Poem A Poison Tree : Questions + Answers

1. What emotion is expressed in Stanza 1 ?

Anger

2. Which word in stanza 2 that has the same meaning as “dishonest”?

Deceitful

3. What happened to the persona’s foe eventually and how did the persona react to this?
The persona’s foe eventually died. He was glad to see his foe    outstretched beneath the tree

4. What would you do if you had a misunderstanding with your enemy? Suggest 2 ways.
 Talk to my enemy and solve the problem
 ignore my enemy
………………………………………………………………………………………

5. In stanza 1, what happened to the persona when he did not express his anger?
His anger intensified / grew.

6. In stanza 3, what did the apple refer to?

The apple referred to the persona’s anger / hatred.

7. In stanza 4, why did the persona feel happy?

He felt happy because his foe fell into his trap.
@
He felt happy because his foe died under the tree.

8. In this poem, the persona was angry with his foe. If you were the persona’s friend, what
advice would  you give to him?
I would advise my friend to speak honestly to his foe so they could clear the misunderstanding
between them
@
I would advise my friend to forgive his foe because being angry would only hurt him and his foe
…………………………………………………………….

9. What did the persona do when he was angry with his friend?
He told him his wrath and the wrath was gone.

10. In stanza 2, how did the persona allow his anger to grow?
He watered it in fears and tears and sunned it with smiles and deceitful wiles

In stanza 3, what does the word it refer to?

The persona’s anger / the poison tree / the tree
 -If you were the persona, would you have been glad to see your “foe outstretched
beneath the tree”? Give a reason to support your answer.
Yes because he had done something bad to me. OR

No, because we could have forgiven each other’s mistake.

………………………………………………………………………………………

 -In stanza 1, who is the persona angry with?

His friend/ his enemy/ his foe ( ONLY ONE ANSWER)

 -Which word in stanza 1 shows the persona is similar to an apple tree?

Grow

 -In stanza 2, what does the word ‘it’ refer to?

The wrath

 -How would you feel if you had a misunderstanding with your friend? Explain.
Feelings : upset/sad/ unhappy    [ 1 mark ]

Explanation  I have no one to talk to.

………………………………………………………………………………………

 -Which phrase is stanza 1 has the same meaning as ‘kept his anger to himself’
I told it not

 -What did the persona do to ensure that the tree grew healthily?
CHOOSE ONE:

He watered it with tears / He sunned it with smiles/ He sunned it with soft deceitful wiles

 -‘In the morning glad I see

-My foe outstretched beneath the tree’
-In your opinion, how did the persona feel that morning?
The persona felt happy/ excited/ glad/ contented

 -Do you agree with the persona’s feeling? Give a reason for your answer.
No, because it is wrong to kill someone.

Yes because the persona felt contented.

Poem What Has Happened to Lulu? : Sample Questions + Answers
 -Where is the setting of the poem?
Lulu’s bedroom/ Lulu’s room

 -Who is asking what has happened to Lulu?

Lulu’s sibling/ Lulu’s brother/ Lulu’s sister

 -In stanza 6, how does the persona’s mother feel?

The persona’s mother feels confused/ worried/sad

 -Lulu has left the house. Give two reasons why do you think Lulu decided to do so.
1. She had an argument with her mother.
2. She had a fight with her mother.
3. She wanted to have more freedom.
4. She was being influenced by her friends.
………………………………………………………………………………………

 From stanza 4,
              “I woke to voices late last night”
              Whose voices the persona may have heard that woke him up?
The persona’s mother and Lulu/ Lulu and her friend / The persona’s mother and friend

 -What can you infer from the line “I heard an engine roar”?
Lulu has gone away in a car / Lulu has run away in a car / Lulu is being driven away in a car

 -In stanza 5, what does the phrase “gust of rain” being compared to?
Someone’s cry / Somebody’s cry

 -What is the persona’s mother doing in stanza 6 and why do you think she reacts
that way? Give a reason for your answer.
Mother cried because she was upset that Lulu had run away.

………………………………………………………………………

 -In stanza 1, what can be seen on Lulu’s bed?

A rag-doll

 -In stanza 3, why do you think the persona’s mother crumples the note?
She was angry with what written in the note/ She did not want to know

what was written in the note

 -I woke up to voices late last night’
The voices belong to Lulu and mother/ Lulu and her friend/ Lulu’s

mother and friend/ Lulu and her kidnapper/ Lulu’s mother and the

kidnapper.

 -In your opinion, why do you think teenagers run away? Give two reasons.
They are influenced by the wrong company of friends

They want to get away from overprotective parents

They want to be free

Peer pressure

Parental neglect

Personal problems

Teen pregnancy

Drug addiction

Abused by parents / siblings

………………………………………………………………………

 -In stanza 2,
              -(i) What does the line “the curtain flapping free” indicates?
It was windy and the window is opened

              -(ii) What did Lulu take with her?

Her money-box

 -In stanza 3, why do you think the mother says “It is nothing at all?”
the mother does not want the persona to know what was written in that note / the mother does not
want the persona to know that she is worried

 -In your opinion, what do you think had happened to Lulu?

She ran away/ she was kidnapped
 ……………………………………………………………………………….

 -Who is the persona?

Lulu’s sibling/ Lulu’s brother/ Lulu’s sister

 -Which line in stanza 3, suggest the mother is crying?

And why do the tear-drops fall

 -Why was the mother crying?

She was upset with Lulu’s reaction

 -The number of teenagers running away from home is on the rise. What could be
the factors that contribute to this?
Factor 1: Argument with parents / family problem(s)

Factor 2: Peer influence / Any other acceptable answer

………………………………………………………………………………………

The Charge Of The Light Brigade ; Questions + Answers

1. Suggest two ways to protect your country?

    i) Be patriotic.

    ii) Cherish these natural wonders/cherish the natural resources/ cherish the history and
romance as a sacred heritage for your children and your children's children. 

    iii. Be loyal to one's country.

1.    How do you feel about war? Provide a reason to support your response.

      I dislike war. Many people die in the war.

2.    Many soldiers fought for our country’s independence. Suggest two ways we can show our
appreciation to these soldiers?

     We should give them medals./The government should protect their families at
home./The government should give them aids so that they can live comfortably in old
age./A documentary can be made on their struggles so that the younger generation will
appreciate them.

3.    How do you think soldiers feel when they go to war? Give a reason for your answer?
      They feel afraid because they are not sure if they will survive./The feel proud because
they have been trained to defend the country at all costs.

4.    Name one moral value you have learnt from this poem and how can it be applied in your life?

     Moral Value: loyalty

     How to apply: I will always be loyal to my country and defend Malaysia no matter what.

5.    Are wars worth fighting for? Give a suitable reason for your answer.

     Response: Yes, some wars are worth fighting for

     Reason: we need to fight for justice and for our rights.

6.    Is there a better way than going to war? Suggest a reason.

     Yes. We can always have a discussion to solve the problems rather than go to war.

7.    Do you think following orders without questioning is a good thing? Give a reson for your
answer.

     No. we must question first so that we do not make a mistake.

………………………………………………………………………………

1. Where is the setting of the poem?

    The battlefield.

2. Which line in the poem tells us that the soldiers obeyed the order without question?

    "theirs not to reason why"

3. Why do you think the line "Rode the six hundred" is repeated many times in the poems?

    To emphasise that the 600 soldiers sacrificed  their life on that day in the battlefield 

4. Give one quality that you admire about the soldiers. Give a reason for your response.

    Loyal as they follow orders.

5. What do you think is the outcome of the battle? Support your response with evidence from the
poem.
     Many soldiers die. The phrase into the jaw of death shows that many of them will die in
the battle.

6. In stanza 1, who is speaking to the soldiers?

    The leader/captain/the commander.

7. Why do you think the persona asked whether there was " a man dismayed"?

    Some of the soldiers are not courageous and have weak heart/ will/spirit.

8. There are many jobs today that require people to be brave. Give another example of a job that
requires bravery.  Provide reason for your answer.

    Policeman. They need to fight for justice.

9. What is the Light Brigade?

    A division in the army./A cavalry.

10. What does the Valley of Death symbolises?

     A battlefield/a place where battle/ war takes palace/ a place where army fight enemies/ a
place where armies  fight enemies and many of them die.

Poem The Living Photograph: HOTs Questions +

Answers
HOTs QUESTIONS:

1.    Why do you think the grandmother wore flat shoes?

Most probably because she is aging and cannot wear heeled-shoes.

2.    Why do you think the grandmother became small?

She became small because she had aged and her back had hunched.

3.    Why did the grandmother’s back become round and hunched?

This is because she is aging and her bones are weaker.

4.    According to the persona, where has the grandmother gone and why ‘there she is still’?
 Her grandmother had passed away and gone to the awful place.

5.    Why is the smile described as still living and breathing?

Most probably the photograph is very well taken.

6.    Why did the grandmother go to that awful place?

She became old and passed away.

7.    Why was the place described as awful?

No one has been there and persona can no longer see or talk to her grandmother.

8.    How do we know that the grandmother looked prim and proper?

She was properly dressed in white broderie anglaise shirt with pleated skirt and flat shoes.

9.    ‘white hand in black hand’

     What other feature mentioned in the stanza tell us the grandmother’s race? Provide reason to support
your answer.

Feature: Blue eyes

Reason:  The persona is black and the grandmother is white

10.   ‘Her soup forgot to boil’

       What other thing do you think the grandmother was likely to forget to do? Give a reason to support
your   
       answer.

Thing: Where she placed her spectacles or forgot to turn on the kettle

Reason: As one gets older, its normal to be forgetful.

......................................................................................................................................

1.    Why do you think her soup forgot to boil?

She was old and forgetful/absent-minded

2.    Quality                                                        Evidence

       Kind                                    " a kind old smile"

        Protective/caring               " her big hands holds mine"

       fearless/ courageous         " look her own death in the eye"

       friendly                                 " the crinkled smile is still living"

3. 'she went to the awful place grandmothers go...'

      Do you think the persona understands about death? Provide a reason for answer,
     
          Understanding: No, I don't think she understands death.

Reason: She mentions the place as awful, unknown and unthinkable when normally heaven is
described as beautiful.

4.  'But there she is still'

     How do you think the persona feels when she looks at the photograph? Provide a reason for your
answer.

Feeling : She feels happy and loved.

Reason : She mentions that the grandmother's crinkled smile is still living and breathing as
though her grandmother is still standing beside her

5.    Give one moral value one can learn from the poem.

     The poem teaches us that we must spend time with our loved ones because when they pass
away,