Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Write a summary of the poem.
- Title
- Introductory paragraph (about the poem, type, nature, tone)
- Main body (central idea, the gist of the poem)
- Conclusion (opinion, views, appeal).
Advertisements
Solution
The Planners
The title of the poem is 'The Planners' and it focuses on the planners' need for perfection and uniformity, which leads to the loss of history as well as nature.
The poem is a satire as it mocks the planners' desire to build a flawless world. The poet has written this poem in a free-verse format as he strongly opposes structural uniformity. The tone of the poet throughout the poem is sarcastic, except for the last stanza where it changes to melancholic. The poet's reference to the city's structures as rigid mathematical designs and his comparison of the planners to dentists convey his sarcastic tone with great clarity.
The poet expresses how his country, the island-state of Singapore, is being torn down by the planners for building perfectly measured and confined structures that erase Singapore's history and push nature away from its landscape. The planners destroy the ancient structures that form a part of Singapore's past by terming them as 'flawed' and 'useless'. The poet stresses how the skyscrapers built by the planners resemble perfect rows of teeth, which symbolize artificiality, just like a dentist straightens crooked teeth to create the perfect smile. Though aesthetically appealing, the smile is not real. Similarly, Singapore's scene has also lost its originality. The planners want to reinvent history and therefore recklessly drill to build sky-high structures without being sensitive to the country's heritage. At the end of the poem, in a state of acceptance, the poet declares that he shall not stain with his poetry, the immaculate world that the planners have built. This is ironic because the poet is writing the poetry while declaring that he won't write one.
The poem's appeal lies in its unique stance on the destruction caused by modernisation, as it emphasizes the consequences of urbanisation on history, as opposed to just nature. In my opinion, this makes the poem stand out from the others that talk about the ill-effects of building a concrete jungle.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Answer of these question in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
The school captain was elected by the students of classes XI and XII.
(Begin: The students ………………….)
How does Sarojini Naidu allude to the patriarchal system of her times? Discuss.
Why has the poet used the expressions, ‘ Great Scott’ and ‘Gadzooks’?
How does the poem make use of contrast? Consider the contrast between the poet and the daffodils, and between his feeling before, while and after seeing the daffodils.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
According to the poem, how can the free bird be best described ?
How has Browning used allusion in the poem? Explain.
There's nobody on the house-tops now...
Just a palsied few at the windows set;
For the best of the sight is, all allow,
At the Shambles' Gate-or, better yet,
By the very scaffold's foot, I trow.
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
What is ‘shamble’?
Thus I entered, and thus I go!
In triumphs, people have dropped down dead,
"Paid by the world, what dost thou owe
Me? "....God might question; now instead,
'Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.
Read the above lines and amswer the question that follow.
What type of poetic piece ‘The Patriot: An Old Story’ is?
The eight other runners pulled up on their heels
The ones who had trained for so long to complete
one by one they all turned around and went back to help him
And brought the young boy to his feet.
Then all the nine runners joined hands and continued
The hundred-yard dash now reduced to a walk
And a banner above that said (Special Olympics)
Could not have been more on the mark.
That's how the race ended, with nine gold medals
They came to the finish line holding hands still
And a standing ovation and nine beaming faces
Said more than these words ever will.
Read the lines given above and answer the following question:
Who gave standing ovation? Why?
What is the climax of Ray Bradbury’s “All Summer in a Day?”
(A) If you are not ready to come with me, I will not go.
(B) Unless…………………………..
Ichabod Crane, the central character of the short story 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow', is a person who arouses both our amusement and pity. Discuss.
Re-write the following sentence according to the instruction given. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of the sentence.
Arun gave Ramesh some excellent advice.
(Begin: Ramesh was……)
The following words used in the text as ship terminology are also commonly used in another sense. In what contexts would you use the other meaning?
| Knot | stern | boom | hatch | anchor |
Given below is an interesting combination of words. Explain why they have been used together.
casket grey
Given below is an interesting combination of words. Explain why they have been used together.
ritual resins
Combine the following sets of ideas to show the contrast between them.
(i) European art tries to achieve a perfect, illusionistic likeness.
(ii)Asian art tries to capture the essence of inner life and spirit.
Notice the following sentence patterns.
I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain.
Rewrite the above sentences in prose.
What does the notice 'The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
Discuss in groups of four.
The problems of over population that directly affect our everyday life.
Distinguish between the following pairs of sentences.
The team played two matches successively.
Explain the following phrase
Spinning yarns
Use it in a sentence of your own.
How do these lines capture the essence of the story:
'Glory was all overlaid with dark shame. Glory was dead.'
Your teacher will speak the word given below. Write against two new words that rhyme with it.
bed ______ ______
Re-word the line from the story:
Miss Beam was all that I had expected — middle-aged, full of authority.
Make a short list of things you find difficult to do. For example:
turning a somersault 
threading a needle
Compare your list with the others in the class. Can you explain why you find these things difficult to do?
Read the words/phrases in the box. With your partner find their meaning in the dictionary.
|
Harsh conditions harmless survive intruder threatened predators prey continually |
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the above words/phrases.
All animals in forests and deserts struggle to ______________________in ______________
___________________ . Though most of the animals are ___________________, some are
dangerous when _____________________. If an ___________________ is noticed, they attack
or bite to save themselves. They struggle __________________ for food and water.
Some animals are called ______________because they __________________ on other animals.
Give reasons, for us being reluctant to make friends with some strangers, but being comfortable with some, even after meeting them for the first time.
After reading the text one can easily understand that there is a lot of risks involved in mountaineering. Write in short about any adventure sport that you like and the risk involved in it.
'Seems to touch the starry skies'. The poet has used word imagery. Describe the idea and pick out other similar examples from the poem.
The pride of any city is its skyline.
Write 5 lines about the place where you reside and what makes you feel proud of it.
Form groups and try to write a script for a short film or documentary on any topic of your choice. The script must develop properly. You can take the help of the following points.
- choose a topic
- central theme
- the beginning, the middle, and the end
- the message
Discuss the following and write about the following in your own words in 5-6 lines.
Which events in the story (Part I and Part II) changed Mathilde’s life?
Imagine someone has invited your family to a programme and you were the only person at home when the invitation was given orally.
Write a note (4-5 lines) to pass on the message to the other people in your family. Or, Write an imaginary conversation in which you pass on the message to your parents.
Write a letter to your friend or cousin telling him/her about a difficult choice you have recently made, for example, pursuing one sport or hobby rather than the other or choosing between your studies and hobbies.
Tell your friend/cousin how his/her example helped you to make a decision.
Write your opinion, in your own words:-
What did the aunt fail to realize in Bertha’s story?
Write your own interpretation of the story.
Discuss with your friend/brother /sister / your classmate and write your list of wishes to make your village/town/city people happy. You can use the following words.
- great
- wish
- share
- talk
- help
- cooperate
- communicate
Write a short book review of any one of your favourite books. Your review should include the following things.
- Title of the book
- Name of the author/authors
- Name of the illustrator (artist)
- The central idea of the book (what the book is about)
- The important characters in the book and what they do
- What you like about the book
- Why you want others to read the book/what you learn from the book
Expand the theme in a write -up of about 20 lines.
‘Rumours are spread by fools and accepted by greater fools’.
Look at the picture given below and frame your own slogan.
Draft Letter for the following.
You are Raja. The street lights of your area do not work properly. As a responsible citizen, write a letter to the newspaper enlightening them about the problem and also suggest ways to brighten the area.
Arrange the picture in order by writing the numbers 1,2,3 and 4 in the given boxes and write this familiar story in about 100 words.
Make use of the words given below.
| thirsty, village, pitcher, disappointment, pebbles, water level |
One hot day, a thirsty crow _____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Write a narrative paragraph on Kamarajar, using the given information and add more information on your own.
Let's write a poem.
I have a kite but need a friend to fly it with,
I know a song but need someone to hear it,
I have a ball but need someone to catch it,
I ______
I ______
I ______
I ______
Use the option to fill in the blank.
Her frock______too long.
Answer the question by looking at the picture.
Example: What is happening in picture 5?
What did Hiawatha love?
The girl looked up at the ______of stars.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Jimmy Wells from Bob’s point of view?
According to Mary Kom, what was the reason for her losing in the finals?
Bring out the substance of Basil's letter to Miss Meadows.
Write slogan to create awareness of the following topic using the tips given above.
- Junk food
- Labour Day
- Save Water
- Yoga
- Blood Donation
Answer the following question as briefly as possible and with close reference to the relevant text.
Discuss how in the poem Dover Beach the poet, Mathew Arnold, reposes faith in love as a beam of hope amidst the surrounding despair.
Complete the dialogue:
| Manas: | How much is the SSC exam fee? |
| Clerk: | __________________ |
| Manas: | When is the last date to submit the exam form? |
| Clerk: | __________________ |
Imagine someone has invited your family to a program and you were the only person at home when the invitation was given orally.
Think of different types of people who have to face great difficulties. Write what you can do to help at least one of them.
Prepare a set of questions to interview -
A famous author
Imagine someone has invited your family to a programme and you were the only person at home when the invitation was given orally.
Write a note (4-5 lines) to pass on the message to the other people in your family. Or, Write an imaginary conversation in which you pass on the message to your parents.
