QUESTION BANK IN COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH CLASS-IX (TERM-I)

SECTION-D LITERATURE

3 THE SOLITARY REAPER

➤ By William Wordsworth

Summary
N
ls rq y uk djrk gS A yM+ d h dk xku] dfo dh Fkdku vkS j
‘The Solitary Reaper’ is William Wordsworth’s
A
ijs'kkfu;ksa dks mlh izdkj nwj djrk gS ftl izdkj cqycqy dk xkuk
rendition of the delight a simple peasant girl derives from
nature and how the entire atmosphere reverberates with
that happiness.
SH
FkosQ gq, ;kf=k;ksa dh Fkdku vjc osQ e#LFkyksa esa nwj djrk gS vkSj
mUgsa ;g lwpuk nsrk gS fd u[kfyLrku lkeus gS (jsfxLFkku esa ikuh

A
isM+ dk izns'k] e#|ku) og ;qorh osQ xku dk dks;y osQ xkus ls
The poet sees a highland girl reaping the harvest and

K
Hkh rqyuk djrk gSA dks;y 'khr Írq osQ vUr vkSj clUr Írq osQ
singing. The poet compares her song with the song of a
vkus dh ?kks"k.kk djrh gS vkSj 'khr Írq osQ ekSu dk var djrh gSA

A
nightingale, soothing his sorrows, easing his weariness,
just the same way as the nightingale welcomes the weary ;q o rh dk e/q j xhr cq y cq y vkS j dks ; y nks u ks a ls vf/d

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travellers in the shady oasis of the Arabian sands. The izHkko'kkyh gS vkSj vf/d izlUurk fc[ksjrk gSA

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maiden’s song is also compared to the song of the cuckoo
bird which is the harbinger of summer and ushers in
dfo] ;qorh dh Hkk"kk le>us esa vleFkZ gSA mls xkus ls ;g
happiness. The song of the maiden is as thrilling and ugha ekywe iM+rk fd og fdl fo"k; osQ ckjs esa xk jgh gS μ D;k

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persuasive as the song of the cuckoo bird which is og fdlh ;qn~/ osQ fo"k; esa xk jgh gSA D;k og fdlh nq[kkUr

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effective enough to break the silence of the seas. ?kVuk osQ ckjs esa xk jgh gS\ vkSj D;k mldk xkuk jks”k gksus okyh

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The poet cannot understand the dialect of the song, he fdlh fiz; vFkok vfiz; ?kVuk osQ ckjs esa gS\
is unable to comprehend its meaning, but is able to gauge

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from its sad tone that it probably relates to some unhappy dfo dks ,slk izrhr gksrk gS fd ;qorh dk xkuk dHkh [kRe

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memory, some battles fought long ago. The poet also feels ugha gksxk og fujUrj xkrh jgsxhA og yM+dh >qddj iQly dkV
that the song may be about the commonplace things like jgh gS vkSj lkFk&lkFk xk Hkh jgh gS mldk xkuk bruk e/qj vkSj

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joys or sorrows. eueksgd Fkk fd dfo ea=keqX/ gksdj fcuk fgys] vpy gksdj mls

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The poet feels that the girl’s song would have no end lqurk jgkA tc dfo us viuh ;k=kk iqu% 'kq: djh vkSj og igkM+h
and would continue forever. The poet saw the girl singing

B
ij p<+us yxk rks og mldk xkuk ugha lqu ldkA ijUrq ml laxhr
as she bent over her sickle. The song of the maiden was so
mesmerising and spellbinding that it held the poet us dfo os Q ân; ij u feVus okyk vlj Nks M + k A og tc Hkh

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motionless and still. When the poet started mounting the vosQyk gksrk gS rks ;qorh osQ laxhr dks Lej.k djosQ fiQj ls ea=k&
hill, the song could not be heard but it left an indelible

A
eqX/ gks tkrk gSA
mark on the poet’s heart. For the poet, it would always

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remain a fresh evocative memory. The poem also shows dfo laxhr osQ izHkko] mlosQ lkoZHkkSfed fo'oO;kih 'kfDr
how the appeal of music is universal. dks lkeus ykuk pkgrk gSA laxhr vR;ar izHkko'kkyh gS] mldh dksbZ

O Hkk"kk ugha gS mldk viuk vkoQ"kZ.k gS tks ân;Li'khZ gSA

G
lkjka'k
Word-Meaning
fofy;e oMZloFkZ dh lqizfl¼ dfork ^^n lkWyhVjh jhij*
● Behold – see, just look ● Solitary – alone
,d lh/h&lk/h fdlku dU;k dk o.kZu djrh gS tks izÑfr osQ
● Yon – distant ● Welcome notes – pleasant music
lehi jgdj vR;Ur izlUurk dk vuqHko djrh gSA mldh ;g ● Shady haunt – cool, resting place ● Weary band –
[kq'kh] izlUurk lkjs okrkoj.k esa xw¡trh gSA tired group of caravan ● Theme – subject matter
● Maiden – young unmarried girl ● Mounted – climbed
lq c g lS j djrs gq , ] dfo ,d ioZ r h; yM+ d h dks iQly
● Bore – carried
dkVrs vkSj xkrs gq, ns[krk gSA og mlosQ xkus dks cqycqy osQ xkus

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 SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS (SOLVED)
1. The poet could not understand the words of the song, yet he raised several possibilities about its theme. In
the diagram below are some of these possibilities. Read the third stanza again, and find the phrase that matches
each. Copy and complete the diagram, writing each phrase in the empty boxes. Work in pairs.

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A
SH
A
K
A
Ans :

PR
S
ER
TH
O
2. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, (i) lyric (ii) soliloquy

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answer the following questions by ticking the correct (iii) monologue (iv) sonnet

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choice. Ans : (c) (i) lyric
(a) The central idea of the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ (d) The poet’s lament in the poem ‘The Solitary
is ________.

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Reaper’ is that ______.
(i) well sung songs give us happiness (i) he cannot understand the song

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(ii) melodious sounds appeal to all (ii) he did not know the lass

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(iii) beautiful experiences give us lifelong pleasure (iii) she stopped singing at once
(iv) reapers can sing like birds (iv) he had to move away

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Ans : (a) (iii) beautiful experiences give us lifelong Ans : (d) (iv) he had to move away
pleasure

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(e) The setting of the poem is ________.
(b) In the poem ‘The Solitary Reaper’ to whom does (i) Arabia (ii) Hebrides
the poet say ‘Stop here or gently pass?
(iii) Scotland (iv) England
(i) to the people cutting corn
Ans : (e) (iii) Scotland
(ii) to himself
(iii) to the people who make noise 3. Read the second stanza again, in which
(iv) to all the passersby Wordsworth compares the solitary reaper’s song with
Ans : (b) (iv) to all the passersby the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo. On the basis
of your reading (and your imagination), copy and
(c) ‘The Solitary Reaper’ is a narrative poem set to complete the table below. (Work in groups of four, then
music. This form of verse is called a ______. have a brief class discussion).
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 Place Heard by Impact on listener
Solitary Reaper Scottish Highlands the poet holds him spellbound
Nightingale

Cuckoo

Ans : Place Heard by

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Impact on listener
Solitary Reaper Scottish Highlands The poet
Aholds him spellbound
Nightingale
Cuckoo
Arabian Sands
Hebrides
travellers
people or passers-by
SH reduces the tiredness of travellers
has far-reaching effect, heralds the

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coming of spring, end of winter

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4. Why do you think Wordsworth has chosen the notes and there is a reference to nightingale even in the
song of the nightingale and the cuckoo, for comparison Bible. So the poet has chosen their songs for comparison

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with the solitary reaper’s song ? with the Solitary Reaper’s song.

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Ans. : The nightingale and the cuckoo are known as
song-birds. Many poets have written about their melodious

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

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Read the following extracts and choose the correct (iii) Driving away tiredness

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option : (iv) Welcoming the spring
1. Alone she cuts and binds the grain,

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And sings a melancholy strain ; (b) How does the Solitary Reaper’s song score over
the song of the cuckoo?

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O listen! for the vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound. (i) It is more far-reaching

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(a) Identify ‘she’ from the above stanza. (ii) It echoes more
(iii) It is more musical and fresh

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(i) A traveller (iii) Solitary reaper
(ii) The poet (iv) None of the above (iv) It does not have any effect

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(b) How does the poet know that the song is (c) Hebrides means :

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melancholy when he cannot understand the words? (i) a group of trees (ii) far off valleys
(i) From the girl’s expression (iii) sea (iv) a group of islands off
(ii) From the words of the song

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near Scotland
(iii) From the tune

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(iv) From her dress Ans : (a) (iv) (b) (i) (c) (iv)
(c) What effect does the girl’s song have over the 3. Will no one tell me what she sings?

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surroundings? Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow

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(i) Has no effect For old, unhappy, far off things,
(ii) All people desert the valley And battles long ago.

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(iii) The valley echoes with the song (a) Explain the use of ‘perhaps’ in the second line.
(iv) The valley is indifferent (i) The poet is not sure
Ans : (a) (iii) (b) (iii) (c) (iii) (ii) He is double-minded
(iii) He is indifferent
2. A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard
(iv) None of these
In spring-time from the cuckoo bird,
(b) ‘Flow’, – what quality of the solitary reaper song
Breaking the silence of the seas
is expressed here?
Among the farthest Hebrides.
(i) Its fluidity (ii) Its evocativeness
(a) What is cuckoo bird famous for? (iii) Its spontaneity (iv) Its music
(i) Cheerfulness (ii) Thrill
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 (c) What is the poet’s guess? (iii) Climbed up the mountain
(i) The theme is of spring (iv) Nowhere
(ii) Of happiness and forgotten things (b) How did the song affect the poet?
(iii) Of battles and sad events in the past (i) It impressed him
(iv) Of stories (ii) Served as an inspiration
Ans : (a) (i) (b) (iii) (c) (iii) (iii) Left a permanent mark on his heart

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4. Or is it some more humble lay, (iv) Had no effect
(c) What does the poet want to convey by “long after

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Familiar matter of today?
Some natural sorrow, loss or pain, it was heard no more”?

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That has been, may be again. (i) Music is entertaining

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(a) ‘It’ in the first line refers to (ii) Music is eternal and can give pleasure even
(i) the valley (ii) the song when you do not hear it

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(iii) the solitary reaper (iv) her dress (iii) Sad music is always remembered

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(b) Explain ‘humble lay’. (iv) The universal and permanent impression of
(i) A song about ordinary events music.

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(ii) A song about extraordinary things Ans : (a) (iii) (b) (iii) (c) (iv)

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(iii) A song about modest things 7. Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
(iv) A song about rich people

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And sings a melancholy strain ;
(c) What does the poet wish to convey by saying O listen! for the vale profound
‘that has been and may be again’? Is overflowing with the sound.

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(i) A natural loss, and pain [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

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(ii) A natural event
(a) ‘melancholy strain’ in the second line refers to :
(iii) Natural sorrow which can occur again

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(i) Sad song (iii) Happy song
(iv) Both (i) and (iii)
(ii) Thrilling song (iv) Sweet song

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Ans : (a) (ii) (b) (i) (c) (iii)
(b) Identify the figure of speech in the above lines :

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5. Whatever the theme, the maiden sang (i) Personification (ii) Metaphor
As if her song could have no ending;

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(iii) Imagery (iv) Alliteration
I saw her singing at her work
(c) The last two lines mean :

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And o’er the sickle bending
(a) What other activities is the maiden doing besides (i) Her voice is resounding in the valley

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singing? (ii) She is singing at a high pitch
(i) She is ploughing (ii) binding the corn (iii) Her voice is reaching outside the valley
(iv) She is asking everyone to listen to her

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(iii) cutting grass (iv) none of the above
(b) What makes the maiden’s song extraordinary? Ans. (a) (i) (b) (iii) (c) (i)

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(i) Its musicality (ii) Its eternal nature 8. No nightingale did ever chant

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(iii) Its theme (iv) Her voice More welcome notes to weary bands
(c) What effect does the song have over the Of Travellers in some shady haunt

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poet? Among Arabian Sands
(i) Mesmerising (ii) Impressive

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A voice so thrilling ne’ver was heard
(iii) Invigorating (iv) No effect In spring – time from the cuckoo – bird
Ans : (a) (ii) (b) (ii) (c) (i) Breaking the silence of the seas
6. I listen’d, motionless and still Among the farthest Hebrides
And, as I mounted up the hill, [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]
The music in my heart I bore, (a) According to the poet, nightingales sing :
Long after it was heard no more. (i) to welcome the travellers
(a) Where does the poet go? (ii) to please themselves
(i) Down the valleys (iii) to welcome the tired travellers
(ii) Doesn’t go anywhere (iv) to get relief from their own pains
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 (b) The nightingales sing : (c) The effect of the voice of the cuckoo bird is :
(i) in spring season in desert of Arabia (i) that it refreshes the tired travellers
(ii) in autumn season in deserts (ii) that it is spread everywhere
(iii) in spring season in deserts of Thar (iii) that it seems to welcome travellers
(iv) in spring season in deserts of Egypt (iv) breaks the seas’ silence
Ans. (a) (iii) (b) (i) (c) (iv)

NON-MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS N

A
H
Read the following extracts and answer the Ans. He wishes to convey that the song may be about

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questions given below : some natural sorrow which can occur again.
1. Will none tell me what she sings? 3. Whatever the theme, the maiden sang
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
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As if her song could have no ending;

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For old, unhappy, far off things, I saw her singing at her work
And battles long ago. And o’er the sickle bending
(a) Explain the use of ‘perhaps’ in the second line.
A
(a) What other activities is the maiden doing

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Ans. ‘Perhaps’ is used to show that poet is not sure besides singing ?

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about the theme of solitary reaper’s song. Ans. Besides singing, the maiden is cutting and
(b) ‘Flow’, – what quality of the solitary reaper binding the grain.
song is expressed here?

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(b) What makes the maiden’s song extraordinary?
Ans. The word ‘flow’ expresses the spontaneity of Ans. Maiden’s voice makes her song extraordinary.

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solitary reaper’s song.
(c) What effect does the song have over the poet ?

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(c) What is the poet’s guess?
Ans. The song left an indellible mark on the poet’s

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Ans. He guesses that she might be singing about some heart.
unhappy things of the past or the battles fought long ago.

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4. I listen’d, motionless and still
2. Or is it some more humble lay,
And, as I mounted up the hill,

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Familiar matter of today?
The music in my heart I bore,
Some natural sorrow, loss or pain,

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Long after it was heard no more.
That has been, may be again.

B
(a) Where does the poet go?
(a) ‘It’ in the first line refers to :
Ans. The poet is climbing up the mouatain.
Ans. ‘It’ in the first line refers to solitary reaper’s

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song. (b) How did the song affect the poet?

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(b) Explain ‘humble lay’. Ans. The song left a permanent mark on the poet’s
heart.

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Ans. It means that solitary reaper’s song may be about
(c) What does the poet want to convey by ‘‘long
some ordinary people.

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after it was heard no more’’?
(c) What does the poet wish to convey by saying Ans. The poet wants to say that the music is eternal

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‘that has been and may be again’ ?
and can give pleasure even when you do not hear it.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Discuss the significance of the title of the poem. working peacefully all by herself, she was singing. Her
Ans. The poem's title and theme are based on the fact song had a touch of sadness. The memory of this lone girl
that once in the course of his walking tours of Scotland and the melancholy notes of her song remained with the
William Wordsworth, the poet, and his sister came across poet for all time. Wordsworth’s poem “The Solitary
a solitary reaper, a young highland lass, who was reaping Reaper” somehow immortalises her.
and binding corn as it was the harvest time. As she was
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 2. ‘Solitary Reaper’ is a poem that depicts a a walk in the countryside ? [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]
simple peasant girl gifted with an extraordinary voice. Ans. While walking in the countryside, the poet heard
What qualities make the girl unforgettable? the solitary reaper’s song. He was struck by the fact that
Ans. The melodious voice of the Solitary Reaper is the girl was cutting the harvest alone and on a happy
unforgettable. It has tender melancholic strains, the occassion singing a melancholy song. It was so melodious
sweetest human voice ever heard that haunted the poet for that it once caught poet’s attention. He finds her song
sweeter than a nightingale and more thrilling than a cuckoo

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all time. He could not understand the dialect, nor the
bird.
theme of her song. Her musical notes ran like water and

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surpassed the beauty of the songs of the nightingale and 6. How could the poet hear the song of the Solitary
Reaper, when it could be heard no more?
the cuckoo. The intensity and the enchanting quality of her

H
[CBSE 2010 (Term I)]
song left an everlasting impression on the poet mind.

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Ans. One day, while climbing up a hill, the poet hears
3. Give two examples of hyperbole and solitary reaper’s song. The song reminds him of a

A
alliteration from the poem. nightingle and a cuckoo. He finds the song so enchanting
Ans. ‘Silence of the seas,’ and ‘sings a melancholy that it leaves an indelible mark on the poet's mind and he

K
strain’ ‘perhaps the plaintive numbers flow,’ these poetic believes that the memory of the song will remain with him
forever. This also shows that music has a universal appeal.

A
repetition of the ‘S’ sound and ‘P’ sound is a device used
by poets called alliteration. Hyperbole in also a poetic 7. How do we know that the highland girl was

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device in which something written or described is made to engrossed in her work? [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

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sound more exciting, better or dangerous. “O' listen! for Ans. Once the poet comes across a highland girl while
the vale profound is overflowing with the sound”. The climbing up a hill. The young girl was reaping and binding
sound of the reaper's song is so powerful that it fills the the corn as it was the harvest time. As she was working

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deep valleys, it is an exaggeration. peacefully all by herself, she was singing. The whole valley
resounds with her melodious voice but she is ignorant of all

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4. Why is the song of the solitary reaper this and is totally engrossed in her work.
compared to the nightingale’s song?

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8. What guesses does the poet make about the
Ans. The nightingale is acclaimed as a song bird theme of the Solitary Reaper’s song?

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endowed with a sweet voice who is supposed to sing in a [CBSE 2010 (TermI)]

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melodious and soothing way. The solitary reaper's voice is Ans. The solitary reaper was singing the song in a
also sweet and melodious. Her song is so sweetly dialect. The poet was unable to comprehend its meaning

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melancholy that it leaves an indelible mark in the poet's but was able to gauge from its sad note that it probably
mind. Shady haunt is a cool resting place in an oasis in the relates to some unhappy memories, some battles fought

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Arabian desert where weary travellers are resting. long ago. The poet also guesses that the song may be about

B
5. What arrested the attention of the poet out for the commonplace things like joys and sorrows.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

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A
1. Discuss the effect of the Solitary Reaper's song solitary reaper?
on the listeners. Why is it compared to the nightingale

Y
Ans. The scenic beauty is captured and displayed by
and the cuckoo? the poet in vale profound, overflowing with the sound (the
Ans. The poet describes the solitary reaper's song,

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solitary reaper's song), "Weary bands of travellers in some
filling the deep valleys, sweeter than the voice of a shady haunts among the Arabian sands". Breaking the

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nightingale. It is more welcome than a nightingale's chant silence of the seas among the farthest hebrides.
heard by weary travellers in the shady haunts of the
Arabian desert. It is more thrilling than a cuckoo bird's 3. What impresses the poet? Why?
song which in spring time can break the silence of the Ans. William Wordsworth describes and exemplifies a
seas. It made the poet stand motionless and still to listen once ‘in a lifetime kind of memory’ that is meant to be
and carry it with him in his heart as he mounted up the hill taken out of the storehouse of memory and enjoyed forever.
never to forget it evermore. References to the Arabian The poet is struck by the beauty and the melody of the
sands and Scotlands Hebrides (far-off Islands) impart an mountain girl, working in harmony with her surroundings.
exotic feeling. The maiden’s song enchants the poet and the melancholy
2. Discuss the scenic beauty of the background. strain makes him wonder at the content of the song. The
How does it highlight the musicality of the song of the melody and enchanting quality of her song reminds him of
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the nightingale and the cuckoo but the intensity of her song 5. Wordsworth had a wonderful experience
overflows and reverberates throughout the valley. Whether listening to the highland girl while out for a walk in the
she was singing about a battle or common sorrows or countryside. He comes home and pens down his
illness of a loved one, the poet has no idea. feelings in his diary immediately. Write his diary.
The solitary reaper’s song leaves a lasting impression [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]
on the poet’s mind and he believes that the memory of this Dear Diary,

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song will be with him forever.
Today, after a long time, I heard a song more
4. What message does the poet wish to convey in the

A
melodious than a nightingale and a cuckoo bird. I am so
poem?
thrilled that I want to pour my feelings into you. The

H
Ans. What impresses the poet in the song is not its
highland lass who I heard singing while climbing the hill
content but its emotionally expressive music. This feeling

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was so engrossed in her work of reaping the crop that she
could have no ending and it communicates wordlessly
was totally oblivious of her surroundings. Although I could

A
something universal about human condition. Despite the
not understand the dialect she was singing in but from the
‘melancholy strain’, the poet proceeds on his way, his

K
melancholy notes of her song I was able to gauge that it
‘heart’ carrying her music. For that reason the poem relates
related to some unhappy memories, or some battles fought

A
to an ‘ecstatic moment’ in which a passer-by transcends the
limitations of mortality. Both the song and the poet can go long ago. I was so mesmerised and spellbound that I was

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on together. It also expresses the thought that the appeal held motionless and still. But the memory of her song will
always remain fresh for me. It has left an indelible mark on

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and music is universal, language is not important.
my mind. Oh God! it is still resounding in my ears.

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(A) READING/WRITING
ER
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

TH
Music has eternal craze for most of us. From sufi to hip-hop, from techno to ballad, from R & B to bhangra, the
entire generation is obsessed with music. Write an article on the topic ‘The Amazing Power of Music.’

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Read it aloud in the class.

(B) CONVERSATION SKILLS

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B
Recall an experience that left a permanent mark on your memory. Share with your neighbour how that experience
brought a solid change in personality.

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Share with others in the class.

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(C) CLASS DISCUSSION

Y
Have a discussion in the class on the topic ‘Music can be enjoyed without understanding the lyrics’. Agree/Disagree

O
Share the outcome with others.