First Flight Poem ch06 Amanda - CBSE Test Papers

CBSE Test Paper 01
Amanda
  1. Does the title 'Amanda' suit the poem?
  2. Who is the sole inhabitant of the sea ? What does she want to do ?
  3. What does Amanda yearn for?
  4. How does Amanda tackle the nagging nature of her parents? Explain with examples from the poem. What values does it portray about Amanda?
  5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (1 × 4 = 4)
    (There is a languid, emerald sea,
    where the sole inhabitant is me-
    a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)
    1. What does Amanda imagine herself to be?
    2. Who is the speaker of these lines?
    3. What is the meaning of ‘mermaid?
    4. Why are these lines given within brackets?
  6. Read the following extracts and answer the questions/complete the sentences that follow:
    I am an orphan, roaming the street.
    I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
    The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.
    1. Who is described here?
    2. The speaker makes design _____
    3. The speaker seeks freedom with _____
    4. Which word in the passage means the same as 'wandering'?
CBSE Test Paper 01
Amanda
Solution
  1. The poem revolves around the little girl whose name is 'Amanda'. Her life is full of childhood struggle with no freedom at all. She wants to experience calmness, away from her nagging parents. So we can say that the title is justified.
  2. Amanda is the mermaid who is the sole inhabitant of the green sea. Amanda  sees a day dream. She wants to drift blissfully with the soft- moving waves of the sea. 
  3. Amanda yearns for freedom. She wants to lead a life without any restrictions. Off late, she has been getting instructions from her mother on every single thing which she does not appreciate at all. So, she wants to feel free and live a life on her own.
  4. Amanda is a small girl who is termed as moody for her careless behaviour. Amanda’s parents are upset over her behaviour and casualness, but she stays in her own world. But it is very surprising to know that this is her defence mechanism to shield herself from her nagging parents. Amanda’s response to her parents' nagging is her world of imagination where she is a mermaid drifting effortlessly by the languid sea. Further, she is asked to clean her room and finish her homework to which she reacts being an orphan roaming in the street and making patterns with her bare feet. Amanda then faces the heat for eating chocolate, which had once caused her acne. She takes the form of Rapunzel and wishes to live on top of a tower away from everyone in her imagination. All these portray Amanda in a positive light and her parents in a negative light.
    1. Amanda imagines herself to be a mermaid.
    2. Amanda is the speaker of these lines.
    3. a mythical sea creature.
    4. These lines are given within brackets because they reveal the inner thoughts of Amanda. Brackets are used for visual contrast between what Amanda is saying and what her mother is instructing.
    1. A child, who is fed up of her parents constantly instructing her on everything, is described here.
    2. with her bare feet on the soft dust underneath.
    3. peace and calmness.
    4. roaming.