NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English Honeycomb The Squirrel (Poem)
Page No: 49
A Working with the Poem
Question 1:
Why does the poet say the squirrel “wore a question mark for tail”? Draw a squirrel, or find a picture of a squirrel sitting on the ground. How would you describe its tail?
Solution:
The poet said that the squirrel “wore a question mark for a tail” because its tail is twisted appearing like a question mark.
Question 2:
Do we usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail? What do we say?
(Think: Does an animal wear a coat? Consult a dictionary if you like, and find out how ‘wear’ is used in different ways.)
Solution:
We usually say that an animal ‘has’ a set of given characteristics rather than saying ‘wear’. The poet, however, uses the word ‘wear’ to indicate the external characteristics of the squirrel.
The dictionary meaning of ‘wear’ suggests something of an outer covering, for instance clothes.
Question 3:
“He liked to tease and play”. Who is teasing whom? How?
Solution:
The poet liked to tease and play with the squirrel. Whenever the poet went a little close to the squirrel, the squirrel would run away in the other direction.
Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1:
What is being compared to a gray overcoat?
Solution:
The squirrel’s body is being compared to a gray overcoat.
Question 2:
Discuss the posture of the squirrel as discussed in line 3 of the poem.
Solution:
The squirrel ‘sat up straight’ to eat a nut. Else, the squirrel usually sits and runs with a bended back.
Question 3:
What did the squirrel do if someone came too close to his tree?
Solution:
The squirrel would run away in the opposite direction if someone came too close to his tree.
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1:
Having observed the squirrels around us, can we say that a squirrel is a fast paced animal?
Solution:
Yes, based on our observation of the squirrels around us, we can say that a squirrel is a fast paced animal. We rarely come across squirrels sitting still, except when they are biting into the nuts. Usually we see the squirrels running from one place to another with great energy.
Question 2:
What does the poem say about the poet’s choice of subject?
Solution:
The poem is a reflection of the poet’s desire to compose poetry on most mundane elements that we come across in our day to day surrounding. A squirrel is the most commonly found animal that we see around us. Yet, very few of us would have thought of it as a potent subject matter for a writer’s pen. The poet very simplistically discusses the various aspects of the squirrel, which each one of us must have observed closely.
Extract Based Questions
Directions: (Q. Nos. 1-6) Read the extract given below and answer the following questions.
“He liked to tease and play,
And if we ran around his tree,
He went the other way.”
Question 1:
Give a synonym for ‘like’ in the context of the poem.
Solution:
Relish
Question 2:
Teasing is the poet’s way of…………………. with the squirrel.
Solution:
playing
Question 3:
Use the word, ‘run’ in a sentence of your own.
Solution:
It is a joy to see children running in various directions while playing in the garden.
Question 4:
Choose a befitting adjective to describe the nature of squirrel.
(a) Playful
(b) Scornful
(c) Introvert
(d) Jealous
Solution:
(a) Playful
Question 5:
Identify the ‘he’ in the first line.
(a) The poet
(b) The squirrel
(c) The onlooker
(d) The gardener
Solution:
(a) The poet
Question 6:
Who went the other way?
(a) The poet
(b) The squirrel
(c) The onlooker
(d) The gardener
Solution:
(b) The squirrel
The Squirrel Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type
Question 1.
What does a grey overcoat refer to?
Answer:
The squirrel’s body is being refered to a grey overcoat.
Question 2.
How does squirrel eat a nut?
Answer:
The squirrel sits up straight to eat a nut.
Question 3.
How do squirrels usually sit?
Answer:
The squirrel usually sits and runs with a bended back.
Question 4.
What did the squirrel do if someone came too close to his tree?
Answer:
The squirrel would run away instantly if someone try to come too close to his tree.
Question 5.
The poet talks about a small creature with sensitivity. Do you agree or not.
Answer:
The poem is a reflection of the poet’s observation we come across in our day to day surrounding. A squirrel is the most commonly found animal that we see around us. Yet, very few of us would have thought of it as a subject matter.
Question 6.
Why does the poet say the squirrel ‘wore a question mark for tail’? Draw a squirrel or find a picture of a squirrel sitting on the ground. How would you describe its tail?
Answer:
The Poet said that the squirrel “wore a question mark for a tail” because its tail is twisted appearing like a question mark.
Question 7.
Do we usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail? What do we say? (Think: Does an animal wear a coat? Consult a dictionary if you like, and find out how ‘wear’ is used in different ways.)
Answer:
No, we do not usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail. We usually say that animal ‘has’ a tail.
Question 8.
“He liked to tease and play”. Who is teasing whom? How?
Answer:
The squirrel is teasing the poet and his friends. When poet and his friends ran around the tree on which the squirrel is sitting, it went the other way teasing and playing with them.
The Squirrel Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context
Question 1.
He wore a question mark for tail,
An overcoat of gray,
He sat up straight to eat a nut.
Explanation
The tail of the squirrel is twisted like a question mark. Its colour is grey and while eating a nut it sit straight on its legs and hold the nut in its forearms.
(i) Does a squirrel wear a overcoat?
(ii) What is the shape of squirrel’s tail?
(iii) How does it eat a nut?
(iv) What is its skin colour?
(v) Choose the past tense of wear from the above lines.
Answer:
(i) No, it does not.
(ii) Its shapes is twisted into a question mark.
(iii) It eats a nut by sitting on its hind legs
(iv) Its skin colour is grey.
(v) Wore.
Question 2.
He liked to tease and play,
And if we ran around his tree,
He went the other way.
Explanation
The poet loves the game of hide and seek between him and the squirrel. If he went too close to the squirrel, the squirrel would go and hide in the other direction.
(i) What does he like to do?
(ii) Why does he went the other way?
(iii) Why is the squirrel scared?
(iv) Name the poem.
(v) Name the poet.
Answer:
(i) He likes to tease and play.
(ii) He went the, other way when he see human being around the tree.
(iii) The squirrel is scared because of the poet.
(iv) The poem name is ‘The squirrel’.
(v) The poets name is ‘Mildred Bowers Armstrong’.