1.

Which lines in stanza 1 tell you that the flautist plays the
flute beautifully?
Uncovered by .depth of my heart
2. In the second stanza, what does the word deserted mean?
Empty / abandoned / neglected / vacant
3. In the second stanza, why are the rice fields deserted?
The farmers have left the fields for the city / better income
jobs away from the village.
4. In your own words, explain the meaning of the last stanza.
The persona is feeling anxious because there are political and
economical problems in her city and she feels the world is
changing for the worst.
5. From stanza 1, what does the persona want to hear?
The flautists song / flute music. / The flautist playing his
flute.
7. In stanza 3, why does the persona feel guilty for thinking
about her beloved?
She feels guilty because at present people around her are
suffering.
8. Suggest two things you would do to stop the world from
bleeding.
Spread the message of peace, tolerance and living in
harmony. Learn to appreciate what life has offered and be
happy with it.
9. How is the rice field?
Sick / unhealthy / infertile / neglected
10. State two activities that I consider luxuries.
i. Spend time watching the rain / gazing at the evening rays
ii. Collecting dew drops/ Enjoying the fragrance of flowers
11. Why do you the personas conscience is disturbed? Give
reasons for your answer.
Thinking of the flautist while feeling worried about the
troubled with the situation around her.
13. Describe the village.
It is empty has people have left for the city.
15. While here it has become a luxury!
To spend time watching the rain
Why do you think the persona says it is a luxury to spend time
watching rain? Give reasons for your answer.
Life in the city is so busy that one has no time for simple
pleasures and there are other problems to worry about. How
does she feel about his music?
Nostalgic / desirous / wishful
Why does the persona ask if the flute player is still playing his
flute?
She does not know if he is still in the village enjoying his
favourite pastime.
Write down the line which shows that the persona thinks
highly of his music.
To the depth of my heart
In your own words,What kind of a person do you think is the
flute player?
Passionate / Obsessed / An introvert / A sequester
Identify two words used to describe the village.
Quiet and deserted
What has happened to the village?
It is deserted as the people have left for better jobs.
In stanza 2, what does the words here refers to?
The city / town / personas place
In your own words, What do you of the things the persona
consider luxuries?
Rain, sunset (evening rays) / dew / fragrance of flowers
Why does the poet feel guilty?
To be longing for the flautists song
How is the situation in the village?
Quite bad as it is empty because the villagers have left the
village for better jobs and conditions.
Why do think the poet is surprised that the flautist is still
playing his flute? Give reasons for your answer.
She thinks that he is undisturbed with the turmoil in the
nation and the world.
Why is the village so quiet and deserted?
The villagers have left the village for better jobs and
conditions.
Which phrase in stanza 1 implies how much the music
affected the poet?
To the depth of my heart
What does the poet mean by using the words concealed and
uncovered to describe the music?
It means that the melody is in the bamboo and will only be
heard when the flautist plays the flute.
What could the poem be about?
It is about upholding values, accepting changes in life and
appreciating simple pleasures of life.
Describe ONE emotion the poet is feeling in the first stanza.
Guilty / nostalgic
What does the phrase, slim hollow of the bamboo refer to?
The flute
Based on stanza 2, where do you think the persona is?
In the city
Based on stanza 2, what is the contrast between the
personas place and the flautists?
The flautists place is empty and deserted whereas the
personas place is undergoing a turmoil [ political and
economical crisis].
Based on stanza 2, in the first line, what do you think the
persona is feeling?
A sense of doubt / unsure / puzzled
Based on stanza 1, which line reveals the intensity of the
personas feelings?
To be longing for your song
Based on stanza 1, which line (s) reveal (s) that the persona is
struggling with her feelings?
Where there is hardly time for our love
Based on stanza 1, describe the personas mood.
Sombre / solemn / Sad
What is so distinctive about the melody from the flute?
It touches the depth of her heart
Why is the rice field described as sick?
It has been neglected so it is no longer productive and fertile.
What is the meaning of the metaphor slaughtered
mercilessly?
People are no longer tolerant of each other and people are
being killed cruelly.
What kind of feeling is expressed by the persona in the
poem?
A sense of sadness, hopelessness, despair and misery
Why is the personas conscience disturbed?
She is worried about the present situation in her nation which
is facing a crisis.
Based on stanza 2, how would you describe the person who
seems to be very interested in his flute?
Idle / unaffected by the crisis / carefree / in his own world
What is the main theme in the stanza above?
Upholding values, appreciating simple pleasures of life,
accepting changes in life
Who is playing the flute?
The flautist in the village / The personas love
Why does the persona feel guilty?
To be longing for the flautists song
Where does the melody originate from?
The bamboo / The slim hollow of the bamboo
Which two lines best describe how a flute is played?
Uncovered by the breath of an artist & composed by his
fingers
What does the persona mean by the sick rice field?
The paddy fields are neglected so they are barren and
unproductive.
Write two activities that are considered a luxury by the
persona.
Spend time watching the rain / gazing at the evening rays
Collecting dew drops/ Enjoying the fragrance of flowers
Why is the person still thinking of her beloved?
She has feelings for him. / She still loves him.
Write two problems faced by the persona as mentioned in
the stanza above.
Her brothers are unemployed and desperate / Her people are
disunited by politics / Her friend is slaughtered mercilessly
What is the tone used? Give a reason for your answer.
Sad / Hopelessness / Despair / Anxious
What does the flute represent?
Tradition
Why is the phrase, Are you still playing your flute?, repeated
three times in the poem? Using your own words, give
reasons to support your answer.
To reinforce the emotion (wondering/puzzled) behind the
question and create a dramatic effect
In stanza 1, what does line 2 tell us about the relationship
between the persona and the flautist?
They loved each other when they were together.
The poet used certain words to indicate where the melody is:
i. What are these words?
Concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo
ii. Do you think they are suitable? Why?
Yes, because the flute is played by blowing into hollow of the
bamboo and melody is created by the fingers.
In stanza 1, why does the persona feel guilty listening to
music of the flautist?
She is very busy and also her nation is undergoing a crisis.
Why is enjoying the fragrance of flowers regarded as a luxury
by the persona in stanza 2?
In the city, one can be very busy in the rat race that they have
no time to even appreciate the flowers growing around them.
Give one problem the nation is undergoing.
Political crisis / Economical crisis / Disharmony
Explain in your own words why the persona feels her world is
too old and bleeding.
The world is changing for the worst and non-renewable
resources cannot be replenished.
What do you think the phrase, the world is too old and
bleeding represents?
The world is changing for the worst and non-renewable
resources cannot be replenished.
Suggest a reason why the persona cannot forget the music
from the flute?
The music must have been beautiful and special that it has
embedded in her heart.
What does the word sick imply about the rice field?
Barren / Unproductive / Infertile / Neglected
What are the luxuries mentioned by the poet? State two of
them.
Spend time watching the rain / gazing at the evening rays.
Collecting dew drops/ Enjoying the fragrance of flowers
In the last stanza, what is the personas feeling when she
remembers the flautist?
Guilty / Remorseful /
Why is there disunity among the citizens of the country?
They lack tolerance and understanding.
What do you think the last line of the stanza mean?
The world is changing for the worst.
In stanza 3,
i) What is disturbing the conscience of the persona?
She thinks constantly of her lover.
ii) What is the problem her younger brothers are facing?
They are unemployed.
iii) The persona compares the world to?
An old man who is sick and suffering.
14) In stanza 1,
i) Where is the setting for the first stanza of the poem?
The setting for the first stanza is the village where the
personas lover lives.
ii) Why does persona feel guilty to be longing for his song?
She feels guilty to be thinking of his song when there are
more pressing problems in the world to worry about.
iii) What would be uncovered by the breath of an artist?
The melody or music of the flute would be uncovered by the
artists breath.
15) In stanza 2,
i) The village is deserted. Give a reason for it.
Most of the villagers have left the village. They have most
probably moved to the towns or cities in search of jobs.
ii) While here it has become a luxury. Give the place setting
for this line.
The place setting is most probably a city where life is fast and
hectic.
iii) Gazing at the evening rays refers to a certain time of the
day. What do you think the persona is looking at?
She is enjoying the scene of a beautiful sunset in the evening.
16) In stanza 3,
i) The third repetition of Are you still playing your flute?
shows the personas mood. Describe her mood and explain
why she feels that way.
The persona becomes increasingly agitated and annoyed. She
cannot understand how her lover can continue to play his
flute and show no concern for the problems of the world.
ii) The line in the hazard of you displays the personas
feeling towards her lover. Explain her feelings.
She thinks it is risky for her to love him too much as she
would most probably be hurt by his indifference and total
lack of interest in everything around him.
iii) She compares the world to a sick old man in the line this
world is too old and bleeding. Why does she use this
comparison?
She is gravely concerned about the world and the problems
that it faces, like the sickness that plagues an old man.
Without changes made to save this bleeding world, there
would be no hope for the future.