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Maharashtra State BoardSSC (English Medium) 9th Standard

Read: ‘The Psalm of Life’- a poem by H. W. Longfellow. - English

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Question

Read: ‘The Psalm of Life’- a poem by H. W. Longfellow.

Answer in Brief

Solution

A Psalm of Life

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

What The Heart Of The Young Man Said To; The Psalmist.

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, however pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,- act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God overhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

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Chapter 1.1: Life - English Workshop [Page 4]

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Balbharati English - Kumarbharati 9 Standard Maharashtra State Board
Chapter 1.1 Life
English Workshop | Q 5 | Page 4

RELATED QUESTIONS

B1. Select
Fill in the blanks choosing the correct alternatives from those given in the bracket:
(i) The author was inspired and motivated to read ............................................ by the time she was eleven.
[Shakespeare, Chaucer, G.B. Shaw]

(ii) Every lesson .......................... ......... took was spiced with half a dozen or more anecdotes.
[Mrs. Rowlands, Sister Monica, Mr. A.N. Patil]

(iii) The teachers helped the narrator to become ..................................... . .
[confident, happy, independent]

(iv) Mrs. Cynthia Nesamani and Sister Monica gave .......................................... to the narrator.
[freedom to do what he wanted, advice to do something, instructions to produce better results]

In a way, one of the greatest gifts any teacher can give a student, I think, is to inculcate a curiosity to learn.
I've been incredibly lucky to have at least one such teacher at every stage in my life. The first was Mrs. Rowlands who taught me in primary school. She taught me to read without ever pushing me. She made me want to read more by giving 'me some of the most interesting children's books available. And although I still love to go back to those books from time to time, it was only because of her that I was able to read Shakespeare by the time I was ten, and Chaucer a year later.
In later years, it was Mr. A.N. Patil, my Marathi and Hindi Teacher who made a huge impression on me. Every lesson he took, was spiced with half a dozen or more anecdotes from a wide variety of subjects: among them history, politics, religion and sociology. I was, and still am in awe of his knowledge, which despite rather desperate attempts, I doubt I'll ever be able to match.
There have also been other teachers who helped me to try to become independent: to think and act for myself using my own judgement, which to my mind has been just as, if not more important, than actually learning anything.
After all, it's much too easy to become a completely useless repository of facts and little else.
Two teachers whom I remember in particular are Mrs. Cynthia Nesamani and Sister Monica, both taught me in school. The former, by and large, gave me a free rein to do what I wanted to do. I, being one of those people who dislike instructions, she helped me to produce much better results than I'd have otherwise done.

B2.Complete
Read the extract and complete the following:
The teacher can
(i) .............
(ii) ..............
(iii )..............
(iv).................

B3. Similar word
Look at the following sentences arid pick the word having similar meaning to the given word and rewrite:
(i) Spiced His conversation is always with a lot of humour. (made interesting, garnished, flavoured)
(ii) Repository
The library should not merely be a ................ of books. (store-house, reservoir, tank)
(iii) Inculcate
It is the responsibility of the parents and teachers to .......values in the child's formative years. (imbibe, give, show)
(iv) Incredibly
I have been .. lucky to have at least one such teacher at every stage in my life. (importantly, unbelievably, beautifully)

B4. Language study
(i) There have also been other teachers. They have helped me to try to become
independent. (Combine using 'who')
(ii) It was only because of her that I was able-to read Shakespeare.
(Rewrite beginning with: If it was not for her, ). 

B.5 Out motivators
Look at the following table and complete it by presenting your own views

Personalities Influence on your life
(i) Teachers  
(ii) Parents  
(iii) Relatives  
(iv) Friends  

 

 


Answer any six of the following questions in 3040 words:

(a) Why did Gandhiji feel that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless?

(b) Why did the peddler derive pleasure from his idea of the world as a rattrap?

(c) How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad?

(d) What tempted Franz to stay away from school?

(e) Why did the maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state?

(f) How was the skunk's story different from the other stories narrated by Jack?

(g) Which words of her brother made a deep impression on Bama?


What message does this story bring out for youngsters?


Study the pictures below and note down the differences.


Doctors who do special advanced study of specific parts of the body have special terms.

In your group try to match the specialist doctors with who / what they treat.

  Specialists   Who/What they treat
1. Dentist a. bone
2. Cardiologist b. brain/with spine
3. Ophthalmologist c. small kids
4. Orthopedic d. teeth
5. Pediatrician e. animals/birds
6. Neurologist f. eye
7. Veterinarian g. heart

Read the lesson and name the following.

Anaesthetics used from mid 19th century ______


Say WHY. . . . . .

Mother agreed to send Ramanujan to England. 


Who told the children the story about the ghosts on Haunted Hill?


Read the poem aloud in pairs


What does it give to the farmer?


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