MP Board Class 10 English First Flight Poem The Ball Poem Question Answer

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MP Board Class 10 English First Flight Poem The Ball Poem Question Answer : The question sets for the poem “The Ball Poem” by John Berryman from the MP Board Class 10 English textbook First Flight. The questions are written in simple English, tailored for Hindi medium students studying English as a second language in Madhya Pradesh. The sets include 10 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), 5 Fill in the Blanks, 5 Short Answer Type Questions and 5 Long Answer Type Questions all designed to be easy to understand and aligned with the poem’s content.

The Ball Poem Text Book Question Answer

MP Board Class 10 English: The Ball Poem Question Answer

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

  1. Who is the poet of “The Ball Poem”?
    a) Carolyn Wells
    b) John Berryman
    c) Robert Frost
    d) Liam O’Flaherty
    Answer: b) John Berryman
  2. What does the boy lose in the poem?
    a) His book
    b) His ball
    c) His toy
    d) His friend
    Answer: b) His ball
  3. Where does the boy’s ball go?
    a) Into the sky
    b) Into the water
    c) Into the street
    d) Into the house
    Answer: b) Into the water
  4. How does the boy feel when he loses his ball?
    a) Happy
    b) Angry
    c) Sad
    d) Excited
    Answer: c) Sad
  5. What does the poet say the boy is learning from losing the ball?
    a) How to play better
    b) How to deal with loss
    c) How to buy a new ball
    d) How to swim
    Answer: b) How to deal with loss
  6. What does the poet refuse to do for the boy?
    a) Give him a new ball
    b) Teach him to swim
    c) Play with him
    d) Find his ball
    Answer: a) Give him a new ball
  7. What is the boy’s first experience of in the poem?
    a) Joy
    b) Responsibility
    c) Fear
    d) Loss
    Answer: d) Loss
  8. What does the poet mean by “epistemology of loss”?
    a) Learning about love
    b) Understanding how to deal with loss
    c) Knowing how to play
    d) Studying science
    Answer: b) Understanding how to deal with loss
  9. Why does the poet not offer the boy money to buy a new ball?
    a) He has no money
    b) He wants the boy to learn from loss
    c) He doesn’t like the boy
    d) He doesn’t know where to buy a ball
    Answer: b) He wants the boy to learn from loss
  10. What is the main theme of the poem?
    a) Playing with a ball
    b) Growing up and learning from loss
    c) Buying new things
    d) Swimming in water
    Answer: b) Growing up and learning from loss

Fill in the Blanks

  1. The boy’s ball bounces into the ______ and is lost.
    Answer: water
  2. The poet watches the boy standing ______ and trembling.
    Answer: rigid
  3. The boy learns the ______ of loss through his experience.
    Answer: epistemology
  4. The poet says no one can buy back the lost ______ for the boy.
    Answer: ball
  5. The boy’s loss is his first lesson in taking ______ for his things.
    Answer: responsibility

Short Answer Type Questions

  1. What happens to the boy’s ball in the poem?
    The boy’s ball bounces down the street and falls into the water, where it is lost forever.
  2. How does the boy react when he loses his ball?
    The boy feels sad and helpless. He stands rigid, trembling, and stares at the water where his ball went, unable to do anything.
  3. What lesson does the poet say the boy is learning?
    The poet says the boy is learning how to deal with loss. This is his first experience of losing something he loves, which teaches him about responsibility and life’s challenges.
  4. Why does the poet not give the boy a new ball?
    The poet does not give the boy a new ball because he wants the boy to learn how to handle loss. Replacing the ball would not teach him this important life lesson.
  5. What is the meaning of “epistemology of loss” in the poem?
    The “epistemology of loss” means understanding how to accept and cope with losing something important. It’s about learning the value of things through the pain of loss.

Long Answer Type Questions

  1. What is the main theme of the poem “The Ball Poem”? Explain with examples from the poem.
    The main theme of “The Ball Poem” is growing up and learning to deal with loss. The poem shows a boy who loses his ball in the water and feels sad and helpless. The poet, John Berryman, says this loss is the boy’s first lesson in responsibility and understanding life’s challenges. For example, the poet describes the boy standing “rigid” and “trembling” as he watches his ball disappear, showing his emotional pain. The poet also says, “I will not intrude on him,” meaning he won’t give the boy a new ball because the boy needs to learn how to cope with loss. This teaches that life involves losing things, and we must grow stronger from such experiences.
  2. How does the boy’s reaction to losing his ball show his emotions? Why is this important in the poem?
    The boy’s reaction to losing his ball shows deep sadness and helplessness. He stands rigid, trembling, and stares at the water where his ball went, unable to act. This shows how much he loved his ball and how its loss affects him emotionally. This is important because it highlights the poem’s theme of learning from loss. The boy’s pain is his first experience of losing something dear, which teaches him about life’s challenges. The poet emphasizes this by saying the boy is learning the “epistemology of loss,” meaning he is beginning to understand how to handle loss, which is a key part of growing up.
  3. Why does the poet refuse to buy a new ball for the boy? How does this decision relate to the poem’s message?
    The poet refuses to buy a new ball because he wants the boy to learn an important lesson about loss. If the poet gave him a new ball, the boy would not understand the value of things or how to cope with losing them. The poet says, “No use to say ‘O there are other balls’,” meaning a new ball won’t replace the emotional lesson. This decision relates to the poem’s message that loss is a natural part of life, and people must learn to accept it to grow stronger. The boy’s experience teaches him responsibility and prepares him for bigger losses in the future.
  4. Explain the phrase “An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy” in the context of the poem.
    The phrase “An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy” means the boy is deeply shaken and sad because he lost his ball. The word “ultimate” shows this is a big moment for him, as it’s his first experience of losing something he loves. “Shaking grief” describes how his sadness makes him tremble, and “fixes” means he is stuck in that moment, unable to move on easily. In the poem, this grief is important because it marks the boy’s learning about loss. The poet uses this to show that even a small thing like a ball can teach a big lesson about life and responsibility.
  5. How does “The Ball Poem” teach us about growing up? Discuss with examples from the poem.
    “The Ball Poem” teaches that growing up involves learning to deal with loss and taking responsibility. The boy loses his ball in the water and feels sad, which is his first experience of loss. The poet says, “He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes, the epistemology of loss,” meaning the boy is starting to understand how to handle losing something important. For example, when the boy stands “rigid” and “trembling,” it shows his emotional struggle, but this helps him grow. The poet’s choice not to give him a new ball teaches that life doesn’t always replace what we lose, and we must learn to move forward. This lesson prepares the boy for bigger challenges in life, showing that growing up means facing and overcoming difficulties.

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