The Pulley – Textbook Questions and Answers | Class 10 English

Talking to oneself audibly gives Dramatic Monologues (e.g. “Oh, dear! Why didn’t I get up sooner?”). Imagine and write monologues suitable in the following situations:
(a) It’s your birthday next week.
(b) You have been waiting long at the city bus stop.
(c) Your final exam results are to be declared tomorrow.
(d) Your mother has been chatting for very long on the telephone.

‘The Pulley’ is a mechanical device. Write down places where it can be used, and for what purpose.

What did God’s glass of blessings contain?

What would the human being do if God gifted him with ‘Rest’?

With the help of the clues, pick out words containing the letter ‘a’ from the poem and build a word-pyramid: (a) an article (b) a preposition (c) past tense of ‘lie’ (d) maximum length of your open palm (e) make much of (f) loveliness (g) in place of (h) a collection of priceless valuables (i) restlessness and discontent

Herbert’s poem ‘The Pulley’ displays ______ as the two main themes.

The theme of the poem ‘The Pulley’ is (find two correct statements):
(i) to focus on the mechanical operation of a pulley.
(ii) to teach a lesson to a creation (man) by the Creator (God).
(iii) to know the different gifts bestowed on man by God.
(iv) to remind man about his creator in his exhaustion.
(v) God pulled man towards Him by making him restless and weary.

In the poem, ‘The Pulley’ is considered ______.

______ is an example of Pun from the poem.

______ is an example of Paradox from the poem.

______ is an example of Synecdoche from the poem.

______ is an example of Alliteration from the poem.

______ is an example of Inversion from the poem.

The rhyme scheme of the poem is ______.

Discuss and answer in your own words.
(a) The poet has used the word REST thrice in the poem. Write what the word implies in each of the three lines it occurs.

Discuss and answer in your own words.
(b) What does God want in return from man, for the gifts He has bestowed upon him?

Discuss and answer in your own words.
(c) Why did God withhold the gift of ‘Rest’ from man?

Discuss and answer in your own words.
(d) Besides those given in the poem, what other gifts has God blessed mankind with above his other creations? Enlist them.

Discuss and answer in your own words.
(e) When does man generally turn to God? Give one example to support your response.

Justify the title of the poem ‘The Pulley’ in your own words.

Pick out 3 lines that contain Monologues of God.

Pick out two lines that contain the following figures of speech: (a) Antithesis (b) Alliteration (c) Inversion

Explain the Figure of Speech in the following line.
(a) Rest in the bottom lay – PUN because ...

Explain the Figure of Speech in the following line.
(b) Bestow this jewel also on my creature – METAPHOR because ...

Explain the Figure of Speech in the following line.
(c) And rest in nature, not the God of Nature – REPETITION because ...

Write Critical Appreciation of the poem ‘The Pulley’ in a paragraph format.

‘Pun’ is a play on words based on their different meanings (e.g. ‘Writing with a broken pencil is pointless.’). Find the example of Pun in this poem and make a sentence of your own. Share a joke where the use of pun creates humour.

Write a paragraph on the points in each block to get a summary of each of the four stanzas of the poem.
I: God – created man – best creation – offered blessings/gifts
II: God gifted man – beauty, wisdom, honour etc. – did not give ‘Rest’
III: Man – if happy/contented – forgets God – instead worships gifts
IV: Man needs to be reminded of the Giver – God made his life discontented – so man is lifted with a Pulley towards Him