English Medium इयत्ता ९ - CBSE Question Bank Solutions for English - Communicative

In the sixth line of the first stanza, we read:
"... and sings a melancholy strain,..."
This "s" sound at the beginning of sings and strain has been repeated. Poets often do
this. Do you know why? Do you know what this "poetic repetition" is called? Can you
find other instances of this, in The Solitary Reaper?

In the first stanza, some words or phrases have been used to show that the girl
working in the fields is alone. Which words and phrases highlight her being
alone? What effect do they create in the mind of the reader?

Wordsworth was so moved by this experience that later he wrote this poem as a
recollection of a memory. Think back in your own life and try to recall an
experience that affected you greatly and left a deep impression on you. Then
write a poem for your school magazine in which you describe that experience
and its impact.

(a) Given below are five lines from a poem but they are not in the right order.
Get into groups of four. Read the lines and put them in the right order. Read
the version that you develop to the whole class.
                       

(b) Who is 'I' in these lines?
(c) Imagining yourself as the subject of this poem, write five lines about
yourself in less than five minutes.
You may like to
- define yourself
- state what you do
- explain why people like/dislike you
- mention any other characteristic about yourself

Read the lines given in the boxes on the next page. They are in random order.
Now listen to the recording of the poem carefully. As you listen, number the
stanzas given in the boxes sequentially.

I am beautiful pearls, plucked from the
Crown of Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn
To embellish the gardens

I emerge from the heart of the Sea and
Soar with the breeze. When I see a field in
Need, I descend and embrace the flowers and
The trees in a million little ways

The voice of thunder declares my arrival :
The rainbow announces my departure.
I am like earthly life, which begins at
The feet of the mad elements and ends
Under the upraised wings of death

I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven
By the gods. Nature then takes me to adorn
Her fields and valleys.

I touch gently at the windows with my
Soft fingers and my announcement is a
Welcome song. All can hear but only
The sensitive can understand

The field and the cloud are lovers
And between them I am a messenger of mercy.
I quench the thirst of the one,
I cure the ailment of the other.

I am the sigh of the sea, the laughter of the field;
The tears of heaven.

When I cry the hills laugh;
When I humble myself the flowers rejoice;
When I bow, all things are elated

So, with love-
Sighs from the deep sea of affection; Laughter
from the colourful field of the spirit; Tears from
the endless heaven of memories.

Read the song once again.

 I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven
By the gods. Nature then takes me, to adorn
Her fields and valleys.

 I am beautiful pearls, plucked from the
Crown of Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn
To embellish the gardens.

When I cry the hills laugh;
When I humble myself the flowers rejoice;
When I bow, all things are elated.

 The field and the cloud are lovers
And between them I am a messenger of mercy.
I quench the thirst of the one;
I cure the ailment of the other.

 The voice of thunder declares my arrival;
The rainbow announces my departure.
I am like earthly life which begins at
The feet of the mad elements and ends
Under the upraised wings of death.

 I emerge from the heart of the sea and
Soar with the breeze. When I see a field in
Need, I descend and embrace the flowers and
The trees in a million little ways.

I touch gently at the windows with my
Soft fingers, and my announcement is a
 Welcome song. All can hear, but only
The sensitive can understand.

I am the sigh of the sea;
The laughter of the field;
The tears of heaven.

 So with love -
Sighs from the deep sea of affection; Laughter from the colourful
field of the spirit; Tears from the endless heaven of memories.

About the Poet
Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) was a Lebanese-American artist, poet and writer. His
poetry is notable for its use of formal language as well as insights on topics of life using
spiritual terms. One of his most notable lines of poetry in the English-speaking world is
from Sand and Foam (1926) which reads 'Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say
it so that the other half may reach you.'

On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following question
by ticking the correct option.

The rain calls itself the 'dotted silver threads' as_________.

On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following question
by ticking the correct option.

The tone and mood of the rain in the poem reflects its_________.

Answer the following question.

 Why is the rain divine?

Answer the following question.

 In this universe, rain performs many functions. What are those?

Answer the following question.

"When I cry the hills laugh;
When I humble myself the flowers rejoice;
When I bow, all things are elated."
Cry, humble and bow indicate different intensity with which the rain falls. Explain the
three in the context of the poem.

Answer the following question.

How do you think the rain quenches the thirst of the fields and cures the ailments of the
clouds ?

Answer the following question.

Think about million little ways in which the rain embraces the trees. Mention a few of
them.

Answer the following question.

"….All can hear, but only
The sensitive can understand'
What does the poet want to convey?

Answer the following question.

The Poem invokes beautiful imagery which is built around 'sigh of the sea', 'laughter of
the field' and 'tears of heaven'. Explain the three expressions in the context of rain.

Answer the following question.

"I am like earthly life … "
Why does the poet compare rain to earthly life?

Answer the following question.

Explain the ending of the song.

'Ode to Autumn' is a beautiful poem written by the famous poet John Keats.
 Your teacher will read an excerpt from the poem. Pick phrases
which personify autumn.
Phrases
________________________ ______________________________
________________________ ______________________________
________________________ ______________________________
________________________ ______________________________

Ode to Autumn
John Keats
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Rain in the hills and rain in the desert present entirely different scenario. In the
hills it revitalises the greenery and freshens the vegetation; it waters the parched
land and relieves the thirsty and panting souls in the desert.
(i) This has been a year of scanty rains. Imagine how the rain would be welcomed
when it pours in the hills and in the desert after a long dry spell. Choose one such
place and describe
(a) What are you likely to see?
(b) What would happen to the rain water?
(c) What would be the scene before and after the rain?
(ii) How would you express rain as

What according to you are the stages of a person's life? What characteristics
would you associate with each stage? (e.g., childhood: innocence, joy