NCERT Textbook: The Wise Parrot | English Santoor Class 5 - New NCERT PDF Download

 Page 1


Let us Read
4 The Wise Parrot
In a quiet village, a rich merchant kept a bright 
and talkative parrot in a cage of gold. The parrot 
had a sharp mind and often entertained the 
merchant with stories and songs. However, deep 
inside, the bird longed for the open skies and 
green trees.
One day, the merchant decided to travel 
far away for business. He thought he would do 
something to please his pet. He walked up to the 
cage and said, “My beloved parrot, I am about to 
travel to a far-off land. What can I bring for you 
from there?”
Chapter 4.indd   41 09-06-2025   15:29:17
Page 2


Let us Read
4 The Wise Parrot
In a quiet village, a rich merchant kept a bright 
and talkative parrot in a cage of gold. The parrot 
had a sharp mind and often entertained the 
merchant with stories and songs. However, deep 
inside, the bird longed for the open skies and 
green trees.
One day, the merchant decided to travel 
far away for business. He thought he would do 
something to please his pet. He walked up to the 
cage and said, “My beloved parrot, I am about to 
travel to a far-off land. What can I bring for you 
from there?”
Chapter 4.indd   41 09-06-2025   15:29:17
42
Santoor  Grade 5
 The parrot replied, “Dear master, you look 
after my needs so well that I have tasted all the 
tender fruits and chillies. But, I want to taste the 
joy of flying in the sky. If you really want me to 
be happy, please let me fly off into the sky.”
 The merchant said, “You are very dear to me 
and I cannot bear to let you go away. Ask for 
anything else.”
 The bird sighed. “Since you cannot let me fly, 
when you see my friends in the jungle tell them 
that I send them greetings from my cage.”
 The merchant went off on his travels. One 
day in a forest, he saw a flight of parrots with the 
same colour as his pet. He walked up to the tree 
and said, “O beautiful parrots, I have one of your 
relatives as a pet and I keep it in a cage of gold. 
It has sent greetings for you all.”
 As the merchant finished speaking, one 
parrot dropped like a stone from the tree and fell 
on the ground.
Chapter 4.indd   42 09-06-2025   15:29:17
Page 3


Let us Read
4 The Wise Parrot
In a quiet village, a rich merchant kept a bright 
and talkative parrot in a cage of gold. The parrot 
had a sharp mind and often entertained the 
merchant with stories and songs. However, deep 
inside, the bird longed for the open skies and 
green trees.
One day, the merchant decided to travel 
far away for business. He thought he would do 
something to please his pet. He walked up to the 
cage and said, “My beloved parrot, I am about to 
travel to a far-off land. What can I bring for you 
from there?”
Chapter 4.indd   41 09-06-2025   15:29:17
42
Santoor  Grade 5
 The parrot replied, “Dear master, you look 
after my needs so well that I have tasted all the 
tender fruits and chillies. But, I want to taste the 
joy of flying in the sky. If you really want me to 
be happy, please let me fly off into the sky.”
 The merchant said, “You are very dear to me 
and I cannot bear to let you go away. Ask for 
anything else.”
 The bird sighed. “Since you cannot let me fly, 
when you see my friends in the jungle tell them 
that I send them greetings from my cage.”
 The merchant went off on his travels. One 
day in a forest, he saw a flight of parrots with the 
same colour as his pet. He walked up to the tree 
and said, “O beautiful parrots, I have one of your 
relatives as a pet and I keep it in a cage of gold. 
It has sent greetings for you all.”
 As the merchant finished speaking, one 
parrot dropped like a stone from the tree and fell 
on the ground.
Chapter 4.indd   42 09-06-2025   15:29:17
43
The Wise Parrot
 The merchant was distressed at this. He 
hurried away from there.
 On returning home, he went up to his 
parrot’s cage and described all the wonders and 
the beauty he had seen on his journey, and how 
a flight of parrots had come to the forest he was 
visiting.
 He then told his pet about the message he 
had conveyed, and, with great sorrow, described 
how one bird had been so shocked that it fell to 
the ground.
 As soon as he finished talking, his own pet 
parrot fell from the perch to the floor of the cage.
Chapter 4.indd   43 09-06-2025   15:29:18
Page 4


Let us Read
4 The Wise Parrot
In a quiet village, a rich merchant kept a bright 
and talkative parrot in a cage of gold. The parrot 
had a sharp mind and often entertained the 
merchant with stories and songs. However, deep 
inside, the bird longed for the open skies and 
green trees.
One day, the merchant decided to travel 
far away for business. He thought he would do 
something to please his pet. He walked up to the 
cage and said, “My beloved parrot, I am about to 
travel to a far-off land. What can I bring for you 
from there?”
Chapter 4.indd   41 09-06-2025   15:29:17
42
Santoor  Grade 5
 The parrot replied, “Dear master, you look 
after my needs so well that I have tasted all the 
tender fruits and chillies. But, I want to taste the 
joy of flying in the sky. If you really want me to 
be happy, please let me fly off into the sky.”
 The merchant said, “You are very dear to me 
and I cannot bear to let you go away. Ask for 
anything else.”
 The bird sighed. “Since you cannot let me fly, 
when you see my friends in the jungle tell them 
that I send them greetings from my cage.”
 The merchant went off on his travels. One 
day in a forest, he saw a flight of parrots with the 
same colour as his pet. He walked up to the tree 
and said, “O beautiful parrots, I have one of your 
relatives as a pet and I keep it in a cage of gold. 
It has sent greetings for you all.”
 As the merchant finished speaking, one 
parrot dropped like a stone from the tree and fell 
on the ground.
Chapter 4.indd   42 09-06-2025   15:29:17
43
The Wise Parrot
 The merchant was distressed at this. He 
hurried away from there.
 On returning home, he went up to his 
parrot’s cage and described all the wonders and 
the beauty he had seen on his journey, and how 
a flight of parrots had come to the forest he was 
visiting.
 He then told his pet about the message he 
had conveyed, and, with great sorrow, described 
how one bird had been so shocked that it fell to 
the ground.
 As soon as he finished talking, his own pet 
parrot fell from the perch to the floor of the cage.
Chapter 4.indd   43 09-06-2025   15:29:18
44
Santoor  Grade 5
 The merchant couldn’t understand how his 
beloved pet died so suddenly. He reached into 
the cage and gently took the still warm body of 
the bird and placed it on the windowsill.
 As soon as he stepped back, the bird stirred, 
stretched its beautiful green wings and flew off 
into the open sky saying, “My friend showed me 
how I could escape and now I can fly in the sky. 
Goodbye!”
New Words
merchant tender distressed
perch windowsill sighed
Chapter 4.indd   44 09-06-2025   15:29:18
Page 5


Let us Read
4 The Wise Parrot
In a quiet village, a rich merchant kept a bright 
and talkative parrot in a cage of gold. The parrot 
had a sharp mind and often entertained the 
merchant with stories and songs. However, deep 
inside, the bird longed for the open skies and 
green trees.
One day, the merchant decided to travel 
far away for business. He thought he would do 
something to please his pet. He walked up to the 
cage and said, “My beloved parrot, I am about to 
travel to a far-off land. What can I bring for you 
from there?”
Chapter 4.indd   41 09-06-2025   15:29:17
42
Santoor  Grade 5
 The parrot replied, “Dear master, you look 
after my needs so well that I have tasted all the 
tender fruits and chillies. But, I want to taste the 
joy of flying in the sky. If you really want me to 
be happy, please let me fly off into the sky.”
 The merchant said, “You are very dear to me 
and I cannot bear to let you go away. Ask for 
anything else.”
 The bird sighed. “Since you cannot let me fly, 
when you see my friends in the jungle tell them 
that I send them greetings from my cage.”
 The merchant went off on his travels. One 
day in a forest, he saw a flight of parrots with the 
same colour as his pet. He walked up to the tree 
and said, “O beautiful parrots, I have one of your 
relatives as a pet and I keep it in a cage of gold. 
It has sent greetings for you all.”
 As the merchant finished speaking, one 
parrot dropped like a stone from the tree and fell 
on the ground.
Chapter 4.indd   42 09-06-2025   15:29:17
43
The Wise Parrot
 The merchant was distressed at this. He 
hurried away from there.
 On returning home, he went up to his 
parrot’s cage and described all the wonders and 
the beauty he had seen on his journey, and how 
a flight of parrots had come to the forest he was 
visiting.
 He then told his pet about the message he 
had conveyed, and, with great sorrow, described 
how one bird had been so shocked that it fell to 
the ground.
 As soon as he finished talking, his own pet 
parrot fell from the perch to the floor of the cage.
Chapter 4.indd   43 09-06-2025   15:29:18
44
Santoor  Grade 5
 The merchant couldn’t understand how his 
beloved pet died so suddenly. He reached into 
the cage and gently took the still warm body of 
the bird and placed it on the windowsill.
 As soon as he stepped back, the bird stirred, 
stretched its beautiful green wings and flew off 
into the open sky saying, “My friend showed me 
how I could escape and now I can fly in the sky. 
Goodbye!”
New Words
merchant tender distressed
perch windowsill sighed
Chapter 4.indd   44 09-06-2025   15:29:18
45
The Wise Parrot
A. Answer the following questions.
 1. Why did the merchant keep the parrot in a 
cage of gold?
 2. What made the parrot a favourite pet of the 
merchant?
 3. What message did the parrot ask the 
merchant to convey to its friends?
 4. What happened after the merchant gave the 
message to the parrots?
 5. How did the parrot escape from the cage?
Let us Think
B. Think and discuss
 1. If you were the merchant, 
how would you respond 
to the parrot’s request for 
freedom?
 2. Can you think of a 
real-life situation where 
intelligence is more useful 
than strength?
 3. Which parrot from the 
chapter was actually ‘wise’ 
according to you? Give 
reasons for your answer.
Chapter 4.indd   45 09-06-2025   15:29:19