Question 2 - Rain On The Roof - Beehive - Poems (Literature) - English Class 9

Read the given extract and answer the questions

Extract:

Now in memory comes my mother,

As she used in years agone,

To regard the darling dreamers

Ere she left them till the dawn:

O! I see her leaning o'er me,

As I list to this refrain

Which is played upon the shingles

By the patter of the rain.

(Rain on the roof)

Question (i)

 Multiple Choice Question: What does "agone" mean in this context?

• a) Gone away or departed.
• b) A long time ago or past.
• c) In pain or agony.
• d) Alone or solitary.

Answer:

Answer written by student:

b) A long time ago or past.

Step-by-Step explanation of answer: 

• To answer this question, we need to look at the meaning of "agone" in relation to "years ".
•   Agone is an archaic word that means a long time ago or past.
•  The poet uses agone to show how distant his memories of his mother are, and how much he misses her.😢

Question (ii)

 What is the rhyme scheme of this extract?

Answer:

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Answer written by student: 

ABABCC

Step-by-Step explanation of answer: 

•  To answer this question, we need to identify the pattern of rhyming words at the end of each line in this extract.
•  Rhyme scheme is a way of describing the arrangement of rhymes in a poem using letters to indicate which lines rhyme with each other.
•  The rhyme scheme of this extract is ABABCC because the first and third lines rhyme (mother and o'er) , the second and fourth lines rhyme (agone and dawn) , and the fifth and sixth lines rhyme (refrain and rain). 🎵

Question (iii)

How does the poet use contrast in this extract?

Answer:

Answer written by student: 

The poet uses contrast in this extract to show the difference between his past and present. He contrasts his mother's loving gaze with her absence, his childhood dreams with his adult reality, and the gentle rain with his sorrowful tears.

Step-by-Step explanation of answer: 

• To answer this question, we need to look at how the poet compares or contrasts two things that are different or opposite in some way.
•  Contrast is a literary device that emphasizes the differences between two things to create interest, suspense, or drama.
•  The poet uses contrast in this extract to show how much he longs for his mother and his happy childhood. He contrasts his mother's loving gaze ("regard") with her absence ("gone"), his childhood dreams ("darling dreamers") with his adult reality ("memory"), and the gentle rain ("patter") with his sorrowful tears ("weep").😭

Question (iv)

 Fill in the blanks:

The poet uses a _________ to compare the sound of rain to a musical tune. He also uses an _________ to describe how he listens to the sound of rain.

Answer:

Answer written by student: 

Metaphor, alliteration

Step-by-Step explanation of answer: 

•  To answer this question, we need to identify what literary devices are used by the poet in this extract.
•  A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two things that are not alike without using words like "as" or "like".
•  An alliteration is a figure of speech that repeats the same sound or letter at the beginning of two or more words in a sentence.
•  The poet uses a metaphor to compare the sound of rain to a musical tune when he says "this refrain which is played upon the shingles". He also uses an alliteration to describe how he listens to the sound of rain when he says "as I list to this refrain" .🌧️

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