Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in Current Affairs.

“Erratically” means “unsteadily or unpredictably”.

1. (d) 

2. (c) 

3. (a) 

4. (b) 

5. (e)

(a) The computer forgets to save the poet s work. 

(b) It doesn’t check her spellings. 

(c) It hides all her files. 

(d) It makes her work vanish in the most dreadful way.

The computer caught a virus and fell very sick. So the poet had to call a doctor.

When the computer actually gobbled a worm, a virus, it behaved unsteadily. So the poet squirmed.

1. store

2. double 

3. very 

4. most

1. brainy, smart 

2. click 

3. save 

4. worm

5. a holiday

It introduced us to more friends and invited enemies. It gave us more publicity and exploited us. It saved us more and it is spent to be more busy.

1. The wife acts as a friend when we stay at home.

2. Dharma alone accompanies the soul in its solitary journey after death.

3. If we have good conduct we can be happy.

Or Our good conduct gives us happiness.

4. If we are proud, no body will love us.

D) all of the above

1. Eldest brother : Yudhishthira was the eldest of all Pandavas. They were five in all. They had been living in exile.

2. A loving brother : Yudhishthira loved his brothers most. When he saw them lying dead, he could not bear their separation. He cried loudly and mourned.

3. Brave and intelligent : Yudhishthira was brave to face any situation. He was very intelligent also. He answered all questions asked by Yaksha satisfactorily.

4. Lover of justice : Yudhishthira loved justice very much. He, Kunti’s son, was alive. But Madri’s son was dead. So he chose Nakula to be revived so that the scales of justice should be even.

pacing – walking slowly 

browsing – examine in a casual way 

inferno – a place that is like hell. 

heaving – panting with short quick breath. 

agitated – anxious 

ambling – walking at an easy gentle pace. 

dismally – sadly 

serenity – calmness, peace

thaw – soften (here) 

encounter – sudden or unexpected meeting. 

embarrassed – shy, awkward 

nuisance – troublesome, annoying 

instinctive – natural 

sternly – harshly 

staggered – reeled in shock 

contradicted – disagreed with 

wagging – shaking 

resentfully. – angrily 

befriended – making friendship 

apparently – clearly seen 

squatting – sitting on the floor 

smarting – feeling pained 

patronizing – showing superiority in a rude and insulting way 

milling – a throng of people moving about in a place.

(b) J.S. Mill

Inside a cow.

According to the speaker, the three hundred thousand gods sheltering inside the body of a cow would touch the speaker whenever the cow scraped her body on the bark of the tree.

In the poem, ‘If I was a Tree’, the sacred cow would scrape her body on the bark of the tree.

Yes. The poem, while making an attempt to persuade the young lady not to ignore him or his love, also incidentally highlights the transient nature of beauty as against the permanence of love. In fact, the speaker’s argument is that, whereas all her suitors are merely attracted by her youthful beauty and elegance, he is attracted by her pilgrim soul. Furthermore, he claims that the love exhibited by her many suitors may not last long and might change as she grows old.

On the contrary, his love will remain constant and unconditional. He would love her ‘pilgrim soul’ as well as the changes in her face which appear as one grows old. Thus, the poet, using the phrase ‘your moments of glad grace’ in the first line of the second stanza in contrast with the phrase ‘sorrows of your changing face’ in the fourth line suggests that ‘beauty’ is transient in nature whereas ‘love’ is permanent.

‘When You Are Old’ presents the moral dilemma faced by a sincere lover. The speaker/narrator is the sincere lover and his lady love is the one who is going to make a decision. The lady has attracted many suitors including the speaker. The speaker believes that the other suitors only love her physical charms, and not all of them are sincere in their love towards her. He means to say that they are fickle-minded and once she loses her charms they will desert her. On the other hand, he believes that he loves her truly and according to him true love is the love of the inner self and has a spiritual aspect in it. But, the lady has not responded to his love.

He feels frustrated and as a last attempt, he tries to tell her the reality. He wants her to realize that physical beauty is transient and love of the fickle-minded will also be transient. He wants to assure her that only his love will be stable and if she ignores him and makes a wrong decision she will regret it later. Thus the speaker tries to persuade his lover to make the right decision and receive his love, which is true and intense.

‘When You are Old’ highlights the writer’s true and unforgettable love for a lady. It presents the concern of sincere love for the future predicament of his lady love. Instead of focusing upon the present or the past, the poet looks to the future, a future in which the two people in the poem are destined to be forever apart. The poet imagines that the woman he loved has become old and regrets her refusing his true love.

The poem begins with the presumption that an old and grey lady is sitting beside the fire nodding her head. When she recalls her memories, she remembers the soft look that her eyes had once, and the number of suitors who tried to court her, being charmed by her elegance and beauty. While admitting that many suitors were attracted by her youthful beauty, the speaker tries to tell her that he was the only lover who loved the pilgrim soul in her.

He wants her to know that unlike others he was attracted by the beauty of her inner self and his love would remain constant even in her old age. He assures her that he loves even the sorrows of her changing face. He wants her to understand that over a period of time her beauty will have faded away and she will have grown old, with her face having shrunk and her skin has been wrinkled, indicating that she has passed through many difficulties and sorrows.

The speaker concludes visualizing that she is now bending down beside the dying fire, and she tells herself in a whisper, in a regretful tone that her true love has fled and is hiding his face amidst a crowd of stars. Thus, the whole poem is the delineation of the intense feelings of a true lover.

‘When You are Old’ is a love poem in which the poet addresses his lady love in the present, takes her to an unreal condition in the future and asks her to recall her past memories. He does so, in order to persuade her or warn her not to ignore him and make a wrong decision. This time frame is the most compelling point of the poem because he wants her to remember him for his unique and unconditional love for her.

The poet compares himself as a suitor with other suitors. He says, ‘but one man loved the pilgrim soul in you’. He tries to distinguish himself from all the other suitors who tried to woo her. He argues that all the other suitors were only attracted by her physical and external beauty and naturally they would be put off by her looks of old age and might stop showing any interest in her. On the other hand, unlike other suitors, he loved her not for her physical beauty but for her ‘pilgrim soul’.

The word ‘pilgrim soul’ has a reference to the biblical belief that every soul is a pilgrim on the way to salvation and redemption. The speaker, by referring to this aspect of the beloved rather than to her beauty and fame, seeks oneness with the inner spiritual self and not the external self.

‘When You Are Old’ depicts the frustration and anxiety of a sincere lover. At the same time, it also presents the concern of sincere love for the future predicament of his lady love. The lover’s frustration and anxiety for her future find expression only because his love is genuine and constant. Though she has not responded to his ‘love’, the lover does not want to give up his attempts to persuade her. He tries to place before her a realistic, projected picture of her future only because he knows that she will be old, infirm and companionless as years roll by. Furthermore, the poet seems to understand that she is not a flirt and worldly lady who loves to indulge in pleasures of life but one who has also been looking for someone who really loves her inner self more than her physical charms. Only someone who has a similar state of mind, and beliefs, and who is also yearning for a spiritual union with his lady love alone can write so.

From this, one can infer that true love is indestructible and constant. Had the speaker been interested in her physical charms only he would not have bothered to foresee his own future as well as the predicament of his lady love some twenty years hence. Thus it can be argued that the poem ‘When You Are Old’ conveys the message that true love is indestructible and constant and is not influenced by the vicissitudes of fortune.

The poet asks his love, who is still young, to imagine a time when she is past her prime youth. She would then be an old woman with grey hair and sleepy eyes. When she is in such a state, he wants her to read a book of memories from her youth. As the woman sits beside the fire, nodding her head and leaves through her memories, she would recollect the ‘soft looks’ she once had and the sorrows she had suffered until then. When she recalls her faded beauty she would also recall how she was admired by many suitors who were infatuated with her physical charms. At the same time, she would also recall how there was one man who loved her unique soul which was in search of true love. She would also realize that her true love has lingered on for a while, disappeared from the earth and hid amidst a crowd of stars in heaven.

According to the speaker in ‘When You are Old’, ‘Love’ (personified love) hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

According to the speaker in ‘When You are Old’, ‘Love’ paced upon the mountains for a while and then disappeared.

1. (i) He' is the tiger.

2. (ii) He is staring at the stars.

3. (iii) The last voice heard by the tiger is that of cars patrolling.

4. (iv) The name of the poem is A tiger in the Loo and the poet is Leslie Norris.

5. (ii) At night, the eyes of a tiger look bright and shiny.

1. (i) He hears the sounds of the cars of guard, making rounds to check if everything is right.

2. (iv) He must be hearing the sound of other animals.

3. (ii) At night, the eyes of a tiger look bright and shiny.

4. (iii) They look so because of the characteristic of cat family so which they belong.

5. (i) The tiger stares at the stars because he aspires to be free as he is not happy in the zoo.

1. (ii) It's referred to the world.

2. (i) The poet knows enough of hate.

3. (iii) According to the poet, 'ice' is great for destruction.

4. (iv) Ice' symbolises hatred.

5. (v) The meaning of su9ice is 'be enough'.

1. (iii) long grass so that he moves through without being seen.

2. (ii) that the deer referred to here is fat.

3. (ii) The tiger is hiding in a shadowy dark place in the long grass.

4. (i) A fat deer is going to be his prey.

5. (ii) He should be sliding through long grass.

The poet tries to expose the miserable life led by the animals in the zoo. He compares the life of the tiger in the zoo with its life at a natural habitat. The animals have the right to freedom and should not be caged. They should be allowed to run free in the wild.

1. (ii) According to the poet, 'ice' symbolises 'hatred', 'coldness' and 'rigidity', and 'fire' symbolises unlimited wishes and desires of human beings.

2. (iii) The rhyme scheme of the given lines is abab and the rhyming words are twice-ice and hate-great.

3. (i) The poet knows enough of hate.

4. (iv) Fire

5. (i) The meaning of perish is to die, especially in a violent or sudden way.

1. (ii) The tiger is hiding in a shadowy dark place in the long grass.

2. (i) A fat deer is going to be his prey.

3. (iv) He should be lurking in the shadow to a:ack the deer who comes to drink water at the water hole.

4. (iii) long grass so that he moves through without being seen.

5. (ii) that the deer referred to here is fat.

The tiger is slowly and quietly moving along the length of the cage in a threatening manner. He is ignoring the visitors because he considers them devoid of any feelings. None of them thinks of releasing him from the cag, Thus, he stops taking any notice of them.

The tiger has lost all hope from men. Now he has hope from heaven only. It is this hope that has kept the brilliance in his eyes. That is why the tiger looks at the brilliant stars with his brilliant eyes.

The tiger makes his presence felt by snarling around houses at the jungle’s edge and by showing his white fangs and claws.

The poet thinks that the tiger should have been in the jungle, lurking in the shadow of long grass to prey on the plump deer near the water hole. He should also be on the outskirts of the jungle snarling around houses and terrifying villagers.

The tiger creates terror for the villagers by snarling around their houses as they are situated near the jungle. He frightens them by s showing his white fangs and claws.

The Zoo is very necessary place for some animals to stay safe as they could be hunted down, poisoned by some wild food, or could drown in water in the forest. They also create awareness among the public about the nature of animals and make people friendly with animals. However, a zoo is not the correct substitute for a forest. In a zoo, an animal would feel caged, bound, and not free to roam about in the wild. It is for this reason that wildlife sanctuaries and national parks have been instituted in order to conserve several endangered species. These places provide protection as well as natural surroundings to these species. They can roam about freely in their habitat and are safe too. The public can visit these parks and get educated about the animals and their lifestyles. The parks and sanctuaries are run using a strict set of rules, the most prominent being the ban on hunting. Since the animals are in the open, visitors are not allowed to feed them and would not misbehave or try to play with them as they are under strict guidance. Such incidents have been recorded in zoos where people irritate and tease the animals. Hence, a wild life sanctuary is a good alternative for animals to be safe as well as to live freely in their natural surroundings.

(i)

1. (i) It means that tiger was walking from one end of the cage to another as if trying to measure the length of the cage.

2. (ii) The tiger was kept in a cell made of concrete walls and long, strong bars, so that he could not escape.

3. (iii) He' is the tiger.

4. (i) He is ignoring the visitors because he is angry.

5. (ii) The tiger is locked in a concrete cell.

1. (iii) The poem is 'How to tell wild animals' and the poet is Carolyn Wells.

2. (iv) abab

3. (i) We can meet the bear around our yard.

4. (ii) The bear hugs the person very hard when he meets them.

5. (iii) The lawn area of a house.

Although Innisfree is the poet’s boyhood haunt, it also represents his state of mind. The poet wishes to escape to Innisfree as it is more peaceful than where he is now the city. Innisfree is representative of what the poet considers an ideal place to live, which is devoid of the restless humdrum of his life. Yes, the poet actually misses the place of his boyhood days. Even when he is away from Innisfree, he recalls the sound of the lake water washing the shore.

(a) According to the poet, new beginnings are brought by each new day. 

(b) We must decide to take the road which leads to great success. 

(c) The poet prays to the Lord to help him stand for what is right. 

(d) The poet wants to see that his teenage years have been the best years of his life.

I see a small girl carrying a puppy in a large round tub, in neck-deep water of the river.

(i)

• The poet wants to build a small cabin of clay and wattles.
• He wants to plant nine rows of beans.
• He wants to keep honey bees hive.

(ii)

• He hears the cricket’s song.
• He holds linnets flying in the sky.
• He sees glimmering midnight and glowing rooms.

(iii) When the poet is far away from Innisfree he hears the sound of the lake water washing the shore in his ‘heart’s core’.

The thing that the poet finds so attractive about Lake Isle of Innisfree is its promise of peace. The poet, then, longs for this place which affords a sense of contentment and relaxation far from the busy modern life. The poem’s slow and regular metre helps to convey this languid, dreamy effect.

There is also the vivid impressionistic description of the colours and beauties of this place, and the soothing stir of nature which is so different from the strident noise of the city where the poet actually is, as the final stanza makes clear. The poet, then, is physically trapped in the city, but he can imagine the beauty of Innisfree and this gives him spiritual sustenance. This is one of Yeats’s early lyrics, exhibiting a familiar romantic sensibility in its praise of the deep purity and beauty of nature which is contrasted with the drabness, shallowness and sterility of modern urban living.

The poet wishes to maintain his body and keep it clean and fit each day, when temptation attracts him to do anything bad or wrong.

The poet wishes the company of God because, by the time his teenage years are over, he will know that the life he lived under the guidance and help of the Almighty, was the best.

Interview questions for blind musician :

1. Could you please tell me about your family? 

2. How did your blindness affect your career as a musician and composer? 

3. Who supported you in your venture? 

4. Who were your Gurus and what sort of training did you receive? 

5. What is your speciality in singing? 

6. Which was the best performance in your life according to you? 

7. What are the awards you have received? 8. What are your plans for future? 

9. What is your advice to young aspirants? 

10. What can you do to encourage them?