Std 7 English · Unit Two

2.1 From a Railway Carriage

Complete textbook exercise solutions — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Seven English.

Reference: The questions below are based on the poem "From a Railway Carriage" found in the document 703020001_065330-32-33.pdf[cite: 7].

1Read the poem aloud with proper rhythm. What does the rhythm remind you of?[cite: 7]

The continuous, rhythmic sound of the poem reminds us of the 'chug-chug' and rapid 'clickety-clack' sound of a fast-moving steam train running along the railway tracks[cite: 7].

2Find pairs of rhyming words from the poem.[cite: 7]

witches – ditches[cite: 7]
battle – cattle[cite: 7]
plain – rain[cite: 7]
eye – by[cite: 7]
scrambles – brambles[cite: 7]
gazes – daisies[cite: 7]
road – load[cite: 7]
river – ever[cite: 7]

3Write the following:[cite: 7]

(1) The sights seen through a railway carriage mentioned in the first stanza.[cite: 7]
Bridges, houses, hedges, ditches, meadows, horses, and cattle[cite: 7].

(2) The sights mentioned in the second stanza.[cite: 7]
Hills, plains, and painted stations[cite: 7].

(3) The sights mentioned in the third stanza.[cite: 7]
A child clambering and scrambling to gather brambles, a tramp standing and gazing, the green area for stringing daisies, a runaway cart in the road with a man and load, a mill, and a river[cite: 7].

4Think and answer:[cite: 7]

(1) Why are the sights said to 'fly'?[cite: 7]
Since the train is moving extremely fast, the stationary objects outside the window appear to rush past rapidly, creating the optical illusion that they are flying backwards[cite: 7].

(2) Does the last line make you happy or sad? Why?[cite: 7]

The last line, "Each a glimpse and gone for ever!"[cite: 7], makes me feel a bit sad. It reminds us that beautiful sights and passing moments in life vanish very quickly, and we might never get to experience those exact fleeting moments again.

5List the lines that begin with 'Here' or 'And here'. Also list the sentences or phrases that begin with 'And there'. Can we tell which ones are closer to the train and which ones are at a distance? How?[cite: 7]

Lines beginning with 'Here' or 'And here':

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles[cite: 7]
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes[cite: 7]
Here is a cart run away in the road[cite: 7]
And here is a mill[cite: 7]

Phrases beginning with 'And there':

And there is the green for stringing the daisies![cite: 7]
and there is a river.[cite: 7]

Which ones are closer and which ones are at a distance?
Yes, we can tell[cite: 7]. The word 'here' is used for objects that are close to the train tracks (the child, the tramp, the cart, and the mill), whereas the word 'there' is used to describe objects that are further away in the distance (the green field and the river)[cite: 7].

6Read the following: • Fly as thick as driving rain. • Charging along like troops in a battle. Using your imagination, write one or two comparisons each with • like • as ... as[cite: 7]

Comparisons using 'like':

The runner was zooming past the finish line like a cheetah chasing its prey.
The stars sparkled in the night sky like diamonds on black velvet.

Comparisons using 'as ... as':

The new feather pillow was as soft as a fluffy cloud.
The warrior stood his ground, as solid as a mountain.

7Write about the sights you may see from a bus or an aeroplane. You may write it in the form of a short poem.[cite: 7]

Sights from an Aeroplane:

High up in the cloudy sky,
Watching tiny birds fly by.
The houses look like tiny blocks,
The mountains look like little rocks.
Rivers shine like silver threads,
As we zoom above their beds.

8Find and read other poems of R. L. Stevenson using the internet. Find other rhythmic poems about trains, in English or other languages.[cite: 7]

This is a research and reading activity. Students can explore poems like "My Shadow" or "The Swing" by R. L. Stevenson. For rhythmic poems about trains, you can look up "Night Mail" by W. H. Auden.

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