Maharashtra Board Class 9 English Unit 1 Poem Have you ever seen 1.3 Solutions

Class 9 English Chapter 1.3 Question Answer Maharashtra Board

Have you ever seen...? Poem 9th Std Question Answer

Warming Up:

1. Words that have the same spelling, but differ in meaning when used in different contexts are called homographs. For example,
(a) A temple fair attracts a lot of crowd.
Her performance in the test was fair.
(b) A rose is the king of flowers.
The sun rose with a golden glow.

Question 1. Think of five homographs and list them down. Then write two sentences of your own, to bring out the difference in meaning:
Words that have the same spelling but differ in meaning when used in different contexts are called homographs.
Answer:

🎯 Exam Tip: Identifying homographs demonstrates a strong understanding of vocabulary and contextual usage, which is crucial for reading comprehension and writing accuracy.

2. When words with the same spelling or pronunciation are used in such a way that they convey more than one meaning, the figure of speech involved is called pun. A pun is a play upon words. For example,
A: Hello! How's life?
B: Hell, O! It's a strife.

Question 1. Find other examples of pun with the help of your parents/teacher.
Answer:
Some examples :
1. Where do you find giant snails?
On the ends of giants' fingers.
2. How do turtles talk to each other?
By using shell phones!
3. You can communicate with a fish by dropping it a line.
4. What do you get from a pampered goat?
Spoilt milk.
In simple words: A pun uses a word that sounds similar to another word, or a word that has two different meanings, to create a humorous or clever effect. It's a play on words that often makes you think twice.

🎯 Exam Tip: Recognizing puns shows an appreciation for wordplay and figurative language, adding depth to literary analysis.

3. In poetry, when a question is asked, not to get an answer, but to emphasise a point or fact, it is an example of Interrogation. For example :
When can their glory fade?
Isn't it time for the autumn's glow?

Question 1. From a popular book of poems/the internet, write down 3-4 examples of Interrogation used in poetry.
Answer:
1. If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
2. If you prick us, do we not bleed?
3. What's in a name?
In simple words: Interrogation, also known as rhetorical questioning, is a figure of speech where a question is asked not to elicit an answer, but to emphasize a point or create a dramatic effect. The answer is usually obvious or implied.

🎯 Exam Tip: Identifying rhetorical questions helps students understand how poets use language to persuade, emphasize, and engage the reader's emotions and thoughts.

English Workshop:

Question 1. From each line in the poem, pick out the word that is a homograph. Write its meaning in the context of the phrase used in the poem. Then write the other meaning implied in the question.
Answer:

🎯 Exam Tip: Understanding homographs in poetry enriches appreciation for wordplay and the poem's humor, showing ability to interpret multiple layers of meaning.

Question 1. Write two lines from the poem that you find the most humorous. Justify your choice.
Answer:
1. Can you tickle the ribs of a parasol?
I find this humorous because I can just imagine someone tickling the spokes of an umbrella and trying to get it to respond!
2. Does the needle ever wink its eye?
I find this humorous because I think of myself holding a needle that is winking!
In simple words: The humor in these lines comes from the absurd imagery created by applying human actions or characteristics (tickling, winking) to inanimate objects (parasol, needle), making the reader visualize something silly and impossible.

🎯 Exam Tip: Justifying your choice of humorous lines requires you to connect the literal meaning with the implied absurdity, demonstrating critical thinking about literary devices.

Question 1. Find from the poem, three examples of each:
(a) Interrogation
(b) Pun
(c) Personification
(d) Alliteration
Answer:
(a) Interrogation :
1. Have you seen a sheet on a river bed?
2. Does the needle ever wink its eye?
3. Are the teeth of a rake ever going to bite?

(b) Pun :
1. Has the foot of the mountain any toes?
2. Can you tickle the ribs of a parasol?
3. Have the hands of a clock any left or right?

(c) Personification :
1. Has the foot of the mountain any toes?
2. Does the needle ever wink its eye?
3. Can you tickle the ribs of a parasol?

(d) Alliteration :
1. Or a single hair from a hammer's head?
2. Or open the trunk of a tree at all?
3. And what is the sound of the birch's bark?
In simple words: This question asks you to identify specific literary devices-interrogation (rhetorical questions), pun (wordplay), personification (giving human qualities to objects), and alliteration (repeated initial sounds)-from the poem, showing your ability to analyze poetic language.

🎯 Exam Tip: Accurately identifying figures of speech is a fundamental skill in literary analysis, directly impacting your scores in poetry comprehension questions.

Question 1. Form groups of four or five. Think, discuss and add at least one more stanza, using the same style and devices as the poet has used. It should include homographs, interrogation and the same rhythm and rhyme scheme.
Answer:
Have/Does/Are
Suggested lines for stanzas:
- Do elephants bathe with their trunks on, all in a batch?
- Have scientists created a flea from scratch?
- Are the bees having a house swarming party with honey?
- Did the lion spit out the clown because he tasted funny?
In simple words: This activity encourages creative writing by having students mimic the poet's style, incorporating homographs, rhetorical questions, and the original poem's rhythm and rhyme to create new stanzas.

🎯 Exam Tip: This type of creative application question assesses your understanding of poetic form and devices by challenging you to replicate them, showcasing a deeper engagement with the material.

Question 1. Read the following sentences carefully. Then fill in the blanks using appropriate words from the brackets, to make puns.
(struck, numbered, too tired, developed, put down, homeless, old-fashioned, reaction)
Answer:
1. She had a photographic memory but never developed it.
2. He was struggling to work out how lightning works when it struck him.
3. Every calendar's days are numbered.
4. A bicycle cannot stand on its own because it is too tired.
5. I'm reading a book on anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down the book.
6. I'd tell you a chemistry joke but I know I wouldn't get a reaction.
7. What do you call Watson when Sherlock isn't around? homeless.
8. I would tell a history joke, but it is too old-fashioned.
In simple words: This exercise requires you to complete sentences by choosing words from a given list that create puns, demonstrating your understanding of wordplay where a word has a double meaning that makes the sentence humorous.

🎯 Exam Tip: Successfully completing this task shows strong vocabulary skills and an ability to grasp subtle nuances of language for humorous effect, which can be useful in creative writing.

6. 'Read: 'Alice in Wonderland' - by Lewis Carroll.

Question 1. 'Read: 'Alice in Wonderland' - by Lewis Carroll.
Answer:
In simple words: This is an instruction to read the classic novel 'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll, which is rich in wordplay, imagination, and philosophical themes.

🎯 Exam Tip: Reading classic literature like 'Alice in Wonderland' enhances vocabulary, critical thinking, and appreciation for imaginative narratives, indirectly improving overall language skills.

English Kumarbharati 9th Digest Chapter 1.3 Have you ever seen...? Additional Important Questions and Answers

Read the following poem carefully and complete the activities :

Simple Factual Activity :

Question 1. Fill in the blanks :
(The answers are given directly and underlined.)
The poet wonders if:
1. the teeth of a rake will ever bite.
2. the foot of a mountain has any toes.
3. the ribs of an umbrella can be tickled.
4. there can be a sheet on a river bed.
In simple words: This activity tests your recall of details from the poem, specifically the imaginative questions posed by the poet that use homographs to create a sense of wonder and humor.

🎯 Exam Tip: Factual recall questions ensure you have a basic understanding of the poem's content and its key phrases, forming the foundation for deeper analysis.

Complex Factual Activities :

Question 1. What does the poet want to know about a hammer?
Answer:
The poet asks if anyone has seen a single hair on the head of a hammer.
In simple words: The poet's question about a hammer's "head" having "hair" highlights the use of personification and homographs, playing on the dual meanings of "head" (part of a hammer, and a human body part) and "hair."

🎯 Exam Tip: Questions about specific lines or objects in the poem test your ability to understand the poet's whimsical use of language and identify figures of speech like personification.

Question 2. What is the pun in the word 'plot' here?
Answer:
A plot means 'an evil or wicked plan'. A plot also means an area in a garden or some place. The poet asks how a garden 'plot' (one meaning of the word) can be evil and dark (the other meaning of the word).
In simple words: The pun on 'plot' plays on its two meanings: a secret evil plan and a piece of land, creating humor by personifying the garden plot as capable of wickedness.

🎯 Exam Tip: Explaining a pun like 'plot' requires you to articulate both meanings and how their juxtaposition creates humor or emphasizes a point, a key skill for literary interpretation.

Activities based on Poetic Devices :

Question 1. Find the rhyming words from the poem.
Answer:
- Stanza 1 - bed-head, toes-hose.
- Stanza 2 - eye-fly, parasol-all.
- Stanza 3 - bite-right, dark-bark.
In simple words: The rhyming words listed from each stanza show the consistent rhyme scheme used in the poem, which contributes to its light-hearted and musical quality.

🎯 Exam Tip: Identifying rhyming words is a basic element of poetic analysis that helps in understanding the poem's structure, rhythm, and overall musicality.