The Wise Parrot: NCERT Class 5 English Story (Santoor Chapter 4)

etmantra3 Nov 20265 min read

A parrot lives in a cage made of gold, but all it wants is the open sky. This clever story shows how the parrot finds its freedom with the help of a friend. It is a good story to talk about freedom and thinking smartly.

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From NCERT’s new English book Santoor for Class 5, unit “My Colourful World”. Chapter 4.

What your child learns

Group words: a flight of parrots, a flock of sheep, a bunch of keys
Words for feelings: sighed, distressed, longed
Talking about freedom and being clever
Telling a story in the right order

What the story is about

A rich merchant keeps a bright, talkative parrot in a golden cage. The parrot tells stories and sings songs, but deep inside it wants to fly. When the merchant plans a long business trip, he asks the parrot what gift it wants. The parrot asks to be set free. The merchant says no, because he loves it too much. So the parrot asks him to send its greetings to its friends in the jungle.

In a forest, the merchant sees a flight of parrots of the same colour and gives them the message. At once one parrot drops to the ground. Back home, the merchant sadly tells his pet about it, and his own parrot falls from its perch to the floor of the cage. Thinking it has died, he lays it on the windowsill. The parrot then spreads its green wings and flies away, saying its friend showed it how to escape.

New words, with Hindi meanings

merchant: a person who buys and sells things (हिंदी: व्यापारी)
cage: a box with bars to keep a bird or animal in (हिंदी: पिंजरा)
tender: soft and fresh (हिंदी: नरम)
sighed: let out a long, sad breath (हिंदी: आह भरी)
greetings: a friendly hello sent to someone (हिंदी: शुभकामनाएँ)
distressed: very upset and worried (हिंदी: बहुत दुखी)
perch: a rod where a bird sits (हिंदी: बैठने का अड्डा)
windowsill: the flat ledge at the bottom of a window (हिंदी: खिड़की की चौखट)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

What did the parrot ask the merchant for?
What happened when the merchant gave the message to the parrots in the forest?
How did the pet parrot escape?
If you had a pet bird, would you keep it in a cage? Why?

Answers for parents

It asked to be set free to fly in the sky. When he said no, it asked him to greet its friends in the jungle.
One parrot dropped from the tree to the ground, as if it had died.
It fell down in its cage and lay still. When the merchant put it on the windowsill, it flew away.
For example: No, I would not. Birds are happiest when they can fly in the sky.

Grammar corner: Group words (collective nouns)

Some words name a whole group of things together. A group of parrots flying is a 'flight' of parrots, and a group of sheep is a 'flock'. We use 'a ___ of' with these words.

A flight of green parrots landed on the mango tree.
The merchant carried a bunch of keys for his shop.
A flock of sheep walked past the forest.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: a ___ of bees
Choose the right word: The merchant was (happy / distressed) when the parrot fell from the tree.
Make a sentence with 'cage'.

Answers: 1. swarm · 2. distressed · 3. Sample answer: The parrot did not like living in a cage.

Try this

Act out the story with three people: the merchant, the pet parrot and the forest parrot. Use a chair as the cage and a window or door as the way out. After the play, ask: 'Which parrot was the wisest?' and let everyone give a reason.

Tip for parents

Ask in Hindi first: 'तोता पिंजरे से कैसे निकला?' Let your child tell you the trick in Hindi, then help them say one English sentence: 'The parrot flew away.' Mixing languages is fine; clap for every try.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of The Wise Parrot?

Freedom matters more than a golden cage, and a clever idea can solve a problem that strength cannot.

Who are the characters in The Wise Parrot?

A rich merchant, his pet parrot, and a flock of wild parrots in a forest, one of whom drops from the tree.

Is The Wise Parrot in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is Chapter 4 of NCERT's new Santoor book for Class 5, in Unit 2, 'My Colourful World'.

Learn every Class 5 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Santoor, NCERT’s new book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, grammar, speaking and writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →