Short Questions
1. Who is the poet of the poem “Pencil”?
Ans:- The poet of the poem “Pencil” is Jayant Parmar.
2. Who translated the poem “Pencil”?
Ans:- The poem was translated by Baidar Bakht.
3. What does the little daughter light with a sharpener?
Ans:- The little daughter lights a pencil with a sharpener.
4. What is compared to the sky in the poem?
Ans:- The white paper is compared to the sky in the poem.
5. What happens to the sky of the white paper as the girl draws?
Ans:- The sky of the white paper begins to be filled with light.
6. What is flying away with the tree?
Ans:- The black bird is flying away with the tree.
7. What is on the eyes of the peacock?
Ans:- Glasses (spectacles) are on the eyes of the peacock.
8. What is flying in the air in the poem?
Ans:- The fire chariot is flying in the air.
9. Where is the airplane in the poem?
Ans:- The airplane is walking on the road.
10. Who is having a conversation with the cow?
Ans:- The lion is having a conversation with the cow.
11. What kind of sun is drawn on the black tree?
Ans:- A one-eyed sun is drawn on the black tree.
12. Where is the blue fish flying?
Ans:- The blue fish is flying on the forehead of the cloud.
13. What is the yellow butterfly doing in the poem?
Ans:- The yellow butterfly is swimming in the waterfall.
14. Who gives the girl homework?
Ans:- The schoolmaster gives the girl homework.
15. What does the angry girl break?
Ans:- The angry girl breaks the tip of the pencil.
Long Questions
1. Describe how the little girl begins her drawing on the white paper.
Ans:- The poet’s little dear daughter lights a pencil with a sharpener, which means she sharpens her pencil to begin drawing. As she starts drawing, the white paper is compared to the sky, and this “sky” of the white paper begins to be filled with light — that is, with her colourful and imaginative pictures.
2. Describe any four imaginary pictures drawn by the little girl.
Ans:- The little girl draws many strange and imaginative pictures. Among them, she draws a black bird flying away with a tree, glasses on the eyes of a peacock, a fire chariot flying in the air, and an airplane walking on the road. These pictures show how her imagination mixes things that are not normally seen together in real life.
3. What does ‘only the smoke remains on the sky of the white paper’ mean?
Ans:- When the girl breaks the tip of her pencil in anger, the “candle” of the pencil, which was lighting up her imagination, gets extinguished. Just as a candle leaves smoke behind when it is put out, only the smoke remains on the sky of the white paper. This means that her happy and imaginative drawing has come to an end, and only sadness is left behind.
4. Why does the little girl get angry, and how does she react?
Ans:- The little girl is happily and joyfully drawing strange, imaginative pictures on the white paper. But when the schoolmaster gives her homework, she gets angry because it disturbs her drawing and imagination. In her anger, she breaks the tip of her pencil, and as a result, her pencil (compared to a candle) gets extinguished.
5. How does the poet show his love for his daughter in the poem?
Ans:- The poet lovingly calls his daughter “my daughter,” “little dear daughter,” “my darling daughter,” and “my darling doll.” These affectionate words show how much the poet loves and admires his little daughter and enjoys watching her draw her imaginative pictures.
6. Explain the comparison of the pencil to a candle in the poem.
Ans:- In the poem, the pencil is compared to a candle. Just as lighting a candle gives light, “lighting” the pencil with a sharpener lets the girl fill the white paper (the sky) with pictures, like filling it with light. When she gets angry and breaks the pencil’s tip, the “candle” of the pencil is extinguished, just like a candle flame going out, and only smoke (unhappiness) is left.
7. Describe the strange and imaginative nature of the pictures drawn by the girl.
Ans:- The girl’s pictures are strange because they mix up things that don’t normally go together in real life. For example, a peacock wears glasses, an airplane walks on the road instead of flying, a lion talks with a cow, and a fish flies on the forehead of a cloud instead of swimming in water. These unusual combinations show the free and boundless imagination of a child’s mind.
8. What does the girl draw related to the sky and clouds?
Ans:- The girl draws a one-eyed sun on a black tree, with a patch of cloud over it. She also draws a blue fish flying on the forehead of the cloud. These pictures show her imaginative way of mixing the sun, tree, clouds, and fish together in one strange scene.
9. What is the girl’s mood while drawing, and how does it change?
Ans:- While drawing her strange and imaginative pictures, the little girl is in “ecstasy,” meaning she is extremely happy and busy enjoying her creativity. However, her mood changes to anger when the schoolmaster gives her homework, which disturbs her happy world of imagination, leading her to break her pencil’s tip.
10. What message does the poem “Pencil” give us?
Ans:- The poem shows how a child’s mind is full of imagination and creativity, seen through the strange and wonderful pictures the girl draws. It also shows how this happy, imaginative world can be disturbed by outside pressures like school homework, turning the child’s joy into anger, and putting out the “light” of her imagination, leaving only “smoke” behind.
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