CBSE Class 10 English Fog Important Questions Set 02

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. What does 'Fog' tell us about the speaker's relationship with nature? Support your answer with an example from the text.
Answer: In the poem “Fog”, the speaker comes across as a very observant person. He is able to connect two diverse things from nature: the movement of the fog and a cat. It tells us about his poetic prowess and ability to forge metaphors.

Question 2. Can the poem “Fog” be treated as an extended metaphor?
Answer: Yes, the poem "Fog" is an extended metaphor in nature. The poet has beautifully compared this natural phenomenon of ‘fog’ with the sneaky animal ‘cat’. The stealthy movements of a cat are similar to those of fog. It enters the city silently and stealthily, like a cat entering a place on its ‘little feet, without making any noise. Moreover, Fog stays silently over the city and its harbour for some time, like a cat looking over a place while sitting on its ‘haunches’ quietly for some time.

Question 3. Develop the idea of nature as presented in the poem.
Answer: The poem compares the arrival of fog to the feeling of a smooth, grey blanket covering the city and muffling sounds to create a sense of quiet and tranquilly. The poem explores the idea that fog has the ability to conceal reality and transform the familiar into the strange. The poem focuses on how nature has the power to transform us and impact our perceptions and emotions.

Question 4. What effect does the short structure of the poem Fog have on its meaning? (CBSE Practice Set - 1, 2023)
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 5. How does the poet challenges the conventional view of fog through the lines of the poem?
Answer: Fog is usually seen as gloomy, cold or even dangerous. Sandburg instead presents it as a gentle cat that comes silently, sits looking over the harbour and the city and then moves on. He makes the fog appear soft, quiet and even pleasant.

Question 6. What insights or observations about life or the natural world can be derived from the poet's portrayal of the fog?
Answer: The fog comes, stays for a short while and then moves on. This suggests that everything in nature and in life is temporary. It also shows that nature moves quietly and gracefully, and that a careful observer can find beauty in ordinary things.

Question 7. How does the poet use language and imagery to create a sense of tranquility and mystery in the poem?
Answer: The poet uses the metaphor of a cat — ‘little cat feet’ and ‘silent haunches’. The short, simple lines and soft sounds create a calm rhythm. The fog’s quiet arrival and sudden departure give the poem a sense of tranquillity and mystery.

Question 8. Does this poem have a rhyme scheme? Poetry that does not have an obvious rhythm or rhyme is called ‘free verse’.
Answer: No, this poem is not having a rhyme-scheme. It’s written in a ‘free verse’.

Question 9. Along with the silence, which two other characteristics of fog does the poem present?
Answer: Along with its silence, the poem highlights the stealthy movement of the fog and its ability to surround a harbour and city slowly and gradually. It comes noiselessly as if walking on soft padded feet just like a cat. Secondly, it spreads all over the harbour and the city at the same time, implying that it engulfs large areas.

Question 10. The short length of the poem makes it all the more effective. Comment.
Answer: The length of the poem, ‘Fog’, makes it more interesting. Within a few words the poet has presents the appearance and disappearance of huge fog. Just like the short length of the poem, the fog also stays for a very short duration. This natural phenomenon has been portrayed without any details. And still the poem is picturesque. The economy of language makes the meaning compact and imagery a stunning graphic.

Question 11. How does the poet capture the stealthy, sneaky movements of the fog?
Answer: The poet emphasizes the stealthy and sneaky movement of the fog by showing that its arrival, stay and disappearance are silent and imperceptible like those of a cat. It comes on the ‘little cat feet’ which are padded and soft making no sound of footsteps. It hangs over the city silently like a cat sitting on its hunches and it retreats as silently and stealthily as it came without anybody noticing its appearance.

Question 12. How does the poet emphasise the silence of the city and the harbour?
Answer: Although the poem ‘Fog’ has a city and harbour as its perspective, no activities and no sounds are a part of the scene. The city and the town are portrayed to be shrouded in fog which hovers over the place for some time and then disappears. The silence of the city is not disturbed by the fog as it arrives, lingers on, and then retreats quietly and stealthily. The poem is like a still life painting of the fog-covered city and harbour.

Long Answer Questions

Question 1. ‘Nothing lasts forever’. How far does the poem ‘Fog’ depict this idiom?
Answer: The fog in the poem makes a silent but all-pervasive entry on the scene. It gives no indication of its temporary nature at this stage. Its silent arrival, as if on cat feet, does not indicate its onward spread. It seems to be surrounding the entire countryside like a cat sitting on its haunches, indicating a mysterious aura without exposing its next move. The reader anticipates some dramatic outcome of this all-pervasive presence from the harbour right down to the city. In the final outcome, the fog makes a silent exit, as secretively as its arrival. The entire drama seems to suggest that even the most engulfing of circumstances is but temporary in nature.

Question 2. Difficulties come in life but they are not bound to stay forever. They are transient—they come and go. Comment, referring to the poem ‘Fog’ and Lencho’s life in ‘A Letter to God’. What did he do in the face of crisis? How did he overcome the crisis?
Answer: Carl Sandburg’s fog can be read as a symbol of the difficulties people face, which cloud their vision. It takes a lot of courage to overcome any problem. Problems in life cloud our vision and we sometimes give up hope of solving them. If we take a clue from the poem, we will realise that just as fog is not permanent, difficulties also come and go. Lencho, a farmer in ‘A Letter to God’, had been waiting for rain. Unexpectedly, the welcome rain changed into a hailstorm as a strong wind began to blow. Lencho’s field was covered with hail and looked white, as if covered with salt. When the hail stopped, Lencho was disappointed to see that the whole crop was destroyed. He was heartbroken.
With immense faith, Lencho wrote a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos. His unquestioning faith, rewarded by the kind postmaster and his colleagues, helped him face the crisis.

Question 3. ‘Nothing lasts forever.’ How far does Carl Sandburg in the poem ‘Fog’ depict this idiom? Does W.B. Yeats follow the same thought in the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’?
Answer: The fog in the poem makes a silent but all-pervasive entry on the scene. It gives no indication of its temporary nature at this stage. Its silent arrival, as if on cat feet, does not indicate its onward spread. It seems to be surrounding the entire countryside like a cat sitting on its haunches, indicating a mysterious aura without exposing its next move. The reader anticipates some dramatic outcome of this all-pervasive presence from the harbour right down to the city. In the final outcome, the fog makes a silent exit, as secretively as its arrival. The entire drama seems to suggest that even the most engulfing of circumstances is but temporary in nature.
W.B. Yeats, in the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’, conveys a similar thought: we should give importance to inner beauty and not to physical appearance, for physical charm is temporary and disappears with time. Inner beauty is not fickle; it is lasting, and even God loves the goodness in human beings rather than their external charm.

Question 4. Imagine you are a resident of the city described in the poem. Write a diary entry detailing your experience of the fog's arrival and departure. How does the fog's presence affect your mood and surroundings?
Answer: 12 May 20XX, Monday 5 p.m.
Dear Diary,
Today was a fascinating day! The fog came to our city, moving like little cat feet. As I looked out of my window, I saw the world covered in a soft mist, and it felt like a magical place. My soul was filled with calmness as I saw the view. The fog sat over the harbour and city, and everything appeared surreal.
It was like a cosy blanket wrapping around the city. The fog gradually dissipated over the day, and the city continued its busy routine. As the magical fog vanished, I couldn't help but feel a little sad, but I know it would return. I will always remember this incredible day when the fog visited our city, making everything dreamy.
Abc

Question 5. "Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles." - Charlie Chaplin Relate this quote with reference to the theme of the poem.
Answer: Charlie Chaplin's words remind us that everything in life, good or bad, is temporary. The poem 'Fog' presents the same idea through nature. The fog comes silently 'on little cat feet', spreads over the harbour and the city, and sits there for a while like a cat on its silent haunches. For some time, it hides everything and makes the city look grey and dull. But it does not stay forever; it simply 'moves on'.
Our troubles are like this fog. They arrive quietly, cover our lives for a while and make everything seem gloomy, but they too pass with time. Just as the city becomes clear again once the fog lifts, our lives become bright again after difficult phases. The poem thus teaches us to be patient in hard times, since nothing, not even our troubles, is permanent.

Question 6. "Nothing is permanent except change." -Heraclitus Evaluate your understanding of the poem by explaining it in relation to the given quote.
Answer: Heraclitus says that nothing is permanent except change. The poem ‘Fog’ illustrates this idea beautifully. The fog comes silently on little cat feet and covers the harbour and the city. It sits looking over them for a while and then moves on. Its presence is only temporary, and the scene keeps changing.
Life is similar. Happy and sad moments come and go, just like the fog. We should not cling to good times or lose hope in bad times, because both will pass. The poem teaches us to accept change calmly, as nature does.

Question 7. You have been chosen to address a student gathering from the neighbourhood schools, to speak on the theme of impermanence and the transient nature of life. Prepare the speech draft in not more than 120 words, with reference to the commonality of themes in the Ball Poem and Fog. You may begin this way: Good morning, everyone. Today, let's explore two amazing poems that teach us about life's changes... You may end this way. To conclude, these poems remind us ______ Thank you
Answer: Good morning, everyone.
Today, let's explore two amazing poems that teach us about life's changes. In ‘The Ball Poem’, a boy loses his ball in the harbour and learns that things will be lost and money cannot buy them back. In ‘Fog’, the fog comes on little cat feet, sits over the city for a while and then moves on.
Both poems show that nothing stays forever — not our possessions, not even the weather. The boy must learn to stand up after his loss, and the fog teaches us that every moment passes.
To conclude, these poems remind us to value what we have, accept change gracefully and keep moving forward.
Thank you.

Question 8. How is the poem ‘Fog’ an example of extended metaphor?
Answer: The small, six-lined poem ‘Fog’ by Carl Sandburg is a beautiful example of an extended metaphor. The poet narrates the arrival and departure of the fog on the harbour and the city. The coming of the fog, its stay, and its departure are expressed through a comparison in a metaphorical way to the movements of the cat. The fog comes down quietly like a cat moving on its little, padded feet without making any noise. The fog shrouds the harbor and the city. The fog lingers on for some time as if looking at the city and the harbor just as a cat sits on its haunches looking around. After some time, the fog disappears again silently just as a cat, and after sitting for some time, goes away. Thus, the whole poem is an extended metaphor as the movements of the fog are compared to the movements of a cat.