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प्रश्न
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake
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उत्तर
- Reference: These words are from the poem “ Macavity – the mystery cat” written by T.S. Eliot.
- Context: The poet says these words about the ability of the mysterious cat to hoodwink everyone.
- Explanation: Macavity is a master of deceitfulness and suavity. When he appears to “be half-asleep with his half-closed eyes, he would be wide-awake. He is an enigma to everyone.
- Comment: Macavity is indeed a mystery.
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संबंधित प्रश्न
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What pleasantries does the poet use to fake cordiality?
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hands search my empty pockets
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I have learned to wear my faces Like dresses …
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Explain the following with reference to the context in about 50–60 word each.
I am just glad as glad can be That I am not them, that they are not me…
Underline the alliterated word in the following line.
For this most modest physiques…
What sort of encouragement should an athlete in India be given? Give a few suggestions.
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
Complete the summary of the poem by filling in the blanks with the words given below.
The poet, in a relaxed state of mind, is sitting in a (1) ______. He reflects on how his mood brings (2) ______thoughts, which are inevitably followed by (3)______ones. He feels connected to all of nature, and senses an inherent joy in all (4)______. He has faith in the fact that all the primroses and periwinkles around him (5)______ the air they breathe. He feels that every bird in the grove moves with (6)______. As the twigs catch the breezy air, they do so with the same pleasure (7)______ all life on earth. This joy of nature seems to be heaven-sent. Nature’s holy plan is to offer joy and peace to all forms of life on earth. The poet’s pleasant train of thought slowly leads to the sad reflection of how mankind alone has wrought sorrow and (8)______ upon itself. He firmly believes that man is meant to spend his days blissfully taking part in the vitality and joy surrounding him in (9)______. He therefore concludes rhetorically, emphasizing that he has good reason to (10)______ the distress, man unnecessarily brings upon himself.
| creations | abundance | savour |
| pleasant | suffering | grove |
| lament | pervading | sorrowful |
| ecstasy |
Read the following line and identify the figure of speech used in each extract.
To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran.
Read the following line and identify the figure of speech used in each extract.
What Man has made of Man?
Does Nature affect a person’s thoughts and feelings? Explain.
Why does the poet think that the birds were happy?
The poet finds joy in various objects of Nature. Explain.
‘Nature can nurture’. Describe how this process happens.
A French proverb goes thus: ‘The dog may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.’ You may have observed that all animals possess a number of unique qualities. Fill in the columns with words and phrases associated with each of the following animals.
| DOG | CAT | WOLF | ELEPHANT |
Why is the Flying Squad frustrated?
What makes the fakir stare in wonder?
Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
- What seems to be a challenge for the Scotland Yard?
- Why do they need his footprints?
Why does the speaker say ‘Everest is not the only peak’?
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?
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.
Who is Bolingbroke? Is he a friend or foe?
Explain the following line with reference to the context in about 5 to 8 line:
“Our lands, our lives, and all are Bolingbroke’s,
And nothing can we call our own but death;”
Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.
How are eternal truths and wisdom brought to the reader here?
