Passage - 1

Q.1. Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow each of them:

I had a Dove
I had a dove and the sweet dove died
And I thought it died of grieving :
O, what could it grieve for ? Its feet were tied
With a silken thread of my own hand's weaving ;
Sweet little red feet! why should you die-
Why should you leave me, sweet bird ! why ?
You liv'd glone on the forest-tree,
Why, pretty thing ! would you not live with me ?
I kissed you oft and gave you white peas ;
Why not live sweetly, as in the green trees ?
-John Keats

Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) How did the dove die ?

The dove died because it was grief-stricken.

(ii) Why did the dove live with the poet ?

The dove lived with the poet because its feet were tied with a silken thread.

(iii) How did the poet show his love for the dove ?

The poet kissed the dove very often. He also gave it white peas to eat.

(iv) Was the dove happy with the poet ? Why ?

The dove was not happy with the poet. The dove loved flying high but the poet had tied its feet with a silken thread. The loss of freedom had made it unhappy.

Q.2. Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow each of them:
Dust of Snow
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued
-Robert Frost

Answer the following questions briefly:

(i) What did the crow do ?

The crow shook a branch of the hemlock tree, which caused some of the snow (the "dust of snow") to fall on the poet.

(ii) What did the crow's action do to the poet ?

The crow's action changed the poet's mood; it made him feel better and lifted his spirits.

(iii) What do the last two lines mean ?

The last two lines mean that the poet had been having a bad and regretful day, but the simple, pleasant incident of snow falling on him improved his mood and saved part of the day from being entirely ruined.

(iv) What is the message of the poem ?

The message of the poem is that small, natural events can cheer us and change our mood for the better. Nature has a simple, soothing influence that can turn a gloomy moment into a brighter one.

Q.3. Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow each of them:
Piping Down the Valleys Wild
Piping down the valleys wild,
Piping songs of pleasant glee !
On a cloud I saw a child,
And he laughing said to me :
'Pipe a song about a Lamb !'
So I piped with merry cheer. ,
'Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe ;
Sing the songs of happy cheer ;
So I sang the same again,
While he wept with joy to hear.
'Piper, sit thee down, and write
In a book that all may read,'
So he vanish'd from my sight,
And I pluck'd a hollow- reed,
And I made a rural pen,
And I stain'd the water clear,
And I wrote my happy songs
Every child may joy to hear.
-William Blake

Answer the following questions briefly:

(i) Where was the poet ? What was he doing ?

The poet was roaming about in wild valleys, playing (piping) merry songs. He was piping songs of happiness and pleasant glee.

(ii) Why did the child weep ?

The child wept out of joy. He was moved to tears because the songs made him so happy.

(iii) What did the child ask the poet to do ?

The child asked the poet to write his songs down in a book so that all children could read and enjoy them.

(iv) What does the poet expect his songs to do ?

The poet expects his songs to bring joy and cheer to every child who reads them.