Going Down Hill on a Bicycle By H. C. Beeching

Henry Charles Beeching (1859-1919) was an English author and clergyman. He wrote two volumes of poetry namely-Love in Idleness and Love's Looking Glass - for which he is popularly known.

With lifted feet, hands still,
I am poised, and down the hill
Dart, with heedful mind;
The air goes by in a wind.

Swifter and yet more swift,
Till the heart with a mighty lift
Makes the lungs laugh, the throat cry:--
'O bird, see; see, bird, I fly.

'Is this, is this your joy?
O bird, then I, though a boy
For a golden moment share
Your feathery life in air!'

Say, heart, is there aught like this
In a world that is full of bliss?
'Tis more than skating, bound
Steel-shod to the level ground.

Speed slackens now, I float
Awhile in my airy boat;
Till, when the wheels scarce crawl,
My feet to the treadles fall.

Alas, that the longest hill
Must end in a vale; but still,
Who climbs with toil, wheresoe'er,
Shall find wings waiting there.

1.
Choose the correct answer.
a. Which stanza mentions two parts of a bicycle?
Stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6
b. Which stanza mentions another sport?
Stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6
c. Which stanza has the antonym of 'idleness'?
Stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6
d. Which stanza has the synonym of 'barely'?
Stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6
e. Which stanza has a metaphor for the 'bicycle'?
Stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6
f. Which stanza tells us whose voice we hear in the poem?
Stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6
g. The poem has a pair of words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings. In which stanzas are these words?
Stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6
h. Which stanza has comparative forms of a word to imply speed and momentum?
Stanza 1 2 3 4 5 6
2.
Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
With lifted feet, hands still,
I am poised, and down the hill
Dart, with heedful mind;
1. Whose voice do we hear in these lines?
2. Where is the persona?
3. Which word means 'absolutely still but ready to go'?
3.
Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
Swifter and yet more swift,
Till the heart with a mighty left
Makes the lungs laugh, the throat cry:--
'O bird, see; see, bird, I fly.'
1. Which action does the phrase 'swifter and yet more swift' refer to ?
2. In your own words explain what you understand by 'makes the lungs laugh'.
3. To whom does the throat cry out?
4.
Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
Say, heart, is there aught like this
In a world that is full of bliss?
'Tis more than skating, bound
Steel-shod to the level ground.
1. A rhetorical question is a question asked for effect or emphasis. It is a question to which the speaker does not expect a reply. Paraphrase (rewrite in you own words) the rhetorical question in the given extract.
2. What is the comparison drawn in these lines?
3. Which line in the stanza best contrasts with the line: 'Your feathery life in air'?
5.
List the words or phrases that give us a picture of going downhill on a bicycle. How does the poet convey different movements and speeds?
6.
Why does the persona address the bird?

3 more answer(s) available.

31 Jan 2021MD E. I.

fraud

26 Jan 2023Richa K.

not fraud wrote by mistake

29 Jan 2023Richa K.

New Mulberry English Course Book 8

Oxford

Chapters

Going Down Hill on a Bicycle

H. C. Beeching

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