CLASS NOTES

Class: X Subject: English

Topic: Dust of Snow Prepared by: W.A. Qureshi

TEXT BOOK QUESTIONS

Question 1.
What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood?
How has the poet’s mood changed?
Answer:
The ‘dust of snow’ means the fine particles or flakes of snow. The sudden
shower in the form of the dust of snow changed the poet’s mood. The poet’s
mood changed from sad to happy. He felt refreshed and wanted to enjoy the
rest of the day.

Question 2.
How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help
you to think of an answer.

1. What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think crow is
often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of
a crow?

Answer. Generally, poets take the birds and trees which are known for their
beauty and good qualities like peacock, parrot, cuckoo, mynah and trees full of
beautiful flowers and fruits, etc. But here Frost has taken a totally different
approach. He chose a crow, which is not often used in poems. Crow is black in
colour with very harsh voice and is believed to be a symbol of bad omen.
Thinking of a crow brings very depressing and sorrowful pictures to our mind.

2.Again, what is ‘a hemlock tree’? Why doesn’t the poet write about more
‘beautiful’ tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?

Answer. A hemlock tree is poisonous plant with small white flowers. The poet,
Robert Frost, didn’t choose to use an oak, maple or pine tree. Instead, he chose
the hemlock tree and left all the beautiful trees present in the world. Actually, he
did so to present his mood and feelings
3. What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent-joy or sorrow? What does the dust of
snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?

Answer. The crow and hemlock tree represent sorrow and depression felt by the poet
in this materialistic world. The dust of snow is the symbol of natural joy and energy.
The dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree means passing through the
sad and depressing moments the poet is entering into the time full of joy and
optimism.

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and answer the question/complete the sentences that
follow
Question 1.
The way a crow
Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has given my heart A
change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued
(a) Where was the crow?
(b) What did it shake on the poet?
(c) What does the word, ‘rued’ mean?
(d) What is the poet’s state of mind?

(e)Name the poet

Question 2.
Has given my heart
A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued.
1. (a) Of what change does the poet mention here?
(b) Whose part of the day has been saved?
(c) What is the rhyme scheme of the passage?
(d) Who is the poet?

(e)Name the poem

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1.
How does the poet react to crow and hemlock tree?
Answer:
Crow and hemlock tree are considered inauspicious in the west. They are generally
taken /is bad omen. But the poet did not take them in negative way. They saved his
day. His negative outlook changed to the positive

Question 2.
What made the poet change his mood?
Answer: A crow on the hemlock tree shook down the dust of snow on the poet. The
falling dust of snow on the poet has changed his mood.

Question 3.
What do the ‘Hemlock’ tree and ‘Crow’ represent? What does the dust of snow
metaphorically stand for?
Answer:
The poet was going somewhere in a snowy morning. He was upset. All the trees were
covered with snow dust. A crow sitting on a hemlock tree shook the tree in such a way
that some dust of snow fell on the poet. This changed his mood and he became happy
and relaxed.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1.
‘Good things come in small packages. How does the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’, illustrate
this idea?
Answer:
In the poem, the falling of a dust of snow on the poet when a crow shook it off a
hemlock tree ushers a profound reaction. It arouses feelings about the greatness of
nature, illustrating that nature is the bedrock of human responses. Previously, the
poet had treated his heart as a body organ but following this incident, he undergoes a
change of mood, with the heart becoming the repository of this change. He realizes
that human beings are rooted to the earth and linked to even the ordinary things, like a
crow, hemlock tree, or a drop of snow. The commonplace augur’s happiness, thereby
proving that good things are to be sought in small packages and seemingly
inconsequential ways.

Question 2.
Simple moment proves to be very significant and saves rest of the day of poet from
being wasted. Explain
on the basis of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’.
Answer:
‘Dust of Snow’ is a beautiful poem written by Robert Frost. This poem conveys that
even a simple moment has a large significance. The poet mentioned crow and hemlock
tree in this poem. Crow signifies his depressive and sorrowful mood and hemlock tree
is a poisonous tree. Both these signify that the poet was not in a good mood and so he
describes the dark, depressive and bitter side of nature to present his similar mood.

The poet says that once he was in a sad, depressive mood and was sitting under a
hemlock tree. A crow, sitting on the same tree, shook off the dust of snow, small
particles of snow that remained on the surface after the snowfall, on the poet. This
simple action changed the poet’s mood. He realised that he had just wasted a part of
his day repenting and being lost in sorrow. But the change in his mood made him
realise that he should utilize the rest of the day in some useful activity. His sorrow was
washed away by the light shower of dust of snow. His spirit was revived and he got
ready to utilize the rest of the day.
 CLASS NOTES

Class: X Subject: English

Topic: Fire and Ice Prepared by: W.A. Qureshi

TEXT BOOK QUESTIONS

Question 1: There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the
world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the Sun gets so
hot that it ‘bursts’ or grows colder and colder?
Answer: There are definitely many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. I do believe
that the world will end someday as anything that has a beginning will have an ending.
This stands true for the world also. If the sun got so hot that it bursts, the whole of the
earth would perish immediately as no part of the earth can bear the heat of that
intensity. But if the sun grew colder and colder, everything will come to an end as
without sunlight, life will end.

Question 2: For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas:
greed, avarice, cruelty, lust, conflict, fury, intolerance, rigidity, insensitivity, coldness,
indifference, hatred
Answer: ‘Fire’ stands for greed, avarice, lust, conflict and fury.
‘Ice’ stands for cruelty, intolerance, rigidity, insensitivity, coldness, indifference and
hatred.

Question 3: What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out
the contrasting ideas in the poem?
Answer: The rhyme scheme of the poem is – a b a a b c b c b
This rhyme scheme helps in bringing out the contrasting ides of ‘fire’ and ‘ice’
presented in the poem. The poet mentions that both fire and ice are probable ends of
this world. He talks about how fire represents desire and can therefore bring an end to
the world.

Frost also mentions Ice in between to symbolise that the coldness and indifference
towards one another will be enough to end the world. In second stanza, he says that he
knows of enough hate in the world to be sure that even destruction through ice would be
sufficient to bring about the end of the world.

SHRT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1.
How can fire destroy the world?
Answer:’
Fire’ symbolizes passion or hatred. It will lead to conflicts and ultimately result in the
destruction of the world. Fire represents desire that is fervent, consuming, always
wanting more. Ice represents hatred that ¡s hard and cold.
Question 2.
What message does the poet wish to convey through the poem ‘Fire and ‘Ice’?
What is the central idea of the poem ‘Fire and ‘Ice’?
Answer:
The poet presents two possibilities about the end of the world. It will be either due to
‘Fire and ‘Ice’ he prefers the first as he believes the world will end in fire but the ice
will not go away.
Question 3.
What does the poet think about the end of the world?
Answer:
The poet thinks about the end of the world that people think fire is the main cause of
destruction. But by the end of the poem, he says that both Fire and Ice are equally
destructive. Both have the same power of causing destruction.

Question 4.
What do ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ symbolize in the poem ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’?
Answer:
‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ are symbolized here. ‘Fire’ stands for conflict, fury, intolerance,
insensitivity while ‘Ice stands for greed, avarice, lust, rigidity, coldness, indifference,
hatred, etc.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1.
Today’s world is conflict ridden. People fight over various issues and there is no
peace in the world. Explain/Describe based on your reading of the poem ‘Fire’ and
‘Ice’.
Answer:
Hatred is a predominant issue in today’s world. Neighbour hates his neighbour;
brother hates his brother None is willing to forgive each other or tolerate each other
As a result of the hatred we live in a very fragmented world. If hatred continues to
rule our lives and world, nothing will remain intact. All our achievements will perish
and the world will come to an end If we have to save the world we need to learn how
to forget and forgive. For this we need to have enormous amount of love and
compassion and be willing to tolerate the differences and learn to get along with
each other.

Question 2: The poem ‘Fire and Ice’, carried with it very deep thematic ideas. Elaborate on
these darkest traits of humanity.

Answer: Frost presents the two of the darkest traits of humanity; the capacity to hate and the
capacity to be consumed by lust or desire. Of the two, he attributes the greater of the two
evils, is desire. In giving desire the foremost position with regard to the destruction of the
world, Frost is providing a powerful statement on the subject of greed and jealousy, saying
that above all else, desire is the trait of humanity that is most likely to lead to its demise.
Desire represents the greatest problem that attributes to the cause of the war. Frost then
attributes hatred with the same capacity to do harm.
However, he lessens the relative importance of hatred but still presents it as having the
ability to lead to the destruction of the world if it were to happen for a second time.

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS

Read the stanza given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
(i) The above stanza debates whether the world will end in

a) fire

b) ice

c)temper

d)storm

e) both a and b

(ii) Both the elements mentioned in the first stanza have one similarity i.e., both can
a) end the world

b) preserve the world

c) beautify the world

d)drench the world

e) save the world

Question 2.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great And would suffice.
(i) ‘Ice’ in the above stanza refers to feelings of ……….
a) passion

b) hatred

c) desire

d)discipline

e) dedication
(ii) Both ice and fire will be enough for ……….

a) destruction

b) creation

c)production

d) preparation

e) perseverance
 Class Notes
Class: X Subject: English
Topic: Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Prepared by: Preeti Kalita Acharya
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS (ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK):
Q.1. Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of
sandstones?

Ans: The ceremonies took place in the sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament of India and Red Fort in Delhi are few of the public buildings in India
that are made of sandstone.

Q.2. Can you say how 10th May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?

Ans: In the literal sense, Autumn or fall in South Africa is roughly between March to May. Thus 10th May is
an ‘autumn day’.

Symbolically, this day marked the end of more than three centuries of White Rule when Mr Nelson
Mandela was sworn in as the first Black President of the nation. This led to the end of apartheid and the
establishment of a new republic based on equality of men, colours and races. Thus, it was a lovely autumn
day and a day of political emancipation for the South Africans.

Q.3. At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does he
mean by this? What is the “glorious… human achievement” he speaks of at the end?

Ans: Mandela calls the practice of apartheid in South Africa, based on racial discrimination, ‘an
extraordinary human disaster’.

He considered it a ‘great glorious human achievement’ that the blacks who were considered ‘outlaws’ in
their own land attained political emancipation after a long struggle and could establish social justice,
equality and human dignity.

Q.4. What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?

Ans: Mandela felt privileged to welcome the international leaders at the swearing-in ceremony because not
too long ago, the South Africans were considered outlaws. He thus thanks all of them for sharing a common
cause and ensuring their presence in the historical ceremony. This was a gesture of international
recognition to a newly born free democratic nation and it could be considered as a common victory for
justice, peace and human dignity.

Q.5. What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?

Ans: Nelson Mandela set the ideals of liberating all the people from the bondage of poverty, deprivation
and suffering. He also set the ideal for a society where there will be no discrimination based on gender or
racial origins.

Q.6. What did the military generals do? How did their attitude change and why?
Ans: The highest generals of South African defence force and police saluted Mandela and pledged their
loyalty which was of great significance as not very long ago they would have arrested him.

The change in their attitude was because of the unimaginable sacrifices of many African patriots that could
never be counted or repaid. Their struggle not only ensured the freedom of a nation struggling against
apartheid, bur brought a change in mindsets of many.

Q.7. Why were two national anthems sung?

Ans: On the auspicious occasion of the inauguration two national anthems were sung: one by the Whites
and the other by the Blacks to show respect to the sentiments of both the communities and symbolise the
equality between them.

Q.8. How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country (i) in the first decade, and (ii) in
the final decade, of the twentieth century?

Ans: (i) In the first decade of the 20th century, a few years after the Anglo- Boer war, the whites introduced
a system of racial discrimination against the blacks, thus creating the basis of one of the harshest and most
inhumane societies the world had ever known.

(ii) However, in the final decade of the 20th century, the previous system had been overturned and
replaced by one which recognised rights and freedom of all people regardless of the colour of their skin.

Q.9. What does courage mean to Mandela?

Ans: For Mandela, courage does not mean the absence of fear but a triumph over it. According to him, the
brave man is not one who does not feel afraid, but one who conquers that fear.

Q.10. Which does Mandela think is natural, to love or to hate?

Ans: Mandela thinks that love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate.
Q.11. What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?

Ans: Mandela mentions that every man has ‘twin obligations’: the first is to his family, parents, wife and
children and the second obligation is to his people, his community and his country.

Q.12. What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy, and as a student? How does he contrast these
“transitory freedoms” with “the basic and honourable freedoms”?

Ans: Like any other kid, for Mandela freedom meant to make merry and enjoy a blissful life. At this stage,
freedom meant running in the fields, swimming in the clear stream, roasting mealies under the starry sky
and riding the backs of bulls. As a student, he wanted the ‘transitory freedom’ of staying out at night,
reading what he wanted and going where he chose.

Later, as a young man he yearned for ‘the basic and honourable freedom’ of achieving a potential, earn his
living, marrying and having a family. He realized that freedom actually means living one’s life with self-
respect and dignity.

Q.13. Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/why not?

Ans: Mandela does not think that the oppressor is free because according to him an oppressor is a victim of
hatred who is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. He realizes that both the
oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity.

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS (THINKING ABOUT THE TEXT):

Q.1. Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the
triumph of?

Ans: A large number of international leaders attended the inauguration to show a gesture of solidarity
towards the end of apartheid and confer glory and hope to the new born liberty.

It signified the triumph of good over evil and a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity.

Q.2. What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots”, who had
gone before him?

Ans: Mandela acknowledges the struggles of all the patriots who selflessly sacrificed their lives in their fight
against the system of racial discrimination in South Africa. He says that he is grateful to those who had gone
before him because those heroes of the past had paved the way for the establishment of a society devoid
of oppression of one by another. Their sacrifices could never be counted or repaid. He only carried their
ideals further that brought an end to the regime of apartheid.

Q.3. Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”? How does Mandela
illustrate this? Can you add your own examples to this argument?

Ans: I agree with the statement that the ‘depths of oppression’ create ‘heights of character’. Nelson
Mandela stated that the decades of oppression and brutality in South Africa produced great heroes like
Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu and others: men of extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity who
sacrificed their lives in the long struggle for freedom.

India is full of such examples. The Indian freedom struggle produced a number of leaders of great
characters and the oppression of the British rule created and people of noble characters like Mahatma
Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh and many more. Their
struggles and sacrifices inspired many and finally led to our freedom from British rule.

Q.4. How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?

Ans: With age and experience, Mandela understood the real meaning of freedom. As a young boy, he
thought that he was born free and believed that as long as he obeyed his father and abided by the customs
of his tribe, he was free in every possible manner. As a student, he wanted the ‘transitory freedom’ of
staying out at night, reading what he wanted and going where he chose. As he grew older, the freedom to
raise a family and freedom to earn a livelihood started dominating his thoughts. Gradually he realised that
he was selfish during his boyhood. He slowly understood that it was not just his freedom that was being
curtailed, but the freedom of all blacks. It was the freedom from fear and prejudice. Age and experience
widened his perspective of freedom.

Q.5. How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?

Ans: Mandela realised in his youth that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed, but the
freedom of all the blacks. He joined the African National Congress and the hunger for his own freedom led
to the hunger for the freedom of his people from the oppression of the whites.

The desire for the freedom of his people to live their lives with dignity and self-respect propelled him and
transformed him from a frightened young man into a bold one who fought against racial prejudice. He
sacrificed the comforts of a settled family life to fight for a greater cause.

EXTRA QUESTIONS (SAQS) 20-30 words

Q.1. What did Mandela realise about his brothers and sisters?

Ans: Mandela realised that his brothers and sisters were not free in their own country due to their colour.
The freedom of everyone in his society was curtailed. He joined the African National Congress and fought
for their freedom.
Q.2. What do you understand by ‘Apartheid’?

Ans: ‘Apartheid’ is a policy or a system that divides people on grounds of race, gender, class or such other
factors.
In the context of the text, Apartheid is the system whereby the people of South Africa were segregated on
the basis of their race. In this system the black-coloured people in South Africa were not free even to
discharge their personal and social obligations of being parents, sons and husbands, etc.

EXTRA QUESTIONS (LAQ) 100-120 words

Q.1. Describe the value of freedom for the human beings and how it is important for the growth of
civilisation and humanism as described in the lesson ‘Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’.

Ans: Everybody wants to live free as freedom is natural to all living beings. The value of freedom is better
known to that human being who has not tasted it till he gets it. A person who is chained with limits and not
allowed to perform his duties freely, values freedom more than anyone else. For instance, the value of
freedom is known better to Mandela who remained behind the bars most of his life. Think about a bird or
an animal which is caged. They are born free but, in the cage, they freedom is taken away and their
conditions are very pitiable. Similarly, life becomes hell if we are deprived of freedom. There is no growth
of civilisation as it grows only when one has freedom. Similarly, humanism grows in the atmosphere of
freedom.

EXTRA QUESTIONS (EXTRACT BASED)

Q. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow.
It is from these comrades in the struggle that I learned the meaning of courage. Time and again, I have seen
men and women risk and give their lives for an idea. I have seen men stand up to attacks and torture
without breaking, showing a strength and resilience that defies the imagination. I learned that courage was
not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he
who conquers that fear.

1. The comrades of the author made him aware about:

a) the meaning of starvation

b) the meaning of respect
c) the meaning of love
d) the meaning of courage

2. According to Mandela, men and women risk and sacrifice their lives for:

a) the sake of family

b) the sake of an idea
c) the sake of friends
d) the sake of money

3. Mandela defines courage not as the absence of fear:

a) but the presence of rejection

b) but rather the triumph over it
c) Both a) & b)
d) Neither a) nor b)

4. The word ‘resilience’ means:

a) the ability to deal with any kind of hardship

b) the ability to conquer one’s foe
 c) the ability to dive deep
d) the ability to keep mum

5. The man who shows the strength to stand up against any kind of oppression is a/an:

a) innocent man
b) aggressive man
c) sensitive man
d) brave man

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