Gujarat Board GSEB Class 9 English Textbook Solutions Beehive Poem 3 Rain on the Roof Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.
Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 9 English Beehive Poem 3 Rain on the Roof
GSEB Class 9 English Rain on the Roof Text Book Questions and Answers
Thinking about the Poem
Question 1.
What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in the class.
Answer:
- Humid Shadows – refer to the dark clouds pregnant with water, which bring rain.
- Starry Spheres – refer to the sky with innumerable stars.
- What a bliss !-refers to the extreme happiness that the poet enjoys in his cottage lying in his bed while the rain is pattering on the roof.
- a thousand dreamy fancies Into busy being start – refer to the various flights of fancies/imagination that are aroused in the poet’s mind with the rain pattering on the roof.
- a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof-refers to the numerous memories that intermingle to form a beautiful picture in the poet’s mind.
Question 2.
What does the poet like to do when it rains?
Answer:
When it rains, the poet feels greatly delighted. He would like to lie in his cottage chamber bed with his head pressed on a pillow and listen to the patter of the soft rain.
Question 3.
What is the single major memory that comes to the poet? Who are the ‘darling dreamers’ he refers to?
Answer:
The single major memory that comes to the poet is that of his mother and of her fond look. The ‘darling dreamers’ are the poet and his siblings in their childhood when they were lovingly put to sleep by their mother.
Question 4.
Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?
Answer:
No, the poet is now not a child. He is a grown-up man. His mother is no more alive, but the poet cannot forget her. The memory of his mother-her fondling is still alive in his mind and he remembers how she put them to sleep caressingly.
II.
Question 1.
When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poets did?
Answer:
Yes, when I was a young child, my mother used to tuck me in as the poet’s mother did.
Question 2.
Do you like rain? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem?
Answer:
Yes, I like rain. When it rains steadily I get into my house and enjoy the weather with family. We enjoy tea. It is a wonderful experience.
Question 3.
Does everybody have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains? Look around you and describe how different kinds of people or animals spend time, seek shelter, etc. during rain.
Answer:
No, everybody is not fortunate enough to have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains. Not everybody gets to enjoy the comfort of cosy homes during rain. I have seen animals seeking shelter under trees and under the tin roofs of the small roadside tea stalls.
The people passing by shoo away these animals and try to shrink themselves under the limited space of these shops. The poor animals are left shivering and drenching on the roads. The shopkeepers of such stalls are delighted as the people waiting for the rain to subside often end up buying tea and snacks.
GSEB Class 9 English Rain on the Roof Additional Important Questions and Answers
Reading Comprehension
Read the following stanzas and answer the questions given below them:
Question 1.
When the humid shadows hover Over all the starry spheres And the melancholy darkness Gently weeps in rainy tears,
What bliss to press the pillow Of a cottage-chamber bed And lie listening to the patter Of the soft rain overhead!
Questions :
1. What are the humid shadows?
2. What do they do?
3. Why does the poet call darkness melancholy?
Answer:
1. The humid shadows are the dark clouds.
2. They hide the stars and pour with rain.
3. The poet calls darkness melancholy because it makes him sad.
Question 2.
Every tinkle on the shingles Has an echo in the heart;
And a thousand dreamy fancies Into busy being start,
And a thousand recollections Weave their air-threads into woof,
As I listen to the patter Of the rain upon the roof.
Questions :
1. How does the poet describe the falling rain?
2. What does the mind of the poet fancy?
3. Trace a word from the extract that means ‘memories’.
Answer:
1. The poet says that the falling rain creates immense pleasure in his heart.
2. Old thoughts and memories are recollected by the poet.
3. Recollections!
Question 3.
Now in memory comes my mother,
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers
Ere she left them till the dawn:
O! I feel her fond look on me
As I list to this refrain
Which is played upon the shingles
By the patter of the rain.
Questions:
1. Who comes in the memory of the child when it rains?
2. What does the poet like to do when it rains?
3. Find the word in the extract that refers ? to the ‘repeated sound of the rain’.
Answer:
1. When it rains, the child is reminded of his mother.
2. When it rains, the poet feels happy to press the pillow of his bed and lie listening to? the patter of the rain.
3. Refrain
Figures of Speech
Choose the correct Figures of Speech in the following lines :
Question 1.
‘And the melancholy darkness? Gently weeps in rainy tears’.
A. Transferred Epithet
B. Personification
C. Alliteration
D. Onomatopoeia
Answer:
B. Personification
Question 2.
‘What a bliss to press the pillow…’,
A. Alliteration
B. Exclamation
C. Metaphor
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Question 3.
‘And a thousand recollections S Weave their air-threads into woof’.
A. Personification
B. Alliteration
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Question 4.
‘As I listen to the patter’.
A. Onomatopoeia
B. Personification
C. Metaphor
D. Alliteration
Answer:
A. Onomatopoeia
Question 5.
‘To regard the darling dreamers’.
A. Apostrophe
B. Alliteration
C. Metaphor
D. Personification
Answer:
B. Alliteration
Questions – Answers
Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each :
Question 1.
How does the poet describe the sky- before the rainfall?
Answer:
There were dark clouds hovering around in the sky. They hid the stars with darkness all around. The poet compares the darkness with sadness, as these humid shadows gently weep which pours down rainy tears.
Question 2.
Do you think that the poem? Rain on the Roof, is lauding the healing power of nature’s rain?
Answer:
The poet is appreciating rain, especially when he hears it from a cosy bed in a lovely cottage. This rain and its sound have resurrected the fondest memory of the poet’s mother in his mind. As the rain continues, the poet tries to recollect all that caused him pain, yet at the same time lifted his spirits.
Question 3.
What does the each sound of shingle create?
Answer:
Every raindrop on the tiles of the roof creates a rhythm with the poet’s heartbeat. This evokes thousands of dreams making his thoughts busy. While he focuses on the listening to the pitter-patter on the roof, his mind starts weaving recollections of fond memories of yesteryears.
Question 4.
Who all does the poet remember while listening to the rain?
Answer:
The poet remembers his mother who used to put him to bed every night and then used to look at him lovingly while he slept.
Question 5.
Is the poet, Coates Kinney, able to enjoy the rain or he reminisce at the lost time?
Answer:
The general atmosphere of the poem is very sombre. There is darkness around but rain compensates it with the spirit of peace for the lonely night at hand. The poet realizes how much joy and pleasure of sleep he can attain when his head presses against his pillow to conclude the long day into a good night’s rest.
Answer the following questions in five to six sentences each :
Question 1.
What happens when the poet listens to the patter of the rain? Do you think that rain is a narrative tool in the poet’s life?
Answer:
The raindrops play music on the roof and create a sound of pitter-patter. To the poet this music is blissful. At the beginning of the poem, there is a certain tinge of sadness around which starts to weep away with the coming of raindrops. Every raindrop on the tiles of the roof creates a rhythm with the poet’s heartbeat.
The poet tries to focus s on listening to the pitter-patter on the roof whereas his mind weaves the recollections of fond memories of yesteryears. Rain bears a subtle link with all aspects of life. It serves as a powerful narrative tool in the poet’s life.
It has added a layer of depth s and fullness to the situation where the poet is concerned. It delivers an effective voice which s communicates the apt moment of time and space as well as the emotions of the protagonist I in a more poignant manner than mere words; would do.
Question 2.
There is an image of the past in the poem, ‘Rain on the Roof’. Is this imagery similar to ones used in the poem, ‘The Road not Taken’? Explain.
Answer:
In the poem, ‘Rain on the Roof’, past is being spoken about but not in terms of regret or sadness whereas in the poem, ‘The Road Not Taken’, there is sadness and S regret as imagery. Rain lulls the poet into dreams which bring back the memory of his family and the loved ones.
In the poem, ‘The s Road Not Taken’, the poet is regretting the decision that he took years back. There is an imagery of the past in both the poem but in the s poem by Coates Kinney, this past imagery is the? wonderful thought of a loving mother whereas, in the poem by Robert Frost, the poem is about regret. The road not taken symbolizes the choice? to enter the unchartered land.
It suggests that in 5 making this choice he is trying to distinguish himself from the rest of the world by taking the less travelled, less worn road. Both the poems have the imagery of past. One creates a sense of love and want and create a sombre mood. The other poem delves into the decision-making power of the poet which took him places but could not satisfy him.
Question 3.
Dreams hold importance in the poet’s life. Is it true? Explain.
Answer:
This poem is depicting the overall mood on a rainy night. During the night the humid cloud full of water creates dark shadows over the star-studded sky. The poet dreams about his mother and the way she used to tuck him in bed. The poet’s dream of his mother reminds him of his childhood days.
His mother used to tell stories to lull him into a sleep full of dreams. The music being played on the rooftop is like the affectionate look by which his mother used to see him, while he was a kid. So dreams make him realize the importance of the past and the things that he now misses.
Rain on the Roof Summary in English
Rain on the Roof Introduction:
Coates Kinney (November 24, 1826 – January 25, 1904) was a lawyer, politician, journalist and poet from the United States He wrote poetry, and his verses were collected in ‘Keeuka and Other Poems’ and ‘Lyrics of the Ideal and the Real’. Of his verses, ‘Rain on the Roof’, which was set to music, was the most popular.
Rain on the Roof Summary:
The humidity of the atmosphere is relatively high as it lingers below the dark skies and the twinkling shimmering light of the stars forms into roundness of visible source of light. Though the darkness mourns the melancholic spirit of indescribable sadness, the soft rain sets in to compensate it with the spirit of peace for the lonely night at hand. Kinney suddenly realizes how much joy and pleasure of sleep he can attain when his head presses against his pillow to conclude the long day into a goodnight’s rest.
He can sleep soundly like a little child in his cottage bedroom and listen to the patter of the soft summer showers overhead on the roof. Every tinkle of raindrops that fail on the thin oblong piece of material, such as wood or slate that is laid in overlapping rows to cover the roofs or sides of the cottage produces an echo in Kinney’s heart and starts a thousand fancies in his thoughts.
They spin the yarns of bright fanciful colours into his mind and he listens to the patter of the rain on the roof. In his continual imagination comes his mother to his vivid thoughts and just like in the early years when she observes all her offspring in their sleep. Before she leaves them before the break of dawn, he can see her bending over him, as he listens to this refraining melody which is played by the patter of rain upon the shingles of the roof.