CBSE Class 7 English Tragic Story Worksheet

Portion Covered in the Worksheet:
Literature Reader:
Poem: A Tragic Story
Lesson: Chaambali

Read the extracts given below and answer the following questions:

Question 1. "But wondered much, and sorrowed more, Because it hung behind him."
a) What did he sorrow about and why?
b) What does 'it' refer to?
c) Name the poet.
Answer:
a) The sage sorrowed because his pigtail hung behind him instead of hanging in front.
b) 'It' refers to the pigtail of the sage.
c) The poem is written by a German poet, Chamisso, and translated into English by William Makepeace Thackeray.
In simple words: The sage was very sad and confused that his pigtail was at the back of his head instead of the front.

Exam Tip: Always identify the speaker or the subject ('it') clearly by referring back to the context of the poem.

Question 2. "Says he, 'The mystery I've found- I'll turn me round,'- he turned him round;"
a) Whom does 'he' refer to?
b) Why did he turn round?
c) What was the mystery?
Answer:
a) 'He' refers to the sage.
b) He turned round to bring his pigtail from the back to the front of his face.
c) The mystery was how to change the position of his pigtail so that it would hang in front instead of behind him.
In simple words: The sage thought he found a solution to his problem and turned around to place his pigtail in front.

Exam Tip: Pay close attention to pronouns like 'he' and 'it' when answering extract-based questions.

Question 3. "Then round, and round, and out and in All day the puzzled sage did spin."
a) Why was he puzzled?
b) Why did he spin?
c) Was he able to change the position?
Answer:
a) He was puzzled because no matter how much he turned, his pigtail stubbornly stayed behind him.
b) He spun around continuously to try and make the pigtail follow him and come to the front.
c) No, he was not able to change the position of his pigtail.
In simple words: The sage was confused and kept spinning all day, but his pigtail refused to move to the front.

Exam Tip: Mention both the action and the result clearly when answering questions about a character's attempt and failure.

Question 4. "And right, and left, and round about, And up, and down and in, and out"
a) What was the sage doing and why?
b) Did the sage succeed in his efforts?
c) Name the poem and the poet.
Answer:
a) The sage was turning, twisting, and spinning in all directions in a frantic attempt to bring his pigtail to the front.
b) No, the sage did not succeed in his efforts.
c) The poem is 'A Tragic Story' originally by Albert von Chamisso, translated by William Makepeace Thackeray.
In simple words: The sage moved in every possible direction, but his efforts failed completely.

Exam Tip: Memorize the title, original author, and translator of the poem for literature questions.

Answer to questions from the text.

Question 1. What did the sage wonder about? What did he do?
Answer: The sage wondered why his pigtail hung behind him instead of hanging in front. To solve this deep mystery, he decided to turn around.
In simple words: He worried about his pigtail being at his back and tried spinning around to fix it.

Exam Tip: Structure your answer in two parts to address both questions asked in the prompt.

Question 2. Why did he spin round and round?
Answer: He spun round and round because he wanted to make his pigtail swing around from his back to hang gracefully in front of his face.
In simple words: He spun around to make his pigtail change its place.

Exam Tip: Explain the purpose behind the character's repeated action clearly.

Question 3. Did the pigtail change its position?
Answer: No, the pigtail did not change its position. No matter how much the sage spun around, the pigtail remained stubbornly hanging behind him.
In simple words: No, the pigtail stayed right where it was at the back.

Exam Tip: Keep direct 'Yes/No' answers concise and follow them with a brief supporting reason.

Question 4. Who is the poet and who has translated this poem?
Answer: The original poem was written by the German poet Adelbert von Chamisso, and it has been translated into English by the famous English novelist and author William Makepeace Thackeray.
In simple words: Chamisso wrote the original poem, and Thackeray translated it into English.

Exam Tip: Always distinguish between the original author and the translator when dealing with translated literary works.