Samacheer Kalvi Class 8 English Solutions Poem 2 My Hobby Reading

Warm-Up

Question. What are your Leisure time activities?
Answer: My leisure time activities include drawing, painting, and collecting coins. These activities help me relax and enjoy myself. Doing different hobbies keeps life interesting.
In simple words: My free time activities are drawing, painting, and collecting coins.

🎯 Exam Tip: When asked about personal activities, choose simple, common hobbies that are easy to describe.

Question. Why do you do them?
Answer: I engage in these activities because they boost my creativity and self-confidence. They also help to lessen my stress. Hobbies are a great way to improve oneself and find peace.
In simple words: I do these things because they make me creative, confident, and less stressed.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always explain the personal benefits of your activities, such as creativity, stress relief, or skill development.

Question. Do you read the book? What type of books do you read?
Answer: Yes, I enjoy reading books. I mostly read books about scientific inventions. Reading about new discoveries helps me learn and imagine new things.
In simple words: Yes, I read books, especially ones about scientific inventions.

🎯 Exam Tip: When mentioning book types, specify a genre that shows a clear interest and expands on how it benefits you.

My Hobby: Reading Textual Questions and Answers

1. Comprehension Questions

Question 1. What is the hobby of the poet?
Answer: The poet's main hobby is reading. Reading allows the poet to explore different worlds and ideas.
In simple words: The poet's hobby is reading.

🎯 Exam Tip: Directly state the hobby and, if possible, add a small detail about why it is important to the character.

Question 2. What does "ajar" mean?
Answer: The word 'ajar' means that something is slightly open. It usually refers to a door or window that is not fully shut. When a door is ajar, you can see or hear a little of what's on the other side.
In simple words: 'Ajar' means slightly open, like a door.

🎯 Exam Tip: Provide a clear, simple definition of the word and, if helpful, a common example of its use.

Question 3. Can the poet fly without wings?
Answer: No, the poet cannot physically fly without wings. However, their thoughts and imagination can travel far and wide without any physical limits. Reading helps one's mind journey to distant places.
In simple words: The poet cannot fly physically, but their thoughts and imagination can fly everywhere.

🎯 Exam Tip: When a question asks about a literal impossibility, explain the figurative meaning or implication from the text.

Question 4. What can the children do to society if they read?
Answer: If all children engage in reading books, they can contribute to building a strong and powerful society. Reading broadens knowledge and helps develop critical thinking skills, which are vital for a better future.
In simple words: If all children read books, they can help build a strong society.

🎯 Exam Tip: Link the action (reading) to its positive societal outcome, emphasizing the benefit to the community.

Question 5. What is the theme of the poem?
Answer: The central theme of the poem is 'Reading hobby'. It highlights the many positive effects and joys that come from reading regularly. The poem celebrates how reading enriches one's life and mind.
In simple words: The poem's theme is the joy and benefits of reading as a hobby.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly state the theme and briefly mention what aspects of the theme the poem explores.

Question 2. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, tick the most suitable option to complete the statements.
Answer:
(i) Reading
(a) wastes my time.
(b) helps me think deeply about every thing.
(c) keeps me busy.
(d) helps me in thought breeding.
Answer: (d) helps me in thought breeding
In simple words: Reading helps me grow new ideas and ways of thinking.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always choose the option that best reflects the positive and imaginative aspects of reading as presented in the poem.

Question. My hobby
(a) arguing in the court.
(b) working in hospitals.
(c) taking me far and near.
(d) selling goods in a wholesale market.
Answer: (c) taking me far and near
In simple words: My hobby of reading takes me to many places, both close and far, through imagination.

🎯 Exam Tip: Focus on how reading helps one travel mentally and explore different situations without moving physically.

Question. Reading
(a) helps me to weep and cry.
(b) lets me fly without wings.
(c) works in fields to produce food.
(d) helps me asleep quickly.
Answer: (b) lets me fly without wings
In simple words: Reading allows my mind to go anywhere, just like flying, even though I don't have wings.

🎯 Exam Tip: This phrase is a metaphor for imagination. Ensure your answer captures the essence of mental exploration.

Question. Reading
(a) blesses the children who read.
(b) helps the children to construct society.
(c) blesses the teachers who teach.
(d) blesses the Farmers who produce food.
Answer: (b) helps the children to construct society
In simple words: Reading helps children learn and grow, which in turn helps build a better society.

🎯 Exam Tip: The poem emphasizes the collective benefit of reading for society. Choose the option that reflects this broader impact.

Question 3. Complete the table given below in order to understand the poem better: (Text Book Page No. 55)
Answer:

🎯 Exam Tip: For table completion, carefully match each concept with its corresponding description, rhyming words, and overall meaning as presented in the poem.

Answer the following: (Text Book Page No. 56)

Question 1. List the rhyming words in the first three lines.
Answer: The rhyming words found in the first three lines are "Seed", "deep", and "asleep". These words create a musical sound pattern in the poem. Recognizing rhymes helps understand the poem's structure.
In simple words: The rhyming words in the first three lines are Seed, deep, and asleep.

🎯 Exam Tip: Carefully read the lines and identify words at the end of the lines that have similar sounds.

Question 2. Which line in the poem rhymes with 'Down crept its light'?
Answer: The line that rhymes with 'Down crept its light' is 'Into the seed, too bright.' Both lines share a similar 'ight' sound at the end, creating a rhyming pair. Identifying these pairs helps appreciate the poet's craft.
In simple words: The line 'Into the seed, too bright.' rhymes with 'Down crept its light'.

🎯 Exam Tip: Pay attention to the ending sounds of the lines to find the rhyming pairs accurately.

Answer the following:

Question a. Identify the rhyme scheme of the given short poem.
Answer: The rhyme scheme of the given short poem is "abab". This means that the first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme. For example: "My dog likes bones," (a) "He eats them up," (b) "He's very sweet," (a) "He's just a pup." (b). This pattern makes the poem sound harmonious.
In simple words: The poem has an "abab" rhyme scheme, where the first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme.

🎯 Exam Tip: To find a rhyme scheme, label the end sound of each line with a letter, starting from 'a'. If a new sound appears, use the next letter. If a sound repeats, use its assigned letter.

Question b. Complete this rhyme on your own with a abab rhyme scheme.
Answer:
Peas porridge hot
Peas porridge cold
It is in the pot
My mother told
In simple words: I completed the rhyme as: "Peas porridge hot / Peas porridge cold / It is in the pot / My mother told".

🎯 Exam Tip: Ensure that the chosen words for the rhyming lines fit the 'abab' pattern, meaning the first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme.

8th English Guide My Hobby: Reading Additional Appreciation Questions and Answers

Question 1. “It takes me to places Near and far"
(a) What takes you to various places?
Answer: Reading is what takes me to various places. Through books, one can explore different cultures and lands without leaving home.
In simple words: Reading takes me to different places.

🎯 Exam Tip: When a quote introduces a question, always link the answer back to the main subject of the quote, which is reading in this case.

Question. (b) How does it take to far and near places?
Answer: While reading a book, my imagination carries me to the places mentioned in it. This way, I can travel to far-off lands and nearby settings in my mind. Books open up new worlds to explore.
In simple words: My imagination takes me to different places mentioned in the book as I read.

🎯 Exam Tip: Emphasize the role of imagination when explaining how reading transports you to different places.

Question 2. “I wish If all the children could read"
(a) Whose wish is mentioned here?
Answer: The poet's wish is mentioned here. The poet hopes for a future where every child has the gift of reading. This reflects a desire for widespread knowledge and learning.
In simple words: This is the poet's wish.

🎯 Exam Tip: For quotes, always identify the speaker or the person whose thoughts are being conveyed.

Question. (b) What does he wish?
Answer: He wishes that all children should read books. The poet believes that reading is very important for a child's growth and for building a better society. Encouraging reading in all children is a noble goal.
In simple words: He wishes that all children would read books.

🎯 Exam Tip: State the wish clearly and concisely, focusing on the core desire expressed in the quote.

Question 3. “My hobby is reading It helps me thought breeding”
(a) What is the hobby of the poet?
Answer: The hobby of the poet is reading. The poet finds great joy and benefit in turning pages and exploring stories and information. It is a source of continuous learning.
In simple words: The poet's hobby is reading.

🎯 Exam Tip: Directly answer the question based on the provided quote or poem context.

Question. (b) How does it help him?
Answer: Reading habits help the poet to get many different ideas. It also allows his mind to soar and explore, much like flying without physical wings. Reading expands one's perspective.
In simple words: Reading helps him get new ideas and lets his mind fly.

🎯 Exam Tip: Explain the benefits derived from the hobby, connecting them to the poet's personal growth and imagination.

Question 4. “It teaches me to cackle and cry Without wings It lets me fly.”
(a) Why does the poet cackle and cry?
Answer: The poet cackles when he reads happy things, expressing joy and laughter. He cries when he reads sad things, showing empathy and sorrow. Reading allows him to feel a wide range of emotions deeply. This emotional connection makes reading a powerful experience.
In simple words: The poet cackles when he reads happy stories and cries when he reads sad stories.

🎯 Exam Tip: Relate the emotional responses (cackle and cry) directly to the nature of the content being read (happy or sad).

My Hobby: Reading Summary in English

My hobby of reading helps me a lot. Reading takes me to far-off places. It opens many doors of knowledge and imagination. It also gives me a lot of freedom to explore thoughts and ideas. If all children read, we will achieve a successful society. Reading is truly a powerful tool for personal and societal development.

My Hobby: Reading Summary in Tamil

எனது பொழுதுபோக்கான வாசித்தல் எனக்கு உதவிகரமாய் உள்ளது. என்னை தூரமான இடங்கட்கு அழைத்துச் செல்கிறது. அது பல அறிவுக் கதவுகளைத் திறக்கிறது. எனக்கு மிகுந்த சுதந்திரம் தருகிறது. எல்லா குழந்தைகளும் வாசிக்க ஆரம்பித்தால் நாம் ஒரு வெற்றிகரமான சமுதாயத்தை அமைக்கலாம்.