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The Farmer and the Well

NCERT Class 5 · English Based on NCERT Class 5 English textbook · Free CBSE study kit

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Chapter Notes

Overview
This chapter is a story about a hardworking farmer who buys a well from his cunning neighbour, but the neighbour refuses to let him use the water, claiming he sold only the well, not the water. The farmer takes the matter to the village Panchayat, which gives a wise judgment that forces the neighbour to admit his mistake. The big idea is that honesty and fairness always win, and that a community's collective wisdom (like the Panchayat) can solve problems justly. Students should learn the importance of truth, the role of a Panchayat in village life, and how clever arguments can be defeated by even wiser reasoning.
Key Concepts (12)
Panchayat
A group of village elders or members chosen to settle disputes and make decisions for the community.
e.g. In the story, the village chief and members gathered under the banyan tree to hear both the farmer and the neighbour and give a fair judgment.
cunning
Clever in a tricky or dishonest way, often to cheat others.
e.g. The neighbour was cunning because he planned to sell only the well but keep the water, hoping to cheat the farmer.
adamant
Refusing to change one's mind or opinion, even when others try to reason.
e.g. The neighbour was adamant that the water still belonged to him, and he would not let the farmer take it.
apologise
To say sorry for a mistake or wrongdoing.
e.g. After the Panchayat's judgment, the cunning neighbour had to apologise to the farmer for his dishonesty.
wisdom
The quality of having good judgment, knowledge, and experience to make fair decisions.
e.g. The villagers praised the wisdom of the Panchayat for giving a clever and just judgment.
prospered
Became successful, especially by becoming rich or wealthy.
e.g. The farmer worked very hard and prospered, so he could buy another field and a well.
summoned
Ordered or called to come to a particular place, especially officially.
e.g. Both the farmer and his neighbour were summoned to appear before the Panchayat under the banyan tree.
judgment
A decision made by a judge or a group (like a Panchayat) after hearing both sides of a case.
e.g. The Panchayat gave the judgment that the neighbour must remove his water or it would belong to the farmer.
fine
An amount of money that a person has to pay as punishment for doing something wrong.
e.g. The cunning neighbour had to pay a fine as well as apologise to the farmer.
banyan tree
A large tree with spreading branches and aerial roots; the national tree of India, often used as a meeting place in villages.
e.g. The Panchayat members gathered under the banyan tree in the centre of the village to hear the case.
suffix
A letter or group of letters added at the end of a word to change its meaning, e.g., 'less' added to 'use' makes 'useless'.
e.g. In the word 'priceless', 'less' is a suffix added to 'price' to mean 'without price' or 'very valuable'.
priceless
So valuable that it cannot be given a price; extremely precious.
e.g. Water is priceless because without it, we cannot live, and no amount of money can replace it.
How It Works
How the Panchayat resolves a dispute
  1. Step 1: A person with a problem (the farmer) goes to the village chief and explains the issue.
  2. Step 2: The village chief fixes a day for a meeting of the Panchayat.
  3. Step 3: On the fixed day, the Panchayat members gather under the banyan tree in the centre of the village.
  4. Step 4: Both parties (the farmer and the neighbour) are summoned and asked to explain their side.
  5. Step 5: The Panchayat members and villagers try to reason with the person who is wrong (the neighbour), but if he is adamant, they discuss among themselves.
  6. Step 6: The Panchayat stands up to give the judgment, which is announced by the village chief.
  7. Step 7: The wrongdoer is punished (fine and apology), and the correct person is relieved and happy.
💡 Students often forget that the Panchayat first tries to reason with the wrongdoer before giving the judgment. Also, the judgment is announced by the village chief, not by all members individually.
How the neighbour's trick backfires
  1. Step 1: The neighbour sells the well to the farmer but claims the water still belongs to him.
  2. Step 2: The neighbour refuses to let the farmer take water from the well.
  3. Step 3: The farmer goes to the Panchayat for justice.
  4. Step 4: The Panchayat agrees that only the well was sold, not the water.
  5. Step 5: The Panchayat then gives a clever judgment: if the water belongs to the neighbour, he must remove it from the farmer's well immediately or use it up, otherwise it becomes the farmer's property.
  6. Step 6: The neighbour realises he cannot remove all the water, so he has to accept defeat, pay a fine, and apologise.
💡 The key point is that the Panchayat did not say the water belonged to the farmer. Instead, they used the neighbour's own logic against him — if the water is his, he must take it out of someone else's property.
Exam Traps — Don't Make These Mistakes
⚠ Confusing 'well' and 'water' ownership
✗ The Panchayat said the water belongs to the farmer because he bought the well.
→ The Panchayat actually agreed that the neighbour sold only the well, not the water. They did not change the ownership of the water directly. Instead, they gave the neighbour an impossible choice: remove the water or it becomes the farmer's.
✓ The Panchayat agreed that only the well was sold. However, they ruled that since the water was the neighbour's, he must remove it from the farmer's well immediately. If he could not, the water would belong to the owner of the well (the farmer).
⚠ Who summoned whom?
✗ The farmer summoned the neighbour to the Panchayat.
→ The text clearly says that the village chief fixed the meeting and both the farmer and his neighbour were summoned by the Panchayat, not by the farmer.
✓ The village chief fixed a day for the Panchayat meeting, and both the farmer and his neighbour were summoned (called) to appear before the Panchayat.
⚠ The neighbour's punishment
✗ The neighbour only had to apologise to the farmer.
→ The text states that the neighbour had to pay a fine as well as apologise. Both punishments are mentioned.
✓ The cunning neighbour had to pay a fine and also apologise to the farmer.
⚠ Where the Panchayat met
✗ The Panchayat met in the village chief's house.
→ The text explicitly says the Panchayat members gathered under the banyan tree in the centre of the village.
✓ The Panchayat members gathered under the banyan tree in the centre of the village.
⚠ The meaning of 'adamant'
✗ Adamant means angry or stubborn in a bad way.
→ Adamant specifically means refusing to change one's mind, not necessarily angry. The neighbour was not angry; he was firm in his wrong claim.
✓ Adamant means refusing to change one's mind or opinion, even when others try to reason with you.
Compare & Contrast
Character and behaviour
Farmer
Neighbour
The farmer is hardworking, honest, and seeks justice through the Panchayat, while the neighbour is cunning, dishonest, and tries to cheat the farmer by selling only the well but keeping the water.
What is transferred in the sale
Selling a well
Selling water
When you sell a well, you transfer ownership of the structure and the land it is on, but the water inside may still belong to the seller unless explicitly included in the sale. The neighbour exploited this by claiming he sold only the well, not the water.
Exam Focus
Marks pattern: 2 MCQs (1 mark each) on vocabulary or comprehension, 1 short answer (2-3 marks) on the Panchayat's decision, 1 long answer (5 marks) on character analysis or moral of the story, and 1 grammar question (1-2 marks) on prepositions or suffixes.
Most asked: The judgment of the Panchayat and why it was fair · Character traits of the farmer and the neighbour · Meaning of key words: Panchayat, cunning, adamant, judgment · Sequence of events in the story
Don't skip: Explain the judgment given by the Panchayat and why it was considered wise.; Describe the character of the neighbour and how his plan failed.; Rearrange the events of the story in the correct order.
One-Line Revision (read aloud before the exam)
  1. The farmer bought the well because he needed a source of water for his fields.
  2. The neighbour was cunning and claimed he sold only the well, not the water.
  3. The worried farmer went to the village chief and explained his problem.
  4. The Panchayat members gathered under the banyan tree to hear the case.
  5. The Panchayat agreed that only the well was sold, not the water.
  6. The Panchayat's judgment was that the neighbour must remove his water from the well or it would belong to the farmer.
  7. The cunning neighbour had to pay a fine and apologise to the farmer.
  8. The villagers praised the wisdom of the Panchayat.
  9. The word 'adamant' means refusing to change one's mind.
  10. The word 'cunning' means clever in a tricky or dishonest way.
  11. A suffix is a letter or group of letters added at the end of a word, e.g., 'less' in 'priceless'.
  12. The banyan tree is the national tree of India and can live for over 200 years.
  13. Water is priceless because it is so valuable that you cannot put a price on it.
  14. The farmer prospered because he worked very hard.
  15. The neighbour was summoned to appear before the Panchayat.

MCQs — 10 Questions with Answers

Q1. Why did the farmer buy the well from his neighbour?

  • A. He needed water for his fields. ✓
  • B. He wanted to become richer than the neighbour.
  • C. He liked the look of the well.
  • D. The village chief told him to buy it.

Answer: A — The story clearly states the farmer needed a source of water for his fields, so he bought the well from his neighbour.

Q2. Fill in the blank: The neighbour was a _____________ man who wanted to cheat the farmer.

  • A. kind
  • B. cunning ✓
  • C. honest
  • D. hardworking

Answer: B — The story describes the neighbour as cunning, which means he was clever in a tricky and dishonest way.

Q3. What excuse did the neighbour give for not letting the farmer take water?

  • A. He said the farmer did not pay him enough money.
  • B. He said he sold only the well, not the water inside it. ✓
  • C. He said the water was poisoned and not safe to drink.
  • D. He said the farmer already had another well.

Answer: B — The neighbour's trick was to say he sold the well but kept the water, which was a dishonest and cunning argument.

Q4. Where did the Panchayat meet to hear the farmer's case?

  • A. Inside the village chief's house
  • B. At the well
  • C. Under the banyan tree in the centre of the village ✓
  • D. Inside a temple

Answer: C — The story mentions that the Panchayat members gathered under the banyan tree in the centre of the village.

Q5. What does the word 'adamant' mean as used in this story?

  • A. Very angry and shouting
  • B. Refusing to change one's mind or listen to others ✓
  • C. Being sad and depressed
  • D. Moving quickly and running away

Answer: B — Adamant means firmly refusing to listen or change your mind, which is exactly how the neighbour behaved in the story.

Q6. What was the chief's clever decision to solve the problem?

  • A. Give the well back to the neighbour and apologise.
  • B. Tell the neighbour to pay the farmer money instead of giving water.
  • C. If the water is yours, you cannot keep it in the farmer's well—remove it or use it all up immediately. ✓
  • D. Build a new well for both the farmer and the neighbour to share.

Answer: C — This was the chief's clever logic that caught the neighbour in his own trick—he could not have it both ways.

Q7. Why did the farmer go to the Panchayat instead of fighting with the neighbour?

  • A. He was afraid of the neighbour.
  • B. He did not know what to do and wanted a fair solution from the village leaders. ✓
  • C. He wanted to show everyone how strong he was.
  • D. The neighbour asked him to go to the Panchayat.

Answer: B — The story says the worried farmer did not know what to do, so he went to the village chief and told her about his case.

Q8. Based on the story, which sentence shows that the Panchayat's decision was wise and fair?

  • A. The neighbour was happy and gave a satisfied smile.
  • B. The farmer was relieved and gave a shout of joy, and the neighbour realised cheating will not lead anywhere. ✓
  • C. The villagers laughed at the neighbour and made fun of him.
  • D. Everyone went home without learning anything new.

Answer: B — The story shows that the farmer was happy and the neighbour learned his lesson—this proves the decision was both wise and fair.

Q9. Match the words with their meanings: A. Prospered B. Summon 1. To grow wealthy 2. To order someone to come to a place

  • A. A-1, B-2 ✓
  • B. A-2, B-1
  • C. Both A and B mean the same thing
  • D. Neither word has a clear meaning in the story

Answer: A — Prospered means to grow wealthy, and summon means to order someone to come to a place—both definitions match the story.

Q10. What was the final punishment given to the neighbour by the Panchayat?

  • A. He had to give the well to the farmer for free.
  • B. He had to pay a fine and apologise to the farmer. ✓
  • C. He had to leave the village forever.
  • D. He had to work on the farmer's fields for a year.

Answer: B — The story clearly states that the cunning neighbour realised cheating would not work and had to pay a fine as well as apologise to the farmer.

Flashcards

Why did the farmer buy the well?

The farmer bought the well because he needed water for his fields.

What trick did the neighbour play?

The neighbour said he sold only the well, not the water inside it, so the farmer could not use the water.

What does 'cunning' mean?

Cunning means being clever in a dishonest or tricky way to cheat someone.

Who solved the problem in the story?

The Panchayat, led by the village chief, solved the problem by listening to both sides and giving a fair judgment.

What was the Panchayat's clever decision?

If the water belongs to the neighbour, he cannot keep it in the farmer's well—he must remove it or use it all up immediately.

What does 'adamant' mean?

Adamant means refusing to change your mind or listen to others, no matter what.

What punishment did the neighbour get?

The neighbour had to pay a fine and apologise to the farmer for trying to cheat him.

Where did the Panchayat meet in the village?

The Panchayat members gathered under the banyan tree in the centre of the village.

What does 'prospered' mean?

Prospered means to grow wealthy and successful.

What is the main lesson of this story?

Dishonesty and cheating will not succeed, and wisdom and fair thinking always win in the end.

Important Board Questions

What trick did the neighbour play when the farmer tried to take water from the well? [1 mark]

The neighbour refused to let the farmer take water. He said he sold only the well, not the water inside it.

Fill in the blanks: (a) The farmer went to the _____________ chief because he needed help. (b) The neighbour was _____________ and tried to cheat the farmer. (c) The Panchayat members gathered under a _____________ tree. [2 marks]

Use words from the story: village, cunning, banyan. Look for these words in the chapter.

Explain how the village chief's decision was clever and fair. Give one example from the story to support your answer. [3 marks]

The chief said if the water belongs to the neighbour, he cannot keep it in the farmer's well. This logic trapped the neighbour and proved he was lying.

Imagine you are a member of the Panchayat. Write a short paragraph (50-70 words) explaining what you learned from this case about fair judgment and honesty. How would this help you solve problems in your village? [5 marks]

Think about: (1) Why was the chief's decision clever? (2) What does this teach us about dishonesty? (3) How does listening to both sides help? (4) Use words like wisdom, fair, honest, cheating.

True or False: (a) The farmer was happy with the Panchayat's decision. (Write True or False with one reason.) (b) The neighbour apologised and accepted his mistake. (Write True or False with one reason.) [2 marks]

(a) The farmer gave a shout of joy, so he was happy. (b) The neighbour realised cheating would not work and had to apologise.

Assertion-Reason Questions for The Farmer and the Well

Q1. Assertion (A):

The farmer was upset because the neighbour would not let him take water from the well.

Reason (R):

The neighbour claimed that he had only sold the well to the farmer, not the water in it.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — Both statements are true. The neighbour's unfair claim about owning the water was the exact reason why the farmer was upset. The reason correctly explains the assertion.

Q2. Assertion (A):

The Panchayat gave a judgment that forced the neighbour to remove the water or give it to the farmer.

Reason (R):

The villagers praised the Panchayat because they always make decisions that make everyone happy.

Answer: C — A is true but R is false — The assertion is true — the Panchayat did give such a judgment. However, the reason is not true; the villagers praised the judgment because it was wise and fair, not just because it made everyone happy. A wise judgment might upset a dishonest person.

Q3. Assertion (A):

The neighbour was a cunning man who tried to trick the farmer.

Reason (R):

He refused to let the farmer take water from his own well by claiming the water was still his property.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — Both statements are true. The neighbour's trick of claiming ownership of the water while selling the well is proof of his cunning nature. The reason correctly explains why he was cunning.

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Case-Based Questions (CBQ) for The Farmer and the Well

Case Study:

Ravi lives in a small village and has a garden where he grows vegetables. His neighbour, Mohan, also has a garden next to his. One day, Ravi buys a water pump from Mohan to water his vegetables. The next day, Mohan stands near the pump and tells Ravi, 'I sold you the pump, but not the water it brings up. The water is still mine, and you cannot use it.' Ravi becomes very worried because his vegetables will dry out without water.

Q1. What is Mohan's unfair claim in this situation?

  • A. He wants the pump back from Ravi
  • B. He sold the pump but claims he still owns the water it brings ✓
  • C. He wants Ravi to pay him money for the water
  • D. He wants to destroy Ravi's vegetables

Answer: B

Q2. Why would Ravi face the same problem as the farmer in the story?

  • A. Because both bought something from a neighbour
  • B. Because both neighbours are using the same unfair trick about owning the water ✓
  • C. Because both live in villages
  • D. Because both have fields that need water

Answer: B

Q3. What would be the fair solution in Ravi's case, based on the Panchayat's judgment in the story?

  • A. Mohan should remove all the water from the area or let Ravi use it ✓
  • B. Ravi should give the pump back to Mohan
  • C. Both should share the pump and water equally
  • D. Mohan should pay Ravi money for the trouble

Answer: A

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