You will find questions and answers for the students of class X. Book: First Flight and Footprints without Feet, comprehension passages, stanzas from poems, etc.
Thursday, 27 October 2022
Friday, 21 October 2022
Sunday, 9 October 2022
The Ball Poem By John Berryman
5. The Ball Poem By John Berryman
This poem is about a boy whose ball
bounces down into the street and finally falls down into the water in the
harbour. The poet watches the whole incident. He watches the boy becoming sad
and disappointed. He does not want to offer any consolation to the boy by
saying that he would have his other ball, etc. He let the boy experience the
pain at the loss of something dear to him. Thus the boy learns for the first
time that one should not grieve too much over the loss of material things
because these are only for some time with us.
Central
Idea: We should not feel sad at the loss
of our worldly possessions. Things come to us to go. Sometimes our dearest and most precious possessions are also lost. It does not mean we should keep on
weeping at the loss forever. Life must go on without looking behind at the
things that pain us.
Lines 1 – 4:
What
is the boy now, who has lost his ball.
What,
what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily
bouncing,
down the street, and then
Merrily
over—there it is in the water!
Word meanings:
1. Merrily: happily 2. Bouncing: jumping
Explanation: In
these lines, we come to know that the poet watches a little boy playing with a
ball. After some time, the ball rolls down from him. It keeps on going towards the water in the harbour. The ball crosses the street and finally falls into the
water. The poet has seen all this occurring. The poet says that the ball was
bouncing and rolling down merrily in the street and then in the water. Now the
poet put a question to the reader as to what the boy should do now.
Deep
Meaning: The poet describes the state of
mind of a young boy when he loses his ball for the first time. The ball stands
for material possession. This is the common tendency that we all grieve over the
loss of our dear possession. But the poet is of the opinion that children
must be taught not to grieve over material things. Our possessive nature toward things makes us sad.
Lines
5 – 10:
No
use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An
ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As
he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All
his young days in the harbour where
His
ball went. I would not intrude on him,
A
dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
Explanation: The
poet says that there is no sense in giving false consolation to the little boy.
His parents should not say that they would arrange for other balls to make the
child happy. It would not benefit the boy in any way. After that, the poet
describes the condition of the boy after losing the ball. As the boy is sure
that his ball is lost, it makes his body shiver in grief. This is his first
experience of losing something he dearly loved. He stands like a statue staring
down in the harbour where his ball had disappeared. It seems that the poet also
remembers his childhood days passed on the harbour playing with balls. His
balls had also rolled down there into the water. He also had the same type
of painful feeling when he lost his ball for the first time. The poet decides
not to intrude on him. Let him alone bear the loss of his dear possession. If a
dime or another ball is given to him to reduce his pain, it will not help him.
Lines
11-14
He
senses first responsibility
In
a world of possessions. People will take balls,
Balls
will be lost always, little boy,
And
no one buys a ball back. Money is external.
Explanation: In
this stanza, the poet tells us how the little boy had learnt his first lesson
of responsibility. This realisation must have come to the child after
undergoing the process of grief that emerges in the human heart at the loss of some
dear possession. The boy understood that it was his responsibility to keep his
things safe. The poet further says that in the world of possession, things do
not remain in one’s possession forever. Things come and get lost. Sometimes
things are snatched by others. One thing gets replaced by the other. Then the
poet says that money can be used to purchase material things. But we cannot
purchase emotions by money. No one keeps on weeping forever over the things
that are lost. Life goes on in this manner.
Critical
Analysis:: Here, the ball is just a symbol of worldly possession. Human beings
sometimes have to lose even their dearest and most precious possessions. It
is natural that one grieves over the death of someone near and dear. One has to
bear that loss also. The loss of the ball was not a big thing that should make
one grieve so much. But it was the first experience of the child when he has
lost something he possessed so dearly. The poet did not want to disturb him
because it was desirable for the child to learn his first lesson over losing
his possession and learning the responsibility to keep it safe.
Lines 15 – 20:
He
is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The
epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing
what every man must one day know
And
most know many days, how to stand up.
And gradually light returns to the
street,
A whistle blows, the ball is out of
sight.
Word-meanings: 1.
Desperate: feeling extremely sad and disappointed 2. Epistemology /ɪˌpɪs.təˈmɒl.ə.dʒi/; The study of knowing things 3. Gradually:
slowly, at a slow pace
Explanation:
The poet further says that the little boy is learning the knowledge of how one
feels after something dear to him is lost. At the same time, the boy is
learning how to overcome the emotions that make one worried over the loss of
something that has remained so much dear to him so far. This is a general truth
that one must know to stand in life and resume work without brooding over
the loss that occurred in the past.
After
some time, the boy comes out of his grief and feels the present through his
surroundings. He comes to know that there is a light in the streets. He listens
to the whistle of a ship nearby. He also realises the truth that he cannot get
back his ball as it has gone out of both, his sight and reach.
Lines 21 – 25:
Soon part of me will explore the deep
and dark
Floor of the harbour. I am
everywhere,
I suffer and move, my mind and my
heart move
With all that move me, under the
water
Or whistling, I am not a little boy.
Some Important Points in the poem for
Multiple Choice Questions:
1.
The little boy is
confused and does not know what ot do when his ball is lost.
2.
He trembles with
grief at the loss of the ball.
3.
The poet saw the
ball merrily bouncing in the street and then falling into the water of the
harbour.
4.
Then the poet
remembers all his young days.
5.
There was no
worth/use in offering new balls to the child.
6.
The loss of the
ball makes the boy learn the responsibility to keep his possessions safe.
7.
The boy is also
learning the lesson of bearing the loss of the things which are dear and
precious to him.
8.
Money is called
external by the poet because we can buy only material things from it. But we
cannot by emotions.
9.
John Berryman is the poet of this poem.
10.
The boy lost his
ball in the water of the harbour.
Short Answer-Type Questions
Q1. Why does the poet say, “ I would
not intrude on him.” Why doesn’t the poet intend to offer him mney to buy a new
ball?
Q2. What was the effect of losing the
ball on the boy? Where did he lose the ball?
Q3. What is the main
theme/idea/central idea of the poem?
Q4. Who loses the ball and where?
Explain the line, “And no one buys a
ball back/money is external.”
Q5. What lesson does the boy need to
learn by losing the ball?
Q6. What do the eyes of the boy see in
the poem ‘The Ball Poem’? What lesson does he learn?
Amanda by Robin Klein
Amanda by Robin Klein
Summary of the Poem
This poem is about a girl Amanda. Her mother often instructs her to do or not to do this and that. Her mother tells her to sit, stand and walk straight. She stops her from biting her nails. She also tells her to finish her homework, tidy her room and clean her shoes. It seems that Amanda does not like to do all this. She remains in her world of imagination to avoid listening to her mother’s instructions. Her mother calls her moody. She does not give reply to her mother. Amanda likes to be an orphan to enjoy peace and freedom. She knows that orphans do not have parents to stop them from doing what they want.
Short Answer-type Qs
Q1. What is the poem Amanda about? Or Write the central idea of the poem Amanda.
Ans. This poem is about a girl, Amanda. Parents usually show much concern (worry) about their children. They keep on telling them to do this or not to do that. It irritates the children. In this poem, Amanda seems to feel irritated at the nagging (irritating) nature of her mother.
Q2. How does Amanda imagine and describe herself as an orphan? Why does she think so?
Ans. Amanda imagines herself to be an orphan. She thinks that she is wandering about in a street. She is bare-footed. She is walking slowly in soft dust and making designs from her feet. Freedom is sweet and silence is golden to her.
Q3. How does Amanda describe herself as a mermaid?
Ans. Amanda describes herself as a mermaid. She is the only inhabitant of the sea. She is drifting in a relaxed manner in the dark sea-green water. She yearns (desires) for freedom to go anywhere.
Q4. What did Amanda want to prove by imagining herself as Rapunzel?
Ans. Amanda imagined herself as Rapunzel because she loved freedom and silence. She did not like her mother to nag her (irritate) by instructing her to do this and not to do that.
Q5.Who was Rapunzel? What kind of life did she live?
Ans. Rapunzel lived in a tower. It was built in an isolated area of a forest. When she was twelve years old, the fairy locked her in a tower. She lived a lonely life there.
Q6. What does the speaker say to Amanda about her nails?
Ans. The speaker says Amanda not to bite her nails.
Q7. What three things does Amanda’s mother say not to do?
Ans. Amanda’s mother tells her not to bite her nails. She advises her not to bend her shoulders forward. She also tells her to stop slouching while sitting, standing, and walking. She stops Amanda from eating chocolate also.
Q8. What thing has Amanda been prohibited to eat?
Ans. Amanda has been prohibited (stopped) to eat chocolate. She also reminds her to think about the acne on her face.
Q9. What things does Amanda’s mother ask her to do?
Ans. Amanda’s mother asks her to tidy up her room. She also tells her to complete her homework and clean her shoes.
Q10. What type of girl was Amanda?
Ans. Amanda is a moody and lazy girl. She does not want to do any physical activity. She does not obey her mother. She lives in the world of her imagination. She feels irritated if her mother asks her.
Q11. Why does Amanda say that silence is golden and freedom is sweet?
Ans. Amanda does not like her mother should say anything to her. She loves silence. She wants full freedom. So silence is golden and freedom is sweet to her.
Stanzas for Comprehension
Stanza 1
Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda!
Q1. Name the poem and its poet. Ans. The poem is Amanda and its poet is Robin Klein.
Q2. Who is the speaker here and who is the listener? Ans. The speaker here is Amanda’s mother. The listener is Amanda.
Q3. What is Amanda’s mother telling her not to bite? Ans. Nails
Q4. What bad habit does Amanda have? Ans Nail-biting
Word-meaning: 1. Hunch: to bend forward 2. Slouching: to stand, sit and walk by bending your shoulders and also with your head slightly bent. It is a mal-posture
Stanza 2
(There is a languid, emerald sea, where the sole inhabitant is me— a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)
Word-meaning: 1. Languid: a slow way of speaking or moving 2. Inhabitants: those who live in a particular place 3. Mermaid: imaginary sea creature like a fish having the upper part of a woman 4. Drift: float or move pushed by some outer force 5. Blissfully: happily 6. Emerald: a precious stone of dark green colour 7. Sole: only
Q1. What is the colour of the sea shown here? Ans. Emerald green (dark green)
Q2. How has the sea been shown here? Ans. Moving in a relaxed manner.
Q3. What does Amanda imagine herself to be in the sea? Ans. A mermaid
Q4. Who would be the sole inhabitant of the sea? Ans. Amanda
Stanza 3.
Did you finish your homework, Amanda?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda!
Word-meaning: 1. Tidy: to set all the things in a proper arrangement that looks beautiful
Q1. Who is the speaker and who is the listener in the above stanza? Ans. Amanda’s mother is the speaker and Amanda is the listener in the above stanza.
Q2. What did the speaker ask the listener? Ans. The speaker asked the listener if she had finished her homework, tidied up her room, and cleaned her shoes.
Q3. Find out from the stanza the word that means ‘to set the things at their right places or ‘clean’. Ans. Tidy
Q4. Do you think that Amanda would have cleaned her room? Ans. No.
Stanza 4.
(I am an orphan, roaming the street. I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet. The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)
Q1. Why does Amanda suppose herself to be an orphan?
Ans. It is because she thinks that an orphan child enjoys full freedom.
Q2. Why does Amanda say that silence is golden and freedom is sweet?
Ans. Amanda does not like her mother should say anything to her. She loves silence. She wants full freedom. So silence is golden and freedom is sweet to her.
Q3. Which words in the above lines mean the following words/expressions? (i) to make designs (ii) parentless child Ans. (i) pattern (ii) orphan
Word-meaning: 1. Orphan: a child whose parents have died 2. Roaming: wandering aimlessly 3. Pattern: to make design 4. Hushed: quiet 5. Bare feet: the feet without shoes
Stanza 5.
Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!
Word-meaning: 1. Acne; pimples
Q1. Who is the speaker in the above lines? Ans. Amanda’s mother is the speaker in the above lines.
Q2. What may be the age of the girl and why? Ans. It may be 11 or 12 years because acne appears on the faces of youngsters at that age.
Q3. What is the response of the girl? Ans. She does not listen to her mother.
Q4. What does the speaker say to the listener not to do? Ans. The speaker tells the listener not to eat chocolate.
Q5. What request does the speaker make to the listener? Ans. the speaker requests the listener to look at her.
Stanza 6.
(I am Rapunzel, I have not care; life in a tower is tranquil and rare; I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)
Word-meaning: 1. Rapunzel: She is a legendary girl. She was made prisoner by a fairy in her tower. She lived alone there. She had long bright hair. 2. Tranquil: peaceful
Q1. Who was Rapunzel? Ans. She was a beautiful legendary girl.
Q2. Why does Amanda suppose herself as Rapunzel? Ans. She likes full freedom and silence. So she assumes herself as Rapunzel.
Q3. What type of life does the speaker want to lead at the tower? Ans. A peaceful life having no care and worry
Q4. What does she not want to do? Ans. She does not want to let her hair fall down from the tower.
Q5. What type of hair did Rapunzel have? Ans. She had bright, long and beautiful hair.
Stanza 7.
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you, Amanda!
Word-meaning: 1. Sulk: to remain in bad mood 2. Nag: to criticise / irritate
Q1. Name the poem and its poet.
Ans. The poem is Amanda and its poet is Robin Klein.
Q2. Who is the speaker and who is the listener here?
Ans. Amanda is the listener and her mother is the speaker.
Q3. Why does the call the listener moody?
Ans. It is because she neither looks at her mother nor does she reply to her.
Q4. Find out from the passage the words that mean the following:
(i) To remain in bad mood (ii) criticise
Ans. (i) sulk (ii) nag
Wednesday, 5 October 2022
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