English Unseen Passages
Q1. Read the following poem carefully.
INDIAN WEAVERS
Weavers, weaving at break of day,
Why do you weave a garment so gay?
Blue as the wing of a bluebird wild,
We weave the robes of a new-born child.
Weavers, weaving at fall of night,
Why do you weave a garment so bright?
Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green,
We weave the marriage-veils of a queen.
Weavers, weaving solemn and still,
What do you weave in the moonlight chill?
White as a feather and white as a cloud,
We weave a dead man's funeral shroud.
--
Sarojini Naidu
Read the questions given below and write the option you consider the most appropriate
in your answer sheet.
(a) What do the weavers weave in the early morning?
(i) a bright blue cloth (ii) a dull grey cloth
(iii) a soft white cloth (iv) a red coloured veil
(b) The __________ is purple and green coloured.
(i) dress of the weavers (ii) dress of a newborn child
(iii) the queen's marriage veil (iv) the robe of a king
(c) Whom does the poet address in the poem?
(i) weavers (ii) children
(iii) queens (iv) all the above
(d) What do the weavers weave in the chilly moonlight?
(i) a garment light as a feather (ii) a garment meant to cover a dead man
(iii) a garment to keep away the chill (iv) a garment to wrap a newborn child in
(e) The three stages of life mentioned in the poem are _____________________
(i) infancy, childhood and senility (ii) infancy, youth and death
(iii) infancy, adolescence, middle age (iv) childhood, adulthood and senility
Answers
Answer :
This question is based on unseen passages.
Unseen passages test the ability of the students to understand the given passage.
The answers are as follows :
(a) (i) a bright blue cloth
The line 'Blue as the wing of a bluebird wild,' gives the answer.
(b) (iii) the queen's marriage veil
The lines 'Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green,
We weave the marriage-veils of a queen.' give the answer.
(c) (i) weavers
The lines 'Weavers, weaving at break of day', 'Weavers, weaving at fall of night' and 'Weavers, weaving solemn and still' provide the answer.
(d) (ii) a garment meant to cover a dead man
Cambridge English Dictionary defines 'shroud' as 'a cloth used to wrap a dead body before it is buried.'
(e) (iv) childhood, adulthood and senility
The lines 'We weave the robes of a new-born child.,' 'We weave the marriage-veils of a queen. ' and 'We weave a dead man's funeral shroud. ' provide the answer.
Since this question is about the stages of life, the option (ii) infancy, youth and death is not applicable.
Answer:
a) a bright blue cloth
b) the queen's marriage veil
c) weavers
d) a garment meant to cover a dead man
e) infancy, youth and death