CBSE Class 12 English An Elementary School Classroom In A Slum Assignment Set B

CBSE Class 12 English An Elementary School Classroom In A Slum Assignment Set B. Students are advised to refer to the attached assignments and practice them regularly. This will help them to identify their weak areas and will help them to score better in examination. Parents should download and give the assignments to their children for practice.

Stephen Spender (1909-1995) is an English poet and essayist who took active part in politics.

“An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum” by Stephen Spender pictures a classroom in a slum highlighting subtlety the plight of the children and the themes of social injustice and inequalities. The poet uses vivid images and appropriate expression to reflect the difficulties faced by the underprivileged children that is still prevalent in the world of ours.

SUMMARY:

Stanza1: Stephen Spender shows us that the condition of the children in a slum school is pathetic. Their world is far from our healthy, fresh environment. They are like rootless weeds, unwanted and cast out. Their hairs are unkempt and untidy and their faces clearly show the plight of their existence. A particular tall girl is described by the poet. She has a bowed down head which shows the burden of the stressed life she leads. Another boy who is as thin as a paper too has the same under nourished look on his face. He has a scared expression in his eyes. These unlucky children have only acquired diseases and bad luck from their parents. One of them is even not able to get up from his desk to read out the lesson. However, the poet says there is one particular boy who is a little younger than the rest has still his hopes and dreams with him. He waits for the time when he can go out in the open to play. The environment of gloom has not yet engulfed his dreams and hopes.

Stanza2: In the second stanza, the poet describes the classroom which is also dirty and neglected like its inhabitants. The classroom too exhibits an atmosphere of depression and glum. The walls are cream in colour and on them the names of the donors are engraved. A bust of the great poet Shakespeare with a background of a sky is put on. The walls have pictures of splendid Tyrolese valley which is a sharp contrast to the atmosphere of the classroom. There are maps on the walls which show them the harsh world from their classroom windows. Their world presents a future to them which is dark and cruel. The poet brings out a harsh reality of these children. These children are trapped in a hopeless situation and their world is far from the beautiful nature such as rivers, valleys and seas.

Stanza3: Stephen Spender suddenly attacks Shakespeare and calls him ‘wicked.’ He says so because he feels Shakespeare has poisoned the children’s mind by misleading them that their world is beautiful; it has corrupted the young minds which in turn had made them to steal and escape from their confinements. The poet feels deep rooted sadness for the condition of the slum children. The children are so skinny that they seem to be wearing skins. The glasses of the spectacles seem to have been mended several times. The total appearance of the children show their deprivation and under nourished conditions. The poet feels that the classroom should have pictures of huge slums instead of those scenic graphics.

MCQs :

Question. Pick the quote that highlights the contrasting image portrayed in the poem.
(a) The worst form of inequality is to try and make unequal things equal.’
(b) An imbalance between the rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.’
(c) We must work together to ensure equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.’
(d) No amount of artificial reinforcement can offset the natural inequalities of human individual.’

Answer: B

Question. A child in the slum experiencing the dreary life would have the least access to
(a) shelter.
(b) information.
(c) water.
(d) education.

Answer: B

Question. Choose the quote that best describes the poet’s attitude to education in the poem ‘ The Elementary School Classroom in a Slum;
(a) The cure of boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity-Dorothy Parker
(b) Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever-Mahatma Gandhi
(c) Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela
(d) The highest result of education is tolerance. Hellen Keller

Answer: C

Question. Pick phrases that portray ‘poverty and hopelessness’ in the poem.
1. slag heap
2. spectacles of steel
3. gusty waves
4. run azure on gold sands
5. mended glass
6. squirrel’s game
7. language is the sun
(a) 2, 4 and 7
(b) 1, 3 and 5
(c) 3, 4 and 6
(d) 1, 2 and 5

Answer: D

Question. Based on the poem, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.
Statement 1: The poet is in anguish at the plight of the children in slums and is sympathetic towards them.
Statement 2: The poet presents an exaggerated version of the struggles of the slum children, to garner sympathy.
(a) Statement 1 is true but Statement 2 is false.
(b) Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is true.
(c) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are true.
(d) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred

Answer: A

Question. Which pair of concepts is explored in this poem?
(a) Old people and children
(b) Nature and artifice
(c) Education and ignorance
(d) Power and powerlessness

Answer: D

Question. The metaphor ‘lead sky’, is used by Stephen Spender to bring out
(a) the image of sky-high constructions in the slum.
(b) a response to death and destruction.
(c) the strong dreams and aspirations of the children.
(d) a sense of hopelessness and despair.

Answer: D

Question. Spender’s use of imagery in “His eyes live in a dream, of squirrel game, in tree room, other than this”, brings out
(a) the similarity between the frail bodies of a squirrel and the children in the classroom.
(b) the contrast between studying in the dreary classroom and playing outside freely.
(c) the comparison of the dingy home of the squirrel and the dreary classroom.
(d) the difference between the games of the squirrel and those of the children

Answer: B

Question. From the first stanza of the poem ,where the poet describe the students of the elementary school classroom in a slum, which of the following can be inferred?
(a) The students do not pay attention in some way
(b) The students are all damaged in some way
(c) The students feel difficulty to manage in class
(d) The students are new and struggling to cope

Answer: B

Assertion Reasoning Type Questions:

Question. A: The small boy is dreaming of squirrel‘s game.
R: The boy is not interested in the lesson as it is boring.
(a) A is true but B is false
(b) A is false but B is true
(c) Both A and B are true but B is the correct explanation of A
(d) Both A and B are true but B is not the correct explanation of A

Answer: D

Question. A: The classroom walls are painted in ‗sour cream‘
R: The colour symbolizes the bleak future of the slum children.
(a) Both A and B are true but B is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and B are true but B is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is false but B is true
(d) A is true but B is false

Answer: A

Question. The following words show that the children suffer from acute malnutrition‘:
1. Stunted 2. Twisted bones 3.paper-seeming 4.skin peeped through
(a) 1 and 2 are true
(b) 2 and 3 are true
(c) 3 and 4 are true
(d) All are true.

Answer: D

Question. Statement 1: The slum children were like bottle bits of stones.
Statement 2: The slum children were thin and weak but look beautiful.
(a) 1 is true but 2 is false
(b) 1 is false but 2 is true
(c) Both 1 and 2 are true but 2 is the correct explanation of 1
(d) Both 1 and 2 are true but 2 is not the correct explanation of 1

Answer: C

Question. A: Ships, Sun and love tempt the children to steal
R: The slum children have the tendency to steal.
(a) A is true but B is false
(b) A is false but B is true
(c) Both A and B are true but B is the correct explanation of A
(d) Both A and B are true but B is not the correct explanation of A

Answer: A

Question. A: The slum children should be taken to the green fields outside.
R: The slum children were forced to stay inside the classroom.
(a) B is the explanation of A
(b) A is the explanation B
(c) A is the problem and B is the solution
(d) B is the problem while A is the solution

Answer: D

Question. A: The poet wants the children to break barriers and be free.
R: The poet doesn‘t want them to be superstitious.
(a) Both A and B are true but B is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and B are true but B is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is false but B is true
(d) A is true but B is false

Answer: D

Question. A: The slum children consider Shakespeare wicked.
R: The slum children are evil and they have malice against him.
(a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is false but R is true
(d) A is true but R is false

Answer: D

Question. A: The stunted unlucky heir of twisted bones is reciting a father‘s gnarled disease.
R: The boy has been born with polio.
(a) A is true but B is false
(b) A is false but B is true
(c) Both A and B are true but B is the correct explanation of A
(d) Both A and B are true but B is not the correct explanation of A

Answer: C

Question. A: The slum children‘s faces are like rootless weeds and their hair unkempt.
R: The slum children were malnourished.
(a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is false but R is true
(d) A is true but R is false

Answer: A

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