Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Dash Questions & Answers.
This poem is written by Linda Ellis. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of Macbeth, The Treasure of Lemon Brown and Face On The Wall so, you can check these posts as well.
The Dash Questions & Answers
Question 1: Complete these sentences:
1. What mattered most was the dash because it represents the entirety of a person’s life and how they lived during that time.
2. Cars, houses and cash do not matter because they are material possessions that don’t define our true legacy.
3. We should introspect about the things we would like to change because life is precious and can still be shaped for the better.
4. We should show love and appreciation for people in our lives because those connections and relationships are what truly matter in the end.
5. We should make our lives worthy because our actions and how we impact others are what ultimately define our legacy.
Question 2: What did the speaker at the funeral note about the date on the tombstone?
Answer: The speaker at the funeral noted that first came the date of birth and the following date was the date of death.
Question 3: What does the dash between the dates represent?
Answer: The dash between the dates represents the persons’ entire life, their experiences, actions, and how they lived during that time.
Question 4: What does the poet mean when she says,
“What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash”?
Answer: The poet means that what truly matters is how we live our lives and how we show love and compassion to others during our time on Earth.
Question 5: What does the poet want us to think about?
Answer: The poet wants us to think about how we are living our lives, whether we are making meaningful connections and leaving a positive impact.
Question 6: What should we try to understand? Why?
Answer: We should try to understand the way other people feel, as empathy and understanding are important aspects of living a fulfilling life.
Question 7: How should we treat the people in our lives?
Answer: We should treat the people in our lives with respect, appreciation, and love.
The Dash Questions & Answers
Question 8: Why does the poet say that this ‘special dash might only last a little while’?
Answer: The poet suggests that life is short and unpredictable, and our time here is limited, so we should make the most of it.
Question 9: What does the speaker ask the reader to imagine at the end of the poem?
Answer: The speaker asks the reader to imagine how they would feel hearing their own eulogy and the way their life’s actions are being remembered.
Question 10: Read the lines and answer the questions:
1. But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
(a) Who is the speaker and on what occasion is he speaking?
Answer: The speaker is a friend of the person who is now dead. The speaker is delivering the speech at the funeral of his friend.
(b) What does the dash symbolise?
Answer: The dash symbolizes the entirety of a person’s life, encapsulating all their experiences, actions, and how they lived during that time.
(c) Which line shows that the speaker was close to the man he was talking about?
Answer: The line “And spoke the following date with tears” indicates that the speaker was close to the man he was talking about, as the emotion of sorrow is evident in the way he mentioned the date of death.
(d) Who will recognise the worth of the line between the years?
Answer: The line “And now only those who loved them” suggests that the people who loved the deceased person will recognise the worth of the line between the birth and death dates, implying that close relationships hold the key to understanding the value of the dash.
2. What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
(a) What are the things that should not matter in our lives?
Answer: Material possessions such as cars, houses, and cash should not matter in our lives.
(b) Why should we introspect and try to change our lives?
Answer: We should introspect and try to change our lives because life is finite, and we have the opportunity to make positive changes while we’re still alive. By considering what’s true and real, we can focus on what truly matters and prioritize meaningful experiences.
(c) What, according to the poet, is true and real?
Answer: According to the poet, what is true and real are the genuine emotions, connections, and experiences that make up our lives. These hold more value than material possessions.
(d) How can we improve our lives?
Answer: We can improve our lives by treating others with respect, showing appreciation, slowing down to understand others’ feelings, and living with love and kindness. By doing so, we can create a more meaningful and fulfilling existence, represented by the dash between our birth and death dates.
Question 11: What can a person do to leave a positive and lasting legacy?
Answer: A person can leave a positive and lasting legacy by living a life filled with love, kindness, and meaningful connections, by making a positive impact on others, and by contributing positively to their community and the world.
Question 12: Ellis uses ‘The Dash’ as a metaphor for life. Explain.
Answer: The metaphor of ‘The Dash’ symbolizes the entirety of a person’s life, encapsulating all their experiences, choices, and actions that occurred between their birth and death.
Question 13: What do we learn about the worth of the material things in our life?
Answer: The poem teaches us that material things like cars, houses, and cash hold little significance compared to how we live, love, and connect with others.
Question 14: Explain the following lines from the poem:
1. For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.
Answer: This line reflects the idea that life is unpredictable and we don’t know how time we have. So time should be used wisely to make positive changes in life as long as we are alive.
2. If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
Answer: The line suggests that if we could pause and reflect on life’s true essence to contemplate what truly matters and holds meaning i.e. genuine emotions, connections, and experiences that make up our lives.
So, these were The Dash Questions & Answers.