NCERT Solution Class 10 Poem Chapter 5 The Ball Poem
Summary of Class 10 Poem Chapter 5 The Ball Poem
Question 1:
Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?
Answer
The poet says, “I would not intrude on him” because he does not want to intervene in the natural process of learning. He wants the boy to learn the meaning of loss on his own. He also doesn’t offer him money to buy another ball because that would be worthless. He wants the boy to learn the lesson of responsibility.
Class 10 Poem Chapter 5 The Ball Poem
Question 2:
“… staring down/All his young days into the harbor where/His ball went…” Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?
Answer
Yes, the boy has had the ball for a long time. When it bounced into the water, all his memories of the days of childhood flashed in front of him. This led to a realisation that those moments would not come back, just like the ball. He can buy new balls and can similarly create new moments, but those that are gone would not return.
Class 10 Poem Chapter 5 The Ball Poem
Question 3:
What does “in the world of possessions” mean?
Answer
In the world of possessions’ means people like to possess all sorts of things in the world. Money is external because it can buy only material objects; it cannot buy everything that one loses.
Class 10 Poem Chapter 5 The Ball Poem
Question 4:
Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer.
Answer
No, it seems that the boy had not lost anything earlier. The words that suggest so are ‘senses first responsibility in a world of possessions’.
Class 10 Poem Chapter 5 The Ball Poem
Question 5:
What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.
Answer
The poet says that the boy is learning to cope up with the loss of the ball. He is experiencing grief and learning to grow up in this world of possessions. He learns that there are so many things in life that are to be lost and cannot be brought back. It is useless to feel sorrow for it.
Question 6:
Have you ever lost something you liked very much? Write a paragraph describing how you felt then, and
saying whether — and how — you got over your loss.
Answer
Yes, I had lost my pet dog in a road accident when he was just five years old. One day I was playing with
my puppy with a ball in my garden. I threw the ball in the air while playing with him, my dog jumped to
catch the ball but it bounced back and rolled to the street nearby. As my dog went to fetch the ball, a
speeding car ran over my puppy and I could hear it crying in pain. I rushed to the spot and found my pup
covered in blood. I rushed him to the hospital immediately but it was too late and he was bleeding
profusely and succumbed to injuries. I was very upset and grief-stricken by this incident. With due course
of time, I recovered with my loss, but that incident is fresh in my memories and I still love my dog and
miss him dearly.
Class 10 Poem Chapter 5 The Ball Poem
