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प्रश्न
Do you go for leisurely walks? If you are a city-dweller, what or who would you expect to see on your way?
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उत्तर
Yes, I do go for morning walks with my classmate Ragu. I live in Chennai. We go to the beach for a walk. We come across policemen, doctors, aged people, and some small children too briskly engaged in long walks. They enjoy the morning sun at the backdrop of the golden sea. Also, I find a host of vendors selling vegetable soups, bitter gourd soup, and nourishing drinks on the seashore. There are points where pure water is sold in glasses. The spring dug out a few hundred meters near the sea is really sweet. I find one ‘Green volunteer group’ collecting all plastic garbage and cleaning the beach.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
Guess what friendly words these two gentlemen exchange when shaking hands.

What happens to the poet when he visits someone for the third time?
How does the poet compare his face with dresses?
Interpret each of the following expression used in the poem, in one or two line.
laugh with their eyes
Not everybody loves to play and participate in games, sports and other extra-curricular activities. Some of us wish to be mere spectators. List out the activities in which you like to be either a performer or a spectator. Share your views with the class.
| Activities | ||
| performer/player | spectator/audience | |
| e.g. | cricket | magician |
| a. | ||
| b. | ||
| c. | ||
| d. | ||
| e. | ||
How does the poet establish the victory of common sense over ego?
Would you like to exchange your place with someone else? Why/why not?
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
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 lines given below and answer the question that follow.
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there…
- What did the poet notice about the twigs?
- What was the poet’s thought about then?
Explain the following line with reference to the context in about four to five sentence each.
The birds around me hopp’d and play’d,
Their thoughts I cannot measure.
What scene in nature gives you pleasure? Talk for a minute describing a natural scene that gave you a lot of joy. What did you see, hear, smell or feel, that gave you joy?
People admire some of these animal qualities. What are they? Have you noticed some of them in yourself or in others? Share your views with the class.
Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.
He sways his head from side to
side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep,
he’s always wide awake…
- Explain the comparison made here.
- What does he pretend to do?
Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
- Which cat is being talked of here?
- How is he different from the rest?
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare
Who are the ‘deserving ones’?
Read the given line and answer the question that follow.
We are proud of the position we hold; humble as we are
- What is the speaker proud of?
- How is the speaker both humble and proud?
- Pick out the alliteration in these lines.
In what way is every hillock similar to Everest?
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?
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:
The business woman wished to ______all her riches to an orphanage, after her death.
What do the three words, ‘graves, worms and epitaphs’, refer to?
What does the executor mentioned in the poem do?
Working with your partner, discuss the following adages and share your views with the class. You may need to give your ideas and justify your point of view. Remember to take turns while making your presentation/short speech.
War begets war
Working with your partner, discuss the following adages and share your views with the class. You may need to give your ideas and justify your point of view. Remember to take turns while making your presentation/short speech.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown
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:
“Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”
Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:
“Comes at the last, and with a little pin…”
