A Work of Artifice Question Answers Class 9 ICSE

by | May 3, 2024 | General | 0 comments

 

A Work of Artifice Question Answers

 

ICSE Class 9 English Poem A Work of Artifice Important Question Answers from Treasure Chest Book (MCQs and Extract-based Questions)

 

A Work of Artifice Question Answers: Looking for A Work of Artifice question answers for ICSE Class 9 English Treasure Chest Book? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising ICSE Class 9 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Our solutions provide a clear idea of how to write the answers effectively. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring A Work of Artifice question answers now. The questions listed below are based on the latest ICSE exam pattern, wherein we have given multiple choice questions and extract-based questions (Comprehension Passage)

 

 
 

ICSE Class 9 English Treasure Chest Poem A Work of Artifice Text-Based Multiple Choice Questions

 

Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate options.

1. What does the word ‘artifice’ in the title of the poem ‘A Work of Artifice’ mean?
(a) art
(b) trickery
(c) intelligence
(d) skill

2. Which of these statements is NOT true?
(a) Women are themselves responsible for their plight in society.
(b) Women are conditioned to willingly accept stereotypical roles.
(c) The gardener represents the stereotypical male.
(d) Women need to protest against their suppression.

3. Which of these attributes are NOT generally associated with women by men in patriarchal societies?
(a) intelligence
(b) dependence
(c) obedience
(d) weakness

4. How does the gardener feel as he addresses the bonsai tree?
(a) sad
(b) happy
(c) excited
(d) happy and proud

5. Why are women’s feet bound in some cultures?
(a) to punish women
(b) to make women slaves
(c) to make women realize their unimportance
(d) to make them small and look attractive

6. What would have happened to the bonsai tree if it had not been pruned?
(a) it would have died
(b) it would have grown 80 feet tall
(c) it would have looked attractive
(d) it would have borne fruit.

7. The tone of the speaker in the poem is
(a) condescending
(b) amusing
(c) entertaining
(d) solemn

8. Select the option that best suggests that the poem is talking about women.
(a) it is your nature/ to be small and cozy
(b) the crippled brain /the hair in curlers
(c) the hands you /love to touch
(d) the bonsai tree/ in the attractive pot

9. What is the theme of the poem? Select the correct option :
(a) Men are oppressors.
(b) Social conditioning is used to prevent women from flourishing to their full potential.
(c) Women are conditioned to feel happy in being small and weak.
(d) Women must protest against their stereotypical role in society.

10. Which of these figures of speech is extensively used in the poem?
(a) personification
(b) metaphor
(c) simile
(d) alliteration

11. Which of the following is not a synonym of the word ‘pruning’?
(a) lengthening
(b) cutting
(c) trimming
(d) chopping

12. Identify the poetic device. “whittles back the branches”
(a) allusion
(b) metaphor
(c) simile
(d) alliteration

13. Identify the poetic device. “It is your nature to be small and cozy”
(a) allusion
(b) personification
(c) irony
(d) alliteration

14. Which of the following is not a synonym of the word ‘croon’?
(a) hum
(b) sing softly
(c) murmur
(d) roar

15. Which of the following pictures resonate with bonsai?

bonsai

Answers

1. (b) trickery
2. (a) Women are themselves responsible for their plight in society.
3. (a) intelligence
4. (d) happy and proud
5. (d) to make them small and look attractive
6. (b) it would have grown 80 feet tall
7. (d) solemn
8. (b) the crippled brain /the hair in curlers
9. (b) Social conditioning is used to prevent women from flourishing to their full potential.
10. (b) metaphor
11. (a) lengthening
12. (d) alliteration
13. (c) irony
14. (d) roar
15. (a)

 

 

 

ICSE Class 9 English Treasure Chest Poem A Work of Artifice Extract-Based Questions

 

Passage 1

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

 

The bonsai tree

in the attractive pot

could have grown eighty feet tall

on the side of a mountain

till split by lightning.

But a gardener

carefully pruned it.

It is nine inches high.

 

(i) What kind of tree is a bonsai? What does it stand for in the poem?

Ans. A bonsai is a miniature tree grown in a container. In the poem, it stands for an individual whose potential is restricted by societal expectations.

 

(ii) Where could it have grown fully? What has stunted its growth?

Ans. The bonsai could have grown fully on the side of a mountain. Its growth is stunted by the gardener’s careful pruning.

 

(iii) Who does the gardener stand for in the poem? Why does it not let the ‘bonsai tree’ grow to its full potential?

Ans. The gardener symbolizes the forces that control and shape individuals. The gardener wants to restrict its growth. 

 

(iv) Why does the gardener want the bonsai to remain small and weak? What is its implication in the poem?

Ans. The gardener wants the bonsai to remain small and weak to limit its growth. The implication is that society might benefit from keeping individuals submissive and under control.

 

(v) What is the main idea projected in the poem?

Ans. The main idea of the poem is limitations imposed on individuals.

Passage 2

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

 

Every day as he

whittles back the branches

the gardener croons,

It is your nature

to be small and cozy,

domestic and weak;

 

(i) What is the function of the ‘gardener’? Which function of the ‘gardener’ referred to in the poem is in reality regressive and harmful? How?

Ans. The gardener’s function is to care for and shape the bonsai tree. However, this care becomes restrictive by constantly trimming the branches, preventing the tree from reaching its full potential.

 

(ii) In what tone does the gardener speak? What picture do you form of the ‘gardener’ in your mind as ‘he’ speaks to the bonsai tree?

Ans. The gardener speaks in a soothing tone, which suggests he might be trying to appear gentle and comforting. This creates a sense of hypocrisy because his actions contradict his soothing words. We get a picture that the gardener must love his plant but still restricts its growth.

 

(iii) In what way is the gardener wrong?

Ans. The gardener is wrong because he assumes the bonsai’s nature is to be small and cozy.

 

(iv) What do the last two lines suggest?

Ans. The lines “domestic and weak” further emphasize the limitations placed on the bonsai. Domestic implies confinement to a limited space, while weak suggests a loss of power and potential.

 

(v) What does the word ‘croons’ mean? What does it imply?

Ans. “Croons” means to sing in a soft, low voice. It implies that the gardener might be trying to mask his controlling actions with a gentle outer attitude. It creates a sense of false comfort because the bonsai’s freedom is being restricted despite the soothing voice.

Passage 3

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

 

how lucky, little tree,

to have a pot to grow in.

With living creatures

one must begin very early

to dwarf their growth:

 

(i) Who is the speaker? Who is being addressed?

Ans. The speaker is the gardener, the one who controls and shapes the bonsai tree. The one being addressed is the bonsai tree but metaphorically represents living beings, specially women.

 

(ii) What does the ‘pot’ mean in the metaphorical context of the poem? Give its relevance to the development of women.

Ans. The pot symbolizes the confinement of individuals by society, particularly women. In the context of women’s development, the pot represents the confined space in which they are expected to live and function as per societal norms. 

 

(iii) What do males do to stunt the growth of women?

Ans. The males stunt the growth of women by enforcing gender roles, limiting education,

discouraging of independence etc. 

 

(iv) Bring out the significance of the last two lines.

Ans. The last lines signify that in order to curb the individuals and stunt their growth, restrictions must be imposed early on in their lives.

 

(v) What stereotypical role do women play in life? How are they tricked to perform it?

Ans. Women are expected to be domestic, they should be focused on home and nurturing. They are tricked into performing this role by enforcing it from a young age.

Passage 4

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

 

the bound feet,

the crippled brain,

the hair in curlers,

the hands you

love to touch. 

 

(i) Which shift in context is brought out with these lines?

Ans. The lines from the above extract introduce a shift from the metaphor of the bonsai to the societal limitations placed on women.

 

(ii) In which context are women’s ‘feet’ bound? Why?

Ans. The historical practice of foot binding in some cultures, particularly China, was an extremely painful practice. Young girls’ feet were broken and bound to restrict their growth, creating the desired appearance of small feet. This practice restricted women’s mobility

 

(iii) Why are women made to look attractive?

Ans. Women are made to look attractive as societal pressure often dictates that women prioritize their physical appearance to be considered desirable. This focus can overshadow other aspects of a woman’s potential and value.

 

(iii) The last two lines are ironic. How?

Ans. The irony lies in the contradiction between a crippled brain and hands you love to touch.

It suggests that while a woman’s mind might be limited by societal expectations, her physical beauty is still emphasized. This highlights the objectification of women and the focus on appearance over intellectual capacity.

 

(v) What does the poet seem to lament? What does she expect of women?

Ans. The poet seems to lament the many ways women are controlled and restricted. This includes physical limitations (bound feet), intellectual limitations (crippled brain), and societal pressures on appearance (hair in curlers). The poem suggests that women should be free to develop their full potential.

 

 

Related Link : ICSE Class 9 English Language and Literature Syllabus 2024-25

 

Also See  : 

ICSE Class 9 English Important Question Answers

 

ICSE Class 9 English Summary

 

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