Poem 1 The Squirrel
Textbook Questions and Answers
Working with the Poem
Question 1.
Why does the poet say that the squirrel “wore a question mark for tail”? Draw a squirrel, or find a picture of a squirrel sitting on the ground. How would you describe its tail?
कवयित्री यह क्यों कहती है कि गिलहरी ने ‘अपनी पूँछ में प्रश्नवाचक चिह्न पहन रखा था’? एक गिलहरी का चित्र बनाएँ या जमीन पर बैठी गिलहरी के एक चित्र की तलाश करें। आप इसकी पूँछ का वर्णन कैसे करेंगे?
Answer:
The poet says this because the tail of the squirrel is curled at its tip making it appear similar to a question mark. The squirrel does have a long and bushy tail that gets curled at its tip. So it makes us feel a question mark.
कवयित्री ऐसा इसलिए कहती है क्योंकि गिलहरी की पूँछ ऊपर से इस तरह मुड़ी हुई है जैसे कि एक प्रश्नवाचक चिह्न दिखाई देता है। गिलहरी की पूँछ लम्बी व रोएंदार होती है जो शीर्ष भाग से मुड़ सकती है। इसलिए यह हमें प्रश्नवाचक चिन्ह का अहसास कराती है।
Question 2.
Do we usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail? What do we say? (Think : Does an animal wear a coat? Consult a dictionary if you like, and find out how ‘wear’ is used in different ways.)
क्या हम सामान्यतः यह कहते हैं कि एक जीव अपनी पूंछ को पहनता है? हम क्या कहते हैं? (विचार करें : क्या एक जीव/जानवर एक कोटलबादा पहनता है? यदि आप चाहें तो शब्दकोश.की सहायता ले सकते हैं और पता कर सकते हैं कि wear का प्रयोग किन-किन अर्थों में किया जाता है।)
Answer:
We do not usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail. We just say that an animal ‘has’ a tail, because it is a part of its body.. ‘Wear’ actually means to put something on your body either to cover it, protect it, or look more beautiful. But ‘wear’ can be used in many other ways.
साधारण रूप से हम ऐसा नहीं कहते हैं कि एक जीव/जानवर पूँछ पहनता है। हम केवल ऐसा कहते हैं कि एक जानवर के एक पूँछ है क्योंकि पूँछ उस जानवर के शरीर का ही एक भाग होती है। Wear का वास्तव में अर्थ अपने शरीर पर कुछ पहनना होता है, चाहे इसे ढकने को पहने, या इसकी रक्षार्थ पहने या अधिक सुन्दर दिखने को पहने। फिर भी, wear का प्रयोग निम्न अन्य अर्थों में भी किया जा सकता है।
(i) to carry or have on the body Use : He wears a wig.
(ii) to have a certain look on your face Use : His face wore a puzzled look.
(iii) to become something thinner, smoother or weaker because of being used or rubbed a lot.
Use : These tyres are badly worn.
(iv) to make a path, hole, etc. in something by rubbing. walking etc.
Use : I had worn a hole in my sock.
Question 3.
“He liked to tease and play”. Who is teasing whom? How?
“वह चिढ़ाना तथा खेलना पसन्द करती थी।” कौन किसको ?
Answer:
The squirrel is teasing the poet and her friends by quickly running from one tree to another.
गिलहरी एक वृक्ष से दूसरे वृक्ष पर तेजी से दौड़कर जाते हुए कवि व उसके मित्रों को लगातार चिढ़ा रही है।
Seen Passages
Passage – 1.
He wore a question mark for tail,
An overcoat of gray,
He sat up straight to eat a nut.
Questions :
1. Who is ‘He’ here?
2. What do you mean by ‘overcoat’?
3. Why did he sit up straight?
4. Give the Hindi meanings of the following words:
(a) mark
(b) gray
5. Write the opposites of the following:
(a) answer
(b) crooked
Answers :
1. The squirrel is ‘He here.
2. Overcoat is the fur skin of the squirrel.
3. He sat up straight to eat a nut.
4. (a) चिह्
(b) स्लेटी
5. (a) question
(b) straight
Passage – 2.
He liked to tease and play,
And if we ran around his tree,
He went the other way.
Questions :
1. What did ‘he like?
2. Who are ‘we’ here?
3. How did they enjoy together?
4. Give the Hindi meanings of the following words:
(a) tease
(b) way
5. Write from the passage the English meanings of the following words:
(a) route
(b) to laugh to upset
Answers :
1. He liked to tease and play.
2. We here are the poet and her friends.
3. They enjoyed by running around the tree and the other way.
4. (a) चिढ़ाना
(b) मार्ग
5. (a) way
(b) tease