The Ball Poem Class 10 Questions Answers 2024 have been provided here with a variety of questions that are going to be important for class 10 students in the 2024 CBSE board.
The central idea of the poem, The Ball Poem Class 10
The central idea of “The Ball Poem” revolves around the poignant experience of a young boy losing his beloved ball, symbolizing the fleeting joys and inevitable losses of childhood. Through this loss, the poem delves into the harsh yet profound lesson of impermanence, highlighting the universal reality of transition and the emotional growth inherent in coming to terms with life’s changes.
Hindi Translation
“द बॉल पोएम” का केंद्रीय विचार एक युवा लड़के के अपनी प्रिय गेंद को खोने के मार्मिक अनुभव के इर्द-गिर्द घूमता है, जो बचपन की क्षणभंगुर खुशियों और अपरिहार्य नुकसान का प्रतीक है। इस नुकसान के माध्यम से, कविता नश्वरता के कठोर लेकिन गहन पाठ पर प्रकाश डालती है, संक्रमण की सार्वभौमिक वास्तविकता और जीवन के परिवर्तनों के साथ आने में निहित भावनात्मक विकास पर प्रकाश डालती है।
CBSE Class 10 English (Literature and Language) Questions Answers pdf 2024
Suggestive Sample Question Answers Papers pdf 2024 for Class X English (First Flight and Footprints without Feet), tailored to the 2023-24 syllabus, serve as essential preparation material for the upcoming CBSE board exam, aiding students in comprehensive understanding and practice.
The Ball Poem Class 10 Extract Based Questions Answers 1
(A) What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over- there it is in the water!
i The extract suggests that the poet is
a) an onlooker observing
b) a parent recounting the incident
c) the boy talking about himself
d) imagining the incident
Ans:
ii The poet seems to have indicated the merry bouncing of the ball to
a) create a sense of rhythm in these lines.
b) support the happiness of the experience of playing.
c) contrast with the dejected feeling of the boy.
d)indicate the cheerful mood of the boy.
Ans:
iii Choose the situation that corresponds to the emotion behind the exclamation mark in the poem.
a) option 1
b) option 2
c) option 3
d) option 4
Ans:
iv The poem begins with a question. Based on your reading of the poem, the speaker
a) wants the boy to answer the question.
b) expects the passers-by to respond.
c) is looking for answers in a self-help book.
d) is thinking to himself.
Ans:
iv Alliteration is a literary device that occurs with the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Pick the option that showcases an example of alliteration from the extract.
a) What is the boy now
b) who has lost his ball
c) I saw it go
d) and then/ Merrily over
Ans:
The Ball Poem Class 10 Extract Based Questions Answers 2
(B) An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;
i The poet uses the word ‘ultimate’ to describe the boy’s reaction. Pick the meaning that DOES NOT display what, ‘ultimate’ means in the context given.
a) consequent
b) final
c) conclusive
d) fateful
Ans:
ii The boy is very young in this poem. As a mature, balanced grown-up, he might look back and think that his reaction of ‘ultimate shaking grief’ was
1) disproportionate to the loss.
2) pretension to procure a new toy.
3) according to his exposure and experience then.
4) a reaction to the failure of retrieving the toy.
5) justified and similar to what it would be currently.
a) 5 & 2
b) 1 & 3
c) 2 & 4
d) 3 & 5 36
Ans:
iii Pick the option that lists the boy’s thoughts, matching with the line-As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down.
a) Option 1
b) Option 2
c) Option 3
d) Option 4
Ans:
iv Why does the speaker choose not to intrude?
This is so because the poet
a) knows that it would embarrass the boy in his moment of grief.
b) feels that it’s important that the boy learn an important life lesson, undisturbed.
c) realises that he doesn’t have sufficient funds to purchase a new ball for the boy.
d) Experiences a sense of distress himself, by looking at the boy’s condition.
Ans:
v Choose the option that lists the meaning of ‘harbour’ as used in the extract.
Noun:
(1) a place on the coast where ships may moor in shelter.
(2) a place of refuge. Verb:
(3) keep (a thought or feeling, typically a negative one) in one’s mind, especially secretly.
(4) shelter or hide (a criminal or wanted person).
a) Option 1
b) Option 2
c) Option 3
d) Option 4
Ans:
The Ball Poem Class 10 Extract Based Questions Answers 3
Read the following extracts carefully and choose the correct option.
(C) What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over there it is in the water!
No use to say – ‘O there are other balls’:
(i) Who is ‘I’ in the above lines.
(a) Boy
(b) Poet
(c) Boy’s friend
(d) Both (a) and (c)
Ans: (i) (b) Poet
(ii) The expression ‘what, what is he to do’? Denotes.
(a) loss of ball
(b) further action of boy
(c) boy’s grief over loss of ball
(d) feels happy
Ans: (ii) (c) boy’s grief over loss of ball
(iii) Where did the ball go?
(a) Across the street
(b) Hopefully
(c) In a drain
(d) Sadly
Ans: (iii) (b) Into water
(iv) Which word is synonym of ‘happily’?
(a) Friendly
(c) Merrily
(b) Into water
(d) Far off in a jungle
Ans: (iv) (c) Merrily
(v) What does the expression-“No use to say-‘O there are other balls’ mean”?
(a) It is a big loss
(b) Insignificant loss
(c) Will buy new ball
(d) Loss is of major consequence
Ans: (v) (d) Loss is of major consequence
The Ball Poem Class 10 Extract Based Questions Answers 4
(D) An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him,
A dime, another ball, is worthless.
(i) Which adjective in these lines express the effect of this loss on the boy ?
(a) Rígid
(b) Trembling
(c) Staring
(d) Crying
Ans: (a) Rigid
(ii) Explain the expression ‘shaping grief’.
(a) trembling in grief
(b) crying in grief
(c) feeling unhappy and very sad
(d) not able to move
Ans: (ii) (c) Feeling unhappy and very sad
(iii) The boy is in grief because
(a) his ball is stolen.
(b) he has misplaced his ball.
(c) he has broken his toy.
(d) his ball went into the water.
Ans: (iii) (d) his ball went into the water.
(iv) Which word in these lines is synonym of ‘Interfere’?
(a) Disturb
(b) Intrude
(c) Rigid
(d) Dime
Ans: (iv) (b) Intrude
(v) Why is money or another ball worthless for the boy?
(a) He does not want to play.
(b) He is very sad.
(c) Sense of loss as same ball can not be found.
(d) Can not offord another ball.
Ans: (v) (c) Sense of loss as same ball can not be found
The Ball Poem Class 10 Extract Based Questions Answers 5
(E) Now he senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions. People will take
Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.
And no one buys a ball back. Money is
External.
(i) What does the boy understand?
(a) Money is not everything
(b) To grow up and cope with loss
(c) Same ball can not be found
(d) Stop crying
Ans: (i) (b) To grow up and cope
(ii) What does the poet mean by ‘money in external?
(a) Money has to be earned
(b) Money is meant to be spent
(c) Money is not fixed
(d) Money can be earned with hard work
Ans: (ii) (b) Money is meant to be: spent
(iii) What does the word ‘balls’ signify?
(a) Sports material
(b) Wishes of a child
(c) Boy’s childhood and innocence
(d) Sense of loss
Ans: (iii) (c) Boy’s childhood and innocence
(iv) What does the poet mean by ‘In a world of possessions’?
(a) Sense of loss
(b) Material things
(c) Every one loves to possess things
(d) World of wealth and prosperity
Ans: (iv) (d) World of wealth and prosperity
(v) Which word in the given extract is an antonym of ‘abandoning’?
(a) External
(b) Responsibility
(c) Possessions
(d) None of these with loss
Ans: (v) (c) Possessions Allino
The Ball Poem Class 10 Extract Based Questions Answers 6
(F) He is learning, well behind his desperate
eyes, The epistemology of loss, how to stand
up Knowing what every man must one day
know And most know many days, how to
stand up.
(i) How are the boy’s eyes?
(a) Sparkling
(c) Desperate
(b) Dull
(d) Happy
Ans: (i) (c) Desperate
(ii) The boy is learning.
(a) the meaning of life
(b) meaning of responsibility
(c) to cope up with loss
(d) meaning of happiness
Ans: (ii) (c) to cope up with loss
(iii) The word ‘Epistemology’ means.
(a) imitation
(b) methodology
(c) philosophy
(d) assertion
Ans: (iii) (b) methodology
(iv) What message does the poet convey in this poem?
(a) No use crying over loss
(b) Must learn to live with loss
(c) Money can buy everything
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Ans: (iv) (d) Both (a) and (b)
(v) What is the rhyming scheme of the stanza?
(a) abcbc
(b) ababab
(c) abcba
(d) No rhyming scheme
Ans: (v) (d) No rhyming scheme
Q10 Answer in 20-30 words
i If you were the poet, which toy would you use, instead of a ball. Give a reason for your response.
Ans: If I were the poet, I might use a kite instead of a ball. A kite represents freedom, joy, and a connection to the sky, much like the boy’s fleeting moments of innocence. Its flight and eventual loss could symbolize the transient nature of childhood and the bittersweet experience of letting go.
ii Do you think the ‘I’ in the poem is the poet or an observer? Give a reason for your choice of response.
Ans: The poem’s ‘I’ suggests an observer reflecting on the boy’s experience, with a detached, contemplative tone suggesting a perspective outside the boy’s emotions, allowing for introspection and a broader interpretation of the loss.
iii Explain how, “Out of sight, out of mind” might apply to the boy, towards the end of the poem.
Ans: The poem “Out of sight, out of mind” suggests that the boy’s initial attachment and grief for the lost ball diminish over time, indicating a gradual acceptance and adaptation to life’s changes, as the ball fades from his immediate thoughts.
iv A popular quote states: Responsibility is self-taught. How does the poem address this thought?
Ans: The poem explores the concept of self-taught responsibility through the boy’s loss of a ball, emphasizing the importance of personal accountability and lessons learned through individual experiences rather than explicit instruction, emphasizing the emotional response to loss.
v. How does the boy feel at the loss of his ball?
Ans. The boy is deeply troubled by the loss of his ball, experiencing grief and grief. He stares at the ball with desperate eyes, struggling to cope with the loss.
vi. “Money is external”. What does the poet mean by this expression? CBSE 2014
Ans. The poet emphasizes that money is an external force, highlighting that loss is immaterial and cannot be replaced by money. This concept emphasizes that money cannot buy the memories associated with a thing or replace the things we love, like the lost ball.
vii. A ball is an easily available, inexpensive thing. Then why is the boy so sad to lose it.
Ans. The boy lost a valuable ball that he had been playing with for years, a ball that holds a special place in his memories. Although it is inexpensive and easily available, the loss of this ball is deeply sad for him.
Q11 Answer in 40-50 words
i Suggest a suitable by-line for ‘The Ball Poem” with a reason for your choice.
This by-line encapsulates the transient joy associated with childhood play and the enduring lessons learned through loss, inviting readers to explore the delicate balance between fleeting happiness and inevitable life lessons within the poem’s narrative.
ii Recount your reaction to the loss of a favorite object as a very young child. Would you have behaved the same way now? Explain with reason.
Ans: As a child, I experienced intense emotions when losing a favorite toy. Now, I understand its replaceability and react differently, showing maturity and understanding of impermanence, leading to a more measured response.
iii What feelings do you think, might be experienced, at the loss of a mobile phone, for a youngster today? Explain how these would be different from those felt by the boy in the poem.
Ans: Losing a mobile phone can cause extreme anxiety, frustration, and disconnection for young people. Unlike the poem’s innocence-symbolic metaphor, the phone symbolizes connectivity, social ties, and digital access, intensifying emotional impact and dependence on technology for communication and entertainment
iv When we think of losses, we generally think of people or possessions. Time is considered a very precious commodity. Explain why time can probably be one of the things people bitterly regret losing/wasting.
Ans: Time, irreplaceable and finite, significantly influences life experiences. Wasting it leads to unrealized opportunities, unfulfilled aspirations, and regret for lost moments. Its intangibility amplifies this regret, as time cannot be reclaimed once it disappears.
v Imagine you are the boy’s elder sibling. He tells you about the loss of the ball on reaching home. How would you assure him? You may begin your reply like this: I don’t think you should take this to heart. You see…
Ans: The speaker suggests that the current situation is not significant, as the ball was a temporary one, and the memories we create will be more meaningful than the things we lose. They encourage finding new experiences together.
vi. What does John Berryman want to convey through this poem? CBSE 2011
Or
Write the sum and substance of the poem “The Ball Poom”. CBSE 2016
Ans. John Berryman’s poem emphasizes the significance of loss and responsibility in life, emphasizing the need to learn to cope with loss and the fact that money cannot replace everything, as things will eventually get lost.
vii. Why was the boy upset on losing his ball? CBSE 2019
Ans. The boy was upset about losing his beloved ball, a childhood possession, which he had been cherishing and linked to his childhood memories. Although he could buy a new ball, the memories with the lost ball will be forever lost, causing him immense distress.
Q12 Answer in 100-120 words (beyond text and across texts)
i The poem deals with a child understanding loss for the first time. Matches and championships too, deal with a different sense of loss. Explain how games and sports are a good way to train children to take losses in their stride
Ans: Games and sports provide children with a valuable training ground to understand and handle losses with resilience, as they teach them that winning isn’t guaranteed and setbacks are natural occurrences, as they navigate competitions like matches and championships.
Sports foster a mindset where losing is seen as a learning opportunity, enabling children to manage emotions, cope with disappointment, and channel their energy towards self-improvement and teamwork, fostering resilience, sportsmanship, and perseverance.
Games and sports offer a structured environment that helps children understand success and failure dynamics, teaching them life lessons like humility, determination, and continuous effort. These experiences prepare them to face life’s losses with maturity and fortitude, ultimately preparing them for future challenges.
ii If the Buddha were to summarise the life lesson of “The Ball Poem’, what would that sermon be? Think and create this address for people of your age.
Ans: “Dear friends, the lesson from ‘The Ball Poem’ echoes a profound truth. Just as the boy learns about loss through the ball, so do we in our lives. Impermanence is inherent; all things, experiences, and even emotions are transient. Embrace this reality without clinging.
Life, like the ball, will roll away at times. Understand that attachment brings suffering. Learn to cherish moments without grasping onto them. Instead, cultivate gratitude for what you have and acceptance for what departs.
Remember, growth emerges from loss. Use these experiences as lessons, not as burdens. Let go gracefully, for in detachment lies freedom. Treasure every bounce, every roll, but don’t let the fear of losing hinder your joy. Embrace life’s changes, for they teach us resilience and deepen our understanding of existence.”
This sermon encapsulates the essence of impermanence, detachment, and the wisdom gained from embracing life’s inevitable changes, relevant to people of all ages.
iii. Why is it important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it? CBSE 2014
Ans. It is important for everyone to experience loss and after it to be strong and to get
on with life. One needs to stay strong no matter how much it hurts inside. Staying strong is the only way to survive. Moreover, one needs to learn to accept and let go and not cling to something that one can never have. One should understand that the past is gone and it will never come back. Experiencing loss sometimes helps us to grow up and face hardships.
This helps us in breaking all the boundaries of freedom. The poem teaches us a philosophy of life through the loss of the ball i.e. “Loss is a universal truth in our life.” We have to lose something at one point in time. Through the loss of ball, the boy learns real knowledge of the world. If he can bear the loss, he will be able to face the difficulties of life courageously. The boy must know how to stand up after a loss. It is essential for every human being to be able to move on or stand up after being knocked down. Here, the ball signifies losing something valuable that can not be bought or the poet wants us to understand that loss is replaced. The is inevitable and everyone must learn to cope up with the loss with patience and courage.
Frequently Asked The Ball Poem Class 10 Questions Answers for 2024
1. What is the ball poem for Class 10?
Ans: In Class 10, the “Ball Poem” typically serves as a literary text focusing on loss, resilience, and the lessons learned through a child’s experience of losing a cherished possession, exploring themes of impermanence and growing up.
2. What is the central theme of the ball poem?
Ans: The central theme of the “Ball Poem” revolves around the poignant experience of loss and the ensuing emotional journey. It delves into the profound realization of impermanence and the inevitable nature of growing up. Through the loss of a beloved possession, the poem explores themes of innocence, transience, and the lessons learned from confronting the ephemeral nature of life.
3. What is the simple summary of the ball poem?
Ans: The “Ball Poem” recounts a young boy’s loss of a cherished ball, evoking deep emotions as he grapples with the idea of impermanence. Through the loss, he learns a profound lesson about the transitory nature of childhood joys and the inevitable process of growing up, facing life’s changes with resilience and understanding.
4. What does the ball symbolize in the poem?
Ans: The poem uses the ball as a metaphor for childhood innocence and joy, symbolizing the fleeting moments and simple pleasures. It also serves as a reminder of the inevitable transitions and losses that come with maturity.
5. What does the poet use the ball as a symbol of in the ball poem?
Ans: The poet employs the ball as a poignant symbol representing the ephemeral nature of childhood innocence and joy. It embodies fleeting moments of happiness and carefree play, signifying the inevitable loss and the profound lesson about life’s transient nature and the passage from innocence to experience.
6. What is the moral message of the ball poem?
Ans: The moral message of the “Ball Poem” centers on the inevitability of loss and the transient nature of childhood joys. It imparts the crucial lesson that life is marked by impermanence, teaching resilience in facing change and preparing one to accept the transient nature of happiness and possessions.
7. Why is money called external?
Ans: Money is often referred to as “external” because its value lies outside intrinsic qualities. Its worth is derived from societal agreement rather than inherent properties. Unlike internal qualities like emotions or personal values, money’s value is assigned and agreed upon externally within a community or society.
8. Who is the main character of the ball poem?
Ans: The main character in the “Ball Poem” is an unnamed young boy. The poem revolves around his experience of losing a cherished ball, portraying his emotional journey as he grapples with the concept of im
