The Naughty Boy Chapter Notes | English for Class 4 PDF Download

Introduction

This poem is about a naughty boy who decides to run away to Scotland. He expects things to be different there, but as he explores, he finds that many things are just the same as they are in England. The poem shows that no matter where we go, some things stay the same.

Summary

In the poem, the naughty boy goes to Scotland to see new things and new people. But when he gets there, he finds that the ground, the size of things, and even the colors are the same as in England. He thought everything would be different, but it wasn’t. In the end, he stands still and feels surprised.

Explanation

Stanza 1:

"There was a naughty boy,
And a naughty boy was he.
He ran away to Scotland,
The people there to see –"

In this part, we learn about the naughty boy. "Naughty" means he likes to make trouble or not listen. He runs away to a place called Scotland to see the people there. He wants to find new things.

Stanza 2:

"Then he found
That the ground
Was as hard,
That a yard
Was as long,
That a song
Was as merry,"

When the boy arrives in Scotland, he sees that the ground (the land) is just as hard as it is in England. A "yard" (which is how you measure length) is the same, and even songs are still fun and happy, just like in England.

Stanza 3:

"That a cherry
Was as red,
That lead
Was as weighty,
That fourscore
Was as eighty,"

In this part, the boy sees that cherries are still red in Scotland, just like in England. "Lead," which is a heavy metal, is still just as heavy. He learns that "fourscore" (which means 80) is the same everywhere, in both Scotland and England.

Stanza 4:

"That a door was as wooden
As in England—
So he stood in his shoes
And he wondered,
He wondered,
He stood in his shoes,
And he wondered."

Here, the boy notices that even the doors in Scotland are made of wood, just like in England. He feels surprised. He stands still in his shoes, thinking about how everything is the same, even though he went to a new place.

Word Meaning 

• Naughty – Likes to make trouble or not listen.
• Merry – Happy and cheerful.
• Weighty – Heavy.
• Fourscore – A word that means 80.
• Wondered – To think about something and feel surprised.