INDIAN SCHOOL MUSCAT

MIDDLE SECTION

CLASS: VII SUBJECT: ENGLISH Topic: Literature

I) Write the meanings of:

1. Gossamer- fine cobwebs spun by small spiders

2. Meadows- a piece of grassland
3. Mist-to cover or become covered with tiny drops of water
4. Returning- to come or go back to a previous place
5. Hobbit-an imaginary being like a person but smaller in size with
hairy feet
6. Contemplative- expressing or involving prolonged thought

II) Reference to context:

a) “I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen
of meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been….”

1. Which season is possibly described in this line?

Ans:The season being described is possibly winter because the speaker

is sitting in front of a fire.

2. What sad thoughts are mentioned in the following lines?

Ans: The sad thought mentioned is that of death, where the speaker will
not be around to see the spring that follows winter.

3. What is the fear hidden in this thought?

Ans: The hidden fear is that of not knowing what the future holds.

b) “But all the while I sit and think of times there were before
I listen for returning feet and voices at door…..”
 1. What does the word ‘returning’ suggest to you?

Ans:The word ‘returning’ suggests that the speaker’s friends had been
there already and that he had alovely time with them, which makes him
long for their return.

2. Why do you think the speaker is doing this?

Ans: The speaker is doing this because he is old and because he

remembers his younger days when hespent good times with friends.

3. Comment on the speaker’s mood in this context.

Ans:The speaker is in a calm and contemplative mood where he thinks

about the past and longs for thereturn of friends.

III) Answer the following questions:

1. What beautiful elements of Nature come to the poet’s mind?

Ans: The elements of Nature that come to the speaker’s mind are the meadow
flowers and butterflies in the summer, the yellow leaves and gossamer of
autumn, the morning mist, the silver sun, and the wind in his hair.

2. Which images used by the speaker are often associated with old age?
Ans: Images that are associated with old age include: autumn, yellow leaves,
winter, sitting beside the fire and thinking about the past.

3. Identify the instance of alliteration in the poem.

Ans: The use of the same letter or sounds at the beginning of words that are
close togetheris called alliteration. Morning mist and silver sun are
alliterations in the poem.

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