CBSE Class 10 English The Frog and The Nightangle Assignment

THE FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE

Question : what would have happened if the Nightingale had not listened to the frog and had done what she wanted to do?
Ans: Could not have lost her life.
Could have better life living.
Could have become for better melodious in her voice.

Question : Why did ticket office gross crash?
Ans : Because the Nightingale could not properly by the point of view of the audience.

I Read the following extracts and answer the given questions.

1. “ And the crass cacophony
Blared out from the sumac tree
At whose foot the frog each night
Minstrelled on till morning light”

i) Explain ‘crass cacophony’?
ii) Where did the frog live?
iii) Why did the frog ‘minstrel’ till morning?

2. “And you’re a Mozart in disguise
Come to Earth before my eyes.
“Well I charge a modest fee.
Oh! But it won’t hurt, you’ll see.”

i) How was the frog a ‘Mozart’ in disguise?
ii) What did the frog say to entice the Nightingale?
iii) What trait of the frog’s personality is revealed here?

3. “Trembling, terrified to fail,
Blind with tears, the nightingale
Heard him out in silence, tried,
Puffed up, burst a vein, and died.”

i) Why did the Nightingale tremble?
ii) Why was she terrified?
iii) How did the Nightingale die?

II Short Answer Questions:

1. What gave relief to the Bingle Bog creatures from the jarring croaking of the frog?
2. Do you think the nightingale was responsible for her own exploitation? Why/ Why not?
3. What does the poet wish to convey in the poem ‘The Frog and the Nightingale’?

III Long Answer Question:

1. The frog remains unrepentant even at the death of the nightingale. He makes a diary entry blaming the brainless bird for her own death. Reproduce that entry in 120 words.

IV Value based Question (100-150 words)

Bring out the element of irony in the poem “The Frog and the Nightingale”. How is the irony a dig at the viciousness and selfishness prevalent in the society?

POETRY

THE FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE

Once upon a time a frog croaked in Bingle Bog every night on a sumac tree.
The animals and birds of the bog hated his hoarse and unpleasant noise.
One night a nightingale came and perched on that sumac tree.
Her melodious voice attracted all the creatures of the bog. They came in flocks to hear her.
The Frog was dumbfounded. He hopped to the nightingale next night.
He introduced himself as the owner of that sumac tee and famous critic of art and music.
He boasted that he had long been famous in the bog for his loud and manly voice.
The nightingale was highly impressed and asked how he liked her song.
The frog replied that it was not very bad. The technique was “fine but it lacked force and strength.
The frog adopted a patronizing attitude. He told her that she couldn’t become a winner without getting his expert guidance and training.
The nightingale felt highly flattered and obliged. She called him Mozart in Disguise.”
He exploited the magical voice of the nightingale to his advantage.
Soon all the animals and birds came to hear her song every night.
The frog imposed entry-tickets and collected a lot of money at the ticketwindow.
The heartless and greedy frog forced her to sing even in rain and cold.
The cruel frog was relentless. He himself started singing with her.
The nightingale was totally tired and exhausted and couldn’t sing anymore.
Her voice became hoarse and she lost the old magical touch.
The animals and birds didn’t find it anymore inspiring and interesting. They stopped coming to listen to her song.
The income at the ticket-window crashed.
The frog became very angry. He advised her to puff up her lungs and sing passionately.
The nightingale tried to sing but one of her veins got burst and she died.
The frog remained unrepentant and showed no sympathy even at her death.
She should have known that “your” song must be “Your own”.
The frog once more sang at night in the frog unrivalled.
Literary Devices in the Poem

(I) Rhyme Scheme
The rhyme scheme of the poem is: aa bb cc dd………

(II) Allusion
The example of allusion is: ‘And you’re Mozart in disguise’.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Why did the nightingale agree to accept the frog as a music critic?
Ans. The nightingale came again the next night and got ready to sing her song.Just then she heard the croaking of the frog. He took pride in saying that he was known from his splendid male voice in the bog. He even composed songs for the musical group, called “Bog Trumpet”. This impressed the nightingale very much.

2. How did the frog appear to the nightingale like a Mozart in disguise?
Ans. The nightingale admitted that there was nothing divine in her song. But she felt proud of her song. It was sweet and pleasant. But the frog was a crafty fellow. He planned to eliminate his rival in the bog. So he pointed out that there was not much to boast about the song. She was a beginner in the art of singing and needed proper training. He assured her to take upon himself the task of imparting training to her. The frog appeared to her like a Mozart in disguise.

3. Describe in your own words in the role of the audience. How did it affect the fate of the nightingale?
Ans. The nightingale had been singing continuously the previous night. She was completely exhausted. She was feeling tired. Her enthusiasm had gone.
There was a gathering of distinguished creatures. They were all eager to listen to the sweet song of the nightingale. They hoped to be delighted by the melody of her song. But a surprising discovery came to light. Her song had turned monotonous and uninspiring. The attendance at the concert fell sharply. This was very discouraging to the nightingale. It affected her fate.

4. What made the nightingale sad and sorrowful?
Ans. Excessive singing made the nightingale pale and sorrowful. The creatures in the bog lost interest in her song because it had become dull and boring. It had lost its previous freshness. The income at the ticket-office fell sharply.

Finding her-self singing all alone the nightingale felt no delight in singing.

VALUE BASED QUESTIONS

1. Describe in your own words the contest between the frog and the nightingale with reference to the following lines:
“In this bog I’ve long been known
For my splendid baritone
And, of course, I wield my pen
For Bog trumpet now and then.”

Ans. The poem the frog and the Nightingale brings about the foolishness of following anybody blindly. It describes a contest between the frog and the nightingale. Both claim to be the best singers. It is true that nightingale sings in a melodious voice. But the bird is credulous and simple-minded. The frog, on the other hand, is a bad singer. His voice is hoarse. He is very cunning and clever. But he feels proud of his singing. He claims that he is the best singer.

He arranges concerts and charges an admission fee and earns a lot of money.

The frog feels jealous of the popularity of the nightingale. He thinks that his singing expresses his hearts elation and his style is unique. He can win favour of many of his listeners. He claims to be a music critic. He takes the nightingale into confidence and makes an evil plan to get rid of her. He makes the nightingale sing excessively and this brings her doom. The result is that the nightingale has to suffer at the hands of the frog, she loses the beauty and sweetness of her voice. Ultimately she dies after she has burst one of her veins. Thus the frog turns out to be Hippocratic, clever and cunning

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

On the basis of your understanding of the poem, complete the sentences given below by choosing the appropriate option. 

Once upon a time a frog
Croaked away in Bingle Bog
Every night from dusk to sawn
He croaked awn and awn and awn.
Other creatures loathed his voice.
But, alas, they had no choice,
And the crass cacophony
Blared out from the sumac tree
At whose foot the frog each night
Minstrelled on till morning light.

(i) ‘Bingle Bog’ refers to
(a) An imaginary place.
(b) An imaginary muddy place.
(c) A city
(d) A dry place
Answer: B

(ii) The repetition of the word ‘awn’ helps convey
(a) The endless quality of the frog’s song.
(b) The jarring effect of the frog’s song.
(c) The sweetness of the frog.
(d) None of the above.
Answer: B

(iii) Other creatures hated the frog’s voice because it was
(a) Monotonous
(b) Dull
(c) Loud and unpleasant.
(d) In monotone.
Answer: C

Neither stones nor prayers nor sticks.
Insults or complaints or bricks
Stilled the frog’s determination
To display his heart’s elation
But one night a nightingale
In the moonlight cold and pale
Perched upon the sumac tree
Casting forth her melody.

(i) All efforts to quieten the frog failed because of the frog’s
(a) Stubbornness
(b) Humility
(c) Deafness
(d) Indifference
Answer: A

(ii) The frog continued to sing as he wanted to
(a) Trouble others
(b) Harass others
(c) Enjoy
(d) Take full pleasure out of his singing.
Answer: D

(iii) The rhyme scheme used here is
(a) abab.
(b) abcd.
(c) abba
(d) aa,bb,cc……
Answer: D

EXTRACT BASED COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 

Read the following extracts and answer and answer the questions:

(1) Dumbstruck sat the gaping frog.
And the whole admiring bog
Stared towards the sumac, rapt,
And when she had ended, clapped,
Ducks had swum and herons waded
To her as he serenaded,
And a solitary loon
Wept, beneath the summer moon.

(i) How did the frog feel when the nightingale sang?
(ii) How was the nightingale’s song heard?
(iii) What does the word ‘serenaded’ mean?
Answers
(i) The frog was dumbfounded when the nightingale sang.
(ii) All creatures heard the nightingale’s song with interest.
(iii) The word ‘serenaded’ means ‘sang sweetly’.

(2) Toads and teals and tiddlers, captured
By her voice cheered on, enraptured:
“Bravo!” “too divine!” “encore!”
So the nightingale once more,
Quite unused to such applause,
Sang till dawn without a pause.

(i) Who praised the nightingale’s song?
(ii) How did the nightingale react when all applauded her?
(iii) What does the word ‘encore’ mean?
Answers
(i) The nightingale’s song was liked by toads and teals.
(ii) The nightingale felt excited at the applause.
(iii) The word ‘encore’ means ‘sing some more’.

(3) “Dearest frog”, the nightingale
Breathed: “this is a fairy tale
And you’re Mozart in disguise
Come to earth before my eyes”.
“Well, I charge a modest fee.”
“Oh!” “But it won’t hurt, you’ll see”.
Now the nightingale inspired.
Flushed with confidence and fired
With both art and adoration.
Sang-and was a huge sensation.

(i) How does the nightingale feel on hearing comments from the frog’?
(ii) What impression do you make of the frog?
(iii) ‘And you’re Mozart in disguise’. What literary device is used here?
Answers
(i) The nightingale seems to feel impressed by the comments from the frog.
(ii) The frog appears to be cunning and greedy.
(iii) The literary device used here is metaphor.

(4) “You must practice even longer
Till your voice, like mine, grown stronger.
In the second song last night.
You got nervous in mid-flight.
And, my dear, lay on more trills
Audiences enjoy such frills.
Yu must make you public happier
Give them something sharper, snapper.
We must aim for better billings.
You still owe me sixty shillings.”

(i) In which mood did the frog speak to the nightingale?
(ii) What was noticed in the song of the nightingale?
(iii) What do the lines tell about the frog?
Answer
(i) The frog spoke to the nightingale in an angry mood.
(ii) The nightingale seemed to have lost confidence in her song.
(iii) These lines tell that the frog is deeply concerned about money.