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“So was I once myself a swinger of birches." What mood of the poet is captured in the above lines taken from the poem, Birches? - English Literature

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प्रश्न

“So was I once myself a swinger of birches."

What mood of the poet is captured in the above lines taken from the poem, Birches?

पर्याय

  • Boredom

  • Nostalgia

  • Amusement

  • Loneliness

MCQ

उत्तर

Nostalgia

shaalaa.com
Reading
  या प्रश्नात किंवा उत्तरात काही त्रुटी आहे का?
2023-2024 (February) Official

संबंधित प्रश्‍न

Answer of these question in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

How does he describe the old kind of teachers?


Answer the question in a short paragraph.

What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers?


Answer the question in a short paragraph.

The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of
(i) the atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ outside the temple of Pashupatinath (for
example: some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside…)
(ii) the things he sees
(iii) the sounds he hears


Read the newspaper clipping.

Listen to an interview between the police inspector in charge of the case, the house­keeper, Ms. Lakshmi and the watchman, Ram Singh. As you listen, note down the details of the burglar.

Inspector:   Hello, madam. I am Inspector Maan Singh. I am in charge of the burglary
case which occurred in the flat of your employer, Mr. Ravikant. It must have
been a harrowing experience for you.
Lakshmi:   Yes, it was a terrible experience. People like that should be locked up in a
prison.
Inspector:   If you will cooperate with us, we will catch them in no time. Were you alone
in the apartment at that time?
Lakshmi:   Yes, it was 11 :30 in the night and I was alone as my master and his wife had
left for Shimla.
Inspector:    How do you think the burglar gained entry into the house?
Lakshmi:   He might have come through the balcony and entered my room.
Inspector:   Now tell me something about his physique. What about his build? How tall
was he?
Lakshmi:   He was about 6 ft tall.
Inspector:   What about his physique?
Lakshmi:   He was not thin. He was well-built and rather plump.
Inspector: What about his dress? What was he wearing?
Lakshmi:   I think his clothes were rather old and faded. He was wearing a black shirt
which was faded.
Inspector:   Do you remember the colour of his trousers?
Lakshmi:   They were of a dark shade -either black or blue.
Inspector:   Can you tell me something about his face?

Lakshmi:   Unfortunately no. When he entered my room I panicked. But then I
gathered courage and screamed and tried to run away. But I was a bit late.
He struck me with a staff and I really don't remember anything after that.
May be I was knocked out.
Later on, I came to know that he broke into the bedroom and ran off with the
jewellery. But Ram Singh, the watchman, who tried to catch him may be
able to describe him better.
Inspector:   OK Lakshmi, thank you! If I need your help I will come again. You may have
to identify the burglar. Now, I will speak to Ram Singh.
Inspector to Ram Singh:
Ram Singh you were on duty and you tried to catch the burglar. You may be
able to give a good description of him. First, tell me about his hair.
Ram Singh:   He had straight black hair.
Inspector: What about the shape of his face and his complexion?
Ram Singh:   He had an oval face with grey eyes and I think he was dark complexioned.
Inspector: Did he wear spectacles?
Ram Singh:   Yes, with a plastic frame and his nose was rather sharp.
Inspector:   What else can you remember about him? What about his teeth and lips?
Ram Singh:   His lips were quite thick.
Inspector: Is there anything else that you remember about him?
Ram Singh:   When I heard some noise from inside, I ran in. I tried to stop the burglar and
we had a scuffie. During the struggle I noticed that he had six fingers on his
right hand. But he managed to run away and made good his escape on a
motorbike.
Inspector:   Thank you Ram Singh. We will make sketches on the basis of your
description and nab him.

 

 

 

  DESCRIPTION
Built  
Height  
Clothes  
Shape of the face  
Complexion  
Eyes  
Hair  
Nose  
Lips  
Teeths  
Special Features  

The black man's face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight.
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.

The last man of this forlorn group
Did nought except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game.

Their logs held tight in death's still hands
Was proof of human sin.
They didn't die from the cold without
They died from the cold within.

Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow.

What were the logs in their hands ? What was their significance ?


Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in springhtly dance.

Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow.

What is being compared to the stars and why ?


Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?"..... The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

Read the lines given above and answer the following question.

What did Abou Adhem ask the angel?


Unleashing the goats from the drumstick tree, Muni started out, driving them ahead and uttering weird cries from time to time in order to urge them on. Me passed through the village with his head bowed in thought. He did not want to look at anyone or be accosted. A couple of cronies lounging in the temple corridor hailed him, but he ignored their call. They had known him in the days of affluence when he lorded over a flock of fleecy sheep, not the miserable grawky goats that he had today.

Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.

Why did people prefer sheep?


“Jane,” said the wheelwright, with an impressiveness of tone that greatly subdued his wife, “I read in the Bible sometimes, and find much said about little children. How the Savior rebuked the disciples who would not receive them; how he took them up in his arms, and blessed them; and how he said that ‘whosoever gave them even a cup of cold water should not go unrewarded.’ Now, it is a small thing for us to keep this poor motherless little one for a single night; to be kind to her for a single night; to make her life comfortable for a single night.”

The voice of the strong, rough man shook, and he turned his head away, so that the moisture in his eyes might not be seen. Mrs. Thompson did not answer, but a soft feeling crept into her heart.

“Look at her kindly, Jane; speak to her kindly,” said Joe. “Think of her dead mother, and the loneliness, the pain, the sorrow that must be on all her coming life.” The softness of his heart gave unwonted eloquence to his lips.

Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.

What did Joe say to his wife?


She lighted another match, and then she found herself sitting under a beautiful Christmas-tree. It was larger and more beautifully decorated than the one which she had seen through the glass door at the rich merchant’s. Thousands of tapers were burning upon the green branches, and colored pictures, like those she had seen in the show- windows, looked down upon it all. The little one stretched out her hand towards them, and the match went out.

The Christmas lights rose higher and higher, till they looked to her like the stars in the sky. Then she saw a star fall, leaving behind it a bright streak of fire. “Someone is dying,” thought the little girl, for her old grandmother, the only one who had ever loved her, and who was now dead, had told her that when a star falls, a soul was going up to God.

Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.

Describe the Christmas tree.


I was in for a surprise. When the time came for the broad-jump trials, I was startled to see a tall boy hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps! He turned out to be a German named Luz Long. 1 was told that Hitler hoped to win the jump with him. I guessed that if Long won, it would add some new support to the Nazis’ “master race” (Aryan superiority) theory. After all, I am a Negro. Angr about Hitler’s ways, 1 determined to go out there and really show Der Fuhrer and his master race who was superior and who wasn’t. An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. I was no exception. On the first of my three qualifying jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the takeoff board for a foul. On the second jump, I fouled even worse. “Did I come 3,000 miles for this?” I thought bitterly. “To foul out of the trials and make a fool of myself ?” Walking a few yards from the pit, 1 kicked disgustedly at the dirt.

Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.

“Did I come all the way from America for this?” I thought bitterly. “To foul out of the trials and make a fool of myself?” What does this show?


“Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it ?”
“Look, look; see for yourself !”The children pressed to each other like so many  roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun. It rained. It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.

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I think the snn is a flower,
That blooms for just one hour.

Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.

What had Margot written about the sun in her poem?


Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Portia: ........But this reasoning is not in fashion to choose me a husband. O me, the word “choose”! I may neither choose who I would nor refuse whom I dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one, nor refuse none?

(i) What test had Portia’s father devised for her suitors? What oath did the suitors have to take before making their choice? [3]
(ii) Who is Nerissa? What does she say to cheer up Portia? [3]
(iii) Why does Portia disapprove of the County Palatine? Who would she rather marry? [3]
(iv) How, according to Portia, can the Duke of Saxony’s nephew be made to choose the wrong casket? What do these suitors ultimately decide? Why? [3]
(v) Whom does Portia ultimately marry? Who were the two other suitors who took the test? Why, in your opinion, is the person whom she marries worthy of her? [4]


Answer the following question.

Which uncle of Golu had red eyes?


What did Number One and Number Two suggest should be done about the alien spacecraft?


Read the following.

A group of children in your class are going to live in a hostel.

•They have been asked to choose a person in the group to share a room with.

•They are asking each other questions to decide who they would like to share a room with. Ask one another questions about likes/dislikes/preferences/hobbies/personal characteristics.

Use the following questions and sentence openings.

(i) What do you enjoy doing after school?

I enjoy...

(ii) What do you like in general?

I like...

(iii) Do you play any game?

I don’t like...

(iv) Would you mind if I listened to music after dinner?

I wouldn’t...

(v) Will it be all right if I...?

It’s fine with me...

(vi) Is there anything you dislike, particularly? Well, I can’t share...

(vii) Do you like to attend parties?

Oh, I...

(viii) Would you say you are...?

I think...


How was the wicked farmer punished for his greed?


What are the functions of feelers or antennae for an ant?


Why did Abbu Khan laugh with joy?


What made the farmer’s wife first kill the mongoose and then repent soon after?


Fans don’t talk, but it is possible to imagine that they do. What is it, then, that sounds like the fan’s chatter?


Is it good to play with snakes which are not very dangerous?


How did the ghost make a plan to trick Vijay Singh finally?


Complete the following sentence.

The banyan tree served the boy as a ________.


Why does Mary O’ Neill call English “a wonderful game’?


Answer the following question.
Why was Jumman happy over Algu’s nomination as head Panch?


Work in small groups. Ask your partner the questions given below. If possible, ask him/her a reason for saying Yes or No. Then tick Yes/ No, whichever is proper.
1. Do you have a separate room for sleep and study?  Yes/No
2. Would you prefer to live in a joint family? Yes/No
3. Do you get on with people? Yes/No
4. Do you like the area you live in? Yes/No
5. Do you find the place overcrowded? Yes/No
6. Do you use public transport? Yes/No
7. Would you like a vehicle of our own? Yes/No
8. Do you like reading? Yes/No
9. Would you like to be a teacher/doctor/engineer/architect? Yes/No


Fill in the blanks with the words given in the box.

how, what, when, where, which

You should decide soon ______ to start building your house.


Read the following extract from Maya Angelou's poem, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' and answer the questions that follow:

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.

  1. How does Angelou describe the state of the free bird in the opening lines of the poem? [3]
  2. Give a brief description of the caged bird's physical and mental condition. [3]
  3. Explain the phrase, 'grave of dreams' in your own words.
     What does the caged bird sing about? [3]
  4. The 'free bird' and the 'caged bird' in the poem represent different groups of people. Name them.
    Name any one group of people that you would call 'caged birds' in today's world. [3]
  5. What does the title of the poem, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings', tell us about Maya Angelou's life?
    Mention two ways in which the world of the caged bird differs from that of the free bird. [4]

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