Class 7 English Notes Chapter 1 (The Tiny Teacher) – An allienhand Hand Supplymentry Reader Book

Alright class, let's focus on Chapter 1 of your 'An Alien Hand' supplementary reader, 'The Tiny Teacher'. This chapter is quite insightful, teaching us about the highly organized life of ants. Pay close attention, as understanding these details can be helpful for various competitive exams where general awareness and comprehension are tested.

Chapter 1: The Tiny Teacher - Detailed Notes

1. Introduction:

• The chapter introduces the ant as arguably the "smallest" but "wisest" creature we commonly observe.
• While flies, mosquitoes, and worms are mentioned, the ant stands out for its intelligence and organized social structure.
• The author encourages us to observe ants closely to learn about their fascinating lives.

2. Ant Facts and Observation:

• Ants use their feelers or antennae to communicate with other ants, passing messages by touching them.
• Common types: Black and red ants are the most familiar.
• They live in comfortable homes called nests or anthills.

3. The Anthill - Structure and Society:

• An anthill is not just a heap of soil; it's a complex structure with hundreds of little rooms and passages.
• Specific rooms are designated for different purposes:
  • Nurseries: For the young ones (grubs).
  • Quarters: For workers.
  • Storehouses: For food storage.
  • Barracks: For soldiers (separate).
• Division of Labour: Ants have a highly organized social system with clear roles:
  • Workers: Search for food and bring it back to the nest.
  • Soldiers: Guard the colony and protect it from enemies or intruders. They also guard the grubs.
  • Cleaners: Keep the anthill clean and carry away waste.
  • Builders: Construct and maintain the nest (implied, though not explicitly named as a separate category in the text, workers likely perform this).
• No ant interferes with another's work, demonstrating remarkable discipline.
• No worker or soldier lives in another's designated area (e.g., soldiers don't live in workers' quarters).

4. The Queen Ant:

• The queen ant is the mother of the entire colony's population.
• Lifespan: Approximately fifteen years.
• Unique feature: She has a pair of wings before her 'wedding flight'.
• Wedding Flight:
  • Occurs on a hot summer day.
  • The queen leaves the nest and flies high into the air.
  • A male ant (drone) follows her and mating occurs in the air.
  • After returning to earth, the queen bites off her wings.
  • She then does nothing but lay eggs.

5. Life Cycle of an Ant:

• Eggs: Laid by the queen. They hatch into grubs.
• Grubs: Larval stage. Soldiers guard them, workers feed and clean them, and carry them about daily for airing, exercise, and sunshine.
• Cocoons: After two or three weeks, grubs become cocoons. They lie without food or activity for about three more weeks.
• Perfect Ant: The cocoons break, and perfect ants appear.

6. Training and Development:

• New ants learn their duties from old ants.
• Their training includes roles like workers, soldiers, builders, cleaners, etc.
• After a few weeks of training, the small ants are ready to go out into the big world to work.

7. Peaceful Coexistence:

• Ants live peacefully with each other, doing their share of work intelligently and bravely.
• They rarely fight with other members of the same anthill.

8. Ants and Other Creatures:

• Anthills are home not just to ants but also to other creatures like:
  • Beetles
  • Lesser breeds of ants
  • Greenfly (This is particularly important)
• Why keep them?
  • Some give off a pleasant smell (like pets).
  • Some give sweet juices (like the greenfly, often called the 'ant's cow').
  • Some are just pets or playthings (like cats and dogs to humans).
• The greenfly is milked by the ants for honeydew. Ants train the greenfly to give this honeydew by touching their antennae, much like humans milk cows.

9. Lessons for Humans:

• The chapter concludes by suggesting humans can learn valuable lessons from the 'tiny teacher':
  • Hard Work: Ants are constantly busy.
  • Sense of Duty and Discipline: Each ant performs its assigned role without fail.
  • Cleanliness: They maintain their homes meticulously.
  • Care for the Young Ones: The entire community looks after the grubs.
  • Firm Loyalty: Loyalty to the land (colony) where they live.

Key Vocabulary:

• Feelers/Antennae: Sensory appendages on an ant's head used for touch, smell, and communication.
• Anthill/Nest: The home of an ant colony.
• Grubs: The larval stage of an ant.
• Cocoons: The pupal stage, where the grub transforms into an adult ant.
• Barracks: Living quarters, specifically mentioned for soldiers.
• Wedding Flight: The mating flight of the queen ant.
• Greenfly: An aphid kept by ants for its honeydew.
• Honeydew: A sweet, sticky liquid secreted by aphids (greenfly), which ants consume.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):

1. What do ants use to 'talk' to each other?
   a) Their legs
   b) Their eyes
   c) Their feelers or antennae
   d) Small sounds

2. What is the primary role of the queen ant after her wedding flight?
   a) To lead the workers
   b) To lay eggs
   c) To guard the nest
   d) To find food

3. Which stage comes immediately after the 'egg' stage in an ant's life cycle?
   a) Cocoon
   b) Perfect Ant
   c) Pupa
   d) Grub

4. What are the homes of ants called?
   a) Burrows
   b) Hives
   c) Nests or Anthills
   d) Dens

5. Which creatures are specifically mentioned as living inside anthills besides ants?
   a) Spiders and worms
   b) Beetles, lesser breeds of ants, and the greenfly
   c) Mosquitoes and flies
   d) Lizards and small snakes

6. Why do ants keep the greenfly?
   a) For protection
   b) As pets that smell pleasant
   c) For their sweet juices (honeydew)
   d) To help clean the nest

7. What happens to the queen ant's wings after the wedding flight?
   a) They fall off naturally
   b) The worker ants remove them
   c) She bites them off
   d) The male ant removes them

8. According to the chapter, what is the approximate lifespan of a queen ant?
   a) Five years
   b) Ten years
   c) Fifteen years
   d) Twenty years

9. Which group of ants is primarily responsible for guarding the grubs?
   a) Workers
   b) Cleaners
   c) Soldiers
   d) The Queen Ant

10. Which human quality is NOT explicitly mentioned as something we can learn from ants in the chapter?
    a) Hard work
    b) Sense of duty
    c) Artistic skill
    d) Loyalty to their community

Answer Key for MCQs:

1. c) Their feelers or antennae
2. b) To lay eggs
3. d) Grub
4. c) Nests or Anthills
5. b) Beetles, lesser breeds of ants, and the greenfly
6. c) For their sweet juices (honeydew)
7. c) She bites them off
8. c) Fifteen years
9. c) Soldiers (though workers feed/clean them, soldiers guard)
10. c) Artistic skill

Make sure you revise these notes thoroughly. Understanding the life and habits of the ant as described here is key to mastering this chapter. Good luck!