Jharkhand Board Class 9TH English Notes | THE DUCK AND THE KANGAROO
JAC Board Solution For Class 9TH English Poetry Chapter 7
COMPREHENSION
■ Read the following passage and answer the questions that
follow:―
1. Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
'Good gracious I how you hop I
Over the fields and the water too,
As if you never would stop I
My life is a bore in this nasty pond,
And I long to go out in the world beyond I
I wish I could hop like you l'
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
Q. (a) Name the poem from where this extract has been taken.
(b) Who has written these lines?
(c) Why was the duck amazed?
(d) What did the duck say about its life?
(e) What was the duck's desire?
Ans.(a) Poem- The Duck and the Kangaroo
(b) Written by- Edward Lear.
(c) The Duck was amazed about the hopping of the
Kangaroo.
(d) The Duck said that its life was a boredom in the dirty
pond.
(e) The Duck had desire that he would too hop like the
Kangaroo.
2. "Please give me a ride on your back!
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
'I would sit quite still, and say nothing but "Quack"
The whole of the long day through!
And we'd go to the Dee, and the Jelly 80 Lee,
Over the land, and over the sea:
Please take me a ride Ia do I"
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
Q. (a) What was the Duck's request to the Kangaroo?
(b) In what way will the duck sit?
(c) Where both will go ?
Ans. (a) The Duck had a request to have a ride on the back ofthe
Kangaroo.
(b) The Duck will sit quiet and utter only "Quack".
(c) Both will go over the land, the sea, the Dee and the Jelly
Be Lee.
3. Said the Kangaroo to the Duck,
"This requires some little reflection;
Perhaps on the whole it might bring me luck,
And there seems but one objection,
Which is, you'll let me speak so bold,
Your feet are unpleasantly we and cold,
And would probably give me the roo-
Matiz 1" said the Kangaroo.
Q. (a) What is 'This' in the second line here?
(b) What is the objection?
(c) How would the Kangaroo like to speak?
Ans.(a) This' here means 'giving the Duck a ride.
(b) It is that the Duck's feet are 'wet and cold'.
(c) The Kangaroo would like to speak boldly.
4. Said the Duck. "As I sat on the rocks,
I have thought over that completely,
And I bought four pairs of worsted socks
Which fit my web.feet neatly.
And to keep out the cold I've bought a cloak,
And every day a cigar I'll smoke,
All to follow my own dear frue
Love of a Kangaroo l".
Q. (a) When did the Duck think over 'that'? What is that?
(b) Why did the Duck buy socks?
(c) What for did she buy a cloak and other things?
Ans.(a) When the Duck sat on the rocks, she thought over 'that',
"That' here is her request for a ride.
(b) She bought these to protect her feet from cold.
(c) She bought all these for the love of Kangaroo.
5. Said the Kangaroo, "T'nt ready!
All in the moonlight pale:
But to balance me well, dear Duck, sit steady!
And quite at the end of my fail t"
So away they went with a hop and a bound,
And they hopped the whole world three times round;
And who so happy - 0 who,
As the Duck and the Kangaroo ?
Q. (a) When did the kangaroo decide to start the journey?
(b) Where did the kangaroo ask the duck to sit and why?
(c) What did they do together?
Ans.(a) The kangaroo decided to start the journey in the
moonlight.
(b) The kangaroo asked the duck to sit at the end of his tail
steadily.
(c) They went round the world three times together happily.
Short Answer Type Quesions
Answer these questions in about 30-40 words cach :―
Q. 1. Where was the Duck living and how was it feeling
there?
Ans. The Duck is a water animal. It was living round the clock
in a water pond. It had become tired of living in the nasty pond.
Seeing the Kangaroo it desired deep to hop like him.
Q. 2. Where did both go and how did they feel?
Ans. Both hopped the world three times. They went over the
land and the sea. They were overjoyed. But the Duck was much
happy because its wish was fulfilled.
Q.3. How did the Kangaroo accede to the Duck's request?
Or, When or how did they start their journey?
Ans. The Kangaroo was happy that the Duck would not harm
him in any way. So he advised to start the ride in the pale light of
the moon. It had to sit steady and balance him properly.
Q. 4. Write the Central theme of the poem.
Ans. We can get our desires and tasks done in case we are
selfless and polite in our dealings. We should pay due attention
and give due respect towards the feelings of the others. Our clear
heartedness like the Duck can grant us desired results. It also
specifies, "Where there is a will, there is a way."
Q. 5. When did the kangaroo hop and how?
Ans. The kangaroo hopped over the fields and over the water
also. He hopped continuously as if he would never stop hopping.
Q. 6. Where did the duck want to go?
Ans. The duck wanted to go around the world. He wanted to
go to some places like the Dec, the jelly Bo Lee. He wanted to go
over the land and the sea.
Q. 7. How did the duck solve the objection raised by the
kangaroo?
Ans. The duck decided to wear pair of socks and a cloak to
keep the cold out. He also decided to smoke a cigar daily to keep
himself warm.
Q. 8. What did the kangaroo ask the duck to do? And why?
Ans. The kangaroo asked the duck to sit at the end of his tail.
He also asked him to sit quietly and steadily so that his balance
was not disturbed.
Q. 9. What could have happened if the duck had not sat
steadily?
Ans. Had the duck not sat steadily, the kangaroo should have
lost his balance. In that case, they could have fallen and got hurt.
Q.10. How did the Duck express her wish to the Kangaroo?
What was it?
Ans. The Duck respectfully addressed the Kangaroo that he
hopped over the fields and the water. He did so as if he would
never stop. She too longed to go out in the world. She wished she
could hop like him.
Q.11. How did the Kangaroo react to the Duck's request for
a ride?
Ans. The Kangaroo reacted saying that it required some
fhought. Perhaps that may bring him luck. But there was one
objection. The Duck's feet were wet and cold. He might get 'roo-
Matiz', that is cold due to them.
Q. 12. What did the Duck do in reply to the Kangaroo's
objection?
Ans. The Duck told the Kangaroo that she had bought four
pairs of worsted socks. These fitted her web-feet neatly. She had
also bought a cloak to protect her from the cold. She would smoke
a cigar everyday. She would follow her dear Kangaroo's love.
Q.13. How did the Kangaroo ride the Duck in the end ?
Ans. The Kangaroo asked the Duck to sit steady at the end of
his tail. It was to keep balance. They went riding in the moonlight.
They hopped round the whole world three times. They were very
happy.
Q. 14. How does the poet make the poem 'musical' ?
Ans. The poet uses couplet and rhymes the sound. It is ab, ab,
cc, dd. By creating such a rhyme scheme, the poem becomes musical
as there is a beat at the end of every line.
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