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I. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
1. I cannot remember my mother
only sometimes in the midst of my play
a tune seems to hover over my playthings,
only sometimes in the midst of my play
a tune seems to hover over my playthings,
NCERT Kaveri page 129
(i) Complete the following sentence appropriately. The poet is reminded of his mother during his __________.
View Answer
How to answer:
Fill in the time from the lines - his play / playtime.
Answer:
The poet is reminded of his mother during his
play / playtime
.
Why:
The extract says “in the midst of my play”.
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(ii) What is the primary emotion conveyed by the line ‘a tune seems to hover over my playthings’?
See poem lines
View Answer
How to answer:
The tune brings the mother to mind, so choose the option about activating her memory.
Answer: (C) It activates memories of the mother.
Why:
The tune floating over his toys brings back the memory of his mother, so it activates that memory.
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(iii) In the context of the poem, what role does the hovering tune play during the speaker’s playtime?
See poem lines
View Answer
How to answer:
Explain that the tune links his play to the memory of his mother’s lullaby.
Answer:
The hovering tune acts as a
gentle link to his mother
. While he plays, it quietly brings back the memory of the lullaby she used to hum, so it connects his present playtime to her loving presence.
NCERT Kaveri page 129
(iv) State whether the following sentence is true or false. The poet experiences the tune lingering over playthings only occasionally during playtime.
See poem lines
View Answer
How to answer:
“Only sometimes” means occasionally, so the statement is true.
| Statement | True / False | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The poet experiences the tune lingering over playthings only occasionally during playtime. | True | The poem says “only sometimes in the midst of my play”, so it happens occasionally, not always. |
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(v) How could the poet feel his mother’s presence, even though she isn’t there?
View Answer
How to answer:
Say he feels her through the senses (tune, smell, sky) - her love stays in the things around him.
Answer:
The poet feels his mother’s presence through his
senses and memory
. A tune, the smell of shiuli flowers, the temple scent and the calm sky all remind him of her. So even though she is gone, her love stays alive in the world around him.
2. I feel that the stillness of
my mother's gaze on my face
has spread all over the sky.
my mother's gaze on my face
has spread all over the sky.
NCERT Kaveri page 129
(i) What does the poet suggest about the stillness of his mother’s gaze spreading over the sky?
See poem lines
View Answer
How to answer:
The sky is not literally her gaze; it symbolises her endless presence - choose (B).
Answer: (B) The sky is a symbolic extension of the mother’s presence.
Why:
The wide, calm sky stands for the mother’s gentle, never-ending gaze and presence.
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(ii) What emotion does the poet associate with the ‘stillness’ of his mother’s gaze?
See poem lines
View Answer
How to answer:
“Stillness” suggests calm and peace, so the emotion is serenity (D).
Answer: (D) a sense of serenity.
Why:
“Stillness” means calm and quiet, which gives a peaceful, serene feeling.
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(iii) State whether the following sentence is true or false. The poet suggests that the mother’s gaze has a tangible and visual effect on the sky.
See poem lines
View Answer
How to answer:
The gaze is felt, not literally seen on the sky, so the statement is false.
| Statement | True / False | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The poet suggests that the mother’s gaze has a tangible and visual effect on the sky. | False | The gaze is not really visible in the sky; it is a feeling, and the calm sky symbolises her presence. |
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(iv) What is the purpose of likening the mother’s gaze to the sky?
See poem lines
View Answer
How to answer:
Explain that the sky shows the mother’s love is vast, endless and present everywhere.
Answer:
Likening the gaze to the sky shows that the mother’s love is
huge, endless and everywhere
. Just as the wide sky covers everything, her calm, loving look seems to watch over the poet from all around, even after she is gone.
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(v) Complete the sentence appropriately. The tone of the poet in the given extract is __________ because __________.
View Answer
How to answer:
State the tone (calm / serene / loving) and give the reason from the lines (the comforting feel of her gaze in the sky).
Answer:
The tone of the poet in the given extract is
calm and loving (serene)
because
he feels his mother’s gentle, peaceful gaze all around him in the wide sky, which comforts him
.
II. Answer the following questions.
NCERT Kaveri page 129
1. What is the emotional impact of the refrain, ‘I cannot remember my mother’?
See poem lines
View Answer
How to answer:
Say the repeated line deepens the feeling of loss, but also leads into his loving memory - sadness mixed with tenderness.
Answer:
The refrain “I cannot remember my mother” repeats a
soft, deep sadness
. Each time it returns, we feel the poet’s loss again - he has no clear picture of his mother. But it also prepares us for the loving way he still feels her, so it mixes
sadness with tenderness
.
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2. Interpret the connection between the poet’s mother and the following: (i) shiuli flowers (ii) humming tune
See poem lines
View Answer
How to answer:
For each, link it to a sense and a quality: shiuli→smell & pure love; tune→sound & her care.
Answer:
- (i) Shiuli flowers: Their sweet smell on an autumn morning, along with the temple scent, feels exactly like his mother. The flowers connect her to purity, holiness and gentle love (the sense of smell) .
- (ii) Humming tune: It is the lullaby she hummed while rocking his cradle. The tune connects her to his babyhood, her care and her love (the sense of sound) .
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3. What role does nature play in the poet’s description of the memory of his mother?
View Answer
How to answer:
Say nature carries the mother’s presence (flowers, morning, sky) and keeps her memory alive.
Answer:
Nature acts as the
keeper of the mother’s memory
. The shiuli flowers, the autumn morning and the wide blue sky all carry her presence. Through nature, the poet can hear, smell and see his mother, so nature keeps her love alive and gives him comfort.
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4. What can be inferred about the poet’s perception of the mother–child relationship?
View Answer
How to answer:
Infer that he sees the bond as deep and everlasting - a mother’s love stays beyond death.
Answer:
The poet sees the mother–child bond as
deep, loving and never-ending
. Even without a clear memory of her face, he feels his mother is always near - in sound, smell and sight. This shows he believes a mother’s love
stays forever
, beyond death.
