Question 4
I
Complete the following summary with exact words from the poem. One example has been done for you. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
The poem describes Mrs. Jones, the speaker’s next-door neighbour, who has a unique garden filled with
1.
. Her garden includes a peculiar 2.
, a pond, and a rockery,
along with an unusual 3.
that she finds charming. Mrs. Jones plants tiny,
4.
plants between the stones, which the speaker thinks must be so small that they are planted with a
5.
. One day, Mrs. Jones invites the speaker to see her garden, and they discuss a
6.
that Mrs. Jones treasures. When the speaker asks where the
7.
flower is, Mrs. Jones says that the speaker has been
8.
on it all along.
How to answer:
Use exact words from the poem. Read the whole sentence around each blank before choosing the word.
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1.
The poem describes Mrs. Jones, the speaker’s next-door neighbour, who has a unique garden filled with
stones
.
Reason:
The poem says that Mrs. Jones has a “garden full of stones”.
2.
Her garden includes a peculiar
path
, a pond, and a rockery.
Reason:
The poem describes “A crazy path”.
3.
Her garden also has an unusual
sundial
that she finds charming.
Reason:
The poem mentions “A sundial with a strange device”.
4.
Mrs. Jones plants tiny,
delicate
plants between the stones.
Reason:
The plants are described as “delicate and small”.
5.
The speaker thinks the plants are so small that they are planted with a
pin
.
Reason:
He jokes, “unless she plants them with a pin”.
6.
Mrs. Jones invites the speaker to see her garden, and they discuss a
flower
that she treasures.
Reason:
The poem says, “We stood and talked about a flower”.
7.
The speaker asks where the
lovely
flower is.
Reason:
He asks, “Where is this lovely thing?”
8.
Mrs. Jones says that the speaker has been
standing
on it all along.
Reason:
Her reply is, “You’re standing on it”.
Yahan poem ke facts fill karne hain: Mrs Jones ka garden
stones se bhara
hai, usme crazy path, pond aur rockery hai, ek strange sundial hai jo use pyara lagta hai, aur wo stones ke beech
chhote-nazuk plants
lagati hai.
II. Tone, Speaker and Rhyme Scheme
Know these three terms first
Tone
means the feeling or attitude in the speaker’s words.
Speaker
means the voice that is speaking in the poem.
Rhyme scheme
is the pattern made by the rhyming words at the ends of lines.
Example:
If line 1 rhymes with line 2, and line 3 rhymes with line 4, the pattern can be written as AABB.
II
Select the correct option to fill in the blanks for the following sentences.
Question 5
1. The tone of the poem is ____________.
(i)
mocking
(ii)
humorous
(iii)
mournful
(iv)
amusing
(v)
light-hearted
A.
(i), (ii), and (iii)
B.
(i), (ii), and (v)
C.
(ii), (iii), and (iv)
D.
(ii), (iv), and (v)
How to answer:
Look at the whole poem. Choose the set of feelings that matches the playful description and funny ending.
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The tone of the poem is
humorous, amusing and light-hearted
.
Therefore, the correct answer is
D. (ii), (iv), and (v)
.
Reason:
The poem uses playful descriptions, exaggeration and a funny ending. It is not mournful.
Poem ka tone
funny aur halka-phulka
hai — mazakiya descriptions, exaggeration aur ek majedaar ending. Isliye sahi answer D yaani (ii), (iv), (v) hai, dukh bhara bilkul nahi.
Question 6
2. The speaker in the poem is ____________.
(i)
Mrs. Jones
(ii)
the poet
(iii)
a gardener
(iv)
a child
How to answer:
Look for first-person words such as “my” and “I”.
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The speaker in the poem is
the poet
.
Therefore, the correct answer is
(ii) the poet
.
Reason:
The poem is told in the first person through words such as “My next-door neighbour…” and “I cried”.
Simple si baat — poem mein bol raha
poet khud
hai. Isliye sahi answer (ii) the poet, kyunki 'My next-door neighbour' aur 'I cried' jaise first-person words aate hain.
Question 7
3. The rhyme scheme of the poem is _________.
(i)
AABBCC
(ii)
ABABCC
(iii)
AABCAC
(iv)
ABBACC
How to answer:
Write the same letter for lines whose ending sounds rhyme.
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The rhyme scheme of the poem is
AABBCC
.
Therefore, the correct answer is
(i) AABBCC
.
Reason:
In stanza 1, Jones/stones = A, pond/beyond = B, and device/nice = C. The same paired pattern continues in the other stanzas.
Poem ka rhyme scheme
AABBCC
hai, toh sahi answer (i). Stanza 1 mein Jones/stones milte hain, pond/beyond milte hain, device/nice milte hain — yahi joda-pattern aage bhi chalta hai.
III. Repetition and Imagery
Learn the ideas before you use them
Repetition
means using the same word or phrase again to draw attention to it.
Imagery
means words that help us see a picture in our mind.
Example:
“A red kite floated in the blue sky” creates a clear picture in our mind.
III
Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct answer given in the brackets.
Question 8
1. The poet uses the word ‘stones’ in all stanzas in order to emphasise her ________.
(obsession with a stony garden / pride in gardening skills)
How to answer:
Choose the option that matches the repeated focus on stones.
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Answer:
obsession with a stony garden
.
Reason:
The word “stones” appears again and again because stones are a major feature of Mrs. Jones’s garden.
Yahan 'stones' word baar-baar aata hai kyunki stones Mrs Jones ke garden ka sabse bada feature hai. Isse pata chalta hai unki
stony garden se lagav
kitna gehra hai.
Question 9
2. The poet uses imagery to describe the features of the garden that help readers _____________.
(understand Mrs. Jones’ love for plants / visualise the garden’s peculiar nature)
How to answer:
Imagery helps the reader form a picture.
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Answer:
visualise the garden’s peculiar nature
.
Reason:
The path, pond, rockery, sundial and stones help us picture the unusual garden.
Dekho, path, pond, rockery, sundial aur stones — ye sab milke hume garden ki
ajeeb shakal
aankhon ke saamne dikha dete hain. Yaani answer hume garden ka picture banane mein madad karta hai.
IV. Alliteration
What is alliteration?
Alliteration
is the repetition of the same starting sound in nearby words.
Example:
“busy bees” repeats the /b/ sound.
Question 10
IV
Pick examples of alliteration from the poem.
How to answer:
Say the words aloud and listen for the same starting sound in nearby words.
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Answer:
Examples include
“next-door neighbour”
,
“puts … plants”
, and
“quite a quarter”
.
Reason:
These word groups repeat the /n/, /p/, and /kw/ starting sounds.
Yahan
alliteration
ki baat hai: 'next-door neighbour', 'puts plants' aur 'quite a quarter' — inme /n/, /p/ aur /kw/ wali same shuruaati awaaz repeat hoti hai.
Question 11
V
A refrain is a repeated line or phrase that appears in each stanza. Identify the refrain from the poem.
How to answer:
Find the exact line that begins all three stanzas.
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Answer:
“My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,”
Reason:
The same line appears at the start of every stanza.
Simple si baat —
refrain
wali line hai 'My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,' jo har stanza ki shuruaat mein wahi ki wahi aati hai.
Question 12
VI
Irony is a literary device that emphasises the difference between what is expected and what actually happens. It often involves a situation where the outcome is the opposite of what is expected, creating a surprising or a humorous effect. For example, Mrs. Jones’ excitement about her garden contrasts with the speaker’s disappointment on how ordinary it is. Identify the line(s) from the poem that display(s) situational irony.
How to answer:
First think about what the speaker expects. Then find the line where the actual situation is completely different.
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Answer:
“Where is this lovely thing?” I cried.
“You’re standing on it,” she replied.
Reason:
The speaker expects the flower to be somewhere he can see, but the surprising truth is that he is standing on it.
Yahan twist wali lines hain — speaker poochta 'Where is this lovely thing?' aur jawab milta 'You're standing on it.' Wo socha tha flower kahin dikhega, par
chaunka dene wali baat
ye ki wo usi pe khada tha.
VII
Complete the following sentences appropriately.
Question 13
1. The word ‘concrete’ can refer to ______________ in Mrs. Jones’ garden.
How to answer:
Use the physical meaning of “concrete” that fits the stone-filled garden.
Question 14
2. The title also has a symbolic meaning, as the poem provides a clear or ‘concrete’ example of Mrs. Jones’ ______________ gardening habits.
How to answer:
Now use “concrete” in the sense of clear or definite.
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1.
The word “concrete” can refer to the
stones / hard material
in Mrs. Jones’s garden.
Reason:
This uses the literal meaning of concrete as a hard material.
2.
The poem provides a clear or “concrete” example of Mrs. Jones’s
peculiar / unusual
gardening habits.
Reason:
This uses the second meaning of concrete: clear, definite or specific.
Title ke do matlab hain — ek toh garden ke
stones/hard material
wala literal 'concrete', aur doosra Mrs Jones ki ajeeb gardening ka ek
clear/pakka example
yaani definite waala meaning.
VIII
The title ‘A Concrete Example’ carries both literal and symbolic (metaphorical) meaning. Such word play is called a pun. A pun is a figure of speech that uses words with multiple meanings or words that sound alike but have different meanings, creating a humorous effect.
• I tried arguing with my pencil but it kept making sharp points.
(suggests the idea of an actual sharp pencil point and strong argument points)
• My pencil and I had a disagreement but we finally got to the point.
(refers to solving an argument and the pencil’s tip)
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