NCERT Solutions - The Solitary Reaper

Q1: Sometimes we see something beautiful and striking, and we remember it for a long time afterward. Can you recollect this ever happening to you? If so, what was it? What do you remember about it now? Are the details of what you saw or the feelings you experienced at that time fresh in your mind? Think for a few minutes, then share your thoughts with the class.
Ans: A Classroom Activity. Use this time to describe briefly what you saw, how it made you feel then, and which details (colours, sounds, faces, weather, etc.) remain clear to you now. Try to explain why that experience stayed in your memory - for example, because it was rare, beautiful, or emotionally strong.

Q2:  Listen to one of William Wordsworth's poems that describes a memorable experience he had while out on a walk. (Your teacher will play a recording.) Listen to the poem at least twice.
Ans: Do it yourself. While listening, note the words, the mood of the music, and the feelings the voice creates; later share those impressions with your classmates.

Q3: Now Read the Poem.
See textbook on page 77.
Ans: Do it yourself.

Q4: Imagine that you are the poet, William Wordsworth. You continue on your walk, and when you reach home you tell a friend what you saw and felt. Which of the following best describes your experience? (Work in pairs, then have a class discussion.)
(a) "I was walking past some fields when I saw a young girl, a farm worker, harvesting grain by hand, with a sickle. She was so beautiful that I stood out of sight and watched her for a long time. I have never seen anyone more gorgeous! In fact, she reminded me of other beautiful experiences I've had-the song of the nightingale or the cuckoo, for instance. I'd certainly like to see her again!"
(b) "As I was standing on the hilltop just now, I heard a very sad and plaintive song. I looked down, and saw a young woman reaping grain, singing as she did so. She seemed very melancholy as she sang. But somehow her song brought great comfort and joy to me. In fact, I found it a very emotional experience. As I continued my walk along the hilltop, I also heard a nightingale and a cuckoo. But the young farm worker's song affected me most deeply, even though I couldn't understand the words."
(c) "Just now, as I was walking in the valley, I saw a young farm worker in die field. She was singing to herself as she worked. I was so affected by her singing that I stopped and listened. She had a beautiful voice, which seemed to fill the whole valley. The song was a sad one, and I couldn't understand the words. But its plaintive tone and melancholy sound touched me greatly, and, its beauty reminded me of the song of a nightingale or a cuckoo. After some time I walked up the hill, carrying the memory of the young woman's song with me."
Ans: The best answer is '(c)'. [A Classroom Activity]

Explanation: Option (c) best captures the calm, reflective tone of the poet's reaction - he listens quietly, is deeply moved by the melody, cannot understand the words but keeps the memory of the song as he walks on. It shows both the immediate impression and the lasting effect.

Q5: The poet could not understand the words of the song, yet he raised several possibilities about its theme. In the diagram below are some of these possibilities. Read the third stanza again, and find the phrase that matches each. Copy and complete the diagram, writing each phrase in the empty boxes. Work in pairs.

Ans:

Q6 A: On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice.

(a) The central idea of the poem 'The Solitary Reaper' is ________.
(i) well-sung songs give us happiness
(ii) melodious sounds appeal to all
(iii) beautiful experiences give us lifelong pleasure
(iv) reapers can sing like birds
Ans: (iii) beautiful experiences give us lifelong pleasure

Explanation: The poet emphasises how a single beautiful experience - the reaper's song - stays with him long after he leaves the scene. The memory of that experience gives him lasting pleasure, which makes (iii) the most suitable central idea.

(b) In the poem 'The Solitary Reaper' to whom does the poet say 'Stop here or gently pass?
(i) to the people cutting corn
(ii) to himself
(iii) to the people who make noise
(iv) to all the passersby
Ans : (iv) to all the passersby

Explanation: The poet addresses anyone passing by the vale, asking them either to stop and listen or to pass quietly so as not to disturb the singer. The instruction is meant for all passersby, not only for himself or the workers.

(c) 'The Solitary Reaper' is a narrative poem set to music. This form of verse is called a ______.
(i) ballad
(ii) soliloquy
(iii) monologue
(iv) sonnet
Ans: (i) ballad

Explanation: A ballad is a narrative poem often having a musical quality. Because 'The Solitary Reaper' tells of an event and emphasises a sung melody, it fits the ballad-like form better than the other options.

(d) The poet's lament in the poem 'The Solitary Reaper' is that ______.
(i) he cannot understand the song
(ii) he did not know the lass
(iii) she stopped singing at once
(iv) he had to move away
Ans: (iv) he had to move away

Explanation: The poet regrets having to leave the spot; although he longs to hear more, he must move on. That sense of loss at leaving the song is his real lament.

(e) Why does the poet feel that the reaper was most likely singing sorrowful songs?
(i) The poet himself was sad
(ii) The tune was melancholic
(iii) The surrounding was dismal
(iv) The reaper was weeping
Ans. (ii) The tune was melancholic

Explanation: Although he could not understand the words, the poet perceives sorrow in the tone and cadence of the song. The plaintive quality of the melody suggests a sad theme, so (ii) is correct.

Q6 B: Read the given stanzas and answer the questions given below by selecting the correct option.
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

1. The exclamation mark used in O listen! suggests
A. a call for attention.
B. a request to listen.
C. a sense of wonder.
D. a warning to alert.
Ans. A. a call for attention.

Explanation: The exclamation mark adds urgency and energy to the poet's appeal; he calls aloud to draw attention to the song that fills the vale.

2. Select the option that illustrates the task done by "she".

A. Option (1)
B. Option (2)
C. Option (3)
D. Option (4)
Ans: B. Option (2)

Explanation: The lines describe cutting and binding grain and singing as she works; Option (2) matches those actions.

3. Select the option that displays lines with the same rhyme scheme as that of the given stanza.
A. Clear sky, no clouds high up
The farmer looks and sighs
No monsoons yet, God why?
It will rain, it must.

B. The farmer looks at the sky
Thankful for the monsoon days
I am sure it's going to rain, he says
Thankful for the clouds up so high

C. Are any clouds visible?
No, none that I see.
How unfortunate, poor me.
Faith is my only reprieve.

D. The farmer looks at the sky
Thankful for the clouds up so high.
I am sure it's going to rain, he says
Thankful for the monsoon days.

Ans. D. The farmer looks at the sky
Thankful for the clouds up so high.
I am sure it's going to rain, he says
Thankful for the monsoon days.

Explanation: The given stanza uses an ABAB rhyme pattern where lines 1 and 3 rhyme and lines 2 and 4 rhyme. Option D follows the same rhyme pattern and rhythm.

Q7: Answer in detail
(a) Do you think that the poet feels overwhelmed by the song of the Solitary Reaper? Why/Why not?
Ans: Yes. The poet is deeply moved by the reaper's song. He stops silently to listen, is held by the music, and carries the memory of the song with him as he climbs the hill. His repeated thought of the melody shows that it affected him strongly and left a lasting impression.

Q8: (a) Read the second stanza again, in which Wordsworth compares the solitary reaper's song with the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo. On the basis of your reading (and your imagination), copy and complete the table below. (Work in groups of four, then have a brief class discussion).

Ans:

(b) Why do you think Wordsworth has chosen the song of the Nightingale and the Cuckoo for comparison with the solitary reaper's song?
Ans: Wordsworth chooses the nightingale and the cuckoo because both birds are traditionally associated with beautiful, memorable songs. By comparing the reaper's voice to these famous bird-songs, he emphasises how natural, sweet and striking her melody is; it places her singing among sounds that listeners everywhere recognise and admire.

(c) As you read the second stanza, what pictures come to your mind? Be ready to describe them in your own words to the rest of the class. (Do not be afraid to go beyond what the poet has written.)
Ans: One picture is of weary travellers crossing a hot, dry stretch of land. They are exhausted and thirsty; suddenly, a clear, gentle song - like a nightingale's - rises and refreshes their minds, giving them strength to move on. 
Another image is of a quiet Hebridean coast where sailors lie in the calm after anchoring; a lone, clear voice, like a cuckoo's call, breaks the silence and fills the hills and sea with its melody, lifting the spirits of all who hear it.

Q9: In the sixth line of the first stanza, we read:
"... and sings a melancholy strain.... "
This "s" sound at the beginning of sings and strain has been repeated. Poets often do this.
Do you know why? Do you know what this "poetic repetition" is called? Can you find other instances of this, in The Solitary Reaper?
Ans: The repetition of the initial consonant sound is called alliteration. It gives the lines a musical quality and helps to imitate sounds or feelings. Examples from the poem include the repeated "s" in "sings" and "strain" and in phrases like "silence of the seas," the repeated "a" sound in "Among Arabian sands," and the repeated "l" sound in "Listened, motionless, and still." Alliteration adds to the poem's melody and vividness.

Q10: In the first stanza, some words or phrases have been used to show that the girl working in the fields is alone. Which are those words and phrases? What effect do they create in the mind of the reader?
Ans: Words and phrases that stress her solitude include: 
"single in the field" 
"Yon solitary Highland lass" 
"Reaping and singing by herself" 
 "Alone she cuts." 
These expressions focus attention entirely on the lone reaper, creating a sense of quiet and mystery. The solitude makes her song seem more intimate and moving, and it heightens the reader's interest in her and in the voice that fills the valley.

Q11: Wordsworth was so moved by this experience that later he wrote this poem. Think back in your own life and try to recall an experience that affected you greatly and left a deep impact on you. Then write a poem for your school magazine in which you describe that experience and its impact.
Ans: For self-attempt. Compose your poem using simple language; describe the scene, the feelings it gave you, and how that experience has stayed with you. Share it with your classmates or submit it to the school magazine.