English CBSE Class 12 NCERT Flamingo Poem 2 An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Free Solution of Extra Questions and Answers – Extract Based Questions Short Answer Questions Long Answer Questions and Value Based Questions
AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM
(Extra Questions)
Extract Based Questions
EB 1. Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces.
Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor:
The tall girl with her weighed-down head.
The paper seeming boy, with rat’s eyes.
1. Identify the poem and the poet.
2. Which children the poet is talking about?
3. Why has the tall girl put her head down?
4. Name the poetic device used in the second lines of the extract.
5. Name the poetic device used in the first line of the extract.
EB 2. Unless, governor, inspector, visitor,
This map becomes their window and these windows
That shut upon their lives like catacombs,
Break O break open till they break the town
And show the children to green fields,
1. Identify the poem and the poet.
2.What does ‘break O break open’ mean?
3. What is the meaning of ‘green fields’?
4. Name the poetic device used in the fourth lines of the extract.
EB 3. And show the children to green fields and make their world
Run azure on gold sands, and let their tongues
Run naked into books the white and green leaves open
History theirs whose language is Sun
1. Explain ‘run azure on gold sands’.
2. According to poet who can create history?
3. What does ‘let their tongue naked into book’ symobolise?
4. What is the poetic device used in ‘let their tongue naked into book’?
EB 4. At the back of the dim class
One unnoted, sweet and young
His eyes live in a dream
Of squirrel’s game, in tree room, other than this.
1. Why is the class room dim?
2. How is the young child different from others?
3. What is a tree room?
4. What is the poetic device used in ‘in tree room, other than this’?
EB 5. On their slag heap, these children
Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel
With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones
1. What is meant by ‘slag heap’?
2. What is the poetic device used in third line of the extract.
3. What is meant by ‘skins peeped through by bones’.
4. Which word in the extract is synonym of ‘repaired’?
EB 6. And yet for these children
These windows not this map, their world
Where all their future’s painted with a fog
A narrow street sealed with a lead sky
1. What do the ‘windows’ and ‘maps’ symbolize?
2. What is the poetic device used in second line of the extract?
3. What does future hold for these children?
4. How is these children’s world different from the one on the map?
Short Answer Questions – 30 to 40 words
SA 1. Inspite of difficulties in the lives of slum children, they are not without dreams. Give an example of their hope and dreams.
Answer: They dream of open spaces, green environment, happiness and opportunities. A boy sitting in the class looks out of the window and observes a squirrel playing. This signifies their aspiration to live in an open world and a life full of play and happiness.
SA 2. How does poet describe living conditions of slum children?
Answer: Poet describes their conditions as living in a narrow street sealed with a lead sky, far away from rivers, capes and stars of word. This signifies absence of open space, opportunity and education. They live in filthy condition and they are very poor.
SA 3. What message is conveyed through the poem ‘The Elementary School in a Slum’? What solution does the poet offer?
Answer: The poet describes the poor conditions of children living in slums. He describes the social injustice and inequality prevailing in the society.
Poet suggests that government and public should do all required to provide opportunity to these children. We should give them education, clean environment and open spaces to play.
SA 4. How can governor, inspector and visitor help change condition of slums?
Answer: These powerful people can frame new laws to provide education to these children. They can initiate drive to ensure cleanliness. Better employment opportunity can be provided.
Thus the barrier for their development can be removed. Then people living in slum will lead a better socio-economic life.
SA 5. How are children away from ‘gusty waves’?
Answer: ‘Gusty waves’ symbolizes ‘full of energy’.
These children are confined to their slums. They do not have access to education, clean environment and opportunity for growth. Their life is dull, poor and full of restrictions.
Thus their life is far from ‘gusty waves’.
Long Answer Questions – 120-150 words
LA 1. The poem ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ ends with a powerful line ‘History theirs whose language is the Sun’? Please elucidate this statement.
Answer: In this line ‘the Sun” means growth. When Sun rises all the darkness in the world is removed. The whole world is filled up with light. This signifies enlightenment and growth. Poet means to say that those who strive for growth, make efforts to outshine their difficulties can create history.
Some people accept difficulties of life as their destiny. Such people do not grow. They would always be cursing the circumstances.
On the other hand, there is group of people who takes up the task of overcoming difficulties. Dhirubhai Ambani was an attendant at a fuel filling station. Still he created one of the best business organisation in the country. Rajnikant was a bus conductor. Milkha Singh was extremely poor. Bill Gates started his organisation in a garage. The history is full of such example.
Hence those who work hard to overcome difficulties always create history.
LA 2. What difference has been elucidated by the poet between the world inside the school and the world outside it?
Answer: The atmosphere in the class room is full of despair. Students seems to have accepted their condition. They do not hope for any change in their living conditions. The atmosphere outside is full of cheer. Energy and vigour.
The condition inside the classroom represents stunted growth and limited or no opportunity for growth. The outside world represent immense possibilities and infinite opportunities for growth.
Most students in the classroom, though shown a glimpse of outside world through posters and pictures, do not have the courage to break the shackles of their socio-economic condition. They seem to have accepted that nothing can change for them. But they have understood that the world outside their boundary is totally different for their present space.
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