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Chapter 4.3 Silver

Chapter 4.3 Silver

Textbook Questions and Answers

Warming up!
Chit-chat

  1. Have you ever attended a sky-watch or a star-gazing party?
  2. Have you ever slept under the open sky?
  3. Do you study at night or early in the morning?
  4. Do you sleep with your windows closed or open?

Images

Question 1.
Imagine that your class is to be divided into groups or houses. Each house will have their own colour, symbol, dress code, sport, motto, a common room with objects of their interest and suitable furniture. Think of sets of four names for the groups. Form groups and work out the (imaginary) details for each set. Some suggestions are given here:


Answer:

Category

Names

Metals

iron

copper

silver

gold

Flowers

orchid

lily

jasmine

bluebell

Stars or galaxies

Sirius

Conopus

Alphard

Procyon

Trees

sal

neem

deodar

chinar

Seasons

spring

summer

winter

monsoon

Deodar House

  • Colour – Pink
  • Symbol – Rose
  • Dress code – pink shirt/top

Common room to have:

Two chairs with small round table to sit and study, two cupboards with books to read, newspapers, magazines, sofa to rest, vase in corner, pink background to the room, room freshener.

  • Sports: Rugby
  • Motto: Unity is strength.

[The answers given above are for reference, students are expected to do this activity in the class.]

My English Coursebook 9th Class Solutions Chapter 4.3 Silver Additional Important Questions and Answers

Simple Factual Activities:

Question 1.
Complete the following sentences with the help of the poem:
(Answers are directly given.)
Answer:

  1. The moon and the mouse are only the moving objects in the poem.
  2. Everything appears silver in the poem because of the silver moonlight.
  3. The moon walks in the night in her silver shoes.

Question 2.
Complete the following web with the names of the things that appear silver in the moonlight: (Answers are directly given.)
Answer:

Complex Factual Activities:

Question 1.
Which of the objects, animals, etc. in the poem are at rest without any motion?
Answer:
The fruits, trees, casements, thatch, kennel, dog, cote, doves, fish, reeds and the stream are the objects, animals, etc. in the poem that are at rest without any movement.

Question 2.
In which line does the word silver/silvery in the poem occur? What pattern does it show?
Answer:
The word silver/silvery occurs in the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth, twelfth, and fourteenth line of the poem. The word silver/silvery is used in even numbered lines and not in the odd numbered lines in the entire poem. It adds uniformity and rhythm to the poem.

Poetic device Activities:

Question 1.
Write down the musical (rhyming) words from the poem.
Answer:
The musical (rhyming) words used in the poem are:

  1. moon – shoon
  2. sees – trees
  3. catch – thatch
  4. log – dog
  5. peep – sleep
  6. by – eye
  7. gleam – stream.

Question 2.
Write down the rhyming scheme of the poem.
Answer:
The rhyming scheme for the first two stanzas is aahb. The rhyme scheme of the final stanza is aabbcc.

Appreciation of Poem:

1. Title: The title of the poem is “Silver”.
2. Poet: The poet of the poem is Walter de la Mare (1873-1956).

3. Theme/Central Idea: The poem is about a moonlit night. The silvery light of the moon covers the whole earth and everything on it looks silvery. The poem stands out for its rich visual imagery.

4. Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme for the first two stanzas is ‘aabb’. The rhyme scheme for the final stanza is ‘aabbcc’.

5. Figure of Speech: Simile, Personification.

6. Special Feature: This poem is very rich in its visual imagery. The poem rolls out before us like a landscape painting. A dense silence runs through the poem. The moon and the mouse are the only moving objects in the poem. The rest of the things mentioned in the poem are at rest in their silvery beauty.

7. Favourite Line: My favourite lines from the poem are:

  • “…she peers, and sees/Silver fruit upon silver trees.”
  • Couched in his kennel, like a log, With paws of silver sleeps the dog;

8. Why I like the poem: I like the poem for its pleasing rhyme scheme ‘aabb’. I also like the great sound effect the poem produces when we read it aloud.

Activity:

Question 1.
If you were asked to draw a detailed picture of the scene described in the poem, what objects, animals, natural features, etc. will you show in the picture? Make a list.
Answer:
If I was asked to draw a detailed picture of the scene described in the poem, the objects, the picture are:

  1. rabbit
  2. icy mountains
  3. white dog
  4. hut
  5. river
  6. swan
  7. racket
  8. mirror

Question 2.
Can you think of a parallel animals, natural features, etc. that I would show in dawn/evening when everything is steeped in golden light?
Answer:
Yes, in the evening, the sun sinks below the horizon to set. As it goes lower and lower its dark – orange – crimson rays spread across the sky and the surroundings steep in gold light. It brings an awesome scenery to view.

Question 3.
The same landscape appears different at different times. What message can we draw from this?
Answer:
Two different interpretations can be made from the given sentence:

  • A person/an object can have multiple characteristics that reveal in different situations.
  • Perception of the same thing may vary from person to person.