NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 11 Song of the Rain
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 11 Free PDF Download
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1. (a) Given below are five lines from a poem but they are not in the right order. Get into groups of four. Read the lines and put them in the right order. Read the version that you develop to the whole class.
| The voice of thunder declares my arrival. |
| I emerge from the heart of the sea. |
| I descend and embrace the flowers. |
| I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven. |
| The rainbow announces my departure. |
Ans: I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven.
The voice of thunder declares my arrival.
The rainbow announces my departure.
I emerge from the heart of the sea.
I descend and embrace the flowers.
(b) Who is ‘I’ in these lines?
Ans: ‘I’ is the rain in these lines who has been personified as an emotionally conscious being narrating its autobiography to the readers.
(c) Imagining yourself as the subject of this poem, write five lines about yourself in less than five minutes.
You may like to
- define yourself
- state what you do
- explain why people like/dislike you
- mention any other characteristic about yourself
Ans: I am a human being figuring my way in this world. I am yet a student who is learning the ways of my life. My parents love me because I am their little child. The teachers scold me because I talk a lot. I love to day-dream and live in my own fantasies.
Q. Read the lines given in the boxes on the next page. They are in random order. Now listen to the recording of the poem carefully. As you listen, number the stanzas given in the boxes sequentially.
Ans. Do it yourself.
Note: Read the poetry, Song of the the Rain, given in the book.
QA. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by selecting the correct option.
(i) The rain calls itself the ‘dotted silver threads’ as ________.
(a) the shimmering drops fall one after the other
(b) it ties heaven and earth
(c) it dots the earth with shimmering water
(d) it decorates the fields
Ans: (a) the shimmering drops fall one after the other
(ii) The tone and mood of the rain in the poem reflects its ________ .
(a) love for the earth
(b) desire to take revenge
(c) merriment as it destroys
(d) desire to look beautiful
Ans. (a) love for the earth
(iii) Choose the option that lists the examples of ‘elated’.
(1) Asmi is convalescing from her ailment.
(2) Gurdeep and Sanvi met each other after a decade.
(3) Damehi heard the news that he had been nominated for an award.
(4) Sohrab has witnessed a burglar in the dark.
(a) 1, 3
(b) 2, 3
(c) 3, 4
(d) 1, 4
Ans. (b) 2, 3
(iv) Antithesis is a figure of speech which brings out a contrast in the ideas by placing opposing words, clauses or sentences within a parallel grammatical structure.
For example:
- “To err is human; to forgive divine.” - Alexander Pope
- Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.
- Keep your friends close; keep your enemies
closer.
From the following phrases in the poem, select the option that correctly lists the examples of Antithesis.
1. When I cry the hills laugh; When I humble myself the flowers rejoice;
2. And between them I am a messenger of mercy.
3. When I bow, all things are elated.
4. The voice of thunder declares my arrival; The rainbow announces my departure.
5. I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven.
6. I touch gently at the windows with my Soft fingers.
(a) 1, 3, 4, 6
(b) 1, 3, 4
(c) 1, 3, 4, 5
(d) 1, 3, 5
Ans: (b) 1, 3, 4
QB. Read the given extracts and answer the following questions by selecting the correct option.
1. I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven By the gods. Nature then takes me, to adorn Her fields and valleys. I am beautiful pearls, plucked from the Crown of Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn To embellish the gardens.
(i) Select the option that DOES NOT include a visual connected to the given lines.
(a) Option (1)
(b) Option (2)
(c) Option (3)
(d) Option (4)
Ans. (a) Option (1)
Q. (ii) Read the definitions given below:
Allusion: Reference to a famous person, place, or historical event, either directly or through implication.
Alliteration: Repetition of same consonant sound at the initial position in two or more neighbouring words.
Select the option that correctly includes examples of i) allusion and ii) alliteration from the extract.
(a) (i) Ishtar (ii) daughter of Dawn
(b) (i) Dawn (ii) dotted silver threads
(c) (i) Nature (ii) pearls, plucked from the Crown
Ans: (a) (i) Ishtar (ii) daughter of Dawn
(iii) Choose the option containing a statement that is NOT conveyed through the extract.
(a) The rain calls itself the shimmering drops sent by gods.
(b) The rain is the daughter of Dawn born to decorate the gardens.
(c) Nature has adopted rain to decorate her fields and valleys.
(d) The rain is beautiful pearls plucked from the crown of the goddess of fertility.
Ans: (c) Nature has adopted rain to decorate her fields and valleys.
(iv) Ishtar is a Mesopotamian goddess and signifies diverse things in different cultures. Select which symbol of Ishtar is relevant in the extract with the most appropriate reason.
(a) The poet utilised the symbol of ‘Love’ to represent Ishtar because the rain brings love and peace to the world.
(b) Ishtar signifies ‘War’ as her power arises from her connection with storms.
(c) Ishtar here represents ‘Fertility’ because she is responsible for all life and so is the relevance to the rain.
(d) The poet meant to associate the symbol of ‘Beauty’ to Ishtar as the rain makes the world beautiful.
Ans. (d) The poet meant to associate the symbol of ‘Beauty’ to Ishtar as the rain makes the world beautiful.
Q. The voice of thunder declares my arrival; The rainbow announces my departure. I am like earthly life, which begins at The feet of the mad elements and ends Under the upraised wings of death.
(i) The rain says, ‘I am like earthly life’. Select the option with the most suitable explanation of the expression.
(a) The rain undergoes the same phases as that of earthly beings.
(b) Most of the rain’s life is on the earth.
(c) The fate of earthly life is dependent on the rain.
(d) Rain has a concern for earthly life.
Ans: (a) The rain undergoes the same phases as that of earthly beings.
(ii) The tone and mood of the rain in the extract reflects _________.
(a) its merriment as it destroys
(b) rain’s desire to reach its destiny
(c) its objective and realistic manner
(d) the rain’s pride at its might
Ans: (d) the rain’s pride at its might
(iii) Read statements 1 and 2 given below and choose the option that correctly assesses these statements.
(1) Rainbow declares the rain’s parting.
(2) Rainbow causes the end of the rain.
(a) Both statements 1 and 2 are false.
(b) Statement 1 is true but 2 is false.
(c) Statement 1 is the reason for statement 2.
(d) Statement 2 is the cause of statement 1.
Ans: (b) Statement 1 is true but 2 is false.
QA. Answer the following questions briefly :
(a) Why is the rain divine?
Ans. Rain is divine as it comes from heaven in the form of a blessing from God. It is healing to all it touches.
(b) In this universe, rain performs many functions. What are those?
Ans: Rain beautifies and refreshes all surroundings. It spreads happiness all around and all objects of nature feel rejuvenated. It gives life and quenches the thirst of the dry and barren earth.
(c) “When I cry the hills laugh; When I humble myself the flowers rejoice; When I bow, all things are elated.” Cry, humble and bow indicate different intensity with which the rain falls. Explain the three in the context of the poem.
Ans: Here the word cry means pouring rain which is beneficial for the hills and so they appear to laugh. Humble means a light rain which delights the flowers by providing water but not destroying them with its force. Bow means the forming of a rainbow which is always a delight to all who see it.
(d) The Poem invokes beautiful imagery which is built around ‘sigh of the sea’, ‘laughter of the field’ and ‘tears of heaven’. Explain the three expressions in the context of rain.
Ans. The rain starts its journey as water vapours rising from the seawater which seems as if they are the ‘sighs of the sea’. Whenever rain pours down, it looks like the showers are ‘tears of heaven’ that are being shed in happiness for the rain will rejoice the earth. The rain irrigates the fields and the crops bloom and grow which is why rain is the ‘laughter of the field’.
(e) Define the role of rain as the “messenger of mercy”.
Ans: The poet imagines the clouds and the fields as two lovers separated apart at a distance and they are parched for each other’s love. When rain falls on the earth, it seems to play the role of the messenger between them, thus quenching the longing thirst of the earth. That’s how rain plays the role of ‘messenger of mercy’.
(f) Contrast the arrival of the rain with that of its departure.
Ans: The poet says that the arrival of the rain is like earthly creatures. Just like humans are born crying and mewling, the rain announces its arrival with thunder and lightning. Just as humans die and go silently with the wings of death lifting them up, leaving behind pleasant memories, so does the rain depart with a colourful rainbow as its reminder.
B. Answer in detail:
(a) Shakespeare’s ‘Seven Ages’ designates different stages of human life. Draw a parallel between the two poems to elicit the different stages of rain’s life.
Ans: Shakespeare talks about seven different ages of a man, from birth to death, describing each stage’s characteristics. The poet here too describes different stages of the rain. First its loud arrival with thunder and lightning, second its playful youth in the fields, flowers and valleys. And finally, the third stage of its departure when the earth is quenched and there’s a rainbow left in its memory.
(b) Imagery evokes a mental image or other kinds of sensual impressions in literary writings.
“I am beautiful pearls…”, “dotted silver threads”, “laughter of the field” , etc.
Now, observe auditory images created by the words “sighs”, “thunders”, “laughter”, etc. Critically appreciate the poem, explaining the effect these techniques create in the mind of the reader.
Ans: The poet Kahlil Gibran plays with the senses of his readers in his poem. The rain invokes beautiful visions of flowers, fields, valleys and rainbows. The rain plays with auditory senses by making sounds of thunder, breeze, crying and sighs over the sea. The rain also induces tactile senses by touching the windows gently with its soft fingers.
(c) “When I see a field in need, I descend and embrace the flowers and the trees in a million little ways”.
Write an imaginary conversation between a flower, a tree and the field, discussing the role of rain in their lives. You may begin like this:
Tree: My life began as a seed. I came to life only after the rain drops embraced me.
Field: My survival, thereby the survival of all mankind depends on me. And only rains can help me thrive…
Flower: ….
Ans: Tree: My life began as a seed. I came to life only after the rain drops embraced me.
Field: The survival of all mankind depends on me. And only rain can help me thrive…
Flower: I bloom only because of the pleasant weather that the rain showers create.
Field: How come so?
Flower: Well… The favourable weather that the rain brings is ideal for my blossoming. We create scent and nectar to attract insects to pollinate us
and we give rise to new fruits, new seeds and new crops. Our journey becomes successful because of the rain.
Q. ‘Ode to Autumn’ is a beautiful poem written by the famous poet John Keats. From page 151, your teacher will read an excerpt from the poem. Pick phrases which personify autumn.
Phrases:
__________________ _________________
__________________ _________________
__________________ _________________
__________________ _________________
Ans:
- Close bosom friend of the maturing sun
- ….not seen thee oft amid thy store
- Thee sitting careless on a granary floor
- Thy hair soft-lifted
- …like a gleaner thou…
- Thy hook spares the next swath
Q. Rain in the hills and rain in the desert present entirely different scenario. In the hills it revitalises the greenery and freshens the vegetation; it waters the parched land and relieves the thirsty and panting souls in the desert.
(i) This has been a year of scanty rains. Imagine how the rain would be welcomed when it pours in the hills and in the desert after a long dry spell. Choose one such place and describe.
(a) What are you likely to see?
(b) What would happen to the rain water?
(c) What would be the scene before and after the rain?
Ans: (a) When rain falls in the hills there’s a good chance that one will witness fog and mist. The surrounding air becomes damp and cool and the temperature quickly drops. When rain falls in dry deserts, it releases the trapped heat from the land and cools down the earth with a pleasant aroma, light breezy air and a clear sky afterwards.
(b) In the hills the rain water quickly trickles down the slopes and makes everything slippery and wet. There are landslides because of heavy rains and the water that collects down flows away in form of streams. In deserts and dry lands, the rain is quickly absorbed into the earth and the cracked and parched land becomes moist and rejuvenated. Water may clog sometimes if there is no drainage.
(c) In the hills there is high humidity and darkened sky before the rain. Once it rains, it becomes cool and chilly. There’s occasional mist and fog which dampens the air and gives woody smell. In dry land area it becomes extremely hot and humid before the rain, the air feels heavy and the sky becomes dark with cloud and thunder. After the rain, the earth gives off a pleasant aroma of freshness and the air becomes light. There’s a clear sky afterwards with a rainbow.
