Unit : 6 Life Stories

Answer the following questions.

1. Give an example of a symbol in a poem you have studied?
Ans. A symbol means words or images that represent something else. The second stanza of the lullaby
presents an image of a flying bat. The creature is flying around their house. It is a symbol of dark and evil
forces from which the parents always protect their child.
In the poem ‘ Song of the old mother ‘ , the fire represents the old mother herself who wakes up early in the
morning and blows fire and this fire gets cold and feeble in the evening .
2. Explain what is meant by ‘The intended audience of a piece of writing determines the way in which a text is
written.’
Ans. The intended audience means for whom a piece of writing is written. It is an important factor in writing.
The writer’s voice depends on purpose and audience of the text. For example, the voice in a text about a
serious topic for adults will be formal. A text written for a younger audience may have an informal voice. The
writer uses particular vocabulary, grammar and punctuation for this purpose.
3. Describe the difference between literal and figurative language.
Ans. Literal language uses words or phrases in a direct way. For example: She had blue eyes.
Figurative language is a term for creative language by using techniques such as metaphor, personification.
For example: Her eyes were as blue as summer skies.
4. Write a sentence containing an embedded clause.
Ans. Embedded relative clauses are clauses which include relative pronouns: who, that, which, whose, where,
when. They are usually used to define or identify the noun which goes ahead of them. For example: The
crocodile which had been lurking under the water, pounced towards its prey.
5. Using examples, explain how you can use your voice to create different effects when reading poetry aloud.
Ans. 1. Use a relaxed, conversational voice. Follow the punctuation and read with emotion. As in ‘Lullaby ‘
Sleep little baby, clean as a nut,
Your fingers uncurl and your eyes are shut.
2. Notice the sound-tricks poets use and above all, pay attention to the sounds and music as:
 Oh be our rest, our hopeful starts.
Turn your head to my beating heart.

6. Explain how persuasive speeches are structured.

Ans. A persuasive speech is an informative speech. Speech is sequenced with a beginning, a middle and an
end. As we see in Mandela’s speech, first he identifies the terrible nature of the problems and then suggests
the possible solutions. He uses personal pronouns ( I , we etc. ) and direct address ( You ) to convince the
audience.
1.Persuasive speech requires extreme words and phrases such as : Like slavery and apartheid , poverty is not
natural.
2. Figurative language. We are trapped in the prison of poverty.