Treasure Trove Textbook Solutions: Poem: The Bangle Sellers

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Comprehension Passages
Stanza 1
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
 
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
A bangle-seller talks about the various kinds of bangles he carries with him, and about the women
that buy them. The poem describes the everyday life of bangle-sellers as well. The speaker of the
poem is one such bangle seller and in the first two lines he describes what it is like to carry
precious, ‘shiny loads’ of bangles to the temples, fairs and other such places where women can
buy them. The third line is akin to a bangle seller’s cry for the sale of his bangles. He calls out to
women who might buy these bangles. He thinks these bangles are the tokens of happy lives and
happy marriages.
Question 2.
 
Who is the speaker in the poem?
 
Answer:
 
The Bangle Seller is the speaker in the poem. In the opening lines of the poem we see that it is
Bangle Seller who says, “Bangle sellers are we who bear….. Our shining loads to the temple fair”.
He describes himself and his bangles throughout the whole poem.
Question 3.
 
How are the bangles described in the first stanza of the poem?
 
Answer:
 
In the first stanza the bangles are described as lustrous, shining loads, rainbow-coloured, delicate
and bright for happy daughters and happy wives.
Question 4.
 
What is referred to Rainbow-tinted circles of light ?
 
Answer:
 
The bangles are referred to as ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light. ’
Question 5.
 
Explain the line’ lustrous tokens of radiant lives’.
 
Answer:
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Page 2


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Comprehension Passages
Stanza 1
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
 
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
A bangle-seller talks about the various kinds of bangles he carries with him, and about the women
that buy them. The poem describes the everyday life of bangle-sellers as well. The speaker of the
poem is one such bangle seller and in the first two lines he describes what it is like to carry
precious, ‘shiny loads’ of bangles to the temples, fairs and other such places where women can
buy them. The third line is akin to a bangle seller’s cry for the sale of his bangles. He calls out to
women who might buy these bangles. He thinks these bangles are the tokens of happy lives and
happy marriages.
Question 2.
 
Who is the speaker in the poem?
 
Answer:
 
The Bangle Seller is the speaker in the poem. In the opening lines of the poem we see that it is
Bangle Seller who says, “Bangle sellers are we who bear….. Our shining loads to the temple fair”.
He describes himself and his bangles throughout the whole poem.
Question 3.
 
How are the bangles described in the first stanza of the poem?
 
Answer:
 
In the first stanza the bangles are described as lustrous, shining loads, rainbow-coloured, delicate
and bright for happy daughters and happy wives.
Question 4.
 
What is referred to Rainbow-tinted circles of light ?
 
Answer:
 
The bangles are referred to as ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light. ’
Question 5.
 
Explain the line’ lustrous tokens of radiant lives’.
 
Answer:
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The bangle sellers invite people to buy their bangles by praising the qualities of the bangles. They
say they are the shining gifts that promise happy lives in the future to the wearer of the bangles. He
thinks these bangles are the tokens of happy lives and happy marriages.
Question 6.
 
What is the tone in this stanza? Quote.
 
Answer:
 
The tone is happy and joyful as evident by the line, ‘For happy daughters and happy wives
Stanza 2
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
In stanza 2, the bangle-seller says that they carry different kinds of bangles, each catering to
different types of women with different needs and preferences.
 
He says that some are blue and silver like the mist in the mountains, which are fit for a maiden’s
wrist. Some bangles are of reddish hue like the flushed buds found along a stream. Some of the
bangles glow like newborn leaves, owing to the dew and water from the stream. These are all
representative of a young girl in her prime.
Question 2.
 
Explain ‘silver and blue as the mountain mist’
 
Answer:
 
This is an instance of a simile. Here, the color of the bangle is compared to the mist of the
mountains. The bangle seller says that the blue and silver bangles are fit for the unmarried girls as
they too are as pure and lovely as the mountain mist.
Question 3.
 
Mention the colours that are given or hinted at to describe the bangles.
 
Answer:
 
The colours are blue, silver, red and fresh green.
Question 4.
 
Pick out two simile from this stanza.
 
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Comprehension Passages
Stanza 1
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
 
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
A bangle-seller talks about the various kinds of bangles he carries with him, and about the women
that buy them. The poem describes the everyday life of bangle-sellers as well. The speaker of the
poem is one such bangle seller and in the first two lines he describes what it is like to carry
precious, ‘shiny loads’ of bangles to the temples, fairs and other such places where women can
buy them. The third line is akin to a bangle seller’s cry for the sale of his bangles. He calls out to
women who might buy these bangles. He thinks these bangles are the tokens of happy lives and
happy marriages.
Question 2.
 
Who is the speaker in the poem?
 
Answer:
 
The Bangle Seller is the speaker in the poem. In the opening lines of the poem we see that it is
Bangle Seller who says, “Bangle sellers are we who bear….. Our shining loads to the temple fair”.
He describes himself and his bangles throughout the whole poem.
Question 3.
 
How are the bangles described in the first stanza of the poem?
 
Answer:
 
In the first stanza the bangles are described as lustrous, shining loads, rainbow-coloured, delicate
and bright for happy daughters and happy wives.
Question 4.
 
What is referred to Rainbow-tinted circles of light ?
 
Answer:
 
The bangles are referred to as ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light. ’
Question 5.
 
Explain the line’ lustrous tokens of radiant lives’.
 
Answer:
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The bangle sellers invite people to buy their bangles by praising the qualities of the bangles. They
say they are the shining gifts that promise happy lives in the future to the wearer of the bangles. He
thinks these bangles are the tokens of happy lives and happy marriages.
Question 6.
 
What is the tone in this stanza? Quote.
 
Answer:
 
The tone is happy and joyful as evident by the line, ‘For happy daughters and happy wives
Stanza 2
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
In stanza 2, the bangle-seller says that they carry different kinds of bangles, each catering to
different types of women with different needs and preferences.
 
He says that some are blue and silver like the mist in the mountains, which are fit for a maiden’s
wrist. Some bangles are of reddish hue like the flushed buds found along a stream. Some of the
bangles glow like newborn leaves, owing to the dew and water from the stream. These are all
representative of a young girl in her prime.
Question 2.
 
Explain ‘silver and blue as the mountain mist’
 
Answer:
 
This is an instance of a simile. Here, the color of the bangle is compared to the mist of the
mountains. The bangle seller says that the blue and silver bangles are fit for the unmarried girls as
they too are as pure and lovely as the mountain mist.
Question 3.
 
Mention the colours that are given or hinted at to describe the bangles.
 
Answer:
 
The colours are blue, silver, red and fresh green.
Question 4.
 
Pick out two simile from this stanza.
 
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Answer:
 
The simile used here are
1. Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
2. Some are flushed like the buds that dream.
Question 5.
 
To what are the bangles compared?
 
Answer:
 
The bangles are compared to morning mist, flowering buds and new born leaves.
Question 6.
 
What stage of women’s life is referred to in this stanza?
 
Answer:
 
The stanza refers to the life of a young , unmarried girl.
Question 7.
 
Explain :
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
 
To the limpid glory of new born leaves.
Answer:
 
Sarojini Naidu here compares the colours of the bangles to to the transparent glory of the new born
leaves and flowers. The colours of the bangles are suitable for a unmarried girl, as they are as
pure and fresh as new leaves.
Stanza 3
 Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
Some bangles are of the colour yellow like sunlit com fields. They represent the happiness of a
bride-to-be on the morn of her wedding. Then there are bangles which are flame coloured- red,
orange; symbolic of a bride’s passion and desire, especially on her wedding night. These bangles
are luminous and transparent, but also tender. The tinkling sound they make reminds one of the
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Downloaded from https://www.ncertbooksolutions.com/
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Comprehension Passages
Stanza 1
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
 
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
A bangle-seller talks about the various kinds of bangles he carries with him, and about the women
that buy them. The poem describes the everyday life of bangle-sellers as well. The speaker of the
poem is one such bangle seller and in the first two lines he describes what it is like to carry
precious, ‘shiny loads’ of bangles to the temples, fairs and other such places where women can
buy them. The third line is akin to a bangle seller’s cry for the sale of his bangles. He calls out to
women who might buy these bangles. He thinks these bangles are the tokens of happy lives and
happy marriages.
Question 2.
 
Who is the speaker in the poem?
 
Answer:
 
The Bangle Seller is the speaker in the poem. In the opening lines of the poem we see that it is
Bangle Seller who says, “Bangle sellers are we who bear….. Our shining loads to the temple fair”.
He describes himself and his bangles throughout the whole poem.
Question 3.
 
How are the bangles described in the first stanza of the poem?
 
Answer:
 
In the first stanza the bangles are described as lustrous, shining loads, rainbow-coloured, delicate
and bright for happy daughters and happy wives.
Question 4.
 
What is referred to Rainbow-tinted circles of light ?
 
Answer:
 
The bangles are referred to as ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light. ’
Question 5.
 
Explain the line’ lustrous tokens of radiant lives’.
 
Answer:
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Downloaded from https://www.ncertbooksolutions.com/
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The bangle sellers invite people to buy their bangles by praising the qualities of the bangles. They
say they are the shining gifts that promise happy lives in the future to the wearer of the bangles. He
thinks these bangles are the tokens of happy lives and happy marriages.
Question 6.
 
What is the tone in this stanza? Quote.
 
Answer:
 
The tone is happy and joyful as evident by the line, ‘For happy daughters and happy wives
Stanza 2
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
In stanza 2, the bangle-seller says that they carry different kinds of bangles, each catering to
different types of women with different needs and preferences.
 
He says that some are blue and silver like the mist in the mountains, which are fit for a maiden’s
wrist. Some bangles are of reddish hue like the flushed buds found along a stream. Some of the
bangles glow like newborn leaves, owing to the dew and water from the stream. These are all
representative of a young girl in her prime.
Question 2.
 
Explain ‘silver and blue as the mountain mist’
 
Answer:
 
This is an instance of a simile. Here, the color of the bangle is compared to the mist of the
mountains. The bangle seller says that the blue and silver bangles are fit for the unmarried girls as
they too are as pure and lovely as the mountain mist.
Question 3.
 
Mention the colours that are given or hinted at to describe the bangles.
 
Answer:
 
The colours are blue, silver, red and fresh green.
Question 4.
 
Pick out two simile from this stanza.
 
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Answer:
 
The simile used here are
1. Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
2. Some are flushed like the buds that dream.
Question 5.
 
To what are the bangles compared?
 
Answer:
 
The bangles are compared to morning mist, flowering buds and new born leaves.
Question 6.
 
What stage of women’s life is referred to in this stanza?
 
Answer:
 
The stanza refers to the life of a young , unmarried girl.
Question 7.
 
Explain :
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
 
To the limpid glory of new born leaves.
Answer:
 
Sarojini Naidu here compares the colours of the bangles to to the transparent glory of the new born
leaves and flowers. The colours of the bangles are suitable for a unmarried girl, as they are as
pure and fresh as new leaves.
Stanza 3
 Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
Some bangles are of the colour yellow like sunlit com fields. They represent the happiness of a
bride-to-be on the morn of her wedding. Then there are bangles which are flame coloured- red,
orange; symbolic of a bride’s passion and desire, especially on her wedding night. These bangles
are luminous and transparent, but also tender. The tinkling sound they make reminds one of the
Downloaded from https://www.ncertbooksolutions.com/
Downloaded from https://www.ncertbooksolutions.com/
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sound of a new bride’s laughter and the clear, tender finish of the bangles bespeak her tears as
she leaves her childhood home for her husband’s.
Question 2.
 
The word ‘some’ has been repeated in the poem for a purpose. What is it?
 
Answer:
 
The word ‘some’ represents the different types of bangles in the poem.
Question 3.
 
Explain:
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
 
Or, rich with the hue of her heart’s desire,
Answer:
 
The red and orange bangles symbolise the brides passion and desire. They are luminous and
transparent but also tender.
Question 4.
 
Pick a simile from the stanza.
 
Answer:
 
Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
 
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,— This is a simile. Here the comparison is made between
the yellow corn fields bathed in sunlight and the yellow coloured bangles.
Question 5.
 
Besides visual imagery the poet also uses auditory imagery.Pick out the lines.
 
Answer:
 
The lines are:
 
Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
 
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.
The tinkling of the bangles is compared to a young bride’s laughter and the luminosity of the
bangles is likened to her tears.
Question 6.
 
Mention the colours of the bangles in this stanza. What do they represent?
 
Answer:
 
The colours are yellow, red and orange representing the brides happiness and desire on her
wedding day.
Question 7.
 
The poet has used several expressions which form pictures in the readers mind “fields of sunlit
corn” and “circles of light”. Pick out more such expressions from the poem.
 
Answer:
 
Limpid glory and flame of her marriage fire are some expressions used in the poem
Stanza 4
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Comprehension Passages
Stanza 1
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
 
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
A bangle-seller talks about the various kinds of bangles he carries with him, and about the women
that buy them. The poem describes the everyday life of bangle-sellers as well. The speaker of the
poem is one such bangle seller and in the first two lines he describes what it is like to carry
precious, ‘shiny loads’ of bangles to the temples, fairs and other such places where women can
buy them. The third line is akin to a bangle seller’s cry for the sale of his bangles. He calls out to
women who might buy these bangles. He thinks these bangles are the tokens of happy lives and
happy marriages.
Question 2.
 
Who is the speaker in the poem?
 
Answer:
 
The Bangle Seller is the speaker in the poem. In the opening lines of the poem we see that it is
Bangle Seller who says, “Bangle sellers are we who bear….. Our shining loads to the temple fair”.
He describes himself and his bangles throughout the whole poem.
Question 3.
 
How are the bangles described in the first stanza of the poem?
 
Answer:
 
In the first stanza the bangles are described as lustrous, shining loads, rainbow-coloured, delicate
and bright for happy daughters and happy wives.
Question 4.
 
What is referred to Rainbow-tinted circles of light ?
 
Answer:
 
The bangles are referred to as ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light. ’
Question 5.
 
Explain the line’ lustrous tokens of radiant lives’.
 
Answer:
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Downloaded from https://www.ncertbooksolutions.com/
https://www.ncertbooksolutions.com
The bangle sellers invite people to buy their bangles by praising the qualities of the bangles. They
say they are the shining gifts that promise happy lives in the future to the wearer of the bangles. He
thinks these bangles are the tokens of happy lives and happy marriages.
Question 6.
 
What is the tone in this stanza? Quote.
 
Answer:
 
The tone is happy and joyful as evident by the line, ‘For happy daughters and happy wives
Stanza 2
Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
In stanza 2, the bangle-seller says that they carry different kinds of bangles, each catering to
different types of women with different needs and preferences.
 
He says that some are blue and silver like the mist in the mountains, which are fit for a maiden’s
wrist. Some bangles are of reddish hue like the flushed buds found along a stream. Some of the
bangles glow like newborn leaves, owing to the dew and water from the stream. These are all
representative of a young girl in her prime.
Question 2.
 
Explain ‘silver and blue as the mountain mist’
 
Answer:
 
This is an instance of a simile. Here, the color of the bangle is compared to the mist of the
mountains. The bangle seller says that the blue and silver bangles are fit for the unmarried girls as
they too are as pure and lovely as the mountain mist.
Question 3.
 
Mention the colours that are given or hinted at to describe the bangles.
 
Answer:
 
The colours are blue, silver, red and fresh green.
Question 4.
 
Pick out two simile from this stanza.
 
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Answer:
 
The simile used here are
1. Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
2. Some are flushed like the buds that dream.
Question 5.
 
To what are the bangles compared?
 
Answer:
 
The bangles are compared to morning mist, flowering buds and new born leaves.
Question 6.
 
What stage of women’s life is referred to in this stanza?
 
Answer:
 
The stanza refers to the life of a young , unmarried girl.
Question 7.
 
Explain :
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
 
To the limpid glory of new born leaves.
Answer:
 
Sarojini Naidu here compares the colours of the bangles to to the transparent glory of the new born
leaves and flowers. The colours of the bangles are suitable for a unmarried girl, as they are as
pure and fresh as new leaves.
Stanza 3
 Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
Some bangles are of the colour yellow like sunlit com fields. They represent the happiness of a
bride-to-be on the morn of her wedding. Then there are bangles which are flame coloured- red,
orange; symbolic of a bride’s passion and desire, especially on her wedding night. These bangles
are luminous and transparent, but also tender. The tinkling sound they make reminds one of the
Downloaded from https://www.ncertbooksolutions.com/
Downloaded from https://www.ncertbooksolutions.com/
https://www.ncertbooksolutions.com
sound of a new bride’s laughter and the clear, tender finish of the bangles bespeak her tears as
she leaves her childhood home for her husband’s.
Question 2.
 
The word ‘some’ has been repeated in the poem for a purpose. What is it?
 
Answer:
 
The word ‘some’ represents the different types of bangles in the poem.
Question 3.
 
Explain:
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
 
Or, rich with the hue of her heart’s desire,
Answer:
 
The red and orange bangles symbolise the brides passion and desire. They are luminous and
transparent but also tender.
Question 4.
 
Pick a simile from the stanza.
 
Answer:
 
Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
 
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,— This is a simile. Here the comparison is made between
the yellow corn fields bathed in sunlight and the yellow coloured bangles.
Question 5.
 
Besides visual imagery the poet also uses auditory imagery.Pick out the lines.
 
Answer:
 
The lines are:
 
Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
 
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.
The tinkling of the bangles is compared to a young bride’s laughter and the luminosity of the
bangles is likened to her tears.
Question 6.
 
Mention the colours of the bangles in this stanza. What do they represent?
 
Answer:
 
The colours are yellow, red and orange representing the brides happiness and desire on her
wedding day.
Question 7.
 
The poet has used several expressions which form pictures in the readers mind “fields of sunlit
corn” and “circles of light”. Pick out more such expressions from the poem.
 
Answer:
 
Limpid glory and flame of her marriage fire are some expressions used in the poem
Stanza 4
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Read the lines given above and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
 
Explain with reference to context.
 
Answer:
 
The lines given above are from the poem The Bangle sellers by Sarojini Naidu. This poem stands
out as a social message that not only discusses the lives of Indian women but also the lives of
bangle sellers. Although the poem focuses extensively on the stages in the life of women, it
portrays the lives of the bangle sellers as well.
The last stanza focuses on the life of a woman after she’s married. The bangles for these women
are purple with gold and grey flecks. They are representative of a woman who is of middle age or
who has reached the mid-point of her life, where she has reaped the rewards of her strife. This is
the age when she has already bore sons and is proud of her life as she supports her husband, be it
in life or when worshiping the household gods.
Question 2.
 
What is the ryme scheme of the poem?
 
Answer:
 
The poem is made up of 4 stanzas, consisting of 6 lines each. Each stanza is divided into a
quatrain and a couplet. The rhyme scheme the poem follows is aabbcc.
Question 3.
 
What do the purple and grey colours of bangles signify in this stanza?
 
Answer:
 
In the final stanza the poet talks about the pride of a woman who has lived girlhood and bridehood
and motherhood, and earned a position as a matriarch. It is the phase in her life when her
struggles have borne fruit. Therefore, this stanza has the air of royalty and pride etched in it. That
is why the colours chosen to describe the bangles for a matriarch are purple and gold. The specks
of grey add the touch of maturity that comes with age.
Question 4.
 
Explain:
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast,
 
And serves her household in fruitful pride,
 
And worships the gods at her husband’s side.
Answer:
 
These lines are referring to the woman who has now seen life as a girl and bride and now is
middle-aged. The imagery here shows that she has borne sons and nourished and cradled them
close to her breast. It denotes that she has diligently performed her duties as a mother.
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