CLASS 7 ENGLISH DATE: 05.10.

2021

POEM 2: THE SOLITARY REAPER

AUTHOR: ROBERT FROST
( WRITING INSTRUCTIONS : WRITE NEATLY IN YOUR CLASS WORK NOTE. USE BLACK PEN TO
WRITE THE QUESTIONS AND USE BLUE PEN TO WRITE THE ANSWERS. LEAVE A LINE AFTEER
EVERY QUESTION AND ANSWER. DRAW A LINE AFTER EVERY ANSWER )
A. Answer these questions:
1.What was the reaper doing when the speaker first saw her?
Ans: The reaper was cutting and binding stalks of grain in the field. She was singing a sad yet
melodious song to herself while working.
2.Why does the speaker seem unsure about whether he wants to stay or move on?
Ans: The speaker seems unsure about whether he wants to stay or move on because he is
enraptured by the beauty of the reaper’s song. She sings without being conscious of any
audience around her.
3.Why does the speaker compare the reaper’s song to that of the nightingale an the cuckoo?
Ans: The speaker becomes completely captivated by the beauty of the reaper’s song. He
compares her song to the calm and soothing notes of a nightingale’s song which alleviates the
weariness of travelers in the Arabian deserts. Her song echoes in the valley like the song of the
cuckoo whose song shatters the silence of the seas in remote areas. He feels that the reaper’s
song is as beautiful and melodious as the songs of the nightingale and the cuckoo.
4. Why is the speaker not sure about the theme of the song? What are the alternatives he
suggests?
Ans: The speaker is not sure about the theme of the reaper’s song because he is not familiar
with the language she was singing in. He imagines that the song could be about sad or
unfortunate distant events or about ancient battles. The song could also be about the reaper’s
pain, sorrow or loss from which she is suffering at present.
5. I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
 a. How did the speaker feel as he walked away from the scene?
Ans: The tune and music of the song stayed with him long after he had left the field. The
speaker says that he carried the song in his heart even as he climbed the hill till he could hear it
no more.
b .Did the song affect the speaker greatly?
Ans: Yes, the song affected the speaker greatly. In spite of not being familiar with the language
the reaper was singing in, he was deeply affected by the beauty of the song’s tune and melody.
B. Think and answer:
1. What does the word ‘melancholy’ tell you about the solitary singer?
Ans: The speaker heard the reaper sing a ‘melancholy’ song as she went about her work in
solitude. From the speaker’s words, we get a sense that the solitary reaper may either be
singing about long forgotten unhappy events or ancient battles. It may also be possible that the
singer was experiencing some anguish or distress which she expressed through her song thus
haunting the speaker’s mind and leaving a long-lasting impact in his heart.
2. The speaker was very curious about the theme of the song but he did not approach the
girl and ask her about it. Why do you think he did not do so?
Ans: The speaker did not want to disturb the solitary reaper for the fear that she would stop
singing or perhaps even run away if he went near her. She was not aware of any audience
around her and that possibly made her express her thoughts aloud in the form of her
melancholy song.
D. Going Further
The beauty of a simple song inspired the poet to write the poem, The Solitary Reaper.
Do you think music can inspire us to do great things? Can you think of any person who did
something inspired by music? Give reasons for your answers.
Ans: Write your answers on your own
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