THE SOLITARY REAPER TEXT BOOK ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS CBSE – CLASS – IX – ENGLISH

7.  
     a.) Read
the second stanza again, in which Wordsworth compares the solitary reaper’s
song with the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo. On the basis of your
reading (and your imagination), copy and complete the table below. (Work in
groups of four, then have a brief class discussion.)
           
                  Place
       Heard by          Impact on listener
      Solitary Reaper   Scotish       The                      Holds him
                        Highlands     poet                    spell bound.
      Nightingale       Arabian        weary
         They get relieved
                        Desert      travellers
          from tiredness and
                                                          get mesmerised
      Cuckoo            Hebrides
   Sailors           They feel thrilled
                                                      And amazed

b) Why do you think Wordsworth
has chosen the song of the nightingale and the cuckoo, for comparison with the
solitary reaper’s song?
Answer- Wordsworth assay was
to celebrate the solitary reaper’s song to the utmost. He wanted to express the
enchanting effect that the song had on him. Nightingale and cuckoo are
considered as best singing birds and are referred by many poets. To establish
the supremacy of the song of the solitary reaper; the poet must move brought
the reference of the best singing birds.
c) As you read the
second stanza, what pictures come to your mind? Be ready to describe them in
your own words, to the rest of the class. (Do not be afraid to go beyond what
the poet has written.)
Answer- Mesmerised by the
song of the nightingale, Wordsworth went on comparing the song of the solitary
reaper to nightingale and cuckoo. When the fatigued and exhausted travellers in
the Arabian Desert take shelter in the oasis (shady haunt) to take rest, the
nightingale welcomes them with her sweet song. But the nightingale with its
sweet melody could not surpass the enchanting effect of the solitary Reaper.
Another bird Cuckoo also hast its melodious effect on us. According to the
poet, the Cuckoo bird breaks the silence of the Hebrides with its sweet music.
But even it does not have a thrilling voice as the solitary Reaper.
8.  In the sixth line of the first stanza, we read:
“… and sings a
melancholy strain,…”
This
“s” sound at the beginning of sings and strain has been repeated.
Poets often do this. Do you know why? Do you know what this “poetic
repetition” is called? Can you find other instances of this, in The Solitary Reaper?
  
Ans:-     Repetition is a literary device that repeats
the same words or phrases to emphasize on a point or to make an idea clearer.
     When the words or phrases are used repeatedly in poetry for
emphasizing on a point or for the sake of rhyme-scheme, it is called poetic   repetition.
     Some other examples of poetic Repetition used in the poem are
i)     
Welcome notes to
weary bonds
ii)   
Silence of the
seas.
iii)  The music in my heart I bore long after it was heard
no more.
9.   In the first stanza, some
words or phrases have been used to show that the girl working in the fields is
alone. Which are those words and phrases? What effect do they create in the
mind of the reader?
Answer-The words or phrases
that show that the solitary reaper was working alone and the field are:-
i)     
Single in the
field.
ii)   
Solitary highland
lass
iii)  Alone she cuts, and bonds the grain
The
poet was utterly mesmerised with the placid  atmosphere. He had got the utmost effect of
the song as he was not disturbed interrupted by any individual.