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CBSE Class 7 English★ 5-8 marks through reading comprehension, poetic devices, vocabulary, and writing tasks in CBSE Class 7 English (Poorvi)

My Dear Soldiers

A CBSE Class 7 English (Poorvi) Unit 5 poem addressed to our soldiers — thanking them for guarding the nation day and night, in every season and danger, and expressing a child's love, gratitude and pride. A warm companion to the prose homage. These notes give the summary, themes, poetic devices, vocabulary, comprehension Q&A, writing tasks, common mistakes, a practice set with answers, and quick revision.

⏱ 13 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Explain to whom the poem is addressed and why
2Describe what the soldiers do and the qualities praised
3Identify direct address and rhyme
4Use new vocabulary like 'selfless' and 'gratitude'
5Write a few lines of thanks to soldiers

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Why this chapter matters

My Dear Soldiers turns gratitude and patriotism into song-like verse, speaking directly to the soldiers who protect us. Students learn direct address and rhyme while expressing love, pride and thankfulness.

Before you start — revise these

A 5-minute refresher here will save you 30 minutes of confusion below.

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Companion lesson - A Homage to Our Brave Soldiers

The prose tribute in the same unit shares the theme.

My Dear Soldiers — Class 7 English (CBSE)

From the current NCERT Poorvi Grade 7 book, Unit 5: Bravehearts, Chapter 14. A tender poem that speaks directly to our soldiers with love and gratitude.

1. About the poem

Text type: A poem (addressed directly to soldiers).
Main theme: Gratitude, love and pride for the soldiers who protect us.
Voice: The poem speaks to the soldiers, as if writing them a thank-you.

2. Summary

"My Dear Soldiers" is a heartfelt poem addressed to the soldiers of our country. The speaker thanks them for standing guard day and night, in every season and danger, to keep the nation and its people safe. The poem praises their courage, sacrifice and selfless service, and expresses a deep sense of love, gratitude and pride. By speaking directly to the soldiers — "my dear soldiers" — the poem feels warm and personal, like a thank-you letter from a grateful citizen. It is a gentle companion to the prose tribute in this unit, turning the same feelings of respect into song-like verse.

3. Theme and poetic devices

Theme: Gratitude, love and pride for our soldiers.
Direct address (apostrophe): the speaker talks straight to the soldiers.
Tone: warm, respectful and affectionate.
Rhythm and rhyme: give the poem a song-like, heartfelt flow.

4. New words and meanings

Word	Meaning
guard	to watch over and protect
selfless	thinking of others before oneself
pride	a feeling of deep pleasure and respect
gratitude	thankfulness
foe	an enemy

5. Let Us Think (comprehension)

Whom is the poem addressed to? To our soldiers ("my dear soldiers").
What do the soldiers do, according to the poem? They guard the nation day and night, in every season and danger.
What qualities of the soldiers are praised? Their courage, sacrifice and selfless service.
What feelings does the speaker express? Love, gratitude and pride.
Why does saying "my dear soldiers" make the poem special? It feels warm and personal, like a direct thank-you.

6. Language and poetry

Direct address

The poem talks straight to the soldiers. Write one line that begins "Dear soldiers, …".

Rhyming words

Find one pair of rhyming words in the poem and write them.

7. Writing and speaking

Writing: Write four lines of your own thanking the soldiers.
Speaking: Recite the poem with a warm, grateful and proud tone.

8. Common mistakes

Mistake: Reading it as being about soldiers only. Fix: It speaks to them directly — note the address.
Mistake: Missing the feelings. Fix: The poem is full of love, gratitude and pride.
Mistake: Flat recitation. Fix: Read it warmly, as a heartfelt thank-you.

9. Practice set

Who is the poem speaking to?
When do the soldiers keep watch?
Name two qualities of the soldiers praised in the poem.
What feelings does the speaker have for them?
Write two rhyming words from the poem.

10. Answer key

The soldiers ("my dear soldiers").
Day and night, in every season and danger.
Courage and selfless sacrifice (service).
Love, gratitude and pride.
Answers will vary; any correct rhyming pair.

11. Quick revision

Unit 5: Bravehearts · Chapter 14 · a poem addressed to soldiers.
The speaker thanks the soldiers for guarding the nation day and night.
It praises their courage, sacrifice and selfless service.
Feelings: love, gratitude and pride.
"My dear soldiers" makes it warm and personal.

Unit 5: Bravehearts

This chapter is part of Unit 5: Bravehearts. The three chapters in this unit are:

Chapter 13: A Homage to Our Brave Soldiers — a prose tribute
Chapter 14: My Dear Soldiers — a poem of gratitude
Chapter 15: Rani Abbakka — the story of a brave queen

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Text type

poem of direct address to soldiers

It speaks to the soldiers, like a thank-you letter.

Main theme

gratitude, love and pride for soldiers

A heartfelt companion to the prose homage.

Poetic device

apostrophe (direct address) with rhyme

'My dear soldiers' makes it warm and personal.

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Reading it as being about soldiers only

✓ It speaks to them directly - note the address.

WATCH OUT

✗ Missing the feelings

✓ The poem is full of love, gratitude and pride.

WATCH OUT

✗ Flat recitation

✓ Read it warmly, as a heartfelt thank-you.

NCERT exercises (with solutions)

Every NCERT exercise from this chapter — what it covers and how many questions to expect.

Read and feel

Read the poem aloud and discuss the feelings it expresses.

Questions

Notebook practice

Comprehension answers, rhyming words, and vocabulary.

Questions

Project or activity

Write and decorate your own four-line thank-you poem for soldiers.

Questions

Practice problems

Try each one yourself before tapping "Show solution". Active recall > rereading.

Q1EASY· Recall

Who is the poem speaking to?

▶ Show solution

The soldiers ('my dear soldiers').

Q2EASY· Recall

When do the soldiers keep watch?

▶ Show solution

Day and night, in every season and danger.

Q3MEDIUM· Comprehension

Which qualities of the soldiers does the poem praise?

▶ Show solution

Their courage, their sacrifice and their selfless service to the nation.

Q4MEDIUM· Theme

What feelings does the speaker express, and how do we know?

▶ Show solution

Love, gratitude and pride, shown by the warm direct address 'my dear soldiers' and the thanks given throughout the poem.

Q5EASY· Poetic device

Write two rhyming words from the poem.

▶ Show solution

Any correct rhyming pair from the poem is acceptable.

Q6MEDIUM· Writing

Write four lines of your own thanking the soldiers.

▶ Show solution

Lines will vary; check for gratitude and an attempt at rhyme.

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•My Dear Soldiers is Chapter 14 of Unit 5 in the Class 7 Poorvi textbook.
•It is a poem addressed directly to our soldiers.
•The speaker thanks them for guarding the nation day and night.
•It praises their courage, sacrifice and selfless service.
•Feelings: love, gratitude and pride.
•'My dear soldiers' makes it warm and personal.

CBSE marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 5-8 marks in school tests, notebooks, and recitation

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
Very Short	1	2-3	Facts, rhyme, or vocabulary
Short Answer	2-3	2	Theme, feelings, or device
Writing	3	0-1	Original thank-you lines

Prep strategy

Note that the poem speaks to the soldiers directly
List the qualities praised: courage, sacrifice, service
Find rhyming pairs in the poem
Write four heartfelt lines of thanks

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Expressing gratitude

The poem models how to thank those who serve us.

Patriotic feeling

It builds pride and love for the country.

Recitation practice

Its warm tone is perfect for expressive reading.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

Show that the poem addresses soldiers directly
Name the qualities and feelings clearly
Pick rhyming words straight from the poem
Keep your own lines warm and grateful

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

Compare this poem with the prose homage in two sentences.
Write a four-line poem thanking another kind of helper (a doctor, a farmer).

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

CBSE Class 7 School AssessmentHigh

Class 7 Recitation / Olympiad PracticeMedium

Notebook and Recitation EvaluationHigh

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Questions students ask

The real ones — pulled from the Q&A community and tutor sessions.

Heartfelt gratitude, love and pride for the soldiers who protect the nation, expressed warmly by speaking directly to them.

It shares the same theme as 'A Homage to Our Brave Soldiers', turning the unit's respect and thankfulness into song-like verse.

Practice more, ask doubts, find a tutor

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