A Bird Came Down the Walk poem questions and answers are given here in pdf. You can download the questions answers notes in pdf. These are taken from 1st year English new book Unit no. 2.
1st year English complete notes are given in pdf. You can download 1st year English new book complete notes in pdf at Zahid Notes.
Ans: The bird bites an earthworm in half and eats it raw. Then he drinks dew from the grass. Then he hops sidewise and gives way to a passing beetle.
Q.2. How does the speaker interact with the bird?
Ans: The speaker thinks that the bird is feeling in danger. He is cautious. The speaker offers him a crumb. The bird flies away.
Q.3. Identify the rhyme scheme in each stanza.
Ans: The stanzas of the poem are quatrains. In 1st two stanzas, the 2nd line of each stanza rhymes with the fourth line of the stanza. There is no strict rhyme scheme in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th stanzas.
Q.4. How does the rhyme scheme contribute to the overall flow and rhythm of the poem?
Ans: Since only every second and fourth line rhyme, the poem maintains a gentle, natural rhythm—mirroring the quiet, observational tone of the speaker watching the bird. It’s a perfect example of Dickinson using poetic form to enhance meaning, not just structure.
Q.1. Identify an example of personification in the poem. How does it enhance your understanding of the bird?
Ans: An example of personification in Emily Dickinson’s “A Bird Came Down the Walk” appears in this line: 'And rowed him softer home —'. The bird is described as “rowing... home”, like a person gently rowing a boat across water. It makes the bird’s departure feel like a return to safety or a natural rhythm, rather than an abrupt end to the interaction.
Q.2. Discuss the metaphor in the final stanza, where the bird's flight is compared to "Oars divide the Ocean." What effect does this comparison create?
Ans: The metaphor of “Oars divide the Ocean” turns the bird’s flight into an act of exquisite beauty, emphasizing its grace, silence, and mystery. It invites the reader to see nature not just as something to observe, but as something to be deeply felt and revered.
Q.3. Find a simile in the poem and explain its significance in the overall imagery.
Ans: A clear simile in the poem appears in stanza 3: 'They looked like frightened Beads, I thought —' This simile enhances visual details and reflects the bird's cautious nature. Dickinson shows that even a tiny creature has feelings and awareness.
Q.4. How does Dickinson use visual imagery to describe the bird's actions? Provide examples
Ans: Dickinson uses visual imagery like 'he bit an angleworm in halves', 'and then he drank a dew', and then he hoped sidewise to the wall' are some examples of visual imagery. Emily's language allows readers to almost see the bird’s behavior unfold in real time, enhancing the poem’s quiet, observational tone.
Q.5. What is the effect of the tactile imagery in the phrase "He stirred his Velvet Head"? How does it contribute to the tone of the poem?
Ans: The phrase “He stirred his Velvet Head” uses tactile imagery. It creates tenderness and intimacy. This helps to maintain the poem's peaceful observational tone.
Q.6. How does the mood shift from the beginning to the end of the poem? What words or phrases help create this shift?
Ans: In the beginning, the mood is curious, tense, and alert. The words like bit, raw, rapid eyes, frightened beeds reflect this mood. In the end, the mood shifts to peaceful and graceful. The words like unrolled, softer home, silver, and plashless reflect this mood.
Q.7. What do you think Dickinson is trying to convey about the relationship between humans and nature? Support your answer with evidence from the poem.
Ans: Dickinson sees the bird but does not disturb him. As she offers the bird a crum, he flies away. This shows that nature is alert and independent. It cannot (and should not) be controlled and tamed by humans.
Q.8. How does the bird's decision to fly away rather than accept the crumb reflect broader themes of freedom and independence?
Ans: Bird's decision to fly away rather than accept the crum emphasizes the independent nature of living things. The bird is a symbol of the wild creature with its own will.
Q.9. How does the poem explore the concept of natural beauty versus natural brutality? Give specific examples from the text.
Ans: The phrases like "ate it raw" and "look one in danger, cautious" reflect natural brutality. Every living thing in nature is brutal. At the same time, it's delicate and fragile. The phrases like 'and rowed him softer hime' and 'leap, plashless as they swim' show natural beauty.
Q.10. What is the significance of the speaker observing the bird without the bird's knowledge? How does this affect the tone of the poem?
Ans: When the speaker observes the bird without his knowledge, the bird is uninfluenced by human behaviour. He is busy eating and drinking. This shows that respecting other natural things is essential to keep nature in its original form. It adds to the theme of boundaries between humans and nature.
1st year English complete notes are given in pdf. You can download 1st year English new book complete notes in pdf at Zahid Notes.
A Bird Came Down the Walk questions and answers
Here are complete exercises, along with reading questions and answers, available for download in PDF. You can download the summary of the poem and the theme of the poem. A bird came down the walk poem summary, analysis and theme are given in a separate post.
While Reading Questions answers
Q.1. What does the bird do after it comes down the walk?Ans: The bird bites an earthworm in half and eats it raw. Then he drinks dew from the grass. Then he hops sidewise and gives way to a passing beetle.
Q.2. How does the speaker interact with the bird?
Ans: The speaker thinks that the bird is feeling in danger. He is cautious. The speaker offers him a crumb. The bird flies away.
Q.3. Identify the rhyme scheme in each stanza.
Ans: The stanzas of the poem are quatrains. In 1st two stanzas, the 2nd line of each stanza rhymes with the fourth line of the stanza. There is no strict rhyme scheme in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th stanzas.
Q.4. How does the rhyme scheme contribute to the overall flow and rhythm of the poem?
Ans: Since only every second and fourth line rhyme, the poem maintains a gentle, natural rhythm—mirroring the quiet, observational tone of the speaker watching the bird. It’s a perfect example of Dickinson using poetic form to enhance meaning, not just structure.
Exercise Questions answers
Q.1. Identify an example of personification in the poem. How does it enhance your understanding of the bird?
Ans: An example of personification in Emily Dickinson’s “A Bird Came Down the Walk” appears in this line: 'And rowed him softer home —'. The bird is described as “rowing... home”, like a person gently rowing a boat across water. It makes the bird’s departure feel like a return to safety or a natural rhythm, rather than an abrupt end to the interaction.
Q.2. Discuss the metaphor in the final stanza, where the bird's flight is compared to "Oars divide the Ocean." What effect does this comparison create?
Ans: The metaphor of “Oars divide the Ocean” turns the bird’s flight into an act of exquisite beauty, emphasizing its grace, silence, and mystery. It invites the reader to see nature not just as something to observe, but as something to be deeply felt and revered.
Q.3. Find a simile in the poem and explain its significance in the overall imagery.
Ans: A clear simile in the poem appears in stanza 3: 'They looked like frightened Beads, I thought —' This simile enhances visual details and reflects the bird's cautious nature. Dickinson shows that even a tiny creature has feelings and awareness.
Q.4. How does Dickinson use visual imagery to describe the bird's actions? Provide examples
Ans: Dickinson uses visual imagery like 'he bit an angleworm in halves', 'and then he drank a dew', and then he hoped sidewise to the wall' are some examples of visual imagery. Emily's language allows readers to almost see the bird’s behavior unfold in real time, enhancing the poem’s quiet, observational tone.
Q.5. What is the effect of the tactile imagery in the phrase "He stirred his Velvet Head"? How does it contribute to the tone of the poem?
Ans: The phrase “He stirred his Velvet Head” uses tactile imagery. It creates tenderness and intimacy. This helps to maintain the poem's peaceful observational tone.
Q.6. How does the mood shift from the beginning to the end of the poem? What words or phrases help create this shift?
Ans: In the beginning, the mood is curious, tense, and alert. The words like bit, raw, rapid eyes, frightened beeds reflect this mood. In the end, the mood shifts to peaceful and graceful. The words like unrolled, softer home, silver, and plashless reflect this mood.
Q.7. What do you think Dickinson is trying to convey about the relationship between humans and nature? Support your answer with evidence from the poem.
Ans: Dickinson sees the bird but does not disturb him. As she offers the bird a crum, he flies away. This shows that nature is alert and independent. It cannot (and should not) be controlled and tamed by humans.
Q.8. How does the bird's decision to fly away rather than accept the crumb reflect broader themes of freedom and independence?
Ans: Bird's decision to fly away rather than accept the crum emphasizes the independent nature of living things. The bird is a symbol of the wild creature with its own will.
Q.9. How does the poem explore the concept of natural beauty versus natural brutality? Give specific examples from the text.
Ans: The phrases like "ate it raw" and "look one in danger, cautious" reflect natural brutality. Every living thing in nature is brutal. At the same time, it's delicate and fragile. The phrases like 'and rowed him softer hime' and 'leap, plashless as they swim' show natural beauty.
Q.10. What is the significance of the speaker observing the bird without the bird's knowledge? How does this affect the tone of the poem?
Ans: When the speaker observes the bird without his knowledge, the bird is uninfluenced by human behaviour. He is busy eating and drinking. This shows that respecting other natural things is essential to keep nature in its original form. It adds to the theme of boundaries between humans and nature.
This is all from "A Bird Came Down the Walk" by Emily Dickinson. You can ask other questions in the comments. I will include them here in the list. 1st year students can find more English notes on the links below.
No comments:
Post a Comment