Hi Everyone!! This article will share Palanquin Bearers Questions & Answers.
In my previous post, I have already shared Palanquin Bearers Stanza-Wise Summary so, make sure to check that post as well. Written by Sarojini Naidu, this poem is beautifully woven around the custom of carrying a bride in a palanquin by palanquin bearers. The palanquin bearers are so happy in carrying the delicate newly-wed princess to her in-laws’ house that on the way, they are singing along in harmony with their movement and that is how they transform their dull task into one full of joy. Below are given its questions & answers. I have also shared the Questions & Answers of Bangle Sellers and Indian Weavers Stanza Wise Summary which are written by Sarojini Naidu only so, you can check these posts as well.
Palanquin Bearers Questions & Answers
Question 1: Read the passage given below and answer the following questions:
“Lightly, O lightly we bear…………………………….. like a pearl on a string.”
(a) What is this song about, that the palanquin bearers are singing?
Answer: The palanquin bearers’ song is all about the bride, where she is described very gloriously.
(b) Why do the Palanquin Bearers carry the bride “lightly”?
Answer: The Palanquin Bearers carry the bride ‘lightly’ because she is very precious and also it is the most auspicious occasion for her. So they handle here like a very precious jewel.
Question 2: How does the poet describe the emotions of the palanquin bearers?
Answer: The poet describes emotions of the palanquin bearers as being full of joy and pride.
Question 3: Read the passage given below and answer the following questions:
“Lightly, O lightly we bear…………………………….in the wind of our song.”
(a) Who are the speakers of the above lines and who are they bearing along?
Answer: The speakers of the above lines are the palanquin bearers. They are bearing the bride along.
(b) Which words in the above lines tell us that it is easy for the palanquin bearers to carry the palanquin?
Answer: The words ‘lightly o lightly’ and ‘sways like a flower’ in the above lines tell that it is easy for the palanquin bearers to carry the palanquin.
(c) Where are the palanquin bearers taking the palanquin?
Answer: The palanquin bearers are taking the palanquin to the bride’s husband’s home.
(d) Which word in the above lines means ‘swings’?
Answer: Sways
(e) Why do you think they sing as they bear her along?
Answer: The palanquin bearers engage themselves in cheerful singing to amuse them and move in harmony while carrying out their difficult and responsible job of transporting something very valuable, in this case, the bride from one place to the other.
Question 4: Explain the comparison ‘She sways like a flower’.
Answer: The bride is compared to a flower as she is very delicate, fragile and beautiful like a flower, which moves or sways in the air.
Question 5: How does the poet describe the bride?
Answer: The poet draws a very vivid description of the bride. She states that the bride is ‘like a flower’, ‘a bird’, ‘a laugh’, ‘a star’, ‘a beam’, and ‘a tear’. The poet’s intention of using such similes is to get across that the bride is very fragile but precious and needs to be handled with care.
Question 6: How do the palanquin bearers make their task joyful?
Answer: The palanquin bearers take pride in caring the young bride to her house. They sing along in harmony with their movement to make their task joyful.
Palanquin Bearers Questions & Answers
Question 7: Identify figures of speech in the following lines:
(a) Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing.
Answer: Alliteration
(b) Softly, O softly we bear her along.
Answer: Repetition
(c) She hangs like a star in the dew of our song.
Answer: Simile
(d) She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.
Answer: Personification
Question 8: How do the palanquin bearers describe the manner in which they are carrying the bride? Are they proud to be carrying her?
Answer: The palanquin bearers carry the newly-wed bride in a palanquin very gently and are moving very softly. As they are carrying the bride to her in-laws’ house, they are singing along and don’t feel it as a burden. They are proud to be carrying her.
Question 9: The poem has shown two contradictory feelings of laugh and tear. Why do you think the poetess has done this?
Answer: The bride has mixed feelings. She is happy as she is going to start her new inning with her beloved. At the same time, she has tears in her eyes as she is leaving her parents behind and going to her in-laws’ place.
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Question 10: Why the poetess has used so many similes in the poem?
Answer: To give more effect to her words, she has used so many similes in the poem.
Question 11: Why is the bride referred to as ‘pearl on a string’?
Answer: The bride is compared to a pearl on a string since she is precious and like delicate like a jewel.
Question 12: List the words from the poem that describe the movement of the bride.
Answer: Skim, sway, float and spring are the words that describe the movement of the bride.
Question 13: Which lines from the poem tell you that the palanquin bearers are happy, and they care about the palanquin?
Answer: The line, ‘Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing’ tells us that the palanquin bearers are happy. The line ‘we bear her along like a pearl on a string’ tells us that the palanquin bearers cared.
Question 14: What do the tears in the eyes of the bride say about the bride’s feelings?
Answer: The tears in the eyes of the bride say that the bride is sad about leaving her parent’s house. The tears are also the tears of joy because she will be soon united with her husband. The tears in the poem depict the mixed emotions of the bride in the palanquin.
Question 15: Fill in the blanks:
(a) The Palanquin Bearers bear the palanquin along.
(b) The palanquin bearers sing songs of happiness while they carry the palanquin.
(c) The palanquin sways like a flower in the wind.
(d) The floating of the palanquin is compared to the laugh of the lips.
(e) The palanquin hangs like a star.
So, these were Palanquin Bearers Questions & Answers.