Class 9 English Extra Question Answers - Oh, I Wish I d Looked After Me Teeth

Q1. How I laughed at my mother's false teeth, As they foamed in the waters beneath, But now comes the reckoning It's me that they are beckonin Oh! I wish I'd looked after me teeth 
(i) What does 'they' in line 2 stands for? 
(ii) The last line' Oh! I wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth' expresses.......... 
(iii) The rhyming scheme of the stanza is ........

Ans. (i) In the line 2 'they' stands for teeth other mother,      
(ii) regret            
(iii) aabba 

Q2. Oh, I showed them the toothpaste all right, I flashed it about late at night, But up-and-down brushin' And pokin' and fussin' Didn't seem worth the time-I could bite! 
(i) What does the line T showed them the toothpaste' imply? 
(ii) What does the line 'Didn't seem worth the time' mean

Ans. (i) The line implies that the poet used to brush; but not properly.
(ii) The line means that as a child she felt brushing her teeth was a wastage of time, as she could bite without any difficulty. 

Q3. Oh, I wish I'd looked after me teeth, And spotted the perils beneath All the toffees I chewed, And the sweet sticky food Oh, I wish I'd looked after me teeth. 
(a) Why does the poetess wish that she had taken better care of her teeth? 
(b) What caused perils/decay beneath the poetess's teeth? 
(c) The poetess ate ........... and ............ is. 
(c) Sweet sticky food and chewed toffees.

Ans. (a) The poetess wishes that she should have taken better care of her teeth and wouldn't have to face the problems she is facing now.
(b) The poetess used to chew a lot of toffees and sweet sticky food, which caused the decay beneath her teeth.
(c) Sweet sticky food and chewed toffees. 

Q4. I wish I'd been that much more willing', When I had more tooth there than flllin' To pass up gobstoppers, From respect to me choppers, And to buy something else with me shillin' 
(a) What is the present scene inside the poetess's mouth? 
(b) What happened to the poetess's teeth when she continued eating all kinds of sweets? 
(c) Explain, from respect to me choppers'?

Ans. (a) The poetess's teeth are eaten up by cavities. Most of her teeth are filled with amalgum.
(b) When she continued eating all kinds of sweets, her teeth decayed and needed more fillings
(c) This line suggests that now poetess should have paid more attention to her teeth by reducing eating sweets, 

Q5. When I think of the follies I licked, And liquorice all sorts I picked, Sherbet dabs, big and little, All that hard peanut brittle, My conscience gets horribly pricked. 
(a) Why does the poetess feel her conscience horribly pricked? 
(b) What was responsible for the poetess's present state of pain and suffering and guilt feelings? 
(c) What did the poetess eat the most?

Ans. (a) Having almost all her teeth lost or filled and having gone through the extreme pain of drilling and fillings and having to wait for her turn at the old dentist's clinic pricked the poetess's conscience.
(b) The poetess's love for a number of follies, liquorices, sherbets and peanut brittles was responsible for her present sufferings and guilt.
(c) The poetess ate all kinds of sweets like follies, liquorice, sherbet dabs, peanut brittles etc. 

Q6. Oh! I showed them the toothpaste all right, I flashed it about late at night, But up-and-down brushing, And pokin' and fussin Didn't seem worth the time-I could bite! 
(a) Whom did the poetess show the toothpaste? What does 'show' means? 
(b) What does poking and fussing mean? 
(c) What did the poetess flash about late at night?

Ans. (a) The poetess, as a child, showed her teeth as brushed with toothpaste to her parents, 'show' here means that she brushed very quickly only to please her parents.
(b) Poking and fussing refer to the inspection of the poetess's teeth done by her mother each night. The poetess's had to get her teeth inspected by her mother and the mother would blame her the bad brushing and decay that developed.
(c) The poetess's flashed her toothbrush across her teeth late at night because brushing the teeth is done just before going to bed. 

Q7. If I'd known, I was paving the way To cavities, caps and decay, The murder of mlin's Injections and drillin's I'd have thrown all me sherbet away. 
(a) How did the poetess pave the way for cavities in her teeth? 
(b) Explain 'murder of fillings'. 
(c) What had the poetess not known?

Ans. (a) The poetess paved the way for cavities in her teeth by eating a large amount of sweets, gobstoppers, follies, candies and by not brushing her teeth properly.
(b) 'Murder of fillings' means that when the filling is done it  is very painful for her.
(c) The poetess had not known that in eating all kinds of sweets she was causing tooth decay and would need  fillings in her teeth. 

Q8. So I lay in the old dentist's chair, And I gaze up to his nose in despair, And his drill it do whine In these molars of mine "Two amalgam", he'll say, "for in there" 
(a) What would have the poetess done if she had known the pain she would suffer due to her teeth? 
(b) What is 'amalgam' ? 
(c) Pick out two expressions that add fear to the poet? How?

Ans. (a) Had the poetess known the pain, she would suffer because of her teeth she would have taken utmost care of her teeth and spent her money in purchasing something other than candies, sweets and sherbets.
(b) Amalgam is a filling made of mercury and silver.
(c) The expression is, His drill it does whine' and amalgam for in there.' The dentist is one who doesn't generally treat patients with sympathy and so she is afraid of him.

Q9. How I laughed at my mother's false teeth, As they foamed in the waters beneath But now comes the reckonin' It's me they are beckonin' Oh I wish I'd looked after me teeth. 
(a) Explain ' But now comes the reckoning, it is me they are beckoning'. 
(b) What is 'they' in line 2 of the stanza? 
(c) When did the poetess laugh at her mother's false teeth?  

Ans. (a) Now, the poetess has to pay for making fun of and laughing at her mother's false teeth as now she also needs false teeth.
(b) 'They' refers to the teeth of the poetess's mother.
(c) The poetess laughed at her mother's false teeth when her teeth were in good condition during her childhood. 

Q10. But and up-down brushin' And pokin and fussin' Didn't seem worth the time -1 could bite! What do these lines convey?

Ans. In these lines, the poetess described that she did not follow a proper pattern of brushing the teeth. She did not brush her teeth by moving the brush up and down in all the right directions and did not spend enough time brushing her teeth, as she could bite comfortably.  

Q11. Why did the poetess go to the dentist? How could she have avoided it?

Ans. The poetess went to the dentist for the treatment of her teeth by the process of drilling, filling or injection. She could have avoided this by eating less chocolates and sweets and by brushing her teeth properly and regularly. 

Q12. "If you got a tooth, you got a friend", what do you understand from this line?

Ans.  It means that a tooth in the mouth is a friend who helps us in chewing food. If there is no tooth in the mouth, one can not chew food and becomes friendless.

Q13. With reference to the poem, how can you look after your teeth?

Ans. We can look after our teeth by avoiding eating chocolates, toffees, sticky sweets etc. It is also necessary to brush our teeth properly and regularly. 

Q14. Give an appropriate proverb that conveys the message that this poem carries.

Ans. Healthy and sparkling teeth. Add lustre to your health. 

Q15. The poetess has misspelt the word amalgum. Why do you think she has done that?

Ans. The poetess's has knowingly miss pelt the word amalgam as amalgum because children are usually very fond of a candy known as chewing gum. Even while having the cavities in her teeth filled with amalgam, the poetess thinks of her favourite chewing gum and so she misspells the word. This misspelling is deliberate and is done to add humour.

Q16. Write some linguistic variations in the poem.

Ans. Some linguistic variations in the poem are
(i) 'Me teeth' for 'my teeth'
(ii) 'Me choppers' for 'my choppers'
(iii) 'Me shillin' for 'my shillings.'
(iv) 'All me sherbet' for 'all my sherbets.' 

Q17. What did the poetess wish when she had more teeth than fillings?

Ans. The poetess had more teeth than fillings in her childhood but she didn't care at all for the health of the teeth. Later she repented for not caring about them. She said she wished that she should have skipped eating hard sweets to keep healthy teeth.

Q18. Write a paraphrase of stanza (7). 
So, I lay in .............................he'll say 'for in there.'

Ans. The poetess has explained the way she sits in the old dentist's chair. She looks at the nose of the dentist in hopelessness. She can also listen to the whining sound made by the drill while working in her molars. The dentist would say that two fillings are required to carry out in the molars.  

Q19. Explain the line 'It's me they are beckonin' in the last stanza.

Ans. The poetess saw her mother's false teeth foaming in the water which were kept there so as to be kept clean. She laughed while looking at them, but now, she is terrified. It means that she is afraid because the fun she used to make has become a reality for her now. She also would have such false teeth someday.  

Q20. The poetess kept on neglecting the care of her teeth; what was the consequence of this neglect?

Ans. The poetess kept on neglecting the care of her teeth. She continued to devour all the sweet stuff, but later regrets her habits which led to tooth decay, cavities, caps and tooth fillings. She also regrets that whenever she was asked to brush her teeth at night, she just pretended to do so and she thought she had fooled her parents and cheated them, but didn't realise that she was cheating herself only.

Q21. What does the poetess, Pam Ayres, regret for? Why?  

Ans. When the poetess thought of all sorts of candies, tiny or bigger sweets she had eaten, her conscience pricked her. Now, she has fillings and tooth decay in her molars. She regrets neglecting her teeth and her careless and casual approach in brushing.  

Q22. Recently you have read the poem, 'Oh, I Wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth'. Write a letter to your brother/sister advising him/her how he/she must take care of teeth to avoiding any damage.

Ans. House no 44, ABC Street PQR City
August 27, 2012
Dear Ram/Muskan
I hope this letter finds you in good health. Received your letter two days ago and sounds good that you have joined certain certificate courses to improve yourself in computers. I am giving you advice on how to keep our teeth healthy. You know that children like eating various sweets like toffees, gobstoppers, liquorices, sherbet dabs and other stickles. We brush our teeth very carelessly and casually. We think that eating these sticky sweets won't harm our teeth, but these items slowly damage our teeth and hence cavities develop. Now I find that I too have developed a few cavities and shall have to go to the dentist for fillings. I shudder when I have to sit in the dentist's chair gazing at him. So I advise you to stop eating sticky sweets at once. Brush your teeth twice a day. Brush carefully before going to bed. Never try to fool our parents, because in the long run, only you have to pay for such carelessness. So, if you don't take care, then be ready for drilling and the pain involved with filling cavities. I hope you will remember my advice and do inform your classmates too. Getting late for work. Reply to your views on this important point. Convey my regards to Papa and Mummy. Take care.
Yours XYZ 

Q23. Read the following statement where T refers to 'you'. 7 can't afford to, after what Jack's done to his teeth', what is it, you think you can't afford and why? Write a diary entry in not less than 125 words.

Ans. September^25,_2012 9:00 pm
Dear Diary
It was so bad to see Jack with decaying teeth. He had sparkling white teeth earlier. But now his cheeks have also deformed due to loss of teeth. It has ruined his personality. I can't afford to lose my teeth like that. Healthy teeth lead to a healthy life, whereas decaying and diseased teeth lead to many health problems. There are a number of germs that get accumulated in the mouth. I cannot bear the terror of sitting in the dentist chair. So, I have decided to take good care of my teeth. I will now avoid eating sweets and toffees and brush my teeth properly to make my teeth sparkling like pearls. Not much hard work is required for that.  

Q24. Imagine yourself as the narrator of the poem; Express your regret over the damage of cavities, decay, etc in your teeth.

Ans. I wish I had taken care of my teeth when I had more good teeth than cavities. Now that I have those cavities I have to undergo drilling and have fillings. I have to bear the pain of drilling being done in my mouth. I could have averted this condition of mine, had I stopped eating all kinds of sticky sweets. The items I loved eating were candies, toffees, liquorices sweet hard peanuts, sherbet dabs etc. It is obvious that due to eating all kinds of sweets I had more cavities than before. Now, at this stage I regret neglecting the care of my teeth, I didn't brush my teeth carefully, rather I thought my parents' advice to be worthless; but now, I realise the value of those words, Now, I have to sit in the dentist's chain after taking an appointment and bearing the pain. I also laughed at my mother's dentures but now I feel that they are beckoning to me, I too have to use artificial teeth and someone else would similarly laugh at me. That is why it is well said, 'As you sow, so shall you reap'. 

Q25. "Parents alone are responsible for inculcating a good sense of dental hygiene amongst children". Do you agree with this statement?  

Ans. Yes, of course, It is the parents who are responsible for inculcating a good sense of dental hygiene amongst children. Children can't be expected to live and behave like adults who know what is good and bad for them. It is the parents who guide their children and educate on hygiene. Actually, children have very/limited knowledge. Which toothpaste to use, how to brush, all these types of questions are answered and explained to children by adults only. As sweets are tasty, children eat them in greater quantities. It is mandatory to wash our mouth after eating, no matter if it is a sweet or any food item that we consume. Children do not know the harmful effects of not cleaning their teeth after eating, hence they keep. So, parents must teach their children, in fact, must caution them against the result of eating more sweets and the outcome in the form of teeth damage and decay. They will undergo the pain of drilling and fillings by the dentists. It is quite possible that someday they will wear false teeth.