Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end, Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt, She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up Of chitterrings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings- The whole tree trembles and thrills. It is the engine of her family.
Questions:
(i) Name the poem and the poet.
(ii) Where does the goldfinch set as it comes?
(iii) How is goldfinch compared to the lizard?
(iv) What happens when the goldfinch enters the tree?
(v) Find words from the stanza which mean the same as:
(a) Excited (b) Shake
The cardboard shows me how it was when the two girl cousins went paddling, Each one holding one of my mother’s hands, And she the big girl — some twelve years or so.
Questions :
(i) Who wrote this poem?
(ii) How many girls are there in the photograph?
(iii) Why did the girls went to the sea beach?
(iv) Who is the ‘big girl’ in the photograph?
(v) Find words from the stanza which mean the same as: (a) Rowing (b)Grasping.
Answers :
(i) Shirley Toulson is the poetess of this poem.
(ii) There are three girls in the photograph.
(iii) They went there for paddling.
(iv) The ‘big girl’ in the photograph is the poetess’ mother.
(v) (a) Paddling, (b) Holding.
Stanza-1
Ans. (1) The name of the poem is The Laburnum Top' and that of the poet is Ted Hughes.
(ii) She sits at a branch end.
(ii) She is as sleek and alert as a lizard
(iv) The tree becomes noisy.
(v) (1) Excited-thrills (thrilled)
(ii) Shake - trembles (tremble)