There was a girl named Rani who lived in a village. She was very curious and used to ask many questions to her family, teacher and friends.
“Why is the sky blue?”
“Where does the Sun go at night?”
One evening, Rani heard her mother singing, “Chanda mama door ke …” Hearing this, Rani asked her mother, “Amma, how far is the Moon?” Amma said, “Rani, the Moon is very far in the sky”.
Rani kept on thinking about the moon and fell asleep.
The next morning Rani woke up hearing the loud voice of her elder brother, Pratik. He was pointing to the TV and shouting in excitement, “Look Rani, India is on the Moon!”
Rani looked at the TV. She could see photos of some machines on the Moon. She heard a few people talking about the landing on the Moon. She was confused and asked Pratik, “How did Chandrayaan reach the Moon?”
Pratik replied that his friend Vivaan’s mother, Aunt Nandini, is a scientist. “Shall we go and talk to her?” asked Pratik. Rani happily agreed. Both Rani and Pratik decided to visit Vivaan’s house.
Vivaan and his mother welcomed them. Rani could see many models and photographs of rockets in their house.
Nandini Aunty offered sharbat to the children and said, “Rani, what do you want to know?”
Rani replied, “People say India is on the Moon. Can you please tell us more about this?”
Aunty said, “Yes, of course. Do you know which vehicle is used to go to the Moon?”
Pratik immediately said, “I know Aunty, it is a rocket. I had seen on the TV”.
Rani pointed to the models and photos of rockets in the room.
Nandini said, “Very good. Yes, a rocket is used to reach the Moon.”
Rani asked, “What does Chandrayaan mean?”
Nandini replied, “Chandra means Moon and Yaan means vehicle. On 23 August, 2023, India became the first country to land on the far side of the Moon.”
Rani jumped with excitement and said, “Can I go to the Moon, too?”
Nandini smiled, “Maybe, one day.”
Also read this: Chanda Mama Counts the Stars : Chapter – 11
Let us think
A. Answer the following.
1. Rani was very curious. How do you know?
Ans. Rani was very curious because she always asked many questions like “Why is the sky blue?” and “Where does the Sun go at night?”
2. What did Pratik say in excitement?
Ans. Pratik said in excitement, “Look Rani, India is on the Moon!”
3. Who was Nandini Aunty?
Ans. Nandini Aunty was Vivaan’s mother and a scientist.
4. What do the words Chandra and Yaan mean?
Ans. Chandra means Moon and Yaan means vehicle.
5. Complete the sentence:
Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon on 23 August, 2023.
B. Think and say.
Imagine you are invited by the scientists to spend 10 days on the moon. Make a list of items that you would like to take with you.
Ans.
- Mobile/communication device
- Space suit
- Oxygen cylinder
- Food packets
- Water bottles
- Torch and batteries
- Camera
- First-aid box
- Warm clothes
- Notebook and pen
Let us speak
1. Chandrayaan travelled the distance between the Earth and the Moon. You may ask elders at home about their experiences of travelling to places that are far from home.
2. Have you ever travelled to far-off places yourselves? If yes, share your experience with others.
Let us learn
Read the following lines.
There was a girl named Rani who lived in a village.
A hanky for an elephant.
Notice that we used ‘a’ before girl, village and hanky, and ‘an’ before elephant.
We use ‘a’ before singular nouns that begin with consonants. ‘An’ is used before singular nouns that begin with vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u).
A. Fill in the blanks using ‘a’.
1. A dog is barking at the postman.
2. My mother gives chapattis to a cow everyday.
3. In summers, a sparrow builds its nest on the mango tree near our house.
B. Fill in the blanks using ‘an’.
1. I saw an eagle yesterday.
2. Maya bought an umbrella for the monsoon.
3. An ice-cream man brings his cart in the evenings.
C. Fill in the blanks using ‘a’ or ‘an’.
1. A brown hen laid an egg.
2. An eagle sat on a building.
3. Mary ate an apricot, a chikoo and an orange.
