Chapter 11 of 13
⬅️ Ch 10: The Crow Ch 12: Little Drops of Water ➡️
NCERT Class 2 English • New NEP 2020 / NCF-FS

Chapter 11: The Smart Monkey

Jungle Wisdom, Sweet Red Berries, Crocodile's Trick & Quick Presence of Mind | CBSE Session 2026–27

Core Pedagogical Competencies & Concepts
  • Fable comprehension: The clever monkey living in a jamun/berry tree outsmarting danger.
  • Friendship & betrayal: Sharing sweet fruit, the crocodile's wicked plan, and the monkey's witty escape.
  • Presence of mind: Staying calm in moments of danger to think of a smart solution ('I left my heart on the tree').
  • Character traits: Clever, quick-witted, kind, treacherous.
The Smart Monkey: Sweet Berries, Quick Wit & Great Escape

All Textbook Exercises & In-Text Tasks (14 Questions)

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Q1 Story Comprehension • The Tree
Where did the smart monkey live?
[1 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• The monkey lived in a big shady berry (jamun) tree on the river bank.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Berry / jamun tree by the river 1 M
Q2 Story Comprehension • The Fruit
What did the monkey share with his friend the crocodile every day?
[1 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• He plucked and shared sweet, juicy, ripe berries.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Sweet ripe berries 1 M
Q3 Story Comprehension • Crocodile's Request
Why did the crocodile invite the monkey to cross the river to his home?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• He pretended his wife had invited the monkey for dinner, but secretly his wife wanted to eat the monkey's heart.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Wife wanting to eat monkey's heart 2 M
Q4 Presence of Mind • The Trick
What clever excuse did the monkey give when he learned the truth in deep water?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• He calmly said that he had left his heart safely behind on the tree and needed to go back to bring it.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Left heart behind on the tree 2 M
Q5 The Escape • Safe on Shore
What did the monkey do the moment the crocodile reached the bank?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• The monkey quickly leaped off the crocodile's back, scrambled high up into the safety of the tree, and laughed.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Leaped off and scrambled up the tree 2 M
Q6 Let us Write • Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks (berries, heart, river):
(a) The crocodile swam across the wide ______.
(b) The monkey plucked sweet red ______.
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
(a) The crocodile swam across the wide river.
(b) The monkey plucked sweet red berries.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
River and Berries 2 M
Q7 Character Traits • Analysis
Which two adjectives best describe the monkey in this story? (A) Foolish (B) Clever (C) Quick-witted (D) Lazy
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• (B) Clever and (C) Quick-witted.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Clever and Quick-witted 2 M
Q8 Opposites • Fable Words
Write the opposites of:
(a) Sweet × _______
(b) Friend × _______
(c) Safe × _______
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
(a) Sweet × Bitter / Sour
(b) Friend × Enemy
(c) Safe × Dangerous
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Bitter, Enemy, Dangerous (1 M each) 3 M
Q9 Sentence Writing • Animal Story
Make a sentence using the word 'Clever'.
[1.5 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• The clever monkey saved his own life using his quick thinking.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Meaningful sentence 1.5 M
Q10 Moral of the Story • Life Lesson
What important lesson does this Panchatantra story teach us?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• Presence of mind can overcome any grave danger. We must never lose courage or panic in tough situations.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Presence of mind and keeping calm 2 M
Q11 True or False • Story Details
Write True or False:
(a) A living animal can take out its heart and hang it on a tree.
(b) The crocodile felt foolish and swam away in shame.
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
(a) False (It was just a smart trick to escape).
(b) True.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Both answered correctly 2 M
Q12 Rhyming Words • Vocabulary
Find a rhyming word for: Tree — _______.
[1 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• Tree — Free / See / Bee / Three.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Free/See/Bee 1 M
Q13 Animal Habitats • Where they live
Where does a monkey live, and where does a crocodile live?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• A monkey lives in trees (arboreal).
• A crocodile lives in rivers, lakes, and marshes (aquatic).
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Trees and rivers/lakes 2 M
Q14 Creative Talk • Friendship Advice
Why was the crocodile not a true friend?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answer:
• A true friend never betrays trust or tries to harm another. The crocodile broke the monkey's trust.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Betrayal of trust and harm 2 M
🌟 NEP 2020 Competency-Based Case Study

Quick Thinking in the Deep River

Midway across the wide river, the crocodile confessed to the monkey: 'My wife wants to eat your sweet heart!' The monkey did not panic. He calmly replied, 'Oh friend, why didn't you tell me earlier? I keep my heart safely hanging on the highest branch of my berry tree! Turn back so I can fetch it for you!'

Analytical Task: What wicked plan did the crocodile reveal? How did the smart monkey save his life?
Evaluation & Model Answer:
1. The crocodile revealed that his wife wanted to eat the monkey's heart.
2. The monkey kept his calm and outsmarted the crocodile by claiming he had left his heart behind on the tree branch, tricking the crocodile into swimming back to shore.
Rubric: 1.5 M for crocodile's wicked confession + 1.5 M for monkey's clever trick to return to shore
⬅️ Ch 10: The Crow Ch 12: Little Drops of Water ➡️