Gujarat Board GSEB Solutions Class 9 English Second Language Poem 3 Be the Best Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.
GSEB Class 9 English Textbook Solutions Poem 3 Be the Best (Second Language)
GSEB Class 9 English Be the Best Text Book Questions and Answers
Read the following stanzas and answer the questions.
(1) If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley – but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.
Question 1.
Write the rhyming words in the stanza.
Answer:
hill-rill, be-tree
Question 2.
If you can’t be a tree
Answer:
If you can’t be a tree, be a bush.
Comprehension
1. Tick mark the nearest meaning.
Question 1.
There is something for all of us here.
(a) Everybody has a scope to become something. ✓
(b) If we become something, we get something.
(c) God has reserved some space for us here in this world.
Answer:
(a) Everybody has a scope to become something.
Question 2.
And the task we must do is the near.
(a) It is certain that we must become something.
(b) We must do something in our neighbouring area.
(c) Decide what we should do or become at the earliest. ✓
Answer:
(c) Decide what we should do or become at the earliest.
Question 3.
Be the best whatever you are.
(a) We should do our work in the best possible manner.
(b) Put in your best. Don’t feel ashamed even if you are a small person. Just do the best. ✓
(c) We should be the best amongst all.
Answer:
(b) Put in your best. Don’t feel ashamed even if you are a small person. Just do the best.
2. Fill in the table using the words / expressions from the poem.
| You cannot become | You can become | Big-sized thing(s) | Small-sized thing(s) |
| a pine on the hill | a small scrub in the valley | a pine tree | a scrub |
| a tree | a bush | a tree | a bush |
| a bush | a bit of grass | a bush | a bit of grass |
| muskie | a bass | a muskie | a bass |
| a highway | a trail | a highway | a trail |
| the sun | a star | the sun | a star |
3. Answer the questions.
Question 1.
What advice does the poet give to people in the first stanza of the poem ?
Answer:
In the first stanza of the poem, the poet advises the people to be the best at whatever they do.
Question 2.
Why does the poet say ‘We can’t all be captains’ ?
Answer:
The poet says ‘We can’t all be captains’ because all of us will not get big work to do. Some work is big and some work is small. But we have to do the work given to us. There is something to do for all of us.
Question 3.
What, according to the poet, decides our victory or failure ?
Answer:
According to the poet, our victory or failure is decided by how hard we have worked to be the best.
Question 4.
What is the message of the poem ?
Answer:
The message of the poem is : Whatever you do, be the best. It does not matter how big or small your work is. Your victory or failure is not decided by the size of your work, but by how hard you have worked to be the best.
Question 5.
Who, according to you, is the best person ? Discuss.
Answer:
According to me, the best person is the one who works hard to be the best at whatever work he gets. He does not worry whether his work is big or small, but he is the best.
(6) Think of someone in your village / town / neighbourhood who has very good qualities. Tell about him / her to the class. (Classroom discussion).
Read the following stanzas and answer the questions.
(1) If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill.
Be a scrub in the valley — but be
The best little scrub by the side of the nil;
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.
Question 1.
Write the rhyming words in the stanza.
Answer:
hili-rill, be-tree
Question 2.
If you can’t be a tree
Answer:
If you can’t be a tree, be a bush.
Question 3.
If you can’t be a pine,
Answer:
If you can’t be a pine, be a scrub.
Question 4.
What does the poet advise if you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill?
Answer:
If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill, the poet advises to be a scrub in the valley, but the best scrub by the side of the rill.
(2) If you can’t be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway happier make;
If you can’t be a muskie then just be a bass –
But the liveliest bass in the lake !
Question 1.
Write the rhyming words in the stanza.
Answer:
grass-bass, make-lake
Question 2.
If you can’t be a bush
Answer:
If you can’t be a bush, be a bit of the grass.
Question 3.
What does the poet advise if you can’t be a muskie?
Answer:
If you can’t be a muskie, the poet advises to be a bass, but the liveliest bass in the lake.
Question 4.
What does the poet advise if you can’t be a bush?
Answer:
If you can’t be a bush, the poet advises to be a bit of the grass.
(3) We can’t all be captains, we’ve got to be crew,
There’s something for all of us here,
There’s big work to do, and there’s lesser to do,
And the task you must do is near.
Question 1.
Write the rhyming words in the stanza.
Answer:
crew-do, here-near
Question 2.
What does the poet say in this stanza?
Answer:
In this stanza, the poet says that there is some work for all of us to do and it does not matter if the work is big or small.
Question 3.
‘We can’t all be captains, we’ve got to be crew’. What does this line mean?
Answer:
This line means that all of us may not get big work to do and that some of us may also have to do small work.
(4) If you can’t be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can’t be the sun be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or you fail —
Be the best of whatever you are !
Question 1.
Write the rhyming words in the stanza.
Answer:
trail-fail, star-are
Question 2.
What does the poet say about success and failure?
Answer:
The poet says that our success or failure does not depend on the size of the work that we do, but the way in which we do it.
Question 3.
If you can’t be the sun, ….
Answer:
If you can’t be the sun, be a star.
Question 4
……………. , then just be a trail.
Answer:
If you can’t be a highway, then just be a trail.
Be the Best Summary in Gujarati
જો તમે ટેકરીની ટોચનું પાઇનવૃક્ષ ન બની શકો તો,
ખીણમાં એક ઝાડવું થજો – પણ
ઝરણાના કિનારે સૌથી શ્રેષ્ઠ ઝાડવું થજો;
વૃક્ષ ન થઈ શકો તો એક છોડ થજો.
જો તમે છોડ ન થઈ શકો તો ઘાસનું એક તરણું થજો,
અને કોઈક રાજમાર્ગને વધારે રળિયામણો બનાવજો;
જો તમે મોટી માછલી ન થઈ શકો તો નાની માછલી થજો –
પણ તળાવની સૌથી વધુ જીવંત માછલી થજો!
આપણે બધા જ કપ્તાન ન થઈ શકીએ, આપણે ખલાસી
થવાનું છે,
અહીં આપણા સૌ માટે કંઈક (કામ) તો છે.
કરવા માટે મોટાં કામ છે, અને નાનાં (કામ) પણ છે,
અને તમારે જે (કામ) કરવાનું છે, તે હમણાં જ કરવાનું છે.
જો તમે રાજમાર્ગ ન થઈ શકો તો એક પગદંડી થજો,
જો તમે સૂરજ ન થઈ શકો તો એક તારો થજો;
તમે જીતો કે હારો તેનો આધાર (તમારા કામના) કદ
પર નથી – તમે જે કંઈ છો તેમાં સૌથી શ્રેષ્ઠ થજો ! — ડગલસ મૅલૉક
Word Meanings
