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Question
Why is the last stage called second childhood?
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Solution
The last stage is called the second childhood. The old man slowly loses all his senses. He requires the support of a nurse or wife to do anything. In this stage, he departs from the world.
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Where were the enemies?
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.
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| 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 |
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| weapon | citadel |
| weak | disloyalty |
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Read the given line and answer the question that follow in a line or two.
All through the summer at ease we lay,
And daily from the turret wall
We watched the mowers in the hay
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- How did the soldiers spend the summer days?
- What could they watch from the turret wall?
Underline the alliterated word in the following line.
The wizened warder let them through.
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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.
How does the creeper appear on the tree?
Read the line given below and answer the question that follow.
A creeper climbs, in whose embraces bound No other tree could live.
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- How does the tree survive the tight hold of the creeper?
- Why does Toru Dutt use the expression ‘a creeper climbs’?
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
It is the tree’s lament, an eerie speech,…
Identify the figure of speech used in each of the extract given below and write down the answer in the space given below.
“ A creeper climbs, in whose embraces bound
No other tree could live. But gallantly
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What is the first stage of a human’s life?
Bring out the features of the fourth stage of a man as described by the poet.
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following lines from the poem.
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And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
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Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
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Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
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Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
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- “And all the men and women merely players”
- “And shining morning face, creeping like snail”
- “Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,”
- “Seeking the bubble reputation”
- “His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide”
- “and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble”
Read the given line and answer the question that follow.
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.
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- Which figure of speech has been employed in the second line?
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| fullest, unquenchable, unattainable, experience, knowledge, king, matters, rust, adventure, unwilling, travel, breathing |
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Why did Ulysses want to hand over the kingdom to his son?
Identify the figure of speech employed in the following line.
.....the deep Moans round with many voices.
Read the set of line from the poem and answer the question that follow.
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
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Transferred Epithet- It is a figure of speech in which an epithet grammatically qualifies a noun other than the person or a thing, it is actually meant to describe.
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And this might stand him for the storms
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
and guide him among sudden betrayals
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Where was Napoleon standing on the day of attack on the city of Ratisbon?
What did the rider do when he reached Napoleon?
How did the young soldier face his end?
