Class 7 English Chapter 2.1 2.1 From a Railway Carriage

Class 7 English Chapter 2.1 

2.1 From a Railway Carriage

Glossary:

Fairy (n) – a small imaginary being of the human form that has magical powers, especially good ones

Witch (n) – a woman thought to have magical powers especially evil ones

Hedge (n) – a fence or boundary formed by closely growing bushes or shrubs

Ditch (n) – a narrow channel dug at the side of a road or field, to hold or carry away water

Meadow (n) – a piece of grassland, especially one used for hay

Clamber (v) – climb or move in an awkward and laborious way, using both hands and feet

Scramble (v) – make one’s way quickly over rough ground by using one’s hands as well as feet

Tramp (n) – a person who travels from one place to another on foot in search of work, a homeless person

Lumping (v) – carry a heavy load somewhere with difficulty

Glimpse (n) – quick look, (v) – to catch sight of briefly

Bramble (v) – any rough, wild tangled prickly shrub, specifically the blackberry bush

Carriage (n) – a passenger train

Cart (n) – a horse-drawn vehicle with four wheels, used for transportation

Cattle (n) – domesticated animals like cow and bull

Gaze (v) – to look at something for a long time

Mill (n) – a building with a machine to grind grain into flour

Plain (n) – flat land having trees and grass

Sights (n)- things that one sees

Stringing (v) – with strings

Troop (n) – a group of soldiers

Meadow (n) – a field with grass and often wildflowers in it.

Daisy (n) – a small flower with white petals and a yellow centre, which often grows in the grass.

1. Read the poem aloud with proper rhythm. 

1.What does the rhythm remind you of?

Answer:

The rhythm of the poem reminds me of the rhythm of the train.

2. Find pairs of rhyming words from the poem.

Answer:

1.witches – ditches, 2. battle – cattle, 3. plain – rain – again, 

4. eye – by, 5.scrambles – brambles, 6.gazes – daisies, 

7.road – load, 8. river – ever.

3. Write the following: 

1.The sights seen through a railway carriage mentioned in the first stanza.

Answer:

The sights seen through a railway carriage mentioned in the first stanza are bridges, houses, hedges, ditches, horses and cattle in the meadows.

 2.The sights mentioned in the second stanza.

Answer:

The sights seen in the second stanza are hills, plains and painted stations.

 3.The sights mentioned in the third stanza.

Answer:

The sights mentioned in the third stanza are a child clambering and scrambling to gather brambles, a tramp gazing at the train in wonder and green creepers for stringing the daisies.

4. Think and answer:

1.Why are the sights said to ‘fly’?

Answer:

The sights are said to ‘fly’ because the poet is sitting in a fast-moving train and all the beautiful scenes he gets to see as glimpses just rush past him and disappear because of the speed of the train.

 2.Does the last line make you happy or sad? Why?

Answer:

The last line ‘and gone forever’ makes me feel sad because all the pleasure and happiness got from enjoying the beauty of nature comes to an end and disappears forever as the railway carriage speeds ahead.

5. List the lines that begin with ‘Here’ or ‘And here’.

Also list the sentences or phrases that begin with ‘And there’.

These phrases and sentences tell us about things that appear one after the other as the carriage moves. Can we tell which ones are closer to the train and which ones are at a distance? How?

Answer:

The lines that begin with ‘Here’ or ‘And here’. ‘Here’ is an adverb which suggests ‘closeness’ of an object.

Here is a child.

Here is a tramp.

Here is a cart.

Here is a mill.

The above phrases show closeness to the train. ‘There’ is an adverb which suggests ‘distance’ of an object.

And there is the green.

And there is a river.

The above phrases show distance from the train.

6. Read the following:

Charging along like troops in a battle

Fly as thick as driving rain

Using your imagination, write one or two comparisons each with:

i. like…, ii. as… as

Answer:

i. like…

This house looks like a castle.

Her cheeks are red like a rose.

He runs like a horse.

The child chattered like a magpie.

ii. as… as

He is as smart as a fox.

He is as big as an elephant.

He is as funny as a monkey.

Our soldiers are as brave as lions.

7. Write about the sights you may see from a bus or an aeroplane.

You may write it in the form of a short poem.

Answer:

The Red Bus

I’m out sightseeing in the red bus

With people around making a lot of fuss

I know I’m going to see wonderful sights

That’ll soar me to the heights

The greenery

The scenery

Oh! The wonderful luxury

Of travelling in the red, red bus.

Q. 1.Read the following extract and do the activities.

1.Complete the web diagram with words from the extract.

Answer:

2.What flies as thick as driving rain?

(Choose the right alternative)

i. Bridges and houses.

ii. Hill and plain.

iii. Hedges and ditches.

Answer:

ii. Hill and plain.

3.How do the sights of the hills and plains move?

Answer:

The sights of the hills and plains move as thick as driving rain.

4. What does the poet see the child doing?

Answer:

The poet sees the child clambering and scrambling and gathering brambles all by himself.

5.To what is the charging train compared?

Answer:

The charging train is compared to troops in a battle.

Poetic Device:

6.Pick out two pairs of rhyming words from the 1st stanza.

Answer:

witches – ditches, battle – cattle.

7.Name the figure of speech for the following line.

“Faster than fairies, faster than witches”

Answer:

Repetition: The word ‘faster’ is repeated for poetic effect, or

Antithesis: The opposite words ‘fairies’ and ‘witches’ are used in the same line for better poetic effect.

8.Pick out a word from the extract which means ‘a woman having evil magical powers’.

Answer: Witch.