Important Questions Class 10 Chapter 4.4 kumarbharati English Maharashtra Board

The Height of the Ridiculous

Short Questions 

1. What is the title of the poem?

• The Height of the Ridiculous.

2.Who wrote the poem?

• Oliver Wendell Holmes.

3.What mood was the poet in when he wrote the lines?

• Merry mood.

4.What does “ridiculous” mean in the poem?

• Too funny to believe.

5.How many syllables are in the word “elephant”?

• Three.

6.What did the poet ask his servant to do?

• Take the paper to the printer.

7.What happened to the servant’s face when he read the first line?

• He grinned.

8.What does “sober” mean in the poem?

• Serious.

9.What split when the servant read the fifth line?

• His waistband.

10.How many buttons burst off the servant’s clothes?

• Five.

11.What does “trifling jest” mean?

• A small joke.

12.How long did the poet watch the servant after the incident?

• Ten days and nights.

13.What is a syllable?

• A unit of spoken sound.

14.How many syllables are in the word “bucket”?

• Two.

15.What did the poet decide not to do after this experience?

• Write funny poems.

 Long Questions 

1. Why did the poet laugh so much while writing the poem?

• The lines were very funny and queer. He couldn’t stop laughing at their humor.

2.What was the difference between the poet and his servant?

• The poet was slender and serious, while the servant was strong. This contrast made the servant’s reaction funnier.

3.What happened when the servant read the poem’s lines?

• He grinned, chuckled, roared, and then fell into a fit. His reactions got stronger with each line.

4.Why did the poet call the servant “wretched”?

• The servant was helpless from laughing so hard. The poet watched him struggle for days.

5.What impact did the servant’s reaction have on the poet?

• The poet became afraid to write funny poems. He felt the humor was too powerful.

6.How does the poem show the power of humor?

• The servant’s extreme reactions show humor’s strong effect. It could make someone lose control completely.

7.What is the meaning of “there’ll be the devil to pay” in the poem?

• It means there will be trouble or chaos. The poet said it as a small joke.

8.Why is the poem called “The Height of the Ridiculous”?

• The servant’s over-the-top reaction was extremely funny. It shows the peak of absurd humor.