Answer the questions

A. Read the given lines and answer the questions given below.

1. It sat alone.

What happened there is still today unknown.

It is a very mysterious place,

And inside you can tell it has a ton of space,

 But at the same time it is bare to the bone.

a. What does ‘It’ refer to?

‘It’ refers to the mysterious house.

b. Pick out the line that indicates the size of the house?

“And inside you can tell it has a ton of space”.

Q.       Where is the house?

The house is located on Elm street.

Q.      Describe the inside of the house.

It stood all alone with a ton of space inside but bare to the bone

Q.       What is unknown to the poet?

What happened inside the house is unknown to the poet, 

Q.       Is the house fully furnished?

No, the house is bare to the bone i.e. minimally furnished.

Q.      Why is the house a mysterious place?

No one knows what is happening inside the house. So it is a mysterious place.

Q.      Find out the rhyming words in the above stanza.

alone - unknown - bone

place - space

Q.        What is the rhyme scheme mentioned in the above stanza?

a a b b a

2. I drive past the house almost every day.

The house seems to be a bit brighter.

On this warm summer day in May.

It plays with your mind.

a. To whom does ‘I’ refer to?

'I' refers to the poetess Nadia Bush.

b. Pick out the alliterated words in the 2nd line.

Be-bit-brighter- /b/ is alliterated.

Q.      When does the poet drive past the house?

The poet drives past the house every day.

Q.       What is the season mentioned here?

The summer season is mentioned here.

Q.       What does the poet feel about the house?

The poet feels that this house is one of a kind.

Q.      What plays with our mind?

The mystery of the house plays with our mind.

Q.      Find out the rhyming words in the above stanza.

day - May  mind - kind

Q.        What is the rhyme scheme mentioned in the above stanza?

a b a c c

3. It never grows leaves,

Not in the winter, spring, summer or fall.

It just sits there never getting small or ever growing tall

a. What does ‘it’ refer to?

‘It’ refers to the tree.

b. In what way the tree is a mystery?

The tree never grows leaves. The tree neither grows tall nor gets smaller. So, the tree is a mystery.

Q.       What is beside the house?

A tree is beside the house.

Q.      Are all the major seasons mentioned here?

Yes, all the four seasons are mentioned here.

Q.       Does the poet know the tree’s mystery?

No, she doesn’t know.

Q.       Pick out the alliterated words in the 4^th line.

getting-growing- /g/ is alliterated.

Q.      Find out the rhyming words in the above stanza.

tree - be  fall - tall

Q.      What is the rhyme scheme mentioned in the above stanza?

a b c c a

4. Rumors are constantly being made,

And each day the house just begins to fade.

What happened inside that house?

a. Does the house remain the same every day?

No, the house does not remain the same every day. It begins to fade each day.

b. How does the poet consider the house to be a mystery?

The poet couldn’t understand the happenings of the house. Thus she considers the house to be a mystery.

Q.       What happened to the house everyday?

. The house begins to fade every day.

Q.      What rumours may be made about the house?

There may be a ghost in the house or there may be some anti-social persons using the house.

Q.       What is the rhyme scheme mentioned in the above stanza?

 a a b

5. What happened inside that house?

I really don’t know

I guess it will always be a mystery

a. Does the poet know what happened in the house?

No, the poet does not know what happened in the house.

b. What is the mystery about the house?

No one knows and understands what is happening inside the house. It seems to be a mystery.

6.      At night the house seems to be alive,

Lights flicker on and off. '  ' '

1 am often tempted to go to the house,

To just take a look and see what it is really about,

But fear takes over me.

a.       When does the house seem to alive?

The house seems to be alive at night.

b.      What happened in the house at night?

The lights in the house flicker on and off.

c.       Does the house tempt the poet to enter into it?

Yes, the house tempts the poetess to enter into it.

d.      Does the poet go to the house?

No, the poet does not go to the house.

e.       What stopped the poet from going to the house?

It is her fear that stopped the poetess from going into the house.

B.  Answer the following in a paragraph.

1. Where is the house located? Why is it a mysterious place?

Poem : THE HOUSE ON ELM STREET

Poetess : Nadia Bush

Theme : Mystery

Poem outline : A house on Elm street - no one knows - what happened - mysterious - tempts the poet to enter - tree without leaves - never getting small - or ever grows small

The house is located on Elm street. The Poetess Nadia Bush pictures a photographic view of a mysterious house. It is a dark scary house. It stood all alone with a ton of space inside but bare to the bone. During nights, lights flicker on and off inside the house. The house looks brighter in the hot summer. But nobody knows till today what happens inside the house. The house remains a mysterious place. It tempts the poetess to enter it. She is curious to know what happens in the house. Due to fear, she does not go into the house. Beside the house there is a tree without leaves. The tree neither grows tall nor gets smaller. She is astonished to see the tree without leaves all through the seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn). The poetess metaphorically tells us that our life in this world is a mystery. We can't go deep inside to know the purpose or mystery behind our life.

2. How is the mystery depicted in the poem?

The mystery is depicted in the poem in the following way.

·         A lonely house which is located on the Elm Street seems to be very mysterious.

·         During nights, lights flicker on and off causing fear in the minds of the passers by.

·         During summer the house looks bright. It remains in the poet’s mind.

·         The barren tree beside the house is another mystery. It neither grows nor gets small.

·         A question on the house and the tree lingering in the poetess’ mind is unanswered.

·         Each day the house starts to fade but rumours about the house continue.

·         Thus the house is a mystery as the poet doesn’t know the reality.

ESSAY

• Introduction

• House on Elm Street

• Mystery of the house

• Mysterious Tree

• Conclusion

Introduction

‘The House on Elm Street’ is written by Nadia Bush. She used this poem for her English class because she was told to write a ‘dark’ poem. She decided to write about a house that no one knows what happened inside.

House on Elm Street:

The house is located on Elm street. The Poetess Nadia Bush presents a photographic view of a mysterious house_.lt is a dark scary house. It stood all alone with a ton of space inside but bare to the bone.

Mystery of the house:

During nights, lights flicker on and off inside the house. The house looks brighter in the hot summer. The brightness of the house begins to fade. And also the rumours about the house continue. But nobody knows what happens inside the house. The house remains a mysterious place. It tempts the poetess to enter it. She is curious to know what happens in the house. Due to fear, she did not go into the house.

Mysterious Tree:

Beside the house there is a tree without leaves. The tree neither grows tall nor gets smaller. She is astonished to see the tree without leaves all through the seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn). The poetess is astonished at this sight.

Conclusion

She doesn’t understand the happenings inside the house. So the poet assumes that the house on Elm street is a mystery. Here the poetess metaphorically tells us that our life in this world is a mystery. We can't go deep inside to know the purpose or mystery behind our life.

“The most beautiful thing we experience is the mysterious.

It is the source of all true art and science”

C.  Read the poem and write the rhyming words and rhyme scheme for the given stanzas.

D.  Identify the poetic lines where the following figures of speech are employed and complete the tabular column.