Class 9 English Chapter 10 Extra Question Answers - The Seven Ages

Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow:
Q1. In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances.
(а) Which stage of life has been described here by Shakespeare?
(b) What are the features of this stage?
(c) Explain the last line. 
Ans. (a) Here Shakespeare describes the fifth stage of life, that is, the stage of justice.
(b) In this stage a man is prosperous, well-fed and confident. He appears stern and dignified. He is respected for his social position and is often seen as fashionable and authoritative.
(c) The line means that at this stage the man is full of wise sayings and uses modern instances - that is, examples from current life - to support his opinions and to impress others with his knowledge.

Q2. All the world’s a stage And all the men and women merely players : They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.
(а) What is the world compared to?
(b) Exits and entrances mean ………….
(c) What do you mean by ‘acts’ in the last line?
Ans. (a) The world is compared to the stage of a theatre where people act out parts.
(b) ‘Entrances’ mean births and ‘exits’ mean deaths - the coming into and going out of life.
(c) ‘Acts’ here refers to the different roles or parts a person plays during the various stages of life.

Q3. At first the infant Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
(а) Which stage of life is being referred to here?
(b) What are the characteristics of this stage?
(c) Give the meaning of ‘mewing’.
Ans. (a) The stage described here is infancy.
(b) At this stage the infant is helpless and completely dependent on others for care. He cries, vomits milk and cannot look after himself.
(c) ‘Mewing’ means crying weakly or making faint, baby-like sounds.

Q4. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwilling to school.
(а) What is the school going by described as?
(b) How does the schoolboy walk to school?
(c) Which simile has been used here?
Ans.
(а) The school-going boy is described as reluctant and complaining about going to school.
(b) He walks very slowly and reluctantly, moving along like a snail.
(c) The simile used is ‘creeping like [a] snail’, which compares his slow movement to that of a snail.

Q5. And then the lover Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrow
(a) Is the lover described happy?
(b) How does he behave?
(c) Which figure of speech has been used in the first two lines here?
Ans. (a) No, the lover is not happy; he is sorrowful and lovesick.
(b) He sighs deeply and composes sad verses or ballads praising the slightest beauty of his beloved, such as her eyebrow.
(c) The figure of speech used is a simile - ‘sighing like furnace’ - which creates a vivid image of his passionate sorrow.

Q6. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths, and feared like a pard, Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon’s mouth.
(а) What is the soldier ready to do?
(b) What is the poetic device used in the second line?
(c) What does ‘bubble reputation’ mean?
Ans. (a) The soldier is ready to risk and even sacrifice his life for name, honour or reputation.
(b) The phrase ‘feared like a pard’ is a simile, comparing his fierceness to that of a leopard (pard).
(c) ‘Bubble reputation’ means a reputation that is very fragile and short-lived, like a bubble that bursts quickly.

Q7.The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side. His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes, And whistles in his sound
(а) What does the phrase ‘shrunk shank’ in this stanza mean?
(б) How is the voice of a man at this stage?
(c) What stage of a man’s life is referred to in these lines?
Ans. (а) ‘Shrunk shank’ means that his legs have become thin and weak with age.
(b) His voice loses its deep, strong quality and becomes high-pitched or childlike again, as it returns toward a treble tone.
(c) These lines describe the sixth stage of a man’s life, when he becomes old and feeble.

Q8. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
(a) What is man’s condition in the last stage of life?
(b) What do you mean by ‘sans’ ?
(c) What does ‘second childishness’ mean?
Ans. (a) In the last stage a man becomes very old, helpless and dependent on others for care.
(b) ‘Sans’ is a French word used in English here and it means ‘without’.
(c) ‘Second childishness’ means that old age brings a return to a childlike state of helplessness and loss of mental and physical powers.

Short Answer Questions

Q1. What is the significance of the words ‘entrances’ and ‘exits’ in the poem ‘The Seven Ages’? 

Ans. Shakespeare compares human life to a theatre where people come and go. Here, ‘entrances’ signify births and the start of a person’s part on life’s stage, while ‘exits’ signify deaths and the end of those parts.

Q2. Explain ‘mewling and puking’ in the nurse’s arms. 
Ans. The infant is shown as crying weakly (mewling) and vomiting milk (puking) while being held by the nurse. This image emphasises the baby’s complete helplessness and dependence on others.

Q3. Why does a man in his life play many parts? 
Ans. A person plays many parts because life passes through different stages, each with its own duties and behaviour. As a person grows older, his responsibilities and character change, so he takes on different roles such as infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, judge and so on.

Q4. Describe the second stage of life as elaborated by Shakespeare in the poem ‘The Seven Ages’. (CBSE)
Ans. The second stage is the schoolboy stage. The boy is unwilling and complains about going to school. He walks slowly like a snail but has a bright, fresh face like a sunny morning, showing youthfulness despite his reluctance.

Q5. Explain the first stage of human life. 
Ans. The first stage is infancy. The baby is helpless, crying and often vomiting milk in the nurse’s arms. He cannot look after himself and depends entirely on others for care and comfort.

Q6. What characteristics would you associate with the stage of a soldier?
Ans. The soldier’s stage is marked by energy, courage, rashness and a strong sense of honour. A soldier may swear, behave fiercely and risk his life in search of a short-lived reputation or glory.

Q7. Explain the line ‘the lean and slippered pantaloon’.
Ans. The line shows an old man who has grown thin and weak (lean) and now wears slippers. ‘Pantaloon’ suggests his loose, baggy clothes and a somewhat comic, frail appearance in old age.

Q8. Explain the stage of justice. 
Ans. The stage of justice is the fifth stage, where a man is prosperous, well-fed and dignified. He appears stern, and uses his experience, wise sayings and contemporary examples to make judgments and to impress others with his wisdom.

Q9. Compare the sixth stage with the seventh stage.
Ans. In the sixth stage a man grows old, thin and weak; he wears loose clothes and looks somewhat comical. In the seventh stage he becomes senile and enters a ‘second childishness’: he loses his senses and faculties, becomes dependent like a child, and may lose teeth, sight and taste.

Value Based Long Answer Questions

Q1. If human life is nothing but a ‘tamasha’, what message does the poet want to convey to us?
Ans. Shakespeare, through one of his characters Jaques, wants us to realize the fact that human life is like the stage of a theatre. Men and women, like actors, come, play their roles and quit. Each stage of life has its own peculiarities. Nothing good and charming remains for long. The same man who looks charming and dashing looks weak, thin and funny in old age. Then why should we take life seriously? Why should we sulk and complain? We should accept our fate humbly. We should be ready to play our role on the stage of life to quit forever. Nothing in this world is permanent. Nothing is in our hands.

Q2. Describe in brief the seven stages in man’s life.
Ans. Shakespeare conveys through his character Jaques, that human life can be divided into seven stages. The first stage is that of an infant who is totally helpless and dependent. Then the second stage is that of the school-going boy. He is unwilling to go to school. In the third stage, a man plays the role of a lover who heaves deep sighs in the absence of his beloved. In the next stage, he is an energetic, rush soldier who is ready to sacrifice even his life for short-lived reputation. In the fifth stage, he plays the role of prosperous, well fed judge. He shows off his wisdom and knowledge to impress others. Then in the sixth stage, he is a weak, thin old man. He looks funny in his loose clothes. The last stage is that of senility when a man becomes childlike. He loses his reflexes and senses. Thus, ends the drama of his life.