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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 12 Snake are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 12 Snake.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 12 Snake

TEXTUAL EXERCISES
(Pages 124, 127)

Question 1.
Snakes generate both horror and fascination. Do you agree ? Why ? Why not ?
Answer:
I agree with the statement that snakes generate both unmentionable horror and fascination for the first time. They generate horror (of death) because they are poisonous. A single bite could result in a painful death.

They cause fascination because they are lovely to look at because of the colours and designs on their bodies. The design of a paw on the hood of cobra adds beauty to it. The patterned circles, squares or chequered designs add beauty to pythons. In fact, all species i have beautiful patterns on their bodies. But they cause a sense of revulsion and fear at their vileness in our hearts.

Question 2.
Read what W.W.E. Ross feels when he sees a snake and fill in the table given below :

The Snake Trying

The snake trying
to escape the pursuing stick,
with sudden curvings of thin
long body. How beautiful
and graceful are his shapes !
He glides through the water away
from the stroke. O let him go
over the water
into the reeds to hide
without hurt. Small and green
he is harmless even to children.
Along the sand
he lay until observed
and chased away, and now
he vanishes in the ripples
among the green slim reeds.

Answer:

(а) The snake is trying to escape the sticks of the onlookers. It glides through the water to escape these.

(b) Curvings of thin long body, beautiful, graceful are his shapes, glides through, small and green, vanishes in the ripples among the green slim reeds.

(c) The poet’s plea is not to kill the snake because it is a beautiful and graceful creature. It is harmless to all. So it is not good to kill it.

Question 3.
Given below is the summary of the poem Snake in short paragraphs. However they are jumbled. Work in pairs and put the summary into a logical sequence.

(a) After drinking water to satisfaction, the snake raised his head dreamily and flickered his forked tongue and licked his lips. The snake looked around like a God and then slowly proceeded to curve round and move away from the water trough.

(b) The poet felt much like the ancient mariner who had killed the albatross for no reason. He wishes that the snake would come back. He thinks of the snake as a king in exile who has to be crowned again. He also regrets having missed his opportunity of knowing and understanding one of the lords of life.

(c) As the snake put his head into the hole to retreat into the earth, the poet was filled with a protest against the idea of the snake withdrawing into his hole. The poet put down his pitcher, picked up a log and hurled it at the snake. The snake twisted violently and with great alacrity vanished into the hole in the wall.

(d) A snake visited the poet’s water trough on a hot afternoon to quench his thirst. The poet who had also gone to the trough to fill water in a pitcher waited for the snake since he had come at the trough prior to the poet.

(e) The voices of education inside the poet tell him that it was the fear for the snake that made him refrain from killing him. However, the poet feels that though he was quite afraid of the snake, he did actually feel honoured that a snake had come to seek his hospitality from the deep recesses of the earth.

(f) He is guilt-ridden. He feels that he has to atone for the meanness of his action of throwing a log at the snake.

(g) The snake rested his throat upon the stone bottom and sipped the water into his slack long body. After drinking water, he raised his head just like cattle do and flashed his forked tongue, thought for a moment and then bent down to drink some more water.

(h) Education and social conventions make the poet think that the golden brown poisonous snake must be killed and that as a brave man he must undertake the task of killing the snake.

(i) The poet instantly felt sorry for his unrefined and contemptible act and cursed the voices of education and civilization that had shaped his thought processes and urged him to kill the snake.

(j) However, the poet instinctively likes the snake, treats him like a guest and feels honoured that it had come to drink at his water trough. The poet questions himself and wonders whether his not daring to kill the snake proved that he was a coward and whether his desire to talk to the snake reflected his perversity.

Answer:

The logical sequence will be :

(d) →
(g) →
(a) →
(h) →
(e) →
(j) →
(c) →
(f) →
(i) →
(b) →

Question 4.
Based on your reading of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct options:

1. ‘he lifted his head from his drinking as cattle do’—The poet wants to convey that the snake

(a) is domesticated
(b) is innocent
(c) is as harmless as cattle
(d) drinks water just like cattle

2. ‘Sicilian July’, ‘Etna smoking’ and ‘burning bowels of the earth’ are images that convey that

(a) there are snakes in volcanic areas
(b) the poet lived in a hot area
(c) it was a really hot day when the snake came
(d) Sicilian snakes are dangerous

3. ‘A sort of horror, a sort of protest overcame me’—The poet is filled with protest because

(a) he doesn’t want to let the snake remain alive
(b) he fears the snake
(c) he doesn’t want the snake to recede into darkness
(d) he wants to kill it so that it doesn’t return

4. In the line ‘And as he slowly drew up, snake-easing his shoulders, and entered farther the phrase ‘snake-easing his shoulders’ means

(a) loosening its shoulders
(b) slipping in with majestic grace
(c) moving slowly
(d) moving fast

5. ‘He seemed to me like a king in exile …’ The poet refers to the snake as such to emphasize that the snake

(а) is like a king enduring banishment
(b) is like a king due to be crowned
(c) is a majestic king who came for a while on earth
(d) is a majestic creature forced to go into exile by man

6. ‘I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act’— The poet is referring to

(а) the snake going into the dreadful hole
(b) the accursed modern education
(c) the act of throwing a log of wood at the snake
(d) the act of killing the snake

Answer:

1. → (d) drinks water just like cattle
2. → (c) it was a really hot day when the snake came
3. → (c) he doesn’t want the snake to recede into darkness
4. → (b) slipping in with majestic grace
5. → (d) is a majestic creature forced to go into exile by man
6. → (c) the act of throwing a log of wood at the snake

Question 5.
Answer the following questions briefly :

(a) Why does the poet decide to stand and wait till the snake has finished drinking ? What does this tell you about the poet ? (Notice that he uses ‘someone’ instead of ‘something’ for the snake.) (V. Imp.)

(b) In stanza 2 and 3, the poet gives a vivid description of the snake by using suggestive expressions. What picture of the snake do you form on the basis of this description ?

(c) How does the poet describe the day and the atmosphere when he saw the snake ? (CBSE 2012) (V. Imp.)

(d) What does the poet want to convey by saying that the snake emerges from the ‘burning bowels of the earth’ ?

(e) Do you think the snake was conscious of the poet’s presence ? How do you know ?

(f) How do we know that the snake’s thirst was satiated ? Pick out the expressions that convey this.

(g) The poet has a dual attitude towards the snake. Why does he experience conflicting emotions on seeing the snake ? (V. Imp.) (CBSE 2016)

(h) The poet is filled with horror and protest when the snake prepares to retreat and bury itself in the “horrid black’, ‘dreadful’ hole. In the light of this statement, bring out the irony of his act of throwing a log at the snake. (V. Imp.)

(i) The poet seems to be full of admiration and respect for the snake. He almost regards him like a majestic god. Pick out at least four expressions from the poem that reflect these emotions.

(j) What is the difference between the snake’s movement at the beginning of the poem and later when the poet strikes it with a log of wood ? You may use relevant vocabulary from the poem to highlight the difference.

(k) The poet experiences feelings of self-derision, guilt and regret after hitting the snake. Pick out expressions that suggest this. Why does he feel like this ?

(l) You have already read Coleridge’s poem The Ancient Mariner in which an albatross is killed by the mariner. Why does the poet make an allusion to the albatross ?

(m) T have something to expiate’-Explain. (V. Imp.)

Answer:

(a) The poet decides to stand and wait till the snake has finished drinking because he looks at it as a guest. Secondly, the poet came there after the snake had come. So he must wait on that count. This shows that the poet is understanding, civilized and well-mannered.

(b) From the suggestive expressions in stanzas 2 and 3, the picture emerges very beautiful and clear. The poet is in pyjamas and has his pitcher. The snake has trailed its yellow-brown slack body over the edge of the trough. Resting its throat it is sipping water softly and silently.

(c) The poet describes the day and atmosphere hot. It is clear in the usage of words and phrases like : ‘On a hot, hot day’, ‘in the deep, strange scented shade …’, ‘burning bowels of the earth’, ‘day of Sicilian July, when Etna smoking’.

(d) By this the poet wants to convey that there is intense heat inside the hole of the earth as it is burning.

(e) I think the snake was not conscious of the poet’s presence. If it was, it couldn’t have behaved majestically and as if it were in a dream. It looked around like a god but not at the poet, though it looked in the direction where the poet stood.

(f) The snake’s thirst was satiated as it looked dreamily after drinking the water. The expressions are : ‘And flickered his two-forked tongue’, ‘mused a moment’, ‘He drank enough’, ‘And lifted his head, dreamily’.

(g) The poet has a dual attitude towards the snake. It is because he is governed by human instinct and rational thought (called voice of human education). One, natural human instinct makes him appreciate the snake and love animals. Second, the rational thought says that snakes are poisonous. So they must be killed.

(h) The irony is that the snake itself is withdrawing. It means there is no need of the poet’s throwing a log on the snake. But he does it which is later regretted by him.

(i) The expressions are : ‘And flickered his two-forked tongue/from his lips’, ‘and mused a moment’, ‘But must I confess I liked him’, ‘How glad I was …’, ‘like a guest in quiet’, ‘I stared with fascination’, ‘Like a king in exile’.

(j) At the beginning the snake is thirsty. It draws its slack body over the edge of the water-trough leisurely and slowly. But when the poet strikes a log at it, it ‘convulses and writhes’ like lightning.

(k) The expressions are : ‘A sort of horror, a sort of protest’, ‘I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!’, ‘I despised myself, ‘to expiate’, ‘A Pettiness’.

(l) The poet makes an allusion to the albatross because no one wanted that the albatross should be killed by the Ancient Mariner. However, later it was called a right thing.

The mariners wanted it to come to them as it had brought wind to steer the ship clear from the ice. Like this, the poet in ‘Snake’ wants the snake back to accept his hospitality like an honoured guest.

(m) It means that the poet has something to regret for ever. This is that he shouldn’t ; have thrown a log to kill the snake.

Question 6.
The encounter with the snake and the dual response of the poet to his presence at the water trough reflect a conflict between civilized social education and natural human instincts. The poet writes a diary entry highlighting how he was torn between the two voices. Write his diary.

Answer:

Monday, 18th July, 20 – 9 pm

I can’t forget the hot day when I saw an earth-brown snake come to my water trough to drink water. It trailed its yellow-brown slack and soft body over the edge of the stone trough. Then it drank water like the cattle do. It looked majestically all around like a god. It flickered its two-forked tongue and mused for a moment. Instinctively, I felt I charmed by it.

But the voice of civilised social education made me feel that such snakes are poisonous and they must be killed. So I threw a log at the snake. The snake had by then proceeded to enter the hole. The remaining part of its body convulsed and writhed like lightning at the noise at my doing so. In a moment, the snake was gone. But after this act, I felt a sense of guilt. A deep conflict rose between my natural human instincts and civilized social education. I wondered what was this all; cowardice, perversity, wish to talk to the snake or humility ? Then I felt it very bad that I should have intended to kill the snake. It was an honoured guest and an uncrowned king living into the bowels of the earth. It had accepted my hospitality. So as a host I must not have thrown the log at it. But I did and I shall regret it throughout my life !

D.H. Lawrence

Question 7.
Alliteration is the repetition of sounds in words, usually the first sound. Sibilance is
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
To what effect has the poet used these devices ? How has it added to your understanding of the subject of the poem ? You may record your understanding of snake characteristics under the following headings :

(a) Sound
(b) Movement
(c) Shape

Answer:

By using alliteration, sibilance and onomatopoeia D. H. Lawrence has succeeded in creating a kind of visual and sensory effect on us. In line ‘And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down’, we feel the onomatopoeiac effect in ‘trailed’, ‘slackness’, and ‘soft-bellied down’. We almost hear both the sound and the movement of the snake. Equally in line ‘And flickered his two-forked tongue’, |f| sound (sibilance) and onomatopoeiac effect in ‘flickered’ lend a visual and sensory movement to the snake.

In line ‘Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body/Silently’, the |s| sound conveys the snake’s feature of its long body. Obviously, these lines give out the effect of the physical feature of the snake through sibilance. In doing so, the poet has succeeded in making us understand the snake through the sound, movement a d shape. Another example of onomatopoeic word ‘slowly’ and |s| sound indicating the use of sibilance, conveys this effect: ‘And slowly turned his head,/And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice a dream’.

Question 8.
The poet has also used both repetition and similes in the poem. For example—‘must wait, must stand and wait’ (repetition) and ‘looked at me vaguely as cattle do’ (simile).
Pick out examples of both and make a list of them in your notebooks. Give reasons why the poet uses these literary devices.

Answer:

The following are the lines chosen from the poem showing repetition of sounds :

Alliteration

Similes

1. as drinking/cattle do
2. And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken.
3. And looked around like a god
4. And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice a dream.

Note : Students themselves can find out more similes by seeing comparison between two things where as or like have been used.

Question 9.
A calligram is a poem, phrase, or word in which the handwriting is arranged in a way that creates a visual image. The image created by the words expresses visually what the word, or words, say. In a poem, it manifests visually the theme presented by the text of the poem. Read the poem given below. Try to compose a calligram. You could pick a subject of your choice.
Answer:
For self-attempt by students.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 6 Virtually True are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 6 Virtually True.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 6 Virtually True

TEXTUAL EXERCISES
(Pages 71, 78)

Question 1.
Before reading the story, attempt the following working in groups of four or five.

(a) Do you play computer games ? How many hours do you spend playing games on the computer as compared to outdoor games ?

(b) Make a list of your favourite games. Have a class discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of computer games.

(c) Look in your dictionaries/computer to find synonyms for the word ‘virtual’.

(d) Look at the K.W.L. chart given on next page. Based on the information you have gathered till now, complete the K and W columns. You may work with your partner. After reading the story complete the third column.

Answer:

(a) Yes, I do play computer games. On an average, I spend almost 2-3 hours playing computer games everyday. I play outdoor games for two hours daily, r

(b) My favourite games are : Pokemon Go, Road Rash, Need For Speed, Resident Evil,Grano Tursimo, Forza, Skyrim … class discussion to take place.

Advantages : pleasure-giving, entertaining, mental exercise, growth in analytical power, knowledge, general awareness, competitive spirit etc.

Disadvantages : promotion of violence, aggression, pain in backbone, in shoulders, time wastage, detachment from and neglect of family, social relationship hampered, sedentary life style, change in thinking, hardening of sensitivity, growth of abnormal behaviour.

(c) Few synonyms of VIRTUAL are : computer generated, simulated, cybernetic and realistic.

(d) (a) I know that it is not reality per se, but reality created with the help of computer software and some database. The user feels that he is inside it and is participating in it.

(b) I need to know the names of those particular softwares which help in creating such a situation. Also, if it could really be that easy then why isn’t every game prepared in such a format ?

(c) I learnt that everything is possible. Since cost is involved, so not everyone prefers to use these softwares etc.

(d) By Virtual Environment I know that it is nearer-to-truth environment. However, it is generated only by computers and softwares for the user.

(e) I want to know how much time does it take to create such an environment. Also what are the pros and cons for it ?

(f) There are no negatives of such an environment. However, the biggest plus point of this would be that the day such a procedure is initiated, the current era wouldn’t even exist. It’s all about advanced technology. The more you use it… the better it is for mankind.

(g) 3-D is about creating some sort of special effects to an image. It is to make the user feel as if the image or the subject is actually/physically present in front of , him.

(h) I want to know if there is any difference between a 3-D and a Virtual Environment.

(i) There is perhaps a difference between both of them. On the one hand 3-D is all about creating special effects to an image or a moving subject on screen. On the other hand, ‘Virtual Environment’ is all about creating a completely different environment. In it it’s not about throwing special effects over to a particular image. Instead, it’s about giving a continuous effect to the entire programme.

(j) Simulation Games. These games are made to give the player a realistic experience. For example : There is a normal racing game which is available with just a fixed image of a car. And the car keeps moving with the help of a remote controller. On the other hand, there’s another car racing game. In it the player gets to select his choice of car with all the settings of the car and tracks. There is sound as well along with a complete “Virtual Environment’. Here, in simulation games there is more of excitement than the normal games.

(k) I want to know nothing.

(l) I learnt nothing new.

(m) By Computer Simulations I know that it is all about using those extra additional gadgets to a computer. These are like, steering wheel, a shooting gun, some extra tools and weapons to play a particular game.

(n) I want to know if it is possible to get the same experience without using all such gadgets.

(o) I learnt that it’s not possible. To get a realistic feeling of the game and to actually develop more interest into it, one must have all those extra additions to his computer. Else, it would be like any other normal game.

(p) By Interactive Psycho-drive Games I learn that these are those car racing games wherein the player gets to handle a lot of crazy stuff. For example: If he wants to win the game or a particular level, he must perform some special stunts using some cheat codes. It is to gain some additional points than won by any other player.

(q) No questions.

(r) I learnt nothing.

(s) By Teleporting I know that it means switching over from one point to another within a split second of time. For example : While playing a game if the player gets a special bonus score or if he finishes up his target then he gets a special benefit. It is of skipping a level ahead or to get transformed into something else within a split second.

(t) I want to know if it has anything to do with any kind of voice service or interaction in between the game.

(u) No, it doesn’t have anything to do with any such service or interaction.

Exercises (Page 78)

1. According to the newspaper, what had happened to Sebastian Shultz ?
2. ‘Dad’s nutty about computers.’ What evidence is there to support this statement
3. In what way did the second game seem very real ? (V. Imp.)
4. The last game has tanks, jeeps, helicopters, guns and, headings. Would you put this and the other games under ?
5. What was Michael’s theory about how Sebastian had entered the games ? (V. Imp.)

Answer:

1. According to newspaper, Sebastian Shultz was badly injured in a motorway accident almost six weeks back. Now after six weeks he woke up from a coma that doctors had feared might have lasted forever.
2. He’s nutty about computers as he has a Pentium 150 Mhz processor with 256 of RAM, a 1.2 GB hard disk drive and a 16 speed CD ROM with speakers, printer and also a scanner.
3. It looked real as it was a continuation game after the first game ‘Wildwest.’ Also the name of the player was as well the same “Sebastian”.
4. This game with machine guns, bombs, helicopter, sniper fire, tanks, can be put under the heading ‘Wargames’.
5. Michael believed that Sebastian was also another intelligent personality like him in this world. He was so much crazy about playing games on computers. Both of them were playing a real game but virtually all together.

B. Reference to context

Read these lines from the story, then answer the questions.

‘That was my idea’ said Sebastian excitedly. ‘If only it would go a bit faster.’

1. Where was Sebastian when he spoke these words ?
2. What was his idea, and what was he referring to ?
3. Was the idea a good one, and did it eventually succeed ? How ?

Answer:

1. He was on the roof with the narrator and was waiting for the helicopter.
2. His idea was to make it to the staircase and move upwards to get the helicopter after its landing on the roof and escape.
3. The idea proved out to be negative as they somehow made it to the roof. But they couldn’t escape using the helicopter. They had to face almost 12 guards there along with their dogs. Sebastian got scared and he slipped down from the roof.

Question 2.
Answer the following questions briefly.
(a) Why did the news of the ‘miracle recovery’ shock Michael ?
Or
Why did the news about Sebastian Shultz shock Michael ? (CBSE 2015)

(b) Michael’s meeting with Sebastian Shultz had been a chance meeting. Where had it taken place and how ? (V. Imp.)
Or
How and where did Michael meet Sebastian Shultz ? (CBSE 2016)

(c) What kind of computers fascinated Michael and his dad ? Why ?

(d) Describe the first place where Michael was virtually transported.

(e) What help did Sebastian Shultz ask Michael for ? How did he convey this message ? (V. Imp.)
Or
How did Sebastian Shultz request Michael to help him ? (CBSE 2015)

(f) Why did Michael fail in rescuing Sebastian Shultz the first time ?
Or
Why couldn’t Michael help Sebastian the first time ? (CBSE 2015)

(g) The second attempt to rescue Sebastian Shultz too was disastrous. Give reasons. (V. Imp.)

(h) Narrate the accident that injured Sebastian Shultz.

(i) How had Sebastian Shultz entered the games ?

(j) How was Sebastian Shultz’s memory stored on Michael’s disk ? How did Michael discover that ? (V. Imp.)

Answer:

(a) Michael was shocked after reading the article as the name of the person involved in the article was Sebastian Shultz. He was someone whom Michael had recently ‘met’. Secondly, it was also because it was Sebastian with whom he had been playing all those games till then.

(b) Both of them played virtual video games on the computer screen. They thus met each other while playing virtual games on their respective computers.

(c) They were fascinated with the computers which could do almost everything from painting, playing music, creating displays etc. Both of them were very fond of playing games and doing all usual stuff on computers.

(d) The first place that Michael was virtually transported to was a complete dusty track through the centre of a town. He had a sheriffs badge pinned to his shirt.

(e) Michael received a printout from Sebastian saying that he was stuck. He wanted him to retrieve him by playing DRAGONQUEST. And he made a request for it through the computer. Precisely, it came through the computer printout.

(f) Michael was unable to save him the first time as both of them were trying to escape on a horse. However, ‘Sebastian’ was shot dead by the other ‘enemies’ running after them on their horses.

(g) The second attempt was negative as well, as he went down the dungeons with his sword drawn. But all of a sudden there appeared the dragon at the end of the corridor. He tried using his sword to kill the dragon. But it didn’t do any good and he was ‘killed.’

(h) It happened almost six weeks ago that Sebastian was badly injured in a motorway accident. His condition on arrival at the General Hospital was declared as critical, though stable. He was unable to regain his consciousness and his parents were informed that he was in a coma.

(i) Like Michael, even Sebastian was an intelligent person. He was very fond of computers and also playing games on them. This is how Sebastian entered the gaming world through playing psycho-drive video games.

(j) Michael used to play games on computers which had the capability to save the entire game in its memory while playing it. Based on this fact Sebastian’s memory had also got saved in his computer. Michael’s dad always used to tell him that a computer memory can never forget anything. Also no kind of data can get lost from it.

Michael discovered this after recollecting his father’s remarks. He also recollected Shultz’s mother stating that they stocked some games. But someone stole the lot. Shultz didn’t know what had happened to them. But Michael found them in the Computer Fair.

Question 3.
Sebastian Shultz had a close brush with death. After he recovers, he returns to school and narrates his experience to his classmates. As Sebastian Shultz, narrate your experience.
Answer:
Hi everyone ! I know you all must have been wondering about my whereabouts since so long. For all of you it’s been six weeks but for me it feels like as if everything just happened yesterday. I couldn’t even imagine that I would have to ever encounter such a situation. You may be amazed to know what had actually happened to me. Well! almost six weeks back I was on my way home riding a motorbike. All of a sudden there were these two speeding trucks which somehow hit each other and they collided. It took a split second for the two trucks to crash then and there themselves. I was riding my motorbike a little faster. On top of that the trucks were almost fifteen steps in front of me itself. In order to save myself from the crash I applied the brakes. The bike slipped and I fell over a huge pile of rocks on the pavement. I got hurt on my head and fell unconscious. It’s been almost six weeks that I’ve been hospitalized as I was in a coma. The doctors feared that it could last forever. However, by the grace of God I woke up from the coma and am fine now after having been saved by Michael, my friend. I am standing in front of you all narrating the most scariest experience of my life.

Thank you very much for a patient hearing.

Question 4.
Continue the story.

Will Michael and Sebastian Shultz meet in real life ? Will they be friends ? Will they try to re-enter the virtual world together ? You may use the following hints :

• How the accident occurred
• Transfer of memory
• Meeting with Michael
• Appeals for help
• Rescue and recovery

Answer:

No, it’s impossible that both of them would ever meet each other. After all, it’s just a game which has got no connection with the real world.

Perhaps, they can even be good friends to each other but only virtually and electronically. In reality there is no such real person by the name of Sebastian who is playing this game with Michael. They can never enter the virtual world together as Sebastian is simply the name of a player in the game and Michael is a real human being.

They would never be able to meet each other except in this virtual world created by these gizmos only.

If we go as per the points given above we may relate the story like this : The accident occurred which led Sebastian to slip in a coma. He had played the video game through 3-D and had got stored in the memory of his computer. It had been stolen and ended at the Computer Fair. From there Michael with his father had got the interactive psycho¬drive video game which had earlier been with Sebastian.

Appeals were sent for saving Sebastian from the coma. Michael got this information from the newspaper article. He played the video game himself and got hooked with Sebastian Shultz, the character in the video game. Thus he was rescued and saved.

Question 5.
Put the following sentences in a sequential order to complete the story.

(a) Sebastian Shultz was badly injured in a motorway accident and went into a coma.
(b) Sebastian’s memory was saved in the computer when he banged his head on it during the accident.
(c) When Michael played the game, he entered Sebastian’s memory.
(d) Michael bought the latest psycho-drive games from the Computer Fair.
(e) Sebastian Shultz was the second sheriff in the ‘Dragonquest’.
(f) Michael pulled Sebastian into the helicopter and the screen flashed a score of 40,000,000.
(g) Sebastian requested Michael to try ‘Jailbreak’.
(h) Sebastian failed to save the boy who fell through the air.
(i) Sebastian thought the helicopter was the right idea and they should go into the ‘Warzone’.
(j) The games were stolen from Shultz’s house.
(k) Sebastian thanks Michael for saving his life and asks him to keep the games.

Answer:

The sequential order to complete the story is : a, b, j, d, c, e, h, i, g, f, k

WRITING TASK
Question 6.
Do you think it is a true story ? Could it happen to you one day ? Here are some opinions about computer games in general.

Answer:

Yes, I do believe that it’s a true story, as such a thing can happen with almost anyone in this world. A similar instance could happen with me as well if I would ever think of playing games on computers like Michael did. But it all depends if I play interactive psycho-drive video games and have all the accessories needed.

Question 7.
Do you think these opinions are biased ? Write an article entitled ‘Virtual games are a reality’.
Answer:
Yes, I think these opinions are biased.

Virtual Games are a Reality

It’s a fact that virtual games are a reality. They are computer simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world as well as in the imaginary world. It’s just a matter of a few gadgets that are required to create such an environment while playing games on computers. Hi surround speakers, digital crystal clear sound output, a 3-D screen and few other hand-led devices are all it takes to view a picture image on a computer screen or an LCD/LED. Virtual games provide players a completely different experience compared to the kind of experience they get while playing normal games. It is because one gets almost physically involved in them through 3-D and becomes an integral part of what is seen on the screen. They are far much ahead of those normal animated games which are simple and have only a limited excitement. However, one needs both time and a lot of money to indulge in such activities because these modern gadgets are very costly.

Question 8.
In groups of four, design a new computer game.
Decide on the

• Setting
• Plot
• Characters
• Objectives

Answer:
For self-attempt at class level.

LISTENING TASK
Question 9.
Listen carefully to a text on ‘Tour of Body’ and answer the questions that are given below.

On the basis of your listening to the passage complete the following statements by choosing the answers from the given options :

1. The Cave-Automatic Virtual Environment is

(a) a modern surgical procedure
(b) a three-dimensional virtual reality room
(c) an accurate projection of the eye and the brain
(d) a technique for developing anatomical pictures

2. Projected image on the four walls of a room enables researchers to

(a) carry out micro surgery
(b) understand the functioning of the brain
(c) virtually get inside the molecular structure of cells and parts of human body
(d) reconstruct damaged parts of human body

3. The ‘CAVE’ is a boon to surgeons because

(a) they can treat diseases located in unreachable parts of the human body
(b) it has made X-ray and MRI unnecessary
(c) it helps them avoid surgical procedures in most cases
(d) it enables surgeons to use very small surgical instruments

4. For the CAVE to develop a virtual environment it is essential

(a) to apply mathematical formulae
(b) to project three-dimensional images on the walls
(c) to obtain two-dimensional MRI data first
(d) to understand the nature of the diseased cells and parts

5. Once inside a three-dimensional representation of an anatomical structure, surgeons can

(a) ‘move’ through and ‘peel away’ its layers
(b) shrink themselves and travel inside the body parts
(c) convert the data into a flat picture for detailed study
(d) locate the diseased parts of the body quickly

6. Dr. Szilard Kiss used CAVE to

(a) travel inside the eye of his patient
(b) identify the scar tissue growing over the retina
(c) go inside the layers of the retina
(d) isolate the ridge of the scar tissue

Answer:

1. → (h) a three-dimensional virtual reality room
2. → (c) virtually get inside the molecular structure of cells and parts of human body
3. → (a) they can treat diseases located in unreachable parts of the human body
4. → (a) to apply mathematical formulae
5. → (a) ‘move’ through and ‘peel away’ its layers
6. → (c) go inside the layers of the retina.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 6 Virtually True help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 6 Virtually True, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 5 Patol Babu, Film Star are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 5 Patol Babu, Film Star.

All Questions and Answers from the NCERT Book of class 10 English Chapter 5 are provided here for you for free.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 5 Patol Babu, Film Star

TEXTUAL EXERCISES
(Pages 55 and 67)

Question 1.
With your partner answer the following questions :
What are your strengths ?

What is your dream career ?
I want become a ………

• Is there any correlation between your strengths and aspirations ?
• Do you think you can achieve your dreams ? Give reasons.

Answer:

I want to become a TV artist.

• Yes, I find correlation between my strengths and aspirations. I personally feel that I have acting blood in my veins due to my parents being stage actors. Then I have got training for acting also. I have played many roles both at school and college level. Most of all, I have got a good physique and charming appearance. All this has been appreciated, recognised and admired in a few reality shows.
• Due to this all, I can say that I shall surely achieve my dreams one day. In fact, I have done smaller roles in some TV serials. But I am looking forward to a lead role in which I shall show my hidden and yet-unexplored talents. God willing, when I get it, I shall show my talents and abilities. I shalj also improve my role in looking natural. I want to become like my idols through hard work and perseverance.

Question 2.
Answer the following questions briefly :

(a) What was the news that Nishikanto Ghosh gave Patol Babu ?

(b) How did Patol Babu react ? Why ?

(c) Why had Patol Babu lost his first job in Calcutta ?

(d) How does Patol Babu reconcile to the dialogue given to him ? (V. Imp.)

(e) Who was Mr. Pakrashi ? How do his words help Patol Babu in enacting his role ? (V. Imp.)

(f) How do we know that Patol Babu was a meticulous man ?
Or
How do we know that Patol Babu was a dedicated actor ? (CBSE 2014)

(g) Why did Mr. Mullick turn down Patol Babu’s request for a rehearsal ?

(h) What were the special touches that Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic ? (V. Imp.)

Answer:

(a) Nishikanto Ghosh told Patol Babu that his youngest brother-in-law was in search for an actor for a scene in a film. The role was meant for an actor who could be fiftyish, short and bald-headed. It reminded him of Patol Babu that he could play it ; beautifully. So he gave this news to him.

(b) After hearing Nishikanto Ghosh. Patol Babu was very excited. He had never expected t such news at the start of the day. He started building castles in the air.

(c) Patol Babu had lost his first job in Calcutta due to war. Retrenchment had started in his office because of that.

(d) Patol Babu reconciles to the dialogue given to him by recollecting the words of his mentor and guru Mr. Gogon Pakrashi. He used to say to Patol Babu that as an artist his aim was to utilize the opportunity to squeeze the last drop of meaning out of his lines. An actor’s duty was to treat every word of his dialogue like a fruit of a tree. He should get its essence and serve it to the audience for adulation.

(e) Mr. Gogon Pakrashi was Patol Babu’s mentor and guru. His words help Patol Babu to prove his acting talent to the best. Patol Babu first fights his supposed insult at one-worded dialogue and then rehearses well.

(f) Patol Babu was a meticulous man and a dedicated actor because he rehearsed well for his shot. Then he gave his one-worded dialogue an emotion. He also suggested that he should have a newspaper to make the scene more realistic and authentic.

(g) Mr. Mullick turned down Patol Babu’s request for a rehearsal because the scene was to be shot in sunlight. There was then approaching a large patch of cloud also. So it needed to be taken without any more delay.

(h) The special touches were : giving different inflection, saying the single-worded dialogue in low pitch, high pitch, long-drawn, shouting, whispering, starting low and ending high and vice-versa.

Question 3.
Discuss the following questions in detail and write the answers in your notebooks :

(а) 7 hope the part calls for some dialogue ?’ Who says this ? Why does he / she ask this question ?

(b) ‘Were these people pulling his legs ? Was the whole thing a gigantic hoax ? A meek, harmless man like him, and they had to drag him into the middle of the city to make a laughing stock out of him. How could anyone be so cruel ?’ Why does Patol Babu have these thoughts ?

(c) Patol Babu is an amateur actor for whom walk-on part in a movie turns into an ultimate challenge. Discuss.

(d) Do you agree with the statement that Patol Babu is a practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to offer 1 Give reasons for your answer.

(e) Why does Patol Babu walk away before he can be paid for his role ? What does this reveal about his character ? (CBSE 2012)

(f) Do you think making a movie is an easy job ? Discuss with reference to the story.

Answer:

(a) Patol Babu says this to Naresh Dutt. Patol Babu asks this question because he thinks that the actors must have some lines to speak. Doing so will enable them to show their talent and to spellbind the audience with the acting.

(b) Patol Babu has these thoughts because his dialogue is simply one word ‘Oh !’ He has been a great stage actor of his time. He feels insulted at being given this dialogue. Due to that he has these thoughts at this time.

(c) It is a fact that Patol Babu is an amateur, careful and a meticulous actor. It is his first role in a film. His nature is to follow his mentor Mr. Gogon Pakrashi’s words. So he gives out the most authentic and realistic emotion to his acting. He has been a versatile actor of the stage. So it is natural that he should find it an ultimate challenge and perform it with a grand success. And he does it nicely !

(d) Yes, it is very clear from what Patol Babu does that he is a practical man. He is a wise, understanding, mature and pragmatic person. He is not blind to the harsh realities of life and to his neighbourly relations, though he fights with his own self about the level of his role. First he finds the offer demeaning. But he surrenders to the demand of the time and ‘acts’ with a grand success. However, he registers his protest in going home without taking the remuneration.

(e) Patol Babu walks away because of his indignation at the ordinary attitude of the film people towards his talent. He feels that none of them recognises his talent. They are a bunch of commercialised-minded people. They don’t have any appreciation for art and artists like him but more to money. This reveals his genuine talent as an actor and love for genuine and authentic acting.

(f) This story reveals that making a movie is an easy job but not easy for the persons like Patol Babu. Patol Babu’s line clearly shows this fact. The line is : “They just got hold of some people, got them to go through certain motions, paid them for their labours and forgot all about it. Paid them, yes but how much ? Ten, fifteen, twenty rupees.”

Question 4.
Here are some lines from the lesson. What do they tell us about Patol Babu’s character ? You may take help from the words given in the table below or find some of your own from the dictionary. The first one has been done for you.

(a) That an offer to act in a film could come to a 52-year-old nonentity like him was beyond his wildest dreams unassuming; modest

(b) Indeed, there was a time when people bought tickets especially to see him ………

(c) ‘I was with Hudson and Kimberley for nine years and wasn’t late for a single day.’ ………

(d) It didn’t matter if the part was small, but, if he had to make the most of it, he had to learn his lines beforehand. How small he would feel if he muffed in the presence of so many people ………

(e) Patol Babu cleared his throat and started enunciating the syllable in various ways. Along with that he worked out how he would react physically when the collision took place—how his features would be twisted in pain, how he would fling out his arms, how his body would crouch to express pain and surprise—all these he performed in various ways in front of a large glass window ………

(f) It is true that he needed money very badly, but what was twenty rupees when measured against the intense satisfaction of a small job done with perfection and dedication ? ………

Answer:

(b) passionate actor, talented
(c) meticulous, humble
(d) diligent, meticulous
(e) talented
(f) genial, diligent

Question 5.
Here are some lines from the lesson. Match the meanings of the underlined words with their meanings listed below.

(a) Then he had ajob in a Bengali firm which he gave up in disgust when his boss began to treat him in too high-handed a fashion
(i) stimulate the imagination

(b) A faint memory was stirred up in Patol Babu’s mind.
(ii) to surrender or relinquish

(c) At first he opened a variety store which he had to wind up after five years.
(iii) staged

(d) In Jat ras, in amateur theatricals, in plays put up by the club in his neighbourhood, Patol Babu was always in demand
(iv) to gain control over one’s actions

(e) Patol Babu was about to step forward when he was pulled up short by a voice shouting ‘Silence!’
(v) shut down

(f) Patol Babu pulled himself together.
(vi) stopped

Answer:

(a) → (ii)
(b) → (i)
(c) → (v)
(d) → (iii)
(e) → (vi)
(f) → (iv)

Question 6.
After Patol Babu returns home he recounts his experience in front of the camera to his wife. In pairs write out the exchange in the form of a dialogue and enact it before the class. You may start like this …..

Patol Babu’s wife : So what happened at the shooting today ? Did you get to do your role ?

Patol Babu : Oh, Yes, I had the time of my life

Answer:

Mainly to be enacted at class level. One version is given below :

Patol Babu : … I was overawed to see the shooting for the first time. I felt excited that I would be a part of a film of mega hero Chanchal Kumar. But I felt dazed ….

Patol Babu’s wife : … What made you feel so?

Patol Babu : Well, I felt dazed when I was given a dialogue of only one word ‘Oh!’

Wife : It must not have happened. You have been a versatile actor. Times were when people bought tickets to see you on stage …

Patol Babu : Sure you are ! When I was given a one-worded dialogue, I felt quite heart-broken. I felt my talent was being abused. I looked at those people as useless. I felt how times had changed.

Wife : Before you went to Faraday House for shooting I had told you not to count your chickens again before they were hatched. But you were very optimistic. You boasted that you’ll again rise to fame and fortune. Now see yourselfl You always start building up airy castles like Sheikh Chilli. These always vanish in thin air.

Patol Babu : Yes, you are right. But you know I gave a real meaning to the scene. i gave inflection to the word ‘Oh !‘ and dipped it in an emotion. My suggestion to have a newspaper before colliding with Chanchal Kumar was readily agreed by the director Biren Mullick. Then Wife Then what?

Patol Bubu : Then… well… then I gave the shot without rehearsal though at one time I had a liking to return without giving it.

Wife : That could have meant you were not capable of doing the acting.

Patol Babu : Yes, this held me there. I recalled my guru’s words about a real artist. I saw that only. It made me deliver the scene in an authentic and realistic way. But by then I had developed a sort of hatred for these people.

Wife : How much did they pay you for it?

Patol Babu : Twenty rupees ! But I returned home without getting the money. I felt the meagre payment below my dignity that I might get. I don’t know why I did it, but it happened. Something from inside made me leave the place without accepting the money.

Wife : Will you take a cup of tea ?

Question 7.
Patol Babu impresses everyone at the shoot with his acting talent in spite of having a one word dialogue. In groups of four enact the word ‘Oh’ in different ways to show the following emotions :

• happiness
• sorrow
• excitement
• fear
• sarcasm
• pain
• disappointment
• surprise

Each group will then enact one of these emotions to the rest of the class using the word ‘Oh’. The other groups will try to guess which emotion is being expressed.

Answer:

Mainly meant for ‘acting’ at class level.

Students shall need to put up various expressions on the face suitable for these emotions. It would be better if they learnt something about various ‘Rasas’ necessary for actors.

WRITING TASK

Question 8.
Patol Babu writes a letter to Nishikanto Ghosh to thank him for being instrumental in his getting a role in a film. He also shares his experience at the film shoot including the excitement and deep satisfaction that he derived from the same. Write the letter in about 200 words.

Answer:

1804, Chattopadhyaya Nagar
Kolkata
28 July, 20 – –
My dear Nishikanto Ghosh

I am, indeed, grateful to you to have enabled me to get a small role in a film. I felt greatly excited after meeting you. I went to the shooting site well before time. It was a new experience for me as before that I had never seen a film shooting. A huge range of equipment and lots of people were involved in it. I met Naresh Dutt who told me that I as an absent-minded pedestrian was to collide with the lead actor Sh. Chanchal Kumar. When I asked Naresh Dutt for the dialogue he simply wrote one word ‘Oh!’ I was to speak this after colliding with the lead actor.

I felt a bit amazed at it. I became indifferent to the role at once. But I recalled the words of my mentor and guru. An artist should squeeze the last drop of meaning out of his lines for the audience. Each word spoken was like a fruit and the artist’s duty was to pluck it for the audience. I reviewed everything and decided to take my role seriously.

I started speaking ‘Oh!’ differently. I gave different inflections to it. I added different emotions to it. When my turn came, I played my role with utmost dedication. I performed it so authentically that I derived deep satisfaction. Even Chanchal Kumar complimented me the way I did this role in one go. I personally feel that this role brought out my natural talent as an actor.

I am thankful to you for having recommended me for the role.

With best wishes
Yours sincerely
Patol

LISTENING TASK
Question 9.
Listen to the passage on character actors and complete the exercise as directed.

1. Supporting roles are those roles that do not affect the plot or the subject of the film (True/False)

2. People become character actors chiefly because (Tick the right choices)

(а) they like doing supporting roles
(b) there are limited leading roles
(c) it is easier to act in a supporting role
(d) they can’t find any other work

3. ‘star quality’ refers to things like ……… (Tick the right choice)

(a) good looks and acting talent
(b) good looks and the right weight
(c) good looks and the right height
(d) good looks, height and right weight

4. After the age of forty the actors most likely to get less work are (Tick the right choice)

(a) character actors
(b) the male lead
(c) the female actors
(d) the female lead

5. The chief advantages of being a character actor is that ……… (Tick the right choice)

(a) they are never blamed if a film fails
(b) they can act for as long as they like
(c) they do not have to take care of their looks
(d) they do not need to be skilled at horsemanship or swimming

Answer:

1. True
2. → (a) they like doing supporting roles
3. → (d) good looks, height and right weight
4. → (c) the female actors
5. → (a) they are never blamed if a film fails.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 5 Patol Babu, Film Star help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 5 Patol Babu, Film Star, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 9 Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 9 Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments.

NCERT Textbook Solutions are considered extremely helpful when preparing for your CBSE Class 10 English board exams. NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 9 free access available.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 9 Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments

TEXTUAL EXERCISES
(Page 102)

Question 1.
Look at the following picture carefully.
(a) What has Time been portrayed as ? Why ?
(b) What are the other symbols associated with Time ?

Answer:

(a) Time here has been portrayed as a human being having the banner in his hands. It somehow looks like Lord Christ. It has been portrayed so because there is nothing more powerful than man, though man is non-entity before time. Secondly, time has been portrayed as a human being because the poem is meant for them only.

(b) There are other symbols associated with Time, Sun, for instance, Nature and other aspects of Nature.

Question 2.
(a) What are the things that last for centuries ? List a few things around you that will survive four to five hundred years into the future.

Answer:

(b) Think of things that will perish and/or be forgotten with the passage of time.

Answer:

Question 3.
The word “sonnet” is derived from the Italian word sonetto, meaning “a little sound” or “a little song.” A Sonnet is a poem of 14 lines with a structured rhyme scheme in which a thought about a subject is developed thoroughly.

You will read two sonnets on the powerful effects of Time.

Answer:
For students to read. No questions have been asked in it.

Question 4.
Listen to a recording of the sonnet ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’ by William Shakespeare played by your teacher. You could also listen to it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOqCaljBhtM&feature=related
Answer:
For students to listen. No questions have been asked in it.

Question 5.
On the basis of your understanding of Shakespeare’s sonnet, answer the following questions by ticking the correct options.

(a) The rich and powerful got ornate monuments made in order to _____

(i) show off their wealth
(ii) display their power
(iii) show their artistic talent
(iv) be remembered till posterity.

(b) The poet addresses his sonnet to _____

(i) time
(ii) war
(iii) the person he loves
(iv) powerful rulers.

(c) In the line ‘The living record of your memory’, living record refers to _____

(i) the sonnet the poet has written for his friend
(ii) an existing statue of his friend
(iii) his friend who lives in the poet’s memory
(iv) the autobiography of the poet’s friend.

(d) The poet’s tone in the poem is _____

(i) despairing
(ii) optimistic
(iii) loving
(iv) admiring,

(e) The poem is set in _____

(i) the place where the poet meets his friend
(ii) a battlefield where Mars is fighting a battle
(iii) a city ravaged by war
(iv) the poet’s study where he is writing.

Answer:

(a) → (iv) be remembered till posterity
(b) → (iii) the person he loves
(c) → (iii) his friend who lives in the poet’s memory
(d) → (iii) loving
(e) → (iv) the poet’s study where he is writing

Question 6.
Answer the following questions briefly.

(a) Why do you think the rich and powerful people get monuments and statues erected in their memory ? (V. Imp.)
Or
Why do the rich and powerful get monuments made ? (CBSE 2015)

(b) Describe how the monuments and statues brave the ravages of time. (V. Imp.) (CBSE 2014)
Or
What according to Shakespeare outlives the ravages of time ? (CBSE 2014)

(c) Why does the poet refer to Time as being sluttish ? (V. Imp.) (CBSE 2015)

(d) The poet says that neither forces of nature nor wars can destroy his poetry. In fact, even godly powers of Mars will not have a devastating effect on his rhyme. What quality of the poet is revealed through these lines ?

Answer:

(a) The rich and powerful people get monuments and statues erected in their memory. They do so for being remembered till posterity.

(b) The monuments and statues brave the ravages of time. However, in doing so they get spoiled, disfigured and broken. This is also if they are not taken care of.

(c) The poet refers to Time as being sluttish because Time spoils the marbled or gilded monuments. It discolours them, breaks them or makes them dirty through its agencies. These agencies are like air, rain, natural vegetation etc.

(d) The quality of the poet is clearly revealed through these lines. It is the immortality of his verse and the permanence of his poetic or literary art. It is true that like Time or = Nature, literary art is also permanent and immortal. That’s why, we have poets and artists through their works who have lived thousands of years before and shall remain ever. They have become immortal through literary art.

Question 7.
Shakespeare’s sonnet has been divided into three quatrains of 4 lines each followed by a rhyming couplet. Each quatrain is a unit of meaning. Read the poem carefully and complete the following table on the structure of the poem.

Answer:

(a) ab ab
(b) cd cd
(c) living record of the poet’s beloved’s memory
(d) ef ef
(e) his beloved shall find room even in the eyes of
(f) g g

Question 8.
(a) The poet uses alliteration to heighten the musical quality of the sonnet. Working in pairs* underline the examples of alliteration in the poem.
(b) Identify Shakespeare’s use of personification in the poem.

Answer:

(a) Students to work in pairs. The following information shall help them :

1. Unswept stone besmear’d with sluttish time
2. When wasteful war
3. Nor Mars his sword nor war’s
4. Praise shall still
5. Lover’s eyes

(b) The living record of your memory’ has been personified here in the sonnet as a man. He shall pace forth against death etc. He shall live even in the eyes of all posterity.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 9 Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 9 Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 8 Mirror are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 8 Mirror.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 8 Poem Mirror – detailed line by line explanation of the poem along with meanings of difficult words and literary devices used in the poem.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 8 Mirror

TEXTUAL EXERCISES
(Page 97)

Pre-Reading Task

Question 1.
In pairs discuss the following questions :

(a) When do you generally use a mirror ?

(b) Is a mirror essential for us ?

(c) Given below is a list of possible reasons why a person uses a mirror. Tick (✓) the ones you agree with :

1. to check one’s appearance
2. to look beautiful
3. to make sure one is neat and tidy before going out.
4. to check for a pimple or a grey hair
5. to apply make-up
6. to make a phone call
7. as a decorative item at home.

Answer:

(a) I use a mirror when I have to go outside or to school or when I comb my hair. In fact, looking into a mirror has become a kind of habit when I go out. I do so as I feel that I should look proper, formal and presentable.

(b) It is not possible to do without a mirror. It is because one should look neat and tidy, and of course, presentable. To be so means one is civil and civilized.

(c) (i) ✓ (ii) × (iii) ✓ (iv) × (v) ✓ (vi) × (vii) ×

Question 2.
The teacher will now play a recording of the poem, hasten carefully and answer the questions that follow :
Answer:
Classroom activity.

Question 3.
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice.

(a) When the mirror is being described as being ‘unmisted by love or dislike’ we understand that the mirror is

1. not misted
2. not prejudiced
3. has four angles
4. is silver in colour.

(b) The other word for ‘contemplation’ is……..

1. contempt
2. meditation
3. mediation
4. thoughtful.

(c) When the mirror says ‘it has no preconceptions’ it means that :

1. it reflects back an image objectively
2. it modifies an image as it reflects it
3. it beautifies an image as it reflects it
4. it gives a biased view of a person/object.

(d) The mirror has been called ‘a four-cornered god’ because :

1. it is square shaped
2. like God it watches you unbiased and fair from all four angles
3. it reflects back all that it sees
4. it never stops reflecting.

(e) The ‘speckles’ refer to :

1. a pink object
2. the opposite wall which has spots on it
3. a person with pink pimples
4. pink spots in general.

(f) The phrase ‘agitation of the hand’ suggests that the person is :

1. very ill
2. very upset
3. very angry
4. very happy.

(g) By saying ‘Now I am a lake’ the narrator wants to show that

1. the poem is not only about external beauty but also the inside of a person
2. the lake can also reflect surfaces
3. the depth of the lake is important
4. the lake does not show as exact an image as a mirror.

Answer:

(a) → (ii) not prejudiced
(b) → (ii) meditation
(c) → (i) it reflects back an image objectively
(d) → (ii) like God it watches you unbiased and fair from all four angles
(e) → (iv) pink spots in general
(f) → (ii) very upset
(g) → (i) the poem is not only about external beauty but also the inside of a person

Question 4.
Answer the following questions briefly
(a) What is the poetic device used when the mirror says ‘I swallow’ ?

(b) How does the mirror usually pass its time ? (V. Imp.)
Or
How, according to the poet, does the mirror pass its time ? (CBSE 2015)

(c) What disturbs the mirror’s contemplation of the opposite wall ?

(d) Why does the mirror appear to be a lake in the second stanza ? What aspect of the mirror do you think is being referred to here ? (V. Imp.)

(e) What is the woman searching for in the depths of the lake ? (CBSE 2014)

(f) How does the narrator convey the fact that the woman looking at her reflection in the lake is deeply distressed ? (CBSE 2015)

(g) What makes the woman start crying ? (V. Imp.) (CBSE 2015)
Or
Why does the woman start crying ? (CBSE 2014)

(h) What do you think the ‘terrible fish’ in the last line symbolizes ? What is the poetic device used here ? (V. Imp.)
Or
What does the phrase “terrible fish” symbolize in the poem “Mirror” ? (CBSE 2014)

Answer:

(a) The poetic device used in it is ‘personification.’ The mirror is shown as a human being which it is not. ‘Swallow’ shows the use of ‘metaphor’ in it.

(b) It usually passes its time ‘meditating’, or ‘contemplating’.

(c) What disturbs the mirror is the opposite wall that seems freckled and is like a painted one.

(d) The mirror appears to be a lake in the second stanza because like the lake it reflects back the images objectively and hides things. The dispassionate and objective reflecting capacity of the mirror is referred in it.

(e) The woman is searching for the beauty of her face in the depths of the lake. Once she was beautiful. But now she has grown old and is not what she was earlier. Now she doesn’t want to see her old and wrinkled face. So she searches for her old face of her youthful days.

(f) The narrator conveys the fact that the woman looks at her reflection in the lake. She is deeply distressed which is seen in her agitating hands. Secondly, she weeps and behaves like ‘a terrible fish’ over the loss of her beauty.

(g) The wrinkled old face without beauty makes the woman start crying. She wanted to see her face always youthful. But now it is not so as she has grown old.

(h) The ‘terrible fish’ symbolizes the woman agitating at the loss of her youthful beauty. She is now old and behaves like ‘a terrible fish’ at the loss of her youth. The poetic device used here is ‘simile’.

Question 5.
Read the poem silently and answer the following questions :

(a) List out the adjectives that have been used to describe the mirror. Add a few more adjectives to the list.

(b) In the second stanza why has the narrator replaced the mirror with a lake ? What is he/she trying to focus on ?

Answer:

(a) The adjectives are : silver and exact, cruel, truthful, four-cornered, important. Adjectives from our side: dispassionate, unshaken, appropriate, objective, impersonal, unmoved.

(b) In the second stanza the narrator has replaced the mirror with a lake. Like the mirror the lake reflects the things objectively. It also shows the objects objectified or reflected back like the mirror does.

Now the narrator is trying to give a different meaning to the woman’s looking in the mirror searching for the depths of her face. The lake does so when one looks into it. When the woman looks at her reflection a little closer she agitates. It is because now she sees her wrinkled face and not the youthful beauty that she once had. So she agitates at the loss of her youthful face. She is trying to focus on the loss of her beauty.

Question 6.
Find the various instances of personification used in this poem.
Answer:

Various instances of personification :

1. I am silver—as a human being
2. I am the eye of a little god—as a god
3. I am ‘a part’ of the wall—now a wall
4. ‘Now I am a lake’—as a lake.

Question 7.
Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow by ticking the correct choice :
A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.

(a) What is the woman bending over ?

1. the mirror
2. the lake
3. the opposite wall
4. the moon and the candles.

(b) Why have the candles and the moon been called ‘liars’ ?

1. because they make people beautiful
2. they hide the blemishes of people with their soft light
3. they hide the blemishes and make people look beautiful in their soft glow
4. they can’t talk.

(c) Why does she turn to them in spite of calling them ‘liars’ ?

1. the reality is too harsh for her to bear
2. she is desperately looking for someone to comfort her
3. she wants to be told that she is still beautiful
4. she can hide her signs of graying in their light.

Answer:

(a) → (i) the mirror
(b) → (ii) they hide the blemishes and make people look beautiful in their soft glow
(c) → (iii) she wants to be told that she is still beautiful

Question 8.
Imagine you are the mirror. Write a speech that you would like to deliver to the humans who come to see their reflection in you. You could begin like this ……

Good Morning dear humans

I feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to express my feelings and share my thoughts with you. As you know, all my life is spent in faithfully reflecting all that comes before my eyes …..

Answer:

… I reflect exactly what comes before me. I do not act false. I am always truthful. I do not help any human being in romanticising about him or her. I have grown old seeing many human beings growing old. Some speckles have come out on my exterior. These are like the wrinkles grown over the bodies of young men and women. Many women have come before me. They have behaved very strangely. They have tried to see in their faces what they had had once. Not finding them beautiful they have sadly shed tears many times over this loss. I have been in deep sympathy with them. However, I have always wanted them to be truthful like me. Times are powerful. Human beings at physical levels undergo changes with the passage of time in their bodies. They must be aware of this change and compromise with these physical changes. When they don’t compromise, I feel pity for them. Then truth must be accepted in every way. Going away from it is always painful.

Question 9.
Here is another poem on mirror. The narrator calls the mirror a ‘fibber’. How is this poem different from the poem by Sylvia Plath ? Have a class discussion on the comparison in terms of the theme, the tone and the language used.

Answer:
For classroom activity.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 8 Mirror help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 8 Mirror, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.