CBSE Class 10 English Animals Worksheet

ANIMALS - WALT WHITMAN

GIST:
The poet, Walt Whitman compares animals and human beings. He says that, unlike humans, animals do not complain nor cringe about anything in their life. Animals are simple, self- contained, satisfied and are not after owning things. They do not weep for their sins nor cry over their unfavorable conditions. The poet feels more at home with animals than humans whom he finds complicated,materialistic and false.

Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
So placid and self-contain’d
I stand and look at them long and long.

Question. Who are placid, self-contained, calm and peaceful ?
(i) trees
(ii) human being
(iii) animals
(iv) birds
Answer.(iii) animals

Question. Name the poet.
(i) Walt Whitman
(ii) Carolyn Wells
(iii) Leslie Norris
(iv) Adrienne Rich
Answer.(i) Walt Whitman

Question. Who looks at the animals for a long time ?
(i) zoo keeper
(ii) hunter
(iii) the poet
(iv) all of them
Answer.(iii) the poet

Question. Find the word from the passage which means same as ‘Serene’.
(i) self-contained
(ii) placid
(iii) whine
(iv) demented
Answer.(ii) placid
 

OR

Question. The poet wishes to live with animals because they are ..................... .
(i) happy
(ii) friendly
(iii) contended
(iv) mean
Answer.(iii) contended

Question. The poet wants to live with animals because of their ................... nature.
(i) wild
(ii) peaceful
(iii) co-operative
(iv) adjusting
Answer.(iii) co-operative

Question. Who seem to be self-contained ?
(i) animals
(ii) human-beings
(iii) birds
(iv) trees
Answer.(i) animals

Question. Animals are peaceful and ................... .
(i) satisfied
(ii) placid
(iii) intelligent
(iv) harmless
Answer.(ii) placid

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. ‘I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?’

Question. What does the word ‘tokens’ stand for?
Answer.The word ‘tokens stands for virtues like simplicity, innocence, satisfaction, contentment etc.

Question. Who does the word ‘they’ refer to in the first line?
Answer. The word ’they’ refers to animals.

Question. What does the poet mean by the last line?
Answer.The poet means to say that he may have lost those virtues that animals possess long ago in his quest for civilization.
 

2. ‘Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived a thousand years ago.’ 

Question. With/to whom is the poet comparing them?
Answer.The poet is comparing them with human beings.

Question. About whom is the poet saying these lines?
Answer.The poet is speaking about animals.

Question. What is the literary device used in the first line given?
Answer. It is ‘Repetition’ where the words ‘not one’ has been repeated.

Question. Mention any two qualities that make the poet want to be like ‘them’.
Answer.They do not complain / they are not anxious / not unhappy / not unsatisfied / do not lie awake pondering over the sins they committed.
 

Example IL Extract Based:

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

They do not sweat and whine about therr condition,
They do not lie awoke in the dark and weep for therr sins.
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Wot one is dissatisfied, not one is demented' wfth the mania of owning things.

Question. ‘They in the above extract are:
(a) humans
(b) poets
(c) animate
(d) ancestors
Answer. C
 

Question. Which word is NOT related to the term ‘mania1?
(a) sanity
(b) lunacy
(c) wicked
(d) demented
Answer. A
 

Question. ‘They do not sweat and whine about their condition? This line suggests that the animate are:
(a) indifferent
(b) seLf-contented
(c) egoistic
(d) cold-hearted
Answer. B
 

Question. Pick th e correct pair of words: Dissatisfied: satisfied:: sick:______________
(a) ill
(b) healthy
(c) ailment
(d) diseased
Answer. B
 

Question. What quality of man is prevalent in the phrase ‘the mania of owning things?
(a) lunacy
(b) misery
(c) contentment
(d) greed
Answer. D
 

Short Answer Questions :

Question. Why does the poet want to ‘turn and live’ with animals? 
Answer. Animals are satisfied and self-contained. They have better values than those of the humAnswer. The poet finds animals more comfortable than humAnswer.
 

Question. Why> according to the poeti animals do not 'wake and weep' for their sins?
Answer. The poet believes that animals are pure souls
They don't commit any crime or sm and hence, don't have to repent for the same by crying and asking God for forgiveness the entire night
 

Question. Does Whitman believe that animals and humans are essentially similar? Provide one reason to support your opinion^
Answer. No, the poet didn't believe that the animals and humans are essentially similar. He believed that humans were once as innocent and selfsatisfied as animals but with the passage of time, they lost their natural values which animals managed to preserve theirs.
 

Question. A misanthrope is a person who dislikes humankind. Do you think the poet is a misanthrope? Provide a rationale to support your response.
Answer. Yes. the poet could be said to be a misanthrope.
He disliked the fact that human today have no warm feelings ar virtues that they possessed in the past H e was so disappointed with the humankind that he wanted to live with animals rather than amongst humans.
 

Question. Walt Whitman wrote this poem towards the end of the nineteenth century. How might it be different if he were to write it today?
Answer. If Walt Whitman whould have to write this poem today, then I suppose it would be even more audacious than the present version. As humans have become mare uncivilized and seLfish with the passage of time, the poet would have described it more sarcastically.
Humans today have Lost oil their virtues. Hence, the reality in the poem about human values would have been uglier if the poet would hove written it today.
 

Question. Why don't animals "sweat and whine' about their condition?
Answer. Animals don't 'sweat and whine' about their conditions as they are satisfied with what they have in their life. They don't expect more and never get sod on not receiving it
 

Question. The poet has an exaggerated and idealized perception of animal Irfe. Do you agree?
Why/Why not? 
Answer. Yes, I think the poet has on exaggerated and! idealized perception of animal life. It’s a fact that animals are pure souls who do not commit any sins or crimes. But they are not as satisfied and calm as depicted by the poet In the wild Life, even the animals have to survive by killing other innocent animals or snatching away their shore of food. ’Survival of the fittest’ is the rule everywhere The animats are greedy too. Hence, I think the poet has exaggerated the piousness of the animal kingdom.
 

Question. What is the central idea of the poem Animals1?
Answer. The poem draws a contrast between humans and) animals. With the passage of ti me, humans have forgotten all those good qualities that they possessed and have become uncivilized beasts who are extremely jealous, greedy, egoistic, hypocrite. Lusty and discontent However, the animals have been successful to carry the similar virtues that they had in them from the beginning of the world.
 

Question. What are the tokens that the animals give to the poet?
Answer. The tokens that the animals give the poet are the qualities of innocence, simplicity and contentment These are the qualities that man had, but now has left them on his journey towards a materialistic world.
 

Question. How would you evaluate the poet's opinion on religion?
Answer. The poet has said in one of the stanza of the poem that animals do not have to repent or pray to God to ask Him for forgiveness as animals are innocent and da not commit any sins or crimes. Through this, we can tell that the poet thinks that people do not really follow their religions. Rather they remember God only when they need forgiveness.

Question. What does the poet wish to do at the beginning of the poem?
Answer.The poet wishes he could transform and become one with animals.

Question. Do humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago ?
Answer. Yes, many communities of humans follow the practice of worshipping saints and sages, who lived thousand of years, and led an exemplary life of high moral values and therefore reflect the image of ‘God Almighty’ and are worshipped by generations of humAnswer.

Question. What conclusion does the poet come to at the end of the poem?
Answer.The poet says that he as a human being must have lost those virtues that only animals now possess, sometime in the past.
 

Question. Why does the poet want to live with animals rather than living with humans?
Answer. According to the poet living with animals is far better than living with humans because animals show tokens of goodness. They are peaceful, self-contained and happy. Animals show innate goodness which is lacked in human beings. Animals do not grumble about their lives, cry over their sins. Though humans are born with good qualities or human qualities but then too animals possess them in a better way. They don‘t keep desiring for more and more thing instead they are content in what they have.

Question. Why does the poet find animals to be satisfied with what they have and humans not?
Answer. The poet feels that animals do not have desires to possess worldly things and are satisfied with what they have. They live happily in their natural surroundings. They need not to think much about their comforts where as humans desire to own as many things as possible and are dissatisfied forever. Their expectations keep growing with no end.

Question. What is the central idea of the poem `Animals‘?
Answer. The central idea of the poem is the difference between human beings and animals. According to the poet, they both were initially similar in their innate goodness. The humans have lost it over the years, while animals remain the same. They show these tokens of goodness — peaceful, self-contained and happy where as humans have lost this goodness. Humans need to learn these tokens of goodness from animals and lead a quality life. We, humans should not degrade ourselves and behave like humans and have control over our greed and desires to have a peaceful life.

Question. What qualities of animals does the poet describe in contrast to humans?
Answer. The poet Walt Whitman finds animals to be better than human beings as they are peaceful and selfcontent. They do not complain about their conditions and they do not weep in dark for their sins. They don‘t tell like humans what are their duties to God. They are not mad behind owing more things. None is superior. Everyone is equal in them contrary to humans who compare themselves with one another for everything.

Question. The poet expresses a yearning to live a simple life by wishing to live like animals. Do you agree?
Answer. Yes, I agree that the poet expresses a yearning to live a simple life by wishing to live like animals. Through this poem the poet makes a request to humans to slowdown and lead a peaceful life. He believes that man‘s lust for greed is taking a toll on his quality of life. We are forgetting to live in blind race of only owing the things. We have filled our hearts with selfishness. We are least bothered about the harm; we are causing to our society and environment during this. According to the poet we need to establish a control over this type of behaviour and live a quality life.

Long Answer Questions :

Question. Why does the poet want to ‘turn and live with animals’? Or
What is the gist of the poem? Or
What is the central theme of the poem?
Answer.The poet expresses his desire to change and be with the animals because they are very mild and content. They are not anxious about anything nor do they complain about anything. They do not spend sleepless nights repenting over their sins nor discuss their duty to God. None of them is dissatisfied nor crazy over possessing things. No animal shows submission to another nor does he show respect and honour to those of his kind that lived thousands of years ago. Not a single animal is dissatisfied or unhappy. The poet learns these virtues from animals which they openly express. At the end the poe wonders where they got these virtues from and concludes that he, as a human being, also may have possessed these qualities thousands of years ago. In his quest for civilization human beings have lost these beautiful virtues that animals still possess. And therefore he wishes to turn and live with animals.

Question. Human Beings are the most civilized species in the whole world. But sometimes human values are better exhibited in animals than humans‖. How far do you agree with the statement, explain in reference to the poem Animals‘?
Answer. completely agree with the above statement. Though human beings are called the most civilized species of the world but sometimes, they lack the values which are better exhibited by the animals. Human beings lack the qualities of being respectable, happy, contented and peace-loving which is still reflected in animals. Animals do not grumble about their lives, lie awake at night, cry over their sins or discuss their duty towards God as humans do. Animals do not have a mania for ―owning things‖, nor do they kneel before others like humans. Moreover, the tokens of goodness, love, respect and happiness are better seen in animals than human beings. Human greed has exploited everything in the nature no matter it is society or nature. Humans desires, selfishness, greed, race to criticise one another and mania of owing things have changed humans. Animals sometimes seems to be behaving better than humans as they are content with what nature has given them. They don‘t exploit nature for their selfishness. Even there is equality in animals. No one tries to show one another down. They are happy and peaceful. According to poet humans can learn from animals how to live on this planet in a better way.

Short answer type questions

1. What desperate efforts were made by Patol Babu to earn a decent living ?
2. Describe the scene outside the Faraday House as seen by Patol B abu .
3. What are the reasons stated by Lavinia for not getting rid of the Ouija board ?
4. Why did the writer become overconfident about his ability to write ghost stories?
5. Lavinia entered the narrator’s room with a solid finality. What was her purpose ?
6. Why was John shocked to see the activities of the members of the ‘Book Club’?
7. How did Lavinia react when she saw Helen?
8. While playing Wildwest, Michael found himself in a particular role? What was it and how did he behave in the game ?
9. What was the objective of the game‘Dragon quest’?
10. How did Michael connect Sebastian s recovery from coma with the result of the last game ?
11. Bring out the irony of the poet’s act of throwing a log at the snake .
12. The poem Snake is a conflict between man’s head and heart. Discuss.
13. Bring out the message conveyed through the poem ‘Snake ‘.
14. Describe the physical appearance of the ‘Ancient mariner’.
15. What message does the poet want to convey through the poem, ’Rime of the Ancient Mariner.’ Mrs. Girija Jayasankar
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