Read the extract and complete the activities given below:
Home again, I see him drinking weak tea,
Eating a stale chapati, reading a book.
He goes into the toilet to contemplate
Man’s estrangement from a man-made world.
Coming out he trembles at the sink,
The cold water running over his brown hands,
A few droplets cling to the greying hair on his wrists.
His sullen children have often refused to share
Jokes and secrets with him.
He will now go to sleep
Listening to the static on the radio, dreaming
Of his ancestors and grandchildren, thinking
Of nomads entering a subcontinent through a narrow pass.
Select and write the two statements from the given list which justify the theme of the poem:
Show Hint
- The father has problems in performing daily activities.
- The routine of the father is explained in detail.
- Isolation from the society makes the father introvert.
- The father is lost in his own thoughts.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
The theme of the poem revolves around the emotional condition of the father.
It highlights his loneliness, isolation, and mental state rather than physical difficulty or daily routine.
Step 2: Analyze Each Statement.
(a) This statement focuses on daily activities, which is not the central theme.
(b) This describes routine, not emotional depth or theme.
(c) This statement reflects isolation from society, which connects directly with the emotional loneliness shown in the poem.
(d) This statement reflects that the father is mentally withdrawn and absorbed in his thoughts, which supports the theme.
Step 3: Final Conclusion.
Therefore, the two statements that justify the theme of the poem are:
(c) Isolation from the society makes the father introvert.
(d) The father is lost in his own thoughts.
Complete the given points about the problems and difficulties faced by the father.
(a) Food : ________
(b) Response of the children : _______
(a) Food : ________
(b) Response of the children : _______
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
The question asks us to complete the points based on the extract describing the struggles of the father.
We need to identify the difficulties he faced, especially regarding food and how the children reacted to the situation.
Step 2: Identifying the Problem Related to Food.
The father faced scarcity of food.
There was not enough food for the family, and he had to struggle hard to provide meals.
Sometimes he remained hungry so that his children could eat.
Step 3: Identifying the Response of the Children.
The children complained about the poor quality or insufficient quantity of food.
They were unhappy and did not understand their father’s sacrifices.
Their reaction added to the father’s emotional burden.
Step 4: Completed Points.
(a) Food : Scarcity of food and inability to provide sufficient meals
(b) Response of the children : Complaints and dissatisfaction about the food
Write about the way you respond to your father when he comes home from his work.
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
After he freshens up, I sit with him and talk about my day at school. I also listen carefully when he shares his experiences from work. I avoid disturbing him unnecessarily and try to maintain a peaceful atmosphere at home.
I respect his hard work and express my gratitude for everything he does for our family. In this way, I show my love, care, and appreciation whenever he returns home from work.
Identify and explain the figure of speech in the following line:
‘Man’s estrangement from a man-made world’
‘Man’s estrangement from a man-made world’
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
The line contains the repetition of the consonant sound “m” in the words “Man’s”, “man-made”, and “world”This repetition of the same initial consonant sound is known as Alliteration
Step 2: Explanation.
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same consonant sound is repeated at the beginning of closely placed wordsIn this line, the sound “m” is repeated to create a rhythmic and musical effectIt also emphasizes the irony that man feels separated from a world that he himself has created
Step 3: Conclusion.
Thus, the figure of speech used in the line is Alliteration because of the repetition of the “m” sound in closely connected words
Compose a poem of your own in about 2 to 4 lines on the topic ‘Family’.
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
A shelter of warmth beneath life’s winds.
Through joy and tears, they stand by me,
My heart’s safe home, my strength, my key.
Top Questions on Poetry
- Read the extract and write the appreciation of the poem.
Weavers, weaving at break of day,
Why do you weave a garment so gay?
Blue as the wing of a halcyon wild,
We weave the robes of a new-born child.
Weavers, weaving at fall of night,
Why do you weave a garment so bright?
Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green,
We weave the marriage-veils of a queen.
Weavers, weaving solemn and still,
What do you weave in the moonlight chill?
White as a feather and white as a cloud,
We weave a dead man’s funeral shroud.
“ক্ষমা করো”— এই উক্তির মধ্যে দিয়ে কবি কী মনোভাব প্রকাশ পেয়েছে?
“ক্ষমা করো”— এই উক্তির মধ্যে দিয়ে কবি কী মনোভাব প্রকাশ পেয়েছে?
“ধূসরলালসা” কবিতার উৎসগ্রন্থ —
“আমি বারো তারিখ ধরেছি মানুষ”— কবিতার মানুষটি কে ?
Questions Asked in Maharashtra Class XII exam
Read the extract and complete the activities given below:
Family can be classified into two types: joint family and nuclear family. In the joint family along with parents and children other members like grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. are included. In such family, socialization of children is quicker. Tasks are shared. Responsibilities are shared.
Establishment of emotional bonds are common leading to mental security. Members learn adjustment. But sometimes there are conflicts and misunderstandings among family members. Children do not get complete attention from their parents.
On the contrary nuclear family consists of parents and their children. So we see flexibility in parental roles. Parents share their responsibilities. Parent child relationships are very intimate. Full attention is paid on children’s personality development. But children lack in making adjustments. Children get too much attention from their parents and so they become demanding and selfish.
Parenting styles do influence children’s behaviour. The best known research on parenting style is Diana Baumrind’s early studies of pre-school children and their parents. She proposed three parenting styles : permissive, authoritarian and authoritative.
Permissive parents are inconsistent in their behaviour. So children of such parents become dependent, immature.
Authoritarian parents are rigid and punitive in nature. Children of such parents become unfriendly, unsocial and uninvolved. Parents provide food and shelter to their children but they neglect them and become emotionally detached. That leads to indifferent, rejecting behaviour on the part of the children.
Authoritative parents encourage independence, they set limits and goals, they are firm in their behaviour. This kind of parenting style makes children self-reliable, independent and develop social skills.- Maharashtra Class XII - 2026
- Reading Comprehension
Read the extract and complete the activities given below:
At length Soapy reached one of the avenues to the east where the glitter and turmoil was but faint. He dragged himself toward Madison Square, for the homing instinct survives even when the home is a park bench.
But, on an unusually quiet corner, Soapy came to a standstill. Here was an old church, quaint and rambling and gabled. Through one violet-stained window a soft light glowed, where, no doubt, the organist loitered over the keys, making sure of his mastery of the coming Sabbath Anthem. For there drifted out to Soapy’s ears sweet music that caught and held him transfixed against the convolutions of the iron fence.
The moon was above, full and radiant; vehicles and pedestrians were few; sparrows twittered sleepily in the eaves or a little while the scene might have been a country churchyard. And the anthem that the organist played cemented Soapy to the iron fence, for he had known it well in the days when his life contained such things as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immaculate thoughts and collars.
The conjunction of Soapy’s receptive state of mind and the influences about the old church brought a sudden and wonderful change in his soul. He viewed with rising horror the pit into which he had tumbled, the degraded days,
unworthy desires, dead hopes, wrecked faculties and base motives that made up his existence. And also in a moment his heart responded thrillingly to this strange mood. A strong impulse moved him to battle with his desperate fate. He would pull himself out of the mire and would make a man of himself again; he would conquer the evil that had enslaved him. There was time; he was young yet; he would resurrect his old eager ambitions and pursue them without faltering. Those solemn but sweet organ notes had set up a revolution in him. Tomorrow he would go into the roaring downtown district and find work. A fur importer had once offered him a place as driver. He would be somebody in the world. He would .....
Soapy felt a hand laid on his arm. He looked quickly around into the impassive face of a policeman.
“What are you doin’ here?” asked the officer.
“Nothin’,” said Soapy.
“Then come along,” said the policeman.
“Three months on the island,” said the Magistrate in the Police Court the next morning.- Maharashtra Class XII - 2026
- Reading Comprehension
- Prove: Although Holmes appeared reserved, he worked on the case during their journey.
- Maharashtra Class XII - 2026
- Literary Genres
- According to Miss Morstan, her case was not ‘A singular case’. Explain.
- Maharashtra Class XII - 2026
- Literary Genres
- ‘Passepartout blamed himself for his master’s misfortune.’ Explain.
- Maharashtra Class XII - 2026
- Literary Genres