2nd PUC ENGLISH
WORKBOOK ANSWERS STREAMS POEMS FOR COMPREHENSION
B. POETRY
1. OZYMANDIAS
P.B. SHELLEY
Read
the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
1) I
met a traveller from an antique land
Who
said: two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand
in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half
sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown.
a)
Who is the ‘I’ in the stanza?
Ans: The ‘I’ in the stanza
is the poet or the speaker.
b) Who did the speaker meet?
Ans: The speaker met a
traveller.
c)
Where had the traveller come from?
Ans: The traveller had come
from an antique land.
d)
Whom does the word ‘who’ in the second line refer to?
Ans: The word ‘who’ in the
second line refers to the traveller.
e)
What did he see standing in the desert?
Ans: He saw two vast and trunkless
legs of stone standing in the desert.
f)
What was lying half sunk in the sand?
Ans: A shattered visage (face)
was lying half sunk in the sand.
g)
What was the expression on the shattered visage?
Ans: There was a frown
expression on the shattered visage.
h)
‘Trunkless legs of stone’ here means
i)
two pillars of stone
ii)
a man who has no trunk
iii)
a statue of a man with only the legs.
Ans: iii) a statue of a man
with only the legs.
2)
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell
that its sculptor well those passions read
Which
yet survive, stamped on those lifeless things,
The
hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;
a)
What adjective is used to describe the lip?
Ans: The adjective used to
describe the lip is wrinkled.
b)
What did the sculptor read well?
Ans: The sculptor read
passions well.
c)
What have still survived, stamped on those lifeless things?
Ans: The passions, emotions
and expressions have still survived which the sculptor stamped on the lifeless
things.
d)
What are referred to as ‘those lifeless things’?
Ans: The stone statue in
general and the vast and trunkless legs of stone, and the shattered visage in
particular are referred to as ‘those lifeless things’.
e)
Whose hand and whose heart is the traveller talking about?
Ans: ‘The hand’ refers to
the hand of the sculptor with which he sculpted the sculpture and ‘the heart’
refers to the heart of the king that fed the sculptor with passions.
f)
Who mocked at the king’s passions?
Ans: The sculptor mocked at
the king’s passions
g)
What does ‘mocked’ mean?
Ans: ‘Mocked’ here means
‘imitated’.
h)
What does the word ‘them’ in the last line refer to?
Ans: ‘Them’ in the last
line refers to the passions.
3)
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My
name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look
on my works,ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing
beside remains. Round the decay
Of
that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The
lone and level sands stretch far away.
a)
Where do the words appear?
Ans: The words appear upon
the pedestal.
b)
Who wrote those words?
Ans: Ozymandias wrote those
words.
c)
Who are those words addressed to?
Ans: The mighty are those
words addressed to.
d)
What does the word ‘works’ refer to?
Ans: The word ‘works’
refers to the achievements of Ozymandias.
e)
Who are ‘ye mighty’?
Ans: ‘Ye mighty’ are other
kings who imagine that their power and glory would last forever and be greater
than that of Ozymandias.
f)
Why should others despair?
Ans: Others should despair
because no one can rival him.
g)
What does the word ‘wreck’ refer to?
Ans: ‘Wreck’ refers to the
ruins of the statue of the king.
h)
What was to be seen around the colossal wreck?
Ans: Nothing but sand was
to be seen around the colossal wreck.
2.
PRAYER OF A BLACK BOY
GUY TIROLIEN
Read the following lines and answer the
questions that follow.
1) Lord, I am so tired.
Tired I entered this world.
Far have I wandered since the cock crew,
And the road to school is steep.
Lord, I do not want to go into their school,
Please help me that I need not go again.
a) Who is the speaker addressing?
Ans: Lord is the speaker addressing.
b) The speaker prays to
i) the school teacher. ii) God. iii) the white man.
Ans: b) God.
c) The road to school is
Ans: The road to school is steep.
d) What time of day does ‘since the cock
crew’ suggest?
Ans: Daybreak, early morning is time of day
suggests ‘since the cock crew’.
e) How is the road to school, according to
the speaker?
Ans: The road is steep to school, according
to the speaker.
f) What is it that the speaker does not want
to do?
Ans: The speaker does not want to go to the white man’s school.
g) What does the speaker ask of the Almighty?
Ans: He asks the Almighty to help him so that he never has to go to
their school again.
2) I want to follow father into the cool
gorges
When the night is hovering over magic forests
Where spirits play before dawn.
Barefoot, I want to tread the red-hot paths,
That boil in midday sun.
And then lie down to sleep beneath a Mango
tree.
And I want to wake up only
When down there the white man’s siren starts
to howl,
And the factory.
a) Who does the speaker want to follow?
Ans: The speaker wants to follow his father.
b) Where do the spirits play before dawn?
Ans: The spirits play before dawn in the magic forests.
c) Where does the speaker intend to walk
barefoot?
Ans: The speaker intends to walk barefoot on the red-hot paths.
d) Where do the sirens how and why?
Ans: The sirens at the factories. The sirens are reminders for the
workers to go to the factory and start working.
3) A ship on the sugar fields,
Lands and spits its crew,
Of black workers into the landscape…
Lord, I do not want to go into their school,
Please help me that I need not go again.
a) Where does the ship land?
Ans: The ship land on the sugar fields.
b) What does it spit out?
Ans: It spits out its crew.
c) Who are the passengers on the ship?
Ans: Black workers are the passengers on the ship.
d) What are the passengers made to do?
Ans: The passengers are made to toil in the sugar fields.
4) It’s true, they say a little negro ought
to go,
So that he might become
Just like the gentlemen of the city,
So that he might become a real gentleman.
But I, I do not want to become
A gentleman of the city, or as they call it
A real gentleman.
I’d rather stroll along the sugar stores
Where the tight sacks are piled with brown
sugar, brown like my skin.
a) What do the people say about little Negroes?
Ans: The people say that little Negroes ought to go to school.
b) What do the people hope that a little Negro
will grow up into?
Ans: The people hope that the
little Negro will grow up to be a real gentleman.
c) What does the little Negro not wish to be?
Ans: The little Negro does not wish to be a real gentleman.
d) What would he want to do?
Ans: He wishes to walk along the sugar stores.
e) What do the sacks piled in the sugar
stores contain?
Ans: The sacks piled in the sugar stores contain brown sugar.
5) I’d rather listen – when the moon is
whispering
Tenderly into the ear of coco palms,
To what the old man who always smokes,
Recites with breaking voice during the night,
The stories of Samba and Master Hare
And many others more that are not found in
any book
a) Where is the moon whispering?
Ans: The moon is whispering into the ear of coco palms.
b) Who wants to listen to the old man?
Ans: The little Negro wants to listen to the old man.
c) What does the old man say?
Ans: The old man recites stories during the night with his breaking
voice.
d) What is not found in any book?
Ans: The stories of Samba and Master Hare and others which the old man recites
are not found in any book.
6) Lord, the negroes have had too much work
already.
Why should we learn again from foreign books,
About all kinds of things, we’ve never seen?
And then, their school is far too sad,
Just as sad as these gentlemen of the city.
These real gentlemen
Who do not even know how to dance by the
light of the moon,
Who do not even know how to walk on the flesh
of their feet,
Who do not even know how to tell the tales of
their fathers
By the light of their nightly fires.
O Lord, I do not want to go into their school
again.
a) Why does the speaker feel that negroes
have no use for foreign books?
Ans: Because the foreign books only teach them about things which they
have never seen and which they will probably never see.
b) What does the speaker say about the
school?
Ans: The speaker says that the school is sad.
c) What do the ‘real gentlemen’ not know to
do?
Ans: The real gentlemen do not know how to dance in the moonlight, or to
walk on their feet, or to tell stories like their fathers by the fire at night.
d) What does the boy wish for?
Ans: He wishes to never have to go to the school of the whites again.
3.
PLAYTHINGS
RABINDRANATH
TAGORE
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) Child,
Child, how happy you
are sitting in the dust, playing with a broken twig all morning!
I smile atyour play
with that little bit of a broken twig.
I am busy with my
accounts, adding up figures by the hour.
a) Where is the child sitting?
Ans: The child is sitting in the dust.
b) The child is playing with
Ans: The child is playing with a broken twig.
c) How does the poet react to the child’s
play?
Ans: The poet reacts to the child’s play by
smiling at the child.
d) What is the speaker doing?
Ans: The speaker is busy with his accounts
and adding up figures.
e) When the speaker says, I smile at your
play with that little bit of a broken twig”, it indicates that
a) he is happy to see the child playing happily
b) he laughs at the child for being content with having a broken twig for a toy
c) he thinks twigs are useless things with no value
d) he feels superior because he knows what is useless and what is worth
possessing.
Ans: b) he laughs at the child for being
content with having a broken twig for a toy.
2) Perhaps you glance at me and think
“What a stupid game
to spoil your morning with!”
Child, I have
forgotten the art of being absorbed in sticks and mud-pies.
I seek out costly
playthings and gather lumps of gold and silver.
With whatever you find
you create your glad games.
I Spend both my time
and my strength over things I can never obtain.
In my frail canoe I
struggle to cross the sea of desire, and forget that I too am playing a game.
a) What does the poet feel he has forgotten?
Ans: The poet says that he has forgotten the
art of being absorbed in sticks and mud-pies.
b) What does the poet play with?
Ans: The poet plays with costly playthings,
like gold and silver.
c) What is referred to as ‘a stupid game to
spoil your morning with’?
Ans: ‘A stupid game to spoil your morning
with’ is referred to adding up the accounts is being referred to here.
d) Why does the poet feel that his time and
strength is wasted?
Ans: The poet feels that his time and
strength is wasted because the poet spends his time and strength over things
which he can never obtain.
e) What wealth does the speaker gather?
Ans: The speaker gathers lumps of gold and
silver.
f) Who does ‘you’ in the 4th line refer to?
Ans: “You” in the 4th line refer
to the child.
4.
I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS
MAYA
ANGELOU
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) A free bird leaps
on the back of the
wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun
rays
and dares to claim
the sky.
a) Where does the free bird leap?
Ans: The free bird leaps on the back of a
wind.
b) Who floats downstream?
Ans: The free bird floats downstream.
c) What does ‘current’ refer to?
Ans: ‘current’ refers to the wind.
d) What does the free bird lay claim to?
Ans: The free bird lays claim to the sky.
2) But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see
through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped
and
his feet are tied
so he opens his
throat to sing.
a) What kind of bird is referred to here?
Ans: A captive bird that lives in a cage is
referred here.
b) What can this bird not see through?
Ans: This bird cannot see through the bars of
the cage, or perhaps, due to anger at being held captive, the poet suggests,
bars of rage.
c) Why are the bird’s wings clipped?
Ans: The bird’s wings clipped so that it
cannot fly.
d) What does the captive bird resort to,
since it cannot fly?
Ans: The captive bird resorts to singing,
since it cannot fly.
3) The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
a) How does the caged bird sing?
Ans: The caged bird sings with a fearful
trill.
b) What does ‘tune’ refer to?
Ans: ‘Tune’ refers to the song of the caged
bird.
c) Where is the bird’s tune heard?
Ans: The bird’s tune is heard on the distant
hill.
d) What does the bird sing about?
Ans: The bird sings about things unknown and
yet longed for. It sings about freedom.
4) The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds
soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms
waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky
his own
a) Who names the sky his own?
Ans: The free bird names the sky his own.
b) What does the free bird think of?
Ans: The free bird thinks of a breeze.
c) What causes the trees to sigh?
Ans: The trade winds which blow through the
trees cause them to sigh.
d) The worms wait on
Ans: The worms wait on a dawn bright lawn.
5) But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on
a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped
and his feet are tied
so he opens his
throat to sing.
a) Where does the caged bird stand?
Ans: The caged bird stands on the grave of
dreams.
b) What is done to the feet of the caged
bird?
Ans: The feet of the caged bird have been
tied.
c) What does the caged bird’s shadow do?
Ans: The caged bird’s shadow shouts in a
nightmare.
d) Why does the caged bird sing?
Ans: The caged bird sings because it can do
nothing else. It is denied freedom; its wings are clipped and its feet are
tied. Hence, the caged bird sings of freedom.
5.
THE INDIAN UPON GOD
W.B.
YEATS
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) I passed along the
waters’ edge below the humid trees.
My spirit rocked in
evening light, the rushes round my knees,
My spirit rocked in
sleep and sighs; and saw the moorfowl pace
All dripping on a
grassy slope, and saw them cease to chase
Each other round in
circles, and heard the eldest speak;
a) What did the speaker walk along?
Ans: The speaker was walking along the
waters’ edge.
b) What was around the speaker’s knees?
Ans: The rushes were around the speaker’s
knees.
c) Who were pacing on a grassy slope?
Ans: The moorfowls were pacing on a grassy slope.
d) Who spoke?
Ans: The eldest spoke.
e) What rocked in the evening light?
Ans: The poet’s spirit rocked in the evening
light.
2) Who holds the world
between
His bill and made us
strong or weak
Is an undying
moorfowl, and He lives beyond the sky.
The rains are from
His dripping wing, the moonbeams from His eye.
a) Who made the moorfowl strong or weak?
Ans: The undying moorfowl or God made the
moorfowl strong or weak.
b) Where does the undying moorfowl live?
Ans: The undying moorfowl lives beyond the
sky.
c) Who does the undying moorfowl represent?
Ans: God represents the undying moorfowl.
d) Where do the rains come from?
Ans: The rains come from the dripping wing of
the undying moorfowl.
e) What comes from the eye of the undying
moorfowl?
Ans: Moonbeams comes from the eye of the
undying moorfowl.
3) I passed a little
further on and heard a lotus talk:
Who made the world
and ruleth it, He hangeth on a stalk,
For I am in His image
made, and all this tinkling tide,
Is but a sliding drop
of rain between His petals wide.
a) Who did the speaker hear speaking?
Ans: The speaker heard a lotus speaking.
b) According to the lotus, who made the
world?
Ans: According to the lotus, God made the
world.
c) Who, according to the lotus, hangs on a
stalk?
Ans: According to the lotus, the maker and
ruler of the world hangs on a stalk.
d) What is the tide compared to?
Ans: It is compared to a drop of rain.
4) A little way within
the gloom a roebuck raised his eyes
Brimful of starlight,
and he said:
The Stamper of the
Skies,
He is a gentle roebuck;
for how else, I pray, could He
Conceive a thing so
sad and soft, a gentle thing like me?
a) Who did the speaker encounter in the
gloom?
Ans: A roebuck encountered the speaker in the
gloom.
b) What were his eyes full of?
Ans: Starlight was his eyes full of.
c) Who is referred to as the ‘Stamper of the
Skies’?
Ans: God is referred to as the ‘Stamper of
the Skies’.
d) Why does the roebuck say that God is a
roebuck?
Ans: The roebuck says that God is a roebuck
because he creates a thing so gentle and soft as a roebuck.
5) I passed a little further on and heard a peacock say:
Who made the grass
and made the worms and made my feathers gay,
He is a monstrous
peacock, and He waveth all the night
His languid tail
above us, lit with myriad spots of light,
a) Who did the speaker encounter a little
further?
Ans: A peacock encountered the speaker a
little further.
b) According to the peacock, who made the
grass and the worms?
Ans: According to the peacock a monstrous
peacock made the grass and the worms.
c) Where does the monstrous peacock wave his
tail?
Ans: The monstrous peacock waves his tail all
night above us.
d) What do the myriad spots of light
represent?
Ans: The myriad spots of light represent the
stars in the sky.
e) Whose tail is ‘lit with myriad spots of
light’?
Ans: The peacock’s tail is ‘lit with myriad
spots of light’.
6.
SONNET 55
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) Not marble nor the gilded monuments
Of princes shall
outlive this pow’rful rhyme:
But you shall shine
more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone,
besmear’d with sluttish time.
a) What shall marble or gilded monuments not
outlive?
Ans: This powerful rhyme shall marble or
gilded monuments not outlive.
b) Who does ‘you’ refer to?
Ans: Here ‘you’ refers to this particular
poem.
c) Who shall shine bright?
Ans: The rhyme shall shine bright in its
contents.
d) What is the brightness of the rhyme
compared to?
Ans: The brightness of the rhyme compared to
unswept stone.
e) What is the unswept stone smeared with?
Ans: The unswept stone smeared with the
passage of time.
2) When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out
the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword
nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of
your memory.
a) What is the effect of war?
Ans: The effect of war overturns statues.
b) What roots out the work of masons?
Ans: Broils root out the work of masons.
c) What things cannot affect the living
record referred to here?
Ans: War, broils, and Mars’ sword are the
things cannot affect or destroy the living record referred to here.
d) What is beyond burning by war?
Ans: The living record of the poem’s memory
is beyond burning by war.
3) Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth;
your praise shall still find room,
Even in the eyes of
all posterity
That wear this world
out to the ending doom.
So, till the
judgement that yourself arise,
You live in this, and
dwell in lovers’ eyes.
a) What shall the rhyme pace forth against?
Ans: The rhyme shall pace forth against death
and all-oblivious enmity.
b) Where shall its praise still find room?
Ans: In the eyes of all posterity shall its
praise still find room.
c) Where will posterity wear this world out
to?
Ans: Posterity will wear the world out to the
ending doom.
d) Until the judgement, where does the poem
dwell?
Ans: The poem dwells in lovers’ eyes.
7.
THE REVERIE OF POOR SUSAN
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) At the corner of Wood Street, when daylight appears,
Hangs a thrush that
sings loud, it has sung for three years:
Poor Susan has passed
by the spot, and has heard
In the silence of
morning the song of the bird.
a) Where does Susan come across the thrush?
Ans: Susan comes across the thrush at the
corner of Wood Street.
b) When does the thrush sing loud?
Ans: When daylight appears the thrush sings
loud.
c) How long has the thrush been singing?
Ans: For three years has the thrush been
singing.
d) When has Susan heard the song of the bird?
Ans: Susan has heard the song of the bird in
the silence of the morning.
2) “It is a note of enchantment; what ails her?
She sees A mountain
ascending, a vision of trees;
Bright volumes of
vapour through Lothbury glide,
And a river flows on
through the vale of Cheapside.
a) How are the notes of the bird’s song
described as?
Ans: The notes of the bird’s song are
described as enchanting.
b) What does she see?
Ans: She sees a mountain ascending and a
vision of trees.
c) Where do the bright volumes of vapour
glide through?
Ans: The bright volunes of vapour glide
thourgh Lothbury.
d) Where does a river flow through?
Ans: A river flows through the vale of
Cheapside.
e) A mountain ascending means
a) Susan is climbing the mountain
b) she is on the plains and the mountain rises over it
c) the mountain gradually takes shape before her vision.
Ans: c) the mountain gradually takes shape before her vision.
3) Green pastures she views in the midst of the dale,
Down which she so
often has tripped with her pail;
And a single small
cottage, a nest like a dove’s
The one only dwelling
on earth that she loves.
a) What does she see in the midst of the
dale?
Ans: She sees Green pastures in the midst of
the dale.
b) What has happened to her often in the
midst of the dale?
Ans: She has tripped often with her pail in
the midst of the dale.
c) What is compared to a dove’s nest?
Ans: A single small cottage is compared to a
dove’s nest.
d) The only dwelling on earth that she loves
is a single small
i) dove ii) cottage iii) nest
Ans: ii) cottage
4) She looks, and her heart is in heaven: but they fade,
The mist and the
river, the hill and the shade:
The stream will not
flow, and the hill will not rise,
And the colours have
all passed away from her eyes!
a) Where is her heart?
Ans: Her heart is in heaven.
b) What fades away?
Ans: The mist, the river, the hill and the
shade fade away.
c) What happens to the stream and the hill?
Ans: The stream stops flowing and the hill
stops rising.
d) What has passed away from her eyes?
Ans: The colours have all passed away from
her eyes.
8.
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry 1 could not
travel both
And be one traveler,
long 1 stood
And looked down one as
far as I could
To where it bent in
the undergrowth;
a) Where did the two roads diverge?
Ans: The two roads diverged in a wood.
b) Why was the poet sorry?
Ans: The poet was sorry because he could not
travel on both roads.
c) The word ‘both’in the second line refers
to two
i) travelers ii) woods iii) roads
Ans: iii) roads
d) What did the traveler do when he came
across the two diverged roads?
Ans: The traveler e stood there for a long
time and looked down one road as far as he could when he came across the two
diverged roads.
e) “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”… The
word ‘yellow’ indicates that
i) there were many yellow flowers in the forest
ii) the poet was viewing the scene wearing yellow glasses
iii) it was the autumn season
iv) he was looking at the forest against the background of the evening sky.
Ans: iii) it was the autumn season.
2) Then took the other as just as fair,
And having perhaps
the better claim,
Because it was grassy
and wanted wear;
Though as for that
the passing there
Had worn them really
about the same.
a) What does the ’other’ refer to?
Ans: The ‘other’ refers to the second road.
b) Why did the second road have a better
claim?
Ans: The second road had a better claim
because the poet felt that it was grassier and looked like it wanted someone to
walk on it. Hence, he felt that it had the better claim.
c) ‘It was grassy and wanted wear’ suggests
that
i) the road needed clearing
ii) it was less travelled by
iii) the road was trodden by many
Ans: ii) it was less travelled by.
d) What had been worn out about the same?
Ans: Both the roads had been worn out about
the same.
e) The traveller took the second road because
i) it took him to his town
ii) it led to his destination
iii) it looked pleasant
iv) it was less frequented and grassy.
Ans: iv) it was less frequented and grassy.
3) And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had
trodden black,
Oh, I kept the first
for another day!
Yet knowing how way
leads on to way,
doubted if I should
ever come back.
a) What lay equally that morning?
Ans: The two roads that diverged in a wood.
b) What had not been trodden black?
Ans: The leaves that lay on the road had not
been trodden black.
c) What did the poet keep for another day?
Ans: The poet kept the first road for another
day.
d) Why did the poet doubt that he would ever
come back?
Ans: The poet knew that one way leads to
another and so on, and it would be unlikely that he would come back to the same
spot.
4) I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages
hence:
Two roads diverged in
a wood, and I
I took the one less
travelled by,
And that has made all
the difference.
a) What would the poet be telling with a
sigh?
Ans: The poet would be telling with a sigh
how he had to choose between two roads and that he chose the less trodden one.
b) What was the poet confronted with in the
woods?
Ans: Two roads that diverged was the poet
confronted with in the woods.
c) What did the poet do?
Ans: The poet chose the road which had been
less frequented.
d) What made all the difference?
Ans: Choosing the road less travelled made
all the difference.
9.
THE CRUTCHES
BERTOLT BRECHT
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) Seven years I could not walk a step.
When I to the great
physician came
He demanded: Why the
crutches?
And I told him: I am
lame.
a) Why does the poet go to the physician?
Ans: The poet goes to the physician to get
his lameness cured.
b) How long could the speaker not walk a
step?
Ans:
Seven years the speaker could not walk a step.
c) Who does ‘He’ in the third line refer to?
Ans: ‘He’ in the third line refers to the great physician.
d) Why does the speaker use crutches?
Ans: The speaker uses crutches because he is
lame.
e) What did the physician ask the speaker?
Ans: The physician asked the speaker why he
used crutches.
2) He replied: That’s not surprising
Be so good and try
once more.
If you’re lame, it’s
these contraptions.
Fall then! Crawl
across the floor!
a) Who does ‘He’ refer to?
Ans: ‘He’ refers to the great physician.
b) The physician’s remark, ‘that is not
surprising’, could mean
i) the poet is lame because he is using crutches
ii) the poet is using crutches because he is lame
iii) there is nothing surprising about anyone being lame
Ans: i) the poet is lame because he is using
crutches.
c) What did the physician ask the speaker to
try once more?
Ans: The physician asked the speaker to try
walking without crutches once more.
d) According to the physician, what was
making the speaker lame?
Ans: The contraptions were making the speaker
lame, according to the physician.
3) And he took my lovely crutches
Laughing with a fiend’s
grimace
Broke them both
across my back and
Threw them in the
fireplace.
a) Who took the crutches?
Ans: The great physician took the crutches.
b) How is the physician’s laugh described?
Ans: The physician’s laugh described with a
fiend’s grimace.
c) What does ‘both’ refer to?
Ans: It refers to the pair of crutches that
belonged to the speaker.
d) Where did the physician throw the crutches?
Ans: After breaking them, the physician threw
the crutches in the fireplace.
e) The crutches are thrown into the fireplace
because
i) he no longer needs them
ii) the crutches did not help him in any way
iii) he may be tempted to use them again.
Ans: iii) he may be tempted to use them again.
4) Well, I’m cured now: I can walk.
Cured by nothing more
than laughter.
Sometimes, though,
when / see sticks
I walk worse for some
hours after.
a) What was the speaker able to do after he
was cured?
Ans: The speaker was able to walk after he
was cured.
b) What was the speaker cured by?
Ans: The speaker was cured by laughter.
c) What happens to the speaker when he sees
sticks?
Ans: The speaker walks worse for a few hours
when he sees sticks.
d) Why does the speaker walk worse for some
hours?
Ans: The speaker walks worse for some hours because
he is reminded of his crutches.
10.
THIS ABOVE ALL IS PRECIOUS AND REMARKABLE
JOHN
WAIN
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) This above all is precious and remarkable,
How we put ourselves
in one another’s care,
How in spite of
everything we trust each other.
Fishermen at whatever
point they are dipping and lifting
On the dark green
swell they partly think of as home
Hear the gale
warnings that fly to them like gulls.
a) What does the speaker find precious and
remarkable?
Ans: The speaker feels that it is a precious
and remarkable thing that we still put ourselves in each other’s care and that
we trust others.
b) Where are the fishermen dipping and
lifting?
Ans: The fishermen are dipping and lifting on
the dark green swell (the sea).
c) What do the fishermen partly think of as
home?
Ans: The fishermen partly think of the sea
home.
d) What flies to the fishermen like gulls?
Ans: Warnings of storms fly to the fishermen
like gulls.
e) What does ‘the dark green swell’ refer to?
Ans: ‘The dark green swell’ refers to the sea
in high tide when there is a storm.
2) The scientists study the weather for love of studying it,
And not specially for
love of the fishermen,
And the wireless
engineers do the transmission for love of wireless,
But how it adds up is
that when the terrible white malice
Of the waves high as
cliffs is let loose to seek a victim,
The fishermen are
somewhere else and so not drowned.
a) Why do scientists study the weather,
according to the speaker?
Ans: According to the speaker scientists study
the weather because they love studying it.
b) What do wireless engineers do?
Ans: Wireless engineers do the transmission
of information.
c) What is described as the ‘terrible white
malice’?
Ans: A storm at sea is described as a
terrible white malice.
d) Who, according to the poet, help the
fishermen directly?
Ans: According to the poet the scientists who
study the weather for its own sake indirectly help the fishermen.
e) ‘The terrible white malice of the waves’
describes
i) the white foam on the rising sea
ii) the fury of the sea during the storm
iii) the blind hatred of the sea towards fishermen.
Ans: ii) the fury of the sea during the storm.
3) And why should this chain of miracles be easier to believe
Than that my darling
should come to me as naturally
As she trusts a
restaurant not to poison her?
They are simply
examples of well-known types of miracle,
The two of them,
That can happen at
any time of the day or night.
a) What chain of miracles does the speaker
refer to?
Ans: The speaker refers to the chain of
miracles that saves a fisherman from being at sea during a storm.
b) What are the two examples of miracles?
Ans: The two examples are those of the
fishermen and the speaker’s darling.
c) What can happen at any time of day or
night?
Ans: The miracles can happen at any time of
day or night.
11.
THE BANGLE SELLERS
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) Bangle sellers are we who bear
Our shining loads to
the temple fair…
Who will buy these
delicate, bright
Rainbow-tinted
circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of
radiant lives.
For happy daughters
and happy wives.
a) What do the bangle sellers bear?
Ans: They bear their shining loads of
bangles.
b) Where do the bangle sellers sell their
bangles?
Ans: The bangle sellers sell their bangles at
the temple fair.
c) How are the bangles described by the
bangle sellers?
Ans: They are described as delicate, bright,
rainbow-tinted circles of light.
d) Who are the bangles for?
Ans: The bangles for daughters and wives.
e) Where are the bangle sellers taking their
shining loads to?
Ans: The bangle sellers are taking their
shinning loads to the temple fair.
2) Some are meet for a maiden’s wrist,
Silver and blue as
the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like
the buds that dream
On the tranquil brow
of a woodland stream,
Some are aglow with
the bloom that cleaves
To the limpid glory
of new born leaves.
a) What is ‘meet’ for a maiden’s wrist?
Ans: Bangles are ‘meet’ for a maiden’s wrist.
b) What are the silver and blue bangles
compared to?
Ans: The silver and blue bangles are compared
to the mountain mist.
c) What are the buds described here doing?
Ans: The buds are dreaming on the tranquil
brow of a woodland stream.
d) What are some bangles aglow with?
Ans: Some bangles are aglow with the bloom
that gives life to new leaves.
3) Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
Meet for a bride on
her bridal morn,
Some, like the flame
of her marriage fire,
Or, rich with the hue
of her heart’s desire,
Tinkling, luminous,
tender, and clear,
Like her bridal
laughter and bridal tear.
a) What are the bangles made for a bride’s
bridal morn compared to?
Ans: The bangles made for a bride’s bridal morn
are compared to fields of sunlit corn.
b) Which flame are some bangles like?
Ans: Some bangles are like the flame of a
marriage fire.
c) What adjectives are used to describe the
bangles?
Ans: Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear
are adjectives used to describe the bangles.
d) What is like a bride’s laughter and tear?
Ans: Bangles is like a bride’s laughter and
tear.
4) Some are purple and gold-flecked grey
For she who has
journeyed through life midway,
Whose hands have
cherished, whose love has blest,
And cradled fair sons
on her faithful breast,
And serves her
household in fruitful pride,
And worships the gods
at her husband’s side.
a) Who are the purple and gold-flecked grey
bangles for?
Ans: The purple and gold-flecked grey bangles
are for a middle-aged woman.
b) What have her hands cherished?
Ans: Her hands have cherished her fair sons.
c) How does she serve her household?
Ans: She serves her household with pride.
d) Who does she worship?
Ans: She worships the Gods, standing beside
her husband.
12.
ON HIS BLINDNESS
JOHN
MILTON
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in
this dark world and wide,
And that one talent
which is death to hide
Lodg’d with me
useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my
Maker, and present
My true account, lest
he returning chide,
“Doth God exact
day-labour, light denied?”
I fondly ask.
a) When did Milton become blind?
Ans: Milton became blind before half his life
in the world was over.
b) What does the poet mean by ‘light’?
Ans: The poet means by ‘light’ is his
eyesight.
c) How does the speaker describe the world?
Ans: The speaker describes the world as wide
and dark.
d) Why does he call the world dark?
Ans: He calls the world dark because he has
lost his sight.
e) Which is that ‘one talent which is death
to hide’?
Ans: The talent is the God-given gift of
writing poetry is that ‘one talent which death to hide’.
f) How has the speaker’s blindness affected
his soul?
Ans: The speaker’s blindness has made his
soul more eager to serve his Maker.
2) But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon
replies:
“God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts: who best
Bear his mild yoke,
they serve him best
His state Is kingly;
thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’er land
and ocean without rest:
They also serve who
only stand and wait.”
a) Who replies to the speaker’s question?
Ans: Patience replies the speaker’s question.
b) What does God not need?
Ans: God does not need man’s labour or his
gifts.
c) Who serves God the best, according to
Milton?
Ans: According to Milton, tThe person who
bears patiently the burden God has placed on him.
d) What do the thousands at God’s bidding do?
Ans: Thousands at God’s bidding travel over
land and sea without rest, in order to carry out his commands.
13.
HOME THEY BROUGHT HER WARRIOR DEAD
ALFRED TENNYSON
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) Home they brought her warrior dead:
She nor swoon’d nor
utter’d cry:
All her maidens,
watching, said,
“She must weep or she
will die.”
i) What did they bring home?
Ans: The dead warrior was brought home by
them.
ii) What was the reaction of the warrior’s
wife?
Ans: The reaction of the warrior’s wife was she
neither swooned nor cried.
iii) Why was the woman unresponsive?
Ans: The woman was unresponsive because she
was in shock.
iv) What did all the maidens say?
Ans: All the maidens said that the woman had
to weep or she would die.
2) Then they praised him, soft and low,
Call’d him worthy to
be loved.
Truest friend and
noblest foe;
Yet she neither spoke
nor moved.
i) Why did they praise the dead warrior?
Ans: They praised the dead warrior in the
hope that it might bring his wife to tears.
ii) What attempts were made to remember the
dead warrior?
Ans: The attempts made to remember the dead
warrior was he was praised and called a true friend and a noble foe.
iii) What was the dead warrior considered to
have been worthy of?
Ans: The dead warrior was considered to have
been worthy of love.
iv) What was the response of the dead
warrior’s wife?
Ans: The response of the dead warrior’s wife
was she neither spoke nor moved.
3) Stole a maiden from her place,
Lightly to the
warrior stepped.
Took the face-cloth
from the face;
Yet she neither moved
nor wept.
i) Who moved from her place?
Ans: A maiden moved from her place.
ii) Where did she go?
Ans: She went to the side of the dead
warrior.
iii) Why did she take the face-cloth off?
Ans: She took the face cloth off because she
wanted the wife to see the face of her dead husband.
4) Rose a nurse of ninety years,
Set his child upon
her knee
Like summer tempest
came her tears-
“Sweet my child, I
live for thee.”
i) Who rose from her place?
Ans: A nurse rose from her place.
ii) How old was she?
Ans: She was ninety years old.
iii) Who was set upon her knee?
Ans: Her child was set upon her knee.
iv) What came like summer tempest?
Ans: Tears came like summer tempest.
v) What finally made the dead warrior’s wife
cry?
Ans: The sight of her little child made the
dead warrior’s wife cry.
vi) Who does the mother want to live for?
Ans: The mother wants to live for her child.
14.
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
HARRY
HEMSLEY
READ
THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) Some words have different meanings,
and yet they’re spelt
the same.
A cricket is an
insect, to play it – it’s a game.
On every hand, in
every land, it’s thoroughly agreed, the
English language to
explain is very hard indeed.
i) What makes words with different meanings
confusing?
Ans: Words with different meanings become
confusing when they have the same spelling.
ii) What are the two interpretations of the
word ’cricket’?
Ans: The two interpretations of the word
‘cricket’ can mean either an insect, or a game.
iii) What is agreed on every hand and in
every land?
Ans: The English language is very hard to explain
is agreed on every hand and in every land.
iv) What is the ‘game’ referred to here?
Ans: The ‘game’ referred to here is Cricket.
v) What have different meanings yet spelt the
same?
Ans: Some words in the English language have
different meanings yet spelt the same.
vi) What is very hard to explain?
Ans: The English language is very hard to
explain.
2) Some people say that you ‘re a dear, yet dear is far from cheap.
A jumper is a thing
you wear, yet a jumper has to leap.
It’s very clear, it’s
very queer, and pray who is to blame for
different meanings to
some words, pronounced and spelt, the same?
i) What are the two meanings of ‘dear’ as
used here?
Ans: The two meanings of ‘Dear’ can either be
used as an affectionate term, or as a synonym of ‘expensive’.
ii) What article of clothing is referred to
here?
Ans: ‘Article of clothing’ referred to here is
a jumper.
iii) What is very queer and very clear?
Ans: Very queer and very clear are words with
the same spelling and pronunciation sometimes have different meanings.
iv) What words referred to here are
pronounced and spelt the same, yet have different meanings?
Ans: Jumper and dear are the words pronounced and spelt the same, yet
have different meanings.
3) A little journey is a trip, a trip is when you fall.
It doesn’t mean you
have to dance whene’er you hold a ball.
Now here’s a thing
that puzzles me: musicians of good taste
will very often form
a band – I’ve one around my waist!
i) What are the two meanings of ‘trip’
referred to here?
Ans: The two meanings referred to here are, a
short journey, and a fall.
ii) What does a ‘ball’ have to do with
dancing?
Ans: A ball is an event where people gather
to dance.
iii) What do musicians of good taste do?
Ans: Musicians of god taste often form a
band.
iv) What does the speaker have around his
waist?
Ans: The speaker has a band around his waist.
4) You spin a top, go for a spin, or spin a yarn may be –
yet every spin’s a
different spin, as you can plainly see.
Now here’s a most
peculiar thing – ’twas told me as a joke –
a dumb man wouldn’t
speak a word, yet seized a wheel and spoke.
i) How many spins are mentioned above and
what do they mean?
Ans: Three spins are mentioned above and.
Spin can refer to a spinning action, a small round trip and spinning cloth.
ii) What was the most peculiar thing?
Ans: The most peculiar thing that a dumb man
grabbed a wheel and spoke.
iii) Did the dumb man actually speak?
Ans: No, the dumb man did not actually speak.
He grabbed a wheel which had spokes.
5) A door may often be ajar, but give the door a slam,
and then your nerves
receive a jar – and then there’s jars of jam.
You’ve heard, of
course, of traffic jams, and jams you give your thumbs.
And adders, too, one
is a snake, and the other adds up sums.
i) What does the word ‘ajar’ mean?
Ans: ‘Ajar’ means slightly open.
ii) When do our nerves receive ajar?
Ans: Our nerves receive ajar when we slam the
door.
iii) Which of the following cannot be
associated with jars:
a) jams b) Nerves c) Snakes
Ans: c) Snakes.
iv) What snake is mentioned here?
Ans: Snake mentioned here is an Adder.
6) A policeman is a copper, it’s a nickname (impolite!)
yet a copper in the
kitchen is an article you light.
On every hand, in
every land, it’s thoroughly agreed
the English language
to explain is very hard indeed!
i) What nickname is referred to here?
Ans: Nickname referred to here is copper.
ii) Who is the nickname for?
Ans: The nickname is for a policeman.
iii) What is ‘an article you light’?
Ans: “An article you light’ is a copper.
15. THE HUMAN SEASONS
JOHN KEATS
READ THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE
QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1) Four seasons Jill the measure of a year;
There are four seasons in the mind of
man:
He has his lusty Spring, when fancy
clear
Takes in all beauty with an easy span:
i)
How many seasons are in a year?
Ans:
Four seasons are in a year.
ii)
According to the poet, a man’s mind has
Ans:
According to the poet, a man’s mind has four seasons.
iii)
What adjective is used to describe spring?
Ans:
Lusty is an adjective used to describe spring.
iv)
What happens in spring?
Ans:
Fancy takes in all beauty with an easy span during spring.
v)
What does ‘Spring’ represent in the stanza?
Ans:
‘Spring’ represents childhood in the stanza.
2) He has his Summer, when luxuriously
Spring’s honied cud of youthful
thought he loves
To ruminate, and by such dreaming high
Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves
i)
What season is being described here?
Ans:
Summer season is being described here.
ii)
What aspect of Spring is referred to here?
Ans:
‘Spring’s honied cud of youthful thought is referred to here.
iii)
What does summer represent in the stanza?
Ans:
Summer represents youth in the stanza.
3) Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves
His soul has in its Autumn, when his
wings
He furleth close; contented so to look
On mists in idleness – to let fair
things
Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook
He has his Winter too of pale
misfeature,
Or else he would forego his mortal
nature.
i)
What does his soul have in its Autumn?
Ans:
His soul has its quiet coves in its Autumn.
ii)
What is he contented to do in Autumn?
Ans:
He is contented to look on mists in idleness in Autumn.
iii)
What does autumn represent in the stanza?
Ans:
Autumn represents middle age in the stanza.
iv)
How is the Winter described?
Ans:
The Winter is described as a pale misfeature.
v)
If not for winter, what would happen?
Ans:
He would forgo his mortal nature, if he had no winter.
vi)
What does winter represent in the stanza?
Ans:
Winter represents old age in the stanza.
EXERCISE
READ THE FOLLOWING LINES AND ANSWER THE
QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
1. I passed along the waters’ edge below the
humid trees.
My spirit rocked in evening light, the
rushes round my knees,
My spirit rocked in sleep and sighs;
and saw the moorfowl pace
All dripping on a grassy slope, and
saw them cease to chase
Each other round in circles, and heard
the eldest speak;
i)
Where was the speaker walking?
Ans:
The speaker was walking along the waters’ edge below the humid trees.
ii)
What rocked in the evening light?
Ans:
His spirit rocked in the evening light.
iii)
Who were chasing each other in circles?
Ans:
The moorfowls were chasing each other in circles.
iv)
What did the speaker see along the waters’ edge?
Ans:
The speaker saw the moorfowl along the waters’ edge.
v)
The word ‘eldest’ in the last line refers to the
a)
speaker b) moorfowl c)God
Ans:
b) moorfowl.
2. Green pastures she views in the midst of the
dale,
Down which she so often has tripped
with her pail;
And a single small cottage, a nest
like a dove’s
The one only dwelling on earth that
she loves.
i)
Where, according to the speaker, does she view pastures?
Ans:
She views pastures in the midst of the dale, according to the speaker.
ii)
In the second line ‘which refers to the
a) dale
b) pastures
c) cottage
Ans:
a) dale.
(iii)
What is the cottage compared to?
Ans:
The cottage is compared to the nest of a dove.
iv)
Which is the only dwelling on earth that she loves?
Ans:
A single small cottage is the only dwelling on earth that she loves.
3. And he took my lovely crutches
Laughing with a fiend’s grimace
Broke them both across my back and
Threw them in the fireplace.
i)
How did he laugh when taking the speaker’s crutches?
Ans:
He laughed with a fiend’s grimace when he was talking the speaker’s crutches.
ii)
What did he do with the speaker’s crutches?
Ans:
He broke them and threw them in the fireplace.
iii)
In the third line ‘them’ refers to
a) friends b) fireplaces c) crutches
Ans:
c) crutches.
iv)
Where were the crutches thrown?
Ans:
The crutches were thrown in the fireplace.
4. But a caged bird stands on the grave of
dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare
scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are
tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
i)
Where, according to the speaker, does the caged bird stand?
Ans:
According to the speaker, the caged bird stands on the grave of dreams.
ii)
What does the caged bird shout on?
Ans:
The caged bird shouts as if it were in a nightmare.
iii)
Whose wings are clipped and feet are tied?
Ans:
The caged bird’s wings are clipped and feet are tied.
iv)
In the last line ‘he’ refers to the
a) speaker b) poet c) caged bird
Ans:
c) caged bird.
