1. What drove the scorpion inside the house?
Ans: Continuous rain
2. The word ‘flash’ means —
a) a cowardly action
b) a quick and sudden action
c) a wicked action
d) a bright action
Ans: b) a quick and sudden action
3. Why does he call the tail ‘diabolic’?
Ans: Because it poisons his mother.
4. What is the scorpion’s action after stinging the mother?
a) It crawls beneath a sack of rice
b) It bites the speaker
c) It runs away from the house
d) It hides in a dark room
Ans: a) It crawls beneath a sack of rice
5. Why did the scorpion risk going out again into the rain?
a) It wanted to find more prey
b) It regretted stinging the mother
c) It needed to replenish its poison
d) It was seeking shelter from the rain
Ans: d) It was seeking shelter from the rain
6. What does the stanza suggest about the scorpion’s behaviour?
a) The scorpion is cunning and evil
b) The scorpion is a harmless creature
c) The scorpion is desperately seeking shelter
d) The scorpion is attacking the villagers
Ans: c) The scorpion is desperately seeking shelter
1. How did the peasants arrive at the scene?
Ans: The peasants arrived at the scene “like swarms of flies.”
2. Why do the villagers come together and chant the name of God a hundred times?
a) To celebrate a religious festival
b) To ward off evil and help the mother
c) To express their frustration with the scorpion
d) To honour the scorpion’s bravery
Ans: b) To ward off evil and help the mother
3. How did the peasants use candles and lanterns?
Ans: The peasants used candles and lanterns to illuminate the area and search for the scorpion.
4. What visual effect is created by the candles and lanterns used by the villagers in their search for the scorpion?
a) They create a warm and welcoming atmosphere
b) They cast giant scorpion shadows on the mud-baked walls
c) They illuminate the room entirely
d) They make the room appear smaller
Ans: b) They cast giant scorpion shadows on the mud-baked walls
5. What was the outcome of the peasants’ search for the scorpion?
a) They found it and captured it
b) They gave up and left the scene
c) They were disappointed
d) They found traces of the scorpion’s presence
Ans: c) They were disappointed
6. Did the peasants successfully find the scorpion?
Ans: No.
1. The phrase ‘clicked their tongues’ expresses
a) The peasants’ worries about the sting
b) The peasants’ sorrow for the mother
c) The peasants’ failure to find the scorpion
d) The peasant’s anger towards the scorpion
Ans: c) The peasants’ failure to find the scorpion
2. What bodily fluid was affected by the scorpion?
Ans: Blood
3. In the stanza, what do the villagers hope for regarding the scorpion’s movements?
a) They hope it will escape and be safe
b) They hope it will sting others as well
c) They hope it will remain still and not move
d) They hope it will reveal its hiding place
Ans: c) They hope it will remain still and not move
4. What did the villagers express regarding the sins of the Mother’s previous birth?
Ans: The villagers expressed the hope that the sins of the speaker’s previous birth would be burned away that night.
5. What was the focus of the wishes regarding the Mother’s next birth?
Ans: To reduce her misfortunes.
6. What is the underlying belief or sentiment expressed by the villagers in their words to the mother?
a) They wish her suffering to increase
b) They hope her pain will lead to a better next life
c) They believe she deserves the scorpion’s sting
d) They want to punish her for past sins
Ans: b) They hope her pain will lead to a better next life
1. Who are ‘they’ in the above lines?
Ans: The peasants
2. What is the wish expressed regarding the balance of good and evil in the world?
Ans: The wish expressed is that the sum of evil in the unreal world would be diminished by the mother’s pain, thereby balancing it against the sum of good.
3. How do the villagers believe the mother’s pain might affect the balance of good and evil?
Ans: The villagers believe that the mother’s pain might diminish the sum of evil in the world, thus balancing it against the sum of good.
4. According to the villagers, what is the effect of the poison from the scorpion’s sting on the mother?
a) It intensifies her desires
b) It purifies her flesh of desire
c) It increases her ambition
d) It has no effect on her
Ans: b) It purifies her flesh of desire
5. Where do the villagers sit as they offer their prayers and wishes for the mother’s well-being?
a) On the roof of the house
b) On chairs and benches
c) On the floor with the mother in the centre
d) In a circle around a fire
Ans: c) On the floor with the mother in the centre
6. What is the prevailing emotion on the faces of the villagers in this stanza?
a) Fear and anxiety
b) Anger and frustration
c) Peace and understanding
d) Sadness and despair
Ans: c) Peace and understanding
1. What was the atmosphere like with the addition of more candles, lanterns, neighbours, insects, and rain?
Ans: The atmosphere in the stanza becomes more crowded and chaotic with the addition of more candles, lanterns, neighbours, insects, and the ongoing rain.
2. How was the mother’s physical condition described in this stanza?
Ans: The mother is described as “twisted through and through, groaning on a mat,” indicating that she is in significant pain and discomfort due to the scorpion sting.
3. “My father, sceptic, rationalist” What does that mean?
Ans: This suggests that he is a person who relies on logic and reason rather than superstition or faith.
4. What does the father do in an attempt to treat the scorpion’s sting?
a) He pours water on the wound to cool it down
b) He applies a special ointment on the bitten toe
c) He uses a traditional method involving fire
d) He rushes the mother to the hospital
Ans: b) He applies a special ointment on the bitten toe
5. How does the speaker’s father react to the scorpion’s sting?
a) He resorts to superstitious rituals and prayers
b) He ignores the situation and continues with his work
c) He rushes to find medical help immediately
d) He scolds the mother for allowing the scorpion to sting her
Ans: a) He resorts to superstitious rituals and prayers
6. The poet says that his father, who was a rationalist, tried everything. Why did he do so?
a) because the father had changed
b) because the father wanted to do what others were doing
c) because the father was deeply concerned
d) because the father was superstitious
Ans: c) because the father was deeply concerned
1. What does the speaker mean when they say, “I watched the flame feeding on my mother”?
a) The mother was being consumed by the scorpion’s venom
b) The mother was engulfed in a holy fire
c) The mother was undergoing a ritual purification
d) The mother was trying to control the scorpion
Ans: a) The mother was being consumed by the scorpion’s venom
2. What was the purpose of the rites and incantation?
Ans: The purpose of the rites and incantation was to try to tame or counteract the poison from the scorpion sting and heal the mother.
3. The speaker mentions that the poison from the scorpion’s sting “lost its sting.” What does this imply?
a) The scorpion’s venom became less potent.
b) The mother’s pain intensified.
c) The scorpion returned to sting again.
d) The villagers’ efforts were in vain.
Ans: a) The scorpion’s venom became less potent
4. How long did it take for the poison to lose its sting?
Ans: 20 hours
5. What unconventional method did the father attempt to use in treating the scorpion sting?
Ans: In an unconventional and desperate attempt, the father poured a little paraffin (a type of fuel) onto the bitten toe and set it on fire by putting a match to it. This unusual method was likely an extreme measure in an attempt to counteract the effects of the scorpion’s venom.
6. Why did the mother feel relieved?
Ans: The mother felt relieved because she believed that by being stung by the scorpion, she had spared her children from a similar fate. Her gratitude reflects her deep love and maternal instinct to protect her family.
1. Rewrite the following sentences using indirect speech:
i. “I won the competition,” she said.
Ans: She said that she had won the competition.
ii. “We will visit the museum tomorrow,” they said.
Ans: They said that they would visit the museum the next day.
iii. “He is studying in the library,” she said.
Ans: She said that he was studying in the library.
iv. “I have already booked the tickets,” he said.
Ans: He said that he had already booked the tickets.
v. “They are renovating their house,” he said to me.
Ans: He told me that they were renovating their house.
2. Rewrite the following sentences using direct speech:
i. He mentioned that he was going to travel to Paris next month.
Ans: He said, “I am going to travel to Paris next month.”
ii. She informed us that she had bought a new car.
Ans: She said, “I have bought a new car.”
iii. They told me that they were going to start a new business.
Ans: They said, “We are going to start a new business.”
iv. He explained that he couldn’t attend the meeting due to illness.
Ans: He said, “I can’t attend the meeting due to illness.”
v. She confessed that she had forgotten to do her homework.
Ans: She said, “I have forgotten to do my homework.”
Identify the literary devices used in the following sentences:
1. The bees buzzed around the blooming flowers.
Ans: Onomatopoeia: The word “buzzed” imitates the sound made by bees.
Alliteration: The repetition of the ‘b’ sound in “bees” and “blooming.”
2. The waves crashed against the shore like angry giants.
Ans: Simile: The comparison of waves to “angry giants” using the word “like.”
Personification: The waves are given human qualities of anger.
3. The fireworks exploded with a loud bang.
Ans: Onomatopoeia: The word “bang” imitates the sound of fireworks.
4. Her hair was as black as coal.
Ans: Simile: The comparison of her hair to “coal” using the word “as.”
5. The leaves rustled in the gentle breeze.
Ans: Onomatopoeia: The word “rustled” imitates the sound of leaves moving.
Personification: The leaves are given the action of “rustling,” typically a human action.
6. The cat meowed plaintively at the door.
Ans: Onomatopoeia: The word “meowed” imitates the sound made by a cat.
7. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Ans: Alliteration: The repetition of the ‘p’ sound.
8. The door creaked open slowly.
Ans: Onomatopoeia: The word “creaked” imitates the sound made by a door opening.
9. Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
Ans: Alliteration: The repetition of the ‘s’ sound.
10. His eyes sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight.
Ans: Simile: The comparison of his eyes to “diamonds” using the word “like.”
1. Form new words by choosing one word from Group A and one from Group B.
| Group A | Group B |
| first four three before bats pull far grand night gas trouble inter short bread white bald brother letter | footed year-old over stove box maker sighted cut in-law man mother class handed hand crumbs sighted coloured headed |
Ans: first class, bald-headed, four-footed, brother-in-law, three-year-old, letter box, gas stove, beforehand, trouble maker, right-handed, inter-class, batsman, short-sighted, far-sighted, bread crumbs, grandmother, white-coloured, pullover.
2. Fill up the blanks in the following paragraph with some of the compound words you have formed:
Every evening……….i……………. used to sit on the verandah with her sewing machine. She stitched clothes for her grandson Ali. After finishing her work she would feed the sparrows with …………….ii…………. The sparrows could come and perch themselves on the ………iii……… Soon all the crumbs were eaten up. Grandmother who was …….iv……… could not see the sparrows clearly but she knew each sparrow who came and sat in her verandah everyday.
Ans:
i. grandmother
ii. three-year-old
iii. bread crumbs
iv. short-sighted
1. Who is the ‘I’ in the poem?
Ans: The speaker is the I in the poem.
2. What is the central event described in the poem?
Ans: The central event described in the poem occurs a particular night when the speaker’s mother was stung by a scorpion.
3. How was the night when the event happened?
Ans: It was a stormy night with ten hours of rain.
4. How do the villagers react when they hear about the scorpion sting incident?
Ans: The villagers, in their superstition and desire to ward off evil, repeatedly invoke the name of God. This repetition underscores their fervent and desperate prayers for divine intervention. The villagers believe that by invoking God’s name, they can paralyse or render powerless the evil force responsible for the scorpion’s attack. They see the scorpion as a symbol of evil or malevolence. They had come prepared with candles and lanterns. These light sources not only serve a practical purpose in searching for the scorpion at night but also symbolise their attempt to dispel darkness and fear with the light of their faith.
5. How did the peasants react when they couldn’t find the scorpion?
Ans: The action of clicking their tongues expresses the villagers’ disappointment or frustration at not finding the scorpion. They express their belief that the poison from the scorpion’s sting is spreading through the mother’s body with every movement of the scorpion. The rural folk hope that the scorpion will remain still and not move, as they believe this will somehow help alleviate the mother’s suffering.
6. How does the poem explore the theme of superstition?
Ans:
7. How does the poem depict the unity and support of the community in the face of adversity?
Ans: The peasants, while praying for the woman, begin each prayer with the word ‘may’. It shows here the peasant’s concern for the suffering woman. Then the speaker paints a powerful picture of the villagers sitting in a circle with the mother at the centre. It conveys a sense of communal support and unity in the face of the mother’s suffering. The “peace of understanding” on their faces suggests that they share a common belief and purpose in attempting to offer comfort to the mother. It highlights the role of community and empathy in times of crisis.
8. What cultural and religious beliefs are reflected in the villagers’ actions and prayers?
Ans: The rural folk hope that the scorpion will remain still and not move, as they believe this will somehow help alleviate the mother’s suffering. This reflects their desire for the situation to stabilise and improve. The villagers also believe that the mother’s suffering may be a form of karmic purification, and they hope that her ordeal on this night will cleanse her of past sins. It reflects the deep intertwining of religious and cultural beliefs in the poem. Some villagers express the idea that the mother’s current suffering might somehow reduce or mitigate the misfortunes she might face in her next life. This belief is rooted in the Hindu concept of karma, where one’s actions in this life affect one’s circumstances in future lives.
9. What was the mother’s reaction to the scorpion’s sting?
Ans: Instead of dwelling on her own pain and suffering, she expresses gratitude that the scorpion chose to sting her and spare her children. This sentiment underscores the deep love and sacrifice of a mother for her family.
10. What is the overall mood or atmosphere created by the poem?
Ans: The overall mood of the poem is tension and mystery. There are desperate prayers for divine intervention. There is an attempt to dispel fear and darkness with the light of faith.
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