Silk Road 

Question 1.
Describe the morning when they set out on their journey.
Answer:
The narrator was moving towards Mount Kailash to complete the kora. He recalls the
day, when they set out from Ravu, with nostalgia. It was a ‘perfect’ early morning to
start a journey. The clouds looked like long French loaves glimmering pink as the
rising sun shone on them. The far-away mountain peaks glowed with a rose-tinted
colour. Lhamo presented him with one of the long-sleeved sheepskin coats that all
the men there wore, for protection against cold.

Question 2.
Describe the initial phase of their journey.
Answer:
As they set out, they took a shorter route to get off the Changtang. It was a road that
would take them south¬west, almost directly towards Mount Kailash. It required
crossing several quite high mountain passes. Tsetan was confident that if there was
no snow they would have a comfortable journey but that they would not know till they
got there.

From the gently sloping hills of Ravu, the short cut took them across vast open plains
with nothing in them except a few antelopes grazing in the arid pastures. As they
moved ahead, the plains became more stony than grassy. There, the antelopes were
replaced by herds of wild ass.

Question 3.
What did the narrator notice about the ‘drokbas’?
Answer:
As the narrator went further up the hills from the rocky wasteland, he noticed the
solitary drokbas tending their flocks. Sometimes these well-wrapped figures would
halt briefly and stare at their car. They seldom waved as they crossed. When the
road took them close to the sheep, the animals would swerve away from the
speeding car.

Question 4.
The narrator was fascinated by the awesome mastiffs. Why?
Answer:
Crossing the nomads’ dark tents pitched in remoteness, the narrator noticed that a
huge black dog, a Tibetan mastiffs, guarded most of the tents. These monstrous
creatures would tilt their great big heads when someone moved towards them. As
they drew closer, these dogs would race straight towards them, like a bullet from a
gun. These dogs were pitch black and usually wore bright red collars.

They barked furiously with their gigantic jaws and were so fearless that they ran
straight into the path of their vehicle. They would chase them for about a hundred
metres. The narrator could understand why Tibetan mastiffs became popular in
China’s imperial courts as hunting dogs.
Question 5.
How did Tsetan manoeuvre across the first patch of snow that they came across?
Answer:
Tsetan stopped at a tight bend and got out because the snow had covered the path
in front of them. This unexpected-depository was too steep for their vehicle to mount.
Tsetan stepped on to the covered snow, and stamped his foot to determine how
sturdy it was. The snow was not deep but the car could turn over. Tsetan took
handfuls of dirt and threw them across the frozen surface. Daniel and the narrator,
too, joined in. When the snow was spread with soil, Tsetan backed up the vehicle
and drove towards the dirty snow. The car moved across the icy surface without
noticeable difficulty.

Question 6.
When did the narrator feel unwell or the first time? What did he do?
Answer:
When they went further up the trail and were 5,400 metres above the sea level, the
narrator got an awful headache. He took gulps from his water bottle, which is
supposed to help during a speedy uphill journey. His headache soon cleared as they
went down the other side of the pass.

Question 7.
What was the sight on the plateau ruins of the Tethys Ocean?
Answer:
The narrator and his friends stopped for lunch in a long canvas tent, part of a work
camp erected beside a dry salt lake. The plateau was covered with salty desert area
and salty lakes that were remnants of the Tethys Ocean. This place was bustling
with activity. Men with pickaxes and shovels were moving back and forth in their long
sheepskin coats and salt-covered boots. All wore sunglasses as protection against
the dazzling light of blue trucks that energed from the lake with piles of salt.

Question 8.
Why was the narrator sorry to see the miserable plight of Hor?
Answer:
Hor was a dismal place with no vegetation. It only had dust and rocks coupled with
years of accumulated refuse. He found this unfortunate because this town was on
the banks of Lake Manasarovar, Tibet’s most venerated stretch of water.

Question 9.
What is the belief about Lake Manasarovar? What is the fact?
Answer:
According to ancient Hindu and Buddhist cosmology Manasarovar is the source of
four great Indian rivers: the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra. In
actuality only the Sutlej flows from the lake, but the headwaters of the all others rise
nearby on the flanks of Mount Kailash.

Question 10.
The narrator ‘slept very soundly. Like a log, not a dead man’. Explain.
Answer:
After going to the Tibetan doctor the narrator soon recovered. Unpalatable as it
seemed, the medicine led him to a quick recovery. Hence the narrator had a healthy
and sound sleep unlike when he was ailing and restless. He slept undisturbed. He
was not tossing and turning because he was sound a sleep, not because he felt
lifeless.

Question 11.
‘Darchen didn’t look so horrible after a good night’s sleep.’ Justify
Answer:
The narrator had a very uncomfortable night at Darchen. After he rested, although
Darchen was dusty, with heaps of rubble and refuse, the bright sun in a clear blue
sky gave the narrator a view of the Himalayas. He also noticed the huge, snow-
capped mountain, Gurla Mandhata, with just a tuft of cloud suspended over its peak.

Question 12.
‘I hadn’t made much progress with my self-help programme on positive thinking.’
Why does the narrator feel so?
Answer:
The narrator was very disappointed with Darchen. It was dusty, with heaps of rubble
and refuse. But he was even more disappointed as there were no pilgrims. As his
mind went over the drawbacks of the place he concluded that he hadn’t made much
progress with his self-help programme on positive thinking. In that case he would
have been more accepting and optimistic.

Question 13.
Who was Norbu? How could he be a help to the narrator?
Answer:
The narrator met Norbu in a cafe. He was Tibetan, and worked in Beijing at the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in the Institute of Ethnic Literature. He had
come to do the kora. Norbu had been writing academic papers about the Kailash
kora and its importance in various works of Buddhist literature for many years but .he
had never actually done it himself. The narrator was relieved to team up with him. He
would not be alone then.

Question 14.
‘He suggested we hire some yaks to carry our luggage, which I interpreted as a good
sign’. Why does the narrator feel so?
Answer:
The narrator was relieved at meeting Norbu. He kept telling the narrator how fat he
was and how hard it was going to be for him to climb. He wasn’t really a practising
Buddhist, but he was enthusiastic and was a Tibetan. Making the trek in the
company of devout believers would not be easy as they would go prostrating all
round the mountain. But Norbu suggested that they hire some yaks to carry our
luggage. This to the narrator came as a relief.

Silk Road Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
The narrator on his way to Mount Kailash came across a lot of topographic variation.
Comment.
Answer:
The narrator and his companions took a short cut to get off the Changtang. Tsetan
knew a route that would take them southwest, almost directly towards Mount
Kailash. It involved crossing several fairly high mountain passes. From the gently
rising and failing hills of Ravu, the short cut took them across vast open plains with
nothing in them except a few gazelles that were grazing in the arid pastures. Further
ahead,
the plains became more stony than grassy, and there a great herd of wild ass came
into view.

Still ahead hills became steeper wh^re solitary drokbas were tending their flocks.
This led them to the snow-capped mountains and then to the valley where the river
was wide and by and large clogged with ice. At a height of 5,515 metres, piles of
stones marked the landscape. Next was the plateau which was covered with salty
desert area and salty lakes that were remnants of the Tethys Ocean. Hor was next in
line. It was a wretched place with no vegetation just dust and rocks, liberally
scattered with years of accumulated refuse.

Question 2.
The narrator realized that the snow was both dangerous as well as beautiful. Justify.
Answer:
Tsetan on his way surveyed the snow on the path by stamping on it. It was not deep.
But in case they slipped the car could turn over. Hence to cover the risk, they flung
handfuls of dirt across the frozen surface. When the snow was spread with soil, they
drove without difficulty. Ten minutes later, they stopped at another blockage. This
time they decided to drive round the snow.

However, the risks did not undermine the scenic beauty of the place. In the valley,
they saw snow-capped mountains and the river was wide but mostly blocked with ice
that was sparkling in the sunshine. As they moved ahead, on their upward track, the
turns became sharper and the ride bumpier. The rocks around were covered with
patches of bright orange lichen. Under the rocks, seemed unending shade.

Question 3.
Enumerate the difficulties that the group faced in Hor.
Answer:
The group reached the small town of Hor by late afternoon. Daniel, who was
returning to Lhasa, found a ride in a truck and left. They had suffered two punctures
in quick succession on the drive down from the salt lake and they got them replaced.
Hor was a gloomy place devoid of vegetation. It only had dust and rocks, liberally
scattered with years of accumulated refuse.

Hor’s only cafe which, like all the other buildings in town, was constructed from badly
painted concrete and had three broken windows. The good view of the lake through
one of them helped to compensate for the draught. The narrator was served by a
Chinese youth in military uniform who spread the grease around on his table with a
filthy rag before bringing him a glass and a thermos of tea.

Question 4.
Describe in detail the narrator’s miserable night in Darchen.
Answer:
The narrator reached the Darchen guesthouse after 10.30 p.m. This was just the
beginning of a troubled night. The open-air rubbish dump in Hor had set off his cold
once more. One of his nostrils was blocked again and he was tired and hungry. He
started breathing through his mouth. After a while, he woke up abruptly. His chest
felt strangely heavy but when he sat up, his nasal passages cleared almost instantly
and relieved the feeling in his chest. He lay down again. Just as he was about to
doze something told him not to.

He was not gasping for breath, but could not go to sleep. He sat up but as soon as
he lay down, his sinuses filled and his chest felt strange. He tried supporting himself
against the wall, but could not manage to relax enough to sleep. He did not know
what was wrong but had a feeling that if he slept he would not wake up again. So he
stayed awake all night.

Question 5.
Narrate the narrator’s meeting with the Tibetan doctor.
Answer:
After an awfully uncomfortable and breathless night, Tsetan took the narrator to the
Darchen Medical College. The college was new and looked like a monastery from
the outside with a very solid door that led into a large courtyard. The consulting room
was dark and cold and occupied by a Tibetan doctor who did not have any kit that
the narrator had been expecting.

He wore a thick pullover and a woolly hat. The narrator explained the symptoms and
the doctor shot him a few questions while feeling the veins in his wrist. Finally he
said, it was the cold and the effects of altitude. He said that the narrator would be
well enough to do the kora. He gave him a brown envelope stuffed with fifteen
screws of paper. Each package had a brown powder that had to taken with hot
water. It tasted just like cinnamon. The contents of the lunchtime and bedtime
packages were less obviously identifiable. Both contained small, spherical brown
pellets. Though the medicine looked like sheep dung, it helped him recover quickly.

Question 6.
Meeting Norbu came as an immense relief to the narrator. Why?
Answer:
The narrator was not only disappointed with the filth in Darchen but also because of
the lack of pilgrims. Moreover, since Tsetan had left, he had not come across
anyone in Darchen with enough English to answer even this most basic question. It
was then that he met Norbu in a cafe. He was Tibetan, he told him, but worked in
Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in the Institute of Ethnic
Literature.
He had also come to do the kora. Norbu had been writing academic papers about
the Kailash kora and its importance in various works of Buddhist literature for many
years, but he had never actually done it himself. He was relieved to form a team with
another academician. This apart, Norbu, wasn’t really a practising Buddhist, though
he was a Tibetan. He suggested that they hire some yaks to carry their luggage, as
he had no intention of prostrating himself all round the mountain.
 The Address
Question 1:
‘Have you come back?’ said the woman, ‘I thought that no one had come back.’
Does this statement give some clue about the story? If yes, what is it?
Answer:
Yes, this statement gives some clue about the story. During the early part of the war
Mrs Dorling had shifted the important belongings of her acquaintance Mrs S. from
her house to 46, Marconi Street. These included table silver wares, antique plates
and other nice things such as the iron anukkah candle-holder, woollen table cloth
and green knitted cardigan with wooden buttons. Since Mrs S. had died during the
war, Mrs Dorling did not expect anyone to come back and claim her costly
belongings as she thought no one else knew her address.
The statement indicates the greedy and possessive nature of Mrs Dorling. She did
not open the door to the daughter of her former acquaintance nor did she show any
signs of recognition. She did not let the girl in. She refused to see her then saying it
was not convenient for her to do. The narrator had gone to this address with a
specific purpose—to see her mother’s belongings.
Even when she told Mrs Dorling that only she had come back, the woman with a
broad back did not soften a bit. Thus the clash of interests is hinted at by the
aforesaid statement.

Question 2:
The story is divided into pre-war and post-war times. What hardships do you think
the girl underwent during these times?
Answer:
During the pre-war times, the narrator lived in some other city far away from home
and she visited her mother only for a few days. During the first half of the war the
narrator’s mother was always afraid that they might have to leave the place and lose
all valuable belongings. The narrator lived in the city in a small rented room. Its
windows were covered with blackout paper. She could not see the beauty of nature
outside her room. The threat of death loomed large.
After the liberation, everything became normal again. Bread was getting to be a
lighter colour. She could sleep in her bed without any fear of death. She could glance
out of the window of her room each day. One day, she was eager to see all the
possessions of her mother, which she knew were stored at number 46, Marconi
Street. She went to that address. She felt disappointed when Mrs Dorling neither
recognised her nor let her in. She asked her to come again someday. It was evident
she wanted to put her off. She was eager to see, touch and remember her mother’s
possessions. So, she had to take the trouble of visiting the place again.

Question 3:
Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?
Answer:
The narrator remembered the address her mother had told her only once. It was
number 46, Marconi Street. Her mother’s acquaintance Mrs Dorling lived there. She
had stored the valuable belongings of the narrator’s mother there. After her mother’s
death, the narrator had an urge to visit the place. She wanted to see those things,
touch them and remember. She went to the given address twice. She was
successful in her second attempt to enter the living room. .
She found herself in the midst of things she wanted to see again. She felt oppressed
in the strange atmosphere. Everything was arranged in a tasteless way. The ugly
furniture and the muggy smell that hung there seemed quite unpleasant. These
objects evoked the memory of the familiar life of former time. But they had lost their
value since they had been separated from her mother and stored in strange
surroundings. She no longer wanted to see, touch or remember these belongings.
She resolved to forget the address. She wanted to leave the past behind and
decided to move on.

Question 4:
‘The Address’ is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment.
Answer:
The war creates many difficult and unpleasant situations for human beings.
Sometime it becomes difficult to know what to do. The human predicament that
follows war is amply illustrated through the experience of the narrator. The war had
caused many physical difficulties as well as emotional sufferings to her. She had lost
her dear mother. She went to 46, Marconi Street to see her mother’s valuable
possessions. How greedy and callous human beings can become is exemplified by
the behaviour of Mrs Dorling. She had stored all the valuable belongings of the
narrator’s mother, but she refused to recognise the narrator. She did not even let her
in. The presence of her mother’s possessions in strange atmosphere pained her.
Now these valuables had lost all their importance for her as they had been separated
from her mother. She could get no solace or comfort from them.

A. Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
How did Mrs Dorling react when the narrator said, m Mrs S’s daughter”?
Answer:
Mrs Dorling held her hand on the door as if she wanted to prevent it opening any
further. Her face showed no sign of recognition. She kept staring at the narrator
without uttering a word.

Question 2:
What two reasons did the narrator give to explain that she was mistaken?
Answer:
She thought that perhaps the woman was not Mrs Dorling. She had seen her only
once, for a brief interval and that too years ago. Secondly, it was probable that she
had rung the wrong bell.

Question 3:
How did the narrator conclude that she was right?
Answer: The woman was wearing the green knitted cardigan of the narrator’s
mother. The wooden buttons were rather pale from washing. She saw that the
narrator was looking at the cardigan. She half hid herself again behind the door. Her
reaction convinced the narrator that she was right.
Question 4:
What was the outcome of the interview between Mrs Dorling and the narrator?
Answer:
The interview was a flop as far as the narrator was concerned. Mrs Dorling refused
to see her and talk to her in spite of the narrator’s repeated requests.

Question 5:
Who had given the narrator the address, when and under what circumstances?
Answer:
The narrator’s mother had given her the address, years ago during the first half of
the war. The narrator came home for a few days and missed various things in the
rooms. Then her mother told her about Mrs Dorling and gave her the address.

Question 6:
What did the narrator learn about Mrs Dorling from her mother?
Answer:
Mrs Dorling was an old acquaintance of the narrator’s mother. The latter had not
seen her for several years. Then she suddenly turned up and renewed their contact.
Every time she left that place she took something with her—table silver, antique
plates, etc. –

Question 7:
What reason did Mrs Dorling give for taking away the precious belongings of the
narrator’s mother?
Answer:
Mrs Dorling suggested to the narrator’s mother that she should store her belongings
at a safer place. She wanted to save all her nice things. She explained that they
would lose everything if they had to leave the place.

Question 8:
What impression do you form of the narrator’s mother on the basis of her
conversation with (i) Mrs Dorling and (ii) the narrator?
Answer:
The narrator’s mother was a kind-hearted, generous and liberal lady. She was fond
of collecting valuable things. She is more worried about the physical risk to Mrs
Dorling than losing them to her. She thought it an insult to tell her friends to keep
those things for ever.

Question 9:
Did the narrator fee Up evinced about the views of her mother regarding Mrs
Dorling? How do you know?
Answer:
The narrator did not feel convinced about her mother’s concern for Mrs Dorling.
The latter was keen on removing the precious possessions of the narrator’s mother
to her own house. It seems that the narrator did not like Mrs Darling’s excessive
interest in her mother’s belongings. It is evident from the questions she puts to her
mother.
Question 10:
What does the narrator remember about Mrs Dorling as she saw her for the first
time?
Answer:
Mrs Dorling was a woman with a broad back. She wore a brown coat and a
shapeless hat. She picked up a heavy suitcase lying under the coat rack and left
their house.
She lived at number 46, Marconi Street.

Question 11:
Why did the narrator wait a long time before going to the address number 46,
Marconi Street?
Answer:
Initially, after the liberation, she was not at all interested in her mother’s belongings
lying stored there. She was also afraid of being confronted with things that had
belonged to her mother, who was now no more.

Question 12:
When did the narrator become curious about her mother’s possessions?
Answer:
The narrator became curious about her mother’s possessions as normalcy returned
in the post-liberation period. She knew that those things must still be at the address
her mother told her. She wanted to see them, touch and remember.

Question 13:
“I was in a room I knew and did not know,” says the narrator in the story ‘The
Address’. What prompted her to make this observation?
Answer:
The narrator found herself in the midst of things she was familiar with and which she
did want to see again. However, she found them in a strange atmosphere where
everything was arranged in a tasteless way. They ugly furniture and the muggy smell
created the feeling that she didn’t know the room.

Question 14:
“I just looked at the still life over the tea table,” says the narrator in the story ‘The
Address’. What does she mean by ‘the still life? What prompted her to make this
remark?
Answer:
By ‘the still life’, the narrator means the things over the tea table such as the table-
cloth, tea pot, cups and spoons. The reference to antique box and silver spoons
prompted her to make this remark.

Question 15:
How was the narrator able to recognise her own familiar woollen table- cloth?
Answer:
The narrator first stared at the woollen table-cloth. Then she followed the lines of the
pattern. She remembered that somewhere there was a bum mark which had not
been repaired. At last she found the bum mark on the table-cloth. This helped her to
recognise her own familiar article.

Question 16:
“You only notice when something is missing.” What does the speaker exactly mean?
What examples does she give?
Answer:
The speaker says that one gets used to touching one’s lovely things in the house.
One hardly looks at them any more. It is only when something is missing that it is
noticed either because it is to be repaired or it has been lent to someone.

Question 17:
How did narrator come to know that the cutlery they ate off every day was silver?
Answer:
Once the narrator’s mother asked her if she would help her polish the silver. The
narrator asked her which silver she meant. Her mother was surprised at her
ignorance and replied that it was the spoons, forks and knives, i.e. the cutlery they
ate off everyday.

Question 18:
Why did the narrator suddenly decide to leave?
Answer:
The narrator had visited 46, Marconi Street for a specific purpose—to see her
mother’s belongings and touch them. However, these objects seemed to have lost
their value in strange surroundings and on being severed from the life of former
times.

Question 19:
How did the narrator reconcile herself to the loss of her mother’s precious
belongings?
Answer:
The narrator felt that her mother had only lent them for safe custody and Mrs Dorling
was not to keep everything. On seeing these objects, memories of her former life
were aroused. She found no room for these precious belongings in her present life.
So she reconciled to her fate.

Question 20:
“Of all the things I had to forget, that would be the easiest”. What does the speaker
mean by ‘that’? What is its significance in the story?
Answer:
That’ here stands for the address. The words: number 46, Marconi Street, i.e. the
address recur throughout the story. The address is important for the narrator at the
beginning of the story. However, at the end of the story she resolves to forget it as
she wants to break off with the past and move on with the present into the future.

B. Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
How did the narrator come to know about Mrs Dorling and the address where she
lived?
Answer:
Years ago, during the first half of the war, the narrator went home for a few days to
see her mother. After staying there a couple of days she noticed that something or
other about the rooms had changed. She missed various things. Then her mother
told her about Mrs Dorling. She was an old acquaintance of her mother. She had
suddenly turned up after many years. Now she came regularly and took something
home with her everytime she came. She suggested that she could save her precious
belongings by storing them at her place. Mother told her address, Number 46,
Marconi Street. The narrator asked her mother if she had agreed with her that she
should keep everything. Her mother did not like that. She thought it would be an
insult to do so. She was worried about the risk Mrs Dorling faced carrying a full
suitcase or bag.

Question 2:
Give a brief account of the narrator’s first visit to 46, Marconi Street. What
impression do you form of Mrs Dorling from it?
Answer:
In the post-war period, when things returned to normal, the narrator became curious
about her mother’s possessions that were stored at Mrs Dorling’s house. Since she
wanted to see them, she took the train and went to 46, Marconi Street. Mrs Dorling
opened the door a chink. The narrator came closer, stood on the step and asked her
if she still knew her. Mrs Dorling told her that she didn’t know her. The narrator told
her that she was the daughter of Mrs S. Mrs Dorling kept staring at her in silence and
gave on sign of recognition. She held her hand on the door as if she wanted to
prevent it opening any further. The narrator recognised the green knitted cardigan of
her mother that Mrs Dorling was wearing. Mrs Dorling noticed it and half hid herself
behind the door. The narrator again asked if she knew her mother. Mrs Dorling
asked with surprise if she had come back. She declined to see the narrator or help
her.

Question 3:
In what respect was the second visit of the narrator to 46, Marconi Street different
from the first one? Did she really succeed in her mission? Give a reason for your
answer.
Answer:
The second visit of the narrator to 46, Marconi Street, was different from the first one
in one respect. Dining the first visit, the narrator could not get admittance in the
house, whereas during the second one, she was led to the living room, where she
could see and touch some of the things she had wanted so eagerly to see. She had
visited this place with a specific purpose—to see her mother’s belongings. The touch
and sight of familiar things aroused memory of her former life. These objects had
now lost their real value for her since they were severed from their own lives and
stored in strange circumstances. Thus her mission to see, touch and remember her
mother’s belongings was partly successful. She resolved to forget these objects, and
their past and move on. This is clear from her decision to forget the address.
Question 4:
What impression do you form of the narrator?
Answer:
The narrator leaves a very favourable impression on us about her emotional and
intellectual qualities. We find her an intelligent but devoted daughter. She loves and
respects her mother, but does not approve of her soft behaviour towards her
acquaintance, Mrs Dorling. She puts a pointed question, which her mother thinks
impolite.
The narrator has a keen power of observation. She notices during her brief stay at
home that various things are missing from the rooms. She has a sharp power of
judgment. She once sizes up Mrs Dorling. Her persistent efforts to remind Mrs
Dorling of her own identity and the latter’s relations with her mother reveal her
indomitable spirit. She visits 46, Marconi Street twice to see, touch and remember
her mother’s belongings. She is a realist, who doesn’t like to remain tagged to the
past. Her resolution to forget the address and move on shows her grit and forward
looking nature. She has a progressive personality.

Question 5:
Comment on the significance of the title of the story The Address.
Answer:
The title of the story The Address is quite apt. It is the spring wheel of the action. In
fact the whole action centres round it. The title is quite suggestive and occurs at the
beginning, middle and end of the story. Marga Minco focuses the reader’s attention
on it by the narrator’s doubt whether she was mistaken and her self assurance that
she had reached the correct address.
The middle part of the story reveals how she came to know the address. It was her
mother who informed her about the place where Mrs Dorling lived and asked her to
remember it.
The story ends dramatically with the narrator’s resolve to forget the address. The
wheel comes full circle. She had remembered the address for so many years and
now since the belongings of her mother stored there have lost their usefulness she
finds that forgetting this address would be quite easy.
 The Voice of the Rain
Question 1.
Why does the poet get surprised when he gets an answer from the rain?
Answer:
The poet gets surprised when he gets an answer from the rain, as it is inanimate and
cannot speak. In this poem, to the poet’s and reader’s amazement, the rain gives a
reply which has been translated by the poet for the readers.

Question 2.
What answer does the rain give back to the poet?
Answer:
The rain answers to the poet’s question by telling him that it is the Poem of Earth and
is involved in a continuing process of going up and coming down.

Question 3.
How does the rain justify its claim ‘I am the Poem of Earth’?
Answer:
The rain calls itself the Poem of the Earth because the poem rendered by the poet
has the task of bringing joy, happiness, life to its readers. Similarly when the rain falls
down over Earth, a rhythm or music is created. That’s why the rain calls itself the
Poem of Earth.

Question 4.
Describe the never ending cycle of rain.
Answer:
Water rises unperceived in the form of vapour from land and water bodies on the
Earth. It goes up, takes the form of a cloud, changes its shape and falls down on
Earth in the form .of water drops to bathe the small dust particles, land and sea. The
water returns through rivers to oceans and seas after it rains on Earth.

Question 5.
Why does the rain call itself ‘impalpable’?
Answer:
Impalpable means something that cannot be felt by touching or seeing. When water
takes the form of vapour, it is not visible to the human eye and nor can we feel its
touch.

The vapour rises to the sky, condenses and forms clouds which cause rain. Though
we are aware of its presence, the process remains invisible to us. Hence, the rain
has rightly called itself ‘impalpable’.

Question 6.
What happens when it rains after a long hot spell?
Answer:
After a long hot spell, everything is dried up on Earth. When it rains, all the dust that
has accumulated on Earth gets washed away, giving a new fresh look to nature.
Moreover the seeds which were lying latent till now, get germinated with the help of
rain and new trees and plants start growing.

Question 7.
Latent seeds get a life by rain. Explain.
Answer:
The seeds lying on Earth require water to germinate and take shape. When it rains,
the seeds start germinating and change into the form of saplings. In this way, the
seeds which would have dried up or get wasted get a new lease of life by rain.

Question 8.
Why is rain essential for Earth?
Answer:
If it doesn’t rain then Earth will remain parched, droughts will follow and the dust-
layers will not be washed away. There will be nothing to quench the thirst of the
plants and trees and their seeds will die.

Question 9.
How does the rain become the voice of Earth?
Answer:
In the poem, ‘The Voice of the Rain’, the poet describes how the rain falls on Earth.
He also asks a question to the rain’about it. He calls the showers of the rain as
‘Poem of Earth’ as the rain gives a new lease of life to ‘ the scorched and parched
Earth and falls on Earth in a rhythmic manner.

Actually, it is the voice of Earth as the slowly falling showers produce a very soft
music and Earth finds its expression only through the showers falling on it.

Question 10.
Why do you think the poet says the phrase ‘reck’d or unreck’d’?
Answer:
The words have been poetically drafted. Reck’d and unreck’d stand for reckoned and
unreckoned. The words literally mean cared and uncared for respectively. The poet
says these words to emphasise the fact that when it falls on the Earth, we
sometimes take notice of it or sometimes completely ignore it. But even if it is left
uncared for, it completes its destiny and returns to absorbed where it started from.

Question 11.
Justify the title ‘The Voice of the Rain’.
Answer:
The whole poem is about the eternal process of rain and its benefits. Through the
words of the rain, the poet has tried to bring out the importance of rain for Earth, for
plants and for man. As the poet is translating what the rain is speaking through its
own language (the sounds it makes when it falls), the whole poem is about the rain
talking to the poet. Thus, the title is justified.
Question 12.
The poem has a conversational tone throughout. Who are the two participants? Is
there any advantage of this method?
Answer:
The two participants are the poet and the voice of the rain which answers the poet’s
questions. The advantage of this method is to maintain continuity of thoughts and
ideas expressed by the poet and to bring about clarity in what he wants to express.

Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
The poem ‘The Voice of the Rain’ gives a hidden message that rain is essential for
this Earth. Write an article in 120-150 words describing the importance of rain.
Answer:

Importance of Rain
by Ali Jawed

As we all know, the three essentials for survival are water, food and air. The most
important element of weather is water. We get water in different forms of
precipitation but rain is the most beneficial of all types of precipitation.

Rain helps in harvesting our crops that give us food to eat. Without rain, no crops
would grow and we would perish. Also, falling showers remove the dust in air,
making our air clean, because we need clean air to breathe.

Rain water plays a key role in creating the climate of certain areas. Its presence in
the atmosphere provides replenishment of the moisture in cloud systems.

The most well-known and most important effect of rain water is to provide us with
water to drink. Without rain, there would be no life.

Question 2.
Rain is an eternal process benefiting mankind. Contrast it with human life which is
short lived on this Earth. Should we disturb these eternal elements of nature?
Answer:
The poem ‘The Voice of the Rain’ beautifully shows the continued process of rain
which sounds like music to human ears, as it fulfills our needs.

It is an ever going process which sustains human life and provides us with food, pure
air and green cover. On the other hand, human lives are mortal. We come on this
Earth for a short period and then depart without leaving any mark on this planet.
Moreover human beings, for their greed and selfish motives, indulge in destructive
activities which may disturb these eternal processes of nature.
We must learn a lesson from nature. If we want peaceful co-existence, we need not
disturb the balance of nature, otherwise the whole of humanity will be in danger. We
must learn a lesson from such eternal processes and do something good for
humanity at large.

Question 3.
Natural elements such as air and rain make no discrimination and bless everyone
equally. Comment on class distinction and inequality, which is a totally human
creation.
Answer:
Man’s existence on this Earth is short-lived but even in this short span, he has been
responsible for many wrong doings against other human beings. God has created
everyone as equal. But it is very unfortunate that man has divided this society on the
basis of class, caste and other factors.

Man must learn from elements of nature which provide us fresh air, heat or water,
without making any distinction. But in human society class distinctions and caste
distinctions both exist and inequalities prevail in large numbers. It is high time that
man must learn lessons from nature and adopt universal brotherhood for the
betterment of our society.

The Voice Of The Rain Extract based Questions and Answers

I. Read the extract given below and answer any two of the questions that follow.

And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,

Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:
I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,

Question 1.
Who is T in the first line?
(a) The poet
(b) The land
(c) The sea
(d) The raindrops
Answer:
(a) The poet

Question 2.
What does the rain call itself? Why?
(a) The poet of the Earth
(b) The poem of the Earth
(c) The poem of the Sea
(d) The poet of the Sea
Answer:
The poem of the Earth
Question 3.
The word ‘thou’ in the extract is a ………. .
(a) noun
(b) verb
(c) preposition
(d) pronoun
Answer:
(d) pronoun

II. Read the extract given below and answer any two of the questions that follow.

Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,
Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form’d, altogether changed, and yet the same,

Question 1.
What does the use of word ‘eternal’ indicate here?
(a) It indicates the continual process of rain
(b) It indicates the continual process of nature
(c) It indicates the discontinuous process of rain
(d) It indicates the discontinuous process of nature
Answer:
(a) It indicates the continual process of rain

Question 2.
From where does ‘I’ rise and where does it go?
(a) It rises in the form of droplets and goes to the sea
(b) It rises in the form of clouds and goes to the sky
(c) It rises in the form of water vapour and goes to the land
(d) It rises in the form of water vapour and goes to the sky
Answer:
(d) It rises in the form of water vapour and goes to the sky

Question 3.
Which word in the extract means the same as “in a way that is uncertain, indefinite or
unclear”?
(a) Eternal
(b) Impalpable
(c) Vaguely
(d) Bottomless
Answer:
(c) Vaguely

III. Read the extract given below and answer any two of the questions that follow.

I descend to lave the droughts, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,

And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn;
Question 1.
With what purpose does the rain descend from the sky?
(a) To trouble the creatures of the Earth
(b) To give life to the drought affected areas and plants
(c) To wash the dust layers enveloping the Earth
(d) Both (b) and (c)
Answer:
(d) Both (b) and (c)

Question 2.
What will happen if T was not there?
(a) It would result in happiness on the Earth
(b) It would not matter to the residents of the Earth
(c) The seeds will remain as seeds and plants will not grow
(d) It would result in the rise of temperature on Earth
Answer:
(c) The seeds will remain as seeds and plants will not grow

Question 3.
……….. is the opposite of ‘latent’.
(a) Inactive
(b) Manifest
(c) Dormant
(d) Resolute
Answer:
(b) Manifest

IV. Read the extract given below and answer any two of the questions that follow.

And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin,
And make pure and beautify it;

Question 1.
In what way does the rain help its place of origin?
(a) By causing floods
(b) By providing water to the drought stricken areas
(c) By washing away impurities from the Earth
(d) Both (b) and (c)
Answer:
(d) Both (b) and (c)

Question 2.
What is the importance of the word ‘forever’?
(a) It points to the everlasting features of artificial elements
(b) It points to the everlasting features of natural elements
(c) It points to the temporary features of natural elements
(d) It points to the temporary features of artificial elements
Answer:
(b) It points to the everlasting features of natural elements

Question 3.
……….. in the extract is the opposite of ‘ending’.
(a) By
(b) Back
(c) Origin
(d) Beginning
Answer:
(c) Origin

V. Read the extract given below and answer any two of the questions that follow.

(For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, wandering Reck’d or unreck’d,
duly with love returns.)

Question 1.
What is the similarity between a song and the rain?
(a) They return to their place of origin
(b) They are never ending
(c) They do not have any origin
(d) They are liked by one and all
Answer:
(a) They return to their place of origin

Question 2.
How has the poet been able to put his own reflections?
(a) By using quotation marks
(b) By using parenthesis or brackets
(c) By making notes in his diary
(d) By telling his friends about his experiences
Answer:
(b) By using parenthesis or brackets

Question 3.
For what purpose has the phrase ‘reck’d’ or ‘unreck’d’ used in the passage?
(a) For highlighting the author’s comments
(b) To indicate that rain or a song keep completing their life-cycle
(c) To indicate that rain or a song do not complete their life-cycle
(d) For making the poem interesting
Answer:
(b) To indicate that rain or a song keep completing their life-cycle