Class 9 NCERT Solutions English Chapter P.3 - The Solitary Reaper
The Solitary Reaper Exercise 69
Solution 1
Below are some points that you are recommended to use to frame an answer based on your experience.
Something beautiful you saw or experienced:
- A beautiful sunrise or a sunset: It calmed my mind and brought back memories of the time I spent with my grandmother.
- The sky on a full moon night: I was intrigued by its beauty yet frightened by its eeriness.
- Beautiful scenery, a village scene/field/lake: It filled my heart with great joy.
- The sea: I was humbled by its vast expanse and the world that lay locked within its waters.
- A beautiful flower: Its beauty and simplicity aroused the poet in me.
- A sea shell- I was amazed at how something that has been cast out by the sea still resonates its sound.
Solution 2
This is an activity to be carried out by the students.
The Solitary Reaper Exercise 70
Solution 4
The paragraph that best describes my experience is c).
Just now as I was walking in the valley, I saw a young farm worker in the field. She was singing to herself as she worked. I was so affected by her singing that I stopped and listened. She had a beautiful voice, which seemed to fill the whole valley. The song was a sad one, and I couldn't understand the words. However, its plaintive tone and melancholy sound touched me greatly, and its beauty reminded me of a song of a nightingale or a cuckoo. After some time, I walked up the hill, carrying the memory of the young woman's song with me.
a) Does not describe my experience correctly, as it only explains the beauty of the girl but says nothing about her song and how I was affected by it.
b) Says that I was standing on the hill top. This is incorrect because the last paragraph of the poem states "…And as I mounted up the hill, The Music in my heart I bore…." meaning that I was in the vale and was about to start climbing up the hill when I saw the solitary reaper.
The Solitary Reaper Exercise 71
Solution 5
The Solitary Reaper Exercise 72
Solution 6a
(iii) beautiful experiences give us life-long pleasure
Solution 6b
(iv) to all the passers by
Solution 6c
(i) ballad
Solution 6d
(i) he cannot understand the song
Solution 6e
(iii) Scotland
The Solitary Reaper Exercise 73
Solution 7a
|
|
Place |
Heard by |
Impact on listener |
|
Solitary Reaper |
Scottish Highlands |
the poet |
holds him spellbound |
|
Nightingale |
Arabian Sands |
Weary bands of travellers |
Its chant was like welcome notes and made them feel relieved of exhaustion. |
|
Cuckoo |
Hebrides |
People from far off lands |
Its thrilling voice broke the silence of the seas. |
Solution 7b
The song of the nightingale is very pleasant and soothing to the weary travellers as they rest in the shade of the palm trees.
Yet the poet says that the 'chant' of the solitary reaper is more welcome than any chant or song of the nightingale.
The cuckoo sings in the season of spring and her song breaks the silence of the seas that exists in the farthest Hebrides.
However, the poet says that the song of the solitary reaper is more exciting than the song of the cuckoo. The cuckoo has never sung with such a thrilling voice.
Solution 7c
This answer depends on each student's views and experiences.
A few guidelines
The picture that comes to my mind is an oasis (a fertile piece of land with palm trees surrounding a small water body) in the middle of the desert. Caravans have stopped near the palm trees. There are tired and weary groups of travellers resting under the palm trees after their long journey through the desert. From the distance can be heard the melodious chant of the nightingale that soothes and delights the weary travelers.
The other picture is of the Hebrides, a rocky island situated to the north west of Scotland. The silence of these islands in spring is suddenly disturbed by the song of the cuckoo singing and reaching the island from across the seas.
Solution 8
The poetic repetition used in this poem is called 'alliteration'. This figure of speech is used to create a rhythm and a mood through the repetition of the same letter or sounds in closely placed words; it makes the poem more intense. It also focuses the reader's attention on a particular phrase or line in the poem.
Other instances of alliteration used in the poem are
- More welcome notes to weary bands
- Breaking the silence of the seas
- Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
- I saw her singing at her work
Solution 9
Words and phrases used to show that the girl working in the fields is alone are 'single in the field,' 'solitary' and 'by herself'.
The words and phrases create in the readers mind an image of a lonely Scottish maiden who is reaping and singing all alone in the field. While she is working, she is singing a sad melancholy song. The song is so intense that the poet asks the passersby to listen but to not disturb her.
The reader is also curious about why she is all alone and why is she singing such a sad melancholy song.
Solution 10
This answer depends on each student's views and experiences. It is recommended that the student works on this answer independently.
