Class 6 English · Original EZT practice
National War Memorial (Class 6 English Chapter 16): honouring India's brave soldiers
'Each name etched, each stone, each story to confide.' This short poem from Poorvi Unit 5, Culture and Tradition, honours the National War Memorial in New Delhi - the national monument built for India's brave soldiers, where the eternal flame glows in silence. This page gives a summary, key facts about the memorial and practice questions. (Note: this is original practice, not a textbook exercise key.)
6 original worked examples, 6 fresh self-check questions and 4 mixed questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 23 October 2026:
1. Poem summary and central idea
The poem salutes the National War Memorial as a grand sight in Bharat's heartland that honours the stories of brave soldiers; their sacrifice stays in our minds forever, and the poem asks us to always remember them with pride and respect.
2. Line-by-line understanding
'Each name etched' - soldiers' names are carved in stone; 'the eternal flame, in silence it glows' - the Amar Jawan Jyoti burns quietly, paying homage to their courage; 'side by side' - soldiers of land, skies and oceans stand together for Bharat.
3. Word meanings
The poem builds remembrance words - etched, homage, eternal, sacrifice, confide.
4. Reading the poem
The chapter asks students to read the poem aloud, recite it together, and remember it - the rhyming pairs (behold/retold, pride/confide, wide/side, glows/shows, mind/remind, remember/forever) make it easy to memorise.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
State the central idea
Choose the method: Gratitude and remembrance.
EZT practice question
What is the central idea of the poem National War Memorial?
Show the worked solution
- The memorial stands with pride in Bharat's heartland for the soldiers who gave their lives.
- Their sacrifice stays in our minds forever.
- The poem asks us to always remember them with pride and respect.
Answer: Gratitude and remembrance - the memorial stands with pride for the soldiers who gave their lives for Bharat, and we must always remember their sacrifice.
Check: 'With pride and respect, let's always remember' - the closing line carries the idea.
Watch for this: Do not call it only a description of a building - the poem is about honouring soldiers, not architecture.
Now try it yourself
Which line asks us to keep the soldiers in our memory?
Check your answer
'Their sacrifice, always in our mind, in blessed memory, forever remind.'
The poem repeats the call to remember at the end.
Fix the memorial facts
Choose the method: Place, year, builder.
EZT practice question
Where is the National War Memorial, when was it established, and who built it?
Show the worked solution
- It is in New Delhi.
- It was established in February 2019.
- The Government of India built this national monument in honour of our brave soldiers.
Answer: The National War Memorial is in New Delhi; it was established in February 2019 and built by the Government of India in honour of our brave soldiers.
Check: The chapter's note above the poem gives all three facts.
Watch for this: Do not confuse it with older memorials - this one was established in February 2019.
Now try it yourself
In whose honour was the memorial built?
Check your answer
In honour of India's brave soldiers.
It is a national monument to their sacrifice.
Explain the eternal flame
Choose the method: A flame that glows in silence.
EZT practice question
What is the 'eternal flame' in the poem, and what does it do?
Show the worked solution
- It is the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the memorial.
- It glows in silence - it burns quietly, all the time.
- It pays homage to the soldiers' courage.
Answer: It is the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the memorial - a flame that glows in silence, paying homage to the soldiers' courage.
Check: 'The eternal flame, in silence it glows, paying homage to their courage that shows.'
Watch for this: Do not say the flame is loud or showy - the poem stresses silence.
Now try it yourself
Which lines tell us the flame burns quietly?
Check your answer
'The eternal flame, in silence it glows.'
Silence is part of the respect the memorial shows.
Read the battle line
Choose the method: Land, skies, oceans.
EZT practice question
Which three fields of battle does the poem mention, and what does 'side by side' mean there?
Show the worked solution
- 'From battle fields to skies, and to oceans wide.'
- That is land, air and sea.
- 'They stand for Bharat, side by side' - soldiers of all three stand together for the country.
Answer: Battlefields (land), skies, and oceans; 'side by side' means soldiers of the land, air and sea stand together for Bharat.
Check: The line lists all three services in one breath.
Watch for this: Do not read 'side by side' as about stones - it describes the soldiers standing together.
Now try it yourself
What does 'each name etched, each stone, each story to confide' tell us about the memorial?
Check your answer
Every soldier's name is carved on its stones, and each one carries a story to share.
Etched names keep every soldier remembered.
Match poem words to meanings
Choose the method: Fix each word to one plain meaning.
EZT practice question
Match: etched, homage, eternal, sacrifice - with their meanings.
Show the worked solution
- etched - carved or engraved (on stone).
- homage - deep respect shown publicly.
- eternal - lasting forever; sacrifice - giving up one's life for a cause.
Answer: etched - carved or engraved (on stone); homage - deep respect shown publicly; eternal - lasting forever; sacrifice - giving up one's life for a cause.
Check: The flame is eternal, the names are etched, the flame pays homage, the soldiers made the sacrifice.
Watch for this: Do not read homage as a party or celebration - it is deep public respect.
Now try it yourself
What does 'a grand sight to behold' mean?
Check your answer
A magnificent view to see.
Behold means to see or look at.
Pick out the rhyming pairs
Choose the method: Listen for line-end sounds.
EZT practice question
Pick out the rhyming pairs in the poem.
Show the worked solution
- behold - retold; pride - confide.
- wide - side; glows - shows.
- mind - remind; remember - forever.
Answer: behold - retold; pride - confide; wide - side; glows - shows; mind - remind; remember - forever.
Check: The pairs make the poem easy to recite and remember - which is what the chapter asks.
Watch for this: Do not pair words by meaning - rhyme is about the line-end sound.
Now try it yourself
If you visit the National War Memorial, what would you like to learn more about?
Check your answer
Open response - for example, the stories behind some of the names etched on its stones.
The chapter's explore section invites a real or online visit.
Try a mixed set
Choose a method or explanation before opening each answer.
1. Where is the National War Memorial?
Show answer and reason
New Delhi.
Established in February 2019 by the Government of India.
2. What is the eternal flame?
Show answer and reason
The Amar Jawan Jyoti - it glows in silence, paying homage to the soldiers' courage.
'In silence it glows.'
3. Which three fields of battle are named?
Show answer and reason
Battlefields (land), skies, and oceans.
'From battle fields to skies, and to oceans wide.'
4. The poem's message?
Show answer and reason
Always remember the soldiers' sacrifice with pride and respect.
'Let's always remember.'
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- When was the National War Memorial established, and who built it?
- What does 'etched' mean in 'each name etched'?
- Find any two rhyming pairs from the poem.
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Questions about this practice page
- What is the National War Memorial poem about?
- It honours the National War Memorial in New Delhi and the brave soldiers whose sacrifice it remembers.
- When was the National War Memorial established?
- In February 2019; it is a national monument built by the Government of India in honour of India's brave soldiers.
- What is the Amar Jawan Jyoti?
- The eternal flame at the memorial that glows in silence, paying homage to the soldiers' courage.
- What is the message of the National War Memorial poem?
- To always remember the soldiers' sacrifice with pride and respect.
- Are these the NCERT exercise questions for Class 6 English Chapter 16?
- No. EZT pages are original practice following the chapter's section order - use them to prepare for the textbook exercises, not as a substitute for your book.