Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow:
Here comes the elephant
Swaying along
With his cargo of children
All singing a song:
To the tinkle of laughter
He goes on his way
And his cargo of children
Have crowned him with may.
His legs are in leather
And padded his toes:
He can root up an oak
With a whisk of his nose;
With a wave of his trunk
And a turn of his chin
He can pull down a house,
Or pick up a pin.
Beneath his grey forehead
A little eye peers:
Of what is he thinking
Between those wide ears?
What does he feel?
If he wished to tease,
He could twirl his keeper
Over the trees:
If he were not kind,
He could play cup and ball
With Robert and Helen
And Uncle Paul:
But that grey forehead,
Those crinkled ears
Have learned to be kind
In a hundred years:
And so with the children
Hegoes on his way
Tothe tinkle of laughter
andcrowded with may.
(a)Where are the children?
(b)How can the elephant tease its keeper?
(c)Which characteristic trait of the elephant enables him to be with thechildren?
(d)What does the poet say about the elephant's strength?
(e)How does the poet describe the elephant's legs?
Answers
Answer:
(a)Where are the children?
Answer: The children are sitting on the elephant’s back, enjoying an elephant ride.
(b)How can the elephant tease its keeper?
Answer: The elephant has so much of power that it can easily tease its keeper by twirling him over the trees.
(c)Which characteristic trait of the elephant enables him to be with the children?
Answer: Elephant’s kindness enables him to be with the children.
(d)What does the poet say about the elephant's strength?
Answer: The poet says the elephant is enormously strong; it can easily root up an oak tree or pull down a house.
(e)How does the poet describe the elephant's legs?
Answer: The poet feels the elephant’s legs appear to be covered in leather and his feet appear to be padded.