10th STD. English UNIT 4 - Pome The Ant and the Cricket - Textbook Questions & Answers

Glossary:

accustomed to (y) – be used to
gay (adj) – glad, joyful
crumb (n) – a piece of bread
famine (n) – extreme scarcity of food
miserly (adj) – hesitant to spend money
quoth (y) – said (old English usage. used only in first and third-person singular before the subject)
hastily (adv) – hurriedly

warrant (y) – guarantee, promise

A. Based on your understanding of the poem, re|ad the following lines and answer the questions given below.

1. “A silly young cricket accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring.”
(a) What was the routine of the cricket?
(b) Name the seasons mentioned here.
Answer:
(a) The routine of the cricket was to sing and while away the time enjoying the spring.
(b) The seasons mentioned are summer and winter.

2. “Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter has come.”
(a) Who does ‘he’ refer to?
(b) Why was his cupboard empty?
Answer:
(a) ‘He’ refers to foolish cricket.
(b) His cupboard was empty because he had not stored any food during summer.

3. “Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
(a) What couldn’t he find on the ground?
(b) Why was the ground covered with snow?
Answer:
(a) He couldn’t find even a single piece of bread on the ground.
(b) The ground was covered with snow because of the onset of the winter season.

4. “At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold,”
(a) What made the cricket bold?
(b) Why did the cricket drip and tremble?
Answer:
(a) Starvation and hunger made the cricket bold.
(b) The cricket dripped wet and trembled with cold because it was winter.

5. “Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To keep if, to keep him alive, he would grant
His shelter from the rain,
And a mouthful of grain.”
(a) Whom did the cricket want to meet? Why?
(b) What would keep him alive?
Answer:
(a) The cricket wanted to meet the miserly ant to ask for shelter and food.
(b) Shelter from rain and a mouthful of grain would keep him alive.

6. “But we ants never borrow; we ants never lend. ”
(a) Why do you think ants neither borrow nor lend?
(b) Who says these lines to whom?
Answer:
(a) Ants are industrious and good planners. So they neither borrow nor lend.
(b) The miserly and says this to the silly cricket.

7. “Not I!
My heart was so light
That I sang day and night,
For all nature looked gay.”
(a) Who does ‘I’ refer to?
(b) What was the nature of cricket? How do you know?
Answer:
(a) ‘I’ refers to cricket.
(b) The nature of cricket is to sing day and night and be happy.

8. “Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,
And out of the door turned the poor little cricket,”
(a) The ant refused to help the cricket. Why?
(b) Explain the second line.
Answer:
(a) The ant refused to help the cricket since they will end up in starvation giving food to the silly cricket.
(b) Since the ant closed the door, the poor little cricket had to turn and go away.

9. “He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;”
(a) Pick out the rhyming words in the above lines.
(b) Give more examples of rhyming words from the poem.
Answer:
(a) The rhyming words in the above lines are borrow and tomorrow.
(b) Sing-spring; home-come; found-ground; see-tree-me; bold-cold; ant-grant; rain-grain; tomorrow-sorrow; ffiend-lend; by-I; light-night; gay-say-away; wicket-cricket and true-two are the rhyming words.

10. “My heart was so light
that I sang day and night,
For all nature looked gay.
“You sang, Sir, you say”?
(a) Mention the rhyme scheme employed in the above lines.
Answer:
aabb’ is the rhyme scheme.

B. Based on your understanding of the poem, complete the summary using the phrases given below.

In this narrative poem, the poet brings out the idea that is essential for every creature. He conveys this message to the readers through a story (1) …………………. The ant spends all its summer saving (2) ……………….. The cricket (3) ………………… happily in the summer. He (4) …………………. anything for the winter. When winter comes, he is worried that his (5) ………………….. (6) ………………… is empty. So, he seeks the help of the ant to have (7) ………………… and a (8) ……………… (9) ……………… to stay. The cricket was even prepared to repay it in the future. The ant made it clear that ants (10) …………………. He also enquired the cricket if it had saved anything when the weather was fine. The cricket answered that it had sung day and night enjoying (11) …………………. The ant threw the cricket out and stated in a stern voice it should dance in the winter season too. In his concluding lines, the poet affirms that this is not (12) ……………….. but it is true and applicable to (13) ………………… also.
Answers:

1. of an act and a cricket
2. for future
3. sings and dance
4. doesn’t save
5. kitchen
6. cupboard
7. some grains
8. warm
9. place
10. never borrow or lend
11. the pleasant nature
12. just a fable
13. human being

C. Answer each of the following questions in a paragraph about 100 words.

Question 1.
‘Some crickets have four legs and some have two’. Elucidate this statement from the poet’s point of view.
Answers:

The poet is comparing the lazy crickets to the two-legged creatures – human beings. The poetic device Metaphor is perfectly used to fit into the situation. Everyone knows that crickets have four legs. But he says some have two to compare the silly cricket to the two-legged human-beings who sometimes are as lazy and silly as the cricket in this poem.The poet wants to suggest that this story is not entirely a fable; rather, it is related to the real world. Surely, some people are as careless and lazy as cricket is. Likewise, some humans like cricket also don’t plan out for the future or for the bad times. They just enjoy the present moment. The poet is thus calling such people as mindless as the cricket. ‘God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.’

2.Compare and contrast the attitude of the ant and the cricket

1. The ant and the cricket are the two creatures.
2. The ant is wise and hard working.
3. It saves food for the winter season.
4. It never borrows nor lends.
5. The cricket is a little lazy creature.
6. It sings and dances during the warm summer.
7. In winter it has no food to eat.
8. It went to the ant to borrow and repay tomorrow.
9. But the ant send him without giving anything.
10. This story teaches a lesson to human beings.
11. We must work hard and save money for future

3.If given a chance, who would you want to be – the ant or the cricket. Justify your answer.

I want to be an ant. An ant is a symbol of wisdom and hard work. It makes use of the opportunity to work hard to save food for winter. It is aware of the hard times during the winter. It never wastes the time like cricket in singing and dancing.

Cricket is foolish and lazy. They do not save anything. They suffer a lot in the future and old age. They starve like cricket. They borrow for tomorrow and remain in sorrow. We must learn the lesson from the ant. We must plan with foresight for our future and old age. If we live like the ant, we need not worry about the future.

‘Work is worship’
‘Hard work is the key to success’

(OR)

1. I would be an ant and not cricket.
2. The ant is wise and hard working.
3. The ants never borrow nor lend.
4. It avoids starvation even in famine
5. Likewise, we also must plan and work hard
6. We must save to avoid problems in the future.
7. I wish to be an ant and never miss anything in my future life.

“Be an ant always and never be a cricket”

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