The World Is Too Much with Us-Question-Answers-Video 1 of 2

A Roadside Stand by Robert Frost-Qs-Ans-English for Class XII

 A Roadside Stand by Robert Frost

Short Answer-type Qs

Q1.  What does the roadside stand seem to plead?

Ans. It seems to plead that its owner is a poor person. He needs the support of rich persons to change his lifestyle.

Q2. What is the ‘childish longing’ that the poet refers to? Why is it vain? Or Why does Robert Frost sympathize with the rural people?

Ans. The owners of the roadside stands to keep on hoping against hope that the rich would stop their cars and purchase something from them. The poet calls it their childish longing.

Q3. What news is talked about in the poem ‘A Roadside Stand’?

Ans. The news is that the poor people would be shifted from their places. They would be provided houses in cities. Their poverty would finish (remain no more).

Q4. What do the people in the cars do if ever they look towards these roadside stands?

Ans. They feel irritated and utter some words in disgust. They do not like the way they have painted their house and how they have put signboards there. They think that the beauty of the place has been destroyed by them.

Q5.Why is it unfair to say that these people are begging for a ‘dole of bread?’
Ans. The owners of the roadside stand are not beggars. They wait for the customers to sell them their articles like vegetables, fruit and other eatables.

Q6.What is the flower of the cities? How?
Ans. Prosperity/growth is the flower of the cities. As the flower is the crowning glory of a plant, growth becomes the flower of a city.

Q7. What do you mean by ‘polished traffic?
Ans. Polished traffic stands for the flashy and expensive cars. The owners of the cars may seem to be polished in their behaviour. But they are insensitive to the poor and suffering people.

Q8. What are the usual complaints made by the city men when they stop at the roadside stand?
Ans. The rich people complain that the owners of the roadside stand have spoilt the beauty of the landscape. The letters on the boards are written wrongly and in a bad manner and the directions also shown in a wrong manner.

Q9. How did the poor people “mar” the landscape?
Ans. The poor people mar/ruin the beauty of the landscape by making their roadside stand in an unsystematic way. They have no aesthetic sense. They write words in wrong spellings. They paint the walls of the roadside stands artlessly.

Q10. What do the people at the roadside stand expect from the rich? What for?

Ans. The people at the roadside stand expect that the rich people should stop near their stands and purchase something from them. They do not expect any charity from them.

   Stanzas: Stanza 1

The little old house was out with a little new shed
In front at the edge of the road where the traffic sped,
A roadside stand that too pathetically pled,

It would not be fair to say for a dole of bread,
But for some of the city money, the cash, whose flow supports
The flower of cities from sinking and withering faint.

Q1. Name the poem and its poet.

Ans. The name/ title of the poem is ‘A Roadside Stand’ and its poet is Robert Frost.

Q2. Where was the ‘little old house’ situated?

Ans. It was situated at the edge of the road leading to the city.

Q3. What does the flow of cash support as has been said in the above lines?

Ans. It supports flowers and lawns of the cities.

Q4. What would not be fair as quoted in the above lines?

Ans. It would not be fair to think that the roadside stand was set up for begging ‘a dole of bread’ from the rich people.

Q5. What are the beauties of the cities?

Ans. The flowers in the houses, lawns, parks, etc. are the beauties of the cities.

Q6. What is the rhyme scheme in the above lines?

Ans. aaaabc

Stanza 2: The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Or, if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts
At having the landscape marred with the artless paint
Of signs with S turned wrong and N turned wrong

Offered for sale wild berries in wooden quarts,

Q1. Name the poem and its poet.  Ans. The name/ title of the poem is ‘A Roadside Stand’ and its poet is Robert Frost.

Q2. What do the polished traffic stand for/symbolise?  Ans. It stands for the polished cars.

Q3. How do the polished traffic pass?   Ans. It passes keeping destination in mind looking forward.

Q4.Wherefrom do the polished traffic pass?  Ans. It passes by the roadside stand.

Q5. What do the person who looked for a moment towards the stand think for a moment?

Ans. He would think that the beauty of the landscape has been damaged by the shed. The directions at the signboard have wrongly been pointed.

Q6. What has been painted artlessly?   Ans. The house has artlessly been painted.

Q7. What has been shown ‘S turned wrong and N turned wrong’?

Ans. The directions on the signboard have wrongly been shown.

 

Stanza 3: The hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be my complaint
So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid: 

Q1. Whose complaint is about the ‘hurt of the scenery’?

Ans. It is the complaint made by the owners of the flashy cars.

Q2. What does the poet mean by ‘trusting sorrow’?

Ans. The poor people have full faith in the false promises made to them by the politicians. They continue waiting for their fulfilment and that causes sorrow in their minds.

Q3. What is ‘unsaid’ here in the poem?  Ans. The poor people’s trusting sorrow remains unsaid.

Q4. What is meant by ‘unsaid’?  Ans. It means unexplained.

Stanza 3:

While greedy good doers, beneficent beasts of prey,
Swarm over their lives, enforcing benefits
That are calculated to soothe them out of their wits…

Q1. Who are the greedy good doers?

Ans. The people from business class and politicians are called the greedy good doers.

Q2. Why have they been called ‘greedy good doers’?

Ans. They are called so because they are making money out of their goodness shown to them.

Q3. What poetical device has been used in the phrase ‘‘greedy good doers’?

Ans. Paradox has been used here.

Q4. What does ‘beneficent beast of prey’ symbolise?

Ans.It also  stands for the social workers and the politicians who pretend to  help the poor. But they make money by doing acts of charity and social work.

 

 

Keeping Quiet- Qs-Ans-(By Pablo Neruda)

 3.  Keeping Quiet (By Pablo Neruda)

Summary of the poem ‘Keep Quiet’

          Pablo Neruda tells us about the importance of introspection in this poem. It needs only counting up to twelve to reach this state. We become one with all on this earth in this position. The process of introspection discards all greed, cruelty, and selfishness from our minds. We become more humane. The fisherman would no more kill whales out of greed. The man gathering salt will stop gathering more salt. The people who create wars will also become sympathetic to innocent people. The process of introspection needs a few moments of silence. The people doing introspection may seem inactive. But this is a temporary situation. After introspection, we are again full of energy and enthusiasm.

Short-Answer type questions (30-40) words each :

Q.1    What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us to achieve?

Ans.   Counting up to twelve will just provide us a chance to stop our activities for a while. We shall be able to understand ourselves and restart our activities with renewed energy.

Q.2    Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

Ans.   The poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He says that we should stop our activities for a few moments. During these moments, we should do introspection. It will fully recharge our mind and we can again start our activities afresh.

Q.3    What is the sadness that the poet refers to in the poem?

Ans.   The poet talks about sadness in the poem. It comes because we are always busy with the activities of life. We do not spare time to think and understand our inner-being.

Q.4    What symbol from nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?

Ans.   The poet uses the symbol of the earth in the winter season. The earth suspends all its creative activities during this season. It does not mean that the earth becomes dead. After winter, the earth restarts its activities with fresh energies. New colours and beauties are added to it. Similarly, if we suspend our activities, we do not become dead.

Q.5    What idea does the poet Pablo Neruda want to convey to us?

Ans.   The poet tells us the importance of introspection. In this process, we sit quiet and silent. We think only about ourselves we suspend all our activities and sit still. It helps us understand our inner-being. After that, we restart our worldly activities afresh our virtues are kindled (created) during introspection. This is the poet’s message to us.

Q.6    What does the poet mean when he says, “Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still”?

Ans.   Counting to twelve will make us focused on our thoughts. All activities will be suspended for a few moments. Our body is still. Now we are in a position to do introspection.

Q.7    Why does the poet call the moment of quiet introspection ‘an exotic moment’?

Ans.   It is exotic because we will feel united with all creatures and nature. The feeling of oneness will cure us of the negative feelings of greed, jealousy, cruelty, selfishness, etc.

Q.8    What does the poet say about those ‘who prepare green wars’?

Ans.   When we are in quiet introspection, our inner voice becomes more effective. Our negative thoughts and feelings become weak and inactive. They will become soft and human in quiet introspection. They will give up their activities.

Comprehension

Stanza 1-    Now we will count to  ........ arms so much.

Q.1    Name the poem and its poet.

Ans.   ‘Keeping Quiet’ by Pablo Neruda.

Q.2    What does the poet want us to do?

Ans.   He wants us to count to twelve and keep still (quiet)

Q.3    What does he not want us to do?

Ans.   __ not to say anything and not to move our arms.

Q.4    What is the real purpose of saying all this?

Ans    We should stop all our activities for a while, become silent and do introspection.

Stanza-2     “It would be an exotic moment .......... strangeness.

Q.1    What would be an erotic moment?

Ans.   The moment of introspection and silence would be exotic.

Q.2    How would it be ‘without rush without engines’?

Ans.   It is because all activities would be suspended during introspection.

Q.3    How shall we feel at this moment?

Ans.   We will feel together with all.

Q.4    How will it help the individual and the world?

Ans.   It would bring peace to the individual and the world.

Stanza-3     “Fishermen in the cold sea ....... would look at his hurt hands”

Q.1    What would the fishermen not do and why?

Ans.   They would not harm whales because they would feel satisfied in the moments of introspection.

Q.2    What would the man gathering salt do?

Ans.   He would look at his hurt hands and perhaps would stop collecting more salt.

Q.3    What do the words ‘hurt hands’ mean?

Ans.   Injured hands

Stanza-4     “Those who prepare green wars ....... in the shade, doing nothing.”

Q.1    What is meant by ‘green wars’

Ans.   Wars against greenery

Q.2    How are the wars fought?

Ans.   They are fought with fatal gases and weapons of firing.

Q.3    Which phrase used in the stanza show inhumanity of wars.

Ans.   “Victory with no survivors”

Q.4    How can men come out of their love for wars and start living like brothers?

Ans.   By giving time to introspection.

Stanza-5     “What I want should not be confused ..... I want no truck with death”

Q.1    What does the poet want?

Ans.   He wants - to stop for a second, remain still, and find a moment for quiet introspection.

Q.2    What does he want us not to confuse quiet introspection with?

Ans.   He does not want us to confuse it with total inactivity.

Q.3    What does he think about life?

Ans.   He thinks life full of activity.

Q.4    According to the poet, inactivity means -

Ans.   death

Stanza-6     “If we were  not so single-minded....... threatening ourselves with death”

Q.1    What does the poet think to be a sad situation? Ans.    It is the situation when we keep our life busy and do not find time for quiet introspection.

Q.2    What will happen if we go on without endless activities? Ans.        We shall never be able to understand ourselves.

Q.3    We can understand ourselves through - Ans.       quiet introspection

Q.4    How shall we be threatening ourselves with death?

Ans.   If we do not do introspection, we shall be threatening ourselves with death.

Stanza-7     “Perhaps the Earth can teach us .......... and you keep quiet and I will go ?”

     -    We can start our activities with fresh energy and in a better way by suspending them for a short while.

     -    The poet tells us to count to twelve just to give time for introspection.

     -    Keeping quiet will help us achieve an inner maturity

     -    A little of introspection can bring harmony to the world.