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Question
Thinking about the poem
Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them
(i) in stanzas two and three?
(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?
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Solution
(i) In stanza two, the poet explains that the only difference between the two roads was that the road he took had the right to be chosen (the better claim) because it was covered with grass and looked as if it had not been used too much. Besides this difference, both roads had been equally worn down by passers-by travelling on them. In stanza three, the poet says that both the roads were equally covered with leaves and that no person had stepped on.
(ii) In the last two lines of the poem, the poet says that there is a difference between the two roads because he took the road that was less travelled by other people and that made all the difference to his journey.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
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Match the following.
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| Place | Heard by | Impact on listener | |
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| Nightingale | |||
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There lived a wise old man in Purkul, Dehradun. The villagers looked up to him and approached him for all their problems. Three naughty boys Amar, Naveen and Praveen wanted to test the old man's wisdom. One fine morning they caught a butterfly while playing in the garden. Amar had the
butterfly in his hand. He said, "We will go to the old man and ask him ifthe butterfly is dead or alive. If the old man says, 'the butterfly is dead', I will open my hands and release the butterfly. It will fly away." "If he says it is alive?" asked N aveen looking at Amar with a smirk. "I will crush the butterfly and show him the dead insect," said Amar. The three of them set forth with their wonderful plan.
Amar went to the old man and said, "Sir, the villagers say you can predict the future. Now tell us if the butterfly in my hand is dead or alive?" The old man looked at the three boys with a serene smile and said, "It is in your hands."
It was a summer evening,
Old Kaspar's work was done,
And he before his cottage door
Was sitting in the sun,
And by him sported on the green
His little grandchild Wilhelmine.
She saw her brother Peterkin
Roll something large and round,
Which he beside the rivulet
In playing there had found;
He came to ask what he had found,
That was so large, and smooth, and round.
Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow.
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I think the snn is a flower,
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What three things did Gopal do before he went to buy his hilsa-fish?
Compare how the music teacher played the violin with that of Lalli’s.
Why we cannot use water to put out some fires?
Which was the toughest part of the bicycle that the author’s friend found the toughest to fix?
The shepherd hadn’t been to school because
Choose the right answer.
Why is it necessary to enjoy sound sleep?
How did Patrick get supernatural help? Was the elf intelligent enough to answer questions in all the subjects?
Here are some points from a similar story that you might have heard in another language. Dividing the class into two groups try and tell the story in English. One person from each group can speak alternately. Your teacher will help you. As you tell it, one of you may write it down on the board.
A Mouse Maiden
l mouse changed into a girl by a magician...
l wants to marry the strongest person...
l asks whether sun or cloud stronger (why?)...
l but mountain stronger than clouds (how?)...
l but mouse stronger than mountain (how?)...
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What is the mystery about the child’s school teacher? How does it plan to discover the truth?
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
|
That huge bell never stopped ringing. It got us out of bed, it summoned us for meals, it rang between class periods, it sent us unwillingly to bed. One morning it failed to ring, or rather, there was no bell to ring. Someone had removed it, and it wasn't found till late in the afternoon. What a glorious day! As there was no bell to rouse us, everyone got up late, and there was no morning PT. Some of us missed breakfast too. The teachers got confused and mixed up their classes. How could the school manage without it? Confusion reigned. Of course, no one owned up. It could have meant expulsion. Some suspicion fell on the Sports Captain because of our aversion to morning PT, but nothing could be proved. No one was very anxious to find the bell - we were quite happy without it - but it was finally discovered hanging from a branch of one of the trees. ‘It may have been Mr. Sharma,' surmised Brian. Mr. Sharma, our Maths teacher, was known to walk in his sleep. And sleepwalkers did funny things sometimes. ‘It could be Mool Chand himself,’ suggested Cyrus Satralkar. Mool Chand was the school chowkidar, who also had the job of banging the brass bell at appointed times. ‘Why would he throw it away?’ ‘He must be as fed up with ringing it as we are of hearing it.’ This was my theory. ‘Perhaps he wants a rise in salary.’ The identity of the culprit remained a mystery. Happily, the senior Hockey team went on a winning spree against all corners, and our month-end exits were restored. But soon there was another sensation. A girl was admitted to our class! The boys were scandalized. No girl had ever studied in our school before. We protested. ‘What’s the problem?’ asked Mr. Knight, our class master. ‘Haven’t you seen a girl before?’ ‘But - but. Sir ...’ Tata was our spokesman. ‘How will we concentrate on our studies?’ ‘When did you ever concentrate on your studies, Tata?’ ‘Are we going co-ed, sir?’ Adams wanted to know. ‘Not at all,’ said Mr. Knight. ‘This is a special case. She is the school accounts manager’s daughter, and he can’t afford the Girls school fees. So, I’m sure you’ll make her feel very welcome.’ The accountant was a popular man who also ran the school’s tuck shop and allowed most of us a certain amount of credit. All our objections faded away. At first, Sunita, our new entrant, was a bit of a distraction because, although she was very shy and demure, she had lovely curly hair, bright eyes, pink cheeks and a smile for everyone. All the boys were very polite and attentive to her and Brian in particular was always ready to help her. |
- For each word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided: (3)
- summoned (line 1)
- totalled
- ordered
- requested
- shout
- aversion (line 10)
- hatred
- fear
- politeness
- creation
- restored (line 25)
- helped
- returned
- permit
- victory
- summoned (line 1)
- Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.
- Why did no one confess to having removed the missing bell? (1)
- Why did suspicion fall on the Sports Captain? (2)
- What made Brian think that it was Mr. Sharma? (2)
- Which sentence in the passage tells you that Mr. Knight thought poorly of Tata’s academic performance? (2)
- Why was the accountant a popular man? (2)
- In not more than 50 words describe the effects of the lost bell. (8)
Do you agree with the view that Macbeth is fighting a lost battle against forces beyond his control? Justify your point of view in about 200- 250 words by referring to the Acts studied.
