Hi Everyone!! This article will share Life Of A Gymnast Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions & answers of The Frog and The Nightingale, Palm Tree and The Drunken Stupor so, you can check these posts as well.
Life Of A Gymnast Questions & Answers
Question 1: Fill in the blanks:
(a) The poet considered chalk as her makeup.
(b) The poet used her fingers as her comb.
(c) The poet’s morning staple were headstands.
(d) Her grips were her best friends.
(e) She believed that leos and tape were worth more than silver and chrome.
(f) For the poet, the low bar was made for scars.
Question 2: Who were a part of the poet’s family?
Answer: The poet’s gymnast coaches were a part of her family. This closeness and affection between the poet and her coaches made the difficult and strenuous training sessions much easier for the poet.
Question 3: Why does the poet repeatedly say ‘I grew up….’?
Answer: The poet repeatedly says ‘I grew up…’ throughout the poem to convey that her training as a gymnast has contributed in her growth. Her coaches played a significant role in her growing up and becoming the person that she is.
Question 4: Why did the poet have chalk as makeup?
Answer: Chalk, in its powder form, is used by gymnasts to gain a better grip. The poet’s hands and face were often marked with this powder. That’s why she says that she used chalk as her make-up.
Question 5: What were her best friends? What ritual did they have to undergo to become her best friends?
Answer: The poet’s best friends were her grips, which she wore on her hands during practice. In order to become her best friends, they had to be stained by cuts and rips. This means that the poet did not get fully accustomed to them until she had practiced in them so much that they were stained, ripped and cut.
Question 6: What was the poet’s relationship with her teammates?
Answer: The poet had a very friendly relationship with her teammates. They giggled, chatted and played together while practicing. They fought over beams, but they also loved each other.
Life Of A Gymnast Questions & Answers
Question 7: Read and answer the questions:
I could sprint across the floor, past mats and wires without fault.
(a) What does the above line tell us about the poet?
Answer: The above line tells us that the poet was well-trained and was very good at what she did.
(b) Were the poet’s practice sessions always without fault?
Answer: No, the poet sessions were not always without fault. She would often run into the vault and hurt herself during practice.
(c) What were a part of the poet’s practice session every day?
Answer: Injuries, fear and obstacles were a part of the poet’s practice sessions every day.
Question 8: What difficulties were part of her everyday routine?
Answer: Injuries, fear, and obstacles were part of the poet’s every day routine. She could not have a practice without running into the vault and hurting herself in the process.
Question 9: How does the poet convey to the reader that she enjoyed her training and the people surrounding her?
Answer: The poet tells the readers about the good times and difficulties of her training. Injuries and obstacles were a part of her daily life. She also adds that good times, fun and laughter were also as much a part of her training. She loved her teammates, and her coaches were like family to her. At the beginning of each stanza, the poet mentions how her training comprised of giggling, playing, lounging and chatting with her teammates. These things imply that she enjoyed her training and the people around her.
Question 10: What value did the poet learn in the process of training?
Answer: In the process of her training, the poet learnt that skills, routines, medals and scores are not as great as your passion for a thing, and the memories created while pursuing that passion. She also says that the values and the lessons which stay inside you during your journey of a sportsman, are more important than your success.
Question 11: Read and answer the questions:
Skills, routines, scores, medals – these things are all great……
(a) Was the poet satisfied with the things listed above? What, according to her, was more important than the things listed above?
Answer: No, the poet was not satisfied with the things listed above. According to her, the passion and memories once created during the journey of her training were more important than these things.
(b) What was ‘true’ for the poet?
Answer: For the poet, what ones sees through the mind’s eye is truer than what one sees in reality. This means that everything cannot be taken at face value. The practice was not merely practice for the poet, but the lessons she learnt, the friends and family she made, and the memories she created was what made the practice sessions valuable to her.
(c) What ‘interesting view’ does the poet refer to later?
Answer: The ‘interesting view’ that the poet refers to later is the view at life from the perspective of a gymnast.
So, these were Life Of A Gymnast Questions & Answers.