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A Friend's Prayer

NCERT Class 6 · English Based on NCERT Class 6 English textbook · Free CBSE study kit

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Chapter Notes

Overview
This chapter is a poem titled 'A Friend's Prayer' by Jill Wolf, which explores the true meaning of friendship through a prayer-like wish. It exists in the syllabus to help students understand the values of care, empathy, and unconditional love in friendships. The one big idea a student must walk away with is that a true friend prays for their friend's happiness, tries to make their wishes come true, and loves them without judgement, just as they are.
Key Concepts (18)
prayer
A solemn request or wish made to God or a higher power, or a heartfelt wish for someone's well-being.
e.g. When you say 'May my friend get well soon' from your heart, it is like a prayer.
friendship
A close and caring relationship between two or more people based on trust, sharing, and mutual support.
e.g. Ravi and Priya share their tiffins every day and help each other with homework — that is friendship.
blessed
Feeling fortunate and grateful for something good in one's life.
e.g. When your friend brings you a gift on your birthday, you feel blessed.
judgement
Forming an opinion about someone without knowing them fully, often unfairly.
e.g. Thinking that a new classmate is unfriendly just because they are quiet is a judgement from afar.
heart
Used in the poem to mean feelings, emotions, and the ability to care deeply.
e.g. The poet says 'Let me use my heart to see' — meaning she wants to understand friends through love, not just logic.
special friends
Friends who are very close and important to you, for whom you feel grateful.
e.g. Your best friend who always supports you is a special friend.
wishes come true
Making something that a friend hopes for actually happen.
e.g. If your friend wishes to win a race, you can help them practice so their wish comes true.
love the way they are
Accepting and caring for a friend without wanting to change them.
e.g. Even if your friend is shy or talks a lot, you love them just as they are.
caring
Showing concern and kindness for others.
e.g. A caring friend asks 'Are you okay?' when you are sad.
thoughtful
Thinking carefully about others' feelings and needs.
e.g. A thoughtful friend remembers your favourite snack and brings it for you.
loyal
Being faithful and supportive to a friend, even in difficult times.
e.g. A loyal friend stands by you even when you make a mistake.
honest
Truthful and sincere in words and actions.
e.g. An honest friend never lies to you, even if the truth is hard to say.
helpful
Ready to assist or support a friend when needed.
e.g. A helpful friend shares notes when you miss a class.
kind
Gentle, caring, and generous towards others.
e.g. A kind friend shares their tiffin with someone who forgot theirs.
grateful
Feeling thankful for something good that has happened.
e.g. You feel grateful when your friend helps you with a difficult problem.
understood
Feeling that someone truly knows and accepts your feelings and thoughts.
e.g. When your friend listens without interrupting, you feel understood.
thankful
Feeling and expressing gratitude for a kindness received.
e.g. You are thankful when your friend brings you a glass of water when you are sick.
relaxed
Feeling calm and comfortable, without stress.
e.g. You feel relaxed when you sit with your best friend in the park.
How It Works
Identifying a Prayer
  1. Read the three sentences given in the pre-reading activity.
  2. Identify which sentence expresses a wish for someone else's well-being, not just a hope for oneself.
  3. Recognize that a prayer is a heartfelt wish, often for another person's health, happiness, or success.
  4. Explain your choice to the teacher and classmates.
💡 Students often confuse 'hope' and 'prayer'. A hope can be for oneself (e.g., 'I hope I win'), but a prayer is usually a selfless wish for another's good (e.g., 'May my friend get well soon').
Writing a Prayer for a Friend
  1. Think about your friend and what they need or wish for.
  2. Speak about your prayer aloud to your teacher and classmates.
  3. Write down your prayer in a clear sentence, starting with 'May' or 'I wish'.
  4. Ensure the prayer is selfless and focused on your friend's well-being.
💡 Students often write a wish for themselves (e.g., 'I wish I get a new toy') instead of a prayer for their friend. The prayer must be about the friend, not the speaker.
Completing the Summary of the Poem
  1. Read the summary paragraph carefully.
  2. For each pair of highlighted words, choose the one that matches the poem's meaning.
  3. Circle the correct word (e.g., 'prayer' not 'speech', 'special' not 'brave', 'listen to' not 'clap for').
  4. Check your answers by re-reading the poem.
💡 Students often pick the word that sounds familiar rather than the one that fits the poem's exact meaning. Always refer back to the poem to confirm.
Answering Questions from the Poem
  1. Read the given lines from the poem carefully.
  2. Identify the main idea or feeling expressed in those lines.
  3. Choose the most suitable option (e.g., 'caring' for lines about making wishes come true).
  4. Answer fill-in-the-blank questions with words from the poem or context.
  5. For 'one word' answers, write only the single word required.
💡 Students often write full sentences when asked for 'one word only'. Read the instruction carefully. For example, 'How does the poet feel about special friends?' — answer: 'blessed' (one word).
Listing Qualities of a Good Friend
  1. Think of words that describe a good friend (e.g., loyal, helpful, kind, caring, honest).
  2. Fill in the blanks in the given sentences using these words.
  3. Ensure the word fits the context of the sentence (e.g., 'My friend is always loyal to me even when I make a mistake').
💡 Students often use the same word for all blanks. Each blank requires a different quality that matches the sentence meaning. For example, 'shares things' matches 'helpful' or 'kind', not 'loyal'.
Describing How a Friendship Started
  1. List answers for When? Where? and How? the friendship began.
  2. Write a short paragraph of about 80 words using these points.
  3. Give a title to the paragraph.
  4. Include details like the place (e.g., school, park), time (e.g., first day of class), and how (e.g., shared a tiffin, played together).
💡 Students often write too many details or go off-topic. Stick to the three questions: When? Where? How? Keep the paragraph focused and within the word limit.
Exam Traps — Don't Make These Mistakes
⚠ Confusing 'hope' with 'prayer'
✗ Students write that sentence 2 ('I hope my friend and I win the race tomorrow') is a prayer.
→ Sentence 2 is a hope for both the speaker and the friend, not a selfless prayer for the friend alone. A prayer is a wish for someone else's well-being without personal gain.
✓ Sentence 3 ('May my friend get well soon') is closest to a prayer because it is a selfless wish for the friend's health.
⚠ Writing a wish for oneself instead of a prayer for a friend
✗ When asked to write a prayer for a friend, students write: 'I wish I get a new bicycle.'
→ A prayer for a friend must be about the friend's well-being, not the speaker's own desires. The question specifically says 'for your friend'.
✓ Write: 'May my friend always be happy and healthy.' or 'I wish my friend does well in the exam.'
⚠ Choosing the wrong word in the summary
✗ Students circle 'speech on friendship' instead of 'prayer for friendship'.
→ The poem is titled 'A Friend's Prayer', so the poet is saying a prayer, not giving a speech. The word 'prayer' is directly from the title and the poem's theme.
✓ Circle 'prayer for friendship' because the poem is a heartfelt wish, not a formal speech.
⚠ Answering 'one word only' questions with full sentences
✗ For 'How does the poet feel about special friends?', students write: 'She feels blessed and grateful.'
→ The instruction says 'Answer in one word only'. Writing two words or a full sentence loses marks.
✓ Write only: 'blessed' (one word from the poem).
⚠ Misinterpreting 'make no judgements from afar'
✗ Students write that the speaker does not want to judge friends at all, even after knowing them.
→ The phrase 'from afar' means judging without knowing the person well. The speaker wants to know her friends first before forming an opinion.
✓ Write: 'The speaker does not want to judge her friends without knowing them properly. She wants to understand them first.'
⚠ Using the same quality word for all blanks
✗ Students fill all blanks with 'kind' because it is a common word.
→ Each sentence has a specific context. For example, 'My friend never lies' requires 'honest', not 'kind'. Using the same word for all shows lack of understanding.
✓ Match each blank: 1. loyal, 2. helpful/kind, 3. caring, 4. honest, 5. understanding/kindness.
Compare & Contrast
Nature of the wish
Prayer
Hope
A prayer is a selfless wish for someone else's well-being (e.g., 'May my friend get well soon'), while a hope can be for oneself or for mutual benefit (e.g., 'I hope my friend and I win the race').
Approach to friendship
Judging from afar
Loving friends the way they are
Judging from afar means forming an opinion without knowing the person, which is unfair. Loving friends the way they are means accepting them fully, with all their strengths and weaknesses, after truly knowing them.
Exam Focus
Marks pattern: This chapter typically appears in school exams with: 2 MCQs (1 mark each) on identifying prayer/hope and qualities, 1 Very Short Answer (1 mark) on one-word answer, 1 Short Answer (2-3 marks) on explaining a line from the poem, 1 Long Answer (5 marks) on writing a paragraph about a friendship or a prayer for a friend.
Most asked: Identifying a prayer vs. a hope · Qualities of a good friend (loyal, helpful, kind, caring, honest) · Meaning of key lines from the poem (e.g., 'make no judgements from afar', 'love my friends the way they are') · Summary completion with correct words · One-word answers from the poem
Don't skip: Explain the meaning of 'Let me use my heart to see' and 'make no judgements from afar'.; Write a short paragraph describing how your friendship with a friend started (80 words).; Complete the summary of the poem by choosing the correct words.
One-Line Revision (read aloud before the exam)
  1. A prayer is a selfless wish for someone else's well-being, like 'May my friend get well soon'.
  2. The poet says friendship should always be the most important thing to her.
  3. With special friends, the poet feels blessed and wants to give her very best.
  4. A true friend does more than share hopes and plans; they try to make their friend's wishes come true.
  5. The poet wants to use her heart to see and understand what friends can be.
  6. The poet prays to make no judgements from afar but to love her friends the way they are.
  7. The word 'blessed' means feeling grateful and fortunate.
  8. Qualities of a good friend include loyal, helpful, kind, caring, and honest.
  9. A loyal friend stays with you even when you make a mistake.
  10. An honest friend never lies to you.
  11. A caring friend always supports you.
  12. To describe how a friendship started, answer When? Where? and How? in a short paragraph.
  13. The poem 'A Friend's Prayer' teaches us to accept friends without trying to change them.
  14. The speaker in the poem is caring and thoughtful because she wants to make her friends' wishes come true.

MCQs — 10 Questions with Answers

Q1. What does the poet say is the most important thing to her?

  • A. School studies
  • B. Playing games
  • C. Friendships ✓
  • D. Eating food

Answer: C — The first line of the poem clearly states 'May my friendships always be / The most important thing to me.'

Q2. Which word in the line 'With special friends I feel I'm blessed' means feeling grateful and fortunate?

  • A. special
  • B. feel
  • C. blessed ✓
  • D. friends

Answer: C — Blessed means feeling grateful, fortunate, and happy about something good in your life.

Q3. What does the poet want to do 'much more than share'?

  • A. Give money to friends
  • B. Play with friends every day
  • C. Help friends' hopes and plans come true ✓
  • D. Buy gifts for friends

Answer: C — The poem states 'I want to do much more than share / The hopes and plans of friends who care.'

Q4. Fill in the blank: The poet wants to 'make no __________ from afar' but love friends as they are.

  • A. decisions
  • B. judgements ✓
  • C. promises
  • D. mistakes

Answer: B — The poem says 'make no judgements from afar, / But love my friends the way they are,' meaning don't judge without truly understanding.

Q5. Why does the poet use her 'heart' to understand friendship?

  • A. Because the heart is a strong organ
  • B. Because feelings and emotions help understand true friendship ✓
  • C. Because the heart is red in colour
  • D. Because it is mentioned in science books

Answer: B — In the poem, 'heart' represents feelings and emotions that help us truly understand and accept our friends.

Q6. Which quality of a good friend is missing from this list: loyal, kind, helpful, __________?

  • A. busy
  • B. rich
  • C. honest ✓
  • D. strong

Answer: C — The poem shows that a good friend should be honest and not lie, which is one of the five key qualities mentioned in the learning section.

Q7. Based on the poem, what should a friend NOT do?

  • A. Share hopes and plans with friends
  • B. Make judgements about friends from far away ✓
  • C. Try to make friends' wishes come true
  • D. Feel grateful for special friends

Answer: B — The poem clearly states 'make no judgements from afar' because true friendship requires close understanding and acceptance.

Q8. Why is the poem called 'Friendship' and not just 'My Friend'?

  • A. Because it is written by a girl named Friendship
  • B. Because it is about the idea of friendship itself, not just one friend ✓
  • C. Because it has the word friendship in every line
  • D. Because friendship is a shorter title

Answer: B — The poem teaches general lessons about what friendship means and how to be a good friend to anyone, not just about one specific friend.

Q9. What does the poet mean by 'I'll try all that a friend can do'?

  • A. A friend should do all the homework
  • B. A friend should try their best to help and support ✓
  • C. A friend should play all kinds of games
  • D. A friend should buy all kinds of things

Answer: B — This line shows that a good friend makes their best effort to help, support, and make friends' wishes come true.

Q10. Which of these is a similarity between a prayer and this poem?

  • A. Both are written in a temple
  • B. Both express hopes and wishes for something important ✓
  • C. Both must be said aloud every morning
  • D. Both are about God and religion

Answer: B — Like a prayer that expresses heartfelt hopes, this poem expresses the poet's sincere wishes and hopes for being a good friend.

Flashcards

What does the poet mean by 'Let me use my heart to see'?

The poet wants to use feelings and emotions to truly understand what friendship means.

Why is the poem 'Friendship' called a prayer?

Because the poet expresses wishes and hopes for friendship and for being a good friend to others.

What quality does a friend have if they are 'blessed'?

A friend who is blessed feels grateful and special to have good friendships.

Name three qualities of a good friend from the poem.

A good friend is caring, honest, helpful, kind, and accepts others just as they are.

What does 'make no judgements from afar' mean?

It means do not judge or criticize friends from a distance; instead, get close and understand them truly.

What does the poet want to do for her friends' wishes?

The poet wants to try all that a friend can do to make their friends' wishes come true.

How should you love your friends according to the poem?

You should love your friends the way they are, accepting all their qualities and not trying to change them.

What is more important than just sharing things in friendship?

Understanding friends' hopes and plans and truly caring about them is more important than just sharing objects.

What does 'With special friends I feel I'm blessed' tell us?

It tells us that having special friends makes the poet feel grateful, fortunate, and happy.

Why should a friend use their heart in friendship?

Because the heart represents emotions and feelings, which help us truly understand and accept our friends.

Important Board Questions

Why is the poem 'Friendship' called a prayer? [1 mark]

Look at the poem's structure and what the poet expresses. A prayer shows wishes and hopes for something important and meaningful.

List any two qualities of a good friend mentioned in the poem and explain each in one sentence. [2 marks]

Read the line 'With special friends I feel I'm blessed' and 'love my friends the way they are.' Think about caring, honesty, loyalty, and accepting others.

Explain what the poet means by 'Let me use my heart to see.' Why is this important in friendship? [3 marks]

Heart means feelings and emotions, not the physical organ. The poet wants to use emotions to truly understand friends. Give an example from your life where feelings helped you understand a friend better.

The poet says 'I want to do much more than share / The hopes and plans of friends who care.' Explain what she means by this. How is real friendship more than just sharing things? Give two examples from school or home life. [5 marks]

Focus on the difference between sharing objects (lunch, toys) and real friendship. Real friendship involves understanding, supporting, and helping friends reach their goals. Examples: listening when sad, helping with homework, supporting in competitions.

True or False? Explain your answer in 2-3 sentences. A good friend should judge their friends' behaviour from a distance without knowing them well. [2 marks]

The poem line is 'make no judgements from afar.' True friendship requires getting close, understanding completely, and accepting friends as they are without criticizing hastily.

Assertion-Reason Questions for A Friend's Prayer

Q1. Assertion (A):

The speaker believes that friendship should always be the most important thing in her life.

Reason (R):

Friends are more important than school and family.

Answer: C — A is true but R is false — The assertion is true — the first line says 'May my friendships always be the most important thing to me.' However, the reason is false because the poem does not say friendship is more important than family or school.

Q2. Assertion (A):

The poet says that a true friend should be able to see the good in their friend.

Reason (R):

The poem asks for the strength to forgive and understand a friend's mistakes.

Answer: B — Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A — Both statements are true, but seeing the good is a separate idea from asking for strength to forgive mistakes.

Q3. Assertion (A):

In the poem, the speaker prays to be a better friend herself.

Reason (R):

The poem is about asking God for qualities like kindness, patience, and honesty in friendship.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — The speaker's prayer focuses on improving her own behaviour as a friend, and the reason correctly explains that she asks for these qualities.

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Case-Based Questions (CBQ) for A Friend's Prayer

Case Study:

Aisha and Meera are friends in Class 6. Last week, Meera felt very sad because she got low marks in her English test. Aisha noticed that Meera was quiet and not playing with other friends. Instead of ignoring her, Aisha sat with Meera and listened to her worries. She told Meera that she would help her study for the next test. Aisha also shared her lunch with Meera and made her laugh with funny jokes. Soon, Meera felt better and happy again.

Q1. What quality did Aisha show by noticing that Meera was sad?

  • A. She was careless and didn't care
  • B. She was caring and paid attention to her friend's feelings ✓
  • C. She was too busy with her own work
  • D. She wanted to make fun of Meera

Answer: B

Q2. How did Aisha help Meera feel better? (Choose two correct actions)

  • A. She listened to Meera's problems and offered to help her study ✓
  • B. She avoided Meera completely
  • C. She shared her lunch and made Meera laugh
  • D. She told everyone about Meera's low marks

Answer: A

Q3. Which line from the poem 'Friendship' is shown by Aisha's actions in this story?

  • A. I'll try all that a friend can do to make their wishes come true ✓
  • B. May my friendships always be the most important thing to me
  • C. But love my friends the way they are
  • D. And make no judgements from afar

Answer: A

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