c):

A word or a combination of words, whose sounds seems to resemble the sound it

denotes (for example: “hiss”, “buzz”, etc.) is called onomatopoeia. From the words
that you have filled in the blurbs above, point out these words.
Answer:

Bicker, Chatter, Babble

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Question 5:

The following is a flow chart showing the course of the brook. Can you fill in the blank
spaces with help from the phrases given below?

(a) Passes under fifty bridges; (b) comes from the place where coots and herons live; (c) passes lawn filled with
flowers; (d) crosses both fertile and fallow land; (e) goes through wilderness full of thorny bushes
Answer:
Question 6(a):

The message of the poem is that the life of a brook is ___________.

(i) temporary

(ii) short-lived

(iii) eternal

(v) momentary
Answer:

(iii) eternal
Question 6(b):

The poet draws a parallelism between the journey of the brook with ___________.

(i) the life of a man

(ii) the death of man

(iii) the difficulties in a man’s life

(iv) the endless talking of human beings

Answer:

(i) the life of a man

Question 6(c):

The poem is narrated in the first person by the brook. This figure of speech is
________.

(i) Personification

(ii) Metaphor

(iii) Simile

(iv) Transferred epithet

Answer:

(i) Personification
Question 6(d):

In the poem, below mentioned lines:

“And here and there a lusty trout ,

And here and there a grayling”

suggest that _____________.

(i) the brook is a source of life

(ii) people enjoy the brook

(iii) fishes survive because of water

(iv) the brook witnesses all kinds of scenes

Answer:

(i) the brook is a source of life

Page No 62:

Question 7(l):

What is the ‘refrain’ in the poem? What effect does it create?

Answer:

In the referred poem, the refrain is:

‘For men may come and men may go

But I go on for ever.’
Answer:

‘Bicker’ means a noisy discussion or an argument. The poet uses the word ‘bicker’ to
describe the noisy flow of the brook as it flows through the valley. This here talks
about the flow of the course of the brook with a gentle repetitive noise.
Question 7(a):

How does the brook ‘sparkle’?

Answer:

The brook sparkles because of the sun’s rays which shine on its water. The sudden
emergence or rush of the brook is shown to be in a sparkling motion.
Question 8(a):

Who does ‘I’ refer to in the given lines?

Answer:

‘I’ refers to the brook in the given lines where the brook describes its journey through
various towns, villages, ridges, bridges and hills to join the river.
Question 8(b):
How does it ‘chatter’?
Answer:

The noise made by the quick flow of the brook is what makes it ‘chatter’. While the
river wanders in a wild and natural course, it makes a natural swirling, chattering
noise.
Question 8(c):

Why has the poet used the word ‘brimming’? What kind of a picture does it create?
Answer:

Brimming here means to be abundantly filled with water, to the point of overflow. The
poet has used ‘brimming’ to indicate the amount of water in the river which the brook
joins finally.

It creates a picture of immense volume and abundance.

Question 8(d):

Explain the last two lines of the stanza.

Answer:

The last two lines very well explains the central theme of the poem, that is, the fact
that human life is mortal while the beauty of nature remains eternal. The brook says
in these lines that human lives come to an end and another generation begins.
However, the flow of the brook is continuous and goes on forever. The immortality
and permanence of the brook has been compared and contrasted with human life,
which is mortal and finishes after a certain span of time.
Question 9:

Identity the rhyme scheme of the poem.

Answer:

A rhyme scheme defines a definite pattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or a

song. The rhyme scheme of this poem is a b, a b… which is known as alternate
rhyme scheme. For instance,

I come from haunts of coot and hern; a

I make a sudden sally b
And sparkle out among the fern, a
To bicker down a valley. b

Question 10:
The poem is full of images that come alive through skilful use of words. List out any
two images that appeal to you the most, quoting the lines from the poem.
Answer:
This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience
and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own.
Question 11:

The brook appears to be a symbol for life. Pick out examples of parallelism between
life and the brook.
Answer:

The brook appears to be a symbol for life, which becomes the central theme of the
poem. Various instances that can be seen in the poem which draw parallel between
brook and life, such as:
 When the brook comes out from the mountains, its movement is very noisy and
quick and it is in full vigor. It is in a hurry to reach its destination, that is, the
river. Similarly, man, in his youth, is very energetic, lively, enthusiastic and full
of vigor.
 When the brook comes closer to the river, its movement becomes slow and
smooth, which can be compared to man in his old age, who becomes very calm,
gentle, soft and lethargic.
 In the early phase of the brook’s life, it has a very fast motion and it overcomes
all the obstacles, stones and pebbles in its way. This nature of the brook can be
compared to man in his youth when he is enthusiastic and is ready to face all the
challenges that come in his way.
 During the course of the brook’s journey, it takes a lot of things along with