Answer the following questions.

(i) Pick out the line that suggests that the child is afraid of snakes.

(ii) Which line shows a complete change of the child’s attitude towards snakes? Read it aloud.

(iii) “But mother says that kind is good…” What is mother referring to?

Open in App

Solution

(i) The line that suggests that the child is afraid of snakes is ‘I saw a snake and ran away...’

(ii) The line that shows a complete change of the child’s attitude towards snakes is “There’s no mistake, it’s just a harmless garden snake!”

(iii) Mother is referring to the garden snake, which is harmless as it eats up only insects for its food.

Suggest Corrections

Similar questions

Q. The belief that the mother is completely responsible for the sex of the child is wrong, because the child

Q. What is the proof for saying that snakes can sense minute temperature changes?

Q. Question 1
The belief that the mother is completely responsible for the sex of the child is wrong because the child

(a) Gets sex chromosome only from the mother.
(b) Develops in the body of the mother.
(c) Gets one sex chromosome from the mother and the other from the father
(d) Gets sex chromosome only from the father

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.)

(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?

(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?

(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.

(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) 'I have something to expiate'-Explain.

1. Talk to your partner and say whether the following statements are true or false.

(i) No animal can survive without water.

(ii) Deserts are endless sand dunes.

(iii) Most snakes are harmless.

(iv) Snakes cannot hear, but they can feel vibrations through the ground.

(v) Camels store water in their humps.

2. Answer the following questions.

(i) How do desert animals survive without water? (1)

(ii) How do mongooses kill snakes? (6)

(iii) How does the hump of the camels help them to survive when there is no water? (9)

Join BYJU'S Learning Program

Answer the following questions. (i) Pick out the line that suggests that the child is afraid of snakes. (ii) Which line shows a complete change of the child’s attitude towards snakes? Read it aloud. (iii) “But mother says that kind is good…” What is mother referring to?

Answer the following questions.

(i) Pick out the line that suggests that the child is afraid of snakes.

(ii) Which line shows a complete change of the child’s attitude towards snakes? Read it aloud.

(iii) “But mother says that kind is good…” What is mother referring to?