NCERT Solutions Class 9 English (Beehive (Poem))
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 9 English (Beehive (Poem)) Poem – 9 The Snake Trying has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
Poem – 9 (The Snake Trying)
The Snake Trying
The snake trying
to escape the pursuing stick,
with sudden curvings of thin
long body. How beautiful
and graceful are his shapes!
He glides through the water away
from the stroke. O let him go
over the water
into the reeds to hide
without hurt. Small and green
he is harmless even to children.
Along the sand
he lay until observed
and chased away, and now
he vanishes in the ripples
among the green slim reeds.
– W.W.E. ROSS
Thinking about the Poem
1. What is the snake trying to escape from?
Answer – The snake is trying to escape from a stroke. It is being chased by someone with a stick. The snake wanted to save itself from being hit or killed.
2. Is it a harmful snake? What is its colour?
Answer – No, it is not a harmful snake. It is green in colour.
3. The poet finds the snake beautiful. Find the words he uses to convey its beauty.
Answer – The words the poet uses to convey the snake’s beauty are “beautiful” and “graceful”.
4. What does the poet wish for the snake?
Answer – The poet wishes that the human behind it with the stick should let it go. The snake should not be killed.
5. Where was the snake before anyone saw it and chased it away? Where does the snake disappear?
Answer – Before anyone saw it, the snake was lying along the sand. It vanishes in the ripples among the green slim reeds when it was chased away.
II. 1. Find out as much as you can about different kinds of snakes (from books in the library, or from the Internet). Are they all poisonous? Find out the names of some poisonous snakes.
Answer – Not all snakes are poisonous. Some of the poisonous snakes are: Cobra, Krait, Russell’s viper, Saw Scaled Viper and King Cobra.
2. Look for information on how to find out whether a snake is harmful.
Answer – Snakes are long reptiles with certain features in which certain snakes are categorised as venomous or non-venomous.
There are no particular distinctions between venomous and non-venomous snakes but unlike venomous snakes, the non-venomous ones cannot bite through clothing. Additionally, there are certain snakes such as the rat snakes that do not harm and instead help in keeping the rodent and insect population down.
3. As you know from the previous lesson you have just read, there are people in our country who have traditional knowledge about snakes, who even catch poisonous snakes with practically bare hands. Can you find out something more about them?
Answer – In India, Snake Charming is a very common activity wherein the snake charmer i.e. the individual attempts to make the snake move as it watches the movement of the flute. Although, snakes do not have external ears to listen to sounds but they possess the ability to sense vibrations and low-frequency sounds.
Snakes are also a part of worshipping in many parts of India. The festival of Nag Panchami is widely celebrated in which the worshipper performs rituals and worships the images of or live Nagas (cobras) every year. In addition to this, most images and representations of Lord Shiva portray a snake around his neck. The Puranas and various other holy scriptures contain umpteen tales and stories associated with the snakes and Lord Shiva.
