CLASS 11 · WOVEN WORDS · CHAPTER 16
Original student-friendly answers to Nissim Ezekiel's poem activities.
7 worked answers · short steps first, explanations when you need them
Textbook pages Understanding the Poem
Question Understanding the Poem 1
Describe the wife's hint, the child's direct request, and the parents' silent understanding.
Hints, silence, a child's direct request, and shared laughter show how the family communicates.
Question Understanding the Poem 2
Explain how the speaker's short self-mocking comments create quiet humour.
Brief asides reveal the speaker's thoughts and create gentle humour without interrupting the scene.
Question Understanding the Poem 3
Contrast the gentle outdoor setting with the practical repair and dinner conversation.
A peaceful evening surrounds everyday concerns, making them feel warm and memorable.
Question Understanding the Poem 4
Explain the parents' silent agreement and the father's later sympathy with the child.
They silently agree on discipline, but the father is persuaded by the child's reasonable argument.
Question Understanding the Poem 5
Explain that capitals make the thought look like a rule, then contrast it with the father's response.
Capitals turn the thought into a mock-serious rule, which the father's later response gently undercuts.
Question Understanding the Poem 6
Explain that the boy may no longer be hungry after the delay, which persuades his father.
The boy says waiting may make his hunger disappear, and his father finds that logic convincing.
Textbook pages Try This Out
Question Try This Out 1
Compare a plain event summary with the poem's pauses, details, and humour.
The poem turns a simple dinner request into a vivid family moment through setting, pauses, and gentle humour.