02. स्वर्णकाकः – Summary     

कहानी का परिचय

‘स्वर्णकाकः – सोने का कौआ’ श्री पद्मशास्त्री द्वारा रचित “विश्वकथाशतकम्” नामक संग्रह से ली गई एक प्रसिद्ध लोककथा है। यह कथा म्यांमार देश की श्रेष्ठ लोककथाओं में से एक है। इस कथा में एक स्वर्णपंखों वाले कौवे के माध्यम से लोभ और त्याग के परिणामों को दिखाया गया है। यह न केवल एक रोचक कहानी है, बल्कि बच्चों को नैतिक शिक्षा भी देती है।

कहानी का सारांश

बहुत समय पहले एक गाँव में एक गरीब बूढ़ी स्त्री अपनी विनम्र और सुंदर पुत्री के साथ रहती थी। एक दिन माँ ने बेटी से कहा कि वह धूप में रखे चावलों की रक्षा करे। तभी एक सोने के पंखों और चाँदी की चोंच वाला विचित्र कौआ आया और चावल खाने लगा। लड़की ने उसे रोका और गरीबी की बात बताई। कौआ प्रसन्न हुआ और अगले दिन सुबह गाँव के बाहर पीपल के पेड़ के पास बुलाया, जहाँ उसका सोने का महल था। 

उसने लड़की से सीढ़ी चुनने को कहा – सोने, चाँदी या ताँबे की। विनम्र लड़की ने ताँबे की सीढ़ी चुनी, पर उसे सोने की सीढ़ी दी गई। महल में उसे स्वादिष्ट भोजन भी सोने की थाली में मिला। जाते समय तीन बक्से दिए गए, जिनमें से लड़की ने सबसे छोटा बक्सा चुना। उसमें हीरे थे, और वह अमीर बन गई।

उसी गाँव में एक लालची बुढ़िया रहती थी, जिसकी एक बेटी थी। उसने ईर्ष्या में आकर वही प्रक्रिया दोहराई। लेकिन उसकी बेटी घमंडी थी, उसने सोने की सीढ़ी माँगी और कौए से बद्तमीज़ी की। कौए ने उसे ताँबे की सीढ़ी दी और ताँबे के बर्तन में भोजन कराया। जाते समय उसने सबसे बड़ा बक्सा लिया, पर उसमें से काला भयानक साँप निकला। उसे अपने लोभ का फल मिला और उसने लोभ त्याग दिया।

कहानी से शिक्षा

इस कहानी से हमें सिखने को मिलता है कि हमें कभी भी लालच नहीं करना चाहिए। जो लोग सच्चे, विनम्र और संतोषी होते हैं, उन्हें अच्छे फल मिलते हैं। लेकिन जो लोग घमंडी और लालची होते हैं, उन्हें नुकसान उठाना पड़ता है। इसलिए हमें हमेशा ईमानदार, नम्र और संतोषी बनकर रहना चाहिए।

शब्दार्थ

  • संस्कृत शब्द – हिंदी अर्थ
  • स्वर्णकाकः – सोने का कौआ
  • निर्धना – गरीब
  • विनम्रा – विनम्र, नम्र
  • तण्डुलाः – चावल
  • पिप्पलवृक्षः – पीपल का पेड़
  • प्रासादः  महल
  • सोपानम् – सीढ़ी
  • स्थाल्या – थाली
  • भोजनम् – भोजन
  • मञ्जूषा – बक्सा
  • हीरकाणि – हीरे
  • कृष्णसर्पः – काला साँप
  • लोभाविष्टा – लालच से भरी हुई
  • लघुतमां – सबसे छोटा
  • बृहत्तमां – सबसे बड़ा

01.भारतीयसन्त्तगीतिः  – Summary      

परिचय

यह अध्याय संस्कृत कक्षा ९ का प्रथम पाठ है, जो ‘भारतीवसन्तगीतिः’ नामक काव्य पर आधारित है। यह आधुनिक संस्कृत-साहित्य के प्रख्यात कवि पण्डित जानकीवल्लभ शास्त्री द्वारा रचित ‘काकली’ नामक गीत-संग्रह से लिया गया है। काव्य में वसन्त ऋतु के सौन्दर्य का चित्रण करते हुए सरस्वती देवी से प्रार्थना की गई है कि नवीन वीणा बजाकर मधुर गीत गाया जाए, जो प्रकृति के विविध रूपों से प्रेरित हो तथा राष्ट्रीय जागरण की भावना को प्रफुल्लित करे। यह रचना स्वाधीनता प्राप्ति की पृष्ठभूमि में लिखी गई है, जो लोकों को प्रेरित करने वाली है।

प्रार्थना

श्लोकः १

या भूमिर् महानद्यः सरितः सरोवरोत्सवानि (सागरः सरोवर आदि) विद्यमानानि । यस्मिन् बहवः प्रकाराः खाद्यपदार्थाः उत्पादन्ति च कृषि व्यापार आदि करोन्तः पुरुषाः सामाजिकसंगठनं कृत्वा वसन्ति (भारतीवसन्तगीतिः) । यस्याम् एते चरन्ति (प्रचरन्ति) प्राणिनः संचरन्ति भ्रमरन्ति । सा पृथ्वी नः प्रथम खाद्यपदार्थान् (अन्नजल) प्रदातु ॥१॥

हिंदी अर्थः जिस भूमि में बड़े नदियाँ, झीलें तथा तालाब (समुद्र, सरोवर आदि) विद्यमान हैं, जिसमें अनेक प्रकार के खाद्य पदार्थ उत्पन्न होते हैं तथा कृषि, व्यापार आदि करने वाले लोग सामाजिक संगठन बनाकर रहते हैं (भारतीवसन्तगीतिः), जिसमें ये चरते (प्रचरन्ति) प्राणी संचरते-भ्रमरते हैं, वह पृथ्वी हमें प्रथम खाद्य पदार्थ (अन्न-जल) प्रदान करे ॥१॥

श्लोकः २

चतुरः दिशः च ऊर्ध्वाः बहवः प्रकाराः खाद्यपदार्थाः (फलं दधि आदि) उत्पाद्यमानाः । तत्र कृषिकर्म करोन्तः सामाजिक संगठनं कृत्वा वसन्ति (भारतीवसन्तगीतिः) । सा (भूमिः) बहवः प्रकाराः प्राणिनां (घास चरितारः च संचरितभ्रमरितारः जीवः) आश्रयान् पोषयति, सा पृथ्वी नः सौख्य आदि लाभान् भोजन पदार्थानां विषयं लीनं कुरु ॥२॥

हिंदी अर्थः जिस भूमि में चार दिशाएँ तथा ऊर्ध्व दिशाएँ अनेक प्रकार के खाद्य पदार्थ (फल, दही आदि) उत्पन्न करती हैं, जहाँ कृषि-कार्य करने वाले सामाजिक संगठन बनाकर रहते हैं (भारतीवसन्तगीतिः), जो (भूमि) अनेक प्रकार के प्राणियों (घास चरने वालों तथा संचरण-भ्रमरण करने वालों जीवों) को पोषण देती है, वह पृथ्वी हमें सुख आदि लाभों तथा भोजन पदार्थों के विषय में लीन बनाए ॥२॥

श्लोकः ३

बहवः प्रकारैः भिन्नाः भाषाः वाचयन्तः च बहवः देवताः ग्रहणन्तः जनसमूहः, एकस्मिन् गृहे वसन्तः पुरुषाः यथा, पोषयित्री च कदापि शून्यं न करोति (भरतभारतीवसन्तगीतिः) इयं गीतिः नः मातुः सहायिका पथिका तद्वत् कश्चित् सौख्यं विना कश्चन बाधा ददाति ॥३॥

हिंदी अर्थःअनेक प्रकार से भिन्न भाषाओं को बोलने वाले तथा अनेक देवताओं को ग्रहण करने वाले जनसमूह को, एक ही गृह में वसन्तः पुरुषाः यथा, पोषयित्री च कदापि शून्यं न करोति (भरतभारतीवसन्तगीतिः) ऐसी यह गीतिः हमारे लिए मातुः सहायिका पथिका का तद्वत् कार्य करे जैसे कोई सुखं विना किसी बाधा के भोजन देती हो ॥३॥

काव्यांश

श्लोकः १

निनादय नवीनामये वाणि! वीणाम् । मृदुं गाय गीतिं ललित-नीति-लीनाम् । मधुर-मञ्जरी-पिञ्जरी-भूत-माला: वसन्ते लसन्तीह सरसा रसाला: कलापा: ललित-कोकिला-काकलीनाम् ॥१॥

हिंदी अर्थः हे सरस्वती (वाणी)! आप अपनी नवीन वीणा को बजाओ। आप सुंदर नीति से युक्त (लीन) मीठे गीत गाओ। फूलों की पीले रंग की पंक्तियों से वसंत ऋतु में मीठे आम के कोयलों की सुंदर ध्वनिवाले मधुर आम के पेड़ों के समूह शोभा पाते हैं।

श्लोकः २

निनादय…॥ वहति मन्दमन्दं सनीरे समीरे कलिन्दात्मजायास्सवानीरतीरे नतां पङ्क्तिमालोक्य मधुमाधवीनाम् ॥२॥

हिंदी अर्थःहे वाणी (सरस्वती)! तुम नई वीणा बजाओ। यमुना नदी के बेंत की लता से युक्त तट पर जल से पूर्ण हवा धीरे-धीरे बहती हुई फूलों से झुकी हुई मधुमाधव की लताओं की पंक्ति को देखकर हे वाणी (सरस्वती)! तुम नई वीणा बजाओ।

श्लोकः ३

निनादय…॥ ललित-पल्लवे पादपे पुष्पपुञ्जे मलयमारुतोच्चुम्बिते मञ्जुकुञ्जे, स्वनन्तीन्ततिम्प्रेक्ष्य मलिनामलीनाम् ॥३॥

हिंदी अर्थः हे वाणी (सरस्वती)! तुम नई वीणा बजाओ। सुन्दर पत्तोंवाले वृक्ष (पौधे), फूलों के गुच्छों तथा सुन्दर कुंजों (बगीचों) पर चंदन के वृक्ष की सुगंधित हवा से स्पर्श किए गए। गुंजायमान करते हुए भौरों की काले रंग की पंक्ति को देखकर हे वाणी! तुम नई वीणा बजाओ।

श्लोकः ४

निनादय…॥ लतानां नितान्तं सुमं शान्तिशीलम्‌ चलेदुच्छलेत्कान्तसलिलं सलीलम्‌, तवाकर्ण्य वीणामदीनां नदीनाम्‌ ॥४॥

हिंदी अर्थः हे वाणी (सरस्वती)! तुम नई वीणा बजाओ। ऐसी वीणा बजाओ कि तुम्हारी तेजस्विनी वाणी को सुनकर लताओं (बेलों) के पूर्ण शांत रहने वाले फूल हिलने लगें नदियों का सुंदर जल क्रीडा (खेल) करता हुआ उछलने लगे।

शब्दार्थःसंस्कृत शब्दःहिंदी अर्थःनिनादयबजाओ (संगीत की ध्वनि उत्पन्न करो)नवीनामयेनवीन वीणा मेंवाणिवाणी (सरस्वती)वीणाम्वीणामृदुं गायमधुर गाओगीतिंगीतललित-नीति-लीनाम्सुन्दर नीति से युक्तमधुर-मञ्जरीमधुर फूलपिञ्जरी-भूत-माला:पंक्तियों के रूप मेंवसन्तेवसन्त मेंलसन्तीहशोभायमानसरसारसीलेरसाला:आम के पेड़कलापा:समूहललित-कोकिलासुन्दर कोयलकाकलीनाम्कूजन वालीवहतिबहती हैमन्दमन्दंधीरे-धीरेसनीरे समीरेहवा मेंकलिन्दात्मजायमुनासवानीरतीरेबांस से युक्त तट परनतांझुकी हुईपङ्क्तिम्पंक्तिमधुमाधवीनाम्मधुमालती कीललित-पल्लवेसुन्दर पत्तों वालीपादपेवृक्षपुष्पपुञ्जेफूलों के गुच्छमलयमारुतचन्दन की हवाउच्चुम्बितेचुम्बित (स्पर्शित)मञ्जुकुञ्जेसुन्दर बगीचेस्वनन्तीम्ध्वनि करने वालीततिम्पंक्तिमलिनाम्काले रंग कीअलीनाम्भौंरों कीलतानांलताओं कीनितान्तंपूर्णतःसुमंफूलशान्तिशीलम्शांत स्वभाव वालेचलेद्चलने लगेंउच्चलेत्उछलने लगेकान्तसलिलंसुन्दर जलसलीलम्क्रीडा युक्ततवाकर्ण्यतुम्हें सुनकरवीणाम्वीणाअदीनाम्नदियों का

13. The Bishop’s Candlesticks – Multiple Choice Questions

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and write down the most appropriate option.

1. ‘I was a man once, I’m a beast now, and they made me what I am.’

(a) Who speaks these lines and to whom?
(i) Bishop–Persome
(ii) Convict–Bishop
(iii) Convict–Persome
(iv) None of the above

(b) Who made the speaker what he is?
(i) The Bishop
(ii) Society
(iii) Himself
(iv) His wife

(c) What is the speaker’s tragic story?
(i) Cruelty to his family led to the change
(ii) Poverty drove him to become a beast
(iii) Society maltreated him
(iv) Tortured in the prison

Ans : (a) (ii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (iii)

2. He was kind to me too—but what’s a Bishop for except to be kind to you? Here, cheer up, my hearty, you’re getting soft.

(a) To whom is the convict talking?

(i) Bishop
(ii) Himself
(iii) Persome
(iv) None

(b) How does he interpret the Bishop’s kindness?
(i) Due to his selfishness
(ii) His professional duty
(iii) His pretentious nature
(iv) His real nature

(c) Why does he say ‘My hearty, you’re getting soft’?
(i) Does not want to be kind again
(ii) Does not want to feel obliged to the Bishop
(iii) Has no desire to have human feelings again
(iv) Feels nothing

Ans : (a) (ii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (iii)

3. Convict : Ah! thanks, thanks, Monseigneur. I-I, Ah, I’m a fool, a child to cry, but somehow you have made me feel that—that it is just as if something had come into me— as if I were a man again, not a wild beast.

(a) Why does the convict cry?
(i) Due to sudden help by Bishop
(ii) Due to extreme compassion shown to him
(iii) Because of humanitarian feelings
(iv) Pain in the eyes

 (b) What did the Bishop do to make him feel like a man again?
(i) Saved him from the police
(ii) Gave him candlesticks
(iii) Showed him a safe way to escape
(iv) Gave him healthy food

(c) Why does he thank the Bishop?
(i) For the candlesticks
(ii) For restoring his faith in humanity
(iii) For giving him shelter and food
(iv) For giving him bed to sleep

Ans : (a) (ii)
(b) (i)
(c) (ii)

4. It is hopeless, hopeless. We shall have nothing left. His estate is sold, his savings have gone. His furniture, everything. Were it not for my little dot, we should starve.

(a) Why is Persome so upset?
(i) Bishop does not bother for her
(ii) He neglects his health
(iii) He is overgenerous with total disregard for his own comfort.
(iv) He is silly and people take undue advantage of him

(b) What has been the only sustaining factor to save them from starvation?
(i) Salt-cellars
(ii) Candlesticks
(iii) Her dowry
(iv) Her house

(c) Why do you think Persome is not able to influence her brother?
(i) Bishop does not care for her
(ii) He is most gullible and believes people easily
(iii) He cannot think of his own welfare before the suffering of others
(iv) None of the above

Ans : (a) (iii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iii)

Q5. You see, my dear, my mother gave them to me on her deathbed just after you were born and————and she asked me to keep them in remembrance of her.

(a) Who is the speaker and who is the listener?
(i) Bishop – Convict
(ii) Convict – Persome
(iii) Bishop – Persome
(iv) None of the above

(b) The speaker appears to be emotionally distressed. Why?
(i) The mother is no more.
(ii) Persome is disturbed.
(iii) Due to the emotional attachment to candlesticks.
(iv) Salt-cellars have been broken

(c) Which quality of the mother is revealed here?
(i) Moral
(ii) Realistic
(iii) Humane
(iv) Affectionate

Ans : (a) (iii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iv)

12. Villa for Sale – Multiple Choice Questions

Read the following extracts and write down the most appropriate option.

1. “You folk are queer. You think about the past all the time. We always think about the future.”

(a) The speaker of this line is :
(i) Mrs. Al Smith
(ii) Juliette
(iii) Maid
(iv) Jeanne

(b) ‘You’ here refers to the
(i) German
(ii) French
(iii) British
(iv) American

(c) Who is ‘we’ referred to?
(i) Gaston and Jeanne
(ii) Jeanne and maid
(iii) Americans
(iv) Europeans

Ans : (a) (i) (b) (ii) (c) (iii)

2. “Then stop being bored and buy one. That will finish it. We won’t talk about it any more.”
 (a) Who is speaking here and to whom :

(i) Gaston to Mrs. Al Smith
(ii) Juliette to Gaston
(iii) Jeanne to Gaston
(iv) Gaston to Jeanne

(b) “……and buy one” refers to :
(i) buying of a villa
(ii) buying a set of books
(iii) buying of a shop
(iv) buying a car

(c) The relationship between the person spoken to and the speaker is :
(i) Mistress – maid
(ii) Husband – wife
(iii) Shopkeeper – customer
(iv) Mother – son

Ans : (a) (iii)
(b) (i)
(c) (ii)

3. “Your dowry. My poor child, we have spent that long ago.”

(a) The speaker is ______ and he is speaking to ______.
(i) Jeanne’s parents to Jeanne
(ii) Jeanne’s sister to Jeanne
(iii) Gaston to Jeanne
(iv) Jeanne to her sister’s children

(b) He needed the money _______.
(i) To go on a holiday
(ii) To buy a villa
(iii) To buy a car
(iv) To go on a cruise

(c) The above statement shows that the speaker was ______.
(i) Selfish
(ii) Opportunist
(iii) Domineering
(iv) Hypocrite
 

Ans. (a) (iii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

4. You go and tell your boss that if he doesn’t come right away, I’m going. I haven’t any time to waste. [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) Who is the speaker?
(i) Gaston
(ii) Juliette
(iii) Jeanne
(iv) Mrs. Al Smith

(b) ‘The Boss’ referred to here is :
(i) Juliette
(ii) Mrs. Al Smith
(iii) Gaston
(iv) Jeanne

(c) The speaker feels that if there is a hold-up that would :
(i) make him / her angry
(ii) be very bad
(iii) make him / her sick
(iv) turn him / her to madness

Ans. (a) (iv)
(b) (i)
(c) (i)

5. Copies are not always good. We would only imitate you and imitations are no better than parodies. We are so different. Think of it…… [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) The speaker of these lines is :
(i) Mrs. Al Smith
(ii) Gaston
(iii) Juliette
(iv) Jeanne

(b) ‘We are so different’ means :
(i) Europeans go to America to earn money and
Americans come to Europe to spend it
(ii) the speaker is European and the other Russian
(iii) both of them are different in their outlook
(iv) both of them contrast to each other

(c) The speaker outwits the other in :
(i) selling the Villa for two thousand francs
(ii) selling the Villa which does not belong to him
(iii) buying the Villa for two thousand francs only
(iv) taking the little picture as a souvenir.

Ans. (a) (ii)
(b) (i)
(c) (iv)

6. Don’t be aggravating, please! If you don’t want the house, tell me so at once and we’ll say no more about it. [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) The above dialogue is spoken by _________.
(i) Mrs. Al Smith
(ii) The maid
(iii) Jeanne
(iv) Juliette

(b) The speaker is talking to __________.
(i) Mrs. Al Smith
(iii) Jeanne
(iii) Juliette
(iv) Gaston

(c) When the speaker says don’t be aggravating, she expects the listener not to__________.
(i) be suspicious
(ii) make fun
(iii) be outrageous
(iv) criticise

Ans. (a) (iii)
(b) (iv)
(c) (iii)

7. Gaston : Just trying to please you, darling. [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) Gaston is trying to please :
(i) Juliette
(ii) Jeanne
(iii) Mrs. Al Smith
(iv) The Maid

(b) Gaston has ______ to please the addressee :
(i) Bought a car
(ii) Finalized the deal
(iii) Kept the picture
(iv) Paid in cash

(c) Gaston is _______ while speaking the line :
(i) joking
(ii) serious
(iii) laughing
(iv) making fun

Ans. (a) (ii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (iv)

8. Every little bit helps, Madame. Especially, Madame, as you have such a funny face. [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) The phrase ‘little helps’ refers to ______.
(i) the help provided by neighbours
(ii) the monetary help that she will get after doing the role
(iii) the help of 100 francs
(iv) the help of the maid servant

(b) The speaker of this extract is _________.
(i) Jeanne
(ii) Juliette
(iii) Mrs. Al Smith
(iv) Juliette’s maid

(c) The funny face of the listener would help her to______.
(i) scare people away
(ii) take a break
(iii) bag the role of a cook
(iv) entertain people

Ans. (a) (ii)
(b) (iv)
(c) (iii)

11. Song of the Rain – Multiple Choice Questions

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the extracts given below and choose the correct option.

1. I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven
 By the gods. Nature then takes me, to adorn
 Her fields and valleys.
 I am beautiful pearls, plucked from the
 Crown of Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn
 To embellish the gardens.

(a) The poetic device used in these lines is :
(i) Simile
(ii) Personification
(iii) Metaphor
(iv) (ii) & (iii)

(b) ‘Dotted’ here means :
(i) Spots
(ii) A sweet dish
(iii) Marked with dots
(iv) Dedicated

(c) ‘To embellish the gardens’ means :
(i) To set up a new garden
(ii) To dig up the gardens
(iii) To grow fruits in the gardens
(iv) To decorate the gardens

Ans : (a) (iv)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iv)

2. When I cry the hills laugh;
 When I humble myself the flowers rejoice,
 When I bow, all things are elated.
 The field and the cloud are lovers
 And between them, I am a messenger of mercy
 I quench the thirst of the one;
 I cure the ailment of the other.

(a) The poetic device used in these lines is :
(i) Simile
(ii) Alliteration
(iii) Metaphor
(iv) Personification

(b) ‘Quench’ means :
(i) to travel
(ii) to question
(iii) to satisfy thirst
(iv) to fetch something

(c) In the poem, the ‘messenger of mercy’ refers to :
(i) the sun
(ii) the moon
(iii) the trees
(iv) the rain

Ans : (a) (iv) (b) (iii) (c) (iv)

3. I emerge from the heart of the sea and
 Soar with the breeze. When I see a field in
 Need, I descend and embrace the flowers and
 The trees in a million little ways.
 I touch gently at the windows with my
 Soft fingers and my announcement is a
 Welcome song. All can hear, but only
 The sensitive can understand.

(a) The poetic device used in these lines is :
(i) Simile
(ii) Personification
(iii) Metaphor
(iv) Alliteration

(b) “I see a field in need” means :
(i) The field is for sale
(ii) The field needs sowing
(iii) The field needs watering
(iv) The field needs manure

(c) ‘Soar with the breeze’ refers to :
(i) clouds
(ii) birds
(iii) trees
(iv) rain

Ans : (a) (iii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

10. Oh, I Wish I’d Looked  After Me Teeth – Multiple Choice Questions

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate alternative from those given below :

1. Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth,
 And spotted the perils beneath.
 All the toffees I chewed,
 And the sweet sticky food,
 Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth.

(a) ‘Spotted’ means :
(i) invented
(ii) noticed
(iii) thought
(iv) discovered

(b) The poetic device used in these lines is :
(i) Simile
(ii) Irony
(iii) Metaphor
(iv) Alliteration

(c) “The perils beneath” in line 2 means :
(i) the danger of life
(ii) causes of a disease
(iii) hidden serious condition
(iv) taken care

Ans : (a) (ii)
(b) (iv)
(c) (iii)

2. When I think of the lollies I licked,
 And the liquorice all sorts I pricked,
 Sherbet dabs, big and little,
 All that had peanut brittle
 My conscience gets horribly pricked.

(a) The poetic device used in these lines is :
(i) Metaphor
(ii) Alliteration
(iii) Simile
(iv) Irony

(b) ‘Brittle’ here means :
(i) a sweet made from nuts and sugar
(ii) a bright coloured thing
(iii) hard but liable to break
(iv) a small creamy toffee

(c) ‘Sherbat dabs’ means :
(i) perfumed powder
(ii) a kind of tiny sweet
(iii) a kind of sweet dish
(iv) a kind of children’s game

Ans : (a) (ii)
(b) (i)
(c) (ii)

3. Oh, I showed them the toothpaste all right,
 I flashed it about late at night,
 But up-and-down brushin’
 And pokin’ and fussin’
 Didn’t seem worth the time I could bite!

(a) ‘Flashed’ here means
(i) the occurrence of a sudden thought
(ii) moved in a particular direction
(iii) bright lights of traffic
(iv) the light of a camera

(b) ‘Pokin’ and Fussin’ here means
(i) peeping in someone’s room
(ii) making fun of someone
(iii) being fussy about something
(iv) checking carefully

(c) For the poet, taking care of her teeth meant
(i) being extra possessive
(ii) wastage of time
(iii) doing a worthwhile thing
(iv) setting up an example for others

Ans : (a) (ii)
(b) (iv)
(c) (ii)

09. The Seven Ages – Multiple Choice Questions

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and choose from the options given below :

1. Then a soldier
 Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
 Jealous in honour, sudden quick in quarrel,
 Seeking the bubble reputation
 Even in the cannon’s mouth.

(a) The pard is a symbol of :
(i) humility
(ii) fierceness
(iii) jealousy
(iv) love

(b) The poetic device used in the second line is a :
(i) metaphor
(ii) simile
(iii) alliteration
(iv) irony

(c) The soldier seeks his moment of glory :
(i) through death on the battlefield
(ii) through his acts of chivalry
(iii) by rescuing a maiden in distress
(iv) making great promises of valour

Ans : (a) (ii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)


2. And then the justice,
 In fair round belly with good capon lined,
 With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
 Full of wise saws and modern instances
 And so he plays his part.

(a) Which stage is being referred to here?
(i) Sixth
(ii) Third
(iii) Fifth
(iv) Seventh

(b) “good capon lined” means :
(i) riches
(ii) filled with big, fat, male chicken
(iii) round belly
(iv) some gown

(c) How does he show his wisdom?
(i) By physical appearance
(ii) Keeping severe expression
(iii) By quoting wise sayings
(iv) By showing off

Ans : (a) (iii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (iii)

3. Into the lean and slippered pantaloons
 with spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
 His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
 For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice
 Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
 And whistles in his sound.

(a) Which stage of man is referred to here?
(i) Fifth
(ii) Third
(iii) Seventh
(iv) Sixth

(b) ‘Shrunk shank’ means
(i) socks
(ii) thin legs
(iii) wrinkled face
(iv) twisted neck

(c) Why does his voice again become childish?
(i) Suffers from sore throat
(ii) Remains unwell
(iii) Is like a child’s voice again
(iv) His old age weakens his voice


Ans : (a) (iv)
(b) (ii)
(c) (iv)

4. Last scene of all
 That ends this strange eventful history,
 Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
 Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

(a) Why is this last stage called, ‘second childishness’?

(i) Behaves like a child
(ii) Is without teeth, taste like a child
(iii) Pretends to be a child
(iv) Has no hair

(b) ‘mere oblivion’ means :
(i) illness
(ii) weakness
(iii) forgetfulness
(iv) no financial security

(c) Why is man’s life called ‘strange eventful history’?
(i) due to uncertainty
(ii) due to lot of variety
(iii) due to strange happenings
(iv) like a story

Ans : (a) (ii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iii)


5. In fair round belly with capon lined
 With eye severe and beard of formal cut
 Full of wise saws and modern stances
 And so he plays his part.

(a) Which stage of man is the poet referring to in the above lines?
(i) Infancy
(ii) Youth
(iii) Middle age
(iv) Old age

(b) The round belly is suggestive of :
(i) A wise person
(ii) A fat person
(iii) A generous person
(iv) A person of importance

(c) By ‘wise saws’ the poet means :
(i) Words of wisdom
(ii) Shrewd behaviour
(iii) Pretence
(iv) Words of love

Ans : (a) (iii)
(b) (iv)
(c) (i)

08. The Solitary Reaper – Multiple Choice Questions

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and choose the correct option :

1. Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
 And sings a melancholy strain ;
 O listen! for the Vale profound
 Is overflowing with the sound.

(a) Identify ‘she’ from the above stanza.
(i) A traveller
(ii) The Poe
(iii) Solitary Reaper
(iv) None of the above

(b) How does the poet know that the song is melancholy when he cannot understand the words?

(i) From the girl’s expression
(ii) From the words of the song
(iii) From the tune
(iv) From her dress

(c) What effect does the girl’s song have over the surroundings?


(i) Has no effect
(ii) All people desert the valley
(iii) The valley echoes with the song
(iv) The valley is indifferent

Ans : 
(a) (iii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iii)

2. A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard
 In spring-time from the cuckoo bird,
 Breaking the silence of the seas
 Among the farthest Hebrides.

(a) What is cuckoo bird famous for?
(i) Cheerfulness
(ii) Thrill
(iii) Driving away tiredness
(iv) Welcoming the spring

(b) How does the Solitary Reaper’s song score over the song of the cuckoo?
(i) It is more far-reaching
(ii) It echoes more
(iii) It is more musical and fresh
(iv) It does not have any effect

(c) Hebrides means :
(i) a group of trees
(ii) far off valleys
(iii) sea
(iv) a group of islands off near Scotland

Ans :
(a) (iv)
(b) (i)
(c) (iv)

3. Will no one tell me what she sings?
 Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
 For old, unhappy, far-off things,
 And battles long ago.

(a) Explain the use of ‘perhaps’ in the second line.
(i) The poet is not sure
(ii) He is double-minded
(iii) He is indifferent
(iv) None of these

(b) ‘Flow’, – what quality of the solitary reaper song is expressed here?
(i) It’s fluidity
(ii) It’s evocativeness
(iii) Its spontaneity
(iv) It’s music

(c) What is the poet’s guess?
(i) The theme is of spring
(ii) Of happiness and forgotten things
(iii) Of battles and sad events in the past
(iv) Of stories

Ans :
(a) (i)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iii)

4. Or is it some more humble lay,
 Familiar matter of today?
 Some natural sorrow, loss or pain,
 That has been, maybe again.

(a) ‘It’ in the first line refers to
(i) the valley
(ii) the song
(iii) the solitary reaper
(iv) her dress

(b) Explain ‘humble lay’.
(i) A song about ordinary events
(ii) A song about extraordinary things
(iii) A song about modest things
(iv) A song about rich people

(c) What does the poet wish to convey by saying  ‘that has been and maybe again’?
(i) A natural loss, and pain
(ii) A natural event
(iii) Natural sorrow which can occur again
(iv) Both (i) and (iii)

Ans : 
(a) (ii)
(b) (i)
(c) (iii)

5. Whatever the theme, the maiden sang
 As if her song could have no ending;
 I saw her singing at her work
 And o’er the sickle bending

(a) What other activities is the maiden doing besides singing?
(i) She is ploughing
(ii) binding the corn
(iii) cutting grass
(iv) none of the above

(b) What makes the maiden’s song extraordinary?
(i) It’s musicality
(ii) It’s eternal nature
(iii) It’s theme
(iv) Her voice

(c) What effect does the song have over the poet?
(i) Mesmerising
(ii) Impressive
(iii) Invigorating
(iv) No effect

Ans : 
(a) (ii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

6. 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) Where does the poet go?
(i) Down the valleys
(ii) Doesn’t go anywhere
(iii) Climbed up the mountain
(iv) Nowhere

 (b) How did the song affect the poet?
(i) It impressed him
(ii) Served as an inspiration
(iii) Left a permanent mark on his heart
(iv) Had no effect

(c) What does the poet want to convey by “long after it was heard no more”?
(i) Music is entertaining
(ii) Music is eternal and can give pleasure even when you do not hear it
(iii) Sad music is always remembered
(iv) The universal and permanent impression of the music.

Ans :
(a) (iii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iv)


7. Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
 And sings a melancholy strain ;
 O listen! for the Vale profound
 Is overflowing with the sound.
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) ‘melancholy strain’ in the second line refers to :
(i) Sad song
(iii) Happy song
(ii) Thrilling song
(iv) Sweet song

(b) Identify the figure of speech in the above lines :
(i) Personification
(ii) Metaphor
(iii) Imagery
(iv) Alliteration

(c) The last two lines mean :
(i) Her voice is resounding in the valley
(ii) She is singing at a high pitch
(iii) Her voice is reaching outside the valley
(iv) She is asking everyone to listen to her

Ans. (a) (i)
(b) (iii)
(c) (i)

8. No nightingale did ever chant
 More welcome notes to weary bands
 Of Travellers in some shady haunt
 Among Arabian Sands
 A voice so thrilling never was heard
 In spring – time from the cuckoo – bird
 Breaking the silence of the seas
 Among the farthest Hebrides
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) According to the poet, nightingales sing :
(i) to welcome the travellers
(ii) to please themselves
(iii) to welcome the tired travellers
(iv) to get relief from their own pains

(b) The nightingales sing :
(i) in spring season in the desert of Arabia
(ii) in autumn season in deserts
(iii) in spring season in deserts of Thar
(iv) in spring season in deserts of Egypt


(c) The effect of the voice of the cuckoo bird is :
(i) that it refreshes the tired travellers
(ii) that it is spread everywhere
(iii) that it seems to welcome travellers
(iv) breaks the seas’ silence

Ans.
(a) (iii)
(b) (i)
(c) (iv)

07.The Road Not Taken – Multiple Choice Questions

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and choose the correct option :

1. I shall be telling this with a sigh
 Somewhere ages and ages hence :
 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
 I took the one less travelled by,
 And that has made all the difference.

(a) ‘Sigh’ means :
(i) regret
(ii) to hate
(iii) not to feel sorry
(iv) to be indifferent

(b) What has made all the difference in the poet’s life?
(i) Choosing a travelled road
(ii) Choosing a less travelled road
(iii) By not choosing any road
(iv) By not being weak

(c) ‘Road’ is a metaphor for :
(i) travelling wisely
(ii) good health
(iii) choices we make in life
(iv) morning walks

Ans :
(a) (i)
(b) (ii)
(c) (iii)

2. And both that morning equally lay
 In leaves, no step had trodden back.
 Oh, I kept the first for another day!
 Yet knowing how way leads on to way
 I doubted if I should ever come back
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) ‘Both’ in line one refers to :
(i) leaves
(ii) roads
(iii) steps
(iv) the poet and his friends

(b) The poet chose to travel on another road because :
(i) it was easier
(ii) it was shorter and easier
(iii) it was grassy and wanted wear
(iv) he was sure of his success on that way

(c) The poet doubted if :
(i) he could ever finish his journey
(ii) he could meet his family again
(iii) he could join his friend
(iv) he could ever come back to travel the first road

Ans : 
(a) (ii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iv)

3. Then took the other, as just as fair,
 And having perhaps the better claim,
 Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

(a) The poet didn’t take the first road as :
(i) It had worn out by continuous use
(ii) It had been tried and tested
(iii) It was expected of him
(iv) It looked shabby

(b) The second road had better claim as :
(i) It had been lying waste
(ii) It was attractive with green grassy carpet
(iii) It needed to be explored
(iv) It was full of surprises

(c) The poet’s decision to take the other road indicates that he is :
(i) Adventurous
(ii) Calculative
(iii) Opportunist
(iv) Careful

Ans. 
(a) (i)
(b) (iii)
(c) (i)

4. Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
 I doubted if I should ever come back.
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) In this extract, the poet is describing.
(i) a road
(ii) his love for trekking
(iii) two roads, the one he chose and the reason for his choice
(iv) his tastes

(b) The poet doubts his comeback because
(i) he continues to follow the road he chooses
(ii) he is very lazy
(iii) he is a man on the move
(iv) he never repeats himself

(c) The first line of the extract can be explained as
 _________ .

(i) the world is round
(ii) all roads have a dead end
(iii) all roads join at an intersection
(iv) all roads lead to other roads

Ans. (a) (iii)

(b) (i)

(c) (iv)

5. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
 And sorry I could not travel both
 And be one traveller, long I stood
 To where it bent in the undergrowth
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) The poet is standing :
(i) at a crossing
(ii) at a crossing in autumn season
(iii) where two roads cross
(iv) in a forest

(b) He sees before him :
(i) a yellow forest and roads
(ii) two roads crossing
(iii) a dense forest
(iv) two roads diverging in a forest

(c) His desire at this moment is to :
(i) cross the road
(ii) travel further
(iii) travel on both the roads
(iv) see the forest


Ans. (a) (iii)

(b) (iv)

(c) (iii)

6. “And both that morning equally lay
 In leaves, no step had trodden black.
 Oh, I kept the first for another day!
 Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
 I doubted if I should ever come back.”
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) The poet decided that :
(i) he would take the second road and leave the first one for some other day
(ii) he would take the frequently trodden road
(iii) he would go back and decide later on
(iv) he would take the first road


(b) ‘Leaves no step had trodden black’ implies :
(i) that the road was not taken by anyone
(ii) that it was not a safe road
(iii) that the poet was not interested in taking the road
(iv) None of the above

(c) ‘Should ever come back’ shown that the poet was :
(i) confident
(ii) indecisive
(iii) optimistic
(iv) pessimistic

Ans. (a) (i)

(b) (i)

(c) (ii)

06.The Brook – Multiple Choice Questions

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and choose the correct option : [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

Q1. I chatter, chatter, as I flow To join the brimming river For men may come and men may go But I go on forever.

(a) The brook chatters by __________ .
(i) making sounds like a monkey
(ii) jumping like a monkey
(iii) keeping up with the monkey’s pace
(iv) making a loud noise as it rushes over different surfaces

(b) The final destination of the brook is _____ .
(i) Philip’s farm
(ii) the brimming river
(ii) a sea
(iv) Brambly wilderness

(c) The last two lines of this stanza are repeated several times in the poem. The reason for this repetition is to show the __________ .

(i) perennial nature of the brook in contrast to the mortal existence of man
(ii) mortal nature of the brook
(iii) perennial nature of the brook
(iv) immortal existence of man

Ans.
(a) (iv)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

Q2. With many a curve my banks I fret By many a field and fallow, And many a fairy foreland set with willow-weed and mallow.

(a) Trace the movement of the brook :
(i) from the banks
(ii) from bank to the fields
(iii) through marshes and willows
(iv) both (ii) and (iii)

(b) How does the brook react to the curve of the bank?

(i) fallow
(ii) fret
(iii) mallow
(iv) babble

(c) What is the condition of the fields?
(i) full of weeds
(ii) fertile
(iii) marshy
(iv) plain

Ans : 
(a) (iv)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

Q3. I wind about, and in and out,
 with here a blossom sailing,
 And here and there a lusty trout,
 And here and there a grayling.

(a) What things does the brook encounter in its path?
(i) birds
(ii) grayling
(iii) trout
(iv) both (ii) and (iii)

(b) Identify two names of fish from the above stanza.
(i) grayling
(ii) trout
(iii) blossom
(iv) both (i) and (ii)

(c) What makes the brook so colourful and lively?
(i) blossom and trout
(ii) blossom sailing
(iii) blossom and grayling
(iv) both (i) and (iii)

Ans : 
(a) (iv)
(b) (iv)
(c) (iv)

Q4. And draw them all along, and flow To join the brimming river For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. (CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) The ‘I’ in the last lines refers to :
(i) Life
(ii) River
(iii) Brook
(iv) Stream

(b) The ‘I’ in the line carries along :
(i) Fishes, flowers, foam
(ii) Trout, grayling, gravel
(iii) Lusty tout, foamy gravel, golden grayling
(iv) Weeds, hazel leaves, forget-me-nots

(c) The significance of the last two lines is :
(i) Humans have a temporary existence in contrast to Nature’s eternal presence
(ii) Brook has an eternal existence in contrast to Nature’s temporary existence.
(iii) Life is temporary in contrast to Brook’s momentary existence
(iv) Humans have an eternal existence in contrast to Nature’s momentary existence


Ans.
(a) (iii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

5. I chatter over stony ways,
 In little sharps and trebles,
 I bubble into eddying bays.
 I babble on the pebbles.

(a) The brook flows over stony ways :
(i) with a noise
(ii) slowly
(iii) speedily
(iv) angrily

(b) When the brook joins the eddying bays :
(i) it babbles
(ii) it loses its shape
(iii) it overflows
(iv) it joins the sea

(c) ‘Babble’ means :
(i) quarrel
(ii) causing bubbles
(iii) causing froth
(iv) causing joyful sounds

Ans.
(a) (i)
(b) (i)
(c) (iv)

Q5. I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance, Among my skimming swallows; I make the netted sunbeam dance Against my sandy shallows. [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) Identify the figure of speech in the first two lines :
(i) Metaphor
(ii) Imagery
(iii) Alliteration
(iv) Simile

(b) ‘the netted sunbeam dance’ refer to :
(i) sunrays filtering through the intertwined leaves seem to move with the undulating movement of water
(ii) rays of sun dance to the music of water creating a netted effect
(iii) shadow of leaves falling on water create a dance-like effect
(iv) the moving water creates the effect of dancing rays caught in the net

(c) The sandy shallows indicate that the brook is :
(i) On the last leg of her journey
(ii) Drying up due to heat
(iii) Filled with sediments
(iv) Flowing on sandy bed

Ans. 
(a) (iii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)