Meadow Surprises
New Words
Word - Meaning
brook - small river/stream
straws - a thin hollow tube of paper or plastic for sucking drink
from a glass or bottle (here the antennas of a butterfly)
Nectar - a sweet liquid produced by flowers and collected by
bees and other insects
Flutter - to make a series of quick delicate movements up and
down or from side to side
Fuzzy - blurry
Burrows - a hole in the ground dug by an animal such as
a rabbit, to live in
Mound - a small structure build by ants/ anthills
Discover - to find
Question/Answer
1. Read the lines in which the following phrases occur. Then discuss with your partner
the meaning of each phrase in its context.
Ans.
(i) velvet grass – It indicates that the grass is as soft as velvet
(ii) drinking straws – The antennas of the butterfly which is used to collect
nectar from flowers, has been compared to drinking straws
(iii) meadow houses – It refers to the houses one might spot in the meadows
i.e. rabbit’s burrows, anthills, nests etc.
(iv) amazing mound – Refers to the mounds built by ants for their dwelling
(v) fuzzy head- It refers to the head of the dandelion flowers that flutter and
floats in the air when we blow it.
2. Which line in the poem suggests that you need a keen eye and a sharp ear to enjoy a
meadow? Read aloud the stanza that contains this line.
Ans. The line in the poem suggests that you need a keen eye and a sharp ear to enjoy a
meadow is: ‘You may discover these yourself, If you look and listen well.’
Home Work - Reference to Context
Read the given lines and answer the following questions.
A. “Meadows have surprises,
You can find them if you look;
Walk softly through the velvet grass,
And listen by the brook”
a) Name the poem and the poet of the above mentioned lines.
b) Where can we find many surprises?
c) How do we find those surprises?
d) What is compared to velvet in the above lines?
B. “ A dandelion whose fuzzy head
Was golden days ago.
Has turned to airy parachutes
That flutter when you blow”
a) What was the colour of the dandelion when it bloomed?
b) Why has the dandelion been compared to an airy parachute?
c) What happens to the dandelion when you blow it?
d) Give one synonym of ‘fuzzy’.
