NCERT Solutions Class 7 English (Honeysuckle)
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 7 English (Poetry) (Honeysuckle) Poem – 8 Meadow Surprises has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
Poem – 8 (Meadow Surprises)
Meadows have surprises,
You can find them if you look;
Walk softly through the velvet grass,
And listen by the brook.
You may see a butterfly
Rest upon a buttercup
And unfold its drinking straws
To sip the nectar up.
You may scare a rabbit
Who is sitting very still;
Though at first you may not see him,
When he hops you will.
A dandelion whose fuzzy head
Was golden days ago
Has turned to airy parachutes
That flutter when you blow.
Explore the meadow houses,
The burrows in the ground,
A nest beneath tall grasses,
The ant’s amazing mound.
Oh! Meadows have surprises
And many things to tell;
You may discover these yourself,
If you look and listen well.
– LOIS BRANDT PHILLIPS
Working with the Poem
1. Read the lines in which the following phrases occur. Then discuss with your partner the meaning of each phrase in its context.
(i) velvet grass
(ii) drinking straws
(iii) meadow houses
(iv) amazing mound
(v) fuzzy head
Answer –
(i) velvet grass indicates that the grass is as soft as velvet.
(ii) drinking straws means the butterflies who drink the nectar from the flowers seem as if they are drinking it with straws.
(iii) meadow houses refers to the houses of rabbit i.e. the burrows, of ants i.e. anthills and nests.
(iv) amazing mound means the mounds created by the ants for dwelling.
(v) fuzzy head indicates the flowers of the dandelion which now floats in the air when we blow it.
2. Which line in the poem suggests that you need a keen eye and a sharp ear to enjoy a meadow? Read aloud the stanza that contains this line.
Answer – The line that suggests that you need a keen eye and a sharp ear to enjoy a meadow is: “You may discover these yourself, if you look and listen well.”
3. Find pictures of the kinds of birds, insects and scenes mentioned in the poem.
Answer – Do it yourself.
4. Watch a tree or a plant, or walk across a field or park at the same time every day for a week. Keep a diary of what you see and hear. At the end of the week, write a short paragraph or a poem about your experiences. Put your writing up on the class bulletin board.
Answer – Do it yourself.
5. Read the following poem about the world of nature, which is as busy as the world of human beings.
Busy World
Bees are buzzing, frogs are hopping,
Moles are digging. There’s no stopping
Vines from climbing, grass from growing,
Birds from singing, winds from blowing,
Buds from blooming. Bees are humming,
Sunbeams dancing, raindrops drumming.
All the world is whirling, dizzy,
Summertime is very busy!
Answer – Do it yourself.
