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प्रश्न
Write the appreciation of the poem.
- About the poem/poet/title
- Theme
- Poetic devices, language, style
- Special features/novelties/focusing elements
- Values, message
- Your opinion about the poem.
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उत्तर १
Appreciation of the poem 'The Planners'
The poem, 'The Planner', is a criticism of modernisation at the cost of the country's history and heritage. The poet, Boey Kim Cheng, is an Australian poet of Chinese descent, born in Singapore. He expresses his disapproval of the unyielding building projects carried out by the planners. The poet's country, Singapore, is being turned into a concrete jungle and losing its past in the process. The poem revolves around the theme of the preservation of history and nature against the onslaught of urbanisation. Though improvement is essential for a country, it should not come at the expense of losing its roots. And this is precisely what the poet is trying to convey through the poem. The poet has used a number of poetic devices like Alliteration, Antithesis, Inversion, Irony, Onomatopoeia, Oxymoron, Paradox, Personification, Repetition, and Tautology.
The language used by the poet is positive, but the tone is that of sarcasm. By portraying history and heritage as flawed, blemished, and useless, the poet is, in reality, mocking the planners; because it is the planners who are thoughtlessly destroying the past in their craze for a perfect future. The poet has written the poem in short lines, which show his curtness in criticising the planners and also the planners' desire to build ceaselessly. The line 'They plan. They build' is an example of this as it shows the inconsiderate action of the planners implementing their plans without factoring in the people's opinion.
The poet has used literary devices imagery and extended metaphor to clearly convey his emotions. The mathematical reference in the first stanza creates the visual image of all the structures being crammed into grids of various sizes, making them appear confined. The extended metaphor of dentistry in the second stanza conveys that the planners' treatment of the ancient structures in the city is the same as a dentist's treatment of a rotten tooth. The planners are adept at erasing blemishes and filling gaps to create a country with perfectly aligned buildings and numbing the people's senses so that they don't feel the pain of this transformation. In the last stanza, the poet says in a melancholic yet sarcastic tone that the new city does not inspire his creativity and that is why he would not stain this perfectly-structured world with his poetry.
The poet conveys the message of not losing the past in this day and age of modernisation, because without the past, a country would be nothing but a cluster of lifeless structures.
In my opinion, this poem is a fine read as it focuses on the severe consequences of rapid urbanisation on the history of a country, rather than the more commonly known effects on the environment.
उत्तर २
Appreciation of the poem "Nose versus Eyes‟
William Cowper satirises the judiciary in his poem "Nose versus Eyes." The theme focuses on court proceedings when decisions are made without giving them much thought. The poem has a 'abab' rhyme system, which gives it a melodic flow. The poem's use of imagery, similes, personification, and inversion are its most noteworthy elements. Although inversion has been employed to preserve the rhyme scheme and enhance poetic value, imagery aids in giving readers a clear mental image of the court scene.
The personification of the tongue, nose, and eyes is the poem's main feature. Each of them has a character that is entirely appropriate and contributes to the poem's hilarious quality. The poem makes fun of the legal system, but its main point is to warn the reader about the dangers of selective hearing in general and to use sound judgement. The poem also exposes the legal system's shortcomings in administering justice.
The phrases "then shifting his side, as a lawyer knows how" and "what were his arguments few people know" make this very clear. The poem's irony is that the person who didn't need it—the nose—was given the benefit of the doubt. The eyeballs were subjected to injustice in a court of justice. On the surface, the poem seems humorous, yet a deeper reading reveals its depth.
APPEARS IN
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The air broke into a mist with bells,
The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries.
Had I said, "Good folk, mere noise repels....
But give me your sun from yonder skies!"
They had answered "And afterward, what else?"
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
What did the patriot want form the “Good folks”?
Who won the race and how? Explain in about 50 words.
The eight other runners pulled up on their heels
The ones who had trained for so long to complete
one by one they all turned around and went back to help him
And brought the young boy to his feet.
Then all the nine runners joined hands and continued
The hundred-yard dash now reduced to a walk
And a banner above that said (Special Olympics)
Could not have been more on the mark.
That's how the race ended, with nine gold medals
They came to the finish line holding hands still
And a standing ovation and nine beaming faces
Said more than these words ever will.
Read the lines given above and answer the following question:
Who gave standing ovation? Why?
(A) He knew the culprit but refused to admit it.
(B) Although………………………..
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
For some time Mother had greatly envied us our swimming, both in the daytime and at night, but as she pointed out when we suggested she join us, she was far too old for that sort of thing. Eventually, however, under constant pressure from us, Mother paid a visit into town and returned to the villa coyly bearing a mysterious parcel. Opening this she astonished us all by holding up an extraordinary shapeless garment of black cloth, covered from top to bottom with hundreds of frills and pleats and tucks.
‘Well, what do you think of it?’ Mother asked.
We stared at the odd garment and wondered what it was for.
‘What is it?’ asked Larry at length.
‘It’s a bathing-costume, of course,’ said Mother. “What on earth did you think it was?’ ‘It looks to me like a badly-skinned whale,’ said Larry, peering at it closely.
You can’t possibly wear that, Mother,’ said Margo, horrified, Shy, it looks as though it was made in nineteen-twenty.’
‘What are all those frills and things for?’ asked Larry with interest.
‘Decoration, of course,’ said Mother indignantly.
‘What a jolly idea! Don’t forget to shake the fish out of them when you come out of the water.’
‘Well, I like it, anyway,’ Mother said firmly, wrapping the monstrosity up again, ‘and I’m going to wear it.’
‘You’ll have to be careful you don’t get waterlogged, with all that cloth around you,’ said Leslie seriously.
‘Mother, it’s awful; you can’t wear it,’ said Margo. ‘Why on earth didn’t you get something more up to date?’
‘ When you get to my age, dear, you can’t go around in a two-piece bathing suit… you don’t have the figure for it.’
‘I’d love to know what sort of figure that was designed for,’ remarked Larry.
‘You really are hopeless, Mother,’ said Margo despairingly.
‘But I like it… and I’m not asking you to wear it,’ Mother pointed out angrily.
‘That’s right, you do what you want to do,’ agreed Larry; ‘don’t be put off. It’ll probably suit you very well if you can grow another three or four legs to go with it.’
Mother snorted indignantly and swept upstairs to try on her costume. Presently she called to us to come and see the effect, and we all trooped up to the bedroom. Roger the dog, was the first to enter, and on being greeted by this strange apparition clad in its voluminous black costume rippling with frills, he retreated hurriedly through the door, backward, barking ferociously. It was some time before we could persuade him that it really was Mother, and even then he kept giving her vaguely uncertain looks from the corner of his eye. However, in spite of all opposition, Mother stuck to her tent-like bathing- suit, and in the end we gave up.
In order to celebrate her first entry into the sea we decided to have a moonlight picnic down at the bay, and sent an invitation to Theodore, who was the only stranger that Mother would tolerate on such a great occasion. The day for the great immersion arrived, food and wine were prepared, the boat was cleaned out and filled with cushions and everything was ready when Theodore turned up.
One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.
- peering
- ferociously
- immersion
(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.
- Why did mother not join the swimming in the beginning?
- Briefly describe her swimming costume.
- What did Larry think it was?
- Which sentence tells you that Margo thought it was old fashioned?
- What was Leslie’s concern?
- Why did mother think it was suitable?
(c)
(i) In not more than 60 words describe what happened after mother went upstairs to try on her costume.
(ii) Give a title to your summary in 3 (c) (i). Give a reason to justify your choice.
Fill in the blank with an appropriate word:
There was a steep rise ……… onion prices.
The Principal said, “All the prizes will be distributed tomorrow.”
(Begin : The Principal said that ……………. )
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.
(i) Name the speaker. Why did the speaker appeal to the Jew for mercy? Earlier who else in the play appealed for mercy?
(ii) What are the three qualities of mercy which the speaker has stated just before the extract?
(iii) Give the meaning of‘But mercy is above this sceptred sway’. How does Shylock turn down Portia’s plea for mercy? What does he insist on?
(iv) What is Bassanio ready to do for Antonio in the court? Why is Bassanio snubbed immediately by the disguised Portia?
(v) Mention two prominent character traits of Shylock as highlighted through the scene from which the extract has been taken. Substantiate your answer with examples from the text.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Lying in bed, Swami realized with a shudder that it was Monday morning. It looked as though only a moment ago, it had been the last period on Friday; already, Monday was here. He hoped that an earthquake would reduce the school building to dust but that my good building, Albert Mission School, had withstood similar prayers for over a hundred years now.
At nine o'clock, Swaminathan wailed, “I have a headache.”
His mother said, “Why don’t you go to school in a bullock cart?”
“So that I may be completely dead at the other end? Have you any idea what it means to be jolted in a cart?”
“Have you any important lessons today?”
“Important! Bah! That geography teacher has been teaching the same lesson for over a year now. And we have arithmetic, which means for a whole period we are going to be beaten by the teacher............ Important lessons!”
And Mother generously suggested that Swami might stay at home.
At 9:30, when he ought to have been lining up in the school prayer hall, Swami was lying on the bench in Mother’s room.
Father asked him, “Have you no school today?”
“Headache,” Swami replied,
“Nonsense! Dress up and go.”
“Headache.”
“Loaf about less on Sundays, and you will be without a headache on Monday.”
Swami knew how stubborn his father could be and changed his tactics.
“I can’t go so late to class.”
“I agree, but you’ll have to; it is your own fault. You should have asked me before deciding to stay away.”
“What will the teacher think if I go so late?”
“Tell him you had a headache, and so are late.”
“He will beat me if I say so.”
“Will he? Let us see. What is his name?”
“Mr. Samuel.”
“Does he beat the boys?”
“He is very violent, especially with boys who come late. Some days ago, a boy was made to stay on his knees for a whole period in a corner of the class because he came late, and after getting six cuts from the cane and having his ears twisted, I wouldn’t like to go late to Mr Samuel’s class.”
“If he is so violent, why not tell your headmaster about it?”
“They say that even the headmaster is afraid of him. He is such a violent man.”
And then Swami gave a lurid account of Samuel’s violence; how when he started caning, he would not stop till he saw blood on the boy’s hand, which he made the boy press to his forehead like a Vermillion marking. Swami hoped his father would be made to see that he couldn’t go to his class late. But his father’s behaviour took an unexpected turn. He became excited.
“What do these people mean by beating our children? They must be driven out of service. I will see…..”
The result was that he proposed to send Swami late to his class as a kind of challenge. He was also going to send a letter with Swami to the headmaster. No amount of protest from Swami was of any avail: Swami had to go to school.
By the time he was ready, his father had composed a long letter to the headmaster, put it in an envelope, and sealed it.
“What have you written, father?” Swaminathan asked apprehensively.
“Nothing for you. Give it to your headmaster and go to your class.”
Swami’s father did not know the truth—that, actually, Mr. Samuel was a very kind gentleman.
(a) Give the meaning of each of the following words as used in the passage. (3)
One-word answers or short phrases will be accepted.
- jolted
- stubborn
- avail
(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words:
- What did Swami wish for on a Monday morning? Why was his wish unlikely to be answered? (2)
- Which sentence tells us that Swami’s father was completely unsympathetic to his son’s headache? (2)
- In what way was Swami’s mother’s response different from his father’s? (2)
- Why did Swami give a colourful account of Mr. Samuel to his father? (2)
- In what way did Father’s behaviour take an unexpected turn? (2)
- What was Swami finally ordered to do by his father? (2)
(c)
(i) In not more than 60 words, describe how Swami tries to prove that Mr. Samuel is a violent man. (8)
(ii) Give a title to your summary in 3
(c). Give a reason to justify your choice. (2)
Not many people read for pleasure these days.
(Begin: Few ................................. )
How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?
The constellation Orion is associated with the legend of Osiris, the god of the afterlife.
Find out the astronomical descriptions and legends associated with the following.
(i) Ursa Major (saptarishi mandala)
(ii) Polaris (Dhruva tara)
(iii) Pegasus (winged horse)
(iv) Sirius (The dog star)
(v) Gemini (Mithuna)
Notice the following sentence patterns.
Eternal I rise
Rewrite the above sentences in prose.
Guess what these words and phrases mean from the context
|
LSE |
Grundig reel-to-reel |
hollered |
|
heralded |
clamorous |
stucco |
|
forsythia bushes |
ruffles |
chapped |
|
foyer |
mortified |
|
What do you know about Kalpana Chawla’s education? How did she become an American citizen?
Imagine you are journeying through a desert. Write a couple of paragraphs describing what you see and hear.
Go to your college library or surf the internet for names of various mountaineers who have successfully climbed Mt. Everest. Write in your notebook about their struggles, the interesting anecdotes they have shared, their failures, and the message that we get from their lives. Submit them to your teacher.
Narrate in your own words a similar based on text to the class.
Wars are not fought only on the battlefield. Comment.
You have studied the lesson 'The Call of the Soil' from prose 1.3. Compare 'Cherry Tree' with 'The Call of the Soil' and find out the element of the joy of nurturing for the author and the poet.
Pick out the examples of alliteration from the poem and write them down.
Discuss with your partner on the following topic. Express your views and opinions in favour of and against the topic.
Are college council elections essential in Jr. Colleges?
Chalk out detailed programme for the following occasion.
The Teacher’s Day programme in your school.
Write a letter to your Class Teacher or the Principal of your school to make any one of the two following requests.
You wish to start a news bulletin for your school/ class. It will be a one-page bulletin to be published every week. A different group of students will manage the preparation of the bulletin every time.
Study the following format of an informal letter carefully. Using the format,
Write a personal letter of thanks to an elder person.
Answer the following question :
What are the two ways of avoiding fear?
Look around in your vicinity - your family, friends, neighbours, classmates, etc. and write about any four teenagers who have made a name for themselves by doing something extraordinary.
| Teenager Group | Name/s | Special/extraordinary tasks/things performed |
| 1. Family | ||
| 2. Friends | ||
| 3. Neighbours | ||
| 4. Classmates |
Read the following Headline and write the dateline, intro, and a short continuing paragraph.
| India’s first ever tourism university to be established by IIHM |
Discuss in pairs and write what your father and mother do for your family.
|
Father |
Mother |
|
|
‘What Men Can Do, Women can do better’
Divide your class in 2 groups. Let one group offer points ‘For the topic’ and the other, ‘Against the topic.’ Note down the points in your notebooks, expand the points in two separate paragraphs of about 15 to 20 lines each. Suggest suitable titles for each.
Imagine yourself as the writer. Narrate the story of your visit to your ancestral house.
Based on the reading of the poem, complete the web chart given below.
If you are asked to choose from any one of these toys which one do you choose? Give reasons. (plastic toys, wooden toys, clay toys, metallic toys)
Write a paragraph from the contents of the table given below. Frame sentences with these words – but, as well as, whereas.
eg. A turtle as well as a tortoise belongs to the reptile family.
| Tortoise | Turtle |
| reptile family | reptile family |
| land animal | sea animal |
| has a long life | lives for many years |
| uses tiny feet to walk | uses flippers to swim |
| eats grass, weeds and flowers | eats insects and bugs |
Look at the picture and write a story.
|
If you cut down trees Your children will pay the fees |
Reference to context.
Draw pictures of the speakers of the above lines.
I got ______ to see his favourite heroine.
Now complete the following suitably.
He was cleaning out his cupboard when _______
Fill in the blanks according to the example given below
| tiny | tinier | tiniest |
| big | ______ | biggest |
| sleepy | sleepier | ______ |
| ______ | lovelier | loveliest |
| ______ | later | ______ |
| round | ______ | ______ |
| small | ______ | ______ |
| good | ______ | best |
Find one word from the story that means
to think w ______.
In the sentence below the capital letter, comma, full stop and question mark are missing. Put these in the correct place.
what is the colour of the sky
What do you expect your close friends to do for you? Beautify the petals with your thoughts.
Who do you think has been more successful of the two? Give reasons.
‘Tell me who your friends are and I shall tell you who you are’. How will you explain this statement in the light of Jimmy’s and Bob’s friendship?
What was Sletherby’s response to Bertie’s request?
The photographer had made changes ______.
Write a dialogue between a student and teacher on 'Importance of Yoga'.
According to Lorenzo, a man who is unmoved by music is ______.
Using the given informal letter as a model, write a letter on any one of the topics given below.
Write letter to your father asking permission to go on a educational tour.
Prepare a tourist leaflet for a historical place or a hill station using the following points.
- Place
- Special features
- Distance
- How to go there
- Accommodation
- Food
- Climate
Imagine someone has invited your family to a programme and you were the only person at home when the invitation was given orally.
Write a note (4-5 lines) to pass on the message to the other people in your family. Or, Write an imaginary conversation in which you pass on the message to your parents.
As the Head of Environmental Initiatives at school, you have to deliver a speech on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5th. Write a speech following the guidelines given below:
- Greeting or salutation and purpose – the importance of World Environment Day
- Key issues such as climate change, and pollution – the role of students in fostering a sense of environmental responsibility
- Concrete steps required towards a more sustainable and an eco-friendly lifestyle – strong call for action.
