Textbook Solution: Teachers | Class 7 English Alive PDF Download

A. Read the lines from the poem and answer these questions.

Q1: A home-town, long left-behind,

In a country almost foreign now

(a)  Who is the speaker?

Ans: The speaker is a person reflecting on their past and the hometown they left behind, which now feels foreign to them.

(b) Why was the place foreign to the speaker?

Ans: The place feels foreign to the speaker likely due to the changes that have occurred there since they left, or due to the changes in the speaker's own perceptions and experiences after moving away.

Q2: Walk into a school

Surrounded by clogged canals and the angles of alleys

The girls with a little money

Get to see a little further

a. What was surrounded by clogged canals and angles of alleys?

Ans: The school was surrounded by clogged canals and the angles of alleys.

b. What do you understand by get to see a little further?

Ans: "Get to see a little further" metaphorically means that the girls with some financial resources have broader perspectives and greater opportunities for the future, allowing them to aspire to and achieve more than those without such resources.

Q3: What it means to strive and work and hope

In tin-roofed rooms at kerosene stoves

Raise your seven little siblings at the age of eight

Be told that your lot in life is your fate

(a) Who is the poet talking about?

Ans: The poet is talking about children, particularly girls, who live in poverty and face tremendous responsibilities from a very young age.

(b)  What was expected of them?

Ans:  It was expected of them to accept their difficult circumstances as unchangeable ('your lot in life is your fate') and to manage significant familial responsibilities despite their young age.

B. Answer these questions briefly.

Q1: What kind of a place did the poet visit? Describe it in your own words.

Ans: The poet describes visiting a vibrant yet challenging place, characterized by its loud sounds and bright colors, but also marked by socio-economic disparities and limited opportunities, especially for the youth.

Q2: Which lines tell you that the girls wanted to go to school?

Ans: "But at least they still make it to school" indicates that despite hardships, the girls attended school, showing their desire for education.

Q3: What were the professions of the girls' parents?

Ans: The girls' parents were engaged in humble occupations such as milk wallahs, rickshaw wallahs, and hawkers of pots.

Q4: What did the poet want the girls to become?

Ans: The poet wanted the girls to aspire beyond traditional roles and see themselves as future leaders and teachers, embodying empowerment and change.

Q5: Why, according to the poet, was the profession of teachers so important to the girls in the poem?

Ans: The profession of teachers was important as it represented attainable and respected roles within their socio-economic context, providing a model for personal and professional empowerment.

C. Think and answer these questions.

Q1: Why do you think arithmetic and letters are everyday magic?

Ans: Arithmetic and letters are described as "everyday magic" because they represent the fundamental tools of education that can transform lives, open up new worlds of knowledge and opportunity, and empower individuals to change their circumstances.

Q2: Why has the school gate been compared to the wardrobe doors to a Narnia?

Ans: The school gate is compared to the wardrobe doors to Narnia to symbolize how education can be a magical and transformative experience, providing an escape from harsh realities and opening up a world of possibilities, much like the fantasy world of Narnia offers adventure and new perspectives.

Q3: If women are educated, what kind of women would they become?

Ans: Educated women are likely to become empowered, independent, and influential, capable of making informed decisions for themselves and their communities, and standing as role models for the next generation. They are depicted as being able to fling wide the doors of opportunity and change societal norms.