The Solitary Reaper Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Literature

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The Solitary Reaper Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Literature

The Solitary Reaper Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Answer the following questions briefly.

Question 1.
What drew the attention of the narrator towards the reaper?
Answer:
The girl’s voice was extremely melodious and she sang a sorrowful song. The narrator was so enamoured by her song that he stopped for a while on his way and listened to her sing though he could not understand the dialect or the subject matter of the song.

Question 2.
How does the narrator bring out the beauty of the song of the solitary reaper?
Answer:
The poet compares her song to the sweet notes of the nightingale and the cuckoo, both birds that sing in romantic surroundings. The song of the nightingale is a very Westfield sound to the tired travelers as it signifies that they are approaching an oasis. The song of the cuckoo-bird brings joy to the listeners as it is a harbinger of spring after the long, cold winter. The song of the reaper arouses the same feelings of pleasure and joy in the poet.

Question 3.
In the poem, The Solitary Reaper the narrator says, “Will no one tell me what she sings?” Why does he ask this question? What conjectures does he draw about the song?
Answer:
Since the narrator is not familiar with the dialect, or he is too far to catch the words of the song, he is unable to understand the theme of the maiden’s song. He is, nevertheless, intrigued by the song and conjectures about its theme. As the tune is a melancholy one, he feels the song could be about some unhappy memories or a sad event in history, for example, a battle fought in the past. It may even be about some current topic some loss or pain the solitary reaper has undergone or may still suffer from.

The Solitary Reaper Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
As the poet, write a diary entry about the day you heard the solitary reaper in the field.
Answer:
Monday, May 5, 20xx
Today, as I was walking in the valley, I saw a young farm worker in the field. She was singing1 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.

Question 2.
As the poet, write a letter to your friend about your experience.
Answer:
Dove cottage
Lake District
5 May 20xxx
Dear Chris,
Had an enthralling experience. Today, as I was walking in the valley, I saw a young farm worker in the field. She was singing to herself as she worked. I was so affected by her singing that I stopped to listen to her song. She had a beautiful voice, which seemed to fill the whole valley. The song was a sad one. Though I couldn’t understand the words, 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.
Why don’t you come and stay with me for a few days?
William

Question 3.
In the poem, the poet mentions two places. What are they and what is their significance in the poem?
Answer:
The poet mentions two places namely the Arabian desert as well as the Hebrides which is a group of islands on the west coast of Scotland. Their significance lies in the poet weaving these geographical locations to the poem and mentions how the solitary reaper’s song is able to transport the poet’s psyche to these places. At first, he mentions how the solitary reaper’s song is like a welcome note to a weary band of travellers in the Arabian desert. Then, he mentions how her song is able to pervade as far as the farthest islands of Scotland. These denote that the poem was soothing and its reach was far.

The Solitary Reaper Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
“Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!”

(a) What is meant by “single in the field”?
Answer:
Here the poet meant that the girl is working alone in the fields.

(b) Who is the “Highland Lass”?
Answer:
“Highland Lass” refers to a girl from the mountainous areas of Scotland.

(c) What draws the poet’s attention to the girl?
Answer:
The girl’s song and her melodious voice attract the poet.

Question 2.
“Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!”

(a) Why is the girl called “highland lass”?
Answer:
The girl is from the mountainous areas of Scotland thus she has been addressed as a “highland lass”.

(b) What draws the poet’s attention to the girl?
Answer:
The girl is singing in a melodious voice which draws the poet’s attention.

(c) What advice does the poet give the passers-by?
Answer:
The poet advises the passers-by to either listen to her melodious song or go away without disturbing her.

Question 3.
“No nightingale did ever chant
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunts,
Among Arabian sands.”

(a) What does the nightingale’s song do?
Answer:
The nightingale’s song welcomes and soothes the tired travellers as they reach the oasis.

(b) Why has the poet compared the nightingale’s song to that of the solitary reaper?
Answer:
The song of the nightingale and the reaper’s song has been compared by the poet as they arouse feelings of pleasure and joy.

(c) Name the poetic device used by the poet in the line “Among Arabian sands”.
Answer:
Alliteration/synecdoche.

Question 4.
“A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.”

(a) Why is the song of the cuckoo bird “so thrilling”?
Answer:
The bird’s song is thrilling as it signals the onset of spring.

(b) Explain: “Breaking the silence of the seas”?
Answer:
The cuckoo-bird is the first to return from its winter stay in a warm place, and when it begins to sing it ‘ can be heard across the sea.

(c) Name the poetic device used by the poet in “the silence of the seas”.
Answer:
The poetic device used in this case is alliteration.

Question 5.
“Will no one tell me what she sings?
Perhaps the plaintive number flow,
For old, unhappy, far off things
And battles long ago.”

(a) Why does the poet use the word “perhaps”?
Answer:
The solitary reaper is singing in an unfamiliar dialect thus the poet cannot be sure of what she’s singing about.

(b) What is the meaning of the phrase “plaintive number”?
Answer:
“Plaintive number” suggests it is a sad and melancholy song.

(c) What predominant emotion does the reaper’s song convey?
Answer:
The reapers song mostly conveys melancholy.

Question 6.
“Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of today?
Some natural sorrow,’ loss, or pain,
That has been, and maybe again?”

(a) What is the tone of the poet in the poem?
Answer:
The predominant tone in these lines is of nostalgia and admiration.

(b) What does the poet mean by “humble lay”?
Answer:
A “humble lay” means a song dealing with a mundane matter.

(c) What does the poet mean by ‘familiar matter of to-day’?
Answer:
The poet wants to know what the girl is singing about and wonders if the song she is singing about is because of something that happened recently.

Question 7.
“What ’er the theme, the maiden sang.
As if her song could have no ending,
I saw her singing at work,
And o’er the sickle bending,”

(a) Why does the poet say “What ’er the theme, the maiden sang”?
Answer:
The poet says “What ’er the theme, the maiden sang” because he is unable to understand the words of the song.

(b) How was the poet affected by the song?
Answer:
The poet felt the song echoing in his heart even after the reaper had stopped singing.

(c) Explain: “As if her song could have no ending”.
Answer:
The song was so melodious that it continued to echo in his heart even after the poet moved away.

Question 8.
“I listen’d motionless and still
And, as I mounted up the hill
The music in my heart I bore
Long after it was heard no more.”

(a) Why did the poet listen to the song “motionless and still”?
Answer:
The poet did not wish to disturb the girl who was singing thus he made no movement or noise.

(b) What kind of song is the girl singing?
Answer:
The girl is singing a melancholy song.

(c) Explain: “The music in my heart I bore”
Answer:
The poet carried the memory of the song in his heart, long after the maiden stopped singing.

Question 9.
“I listen’d motionless and still
And, as I mounted up the hill
The music in my heart I bore
Long after it was heard no more.”

(a) What music is the poet talking about in these lines?
Answer:
The poet here is talking about the music of the girl’s song.

(b) What effect does this music have on the poet?
Answer:
The music mesmerizes the poet and he stops to listen to it. He carries the memory of the song in his heart long after he moves on his way.

(c) How is the poet able to hear this music even after the maiden has stopped singing?
Answer:
The poet carries the music as a cherished memory in his heart.