Samacheer Kalvi 9th English Solutions Poem Chapter 5 The River

Tamilnadu Samacheer Kalvi 9th English Solutions Poem Chapter 5 The River Questions And Answers

The River Poem Questions and Answers

The River Warm Up:

The River Poem Questions And Answers Question 1.
Have you ever been to a river?
Answer:
Yes, I have been to a river.

The River 9th Class Poem Questions And Answers Question 2.
Describe the beauty of the river you have seen?
Answer:
The river I have seen is shallow and the water is clear. It is a natural stream of water meandering. It looks beautiful.

The River Poem Question 3.
Do you think rivers have life like human beings?
Answer:
Yes, I think rivers have life like human beings.

The River 9th Class Poem Questions and Answers

B. Read the following lines and answer the River Poem 9th Standard questions given below.

1. O’re the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing.

The River Poem 9th Class Question (а).
How does the river flow?
Answer:
The river flows over the yellow pebbles dancing through the flowers and leaves in a playful manner.

A River Poem Questions And Answers Question (b).
What is meant by ‘foliage’?
Answer:
Foliage is a cluster of leaves, flowers and branches.

Additional:

River Poem 9th Class Question (a).
What is a pebble?
Answer:
A Pebble is usually a small rounded stone found in water bodies like river.

River River Poem 9th Class Question (b).
What is the poetic device employed in the first line.
Answer:
Imagery is the poetic device employed in the first line.

9th English River Poem Question (c).
What is the poetic device employed in the second line.
Answer:
Alliteration is the poetic device employed in the second line.

9th English Poem The River Question (d).
Give the rhyming word for ‘dancing’.
Answer:
The rhyming word for ‘dancing’ is glancing.

9th River Poem Question (e).
Is the river like a child? Why?
Answer:
Yes the river is like a child. The river like a child is bright and sparkling on its way. It dances and plays behind flowers and leaves of trees like a child playing hide and seek.

2. River, river! Swelling river!
On you rush through rough and smooth;

9th English The River Poem Question (a).
Why does the poet mention the river to be swelling?
Answer:
The poet mentions the river to be swelling because the river is like a reckless youth.

The River Questions And Answers Question (b).
What are the surfaces the river flows through?
Answer:
The surfaces the river flows through are the rough rocks and smooth places like rose banks where the roses grow.

Additional:

River Little River Question (a).
What does the word ‘swelling’ indicate?
Answer:
The word ‘swelling’ indicates the ebb and flow of the river.

River Poem 9th Std Question (b).
Which word is the antonym for ‘rough’?
Answer:
The antonym for the word rough is smooth.

3. Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping Like impetuous youth.

9th Std River Poem Question (a).
Where does the rose grow?
Answer:
The rose grows by rose-banks

The River 9th Class Poem Question (b).
Which stage of man is compared here?
Answer:
The period of youth is compared here.

Additional:

9th Standard The River Poem Question (a).
Where does it spend its y lounger days?
Answer:
It spends younger days through rocks and woods.

9th Standard River Poem Question (b).
What is sweeping?
Answer:
The river is sweeping.

9th Standard English The River Poem Question (c).
Identify the figure of speech.
Answer:
Simile is the figure of speech.

Question (d).
What is meant by ‘impetuous’?
Answer:
‘Impetuous’ means reckless or hasty.

Question (e).
Why is the river compared to an ‘impetuous youth’?
Answer:
The river is compared to an impetuous youth because of its reckless and hasty movements over rocks and rose-banks.

4. Broad and deep, and still as time;
Seeming still, yet still in motion,

Question (a).
What is broad and deep?
Answer:
The river is broad and deep.

Question (b).
Is the time still?
Answer:
No the time is not still, yet it seems to be still.

Additional:
(a) Which words describe the river?
Answer:
Broad, deep and still describe the river.

Question (b).
What is the figure of speech in the second line?
Answer:
The figure of speech is alliteration.

Question (c).
Explain ‘still in motion’.
Answer:
Though the river seems to be quiet and motionless, it is always in motion.

5. Tending onward to the ocean,
Just like mortal prime.

(a) Where is the river flowing to?
Answer:
The river is flowing to the ocean.

Question (b).
What does the poet mean by ‘ mortal Prime’?
Answer:
By the term ‘Mortal prime’, the poet means the man is in the best age of his life.

Additional:

Question (a).
Explain ‘Tending’.
Answer:
‘Tending’ here means inclining towards a habitual action.

Question (b).
What is the figure of speech employed here?
Answer:
The figure of speech is simile.

The River Poem 9th Class  Additional Questions

1. River, river, little river!
Bright you sparkle on your way;

Question (i).
What is a river?
Answer:
A river is a small little stream.

Question (ii).
Where is the river born?
Answer:
The river is born in the mountains.

Question (iii).
Why is it called ‘little river’?
Answer:
It is called a Tittle river’ because of its size.

Question (iv).
Give the example for epithet in the above lines.
Answer:
Tittle river’ is the example for epithet in the above lines.

2. Louder, faster, brawling, leaping,

Question (i).
What is meant by ‘brawling’?
Answer:
‘Brawling’ is a noisy quarrel.

Question (ii).
What is louder and faster?
Answer:
The river’s movement is louder and faster.

3. River, river! Headlong river!
Down you dash into the sea,

Question (i).
Why is the river said to be ‘headlong’?
Answer:
The river is said to be ‘headlong’ because of its reckless movement.

Question (ii).
Pick out the alliterated words.
Answer:
The alliterated words are ‘down’ and ‘dash’.

Question (iii).
Where does the headlong river rush to?
Answer:
The headlong river rush towards the sea.

4. Sea that line hath never sounded,
Sea that sail hath never rounded,
Like eternity.

Question (i).
What is the figure of speech in the above lines?
Answer:
Anaphora is the figure of speech in the above lines.

Question (ii).
Pick out the rhyming words.
Answer:
The rhyming words are sounded and rounded

Question (iii).
What is the figure of speech in the second line?
Answer:
The figure of speech is alliteration.

Question (iv).
Explain ‘hath never rounded’.
Answer:
No ship has completely gone around the sea to be compared to eternity.

Question (v).
What is meant by ‘hath’?
Answer:
‘hath’ is the old English word for ‘has’.

Question (vi).
What do the river and the sea remind the poet of?
Answer:
The river is like the transient human life. The sea reminds the poet of eternity.

Question (vii).
How does the sea remind you of eternity?
Answer:
Sea is endless and hence it cannot be measured. We do not know where it begins from and where it would end. Hence it reminds me of eternity.

Question (viii).
What happens to the river when it approaches the ocean?
Answer:
It seems wider and seems even slower when it approaches the ocean.

Question (iv).
When does a river grow and vanish?
Answer:
As it approaches to the ocean the river grows and then vanishes into the ocean.

C. Read the following lines and answer the questions.

1. Bright you sparkle on your way;
O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Like a child at play.
Pick out the rhyming words.
Answer:
Dancing and glancing; way and play are the rhyming words.

2. Mention the rhyme scheme of the poem.
The rhyme scheme of the poem is a b c c b.
River, river, little river! a
Bright you sparkle on your way; b
O’er the yellow pebbles dancing, c
Through the flowers and foliage glancing, c
Like a child at play. b

River, river! swelling river! a
On you rush through rough and smooth; b
Louder, faster, brawling, leaping, c
Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping c
Like impetuous youth. b

River, river! Brimming river! a
Broad and deep, and still as time; b
Seeming still, yet still in motion, c
Tending onward to the ocean, c
Just like mortal prime. b

River, river! Headlong river! a
Down you dash into the sea, b
Sea that line hath never sounded, c
Sea that sail hath never rounded, c
Like eternity. b

3. Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Like a child at play.
Mention the figure of speech used in the above lines. Give various other examples from the poem.
Alliteration is the figure of speech used in the above line.
Various other examples from the poem are:-

1. On you rush through rough and smooth
2. Over rocks, by rose-banks
3. Seeming still, yet still in motion
4. Tending onward to the ocean
5. Down you dash into the sea
6. Sea that line hath never sounded
7. Sea that sail hath never rounded

4. Seeming still, yet still in motion
(a) Pick out the words in alliteration from the above line.
Seeming still

(b) Identify other examples from the poem for alliteraion.
Other examples from the poem are:-

1. On you rush through rough and smooth
2. Over rocks, by rose-banks
3. Seeming still, yet still in motion
4. Tending onward to the ocean
5. Down you dash into the sea
6. Sea that line hath never sounded
7. Sea that sail hath never rounded

5. Pick out the examples for epithet from the poem.

Little river!
Swelling river!
Brimming river!
Headlong river!

6. Pick out the examples for imagery from the poem.

Yellow pebbles
dancing Brawling, leaping
dash into the sea

D. Answer the following in a paragraph of about 120-150 words.

1. How does the poet bring about the comparison of life with the river? Explain it with reference to the poem.
Answer:
‘The River’ is a poem describing the beauty of a river, in all its glory. Caroline Ann Bowles says that the river is a dynamic and vital symbol of nature. The poem has philosophical undertones also. The flow of the river shows the journey of life to eternity. The different stages of life are brought in through the imagery used in the poem. Initially the river is compared to the yellow pebbles dancing.

This indicates the childhood. The river then rushes through rough and smooth paths, brawling and leaping referring to the stage of a reckless youth. When the river ebbs and flows, appearing to be broad and deep, inclining towards the ocean, one can see the prime phase of a human being. The flow of the river shows the journey of life to eternity.

As the human life passes through childhood, youth, old age and eternity, likewise the river also undergoes changes in its course of action. The gentle, sparkling dancing river, faster, brawling, leaping river, its stillness and the merging with the sea towards the end of the poem, indicate the different stages of river like the stages of human life.

2. Describe how the poem clearly describes about the features, functions and destructive power of the river.
Answer:
The River is little. It is sprightly and it sparkles on its way. It dances over the yellow pebbles and plays hide and seek through the flowers and foliage. This poem describes the beauty of a river, in all its glory.

The river swells and rushes through rough and smooth paths. It moves with speed and fights and jumps over rocks and rose banks as they sweep across like the reckless youth. When the river brims, it appears broad and deep yet still as time. It seems to be still but it is always in motion. The final stage is the headlong river that dashes into the sea. Thus, the flow of the river shows the journey of life to eternity.

The different stages of life are brought in through the various imageries used in the poem. As the human life passes through childhood, youth, old age and eternity, likewise the river also undergoes changes in its own way. At first it is gentle, sparkling and dancing, moves faster, fights and leaps showing the destructive power of the river. However it gets subdued, becomes still and merges with the sea.

E. Based on your understanding of the poem, complete the summary of the poem by choosing the words/phrases given below.
prime phase, the yellow pebbles, motionless, stages of human life, sweeping, child, journey, reckless youth.

In the poem ‘The River’, the poet compares the flow of the river with different (1) ……………………… The first stanza explains how the sparkling river goes dancing over (2) …………………… and glancing through the flowers and leaves. These acts of the river is compared to a curious and innocent (3) …………………. at play. The second stanza compares the river to a (4) ……………………. who goes through rough and smooth patches of life. Like a youth, here the river becomes louder, faster and (5) ……………………. everything all along the way. In the third stanza, the river becomes like a hard working man who is at the (6) …………………… of the life. Here the deep and broad river seems (7) ………………… but it keeps moving towards the sea like a matured man who silently marches towards the goal. In the last stanza the long (8) ……………………. of the river reaches the endless sea like a human life attains eternity.
Answers:

1. stages of human life
2. the yellow pebbles
3. child
4. reckless youth
5. sweeping
6. prime phase
7. motionless
8. journey

The River by About Caroline Ann Bowles The Poet:

Caroline Ann Bowles (1786-1854), the British poet and writer was married to Robert Southey who was the poet laureate of Britain. She wrote various other works including Chapter On Churchyard and Tales Of The Factories. The River is a poem which describes a river in all its vitality and splendour.

The Little River Poem Summary By Caroline Ann Bowles

Oh! Little River – you sparkle bright as you move along your way. As you move on, you go dancing over the yellow pebbles. You glance through the flowers and leaves of trees, dancing throughout like a child who is at play.
Oh! river that ebbs and flows – you rush through rough and smooth pathways. You are louder, faster, clashing and hurdling. You go past rough rocks and banks where roses grow. This movement of yours is very similar to a hasty youth.
Oh! River, which is overflowing – you are broad and deep and silent as time. Though you seem motionless, you are inclining towards the ocean just like a man a man in the best age of his lifespan.
Oh! River, you are so reckless and you rush down into the sea. That sea’s depth has never been measured by a weighted line. None has gone by the ship completely around the sea to-be compared to eternity.

The River Glossary:

Textual:
eternity – life continuing without end after death foliage – a cluster of leaves, flowers and branches
glancing – touching or hitting something lightly from the side, without causing much damage
hath – in the past, the third person singular form of the word ‘have’
headlong – with the head first and the rest of the body following
impetuous – acting quickly and without thought or care
rose-banks – riverbanks where roses (flowers) appear along
swelling – becoming greater in intensity or volume
tending – going in a particular way