As A Boy Questions & Answers

Hi Everyone!! This article will share As A Boy Questions & Answers.

This poem is written by Ruskin Bond. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of The Last Leaf, The Way Through The Woods and Words of Wonder so, you can check these posts as well.

As A Boy Questions & Answers

Word Galaxy

• Edge – the outer of the farthest point of something
• Plunging – here, rushing out in great speed
• Thundering – making a very loud and dee noise

Question 1: What did the poet frequently do as a boy?

Answer: As a boy, the poet frequently visited the forests and stood at the edge of the railway cutting. He would stand outside the dark tunnel, touch the hot railway tracks and wait for them to vibrate, which would indicate the approaching train. He loved watching the huge train thunder past him with all its nameless strangers. He would bid them goodbye for they had touched each other’s lives, in those few minutes of the journey.

Question 2: What were the two things that signaled the arrival of the train?

Answer: The trembling of the track and the whistle of the train engine signaled the arrival of the train.

Question 3: Read these lines and answer the questions.

(a) What does a green-gold dragon refer to?

Answer: A green-gold dragon refers to the train.

(b) Why does the poet compare it with a dragon?

Answer: The poet compares the train with a dragon because it is huge and when it comes out of the tunnel, it roars and looks like a dragon rushing out of its den.

(c) Why does the poet use the word thundering for it?

Answer: The poet uses the word thundering for it because when it comes out of the tunnel, it makes a very loud and deep noise because of the whistling of the engine and the wheels moving on the track.

Question 4: Read these lines and answer the questions.

(a) Who does the poet bid goodbye to? Why?

Answer: The poet bids goodbye to the nameless strangers/passengers of the passing train every day. This is because by waving to them, they had touched each other’s lives in those few minutes of the journey and also, they are leaving him and going far, far away.

(b) Why does the poet use the phrase ‘running away’?

Answer: The poet uses the phrase ‘running away’ because everyday a lot of people travel through the train to their destination and he feels that they are running away from him and going far away.

(c) What do you think the people are running away from or running towards?

Answer: The people are running away from one place to another in search of job, to relocate and restart their lives or to visit their friends and relatives. They could be running away from their mundane, boring lives and going on exciting holidays or towards some new experiences.

As A Boy Questions & Answers

Question 5: What does the poet mean by the line, the whistle of the engine hung on the forest’s silence?

Answer: By these words, the poet tells us about the silence of the forest being disturbed by the loud and shrill sound of the train engine’s whistle. He means that the whistle of the train engine would echo in the silence of the forest long after it was blown.
And this beautiful line also reminds us that the poet spent his life in the hills and any sound as the train whistle would echo in the hills for a long time.

Question 6: Where did the poet search for the boy?

Answer: For many years afterwards, the poet looked for the boy who waved to him from the train window. He looked for him everywhere that he visited-in cities and villages, beside the sea, in the mountains and in crowds at distant places. This line means that the poet was looking for a good friend all his life.

Question 7: Where does the poet return to always and why?

Answer: The poet always returned to the forest and the tunnel in the hills from where the train went by and watched the windows of the passing train, hoping to see the bright boy who had waved to him.

Question 8: Read these lines and answer the questions.

(a) Who do you think the bright boy is?

Answer: The bright boy was an English boy. He was the boy who waved to the poet from the train’s window. He looked for him everywhere that he visited in cities and villages, beside the sea, in the mountains and in crowds at distant places. He was of the same age as of the poet.

(b) Why does the poet remember him?

Answer: The poet remembers him because he was of the same age as of the poet and that moment was unforgettable for him.

(c) Why has the poet searched for the boy for many years?

Answer: The poet searched for the boy for many years because he was looking for a good friend all his life.

Question 9: What does this poem tell you about the poet’s nature?

Answer: Through this poem, we come to understand that the poet was a lonely boy and was looking for a friend in his life. He loved nature and often returned to the forest’s silence to spend time in the middle of nature. He was probably a sensitive and imaginative boy. He also had a wonderful memory because he remembered his childhood experiences later, as a young man and wrote a poem about it.

Question 10: Why do you think the poet says that he loves the bright boy?

Answer: The poet said that he loved the bright boy because both boys seemed to be of the same age and yet they seemed to be different because the boy on the train appeared to be happy and carefree, as indicated by him waving at the poet. Despite their differences and similarities, they established a connect in that moment and that was possibly why they wanted to make friends with him.

So, these were As A Boy Questions & Answers.