Question 1 - The Voice of the Rain - Hornbill - Poems (Literature) - English Class 11

Read the given extract and answer the questions

Extract:

And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower, 

Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:

 I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,

(The Voice of the Rain )

Question (i)

 Which of the following themes is best represented in the given extract?

• (a) The cycle of water 
• (b) The dialogue between man and nature 
• (c) The identity of the rain 
• (d) The beauty of poetry

Answer :

As written by the student: 

(c) The identity of the rain  

Step-by-step explanation:

• The poetic device used in the first line of the extract is personification.
• Personification is a figure of speech that gives human qualities to non-human things.
•  In the first line of the extract, the poet asks a question to the rain, as if it were a person who can speak and answer.
•  This is an example of personification because the poet treats the rain as a living being with a voice and a personality.
•  Therefore, the poetic device used in the first line of the extract is personification.🌧️

Question (ii)

 State True or false

The poet is surprised by the answer of the rain.

Answer :

As written by the student: 

 True

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To determine whether the statement is true or false, we need to look for clues in the extract that show the poet's reaction to the rain's answer.
•  In the second line of the extract, the poet says "Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer".
•  The phrase "strange to tell" implies that the poet is astonished and amazed by the fact that the rain spoke to him.
•  This shows that the poet is surprised by the answer of the rain and did not expect it.
•  Therefore, the statement is true.😮

Question (iii)

 Complete the sentence:

The rain compares itself to a __________ of Earth.

Answer :

As written by the student: 

 The rain compares itself to a poem of Earth.

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To complete the sentence, we need to find the word that the rain uses to describe itself in the extract.
•  In the third line of the extract, the rain says "I am the Poem of Earth".
•   The word "poem" is a noun that means a piece of writing that expresses emotions, ideas, or experiences in a creative and rhythmic way.
•  The rain compares itself to a poem of Earth because it is a part of nature's expression and beauty.
•  Therefore, the word that completes the sentence is poem.📚

Question (iv)

What is the rhyme scheme of the extract?

Answer :

As written by the student: 

 The rhyme scheme of the extract is ABCB.

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To find the rhyme scheme of the extract, we need to identify the words that rhyme at the end of each line and assign them a letter according to their order of appearance.
•   A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words.
•  In the extract, the words that rhyme are shower and answer in lines 1 and 2, and Earth and rain in lines 3 and 4.
•  We assign the letter A to shower, the letter B to answer, the letter C to Earth, and the letter B again to rain because it rhymes with answer.
•  The rhyme scheme is the pattern of letters that represents the rhyming words in the extract.
•  Therefore, the rhyme scheme of the extract is ABCB.🎵

Question (v) :

Explain why the statement - It shows that the poet's question is rhetorical is NOT true about the lack of punctuation at the end of line 1 in the extract.

Answer :

As written by the student: 

The lack of punctuation does not show that the poet's question is rhetorical. A rhetorical question is a question that does not require an answer because it is obvious or implied. The poet's question is not rhetorical because he genuinely wants to know who the rain is and he gets an answer from it.

Step-by-step explanation:

• We need to evaluate line 1 and see if it matches with the effect of the lack of punctuation  in the extract.
•  Punctuation is the use of marks such as commas, periods, or question marks to separate sentences and clarify their meaning.
•  In the extract, the poet does not use any punctuation mark at the end of line 1, which is a question.

Question vi: 

What does the use of the word "translated" suggest?

Answer :

As written by the student: 

The use of the word "translated" suggests that the poet is interpreting the sound of the rain as words.

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To answer this question, we need to understand the meaning of the word "translated" and how it relates to the poet's dialogue with the rain.
•  The word "translated" means to express the sense of words or speech in another language or form.
•  In the extract, the poet says that the rain gave him an answer, as here translated. This implies that the rain did not speak in a language that the poet could understand, but rather in a sound that he had to interpret and convert into words.
•  The use of the word "translated" suggests that the poet is not directly communicating with the rain, but rather imagining a conversation with it based on his own perception and understanding of its sound.
•  This creates a powerful image of the poet's creativity and connection with nature.
•  Therefore, the use of the word "translated" suggests that the poet is interpreting the sound of the rain as words.🗣️