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c. The poet says, ‘Mother if you don’t mind...’. What does this tell us about the

poet’s intention?

i. laying a condition ii. making a promise

iii. seeking permission iv. sharing information

d. How do we know that the poet’s wish to become a boatman is for the future?

2. I shall cross and cross back from bank to bank, and all the boys and girls of the village
will wonder at me while they are bathing.

When the sun climbs the mid sky and morning wears on to noon,

I shall come running to you, saying, ‘Mother, I am hungry!’

When the day is done and the shadows cower under the trees, I shall come back in the dusk.

a. Complete the following with a suitable reason.
The poet uses repetition in the first line, ‘cross and cross’, and ‘bank to bank’

in order to .

b. What are the boys and girls most likely to wonder?

i. Oh! Wonder what he’s up to?

ii. Wonderful! He does that so well!

iii. What a wondrous boat he’s rowing!
iv. Wondering about what he’s doing is useless!

c. Complete the following with the correct option.

The child’s declaration of coming home when hungry shows .
(innocence / imagination)

d. Why have the shadows been described as ‘cowering’?

B. Answer the given questions briefly.

1. Why does the speaker express a longing to become a boatman?

2. Which images contribute to the visualisation of rural life?
3. What is the significance of the mention of strange pools hidden behind the high

bank?

4. Describe the activity of the birds at the further bank that the speaker talks about.

5. Why does the speaker mention the villagers’ reactions to his ferrying activities?

6. What promise does the speaker make to his mother and why?
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