Short Question Answer: The School Boy | English Honeydew Class 8 PDF Download

Q1: In stanza 2, what words or phrases indicate the shift in mood?
Ans: Words and phrases such as 'It drives all joy away,' 'under a cruel eye,' and 'in sighing and dismay' signal the change in mood.

Q2: How can a child's happiness transform into sorrow?
Ans: A child's initial happiness in the morning can turn to sorrow when they are compelled to attend school against their will.

Q3: Paraphrase the lines "Nor sit in learning’s bower, worn thro with the dreary shower".
(i) I can't sit in a classroom with a leaky roof when it's raining.
(ii) I can't learn anything at school despite teachers' lectures and explanations.
(iii) I can't sit in the school garden because I might get wet in the rain.
Ans: (ii) 

Q4: Why might a child dislike going to school?
Ans: A child might dislike going to school due to feeling controlled by teachers, akin to a caged bird.

Q5: Identify three or four phrases in stanza 1 that convey the child’s happiness and joy.
Ans: Phrases expressing the child's joy are 'love to rise in a summer morn', 'birds sing on every tree,' 'the skylark sings with me,' and 'sweet company'.

Q6: What does the phrase 'A cruel eye outworm' (Stanza 2) refer to?
(i) the classroom which is shabby/noisy.
(ii) the lessons which are difficult/uninteresting.
(iii) the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.
Ans: (iii)