About the Author
This chapter comes from the NCERT book "An Alien Hand", a fun reader for Class 7 students. It does not name one writer, but it is made by teachers and experts to teach kids about nature. The story uses simple words to show how small creatures like ants can teach us big lessons about life, work, and living together.
What’s the Story About?
This lesson is like a story about ants, the tiniest but smartest insects around us. Ants are everywhere, and many people even keep them as pets to watch their busy ways. The writer says ants are wiser than flies, mosquitoes, or worms because they work hard and live smartly.
Ants talk to each other by touching their long feelers, like shaking hands. When you see a line of ants going up or down a wall, they greet each other by bumping feelers. Most ants are black or red, the ones we see as kids playing outside.
Ants live in big homes under the ground called anthills or nests. These homes have many small rooms connected by paths. The queen ant, who is like the mother, lays eggs in special rooms. The baby ants, called grubs, stay in nurseries where workers take care of them. Workers have their own sleeping areas, soldiers stay in guard rooms, and there are store rooms for food.
Every ant knows its job and sticks to it. Workers find and store food, soldiers protect the home, and no one does someone else's work. They never fight or hurt the young ones. Life in the anthill is calm and full of team work.
The queen ant lives up to 15 years. She has wings at first and flies high on a hot summer day to meet a boy ant, called a drone. After that, she bites off her wings, comes home, and spends her life laying eggs.
The eggs turn into grubs. Soldiers watch over them, while workers feed them, clean them, and take them out for fresh air, sun, and play. After two or three weeks, grubs wrap up in a cozy cover called a cocoon and rest without eating. Then, they break out as full ants. Old ants teach the new ones their jobs, like how to build, clean, or guard. Soon, the young ants join the big world of work.
Other small animals live in the anthill too, like beetles or greenflies. Ants let them stay because they help. Some smell nice, some give sweet juice, and some are like fun pets. Greenflies are like cows to ants—they make a yummy liquid called honeydew, and ants gently touch them to get it, just like milking.
The story ends by saying people can learn from these tiny teachers. Ants show us how to work hard, follow rules, stay clean, care for little ones, and love our home.
Who’s Who in the Story
- The Queen Ant: The mother of all ants in the nest. She lays eggs and lives a long life after losing her wings.
- Worker Ants: Busy helpers who find food, clean, feed the young, and take care of the home.
- Soldier Ants: Strong guards who protect the nest and watch over the baby ants.
- Grubs: The baby ants that come from eggs. They need lots of care before they grow up.
- Drone: The boy ant who flies with the queen on her special day.
- Greenfly: A small bug that lives with ants and gives them sweet honeydew, like a pet cow.
Themes and Moral
Themes:
- Team Work and Duty: Every ant has a clear job and does it without complaining, showing how groups work best when everyone helps.
- Care for Family: Ants look after their young and old with love and attention, like a big happy family.
- Learning from Nature: Small creatures teach us big ideas about living smart and peaceful.
- Hard Work and Cleanliness: Ants stay busy and keep their home spotless, reminding us to do the same.
Moral: We can learn from ants to work hard, follow our duties, stay clean, care for others, and be loyal to our home. Even tiny things can be great teachers if we watch closely.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
Here are some key words and short phrases from the story. I explain them in easy words:
- Wisest: The smartest, knowing what to do in a good way.
- Feelers: Long parts on an ant's head used to touch and talk to others.
- Antennae: Another name for feelers, like ant's nose and hands together.
- Grubs: Baby ants that look like fat worms, before they grow wings or legs.
- Nursery: A safe room where baby ants rest and get fed.
- Barracks: Special rooms where soldier ants stay, like army camps.
- Cocoons: Soft covers that grubs make to sleep and change into ants.
- Honeydew: Sweet liquid that greenflies give, like ant's milk treat.
- Discipline: Following rules and doing your job without trouble.
- Loyalty: Staying true and loving your home or group.
- Phrase - "Wedding flight": The queen's special fly to meet the drone, like a marriage trip.
- Phrase - "Lay eggs": Put out small balls that turn into babies.
These words make the ant world come alive. Try using them when you spot ants in your garden!