In this page you can find The Frog and the Nightingale Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English Literature, Extra Questions for Class 10 English will make your practice complete.
The Frog and the Nightingale Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English Literature
The Frog and the Nightingale Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type
Question 1.
Why did other creatures of the bog loathe frog’s voice? How did they express their disapproval of the frog?
Answer:
Other creatures of the bog loathed frog’s voice because he croaked in an unpleasant harsh voice from day to night. Finding no choice they had to bear the torture. They expressed their disapproval of the frog in many ways. Some threw stones and sticks at him. Others requested him to stop blaring. While there were still many who insulted, lodged complaints and threw bricks at him. But nothing could stop the frog from displaying his heart’s elation.
Question 2.
How did the nightingale react to the applause of the bog dwellers?
Answer:
The nightingale had never earlier received an appreciation for her songs. And when she perches on the sumac tree to sing her song, all the creatures cheer her with the words ‘bravo’, ‘too divine’, ‘encore’. The nightingale is so flattered by their remarks that she sang till morning without any break.
Question 3.
How did the frog convince the nightingale that she needed a trainer?
Answer:
The frog in his introduction told the nightingale that he too was a critic of music and was responsible for all musical performances in the bog. This way he leaves an impression on the nightingale that motivates her to enquire about her song. Like a perfect impartial critic, he comments that the technique was good but it needed a particular force that could only come if she received training from experts like him. And the nightingale left no opportunity to flatter him to be her trainer.
Question 4.
Why does the nightingale regard her first encounter with the frog to be a fairy tale?
Answer:
The nightingale was so impressed by the critical comments of the frog on her song that when he offers to be her trainer, nightingale could not believe her eyes. She feels that she is in some fairy land. She thinks that the great Italian composer Mozart has come before her in the form of the frog to be her musical trainer. Therefore, she considers it to be a fairy tale.
Question 5.
Why did the frog tell the nightingale to puff her lungs out with a passion?
Answer:
The frog nurses two motives behind forcing the nightingale to puff her lungs out with a passion. First, he would gain if the song of the nightingale became lively that would help him earn some more bucks. Even if she is not able to do so, puffing out would result in bursting out of the vein leading to her death. That would again be helpful for him to get rid of his rival. Both ways he was at profit. Therefore, he tells the nightingale to puff her lungs out.
Question 6.
How does the frog’s foghorn blare unrivalled through the bog?
Answer:
The frog was very manipulative and opportunistic. Discovering her to be dead, he wants to save himself from any sort of blame. So he clearly declared that he tried his best to teach her. He pointed out certain weaknesses in the nightingale like being too nervous, too tense and falling quickly to someone’s influence that brought her tragic end. This way the frog’s foghorn once again, blared unrivalled through the bog.
Question 7.
The frog considers the nightingale stupid and brainless. Do you agree with the statement? Support your answer with reasons.
Answer:
Though the frog called the nightingale stupid and brainless creature, a sensitive being cannot do so because the nightingale was simple not stupid. She lacked the clever ways of the world and was ignorant enough to see through the sly plans of the frog. But referring her to be a brainless creature would be an exaggeration. Every creature wants to be successful. If the nightingale had dreamt to be so, she was not stupid. It was because of her timid, meek and gullible nature that the frog calls her brainless and stupid.
Question 8.
How did the creatures of Bingle bog react to the nightingale’s singing?
Answer:
Other creatures of the bog were so interested in nightingale’s song that they could not
think of anything else. It was only after she ended her song that they clapped. Ducks resumed swimming and herons started wading in water to express their happiness after listening to her song. There was solitary loon too who wept overwhelmed by the song of the nightingale. All these creatures were just admiring and staring towards the sumac until then.
Question 9.
Which are the different ways in which the frog asserts his importance?
Answer:
The frog asserts his importance in many ways. First of all, he calls himself as the owner of the tree declaring that he is not only known for his ‘splendid baritone’ but for his compositions too. He offers a critique of nightingale’s song and makes her believe that she should receive musical training from him and the nightingale is so humble that she admits him to be no less than Mozart. He offers to train her for an amount that the nightingale couldn’t afford to pay until her death.
Question 10.
Why is the frog’s joy both sweet and bitter?
Answer:
The frog enjoys the mixed feelings of happiness and bitterness. He is happy because he is earning money with the performances of the nightingale as he charges everyone whosoever comes to listen to her melodies. He experiences bitterness because the bird is receiving attention and he is being ignored and sidelined by the creatures of the bog.
Question 11.
Why was the frog angry?
Answer:
The frog was angry because the nightingale failed to draw up a good crowd of audience as her voice lost the charm it had earlier. Continuous practice and no rest
had made the nightingale so sorrowful and dull that she failed to comply with the instructions given by her master. She was not able to bring in the required trills and frills in her song that could satisfy her teacher.
Question 12.
How did the frog become the unrivalled king of the bog again?
Answer:
The mercenary treatment of the frog and his arrogant behaviour was indeed too much to be tolerated by the gentle nightingale. Obeying her master’s instructions, as she still owed him sixty shillings, the nightingale puffed up her lungs to sing with passion. In fear of being reprimanded by her master again she puffed up, burst a vein and died. The sly frog commented on her weaknesses saying that she could not match him because she was very nervous, stupid and prone to influence. This way he once again became the unrivalled king of the bog.
The Frog and the Nightingale Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
Question 1.
Attempt a character portrayal of the frog on the basis of your reading of the poem.
Answer:
Confidence in oneself is the key to success. This can be applied to the character of the frog who has the knack of turning all unfavourable winds in his favour. He declares himself to be the only one with a ‘splendid baritone’ in his bog. Not only this, he wants to remain as the unrivalled musical maestro. This is evident from his ill-treatment of the nightingale who happened to challenge his supremacy.
He knows all clever ways of the world, when to be gentle and when to be aggressive. With his clever manipulations he impresses upon the nightingale to such an extent that she considers him no less than Mozart. Once she submits herself to him as her trainer, he adopts all mercenary ways to dominate her. He scolds, insults and reprimands her in all possible ways to such an extent that the poor creature loses her self-esteem and finally dies. Not only this, he is no less scheming. He earns silver by selling her songs to those who came to listen to her songs. People like the frog are present in every nook and corner of the society in the present times. The poet through his character has warned the readers to beware of such false friends.
Question 2.
In this fast-paced world, simple beings like nightingale bear the brunt of the modern society. Keeping in mind the nightingale, attempt a character sketch of the nightingale that led to her doom.
Answer:
There can be no denying of the fact that simple, honest and innocent people are misfits in the society of the present times. The nightingale was so humble, tender and simple that she could not enjoy the fruit of her success, the applause of the audience. It was snatched away by the cold, calculating villain, the frog.
The poor nightingale was full of regard for her trainer, who exploited her thoroughly of her innocence and sold her song for silver. As she was very gullible and credulous, she could not understand why the frog made her practice excessively. She was scolded, humiliated to such an extent that she lost control on herself and died of bursting a vein. Such humble creatures have such pathetic fate in store for them that they are used and thrown away like discarded useless coins. We feel sorry for the nightingale as she dies a painful death. All her talent of a great singer drains out because of her innocence.
But then we don’t want the world to be dominated by the crooks of the kind of the frog. So the message that the poet wants to convey through the character of the nightingale is that simplicity, gentleness, meekness and submissiveness as characterised by her are the hallmarks of a person’s character but these qualities need to be sheltered and protected with the defiant strength so that no sly creature of the world ever dares to overpower it.
Question 3.
The poem ‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ is a spoof on the present society where success is determined by influence and not by talent. Comment.
Answer:
In this world of cut-throat competition, the poet, Vikram Seth wants to hit hard on the minds of the readers that talent in the present times has to face a stiff competition from all sides. Where the talented ones burn themselves day and night to receive the accolades of success, it is the influential ones who always run away with the cake.This directly applies to the character of the nightingale whose talent is killed before it could openly bloom. The poet tells how the talented young, poor artists are shown the gates of the back door by the clever money seekers whose pockets are filled by those who have power and pelf. And the ones like the frog, who are not even aware of the nuances of the field, enjoy sole monopoly. Success is with the one who is making money. Poor, humble people like the nightingale even have to risk their lives in order to gain recognition. And the influential people like the frog even go to the extent of killing the talented. The hypocrite and the manipulative achieve success in the present times. Whether they possess any talent or not is insignificant. The defeat of the nightingale and the victory of the frog bring home this very point.
Question 4.
Imagine you are the frog. You are extremely happy to become again the unrivalled king of the bog. Write a letter to one of your friends sharing with him your tale of success.
Answer:
Bingle Bog Sumac Tree June 14, 20XX
Dear friend
It’s been over more than a month since we wrote to each other. Actually I was busy saving my lost image of an established musician. It happened so, that a nightingale flew by chance and perched on the sumac tree. And as she started singing, every creature of the bog was so interested in her song that they applauded her and requested her to sing some more. This was totally opposite from the treatment that I received. You know that they used to throw stones and bricks on me whenever I sang. So I decided to eliminate her.
I knew that she was very simple, innocent and meek. I made use of her lack of worldly wisdom and used my patronizing ways to impress upon her. I was successful as she took me to be her trainer. And then I came to my true colours. I knew that she was a tender creature. I made her practice day and night so mercilessly that I did not even allow her to sleep. Even when it rained I told her to practice. I benefitted doubly from her as I sold her songs and earned a good amount of money too.
Very soon when she lost interest in singing, I scolded, insulted and reprimanded her to such an extent that she lost control over her senses and died in an attempt to sing with passion. I don’t repent at all on her death. On the other hand, I would regard her foolish and brainless who was trying to learn my song. How could she have done that? Well now things are back to order and I am again the unrivalled singer of the bog.
Your friend
Frog
Question 5.
“The Frog and the nightingale is a social satire, an attempt to criticise the various discriminations that exist in the modern world, that is causing a steady destruction of real talent, by the frogs in the society” What is your opinion on the reality events where children are humiliated by the “judges”, which is perhaps the concern of the poet?
Answer:
Reality events are here to stay. In fact, channels compete with each other to make their event more absurd than the others. This is indeed a very pathetic and worrisome reality. It has been noticed several times that the person who is appointed as a judge, is absolutely clueless about how to do his job as he is not qualified for the job. Very often to raise the viewership of the show, the channels resort to unhealthy practices of rebuking the participants without regard to the harm it would cause to the participant’s mental health.
There have been incidents of children going into depression for being humiliated by the judges. Just as the frog destroyed the very existence of the talented nightingale, these “frogs” eat into the psyche of the child and destroy his very identity and self confidence, sealing his fate for a dismal future. It becomes necessary therefore that respect of art and the artist, is an essential part of the process of judgement.
Probably things would be easier if such competitions come at a lesser price, and not the huge cost of the loss of the dignity of an artist. It is also necessary for the artists and competitors to be worldlywise and develop the mental strength to face challenges alongwith having an understanding of one’s own abilities and shortcomings. “Failure is definitely a stepping stone to success, and does not mark the end of the world”.
Question 6.
Our self-image is often based on what others make us believe we are. A poor self-image can do irreparable damage to us. Do you agree with this statement? Elaborate.
Answer:
Self-image refers to the observation and understanding of one’s abilities, appearance and personality type by the individual himself or herself, and not that made by another persons. This is the only road that will motor the wheels without allowing spokes to act as hurdles in the journey of “life”. Self-image should not be a reason to belittle or demean the self but to develop on one’s capabilities and work on the disabilities. A low self-image gives rise to a low self-esteem and this would cause irreparable damage.
Similarly, if we depend on a second person and his opinion to understand ourselves, it would be a disaster, as such an assessment would be laced with prejudice and hypocrisy. If we do not understand ourselves, we would face the same plight as the nightingale who did not have a clue about her talent and abilities. Be a person with a strong conviction, and feel firmly placed on the ground, to avoid succumbing to flattery or rebuke, for both of these are detrimental to our mental peace and calm. Be not the Caesar who was stabbed in the back, or the frog who was quite brazen in his act.
Question 7.
Bring out the irony in the frog’s statement—‘Your song must be your own’.
Answer:
The statement—‘Your song must be your own’—is ironic in nature as throughout the poem the frog coaxes the nightingale to sing like him. The poor nightingale is scolded by the frog when he says ‘you must practice even longer, till your voice like mine grows stronger’. The nightingale tries her best but could not sing as expected by the frog, bursts a vein and finally dies. Every creature is born with individual differences. Talents differ; all is well and wisely put. How could a tender creature sing with the harshness of a frog?
The gullible nightingale couldn’t understand this. And when the nightingale dies, the frog immediately changes his statement that she should have known that ‘your song must be your own.’ Therefore, this statement is ironic in nature as it proved detrimental claiming the life of the nightingale and turning the fortune of the frog that makes him the unrivalled king of the bog.
Question 8.
Do you think the end is justified?
Answer:
The end is justified and is a lesson to all those who very soon come under the influence of others and especially those who are strangers. The nightingale commits this mistake and pays the penalty for it. As soon as the frog discovers the weak and humble nature of the nightingale he tries to lower her self-esteem saying that she needs more improvement in singing. And vain and credulous nightingale falls into his trap to never come out of it. Her sad end leaves a message that if one wants to succeed, one must have self-confidence in one’s abilities even if one is exceptionally talented.
Question 9.
Do you think the nightingale is ‘brainless’? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
I would not consider the nightingale as brainless but would regard her as a simple, innocent creature as she fails to understand the patronizing nature of frog. She is too meek, naive and fawning. We feel sorry for her when she calls her killer, the great Mozart and feels elated when he starts giving her training. The repeated, restless training given by the frog makes her voice so hoarse and quivering that it loses the original melody. Even at this stage she is so timid and gullible to speak herself out. And when the frog tells her to puff her lungs, she should have told her limits. Because she doesn’t do so owing to her poor self-image, she dies ultimately.
Question 10.
In spite of having a melodious voice and being a crowd puller, the nightingale turns out to be a loser and dies. How far is she responsible for her own downfall?
Answer:
Though the nightingale’s melodious voice has a great appeal and creatures from miles around come to listen to her beautiful voice still she has to face a painful death. There is a time in her life when she is applauded by titled crowd and the tree is bowed with the crowd of the audience. But her meek, submissive and ignorant nature brings her to the verge of downfall. Continuous scolding and reprimanding by the frog makes her subdued, sorrowful and dull to such an extent that she dies finally. The nightingale had talent but talent alone does not ensure success. The nightingale lacked self-confidence and that poor self-image led her to self-destruction.
Question 11.
Do you agree with the frog’s inference of the nightingale’s character? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
The frog is very clever and crafty in comparison to the simple character of the nightingale. Being high-headed he establishes a sound opinion of the nightingale that she is a very polite creature. He infers her well and personally opines that she is stupid as she flatters him to be a Mozart.
He draws her well through his manipulative ways and earns handsomely by selling her melodious songs. But he was also worried about his career as an unrivalled king of the bog. For this he is so insensitive that he slyly scolds and humiliates the poor creature to such an extent that unable to cope up with her declining health and sorrowful life, she dies. And the frog’s foghorn once again blares through the bog unrivalled.
The Frog and the Nightingale Extra Questions and Answers Reference-to-Context
Read the extracts and answer the following questions in your answer sheet in one or two sentences only.
Question 1.
Once upon a time a frog
Croaked away in Bingle
Bog Every night from dusk to dawn
He croaked awn and awn and awn.
(i) Who is the poet of this poem?
(ii) What is a bog?
(iii) ‘Awn and awn and awn/ write the usage and meaning of this expression.
(iv) How long did the frog croak?
Answer:
(i) Vikram Seth is the poet of this poem.
(ii) A bog is an area of land that is very wet and marshy.
(iii) ‘Awn and awn and awn’ is made to rhyme with away and means on and on and on.
(iv) He croaked from dusk to dawn.
Question 2.
Neither stones nor prayers or sticks,
Insults or complaints or bricks
Stilled the frog’s determination
To display his heart’s elation.
(i) Who throws stones and sticks?
(ii) What were the insults, complaints, stones and sticks aimed at?
(iii) What was the frog determined to display?
(iv) What couldn’t still the frog’s determination?
Answer:
(i) The other creatures of the bog threw stones and sticks.
(ii) The insults, complaints, stones and sticks were aimed at the frog.
(iii) The frog was determined to display his singing.
(iv) Stones, prayers, sticks, insults, complaints or bricks couldn’t still the frogs determination.
Question 3.
Dumbstruck sat the gaping frog.
And the whole admiring bog
Stared towards the sumac, rapt,
And when she had ended, clapped
(i) How did the frog sit?
(ii) What is the whole bog admiring?
(iii) In line 4, what does the word ‘she’ refer to?
(iv) What did the admiring bog do?
Answer:
(i) The frog sat dumbstruck.
(ii) The whole bog is admiring the melodious voice of the nightingale.
(iii) Inline 4, the word ‘she’ refers to the nightingale.
(iv) They moved towards the sumac in rapture and clapped when the nightingale ended her song.
Question 4.
Toads and teals and tiddlers, captured
By her voice, cheered on, enraptured:
“Bravo!” “Too divine!” “Encore!”
So the nightingale quite unused to such applause,
Sang till dawn without a pause.
(i) Whose voice is being cheered upon?
(ii) What was the nightingale not used to?
(iii) What did the nightingale do after getting all the praise?
(iv) What is the poetic device used in line 1 of the stanza?
Answer:
(i) The voice of the nightingale is being cheered upon.
(ii) The nightingale was not used to the praise and appreciation of the bog dwellers.
(iii) The nightingale sang till morning without a pause.
(iv) The poetic device used in line 1 is alliteration.
Question 5.
“Sorry—was that you who spoke?”
She enquired when the frog
Hopped towards her from the bog.
“Yes,” the frog replied. You see,
I’m the frog who owns this tree.
(i) Who is the speaker of the first line?
(ii) In reply to what, the speaker puts her question?
(iii) The frog tells the nightingale that he owns the tree. What does this trait of frog tell?
(iv) What was the nightingale doing on the tree?
Answer:
(i) The first line is spoken by the nightingale.
(ii) The nightingale puts her question in reply to the frog’s croak.
(iii) This trait of frog tells that he is territorial.
(iv) The nightingale was singing on the tree.
Question 6.
“That’s not much to boast about”.
Said the heartless frog. “Without
Proper training such as I
And few others—can supply.
You’ll remain a mere beginner.
But with me you’ll be a winner”.
(i) Why does the frog rebuke the nightingale?
(ii) What personality trait of the frog is revealed in the last four lines of the given stanza?
(iii) Was the frog impressed by her song?
(iv) What does the frog advise her?
Answer:
(i) The frog rebukes the nightingale of boasting that the song is composed by her.
(ii) The last four lines of this stanza reveal that the frog is patronising.
(iii) The frog was not impressed by her song as he tells her that her song was not much to boast about.
(iv) The frog advises her that she requires a proper trainer or else she will remain a mere beginner.
Question 7.
Every day the frog who’d sold her
Songs for silver tried to scold her:
“You must practice even longer
Till your voice, like mine grows stronger
In the second song last night .
You got nervous in mid-flight.
(i) Why did the frog scold the nightingale everyday?
(ii) How did the frog sell the nightingale’s song for silver?
(iii) What is the frog trying to do when he scolds the nightingale and forces her to make her voice stronger like him?
(iv) What does the word ‘mid-flight’ refer to?
Answer:
(i) The frog scolded the nightingale everyday as he feels that the quality of her voice was becoming dull and she was not giving spirited performance.
(ii) The frog sells the nightingale’s voice for silver by charging admission fee from the audience.
(iii) When the frog scolds the nightingale and forces her to make her voice stronger like him, he is exploiting the ignorance of the nightingale.
(iv) In this stanza, the word ‘mid-flight’ refers to a song being sung at a pitch when the singer is advancing from lower to higher tune.
Question 8.
Now the frog puffed up with rage.
“Brainless bird you’re on the stage
Use your wits and follow fashion.
Puff your lungs out with your passion.”
(i) For what reason did the frog puff up with rage?
(ii) What does the frog want the nightingale to use?
(iii) Why does the frog call the nightingale ‘brainless’?
(iv) Identify the rhyme scheme of the above stanza.
Answer:
(i) The frog is puffed up with rage because the nightingale is not able to sing with spark and precision as before.
(ii) He wants the nightingale to use her wits and follow fashion.
(iii) The frog calls the nightingale ‘brainless’ because she is not sure of her abilities.
(iv) The rhyme scheme of the above stanza is a a b b.
Question 9.
Other creatures loathed his voice,
But, alas, they had no choice.
And the crass cacophony
Blared out from the sumac tree
At whose foot the frog each night
Minstrelled on till morning night.
(i) Whose voice was loathed by other creatures of the bog?
(ii) Explain ‘crass cacophony’.
(iii) What was it that blared out from the sumac tree?
(iv) Why did the creatures loathe the frog’s voice?
Answer:
(i) It was the voice of the frog that was loathed by other creatures.
(ii) Crass cacophony here refers to the stupid, loud and unpleasant noise of the frog with which he sang whole night.
(iii) It was the unpleasant noise (song) of the frog that blared out of the sumac tree.
(iv) They loathed his voice as it was loud and harsh.
Question 10.
Ducks had swum and herons waded
To her as she serenaded
And a solitary loon
Wept, beneath the summer moon.
(i) What had the ducks and heron been doing prior to swimming and wading?
(ii) Whom does ‘she’ in this stanza refer to?
(iii) Why did the solitary loon weep?
(iv) Identify the rhyme scheme of the given stanza.
Answer:
(i) The ducks and the herons had been listening to the song of the nightingale so interestingly that they couldn’t think of anything else.
(ii) In this stanza ‘she’ refers to the nightingale.
(iii) The solitary loon wept as the nightingale song was melodious and had divine quality about it. It touched all the creatures of the Bingle Beg.
(iv) The rhyme scheme of the given stanza is aa bb.
Question 11.
“Yes,” the frog replied. “You see
I’m the frog who owns this tree.
In this fog I’ve long been known
For my splendid baritone
And, of course, I wield my pen
For Bog Trumpet now and then.”
(i) Who is being addressed to?
(ii) What does ‘splendid baritone’ mean?
(iii) What does the frog wield his pen for?
(iv) Identify the rhyme scheme of the given stanza?
Answer:
(i) The nightingale is being addressed to.
(ii) It means a fairly deep male singing voice and here it refers to the voice of the frog who himself praises saying that he has a splendid baritone.
(iii) The frog also claims that whenever there is any musical performance in the bog, he only is the organizer and the sole singer.
(iv) The rhyme scheme of the given stanza is aa bb cc.
Question 12.
“bearest frog,” the nightingale
Breathed: “This is a fairy tale
And you’re Mozart in disguise
Come to earth before my eyes.”
“Well I charge a modest fee.
Oh!…. But it won’t hurt, you’ll see.”
(i) What fairy tale is being talked about in this stanza?
(ii) Which poetic device has been used in this stanza?
(iii) Who speaks the last two lines of the given stanza?
(iv) What does it indicate about the nature of the speaker?
Answer:
(i) The nightingale is so impressed with the knowledge displayed by the frog with respect to music that when he offers to train her she cannot believe it and expresses that he is Mozart in disguise. All this appear to be just like a fairy tale.
(ii) The poetic device used in these lines is metaphor. Here, the nightingale compares the frog to Mozart; the great Italian music composer.
(iii) It is the frog who speaks these lines.
(iv) They are indicative of his greedy and exploitative nature.
Question 13.
Now the nightingale inspired,
Flushed with confidence, and fired
With both art and adoration,
Sang—and was a huge sensation.
Animals for miles around
Flocked towards the magic sound,
And the frog with great precision
Counted heads and charged admission.
(i) How was the nightingale inspired and flushed with confidence?
(ii) Why did the frog count heads?
(iii) What do you mean by ‘adoration’? Who had fired her with both art and adoration?
(iv) How was the animals’ reaction to the nightingale’s song?
Answer:
(i) The encouragement of the audience that cheered with loud applause whenever the nightingale sang flushed her with confidence. She also gained confidence under frog’s training.
(ii) The frog counted heads in order to charge money from the audience who came to listen to the song of the nightingale.
(iii) Adoration’ means high regard or admiration. The frog had fired her with both art and adoration.
(iv) The nightingale was a huge sensation and animals from miles around flocked to hear her magical sound.
Question 14.
And the sumac tree was bowed,
With a breathless, titled crowd:
Owl of sandwich, Duck of Kent,
Mallard and Milady Trent,
Martin Cardinal Mephisto,
And the Coot of Monte Cristo.
(i) Explain the expression ‘breathless, titled crowd.’
(ii) Why was the sumac tree bowed?
(iii) What is the purpose of the visit of the ‘breathless, titled crowd’?
(iv) Name two distinguished titled animals in the crowd.
Answer:
(i) The breathless titled crowd was of eminent, distinguished birds of respectable ranks.
(ii) The sumac tree was bowed with the crowd of distinguished birds.
(iii) The crowd of these birds had flown from far and wide to listen to the song of the nightingale.
(iv) Among titled animals there were Owl of Sandwich and Duke of Kent.
Question 15.
Ladies with tiaras glittering
In the interval sat twittering—
And the frog observed them glitter
With a joy both sweet and bitter.
(i) What do you mean by ‘ladies with tiaras’ in the above stanza?
(ii) What interval is being referred to here?
(iii) Why is the joy of the frog both sweet and bitter?
(iv)Name the poem and poet of the above stanza.
Answer:
(i) The ladies with tiaras are the females of the ranked male birds.
(ii) The interval is the break time of the musical show that the nightingale is presenting.
(iii) The frog is joyous as he is earning silver with every show of the nightingale. He has bitterness in his heart because his monopoly in the field of music has been threatened with the arrival of the nightingale.
(iv) The name of the poem is ‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ and the poet is Vikram Seth.
Question 16.
And, my dear, lay on more trills:
Audiences enjoy such frills.
You must make your public happier:
Give them something sharper, snappier.
We must aim for better billings.
You still owe me sixty shillings.”
(i) Who is the speaker?
(ii) What trills are being talked about in this stanza?
(iii) What do you mean by ‘billings’ here? What are the last two lines indicative of?
(iv) How much does the nightingale owe the frog?
Answer:
(i) The frog is the speaker.
(ii) The trills are the interchanged musical notes that are sung one after the other in quick succession.
(iii) ‘Billings’ means promoting of a performance. The last two lines indicate that the frog is very greedy, crafty and calculative.
(iv) The nightingale owes sixty shillings.
Question 17.
And the ticket office gross
Crashed, and she grew more morose—
For her ears were now addicted
To applause quite unrestricted,
And to sing into the night
All alone gave no delight.
(i) How did the ticket office gross crash?
(ii) What were the ears of nightingale addicted to?
(iii) Why did she sing all alone in the night?
(iv) Identify the rhyme scheme of the given stanza.
Answer:
(i) As there was no audience to listen to the songs of the nightingale, the ticket office gross crashed.
(ii) The ears of the nightingale were addicted to the loud cheers and unlimited applause of the audience.
(iii) She was instructed by the heartless frog to sing all alone in the night as he did not want to lose any opportunity to earn.
(iv) The rhyme scheme of the given stanza is aa bb cc.
Question 18.
Blind with tears, the nightingale
Heard him out in silence, tried,
Puffed up, burst a vein, and died.
Said the frog: “I tried to teach her,
But she was a stupid creature—
Far too nervous, far too tense.
Far too prone to influence.
(i) Why was the nightingale blind with tears?
(ii) How did the nightingale die?
(iii) What light does this extract throw on the character of the frog?
(iv) How did the frog blame the nightingale?
Answer:
(i) The rigorous training, no sleep, no rest and added to that the insults and the reprimanding of the frog had broken all her self-esteem. Therefore, she was blind with tears.
(ii) The nightingale died of bursting a vein.
(iii) It tells that the frog was truly mercenary. He had planned of nightingale’s end in this way and was successful in achieving it. His confidence in himself and his dominating nature helped him to erase the existence of nightingale from his life who posed a danger to his career.
(iv) He considered her to be a stupid creature. He felt she was nervous, tensed and too proned to influence.