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The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role by Nani Pakhivala

 The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role by Nani Pakhivala

Short Answer-type Questions (word limit: About 30-40)

Q1. Justify the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.

Ans. The Earth has become an ailing planet. Its environment is being polluted. It has become very difficult to breathe in this polluted air, particularly in big cities. Environmental pollution has created so many problems for the vegetation and millions of creatures living on the earth. The earth’s temperature is rising up. Climatic changes have further aggravated (worsened) the situation. Its natural resources are depleting day by day.

Q2. What is the ‘Green Movement’?

Ans. The ‘Green Movement’ refers to the activity that is continued together by people to change or improve the present situation by means of united efforts. It is called Green because in this movement much stress is laid on planting more and more trees.

Q3. What is the significance of the Green Movement?

Ans. This movement was founded in New Zealand in 1972 and with the help of so many agencies, awareness among people has spread. Now, we think of ourselves as partners on the earth, not the sole owner of it. We have to share this earth with other creatures and the vegetation also.

Q4. What is scientific temperament?

   Ans. Scientific temperament refers to the characteristic of a personality that affects mood or behaviour. The word ‘scientific’ refers to the careful and systematic or reasonable approach to achieve some aim.

Q5. What is ‘Sustainable development’?

  Ans. This is the development in which natural resources are used by keeping in view the share of the coming generations in them. They are not used blindly, rather efforts are made to preserve and increase them for future generations.

   Q6.  What does the notice 'The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?

  Ans. It emphasizes the fact that man is responsible for making the earth an ailing planet. Man’s activities are making the survival of millions of living beings and vegetation on the earth impossible. That’s why; he has been called the world’s most dangerous animal. The notice at Zambia Zoo is a constant reminder to humans of his guilt to dominate the whole of the earth.

Q7 What awareness and wisdom have dawned upon Man now?

   Ans. Man has now realized his folly (foolishness) and a sort (kind) of wisdom has  dawned (became known) upon him. It has made a shift (change) in his thinking, which was based on dominating (controlling) everything, every creature on the Earth. Now, it is based on partnership, sharing the planet with all the creatures & vegetation on it. Now, man is not the ‘sole’ owner of the earth.

Q8.  What is the significance of the question “Are we to leave our successors a scorched (damaged by heat) planet of advancing (increasing) deserts, impoverished made weaker or worse in quality:) landscapes and ailing environment?’ raised in the first report forwarded by  the Brandt Commission?

Ans. In a way, the commission has raised a voice against all human activities which are constantly (continuously) endangering the earth along with all its treasures (resources) . We are cutting trees to fulfil various needs. The environment is being polluted by us. We are polluting and endangering so many birds, and animals on land and in water. We will have to stop all these activities to make the earth a better place to live.

Q9. What are the four principal biological systems that form the global economic system, according to Mr Lester Brown,?

   Ans. Mr Lester Brown points out in his book ‘The Global Economic Prospect’ that there are four principal biological systems on the earth. These are fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. These four biological systems form the global economic system.

   Q 10. What do the four biological systems of the global economic system provide us?

   Ans. These four systems fulfil our basic needs including food. They provide all the raw materials for industries, except the synthetics, which are derived from minerals & petroleum.

Q11.  What does the writer mean to say when he quotes the statement, “forests precede (came before) mankind; mankind follow.”?

   Ans. It lays stress on one thing before mankind took birth on the earth's planet, forests were already there on it. Mankind came thereafter, maybe, after a very long time. But after that, human beings started exploiting (recklessly cutting) forests for their personal use in such a way that it disturbed the whole ecosystem of the earth.

Q 12. How does the increase in population at a high rate pose a big hurdle in the way to the country’s progress?

   Ans. He says that if the population continues increasing at the present rate, the development becomes meaningless and its speed may also decrease. Until population control is given the topmost priority, the hope for a better condition in life would die in their hungry hutments (group of huts).

Q 13. In the words of Mr Lester Brown, “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children.” What does he mean to say in this context?

   Ans. Mr Lester Brown wants to lay stress the fact that we all human beings must care for the health of the earth. It is not something that we got from our ancestors in inheritance. But we have borrowed it from our coming generation. We will have to keep and use it as we do in case of the borrowed thing. We do not try to harm a borrowed thing in any way. So we will not harm the earth also.

  Q14. What ‘shift’ has occurred now in our views towards the earth?

  Ans. The shift in our outlook to view the earth as a living organism, that has its own metabolism and vital processes that need to be respected and preserved.

Ans. The earth’s principal four biological systems are fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands.

These are the four pillars of any country’s economic growth. But, these four pillars are on the verge of collapse. Forests are being cut to use wood for so many purposes. Croplands are becoming infertile day by day. Farmers are using chemical manures. Grasslands are getting transformed into a barren wasteland. Overfishing is being practised by the protein-hungry world. Forests are the shelter house for so many animals, big and small. The earth’s fertile land has started changing into deserts. Human activities are responsible for causing various types of damage to the ecosystem of the earth. It has to be stopped at any cost in order to save this planet.

Q2. How are forests helpful to us? What is their present condition?

   Ans. Forests are one of the four principal biological systems that form the economical growth of a country. But unfortunately, these are being cut at a very fast speed.   Forests are helpful to all of us in many ways. They provide timber, fuel, fruits, medicine, and shelter to animals. The most important function of trees is to provide us with a free of cost supply of oxygen. They save us from heat and bring rain which is necessary for all the vegetation on the earth. All living beings need water to drink; without it, life is impossible on earth. But, unfortunately, we human beings are not fully aware about the importance of forests. But the Green Movement has done a lot of work in making people aware of saving the earth from all these dangers.

 

Q3. Discuss the statement, ‘The choice is really between the control of population and perpetuating (making permanent) of poverty.’

   Ans. Our Government has two options: (1) to control the fast-growing population (2) to make poverty the country’s permanent feature. 

If the population is not controlled, it would bring so many other problems associated with it. It is truly said that overpopulation is the mother of many other problems, like unemployment, rise in prices, increasing crime rate, traffic jams on the roads, long queues everywhere, crowds in markets, crowds in classrooms, need for more houses, etc. No single problem quoted above may be dissociated from over-population.

  Over-population is the cause of poverty also. If maximum people of a country remain unemployed, they will not be able to educate their children properly. In this way, poverty will find a permanent place in the huts of the poor section of society.

(C)Important Passages (Textual) for Comprehension

 Passage 1

  ONE cannot recall any movement in world history which has gripped the imagination of the entire human race so completely and so rapidly as the Green Movement which started nearly twenty-five years ago. In 1972 the world’s first nationwide Green party was founded in New Zealand. Since then, the movement has not looked back.

Q1.What is Green Movement?

 Ans. Making the earth green but growing more and more trees is called the Green Movement.

 Q2. What special thing did this movement do in world history?

Ans. It caught the attention of the entire human race very quickly.

Q3. Where was the Green party first founded?

 Ans. In New Zealand.

Q4.  Write the synonym of the word ‘gripped’.

Ans. ‘caught’

Q1. Name the title of the lesson and its writer.

Ans. The title of the lesson is: The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role and its writer is Nani Palkhivala

Passage 2

 We have shifted — one hopes, irrevocably — from the mechanistic view to a holistic and ecological view of the world. It is a shift in human perceptions as revolutionary as that introduced by Copernicus who taught mankind in the sixteenth century that the earth and the other planets revolved around the sun. For the first time in human history, there is a growing worldwide consciousness that the earth itself is a living organism — an enormous being of which we are parts. It has its own metabolic needs and vital processes which need to be respected and preserved.

  Q1. What was the mechanical view of the earth in the past?

   Ans. It was to view the earth as a dead planet that is to be used to fulfil human needs without paying attention to preserving its treasures.

Q2. What ‘shift’ has occurred now in our views towards the earth?

   Ans. The shift in our outlook to view the earth as a living organism, that has its own metabolism and vital processes that need to be respected and preserved.

Q3.What did Copernicus teach mankind in the 16^th century?

 Ans. He taught mankind that the earth and the other planets revolved round the earth.

 Q4. Which word in the passage has the following synonym ‘ changed ‘

 Ans. ‘Shifted’

Passage 3

In the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, there is a cage where the notice reads, ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’. Inside the cage there is no animal but a mirror where you see yourself. Thanks to the efforts of a number of agencies in different countries, a new awareness has now dawned upon the most dangerous animal in the world. He has realised the wisdom of shifting from a system based on domination to one based on partnership.

Q1. What notice is placed on a cage in the zoo?

Ans. It reads ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’.

Q2. What does the notice refer to?

Ans. It refers to Man, as the world’s most dangerous animal.Q3. Q3.Why is Man called the world’ most dangerous animal? Ans. Man considers being the ‘owner’ of the earth and the boss of all the creatures found on it. It does not hesitate to do cruelty on any creature and destroy anything that belongs to the earth.

Q4. What new awareness has dawned upon the most dangerous animal in the world?

Ans. He has realised that he is not the owner and the boss of the earth. He is a partner with millions of other creatures and vegetation on the earth.

 Q5. Use ‘dawned upon’ in your own sentence.

 Ans. Suddenly an idea dawned upon me.

Passage 4.

Article 48A of the Constitution of India provides that “the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”. But what causes endless anguish is the fact that laws are never respected nor enforced in India. (For instance, the Constitution says that casteism, untouchability and bonded labour shall be abolished, but they flourish shamelessly even after forty-four years of the operation of the Constitution.) A recent report of our Parliament’s Estimates Committee has highlighted the near-catastrophic depletion of India’s forests over the last four decades. India, according to reliable data, is losing its forests at the rate of 3.7 million acres a year. Large areas, officially designated as forest land, “are already virtually treeless”. The actual loss of forests is estimated to be about eight times the rate indicated by government statistics.

 Q1. What does article 48 A of the Constitution of India say?

Ans. It says that “the State shall endeavour (try) to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.”

 Q2. What causes anguish to the writer regarding the laws?

Ans. It is a fact that the laws are neither respected nor are they enforced in India.

Q3. What social evils does the writer talk about in this passage?

Ans. The writer talks about casteism, untouchability and bonded labour and these are still present in our society.

Q4. What does the recent report of our Parliament’s Estimates Committee say?

Ans. It says that India is losing forests at the alarming speed of 3.7 million acres a year. The actual loss is about eight times the rate indicated by the government.

 

              

The World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth-Qs-Ans

  The World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth

Questions-Answers-The World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth

Very Short Answer-type Qs (one word-a phrase-a sentence)

Q1. According to the poet, what is man's attitude to nature?

Ans. Man’s attitude to nature is indifference (lack of interest).

Q2. Who were Proteus and Triton?

Ans. They were Greek and Roman gods of Nature.

Q3.Why does the poet want to become a Pagan?

Ans. He wants to become a Pagan to worship the gods of Nature.

Q4. What does the poet mean by stating ‘the world is too much with us?

Ans. It means that man has become too attached to the material world.

Q5. What are we ‘out of tune with?

Ans. We are ‘out of tune' with Nature.

Q6. What is the ‘sordid boon’?
Ans. Lust (extreme greed) for possessing material things is a sordid boon.

Q7. Who is the Pagan according to the poet?

Ans. A non-Christian is a Pagan according to the poet.

Q8. What does the poet glimpse and what is its effect on him?

Ans. The poet has glimpses of the gods of Nature, Proteus, and Triton and it makes him happy.

Q9.What does the poet mean by “the world’ in the first line?

Ans. It means worldly possessions.

Q10. Identify the rhyme scheme used in this Sonnet?

Ans. The poet has used the following rhyme scheme in this poem: abba, abba, cdcdcd.

Q11. How has materialism affected us?

Ans. It has made us slaves to material possessions.

Q12. ‘It moves us not’. What moves us not?

Ans. The beauties of Nature do not move us.

Q13.How do we waste our powers according to Wordsworth?

Ans. We waste our power in getting and spending money on material things.

Q14. What does Wordsworth say he could do if he were a Pagan?

Ans. In that case, he would have a glimpse of the gods of nature.

Q15. Why can't we make nature a part of our life?

Ans. As we are all the time busy with material pursuits, we cannot make nature a part of our life.

Q16. How, according to the poet, is ‘the world’ too much with us?

Ans. We are all the time busy with material pursuits; earning and spending money on material things.

Q17.Sonnet is of two types. Out of these two, which type of Sonnet is Wordsworth’s poem ‘The World is Too Much with Us’?

Ans. This poem is based on the Petrarchan sonnet.

Q18. How many lines are there in a Petrarchan Sonnet?

Ans. It has fourteen lines.

Comprehension Exercises:

Answer the following questions in 20-30 words each:

Q1. According to the poet, what is man's attitude to nature?

Ans. Man’s attitude to Nature is indifference. We have made ourselves detached (cut off/separated) from Nature. We are every time busy earning and spending money. We have no communion with Nature. We cannot afford separation from it. If it happens, harmful effects on the earth can be felt or seen.

Q2. Who were Proteus and Triton?

Ans. The poet mentions the ancient Greek and Roman mythical gods Proteus and Triton in this poem. Proteus would be seen emerging from the sea and Triton would be blowing his curled conch-like horn. In this way, he would not feel lonely and sad at all in the company of Roman and Greek gods.

Q3.Why does the poet want to become a Pagan?

Ans. The poet declares that he would prefer to be a Pagan rather than be affected by the growing materialism in the world due to the first phase of industrialization in England. He would be ready to renounce his religion ‘Christianity’ which advocates for only one God. He would like to follow the religion in which Nature is worshipped. This stanza reflects Wordsworth’s deep love for Nature. This is the reason why the poet wants to become a pagan.

Q4. What does the poet mean by stating ‘the world is too much with us’?

 Ans. The poet means to say that human beings have become more attached to material things. He expresses his deep concern over people’s growing love for worldly things. Man has become a slave to the god of money, Mammon. He appeals to all of us to give up Mammon worship and start loving Nature. At that time, industrialization had just started showing its impact on human minds.

Q5. What are we ‘out of tune with?

Ans. The poet says that people are out of tune with nature. He says that people do not feel attracted by the beauties of nature. The poet quotes examples of some beautiful scenes of Nature. It all shows that Man has become very much indifferent to the beauties of Nature. They are in disharmony with the world of  Nature.

Q6. What is the ‘sordid boon’?

Ans. Actually, the poet has used ‘too much in the title of the poem ‘The World is too much With Us’. We have a clue here to explain the meaning of the paradox ‘sordid boon’. It seems that the poet does not have much objection to people’s limited love for material things. Then it is a boon for them. But when they have crossed limits and got too much involved in their love for material things, then it becomes sordid. Hence, the meaning of the paradox is ‘a sordid boon’.

Q7. Who is the Pagan according to the poet?

Ans. A pagan is a worshipper of nature. Ans. He believes in many gods and goddesses of nature. But this word was also used as a ‘non-believer of God’ or a non-Christian person. This is because a Christian believes only in one God.

Q8. What does the poet glimpse and what is its effect on him?

 Ans. The poet has glimpses of the ancient Greek and Roman mythical gods Proteus and Triton. Proteus would be seen emerging from the sea and Triton would be blowing his curled conch-like horn. In this way, he would not feel lonely and sad at all in the company of Roman and Greek gods.

Q9.What does the poet mean by “the world’ in the first line?

Ans. In this poem ‘the world’ means the greed for material things. The people of the world have become too much involved in possessing material things. They do so by earning lots and lots of money. In this process, they have become indifferent to Nature. They worship only the god of money, that is, Mammon.

Q10. Identify the rhyme scheme used in this Sonnet?

Ans. The poet has used the following rhyme scheme in this poem: abba, abba, cdcdcd.

It means the first line rhymes with the fourth line, the second line rhymes with the third; the fifth line rhymes with the eighth while the sixth one with the seventh; the ninth line rhymes with the eleventh and thirteenth; the tenth line rhymes with the twelfth and the fourteenth.

 Answer the following questions in about 150 words each

Q1. What does the poet think about the way a man treats nature? How does he express his thoughts and feelings on this topic in the poem?

 Or Summary of the poem ‘The World Is Too Much with Us’

Ans.   The poet thinks that we have made ourselves detached (cut off/separated) from Nature. We are every time busy earning and spending money. We have no communion with Nature. He means to say that God has created Nature for all the creatures on the earth. So Nature belongs to us and we also belong to Nature. We cannot afford separation from it. If it happens, harmful effects on the earth can be felt or seen. We have given our hearts to material things. It means we have started loving them. He expresses his deep concern over people’s growing love for worldly things. Man has become a slave to the god of money, Mammon. All the diseases and mental discomforts are due to our love for material things. As a great worshipper of Nature, the poet appeals to all of us to give up Mammon worship and start loving Nature.

To prove his love for nature, the poet declares that the Pagans in ancient times lived healthier life. It is because they were always connected to nature. They were nourished in the lap of nature. So, all qualities of head and heart, like patience, love, peace, hard work, etc. automatically got imbibed into their personality. This is the reason why the poet wishes to become a pagan and have the glimpses of gods of nature.

Q2.The sonnet is a criticism of life in this modern mechanized milieu. Comment on the assessment of this fine.

Ans. The sonnet is really a criticism of life because William Wordsworth makes a strong case of criticism against life the people had started living in the nineteenth century under the effect of industrialization and scientific progress. The case is still applicable in this modern mechanised world today also. We don’t have any time to ‘stand and stare at a beautiful object of nature. The love for material things has made us blind to natural beauty.

We have made ourselves detached (cut off/separated) from Nature. We are every time busy earning and spending money. We have no communion with Nature. He means to say that God has created Nature for all the creatures on the earth. So Nature belongs to us and we also belong to Nature. We cannot afford separation from it. If it happens, harmful effects on the earth can be felt or seen.

Man has become a slave to the god of money, Mammon. All the diseases and mental discomforts are due to our love for material things. As a great worshipper of Nature, the poet appeals to all of us to give up Mammon worship and start loving Nature.

To prove his love for nature, the poet declares that the Pagans in ancient times lived healthier life. It is because they were always connected to nature. They were nourished in the lap of nature. So, all qualities of head and heart, like patience, love, peace, hard work, etc. automatically got imbibed into their personality. This is the reason why the poet wishes to become a pagan and have the glimpses of gods of nature.

Q3.How does Wordsworth employ Greek mythology and other devices to portray the materialistic mind of modern man?

Ans. After reading and understanding the poem, we all come to know how William Wordsworth feels hurt to see his fellow Christians getting too attached to materialism. They have started wasting much of their time and energy in earning and spending money. In this way, money has become a curse for them. It is the root cause of all of their ailments.

To depict the materialistic mind of modern man, the poet uses Greek mythology. He tells us how in ancient times the Greeks used to believe in Pagan gods. They believed in and loved every object in nature. They used to have glimpses of Pagan gods like Proteus and Triton rising from the sea. He uses beautiful imagery from Nature to make the readers feel and think about how nature blesses every human heart.

 

The poet creates a very beautiful word picture using personification of the sea and the moon. The poet uses a straightforward image of the sea in female form exposed to the view of the moon. The second image that emerges in the poet’s mind is that of the winds huddled together like sleeping flowers. The poet uses a simile of sleeping flowers for the winds that have now huddled up together as if in the position of sleeping.

  In the end, the poet declares that he would prefer to be a Pagan rather than be affected by the growing materialism in the world. He would be ready to renounce his religion ‘Christianity’ that advocates for only one God. He would like to follow the religion in which Nature is worshipped.

Q4. The poet prefers paganism to worldliness. Discuss.

Ans. William Wordsworth’s love for Nature is known to all of us. He wrote so many poems to show his great love for nature.

In this poem, his immense love for Nature makes him announce that he would prefer to be a pagan rather than a believer in a religion that restricts (stops) him from loving gods of nature, like Proteus and Triton.

In ancient Greece and Rome, people believed in so many gods and goddesses. So they were called Pagans. But in Christianity, only one God is worshipped. Nature is also blessed with them in so many ways.

The poet further says that people of his times have become slaves to materialism. They have stopped loving nature. They have detached themselves from the beauties of nature.

   The poet does not want to become too lost in materialism. The poet also declares that he would like to be a Pagan than continue following the outdated religion in which he was brought up. He would not stop loving nature even if his religion forces him to do so.

 

 

 

Verses from English Literature-Quotable Lines from English Poetry-Who wr...

The Making of a Scientist-Summary-Robert W Peterson-Class X English

Mijbil the Otter-Qs-Ans-Gavin Maxwell

 Lesson 8. Mijbil the Otter

Q1. Describe Gavin Maxwell’s experience with the otter in the aircraft.

Ans. Gavin Maxwell wanted to take the otter, Mijbil, to London. But the aircraft authorities suggested to Maxwell to put Mijbil into a box. It should not be more than 18 inches. The air hostess advised the author to keep the box on his knees. But the otter was out of the box in a flash. He disappeared somewhere under the seats. There was a hue and cry in the aircraft. A woman cried, “A rat, a rat!” The writer tried to catch it. But his face was covered with curry. He had to return to his seat. But still, his eyes were searching for the otter. After some time, Mijbil sat on the author’s knees. It began to nuzzle his face and neck. Thus it was taken to London.

 Q2. When did the author decide to have a pet otter instead of a pet dog? How did he get one? How did he carry him to England?

Ans. The author’s pet dog had died It was then the author decided to keep an otter as a pet. His friend told him to go to Iraq to get an otter. . By chance in 1956, he had to go to the Southern part of Iraq. Then the author went to Basra to get his mail. After getting his mail on the fifth day, the author went into his room to read the mail. There he saw two Arabs sitting on the floor. They had an otter in a sack. Actually, those two Arabs were sent by the author’s friend. In this way he got an otter. The author booked a seat on a flight going to Paris. Luckily he got a seat in the front row. Mijbil was packed into a box. From Paris, he reached London along with the otter.

Short Answer-type Qs.

Q1. What experiment did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?

Ans. The experiment was about keeping an otter as a pet.  He thought that Camusfearna was surrounded by water. Otters love to play in the water. So the writer thought to bring an otter and keep it as a pet in place of a dog.

Q2. Why did Maxwell go to Basra? How long did he wait there and why?

Ans. Maxwell went to Basra to get his mail and answer it from there. He had to wait for five days in Basra to get his mail. It was because of a religious holiday and some problems with the telephone lines.

Q3.What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after it?

Ans. Mijbil was very happy in the bathroom. It started playing in the bathtub. It was jumping and rolling in the water. It spent half an hour enjoying in the water of the bathtub. After two days, it escaped from the bedroom and entered the bathroom to play in the water.

Q4. How was Mijbil to be transported to England?

Ans. British Airlines did not allow Maxwell to take Mijbil in the flight. Then he booked his seat on another flight going to Paris. From there he reached London. But he had to pack Mij into a box of eighteen inches.

Q5. What game had Mij invented?

Ans. Mijbil invented a game on the damaged suitcase. Its one side was up making a slope. Mijbil put the ball at the higher end of the slope. It rolled down to the full length of the suitcase. It repeated it and discovered that it would be its pet game.

 Q6.What happened when the box was opened? Or What did the Otter (Mij) do to the box?

Ans. When the author opened the box, there was a shocking scene. Mijbil was covered with blood. He had torn the lining of the box to shreds. In that process, he got injured.

Q7. Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s otter? Or why is Mij’s species known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?

Ans. Since Maxwell made this species of Mijbil, the otter, known to the whole world, it was named ‘Maxwell’s otter’.

Q8.What group of animals do otters belong to?

Ans. Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines. Other animals of this species are: badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink, and others

Q10. What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was?

Ans. They made several guesses about Mizbil. Some called it a baby seal or a squirrel. Others called it a walrus, a hippo, a bear cub, a beaver, or even a leopard that had changed its spots. All that made the writer amused.

Q11. What did the author give to the air hostess?

Ans. The author gave a packet of fish to the air hostess. It was the food for Mijbil to eat during the flight.

Q12. What were Mijbil’s favourite toys for his pastime? How did he play with them?

Ans. Marbles were his favourite toys for his pastime. He would lie flat. Then he took two or more marbles and moved them up and down on his flat belly with his paws.

Q13. What toys did Maxwell purchase from Mijbil’s native place?

Ans. Ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit, and a terrapin shell were Mijbil’s toys that Maxwell purchased from his native marshes.

Q14. What are compulsive habits? What are Mijbil’s compulsive habits according to the author?

Ans. The habits which force one to do some activities, again and again, are called ‘compulsive habits. Like children, Mijbil also did such activities. It would jump onto the boundary wall of a primary school and then run on it. It was in front of the writer’s flat in London.

 

Father to a Son-Qs-Ans- Elizabeth Jennings

 Father to a Son- Elizabeth Jennings

(A)  Short Answer-type Questions (About 30-40 words each)

Q1.  Explain the lines: “Yet have I killed 
The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?”

Ans. the father means to say that he has sowed the seeds of his ideas into his son’s mind, but his ideas did not cause any fruitful effect there. The son did not mould his own personality in the frame which his father had desired.

Q2. Explain the lines:“This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share. 
Silence surrounds us…..”

Ans. The meaning in the above lines is very much clear. The father says that the son has full physical resemblance with him.

 Q4. What is the reason for this kind of relationship between the son and the father in the poem?

Ans. It is the communication gap that is responsible for such a bad type of relationship between the father and the son. Sometimes fathers behave like a boss. So, sons do not feel comfortable in sharing their ‘joys and sorrows’ with them. They feel more comfortable with their mothers.

Q5. What can be estimated about the son’s state of mind from the lines, “He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief. 
We each put out an empty hand, 
Longing for something to forgive.”

Ans. From the above lines, one thing is clear that the son is confused about ‘something’. A constant struggle may be going on in his mind. It may be about making a type of compromise that is made when one fails or feels helpless to proceed further with the present odd situation.

It is a kind of compromise which takes place when one is defeated. The son may have struggled hard to make his career, but may have failed in this competitive world. Now he might be thinking to come back his father’s house.

Q 6. Explain the lines:  “We each put out an empty hand, /Longing for something to forgive.”

Ans. In the above lines, ‘we’ stands for ‘the father’ and ‘the son’. The father says that each of them extend  his empty hand forward to shake and long to forgive each other. The question arises here as to why the adjective ‘empty’ used in front of the noun ‘hand’.

 When a person shakes hands with another person, the hands are always empty. But if the meaning is taken at the deeper level, the hand is never empty. It has warmth of love.  But in this case, the emotion of love is missing at present. It has to take place in the new relationship that will emerge out of ‘sorrow’.

(B)   Some Important Stanzas for Comprehension

 Stanza 1

“I do not understand this child
 Though we have lived together now
 In the same house for years.”

Q1. Who is “I” in the above stanza?

Ans. It is the father in the above stanza.

Q2. Why does the “I” say that he does not understand that child?

Ans. The father does not understand what the son wants.

Q3. Who is the child mentioned in the stanza?

Ans. The child is the son of the father, the narrator in this poem.

Q4. Name the poem and its poet.

Ans. The title of the poem is Father to Son  and the poet is Elizabeth Jennings 

Stanza 2

“Yet have I killed 
The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine? “

 “We speak like strangers, there's no sign
Of understanding in the air. ..”

“This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share. 
Silence surrounds us…..”

Q1. For What does the ‘seed’ stand ?

Ans. It stands for the seed of ideas.

Q2. Why does the father say that he has spent the seed he had sown?

Ans. He says so because his son’s mind-set is different from his own. He expected the same ideas as he has in his mind.

Q3. Why do they behave like strangers?

Ans. No ideas were common between them. That’s why they speak like ‘strangers’.

Q4. What is the reason for this kind of relationship between the son and the father in the poem?

Ans. It is communciation gap that is responsible for such a bad type of relationship between the father and the son. Sometimes fathers behave like a boss. So, sons do not feel comfortable in sharing their ‘joys and sorrows’ with them. They feel more comfortable with their mothers.

 Q5. What is meant by the word ‘design’ in the poem?

Ans. Here ‘design’ means physical structure and resemblance.

Q6. Explain the expression: ‘what he loves I cannot share’.

Ans. When the father says that ‘what he loves I cannot share’, he means to say that his son has different likes, dislikes, tastes and so many other ideas.

Stanza 3

“I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father's house, the home he knew, 
Rather than see him make and move
His world….”

Q1. Who is a prodigal son?

Ans. ‘A prodigal  son’ is the one who has left his family to do something that his family did not allow him to do, and after sometime, he has returned home feeling sorry for his mistake.

Q2. What does the father want?

Ans. The father wants that the son should return to his house unconditionally.

Q3. What do the words ‘his father's house’ indicate?

Ans. The use of the words ‘his father's house’ show that the father does not want his son not to make his claim on the house. It shows father’s possessive nature also. He wantes his son to possess him like a thing.

Q4. Explain the line:  “Rather than see him make and move/His world.”

Ans. The father would like that his son should come back and he would not like to see him making his own house, making his own world where he can move of his own.

The above line “Rather than see him make and move/His world.” shows that the father does not like that his son should become independent and develop his own world of his own and where he could move freely. If he returns home, he would forgive him. Thus, after forgiving him, he would shape (develop) a new relationship out of the sad one that was there already between them.

Stanza 4

“I would forgive him too, 
Shaping from sorrow a new love. 
Father and son, we both must live
On the same globe and the same land.”

Q1. What does the father want to shape now?

Ans The father wants to shape a new relationship out of the sad one.

Q2. What thought has forced the father to develop a new relationship out of the old one?
Ans. The father reaches a conclusion that both the sone and the father must live together in the same house.

Q3. What meaning does the line ‘On the same globe and the same land’may convey?

Ans. The same globe stands for the earth and the same land means the same nation/country.

Stanza 5

“He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief. 
We each put out an empty hand, 
Longing for something to forgive.”

Q1. Who is ‘He’ in the above lines?

Ans. “he” is the son in the above lines.

Q2. Who cannot understand and what?

Ans. The son cannot understand why anger grows in him from grief.

Q3.  What do each of them long?

Ans. Each of them long for something to forgive each other.

Q4. What could be something in the above lines?

Ans. It could be the past behavior that they showed towards each other.

 

 

 

 

Childhood by Markus Natten

 Childhood by Markus Natten

Short Answer-type Questions (About 30-40 words each)

Q1. What answer /answers did the poet provide to the question put in the first stanza:  “When did his childhood go?”

Ans. The answered himself by asking if it was the day when he completed the eleventh year of his age. It was the time when he had started realising the difference between ‘Hell and Heaven’. He came to know that ‘Hell and Heaven’ did not exist (present) anywhere. Those were only the states of mind.

Q2. What answer /answers did the poet provide to the question put in the second stanza: “When did my childhood go?”

Ans. The poet answered himself by asking if it was the time when he realised that adults were not
what they all seemed to be. They appeared that they were not from the inside. They talked and preached about love. But they did not follow what they preached. They were hypocrites.

Q3. What answer /answers did the poet provide to the question put in the third stanza:  “When did his childhood go?”

Ans. He answered himself by asking if it was the time when he found his mind was really his and he started using his own thoughts to decide the problems. At that time he had stopped depending on others for solving his own problems.

Q4. What answer /answers did the poet provide to the question put in the fourth stanza:  “Where did my childhood go?”

Ans. The poet answers himself by saying that it went to some forgotten place. The line “That’s hidden in an infant’s face” shows that the poet has searched for his childhood everywhere. At last, he found its reflection on an infant’s face. It means that the poet has been able to reach the realization that childhood lives in the innocence reflected in the infant’s face.

Q5. What truth does the poet seem to realize at the end of the poem?

Ans. The poet seems to realize the truth that the state of innocence must give way to the state of experience. The knowledge of worldly wisdom is desirable for the human mind. Otherwise, it would be difficult for human beings to live peacefully.

Q6. What does the poet say about the adults?

Ans. He tells us about the hypocrisy shown by the adults. He lost faith in the adults because they did not act on what they preached. They always preached to him to love others, while they themselves did not love others. They showed to others as if they were very close and loving to them. But in reality, they criticised and disliked them at their back. They showed them only mouth honour.

Q7. When did the poet’s mind start to rationalize the thoughts and how?

Ans. In the third stanza, the poet talks about his adulthood although he does not mention it. He has gained the wisdom of life. His faculty of the mind to rationalize the things has developed. Now he can differentiate between good and evil; right and wrong. He can make his own decisions and form opinions about others. He would no more depend on others’ opinions which are usually full of prejudice and jealousy.

Q8. What does the poet conclude at the end of the poem?

Ans. Thus the poem ends with the poet’s conclusion that his childhood has been transferred to another child. If a person wants to see his own childhood, he or she can watch a child’s face and feel glad to see the lost childhood reflected in it.

(B) Some Important Stanzas for Comprehension

Stanza 1

When did my childhood go?
Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,
Was it the time I realized that Hell and Heaven,
Could not be found in Geography,
And therefore could not be,
Was that the day!

Q1. Name the poem and its poet.

Ans. The poem is “Childhood’ and its poet is Markus Natten

Q2.When did the poet’s childhood come to an end according to the poet in the above stanza?

Ans. It came to an end when the poet completed the eleventh year of his age.

Q3. What knowledge did the poet gain about ‘Hell and Heaven’?

Ans. He gained the knowledge that Hell and Heaven cannot be found in geography because these are the states of the human mind.

Q4. Give the meaning of ‘ceased’.

Ans. Stopped

Stanza 2

When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realised that adults were not
all they seemed to be,
They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
Was that the day!

Q1. What did the adults talk about and preach to the poet?

Ans. The adults talked of love and preached of love.

Q2. What knowledge did the poet gain about the adults?

Ans. He came to know that the adults did not do what they talked about and preached.

Q3. What did the behavior of the adults show to the poet?

Ans. It showed their hypocrisy.

Stanza 3

When did my childhood go?
Was it when I found my mind was really mine,
To use whichever way I choose,
Producing thoughts that were not those of other people,
But my own, and my alone,
Was that the day!

Q1. What does the poet mean by “my mind was really mine”?

Ans. It means that the poet has become able to depend on his own thoughts.

Q2. What has the poet stopped doing now?

Ans. The poet has stopped depending on others for taking opinions.

Q3. How does the poet use his own thoughts now?

Ans. He uses his thoughts in his own way now. He solves his problems himself now.

Stanza 4

Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
That’s hidden in an infant’s face,
That’s all I know.
Q1. Where did the poet’s childhood go according to the poet in the above stanza?

Ans. It went to some forgotten place.

Q2. Where did the poet find his childhood?

Ans. He found it in the infant’s face.

Q3. How does the poet feel after losing his childhood?

Ans. He feels sad after losing his childhood.

Q4. Which poetic device has been used in this poem?

Ans. It is ‘refrain’.