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प्रश्न
Is it possible to make accurate guesses about the people you have never met? Read the poem, to see how conclusions can be drawn about people.
Abandoned Farmhouse
He was a big man, says the size of his shoes On a pile of broken dishes by the house; A tall man too, says the length of the bed In an upstairs room; and a good, God-fearing man, Says the Bible with a broken back On the floor below a window, bright with sun; But not a man for farming, say the fields Cluttered with boulders and a leaky barn.
A woman lived with him, says the bedroom wall Papered with lilacs and the kitchen shelves Covered with oilcloth, and they had a child Says the sandbox made from a tractor tyre. Money was scarce, say the jars of plum preserves And canned tomatoes sealed in the cellar-hole, And the winters cold, say the rags in the window frames. It was lonely here, says the narrow country road.
Something went wrong, says the empty house In the weed-choked yard. Stones in the fields Say he was not a farmer; the still-sealed jars In the cellar say she left in a nervous haste. And the child? Its toys are strewn in the yard Like branches after a storm - a rubber cow, a rusty tractor and a broken plow, a doll in overalls. Something went wrong, they say. Ted Kooser
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उत्तर
Summary of the Poem :
This is a poem about an abandoned farmhouse. Taking clues from things in the house and overall condition of the house the poet has tried to guess about its occupants. The big size of shoes and bed makes the poet to think that the house belonged to a big man. The presence of the Bible indicates that the person used to believe in God.
The presence of floral design on the wall paper and that of oil-cloth in the kitchen indicates towards the presence of a woman as well. There are different kinds of toys which indicate that the couple had a child as well. Certain food items indicate towards penury of the family. The overall condition of the farmhouse tells that the man was not a farmer and it was a lonely house. The way things are scattered all around, indicates towards a possibility of some untoward incidents. They might have led to the exodus of the family.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
Thinking about the Text
Answer these question.
A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?
Thinking about the Poem
How did he punish her?
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest's heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
The joy that unborn eyes shall see___
These things he plants who plants a tree.
Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow:
What is meant by the phrase ‘days to be’?
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink....
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK - HE ONLY SEES!
Read the lines given above and answer the question given below.
The children Describe the effects of television on children’s mind.
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good , what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr.Tod,the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin,Pigling Bland,
And Mrs.Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr.Rat and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
Read the lines given above and answer the question given below.
Which animal characters does Dahl mention?’
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 ?
“There were three animals altogether,” he explained. “There were two goats and a cat and then there were four pairs of pigeons.”
“And you had to leave them?” I asked.
“Yes. Because of the artillery. The captain told me to go because of the artillery.” “And you have no family?” I asked, watching the far end of the bridge where a few last carts were hurrying down the slope of the bank.
“No,” he said, “only the animals I stated. The cat, of course, will be all right. A cat can look out for itself, but I cannot think what will become of the others.”
“What politics have you?” I asked.
“I am without politics,” he said. “I am seventy-six years old. I have come twelve kilometers now and I think now I can go no further.”
“This is not a good place to stop,” I said. “If you can make it, there are trucks up the road where it forks for Tortosa.”
“I will wait a while,” he said, “ and then I will go. Where do the trucks go?” “Towards Barcelona,” I told him.
“I know no one in that direction,” he said, “but thank you very much.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
Does the old man have a family? What were the animals he was worried about?
Why does Portia disapprove of the County Palatine? Who would she rather marry?
Answer the following questions with reference to Jack London's, 'The Call of the Wild'.
(i) How was Thornton talked into a wager that involved Buck, during a conversation in the Eldorado Saloon?
(ii) How did Thornton feel after he had committed Buck to the wager?
(iii) Give a brief description of how Buck managed to win the wager for Thornton.
Discuss the following topic in groups.
The second bear did not attack the lady because he was afraid of her. Do you agree?
Discuss the following topic in groups.
If you had to live in a home like Tilloo’s, what parts of life would you find most difficult? What compensations might there be?
What did Mr Nath thought Nishad had come to his place the second time for?
Why did the other governors grow jealous of the shepherd?
Define a dream in your own words.
A summary of the story is given in the textbook.
Fill in the blanks to complete it taking appropriate phrases from the box.
This is the story of ______________, who used to be ___________. He decided to find a master ______________. First he found _____________, but the wolf was afraid of ________________. The dog thought that the bear was ______________. After some time the dog met _______________, who seemed the strongest. He stayed with the lion for a long time. One day he realised that the lion was ___________________ . To this day, the dog remains man’s best friend.
| a dog, stronger than anyone else, the strongest of all, a wolf, the bear, afraid of man, his own master, a lion |
Read the newspaper report to find the following facts about Columbia’s ill-fated voyage.
Number of experiments done by scientists: ____________
What does the poet tell you about the world of words? Do you agree with him?
Which is more desirable-friendship or enmity? When does a person hear strongly the voice of his conscience?
Find out the meaning of the following words by looking them up in the dictionary. Then use them in sentences of your own.
comical
In the short story, Quality, what causes the death of the younger Gessler brother?
