12TH ENGLISH Poem - Appreciation questions with answers

 

Poem - Appreciation questions 

 All through the summer at ease we lay,
And daily from the turret wall
We watched the mowers in the hay
i. Who does ‘we’ refer to?

ii. How did the soldiers spend the summer days?
iii. What could they watch from the turret wall?
Answer : i) 'We' refers to the soldiers
ii) The soldiers spent the summer days watching the mowers and the
enemies
iii) They could watch from the turret wall mowers in the hay and the
enemies who were half a mile away

Our gates were strong, our walls were thick,
So smooth and high, no man could win.
i. How safe was the castle?
ii. What was the firm belief of the soldiers?
Answer : i) The castle was very safe as its gates were strong and walls
were very thick. The walls were so smooth and tall that no one could
climb them.
ii) The firm belief of the soldiers was that no one could win them.

A foothold there, no clever trick
Could take us dead or quick,
Only a bird could have got in.
i. What was challenging?
ii. Which aspect of the castle’s strength is conveyed by the above line?
Answer : i) The wall was challenging
ii) The wall's strength is conveyed in the above line.
Oh then our maze of tunneled stone

Grew thin and treacherous as air.

The castle was lost without a groan,
The famous citadel overthrown,
i. Bring out the contrast in the first two lines.
ii. What happened to the castle?
Answer : i) The way to the castle was very strong. It was a maze of
tunneled stone. But it became very weak and thin because of the
treachery of the warder.
ii) The castle was captured by the enemies.

We could do nothing, being sold.
i. Why couldn’t they do anything?
ii. Why did they feel helpless?
Answer : i) As they were sold out for gold they could not do anything
ii) They felt helpless because they had to surrender without fighting.

"What we thought had we to fear
With our arms and provender load on load":

i. Who said these words?
ii, Why were they not afraid?
Answer : i) One of the soldiers said these words.
ii) They were not afraid because they had enough arms to fight and food
for many days.

"And friendly allies drawing near
On every leafy summer rosa".
i. What is the meaning of 'drawing near'?
ii. What do these lines convey?
Answer : i. 'coming closer'.
ii. These lines convey that the friendly armies are coming to help them.

"What could they offer us for bait?
Our captain was brave and we were true"
i. What attitude of the soldiers do these lines convey?
ii. What does the soldier say about the captain and the soldiers?
Answer : i. These lines convey the confidence of the soldiers
ii. The captain was very brave and the soldiers were very true to the
captain

A creeper climbs, in whose embraces bound
No other tree could live.
i) Which tree is referred to in the above lines?
ii) How does the tree survive the tight hold of the creeper?
iii) Why does Toru Dutt use the expression ‘a creeper climbs’?
Answer : i) casuarina is referred to in the above lines,
ii) The tree is so strong that it bears the tight hold of the creeper.
iii) Toru Dutt uses the expression because really a creeper climbs on the
casuarina tree.

The giant wears the scarf, and flowers are hung
In crimson clusters all the bough among!
i) Who is the giant here?
ii) Why is the scarf colourful?
Answer : i) The casuarina tree is the giant here.
ii) The scarf is colourful because it is made of crimson coloured flowers.

“ Fear, trembling Hope, and Death, the skeleton,
And Time the shadow”, and though weak the verse
That would thy beauty fain, oh, fain rehearse,
May Love defend tree from oblivion’s curse.
i) What does the poet mean by the expression ‘May love defend thee
from oblivion’s curse?
ii) What does the expression ‘fain’ convey?
iii) What does the poet convey through the expression ‘Fear, trembling
hope’?
Answer : i) The poet means that the tree should not be forgotten.
ii) 'Fain' means eager. The poet is eager to make the tree holy.
iii) The poet hopes that the memory of this tree will live on in her poem as
the memory of trees celebrated by Wordsworth has lived on in that poet's
work.

"Like a huge Python, winding round and round
The rugged trunk, intended deep with scars"
i. What looks like a python?
ii. What did the trunk have on it?
Answer : i. The creeper looks like a python.
ii. The trunk had deep scars on it

"Whereon all day are gathered bird and bee/
And oft at nights the garden overflows
With one sweet song that seems to have no close".
i. Who gathered on the tree?
ii. What happens at night?
Answer : i. Birds and bees gathered on the tree.
ii. At night the garden seems to overflow with a sweet song which has no
end.

"Beneath it we have played/ though years may roll,
o sweet companions, loved with love intense,
For your sakes, shall the tree be ever deer".
i. What did they do under the tree?
ii. Why should the tree be dear to the poet?
Answer : i. They played under the tree.
ii. The tree should be dear to the poet because of the dear and beloved
ones with whom he played under the tree.

"Sometimes, and most in winter,-on its crest
A gray baboon sits statue-like alone"
Answer : Reference:
This line is taken from 'Our Casuarina Tree' written by Toru Dutt.
Explanation :
In the mornings she used to look at the tree through the window. She
usually enjoyed the sight of the tree. Sometimes in the winter season a
monkey sat on the top of the tree. It sat without any movement so it
looked like a statue. It was sitting there all alone.

"And far and near kokilas hail the day;
And to their pastures wend our sleepy cows".
Answer : Reference:
This line is taken from 'Our Casuarina Tree' written by Toru Dutt.
Explanation:
She explains the casuarina tree and the surroundings. In the morning she
used to look at the tree through the window. She usually enjoyed the
sight of the tree. She says that the kokilas - birds like cuckoo - welcome
the day with their songs. The sleepy cows casually went to their pastures.
She tries to explain that she liked the sight through the window.

"That would thy beauty fain, oh, fain rehearse,
May Love defend thee from Oblivion's curse":
Answer : Reference:
This line is taken from 'Our Casuarina Tree' written by Toru Dutt.
Explanation:
The poet feels that the tree is dear to her not for its gallant appearance
but for the nostalgic memories of her happy childhood that it brings to
her. She does not like the tree to be forgotten. She says "May love
defend thee from Oblivion's curse"'- expressing her wish that love should
shield her tree against the curse of forgetfulness and the tree should be
remembered out of love and not because it cannot be forgotten.

Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.
i. Which stage of life is being referred to here by the poet?
ii. What are the characteristics of this stage?
iii. How does the boy go to school?
iv. Which figure of speech has been employed in the second line?
Answer : i. The second stage, the school boy is being referred to here
by the poet.
ii. In this stage the boy goes to school with his bag.
iii. The boy goes to school with his bag unwillingly. He moves towards the
school as slowly as a snail.
iv. Simile is employed in the second line.

Then a soldier,
full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth.
i. What is the soldier ready to do?
ii. Explain ‘bubble reputation’.
iii. What are the distinguishing features of this stage?
Answer : i. The soldier is ready to quarrel. Here 'quarrel' means
argument.
ii. 'Bubble reputation' refers to glory that is short lived like a bubble.
iii. In this stage the soldier is full of promises. He has a beard like a
leopard. He tries to gain honour and he is quick to take up any argument.
Even at the risk of his life he tries to achieve reputation which is as short
lived as bubble.

And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
i. Whom does justice refer to?
ii. Describe his appearance.
iii. How does he behave with the people around him?
iv. What does he do to show his wisdom?
Answer : i. Justice refers to man in his fifth stage.
ii. He has a fair belly and he has become fat from eating chicken. He has
a serious look and a formal beard.
iii. He behaves with the people around him as a learned man.
iv. To show his wisdom he quotes many proverbs and modern instances.

"All the world's a stage,
And all men and women are merely players
They have their exits and their entrances":
i) What is the world compared to?
ii) According to the poet what are men and women?
iii) What are the exits and entrances?
Answer : i) The world is compared to a stage.
ii) According to the poet men and women 'are players on the stage.
iii) The exits are deaths and the entrances are births.

"With spectacles on nose and pouch on sides;
His youthful hose, well sav'd a world too wide"
i) Which stage of man is referred to here?
ii) Describe his appearance
iii) What happens to his younger days' dress?
Answer : i) The sixth stage of man is referred to here.
ii) He has spectacles to see and he keeps a pouch to carry money
iii) His younger days' dress which has been well maintained is too big for
him because he has become very lean and his shanks have shrunk.
"Is second childishness and mere oblivion;

San" teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything".
i) Which stage of man is referred to here?
ii) What is the significance of this stage?
Answer : i) The last and the seventh stage is referred to here.
ii) In this stage man reaches his second childhood and he forgets
everything about the past. He is losing his teeth,·sight and taste one by
one and finally his life too.

"Legs wide, arms locked behind,
As if to balance the prone brow
Oppressive with its mind."
Whose action is described here?
Answer : Napoleon'saction is described here

"A film mother-eagle's eye
When her bruised eaglet breathes"
Explain the comparison.
Answer : The concerned mother eagle sees her bruised eagle that
breathes painfully. Likewise Napoleon worriedly looks at the wounded
soldier.

"Just as perphaps he mused, 'My plans'
That soar, to earth may fall,
Let once my army leader Lannes
Waver at yonder welt"
Why did Napoleon think that his plans that soared might fall to earth?
Answer : Napoleon was anxious about the result as Austrians were
defending Ratisbon. So he feared that his plans that soared might fall to
earth