Chapter 4 of 20
Chapter 4: I Want
The Little Monkey, The Magic Wand & Being Content with Oneself | CBSE Session 2026–27
Core Pedagogical Competencies & Concepts
- Story comprehension: Little monkey wants to be big and strong; wise fairy gifts a magic wand.
- Monkey takes a giraffe's long neck, an elephant's trunk, and a zebra's stripes.
- Looking in the river: Monkey gets terrified thinking he is a monster!
- Realization: Being oneself is the greatest blessing. Discarding greed and false appearances.
All Textbook Exercises & In-Text Tasks (15 Questions)
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Q1
Reading is Fun • Monkey's Desire
What did the Little Monkey want to be in the beginning?
[1 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• The Little Monkey wanted to be big and strong.
• The Little Monkey wanted to be big and strong.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Big and strong stated
1 M
Q2
Reading is Fun • The Giraffe's Gift
What happened when the Little Monkey wished for a giraffe's neck?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• POP! His neck grew very long, just like a tall giraffe's neck, reaching the sweet leaves high in the trees.
• POP! His neck grew very long, just like a tall giraffe's neck, reaching the sweet leaves high in the trees.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Neck grew long like a giraffe
1 M
Could reach sweet leaves
1 M
Q3
Reading is Fun • The Elephant's Trunk
What did the elephant do in the river that the Little Monkey wanted to copy?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• The elephant filled his long trunk with water and blew it all over his back for a cool refreshing shower.
• The elephant filled his long trunk with water and blew it all over his back for a cool refreshing shower.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Filled trunk with water
1 M
Blew it over his back to bathe
1 M
Q4
Reading is Fun • Zebra Stripes
What wish did the Little Monkey make after seeing the zebra?
[1 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• He wished to have stripes all over his body, just like the zebra.
• He wished to have stripes all over his body, just like the zebra.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Stripes like a zebra identified
1 M
Q5
Reading is Fun • The River Reflection
What did the Little Monkey see when he looked down into the river?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• He saw his own strange reflection with a giraffe's neck, an elephant's trunk, and zebra stripes, and thought it was a frightening monster!
• He saw his own strange reflection with a giraffe's neck, an elephant's trunk, and zebra stripes, and thought it was a frightening monster!
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Saw his own reflection
1 M
Mistook it for a monster
1 M
Q6
Story Resolution • Becoming Himself
What was Little Monkey's final wish with the magic wand? What did he do with the wand?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Step-by-Step Answer:
• His final wish was: 'I want to be myself again!'
• After turning back into a happy monkey, he threw the magic wand deep into the river so he would never be tempted to change again.
• His final wish was: 'I want to be myself again!'
• After turning back into a happy monkey, he threw the magic wand deep into the river so he would never be tempted to change again.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Final wish: be myself again
1.5 M
Threw wand into the river
1.5 M
Q7
Vocabulary • Sound Words in Story
What sound did the magic wand make when wishes came true:
(a) For the neck: _______
(b) For the trunk: _______
(c) For the stripes: _______
[3 Marks]
(a) For the neck: _______
(b) For the trunk: _______
(c) For the stripes: _______
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answers:
(a) His neck grew: POP!
(b) His trunk grew: BANG!
(c) His stripes appeared: WHIZZ!
(a) His neck grew: POP!
(b) His trunk grew: BANG!
(c) His stripes appeared: WHIZZ!
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
(a) POP!
1 M
(b) BANG!
1 M
(c) WHIZZ!
1 M
Q8
Collective Nouns • Animal Groups
Match each animal to its group name (collective noun):
(a) A flock of (b) A herd of (c) A troop of
Animals: (1) Monkeys (2) Elephants (3) Birds
[3 Marks]
(a) A flock of (b) A herd of (c) A troop of
Animals: (1) Monkeys (2) Elephants (3) Birds
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Matching:
• (a) A flock of — (3) Birds
• (b) A herd of — (2) Elephants
• (c) A troop of — (1) Monkeys
• (a) A flock of — (3) Birds
• (b) A herd of — (2) Elephants
• (c) A troop of — (1) Monkeys
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
All 3 collective nouns correctly matched
3 M (1 M each)
Q9
Moral Understanding • True Beauty
Why was Little Monkey happier as a normal monkey than as a creature with mixed animal parts?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Step-by-Step Explanation:
• Monkeys are agile, light, and perfectly designed to leap through trees and eat fruits.
• Having a heavy trunk and clumsy neck made him look strange and lose his natural abilities. True beauty lies in being who you are.
• Monkeys are agile, light, and perfectly designed to leap through trees and eat fruits.
• Having a heavy trunk and clumsy neck made him look strange and lose his natural abilities. True beauty lies in being who you are.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Loss of natural agility explained
1 M
Acceptance of natural design emphasized
1 M
Q10
Grammar • Opposites
Write the opposite of:
(a) Strong × _______
(b) Happy × _______
(c) Beautiful × _______
[3 Marks]
(a) Strong × _______
(b) Happy × _______
(c) Beautiful × _______
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answers:
(a) Strong × Weak
(b) Happy × Unhappy / Sad
(c) Beautiful × Ugly / Monster-like
(a) Strong × Weak
(b) Happy × Unhappy / Sad
(c) Beautiful × Ugly / Monster-like
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
(a) Weak
1 M
(b) Sad/Unhappy
1 M
(c) Ugly
1 M
Q11
Sentence Construction
Make a sentence using the word 'wand'.
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Sample Sentence:
• The kind fairy waved her sparkling golden wand and granted three wishes.
• The kind fairy waved her sparkling golden wand and granted three wishes.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Meaningful sentence with 'wand'
2 M
Q12
Animal Homes Connection
Where do monkeys live? What do they love to eat?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• Monkeys live high on the branches of trees.
• They love eating fruits (like bananas and berries), leaves, and nuts.
• Monkeys live high on the branches of trees.
• They love eating fruits (like bananas and berries), leaves, and nuts.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Trees identified
1 M
Fruits / bananas identified
1 M
Q13
Mother's Advice
What did Little Monkey's mother tell him when he cried at the riverbank?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• His mother said: 'That is not a monster, that is YOU! You wanted a giraffe’s neck, an elephant’s trunk, and a zebra’s stripes. Don't you remember?'
• His mother said: 'That is not a monster, that is YOU! You wanted a giraffe’s neck, an elephant’s trunk, and a zebra’s stripes. Don't you remember?'
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Mother explaining it is his own reflection
2 M
Q14
True or False
State True or False:
(a) A wise woman gave the monkey a magic wand.
(b) Little Monkey kept the magic wand in his pocket forever.
[2 Marks]
(a) A wise woman gave the monkey a magic wand.
(b) Little Monkey kept the magic wand in his pocket forever.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answers:
(a) True. The wise woman gifted him the wand.
(b) False. Little Monkey happily threw the wand into the river.
(a) True. The wise woman gifted him the wand.
(b) False. Little Monkey happily threw the wand into the river.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
(a) True
1 M
(b) False with reason
1 M
Q15
Chapter Reflection
What valuable lesson does 'I Want' teach every child?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Summary:
• Greed and copying others only makes us look foolish.
• We should appreciate our own unique abilities and be thankful for who we are.
• Greed and copying others only makes us look foolish.
• We should appreciate our own unique abilities and be thankful for who we are.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Contentment and self-acceptance explained
2 M
🌟 NEP 2020 Competency-Based Case Study
The Little Monkey's Magic Wand Lesson
Little Monkey was unhappy with his small size. A wise woman heard him and gave him a magic wand, saying: 'Take this wand, and all your wishes can come true!' First, Monkey wished for a giraffe's neck. Then an elephant's trunk to blow water over himself. Then a zebra's black and white stripes. When he went to the river to try his trunk, he looked in the clear water and screamed: 'Help! A monster!'
Analytical Task: Who gave Little Monkey the magic wand? What three body features did he borrow? Why did he scream 'monster' at the river?
Evaluation & Model Answer:
1. A wise woman (fairy) gave him the magic wand.
2. He borrowed: (a) A giraffe's long neck, (b) An elephant's trunk, and (c) A zebra's stripes.
3. He screamed 'monster' because the mismatch of different animal body parts made him look distorted and terrifying to his own eyes!
2. He borrowed: (a) A giraffe's long neck, (b) An elephant's trunk, and (c) A zebra's stripes.
3. He screamed 'monster' because the mismatch of different animal body parts made him look distorted and terrifying to his own eyes!
Rubric: 1 M for wise woman + 1 M for all 3 borrowed animal features + 1 M for monster reflection realization