CHAPTER 08 - MIRROR

UNIT 08
 
PAGE 97

 Question 1-(a):
 When do you generally use a mirror?
 

Answer :
 A mirror is usually used to look into one’s own s

Question 1-(b):
 Is a mirror essential for us?
 

Answer :
 Yes, a mirror is very essential for us, as it helps us look presentable before we meet people.


 Question 1-(c):
Given below is a list of possible reasons why a person uses a mirror. Tick the ones you agree with:

 (i) to check one's appearance

 (ii) to look beautiful

 (iii) to make sure one is neat and tidy before going out

 (iv) to check for a pimple or grey hair

 (v) to apply make-up

 (vi) to make a phone call

(vii) as a decorative item at home

 

Answer :
 (i) to check one's appearance;

 (ii) to make sure one is neat and tidy before going out;

 (iii) to apply make-up.


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Question 3-(a):
 When the mirror is being described as being 'unmisted by love or dislike' we understand that the mirror is

i. not misted

ii. not prejudiced

iii. has four angles

iv. silver in colour
 

Answer :
 ii. not prejudiced


Question 3-(b):
 The other word for 'contemplation' is………..

i. contempt

ii. meditation

iii. mediation

iv. thoughtful

 

Answer :
 iv. thoughtful.


Quistion 3-(c):
 When the mirror says 'it has no preconceptions' it means that:

i. it reflects back an image objectively

ii. it modifies an image as it reflects it

iii. it beautifies an image as it reflects it

iv. it gives a biased view of a person/object

 

Answer :
 i. it reflects back an image objectively


 Question 3-(d):
The mirror has been called 'a four-cornered god' because:

i. it is square shaped

ii. like God it watches you unbiased and fair from all four angles

iii. it reflects back all that it sees

iv. it never stops reflecting

 

Answer :
 ii. like God it watches you unbiased and fair from all four angles


Question 3-(e):
 The 'speckles' refer to:

i. a pink object

ii. the opposite wall which has spots on it

iii. a person with pink pimples

iv. pink spots in general

 

Answer :
 ii. the opposite wall which has spots on it


 Question 3-(f):
The phrase 'agitation of the hand' suggests that the person is:

i. Very ill

ii. Very upset

iii. Very angry

iv. Very happy
 

Answer :
 iii. Very angry


Question 3-(g):
 By saying 'Now I am a lake' the narrator wants to show that

i. the poem is not only about external beauty but also the inside of a person

ii. the lake can also reflect surfaces

iii. the depth of the lake is important

iv. the lake does not show as exact an image as a
mirror
 

Answer :
 i. the poem is not only about external beauty but also the inside of a person


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 Question 4-(a):
What is the poetic device used when the mirror says 'I swallow'?

 

Answer :
 ‘I swallow’ personifies the mirror. The mirror seems to say that the image on it is deep enough to swallow everything, passively. The objectivity of the mirror is significant.


Question 4-(b):
 How does the mirror usually pass its time?
 

Answer :
 The mirror meditates on the wall.


 Question 4-(c):
What disturbs the mirror's contemplation of the opposite wall?
 

Answer :
 Appearances of faces and darkness disturb the mirror’s contemplation of the opposite wall.


 Question 4-(d):
Why does the mirror appear to be a lake in the second stanza? What aspect of the mirror do you think is being referred to here?

 

Answer :
 The mirror, appearing to be a lake, symbolises depths of reality. The aspect of reflecting back an image objectively, is referred to over here.


Question 4-(e):
 What is the woman searching for in the depths of the lake?
 

Answer :
 The woman is searching for her true identity.


 Question 4-(f):
How does the narrator convey the fact that the woman looking at her reflection in the lake is deeply distressed?

 

Answer :
 It seems that the woman in the poem is deeply distressed because when she sees herself ageing in the mirror, she turns away to find her answers in the candles and the moon. She has tears in her eyes and her agitated hands express her distress.


Question 4-(g):
 What makes the woman start crying?
 

Answer :
 Faithful picture of the mirror, of her true ageing personality, makes her cry. She cries because the truth is bitter and too harsh for her to bear.

 Question 4-(h):
What do you think the 'terrible fish' in the last line symbolizes? What is the poetic device used here?
 

Answer :
The ‘terrible fish’ symbolises the bitter truth which puts human beings to a fatal end. The poetic device used here is a simile.


PAGE 100

Question 5-(a):
List out the adjectives that have been used to describe the mirror. Add a few more adjectives to the list.
 

Answer :
Adjectives used in the poem to describe the mirror:

Exact, unmisted, truthful, not cruel, faithful, important

A few more adjectives for the same are listed below:

Deep, significant, reality, bitter, fair, honest


Question 5-(b):
In the second stanza why has the narrator replaced the mirror with a lake? What is he/she trying to focus on?
 

Answer :
The mirror is replaced with a lake to display a deep image of personality, against the fake, superficial beautification of life.

Question 6:
Find the various instances of personification used in this poem.
 

Answer :
The various instances of personification used in the poem are:

Whatever I see, I swallow immediately;

I am not cruel, only truthful;

Now, I am a lake;

The eye of a little god;

I am important to her.


Question 7-(a):
A woman bends over me,

Searching my reaches for what she really is.

Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.

What is the woman bending over?

i. the mirror

ii. the lake

iii. the opposite wall

iv. the moon and the candles

 

Answer :
i. the mirror


Question 7-(b):
A woman bends over me,

Searching my reaches for what she really is.

Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.

Why have the candles and the moon been called 'liars'?

i. because they make people beautiful

ii. they hide the blemishes of people with their soft light

iii. they hide the blemishes and make people look beautiful in their soft glow

iv. they can't talk

 

Answer :
iii. they hide the blemishes and make people look beautiful in their soft glow


Question 7-(c):
A woman bends over me,

Searching my reaches for what she really is.

Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.

Why does she turn to them in spite of calling them 'liars'?

i. the reality is too harsh for her to bear

ii. she is desperately looking for someone to comfort her

iii. she wants to be told that she is still beautiful

iv. she can hide her signs of graying in their ligh
t
 

Answer :
i. the reality is too harsh for her to bear