Thursday, 20 August 2026
WORKBOOK QUESTION-ANSWERS, BEETA PUBLICATIONS: A CONSIDERABLE SPECK
ASSIGNMENTS
Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions
Question 1
Choose the correct answers to the questions from the given options. (Do
not copy the question; write the correct answer only.)
1. What made the speaker notice the speck that would have been beneath
his sight?
(a) Its presence on a white sheet of paper
(b) Its shape like a full stop
(c) Its dark colour
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Its presence on a white sheet of paper
2. What was the strange thing that made the speaker think about the
speck?
(a) The speck was a living mite.
(b) The speck was clearly visible to him.
(c) The speck was a figment of his imagination.
(d) The speck was a fluff of dust.
Answer: (a) The speck was a living mite.
3. What was it that the speaker said the living mite could call its own?
(a) Movements
(b) Decisions
(c) Fears
(d) Feelings
Answer: (a) Movements
4. What was the mite’s suspicion?
(a) Of being thrown away from the paper
(b) Of being blown away by the speaker’s breath
(c) Of getting killed by the speaker’s pen
(d) All of the above
Answer: (c) Of getting killed by the speaker’s pen
5. What did the mite drink or smell?
(a) Ink
(b) Sweat
(c) Water
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Ink
6. Which figure of speech is used in the phrase ‘with cunning crept’?
(a) Assonance
(b) Simile
(c) Metonymy
(d) Alliteration
Answer: (d) Alliteration
7. Which poetic device is used in the line given below?
‘With loathing, for again it turned to fly’
(a) Metaphor
(b) Personification
(c) Simile
(d) Oxymoron
Answer: (b) Personification
8. The speaker decided not to kill the mite because of which of its
qualities?
(a) Small size
(b) Fear of the speaker
(c) Intelligence
(d) All of the above
Answer: (c) Intelligence
9. Which characteristic trait of the speaker is revealed in the line
‘Whatever I accorded it of fate’?
(a) Arrogance
(b) Superiority
(c) Annoyance
(d) None of the above
Answer: (b) Superiority
10. Which figure of speech is used in the line given below?
‘I have none of the tenderer-than-thou’
(a) Personification
(b) Metaphor
(c) Simile
(d) Alliteration
Answer: (b) Metaphor
Note: The expression ‘tenderer-than-thou’ is
figurative and ironic, presenting an attitude of self-righteous superiority in
terms of ‘tenderness’. Among the options given, ‘metaphor’ is the closest
answer.
11. According to the speaker, the modern world is swept by which of the
following?
(a) Individualism
(b) Collectivistic love
(c) Selfishness
(d) None of the above
Answer: (b) Collectivistic love
12. Why did the poet allow the mite to draw off instead of killing it?
(a) It was too tired and wanted to take rest.
(b) He believed in collectivistic ideology.
(c) It did not intend any harm to him.
(d) None of the above.
Answer: (c) It did not intend any harm to him.
13. Which of the following poetic devices is used in the title of the
poem?
(a) Paradox
(b) Metaphor
(c) Personification
(d) Oxymoron
Answer: (a) Paradox
14. What is the central theme of the poem?
(a) Mind, its creativity and imagination
(b) Collectivistic ideology
(c) Superiority of man
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Mind, its creativity and imagination
15. Which of the following lines contains the same literary device as
the one in the title of the poem, ‘A Considerable Speck’?
(a) ‘The little window where the sun
Came peeping in at morn’
(b) ‘His honour rooted in dishonour stood
And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.’
(c) ‘Good we must love and must hate ill,
For ill is ill and good good still.’
(d) ‘Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time.’
* Beattock refers to
the steep railway ascent/route near Beattock, a village in Dumfries and
Galloway, Scotland, through which the railway line mentioned in W. H. Auden’s Night
Mail passes.
* gradient’: steepness or slope of a road, railway line, or piece of
land.
Answer: (b) ‘His honour rooted in dishonour stood / And faith unfaithful
kept him falsely true.’
Justification: The title ‘A Considerable Speck’
combines apparently contradictory ideas: a speck is tiny and
insignificant, whereas considerable suggests importance or significance.
Similarly, ‘honour rooted in dishonour’ and ‘faith unfaithful’
bring together contradictory ideas. Thus, both use paradox.
Section B: Context Questions
I. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follow:
A speck that would have been beneath my sight
On any but a paper sheet so white
Set off across what I had written there.
And I had idly poised my pen in air
To stop it with a period of ink
When something strange about it made me think,
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,
But unmistakably a living mite
With inclinations it could call its own.
(i) When did the speaker notice ‘a speck’? Why did he feel that it would
have been beneath his sight?
Answer: The speaker noticed the speck while it was
moving across the paper on which he had been writing. He felt that it would
have been beneath his sight because it was extremely small and would normally
have been too insignificant to attract his attention. The whiteness of the
paper, however, made the tiny speck clearly visible.
(ii) Why did the speaker idly poise his pen in the air?
Answer: The speaker idly poised his pen in the air
because he intended to stop the tiny speck by placing a period of ink over it.
At first, he thought that it was merely a dust speck and was about to kill or
remove it with his pen.
(iii) What was ‘strange’ about it that attracted the speaker’s
attention? What was the speck in reality?
Answer: The speaker noticed that the speck was moving
purposefully and seemed to possess its own inclinations. This made him realise
that it was not an ordinary speck of dust but a living mite.
(iv) Explain the meaning of the last line of this extract.
Answer: The last line, ‘With inclinations it could
call its own’, means that the tiny mite appeared to possess its own desires,
intentions and will. The speaker recognises that even such an insignificant
creature has a mind and an independent existence of its own.
(v) Explain briefly how this extract justifies the title of the poem.
Answer: The extract introduces the ‘speck’ as
something extremely small and apparently insignificant. However, the speaker
discovers that it is a living creature possessing intelligence and independent
inclinations. Thus, although it is a ‘speck’ in size, it becomes ‘considerable’
because of the mind and life it possesses. This apparent contradiction
justifies the title ‘A Considerable Speck’.
II. Read the extract given below and answer
the questions that follow:
Plainly with an intelligence I dealt.
It seemed too tiny to have room for feet,
Yet must have had a set of them complete
To express how much it didn't want to die.
It ran with terror and with cunning crept.
It faltered: I could see it hesitate,
Then in the middle of the open sheet
Cower down in desperation to accept
Whatever I accorded it of fate.
(i) Which characteristic trait of the mite is the speaker talking about
in the first line of this extract? Why?
Answer: The speaker is referring to the intelligence
of the mite. He recognises that its movements are purposeful and that it
behaves intelligently to protect itself from being killed. Its actions reveal
that it possesses awareness and an instinct for survival.
(ii) Why did the speaker at first think that the mite did not have feet?
What made him change his stance at the very next moment?
Answer: The speaker initially thought that the mite
was too tiny to have room for feet. However, its quick and purposeful movements
made him realise that it must have a complete set of feet. Its movements served
as evidence of its physical existence and intelligence.
(iii) What made the speaker realise that it did not want to die?
Answer: The mite ran with terror, moved cunningly,
faltered, hesitated and finally cowered in desperation. These actions clearly
showed the speaker that it was trying to escape death and therefore valued its
own life.
(iv) What did it do in the middle of the sheet of paper? Why?
Answer: In the middle of the sheet, the mite cowered
down in desperation. It did so because it was frightened and apparently unable
to find a safe way to escape the speaker’s pen. It seemed to surrender itself
to whatever fate the speaker might decide for it.
(v) Explain the attitude of the speaker towards the mite in this
extract.
Answer: The speaker’s attitude changes from casual
indifference to interest, sympathy and respect. He initially regards the mite
as an insignificant speck that he could easily kill, but its intelligent
behaviour makes him recognise it as a living creature with a will to survive.
III. Read the extract given below and answer
the questions that follow:
I have none of the tenderer-than-thou
Collectivistic regimenting love
With which the modern world is being swept
But this poor microscopic item now!
Since it was nothing I knew evil of
I let it lie there till I hoped it slept.
(i) Which trait is the speaker referring to when he says he does not
have it? What is the result of lacking this trait?
Answer: The speaker is referring to the
self-righteous, ‘tenderer-than-thou’ attitude associated with collectivistic
thinking. He does not believe in blindly treating all creatures or individuals
according to a collective ideology. His independent mind allows him to judge
the mite as an individual living being rather than simply as an insignificant
object.
(ii) Explain, with reference to the context, the meaning of the phrase
‘Collectivistic regimenting love’.
Answer: ‘Collectivistic regimenting love’ refers
ironically to a social or ideological attitude that seeks to regulate
individuals by imposing a uniform idea of what is supposedly good or
compassionate for everyone. The speaker dislikes such forced, collective conformity
and values individual judgement and independent thought instead.
(iii) To whom did the speaker refer as the ‘poor microscopic item’? Why?
What does it suggest about the speaker?
Answer: The speaker refers to the tiny mite as the
‘poor microscopic item’ because it is extremely small, vulnerable and helpless
in comparison with him. The expression shows that the speaker has developed
sympathy and compassion for the creature. It also suggests that he respects
life, even when it exists in a very small and seemingly insignificant form.
(iv) Why did the speaker let it lie there? Do you think the speaker was
right in doing so? Give a reason to support your answer.
Answer: The speaker let the mite lie there because he
knew of no evil that it had done and therefore saw no reason to kill it. Yes,
his decision was right because he recognised the mite as a living creature with
its own mind and desire to survive. His action demonstrates compassion,
tolerance and respect for life.
(v) Explain how this extract reflects the theme of the poem.
Answer: This extract reinforces the central theme that
intelligence and individuality can exist even in the smallest and seemingly
most insignificant forms of life. The speaker refuses to judge the mite merely
by its size. Instead, he recognises its intelligence and independent will,
showing that the value of a living being cannot be measured by its physical
size.
IV. Read the extract given below and answer
the questions that follow:
I have a mind myself and recognize
Mind when I meet with it in any guise
No one can know how glad I am to find
On any sheet the least display of mind.
(i) What does the speaker want to convey by saying that he has a mind?
Which characteristic trait of the speaker is conveyed by this assertion?
Answer: The speaker wants to emphasise that he
possesses an independent and thinking mind and is therefore able to recognise
intelligence in other beings. This assertion conveys his intellectual
awareness, open-mindedness and respect for independent thought.
(ii) Where does the speaker find ‘the mind’? In which ‘guise’ does he
find it? How does he recognise it?
Answer: The speaker finds ‘the mind’ in the tiny mite
on his sheet of paper. He finds it in the unexpected guise of a microscopic
creature. He recognises its mind through its intelligent, purposeful and
self-protective movements.
(iii) How does the speaker reward it for displaying its mind? Why does
the speaker not punish it for trespassing on his sheet of paper?
Answer: The speaker rewards the mite by allowing it to
live and continue its journey instead of killing it with his pen. He does not
punish it because its behaviour reveals intelligence and a desire to survive,
and he has no reason to regard its presence as harmful or evil.
(iv) What is the reason for the speaker’s feeling of gladness? Give the
symbolic meaning of the line ‘On any sheet the least display of mind.’
Answer: The speaker feels glad because he discovers
evidence of intelligence in an unexpected and extremely small creature.
Symbolically, ‘On any sheet the least display of mind’ means that the presence
of intelligence, however small or insignificant it may appear, deserves
recognition and respect.
(v) What is the central theme of this poem? How is an inconsequential
mite used to justify the theme of the poem?
Answer: The central theme of the poem is the
recognition and value of intelligence, individuality and the instinct for
survival, regardless of physical size or apparent importance. The tiny mite
initially appears to be an inconsequential speck, but its intelligent movements
reveal that it possesses a mind of its own. Thus, the mite becomes
‘considerable’ because of its intelligence and individuality, thereby
justifying the poem’s title and theme.
V. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follow:
It paused as with suspicion of my pen,
And then came racing wildly on again
To where my manuscript was not yet dry,
Then paused again and either drank or smelt—
With loathing, for again it turned to fly.
(i) What is referred to by ‘It’ that paused with suspicion? Why did it
do so?
Answer: ‘It’ refers to the living mite. It paused
because it appeared to be suspicious of the speaker’s pen and feared that the
pen might harm or kill it. This reaction demonstrates its awareness and
instinct for self-preservation.
(ii) Why did it start racing wildly after a pause? Why was the
manuscript not yet dry?
Answer: The mite started racing wildly because it was
frightened and was trying to move away from the danger posed by the speaker’s
pen. The manuscript was not yet dry because the speaker had only recently
written on the paper with ink.
(iii) What did ‘It’ drink or smell with loathing? Why? What did it do
after that?
Answer: The mite either drank or smelled the wet ink
on the manuscript. It apparently reacted to the ink with loathing because it
found it unpleasant. After doing so, it turned away and fled again.
(iv) Explain briefly the use of imagery in the extract.
Answer: The extract uses vivid visual imagery to help
the reader picture the tiny mite moving across the white sheet, pausing
suspiciously, racing wildly and then turning away from the wet ink. Words such
as ‘racing’, ‘paused’, ‘drank’, ‘smelt’ and ‘turned to fly’ make the mite’s
movements vivid and lively. The imagery also makes the tiny creature appear
almost human in its reactions.
(v) How does the speaker deal with the mite? What makes him do so? How
does the speaker’s action justify the theme of the poem?
Answer: The speaker chooses not to kill the mite and
allows it to live. He is moved by its intelligence, fear, purposeful movements
and obvious desire to survive. By sparing it, he demonstrates respect for even
the smallest expression of intelligence and individuality. His action therefore
reinforces the central theme that the value of life and intelligence cannot be
judged by physical size or outward importance.
WORKBOOK QUESTION-ANSWERS, BEETA PUBLICATIONS: WHEN GREAT TREES FALL.
Workbook Questions, Beeta Publications
ASSIGNMENTS — ANSWERS
Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions
Question 1. Which of the following poetic devices is used
in the title of the poem?
(a) Simile
(b) Metaphor
(c) Personification
(d) Metonymy
Answer: (b) Metaphor
2. What happens to the ‘small things’ when great
trees fall?
(a) They die due to shock.
(b) They look up to large things for shelter.
(c) They curl up in silence.
(d) None of the above.
Answer: (c) They curl up in silence.
3. Which figure of speech is used in the
following line?
‘The air around us becomes light, rare, sterile.’
(a) Asyndeton
(b) Anaphora
(c) Refrain
(d) Polyptoton
Answer: (a) Asyndeton
4. Which of the following poetic devices is used
in the lines given below?
‘We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly, see with...’
(a) Anaphora
(b) Polyptoton
(c) Epizeuxis
(d) Epistrophe
Answer: (d) Epistrophe
5. What is suggested by the phrase ‘memory gnaws
on’?
(a) The phase of forgetfulness
(b) Time spent grieving for the dead
(c) Unsaid words and unkept promises
(d) None of the above
Answer: (c) Unsaid words and unkept promises
6. How do the survivors see the world after the
departure of great souls from this world?
(a) The world becomes unrecognisable.
(b) The world remains the same.
(c) The world loses its beauty.
(d) All of the above
Answer: (a) The world becomes unrecognisable.
7. Which figure of speech is used in the
following line?
‘Our minds, formed and informed by their radiance...’
(a) Alliteration
(b) Simile
(c) Metaphor
(d) Polyptoton
Answer: (d) Polyptoton
8. What is suggested by the line ‘Our minds,
formed and informed’?
(a) The great souls remain in our minds.
(b) The great souls shape the way people think.
(c) The great souls have great minds.
(d) The great souls cannot touch the minds of people.
Answer: (b) The great souls shape the way people
think.
9. The image of ‘dark, cold caves’ conveys which
of the following?
(a) Loneliness and incomprehension that accompany the loss of great souls
(b) The feeling of despair experienced by the bereaved
(c) The world after the departure of great souls
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer: (d) Both (a) and (b)
10. What is suggested by Maya Angelou when she
says, ‘after a period peace blooms’?
(a) Healing follows grief.
(b) Peace occurs while remembering the great souls.
(c) People remain silent during the period of mourning.
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Healing follows grief.
11. How does the speaker think that the bereaved
can continue to ‘be and be better’?
(a) By forgetting the departed souls after some time
(b) By drawing inspiration from the great souls
(c) By accepting the fact that they are gone forever
(d) None of the above
Answer: (b) By drawing inspiration from the great
souls.
12. Which of the following lines contains the
same literary device as the title ‘When Great Trees Fall’?
(a) ‘Were gathered there for vengeance/ [revenge] and I knew / That if I dipped
my hand the spawn/[offspring] would clutch it.’
(b) ‘The woods decay, the woods decay and fall. / The vapours weep their burden
to the ground.’
(c) ‘Admit impediments,/[barriers] love is not love / Which alters when it
alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove.’
(d) ‘In small towns by the river / We all want to walk with the gods.’
Answer: (d) ‘In small towns by the river / We all
want to walk with the gods.’
Because the title ‘When Great Trees Fall’ and the line ‘We all
want to walk with the gods’ both contain a metaphor.
- ‘When Great Trees Fall’ is metaphorical. The ‘great trees’ do not merely mean
actual trees; they represent great souls or influential human beings.
Their ‘fall’ represents their death or departure from the world.
- In (d), ‘We all want to walk with the
gods,’ the word ‘gods’ is used metaphorically to represent great,
extraordinary or highly accomplished people. ‘Walking with the gods’
suggests aspiring to associate with or attain the greatness of such
people.
Therefore, both expressions use metaphor, making option (d)
the correct answer.
Section B: Context Questions
I. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follow:
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
(i) State three effects of the fall of great
trees in the forest.
Answer: The fall of great trees causes the rocks on
distant hills to shudder, makes lions hunker down in the tall grasses, and
drives even elephants to lumber away in search of safety. These reactions
suggest that the fall of a great presence creates a powerful disturbance
throughout the natural world.
(ii) Why do the rocks on distant hills
shudder? What is suggested by their shuddering?
Answer: The rocks shudder because the fall of a great
tree is imagined as producing such a tremendous impact that even distant
objects seem to feel its effect. Their shuddering suggests the enormous
influence and significance of great beings and the widespread disturbance
caused by their loss.
(iii) Lions are regarded as fearsome
predators. Why, then, do they ‘hunker down in tall grasses’? What does their
fear symbolise?
Answer: Lions hunker down because even powerful
creatures feel frightened and insecure when a great tree falls. Their fear
symbolises the vulnerability and sense of insecurity experienced by everyone,
including the strong and powerful, after the loss of a great soul.
(iv) a. Explain briefly the meaning of the
line ‘and even elephants lumber after safety’.
Answer: The line means that even the huge and
powerful elephants become frightened and move away in search of safety after
the great trees fall. Metaphorically, it suggests that the death of a great
soul can deeply disturb even those who are normally strong and confident.
b. Which figure of speech is used in the above
line?
Answer: Personification is used because the
elephant is presented as reacting to the fall of the great trees in a
human-like manner by seeking safety. The line also contributes to the poem’s
extended metaphor of great trees representing great souls.
(v) Explain, with examples, the metaphoric use
of ‘trees’ in the poem.
Answer: The ‘great trees’ are a metaphor for great
souls—people whose wisdom, talent, character or achievements have a profound
influence on others. Just as a great tree provides shelter, strength and
nourishment to smaller creatures, great individuals provide inspiration,
guidance and cultural or intellectual nourishment to society. Their fall
therefore represents their death or departure from the world.
II. Read the extract given below and answer
the questions that follow:
‘When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear’
(i) What are the ‘small things’ referred to in
this extract? What happens to them when great trees fall?
Answer: The ‘small things’ refer literally to the
smaller creatures and forms of life living in the forest. Metaphorically, they
represent ordinary people or those who depend upon great individuals for
guidance and security. When great trees fall, these small things recoil into
silence and become so deeply affected that their senses seem to be overwhelmed.
(ii) What are the ‘small things’ contrasted
with in the previous extract of the poem?
Answer: The ‘small things’ are contrasted with the
‘great trees’. The great trees represent powerful and influential beings, while
the small things represent weaker, dependent or less influential beings.
(iii) What happens to the ‘senses’ of the
small things when great trees fall? How can this be compared with the
experience of human beings?
Answer: The senses of the small things become so
overwhelmed that they are described as being ‘eroded beyond fear’. Similarly,
human beings may experience shock, confusion and emotional numbness after
losing someone greatly important to them. For a time, they may become unable to
understand or respond normally to the world around them.
(iv) State two poetic devices used in this
extract. Give an example of each.
Answer:
1.
Metaphor: ‘great trees’ metaphorically represent great souls or influential
people.
2.
Personification: ‘small things recoil into silence’ gives the smaller creatures a
human-like reaction to fear and grief.
(v) Explain briefly how the fall of great
trees affects both big and small things.
Answer: The fall of great trees affects all forms of
life. Powerful creatures such as lions and elephants become frightened, while
smaller creatures recoil into silence. Metaphorically, the death of a great
soul affects both powerful and ordinary people because everyone who has been
influenced by that person experiences a sense of loss and insecurity.
III. Read the extract given below and answer
the questions that follow:
‘When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly, see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.’
(i) What is the effect of the death of great
souls on the air around us? What does it suggest?
Answer: The air becomes ‘light, rare, sterile’. This
does not refer to a literal change in the air. It metaphorically suggests that
the world feels empty, lifeless and unfamiliar after the death of a great soul.
The survivors feel as though something essential has been removed from their
lives.
(ii) Which figure of speech is used in the
following lines? What does it suggest?
‘We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly, see...’
Answer: The repetition of the word ‘briefly’ creates
an emphatic repetition that draws attention to the temporary and disturbed
state of the survivors. It suggests that grief is so intense that even ordinary
activities such as breathing and seeing seem momentary and difficult.
(iii) What do our eyes see with ‘hurtful
clarity’? Why?
Answer: Our eyes see the painful reality of the loss
with unusual clarity. The death of a loved one makes us suddenly aware of
everything that has been lost, including opportunities, conversations and
moments that can never be recovered. This clarity is ‘hurtful’ because it
intensifies our grief.
(iv) What happens to our memory after the
death of a loved one?
Answer: Our memory becomes ‘suddenly sharpened’. It
brings back memories of the deceased and makes us think about the kind words we
failed to say and the promised walks or experiences that never took place.
Thus, memory becomes a source of both remembrance and regret.
(v) Explain how this extract portrays the
feelings of despair and regret experienced by a bereaved person after the loss
of someone close.
Answer: The extract portrays grief as a state of
emptiness, confusion and painful awareness. The world seems ‘light, rare,
sterile’, while the bereaved person struggles to breathe and see normally.
Memory becomes sharper and forces the person to remember words left unsaid and
promises unfulfilled. In this way, Angelou effectively presents both the
despair caused by loss and the regret arising from things that can no longer be
done.
IV. Read the extract given below and answer
the questions that follow:
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their,
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their radiance,
fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
dark, cold
caves.
(i) What happens to our ‘reality’ when great
souls die?
Answer: When great souls die, the reality that is
connected with them seems to disappear from our lives. Since they have shaped
our understanding of the world, their absence makes our familiar reality seem
strange, empty and difficult to comprehend.
(ii) Explain how our souls depend on great
souls for their nurture. What happens when these great souls depart?
Answer: Great souls nurture others through their
wisdom, love, achievements, guidance and inspiration. Their influence gives
people emotional and intellectual strength. When they depart, the people who
depended on them feel diminished, weakened and spiritually impoverished, as
suggested by the words ‘shrink, wizened’.
(iii) Which figure of speech is used in the
line ‘Our minds, formed and informed...’?
Answer: Polyptoton is used through the
repetition of words derived from the same root: ‘formed’ and ‘informed’. The
expression also emphasises the powerful influence of great souls on the minds
of others.
(iv) How do the great souls impact our minds?
Answer: Great souls shape and enrich our minds
through their ideas, wisdom, creativity and example. Their influence changes
the way we understand life and the world. Even after their death, their
thoughts and achievements continue to influence us.
(v) Why does the speaker say that ‘we are not
so much maddened’?
Answer: The speaker means that grief does not
necessarily make the survivors literally insane. Instead, it leaves them in a
state of profound confusion, helplessness and ignorance. They feel lost because
the person who gave meaning and direction to their world is no longer present.
(vi) Explain the connotations associated with
the phrase ‘dark, cold caves’.
Answer: ‘Dark, cold caves’ symbolise loneliness,
ignorance, emptiness and emotional isolation. Darkness suggests the absence of
understanding or guidance, while coldness suggests the absence of warmth and
companionship. The image therefore conveys the deep emptiness experienced after
the death of a great soul.
V. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follow:
‘And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us:
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be better.
For they existed.’
(i) How does peace bloom after a period of
grief?
Answer: Peace comes gradually and irregularly after
the initial period of intense grief. As time passes, the survivors begin to
accept the loss and recover emotionally. Their memories of the great soul
become a source of comfort and inspiration rather than only pain.
(ii) Which ‘spaces’ is the speaker referring
to? How are these spaces filled?
Answer: The ‘spaces’ refer to the emotional and
psychological emptiness created by the death of the great souls. These spaces
are gradually filled with comforting memories, renewed understanding and the
continuing influence of the departed person. This is described as a ‘soothing
electric vibration’.
(iii) How are our senses restored? What do
they whisper to us?
Answer: Our senses are restored gradually as we
recover from the shock and grief of loss. However, they are ‘never to be the
same’ because the experience has changed us permanently. They whisper the
reassuring truth that the great souls existed and that their existence has
enriched our lives. Their example inspires us to ‘be and be better’.
(iv) Which poetic device is used in ‘They
existed. They existed.’? What is suggested by this repetition?
Answer: Repetition is used in ‘They existed.
They existed.’ The repetition emphasises the continuing importance of the
departed souls. Although they are no longer physically present, their
existence, achievements and influence remain alive in the memories and lives of
others.
(v) Explain how this extract signifies the
role played by great souls, or immensely talented people, in bringing about
massive cultural change.
Answer: Great souls influence society through their
ideas, achievements, creativity, wisdom and moral example. Their presence can
transform the way people think and contribute to cultural and intellectual
progress. Even after their death, their work continues to inspire others. The
final words, ‘Be and be better’, suggest that their greatest legacy is the
inspiration they leave behind, encouraging future generations to live better
and contribute meaningfully to society.