1. Read the poem and answer the following question:
(a) What does the old man ask the poet?
Ans:- The old man ask the poet what his land is like.
(b) Why does the old man ask the question to the poet?
Ans:- The old man asks the question to the poet because he is blind.
(c) How does the past address the old man? what does that form of address mean?
Ans:- The poet address the old man as kaka. It means grandfather.
(d) Why does the poet ask the old man to breathe deep?
Ans:- The poet asks the old man to breathe deep to feel the environment because he is blind.
(e) With what does the poet compare the cool breeze on the old man’s face?
Ans:- The poet compares the cool breeze on the old man’s face with the peaceful breath of his land.
(f) With what does the poet compare the contended gurgling of the little baby?
Ans:- The poet compares the contended gurgling of the little baby with the sail of his land.
(g) What does the chorus of the cuckoo and the Sparrow do?
Ans:- The chorus of the cuckoo and the Sparrow shapes the native land.
(h) What are the things that create the soul of the poets beloved country?
Ans:- The distant roll of the bihu dhol, the pepa and gogona and the heaty aroma of the pitha and laroo, the chant of the evening prayer in the namghar, masjid, church are the things that create the soul of the poet’s beloved country.
2. A brief summary of each of the stanzas of the poem has been given below. Match the stanzas with the given summaries. Mention the stanza number alongside the correct summary.
a. My native land makes me feel as safe and secure as a baby carried on a mothers back.
Ans:- Stanza 4.
b. The spirit of my native land can be understood in terms of its unity in diversity. Like different family member, who have similarities and differences.
Ans:- Stanza 6
c. The lonely blind old man in the street asked me to describe our native land.
Ans:- Stanza 1
d. Our native land is rich in its gift of nature and is brought to life by the birds and animals that playfully room its rich green forests.
Ans:- Stanza 5
e. The touch of our native land is as peaceful as the coal. fresh blowing after a night of thunder and rain.
Ans:- Stanza 3
3. Note that the poem is a series of information to a blind man on what his land is like. The girl provides the information by making use of the senses that are very strong in blind persons. These senses are:
Ans:- a. Touch b. hearing c. smell
4. Here are some words from the poem. Match the words in column A with their meaning in column B.
Ans:-A. 1. Thunder – B. the loud explosive sound that follows lightning in the cloud.
A. 2. morn – B. morning
A. 3. Contented – B. satisfied
A. 4. gurgling – B. the happy sound made by babies.
A. 5. chorus ( – B. singing or speaking at the same time.
A. 6. aroma – B. strong pleasant smell.
A. 7. sturdy – B. strong and firm
Now make sentences of your own using the words.
Ans:(i) thunder – It is thundering outside.
(ii) morn – We should wake up early at the morn.
(iii) contented – I contended against falsehood.
(iv) gurgling She is playing with her mother by gurgling.
(v) chorus -The last night chorus performance was so pleasent.
6. Aroma – A strong aroma come from our kitchen.
7. sturdy – She was a short, sturdy woman in her early sixties.
10. Let’s learn some grammar:
Rewrite the sentences below in indirect speech
a. The poet said to the old man, “Feel the cool breeze on your face.”
Ans:- The poet told the old man to fell the cold breeze on his face.
b. The man said to me, “Listen to the gurgling of that little baby.
Ans:- The man requested me to listen to the gurgling of that little baby.
c. The teacher said to us, “Enjoy your holidays.”
Ans:- The teacher advised us to enjoy our holidays.
d. She said him to come to their house the next day.
Ans:- She told him to come to their house the next day.
e. My mother tells me, ” Always obey yours teacher,
Ans:- My mother advises me to obey our teachers always.
f. I said to him, ” Come to our house tomorrow.”
Ans:- I told him to come to our house the next day.
g. She said to me, “Get me a glass of water, please,”
Ans:- She requested me to get her a glass of water.
h. The man said to me, “Please lose the gate.”“)
Ans:- The man requested me to close the gate.