Unit 8 Class 5 NCERT English: Nobody's Friend and The Little Bully

Overview of Unit 8

Unit 8 is not only about reading a poem and a story; it is about noticing behaviour. In Nobody's Friend, the child has sweets, a picture book and a tricycle, but keeps saying that no one else may use them. The poem shows a simple rule of friendship: if we never share, people may stop enjoying our company. The Little Bully gives the same idea through Hari, a boy who hurts others for fun. When crabs, lobsters and prawns pinch him at the seaside, he finally understands what his classmates feel. Both texts teach empathy, which means imagining another person's feelings before we act.

Important Words and Meanings

Friend

A person who cares for us, plays fairly with us and respects our feelings.

Share

To let others use or enjoy something with us, such as food, toys, books or time.

Bully

A person who frightens, hurts or troubles others, often because they think it is funny or powerful.

Pinch

To press someone's skin tightly between fingers; it can hurt and should not be done to tease others.

Empathy

The ability to understand how another person may feel in a situation.

Key Ideas to Understand Before Writing Answers

How to Write a Strong Unit 8 Answer

1. Read the question words — Check whether the question asks who, why, what happened or what lesson. This tells you whether to write a fact, a reason, an event or a moral.
2. Find the exact text clue — For Nobody's Friend, look for what the child does not share. For The Little Bully, look for Hari's actions and what happens at the seaside.
3. Add the lesson in your own words — After the text clue, write the meaning. Example: Hari was lonely because children avoided him, which shows that hurting others can make a person lose friends.
4. Check sentence quality — Use capital letters for names, full stops at the end and simple linking words such as because, so and therefore.

Worked Examples for Better Answers

• Q: Why was the child in Nobody's Friend lonely?
  Step 1: Identify the behaviour: the child had sweets, a book and a tricycle.
  Step 2: Notice the repeated action: the child did not share these things with others.
  Step 3: Connect action to result: friends like to play with children who are fair and sharing.
  Final answer: The child was lonely because the child had many nice things but did not share them with anyone, so others did not want to be friends.

• Q: What made Hari understand that he was wrong?
  Step 1: Recall Hari's habit: he pinched and pricked other children.
  Step 2: Recall the seaside incident: sea creatures pinched him, and he felt pain.
  Step 3: Explain the change: he realised that he had been giving the same pain to others.
  Final answer: Hari understood that he was wrong when the sea creatures pinched him and he felt how painful his own bullying had been for other children.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Unit 8 Answers

Do not write answers that are only one or two words unless the question asks for a word meaning. In literature answers, CBSE teachers look for a clear reason. For example, instead of writing Hari was naughty, write Hari was naughty because he pinched and pricked other children, which made them avoid him. Also do not confuse sharing with giving away forever; sharing means allowing others to enjoy something with you. Always support your answer with an event from the poem or story.

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: Name the two main texts in Unit 8 Class 5 NCERT English and write one common idea between them.
  A: Step 1: Recall the Unit 8 texts: the poem is Nobody's Friend and the story is The Little Bully.
  Step 2: Find the common idea: both are about how our behaviour affects friendship.
  Step 3: Write the idea in a complete sentence.
  Final answer: The two texts are Nobody's Friend and The Little Bully. A common idea is that selfish or hurtful behaviour can make a person lose friends, while kindness helps friendship grow.

• Q: Why did nobody want to be the child's friend in the poem Nobody's Friend?
  A: Step 1: List what the child had: sweets, a picture book and a tricycle.
  Step 2: Notice what the child refused to do: the child did not share these things.
  Step 3: Connect refusal to friendship: friends enjoy fairness and sharing.
  Final answer: Nobody wanted to be the child's friend because the child had nice things but would not share them with anyone.

• Q: How did Hari behave with other children in The Little Bully?
  A: Step 1: Identify Hari's actions: he pinched and pricked his classmates.
  Step 2: Think about the effect: the children felt hurt and did not like being near him.
  Step 3: Use a full sentence with a reason.
  Final answer: Hari behaved badly with other children because he pinched and pricked them, so they tried to stay away from him.

• Q: Write a short lesson you learn from Unit 8.
  A: Step 1: Think of the poem: not sharing made the child lonely.
  Step 2: Think of the story: bullying made Hari disliked by others.
  Step 3: Combine both lessons into one moral.
  Final answer: Unit 8 teaches us that we should share, be gentle and think about other people's feelings if we want to have true friends.

Quick Revision Points

• Nobody's Friend shows that having many things does not make a person happy if they are selfish.
• The Little Bully shows that hurting others may seem funny to the bully, but it is painful for the person who is hurt.
• Hari learns through experience: when he is pinched, he understands the pain he caused.
• Use words such as share, kind, lonely, hurt, realise and friendship while writing answers for this unit.
• A strong answer includes both the story event and the value taught by the event.

Frequently Asked Questions