Question

Read the given lines and answer the questions that follow in a line or two.

(a) “All through the summer at ease we lay, 

And daily from the turret wall 

We watched the mowers in the hay”

(i) Who does ‘we’ refer to?

(ii) How did the soldiers spend the summer days?

(iii) What could they watch from the turret wall?

(b) “Our gates were strong, our walls were thick, So smooth and high, no man could win. ”

(i) How safe was the castle?

(ii) What was the firm belief of the soldiers?

(c) “A foothold there, no clever trick

Could take us dead or quick, 

Only a bird could have got in.”

(i) What was challenging?

(ii) Which aspect of the castle’s strength is conveyed by the above line?

(d) “Oh then our maze of tunneled stone

Grew thin and treacherous as air.

The castle was lost without a groan, 

The famous citadel overthrown

(i) Bring out the contrast in the first two lines.

(ii) What happened to the castle?

(e) “We could do nothing, being sold.”

(i) Why couldn’t they do anything?

(ii) Why did they feel helpless?

Answer 1

(a) (i) “We” refers to the brave and loyal soldiers in the castle.

(ii) They spent the summer days gazing out of the castle.They were ready to shoot the enemy at sight who were at half-a kilometer distance. But none came near. So, they were relaxed.

(iii) They could watch the farmers mowing at a distance from inside their turret walls.

(b) (i) The castle had high and smooth walls. No enemy could think of climbing it as soldiers were ready to shoot the enemy at sight. The moat was deadly and deep.

(ii) The soldiers had the firm belief that their castle was invincible. They felt safe and secure behind the castle.

(c) (i) Scaling over the castle’s smooth and high walls was challenging.

(ii) The physical strength of the castle (i.e.) its brave and loyal soldiers, the stockpile of arms and well stocked granary, is conveyed here.

(d) (i) The maze of tunnelled stone walls instead of intriguing the enemies, gave passage to them. So, the poet says the secret tunnelled path became thin and treacherous as air.

(ii) The castle was captured by the enemies.

(e) (i) The enemies had entered through the wicket gate stealthily and easily occupied their castle.

(ii) They felt helpless because they had no weapon to fight “Gold” their invisible enemy. Their castle fell due to the unnoticed greed of their warder, an aged man.