Working with the poem
Qus.1 (i). Who is the speaker in the poem?
Ans. The speaker in the poem is a child.
(ii) With your partner list out the happenings the speaker is worried about.
Ans. The speaker is worried if he was dumb in school, if they had closed the swimming pool, if he got beaten up, if there was poison in his cup, if he started to cry, if he got sick and died, if he flunked that test, if green hair grew on his chest, if nobody liked him, if a bolt of lightning struck him, if he did not grow taller, if his head started getting smaller, if the fish would not bite, if the wind tore up his kite, if they started a war, if his parents got divorced, if the bus was late, if his teeth did not grow in straight, if he tore his pants, if he never learnt to dance.
(iii) Why do you think she/he has these worries? Can you think of ways to get rid of such worries?
Ans. The child has these worries because it was night time. When he was playing with his friends or busy with his routine of going to school. He wondered some probable things such as what would happen if he failed in his test or if his teeth did not grow straight. He also wondered if his head started getting smaller. Yes if the child forgets everything and keeps a positive mind, then he can get rid of these worries.
Qus.2. Read the following line.
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
Can words crawl into your ear? This is an image. The poet is trying to make an image of what she/he experiences. Now with your partner try and list out some more images from the poem.
Ans. What if never learn to dance.
The night time what if strikes again.
What if they start a war.
What if the bus is late.
Que 3. In groups of four discuss some more ‘whatifs’ that you experience in your day to day life and list them out.
(i) ———————————
(ii) ———————————
(iii) ———————————
(iv) ———————————
(v) ———————————
(vi) ———————————
(vii) ———————————
(viii) ——————————
Ans – Students write their own answer to this question.
Get NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Poem All Chapters From Below
| Chapter | Name |
| 1 | A House, A Home |
| 2 | The Kite |
| 3 | The Quarrel |
| 4 | Beauty |
| 5 | Where Do All the Teachers Go? |
| 6 | The Wonderful Words |
| 8 | Vocation |
| 9 | What if |
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