Summary
Chapter 3 of the Class 4 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "Be Smart, Be Safe", is a road safety chapter written as a letter from the Traffic Police of Bharat to young students, sharing six practical rules for staying safe on roads. Topics include using the zebra crossing, following traffic lights, walking on footpaths, holding an adult's hand, using reflective stickers in the dark, and staying alert. Download the PDF and read a full summary and Q&A below.
- Six Road Safety Rules from the Traffic Police — The chapter presents six numbered safety rules addressed to children by the Traffic Police of Bharat. The rules cover: always using the zebra crossing (look right, left, right again before crossing), following pedestrian traffic lights, walking on footpaths, holding an adult's hand near roads, using reflective stickers on clothes in the evening, and staying alert by avoiding headphones and mobile phones near traffic.
- Road Signs and Their Meanings — Students are asked to identify common road signs from a help box that lists meanings such as School Ahead, No Littering, Drive Slow, No Honking, Danger Ahead, U Turn, No Left Turn, and Right Turn. This activity builds awareness of the visual language of road safety beyond the six written rules.
- Classifying Safe and Unsafe Activities — A hands-on activity asks students to sort actions — such as looking right and left before crossing, playing on the road, crossing at a zebra crossing, walking on the footpath, and listening to loud music on the road — into 'Safe' and 'Unsafe' columns. A spot-the-error picture activity extends this by asking students to find six mistakes in a road scene illustration.
- Countable and Uncountable Nouns (Grammar) — The grammar section introduces nouns as naming words (person, place, thing, or idea) and distinguishes countable nouns (apples, buses, chairs) from uncountable nouns (water, rice, air). Students classify everyday items and road-safety vocabulary — including words like Traffic, Helmet, Pollution, and Safety — and identify countable and uncountable nouns in a banana milkshake recipe.
Key points & formulas
- 01Chapter is written as a letter from the Traffic Police of Bharat addressed to Class 4 children
- 02Rule 1: Use the zebra crossing — look right, left, then right again before crossing
- 03Rule 2: Wait for the pedestrian signal to turn green; never run across the road
- 04Rule 3: Walk on footpaths, which are meant for pedestrians only
- 05Rule 4: Hold an adult's hand while walking near or crossing the road
- 06Rule 5: Wear reflective stickers on clothes when walking in the evening so drivers can see you
- 07Rule 6: Do not use headphones or mobile phones near traffic as they distract from traffic sounds
- 08Grammar focus: countable nouns (bananas, buses) vs uncountable nouns (water, sugar, milk)
Frequently asked questions
01What is Chapter 3 of Class 4 English Santoor about?
It is a road safety chapter written as a letter from the Traffic Police of Bharat to students, sharing six rules that help children stay safe while walking on, or crossing, streets.
02Who wrote the letter in 'Be Smart, Be Safe'?
The letter is written by the Traffic Police of Bharat, addressed to children to share important road safety tips.
03What are the six road safety rules in Chapter 3?
The six rules are: (1) use the zebra crossing, (2) follow traffic lights, (3) walk on footpaths, (4) hold an adult's hand near roads, (5) use reflective stickers in the dark, and (6) stay alert and avoid headphones or phones near traffic.
04What is a zebra crossing and how should you use it?
A zebra crossing is the black and white striped path used to cross the road. Before crossing, you must look right, then left, then right again to make sure no vehicles are coming, and cross only when it is safe.
05Why should children not use headphones while walking near traffic?
Headphones can distract you from traffic sounds, making it harder to hear approaching vehicles and increasing the risk of an accident.
06What are reflective stickers and why are they important?
Reflective stickers are stickers you put on your clothes when walking in the evening or dark so that drivers can see you clearly and avoid hitting you.
07What should you do when the pedestrian signal is red?
You should wait for the pedestrian signal to turn green before crossing the road, and you must never run across the road.
08What is the grammar topic covered in Chapter 3 of Santoor Class 4?
The chapter teaches the difference between countable nouns (nouns that can be counted, like apples and buses) and uncountable nouns (nouns that cannot be counted individually, like water and rice).
09Give examples of countable and uncountable nouns from the chapter.
Countable nouns from the chapter include bananas, biscuits, tomatoes, helmets, and buses. Uncountable nouns include lemonade, flour, curd, pollution, and safety.
10What writing activity is given in 'Be Smart, Be Safe'?
Students are asked to write a letter to the Traffic Police of Bharat thanking them and promising to follow all traffic rules and stay safe, completing the partially written letter provided in the textbook.
11What is the safe vs unsafe activity in Chapter 3?
Students classify actions such as looking right and left before crossing, playing on the road, crossing at a zebra crossing, walking on the footpath, and listening to loud music on the road as either 'Safe' or 'Unsafe'.
12What are the new words introduced in Chapter 3 of Santoor Class 4?
The new words introduced in this chapter are: pedestrian, footpath, reflective, and distract.
More chapters in Santoor
Read Chapter 3 of Santoor, the Class 4 English NCERT textbook (2026-27 edition), online for free: the complete chapter as published by NCERT with every diagram, solved example and exercise, with a chapter summary, question answers and revision notes. Open the NCERT PDF above, or browse all NCERT Class 4 textbooks.
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