family/history, not the measured age of the individual courtyard tree. Health statements below answer questions about this text; they are not treatment directions. Children should involve a qualified health professional and should not replace medical care with homemade neem remedies. See NIH guidance on complementary health approaches for children.

Word meanings

Let us do these activities before we read

I. A tree is useful to us in many ways. Mention some of these uses. (Some parts of trees are used in preparing medicines.)

II. Neem is a common tree in our country. Discuss in groups of four and fill Columns 1 and 2 with what you know about the neem tree and what you want to know.

This is a group brainstorming activity; the answers above are samples – your own ideas may differ.

Let us discuss

I. Let us know our neem — according to the dialogue

Arishta, Nimba and Nimbaca are Sanskrit names, not answers under ‘names given by scientists’.

II.1. Usefulness to farmers

According to Neem Baba, seed powder helps protect crops from locusts, termites and other crop-eating insects, discourages mosquito breeding in rice-field water and protects stored grain. Describe what the passage says; actual pesticide use requires approved products and their directions.

II.2. Other uses

The dialogue mentions twigs for cleaning teeth, leaves for protecting clothes, parts used in traditional medicines, oil in soaps and toothpaste, wood for furniture and the tree’s contribution to the surroundings.

Let us think and reflect

I. Two surprising details — sample

I was surprised by the many names listed for neem and the range of farming and household uses described. Choose two details that genuinely interested you.

II. Sentence completions — based on the text

1. the neem tree
2. locusts, termites and other crop-eating insects
3. Putting neem seed powder in stagnant water
4. the germ-destroying properties and relief from itching described by Neem Baba

Answer 4 reports the dialogue’s explanation of Amber’s brother’s care; it is not a recommendation for treating measles.

III. Parts used for medicines in the passage

Leaves, bark, flowers, fruits and roots.

IV. Why thought-provoking?

A familiar tree has many names and uses, prompting Amber to ask questions. The conversation encourages readers to observe nature, investigate claims and care for trees rather than overlook them.

Let us learn

I. Compound words

Study these words from the text and put them in their trees: something, neem oil, cleanliness-parting, well known, grandmother, seed powder, childhood, well trained, thought-provoking. (Open = spaces between words; Closed = no spaces; Hyphenated = hyphens between words.) You may add some more words.

II. Verbs – match the present form to the past form

Match the verbs in the first column (present) to verbs in the second column (past). Make a sentence with any one form. (One done: 1. become → (iv) became.)

III. Personification

Amber speaks to Neem Baba as if speaking to a person. This figure of speech is called personification. (Examples: The leaves whispered in the wind. / The flowers danced merrily in the breeze.) Now, discuss it with your classmates and teacher.

Let us listen / speak / write / explore

Let us listen — Peepal Baba, transcript 101

Select 1, 3 and 4. The mother expresses surprise and interest, and Rahul agrees that they should plant trees and encourage others. Statements 2 and 5 are incorrect: she admires the work and he does not express worry.

Let us speak — leaf-card process

Collect already fallen dry leaves from four familiar plants. Draw each shape on a folded card; put its name and one verified use inside. Describe collecting, observing, drawing, colouring and labelling, then invite classmates to identify the plant before opening the card. Sample: ‘I found a fallen neem leaf, drew its outline and labelled the card. This tree gives shade.’

Let us write — sample paragraph

The Neem in Our Park
A tall neem tree stands beside the path in our neighbourhood park. Its rough trunk supports a spreading crown. The leaves are made up of several narrow, toothed leaflets. I like the shade it provides and enjoy watching birds on its branches. The tree makes this part of the park pleasant. I would like to help protect it and learn more about its seasonal changes.

Let us explore — regional names

The textbook supplies the names but does not provide a language answer key. Do not assign unfamiliar names to languages by guessing. The National Academies neem monograph records Hindi: neem, nimb and Sanskrit: nimba, nimbou, arishtha. IISc’s India Trees entry also records Nim and Nimb in Marathi, illustrating overlap across languages.

For Leemba, Nimori, Nimbamond, Nimbe and Nimo, consult a reliable regional botanical source or a knowledgeable speaker with your teacher, record the language and spelling, and cite the source. The former blanket ‘South-Indian’ mapping has been removed because it was not verified.

Additional ClearStudy questions

This practice is separate from the printed textbook exercises.

1. Why the name Neem Baba?
The tree invites Amber to use this affectionate, respectful name. Its human-like speech makes it seem like an older guide.

2. Who gave the name Neem, according to the passage?
The Iranians.

3. What family experiences does Amber report?
She recalls a bark-based medicine for her cough and flower-based kajal for her father’s itchy eyes. These are events she reports in the dialogue, not recipes or medically established instructions.

4. What does cost-effective mean?
It means a useful result with relatively few resources. Amber uses the term for the seed-powder method described by Neem Baba.

5. Name two household products mentioned.
Soap and toothpaste made using neem oil.

6. Explain personification.
The tree speaks, remembers Amber and answers her questions. These human actions make an informative conversation possible and encourage attention to the natural world.

ClearStudy MCQs and assertion–reason practice

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.

Exam tips & common mistakes

FAQs