Reading Comprehension: Kamala Das
Context: This passage is a pivotal piece of Indian English poetry by Kamala Das, often analyzed for its confessional nature and visceral imagery regarding the act of creation.
Words
By Kamala Das
All round me are words, and words and words,
They grow on me like leaves, they never
Seem to stop their slow growing
From within... But I tell my self, words
Are a nuisance, beware of them, they
Can be so many things, a
Chasm where running feet must pause, to
Look, a sea with paralyzing waves,
A blast of burning air or,
A knife most willing to cut your best
Friend's throat... Words are a nuisance, but.
They grow on me like leaves on a tree,
They never seem to stop their coming,
From a silence, somewhere deep within..
Q. Which one of the following is not a metaphor employed in the poem?
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Correct Answer: 4 (a throat)
The throat is used literally in the context of the poem to demonstrate the damage a metaphorical "knife" can do. In contrast, the knife, sea, and tree are all vehicles for metaphors describing the nature and growth of words.
Q. A major theme of the poem can best be summarized as—
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Correct Answer: 2 (The growth/flow of words cannot be restricted)
The poem highlights the irrepressible nature of poetic expression. Phrases like "never seem to stop their slow growing" emphasize that for the speaker, language is an unstoppable biological and spiritual necessity.
Q. Which one of the following lines indicates the destructive character of words?
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Correct Answer: 2 (A blast of burning air or,)
The imagery of "burning air" alongside the "knife" illustrates the volatility and harmful potential of words when used as weapons or in moments of intense emotion.
Q. Which one of the following poetic devices is used in the opening line of the poem?
Line: "All round me are words, and words and words,"
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Correct Answer: 2 (Anaphora)
The repetition of the word "words" creates a rhythmic emphasis and mimics the "crowding" effect the speaker feels. Anaphora effectively establishes the poem's central obsession immediately.
Q. The poem is most similar in style and form to—
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Correct Answer: 2 (Open verse)
Kamala Das typically employs Open Verse (Free Verse), which lacks a strict rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. This allows her to mimic the natural flow of thought and the "slow growing" of words she describes.
Reading Comprehension: The Wisdom of Childhood
Context: This passage (often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi) explores the spiritual and social significance of children. It argues that children are the true teachers of peace and that "real war against war" begins with preserving their natural innocence.
Passage Analysis
I believe implicitly that the child is not born mischievous in the bad sense of the term. If parents would behave themselves whilst the child is growing, before it is born and after, it is a well-known fact that the child would instinctively obey the law of truth and the law of love. …And believe me, from my experience of hundreds I was going to say thousands- of children. I know that they have perhaps a finer sense of honour than you or I have. The greatest lessons of life, if we would but stoop and humble ourselves, we would learn not from grown-up learned men, but from the so-called ignorant children. Jesus never uttered a loftier or a grander truth than when he said that wisdom cometh out of the mouth of babes. I believe it. I have noticed in my experience that if we approach babies in humility and innocence, we would learn wisdom from them. I have learned this one lesson- that what is impossible with man is child's play with God and if we have faith in that Divinity which presides on the destiny of the meanest of His creation, I have no doubt that all things are possible and in that final hope, I believe and pass my time and endeavor to obey His will. If we are to reach real peace in this world and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with children, and if they will grow up in their natural innocence, we won't have to struggle, we won't have to pass fruitless, idle resolutions, but we shall go from love to love and peace to peace, until at last all the corners of the world are covered with that peace and love for which, consciously or unconsciously, the whole world is hungering.
Q. Which phrase rightly encapsulates the central message of the passage?
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Correct Answer: 2 (For even the wisest can learn incalculably much from children)
The entire passage centers on the idea of "humbling ourselves" to learn from the "so-called ignorant children." The author argues that children possess a finer sense of honor and instinctive truth than adults.
Q. What does a ‘real war’ signify in the phrase "a real war against war"?
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Correct Answer: 4 (A war against self-conceit and prejudices)
In the context of the passage, fighting war requires a transformation of the heart. By starting with children and preserving their innocence, we fight against the adult vices of ego, pride (self-conceit), and learned prejudices that lead to conflict.
Q. What, according to the passage, is needed to spread peace and love in the world?
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Correct Answer: 2 (Preservation of natural innocence)
The author explicitly states that if children "grow up in their natural innocence," we will not need "fruitless, idle resolutions." Peace is achieved through the organic growth of this innate innocence rather than external academic or political structures.
Q. What kind of a passage is this?
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Correct Answer: 2 (Persuasive)
The passage uses first-person testimony ("I believe," "I have noticed"), moral appeals, and religious references to convince the reader to change their perspective on children and world peace. It is a call to action through spiritual conviction.
Q. Which ‘will of God’ is the author referring to in the line: "I believe and pass my time and endeavor to obey His will"?
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Correct Answer: 4 (To turn towards children in humility and innocence to learn wisdom)
The author identifies "Divine Will" with the practice of humility. Throughout the text, the path to God and peace is inextricably linked to adopting the "child-like" qualities of innocence and learning from those the world considers "ignorant."