NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Poetry Chapter 1 The Brook
Summary of Class 9 English The Brook
- 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.
Answer
(b)
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
Bicker, Chatter, Babble, murmur - 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
- 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 _ .
(i) temporary
(ii) short-lived
(iii) eternal
(v) momentary
Answer
(iii) eternal
(b) The poet draws a parallelism between the journey of the brook with _
(i) the life of a man
(ii) the death of man
(iii) the difficulties in a man’s life
(iv) the endless talking of human beings
Answer
(i) the life of a man
(c) In the poem, the below mentioned lines suggest that __ .
“And here and there a lusty trout ,
And here and there a grayling”
(i) the brook is a source of life.
(ii) people enjoy the brook.
(iii) fishes survive because of water.
(iv) the brook witnesses all kinds of scenes.
Answer
(i) the brook is a source of life.
(d) Select the option that matches the given words/phrases with the appropriate literary device used by the poet.
(i) i-2, ii-1, iii-4 (ii) i-4, ii-2, iii-3 (iii) I-2, ii-4, iii-1 (iv) i-1, ii-2, iii-3
Answer
(iii) I-2, ii-4, iii-1
(e) The first-person narration of the brook allows the reader to
(i) appreciate Tennyson’s use of symbols.
(ii) realize the ultimate goal of the brook.
(iii) experience the soothing effect of the sound of water.
(iv) understand the brook’s experience as a living organism
Answer
(iv) understand the brook’s experience as a living organism
6.B. Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct options.
A. 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.
(i) Choose the option that best describes the brook’s journey in the given stanza.
It is a journey full of__________ .
a) comfort and luxury
b) trials and tribulations
c) sorrow and misery
d) joy and laughter
Answer
b) trials and tribulations
(ii) The poet has used the pronoun ‘I’ to refer to the brook and thus employed a literary device in his depiction. Choose the option that uses the same literary device as used in the first line.
a) The magnitude of the bottomless ocean was divine.
b) The angry walls echoed his fury.
c) A mother is like a lioness protecting her cubs.
d) I felt the power of the gushing stream.
Answer
b) The angry walls echoed his fury.
(iii) The brook seems to be fretting in the given stanza. This word has been used by the poet to depict the __ of the flowing brook.
a) force
b) kindness
c) silence
d) beauty
Answer
a) force
B. I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;
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.
(i) Choose the option that includes words that best describe the characteristics of the brook, as revealed in the given extract.
1. perpetual 2. silent 3. twisted 4. unbound 5. interrupted
a) 1, 3 and 4
b) 1, 2, 4 and 5
c) 1, 2, and 3
d) 1, 2 and 4
Answer
a) 1, 3 and 4
(ii) The line, ‘men may come and men may go’
a) mocks the shortness of the brook’s life as it goes through its journey.
b) highlights the eternal nature of human life as opposed to its own.
c) contrasts the eternal nature of brook against short-lived human life-span.
d) highlights the eternal story of men that the brook comes across during its journey.
Answer
c) contrasts the eternal nature of brook against short-lived human life-span.
iii) What do the words, ‘linger and loiter’ show about the brook?
a) Its continuity
b) Its slow movement
c) Its powerful force
d) Its ultimate purpose
Answer
b) Its slow movement - Answer the following questions.
(a) Why does the brook ‘sparkle’ ?
Answer
The brook sparkles because of the sun’s rays which shine on its water. The sudden emergence or rush of the brook is shown to be in a sparkling motion.
(b) ‘Bicker’ means ‘to quarrel’. Why does the poet use this word here?
Answer
‘Bicker’ means a noisy discussion or an argument. The poet uses the word ‘bicker’ to describe the noisy flow of the brook as it flows through the valley as it sounds like quarrel.
(c) Why has the word ‘chatter’ been repeated in the poem?
Answer
The word ‘chatter’ has been repeated in the poem because it represents the sound frequently made by the flowing brook. It seems that the brook talks about its journey that it has travelled throughout in a lively mood.
(d) ‘I wind about, and in and out’. What kind of a picture does this line create in your mind?
Answer
The brook does not flow in a straight line but veers and twists itself along its way. It creates a picture of flowing waters of the brook resembling a maze or whirlpool.
(e) What does the poet want to convey by using the words ‘steal’ and ‘slide’?
Answer
By using the words ‘steal’ and ‘slide’, the poet refers to smooth and noiseless movement of the brook.
(f) ‘I make the netted sunbeam dance’. What does ‘the netted sunbeam’ mean? How does it dance?
Answer
The sunrays filtering through the leaves and bushes make a net-like pattern on shallow water-pools. They are reflected on the surface of water and appear to be dancing as the water flows.
(g) What is a ‘refrain’ in a poem? What effect does it create?
Answer
A refrain is a line or group of lines repeated at regular intervals in a poem, usually at the end of stanzas. It emphasizes the main theme, adds rhythm, and creates a musical effect. It also reinforces the emotional impact and provides unity to the poem.
(h) Why has the poet used the word ‘brimming’ in the line, ‘to join the brimming river?
Answer
The poet has used the word ‘brimming‘ to show that the river is full to the edge with water, ready to receive the brook. It suggests abundance, overflowing life, and emphasizes the continuous flow of water from the brook into the ever-flowing, full river, symbolizing eternity and completeness. - Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem, The Brook.
Answer
The rhyme scheme is ab ab cd cd ….. - The poem is full of images that come alive through skilful use of words. Describe any two images that appeal to you the most, quoting the lines from the poem.
Answer - The brook appears to be a symbol for life. Pick out examples of parallelism between human life and the brook from the poem.
Answer - 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 a candle/a tree/ a rock/a desert etc.
Answer
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Poetry Chapter 1 The Brook
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Poetry Chapter 1 The Brook
