Question Answer For All Chapters – English Poorvi Class 8th
II Work in groups of four. What kind of garden would you like to have? Mention the features that you can include and the reasons for your choice. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
Answer: I would like to have a beautiful natural garden filled with a variety of flowers, herbs, and vegetables.
It would include colourful flower beds, a small lily pond, and a stone path to walk on.
I would grow medicinal herbs like tulsi, mint, and aloe vera because they are useful.
There would be butterfly-attracting plants like marigold and zinnia to bring beauty and life.
A compost corner and rainwater harvesting would make it eco-friendly.
I would also include a bench under a tree for relaxation and reading.
Reason: This kind of garden would help me stay close to nature, reduce stress, and promote sustainability.
III Read the title of the poem. What comes to your mind when you read the word ‘concrete’? Does it have more than one meaning ? Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
Answer: The word “concrete” brings to mind:
Literal meaning: A hard building material made of cement, sand, and stones, suggesting a garden with stone features.
Symbolic meaning: Something clear or definite, like a specific example.
The title “A Concrete Example” likely refers to both the stone-filled garden and a clear illustration of Mrs. Jones’ unique gardening style.
Let us discuss (Page – 19, 20)
I. Complete the following summary with exact words from the poem. One example has been done for you. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.
The poem describes Mrs. Jones, the speaker’s next-door neighbour, who has a unique garden filled with 1. _________. Her garden includes a peculiar 2. _________, a pond, and a rockery, along with an unusual 3. _________ that she finds charming. Mrs. Jones plants tiny, 4. _________ plants between the stones, which the speaker thinks must be so small that they are planted with a 5. _________. One day, Mrs. Jones invites the speaker to see her garden, and they discuss a 6. _________ that Mrs. Jones treasures. When the speaker asks where the 7. _________ flower is, Mrs. Jones says that the speaker has been 8. _________ on it all along.
Answer: 1. stones
2. path
3. sundial
4. delicate
5. pin
6. flower
7. lovely
8. standing
II. Select the correct option to fill in the blanks for the following sentences.
1. The tone of the poem is ____________.
(i) mocking
(ii) humorous
(iii) mournful
(iv) amusing
(v) light-hearted
A. (i), (ii), and (iii)
B. (i), (ii), and (v)
C. (ii), (iii), and (iv)
D. (ii), (iv), and (v)
Answer: D. (ii) humorous, (iv) amusing, and (v) light-hearted.
2. The speaker in the poem is ____________.
(i) Mrs. Jones
(ii) the poet
(iii) a gardener
(iv) a child
Answer: (iv) a child
3. The rhyme scheme of the poem is _________.
(i) AABBCC
(ii) ABABCC
(iii) AABCAC
(iv) ABBACC
Answer: (i) AABBCC
III. Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct answer given in the brackets.
1. The poet uses the word ‘stones’ in all stanzas in order to emphasise her ________. (obsession with a stony garden/pride in gardening skills).
2. The poet uses imagery to describe the features of the garden that help readers _____________. (understand Mrs. Jones’ love for plants/visualise the garden’s peculiar nature).
Answer: 1. obsession with a stony garden
2. visualise the garden’s peculiar nature
IV. Pick examples of alliteration from the poem.
Answer: “plants between the stones”
“crazy path”
“strange device”
V. A refrain is a repeated line or phrase that appears in each stanza. Identify the refrain from the poem.
Answer: The refrain is: “My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones”.
This line is repeated at the start of each stanza, emphasizing the focus on Mrs. Jones and her garden.
VI. Irony is a literary device that emphasises the difference between what is expected and what actually happens. It often involves a situation where the outcome is the opposite of what is expected, creating a surprising or a humorous effect. For example, Mrs. Jones’ excitement about her garden contrasts with the speaker’s disappointment on how ordinary it is. Identify the line(s) from the poem that display(s) situational irony
Answer: Line: “You’re standing on it,” she replied.
(The speaker expects to see a beautiful flower but is ironically standing on it.)
VII Complete the following sentences appropriately.
1. The word ‘concrete’ can refer to ______________ in Mrs. Jones’ garden.
2. The title also has a symbolic meaning, as the poem provides a clear or
‘concrete’ example of Mrs. Jones’ ______________ gardening habits.
Answer: 1. the stones and hard materials
2. unusual
VIII The title ‘A Concrete Example’ carries both literal and symbolic (metaphorical) meaning. Such word play is called a pun. A pun is a figure of speech that uses words with multiple meanings or words that sound alike but have different meanings, creating a humorous effect.
• I tried arguing with my pencil but it kept making sharp points. (suggests
the idea of an actual sharp pencil point and strong argument points)
• My pencil and I had a disagreement but we finally got to the point.
(refers to solving an argument and the pencil’s tip)
Answer: The title “A Concrete Example” is a pun:
Literal: Refers to the use of concrete-like stones.
Symbolic: Refers to a clear example of an unusual garden
Let us think and reflect (Page – 20)
I Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow.
1. My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,
has got a garden full of stones:
A crazy path, a lily pond,
a rockery and, just beyond
A sundial with a strange device,
which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice.
(i) What can be inferred about Mrs. Jones’s taste in gardening from the description of her garden being ‘full of stones’?
Answer: Mrs. Jones prefers an unconventional garden with stone features like a crazy path, rockery, and sundial over a traditional garden full of plants, showing her unique and quirky taste.
(ii) Identify whether the following statement is true or false.
The garden serves as a means to reveal more about Mrs. Jones herself.
Answer: True. The garden’s unusual features (e.g., stones, tiny plants) reflect Mrs. Jones’ eccentric personality and her love for distinctive, non-traditional gardening.
(iii) What does the poet mean by ‘crazy path’?
Answer: The “crazy path” refers to an irregular, winding, or uniquely designed stone path in the garden, which stands out as unusual or whimsical compared to a typical straight path.
(iv) What does the sundial with a ‘strange device’ suggest about Mrs. Jones’ personality?
A. She has a fascination with unusual items.
B. She prefers traditional garden decorations.
C. She is uninterested in her garden’s appearance.
D. She likes modern and expensive items.
Answer: A. She has a fascination with unusual items.
II Answer the following questions.
1. How does Mrs. Jones feel about her garden? Support your answer with evidence from the poem.
Answer: She treasures it and finds beauty in it. This is shown when she talks about her flower and calls the sundial “rather nice.”
2. Why do you think the speaker describes the plants as being so small that they could be planted with a pin?
Answer: Because they are extremely tiny and delicate.
3. What do we get to know about Mrs. Jones—based on her gardening style and her interaction with the speaker?
Answer: Based on her gardening style and her interaction with the speaker, it is obvious that Mrs. Jones is detail- oriented, eccentric, and values things that others may overlook.
4. The poem portraysMrs. Jones in a positive light. Support this statement.
Answer: She is shown as someone with a unique taste and deep appreciation for her garden, even if it seems odd to others.
5. What does the poem tell us about the way people think differently about the world around them?
Answer: The poem shows that people value different things. What may seem strange to one can be beautiful to another.
Let us learn
I Select the appropriate word from the brackets that correctly replaces the underlined word in the sentences from the text.
1. A sundial with a strange device,
(unusual, peculiar, new, rare, external)
2. … which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice.
(pleasant, superior, agreeable, gentle, charming)
3. They are so delicate…
(delicious, fragile, dainty, graceful, weak)
4. “Where is this lovely thing?” I cried.
(exclaimed, wept, shouted, announced, whispered)
Answer: 1. A sundial with a strange device → peculiar.
2. … which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice → agreeable.
3. They are so delicate → dainty.
4. “Where is this lovely thing?” I cried → exclaimed.
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