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I WONDER I wonder why the grass is green, And why the wind is never seen? Who taught the birds to build a nest, And told the trees to take a rest? O, when the moon is not quite round, Where can the missing bit be found? Who lights the stars, when they blow out, And makes the lightning flash about?
Who paints the rainbow in the sky, And hangs the fluffy clouds so high? Why is it now, do you suppose, That ad won!t tell me, if he knows? "eannie #irby
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Day to night (time) !"tdoor (place) - green grass, nests on tree, Autumn, stars in sky, crescent moon,
a flash of lightning, rainbow in the sky - Indoor # with his/ her father
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Theme
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$"riosity o% a child &he 'onders o% nat"re &he longing o% (no'ledge &he Po'er o% $reator
Str!"t!re ) stan*as (6 couplets) Rh#me S"heme reg"lar (aa bb cc dd ee) Tone +"estioning, c"riosity Moo$ re%lective %ang!age
$ simple,
'ords-+"estions Imagery
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1e or she proceeds to +"estion abo"t the person 'ho ma(es the stars shining and ho' the lightning %lash abo"t/ 1e or she (eeps on as(ing 'ho colo"rs the rainbo' and p"ts the clo"ds high in s(y/ 1e or she cannot get the ans'ers, th"s, directs the +"estions to the other/ 2astly, the child 'onders 'hy %ather doesnt tell him or her i% he (no's the ans'ers
E&er"ise ' 3ead the %ollo'ing passage/ Fill in the blan(s 'ith O(E s"itable 'ord/ &he poem is abo"t a child 'ondering o% nat"re/ 0s he 'al(s he loo(s 444444444444 ( ') him/ 1e does not (no' 'hy the 4444444 (2) is green, and the 'ind can be 44444444444 ()) b"t not seen/ 1e 'o"ld li(e to (no' 'ho teaches the birds to b"ild the 4444444444( *)/ 1e also notices that the moon is not al'ays 444444444444(+)/ &here are so many 44444444444444 (,) on his mind, s"ch as 'ho 4444444444(-) clo"ds so high and 'ho 44444444444444 (.) the rainbo' in the s(y/ I% he 44444444 ( /) his %ather all these +"estions, he 'onders 'hy his %ather 'ill not tell him the 44444444444444 ('0)/
E&er"ise 2 5"estions 6 67 are based on the e8tract %rom the poem I WONDER/
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What does the "se o% the 'ord 'onder in the poem sho'9
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A) <at"re sho"ld be appreciated *) <at"re sho"ld be le%t alone +) We m"st not be so c"rio"s ) We sho"ld not as( too many +"estions/ -)
Who is the persona disappointed 'ith9
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MO1E% 23EST4O( P5PER 2 6 SE7T4O( 8 : %4TER5T3RE 7OMPO(E(T 3ead the poem `I Wonder and ans'er the +"estions that %ollo'/ SET ' 6/ Who is the persona in the poem9 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 (6 mar()
SET 2
,) Which phrase in the e8tract sho's that the persona is in+"isitive abo"t nat"re9 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 %2
(6 mar()
,) Do yo" thin( the boys %ather (no's the ans'er to his +"estions9 5"ote a line - t'o
to s"pport yo"r ans'er/ 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 (> mar(s)
SET * 6 / From the e8tract, 'hich element in the s(y is colo"r%"l9 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444(6 mar() > / &he main themes o% the poem are 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 (> mar(s)
SET + 6/ Based on the poem, 'hat element o% <at"re can be %elt b"t can never be seen9 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 (6 mar()
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HEIR CONDITIONING 3rand dad did you breathe before air cons were invented was it hard staying alive without modern inventions? 3randma weren!t you flustered as you fluttered with paper fans? +ould you communicate before fa4es and long distance calls became basic necessities?
3randchild we lived before your age) *ecause of our ignorance, we did not know pollution, stress, traffic 5ams destruction of forests, streams and
hills we feared 3od and nature now nature fears you and money is your new 3od) M SHANmughalingam
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PERSO(5
&here are t'o personas in the poem/ &hey are the grandparents and the grandchild/
In the %irst stan*a, the poet as(s his grandparents abo"t the li%e be%ore the technology aro"se and become the important "sage in the 'orld no'adays/ 1e as(s his grand%ather 'as it complicated to live in the li%e 'itho"t technology as he re%ers the technology to the invention o% the air cons/ &hen he as(s his grandmother regarding the condition 'hen she "sed paper %ans to cool hersel%/ 1e also as(s his grandmother 'hat 'ere the possibilities %or them to comm"nicate 'itho"t %a8es and long distance calls compared to the 'orld no'adays/
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ST5(<5 2
Grandchild we lived before your age !ecause of our ignorance, we did not know pollution, stress, traffic "ams destruction of forests, streams and hills we feared God and nature now nature fears you and money is your new God &he second stan*a sho's the ans'ers given by the poet s grandparents that s"m "p all the +"estions in one simple ans'er/ &he reason on 'hy they did not e8perience all the poll"tion, stress, tra%%ic Aams, and destr"ction o% %orests, streams and hills is beca"se o% their ignoranceC they 'ere lac( o% (no'ledge by that time/ 1is grandparents add, the only thing that they %ear is =od and nat"re b"t no', the nat"re t"rns to %ear the entire h"man race and money is the only obsession to h"man/
T;EMES
&he poem is concerned abo"t the price one has to pay %or progress/ With the development, one has to %ace many problems that can a%%ect the +"ality o% li%e/ &he yo"nger generation has to %ace greater challenges in li%e beca"se they have many 'ants/ &he poet highlights the challenges in the present 'orld and attrib"tes them to o"r o'n greed and materialistic 'ays/
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&he tone is matter-o%-%act and honest/ &he grandchild poses the +"estions honestly and directly to the grand%ather/ &he grandchild as(s +"estions in an innocent and naEve tone :did yo":,'as it:'erent yo":$o"ld yo": &he grand%ather e8plains and ans'ers in a %irm and serio"s tone , the voice o% someone scolding, preaching and teaching an ignorant person/ (F:'e did not :)/ 1o'ever in the last t'o lines 'e co"ld sense that the grand%ather is "nhappy 'ith the present generation as they have become more materialistic in li%e and their val"es have changed/
E&er"ise ' $hoose the best ans'er %or each +"estion= 6 / Which 'ord rhymes 'ith heir9 0/ hare B/ air > / What is the tone o% the poem9 0/ ;ad B/ ;arcastic G/ 1o' does the poet vie' moderni*ation9 0/ optimistic B/ pessimistic $/ con%ident D/ cynical $/ 0nger D/ ;orro' $/ airy D/ hair
H/ In stan*a 6, the grandparents did not have all the %ollo'ing e8cept 0/ air conditioners B/ telephone
$/ %a8 machine D/ paper %ans
&) What does the title o% the poem s"ggest9 A) $hanges on ho' the yo"nger generation thin(s/ *) $hanges in the mindset o% the older generation +) We m"st appreciate all the modern inventions ) &echnology is very important to man(ind
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() What is meant in the line we feared God and nature# now nature fears you9 A) 'e are scared o% nat"re *) 'e are scared o% =od +) 'e act"ally destroyed nat"re ) nat"re destroyed o"r %aith to =od -) What is meant by money is yo"r ne' =od9 A) @oney can b"y all the ne' inventions *) &he yo"nger generation 'orship money/ +) @oney is very important in o"r lives/ ) &he older generation reali*es the importance o% money/ /) What does the 'ord %eared imply9
0/ B/ scared o% believed in $ / hated D angry / at
2) What is the theme o% the poem9 A) &he "se%"lness o% modern inventions/ *) &echnology is not good %or "s +) 3especting =od ) I%%ects o% development %0) What can yo" in%er %rom the line =rand child 'e lived be%ore yo"r age9 A) =randparents enAoyed a long li%e *) =randparents have more e8perience than grandchild +) =randparents have lived a di%%ic"lt li%e %or a long time/ ) =randparents do not "nderstand grandchilds li%estyle
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MO1E% 23EST4O( P5PER 2 6 SE7T4O( 8 : %4TER5T3RE 7OMPO(E(T 3ead the poem `Heir Conditioning and ans'er the +"estions that %ollo'/
SET '
6/ What is the poem abo"t9
7% mark8
,) What does the 'ord 'e in the second stan*a re%er to9 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 SET )
6/ 1o' did the grandparents live be%ore9
7% mark8
7% mark8
SET *
6/ What is the tone in the last t'o lines o% stan*a >9 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 (6 mar()
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SET + %) Which line in the last stan*a means that nat"re is being destroyed by
the yo"ng generation9 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 (6 mar()
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