CBSE Class 10 English Amanda! Worksheet

INTRODUCTION—

In the above poem, the poet Robin Klein says that a child should never be denied freedom. It deals with the upbringing of a small child, Amanda. It highlights the struggles faced by the child.

SUMMARY—

The poem ‘Amanda’ is about a small child whose parents are forever nagging her about what to do and what not to do. This frequent interference makes her very unhappy. She feels that she is not free to do anything that she wants to do. She wants freedom from all restrictions. She dreams to lead a life of a mermaid in a Languid, emerald sea with her being the only inhabitant there. She feels that an orphan has more freedom than her. She also wished to lead a calm and quiet life in a tower like that of Rapunzel with nobody to disturb her.

Explanation of the Poem

1. Don’t bite your nails, Amanda !
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda !
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda !
Explanation: In the above stanza, Amanda is getting instructed, most probably by her parents for not biting her nails and for sitting lazily with her shoulders bent. The tone of instructions here is not a friendly one and thus fails to make any sense to Amanda.

2. Did you finish your homework, Amanda ?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda ?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda !
Explanation: Amanda is now being asked about whether she had finished her homework, or had made her room tidy and also whether she had cleaned her shoes. These set of instructions mark a shift from the instructions given in stanza. Her name is being called again with an exclamation mark which shows that the parents seem to be losing their cool and are troubled.

3. I am Rapunzel, I have not a care;
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!
Explanation: Amanda is still lost in her own dreams. She pictures herself to be the long golden-haired Rapunzel who lived in a castle and had no care about anything. Amanda imagines that the life of Rapunzel must have been very peaceful and fantastic in the tower. But she is unwilling to let her hair down. She only wants to live by herself as the presence of another being in her life would require her to act in a certain way. Amanda wanted to live free and happy.

Poetic Devices

Alliteration : Stop that slouching and sit up straight
                   I thought I told you to clean
                   Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
Allusion : Mermaid (Taken from fairy tales)
               Rapunzel (Taken from German fairy tale)
Metaphore :  Languid, emerald sea
                     Silence is golden
                     Freedom is sweet
Rhyme Scheme : aaba ccc

Extract Based Questions

Read the following extracts and answer the questions/complete the sentences that follow :

Q. 1. Don’t bite your nails, Amanda !
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda !
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda !

Question. The speaker wants Amanda to learn ................... .
(i) good habits
(ii) bad habits
(iii) pleasing habits
(iv) no habits
Answer : A

Question. Who is the speaker ?
(i) Amanda’s grandfather
(ii) Amanda’s teacher
(iii) Amanda’s mother
(iv) Amanda’s father
Answer : C

Question. Pick out the word from the passage which means same as 'erect'.
(i) hunch
(ii) slouching
(iii) bite
(iv) straight
Answer : D

Question. Name the poet ?
(i) Rudyard Kipling
(ii) Robert Frost
(iii) Robin Klein
(iv) William Butler Yeats
Answer : C

Q. 2. There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me—
a mermaid, drifting blissfuly.

Question. Who is 'me’ in these lines ?
(i) Amanda’s mother
(ii) Amanda’s sister
(iii) Amanda’s friend
(iv) Amanda herself
Answer : D

Question. Amanda’s desire was to be a mermaid, living in the .................... sea.
(i) blue
(ii) green
(iii) yellow
(iv) red
Answer : B

Question. Emerlad also means ..................... .
(i) green
(ii) red
(iii) blue
(iv) yellow
Answer : A

Question. Find out the word from the extract which also means ‘relaxed’.
(i) emerald
(ii) blissfully
(iii) languid
(iv) inhabitant
Answer : B

Q. 3. Did you finish your homework, Amanda ?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda ?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda

Question. According to the narrator, Amanda is a very .................. girl.
(i) cute
(ii) responsible
(iii) naughty
(iv) careless
Answer : D

Question. Amanda is asked to finish her ................... .
(i) homework
(ii) milk
(iii) meal
(iv) playing
Answer : A

Question. .................... is talking to Amanda.
(i) Both the parents
(ii) One of the parents
(iii) Her mother
(iv) Her father
Answer : B

Question. I told you to clean your ...................... .
(i) room
(ii) shoes
(iii) table
(iv) book shelf
Answer : B

Q. 4. I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I Pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.

Question. The speaker makes design with her ...................... .
(i) pencil
(ii) bare feet
(iii) hands
(iv) sketch pen
Answer : B

Question. Which word in the passage means the same as ‘naked’.
(i) pattern
(ii) bare
(iii) hushed
(iv) roaming
Answer : B

Question. Where does she make pattern on ?
(i) on sketch book
(ii) on paper
(iii) on table
(iv) on soft dust
Answer : D

Question. She is not an orphan, but she ................... to be one.
(i) wants
(ii) wishes
(iii) imagines
(iv) longs
Answer : C

AMANDA!

GIST
The Poem Amanda by ROBIN KLEIN depicts a child’s feelings about the restrictions the parents put on him/her. Children feel their parents don’t let them do many things they want to do.In the poem there is a girl named Amanda who feels her mother nags her too much. The mother scolds Amanda for biting her nails, hunching her shoulders, and not sitting straight. Amanda does not like it.
On the contrary Amanda lives in her dream world. In her fantasy she feels like a mermaid swimming freely and joyously in the light green sea.
The mother drags Amanda out of her dream by asking whether she has completed her homework or not. She also asks her whether she has tidied her room; she tells her to clean and polish her shoes.Amanda then daydreams of being an orphan roaming freely, barefoot in golden silence enjoying uninterrupted freedom.
The mother instructs Amanda not to eat chocolates because of her acnes and pimples. She also scolds her for not looking at her when she is talking to her.
Amanda is enjoying another dream; she fantasizes herself as Rapunzel living peacefully in her tower; she feels she will never let down her hair from the tower. Her mother again reprimands her for sulking and being moody. And the mother feels others will think that she is always pestering her.

Read the following extracts and answer the questions/complete the sentences that follow :

1. Stop that sulking at once, Amanda ! 
You’re always so moody, Amanda !
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda !

Question. Who loved freedom ?
(i) Amanda’s friends
(ii) Amanda’s classmates
(iii) Amanda’s parents
(iv) Amanda
Answer.(iv) Amanda

Question. Which word in the passage means the same as 'bad tempered' ?
(i) moody
(ii) slouching
(iii) sulking
(iv) hushed
Answer.(iii) sulking

Question. Who is always so moody ?
(i) Amanda
(ii) Amanda’s father
(iii) Amanda’s mother
(iv) All of them
Answer.(i) Amanda

2. Don’t eat the chocolate, Amanda ! 
Remember your acne, Amanda !
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you Amanda ! 

Question. What Amandas shouldn't eat ?
(i) candy
(ii) ice-cream
(iii) chocolate
(iv) cake
Answer.(iii) chocolate

Question. Which word in the passage refers to ‘memorize’ ?
(i) speaking
(ii) thought
(iii) remember
(iv) told
Answer. (iii) remember

Question. Who is scolding Amanda ?
(i) Amanda’s mother
(ii) Amanda’s father
(iii) Amanda’s teacher
(iv) Amanda’s grandfather
Answer.(i) Amanda’s mother

Question. What is Amanda suffering from ?
(i) acne
(ii) dandruff
(iii) pimples
(iv) rashes
Answer.(i) acne

3. There is a languid, emerald sea, 
where the sole inhabitant is me —
a mermaid, drifting blissfully.

Question. What does Amanda imagine herself to be ?
(i) a fairy
(ii) a princess
(iii) a beggar
(iv) a mermaid
Answer.(iv) a mermaid

Question. Find a word in the passage which means the same as ‘resident’ ?
(i) languid
(ii) inhabitant
(iii) drifting
(iv) blissfully
Answer.(ii) inhabitant

Question. The speaker here is .......... .
(i) Amanda’s friend
(ii) Amanda herself
(iii) Amanda’s mother
(iv) Amanda’s teacher
Answer.(ii) Amanda herself

Question. Where does the mermaid live ?
(i) In emerald sea
(ii) In red sea
(iii) In blue sea
(iv) In deep sea
Answer.(i) in emerald sea

4. I am an orphan, roaming the street. 
I Pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.

Question. Where is an orphan roaming around ?
(i) market
(ii) train station
(iii) the street
(iv) bus stand
Answer.(iii) the street

Question. Who calls herself an orphan ?
(i) the little girl
(ii) Amanda’s sister
(iii) Amanda herself
(iv) Amanda’s friend
Answer.(iii) Amanda herself

Question. The freedom is ................... .
(i) boring
(ii) enjoying
(iii) sweet
(iv) lovely
Answer.(iii) sweet

Question. The silence is ................... .
(i) golden
(ii) silver
(iii) valuable
(iv) good
Answer.(i) golden

Question. Ml am an orphan”. Why did Amanda say so?
(a) to escape her mother's nagging and rebuking
(b) it was a fact of her life
(c) she described a character she Liked
(d) she was an adopted child
Answer. (a) to escape her mother's nagging and rebuking

Question. Which word does NOT relate to ‘sweet?
(a) memories
(b) fruits
(c) love
(d) jealousy
Answer. (d) jealousy

Question. What does the phrase "The silence is golden mean?
(a) it shines bright Like gold
(b) it saves from much trouble and is indeed precious.
(c) it is not worthy
(d) it is unrequited
Answer. (b) it saves from much trouble and is indeed precious.

Question. Choose the correct rhyme scheme of the extract:
(a) abb
(b) aab
(c) aaa
(d) aba
Answer. (c) aaa

Question. Pick the correct example of metaphor in the extract:
(a) I am an orphan
(b) the silence is golden
(c) freedom is sweet
(d) I pattern soft dust
Answer. (b) the silence is golden

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

1. I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.

Question. Where is the orphan roaming?
Answer.The orphan is roaming in the street.

Question. Who longs to be an orphan?
Answer.The orphan longs to roam freely in streets. 

Question. What does the speaker say about silence and freedom?
Answer.The speaker says that silence is golden and freedom is sweet.

Question. How does the speaker make designs?
Answer.The speaker makes designs with her bare feet on the soft dust.

2. Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!

Question. What is Amanda doing to her nails?
Answer.She is biting her nails.

Question.How is Amanda expected to sit?
Answer.Amanda should sit straight

Question. How is she sitting?
Answer.She is sitting in a slouching posture.

Question. What does she do to her shoulders?
Answer.She hunches her shoulders.

Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

1. Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!

A. Multiple Choice Questions

Question. The purpose of the speaker’s words in the given extract is to
(a) show the speaker’s power over the listener.
(b) make the listener a better human being.
(c) advise the listener as an elder.
(d) improve the listener’s posture and habits.
Answer. D

Question. Alliteration is a literary device used in the extract.
Which of the following options DOES NOT include examples of this literary device?
(a) The moon and the shimmering stars watched over us
(b) With that charming chat, Catherine chose comfort
(c) Away ran the pathetic pooch pouting like a princess
(d) Dee dee was driving down day after day
Answer. A

Question. What does the repetition of “Amanda!” at the end of each line reflect?
(a) It describes who the speaker is talking to.
(b) It represents the absent-mindedness of the listener.
(c) It shows the frustration of the speaker.
(d) It helps create a rhyme scheme.
Answer. C

Question. Select the option that fits with the following: slouching : straight:: ______ : _______
(a) transparent: translucent
(b) lazy: agile
(c) forgetful: lively
(d) generous: liberal
Answer. B

B. Very Short Answer Questions

Question. Who is the speaker in these lines?
Answer. Amanda’s mother is the speaker of these lines.

Question. What is Amanda doing with her nails?
Answer. Amanda is biting her nails with her teeth.

Question. How is Amanda keeping her shoulders?
Answer. She is keeping her shoulders down.

Question. How should Amanda sit?
Answer. She should sit upright and straight.

Question. Does Amanda bother what her mother wants?
Answer. Amanda does not bother what her mother wants. She is lost in her dreamy world.

2. Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you, Amanda!
(a am Rapunzel, I have not a care,
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)
A. Multiple Choice Questions

Question. Amanda’s mother asks Amanda not to eat the chocolate. This shows that she
(a) wants Amanda not to enjoy the chocolate.
(b) is concerned about the acne on Amanda’s face.
(c) wants to always nag Amanda.
(d) herself does not enjoy eating chocolates.
Answer. B

Question. Amanda imagines herself as Rapunzel. This is because
(a) She likes witches.
(b) She likes to sport long hair.
(c) She likes to be left alone in peace.
(d) She likes danger.
Answer. C

Question. Who is the person speaking to Amanda in the above lines?
(a) Amanda’s father
(b) Amanda’s mother
(c) Amanda’s sister
(d) Amanda’s friend
Answer. B

Question. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
(a) Amanda’s mother is concerned about Amanda.
(b) Amanda’s mother expects obedience from Amanda.
(c) Amanda feels that her mother is nagging her.
(d) Amanda’s mother is causing harm to Amanda.
Answer. C

Question. What is Amanda’s attitude about her mother?
(a) Amanda feels her mother loves her.
(b) Amanda feels that her mother always nags her.
(c) Amanda feels her mother has confidence in her.
(d) Amanda wants her mother to take care of her.
Answer. B

B. Very Short Answer Questions

Question. Who is the speaker of these lines?
Answer. Amanda’s mother is the speaker of these lines.

Question. What is she asked not to do?
Answer. She is asked not to eat chocolate.

Question. Why is eating chocolate harmful for her?
Answer. She should not eat chocolate as she has pimples on her face.

Question. Where should she look when someone is talking to her?
Answer. She should look at the speaker when someone is speaking to her.

Question. What decision does she take about her hair?
Answer. She will never let her hair down.

3. Did you finish your homework, Amanda?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda!
(a am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)

A. Multiple Choice Questions

Question. The above lines show that Amanda loves a
(a) Busy life
(b) Life full of comforts
(c) Simple, peaceful life
(d) Life full of concern
Answer. C

Question. Amanda is a
(a) toddler
(b) school-going girl
(c) college-going girl
(d) none of these
Answer. B

Question. Why does Amanda want to think of herself as an orphan?
(a) She would not have a mother to nag her.
(b) She does not like her father.
(c) She does not want love.
(d) None of these.
Answer. A

Question. Which of these is a thing that Amanda does NOT like?
(a) Silence
(b) Freedom
(c) Leisure
(d) Feverish activity
Answer. D

Question. Some of the similar jobs given to Amanda by her mother could be
(a) making her bed
(b) eating her breakfast
(c) brushing her teeth
(d) All of these.
Answer. D

B. Very Short Answer Questions

Question. Who is the speaker here?
Answer. Amanda’s mother is the speaker here.

Question. What does she ask about her homework?
Answer. She asks Amanda if she has finished her homework.

Question. What does she say about the room?
Answer. She asks if Amanda has made her room neat and clean.

Question. What does she ask about her shoes?
Answer. She asks if Amanda has polished her shoes as she was asked earlier to do so.

Question. How are silence and freedom valued here?
Answer. She realises that silence is golden and freedom is the greatest virtue in the world.

Short Answer Questions :

Question. What is the theme of the poem — ‘Amanda’?
Answer.Too many instructions and too much control are resented by children. They get bored and fed up. Then, they listen to their parents half-heartedly and indulge in daydreaming.

Question. Why does Amanda desire herself to be an orphan ?
Answer. Amanda desires herself to be an orphan as she wants to live a life of her own without any disturbance. She feels troubled by her parents.

Question. Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel, yet would not like to do what all she did. Identify and state the reasons for her decision.
Answer. Amanda wants to be Rapunzel to live a peaceful life in a tower, where no one gives any instruction and she doesn’t have to do any work. She doesn’t want to escape with a prince like Rapunzel.

Question. Who was Amanda? What idea do you form about her through the poem?
Answer. Amanda was a little school going, girl. She loved fairy tales like Rapunzel and mermaids. She did not like too many instructions or nagging that made her sulk and become moody. So she did not listen to her mother attentively and started daydreaming.

Unseen Passage Class 10 English

I . Complete the following passage by choosing the most appropriate option from the ones given below.

Like many Indian children , I grew up (a) _____ the vast ,varied and fascinating tales of Mahabharata. Set (b) _____ the end of what the Hindu scriptures term Dvapur Yuga or the third age of the man a time (c)_____ the lives of the gods and the people still intersected , the epic weaves myth, history, religion, science and statecraft (d)______ stories.

(a) (i ) saying (ii) listening to (iii) questioning (iv) celebrating
(b) (i) by (ii) at (iii) from (iv) into
(c) (i) where (ii) from (iii) when (iv) before
(d) (i) as (ii) in (iii) through (iv) into

II . Complete the following dialogue by choosing the correct options.

Ray : I (a)_______________ four of my friends to dinner today.
Rina : Then I (b) ________________ my friends also.
Ray : (c) ___________________ a good idea.
Rina : So, (d) ________________________ for dinner?

Ray : Let us decide the menu now.

(a) am inviting / will invite / have invited / shall invite
(b) am to invite / may invite / could invite / will invite
(c) That will be / This may be / This should be / That must be
(d) what should we have / what can we have / what may we have /what might we have

III . Complete the following sentences by choosing the most appropriate options .

We never (a)__________________ within the next moment. The future is totally (b) ________and no one can read it.However , (c )_______________after reading some books on astrology most predictions about weather (d)________________even though there may be some correctness.

(a)1.guess what is 2.hope what is
3.hope what lies 4.know what may happen