Chapter 12 of 24
Chapter 12: Work We Do
Community Helpers and Occupations: Doctors, Sweepers, Postmen, Traffic Police, and Child Rights | CBSE Session 2026–27
Core Pedagogical Competencies & Concepts
- Community helpers and essential public occupations: Doctors, nurses, teachers, sweepers, postmen, shopkeepers, and traffic police.
- Interdependence: No community can function without the collective contributions of all workers.
- The importance of education: Every child has the fundamental right to go to school instead of being forced into child labor (tea stalls/brick kilns).
- Treating community sanitary workers with respect and dignity.
All Textbook Exercises & In-Text Tasks (17 Questions)
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Q1
Community Roles
Describe the crucial role played by sanitation workers (safai karamcharis) in keeping towns healthy.
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Sanitation workers wake up before dawn to sweep dusty public streets, clear choked municipal drains, and collect household garbage. If they stopped working for even two days, streets would overflow with rotting waste, flies and mosquitoes would multiply uncontrollably, and dangerous disease epidemics like dengue, malaria, and cholera would spread.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Specific duties (sweeping, drain cleaning, garbage clearing)
1.5 Marks
Public health consequence if work stops (epidemics/rot)
1.5 Marks
Q2
Child Rights and Child Labor
Why is child labor illegal, and what should be done if you see a young child washing dishes at a tea stall instead of being in school?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Child labor is illegal because every child has the fundamental constitutional right to free education, recreation, and healthy physical development. Working in dangerous, exhausting conditions ruins children's futures. We should inform school authorities, local child welfare committees, or call the Childline Helpline (1098) so the child can be rescued and enrolled in a school.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Fundamental right to education and hazards of child labor
1.5 Marks
Actionable reporting via Childline 1098 or authorities
1.5 Marks
Q3
Dignity of Labor
What does the phrase 'Dignity of Labor' mean in our daily society?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
It means that every honest type of work—whether done by a surgeon, an engineer, a farmer, or a street sweeper—is equally respectable and worthy of honor. No honest work is low or inferior.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Equal respect for all honest occupations without discrimination
2 Marks
Q4
Daily Labor • Deepali's Routine
In 'Work We Do', Deepali cannot go to school. Why? Describe her daily chores.
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Deepali's Routine & Responsibilities:
• Deepali is the eldest sister. Her father sells vegetables and her mother washes utensils in homes. Deepali has to stay home to cook food for the family, clean the house, and look after her three younger brothers and sisters.
• Even though she loves learning and books, her heavy family responsibilities forced her to leave school.
• Deepali is the eldest sister. Her father sells vegetables and her mother washes utensils in homes. Deepali has to stay home to cook food for the family, clean the house, and look after her three younger brothers and sisters.
• Even though she loves learning and books, her heavy family responsibilities forced her to leave school.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Eldest child carrying sibling care and chores
1.5 M
Parental poverty causing drop out of school
1.5 M
Q5
Bustling Neighborhood Scene • Community Workers
Look at the picture of the bustling city square in the chapter. Name four community workers working there and their occupations.
[4 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Neighborhood Workers:
1. Postwoman / Postman: Sorting and delivering mail.
2. Traffic Police Officer: Directing vehicles and pedestrians at the intersection.
3. Doctor and Nurse: Treating patients at the neighborhood dispensary.
4. Cobbler (Mochi): Sitting under a roadside tree polishing and stitching worn shoes.
1. Postwoman / Postman: Sorting and delivering mail.
2. Traffic Police Officer: Directing vehicles and pedestrians at the intersection.
3. Doctor and Nurse: Treating patients at the neighborhood dispensary.
4. Cobbler (Mochi): Sitting under a roadside tree polishing and stitching worn shoes.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Four distinct community workers with accurate roles
4.0 M
Q6
Right to Education • Child Labor vs School
Why should every child below 14 years be in school rather than working for money?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Child Rights & Education:
• Childhood is the time for growth, play, and learning. Under the Indian Constitution (Right to Education Act), every child has the fundamental right to free, quality education. Child labor deprives children of their future and harms their physical and mental health.
• Childhood is the time for growth, play, and learning. Under the Indian Constitution (Right to Education Act), every child has the fundamental right to free, quality education. Child labor deprives children of their future and harms their physical and mental health.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Right to Education Act cited
1.5 M
Physical, emotional, and future empowerment rationale
1.5 M
Q7
Clock Routine • Daily Time Management
At what time do you usually wake up, leave for school, and go to sleep?
[2 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Personal Time Schedule:
• Wake up: 6:15 AM
• Leave for school: 7:30 AM
• Go to sleep: 9:30 PM.
• Wake up: 6:15 AM
• Leave for school: 7:30 AM
• Go to sleep: 9:30 PM.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Realistic, healthy daily timetable values
2.0 M
Q8
Observation Time • Animals and Habits
In Chapter 12 ('Work We Do'), what animals did the characters observe, and how do they move from place to place?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Observations:
Animals move in diverse ways adapted to their bodies:
• Birds (Crow, Pigeon): Fly using wings and hop on two feet.
• Mammals (Cow, Dog): Walk and run on four legs.
• Reptiles (Lizard, Snake): Crawl on walls or slither on the ground.
• Insects (Ant, Grasshopper): Walk on six legs and hop/fly.
Animals move in diverse ways adapted to their bodies:
• Birds (Crow, Pigeon): Fly using wings and hop on two feet.
• Mammals (Cow, Dog): Walk and run on four legs.
• Reptiles (Lizard, Snake): Crawl on walls or slither on the ground.
• Insects (Ant, Grasshopper): Walk on six legs and hop/fly.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Birds, mammals, reptiles, insects movement
3 M
Q9
Find Out & Write • Animal Habitats
Name two animals that live:
(a) On trees
(b) In water
(c) On land
(d) Underground in burrows.
[2 Marks]
(a) On trees
(b) In water
(c) On land
(d) Underground in burrows.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Habitats:
• (a) On trees: Monkey, Squirrel, Owl.
• (b) In water: Fish, Frog, Crocodile.
• (c) On land: Horse, Elephant, Goat.
• (d) In burrows: Rabbit, Earthworm, Snake.
• (a) On trees: Monkey, Squirrel, Owl.
• (b) In water: Fish, Frog, Crocodile.
• (c) On land: Horse, Elephant, Goat.
• (d) In burrows: Rabbit, Earthworm, Snake.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Correct examples for all 4 habitats
2 M
Q10
Discuss & Share • Our Senses
How do our five sense organs help us understand and navigate our daily environment?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Five Senses:
1. Eyes: Help us see shapes, colours, and identify hazards.
2. Ears: Help us hear traffic horns, spoken words, and alarm sounds.
3. Nose: Helps us smell food, flowers, and detect smoke or gas leaks.
4. Tongue: Helps us taste sweet, sour, salty, and bitter food.
5. Skin: Helps us feel touch, heat, cold, roughness, and pain.
1. Eyes: Help us see shapes, colours, and identify hazards.
2. Ears: Help us hear traffic horns, spoken words, and alarm sounds.
3. Nose: Helps us smell food, flowers, and detect smoke or gas leaks.
4. Tongue: Helps us taste sweet, sour, salty, and bitter food.
5. Skin: Helps us feel touch, heat, cold, roughness, and pain.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
All 5 sense organs explained with functions
3 M
Q11
Water Cycle & Weather • Rain and Clouds
Where does rainwater come from, and why do plants and trees look fresher and greener after a rain shower?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Rain and Plant Health:
• Rain comes from water evaporating from rivers, ponds, and seas, forming clouds in the sky that cool and condense into rain droplets.
• Rain washes off thick dust accumulated on leaves, unblocks stomata for breathing, and deeply soaks the roots with fresh mineral-rich moisture.
• Rain comes from water evaporating from rivers, ponds, and seas, forming clouds in the sky that cool and condense into rain droplets.
• Rain washes off thick dust accumulated on leaves, unblocks stomata for breathing, and deeply soaks the roots with fresh mineral-rich moisture.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Water cycle / cloud formation
1.5 M
Why plants look greener after rain
1.5 M
Q12
Food Diversity • Regional Diets
Why do people living in Kerala eat more rice, fish, and coconut, while people in Punjab eat more wheat chapatis, mustard greens, and lassi?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Regional Food Factors:
• What people eat depends directly on what grows easily and abundantly in their climate and geography.
• Kerala has coastal climate, abundant rainfall, and coconut groves, making fish and rice staples.
• Punjab has fertile plains ideal for wheat and mustard cultivation, and a strong dairy culture.
• What people eat depends directly on what grows easily and abundantly in their climate and geography.
• Kerala has coastal climate, abundant rainfall, and coconut groves, making fish and rice staples.
• Punjab has fertile plains ideal for wheat and mustard cultivation, and a strong dairy culture.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Climate and agriculture connection
1.5 M
Kerala and Punjab examples explained
1.5 M
Q13
Cooking Methods • Kitchen Science
Match each food item to its primary method of cooking:
(a) Idli — (1) Frying
(b) Puri — (2) Steaming
(c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
[3 Marks]
(a) Idli — (1) Frying
(b) Puri — (2) Steaming
(c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Matching:
• (a) Idli — (2) Steaming
• (b) Puri — (1) Frying in oil
• (c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
• (a) Idli — (2) Steaming
• (b) Puri — (1) Frying in oil
• (c) Roti — (3) Roasting on Tawa.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Idli-Steaming, Puri-Frying, Roti-Roasting
3 M
Q14
Shelter & Houses • Diversity in Homes
Why are houses in heavy-rainfall regions like Assam built on bamboo stilts with sloping roofs?
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Stilt Houses:
• Bamboo Stilts: Keep the house 10 to 12 feet above ground level to prevent floodwaters and wild animals from entering.
• Sloping Roofs: Allow torrential rainwater to slide off quickly without accumulating or causing leaks.
• Bamboo Stilts: Keep the house 10 to 12 feet above ground level to prevent floodwaters and wild animals from entering.
• Sloping Roofs: Allow torrential rainwater to slide off quickly without accumulating or causing leaks.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Reason for bamboo stilts (floods)
1.5 M
Reason for sloping roof (rain runoff)
1.5 M
Q15
Community Helpers • Occupations
Identify the worker who:
(a) Mends our shoes
(b) Delivers letters and parcels
(c) Shapes clay into earthen pots on a wheel
(d) Treats sick people and prescribes medicines.
[2 Marks]
(a) Mends our shoes
(b) Delivers letters and parcels
(c) Shapes clay into earthen pots on a wheel
(d) Treats sick people and prescribes medicines.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Community Helpers:
• (a) Mends shoes: Cobbler
• (b) Delivers letters: Postman / Mail carrier
• (c) Shapes clay pots: Potter
• (d) Treats sick people: Doctor.
• (a) Mends shoes: Cobbler
• (b) Delivers letters: Postman / Mail carrier
• (c) Shapes clay pots: Potter
• (d) Treats sick people: Doctor.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Cobbler, Postman, Potter, Doctor
2 M
Q16
Web of Life • Food Chain
What is the 'Web of Life'? Draw a simple food chain showing how grass, deer, and lion are connected.
[3 Marks]
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Web of Life & Food Chain:
• The Web of Life shows that every living organism is interconnected and depends on others for survival.
• Food Chain: Sunlight → Grass (Producer) → Deer (Herbivore) → Lion (Carnivore).
If grass disappears, deer starve; if deer disappear, lions cannot survive.
• The Web of Life shows that every living organism is interconnected and depends on others for survival.
• Food Chain: Sunlight → Grass (Producer) → Deer (Herbivore) → Lion (Carnivore).
If grass disappears, deer starve; if deer disappear, lions cannot survive.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
Definition of Web of Life
1.5 M
Grass → Deer → Lion chain explained
1.5 M
Q17
Review Questions • True or False
Write True or False:
(a) Blind people can read books written in Braille script using their fingertips.
(b) Rainwater is the main natural source of fresh water on Earth.
(c) Animals do not have feelings and cannot communicate danger to each other.
[3 Marks]
(a) Blind people can read books written in Braille script using their fingertips.
(b) Rainwater is the main natural source of fresh water on Earth.
(c) Animals do not have feelings and cannot communicate danger to each other.
✅ Step-by-Step Solution & Working
Answers:
• (a) True: Braille uses raised dots felt with fingertips.
• (b) True: Rain replenishes rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
• (c) False: Animals communicate through warning calls, scents, and body language to alert their group of predators.
• (a) True: Braille uses raised dots felt with fingertips.
• (b) True: Rain replenishes rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
• (c) False: Animals communicate through warning calls, scents, and body language to alert their group of predators.
CBSE Step-by-Step Marking Scheme
True, True, False with reasoning
3 M
🌟 NEP 2020 Competency-Based Case Study
Community Interdependence: When Public Services Halt
During a torrential rainstorm, municipal sanitation workers, electricity linemen, and water pipeline mechanics work knee-deep in water all night to restore power and unblock sewage drains.
Analytical Task: How does this event illustrate that our daily comforts depend entirely on unseen, hardworking community helpers?
Evaluation & Model Answer:
Modern life is an interconnected web where no individual is self-sufficient. While we rest safely indoors, linemen risk electrical shocks to restore power and municipal workers brave filthy drains to prevent urban flooding. Recognizing this interdependence shatters social prejudices and reminds us to treat every community worker with profound gratitude, courtesy, and fair living wages.
Rubric: Appreciation of community interdependence, frontline workers' sacrifice, moral dignity of labor (4 Marks).