Extract: It is in the news that all these pitiful kin Are to be bought out and mercifully gathered in To live in villages, next to the theatre and the store, Where they won't have to think for themselves anymore, While greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey, Swarm over their lives enforcing benefits That are calculated to soothe them out of their wits, And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep all day Destroy their sleeping at night the ancient way.
(i) The expression "It is in the news" suggests (a) it is good news for the roadside stand owners. (b) an important decision has been taken by the government. (c) the roadside stand owners have protested against the government. (d) that the news was not there in the newspaper.
Solution:
Ans: (B) an important decision has been taken by the government. The phrase "It is in the news" refers to a significant government decision to relocate rural people, not good news, protests, or absence in newspapers.
(ii) Read the Assertion and the Reason below, with reference to the given extract. Assertion: The poet complains that the rural people are exploited by the people in power. Reason: The rural people reposed blind faith in the false promises of the people in power. Choose the correct option regarding their relationship: (a) Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, and the Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion. (b) Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion. (c) The Assertion is true, but the Reason is false. (d) The Assertion is false, but the Reason is true.
Solution:
Ans: (b) Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion. The poet criticizes the exploitation of rural people by powerful "greedy good-doers," and rural people's blind faith in promises is evident, but their faith is not the primary reason for the exploitation described.
(iii) Complete the following suitably: In the line "that are calculated to soothe them out of their wits", the phrase "soothe them out of their wits" refers to ________.
Solution:
Ans: In the line "that are calculated to soothe them out of their wits", the phrase "soothe them out of their wits" refers to manipulating rural people into a state of mental passivity or confusion.
(iv) Bring out the irony in the expression "they won't have to think for themselves".
Solution:
Ans: The irony in "they won't have to think for themselves" lies in the portrayal of relocation as a benefit, when it actually strips rural people of autonomy, enforcing dependency under the guise of care.
(v) Select the correct option from those given in brackets, to fill in the blank: The poet uses the expression "greedy good-doers" to ________ (criticize/appreciate) the intention of the powerful people.
Solution:
Ans: criticize The phrase "greedy good-doers" mocks the self-serving motives of powerful people who pretend to help but exploit, indicating criticism, not appreciation.
(vi) Complete the following suitably: The tone of the poet in the above extract is ________.
Solution:
Ans: The tone of the poet in the above extract is satirical and critical, mocking the exploitative actions of the powerful under the guise of benevolence.
Short Answer Questions (40-50 words)
Q1: Comment on the contrast brought out in the poem "A Roadside Stand".
Solution:
Ans: The poem contrasts the rural poor's simple hopes at their roadside stand with the city dwellers' indifference and the exploitative schemes of "greedy good-doers," highlighting the divide between rural struggles and urban insensitivity or manipulative interventions.
Q2: What is Robert Frost's complaint in "A Roadside Stand"?
Solution:
Ans: Frost complains about the exploitation of rural folk by urban elites and authorities, who ignore their roadside stands' plea for economic support and impose manipulative "benefits" that disrupt their lives, as seen in the poem's satirical tone.
Q3: How does the poet highlight the mean and selfish nature of the city dwellers?
Solution:
Ans: Frost highlights city dwellers' selfishness through their indifference to the roadside stand, speeding past without stopping to buy, ignoring the rural folk's economic plight, and treating their stand as a mere obstruction, revealing their lack of empathy.
Q4: What is the complaint of the country folk against the 'party in power'?
Solution:
Ans: The country folk complain that the 'party in power' makes false promises of progress, planning to relocate them under the guise of help, which strips their autonomy and exploits their trust, as seen in the poem's critical portrayal.
Q5: How do the expressions "polished grief" and a stand that "pathetically pled" depict the contrasting worlds that co-exist in the poem "A Roadside Stand"?
Solution:
Ans: "Polished grief" depicts the city dwellers' superficial, detached sympathy, masking their indifference, while the stand that "pathetically pled" reflects the rural folk's desperate, sincere plea for economic survival, highlighting the contrasting worlds of urban insensitivity and rural vulnerability.
The document Previous Year Questions: Poem - A Roadside Stand is a part of Class 10 category.
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