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The Decision of the Panchayat – Class 5 English Chapter 8 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 5EnglishChapter 8NCERT book: Santoor - English Class 5

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 8 of the NCERT Class 5 English book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 8: The Decision of the Panchayat (Unit 4: Ups and Downs)

About the Chapter

The Decision of the Panchayat is a folk-style story in Unit 4: Ups and Downs. It shows how a village Panchayat uses wisdom to stop a cunning man from cheating an honest farmer. It teaches that cheating does not pay and that fair, clever thinking can solve problems.

The Story in Brief

  • The hardworking farmer. A farmer in a small village has two fields and works very hard. When he prospers, he buys a third field. Next to it is a well. He needs water for his fields, so he buys the well from his neighbour.
  • The cunning neighbour's trick. The next day the neighbour stands at the well and won't let the farmer take water. He says:
    • "I sold only the well to you, not the water. The water still belongs to me. You cannot take it."
  • Going to the chief. The worried farmer goes to the village chief (a woman) and says, "He is not letting me take the water." She fixes a day for a Panchayat meeting.
  • The meeting. The Panchayat members gather under the banyan tree in the centre of the village. Both men are summoned. The neighbour repeats his claim. Everyone tries to reason with him, but he is adamant.
  • The wise judgment. The chief agrees that only the well was sold. The neighbour smiles, but then she continues:
    • "If you have NOT sold the water and the water is yours, then you have no business keeping your water in his well. Remove the water or use it all up immediately. If not, the water will belong to the owner of the well."
  • The ending. The farmer shouts with joy. The neighbour realises that cheating will not lead anywhere. He has to pay a fine and apologise to the farmer. The villagers praise the Panchayat's wisdom.

    • Characters

  • The farmer – honest and hardworking; he asks for help in the right way.
  • The neighbour – cunning and adamant; he tries to cheat but is caught by his own argument.
  • The village chief – fair, calm and clever; she turns the neighbour's trick against him.
  • The Panchayat and villagers – they listen to both sides before deciding.

    • Word Power

  • prospered – grew wealthy, did well (समृद्ध हुआ)
  • cunning – clever in a tricky way (चालाक)
  • adamant – refusing to change one's mind (अड़ियल / ज़िद्दी)
  • summon – to order someone to come to a place (बुलाना)
  • judgment – a decision made by a group or judge (निर्णय / फ़ैसला)
  • wisdom – good sense and knowledge (बुद्धिमानी)
  • apologise – say sorry (माफ़ी माँगना)
  • panchayat – a village council that settles matters (पंचायत)
  • fine – money paid as punishment (जुर्माना)
  • reason with – try to make someone see sense (समझाना)

    • Grammar & Language Focus

    1. Prepositions

    Words like in, at, by, after, before, under, with, to, for show place, time or connection.

  • The farmer went to the village chief.
  • The villagers tried to reason with the cunning man.
  • They gathered under the banyan tree.
  • The neighbour was punished for his dishonesty.

    • 2. Suffix -less

    -less at the end of a word means without.

  • use + less = useless, care + less = careless, hope + less = hopeless, fear + less = fearless, colour + less = colourless
  • Water is priceless = so valuable you can't put a price on it.

    • 3. Putting events in order

    Use clues like decided, continued, after resting to arrange events in time order.

    4. Who said to whom?

  • "I sold only the well, not the water." – the neighbour to the farmer
  • "He is not letting me take the water." – the farmer to the village chief
  • "Remove the water or use it all up immediately." – the village chief to the neighbour

    • Let's Talk / Let's Write

  • Think: Was the Panchayat's decision correct? How would you fairly share one extra paint box between two friends, Radha and Sita?
  • Write: Imagine you are the farmer and write a letter to a friend beginning "My dear friend, Something happened last week..."
  • Listen: A passage on Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who taught that all religions are like rivers leading to one ocean, and whose student Naren became Swami Vivekananda.
  • Do: Read The Neem Tree passage (neem twigs as toothbrush; dry leaves keep away mosquitoes and insects).

    • Common Mistakes

  • Thinking the neighbour won. He first seemed right, but the judgment made him pay a fine and apologise.
  • Confusing cunning (tricky) with clever (smart in a good way).
  • Mixing up the speakers in "who said to whom" questions; check the story.
  • Writing usefull-less; the suffix is simply added: useless.

    • 💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓An honest farmer buys a well, but his cunning neighbour claims he sold only the well, not the water.
    • ✓The Panchayat's wise judgment turns the trick around: the neighbour must remove his water or it belongs to the well's owner.
    • ✓Cheating does not pay: the neighbour pays a fine and apologises.
    • ✓Prepositions (to, with, under, for) connect words and show place and relation.
    • ✓The suffix -less means 'without' (careless, fearless, hopeless).

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Stop reading before the judgment and ask groups to predict what the Panchayat will decide.
    • →Hold a mock Panchayat in class: children play the farmer, neighbour, chief and villagers.
    • →Use a real bucket of water and a 'well' drawing to show why water can't be taken out of someone else's well.
    • →Make 'who said to whom' speech-bubble cards for learners to match.
    • →Play a -less word race: say a word, and teams add -less and use it in a sentence.
    • →Discuss fairness with the paint box problem and let children suggest solutions.

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Can the learner explain why the farmer bought the well and why he became upset?
    2. Can the learner explain the Panchayat's final judgment in their own words?
    3. Can the learner match prospered, cunning, adamant, summon and judgment with their meanings?
    4. Can the learner fill blanks with suitable prepositions from the story?
    5. Can the learner form new words with -less and use them in sentences?

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    Keep learning

    All chapters in Santoor - English Class 5

    1. 1. Papa's Spectacles
    2. 2. Gone with the Scooter
    3. 3. The Rainbow
    4. 4. The Wise Parrot
    5. 5. The Frog
    6. 6. What a Tank!
    7. 7. Gilli Danda
    8. 8. The Decision of the Panchayat
    9. 9. Vocation
    10. 10. Glass Bangles