NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English - The Seven Ages

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS (SOLVED)

Q1. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice

(a) All the world’s a stage is an extended metaphor for________.
(i) the life shown in well-known plays.
(ii) seeing the well-known plays.
(iii) life of well-known actors.
(iv) life of a man that comes to an end.

Ans : (iv) life of man that comes to an end.

All the world’s a stage is an extended metaphor for the life of a man that comes to an end (iv). It compares life to a theatrical performance where individuals act out roles before exiting (dying).

(b) All ‘have their exits and their entrances’. Exits and entrances refer to __________.
(i) death and birth
(ii) beginning and end of the play
(iii) coming and going of actors
(iv) the end of the Shakespearean era

Ans : (i) death and birth

Exits and entrances symbolize death and birth (i), portraying the cyclical nature of human life.

(c) The seven roles that a man plays correspond to his __________.
(i) chronological age in life
(ii) desires
(iii) mental age in life
(iv) idea of a perfect life

Ans : (i) chronological age in life

The seven roles represent the chronological age in life (i), mapping out the physical and mental evolution from infancy to old age.

Q2. Having read this extract, identify the stages of a person’s life as Shakespeare has done. Write down these stages in your notebook, and sum up the characteristics of each stage in two or three words. e.g.

Ans :

Q3. Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct option.

(a) All the world’s a stage
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

1. And one man in his time plays many parts……
Replace the underlined word with the correct option which has the same meaning as used in the given lines.
A. scenes
B. roles
C. jobs.
D. tasks.
Ans. B. roles

"Plays many parts" means roles (B), indicating life’s different phases.

2. The word ‘merely’ reveals that the poet regards/views human life as ________.
A. impressive
B. inconsequential
C. magnificent
D. uninspiring
Ans. D. uninspiring

"Merely" implies that life is uninspiring (D), trivializing human existence.

3. Pick the option that does not match with the poetic device used in the phrase ‘All the world’s a stage’.
A. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
B. The lightning was fireworks in the sky.
C. Heavy is the heart that wears the crown.
D. The movie was a roller coaster ride of emotions.
Ans. A. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

The phrase "All the world’s a stage" uses a metaphor, but A ("A thing of beauty...") does not match as it lacks this figurative comparison.

(b) The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound.

1. The tone of the poet in line
‘His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank’
is largely
A. nostalgic
B. humorous
C. pessimistic
D. regretful
Ans. A. nostalgic

The tone in the line about old age is nostalgic (A), reflecting on lost youth.

2. Select the option that displays the changes that very old age witnesses.
i. Round belly
ii. Full of wisdom
iii. Loss of vigour
iv. Lean & bony
v Hoarse voice

A. i, iii, iv
B. ii, iii, v
C. ii, iii, iv
D. iii, iv, v
Ans. D. iii, iv, v 

Changes in very old age are loss of vigor, lean and bony physique, and childlike voice: iii, iv, v (D).

Q4. You already know the two literary devices generally used by writers and poets for comparison, i.e. metaphor and simile.
e.g. a) He was a lion in the battle. (metaphor)
b) He fought like a lion. (simile)

In (a) the writer talks of the soldier in terms of a lion. The comparison is implied. In (b) the writer compares the soldier to a lion with the use of the word like, (as may also be used for such comparisons).
Read the poem again and note down the metaphors and similes. Complete the following chart.

Ans. 

Q5. In this poem, life is being compared to a play. Just as in a play, a man acts many parts, so also in life, a man plays many roles. Can you think of some other comparison for life? (For example, life could be compared with the seasons in nature, the days of the week, the lessons in a school day.) Select one of these comparisons (or choose one of your own), and write about the similarities that life has with it. (80-100 words)