CBSE Class 10 English Dust of Snow Worksheet

 

Robert Frost, awell-known American poet of nature, in this poem presents a moment that seems simple but has a larger significance. It is a highly symbolic poem. One day the poet was in a depressed mood. A pleasant thing happened in a tree. It changed the poet’s mood. It saved the rest of the day for the poet.

The poet is standing near a hemlock tree. He is in a sad mood. He thinks that his day has been lost, then a crow shakes the hemlock tree and the dust of snow falls on him. This little incident brings about a sudden change in the state of the poet’s mind. His mood has changed. He thinks that it has saved the rest of his day and gets busy with his work like the crow.

Literary devices in Dust of Snow - rhyme, alliteration. The full rhyme endings are quite straightforward: crow/snow....mood/rued.Internal rhyme and other devices help bring texture and resonance to certain sounds, as well as interconnections.

 

 

Has given my heart

And saved some part

 

Extract Based Questions:

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Question. To draw attention on the falling snow flakes atop of the Hemlock tree, the poet employs the word dust. Which poetic device is used here?
a. Synecdoche
b. Metaphor
c. Symbolism
d. Alliteration
Answer. B

Question. Choose the option that list the possible feelings of the poet prior to the experience shared in the poem.
1. Reassured
2. Disappointed
3. Curious
4. Demotivated
5. Thankful
6. Disheartened
7. Impulsive
a. 1,3&7
b. 2,4&6
c. 5&7
d. 1&3
Answer. B

Question. What change come in the poet’s mood?
a. From Joy to sorrow
b. From hope to despair
c. From despair to cheer
d. From anger to harmony
Answer. C

Question. Identify the option that DOES NOT use the word 'rue' correctly.
a. The film was a disaster and he rued his decision to act in it.
b. I am sure she rued the day she listened to a fortune-teller.
c. It wasn't long before rued my disobedience and my deceit.
d. Others finally rue the one who is dishonest and heartless.
Answer. D

Question. Given below are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read both the statements carefully and choose the correct alternative from the following.
Assertion (A) The poet's clothes became wet.
Reason (R) The crow shook a branch of the hemlock tree that was covered in snow.
Codes:
a. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
b. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.
c. A is true, but R is false.
d. A is false, but R is true.
Answer. B

Question. Pick the set of options that are related to the idea conveyed in the poem.
i. The state of sadness neither can be ended nor can be avoided.
ii. The state of depression should last for long.
iii. Everyone has moments of sadness or depression in one's life.
iv. The sooner one gets over grief or depression the better it is.
v. The state of depression if not ended will end us.
vi. The state of sadness should continue for long.
vii. Everyone mustn't avoid the state of depression.
a. i, ii, iv
b. iii, iv, v
c. v, vi, vii
d. i, iii, v.
Answer. D

Question. Which of the following things in the poem represent(s) ‘sorrow’?
1 Crow   2. Dust   3. Snow
4. Hemlock tree   5. Heart
a. Only option 1
b. Options 1 and 4
c. Options 2 and 3
d. Options 3,4 and 5
Answer. B

Question. The snow that fell from the hemlock tree changed the poet's mood. What could have been another outcome(s) of the falling of the snow on the poet?
i. The poet could have gotten very angry.
ii. The poet could have felt even more depressed because he would feel cold.
iii. The poet could have killed the crow for ruining his clothes.
iv. The poet could have cut off the hemlock tree.
v. The poet could have removed the snow from his head and walked away.
a. Options (i) and(iii)
b. Options(ii)and(iv)
c. Only option (iii)
d. Options (i)(ii) and (v)
Answer. D

Question. Through the poem Dust of Snow Robert Frost is trying to shatter all the believes that humans have about the things that they consider………..
a. Ill -omens
b. Superstitions
c. Orthodox
d. All of these
Answer. A

Question. What did poet realise when dust of snow fell on him?
i. That he had wasted his time being in sorrow
ii. That he should utilise his remaining day in doing some useful tasks.
a. Both (i) and (ii) are correct
b. Only (i) is correct
c. Only (ii) is correct
d. Neither (i) nor (ii) is correct
Answer. A

 

Short answer type Questions:

Question. Why does the poet use such poetically uncommon bird and tree? What does it reflect?
Answer. The poet seems to be in a depressive and sorrowful mood. In such a mood, one cannot think of a sweet and beautiful side of nature. The harsh, bitter and poisonous images come to his mind. That is why, he uses an uncommon, harsh, ugly crow and a poisonous tree like hemlock.

Question. The crow and hemlock are usually used as negative references in literature. How is this different in this poem?
Answer. The poet Robert Frost is trying to break the stereotypes that consider a crow and a hemlock tree as inauspicious. The poet has represented nature in quite an unconventional manner. He is trying to emphasise that even a crow and a hemlock tree can bring about positive change in a person's life.

Question. What did the poet think of the day before the dust of snow fell on him?
Answer. Before the fall of the dust of snow, the poet thought that his day was ruined. He was in a bad mood. But then, the dust of snow fell on him. It signalled something good and joyful, and his mood changed.

Question. Justify the role of the crow in the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’ in changing the poet’s mood.
Answer. The bird chosen by the poet in this poem, is generally one, that symbolises death, sorrow and misfortune. It is looked upon as an ominous bird. In this poem, however, it is portrayed as a positive element of nature. The crow changed the mood, instilled a new confidence and the thirst for new found aspirations, when he shrugged off some flakes of snow on the poet.

Question. What role does nature play in the poem?
Answer. Nature is a positive medium of change for the poet. He had been the sorrowful. But then the way a crow shook snow dust off, it changed his mood.

Question. How does Frost present nature in this poem?
Answer. Frost does not idealise nature. His descriptions of nature are real and based on minute observation. Frost sees deep symbolical meanings in each little incident of nature. One can interpret these symbols in one's own way. One can see nature as a friend or as an enemy.

Question. 'Dust of Snow' is one of Frost's most loved poems. Elaborate why you think this is so.
Answer. 'Dust of Snow' is one of Frost's most loved poems because the poem describes a very simple happening in very simple words. It tells us that sometimes even a small incident may prove to be of larger significance. Nature can heal anything and everything.

Question. The poem evokes a sense of black and white. Justify.
Answer. The poet is set in all white surrounding. Everything is covered with snow. Amidst this white surrounding, a black crow appears and does something that clears the blackness from the poet's mind and heart. Hence, we can say that the sorrow depicts 'black', and happiness depicts 'white' in the poem.

Question. What is the substance of this poem?
Answer. The poet was standing beneath a hemlock tree. A crow shook off some snow dust on the poet. The poet's sad heart at once experienced a change. The poet, too, shook off his sadness and thus saved the rest of the day from being spoiled.

Question. Explain the symbols used by Frost in his poem, ‘Dust of Snow’.
Answer. The hemlock tree is a symbol of the poet’s sad heart. The dust of snow is the sorrow that has settled on the poet’s heart. And the crow is the shake that the poet experiences in his heart.

 

Long answer type Questions:

Question. The poet has succeeded in giving valuable information in a light-hearted manner. What creates the desired effect? Highlight its importance in present-day life.
Answer. Truly, Frost has used simple language to drive home a very significant message, that little things sometimes, have a big impact. An easy, uncomplicated language, coupled with unusual visual imagery and brevity of words create the desired effect. The poet's bitterness finds reflection even in the environment around him. The noisy, dark crow the poisonous hemlock and the icy snow around-all are essentially depressing images However, despite the negativity, when the crow shakes down the dust of snow onto the poet, it also shakes off some of the poet's regretful thoughts. Today, when all of us live in stressful atmospheres, the poem teaches us to gain happiness from little things.

Question. A simple moment proves to be very significant and saves the rest of the day of the poet from being wasted. Explain on the basis of the poem, 'Dust of Snow.
Answer. One day, the poet was in a very sad mood. Sorrow and dejection had settled on his heart. He tells us that he was standing beneath a hemlock tree. A crow shook off the dust of snow that fell on him. When this dust fell on the poet, a sudden change came in his mood. It ended all the regret that had filled his mind. Thus, it saved his day from any further sadness. The poet has used the hemlock tree, the crow, the dust of snow, and the crow's shaking off this dust from his wings as symbols only. The hemlock is a poisonous tree. It has been used here as a symbol of the poet's sad mind that can be no less than a poison for the body. The crow is often taken as a sign of ill omen. The poet has used it as a symbol of the sad thoughts that had settled on his mind, just as the crow had settled on the hemlock tree. The dust of snow that had settled on the crow is a symbol of inertia that the poet's sad thoughts have brought about in him. And the crow's shaking off this dust is a symbol of the new awakening that came in the poet's mind. It ended all his regret and saved his mind from any further dejection.

Question. As a crow you feel highly injured by the incorrect perception humans have about your species.
Imagine yourself to be a crow and write your opinion about this prejudice. Make a case for breaking stereotypes.
Answer. I am a crow. I try to make people happy with my cawing, but they consider me bad luck and often shoo me away. Modernization, instead of changing the perception of people, has made them more illogical. According to them, everything bad that happens in their life is because of me. One day, I saw a thief entering a house. So, I gathered all my friends and attacked the thief. Fortunately, we could save the burglary. But the residents, instead of thanking us, started blaming us for everything. Our intentions are always misinterpreted by humAnswer. This makes me very sad. All living species must be looked at with greater empathy and respect by human beings. After all is it not the same Creator that has created all of us? Stereotypes must be broken and inclusiveness imbibed.

 

 

1. The way a crow

   Shook down on me

   The dust of snow

   From a hemlock tree

 

(a)What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ symbolise?

(b)What does the poet mean when he says ‘saved some part of the day?’

(c) Where do you think was the poet then?

(d) What is the rhyme scheme of this stanza?

 

II. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:
1. How has the poet observed nature in the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’?

2. What is the underlying message for us in our hectic life with reference to the poem,‘Dust of Snow’?

3. What side of nature do ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent?

4. What mood of the poet is reflected in the poem? How does it reflect?

 

 

1. Our attitude towards a situation evokes both negative and positive response. Analyse this with reference to the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’ to bring out the inherent valuable lessons.