Poem 3 The Quarrel
Text Book Questions and Answers
Working with the poem (NCERT Page 40)
Question 1
With your partner try to guess the meaning of the underlined phrases.
(i) And somehow we fell out.
(ii) The afternoon turned black.
Answer:
(i) Fell out – quarrelled
(ii) Turned black – was spoiled due to bad mood
Question 2.
Read these lines from the poem.
(i) One thing led to another
(ii) The start of it was slight
(iii) The end of it was strong
(iv) The afternoon turned black
(v) Thumped me on the back
Discuss with your partner what these lines mean.
Answer:
(i) The fight continued, one after the other argument afternoon became unpleasant.
(ii) The cause behind the quarrel was a very minor issue.
(iii) The quarrel ended on a very bitter note.
(iv) The quarrel spoiled their mood and the afternoon became unpleasant.
(v) Patted on the back in a friendly manner.
Question 3.
Describe a recent quarrel that you have had with your brother, sister or friend. How did it start? What did you quarrel about? How did it end?
Answer:
My sister is my best friend and helps me solve all my problems. But one day, we had an argument when I told her to do my homework as I was feeling lethargic.She told me to do it myself. We continued with our fight and did not talk to each other for 5 days. I told my mother about the fight. My mother said that it was my mistake and I should apologise. I approached my sister and resolved the issue by saying sorry.
Extra Questions and Answers
Very Short Answer Type
Question 1.
What was the reason behind the quarrel?
Answer:
They were fighting over a minor issue which the poet could not even remember.
Question 2.
Who took the initiative to resolve the matter?
Answer:
The poet’s brother took the initiative to resolve the matter and approached the poet.
Question 3.
Why did the afternoon turn out to be black?
Answer:
The afternoon turned out to be black because the poet and her brother were in a bad mood.
Short Answer Type
Question 1.
Why did the quarrel continue till afternoon?
Answer:
The quarrel continued till the afternoon because they blamed each other for the fight. The brother insisted that he was right while the poet said her brother was wrong. The afternoon turned out to be unpleasant.
Question 2.
‘Oh! come along’! we can’t go on all night’.
Who said the above lines and why?
Answer:
The poet’s brother said the above lines because they had a fight and in order to resolve the matter he said the above lines.
Question 3.
Describe a recent quarrel that you have had with your brother, sister or friend. How did it start? What did you quarrel about? How did it end?
Аnswers:
Somesh is my best friend. But one day our relationship turned sour suddenly. He did not come to my birthday party. I lost temper, so did he. He remained tense and unhappy for a couple of days. Both of us were eager to patch up. And we did it in a dramatic manner. We came face to face in the school tuck shop. We shook hands, felt sorry and promised to renew our friendship as earlier.
Value Based Type
Question 1.
Why one should not continue with a quarrel?
Answer:
A quarrel should not continue for a long because it is always a harm for a relationship. It may create misunderstandings which may lead to an end of a good relation. It is preferable to find a solution and to bring a quarrel to an end.
Question 2.
What was the quarrel about between the brother and his sister? How did they become friendly again?
Answer:
It is common for brothers and sisters to quarrel. Many a time they don’t know the point of dispute. But their quarrel does not last long. One day, the narrator quarrelled with her brother for no valid reason. Both stuck firmly to their claim of being right. They began to hate each other. But that very afternoon the brother took the initiative and admitted his mistake. Thus they patched up and forgot their bitterness.
Extract Based Type
Directions (Q. Nos. 1-6) Read the extract given below and answer the following questions.
I quarrelled with my brother
I don’t know what about,
One thing led another
And somehow we fell out.
The start of it was slight,
The end of it was strong,
He said he was right,
I knew he was wrong!
Question 1.
Who quarrelled with his/her brother in the above lines?
Answer:
The poet quarrelled with her brother in the above mentioned lines.
Question 2.
What led to the fight?
Answer:
The poet could not remember the reason behind the fight. One argument after the other led to the fight. The issue was minor only.
Question 3.
Who said he was right in the given lines?
Answer:
The poet’s brother said he was right in the given lines.
Question 4.
Write synonym for the word ‘slight’.
(a) Major
(b) Huge
(c) Fight
(d) Minor
Answer:
(d) Minor
Question 5.
Give antonym for the word ‘strong’.
(a) Tough
(b) Weak
(c) Start
(d) End
Answer:
(b) Weak
Question 6.
Meaning of the word ‘fell out’ will be
(a) to fall down
(b) to jump
(c) to quarrel
(d) None of the above
Answer:
(c) to quarrel
Summary in English
One day the sister quarrelled with her brother. The reason was very petty. But they shouted at each other. The quarrel was mild at first. But it became strong in the end. Both claimed that they were right. They began to hate each other. They did not talk to each other till evening. Then suddenly the brother realised his mistake. He decided to make up with the narrator. He walked up to her, and patted on her back. He suggested that they should patch up. He admitted that he was at fault. The narrator also forgot and forgave him.
Summary in Hindi
एक दिन बहन अपने भाई से झगड़ा कर बैठी। कारण बहुत छोटा-सा था। पर वे दोनों एक-दूसरे पर गरजने लगे। झगड़ा प्रारंभ में तो बहुत हल्का-फुल्का था। पर अंत में वह प्रबल हो गया। दोनों ने दावा किया कि वही सही है। वे दोनों एक दूसरे से नफरत करने लगे। उन्होंने शाम तक परस्पर बात नहीं की। फिर सहसा भाई को महसूस हुआ कि गलती उसकी थी। उसने अपनी बहन से समझौता करने का निर्णय ले लिया। वह उसके पास गया तथा उसके कधे को थपथपाया। उसने कहा चलो हम लोग गुस्सा थूक कर पुन: दोस्ती कर लें। उसने स्वीकार कर लिया कि गलती उसी की थी। बहन ने भी झगड़ा भुला दिया तथा भाई को क्षमा कर दिया।
The Quarrel Hindi version of the poem with comprehension
1. I quarrelled with my brother
I don’t know what about,
One thing led to another
And somehow we fell out.
The start of it was slight,
The end of it was strong,
He said he was right
I knew he was wrong.
मेरा झगड़ा अपने भाई के साथ हो गया, याद नहीं आता कि कारण क्या था। पर वाद-विवाद बढ़ता गया और हमारे बीच मनमुटाव हो गया। झगड़े का कारण या प्रारम्भ तो तुच्छ था, पर उसका अंत गंभीर हो गया। वह कहता रहा कि उसकी बात सही है, मैं जानती थी कि वह गलत बोल रहा है।
Now read the following questions and choose the most appropriate option from the ones given below:
Question 1.
The poet had a quarrel with her…….
(a) friend
(b) brother
(c) sister
(d) classmate.
Аnswer:
(b) brother
Question 2.
What made them fall Out?
(a) Some petty issue
(b) Some grave issue
(c) Some unknown reason
(d) Their quarrelsome nature.
Аnswer:
(a) Some petty issue
Question 3.
Why did the quarrel take a serious turn?
(a) There was no one in the house except these two
(b) Both were quarrelsome by nature
(c) Neither offered a compromise
(d) No one came to settle their dispute.
Аnswer:
(c) Neither offered a compromise
Question 4.
What was the result of the quarrel?
(a) Both left the house
(b) Both became tense
(c) Both stopped reading together
(d) Both became cool.
Аnswer:
(b) Both became tense
Question 5.
Which phrase means the same as to ‘quarrel’?
(a) Led to
(b) Start of
(c) End of
(d) Fall out.
Аnswer:
(d) Fall out.
2. We hated one another
The afternoon turned black.
Then suddenly my brother
Thumped me on the back,
And said, “Oh, come along
We can’t go on all night
I was in the wrong.”
So he was in the right.
हम एक-दूसरे से घृणा करने लगे। पर दोपहर बाद का समय तो बहुत बुरा या उदासी पूर्ण हो गया। तभी अचानक मेरा भाई आया और उसने मेरी पीठ थपथपाई। वह बोला, ‘अरे, चलो, चलते हैं। हम इस प्रकार से सारी रात तो झगड़े में नहीं बिता सकते। मैं मान लेता हूँ कि मैं गलत था।’ इस प्रकार से वह सही हो गया, उसने गलती जो मान ली थी।
Now read the following questions and choose the most appropriate option from the ones given below:
Question 1.
What does ‘We’ here refer to?
(a) The neighbourhood children
(b) The School children
(c) Brother and sister
(d) People in general.
Answer:
(c) Brother and sister
Question 2.
Explain The afternoon turned black.
(a) After the quarrel, both realised their mistake
(b) After the quarrel, both became tense and remorseful
(c) They were quarrelling in the afternoon
(d) In the afternoon they decided not to quarrel again.
Answer:
(b) After the quarrel, both became tense and remorseful
Question 3.
The quarrel finally ended when
(a) the brother went up to his sister, apologised and offered to compromise
(b) their parents came from the market
(c) the sister offered to compromise
(d) their grandparents taught them a lesson.
Answer:
(a) the brother went up to his sister, apologised and offered to compromise
Question 4.
What lesson did they possibly learn?
(a) They should work hard instead of quarrelling
(b) It was interesting to quarrel over little issue
(c) It was futile to quarrel over something too small
(d) Their quarrel would bring bad name too them.
Answer:
(c) It was futile to quarrel over something too small
Question 5.
What does the phrase in the extract ‘turned black’ mean here?
(a) Became pleasant
(b) Became unpleasant
(c) Became enemy
(d) Became rude.
Answer:
(b) Became unpleasant