Be the Best
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley - but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill,
Be a bush if you can't be a tree
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway, happier make;
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass
But be the liveliest bass in the lake!
We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here
There's big work to do and there's lesser to do,
And the task we must do is the near
If you can't be a highway then just be a trait
If you can't be the sun, be a star,
It isn't by size that you win or you fail
Be the best of whatever you are!
Questions: (One sentence answers to be written & submitted on one single
sheet only)
1. What is the poet's tone in the poem?
2. What should be our attitude towards our work?
3. What is the message of the poem?
4. Winning does not depend on .---
5. Which word in the poem means the same as "piece of work is difficult”.
6. What is the rhyme scheme of the first stanza in the poem?
7. Identify the figures of speech used in these lines:
a. And some highway happier make.
b. If you can't be a pine on top of a hill, be a scrub in the valley.
8. When was the last, you tried to do or be your best?
Answers
Reading comprehension
1. The poet's tone is that of didactism and optimism. He tries to teach the readers a lesson.
2. Perfection is the most appropriate attitude towards our work. Whatever we do it should be done with the upmost care and dedication.
3. The message of the poem is to do our work, whatever is assigned- be it great or menial, wholeheartedly and with love and dedication.
4. Winning does not depend on the size of the work . Whether the work is big or small a win is a win.
5. The expression 'big work' refers to a "piece of work is difficult”. It implies all the work that are hard and difficult to perform.
6. The rhyme scheme of the first stanza in the poem is ' abab' The words 'hill,rill' are rhyming while 'be, tree' are rhyming.
7a. Alliteration.
Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound in the beginning of consecutive words.
In the given line the words ' highway, happier' are alliterative with the repetition in the consonant sound of the phoneme /h/.
b. Antithesis.
Antithesis is the figure of speech that conveys two opposite thoughts brought together. Pine is a tall tree while a scrub is comparatively very small.
Hill is an elevated place while valley is a lowland. hence these two pairs are anithetical.
8. During my Annual exams this year I was suffering from high fever, yet I took my exams with sincerity and tried my best.
Learn more on Reading comprehension:
"Reading without comprehension is not a reading" Justify - Brainly.in
https://brainly.in/question/2116528
Reading comprehension definition by different authors - Brainly.in
https://brainly.in/question/4513401
Explanation:
क्वेश्चन नंबर फर्स्ट का क्या आंसर है