Passage 1

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

I remember, I remember,

The house where I was born,

The little window where the sun

Came peeping in at morn;

He never came a wink too soon,

Nor brought too long a day,

But now, I often with the night

Had borne my breath away!

(i) In what mood does the poet recall his childhood? Why?

Ans. The poet is nostalgic here. He remembers happy details but contrasts them with his current
unhappiness, making him long for the carefree days of his childhood.

(ii) How is the sun treated here? Which memory of the poet’s childhood is associated with it?

Ans. The sun is treated as a friendly visitor who peeps in at dawn, arriving at the perfect time and
not overstaying its welcome. This suggests happy mornings and a sense of comfort in the poet’s
childhood.

(iii) What does the poet wish? Why?

Ans. In the last line of the stanza, the poet is longing for death. He implies his current life is filled
with hardship.

(iv) How does the poet contrast childhood and adulthood?

Ans. The poem highlights the contrast between the carefree days of childhood and the burdens of
adulthood. The sunrises that once brought joy now seem endless, and the poet is not happy in his
adulthood.

(v) How does the poet view swinging in his childhood?

Ans. Swinging represents a sense of joy and freedom. The poet compares the feeling of rushing air to
that of a bird in flight, symbolizing the childlike innocence and lightness of spirit he once possessed.

Passage 2
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

I remember, I remember

The roses, red and white,

The violets, and the lily-cups,

And where my brother set

The laburnum on his birth-day,-

The tree is living yet!

(i) What has the poet wished earlier in the context?

Ans. In the first stanza, the poet wished for the night to take him away, suggesting a longing for
death due to his current unhappiness.

(ii) ‘Those flowers made of light!’ Explain.

Ans. The phrase describes the flowers (roses, violets, lily-cups) as being so beautiful and delicate that
they seem to emit light themselves. This emphasizes the beauty associated with the poet’s
childhood memories.

(iii) What is ‘laburnum’? What makes the poet excited about it?

Ans. Laburnum is a flowering tree with yellow flower clusters. The poet is excited because of the fact
that the laburnum tree, decorated by his brother on his birthday, is still alive.

(iv) Childhood is a period of freedom. Which childhood image in the poem reminds you of this?

Ans. Hood relates his childhood to a bird, flying freely as he swings on his favourite tree.

(v) Who does the poet refer to the fir tree tops later in the context?

Ans. The poet, as a child, believed that fir tree tops were tall that they touched the sky.

Passage 3
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

I remember, I remember,

Where I was used to swing,

And thought the air must rush as fresh

To swallows on the wing;

My spirit flew in feathers then,

And summer pools could hardly cool

The fever on my brow!

(i) What did the poet’s brother plant, and when? What is so exciting about it?

Ans. The poet’s brother planted laburnum on the poet’s birthday. The poet’s excitement lies in the
fact that the tree, decorated for a birthday celebration, is still alive, serving as a link to the past and a
symbol of continuity and happy memories.

(ii) How would the poet feel as a child on a swing?

Ans. The poet felt a sense of freedom and joy when he was on the swing. This highlights the childlike
joy and carefree spirit he once possessed.

(iii) Elaborate the contrast between ‘then’ (childhood) and ‘now’ (adulthood).

Ans. The poet compares his present adulthood life with his past childhood days. Summer pools used
to refresh him when he was a child but now summer pools fail to calm him down in his adulthood.

(iv) Explain the last line in this extract.

Ans. The “fever on my brow” is a metaphor for the poet’s unhappiness. Things like summer pools
which brought joy to the poet when he was a child, now fail to lessen his pain.

(v) Does the poet want to escape from the present harsh realities? Why?

Ans. Yes, the poet seems to want to escape the harsh realities of the present. He longs for the
carefree days of his childhood. The poem suggests his sense of nostalgia and a longing for a lost
innocence of his childhood.

Passage 4
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

I remember, I remember,

The fir trees dark and high;

I used to think their slender tops

Were close against the sky;

It was a childish ignorance,

But now ‘tis little joy

To know I’m father off from heaven

Than when I was a boy.

Ans. The poet recalls his childhood with a sense of nostalgia as he remembers his childlike wonder
and innocence, which contrasts with his current unhappiness in adulthood. This contrast makes him
long for the simpler times of his childhood.

(ii) What was the childhood viewpoint about the ‘fir trees’?

Ans. As a child, the poet naively believed the fir trees tops touch the sky. This perception represents
his childlike sense of wonder and highlights his innocence.

(iii) How does the poet view his adulthood ‘wisdom’ as compared to his childhood ‘ignorance’?

Ans. The poet views his adult “wisdom” as a loss compared to his childhood “ignorance.” He
suggests that his newfound knowledge hasn’t brought him joy, but rather distanced from the
happiness and joy he possessed as a child.

(iv) Explain the last two lines of the extract.

Ans. The last two lines of the poem express a sense of loss. The poet acknowledges his childhood
beliefs were naive, but his childhood days were joyous. He finds his current understanding offers no
comfort. He feels further away from the sense of happiness than he did as a child.

(v) What does the poet now realise was “childish ignorance”?

Ans. The “childish ignorance” refers to the poet’s belief that the fir trees touched the sky. This
represents a simpler, more innocent way of viewing the world.