KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 English Poem Chapter 10 Leisure
KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 English Poem Chapter 10 Leisure
Karnataka State Board Class 8 English Poem Chapter 10 Leisure
Leisure Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes
Pre-Reading Task:
You may have seen some children collecting stamps or gardening or painting or cooking, etc.
Question a.
What do you call these activities?
Answer:
We call them hobbies.
Question b.
When do you think they do these activities?
Answer:
When the children have leisure.
Question c.
Do you think it is important to have leisure activities? Why?
Answer:
Yes. We should involve ourselves in such activities. They are essential for relaxation and change from one’s regular work. It is also the best way of spending one’s free time.
Question d.
Do you have any activities like this? Which one do you like the best? Why?
Answer:
Yes. My hobby is reading. It has helped me learn about so many things that I would have otherwise not known. It has widened and deepened my knowledge.
Question e.
When would you like to do these activities – in your leisure time or all the time? Why?
Answer:
I engage myself in reading only during leisure or spare time. This activity is quite apart from the regular work. Otherwise my school work and other activities will suffer.
Comprehension:
I. Answer the following questions in a sentence each:
Question 1.
What do squirrels hide in grass?
Answer:
Squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
Question 2.
What are we missing in broad daylight?
Answer:
We miss to see streams full of stars, like skies at night.
Question 3.
How long do we stare?
Answer:
We hardly stare because we have no time.
Question 4.
What do Beauty’s feet do?
Answer:
Beauty’s feet dance.
Question 5.
What are the night skies compared to?
Answer:
The night skies are compared to streams with sparkling water.
Additional Questions:
Question 6.
What does the poet think of life today as is mentioned in the first stanza?
Answer:
Life is poor because people do not relax and enjoy little things in life.
Question 7.
Why is the phrase ‘stand and stare’ repeated in the first and last stanza?
Answer:
People don’t spend time to notice what’s around them anymore.
Question 8.
Explain the imagery of ‘streams full of stars’.
Answer:
Very clear and sparkling river under the sun.
Question 9.
What do we fail to see when we pass the woods?
Answer:
Watching squirrels with their food.
Question 10.
Why do you think the poet mentions sheep or cows? Sheep and cows are the most common and easily seen
Answer:
animals, yet people do not notice them.
Question 11.
How is beauty personified?
Answer:
It can dance and smile.
Question 12.
Why do you think the poet describes life today as poor?
Answer:
This is because people do not enjoy life anymore.
Question 13.
State the elements of nature mentioned in the poem.
Answer:
- Boughs
- sheep
- cows
- woods
- squirrels
- nuts
- grass
- daylight
- stars
- night.
II. Answer the following questions in four-six sentences each:
Question 1.
How have we made our life ‘poor’, according to the poet?
Answer:
Nature has many things to offer, but, human beings have become very busy. They do not find time to be in the midst of nature and enjoy its beauty. People do not pay attention to the little things in nature that give us immense happiness. If we do not find leisure to appreciate the beauty and feel happy and relaxed, we make our lives very poor.
Question 2.
Write the substance of the poem ‘Leisure’.
Answer:
Life should not be about working so much that we have no time to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. We are so caught up in our work routine and mundane schedule that we do not know how to break away. We should slow down and take a look at things around us because life goes by fast. Sometimes, the mind should be free of work stress so that we can enjoy the beauty of the little pleasures of life. We all get so caught up in the ways of the world that we become emotionally blind to what is going on. We are not alert to our surroundings. We focus so much on the things that bring us trouble and not enough time on what makes us happy. Life becomes meaningless if we do not learn to set aside time for ourselves and our families.
III. Appreciation:
Answer the following questions in three or four sentences each:
Question 1.
What do you see in a garden?
Answer:
We see a variety of plants, trees and flowers. We can hear the chirping of birds, rustling of leaves and a variety of sounds. All these if viewed properly at leisure give us a lot of happiness. They take us away from our daily problems.
Question 2.
The poet has used the words ‘no time’ in each line. The title of the poem is ‘Leisure’. Is the title appropriate? Comment on the title of the poem.
Answer:
The phrase ‘no time’ is used throughout the poem as an indication of mankind’s dilemma. The phrase ‘no time’ rings like a bell that takes the reader through a number of occasions on which the excuse of ‘no time’ prevents one from enjoying life to the full. The title of the poem has a good significance. It highlights the importance of leisure which is not at man’s disposal in this mechanical and computerised age. The poet urges us to free ourselves from over-exertion. This leisure will make the life peaceful.
Question 3.
Pick out the rhyming words from the poem and supply another rhyming word of your own for each.
Answer:
Question 4.
How is our life today very different from the life visualised in the poem? What must we do to get more free time for ourselves?
Answer:
Life has become very complicated today. We are always worried about our daily routine. We are stressed and strained. We become tired, frustrated and irritated at the end of the day. Life has become a rat race. We must make up our mind to find time and spend it happily in the midst of nature. Change of activity js rest, they say. So, while on the move, if we try to find and notice the little things around us, we feel happy and relaxed.
Question 5.
‘No time to turn at Beauty’s glance’. What do you think ‘Beauty’ means here?
Answer:
‘Beauty’ in this context means the ‘Beauty of Nature’. If we look at nature from this point of view, we find nature dancing in a variety of ways. The flowers, the branches, the leaves, the happy flight of the birds and the sound of water running in brooks, etc., are part of Nature’s dance.
Question 6.
How have we failed to appreciate the beauty of nature?
Answer:
We are so involved in our daily activities that we find no time to look at nature and enjoy its beauty. Our lives have become mechanical. We are spending our time in pursuit of peace and happiness. We are after material comforts, and in the process of achieving these we have completely forgotten what the beauty of nature can give us.
Question 7.
There is more in life than rushing and working. Do you agree with the statement? If yes, explain.
Answer:
I agree with the statement. Life has become a rat race. We see people on their toes always. Day in and day out they are worried about reaching their places of work and they fail to notice all the little things that, give us some moments of happiness. We think we get happiness when we earn money and other material comforts. But, we forget that there are several things in nature that give us happiness. Hence, we should stop this mad rush and enjoy life by paying attention to the things around us.
Multiple Choice Questions
Four alternatives are given for each of the following questions/ incomplete statements. Choose the most appropriate alternative.
Question 1.
The poem ‘Leisure’ is about
A) leisure-time activities
B) standing and staring like the cows
C) what we are missing in broad daylight
D) taking time to look around and notice the little things
Answer:
D) taking time to look around and notice the little things
Question 2.
We should take advantage of the little time that we have on this earth to
A) stand beneath the bough
B) notice the beauty that every day holds
C) watch the streams full of stars
D) watch the dance of nature
Answer:
B) notice the beauty that every day holds
Question 3.
What do squirrels hide in the grass?
A) nuts
B) lizards
C) fruits
D) vegetables
Answer:
A) nuts
Question 4.
What are we missing in broad daylight?
A) seeing streams full of stars like skies at night
B) standing and staring like sheep or cows
C) squirrels hiding their nuts in the grass
D) standing beneath the bows
Answer:
A) seeing streams full of stars like skies at night
Question 5.
The streams are compared to
A) squirrels hiding their nuts
B) sheep or cows standing and staring
C) the sky at night
D) the dance of nature
Answer:
C) the sky at night
Question 6.
The poet says that we have made our life poor by
A) having no time to stand and stare
B) not having time to notice the little things in nature
C) not finding leisure to enjoy the beauty of nature
D) all of the above
Answer:
D) all of the above
Question 7.
“No time to turn at beauty’s glance” refers to
A) beauty of nature
B) beauty of the woods
C) beauty of the skies at night
D) beauty of the streams full of stars
Answer:
A) beauty of nature
Question 8.
We have no time to stand and stare at
A) the sheep or cows
B) the beauty of nature
C) the boughs of the tree
D) the squirrels hiding their nuts
Answer:
B) the beauty of nature
Question 9.
‘Streams full of stars’ means
A) stars are floating in the stream
B) stars are reflected in the water of the streams
C) very clear and sparkling river under the sun
D) stars are seen in the streams at night
Answer:
C) very clear and sparkling river under the sun
Question 10.
How has beauty been personified in the poem ‘Leisure’?
A) It can dance and smile.
B) It can be seen everywhere.
C) We can stand and stare at beauty.
D) We can see her in broad daylight.
Answer:
A) It can dance and smile.
Question 11.
What do we fail to notice when we pass the woods?
A) boughs
B)cows
C) sheep
D) squirrels with their food
Answer:
D) squirrels with their food
IV. Activities:
1. “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy”. The meaning of this proverb is that with too much of work, a person becomes bored due to the monotony of work. Now write a paragraph of about one hundred words on this proverb.
Answer:
Hard and industrious work is necessary to achieve our goals in life. But, concentration on work alone with no recreation tends to make a person dull and unsociable. The mind’s constitution is such that it can be made to work for a long time. But, at the same time, proper relaxation is absolutely necessary for keeping it from getting overtaxed. An overtaxed mind loses all social spirit making the personality dull. Often children are made to study their lessons continuously so as to get good results in examinations.
But, this rather tends to make a child just a bookworm with no special abilities. Furthermore, a relaxed mind is a rejuvenated one. It retrieves all its capacities for absorption of knowledge after proper recreation. Recreation revitalizes the mind’s inborn abilities.
That is why stress is laid on extracurricular activities in school routines. A balanced scheme of work and recreation is the proper way to keep the mind in trim shape. This is especially very important in the case of children because it is the age when the personality of the child is being moulded. In short, work with no recreation will make Jack a dull boy. On the other hand, a combination of work with recreation will make him a properly balanced person.
2. Form a group of four to five:
Answer:
a) List out all the hobbies you can do in your free time. Reading, stamp collection, coin collection, gardening, photography, music, cooking, painting, sports and games are some of the common hobbies.
b) Besides having a hobby, we can also spend our free time admiring nature. List places you would like to visit and enjoy the beauty of nature. Koaachadri Hilts and Jog Falls in Shimoga District, Kudremukh, Bababudangiri in Chikmagalore District, Male Mahadeswara Hills in Chamarajanagar District and some places surrounding Kodagu District.
Memorisation:
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this is, if, full of care,
We-have no time to stand and stare.
Leisure by W.H. Davies About the poet
The poem ‘Leisure’ by W.H. Davies tells us that we should find leisure to enjoy the beauty of nature and the things around us. Otherwise life becomes monotonous and we will be deprived of the happiness we get by observing even the insignificant things that we come across in our life.
Leisure Swimming Summary In English
‘Leisure’ is a simple yet beautiful and thought-provoking poem written by William Henry Davies. In this poem, the poet wonders whether it is worth leading a life which provides one with no time for leisure. The poem is divided into seven rhyming couplets.
Couplet 1: The poet, W.H. Davies, begins by questioning the purpose of a life which is so full of worry that it does not allow us any time to simply stand still and watch the world go by. In the next few couplets, he describes the various things that people are not able to do due to lack of leisure.
Couplet 2: Sheep and cows can often be seen standing still in vast open fields and staring into a distance. People living a busy life would not possess the leisure to stand under the branches of trees and keep gazing.
Couplet 3: W.H. Davies further adds that when such people pass a forest or a woodland, they would be in too much of a hurry to notice the nooks and crannies in the grass where squirrels conceal their nuts. They would not possess the leisure to notice the various aspects of the natural world around them.
Couplet 4: In daylight, streams appear to be sparkling under the effect of sunshine making it seem as if the streams are full of stars like the night sky. However, such beauties of nature are likely to be missed by people overburdened by anxiety and living a life of haste without any leisure.
Couplet 5 and 6: The poet states that the rush of life provides people with no leisure to turn at the glance of a beautiful maiden and marvel at her dancing feet. They are unable to leisurely observe her as her mouth shapes out a smile that started from her eyes. W.H. Davies has personified the beauty of the world around us which many often fail to observe due to a lack of leisure. The dancing feet and enchanting smile refer to various aspects of the beauty around us.
Couplet 7: In the final couplet of the poem, Davies states that a life which is so bogged down by worry that it allows one no time for leisure is indeed a miserable life. It means that we have a poor life if we have no time to relax physical or mentally.
Glossary:
stare – to look at something with great concentration
beneath – underneath
enrich – improve the quality of
bough – a large branch of a tree
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