CBSE english
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Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Why are we 'despondent'?
(c) What removes 'the pall from our dark spirits'?
(a) The lines have been taken from the poem 'A Thing of Beauty' by John Keats.
(b) The world we inhabit is full of melancholy, depression and despair due to the scarcity of noble souls. Our despondence is inspired by these evil and dark emotions.
(c) The poet says that even if the world is harsh to us because of the innumerable reasons that bring us gloom and depression, the sight of the beautiful bounties of nature around us inspires us and fills us with the energy to keep going. These beautiful things remove the pall from our dark spirits.
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Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
........... And yet, for these
Children, these windows, not this map, their world.
Where all their future's painted with a fog,
A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky
Far far from rivers, capes, and stars of words.
(a) Who are the 'children' referred to here?
(b) Which is their world?
(c) How is their life different from that of other children?
(a) The children referred to here are those who study in an elementary school in a slum.
(b) Their world comprises of only what they are able to see from the window of their classroom. The view is full of despair where their future seems blurred. They are confined to the narrow streets of the slum, far away from the open sky and rivers.
(c) Unlike other children, the children in the slums have a future that is hopeless and it seems as if it is painted with a fog. They lack the basic necessities of life like proper food, clothing, shelter and health benefits.
What was the poet's childhood fear?
As a child, the poet feared losing her mother or her company.
What is the sadness the poet refers to in the poem 'Keeping Quiet'?
The poet talks about the ‘sadness’ which is related to the human’s ceaseless activity and moving towards his own ruin on account of his unanalyzed actions. He regrets the rush of outdoing others that has made one forget the values of humanity.
How are Aunt Jennifer's tigers different from her?
Aunt Jennifer's tigers are proud, free, fearless and sure of themselves. Unlike them, Aunt Jennifer is terrified and oppressed by her chauvinist husband. She lived her life under constant pressure of duties and responsibilities of a married lady.
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