Hi Everyone!! This article will share Mela Menagerie Questions & Answers.
This poem is written by Debjani Chatterjee. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of Tansen, Bambi and Veena’s New Idea so, you can check these posts as well.
Mela Menagerie Questions & Answers
Word Galaxy
- Swapped – exchanged
- Couplets – two lines of a poem that are of equal length; couplets may or may not rhyme
- Mushaira – a gathering or a meeting where people read out poems written in Urdu
- Pranced – moved with quick steps
- Bhangra – a dance form that is popular in Punjab
Question 1: List the non-English words used in the poem. Why do you think the poet has used non-English words? Discuss.
Answer: Some of the non-English words used in the poem are tikka masala, mushaira, bhangra, paratha.
These words are used in the poem to create and sustain the rhyming pattern as followed throughout the poem. For example, mela rhymes with tikka masala and cobra with mushaira.
Question 2: During the mela, animals are involved in a variety of activities. Match the animals in Column A to their activities listed in Column B:
| Column A | Column B |
| 1. Donkeys | a. exchanged songs |
| 2. Elephants | b. got designs made on their forelimbs |
| 3. Bears and cockatoos | c. appointed one of their own as their ruler |
| 4. Horses and camels | d. performed magical tricks by gulping unsafe tools |
| 5. Lions | e. prepared a meal |
| 6. Pelicans | f. moved their bodies to a musical beat |
Answer: 1-c, 2-e, 3-a, 4-f, 5-b, 6-d
Question 3: The poet uses a series of images to create the atmosphere of an Indian summer mela. Identify two images that you love the most. Discuss.
Answer: The horses and camels dancing to a musical beat is one of the humourous images that the speaker presents precisely because it is almost unimaginable. The donkeys crowning the mule as their one-day raja is another favourite. Usually, donkeys are associated with toil and are known as beasts of burden. Therefore, seeing them crown one of their kin is indeed funny.
Question 4: The entire poem uses only one rhyming sound: /aa/. List the words that create this rhyming effect.
Answer: The words that create a rhyming effect throughout the poem are:
- Mela and masala
- Cobra and mushaira
- Bhangra and paisa
- Henna and Maharaja
- Paratha and abracadabra
So, these were the Questions & Answers.