Q.1. What is meant by “mind is without fear and head is held high.” Tick the correct answer.

(i) to be fearless and self respecting 

(ii) to be proud of one’s high position.

(iii) to stand straight and be carefree.

Ans: (i) to be fearless and self respecting. 

Q.2. What does the poet mean by “where knowledge is free”? 

Ans: Where knowledge is available to all without any discrimination.

Q. 3. The ‘domestic walls’ are usually associated with safety, comfort and love. Are these the feelings evoked by the phrase ‘narrow domestic walls? If not, choose the correct answer from the ones given below:

(i) small houses which make us feel cramped. 

(ii) ideas which are petty and narrow-minded. 

(iii) a house divided into rooms by walls.

Ans: (ii) ideas which are petty and narrow minded.

Q. 4. Why has the word ‘tireless’ been used to describe ‘striving’?

Ans: Because it is a continuous process.

Q. 5. What are we striving for?

Ans: personification.

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Q. 1. (a) Why is reason compared with ‘clear stream”?

(b) Where has reason lost its way? 

Ans: (a) clarity of thought is compared with clear stream.

(b) in the dreary desert of dead habit.

Q. 2. Look at the line ‘dreary desert sand of dead habit.’ The sound ‘d’ is repeated four times. Why? The repetition of sound gives the line a musical quality This poetic device is called alliteration. We will now, go back to the first part of the poem.

Can you pick out two lines where letter and sound are repeated?

Ans: (i) the head is held high.

(ii) tireless striving stretches its arms.

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Q. 1. How does the poet describe ‘heaven of freedom’?

Ans: Where hand is held high, knowledge is free. Where people are open-minded and rational.

Q. 2. Who does the poet address  as ‘thee’ and my father?

Ans: God.

Q. 3. Pick out metaphors and similes from the lines given below: 

But swift as dreams myself I found within the pilot’s boat.

The wind was a torrent of darkness/ the road was a ribbon of moonlight.

The ship went down like lead’.

I pass like night from land to land.” 

Ans: Metaphors:

(i) wind was a torrent of darkness.

(ii) road was a ribbon of moonlight.

Similes:

(i) Swift as dream.

(ii) Ship went down like lead.

(iii) I pass like night.

Important Stanzas For Comprehension

Read the given extracts and answer the following questions briefly:

1. Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls.

Questions:

(a) Who cannot raise his head high?

Ans: A slave cannot raise his head high.

(b) How can knowledge be free? 

Ans: The knowledge is free in independent country.

(c) What does Tagore mean by narrow domestic walls?

Ans: Narrow domestic walls means hatred for each other.

2. Where words come out from the depths of truth:

Where tireless striving

Stretches its arms towards perfection,

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.

Questions:

(a) According to Tagore, where should our words come out from? 

Ans: The words should come from the depths of trut

(b) How should we achieve perfection?

Ans: We should achieve perfection by tireless striving.

(c) Explain the last three lines of the stanza.

Ans: The poet wishes that reason should prevail and not lost in old bad habits and customs.