NCERT Class 9 English Beehive Page No. 125
Thinking about the Poem
I.1. What is the snake trying to escape from?
Answer:
The snake is trying to escape from the pursuing stick.
All Chapters: CBSE Class 9 English Syllabus (Latest)
2. Is it a harmful snake? What is its colour?
Answer:
No, it is not a harmful snake. It is even harmless to the children because it is small in size.
Its colour is green.
3. The poet finds the snake beautiful. Find the words he uses to convey its beauty.
Answer:
The poet uses the words ‘beautiful’ and ‘graceful’ to convey the beauty of the snake.
4. What does the poet wish for the snake?
Answer:
The poet wishes the snake to go over the water into the reeds to hide without being hurt by its pursuer.
5. Where was the snake before anyone saw it and chased it away? Where does the snake disappear?
Answer:
The snake was lying on the sand before anyone saw it and chased it away.
The snake disappeared in the ripples of the water among the green reeds.
II 1. Find out as much as you can about different kinds of snakes (from books in the library, or from the Internet). Are they all poisonous? Find out the names of some poisonous snakes.
Answer:
No, all the snakes are not poisonous. Names of some poisonous snakes are: Indian Cobra, King Cobra, Coral Reef, Vipers and Indian Krait.
2. Look for information on how to find out whether a snake is harmful.
Answer:
Some of the ways by which we can find out whether a snake is poisonous (harmful) are:
- Poisonous snakes have slit or vertical eyes (except coral snakes)
- They have a triangular-shaped head
- They have a depression between the eyes and the nostrils
3. As you know, from the previous lesson you have just read, there are people in our country who have traditional knowledge about snakes, who even catch poisonous snakes with practically bare hands. Can you find out something more about them?
Answer:
People who have traditional knowledge about snakes and who even catch poisonous snakes with practically bare hands are called the snake charmers. Some facts about these people are:
- They hypnotise and coax their snakes to dance to the music of their flute.
- They are taught these skills right from their childhood.
- They are the followers of Lord Shiva.
- Snake charming is a tradition for them.
- Their tradition is slowly dying out under the enforcement of wildlife protection laws.
The Snake Trying Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive
The Snake Trying Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type
Question 1.
What is the snake trying to escape from?
Answer:
The snake is trying to escape from a being hit by a stick, or even worse, being killed. It is being chased by someone with a stick. The person is afraid of the snake and perceives it as a potential threat.
Question 2.
Is the snake harmful?
Answer:
No, it is not a harmful snake as it is not poisonous. The poet says the snake is a green one. Green snakes are generally garden snakes and are considered harmless as they are not venomous.
Question 3.
Why did the person with a stick attack the snake?
Answer:
The person attacked the snake when he saw it lying on the sand. He was driven by his own fear of snakes and their being venomous that led him to attack the snake to either kill it or drive it away.
Question 4.
What do you learn about the person attacking the snake?
Answer:
The person attacking the snake is governed by his fear of snakes. He wishes to kill or hurt the snake and rushes in to attack the snake, without pausing to consider that the snake is a green garden snake which is not venomous. Moreover, the snake is lying on the sand and is not about to attack anyone. The man is also pitiless as he goes to hurt or kill the snake.
Question 5.
What does the poet wish for the snake?
Answer:
The poet sees the snake as a beautiful creation of Nature. Moreover, it is a green garden snake and not a harmful one. He wishes that it should not be assaulted with the stick. It should be allowed to go under the water into the reeds to hide without being hurt.
Question 6.
Where was the snake before someone saw it and chased it away? Where does the snake disappear?
Answer:
The snake was lying unobserved on the sand till someone saw it and, fearing it, rushed to attack it with a stick. The pursuer chased it away. The snake disappeared in the ripples of the water among the green reeds.
Question 7.
What does the poet mean when he says ‘O Let him go’?
Answer:
The poet tells the man chasing the snake with a stick to let the snake go. The poet wishes that the snake should not be hurt and should be allowed to make its escape and reach its destination safely.
Question 8.
‘He is harmless even to children.’ What does the poet think about the snake?
Answer:
The poet is of the opinion that the snake which is being chased is a green snake of the garden variety and is not venomous. It is not harmful, not even to children who are more vulnerable. He feels the snake should not be hurt and should be allowed to reach its place safely.
Question 9.
What impression do you form of the poet in this poem?
Answer:
The poet loves Nature and all its creations. He finds the snake and its graceful movements beautiful. He is compassionate and does not want the snake harmed. He tries to stop the person with the stick from attacking the snake and is happy to see the snake glide away into the reeds.
Question 10.
What is the central idea of the poem “The Snake Trying”?
Answer:
The poet says that all snakes are not venomous or harmful. Nor do they attack without provocation. Even if a snake is poisonous, it will do us no harm if it doesn’t see any danger from us. It is wrong to attack or kill a snake as soon as we see it. But sadly, human beings always try to kill a snake as soon as they see it. All creatures have a right to their life. Like the snake in this poem all try to save themselves in case of danger.
Question 11.
How does the snake look when it tries to escape?
Answer:
The snake was lying on the sand when someone saw it and chased it with a stick. The snake glided away through the water and disappeared among the reeds. It looked beautiful and graceful and its body curved and glided across the water.
Question 12.
Where did the snake finally go? How did the poet view its escape?
Answer:
The snake glided away through the water into the reeds and finally disappeared among the ripples in the green reeds. The poet heaved a sigh of relief when the snake reached there safely
Question 13.
What is the message of the poem ‘The Snake Trying’?
Answer:
The poet conveys the message that we should not attack or kill animals, even animals that may be venomous like snakes. He points out that not all snakes are poisonous; in fact, some of them are quite harmless. Human beings are cruel and attack snakes without provocation, based on their own fears. Even if a snake is poisonous, it will not harm anyone until it perceives some danger because a snake only bites in self¬protection.
Question 14.
Is the snake in the poem ‘The Snake Trying’ a victim or a threat?
Answer:
The snake in the poem ‘The Snake Trying’ is a victim and not a threat. It is a harmless snake, who is lying on the sand till he is chased by a human being with a stick. Yet, despite being attacked, the snake makes good its escape, rather than retaliate.
The Snake Trying Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
Question 1.
Why does the man want to kill the snake? How does the snake protect itself?
Answer:
Seeing the snake lying on the sand, the man sees it as a potential threat and reacts to it in that manner. He takes a stick and rushes to attack the snake. He tries to kill it, or at least hurt it. The snake, which is a garden snake, and not dangerous even to children, makes good its escape. He does not react even to provocation.
He only tries to escape before the man can reach it and kill it. The movement of the snake is very graceful and elegant. The snake does not stick to one straight path but wends its way in and out of the path. At last, the snake floats over the water and hides itself among the green reeds.
The Snake Trying Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
The snake trying
to escape the pursuing stick,
with sudden curvings of thin
long body.
(a) Where is the snake?
Answer:
The snake is lying on the sandy bank of a pond or stream.
(b) What is the snake trying to escape from?
Answer:
The snake is trying to escape from being hit with a stick.
(c) How does the snake move?
Answer:
The snake glides gracefully with curving movements.
(d) Is it a harmful snake?
Answer:
No, the snake is not harmful.
Question 2.
How beautiful
and graceful are his shapes!
He glides through the water away
from the stroke.
(a) Whose shapes are beautiful?
Answer:
The snake’s shapes as it moves away.
(b) How is it trying to escape?
Answer:
It is trying to escape with sudden curving of its long thin body.
(c) Who is the assailant?
Answer:
Man is the assailant as he attacks the snake with a stick.
(d) Why does the poet want the pursuer to let the snake go?
Answer:
The poet wants the pursuer to let the snake go as it is harmless.
Question 3.
O let him go
over the water
into the reeds to hide
without hurt.
(a) Who is the speaker? Who is he speaking to?
Answer:
The poet is speaking to the man speaking to the man pursuing the snake.
(b) Who is ‘him’?
Answer:
‘Him’ refers to the snake.
(c) Why is the speaker telling the listener to let him go?
Answer:
The speaker is telling the listener to let the snake go because it is harmless.
(d) Where does the snake go and why?
Answer:
The snake goes through the water to save itself from the man pursuing it with a stick.
Question 4.
O let him go
over the water
into the reeds to hide
without hurt. Small and green
he is harmless even to children.
(a) What is the snake trying to escape from?
Answer:
The snake trying to escape from the man about to attack it with a stick.
(b) Is it a harmful snake?
Answer:
The snake is harmless even for children.
(c) What does the snake look like?
Answer:
It is small and green in colour and looks very graceful.
(d) What does the poet wish for the snake?
Answer:
The poet wished the snake to be saved.
Question 5.
Along the sand
he lay until observed
and chased away, and now
he vanishes in the ripples
among the green slim reeds.
(a) Where was the snake before someone saw it and chased it away?
Answer:
The snake was lying on the sand till someone saw it and again chased it away.
(b) Where does the snake disappear?
Answer:
The snake disappears in the ripples of water among the green reeds.
(c) What impression do you form of the poet?
Answer:
The poet is compassionate and loves nature.
(d) What impression do you form of the pursuer?
Answer:
He is pitiless and governed by his fears.