LearnEase9-10

NCERT solutions for Poem 10, "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal," by William Wordsworth, from the Beehive textbook for Class 9. **Thinking about the Poem** **1. “A slumber did my spirit seal” – What does this line mean? Why was the poet’s spirit ‘sealed’?** **Answer:** * **Meaning:** This line means that a deep sleep-like state (a slumber) had closed off or numbed the poet's spirit (his soul or consciousness). It implies a state of unawareness or a lack of true perception regarding the realities of life and death. * **Why his spirit was 'sealed':** The poet's spirit was 'sealed' because he was in a state of blissful ignorance or illusion about his beloved. He did not consider the possibility that she, like all mortals, was subject to death and the passage of time. He perceived her as an immortal being, untouched by earthly realities, and this illusion acted like a "slumber" that sealed his spirit from the harsh truth. He "had no human fea...

NCERT solutions for Poem 9, "The Snake Trying," by W.W.E. Ross, from the Beehive textbook for Class 9. **Thinking about the Poem** **I.** **1. What is the snake trying to escape from?** **Answer:** The snake is trying to escape from the "pursuing stick," which represents a person (likely with a stick) trying to hit or kill it. **2. Is it a harmful snake? What is its colour?** **Answer:** * No, it is not a harmful snake. The poet explicitly states, "O let him go / over the water / into the reeds to hide / **without hurt. Small and green / he is harmless even to children**." * Its colour is **green**. **3. The poet finds the snake beautiful. Find the words he uses to convey its beauty.** **Answer:** The words and phrases the poet uses to convey the snake's beauty are:     * "beautiful"     * "graceful"     * "glides"     * "thin long body"     * "curvings of thin long body" (suggesting elega...

NCERT solutions for Poem 8, "On Killing a Tree," by Gieve Patel, from the Beehive textbook for Class 9. **Thinking about the Poem** **1. Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?** **Answer:** No, a "simple jab of the knife" cannot kill a tree. This is because a tree is deeply rooted in the earth and has grown strong over many years by absorbing sunlight, air, and water. A simple jab might injure it or cause some sap to "bleed," but the tree has a strong healing power. Its roots, which are its source of life and anchor, remain unharmed by such a superficial wound. The tree will heal from this "bleeding bark" and continue to live. **2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.** **Answer:** The tree has grown to its full size by:     * **Consuming the earth:** Drawing nutrients from the soil.     * **Rising out of it:** Growing upwards from the earth.     * **Feeding upon its cru...

NCERT solutions for Poem 7, "The Duck and the Kangaroo," by Edward Lear, from the Beehive textbook for Class 9. **Thinking about the Poem** **I.**u **1. How did the Kangaroo react to the Duck’s request? Was he ready to take the Duck on a trip? What were his objections?** **Answer:** The Kangaroo reacted thoughtfully to the Duck's request. He said he would need some reflection, as the idea, while seemingly bringing him luck, also had some objections. Yes, he was conditionally ready to take the Duck on a trip. His main objections were:     * **The Duck’s wet and cold feet:** The Kangaroo was concerned that the Duck's "unpleasantly wet and cold" feet would make him (the Kangaroo) sick with "roo-Matiz" (rheumatism). **2. How did the Duck prepare for the journey on the Kangaroo’s back?** **Answer:** The Duck was very considerate and prepared meticulously for the journey to address the Kangaroo's concerns:     * **Bought worsted socks:** She boug...

NCERT solutions for Poem 6, "No Men Are Foreign," by James Kirkup, from the Beehive textbook for Class 9. **Thinking about the Poem** **I.** **1. (i) “Beneath all uniforms…” What uniforms do you think the poet is speaking about?**     **(ii) How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?** **Answer:** **(i)** The poet is speaking about the uniforms worn by soldiers of different countries. These uniforms often represent different nationalities, armies, or factions and can create a superficial sense of difference. By extension, "uniforms" can also symbolize any external differences like culture, language, or societal attire that distinguish groups of people. **(ii) The poet suggests that all people on earth are the same in several ways:**     * **A single body breathes:** Beneath all external appearances (uniforms), every human being has the same living, breathing body.     * **The land is the same everywhere:** The land our "brothers" ...

Poem 5:A Legend of the Northland **Thinking about the Poem** **I.** **1. Which country or countries do you think “the Northland” refers to?** **Answer:** "The Northland" likely refers to very cold countries in the northernmost parts of the Earth, near the North Pole. These could include regions like Greenland, Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland), the northern parts of Russia, or Canada. The clues in the poem like "where the hours of the day are few, / And the nights are so long in winter," "they harness the swift reindeer / To the sledges," and children looking "like bear’s cubs / In their funny, furry clothes" all point to such extremely cold regions. **2. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady’s reaction?** **Answer:** Saint Peter, feeling faint from fasting, asked the old lady for a single cake from her store of cakes. The lady’s reaction was extremely selfish and greedy.     * She made a small cake, but it seemed too...

Poem 4: The Lake Isle of Innisfree** By William Butler Yeats **Thinking about the Poem** **I.** 1. **What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:**     * **(i) the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I).**         * **Answer:** The three things the poet wants to do when he goes back to Innisfree are:             1. Build a small cabin of clay and wattles.             2. Have nine bean-rows.             3. Have a hive for the honeybee.     * **(ii) what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II).**         * **Answer:** He hears the bee-loud glade (the buzzing of bees). He sees peace dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings. He sees midnight all a glimmer, noon a purple glow, and evening full of the linnet's wings. These sights and sounds bring him a feeling ...

Poem 3: Rain on the Roof** By Coates Kinney **Thinking about the Poem** **I.** 1. **What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in class.**     * **(i) humid shadows**         * **Answer:** "Humid shadows" refer to the dark, moisture-laden clouds that are full of rain. The "shadows" represent the darkness brought by these clouds before it rains.     * **(ii) starry spheres**         * **Answer:** "Starry spheres" refer to the night sky which is full of stars. It represents the vast expanse of the sky where stars are located.     * **(iii) what a bliss**         * **Answer:** "What a bliss" means what a great joy or happiness. It expresses a feeling of immense pleasure and contentment.     * **(iv) a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start**         * **Answer:** This phrase means that numerous imaginative thoughts and fantasies begin to co...

Poem 2: Wind** By Subramania Bharati **Thinking about the Poem** **I.** 1. **What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?**     * **Answer:** In the first stanza, the wind does the following things:         * It breaks the shutters of the windows.         * It scatters the papers.         * It throws down the books on the shelf.         * It tears the pages of the books.         * It brings rain again. 2. **Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? (Give words in your language if you know them.)**     * **Answer:** (This question requires a personal response based on the student's experience and language.)         * *Example Answer:* Yes, I have seen people winnowing grain in villages. In my language (e.g., Hindi), the...

Poem 1: The Road Not Taken** By Robert Frost **Thinking about the Poem** **I.** 1. **Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?**     * **Answer:** The traveller finds himself at a point in a yellow wood where two roads diverge (split into two different directions). The problem he faces is that he cannot travel both roads and has to choose one of them. 2. **Discuss what these phrases mean to you.**     * **(i) a yellow wood**         * **Answer:** "A yellow wood" suggests an autumn forest where the leaves have turned yellow. It can also symbolize a period in life filled with choices or uncertainties, perhaps later in life or a time of maturity.     * **(ii) it was grassy and wanted wear**         * **Answer:** This phrase means the road was covered with grass and looked as if it hadn't been used much or by many people. It seemed to be "wanting" or inviting people to walk on it. ...

Chapter 11 in "Beehive" is **"If I Were You"** by Douglas James (a play). Chapter 11: If I Were You** **Thinking about the Text** **I. Answer these questions.** 1. **“At last a sympathetic audience.”**     * **(i) Who says this?**         * **Answer:** Gerrard says this.     * **(ii) Why does he say it?**         * **Answer:** He says it because the Intruder seems interested in listening to his personal story or "melodrama," unlike most people who might not be. He says it sarcastically.     * **(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?**         * **Answer:** He is sarcastic. 2. **Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?**     * **Answer:** The intruder chooses Gerrard because Gerrard is of a similar build to him, lives alone, seems a bit mysterious (doesn't meet many tradespeople, comes and goes suddenly), and has a car, which would be u...

Chapter 10 in "Beehive" is the poem **"Kathmandu"** (an extract from "Heaven Lake" by Vikram Seth). (Correction: "Kathmandu" is a prose chapter. The poem often associated with this unit is "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal". Let's proceed with the prose chapter "Kathmandu".) Chapter 10: Kathmandu** **Thinking about the Text** **I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences.** 1. **Name the two temples the author visited in Kathmandu.**     * **Answer:** The author visited the Pashupatinath temple and the Baudhnath stupa in Kathmandu. 2. **The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca Cola.” What does ‘all this’ refer to?**     * **Answer:** ‘All this’ refers to the lunch the author had, which consisted of a bar of marzipan and a corn-on-the-cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on the pavement, rubbed with salt, chilli powder, and lemon. 3. **What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine?**     * **Ans...

Chapter 9 in "Beehive" is the poem **"The Bond of Love"** by Kenneth Anderson. (Correction: "The Bond of Love" is a prose chapter. The poem associated with this section of the book, often placed before or after this chapter, would be "The Snake Trying". Let's proceed with the prose chapter "The Bond of Love" as NCERT Ch 9 in Beehive.) Chapter 9: The Bond of Love** **Thinking about the Text** **I. Given in the box are some headings. Find the relevant paragraphs in the text to match the headings.** * An Accidental formulaire * Playful Baba * Pain of Separation * Joy of Reunion * A Request to the Zoo * An Island in the Courtyard **Answer (Matching headings with paragraph themes/numbers - approximate paragraph grouping):** 1. **An Accidental formulaire:** This refers to how Bruno (Baba) was found. (Paragraphs 1-3) 2. **Playful Baba:** Describes Bruno's playful activities and habits. (Paragraphs 4-8, and parts of later ...

Chapter 8 in "Beehive" is **"Reach for the Top"**. This chapter has two parts: * **Part I: Santosh Yadav** * **Part II: Maria Sharapova** Chapter 8: Reach for the Top **Part I: Santosh Yadav** **Thinking about the Text** **I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each (the paragraph numbers within brackets tell you where to look for the answers).** 1. **Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised? (1)**     * **Answer:** The ‘holy man’ was surprised because Santosh's grandmother told him that they did not want a son, but a daughter, which was unusual in that society. 2. **Give an example to show that even as a young girl Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. (2)**     * **Answer:** Even as a young girl, Santosh preferred to wear shorts when other girls in her village wore traditional Indian dresses, showing she was not ready to accept unreasonable customs. 3. **Why did Santosh leave home for Delhi...