Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Work with a partner and take this short quiz to find out how well-informed you are about history.
- Name a few wars and battles you have read about.
- What is the difference between a war and a battle?
- Why do rulers wage wars and battles?
- Is the outcome of a war always fair?
- Do you think rulers understand the true meaning of life – in defeat or in victory?
- Can you name a few kings and leaders who have fallen from glory to disgrace?
Solution
-
World War I, Indo-Pak War. Battle of Panipat War of Roses.
- War is a long-drawn affair. The conflict may continue even for years. Battles are small segments of a big war.
- Rulers are greedy. They want to expand their kingdoms. So, they wage wars and battles.
- No, the outcome of the war is not always fair.
- No, rulers involve a large number of people whose lives or deaths don’t matter for them. So, rulers usually don’t understand the true meaning of life.
- Chandragupta Maurya/Rajputs and Nelson Mandela
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Pick out the expressions that indicate conflicting ideas.
How is the poet’s laugh reflected in the mirror?
Interpret each of the following expression used in the poem, in one or two line.
to unlearn all these muting things
Explain the following lines with reference to the context.
I want to be what I used to be.
Explain the things the poet has learnt when he grew into an adult.
This poem is nothing but a criticism of modern life. Justify this statement.
The poet is satisfied just watching the heroic deeds of others. What could be the reason?
Why does the poet prefer to buy tickets worth their weight in radium? Bring out the significance of the metal referred to here.
The poet does not wish to exchange places with the athletes. How does he justify his view?
Explain the following with reference to the context in about 50–60 word each.
They do not ever in their dealings Consider one another’s feelings…
Explain the following with reference to the context in about 50–60 word each.
Athletes, I’ll drink to you, Or eat with you, Or anything except compete with you…
What sort of encouragement should an athlete in India be given? Give a few suggestions.
If you go to a village, what scenes would you observe?
Find words from the poem that convey the following ideas:
- connected together
- spread over the surface of the ground in a straggling manner
- make out or understand
- slender woody shoots growing from branches or stems of trees
The poet finds joy in various objects of Nature. Explain.
Write a letter to the Councillor of your Ward, explaining why a park is necessary in your locality.
What is Macavity’s nickname?
Why is the Flying Squad frustrated?
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair
But it’s useless to investigate…
Read the given line and answer the question that follow.
Our nature it is that whatever we try We do with devotion deep and true.
- Who does ‘we’ refer to?
- How should we carry out our duties?
Read the given line and answer the question that follow.
Honour is a property, common to all: In dignity and pride no one need to be poor.
- Who are considered rich?
- What is their asset?
The historical background:
The poem is an extract from William Shakespeare’s play King Richard the Second. The play is based on true events that occurred towards the end of the 14th century.
Richard II was crowned the King of England in the year 1367. He continued to be the British Monarch until 1399, when he was deposed by his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, who crowned himself King Henry the Fourth in the same year. Shakespeare’s play is a dramatic rendition of the last two years of King Richard II’s life. In this brief span of time, he was ousted from his royal position and sent to prison, where he died in captivity.
The following extract is set in the Coast of Wales. King Richard and some of his followers awaited the arrival of the Welsh army [after facing defeat at the hands of his cousin, Bolingbroke], of about 10000 warriors. But to their shock and surprise, they received the message that the army was not coming to their rescue. His followers tried to boost their King’s courage against the news, only in vain. When Richard came face to face with the reality of his terrible fate, he spoke the following verse, famously known as the “Hollow Crown” speech in theatrical circles. In it, King Richard is reminded of the power of Death that overshadows everything else, including the power of rulers, and renders them as powerless as any commoner at a moment’s notice.
Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:
Shravan never keeps his promises. His friends know that his words are ______.
Complete the passage given below, with suitable words from the box:
Lima, a (a)______and (b)______woman, kept (c)______at her colleagues and went on taxing them with hard labour. Though they were (d) ______to her, she being their head, they were offended and filled with (e)______. It so happened, that Lima was (f)______from her high position due to a serious blunder she had committed. Lima, having lost all her (g)______and glory, realized how arrogant she had been. She gave up her pride and with (h)______sought an apology from everyone. She thus turned over a new leaf and bid (i)______to them.
| farewell | ceremonious | deposed |
| reverence | vain | pomp |
| conceited | sorrow | scoffing |
Explain the following line with reference to the context in about 5 to 8 line:
“Comes at the last, and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:
“Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits,…”
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:
“How can you say to me, I am a king?”
Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:
“And tell sad stories of the death of kings:”
