NCERT Solutions for On the Grasshopper and Cricket(Poem) Class 8 Honeydew English
Book Solutions1
Discuss with your partner the following definition of a
poem.
A poem is made of words arranged in a beautiful order. These
words, when read aloud with feeling, Have a music and meaning of their own.
Answer
Poem is supposedly an artistic piece which contains a speech
as well as a song, and is usually rhythmical and metaphorical. These beautiful
arrangement of words beautify and add to the essence of the poem. Poems are supposedly
read aloud to feel the intense passion and emotion with which they have been
composed. The rhyming words in a poem puts various ideas and imaginations of
the poet in sync. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, a poem
can be defined as a piece of writing in which the words are chosen for their
sound and the images they suggest, not just for their obvious meanings. The
words are arranged in separate lines, usually with a repeated rhythm, and often
the lines rhyme at the end.
2
‘The poetry of earth’ is not made of words. What is it made
of, as suggested in the poem?
Answer
'The poetry of earth' is not made of words, but of the song
and the rhythm produced by the nature's different creatures in various seasons.
The music of the nature never loses its charm even with changing seasons.
Summer and winter are the toughest seasons of the year. In summer it is
extremely hot and in winter it is very cold. So in these two seasons there are
rare songs of joy and music on earth. But here the poet points to the poetry of
earth during summer and winter. In summer, the grasshopper seems to be
excitedly hopping around, tirelessly, while even in lonely and dark winter
nights, one can identify the shrill voice with which the insect cricket sings.
3
Find in the poem lines that match the following.
(i) The grasshopper’s happiness never comes to an end.
(ii) The cricket’s song has a warmth that never decreases.
Answer
(i) In summer luxury — he has never done With his delights.
(ii) The cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever.
4
Which word in stanza 2 is opposite in meaning to ‘the
frost’?
Answer
The word 'frost' in stanza 2 differs in meaning with the
word 'grassy'. Frost has a chilly reference which means a degree or state of
coldness sufficient to cause the freezing of water. This meaning lacks a green
live feeling which is present in the word 'grassy'. Grassy means something
which is like grass or pertains to grass.
5
The poetry of the earth continues round the year through a
cycle of two seasons. Mention each with its representative voice.
Answer
The poetry of earth continues round the years through the
summer and the winter. In summer, the grasshopper’s voice represents the poetry
of the earth. While in winter the cricket’s song represents the poetry of the
earth. So the two insects represents the two seasons.