Author name: Prasanna

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers The Blue Bead

The Blue Bead Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

1. Now, nothing could pierce the inch-thick armoured hide. Not even rifle bullets, which would bounce off. Only the eyes and the soft underarms offered a place. He lived well in the river, sunning himself sometimes with other crocodiles—muggers, as well as the long-snouted fish-eating gharials— on warm rocks and sandbanks where the sun dried the clay on them quite white, and where they could plot off into the water in a moment if alarmed.

Question 1.
What were sleepers? How can they be dislodged?
Answer:
Sleepers are the heavy pieces of timber or stone on or near the ground to support a superstructure. They were lying stuck around the stones in the deep water from which the crocodile came, until someone dislodged them and send them on their way or until floods lifted them and jostled them along.

Question 2.
Describe the grandeur of the giant reptile.
OR
Where did the huge crocodile live? Where did it come to rest?
Answer:
The huge crocodile lived in the deep black water. It was twice the length of a tall man. It had not to hide itself. It came to rest in the glassy shallows, among logs with its eyes and nostrils raised above the water. Its tail had irresistible power to move with a vast force in the water. Its mouth ran almost the whole length of its head. It lay. closed with an evil smile and where the yellow underside came up to it, it was green in color.

Question 3.
How did the huge crocodile rest in the shallows?
Answer:
The crocodile came to rest in the grassy shallows, among logs and balanced there on tiptoe on the rippled sand. It raised its eyes and nostrils out of the water to breathe the clean sunny air. Around him broad sparkling water travelled between cliffs and grass and forested hills. The mugger crocodile, blackish brown above and yellowy white under, lay motionless, able to wait forever till food came.

Question 4.
When and how had the crocodile made water its permanent abode?
Answer:
It is assumed that perhaps hundred years ago, the crocodile had been hatched at the sandbank. Since then in order to protect and support itself, it had made for the water. There it escaped from being becoming the prey of the birds and great carnivorous fishes. It stored the food in holes in the bank till it was rotten. Lukewarm water and plenty of food made it grew to its great length.

Question 5.
The strength of the crocodile was unbeatable. Pen it down.
Answer:
The body of the crocodile was covered with the inch thick hide that nothing could pierce it. Even the rifles bullets would bounce off. Only the eyes and the soft underarms were exceptions. It was ferocious and formidable. It propelled in the water by the irresistible and unimaginable power of its tail. It lived well with other crocodiles, muggers and fish eating gharials.

2. Barefoot, of course, and often goosey-cold on a winter morning, and born to toil. In all her life, she had never owned anything but a rag. She had never owned even one anna—not a pice, not a pi, even, to buy, say, a handful of blown glass beads from that stall in the bazaar where they were piled like stars, or one of the thin glass bangles that the man kept on a stick, and you could choose which colour you’d have.

Question 1.
On which things did crocodile feed?
Answer:
The big crocodile fed mostly on fish but also on deer and monkeys that’came to drink water. Sometimes the ducks also became its prey. But sometimes at the ford, it fed on a pi-dog full of parasites or a skeleton cow. And sometimes it went down to the burning Ghats and found the half burnt bodies of Indians cast into streams to consume.

Question 2.
Which objects were found near crocodile in the river?
Answer:
The place where the crocodile rested, fed and moved had strange objects around him. In the shoals, beside him there lay a glimmered blue gem. It was actually a sand worn glass that had been rolling about in the river for a long time. It was piercing through the neck of the bottle.

Question 3.
Throw the light on Sibia’s lifestyle?
Answer:
Sibia lived in a mud house in a village above the ford. She was thin starving child. She had no proper clothes but her body was covered with rags. Her skin was of oiled brown cream color. Those rags were also torn to make a skirt and a saree. She ate chapatti wrapped round green chili and rancid butter. It was her best meal. Her hair was black and she had great eyes. She was poor and never owned anything except a rag.

Question 4.
Why is Sibia called as ‘child woman’ and how was she born to toil?
Answer:
Sibia, the main character or the protagonist of the story, is called a happy immature child woman at the age of only twelve years just because of her appearance and the burden which she bore to help in household chores. She was marked for work since her childhood. She had to carry the household duties and in them also she found the objects of happiness. She was immature in the sense that in spite of doing all the work, she had not lost her childishness.

Question 5.
What was Sibia’s economic background?
Answer:
Sibia belonged to a poor family. She lived in a mud house. She did not possess even one anna, a pice or a pi even to buy a handful of blown glass beads or one of the thin glass bangles from the stall in the bazaar where they were piled like stars or one of the thin glass bangles that the man kept on a stick from where one could chose the colour of his choice. She had been living with her parents and brothers all through the jungle to the little town at the railhead.

3. But Sibia, in all her life from birth to death, was market for work. Since she could toddle, she had husked corn, and gathered sticks, and put dung to dry, and cooked and weeded, and carried, and fetched water, and cut grass for fodder. She was going with her mother and some other women now to get paper grass from the cliffs above the river. When you had enough of it, you could take it down by bullock cart to the railhead and sell it to the agent who would arrange for its dispatch to the paper mills.

Question 1.
Where was the bazaar located? While passing through this bazaar, which things or sounds she came across?
Answer:
Though Sibia belonged to a poor family, she knew what finery was. She used to go through jungle with her parents and brothers to the little town at the railhead where the bazaar was located. She walked through all the milling people, and the dogs and monkeys full of fleas, idle human beings spitting betel juice, bargaining and gossiping. On the way she heard the bell of a sacred bull clonking as he lumped along through the dust and hubbub.

Question 2.
Which things attracted Sibia on her way to work?
Answer:
Sibia was little girl with little likings. She did not have high expectations. Very petty things attracted her attention. She could even enjoy the sight and smell of the honey confections, abuzz with dust and flies at the sweetmeat stall. The smell was wonderful above the smells of drains and humanity and cheap cigarettes. At home she sometimes tasted wild honey or crunched the syrup out of a stalk of sugar cane. There was the cloth stall stacked with great rolls of new cotton cloth, stamped at the age with the maker’s sign of a tiger’s head and the smell was so dear to her that she could stand by it whole day.

Question 3.
Other wonders also fascinated her. What were they?
Answer:
The other wonders that fascinated her were satin sewn with real silver thread tin trays from Birmingham and a saree which had got chips of looking glass embroidered into the border. She also liked to follow the Kashmiri merchant on his way to bungalows. He had dawn colored silks that poured like cream, a little locked chest with turquoises and opals in it. Best of all the things was a box which when pressed, a bell tinkled and a yellow woolen chicken jumped out of it.

Question 4.
Which thoughts never troubled her?
Answer:
Sibia was marked only for work since birth. “She had started husking the corn and gathering sticks, putting the dung to dry, cooked and weeded, and carried and fetched the water and cut the grass for fodder, when she was just a toddler. She accompanied her mother to get the paper grass to sell it to the agent who was rich enough to sit on silk cushions smoking a hookah. But these things never troubled her.

Question 5.
Why couldn’t Sibia skip during her return journey?
Answer:
Sibia was a child-woman but she had the heart of a child. She was not bothered by the thoughts of an agent sitting on silk cushions or smoking hookah. She, with her mother and other women toiled all through the day. She skipped along with her sickle and homemade hayfork beside her mother. But on the way back home she couldn’t skip due to excessive tiredness, when the back ached and had great load to carry.

4. The women came out on the shore, and made for the stepping-stones. They had plenty to laugh and bicker about, as they approached the river in a noisy crowd. They girded up their skirts, so as to jump from stone to stone, and they clanked their sickles and forks together over their shoulders to have ease of movement. They shouted their quarrels above the gush of the river. Noise frightens crocodiles.

Question 1.
What were the ornaments of the village women? Why could not she make a necklace for herself?
Answer:
The village women who wore the necklaces made of shiny scarlet seeds, black at one end, that grew everywhere in the jungle looked very beautiful to Sibia. They were made every year as it was better to discard the old faded ones. Sibia was making one for her too. But the seed was hard to pierce, it required a red hot needle and the family needle was snapped. So she could not make it for herself.

Question 2.
Who were ‘nomadic graziers’? Describe the nomadic Gujars.
Answer:
Nomadic graziers are the people who roam from one place to another without a fixed pattern along with their cattle. While going towards the river, the village women passed a Gujar encampment where these nomadic graziers would live for a short period of time. They lived till their animals finish all the grazing or are unable to sell their white butter and white milk in the district or there is no one to buy the young male buffaloes for tiger bait.

Question 3.
How were the Gujar women dressed?
OR
What did Sibia notice about the Gujar women’s appearance?
Answer:
Sibia looked at the Gujar women as she went past. They were wearing trousers, tight and wrinkled at the ankles. In their ears they wore large silver rings which were made out of melted rupees. One of the women was clinking a stick against the big brass gurrahs in which they fetched water from the river for the camp, to see which ones were empty.

Question 4.
Where had the boys and men of Gujar community gone? Why were they called junglis?
Answer:
The men and the boys of the Gujar community were out of the camp either with their herd for grazing or gone to bazaar to sell the produce when the women were away to fetch the water from the river. The Gujars were junglis as they were born and bred in the forest. They did not know the world outside the jungle. For many centuries, their forebears had lived like this, getting their living from animals, grass and trees. They were man in the wandering Pastoral Age, not Stone Age hunters and not yet Cultivators.

Question 5.
Why did the women make noises while crossing the river?
Answer:
There was a river on the way where the women went to collect the paper grass twinkling between the tress, sunlit beyond dark trunks. The women came out on the shore and made for the stepping stones. They laughed and quarreled while going towards the river. They clanked their sickles and forks together over their shoulders. They shouted above the gush of the river. It was all due to keep the crocodiles away as the noises frightened them.

5. Sibia hung back. She would just dawdle a bit and run and see if the little clay cups were still there in the cave, waiting to be painted and used. Although the women were now tired and loaded, they still talked. Tose in front yelled to those behind. They crossed the river safely and disappeared up the track into the trees on the other side. Even their voices died away. Silence fell. Sibia came down alone to the stepping-stones.

Question 1
What was the course of flow of river which the women used to cross?
Answer:
After crossing the river, the women had to climb the hillside to get the paper grass. Down below them was the broad river pouring powerfully out from its deep narrow pools among the cold cliffs and shadows, spreading into warm shallows, lit by kingfishers. Great turtles lived there along with mahseer which weighed more than a hundred pounds.

Question 2.
Under what conditions did Sibia work? What did she keep in the cave?
Answer:
Sibia was a hard worker. She worked nonstop under her mother’s vigilance but her imagination sore high over the bright water and golden air to the banks where she had played as a child. She had stored some little bowls, moulded of clay while they hardened for painting. The only thing that cooled her sweating body was wind coming across the hundreds of miles of trees.

Question 3.
Why was Sibia’s mother angry with her? What was Sibia’s reaction when her mother shouted at her?
Answer:
The women used to climb a still hillside across the river to get the grass. Sibia also worked with them in harsh conditions but she never thought of that. Even she did not dare to stop for a moment but her imagination took a flight over the bright water and golden air to the banks where she had played as a child. In the cavelets above the high water mark of the highest flood, she had kept some little bowls of moulded clay for coloring while they hardened. Suddenly her mother cried in a sharp voice,’’Child!” Hearing this and looking at the glare of her mother’s angry sweating face pulled Sibia back to work.

Question 4.
What was the condition of the women when they return?
Answer:
In the evening, after collecting the grass, it was the time to go back for women to see their animals and the evening meal. The women carried the load and set out to cross the river again. Sibia hung back. She would walk slowly and run to see if the clay cups were still there in the cave. The women were now tired and loaded. Still they talked. Those who were in front yelled to those who were behind. They crossed the river safely and disappeared in the track into the trees on the other side.

Question 5.
Why did Sibia come alone when there were other women too in the group?
Answer:
It was evening and the time to return back to see the grazing animals and evening meal. The loaded women set out to cross the river again. But Sibia remained there only. She walked slowly a bit and ran to see if the little clay cups were still there in the cave, waiting to be painted and used. When all the women left for their homes, she ran behind to see her cups and had to come down alone to the stepping stones.

6. Bang!—bang!—to and fro in great smacking flails as he tried to drag her free and carry her off down into the deeps of the pool. Blood spread everywhere. Sibia sprang.From boulder to boulder she came leaping like a rock goat. Sometimes it had seemed difficult to cross these stones, especially the big gap in the middle where the river coursed through like a bulge of glass. But now she came on wings, choosing her footing in midair without even thinking about it, and in one moment she was beside the shrieking woman.

Question 1.
Why did Sibia put her load down when she was halfway over?
OR
When did Sibia stop and why?
Answer:
The light of the evening was striking up the gorge, pink into the ultraviolet shadows. The sun was off; the water poured was totally invisible with no reflection to show where it began. Sibia-stepped onto the first stone. She was heavily weighted, her muscles stretched and aching. The hayfork squeaked in the packed dry grass and dug into her collarbone so close under the skin, in spite of the sari bunched up to make a pad. Out of tiredness, she put her load down on a big boulder to rest when she was halfway over.

Question 2.
Why did the Gujar woman walked onto the stepping stone?
Answer:
Sibia was halfway over on her way back to hut; she put her load down on a big boulder to rest. At the same moment a Gujar woman came down with two gurrahs to the water on the other side. She walked onto the stepping stone to get the good clear water which would quickly fill both gurrahs up to the brim without sand.

Question 3.
What happened to her?
Answer:
When the woman went to the other side to fill her gurrahs with clear water, she reached within a yard of the crocodile unknowingly. The great reptile heaved up out of the darkling water with its livid jaws yawning and all its teeth fleshing as it slashed at her leg. Crocodile pulled her leg, threshing its mighty tail to and fro in great movements and dragged her down into the deeps of the pool. Blood spread everywhere.

Question 4.
How did Sibia react later on seeing this?
OR
What did Sibia do when she saw the Gujar woman attacked by the crocodile?
Answer:
Sibia was watching everything. She came into action leaping like a rock.goat and jumped from boulder to boulder. She reached beside the shrieking woman and drove the hayfork at the reptile’s eyes. The beast crashed back, exploded the water and disappeared in the bloody-foam water. She then pulled the wounded woman out from the water and thus, saved her life.

Question 5.
If Sibia hadn’t taken action On time, do you think that woman would be dead?
Answer:
Yes, the woman would be dead if Sibia hadn’t taken action on time. She did the daring thing which sometimes adults are unable to do. Besides taking action it was her mental status too that supported her in taking right decision at right time. She was a small girl of twelve years whose age allowed her to play childlike games but she showed courage and got success in saving a woman’s life.

7. The fork was lying in the river, not carried away, luckily, and as she bent to pick it up out of the water, she saw the blue bead. Not blue now, with the sun nearly gone, but a no colour white-blue, and its shape wobbling in the movement of the stream. She reached her arm down into a yard of the cold silk water to get it. Missing it first of all, because of refraction. Then there it lay in her wet palm, perfect, even pierced ready for use, with the sunset shuffled about inside it like gold-dust. All her heart went up in flames of joy.

Question 1.
Which body part of the crocodile was aimed at by Sibia and how?
Answer:
The face of the crocodile was fastened round the Gujar woman’s leg in the boiling bloody water. He was tugging to and fro. His eyes rolled on to Sibia. One slap of its tail could kill her. But Sibia did not either hesitate or got frightened. She gathered her courage and with all the force of her little body she drove the hayfork at crocodile’s eyes. One prong of it went in while the other scratched past on the horny cheek.

Question 2.
How did crocodile react on being attacked by Sibia?
Answer:
The crocodile reared up in convulsion, till half his lizard body was out of the river, the tail and nose nearly met over his stony back. Then he crashed back, exploding the water and in an uproar of bloody foam, he disappeared.

Question 3.
Did the crocodile die immediately? If not then when and how would one come to know about it?
Answer:
The crocodile did not die immediately after being attacked. And it’s not sure when would it die as his death would not be known for days. It would be found upside down among the logs at the timber boom with pus in his eyes only when his stomach blown with gas would float him.

Question 4.
How did Sibia manage to get the Gujar woman out of water? What did she do with her wound?
Answer:
Sibia got her arms round the fainting woman and somehow dragged her out of the water. She stopped her wounds with sand and bound them with rags and helped her home to the Gujar encampment where the men made a litter to carry her to someone for treatment.

Question 5.
What did Sibia find in river? Why her heart was went up in flames of joy?
Answer:
Sibia took the wounded Gujar woman to her encampment and then went back to the river for her grass, sickle and fork. The fork was lying in the river and as she bent to pick it up, she saw the blue bead. At that time it was not appearing blue because sun had already set but its shape was wobbling in the stream. She reached her arm down into the cold silky water and took it out. It was already pierced and ready for use. Finding it, her heart went up in flames of joy as since long she wanted a bead to make her necklace.

The Blue Bead Questions and Answers

Question 1.
The writer presents a vivid graphic picture of a huge crocodile ‘ which is a significant character in the story. How does she achieve it ?
Answer:
Norah Burke begins the story with a dramatic presentation of a huge crocodile. She refers to it as ‘he’ to make it appear like a character out of a suspense thriller. “Out of black water, curved with whirlpools, and into the frill of gold shallows by the stepping stones”, came the crocodile. This vivid description, full of life and visual details marks the appearance of the huge animal that can fill us with awe and trepidation.
The description of the beast, “Twice the length of a tall man”, “Fed mostly on fish but also on deer and monkeys that came to drink perhaps a duck or two and half-burned bodies of Indians” conceives a physical image of sheer viciousness.

Apart from this, it is referred to as a prehistoric juggernaut, ferocious and formidable, a vast force in the water, propelled by the power of his huge tail. “His mouth almost the whole length of his head, closed in a fixed evil bony smile” completes the picture of the awesome creature.The survival instinct shown by the animal also portrays its brainless craft by which he has lived for hundred years. The whole description is to create an awesome image in the reader’s mind, so that Sibia, the young girl who fights with the crocodile rises to a heroic proportion.

Question 2.
Sibia, is a little frail girl with a zest for simple things in life. How does the author bring out the simplicity of the girl ?
Answer:
Sibia lived in a mud house above a ford in which dangerous creatures like crocodiles lived. She is described as a starveling child dressed in rags. She had ebony hair and great eyes and her skin was creamy brown. A child of twelve years old, she was born to toil.In all her life, she had never owned anything but a rag. She did not even have a pi to buy even a single glass bead which she admired in the market. She would often pause before the sweetmeat stall, gazing longingly at the display.

Yes, she sometimes tasted wild honey or sugar cane at home but never the green and magenta sweets. There were other wonders like soft silk fabrics and stones like turquoises and opals but these wonders of the world were not for a forest girl like her. She was marked for work, husking corn, putting dung to dry, gathering dry sticks and fetching water. Her only adornment could be the black and red jungle beads, but that too were denied to her as the needle to thread them was broken.

Question 3.
How does the unassuming simple girl of the village assume an aura of heroism in the story ? What is the dramatic irony at the end of the story?
Answer:
Sibia was walking along the stepping stones, when she saw a Gujar woman approaching to fill her earthen pots. It was at that time when the crocodile lunged at her and slashed at her leg with his sharp teeth. The huge animal tried to drag her away. Sibia sprang into action. From boulder to boulder, she came leaping like a rock goat. She seemed to come on wings, choosing her footing instinctively, without thinking about it. In a moment, she was beside the screaming woman.

Seeing the girl, the crocodile struck, throwing the water twenty feet high. Sibia did not hesitate. She aimed at the animal’s eyes. With all the force of her body, she drove her hayfork into one of its eyes. The crocodile reared up in convulsion, crashed back and disappeared into the bloody water. It would die in a few days. But Sibia did not think about its fate. She put her arms around the woman, dragged her from water, stopped her wounds with sand and bound them with rag and helped her home.

The dramatic irony is that Sibia was not aware of the heroic deed she had done. She went through an adventurous battle with a ferocious creature and arrived home to her worried mother. Instead of stating her courageous and adventurous rescue act, she simply said “I found a blue bead for my necklace, look!” The readers may marvel at her heroism, but for the girl, it was the blue bead that mattered by which she could make a beautiful necklace.

Question 4.
How does the author paint the majesty, ferocity and strength of the giant animal ?
Answer:
The huge crocodile lived in the deep black water. It was twice the length of a tall man. It did not have to hide itself. It came to rest in the glassy shallows, among logs with its eyes and nostrils raised above the water to breathe the clean sunny air. Its tail had irresistible power to move with a vast force In the water. Its mouth ran almost the whole length of its head. It lay with its eyes closed with an evil smile and where the yellow underside came up to it, it was green in colour. The mugger crocodile, blackish-brown above and yellowy-white under, lay motionless, ready to wait forever till food came.

The body of the crocodile was covered with the inch thick hide that nothing could pierce it. Even the rifle bullets would bounce off. Only the eyes and the soft underarms were exceptions. It was ferocious and formidable. It propelled in the water by the irresistible and unimaginable power of its tail. It lived well with other crocodiles, muggers and fish-eating gharials.

Question 5.
What is said about, Sibia, the child-woman, and her routine life ?
Answer:
Sibia, the main character or the protagonist of the story, is called a happy immature child- woman at the age of only twelve years just because of her appearance and the burden which she bore to help in household chores. Her hair was black and she had great eyes. She had to carry the household duties. She husked corn, gathered sticks, put dung to dry, cooked and weeded and fetched water and cut grass for fodder. She went with her mother and other ladies to get paper grass from the cliffs. She lived in a mud house in a village above the fort. She had no proper clothes but her body was covered with rags. Those rags were also torn to make a skirt and a saree.

She ate chapatti wrapped round green chilli and rancid butter. She was poor and never owned anything except a rag. She was interested in the natural jewelry made by seeds that rattled round her neck. She appreciated little things in life like watching Kashmiri merchant selling silks, smell of the wonderful dressing of the cloth stall and much more. She was brave, laborious, courageous and extremely observant.

Question 6.
Describe in detail, the ferocious fight between the crocodile and Sibia.
Answer:
When Sibia saw the Gujar woman carried away by the giant crocodile, she immediately ran beside the shrieking woman without thinking anything and without wasting a moment. With a quick presence of mind she came into action and sprang up. She jumped from boulder to boulder leaping like a rock goat. She came on wings, choosing her footing mid-air and without even thinking of it she reached beside the shrieking woman. She did not hesitate and with all the force of her little body, drove the hayfork at the crocodile’s eyes and one prong went in while the other scratched past the thorny cheek.

The crocodile reared up in convulsion, till half his lizard body was out of the river, the tail and nose nearly, met over his stony back. Then he crashed back, exploding the water and in an uproar of bloody foam, he disappeared. Sibia got her arms round the fainting woman and somehow dragged her out of the water. She stopped her wounds with sand and bound them with rags and helped her home to the Gujar encampment where the men made a litter to carry her to someone for treatment,

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Questions and Answers

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

1. A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange sun rays
And dares to claim the sky.

Question 1.
How does the poet refer to nature here? What does the poet mean by the phrase ‘dares to claim the sky’ in the last line?
Answer:
She refers to nature by describing the way “a free bird leaps on the back of the wind”. She also describes the bird’s flight against the orange sky.

The last line speaks of the state of absolute freedom enjoyed by the bird out of cage. A free bird such as this can fly in the sky as it wishes.

Question 2.
How does a reader get a hint of appreciation for the beauty of nature?
Answer:
The way she describes the “orange sun rays” gives the reader an appreciation for the natural beauty of the sky. Moreover, her description of the way the bird “dips his wing” helps the reader to appreciate the bird in his natural habitat, enjoying his freedom.

Question 3.
What is the free bird metaphor for here? Explain.
Answer:
The free bird enjoys its freedom without any interference. The free bird is compared to the white race retaining freedom and aversion towards black people of America. They have the freedom to pursue their ambition easily. They are unaware of the cries and needs of the oppressed black community.

Question 4.
What is meant by “orange sun rays”?
Answer:
The poet says that the bird seems to dip its wings in the orange rays of the sun. Here she refers to beauty of nature, that nature is full of colours. The way she describes the “orange sun rays” gives the reader an appreciation for the natural beauty of the sky. It alludes to a free, lively and a blissful atmosphere where the free bird lives.

Question 5.
Describe the image of the bird as presented in the stanza.
Answer:
The poem is a contrast between a caged bird and a free bird. In the first stanza Maya Angelou breathes life into her description of a ‘free bird’ by using verbs like ‘leaps’,‘floats’,‘dips’. The free bird is a symbol of freedom and happiness and these well chosen verbs are especially meaningful because they contain joy and energy. The free bird has the freedom to go wherever and can claim the sky because there are no other birds to contest with her. The stanza shows us that the free bird is lazy and would rather float with the wind instead of making its own path.

2. But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

Question 1.
Describe the tone of the poet in these lines. How does the bird respond to his existential condition?
Answer:
The poet’s tone is dark, unnerving, and even frustrating. She describes that the caged bird can hardly see through his bars of rage. The bird is helpless by everything but only responds by opening his throat to sing due to his immense longing for freedom.

Question 2.
Explain the lines:’ can seldom see through his bars of rage.’
Answer:
By the lines, “can seldom see through his bars of rage” i.e., the poet says that the caged bird is hardly able to get a glimpse of the sky which makes him angry. His clipped wings and tied feet tied prevent him from flying away. His aspirations are suppressed, he is helpless to even get a sight of the great freedom outside the bars of the cage which makes the bird resentful for he longs for freedom to be outside the cage

Question 3.
What does the use of the word ’but’ in the beginning suggest?
Answer:
This stanza is in stark contrast with the first. By using the word “but” to begin this stanza, the poet prepares the reader for this contrast. The poet then describes the pathetic condition of another bird that is captive in a caged, with wings clipped and feet tied. The word “but” indicates that the idea or imagery that the poet is going to present is contrary to what she has already stated.

Question 4.
What is the condition of the bird described in this stanza?
Answer:
The bird’s wings are clipped and feet are tied. It hardly even gets a chance to see the sky. It has been placed in a cage that prevents it from flying. The bird is helpless. He is resentful, for this unfair captivation to him as birds fly freely in the sky and they should not be kept captive. He longs to be free from the pain and suffering inside the sorrowful cage.

Question 5.
Whom does the poet refer indirectly while mentioning of the free and the caged bird?
Answer:
This contrast between the birds enables the poet to express indirectly her own emotions about freedom and isolation. By the ‘free bird’ the poet refers to the white people, and the caged bird can be interpreted as the black race being deprived from freedom by their skin colour. This could be compared to slavery in the U.S.A, where the blacks were suppressed from their aspirations and were much tortured by the white people.

3. The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

Question 1.
What does the poet imply about the bird’s craving for freedom?
Answer:
The author implies that even though the caged bird may have never experienced true freedom, yet deep down that bird still knows that it was created to be free. Although freedom, to the caged bird, is “fearful” because it is “unknown”, he still sings “a fearful trill” because he still longs for freedom.

Question 2.
Give the significance of the lines: The caged bird sings with A fearful trill of things unknown”.
Answer:
Maya Angelou uses irony to be cleverer and effective but less direct in conveying her feelings. ‘The caged bird sings with a fearful trill’. This sentence is ironic as the caged bird is the one singing not the free bird as we expect. However, the words ‘fearful’ and ‘trill’ makes us realize that actually it is not a happy tune but in a fearful and trembling tone. The bird is unknown of many strange things but still sings the songs of freedom in quaver which enables the readers to reach to more depth and appreciate freedom.

Question 3.
What does the poet mean by the expression ‘his tune is heard on the distant hill’?
Answer:
The speaker reveals that cry for freedom is “heard on the distant hill”. This parallels to the author and her cry for freedom in the form of equality. She feels that her cries are heard, but only as a soft background noise. She still feels that she is caged and that although she sings, her cries are heard only as a distant noise.

Question 4.
Show the relevance of the stanza.
Answer:
The stanza describes the conditions of the American black people longing for freedom. It implies that even though the caged bird may have never experienced true freedom, deep down that bird still knows that it was created to be free. Here, the poet reveals that like the caged bird many black people are deprived from their freedom and that although they sing their cries are heard, but only as a distant noise.

Question 5.
What does the last line imply?
Answer:
The last line states, “For the caged bird sings of freedom”. With this, the speaker implies that although the caged bird may never have experienced freedom, he still sings of it because he was created for freedom. This is paralleled to the African American struggle in Maya Angelou’s time. She feels that black Americans wrote and sang and danced and cried out for the freedom they deserved, but they were only heard as a distant voice. Yet, this would not stop them from crying out for freedom and equality because they knew they were made for freedom, and they would not relent until they were given their rights as human beings to enjoy the freedom they were created to enjoy.

4. The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

Question 1.
How does the poet describe the bird’s freedom here? Comment on the tone of the poet.
Answer:
The poet says that a free bird has freedom of choice and opportunities to fly at his sweet will. He can enjoy the “sighing trees” and is free to find his own food.

The tone of the poet suggests a sense of ecstasy and thrill due to freedom.

Question 2.
What is meant by another breeze? Why does the free bird thinks of another breeze? .
Answer:
“Another breeze” implies that the free birds thinks for a flight in a different air current. The poet writes that a “free bird thinks of another breeze”, so that is he can enjoy the sighing trees and be free to find his own food. The bird is not contented and is greedy to have even more freedom, but again it is shown to be lazy and unsatisfied with the stream of wind that is on but not enough to do something about it.

Question 3.
In what way is the caged bird different from the free bird?
Answer:
The poem is a contrast between a ‘free bird’ and ‘caged bird’. The caged bird possess its own limitations. His wings are clipped and feet are tied. He hardly even gets a chance to see the sky. He has been placed in a cage that prevents it from flying. Despite its fear, the cage bird continues to sing for freedom. The bird opens his mouth to sing because his desire for freedom and his desire to express himself cannot be controlled. Whereas a “free bird thinks of another breeze “so that he can enjoy the “sighing trees” i.e., it is free from all worries and sufferings.

Question 4.
Explain: “But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams”.
Answer:
The reality of the life of the caged bird is revealed in this line. It is a dark, sombre and haunting image indicating the slavery and inability to exercise one’s freedom of choice. The bird is helpless by everything. His aspirations and desires are suppressed by the sorrowful captivity of the cage. He is unable to fulfil his dreams and cries out like someone who has seen a nightmare.

Question 5.
How does this signifies the author’s own state of mind?
Answer:
The reality of the life of the caged bird that the bird “stands on the grave of dreams” reveals the author’s feelings about her own dreams. She has so many dreams that have died because she was never given the freedom to achieve all that her white counterparts were able to achieve. Discrimination and Racism made up her cage, and although she sang, she felt her voice was not heard in the wide world, but only by those nearest her cage.

Question 6.
What does the poet wants to convey by the contrast between the two birds?
Answer:
These contrasting environments—the freedom of an open world of the free bird and the restrictive surroundings of the caged bird—create the setting for the poem, to contrast a free bird with a bird who is confined to a cage; the poet wants to convey two different birds as metaphors for people free from oppression and people who are oppressed by society. The metaphor shows the free bird and caged bird which is important to understand for the theme. The tone shows the difference between the free bird, proud and controlling, and the caged bird, angry and determined which is essential to the theme. ‘For the caged bird sings of freedom’ is the last line of the poem and it delivers a very important message for the reader – the caged bird wants to be like the free bird. This tells us that we should be aware and thankful for the freedom we have and basically this sum,s up the whole poem.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers The Patriot

The Patriot Questions and Answers

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

1. It was roses, roses, all the way,
With myrtle mixed in my path like mad:
The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway,
The church-spires flamed, such flags they had,
A year ago on this very day.

Question 1.
What does the speaker talk about in these lines? What does the third line suggest here? Describe the dominant mood of this stanza.
Answer:
The speaker talks about the rousing welcome he had been accorded by people earlier. It suggests a huge presence of the crowd that had assembled on the house-tops. This gave the impression as though they were moving and swinging. The dominant mood of this stanza is that of festive joy and cheerfulness.

Question 2.
What does the phrase ‘the church-spires flamed’ imply? When did the event, being recalled here, take place?
Answer:
It implies that the minarets and domes of churches seemed to aflame due to the massive presence of colourful flags put all over them for decorative purpose.
This event took place one year ago.

Question 3.
‘The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway’. Explain.
Answer:
In this line, the narrator of the poem remembers the grand welcome he was accorded as a hero by people one year ago. This particular line suggests the presence of a huge crowd that had gathered to see and greet him on his arrival. Picturising this, the narrator states that there was so much of excitement and joy in the air that the roofs of houses crowded with people did not appear to be still.

Question 4.
How was he welcomed?
Answer:
The first stanza gives a lively description of how, just one year ago, the narrator was welcomed with pomp and ceremony by people from his town. As the narrator says, his path was laden with roses and myrtle, signifying love and honour for him as their hero. The residents of the town have clambered onto their roofs to get a glimpse of the patriot, while the flags of different colours were so high and imposing that the church spires seemed to be surrounded by flames.

Question 5.
What significance does the line” A year ago on this very day” presents in the context of the poem?
Answer:
This line is extremely significant as it anticipates the stark irony of the narrator’s life, exposing him to paradoxical situations. Besides, it indicates that the narrator was regarded as a hero by his people in the recent past. This makes the readers curious as to how he is treated by his people ‘now’ or ‘today’. Thus, this line reinforces shift in the speaker’s description of what happened in the ‘past’ to what is happening at ‘present’ quite intelligibly.

2. The air broke into a mist with bells,
The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries.
Had I said, “Good folk, mere noise repels—
But give me your sun from yonder skies!”
They had answered, “And afterward, what else?”

Question 1.
What do the first two lines of the stanza suggest? Why did the air break into a mist?
Answer:
They suggest the celebratory mood of people according a warm welcome to their hero. They ring bells and raise slogans, and all these mingle with one another to shake the walls that are old.

The air broke into a mist because of the noisy slogans and the ringing bells.

Question 2.
What do the last three lines suggest about the mood of the crowd?
Answer:
These people were welcoming him so happily that if he had told them that mere noise and slogans did not please him. And that they should give him the sun, that is there in the sky far away from them , they would have replied, that was executed (done and what else they could do for him ‘the leader’).

Question 3.
Who were they in the following line? What light does the line throw on them?
They had answered, “And afterward, what else?”
Answer:
The personal pronoun ‘They’ has been used here for the crowd of people who welcomed the narrator. When the patriot asks them to fetch him their sun from the skies, their answer is reflective of their frivolous nature. They immediately ask the patriot what else would he require, other than the sun. This indicates that though the crowd was eager, they weren’t sensible.

Question 4.
Explain the line: “But give me your sun from yonder skies!”
Answer:
This is what the speaker as the patriot tells the crowd surrounding him. He tries to tell them that he doesn’t want all the cheers and applause, but wants them to fetch something immortal and imperishable for him. This implies that he wants to live in their memories as a great hero for ever.

Question 5.
Which particular trend in the modern-day politics does the behaviour of the crowd suggest here?
Answer:
The behaviour of the crowd here suggests the trend of hero worship that is so prevalent in contemporary politics. As we notice, the crowd is too excited for a glimpse of the patriot. They treat the patriot as a superman for whom they will not hesitate to sacrifice themselves. This amounts to over¬glorification or even deification of a leader, paving the way for the emergence of what is sometimes referred to as the personality cult in politics.

3. Alack, it was I who leaped at the sun
To give it my loving friends to keep!
Nought man could do, have I left undone:
And you see my harvest, what I reap
This very day, now a year is run.

Question 1.
Who is ‘I’ in the above extract? What does leaping at the sun signify?
Answer:
In these lines, the personal pronoun T has been used by the poet for the patriot-hero, i.e. the speaker in this poem. The phrase ‘leaping at the sun’ here implies that the patriot has done extraordinary things for the happiness and welfare of people who love him. He feels that people should reciprocate this by immortalising him as their hero.

Question 2.
In what mood is the speaker now? Where is he at present ?
Answer:
Presently, the speaker seems to have realised that he has absolutely no control over the situation he finds himself in. He is gloomy, melancholy, dejected and hapless as he knows that his life is going to end soon. At present, he is being taken away to the execution ground where he will be hanged.

Question 3.
What does the first line tell about the speaker’s sentiment? Who does the speaker refer to as ‘my loving friends’? How does the speaker justify himself as a people’s leader?
Answer:
Here, the speaker says with an aggrieved heart that it was he who made the impossible, possible for people.

The speaker calls his countrymen as ‘my loving friends’.

He says that as a leader he did everything to keep people happy and left nothing undone for them.

Question 4.
Explain what “harvest” the speaker is referring to ?
Answer:
In this stanza, the speaker uses the word “harvest” satirically. His “harvest” is what he has reaped, whereas what he had sown was bringing glory, power and honour to the people. He feels that for all the outstanding things he did for his people, he has got a reward that is extremely disgracing. As he is going to die at the gallows, he has realised that his own people who once worshipped him have misunderstood him and are responsible for his tragic end.

Question 5.
Explain what the speaker wants to say in the last two lines.
Answer:
He says with great sorrow that today when only one year has lapsed and that he is no more in chair, his reward can be seen. It can also be seen what he is reaping as a reward of his deeds. Everything has changed for him in a year. In a sorrowful tone the speaker says that the people have forgotten all what he has done for them.

4. There’s nobody on the house-tops now—
Just a palsied few at the windows set;
For the best of the sight is, all allow,
At the Shambles’ Gate—or, better yet,
By the very scaffold’s foot, I trow.

Question 1.
Compare the scene on the house-tops a year ago and now as mentioned in the extract above.
Answer:
Here, the speaker notices a stark reversal of the situation that he had experienced one year ago. Today, the house-tops are completely empty and save a very few people, who are handicapped, he sees nobody anywhere. This is so unlike what he had seen exactly one year ago, when the roof-tops were filled with a huge crowd standing there to welcome him as a hero.

Question 2.
What difference is seen in the people’s attitude towards the patriot before and now?
Answer:
One year ago, he was a hero loved, adored and honoured by his people. At that time, people’s attitude mirrored the prime of his popularity. Today, the same people hate him and he finds himself disgraced, discarded and deprived of honour and pride. The way people treat him now reflects the lowest ebb of his career from which death alone will bring in the ultimate liberation and relief.

Question 3.
Explain : “the best of sight”? What does it refer to and why?
Answer:
The phrase “the best of sight” refers to the sight of the speaker passing through the Shambles’ Gate and reaching the gallows. By using it ironically, the speaker indirectly suggests that his people lack sensibility and judiciousness, due to which they behave like a one-dimensional herd with a crude tendency to accept or reject anything without using their ability to reason and think. That is why, when people adored him as their hero, he could notice their presence everywhere. Now, as he has lost their trust and faith, they all want to see him dying. To them therefore, “the best of sight” is to be offered by the way he approaches his death.

Question 4.
What does the phrase ‘a palsied few at the windows set’ imply here?
Answer:
The phrase has been used to inform about the only set of people who are visible now. As the speaker says, they are rather paralyzed and are standing at the windows. At a deeper level, however, they may suggest those few people who might know that he is not guilty. But they are themselves too weak to protect him from capital punishment.

Question 5.
What does the speaker mourn in the first line? Why does the spectacle presented seem to be so hQrrible? Which images used in this stanza are connected to death?
Answer:
The speaker is sad to see that nobody can be seen on the housetops to welcome him now.

The sight is horrible because the leader is now being taken to the slaughter-house, or it can be better said, the leader thinks, that he is being taken to the gallows to be hanged there.

Shamble’s Gate and scaffold’s foot are two such images that are connected to death.

5. I go in the rain, and, more than needs,
A rope cuts both my wrists behind;
And I think, by the feel, my forehead bleeds,
For they fling, whoever has a mind,
Stones at me for my year’s misdeeds.

Question 1.
What is the general impression you get here about the condition of the speaker? What does the second line suggest here?
Answer:
These lines indicate that speaker is in a pathetic and disgraceful condition, in which no living creature would ever wish to be. The second line says that the speaker’s hands are tied behind his back with a rope. This suggests that he is being taken away as a prisoner.

Question 2.
For whom is the pronoun ‘they’ used in the fourth line? What kind of treatment does the speaker receive from people?
Answer:
It is used for the general public watching the leader as a culprit. Everybody feels that he has done nothing for his countrymen. Every person has turned against him and the achievements of his past one year have been changed to misdeeds. The people present a harsh behavior towards the speaker.

Question 3.
Whose forehead bleeds? How? How was he treated earlier?
Answer:
As the speaker passes by with his hands tied onto his back, people hurl stones at him. Due to this, his forehead bleeds. The description of this act shows the extent to which people hate him now. They treat him as a petty criminal and vent their anger against him for what they regard as a monumental betrayal.

Question 4.
The speaker uses the phrase “my year’s misdeeds”. How does this phrase add to the ambiguity in the poem?
Answer:
In this stanza, as it clearly appears, the speaker has used this phrase to mean something that remains mysterious and unknown till the end. As he states, people who loved and respected him so much have suddenly started hating him for all he has done during a period of just one year! This period seems to be too short for such a complete change in people’s attitude unless the person, whom they have acknowledged as their icon, does something that completely shatters their trust in him. As the poet does not throw any light on this aspect, we are unable to precisely know anything about it. That is why the phrase “my year’s misdeeds” adds to the ambiguity in the poem.

Question 5.
Describe the image of the stanza.
Answer:
The image is extremely sorrowful and pathetic. It is raining and the speaker is being taken to the scaffold i.e., towards his punishment of death. He is bleeding due to the wounds caused by the people who threw stones at him. All his services, his good deeds have been forgotten by everyone. He is in great humiliation and is treated as an animal. This is very emotional. It touches the hearts of the readers and makes to feel sorry for the ill-treatment, the speaker is receiving.

6. Thus I entered, and thus I go!
In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.
“Paid by the world, what dost thou owe
“Me?”—God might question; now instead,
Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.

Question 1.
What does the speaker says in the first and second line of the stanza?
Answer:
Here, the poet, through the mouth of the deposed leader, says that he was brought honourably to the chair and with great pomp and show but now he is being taken very insultingly to the gallows.

He says sometimes great heroes fall from their climax and die. Such has not happened to him. Had he died in the peak of his power, he would have been happy.

Question 2.
Explain : “In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.”
Answer:
This line is an example of paradox. The word ‘triumphs’ means victories signifying brilliant feats achieved by people on the battlefield. Such feats lead to an elevation in the status of those who achieve them. However, this occasionally happens when they lose their lives during the course of the battles they fight. Thus, falling in death is inevitable even when it contradicts what it results in, i.e., elevation or ascendance that a ‘triumph’ basically signifies.

Question 3.
‘I am safer so’. What irony is involved here?
Answer:
The speaker says that he is forced to give away his life in humiliation for which the people are largely responsible. They do not realise this and so, all his good work and his ultimate sacrifice in keeping with what they desire will remain unrewarded. Thus, when he meets God after his death, he will be in a position to be rewarded by Him. This is unlike those persons who die in glory and honour that they receive as rewards from their people in this world only.

Question 4.
What does the speaker want to say in the concluding lines?
Answer:
He says after death he will go to his Lord Creator where God Might question him about his deeds he had done for the people. He would reply that he had done his best for them but they rewarded him with shame. Now he will ask God for a reward because God is just and He would give him the best reward in the other world for his service to his people. He would be safe with God in the world here after.

Question 5.
How does the above extract reflect Browning’s optimistic philosophy of life?
Answer:
The above extract reflects the poet Robert Browning’s belief in the supremacy of divine justice. Through the speaker, he wants to convey this by assuming that the world may be absolutely fair to a person who thinks he deserves a glorious treatment. However, that person should not lose hope because the ultimate reward for him always lies with the Almighty, the supreme giver of justice.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem Questions and Answers

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

1. Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

Question 1.
Who was Abou Ben Adhem? What is meant by ‘may his tribe increase’?
Answer:
Abou Ben Adhem was an 8th century Sufi mystic of royal lineage from Balkh. He loved his tribesmen who treated him as their spiritual leader and pioneer. They followed his teachings based on great ideals and values such as peace, mutual harmony, and service of the deprived and downtrodden. ‘May his tribe increase’, used as a parenthesis here, basically implies a wish for the growth of people who followed his teachings and adopted the path shown by him.

Question 2.
Describe the phrase that has been used by the poet to describe the great charm of the angel?
Answer:
In this stanza, the poet uses the phrase ‘like a lily in bloom’, to describe the great charm of the angel. This is an example of Simile. In this figure of speech, something is compared with some other thing of a different type. Here, the poet compares the charm of the heavenly angel with the beauty of a blooming lily, which is a flower.

Question 3.
Describe the imagery of the scene.
Answer:
The imagery of the scene depicted in this stanza is profound and suggestive. The opening line introduces Abou Ben Adhem with a parenthesis that signifies his tall spiritual stature, faithfulness and devotion to great ideals and values. It is followed by the descriptions of his moonlit room and the otherworldly charm of the angel through images that are fascinating and comprehensible.

Question 4.
What does the last line mean here?
Answer:
It means that Abou Ben does not react like a common human, to the presence of the angel. As he champions the great value of peace and has a great faith in God. He has done no wrong and so is not scared or frightened at the presence of the angel in his room. He is a brave person who can even face the most unusual things in life.

Question 5.
Give the significance of the ‘book of gold’ in the poem.
Answer:
The ‘book of gold’ basically signifies a divine book of records including the names of all people who love God. Its significance lies in the fact that it keeps the list of only those people who love God with pure hearted devotion and dedication. When Abou Ben Adhem is told by the angel that his name is not there on the list of people who love God, he is not worried. He is confident that the book of gold keeps the record of those also who love their fellow men or the humankind. This implies that the book of gold is not a straight record of people who love God, but one that lists people who love and follow the greatest ideals that lead one to the path of God.

2. And to the presence in the room he said,
“What writest thou?”—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.”
“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,”
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, ”1 pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men.”

Question 1.
What does the words ‘presence’ and ’vision’ refer to here? What made Abou bold?
Answer:
In this stanza, the words ‘presence’ and ‘vision’ refer to the presence of the angel and his vision. Use of these words indicates that the appearance of the angel is so illuminating or dazzling that it can’t perhaps be felt quite tangibly as in case of some human being. Abou’s unflinching dedication to the great ideal of peace made him bold.

Question 2.
What is the vision doing? Why is Abou Ben curious? What does he say to the vision?
Answer:
The vision is writing something in a book of gold. Abou Ben is curious as he wants to know that what the vision is writing in the book of gold. After this Abou questions the vision, “What writest thou?” or what are you writing?

Question 3.
Why does the vision raise its head? What did you note about its nature?
Answer:
The vision raises its head to reply to Abou’s question when he enquires about what it is writing in the book of gold. The vision has a sweetness and composure when it faces Abou. This indicates that it is not perturbed or disturbed by Abou suddenly intervening in its work.

Question 4.
What does the vision reply to Abou? What made Abou low?
Answer:
The vision replies that it is writing in the book the names of those who love the Lord, i.e., God. When the vision says that Abou’s name is not one of them, it makes Abou low. He probably feels slightly disheartened at this revelation because he is genuinely devoted to God.

Question 5.
What does Abou request to the vision? What happens next?
Answer:
After coming to know that his name was not on the list, Abou maintains his calm and requests the vision to write his name as someone who loves God’s fellow men. After this, the angel writes something in the book and disappears without saying anything but also reappears the next night.

3. The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest

Question 1.
What happens after the angel disappeared? What did it show Adhem?
Answer:
After disappearing from Abou’s room, the angel does not come back immediately. Instead, it revisits Abou next night with a wakening light that rouse Adhem from sleep. When it reappears, it shows Abou the names of those people who have been blessed with the love of God.

Question 2.
Describe the effect of “a great wakening light”.
Answer:
The phrase “a great wakening light” essentially implies an extremely powerful and luminous light capable of wakening the world. Here, the word ‘wakening’ is used to signify a state of supreme consciousness or complete awakening of senses. Following the reappearance of the vision, Abou experiences this state.

Question 3.
How can you look at the extract as the climax in the poem?
Answer:
The climax comes in the concluding line, when the angel shows Abou the list of those who are blessed with divine love. As the use of the phrase ‘And lo!’ suggests, Abou is visibly surprised to see his name on top of the list. This gives an unexpected twist to the poem, but it’s like a poetic justice in the context of a great man with such a pure, unadulterated devotion.

Question 4.
What did you understand about the character of Abou Ben Adhem?
Answer:
Abou Ben Adhem is a perfect personification of faith in its purest and most practical form. He has no pompous perception about his great deeds and he is most concerned about the weal and welfare of his people. The poet himself acknowledges his virtues in the end as he comes to be regarded as the blessed one.

Question 5.
What message does the poem bring?
Answer:
The poem clearly brings it to the fore that true love for God lies in the spirit of selfless service of the humankind, A number of people perform rituals and prayers to express their faith in God. However, God blesses and loves those people more who love and practically adopt the greatest of ideals and values. Thus, in this poem, the stress is on following the practical rather than dogmatic aspects of faith.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers My Greatest Olympic Prize

My Greatest Olympic Prize Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

1. I guessed that if long won, it would add some new suport to the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory. After all, I am a Negro. A little hot under the collar about Hitler’s ways. I determined to go out there and really show Der Fuhrer and his master race who was superior and who wasn’t. An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. I was no exception. On the first of my three qualifying jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board for afoul. On the second jump, I fouled even worse. “Did I come 3000 miles for this ?” I thought bitterly. “To foul out of the trials and make a fool of myself?”

Question 1.
Why was Jesse not worried about the Hitler’s declaration of the supremacy of Master’s race?
Answer:
Owens did not bother about the patriotic feelings which were running high in Germany. He had full faith in his capabilities. He had trained, sweated and disciplined himself for six years and what occupied his mind were games and games only. He thought only of taking one or two gold medals.

Question 2.
What surprised him?
Answer:
Jesse was surprised to see a tall boy hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps on the broad-jump trials. He was a German named Luz Long who was kept hidden by Hitler with the hope to win the jump. His marvelous performance in the trials startled Owens.

Question 3.
An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. Justify this statement.
Answer:
Although Jesse Owens’ full concentration was on his game and winning the gold medal but he got distracted somewhat after seeing Luz Long’s  performance. He thought that if he won, it would add support to Nazi’s Aryan- Superior ity theory. He got irritated by this and thinking about this, he was filled with anger and fouled twice in the qualifying jumps.

Question 4.
What was the Nazi’s Aryan-superiority theory?
Answer:
Adolf Hitler believed in Aryan-superiority theory. According to him the athletes of Germany should be from Master’s race and would do better than other competent in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The nationalistic feelings were at prime at that time.

Question 5.
Why did Jesse Owens become so tensed afterwards?
Answer:
On his first three qualifying jumps, Jesse Owens leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board. He fouled. On the second jump, he did worse and fouled again. It reminded him that he had not travelled three hundred miles for making repeated fouls and making a fool of himself. His mind was full of bitterness over his own underperformance.

2. “Something must be eating you”, he said—proud the way foreigners are when they’ve mastered a bit of American slang. “You should be able to , qualify with your eyes closed. ”
“Believe me, I know it”, I told him—and it felt good to say that to someone.
For the next few minutes we talked together. I didn’t tell Long what was “eating” me, but he seemed to understand my anger, and he took pains to reassure me. Although he’d been schooled in the Nazi youth movement, he didn’t believe in the Aryan-supremacy business any more than I did.

Question 1.
Why did Owens kick the pit in disgust?
Answer:
Owens was already angry with the Hitler’s Nazi theory and an angry athlete is prone to making mistakes. Owens knew this very well, still he could not control his temper and on his first trial, he leaped several inches beyond the take-off point which resulted in disqualification. He walked a few yards from the pit and kicked it in despair and disgust.

Question 2.
What was eating him and did he tell it to Luz Long?
Answer:
Jesse Owens was hot under the collar with Hitler’s childish theory because of which his trial performance was affected. He had a very bad impact on him after fouling in the final qualifying jumps and this was eating him. He did not tell it to Luz Long on being asked as what bothered him because by that time Long was not his friend, he was simply a co-athlete apart from being a Nazi rival.

Question 3.
Describe Luz Long’s physique.
Answer:
Luz Long was blue eyed tall German athlete. He was an inch taller than Jesse Owens. He had a lean muscular body. He carried blonde hair and was astonishingly handsome and had a well chiseled face or a perfectly carved face.

Question 4.
What were Luz Long’s views about Aryan- supremacy theory?
Answer:
In the trials for the long jump event, Jesse fouled on his first two attempts. Luz Long, the top German broad jumper who had qualified for the finals came to him and gave his introduction. Though he was trained in Nazi school, he did not believe in the Hitler’s Aryan-supremacy theory that his performers were from the master race and would perform better than the others and that no one could beat them. He advised Owens to play safe.

Question 5.
What did Luz Long Suggest Owens?
OR
How did he calm down Owens?
OR
How did he help Owens come out of the trouble?
Answer:
Jesse did not tell Luz Long about his trouble but he seemed to understand his anger. He tried to ease out the situation by explaining that he didn’t believe in Aryan-supremacy business and when Jesse was calmed down, Long suggested him to draw a line a few inches in back of the board and aim at making his take off from that line. He assured him that he would never foul from that point. This helped Owens a lot.

3. That night I walked over to Luz Long’s room in the Olympic village to thank ‘him. I knew that if it hadn’t been for him I probably wouldn’t be jumping in the finals the following day. We sat in his quarters and talked for two hours—about track and field, ourselves, the world situation, a dozen other things. When I finally got up to leave, we both knew that a real friendship had been formed. Luz would go out to the field the next day trying to beat me if he could. But I knew that he wanted me to do my best—even if that meant my winning.

Question 1.
How did the rivalry between the two players come to an end?
Answer:
Seeing Owens tensed too much, Luz Long approached him and tried to calm him down by giving suggestions. Suddenly all the tension seemed to flow away from his body as the truth what Long told him struck him. Full of confidence, he drew a line a full foot in back of the board and proceeded to jump and qualified with almost a foot to spare. That night he went to Long’s room and thanked him. They sat and talked for two hours on every topic.

Question 2.
How did Luz Long react to Jesse winning the gold?
Answer:
When Owens finished his jump he found Luz Long beside him congratulating him. He gave him a firm handshake which was far from any jealousy. He did not bother about the wrath of Hitler and congratulated Owens. He failed but helped a capable world record holder to set other records.

Question 3.
Why did Hitler glare at both of them?
Answer:
Luz Long broke his own past record but did not win. But Jesse Owens set the Olympic record of jumping 26 feet 5-5/16 inches. Luz Long came to his side congratulating him by shaking his hands hard. Hitler was watching all this and he was not a hundred yards away from them. He could not tolerate the defeat of his athlete and besides congratulating the other athlete he glared at both of them.

Question 4.
Why the reference to Coubertin has been made?
Answer:
Coubertin is said to be the founder of the modern Olympic Games. He believed that the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well. Luz Long did not win but he presented the true example of this spirit.

Question 5.
What is the significance of ’24 carat friendship’ in the story?
Answer:
When Owens won the finals, Luz Long came to him and congratulated him warmly by shaking hands with him. Owens found no feeling of regret or jealousy in him as he was also an opponent. He was too much influenced by Long’s sportsmanship. Then he said that their friendship was 24 carat friendship because it is the purest form of gold in which there is no other alloy. In the same way. there was no mixture or any kind of element in their friendship and moreover its coating couldn’t be done even by melting all the gold medals and cups.

My Greatest Olympic Prize Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How does Jesse bring about his expectations and anxiety before the win ?
Answer:
In his article paying tribute to his fellow sportsman, Jesse Owens frankly tells about his feelings before the win. Expectations were high, confidence was up but there were some moments which upset him and made him underestimate himself.

It was at the time when Hitler proclaimed that his performers who belonged to the ‘Master Race’ would win in the Games, and where Jesse the son of a sharecropper, and the grandson of a slave got the opportunity to participate in the Olympics. He was not unduly bothered about it, as he had practised well. He had broken the record in running broad jump at Ohio State University championship and his confidence level was up; so were the expectations of his countrymen.

Jesse was in for a surprise when he saw a young German in the pit, easily going through his practice leaps. He was crossing almost twenty-six feet. Hitler had kept him under wraps to prove his Nazi-Aryan superiority theory, and this irked Jesse a bit. He was a black man, a Negro and he wanted to prove a point to Hitler and his men. Unfortunately, in his anger he made several mistakes and it seemed he would not even qualify.

Question 2.
Trace the circumstances in which Jesse Owens achieved his incredible win and a lifelong friendship in the 1936 Berlin Olympics ?
Answer:
When Jesse was walking in disgust at his failure in making the qualifying jumps, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked into the smiling blue eyes of a German athlete. Offering a firm handshake, the tall young man introduced himself as Luz Long and enquired about what was bothering Jesse that prevented him from qualifying easily. The German understood his anger and reassured him by making clear that he did not believe in Aryan superiority theory.

He suggested that Jesse should draw a line a few inches back on the board and take off from there. He also told him that it was only the qualifying round; whether he came first or not, it did not matter. It is the actual game that he should concentrate on. The tension seemed to vanish from his body and Jesse qualified with almost a foot to spare. That night, the two talked about various things of interest and a strong friendship had formed between them.

Question 3.
Bring out the qualities of Luz Long as a sportsman and a friend.
Answer:
Luz Long was a true athlete, who believed in playing the game in true sportsman spirit. He refused to be swayed by undue nationalistic feelings as he paid more importance to the spirit of the game rather than racial prejudices. He valued the capabilities of the Black American who went on making mistakes due to his unexplainable anger at discrimination. He gave him actionable advice as to where to begin the jump. He reassured him by saying that he had to concentrate only on qualifying as the true action would take place the next day.

Any other sportsman would have felt happy at the discomfort of his rival; but not Luz who respected true athletic capabilities. He knew that if Jesse got into the right path, he would win, depriving him a chance to bag the Gold and thereby hurt Hitler’s ego of Aryan supremacy. Luz would definitely try to beat him, but at the same time he wanted Jesse to do his best. He broke his own record which inspired his rival to bring out his best of 26 feet 8-/4 inches. He was the first person to congratulate Jesse on his incredible feat.

He gave a firm, genuine handshake in front of the glaring eyes of Hitler. With this gesture he proved to the whole world, the true motto of Olympics, which is not in winning but in participating. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.

How much Jesse Owen valued the friendship is proved when he says that he could have melted all the medals he won, but that would not come up to the 24 carat friendship he felt for the German. The friendship lasted till Luz was killed in action in World War II.

Question 4.
‘An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes.’ What is the mistake being talked about and how did Jesse feel at that point of time ?
Answer:
Although Jesse Owen’s full concentration was on his game and winning the gold medal, he got distracted after seeing Luz Long’s performance. He thought that if Luz won, it would add support to Nazi’s Aryan—Superiority theory, He got irritated thinking about this; he was filled with anger and fouled twice in the qualifying jumps. His attitude towards his game had a very bad impact on him after fouling in the final qualifying jumps and this was eating him up.

Question 5.
How was the mistake rectified and what was the result of it ?
Answer:
The mistake of making fouls twice was rectified with the help of Luz Long’s fruitful advise. He suggested him to draw a line a few inches back of the board and aim at taking off from that line. His advice reassured Owens about him qualifying the jump without fouling.

Question 6.
Evaluate Luz Long as a sportsman and as a friend.
Answer:
Luz Long was a true sportsman and an amazing human being. He reduced Owens’ tension by showing compassion. He gave him a friendly advice of how to draw a line a few inches before the board and take off from there to avoid the foul. This helped Owens to qualify. Later when Owens met him after trials in his quarter, both talked for two hours about a lot of things. He knew he would anger Hitler by being friendly with Owens but didn’t pay heed to it and developed a congenial relationship with him. He did not mind his defeat at all and showed no sign of jealousy towards Owens.

Luz Long had the true spirit of sportsmanship. That’s why when he saw Owens in trouble, he extended his hand to help him. Instead of seeing him as a rival, he was friendly with Owens. He proved to be Owens’ true guide; he respected him and considered him as his equal. Although he also had pressure on him of winning the medal but he did not have any hesitation in offering advice to an opponent.

He helped Jesse in coming out of distress. Besides he was an amazing human being. He took himself just as a participant and winning was only a matter of chance and efforts. Even after losing the game, he did not develop any rivalry towards Jesse. Rather he congratulated Jesse with a firm handshake in front of Hitler when Jesse won the gold medal. He showed exceptional courage in befriending Jesse in front of his leader.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers All Summer in a Day

All Summer in a Day Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

1. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.
“It’s stopping, it’s stopping!”
“Yes, yes!”

Question 1.
Why were the children so excited?
Answer:
The children had been living on the planet Venus where the sun shone once in seven years and it was the day when the sun was about to shine. Thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water with sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands.

Question 2.
What was the impact of the rain?
Answer:
The impact of the rain was very severe under which thousand forests had been crushed and many more grown thousand times to be crushed again. This was the way of life on the planet Venus forever. Also heavy concussion of storms led the tidal waves to come over the islands. The continuous downpour changed the air of the atmosphere that made everybody look dull and pale

Question 3.
Why didn’t the children remember the sun?
Answer:
The children had been living on the planet where the sun shone only once in seven years and that day the rain was stopping. These children did not remember a day when there wasn’t rain. They were all nine years old but there had been a day, seven years ago when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the shocking world, but they could not remember this as at that time they were only two years old.

Question 4.
What did the children dream about the sun?
Answer:
The children had almost lost the remembrance of sun. Sometimes at night, they dreamt and remembered gold or yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with. They thought they remembered blushing in the face, and warmness in the body, in the arms and legs and trembling hands.

Question 5.
How was their dream shattered?
Answer:
The children dreamt about the sun but their dream came to an end and they awoke to the sound of drum. The endless shaking down of clear bead necklaces in the form of rain upon the roof, the walk, the gardens, the forests and their dreams were shattered. The day before, they had read about sun in the class. Its appearance was like a lemon and it was hot. They had even written small stories, essays or poems also about it. It was like a flower that bloomed for just one hour.

2. When the class sang songs about happiness and life and games her lips barely moved. Only when they sang about the sun and the summer did her lips move as she watched the drenched windows. And then, of course, the biggest crime of all was that she had come here only five years ago from Earth, and she remembered the sun and the way the sun was and the sky was when she wafour in Ohio.

Question 1.
What was the impact of rain on Margot?
Answer:
Margot was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes, the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She had an appearance of an old photograph dusted from an album and her voice was like a ghost.

Question 2.
How did children tease Margot?
Answer:
When she used to stare at the rain, William targeted her saying “What are you looking at?” and when she replied nothing, he asked her to speak forcibly. He gave her a rough push. The children isolated her from the group and did not look at her.

Question 3.
Why did the children do so?
Answer:
The children teased her just because she did not play any games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her and ran away, she would not follow and stood there blinking after them. She hardly accompanied them when the class sang songs about happiness and life and games. She only sang when the children sing about the sun and the summer.

Question 4.
What was her biggest crime?
Answer:
The children did not mix up with Margot as she was bit different from them. Her biggest crime was that she had come on their planet only five years ago from Earth, and she remembered the sun and the way the sun was and the sky was when she was only four in Ohio. And those children had been on Venus all their lives, and they had been only two years old when last the sun came out. They had long since forgotten the color and heat of it but Margot remembered everything.

Question 5.
What is meant by “the loud wet world beyond the huge glass”?
Answer:
The story is a Science fiction which is about the life on planet Venus where it had been raining constantly for the past seven years and the children who were born on that planet were only two years old when they had last seen the sunshine. They were confined in the thick glass windows from which they could hear the loud noise of rain and it was so wet outside that there was rubber and ash colored jungle of weeds, flowers and huge trees that covered the planet.

3. There was talk that her father and mother were taking her back to Earth next year; it seemed vital to her that they do so, though it would mean the loss of thousands of dollars to her family. And so, the children hated her for all these reasons of big and little consequence. They hated her pale snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness, and her possible future.

Question 1.
What did Margot tell about the sun to the children and what was their reaction?
Answer:
Once she had told the children that it was like a penny with her eyes closed as if she was telling or remembering some wonderful thing or event. But children refused to accept it. Then she said that it was like a fire in the stove and that also was not accepted by the children and they told her that she was lying. But she remembered very well and stood quietly apart from all of them.

Question 2.
What did Margot refuse to do in the school room? Why?
OR
How did Margot realize that she was different from other children on the planet? .
Answer:
Once she had also refused to take shower in the school shower rooms and clutched her hands to her ears and over her head screaming. She had fond memories of sun and it appeared that she was totally distressed by the relentless rains, she wanted to go back. Since then she realized that she was different from other children and kept away.

Question 3.
Which rumor was spread among children in connection with Margot?
Answer:
There was a rumor on the planet that she would be taken back to earth by her parents the following year and it was important also for her. Although it would mean the loss of thousands of dollars to her family but that v was true. And that’s why the children hated her for all these reasons. They hated her pale snow face, her silence, her thinness and her possible future.

Question 4.
How did the children make fun of Margot?
Answer:
The boy pushed her by saying “get away”. For the first time, she turned and looked at him. The boy shouted savagely not to wait around here ,and told her that she won’t be able to say anything as nothing was going to happen that day. The other children blinked at him and then they understood his taunt and laughed and shook their heads. Margot was helpless still she told , them that it was predicted by the scientists. But the boy said that it was a joke and seized her roughly.

Question 5.
What was the reason behind the children’s indifferent attitude towards Margot?
Answer:
The children were jealous and cruel’ towards Margot. It was due to the – natural tendency of human beings that when one is devoid of something that other gets, he or she feels indifference. The same thing happened with them. Since Margot had recently shifted to the planet Venus and she had all the memories of Earth, the children felt jealous of her. They could not accept the fact that Margot had the experience of living under sun that was why they confronted and bullied her.

4. The children lay out, laughing, on the jungle mattress, and heard it sigh and squeak under them resilient and alive. They ran among the trees, they slipped and fell, they pushed each other, they played hide-and-seek and tag, but most of all they squinted at the sun until the tears ran down their faces; they put their hands up to that yellowness and that amazing blueness and they breathed of the fresh, fresh air and listened and listened to the silence which suspended them in a blessed sea of no sound and no motion.

Question 1.
In what way children showed their anger towards Margot?
OR
Which idea did they conceive in mind for Margot?
Answer:
Because Margot knew and remembered much about the sun than the other children, they were jealous of her. They thought of shutting her up in a closet. They caught her up forcibly and while she protested and pleaded and • cried, they showed no sign of sympathy. They pushed her into a room, a closet and slammed and locked her. They stood outside looking at the door trembling from her beating and throwing herself against it. They could hear her muffled cries.

Question 2.
What caused silence on the planet?
Answer:
No sooner did the children come back to tunnel after locking Margot, the rain had stopped and their teacher asked them to be ready for viewing sun. The whole crowd gathered near the door. It seemed as if in the midst of a film concerning an avalanche, a tornado, a hurricane, a volcanic eruption, something had gone wrong with the sound apparatus, thus cutting off all noise of the blasts and repercussions and thunders. The world ground to a standstill.

Question 3.
How did sun look like to them when it appeared after seven years?
Answer:
The sun was the color of flaming bronze and it was very large. The sky around it was a blazing blue sky color. The jungle seemed to be burned with sunlight and the children rushed out shrieking into the springtime as if released from their long cast spell. Although it was a common sight for a common man but to them it was like a blessing that only showered for a while after a span of long period.

Question 4.
The ecstatic joy felt by the children is very well depicted in the story. Describe.
Answer:
The joy on the faces of the children on seeing the yellow sun is indescribable. When the sun came out all of them rushed out yelling into the springtime. Even after teacher’s instruction and warning, they started running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron. They took off their jackets so that the sun could burn their arms. They found it better than the sun lamps.

Question 5.
How did Venus look like?
Answer:
Venus was covered by a huge jungle which never stopped growing as there was excessive rain always. It was just like octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh like weed, wavering, flowering in that brief spring when the sun appeared. Its color was the color of rubber and ash as it was without sun for many years. It was the color of stones and white cheeses and ink; it was the color of the moon. There were no vibrant colors due to the absence of sun.

5. They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down.
“Margot. ”
One of the girls said, “Well… ?”

Question 1.
Who told the children about sun’s retreat?
OR
Why did the girl wail?
Answer:
In the midst of their running, children didn’t realize that the sun was retreating. Suddenly a girl wailed and everyone stopped. She was standing in the open and as soon as she held her hand out she asked everyone to look at it. There was a single raindrop which meant that it was the time for the sun to retreat. The girl began to cry because the long awaited moment came to an end very soon. Few cold drops fell on their noses and cheeks and their mouths. Cold wind began to blow and the sky darkened.

Question 2.
How did the weather change after the sun vanished?
Answer:
After the sun retreated, it faded behind the mist and few cold drops fell on the children’s noses and cheeks and their mouths. A cold wind blew around them. The sky darkened into midnight in a flash. A boom of thunder startled the children and like leaves before a new hurricane, they tumbled upon each other and ran.

Question 3.
What were the feelings of the children when it rained?
OR
“Will it be seven more years”? Explain. Who asked this question?
Answer:
The children were standing in the doorway of the underground for a moment until it was raining hard. Their happiness, excitement, merriment and laughter all came to an end soon. Lightning struck ten miles away, five miles away, a mile and a half mile. They closed the door and again heard the same ‘ common gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches everywhere and forever which meant that again for seven more years they had to wait to catch a beautiful yellow glimpse of sun. This question was asked by one of the students.

Question 4.
How did the children feel about Margot when the sun was gone?
OR
Why couldn’t children meet each other’s glances?
Answer:
When the sun had gone and it started raining again, one of the children reminded of Margot to others. They remembered that she was still in the closet in which they had captured her. They stood as if someone had driven them. They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced at the world that was raining and couldn’t meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They felt ashamed of their action and realized how much ” Margot sacrificed when she moved from earth to Venus.

Question 5.
Where had the Margot been captured? Who did it? Finally how – did she come out of that place?
Answer:
Margot had been hidden in the closet in a room into the tunnel. She had been captured by the children of the Venus planet. The children, who criticized Margot, now began to understand her situation of what she had been feeling since her arrival on Venus. They did not understand the depression under which she was living on Venus. It was not until they spend time in sun and then they realized their mistake and walked back slowly down the hall to the closet where they had captured Margot and opened it slowly and let the Margot out.

All Summer in a Day Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Bring out the anxiety of children before the great event. What are they waiting for ?
Answer:
The children had been living on the planet Venus where the sun shone once in seven years and it was the day when the sun was about to shine. Thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water with sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they looked as though tidal waves had come over the islands.

The previous day, they all had studied about the sun and wrote about it, about how like a lemon it was and how hot. They had written small stories or essays or poems about it. They imagined it to be a flower that blooms for just one hour.A group of school children was crowding around a window of their classroom and waiting anxiously for the heavy downpour to slacken and the sun to rise.

Question 2.
Describe the life in Venus.
Answer:
The story is a Science fiction about the life on planet Venus where it had been raining constantly for the past seven years and the children who were born on that planet were only two years old when they had last seen the sunshine. They were confined in the thick glass windows from which they could hear the loud noise of the rain and it was so wet outside that there was a rubber and ash coloured jungle of weeds, flowers and huge trees that covered the planet.

Question 3.
What happened when the sun rose ?
Answer:
When the sun rose, the children came out shouting and laughing on v the jungle mattresses. The joy on the faces of the children on seeing the yellow sun was indescribable. Even after the teacher’s instructions and warning, they started running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron. They took off their jackets so that the sun could burn their arms. They found it better than the sun lamps.

The children living on planet Venus were so happy to welcome the sun as if a child feels when he or she gets a new toy. They turned their faces up to the sky again and again to feel the warmth of sun. They ran among the tress and for the slipped and fell, pushed each other and played hide and seek. It seemed as if they got the life in , real sense. They put their hands up to the yellowness of the sun and tried to feel it on their faces. They breathed the fresh air and listened to the silence which took them to the soundless and motionless sea.

Question 4.
How does the story ‘All Summer in a Day’ starts with the darker side of human nature and ends on a note of hope?
Answer:
That humans are a complex lot, with varied emotions is conveyed through the story, “All in a Summer Day’. Margot is different from the rest of them as she has come from the earth and has seen the splendor of Sun. They tease her, treat her like a stranger; especially William, even calling her a liar for saying that she wrote a poem on Sun. They shove her, leave her alone, would not even look at her because she will not play games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city.

She is made to feel different. They want to take revenge, so they lock her up in a dark tunnel and forget all about her till the sun appears and disappears. However, after rejoicing in the sun, the malice seems to wash away. They feel remorse and shame and slowly lets her out. We can feel there will be a better understanding among the children in future and Margot will be accepted as one of them.

Question 5.
How does the writer contrast the scene of rain and darkness and the scene of Sun and brightness in the story?
Answer:
The story begins with the eagerness and excitement of the children to see the Sun that appears in the sky once in seven years. It had been raining all those seven years, thousands of days , from one end to the other compounded with rain the drum and gush of water, crystal fall of showers, concussion of storms and the tidal waves towering over them.

The author says that a thousand forests had been crushed under the rain , sprouted again, only to be crushed again by the rain .In contrast, when the Sun came out, it was the color of flaming bronze against a blazing blue sky. The forests came to lie, unfurling their tendrils and the children laughed, shouted in joy and fell on the grass and ran among the tress. It was as though a new life was flowing through their veins. The two hours of joy acted as a miracle in their hearts, wiping away all malice and bringing a new understanding towards their fellow student Margot whom they had hitherto considered as a stranger and a liar.

Question 6.
Explore the feelings of Margot as portrayed by the writer.
Answer:
Margot, a nine year old girl feels like a stranger amidst the other children of her class. She is kept away by the others as they fell she is not like them. The main difference is that she has come from earth where she had experienced the splendor of the sun, its warmth and brightness. She does not feel at ease with the cold climate and the incessant rain in Venus.

She does not want to run and play with others in the corridors of the school, does not like to take bath in the cold waters. Nobody believes her she has seen the Sun which comes only in seven years in the planet. When she writes poetic lines on the sun, others call her liar. So we see a little girl, who is shoved about, shunned by the children of her age, completely alone, sad and even locked up in a dark tunnel by the insensitive ones.