Passage 1<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Question 1.<\/span><\/strong> Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is real! Life is earnest! Whom is the poem addressed to? What kind of approach does the poet have towards life? How do we know this?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 2.<\/span><\/strong> Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is real! Life is earnest! According to the speaker, what is not the goal of life? When will our soul really be dead?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 3.<\/span><\/strong> Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is real! Life is earnest! Mention and explain the biblical references in the extract above.<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 4.<\/span><\/strong> Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is real! Life is earnest! Is the poet’s view of life influenced by Christian ideologies? Support your answer with phrases from the poem.<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Passage 2<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Question 1.<\/span><\/strong> Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Art is long, and Time is fleeting, What should we aim to achieve as we live each day?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 2.<\/span><\/strong> Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Art is long, and Time is fleeting, What does the speaker say about the human heart?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 3.<\/span><\/strong> Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Art is long, and Time is fleeting, Why does the poet call art ‘long’?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 4.<\/span><\/strong> Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Art is long, and Time is fleeting, Explain the line ‘Funeral marches to the grave.’?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Passage 3<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Question 1.<\/span><\/strong> In the world’s broad field of battle, Trust no Future, how e’er pleasant! How does the poet want readers to face their battles?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 2.<\/span><\/strong> In the world’s broad field of battle, Trust no Future, how e’er pleasant! What does the phrase ‘bivouac of Life’ mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 3.<\/span><\/strong> In the world’s broad field of battle, Trust no Future, how e’er pleasant! What advice does the poet give about the past and the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 4.<\/span><\/strong> In the world’s broad field of battle, Trust no Future, how e’er pleasant! Explain the following lines from the extract.<\/strong> Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Passage 4<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Question 1.<\/span><\/strong> Lives of great men all remind us Footprints, that perhaps another, What do sublime lives indicate? How do we know that we can make our lives sublime?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 2.<\/span><\/strong> Lives of great men all remind us Footprints, that perhaps another, How can our life experience be a source of inspiration to others?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 3.<\/span><\/strong> Lives of great men all remind us Footprints, that perhaps another, What does ‘Sailing o’er life’s solemn main’ indicate?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 4.<\/span><\/strong> Lives of great men all remind us Footprints, that perhaps another, What is the symbolic value of the word ‘brother’ used in the second stanza?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Passage 5<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Question 1.<\/span><\/strong> Let us, then, be up and doing, What should we prepare ourselves for when we are ‘up and doing’?<\/strong><\/p>\n Answer:<\/span><\/strong> Question 2.<\/span><\/strong> Let us, then, be up and doing,
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nLife is but an empty dream!
\nFor the soul is dead that slumbers,
\nAnd things are not what they seem.<\/p>\n
\nAnd the grave is not its goal;
\nDust thou art, to dust returnest,
\nWas not spoken of the soul.<\/p>\n
\nThe poet HW Longfellow addresses this poem to all his readers in general. He has a positive and motivational approach towards life. He urges us to wake up from our slumbers and make our lives meaningful. He tries to explain to us that we have got the gift of life not to lay stagnant and take it to our graves. He further states that our lives will not unfold by itself and it is up to us what we make of it.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nLife is but an empty dream!
\nFor the soul is dead that slumbers,
\nAnd things are not what they seem.<\/p>\n
\nAnd the grave is not its goal;
\nDust thou art, to dust returnest,
\nWas not spoken of the soul.<\/p>\n
\nAccording to the speaker, dying without achieving anything is not the goal of life. Our soul will really be dead if we ignore our duties, not see things for what they really are and let ourselves slumber away to our ends.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nLife is but an empty dream!
\nFor the soul is dead that slumbers,
\nAnd things are not what they seem.<\/p>\n
\nAnd the grave is not its goal;
\nDust thou art, to dust returnest,
\nWas not spoken of the soul.<\/p>\n
\nThe word ‘numbers’ in the first line of the poem refer to verses in the bible. The phrase ‘Dust thou art, to dust returnest’ is also a biblical reference. In the book of Genesis, God reminded Adam that he was made from the dust of the ground and that he shall return to dust.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nLife is but an empty dream!
\nFor the soul is dead that slumbers,
\nAnd things are not what they seem.<\/p>\n
\nAnd the grave is not its goal;
\nDust thou art, to dust returnest,
\nWas not spoken of the soul.<\/p>\n
\nYes. The poet makes direct references to words in the bible (the second last line of the extract) to support his ideas. Also, other ideas like doing one’s duties, suppressing laziness and helping ones brother etc are influenced by Christian ideologies.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIs our destined end or way;
\nBut to act, that each to-morrow
\nFind us farther than to-day.<\/p>\n
\nAnd our hearts, though stout and brave,
\nStill, like muffled drums, are beating
\nFuneral marches to the grave.<\/p>\n
\nAs we live each day, we should aim to move forward on our paths towards our goals instead of wasting our time on enjoyment or sorrow.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIs our destined end or way;
\nBut to act, that each to-morrow
\nFind us farther than to-day.<\/p>\n
\nAnd our hearts, though stout and brave,
\nStill, like muffled drums, are beating
\nFuneral marches to the grave.<\/p>\n
\nThe speaker says that though human hearts are stout and brave their beating is like a warning to each one of us that our end is nearing.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIs our destined end or way;
\nBut to act, that each to-morrow
\nFind us farther than to-day.<\/p>\n
\nAnd our hearts, though stout and brave,
\nStill, like muffled drums, are beating
\nFuneral marches to the grave.<\/p>\n
\nThe poet calls art ‘long’ because once it is created it will never perish. It is timeless and immortal unlike human lives which will decay or perish.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIs our destined end or way;
\nBut to act, that each to-morrow
\nFind us farther than to-day.<\/p>\n
\nAnd our hearts, though stout and brave,
\nStill, like muffled drums, are beating
\nFuneral marches to the grave.<\/p>\n
\nThe steady beating of the human heart is likened to the constant beat of the drums in a funeral march in the line above.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIn the bivouac of Life,
\nBe not like dumb, driven cattle!
\nBe a hero in the strife!<\/p>\n
\nLet the dead Past bury its dead!
\nAct,- act in the living Present!
\nHeart within, and God o’er head!<\/p>\n
\nThe poet wants readers to face life’s struggles like a soldier fights battles heroically. The poet calls life as the ‘world’s broad field of battle’.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIn the bivouac of Life,
\nBe not like dumb, driven cattle!
\nBe a hero in the strife!<\/p>\n
\nLet the dead Past bury its dead!
\nAct,- act in the living Present!
\nHeart within, and God o’er head!<\/p>\n
\nThe phrase ‘bivouac of Life’refers to life as a temporary shelter. It re-emphasises that we are on earth only for a limited period of time and whatever we wish for should be achieved while we are alive.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIn the bivouac of Life,
\nBe not like dumb, driven cattle!
\nBe a hero in the strife!<\/p>\n
\nLet the dead Past bury its dead!
\nAct,- act in the living Present!
\nHeart within, and God o’er head!<\/p>\n
\nThe poet advises us not to be tied up to our past or get mingled in worries or anticipations of the future. For this he says “Trust no Future, how e’er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead!”<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIn the bivouac of Life,
\nBe not like dumb, driven cattle!
\nBe a hero in the strife!<\/p>\n
\nLet the dead Past bury its dead!
\nAct,- act in the living Present!
\nHeart within, and God o’er head!<\/p>\n
\n Act,- act in the living Present!<\/strong>
\n Heart within, and God o’er head!<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIn the last two lines the poet urges us to live and act in the present and burn our past. He also advises us to stop worrying about the future. He says that our past or our future cannot help achieve our goals. We can only rely or trust the heart within our bodies and our God above to give us strength to live each day.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nWe can make our lives sublime,
\nAnd, departing, leave behind us
\nFootprints on the sands of time;<\/p>\n
\nSailing o’er life’s solemn main,
\nA forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
\nSeeing, shall take heart again.<\/p>\n
\nSublime lives indicate lives of great worth; ‘Lives’ which have achieved so much that they are looked up to and praised for these things. Learning from the example of the lives of many great leaders and people who have lived before us, we can be sure that it is not impossible to make our lives sublime or worthy of respect.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nWe can make our lives sublime,
\nAnd, departing, leave behind us
\nFootprints on the sands of time;<\/p>\n
\nSailing o’er life’s solemn main,
\nA forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
\nSeeing, shall take heart again.<\/p>\n
\nAs we live, we should face the hardships in our path with determination. Only our will and persistence will help us overcome the obstacles. Also, when we overcome our perils confidently, others who face similar adversities will get courage through our example and succeed in life.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nWe can make our lives sublime,
\nAnd, departing, leave behind us
\nFootprints on the sands of time;<\/p>\n
\nSailing o’er life’s solemn main,
\nA forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
\nSeeing, shall take heart again.<\/p>\n
\nThe words ‘solemn main’ indicate tough times in life; times when a person is low and finds it difficult to cope with situations on his own.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nWe can make our lives sublime,
\nAnd, departing, leave behind us
\nFootprints on the sands of time;<\/p>\n
\nSailing o’er life’s solemn main,
\nA forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
\nSeeing, shall take heart again.<\/p>\n
\nThe poet uses the word ‘brother’ to highlight that selflessness is one aspect of a good and healthy life. Only when we treat others the way we want to be treated will we be able to grow personally. Being happy for someone else’s success gives us a positive approach to life which in turn helps us in our strife.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nWith a heart for any fate;
\nStill achieving, still pursuing,
\nLearn to labor and to wait.<\/p>\n
\nWhile we are ‘up and doing’, in other words, when we are actively striving to achieve our goals we should also prepare our hearts for failure. We need to understand that not all efforts bear fruit. We have to accept this fact gracefully and take it in our stride as we move on in life.<\/p>\n
\nRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nWith a heart for any fate;
\nStill achieving, still pursuing,
\nLearn to labor and to wait.<\/p>\n