Class 7 English Unit 1 NCERT Book - Three Days to See

 Page 1


t hRee Day S to See Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs. Recall a visit to a place that you liked. Discuss the details 
of that place and write about the following:
 1. Name of the place
 2. The person(s) you went with
 3. The things that you could: 
 • see • listen • smell • taste • touch and feel
 II How does this memory make you feel?
 III Do you think your visit/experience would be different if you could not 
see or hear? Share your answers with your classmates and the teacher.
  Did you know that our five senses are essential for us to experience and 
make sense of the world around us?
Poorvi Unit 1.indd   28 Unit 1.indd   28 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM
Page 2


t hRee Day S to See Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs. Recall a visit to a place that you liked. Discuss the details 
of that place and write about the following:
 1. Name of the place
 2. The person(s) you went with
 3. The things that you could: 
 • see • listen • smell • taste • touch and feel
 II How does this memory make you feel?
 III Do you think your visit/experience would be different if you could not 
see or hear? Share your answers with your classmates and the teacher.
  Did you know that our five senses are essential for us to experience and 
make sense of the world around us?
Poorvi Unit 1.indd   28 Unit 1.indd   28 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM
Learning Toge Ther symmetry: 
evenness
birch: a slender 
tree with thin 
peeling bark
quiver: shiver
shaggy: hairy
 Let us read 
I, who cannot see, find hundreds of things to interest me 
through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a 
leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about 
the smooth skin of a silver birch, or 
the rough, shaggy bark of a pine. In 
spring, I touch the branches of trees 
hopefully in search of a bud, the first 
sign of awakening Nature after her 
winter’s sleep. Occasionally, I am very 
fortunate; I place my hand gently on a 
small tree and feel the happy quiver of 
a bird in full song. 
At times, my heart cries out with 
longing to see all these things. If I can 
get so much pleasure from mere touch, 
how much more beauty must be revealed by sight. And 
I have imagined what I should most like to see if I were 
given the use of my eyes, say, for just three days. 
I should divide the period into three parts. On the first 
day, I should want to see the people whose kindness and 
companionship have made my life worth living. I do not 
know what it is to see into the heart of a friend through 
that ‘window of the soul’, the eye. 
I can only ‘see’ through my fingertips the outline of a face. 
I can detect laughter, sorrow and other obvious emotions. 
I know my friends from the feel of their faces. 
29
Unit 1.indd   29 Unit 1.indd   29 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM
Page 3


t hRee Day S to See Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs. Recall a visit to a place that you liked. Discuss the details 
of that place and write about the following:
 1. Name of the place
 2. The person(s) you went with
 3. The things that you could: 
 • see • listen • smell • taste • touch and feel
 II How does this memory make you feel?
 III Do you think your visit/experience would be different if you could not 
see or hear? Share your answers with your classmates and the teacher.
  Did you know that our five senses are essential for us to experience and 
make sense of the world around us?
Poorvi Unit 1.indd   28 Unit 1.indd   28 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM
Learning Toge Ther symmetry: 
evenness
birch: a slender 
tree with thin 
peeling bark
quiver: shiver
shaggy: hairy
 Let us read 
I, who cannot see, find hundreds of things to interest me 
through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a 
leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about 
the smooth skin of a silver birch, or 
the rough, shaggy bark of a pine. In 
spring, I touch the branches of trees 
hopefully in search of a bud, the first 
sign of awakening Nature after her 
winter’s sleep. Occasionally, I am very 
fortunate; I place my hand gently on a 
small tree and feel the happy quiver of 
a bird in full song. 
At times, my heart cries out with 
longing to see all these things. If I can 
get so much pleasure from mere touch, 
how much more beauty must be revealed by sight. And 
I have imagined what I should most like to see if I were 
given the use of my eyes, say, for just three days. 
I should divide the period into three parts. On the first 
day, I should want to see the people whose kindness and 
companionship have made my life worth living. I do not 
know what it is to see into the heart of a friend through 
that ‘window of the soul’, the eye. 
I can only ‘see’ through my fingertips the outline of a face. 
I can detect laughter, sorrow and other obvious emotions. 
I know my friends from the feel of their faces. 
29
Unit 1.indd   29 Unit 1.indd   29 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM
Poorvi behold: see
panorama: scene
glimpse: brief 
look
The next day I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling 
miracle by which night is transformed into day. I should 
behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with 
which the sun awakens the sleeping earth. This day I should 
devote to a hasty glimpse of the world, past and present. I 
should want to see the pageant of man’s progress, and so I 
should go to the museums. There my eyes would see the 
condensed history of the earth—animals and the races 
of men pictured in their native environment; gigantic 
carcasses of dinosaurs and mastodons that roamed 
the earth before man appeared, with his 
tiny stature and powerful brain, to 
conquer the animal kingdom. 
The following morning, I should again 
greet the dawn, anxious to discover 
new delights, new revelations of 
beauty. Today, this third day, I shall 
spend in the workaday world, amid the 
haunts of men going about the business 
of life. The city becomes my destination. 
First, I stand at a busy corner, merely 
looking at people, trying by sight of them 
to understand something of their daily 
lives. I see smiles, and I am happy. 
I see serious determination, and 
I am proud. I see suffering, and I 
am compassionate. 
pageant: display
condensed:
brief
carcasses: 
remains
stature: 
physique, build
haunts: regular 
meeting places
merely: just
mastodons: a 
large animal 
similar to an 
elephant, but 
with fur
Unit 1.indd   30 Unit 1.indd   30 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM
Page 4


t hRee Day S to See Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs. Recall a visit to a place that you liked. Discuss the details 
of that place and write about the following:
 1. Name of the place
 2. The person(s) you went with
 3. The things that you could: 
 • see • listen • smell • taste • touch and feel
 II How does this memory make you feel?
 III Do you think your visit/experience would be different if you could not 
see or hear? Share your answers with your classmates and the teacher.
  Did you know that our five senses are essential for us to experience and 
make sense of the world around us?
Poorvi Unit 1.indd   28 Unit 1.indd   28 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM
Learning Toge Ther symmetry: 
evenness
birch: a slender 
tree with thin 
peeling bark
quiver: shiver
shaggy: hairy
 Let us read 
I, who cannot see, find hundreds of things to interest me 
through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a 
leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about 
the smooth skin of a silver birch, or 
the rough, shaggy bark of a pine. In 
spring, I touch the branches of trees 
hopefully in search of a bud, the first 
sign of awakening Nature after her 
winter’s sleep. Occasionally, I am very 
fortunate; I place my hand gently on a 
small tree and feel the happy quiver of 
a bird in full song. 
At times, my heart cries out with 
longing to see all these things. If I can 
get so much pleasure from mere touch, 
how much more beauty must be revealed by sight. And 
I have imagined what I should most like to see if I were 
given the use of my eyes, say, for just three days. 
I should divide the period into three parts. On the first 
day, I should want to see the people whose kindness and 
companionship have made my life worth living. I do not 
know what it is to see into the heart of a friend through 
that ‘window of the soul’, the eye. 
I can only ‘see’ through my fingertips the outline of a face. 
I can detect laughter, sorrow and other obvious emotions. 
I know my friends from the feel of their faces. 
29
Unit 1.indd   29 Unit 1.indd   29 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM
Poorvi behold: see
panorama: scene
glimpse: brief 
look
The next day I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling 
miracle by which night is transformed into day. I should 
behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with 
which the sun awakens the sleeping earth. This day I should 
devote to a hasty glimpse of the world, past and present. I 
should want to see the pageant of man’s progress, and so I 
should go to the museums. There my eyes would see the 
condensed history of the earth—animals and the races 
of men pictured in their native environment; gigantic 
carcasses of dinosaurs and mastodons that roamed 
the earth before man appeared, with his 
tiny stature and powerful brain, to 
conquer the animal kingdom. 
The following morning, I should again 
greet the dawn, anxious to discover 
new delights, new revelations of 
beauty. Today, this third day, I shall 
spend in the workaday world, amid the 
haunts of men going about the business 
of life. The city becomes my destination. 
First, I stand at a busy corner, merely 
looking at people, trying by sight of them 
to understand something of their daily 
lives. I see smiles, and I am happy. 
I see serious determination, and 
I am proud. I see suffering, and I 
am compassionate. 
pageant: display
condensed:
brief
carcasses: 
remains
stature: 
physique, build
haunts: regular 
meeting places
merely: just
mastodons: a 
large animal 
similar to an 
elephant, but 
with fur
Unit 1.indd   30 Unit 1.indd   30 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM
Learning Toge Ther 31
At midnight, permanent night would close in on me again. 
Naturally in those three short days I should not have seen all 
I wanted to see. Only when darkness had again descended 
upon me should I realise how much I had left unseen.
I who am blind can give one hint to those who can see: use 
your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And 
the same method can be applied to your other senses. Hear 
the music of voice, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an 
orchestra, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch 
each object as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell 
the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if 
tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the 
most of every sense; glory in all the facets of pleasure and 
beauty, which the world reveals to you through the several 
means of contact, which Nature provides. But of all the senses, 
I am sure that sight must be the most delightful.
 h eLen KeLLer 
Let us discuss
 I Work in pairs. Identify the statements that are true from the ones 
given below. Share your answers with the teacher.
 1. The author expresses a deep longing to experience the world 
through the sense of hearing.        
 2. The author would like exploring the city only to observe how 
people are suffering.
 3. The author would spend the first day seeing the people whose 
kind-heartedness and friendship have enriched her life. 
 4. The author acknowledges that even in three days, she would not 
be able to see everything. 
 5. The author feels that everyone can find the greatest joy merely by 
the sense of touch.
 6. The author advises those who can see to appreciate every moment 
as if they might lose their senses tomorrow. 
 7. On the third day, the author would like to observe people in their 
daily lives and understand their experiences. 
strains: tunes
tactile sense: 
sense of touch
morsel: a small 
piece of food
facets: aspects
Unit 1.indd   31 Unit 1.indd   31 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM
Page 5


t hRee Day S to See Let us do these activities before we read.
 I Work in pairs. Recall a visit to a place that you liked. Discuss the details 
of that place and write about the following:
 1. Name of the place
 2. The person(s) you went with
 3. The things that you could: 
 • see • listen • smell • taste • touch and feel
 II How does this memory make you feel?
 III Do you think your visit/experience would be different if you could not 
see or hear? Share your answers with your classmates and the teacher.
  Did you know that our five senses are essential for us to experience and 
make sense of the world around us?
Poorvi Unit 1.indd   28 Unit 1.indd   28 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM
Learning Toge Ther symmetry: 
evenness
birch: a slender 
tree with thin 
peeling bark
quiver: shiver
shaggy: hairy
 Let us read 
I, who cannot see, find hundreds of things to interest me 
through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a 
leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about 
the smooth skin of a silver birch, or 
the rough, shaggy bark of a pine. In 
spring, I touch the branches of trees 
hopefully in search of a bud, the first 
sign of awakening Nature after her 
winter’s sleep. Occasionally, I am very 
fortunate; I place my hand gently on a 
small tree and feel the happy quiver of 
a bird in full song. 
At times, my heart cries out with 
longing to see all these things. If I can 
get so much pleasure from mere touch, 
how much more beauty must be revealed by sight. And 
I have imagined what I should most like to see if I were 
given the use of my eyes, say, for just three days. 
I should divide the period into three parts. On the first 
day, I should want to see the people whose kindness and 
companionship have made my life worth living. I do not 
know what it is to see into the heart of a friend through 
that ‘window of the soul’, the eye. 
I can only ‘see’ through my fingertips the outline of a face. 
I can detect laughter, sorrow and other obvious emotions. 
I know my friends from the feel of their faces. 
29
Unit 1.indd   29 Unit 1.indd   29 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:30 PM
Poorvi behold: see
panorama: scene
glimpse: brief 
look
The next day I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling 
miracle by which night is transformed into day. I should 
behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with 
which the sun awakens the sleeping earth. This day I should 
devote to a hasty glimpse of the world, past and present. I 
should want to see the pageant of man’s progress, and so I 
should go to the museums. There my eyes would see the 
condensed history of the earth—animals and the races 
of men pictured in their native environment; gigantic 
carcasses of dinosaurs and mastodons that roamed 
the earth before man appeared, with his 
tiny stature and powerful brain, to 
conquer the animal kingdom. 
The following morning, I should again 
greet the dawn, anxious to discover 
new delights, new revelations of 
beauty. Today, this third day, I shall 
spend in the workaday world, amid the 
haunts of men going about the business 
of life. The city becomes my destination. 
First, I stand at a busy corner, merely 
looking at people, trying by sight of them 
to understand something of their daily 
lives. I see smiles, and I am happy. 
I see serious determination, and 
I am proud. I see suffering, and I 
am compassionate. 
pageant: display
condensed:
brief
carcasses: 
remains
stature: 
physique, build
haunts: regular 
meeting places
merely: just
mastodons: a 
large animal 
similar to an 
elephant, but 
with fur
Unit 1.indd   30 Unit 1.indd   30 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM
Learning Toge Ther 31
At midnight, permanent night would close in on me again. 
Naturally in those three short days I should not have seen all 
I wanted to see. Only when darkness had again descended 
upon me should I realise how much I had left unseen.
I who am blind can give one hint to those who can see: use 
your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And 
the same method can be applied to your other senses. Hear 
the music of voice, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an 
orchestra, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch 
each object as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell 
the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if 
tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the 
most of every sense; glory in all the facets of pleasure and 
beauty, which the world reveals to you through the several 
means of contact, which Nature provides. But of all the senses, 
I am sure that sight must be the most delightful.
 h eLen KeLLer 
Let us discuss
 I Work in pairs. Identify the statements that are true from the ones 
given below. Share your answers with the teacher.
 1. The author expresses a deep longing to experience the world 
through the sense of hearing.        
 2. The author would like exploring the city only to observe how 
people are suffering.
 3. The author would spend the first day seeing the people whose 
kind-heartedness and friendship have enriched her life. 
 4. The author acknowledges that even in three days, she would not 
be able to see everything. 
 5. The author feels that everyone can find the greatest joy merely by 
the sense of touch.
 6. The author advises those who can see to appreciate every moment 
as if they might lose their senses tomorrow. 
 7. On the third day, the author would like to observe people in their 
daily lives and understand their experiences. 
strains: tunes
tactile sense: 
sense of touch
morsel: a small 
piece of food
facets: aspects
Unit 1.indd   31 Unit 1.indd   31 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM
Poorvi 32
 II Complete the table given below with what Helen Keller wanted to do on 
the three days if she had sight.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
see the people, know 
her friends from the 
feel of their faces, …
arise with the dawn, 
… 
 III The author says that you need eyes to be able to ‘see’ the true self of 
a person. Therefore, she refers to the eye as ‘window of the soul’. 
How is the narrator able to understand the feelings of a person? 
	 Let 	us 	 think 	 and 	 reflect
 I Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
 1. I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about 
the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough, shaggy bark of a pine. 
In spring, I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud, the 
first sign of awakening Nature after her winter’s sleep. Occasionally, I 
am very fortunate; I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the 
happy quiver of a bird in full song.
 (i) What does the ‘delicate symmetry of a leaf’ symbolise?
 (ii) List two phrases from the extract that describe the texture of 
objects in nature.
 (iii) Complete the sentence appropriately.
  The phrase ‘awakening Nature after her winter’s sleep’ refers 
to __________________.
 (iv) What is the tone of the writer in this extract?
 A. nostalgic B. proud
 C. admiring D. celebratory 
 2. The next day I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling miracle 
by which night is transformed into day. I should behold with awe 
the magnificent panorama of light with which the sun awakens the 
sleeping earth. This day I should devote to a hasty glimpse of the world, 
past and present. I should want to see the pageant of man’s progress, 
and so I should go to the museums.
Unit 1.indd   32 Unit 1.indd   32 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM 06-Mar-25   2:47:31 PM