Chapter 11 · Book pages 36–38

❓ Questions and Question Tags

Wh- words, yes/no questions and the little tags that turn a sentence into a question.

By the end of this lesson, you can…

pick the right question word: who, whom, whose, which, what, where, when, why, how, how many, how much
make a question by putting the helper verb before the subject (Are you…? Did she…?)
unscramble jumbled words into a correct question
add a question tag: positive sentence → negative tag, negative sentence → positive tag
handle tricky tags like I am… aren't I?, Let's… shall we? and Close the door, will you?

Start the story →Jump to quiz

Who? What? Where? Detectives ask the best questions. Grab your magnifying glass! 🔎

📖 Story time

The Case of the Missing Honey Pot

One sunny morning, Bizzy Bee buzzed into the clearing, very upset. Her golden honey pot was gone!

🐝

Bizzy BeeBzzz! Somebody took my honey! Please help me find it!

HedgieDetective Hedgie is here! Let me ask questions. “Where took the honey?”

🦉

Ollie the OwlHoo-hoo! A good detective needs the right question word. Where asks about a place. To ask about a person, use Who: Who took the honey?

HedgieGot it! Who took it? Where did it go? When did it vanish? Whose paw prints are these?

🐢

Tara TortoiseVery orderly, Hedgie. Notice that in Where did it go? the helper did comes before it. That's how questions are built.

🦊

Fizz the FoxDon't look at me! I was asleep all morning, was I?

🦉

Ollie the OwlFizz, that little question at the end is a question tag. You said something positive (I was asleep), so the tag must be negative: wasn't I?

🐿️

Nutty SquirrelWait! Look! Sticky paw prints… and they lead straight to Fizz's den! You took the honey, didn't you?

🦊

Fizz the FoxOops! Fine, fine. I only wanted a tiny taste. Let's share it, shall we?

Bizzy got her honey back, everyone had honey toast, and Hedgie earned his first detective badge for asking the right questions. 🍯

💡 Big ideas

Let's learn it

Read each card, try the example sentences out loud (tap 🔊), then answer the Quick check.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑Who, whom, whose, which, what

These question words ask about people and things.

Word	Asks about	Example
Who	the person who DOES the action	Who ate my sandwich?
Whom	the person the action is done TO	Whom did you call?
Whose	who owns something	Whose bag is this?
Which	a choice from a few	Which colour do you like, red or blue?
What	a thing, an idea, information	What is the purpose of this meeting?

Whom were you talking to in the library? you talked to him → whom (whom ↔ him, both end in m!)
Whose turn is it to feed the fish? asks about the owner of the turn
What is your favourite fruit, Meera? asks for information

Hedgie's trickHedgie's trick: answer the question with he or him. If the answer is he did it → who. If the answer is him → whom. Him and whom both end in m!

Olympiad trap!Don't confuse whose (owner) with who's (= who is). Whose responsibility is it? asks about the owner of the job.

🧐 Quick check

______ pencil box is this? It has a tiger on it.

🗺️Where, when, why, how, how many, how much

These question words ask about place, time, reason and way.

Word	Asks about	Answer looks like
Where	place	in the cupboard, from Kerala
When	time	tomorrow, at 5 o'clock, last week
Why	reason	because it was raining
How	way / manner / condition	by bus, slowly, through a window
How many	number (things you can count)	three books, ten apples
How much	amount (things you can't count) or price	some milk, ₹50

Where are you from? I am from Uttarakhand. place
When will the new library open? Next Monday. time
How many mangoes did you eat? How much juice is left? mangoes can be counted · juice cannot

Hedgie's trickImagine the answer first! If the answer is a place, ask Where. A time, ask When. A because, ask Why. A number, ask How many.

Olympiad trap!“When was the last time you visited the doctor?” asks about time, so it's When, not Which. And At what time…? is the usual way to ask for a clock time.

Fun factDetectives and reporters use the 5 W's and 1 H: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. Ask all six and you know the whole story! 📰

🧐 Quick check

______ is my ceiling fan making that funny noise?

🔀Building questions: helper first

In a yes/no question, the helper verb jumps in front of the subject. In a wh- question, the question word comes first, then the helper, then the subject.

You are happy. → Are you happy?
She can swim. → Can she swim?
They play chess. → Do they play chess? (no helper? add do / does / did)

Question word	Helper	Subject	Rest
What	are	you	doing over there?
Where	has	Reema	kept the plum cake?
When	are	you	going to finish your homework?
How	will	you	send the gift?

Does Kabir like ice cream? yes/no question: answer is Yes or No
Who is the PE teacher of Zara and Saurabh? who asks about the doer, so it goes straight in front

Hedgie's trickHedgie's recipe for unscrambling: Q-H-S-R: Question word, Helper, Subject, Rest. And a question always ends with ?, not a full stop.

Olympiad trap!In unscramble questions, options ending in a full stop (.) can't be questions. Also beware When you are going…?: the helper must come before the subject: When are you going…?

🧐 Quick check

Which is the correct question?

🏷️Question tags: the flip rule

A question tag is a mini-question at the end of a sentence. We use it to check something: It's hot, isn't it?

Flip it: positive sentence → negative tag; negative sentence → positive tag.
Same helper: use the helper from the sentence (is, are, was, will, can, could, must, has…).
Pronoun: change the subject to a pronoun (Julia → she, the dog → it).
No helper? Use do / does / did to match the tense.

Sentence	Tag
She is from Uttarakhand,	isn't she?
You will come tomorrow,	won't you?
Julia has just left,	hasn't she?
Sarah isn't attending today,	is she?
It couldn't be done,	could it?
He ran ten kilometres,	didn't he?
Riya likes dosa,	doesn't she?

You must answer the letter, mustn't you? must → mustn't
The puppies are cute, aren't they? the puppies → they
Dev can't swim, can he? negative sentence → positive tag

Hedgie's trickThink of a seesaw: if the sentence is up (positive) the tag goes down (negative), and if the sentence is down, the tag goes up. ⚖️ Then just copy the helper.

Olympiad trap!won't is the negative of will (not willn't). And watch for hidden helpers: Julia's left = Julia has left → hasn't she, not isn't she.

🧐 Quick check

He ran ten kilometres, ______?

🌟Special tags: the tricky ones

A few tags break the pattern. Learn them by heart; the Olympiad loves them!

Sentence starts with…	Tag	Example
I am	aren't I	I am your best friend, aren't I?
Let's	shall we	Let's go to the park, shall we?
An order (Close…, Please…)	will you	Close the door, will you?
never, hardly, nobody	positive tag	She never lies, does she?
This / That	it	This is your bag, isn't it?

I am late again, aren't I? we never say 'amn't I'
Let's make a sandcastle, shall we? Let's = Let us → shall we
Pass me the salt, will you? an order or request → will you

Hedgie's trickRemember the three friends: I am → aren't I, Let's → shall we, Do it! → will you. Say them like a chant: “aren't I, shall we, will you!” 🎵

Olympiad trap!never already makes the sentence negative, so the tag must be positive: He never shouts, does he? (not doesn't he).

🧐 Quick check

Let's play hide-and-seek, ______?

🗺️ Mind map

The whole chapter on one page

Tap a branch to focus on it. Can you explain each bubble to someone at home?

🃏 Flashcards

Flip & remember

Say the answer in your head before you flip. Be honest — "not yet" cards go to your Review Burrow for later.

📘 Book mission

Now practise in your workbook

Use a pencil. Do each set, then check with the answer key and tick it off here.

Set A · Book p.36 · Q1–10

Choose the question word. Imagine the answer first: a person, a place, a time or a reason?

Set B · Book p.36–37 · Q11–15

Question tags. Find the helper, flip positive and negative, and swap the name for a pronoun.

Set C · Book p.37 · Q16–20

Unscramble the question. Cross out options that end in a full stop, then check for Question word + Helper + Subject.

Achievers (HOTS) · Book p.37–38 · Q21–25

Mixed question words and tags. Watch for 'whose' (owner), past verbs with no helper (did), and negative sentences (positive tag).

📗 Open the answer key

🎁 Wrap-up

Remember these

Who = the doer, whom = the person something is done to, whose = the owner, which = a choice, what = a thing or information.
Where = place, when = time, why = reason, how = way, how many = number, how much = amount or price.
To build a question, put the helper before the subject: What are you doing? No helper? Use do / does / did.
Question tags flip: positive → negative tag, negative → positive tag. Use the same helper and a pronoun.
Special tags: I am → aren't I, Let's → shall we, orders → will you, never → positive tag.

🦔 Teach Hedgie!

Fizz says: “You took my honey, did you?” Explain to Hedgie why Fizz's tag is wrong, what the right tag is, and the rule that helps you choose.

Explaining something in your own words is the best way to make it stick.

How do you feel about this chapter?

Take the quiz 🧭

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