DUST OF SNOW

The short poem by Robert Frost throws light upon the unimaginable healing power of nature
and tiny things. From a bad mood to ill-health, there is nothing that can’t be cured by nature. The
author was experiencing one such bad day when a crow’s movement near a hemlock tree dusted
snow upon him. The snow instantly makes him happier. His day gets a lot better. Thus, the
supremacy of nature as a whole made him realise how petty his problem was. The fact that hemlock
tree is poisonous combined with crow being the indicator of doom and fear are used in the poem as
the carriers of happiness in the life of narrator is ironical. The poet, through these objects has tried to
highlight that sometimes creatures linked with negative aspects of life can be the bringer of change
and happiness. Being outdoors in nature, with all it’s unpredictability can benefit anyone, anywhere
at any time.

Poem
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Explanation of the Poem: The poem is set in a scene where the poet is in a bad mood and is
walking by a tree, a hemlock tree. Hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. As he passes by, a crow
happens to throw some snow dust on him. Whether it falls on his head or shoulders is unknown
as there is no specific mention in the poem. Also, the readers are left in doubt about the bird’s
specific action. Whether the crow was landing, shivering with cold, re adjusting itself on the
branch or taking off, it happened to send some particles of snow upon the author. Here, the two
agents of nature, the hemlock tree and the crow are signifiers of sadness and gloom just like the
poet’s mood was in the opening scene.
For reasons unknown, the author was having a terrible day. But the falling of the snow on his
head lifted his mood instantly. He had already spent his day in a bad mood but the rest of it was
saved by the crow and the hemlock tree. Generally, hemlock tree and crow are used for negative
references but the poet used them beautifully to portray that inauspicious things can bring joy
and happiness too. One must not take things for granted and should be open and accept
whichever way the nature chooses to bless us.

Q1. Rationalise what you think the poet was probably doing when the dust of snow fell on
him?
[CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. The poet was in a depressed mood with a thought that the day had been quite gloomy and
was a waste for him. When the dust of snow fell on the poet, he might probably be standing
under or passing through the hemlock tree.

Q2. What does the presence of a hemlock tree tell you about the setting of the poem?
Ans. The Hemlock tree is often related to some bad omens. Here, the presence of the hemlock
tree tells us that the poet has used it to symbolize his depressed and negative mood.

Q3. The dusting of snow on account of the crow helped to make the poet’s day better.
How do you think the crow’s droppings might have impacted the poet?
Ans. The dust of snow removed all the laziness of the poet. It saved the whole day of the poet.
The crow’s droppings might have ruined the poet’s mood from bad to worse.
Q4. ‘Dust of Snow’ is one of Frost’s most loved poems. Elaborate why you think this is so.
Ans. ‘Dust of snow’ is a beautiful poem written by Robert Frost. It depicts a simple moment, but
it is of great significance. The poet is depressed and has lost all hope. He is sitting under a
hemlock tree. A small incident changes his sad mood. The poem teaches us that one should
never be desperate and hopeless.

Q5. The poem evokes a sense of black and white. Justify. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans.. In the poem ‘Dust of Snow’, we see two set of indicators. The Hemlock tree and the crow
are indicators of sorrow which are symbolised by black colour. On the other hand, the snow
indicates a fresh start and is white in colour.
Similarly, the poet’s initial mood of regret and unhappiness is depicted by black while his final
mood of joy is indicated by white color.
Thus, we see that the poem creates a sense of black and white as it displays opposite things and
emotions.

Q6. The crow and hemlock are usually used as negative references in literature. How is
this different in this poem?
Ans. The crow is a symbol of ill omen and the hemlock tree is a poisonous one. However, the
poet has used them beautifully to portray the fact that inauspicious things too can bring joy and
happiness.
Q1. Positive attitude in life can make the world a better place to live in. Do you agree or
disagree with the reference to the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’? Express your views.
Ans. I wholeheartedly concur that having a positive outlook can make the world a better place to
live. In his poem “Dust of Snow,” Robert Frost describes how the actions of a crow turned a
terrible day into a brighter one. The poet’s mood changed as a result of an incident that seemed
unrelated. To embrace the light amidst the darkness is one lesson that can be taken from the
poet. The poet sees the colour of joy despite the fact that the crow, the hemlock, and the snow
are all dismal pictures. The simple pleasures of life is yet another lesson. They enable one to
consistently find the good in every circumstance.

Q2. Our attitude towards a situation evokes both negative and positive responses.
Analyse this with reference to the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’ to bring out the inherent valuable
lessons.
Ans. Whatever the circumstances in life, they cause us to react in both positive and negative
ways. The poet of the poem “Dust of Snow” , Robert Frost was in a depressed frame of mind. His
sour mood turned more optimistic as a crow shook down the “dust of snow” on him. The poet
may have become enraged with the crow had he not already been in a depressed or foul mood.
Snow dust turns out to be a catalyst for improvement for him. He felt a certain amount of
happiness from the incident, and it helped him temporarily forget his misery. So, it becomes
clear that one should focus on the good aspects of events rather than their negative ones
because doing so might have a significant impact on how events turn out.

Q3. The poet has succeeded in giving valuable information in a light-hearted manner.
What creates the desired effect? Highlight its importance in present-day life.
Ans. Frost has successfully conveyed an important idea—that occasionally, seemingly
insignificant things can have a major impact—by using straightforward language. The desired
effect is produced by using simple, straightforward language along with distinctive visual images
and succinct wording. Even the surroundings around him reflect the poet’s sadness. The
raucous, ominous crow, the deadly hemlock, and the surrounding freezing snow are all gloomy
scenes. But, despite all the bad, some of the poet’s regretful thoughts are also shaken off when
the crow scatters snow dust over him. The poem encourages us to find enjoyment in the simple
things in today’s world, while we’re all living in stressful environments.
FIRE & ICE
“Fire and Ice” is a strong symbolic poem where the fire is used as the emotion of desire and ice, that
of hatred. He has used the idea of two groups who have their own possible explanation for the end
of the world. One is of the opinion that fire alone can destroy each and every possibility of life on
Earth while the other thinks that if ice as a result of extremely low temperatures could cover the
earth’s surface, it would lead to the end of the world. Both the components are compared with self-
destructing human emotions: desire and hatred. The poet is original of the opinion that he has been
very closely associated with the “fiery desires” and considers it capable of bringing human beings on
the verge of destruction. Thus, he considers fire as more competent for destruction. But then he
thinks that “icy hatred” is just as capable of ruining humans, though slowly and steadily. Therefore, if
Earth was to end twice, ice would be just as good as fire. If a fire would lead to rapid destruction, ice
would lead to silent damage. Similarly, if the fire is pure passion, ice is pure reason. Thus, the poem,
very artistically, underpins the philosophy that we let our emotions rule us and if don’t control them
they will surely bring us all on the verge of chaos.

Poem
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Explanation of the Poem: The poem expresses the profound idea that the world would end in
either of two ways, either by ice or fire. One group is of the opinion that someday the Earth’s core
will get so heated up that it would lead to fire destroying the earth’s surface. On the other hand,
the second group says that if the temperature goes down to an extent that makes life on Earth
impossible, it would have the same catastrophic effect. The poet then compares fire and ice with
the destructive features of human emotions; desire and hatred. He says that from what he is
aware about “fiery desires”, he would favour the ones who say that it would be fire. By saying so,
he brings about the idea that human beings let their emotions rule them and the consequence of
unmonitored longing is chaos.
Then by not waving off the first option of fire, he considers if the world has to expire twice, ice
would be equally competent in ending it. He brings about a contrast between “ice” and “hatred”.
The human capability of insensitivity and hatred has the potential for inner destruction. Though
slow and steady, it has the same effect that desire has on us. So if given an option between fire
and ice, ice would be just as good as fire to destroy the world.

Q1. According to the poet, what do ‘ice’ and ‘fire’ symbolise? [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. According to the poet ‘ice’ symbolizes hatred, coldness and rigidity and these human cold
emotions and lack of love are destructive enough to remove the warmth of fire and destroy the
world. Fire symbolises unlimited wishes and desires of human beings like violent feelings of
anger, cruelty, brutality, etc., that might end the world.

Q2. What is the message of the poem ‘Fire and Ice’?

Ans. The poem ‘Fire and Ice’ is short but encompasses the entire humanity in its targeted
message. The metaphor of ‘Fire and Ice’ are used very effectively to solidly convey a clear
message to the readers. The poem acts like a moral-mirror for readers to assess their own
standing in the world. ‘Fire’ stands for our uncontrolled passions which are disastrous for human
beings. Similarly cold reasoning devoid of human love will bring insensitivity. Both the aspect of
human thinking and resulting behaviour embedded with desire and hatred will lead to the end
of this world and it may also happen more than once.

Q3. The tone of the speaker contrasts with the seriousness of the subject matter. Justify.
[CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. ‘Fire and Ice’ is a symbolic poem by Robert Frost with a message to reveal the gravity of the
violent and cold human emotions. These emotions, if not controlled, may lead to destruction of
the world. The poet wants to make humanity believe that everything will end one day as a result
of human misdeed. His aim is aphorism-brevity for Frost truth remains ambiguous as to how
specific the world is going to end. That’s why the tone contrasts with the seriousness of the
subject matter with people favouring both ‘fire’ and ‘ice’.

Q4. Evaluate the line- Some say the world will end in fire/Some say in ice- in the context of
volcanic eruptions, forest fires, meteor collisions, melting ice caps etc. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. In the poem ‘Fire and Ice’ the poet considers the age-old question of whether the world will
end in fire or in ice. The threat of global warming may lead to severe volcanic eruptions and
forest fires that may end the world or there might be a meteor collision, the melting of ice caps
or glaciers etc, that may also end the world.
So, either option is enough to achieve its purpose sufficiently may be in storm of volcanic
eruptions, forest fires or melting ice caps.
Q5. Fire and Ice projects a pessimistic outlook. Comment. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. According to me, ‘Fire and Ice’ projects a realistic outlook rather than a pessimistic one. The
poet brings forth the view that the world will soon end. It can be either by fire or ice. He
mentions that he has tasted everything in life after World War I. So, it would soon end either
with greed or indifference.

Q6. What does ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for and what is the general opinion regarding the
world? [Board Term-I, 2016-17]
Ans. Fire stands for fury, desire, lust, anger, avarice, cruelty and greed. Ice is symbolic of hatred,
coldness, rigidity, insensitivity and intolerance. The general opinion regarding the world is that
the world will end in fire and some say ice. Both the two reasons contrast each other and one
equally opposite to each other. People who favour fire believe that it will be the heat and
passion which will end the world. On the other hand, some people think that it will be the ice
which will freeze the world.

THE TIGER IN THE ZOO

The poem written by Leslie Norris explains the agony and helplessness of a caged tiger that
lives in a zoo. The poet explains what his life could be if he had been a free animal. The poet
has tried to explain about the condition of animals that are caged by human beings for their
own fun.
The poem begins with a description of a tiger that is very beautiful and is walking in his little
cage. He has beautiful stripes on his skin and has velvet like soft paws. But the tiger is not
happy and is quite angry about being confined in the cage. The poet says that if the tiger
was not confined to the zoo cage, he would have been hiding himself behind the long grass
near some water body, in order to catch its prey that is the deer. Also, he would have
terrorised the residents of the villages around the forest area. But the reality is totally
opposite to this. He was confined in a cage which was made up of strong building material
and he was helpless there. He could not show his power to the visitors, therefore, never
tried to terrorize them. The tiger is described as being powerless and agonized by the poet.
He says that during night also he is alone, hearing the voice of the patrolling vehicles of
police and looking at the stars. The cage life has totally changed the tiger’s personality. The
poet is trying to say that the animal which is famous for its fearlessness and freedom is
confined and sad due to the human beings who want to derive pleasure by looking at him in
the zoo cage.
Poem
He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
Word Meaning
Stalks: follows
Vivid: bright colored
Pads: paws of tiger
Rage: anger
Explanation of the poem passage above – Here the poet says that the tiger that is confined in
the zoo moves around in the cage under his bright coloured skin. He further says that the tiger
can take only a few steps because the cage is small and it is not easy to move in it. One cannot
hear his footsteps because he has very soft feet, like velvet because of which there is no sound of
the tiger’s footsteps. The tiger tries to control his anger by quietly walking in the limited area of his
cage. He is angry because he is not free.
Literary Devices
Rhyme scheme: abcb (cage-rage)
Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’.
Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of velvet)
Enjambment: Sentence is continuing to next line without any punctuation mark.
Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He stalks in his vivid stripes The few
steps of his cage)
Consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes)
Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage)

Poem
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
Word Meaning
Lurking: To be hidden as to wait for your prey
Explanation of the poem passage above – The poet says that if this tiger was free, he would
have hid himself behind the long grass near the water bodies so that he could easily catch a deer
in order to have it as its food. Basically, the poet wants to say that the actual life of a tiger is to
live in jungle where he could catch his prey and eat it but the tiger in the cage can not do so.
Literary Devices/ Poetic Devices
Rhyme: rhyme scheme is abcb (grass-pass)
Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation marks. (Sliding through….deer
pass)
Alliteration: use of sound ‘p’ at the start of two words (plump pass)
Imagery: The poet has tries to create an image of tiger’s activities (lurking in shadow).

Poem
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!

Word Meaning
Snarling: warning sounds made by animals
Baring: uncovered
Fangs: Sharp tooth of animals
Explanation of the poem passage above- The poet says that if the tiger would have been free,
he would have snarled around the houses located at the outskirts of the forest. He would terrorise
people with his sharp tooth and claws. This would create fear among the people living in the
villages
Literary devices
Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (edge, village)
Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation marks (He should be snarling
around houses At the jungle’s edge,)
Onomatopoeia: using words which denote sound (snarling)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘I’ (should, around, houses), (Baring, his, white, his)
Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, fangs, his, claws)

Poem
But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
Word Meaning
Concrete: building made of bricks, cement, sand and water
Explanation of the poem passage above- Now the poet comes to the reality of the tiger that is
inside the cage. He says that the tiger is confined in a strong cell which is made of strong building
material. He further says that as the tiger is behind bars, so his ferociousness is also behind the
bars. He just stalks in the cage. He never tries to terrorise the visitors because his power is
restricted by the cage. Therefore, he never tries to terrorise the visitors as he cannot attack them.
Literary devices
Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (bars-visitors)
Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’.
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (he, locked, concrete, cell)
Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, strength, bars)
Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two words (behind bars)

Poem
He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
Word Meaning
Patrolling: to guard, to vigil
Explanation of the poem passage above- The poet says that in the night, the tiger hears the
sounds of the patrolling cars. Patrolling cars are the vehicles of police which are used to guard at
night. So, in the night the tiger hears the sounds of these cars. He then stares at the shining stars
with his shining eyes. The poet wants to say that the tiger is sad and as he is confined in the cage,
so, he cannot do anything. Therefore, he stares at the stars in the night and tries to divert his
thoughts towards them.
Literary devices:
Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (cars-stars)
Enjambment: Line three continues to line four without any punctuation mark. (And stares
with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.)
Alliteration: use of sound ‘h’ in the starting of two words (he hears)
Assonance: use of ‘I’ sound (with, his, brilliant)

Q1. How does a tiger create terror for the villagers? [CBSE 2015]
Ans. The tiger terrorizes the villagers by barring his big white fangs and revealing his sharp
claws. He makes terrifying low snarls moving around the houses of the villagers that are situated
at the edge of the forest. His mighty presence and roars scare the villagers.

Q2. How does the tiger make his presence felt in the village? (CBSE 2015)
Ans. The tiger makes his presence felt in the village by snarling around the houses which are at
the edge of the forest. He tries to terrorise people by showing his white fangs and claws.

Q3. Why should the tiger snarl around the houses at the edge of the forest? [CBSE 2012]
Ans. The tiger should snarl around the houses at the edge of the forest in order to scare the
villagers so that they won’t disturb the peace of the mighty animal. Also, snarling is a natural
characteristic of a tiger.

Q4. Where should the tiger have been according to the poet? [CBSE 2014]
Ans. According to the poet, the tiger should have been in his natural habitat, i.e., a forest. He is a
mighty predator who survives by hunting his prey. He belongs to a place where he can freely
move about, frightening people by deadly growls.

Q5. It is said that an animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language. Explain with
reference to the tiger. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. We have heard that eyes speak and they speak the truth. It is visible in this poem also. The
tiger in the zoo conveyed both his anger and helplessness through his eyes. He shows his anger,
hatred and even defiance by walking about in rage in his cage. The tiger in the cage ignores all
those who come to the zoo to see him as entertainment. At night, he showed his helplessness by
staring at the stars in the sky.

Q6. The poet celebrates the strength of the tiger in this poem. Counter the statement.
[CBSE QB, 2020- 21]
Ans. The tiger mentions about the strength of the tiger but also counters by showing that it is
caged and not free. His strength is frustrated and becomes a funny stock as the mighty animal
feels helpless in the confinement. The tiger, unlike his forest life, has no freedom to move
around and hunt in the small zoo. On the other hand, the real natural life of the majestic tigers
involves walking in the tall grass and hunting the deer that pass near the water hole.
Q7. Do you think the tiger in the poem had lost its natural instinct due to captivity?
Support your response with evidence from the poem. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. As a Yes: I think the tiger in the poem had lost its natural instinct due to captivity. Although
the tiger was in terrific rage as he had been taken away from his natural habitat, he didn’t roar
as he would have done in the forest. Instead, he walked silently about the length of the cage.
The zoo had controlled the tiger’s natural display of emotions.
As a No: I don’t think so. The caged tiger walks in a proud manner. He walks quietly. But his eyes
show that he is very angry at having been imprisoned in a cage. All his activities prove that the
tiger in the poem had not lost its natural instinct due to captivity. He is still chivalric, confident
and graceful.

Q8. Why should the tiger snarl around houses at the edge of the forest?’ [CBSE 2012]
Ans. The tiger should snarl around houses at the edge of the forest because of the following
reasons. Firstly the villagers will not disturb the peace of the forest. Secondly, they will not kill
the animals for money or just for fun.

HOW TO TELL WILD ANIMALS

POEM :
If ever you should go by chance
To jungles in the east;
And if there should to you advance
A large and tawny beast,
If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…
Word meaning : Tawny: yellowish brown color
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet is telling the readers that how they can
recognize various animals in the jungles of the east. So, in first stanza she says that if the
reader comes across an animal whose skin is yellowish brown in colour and if it roars at him
so strongly that he can die out of fear, it means that he has encountered an Asian Lion. She
has humorously explained the Asian Lion which could kill a person with its roar.
Literary Devices :
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (chance-advance, east-beast, dyin-lion)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (and if there…..tawny beast)
Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (if there should to you advance)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ’o’ (you should go, should to you, roars,)
Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Asian Lion)

POEM :
Or if some time when roaming round,
A noble wild beast greets you,
With black stripes on a yellow ground,
Just notice if he eats you.
This simple rule may help you learn
The Bengal Tiger to discern.
Word meaning :
Noble: high born, aristocratic
Discern: recognize

Explanation of the poem passage above: She explains an animal that roams in the jungle and
belongs to a royal clan. The colour of its skin is yellowish with black stripes. She says that if you
notice that he kills you and eats you up, then this means that you have surely seen a Bengal Tiger.
This time also she has used dark humour to explain how a tiger looks like because once a person
has been eaten up by a wild animal, there is no use in determining which wild animal it is.
Literary Devices :
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (round-ground, you-you learn-discern)
Alliteration: repetition of consonant sound ‘r’ at start of two or more closely connected
words (roaming round)
Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (The Bengal Tiger to discern)
Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Bengal Tiger)
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ’o’ (or if some time when roaming round)

POEM :
If strolling forth, a beast you view,
Whose hide with spots is peppered,
As soon as he has lept on you,
You’ll know it is the Leopard.
’Twill do no good to roar with pain,
He’ll only lep and lep again.
Word meaning :
Strolling: walking casually
Forth: forward
Hide: skin of animal
Peppered: Here it means the spots
Lept (Leapt): jump towards someone
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that if you are casually walking in a
jungle, you will meet an animal who has a skin with spots on it. This animal is so fast that it will
leap on you at once which means that it will jump on you. This jumping is an indication that it is
none other than the Leopard. Moreover, she adds that if you will cry out in pain, it is not going to
be of any use as it will keep on jumping on you. So, in this stanza the poet has explained the
characteristic of a leopard.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (view- you, peppered- Leopard, pain-again)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘h’ in the beginning of two words (he has)
Poetic license: A liberty to the poet to change the spellings in order to create rhyme or
rhythm in a poem (use of lept instead of leapt)
Repetition: use of ‘lep’ word in the last line.
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (strolling-forth-you, whose-spot, do no good to roar)
Consonance: use of ‘l’ sound (he’ll only lep lep)

POEM :
If when you’re walking round your yard
You meet a creature there,
Who hugs you very, very hard,
Be sure it is a Bear.
If you have any doubts, I guess
He’ll give you just one more caress.
Word meaning :
Yard: backyard or the lawn area of a house
Caress: A gentle touch
Explanation of the poem passage above: If you are walking in the lawn area of your house and
you meet a creature which hugs you tightly, it is a bear. She further adds that if you are still in
doubt regarding the animal, the easiest way is that he will keep hugging and touching you very
gently. This act of his will make you sure about its identity. You will come to know that it is a bear.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (yard-hard, there- bear, guess-caress)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (if you were walking….creature
there)
Alliteration: use of ‘w’ sound (when-walking), use of ‘h’ sound (who- hugs), use of ‘b’ sound
(be-bear)
Assonance: use of vowel ‘e’ (meet a creature there)
POEM :
Though to distinguish beasts of prey
A novice might nonplus,
The Crocodile you always may
Tell from the Hyena thus:
Hyenas come with merry smiles;
But if they weep they’re Crocodiles
Word meaning :
Distinguish: Differentiate
Beast of Prey: Any animals that hunts other animals for food
Novice: Someone new to a job
Nonplus: be confused
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that for someone who is new to the job
of recognizing animals, it will be like a puzzle to recognize animals that hunt other animals for
their food. So here the poet tries to help out the readers by telling the difference between two
animals. He says that Hyenas will be smiling whereas if it is a crocodile, it is always in tears. Both
of these animals are dangerous.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (prey-may, nonplus-thus, smiles-crocodiles)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘n’ (novice-nonplus), use of ‘th’ sound (the-thus)
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (though to distinguish….might
nonplus, The crocodile…..hyena thus)

POEM :
The true Chameleon is small,
A lizard sort of thing;
He hasn’t any ears at all,
And not a single wing.
If there is nothing on the tree,
’Tis the chameleon you see.
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that the next is Chameleon which is a
small creature. It looks like a lizard but the difference between the two is that chameleon does not
have ears and wings. Moreover she says that chameleon has the ability to change its color
according to the surface on which it is sitting. Therefore, if you see a tree and find nothing else on
it, then it must be a chameleon sitting on it. It has changed its colour into the color of tree.
Literary Devices :
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (small-all, thing-wing, tree-see)
Alliteration: use of ‘h’ sound (he hasn’t)
Consonance: use of ‘g’ sound (single wing)

Q1. What is the famous saying associated with crocodiles and what does it mean?
Answer- The famous saying associated with crocodiles is that of ‘shedding crocodile tears’. It
actually means tears or expressions of sorrow that are insincere, and are said to be so named
from a belief that crocodiles wept while devouring their prey.
Q2. What is the theme of the poem — ‘How to Tell Wild Animals’?
Answer- The theme of the poem is to create humour. The poet creates humour by suggesting
dangerous ways of identifying wild animals. You can identify most of the beasts while they are
attacking you. Instead of shouting for help or trying to protect yourself, you are busy identifying
the attacker—the idea creates humour.
Q3. Why does the poet say that a bear’s ‘hug’ may confuse a novice?
Answer- It is the tendency of a bear to kill his victim by embracing him. He hugs the victim so
tight that he usually dies. But a novice who does not know the ways of bears may
misunderstand his hug. He may think that it is a loving embrace.
Q4. Can a novice distinguish among wild animals? How can hyenas be distinguished from
crocodiles?
Answer- It is very difficult for a novice to distinguish among wild animals. He can be easily
confused. But it is very easy to distinguish between crocodiles and hyenas. Hyenas come with
merry smiles. Crocodiles can be recognised by the tears in their eyes.
Q5. How can you identify the Asian lion and the Bengal Tiger? [CBSE 2015]
Answer- The Asian Lion has a large body and a brownish-yellow coat. It roars loudly when it
attacks its prey. On the other hand, the Bengal Tiger has black stripes on its yellow coat. It
silently attacks its prey.

Q6. How can you distinguish between a tiger and a leopard? [CBSE 2011]
Answer- A tiger has black stripes on its yellow coat. A leopard on the other hand, does not have
any stripes. It has spots peppered on its body. Moreover, a tiger kills only when it is hungry,
while a leopard can kill for the pleasure of killing by pouncing continuously on its prey.
Q7. Describe a few characteristics of a chameleon.
Answer- A chameleon is a garden lizard and is an expert at camouflage. It changes its colour as
per its surroundings. This ability of camouflage helps it in saving it from the hunters. A
chameleon does not have – any ears or wings.
Q9. How does the poet describe the bear?
Answer- The poet suggests that the bear can enter a human colony also. That is why you can
encounter a bear even in your yard. As soon as the bear comes near a human being, he
embraces him. This embrace appears loving. But in fact, it can be fatal.

THE BALL POEM

“The Ball Poem” has childhood, grief, and the quest for innocence as its themes. The poem expresses
the speaker’s nostalgia for those carefree, innocent days when he or she used to play with a ball. The
poem also explores themes of mortality and the inevitable loss of youth’s unfettered joys as a result
of growing up. The importance of learning the ways to accept loss and keep on moving with life.

POEM :
What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!
Word Meaning :
Merrily: cheerful
Bouncing: jumping up and down
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet is talking about a boy who has lost his ball.
He wants to know about him and his reaction because he has lost his ball. Further, he asks to
himself that what this boy will do after losing his ball. The poet has seen the ball going away from
the boy. He says that the ball was cheerfully jumping up and down in the street. This means that
when the ball skipped from boy’s hand it went into the street and later on, it fell into the nearby
river.
Literary devices:
Anaphora: use of repeated words in two or more lines (What is the boy… what, what and
merrily bouncing… merrily over)
Assonance: repeated use of vowel ‘o’ (boy, now, who, lost)
Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing down the street
repetition: ‘what’ is repeated

POEM :
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
Word Meaning :
Grief: sorrow
Rigid: fixed
Trembling: shaking
Harbour: dock, port
Intrude: invader
Dime: 10 cents (U.S)
Worthless: valueless, useless
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that there is no benefit of consoling the
boy by saying that he will get another ball because he has other balls too. He says so because the
boy is feeling very sad. He is completely surrounded by sorrow. He is sad because all the
memories of the childhood days went down the harbour with the ball. Here the poet says that the
boy is very sad as the ball which has now gone into the water reminds him of those sweet
memories, of the times when he owned it. This loss is unbearable for him and he is grief stricken.
The poet says that he can’t even tell the boy to take some money from him in order to buy
another ball. He says so because the new ball will not bring the sense of belonging to the boy.
Further, the poet says that the time has come for the boy to learn the responsibility of taking care
of his things.
Literary devices:
Repetition: use of word ‘ball’
Asyndeton: no use of conjunction in a sentence (A dime, another ball, is worthless)
POEM :
In a world of possessions. People will take
Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.
And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.
He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up.

Word Meaning :
Possessions: ownership
External: Here, things with which feelings are not attached
Desperate: hopeless
Epistemology: The Greek word episteme means ‘knowledge’
Explanation of the poem passage above: Here the poet says that the boy has to learn that in
this materialistic world, many of his belongings will be lost. He personifies the ball as his
belongings, be it the worldly things or the relationships he is in possession of. So, he says that he
has to learn to live without them no matter what. He says no one can buy back such things for
him. The poet said so because according to him money can’t buy you everything. If it does buy you
some materialistic thing, still, it will not be able to buy the sense of belongingness. He says that
the boy is learning how to stand up against the sense of lost things. This means that the boy is
trying to learn the real truth of life which states that you have to accept the miseries of life and
stand up again. This is the truth which everyone has to learn in his or her life. The harsh truth of
standing up against the odd miseries of life that everyone has to bear.
Literary devices:
Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two consecutive words (buys a ball back)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes)
Repetition: ‘ball’ word is repeated
Rhyme scheme: There is no rhyme scheme followed in the poem.

Q1. No use to say ‘O there are other balls’

What do the words in inverted commas mean? Why does the poet think that it is useless
to give this suggestion to the boy?
Ans. These words suggest that the loss of the ball is not important enough to worry about. The
poet knows that the boy is sad and grieved over the loss of his ball and knows it is useless to
make the boy understand how unimportant the loss of the ball is.

Q2. What is the boy learning from the loss of the ball?
Ans. The boy is learning the epistemology of loss from the loss of the ball. He is understanding
what it means to lose something he greatly admires.

Q3. “And no one buys a ball back. Money is external”. What does the poet imply by this
expression?
Ans. Through this expression the poet implies that a lost ball cannot be bought back even with
money. Money can only be used to buy valuable things but not to restore or compensate for a
thing that is lost.

Q4. ‘He senses first responsibility’—What responsibility is referred to here?

Ans. The responsibility referred to here is of losing a ball by a little boy and how he learns to
grow up. The ball is a much loved possession and the boy experiences grief at the loss of his ball
which personifies his young and happy innocent days. The losing of the ball is losing his
innocence and he is forced to grow up, and become responsible.
Q5. Why does the poet say that he will not offer the boy money to buy another ball?
Or
Why does the poet say, ‘I would not intrude on him? Why doesn’t he offer him money to
buy another ball?
Ans. The poet says that he will not offer the boy money to buy another ball because balls are
anyway worthless and also because he wants the boy to understand what it means and how it
feels to lose something.

Q6. A ball is an easily available, inexpensive thing. Then, why is the boy so sad to lose it?
Ans. No doubt the ball is an easily available and inexpensive item but the ball the boy has lost is
valuable for him. His memories of younger days are associated with it because he had been
playing with it for a long time. It was not ordinary but a special ball for him. No other ball could
take its place. Hence, the boy is sad to lose it.

Q7. Express your views on the title of the poem, ‘The Ball Poem’.
Ans. When one reads the title ‘The Ball Poem’, one assumes that the poem may be a light-
hearted one but perhaps about the joys of childhood. But, the poem is about how we must not
feel disheartened, dejected and desperate but try to stand up and bear the loss through self-
understanding.

Q8. How did the boy react after his ball fell into the water of the harbour?
Ans. The falling of the ball in the water was quite sudden. Actually, it was an unexpected loss.
The boy was completely shaken but couldn’t even move a step. He stood there fixed to the
ground like a statue. He constantly continued staring at the point where his ball fell into the
harbour. It seemed as if he was thinking of his childhood days which had disappeared forever
like the lost ball.

Q9. Does the lost ball stand for the metaphor of the boy’s lost childhood? How?
Ans. The boy has lost his ball. It has fallen down into the harbour. It will not be found back
again. However, through the metaphor of the lost ball, the poet wants to highlight a bigger loss.
It is the loss of his childhood. Like the lost ball, the childhood days which he cherishes still now,
have been lost forever. This makes the loss inconsolable.

Q10. What is the general rule of this ‘world of possessions’?

Ans. Getting something and losing it is a natural cycle. Many more boys before him bought and
lost their balls. This process will go on forever. However, no amount of money can buy back the
same ball that has been lost forever. Money is external and has its own limitations. Wealth can’t
compensate for such emotional losses such as the loss of one’s childhood days.

Q11. If you were the poet, which toy would you use, instead of a ball? Give a reason for
your response.
Ans. Toys have a very special place in the lives of children. If I were a poet, I would use a doll
instead of a ball. The reason for using a doll would be that a child keeps the doll with extreme
care and love as a baby. A doll appears soft and harmless and Children connect by befriending
their dolls. The loss of doll would express the pain and difficulty in accepting the bitter truth
more efficiently

Q12. Do you think the ‘I’ in the poem is the poet or an observer? Give a reason for your
choice of response.
Ans. The ‘I’ in the poem, is the poet as in a few lines the poet says that he doesn’t want to
intrude on the inconsolable boy. Instead, he wants to leave the boy alone to develop a new
sense of responsibility.
Q13. Explain how, “Out of sight, out of mind” might apply to the boy, towards the end of
the poem.
Ans. Towards the end of the poem, the boy saw his ball going ‘out of his sight’. With that, he
recalled the time that he spent with the ball in his past childhood days. However, the ball is no
longer with the boy and slowly, it will get ‘out of his mind’ too.

Q14. A popular quote states: : Responsibility is self-taught. How does the poem
address this thought?
Ans. The responsibility referred in the poem is how to stand up or bear the loss through self-
understanding and trying to console oneself on his own as the boy who lost his ball was trying to
do.
Q15. What feelings do you think might be experienced, at the loss of a mobile phone, for a
youngster today? Explain how these would be different from those felt by the boy in the
poem. [CBSE OD, 2020]
Ans. The feelings of a youngster on the loss of his mobile phone today would be very different
from those felt by the boy in the poem. The boy in the poem was a little kid. It was his first
experience of losing a thing beloved to him. However, a youngster today might not react in such
a sad way as kids today are not so attached with their possessions. They have become more
materialistic with time.
The loss of a mobile phone may cause inconvenience for some time but one may buy another
mobile phone to serve the purpose.

AMANDA
“Amanda” is childhood innocence and the challenges of maturing. The poem tells the story of a little
girl named Amanda as she faces the difficulties of growing up, when her mother expects her to
behave responsibly and she desires to escape from the duties of growing up. The poem emphasises
the battle to maintain the freedom and joy of childhood when adult duties start to take control.

POEM :
Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!
(There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me—
a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)
Word meaning :
Hunch: bend
Slouching: sitting in a lazy way
Languid: relaxed
Emerald: here, green color
Inhabitant: resident
Drifting: carried slowly by the water
Blissfully: happily
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet is describing Amanda, a little girl who is
always pointed out by her mother for her mistakes and how she imagines her life to be. The
poet says that the mother is pointing out Amanda for biting nails which is a bad habit. Next
she asks her to sit straight without bending her shoulders. Amanda who has habit of
bending her shoulders and sitting lazily is being pointed out because her mother wants her
to sit in the right posture. At this point of time, when she is being scolded by her mother,
she imagines herself to be in a deep green sea. She says that she wants to be the only
resident of this beautiful green sea. She imagines herself like a mermaid who is alone there
and leads her life in a very relaxing way. She says that she wants to be carried away by the
current of water and feel the relaxing environment there.
Literary devices:
Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (don’t bite… don’t hunch)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (don’t hunch your shoulders)
Rhyme: aaba ccc (Amanda, Amanda, straight, Amanda, sea, me, blissfully)
Metaphor: use of word emerald sea for green colour of sea being similar to the colour of
emrald
Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
Imagery: drifting blissfully
Alliteration: ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’ – ‘s’ sound is being repeated at the start
of closely placed words.
Allusion: ‘mermaid’ is a well known imaginary creature.

POEM :
Did you finish your homework, Amanda?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda!
(I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)
Word meaning :
Orphan: A child whose parents are dead
Hushed: quiet and still place
Explanation of the poem passage above: Here the poet says that Amanda’s mother is
inquiring her about whether she has done her homework or not? And then she asks her
whether she has cleaned her room or not. Moreover she is also reminded to clean her
shoes. So, here we can see that the mother is constantly asking her questions regarding her
homework being done or not or whether she had cleaned up her room and shoes or not.
But on the other hand, while Amanda is listening to her mother’s instructions, she imagines
herself to be an orphan who is roaming in the streets. This means that she imagines if she
would have been without parents she would have walked freely in the streets. She would
have drawn designs on the soft dust with her uncovered feet very quietly. So, we can see
that she thinks opposite to her mother. Her mother wants her to keep everything neat and
clean. But Amanda wants to play in dust with her bare feet. Moreover, she is so fed up of
these constant instructions from her mother, that she says silence is golden which means
that silence is very crucial and precious. She further says that freedom is sweet. This means
she never feels free when she is with her mother.
Literary devices:
Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (did you finish….did you tidy)
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme is aada eee (Amanda, Amanda, shoes, Amanda, street, feet, sweet)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (Thought, told, you, your, shoes)
Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
Metaphor: silence is golden – silence is said to be glorious like golden colour
freedom is sweet – freedom is said to be sweet in taste.
POEM :
Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!
(I am Rapunzel; I have not a care;
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)
Word meaning :
Acne: Pimples
Rapunzel: A girl in the fairy tale by Brothers Grimm
Tranquil: calm, quiet
Rare: uncommon
Explanation of the poem passage above: Next, Amanda’s mother is disallowing her to eat
chocolates. She reminds her of pimples that Amanda faces due to eating chocolates. At last
she scolds her for not paying attention to what her mother says. At this moment Amanda
imagines herself to be Rapunzel. Rapunzel was a character from a fairy tale that was
captured in tower by a witch. The witch used to climb the tower with the help of long hair of
Rapunzel that were let down by her through the window. So, now Amanda wants to be
Rapunzel because she feels that life in the tower will be peaceful and unusual. She thinks
she will be free and live in a peaceful environment in the tower. She also confirms to herself
that she will never let her hair down to anyone so that nobody could come to her in the
tower.
Literary devices:
Allusion: use of famous fairy tale character Rapunzel
Rhyme: rhyme scheme aafa ggg (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda, care, rare, hair)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ and ‘o’ (Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to
you
Consonance: use of sound ‘r’ (I am Rapunzel; I have not a care …..Bright hair)
Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’

POEM :
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
Word meaning:
Sulking: be in a bad mood
Moody: unstable
Nagged: harass
Explanation of the poem passage above: Amanda’s mother now warns her for behaving in a
very odd manner. She asks her to stop being in a bad mood. Moreover she blames her of
having such an unstable mood. She also scolds her by saying that her behavior will one day
make people think that Amanda was constantly being harassed by her mother. So, here we
can say that though Amanda is always pointed out by her mother on every small thing but
she can’t react to this. If she reacts towards this by getting emotional her mother takes this
against her sense of pride and scolds her that she should not behave like this as others
would think that Amanda’s mother is very dominating towards her child.
Literary Devices:
Alliteration: ‘Stop that sulking’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated at the start of closely placed words
Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
Rhyme scheme: aaha (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda)

Q1. What is the role/ importance of punctuation marks in language? Why has the poet
used the exclamation mark after Amanda? Comment on the title of the poem.
Ans. (i) Punctuation is an important part of grammar. It is used to create sense, clarity and stress
in sentences. It is used to structure and organise our writing.
(ii) The exclamation mark is used after Amanda! to show the mother’s surprise on seeing
Amanda. Amanda is a sulky and moody girl which upsets the mother.

Q2. Is the purpose of someone constantly giving instructions to Amanda being fulfilled?
Explain.
Ans. No, Amanda sulks and becomes moody when her mother gives her too many instructions.
She does not listen to her mother and doesn’t care to follow the instructions but she can’t dare
to ignore them either. So, she sulks. Parents in their endeavour to make their children well-
behaved, give them too many instructions.

Q3. Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel, yet would not like to do what all she did.
Identify and state the reasons for her decision.
Ans. Amanda wants to be Rapunzel to live a peaceful life in a tower, where no one gives any
instruction and she doesn’t have to do any work. But she doesn’t want to escape with a prince
like Rapunzel. She never wants to escape and leave such a peaceful atmosphere, with no
instruction and no work to do.

Q4. What message does the poet want to give through the poem — ‘Amanda’?
Ans. The poet wants to convey that parents in their endeavour to make their children well-
behaved, mannerful and inculcating good habits, give them too many instructions or nag (always
finding fault) them. They should adopt positive measures, acceptable to children. Otherwise,
they will stop listening to them and indulge in daydreaming as Amanda did.

Q5. Who was Amanda? What idea do you form her through the poem?
Ans. Amanda was a little school going girl. She seems to love fairy tales, stories like Rapunzel
and mermaids. She does not like too many instructions or nagging which make her sulk and
become moody. Then she does not listen to her mother attentively and starts daydreaming.

Q6. Why does Amanda dream to live the life of an orphan?

Ans. She thinks orphans lead a carefree life. There is no one to pester them with instructions.
They can wander in a street and make patterns in the soft dust with their bare feet. They don’t
have to clean the shoes or room or do the homework.

Q7. Why is Amanda forbidden to eat chocolate? How does Amanda behave when she is
addressed by the speaker?
Ans. The speaker asks Amanda not to eat chocolate. It is because she has had acne already.
Eating chocolate might create more pimples. Amanda listens to the speaker without raising her
face.

Q8. Do you think that Amanda doesn’t like to be controlled and instructed not to do one
thing or the other? Give a reasoned answer.
Ans. Amanda loves her freedom. She doesn’t want it to be curtailed. She wants to lead her own
kind of life. If she is asked what to do and what not, she feels that her freedom is curtailed. She
doesn’t bother to answer her mother when she goes on instructing her what to do and what not.

Q9. List the things which Amanda’s mother doesn’t want her to do.
Ans. Her mother doesn’t want her to hunch her shoulders and bend her body down. She stops
her from eating chocolates as it would not be good for her pimpled face. She wants her to stop
sulking as others would think that she is being nagged by her mother.

Q10. Why does Amanda want to be a mermaid?

Ans. Amanda is a little girl. She, in fact, is a symbol of every child who is instructed by the
parents to do or not to do this or that. If she were a mermaid she would blissfully drift in the sea
without the constant nagging of her elders.

Q11. Would you call Amanda a disrespectful child? Provide one reason to justify your
opinion.
Ans. Amanda was not listening to the speaker. Rather she was engulfed in her own imagination.
Hence, she is regarded as a disrespectful child.
Another answer – No, I wouldn’t call Amanda a disrespectful child because she didn’t answer
back to her mother even after being fed up with her constant nagging. Amanda found a way to
escape reality rather than arguing with her mother.

Q12. The reader sympathises with the speaker in the poem. Support this opinion with a
reason.
Ans. The readers of the poem might sympathize with the speaker as she is the mother of a
school going girl named Amanda and a mother can never scold her daughter for wrong reasons.
Amanda has bad habits so her mother wants to correct her as an elder.

Q13. What does the line “never let down my bright hair” tell us about Amanda?
Ans. The line “never let down my bright hair” tells us that Amanda longed for freedom and
privacy so much so that imagining herself as Rapunzel, she wouldn’t let her hair down because
she didn’t want anybody to come and invade her privacy and freedom.

Q14. ‘Amanda is alone but not lonely in the world she envisions.’ Justify the statement
with reference to any one image she pictures in her mind.
Ans. Amanda often imagines herself to be one of the fictional characters in order to escape from
the reality of her mother’s forced instructions on her. One such reference was her being an
orphan. She imagined being an orphan who lives alone as she has no parents. But at least the
orphan is free to move wherever and with whomever she wants to.

Q15. Why does Amanda seem moody most of the time? [CBSE 2016]
Ans. Amanda’s mother constantly keeps a check on her activities and habits and scolds her all
the time for correcting her ways of life. That’s why, Amanda gets fed up and escapes into the
world of imagination, so she seems moody most of the time.

Q16. Comment on the tone of the speaker when she says ‘Will you please look at me when
I’m speaking to you, Amanda!’.
Ans. Amanda’s mother’s tone is laced with frustration and disappointment. She is irritated that
Amanda is not looking at her when being spoken to. She feels that the child is not attentive.

Q17. Justify the poet’s allusion to Rapunzel in ‘Amanda’.

Ans. The poet’s allusion is appropriate because Rapunzel shared a household with a witch who
was always keeping an eye on her and enforcing a number of regulations. Amanda also feels
imprisoned by her mother’s demands. In the poem, Amanda makes it clear that she will not let
her hair down for anyone like Rapunzel did, but she longs for the solitude that Rapunzel
experienced in her tower.

Q1. Discuss the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem Amanda by
Robin Klein.
Ans. Upbringing plays an essential role in personality development of an adult. Whenever we
wish to admire or criticise someone we question the upbringing of that person. Robin Klein’s
poem Amanda highlights the tension in the ‘proper’ upbringing of a child. To instil good values
and moral principles in a growing child comes as a foremost duty for the parents. However, the
poem Amanda shows how a child feels trapped within the cluster of instructions. Amanda is no
less than a victim in this travesty. No proper space is given to her creativity. She is instructed for
everything. As a result, she feels trapped and seeks an escape. Her imagination proves to be her
escape and also her defence against her nagging parents. Situation of Amanda is so bad that she
wishes to be an orphan, in order to get rid of her parents. She imagines enacting various roles
varying from mermaid to Rapunzel. Amanda wishes to live alone and carefree. It is very
important to understand the situation of Amanda where her freedom is cut short by constant
instructions and guidelines. Proper balance should be maintained when dealing with such
delicate issues. Love and care should always be part of this two way transaction.

Q2. How does Amanda tackle the nagging nature of her parents? Explain with examples
from the poem. What values does it portray about Amanda?
Ans. Amanda is a small girl who is termed as moody for her careless behaviour. But it is very
surprising to know that this is her defence mechanism to shield against her nagging parents.
Amanda is getting instructions from her parents, which become too much to handle for the
small girl. She is told not to eat her nails and sit in a proper position. Amanda’s response to it is
her work of imagination where she is a mermaid drifting effortlessly by the languid river.
Further, she is asked about cleaning her room and finishing her homework to which she reacts
being an orphan roaming in the street and making patterns with her bare feet. Amanda then
faces the heat for eating a chocolate, which had once caused her acne. She takes the form of
Rapunzel and wishes to live on top of a tower away from everyone in her imagination. Amanda’s
parents are upset over her behaviour and casualness, but she stays in her own world. All these
portray Amanda in a positive light while her parents in a negative light. We as readers feel very
sorry for a child like Amanda.

Q3. State the key points in the poem Amanda. What do you learn from it? [CBSE 2016]
Ans. Every child is special in itself, and it requires a great deal of patience and love to make them
understand this. Parents should give proper space to children, as they learn through
experiences as well. Children do tend to learn certain bad habits, to undo that requires a great
level of understanding and the right approach. One cannot teach their child everything in one
day and expect them to behave properly henceforth. It is natural for a child like Amanda to seek
freedom at her place, to curb that freedom means to make her angry and moody. Growing up a
child should not be about dos and don’ts only. To have nagging parents judging every action of a
child would do more harm than good. Robin Klein points to the fact that Amanda is forbidden to
do anything without seeking permission. Everything she does is corrected by her mother all the
time, she cannot perform a single thing according to her will. She can’t sit lazily around, she can’t
eat chocolate because that could cause acne. Life of Amanda is very suffocating and limited in
itself. She yearns for freedom and choice. Her mother doesn’t understand the fact that Amanda
is innocent and naive, she is too small to understand the benefits of advice. Only thing that
matters to Amanda’s mother is what society will make of Amanda. We witness the miserable
failure of parents when Amanda wishes to be an orphan so that she could be free.

Q4. How would you characterise the speaker in the poem Amanda!’? List any two
qualities, supporting the reason of your choice, with evidence from the poem.
Ans. The speaker seems to be Amanda’s mother. I would consider her as caring but over
protective so much so that She appears as if she is a nag and lacks understanding on her part of
being a mother. Evidence is ample; It is clear from the poem that she constantly keeps on
nagging Amanda for biting her nails, sitting in a slouching posture, eating chocolates, etc. She
can be easily blamed for not understanding the psychology of her daughter’s mind.
But a mother is a mother and she thinks that she has to do all these things to properly
channelize her daughter though she would need to be stricter and people may regard her as a
harsh mother. It becomes clear here when she asks Amanda to stop sulking because she was
conscious of what people might think of her as a mother.

TREE
The poem “The Trees” by Adrienne Rich is a metaphor which compares the trees to women. The poet
is a feminist and highlights the desire of women to be free and go out in the open. The trees want to
free themselves from the floor of the house and go in the open forest. They are cramped in the
houses and their feelings can be felt and heard by the poet.
Poem
The trees inside are moving out into the forest,
the forest that was empty all these days
where no bird could sit
no insect hide
no sun bury its feet in shadow
the forest that was empty all these nights
will be full of trees by morning.
Explanation of the Poem: The poet says that the trees are moving out of the confines of the
houses, into the open forest. This is unrealistic as trees are immovable and hence, we realize that
the poem has a symbolic meaning. We interpret that trees refer to females who have healed
themselves and are ready to move out of their homes, into the forests to fulfil their primary
purpose of filling the world with mankind. Further she adds that the forest has been empty for the
past many days and so, no birds can be seen as they do not have any trees to sit on, on insects
can be seen as they do not have any shelter and the Sunlight cannot form any shadows. The
forest of humanity has remained empty for many days but will soon be full and bright.
Literary Devices:
Personification: Sun bury it’s feet. Sun has been personified.
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (the forest that was…… trees by
morning).
Anaphora: 2 lines begin with ‘no’
imagery: “The trees inside are moving out into the forest” – shows kinestatic imagery
Poem
All night the roots work
to disengage themselves from the cracks
in the veranda floor.
The leaves strain toward the glass
small twigs stiff with exertion
long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof
like newly discharged patients
half-dazed, moving
to the clinic doors.
Difficult Word meaning:
Disengage: remove
Strain: pressure
Twigs: small stem
Exertion: effort
Cramped: restricted
Boughs: branch
Shuffling: mixing
Discharged: send out
Dazed: stun
Explanation of the Poem: The poet explains the struggle by the plants to reach the forest. She
says that the roots worked for the whole night to separate themselves from the veranda floor. The
leaves tried hard to reach the window of glass so that they could go outside. Even the small stems
of the trees put much of their effort in order to set themselves free. The big branches were also
trying a lot to go out from the roof of the room. We can say that women are desperate for a
change and their effort is compared to that made by a patient who has been released from the
hospital and he tries to move out in a hurry although he is confused. Maybe because they are half
conscious and are under the influence of some medication, they are unsteady but in a hurry to
leave the clinic.
Literary Devices:
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (the leaves strain……. Half dazed)
Simile: trees compared to patients (like newly discharged patients)
personification: twigs and boughs have been personified.

Poem
I sit inside, doors open to the veranda
writing long letters
in which I scarcely mention the departure
of the forest from the house.
The night is fresh, the whole moon shines
in a sky still open
the smell of leaves and lichen
still reaches like a voice into the rooms
Difficult Word Meaning:
Scarcely: barely
Departure: leaving
Lichen: crusty patches of bushes of fungus and algae on tree trunks, having a distinct smell
Explanation of the Poem – The poet says that she is sitting on her veranda, writing long
letters. She does not mention the trees leaving her house in her letters. She says that the
night is very clear. She can see the complete moon which is shining. The smell of leaves and
lichens is like a voice that is yelling and expressing a desire for freedom from the confines of
the house.
Literary Devices:
Alliteration: ‘long letters’ forest from’ ‘sky still’ ‘leaves and lichen’
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (doors open….the house)
Imagery: the poet has tried to create a scene in which she is observing all the things
happening (the night is fresh…… in the rooms)

Poem
My head is full of whispers
which tomorrow will be silent
Listen. The glass is breaking.
The trees are stumbling forward
into the night. Winds rush to meet them.
The moon is broken like a mirror,
its pieces flash now in the crown
of the tallest oak.
Difficult Word Meaning:
Whispers: murmur
Stumbling: trip over
Flash: glare, shine
Oak: A large, strong tree generally used for making furniture
Explanation of the Poem – Her head is full of the slow sounds made by the trees which are
desperate to move out. These sounds will not be heard the next day. The poet asks the reader to
listen carefully as a change is about to take place. She hears the glass window breaking and the
trees stumble out into the night. The wind is blowing outside. It meets the trees. The moon is like a
mirror and it appears to have been broken into pieces as the shadow of the oak tree divides the
moon into many fragments.
Literary devices:
Simile: The moon is compared to a mirror (Moon is broken like a mirror)

Q1. In the poem “The Trees”, the poet compares the trees to “newly discharged patients”.
Highlight any two reasons for the same. [CBSE Q B, 2020-21]
Ans. In the poem, the poet compares the ‘trees’ to ‘newly discharged patients’. Secondly, the
trees were exerted like patients, due to their effort that they had to put in order to be freed from
the house.

Q2. The process of “moving out” was tedious for the trees. Support the statement with
reference to the poem. [CBSE Q B, 2020-21]
Ans. Every part of the confined trees rises in revolt and struggles hard to free itself. The roots
and leaves struggle to come out of the glass. Small twigs become hard due to over work and the
long-cramped boughs are trying to break open the roof. So ‘moving out’ is tedious for trees.
Q3. The trees have been shown to have human qualities in the poem. Justify the
statement with any two instances from the text. [CBSE Q B, 2020-21]
Ans. The trees have shown some human qualities in the poem. The way they struggled to get
themselves free from the boundary of the house is similar to the struggle of the oppressed
people who are deprived of their freedom. Similarly, the trees did not give up when enslaved
and were determined like humans to get freedom. Humans, too, fight till the end and finally win.

Q4. The poet symbolizes women as forests, not trees. What does this suggest? [CBSE Q B,
2020-21]
Ans. It is shown in the poem that nature, represented by trees and forest, is struggling like
women to escape itself from the onslaughts of man to destroy it. The victorious march of the
trees is a message of hope that nature can’t be tamed or subdued by the arrogance of man. In
the same way women have been struggling to liberate themselves from the bondage of men
under patriarchal social norms and they are also succeeding bit by bit. One day the women
would have their due natural realm of freedom as the trees succeeded in finding their due
natural home.

Q5. Change never comes easy. Justify the quote in the context of the poem “The Trees”.
[CBSE Q B, 2020-21]
Ans. It is true that change never comes easy. In the poem ‘The Trees’, the trees of the forest
were cut down by man for selfish purposes. The forest was turned into a barren land as the
trees were captivated inside the house. However, the trees struggled really hard to free
themselves from the confines of the house and return to their natural habitat, i.e., forest.

Q6. The forest undergoes tremendous transformation overnight. Discuss with reference
to the poem “The Trees” [CBSE Q B, 2020-21]
Ans. The roots of these trees are engaged into the cracks of the veranda floor. At night, these
roots try to free themselves from the cracks. The leaves try to move towards the glass. Twigs
become hardened and the boughs try to expand under the roof.

Q7. The poet uses trees as a symbol for women breaking patriarchal notions. Do you
agree? Why/Why not? [CBSE Q B, 2020-21]
Ans. Indeed, the poet uses trees as a symbol for women breaking patriarchal notions. In a male
dominated society, women are in bondage. They are struggling to free themselves. Similarly,
nature representing trees and forests, is struggling to escape itself from the onslaughts of men
to destroy it.

Q8. The poem ends on a note of victory. Justify with reference to the literal and symbolic
meaning. [CBSE Q B, 2020-21]
Ans. The poem emphatically portrays the determined and concerted efforts to get liberated
from unnatural bondage for a natural home. Each and every part of the tree rises against the
slaughtering of men and wage a long and hard struggle to liberate themselves from the
bondage of man. Ultimately, they are victorious. They return to their original home where they
should be. In the literal sense, the poem ends with the trees successfully returning back to their
natural habitat, i.e., the forest. However, symbolically, it ended with the victory of women to get
themselves free from the confines of the patriarchal society and domination of man.

Q9. Why is the poet writing long letters? Why does she not mention the departure of the
trees? (CBSE 2019)
Ans. The poet is writing long letters probably to keep herself busy in some activity. She does not
mention the departure of the trees in her long letters because she doesn’t want anyone to know
that the trees inside her house are rebelling and fighting their way out to reach the forest. The
trees struggle silently at night to break free from their captivity when no one is watching them.
She wants the trees to be liberated and be one with nature where they belong. Therefore, she
feels that it is best not to say a word about it to anybody.
Q10. What happens to the house when trees move out of it? [CBSE 2017]
Ans. When the trees move out, the glass walls break due to the efforts of various parts of the
tree
(leaves, twigs) to escape. The smell of lichens and leaves still lingers in the house like the voice of
the trees. The roots of the trees would have left cracks in the veranda floor. The poet said that
she could still smell the lichens and leaves in the house

Q11. What are the three things that can’t happen in a treeless forest? [CBSE Delhi, 2017]
Ans. The three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest are—the sitting of a bird on trees,
the hiding of insects and the sun burying its feet in the shadow of the forest.

Q12. In the poem ‘Trees’, where are the trees? What are their roots, twigs, etc. trying to
do? [CBSE 2017]
Ans. The trees are inside the house. The roots, leaves, twigs, etc. all are trying to make an escape
from the house. The roots disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor, leaves
strain towards the glass, small twigs and boughs move to the doors. The trees work all night to
move to the forest. The leaves exert a lot of force on the glasses to break them and twigs
become stiff with exertion. The poet wants to give the message that keeping the trees inside
homes is like keeping them in a prison.

Q13. How is the issue of deforestation raised in the poem “The Trees” ?
Ans. The poet uses ‘the trees’ to connote the significance of forests and raise the issue of
‘deforestation. People keep plants and trees in their homes and have the false impression that it
can replace the lost forests. The poet uses the trees as symbolism to say that the issue of
deforestation can be tackled only by planting trees.

TALE OF CUSTARD DRAGON

The idea of battling anxieties and conquering fear through courage and determination is the theme
of Ogden Nash’s poem “The Tale of Custard the Dragon.” In the poem, a dragon by the name of
Custard overcame his fear of a not having a safe place to sleep to defend the inhabitants from a
pirate. The poem emphasises the idea that even the most courageous creatures can experience fears
and that these anxieties and difficulties can be conquered by bravery and tenacity.

POEM Stanza 1
Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little grey mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Word meaning : Wagon: a vehicle used for transporting goods or another specified
purpose.
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that once there was a little girl
named Belinda. She lived in a little white house. She lived with some creatures who were her
pets. They were a black kitten, a grey mouse, a yellow dog, a little red wagon and a creature
that the poet says was really and truly a dragon.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, wagon-dragon)
Repetition: use of the word ‘little’
oxymoron: use of two words with opposite meanings ‘ “pet dragon”
Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines. (And a little ….And a
realio)
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)
poetic license: realio, trulio for real, true. The spellings have been changed to create a
musical effect

POEM Stanza 2
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little grey mouse, she called him Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
Word meaning :
Mustard: a yellow coloured flower
Coward: weakling
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet explains the name of all the animals that
are tamed by Belinda. He says that the name of black kitten is ink. The name of grey mouse
is blink. The little yellow dog had yellow colour and so she calls him mustard and the dragon
that was a coward means was a weakling was called custard.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (ink-blink, mustard-custard)
simile: dog compared to mustard “And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard”
Alliteration: “coward, and she called him Custard” – “c” sound
Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines (And the little
grey…And the little yellow)
Repetition: use of word little
POEM Stanza 3
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.
Word meaning :
Spikes: thin pointed surface
Scales: Thin bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles.
Underneath: situated directly below
Fire place: An outdoor structure of brick, stone or metal for an open fire
Dagger: A sharp knife
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet descrides the dragon that it had big
sharp teeth and spikes on top. This means that its skin was pointed on the top. On the lower
part it had scales which were bony plates to protect the skin. His mouth has been compared
to a fireplace because it is assumed that dragons can release fire from the mouth. Even his
nose is compared to a chimney which is used to pass out smoke. His feet are like a sharp
knife i.e. a dagger.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (teeth-underneath, nose-toes)
Simile: Dragon’s mouth is compared with fireplace (mouth like a fireplace)
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)
Metaphor: “chimney for a nose”. The nose is like a chimney.

POEM Stanza 4
Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Word meaning :
Barrel: drum
Chased: hunt, follow
Rage: anger
Explanation of the poem passage above: So, now the poet explains the inner strength or the
bravery of various characters of the poem. He says that Belinda was as brave as a group of
bears and ink and blink were so brave that they could hunt lions. So here he has shown the
bravery of the kitten and the little mouse that could hunt even a lion. The dog was very
brave just like an angry tiger. But to contrast of all of them was Custard. Custard, the dragon
was not brave he was so afraid of everything that he always demanded a safe cage.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (bears-stairs, rage-cage)
Alliteration: Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears “b” sound is repeated

Simile: Belinda’s bravery is compared to that of a barrel full of bears (as a barrel full of
bears), Mustard’s bravery is compared to that of an angry tiger (Mustard was as brave as a
tiger in a rage)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘a’ (Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears)
POEM Stanza 5
Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.
Word meaning :
Tickled: stroke, here it means to tease
Unmerciful: cruel
Percival: A knight in King Arthur’s court
Explanation of the poem passage above: Belinda used to stroke the dragon in a very cruel
way. Ink, blink and mustard made fun of him by comparing him to a knight named Percival
who was thought to be brave but ran away due to lack of courage. They used to tease the
dragon while sitting in their little red wagon.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (unmerciful-Percival, wagon-dragon)
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)
Repetition: use of the word ‘tickled him’
Allusion: reference to any person or place (Percival)
Personification: Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival
POEM Stanza 6
Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Weeck! which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Word meaning :
Giggled: to laugh
Weeck: Here it is the sound made by the mouse
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that Belinda used to laugh so loudly
that her voice echoed in the house. Blink, the mouse used to laugh and make a sound of
weeck. On the other hand, ink and mustard would tease him by asking the dragon his age
whenever he used to demand for a nice safe cage.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, rage-cage)
Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (giggled, weeck)
Repetition: Custard cried for a nice safe cage
POEM Stanza 7
Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda
Word meaning :
Nasty: bad or unpleasant
Growled: bark
Pirate: A person who robs ship in the sea
Winda: it is used for window
Explanation of the poem passage above: So, while all of them were making fun of the
dragon, they heard a sound of someone entering the house. When they looked towards the
window they saw a pirate climbing up the wall. The dog barked at him and the kitten
meowed to him. Belinda cried ‘ooh’ because all of them were scared of the pirate (who robs
ships).
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (sound-around, Belinda-winda)
Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound)
Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (Mustard growled,
Meowch, cried ink)
Poetic license: window is written as ‘winda’ to create rhyme.

POEM Stanza 8
Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good
Word meaning :
Pistol: a handgun
Cutlass: a short sword with a curved blade.
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet describes the appearance of the pirate.
He says that the pirate was holding handguns in both his hands and had a little sword too.
He was holding his sword with his teeth. He had a black beard and his one leg was made of
wood. This means that though the pirate was a disabled person but still he was frightening
all the other characters. Moreover, he intended to harm them.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (right- bright, wood- good)
Alliteration: beard was black “b”, he held his “h”
Imagery: An image is created about the appearance of the pirate.
POEM Stanza 9
Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed
Word meaning :
Paled: turn yellow due to fear
Yelp: a short sharp cry
Trickled: here, run
Strategically: planned
Mouseholed: here it is the hole where the mouse lives.
Explanation of the poem passage above: When all of them saw the pirate they got
frightened. Belinda was so frightened that she turned yellow due to fear and started crying
for help. Mustard the dog started crying for help too. The kitten ink ran down towards the
bottom of the house as if he had already planned for it. The mouse ink ran into his little
mouse hole in order to save himself.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (help-yelp, household – mousehold)
transferred epithet: terrified yelp
Repetition: help help
Poetic license: use of the word mousehold to rhyme with household
POEM Stanza 10
But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,

Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,

With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.
Word meaning :
Snorting: make a sudden explosive sound through one’s nose
Clashed: fought
Dungeon: underground prison
Clatter Clank: sound of hard object falling on each other
Jangling squirm: sound of hard object falling on each other
Robin: A bird
Explanation of the poem passage above: When all the other characters that were earlier
defined as very brave got frightened, the dragon did the most unexpected thing. He jumped
onto the pirate and made such a strong sound with his nose as if the engine was producing
a sound. Not only this, he hit his tail on the ground with great force that it produced a heavy
sound of metal being rubbed against each other in the underground prisons. He attacked
the pirate just like robin bird that attacks the worms.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (engine-dungeon, squirm-worm)
Simile: sound of dragon is compared with sound of engine (snorting like an engine), Clashed
his tail like irons in a dungeon, dragon’s attack on pirate is compared to robin bird (like a
robin at a worm)
Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (clatter, clank, jangling)
Imagery: The attack by the dragon is expressed in a way to make an image in our minds.
POEM Stanza 11
The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets, but they didn’t hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
Word meaning :
Gaped: stared with mouth wide open
Gulped: swallow
Grog: a drink
Flagon: a container made of silver in which drink is stored
Gobbled: swallowed hurriedly
Explanation of the poem passage above: The pirate got so shocked by the dragon’s reaction
that he opened his mouth wide with shock. To gather some strength, he drank some alcohol
from a container in his pocket. After gathering some courage, he fired two bullets on the
dragon but missed it. Custard the dragon ate every bit of this fierce looking pirate.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (dragon-flagon, hit-bit)
alliteration: gulped some grog “g”
Imagery: They have shown the reaction and actions made by the pirate on seeing the
dragon.
POEM Stanza 12
Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.
Word meaning :
Embraced: to hug
Mourned: feel sorrow for the death of someone
Victim: sufferer
Glee: delight
Gyrate: danced
Explanation of the poem passage above: When the pirate was dead, Belinda hugged the
dragon and mustard licked him. No one was sad for the death of the pirate, they all were
happy. Both ink and blink were running around the dragon in happiness. So, here the poet
says that all the characters were happy and they were showing their gratitude towards the
dragon as he had saved them.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (him-victim, gyrate-pirate)
alliteration: glee did gyrate “g”
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (no one mourned for), use of vowel sound ‘I’ (ink and blink
in glee did), use of vowel sound ‘a’ (that ate the pirate)
POEM Stanza 13
But presently up spoke little dog Mustard,
I’d have been twice as brave if I hadn’t been flustered.
And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink,
We’d have been three times as brave, we think,
And Custard said, I quite agree
That everybody is braver than me.
Word meaning :
Flustered: upset or confused
Explanation of the poem passage above: After they thanked and showed their love towards
the dragon, they changed their mind. They were reminded of how they used to make fun of
this coward dragon and now they all were praising him. So at once the dog said that it was
just because of some confusion that he wasn’t able to do anything otherwise he would have
been twice as brave as custard. Both ink and blink also said that they would have been three
times braver than custard. To this, the dragon said that he fully agreed to this that all of
them were more powerful and braver than him.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (mustard-flustered, blink-ink, agree-me)
POEM Stanza 14
Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little grey mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio little pet dragon.
Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage
Explanation of the poem passage above: At last, the poet used the same lines again to show
that after this terrific episode in which the dragon was the hero where all the other
characters still undermined him by saying that they were more powerful than him and could
have handled the situation in a much better way, the poet says that life started again in the
same manner. Belinda still lives in that little white house with ink, blink, mustard and
custard and all of them are very brave whereas the dragon is still a coward who always
wants to stay safe in his cage.
Literary Devices
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio)
Repetition: stanza has been repeated

Q1. Describe the appearance of the dragon. (CBSE 2016)

Answer: Custard, the dragon, possessed all of the characteristics of a dragon that could make
him powerful, frightening, and brave. It had large, sharp teeth and spikes on its back that could
easily frighten anyone. Custard could also spit fire, turning his mouth into a fireplace and his
nose into a chimney. His toes were so sharp and pointed that they could cut through anything
like a dagger.

Q2. Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they
mean. Can you trace some images used in the poem?
Answer: Writers always use phrases and words that don’t directly tell us what they mean, but
always hint at a meaning. Such words or phrases are used to trigger our own imaginations to
paint a picture of what they mean. The use of such images in the poem is as follows: “mouth like
a fireplace”, “chimney for a nose”, “brave as a barrel full of bears”, “brave as a furious tiger”,
“went at the pirate”. “like Robin at a worm, etc.

Q3. Is there a hidden message that the poet is wishing to convey or do you think that
entertainment is the sole purpose of writing this poem ?
Answer: The message in the poem may be interpreted differently by different readers. The story
illustrates a fundamental truth: the true test of courage occurs during a crisis. The dragon’s
strength was never displayed, but it was demonstrated in action when necessary.

Q4. What do you think changed the attitude of the other animals and that of Belinda
towards the dragon ?
Answer: Custard, the dragon, initially commanded no respect from Belinda and the other pets
due to its cowardice; however, when the house was attacked by an armed pirate and all others
panicked and ran for shelter, the dragon savagely attacked and ate the pirate. As a result, the
other animals recognised his value and began to genuinely respect him.
Q5. How does the poet describe Belinda and her animals’ bravery? How was Custard
different from them?
Answer: According to the poet, Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink could
chase lions down the stairs. Mustard was as fearless as a raging tiger. Custard, on the other
hand, was a coward. He kept pleading for a nice secure cage.
Q6. How did the animals make fun of the dragon?
Answer: They laughed at the dragon. The dragon was tamed by Belinda. She gave him a strong
tickle. He was referred to as Percival by Ink, Blink, and Mustard. They laughed at the timid
dragon as they sat in the red wagon.

Q7. How did the pirate react when the dragon attacked him?
Answer: The pirate looked at the dragon with an open-mouth. He swallowed some liquor from
his pocket flagon. He fired two bullets. But they did not hit the dragon. The dragon attacked him
and swallowed him.

Q8. Where did Belinda live? Which animals lived with her?
Answer: Belinda lived in a small white house. Some animals also lived with her. They were: a
little black kitten, a little gray mouse, a little yellow dog, and a little pet dragon.

Q9. How did Custard prove to be brave when the pirate came?
Answer: Custard, the dragon, jumped and purred like an engine. He hit the pirate with his tail
like iron rods. There was a variety of clatter, clank and jangle. He attacked the pirate like a Robin
attacks worms.

Q10. Was everyone really as brave as they claimed?

Answer: Except for Custard, Belinda and her three pets were very proud of their bravery, but
they were not truly brave. Custard was the only one who had the courage to confront the pirate,
so he was the true hero.

Q11. What were the pet names of Belinda’s animals?

Answer: The little black kitten was called Ink. He named the little gray mouse Wink. The pet
name of the little yellow dog was Mustard. The dragon was given the pet name Custard.

Q12. What did everyone do when the pirate came? OR

Describe how Custard’s reaction was different from that of others, on seeing the pirate?
(CBSE Sample Paper 2020)
Answer: When the pirate arrived, Belinda cried out for help and turned pale with fear. Mustard
fled with a terrified cry, Ink trickled to the basement, and Blink vanished in his mouse hole.
Custard charged in front of the Pirate, ready to fight.

Q13. What did they say about their bravery after the pirate’s death?
Answer: Mustard said he would have been twice as brave if he hadn’t been nervous. Ink and
Blink said they were three times braver than him. But Custard said that he agreed with them. He
said that they were braver than him.
Q14. How did they express their admiration for the dragon after the death of the pirate?
Answer: They became very happy. Belinda hugged him. Mustard licked her. Ink and
Blink jumped around him. They expressed their joy in this way. No one mourns a pirate.

Q15. Why did Belinda tickle the dragon?(CBSE Sample Paper 2020)
Answer. Belinda mercilessly tickled Custard, the dragon, because it was always scared and cried
for a nice safe cage. She rubbed her fingers together, creating a tingling sensation that would
frighten the dragon and make everyone laugh at its cowardice.

Q16. A ballad includes the telling of a tale as well as a surprise ending. Using evidence
from the poem, explain how these features are included in ‘The Tale of Custard the
Dragon’. (CBSE Sample Paper 2021)
Answer. In structure and style, The Tale of Custard Dragon meets the requirements of a ballad.
The rhyme scheme in this ballad is consistent. It tells the story of Custard the Dragon, a cowardly
dragon. During a crisis, however, it is he who easily overcomes his fear and demonstrates his
bravery. The story conveys the message that the brave are humble and rarely boast about their
bravery.

Q17. Give one reason why ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is more a fable than a
ballad.((CBSE Sample Paper 2022)
Answer.“The Tale of Custard the Dragon” is a fable rather than a ballad because it contains a
moral or character lesson. “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” is a classic example of a fable, which
is a short story that teaches a lesson, often through the use of animal characters. Custard, a
dragon in the story, learns a lesson about bravery and the consequences of his actions. The goal
of the story is to teach a lesson or convey a moral message, which is a key feature of fables.
Ballads have a repetitive structure, rhyme and metre, and are intended to be sung or
recited.“The Tale of Custard the Dragon” does not have these characteristics, making it a fable
rather than a ballad.

FROM ANNE GREGORY

The topic of ideal beauty and the influence it has upon individuals is the subject of William Butler
Yeats’ poem “For Anne Gregory.” The poem expresses the speaker’s adoration for Anne Gregory, and
he explains to Anne, the difference between inner beauty and external beauty. The poem
emphasises the notion that individuals are captivated to outer beauty and are prepared to alter their
own characteristics in order to be liked by a person whom they are attracted to. The poem also
addresses issues of love being superficial.

Poem
“Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
Word Meaning
Despair: sadness
Ramparts: The high, wide walls around a castle or fort, for example, the ramparts of the Red
Fort
Explanation of the poem passage above – This poem is a conversation between the poet and a
girl named Anne Gregory. The poet says to the girl that a young man can become hopeless, if you
will reject him. But this doesn’t mean that he had true love for you in his heart. It is because you
have beautiful hair with which he had fallen in love. The girl has very beautiful hair. They fall on
her ears and seemingly protect them just like a boundary wall protects the fort. So, here, the poet
is pointing out at the reality which many people face during their youth, that they are liked by the
opposite gender, not because of their inner beauty but because of their appearance.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb
Metaphor: honey-coloured Ramparts at your ear (Anne’s hair is compared to the ramparts
of a fort)

Poem
“But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.”
Explanation of the poem passage above – Anne replies that she has a nice solution to this
situation. She can dye her hair and change the colour into black, brown or carrot as this will no
longer make her look less attractive. Then maybe she will find the young man who will love her
inner beauty and not her appearance.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb
Alliteration: repetition of consonant ‘s’ sound at the start of two consecutive words. (Set
Such)

Poem
“I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
Word Meaning
Yesternight: the previous night
Explanation of the poem passage above – After hearing Anne Gregory, the poet says that he
had heard an old religious man say that he could prove a fact with a text that he had found in
some religious book. The fact was that it is only God who loves us for what we are and not how
we look. He loves us for our inner qualities. Only God can do this.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb
Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at the beginning of two lines (That he….That only god)
Alliteration: he had, your yellow

Q1. What was not liked by the young men?

Ans. The young men are obsessed with appearances rather than the real person. It is
important to note that everyone wants to be loved for their true personality rather than
their appearance just like how the poem designates. The young man mentioned in the
poem dislikes gray or red hair, and they are more concerned with outer beauty than with
inner beauty.
Q2. The young woman’s hair is yellow coloured. She is ready to change her hair color
to another color. Why would she want to do so?
Ans. The young woman is willing to do so because she wants to be loved for her nature and
her inner self rather than for her appearance. Furthermore, she wishes to be loved for her
inner beauty rather than her yellow hair color.
Q3. What does the old religious man say?
Ans. The old religious man claims to have discovered a text proving that only God can love
us for who we are and not for our physical beauty. He is the one who truly cares about us.
God is the only one who does not judge a person by his or her looks.
Q4. What is the central idea of the poem, ‘For Anne Gregory’?
Ans. The poem expresses the idea that physical beauty is important for young men or
humans, but God does not love humans for their physical beauty. In this poem, the poet
describes a lover who adores a young lady’s yellow hair but despises her ramparts. His love
is rejected by the lady.
Q5. To whom is the first stanza of the poem addressed? What does the speaker say to
her?
Ans. The poem’s first stanza is addressed to a lady named Anne Gregory. She had a
significant impact on the poet. He held a high regard for her. He tells her that, despite her
noble status, no one would love her solely for herself.
Q6. What are Anne’s views on external beauty?
Ans. Anne does not value external beauty and wishes to be loved for who she is. She claims
that her beautiful hair, which attracts so many men, can be changed and coloured in various
ways. This demonstrates Anne’s belief that external beauty is unimportant and changeable.
Q7. Why do young men love Anne for her hair and not for herself alone?
Ans. Anne Gregory is so stunning that no man can look past her exterior beauty and into
her true nature. Her attractive external features keep men from getting to know the real
her. This is what causes the speaker to say that young men love Anne for her hair rather
than for herself.
Q8. Between whom does the conversation in the poem take place?
Ans. The poem is a dialogue between a speaker, who could be the poet or Anne Gregory’s
lover or friend, and Anne Gregory herself. The other speaker believes that young men love
Anne because of her external beauty, but Anne claims that this is not true and that young
men should love her for herself.
Q9. Why is the youth in despair in the poem “For Anne Gregory”?
Ans: The young man loves Anne. He is attracted to her external beauty. Young men are in
despair because of her exquisite beauty. They want to make her fall in love with them.
Q10. What does the young man mean by “great honey-coloured / Ramparts in your
ear?” Why does he say that young men are “thrown into despair” by them? ”
Ans. The “great honey-colored / Ramparts at your ear” refers to the beautiful yellow
coloured hair that falls at the woman’s ear and covers it like a wall around a fort. He says
that the young men are “thrown into despair” by them because they look so beautiful on the
women that her beauty gets thoroughly enhanced. The young men fall in love with her and
feel despair because they cannot win her heart. He says that it is not