What happens to the boats when night comes?

The speaker dreams they float on under midnight stars

What does the act of writing his name and village on the boats suggest about the speaker?

He has a deep desire to be known — to reach out to the wider world and be recognised

What do the paper boats symbolise in the poem?

The speaker's dreams and hopes sent into the unknown world

What does the phrase 'Day by day I float my paper boats' tell us about this activity?

It is a regular daily ritual that is deeply meaningful to the speaker

What does the image of clouds as 'bulging sails' suggest?

The sky and the stream are connected — both seem to be part of the same journey

What is the significance of loading shiuli flowers into the boats?

They make the boats look pretty

The flowers represent offering beauty to the unknown — the speaker wishes his blooms of dawn to reach faraway lands

What does the poem suggest about the speaker's relationship with the wider world?

He is not interested in the world

He longs to connect with distant and unknown people — the boats are his way of reaching out

How does Tagore create a sense of wonder and magic in the poem?

Through images like fairies of sleep midnight stars and playmates in the sky — giving ordinary childhood play a dreamlike quality

What emotion does the last stanza of the poem evoke?

Wonder and dreaming hopefulness

What does the speaker mean by 'fairies of sleep are sailing in them'?

In dreams the boats carry magical beings — the imagination transforms simple paper boats into vessels of wonder

How does the poem express the universal childhood experience of wishing to be known beyond one's immediate world?

Through the simple act of writing his name on paper boats Tagore captures every child's desire to leave a mark on the world — to be discovered and remembered by someone unknown

Children only know local places

What contrast does the poem create between the physical small paper boat and the large hope it carries?

Paper boats are fragile and small while the hope they carry — to be known across the world — is enormous

Boats are large and hopes are small

How does the poem reflect Tagore's philosophy about the relationship between the local and the universal?

By writing his name and village on the boats Tagore shows how the deeply personal and local can aspire to reach the universal — one child's village can be known to the whole world

The universal world is frightening

What does the poem suggest about the power of simple childhood acts to express profound human desires?

Simple acts have no deeper meaning

Simple acts like floating paper boats can carry profound desires — the desire for connection recognition and reaching beyond what is immediately visible

Children cannot have profound desires

Only adults can express deep feelings

How does Tagore use the image of night and stars in the final stanza to elevate the poem beyond a simple childhood game?

Night and stars are just decorative

Night transforms the ordinary daytime game into something eternal — the boats float on under the infinite sky making the child's dream of reaching the world seem possible even in the darkness of sleep

The final stanza is less important than the first

NCERT Solutions Class 7 English Chapter 3.2 – Paper Boats

Name: Paper Boats – Class 7 English
Uploaded: 2026-07-24T06:18:05+00:00
Description: The poem describes a child floating paper boats on a stream, hoping they reach distant lands. Each boat carries the child’s name, village, and flowers, symbolizing dreams, imagination, and connection with the world.

Class 7 English

Last Updated: 24 July 2026

Share on WhatsApp

Chapter Introduction

The poem describes a child floating paper boats on a stream, hoping they reach distant lands. Each boat carries the child’s name, village, and flowers, symbolizing dreams, imagination, and connection with the world.

हिंदी में (Hindi)

कविता में एक बच्चा कागज़ की नावें नाले में छोड़ता है, आशा करता है कि वे दूर के स्थानों तक पहुँचें। प्रत्येक नाव में बच्चा अपना नाम, गाँव और फूल डालता है, जो सपनों, कल्पना और दुनिया से जुड़ाव का प्रतीक हैं।

Watch Video Lecture

Practice more on the App!

Get unlimited MCQ tests & video lectures.

Download

Important Points

🕐 Coming Soon

Important points for this chapter will be added shortly. Check back soon!

Practice MCQ Questions (23 questions)

Q1. Who wrote the poem 'Paper Boats'?

Q2. What does the speaker float down the running stream?

Q3. What does the speaker write on the paper boats?

Q4. What does the speaker load into the boats?

Q5. What do the clouds look like to the speaker?

Get all 23 MCQ questions + more!

Download the Genius Mind app for unlimited practice, mock tests & video lectures.

▶ Google Play

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

🕐 Coming Soon

FAQs for this chapter will be added soon. Stay tuned!

Tough Words (Glossary)

Float

Meaning: To stay or move on the surface of water

अर्थ: तैरना

"The paper boat will float on the pond."

Stream

Meaning: A small flowing river

अर्थ: नदी/धारा

"We crossed a stream near the forest."

Strange

Meaning: Unfamiliar or unusual

अर्थ: अजीब/अनजान

"She met a strange man in the market."

Bloom

Meaning: A flower, especially one that is fresh

अर्थ: खिलना/फूल

"The rose is in full bloom."

Dawn

Meaning: The first light of the day

अर्थ: भोर/सुबह

"We woke up at dawn to see the sunrise."

Launch

Meaning: To send or start something

अर्थ: प्रक्षेपित करना/शुरू करना

"They will launch a new ship tomorrow."

Bulging

Meaning: Swelling outward; rounded shape

अर्थ: फूला हुआ/उभरा हुआ

"He carried a bulging bag of clothes."

Sail

Meaning: A piece of cloth on a boat to catch the wind

अर्थ: पाल

"The boat’s sail moved with the wind."

Race

Meaning: To move quickly in competition

अर्थ: दौड़ना/प्रतिस्पर्धा करना

"The boys race with their kites."

Midnight

Meaning: 12 o’clock in the night

अर्थ: आधी रात

"The train arrived at midnight."

Fairy

Meaning: A small magical being in stories

अर्थ: परी

"The fairy granted the girl three wishes."

Lading

Meaning: Cargo or load carried in a ship

अर्थ: सामान/लदा हुआ माल

"The ship’s lading was full of spices."

Basket

Meaning: A container made of woven material

अर्थ: टोकरी

"She bought apples in a basket."

Dream

Meaning: Thoughts and images during sleep

अर्थ: सपना

"I had a strange dream last night."

Safely

Meaning: Without danger or harm

अर्थ: सुरक्षित रूप से

"The child crossed the road safely."

Village

Meaning: A small settlement in the countryside

अर्थ: गाँव

"His grandparents live in a village."

Name

Meaning: A word by which a person is known

अर्थ: नाम

"My name is written on the book."

Garden

Meaning: A place where flowers or vegetables are grown

अर्थ: बगीचा

"The children are playing in the garden."

Cloud

Meaning: White or grey mass seen in the sky

अर्थ: बादल

"The clouds covered the sun."

Arms

Meaning: Upper limbs of the human body

अर्थ: बाँहें

"He held the baby in his arms."

NCERT Solutions Class 7 English Chapter 3.2 – Paper Boats

Chapter Introduction

Watch Video Lecture

Important Points

Practice MCQ Questions (23 questions)

Q1. Who wrote the poem 'Paper Boats'?

Q2. What does the speaker float down the running stream?

Q3. What does the speaker write on the paper boats?

Q4. What does the speaker load into the boats?

Q5. What do the clouds look like to the speaker?

Q6. What happens to the boats when night comes?

Q7. Who does the speaker say sails in the boats at night?

Q8. What does the speaker hope someone will do when they find a boat?

Q9. What flowers from the garden does the speaker load into his boats?

Q10. What does the act of writing his name and village on the boats suggest about the speaker?

Q11. What do the paper boats symbolise in the poem?

Q12. What does the phrase 'Day by day I float my paper boats' tell us about this activity?

Q13. What does the image of clouds as 'bulging sails' suggest?

Q14. What is the significance of loading shiuli flowers into the boats?

Q15. What does the poem suggest about the speaker's relationship with the wider world?

Q16. How does Tagore create a sense of wonder and magic in the poem?

Q17. What emotion does the last stanza of the poem evoke?

Q18. What does the speaker mean by 'fairies of sleep are sailing in them'?

Q19. How does the poem express the universal childhood experience of wishing to be known beyond one's immediate world?

Q20. What contrast does the poem create between the physical small paper boat and the large hope it carries?

Q21. How does the poem reflect Tagore's philosophy about the relationship between the local and the universal?

Q22. What does the poem suggest about the power of simple childhood acts to express profound human desires?

Q23. How does Tagore use the image of night and stars in the final stanza to elevate the poem beyond a simple childhood game?