Read the given extract and answer the questions
Extract:
Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed
(My mother at sixty-six)
Question (i)
What is the rhyme scheme of the extract?
- (a) ABABC
- (b) ABCDE
- (c) AABBA
- (d) ABABA
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(b) ABCDE
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about rhyme scheme. Rhyme scheme is the pattern of sounds that repeats at the end of a line or stanza in a poem. 🌟
- 📝 To find the rhyme scheme of a poem, we need to label each line with a letter that corresponds to its end sound. For example, if two lines rhyme with each other, they get the same letter. If they don't rhyme, they get different letters. 📝
- 🎨 Let's look at the extract and label each line with a letter:
Driving from my parent’s A
home to Cochin last Friday B
morning, I saw my mother, C
beside me, D
doze, open mouthed E
- 🎉 As you can see, none of the lines rhyme with each other. They all have different end sounds. So the rhyme scheme is ABCDE. 🎉
- 💯 That's why the correct answer is B. ABCDE. 💯
Question (ii)
What does the use of the word "doze" suggest?
- (a) The mother is tired and sleepy.
- (b) The mother is bored and restless.
- (c) The mother is alert and attentive.
- (d) The mother is angry and annoyed.
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(a) The mother is tired and sleepy.
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about word choice. Word choice is the use of specific words to convey meaning and tone in a text. 🌟
- 📝 To answer this question, we need to understand what the word "doze" means and how it affects the mood of the poem. 📝
- 🎨 The word "doze" means to sleep lightly or briefly, especially during the day. It implies that the person is not fully awake or aware of their surroundings. It also suggests that the person is not very interested or engaged in what is happening around them. 🎨
- 🎉 By using the word "doze", the poet shows that the mother is tired and sleepy during the journey. She is not enjoying or participating in the conversation with her daughter. She is also not looking at the scenery outside the window. She is detached and passive in her old age. 🎉
- 💯 That's why the correct answer is A. The mother is tired and sleepy. 💯
Question (iii)
Select the option that is NOT true about the lack of punctuation at the end of line 1 in the extract.
- (a) It creates a sense of continuity and movement.
- (b) It reflects the speaker's stream of consciousness.
- (c) It emphasizes the contrast between parent's and Cochin.
- (d) It indicates a pause or a change of direction.
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(d) It indicates a pause or a change of direction.
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about punctuation.
- Punctuation is the use of marks such as commas, periods, dashes, etc., to separate sentences and parts of sentences in a text.
Question (iv)
What is the tone of the speaker in the extract?
- (a) Joyful and optimistic
- (b) Sad and nostalgic
- (c) Angry and resentful
- (d) Neutral and factual
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(b) Sad and nostalgic
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about tone. Tone is the attitude or emotion that the speaker or writer conveys through their words and style. 🌟
- 📝 To answer this question, we need to analyze the words and phrases that the speaker uses and how they affect the mood of the poem. 📝
- 🎨 The speaker uses words and phrases that show her sadness and nostalgia for her mother. For example, she says "I saw my mother" instead of "I looked at my mother" or "I talked to my mother". This implies that she is observing her mother from a distance, as if she is already gone. She also describes her mother's face as "ashen like that of a corpse" and "wan, pale as a late winter's moon". These are images of death and decay, which contrast with the lively and colorful scenes outside the window. The speaker also uses words like "realised with pain", "put that thought away", "old familiar ache", and "childhood's fear". These show that she is trying to suppress her emotions and cope with the reality of her mother's aging and mortality. 🎨
- 🎉 By using these words and phrases, the speaker creates a tone of sadness and nostalgia in the extract. She expresses her love and sorrow for her mother, who is fading away before her eyes. She also recalls her past memories and feelings for her mother, who was once young and vibrant. 🎉
- 💯 That's why the correct answer is B. Sad and nostalgic. 💯
Question (v)
Complete the sentence with the best word from the options given:
The speaker's journey from her parent's home to Cochin is a _________ for her emotional journey from childhood to adulthood.
- (a) metaphor
- (b) simile
- (c) symbol
- (d) alliteration
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(a) metaphor
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about figurative language. Figurative language is the use of words or expressions that have a different meaning from their literal one, such as metaphors, similes, symbols, etc. 🌟
- 📝 To answer this question, we need to understand what each word means and how it applies to the sentence given. 📝
- 🎨 A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two things that are different but have something in common, without using words like "as" or "like". For example, "Life is a roller coaster" is a metaphor that compares life to a roller coaster, implying that it has ups and downs.
- A simile is a figure of speech that compares two things that are different but have something in common, using words like "as" or "like". For example, "She was as sweet as honey" is a simile that compares a person to honey, implying that she is very kind.
- A symbol is an object, person, place, or idea that represents something else, usually something abstract or complex. For example, a dove is a symbol of peace.
- Alliteration is a sound device that repeats the same consonant sound at the beginning of words that are close together. For example, "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" is an example of alliteration with the sound /p/. 🎨
- 🎉 In the sentence given, the speaker's journey from her parent's home to Cochin is a metaphor for her emotional journey from childhood to adulthood. It compares two things that are different but have something in common: they both involve leaving behind one place or stage of life and moving on to another one. The journey also reflects the speaker's feelings and thoughts about her mother and herself as they grow older and apart. 🎉
- 💯 That's why the correct answer is A. metaphor. 💯
Question (vi)
True or false:
The poem has a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme.
Answer:
Answer written by student:
False
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about rhythm and rhyme scheme.
- Rhythm is music's pattern in time. Whatever other elements a given piece of music may have (e.g., patterns in pitch or timbre), rhythm is the one indispensable element of all music. Rhythm can exist without melody, as in the drumbeats of so-called primitive music, but melody cannot exist without rhythm.
- Rhyme scheme is the pattern of sounds that repeats at the end of a line or stanza in a poem. 🌟
