Showing posts with label Poetry Analysis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poetry Analysis. Show all posts

Friday, May 8, 2026

The Peacock by Sujata Bhatt: Summary, Analysis and NCERT Solutions | Class 11

Class 11 English Elective · Woven Words · Poetry Class 11 English Elective Woven Words feature image for The Peacock by Sujata Bhatt, showing a colourful peacock on a sunlit veranda beside books and an open book.

This study guide explains Sujata Bhatt’s poem The Peacock in simple language. It includes a summary, themes, imagery, poetic devices, answers to the textbook questions and an interactive quiz.

In this guide

About the poem

The Peacock by Sujata Bhatt describes the difficulty and delight of seeing a peacock in its natural surroundings. The poem begins with sounds and brief glimpses, then describes a way of waiting quietly until the bird appears. Its striking colours and eye-like tail patterns make the encounter memorable.

Reading note: The poem encourages close attention to the natural world. Some details are presented as signs of the bird’s presence; they should not automatically be treated as scientific claims about animal behaviour.

Summary of “The Peacock”

The poem opens with the peacock’s loud, sharp call. The sound seems to come from nowhere, and the bird is first seen as a flash of turquoise in a pipal tree. It moves away quickly, leaving the observer with only a brief glimpse of its tail.

The speaker then shares advice about how to see a peacock. A person should sit on a veranda and become absorbed in a favourite book. When the reader is deeply engaged, a blue shadow may fall across them. The wind changes, the hum of bees stops, and the cat wakes and stretches. These details suggest that something has disturbed the quiet surroundings.

If the reader looks up at the right moment, the peacock may be seen turning away and gathering in its tail. The feathers have dark, glowing, eye-like patterns, coloured violet and golden amber. The final lines play with the idea of blinking: the tail seems to close the many eyes on its feathers, while the eyes themselves appear always open.

Explanation and key images

1. The call and the flash of turquoise

The bird is heard before it is clearly seen. The phrase “a flash of turquoise” creates a quick, bright visual image. The peacock is elusive because it moves away before the observer can study it for long.

2. Reading on the veranda

The advice to read with concentration creates an unexpected way of waiting for nature. The reader is not shown chasing the bird. Instead, the encounter happens when attention is absorbed elsewhere and the surroundings are allowed to remain quiet.

3. The blue shadow and the change in the surroundings

The blue shadow is a sign that the peacock may be nearby. The change in the wind, the silence of the bees and the cat’s movement build anticipation. These details make the reader notice small changes in the setting.

4. The tail’s “eyes”

The feather patterns resemble eyes. When the peacock gathers its tail, the movement is described as if the tail were blinking. This striking image turns an ordinary movement into something vivid and memorable.

Themes and central ideas

  • Nature and observation: The poem asks readers to notice sounds, colours and movements in their surroundings.
  • The elusive beauty of nature: The peacock appears only briefly and may disappear before it can be fully observed.
  • Attention and patience: Quiet observation makes the encounter possible.
  • Visual wonder: The colours and eye-like markings of the tail make the bird seem extraordinary.

Poetic devices

Device Example or feature Effect
Visual imagery “a flash of turquoise”; “violet fringed with golden amber” Helps readers picture the bird’s colours.
Metaphor “live inside the book” Suggests deep absorption in reading.
Personification / figurative description “It is the tail that has to blink” Describes the tail’s movement as if it were blinking.
Sound imagery The “loud sharp call” and the hum of bees Lets readers imagine the soundscape of the scene.
Contrast The sharp call and movement set against a quiet moment Builds anticipation around the brief sighting.
Enjambment Sentences continue across line breaks Helps the description flow with the bird’s quick movement.

Literary-device labels can sometimes overlap. In an exam answer, explain how a quoted phrase works rather than naming a device without explanation.

NCERT textbook questions and answers

Q1. Comment on the lines that make you visualise the colourful image of the peacock.

Answer: The expressions “a flash of turquoise,” “a blue shadow,” and “violet fringed with golden amber” create a colourful picture of the peacock. The details help readers imagine the bird’s blue-green body and the rich colours of its tail feathers.

Q2. What are the cues that signal the presence of the peacock in the vicinity?

Answer: The peacock’s loud, sharp call is the first cue. A flash of turquoise, a glimpse of its tail, a blue shadow and changes in the surroundings also suggest that the bird is nearby. The poem mentions the wind changing direction, the bees’ hum stopping and the cat waking and stretching.

Q3. How does the connection drawn between the tail and the eyes add to the descriptive detail of the poem?

Answer: The patterns on the peacock’s feathers look like eyes. When the bird gathers its tail, the movement is compared to blinking. This imaginative description makes the tail seem alive and draws attention to its unusual patterns.

Q4. How does the poem capture the elusive nature of the peacock?

Answer: The peacock is heard before it is seen, and its appearance is brief. It moves away quickly, leaving only a flash of colour or the end of its tail. Even when the reader follows the advice to wait quietly, the bird may be seen only for a moment as it turns away and gathers its tail.

Q5. The peacock is a colourful bird. How does the poem capture the various colours that its plumage displays?

Answer: The poem uses colour words such as “turquoise,” “blue,” “violet” and “golden amber.” These details allow readers to imagine the rich colours of the peacock’s body and tail. The eye-like patterns make the plumage appear especially striking.

Interactive MCQ quiz

Choose one answer for each question, then select Check my answers. The quiz gives immediate feedback and a final score.

1. Which tree is mentioned in the poem?

2. What is the first cue of the peacock’s presence?

3. What is the reader advised to do on the veranda?

4. The “eyes” in the poem refer to:

5. Which phrase creates a strong visual image?

6. Which idea is central to the poem?

Your score: Not checked yet.

Revision tips

  • Remember the sequence: call, flash of colour, advice to read, signs in the surroundings, and the tail’s eye-like patterns.
  • Use short quotations to support answers about imagery and colour.
  • For a question on the peacock’s elusive nature, refer to its quick movement and the brief glimpses described in the poem.
  • For poetic devices, name the device and explain its effect in the context of the poem.

About the author

Sujata Bhatt is an Indian poet whose writing often explores language, memory, place and identity. In The Peacock, close observation and vivid colour imagery bring a brief encounter with nature to life.

Further reading

Prepared for learning and revision by Malik Mohd Arshad, AMU faculty. Use the prescribed textbook as the primary source and follow your teacher’s guidance on the current syllabus.

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Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare: Summary, Analysis and NCERT Solutions | Class 11

Class 11 English Elective · Woven Words · Poetry

Sonnet 116 · Summary, explanation, themes, poetic devices, NCERT solutions and practice MCQs

Feature image for Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds by William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116, with an open book, Shakespeare volumes, a quill, compass, sailing ship and a lighthouse guiding a ship through stormy seas.

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 describes love as steady and enduring. True love, the speaker argues, does not change simply because circumstances change, and it is not defeated by time or the loss of physical beauty.

The poem

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no, it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error, and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Text presented for study. Spelling and punctuation can vary slightly between editions.

Summary

The speaker begins by refusing to accept obstacles to the union of two people whose minds are true to one another. He argues that genuine love does not change when circumstances change, nor does it simply disappear when one person tries to leave.

He compares love to a fixed sea-mark that remains steady during storms and to a star that guides a wandering ship. These images suggest that love offers direction and stability even in difficult times. The speaker then contrasts love with Time, which takes away youth and physical beauty. In his view, true love can endure until the end of life and beyond ordinary measures of time. In the final couplet, he makes a bold claim: if his understanding of love is wrong, then his writing and the experience of love itself lose their meaning.

Explanation of the poem

Lines 1–4: Love does not change with circumstances

“The marriage of true minds” suggests a deep union based on understanding and sincerity. “Impediments” means obstacles or reasons that might prevent a marriage. The opening echoes the language of a marriage ceremony. The speaker says that love is not genuine if it changes whenever difficulties arise or if it follows someone who decides to withdraw from the relationship.

Lines 5–8: Love as a steady guide

An “ever-fixed mark” is commonly understood as a fixed sea-mark or beacon used by sailors. It remains steady when storms strike. The “star” is a navigational guide for a wandering ship (“bark” means a ship). The star’s height can be measured, but its full worth cannot be known. These images present love as reliable guidance whose value cannot be fully calculated.

Lines 9–12: Love and the passage of Time

Time is personified as a figure carrying a curved sickle. The sickle suggests the harvesting of life and the destruction of youth and beauty. “Rosy lips and cheeks” represent physical beauty, which time cannot preserve forever. The speaker insists that love is not merely a servant or plaything of Time and does not end with the passing of hours and weeks. “The edge of doom” refers to the final limit or Doomsday.

Lines 13–14: The speaker’s confident conclusion

The final couplet is a forceful declaration. The speaker says that if he can be proved wrong about love’s constancy, he will deny the value of his own writing and even the existence of true love. This is a rhetorical assertion that stresses his conviction, not a literal proof.

Themes and imagery

1. Constancy of true love

The central theme is steadfastness. Expressions such as “ever-fixed mark,” “never shaken,” and “Love alters not” reinforce the idea that genuine love remains firm through change and hardship.

2. Love versus Time

Time affects the human body and physical beauty, but the speaker argues that true love is not governed by these changes. The poem presents love as an ideal that can endure beyond the short span of youth.

3. Guidance in difficult times

The sea-mark, storms, star and wandering ship create a nautical image of love as a guide. The images suggest steadiness when life becomes uncertain.

4. Ideal love

The poem describes love in an ideal, absolute form. Readers may consider how this ideal compares with the complexities of real relationships, but the speaker’s central claim is that genuine love is not merely temporary attraction.

Poetic devices

Device Example Effect
Metaphor “the marriage of true minds” Love is presented as a union of minds, not just a physical bond.
Metaphor / symbol “an ever-fixed mark” A fixed sea-mark represents stability in difficulty.
Extended nautical imagery “wandering bark” and “star” A ship and guiding star suggest direction through uncertainty.
Personification “Time’s fool” and Time’s “bending sickle” Time is represented as a force that controls or cuts down human beauty.
Contrast Love’s constancy versus physical ageing Highlights the difference between lasting love and temporary beauty.
Rhetorical assertion “I never writ, nor no man ever loved” The emphatic ending expresses the speaker’s strong confidence.
Sonnet form 14 lines, three quatrains and a closing couplet The final couplet delivers a forceful conclusion to the argument.

NCERT: Understanding the Poem — solved answers

Q1. ‘Constancy’ is the theme of the poem. Which words, phrases and images suggest this?

Answer: The phrases “an ever-fixed mark,” “never shaken,” “Love alters not,” and “bears it out even to the edge of doom” suggest constancy. The images of a fixed sea-mark and a guiding star also show that true love remains steady through storms and uncertainty.

Q2. Why has the poet used so many negatives to make his statement?

Answer: The speaker first rejects ideas that, in his view, do not describe true love. He says love does not change with circumstances, does not follow someone who abandons it, and is not controlled by Time. These negative statements make his positive claim—that true love is constant—more forceful.

Q3. What does “I never writ, nor no man ever loved” imply?

Answer: The speaker declares that if his view of love is proved wrong, he will deny the value of his own writing and claim that no one has ever truly loved. This emphatic statement shows how firmly he believes in the permanence of true love.

Q4. Love is presented as the subject or doer of actions. Why might the poet use this form rather than involving human agents?

Answer: By making Love the subject, the speaker presents it as a powerful, independent principle rather than a feeling controlled by the changing behaviour of individuals. This makes love appear steady and universal. It also keeps attention on the speaker’s definition of love instead of on a particular couple.

Q5(a). Explain “his bending sickle’s compass”.

Answer: The phrase refers to the area reached by Time’s curved sickle. The sickle suggests the harvesting or cutting down of life. It means that youth and physical beauty eventually come within the reach of time and decay.

Q5(b). Explain “Time’s fool”.

Answer: “Time’s fool” means something controlled or defeated by Time. The speaker says that true love is not at Time’s mercy, even though physical beauty fades as people grow older.

Try This Out: What is a sonnet?

Answer: A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem, traditionally written in a regular metre and organised according to a rhyme scheme. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three quatrains followed by a concluding couplet, with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Sonnet 116 follows the Shakespearean structure, though its final rhyme pattern is sometimes discussed because the couplet returns to the earlier love/remove sound.

Exam tip: Use short quotations from the poem to support each answer. Explain the meaning of the quotation rather than listing phrases without comment.

Quick revision

  • Poet: William Shakespeare (1564–1616).
  • Poem: Sonnet 116, commonly known by its opening line.
  • Central idea: True love remains constant through change and time.
  • Main images: A fixed sea-mark, a guiding star, a wandering ship and Time’s sickle.
  • Form: Shakespearean sonnet, 14 lines.
  • Tone: Confident, reflective and emphatic.

Practice MCQs

Choose one answer for each question, then select Check answers.

1. What is the central theme of Sonnet 116?

2. What does “bark” mean in the poem?

3. What does the “ever-fixed mark” suggest?

4. What does Time’s sickle represent?

5. How many lines does a sonnet traditionally have?

6. Which image suggests guidance through uncertainty?

Teacher Insight

The poem is an argument as well as a love poem. Ask learners to trace how each image supports the speaker’s definition of love. Encourage them to distinguish the speaker’s ideal of constancy from claims about every real relationship.

Tips for exams

  • Begin with a direct answer to the question.
  • Quote a few relevant words, then explain their meaning.
  • For imagery questions, identify the image and state what it suggests.
  • For a sonnet question, mention the fourteen-line form and the Shakespearean arrangement.
  • Avoid calling the “ever-fixed mark” a lighthouse as though the poem names one explicitly; it is commonly interpreted as a fixed sea-mark or beacon.

References and further reading

Prepared for study and revision. Interpretive comments are explanations, not a substitute for the prescribed textbook or your teacher’s guidance.

Author: Malik Mohd Arshad · Aligarh Muslim University

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Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Mother Tongue by Padma Sachdev: Summary, Analysis and NCERT Solutions | Class 11

Class XI · English Elective · Woven Words · Poetry

Feature image for Mother Tongue by Padma Sachdev, Class 11 English Elective, showing reed pens, an open manuscript, books on Dogri and poetry, and a scenic Himalayan valley.

In this guide: a clear summary, explanation of symbols and poetic devices, model answers to the textbook questions, additional comprehension questions, and a quick interactive quiz.

Read the poem in your prescribed edition of Woven Words. These are study notes and model answers, not a substitute for close reading of the poem.

1. About the Poem

Poet: Padma Sachdev

Language: The poem was translated from Dogri into English by Shivanath.

Textbook: Woven Words, Class XI English Elective

Central concern: The poet’s devotion to Dogri and her concern about the loss of its native Sharada script.

Padma Sachdev wrote in Dogri and Hindi. The note about the poet in Woven Words explains that Dogri’s native Sharada script was displaced by the Persian script and that Dogri is now written in both Persian and Devanagari scripts. The poem expresses grief over this loss through an imaginative conversation between the speaker and a reed.

Consult the NCERT Woven Words text (Mother Tongue, page 120) and the CBSE English Elective syllabus for 2026–27.

2. Summary of “Mother Tongue”

The speaker approaches a reed and asks it for a quill. The reed is surprised and asks why she needs another one so soon, wondering whether she is using it to write account books for a wealthy man, a “Shah”. The speaker explains that she does not work for a Shah but for a “Shahni”—a kind and prosperous woman who has many servants ready to carry out her wishes.

The speaker then reveals that the Shahni is her mother tongue, Dogri. She asks for the quill quickly because her mother tongue may be waiting for her. The reed responds by cutting off its own “hand” and giving it to her as a quill, declaring that it too is a servant of the Shahni.

On the surface, the poem describes a simple exchange between a writer and a reed. Symbolically, it expresses the poet’s dedication to Dogri and to writing in the language. The reed’s willing sacrifice suggests that preserving a language is a shared responsibility. The poem also gains significance from the textbook’s note about the displacement of Dogri’s native Sharada script.

In one sentence: The poem presents writing as an act of service to Dogri and expresses the poet’s deep emotional commitment to her mother tongue and its script.

3. Analysis and Central Idea

The mother tongue as a queen

The speaker describes Dogri as a “Shahni”, a respected and prosperous woman who has many servants. The image presents the language as worthy of loyalty and service. The speaker is not writing for personal profit; she sees her work as service to her language.

The reed’s response

The reed first questions the speaker’s need for another quill. Once it learns whom she serves, it offers its own “hand” to become the writing instrument. This imaginative act makes the reed a willing participant in the service of Dogri. It suggests that the work of sustaining a language can involve many people and resources.

Urgency and responsibility

The speaker asks for the quill “quickly” because the Shahni may be looking for her. This urgency conveys devotion and a sense of duty. In the context provided by the textbook, the poem also mourns the loss of Sharada as Dogri’s native script. The poem does not simply describe a writing tool; it asks readers to consider what is at stake when a language loses an important part of its written heritage.

Central idea

The poem celebrates love for one’s mother tongue and the responsibility of writing, using and sustaining it. It also draws attention to the relationship between a language and its script. The poet’s attachment is personal, cultural and literary.

4. Symbols and Poetic Devices

Feature Meaning and effect
The quill A writing instrument that symbolises the means of writing and preserving Dogri. In the context note, it is also connected with the poem’s concern about the loss of Sharada script.
The reed Personified as a speaking, thinking figure. Its willingness to give its “hand” makes it a helper in the service of the mother tongue.
“Shahni” A queen-like or high-status figure used for Dogri. The image conveys dignity, affection and the speaker’s sense of duty.
“Servants” Those who work for the Shahni symbolise people and resources devoted to the language, including the poet.
Personification The reed speaks, questions the speaker and gives its hand. Dogri is represented as a Shahni. These human qualities make the abstract idea of language preservation vivid.
Dialogue The exchange between the speaker and reed reveals the speaker’s purpose gradually and gives the poem a lively, conversational quality.
Symbolism Ordinary objects—a reed and a quill—carry larger meanings about writing, language and cultural continuity.
Free verse The poem uses lines of varying lengths and conversational phrasing rather than a regular rhyme scheme.
Important distinction: The quill can be read as a symbol of writing and the means of preserving Dogri. The textbook’s contextual note links the poem to Sharada’s displacement. Avoid stating that every image has only one fixed meaning unless your teacher or the prescribed text specifically supports that reading.

5. Understanding the Poem: Textbook Answers

Q1. The quill is the central element in the poem—what does it symbolise?

Answer: The quill symbolises the means of writing in one’s mother tongue and preserving its literary tradition. In the context of Dogri, it is also associated with the loss of Sharada, the language’s native script. By asking the reed for a quill, the poet presents writing as a way of serving Dogri and keeping its written heritage alive.

Q2. You notice a sense of urgency in the poet’s request—what is the reason for this?

Answer: The speaker’s urgency comes from her strong sense of duty towards Dogri. She says that the Shahni may be looking for her, so she must return to her service quickly. The urgency also reflects the poem’s concern with preserving the language and remembering its written heritage. It conveys commitment rather than merely impatience.

Q3. How has the poet brought out her emotional attachment to her mother tongue?

Answer: The poet describes Dogri as a “Shahni”, a respected and prosperous woman whom many servants serve. The speaker includes herself among these servants and feels she must respond to the Shahni’s needs. Her hurried request for a quill and the reed’s willing sacrifice make her devotion vivid. The poem presents writing as an act of love and service to Dogri.

Q4. Personification attributes human qualities to inanimate things and abstract ideas. How has it been used in this poem?

Answer: The reed is personified because it speaks, questions the speaker and finally gives its “hand” to make a quill. Dogri is personified as a “Shahni”, a figure who has servants ready to carry out her wishes. These human actions turn the preservation of a language into a vivid scene of service and devotion.

6. Additional Comprehension Questions

Q1. Why does the reed initially question the speaker’s request?

Answer: The reed says that it gave the speaker a quill only recently and asks what she has done with it. It imagines that she might be writing account books for a Shah, where a new pen is needed frequently. The question sets up the contrast between commercial writing and the speaker’s service to Dogri.

Q2. What is the difference between working for a Shah and working for a Shahni in the poem?

Answer: The reed assumes the speaker writes for a wealthy man who needs account books. The speaker corrects it: she serves a Shahni, her mother tongue Dogri. The distinction shifts the focus from commercial work to a personal and cultural commitment to language.

Q3. Why is the reed’s final action significant?

Answer: The reed cuts off its own “hand” and offers it as a quill. This personified act suggests complete willingness to help the speaker serve Dogri. It also reinforces the idea that writing and preserving a language require active participation and dedication.

Q4. How does the poem connect language with cultural identity?

Answer: Dogri is presented as more than a tool for communication: it is the speaker’s “Shahni”, deserving loyalty and service. The textbook’s note about the loss of Sharada script adds a historical dimension. Together, these ideas connect a language’s written form with memory, literary expression and cultural identity.

Q5. What is the effect of the conversational style?

Answer: The dialogue makes the poem accessible and dramatic. The reed’s questions create curiosity, while the speaker’s explanation reveals the deeper purpose of her request. The final exchange gives the poem an emotional conclusion without a long explanation of the poet’s beliefs.

Q6. What does the poem suggest about the responsibility of writers?

Answer: It suggests that writers can serve their mother tongue by using it, creating literature in it and helping preserve its written tradition. The speaker sees her work as a duty to Dogri. The reed’s offer reinforces the idea that language survives through the efforts of those willing to support it.

7. Try This Out: Language Attitudes Activity

The textbook invites students to talk to five people from different walks of life about the languages they know and use. You can record your findings in the table below.

Person / background Languages known Language used at home Language used for study or work Attitude or preference
Person 1 ________ ________ ________ ________
Person 2 ________ ________ ________ ________
Person 3 ________ ________ ________ ________
Person 4 ________ ________ ________ ________
Person 5 ________ ________ ________ ________

Reflection: What influences people’s language choices—family, education, work, community, literature or convenience? Do people value a language differently from the script in which they write it? Use your findings to write a short paragraph.

8. Interactive MCQ Quiz

Choose one answer for each question and click Check answers. This quiz checks the main ideas and literary features discussed in the guide.

1. Who wrote “Mother Tongue”?

2. Which language is celebrated in the poem?

3. What does the speaker ask the reed to give her?

4. In the poem, the “Shahni” represents the speaker’s…

5. Why does the reed first question the speaker?

6. Which literary device is used when the reed speaks and gives its “hand”?

7. What does the quill most directly represent?

8. According to the textbook’s contextual note, which script is identified as Dogri’s native script?

9. What does the reed’s final gesture suggest?

10. Which statement best expresses the poem’s central concern?

9. Quick Revision and Exam Tips

  • Poet: Padma Sachdev; the poem is translated from Dogri into English by Shivanath.
  • Mother tongue: Dogri.
  • Quill: The means of writing and preserving the language; linked to the script theme.
  • Shahni: A personified image for Dogri, showing the speaker’s respect and devotion.
  • Reed: Personified as a helper willing to serve the language.
  • Main devices: Personification, symbolism and dialogue.
  • Context: The textbook note discusses the loss of Sharada as Dogri’s native script and the use of Persian and Devanagari scripts.

How to write a strong answer

  1. Answer the question directly in the first sentence.
  2. Explain the relevant image or technique rather than simply naming it.
  3. Connect your explanation to Dogri, the speaker’s devotion or the script context where relevant.
  4. Use only short quotations checked against your textbook.
Exam reminder: The CBSE English Elective syllabus for 2026–27 emphasises comprehension, inference, analysis and critical appreciation. Practise explaining how the poem creates meaning, not just memorising the summary.

EnglishNotes.in

Class XI English Elective · Woven Words · “Mother Tongue” by Padma Sachdev

Author: Malik Mohd Arshad · Aligarh Muslim University

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Friday, August 29, 2025

Class 6 English Poorvi - What a Bird Thought: Summary Q&A and Exercises Solved

Summary of What a Bird Thought

The poem describes a bird’s journey of understanding the world. At first, the bird thinks its world is small, safe, and made of its egg shell. Then, living in a nest, it believes the world is made of straw. When it steps out, it sees leaves and realizes it was blind. Finally, the bird flies far and admits it and its neighbors do not fully know the world. This shows how knowledge grows with experience and there is always more to learn.

Poem What a Bird Thought Solution


Let us discuss

I Read the poem again. Identify the main idea of each stanza. There are two extra sentences are given.
  1. The bird steps out into the world. ✕
  2. The bird lived happily in a small world. ✔ (Stanza 1)
  3. The bird becomes blind due to leaves. ✕
  4. The bird flies away as an adult. ✔ (Stanza 4)
  5. The bird is unhappy with the straw nest. ✕
  6. The bird lived in a cosy nest with its mother. ✔ (Stanza 2)

Main Idea for Each Stanza:

  1. Stanza 1: The bird lived happily in a small world.
  2. Stanza 2: The bird lived in a cosy nest with its mother.
  3. Stanza 3: The bird steps out into the world.
  4. Stanza 4: The bird flies away as an adult.
II Look at the pictures 1–4 and write the matching line from the poem for each.
  1. Picture 1 (Egg): "I lived first in a little house,"
  2. Picture 2 (Nest with mother): "I lived next in a little nest, Nor needed any other,"
  3. Picture 3 (Leaves): "I said the world is made of leaves,"
  4. Picture 4 (Flying off branch): "At length I flew beyond the tree,"
III Answer the following with a word from the poem and check the answers with your partner.
  1. What was the shape of the bird’s first house? O V A L
  2. What was the bird’s second nest made of? S T R A W
  3. What did the bird see when it came out of its nest? L E A V E S
  4. What did the bird do at the end? F L E W

Let us think and reflect

I Write whether the following sentences are True or False.
  1. The bird changed its house two times. True
  2. The neighbours tell the bird about the world. False
II Read the following lines from the poem and answer the questions given below.
  1. I thought the world was made of straw,
    And nestled by my mother.
    1. Who lived in the nest along with the baby bird?
      Its mother.
    2. Complete the following by choosing the correct option.
      The bird thought the world was made of straw because _______.
      B. its nest was made of straw
    3. Which word tells us that the baby bird was warm and comfortable?
      Nestled
  2. I said the world is made of leaves,
    I have been very blind.
    1. Why did the bird think the world was made of leaves?
      Because when it left its nest, it saw only leaves around.
    2. What does the set of words ‘I said’ mean?
      C. spoke
    3. Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.
      The bird felt that it had been very blind because it could not see the leaves from inside the nest.
III Why did the baby bird think that its first world was small, round and blue?
Because the baby bird was inside its egg at first.
The egg was small, round, and had a pale blue shell.
So, the baby bird thought its world was small, round and blue like the egg.
IV Where did the bird go when it fluttered from its straw nest?
The bird flew out among the leaves on the tree.
V What quality did the bird say it had, when it flew away?
The bird said it was "fit for grown-up labours," which means it was ready to work and take care of itself.
VI Who do you think were the bird’s neighbours? Why do you think so? Discuss.
The bird’s neighbours could be other birds or animals living nearby.
They lived close, but they also did not know how the world was made.
This is why the bird says, "neither do my neighbours."

Let us learn

I Let us write some rhyming words. One has been done for you.
Words from the poem Stanza 1 Stanza 2 Stanza 3 Stanza 4
well shell nest blind neighbours
New rhyming words fell rest kind visitors

Now, complete a new stanza with rhyming words at the end of each line.

I fly high and I fly low,
But one thing I surely know.
Whenever I wish to rest,
My little nest is the best.
II The poet uses words like ‘pale’, ‘blue’, ‘round’, ‘straw’ and ‘little’ to describe the bird’s nest.
Read a few more describing words.
pointed green thin brown small wooden hanging round

Now, use the describing words given in the box to create six sentences based on the given picture.

  1. The bird lives in a small wooden house.
  2. There is a pointed red roof on the nest.
  3. A green branch is hanging above the bird's home.
  4. The nest looks thin and round from the front.
  5. The house has a brown perch for the bird to sit.
  6. Leaves from the branch make the nest look green.

Let us listen

You will listen to a short poem. As you listen, fill in the missing words.
You can listen to the poem more than once. (refer to page 102 for transcript)

I’m a parrot, my name is Paro,
My feathers are bright and they glow.
In the morning, I spread my wings,
Fly around and see wonderful things.
Come with me through the skies so blue.
To places old and places new.
Among the trees where the breeze is light,
Many new stories, oh, what a sight!

Let us speak

Speak about which bird you would like to be. Include the following points.

  • Which bird are you? [I am a peacock]
  • What do you look like? [I am blue and green in colour. I am a big bird. I have beautiful feathers.]
  • Where do you live? [I live in forests and gardens. It is (where) there are lots of trees.]
  • What do you do during the day? [I dance in the rain. I also search for food.]
  • Do you have any message for humans? [I want to tell the humans to care for nature and protect animals.]

Let us write

I Read how the bird perceived its world.
My world was small, round and light blue at first.
After that my world was warm and comfortable. It was made of straw.
In this world I could only see leaves whenever I stepped out.
In the end, my world became big. It had the sky and the earth as a part of it.
II Now, discuss with your teacher and classmates how you think the world would look to the following.
1. a baby      2. a fish
III Now, write five sentences each, for both 1 and 2, in your notebooks. You can take help from the example given in I.
For a baby:
1. My world is soft and cosy, with blankets around me.
2. I see smiling faces and hear gentle voices.
3. I watch bright colours and toys near my bed.
4. My world smells of milk and powder.
5. When I open my eyes, I feel safe and loved.

For a fish:
1. My world is watery and cool all around me.
2. There are shiny bubbles and wavy plants.
3. I swim with other fish in my pond.
4. I see the stones and sand below me.
5. My world is peaceful and full of gentle light.

Let us explore

I The bird’s first home was made of a shell. Later its home was among leaves and made of straw.
  • Look at your home carefully and make a list of all the materials it is made of.
    • Bricks
    • Cement
    • Wood
    • Glass
    • Steel
    • Tiles
    • Paint
  • Why do you think our homes are not made of straw?
    Our homes are not made of straw because straw is not strong. It cannot keep us safe from weather like rain and wind.
  • If you had to own a home of your choice, what would it look like and what materials would you like to use?
    I would like a home with a garden and big windows. I would use bricks, glass and wood for building it.
  • How is a home different from a house? Discuss with your classmates and teacher.
    A house is just a building. A home is a place where you live happily with your family.

• Look at the list of some workers who build houses. Find out the work they do and write, as shown in the example. You can think of other workers and add them too.
Workers Their work
Example: mason lays bricks and stones
1. painter paints walls and ceilings
2. electrician fits wires and lights
3. plumber fixes water pipes and taps
4. carpenter makes doors and furniture
5. architect draws house plans
6. welder joins iron parts
7. roofer makes roofs and fixes them

II Look at the different kinds of nests and homes the birds make. Have you seen any? Discuss these type of nests with your teacher and classmates.
  • I have seen nests made of sticks in trees like in the first picture.
  • Some birds make hanging nests, which look soft and safe.
  • I have noticed a bird sitting in a tree hole like the owl in the third picture.
  • I saw a nest made from green leaves which looks different and special.
  • Each type of nest helps birds to keep their babies safe and comfortable.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2025

The Wild Swans at Coole by W. B. Yeats: Summary, Analysis, Themes and Questions

EnglishNotes · Class 12 English Elective · Kaleidoscope

This complete study guide explains William Butler Yeats’s poem The Wild Swans at Coole through its context, stanza-wise meaning, central themes, poetic form, imagery and important questions. It is designed to help students understand the poem closely and prepare thoughtful, text-based answers.

How to study this poem: Read the summary first, then follow the stanza-wise explanation. In answers, support interpretations with brief references to the poem rather than memorising a fixed “symbolic meaning” for every image.

1. About the poem and the poet

Poet

William Butler Yeats (1865–1939), an Irish poet and one of the major literary figures of the twentieth century.

Setting

Coole Park in County Galway, Ireland, in an autumn landscape at twilight.

Form

Five six-line stanzas, also called sestets, with a recurring end-rhyme pattern and varied line lengths.

Central concern

The speaker compares the apparent vitality and continuity of the swans with his own experience of time, change and emotional loss.

The poem is a lyric reflection: an individual speaker describes a scene in nature and uses it to examine his own feelings. The swans are not merely decorative birds. Their beauty prompts the speaker to remember an earlier visit, recognise the changes in himself and wonder whether the birds will remain at Coole.

2. Historical and literary context

Coole Park was the home of Lady Gregory, a writer and important supporter of the Irish Literary Revival. Yeats visited the estate regularly. The poem recalls the swans at Coole and measures the passage of time through the speaker’s memory of counting them nineteen autumns earlier.

The poem is associated with 1916–1917 and first appeared in The Little Review in June 1917. It became the title poem of Yeats’s collection published by the Cuala Press in 1917; an expanded edition was published by Macmillan in 1919. Therefore, 1917 is the relevant first-publication year for the poem, while 1919 refers to a later edition of the collection.

Yeats was in his early fifties when the poem was written. The speaker’s reflections on age and change can be read in relation to Yeats’s life, but the speaker should not automatically be treated as identical to the historical poet in every detail. The poem also works as a broader meditation on memory, beauty and human vulnerability.

Contextual caution: Biographical details may enrich a reading, but do not claim that one personal event explains the whole poem unless you can support that claim with reliable evidence. Begin with the language and structure of the poem itself.

3. Summary of the poem

On an autumn evening at Coole, the speaker watches fifty-nine swans on a lake. The scene is beautiful and quiet. He remembers that nineteen autumns have passed since he first counted the birds. On that earlier occasion, they suddenly rose and wheeled through the air, making a loud sound with their wings.

The memory makes the speaker aware of how much his own life has changed. He remembers a time when he walked with a lighter step. By contrast, the swans appear energetic and unwearied. They move in pairs and seem to retain their capacity for passion and companionship. The speaker describes their hearts as not having grown old, although this is a poetic perception rather than a literal claim about the same individual birds.

In the final stanza, the swans appear mysterious and beautiful as they drift on the water. The speaker wonders where they will nest and where they will go. He fears that one day he may wake to discover that they have flown away. The ending remains unresolved: the birds may continue to delight others elsewhere, but their departure would mark the loss of a familiar presence for the speaker.

4. Stanza-wise explanation

Stanza 1: Autumn beauty and the swans

The poem opens with an autumn landscape: trees in seasonal beauty, dry woodland paths and water reflecting the still sky. The lake is full, and fifty-nine swans are gathered on it. The details create a calm, carefully observed scene. The phrase “nine and fifty” means fifty-nine.

The opening is peaceful, but autumn and twilight can also suggest a late stage in a cycle. That association prepares the reader for the speaker’s later thoughts about age and change. It is a possible symbolic reading, not the only meaning of the season or time of day.

Stanza 2: Nineteen years and the memory of flight

The speaker realises that nineteen autumns have passed since his first count. He recalls the swans suddenly taking flight before he had finished counting. Their circling movement and loud wings disturb the stillness of the opening stanza.

The memory makes time measurable: the swans are part of a recurring natural scene, while the speaker has lived through nearly two decades of change. The “broken rings” describe the birds’ movement in the air; readers may also hear an emotional suggestion of disrupted patterns, but this symbolic extension should be presented as interpretation.

Stanza 3: The speaker’s changed condition

The speaker admits that his heart is sore. Looking at the swans reminds him of the earlier occasion when he walked with a lighter step. The contrast is not simply between happy and sad moods; it is between the speaker’s remembered vitality and his present awareness of change.

The phrase “bell-beat” makes the sound of the swans’ wings vivid and resonant. The image can suggest both beauty and a tolling sound associated with the passage of time. The line “All’s changed” is direct and emotionally weighty, marking the poem’s movement from landscape description to personal reflection.

Stanza 4: The swans’ apparent vitality

The swans are described as unwearied and paired “lover by lover”. They move through water and air, while the speaker imagines them as still possessing passion and the power of conquest. Their apparent energy contrasts with his own sense of ageing.

“Companionable” suggests company or fellowship. “Passion or conquest” is deliberately broad: it may evoke desire, vitality, achievement or the instinctive force of living creatures. Avoid reducing the phrase to one fixed meaning. The swans appear untouched by age in the speaker’s imagination, but the poem does not establish that they are literally the same birds he saw nineteen years earlier.

Stanza 5: Beauty, uncertainty and possible departure

The final stanza returns to the swans on the still water. The words “mysterious” and “beautiful” combine admiration with a sense that the birds cannot be fully possessed or understood. The speaker asks where they will nest and which lake or pool they will inhabit.

The final question imagines the speaker waking one day to find the swans gone. It is not certain that they will disappear forever; the poem presents a fear and an unanswered possibility. Their departure would end the speaker’s familiar encounter with them, even if they continued to delight other observers elsewhere.

5. Major themes and interpretations

Time and ageing

The nineteen-year interval makes time concrete. The speaker remembers his former lightness of step and contrasts it with his present sorrow. The swans become a measure against which he feels his own changes.

Change and apparent permanence

The swans seem “unwearied” and ageless, while the speaker feels that everything has changed. Yet the final stanza unsettles the contrast: the birds may fly away. Their apparent permanence is therefore not guaranteed.

Memory and loss

The present scene triggers a memory of an earlier visit. Remembering the past makes the present more beautiful and more painful at once: the speaker can still see the swans, but he cannot recover his former self.

Love and companionship

The swans’ pairing suggests intimacy and companionship. Their paired movement contrasts with the speaker’s solitary observation. The poem implies loneliness through this contrast without explicitly explaining the speaker’s personal relationships.

Nature and human vulnerability

Nature offers beauty and continuity, but the poem does not promise that any particular scene will last. The possibility that the swans may leave reminds the speaker that even cherished natural presences are not permanently available to him.

Beauty and uncertainty

The speaker admires the swans but cannot control where they go. The poem’s final questions preserve this uncertainty rather than resolving it into a simple moral.

How to write about symbolism: A strong answer connects an image to the poem’s words and development. For example, autumn can suggest the later stages of life because the poem links the season to the speaker’s awareness of age. Do not state that every autumn image always means old age.

6. Form, rhyme scheme and poetic devices

Structure and rhyme scheme

The poem has five stanzas of six lines each. The commonly identified end-rhyme scheme is ABCBDD. In each stanza, lines 2 and 4 rhyme, and lines 5 and 6 form a closing rhyming couplet. The first and third lines have their own end sounds.

LineEnd word in stanza 1Rhyme label
1beautyA
2dryB
3waterC
4skyB
5stonesD
6swansD

The line lengths vary, with a regular musical movement that supports the poem’s reflective tone. The closing couplet in each stanza gives a sense of local completion, while the poem as a whole remains emotionally unresolved.

Poetic devices

DeviceExample or featureEffect
Visual imageryThe autumn trees, dry paths and still waterCreates a clear scene and establishes the quiet atmosphere before the speaker’s reflections deepen.
Sound imagery“clamorous wings” and “bell-beat”Lets the reader imagine the noise of the swans’ flight. “Bell-beat” also gives the wingbeats a resonant, almost tolling quality.
SymbolismAutumn, twilight and the swansMay suggest ageing, transition, vitality or continuity when read in context. These meanings are possibilities supported by the poem, not fixed dictionary equivalents.
ContrastThe speaker’s changed condition versus the swans’ apparent vitalityBrings the poem’s central concern with time and ageing into focus.
RepetitionThe recurrence of “still” in different contextsConnects the stillness of the lake with the swans’ seeming persistence. Its meaning depends on the phrase in which it appears.
Personification / figurative attributionThe swans’ hearts are said not to have grown oldGives the birds a human emotional quality and presents them as a contrast to the speaker’s experience of ageing.
Rhetorical questionsThe questions about where the swans will build and where they will goExpress uncertainty and leave the ending open rather than giving a definite answer.
Sound pattern and rhythmRegular rhyme and varied line lengthsContribute to the musical quality and reflective pace of the lyric.

Tone and mood

The poem moves from quiet admiration of the autumn scene to memory, personal sorrow and uncertainty. The speaker’s attitude toward the swans remains admiring, but the final questions make the tone more apprehensive. “Calm” alone does not describe the full emotional movement.

7. Important words and phrases

Word or phraseMeaning in contextWhy it matters
BrimmingFilled to the edge or nearly overflowingEmphasises the lake’s fullness and the richness of the scene.
Nine and fiftyFifty-nineThe unusual phrasing draws attention to the speaker’s precise count.
WheelingMoving in sweeping circles or turnsConveys the swans’ coordinated flight.
ClamorousLoud and noisyContrasts with the quiet landscape of the opening stanza.
SorePained or distressedExpresses the speaker’s emotional response to the passage of time.
Bell-beatA sound like the beat or ringing of a bellMakes the wingbeats vivid and resonant.
UnweariedNot tired; apparently tirelessEmphasises the vitality the speaker attributes to the swans.
CompanionableFriendly or suited to companionshipSuggests fellowship among the swans.
ConquestVictory, mastery or the act of overcomingBroadens the idea of the swans’ continuing energy and power.
RushesTall, grass-like plants that grow in wet placesHelps the reader picture a possible nesting place by the water.

8. Short-answer questions with model answers

1. How many swans does the speaker see at Coole?

He sees fifty-nine swans, expressed in the poem as “nine and fifty swans”.

2. What atmosphere is created in the opening stanza?

The autumn trees, dry paths, twilight and still water create a quiet, beautiful atmosphere. This calm setting makes the later memory of the swans’ noisy flight more striking.

3. Why does the speaker mention that nineteen autumns have passed?

The interval measures the passage of time since he first counted the swans. It also prompts him to compare his former self with the person he has become.

4. What does the memory of walking with a “lighter tread” suggest?

It suggests that the speaker once felt younger or more vital. His present sorrow comes partly from recognising the difference between his earlier and current condition.

5. Why are the swans described as “unwearied”?

The word emphasises their apparent energy and endurance. In the speaker’s perception, they contrast with his own awareness of ageing and emotional change.

6. What is suggested by the swans moving “lover by lover”?

The phrase presents the swans as paired companions and evokes intimacy. Their companionship may sharpen the sense of solitude in the speaker, who watches them alone.

7. Explain the phrase “Their hearts have not grown old”.

The phrase figuratively presents the swans as retaining their vitality and passion. It expresses how they appear to the speaker; it should not be taken as a literal claim that the same individual birds have remained unchanged for nineteen years.

8. What is the significance of the final questions?

The questions reveal that the speaker cannot know where the swans will go or whether they will remain at Coole. They leave the poem open-ended and express apprehension about losing a familiar source of beauty.

9. How does the natural setting contribute to the poem?

The landscape gives the speaker something concrete to observe and remember. Autumn and twilight may suggest transition, while the swans’ movement creates a contrast between stillness and energy.

10. Does the poem offer a simple lesson about accepting change?

Not exactly. Acceptance is one possible response, but the poem is more ambivalent. The speaker admires the swans, grieves over his own changes and fears their departure without reaching a clear resolution.

9. Long-answer questions with answer frameworks

1. Discuss the contrast between the speaker and the swans.

The poem’s central contrast is between the speaker’s changing human life and the swans’ apparent vitality. The nineteen-year interval makes the passage of time measurable. The speaker remembers his former “lighter tread” but now feels sorrow. By contrast, the swans seem unwearied, paired and full of energy. Their apparent constancy is partly a product of the speaker’s perception: the poem does not establish that they are the same birds he saw years earlier. The final possibility that they may fly away also unsettles the idea of permanence. The contrast therefore explores ageing, memory and the desire to hold on to beauty, rather than proving that nature never changes.

2. How does Yeats use nature to explore time and change?

The autumn setting and October twilight establish a moment of transition. The lake and swans create a scene of beauty that prompts the speaker to recall an earlier visit. His exact count and reference to nineteen autumns connect the present with the past. The swans appear energetic and enduring, while the speaker recognises that he has changed. Nature thus becomes both a source of delight and a mirror for his reflections. Yet the ending prevents a simple opposition between changing humans and permanent nature: the swans may leave, and the scene the speaker values may not remain available to him.

3. Explain the significance of the poem’s ending.

The poem ends with questions about where the swans will nest and whether they will eventually disappear from the speaker’s view. These questions shift attention from their present beauty to their uncertain future. The speaker does not claim to know when or where they will go. Their departure would be a personal loss, although they might continue to delight others elsewhere. The open ending sustains the poem’s themes of impermanence, memory and uncertainty. It avoids turning the poem into a simple moral or resolving the speaker’s emotional conflict.

4. Discuss the use of imagery and sound in the poem.

Visual images of autumn trees, dry paths, twilight and still water establish a composed landscape. The swans then disrupt this stillness through their sudden flight and “clamorous wings”. The phrase “bell-beat” makes the sound memorable and resonant. The contrast between quiet water and noisy movement mirrors the shift from observation to memory and emotion. The recurring rhyme and musical rhythm help unify the five stanzas. Together, these features make the poem both a description of a natural scene and a meditation on the speaker’s changing life.

5. Are the swans symbols of permanence?

The swans can be read as symbols of apparent permanence because the speaker sees them after nineteen years and describes them as unwearied. They seem to retain a vitality that he feels he has lost. However, this symbolism is not absolute. The birds are living creatures, and the final stanza imagines that they may fly away. The poem therefore holds two ideas together: the swans appear to offer continuity, but their presence is not guaranteed. A strong answer should explain both sides of this tension rather than simply stating that the swans represent immortality.

Writing tip: For a longer answer, begin with a direct point, develop two or three relevant details from the poem, explain their effect and finish by linking them to the question. Avoid repeating the plot without analysing it.

10. Extract-based practice MCQs

These are original practice questions based on the poem, not a reproduction of an official CBSE question paper. Choose the best answer, then open the answer key.

Set A: Setting and imagery

  1. The opening description mainly establishes a mood of:
    A. panic and confusion   B. quiet beauty and stillness   C. anger and conflict   D. celebration and triumph
  2. The exact count of fifty-nine swans is important chiefly because it:
    A. proves that the speaker is a scientist   B. connects observation with memory and the earlier count   C. explains the birds’ migration route   D. shows that all swans live in odd-numbered groups
  3. The phrase “clamorous wings” appeals mainly to the sense of:
    A. taste   B. touch   C. hearing   D. smell
  4. The change from still water to sudden flight chiefly creates:
    A. a contrast in movement and sound   B. a comic effect   C. a change of speaker   D. a scientific explanation
  5. The reference to nineteen autumns primarily emphasises:
    A. the length of a single evening   B. the passage of time   C. the age of every swan   D. the exact length of autumn

Set B: Interpretation and form

  1. “Their hearts have not grown old” is best understood as:
    A. a biological report about individual birds   B. a figurative description of their apparent vitality   C. proof that the speaker cannot count   D. a statement that the birds never move
  2. The phrase “lover by lover” most strongly suggests:
    A. companionship and pairing   B. competition between poets   C. separation from nature   D. the end of the birds’ lives
  3. The final questions create a sense of:
    A. certainty   B. comic relief   C. uncertainty and possible loss   D. complete resolution
  4. The poem’s rhyme scheme is commonly identified as:
    A. AABBCC   B. ABABCC   C. ABCBDD   D. ABCABC
  5. Which statement best describes the poem’s central tension?
    A. The speaker wants to capture the swans.   B. The speaker’s awareness of change contrasts with the swans’ apparent vitality.   C. The speaker dislikes the landscape.   D. The poem explains how swans build nests.
MCQ answer key with explanations
  1. B. The still water and autumn setting establish quiet beauty.
  2. B. The count links the present scene with the memory of the earlier visit.
  3. C. “Clamorous” describes loud sound.
  4. A. The sudden flight interrupts the calm scene and changes its sound and movement.
  5. B. The phrase marks the time elapsed since the first count.
  6. B. It presents the swans as apparently retaining vitality; it is figurative, not a biological claim.
  7. A. “Lover by lover” evokes pairs and companionship.
  8. C. The speaker cannot know whether the swans will remain.
  9. C. The end words follow ABCBDD: the second and fourth lines rhyme, followed by a closing couplet.
  10. B. This contrast drives the speaker’s reflection on time and ageing.

11. Quick revision notes

PoemThe Wild Swans at Coole
PoetW. B. Yeats
SettingCoole Park, Ireland, on an autumn evening
Number of swansFifty-nine
Time intervalNineteen autumns since the speaker first counted them
StructureFive six-line stanzas
Rhyme schemeABCBDD
Main themesTime and ageing; memory and loss; apparent permanence; companionship; beauty and uncertainty
ToneReflective and admiring, with increasing sorrow and apprehension
EndingOpen-ended questions about the swans’ future and possible departure

Three useful points for an exam answer:

  • Explain how the nineteen-year interval connects memory with the speaker’s sense of change.
  • Show that the swans’ permanence is an appearance or symbolic contrast, not a literal certainty.
  • Discuss the ending as an expression of uncertainty, rather than assigning the poem a simplistic moral.

12. Sources and further reading

Use reliable sources to verify the poem’s text, publication history and context. Interpretive readings should still be supported by the poem itself.

EnglishNotes presents this as a learning and revision guide. Students should follow the prescribed textbook, syllabus and teacher’s instructions for the exact examination format.

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