FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH - KSEEB - CLASS 06 - COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - POEM - PIPING DOWN THE VALLEYS WILD

 

Poem - 05

PIPING DOWN THE VALLEYS WILD

William Blake

Talking about the poem:

Read the following questions and tell the answers to your partner. Sometimes you will have to give reasons for what you say. Write down what you say.

a) In the first two stanzas of the poem, you see two people. Who are they? Are the happy or sad? How can you say?

Ans: The child in the cloud and the poet, the piper. Yes, they are happy. The piper was piping happy songs when the child in the cloud was laughing.

 

b) The child saw the piper first, (True/ not true). How do you know? Is (he child a boy or a girl)?

Ans: True. The child spoke to piper first. The child is a boy.

 

c) The child had heard the piper piping below. (True/ not true).

Ans: True

 

d) Why did the piper pipe with merry cheer?

Ans: The piper piped with merry cheer because the child asked the piper to pipe a song about the lamb.

 

e) The child liked the song the piper piped. (True/ not true).

Ans: True.

 

f) “And I wrote my happy songs”, says the poet. What did he wish to happen?

Ans: Every child of the future may read it and enjoy. So, he wrote his happy songs.

 

g) We have enjoyed this poem haven’t we? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans: Yes, we have enjoyed this poem. The poem expresses only happiness.

 

h) There are two incidents that can happen only in someone’s dream. Skim the poem and find them.

Ans: The two incidents that can happen only in someone’s dream are: a child appearing the cloud and talking, the piper writing his poems with clear water.

 

i) Why does only the child speak to the piper, not the piper to the child?

Ans: The child speaks to the piper, not the piper to the child because he did not speak to the child.

 

j) The child hears the piper piping and the piper, the child speaking. (True/ not true).

Ans: True

 

k) Does the poet praise the quality of innocence? Skim the poem and find two symbols of innocence.

Ans: Yes, the poet praises the quality of innocence. The piper is writing the poem with water and a hollow stem of a plant. The child is weeping with joy to hear the song.

 

Writing:

Work with your partner and do the exercise given below.

This poem is an expression of simple joys of life. It is a celebration of innocence. It is a dream like quality; you can see two incidents that can happen only in someone’s dream. There is joyous activity here. A piper catches the fancy of a child. The child goes on asking him to do things one after the other. He does them good-humoredly.