CBSE Class 10 English Fog Assignment Set 02

Short Answer Type Questions
 

Question. What effect does the short structure of the poem Fog have on its meaning?
Answer: The short and precise nature of the poem creates a clear and focused message. It conveys the simplicity of the fog’s presence. The concise structure allows for vivid and impactful visual imagery. Each line presents a distinct image, such as the fog sitting “looking over harbour and city” or “on silent haunches.” Each visual image depicted contributes to the overall mood and atmosphere of the poem.

Question. ‘The fog comes on little cat feet’
How does the poet compare the fog with the cat? Which poetic device is used here?
Answer: The poet compares the fog to a cat as just like a cat the fog comes on its little cat feet and seems to settle over the city on its silent haunches. A personification is used here, the fog is personified as a cat.

Question. What are the three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat?
                                                  Or
Does the poet actually say that the fog is like a cat? Find three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat.
Answer: The three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat, are that the fog comes on little cat feet, it looks quietly over the harbour and the city and moves on silent haunches.

Question. With what does the poet compare the fog ?
Answer: The poet compares fog to a cat. The fog comes suddenly and stealthily just like the little feet of a cat. It looks over harbour and city on its haunches, just as a cat looks over sitting with knees bent (haunches). And then like a cat the fog moves on soon, because a cat does not stay in one place for long.

Question. What is the message of the poem ‘Fog’ ?
Answer: The poem ‘Fog’ by Carl Sandburg describes fog in a simple yet interesting way. He describes the fog, as if it were a cat. When it is foggy and things around us cannot be seen clearly, one should be patient and must not give up because the fog disappears as suddenly it comes.
Similarly, the difficulties in life are like the fog, meaning unpredictable. They come suddenly, stay for some time, cause discomfort but then one day, they too disappear. This is the message that the poet is trying to convey through the poem.

Question. Why has the fog been compared to a cat ?
Answer: The fog comes all of a sudden without any warning, similarly, a cat too walks in silently and softly.
A cat stops, lingers on, looks around and then suddenly disappears. You can never tell what a cat will do next. The fog too spreads and engulfs the whole area, hangs over for sometime and then moves on. Both of them are unpredictable and therefore the comparison is apt.

Question. How does the poet describe the fog as if it were a living being ?
Answer: The poet uses ‘metaphor’ and assumes the fog to be a cat. He says that the fog comes on little cat feet and sits looking over the harbour and the city on its haunches, a position a cat usually sits in, and then moves on.

Question. How does the poet compare fog to a living being?
Answer: The poet compares the fog to a cat. The silent steps of a cat and the way it sits on its haunches, is very similar to the way fog comes and surrounds the city and looks over it.

Question. What image does the poet give to the fog? What are the similarities between that image and fog?
Answer: The poet looks at fog as a living creature and compares it to a cat. The fog moves like a cat on little cat feet and sits on haunches like a cat.

Question. Explain the nature of fog.
Answer: The fog arrives silently and covers the city. But it is temporary and has a fickle state. As a result, it does not stay at one place for long. After engulfing the entire city for some time, it moves away like a cat.
 

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. “Difficulties do come in our lives, but they are not there to stay forever.” Comment on this statement with reference to the poem ‘Fog’ by Carl Sandburg.
Answer: When people face difficulties in their lives, at the end, these problems tend to leave them hopeless and shattered. It takes a lot of courage for anyone to overcome their problems and to even try to solve it. But if we take a lesson from this poem ‘Fog’ and compare our difficulties to a fog, we find that just like a fog, the difficulties also come and go. They are not a permanent resident in our lives and hence, don’t stay forever.
There is no need for us to become hopeless and lose courage when are faced with problems. We should rather try to think of those difficulties or problems as a fog, meaning that think of it as something that has not come to stay for long, but something will always leave, like every other bad period of our lives.

Question. Nature has many wonders that people take for granted and never pay attention to. How is the poem ‘Fog’ different from this perspective?
Answer: The poet has taken utmost pleasure in nature and natural phenomenon like fog. Fog is so special to the poet that he cared enough not only to write about it, but also thinks of its resemblance with other things in the world. In his close attention to fog, he found fog resembles a cat, in the way it moves and sits on its haunches. The fact that such a resemblance was found by the poet shows how connected he is to various things in nature. This poem serves as a motivation for people, who take nature for granted to find such interesting comparisons and similarities around them.
 

Extract Based Questions

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Question. The fog arrives and departs _____.
(a) by announcing its arrival
(b) silently
(c) loudly
(d) Both (a) and (c)
Answer: (b) silently

Question. Which image does the poet give to the fog? What are the similarities between that image and fog? Answer in about 40 words.
Answer: The poet looks at fog as a living creature and compares it to a cat. The fog covers a place suddenly and disappears in the same manner just like the coming and going of a cat. The fog remains over any area like a cat sitting by folding its knees. Just like a cat that cannot sit and relax in one place, the fog is also a temporary visitor to a place. Both move on after some time.

Question. Identify the figure of speech is prominent in the poem ‘Fog’ _____.
Answer: The figure of speech prominent in the poem ‘Fog’ is metaphor.

Question. What is fog doing?
Answer: Fog is sitting silently and watching over the harbour and city.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Question. In the given extract, the poet uses the poetic device, _____ in which one line runs onto another without any punctuation mark.
Answer: Enjambment

Question. What is the significance of the use of the word “silent” to describe the fog in the poem and how does this word choice contribute to the overall mood and tone of the poem?
Answer: The fog sneaks in slyly and quietly enveloping the entire harbour and the city. It sits on ‘silent haunches’ like a cat observing life around it and then moves on. Fog is personified by Carl Sandsberg and its movement and conduct are compared to a cat.

Question. The poet has used the poetic device ‘transferred epithet’ in the third line. What does the poet wish to emphasize?
(a) The sneaky movement of the fog and those of a cat.
(b) The purring of the fog and the cat.
(c) The fluffiness of the fog and a cat’s fur.
(d) The playfulness of the fog and a cat.
Answer: (a) The sneaky movement of the fog and those of a cat.

Question. Comment on the poet’s use of language in these lines.
Answer: The poet uses a common weather occurrence and an ordinary cat for comparison and uses the commonality of their movements in a striking manner using consonance, enjambment and personification. The choice of words is simple but effective because it pops up vivid images or visuals.