CBSE Class 10 English Dust of Snow Worksheet

Dust of Snow

Dust of Snow is a beautiful poem written by the famous American poet Robert Frost. It depicts a simple moment, but it has great significance. The poem is set on a wintry day. The snow is falling heavily. The poet is depressed and has lost all hope. He is sitting under a hemlock tree. A small natural incident changes his sad mood into a happy mood. The poem teaches us that one should never be desperate and hopeless. There is always scope for a change.

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree.

Question. Where do you think the poet was then?
Answer.The poet was under the hemlock tree.

Question. The crow and the hemlock are considered as ________symbols of nature.
i. positive ii. negative iii. Pleasant
Answer.Negative

Question. What did the crow do to the hemlock tree?
Answer.The crow shook the hemlock tree.

Question. What is the rhyme scheme of the given stanza?
Answer.abab

2.Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Question. What do you understand by the word ‘rued’?
Answer. ‘Rued’ means held in regret

Question. How did the poet’s mood change?
Answer.The falling of snow on the poet had changed his mood.

Question. What had the poet thought of the day?
Answer.The poet had thought that it was a bad day. He was sad and depressed.

Question. Name the poet and the poem?
Answer.The poet is Robert Frost and the poem is ‘Dust of Snow’. 

Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Question. According to the extract, a ______ was sitting on a _____ tree.
Fill with correct choice.
(a) cuckoo, hemlock
(b) pigeon, banyan
(c) crow, hemlock
(d) parrot, mango
Answer. (c) crow, hemlock

Question. Why didn’t the poet pick better example as of an oak tree or a nightingale bird?
(1) Crow represents dark and foreboding similar to poet’s sad mood.
(2) Hemlock is a poisonous tree that can be marked as a symbol of regret.
(3) Nightingale is a sad and gloomy bird.
(4) Oak tree is expressed in depressed state while the poet was happy.
(5) Poet was sad and regretful.
(a) (1), (2) and (5)
(b) (2) and (4)
(c) Only (1)
(d) (3) and (5)
Answer. (a) (1), (2) and (5)

Question. What does the dust of snow stand for?
(a) Beauty and Happiness
(b) Resilience and Satisfaction
(c) Defence and Strength
(d) Gloom and Sadness
Answer. (a) Beauty and Happiness

Question. Which option lists who is speaking these lines?
(a) Robert Klein
(b) Robert Frost
(c) Leslie Norris
(d) John Berryman
Answer. (b) Robert Frost

Question. Pick the option that best captures the irony of the poem Dust of Snow.
(a) The Nature and its elements.
(b) The Crow and poisonous Hemlock.
(c) Dust of Snow and poet’s Happy Mood.
(d) Poisonous Hemlock and the medicinal Rue.
Answer. (d) Poisonous Hemlock and the medicinal Rue.

Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Question. The poet says A change of mood. What does it mean in this extract?
(a) He was happy but as the snow fell on him, he turned sad and ill.
(b) He was busy with his work and the crow was annoying him.
(c) He sat by the poisonous Hemlock tree and turned gloomier.
(d) He was sad initially but the snow changed his mood.
Answer. (d) He was sad initially but the snow changed his mood.

Question. How does the poet feel as the dust of snow falls on him, according to the extract?
(1) Refreshed and eager to work.
(2) Ready to utilize the later part of the day.
(3) Energized and excited to play in snow.
(4) Happy and cheerful.
(5) Depressed and gloomy.
(a) (1), (2) and (5)
(b) (2) and (4)
(c) Only (1)
(d) (3) and (5)
Answer. (b) (2) and (4)

Question. Which word f rom the extract is synonymous to ‘regret’ or ‘remorse’?
(a) Mood
(b) Change
(c) Rued
(d) Crow
Answer. (c) Rued

Question. The use of different elements of nature as the Crow and the Hemlock tree in the poem, depicts that the poet is _____.
(a) nature hater
(b) curious observer
(c) nature lover
(d) gloomy poet
Answer. (c) nature lover

Question. What do we learn from the poem?
(a) Destructive power of Nature.
(b) Curative power of Clouds.
(c) Exciting power of Snow.
(d) Curative power of Nature.
Answer. (d) Curative power of Nature.

Short Answer Questions :

Question. What mood of the poet is reflected in the poem?
Answer.The poet seems to be in a sad and depressive mood. The day offered no comfort or happiness to him. He thinks that the whole day is going to be sad and dull. He can see only negative symbols like the hemlock tree and the crow around him.

Question. What do the crow, hemlock tree and dust of snow represent in the poem?
Answer.The crow is black and ugly. It is not considered as a pleasant sight. It is a symbol of bad omen. The hemlock tree is a poisonous plant with white flowers. It is a symbol of sorrow. The poet chose the crow and the hemlock tree to present his sadness and depression.

Question. In the poem ‘Dust of Snow’, how does the poet’s mood get changed? 
Answer. While sitting under a tree, dust of snow falls on the poet. This seemingly upsetting incident changed the mood of the poet. He realized that he had just wasted a part of his day repenting, rather he could have utilized the same in doing some productive activity.

Long Answer Question :

Question. It is our attitude towards a situation that makes it positive or negative. Do you agree with it? Express your views with reference to the poem ‘Dust of Snow’.
Answer. It is true that our attitude towards a problem plays an important role in making it positive or negative. Most of the people in today’s world live a stressful life. They face different types of problems in day to day life. A person can neither keep away from problems completely nor find solutions for them easily. But what makes the situation worse is one’s attitude towards the problems. If we are depressed or sad the whole environment becomes gloomy. But if we are ready to face the problem bravely and positively, it helps in solving the problem also.
The poet in the poem Dust of Snow was in a sorrowful mood. He felt that the whole day was going to be gloomy. But when a crow shook down snowflakes on him, his bitter mood changed into an optimistic one. This small, regular incident wiped away his gloom and made him cheerful. He could have become unhappy when such a thing occurred. But instead of seeing the negative aspect of the incident, he took a positive vibe from it. Thus the the poem teaches us to find happiness from small things and to take everything positively.

Question. A simple moment proves to be very significant and saves the rest of the day of the poet from being wasted.
Explain on the basis of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’. 
Answer.The poet, Robert Frost tries to convey that even simple and ordinary incidents have great significance in our life. Nothing is good or bad. It is only our thinking that makes it so. Best things in life are free of cost. Life is full of problems and obstacles. We should try to solve them rather than sitting and regretting. Some times even the unimportant things change the meaning of life. A simple action of a crow, who shook off the dust of snow on the poet, taught him a great lesson. The poet realized that he had wasted his day in repenting rather than doing some useful activity. He understood how to take adverse season in stride and work for a better life.

Unseen Passage Class 10 English

1. Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions that follow

Worried govt suspends onion exports till Jan 15 as rates double in retail markets The government on Monday was forced to suspend onion exports till January 15 as retail prices of the vegetable skyrocketed to as much as Rs 70-90 a kg in the Capital. It is feared that the rates may soar to Rs 100 per kg in the near future. A supply crunch and a lack of farsightedness on part of the government has forced Delhiites and the rest of the nation to pay through the nose for a bagful of onions.

Prices of the vegetable have been steadily shooting up in the past few weeks. Onion prices — which were already high at Rs 30-40 a kg — have now doubled to `80-90 a kg in retail markets in the Capital in the past four days. This was mainly because exports were allowed to continue despite a decline in the supply caused by unseasonal rains in the country’s onion-growing regions of Maharashtra, Gujarat and the southern states. Trade sources said onions were being exported to Dubai, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The Centre is acutely aware of the fact that soaring onion prices had brought down one government in the past when consumers gave vent to their anger at the polling booths. So on Monday, it took hasty steps to rein in the rocketing rates. It asked regulating agency Nafed to stop giving fresh clearances to onion exporters.

1. The main reason for the soaring price of onion is
A. Decreased production
b.onions exported
c. black marketing
d. Government policy

2. The word skyrocket means
A. increase rapidly
B. missile
C. decrease rapidly
D. increase proportionately

3. How does consumers vent out their anger
a. by not buying onions
b. using less onions
c. at polling
d. taking out protest marches

4. To which countries were onions being exported?
a. Pakistan. Bangladesh and Britain
b. Dubai, Srilanka and Bangladesh
c. Southern states
d.Dubai and Srilanka

5.What steps are taken by government to combat the issue?
a. arrested black marketers
b. imported Onions
c. export stopped
d. held public meetings

Dust of Snow —Robert Frost

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Question. Who is the poet of this poem?
(a) W. B. Yeats
(b) T. S. Eliot
(c) Robert Frost
(d) Shakespeare
Answer: (c)

Question. What change does the poet mention here?
(a) change of cloth
(b) change of mood
(c) change of house
(d) none of these
Answer: (b)

Question. Which word from the extract means ‘held in regret’?
(a) saved
(b) rued
(c) changed
(d) day
Answer: (b)

Question. The major part of the day had been spent by the poet in ______.
(a) delight
(b) regret
(c) merriment
(d) meditation
Answer: (d)

Question. Who is responsible for the change of poet’s mood?
(a) dust
(b) storm
(c) dust of snow
(d) birds
Answer: (c)

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Question. Who shook down the hemlock tree?
(a) crow
(b) cuckoo
(c) mynah
(d) parrot
Answer: (a)

Question. What fell on the poet?
(a) Dust of wind
(b) Dust of rain
(c) Dust of storm
(d) Dust of snow
Answer: (d)

Question. The crow and Hemlock tree symbolize ____.
(a) Sorrow
(b) Happiness
(c) Celebration
(d) Death
Answer: (a)

Question. What was there in the tree at that time?
(a) owl
(b) parrot
(c) snow
(d) rain
Answer: (c)

Question. What is the rhyme scheme of the given stanza?
(a) aabb
(b) babb
(c) abba
(d) abab
Answer: (d)

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Question. Why does the mood of the poet change?
Answer: The mood of the poet changes because he saw a crow sitting on a hemlock tree shook off the dust of snow on him. Thus, the falling of dust of snow changed his mood.

Question. What does the poet mean when he says and saved some part of the day?
Answer: The poet has saved some part of the day as he did not waste the time in repenting and regretting.

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Question. How does the poet observe nature in the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’?
Answer: The poet observed nature as a positive medium of change for him. The poet had been the sorrowful and depressive mood throughout the poem. But then a crow shook snow dust off and this changed his mood. Nature gave him the inspiration to be positive and optimistic.

Question. What side of nature do ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent?
Answer: ‘Crow’ is a black, harsh-voiced bird and ‘hemlock’ is a tree with poisonous bitter fruit. Both the crow and hemlock represent dark, depressive, sorrowful and bitter side of nature.

Question. Describe the scene in the poem ‘Dust and Snow’.
Answer: The poet is standing under a hemlock tree with a lot of sadness in his heart. A cross on the tree shakes off some snow onto the poet. This makes the poet shake off the sadness and save the day from being morose and full of sadness.

Question. Explain the symbols used in the poem ‘Dust and Snow’.
Answer: The hemlock tree depicts the poet’s heart. The crow’s shake is needed to remove the dust of snow, which is the sadness in the poet’s heart.

Question. What is the gist of the poem ‘Dust and Snow’?
Answer: The poem shows us that sometimes even a small incident may prove to be of a larger significance. Like the crow shakes off the dust of snow from the tree, the poet also shakes off his sorrow and changes his mood for the day.

Question. Where do you think the poet was? What happened to him?
Answer: The poet was once under a hemlock tree. He was in a sad mood. The weather was very cold since it had been snowing. Soon a crow came. It shooked the dust of snow on the poet. This signaled a change of mood in him.

Question. What happened when the dust of snow fell on the poet? What mood was the poet in before it?
Answer: The crow sat on the tree. The dust of Snow began shaking and then it fell on the poet. When the dust of snow fell on the poet, his mood underwent a change. Earlier he was a in a sad mood, but this fall changed it into a joyful mood.

Question. In the poem ‘Dust of Snow’, how does the poet’s mood changed?
Answer: The falling of the dust of snow changes his mood completely. He was initially feeling sad but when he saw the dust of snow falling, his perspective changed. He then started taking it in a positive way and started appreciating the beauty of nature. He considered that the fall signaled something good and full of joy. Thus, he felt his mood getting brighter and he started thinking of the day in positivity ahead.