English Class 6 — Poorvi
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Before We Read — The Kites

🎓 Class 6 English CBSE Theory Ch 5 — Kalakritiyon Ka Bharat ⏱ ~22 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]

This English Comprehension assessment will be based on: Before We Read — The Kites
Targeting Comprehension & Recall with Intermediate difficulty.

This CBSE English Grammar Assessment will be based on: Before We Read — The Kites

Assessment Format:
• 10 Randomized Grammar Questions (1 mark each)
• Question Types: Fill in the Blanks, MCQs, Error Identification, Reported Speech, Sentence Completion
Total: 10 Questions, 10 Marks

This English Vocabulary assessment will be based on: Before We Read — The Kites
Targeting Vocabulary & Usage with Intermediate difficulty.

Before We Read — The Kites

Kites have soared through Indian skies for centuries — from ancient gathas to modern Uttarayan festivals. Before you read this poem, let your imagination fly!

Have you ever flown or watched a kite? Describe it.
Think about: colour, shape, tail design, and how it moves in the wind. There is no single correct answer — share your own experience!
Complete the sentence: If I were a kite, I would...
If I were a kite, I would swoop over rooftops, dive into clouds, and watch the world shrink below me as I rose higher and higher.
Look at the poem title. What do you think the poet wishes?
The poet most likely wishes to experience the freedom and lightness of a kite — to drift through the sky, ride the wind, and look down at the world from above.
Kite Knowledge

The mention of kites appears in 13th-century Marathi poetry by the saint-poet Namadeva, who called kites a gudi and noted they were made of kaagad (paper). India's Uttarayan festival in Gujarat is one of the world's most celebrated kite festivals, known internationally as Makar Sankranti.

DL

Daphne Lister

PoetChildren's Literature
Daphne Lister is a poet known for writing imaginative and playful verse for children. Her poems capture the wonder of everyday experiences — a child watching kites in the sky, dreaming of soaring above rooftops and parks. Her work encourages young readers to use their imagination and express their feelings through simple, vivid language.

The Poem — Complete Text with Annotations

The Kites
— Daphne Lister
Stanza 1
1Up in the air
2See the kites fly,
3Like Simile coloured birds
4In the wind-whipped sky.
Paraphrase: High up in the sky, the poet looks up and sees kites dancing in the breeze. They appear just like brightly coloured birds soaring through a sky swept by strong gusts of wind. The simile "like coloured birds" captures how kites move with the same grace and freedom as flying creatures. Alliteration — "wind-whipped" — creates a whooshing sound that mirrors the feel of the wind.
Stanza 2
5I wish I were small
6And light as Simile air,
7I would climb on a kite
8And sail up there.
Paraphrase: The child-speaker daydreams about being tiny and weightless as the air itself — light enough to climb onto a kite and glide upward into the sky. The simile "light as air" expresses the wish to shed all heaviness. Notice that the child does not say they would need to climb a tree first — they simply wish to be small enough to jump onto the kite directly. The rhyme of "air" and "there" gives the stanza a floating, dreamy quality.
Stanza 3
9Then I would drift upon
10The paper wings,
11And hear the songs
12That the Personification wild wind sings.
Paraphrase: Riding the kite's paper wings, the speaker imagines drifting lazily through the sky. The wind is given a human quality — it "sings" — a beautiful example of personification. The word "drift" suggests slow, relaxed, circular movement, unlike the rapid "fly" of the first stanza. Alliteration — "wild wind" — creates a whispering sound that echoes the sound of wind passing by ears.
Stanza 4
13What fun it would be
14To look right down,
15Over the park
16And the rooftops of town.
Paraphrase: The poet imagines the delight of looking straight down from a great height — watching tiny parks and rooftops spread out far below. The exclamation "What fun it would be!" captures the pure joy and excitement of this imagined aerial view. The rhyme "down" and "town" gives a neat, satisfying conclusion to the mental picture.
Stanza 5
17The people below
18Would stand and stare,
19And wish they were me
20Repetition High, high in the air.
Paraphrase: The poem ends with a reversal — just as the child looked up at the kites with wonder, now the people on the ground would gaze upward and envy the child riding freely in the sky. The repetition of "high, high" emphasises how enormously far above the ground the kite-rider would be. The poem ends on a note of joyful triumph.

Literary Devices at a Glance

SIMILE Simile

1. "Like coloured birds" — kites compared to birds using 'like'
2. "Light as air" — the child compared to air using 'as'

Both similes help the reader picture the kite's grace and the child's wish to be weightless.

PERSONIFICATION Personification

"The wild wind sings" — the wind is given the human ability to sing

This makes the wind feel alive and musical, turning the sky into a concert hall.

ALLITERATION Alliteration

Stanza 1: "wind-whipped" — both words begin with 'w'
Stanza 3: "wild wind" — both words begin with 'w'

The repeated 'w' sound mimics the whooshing sound of wind in the ears.

REPETITION Repetition

"High, high in the air" — 'high' is repeated twice in the final line

The repetition emphasises how extremely far above the ground the kite-rider would be.

Theme Web — The Kites

Freedom & Imagination Simile Like coloured birds Personif- ication Imagery Rooftops, park Alliteration Wild wind Rhyme air/there, town/down
Click any node to learn about a literary device used in "The Kites".

Word Power — Poem Vocabulary

drift
verb
To move slowly and gently, carried by the wind or water without any fixed direction
"Then I would drift upon the paper wings" — slow, relaxed movement
wind-whipped
adjective
Lashed or tossed about vigorously by the force of the wind
"In the wind-whipped sky" — the sky is alive with strong gusts
sail
verb
To move smoothly and effortlessly through the air or water
"And sail up there" — gliding upward with ease
stare
verb
To look fixedly and for a long time at something, usually out of wonder or surprise
"Would stand and stare" — people below gazing up in amazement
rooftops
noun
The outer surface of the tops of buildings, especially as seen from above
"Over the park and the rooftops of town" — a bird's-eye view
soar
verb
To fly or rise very high in the sky, often effortlessly
Related movement word — kites soar upward in the breeze

Kite Movement Words — What They Mean

fly — rapid upward movement • drift — slow, relaxed, circular float • glide — smooth, level movement • dive — sharp downward plunge • soar — rise high with ease • swoop — fast curving descent • circle — moving in a round pattern

Let Us Discuss — Comprehension

L1 — Remember 1 mark
True or False: The child in the poem wants to look at the kite from a rooftop.
False. The child wishes to ride the kite and look down at rooftops from high above, not watch from a rooftop.
L2 — Understand 2 marks
How does the poet describe the kites in the first two lines? What comparison is made?
The poet describes the kites as flying "up in the air" and compares them to "coloured birds" in the wind-whipped sky. The simile "like coloured birds" highlights how the kites are brightly coloured and move gracefully, just as birds do when carried by the wind.
L3 — Apply 2 marks
The poet uses the word "drift." Circle the words below that match this type of movement: slow / fast / quick / upward / downward / round and round / float.
"Drift" suggests: slow, round and round, float. It does not suggest fast, quick, or sharp upward/downward movement. Drifting is gentle, unhurried, and carried by whatever current it encounters.
L4 — Analyse 3 marks
Why did the people on the ground "stand and stare"? What would they feel? How does this ending mirror the beginning of the poem?
The people would stare out of wonder, surprise, and envy at seeing a child riding a kite high in the air — something extraordinary and impossible in real life. This ending beautifully mirrors the opening of the poem: just as the child looked up at the kites with wonder and wished to be like them, the people below now look up at the child with the same sense of wonder and longing. The poem creates a cycle of admiration and desire for freedom.
L5 — Evaluate 4 marks
The last line reads "High, high in the air." Why does the poet repeat the word "high"? What feeling does this create in the reader?
The repetition of "high, high" is used for emphasis — to stress that the kite-rider would be not just slightly above the ground but enormously, thrillingly far up in the sky. It creates a feeling of exhilaration and awe in the reader. The doubling of the word makes us physically feel the distance and height, as though our imagination actually stretches upward. It is a powerful ending that leaves the reader with a sense of openness, freedom, and limitless possibility.

Literature CBQ — Reference to Context

Read the extract from the poem and answer the questions below.

"What fun it would be
To look right down,
Over the park
And the rooftops of town."
L2 — Understand 1 mark
(i) Circle the word that does NOT share the same feeling as "fun": joy / excitement / care / happiness.
care — Care is a feeling of concern or worry, which is the opposite of the carefree, joyful feeling of fun. Joy, excitement, and happiness all share the same positive, pleasurable quality as fun.
L3 — Apply 2 marks
(ii) Which line in this extract tells us that the speaker is looking from somewhere above?
"To look right down" — the word "down" tells us that the speaker is above and looking downward, confirming that they are high up in the air.
L4 — Analyse 2 marks
(iii) Why does the poet mention both "the park" and "the rooftops of town"? What kind of view does this create?
By mentioning both natural spaces (the park) and man-made structures (rooftops), the poet creates a complete bird's-eye panorama of the town — both the green open areas and the buildings. This mixture gives the reader a vivid, wide-angle view of an entire community seen from far above, making the imagined flight feel real and exhilarating.
L6 — Create 4 marks
(iv) Write a cinquain poem of your own about a kite, a bird, or anything that flies. Use the format: Line 1 = one noun, Line 2 = two describing words, Line 3 = three action words, Line 4 = two feeling words, Line 5 = one synonym.
Sample response:

Eagle
Bold, majestic
Soaring, diving, circling
Fearlessly, freely
Sky-king

Writing — I Am a Kite

Imagine yourself as a kite. You have a shape, colours, and a tail. You belong to someone, you dance in the wind, and you have a message for humans looking up at you. Write a paragraph of about 100 words titled "I Am a Kite."

Writing Guide

  • Describe yourself: What shape? What colours? What does your tail look like?
  • Your world: Where are you? Who holds your string? Who are your friends (birds? clouds? wind)?
  • Your feeling: How does it feel to fly? What can you see from up there?
  • Your message: What would you like to say to the people watching you from below?

Word limit: approximately 100 words

I Am a Kite

I am a bright red and yellow diamond kite with a long, ribboned tail that waves in the breeze like a flag. I belong to a little girl named Priya who runs through the park every Sunday, letting out my string until I touch the clouds. From up here, I can see everything — tiny rooftops, green parks, silver rivers, and people no bigger than ants. The wind is my closest friend; it cradles me and sings to me all day long. My message to you is this: sometimes all you need to feel free is to let go and fly.

Vocabulary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 2 — Poem: The Kites about in NCERT English?

2 — Poem: The Kites is a lesson from the NCERT English textbook that covers important literary and language concepts. The lesson includes vocabulary, literary devices, comprehension exercises, and writing tasks aligned to the CBSE curriculum.

What vocabulary is important in 2 — Poem: The Kites?

Key vocabulary words from 2 — Poem: The Kites are highlighted throughout with contextual meanings, usage examples, and interesting facts. Click any highlighted word to see its full definition and example sentence.

What literary devices are used in 2 — Poem: The Kites?

2 — Poem: The Kites uses various literary devices including imagery, symbolism, and figurative language. These are identified with coloured tags throughout the text for easy recognition and understanding by students.

What exercises are included for 2 — Poem: The Kites?

Exercises include extract-based comprehension questions in CBSE board exam format, grammar workshops connected to the passage, vocabulary activities, and creative writing tasks with model answers provided.

How does 2 — Poem: The Kites help in board exam preparation?

2 — Poem: The Kites includes CBSE-format extract-based questions, long answer practice with model responses, and grammar exercises that mirror board exam patterns. All questions follow Bloom's Taxonomy levels L1-L6.

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