NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Poorvi Poem – A Funny Man by Natalie Joan (NCERT 2026–27)

Complete NCERT solutions for the Class 7 English Poorvi Unit 2 (Wit and Humour) poem A Funny Man by Natalie Joan. This page gives the central idea, a stanza-wise summary, all hard word meanings, poetic devices, and every textbook exercise — Let us discuss and Let us think and reflect — answered in full, plus extra questions, MCQs, assertion–reason questions, exam tips and FAQs. The A Funny Man Class 7 question answer set below reproduces the questions word-for-word from the textbook; the answers are original and exam-ready.

Class: 7 Subject: English Book: Poorvi Unit: 2 – Wit and Humour Type: Poem Poet: Natalie Joan Session: 2026–27

Poem Overview

“A Funny Man” is a light, nonsensical poem that belongs to the Unit “Wit and Humour”. The speaker describes a strange, comical man she meets one day walking down her street. This funny man does everything upside-down and back-to-front: he wears a shoe on his head and hats upon his feet, he offers a currant bun while calling it a rose, sings a strange song, and finally hops home on his head. The poem’s whole charm lies in this topsy-turvy behaviour, which delights and bewilders the speaker. With its playful rhythm, vivid images and gentle humour, the poem celebrates silliness, imagination and the simple joy of laughter, inviting young readers to enjoy the absurd without worrying about logic or meaning.

About the Poet – Natalie Joan

Natalie Joan was an early twentieth-century writer of light verse and stories for children. She is remembered chiefly for her playful, humorous poems and her contributions to children’s annuals and storybooks of her time, which mixed nonsense, fun and gentle imagination. Like the work of Edward Lear and other writers of nonsense verse, her poetry uses simple language, strong rhythm and surprising, absurd images to make young readers smile. “A Funny Man” is a fine example of her style: a short, songlike poem in which an ordinary street meeting turns into a comic adventure, showing her gift for finding delight in the silly and the unexpected.

Central Idea & Stanza Summary

Central idea: The poem celebrates harmless silliness and the joy of the absurd. Through the antics of a “funny man” who does everything the wrong way round, the poet shows that humour and imagination can turn an ordinary moment into something delightful. The poem teaches young readers to relax, laugh and enjoy nonsense without searching for logic in it.

Stanza 1: One day a strange, funny man comes walking down the speaker’s street. Unlike everyone else, he has worn a shoe on his head and hats upon his feet — the very opposite of how clothes should be worn. This odd appearance at once tells us the poem will be playful and topsy-turvy.

Stanza 2: The funny man politely raises the shoe (as one would lift a hat to greet someone) and smiles at the speaker. His manners are good, yet the speaker says she had never before seen “such a funny sounding sight” — a deliberately silly mixing of sound and sight that adds to the comedy.

Stanza 3: The man grandly addresses the speaker as “Your Highness” and offers to present her with a rose. But instead he takes out a currant bun and holds it to her nose, again confusing one thing with another in a comical way.

Stanza 4: Startled, the speaker staggers back against the wall and replies that she has never seen “a rose with such a funny looking smell” — once more jumbling the senses (a smell that “looks” funny) for humorous effect.

Stanza 5: The man then begins to sing a song and sits down on the ground. The speaker declares it is “such a funny feeling sound” — another nonsensical mixing of feeling and sound — stressing how unusual and amusing his behaviour is.

Stanza 6: Finally the speaker asks why he wears two hats upon his feet. Without answering, the funny man simply turns around and hops home on his head, ending the poem on a perfectly absurd, laugh-out-loud note.

Word Meanings (शब्दार्थ)

WordEnglish Meaningहिंदी अर्थ
funnyamusing; strange and laughableहास्यास्पद, विचित्र
raisedlifted upउठाया
mannersway of behaving; politenessआचरण, शिष्टाचार
politewell-mannered and courteousविनम्र, शिष्ट
present (verb)to give or offer formallyभेंट करना, प्रस्तुत करना
Your Highnessa respectful title for royaltyमहामहिम (राजसी संबोधन)
curranta small dried seedless grape/raisinछोटी सूखी किशमिश
currant buna sweet bread roll baked with currantsकिशमिश वाली मीठी बन
staggeredmoved unsteadily, as if about to fallलड़खड़ाकर पीछे हटना
againsttouching or leaning onके सहारे, से सटकर
soundingmaking a sound; seeming (here used playfully)ध्वनि करने वाला; प्रतीत होने वाला
sightsomething that is seen; a viewदृश्य, नज़ारा
hoppedjumped on one leg or in short jumpsउछला, फुदका
the other way aboutin the opposite direction; turned aroundविपरीत दिशा में, घूमकर
amusingcausing laughter; entertainingमनोरंजक, हँसाने वाला
inversionchanging the normal order of wordsशब्द-क्रम का उलटाव
nonsensicalhaving no sense; silly but funnyनिरर्थक, बेतुका

Poetic Devices in the Poem

DeviceExplanation / Example from the poem
Nonsense verseThe whole poem describes impossible, illogical actions (a shoe on the head, hopping home on the head) purely for fun.
ImageryVivid pictures such as “He wore a shoe upon his head / And hats upon his feet” help us see the comical scene clearly.
AlliterationRepetition of beginning sounds: “funny sounding sight”, “funny feeling”, “hopped home on his head” (the ‘h’ sound).
Synaesthesia / mixed sensesSenses are jumbled for humour: a “sounding sight”, a “rose with such a funny looking smell”, a “funny feeling sound”.
RepetitionThe word “funny” is repeated many times to keep the comic, playful mood and stress the man’s strangeness.
DialogueDirect speech — “Allow me to present Your Highness with a rose” and “My friend, why do you wear two hats…” — makes the scene lively and dramatic.
Inversion“But never had I seen before / Such a funny sounding sight” reverses normal word order to keep the rhyme and rhythm.
Rhyme & RhythmThe poem has a regular songlike rhythm with rhymes (feet/street, rose/nose, ground/sound) that make it bouncy and fun to read aloud.

Complete NCERT Exercise Solutions

Let us discuss

I. Work in pairs. Identify the true statements. Check your answers with the teacher. 1. The poet says that she had never heard such an amusing song. 2. The funny man was quite ill-mannered. 3. The funny man wore two hats on his feet. 4. The funny man hopped on his head to reach home. 5. The funny man gave a rose to the poet. 6. The funny man smiled at the poet.

ANSWER True statements: 3, 4 and 6. 1. False — the poem speaks of “a funny feeling sound”, but it does not say the speaker “had never heard such an amusing song”; that wording is not in the poem. 2. False — the funny man is actually polite: “He raised the shoe and smiled at me, / His manners were polite.” 3. True — “And hats upon his feet” and later “why do you wear two hats / Upon your feet?” 4. True — “And hopped home on his head.” 5. False — he says he will present a rose, but actually holds out a currant bun: “And taking out a currant bun / He held it to my nose.” 6. True — “He raised the shoe and smiled at me.”

II. Identify the words from the poem based on the meanings given. Share your answers with your classmates and the teacher. 1. a small seedless raisin – C _ R _ _ _ T 2. moved unsteadily – S _ _ G G _ _ _ D

ANSWER 1. CURRANT — CURRANT 2. STAGGERED — STAGGERED

III. Complete the following sentences with a reason. 1. The tone of the poem is ___________ because ___________. 2. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ___________; and it gives a ___________ quality to the poem. 3. The poet has frequently repeated the word ‘funny’ in order to ___________.

ANSWER 1. The tone of the poem is light, humorous and playful because the poet describes the silly, topsy-turvy actions of the funny man (a shoe on his head, hats on his feet, hopping home on his head) only to amuse the reader, not to teach a serious lesson. 2. The rhyme scheme of the poem is abcb (the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme — feet/street, polite/sight, rose/nose, “Well”/smell, ground/sound, said/head); and it gives a musical, songlike and bouncy quality to the poem. 3. The poet has frequently repeated the word ‘funny’ in order to keep the comic, light-hearted mood throughout and to emphasise just how strange, amusing and unusual the man and his actions are.

IV. Choose the correct answer from the options given in the brackets. 1. The poem uses vivid imagery to create a _______ (humorous and nonsensical / confusing but thought-provoking) scene. 2. The structure of the poem is in ___________ (monologue / dialogue) form. 3. The phrases ‘sounding sight’ and ‘hopped home’ are examples of ___________. (alliteration / simile)

ANSWER 1. humorous and nonsensical 2. dialogue (the funny man and the speaker exchange words) 3. alliteration (the repeated ‘s’ in “sounding sight” and the repeated ‘h’ in “hopped home”)

V.1. Rewrite the following line from the poem in the correct order. But never had I seen before / Such a funny sounding sight.

ANSWER Correct (normal) word order: “But I had never seen such a funny sounding sight before.” The poet used inversion (“never had I seen”) in place of the ordinary order (“I had never seen”) to keep the rhythm and to make “before” rhyme with the rest of the verse.

V.2. Why has the poet used phrases like ‘funny sounding sight’ and ‘funny feeling sound’ with reference to the funny man?

ANSWERThe poet deliberately mixes up the senses — joining “sounding” with “sight” and “feeling” with “sound” — to match the topsy-turvy, illogical behaviour of the funny man. Just as he wears a shoe on his head and hats on his feet, his very description jumbles seeing, hearing and feeling. These nonsensical phrases create humour and stress how strange, comical and out-of-the-ordinary the funny man is.

VI. Can you think of any real-world situations where people do similar things for fun, entertainment, or performance? Share with your classmates and the teacher.

SAMPLE ANSWERYes. Clowns and circus performers wear odd, oversized clothes, big shoes and funny hats, and do silly tricks to make audiences laugh. Street performers and mime artists behave in unexpected, exaggerated ways for fun. In comedy shows, cartoons and children’s programmes, characters often act in absurd, illogical ways. Even during fancy-dress and April Fools’ jokes, people do funny things purely for entertainment — just like the funny man in the poem. This is a “share with your classmates” discussion task; the above is a model response.

Let us think and reflect

I.1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. “He said, ‘Allow me to present / Your Highness with a rose.’ / And taking out a currant bun / He held it to my nose. / I staggered back against the wall / And then I answered, ‘Well!'”

(i) Why does the funny man address the poet as ‘Your Highness’?

ANSWERThe funny man addresses the poet as “Your Highness” in a grand, mock-respectful way, as if she were royalty. This exaggerated politeness adds to the comic, playful tone of the poem — he treats an ordinary street meeting like a royal occasion, which is part of his silly, theatrical behaviour.

(ii) Choose a phrase from the extract which indicates a polite request.

ANSWERThe phrase “Allow me to present” indicates a polite request.

(iii) Choose the option which shows a ‘currant bun’. A. Image 1   B. Image 2   C. Image 3   D. Image 4

ANSWERThe correct option is the picture of a small, round, sweet bread roll dotted with dark currants (raisins). The textbook shows four images; students must tick the one of a currant bun — a soft sweet bun baked with currants — rather than a plain biscuit, a cake or a flower.

(iv) Complete the sentence with an appropriate reason. When the poet says, ‘Well!’, it expresses surprise. This was so because _________________.

ANSWER…the funny man had promised to present her with a rose but instead pulled out a currant bun and held it to her nose. The gap between what he said and what he actually did surprised and startled her, making her stagger back and exclaim “Well!”

I.2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. “You never heard in all your life / Such a funny feeling sound. / ‘My friend, why do you wear two hats / Upon your feet?’ I said. / He turned the other way about, / And hopped home on his head.”

(i) Choose the line from the extract which tells us that the sound was unique.

ANSWERThe line “You never heard in all your life / Such a funny feeling sound” tells us that the sound was unique — no one had ever heard anything like it before.

(ii) Complete the sentence with an appropriate reason. The poet calls the funny man ‘my friend’ because _________________.

ANSWER…although he was a complete stranger, his polite, smiling and harmless manner made the poet feel friendly and comfortable with him. She uses “my friend” warmly and good-humouredly while gently questioning his odd habit of wearing two hats on his feet.

(iii) What does the reaction of the funny man to the poet’s question tell us about him?

ANSWERInstead of answering the poet’s question, the funny man simply turns around and hops home on his head. This shows that he is carefree, eccentric and unbothered by what others think. He lives in his own playful, topsy-turvy world and does not feel the need to explain or justify his strange behaviour.

(iv) Choose the correct option to complete the sentence. The last line of the extract makes the readers feel _________________. A. dreamy   B. impatient   C. worried   D. cheerful

ANSWERD. cheerful — the image of the man hopping home on his head is so absurd and funny that it leaves the reader smiling and light-hearted.

II. Answer the following questions.

ANSWERS 1. Which character trait of the funny man was most appealing to you? Why?
His cheerful playfulness and his complete lack of self-consciousness appealed to me most. He does the silliest things — wearing a shoe on his head, hopping home on his head — without caring what people think, yet he stays polite and smiling throughout. This carefree, fun-loving spirit makes him lovable and reminds us that it is fine to be a little silly and to enjoy life with laughter. 2. The funny man does unusual things in the poem. How does it affect the overall mood of the poem?
His unusual, illogical actions fill the poem with humour and light-heartedness. Every stanza brings a fresh surprise — a shoe on the head, a bun offered as a rose, a song sung while sitting on the ground — keeping the mood bright, cheerful and amusing. The strange behaviour turns an ordinary street scene into comic entertainment, so the reader feels playful and happy rather than serious. 3. What alternative title would you suggest for the poem? Give reason(s) for your choice.
A good alternative title would be “The Topsy-Turvy Man” or “A Man Upside Down”, because the man does everything the wrong way round — clothes worn upside-down, things confused with one another, and walking on his head. Such a title would highlight the central idea of the poem: everything about him is reversed and comical. 4. Why do you think the poet has included dialogues in the poem?
The poet includes dialogues — the man’s grand “Allow me to present Your Highness with a rose” and the speaker’s “My friend, why do you wear two hats…” — to make the poem lively and dramatic, almost like a little play. The direct speech lets us hear the characters, brings out the humour of the situation, and makes the funny man’s strange politeness even more amusing. 5. What does the poet wish to convey by highlighting the unusual behaviour of the funny man?
By highlighting his unusual behaviour, the poet wishes to convey that there is joy in harmless silliness and imagination. Not everything has to make sense; sometimes nonsense is simply fun. The poet invites readers to relax, laugh and look at the world in a playful way, without always demanding logic or seriousness.

The activities Let us do these activities before we read (writing the things you find funny in bubbles), Let us learn (phrasal verbs, verbs of walking), Let us listen, Let us speak (telling a joke), Let us write (writing a limerick) and Let us explore (funny characters from Indian literature, Sukumar Ray) are oral, listening, grammar-practice or project tasks meant to be done in class with your teacher. The reading-comprehension exercises above (Let us discuss and Let us think and reflect) are the main assessable written exercises for this poem.

Extra Questions with Answers

Short Answer Questions (30–40 words)

Q1. How was the funny man dressed?
The funny man was dressed in a completely topsy-turvy way. He wore a shoe upon his head and hats upon his feet — exactly the opposite of how things are normally worn, which is why he looked so strange and amusing. Q2. What did the funny man offer the poet, and how?
He grandly said he would present “Your Highness” with a rose, but instead he took out a currant bun and held it to her nose. He confused a bun with a flower, which startled and amused the poet. Q3. How did the poet react to the funny man’s behaviour?
The poet was surprised. She staggered back against the wall and exclaimed “Well!” She then jokingly said she had never seen a rose with such a funny looking smell, joining in his nonsensical, playful spirit. Q4. How does the poem end?
When the poet asks the man why he wears two hats on his feet, he does not answer. He simply turns around and hops home on his head, ending the poem on a delightfully absurd and funny note. Q5. Why is the poem placed in the unit ‘Wit and Humour’?
The poem is full of nonsense, silliness and laughter. The funny man’s reversed clothing, jumbled words and impossible actions are meant purely to entertain. Its light, comic spirit fits perfectly into a unit about wit and humour.

Long Answer Questions (100–120 words)

Q1. Describe the funny man and his actions as shown in the poem.
The funny man is a comical figure who does everything the wrong way round. He comes walking down the street wearing a shoe on his head and hats on his feet. Politely he raises the shoe and smiles, and then grandly offers the poet a “rose” — which turns out to be a currant bun held to her nose. He sings a song while sitting on the ground, producing “a funny feeling sound”. When the poet asks why he wears two hats on his feet, he gives no answer; he simply turns around and hops home on his head. Through these absurd, illogical actions, he becomes a perfect picture of harmless silliness and fun. Q2. How does the poet create humour in ‘A Funny Man’?
The poet creates humour mainly through nonsense and the reversal of normal behaviour. Everything the man does is upside-down: clothes are worn in the wrong places, a bun is offered as a rose, and he walks home on his head. The poet also jumbles the senses with phrases like “funny sounding sight” and “funny feeling sound”, which sound delightfully silly. The repeated word “funny”, the lively dialogue, the bouncy rhythm and rhyme, and the surprising ending all add to the comedy. Because the man stays polite and smiling while doing such absurd things, the contrast between his good manners and his crazy actions makes the poem even funnier. Q3. What message or value can young readers take from this nonsense poem?
Although “A Funny Man” is a nonsense poem written mainly to amuse, it gently teaches young readers some valuable things. It shows that there is great joy in laughter, imagination and harmless silliness, and that we need not take everything in life too seriously. The funny man is carefree and confident, doing what makes him happy without worrying about others’ opinions, while still being polite and kind. The poem encourages children to use their imagination, to enjoy the unexpected, and to find delight in simple, playful moments. In a busy, rule-bound world, it reminds us that a little fun and nonsense can brighten an ordinary day.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Who is the poet of ‘A Funny Man’?

(a) Edward Lear (b) Natalie Joan (c) Sukumar Ray (d) Ruskin Bond

2. Where did the funny man wear a shoe?

(a) On his feet (b) On his hands (c) Upon his head (d) Around his neck

3. What did the funny man wear upon his feet?

(a) Shoes (b) Socks (c) Hats (d) Boots

4. The funny man said he would present the poet with a —

(a) currant bun (b) rose (c) hat (d) song

5. What did he actually hold to the poet’s nose?

(a) A rose (b) A flower (c) A currant bun (d) A shoe

6. How did the poet address the funny man while questioning him?

(a) Sir (b) My friend (c) Your Highness (d) Stranger

7. What did the funny man do after singing his song?

(a) Walked away (b) Sat down on the ground (c) Climbed the wall (d) Slept

8. How did the funny man finally go home?

(a) He walked normally (b) He ran (c) He hopped on his head (d) He flew

9. ‘Funny sounding sight’ and ‘hopped home’ are examples of —

(a) simile (b) metaphor (c) alliteration (d) personification

10. The overall tone of the poem is —

(a) sad and serious (b) light and humorous (c) angry and bitter (d) frightening

Answer Key: 1-(b), 2-(c), 3-(c), 4-(b), 5-(c), 6-(b), 7-(b), 8-(c), 9-(c), 10-(b)

Assertion–Reason Questions

For each, choose: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. (b) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A. (c) A is true but R is false. (d) A is false but R is true.

1. Assertion (A): The poem ‘A Funny Man’ belongs to the unit ‘Wit and Humour’.

Reason (R): The poem describes the silly, nonsensical actions of a man purely to amuse the reader.

Answer: (a) — R correctly explains why the poem fits the unit.

2. Assertion (A): The funny man was polite in his manners.

Reason (R): He raised the shoe and smiled at the poet and offered her a rose.

Answer: (a) — R correctly explains the assertion; the text says “His manners were polite”.

3. Assertion (A): The funny man gave the poet a real rose.

Reason (R): He took out a currant bun and held it to her nose.

Answer: (d) — A is false (he offered a bun, not a rose); R is true.

4. Assertion (A): The poet repeats the word ‘funny’ many times in the poem.

Reason (R): The repetition keeps the comic, playful mood and stresses how strange the man is.

Answer: (a) — R correctly explains the purpose of the repetition.

5. Assertion (A): The funny man answered the poet’s question about his hats clearly.

Reason (R): He turned the other way about and hopped home on his head.

Answer: (d) — A is false (he gave no answer); R is true.

📌 Exam Tips

• Remember the reversals: shoe on the head, hats on the feet, hops home on his head — these are the most-asked details.
• Learn the “mixed-sense” phrases — “funny sounding sight” and “funny feeling sound” — and be ready to say they create humour and are alliteration.
• Know the rhyme scheme (abcb) and that the poem is a nonsense / humorous poem in dialogue form.
• For tone questions, use words like light, playful, humorous, cheerful and support with a short quotation.

⚠ Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Do not write that the man gave the poet a rose — he only said he would; he actually held out a currant bun.
• Do not call the man rude — the poem clearly says “His manners were polite.”
• Do not treat “funny sounding sight” / “funny feeling sound” as mistakes — they are deliberate nonsense for humour.
• “Staggered” means moved unsteadily, not “walked happily”.
• Spell the key words correctly: currant (not “current”), staggered, polite, nonsensical.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who wrote the poem ‘A Funny Man’ in Class 7 Poorvi?

The poem ‘A Funny Man’ in the Class 7 English textbook Poorvi (Unit 2, Wit and Humour) was written by Natalie Joan, an early twentieth-century writer of light, humorous verse for children.

What is the central idea of the poem ‘A Funny Man’?

The poem celebrates harmless silliness and the joy of nonsense. Through a man who wears a shoe on his head, offers a bun as a rose and hops home on his head, the poet shows that humour and imagination can make an ordinary moment delightful, and that we need not always look for logic.

Why are the phrases ‘funny sounding sight’ and ‘funny feeling sound’ used in the poem?

These phrases deliberately mix up the senses (sound with sight, feeling with sound) to match the topsy-turvy behaviour of the funny man. They create humour, are examples of alliteration, and stress how strange and comical he is.

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