English Literature Made Easy for Students

Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekiel   “Night of the Scorpion” by Nissim Ezekiel is a poem that explores rural Indian life and the reactions of a village to a crisis. It vividly describes the emotional and cultural responses of a community after a woman is stung by a scorpion. The poet uses simple language to capture the scene, and each stanza brings out different facets of the experience.   Here’s a stanza-by-stanza analysis :   Stanza 1 "I remember the night my mother / was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours / of steady rain had driven him / to crawl beneath a sack of rice."   In this opening stanza, the poet recalls the night his mother was stung by a scorpion. The words "I remember" suggest that the incident left a strong impression on him. The line "ten hours of steady rain" provides an ominous setting, indicating discomfort and restlessness that has also driven the scorpion into the shelter of their home. The rain is significant ...

EXTRACT 1 Extract: Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still. For once on the face of the Earth let’s not speak in any language, let’s stop for one second, and not move our arms so much. Q1. The poet wants everyone to keep still in order to— (a) enjoy nature (b) create a moment of peace (c) celebrate a festival (d) avoid speaking different languages Answer: (b) create a moment of peace   Q2. “Let’s not speak in any language” suggests— (a) silence will unite humans (b) languages are useless (c) learning languages is difficult (d) people should forget their mother tongue Answer: (a) silence will unite humans   Q3. The tone of the extract is— (a) violent (b) mocking (c) calm and reflective (d) angry Answer: (c) calm and reflective   Q4. The poet asks people “not to move their arms so much” to suggest— (a) stopping all unnecessary activities (b) exercise is harmful (c) hard work is useless (d) people sh...

Poets & Pancakes Q1.   What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up?    Ans. The makeup room had a lot of hot bulbs always burning inside and a number of mirrors to reflect the heat. It was really a very difficult and miserable for the artistes to sit there for make-up. There were no cooling systems in those days. So the artists had to bear all that. Q2. What is the example of national integration that the author refer to?   Ans. The members of the make-up department were from various parts of India. Anyone could be the head of the make-up room. Once there was a Bengali as the head of this department. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian. His assistant was a Dharwar Kannadiga. So it was the best example of national integration. Q3. What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini studio? Why did he join the studios? Why was he disappointed?   Or Who was the office boy? What was his duty in the make-up department? H...