The Brook: 9th Class CBSE English Literature Reader Ch 06

The Brook: NCERT 9th Class CBSE English Course Communicative: Literature Reader Interact in English Chapter 06

Question: Can you match the following?

1. Something that lives for one year biennial
2. Something that lives for about two years perennial
3. Something that lives for more than two years annual

Answer:

1. annual
2. biennial
3. perennial

Question: Here is a list of a few things. Can you tell how long each of them can live exist?

1. a dog
2. an elephant
3. a tree
4. a human being
5. a star
6. a mountain
7. a river

Answer:

1. A dog can live up to 20 – 23 years.
2. An elephant can live up to 80 years.
3. A tree can live for a few hundred years,
4. A human being can live for 100 – 135 years.
5. A star can live up to billions of years.
6. A mountain can exist for millions of years,
7. A river can exist for millions of years.

Question: See textbook on page 57.

Answer: Do it yourself.

Question: After reading the poem answer the following questions:

The poet has used a number of words which indicate ‘movement’ and ‘sound’. Working with your partner make a list of these words from the poem and complete the web chart:

(c) A word or a combination of words, whose sound seems to resemble the sound it denotes (for example: “hiss”, “buzz”, etc.) is called onomatopoeia. From the words that you have filled in the blurbs above point out these words.

Answer:

(c) The onomatopoeic words are:

1. chatter
2. murmur
3. babble
4. treble.

Question: The following is a flow chart showing the course of the brook. Can you fill in the blank spaces with help from the phrases given below?

Answer:

Question: On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice.

(a) The message of the poem is that the life of a brook is …..

1. temporary
2. short-lived
3. eternal
4. momentary

Answer:

• (3.) eternal

(b) The poet draws a parallelism between the journey of the brook with

1. the life of a man
2. the death of man
3. the difficulties in a man’s life
4. the endless talking of human beings

Answer:

• (1.) the life of a man

(c) The poem is narrated in the first person by the brook. This figure of speech is

1. Personification
2. Metaphor
3. Simile
4. Transferred epithet

Answer:

• (1.) Personification

(d) In the poem, below-mentioned lines:
“And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling”
suggest that …..

1. the brook is a source of life
2. people enjoy the brook
3. fishes survive because of water
4. the brook witnesses all kinds of scenes.

Answer:

• (i) the brook is a source of life

Question: Answer the following questions:

1. How does the brook ‘sparkle’?
2. ‘Bicker’ means ‘to quarrel’. Why does the poet use this word here?
3. How many hills and bridges does the brook pass during its journey?
4. Where does it finally meet the river?
5. Why has the word ‘chatter’ been repeated in the poem?
6. ‘With many a curve my banks I fret’—What does the poet mean by this statement?
7. ‘I wind about, and in and out’. What kind of a picture does this line create in your mind?
8. Name the different things that can be found floating in the brook.
9. What does the poet want to convey by using the words ‘steal’ and ‘slide’?
10. The poem has many examples of alliteration. List any five examples.
11. ‘I make the netted sunbeam dance’. What does ‘the netted sunbeam’ mean? How does it dance?
12. What is the ‘refrain’ in the poem? What effect does it create?

Answer:

1. The brook sparkles when the sunlight and the rays fall on its watery surface. The watery surface acts as a medium and reflects the sun rays producing a sparkling effect. The brook “sparklefs) out among the fern” growing near its banks.
2. When the brook flows out of the place of its birth and flows down, it makes a lot of noise which gives out the idea of noise bom out of ‘a quarrel’. The poet uses the word “bicker” which means ‘to quarrel’. He seems to be using the right word at the right place. The word ‘bicker’ denotes the noisy and quarrelsome sound of the flowing river.
3. The brook passes through thirty hills and fifty bridges during its journey, before it joins the brimming river.
4. The brook meets the brimming river by Philip’s farm.
5. The word ‘chatter’ has been repeatedly used in the poem. The first use is, “I chatter over stony ways.” The second time it is, “I chatter, chatter as I flow.” The word ‘chatter’ means to talk quickly in a friendly way, without stopping. The poet uses the appropriate word to denote the non-stop talking sound of the brook while
   it is negotiating its stony ways. Even the sound of the flowing river is repeatedly called ‘chatter’ as it is constant, non-stop and friendly.
6. The line ‘With many a curve my banks I fret’ expresses the aggressive mood of the flowing brook. The course of the brook is never in a straight line. When the brook strikes the jutting parts of the land it is forced to flow in curves. The water frets and fumes when it strikes and flows round the curvy course. It beats its banks in anger.
7. The onward course of the brook is never in a straight line. It is the tendency of water to make its way wherever it can enter in the gaps. The brook flows on in a zig-zag way finding its own course. Sometimes it goes inside the creeks and fills it with water. When the area is flat, the water comes out moving in a more relaxed way widening its surface.
8. The brook is a source of life. We find many things that can be found floating in the brook. We find blossoms ‘sailing’ over its surface. And ‘here and there’ we find a ‘lusty trout’ and ‘a grayling’ swimming in and out of its watery surface. As it travels onwards we can see ‘foamy flakes’ floating over its surface.
9. The flowing pattern and course of the brook is never uniform. There are places where the brook steals by ‘lawns and grassy plots’. Here, it moves secretly and quietly so that its movement remains unnoticed. The brook ‘slides by hazel covers’ growing near its banks. Here the movement is easy, quiet but quicker than before. The brook flows like the journey of life negotiating all hurdles and obstructions on the way. ,
10. Tennyson makes every effective use of alliteration to create a special poetic and sound effect. The five examples of ‘alliteration’ in the poem are:
    • ‘t’ sound in ‘twenty thorpes, a little town’.
    • T sound in ‘farm’ and ‘flow’ and ‘field and fallow’.
    • ‘w’ sound in ‘with willows-weed’.
    • ‘b’ sound in ‘bubble’ … ‘bays’ and ‘babble’.
    • ‘d’ and’t’ sounds in ‘wind about and in and out’.
11. The rays of the sun fall on the watery surface of the brook. The sunbeams get netted. The watery surface acts as a net or a reflector. The trapped sunbeams are reflected back. The sparkling sunbeams seem to be dancing when the water flows in the sunlight.
12. A refrain is the part of a song or a poem that is repeated a number of times. The refrain in the poem is:
    For men may come and men may go,
    But 1 go on for ever.
    The refrain used in the poem heightens the poetic and musical effects. It brings out the eternal existence of the brook and transitory existence of man’s life in this world. Secondly, it highlights the single idea and maintains the unity of the poem.

Question: Read the given lines and answer the questions:
I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever

1. Who does ‘I’ refer to in the given lines?
2. How does it ‘chatter’?
3. Why has the poet used the word ‘brimming’? What kind of a picture does it create?
4. Explain the last two lines of the stanza.

Answer:

1. ‘I’ refers to the brook in the given lines.
2. The flowing motion of the brook creates a chattering sound. It appears as if it is talking sofly and constantly in a friendly manner with anything that obstructs its flow.
3. The poet has used the word ‘brimming’ for the bigger river the brook is ultimately going to join in. It creates a picture of a big river filled with water up to the brim.
4. The refrain in the poem presents a striking contrast. Men may come and go in and out of this world. Their existence is transitory. However, the brook presents a picture of eternity. It will flow forever

Question: Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem.

Answer: The rhyme scheme of the poem is

Question: The poem is full of images that come alive through skilful use of words. List out any two images that appeal to you the most, quoting the lines from the poem.

Answer: The poem ‘The Brook’ is full of images that come alive through skilful use of words. The first image that appeals to me the most is the one that recaptures its course before it joins the brimming river.

‘By thirty hills I hurry down.
Or slip between the ridges
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.

The noticeable feature is the pace of the lines. When the brook is in its infancy it passes through thirty hills and its movement is very quick. It hurries down. Then it passes through the narrow ridges and here it slips between them. Then the pace is a bit relaxed when it passes through twenty small hamlets or villages, a little town and under half a hundred bridges.

The second image is the ‘chattering’ quality of the brook. The river seems to be talking constantly in a friendly way to the things that obstruct its flow. After ‘chattering’ the brook prepares itself to join the brimming river. The image of’brimming river’ brings into our minds a river which is full of water to its brim.

I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river ‘.

Question: The brook appears to be a symbol for life. Pick out examples of parallelism between life and the brook.

Answer: The brook is, definitely, a symbol for life. There are many examples of parallelism between life and the brook:

1. Infancy: There is a striking parallel between human life and the life of the brook. As an infant suddenly appears in this world, the brook makes a ‘sudden sally’ or emerges suddenly from the place of its birth.
2. Youth: In human beings this is the period when ‘life’ is at its peak. One is strong, full of enthusiasm and dynamism. All his movements are dynamic and full of action. Similarly, in its youth, the brook shows enthusiasm in its movement. It also shows anger.
   “By thirty hills I hurry down
   Or slip between the ridges.”
   The other words which express its youthful movement are ‘bickers’, ‘frets’ and ‘chatters”.
3. Life-Support System: The brook is symbol for life. It provides a support system to life. The brook is full of’trouts’ and ‘graylings’ which provide food for animals and human beings.
4. Old Age—Leisurely Movement: Before it ultimately joins the brimming river, the brook sheds its fret and anger. It assumes a leisurely and peaceful demeanour while ‘stealing’ by grassy lawns and plots or ‘sliding’ by hazel covers.

Question: This poem describes the journey of a stream from its place of origin to the river that it joins. The poem has been written in the form of an autobiography where the brook relates its experiences as it flows towards the river. In Literature such a device by which an inanimate object is made to appear as a living creature is called Personification. Just as the brook has been personified in this poem, write a poem on any inanimate object making it come alive. You could begin with a poem of 6-8 lines. The poem should have a message. Maintain a rhyme scheme. Try and include similes, metaphors, alliteration etc. to enhance the beauty of the poem. You could write a poem on objects such as the candle / a tree / a rock / the desert etc.

This could be given as a homework activity. The teacher could read out some of the poems in the class and display the others.

Answer:

For self-attempt.

Paraphrase & Reference To Context

Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow:

Question:
I come from haunts of coot and hern;
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.

(Lines 1-4)

अनुवाद: मैं उस स्थान से पैदा होती हैं जहाँ टिकरी (कुट) और बगुले जैसे पानी के पक्षी बार-बार आते-जाते रहते हैं। मैं अचानक ही एकदम फट के निकलती हूँ। और फिर वहां उगे फूल रहित पर्णाग (फर्न) में से चमचमाती हुई, खूब शोर मचाती एक घाटी में नीचे बह जाती हूँ।

Paraphrase: The brook (a small river) takes its birth from a place which is regularly visited by waterbirds like coots and herons. The small river bursts out all of a sudden. Sparkling or shining through the flowerless plants or ferns in the sunlight, it flows noisily down to a valley.

1. What is the rhyme scheme in these lines?
2. Explain: ‘Make a sudden sally’.
3. Find a word in the passage which means: flowing down with a lot of noise.

Answer:

1. The rhyme scheme in these lines is ab, ab.
2. It means: emerging suddenly.
3. bicker.

Question:
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.

(Lines 5—8)

अनुवाद: मैं तेजी से तीस पहाड़ियों में से बहती हुई, या (फिर) पर्वत श्रेणियों से तेजी से बिना दिखायी दिये, बीस छोटे गाँवों (खेड़ों), एक छोटे से कस्बे के पास से गुजरती, और पचास पुलों के नीचे बहती चली जाती हैं।

Paraphrase: The river hurries down through thirty hills. It slips quickly unnoticed between the mountain ranges.

1. What is the poetic device used in ‘twenty … town?
2. Explain: ‘By twenty thorpses”.
3. What is the movement of the brook in these lines?

Answer:

1. ‘Alliteration’ is used as a poetic device in these lines.
2. The brook flows through twenty small villages or hamlets.
3. These lines present the fast movement of the brook.

Question:
Till last by Philip’s farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.

(Lines 212)

अनुवाद: अन्त में मैं Philip फार्म के बराबर से बहती हुई, किनारों तक लबालब पानी से भरी हुई नदी में जा मिलती हैं। क्योंकि मनुष्य (इस संसार में) आयें या यहाँ से चले जायें, लेकिन मैं तो सदैव बहती चली जाती हैं।

Paraphrase: In the end, the small river flows near the Philip’s farm. Here, it joins with another river which is full of water—to the brim. Men may come or go (take birth or die) from this world but the brook continues to flow forever.

1. What is the brimming river’?
2. Explain: ‘Men may come and men may go’.
3. Quote the line that shows the eternal flow of the river.

Answer:

1. ‘The brimming river’ is a big river filled to the brim with water.
2. It means that men may take birth or die and depart from the world.
3. ‘But I go on forever’.

Question:
I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.

(Lines 13—16)

अनुवाद: मैं अपने पथरीले मार्ग से चहचहाती बहती चलती हूँ। मैं छोटी-छोटी परन्तु तेज और ऊंची आवाजें करती हूँ। मैं पानी के क्षेत्र में घुमावदार बहाव पैदा करती चलती हैं। मैं कंकरों और रोड़ियों के ऊपर से मरमराती या सरसराती (प्रसन्नचित्त) बहती रहती हूँ |

Paraphrase: The brook flows on making different kinds of noises and sounds at different places. It seems to chatter while flowing through its stony ways. It also makes sharp and high-pitched sounds and noises. When it flows in the spiral movement of water, its noise is lost. But when it strikes on the shingles and pebbles, it creates a sound as if it is talking gaily to them.

1. How does the brook flow over stony ways?
2. Give two words in the passage showing high-pitched sounds.
3. Where does the brook make spiral movement?

Answer:

1. The brook chatters in little sharps and trebles over stony ways.
2. ‘Sharps and trebles’ are the two words that represent high-pitched sounds.
3. The brook makes spiral movement on the pebbles.

Question:
With many a curve my banks I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow.

(Lines 17—20)

अनुवाद: मैं अनेकों मोड़ काटती अपने तटों से गुस्साते हुए चलती हूँ। मैं अनेकों खेतों और परती पड़ी जमीन के पास से बहती चलती हैं। मैं उन अनेक परियों जैसे सुन्दर भू-भागों में से बहती चली जाती हैं जो समुद्र तक फैल गये हैं। मैं भिसे (willow) की झाड़ियों और मुश्कदानों के पौधों में से होती हुई बहती जाती हैं।

Paraphrase: The brook continues its onward journey flowing in curves and beating against its banks in fury. It flows through many fields and parts of land left uncultivated. The brook flows through those parts of land which extend into the sea and look like lands of fairies. It passes through bushes of willow and plants of mallow growing near its banks.

1. What is the meaning of the expression ‘my bank I fret?’
2. What is the figure of speech used in the first line?
3. What is the poetic device used in the second and the third lines?

Answer:

1. The brook beats its bank angrily.
2. The figure of speech used in the first line is ‘personification’.
3. ‘Alliteration’ is the poetic device that is used in the second and the third lines.

Question:
I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling.

(Lines 25—28)

अनुवाद : मैं अन्दर बाहर होती हुई टेढ़ी-मेढ़ी बहती जाती हैं। कई बार एक कली मेरे पानी के ऊपर तैरती दिखाई पड़ जाती है। और इधर-उधर एक मोटी और बड़ी ट्राउट’ मछली या फिर यहाँ-वहाँ एक-दूसरे प्रकार की grayling मछली मेरे ऊपर तैरती मिल जाती है।

Paraphrase: The brook goes on flowing in a zig-zag way sometimes shrinking and sometimes expanding. We can find a blossom sailing over its surface. Here and there we can find a big and fat trout and at other places we can find a grayling swimming in and out of it.

 

1. Describe the movement of the brook as mentioned in the given lines.
2. What does sail over the surface of the brook?
3. What is the rhyme scheme used in the lines?

Answer:

1. The brook flows in a zig-zag way in this stage.
2. A blossom sails over the surface of the brook.
3. The rhyme scheme used in the given lines is ‘ab, ab’.

Question:
And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery waterbreak
Above the golden gravel.

(Lines 29—32)

अनुवाद: और जैसे मैं बहती जाती हैं यहाँ-वहाँ मेरी धरातल के ऊपर झांग बन जाता है। और जब मैं सुनहरी कंकड़ों के ऊपर बहती चलती हैं तो उनके ऊपर बहुत-सी चाँदी के रंग की लहरें बन जाती हैं।

Paraphrase: As the brook flows on, foamy flakes are formed over its surface. When it passes over the golden shingles and pebbles many silvery waves are formed over them.

1. What is the poetic device used in ‘foamy flakes?’
2. Where does the brook pass over?
3. What are formed above the golden gravels?

Answer:

1. ‘Alliteration’ is the poetic device used in ‘foamy flakes’.
2. The brook passes over the golden shingles and pebbles.
3. Silvery waves and foamy flakes are formed above the golden gravels.

Question:
And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.

(Lines 33—36)

अनुवाद : उन सभी को अपने साथ धकेलते हुए मैं बहती हुई किनारों तक पानी से लबालब भरी नदी में मिल जाती हूँ। मनुष्य इस संसार में आयें या यहां से जायें, (लेकिन) मैं तो सदैव (यू हीं) बहती रहती हैं।

Paraphrase: The brook carries along with it all these gravels and foams and flows onwards. There it joins the big river which is filled with water to the brim. People may take birth and come into this world or die, the brook will continue flowing as usual. The worldly activities will have no bearing on its constant flow.

1. (a) What does the brook draw all along it?
   (b) What does the poet want to say in the third line?
   (c) What is the message in the last line of the stanza regarding the brook?

Answer:

1. (a) The brook pushes and carries along with it all the gravels or shingles.
   (b) The poet wants to highlight the fact that man’s existence is transitory.
   (c) The poet highlights the eternal onward flow of the brook.

Question:
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.

(Lines 37—40)

अनुवाद: मैं घास के मैदानों और लॉनों में से चुपचाप बहती हुई चली जाती हूँ। मैं हैजल या पहाड़ी-बादामों की उगी हुई झाड़ियों वे बीचों-बीच फिसलती निकल जाती हैं। मैं “फोरगेट-मी-नॉट” के फूलों को बहा ले जाती हैं जो प्रसन्न प्रेमियों के लिये उगते हैं।

Paraphrase: The brook flows silently through lawns and grassy plots. It slides through the bushes of hazelnuts. In its flow the brook sweeps away ‘forget-me-not’ flowers which grow for the happy lovers.

1. Where does the river steal by?
2. What are ‘forget-me-nots’ here?
3. What is the movement of the brook in these lines?

Answer:

1. The river flows silently and unnoticed through lawns and grassy plots.
2. They are a kind of flowers.
3. The brook flows quietly and leisurely now.

Question:
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.

(Lines 41–44)

अनुवाद: मैं चकमा देती, फिसलती, कभी उदासी भरे अंधेरे में और कभी सूर्य की किरणों में चमचमाती बहती हूँ। अबाबीलें मेरे पानी को छूती हुई उड़ जाती हैं। जब सूर्य की किरणें मेरे पानी के ऊपर पड़ती हैं तो मेरे पानी में फंस कर वे छिछले रेतीले पानी में नृत्य करने लग जाती हैं।

Paraphase: The brook slips by silently. Sometimes it slides. It becomes dark and looks sad when passes through dark places. It looks bright and happy in the sunlight. The swallows fly over it touching its surface. The rays of the sun fall on its surface and are trapped in. The reflected rays seem to be dancing brightly in the sun against the sandy shallows.

1. What is the poetic device used in the first line?
2. What does the brook make the netted sunbeams?
3. What do these lines show about the nature of the brook?

Answer:

1. ‘Alliteration’ is the poetic device used in the first line.
2. The brook makes the netted sunbeams dance.
3. These lines highlight the carefree nature of the brook.

Question:
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses.

(Lines 45—48)

अनुवाद : मैं चन्द्रमा और सितारों के नीचे रात में काँटेदार झाड़ियों भरे बीहड़ में कलकलाती हुई बहती हैं। मैं अपने नीचे गोल-गोल कंकड़ जो मेरे प्रवाह में बाधक हैं, उनके ऊपर मस्ती से (सुस्ती से) बहती चली जाती हैं। मैं तीखे गंध वाले जल कुंभी के पत्तों के पौधों के बराबर से घूमती चली जाती हैं।

Paraphrase: The river flows through the bushy wilderness creating a soft and low sound at night under stars and moon. It flows leisurely over the rounded pebbles which obstruct its pace and flow. The brook moves around cresses growing near its bank.

1. What is ‘brambly wilderness?’
2. Where does the brook murmur?
3. Where does the brook loiter round?

Answer:

1. It means thorny wastelands.
2. The brook flows in a soft low murmuring sound ‘under moon and stars’.
3. The brook loiters round the leafy green plants like ‘cresses’.

Question:
And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.

(Lines 49—52)

अनुवाद : और फिर मैं बाहर निकल कर मुड़ती और बहती हुई उस बड़ी नदी में जो किनारों तक लबालब पानी से भरी है, में मिलने के लिए चली आती हैं। क्योंकि मनुष्य चाहे इस संसार में जन्म लेने के लिये आयें या मरकर इससे बाहर चले जायें, मैं तो सदैव यूँ ही बहती रहूंगी।

Paraphrase: Then the brook comes out curving and flowing to join the big river that is filled with water to the brim. Worldly activities will have no bearing on the brook. Men may take birth or die but the brook goes on flowing onward forever.

1. Describe the poetic device used in these lines.
2. What is the brimming river?’
3. Quote a line that shows the eternal existence of the river.

Answer:

1. ‘Personification’ is the poetic device used in these lines.
2. The bigger river which is filled to the brim and where the brook joins is the brimming river’.
3. ‘But I go on forever’.

Extract Based Questions (3 Marks each)

Read the extracts given below and answer the following questions:

Question:
I come from haunts of coot and hern;
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley’.

1. Who comes from the haunts of coot and hem?
2. What does it do among the fern?
3. Why does the word, ‘bicker’ mean here? (Board Term 1,2015 6SOOKQ5)

Answer:

1. The brook
2. It shines.
3. Rush quickly (CBSE,Marking Scheme,2015) (1 × 3 = 3)

Question:
I chatter, chatter, as I flow,
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.

1. What is the rhyme scheme of the above stanza?
2. Name the poetic device used in the first line.
3. Explain the meaning of the third and fourth lines. (Board Term 1,2014 NCT-R)

Answer:

1. abab.
2. Onomatopoeia / Personification.
3. It means that man is mortal but the objects of nature are immortal. (1 × 3 = 3)

Question:
I chatter, chatter as I flow,
To join the brimming river,

1. Who is T in the above lines?
2. Which figure of speech is used in these lines?
3. What does the expression chatter, chatter indicate? (Board Term 1,2014 ZEZDXJX)

Answer:

1. The Brook.
2. Personification/Onomatopoeia.
3. The continuous crackling flow of the brook. (1 × 3 = 3)

Question:
“Till last by Philip’s farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.”

1. Where is Philip’s farm situated?
2. What does the phrase brimming river mean?
3. Which poetic device is used here? (Board Term 12013, AGRO-91; 2012, Set-28)

Answer:

1. Philip’s farm is situated close to the river into which the brook finally merges.
2. The river is full to the brim; it is overflowing with water.
3. Personification/Refrain. (1 × 3 = 3)

Question:
“I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom raining,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling.”

1. Name the poem from which the above stanza has been taken.
2. What has been described in the above lines?
3. What does ‘trout and ‘grayling’ refer to? (Board Term 12012, Set 34)

Answer:

1. The Brook.
2. The life of the brook.
3. Trout and grayling refers to different kinds of fishes. (1 × 3 = 3)

Question:
“I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.”

1. How does the brook move?
2. What is the mood of the brook as it flows towards the river?
3. What poetic device has been used in the last two lines? (Board Term 12012, Set 37)

Answer:

1. The brook moves in swift current with tremendous noise.
2. The brook is in a joyous mood. It seems to be talking and looking forward to joining the river.
3. Alliteration. (1 × 3 = 3)

Question:
“I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fern to bicker down a valley.”

1. Explain: ‘I make a sudden sail’.
2. How does the brook sparkle?
3. Name a poetic device used in the above lines. (Board Term 12012, Set 38)

Answer:

1. It means that the brook emerges suddenly.
2. The brook reflects the sunlight and sparkles.
3. Alliteration / Personification. (1 × 3 = 3)

Question:
“I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance Against my sandy shallows.”

1. Name the literary device used in this stanza.
2. Why did the swallows touch the surface of the brook?
3. What do ‘slipping’, ‘sliding’, ‘glooming’ and ‘glancing’ reflect? (Board Term 12012, Set 43)

Answer:

1. Alliteration.
2. The swallows touch the surface of the brook to catch the fish.
3. All these words reflect the various moods and movements of the brook. (1 × 3 = 3)

Question:
“I murmur under moon and stars;
in brambly wilderness;
I lingerby my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses.”

1. Who is ‘I’ here?
2. What does the word ‘linger’ indicate?
3. When does ‘I’ murmur? (Board Term 12012, Set 44)

Answer:

1. The Brook.
2. The word ‘linger’ indicates slow and soft movement.
3. The brook murmurs while passing through brambly wilderness under the moon and stars. (1×3=3)

Short Answer Type Questions (30-40 Words) (2 Marks each)

Question: Why has the poet used the word ‘babble’ for ‘The Brook’? (Board Term 12015)

Answer: As the brook moves, its swift current strikes against the pebbles and stones under it, producing a tremendous noise. Thus, the brook seems to be ‘talking? as it moves.Also its rapid spiral movement creates spirals of bubbles and it sounds very cheerful.

Question: Asa reader of’ The Brook’, you feel the music created by the words used in it You write a diary page appreciating the musical side of the poem. Write the diary page about the musical effect created by the words. (Board Term 12012, Set 28)

Answer: The brook’s varying movements create an exhilarating musical effect. “Chattering over stony ways” creates the effect of a rhythmic movement combining high and low musical notes. “I steal by lawns” creates a slow, lethargic and rhythmic movement. The “Lingering”, “Loitering” movements are followed by speedy “pace, curve and flow”.

Question: What are the different companions of the brook? (Board Term 12012, Set 40)

Answer: The brook carries all that comes in its way, from the blossoms to fishes, the sand, pebbles, small stones and all that comes floating by.

Question: Why have the lines ‘For men may come and men may go,But I go on forever’ been repeated in the poem several times? What is the significance of these lines? (Board Term 12012, Set 41)

Answer: The lines “For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever” have been repeated in the poem several times in order to lay emphasis on the brook being immortal. It is ironical that man is so arrogant though he is merely a mortal.

Question: How does the poet compare the life of a brook with that of a man? (Board Term 12012, Set 47)

Answer: The brook flows through the fields and meadows and joins the sea. Similarly, man takes birth, grows old and dies. Men live for a short period but the brook goes on forever.

Question: What are the different things found floating in the brook? (Board Term 12010, Set B1 and 2012, Set 46)

Answer: The different things that can be found in the brook are the blossoms, the lusty trout, grayling and the foamy flakes.

Question: How many hills and bridges does the brook pass during its journey? (Board Term 12012, Set 49)

Answer: The brook passes through thirty hills and fifty bridges during its journey before it finally joins the brimming river.

Question: How is the journey of the brook similar to the human life? (Board Term 12012, Set 32,52)

Answer: The brook is immortal whereas the human life is transient. The brook overcomes all hurdles on the way to its destination whereas the humans are subjected to emotional breakdowns and despair.

Question: “Tennyson not only describes the beautiful journey of die brook but also comments on the transitory nature of human life.” Comment. (Beard Term 12012, Set 53)

Answer: Man’s life is not eternal. He takes birth, lives and then dies. For a human being, death marks the end of his life. The brook is immortal. Though the brook merges into a river, it remains ever flowing from its origjn.to the point of merger. It goes on forever.

Question 10: What is the ‘refrain’ in the poem, ‘The brook’? What effect does it create? (Board Term 12012, Set 61)
Or
What is the symbolic meaning conveyed by ‘For men may come and men may go, but I go on forever’? (Board Term 12010, Set B1)

Answer: The refrain of the poem is ‘For men may come and men may go, hut I go on forever’. It shows the transitory. nature of human life and the eternal life of nature. Man is mortal and continues his journey till he meets his death. The brook on the other hand is immortal. It is perennial and flows on till eternity.

Question: The journey of a brook is eternal and forever. Explain. (Board Term 12012, Set 68)

Answer: The brook has a constant and an eternal journey. It moves on incessantly overcoming all the difficulties that it faces on its way. Though it merges into the sea, it remains ever-flowing from its origin to the point of merger. It is immortal. It goes on forever.

Question: Describe a lesson of life that the brook teaches us. (Board Term 12010, Set A1)

Answer: The brook teaches us that life is full of hurdles but we should not slow down. We must continue ahead keeping our goals in mind. If we do so, we are sure to achieve happiness and fulfilment.

Question: What is the message given by the brook? (Board Term 12010, Set B2)
Or
What does the poet want to convey through this poem? (Board Term 12010, Set B2)

Answer: The message given to us by the brook is that man is mortal and the brook immortal. There are many hurdles in life’s long journey but we should carry on keeping our goals in mind.

Question: Describe four movements that the brook makes during its journey. (Board Term 12010, Set C2)

Answer: The four movements that the brook makes during its journey are swift, splashy bubbly and noisy.

Question: How do the expressions ‘bicker down’, ‘hurry down’, ‘slip between ridges’, ‘chatter, chatter’ help in creating the image of the young river? (Board Term 12010, Set Al)

Answer: All the expressions suggest energy, enthusiasm, frivolous behaviour that can be associated with a young person- always quarrelling, talking, hurrying, taking short cuts etc.

Question: How has the poet given speed and rhythm to his poem ‘The Brook’ ? (Board Term 12010, Set C2)

Answer: The poet has given speed and rhythm to the poem ‘The Brook’ through the ample use of rhyming words and onomatopoeic words.

Question: Describe the brook’s journey from thirty hills to the brimming river. (Board Term 12010, Set C1)

Answer: The movement of the brook is swift, splashy, bubbly and noisy on its journey. It passes through 30 hills, ridges, twenty villages, a little town and fifty bridges till finally it joins the brimming river.

Long Answer Type Questions (80-100 Words) (4 Marks each)

Question: How does the poem, The Brook, teach the value of generosity, courtesy and benevolence? Which values out of these do you think are missing and need to be imbibed by our young generation? (Board Term 1,2015 6SOOKQ5, BR7GWHM)

Answer: Value Points:

• The brook is generous, it deposits silt across its bank throughout the way; it nourishes the soil and prevents soil erosion
• Courteous as it never repels anything, but draws everything along.
• Today’s generation misses the quality of courtesy above everything else. This needs to be imbibed

Detailed Answer: The poet draws a parallelism between the journey of a brook and the humans. The brook is generous. It deposits silt across its bank throughout the way. It nourishes the soil and prevents soil erosion. The brook is also very courteous as it never repels anything, but draws everything along. Just like the journey of the brook, humans also have to pass through various ups and downs in life. Like the brook, we too have to overcome them and move on, forgetting mutual differences. Today’s generation misses the quality of courtesy and patience above everything else. This needs to be imbibed.

Question: What kind of an attitude does the brook reflect in general towards the various situations that it comes across on its journey towards the river? What message do we get from it? (Board Term 1,2014 MZPD310)
Or
Bring out die parallelism between the movement of the brook and the course of human life. (Board Term 1,2014 NCT-R; 2012, Set 56)

Answer: The brook is a symbol of life. The poet has compared the brook’s journey with that of human life. Just like a human being, the brook also emerges (takes birth), grows young, becomes old and wise. In its childhood, it is very cheerful. It moves rapidly and swiftly.

In its youth, it is full of strength. It ‘frets’, ‘bickers’ and ‘chatters’ which are symbolic of young age. It is a source of life and support for other living things like fish, blossoms, etc. Then it reaches its old age. Like human beings, it becomes weak and moves slowly. It ‘slides’ by hazel covers and ‘steals’ by lawns. Now the brook flows silently. Its ultimate aim is to reach its destination, i.e., the brimming river.

The brook faces and overcomes many difficulties and hurdles in its way. Man should learn a lesson from the brook. He should not lose heart in the face of hurdles, pressures and dangers. He should not be fret and fume in the face of difficulties.

Question: Obstacles and hurdles are a part and parcel of man’s life. Discuss with reference to the poem ‘The Brook’. (Board Term 12013, NVZJUD2; EWAJ2JM)
Or
The brook comes across many hurdles in the course of its journey. Compare its journey with man’s life. (Board Term 12012, Set 35)

Answer: The journey of both, the brook and human beings commences with birth. Both have a desire to move forward and explore the world. Neither the life of a man nor the journey of the brook is smooth. Both come across different situations. Just as the brook passes through many ups and downs throughout its journey, man also faces many ups and downs in his life. As man moves forward, he becomes mature and finally his life comes to an end. Similarly, the brook moves forward and its journey ends when it merges in the river. The only difference between the two is that die brook is eternal whereas man’s existence is transitory.

Question: The Brook is a symbol of energy and determination to us. Describe in about 150 words. (Value Based Question) (Board Term 12012, Set 64)

Answer: The poem draws a parallel between the journey of the brook and the journey of human life. Similar to the journey of the brook, human life also passes through many ups and downs.The brook passes through many hills, ridges, towns, villages and bridges and reveals its mood by the sound it makes when it moves on. Similarly, man also has to overcome many hurdles and difficulties in life and struggle hard to reach his destination.Neither the life of man nor the journey of the brook is smooth. But, just as the brook goes on undaunted and heads towards its destination, human beings must also go on.

Question: Write a note on the brook’s journey from ‘the haunts Of coot and hem’ to the brimming river in 150 words. (Board Term 12012, Set 50)

Answer: The brook emerges from the places which are frequently visited by water birds like ‘coot and hern’.It emerges suddenly to flow down a valley with a lot of noise. During its journey it passes many hills, towns, villages and passes under bridges. It silently crosses both fertile and fallow land, lawns filled with flowers and goes through the wilderness full of thorny bushes. The brook also passes many ‘fairy fore lands’ which are covered with willow weed and mallow. It flows slowly when it passes the strange places. It then curves and flows to join the brimming river.

Question: Like human beings, brook also has different stages of life. Describe its various stages with suitable examples from the poem ‘The Brook’. (Value Based Question) (Board Term 12010, Set A1)

Answer: The brook goes through different stages of life as does a human being. In the way a child takes birth, the brook emerges from the haunts of coot and hern. Just like a child, the brook chatters and babbles. It is as energetic as a human being in the initial stages of its life. As human beings work to fulfil their aim in life, the brooks aim is to join the brimming river. Man faces a lot of challenges in life, likewise, the brook takes many twists and turns during its second course.

In the third course, the brook slows down and slips, slides, find steals by the lawns and grassy plots. In the same way, in old age, man becomes quiet and understanding.

Question: Does the title ‘The ‘Brook’ suit the poem? Comment

Answer: ‘The Brook” is an autobiographical poem. The poet has used the poetic device personification in this poem. The brook narrates its journey right from the time it emerges from the ‘haunts of coot and hems’ to its end which is ‘to join the brimming river’. personification has made this narration quite interesting. The use of words like frets, bicker, chatter bring before us an image of a young angry man, whereas the movement is described by many other beautiful comparisons. The description is very vivid and makes one feel as if the brook is a living thing, narrating the story of its own life. Hence, the title “The Brook” is appropriate.

Question: How has the poet made use of the comparisons in ‘The Brook’?

Answer: The lines ‘For men may come and men may go, but I go on forever’ are very significant. These lines are the refrain of the poem- They depict the striking contrast between the brook whose journey is eternal and never ending and the human life which is transitory and has to come to an end one day or the other. These lines tell that man is mortal, whereas the brook, a symbol of nature, is immortal.

Question: How is an aura of mystery and magic created in the poem? (HOTS)

Answer: The brook enjoys a long journey. It emerges from the place which is frequently visited by water birds. From there it flows down the valley and through towns. On its way it creates a lot of noise while crossing stony paths and fields. Sometimes, the brook moves in a zig-zag manner. It’s a, source of life for the fish and flowers. The water in it is so transparent that its bottom is clearly visible. The sunbeams also seem to dance on it. When passing through thorny wilderness, it just murmurs. When the brook originates it flows rapidly but gradually it slows down. It has only one thought in its mind and that is to join the fiver which it finally meets at Philip’s farm and becomes one with the river. The description of its journey and, the places it passes by, like many a ‘fairy foreland’ give the poem its aura of mystery and magic.

Question: What is the central idea of the poem? Describe. (HOTS)

Answer: The central idea or the theme of the poem is the comparison l ween the eternal, continuous and never-ending journey of the brook and the transitoriness of a man’s life.

The brook overcomes many hurdles and struggles throughout its journey and keeps on moving. It never stops.

Similarly, human beings also have to face many ups and downs, They should not accept defeat, but must go on like the brook.

One must keep on moving towards one’s goal and reach, their destination.