CBSE Class 10 English Fire and Ice Important Questions Set 02

Long Answer Questions

Question 1. The negative emotions of human beings such as greed and egotism can lead to the end of the world. What advice would Buddha from 'A Sermon at Benares' would give along with Robert Frost to the young generation? Pen down a paragraph in about 120 words.
Answer: Both the Buddha and Robert Frost would warn the young generation about negative emotions. Frost compares desire to fire and hatred to ice, saying that either is enough to destroy the world. The Buddha would add that suffering comes from attachment and selfish desire, and that peace comes only from accepting life as it is. Together, they would advise young people to control greed and ego and to avoid hatred and indifference. They would tell them that wanting too much leads to conflict, while caring for others keeps the world safe. By living with contentment, compassion and self-control, the youth can stop the ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ within them from destroying the world.

Question 2. The world is going to end. This is an often repeated prophecy. Do you think the world will end due to a natural disaster or because of the reasons Frost gives in his poem, Fire and Ice.
Answer: In the poem Fire and Ice, Frost compares fire to all the uncontrolled human desires and ice to the hatred and indifference towards one another. Even though man is destroying nature at an alarming rate, I feel the world will end sooner due to this ‘fire’ and ‘ice’. The internal hatred that man has developed for his fellows will win prize in the destruction of nature and human life. Human together can find solution in case there is calamity, but who will give humans from humans once they at are each other’s necks. Man’s desires are the root cause of all the wars, incessant destruction of nature and pollution. The hatred and animosity among the inhabitants of the earth is increasing. This is what I feel will bring the world to an end. If there is no love and contentment among men and women the world is as good as over.