Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 1 Question Answers - The Squirrel

Short Answer Type Questions

Ques 1: What is being compared to a gray overcoat?
Ans: The squirrel’s body is being compared to a gray overcoat.

Ques 2: Discuss the posture of the squirrel as discussed in line 3 of the poem.
Ans: The squirrel ‘sat up straight’ to eat a nut. Else, the squirrel usually sits and runs with a bended back.

Ques 3: What did the squirrel do if someone came too close to his tree?
Ans: The squirrel would run away in the opposite direction if someone came too close to his tree.

Long Answer Type Questions

Ques 1: Having observed the squirrels around us, can we say that a squirrel is a fast paced animal?
Ans: Yes, based on our observation of the squirrels around us, we can say that a squirrel is a fast paced animal. We rarely come across squirrels sitting still, except when they are biting into the nuts. Usually we see the squirrels running from one place to another with great energy.

Ques 2: What does the poem say about the poet’s choice of subject?
Ans: The poem is a reflection of the poet’s desire to compose poetry on most mundane elements that we come across in our day to day surrounding. A squirrel is the most commonly found animal that we see around us. Yet, very few of us would have thought of it as a potent subject matter for a writer’s pen. The poet very simplistically discusses the various aspects of the squirrel, which each one of us must have observed closely.

Ques 3. Describe the nature of the squirrel.
Ans: The poet Mildred Bowers Armstrong describes a squirrel as a very naughty but innocent kind of animal. The poet observes the squirrel in his garden. His tail seems like a question mark because when he sits, the tail shapes a curve. His body is covered with a gray coat. He likes to play and tease others. Again the squirrel likes to eat nuts. Whenever the poet runs to catch him, he goes to the other side of the tree. There, according to the poet, the squirrel is a fun-loving and also and intelligent creature.

Ques 4: The poet talks about a small creature with sensitivity. Do you agree or not? 
Ans: The poem is a reflection of the poet’s observation we come across in our day to day surrounding. A squirrel is the most commonly found animal that we see around us. Yet, very few of us would have thought of it as a subject matter.