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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.
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संबंधित प्रश्न
Thinking about the Poem
Do you think that the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was? What would she have done then?
Now rewrite the pair of sentences given below as one sentence.
I never thought of quitting. I knew what I wanted.
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:
Explain the line, “And years that fade and flush again.”
"Now tell us what 'twas all about,"
Young Peterkin, he cries;
And little wilhelmine looks up
with wonder-waiting eyes;
"Now tell us all about the war,
And what they fought each other for."
"It was the English," Kaspar cried,
"Who put the French to rout;
But what they fought each other for,
I could not well make out;
But everybody said,"quoth he,
"That 'twas a famous victory.
Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow.
Explain with reference to context.
When there was a strong wind, the pine trees made sad, eerie sounds that kept most people to the main road. But Mr. Oliver was not a nervous or imaginative man. He carried a torch – and on the night I write of, its pale gleam, the batteries were running down – moved fitfully over the narrow forest path. When its flickering light fell on the figure of a boy, who was sitting alone on a rock, Mr. Oliver stopped.
Boys were not supposed to be out of school after seven P.M. and it was now well past nine. What are you doing out here, boy, asked Mr. Oliver sharply, moving closer so that he could recognize the miscreant.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
Whom did Mr Oliver meet in the forest?
This woman had been despised, scoffed at, and angrily denounced by nearly every man, woman, and child in the village; but now, as the fact of, her death was passed from lip to lip, in subdued tones, pity took the place of anger, and sorrow of denunciation.
Neighbours went hastily to the old tumble-down hut, in which she had secured little more than a place of shelter from summer heats and winter cold: some with grave-clothes for a decent interment of the body; and some with food for the half-starving children, three in number. Of these, John, the oldest, a boy of twelve, was a stout lad, able to earn his living with any farmer. Kate, between ten and eleven, was bright, active girl, out of whom something clever might be made, if in good hands; but poor little Maggie, the youngest, was hopelessly diseased. Two years before a fall from a window had injured her spine, and she had not been able to leave her bed since, except when lifted in the arms of her mother.
“What is to be done with the children?” That was the chief question now. The dead mother would go underground, and be forever beyond all care or concern of the villagers. But the children must not be left to starve.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
What was a matter of concern now that the woman was dead?
Then there it lay in her wet palm, perfect, even pierced ready for use, with the sunset shuffled about inside it like gold—?dust. All her heart went up in flames of joy. After a bit she twisted it into the top of her skirt against her tummy so she would know if it burst through the poor cloth and fell. Then she picked up her fork and sickle and the heavy grass and set off home. Ai! Ai! What a day! Her barefeet smudged out the wriggle— ?mark of snakes in the dust; there was the thin singing of malaria mosquitoes among the trees now; and this track was much used at night by a morose old makna elephant—the Tuskless One; but Sibia was not thinking of any of them. The stars came out: she did not notice. On the way back she met her mother, out of breath, come to look for her, and scolding. “I did not see till I was home, that you were not there. I thought something must have happened to you.” And Sibia, bursting with her story, cried “Something did). I found a blue bead for my necklace, look!”
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
Where did she keep it?
In which situation is the lead held high? What does he mean by 'knowledge is free'? What are 'narrow domestic walls'?
Answer the following question.
Where did the lady find the bear cub? How did she bring it up?
Read the following sentences.
a) If she knows we have a cat, Paati will leave the house.
(b) She won’t be so upset if she knows about the poor beggar with sores on his feet.
c) If the chappals do fit, will you really not mind? Notice that each sentence consists of two parts. The first part begins with ‘if’. It is known as if-clause.
Rewrite each of the following pairs of sentences as a single sentence. Use ‘if’ at the beginning of the sentence
Work hard. You’ll pass the examination in the first division
What is the moral of the story, elaborate it.
How did the crocodile plan to please his wife? How did the monkey use his wits and save his life?
How did the villagers come to know of the magic waterfall?
Multiple Choice Question:
What effect does blowing of winds and falling of raindrops create?
What did the author point out about the children in the playground?
How does the child compare his own daily activities with that of his teacher?
Write True or False against the following statement.
When Serbjit gets angry he shouts at people.
The words helper, companion, partner and accomplice have very similar meanings, but each word is typically used in certain phrases. Can you fill in the blanks below with the most commonly used words? A dictionary may help you.
a faithful …………… such as dog.
The theme of Maya Angelou’s poem ‘When Great Trees Fall’ is ______.
Why does Shane Koyczan begin the poem, Beethoven, with the word “Listen”?
