RBSE Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 4 Childhood

RBSE Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 4 Childhood

Text Book Questions and Answers

Think it Out

Q. 1. Identify the stanza that talks of each of the following

Individuality, Rationalism, Hypocrisy

Ans. Stanza-1 talks of rationalism.

Stanza-2 talks of hypocrisy..

Stanza-3 talks of individuality.

Q. 2. What according to the poem is involved in the process of growing up ?

Ans. The process of growing up, first and foremost, involves a loss of innocence. The place of innocence is taken by rationalism, hypocrisy and individuality. As an innocent child, one believes in what others say. He believes in the existence of God, Heaven and Hell. As he grows up he loses faith in all these things. He starts thinkingly rationally and finds such things are a product of imagination.

As a grown-up person, he finds that there is a big gap between what people say and what they do. He realises that those who talk and preach of love, do not act so lovingly. Thus the realization of hypocrisy in people’s behaviour is also involved in the process of growing up.

The third thing that is involved in the process of growing up is egoism. A grown up person starts thinking in his own individual way. He has his own mind and his thoughts are his only. He no longer thinks in the way others do. He considers himself different from others.

In short, it may be said that the process of growing up involves development of rationalism, hypocrisy and individuality.

Q. 3. What is the poet’s feeling towards childhood ?

Ans. According to the poet, childhood is a period of heavenly innocence and purity of heart. A child believes in God, Heaven and Hell. He believes in God, Heaven and Hell. He believes in what adults say and what he reads in books. A child knows no hypocrisy. He always means what he says. There is no difference between his thoughts and actions. A child is free from any sense of ego. He does not think himself to be different from or superior to others. In short, childhood is a state of heavenly innocence and purity of heart.

Q.4. Which lines do you think are the most poetic lines ? Why ?.

Ans. The last four lines of the poem are the most poetic. Here the poet creates a lovely image of an infant’s face. He conveys the idea that the innocence of childhood stays only as long as one is an infant. As one grows in years, the heavenly innocence of childhood is replaced by rational, hypocritical and egoistic thinking

Short-Answer Type Questions

Q. 1. What did the poet think of Hell and Heaven when he was a child ?

Ans. When a child, he thought that Hell and Heaven were real places one goes to after one’s death.

Q. 2. Why does he think now that Hell and Heaven “could not be” ?

Ans. He thinks, were these places real, they would have been mentioned in the books of Geography.

Q. 3. How does rationalism affect childhood ?

Ans. As a child grows up, he becomes a rationalist. He no longer lives in the innocence of childhood.

Q. 4. What did the poet realize about the adults ?

Ans. He realised that adults were not as good people as they appeared to be.

Q.5. What did the adults talk of ? Were they true to what they said ?

Ans. They talked of love and preached of love, but they did not follow their own words in their actions.

Q. 6. What did the poet find about his mind ?

Ans. He found his mind was really his. He had a right to use it in any way he liked.

Q.7. How did the poet think he was different from others ?

Ans. He thought he was different from others as he could think in a different way from others.

Q. 8. Where can the innocence of childhood be found according to the poet ?

Ans. The innocence of childhood can be found hidden in the face of an infant.

RBSE Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 4 Childhood, Study Learner