NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English: Flamingo (Poetry) - Chapter 2

Ques: Tick the item which best answers the following.

(a) The tall girl with her head weighed down means the girl ______________________.

(i) is ill and exhausted

(ii) has her head bent with shame

(iii) has untidy hair

(b) The paper-seeming boy with rat’s eyes means the boy is ______________________.

(i) sly and secretive

(ii) thin, hungry and weak

(iii) unpleasant looking

(c) The stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones means the boy ______________________.

(i) has an inherited disability

(ii) was short and bony

(d) His eyes live in a dream. A squirrel’s game, in the tree room other than this. This means the boy is ______________________.

(i) full of hope in the future

(ii) mentally ill

(iii) distracted from the lesson

(e) The children’s faces are compared to ‘rootless weeds’. This means they ______________________.

(i) are insecure

(ii) are ill-fed

(iii) are wasters

Answer: (a) (ii) is ill and exhausted

(b) (ii) thin, hungry and weak

(c) (i)has an inherited disability

(d) (iii) distracted from the lesson

(e) (iii)are waste

Ques: What do you think is the colour of ‘sour cream’? Why do you think the poet has used this expression to describe the classroom walls?

Answer: The 'sour cream' will reveal a dirty yellowish colour. The poet uses the word 'sour cream walls' to describe both the color and the foul smell that these walls emit.

Ques: The walls of the classroom are decorated with the pictures of ‘Shakespeare’, ‘buildings with domes’, ‘world maps’ and beautiful valleys. How do these contrast with the world of these children?

Answer: The pictures of ‘Shakespeare’, ‘buildings with domes’, ‘world maps’ and beautiful valley represent the honor, education, civility, beauty, and vastness. While, the poverty-stricken and neglected kids in the classroom are an example of the lack: they lack beauty, proper education, development, and freedom to explore the world. Even their future does not hold any promise. In fact, there are chances these pictures may tempt them to pursue the wrong path in order to find ways to attain the things indicated by them.

Thus, the contrast is highlighted by juxtaposing the world as represented by the pictures and the reality of these kids confined in a “narrow street sealed in with a lead sky”, both made present in the same classroom.

Ques: What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made to change?

Answer: He wants the children of the slums to explore the outside world, beyond the boundaries of their slums, and experience a better present and future life.

The elementary school in the slum does not serve any purpose with its poor infrastructure and disinterested students. The poet feels that the governor, inspector, and visitors should take initiative to bring about a real change in their situation. To ensure a better way of living for them, they need to be given proper education and freedom from their present confines. They need opportunity, encouragement, and optimism to be able to live life with purpose and zest.