Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 1 Previous Year Questions - Dust of Snow

Ans: Dust of Snow captures nature’s simplicity through a crow shaking snow from a hemlock tree, subtly lifting the poet’s mood. This small, natural event highlights nature’s profound ability to offer hope and renewal in a simple, understated way.

Ans: When a dust of snow fell on the poet, his mood changed from gloom to hope. The simple act of a crow shaking snow from a hemlock tree uplifted his heart, showing nature’s subtle power to inspire positivity.

Ans: The crow shaking snow from a hemlock tree onto the speaker triggers a shift from gloom to hope. These natural elements, though associated with negativity, interact to deliver a simple, transformative moment, highlighting nature’s subtle power.

Ans: (A)
Explanation:

• Extract’s Rhyme Scheme: The extract from Dust of Snow follows an ABAB rhyme scheme (crow/snow, me/tree, heart/mood). Lines 1 and 3 rhyme, lines 2 and 4 rhyme, etc.
• Option A Analysis: Lines 1 (pond) and 3 (dearest), 2 (wand) and 4 (beyond), 5 (love) and 7 (heart), and 6 (dove) follow ABAB (pond/dearest, wand/beyond, love/dove).
• Option B Analysis: Lines 1 (pond) and 2 (bond), 3 (beyond) and 5 (love), but 4 (love) and 6 (heart) do not rhyme, breaking ABAB.
• Option C Analysis: Lines do not consistently rhyme in ABAB (her/come, beyond/love, back/heart do not rhyme).
• Option D Analysis: Lines 2 (love) and 5 (sound), 3 (beyond) and 4 (around) rhyme, but not in ABAB pattern.
• Conclusion: Option A matches the ABAB rhyme scheme of the extract.

Ans: lifting his mood from gloom to hope.

Ans: (D) snowflakes

Ans: (A) 1 only
Crows are often associated with sorrow or bad omens in literature. Hemlock trees, being poisonous, symbolize death or sorrow. The poem uses these to contrast with the uplifting effect of the snow.

Ans: The hemlock tree, symbolizing death, and the crow, representing sorrow, create a somber mood. Their interaction, shaking snow onto the poet, unexpectedly uplifts his spirit, highlighting nature’s power to transform negativity into hope.

Ans: In Dust of Snow, Robert Frost presents nature positively as a crow shaking snow from a hemlock tree uplifts the poet’s mood, symbolizing hope and renewal through a simple natural act. Nature is a source of emotional healing. Conversely, in Fire and Ice, nature is depicted negatively, with fire and ice symbolizing destructive human emotions—desire and hate—that could end the world. Fire represents passion’s chaos, while ice signifies cold indifference. Frost’s contrasting views highlight nature’s dual role: a gentle force for personal transformation in Dust of Snow and a metaphor for humanity’s destructive tendencies in Fire and Ice, reflecting nature’s complex influence on human experience.

Ans: Robert Frost presents nature’s power in Dust of Snow as transformative. A crow’s simple act of shaking snow from a hemlock tree uplifts the poet’s gloomy mood, illustrating nature’s subtle ability to inspire hope and emotional renewal effortlessly.

Ans: In Dust of Snow, nature acts as a catalyst for emotional transformation, where a crow shaking snow from a hemlock tree shifts the poet’s mood from gloom to hope, highlighting nature’s subtle, uplifting power. In Fog, nature is portrayed as mysterious and unpredictable, with fog moving silently like a cat, enveloping the landscape. While Dust of Snow uses nature’s simplicity to inspire positivity, Fog presents it as an enigmatic force, creating a sense of calm yet elusive presence. Both poems, by Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg respectively, depict nature as a powerful influence on human perception, evoking wonder and introspection through its quiet, natural phenomena.

Ans: (c) happy
The falling of dust-like snow on the poet changes his mood from despair to happiness, making him feel lighter and more cheerful.

Ans: (a) hemlock tree; crow
The hemlock tree (associated with poison) and the crow (often considered an ominous bird) are generally negative symbols, but Frost uses them in the poem to create a positive shift in the poet’s mood.

Ans: (c) Happy
The poet’s mood changes to happiness and relief after the unexpected fall of snow, lifting his spirits.

Ans: The poem's message lies in the transformative power of nature's small moments. The crow's action serves as a metaphor for the unexpected ways in which beauty can enter our lives. It demonstrates how even seemingly insignificant natural events can have a significant impact on our feelings and viewpoints.

Ans: In the poem "Dust of Snow," the poet observed nature through a simple yet impactive encounter. He saw a crow shaking down the dust of snow from a hemlock tree. This observation led him to realise nature's transformative power as this small moment saved a part of his day