NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English The Ball Poem Poem

NCERT Solutions for CBSE Class 10 English Poem The Ball Poem are provided here. This poem is written by John Berryman and includes many questions that are important for exams. We have solved all the NCERT questions of the lesson with a detailed explanation that help students to complete their assignments & homework. We have provided NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Poem The Ball Poem in PDF format so that you can download them for offline use.

Class 10 English Poem The Ball Poem NCERT Questions and Answers

Thinking About the Poem

In pairs, attempt the following questions

Question 1. Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?

Answer: The poet says, “I would not intrude on him” because he does not want to intervene in the natural process of learning. He wants the boy to learn the meaning of loss on his own. He also doesn’t offer him money to buy another ball because that would be worthless. He wants the boy to learn the lesson of responsibility.

Question 2. “ …. staring down All his young days into the harbour where His ball went…. ” Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?

Answer: Yes, the boy has had the ball for a long time. When it bounced into the water, all his memories of the days of childhood flashed in front of him. This led to a realisation that those moments would not come back, just like the ball. He can buy new balls and can similarly create new moments, but those that are gone would not return.

Question 3. What does “in the world of possessions” mean?

Answer: “In the world of possessions” means that the world is full of materialistic things. Here everything and every action is made to possess something, whether it is the possession of land, property, money, or any other thing. The poet suggests that losing a ball, which is a very small thing, would make the boy understand what it is like to lose something that one possessed

Question 4. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the Words that suggest the answer.

Answer: The boy has lost something earlier also. It is clear in the opening line ‘What is the boy now’.

Question 5. What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.

Answer: Yes, I have lost many things in life. But the loss of my camera will always remain fresh in my memory. My father had given it to me on my fourteenth birthday. I was very happy. I showed it to many friends. One day, we went to see a match. We went to the local bus. I placed it on my seat. When the bus stop came, I left the bus and forgot the camera on the bus. It was lost forever. I remained sad for many days at that loss.