Class 10 Literature Reader Chapter 8 Extra Question Answers - Chapter 8 - The Mirror

Extract Based Question

Q1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
I am silver and exact, I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike I am not cruel, only truthful.
(a) Who is T?
(b) What is an important trait of the speaker?
(c) What does the word ‘unmisted’ mean?
Ans: (a) ‘I’ refers to the mirror,
(b) An important trait of the speaker is that it is unbiased and truthful.
(c) The word ‘unmisted’ means ‘unbiased’.

Q2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow. “Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me, Searching my reaches for what she really is. Then she turns to those liars, the candle or the moon. I see her back, and reflect it faithfully”. 
(a)Why is the mirror called a lake? 
(b) Which poetic device is used in the first line? 
(c) What does the phrase, ‘my reaches’ mean?
Ans: (a) The mirror is called a lake because the person who looks into it will get a flattering view of herself or himself as a lake is not exact as a mirror.
(b) It is a metaphor as the comparison is made between two different things—lake and mirror.
(c) To find her lost looks.

Q3. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink with speckles. I have looked at it so long I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
(a) Why has the mirror been called ‘a four-cornered god’?
(b) What do the speckles refer to?
(c) Faces and darkness separate us because .
i)people look into the mirror or when it is dark.
ii)the mirror is covered.
iii)people wear a mask.
iv)it is night time.
Ans: (a) Being omniscient, the mirror is able to see and reflect the truth. It is something mystic and divine which looks at everything with an equal eye. Like God it sees people as they really are without being biased.
(b)Speckles’ refers to the stains or marks on the pink wall.
(c) People look into the mirror or when it is dark.

Short Answer Type Question 

Q4. How is the mirror different from most of the human beings?
Ans: A mirror is free from any preconceptions and prejudice. Unlike human beings, it is not influenced by feelings and emotions. So, it doesn’t judge others with pre-conceived ideas. It is truthful and objective and shows the exact and accurate image without any distortion.

Q5. Why are the candles and the moon called liars?
Ans: The candles and the moon are called liars because they create illusion and make the woman appear beautiful. Both the candles and the moon are soft and flattering romanticized light sources that enhance beauty temporarily concealing the truthful image.

Q6. Why do you think has the mirror been compared to a lake?
Ans: Owing to its action, the mirror has been compared to a lake. In her old age, when the woman checks her appearance, she is startled and horrified to see her face as she has lost her beauty. Then she starts moving the mirror in a way so as to find her face that she had when she was young.

Q7. Why does the Mirror state that the pink coloured, opposite wall is a part of its heart?
Ans: The mirror meditates on the pink coloured, opposite wall for most of the time. It is passionate about it and thinks of it as its heart. It is able to form abstract thoughts and meditate with the help of the pink wall. So, the pink wall has become an integral part of its existence.

Q8. Why has the mirror been called a four-cornered god?
Ans: Being omniscient, the mirror is able to see and reflect the truth. It is something mystic and divine which looks at everything with an equal eye. Like God, it sees people as they really are, without being biased.

Long Answer Type Question

Q9. The Mirror reflects the image of life as it is, but still people find it difficult to come to terms with the truth. Why?
Ans. People, in general, like those people who go on appreciating them. Flattery is so delicious that everybody likes it. Nobody likes to be bitten by the reality of truth. Mirror is a symbol of truthfulness. It is also known for its objectivity. It does not suffer from any preconceived notions. 
It is never affected by any sort of emotion, hatred and love. Owing to its objective nature, it reflects the image of the thing that comes before it faithfully. That is why it is not liked by people of old age. The woman who goes on using it becomes angry with it when it shows her ugly face. It is unbearable for her. Then she goes to the liars. They enhance her beauty temporarily. She flatters herself and indulges in self-deception.

Q10. What important lesson does the ‘Mirror’ teach us?
Ans: The mirror is an epitome of truthfulness and objectivity. It reflects exactly whatever comes before it. It does not help anyone out of romanticism about them. The speckles of the mirror have been compared to the wrinkles of human faces. So change is the eternal law of nature Everyone must accept it gladly. As nothing is permanent in this world, it is foolishness to have ego or illusion around oneself. When the mirror shows the reality to old women, they behave strangely. 
They try to see in their faces what they had once. They become downcast to see their charmless faces. But the mirror wants them to be truthful like it. They must accept the power of time. With the passage of time human beings undergo many changes in their bodies. So they must be aware of these physical changes and they must compromise with them. If they don’t learn how to compromise, they will incur irritation and anxiety. If one makes oneself aware of the eternal law of changes of nature, one will never become restless and depressed.