Dust of Snow Poem Important Questions Class 10 First Flight English
Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What made the poet change his mood?
Answer
A crow on the hemlock tree shook down the dust of snow on the poet. The falling dust of snow on the poet has changed his mood.
Question 2. In what mood was the poet before falling of snow on him
Answer
He was in an unpleasant mood.
Question 3. How did the dust of snow affect the poet?
Answer
It changed the poet’s mood.
Question 4. Where was the crow sitting?
Answer
The crow was sitting in a hemlock tree.
Question 5. What type of plant is ‘a hemlock tree’?
Answer
It is a poisonous plant with small white flowers.
Question 6. Who is the poet of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?
Answer
The poet of this poem is ‘Robert Frost’.
Question 7. What fell on the poet from the hemlock tree?
Answer
Dust of snow fell on the poet from the hemlock tree.
Question 8. What did the poet think of the day before the fall of the dust of snow on him?
Answer
The poet thought unhappiness of the day before the fall of the dust of snow on him. But after the incident, he started to look at the surroundings.
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Where was the poet and what happened to him?
Answer
There was snow everywhere. The poet was under a hemlock tree. The tree was covered with snow Suddenly a crow shook the tree The dust of snow fell on the poet. It changed his mood.
Question 2. What is a “Dust of Snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?
Answer
A ‘Dust of Snow” means the fine particles of snow. This ‘Dust of Snow” changed the poet’s mood. The poet’s mood changed from that of dismay to joy. He was holding the day in regret when this dust of snow fell on him and this simple little thing brought him some joy.
Question 3. How has the poet observed nature in the poem ‘Dust of Snow’
Answer
The poet has observed nature as a positive medium of change for him. The poet had been the sorrowful and depressive mood in the poem. But then the way a crow shook snow dust off, it changed his mood. Nature gave him the inspiration to behave in a positive manner.
Question 4. The poet was sad and depressed. But one comical incident lifts his spirits. He is full of joy and happiness again. Based on your reading of the poem, write a paragraph on the topic – Happiness is relative.
Answer
No one is always happy. It is just a passing phase of one’s life. It varies from time to time and place to place. It depends on certain people who you are close to. There are times when we are extremely happy or sorrowful. In most circumstances, our happiness is decided l>y certain moments in our life. Some light moments can really enliven our mood. The actions of our friends can make us happy or sometimes sorrowful. We must also realize that on every cloud there is a silver lining. This means that every sorrowful moment is followed by a period of joy and happiness.
Question 5. What is the message that Robert Frost wants to convey to the readers in the poem ‘Dust of snow’?
Answer
Robert Frost gives quite a positive message to the readers. Depression and hopelessness do cloud our hearts, spirits and moods. However, there is a silver-lining beyond every cloud. The poet had given up all hopes and declared that the whole day would go waste. Suddenly, the falling of fine dust of snow on him brings a sudden change in his mood. Cheerfulness replaces the feeling of regret.
Question 6. How did the crow change the poet’s mood?
Answer
The poet was going somewhere in a snowy morning. He was upset. All the trees were covered with snow dust. A crow sitting on a hemlock tree shook the tree in such a way that some dust of snow fell on the poet. This changed his mood and he became happy and relaxed.
Question 7. What side of nature do ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent?
Answer
‘Crow’ is a black, harsh-voiced bird and ‘hemlock’ is a tree with poisonous bitter fruit. Both are not beautiful. They represent the dark, depressive, sorrowful and bitter side of nature.
Question 8. Why does the poet feel that he has saved some part of the day?
Answer
Crow shook down the dust of snow on the poet. Both crow and hemlock tree are considered inauspicious. The falling of dust of snow from hemlock tree is bad omen. But the poet took it in a positive way. He found himself relieved from sorrow after this incident. Now he could use his entire day in a fruitful way.
Question 9. What mood of the poet is reflected in the poem? How does it reflect?
Answer
The sorrowful and depressive mood of the poet is reflected in the poem. The use of the bird ‘crow’, which is ugly and harsh, and hemlock tree, which is a poisonous plant, reflects the poet’s mood.
Question 10. What do the ‘Hemlock’ tree and ‘Crow’ represent? What does the dust of snow metaphorically stand for ?
Answer
The poet was going somewhere in a snowy morning. He was upset. All the trees were covered with snow dust. A crow sitting on a hemlock tree shook the tree in such a way that some dust of snow fell on the poet. This changed his mood and he became happy and relaxed.
Question 11. How did the poet feel before the ‘change of mood’? Why did he feel so?
Answer
The poet was in a very depressed and hopeless mood. The day offered no relief, comfort or happiness for the poet. He felt that the whole day had been wasted for nothing. Perhaps his dull and depressive mood led him to such a conclusion.
Question 12. What was the reaction of the poet when the dust of snow fell on him?
Answer
Normally, people thought both crow and hemlock tree are auspicious. But when the dust of snow from hemlock tree fell on poet, he took it in other way. He was depressed and sorrowful but the moment the crow shook the hemlock tree and dust of snow fell on him, he felt unburdened and relieved.
Question 13. How does the poet react to crow and hemlock tree?
Answer
Crow and hemlock tree are considered inauspicious in the west. They are generally taken /is bad omen. But the poet did not take them in negative way. They saved his day. His negative outlook changed to the positive one.
Question 14. Why does the poet say that he had `saved some part of a day I (he) had rued’?
Answer
The whole day had been rather gloomy, dull and hopeless. The poet had a feeling that the whole day would go waste. However, the falling of fine dust of snow on him suddenly changes his mood. It cheered his depressed spirits. He felt as if he had saved some part of the day.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer.
(i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?
(ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as
a maple, or an oak, or a pine?
(iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent—joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?
Answer
(i) Robert Frost has represented nature in quite an unconventional manner. While in other nature poems we come across birds such as nightingales or sparrows, Frost has used a crow in this poem. A crow can be associated with something dark, black, and foreboding. That is why, other poets usually mention singing nightingales or beautiful white doves in their poems.
(ii) The poet has written about a hemlock tree, which is a poisonous tree. He has not written about a more beautiful tree such as a maple, an oak or a pine tree because these trees symbolize beauty and happiness. Robert Frost wanted to symbolize the feelings of sadness and regret, which is why he has used a hemlock tree.
(iii) The crow and the hemlock tree represent sorrow. The dust of snow that is shaken off the hemlock tree by the crow stands for joy that Robert Frost experiences. He has, therefore, used an unconventional tree and bird in order to contrast them with joy in the form of snow.
Question 2. Our attitude towards a situation evokes both negative and positive response. Analyze this with reference to the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’ to bring out the inherent valuable lessons.
Answer
Whatever situation life throws at us, it evokes both positive and negative responses. The poet, in the poem ‘Dust of Snow,’ was in a sorrowful mood. However, when a crow shook down the ‘dust of snow’ on him, his bitter mood changed into a more optimistic one. Now, being in a sorrowful or bad mood already, the poet could have got angry at the crow also. However, the dust of snow becomes a positive medium of change for him. It made him cheerful to some extent and helped him forget his sadness, at least for a few moments. Thus, we see that instead of seeing the negative aspect of a happening, one should see the positive aspect, and one’s response may greatly affect the outcome of incidents.
Question 3. Simple moment proves to be very significant and saves rest of the day of poet from being wasted. Explain on the basis of the poem ‘Dust of Snow”.
Answer
‘Dust of Snow’ is a beautiful poem written by Robert Frost. This poem conveys that even a simple moment has a large significance. The poet mentioned crow and hemlock tree in this poem. Crow signifies his depressive and sorrowful mood and hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. Both these signify that the poet was not in a good mood and so he describes the dark, depressive and bitter side of nature to present his similar mood.
The poet says that once he was in a sad, depressive mood and was sitting under a hemlock tree. A crow, sitting on the same tree, shook off the dust of snow, small particles of snow that remained on the surface after the snowfall, on the poet. This simple action changed the poet’s mood. He realised that he had just wasted a part of his day repenting and being lost in sorrow. But the change in his mood made him realise that he should utilize the rest of the day in some useful activity. His sorrow was washed away by the light shower of dust of snow. His spirit was revived and he got ready to utilize the rest of the day.
Question 4. Poets have great power of imagination. Robert Frost also explains his imagination very well and proves that sometimes the bad symbols change into a boon. Discuss.
Answer
It is well known that poets have great imaginative power. On the basis of this power, the poet gives this world a new idea and pleasure. They do dip down into the ocean of imagination and carry valuable things. Then they present before the world an exotic moment. Robert Frost, in this poem, represents the crow and hemlock tree as inauspicious. But when the crow shakes off the dust of snow from the hemlock tree, it falls on the poet. It changes his dejected mood and saves the day from being spoilt.
Question 5. The poet has succeeded in giving valuable information in a light-hearted manner. What creates the desired effect? Highlight its importance in present-day life.
Answer
Truly, Frost has used simple language to drive home a very significant message, that little thing sometimes, have a big impact. An easy, uncomplicated language, coupled with unusual visual imagery and brevity of words creates the desired effect. The poet’s bitterness finds reflection even in the environment around him. The noisy, dark crow, the poisonous hemlock and the icy snow around—all are essentially depressing images. However, despite the negativity, when the crow shakes down the dust of snow onto the poet, it also shakes off some of the author’s regretful thoughts. Today, when all of us live in stressful atmospheres, the poem teaches us to gain happiness from little things.