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Question
Read the poem and complete the table with suitable rhyming words.
All through that summer at ease we lay,
And daily from the turret wall
We watched the mowers in the hay
And the enemy half a mile away
They seemed no threat to us at all.
For what, we thought, had we to fear
With our arms and provender, load on load,
Our towering battlements, tier on tier,
And friendly allies drawing near
On every leafy summer road.
Our gates were strong, our walls were thick,
So smooth and high, no man could win
A foothold there, no clever trick
Could take us dead or quick,
Only a bird could have got in.
What could they offer us for bait?
Our captain was brave and we were true…
There was a little private gate,
A little wicked wicket gate.
The wizened warder let them through.
Oh then our maze of tunneled stone
Grew thin and treacherous as air.
The cause was lost without a groan,
The famous citadel overthrown,
And all its secret galleries bare.
How can this shameful tale be told?
I will maintain until my death
We could do nothing, being sold:
Our only enemy was gold,
And we had no arms to fight it with.
| lay | hay |
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Solution
| lay | hay |
| wall | all |
| thick | trick |
| win | in |
| fear | near |
| load | road |
| bait | gate |
| sold | gold |
| true | through |
| stone | groan |
| air | bare |
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Fill in the following empty boxes.
| Name | Location |
| Fort St. George | Chennai |
| Gingee Fort | ______ |
| Golconda Fort | ______ |
| Red Fort | ______ |
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Where were the enemies?
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Read the poem again and complete the summary using the words given in box.
Stanzas 1–3
‘The Castle’ by Edwin Muir is a moving poem on the (1)______ of a well guarded (2)______ The soldiers of the castle were totally stress-free and relaxed. They were (3)______ of their castle’s physical strength. Through the turrets they were able to watch the mowers and no enemy was found up to the distance of (4)______ and so they seemed no threat to the castle. They had (5)______ of weapons to protect them and a large quantity of (6)______ in stock to take care of the well-being of the soldiers inside the castle. The soldiers stood one above the other on the towering battlements (7)______ to shoot the enemy at sight. They believed that the castle was absolutely safe because their captain was (8)______ and the soldiers were loyal.
| half-a-mile | watching |
| castle | brave |
| ration | capture |
| plenty | confident |
Stanzas 4–6
Even by a trick no one but the birds could enter. The enemy could not use a (9)______ for their entry inside the castle. But there was a wicket gate guarded by a (10) ______ He (11)______ in the enemies inside the famous citadel that had been known for its secret gallery and intricate path. The strong castle became(12)______ and thin because of the greedy disloyal warder. The (13)______ was captured by the enemies for (14)______ The narrator (15)______ over the (16)______ of the useless warder and also decided not to disclose this (17)______ story to anyone. He was (18)______ and wondered how he would keep this truth to himself. He regretted not finding any (19)______ to fight with the (20)______ called ‘gold’.
| lamented | shameful |
| wicked guard | bait |
| let | gold |
| weapon | citadel |
| weak | disloyalty |
| helpless | enemy |
Bring out the contrasting picture of the castle as depicted in stanzas 3 and 5.
Identify the figure of speech used in the following line.
A little wicked wicket gate.
You visit your school after several years. As you cross the banyan tree at the entrance, cheerful memories fi ll your mind. Fill the bubbles with your memories.
Fill in the blanks choosing the words from the box given and complete the summary of the poem.
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| python | statue | nature | casement |
| nostalgic | lamenting | impressive | forgotten |
| giant | consecrates | springing | sanctified |
Does nature communicate with human beings?
Read the line given below and answer the question that follow.
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Read the given line and answer the question that follow.
Then a soldier,
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| prudence, kingdom, quest, tender |
What does he think of the people of his kingdom?
What has Ulysses gained from his travel experiences?
Who does the speaker address in the second part?
How would Telemachus transform the subjects?
Read the set of line from the poem and answer the question that follow.
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
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Read the set of line from the poem and answer the question that follow.
This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
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Explain with reference to the context the following line.
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The poet says
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And this might stand him for the storms
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Have you played chess or watched the game carefully?
Now identify the chess pieces and complete the table below. Discuss the role of each piece in the game.
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|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
‘I’m killed, Sire!’ And, his Chief beside, Smiling, the boy fell dead.
