Worksheet Solutions: Poem - The Duck and the Kangaroo | English Literature for Grade 9 PDF Download

Q.1. Read the following stanzas and answer the questions:
“Please give me a ride on your back!”
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
“I would sit quite still,
and say nothing but ‘Quack’,
The whole of the long day through!
And we’d go to the Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee,
Over the land, and over the sea;
Please take me a ride! O do!”
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
(i) What request did Duck make to Kangaroo?

The Duck requested the Kangaroo to give him a ride on his back

(ii) What was her promise?

He promised that he would sit quite still and would say nothing but quack.

(iii) How long did she want a ride?

He wanted to have a ride throughout the long day.

(iv) Where she wanted to go?

He wanted to go to Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee.

Q.2. What do you think why did the Duck ask for a ride?

The Duck asked for a ride from the Kangaroo to visit the world beyond his pond.

Q.3. Which were the places the Duck wanted to see?

The Duck wanted to see places over the land and the see. He also wanted to visit Dee and Jelly Bo Lee.

Q.4. Do you find any humor in the poem, if yes, point out one or two lines?

Yes, the entire poem is humorous.

• When Kangaroo said the Duck had wet fee and would cause rheumatism.
• Duck replied that he had thought of it and has already purchased four woolen sox.

Q.5. How did the Kangaroo react to the wish of the Duck? Why did he accept her request?

The Kangaroo told the Duck that he may be allowed to say it boldly that he was afraid of getting cold and rheumatism as duck’s feet were rough and wet. He said that reflecting on the request of the duck, he thought that it might bring him good luck. When he was assured by the duck that he would not speak at all but only would quack and he would put on woolen sox on his feet, put on a cloak to keep out the cold and smoke a cigar every day, the kangaroo accepted to take the round on his back.

Q.6. Read the following stanzas and answer the questions:
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
“Good gracious! how you hop!
Over the fields and the water too,
As if you never would stop!
My life is a bore in this nasty pond,
And I long to go out in the world beyond!
I wish I could hop like you!”
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
(i) What did the Duck say to the Kangaroo?

The Duck told the Kangaroo that she is surprised at his walk and the way he hops over the fields and water.

(ii) What did the Duck say about her life?

The Duck said that she had a very boring life as she has to spend her entire life in the pond.

(iii) What was her wish?

She wished that she could also hop like the Kangaroo.

(iv) What did she long to do?

She longed to see the world beyond her pond.

Q.7. What is the rhyme scheme of first four lines of second stanza?

The rhyme scheme of first four lines of second stanza is ‘a, b, c, a’.

Q.8. Would Kangaroo fulfill her wish?

Kangaroo agreed to fulfill his wish but with certain conditions as he was afraid that the wet feet of the Duck might cause him rheumatism.

Q.9. What is your opinion about the conversation between the Duck and the Kangaroo?

The Duck and the Kangaroo were very good friends. The Duck got bored from his life in the pond and was mesmerized by the way the Kangaroo hopped around over the land and water.

Q.10. What did the duck say in praise of Kangaroo? What was duck’s wish that he wanted the kangaroo to fulfill?

The duck and the kangaroo were very good friends. They spent most of their time talking to each other. The duck told him that he was surprised at the way the Kangaroo hopped over the land and the water. He further said that he also wondered how he could hop all day long without getting tired. He was so mesmerized at his hop that he always wished to have a ride on his back. He asked the Kangaroo, if he was a sport to take him round the land and the sea.