50+ Practice questions of active and passive voice

Before starting I would like to advise you to check out our post where we explain active and passive voice in detail by clicking here.

Change the following sentences from active to passive:-

1. All the prize winners were given a toffee.

Answer: A toffee was given to all the prize winners.

2. A choreographer arranges dance movements.

Answer: Dance movements are arranged by a choreographer.

3. We keep the restaurant open till midnight.

Answer: The restaurant is kept open till midnight.

4. These books contain a lot of useful information.

Answer: a lot of useful information is contained in these books.

5. Children leave all kinds of things in school.

Answer: all kinds of things are left in the school by children.

6. The river water flooded the village.

Answer: the village was flooded by the river water.

7. My lawyer gave me the details of the case.

Answer: the details of the case were given to me by my lawyer.

8. We will bring out a special edition of the school magazine.

Answer: A special edition of the school magazine will be brought out by us.

9. The government will soon announce a new policy.

Answer: a new policy will be soon announced by the government.

10. A famous person is sponsoring the poor children.

Answer: the poor children are being in sponsored by a famous person.

11. School is adding a video section to our library.

Answer: a video section is being added to our library by the school.

12. The children were enjoying the magic show.

Answer: the magic show was being enjoyed by the children.

13. A dog was guarding the main gate.

Answer: the main gate was being guarded by a dog.

14. A machine has made this bread.

Answer: this bread has been made by a machine.

15. We have requested our teacher to announce the monitor.

Answer: our teacher has been requested to announce the monitor.

16. We must expect All creatures in this world.

Answer: All creatures must be respected in this world.

17. I can speak English.

Answer: English can be spoken by me.

18. He might suffer a loss.

Answer: a loss might be suffered by him.

19. Kindly enter my name in the list.

Answer: you are requested to enter my name in the list.

20. What did you see?

Answer: what was seen by you?

21. How much money do you want?

Answer: how much money is needed by you.

22. Why are you teasing the dog?

Answer: why is the dog being teased by you?

23. Who broke the glass?

Answer: by whom was the glass broken?

24. Do they teach French in your school?

Answer: is French taught in your school?

25. How many friends supported you?

Answer: by how many friends were you supported.

26. Did you see the result of the contest?

Answer: what's the result of the contest seen by you?

27. Will they serve food?

Answer: Will food be served(by them)?

28. When will they announce the result?

Answer: When will the result be announced?

29. Is he still reading the book?

Answer: Is the book still being read by him?

30. Where are you importing the material from?

Answer: where is the material being imported from?

31. Please give me a glass of water.

Answer: you are requested to give me a glass of water.

32. Never speak ill of others.

Answer: you are advised never to speak ill of others.

33. Do not pluck flowers from here.

Answer: you are advised not to pluck flowers from here.

34. Who has designed this robot?

Answer: by whom has this robot been designed?

35. Where had she hidden the document?

Answer: where had the document been hidden by her?

36. Leave the dog alone.

Answer: you are ordered to leave the dog alone.

37. How will they have settled the dispute?

Answer: how will the dispute have been settled by them?

38. Was someone calling your name?

Answer: was your name being called?

39. The flood water submerged the village.

Answer: the village was submerged by flood water.

40. Why was your father not accompanying you?

Answer: why were you not being accompanied by your Father.

41. We will have repaired the car by 2:00 p.m.

Answer: the car will have been repaired by 2:00 p.m.

42. Somebody I had informed the police about the fraud.

Answer: the police had been informed about the fraud.

43. Can we postpone the meeting?

Answer: Can the meeting be postponed by us?

44. Do they regularly inspect the factories?

Answer: are the factories regularly inspected by them?

45. The authorities are giving a facelift to the monument.

Answer: a facelift is being given to the monument by the the authorities.

46. Take your seat 15 minutes before the program.

Answer: you are advised to take your seat 15 minutes before the program.

47. Do not park your car in the no parking zone.

Answer: you are ordered not to park your car in the no parking zone.

48. Had you received the information on time?

Answer: had the information been received on time by you?

49. Will this campaign produce good result?

Answer: will good result be produced by this campaign?

50. I am ordering pizza.

Answer: a pizza is being ordered by me.

51. All his friends laughed at him.

Answer: He was laughed at by all his friends.

52. They made him king.

Answer: He was made King.

53. One should keep one's promises.

Answer: Promises should be kept.

54. Someone has picked my pocket.

Answer: My pocket has been picked.

55. He handed her a cheque.

Answer: A cheque was handed to her/she was handed a cheque.

Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats - Summary - Line by Line Explanation Q&A Solved

Poem - Ode to a Nightingale -XI Elective Poetry

• Summary of the poem Ode to Nightingale by John Keats
• line-by-line paraphrase of John Keats' Ode to a Nightingale:
  
• UNDERSTANDING THE POEM (Q&A)
• TRY THIS OUT (Q&A)
• Important Questions on the Poem Ode to Nightingale by John Keats

Summary

The poem Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats begins as the speaker starts to feel disoriented from listening to the song of the nightingale, as if he had just drunk something very strong. He feels bitter sweet happiness at the thought of the nightingale's carefree life.

The speaker wishes he had a special wine distilled directly from the earth. He wants to drink such a wine and fade into the forest with the nightingale. He wants to escape the worries and concerns of life, age, and time.

He uses poetry to join the nightingale's nighttime world, deep in the dark forest where hardly any moonlight can reach. He can't see any of the flowers or plants around him, but he can smell them. He thinks it wouldn't be so bad to die at night in the forest, with no one around except the nightingale singing.

But the nightingale can't die. The nightingale must be immortal, because so many different kinds of generations of people have heard its song throughout history, everyone from clowns and emperors to Biblical characters to people in fantasy stories.

The speaker's vision is interrupted when the nightingale flies away and leaves him alone. He feels abandoned and disappointed that his imagination is not strong enough to create its own reality. He is left confused and bewildered, not knowing the difference between reality and dreams.

line-by-line paraphrase of John Keats' Ode to a Nightingale:

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains	My heart feels heavy, and I am overcome by a feeling of numbness.
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,	It feels as if I’ve drunk poison, like hemlock, which dulls my senses.
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains	Or consumed a drug that has taken away all my energy and awareness.
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:	Just a moment ago, I felt as if I was sinking into forgetfulness, like the river Lethe.
’Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,	It’s not because I envy your happiness, Nightingale,
But being too happy in thine happiness,—	But because I am almost too happy, sharing in your joy.
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,	You, airy creature of the trees, like a forest spirit,
In some melodious plot	Sing in a beautiful and harmonious place,
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,	Among the green beech trees, in endless shadows,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.	Singing of the summer with a voice that is effortlessly full of life.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been	Oh, how I long for a drink of fine wine,
Cool’d a long age in the deep-delvèd earth,	Which has been cooled deep in the earth for many years,
Tasting of Flora and the country green,	With the taste of flowers and the fresh countryside,
Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!	And the happiness of dancing, music, and sunlit joy from Provence.
O for a beaker full of the warm South,	I wish for a cup filled with the warmth of the southern lands,
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,	Filled with the real, rosy-colored fountain of poetic inspiration,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,	With bubbles of wine sparkling at the edge of the cup,
And purple-stained mouth;	Staining my lips purple as I drink,
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,	So that I might drink and leave the world behind,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:	And disappear into the dim forest with you, Nightingale.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget	To fade away and dissolve, completely forgetting
What thou among the leaves hast never known,	The pain and suffering that you, Nightingale, never experience among the leaves,
The weariness, the fever, and the fret	The exhaustion, illness, and worry
Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;	Here on earth, where people sit in misery and listen to each other’s groans,
Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,	Where trembling hands shake the last sad gray hairs of the old,
Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;	Where young people grow pale, become thin like ghosts, and die;
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow	Where even thinking leads to sorrow,
And leaden-eyed despairs,	And despair weighs down on us, making our eyes heavy,
Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,	Where even Beauty cannot retain her bright and shining eyes,
Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.	And new love fades away before tomorrow comes.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Away! away! for I will fly to thee,	Go away, go away! I will come to you,
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,	Not carried by Bacchus, the god of wine, and his wild companions,
But on the viewless wings of Poesy,	But on the invisible wings of poetry,
Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:	Even though my mind is slow and confused.
Already with thee! tender is the night,	I am already with you, Nightingale! The night is gentle,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,	And perhaps the moon, like a queen, is sitting on her throne,
Cluster’d around by all her starry Fays;	Surrounded by her stars like little fairies.
But here there is no light,	But here, where I am, there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown	Except for the light that the wind occasionally blows down from the sky,
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.	Through the green shadows and winding, mossy paths of the forest.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,	I cannot see the flowers at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,	Nor what gentle fragrances are in the air around me,
But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet	But in this perfumed darkness, I can guess each sweet scent,
Wherewith the seasonable month endows	With which the month of May fills the air
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;	The grass, the bushes, and the wild fruit trees,
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;	The white hawthorn and the sweetbriar;
Fast fading violets cover’d up in leaves;	The violets that are fading and hidden by leaves;
And mid-May’s eldest child,	And the first-born flowers of mid-May,
The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,	The musk rose that’s coming soon, filled with dew like wine,
The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.	Where bees and flies will hum on summer evenings.

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Darkling I listen; and, for many a time	I listen in the darkness, and many times before,
I have been half in love with easeful Death,	I have been almost in love with the idea of peaceful death,
Call’d him soft names in many a musèd rhyme,	I’ve given death gentle names in my thoughtful poetry,
To take into the air my quiet breath;	Hoping he would come and take my quiet breath away;
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,	Now, more than ever, it feels like it would be a blessing to die,
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,	To peacefully die at midnight without feeling pain,
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad	While you, Nightingale, are singing your heart out,
In such an ecstasy!	In such a state of blissful ecstasy!
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—	You would keep singing, but I would no longer be able to hear it—
To thy high requiem become a sod.	I would become a lifeless body, like the earth, as you sing your heavenly song.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!	You, Nightingale, were not born to die; you are an immortal creature!
No hungry generations tread thee down;	No generations of humans can wear you down or destroy you;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard	The song I hear tonight has been heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:	By both kings and common people in ancient times;
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path	Maybe it’s the same song that reached the ears
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,	Of Ruth, who felt homesick and sad in a foreign land,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;	And cried while standing among foreign crops;
The same that oft-times hath	The same song that has often
Charm’d magic casements, opening on the foam	Enchanted windows, opening out to the sea’s foam,
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.	Of dangerous seas, in magical and forgotten lands.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Forlorn! the very word is like a bell	Forlorn! The very sound of that word feels like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!	Bringing me back from you, Nightingale, to my lonely self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well	Goodbye! My imagination cannot deceive me anymore,
As she is fam’d to do, deceiving elf.	As she is known for doing, like a tricky spirit.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades	Goodbye, goodbye! Your sad song fades away
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,	Beyond the nearby meadows, over the still waters,
Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep	Up the hillside; and now it’s buried deep
In the next valley-glades:	In the distant valleys.
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?	Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?	The music has fled: Am I awake or asleep?

---

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM (Q&A)

1. How does the nightingale’s song plunge the poet into a state of ecstasy?
   The nightingale's song brings the poet immense joy and a feeling of freedom. It transports him away from his troubles and worries, making him feel light and happy. The beauty of the music allows him to escape reality for a moment, creating a sense of bliss and connection to nature.

2. What are the unpleasant aspects of the human condition that the poet wants to escape from?
   The poet wants to escape from feelings of sadness, pain, and mortality. He is troubled by life's struggles, such as sickness, aging, and sorrow. He longs to leave behind the heavy burdens of life, including despair and the harsh realities of human existence, to find peace and joy in the nightingale's song.

3. What quality of ‘beauty’ and ‘love’ does the poem highlight?
   The poem highlights that beauty and love are often fleeting and can lead to both joy and pain. While the nightingale's song represents pure beauty and happiness, it also reminds the poet that such moments are temporary. This duality shows that beauty can be both uplifting and sorrowful, leaving a lasting impact.

4. How does the poet bring out the immortality of the bird?
   The poet suggests that the nightingale is immortal because its song continues through time, unaffected by human struggles. Unlike humans, who age and die, the nightingale's music symbolizes eternal beauty and joy. Its voice represents a timeless essence that transcends life and death, making it feel everlasting.

5. How is the poet tossed back from ecstasy into despair?
   The poet feels joy while listening to the nightingale, but he is quickly reminded of the harsh realities of life. The fleeting moment of happiness fades, leaving him to confront his sadness and loneliness. This shift from ecstasy to despair shows the contrast between the beauty of the song and the pain of existence.

6. How does the poem bring out the elusive nature of happiness in human existence?
   The poem illustrates that happiness is temporary and hard to grasp. The nightingale's song brings joy, but it also highlights the poet's longing and pain. Happiness, like the nightingale's song, can be beautiful but is often fleeting. This contrast emphasizes how difficult it is for humans to hold onto true happiness.

TRY THIS OUT

1. The poet has juxtaposed sets of opposites like numbness/pains, waking/dream. How does this contribute to the poetic effect? What is this figure of speech called? List other such pairs from poems that you have read.
   This technique, called antithesis, enhances the poem's emotional impact by highlighting contrasts. It emphasizes the poet's conflicting feelings of pleasure and pain. Other examples include “bittersweet” and “joyful sorrow” from various poems, showing the complexity of human emotions.

2. The poet has evoked the image of wine—why has this image been chosen?
   The image of wine symbolizes pleasure, intoxication, and the escape from reality. It represents the joy and beauty found in the nightingale's song. Wine also suggests a temporary state of bliss, mirroring the fleeting moments of happiness that the poet seeks in nature and art.

3. The senses of sound, sight and taste are evoked in the poem. Locate instances of these.

   • Sound: The nightingale's beautiful song captures the essence of music.
   • Sight: The poet describes the beauty of the lush forest and flowers around him.
   • Taste: The imagery of wine evokes a rich and pleasurable taste experience, linking it to the joy of the moment.

4. The poet addresses the nightingale and talks to the bird throughout the poem. What is this kind of poem called?
   This kind of poem is called an apostrophe, where the poet directly addresses a person or an object. In this case, the poet speaks to the nightingale as if it can hear him, creating a deep connection and emphasizing its significance in the poem.

5. Make a list of all the adjectives in the poem along with the nouns they describe. List the phrases that impressed you most in the poem.

   • Tender (night)
   • Deep-delvèd (earth)
   • Sweet (incense)
   • Green (woods)
   • Musk (rose)
   • Blushful (Hippocrene)

   Impressive phrases:

   • "With beaded bubbles winking at the brim"
   • "The weariness, the fever, and the fret"
   • "Fast fading violets covered up in leaves"

6. Find out the other odes written by Keats and read them.
   Some other famous odes by John Keats include Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to Psyche, and Ode to Melancholy. Each of these poems explores themes of beauty, art, and the complexities of human emotions, similar to Ode to a Nightingale.

7. Find out the odes written by Shelley and read them.
   Some notable odes by Percy Bysshe Shelley are Ode to the West Wind, Ode to a Skylark, and To a Skylark. These odes reflect on nature, inspiration, and the power of the human spirit, often highlighting the connection between beauty and the transient nature of life.

Important Questions on the Poem Ode to Nightingale by John Keats

Q1. Discuss the theme of mortality in Ode to a Nightingale. How does Keats explore the idea of life and death?

Keats explores mortality by contrasting the nightingale's eternal song with human life, which is temporary and filled with pain. The poet reflects on his own fears of aging and death, wishing to escape these harsh realities. The nightingale symbolizes timeless beauty, while the poet’s awareness of death brings a sense of sadness and longing.

Q2. What role does nature play in the poem? How does it influence the poet’s thoughts and feelings?

Nature is a central theme in the poem, providing beauty and inspiration for the poet. The lush forest and the nightingale’s song transport him to a peaceful place, making him feel alive and joyful. However, nature also reminds him of the fleeting moments of happiness, highlighting the contrast between the eternal beauty of the nightingale and the temporary nature of human life.

Q3. How does Keats use imagery to enhance the emotional depth of the poem? Provide specific examples.

Keats uses vivid imagery to evoke strong emotions. For instance, he describes “beaded bubbles” and “the weariness, the fever, and the fret,” creating a sensory experience. These images make the beauty of the nightingale's song feel more intense, while also emphasizing the poet's pain and longing, enriching the poem's emotional landscape.

Q4. Examine the significance of the nightingale as a symbol in the poem. What does it represent for the poet?

The nightingale symbolizes beauty, art, and the eternal nature of joy. For the poet, it represents a world free from suffering and mortality. While listening to the nightingale's song, he feels a deep connection to nature and the possibility of escaping human pain. The bird’s immortal song contrasts with the poet's own transient existence.

Q5. How does the poet's attitude toward the nightingale change throughout the poem? What does this reveal about his emotional state?

Initially, the poet admires the nightingale, feeling uplifted by its song. However, as he becomes aware of his mortality, his feelings shift to sadness and despair. This change reveals his struggle between longing for joy and confronting the harsh realities of life. The nightingale’s beauty becomes both a source of comfort and a reminder of his pain.

Q6. What is the significance of the contrast between the nightingale’s eternal song and the poet’s human experience?

The contrast highlights the difference between the timeless beauty of the nightingale and the temporary nature of human life. While the nightingale’s song represents eternal joy and freedom, the poet’s existence is filled with suffering, aging, and death. This tension emphasizes the longing for escape from reality and the fleeting moments of happiness in life.

Q7. In what ways does the poem reflect Romantic ideals? Provide examples from the text.

The poem reflects Romantic ideals through its emphasis on nature, emotion, and individual experience. Keats celebrates the beauty of the natural world and explores deep feelings of joy and sadness. His longing for transcendence and the connection to the nightingale illustrate the Romantic fascination with finding meaning beyond the mundane aspects of life.

Q8. How does Keats’ personal life and experiences influence the themes presented in Ode to a Nightingale?

Keats’ personal experiences with illness, loss, and mortality greatly influence the poem. He faced the deaths of loved ones and his own health struggles, which brought a sense of urgency to his reflections on life and death. This background shapes the themes of longing for beauty, the desire to escape suffering, and the inevitability of mortality.

Q9. Discuss the influence of classical mythology in the poem. How does Keats incorporate these elements into his work?

Keats incorporates classical mythology by referencing figures like Bacchus and referencing the "Hippocrene," the fountain of poetic inspiration. These allusions connect the nightingale to themes of beauty, inspiration, and ecstasy found in ancient myths. This adds a layer of depth, linking the poem to timeless ideas of art and nature that transcend the poet's immediate experience.

Q10. How does Ode to a Nightingale compare to other odes written by Keats? What themes are consistent throughout his work?

Like other odes by Keats, such as Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale explores themes of beauty, art, and the passage of time. Both odes reflect the tension between the desire for eternal beauty and the reality of mortality. Keats often uses rich imagery and deep emotion, creating a profound connection between nature and human experience.

Q11. What is the impact of the poet’s use of sensory details in the poem? How do they contribute to the overall atmosphere?

Keats’ use of sensory details, like the sound of the nightingale's song and the sight of the lush forest, creates a vivid atmosphere. These details allow readers to feel the beauty and intensity of the poet's experiences. The rich imagery enhances the emotional depth, making the moments of joy and sorrow more relatable and impactful.

Q12. Analyze the structure and form of the poem. How does it contribute to its themes and meanings?

Ode to a Nightingale is structured in ten stanzas of varying lengths, using iambic pentameter and rhyme. This flowing structure mirrors the natural rhythm of the nightingale's song and creates a sense of movement. The changing stanza lengths reflect the poet's emotional journey, emphasizing the tension between beauty and sorrow throughout the poem.

Q13. Discuss the notion of escapism in the poem. How does the poet seek to escape from reality, and what does he find instead?

The poet seeks to escape reality through the nightingale's song, which symbolizes a world free from pain and suffering. He momentarily finds joy and connection to nature but ultimately realizes that he cannot fully escape human experiences of grief and mortality. This quest for escapism highlights the complexity of seeking happiness amidst the inevitability of life’s struggles.

Class XI - Elective English - 6. The Third and Final Continent - Jhumpa Lahiri

Class XI - Elective English - 6. The Third and Final Continent - Jhumpa Lahiri

APPRECIATION

1. Discuss the manner in which the author interweaves details of the narrator’s family with the flow of the main narrative.
   
   
   The details about the narrator's family is important for the readers in order to understand the psyche of the narrator. He had a very turbulent childhood and was brought up among very disturbed conditions at home. This is important for us to understand the bond he shared with Mrs. Croft. The words written by the author expresses that he was very attached to his mother and had fulfilled the role of an eldest son till the time she was cremated. He missed his mother a lot and recollected small incidents about she never forgetting to drape her head before coming in front of his father. When he came to know of Mrs. Croft's age which had crossed a century, he contemplated on how his mother couldn't adjust to his father's death and turned insane. Her insanity led to deterioration of her health. Her death gave him a heavy blow but he cared for her till the very last moment before cremating her. This shows his reason for growth of empathy towards Mrs. Croft because of her old age. Thus, his concern for Mrs. Croft grew which can be clearly reflected in the line: I was mortified. I had assumed Mrs. Croft was in her eighties...that this person was a widow who lived alone mortified me further still.
   
   
2. ‘Mrs Croft’s was the first death I mourned in America, for, hers was the first life I had admired; she had left this world at last,ancient and alone, never to return’—how do these lines encapsulate the bond that is possible between two strangers?
   
   A person usually feels very detached from people staying around him  abroad. Here is where originates the feeling of diaspora. The same happened with the narrator. He was away from his home and his family and, thus, never grew any feeling of affection towards anybody in America. He was quite alienated with the people of America. However, the course of action justifies his attachment and the emotional bonding which grew between him and Mrs Croft. In the foreign land, he grew a fondness towards the old lady because of various reasons. When he got to know that she was older than a century, he felt a sense of responsibility towards her. He was amazed and was quite awestruck at the idea of a widow of that age residing all alone, with nobody to take care of her . Taking up chores like heating her soup every evening or giving her eight dollars in the envelope every month satisfied him. All these instances and many more cite the fact that a very strong bond had developed between the lady and the narrator.
3. Examine the pieces of conversation in the story. How do they reflect the worldview of each of the speakers? The various conversations taking place in bits and pieces during the course of action of the story reflect a lot about people's perception on various issues and attitude towards each other and humanity in general. We see a very firm and hypocritical attitude prevalent in the tone of Mrs Croft when the narrator arrived at her place for the first time. This is when for the first time he realised that belonging to a very high standard place was important, anywhere such as Tech or Harvard. The greatness and biasness of Americans to be the first one to step on the moon, considering it an unattainable and impossibly splendid feat to be attained. However, she becomes mild for the first time when she receives the eight dollars from the narrator. Mrs Croft's orthodox ways become prominently visible when she objects to a lady and a man talking in private without a chaperone. Her conventional ways are quite evident keeping in mind the fact that she had already crossed hundred. The ways of the western world is shown to be in a very high contrast when we see Mrs Croft's daughter Helen being quite indifferent towards her mother's health or meals. Her casual tone when she says “she might have slipped” might disturb readers. However, even with the differences in opinions, perceptions and norms, the bond which had developed between the narrator and an American widow of a hundred years is worth appreciation.

Essay-01 My Watch by Mark Twain

Class Notes - English - XI - Elective - Woven Words - Essay:01

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. What was the importance of the watch to the author?
   
   
   The watch was important to the author as it showed him the correct time thus keeping him punctual. He had it working properly for 18 months until he let it run down. He had staunch faith on its judgement and its prediction. It worked perfectly until then without gaining or losing any part of it.
2. What were the attempts made by the author to get his watch repaired?
   
   
   After a possession of 18 months, the author let his watch run down. Devastated, the author went to all possible watch makers starting from the chief jeweller, the very next day. The head of the establishment pushed the regulator of the watch a little too much, which did no good, rather worsened its condition. Then the author went to another watch maker who kept it for a week and slowed it down, however, too much. Then he went to another one who kept it for three days; and then couple of more. Even after having spent thousands dollars, none of the watch makers could fix the watch. Hopeless, the author gave it a last shot and went to a watch maker who turned out to be an erstwhile, not a good, steam-boat engineer. It was now that the author realised that "a good horse was a good horse until it had run away once, and that a good watch was a good watch until the repairers got a chance at it. "
3. Why did the author finally give up on his watch?
   
   
   
   The author got the watch repaired seven times. By the end, he realised that the watch, with its original cost being two hundred dollars, had cost him two to three thousand on repairs itself. And the watch was still malfunctioning. It was when he reached the seventh watch maker and acknowledged the mechanic to be an old acquaintance, a steam-boat engineer of other days and not a good engineer. He gave his verdict like all other watch makers, the author was not gullible and this time he perceived what his uncle William used to say that a good horse was a good horse until it had run away once, and that a good watch was a good watch until the repairers got a chance at it. So, he finally gave up the repairing and decided to let the watch be.
4. What was Uncle Williams’ comment on the ‘tinkerers’ of the world?
   
   
   
   Uncle William is not a character in the story; however, the author gives a glimpse of him. When the author gave the watch for mending the last time, he reckoned that it was costing him more than the original cost. All the attempts so far have been futile and the verdict of the last watch maker made him remember what uncle William used to say that a good horse was a good horse until it had run away once, and that a good watch was a good watch until the repairers got a chance at it. The author perceived what his uncle had known with all his knowledge and experience. All the unsuccessful tinkers in the world are not specialists. They are the 'Jacks' of all trades and masters of none. Uncle William used to wonder what became of all those gunsmiths, shoe-makers, engineers and blacksmiths who never could be successful in their work sphere. It is important to acquire specialisation at least in one particular field, else one is left being a tinker, an apprentice, and not a specialist.
5. Explain these lines
   a. ‘I seemd to detect in myself a sort of sneaking fellow-feeling for the mummy in the museum, and a desire to swap news with him.’
   b. ‘Within a week it sickened to a raging fever and its pulse went up to a hundred and fifty in the shade.’
   c. ‘She makes too much steam—you want to hang the monkey wrench on the safety valve!’
   
   
   ANSWER:
   
   
   (a) After being oiled and cleaned and 'regulated' for the second time, the watch came home to the author after a week. However, the watch was slowed down to such a degree that the author missed all his appointments, his dinner. He felt like he was drifted in the past somewhere. Gradually the watch slowed even more, he felt like he was living in the previous week. The author felt like he missed all that was happening in the world. He was solitary and lingered in the past all because of his watch. The author here compares his situation to that of a mummy, who belongs to bygone ages. He felt it ideal to find a fellowship with the mummy in some museum he probably had been to or an imaginary one. He felt travelling in the past just like the mummy due to the slow time projected by his watch.
   
   
   (b) When the author let his watch run down after eighteen months, he took it to chief jeweller's to set it by the exact time. The head of the establishment however, despite being stopped by the author, pushed the regulator. This gave the watch, probably, a kick and the watch shot ahead of its time. It gained faster and faster, day by day. Post two months, it appeared to be having some sort of a fever with an extremely high pulse rate. It moved 13 days ahead of the actual date and when the year touched October, the author commented, the watch was enjoying the snow fall of November already. This erratic behaviour annoyed the author a lot and so he decided to get it doctored once again.
   
   
   (c) The seventh time the author took the watch to a watch maker, he reckoned the apprentice to be an old acquaintance, a steam-boat engineer of other days and not a good engineer. Like all watch makers, he diagnosed and gave his verdict. The author observed keenly and judged him at his very verdict when he said, "She makes too much steam-you want to hang the monkey wrench on the safety valve! The author immediately remembered what his uncle William used to say and perceived that a tinker is a tinker after all, this being an unsuccessful engineer and wondered like his uncle what became of all the unsuccessful tinkers.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

1. Replacing old machines with new is better than getting them repaired.
2. It is difficult to part with personal items like a watch which have a sentimental value attached to them. 

APPRECIATION

1. How is humour employed to comment on the pains that the author took to get his watch set right?
   
   
   It is funny how the author and his dear watch had to go through all the pain that was delivered by seven watch makers. In the end, it was all futile and no good was done to the watch. The seven episodes with the watch makers are humorous as while all the watch makers tried their hand on the watch, toying it all up and operating and exploring and dissembling and then assembling every inch of it, it all gave sheer pain to the author to whom the watch was so dear. Every time with all the hope and strength he took it to a new watch maker; however, not a single of all the tinkers could put it all back to place to make it function all properly. How strange it is that none of the seven watch makers could mend the watch while they all experimented and did all sorts of research and development on it.
2. ‘The author’s treatment of the subject matter makes the readers identify themselves with the experience.’ Comment on this statement.
   
   
   Samuel L. Clemens, Mark Twain, had less than ten years of schooling. He worked as a printer's apprentice, a steamboat pilot, a prospector and a journalist. All this gave him varied experiences and a wide knowledge of humanity. In all his works, he brings in elements from his own experiences and his own life creating a replica of his own self. All his stories have a combination of realistic and make believe world. What he presents are the situations that any ordinary human might face in her/his daily life; thus, making them all appear very realistic and hence the readers easily connect to the story and identify themselves with the experiences. For instance, in the story, the author faced a problem that is so ordinary. Any of us might have a watch that malfunctions and has a simple error. However, the problem rather than being mended, aggravates every time we take it to be doctored. This is a typical example of how an ordinary human faces problems with not just gadgets; it might be a medical condition or as simple as an argument with a known face.
3. Identify some of the improbable images the author has used to effect greater humour. 
   
   
   There are instances when the author goes on exaggerating the actual situation to add humour to the story. For example, when the watch is repaired for the second time, it slowed down. The description is a hyperbole of the actual happening. No matter how slow a watch is, it will show the time according to 12 hours, it cannot literally travel in the past. However, the way the author describes its watch enjoying snowfall before the season arrives is humorous. Also, the citation of the mummy is funny, plus it describes the mental state of the poor author.

Essay-03 - Patterns of Creativity

Class Notes - English - XI - Electictive - Woven Words - Essay:03

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. How does Shelley’s attitude to science differ from that of Wordsworth and Keats?
   
   
   
   Wordsworth in his poem 'A Poet's Epitaph' looks at science with a critical mind. Even in the poem 'Tables Turned' he praises nature and appreciates the beauty it gives to the humanity: 
   
   "Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;"
   "Enough of Science and of Art;
   Close up those barren leaves;
   Come forth, and bring with you a heart
   That watches and receives."
   
   

   Wordsworth requests us to be more inclined towards Nature because there is more wisdom in it. Keats in his poem 'Lamia' talks of two facets of human nature: one is sensual and other emotional. Keats calls philosophy destructive and pleasure unreal and calls them inseparable. However, it is not that one must take Wordsworth's and Keat's take as absolute. Shelley, for instance, is of a different opinion. For scientists it is best if they consider Shelley. A. N. Whitehead's testimony called Shelley's attitude to Science, an opposite pole to that of Wordsworth. He loved science, and was never tired of expressing in poetry the thoughts, which it suggests. Science symbolised to him joy, and peace, and illumination.
2. ‘It is not an accident that the most discriminating literary criticism of Shelley’s thought and work is by a distinguished scientist, Desmond King-Hele.’ How does this statement bring out the meeting point of poetry and science? 
   
   
   A Desmond King-Hele, a British physicist, is the author of Shelley: His Thought and Work. He said that Shelley's attitude to science emphasises the surprising modern climate of thoughts in which he chose to live. Shelley describes the mechanisms of nature with a precision and wealth of detail. It is a perfect fusion of poetry and science. A scientist critically reviewing a poet's work on science. S. Chandrasekhar points out two examples from Shelley's poetry in support of what is said about him. He points out that in his poem Cloud, a creative myth, a scientific monograph, and a gay picaresque tale of cloud adventure are fused together. Then he cites an example from Prometheus Unbound, which has been described by Herbert Read as the greatest expression ever given to humanity's desire for intellectual light and spiritual liberty.
3. What do you infer from Darwin’s comment on his indifference to literature as he advanced in years? 
   
   
   Darwin, a great scientist, known for his work On the Origin of Species, enjoyed literature only until he was 30, as he said. He enjoyed poetic works of Byron, Coleridge, Shelley, etc. immensely. Shakespeare's historical plays gave him much pleasure. However, as he advanced in his age to reach the benchmark of 30, the charm faded and he began losing interest in pictures and music that once gave him great delight. He tried reading poetry and Shakespeare; however, he found it so intolerably dull that it nauseated him. It is surprising that the answer to this change is in Darwin's own statement. His mind had become some kind of a  grinding machine to process laws out of facts. It caused atrophy of that part of the brain on which higher tastes depended. It was hard for Darwin to infer it as well and, thus, his romance with literature died away.
4. How do the patterns of creativity displayed by scientists differ from those displayed by poets? 
   
   
   Poets are the bards celebrating the nature surrounding them. While, scientists are the ones to harvest nature and its mechanism and mark inventions. Poets such as Wordsworth and Keats criticise humans of exploiting nature. Whereas, scientists on the other hand utilize the given resources of nature to create and invent. However, it is not that there is an enmity between poets and scientists. Shelley said, undoubtedly the promoters of utility, in this limited sense, have their appointed office in society They make space and give time.Here we have Darwin, who enjoyed literature immensely, however, until he was thirty. He said later,' My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts but why this should have caused the atrophy of that part of the brain alone on which the higher tastes depend.Thus, it can be understood, while the poets celebrate the present and arrest it making it all immortal, the scientists create and invent leading us to a tomorrow, thus, marking a difference.
5. What is the central argument of the speaker?
   
   
   In the essay patterns of creativity, S. Chandrasekhar tries to figure out the reason for the difference in the patterns of creativity among the practitioners in the arts and practitioners in the sciences. He did not answer it, rather, he made an assortment of remarks that bore the answer. He cites examples explaining how poets and scientists view each other defining the difference in their views. There are poets such as Wordsworth and Keats who are worshippers of nature, who believe that humans sabotage nature by the technological advancement. However, there are poets like Shelley, who do poetry on science. It is difficult to segregate the views and put them into water tight compartments. Darwin, for instance enjoyed literature immensely as it gave him utmost joy, but only till the age of 30. W. B. Yeats, in praise of Shelley's A Defence of Poetry, called it the profoundest essay on the foundation of poetry in the English language The author of the essay, Chandrasekhar wonders in the end that why is there no such A Defence of Science written by a scientist of equal endowment. Perhaps the answer to the question he knew already.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

1. ‘Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world’.
   
   
   Shelley in his famous essay, A Defence of Poetry, made the given statement. In his work, Shelley expressed his view on poetry and poets. The power of poetry and the beauty of it. It is true that poetry makes every thing immortal by arresting its enchanting beauty. It not just reflects, it has the power to ignite minds and bring change. Poetry inspires humanity. Like Shelley said, ? oets are...the mirrors or the gigantic shadows which futurity casts upon the present; the words which express what they understand not; the trumpets which sing to battle and feel not what they inspire; the influence which is moved not, but moves.It is poetry that bears the future and inspire minds. It beholds the past and mirrors the present as well. Poets are the subtle revolutionaries of our society. In fact, not just poets but all the great authors as well. They are the force that drive the society to newness and are moral critics. They participate in the society not just as viewers, but they keep a watch and express their criticism or appreciation through their work.
2. Poetry and science are incompatible.
   
   
   There are two perspectives to every issue. While poets like Wordsworth and Keats condemn man of exploiting nature and moving towards science, Shelley is a scientific poet, who even in his poems like his Cloud. Shelley loved science and expressed it in his poetry.? It symbolised to him joy, and peace, and illumination. Charles Darwin, being such a great scientist was immensely fond of literature, especially in his youth. However, another scientist, Faraday, who was absolutely engrossed in his scientific experiments about electricity and made great invention. It is always difficult to conclude whether poets and scientists are compatible or not. There will be many such poets and scientists fond of science and poetry. While there will be many who are only concerned about their subject.
3. ‘On reading Shelley’s A Defence of Poetry, the question insistently occurs why there is no similar A Defence of  Science written by a scientist of equal endowment.’
   
   
   A person who is passionate about her/his subject is bound to praise it profoundly. The only difference might be in the medium of expression. While a poet chooses words to praise his subject, a scientist may choose an invention to express his passion. This is natural. Thus, it is so that Shelley came up with a writing piece and Faraday discovering the laws of electromagnetic induction and his discoveries led him to formulate concepts such as 'lines of force' and 'fields of force'. It is not that scientists do not defend their subject, Faraday did defend his discoveries by answering Gladstone that there was every probability of the government taxing the electricity soon. Just the medium one chooses to defend their subject matters.

APPRECIATION

1. How does the ‘assortment of remarks’ compiled by the author give us an understanding of the ways of science and poetry? 
   
   [answer same as that of Q.5. Modify the answer accordingly]
2. Considering that this is an excerpt from a lecture, how does the commentary provided by the speaker string the arguments together? 
3. The Cloud ‘fuses together a creative myth, a scientific monograph, and a gay picaresque tale of cloud adventure’— explain.

Chapter 04-The Adventure of the Three Garridebs - Arthur Conan Doyle

Class Notes - English - XI - Elective - Woven Words - Chapter:04

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. What clues did Sherlock Holmes work upon to get at the fact that the story of the three Garridebs was a ruse?
   
   
   

   Sherlock Holmes noticed that the gentleman who was paying visit to him and his friend Watson under the name of John Garrideb was not what he purported to be because there were discrepancies in his statements as well as appearance. John Garrideb’s claim that he was new to London was not true because the dress that he was wearing was British and that too a worn out one. John’s accent also hinted that he was staying in London for quite some time. Moreover John’s story about Alexander Hamilton Garrideb of Chicago fell flat when he claimed that he knew Dr. Lysander Starr of Topeka very well, a bait cleverly placed by Holmes. Sherlock Holmes also noticed that the advertisement shown to him by John Garrideb apparently placed by Howard Garrideb contained words which were mainly used in USA, proving that it was none other than John Garrideb himself who placed the advertisement. 
   
   All the above mentioned discrepancies proved that the story of three Garridebs was a ruse.
2. What was John Garrideb’s objective in inventing the story of Alexander Hamilton Garrideb and his legacy?
   
   
   John Garrideb's objective was to gain entry into the house of Nathan Garrideb. He wanted to enter the house because before Nathan Garrideb the house was rented to Presbury, the American criminal, who was running a racket of counterfeit British notes and currencies in a secret  basement in the house of Nathan Garrideb. John and Presbury being friends back then worked in tandem and knew about each others' secrets. When John shot Presbury dead he wanted to lay his hands on the counterfeit notes printing machine and currencies lying hidden in the basement of the house where Nathan Garrideb lived. But Nathan Garrideb proved a hindrance in his planning for he hardly left his dwellings. This led John Garrideb to invent the story of Hamilton Garrideb and his legacy. Nathan Garrideb almost fell in the trap except the fact that he got over enthusiastic and involved Holmes in the hunt of the third Garrideb.
3. Why didn't John Garrideb like the idea of including Holmes in the hunt for the third Garrideb?
   
   
   John Garrideb didn't like the idea of including Holmes in the hunt for the third Garrideb because he feared that his fictitious story of three Garridebs might get busted. His worst fears came true at the end, because Holmes noticed all the discrepancies in his statements and pinned down John Garrideb while he was entering the basement of Nathan Garrideb's house to take away the counterfeit currencies.
4. Who was Roger Presbury and how was John Garrideb connected with him?
   
   
   Roger Presbury was an American criminal who was living in Britain and was involved in counterfeit currency business. He was shot by John Garrideb over cards in a night club on the Waterloo Road in January, 1895. Sherlock found out that his appearance matched with the appearance of Waldron, the previous tenant of the lodging in which now Nathan Garrideb lived. Presbury aka Waldron had hidden a note printing press in his basement and John Garrideb knew about it. It was this printing press that John Garrideb was after and carved out the whole plan to acquire it.
5. How did Holmes guess that John Garrideb would go to 136, Little Ryder Street? Did he expect to find what he ultimately did before he went there?
   
   
   
   Once it became clear to Holmes that John Garrideb wants to send Nathan Garrideb away for a while, he sensed that there must be something at 136, Little Ryder Street that was of immense importance to John, Holmes expected John Garrideb to show up.Meanwhile Holmes and his friend Watson ensured that John did not suspect that they have any inkling of his plans of sending Nathan Garrideb away. Holmes and Watson did put the man at ease by clearing it to him that they were least interested in any matter and won his confidence by showing that they were just to help him in discovering another Garrideb. Expecting John they arrived and hid themselves in the house at 136, Little Ryder Street and did catch John Garrideb..

APPRECIATION

1. Examine the structure of the short story ‘Adventure of the Three Garridebs’ with the help of this framework

• The narrator of the story
• Introduction of the topic of the story
• Introduction of the main characters in the plot
• Development of the plot
• Climax
• Resolution of the mystery.

The introduction of the story: The story opens with a faint reflection of the climax. Watson, the narrator, does not give the climax entirely. However, he does tell the reader how the experience will be in the end.

Introduction of the topic of the story: The narrator does not hit the nail on the head, he rather lets the reader explore the story as the situation unfolds itself. However, Watson does not make the reader wait for too long.

Introduction of the main characters in the plot: Watson, the narrator takes the hold of the narration in the very beginning introducing the reader to the story. However we get to know him only once he introduces the reader to him. And it is when Holmes addresses Watson, we come to know the name of the narrator. For it is a first person narrative, we have to wait and move as the narrator describes all the events.

Development of the plot: In the beginning, Holmes is talking about a person with a particular surname and that there is a need to find a person with the surname. Then he tells Watson to wait for the person who has assigned the task to the detective as Holmes wants the person in question himself to explain the situation to his friend. Then arrives, John Garrideb of Kansas, who explains the reason for why is there a need of another surname. And it is made clear for why Nathan approached Holmes for the task as it was John who approached Nathan for the same reason. And then further the story unfolds and with it is the truth explored.

Climax: The climax is built as the series of events are described. There are clues laid for the reader to guess, yet the narrator does not give away the resolution. The reader guesses the possibilities. Ultimately a stage comes where the story reaches its height when Holmes is sure of the identity of the suspect and is sure of evil intentions and yet his motives are not clear. It is all to be discovered by the reader as he/she advances to the final tragedy.

Resolution of the mystery: The resolution unleashes a comical tragedy. The reader is surprised and feels funny as well, thanks to the witty detective that leads the case. A faint reflection of the emotions that the reader might go in the ending were already given in the beginning, yet the resolution was unknown. It is not just the tragedy revealed but along with it is revealed the other side of the main character Sherlock Holmes and his friendship with Dr. Watson. There is more than expected revealed. The digressions of Holmes are justified in the end as well. It was a mystery resolved in the end.

2. Examine the subtle humour in the narration of the story that lightens the gravity of the subject matter.
   
   
   The story's wittiest character is the detective Sherlock Holmes whose digressions are most funny. How in the middle of a sensitive interrogation he points out to the suspect that he appears to be a English, though the suspect exclaims that he is an American. In the beginning when Holmes is explaining the case to Watson, he remarks that there is a chance to make money with this case as if it is they and not the Garridebs who will be given the inheritance of Alexander Garrideb. The most interesting part is the style with which Holmes talks or discusses any information. Even while explaining a serious matter he adapts a casual style. For example, again while in the beginning Holmes is explaining the case to Watson, he did not give away the people already involved in the case. However, he tells that Nathan is already taken in as Watson comes across his name in the directory. He did not even tell the name of the mastermind John Garrideb until Mrs. Hudson approached with the card signed by Garrideb. There are many such instances that make the mystery light-hearted and the reader is not burned by it.