NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo A Roadside Stand Important Question Answers Poem 5
Class 12 English A Roadside Stand Question Answers – Looking for A Roadside Stand question answers (NCERT solutions) for CBSE Class 12 English Flamingo Book Poem 5? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 12 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the board exam. Our solutions provide a clear idea of how to write the answers effectively. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Poem 5: A Roadside Stand question answers now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given NCERT solutions to the chapter’s extract based questions, multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and long answer questions.
Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.
- Extract based Questions
- Multiple Choice Questions
- Short Answer Questions
- Long Answer Questions
- A Roadside Stand Class 12 English Explanation Notes
Class 12 English A Roadside Stand Question Answers poem 5 – Extract Based Questions
Extract-based questions are of the multiple-choice variety, and students must select the correct option for each question by carefully reading the passage.
A. “No, in country money, the country scale of gain,
The requisite lift of spirit has never been found,
Or so the voice of the country seems to complain,
I can’t help owning the great relief it would be
To put these people at one stroke out of their pain.
And then next day as I come back into the sane,
I wonder how I should like you to come to me
And offer to put me gently out of my pain.” (CBSE QB, 2021)
- The ‘country money’ contextually here refers to
A) money kept aside for rural development.
B) wealth accumulated by the whole country.
C) meager income earned by the countryside people.
D) riches collected by the ancestral farmers over time.
Ans. C) meager income earned by the countryside people.
2. Pick the option that mentions elements justifying the monetary aspect as the ‘requisite lift of spirit’.
- confidence
- ego
- self-esteem
- status
- fame
A) 1, 2, 4
B) 2, 4, 5
C) 1, 3, 4
D) 1, 3, 5
Ans. D) 1, 3, 5
3. Choose the correct option with respect to the two statements given below.
Statement 1: The poet is agitated and depressed.
Statement 2: The poet realizes the futility of his thought about giving up
A) Statement 1 can be inferred but Statement 2 cannot be inferred.
B) Statement 1 cannot be inferred but Statement 2 can be inferred.
C) Statement 1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.
D) Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred
Ans. B) Statement 1 cannot be inferred but Statement 2 can be inferred.
4. Choose the option that correctly paraphrases the given lines from the above extract.
“I can’t help owning the great relief it would be
To put these people at one stroke out of their pain.”
A) The poet wants to kill the impoverished people.
B) The poet feels that death is better than living such a miserable life.
C) The poet wants to eliminate poverty from society.
D) The poet states that it is important that these people become rich
Ans. B) The poet feels that death is better than living such a miserable life.
B. “The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts
At having the landscape marred with the artless paint
Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong…” (CBSE QB, 2021)
1. The polished traffic in particular refers to the
A) sophisticated city dwellers in their vehicles.
B) shiny cars that the poet sees on the road.
C) extremely affluent people living in the neighborhood.
D) civilized manner in which traffic is coordinated.
Ans. A) sophisticated city dwellers in their vehicles.
2. ‘The urban and educated people have their minds ahead.’
Choose the option suggesting the correct meaning behind this line.
1
The people are well educated and knowledgeable about the condition of the poor. |
2
The people are concentrating on the road that is ahead in order to drive safely. |
3
The people are preoccupied only by the thoughts of their lives and nothing else. |
4
The people are focused on their goal of bettering the country. |
A) Option 1
B) Option 2
C) Option 3
D) Option 4
Ans. C) Option 3
3. What do the urban rich feel about the S and N signs that have been painted wrong?
A) Tolerant
B) Amused
C) Sympathetic
D) Annoyed
Ans. D) Annoyed
4. The passers-by find the sign artless but the landscape ___________.
A) animated
B) aesthetic
C) amusing
D) ancient
Ans. D) ancient
C. “The little old house was out with a little new shed
In front at the edge of the road where the traffic sped,
A roadside stand that too pathetically pled,
It would not be fair to say for a dole of bread,
But for some of the money, the cash, whose flow supports
The flowers of cities from sinking and withering faint.” (2009 Outside Delhi, 2010 Compartment Delhi)
- Where was the new shed put up? What was its purpose?
Ans. A little house at one side of the road was extended and a shed was added to it to put up a road stand. It was set up to attract passersby to buy things from them so that they could earn some money.
- Why does the poet use the word ‘pathetic’?
Ans. By using the word ‘pathetic’ the poet emphasizes on the fact that the condition of the shed was most humble and that it presented a rather pitiable sight.
- Explain: ‘too pathetically pled’.
Ans. It was as if by putting up the shed the owner was desperately pleading to the rich city folks to stop by at his roadside stand and buy things from there so that they could earn some extra money.
- Who are referred to as ‘the flower of cities’?
Ans. ‘The flower of the cities’ here refers to the rich and wealthy city-dwellers who can afford the best things.
D. “Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene,
You have the money, but if you want to be mean,
Why keep your money (this crossly) and go along.
The hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be my complaint
So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid” (2010 Outside Delhi)
- What attraction does the place offer?
Ans. The place offers a scenic view of the beautiful mountains.
- What should one do if one wants to be mean?
Ans. If one wants to be mean he can keep his money and move on ahead.
- What does the poet not complain about?
Ans. The poet does not complain about the landscape which has been spoiled because of the artless painting done on the building.
- What do you think is the real worry of the poet?
Ans. The poet’s real worry is the unexpressed sorrow of the people who have put up the roadside stand.
E. “Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear
The thought of so much childish longing in vain,
The sadness that lurks near the open window there,
That waits all day in almost open prayer
For the squeal of brakes, the sound of a stopping car,
Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass.” (2004 Delhi, 2011 Outside Delhi)
- What cannot be borne by the poet and why?
Ans. The poet cannot bear the thought of how these country folks are lured with false promises which are never going to be fulfilled because he feels genuinely sad about so much deprivation to these innocent people.
- What is ‘childish longing’?
Ans. Like children, these country folk have many unfulfilled wishes and desires. So they keep their windows open expecting some prospective customers to turn up so that some good fortune can fall into their share.
- Why the longing has been termed as ‘vain’?
Ans. The longing has been termed as ‘vain’ because it will never be fulfilled.
- Why do the people driving in the cars stop sometimes?
Ans. The people driving in the car stop sometimes either to enquire about the way to their destination or to ask for a gallon of gas if they ran short of it.
F. It is in the news that all these pitiful kin
Are to be bought out and mercifully gathered in
To live in villages, next to the theatre and the store,
Where they won’t have to think for themselves anymore,
While greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey,
Swarm over their lives enforcing benefits
That are calculated to soothe them out of their wits,
And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep all day,
Destroy their sleeping at night the ancient way. (CBSE Sample Paper 2022)
1 What is the tone of the poet in the above lines?
(i) aggressive
(ii) tolerant
(iii) sarcastic
(iv) resigned
(v) sentimental
Choose the most appropriate option.
A. Only (i)
B. (ii) and (iii)
C. (i), (iv) and (v)
D. Only (iii)
Ans. D. Only (iii)
2 Identify the phrase from the extract, that suggests the following: No one bothers to take ‘their’ consent before pushing the promise of a better life, their way.
Ans. “enforcing benefits”
3 What quality of the villagers can be inferred through these lines?
A. gullible
B. futuristic
C. hypocritical
D. ambitious
Ans. A. gullible
4 Complete the following analogy correctly. Do NOT repeat from used example.
greedy good doers: alliteration ::…………………………….. Oxymoron
Ans. beneficient beasts of prey
5 On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to (1) and (2) given below.
(1) The city dwellers make promises for the betterment of the villagers.
(2) The city dwellers have ulterior motives.
A. (1) is true but (2) is false.
B. (2) is true but (1) is false.
C. (2) is the reason for (1).
D. Both (1) and (2) cannot be inferred from the extract.
Ans. C. (2) is the reason for (1).
6 Fill the blank with an appropriate word, with reference to the extract. ‘… calculated to soothe them out of their wits’ implies that ‘them’ are being.
Ans. manipulated
Class 12 English Flamingo A Roadside Stand Poem 5 Multiple Choice Questions
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are a type of objective assessment in which a person is asked to choose one or more correct answers from a list of available options. An MCQ presents a question along with several possible answers.
Q1. Why didn’t the polished traffic stop at the roadside stand?
A) they didn’t like that place
B) their focus was their interest of earning huge benefits
C) they were greedy
D) all of the above
Ans. D) all of the above
Q2. What does polished traffic refer to?
A) city people
B) smartness of city people
C) insensitive attitude of city people and their gentle appearance
D) none
Ans. C) insensitive attitude of city people and their gentle appearance
Q3. Who will soothe the rural poor?
A) Government and Social agencies
B) Government officials
C) Promises made by the Government
D) City people will soothe ‘out of their wits’
Ans. D) City people will soothe ‘out of their wits’
Q4. What does ‘Out of their wit’ mean in the poem?
A) by helping the poor people
B)) by showing rosy pictures to the poor people
C) by fooling and exploiting the poor people to their own benefit
D) all these
Ans. C) by fooling and exploiting the poor people to their own benefit
Q5. What does support the flow of cities?
A) traveling
B) rural people
C) government
D) flow of money
Ans. D) flow of money
Q6. What is the importance of cash flow for city people?
A) they love it
B) they earn it with their hard work
C) they earn by befooling others
D) it runs their life so it is their life line
Ans. D) it runs their life so it is their life line
Q7. Why did a stopping car react?
A) to point out at the wrongly marked N and S directions
B) to buy some items
C) to appreciate their hard work
D) to soothe the villagers
Ans. A) to point out at the wrongly marked N and S directions
Q8. Which word in the poem means fading?
A) quarts
B) relief
C) relief
D) withering
Ans. D) withering
Q9. What is the poet’s call to the polished traffic passing ahead?
A) he admires this
B) he is indifferent to this
C) he condemns this indifferent attitude of the city folk and feels the pain of the rural folk
D) all these
Ans. C) he condemns this indifferent attitude of the city folk and feels the pain of the rural folk
Q10. Who do selfish cars refer to?
A) social agencies
B) Government officials
C) city people
D) car owners who do not stop on the stand
Ans. D) car owners who do not stop on the stand
Q11. Why is the word pathetic used for roadside stands?
A) for city people’s attitude
B) for government’s declaration
C) for city people’s behavior
D) for poor condition of the owner of the stand
Ans. D) for poor condition of the owner of the stand
Q12. Who made roadside stands and where?
A) The sarpanch made in the village
B) The government made in the village
C) social agencies made in the village
D) The poor rural people made in the village
Ans. D) The poor rural people made in the village
Q13. Who wanted to feel the money at hand and from whom?
A) The rural folk from the government
B) The rural folk from the social agencies
C) The rural folk from the government officials
D) The rural folk from the city people
Ans. D) The rural folk from the city people
Q14. Which figure of speech is used in ‘pathetically pled’?
A) Transferred Epithet
B) Metaphor
C) Simile
D) Personification
Ans. D) Personification
Q15. What was the news?
A) City people will give money for development and growth of the rural farmers
B) city people will help the poor
C) Relocation and resettlement of the rural folk to make them tension free by the government
D) None
Ans.C) Relocation and resettlement of the rural folk to make them tension free by the government
Q16. Based on your reading of the poem, choose the option that correctly lays out the difference between the city-dwellers and the countryside people. (CBSE QB, 2021)
A) Option 1
B) Option 2
C) Option 3
D) Option 4
Ans.B) Option 2
Q17. “I wonder how I should like you to come to me
And offer to put me gently out of my pain.” (CBSE QB, 2021)
The tone of the poem by the end, as depicted by the given lines is
A) frustrated.
B) commanding.
C) Introspective.
D) emotional.
Ans. D) emotional.
Q18. Pick the option with the slogan that is likely to be used by a person selling at the roadside stand. (CBSE QB, 2021)
A) Slogan 1
B) Slogan 2
C) Slogan 3
D) Slogan 4
Ans. C) Slogan 3
Q19. Choose the option that correctly categorizes the given literary devices as per the given analogy. (CBSE QB, 2021)
selfish cars : ……………. :: ………………. : metaphor
A) personification; polished traffic
B) transferred epithet; trusting sorrow
C) metaphor; pitiful kin
D) oxymoron; greedy good-doers
Ans. B) transferred epithet; trusting sorrow
Q20. Choose the option that correctly mentions the complaints made by the poet through this poem. (CBSE QB, 2021)
1. The rich people drive carelessly on the road hitting the poor people on purpose.
2. The city-dwellers remain highly insensitive and offhand towards the poor people.
3. The urban people are unable to understand the struggles of the impoverished people.
4. The goods are not being bought by the wealthy people even at discounted rates.
A) 1, 2
B) 2, 3
C) 3, 4
D) 1, 4
Ans. B) 2, 3
Class 12 English A Roadside Stand Short Question Answers (including questions from Previous Years Question Papers)
In this post we are also providing important short answer questions from the poem A Roadside Stand for CBSE Class 12 Boards in the coming session. These questions have been taken from previous years class 12 Board exams and the year is mentioned in the bracket along with the question.
Q1. Why do the people who run the roadside stand wait for the squeal of brakes so eagerly? (2003 Delhi)
Ans: The “squealing of brakes” indicates that a vehicle has come to a halt at their roadside stand. It gives them hope that the city folk have stopped by to buy something from their roadside stand and that they will receive some city money.
Q2. Explain: “soothe them out of them wits” with reference to the poem ‘The Roadside Stand’. (2005 Delhi)
Ans: The powerful men approach the country folk, making false promises of better living conditions and a better life. These simple and innocent country folk are soothed and satisfied by their false claims. They fail to see through their crookedness and selfishness and end up falling in their trap.
Q3. Why does Robert Frost sympathize with the rural poor? (2009 Delhi, 2011 Comptt. Outside Delhi)
Ans: Robert Frost is in excruciating pain over the plight of the rural poor, who are ignored and neglected by rich politicians. The government and the ruling party are unconcerned about their well-being. They dupe them by making false promises, which they then fully exploit for their own selfish gain, thus making Frost sympathize with the rural poor.
Q4. What news in the poem ‘A Roadside Stand’ is making its round in the village? (2013 Outside Delhi)
Ans: The news is spreading about the resettlement of poor, rural people who will be relocated to villages near the theater and store. They would be close to cities and would no longer have to worry about themselves.
Q5. Why do people at the roadside stand ask for city money?
Ans: Unlike the city dwellers, the people who run the roadside stand are poor and destitute. As a result, they request city funds in order to live a happy and prosperous life. This much-needed city money can provide them with the life that the ruling party promised them.
Q6. What does Frost himself feel about the roadside stand?
Ans: The poet is distressed to witness the stand owners’ interminable wait for prospective buyers. He is heartbroken over the ‘childish longing in vain’ of those who have set up the roadside stand.
Q7. Why does the poet refer to the roadside stand as pathetic?
Ans: The poet describes the roadside stand as pathetic because it appears awkward and unappealing to the eye. Naturally, it failed to entice the sophisticated city dwellers who drove by without looking at it twice.
Q8. Who do these pitiful kin refer to? Why will they be mercifully gathered in?
Ans: These pitiful kin are the villagers who have been evicted from their homes and lands. They will be mercifully gathered in villages near the theater and shops.
Q9. What is the party in power keeping from these rural poor?
Ans: The government and civic authorities, who appear to help but actually harm them, are relocating them to the outskirts of towns near theaters and shopping centers, which is a great disservice to the people. They will thus be deprived of their voices, freedom, and ability to solve their problems.
Q10. What kind of support do the country folks expect to receive from city dwellers?
Ans: Country people, who are cash-strapped, seek financial assistance and patronage from city dwellers. They believe that if they had some money, they could live a much better and more prosperous life.
Q11.State any two characteristics that can be inferred about the people from the countryside in The Roadside Stand.(CBSE Sample Paper 2022)
Ans. Unlike the city dwellers, the people who run the roadside stand are poor. As a result, they request city funds in order to live a happy and prosperous life. They trust others very quickly. Trust is kept in the promises made by the political parties but later, these powerful people are proved to be beneficial beasts of prey and greedy good-doers.
Class 12 A Roadside Stand Long Answer Questions Poem 5
Q1. Write in brief the summary of the poem.
Ans: Poet Robert Frost felt the pain of the poor farmers who set up their little shed stalls to sell various products grown or manufactured by them, but the poet observed that, despite thousands of visitors and vehicles, no one was interested in their offerings. The selfish travelers, on the other hand, criticized their presentations and passed through proudly.
Poet is offended by their behavior and attitude and has a complaint for the survival of these poor farmers because they, too, want to be a part of the flow of the economy, which is currently dominated by city dwellers only. They, too, have the right to live comfortably in accordance with their ideals. They are, however, always used for the selfish motives of greedy good-doers.
They use deception to impose their benefits on poor farmers, mislead them, and destroy their ancient culture and way of life. They only want to seize their fields and homes. Poet is tired and finds his expectations disappointed, too much disappointed by the financial situation and struggle of the distressed peasants who sit, pray, and wait for the cars to stop at least to inquire or to buy but the self-centered egoistic persons use the empty place to turn their vehicles or occasionally stop to ask about the path or fuel.
Farmers’ rage is understandable; they respond by irritatingly questioning the common sense of the proud persons.
Poet realizes that no miracle can be seen, that he is unable to console the impoverished farmers, and that it is impossible to relieve the villagers’ suffering in a single stroke. When he comes to, he realizes that his plea to help them is futile because no one is willing to help them.
Q2. Through this poem, Frost underlines his sympathy for the rural people in opposition to the uncaring capitalistic elite. Justify.
Ans: Robert Frost depicts the lives of the poor and disadvantaged while portraying the rich urban as pitiless and indifferent.
On the one hand, he paints a pitiful picture of the lives of the poor who beg for financial help to survive. They have no plans to grow their company. They seek assistance that political parties have promised in their manifestos. Surprisingly, the products of these people are what allow city dwellers to live their glamorous lives. They travel in sophisticated vehicles, oblivious to the terrible plight of the poor, which cries out for attention. These self-absorbed city dwellers have money but refuse to spend it.
They have bought the poor and collected them to live near the theater and store, not for their benefit, but as a distraction from their reality. Frost refers to the city dwellers as ‘greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey’ as they drain the very life out of the poor. They swarm over their lives like flies, attempting to defraud them for their own gain. They teach them ‘how to sleep,’ lull them to sleep, and rob them of their peace in the process.
Q3. The rural-urban divide causes immense anguish to the poet. How does he express this?
Ans: The poet is distressed by the poor’s miserable plight and their vain childish hope that one day, at least one of the thronging cars will stop to buy their wares. The situation is depressing because the poor rural folk are non-existent for city dwellers.
Frost advocates for these people. While the majority of the population lives in poverty, no amount of material progress can lift them up. He would be relieved if these people were relieved of their suffering. But, in his calmer moments, he realizes that it is not an easy task. Nonetheless, he begs for assistance for these people in order to be relieved of his suffering.
Q4. Describe the miserable existence of the rural poor.
Ans: Rural residents have a very low standard of living. The poem’s sole roadside stand demonstrates how uneducated and underprivileged they are. The unfortunate person who has been waiting all day at his stand hopes that someone will stop and make at least a small purchase. But no one comes to see him because the shed looks pitiful with its clumsy paintings, and people driving expensive cars believe the stand detracts from the neighborhood’s aesthetic appeal.
The government and the ruling class frequently publish fabricated news articles claiming that they will provide financial and institutional assistance to poor farmers. They guarantee that these patients will live near cities with easy access to every modern amenity and will not have to worry about anything. But no one notices these jokes, which are all meant to deceive these helpless people. The poet claims that the wealthy class disturbs the poor’s sleep in “the ancient way,” or as is customary. As a result, the rural residents’ situation remains unchanged. They are still behind, impoverished, ignorant, and lowly. Their miserable lives do not improve.
Q5. Elucidate on the theme of the poem “The Roadside Stand”.
Ans: The poem A Roadside Stand is the artist’s request for thought for the helplessly poor individuals who work tirelessly yet see no progress in their lives. He expresses his anguish at their pity and distress and seeks assistance and relief for them. He believes that someone will work selflessly for their restoration and will not abuse them. With hardhearted clarity and humanity, he draws out the complete disparity between the wealthy and the poor, implying that a nation’s monetary prosperity is dependent on the equitable advancement of towns and urban communities.
A Roadside Stand Summary is about the lives of low-income people. Furthermore, the author contrasts the arduous lives of field dwellers with the inhumane lives of city dwellers. The city dwellers do not pause to consider the deplorable state of the roadside. The city dwellers do not consider the battles that these roadside stand vendors must endure in order to sell their wares.
|These needy people have no choice but to hope that passing vehicles will stop and buy their wares. If a vehicle comes by, it is to check its bearings or to complain about something. The artist empathizes with and identifies with these beleaguered individuals. This compassion is portrayed powerfully in the depiction of the side of the road sheds.
Q6. Comment on the symbolic significance of ‘The Roadside stand’.
Ans: The roadside stand represents the farmers’ desire to enjoy the conveniences of city life. It is a symbol of the lives of poor and destitute country people who struggle to live with the thoughtless city dwellers who don’t even notice the roadside stand that these people have set up to sell their wares on the side of the highway outside. It is also a symbol of hope for farmers, who believe that passing cars will buy their produce and help keep cities from falling into disrepair. However, no cars ever stop, and those that do stop only comment on how the construction obstructs the view of the surroundings, or how badly painted the incorrectly pointed North and South signs are, or to notice without interest the wild berries and squash for sale in the stand, or the beautiful mountain scene.
The farmer tells the rich travelers that if they meant to be mean, they should keep their money, and that the hurt to the view is not as important as the sorrow he feels from being ignored. He only wants money so that he can enjoy the luxuries portrayed in movies and other media, which are said to be denied to him by political parties. Frost goes on to say that, while these people have benefactors who plan to relocate them to villages with easy access to the cinema and the store, they are actually selfish and only help these “pitiful kin” to benefit themselves indirectly.
The altruists want to make these villagers completely reliant on them for all of their benefits and comforts, robbing them of the ability to think for themselves and be self-sufficient. In that sense, a roadside stand represents wealth or money, and the poor dream of becoming wealthy. It is also a symbol of the past’s demise. The farmer’s house’s open windows appear to wait all day for the sound of a car stopping to make a purchase. However, they are always disappointed because vehicles only stop to inquire about the price, ask for directions, reverse, or ask for a gallon of gas. Thus, the Roadside Stand represents the futile hope of poor people to become wealthy.
Q7. Elucidate on the central idea of the poem.
Ans: In his poem “A Roadside Stand,” Robert Frost vividly depicts the plight of the rural people which is also the central idea of the poem. The city dwellers driving through the countryside pay little attention to the roadside stand or the people who run it. The poet has emphasized the importance of balanced development of both.
The poor villagers wait all day on the roadside stand for the polished city traffic passing through to stop for a while. They have put high-quality consumables on the market for them. But few of the thousand selfish cars stop there. If anyone does it, it is for some reason other than to help the poor.
The sadness of the trusting sorrow lurks on their faces. They believe their childish longing is futile. The city dwellers lack a spirit of cooperation and concern for the rural poor. They, on the other hand, seek their calculated benefits. Still, the poet hopes that the city dwellers will relieve the poor villagers’ suffering by assisting them. In exchange, it will relieve the poet’s excruciating pain.
Q8. What are the poetic devices used in the poem?
Ans: Majorly four poetic devices have been used in the poem. They are as follows:-
Transferred Epithet:
There are two examples of transferred epithet in “A Roadside Stand.”
- ‘polished traffic’ refers to the city dwellers who pass by the countryside and sometimes they take out a moment to scrutinize the surroundings around them.
- ‘Selfish cars’ is yet another use of a transferred epithet. This refers to the car owners who do stop at the roadside stand but to ask about the police or the gas stations.
Personification: “the sadness that lurks behind the open window there…” where sadness is an example of personification. Sadness dwells in the windows of the farmers because they wait for cars to stop and make a purchase.
Alliteration and Oxymoron: ‘Greedy good doers’ and ‘beneficent beasts of prey’ are examples of both alliteration and oxymoron.
Q9. Imagine a car stops and actually buys from the roadside stand. Keeping in mind the reaction you think the peasants would have, write a diary entry as the farmer describing not only your immediate experience but also your after-thoughts on being able to earn “city-money”. (CBSE QB, 2021)
You may begin this way:
Wednesday, 2nd March XX 9 PM
We had an unexpectedly good day today!…
Ans: Wednesday, 2nd March XX 9 PM
Dear Diary,
We had an unexpectedly good day today!… We finally had a buyer today, after months of waiting. A red car whizzed by our stand, then abruptly applied the brakes. After a few seconds, it began to reverse and came to a stop directly in front of our stand. The driver exited the vehicle. He was a young man of about 25 years old. I could see that he was driving with his wife and a small child. He inquired whether we sold soft drinks and chips. I showed him various chips. He chose six packets at random. When I asked what kind of soft drink he wanted, he changed his mind and asked if we had packaged fruit juice.
I informed him that all we had was Mixed Fruit Juice. He also purchased six tetra packs of fruit juice. He also left a small tip because we didn’t have enough change. Finally, we got something which the city people call ‘money. How I wish we could get some ‘city-money’ on a regular basis to alleviate our suffering. I truly showered them with blessings.
(Your Signature)
Q10. Imagine a child from the farmer’s family migrates to the city for their education. As the child, write back to your family telling them whether you would or would not want to turn into a city-person. Use the context of the poem “A Roadside Stand” in mind to pen down this letter.
You may begin this way:
12, Davidson County
23 January ‘XX
Dear mom
I have been thinking about the roadside stall lately. Now that I find myself surrounded by city-people all the time, I think……………………………………..
With love
Jennifer
(CBSE QB, 2021)
Ans.12, Davidson County
23 January ‘XX
Dear mom
I have been thinking about the roadside stall lately. Now that I find myself surrounded by city-people all the time, I think the life at the stall was difficult, but it was better off. In cities, it appears that no one knows their next-door neighbors. Life is nothing but a mad dash for money here. Backbiting friends try to take advantage of one another. Everyone appears to be only concerned with personal gain. People help each other not out of courtesy, but out of obligation or the desire to cash it later. I yearn to return to our roadside stall. We had to struggle between meals, but we were content to spend time together.
With love
Jennifer
Q11. ‘The cry of not having money to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles, not even enough to eat, rings in every home.’ (The Lost Spring) ‘
…far from the city we make our roadside stand and ask for some city money to feel in hand’. (A Roadside Stand)
Create a conversation between a bangle maker and the owner of a roadside stand with reference to the above extracts. You may begin the conversation like this: Owner of a roadside stand: Your bangles are pretty. Tell me about your experience in this business.(CBSE Sample Paper 2022)
Ans. Road side stand owner: Your bangles are lovely! Tell me about your experience in this industry.
Bangle Maker: Thank you, but this is a time-consuming and risky endeavour. They say it’s our Karam, and we can’t do anything about it.
Road side stand owner: Oh! If you all believe it is risky, why can’t you form a cooperative and work as a team?
Bangle Maker: Oh no! Then the police will beat us up for doing something illegal!
Road side stand owner: Inform the appropriate authorities then!!
Bangle Maker: No, we’re trapped in a vicious circle of middlemen like bureaucrats, sahukars, and others. I hope your company does better than mine.
Road side stand owner: Absolutely not! We wait all day, expecting someone to come and buy from our stalls…
Bangle Maker: And you make money when they buy. Is this correct?
Road side stand owner:I really wish you were, because they only stop to complain about how we’ve ruined the landscape with artless paint and to tell us about the signs N turned wrong S turned wrong… Sometimes to turn the car or to ask for a gallon of gas that we do not sell visibly.
Bangle Maker: Oh my God, my father has gone blind from working in dark, dingy furnaces with small glass pieces. Neither of our jobs is as simple as they appear.
Road side stand owner: You are right.
Also See:
- A Roadside Stand Poem Explanation, Summary
- CBSE Class 12 English Notes, Lesson Explanation, Question Answers
- CBSE Class 12 English MCQ Question Answers
- Class 12 English Flamingo Book Chapter wise word meaning
- Class 12 English Flamingo Poems Word meaning
- Class 12 English Vistas Book Word meanings
- CBSE Class 12 English Important Question Answers
- Character Sketch of Class 12 English