HORNBILL POEM 2 MARKS

Poem – A Photograph

1. Who are the persons in the photograph?
In the photograph, there are three little girls. One is the poet’s mother and the other two are her cousins, Betty and Dolly. They had gone to the sea beach to enjoy paddling. The photograph shows them smiling happily in their childhood.

2. What does the cardboard refer to in the poem?
The word “cardboard” means the photograph which is pasted on thick paper. It shows the poet’s mother as a child with her cousins. Though people change with time, the photograph on the cardboard remains the same.

3. Who has not changed over the years?
The sea, which is seen in the background of the photograph, has not changed at all. While the poet’s mother grew up, became old, and died, the sea has stayed the same. It shows that nature is permanent but human life is temporary.

4. What do you infer about feelings of poet in the poem ‘A Photograph’?
The poet feels very sad and lonely. She remembers her dead mother with pain. The photograph brings back old memories of her mother’s childhood and her laughter. The poet feels helpless against time and death.

5. What impression can you form about the mother of the poet?
The poet’s mother was a fun-loving and cheerful person. She enjoyed her childhood at the beach with her cousins. Even after growing up, she used to laugh about that photograph. She was a kind and loving woman whom the poet remembers dearly.

Poem – The Laburnum Top

1. What is the colour of Laburnum tree in September?
In September, the Laburnum tree becomes yellow. Its leaves turn yellow and the tree looks lifeless and quiet. This is the autumn season when trees shed their leaves.

2. Why does the Laburnum tree become yellow in the month of September?
The Laburnum tree becomes yellow in September because it is autumn. In this season, leaves dry and fall down. That is why the tree looks bare, silent, and dead-like.

3. What was compared with Goldfinch movement?
The Goldfinch’s movement is compared to a machine. Just like an engine starts the machine, the bird’s arrival makes the silent tree active and full of life.

4. How is the tree transformed during the bird’s visit?
When the Goldfinch comes, the quiet Laburnum tree becomes alive. The bird feeds its babies and the whole tree is filled with sounds and activity. The tree, which was silent earlier, now looks lively.

5. What is the engine of the machine? What is its fuel?
The Goldfinch is the engine of the machine. Its babies are the fuel because their hunger makes the bird active. Together they bring life, sound, and energy to the Laburnum tree.

Poem – The Voice of Rain

1. What will happen if it doesn’t rain?
If there is no rain, the earth will become dry. Seeds will not grow, plants will die, and life on earth will stop. Rain is necessary for all living beings.

2. How does the shower fall?
The rain falls softly and gently on the earth. It does not fall violently. It falls in a way that gives life and freshness to everything.

3. What took the shape of showers in the sky?
The water vapour rising from land and sea took the shape of showers in the sky. It comes down again as rain, completing the water cycle.

4. What happens when the rain falls on the seeds?
When rain falls on seeds, they start to grow into plants. Rain gives life and energy to seeds. Without rain, seeds cannot germinate.

5. What does the rain wash?
Rain washes away the dust and dirt from the earth and air. It makes everything fresh and clean. It also washes the seeds and helps them grow into green plants.