Rita and the Quest for Answers I Story By Iqra, 11, Navi Mumbai

Rita and the Quest for Answers

  In the busy city of Mumbai, there was a girl named Rita. Rita was not like other kids, engrossed in electronic items. She preferred to read stories over watching TV, to play outside rather than playing on mobile. If there was any doubt, she would not take help from Google; she would seek help from her family, friends, neighbors, and teachers.If she still failed to get an answer, she would go to the library and read a book related to her doubt.

  One day, Rita was simply playing with her friends outside when her mother called her for dinner. She went home. After dinner, she asked her mother, “How does the sky become dark at night when in the morning it was blue?” Her mother replied to her with a smile, “In the morning, the sky is blue because the sun gives the earth light, but, as the sun sets, the light also goes away and the sky gets darker and darker until it’s night, and the sky looks dark.” Rita then went to her room and removed her diary, in which she would write her answer to her questions. She quickly wrote what her mother said and went to sleep.

The very next morning, Rita woke up for it was her school. She quickly got ready and then started to wait for her school bus. The school bus arrived and Rita went inside and took a seat beside her teacher. As the bus was moving, Rita saw a big tree. She asked her teacher, “How does a plant grow?” Her teacher replied, “A plant’s journey starts from a tiny seed. This little thing needs water, sunlight and soil to grow. First, from a seed it becomes roots, then small stems. After that, the leaves start to grow and the plant gets bigger and bigger.” She again took out her diary and noted down what her teacher said.

 In the bus, she thought, ‘How does a vehicle move?’ She asked her teacher the same, to which she replied, “A vehicle moves because it has a motor inside. The motor needs fuel to make the wheels turn. That is how the vehicle goes forward or backward.” Rita noted it down in her diary.

wheels turn. That is how the vehicle goes forward or backward.” Rita noted it down in her diary.

  When they all reached the school, Rita directly went to her respective classroom. Everyone in her class greeted the teacher as she entered the classroom. The teacher said, “We will play a game; the game is about asking questions and answering. First, you will ask me a question and I will answer. But if I fail to reply, the person who asked me will get a chocolate. But if I answer, no one will get a chocolate. After that, I will ask you and you have to give me an answer. But if you fail after 10 attempts, I will give you lots of homework.”

  Everyone there was either excited or nervous. First, it was the teacher’s turn to answer. Rita raised her hand and asked, “Teacher, how is our body able to perform various activities like walking, running, speaking and many more?” The teacher answered, “Our body can perform various activities because of our brain. The brain tells the muscles what to do and how to do and the muscles help our bones to move to perform various activities. This is how we are able to do various activities.”

Then, a boy raised his hands and asked, “Why do animals don’t talk?”  The teacher replied, “Animals don’t talk because they don’t have the same kind of voice and brain that we humans have. Instead of speaking, they use sounds like meows or barks and body movements to communicate.”

Then another girl asked, “How did the solar system form?” The teacher replied, “Long time ago, the solar system was not there. There was a huge cloud of gas and dust. The cloud started to spin and then it blasted. Most of the gases were present in the middle and formed a sun. The rest of the gas and dust made the planets, moons and other things in our solar system.”

The next question was, “How are paints made?” The teacher said, “Paints are made by mixing colors with liquid. First, some special rocks or plants are crushed to get the color. Then, the color is mixed with oil or water to make it smooth and easy to spread. This is how paints are made.

Rita again raised her hand and asked, “How are papers made?” The teacher replied, “Papers are made from trees. First, the trees are cut down and are turned into small pieces. Then, those pieces are mixed with water to make pulp. The pulp is spread out flat and dried to make sheets of paper. That is how we get paper.”

Rita’s best friend Tina asked, “How does Rita have many doubts?” The teacher said, “For that, I don’t have an answer. Only Rita knows.” Rita said, “I have many doubts because I like to learn new things and for me, creating a doubt will make me understand it better.” Then the teacher gave Tina a chocolate and also gave Rita a chocolate because she gave an answer.

The teacher said, “Now, it is your time to answer. The first question is how electricity is made.” Many students tried to answer, but they failed. But, Rita answered, “Electricity is made by using different energies like water, wind and sun. For example, when water flows through a big machine called a turbine, the turbine spin. This spinning helps create electricity, which we can use to use things like computers, light and fans.” Everyone clapped for Rita for her smartness.

 “Okay, now I will give little easy questions, and the question is, “Why do people sleep?” Rita and a boy named Sam wanted to answer. This time, the teacher allowed Sam to speak. Rita was a little upset but she thought that other people should also get a chance to answer. Sam said, “People sleep because they work for the whole day and become tired. Sleeping gives people energy and helps our mind and body stay healthy. It is like charging the phone after its battery is low or dead.” Everyone clapped for Sam.

 “The next question was, How is a house made?” This time 3 people raised their hands: Rita, Tina and Yana. The teacher gave Yana a chance and she said the answer wrong. Rita thought the teacher would give her a chance, but instead she gave it to Tina. Tina replied, “Houses are made of bricks. First, all the bricks are joined together with the help of a liquid substance called ‘cement’. Then they color the house white and then they color it with any color.” Everyone clapped for Tina.

  “The last question is going to be a little difficult. The question is, “Why do some things float on the water while others sink?” This time, again Rita and Sam raised their hands. The teacher asked Rita to answer, but for the first time she was wrong. Then Sam answered, “Some things float on water because they are light in weight, like balloons.” But some things sink because they have more weight, like rock.” Everyone clapped for him. Rita was sad because for the first time in her life, she was wrong.

She went home with a sad expression. Her mother asked, “What happened, Rita? Why are you so sad?” Rita said, “Today we were playing a game. The game was about questions and answers. First we had to ask the teacher questions and she would reply and then vice versa. The teacher asked a question and Sam and I raised our hands. Teacher asked me to answer, but I was wrong.” 

Her mother replied, “It is okay, Rita; no one in this world is perfect. All people lack behind some things and are good at others. Even if they are good at some things, they can make mistakes. Like you, you are a very smart kid but still you failed to answer a question. It is okay because at least you have learned something new.”

But still, Rita was upset and went straight to her room. She didn’t eat anything nor did she freshen herself and go to bed. She was crying for the whole night. The next day she woke up and went to school. While she was in her classroom, her teacher asked her to meet her after school. She replied with a yes. After school, she went with her teacher and saw many people. There were 8 students, including Rita. 

Her teacher said, “Today, we are going to have a quiz competition. In which we have selected smart students like you. This quiz is an MCQ or multiple choice question. Don’t worry; I have informed your mother about it.”

Everyone there was either excited or nervous. Everyone got a paper that had a question and four options to choose from. The paper looked like this:

 The teacher said, “Each question carries 2 marks. So be careful before ticking.” Everyone got their paper. Everyone started ticking it. When the exam was over, the teacher collected the papers. 

After seeing everyone’s papers, the teacher announced the three toppers. She said, “The 1st topper is Eliza, the 2nd topper is Rita and the 3rd topper is Farah.” Everyone clapped for them. Rita was shocked. She thought she would be the first topper. After everyone went, the room only had Rita and her teacher. 

Her teacher asked, “What happened, Rita? Why are you so sad?” Rita replied, “Teacher, yesterday when we were playing the game, I was not able to answer one question. And today, I thought I would top 1st but I came 2nd.” 

Her teacher replied, “Come on, Rita, sometimes we might not be able to rank 1st or get every answer right and that is totally fine. The thing that is important is that you are trying your best and are learning new things. Everyone makes mistakes and goes through a time when he or she is not perfect.  The thing that matters is that you keep learning. You had made a great effort and that is the thing I am proud of.”

not perfect.  The thing that matters is that you keep learning. You had made a great effort and that is the thing I am proud of.”

  But still, Rita was sad. “I can see your feelings, Rita. It’s okay when things don’t go as planned. It is also okay if you feel disappointed. Remember, everyone has moments when things don’t go as planned. You really worked hard and tried your best; just forget about the rankings. You should always be proud of yourself.” Rita understood her teacher. She quickly hugged her and then left for home.

She shared her experience with her mother. Her mother was happy because Rita finally understood. From that day on, Rita never felt sad, jealous or disappointed, even if she failed to give an answer or didn’t top. She would even help her friends when they had a doubt.

Rita- “Thank you for reading this story. Remember, life is full of challenges. Keep working hard and one day, success will be yours.”

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