Class 7 English · Original EZT practice
A Homage to Our Brave Soldiers (Class 7 English Chapter 13): two letters
Soumya writes to her friend Ananda about the school trip that changed how she thinks about freedom: a day at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, where more than 26 thousand names of fallen soldiers are etched on 29 thousand tablets. She reads the Param Vir Chakra citation of Lance Naik Albert Ekka, sees the eternal flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti, and walks the four Chakras - and Ananda replies with a memory of his own and a famous poem. This page gives a summary, word meanings 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. Lesson summary - Soumya's letter: the National War Memorial
Writing from Bengaluru on 14 April, Soumya tells Ananda about her school trip to the National War Memorial near India Gate - construction began in April 2018, it was completed and inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in February 2019, and it spreads over 40 acres. Each brick of the memorial is a tablet bearing the names of soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice from 1947 till date - including the Indo-China conflict of 1962, the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971, and the Kargil War of 1999.
2. Lesson summary - the Param Vir Chakra and Albert Ekka's citation
The teacher told the class about the 21 bravehearts awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest wartime gallantry medal - and about the Maha Vir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra. Major Somnath Sharma was posthumously awarded India's first PVC for the Battle of Badgam in 1947. The teacher then read aloud the citation of Lance Naik Albert Ekka (14 Guards), who silenced enemy machine-gun bunkers at Gangasagar in the 1971 war and succumbed to his injuries after the objective was captured.
3. Lesson summary - Amar Jawan Jyoti and the four Chakras
The memorial's 15-metre central obelisk carries the eternal flame, the Amar Jawan Jyoti - first lit under the arch of India Gate in January 1972 and later merged with the new flame at the memorial. Around it sit four concentric circles: the Amar Chakra (Circle of Immortality), the Veerta Chakra (Circle of Bravery, with six bronze murals), the Tyag Chakra (Circle of Sacrifice, with granite tablets recalling the ancient Chakravyuh formation) and the Raksha Chakra (Circle of Protection, where trees represent the soldiers who guard the nation).
4. Lesson summary - Ananda's reply and Pushp ki Abhilasha
Ananda writes back from Chandigarh on 24 April. To him a war memorial is not just an edifice - it is an expression of deep gratitude for the supreme sacrifice of soldiers, and he is now seriously thinking of joining the Armed Forces. He remembers people offering flowers at the war memorial inside Chandigarh's Bougainvillea Garden in Sector 3, and shares the poem that memory brings back: Pushp ki Abhilasha.
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.
Fix the memorial facts
Choose the method: Dates, size, numbers.
EZT practice question
When was the National War Memorial built, and what do its tablets carry?
Show the worked solution
- Construction started in April 2018; it was completed and inaugurated in February 2019.
- It spreads over 40 acres near India Gate, New Delhi.
- Its 29 thousand tablets carry more than 26 thousand names of fallen soldiers.
Answer: Construction began in April 2018 and it was inaugurated in February 2019; over 40 acres near India Gate, its 29 thousand tablets carry more than 26 thousand names of soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice.
Check: The names run from 1947 till date - 1962, 1965, 1971, Kargil 1999 and beyond.
Watch for this: Do not say the memorial is inside India Gate - it is near India Gate, a separate monument.
Now try it yourself
Why are monuments like this important, according to Soumya's teacher?
Check your answer
So that we never forget the cost of freedom - brave soldiers sacrificed their lives even after Independence, and the memorial keeps their memory alive.
Remembrance is the memorial's purpose.
Rank the gallantry awards
Choose the method: PVC first.
EZT practice question
Which is India's highest wartime gallantry medal, and what other awards did the teacher mention?
Show the worked solution
- The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest wartime gallantry medal.
- 21 bravehearts have been awarded it.
- The teacher also told the class about the Maha Vir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.
Answer: The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest wartime gallantry medal, awarded to 21 bravehearts; the teacher also mentioned the Maha Vir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.
Check: Major Somnath Sharma received India's first PVC, posthumously, for the Battle of Badgam in 1947.
Watch for this: Do not confuse the PVC with the Padma awards - the PVC is a wartime gallantry medal, not a civilian honour.
Now try it yourself
Name two other soldiers the lesson mentions who were awarded the PVC in the 1971 war.
Check your answer
Any two of: Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, Major Hoshiar Singh.
All three are named in the lesson alongside Albert Ekka.
Retell Albert Ekka's citation
Choose the method: Two bunkers, one objective.
EZT practice question
What did Lance Naik Albert Ekka do at Gangasagar?
Show the worked solution
- Seriously wounded, he charged an enemy Light Machine Gun bunker and silenced it.
- He crawled forward under heavy fire and lobbed a grenade into a second bunker, scaled a side wall and bayoneted the gunner.
- His action saved his company and ensured the attack's success; he succumbed to his injuries after the objective was captured.
Answer: Despite being seriously wounded, Albert Ekka (14 Guards) silenced one machine-gun bunker, then destroyed a second with a grenade and bayoneted the gunner - saving his company and ensuring the attack's success, before succumbing to his injuries.
Check: The citation was read aloud by the teacher - 'it touched my heart', Soumya writes.
Watch for this: Do not say he survived - he succumbed to his injuries after the objective was captured; the PVC was posthumous.
Now try it yourself
What was the effect of the citation on Soumya?
Check your answer
It touched her heart - she aspires to be courageous like Albert Ekka and join the Army.
The visit changed what she wants to become.
Match the four Chakras
Choose the method: Immortality, Bravery, Sacrifice, Protection.
EZT practice question
Match each Chakra of the National War Memorial with its meaning.
Show the worked solution
- Amar Chakra - Circle of Immortality: the obelisk and the eternal flame.
- Veerta Chakra - Circle of Bravery: six bronze battle murals.
- Tyag Chakra - Circle of Sacrifice: walls of honour with tablets for each fallen hero; Raksha Chakra - Circle of Protection: trees representing soldiers guarding the nation.
Answer: Amar Chakra - Immortality (obelisk and flame); Veerta Chakra - Bravery (six bronze murals); Tyag Chakra - Sacrifice (tablets for each fallen hero); Raksha Chakra - Protection (trees as guarding soldiers).
Check: The four Chakras are concentric circles around the 15-metre obelisk.
Watch for this: Do not swap Tyag and Raksha - Tyag is sacrifice (the tablets), Raksha is protection (the trees).
Now try it yourself
When and where was the Amar Jawan Jyoti first lit?
Check your answer
In January 1972, under the arch of India Gate, to commemorate India's victory in the 1971 war - later merged with the flame at the memorial.
The eternal flame symbolises that the nation will never forget.
Read Ananda's reply
Choose the method: Chandigarh, 24 April.
EZT practice question
What does Ananda share in his reply?
Show the worked solution
- He writes from Chandigarh on 24 April.
- A war memorial, to him, is not just an edifice - it expresses deep gratitude for the soldiers' supreme sacrifice.
- He remembers people offering flowers at the War Memorial in Bougainvillea Garden, Sector 3, and shares the poem Pushp ki Abhilasha.
Answer: Ananda replies that a war memorial is an expression of deep gratitude, recalls people offering flowers at the War Memorial in Bougainvillea Garden, Sector 3, Chandigarh, and shares the poem Pushp ki Abhilasha - he is seriously thinking of joining the Armed Forces.
Check: Both friends change: Soumya aspires to join the Army; Ananda is thinking of the Armed Forces.
Watch for this: Do not place the Bougainvillea Garden in Delhi - it is in Sector 3, Chandigarh.
Now try it yourself
Which poem does Ananda's memory bring back?
Check your answer
Pushp ki Abhilasha.
A flower's wish - offered for the nation.
Notice the letter form
Choose the method: Two cities, two dates.
EZT practice question
How is the lesson structured as a piece of writing?
Show the worked solution
- It is an exchange of letters between two friends.
- Soumya writes from Bengaluru on 14 April; Ananda replies from Chandigarh on 24 April.
- The letters carry description (the visit), facts (the memorial), feeling (gratitude) and a poem.
Answer: The lesson is a letter exchange: Soumya's letter from Bengaluru (14 April) describing her school visit, and Ananda's reply from Chandigarh (24 April) with his own memory and the poem Pushp ki Abhilasha.
Check: Salutation, date and place mark each letter - watch for them.
Watch for this: Do not treat it as one essay - the two voices and two cities are the point.
Now try it yourself
Do you think Soumya enjoyed writing her letter? Give a reason.
Check your answer
Open response - e.g., yes: she says she could not help sharing the experience and writes a long letter full of detail and feeling.
Her excitement carries the letter.
Try a mixed set
Choose a method or explanation before opening each answer.
1. The memorial's numbers?
Show answer and reason
29 thousand tablets, more than 26 thousand names; 40 acres near India Gate.
Built April 2018, inaugurated February 2019.
2. India's highest wartime gallantry medal?
Show answer and reason
The Param Vir Chakra (21 awardees).
First PVC: Major Somnath Sharma, Badgam 1947, posthumous.
3. Albert Ekka's unit and battle?
Show answer and reason
14 Guards; silenced machine-gun bunkers at Gangasagar, 1971.
He succumbed after the objective was captured.
4. The four Chakras?
Show answer and reason
Amar (Immortality), Veerta (Bravery), Tyag (Sacrifice), Raksha (Protection).
Around the 15-metre obelisk and the Amar Jawan Jyoti.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- Write two sentences on why the eternal flame matters.
- Name the cities and dates of the two letters.
- List the four Chakras with one word of meaning each.
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Questions about this practice page
- What is A Homage to Our Brave Soldiers about?
- Two friends exchange letters about the National War Memorial - Soumya's school visit to it, and Ananda's reply about gratitude, memory and the wish to serve the nation.
- How many soldiers' names are etched at the National War Memorial?
- More than 26 thousand names on 29 thousand tablets.
- Who was Lance Naik Albert Ekka?
- A 14 Guards soldier whose Param Vir Chakra citation is read in the lesson - he silenced enemy machine-gun bunkers at Gangasagar in 1971 and died of his injuries after the objective was captured.
- What are the four Chakras of the National War Memorial?
- Amar Chakra (Immortality), Veerta Chakra (Bravery), Tyag Chakra (Sacrifice) and Raksha Chakra (Protection).
- Are these the NCERT exercise questions for Class 7 English Chapter 13?
- 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.