NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Poem Chapter 5 The School Boy

Class 8 English Honeydew Poem Chapter 5 The School Boy Questions From Textbook

WORKING WITH THE POEM (PAGE 85)

Question 1:
Find three or four words/phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy.
Answer:
The words/phrases that reflect the child’s happiness are the song of birds and the skylark, and the sound of hunter’s horn.

Question 2:
In stanza 2, the mood changes. Which words/phrases reflect the changed mood?
Answer:
The words/phrases reflecting the child’s mood are:

(a) drives all joy away
(b) cruel eye outworn (of the Teacher)
(c) sighing and dismay.

Question 3:
‘A cruel eye outworn (stanza 2)’ refers to

(i) the classroom which is shabby/noisy
(ii) the lessons which are difficult/uninteresting
(iii) The dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.
Mark the answer that you consider right.

Answer:

(iii)

Question 4:
“Nor sit in learning’s bower worn thro’ with the dreary shower’
Which of the following is a close paraphrase of the lines above?

(i) Nor can I sit in a roofless classroom when it is raining.
(ii) Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing and explaining.
(iii) Nor can I sit in the school garden for fear of getting wet in the rain.

Answer:

(ii)

Class 8 English Honeydew Poem Chapter 5 The School Boy More Questions Solved

Question 1:
What is the mood of the school boy?
Answer:
The school boy is unhappy.

Question 2:
What makes the school boy unhappy?
Answer:
He has to go to school even in a summer morning when there is so much to enjoy in open fields and forests. Secondly, his teacher is cruel and the lessons are uninteresting.

Question 3:
Why does the boy compare himself to a caged bird?
Answer:
Like a caged bird, the boy is also not free to do any thing at his own will. He wants to lead a life of freedom but he can’t because there are many restrictions on him.

Question 4:
What is the poet’s advice to parents of school-going kids?
Answer:
The poet calls upon the parents to let their kids grow and play joyfully in early years. They should not restrict their natural activities.

Question 5:
Why does the school boy compare himself to a plant?
Answer:
A small child is like a tender plant. If he is suppressed too much, he fails to grow to full size. A tender plant if crushed at the bud-stage, won’t bear any flower or fruit in spring season.