Short Answer Type Questions: Rain on the Roof - English Class 9

Q1: According to the poet, what is nature’s mood in ‘rainy darkness’?
Ans: The poet shows the darkness to be in a melancholy or sad mood. This sadness is further heightened when the poet shows the darkness to be weeping and shedding tears in the form of raindrops.

Q2: Which is the single major memory that comes to the poet?
OR
Which distinctive memory is revived in the poet’s mind?

Ans: The single major memory that comes distinctly to the poet or his mother. The rain revives his thoughts of the time when his mother used to look lovingly at him and his siblings before she went to sleep in her bedchamber.

Q3: Who are the “darling dreamers” referred to by the poet?

Ans: The darling dreamers are the poet and his siblings. They were very dear to their mother and they are called ‘dreamers’ because they would often have sweet dreams in their sleep. Their mother must have always wished them “sweet dreams” before retiring to her room.

Q4: Write the central theme of the poem ‘Rain on the Roof.

Ans: The central idea or theme of the poem “Rain on the Roof’ is that the pattering of the rain on the roof gives the poet solace and he is lost in many fancies. He dreams of his mother, who loved him dearly. The rain provides him with great happiness.

Q5: How is the mood of the poet contrasted with the mood of darkness?

Ans: Whereas the darkness is in a sad and gloomy mood, the poet is in a happy mood as he considers it bliss to lie comfortably in bed pressing the head against the pillow and listening to the music made by the showers of the rain.

Q6: What is the impact of the tinkle of the raindrops on the poet’s heart?

Ans: The tinkle of the raindrops echo in the heart of the poet as if his heartbeat responds to every sound of the rain by its rhythm. Moreover, the rain kindles many memories in the poet’s mind and he gets lost in dreamy imagination.

Q7: What do the following phrases mean? 

(a) Humid shadows

Ans: ‘Humid shadows’ here refers to the clouds which are water-laden and shadow or cover the starry sky.

(b) Starry spheres

Ans: ‘Starry spheres’ implies the night sky studded with stars.

(c) What a bliss

Ans: ‘What a bliss’ is an exclamatory expression showing great pleasure.

(d) A thousand dreamy fancies into busy starting

Ans: The clause implies that a large number of memories are revived in an otherwise much-occupied mind.

(e) A thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof

Ans: This clause is a metaphorical expression. Recollections are presented as weavers and the particular memories are the threads woven into the fabric of the mind.

Q8: Describe the weather just before the rain starts.

Ans: As described by the poet, the weather before the rain is humid. It is dark, and the starry night sky is covered by thick clouds just before it begins to rain.

Q9: What does the poet want to do when it rains?

Ans: When it rains, the poet wants to lie snugly in his cosy cottage with a soft pillow under his head. He wants to enjoy the rhythmic, soft music of the raindrops falling on the roof.

Q10: Why does the poet call the sound of the rain a “refrain”? 

Ans: A refrain is a line repeatedly used in a song or a poem. The drops of rain produce a piece of distinct and continuous music by way of their pattering. This repetitive sound of the rain is called ‘refrain’ by the poet.

Q11: Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?

Ans: The poet is no longer a child. He has grown up and his mother is no more alive. He thinks of his mother and his childhood with a feeling of nostalgia which makes it clear that his mother is no more.

Q12: What does the poet like to do when it rains? 

Ans: When it rains, the poet wants to lie on the bed in a cottage and listen to the pitter-patter sound of the rain. The poet feels very comfortable and old memories come back to his mind. His mind is in bliss as the memories of his mother come to his mind.

Q13: Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?

Ans: No, the poet is not a child. His mother is no more. But her memories still haunt him. The poet’s mother used to look at him fondly and showed much love and affection towards him. But now he is a grown-up man and his mother is no more.

Q14: Is the rain referred to in the poem as a heavy downpour?

Ans: No, the rain referred to in the poem is not a heavy downpour. Instead, it is soft and gentle as is obvious from the pattering sound made by it while falling on the roof.

Q15: What type of dreamy fancies comes to the poet’s mind? 

Ans: Old recollections appear in the poet’s mind. The memory of his mother gives him solace. The pattering of soft rain on the roof echoes dreamy fancies in the poet’s heart like nature’s sadness in the form of tears of rain. The pattering of raindrops causes a melody of nature, which brings feelings of happiness to the poet’s mind.

Q16: What did the poet dream of while listening to the rain?

Ans: While listening to the pattering of the rain, the poet dreamed of several fancies. The poet was lost in old recollection. He dreamed of his mother, who paid attention to her children before leaving them in the morning. The poet felt as if her mother was looking at him in a loving manner.

Q17: What is a ‘bliss’ for a poet in the poem? 

Ans: The poet loves the rain because it carries him in old memories. He thinks it is bliss to hear the sound of the rain on the roof. He lies in his cosy bed and enjoys the music of nature. It is bliss for him.

Q18: How is the movement before rain described in the poem?

Ans: Before the rain, the dark wet shadows of clouds come over the sky. The stars seem to be turned into big spheres and covered under these clouds. Suddenly it starts raining.