First Flight Poem ch05 The Ball Poem - CBSE Test Papers

CBSE Test Paper 01
The Ball Poem

  1. He senses first responsibility – What responsibility is referred to here? (The Ball Poem)
  2. What does John Berryman want to convey through The Ball Poem?
  3. How does the boy feel at the loss of his ball?
  4. Why is it important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it? (The Ball Poem)
  5. Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow them: (4 marks)
    He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
    This epistemology of loss, how to stand up
    Knowing what every man must one day know
    And most know many days, how to stand up.
    1. What does the boy learn after losing the ball?
    2. Why does the boy become desperate?
    3. Who is the poet of this poem?
    4. What do you mean by ‘epistemology of loss’?
  6. Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow them: (4 marks)
    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!
    1. Write the name of the poem and the poet of the above stanza.
    2. What is the condition of the boy who has lost his ball?
    3. Where did the ball go bouncing?
    4. Which word means ‘happily’?
CBSE Test Paper 01
The Ball Poem

Solution
  1. The responsibility of taking care of one's things in this world of possessions and the ability to cope up with the loss and move on is referred to here. One must be responsible and should not be too attached to something.
  2. John Berryman wants to convey the importance of loss and responsibility in life through The Ball Poem. One should learn how to cope up with the loss. The poet also wants us to learn that we will suffer the loss of childhood and money simply cannot replace it.
  3. The boy is very upset at the loss of his ball. He experiences grief at the loss of his much-loved possession. He finds it difficult to cope up with the loss and move on.
  4. The Ball Poem teaches us a philosophy of life through the loss of the ball that “loss is a universal truth”. We have to lose something at one point in time. Through the loss of the ball, the boy gains real knowledge about the world. If he is able to bear the loss, he will be able to face the difficulties of life courageously. Here, the ball signifies the loss of something valuable that can not be bought or replaced. The boy must know how to stand up after a loss. It is very essential for every human being to be able to move on or stand up after the loss or falling down. The poet wants us to understand that loss is inevitable and everyone must learn to cope up with the loss with patience and courage. Standing up after a loss is when a person really grows.
    1. After losing the ball, the boy is learning to cope up with the loss.
    2. The boy becomes desperate because he loves his ball very much and is in grief because of his loss.
    3.  John Berryman is the poet of this poem.
    4.  ‘Epistemology of loss’ means to understand the nature of loss.
    1. The name of the poem is ''The Ball Poem'' and its poet is '' John Berryman''.
    2. The boy is very upset.
    3. The ball went bouncing down into the water.
    4. The word ''merrily'' means happily.