NCERT Class 9 English Chapter 3 Rain On The Roof
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Poem Chapter 3 Rain On The Roof
Textbook Questions
Thinking about the poem
(Page 42)
I. 1. What do the following phrases mean to you ? Discuss in class.
- humid shadows
- starry spheres
- what a bliss
- a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start
- a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof
2. What does the poet like to do when it rains ?
3. What is the single major memory that comes to the-poet ? Who are the “darling dreamers” he refers to ?
4. Is the poet now a child ? Is his mother still alive ?
Answers
I.
- Humid shadows – Shadows of various things which are wet during the rainy season
- Starry spheres – Star areas or group of stars in the sky
- What a bliss – It is a great bliss.
- A thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start – The poet starts feeling into his body thousands of dream-like fancies due to the falling of the rain.
- a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof – When it rains, hundreds of memories come to the poet’s mind. They then weave a weft with the help of air-threads.
2. The poet likes to feel the presence of his mother. It is a bliss for him.
3. The poet’s mother is the single major memory that comes to the poet. ‘Darling dreamers’ are those ‘children who dream of their mothers like the poet’.
4. The poet is not a child but is grown-up. His mother is not alive. But he still remembers her much.
II.
- When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poet’s did ?
- Do you like rain ? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem ?
- Does everybody have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains ? Look around you and describe how different kinds of people or animals spend time, seek shelter etc. during rain.
Answers
1. Yes, I remember my mother used to tuck me in when I was a child. Whenever I said theft I couldn’t walk, she would lift me in her lap and carry me. She used to be worried whenever something happened to me.
2. Yes, I greatly like the rain. I go out in the rain when it is light. But when it rains steadily or heavily, I do not go in it. It is very pleasant to get drenched in rain during summer.
3. Not all have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains. However, the number of persons having such a comfort is increasing. I have seen many persons enjoying rainy season by eating “hot pakoras’.
Various animals are caught in the rain. Many of them keep standing in it. But many go under a cover. People do not go out on the roads when it rains. They stand and wait for it to stop. Rains do bring in some problems. These check people’s activities
Additional Questions
Short answer type questions
Question 1.
What is a ‘bliss’ for a poet in the poem?
Answer:
The poet loves rain because it carries him in old memories. He thinks it is bliss to hear the sound of the rain on the roof. He lies in his cozy bed and enjoys the music of nature. It is a bliss for him.
Question 2.
What shows that the poet loved his mother?
Answer:
The poet loved his mother. He remembered her when he lied on his cozy bed to enjoy the sound of rain. It appeared to him as if she was fondly looking at him.
Question 3.
When does the ‘thousand dream fancies’ begin to weave in the poet’s mind?
Answer:
When the poet is in his cottage and lies in his cozy bed listening to the soft music of rain on the roof, his mind is flooded with memories of his mother. He recalls his childhood.
Question 4.
How does the memory of his mother haunt the poet?
Answer:
During the pattering sound of the rain falling on the roof, the memory of his mother haunts the poet. This memory has been haunting him quite often like every darling dreamer. His mother is no more. But he still feels her fondness of looking on him. He remembers her while writing his song of rain.
Question 5.
How does the poet enjoy the patter of the soft rain lying in his cottage-chamber bed?
Answer:
The poet is lying in his cottage-chamber bed. He watches the humid shadows hovering the starry sky. He feels the melancholy darkness gently weeping in the form of rain drops. Pressing his pillow, he is listening to the patter of the soft raindrops falling on the roof of the cottage.
Question 6.
What finds an echo in the poet’s heart and what starts weaving in his mind?
Answer:
When the drops of rain fall on shingles, they make a tinkling sound. The tinkling sound echoes his heart. A thousand old memories weave their air-threads into pattering sounds. Lying in his bed, the poet is listening to the pattering sound of the rain falling on the roof.
Long answer type question
Question 1.
How is the rain a bliss for the poet? Describe.
Answer:
The poet has developed a deep attachment with the rain. When it rains, he desires to lie on his cozy bed and enjoy the falling of rain drops on the roof. There is some specific reasons for it. When he hears the pattering of rain drops, the sweet memories of his childhood evaporate in his heart. He becomes nostalgic and remembers his mother. The picture of his mother reels over his eyes. He recalls how his mother had liking for sweet dreams. Besides, the poet forgets his worries and becomes filled with new hopes and aspirations. Hence, the rain is a bliss for the poet.
Question 2.
Describe the various sights and sounds of the falling rain and recollections it brings to the poet.
Answer:
Humid showers hover over all the starry sky. The melancholy darkness gently weeps in the form of rain drops. The rain creates an echo in his heart. It also brings thousand dreamy fancies alive to his mind. The poet listens to the patter caused by the sounds of the raindrops on the roof. At this moment the memory of his mother comes alive into his mind. His mother is no more but the memory is still alive. He still feels her fondness of looking on him. The memory is still fresh while he is writing this song of rain. He also listens to the sound of the rain falling upon the shingles.
Value based questions
Question 1.
What virtue do you find in the sound of rains?
Answer:
The sound of rain is pleasing to the ear. When we hear this sound, we forget everything. We find ourselves in the world of fancies. We remember the sweet memories of the past in a peaceful heart. Of course, we are unable to forget such moments of life. We must take this lesson from the rain and create peace in the mind of people by our behaviour.
Question 2.
How can the sweet moments of life help us?
Answer:
When we remember the sweet moments of life, we forget every pain. Riches have no meaning. We can feel pleasure even in a cottage. In fact, when there is no peace in our heart, we cannot lead a peaceful life. Sweet moments refresh our brain and fill us with new energy. So, the sweet moments of life are the treasure of energy for us.
Extract Based Questions (3 marks each)
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:
Question 1:
Now in memory comes my mother
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers Ere she left them till the dawft:
Oh! I feel her fond look on me As I list to this refrain Which is played upon the shingles By the patter of the rain.
- Which sound is the poet listening to ?
- The sound reminds the poet of
- Which word in the extract means “the ability to remember things” ?
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-014)
Answer:
- The poet is listening to the sound of the rain.
- His mother.
- Memory.
Question 2:
Now in memory come my mother,
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers Ere she left them till the dawn;
Oh ! I feel her fond look on me
As I list to this refrain .
Which is played upon the shingles By the patter of the rain
- What is the memory that comes to the poet ?
- Who are the darling dreamers he refers to ?
- Trace a word from the extract that means “rectangular wooden tiles”.
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-018)
Answer:
- It is the memory of his mother that comes to his mind.
- The darling dreamers, he refers to, are those lovely dreamers who remember their mothers.
- Shingles.
Question 3:
Every tinkle on the shingles Has an echo in the heart And a thousand recollections Weave their air threads into woof As I listen to the patter Of the rain upon the roof
- How does the poet describe the falling rain ?
- What does the mind of the poet fancy ?
- Trace a word from the extract that means “memories”. (Board Terml, 2012, ELI- 019)
Answer:
- The poet says that the falling rain creates immense pleasure in his heart.
- Old thoughts and memories are recollected by the poet.
- Recollections!
Question 4:
When the humid shadows hover.
Over all starry spheres
And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears,
- What are the humid shadows ?
- What do they do ?
- Why does the poet call darkness melancholy ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-025)
Answer:
- The humid shadows are the dark clouds.
- They hide the stars and rain.
- The poet calls darkness melancholy because it makes him sad.
Question 5:
Now in memory comes my mother,
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers,
Ere she left them till the dawn:
Oh ! I feel her fond look on me As I list to this refrain Which is played upon the shingles By the patter of the rain.
- Who comes in the memory of the child when it rains ?
- What does the poet like to do when it rains ?
- Find the word in the extract that refers to “repeated sound of the rain”.
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-027)
Answer:
- When it rains, the child is reminded of his mother.
- When it rains, the poet feels happy to press the pillow of his bed and lie listening to the patter of the rain.
- Refrain.