NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Woven Words Essay Chapter 4

NCERT solutions for Class 11 English Chapter Tribal Verse – complete answers & explanations

This chapter, Tribal Verse, in Class 11 English introduces students to the rich and diverse world of tribal literature in India. It highlights how tribal communities express their thoughts, beliefs, and emotions through oral traditions like songs, chants, and storytelling. The chapter explains the deep connection between tribal life and nature, as well as the importance of preserving these cultural treasures. It also includes meaningful songs from different tribal communities that reflect their values and worldview. These NCERT solutions help students understand the chapter clearly with accurate and well-structured answers aligned with NCERT expectations. Download the worksheet and practice alongside solutions for better clarity. Book a free trial now to get expert guidance and build strong conceptual understanding.

What this NCERT chapter covers?

1. The importance of tribal oral literature and its role in Indian literary traditions. 
2. The concept of marginalisation of tribal communities and their languages. 
3. The unique tribal vision of life that shows a close connection between humans and nature. 
4. Differences between tribal imagination and modern secular imagination. 
5. The role of memory, rituals, and storytelling in preserving tribal knowledge. 
6. Features of tribal arts such as flexibility, imagination, and lack of rigid structure. 
7. The importance of bilingualism in tribal communities. 
8. The idea that literature is not limited to written texts but includes oral traditions. 
9. Insights into tribal songs related to birth, death, and healing rituals. 
10. Cultural beliefs and practices of Munda, Kondh, and Adi tribes. 
11. The need to preserve tribal languages and literary heritage. 
12. How tribal literature enriches our understanding of diversity and culture.

How to use these NCERT solutions?

1. Read each question from the worksheet carefully before looking at the answer. 
2. Try to write your own answer first to test your understanding. 
3. Use the solutions to check accuracy and improve your responses. 
4. Follow the same order as given in the worksheet for better clarity. 
5. Focus on keywords and important ideas used in the answers. 
6. Revise the answers regularly to strengthen concepts. 
7. Parents and teachers can guide students by discussing answers together. 
8. Pay attention to descriptive and analytical questions for exam preparation. 
9. Practice writing answers in a clear and structured format. 
10. Use these solutions as a reference to understand the correct answering approach.

Important tips & tricks for students

1. Focus on understanding the theme of tribal life and culture. 
2. Do not memorise blindly; understand the meaning behind each answer. 
3. Pay attention to keywords like oral tradition, imagination, and nature. 
4. Avoid writing very short or incomplete answers in exams. 
5. Practice explaining answers in your own words after learning. 
6. Be clear about differences between tribal and modern perspectives. 
7. For activity-based questions, think logically and express clearly. 
8. Revise poems and songs carefully to understand their deeper meaning. 
9. Maintain neat presentation and proper sentence structure. 
10. Always recheck answers for clarity and completeness.

NCERT solutions – complete answer key

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. Identify the common characteristics shared by tribal communities all over the world. 
Most tribal communities in India are culturally similar to tribal communities elsewhere in the world. They live in groups that are cohesive and organically unified. They show very little interest in accumulating wealth or in using labour as a device to gather interest and capital. They accept a world-view in which nature, human beings and God are intimately linked and they believe in the human ability to spell and interpret truth. They live more by intution than reason, they consider the space around them more sacred than secular, and their sense of time is personal rather than objective.

2. What distinguishes the tribal imagination from the secular imagination? 
The tribal imagination is dreamlike and hallucinatory. It admits fusion between various planes of existence and levels of time in a natural way. In tribal stories, oceans fly in the sky as birds, mountains swim in the water as fish, animals speak as humans and stars grow like plants. Spatial order and temporal sequence do not restrict the narrative.

3. How does G.N. Devy bring out the importance of the oral literary tradition? 
He explains that a vast number of Indian languages have yet remained only spoken, with the result that literary compositions in these languages are not considered ‘literature’. The wealth and variety of these works is enormous. Some of the songs and stories heard from itinerant street singers are no longer available anywhere. He emphasises that unless we modify the established notion of literature as something written, we will silently witness the decline of various Indian oral traditions.

4. List the distinctive features of the tribal arts. 
One of the main characteristics of tribal arts is their distinct manner of constructing space and imagery, described as ‘hallucinatory’. The boundaries between art and non-art become almost invisible. There is no deliberate attempt to follow a sequence. The episodes retold and the images created take on the apparently chaotic shapes of dreams. The ordering principles are very strict and based on convention. The creativity lies in adhering to the past while slightly subverting it. Playfulness is the soul of tribal arts and they are intimately related to rituals.

5. ‘New literature’ is a misnomer for the wealth of the Indian literary tradition. How does G.N. Devy explain this? 
He explains that the literature of the adivasis is not a new ‘movement’ or a fresh ‘trend’. Most people have simply been unaware of its existence and that is not the fault of the tribals themselves. What might be new is the present attempt to see imaginative expression in tribal language not as ‘folklore’ but as literature and to hear tribal speech not as a dialect but as a language.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Discuss the following in pairs or in groups of four

1. ‘It is time to realise that unless we modify the established notion of literature as something written, we will silently witness the decline of various Indian oral traditions.’ 
Answers may vary.

2. ‘Tribal arts are not specificlly meant for sale.’ Does this help or hamper their growth and preservation? 
Answers may vary.

3. Because India’s tribal communities are basically bilingual there is a danger of dismissing their languages as dialects of India’s major tongues. 
Answers may vary.

4. While tribal communities may not seem to possess the scientific temper, there are many ideas from tribal conventions that could enrich modern societies. 
Answers may vary.

APPRECIATION

1. How does ‘A Munda Song’ show that the perspective of the tribal mind towards the girl child is different from that of (other) mainstream communities? 
Answers may vary.

2. How does ‘A Kondh Song’ substantiate the tribal urge to gain domination over time by conversing with their dead ancestors? 
Answers may vary.

3. ‘Adi Song for the Recovery of Lost Health’ is in Miri Agom while Adi Agom is the Adi community’s language for routine conversation. How does this reflect upon the high level of language sensitivity of the Adi? Can you think of other parallels in modern languages between the literary variety and the colloquial variety? 
Answers may vary.

LANGUAGE WORK

1. Comment on the symbols used in ‘A Munda Song’. What aspect of the tribal worldview do they reflect? 
Answers may vary.

2. Explain the significance of the lines 

‘I tie this Ridin creeper 
To fasten your soul to your body.’ 
Answers may vary.

3. What is the central argument of the speaker? 
Answers may vary.

Why NCERT solutions help students?

NCERT solutions help students build strong understanding of concepts and prepare effectively for exams. They provide clear and reliable NCERT-aligned answers, making it easier to learn the correct approach to answering questions. These solutions also boost confidence and help students revise important topics in a structured way.
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