05_Social Studies Book 5_2078 Revised and Updated

Approved by the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Education
Curriculum Development Centre (CDC), Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, Nepal.

New

Social Studies

C R E A wi th ART

TI VE

Revised and Updated

5Book
Authors

Kiran Thapa
Yojana Karmacharya

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Name :

Class : Roll No.:

School:

Phone No.:

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Phone: 4672071, 5187211, 5187226 Fax: 00977-1-4672073

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© Copyright: Publisher 2073 BS

First Edition : 2069 BS

Revised Edition : 2072, 2073 BS

Updated Edition : 2074 BS

Revised Edition : 2075 BS

Reprint : 2076 BS

Revised Edition : 2077 BS

Revised and Updated Edition : 2078 BS

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.

Any breach of this condition will entail legal action and prosecution.

Content Editors Special thanks to:
Matrika Pd. Lamsal Ellen Dietrich

Ashish Pradhan Shweta Rajya Laxmi Malla
Grishma/Gaurav Rajbhandari

In the Loving Memory of Late Amir Kumar Batajoo.

Layout
Readmore Desktop

Printed in Nepal

You can exchange this book from your nearest book shop if any binding errors are found.

Read to help others read !

We are pleased to inform that a certain amount from each book is allocated to the
Charity Fund. The fund is provided to deserving and needy students all over Nepal.

The charity always welcomes co-operation and support from all well wishers and agencies.

About the book

’s New Social Studies book is an appropriately graded series of social

studies for school children. It is an appropriately planned series that fulfills the needs
of students and teachers and meets the changing situations of our country and the
world.

Salient features of the book:
v The entire curriculum has been divided into seven units as specified by the

Curriculum Development Centre, Government of Nepal. Similarly the second phase
of the book has creative art. This lesson helps students develop various skills and
creativity. For the convenience of the teachers, Audio-Visual materials are provided
with the book. It is a very new trend in the field of education in Nepal.

v The objectives of the lessons given at the beginning of each lesson enable teachers
to clearly understand the theme of the lesson and plan accordingly.

v The note to the teacher is placed at the bottom of each lesson with guidelines and
some useful tips for teachers about presenting the lesson in a useful and meaningful
way.

v Evaluation exercises are presented in such a way; so that the students solve the
problems by themselves. This also gives an idea to the teachers to understand
whether students have grasped the theme of the lesson or not. There are textual
questions in which the students read the text and solve the problems.

v The content of the lessons are written in simple language with colourful illustrations.
Social, ethnic, geographical diversities and gender equality are given special
attention.

v To make the text more interesting for students, the lessons contain various reading
materials such as stories, dialogues, letters etc.

v At the end of every unit, one fun exercise is given.

v At the end of each unit, a list of glossary and revision exercises are given for each
respective unit.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the principals and teachers who
’s New Social Studies book to their students and
have recommended

schools. We are confident that these books will meet the objectives set forth by CDC/

Government of Nepal. We highly appreciate the opinion and constructive suggestions

from the teachers and intellectuals.

- Authors

Table of Contents

1Unit My Family, My 7. Uses of a Globe and a Map 104
Neighbours And Me
1. Occupation of My Neighbours 6 8. A) Our Neighbouring Countries 108

9. B) Our Neighbouring Countries 113

2. Good Behaviour 9 Let’s Revise 117

3. Social Responsibility 12 Unit

4. Good Deeds Never Go Wasted 16 6 Our Past

5. Empathy 19 1. Historical Things of Our

Let’s Revise 21 Community 119

Unit Our Traditions, Social 2. Ancient Nepal 122

2 Values and Norms 3. A) Our National Heroes 125
1. Our Glorious Traditions
23 4. B) Our National Heroes 129

2. Unity in Diversity 26 5. Our Head of the State

3. Festivals of Our Country 29 And Head of the Government 134

4. Our Nation Our Pride 33 Let’s Revise 138

5. Good People of My District 36 Unit

Let’s Revise 39 7 Our Economic Activities

Unit Social Problems And 1. Economic Activities

3 Solutions of My District 140

1. Quit Bad Habits 42 2. Learn to Take Care 143

2. Anti-Social Activities 45 3. Domestic Products 146

3. Unnecessary Imitation 48 4. Use of Domestic Products 149

4. Helpful Social Organizations 51 5. Economic Activities

5. Role of Local Bodies 54 of Our Country 152

6. Forgiveness and Reconciliation 57 Let’s Revise 155

Let’s Revise 60

Unit Let’s Stop and Think 156
4 Civic Awareness
1. Fundamental Rights 62 CREATIVE ART 159
160
2. Our Fundamental Duties 66 1. Vegetable Printing 161
2. Spray Printing 162
3. Our National Heritage 69 3. Leaf Printing 164
4. Paper Folding 165
4. Social Responsibility 73 5. Paper Collage 166
6. Paper Weaving 167
5. District Assembly and District 7. Wire Sculpture 168
8. Drawing and Colouring
Co-ordination Committee 76 9. Clay Work 169
10. Drawing by Using 170
6. Equal Treatment 79 Geometrical Shapes 172
11. Colour Mixing 175
Let’s Revise 82 12. Music 176
13. Dance
Unit 84 14. Class Song
87
5 Our Earth 91
1. Natural Region of Nepal 95
2. Climate And Lifestyle of Nepal 98
3. Natural Vegetation of Nepal 101
4. Soil of Our Country
5. Map of Nepal
6. Symbols Used in Map Work

UNIT MY FAMILY, MY

1 NEIGHBOURS AND ME

Occupation of My Neighbours
Good Behaviour
Social Responsibility
Good Deeds Never Go Wasted
Empathy

1LESSON OCCUPATION OF MY
NEIGHBOURS

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n identify the occupations of their neighbours.
n discuss the importance of different occupations people
follow in their community.

Hi!

I’m Naila and I live in the
Nakkhu neighbourhood. All
my neighbours are engaged
in different occupations to
earn their livelihood. Even
my parents work to earn and
provide basic requirements
to us. My father, Mr. Harish
Pun is a police officer whereas my mother, Mrs. Lekha Pun is a school
teacher.

People living in my neighbourhood can be found engaged in various
occupations. We have a cobbler who mends our shoes, a tailor who
sews our clothes, a mechanic who repairs our car, bike, bicycle etc,
a blacksmith who makes tools like kuto, kodalo, hansiya, knives and
utensils, a shopkeeper who sells groceries, a weaver who weaves
doko, dalo, namlo etc, a potter who makes earthenware from clay, a
pharmacist who sells medicine, a photographer who takes our photos,
a dentist who takes care of our teeth, a barber who cuts our hair, a
florist who sells flowers, a driver who drives bus, trucks etc for us.
Without these neighbours of ours, we couldn’t live comfortably as
they provide us services of our daily need.

6 Social Studies - Book 5

My neighbours who live close to my house
are very cooperative to each other. Without
each other’s support and work, our
neighbourhood would not be complete.
In my neighbourhood, we have a teacher
who teaches at school, a doctor who treats
patients, a nurse who takes care of patients,
a lawyer who gives us legal advises, a health
worker who awares people about hygiene and
good health, a news reader who reads news in television, a farmer
who grows crops, a businessmen who runs a business and a labour
who works in a factory. For smooth functioning and development
of our neighbourhood, all the occupations are equally essential. In
the absence of any one of the occupations from our neighbourhood,
we would have difficulty in fulfilling our basic needs and living a
comfortable life. Therefore, we must appreciate each and every one
for the occupation that they are following as their contribution in
their chosen field which has made our life easier and comfortable.

KEY WORDS

Appreciate : to recognize the good qualities of somebody
Blacksmith : a person who makes and repairs things made of iron

by hand
Contribution : an action or a service that helps to cause or increase

something
Earthenware : pottery made of clay
Engage : to become involved with
Occupation : a job

Note to the Teacher: Display the pictures of different occupation and discuss with the students. Ask them
about the occupation their neighbours are involved in. Make them enact the roles of people involved in
various occupations. Take the students around the locality of the school to meet the people of different
occupations and gather information personally.

Social Studies - Book 5 7

Evaluation Exercises

1 Think and write.

a. What occupation do your parents and relatives follow? Name
any five of them.

b. What occupation do most of your neighbours follow? Name any
four of them.

c. What occupation would you like to follow in future? Give reason.

2 Read the lesson and answer.

a. Why do people engage in various occupations?
b. Why do we need different occupations in our neighbourhood?
c. Who helps us to live a comfortable life?
d. Why must we appreciate our neighbours?

3 Who will you go to if:

a. You need to mend your torn shoes
b. You need legal advise
c. You need to buy groceries
d. You need your photo to be taken
e. You need to sew a new dress

4 What benefits do you get from the occupations of your neighbours?

Neighbour’s Occupation Benefits

Project Work

Dress up like a professional of your choice. Then tell your class who
you are and what you do.

8 Social Studies - Book 5

2LESSON GOOD BEHAVIOUR

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n respect their neighbours.
n love, care and be obedient towards the elderly.

Sabin lives in Phalate village of Kavre district. Gyaljen and Hisila
are his close friends. They are also his neighbours. They go to school
together. They play different games together. They all get involved in
each other’s festivals and celebrate with joy.

On Saturday, there is a celebration
at Sabin’s house. It is his sister’s
naming ceremony. Early in the
morning, his father told him
to invite his friends with their
parents. So, he went out to invite
them. First, he went to Gyaljen’s
home.

Sabin : Namaste kaka and kaki. How are you?

Kaka : We are fine but Gyaljen has gone to the market. Did you
come to meet him?

Sabin : I came here to invite you all for my brother’s naming
ceremony. It is on this coming Saturday.

Kaka : Thank you for inviting us Sabin. We will surely be there.

Kaki : Wait for a while. I will bring juice and biscuits for you.

Sabin : Thank you kaki but I have to go to many other places to
invite. I will surely come next time.

He then went to Hisila’s home.

Social Studies - Book 5 9

Sabin : Namaste aunt. I heard uncle is not feeling well. How is he
now?

Aunt : He had cold and fever. He is much better now. You can go
and meet him in the room.

Sabin : Namaste uncle. How are you feeling today?
Uncle : I am feeling better. I am glad that you came to meet me.
Sabin : I came to invite you for my sister’s naming ceremony on

coming Saturday. Will you be able to come?
Uncle : I will try my best but don’t worry your friend Hisila and her

mother will surely attend.
Sabin : Thank you uncle, and get well soon.

On Saturday all of them came to Sabin’s house.

Gyaljen and Hisila : Namaste uncle and aunt. Where is the baby?
We would like to see her.

Mother : Sabin, take your friends to your sister.
Gyaljen and Hisila : Aunt, if you need any help please do let us know.
Mother : Oh thank you. That is very thoughtful of you. I will surely

let you know.

Like Sabin, Gyaljen and Hisila, you should also behave well towards
your elders and neighbours.

KEY WORDS

Attend : be present at an event
Naming Ceremony : a ceremony in which new born baby is named
Thoughtful : showing consideration for the need of other people

Note to the Teacher: Discuss with the student how they behave with their neighbours. Conduct role
play in class to show different behaviours.

10 Social Studies - Book 5

Evaluation Exercises

1 Think and write.
a. Suppose a guest arrives at your house in your parents’ or elders’
absence. Now how would you welcome your guest?

b. Suppose you need to look after your younger sibling in your
parents’ absence. How would you treat him/her?

2 Write True for correct and False for wrong statement.

a. We should talk politely with our neighbour.

b. We should not help our neighbours when they are in need.

c. We should quarrel with our closest neighbour.

d. We must treat our neighbours equally.

e. We should trust others easily.

3 Read the lesson and answer.

a. List any four good behaviours that Sabin has shown towards his
friends’ parents.

b. List any two good behaviours that Gyaljen and Hisila have shown
towards Sabin’s parents.

4 Read the text given below. Sabin has written this paragraph about

how he behaves with his neighbours.

I am Sabin and I live at Phalate village. I always greet my seniors
with a Namaste and speak kindly with my juniors. I am very friendly
and cooperative with my friends. I play fairly when playing with
them. For me, playing with a team spirit and cooperation is more
important than winning the game. I never discriminate my friends
and neighbours on the bases of their caste, religion or occupation.
I respect and treat them equally. I never backbite about my friends
or neighbours. If possible, I always help the needy and younger
ones.

Write a similar paragraph about how you behave or deal with your
neighbours.

Project Work
Go along with one of your friends to his/her neighbour’s house.
Observe how they interact and behave with their neighbours. Take
notes of their behaviour. Then comment on their behaviour next
day in the class. Also give them some suggestions if needed.

Social Studies - Book 5 11

3LESSON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n participate and help in the community work of their society.

Three friends, Purnima, Adweta and Shreya who live in a town, once
were returning home from their school. On their way back, they saw a
motorist being hit by a truck. No one offered any help to the motorist.
He was bleeding heavily and pleading for help. The three friends
rushed to the nearest phone booth and called the police at 100. Soon
the help arrived and the motorist was rescued on time.

Abdul, who was alone at home, suddenly heard someone shouting
for help. He rushed outside and saw smoke coming out of his
neighbour’s house. He immediately rushed inside and dialed 101 to
call fire brigade for help. Soon after the arrival of the fire fighters, the
fire was controlled.

Rajaram’s sister is getting
married in this week.
Therefore all his friends
after their school will go to
his home to help the family.
They will help in cleaning the
surrounding, carrying the pots
or utensils, buying things from
the shop, collecting flowers
and woods, decorating the
house and compound etc.

12 Social Studies - Book 5

Ram, Bigesh, Saimon and Anjali, who
live in village, every weekend with
the other children of their village go to
public tap, ponds, park and temples to
clean them. They also clean the river
bank and plant trees around it. These
children also help the villagers repair
roads and their school buildings.

These mentioned young children are all socially responsible children.
They understand their responsibility towards their society. Being
“socially responsible” means giving preference to the society before
our personal gains. Without society, one cannot survive as we depend
on society for our basic needs like food, shelter, education etc. It’s the
society which ensures the quality of our living. Therefore, we should
be conscious of the effects of our actions on our society. By taking an
active participation in community works, we can directly or indirectly
help everyone in our society to improve their living standard and live
a comfortable live. Community work refers to the work done by a
person or group of people that benefits others. It is often done near
the area where you live, so that your community can benefit from
your work. You do not get paid for your community works. Through
your community work you can help people like children, old people,
and people with disabilities, or animals. You can also provide your
services for repairing, maintaining or building places like local parks,
historic, tourist or religious places, local schools, ponds, taps, roads
etc.

Note to the Teacher: Discuss with the student through question answer method about different community
work by showing pictures. Encourage and motivate them to be involved in community work. Inspire them
by discussing about a person who has become renowned through his/her community work.

Social Studies - Book 5 13

KEY WORDS

Conscious : having knowledge of something

Ensure : make certain that something will happen

Fire brigade : an organized group of fire fighters trained and
employed to extinguish fire

Personal gain : a benefit or advantage that relates to a particular
person rather than to the society

Preference : a feeling of liking or wanting one person or thing
more than another person or thing

Rescue : to save from a dangerous or difficult situation

Evaluation Exercises
1 Think and write.

a. Make a list of community works in which you can participate
and help.

b. Make a list of community work people perform in the village
and city.

Community works done in village Community works done in city

2 Read the lesson and answer.

a. What is a community work?
b. What does ‘socially responsible’ refers to?
c. Who can you help through your community work?
d. How can others benefit from your community work?
14 Social Studies - Book 5

3 Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.

a. Rajaram’s friends helped his family in his...................................

b. Purnima, Adweta and Shreya called the police by dialing
..............................

c. The..................................emergency call number is 101.

d. We should be..................................of the effects of our actions
on our society.

e. We must understand our..........................towards our society.

4 Ask some of your friends what community works they have

participated in and then fill in the following table:

My Friend’s name Social work

5 Look at the given pictures. What are the people doing here? How

can you help in these works?
i) ii) iii)

Project Work
Together with your friends go to local parks, temples, stupas or any
other public place and help the local people to clean them.

Social Studies - Book 5 15

4LESSON GOOD DEEDS NEVER
GO WASTED

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n behave equally with all the people of their community
irrespective of their caste, gender, religion etc.

Teacher : Students, today I am going to tell you a story about two men
named Gangaram and Dayaram.

Many years ago, a man named Gangaram lived in Janakinagar
village in Sarlahi district. He was a very rich man. He owned a big
house and a huge plot of land in his district. He kept many men
and women as helpers in his home. He considered himself as the
richest man in the district. He felt proud of his status. He believed
that everybody else was inferior to him. His behaviour was rude and
arrogant towards those whom he considered below him. Even though
he had a lot of money he never helped anyone in time of need. His
thoughts and ways of activities were traditional. He had two daughters
and one son. He sent his son to school but his daughters stayed at
home doing the household work. He thought that daughters were not
supposed to be educated. He discriminated people in terms of gender,
caste and economic status. His arrogance increased day by day.

On the other hand there was a man named
Dayaram who also lived in the same
village. He was kind and helpful. Though
he was not rich, he was always ready to
help others in time of need. He behaved
and treated all the people equally. He
believed goodness comes from the heart,
not from caste, status or any other kind
of material possessions. He has been
blessed with one son and daughter. He sent both his son and daughter
to school. Both of them were good in studies. He always advised the

16 Social Studies - Book 5

villagers to treat their sons and daughters equal. Due to his forward
thinking everybody loved and respected him.

One day a fire broke out at Dayaram’s house. He almost lost everything
in that incident but luckily he and his family were safe. This incident
didn’t break Dayaram. With full faith he started to rebuild all that he
had lost. Seeing his fighting spirit the villagers gathered together to
support him except Gangaram. The villagers helped him by giving
food, shelter and clothes. They also collected fund to rebuild his
house. Dayaram was very happy and thanked all the villagers for
their support.

Almost after one year, a flood occurred and Gangaram’s house, lands
and all his property were washed away. But because of his selfish
and arrogant behavior nobody was interested to help him. Dayaram
was the first to lend him a helping hand. The villagers then followed
Dayaram’s footsteps and come forward to help Gangaram. Gangaram
learned a hard lesson that day. The people with whom he had behaved
and treated rudely were helping him and his family. He broke into
tears and promised to change himself. After this incident, Gangaram
thanked everyone and apologized for his previous behaviour. Now
all of them are living peacefully in the village cooperating with each
other.

KEY WORDS

Arrogant : unpleasantly proud

Discriminate : differentiate on the basis of caste, class etc

Inferior : lower in rank, status or quality

Material Possession : property or belonging

Plot : a piece of land used for specific purpose

Status : a person’s social position

Note to the Teacher: Encourage the students to treat everyone equally in their community. Also
mention the consequences when people are discriminated in various ways. The lesson can also be
taught by citing examples from one’s own community or by telling such stories.

Social Studies - Book 5 17

Evaluation Exercises

1 Think and write.

Do the people of your neighbourhood behave like Gangaram or
Dayaram? Who do you like more?

2 What does the given picture indicate? Is it good or bad? Give

reasons.

3 Write True or False.

a. Gangaram and Dayaram both sent their daughters to school.
b. Dayaram was respected by everyone in the village.
c. Gangaram was very rude towards the poor villagers.
d. The villagers helped Gangaram and his family after the flood.
e. Dayaram lost his family in an accident.

4 Read the lesson and answer.

a. Write the differences you find between the behaviours of
Gangaram and Dayaram.

Behaviour of Gangaram Behaviour of Dayaram

b. What incident happened at Dayaram’s house? How did the
villagers help him?

c. Why did Gangaram apologize to the villagers?

Project Work
Share similar stories with your class.
18 Social Studies - Book 5

5LESSON EMPATHY

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n show empathy to their friends when they are facing problems.
n help them in time of need.

Sujata and Bishnu both study in class five. They are very good friends.
Sujata is very good in studies but Bishnu is weak. Sujata got high
grades in the terminal exams, whereas Bishnu failed in mathematics.
He was the only student who had failed in his class. All his friends
laughed and teased him. But Sujata felt very sad about it. Bishnu felt
embarrassed and ashamed.

With a heavy heart he went home. He was
very sad. From the next day he stopped
talking to his friends. He even stopped
playing with them. He started to stay
alone and looked depressed.

Sujata was worried about Bishnu’s
changing behaviour. So, she talked to him.
Bishnu told her that even though he studied hard in all the subjects
including mathematics he still failed. And now he was not interested
to study further. Sujata was well aware of her friend’s hardworking
nature. So she thought of a way to help him.

They planned to meet after school. They practiced and revised the
lessons together. Sujata helped him to solve problems. They did this
regularly and slowly Bishnu improved in mathematics and passed the
final exams with good marks.

Bishnu was happy with his results. He even enjoyed the subject.
Now his friends stopped teasing him. Sujata is also very happy for
her friend. Like Sujata, we should always try to understand and feel
other’s pain and help them.

Note to the Teacher: Motivate the students not to tease and laugh on mistake and failure of others. Do
a role play in class among the students helping each other. Encourage them to help others when they are
in trouble. Tell the negative effects of teasing others and positive effects of helping the people in need.

Social Studies - Book 5 19

KEY WORDS

Depress : a person in a state of unhappiness

Embarrass : cause someone to feel ashamed

Tease : to make fun of

Evaluation Exercises
1 Think and write.

a. If you fail in exam like Bishnu, what will you do to become
successful?

b. What do you do when someone laughs or teases you in your
failure?

2 Answer the following questions.

a. Have you ever felt the pain of your parents? When and why?

b. How do you behave towards a person when he/she is in trouble?

3 Read the lesson and answer.

a. Why did Bishnu’s friend laugh and tease him?

b. Why did Bishnu become sad? What changes had come in his
behaviour?

c. How did Sujata help Bishnu in his studies?

d. What will happen when we tease and laugh at others?

e. What did you learn from the lesson “Empathy”?

Project Work
“Practice makes a man perfect.”This saying very well describes
Bishnu’s determination to succeed. Share your similar experiences
with your class where you worked hard to succeed.

20 Social Studies - Book 5

Let’s Revise

1 Who is who? N.........................
F...........................
a. A person living close to your house P..........................
b. A person who sells flowers and plants D..........................
c. A person who sells medicine D..........................
d. A person who drives a car/truck
e. A person who takes care of people’s teeth

2 In the table below, write how you behave with your friends and

neighbours.

My Friends My Neighbours

I always treat them as my equal. I speak politely and respectfully
with them.

3 Correct the mistakes in the following statements.

a. A socially responsible child understands his/her rights.

b. Community work refers to the work done by a person or group of
people that harms others.

c. Being “socially responsible” means giving preference to yourself
before the society.

d. It’s our job and money earned which ensures the quality of our
living.

e. We get paid for our community works.

4 Write Yes or No.

a. We should not talk politely with poor people.

b. We must be proud of our wealth.

c. We should help the needy people.

d. We should treat our daughters and sons equally.

e. We should never accept our fault. 21

Social Studies - Book 5

UNIT OUR TRADITIONS,

2 SOCIAL VALUES AND
NORMS

Our Glorious Traditions
Unity in Diversity
Festivals of Our Country
Our Nation Our Pride
Good People of My District

1LESSON OUR GLORIOUS TRADITIONS

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n differentiate between good and bad traditions of our society.
n avoid bad tradition and continue the good one.

Lopsang Sherpa of Namuna School writes a letter to his friend Linda,
who lives in Canada and wants to know about Nepalese customs and
traditions. Let’s read the letter.

Dear Linda,

I’m really happy to know that you want to visit my country on your
next holiday. I’m very impressed that you want to know about some
of our important traditions. Writing to you about my traditions is a
matter of pride for me because I love my customs and traditions.

Linda, our society is full of good and
interesting traditions. People living in
different communities have different
customs and traditions. Let me tell you
about some common traditions followed
in our society. To respect our elders and to
treat our guests kindly is a good aspect of
our tradition. We have sayings like Atithi
Devo Bhava, Matri Devo Bhava, Pitri
Devo Bhava and Guru Devo Bhava, which
teach us to have great respect for guests,
parents and teachers.

We celebrate festivals like Dashain, Tihar, 23
Eid, Chhatha, Christmas, Buddha Jayanti
and many other festivals to strengthen
the bond between the family members,
relatives and the neighbours. Our tradition

Social Studies - Book 5

of singing, dancing and eating together helps us forget our bad days
and look up for better days as it is believed that festivals are meant to
bring joy and a new beginning in our lives.

However, some traditions have created problems in our society.
Some people are accused of being witches and hence are harassed.
Untouchability and discrimination on the basis of gender, religion
and economic status are also some of the bad practices of our society.
The people considered untouchable by the society are not allowed
to draw water from the public well, visit the temples and sit equally
with the others.

We believe in ghosts and evil spirits. When people get sick, we
blame it on evil spirits or see it as the curse of a divine spirit.
We take the sick to the shamans (Dhami Jhakri) instead to the doctor.
We must not blindly follow such traditions. We must remove such
bad practices. My grandfather says that love for traditions has never
weakened a society or nation; indeed it has strengthened nations in
the hour of danger.

Linda, I’ll tell you more about my traditions when you come to Nepal.
Let me know some interesting things about your traditions too.

With best regards,

Lopsang

KEY WORDS

Accuse : blame someone for a crime
Curse : supernatural power to cause someone harm
Divine : like a god
Harass : to annoy or trouble someone repeatedly

Note to the Teacher: Discuss about the different social practices followed traditionally in our society
through various pictures and compare the good and bad traditions. Tell the different stories and incidents
that motivate the student not to discriminate the people on the basis of caste, religion, gender, class etc.

24 Social Studies - Book 5

Evaluation Exercises

1 Think and write.

a. Mention any two good and bad traditions practiced in your
community.

b. Which traditions of our society need to be reformed? List them
and write the ways to reform them.

2 Some common traditions practiced in our society are given below.

Identify the good and bad tradition. Put them in the correct column
and also write the ways to reform the bad traditions.

Respecting the elders, drinking alcohol, gambling, welcoming the
guest, participating in other’s festivals, going to Dhami-jhankri,
gender discrimination, untouchability, child marriage, helping the
neighbour, loving the younger.

Good tradition Bad tradition Reforms needed

3 Read the lesson and answer.

a. Why do we celebrate festivals?
b. How are untouchable people treated in the society?
c. What does the saying “Atithi Devo Bhava, Matri Devo Bhava,

Pitri Devo Bhava and Guru Devo Bhava” mean?

Project Work
Draw pictures showing good and bad traditions practiced in your
community and write their effects on our society.

Social Studies - Book 5 25

2LESSON UNITY IN DIVERSITY

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n list the languages and customs practice in their district.
n describe the languages and customs practice in their district.

Kelsang Sherpa lives in Kalimati area of Kathmandu. His best friend,
Prajwal Jha has Chhath Puja at his home today. Kelsang and his
other friends Hari Gurung, Bikash Rokkya, Lata Poudel are invited
to his house. They are going together to celebrate Chhath Puja with
Prajwal’s family.

Sabin Shrestha lives in Janakpur.
He belongs to the newar
community. His friends belong
to other ethnic communities
like Gurung, Magar, Chhetri,
Brahmin, Tharu, Dhimal,
Chepang etc. They all have
their own languages, festivals,
folk songs, dance, food and
costumes. Such differences never stopped them from being good
friends and neighbours. Instead the variety in their culture and
traditions brought them more closer. They all celebrate each other’s
festivals with same enthusiasm as they celebrate theirs. This also
helps them understand each other’s culture and tradition, and
develop a mutual understanding and respect for each other.

People of Nepal belong to different ethnic and religious groups.
We all live here together in harmony. Just like a garden that looks
beautiful with many different varieties of flowers so does Nepal with
people of different castes, languages, costumes and religion.

26 Social Studies - Book 5

Every ethnic or religious group has its own languages, dress, food,
songs, dance, religion and festivals. Their unique language, dress,
food, religion and festivals give them their our identity. We recognize
a person from the language that they speak or a costume that they
wear or a festival that they celebrate or a religion that they follow.

Different languages, festivals, costumes and food etc help us to
strengthen the bonding between different ethnic and religious
communities. Without the help and support of the others in the society,
one can’t survive. Hence together in harmony people who belong
to different ethnic and religious communities speaking different
languages and following different religions live in Nepal.

The saying, “Hamro Bhasa Ramro, Hamro Bhes Ramro, Hami Sabai
Jat Atne Desh Ramro” tells us that the languages we speak are sweet
and the dress we wear is beautiful. Similarly our country where we
all live in harmony and peace despite our cultural differences is the
best. So we must be proud of our languages and costumes.

Nepal is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious country.
But there is unity in diversity. All the people live in peace and
social harmony. We should be proud to be a Nepali. We should unite
together to develop our country.

KEY WORDS

Diversity : showing a great deal of variety
Enthusiasm : intense and eager enjoyment or interest
Harmony : agreement
Mutual : common
Unity : state of being joined

Note to the Teacher: Ask the students to find out and make a list of different languages spoken in
their districts and religions followed by the people of their districts. Discuss with them by showing the
different costumes worn by the people of their district.

Social Studies - Book 5 27

Evaluation Exercises

1 Think about your community and complete the table:

Race Language Dress Food

2 Translate the given sentence in your own mother tongue with the

help of your parents and share in class.

æxfdL ;a} g]kfnL Ps xf+},
g]kfn xfd|f] ;femf 3/ xf],
xfdL ldn]/ a:5f}+ .Æ
3 Read the lesson and answer.

a. “Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious
country.” Justify the statement.

b. In Nepal, there is unity in diversity. Explain.
c. What gives us our identity?

Project Work
Divide the class into smaller groups. Assign each group one ethnic
community to collect information on them. Then discuss their
findings in the class.

28 Social Studies - Book 5

3LESSON FESTIVALS OF OUR COUNTRY

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n discuss the importance of festivals.
n discuss the common ways of celebrating different festivals

Sherpa people celebrate Dumji festival during the month of May or
June. It is one of the great festivals in the Khumbu region. On this
occasion, Sherpa people dance, drink, eat and have lots of fun. So this
is a merry making festival. They also perform various Sherpa rituals
with the help of monks. This festival is celebrated in Tengboche,
Namche Bazaar, Khumjung, Pangboche, Junbesi and other places of
Khumbu region. The festival serves as a religious and community
duty. It also helps bring the Sherpa people together.

Pasang Sherpa had invited his friends to celebrate Dumji with his
family. His friends were excited by the invitation. Sitaram, Birman,
Dibya, Rajendra, Ali and Damber were the first to reach the place
of celebration. Pasang welcomed them and they enjoyed dance and
food together with Pasang’s family and relatives. When they met

Social Studies - Book 5 29

other friends in school the next day, they shared their experience of
celebrating Dumji with Pasang’s family.

Like Dumji, there are

numerous other festivals

that are celebrated in Nepal.

Festivals like Dashain,

Tihar, Chhath, Christmas,

Baisakh Purnima, Janai

Purnima, Eid, Teej, Krishna

Asthami, Gaura etc are

important from religious Bisket Jatra, Bhaktapur
point of view. Udhauli,

Ubhauli, Lhosar, Maghe Sankranti, Fathers’ Day, Mothers’ Day, New

Year etc are socially important. Some local festivals and jatras are

celebrated according to religion, caste and region.

Festivals bring people together and promote social harmony. People
wear new clothes and eat varieties of food. They engage in prayer,
singing and dancing. People also play different games like linge ping
during these festivals. Homes are cleaned, painted and decorated.
Those who are away from home travel back to meet and celebrate
festivals with their relatives and friends. So festivals bring a change
in our daily life.

In recent years, some bad traditions have been adopted as part of
festival celebration. In the name of festivals, people are getting
involved in some bad activities. For example, children begin to throw
dirty water on people a week before Holi. During Dashain and Tihar,

30 Social Studies - Book 5

some people are found involved in drinking alcohol and gambling.
These activities are destroying the importance of festivals and our
social harmony. We should stop doing such activities.

Another bad tradition that one can find in our culture is extravagance.
Some people use festival celebration as a means to show off their
wealth. They excessively spend money on decoration of their house,
food or clothes. And soon other people start following their example.
We must not try to keep up with others and show off by spending
more than what we can afford. It can put the family into financial
difficulty.

Festivals of Nepal reflect Nepali culture and tradition. It plays vital
roles in the lives of Nepalese people. We should respect and participate
in each other’s festivals.

KEY WORDS

Excessively : greater than what seems reasonable

Extravagance : spend more than necessary

Monk : a man who is a member of brotherhood living in a

monastery

Promote : encourage

Show off : to try to impress other people by showing how good

s/he is

Vital : essential, absolutely necessary

Note to the Teacher: Discuss through question-answer method about mela-parba and festivals
people observe in their district. Encourage and motivate them to participate and respect all festivals.

Social Studies - Book 5 31

Evaluation Exercises
1 Think and write.

a. Which festival do you like the most? Give reasons.
b. Which festival you do not like? Give reasons.

2 Fill in the blanks.

a. Dumji is celebrated by the community of.........................people.

b. Festivals like Teej and Eid are important from............................
point of view.

c. Festivals promote social.................................in a country.

d. ..............................of Nepal reflect Nepali culture and tradition.

3 Which festivals do you celebrate at home? Make a list. Then

describe any one festival in detail.

4 Read the lesson and answer.

a. Why do people travel back to their home during festivals?
b. Explain some of the bad traditions that are part of our festival

celebration.
c. Why are the festivals important for us?

Project Work
Look at the calendar and write the names of festivals, date of
celebration, related race and religion using the table given below.

Name of festival Month Day Race Religion

32 Social Studies - Book 5

4LESSON OUR NATION OUR PRIDE

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n feel proud of being a Nepali.
n get involved in various development activities.

Nepal is our country. It is as beautiful as heaven. It’s the country of
highly diverse topography, rich in culture, arts and traditions. It is
famous for natural beauties and unique wonders of the world.

There are different landmarks in our

country. There are 14 mountains in the

world having the height above 8000

meters. Among them eight mountain

peaks are in Nepal including the highest Mt. Sagarmatha
peak of the world Mt. Sagarmatha. Some

other famous mountains are Mt. Kanchanjungha, Makalu, Lhotse,

Machhapuchhre, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Choyu etc.

Nepal is very rich in water resources. We have water resources like
rivers, lakes and waterfalls. There are about 6000 rivers in a small
country like Nepal. Some major rivers of our country are Sapta Koshi,
Sapta Gandaki, Karnali etc. Similarly, Rara, Phoksundo, Phewa,
Satyavati, Begnas etc are dazzling lakes of our country. Tilicho lake
is located in the highest altitude of Nepal.

Another important feature that makes us feel proud is our national
parks which are full of animals and birds. We can see many
carnivorous and herbivorous animals
like one-horned rhinoceros, elephant,
tiger etc. Similarly 800 types of birds
are found in Nepal. Some major national
parks of Nepal are Chitwan National Park,
Shey-phoksundo National Park, Bardiya Bardiya National Park

Social Studies - Book 5 33

National Park, Rara National Park etc. The national parks and forest
of Nepal is rich in medicinal herbs.

Nepal is the birth place of Gautam
Buddha, the “Light ofAsia”. It is the
matter of great pride for us because
Lumbini is the peerless landmark
for all the Buddhist pilgrimage of
the world.

Nepal is also called the country of

temples. We can see artistic temples Lumbini

and palaces in many parts of our

country. Some famous temples

of Nepal are Pashupatinath,

Manakamana, Ram-Janaki,

Swoyambhunath, Bouddhanath,

Changunarayan, Muktinath etc.

Similarly, the beautiful palaces of Kathmandu Durbar Square
Patan, Bhaktapur and Kathmandu

Durbar Square reflects our ancient art and architectures. All these

things depict our history, art and culture. The new generations can

learn lots of things from it. They are the identity and pride of our

country. So we must preserve these national heritages.

KEY WORDS

Artistic : having natural creative skills
Dazzling : very bright
Heritage : valued objects and qualities
Landmark : an object or a feature of a landscape which is recognizable
Unique : being the only one of its kind

Note to the Teacher: Discuss with the student by introducing important natural and historical things
found in our country and make them feel proud of being a Nepali. Tell the importance and ways to
preserve such things.

34 Social Studies - Book 5

Evaluation Exercises

1 Think and write.

Is there anything in your community which makes you proud like
temples, palaces, monasteries, lakes etc? List them.

2 Look at the pictures given below. Name them and write why they

are important for us.
i) ii) iii)

3 Match the following: Gautam Buddha
Tilicho

Sapta Koshi River

Muktinath Lake

Annapurna Temple

Light of Asia Palace

Bouddhanath National Park

Stupa

Mountain

4 Read the lesson and answer.
a. What is Nepal famous for?

b. Why is Nepal called the country of temples?

c. Why should we preserve our national heritage? Give any two

reasons.

Project Work
Name some:

Lake River Mountain Palace

Social Studies - Book 5 35

5LESSON GOOD PEOPLE OF
MY DISTRICT

Objectives : After the completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
n indicate the helpful people of their district.
n get the encouragement to do good works for their district or
locality.

Yesterday my Social Studies teacher asked me to name some
respected persons of my district. I didn’t take long time to answer his
question because the three names that soon came into my mind are
not only my favourites, but also the favourites of all the people living
in Saptari district. I am sure you’d love to know about them.

Let me first talk about Hira Devi.
She is a primary school teacher
as well as a social worker. She
is well known for her work in the
district. She has set up a women’s
group in the villages. It has helped
to raise income for women. She is
now involved in the construction
of a road that would make it easy
for the things produced by women to be carried to the market. Her
philosophy is- “Make your village beautiful yourself.” Her work for
the district people is really praiseworthy.

Another respected person of my district is Birman Singh, who lives in
our neighbouring village. He works as a mediator in his district. The
villagers call him Jetha Ba. Everybody knows him and trusts him. He
helps to settle all minor local disputes in fairness and justice. He is
respected by all as a person who promotes harmony and cooperation
in the district. In my neighbourhood major disputes occur at the time
of buying and selling of the land, or constructing a house. Jetha
Ba has good knowledge about maps, land, measurement and house

36 Social Studies - Book 5

construction. So whenever there is a dispute, people say, “Let’s call
Jetha Ba to settle the problem”.

And last, but not least, we respect
Jogendra Yadav, a well known
farmer of Saptari district. He is
a retired agriculturist. He grows
rice, wheat, maize, vegetables
and other grains. He has planted
vegetables, fruits and ginger
in his dry land. He also raises
cows, buffaloes, goats and hens.
He has a good knowledge about modern farming, fertilizers, good
quality seeds and insecticides. Farmers from different places of the
district come to him to learn about vegetable and fruit farming. He
also donates some of his income from farming and animal husbandry
for the welfare of his community.

We are always grateful to these three people for making our district a
good place for living. Many of us want to be like them in the future.
Indeed, they deserve to be respected by all for their great work for
the district.

KEY WORDS

Deserve : be worthy of

Dispute : disagreement or argument

Insecticide : a substance used for killing insects

Mediator : a person who tries to make two people agree

Praiseworthy : admirable

Retired : having left/withdraw from one’s job

Note to the Teacher: Encourage the students to find out the good people and their inspiring works
in their districts. Motivate the students to be like them through class activities or class discussions.

Social Studies - Book 5 37

Evaluation Exercises

1 Think and write.

What will you do to be a good person of your district? Make a list.

2 List the good works done by Hira Devi, Birman Singh and Jogendra

Yadav in the given table.

Hira Devi Birman Singh Jogendra Yadav

3 Make a list of any three good people of your community and write

their good work (take the help from your elder if needed).

Name of good people Good works done by them

4 Read the lesson and answer.

a. Why is Hira Devi’s work for her district people praiseworthy?
b. Why is Birman Singh respected by everyone in his district?
c. Who is Jogendra Yadav?

Project Work
Ask the students to list the good works that come to their mind
within 10 minutes. Motivate them to follow these works in their
day to day life.

38 Social Studies - Book 5

Let’s Revise

1 Write True for correct statements and False for incorrect statements.

a. We celebrate festivals only to strengthen the bond between the
family members.

b. Going to Dhami Jhakri when someone is sick, is a common
practice in Nepal.

c. Respecting our elders is one of the good aspects of our tradition.

d. Our society has only bad and boring traditions.

e. Discrimination on the basis of gender is the only bad tradition
that we follow in Nepal.

2 Fill in the blanks.

a. Nepal is a multi-racial, ........................and.......................country.

b. People of Nepal belong to different.......................................and
...............................groups

c. Our unique language, dress, food, religion and festivals give us
our.....................................

d. Our different languages, festivals and food etc help us to
................................the bonding between us.

e. In Nepal, there is................................in diversity.

3 Match the following: Sherpa people
Religious event
Extravagance Bad tradition
Festivals Social event
Dumji Social harmony
New Year
Chhath

Social Studies - Book 5 39

4 Name these national prides of ours. Write few sentences on any one

of them.

W.................... R...................... F..........................

G.................... B...................... N.................... H......................

5 Why are these people considered as good people of a society?

Eg:- Teacher- Helps to educate others
a. Farmer
b. Doctor/Nurse
c. Soldier
d. Police man/woman
e. Journalist

40 Social Studies - Book 5