CBSE Class 6 English The Winner Worksheet Set 01

Fill in the Blanks

Question. _________ is the colour the sky becomes after blue.
Answer: Black
Explanation: When evening ends and night arrives, the bright blue sky turns completely dark and black.

Question. The mood of the poem is _________ .
Answer: playful and innocent
Explanation: The poem shows kids happily running around and enjoying their simple outdoor game without any worries.

Question. The youngsters were playing ____________
Answer: with a ball
Explanation: The children in the poem are having fun outdoors playing a game with a ball.

Question. The change of the colour of the sky reveals that ____________
Answer: play time is over
Explanation: As the sky turns dark, it shows that the day has ended and it is time to stop playing.

Question. The author’s feet _______ by the end of the game.
Answer: ache
Explanation: Running on the cold, damp evening grass for a long time made the poet's feet feel sore.

Question. The mood of the poem is ____________
Answer: playful and innocent
Explanation: The poem has a sweet and happy feeling, showing children having simple, carefree fun.

True or False

Question. The children play till their guardians call them home.
Answer: False
Explanation: The children stop playing because darkness arrives, not because their parents called them inside.

Question. The arrival of night marks the end of the game.
Answer: True
Explanation: Once the sun sets and everything becomes dark, the children can no longer play.

Question. The poem describes playing ball at daybreak near the creek.
Answer: False
Explanation: The children played during the late evening as it was getting dark, not in the morning.

Question. The lawn is warm at night.
Answer: False
Explanation: The grass becomes damp and cold once the sun goes down.

Question. The children play till their parents summon them home.
Answer: False
Explanation: The children stop playing because darkness falls ("night wins"), not because their parents called them inside.

Question. The game takes place in the neighbor’s meadow next to the creek.
Answer: True
Explanation: The poem clearly tells us the children ran around in their neighbor's grassy field near the water.

Question. The grass is heated at night.
Answer: False
Explanation: Without the warm sun, the grass becomes damp, chilly, and cold against bare feet.

Question. Night is shown as winning over the game.
Answer: True
Explanation: Darkness forces all the players to stop running, so night is called the winner.

Questions / Short Question Answers

Question. Where are the children competing?
Answer: The children are playing near the river in their neighbour's field.
Explanation: The kids found an open patch of green grass beside running water next door to play their game.

Question. What does the speaker have trouble with during the game?
Answer: The speaker struggles to catch their breath while running fast during the game. The excitement and energy of playing cause the speaker to feel out of breath, emphasizing the intensity of the moment and the physical exertion involved.
Explanation: When you run very fast in an exciting game, your lungs work extra hard and you get breathless.

Question. Can you think of the sports they are playing?
Answer: As the children are playing with a ball and running, we can state that they may be playing- football, basketball or dodgeball.
Explanation: Games that involve sprinting on grass with a ball are usually games like soccer or dodgeball.

Question. What is the overall atmosphere of the poem?
Answer: The overall mood of the poem is reflective and quiet. The speaker transitions from the excitement of the game to the inevitability of nightfall, evoking a sense of calm and contemplation about the end of an activity and the passage of time.
Explanation: The poem starts with loud, active play and gently calms down into a quiet, peaceful night.

Question. Why do you think the narrator is out of breath?
Answer: The speaker is out of breath because she is running fast without stopping to take a rest or breathe properly.
Explanation: She was having so much fun chasing the ball that she forgot to slow down and rest.

Question. What happens as the day changes into night?
Answer: As evening turns into night, the sky changes from blue to black. The darkness makes it difficult to continue the game. The cold grass begins to hurt the players' feet, signaling that the game must come to an end.
Explanation: The light fades away, shadows get bigger, and the ground gets cold, telling everyone it is time to go home.

Question. 'Night wins!' Elaborate.
Answer: The given expression indicates that the night time won the game that the children had been playing continuously. This statement indicates that there was no loser or winner in the game the children were playing. They would have continued playing if night had not come. Thus, the winner of game was night as any games ends when there is a clear winner.
Explanation: Neither team won the game—darkness simply took over the field and forced them all to stop.

Question. Where is the game held in the poem?
Answer: The game is played next to a creek in the neighbor's field. The setting is peaceful and natural, which adds to the overall mood of the poem. The location also becomes significant as nightfall gradually ends the game.
Explanation: It happens right beside a small water stream in an open field near their home.

Question. What is the meaning of the phrase "trees creep close"?
Answer: "Trees creep close" creates an eerie image, suggesting that nature is gradually taking over the game. The creeping trees symbolize the approaching night and the end of the game, adding a sense of quiet finality and the passage of time.
Explanation: In the dark, trees look taller and closer like shadows stepping in to tell the kids to pack up.

Question. Do you think that the title of the poem 'The Winner' is suitable? Give reason for your answer.
Answer: I think that the title of the poem 'The Winner' is justified. Initially, the title seems unjustified as the poem is about the children playing innocently from evening till night. However, the title seems apt with the last line which indicates that the children ended the game at night, making night time the winner of their game.
Explanation: Yes, because even though no child won, night conquered the field and stopped the game.

Question. How does the cold grass impact the players?
Answer: The cold grass causes discomfort for the players, especially as it "aches" their feet. This adds to the feeling of the game coming to an end. The physical discomfort contrasts with the earlier excitement, highlighting the transition from play to rest.
Explanation: Cold, dewy grass makes their tired feet sting and tells them their bodies need to rest.

Question. Can you propose another title for the poem? Justify it.
Answer: Another suitable title for the poem can be 'Playtime' as the poem presents how the children play without any care in the world during their playtime. It also highlights that the children play till their playtime ends which is at night.
Explanation: 'Playtime' works nicely because the poem is all about children enjoying an active evening outdoors.

Question. How does the poem show the theme of time?
Answer: The poem reflects the theme of time by showing how the game, despite the players' enjoyment, must eventually end when night falls. The shift from light to dark represents the passage of time, which inevitably interrupts even the most exciting moments.
Explanation: Time never stops moving; even the most fun games have to finish when the clock runs out.

Question. What does the phrase "game’s over" signal in the poem?
Answer: "Game's over" indicates that the game has come to an end, not because of a loss, but due to the arrival of night. It symbolizes how external forces, like time and nature, control the conclusion of events, regardless of the participants' desires.
Explanation: It means playtime has finished simply because the sun went away and it got too dark to see.

Question. What is the central idea of the poem?
Answer: The theme of the poem is the inevitability of time and the way it affects our activities. The game, despite the players’ enthusiasm, ends when night arrives, symbolizing how time and nature inevitably bring closure to everything, no matter how much we resist.
Explanation: Nature and time decide when fun activities wrap up, reminding us that day always turns into night.

Question. The poem 'The Winner' reminds us of the childhood innocence wherein we played without any concern in the world. Comment.
Answer: It is true that the poem 'The Winner' reminds us of the childhood innocence wherein we played without any worry in the world. During our childhood, we played for many hours without any serious competition while enjoying the game for fun. We would continue playing till it was time for us to go home. In the poem also, the children started playing in the evening with a ball. They continue playing till night arrives. When their game ends their feet are aching and they cannot see anything clearly. Their game is innocent and fun. They do not care for the winner or loser and are not worried about anything.
Explanation: Kids play purely to have fun with friends, not worrying about winning trophies or keeping score.

Question. The poet has used senses to indicate the energy of the game and the change of time. Do you agree? Give reason.
Answer: It is true to say that the poet has used senses to indicate the intensity of the game and the change of time. The sense of breath and the pattern of the lines in the poem indicates that the game that the children were playing was so intense that the children were breathless. Further, the change of the time and temperature is indicated by the cold grass and the change of the colour of the sky from dark blue to black.
Explanation: We feel how out-of-breath they are, see the sky turning black, and feel the cold grass on our feet.

Question. Why does the speaker state "Night wins"?
Answer: "Night wins" refers to the inevitability of nightfall, which brings an end to the game. Despite the players’ efforts, darkness takes over, showing how time and nature always control the course of events, no matter how much one might want to continue.
Explanation: No matter how badly the children want to keep running, darkness always beats them and ends the game.

Question. Why were the poetess and her friends running quickly?
Answer: The poetess and her friends were running fast as they were playing a game with the ball and chasing it.
Explanation: The children were running with all their energy because they were having fun chasing a ball.

Question. What is the location of the poem?
Answer: The setting of the poem is a neighbour’s field next to a creek during the evening.
Explanation: The children are playing outside in an open grassy field near a little stream just as the sun is setting.

Question. How does the poet employ personification in the poem?
Answer: The poet uses personification to give nature human-like actions, which makes the scene more vivid. For example, "Night wins!" treats night as a winner that actively ends the game. Likewise, "trees creep close" gives trees the action of moving nearer as dusk falls. These images make nature an active participant rather than a passive background, and they heighten the feeling that nature itself brings the children's play to a close.
Explanation: Personification means talking about nature as if it were a living person, like saying the night "wins" a race against the kids.