Introduction
The poem class 4 question answer set is built around one curious little boy who cannot stop asking his parents about the world. He wants to know why wood floats while marble and lead sink, why the sun shines, why the wind blows, and why people need to eat and drink. This guide breaks the NCERT Marigold Unit 4 poem “Why?” into a simple stanza-by-stanza summary, complete textbook exercise solutions, and exam-ready answers that any class 4 English student can follow.
In my own experience going through the NCERT Marigold syllabus with young readers, this chapter works so well because the questions feel exactly like what real children ask at home. As a result, the why poem class 4 question answer topic becomes one of the easiest units to score full marks in, once the key points are organised clearly. Keep this page open while doing homework, because every textbook question is answered below in the same order it appears in Marigold.
Key Takeaways
- The poem “Why?” appears in Unit 4 of the NCERT Class 4 English textbook, Marigold, alongside the story “Alice in Wonderland.”
- A curious little boy asks his parents a string of “why” questions about nature and daily life.
- Common why poem class 4 question answer topics include why wood floats, why lead and marble sink, why the sun shines, why the wind blows, and why we eat and drink.
- The poem highlights curiosity, questioning ability, and the value of knowledge as core lessons for class 4 learners.
- Students improve their why poem class 4 question answer scores fastest by answering in complete sentences and naming the exact reason given in the poem.
What Is the Why Poem Class 4 All About?
“Why?” is a short poem that appears in Unit 4 of Marigold, the NCERT English textbook prescribed for class 4 students under the CBSE syllabus. The poem centres on one character only: a young boy whose mind is full of questions. He turns to his parents again and again, asking why ordinary things happen the way they do.
The reason the poem class 4 question answer topic is popular with students is because the poem itself is short, the vocabulary is simple, and the ideas connect directly to science topics children already know, such as floating, sinking, sunlight, and wind. However, that simplicity is exactly why exam answers need to be precise. Markers expect the specific detail from the poem, not a general guess.
Where the Poem Fits in the NCERT Marigold Syllabus
Marigold for class 4 is organised into nine units, and each unit usually pairs one poem with one prose piece. “Why?” is the poem in Unit 4, and it is followed by the story “Alice in Wonderland,” an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale. Teachers often use the pairing to compare two very different kinds of curiosity: the boy’s practical, everyday questions in “Why?” and Alice’s fantastical journey down the rabbit hole.
Meet the Curious Little Boy: Character Summary
The little boy in the poem is the only character who speaks directly to the reader. He is shown as an intelligent, observant child whose questions are never random. For example, he notices that wood floats on water but marble and lead sink, and he wants to understand the difference instead of simply accepting it.
This matters for why poem class 4 question answer marks because examiners often ask students to describe the boy’s personality. The safest, most accurate description is: curious, thoughtful, and eager to learn. He is not shown as impatient or confused; every question he asks has a real, learnable answer, which is part of what makes the poem feel encouraging rather than frustrating for young readers.
As a result, when a question asks “what kind of child is the little boy,” students should avoid vague words like “good boy” and instead use the specific trait words that appear across most NCERT solution guides: curious, inquisitive, and knowledge-seeking.
Why Poem Class 4 Question Answer | Stanza-by-Stanza Summary
Breaking the poem into stanzas makes the poem class 4 question answer process far easier to revise, because each stanza groups a related set of questions. Below is a simple, original breakdown a class 4 student can use for quick recall.
Stanza 1: Questions About Nature
The opening lines introduce the boy’s habit of questioning the natural world. He wonders why wood floats on water while heavier-seeming objects behave differently, and he compares wood to marble and lead, which sink instead of floating. This stanza sets up the poem’s pattern: notice something ordinary, then ask why it happens.
Stanza 2: Questions About the Sky and Weather
The boy then turns his attention upward, asking why the sun shines and why the wind blows. These questions move the poem from things he can touch, like wood and stone, to things he can only observe, like sunlight and moving air. For a class 4 learner, this is a gentle introduction to basic weather and energy concepts.
Stanza 3: Questions About Everyday Life
In the final stretch of questions, the boy asks something closer to home: why do people need to eat and drink? This question connects his curiosity about the outside world to his own body, showing that “why” questions are not limited to science facts; they can be about daily human needs too.
NCERT Why Poem Class 4 Question Answer | Textbook Exercise Solutions
This section answers the standard NCERT textbook exercises for “Why?” in the same style expected by CBSE evaluators: short, direct sentences that restate the question inside the answer.
Comprehension Questions and Answers
- Why does wood float on water? Wood floats on water because it is lighter than water for its size, while marble and lead sink because they are heavier for their size.
- What does the little boy want to know about the sun and the wind? He wants to know why the sun shines and why the wind blows.
- Why does the boy ask about eating and drinking? He asks why people need to eat and drink because he is curious about what keeps living things healthy and active.
- What kind of boy is described in the poem? He is described as a curious, thoughtful boy who asks sensible, logical questions instead of random ones.
- Are all of the boy’s questions easy to answer? Most of the questions have simple, known answers, but the poem also reminds readers that curiosity itself is valuable, whether or not every answer is easy.
Working with the Poem: Word Meanings
Class 4 students are also tested on simple word meanings from the poem. “Float” means to stay on the surface of a liquid instead of sinking. “Sink” means to go down below the surface of water. “Curious” describes someone who is eager to learn or know about something new. Learning these three words well covers most of the vocabulary questions linked to this chapter.
Why Wood Floats But Marble and Lead Sink | Step-by-Step Explanation
This is the single most-asked why poem class 4 question answer topic, so it deserves a clear, step-by-step explanation a child can repeat in an exam:
1. Every material has a certain weight compared to its size; scientists call this density.
2. Wood has a low density, so it takes up more space for its weight than water does.
3. Because wood is lighter for its size than water, it stays on top instead of sinking.
4. Marble and lead have a high density; they are heavy for their size compared to water.
5. As a result, marble and lead sink below the surface instead of floating.
For a class 4 answer sheet, students do not need the word “density” at all. It is enough to write: “Wood floats because it is lighter than water for its size, while marble and lead sink because they are heavier for their size.” This single sentence covers the full mark for most versions of the question.
Why Poem Class 4 Question Answer FAQ (Quick PAA Round-Up)
Before the detailed practice section, here is a fast round-up of the questions parents and students search most often, answered in one or two lines each.
- Which unit is the why poem in? Unit 4 of NCERT Marigold for class 4.
- What is the poem paired with in the textbook? The story “Alice in Wonderland” shares Unit 4 with the poem.
- Does NCERT credit a specific poet for “Why?”? The NCERT student textbook does not print an author credit for this particular poem, unlike some other Marigold poems that do name a poet.
- What is the poem’s main message? That asking questions and staying curious is a valuable habit, even when some answers take time to learn.
This mid-article FAQ block is designed to match Google’s People Also Ask style so readers land on the exact answer they searched for without scrolling through the entire guide.
Values and Life Lessons from the Why Poem Class 4
Beyond the science facts, the why poem class 4 question answer chapter is really about a habit worth building: asking questions instead of staying silent. The poem never punishes the boy for asking too much; instead, it treats his curiosity as a sign of intelligence and a good learning habit.
Teachers commonly list four values connected to this poem: curiosity, inspiration, questioning ability, and respect for knowledge. Readers often tell us that once a child sees these values clearly, it becomes much easier to answer “what values does the poem teach” style questions with confidence instead of guessing.
Why Curiosity Matters for Class 4 Learners
At the class 4 age group, curiosity is closely linked to how well a child learns new subjects across the board, not just English. A student who feels comfortable asking “why” in class is more likely to understand science, maths, and social studies too, because questioning is the first step toward real understanding rather than memorising facts without meaning.
How to Answer Why Poem Class 4 Questions in Exams
Scoring full marks on why poem class 4 question answer papers is mostly about structure, not extra knowledge. Follow these steps for any question from this chapter:
1. Read the question twice and underline the exact thing being asked, for example “wood” or “sun.”
2. Start the answer by restating part of the question, so the sentence stands on its own.
3. Give the specific reason from the poem, not a general or unrelated fact.
4. Keep the answer to one or two short sentences unless the question asks for more detail.
5. Check spelling of key words such as “float,” “sink,” and “curious” before submitting.
Following this five-step method consistently is the fastest way to turn a shaky guess into a confident, complete-sentence answer that examiners can award full marks for.
Class 4 Why Poem Question Answer | Extra Practice Questions
Use these extra practice questions to test recall after revising the summary and NCERT solutions above. They follow the same style as the official exercise but are written freshly for practice.
1. Name two things the little boy asks about in the poem.
2. Which two materials does the poem say sink in water?
3. What two things does the boy ask about in the sky?
4. Why does the boy ask about eating and drinking?
5. What lesson can class 4 students learn from the little boy’s behaviour?
Fill in the Blanks and MCQs
• Wood ______ on water, but marble and lead ______. (Answer: floats, sink)
• The little boy in the poem is best described as: (a) lazy (b) curious (c) careless (d) shy — Answer: (b) curious
• The poem “Why?” is followed by which story in Unit 4? (Answer: Alice in Wonderland)
Common Mistakes Students Make With Why Poem Class 4 Question Answer
Even though the poem is short, class 4 students repeat a few avoidable mistakes when answering questions about it. Spotting these early saves marks in both class tests and final exams.
- Writing only “because it is light” without mentioning water, which makes the comparison unclear.
- Mixing up which materials float and which sink, especially marble versus wood.
- Describing the boy as “naughty” or “confused” instead of curious, which is the trait actually shown in the poem.
- Skipping the word “why” when restating the question, which makes one-line answers feel incomplete.
How to Avoid Losing Marks
The simplest fix for all four mistakes above is the same: always name the two things being compared, always use the word “curious” for the boy, and always write the answer as a full sentence rather than a single word. This one habit prevents most of the marks lost on this chapter.
Why Poem Class 4 Question Answer for Parents and Teachers
Parents helping with homework do not need to reteach the whole poem; they only need to check that a child’s answer names the correct pair of things, such as wood versus marble and lead, or sun versus wind. Asking a child to explain the answer out loud, in their own words, is often a faster check than reading a written answer silently.
Teachers can extend the why poem class 4 question answer lesson into a short classroom activity by asking each student to write one original “why” question about something they see every day, then swapping questions with a classmate to research together. This mirrors the poem’s spirit far better than a plain worksheet.
Simple Ways to Support Revision at Home
A short, five-minute daily routine works well: read the poem aloud once, then ask one question from the practice list above, then check the word meanings of “float,” “sink,” and “curious.” Repeating this over three or four days before a test is usually enough for a class 4 student to answer confidently.
FAQs
Q: Which class and textbook is the poem “Why?” from?
A: The poem “Why?” is part of Unit 4 in Marigold, the NCERT English textbook for class 4 students following the CBSE syllabus. It appears alongside the story “Alice in Wonderland” in the same unit. Mostly why poem class 4 question answer resources follow this same textbook order, so students can match their homework directly to the unit they are studying in school.
Q: What is the main idea of the poem class 4 question answer chapter?
A: The poem follows a little boy who keeps asking his parents “why” about everyday things, from floating wood to shining sunlight. The main idea is that curiosity and questioning are valuable habits for children, even when not every answer comes easily. It encourages class 4 readers to keep asking questions rather than simply accepting things as they are.
Q: Why does wood float while marble and lead sink?
A: Wood floats because it is lighter than water for its size, so water pushes it upward and keeps it on the surface. Marble and lead are heavier than water for their size, so they sink instead of floating. This comparison is one of the most common why poem class 4 question answer topics asked in class tests.
Q: What values does the poem teach class 4 students?
A: The poem teaches curiosity, inspiration, questioning ability, and respect for knowledge. It shows the little boy’s habit of asking questions in a positive light, encouraging young readers to stay curious about the world around them. These values are frequently asked about directly in poem class 4 question answer exercises.
Q: How should a class 4 student answer poem questions to score full marks?
A: Students should restate part of the question in their answer, name the exact reason given in the poem, and write in one or two complete sentences rather than single words. For example, instead of writing just “light,” a full-mark why poem class 4 question answer would read: “Wood floats because it is lighter than water for its size.”
Final Thoughts
The why poem class 4 question answer chapter rewards students who understand the poem’s simple pattern: notice something ordinary, then ask why it happens. Once a student can explain why wood floats while marble and lead sink, why the sun shines, why the wind blows, and why people eat and drink, most exam questions from this unit become straightforward.
More importantly, the poem teaches a habit that carries far beyond one English chapter: it is always worth asking questions about the world. That single idea, practised early, tends to help class 4 students across every subject they study next.
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Jennifer Aston is a passionate poetry curator and writer with a deep love for the written word. She believes poetry has the power to heal, inspire, and connect people across all walks of life. Through PoemSteric, she brings together timeless and modern verses for every emotion and every moment.