Hi Everyone!! This article will share Rathers Questions & Answers.
The poem is written by Mary Hunter Austin. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of The Great Bell, Breathes There The Man and Zlata’s Diary so, you can check these posts as well.
Rathers Questions & Answers
Word Galaxy
- Downy – covered in something soft, like feathers
- Pronghorned antelope – a deer-like animal
- Skim – pass over a surface, nearly or lightly touching it
- Wire grass – a kind of tough, wiry plant
Question 1: Why does the speaker use the terms wink-ity and blink-ity to describe the owl?
Answer: The speaker uses the terms wink-ity and blink-ity to describe the owl because the owl winks and blinks its eyes. Also, these words are used to give rhythm and rhyme to the poem.
Question 2: Give a description of the antelope the speaker wishes to become.
Answer: The speaker wants to be a prong-horned antelope as they move quickly and gracefully along with other antelopes on the grass plains. The speaker also likes the skimming and bouncing of antelope like cloud.
Question 3: Why does the speaker wish to be a puma?
Answer: The speaker wishes to be a puma because they are ferocious and cruel. Puma can hunt the antelope that used to come at waterholes to drink in the cool morning.
Question 4: Describe the special qualities of the hunter
Answer: The poet describes special qualities of a hunter. The hunter is to be skilled, resourceful and patient. He should have experience in using weapons and arrows. He needs patience to wait and spot the prey
Question 5: Who is more powerful – the puma or the hunter? Explain.
Answer: The hunter is more powerful than puma because he uses weapons to kill his prey. He uses bows and arrows made of lightning-blasted tree.
Question 6: Read the lines and answer the questions:
And I’d never take a look
At a lesson or a book,
And I’d scold like a pirate on the sea,
If I only had to do what I like to do,
And didn’t always have to be me!
(a) Identify rhyming pairs from the above stanza.
Answer: Look – book
Sea – me
(b) What does the speaker wishes to do in these lines?
Answer: The speaker never wishes to look at a book rather be a pirate on the sea and give command.
(c) Explain the last two lines.
Answer: This means that if you are doing only easy things in your life and leave tough things to others for doing. Then, you will never learn anything new in your life and will face more difficulties.
2. Skimming like a cloud on a wire-grass plain.
A bounding, bouncing antelope,
You’d never get me back to my desk again!
(a) Give a description of the activities of the antelope.
Answer: They are skimming and bouncing with other antelopes on the grass plains. They used to drink water from waterholes in the cool morning.
(b) Describe the comparison the first line.
Answer: Skimming and bouncing antelope is compared to cloud. This means that antelope moves very quickly and gently like a cloud.
(c) Describe the poetic device in the second line.
Answer: The poetic device which are used in the second line is metaphor. This compares two things which are not alike.
3. I would a bow made of juniper wood
From a lightning-blasted tree
And I would creep and I would creep on that puma asleep
A flint tipped arrow,
(c) Explain the lightning blasted tree.
Answer: The lighting blasted tree is a symbol of power and strength. So, the speaker will make bows and arrows with it.
(b) Why has the speaker repeated the word ‘creep’.
Answer: The hunter approaches the sleeping puma silently and stealthy. So, the word creep has been repeated.
(c) Identify the poetic device in the third line.
Answer: The poetic device used in the line is alliteration.
So, these were Rathers Questions & Answers.