CBSE Class 10 English The Ball Poem Worksheet

The Ball Poem

GIST
The poet is talking about a little boy who has lost his ball. He was playing with his ball. The ball skipped from his hand and went into the nearby water body. The poet says that this sight of the boy losing his favorite ball made him think about the boy and his reaction to this situation. He further says that the boy was helplessly looking into the water where his ball had gone. He was sad and was trembling with fear. He got so immersed in his sorrow that he kept standing near the harbor for a very long time and kept on looking for his ball. The poet says that he could console him that he may get new balls or he could also give him some money to buy another ball. But he stops himself from doing so because he thinks that the money may bring a new ball but will not bring the memories and feelings attached to the lost ball. He further says that the time has come for the boy to learn his responsibilities.
Here the poet wants to say that now the boy will learn the toughest lesson of life. The lesson of accepting the harsh realities of life that one day we will lose our loved ones and our loved things.

Read the following extracts and answer the questions/complete the sentences that follow :

1. The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up.

Question. Find the word from the passage which means same as 'study of knowledge'.
(i) intrude
(ii) epistemology
(iii) possession
(iv) rigid
Answer.(ii) epistemology

Question. The boy has lost .......... .
(i) a ball
(ii) a bat
(iii) a bag
(iv) a bottle
Answer. (i) a ball

Question. The lost of ball has taught the boy the ................... of responsibility.
(i) idea
(ii) pain
(iii) lesson
(iv) sense
Answer.(iv) sense

2. An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy 
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down.
All his young days in to the harbour where
His ball bent I would not intrude on him,
A dime another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a words of possessions.

Question. The boy feels .................. and stands rigid because he is thinking about his days when he was young.
(i) troubled
(ii) happy
(iii) sorry
(iv) helpless
Answer.(i) troubled

Question. The boy is in grief because his ball has been .................. .
(i) stolen
(ii) misplaced
(iii) broken
(iv) lost
Answer.(iv) lost

Question. Who senses his first responsibility in ?
(i) The girl
(ii) The boy
(iii) The poet
(iv) The reader
Answer.(ii) The boy

Question. The poet does not offer to give him the new ball because he wants to teach him the value of ................ .
(i) duty
(ii) authority
(iii) responsibility
(iv) money
Answer.(iii) responsibility

3. I would not intrude on him, 
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He sense first responsibility
In a world of possessions.

Question. About which sense is mentioned in the lines ?
(i) possessiveness
(ii) responsibility
(iii) knowledge
(iv) sharing
Answer.(ii) responsibility

Question. Give antonym of word ‘responsibility’.
(i) freedom
(ii) duty
(iii) irresponsibility
(iv) non responsibility
Answer.(iii) irresponsibility

Question. Who does not want to intrude on him ?
(i) The poet
(ii) The boy
(iii) Boy’s friend
(iv) Boy’s mother
Answer. (i) The poet

Question. A world of possessions means ....................... .
(i) world of deception
(ii) world of fantasy
(iii) world of materialism
(iv) world of reality
Answer.(iii) world of materialism

Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;
(The Ball Poem)

Question. In the subsequent line, He ______ senses _____. Fill in the blanks with appropriate choices.
(a) first, feeling of standing up again after loss
(b) last, responsibility
(c) first, responsibility
(d) last, ownership
Answer. (c) first, responsibility

Question. How did the boy react to the loss, according to the extract?
(1) He stood still and looked downwards.
(2) The boy got excited as he was to get a new ball.
(3) He started crying.
(4) He went to the poet asking for a new ball.
(5) The boy was trembling.
(a) (1), (2) and (5)
(b) (3) and (4)
(c) Only (1)
(d) (1) and (5)
Answer. (d) (1) and (5)

Question. Which word from the extract is synonymous to ‘interfere’ or ‘interrupt’?
(a) Trembling
(b) Intrude
(c) Staring
(d) Harbour
Answer. (b) Intrude

Question. According to the extract, ‘I’ refers to?
(a) Robert Frost
(b) Jake Berryman
(c) Leslie Norris
(d) John Berryman
Answer. (d) John Berryman

Question. Why does the poet ‘not intrude on him’?
(a) He knows his efforts would go in vain.
(b) The poet is angry as the boy has lost his ball.
(c) He doesn’t care about the boy.
(d) The boy was with his friends.
Answer. (a) He knows his efforts would go in vain.

Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
(The Ball Poem)

Question. In the preceding lines, ______ has lost _____. Fill in the blanks with appropriate choices.
(a) Poet, his ball
(b) Boy, his patience
(c) Boy, his ball
(d) Poet, his calm
Answer. (c) Boy, his ball

Question. What route did the ball take, according to the extract?
(1) Merrily bounced on roof.
(2) Fell in the garbage dump.
(3) Bounced down the lane.
(4) Fell into the waters.
(5) Back to boy’s hands.
(a) (1), (2) and (5)
(b) (3) and (4)
(c) Only (1)
(d) (1) and (5)
Answer. (b) (3) and (4)

Question. The Ball Poem is about…………..
(a) sudden hate of our loved ones.
(b) sudden loss of our precious possessions.
(c) sudden victory over our vices.
(d) sudden loss of senses.
Answer. (b) sudden loss of our precious possessions.

Question. The literary device used when saying ‘Merrily Bouncing’ is:
(a) Personification
(b) Alliteration
(c) Simile
(d) Oxymoron
Answer. (a) Personification

Question. The poet brings contrast by using phrases as _____ and______.
(a) merrily bouncing ball, happy boy
(b) merrily bouncing ball, boy in grief
(c) ball down the lane, into the waters
(d) ball on the street, boy playing with it
Answer. (b) merrily bouncing ball, boy in grief

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

1.What is the boy now, who has lost his ball, what, what is he to do? I saw it go merrily bouncing,down the street, and then merrily over – there it is in the water! No use to say – ‘O there are other balls’:

Question. What has happened to the boy?
Answer.The boy was very sad as he had lost his ball.

Question. Why does the poet say ‘No use to say – ‘O there are other balls’?
Answer.The poet says so as the loss of the ball is of a major consequence to the boy.

Question. Which word means ‘happily’?
Answer.Merrily means happily.

Question. Where did the ball go?
Answer.The ball went to the water.

2. What is the boy now, who has lost his ball, What, what is he to do? I saw it go merrily bouncing,down the street, and then merrily over – there it is in the water! No use to say – ‘O there are other balls’:

Question. Which word means ‘happily’?
Answer.Merrily means happily.

Question. Why does the poet say ‘No use to say – ‘O there are other balls’?
Answer.The poet says so as the loss of the ball is of a major consequence to the boy.

Question. What has happened to the boy?
Answer.The boy was very sad as he had lost his ball.

Question. Where did the ball go?
Answer.The ball went into the water.

Short answer questions :

Question. “… staring down/All his young days into the harbour where/His ball went …” Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?
Answer. Yes we can say that the boy had the ball for a very long time. The line itself describes how the boy recalls those days when he used to play with the ball. The ball was surely linked to some sweet memories of his playing with the ball.

Question. Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?
Answer. The poet does not want to intrude so that the boy can get a chance to learn the real truth of life. He has to learn to accept the loss. The loss here means the most important thing or relationship.

Long Answer Question :

Question. How did the boy really react to the loss of the ball or was he fearful of something or someone……..? Can our attention be directed toward his family and other people? Are there any lessons to be learnt?
Answer. (i) The boy was not fearful of anyone, in fact, he was really upset about the loss of the ball. The ball was valuable for him. He was shocked, remained fixed, trembled with grief staring at the place where the ball had fallen. His family must not have been affected by the loss as a ball is an easily available and inexpensive item. (ii) The loss of the ball teaches a lesson to us. Money is external in the sense that it can give you only outer happiness or pleasure not inner. Money cannot buy the emotions and heavenly virtues. It cannot be linked with old memories. Moreover, self-consolation, realization or understanding is more effective and lasting than done by an external agency or a person.

Question. Should the boy be allowed to grieve for his ball? If his loss is irreparable or irretrievable then how should one handle it? What lessons can be learnt?
Answer. Yes, the boy should be allowed to grieve for his ball, as he had that ball for a long time. He had many old memories associated with it since his childhood. Moreover, when a person is trying to come over his grief on his own, then one should not intrude or disturb him as it may break his chain of thoughts and may irritate him.
One should have self-consolation, and self -understanding in order to bear the loss. Self-realization and understanding are more effective and lasting than when it is done by an external agency or a person.

Question. Why does the poet say, ‘I would not intrude on him?’ Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?
Answer. When a person is trying to come over his grief on his own, he is busy making himself understand certain things if then, someone intrudes or disturbs, and his chain of thoughts is broken. It makes him irritated. Moreover, self-consolation, realization or understanding is more effective and lasting than when it is done by an external agency or a person. The poet knows it. So he does not intrude on him.
His offer of money to buy another ball is useless for the boy wants the same ball he is attached to and has been playing for a long time. No other ball will be able to take its place.

SHORT WRITING TASKS

1. Your school is planning a 5-day trip to Jaipur, the Pink City. It is for the students of classes IX and X. As the cultural secretary of the school, put up a notice in 50 words informing students about the trip.

2. You are Reena. You received a phone call from Mr.Khanna, your father’s friend. He wanted to talk to your father about an important meeting scheduled for the next day. Since your father was not at home, you decided to leave a message for him as you were also going out. Write the message in about 50 words.

3. You are Nisha/Nitin. You recently visited the hill station of Shimla. It was wonderful being amidst the mountains. You enjoyed trekking and the long walks. Something that disturbed you was the degradation of environment as a result of too much plastic strewn all over the place. After coming back, you decided to write your feelings in a diary. Write the diary entry in about 50 words.

4. Given below are some notes on the life and works of Robert Frost. Write a brief biographical sketch based on these notes. Name: Robert Lee Frost Birth: March 26, 1874 ( San Francisco, California ) Education: Graduation from Lawrence High School in 1892 First Poem: My Butterfly- An Elegy Famous Works: North of Boston, Mending Wall, New Hampshire, West Running Brook, Nothing Gold can stay, A Masque of Reason Honour: 4 Pulitzer Prizes, 40 Honorary Degrees Language used: Simple/ Colloquial Death: January 29, 1963

5. You are Rani/Ravi. As Secretary of the ‘Literary Club’ of your school, you have been asked to write a paragraph on the importance of reading. The following histogram clearly states how irrelevant reading has become for the present generation. Taking ideas from the histogram, write the paragraph in about 100 words.

The Ball Poem —John Berryman

Reference to Context

I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went

Question. The poet uses the ball as a symbol of the boy’s
(a) sense of adventure
(b) carefree childhood days
(c) ability to bounce back
(d) extended family
Answer: (b)

Question. The poet feels that there is no point consoling the boy as
(a) it would give him false hope
(b) he might demand for a new ball
(c) it might distress him further
(d) whatever he has lost is irretrievable
Answer: (d)

Question. The word ‘harbour’ DOES NOT have a meaning similar to
(a) port
(b) pier
(c) dock
(d) cargo
Answer: (d)

Question. ‘Merrily over — there it is in the water!’ The dash here is meant to convey
(a) some familiar experience
(b) a feeling of excitement
(c) a sense of unexpected interruption
(d) some thoughtful moments
Answer: (c)

Question. The word that DOES NOT indicate a physical manifestation of sorrow in the boy, is
(a) worthless
(b) shaking
(c) trembling
(d) rigid
Answer: (a)

His ball went. I would not intrude on him,
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions. People will take balls,
Balls will be lost always, little boy,
And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.

Question. What does a ball cost?
(a) 5 dimes
(b) 1 dime
(c) 10 dimes
(d) 7 dimes
Answer: (b)

Question. Does the poet console the boy?
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Can’t say
(d) The boy consoles the poet
Answer: (b)

Question. Name the literary device used in “And no one buys a ball back.”
(a) Metaphor
(b) Simile
(c) Anaphora
(d) Alliteration
Answer: (d)

Question. According to the poet, what is the child learning?
(a) to bear loss
(b) to take care of things
(c) to be careful
(d) to not be sad
Answer: (a)

Question. Give antonym for the word ‘intrude’.
(a) interfere
(b) invade
(c) withdraw
(d) disturb
Answer: (c)

A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions. People will take
Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.

Question. “Money is external”. What does the poet mean by this expression?
Answer: The poet makes the boy understand about his responsibility as the loss is immaterial. Money is external as it cannot buy memories, nor can it replace the things that we have a bond with.

Question. He senses his first responsibility–what responsibility is referred to here?
Answer: The responsibility referred to here is to stand up or bear the loss through self-understanding and to console oneself on his own just as the boy who lost his ball, was trying to do.

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down

Question. Why does the poet think that it is useless to give the following suggestion to the boy? ‘No use to say- ‘O there are other balls’:
Answer: According to the poet, to console the boy by saying that he can get another ball in place of the lost one is futile. The boy had a long association with the ball. It was, thus, useless to give him such a suggestion because he wanted to get back the ball that he had lost.

Question. What shows that the ball was valuable for the boy?
Answer: The ball was valuable for the boy because he reacted after losing it. He was shocked, and he trembled with grief staring at the place where the ball had fallen. All these reactions showed that the ball was valuable for him.

Short Answers Type Questions (30-40 words)

Question. What idea does the poet wish to convey?
Answer: Through this poem, the poet wishes to convey the futility of grieving over the past. The memories are the treasure. The poet says that money, material and their losses do not matter. One has to learn to accept them as a part of life.

Question. What is the boy learning?
Answer: The boy is sad over the loss of his ball but he is learning to accept it. He could get another ball but he is learning to let go of the lost things and learn to cope with the loss.

Question. What does the ball signify for the boy?
Answer: The ball signifies his childhood for the boy. It symbolizes all his memories of playing with it and its loss is making him sad. The ball signifies his childhood days and his innocence.

Question. ‘He senses first responsibility’—What responsibility is referred to here? (2018)
Answer: The responsibility referred to here is, that in this world of possessions, the boy has not only to learn to take care of his things but also cope up with the loss of his favourite things like the ball.

Question. Where has the boy lost his ball? What is the effect of the loss on his mind?
Answer: The boy was playing near the harbour and unfortunately he has lost his ball while playing. The poet describes how the ball was lost. He says that the ball bounced down the street. Then it went in the water. The boy felt an emotional shock at this loss.

Question. Why does the poet say he won't ‘intrude on him’? What does he say about the boy’s loss at this point?
Answer: The poet says that he won’t ‘intrude’ on the boy because the boy has now understood the concept behind the loss of the ball. He is in a shock and is trying to understand what it is all about. The poet says that the boy now senses his first responsibility. It is towards the world of materialism. He has to learn to cope up with his losses.

Question. What is the boy ‘learning as per the poet’?
Answer: The poet says that the boy has lost the ball and through this loss, he is learning to cope up with the loss. He is also learning how to bear and manage such losses in life. After all, losses are permanent in our life. We should learn their nature sooner or later.

Question. What is the central point in the poem?
Answer: The central point in the poem is the loss of the ball by the boy. It is also his understanding of the loss and bearing with it. In the world of materialism, people lose things, but they have to forget those things and move ahead. The boy is doing the same thing in the poem.