Short Answer Questions (with Solutions) - Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After My Teeth

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow :

1. I wish I'd been more willin'
 When I had more teeth there than fillin'
 To pass up gobstoppers.
 From respect to me choppers,
 And to buy something else with my shillin'.
 [CBSE 2010 (Term II)]

(a) Name the poem and the poet :

Ans. 'Oh, I Wish I'd Looked After My Teeth' by Pam Ayres.

(b) What is the poet's wish?

Ans. The poet wishes she had taken better care of her teeth when she was young; she regrets not avoiding too many sweets and not following dental advice earlier.

(c) What is the rhyme scheme of these lines?

Ans. The rhyme scheme is a a b b a. The words "willin'," "fillin'" and "shillin'" rhyme (a), while "gobstoppers" and "choppers" form the other rhyming pair (b).

2. So I lay in the old dentist's chair,
 And I gaze up his nose in despair,
 And his drill it do whine
 In these molars of mine
 "Two amalgum", hell say "for in there".
 [CBSE 2010 (Term II)]

(a) What made the poet feel upset?

Ans. She felt upset because she was sitting helplessly in the dentist's chair, looking up in despair while the dentist's drill whined - a situation that frightened and embarrassed her.

(b) What did the dentist do to the poet's teeth?

Ans. The dentist drilled the cavities in her teeth and put in amalgam fillings to repair them.

(c) What does 'two amalgam' mean?

Ans. It refers to two amalgam fillings - dental fillings made from a mixture that traditionally contains mercury and silver used to fill cavities.

3. "When I had more tooth there than fillin'
 To pass the gobstoppers"

(a) Explain the first line :

Ans. The first line means that she once had mostly natural, healthy teeth rather than teeth full of fillings; in other words, her teeth were strong and had not yet been spoiled by cavities.

(b) What does 'gobstopper' mean?

Ans. A gobstopper is a large, hard-boiled sweet that is sucked for a long time.

(c) Why did the poet eat it?

Ans.  As a child she was fond of sweets and lacked the self-control to refuse them. She enjoyed the taste and did not foresee that such sweets would cause cavities and weaken her teeth later.

1. "When I had more tooth there than fillin'
 To pass the gobstoppers"
 (i) Explain the first line.
 (ii) What does 'gobstopper' mean?
 (iii) Why did the poet eat it?

Ans. (i) It means she once had more natural tooth than fillings - her teeth were healthier then.
(ii) A gobstopper is a large, hard sweet.
(iii) She loved sweets and gave in to temptation, not thinking about the future harm to her teeth.

Q2. "All that hard peanut brittle My conscience gets horribly pricked."
 (i) Why did the poet feel guilty?
 (ii) What damage was caused by hard peanut?

Ans.  (i) She feels guilty because she remembers how often she ate sweets such as hard peanut brittle and realises those choices harmed her teeth. (ii) Hard peanut brittle is a very firm, sticky sweet; it wore down and cracked her teeth, promoted cavities and weakened the enamel, contributing to long-term dental damage.

Q3. Why did the poet laugh at her mother's teeth?

Ans.  As a child she found her mother's false teeth (dentures kept in a glass of water) amusing and laughed at them out of ignorance. Later, when she faces similar dental problems, she understands their importance and regrets her earlier mockery.

Q4. What is 'reckoning' time for the poet? Can it be helped now?

Ans.  Reckoning time means the moment when she must face the consequences of neglecting her teeth. She can now get dental treatment to relieve pain and repair damage, but she cannot fully undo the years of neglect; some loss cannot be completely reversed, so prevention earlier would have been better.

Q5. Give an appropriate proverb that conveys the message that this poem gives. Relate the proverbs to the poem.
 Or
'Prevention is better than cure'. Explain with reference to the poem, 'Oh, I wish I'd looked after my teeth'. [CBSE 2010 (Term II)]

Ans.  Two suitable proverbs are:
• No use crying over spilt milk. The poet now regrets not looking after her teeth, but lamenting will not bring back what she has lost. This proverb warns against useless regret after the damage is done.
• Prevention is better than cure. If she had avoided too many sweets and taken care of her teeth early, she would not now face painful fillings and possible tooth loss. The poem shows clearly that taking simple precautions would have prevented later suffering.

Q6. What caused cavities in the teeth of the poetess? [CBSE 2010 (Term II)]
 Or
 How is the poetess responsible for spoiling her teeth ? [CBSE 2010 (Term II)]

Ans.  Cavities were caused by her careless habits: she often ate sticky and hard sweets, ignored advice about dental care, and failed to look after her teeth properly. Her refusal to resist sweets and neglect of hygiene led to decay and fillings.