I Remember I Remember Extract Questions: Treasure Chest Workbook Solutions of ICSE Class 9 English written by Thomas Hood. The Treasure Chest ( A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories) workbook passage wise questions and answer of English. Visit official website CISCE for detail information about ICSE Board Class- 9 English.
I Remember I Remember Extract Questions: Treasure Chest Workbook Solutions of ICSE Class 9 English written by Thomas Hood
| Board | ICSE |
| Publications | Evergreen Publications |
| Subject | English |
| Class | 9 |
| Book Name | Treasure Chest |
| Chapter | I Remember I Remember |
| Writer | Thomas Hood |
| Topics | Extract Questions |
Extract Questions Solutions of I Remember I Remember
Question:– Read the following extract from the poem ‘I Remember I Remember by Thomas Hood and answer the questions that follow:
I remember, I remember, ….. ….. ….. my breath away!
Que-1: What does line 1 convey? In what mood is the speaker ?
Ans: Line 1. The speaker recalls his childhood days in a reflective and sentimental tone, remembering the idyllic past of his joyful childhood.
Que-2: How is the sun treated here ? Which memory of the poet’s childhood is associated with it ?
Ans: Here, the sun is treated as a human being that peeps through the window and is shown to do its duties perfectly well and efficiently, The memory associated with it is of the poet as a child waking up early to enjoy a sunny day, with the sun peeping in at morn through a little window, never coming too soon nor too long a day.
Que-3: What does the poet wish ? Why?
Ans: The poet wishes that the night had borne his breath away, meaning he wishes he had died. He feels so gloomy and disheartened and is seemingly sad with his adulthood, which is a period full of worries, cares and he wishes he had died during his joyful childhood so that he would not have to experience this gloomy period.
Que-4: How does the poet contrast childhood and adulthood?
Ans: The poet contrasts childhood and adulthood by his fond memories of childhood and comparing it with his adulthood, which is weighed down by worries and cares and frustration. The happiness of the past is highlighted, while the implicit gloom of the present is felt. He contrasts the feelings of his childhood, when he was free and composed, with his adulthood, where he is quite unhappy and ‘fevered’.
Que-5: How does the poet view swinging in his childhood ?
Ans: As per poet opinion swinging in his childhood as an experience of freedom . He recalls how he used to ‘fly’ like a wingless bird on a swing, experiencing the thrill of swinging in fresh air, and how his soul was then ‘light’.
I remember, I remember, The roses, red and white, ……. The tree is living yet!
Que-1: What has the poet wished earlier in the context ?
Ans: The poet has wished that the night had borne his breath away, meaning he wished he had died in his childhood.
Que-2: “Those flowers made of light !’ Explain.
Ans: In this line “Those flowers made of light!” refers to the roses, violets, and lily-cups of his childhood. These colourful, beautiful flowers used to make his life joyful, and the expression suggests their purity, and the intense joy and brightness they brought to his childhood memories.
Que-3: What is ‘laburnum’? What makes the poet excited about it?
Ans: It is a small tree with hanging bunches of yellow flowers. The poet is excited because his brother planted it on his birthday, and the poet exclaims, “The tree is living yet!”, which shows his excitement that this connection to his happy childhood memories still present.
Que-4: Childhood is a period of freedom. Which childhood image in the poem reminds you of this ?
Ans: The childhood image reminds as freedom when the poet describes swinging. Poet says, “My spirit flew in feathers then,” which conveys a sense of being light, unburdened, like a bird freedom of childhood.
Que-5: Why does the poet refer to the fir tree tops later in the context?
Ans: The fir tree tops the poet refers to draw a contrast between his childhood innocence and his adult experience. In childhood, he ignorantly thought their slender tops were close against the sky, implying a closeness to heaven while As an adult, he knows this was “childish ignorance,” but this acquired wisdom brings “little joy” as he now feels “farther off from heaven,” highlighting the loss of innocence and the perceived spiritual distance that has come with adulthood
I remember, I remember, Where I was used to swing, ………. The fever on my brow!
Que-1: What did the poet’s brother plant and when? What is so exciting about it ?
Ans: A laburnum tree The poet’s brother planted on his birthday, “The tree is living yet!”, showing his excitement that this tangible piece of his childhood memory.
Que-2: How would the poet feel as a child on a swing ?
Ans: The poet would feel free like a bird and quite ‘light’ and cheerful. The word used to ‘fly’ like a wingless bird and experience the swinging in fresh air, thinking the air must rush as fresh to him as it did to swallows on the wing, and his spirit “flew in feathers then.”
Que-3: Elaborate the contrast between ‘then’ (childhood) and ‘now’ (adulthood).
Ans: The contrast between ‘then’ (childhood) and ‘now’ (adulthood) is sharply drawn by the poet. In childhood, his spirit “flew in feathers,” indicating it was ‘light’—cheerful, calm, and quiet. ‘Now’, in adulthood, that same spirit “is so heavy,” indicating gloominess, boredom, and restlessness. In childhood, he was free and composed, while in adulthood, he is quite unhappy and ‘fevered’.
Que-4: Explain the last line in this extract.
Ans: The last line, “And summer pools could hardly cool / The fever on my brow!”, means that the misery, gloominess, and restlessness of his adulthood are so profound that even the refreshing coolness of summer pools cannot alleviate this ‘fevered’ state of his mind. It signifies a deep-seated exhaustion and regret of being grown-up that external comforts cannot soothe, unlike the simple joys of childhood.
Que-5: Does the poet want to escape from the present harsh realities ? Why?
Ans: Yes, the poet wants to escape from the present harsh realities. He is now so miserable that he wishes he had died in childhood. He wants to escape because his present adulthood is weighed down by worries, cares, and boredom, and he feels so gloomy and disheartened. The happy recollection of his childhood makes him wish he had breathed his last then to avoid the ‘sins’ and burdens of adulthood.
I remember, I remember, The fir trees dark and high; ….. …… Than when I was a boy.
Que-1: What is the poet nostalgic about?
Ans: In this stanza, the poet is nostalgic about the fir trees he remembers from his childhood, which were dark and high, and specifically about his childhood perception that their slender tops were close against the sky.
Que-2: What was the childhood viewpoint about the ‘fir trees’?
Ans: The childhood viewpoint about the ‘fir trees’ was that their slender tops seemed to be near the sky, as if they were touching it
Que-3: How does the poet view his adulthood ‘wisdom’ as compared to his childhood ‘ignorance’?
Ans: The poet views his adulthood ‘wisdom’ as something that has come at the cost of his childhood innocence and brings him “little joy.” While he recognizes his childhood belief about the fir trees as “childish ignorance,” he feels that this ignorance was accompanied by a sense of being closer to heaven. The so-called wisdom of adulthood has made him realize he is “farther off from heaven,” suggesting that the ignorance of childhood seems better than the wisdom acquired in adulthood, as the gain of knowledge is no bargain if it means losing that innocent bliss.
Que-4: Explain the last two lines of the extract.
Ans: The last two lines, “But now ’tis little joy / To know I’m farther off from heaven / Than when I was a boy,” express the poet’s adult realization. He understands now that his childhood belief about the fir trees touching the sky was ignorance, but this new knowledge brings him little happiness because it is coupled with the feeling that he is now more distant from ‘heaven’—representing innocence, purity, and bliss—than he was in his boyhood.
Que-5: How does the poet now look upon his “childish ignorance”?
Ans: The poet now looks upon his “childish ignorance” with a sense of wistfulness. Although he labels it “ignorance,” he implies that it was a state preferable to his current “wisdom” because, during that time of ignorance, he felt closer to heaven and experienced a purer form of joy. The knowledge gained in adulthood has brought a sorrowful awareness of this lost closeness, making the “childish ignorance” seem better in retrospect.
– : End of I Remember I Remember Extract Questions: Treasure Chest Workbook Solutions of ICSE Class 9 English :-
Return to : ICSE Class 9 Poem: Treasure Chest Workbook Solutions
Please, Share with your friend
Thanks
