CBSE Class 9 - English (C) - The Seven Ages

The Seven Ages

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Q & Answers from CBSE Examination

Q1: Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

All the world’s a stage
and all the men and women merely players:
They have exits and entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,

(a) What does the poet mean by the terms ‘exits and entrances?
(b) What parallelism has the poet drawn between the stage and the world?
(c) Identify the figure of speech used in second line.
(d) Who is the poet of the poem?

Answers:


(a)  'exits' and 'entrances' embelmatizes or symbolises 'death' and 'life' respectively.

(b) Stage is a platform where actors perform their roles. Similarly the world symbolizes the stage where men and women play (live) their part (life) and die.

(c) Second line uses 'Simile' - a figure of speech.

Simile: It is a comparison between two unlike things that have something in common. A simile always uses the words 'like' or 'as' to make a comparison.

(d) The poem is written by William Shakespeare. The poem is taken from his play 'As you like it'.


Q2: Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon’s mouth

(a) Who is the person being described in the above lines?
(b) What traits characterise this stage?
(c) What does 'bubble reputation' stand here?
(d) 'Even in cannon's mouth', What does it signify?


Answer:
(a) The lines describes about the soldier - fourth stage of man's life.

(b) He enjoys energetic life with fearfully quick-tempered nature. He is more likely to get jealous and is always be seeker of worldly name and fame, which is short lived.

(c) 'bubble reputation' refers here to his eagerness to seek reputation which is short lived and is transient like a bubble.

(d) 'even in cannon's mouth' means that the man at this age can put his life at stake for getting something notable and it is quite easy for him.