1.Who does they refer to? (line 1)

Answer: The parents of the boy/ The couple/ The

husband and wife.

2. When /at what time do they return home? (line 1)

Answer: At dawn

3. What is the hardship/suffering the couple has to face?

(line 2,4&5)

Answer:

Their clothes are soaky and torn.

Their limbs are scratched.

Their legs are full of wounds.

4. Why do they approach the stove? (line 3)

Answer:

To keep themselves warm.

To prepare food as they are hungry.

5. What does the line there was not a sign of despair

tell you about the people? (line 7)

Answer: In spite of their hardship, they are opti-

mistic and do not lose hope.

6. Which line tells us that they are used to hardship?

Answer: There was not a sign of despair

7. When faced with hard times, do you face it the

same way the family does? What is your own attitude

towards hard times?

Answer: Yes, I will try to be optimistic and look

at the brighter side of life.

8. How long was the couple out in the rain? (line 8)

Answer: The whole day and night

9. What does the word horrendous mean/

suggest/ imply?

Answer: awful/ terrible /horrifying

10. What are they doing in the flood water?

(line 13)

Answer: Looking for their sons albino

buffalo.

16. What do you think is the peoples attitude

towards life?

Answer: They never complain in spite if their

hardship.

17. Which phrase tells you that they are used to hard-

ship and do not consider it a problem?

Answer: without a sigh of complaint

18. What is the couple doing in the kitchen?

Answer: They are making jokes while rolling

cigarette leaves.

19, What kind of life does the couple lead?

Answer: Hard life/ difficult life

20. Why do they not complain about their

situation?

Answer: Because they are used to the

hardship.

11. What is different / special about the buffalo?

Answer: It is an albino buffalo.

12. What do you think has happened to the buffalo?

Answer: It is dead/ It has drowned/ It is miss-

ing.

13. What could there be in the food water? (line

11&12)

Answer:

Bloated carcasses/ Dead animal

Tiny chips of tree barks

14. Give two reasons why their clothes are soaky and

torn. (line 2,9 &12 )

Answer:

They have to brave the horrendous flood.

There are pieces of tree barks in the water.

15. If you were the parent of the boy, would you go out

in the floods to look for your sons albino

buffalo? Give a reason to support your answer.

Answer:

Yes, because I love my son.

Yes, because the buffalo is special.

No, because it is too dangerous.

1. How are the eyes of the man described? What

does it mean?

Answer: Described as quiet eyes. It means

these eyes are deceiving and dangerous.

2. How does the persona get so attracted to the

man?

Answer: She is attracted to his quiet eyes

that seem captivating.

3. What does the line two pools of lies (line 3)

refer to?

Answer: The deceiving eyes of the man.

4. What does those quiet eyes were breathing

desolate sighs mean? (line 5&6)

Answer: Those deceiving eyes were seeking

sympathy.

5. What does imploring her to be nice mean?

(line 7)

Answer: It means she is obliged to be nice to

him and do anything to keep him happy.

6. What does the word paradise in line 8 imply?

Answer: Happiness/ bliss

7. If only she d been wise implies the girl is

unwise. Why is she unwise?

Answer: She is unwise because she did not

listen to the advice give by others.

8. What is the advice given?

Answer: Never to compromise with pleasure-

seeking guys.

9. Do you think the girl should have listened to the

advice given? Give a reason for your answer.

Answer: Yes, then she would not be broken-

hearted if she had listened to the advice.

10.What does the expression the hows and why

mean?

Answer: It means the reasons for the

problems and how they happen.

11. What advice does the poet give concerning

falling in love? (line 15)

Answer: One must make sure that being

nice to a man does not mean giving in to him

physically.

12. Do you think it is good advice? Why?

Answer: One may fall in love once or twice

before one finds true love,

13. What does the line youll never be losing at

dice suggest?

Answer: One will finally be successful in

love although one may experience heartbreak

once or twice before that.

14. Explain what the experience of falling in love is

being compared to?

Answer: It is being compared to a game of

dice. One may win or lose in the game.

15. Which line in stanza 3 shows that one must

make sure the person is truly sincere?

Answer: Be sure that nice really means

nice

16. In your own words, what lessons you have

learnt from the poem?

Answer:

We must listen to the advice given by others

We must be careful and learn from past

mistakes

We must not judge a book by its cover

17. In your opinion, is the advice useful to others?

Answer: Yes, it would remind others not to

repeat the same mistake.

1. To whom is the poet referring when he uses We?

Answer:

The people of Jamaica/ The Jamaicans.

2. The country portrayed in the poem enjoys two sea-

sons. What are they?

Answer: The hot and rainy seasons.

3. Name one plantation crop mentioned in the

poem?

Answer: Sugar cane

4. What sounds are heard on rainy days?

Answer:

Rains beating like bullets on the roof.

Swish of water in the gullies.

5. What does the phrase high Jamaica winds

signify?

Answer: The winds in Jamaica is strong.

6. Quote a line to show that the wind is destructive.

Answer: And tree struggling in high Jamaica

winds

7.Quote a line to show that the wind is gentle.

Answer: When the tall grass sways and shiv-

ers to the slightest breath of air

8. Which word suggests that harvesting is over?

Answer: reaped

9. Which phrase suggests that harvesting is over?

Answer: lie bare and fallow

10. What can be heard and smelt when one walks

near the bushes?

Answer:

The sound of bees

The scent of honey

11. Explain what evidence shows that nature is rich

and bountiful.

Answer:

The mango and logwood blossom

12.What is meant by the word paved as used in

the poem?

Answer: Covered

13. What do the yellow stars refer to?

Answer: Yellow buttercups

14. Explain how the persona feels about the

weather conditions in Jamaica?

Answer: The persona feels happy about the

weather conditions in Jamaica as he describes

its beauty.

15. Would you like to visit a country with four

seasons or a country with two seasons. Why?

Answer:

I would like to visit a country with four sea-

sons because I can see different scenes at

different seasons.

I would like to visit a country with two sea-

sons because the wet and dry season each

has its own beauty.

1. At whom is the question Are you still playing

your flute? directed?

Answer: The poets beloved/ The flutist

2. What do you know about the poets beloved?

Answer: He plays the flute in the village.

3. What is the problem in the relationship between

the persona and the flutist? (line 2)

Answer: There is hardly time for their love.

4. How does the melody affect the persona?

Answer: She feels guilty longing for his mel-

ody/song.

5. What is meant by the phrase to the depth of my

heart? (line 10)

Answer: To the bottom of her heart.

6. What has happened to the village? (line 12&13)

Answer:

The village has become quiet and deserted.

The rice fields are not fertile anymore.

7. Why is the flutists village deserted and its rice

field sick?

Answer: People have moved to the city so

very few people work in the rice fields.

8. What are the pleasurable pastimes in the

village?

Answer:

Watching the rain

Gazing at the evening rays

Collecting dew drops

Enjoying the fragrance of flowers

9. Why do you think the flutist is not leaving his

village?

Answer:

He loves the peaceful countryside.

He does not like the hustle and bustle of the

city.

10. Where do you think the persona probably is?

Answer: In the city

11. Would you like to be in the same place as the

persona? Why?

Answer:

Yes, because I love the modern lifestyle in

the city.

No, I would rather be in the village and enjoy

the beauty of nature.

12. In stanza 2, the word deserted means?

Answer: Abandoned.

13. What does the word here refer to?

Answer: The city

14. Why do you think the persona repeats the

question, Are you still playing your flute?

Answer: To emphasize her feeling of disap-

pointment or frustration with the flutist.

15. What are the problems the personas brothers

face?

Answer: They are unemployed and

desperate.

16. What problems do you think the personas

country is facing?

Answer:

Her people are disunited politically.

Her friends were killed mercilessly.

People are jobless/ People have no work.

17. How would you react if you were in the

position of the persona?

Answer:

I would think rationally and not be

emotionally.

I would keep myself busy to forget the past.

18. From the last stanza, what does the word

hazard symbolize?

Answer: Danger/ Difficulty

19. In your own words, explain what is meant by the

line my younger brothers unemployed and desperate.

Answer: People are jobless and facing many dif-

ficulties in life.

20. In your own words, suggests two ways to make the

world a better place.

Answer:

The government should provide more jobs.

People should not kill each other.

People should live in peace.