SEE (Grade:10) English All Poems Exercises (New Course)

Summative Assessment:

Assessment
Internal Assessment (25 Marks)
- Attendance & Classroom Participation : 3
- Listening Test : 8
- Speaking Test: 8
- Score From Terminal Exam: 6

External Assessment (75 Marks)
- Reading: 40
- Writing: 24
- Grammar: 11

Specification Grid for Reading:         (40 Marks)
1. Seen Reading Text 1 (5 marks)
2. Seen Reading Text 2  (10 marks)
3. Unseen Reading Text 3  (10 marks)
4. Unseen Reading Text 4 (15 marks)

Specification Grid for Writing Skill (24 Marks)
5. Guided Writing Type 1 :
Paragraph, descriptive tables/charts/diagram, a set of instructions, recipe, menu, a set of rules and regulations, advertisement and notice ( 5 marks – In about 100 words)
6. Guided Writing Type 2 :
News Story, skeleton Story, Message of Condolence, Message of Congratulations, Invitation Letter, Thanksgiving Letter, Biography ( 5 Marks- In about 100 words)
7. Free Writing Type 1 :
Paragraph ( Presenting View, Opinion, Experience, Feeling) Leave application, Job Application, Dialogue ( 6 Marks- In about 150 words)
8. Free Writing Type 2 :
Personal Letter, Short Essay, Diary, Newspaper article, Book Review/ Film Review, Brochure/ Leaflet (8 Marks- In about 200 words)

Specification Grid for Grammar (11 Marks)
9. Grammar Questions Type 1- Reproduction :         (6 Marks)
a. Tense              b. Question Tag                               c. Reported Speech    
d.Voice               e. Interrogation and Negation         f. Wh-question
10. Grammar Questions Type 2 - Multiple Choice in a Contextual Passage:    (5 Marks)
a. Articles          b. Prepositions             c. Connectives     
d. Conditional Sentence    e. Subject-verb Agreement       f. Causative Verbs
 

Poems :

34. The City Mouse and The Country Mouse: by  Richard Scrafton Sharpe

32. If: by Rudyard Kipling

28. Weathers: by Thomas Hardy

24. Composed Upon the Westminster Bridge, Sep.3, 1802: by William Wordsworth

16. Climbing: by Amy Lowell

10. The Voice of Rain: by Walt Whitman

8. Leave the Chanting and Singing: by Rabindranath Tagore

34. The City Mouse and The Country Mouse    

 

Key Points : The Country Mouse and the City Mouse

• A country mouse lives a simple, peaceful life, content with plain food like cheese, bacon, and peas. A city mouse visits the country mouse and criticizes her simple lifestyle, boasting about the luxuries of city life.
• The city mouse invites the country mouse to experience city life and its finer foods. The country mouse, curious, agrees to visit the city and leaves her simple life behind. In the city, the mice enjoy a luxurious feast filled with various delicacies. 
• While feasting, the mice are disturbed by unexpected visitors like a dog, a cat, and a maid, causing them to flee in fear.
• The country mouse realizes the peace and safety of her simple life and regrets leaving her home.
• The country mouse concludes that she prefers her simple, undisturbed life to the stressful and risky city life.
• The poem highlights the theme of contentment and the value of simple pleasures over the pursuit of luxury and excitement. 
• The poem contrasts the peaceful, uncomplicated life of the country mouse with the stressful, yet luxurious life of the city mouse.

Main Theme: The Country Mouse & The City Mouse

• The main theme of the poem is the value of contentment and simplicity over luxury and excitement.
• The contrast between simplicity and luxury, highlighting the value of contentment and safety over great wealth, luxury and constant risk.
• It emphasizes that a modest, peaceful life can be more fulfilling and secure than a life of luxury accompanied by continual danger and disturbance.
• The country mouse is happy with her simple life, while the city mouse, despite experiencing the allure of a lavish lifestyle, ultimately realizes the importance of peace and security.

The country Mouse and the City mouse:   by Richard Scrafton Sharpe
In a snug little cot (small) lived a fat little mouse,
Who enjoyed, unmolested, the range of the house;
With plain food content (happy), she would breakfast on cheese,
She dined (had dinner) upon bacon, and supped on grey peas.
                A friend from the town to the cottage did stray,
                And he said he was come a short visit to pay;
               So the mouse spread her table as gay (plentiful) as you please,
               And brought the nice bacon and charming grey peas.
The visitor frowned, and he thought to be witty (clever/funny):
Cried he, " You must know, I come from the city,
Where we all should be shocked at provisions like these,
For we never eat bacon and horrid grey peas.

(Snug- cozy and comfortable     Unmolested- not bothered or disturbed     Supped- at supper           Stray- wandered away   Bacon- meat of pig     frowned- looked unhappy  Horrid- disgusting )

"To town come with me, I will give you a treat:
Some excellent food, most delightful to eat.
With me shall you feast just as long as you please;
Come, leave this fat bacon and shocking grey peas."
             This kind invitation she could not refuse,
             And the city mouse wished not a moment to lose;
             Reluctant she quitted the fields and the trees,
             The delicious fat bacon and charming grey peas.
They slily crept under a gay (fancy) parlour door,
Where a feast had been given the evening before;
And it must be confessed they on dainties did seize,
Far better than bacon, or even grey peas.
             Here were custard and trifle, and cheese cakes good store,
             Nice sweetmeats and jellies, and twenty things more;
             All that art had invented the palate to please,
             Except some fat bacon and smoking grey peas.
(Feast- a large meal      Reluctant- unwilling    Slily- secretly & quietly
dainties- delicious food custard- a dessert or sweet sauce trifle-  a cold dessert (sweet)
palate- the sense of taste )

They were nicely regaling, when into the room

Came the dog and the cat, and the maid with a broom:
They jumped in a custard (creamy dessert) both up to their knees;
The country mouse sighed for her bacon and peas.
               Cried she to her friend, "Get me safely away,
               I can venture no longer in London to stay;
               For if oft you receive interruptions like these,
               Give me my nice bacon and charming grey peas.
"Your living is splendid and gay (plentiful), to be sure,
But the dread of disturbance you ever endure;
I taste true delight in contentment and ease,
And I feast on fat bacon and charming grey peas."
                                                                                                    -Richard Scrafton Sharpe  
(Regaling-enjoying luxurious meal         Venture- take a risk    Splendid- very impressive
Endure-  bear                              sighed- breathed deeply with sadness         oft- often )

A. Match the following words with their correct meanings.
a. Snug                   i. move away aimlessly from the place where one should be (c)
b. Unmolested        ii. very unpleasant, rough (d)
c. Stray                   iii. unwilling and hesitant (e)
d. Stray                   iv. Warm, comfortable and protected, especially from the cold (a)
e. Horrid                 v. a sweet yellow sauce made from milk, sugar, eggs, and flour (f)
f. Reluctant            vi. Entertain or amuse somebody with a talk (h)

g. Custard              vii. A cold dessert of sponge cake and fruit (g)
h. Trifle                  viii. To deal with something painful or unpleasant (i)
i. Regale                 ix. Not disturbed or attacked by anything. (b)
j. Endure                x. a facial expression indicating disapproval or displeasure (j)

 
B. Write whether the following statements are true or false.
    a. The country mouse was happy with the way she was living.
    b. The country mouse enjoyed the grand meal every day.
    c. The town mouse was unhappy with the food he was served.
    d. The town mouse invited the country mouse for a dinner in the town.
    e. In the town, the country mouse was served delicious food.
    f. There was no peace for the mice in the town.
        (a. True, b. False, c. True, d. True, e. True, f. True)
 
C. Answer these questions.
a. How did the country mouse live?
The country mouse lived comfortably and contentedly in a snug little cottage, enjoying plain but satisfying food such as cheese, bacon, and grey peas.
b. Why did the town mouse go to the country?
The town mouse went to the country to pay a short visit to his friend, the country mouse.
c. Was the country mouse happy to get an invitation to visit the town? Why?
Yes, the country mouse was happy to get an invitation to visit the town because she was enticed by the promise of a delightful feast and excellent food.
d. What happened while the mice were having dinner?
While the mice were having dinner, a dog, a cat, and a maid with a broom entered the room, causing a disturbance and making the mice jump into a custard in their fright.
e. What did the country mouse request her friend for?
The country mouse requested her friend to get her safely away from the city because she could not endure the constant fear of interruptions and disturbances.
 
D. Do you live in a town or a country? What are the advantages and disadvantages of living there?
Advantages of Living in a Village:
•       Villages offer a slower pace of life compared to cities and  create a serene environment for relaxation and stress reduction.  Villages often have a close-knit community where neighbors know and support each other.  Villages are typically surrounded by nature, offering easy access to fresh air, scenic landscapes, and opportunities for outdoor activities. Housing, food, and general expenses tend to be more affordable in villages compared to cities. Villages often have a rich cultural heritage with local traditions, festivals, and crafts.
Disadvantages of Living in a Village:
•       Villages may have fewer job options, career choices in comparison to cities. Access to essential services like specialized healthcare, higher education, and diverse entertainment options may be limited in villages. The slower pace of life in villages lack excitement and opportunities. Close-knit village communities can sometimes lead to a lack of privacy as everyone tends to know everyone else's business.

Questions for Practice :
A. Find the words from the text that are similar in meaning to the following words:
a. Luxurious - splendid        b. Cradle - cot                 c. resent- gift                                                      

d. Happy- delighted              e. Meat - bacon               f. Arrangement– table setting 

g. Festival- feast                   h. Reject- refuse              i. Discontent- unhappy    j. Dreadful- horrid
 
B. Find the words from the text that are opposite in the meaning to the following words:
a. Inferior- superior      b. Morning- evening       c. Above- below      d. Tasteless- delicious
e.  Displease- please     f. Rush- leisurely              g. Provide- take      h. Respired- expired       
i.  Ugly- beautiful          j. Unhappy -happy
 
C. Match the words in column ‘A’ with their meaning in column ‘B’.                                                                 ‘A’                                     ‘B’
    a. Venture                  - a state of happiness and  satisfaction            

    b. Bacon                    - a long handled brush of bristles or twigs for sweeping

    c. Broom                   - cured meat from the back or sides of the pig
    d. Confess                 - a risky journey or course of action
    e. Contentment         - admit that one has committed a crime or done something wrong
 
D. Write ‘T’ for True and ‘F’ for False.
    a. The country mouse was fat.
    b. She ate special food contents.
    c. She didn’t give the city mouse bacon to eat.
    d. The maid came with a broom.
    e. The poem gives value to simple life and plain food.

E. Answer the following questions:
    a. What would the little mouse breakfast on?
    b. What did he promise to serve after inviting her?
    c. Why could she not refuse his invitation?
    d. Which things did they find in the parlour?
    e. What would she dine upon?
  
F. Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the poem.
    a. The fat little mouse was …….and enjoying the range of the houses.
    b. The mouse …..upon bacon and supped on grey peas.
    c. One day, a friend  of the mouse came to …..and he strayed.
    d. The visitor became …..and he thought to be witty.
    e. They were nicely ….while staying in the room.
 
G. Read the following poem and answer the following questions:
    a. According to the poet, who is the happier mouse?
    b. What sort of life did the country mouse have? -unmolested life full of fun
    c. Why did the town mouse go to the countryside?
    d. How can you say that the town mouse could not enjoy the meal offered by the country mouse?
    e. Why did the country mouse visit the town?
       
 
H. Answer the following questions:
    a. What kinds of food items were served at the party in town?
    b. How did the mice save themselves from the maid and cats? - jumping in a  custard and hiding there
    c. What happened when the mice were having dinner?
    d. At what point, did the country mouse plan to leave the town?- felt unsafe
    e. What did the country mouse request her friend for? - take safety way