CBSE Study Notes for Class 9 English Chapter 3 The Little Girl and Poem Rain On The Roof

 

CBSE Class 9 English Chapter 3 – The Little Girl – Download Free PDF Notes

The Little Girl Chapter 3

Summary
Kezia is Afraid of her Father
The little girl Kezia was afraid of her father. She always
wanted to avoid meeting him. She felt relieved when
he went out of the house as his presence made her
uncomfortable out of fear. Kezia used to stammer in
front of her father whereas with others she used to
talk normally. He appeared so big to Kezia that she
would compare him with a giant. Kezia’s grandmother
wanted that Kezia should talk to her parents more and
therefore on Sunday afternoons she would send her to
the drawing room to talk to them, where they would
be relaxing.
Kezia Makes a Birthday Gift for her Father
When one day Kezia had a cold and she did not go to
school, her grandmother suggested her to make with
her own hands a pin-cushion as a birthday gift for her
father, whose birthday was next week. So Kezia
stitched three sides of it. Then, not finding any scraps
to fill it with, she filled it by tearing into small pieces of
some papers which she found on her mother’s
bedroom table.
Then, she completed the pin-cushion by sewing its
fourth side. Later, her father was very angry when he
could not find the papers on which he had written the
speech to be given to the Port Authority next day.
When Kezia was asked, she told her father that she
had torn up and stuffed the papers in the pin-cushion
she had made. So her father punished her by hitting
her hand with a ruler to teach her not to touch
anything that did not belong to her.
Kezia’s Neighbours: The Macdonalds
Kezia was jealous of the happy family living next door
– Mr Macdonald, his wife and five children. Mr
Macdonald was always playing with his children when
he was free. They were laughing and enjoying each
others’ company. That is when Kezia realized that
there were different kinds of fathers.
Kezia’s Opinion about her Father Finally Changed
When Kezia’s mother fell ill and had to be hospitalized,
Kezia’s grandmother went to look afer her, leaving
Kezia to be looked after by Alice, the cook. While
sleeping, Kezia had a frightful nightmare of a butcher
with a knife and rope and woke up crying, to find her
father standing there.
He took Kezia with her to his room and lay down
beside her to giver her comfort. He slept off due to
being tired. That is when Kezia realised that he had to
work very hard and felt sorry for tearing up his
papers. She told him that he had a very big heart.
The Little Girl NCERT Solutions CBSE Class 9
Thinking About the Text (Page 38)
I. Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt.
Match the emotions in Column A with the items in
Column B.
A B

1. Fear or terror
   i) father comes into her
   room to give her a
   goodbye kiss
2. Glad sense of relief
   ii) noise of the carriage
   grows fainter
3. A ‘funny’ feeling,
   perhaps of
   understanding iii) father comes home

A B
iv) speaking to father
v) going to bed when
alone at home
vi) father comforts her
and falls asleep
vii) father stretched
out on the sofa, snoring
Answer :
A B

1. Fear or terror iii) father comes home
   iv) speaking to father
   v) going to bed when
   alone at home
   vii) father stretched

A B
out on the sofa, snoring

2. Glad sense of relief
   i) father comes into her
   room to give her a
   goodbye kiss
   ii) noise of the carriage
   grows fainter
3. A ‘funny’ feeling,
   perhaps of
   understanding
   vi) father comforts her
   and falls asleep
   II. Answer the following questions in one or two
   sentences.
   Question 1 : Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
   Answer : Kezia was afraid of her father because he
   was very strict, always commanding everybody else in
   the house. He never played with her. He had big hands
   and a heavy face; particularly his mouth looked big to
   Kezia when he yawned. She was especially terrified
   with the manner in which he looked at over his
   spectacles.

Question 2 : Who were the people in Kezia’s
family?
Answer : Kezia’s family consisted of her mother,
father, grandmother and herself, besides Alice, the
cook.
Question 3 : What was Kezia’s father’s routine
i) before going to his office?
ii) after coming back from his office?
iii) on Sundays?
Answer : i) Before going to his office, Kezia’s father
usually went into her room to give her a casual kiss.
ii) After coming back from his office, he ordered for tea
to be brought into the drawing-room. He also asked
his mother to bring him the newspaper and his
slippers and asked Kezia to pull off his boots and leave
them outside.
iii) On Sundays, Kezia’s father would stretch out on the
sofa. He would cover his face with his handkerchief,
put his feet on one of the cushions and snore while
sleeping soundly.

Question 4 : In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother
encourage her to get to know her father better?
Answer : Kezia’s grandmother encouraged her to get
to know her father better by sendin gher to the
drawing-room to talk to her parents on Sunday
afternoons. She also suggested Kezia to make a pin-
cushion out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk as a gift
for her father’s birthday.
III. Describe these questions in class with your
teacher and then write down your answers in two
or three paragraphs each.

Question 1 : Kezia’s efforts to please her father
resulted in displeasing him very much. How did
this happen?
Answer : Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted
in displeasing him. On every Sunday, her grandmother
sent her down to the drawing-room to talk to her
father and mother. But, her presence always irritated
her father. He used to call her a ‘little brown owl’. The
next effort was when her grandmother suggested that
she should make a pin-cushion as a birthday gift for
her father, whose birthday was falling next week. She
worked diligently on making the pin-cushion ,
stitching three sides of the cushion with double cotton
with great care and effort.
She could not find anything to sutff it with and as her
grandmother was busy in the garden, she searched her
mother’s bedroom for scraps. Finally, she discovered
some sheets of fine paper on the bed-table. She
gathered them up, tore them into pieces and filled the
cushion with them. She did not know that the sheets of
fine paper she had torn up were written with her
father’s speech to be given in the Port Authority the
next day. Her father scolder her touching things that
did not belong to her and punished her by hitting her
palm with a ruler.

Question 2 : Kezia decides that there are “different
kinds of fathers.” What kind of father was Mr
Macdonald and how was he different from Kezia’s
father?
Answer : Kezia compared her father with Mr
Macdonald, their next door neighbour, who had five
children. He was a loving, gentle and forgiving father.
Whenever she looked at their house, she saw that he
was always smiling and playing with his children. He
treated his children in a friendly manner.
He was just opposite to Kezia’s father. Unlike Kezia’s
father , he never punished his children. He played with
them whenever he was free. However, Kezia’s father
was very harsh and a strict disciplinarian besides
never playing with her. Kezia’s father was a busyman
and never expressed his concern or affection to the
little girl who was really scared of him. She was so
afraid of her father that whenever she communicated
with him, she would stutter.

Question 3 : How does Kezia being to see her
father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Answer : When Kezia’s mother fell ill, Kezia’s
grandmother accompanied her to the hospital. Kezia
was left at home in the care of Alice, the cook. At night,
after she was put to bed by the cook, she had a
nightmare. In the nghtmare, she saw a butcher with a
knife and rope. She woke up shivering with fright. She
called for her grandmother but, to her surprise, she
found her father standing near her bed. He took her in
his arms and made her sleep next to him in his bed.
Half asleep, she crept close to him, sunggled her head
under his arm and held tightly to his shirt. Her father
asked her to rub her feet against his legs for warmth.
Her father went off to sleep before her. This made her
understand that he was to work hard every day and
this leaves him too tired to be like Mr Macdonald. She
expressed her altered feelings for her father by telling
him that he had a ‘big heart’.
Thinking about Language (Page 38)
I. Look at the following sentence.
There was a glad sense of relief when she heard
the noise of the carriage growing fainter……..
Here, glad means happy about something. Glad,
happy, pleased, delighted,
thrilled and overjoyed are synonyms (words or
expression that have the same or nearly the same
meaning). However, they express happiness in
certain ways.
Read the sentences below.
 She was glad when the meeting was over.
 The chief guest was pleased to announce the
name of the winner.

1. Use an appropriate word from the synonyms
   give above in the following sentences. Clues are
   given in brackets.
   i) She was ………….. by the news of her brother’s
   wedding. (very pleased)
   ii) I was ………….. to be invited to the party.
   (extremely pleased and excited about)
   iii) She was …………. at the birth of her
   granddaughter.(extremely happy)
   iv) The coach was ……… with her performance
   (satisfied about)
   v) She was very …………… with her result. (happy
   about something that has happened)
   Answer :
   i) thrilled
   ii) delighted
   iii) overjoyed
   iv) pleased
   v) happy
   Question 2 : Study the use of the word big in the
   following sentence.

He was so big – his hands and his neck, especially
his mouth………….
Here, big means large in size.
Now, consult a dictionary and find out the meaning
of big in the following sentences. the first one has
been done for you.
i) You are a big girl now. (older)
ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision
of your career.
iii) Their project is full of big ideas.
iv) Cricket is a big game in our country.
v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeskar.
vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a
big eater.
vii) What a big heart you’ve got, father dear.
Answer :
ii) most important
iii) innovative
iv) popular
v) great
vi) gourmet
vii) generous
II. Verbs of Reporting
Study the following sentences.
 “What!” screamed mother.
 “N-n-no”, she whispered.
 “Sit up,” he ordered.
The italicised words are verbs of reporting. We
quote or report what someone has said or thought
by using a reporting verb. Every reporting clause
contains a reporting verb e.g.
 He promised to help in my project.
 “How are you doing?” Seema asked.
We use verbs of reporting to advise, order, report
statements, thoughts, intentions, questions,
requests, apologies, manner of speaking and so on.

Question 1 : Underline the verbs of reporting in
the following sentences.
i) He says he will enjoy the ride.
ii) Father mentioned that he was going on a
holiday.
iii) NO one told us that the shop was closed.
iv) He answered that the price would go up.
v) I wondered why he was screaming.
vi) Ben told her to wake him up.
vii) Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.
Answer :
i) says
ii) mentioned
iii) told
iv) answered
v) wondered
vi) told
vii) apologised
Question 2 : Some verbs of reporting are given in
the box. Choose the appropriate verbs and fill in
the blanks in the following sentences.
were complaining
shouted
replied
ordered
suggested
remarked
i) “I am not afraid,”………..the woman.
ii) “Leave me alone,” my mother …………..
iii) The children …………that the roads were
crowded and noisy.
iv) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,”
…………. the master.
v) “Let’s go and look at the school ground,”
………….the sports teacher.
vi) The traffic police …………. all the passers-by to
keep off the road.
Answer :
i) replied
ii) shouted
iii) were complaining
iv) remarked
v) suggested
vi) ordered
Speaking (Page 40)
Form pairs or groups and discuss the following
questions.

Question 1 : This story is not an Indian story. But
do you think there are fathers, mothers and
grandmothers like the ones portrayed in the story
in our own country?
Answer : Yes, Indian families also have fathers,
mothers and grandmothers like the ones portrayed in
the story. All parents wan to succeed so that their
children have a secure future. But, due to their busy
schedule, they neglect their children, making them feel
isolated. Children need time and love of their parents
regularly.
Children want their parents to interact with them
without hurting their feelings. Emotional support of
parents is very important for child’s balanced
development.

Question 2 : Was Kezia’s father right to punish her?
What king of person was he? You might find some
of these words useful in describing him:
undemonstrative
loving
strict
hard-working
responsible
unkind
disciplinarian
short-tempered
affectionate
indifferent
caring
Answer : Kezia’s father was not right in punishing her.
Corporal chastisement is not the solution to children’s
problems. Some parents might feel that they can
correct their children’s behaviour by giving them
physical punishment, but they are grossly mistaken.
Parents should be king and affectionate while dealing
with children. If a child makes a mistake, they should
explain to him/her what mistakes he has made and
how harmful it could be for family or for
himself/herself. Kezia’s father was somewhat arrogant
and lost his temper.

Question 1 : Has your life been different from or
similar to that of Kezia when you were a child? Has
your perceptions about your parents changed
now? Do you find any change in your parents’
behaviour vis-a-vis yours? Who has become more

understanding? What steps would you like to take
to build a relationship based on understanding?
Write three or four paragraphs (150-200 words)
discussing these issues from your own experience.
Answer : Do it yourself and be creative .
Short Questions (2 Marks)

 

Question 1 : Why was Kezia fond of her
grandmother?
Answer : Kezia was fond of her grandmother because
her father and mother had no time for her; grandma
loved Kezia and was always very warm towards her.
She was the only companion Kezia could confide in.
Question 2 : Describe Kezia’s father as she sees
him.
Or, What kind of a person Kezia’s father was?
Answer : Kezia saw her father as a hard-working but
short-tempered man and a strict disciplinarian.
Actually, he was a quiet man who did not spend much
time with his children and did not play with them
unlike Mr Macdonald. But he cared for his family and
took care of Kezia when she needed it most.

Question 3 : Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Or, Why did Kezia stutter only with her father?
Answer : Kezia was afraid of her father because he
never looked at her lovingly nor ever played with her.
She thought he was a cruel man. She stuttered only
with her father because with him she was trying very
hard to say the words properly and could not do so
because of her fear of him.

Question 4 : Why did Kezia’s grandmother send
her to the drawing-room on Sunday afternoons?
How did she find her parents there?
Or, What did Kezia find whenever on Sunday
afternoons her grandmother sent her down to
have a talk with her parents?
Answer : On Sunday afternoons, Kezia’s grandmother
sent her down to the drawing-room to have a ‘nice talk
with father and mother’ meaning that Kezia would get
to know them better. But, she always found mother
reading and father stretched out on the sofa, sleeping.
So, she never got the time to have conversation with
her parents.

Question 5 : Why was Kezia severely punished and
beaten by her father?
Or, What made Kezia’s father punish her?
Answer : Kezia’s father punished and beat her
because she had unknowingly torn up his important
paper lying on mother’s bedroom table (a speech
written for the Port Authority) to stuff in the pincushion she was making a birthday gift to present to
her father. Father lost his temper and punished her
with a ruler to teach her a lesson.

Question 6 : What orders were passed to Kezia in
the evening when father returned home from
office?
Answer : The orders passed to Kezia, in the evening
when father returned home from office, were to go
down, take off father’s shoes and put them outside and
also to put her father’s tea cup on the tea table. These
orders were received by her very passively.

Question 7 : Why did Kezia stammer in front of her
father?
Answer : Kezia stammered in front of her father
because she was frightened of him and felt difficulty in
speaking in front of him. Whenever fear overcomes the
mind, speech becomes stuttered.

Question 8 : How did the father comfort the little
girl, Kezia when she got scared in her sleep?
Answer : Her father comforted the little girl, Kezia,
when she got scared in her sleep, by coming to her
room and taking her with him to his own bed, lying
down beside her and holding her close to him. She
held his shirt and snuggled closer to her father.

Long Questions (8 Marks)

Question 1 : Kezia’s feelings for her father changed
from fear to understanding. Explain with reference
to the chapter.
Or, When does Kezia begin to sympathize with her
father? How does her opinion about her father
change completely?
Or, What were the circumstances that forced Kezia
to change her opinion about her father?
Answer : Circumstances make you what you are and it
leads you to the expected or unexpected events. This is
very evident in the case of Kezia because there was
such a circumstance that her father was a statue of
fear and death to her. Kezia was very scared of her
father initially, as he often scolded her. Once Kezia’s
mother became ill and grandmother went to hospital
with her. Kezia was left alone with Alice, the cook.
Earlier, when Kezia had a nightmare, Grannie took her
into her bed. Now Kezia again had a nightmare and
scremed, calling out for grandma. Father heard her
and came to her room, picked up the little girl in his
arms and took her to his own bed.
He lay down beside her. Kezia crept close to her father,
snuggled her head under his arm and held his shirt
tightly. She realised father was not that bad, had a big
heart and she could hear it beating.
This made her understand that her father was a
normal human being too who needs support, affection
and love for he always gets tired with his work. So, we
can definitely say that the circumstances led Kezia’s
change of attitude towards her father and that change
was a nice one.

Question 2 : How is Kezia’s father different from
Mr Macdonald?
Or, Kezia decides that there are ‘different kinds of
fathers’. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald
and how was he different from Kezia’s father?
Or, Compare Kezia’s father with Mr Macdonald. Do
you think sharing with kids is necessary?
Answer: Mr Macdonald was their next door
neighbour. Kezia saw that Macdonald family playing
‘tag’ in the evening. The father had the baby, Mao, on
his shoulders, with his two little daughters hanging on
to his coat pockets. They ran round and round, shaking
with laughter. It was all fun with the father Macdonald.
Kezia would look at him eagerly and wish her father to
be the same. She longed her father to be as playful as
Macdonald but it was not so. On the other hand,
Kezia’s father was very disciplined and strict. He
never played with her and did not interact with her
except for beating her for her little mistakes. These
things made her afraid of her father. She would feel
retarted when she did not receive affinity for him.
Continuous scolding and sometimes beating would
add to her fear.
Yes, sharing is very important in good relationship.
Parents should spare some time with their kids. They
should have friendly and caring relationship with
them.

Question 3 : How did Kezia feel in the presence of
her father?
Answer : Initially Kezia felt scared in the presence of
her father. He appeared like a giant to her. Every
morning he gave her a good bye kiss but she felt
uncomfortable till her father had left for office. When
her father would leave the house for office, she would
feel a sigh of relief. She always deterred from going
closer to her father. Even on Sundays when her
grandma forced her to go to the drawing room to have
a talk to her father, she would step out with most
feeble steps.
She always stammered when answering her father.
One day, he scolded her and beat her for unknowingly
tearing up some of his important papers. Another
night when her mother and grandmother were in
hospital, Kezia cried out in the night when she had a
nightmare. Her father came and carrier her to his
room tenderly and with affection. This changed her
perception of him.

Question 4 : How did Kezia’s effort to please her
father resulted in displeasing him very much?
Elaborate.
Or, Why was Kezia punished by her father? Do you
think Kezia deserved this? What should father had
done instead?
Answer : Kezia was scared of her father and stuttered
while talking to him which annoyed him. When she
waited and stared at him to have a ‘nice talk’ he did
not like it and told her that she looked like a little
brown owl. But the incident that displeased her father
the most when she tried to please him by making a
pin-cushion as a gift for him on his birthday (on her
grandmother’s suggestion). She unknowingly tore up
his important papers to stuff the pin-cushion with.
This displeased him so much that he got angry at her
and punished her by beating her palms with a ruler.
No, Kezia did not deserve this punishment. She did not
have any bad intention. Her father should not have
been so harsh. He should make the little girl realise
her mistake tactfully. Had she done it deliberately
then, it would have been another stance. But, she did
not commit it intentionally, so she should have been
made to understand that anything that did not belong
to her, must not be touched upon. This would have
done a lot of good in place of that beating.
Extra Questions and Answers
Read the following extracts carefully and choose
the correct option.

Question 1 : But the child never forgot. Next time
she saw him she quickly put both hands behind
her back and a red colour flew into her cheeks.
i) What did the child never forget?
a) Tearing father’s speech
b) Sleeping alone
c) Beating by her father
d) Scolding by her mother
ii) Why did the little girl put behind both hands
whenever she saw her father?
a) Sacred
b) To avoid being hit at hands
c) To escape doing work
d) For fun
iii) What will be the similar meaning word from
the passage for ‘Blank out’?
a) Saw
b) Flew
c) Forgot
d) Restrained
iv) Why did the little girl’s cheek become red?
a) Due to fear
b) Felt nervous
c) Felt guilty
d) Due to anger
Answer :
i) c) Beating by her father.
ii) b) To avoid being hit at hands
iii) c) Forgot
iv) a) Due to fear
Question 2 : On Sunday afternoon grandmother
sent her down to the drawing room to have a ‘nice
talk with father and mother’. But the little girl
always found mother reading and father stretched
out on the sofa, his handkerchief on his face, his
feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly
and snoring.
i) Why did the grandmother send her down on
Sunday?
a) To play
b) To spend time with parents
c) To eat
d) To go to church
ii) What did she notice about her parents?
a) Busy in themselves
b) Eating lunch
c) Sitting in the garden
d) Fighting with each other
iii) Trace an adverb from the passage that means
‘Undisturbed’.
a) Anxiously
b) Nicely
c) Joyfully
d) Soundly
iv) What was the need of the ‘nice talk’ with father
and mother?
a) To bring her closer to father
b) To tell them stories
c) To get some money
d) To relax
Answer :
i) b) To spend time with parents
ii) a) Busy in themselves
iii) d) Soundly
iv) a) To bring her closer to father

Question 3 : One day, when she was kept indoors
with a cold, her grandfather told her that father’s
birthday was next week and suggested she should
make them a pin-cushion for a gift out of a
beautiful piece of yellow silk.
Laboriously with a double cotton, the little girl
stitched three sides.
i) Why was the little girl kept indoors?
a) Had cold
b) As a punishment
c) Due to many guests
d) To make gift
ii) What information did grandmother give to the
girl about the next week?
a) Mother’s birthday
b) Grandmother’s 80th birthday
c) Father’s birthday
d) Family picnic
iii) What suggestion was given by grandmother to
the little girl?
a) To get friendly with papa
b) Listen to mother
c) Make a birthday gift for father
d) Go out and play
iv) Explain the word ‘laboriously’
a) with full attention
b) back-breaking on very hard work
c) playfully
d) joyfully
Answer :
i) a) Had cold
ii) c) Father’s birthday
iii) c) Make a birthday gift for her father
iv) b) back-breaking or very hard work
Question 4 : Laboriously, with a double cotton, the
little girl stitched three sides. But what to fill it
with? That was the question. The grandmother
was out in the garden and she wandered into
mother’s bedroom to look for scraps.
i) What gift the little girl stitch for her father?
a) Silk scarf
b) A pin-cushion
c) Silk dress
d) A toy
ii) What was the question in front of Kezia while
preparing pin-cushion?
a) How to stitch it
b) What to fill inside
c) How to pack the gift
d) How to make it soft
iii) Why did she go inside her mother’s room?
a) To seek mother’s advice
b) To get some cotton
c) To get some scraps
d) To meet father
iv) What is the antonym of the word ‘stayed’?
Answer :
i) b) A pin-cushion
ii) b) What to fill inside
iii) c) To get some scraps
iv) c) Wandered

Question 5 : That night there was a hue and cry in
the house. Father’s great speech for the Port
Authority had been lost. Rooms were searched;
servants questioned. Finally mother came into
Kezia’s room.
i) Why was there a ‘hue and cry’ in the house that
night?
a) Due to robbery
b) The neighbours were fighting
c) Father’s important speech was missing
d) Grandmother had died
ii) Explain the idiom ‘hue and cry’.
a) Loud laughter
b) Loud noise
c) Public protest
d) Protests
iii) Why did mother come to Kezia’s room?
a) To search father’s papers
b) To ask her if she had seen some papers lying on the
table
c) To scold Kezia
d) To give her food
iv) What all was done to find out the papers?
a) Servants questioned
b) Rooms searched
c) Kezia was questioned
d) All the shelved were searched
Answer :
i) c) Father’s important speech was missing
ii) b) Loud noise
iii) b) To ask her if she had seem some papers lying on
the table
iv) c) Kezia was questioned

Question 6 : “But it was for your b-b-birth day.”
Down came the ruler on her little, pink palms.
Hours later, when grandmother had wrapped her
in a shawl and rocked her in the rocking-chair, the
child clung to her softy body. “What did God make
fathers for?” She sobbed.
i) Who is speaking these words?
a) Mother
b) Servant’s daughter
c) Kezia
d) Neighbour’s daughter
ii) Who beat Kezia on her hands with a ruler?
a) Kezia’s father
b) Her teacher
c) Kezia’s grandmother
d) Kezia’s mother
iii) Find out the synonym of the word ‘covered’
from the passage.
a) Rocked
b) Hidden
c) Clung
d) Wrapped
iv) To whom did Kezia go to find some comfort?
a) To her governors
b) To mother
c) To grandmother
d) To no one
Answer :
i) c) Kezia
ii) a) Kezia’s father
iii) d) Wrapped
iv) c) To grandmother

Question 7 : But the same old nightmare came –
the butcher with a knife and a rope, who came
nearer and nearer, smiling that dreadful smile,
while she could not move, only stand still, crying
out “Grandma! Grandma!” She woke shivering to
see father beside her bed, a candle in his hand.
“What’s the matter?” he said.
i) Why did Kezia get a nightmare?
a) She was scared
b) Afraid of everyone
c) Mother and grandmother were away
d) Both ‘a’ and ‘c’
ii) Where was the butcher?
a) In her room
b) In her grandmother’s house
c) In her nightmare
d) In her father’s room
iii) Find a word from the passage that means
‘shaking in fear or due to cold’.
a) Nightmare
b) Butcher
c) Dreadful
d) Shivering
iv) Whom did she find near her bed when she
woke up after the nightmare?
a) Her grandmother
b) Her mother
c) Her father
d) No one
Answer :
i) d) Both ‘a’ and ‘c’
ii) c) In her nightmare
iii) d) Shivering
iv) c) Her father

 

Chapter 3 Poem Rain on the Roof

 

Rain on the Roof

Poem 3
Short Questions [2 Marks]

Question 1 : What does ‘melancholy
darkness’ (in the poem ‘Rain on the Roof’)
mean and what does it do?
Answer : Darkness have always been
associated with sadness by poets . It is due to
the rain clouds and it causes rain to fall, just
like melancholy causes weeping or crying. It
becomes quite gloomy when it rains as there
is not sunshine.
Question 2 : What does the poet consider
‘a bliss’?
Answer : When it rains, the poet lies in his
cosy bed in a cottage, listening to the melody
of nature. He listens to the pleasant pattering
sound of the rain on the roof of the cottage,
which is a bliss for him.

Question 3 : What do the ‘thousand
dreamy fancies’ begin in the poet’s heart?
Answer : The ‘thousand dreamy fancies’
begin in the poet’s heart when the sound of
rain falling on the shingles has an echo in his
heart and he responds dreaming fanciful
dreams. He is flooded with memories of his
childhood and his mother.

Question 4 : When does the poet
remember his mother? What does it show
about him?
Answer : The poet remembers his mother
when his listens to the patter of the rain on
the roof. He feels her fond look on him. It
shows that he was very fond of his mother.
He remembers how she used to see them all
whether they are properly tucked or not.

Question 5 : What does the poet want to
convey when he says ‘when the humid
shadows hover over all the starry
spheres’?
Answer : The poet wants to convey that
when the dark rain clouds (‘humid shadows’)
cover the whole sky so that the stars (‘starry
spheres’) are not visible, it is a sign that rain
is going to start. The poet compares darkness
with sadness or these humid clouds resulting
in rain.

Question 6 : What kind of refrain is the
poet referring to when he says, ‘As I list to
this refrain’?
Answer : The refrain the poet is referring to
is the repeated pattering sound of the rain on
the tilted roof of the cottage in which he is
lying in his cosy bed. The falling showers
create a music or raindrops fall rhythmically.

Question 7 : What does the poet dram of?
Answer : When it rains, the poet feels an
echo in his heart. He experiences many
dreamy fancies in his heart and memories of
the past come rushing to his mind. He finally
dreams about his dead mother and memories
of childhood.

Question 8 : What is ‘bliss’ for the poet in
the poem ‘Rain on the Roof’?
Answer : The poet loves rain, as it brings
back his childhood memories. Listening to he
sound of rain pattering on the roof is the
ultimate happiness for him. When it comes,
he lies in his cosy bed and enjoys nature’s
melodies. This is bliss for him.

Question 9 : What thoughts appear in
poet’s mind when it rains?
Answer : The rain has an echo in the poet’s
heart. He experiences many dreamy fancies
in his heart. His heart is filled with a
thousand memories, both sweet and sad.

Question 10 : How does the poet describe
the movement before rain?
Answer : The dark wet shadows of clouds
hover the sky. The stars becomes sphere.
They are covered by these clouds. There is
darkness all around and atmosphere
becomes very gloomy.

Long Questions [8 Marks]
Question 1 : What is the message
conveyed by the poem ‘Rain on the Roof’?
Answer : The poet wants to convey the
message that nature too exhibits its grief and
pleasure. First he says that the dark rain
clouds float in the air and cover the starry
sky. The sky has been shining with stars, but
is now covered and appears dark. It shows
the anxiety or unhappiness of the sky.
Then the raindrops fall like tears due to
sadness. But the pattering of the rain gives
pleasure to the poet who has been lying in a
room. The poet becomes lost in old memories
while listening to the musical pattering of the
rain. It creates echoes in his heart. He
remembers his mother in his dreams. Even
when the rain stops, he feels the benevolent
look of his mother.

Question 2 : How can you say that the poet
loved his mother very much?
Answer : When it rains, the poet lies in his
bed in the cottage and old memories come
rushing back to him. He remembers his
mother and recalls how his mother used to
tell him stories while putting him to bed as a
child. The poet has very fond memories of his
mother looking after him and his siblings
while they were asleep. She was very
particular to tuck her children in their beds
and visit them after they had fallen asleep, to
check that they were sleeping comfortably.
The author admired this habit of his mother.
This shows that he loved his mother very
much.

Question 3 : Hoe can yo say that the poet
was a home loving, family loving and
nature loving person? Hoe does he display
these values in the poem?
Answer : In the first stanza the poet says that
it was the ultimate happiness (‘bliss’) for him
to hear the rain pattering on the roof. He says
that he is lying on his bed in a room in a
cottage.
Cottages are made in rural areas, i.e. areas
which are close to nature, showing that he
was nature-loving. In the second stanza, he
starts dreaming memories of the past at
home as the rain falls, showing that he is a
home-loving person. In the third stanza, he
remembers his mother with fondness,
showing that he is a family-loving person.

Question 4 : Do you think that rain is a
narrative tool in the poet’s life? What
happens when the poet listens to the
patter of the rain?
Answer : When raindrops fall on the tiles of
the roof, a certain kind of music is created in
the form of pitter-patter. For the poet, this
music is blissful. Every rain drop creates a
rhythm with the poet’s heartbeat. The poet
loves to listen to this sound and also indulge
in the recollection of fond memories of
childhood.
Rain serves as a powerful narrative tool in
the poet’s life as rain bears a subtle link with
all aspects of life. It has added a layer of
depth and fullness to the situation where the
poet is concerned. It delivers an effective
voice which communicates the right
moments of time and space as well as the
emotions of the protagonist in a very
touching manner than mere words could do.
Extract Based Questions
Read the extracts given below and
answer the questions that follow:

Question 1:
Now in memory comes my mother
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers Ere she left
them till the dawft:
Oh! I feel her fond look on me As I list to
this refrain Which is played upon the
shingles By the patter of the rain.

1. Which sound is the poet listening to
   ?
2. The sound reminds the poet of
3. Which word in the extract means
   “the ability to remember things” ?
   (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-014)
   Answer:
4. The poet is listening to the sound of
   the rain.
5. His mother.
6. Memory.
   Question 2:
   Now in memory come my mother,
   As she used in years agone,
   To regard the darling dreamers Ere she left
   them till the dawn;

Oh ! I feel her fond look on me
As I list to this refrain .
Which is played upon the shingles By the
patter of the rain

1. What is the memory that comes to
   the poet ?
2. Who are the darling dreamers he
   refers to ?
3. Trace a word from the extract that
   means “rectangular wooden tiles”.
   (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-018)
   Answer:
4. It is the memory of his mother that
   comes to his mind.
5. The darling dreamers, he refers to,
   are those lovely dreamers who
   remember their mothers.
6. Shingles.

Question 3:
Every tinkle on the shingles Has an echo in
the heart And a thousand recollections
Weave their air threads into woof As I listen
to the patter Of the rain upon the roof

1. How does the poet describe the
   falling rain ?
2. What does the mind of the poet
   fancy ?
3. Trace a word from the extract that
   means “memories”. (Board Terml,
   2012, ELI- 019)
   Answer:
4. The poet says that the falling rain
   creates immense pleasure in his
   heart.
5. Old thoughts and memories are
   recollected by the poet.
6. Recollections!

Question 4:
When the humid shadows hover.
Over all starry spheres
And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears,

1. What are the humid shadows ?
2. What do they do ?
3. Why does the poet call darkness
   melancholy ? (Board Term 1,2012,
   ELI-025)
   Answer:
4. The humid shadows are the dark
   clouds.
5. They hide the stars and rain.
6. The poet calls darkness melancholy
   because it makes him sad.
   Question 5:
   Now in memory comes my mother,
   As she used in years agone,

To regard the darling dreamers,
Ere she left them till the dawn:
Oh ! I feel her fond look on me As I list to
this refrain Which is played upon the
shingles By the patter of the rain.

1. Who comes in the memory of the
   child when it rains ?
2. What does the poet like to do when it
   rains ?
3. Find the word in the extract that
   refers to “repeated sound of the rain”.
   (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-027)
   Answer:
4. When it rains, the child is reminded
   of his mother.
5. When it rains, the poet feels happy
   to press the pillow of his bed and lie
   listening to the patter of the rain.
6. Refrain.