RAIN ON THE ROOF (9th)

RAIN ON THE ROOF

Extract Based Questions

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1:Now in memory comes my mother
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers Ere she left them till the dawft:
O! I feel her fond look on me As I list to this refrain Which is played upon the shingles By the patter of the rain.

1.        Which sound is the poet listening to ?

2.        The sound reminds the poet of

3.        Which word in the extract means “the ability to remember things” ?
Answer:

1.        The poet is listening to the sound of the rain.

2.        His mother.

3.        Memory.

Question 2:Now in memory come my mother,
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers Ere she left them till the dawn;
O ! I feel her fond look on me
As I list to this refrain .
Which is played upon the shingles By the patter of the rain

1.        What is the memory that comes to the poet ?

2.        Who are the darling dreamers he refers to ?

3.        Trace a word from the extract that means “rectangular wooden tiles”.

Answer:

1.        It is the memory of his mother that comes to his mir^d.

2.        The darling dreamers, he refers to, are those lovely dreamers who remember their mothers.

3.        Shingles.

Question 3:Every tinkle on the shingles Has an echo in the heart And a thousand recollections Weave their air threads into woof As I listen to the patter Of the rain upon the roof

1.        How does the poet describe the falling rain ?

2.        What does the mind of the poet fancy ?

3.        Trace a word from the extract that means “memories”. 

Answer:

1.        The poet says that the falling rain creates immense pleasure in his heart.

2.        Old thoughts and memories are recollected by the poet.

3.        Recollections!

Question 4:When the humid shadows hover.
Over all starry spheres
And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears,

1.        What are the humid shadows ?

2.        What do they do ?

3.        Why does the poet call darkness melancholy ? 

Answer:

1.        The humid shadows are the dark clouds.

2.        They hide the stars and rain.

3.        The poet calls darkness melancholy because it makes him sad.

Question 5:Now in memory comes my mother,
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers,
Ere she left them till the dawn:
O ! I feel her fond look on me As I list to this refrain Which is played upon the shingles By the patter of the rain.

1.        Who comes in the memory of the child when it rains ?

2.        What does the poet like to do when it rains ?

3.        Find the word in the extract that refers to “repeated sound of the rain”.

Answer:

1.        When it rains, the child is reminded of his mother.

2.        When it rains, the poet feels happy to press the pillow of his bed and lie listening to the patter of the rain.

3.        Refrain.

 I.

Question 1.
What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in class.

1.     humid shadows

2.     starry spheres

3.     what a bliss

4.     a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start

5.     a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof

Answer:

1.     Humid shadows: These are the dark clouds that have in them a lot of water.

2.     Starry spheres: The area where stars appear in a group in the sky.

3.     What a bliss: The poet feels happy when he listens to the rain drops.

4.     A thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start: The poet starts recollecting the past and finds himself lost in reveries and dreams in the rainy weather.

5.     A thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof: The poet recollects hundreds of memories in the rainy season. They weave a weft with the help of air-threads.

Question 2.
What does the poet like to do when it rains?
Answer:
When it rains the poet wants to lie on bed in a cottage and listen to pitter-patter sound of the rain.

Question 3.
What is the single major memory that comes to the poet’s mind? Who are the “darling dreamers” he refers to?
Answer:
The poet’s mother is the single major memory that comes to his mind. ‘Darling dreamers’ are those ‘kids’ who remember their mothers like the poet.

Question 4.
Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?
Answer:
No, the poet is not a child. His mother is no more. But her memories still haunt him.

II.

Question 1.
When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poet’s mother did?
Answer:
Yes, my mother used to tuck me in when I was a child. Whenever I said that I could not do some work, she embraced me and took me in her lap to get that work done. She used to feel sad and dejected if I was involved in any mishap.

Question 2.
Do you like rain? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem?
Answer:

Yes, I like rain and prefer to take a bath in the rain for some time. But when it rains heavily, I stay inside and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Question 3.
Does everybody have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains? Look around you and describe how different kinds of people or animals spend time, seek shelter, etc. during rain.
Answer:
No, everybody is not so fortunate to have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains. There are some people who live at the railway platforms and bus terminal. They don’t have even bed sheet, what to talk of comfortable beds.

There are so many animals which don’t have any shelter and tremble under the dark sky in the rainy season.