SHORT QUESTIONS OF "PRAYER BEFORE BIRTH" BY LOUIS MACNEICE

1. “I am not yet born; O hear me.”—What does the poet wants to say?

 Here in the poem “Prayer Before Birth” by Louis MacNeice, the unborn child requests the God to keep bloodsucking bat or rat or other harmful animal or spirit away from the child when he will be born.

2. “I am not yet born, console me.”—Why does the unborn child demand consolation before birth from God?

 The unborn child fears that society or human may divide him in the name of race, religion with walls or the men may force him to tell lie or men may force him to play with blood. And all these will give him pain. So he demands consolation from the God.

3. “I am not yet born; provide me”—What does the unborn child want to be provided?

 The unborn child wants from the God water to bathe, grass to play on them, trees to talk, bird to chirp for poet and divine light to guide and remove darkness from his mind.

4. “…….. a white light/ in the back of my mind to guide me”—Explain the line.

 The unborn child seeks white light I.e. light of knowledge that will perish his mind’s darkness i.e. superstition, ego, malice, division of creed etc. and that will guide him from wrong way to right way in life.

5. “I am not yet born; forgive me”—Why does the unborn child want forgiveness?

 The unborn child knows very well that when he will be born, he will have to commit sins and then his words, thoughts will be crooked. Society probably will force him to commit suicide. So, in advance, the unborn child seeks forgiveness from the God.

6. “……. My words / when they speak me, my thoughts when they think me”—Explain.

 The unborn child is sure that the society will speak to him roughly or will think of him badly. He doubts that at that time he will not able to control his own words, thoughts against them.

7. “I am not yet born; rehearse me”—Why does the unborn child ask the God to rehearse him?

 The unborn child knows very well that when he will be born, he will have to endure the old men’s lecture, officer’s temper, beloved’s laughter, children’s curse and even the beggar’s refusal. So before birth, the child wants from the God to rehearse to face them.

8. “I am not yet born; O fill me”—What does the unborn child demand from the God?

 The poet demands from the God enough strength so that he can face the evil force that will take away his humanity and force him to join battle field with lethal arms. With that strength, he also wants to go against them who will try to abolish his entity.

9. “……..would dragoon me into lethal automaton/ would make me a cog in a machine …..”—Explain the line. 

 The unborn child knows that when he will be born, the war-monger will surely force him to be a part of deadly war with lethal arms whether he wants it or not. So, he seeks enough strength to go against them.

10. What does the unborn child ask for at the very end of the poem?

/ “Let them not make me a stone and let them not spill me.

Otherwise kill me.”-Explain.

 At the very end of the poem “Prayer Before Birth”, the unborn child wants that he should be given proper scope to live as a human being in peace and if the God cannot keep the child’s request, the unborn child wants himself to be killed before his birth.

11. “Let not the man who is beast or who thinks he is God/ Come near me”—Explain.

 The unborn child requests the God to keep away two types of men from him when he will be born—first type is those men who are like beast, who are tyrant and second type is those who are so arrogant that they think themselves God. 

SHORT QUESTIONS OF "SHE DWELT AMONG THE UNTRODDEN" WAYS BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

1. “She dwelt among the untrodden ways”—Who dwelt among untrodden ways? How did she lived there?

 A beautiful, maiden girl named Lucy lived among untrodden ways.

 She lived there alone. None knew her and even none knew when she died.

2. Who was Lucy?

 Lucy was probably an imaginary girl whom poet Wordsworth loved very much and who had died young. 

3. How many poems did Wordsworth write on Lucy?

 Poet Wordsworth wrote five poems on Lucy.

4. Where did poet’s beloved/ Lucy live?

 Lucy lived in a solitary place beside the river Dove.

5. Which river is mentioned in this poem and why?

 William Wordsworth mentioned River Dove in this poem. 

 River Dove is considered as holy river. In order to state his beloved’s virginity and purity, the poet mentions this river.

6. “A Maid whom there were none to praise”—Who is referred to “Maid” here? Why were there none to praise her beauty?

 Here “Maid” refers to a beautiful, maiden girl named Lucy whom poet Wordsworth loved very much and who had died young.

 There were none to praise that girl’s beauty because she lived in a solitary place that was hidden from the eye of people.

7. With whom was Wordsworth’s beloved (Lucy) compared to?

 Wordsworth compared his beloved (Lucy) to violet flower that bloomed in unseen places and Venus that shined more than other stars in the sky.

8. “......Oh, / The difference to me!”—About whom has this remark been made? Explain the line.

 This remark has been made about Lucy who was probably an imaginary girl whom poet Wordsworth loved very much and who had died young. 

 According to the poet, none cared, noticed, loved that girl and that girl had died with her unsung beauty; but nobody knew that. But the poet expressed his immense love for her and to him that girl is special and extra-ordinary one.

9. “But she is in her grave”—Who is in the grave?

 Poet’s beloved Lucy is in the grave.

10. “Fair as star, when only one

  Is shining in the sky”—who is compared to a star? Which star is referred to here and why?

 Poet’s beloved Lucy is compared to a star. 

 Here Venus is referred to the mentioned star. 

 According to Greek mythology, Venus is goddess of love. For this reason, poet has compared his beloved to Venus. Besides, in the night sky, Venus is the brightest among the stars.

11. “A violet by a mossy stone”—Who is compared to a violet flower and why?

 Wordsworth compared his beloved (Lucy) to violet flower that bloomed in unseen places.

 A violet flower is beautiful but none cares it. Similarly, poet’s beloved’s beauty is seen, admired by none. So the poet compares her to a violet flower.

12. “Half hidden from the eye”—Who is half hidden and why?

 Poet’s beloved Lucy is half hidden because she lives in a solitary land beside the river Dove where nobody goes even nobody notices her.

SHORT QUESTIONS OF DOLL'S HOUSE BY KATHERINE MANSFIELD

1. Who were the Burnell children?

 Isabel, Lottie and Kezia were the Burnell children.

2. Who were the Kelveys?

 Kelveys were Lil and Else.

3. Who gifted the doll’s house? Who received the doll’s house?

 Mrs. Hay gifted the doll’s house to Burnell children.

 Burnell children received the doll’s house.

4. Who carried the doll’s house in the courtyard and how was it put?

 Pat and the carter carried the doll’s house in the courtyard and it was put on two wooden boxes.

5. What were the difference between the doll’s house and the real house?

 In a real house there remained a door for each room in the house. But in the doll’s house there was only one front door through which the inside of every room could be noticed.

6. Who was pat?

 Pat was the driver of Burnell family.

7. Where was the doll’s house placed and why?

 The doll’s house was placed in the courtyard of Burnell’s house because it was too large to carry into house and they thought that the smell of paint would have gone off.

8. How were the colours of the house?

 House was painted in oily spinach green, picked out with bright yellow. Its two chimneys were painted in red and white colour. The door had yellow varnish on it and the tiny porch was coloured in yellow.

9. Who opened the doll’s house and how?

 Pat opened the doll’s house with a penknife.

10. How many rooms were there in the doll’s house?

 There were five rooms in the house—one drawing room, one kitchen, one dining room and two bedrooms.

11. What were into the little hall of doll’s house?

 There were a hat-stand and two umbrellas into the little hall of doll’s house.

12. Who was Kezia? What did he like most in that doll’s house?

 Kezia was the youngest among Burnell children. She liked most a lamp in that doll’s house.

13. How was the lamp in the doll’s house?

 The lamp looked real and inside it looked like oil that moved when lamp was shaken.

14. Who were the inhabitants of the doll’s house? / How many dolls were in the doll’s house?

 A father doll, a mother doll and their two little children were the inhabitants of the doll’s house.

15. Why would Isabel tell other schoolmates about the doll’s house? / “I am to tell”—Who will tell and what will she tell? / What did Isabel say before to her sisters going to school?

 Isabel selected herself to tell their schoolmates about the doll’s house because she was eldest and she thought herself always right.

16. How did they decide to invite their mates to show the doll’s house?

 To show the doll’s house, Burnell children decided to invite two friends at a time and they would not be offered tea at all.

17. When did they decide to tell others at school about the doll’s house? Where did they gather during playtime?

 They decided to tell others about the doll’s house during tiffin/ playtime.

 During playtime they gathered under a huge Pine tree at the side of the playground.

18. Who were not allowed everywhere? / Who remained always out of the friend circle? / “….Stayed outside the ring the two……”—About whom was it said?

 Two Kelveys children- Lil and Else were not allowed everywhere.

19. Why did everyone ignore the Kelveys?

 Kelveys’ mother was a poor washer-woman and their father was supposed to be in jail. So everyone ignored them, even did not speak to them.

20. Which families’ children went to school?

 Children from the family of milkman, judge, doctor, shopkeeper went to school?

21. How was the dress of Lil?

 Lil’s dress was made of green art-serge table cloth of Burnells with red plush sleeves from the Logan’s curtain. She got her hat from postmistress Miss Lecky.

22. How was the dress of Else?

 Little Else’s dress was a white one, looked like a nightgown and she wore a pair of boy’s boot.

23. How did Else express her demand to her elder sister Lil?

 Whenever Else wanted anything, little Else gave a tug, a twitch and Lil understood everything.

24. “You have forgetting the lamp”—Who said this and to whom?

 The youngest among the Burnells children, Kezia said this to Isabel.

25. What did the rich children eat during tiffin hour in school?

 The rich kids ate thick mutton sandwiches and big slabs of johnny cake with butter.

26. What did the poor Kelveys eat in school?

 The Kelveys ate jam sandwiches out of newspaper soaked with large red blobs.

27. Why did the aunt Beryl scold Kezia? /”Wicked, disobedient little girl”—Who scolded Kezia and why?

 Aung Beryl scolded Kezia because she invited Kelveys in their house to show the doll’s house.

28. What did Kelveys children do when Aunt Beryl scolded them?

 When Aunt Beryl scolded the Kelveys children for entering Burnells’ house, they immediately somehow managed to flee away from the Burnells’ courtyard like chicken.

29. Where did the Lil and Else went fleeing away from Burnell’s house?

 Fleeing away from Burnell’s house, the two children Lil and Else sat down to rest on a big red drain pipe by the side of road.

30. Why were all girls of school friendly with Isabel?

 All girls of the schools were friendly with Isabel because she owned a beautiful doll’s house and only her friends would be allowed to see that.

31. Who invited the Kelveys to see the doll’s house?

 Youngest among the Burnells children, Kezia invited the Kelveys to see the doll’s house.

32. “It seemed to smile to Kezia, to say, “I live here”—Explain.

 Only Kezia took interest in a lamp that was inside the doll’s house and to her, as if the lamp was smiling and saying that it lived there.

33. “I seen the little lamp”—Who is the speaker? Explain the line?

 Little Else Kelvey is the speaker.

 Unobtrusively, both the two Kelvey sister Lil and Kelvey saw the doll’s house with the consent of Kezia and this fact made Aunt Beryl angry. So the Kelveys fled away and then Else remarked that she had managed to see the beautiful lamp of doll’s house. It shows her difference from other girls and similarity to Kezia.

34. What did Aunt Beryl do when she noticed Kelveys were seeing the doll’s house?

 When she noticed Kelveys were seeing the doll’s house, she became very angry and scolded Kezia calling her wicked, disobedient girl for inviting them. She then drove away the Kelveys children from their house.