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Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

The Bangle Sellers Summary by Sarojini Naidu

The Bangle Sellers Summary About the Poet

Sarojini Naidu (13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949), a child prodigy, is also known by the sobriquet, ‘The Nightingale of India.’ She was a prominent Indian poet and a politician. She was a gifted artist, proficient in many languages. She was also the first woman governor of ‘Free India’.

Her poetry presents a Kaleidoscope of Indian feelings, music and imagery. She has basically written on the life of Indian people, beauty of nature, women empowerment and patriotism. Her language is crystal clear.

Sarojini Naidu’s famous works are—The Golden Threshold (1905), The Bird of Time (1912), The Broken Wing . (1917), The Sceptred Flute : Songs of India (1937). The Feather of the Dawn (1961), was published posthumously.

The Bangle Sellers Summary

‘The Bangle Sellers’ was published in her collection, ‘The Bird of Time’. It describes a group of bangle sellers who wander from town to town selling their inventory. The narrator of the poem is a bangle seller, talking about the various kinds of bangles he carries, and about the women of different age groups who buy them. He has beautifully presented the Indian culture, through different shades of the bangles.

The Bangle Sellers Explanation of the Poem

Stanza 1. “Bangle sellers are we who bear
Our shining loads to the temple fair…
Who will buy these delicate, bright?
Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives.”

Explanation: The first stanza simply states that, a group of bangle sellers are on their way to a temple fair where they expect to get sufficient number of/enough customers for their bangles. They invite the people to buy their ‘shining loads’ i.e., the bangles, which they describe as delicate, bright and multicoloured. They also refer to them as symbols of delight for happy daughters and happy wives. The deep rooted Indian traditions are highlighted through an insight, into the spiritual and symbolic importance of the bangles they carry.

Word Meanings :

1. Shining loads — (Here) bangles
2. Fair — An event where people gather to sell their products
3. Rainbow tinted — Multicoloured
4. Lustrous — Bright and shining
5. Radiant — Delightful, happy

Stanza 2. “Some are meet for a maiden’s writs.
Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream
On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream,
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
To the limpid glory of new born leaves.”

Explanation: In the second stanza, the bangle seller gives a vivid picture of the colours of the bangles which will suit a maiden. He describes the beauty of the bangles through the imagery of lush greenery and blooming ‘ flowers.

He compares the mist in the mountains with the blue and silver bangles. Some colours are like the rosy buds growing on top of a plant along a stream in a forest. Some bangles shine like the clear dew drops on the baby leaves.

Word Meanings:

1. Mist — Thin fog
2. Flushed — (Here) pink or light red colour
3. Tranquil — Quiet; calm; peaceful
4. Brow — Slope
5. Woodland — A small forest
6. Aglow — Shining
7. Cleaves — Sticks; to adhere firmly
8. Limpid — Clear and transparent
9. Glory — Quality of being beautiful

Stanza 3. “Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
Or, rich with the hue of her heart’s desire,
Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.”

Explanation: Next, the poet explains that, some of the bangles he is selling are, yellow in colour, like the corn fields brightened by sunlight. These are fit to be worn by a bride on her wedding morning. Some bangles are orangish-red in colour, the shade of the wedding holy fire. The others are deep red in colour, expressing the passion of her heart. They tinkle along when the bride moves.

The bride laughs happily as she is getting married and entering into a life of her dreams, but weeps as she is going to leave her parental abode. Here, the poet talks about the emotional feelings of a bride and a transition of life, from a maiden to a wife.

Word Meanings :

1. Sunlit — Lighted with sunrays
2. Bridal morn — Wedding morning
3. Flame of her of marriage fire — Orangish red colour
4. Hue — A particular shade of a colour
5. Tinkling — Ringing sound
6. Luminous — Bright
7. Tender — Fragile, delicate

Stanza 4. “Some are purple and gold flecked grey
For she who has journeyed through life midway,
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest?
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast,
And serves her household in fruitful pride,
And worships the gods at her husband’s side.”

Explanation: The last stanza talks about that phase of a woman’s life, when, she as a maiden turned bride, becomes a proud mother and a responsible wife, full of experience and wisdom. These are the middle-aged women who have successfully reached the mid-way of their lives and are now reaping the rewards of their efforts. The bangles of these women are purple and grey, dotted with golden colour, which symbolize maturity. They have reared up their children with utmost love and care and fulfilled all their house-hold duties, and with honour have sit beside their husbands during the religious ceremonies. They have always remained faithful and devoted to their husbands and families.

Word Meanings:

1. Flecked — Dotted
2. Cherish — Care tenderly
3. Cradle — To hold somebody gently

The Bangle Sellers Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Bangle sellers are we who bear
Our shining loads to the temple fair…
Who will buy these delicate, bright?
Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives.

(i) What does the ‘bangle seller” tell about his lot?
(ii) Who are the prospective buyers of the bangles?
(iii) Give the words or phrases used to describe the bangles in the first stanza.
(iv) Explain the meaning of-
(a) shining load (b) rainbow tinted circles of light
(v) Explain the line, ‘Lustrous tokens of radiant lives.
Answer:
(i) The bangle seller says that he, along with the other bangle sellers, is going to the temple fair with his shining load i.e., the lustrous bangles.

(ii) Women of all age group, whether daughters or wives, buy bangles on happy occasions.

(iii) In the first stanza the bangles are described as –
‘shining loads’, ‘delicate, bright’ ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light’ and ‘Lustrous tokens of radiant lives.’

(iv) (a) Shining load means, the bangles which are sparkling in sunlight.
(b) It refers to the round shaped, multicoloured bangles that glow in sunlight.

(v) The bangles are referred as ‘Lustrous tokens of radiant lives’, which mean ‘bright symbols of shining lives.’ The bangles symbolize the joy and happiness in a girl’s life. Thus, bangles are directly related to the well-being of a family and the cultural tradition of a typical Indian society.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Some are meet for a maiden’s writs.
Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream
On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream,
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
To the limpid glory of new born leaves.

(i) Give two examples of the simile in the stanza.
(ii) Which coloured bangles do the maidens wear? Describe the comparison.
(iii) On what do the buds dream? What do they dream about?
(iv) Give the meaning of –
(a) flushed
(b) tranquil
(c) woodland
(v) Explain the meaning of ‘Some are aglow ……….. new born leaves.’Name the poet
Answer:
(i) The examples of simile are –
(a) ‘silver and blue as the mountain mist’
(b) ‘flushed like the buds that dream.’

(ii) The maidens wear silver and blue coloured bangles. Here, the silver and blue colour is compared to the mist of the mountains, as it symbolizes the freshness and beauty of the maidens.

(iii) The buds dream on the calm and quiet bank of a river that flows through the woods. They dream of growing up and blossoming into beautiful flowers.

(iv) (a) (here) pink or light red colour
(b) calm
(c) forest

(v) The poet says that, some of the bangles which are suitable for the maiden’s wrist which are green, and glowing like the transparent beauty of the light green baby leaves. The poet is Sarojini Naidu.

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
Or, rich with the hue of her heart’s desire,
Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.

(i) To what is the colour of the bangles worn by a bride on her bridal morning compared? What does it symbolize?
(ii) Which other colours of the bangles are associated with the marriage of a girl?
(iii) Explain the meaning of ‘bridal laughter’ and ‘bridal tear’.
(iv) Give the meaning of
(a) rich with the hue
(b) tinkling
(c) tender
(v) How are the qualities of the bangles similar to the bride’s feelings?
Answer:
(i) On wedding morning, the bride wears golden yellow coloured bangles of the colour of the corn fields, which are brightened by sunlight. The symbolism used here is that of fertility. Mother Nature’s fertility is symbolic of the fertility of a young girl getting married.

(ii) The reddish yellow colour of the bangles is compared to the colour of the wedding’s flame.
The bright red coloured bangles reflect the deep desires in the heart of the bride.

(iii) Marriage is the transition of a girl into a woman through which her mind and heart is filled with multiple emotions.

On one hand, she is happy and passionate about the new relation shown through her smile and laughter. While on the other hand, she carries tears in her eyes as she is sad to leave her parental abode. Thus, she undergoes mixed emotions, which make her to, both, laugh and cry.

(iv) (a) filled with the colour of
(b) ringing sound
(c) fragile, delicate

(v) Both the bangles and the feelings of the bride are ‘Tinkling, luminous, tender and clear’ i.e., both make soft sounds, are glowing, delicate and transparent.

Question 4.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Some are purple and gold flecked grey
For she who has journeyed through life midway,
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest?
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast,
And serves her household in fruitful pride,
And worships the gods at her husband’s side.

(i) According to the poet, for whom are the ‘purple and gold flecked grey bangles?’
(ii) Describe how these women spend their lives.
(iii) Discuss the importance of these hands in the progress of human race.
(iv) Give the meaning of-
(a) flecked (b) blest (c) cherished
(v) What is the significance of the woman’s presence by her husband’s side during worship?
Answer:
(i) The purple and golden dotted grey bangles are suitable for the middle-aged women who have gained wisdom and maturity in life.

(ii) The women who have journeyed midway through their lives rearing their children with love and care, now proudly serve their households and work for the welfare of their families.

(iii) These hands have brought up those faithful sons who serve the nation with sincerity and devotion.

(iv) (a) dotted (b) blessed (c) nurtured

(v) Indian society is a society of religious beliefs and traditions. Many prayers require husband-wife to worship together sitting side by side, for the welfare of the family and to yield the desired result. It signifies her respect for the cultural traditions of the society.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

The Cold Within Summary by James Patrick Kinney

The Cold Within Summary About the Poet

James Patrick Kinney (16 March 1923 – 29 May 1974) was an Irish American poet. He dropped out in High School due to the financial problem in his family. He received recognition posthumously. He is best known for his inspiring poem, ‘The Cold Within’. He was a man of integrity and created poems that spoke his heart. Initially, he was rejected for being controversial, but soon gained popularity.

The Cold Within Summary

The poem highlights the rigidity of spirit based on discrimination of race, religion and caste, portrayed by the six individuals who became their own agents of death. Their reluctance to help each other made their hands stiff, refusing to share their log of wood, which was a sufficient proof of sin committed by humans. Thus, it was not the cold outside, but the cold ‘within’ – the coldness of feelings, the lack of the spark of humanity – that froze them all to death.

The Cold Within Explanation of the Poem

Stanza 1 & 2.

“Six humans trapped by happenstance
In bleak and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood
Or so the story’s told.
Their dying fire in need of logs,
But the first one held hers back,
For, of the faces round the fire,
She noticed one was black.”

Explanation: The narrator tells us that the six people are ‘trapped’ in a very cold and dark place, as a coincidence, and each person is holding a stick of wood. These people are gathered around a fire but this fire is about to die. It would continue only if some wood is added to it.

The first woman looks around the group and decides to keep back her stick as she finds a black man around the fire. She finds it unacceptable to help a black person, which highlights the ‘colour’ prejudice • in human societies. Thus, her discriminatory attitude prevents her from saving herself and others from cold.

Word Meanings:

1. Happenstance – Accident, co-incidence
2. Bleak and bitter – Chilling, extreme (here)
3. Possessed – Had or owned
4. Logs – Pieces of wood

Stanza 3 & 4.
“The next man looking ‘cross the way
Saw one not of his church,
And could not bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes.
He gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log he put to use
To warm the idle rich?”

Explanation: The next man held his feelings for people of other religious faith, different from his. He finds that none around the fire belonged to his church and decides not to spend his stick to warm others. Thus, he propagates ‘religious intolerance’ – that he did not wish to support one from another religion.

The third one was a poor man, which was evident from his old and torn clothes. He shook his coat to make himself comfortable, but it was not adequate enough to keep him warm. According to him, the rich were a Lazy Lot, so it was not worth sharing his log of wood to save them. His attitude lays emphasis on the prejudice based on ‘social status’.

Word Meanings:
1. Birch – A type of hardwood tree, whose outer bark can be pulled off easily
2. Tattered – Old and torn
3. Idle – Lazy

Stanza 5 & 6.

“The rich man just sat back and thought
Of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned
From the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man’s face bespoke revenge ,
As the fire passed from his sight.
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.”

Explanation: The next in line was the wealthy man who goes blind with the thought to save his riches, putting his own life at stake. He wishes to keep away his stick than to put it in fire, as that would mean helping the poor . who according to him, were useless and aimless. This reflects his biased attitude of class.

Then, there was the black man, who was filled with anguish and revengeful feelings for the white men, which was the result of the scornful attitude of the white towards the black; so he took it as an opportunity to avenge himself against the white, although he could have behaved rationally otherwise.

Word Meanings :
1. In store — In his possession
2. Shiftless — Aimless; lacking ambition and energy
3. Bespoke — Produced
4. Spite — A desire to harm or defeat another person because you have Been wrongly treated

Stanza 7 & 8.

“The last man of this forlorn group
Did naught except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game?
Their logs held tight in death’s still hands
Was proof of human sin?
They did not die from the cold without
They died from the cold within.”

Explanation: The last man belonging to this hopeless group, though not prejudiced, was an opportunist and a selfish person. He did not favour anyone without gaining anything in exchange.

The last stanza summarizes the result of narrow – mindedness, biased attitude and selfishness of humans. All of the six people froze to death with the log of wood in their hands. Thus, it was not the cold weather which was responsible for their death, as they could have easily fought against it together, but it was the absence of warmth in their hearts that brought their doom.

Word Meanings :
1. Forlorn – Desolate, hopeless
2. Nought – Nothing

The Cold Within Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“Their logs held tight in death’s still hands
Was proof of human sin?
They did not die from the cold without They died from the cold within..”
(i) Name the poem and the poet.
(ii) Who was trapped and under what circumstances? Which words highlight a sense of emergency? Name the figure of speech used here.
(iii) What was the need of the moment? Why?
(iv) What made the first one hold back her stick?
(v) What is meant by ‘home to heaven anigh’? How does a plant help a bird? What does it do in twilight ?
Answer:
(i) It was ‘bleak and bitter cold’ i.e. it was severe cold and life was not possible without the warmth of fire. It was so cold that a person would freeze to death even in the absence of fire. It was a chill winter night.

(ii) The third man in the gathering was a poor man, which was evident by his tom and tottered clothes. Though he is in a miserable state and gives a hitch to his coat to make himself more comfortable, he is reluctant to give his piece of wood to save the dying fire as he does not wish to help the rich whom he calls ‘idle’, despite the rich who torture the poor and enjoy a relaxing life themselves. Thus, the poet showed the discrimination based on the economic standard of different individuals.

The figure of speech used here is ‘alliteration’ viz., repetition of ‘b’ in bleak & bitter.

(iii) ‘The black man’s face bespoke revenge”, which means that the face of the black man depicted the emotions of hatred and revenge that arises from the discrimination shown to him, once a victim now turns to an abuser, when he gets a chance.

The poem too contains a reference that highlights the discriminatory attitude of the White when the White woman in the same group held her stick back when she noticed a black man.

“But the first one held hers back,
For, of the faces round the fire,
she noticed one was black.”
Thus the feeling of the black man are truly justified.

(iv) The sixth and the last man in the gathering was an opportunist. As stated by the poet-
“The last man of the forlorn group
Did naught except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game.”

Thus, it is apparent that this man will not spend his resources without making sure that he has gained something in return. Though he carries no malice towards anyone, yet he will not give up the opportunity to make some profit in doing something which may benefit others.

(v) James Patrick Kinney’s poem, ‘The Cold within’ is all about discrimination based on prejudices and its unpleasant consequences. The six people gathered around the fire in a chilling winter night, possessed a stick of wood each. They could have easily survived the cold if they had kindled the dying fire with their sticks. But they rejected to share their logs to keep the fire burning. Five of them were prejudiced against one another upon petty things like, colour, race, religion, social class, etc; while the sixth one was an opportunist.

Eventually, they were seen frozen to death, each holding on grimly to a log of wood, and this obviously due to their prejudiced attitude even in the time of need. Thus, the poet attributes their death to the cold in their hearts, not to the cold atmosphere outside.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Six humans trapped by happenstance
In bleak and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood
Or so the story’s told.
Their dying fire in need of logs,
But the first one held hers back,
For, of the faces round the fire,
She noticed one was black.

(i) What is the name of the poem and by whom is the poem written?
(ii) What were the circumstances and who was trapped under them? Highlight the words which sense emergency? Name the figure of speech used here.
(iii) What was the need of the moment? Why?
(iv) What made the first human/person hold back her stick?
(v) Give the meaning of
(a) happenstance
(b) dying fire
Answer:
(i) The name of the poem is, ‘The Cold Within’ and the poet is ‘James Patrick Kinney’.

(ii) Six humans were trapped accidentally. It was severe cold. The words ‘bleak and better’ symbolize the extreme situations of life.

The figure of speech used here is, ‘alliteration’ – ,viz. repetition of ‘b’ in bleak & bitter.

(iii) It was extremely cold and life was impossible without the warmth of fire. Each of the six humans possessed a stick, which they were suppose to contribute to keep the fire going, else, they would freeze to death once the fire dies out.

(iv) The first one holds back her stick, because she sees a black man in the group and because of her racist attitude she is not able to save him by adding her log to the fire, no matter even if she herself too suffers.

(v) (a) coincidence
(b) the fire which was about to get extinguished.

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
The next man looking ‘cross the way
Saw one not of his church,
And could not bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes.
He gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log he put to use
To warm the idle rich?

(i) What character trait does the next man portray? Why?
(ii) What does ‘tattered clothes’ mean and what do they symbolize?
(iii) What is meant by ‘a hitch’? Why does the third one give a hitch to his coat?
(iv) What was the reason for the third one to not part away with his log of wood?
(v) Give the meaning of- 4
(a) could not bring himself to
(b) a hitch
Answer:
(i) The next man is prejudiced, who, on seeing a man not belonging to his church, decides to hold back his stick to rekindle the fire.
(ii) ‘Tattered clothes’ mean, ‘old and tom clothes’. It means that the third man was a poor man who did not have enough money to cover himself with proper clothes.
(iii) ‘Hitch’ means’ ‘to move with a jerk or tug’.
The man gave a hitch to his coat to make it more comfortable and bring warmth to himself.
(iv) This man seems to be a victim of discrimination based on the economic standard of different individuals. He is envious of the rich man and considers nil a an ‘idle.’ Thus, he does not put his log to fire.
(v) (a) to not be able to force himself to do something
(b) a shake or a jerk

Question 4.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

The rich man just sat back and thought
Of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned
From the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man’s face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight.
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.

(i) What was the rich man thinking about?
(ii) From whom did he fear a threat to his wealth?
(iii) What kind of expression did the black man’s face depict/show ?
(iv) Give the meaning of
(a) in store
(b) shiftless
(c) bespoke
(v) What did the black man see in his stick ?
Answer:
(i) The rich man, oblivious to reality, lay back thinking how to safeguard the wealth he possessed.

(ii) He wants to keep his wealth safe from the poor who he considers as lazy and aimless, because he can’t let go of his possessions which he has earned through his sheer hard work.

(iii) The black man’s face depicted the emotions of hatred and revenge which were the outcome of the discrimination he had undergone due to the white people. He is a victim of racism.

(iv) (a) in possession
(b) lacking ambition and energy
(c) represented

(v) Keeping back his stick, seemed to him an opportunity to avenge himself against the rich. Instead of making use of the opportunity to save his life, he wasted it in fulfilling his revengeful feelings.

Question 5.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The last man of this forlorn group
Did naught except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game?
Their logs held tight in death’s still hands
Was proof of human sin ?
They did not die from the cold without
They died from the cold within.
(i) What game does the poet refer to? Who plays the game? How?
(ii) Why does the poet refer the group as a ‘forlorn group’? Name the figure of speech used here.
(iii) What proof do they provide regarding the human sin?
(iv) Give the meaning of –
(a) in store
(b) shiftless
(c) bespoke
(v) According to the poet, what is the reason behind their death?
Answer:
(i) The poet refers to the game of ‘give and take’. This game is played by the last man of the group who seemed to be a selfish businessman. He would not use his resources till he gained something in return.

(ii) ‘Forlorn’ means, ‘sad, lonely and hopeless.’ The figure of speech used here is ‘Oxymoron’ in which, opposite ideas are placed together. Though there are six people sitting together in a group, yet each one was sad and lonely.

(iii) The men showed rigidity of spirits. They committed a sin of discrimination against one another, which consequently led to their own doom.

(iv) (a) in possession
(b) lacking ambition and energy
(c) represented

(v) According to the poet, the men could have saved themselves and the others by doing away with their sticks, but they chose to keep them back due to their biased attitude. Thus, it was the coldness of their hearts, lack of humanity and treatment of discrimination, that killed them.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Old Man at the Bridge Summary by Earnest Hemmingway

Old Man at the Bridge Summary About the Author

Ernest Hemingway( 21 July 1899 – 2 July 1961), started his career as a journalist at the age of seventeen. During the First World War, he joined a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. After being wounded and spending much time in hospitals, he returned back, and devoted himself to fiction writing. His first important work being ‘The Sun Also Rises’ (1926). Then equally successful was, ‘A Farewell to Arms’ (1929).

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding. in this article, we are covered Old Man At The Bridge Summary

His other famous novels being ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ (1940) and ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ (1952). He received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for the latter. In this work, Hemingway usually portrays people like soldiers, hunters etc. whose courage and honesty are set against the hardships of the modem society. His fiction mostly contains gloominess and pessimism .

Old Man at the Bridge Summary

The plot of the story is set at a pontoon bridge near the Ebro Delta, on an Easter Sunday, during the Spanish Civil War. The enemy attack is anticipated. The area is being evacuated. All civilians are crossing the bridge to save themselves. The narrator, who was a young army officer, had the duty to watch the advancement of the enemy, notices an old man, the protagonist of the story, sitting by the side of the road. He wore steel framed spectacles and very dusty clothes.

The officer is constantly keeping a watch across the bridge. He observes that the people and the cart on the bridge were reducing. He finally approaches the old man and questions him. The old man tells him that he had just travelled two kilometers from his village of San Carlos and cannot walk further as he is extremely tired. He adds that he was the last man to leave the village. There his duty was to take care of his animals which consisted of a cat, two goats and four pairs of pigeons. They were his family and he was very anxious about them. He says that the cat will be fine because cats can look after themselves, but he doesn’t know what will happen to the other animals.

The narrator who was nervously awaiting the advent of the enemy is concerned about the old man’s safety and tells him to walk up the road and catch a ride on a truck to Barcelona. But the old man states that he is seventy six years old, had already travelled much and will not be able to go any further. All the more, the safety of his animals was disturbing him.

But the narrator assures him that his animals will be fine. The pigeons will fly away, but the old man still worries about the goats. The narrator consoles him saying it is better not to think about it. The old man takes an effort to get up and walk but he is too exhausted and is unable to proceed. The story ends with the narrator thinking that the old man’s only luck is that the cats can look after themselves and that the day is overcast so the fascists aren’t able to launch the planes

Old Man at the Bridge Summary Word Meanings:

1. Steel rimmed : Steel framed
2. Pontoon bridge : Bridge made of flat bottomed boats
3. Staggered : Moved unsteadily
4. Plodded : Walked slowly and usually heavily
5. Shepherd : A person who tends sheep
6. Artillery : A part of an army that uses large guns
7. Politics : Political view
8. Forks : A place where something (like a road or river) divides into two.
9. Urged : Persuaded
10. Swayed : To swing slowly
11. Easter Sunday : The Sunday on which the Christians celebrate the return of Jesus Christ to life following his death
12. Fascists : BeLievers of fascism which is an ideology that supports dictatorship.
13. Overcast : Darkened by clouds

Old Man at the Bridge Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Answer the following question with reference to Ernest Hemmingway’s short story, ‘The Old Man at the Bridge’.Explain why the narrator takes so much time to converse with the old man. Use details from the story to support your answer.
Answer:
In the story, the two main characters, i.e., the old man and the narrator, are faced with the reality in which they find themselves powerless. The old man is not only physically weak to save his life by escaping from the approaching army but also emotionally drained to continue on at the cost of leaving his hometown and his family which constituted of few animals. He is 76 years old, has already come 12 kms and can go no further. He sits in the dust on the side of the road while rest of the people go right past him.

The officer is constantly looking across the bridge. The vacation is almost complete. Therefore, the old man cannot be allowed to stay any longer. It is his duty to make everyone clear the area and reach a safer place. So, he tries to convince the old man about the safety of his animals. The officer too must be worried about his own safety. He consoles the old man saying, “Why, they’ll probably come through it all right.” But when the old man is still scared about his pigeons he tells him, “Yes, certainly they’ll fly. But the others, it’s better not to think about the others.”

Question 2.
Answer the following question with reference to Ernest Hemmingway’s short story, ‘The Old Man at the Bridge’. What statements from the story suggest that the old man is about to give up on life? Quote specific statement to support your answer.
Answer:
The old man mentioned in the story, is sitting by the side of the dusty road. The lines which show this are, “But the old man sat there without moving. He was too tired to go any farther.”

He watched the people crossing the bridge with soldiers helping them, but he does not even ask for any help. When the narrator asks him about his politics, he said he was without politics, but he also mentions, ‘I am seventy – six years old. I have come twelve kilometers now and I think now I can go no further.”

These lines show that he was giving up his efforts to carry on and save himself from the enemy attack. When the narrator tells him that he could go to Barcelona. He says, “I know no one in that direction”, which again highlights that he had no interest in starting life afresh in a new surrounding. “I was only taking care of animals”, confirm his helplessness and failure.

Question 3.
Answer the following question with reference to Ernest Hemmingway’s short story, ‘The Old Man at the Bridge’. How does Hemingway show that war disrupts the lives of ordinary people? Is this portrayal realistic? Explain why you think so.
Answer:
The short story, ‘Old Man at the Bridge’, is about a conversation between a soldier and an old man who had to leave his hometown during the Spanish Civil War. The story conveys the subsequent problems of helpless victims especially old people. The story is based upon an Easter Sunday stopover at the Ebro River. The old man was a reflection of a war victim. We are informed that the old man’s family consisted of only animals and he was 76 years old. He travelled twelve kilometers and could not travel further.

The war has affected his mind and living. He had to leave his native place where he lived comfortably and harmlessly with his animals. He further says, that he was without politics ‘yet his life gets destroyed due to politics and the war’.

The poet mentions that it was Easter Sunday, which portrays an iconic contrast as the day of the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus will be the day another innocent victim who will be crucified and would be sacrificed to the monster of war.The prominent reason the narrator seems to be talking to the old man at such length is that, he is concerned about his safety, but he wants to build some extent of mutual trust and understanding before advising him to flee. Undoubtedly, the racist soldiers would shoot him if he stayed there.

Thus in this story, Hemmingway shows that though there are wars, they are presented as a glorious and majestic. The basic fact is hidden. So many people who do not even participate in the war become the worst victims. No one speaks about them, the tragedy they face. They become homeless and foodless. The old man is a symbol of such victims. A 76 years old man, has to escape and suffer for no reason during the war.

After the war people will talk about heroism and victory, this old man will find no place in their memory or talks. Hemmingway finds this a disturbing fact and has tried to portray the uglier side of war, the destruction and distress caused by it. Whichever party wins, the common man is the guaranteed loser.

Old Man at the Bridge Summary Extract Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“There were not so many carts now and very few people on foot, but the old man was still there.”
(i) Who is the speaker in the above extract? Where is he? What is his job?
(ii) Where are the carts and people going? Why? Where was the old man?
(iii) Why doesn’t the old man move? What was he wearing?
(iv) What made of the old man smile?
(v) Describe the scene at the pontoon bridge?
Answer:
(i) The narrator, who is an army officer, is the speaker. He is on a pontoon bridge in an African looking country of the Ebro Delta. His duty is to cross the bridge and check how far the enemy had advanced.

(ii) The carts and the people are crossing the bridge to get to a safer place from the advancing enemy force. The old man sat by the side of the road, near the bridge.

(iii) The old man doesn’t move because he is very tired to go any further as he had already walked twelve kilometres. He was wearing steel rimmed spectacles, and very dusty clothes.

(iv) On being asked by the narrator, where did he come from, the old man replied, “San Carlos”. The mention of gave him pleasure and made him smile.

(v) The narrator describes that several trucks, carts, men, women and children were crossing the pontoon bridge. The soldiers helped by pushing against the spokes of the wheels of the staggering mule-carts. The trucks headed while the peasants followed on foot in the ankle deep dust. A solitary old man sat by the side of the road. The narrator kept a check on the advancement of the enemy.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
“Yes” he said, “I stayed you see, taking care of animals.”
(i) Who is ‘he’ referred here? Where did he stay? Which animals is he talking about?
(ii) Why did he leave his animals? Why was he worried now?
(iii) Which animal was he less worried? Why? What was his age? How did the doves have a chance to survive?
(iv) What did the narrator find strange when the old man tells what he did in San Carlos?
(v) Which signals is the narrator waiting for?
Answer:
(i) ‘He’ is referred to the old man. He stayed at his home town ‘San Carlos’. He is talking about the animals he took care of i.e., two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons.

(ii) He was forced to leave his town and animals due to heavy firing from the enemy. It was not safe to stay there. The old man had no other family except his animals. He loved and cared for them. He was worried to leave them behind in danger.

(iii) The old man was less worried about his cat because according to him, a cat could look out for itself. He was seventy six years of age. The doves had a chance to survive because the old man had left their cage open and they could fly off.

(iv) The narrator finds it strange to know that the old man was taking care of his animals in San Carlos as the old man did not at all look like a shepherd or a herdsman.

(v) The narrator is waiting for the signals that would be given when there would be a ‘contact1 by the enemy. So, he was attentive to the first noises that would be heard on the arrival of the enemy.

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“This is not a good place to stop.”
(i) What advice does the speaker give to the old man? Why?
(ii) Does he accept the advice? Is he able to follow it?
(iii) What good luck does the old man have?
(iv) What conflict does the story depict?
(v) What irony does the day highlight?
Answer:
(i) The speaker advised the old man not to stop there as the enemy could reach any time. He suggested him to walk, up to the trucks up the road where it forked for Tortosa.

(ii) Yes, he says he would wait for sometime and then go, but when he got up on his feet, he swayed unsteadily and sat down backwards in the dust.

(iii) The good luck that the old man had, was firstly, that his cats knew how to look after themselves and secondly, the sky was overcast so the enemy planes could not fly up.

(iv) The story ‘Old Man at the bridge’, does not talk about any conflict between the principal characters but it throws a light on the dispute between bigger forces and how it affects the peaceful life of the ordinary people. On one side is the army of the loyalists, while on the other side is the fascists. The old man’s only concern is his animals which he had to leave behind when he fled the advancing fascists.

(v) The action of the story is set on an Easter Sunday, the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day after he was crucified. It is also known as the resurrection of Jesus. Thus, Easer is celebrated to welcome the rebirth of Jesus. But ironically for the old man, this day would be a welcome of his inevitable death and destruction of all his belongings.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

The Heart of a Tree Summary by Henry Cuyler Bunner

The Heart of a Tree Summary About the Poet

Henry Cuyler Bunner (born August 3, 1855, New York-died May 11, 1896, New Jersey) was a poet, novelist and editor. His verse and stories provided vivid descriptions of the place where he lived and the people that he observed around him. He was a prolific writer. In 1893, he had a book published called “Made in France”: “French Tales Retold” with a United States Twist’. Earlier titles included- “The Midge (1886)” and “The Story of a New York House” which came out the following year.

Bunner produced a number of poetry collection including ‘Airs from a ready and Elsewhere’ (1884), Rowen (1892) and Poems (1896).

One of his short storifes “The Tower of Babel” was staged in 1883. Another one, ‘Zenobia’s Infidelity’ was made into a Hollywood movie.

The Heart of a Tree Summary

Man has been causing an immense destruction to nature by cutting down trees for his greed for agricultural land, timber and fuel, which is causing a big threat to our environment. ‘The Heart of a Tree’ is based on the universal concern and it discusses the various advantages we gain by planting a tree. The poet has praised the act showing that, it not only helps life on earth but also plays a major role in the nation’s growth.

The refrain of the poem before every stanza, ‘What does he plant who plants a tree?’ is a rhetorical question which is answered by the poet himself, explaining the worthiness and significance of planting a tree.

He has highlighted the achievement of the planter in three different stanzas, every stanza shedding light on various reasons as to, why the planter’s work should be considered divine and noble.

The Heart of a Tree Explanation of the Poem

Stanza 1. “What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For son and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard
The treble of heaven’s harmony
These things he plants who plants a tree.”

Explanation: In the first stanza, the poet explains the value of planting a tree by telling that, the one who plants a tree is planting a friend of sun and sky. A plant grows upwards as if aiming to touch the sky and the sun and they all become friends. The tree requires sunlight from the sun and carbon-dioxide from air to survive. Thus, it absorbs the sun’s heat and saves the earth from the scorching sun and releases oxygen, making the air pure. Then, the poet compares the leafy branches to a flag which flutter with the cool and free wind. While the trunk of the tree acts as the pole of the flag standing high, it also redefines beauty.

The tree, which one plants, becomes the shelter for many mellifluous mother birds which sing to their little ones. She sings a gentle tone during twilight which creates an atmosphere of serenity and bliss. Her song (with a rising pitch) mingles with the melody of heaven, in perfect harmony.

Thus, who plants a tree, indirectly plants all these things.

Word Meanings

1. Flag of breezes — Flag that flutters freely in the mild wind.
2. Shaft — Pole, bar
3. High — Near
4. Croon — To sing in a low soft voice, (a lullaby)
5. Hushed — Calm, peaceful
6. Treble — The highest range of sounds used in music, high pitched tone or sound.

Stanza 2. “What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For son and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard
The treble of heaven’s harmony
These things he plants who plants a tree.”

Explanation: In the second stanza, the poet further discusses by repeating the question and trying to answer it himself. The tree provides shade to man and animals. It binds the soil by retaining moisture. It is proved that trees help in bringing rain. Plants transpire, which leads to formation of clouds due to condensation, leading to rains.

Now, the poet talks about the benefit that the future generation will reap from the trees that one plants now. The tree contains the ‘seed and bud’, which would years later, bloom into new trees and forests, after the present one withers away. Thus, planting a tree now will bear fruits for the next generation, who would be joyous to receive this blessing and heritage. Trees are responsible for the ‘fade & flush’ of years

i. e. the seasonal cycle. The trees make the otherwise very dull plains, beautiful.

Thus, a person who plants a tree now, is making way for provision of many gifts for generations to come in the form of food, timber, rain, shade and natural beauty, consequently paving way for the prosperity of human race.

Word Meanings

1. Cool shade – Shelter from the blazing heat of the sun.
2. Seed and bud of days to be – Seeds and buds that will bloom into flowers and trees in future.
3. Years that fade and flush again – Refers to seasonal cycle
4. Glory of the plain – Greenery
5. Heritage – Legacy
6. Harvest – Yield; productive result
7. Unborn eyes – Future generation

Stanza 3. “What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
For son and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard
The treble of heaven’s harmony
These things he plants who plants a tree.”

Explanation: In the third stanza, the poet says that a man who plants a tree which is made of ‘sap’, leaf and wood,’ tends to show his love and sense of duty towards the society he lives in. He is full of obligation towards his neighbours and, in fact, the entire humanity. ‘His’ in capital gives a divine place to the planter of the tree because he is at a higher position of ‘giving’ his blessing to the society, which is a Godlike action. He carries the sapling to be planted in his folded hands, in the same manner as God carries the power to elate mankind in his benevolent hands.

This generous act from the one who plants a tree could lead to the progress of a rtation from sea to sea, i.e., it would lead to the econqpiic growth of a country through import and export within the countries.

Thus, we can see that the poet has made an attempt throughout the entire poem, to highlight the greatness of the man who plants a tree. Firstly, he aids in maintaining the ecological balance. Secondly, he passes on the beautiful heritage to his future generation to live a happy life. And thirdly, he shows “man’s contribution towards his fellow beings as well as his nation. Altogether, a tree is a boom for mankind.

Word Meanings

1. Sap – The fluid part of a plant
2. Civic good – Benefit of society, public welfare
3. Neighbourhood – Fellow being

The Heart of a Tree Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

Stanza 1.
“What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven anight;
For son and mother – croom of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard
The treble of heaven’s harmony
These things he plants who a tree
(i) Name the poem and the poet.
(ii) Why does the poet begin the poem with the refrain, ‘What does he plant who plants a tree?’
(iii) How does a tree become a friend of sun and sky?
(iv) How does a man ‘plant the flag of breezes free’? Why is the plant referred as the shaft of beauty?
Answer:
(i) The poem is, ‘The Heart of the Tree1 and the poet is ‘Henry Cuyler Bunner’.

(ii) The poet begins the poem with this refrain because he wants to highlight the thought that, how beneficial it is to plant a tree and the one who plants, does a marvellous job towards mankind.

(iii) The tree grows upward and gains sunlight for photosynthesis. It protects the earth from the scorching heat of the sun. It also purifies the air by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. Thus, it is considered as a friend of sun and sky.

(iv) The poet here compares the leafy branches of the tree to a flag. The breeze flutters the branches like it flutters a flag.
The trunk of the tree is compared to the beautiful pole shaft of the flag that holds the tall aerial part firmly to the ground.

(v) ‘Home to heaven anigh’, means a ‘home similar to heaven’.
The tree becomes an abode to birds, where the mother bird sings melodiously to its baby in the serene twilight, and her song blends with the melody of the heavenly music.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Stanza 2.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest’s heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
The joy that unborn eyes shall see
These things he plants who plants a tree

What does the poet mean when he says, “seed and buds of the days to be”?
(ii) Discuss some advantages the plants provide to the humans and the environment?
(iii) What does the poet mean by ‘unborn eyes’? What joy will the ‘unborn eyes’ see?
(iv) Give the meaning of
(a) cool shade (b) fade and flush again
(v) Explain ‘the forest’s heritage, and ‘harvest of the coming age.’
Answer:
(i) The poet here wants to emphasize the importance of trees for the future generation.
It produces seeds that will grow and buds that will bloom for our children in future.
(ii) The trees provide shelter to the people from the sweltering heat of the sun. They help in the seasonal cycle. They invite the beautiful tender rain. They give a scenic beauty to the plains. Thus, the trees not only beautify the environment, but also provide the humans with pure air, food, wood and medicines.
(iii) The ‘unborn eyes’ are the eyes of the children yet to be bom i.e., the future generation.
The ‘unborn eyes’ will be lucky enough to reap the benefits of the trees that are planted now. They will see the plants grown up into big trees, that will provide them with shelter against sun and abundant gifts of nature like the rain, fruits, timber, pure air, etc.
(iv) (a) cooling shelter (b) refers to the seasonal cycle
(v) The poet wants to explain that the one who plants a tree, paves a way for many more seeds and buds that will grow into numerous new trees contributing to the forest wealth of the nation. The future generation will then have ample harvest to enjoy in the days to come.

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

Stanza 3.
I What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants, in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good
His blessings on the neighbourhood,
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.
(i) What is the tree made of? What feeling does the planter highlight?
(ii) How does the planter bless his neighbourhood?
(iii) Whom does capital ‘His’ refer to? What does he carry in the hollow of his hand? What is the significance of the’hollow’?
(iv) In what way does a Nation’s growth depends upon planting trees?
(v) What stirs in the heart of the planter?
Answer:
(i) The tree is made of the juicy sap, leaf and wood. The planter shows his love and loyalty for his home i.e., the earth; his sense of duty towards his civilization and forwards his blessings to his neighbourhood.

(ii) The man who plants a tree blesses his fellow beings with food which is provided by the sap and leaves of the plants. Besides, they can get timber for their professional and domestic use.

(iii) The capitalization of ‘His’ signifies the power and importance of the man who carries the sapling in the hollow of his hand to plant it, because by planting a sapling he is helping in creating the destiny of the nation. The ‘hollow’ shows that he is giving something to his people. He is a benevolent giver. He holds in his hands the progress of humanity and the growth of universe.

(iv) According to the poet, a planter does a generous job by planting a tree which leads to other subsequent goods, which reflects growth and progress. Forests provide useful resources like wood, honey, rubber, medicine, etc., thus strengthening the nation financially. Trees control pollution, global warming and climatic disbalance.

(v) A country’s economic progress relies to a great extent on its import and export with other countries. The trees provide products which are used to trade within other nations. Thus, the one who plants a tree works for larger benefits, leading to the enrichment of the economy of a country.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary by Chief Seattle

Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary About the Author

Chief Seattle (1780 – 7 June, 1866), a famous 19th century American Indian Chief of Duwamish and Suquamish tribe. He was a prominent leader of his time, much respected for his Native American wisdom and commitment towards maintaining the ecological balance of the ancestral lands that fell under his tribes’ ownership. He was a brave and courageous warrior chief. Seattle’s speech gave him wide popularity. The speech favoured ecological responsibility of Native Americans. However, the actual content of the speech is uncertain and much has been lost through translation and rewriting.

Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary

Chief Seattle was an important figure in the early American History. He was the chief of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes/fighting for the rights of his native people in the face of American Colonists. This famous speech was given by him when the American Colonists aggressively offered to buy the native land of his tribe and in return offered them the right to live there. His speech has been described as one of the most beautiful and moralistic words on the environment’s value.

In his speech, he stresses upon the importance of Nature and the need to respect it. He makes use of satire while describing the offer from the Great Chief of Washington. He says, that it is the benevolence of the Great Chief to offer their friendship, as the Americans are much powerful than the Red Indians who were once great, but now reduced to a handful. He reminds that the wars are destructive and they harm both, humans and nature. So they should be avoided. He also mentions that the God of the Whites is partial and He only protects them and not the Red Indians. He also points out at the difference of origin of both the races.

Seattle very emotionally emphasizes on the holiness of the ashes of their ancestors, thus their land is very precious to them. Therefore, accepting the proposal of acquisition of land from the Governor of Washington, he makes a request to grant them permission to visit the land which contains the ashes of their forefathers. Concluding his speech he says that, the Red Indians have such a strong attachment with their land that even after the death of the Red Indians, their spirits will never leave the land and thus, makes an appeal to the Whites to treat their land sympathetically as the dead people have the power to change the world.

Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary Word Meanings:

1. Yonder : Over there
2. Compassion : Sympathy
3. Prairies : Large grasslands of North America
4. Ruffled : Disturbed
5. Reproach : Disgrace
6. Relentless : Strict
7. Bristling : Brimming
8. Forsaken : Given up or left (someone or something) entirely
9. Prosperity : Success
10. Teeming multitude : A great number of people
11. Verdant : Green with growing plants
12. Sequestered : Withdrawn; secluded
13. Remnant : The left over part
14. Stolidly : Unemotionally
15. Proposition : Proposal
16. Swelter : To be very hot and uncomfortable
17. Sombre : Dull or dark
18. Solitude : Lonely places

Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How does Chief Seattle compare the religion of the White man and the Red man in his speech?
Answer:
Chief Seattle in his speech says that the God of the White people is different from that of the Red man, because the White man’s God only thinks of the welfare of his people and ignores the Red men. In that case, their God cannot be a reality as God never differentiates between people and stands equal for all. He also mentions that the religion of the White man was ‘written upon tablets of stone by the iron finger of God, so that they many remember it. It is not felt by heart. Whereas, the Red man’s religion is ‘the traditions of our ancestors – they are dreams of their old men, given to them in solemn hours of night by the Great Spirit. Thus, the religion of the White man is artificial and mechanical which consists of some hard and fast rules that the native people cannot understand well.

Question 2.
‘The world views of White men and the Red Indians has marked differences’. Throw a light on this statement based on the speech by Chief Seattle.
Answer:
As a response to an offer made by the President of United States to buy their land, Chief Seattle, a Native American leader, delivers this inspiring speech. It remains the most beautiful and profound statement on the environment and related issues. Chief Seattle in his speech feels and argues that, it is impossible to buy or sell natural resources like, air, water and land, because we do not own them. They are a gift. He says that every part of the earth is sacred to him and his people; they are a part of the earth and the earth is a part of them.

Even the souls of the Native Americans do not leave their land. Instead, they make it their permanent residence. In short, the earth is not an inanimate tract of land, but a living presence to be treated with love, care, respect and fear. But the worldview of White men is entirely different. For them it is an object to be tamed, conquered and exploited to the full, until it ceases to be useful.

Though the President has promised to take care of them like their father, and provide them a special area to live and continue with all their customs and rituals, but it would not be easy to sell their dear and sacred land. The leader of the Red Indians, Chief Seattle, knew very well that they were handful so could not oppose the takeover, hence, he suggests some condition, for the transaction. He says that their land is sacred and inviolable and so they should also teach their children the same. He wants the White men to treat rivers and beasts as their own brothers because they had seen White men pollute rivers and shoot animals for the same of fun. He believes that every object in the Nature is connected with each other. Whatever happens to animals and land will happen to us sooner or later. None can escape this fate.

For his people, simple pleasure of Nature are more precious and more important than anything else. They treat rain, wind and land as living organisms, just like humans. He also expounds the holistic vision of his people according to which, there is only one God and he does not discriminate between people, White or Red, human beings hold equal position in his eyes. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on the creator.

Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary Extract Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
“Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion upon my people for centuries untold, and which to us appears  changeless and eternal, may change.”
(i) Who speaks these lines? Provide a context.
(ii) What does he mean when he says, “Tomorrow it may be overcast with clouds.?”
(iii) What terms does Chief Seattle use to refer to the White chief? Why?
(iv) How does Chief Seattle in his speech describe the population of the White people and his?
(v) Why does Chief Seattle refer the ‘Red Indians’ as orphans?
Answer:
(i) The above lines form a part of the speech delivered by Chief Seattle, a leader of the Suquamish tribe of the Red Indians, who lived in the middle of the nineteenth century. In 1854, the United States Government aggressively offered to buy 2 million acres of land occupied by native people in the Northwest. This speech is a translation of excerpts from Chief Seattle’s reply to the Governor of Washington, in December of that year. His speech has been described as one of the most beautiful and prophetic statements on the environment ever made.

(ii) Chief Seattle in his speech says that, though things seemed to be favourable for them presently but future . may bring quite drastic changes as the Great Chief of Washington was planning to acquire their lands behind
a mask of friendship.

(iii) Chief Seattle ironically calls the White chief ‘kind’ as in spite of being so powerful he had sent the Red Indians greetings of friendship and goodwill, though they were quite scarce in number as compared to the White people.He calls him ‘good’, ‘great’ and ‘generous’ as he had offered to buy their land and in exchange allowed them just enough to live comfortably, which he says is quite wise as they did not need such a vast land to live on.

(iv) Chief Seattle says that, earlier his people were large in number and they covered the land as the waves of disturbed sea covering its shell-paved floor. But now they were just a handful, resembling the scattering trees on a plain swept by a,storm whereas, the people of the White chief were numerous, like the dense grass covering the vast prairies.

(v) Chief Seattle mentions that the God of the White cannot be their God because their God is partial towards them. He lovingly protects the White men as a father protects his son, but he has forsaken Seattle and his people. On the other hand, ‘The Great Spirit’ which is the God of the natives, has also forgotten his people because his tribe is almost on the verge of extinction. Thus, ‘they seem to be orphans who can look nowhere for help.’

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
“But let us hope that the hostilities between us may never return. We would have everything to lose and nothing to gain.”
(i) What advice does the chief give to the youth?
(ii) Who is referred as ‘Our Father in Washington’? What protection has he offered to the natives?
(iii) How does Chief Seattle differentiate between the religion of the White men and the natives? How are the dead of the natives more loving than those of the White?
(iv) Inspite of all the differences, why does Chief Seattle say “we may be brothers after all?”
(v) What condition of surrender does the chief propose? Why does he say that White men will never be alone?
Answer:
(i) He says that the young people are impulsive and their anger towards real and imaginary wrongs makes them brutal and uncontrolled. He advices the youth to control their feeling of hostility in any circumstance because its their family that is left to suffer after their glorious sacrifice in the war. Thus, he discourages the youth from any war feeling.

(ii) Seattle refers to ‘George Washington’ as ‘our father’, as he would be soon taking control over them and their land. He has promised to protect the Native Americans from their foreign enemy tribes like ‘Haidas’ and ‘Tsimshians’, if they surrender or sell their land to the White colonists.

(iii) Chief Seattle in his speech says that the religion of the White men i.e., Christianity, was written by their God with an ‘Iron Finger’ which bound them with strict adherence to rules and principles. But the religion of the Red Indians has been passed on by their ancestors in the form of traditions and dreams given to them in sacred hours of night by the Great Spirit and their religion is the vision of their great leaders which has been inscribed on their hearts.

He also says that the dead of the White men cease to love their people and their land and wander away beyond the stars. Whereas, the dead of the Red Indians have a strong affinity towards their land, they never forget their beautiful world with lush green valleys, flowing rivers, majestic mountains and often wander affectionately around their sad and lonely people to provide them comfort and guidance.

(iv) The Chief realizes that soon their mighty tribe will face extinction, but there is no reason to mourn over it as this is the law of nature. He is relaxed at the thought that the White men, though much more powerful than them, will face the same ‘Common Destiny’. They too will decay sooner or later and their God will also not be able to protect them. Thus, the ‘Common Destiny’ will bind them as brothers and this will develop empathy in them.

(v) The condition of surrender that he presents to the White men is that, the Red Indians should be allowed to visit the graves of their dead without any prohibition. He also requests them to treat their land sympathetically because according to him, the dead were not powerless and the people who die merely change the world. The Chief says that the White men will never be alone because even if the Natives vanish, their spirits will always occupy their native land.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers Nine Gold Medals

Nine Gold Medals Questions and Answers

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. The athletes had come from all over the country
To run for the gold, for the silver and bronze
Many weeks and months of training
All coming down to these games.

Question 1.
Where did the athletes ‘come from all over the country’? Why?
Answer:
The athletes came ‘from all over the country’ to the venue of the Special Olympics. The name of the venue for the concluding event, alluded to in the poem, is ‘old field’. The athletes reached there to win medals for their brilliant performance.

Question 2.
What do the words ‘gold’, ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ stand for in the extract? Do you think the contestants were prepared well for the event? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer:
The words ‘gold’, ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ stand for gold medal, silver medal and bronze medal, respectively. These are the top three honours of any high- level sports competition. The contestants were certainly prepared well for the event. As the poet says, they had undergone months of rigorous training before the game started.

Question 3.
What event is referred to here by the poet? What kind of athletes were they? What was their aim?
Answer:
The event referred to here by the poet is 100 metre-race in a Special Olympics. This is the most important of all events. Due to this, a large number people watch this event. The athletes described in the poem were participants who had been selected for the 100 metre-race. This event is regarded as the most important sports event. Their aim was to win the gold, silver and bronze medals in the Special Olympics. These medals are tokens of top honours that are conferred on best performing athletes.

Question 4.
How had they prepared themselves for the special event?
Answer:
All the athletes had prepared rigorously for the special event. They had been trained by their coaches for several months. This training had boosted the level of their self-confidence so much that each of them wanted achieve the best and reach the zenith of glory by winning the top honour of the game.

Question 5.
What does this stanza tell you about the nature and level of the sports event referred to here?
Answer:
The first line states that athletes have ‘come from all over the country’. In the second line, we are informed that they have come to participate in a sports event where the best performers will receive awards that are usually given away at world’s premier sports competitions such as Olympic Games and Paralympics. Then, the next line tells us that the participating athletes have undergone long and consistent training before reaching the game’s site. This again suggests that the sports event referred to is a high-level multi-sport event.

2. The spectators gathered around the old field
To cheer on all the young women and men
The final event of the day was approaching
Excitement grew high to begin.

Question 1.
What sport event is referred to earlier in the context?
Answer:
The sport event referred to earlier in the context is 100 metre-race. This is the most popular of all events and is organised as the last or concluding one in any sports competition.

Question 2.
What does the poet’s reference to the spectators, who have gathered to watch the event, imply?
Answer:
The spectators were in a very cheerful and encouraging mood. They were passionate and curious to see their favourite contestants touching the finish line. They have been simply referred to as ‘young women and men’. This suggests that at least the visible majority of them are young. This also suggests that 100-metre race is very popular among youngsters in general.

Question 3.
Which event was about to begin?
Answer:
The event that was about to begin was the 100 metre-race. There was a huge and enthusiastic crowd of spectators waiting eagerly for the contestants to start running. The air was filled with excitement as everyone was keenly looking forward to welcoming the most outstanding sprinters claiming the top three medals.

Question 4.
Which phrase has been used by the poet to describe the venue or the place where the event is going to take place? What does this imply?
Answer:
The phrase used by the poet to describe the venue is ‘the old field’. It implies that this field is the preferred venue for the most important of all athletic events. It’s also possible that any other field, which could have been referred to as ‘the new field’, might not be fully prepared to organize this event.

Question 5.
What does this stanza tell -you about the temperament of the spectators?
Answer:
According to the poet, the spectators who have assembled are passionate and ardent lovers of the game. They are very excited and are eagerly looking forward to watching the proceedings of the event and the performance of athletes participating in it.

3. The signal was given, the pistol exploded
And so did the runners all charging ahead
But the smallest among them, he stumbled and staggered
And fell to the asphalt instead.

Question 1.
During the race, who had the bad luck? What happened to him? What were his feelings then?
Answer:
During the race, one of the runners had the back luck. While running for the medal in the 100 metre-race, he suddenly fell down. He was extremely sad and dejected after this.

Question 2.
What strange thing happened?
Answer:
When the nine athletes started running, one of them suddenly stumbled and fell down. Such incidents may happen sometimes and people forget them, as the focus is always on the athlete who touches the finish line before others. It’s on the basis of their performance that the quickest of them gets the top honour, i.e. gold medal. But as the poet says, that did not happen in the Special Olympics described here. When one of the athletes fell on the ground, the other athletes stopped running and turned around to help the one who had fallen. Then, they all joined hands and started walking rather than running to the finish line.

Question 3.
Which phrase has been used to indicate that the race has started? Which is the only word that describes the physical feature of the athlete who falls? Why were the runners charging ahead?
Answer:
The phrase ‘the pistol exploded’ indicates that the race has started. The superlative degree adjective ‘smallest’ used here describes his physical feature. The runners described here are athletes participating in a 100-metre race. They are charging ahead to reach the target within a specific timeframe, already fixed for the race.

Question 4.
Do you think that the sight of an athlete falling during the course of a race is unusual? What does this result in?
Answer:
Yes, this is something unusual but not impossible. After all, athletes too are human beings and so, despite all their preparation, they may be disturbed or distracted by something. As per the rules, if an athlete falls during the course of the race, he is normally given no second chance to rectify his mistake.

Question 5.
How did the shortest of the athletes reacted to what happened to him later?
Answer:
The shortest of the athletes participating in the race fell down while running for top honours. He knows that the chances of his success have been spoilt due to his sudden fall. This would amount to end of his long-cherished and the effort he has made to realize it. Thinking all this, he is unable to restrain himself and gives out a cry. His crying indicated his deep frustration and sense of failure.

4. He gave out a cry in frustration and anguish
His dreams and his efforts all dashed in the dirt
But as sure as I’m standing here telling this story
The same goes for what next occurred.
The eight other runners pulled up on their heels
The ones who had trained for so long to compete
One by one they all turned around and went back to help him
And brought the young boy to his feet.

Question 1.
What were his dreams? What were his frustrations?
Answer:
Like every athlete, he wanted to win the 100 m-race. In order to prepare for this race, he had devoted a lot of time and energy. Naturally, when he fell down during the course of the event, he lost his heart. He was so frustrated that he began to cry.

Question 2.
What does the poet mean by the line: *The same goes for what next occurred’ ?
Answer:
Usually, the fall of an athlete during a race means his disqualification. This implies that he is out of the race and there is no possibility for him to join it again. At the same time, it also means that the race will continue for other participants. Here, the poet says that the situation is not going to be so easily predictable. In fact, these lines suggest that something unusual or unconven¬tional is going to follow, though the poet avoids giving any more description.

Question 3.
State in your own words what the eight other runners did. What did their action reflect on their attitude?
Answer:
When the shortest of the eight runners fell, the eight others immediately noticed this. They stopped running, turned back and helped the athlete, who had fallen, to stand up. Their action clearly showed that they attached primacy to human values and were more concerned about helping their rival in distress than only winning for individual glory and honour.

Question 4.
How do these lines bring out the main theme of the poem?
One by one they all turned around and went back to help him And brought the young boy to his feet
Answer:
These lines suggest the significance of true sportsmanship. When one of the nine athletes contesting for 100m-race slipped and fell on the ground, the other eight contestants could have continued to run towards the finish line. However, instead of doing so, they preferred to stop and approach the fallen contestant to help him. This great gesture of sensitivity, benevolence and self¬sacrifice shown by the eight athletes sets a very benchmark of morale and motivation for all sportspersons. It brings into focus the great significance of human values in the highly competitive arena of sports where each participant of any game fights for glory and accolade, treating others as rivals. The main theme of this poem is to highlight this aspect only.

Question 5.
Narrate what happened after the young boy was brought to his feet?
Answer:
When the young boy was brought to his feet, all the nine runners joined hands. They decided that they won’t continue the race as rivals competing with one another. Instead, they all joined hands like comrades and started walking together to the line of finish.

Question 6.
Why did the eight contestants give up their competitive spirit?
Answer:
The eight contestants attached more significance to humanitarian values under lying the spirit of sportsmanship rather than their competitive spirit that would earn them individual glory and honour. By their unique act, they proved thus, that competitive was important, but far more important was the spirit of the game.

Question 7.
How does the reaction of the eight athletes imply the spirit of sportsmanship?
Answer:
The spirit of sportsmanship motivates a sportsperson to play a game without being insensitive to basic human values. It basically means that though sportspersons participating in the same event compete for success and glory with the same intensity and anxiety, they must not treat one another as ‘enemies’. Here, the athletes have shown a high degree of sportsmanship by sacrificing their own dream, to help another athlete who was competing with them as a rival.

5. Then all the nine runners joined hands and continued
The hundred-yard dash now reduced to a walk
And a banner above that said (Special Olympics)
Could not have been more on the mark.

Question 1.
What does the first line mean?
Answer:
This line means that the nine athletes competing in the 100-metre race have ceased to be rivals. Instead they are friends now, and so they have no hurry now to leave one another behind in order to reach the target.

Question 2.
Why did the nine athletes join hands? What did their action of joining hands show? Why was the race reduced to a walk?
Answer:
They joined hands to show that they were not competitors in the game, but companions who could not see one another in distress. Their action of joining hands showed the highest level of sportsmanship. Once all the contestants joined hands, the race had lost its competitive significance. Thus, the act of running for individual honour or glory had ceased to be important. That is why the race was reduced to a walk.

Question 3.
What does the poet mean when he says, ‘The hundred-yard dash now reduced to a walk’?
Answer:
Here, the poet clarifies that the act of ‘running fast’, which is the core of 100-metre event, is not important now, as eight athletes have together decided not to continue it. Their purpose to help the ninth athlete is far more important than the dream of winning medals. That is why the typical ‘dash’ has been reduced to ‘walk’.

Question 4.
Who won the race in the end, as described later in the poem?
Answer:
As the poem describes, none of them emerged as the winner individually. This implies that the high level of sportsmanship shown by them made all the athletes winners. The organisers recognised this and decided to give gold medals to all of them.

Question 5.
How did the last event turned out to be special?
Answer:
The last event turned out to be special because of something that had never happened before. It did not reflect their skill, talent or quantum of training they had received as sportsmen. Instead, it showed their absolutely humanitarian approach to game setting a great standard of sportsmanship.

Question 6.
Give the meaning and significance of :
And the banner above that said (Special Olympics)
Could not have been more on the mark.
Answer:
In these lines, the poet categorically refers to the name of the sports tournament for the first time, i.e., Special Olympics. Such tournaments are organised throughout the world to encourage sportspersons and showcase their talent. Usually, such games do not gain media coverage and attention to the extent to which Summer and Winter Olympic Games do. By clearly mentioning the name of the tournament, the poet here tries to say that occasionally, less known tournaments witnessed historic incidents that set great standards for the entire world of sports.

6. That’s how the race ended, with nine gold medals
They came to the finish line holding hands still
And a standing ovation and nine beaming faces
Said more than these words ever will.

Question 1.
How did the race end? In what way was the ending appropriate?
Answer:
The race ended with all the nine athletes winning gold medals. The ending could not have been more appropriate. Due to their unique show of sportsmanship, they were applauded by the crowd and the event assumed historic significance. The organisers of the game aptly felt that all of them deserved gold medals.

Question 2.
How does this stanza capture the reaction of the spectators?
Answer:
We are informed that the nine athletes are accorded grand ovation for the great spirit shown by them. The spectacle is amazing and the spectators are also sensitive enough to understand the glory of the moment.

Question 3.
How did the contestants feel when they crossed the finish line together? Which words in the extract indicate their mood? How did the spectators react?
Answer:
They were extremely delighted when they crossed the finish line together. The ‘beaming faces’ of the contestants indicated their mood. The spectators gave them a standing ovation recognising their great gesture.

Question 4.
Why were all participants in the race awarded with gold medals?
Answer:
The organisers aptly felt that none of them was the sole winner of the game’s top honour. As a matter of fact, all of them equally deserved the honour by collectively contributing towards raising the standard of sportsmanship. That was the reason why all nine participants received gold medals.

Question 5.
How did the race in the Special Olympics become very special indeed?
Answer:
Each of the athletes participating in the Special Olympics was fired with the longing, zeal and passion to achieve the top honour. However, when one of them stumbled during the decisive course of the most important event, other contestants showed a great gesture of sportsmanship, unmindful of their individual claims to glory. To them, helping their rival was the most important motive. It was because of them that the Special Olympics became so special.

Question 6.
How does the poem show the value of true sportsmanship?
Answer:
True sportsmanship is not about winning medals by showing exce¬llence in terms of skill and competence. Basically, it’s about a sportsperson’s commitment to fundamental human values that he/she expresses while maintaining the competitive spirit of a game. In this poem, the athletes participating in a Special Olympics event show the highest degree of such commitment, just at the time when they are competing with one another for top honours. During the course of the event, when each of them is trying to move ahead of others, one of them falls down. This brings the eight other participants to a sudden halt as they immediately stop and turn back to help him stand on his feet. While doing so, they do not care for their own prospects of winning the competition.

Question 7.
What is the theme of the poem? How is it conveyed?
Answer:
The theme of the poem is the spirit of sportsmanship based on human values and humanitarian approach to sports. It is conveyed by the response of eight 100 metre-race contestants to the ninth contestant of the race who falls at the most critical moment. The eight athletes immediately rush towards the fallen athlete and help him. Thereafter, they no longer remain rivals competing for the top honour of the game. Instead, they establish camaraderie, thereby suggesting the precedence of the spirit of sportsmanship over competitive spirit.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers All Summer in a Day

All Summer in a Day Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

1. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.
“It’s stopping, it’s stopping!”
“Yes, yes!”

Question 1.
Why were the children so excited?
Answer:
The children had been living on the planet Venus where the sun shone once in seven years and it was the day when the sun was about to shine. Thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water with sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands.

Question 2.
What was the impact of the rain?
Answer:
The impact of the rain was very severe under which thousand forests had been crushed and many more grown thousand times to be crushed again. This was the way of life on the planet Venus forever. Also heavy concussion of storms led the tidal waves to come over the islands. The continuous downpour changed the air of the atmosphere that made everybody look dull and pale

Question 3.
Why didn’t the children remember the sun?
Answer:
The children had been living on the planet where the sun shone only once in seven years and that day the rain was stopping. These children did not remember a day when there wasn’t rain. They were all nine years old but there had been a day, seven years ago when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the shocking world, but they could not remember this as at that time they were only two years old.

Question 4.
What did the children dream about the sun?
Answer:
The children had almost lost the remembrance of sun. Sometimes at night, they dreamt and remembered gold or yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with. They thought they remembered blushing in the face, and warmness in the body, in the arms and legs and trembling hands.

Question 5.
How was their dream shattered?
Answer:
The children dreamt about the sun but their dream came to an end and they awoke to the sound of drum. The endless shaking down of clear bead necklaces in the form of rain upon the roof, the walk, the gardens, the forests and their dreams were shattered. The day before, they had read about sun in the class. Its appearance was like a lemon and it was hot. They had even written small stories, essays or poems also about it. It was like a flower that bloomed for just one hour.

2. When the class sang songs about happiness and life and games her lips barely moved. Only when they sang about the sun and the summer did her lips move as she watched the drenched windows. And then, of course, the biggest crime of all was that she had come here only five years ago from Earth, and she remembered the sun and the way the sun was and the sky was when she wafour in Ohio.

Question 1.
What was the impact of rain on Margot?
Answer:
Margot was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes, the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She had an appearance of an old photograph dusted from an album and her voice was like a ghost.

Question 2.
How did children tease Margot?
Answer:
When she used to stare at the rain, William targeted her saying “What are you looking at?” and when she replied nothing, he asked her to speak forcibly. He gave her a rough push. The children isolated her from the group and did not look at her.

Question 3.
Why did the children do so?
Answer:
The children teased her just because she did not play any games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her and ran away, she would not follow and stood there blinking after them. She hardly accompanied them when the class sang songs about happiness and life and games. She only sang when the children sing about the sun and the summer.

Question 4.
What was her biggest crime?
Answer:
The children did not mix up with Margot as she was bit different from them. Her biggest crime was that she had come on their planet only five years ago from Earth, and she remembered the sun and the way the sun was and the sky was when she was only four in Ohio. And those children had been on Venus all their lives, and they had been only two years old when last the sun came out. They had long since forgotten the color and heat of it but Margot remembered everything.

Question 5.
What is meant by “the loud wet world beyond the huge glass”?
Answer:
The story is a Science fiction which is about the life on planet Venus where it had been raining constantly for the past seven years and the children who were born on that planet were only two years old when they had last seen the sunshine. They were confined in the thick glass windows from which they could hear the loud noise of rain and it was so wet outside that there was rubber and ash colored jungle of weeds, flowers and huge trees that covered the planet.

3. There was talk that her father and mother were taking her back to Earth next year; it seemed vital to her that they do so, though it would mean the loss of thousands of dollars to her family. And so, the children hated her for all these reasons of big and little consequence. They hated her pale snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness, and her possible future.

Question 1.
What did Margot tell about the sun to the children and what was their reaction?
Answer:
Once she had told the children that it was like a penny with her eyes closed as if she was telling or remembering some wonderful thing or event. But children refused to accept it. Then she said that it was like a fire in the stove and that also was not accepted by the children and they told her that she was lying. But she remembered very well and stood quietly apart from all of them.

Question 2.
What did Margot refuse to do in the school room? Why?
OR
How did Margot realize that she was different from other children on the planet? .
Answer:
Once she had also refused to take shower in the school shower rooms and clutched her hands to her ears and over her head screaming. She had fond memories of sun and it appeared that she was totally distressed by the relentless rains, she wanted to go back. Since then she realized that she was different from other children and kept away.

Question 3.
Which rumor was spread among children in connection with Margot?
Answer:
There was a rumor on the planet that she would be taken back to earth by her parents the following year and it was important also for her. Although it would mean the loss of thousands of dollars to her family but that v was true. And that’s why the children hated her for all these reasons. They hated her pale snow face, her silence, her thinness and her possible future.

Question 4.
How did the children make fun of Margot?
Answer:
The boy pushed her by saying “get away”. For the first time, she turned and looked at him. The boy shouted savagely not to wait around here ,and told her that she won’t be able to say anything as nothing was going to happen that day. The other children blinked at him and then they understood his taunt and laughed and shook their heads. Margot was helpless still she told , them that it was predicted by the scientists. But the boy said that it was a joke and seized her roughly.

Question 5.
What was the reason behind the children’s indifferent attitude towards Margot?
Answer:
The children were jealous and cruel’ towards Margot. It was due to the – natural tendency of human beings that when one is devoid of something that other gets, he or she feels indifference. The same thing happened with them. Since Margot had recently shifted to the planet Venus and she had all the memories of Earth, the children felt jealous of her. They could not accept the fact that Margot had the experience of living under sun that was why they confronted and bullied her.

4. The children lay out, laughing, on the jungle mattress, and heard it sigh and squeak under them resilient and alive. They ran among the trees, they slipped and fell, they pushed each other, they played hide-and-seek and tag, but most of all they squinted at the sun until the tears ran down their faces; they put their hands up to that yellowness and that amazing blueness and they breathed of the fresh, fresh air and listened and listened to the silence which suspended them in a blessed sea of no sound and no motion.

Question 1.
In what way children showed their anger towards Margot?
OR
Which idea did they conceive in mind for Margot?
Answer:
Because Margot knew and remembered much about the sun than the other children, they were jealous of her. They thought of shutting her up in a closet. They caught her up forcibly and while she protested and pleaded and • cried, they showed no sign of sympathy. They pushed her into a room, a closet and slammed and locked her. They stood outside looking at the door trembling from her beating and throwing herself against it. They could hear her muffled cries.

Question 2.
What caused silence on the planet?
Answer:
No sooner did the children come back to tunnel after locking Margot, the rain had stopped and their teacher asked them to be ready for viewing sun. The whole crowd gathered near the door. It seemed as if in the midst of a film concerning an avalanche, a tornado, a hurricane, a volcanic eruption, something had gone wrong with the sound apparatus, thus cutting off all noise of the blasts and repercussions and thunders. The world ground to a standstill.

Question 3.
How did sun look like to them when it appeared after seven years?
Answer:
The sun was the color of flaming bronze and it was very large. The sky around it was a blazing blue sky color. The jungle seemed to be burned with sunlight and the children rushed out shrieking into the springtime as if released from their long cast spell. Although it was a common sight for a common man but to them it was like a blessing that only showered for a while after a span of long period.

Question 4.
The ecstatic joy felt by the children is very well depicted in the story. Describe.
Answer:
The joy on the faces of the children on seeing the yellow sun is indescribable. When the sun came out all of them rushed out yelling into the springtime. Even after teacher’s instruction and warning, they started running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron. They took off their jackets so that the sun could burn their arms. They found it better than the sun lamps.

Question 5.
How did Venus look like?
Answer:
Venus was covered by a huge jungle which never stopped growing as there was excessive rain always. It was just like octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh like weed, wavering, flowering in that brief spring when the sun appeared. Its color was the color of rubber and ash as it was without sun for many years. It was the color of stones and white cheeses and ink; it was the color of the moon. There were no vibrant colors due to the absence of sun.

5. They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down.
“Margot. ”
One of the girls said, “Well… ?”

Question 1.
Who told the children about sun’s retreat?
OR
Why did the girl wail?
Answer:
In the midst of their running, children didn’t realize that the sun was retreating. Suddenly a girl wailed and everyone stopped. She was standing in the open and as soon as she held her hand out she asked everyone to look at it. There was a single raindrop which meant that it was the time for the sun to retreat. The girl began to cry because the long awaited moment came to an end very soon. Few cold drops fell on their noses and cheeks and their mouths. Cold wind began to blow and the sky darkened.

Question 2.
How did the weather change after the sun vanished?
Answer:
After the sun retreated, it faded behind the mist and few cold drops fell on the children’s noses and cheeks and their mouths. A cold wind blew around them. The sky darkened into midnight in a flash. A boom of thunder startled the children and like leaves before a new hurricane, they tumbled upon each other and ran.

Question 3.
What were the feelings of the children when it rained?
OR
“Will it be seven more years”? Explain. Who asked this question?
Answer:
The children were standing in the doorway of the underground for a moment until it was raining hard. Their happiness, excitement, merriment and laughter all came to an end soon. Lightning struck ten miles away, five miles away, a mile and a half mile. They closed the door and again heard the same ‘ common gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches everywhere and forever which meant that again for seven more years they had to wait to catch a beautiful yellow glimpse of sun. This question was asked by one of the students.

Question 4.
How did the children feel about Margot when the sun was gone?
OR
Why couldn’t children meet each other’s glances?
Answer:
When the sun had gone and it started raining again, one of the children reminded of Margot to others. They remembered that she was still in the closet in which they had captured her. They stood as if someone had driven them. They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced at the world that was raining and couldn’t meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They felt ashamed of their action and realized how much ” Margot sacrificed when she moved from earth to Venus.

Question 5.
Where had the Margot been captured? Who did it? Finally how – did she come out of that place?
Answer:
Margot had been hidden in the closet in a room into the tunnel. She had been captured by the children of the Venus planet. The children, who criticized Margot, now began to understand her situation of what she had been feeling since her arrival on Venus. They did not understand the depression under which she was living on Venus. It was not until they spend time in sun and then they realized their mistake and walked back slowly down the hall to the closet where they had captured Margot and opened it slowly and let the Margot out.

All Summer in a Day Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Bring out the anxiety of children before the great event. What are they waiting for ?
Answer:
The children had been living on the planet Venus where the sun shone once in seven years and it was the day when the sun was about to shine. Thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water with sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they looked as though tidal waves had come over the islands.

The previous day, they all had studied about the sun and wrote about it, about how like a lemon it was and how hot. They had written small stories or essays or poems about it. They imagined it to be a flower that blooms for just one hour.A group of school children was crowding around a window of their classroom and waiting anxiously for the heavy downpour to slacken and the sun to rise.

Question 2.
Describe the life in Venus.
Answer:
The story is a Science fiction about the life on planet Venus where it had been raining constantly for the past seven years and the children who were born on that planet were only two years old when they had last seen the sunshine. They were confined in the thick glass windows from which they could hear the loud noise of the rain and it was so wet outside that there was a rubber and ash coloured jungle of weeds, flowers and huge trees that covered the planet.

Question 3.
What happened when the sun rose ?
Answer:
When the sun rose, the children came out shouting and laughing on v the jungle mattresses. The joy on the faces of the children on seeing the yellow sun was indescribable. Even after the teacher’s instructions and warning, they started running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron. They took off their jackets so that the sun could burn their arms. They found it better than the sun lamps.

The children living on planet Venus were so happy to welcome the sun as if a child feels when he or she gets a new toy. They turned their faces up to the sky again and again to feel the warmth of sun. They ran among the tress and for the slipped and fell, pushed each other and played hide and seek. It seemed as if they got the life in , real sense. They put their hands up to the yellowness of the sun and tried to feel it on their faces. They breathed the fresh air and listened to the silence which took them to the soundless and motionless sea.

Question 4.
How does the story ‘All Summer in a Day’ starts with the darker side of human nature and ends on a note of hope?
Answer:
That humans are a complex lot, with varied emotions is conveyed through the story, “All in a Summer Day’. Margot is different from the rest of them as she has come from the earth and has seen the splendor of Sun. They tease her, treat her like a stranger; especially William, even calling her a liar for saying that she wrote a poem on Sun. They shove her, leave her alone, would not even look at her because she will not play games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city.

She is made to feel different. They want to take revenge, so they lock her up in a dark tunnel and forget all about her till the sun appears and disappears. However, after rejoicing in the sun, the malice seems to wash away. They feel remorse and shame and slowly lets her out. We can feel there will be a better understanding among the children in future and Margot will be accepted as one of them.

Question 5.
How does the writer contrast the scene of rain and darkness and the scene of Sun and brightness in the story?
Answer:
The story begins with the eagerness and excitement of the children to see the Sun that appears in the sky once in seven years. It had been raining all those seven years, thousands of days , from one end to the other compounded with rain the drum and gush of water, crystal fall of showers, concussion of storms and the tidal waves towering over them.

The author says that a thousand forests had been crushed under the rain , sprouted again, only to be crushed again by the rain .In contrast, when the Sun came out, it was the color of flaming bronze against a blazing blue sky. The forests came to lie, unfurling their tendrils and the children laughed, shouted in joy and fell on the grass and ran among the tress. It was as though a new life was flowing through their veins. The two hours of joy acted as a miracle in their hearts, wiping away all malice and bringing a new understanding towards their fellow student Margot whom they had hitherto considered as a stranger and a liar.

Question 6.
Explore the feelings of Margot as portrayed by the writer.
Answer:
Margot, a nine year old girl feels like a stranger amidst the other children of her class. She is kept away by the others as they fell she is not like them. The main difference is that she has come from earth where she had experienced the splendor of the sun, its warmth and brightness. She does not feel at ease with the cold climate and the incessant rain in Venus.

She does not want to run and play with others in the corridors of the school, does not like to take bath in the cold waters. Nobody believes her she has seen the Sun which comes only in seven years in the planet. When she writes poetic lines on the sun, others call her liar. So we see a little girl, who is shoved about, shunned by the children of her age, completely alone, sad and even locked up in a dark tunnel by the insensitive ones.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers My Greatest Olympic Prize

My Greatest Olympic Prize Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

1. I guessed that if long won, it would add some new suport to the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory. After all, I am a Negro. A little hot under the collar about Hitler’s ways. I determined to go out there and really show Der Fuhrer and his master race who was superior and who wasn’t. An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. I was no exception. On the first of my three qualifying jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board for afoul. On the second jump, I fouled even worse. “Did I come 3000 miles for this ?” I thought bitterly. “To foul out of the trials and make a fool of myself?”

Question 1.
Why was Jesse not worried about the Hitler’s declaration of the supremacy of Master’s race?
Answer:
Owens did not bother about the patriotic feelings which were running high in Germany. He had full faith in his capabilities. He had trained, sweated and disciplined himself for six years and what occupied his mind were games and games only. He thought only of taking one or two gold medals.

Question 2.
What surprised him?
Answer:
Jesse was surprised to see a tall boy hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps on the broad-jump trials. He was a German named Luz Long who was kept hidden by Hitler with the hope to win the jump. His marvelous performance in the trials startled Owens.

Question 3.
An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. Justify this statement.
Answer:
Although Jesse Owens’ full concentration was on his game and winning the gold medal but he got distracted somewhat after seeing Luz Long’s  performance. He thought that if he won, it would add support to Nazi’s Aryan- Superior ity theory. He got irritated by this and thinking about this, he was filled with anger and fouled twice in the qualifying jumps.

Question 4.
What was the Nazi’s Aryan-superiority theory?
Answer:
Adolf Hitler believed in Aryan-superiority theory. According to him the athletes of Germany should be from Master’s race and would do better than other competent in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The nationalistic feelings were at prime at that time.

Question 5.
Why did Jesse Owens become so tensed afterwards?
Answer:
On his first three qualifying jumps, Jesse Owens leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board. He fouled. On the second jump, he did worse and fouled again. It reminded him that he had not travelled three hundred miles for making repeated fouls and making a fool of himself. His mind was full of bitterness over his own underperformance.

2. “Something must be eating you”, he said—proud the way foreigners are when they’ve mastered a bit of American slang. “You should be able to , qualify with your eyes closed. ”
“Believe me, I know it”, I told him—and it felt good to say that to someone.
For the next few minutes we talked together. I didn’t tell Long what was “eating” me, but he seemed to understand my anger, and he took pains to reassure me. Although he’d been schooled in the Nazi youth movement, he didn’t believe in the Aryan-supremacy business any more than I did.

Question 1.
Why did Owens kick the pit in disgust?
Answer:
Owens was already angry with the Hitler’s Nazi theory and an angry athlete is prone to making mistakes. Owens knew this very well, still he could not control his temper and on his first trial, he leaped several inches beyond the take-off point which resulted in disqualification. He walked a few yards from the pit and kicked it in despair and disgust.

Question 2.
What was eating him and did he tell it to Luz Long?
Answer:
Jesse Owens was hot under the collar with Hitler’s childish theory because of which his trial performance was affected. He had a very bad impact on him after fouling in the final qualifying jumps and this was eating him. He did not tell it to Luz Long on being asked as what bothered him because by that time Long was not his friend, he was simply a co-athlete apart from being a Nazi rival.

Question 3.
Describe Luz Long’s physique.
Answer:
Luz Long was blue eyed tall German athlete. He was an inch taller than Jesse Owens. He had a lean muscular body. He carried blonde hair and was astonishingly handsome and had a well chiseled face or a perfectly carved face.

Question 4.
What were Luz Long’s views about Aryan- supremacy theory?
Answer:
In the trials for the long jump event, Jesse fouled on his first two attempts. Luz Long, the top German broad jumper who had qualified for the finals came to him and gave his introduction. Though he was trained in Nazi school, he did not believe in the Hitler’s Aryan-supremacy theory that his performers were from the master race and would perform better than the others and that no one could beat them. He advised Owens to play safe.

Question 5.
What did Luz Long Suggest Owens?
OR
How did he calm down Owens?
OR
How did he help Owens come out of the trouble?
Answer:
Jesse did not tell Luz Long about his trouble but he seemed to understand his anger. He tried to ease out the situation by explaining that he didn’t believe in Aryan-supremacy business and when Jesse was calmed down, Long suggested him to draw a line a few inches in back of the board and aim at making his take off from that line. He assured him that he would never foul from that point. This helped Owens a lot.

3. That night I walked over to Luz Long’s room in the Olympic village to thank ‘him. I knew that if it hadn’t been for him I probably wouldn’t be jumping in the finals the following day. We sat in his quarters and talked for two hours—about track and field, ourselves, the world situation, a dozen other things. When I finally got up to leave, we both knew that a real friendship had been formed. Luz would go out to the field the next day trying to beat me if he could. But I knew that he wanted me to do my best—even if that meant my winning.

Question 1.
How did the rivalry between the two players come to an end?
Answer:
Seeing Owens tensed too much, Luz Long approached him and tried to calm him down by giving suggestions. Suddenly all the tension seemed to flow away from his body as the truth what Long told him struck him. Full of confidence, he drew a line a full foot in back of the board and proceeded to jump and qualified with almost a foot to spare. That night he went to Long’s room and thanked him. They sat and talked for two hours on every topic.

Question 2.
How did Luz Long react to Jesse winning the gold?
Answer:
When Owens finished his jump he found Luz Long beside him congratulating him. He gave him a firm handshake which was far from any jealousy. He did not bother about the wrath of Hitler and congratulated Owens. He failed but helped a capable world record holder to set other records.

Question 3.
Why did Hitler glare at both of them?
Answer:
Luz Long broke his own past record but did not win. But Jesse Owens set the Olympic record of jumping 26 feet 5-5/16 inches. Luz Long came to his side congratulating him by shaking his hands hard. Hitler was watching all this and he was not a hundred yards away from them. He could not tolerate the defeat of his athlete and besides congratulating the other athlete he glared at both of them.

Question 4.
Why the reference to Coubertin has been made?
Answer:
Coubertin is said to be the founder of the modern Olympic Games. He believed that the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well. Luz Long did not win but he presented the true example of this spirit.

Question 5.
What is the significance of ’24 carat friendship’ in the story?
Answer:
When Owens won the finals, Luz Long came to him and congratulated him warmly by shaking hands with him. Owens found no feeling of regret or jealousy in him as he was also an opponent. He was too much influenced by Long’s sportsmanship. Then he said that their friendship was 24 carat friendship because it is the purest form of gold in which there is no other alloy. In the same way. there was no mixture or any kind of element in their friendship and moreover its coating couldn’t be done even by melting all the gold medals and cups.

My Greatest Olympic Prize Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How does Jesse bring about his expectations and anxiety before the win ?
Answer:
In his article paying tribute to his fellow sportsman, Jesse Owens frankly tells about his feelings before the win. Expectations were high, confidence was up but there were some moments which upset him and made him underestimate himself.

It was at the time when Hitler proclaimed that his performers who belonged to the ‘Master Race’ would win in the Games, and where Jesse the son of a sharecropper, and the grandson of a slave got the opportunity to participate in the Olympics. He was not unduly bothered about it, as he had practised well. He had broken the record in running broad jump at Ohio State University championship and his confidence level was up; so were the expectations of his countrymen.

Jesse was in for a surprise when he saw a young German in the pit, easily going through his practice leaps. He was crossing almost twenty-six feet. Hitler had kept him under wraps to prove his Nazi-Aryan superiority theory, and this irked Jesse a bit. He was a black man, a Negro and he wanted to prove a point to Hitler and his men. Unfortunately, in his anger he made several mistakes and it seemed he would not even qualify.

Question 2.
Trace the circumstances in which Jesse Owens achieved his incredible win and a lifelong friendship in the 1936 Berlin Olympics ?
Answer:
When Jesse was walking in disgust at his failure in making the qualifying jumps, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked into the smiling blue eyes of a German athlete. Offering a firm handshake, the tall young man introduced himself as Luz Long and enquired about what was bothering Jesse that prevented him from qualifying easily. The German understood his anger and reassured him by making clear that he did not believe in Aryan superiority theory.

He suggested that Jesse should draw a line a few inches back on the board and take off from there. He also told him that it was only the qualifying round; whether he came first or not, it did not matter. It is the actual game that he should concentrate on. The tension seemed to vanish from his body and Jesse qualified with almost a foot to spare. That night, the two talked about various things of interest and a strong friendship had formed between them.

Question 3.
Bring out the qualities of Luz Long as a sportsman and a friend.
Answer:
Luz Long was a true athlete, who believed in playing the game in true sportsman spirit. He refused to be swayed by undue nationalistic feelings as he paid more importance to the spirit of the game rather than racial prejudices. He valued the capabilities of the Black American who went on making mistakes due to his unexplainable anger at discrimination. He gave him actionable advice as to where to begin the jump. He reassured him by saying that he had to concentrate only on qualifying as the true action would take place the next day.

Any other sportsman would have felt happy at the discomfort of his rival; but not Luz who respected true athletic capabilities. He knew that if Jesse got into the right path, he would win, depriving him a chance to bag the Gold and thereby hurt Hitler’s ego of Aryan supremacy. Luz would definitely try to beat him, but at the same time he wanted Jesse to do his best. He broke his own record which inspired his rival to bring out his best of 26 feet 8-/4 inches. He was the first person to congratulate Jesse on his incredible feat.

He gave a firm, genuine handshake in front of the glaring eyes of Hitler. With this gesture he proved to the whole world, the true motto of Olympics, which is not in winning but in participating. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.

How much Jesse Owen valued the friendship is proved when he says that he could have melted all the medals he won, but that would not come up to the 24 carat friendship he felt for the German. The friendship lasted till Luz was killed in action in World War II.

Question 4.
‘An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes.’ What is the mistake being talked about and how did Jesse feel at that point of time ?
Answer:
Although Jesse Owen’s full concentration was on his game and winning the gold medal, he got distracted after seeing Luz Long’s performance. He thought that if Luz won, it would add support to Nazi’s Aryan—Superiority theory, He got irritated thinking about this; he was filled with anger and fouled twice in the qualifying jumps. His attitude towards his game had a very bad impact on him after fouling in the final qualifying jumps and this was eating him up.

Question 5.
How was the mistake rectified and what was the result of it ?
Answer:
The mistake of making fouls twice was rectified with the help of Luz Long’s fruitful advise. He suggested him to draw a line a few inches back of the board and aim at taking off from that line. His advice reassured Owens about him qualifying the jump without fouling.

Question 6.
Evaluate Luz Long as a sportsman and as a friend.
Answer:
Luz Long was a true sportsman and an amazing human being. He reduced Owens’ tension by showing compassion. He gave him a friendly advice of how to draw a line a few inches before the board and take off from there to avoid the foul. This helped Owens to qualify. Later when Owens met him after trials in his quarter, both talked for two hours about a lot of things. He knew he would anger Hitler by being friendly with Owens but didn’t pay heed to it and developed a congenial relationship with him. He did not mind his defeat at all and showed no sign of jealousy towards Owens.

Luz Long had the true spirit of sportsmanship. That’s why when he saw Owens in trouble, he extended his hand to help him. Instead of seeing him as a rival, he was friendly with Owens. He proved to be Owens’ true guide; he respected him and considered him as his equal. Although he also had pressure on him of winning the medal but he did not have any hesitation in offering advice to an opponent.

He helped Jesse in coming out of distress. Besides he was an amazing human being. He took himself just as a participant and winning was only a matter of chance and efforts. Even after losing the game, he did not develop any rivalry towards Jesse. Rather he congratulated Jesse with a firm handshake in front of Hitler when Jesse won the gold medal. He showed exceptional courage in befriending Jesse in front of his leader.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem Questions and Answers

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

Question 1.
Who was Abou Ben Adhem? What is meant by ‘may his tribe increase’?
Answer:
Abou Ben Adhem was an 8th century Sufi mystic of royal lineage from Balkh. He loved his tribesmen who treated him as their spiritual leader and pioneer. They followed his teachings based on great ideals and values such as peace, mutual harmony, and service of the deprived and downtrodden. ‘May his tribe increase’, used as a parenthesis here, basically implies a wish for the growth of people who followed his teachings and adopted the path shown by him.

Question 2.
Describe the phrase that has been used by the poet to describe the great charm of the angel?
Answer:
In this stanza, the poet uses the phrase ‘like a lily in bloom’, to describe the great charm of the angel. This is an example of Simile. In this figure of speech, something is compared with some other thing of a different type. Here, the poet compares the charm of the heavenly angel with the beauty of a blooming lily, which is a flower.

Question 3.
Describe the imagery of the scene.
Answer:
The imagery of the scene depicted in this stanza is profound and suggestive. The opening line introduces Abou Ben Adhem with a parenthesis that signifies his tall spiritual stature, faithfulness and devotion to great ideals and values. It is followed by the descriptions of his moonlit room and the otherworldly charm of the angel through images that are fascinating and comprehensible.

Question 4.
What does the last line mean here?
Answer:
It means that Abou Ben does not react like a common human, to the presence of the angel. As he champions the great value of peace and has a great faith in God. He has done no wrong and so is not scared or frightened at the presence of the angel in his room. He is a brave person who can even face the most unusual things in life.

Question 5.
Give the significance of the ‘book of gold’ in the poem.
Answer:
The ‘book of gold’ basically signifies a divine book of records including the names of all people who love God. Its significance lies in the fact that it keeps the list of only those people who love God with pure hearted devotion and dedication. When Abou Ben Adhem is told by the angel that his name is not there on the list of people who love God, he is not worried. He is confident that the book of gold keeps the record of those also who love their fellow men or the humankind. This implies that the book of gold is not a straight record of people who love God, but one that lists people who love and follow the greatest ideals that lead one to the path of God.

2. And to the presence in the room he said,
“What writest thou?”—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.”
“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,”
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, ”1 pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men.”

Question 1.
What does the words ‘presence’ and ’vision’ refer to here? What made Abou bold?
Answer:
In this stanza, the words ‘presence’ and ‘vision’ refer to the presence of the angel and his vision. Use of these words indicates that the appearance of the angel is so illuminating or dazzling that it can’t perhaps be felt quite tangibly as in case of some human being. Abou’s unflinching dedication to the great ideal of peace made him bold.

Question 2.
What is the vision doing? Why is Abou Ben curious? What does he say to the vision?
Answer:
The vision is writing something in a book of gold. Abou Ben is curious as he wants to know that what the vision is writing in the book of gold. After this Abou questions the vision, “What writest thou?” or what are you writing?

Question 3.
Why does the vision raise its head? What did you note about its nature?
Answer:
The vision raises its head to reply to Abou’s question when he enquires about what it is writing in the book of gold. The vision has a sweetness and composure when it faces Abou. This indicates that it is not perturbed or disturbed by Abou suddenly intervening in its work.

Question 4.
What does the vision reply to Abou? What made Abou low?
Answer:
The vision replies that it is writing in the book the names of those who love the Lord, i.e., God. When the vision says that Abou’s name is not one of them, it makes Abou low. He probably feels slightly disheartened at this revelation because he is genuinely devoted to God.

Question 5.
What does Abou request to the vision? What happens next?
Answer:
After coming to know that his name was not on the list, Abou maintains his calm and requests the vision to write his name as someone who loves God’s fellow men. After this, the angel writes something in the book and disappears without saying anything but also reappears the next night.

3. The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest

Question 1.
What happens after the angel disappeared? What did it show Adhem?
Answer:
After disappearing from Abou’s room, the angel does not come back immediately. Instead, it revisits Abou next night with a wakening light that rouse Adhem from sleep. When it reappears, it shows Abou the names of those people who have been blessed with the love of God.

Question 2.
Describe the effect of “a great wakening light”.
Answer:
The phrase “a great wakening light” essentially implies an extremely powerful and luminous light capable of wakening the world. Here, the word ‘wakening’ is used to signify a state of supreme consciousness or complete awakening of senses. Following the reappearance of the vision, Abou experiences this state.

Question 3.
How can you look at the extract as the climax in the poem?
Answer:
The climax comes in the concluding line, when the angel shows Abou the list of those who are blessed with divine love. As the use of the phrase ‘And lo!’ suggests, Abou is visibly surprised to see his name on top of the list. This gives an unexpected twist to the poem, but it’s like a poetic justice in the context of a great man with such a pure, unadulterated devotion.

Question 4.
What did you understand about the character of Abou Ben Adhem?
Answer:
Abou Ben Adhem is a perfect personification of faith in its purest and most practical form. He has no pompous perception about his great deeds and he is most concerned about the weal and welfare of his people. The poet himself acknowledges his virtues in the end as he comes to be regarded as the blessed one.

Question 5.
What message does the poem bring?
Answer:
The poem clearly brings it to the fore that true love for God lies in the spirit of selfless service of the humankind, A number of people perform rituals and prayers to express their faith in God. However, God blesses and loves those people more who love and practically adopt the greatest of ideals and values. Thus, in this poem, the stress is on following the practical rather than dogmatic aspects of faith.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers The Patriot

The Patriot Questions and Answers

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. It was roses, roses, all the way,
With myrtle mixed in my path like mad:
The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway,
The church-spires flamed, such flags they had,
A year ago on this very day.

Question 1.
What does the speaker talk about in these lines? What does the third line suggest here? Describe the dominant mood of this stanza.
Answer:
The speaker talks about the rousing welcome he had been accorded by people earlier. It suggests a huge presence of the crowd that had assembled on the house-tops. This gave the impression as though they were moving and swinging. The dominant mood of this stanza is that of festive joy and cheerfulness.

Question 2.
What does the phrase ‘the church-spires flamed’ imply? When did the event, being recalled here, take place?
Answer:
It implies that the minarets and domes of churches seemed to aflame due to the massive presence of colourful flags put all over them for decorative purpose.
This event took place one year ago.

Question 3.
‘The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway’. Explain.
Answer:
In this line, the narrator of the poem remembers the grand welcome he was accorded as a hero by people one year ago. This particular line suggests the presence of a huge crowd that had gathered to see and greet him on his arrival. Picturising this, the narrator states that there was so much of excitement and joy in the air that the roofs of houses crowded with people did not appear to be still.

Question 4.
How was he welcomed?
Answer:
The first stanza gives a lively description of how, just one year ago, the narrator was welcomed with pomp and ceremony by people from his town. As the narrator says, his path was laden with roses and myrtle, signifying love and honour for him as their hero. The residents of the town have clambered onto their roofs to get a glimpse of the patriot, while the flags of different colours were so high and imposing that the church spires seemed to be surrounded by flames.

Question 5.
What significance does the line” A year ago on this very day” presents in the context of the poem?
Answer:
This line is extremely significant as it anticipates the stark irony of the narrator’s life, exposing him to paradoxical situations. Besides, it indicates that the narrator was regarded as a hero by his people in the recent past. This makes the readers curious as to how he is treated by his people ‘now’ or ‘today’. Thus, this line reinforces shift in the speaker’s description of what happened in the ‘past’ to what is happening at ‘present’ quite intelligibly.

2. The air broke into a mist with bells,
The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries.
Had I said, “Good folk, mere noise repels—
But give me your sun from yonder skies!”
They had answered, “And afterward, what else?”

Question 1.
What do the first two lines of the stanza suggest? Why did the air break into a mist?
Answer:
They suggest the celebratory mood of people according a warm welcome to their hero. They ring bells and raise slogans, and all these mingle with one another to shake the walls that are old.

The air broke into a mist because of the noisy slogans and the ringing bells.

Question 2.
What do the last three lines suggest about the mood of the crowd?
Answer:
These people were welcoming him so happily that if he had told them that mere noise and slogans did not please him. And that they should give him the sun, that is there in the sky far away from them , they would have replied, that was executed (done and what else they could do for him ‘the leader’).

Question 3.
Who were they in the following line? What light does the line throw on them?
They had answered, “And afterward, what else?”
Answer:
The personal pronoun ‘They’ has been used here for the crowd of people who welcomed the narrator. When the patriot asks them to fetch him their sun from the skies, their answer is reflective of their frivolous nature. They immediately ask the patriot what else would he require, other than the sun. This indicates that though the crowd was eager, they weren’t sensible.

Question 4.
Explain the line: “But give me your sun from yonder skies!”
Answer:
This is what the speaker as the patriot tells the crowd surrounding him. He tries to tell them that he doesn’t want all the cheers and applause, but wants them to fetch something immortal and imperishable for him. This implies that he wants to live in their memories as a great hero for ever.

Question 5.
Which particular trend in the modern-day politics does the behaviour of the crowd suggest here?
Answer:
The behaviour of the crowd here suggests the trend of hero worship that is so prevalent in contemporary politics. As we notice, the crowd is too excited for a glimpse of the patriot. They treat the patriot as a superman for whom they will not hesitate to sacrifice themselves. This amounts to over¬glorification or even deification of a leader, paving the way for the emergence of what is sometimes referred to as the personality cult in politics.

3. Alack, it was I who leaped at the sun
To give it my loving friends to keep!
Nought man could do, have I left undone:
And you see my harvest, what I reap
This very day, now a year is run.

Question 1.
Who is ‘I’ in the above extract? What does leaping at the sun signify?
Answer:
In these lines, the personal pronoun T has been used by the poet for the patriot-hero, i.e. the speaker in this poem. The phrase ‘leaping at the sun’ here implies that the patriot has done extraordinary things for the happiness and welfare of people who love him. He feels that people should reciprocate this by immortalising him as their hero.

Question 2.
In what mood is the speaker now? Where is he at present ?
Answer:
Presently, the speaker seems to have realised that he has absolutely no control over the situation he finds himself in. He is gloomy, melancholy, dejected and hapless as he knows that his life is going to end soon. At present, he is being taken away to the execution ground where he will be hanged.

Question 3.
What does the first line tell about the speaker’s sentiment? Who does the speaker refer to as ‘my loving friends’? How does the speaker justify himself as a people’s leader?
Answer:
Here, the speaker says with an aggrieved heart that it was he who made the impossible, possible for people.

The speaker calls his countrymen as ‘my loving friends’.

He says that as a leader he did everything to keep people happy and left nothing undone for them.

Question 4.
Explain what “harvest” the speaker is referring to ?
Answer:
In this stanza, the speaker uses the word “harvest” satirically. His “harvest” is what he has reaped, whereas what he had sown was bringing glory, power and honour to the people. He feels that for all the outstanding things he did for his people, he has got a reward that is extremely disgracing. As he is going to die at the gallows, he has realised that his own people who once worshipped him have misunderstood him and are responsible for his tragic end.

Question 5.
Explain what the speaker wants to say in the last two lines.
Answer:
He says with great sorrow that today when only one year has lapsed and that he is no more in chair, his reward can be seen. It can also be seen what he is reaping as a reward of his deeds. Everything has changed for him in a year. In a sorrowful tone the speaker says that the people have forgotten all what he has done for them.

4. There’s nobody on the house-tops now—
Just a palsied few at the windows set;
For the best of the sight is, all allow,
At the Shambles’ Gate—or, better yet,
By the very scaffold’s foot, I trow.

Question 1.
Compare the scene on the house-tops a year ago and now as mentioned in the extract above.
Answer:
Here, the speaker notices a stark reversal of the situation that he had experienced one year ago. Today, the house-tops are completely empty and save a very few people, who are handicapped, he sees nobody anywhere. This is so unlike what he had seen exactly one year ago, when the roof-tops were filled with a huge crowd standing there to welcome him as a hero.

Question 2.
What difference is seen in the people’s attitude towards the patriot before and now?
Answer:
One year ago, he was a hero loved, adored and honoured by his people. At that time, people’s attitude mirrored the prime of his popularity. Today, the same people hate him and he finds himself disgraced, discarded and deprived of honour and pride. The way people treat him now reflects the lowest ebb of his career from which death alone will bring in the ultimate liberation and relief.

Question 3.
Explain : “the best of sight”? What does it refer to and why?
Answer:
The phrase “the best of sight” refers to the sight of the speaker passing through the Shambles’ Gate and reaching the gallows. By using it ironically, the speaker indirectly suggests that his people lack sensibility and judiciousness, due to which they behave like a one-dimensional herd with a crude tendency to accept or reject anything without using their ability to reason and think. That is why, when people adored him as their hero, he could notice their presence everywhere. Now, as he has lost their trust and faith, they all want to see him dying. To them therefore, “the best of sight” is to be offered by the way he approaches his death.

Question 4.
What does the phrase ‘a palsied few at the windows set’ imply here?
Answer:
The phrase has been used to inform about the only set of people who are visible now. As the speaker says, they are rather paralyzed and are standing at the windows. At a deeper level, however, they may suggest those few people who might know that he is not guilty. But they are themselves too weak to protect him from capital punishment.

Question 5.
What does the speaker mourn in the first line? Why does the spectacle presented seem to be so hQrrible? Which images used in this stanza are connected to death?
Answer:
The speaker is sad to see that nobody can be seen on the housetops to welcome him now.

The sight is horrible because the leader is now being taken to the slaughter-house, or it can be better said, the leader thinks, that he is being taken to the gallows to be hanged there.

Shamble’s Gate and scaffold’s foot are two such images that are connected to death.

5. I go in the rain, and, more than needs,
A rope cuts both my wrists behind;
And I think, by the feel, my forehead bleeds,
For they fling, whoever has a mind,
Stones at me for my year’s misdeeds.

Question 1.
What is the general impression you get here about the condition of the speaker? What does the second line suggest here?
Answer:
These lines indicate that speaker is in a pathetic and disgraceful condition, in which no living creature would ever wish to be. The second line says that the speaker’s hands are tied behind his back with a rope. This suggests that he is being taken away as a prisoner.

Question 2.
For whom is the pronoun ‘they’ used in the fourth line? What kind of treatment does the speaker receive from people?
Answer:
It is used for the general public watching the leader as a culprit. Everybody feels that he has done nothing for his countrymen. Every person has turned against him and the achievements of his past one year have been changed to misdeeds. The people present a harsh behavior towards the speaker.

Question 3.
Whose forehead bleeds? How? How was he treated earlier?
Answer:
As the speaker passes by with his hands tied onto his back, people hurl stones at him. Due to this, his forehead bleeds. The description of this act shows the extent to which people hate him now. They treat him as a petty criminal and vent their anger against him for what they regard as a monumental betrayal.

Question 4.
The speaker uses the phrase “my year’s misdeeds”. How does this phrase add to the ambiguity in the poem?
Answer:
In this stanza, as it clearly appears, the speaker has used this phrase to mean something that remains mysterious and unknown till the end. As he states, people who loved and respected him so much have suddenly started hating him for all he has done during a period of just one year! This period seems to be too short for such a complete change in people’s attitude unless the person, whom they have acknowledged as their icon, does something that completely shatters their trust in him. As the poet does not throw any light on this aspect, we are unable to precisely know anything about it. That is why the phrase “my year’s misdeeds” adds to the ambiguity in the poem.

Question 5.
Describe the image of the stanza.
Answer:
The image is extremely sorrowful and pathetic. It is raining and the speaker is being taken to the scaffold i.e., towards his punishment of death. He is bleeding due to the wounds caused by the people who threw stones at him. All his services, his good deeds have been forgotten by everyone. He is in great humiliation and is treated as an animal. This is very emotional. It touches the hearts of the readers and makes to feel sorry for the ill-treatment, the speaker is receiving.

6. Thus I entered, and thus I go!
In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.
“Paid by the world, what dost thou owe
“Me?”—God might question; now instead,
Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.

Question 1.
What does the speaker says in the first and second line of the stanza?
Answer:
Here, the poet, through the mouth of the deposed leader, says that he was brought honourably to the chair and with great pomp and show but now he is being taken very insultingly to the gallows.

He says sometimes great heroes fall from their climax and die. Such has not happened to him. Had he died in the peak of his power, he would have been happy.

Question 2.
Explain : “In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.”
Answer:
This line is an example of paradox. The word ‘triumphs’ means victories signifying brilliant feats achieved by people on the battlefield. Such feats lead to an elevation in the status of those who achieve them. However, this occasionally happens when they lose their lives during the course of the battles they fight. Thus, falling in death is inevitable even when it contradicts what it results in, i.e., elevation or ascendance that a ‘triumph’ basically signifies.

Question 3.
‘I am safer so’. What irony is involved here?
Answer:
The speaker says that he is forced to give away his life in humiliation for which the people are largely responsible. They do not realise this and so, all his good work and his ultimate sacrifice in keeping with what they desire will remain unrewarded. Thus, when he meets God after his death, he will be in a position to be rewarded by Him. This is unlike those persons who die in glory and honour that they receive as rewards from their people in this world only.

Question 4.
What does the speaker want to say in the concluding lines?
Answer:
He says after death he will go to his Lord Creator where God Might question him about his deeds he had done for the people. He would reply that he had done his best for them but they rewarded him with shame. Now he will ask God for a reward because God is just and He would give him the best reward in the other world for his service to his people. He would be safe with God in the world here after.

Question 5.
How does the above extract reflect Browning’s optimistic philosophy of life?
Answer:
The above extract reflects the poet Robert Browning’s belief in the supremacy of divine justice. Through the speaker, he wants to convey this by assuming that the world may be absolutely fair to a person who thinks he deserves a glorious treatment. However, that person should not lose hope because the ultimate reward for him always lies with the Almighty, the supreme giver of justice.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Questions and Answers

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange sun rays
And dares to claim the sky.

Question 1.
How does the poet refer to nature here? What does the poet mean by the phrase ‘dares to claim the sky’ in the last line?
Answer:
She refers to nature by describing the way “a free bird leaps on the back of the wind”. She also describes the bird’s flight against the orange sky.

The last line speaks of the state of absolute freedom enjoyed by the bird out of cage. A free bird such as this can fly in the sky as it wishes.

Question 2.
How does a reader get a hint of appreciation for the beauty of nature?
Answer:
The way she describes the “orange sun rays” gives the reader an appreciation for the natural beauty of the sky. Moreover, her description of the way the bird “dips his wing” helps the reader to appreciate the bird in his natural habitat, enjoying his freedom.

Question 3.
What is the free bird metaphor for here? Explain.
Answer:
The free bird enjoys its freedom without any interference. The free bird is compared to the white race retaining freedom and aversion towards black people of America. They have the freedom to pursue their ambition easily. They are unaware of the cries and needs of the oppressed black community.

Question 4.
What is meant by “orange sun rays”?
Answer:
The poet says that the bird seems to dip its wings in the orange rays of the sun. Here she refers to beauty of nature, that nature is full of colours. The way she describes the “orange sun rays” gives the reader an appreciation for the natural beauty of the sky. It alludes to a free, lively and a blissful atmosphere where the free bird lives.

Question 5.
Describe the image of the bird as presented in the stanza.
Answer:
The poem is a contrast between a caged bird and a free bird. In the first stanza Maya Angelou breathes life into her description of a ‘free bird’ by using verbs like ‘leaps’,‘floats’,‘dips’. The free bird is a symbol of freedom and happiness and these well chosen verbs are especially meaningful because they contain joy and energy. The free bird has the freedom to go wherever and can claim the sky because there are no other birds to contest with her. The stanza shows us that the free bird is lazy and would rather float with the wind instead of making its own path.

2. But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

Question 1.
Describe the tone of the poet in these lines. How does the bird respond to his existential condition?
Answer:
The poet’s tone is dark, unnerving, and even frustrating. She describes that the caged bird can hardly see through his bars of rage. The bird is helpless by everything but only responds by opening his throat to sing due to his immense longing for freedom.

Question 2.
Explain the lines:’ can seldom see through his bars of rage.’
Answer:
By the lines, “can seldom see through his bars of rage” i.e., the poet says that the caged bird is hardly able to get a glimpse of the sky which makes him angry. His clipped wings and tied feet tied prevent him from flying away. His aspirations are suppressed, he is helpless to even get a sight of the great freedom outside the bars of the cage which makes the bird resentful for he longs for freedom to be outside the cage

Question 3.
What does the use of the word ’but’ in the beginning suggest?
Answer:
This stanza is in stark contrast with the first. By using the word “but” to begin this stanza, the poet prepares the reader for this contrast. The poet then describes the pathetic condition of another bird that is captive in a caged, with wings clipped and feet tied. The word “but” indicates that the idea or imagery that the poet is going to present is contrary to what she has already stated.

Question 4.
What is the condition of the bird described in this stanza?
Answer:
The bird’s wings are clipped and feet are tied. It hardly even gets a chance to see the sky. It has been placed in a cage that prevents it from flying. The bird is helpless. He is resentful, for this unfair captivation to him as birds fly freely in the sky and they should not be kept captive. He longs to be free from the pain and suffering inside the sorrowful cage.

Question 5.
Whom does the poet refer indirectly while mentioning of the free and the caged bird?
Answer:
This contrast between the birds enables the poet to express indirectly her own emotions about freedom and isolation. By the ‘free bird’ the poet refers to the white people, and the caged bird can be interpreted as the black race being deprived from freedom by their skin colour. This could be compared to slavery in the U.S.A, where the blacks were suppressed from their aspirations and were much tortured by the white people.

3. The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

Question 1.
What does the poet imply about the bird’s craving for freedom?
Answer:
The author implies that even though the caged bird may have never experienced true freedom, yet deep down that bird still knows that it was created to be free. Although freedom, to the caged bird, is “fearful” because it is “unknown”, he still sings “a fearful trill” because he still longs for freedom.

Question 2.
Give the significance of the lines: The caged bird sings with A fearful trill of things unknown”.
Answer:
Maya Angelou uses irony to be cleverer and effective but less direct in conveying her feelings. ‘The caged bird sings with a fearful trill’. This sentence is ironic as the caged bird is the one singing not the free bird as we expect. However, the words ‘fearful’ and ‘trill’ makes us realize that actually it is not a happy tune but in a fearful and trembling tone. The bird is unknown of many strange things but still sings the songs of freedom in quaver which enables the readers to reach to more depth and appreciate freedom.

Question 3.
What does the poet mean by the expression ‘his tune is heard on the distant hill’?
Answer:
The speaker reveals that cry for freedom is “heard on the distant hill”. This parallels to the author and her cry for freedom in the form of equality. She feels that her cries are heard, but only as a soft background noise. She still feels that she is caged and that although she sings, her cries are heard only as a distant noise.

Question 4.
Show the relevance of the stanza.
Answer:
The stanza describes the conditions of the American black people longing for freedom. It implies that even though the caged bird may have never experienced true freedom, deep down that bird still knows that it was created to be free. Here, the poet reveals that like the caged bird many black people are deprived from their freedom and that although they sing their cries are heard, but only as a distant noise.

Question 5.
What does the last line imply?
Answer:
The last line states, “For the caged bird sings of freedom”. With this, the speaker implies that although the caged bird may never have experienced freedom, he still sings of it because he was created for freedom. This is paralleled to the African American struggle in Maya Angelou’s time. She feels that black Americans wrote and sang and danced and cried out for the freedom they deserved, but they were only heard as a distant voice. Yet, this would not stop them from crying out for freedom and equality because they knew they were made for freedom, and they would not relent until they were given their rights as human beings to enjoy the freedom they were created to enjoy.

4. The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

Question 1.
How does the poet describe the bird’s freedom here? Comment on the tone of the poet.
Answer:
The poet says that a free bird has freedom of choice and opportunities to fly at his sweet will. He can enjoy the “sighing trees” and is free to find his own food.

The tone of the poet suggests a sense of ecstasy and thrill due to freedom.

Question 2.
What is meant by another breeze? Why does the free bird thinks of another breeze? .
Answer:
“Another breeze” implies that the free birds thinks for a flight in a different air current. The poet writes that a “free bird thinks of another breeze”, so that is he can enjoy the sighing trees and be free to find his own food. The bird is not contented and is greedy to have even more freedom, but again it is shown to be lazy and unsatisfied with the stream of wind that is on but not enough to do something about it.

Question 3.
In what way is the caged bird different from the free bird?
Answer:
The poem is a contrast between a ‘free bird’ and ‘caged bird’. The caged bird possess its own limitations. His wings are clipped and feet are tied. He hardly even gets a chance to see the sky. He has been placed in a cage that prevents it from flying. Despite its fear, the cage bird continues to sing for freedom. The bird opens his mouth to sing because his desire for freedom and his desire to express himself cannot be controlled. Whereas a “free bird thinks of another breeze “so that he can enjoy the “sighing trees” i.e., it is free from all worries and sufferings.

Question 4.
Explain: “But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams”.
Answer:
The reality of the life of the caged bird is revealed in this line. It is a dark, sombre and haunting image indicating the slavery and inability to exercise one’s freedom of choice. The bird is helpless by everything. His aspirations and desires are suppressed by the sorrowful captivity of the cage. He is unable to fulfil his dreams and cries out like someone who has seen a nightmare.

Question 5.
How does this signifies the author’s own state of mind?
Answer:
The reality of the life of the caged bird that the bird “stands on the grave of dreams” reveals the author’s feelings about her own dreams. She has so many dreams that have died because she was never given the freedom to achieve all that her white counterparts were able to achieve. Discrimination and Racism made up her cage, and although she sang, she felt her voice was not heard in the wide world, but only by those nearest her cage.

Question 6.
What does the poet wants to convey by the contrast between the two birds?
Answer:
These contrasting environments—the freedom of an open world of the free bird and the restrictive surroundings of the caged bird—create the setting for the poem, to contrast a free bird with a bird who is confined to a cage; the poet wants to convey two different birds as metaphors for people free from oppression and people who are oppressed by society. The metaphor shows the free bird and caged bird which is important to understand for the theme. The tone shows the difference between the free bird, proud and controlling, and the caged bird, angry and determined which is essential to the theme. ‘For the caged bird sings of freedom’ is the last line of the poem and it delivers a very important message for the reader – the caged bird wants to be like the free bird. This tells us that we should be aware and thankful for the freedom we have and basically this sum,s up the whole poem.