Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare
Advertisements
Solution
- Reference: These words are from the poem, “ Macavity – the mystery cat” written by T.S. Eliot.
- Context: The poet says these words while describing the deceitful and clever nature of Macavity.
- Explanation: Macavity breaks the laws of the land regularly. But gets away before the long arm. of the law reaches the spot of crime. He always has an alibi (one or more to spare) to escape from being caught. This proves his cleverness.
- Comment: The wit of Macavity needs high commendation.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
What happens to the poet when he visits someone for the third time?
Mention the qualities the child in the poem symbolises.
Interpret each of the following expression used in the poem, in one or two line.
shake hands without hearts
Read the line given below and answer the question that follow.
‘But now they only laugh with their teeth, While their ice-block-cold eyes…’
- Who are ‘they’?
- Explain: ice-block-cold eyes
- Identify the figure of speech used here.
Explain the following lines with reference to the context.
I want to be what I used to be.
This poem is nothing but a criticism of modern life. Justify this statement.
Do you think the narrator is heroic? Why?
Are the athletes conscious of the feelings of others? Why do you say so?
Read the lines given below and answer the question that follow.
And ‘tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes…
- What is the poet’s faith?
- What trait of Nature do we see here?
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.
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
The poem is set in a ______.
The poem speaks of ______.
Answer in a paragraph of about 100−150 words.
Do you think the poet wants to say that man is unhappy because he has lost his link with nature and forgotten how to enjoy nature, or because man is cruel to other men?
Write a letter to the Councillor of your Ward, explaining why a park is necessary in your locality.
A French proverb goes thus: ‘The dog may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.’ You may have observed that all animals possess a number of unique qualities. Fill in the columns with words and phrases associated with each of the following animals.
| DOG | CAT | WOLF | ELEPHANT |
Why does the poet say Macavity is ‘outwardly’ respectable?
Which two characters does the poet refer to as examples of wicked cats?
Give an account of Macavity’s destructive mischief.
Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.
‘It must have been Macavity!’ but he’s a mile away.
- What is Macavity blamed for?
- Where is he?
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake
What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem?
Who are the ‘deserving ones’?
Which quality does the speaker wish to nourish? What is his mission?
What does ‘Everest’ in the title stand for?
The poem does not focus on the destination but the journey towards it. Discuss
Fill in the blanks using the words given in the box to complete the summary of the poem:
King Richard the Second, had surrendered to his (a)______cousin, Bollingbroke. He experienced deep distress at the horror of his circumstances. In that desperate situation, he speaks of (b)______, (c)______, (d)______and other things connected with death. He spoke of how people leave nothing behind and can call nothing their own, except for the small patch of (e)______, where they will be buried. King Richard yielded to dejection and talked of all the different ways in which defeated kings suffer how some had been deposed, (f)______in war, (g)______by their wives and so forth. He attributed this loss of lives to (h)______, who he personified as the jester who watches over the shoulder of every ruler, who mocks kings by allowing them to think their human flesh, was like (i)______brass. However, Death penetrates through the castle walls, silently and unnoticed like a sharp (j)______, thus bidding (k)______to him and all his pride forever. Finally, Richard appealed to his soldiers not to mock his mere flesh and blood by showing (l) ______and respect to him. He added that he too needed bread to live, felt want, tasted (m)______and needed (n)______. He concluded thus, urging his men not to call him a (o)______as he was only human, just like the rest of them.
| barren-earth | friends | graves | slain |
| rebellious | poisoned | worms | grief |
| impregnable | epitaphs | death | farewell |
| reverence | king | pin |
What does the crown of rulers stand for?
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:
“How can you say to me, I am a king?”
Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.
How are eternal truths and wisdom brought to the reader here?
