MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX by Kamala Das

Extract Based Questions:

1.

……and realized with pain

that she was as old as she looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at young trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes.

(a) Kamala Das turned her attention from her mother, because

i) She was feeling guilty.

ii) She was shirking her responsibility
iii) She was trying to escape from pain filled emotions.
iv) She didn’t like the idea of her mother growing old.

(b) Why did the poet put ‘that thought’ away?

(c) Complete the following analogy correctly. Do not repeat from the example used.
Trees sprinting:…………..: : pale as a late winter's moon: simile

(d) The phrase 'she realized with pain' indicates the poet's................

(i) anxiety of missing the flight. (ii) fear of losing her mother
(iii) fear of illness. (iv) anxiety of talking her mother on the flight.

(e) Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below:

Assertion: The poet brings in the image of merry children spilling out of their homes.
Reasoning: The merry children present an image of happiness and exuberance. This image is in
stark contrast to the ‘dozing‘ old mother who is an image of ageing, decay and passivity.
i) Both A & R are correct. R is the correct explanation of A
ii) Both A & R are correct. R is not the correct explanation of A
iii) A is right, R is wrong
iv) R is right, A is wrong

(f) ‘Thought Away’ means

i) Diverted ii) Escaped
iii) Drifted iv) Avoided
Answers:

(a) iv) She didn’t like the idea of her mother growing old.
(b) She wanted to divert her mind from the reality of growing age of her mother and her impending
inevitable death/ did not want to be separated from her mother.
(c) Personification
(d) (ii) Fear of losing her mother
(e) i) Both A & R are correct. R is the correct explanation of A
(f) i) Diverted
2.
I looked again at her,
wan, pale as a late winter‘s moon
and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood‘s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
All I did was smile and smile and smile …

(a) Kamala Das comparing her mother to winter moon signifies________________

i ) Human life is as short as that of the moon.
ii) Her mother is old and looks pale
iii) Winter is the last season of the year
iv) Her mother is about to die

(b) Given below are some of the books and their authors. Which title perfectly describes the
condition of the poet‘s mother?
i) Somewhere Towards the End – by Diana Athill
ii) Nothing to be Frightened of –Julian Barnes
iii) If Cats disappeared from the World – Genki Kawamura
iv) The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde.

( c)The poet’s childhood fear was_________________________

(d) The tone of the poem is

i) Pensive and sorrowful
ii) Disillusioned and unhappy
iii) Happy but discontented
iv) Remorseful

(e) Some poetic devices and examples from the poem are given below. Choose the option that fits
the poetic device to its example.
i) Simile: merry children spilling out – Repetition :smile and smile and smile
ii) Personification: Young trees sprinting – Metaphor: Merry children spilling
iii) Simile: pale as a late winter‘s moon – Imagery: all I did was smile
iv) Imagery: old familiar ache – Simile: pale as a late winter‘s moon

(f) Elucidate the following statement with reference to the above extract:
All I did was smile and smile and smile……

Answers:
a) ii. Her mother is old and looks pale
b) i) Somewhere Towards the End – by Diana Athill.
c) fear of separation from her mother
d) i. Pensive and sorrowful
e) ii) Personification: Young trees sprinting – Metaphor: Merry children spilling
f) Does not want to show her agony and fear to her mother/wants to part from her mother on a
pleasant note/ her outer smile hides her inner pain of separation/ comforts her mother
 KEEPING QUIET by Pablo Neruda

Extract Based Questions

1.
For once on the face of the Earth
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

(a) The poet uses the word “let’s” to _______

i) initiate a conversation between the poet and the readers.
ii) invite readers as part of the poem’s larger call to humanity.
iii) welcome readers into the world of the poem and its subject.
iv) address readers as fellow members of the human race.

(b) Margaret Atwood said, “Language divides us into fragments, I wanted to be whole.”
Choose the option that correctly comments on the relationship between Margaret Atwood’s words
and the line from the above extract – “let’s not speak in any language”
i) Atwood endorses Neruda’s call to not speak in any language.
ii) Atwood justifies Neruda’s request to not engage in any speaking.
iii) Atwood undermines Neruda’s intent to stop and not speak in any language.
iv) Atwood surrenders to Neruda’s desire for silence and not speak in any language.

(c) Why do you think the poet employs words like “exotic” and “strangeness”?
i) To highlight the importance of everyone being together suddenly for once.
ii) To emphasize the frenetic activity and chaos that usually envelops human life.
iii) To indicate the unfamiliarity of a sudden moment without rush or without engine.
iv) To direct us towards keeping quiet and how we would all be together in that silence.

(d) Choose the option that correctly matches the idioms given in Column A with their meanings in
Column B
Column A Column B Column A Column B
1. On the face of the earth (i) In existence
2. What on earth (ii) To do all possible to accomplish something
3. Move heaven and earth (iii) To express surprise or shock
4. The salt of the earth (iv) To be good and worthy

i) 1 – (i); 2 – (iv); 3 – (iii); 4 – (ii)

ii) 1 – (i); 2 – (iii); 3 – (ii); 4 – (iv)
iii) 1 – (ii); 2 – (i); 3 – (iv); 4 – (iii)
iv) 1 – (iv); 2 – (ii); 3 – (iii); 4 – (i)

(e) “It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines”. What does ‘it’ refer to ?

(f) The poetic device used in ‘arms’ is _______________________________

Answers
(a) ii) invite readers as part of the poem’s larger call to humanity.
(b) i) Atwood endorses Neruda’s call to not speak in any language.
(c) ii) To emphasize the frenetic activity and chaos that usually envelops human life.
(d) ) ii) 1 – (i); 2 – (iii); 3 – (ii); 4 – (iv)
(e) It refers to keeping still/ keeping quiet/, not speaking in any language.
(f) pun

2.
What I want should not be
Confused with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.

(a) Identify the incorrect statement from the following.

i) The poet’s attitude is positive
ii) Speaking different languages will cause misunderstanding
iii) The poet advocates total inactivity
iv) The poet wants us to keep still instead of doing one thing or the other

(b) What is the sadness that the poet refers to in the poem, ‘Keeping Quiet’ ?
(c) How can we rectify the social problems, as in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’?
i) When we introspect and develop a feeling of understanding with each other
ii) When we behave selfish
iii) When we think about ourselves only
iv) None of the above
(d) Complete the following analogy correctly.
A Thing of Beauty: John Keats : : Keeping Quiet: …………………….
( e) Which poetic device is used in ‘Huge Silence’?
i) Alliteration
ii) Transferred epithet
iii) Pun
iv) Metaphor
(f) Explain ‘Life is what it is about’ according to the poet.
Answers:
(a) iii) The poet advocates total inactivity
(b) The sadness of never understanding oneself , threatening oneself to death.
(c) i) When we introspect and develop a feeling of understanding with each other
(d) Pablo Neruda.
( e ) ii) Transferred epithet.
( f) Life is about development/ action/live to the fullest of happiness.
 A THING OF BEAUTY by John Keats

Extract Based Questions

1.

A flowery band to bind us to the earth,

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o‘er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all
(a) Based on the poem, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given
below.
Statement 1: The earth without the beautiful things is a place full of despair and unpleasantness.
Statement 2: The ornate band created by human beings; ushers hope in their lives.
i) Statement 1 is true but Statement 2 is false.
ii) Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is true.
iii) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.
iv) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred.

(b) In which of the following options can the underlined words be replaced with despondence‘?
i) The man paced about the room showing restlessness.
ii) A chat with a close friend can take away our blues.
iii) I was in jitters, seeing the boy trapped in the trench.
iv) Being dogged is what led him to negotiate the challenges.

(c) Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to the earth –We tie
ourselves to the Earth with _____.
i) life ii) band of flowers
iii) gloom iv) beautiful things

(d) Which of the following causes suffering and pain to human beings on earth ?
i) Unhealthy and miserable ways ii) Lack of humane qualities
iii) Days that are sad and depressing iv) All of these

(e) Explain-‘in spite of all’.

(f) Which of the following phrases have the poetic device expressed in ‘leaping lizard’?
i) inhuman dearth
ii) gloomy days
iii) over darkened ways
iv) noble natures
Answers
(a) iii) Both statement 1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.
(b) ii) A chat with a close friend can take away our blues
(c) iv) beautiful things.
(d) iv) All of these
( e) In spite of all negative qualities and evils mentioned by the poet can infuse positivity and joy in
our lives.
( f ) iv) noble natures.
2.
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon.
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;

(a) Pick the option that matches the words / phrases with the literary device.

Word/ phrase Literary device Word/ phrase Literary device

1. simple sheep A. imagery
2. gloomy days B. metaphor
3. bower quiet C. symbolism
D. transferred epithet

i) 1-C, 2-D, 3-B

ii) 1-B, 2-A, 3-D
iii) 1-D, 2-B, 3-C
iv) 1-C, 2-A, 3-B

(b) “In all things of nature there is something marvellous.” According to the poet, what are the things
that have a sublimating effect on the minds of human beings?

(c) ‘From our dark spirits’ in the poem ‘A Thing of Beauty’ implies to___________________

( d ) What message does the poem ‘A Thing of Beauty’ convey?

i)Beauty never fades away .
ii)A beautiful thing is joy forever.
iii)Beauty raises the spirit higher.
iv)All the above

(e) Choose the option that displays the same poetic device as used in the sixth line of the extract.
(i) I'm as happy as I can be.
(ii) Life is a roller coaster ride.
(iii) Nature is God's gift to us.
(iv) The dazzling divas enchanted all.

(f) What sprouts a shady boon for sheep?

Answers :
(a) i) 1-C, 2-D, 3-B
(b)All beautiful things found in nature, which surround us, have a sublimating effect on our minds,
things like sheep, daffodils, musk roses, streams of water, trees, etc. fill our hearts with joy and
delight. Nature’s beauty is evident in the sun and the moon.
(c) Our dampened and demoralised spirits
(d )(iv) All the above
(e) (iv) The dazzling divas enchanted all.
(f) trees
 A ROADSIDE STAND by Robert Frost

Extract Based Questions

1.
It is in the news that all these pitiful kin
Are to be bought out and mercifully gathered in
To live in villages, next to the theatre and the store,
Where they won't have to think for themselves anymore,
While greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey,
Swarm over their lives enforcing benefits

(a) The news of the hour is___________________

i) The people like the farmers will be bought out
ii) They are going to be relocated
iii) They wouldn‘t have to fend for themselves
iv) All the above
(b) What is the tone of the poet in the above lines?
A. Aggressive B. Tolerant C. Sarcastic D. Resigned. E. Sentimental
Choose the most appropriate option:
(i) Only (A) (ii) (B) and (C) (iii) (A), (D) and (E) (iv) Only (C)

(c) Point out the irony in ‘mercifully gathered in’.

(d) Complete the following analogy correctly.

Furrow followed free : alliteration: :............: oxymoron.

(e) On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to (1) and (2) given below:
(1) The politicians are referred as ‘greedy good-doers’.
(2) The politicians have ulterior motives.
(i) (1) is true but (2) is false.
(ii) (2) is true but (1) is false..
(iii) (2) is the reason for (1).
(iv) Both (1) and (2) cannot be inferred from the extract.

(f) Explain why merciful have been called ‘greedy good-doers‘ and ‘beneficent beasts of
prey‘?
Answers
(a) iv) All the above
(b) (iv) Only (C)
(c) The irony is that the relocation of the country people is disguised as a charitable act but in
reality, it is a very cunning, self-serving and money making act of the government and the
moneyed people.
(d) beneficent beasts
(e) iii) (2) is the reason for (1).
(f) The merciful are the crooked politicians, greedy people pretending to be good, who only pose
as beneficiaries. These powerful men are actually beasts of prey in the guise of beneficiaries who
ruthlessly exploit the common people.
2.
The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts
At having the landscape marred with the artless paint
Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong
Offered for sale wild berries in wooden quarts.
Or crook-necked golden squash with silver warts,
Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene,
You have the money, but if you want to be mean,
Why keep your money (this crossly) and go along

(a) Polished traffic is an example of………………….

(i) transferred epithet (ii) metaphor (iii) personification (iv) simile

(b) The urban rich feel ___________about the S and N signs that have been painted wrong
i) amused
ii) tolerant
iii) compassionate
iv) annoyed

(c) Name two things that were sold at the roadside stand.

(d) ‘Marred with the artless paint’ does not include

i)The rural landscape
ii) The disorganized design of dwellings
iii)The lack of artistic finesse among the rural folk
iv) The dirt that splashes on to the polished and beautiful cars

(e) ‘The urban and educated people have their minds ahead.’
Choose the option suggesting the correct meaning behind this line.
i)The people are well-educated and knowledgeable about the condition of the poor.
ii)The people are concentrating on the road that is ahead in order to drive safely.
iii)The people are preoccupied only by the thoughts of their lives and nothing else.
iv) The people are focused on their goal of bettering the country.

(f) Find word from the stanza which means ’refined’ .

Answers
(a) (i) transferred epithet .
(b) iv) annoyed
(c) Wild berries and golden squash (gourd)
(d) iv) The dirt that splashes on to the polished and beautiful cars.
(e) iii)The people are preoccupied only by the thoughts of their lives and nothing else.
(f) polished
 AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS by Adrienne Rich

Extract Based Questions

1.

Aunt Jennifer's fingers fluttering through her wool

Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.
(a ) Identify the phrase from the extract, that suggests the following:
“Aunt Jennifer had no liberty or will of her own.”

(b) Why does she find it difficult to pull her ivory needle?

(c) Describe the irony in the third line.

(d) What is Aunt Jennifer’s mood in the above lines?

i) Aunt Jennifer is in a state of anxiety and nervousness.
ii) Aunt Jennifer is in a state of extreme happiness.
iii) Aunt Jennifer is in a state of confusion.
iv) Aunt Jennifer is in a state of dilemma

(e) Which of the following does NOT represent the contrast between Aunt Jennifer and the tigers?
i) Uncertainty and confidence
ii) Terror and fearlessness
iii) Fiefdom and freedom
iv) Authority and autonomy

(f) Complete the following analogy correctly.

Fingers fluttering: ………… : : terrified hands: transferred epithet.

Answers
(a) Massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band
(b) She is weak, afraid and has lost confidence in herself
(c) The wedding band is a symbol of conjugal happiness but for Aunt Jennifer, it has become a
burden.
(d) i. Aunt Jennifer is in a state of anxiety and nervousness.
(e) iv) Authority and autonomy.
(f) Alliteration

2.
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

(a) Which of the following CANNOT be inferred from the given extract?
i) Aunt Jennifer’s tigers will keep her alive in everyone’s memory.
ii) Aunt Jennifer feels oppressed and constricted in her marriage.
iii) Even in death, Aunt Jennifer cannot escape patriarchal subjugation.
iv) Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance as a lasting symbol of her desires.
(b) Read the statements given below . choose the option that accurately describes the given
statements.
Statement (1) : The poem is a manifesto against the institution of marriage.
Statement (2) : Aunt Jennifer represents all women artists.
Statement (3) : The poem embodies an alternative for women to express their repressed desires
through art.
i) Statement (1) is True, Statement (2) is false, Statement (3) cannot be inferred.
ii) Statement (1) and Statement (3) are false, Statement (2) cannot be inferred.
iii) Statement (1) and Statement (2) are True, Statement (3)cannot be inferred.
iv) Statement (1) is false, Statement (2) cannot be inferred, Statement (3)is True.

(c) Choose the option that DOES NOT reflect the movement implied by ‘prancing’.
i) Bounding
ii) Leaping
iii)Strutting
iv) Shuffling

(d) What are the ‘ordeals’ Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by?

(e) Complete the following analogy correctly.

Prancing proud: alliteration : : ……………: pun.

(f) “Turn your pain into art”. It’s a phrase most of us have heard before…
Which of the following represents the meaning associated with the phrase
i) The oppressive nature of her husband compels her to take up designing on the tapestry.
ii) Her choice of design is reflective of her repressed desires.
iii) She revolts silently in her own way by creating tigers, ie through her artistic expression.
iv) All the above.

Answers :
(a) i. Aunt Jennifer’s tigers will keep her alive in everyone’s memory.
(b) ii) Statement (1) and Statement (3) are false, Statement (2) cannot be inferred
(c) iv) Shuffling
(d) The ordeals refer to the responsibilities and duties that Aunt Jennifer has been doing in a
patriarchal society
(e) ringed
(f) (iv) All the above.