POETRY

SWEETEST LOVE I DO NOT GOE

Q. 1. Why does the poet want to part away from his beloved? (BSEB, 2019)
Ans. The poet wants to experience death in those shor times when he is separated from his love.
Q.2. What makes a man's power feeble?
Ans. Good fortunes cannot last till the end of the lif of a man that makes a man's power feeble.
Q.3. In what way will the lovers remain united" ?
Ans. Their love is so pure that keeps them alive in their hearts. In this way the lovers will remain united.
Q.4. How does the beloved waste the poets life?
Ans. The beloved wastes poet's life by weeping and sighing.
Q.5. What are the things that the sun does not have?
Ans. The sun has neither any motive nor any sense. Further, it cannot take any short route to the
earth.
Q.6. What will make the poet's journey speedier?
Ans. The constant thought of his beloved would make his return journey speedier.
SONG OF MYSELF
Q.1. What is the theme of the poem ?
Ans. The theme of the poem is universal brotherhood and identification of oneself with every
atom of the universe.
Q.2. Who is the speaker and how old is he?
Ans. The poet himself is the speaker in the poem. He is thirty seven years old.
Q.3. Explain the line 'Hoping to cease not till death.'
Ans. The poet says only death can bring an end to his song. So long as he is alive, he would
go on singing this song of oneness.
Q.4. Why does Walt Whitman not want to bother himself with creeds and schools?
Ans. In the modern world, the numerous creeds: systems of thought have only divided
mankind and This is why the poet who is convinced of the essential unity of the universe has
no respect for creeds and schools.
NOW THE LEAVES ARE FALLING FAST
Q.1. How do we complete the last journey to the grave? (BSEB, 2019)
Ans. By the time our life-journey comes to an end, we become physically weak and in active and get
separated from the crowd of the people but the saving grace is that we die hearing the melodious
sounds being created by the waterfalls.
Q.2. What conditions prevail in the woods? (BSEB, 2020)
Ans. The woods are leafless. The nightingale is dumb and no angel is visible anywhere. The trolls are
found running and searching for their food there. Everything seems to be freezing.

Q.3. Though the poet refers to 'death' several times yet the poem is not a pessimistic one.
Justify your answer.
Ans. It is quite difficult to agree with this remark. The poet really paints a dark scenario- there is all
around a scene, of decay and death, of falsehood and envy, of deception and of loneliness. Even the
blessing of the water fall through which this process of death could be reversed is denied. In such
scenario it is very difficult to conclude that the poet conveys any cheerful message to the lonely
modern man.
Q. 4. What does the poet say about the leaves and what do they suggest?
Ans. The poet says that the leaves are falling fast. They suggest the speedy arrival of old age and
death. They also hint at the frustrations inherent in human life.
Q.5. Falling of leaves suggests the process of death and human mortality on a large scale. Explain
with reference to the poem.
Ans. As the tree speaks about its own leaves it clearly portrays a state of the process of decay
acquiring sudden quickness in its last phases. As the threat of war or nuclear holocaust looms large
in the modern world the statement acquires a greater significance.
Q.6. Who are The travellers' and how will they be blessed?
Ans. Human beings, growing old and moving towards their death are referred as the travellers. They
will be blessed because they will hear the music being created by the white waterfalls coming from
the lovely head of the mountain.
ODE TO AUTUMN
Q. What happens in autumn? (BSEB, 2022)
Ans. The season has a lot of mist but it is the season in which fruits ripen. Grapes and apples
become mature. Vine creepers are loaded with bunches of grapes. The shells of hard nuts swell.
Certain Varieties of flowers, too, bloom. Bees collect honey in their sticky hives. There is store of
corn in the field. Reaping, winnowing, cider pressing, too, go on. The sounds of various birds are also
heard in this season.
Q.2. How are autumn and summer related to spring? (BSEB, 2021)
Ans. Spring precedes autumn but autumn is not tinged by any regret for spring nor is troubled by
the approaching winter. Summer follows spring, the best season in England.
Q.3. Who are depicted as friends in the first two lines?
Ans. It is the sun who is depicted as a friend of the autumn season in the first two lines of the poem
because it helps fruits and flowers to ripe during the season.
Q4. In what sense does the sun conspire with autumn?
Ans. The sun co-operates with autumn in maturing grapes and apples. Here the word 'conspire' has
not been used in its negative sense. The poet has used it in the sense of co-operating or agreeing.
AN EPITAPH
Q.1. In the poem "An Epitaph", What will happen when the poet dies?
Ans. There will be no one to remember the lady of the west country after the death of the poet.
Q.2. Write a note on the philosophical meaning of the poem 'An Epitaph' ?
Ans. Walter de la Mare offers an anti-romantic view of beauty. He argues that beauty is perishable
and is also subjected to changes caused by the natural processes. There is thus an undercurrent of
didacticism in the poem- the poet wants men and women, especially women, to cultivate such
qualities of mind and heart that may endear them to posterity as well.
Q. 3. Where does the lady lie? What does she look like?
Ans. The lady lies in the North Country. She looks most beautiful to the poet because he is in love
with her.
Q. 4. What is an epitaph?
Ans. An epitaph refers to the inscription on a tomb in the memory of the dead.
Q.5. Ambiguity is a poetic device which is used to suggest more than one meaning and attitude.
Comment on the ambiguity in the use of the word 'light' in the second line of the poem.
Ans. Light' as an adjective means several things- gentle, nimble, frivolous, inconsiderate, unbur-
dened, etc. Of these, the first two that have positive meaning are inapplicable to the lady.
Q.6. What, according to the poet, are the two qualities of beauty?
Ans. According to Walter de la Mare, beauty vanishes and beauty passes. Vanish and pass both
mean coming to an end, ceasing to exist; pass means undergoing change of state.
Q.7. What is the poet's impression of the lady?
Ans. The poet considers her the most beautiful lady but calls her light of step and heart, signifying
unfaithful.
Q.8. Was the lady kind and considerate?
Ans. No, the lady was not kind and considerate. She really deceived the poet.
Q.9. Explain 'When I Crumble'.
Ans. The expression refers to the poet's realization that he is very close to his death.
THE SOLDIER
Q. 1. Is the speaker afraid of death 7 (BSEB, 2019)
Ans. No, the speaker is not afraid of death; rather he is ready to die for his country.
Q. 2. How would he like to be remembered if he died there. or
If at all he dies in the battle, how would the soldier like to be remembered? (BSEB, 2022)
Ans. He would like to be remembered as a man who was born and brought up in England and who
loved his country and countrymen from heart and soul. The place where he would be buried should
be treated as the part of England after his death.
Q.3. In that rich earth a richer dust concealed. what does the dust stand for?
Ans. It is believed that man is made of dust and he returns to the dust after his death. Here, the
dust stands for the soldier who would be buried in that foreign country in the event of his death in
the battlefield. He calls the place rich but his own country richer. This shows his deep patriotism.
Q. 4. How can some corner of a foreign field be forever England?
Ans. Some corner of a foreign field would be forever England because there would lay buried an
English soldier who sacrified his life for the honour and prestige of his country.
Q.5. Do you think that the title of the poem is appropriate? Give reasons.
Ans. The title of the poem is quite appropriate since it manifests the feelings not of Rupert Brooke
as an individual, but as a responsible soldier of the British Army. What he speaks by way of his love
for England is a common feeling of every soldier for his country.
Q.6. Discuss the main ideas contained in the octave of the poem.
Ans. In the octave of the sonnet, Rupert Brooke speaks of a foreign soil being transformed into
England in the event of his death in the war.
Q.7. What is a Sonnet ? Mention the rhyme- scheme of the poem.
Ans. A Sonnet is the name for a lyrical stanza consisting of fourteen lines. The petrarchan Sonnet, of
which the present poem is an example, is divided into Octave (first eight limes) and sestet
(remaining six lines). The Octave usually asks a question, poses a problem, states a difficulty or
conveys a mood. The sestet answers the question, resolves the problem or difficulty, or concludes
the mood. The rhyme-scheme of the poem is ab ab cd cd and abc abc.
MACAVITY : THE MYSTERY CAT
Q. 1. Why is Macavity called a criminal ? (BSEB, 2019)
Ans. Macavity is called a criminal because it violates not only human laws but the laws of nature
also. It cheats people at cards, loots meat, drinks milk, steals jewels and even kills small lap dogs. It
removes the important files containing treaties also.
Q. 2. What does the poet mean by power of levitation ? (BSEB, 2017)
Ans. The power of levitation, means power to make the body light. This power is displayed by
Macavity.
Q. 3. What are the adjectives that have been used to describe Macavity?
Ans. The poet has used a number of adjectives and hyperbolic expressions to describe Macavity. It is
soft footed, tall and thin, pensive in look with sunken eyes, skinny, dusky and with a high forehead.
It is a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity, he is a cat of deceitfulness and suavity.
Q. 4. Discuss the poet's impression of Macavity, the mystery cat.
Ans. The poet seems to have observed Macavity for a very long time. He is impressed by the
peculiar constitution of the cat-he is long and thin, his skin is dusty, his whiskers are uncombed.
Q. 5. Why does the poet call Macavity a mystery cat?
Ans. Macavity is a master criminal. It carries on its thievish activities so secretly that Scotland Yard
and its flying squad fail to catch it red-handed. Macavity disappears from the place of theft before
the police could reach there. So, the poet calls Macavity a mystery cat.
Q. 6. Make a list of crimes Macavity is capable of:
Ans. Macavity is found to have committed the following crimes:
1. It cheats at cards.
2. It has looted larders.
3. It has forcibly opened many jewellery boxes.
4. It has drunk milk from several houses.
5. It has broken glass panels of a green house.
6. It has broken frames which are put up for climbing plants.
7. It has stolen away historic treaties.
8. It has stolen away valuable diplomatic documents from the foreign office.

Q.7. Macavity is never there'. Elaborate.

Ans. Generally, investigations of a crime are carried out in the area of the crime. If Macavity has
stolen away some documents or has consumed milk or has broken some valuable thing it is never
found around the spot. It may be spotted at least a mile away from the spot-and then he is rather
quite relaxed or lost in some mathematical calculation.
FIRE-HYMN
Q.1. In what sense does the fire forget its dead? (BSEB, 2021)
Ans. The fire forgets its dead because sometimes it leaves the dead body half burnt.
Q.2. Which event does the expression 'the burning ghat' refer to ? (BSEB, 2020)
Ans. The burning of dead bodies, according to Hindu religion, with sky full of smoke and ultimately
the bodies turning in ashes refer the expression "the burning ghat".
Q.3. What did the fire hymn say to the speaker? (BSEB, 2019)
Ans. Fire hymn said to the speaker that it had forgiven him for the sin he had committed..
Q.4. What does the poet see in the morning at the ghat? (BSEB, 2019)
Ans. The poet saw the red-hot embers glowing for hours after a dead body has been cremated.
Q.5. What is the meaning of the fire forgetting its dead?
Ans. It means that sometimes the fire does not turn the whole dead body into ashes. Now and then,
it leaves it half-burnt.
Q. 6. Who was passing along with the poet by the cremation ghat?
Ans. It was the father of the poet who was, passing by? the cremation ghat along with him.
Q. 7. Was the poet a Hindu by religion?
Ans. No, the poet was not a Hindu, by religion.
Q. 8. Who wrote the poem 'Fire-Hymn' ?
Ans. Keki N. Daruwalla, an Indo-Anglian poet wrote the poem "Fire-Hymn".

SNAKE
Q.1. Was the snake conscious of the poet's presence? (BSEB, 2021)
Ans. Yes, the snake was conscious of the poet's presence as it saw him vaginally.
Q.2. What is the belief prevaling in Sicily about snakes? (BSEB, 2022)
Ans. In Sicily, it is believed that black snakes are not poisonous while golden ones are venomous.
Q.3. Why and how did the snake come out of its hole? (BSEB, 2018)
Ans. It was a hot day. The snake was thirsty. So, it came out of the hole near the trough to drink
water. It came there trailing his yellow brown, slack and soft belly down over the edge of the stone
trough.
Q.4. What is the meaning of 'Sicilian July with Etna smoking' ?
Ans. It means extreme heat caused due to the eruption of the volcano of Etna, forcing men and
animals to drink large quantities of water.
Q. 5. What did the voice of education tell the poet?
Ans. The voice of education told him to kill the snake but his instinct prevented him from doing so.
He cursed his education when he threw a log at the water trough which made the snake convulse
with fear while entering the hole.
Q. 6. Who was the second comer? What did he do?
Ans. Poet was the second comer. He waited and let the snake drink water first.
Q. 7. Why did the speaker decide to wait?
 Ans. The speaker was greatly fascinated by that unique sight-a large snake manouevring different
parts of its body in drinking water. Secondly, the speaker felt that as a second comer he must wait
for his turn by way of etiquette.
Q. 8. Why had it come out of its hole near the trough?
Ans. It came near the trough to quench its thirst.
Q. 9. Where did the speaker meet the snake?
Ans. The speaker met the snake near his water trough.

MY GRANDMOTHERS HOUSE
Q. 1. What were the things the poetess found in that house?
Ans. The poetess was very young at that time. She found large number of books in the house, which
med to be repulsive and horrible like snakes.
Q. 2. What happened to the house after her grandmother died ?
Ans. After the death of grandmother, the house was deserted and it went into silence.
Q. 3. What does she want from 'strangers'? Does she get it?
Ans. She yearns for love and begs it even from strangers. Unfortunately, nobody fills her heart with
love.
Q. 4. Is the speaker satisfied with her present life? If not, why?
Ans. The speaker is not satisfied with her present life. She is hungry for love. Nobody is able to fill
her with selfless and pure love. The world is filled with corruption, deceit and pollution of every sort.
Q. 5. Who showered love and affection on the poetess ?
Ans. It was her grandmother who showered love and affection on the poetess when she was a child.
Q. 6. What has been called horrible and repulsive like snakes?
Ans. A large number of books that she found in her grandmother's house, have been called horrible
and repulsive like snakes.
Q. 7. What kind of music does she want to hear sitting at the window of her grandmother's
house?
Ans. She longs to go to her grandmother's house and listen to the dreary music of the blowing cold
winter winds.
Q. 8. Why was the speaker in "My Grandmothers House" proud of living in that house?
Ans. The speaker was proud of living in that house because there she got love and affection from
her grandmother when she was a child.