Hinglish

Think and Reflect

Class 6 English · Chapter 7: Neem Baba · NCERT Poorvi section pp. 77–81

Learn

Neem fact sheet: Common name: Neem (given by the Iranians). Born: millions of years ago, in North India or Myanmar. Found in: many Asian and African countries and parts of America. Sanskrit names: Arishta, Nimba, Nimbaca. Names from scientists: "bitter grace of God", "nature's gift to man". Other names: "magic tree", "the tree of the twentieth century".

Why is the story of the name thought-provoking? Because one tree carries names from many languages and peoples (Sanskrit, Iranian, many Indian languages, and scientists), showing how widely it is known and valued for its usefulness.

A clever idea from Amber: if neem seed powder stops mosquitoes in rice fields, then putting it in stagnant water around homes could stop mosquitoes breeding there too: a cost-effective method (a good result using few resources).

Explore: when travellers from Persia saw neem growing freely in India, they called it Azad Darakht-e-Hind ("the free tree of India"). That's why its scientific (Latin) name is Azadirachta indica. Neem has a name in almost every Indian language. Find out which languages Nimb, Leemba and Nimo come from.

Explore: complete the fact sheet.

  1. Put each fact in the right row.

Remember

  • Neem was born in North India or Myanmar; its name comes from the Iranians; its Latin name is Azadirachta indica.
  • A cost-effective method gives good results with few resources, like neem powder against mosquitoes.

Quick check

What is a cost-effective method?

  1. One that gives a good result using few resources
  2. One that costs a lot
  3. One that never works
  4. One that is very slow
Answer

One that gives a good result using few resources. Neem seed powder in stagnant water is a cheap way to stop mosquitoes.

Think about it

Which two facts about neem surprised you most?

One answer

Answers will vary: perhaps that it is millions of years old, that it was named by Iranians, or that its wood is termite-proof.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.