Q. 16. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Remember to number the answers correctly. 4
The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket fl agon,
He fi red two bullets, but they didn’t hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
(a) How did the pirate react when he saw the dragon? 1
(b) How did he prepare himself for the fi ght? 1
(c) How did he attack the dragon? 1
(d) What did the dragon do to him? 1
Ans. (a) The pirate gaped at the dragon when he saw him.
(b) He gulped some grog (mixed liquor) from his pocket flagon (bottle) to prepare himself for the fight.
(c) He attacked the dragon by fi ring two bullets at him.
(d) Custard, the dragon gobbled every bit of him.
Or
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
(a) Who is ‘He’? 1
(b) Mention two words which describe movement? 1
(c) Why is the animal hiding? 1
(d) Why does he go near the water hole?1
Ans. (a) ‘He’ is the tiger.
(b) The words ‘lurking’ and ‘sliding’ describe movement.
(c) The tiger is hiding because he doesn’t want to be seen by the deer whom he intends to hunt.
(d) He goes near the water hole because that is where the healthy deer whom he intends to prey on come.
Q. 17. Answer any two of the following questions in 30-40 words each: 6
(a) “If there is nothing on the tree, ‘Tis the chameleon you see.” How does the poet create humour in these lines? Write the words that rhyme.
(b) Who, according to the poet Walt Whitman are better—animals or human beings? How?
(c) “And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.” What does the poet imply by this expression?
Ans.
(a) The poet creates humour in these lines through the way he uses language to convey the idea of a chameleon sitting on the tree. The words ‘tree’ and ‘see’ rhyme in the above lines.
(b) According to the poet, Walt Whitman, animals are better as they are placid and self-contained. They do not complain about their condition. They are never unhappy and unlike humans they are not possessed with the mania of owning things.
(c) Through this expression the poet implies that a lost ball cannot be bought back even with money. Money can only be used to buy valuable things but not to restore or compensate for a thing that is lost.
