Summary: Wildlife in a City Pond
Wildlife in a City Pond is a beautiful non-fiction narrative about the greenery and wildlife that
has grown around a pond in the heart of Pune. The narrator has just shifted a new house in
Pune and in the evening, he hears disturbing sounds from the dark outside. He figures out that
the sound is coming from the pond below his balcony, which is home to many animals that
wake up only at night.
The narrator takes great interest in the pond and observes it as it changes through the seasons.
It is dry and lifeless in the summer but as monsoon arrives and it starts to rain, the pond
transforms like magic—it turns blue and green.
Plants come alive and birds and animals start to flock to the pond. Reeds are shining silver in
the sun. The rods of the typha plant sway in the wind. Birds like kingfishers, baya weaver birds
and scaly-breasted munias eat and build their homes around the pond. The narrator is most
pleasantly surprised when he finds flapshell turtles in the pond. He learns that the turtles sleep
under the ground during summer and come out when the pond fills up. The narrator decides to
name the pond Flapshell Pond after the turtles.
The pond is a wonderful and peaceful environment where nature exists in all its glory and
animals live in harmony with each other. White-breasted waterhens and pond herons move
around the turtles without disturbing them. Spot-billed ducks visit the pond to hunt for snails
and waterplants. You can even find mongooses and snakes (checkered keelbacks) in the pond.
The narrator soon solves the mystery of the loud noise in the night. Hundreds of frogs and
toads croak at nights to attract their mates. This together with the noise of the crickets is what
the narrator has been hearing every night. But he no longer finds it disturbing. He calls it a
‘symphony’.
The narrator gets the scare of his life when one day he finds out that people are planning to
drain the pond and make buildings on it. He gets together with the children of the
neighbourhood and protests the plan. Journalists carry news of the appeal in the papers. Soon
the whole neighbourhood is involved in the efforts to save Flapshell Pond. The city
commissioner visits the pond, experiences the magic and realises it would be a shame to
destroy the pond. Everyone’s efforts are paid off when the pond is declared off limits to any
construction.
Wildlife in a City Pond is an inspiring real-life story about how a paradise of nature is saved by
people working together. The pond is located in the heart of a busy urban city and yet it is rich
with diverse plants and animals. The theme of humans and nature coexisting runs through the
entire text. The text is well-written and descriptive. On reading, the text excites our senses. It
creates detailed images in our minds and it is almost as if we are at Flapshell Pond, breathing in
the scents and taking in the gorgeous sights. This text highlights the importance of nature and
environment conservation.
UNIT 3 WILDLIFE IN A CITY POND
EMBEDDED QUESTIONS
1. When it rains, the barren pond bursts into life. It goes from being being dry and brown to blue and
green. When an orchestra starts to play, the silence in the hall gets filled with the beautiful music
of different instruments. Similarly, when it rains, the dry barren pond gets filled with water, plants
and animals.
2. Free Response; Suggested Answer: Nature’s dance—trees and reeds swaying in the wind; the flowing
water is the music in the background; colourful birds flying around gracefully; fish leaping in the
pond; animals playing with each other.
3. The speaker feels surprise, awe and wonder when he looks at Flapshell Pond.
4. The speaker was determined to save Flapshell Pond because it was beautiful and he loved it.
Additionally, it was home to so many plants and animals; it would be a shame to destroy it.
5. When people threatened to destroy Flapshell Pond, the residents of the neighbourhood—the
speaker, the children and other neighbours—got together to save it. They organised a protest
and contacted various officials, including the city commissioner. Even people from environmental
organisations got involved. Lots of people worked together as a united group to save the pond.
Comprehension
A. 1. When the speaker moved to a new house in Pune, he discovered that a loud noise started up
when it turned dark.
2. In the summer, the pond was dry and lifeless.
3. The rains turned the lifeless, dry brown earth of the pond into a beautiful oasis of blue and
green. It filled up with water and many plants sprouted up. Many different animals and birds
flocked to it.
4. When the pond filled up with water, the speaker spotted Flapshell turtles. He learned that turtles
slept under the ground during the dry summer and waited for the rains. So he named the pond
after them.
5. The speaker called the pond a ‘natural restaurant’ because animals like the spot-billed ducks flew
to the pond, hunted for some snails and waterplants to eat, and then left to go back—almost like
eating at a restaurant and going back home.
B. 1. a. The speaker is comparing the life in the pond to an orchestra.
b. The ‘orchestra’ started playing because the monsoon rains arrived and the pond burst into life.
c. The speaker did not initially appreciate the music of the ‘orchestra’, but he soon grew to
appreciate it and consider it a symphony.
2. a. ‘He’ is the city commissioner of Pune.
b. In the summer, Flapshell Pond was dry and lifeless. But come monsoon, it filled up with water.
Many different types of plants started growing and many species of animals made it their
home. All the animals together created a beautiful symphony of sounds during the day and
night. Plant life and wildlife lived together in harmony and this was a wonderful sight to see.
This was the ‘monsoon magic’ that the city commissioner experienced.
c. The city commissioner realised that Flapshell Pond was a wonder of nature and that it would be
wrong to destroy it.
3. a. The speaker finds his backyard magical because that is where the Flapshell Pond is. He
considers Flapshell Pond magical because it is full of the best things you can find in nature.
b. Free response
C. 1. The speaker was scared that Flapshell Pond would be drained and used as land for construction.
If the speaker’s fears came true, then the Pond would be destroyed. All the plants that grew in and
around it would be dug out and cleared up to make space for the building. Once the pond and
the plants are destroyed, there will no longer be a home for all the different birds and animals
that visited the pond or lived in it. The residents of the area would no longer be able to enjoy the
beauty of the wetland. The coolness created by the ponds and plants would be lost too. Overall, it
would be a small disaster.
2. The speaker did not save the pond alone. It took the combined effort of a lot of people to
do so. The speaker organised a protest along with the children of the neighbourhood. He
invited journalists to cover the event and write about it in newspapers. The residents of the
neighbourhood called up officials to ask them for help saving the pond. Many environmental
organisations also got involved in the efforts. The city commissioner was invited to have a look at
Flapshell Pond and experience its magic. All this worked and the pond was saved.
3. The speaker is a very observant person. He notices very minute details about the pond. He notices
how it changes from season to season. He loves nature and wildlife and notices the different
species of plants and animals in and around the pond. He even observes the behaviour of these
animals in detail. He listens to the sounds and appreciates the natural symphony. He is very
passionate about nature and conservation. When he hears that Flapshell Pond is to be destroyed,
he does not stop until he has done everything he can to save it. He organises protests and gets the
entire neighbourhood together to save the pond. He is a very dedicated person.
images
Within a few days, blades of reeds were shining silver in
the sun.
● Plants that had seemed dead suddenly stood proud and
tall.
● The chocolate brown rods of the typha plant swayed in
the wind.
● Other creatures too joined in nature’s dance.
● Brilliant blue kingfishers waited patiently on branches,
suddenly swooping down to catch a fish with a splash.
● The white-breasted waterhen walked like a dancer,
looking for food. A couple of pond herons moved secretly
through the reeds, afraid of danger from birds of prey
sounds
But come monsoon, life burst
out like an orchestra.
● Brilliant blue kingfishers waited
patiently on branches, suddenly
swooping down to catch a fish
with a splash.
● Frogs and toads by the
hundreds, croaking and singing
away to attract their mates! They
were joined by crickets, which
seemed to have loudspeakers of
their own.
Vivid, descriptive language helps create images and sounds in our mind. When we read along with
these images and sounds, it is almost like watching a film inside our own head. It is almost as if we are
standing near Flapshell Pond along with the speaker. This kind of language transports us to the world
of the story and hence is more enjoyable.
E. 1. The man in the picture is helping to clean the beach.
2. He is not working alone. Other volunteers are helping him.
3. The environment is important to the man. He cares for his surroundings and the animals around
him. He believes in working together as a community to take care of our planet.
4. Free Response
Grammar
A. 2. those—demonstrative adjective; black-and-white—descriptive adjective
3. mystery—descriptive adjective; first—numeral adjective
4. green—descriptive adjectives; their—possessive adjective
5. my—possessive adjective; what—interrogative adjective
B. 2. most interesting 3. farther 4. good; good 5. bad; worse
6. more important; better
C. 2. noun—piano; relative clause—which I bought last week
3. noun—films; relative clause—that make her laugh
4. noun—grandfather; relative clause—who lives in Kashmir
5. noun—Dispur; relative clause—where I grew up.
Vocabulary
1. sizzling 2. thud 3. swish 4. slurped 5. murmured 6. clatter
Listening Text and answers:
Welcome to the Night
by Joyce Sidman
To all of you who crawl and creep,
who buzz and chirp and hoot and peep,
who wake at dusk and throw off sleep:
Welcome to the night.
To you who make the forest sing,
who dip and dodge on silent wing,
who flutter, hover, clasp, and cling:
Welcome to the night.
Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze,
come smell your way among the trees,
come touch rough bark and leathered leaves:
Welcome to the night.
The night’s a sea of dappled dark,
the night’s a feast of sound and spark,
the night’s a wild, enchanted park,
Welcome to the night!
Writing
Ma’am/Sir,
We are organising a protest to stop construction on a pond in our locality, Gyan Nagar.
The pond is present at the centre of a group of apartments in this area. It is a beautiful pond that
becomes home to many different varieties of plants and animals during the monsoon. You must see it
to understand what a magical spot our pond is. You can see animals basking in their natural habitats
and at the same time, hear a delightful symphony of nature sounds.
We have named this pond Flapshell Pond because Flapshell turtles live here through the year. It
is their home and it is crime to even think of draining the pond and building more houses on it.
Construction will destroy the homes of thousands of creatures and we will no longer be able to live in
harmony with nature.
The protest is being held on 15th July 2018 at 10 a.m. at Flapshell Pond itself. I request you to attend
this protest, report on it for your newspaper and help us save the pond.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Ashish Kothari
Dictionary Work
1. coarse 2. ascent 3. complement 4. stationary
WILDLIFE IN A CITY POND
A. Answer in brief
1. What transformation did the author notice in the pond every season?
The author observed a small pond below the balcony of his new house in Pune and was attracted
by the inhabitants of that pond. Over the year, he found the pond was transforming according
to the season. In summer it would be dry, lifeless and dull and during monsoon the whole place
sprung up with life and activity.
2. Why did the author mobilise neighbourhood children and journalists?
The author was disturbed to learn that there was a possibility of draining the wetland to construct
some buildings on it. So he wanted to take the help of journalists and the children to voice their
objection to such an action. This move helped as the newspaper carried the news of the children’s
appeal the very next day.
B. Answer in detail.
1. What does the author refer to as nature’s dance? Who participated in this dance?
As the first rain fell on the sun dried land, the land gave off a lovely earthy smell which was the
beginning of the total magical transformation that took place in and around the pond. The dead
plants got life, the chocolate brown rods of the typha plant swayed in the wind and there was a
sudden growth of trees and plants everywhere, all swaying to the tune of the monsoon winds.
The pretty blue kingfishers, Baya weaver birds and scaly breasted munias, all busy going about
with their activities, looked as if they were brilliantly exhibiting their joy and excitement to be part
of Nature’s dance ensemble around the pond. The author lost himself observing Nature’s play just
under his balcony.
2. What is ‘Flapshell Pond’? How did it affect the author?
The author named the pond under the balcony of his house as the ‘Flapshell Pond’ as he found
attractive flapshell turtles which he initially mistook for rocks. The turtles blissfully ignored the
birds that walked around them. He saw the white-breasted water hen dancing around the turtles
looking for food, a couple of pond herons moving secretly, afraid of the birds of prey and there
were also a pair of spot-billed ducks which hunted for snails and water plants before flying off.
The author was surprised to see the entire family of mongooses, representing mammals and also
some water snakes in the pond. This magnificent sight captivated the author so much that he did
not want anyone to disturb this beautiful world at any cost.
C. Read the lines below and answer the questions.
1. And where there were mongooses, could snakes be far behind?
a. Where did the author see the mongooses?
b. Why was he surprised to see the mongoose there?
c. Why does he expect snakes too there?
Ans: a. The author saw the whole family of mongooses in the Flapshell Pond.
b. The author had observed only birds and turtles in the pond till then. He thought there
may not be any mammals living in the pond. So he was surprised to see mongooses.
c. Mongooses and snakes are each other’s deadly opponents. Hence the author thought if
there were mongooses there would be snakes as well in the pond.
2. He realised it would be a shame to destroy the pond.
a. Who is ‘he’ in the above line?
b. Why did he feel so?
c. What did he do to protect the pond?
Ans: a. He refers to the city commissioner.
b. The commissioner, who first was not very keen on protecting the pond, changed his
mind when he experienced the monsoon magic.
c. He made sure that the Flapshell Pond was declared off limits for any construction.
D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)
1. How did the cacophony at one point of time sound more like a symphony later on, for the author?
The noise produced by the frogs and toads singing away to attract their mates in the night was
cacophonic for the author when he had newly moved into that house. The same sounds became a
symphony for him when he witnessed their blissful magical world and that made him appreciate
their music.
2. How does the author use imagery to bring out beautiful flora and fauna around him?
Free response
Suggested Ans: The vivid description of life in and around the pond by the author mentally takes
us to the place where the author is physically present. The imagery is so perfect that we too are
able to visualise nature’s dance as seen by the author. His imagery is so rich that we too participate
in this enchanting experience.
E. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)
As a student, how important is it for you to protect your environment? How would you create
awareness in your neighbourhood?
Free response
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