Class 8 - English - Honeydew
Poem 5 - The School Boy
Top Block 1
QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK
WORKING WITH THE POEM (PAGE 85)
Question 1: Find three or four words/phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy.
Answer:
The words/phrases that reflect the child’s happiness are the song of birds and the skylark, and the sound of hunter’s horn.
Question 2:
In stanza 2, the mood changes. Which words/phrases reflect the changed mood?
Answer:
The words/phrases reflecting the child’s mood are:
(a) drives all joy away
(b) cruel eye outworn (of the Teacher)
(c) sighing and dismay.
Mddle block 1
MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED
Question 1: What is the mood of the school boy?
Answer:
The school boy is unhappy.
Question 2: What makes the school boy unhappy?
Answer:
He has to go to school even in a summer morning when there is so much to enjoy in open fields and forests. Secondly, his teacher is cruel and the lessons are uninteresting.
Question 3: Why does the boy compare himself to a caged bird?
Answer:
Like a caged bird, the boy is also not free to do any thing at his own will. He wants to lead a life of freedom but he can’t because there are many restrictions on him.
Question 4: What is the poet’s advice to parents of school-going kids?
Answer:
The poet calls upon the parents to let their kids grow and play joyfully in early years. They should not restrict their natural activities.
Question 5: Why does the school boy compare himself to a plant?
Answer:
A small child is like a tender plant. If he is suppressed too much, he fails to grow to full size. A tender plant if crushed at the bud-stage, won’t bear any flower or fruit in spring season.