Short and Long Question Answers: The Winner | Short & Long Answer Questions for Class 6 PDF Download

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Short Answer Type Questions

Q1: What role does the "blue dark turning to black" play in the poem?
Ans: In the poem "The Winner," the phrase "When blue dark turns to black" symbolizes the shift from evening to night, marking the end of the children’s playtime. As the sky changes from a twilight blue to deep black, it signals that daylight has faded, making it too dark to continue playing. This natural transition sets a boundary, showing that time governs their fun. The darkening sky also creates a mood of closure, as the children must stop their games and head home. It emphasizes how nature, through the passage of time, controls their activities, reinforcing the poem’s theme of fleeting moments.

Q2: What does the term "trees creep close" symbolize in the poem?
Ans: In "The Winner," "trees creep close" symbolizes the encroaching darkness of evening. As light fades, the trees appear to move closer due to reduced visibility, creating an illusion of the environment tightening around the children. This personification suggests nature’s role in ending their play, as the evening setting signals it’s time to stop. The phrase adds a slightly eerie tone, enhancing the sense that the game is winding down. It reflects how the surroundings change with time, subtly urging the children to conclude their fun as night approaches.

Q3: Why do the children’s feet ache in the poem?
Ans: The children’s feet ache because they’ve been playing on "cold grass" until evening, as noted in "cold grass aches our feet." After running and moving for hours, the dropping temperature of the grass, typical as night falls, makes their bare or lightly shod feet feel the chill. This discomfort signals physical strain from prolonged activity and the cooling environment, marking the end of their playtime. It shows how nature’s changes—like the cold—impact their bodies, prompting them to stop and go home.

Q4: What is the significance of "Night wins" in the poem?
Ans: "Night wins!" signifies that night triumphs over the children’s playtime by bringing darkness and cold, forcing them to stop. The poet personifies night as a victorious force, suggesting it has the power to end the day’s activities. As the sky turns black and the grass cools, the children can no longer play, acknowledging night’s dominance. This line underscores the inevitable passage of time, where nature dictates when fun must cease, adding a poignant note to the poem about life’s natural rhythms.

Q5: How does the poet use personification in the poem?
Ans: The poet uses personification to give human traits to nature, enhancing the poem’s imagery. In "Night wins!" night is portrayed as a winner, actively overcoming the children’s playtime. Similarly, "trees creep close" suggests trees move like living beings, closing in as darkness falls. These examples make nature an active participant, not just a backdrop, emphasizing its role in ending the game. Personification vividifies the scene, making the transition to night feel dynamic and impactful, as if nature itself decides the children’s fate.

Q6: Why do the children keep playing despite being out of breath?
Ans: The children keep playing despite being out of breath because their excitement outweighs their exhaustion. "I can’t even catch my breath" shows they’ve run so fast they’re winded, yet they don’t stop. This reflects their love for the game and the carefree joy of childhood, where fun trumps discomfort. Their persistence highlights a youthful spirit, driven by the thrill of play rather than a need to rest, capturing how passion can push physical limits in moments of pure enjoyment.

Q7: What lesson can be learned from the children’s attitude toward playing?
Ans: The children’s attitude—playing tirelessly until night ends it—teaches the value of living in the moment. Despite exhaustion ("I can’t even catch my breath") and aching feet, they persist, showing that joy and engagement matter more than fatigue. This reflects a lesson in resilience and prioritizing happiness over minor hardships. It suggests we should embrace opportunities for fun and activity fully, as time, symbolized by night’s arrival, will eventually intervene, reminding us to cherish fleeting experiences while they last.

Q8: What does the poet convey by describing the children’s playtime at dusk?
Ans: By setting the playtime at dusk, the poet conveys the fleeting nature of joy and youth. As the sky turns "blue dark to black," the children’s energetic play near the creek contrasts with the encroaching night, showing how even vibrant moments fade. Dusk represents a liminal time—full of life yet nearing its end—mirroring childhood’s brevity. The cold grass and closing trees signal nature’s gentle push to stop, suggesting that time limits all things, blending excitement with a tender reminder of life’s transience.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1: What do the terms "I can’t even catch my breath" and "trees creep close" signify in the poem?
Ans: In "The Winner," "I can’t even catch my breath" and "trees creep close" highlight the poem’s themes of energy and time’s passage. "I can’t even catch my breath" signifies the children’s intense exertion as they run and play near the creek. The line’s broken pattern—I can’t even catch my breath—mirrors their gasping, emphasizing how fast and hard they’ve been going. It shows their boundless enthusiasm, pushing past physical limits for the sake of fun. This breathless state captures the essence of childhood play, where joy drives them forward despite fatigue, reflecting their spirited determination.

In contrast, "trees creep close" signifies the end of this energy as evening deepens. The personification suggests trees appear to move nearer as light fades, an effect of dusk’s dimness. This symbolizes nature’s gradual takeover, signaling that playtime is nearing its close. The clue "it is evening time" explains why visibility drops, making the surroundings feel more intimate and slightly ominous. Together, these lines contrast the children’s vigor with nature’s quiet authority. While their breathlessness shows their immersion in the moment, the creeping trees mark time’s progression, hinting at the inevitable end. The poem thus blends the thrill of play with the subtle reminder that nature—through dusk and darkness—sets limits, weaving a narrative of fleeting joy against an unstoppable backdrop.

Q2: How does the poem convey the theme of the fleeting nature of time?
Ans: "The Winner" conveys the fleeting nature of time through vivid imagery and the interplay of play and nature’s progression. The children’s vigorous play near the creek, where they run until "I can’t even catch my breath," bursts with youthful energy, symbolizing life’s fleeting vitality. Yet, this intensity is short-lived, as time moves forward. The line "When blue dark turns to black" marks the sky’s shift from dusk to night, a natural clock showing how quickly daylight fades. This transition underscores that their play, however joyful, cannot last forever.

As evening deepens, "trees creep close," suggesting the environment closes in, a visual cue of time’s passage reducing visibility and space. The "cold grass aches our feet" adds a physical layer—exhaustion and chill signal the body’s limits aligning with nature’s shift. Finally, "Night wins!" personifies night as the ultimate arbiter, ending the game not by the children’s choice but by time’s decree. This progression—from breathless play to night’s triumph—mirrors how moments slip away despite our efforts to hold them. The poem’s structure, moving from activity to stillness, reinforces this theme, blending joy with inevitability. It teaches that time governs all, urging us to savor fleeting pleasures like the children’s play, which ends as naturally and surely as day turns to night.