Monday, December 23, 2024

Class 12 Optional English Note || Summary of Mending Wall by Robert Frost

Class 12 Optional English Note || Summary of Mending Wall by Robert Frost
Study Note - Unit 1

Summary of Mending Wall by Robert Frost

‘Mending Wall,’ composed by Robert Frost, narrates a story set in rural New England. The poem explores the idea that maintaining a respectful distance between neighbours is essential for a harmonious relationship. It also examines the role of boundaries in human society, as mending the wall serves both to separate and unite the two neighbours.

Every spring, the narrator and his neighbour follow the ritual of mending the wall that divides their land. The narrator believes they don’t need to repair the wall since there are no cows, only pine and apple trees. He is somewhat sceptical of the ritual and does not understand the necessity of the wall. He observes that even the natural world seems to dislike the wall, as the upper boulders fall down without any apparent reason.

He tries in vain to convince his neighbour of the irrelevance of the ritual, accusing him of being old-fashioned and rigid in his adherence to a meaningless tradition. The neighbour, however, insists on the importance of the wall and its mending. He asserts that the wall is crucial for maintaining a healthy relationship and repeatedly states, "Good fences make good neighbours."

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):

1. What is the main activity described in the poem?
a) Building a new house
b) Repairing a wall
c) Planting apple trees
d) Cutting down pine trees

2. What natural force works against the wall?
a) Windstorms
b) Frozen ground swell
c) Rainfall
d) Lightning

3. Who helps the speaker repair the wall?
a) A hired worker
b) His neighbor
c) A family member
d) Hunters

4. What phrase does the neighbor repeatedly say?
a) "Walls keep us apart."
b) "Walls bring peace."
c) "Good fences make good neighbors."
d) "A strong wall means safety."

5. What metaphor does the speaker use to describe handling the boulders?
a) Like baking loaves of bread
b) Like playing an outdoor game
c) Like casting a magical spell
d) Like cutting firewood

6. Why does the speaker think the wall might not be needed?
a) The land is barren.
b) There are no cows to contain.
c) The wall is too old to repair.
d) The neighbors do not talk to each other.

7. What does the speaker associate the neighbor with?
a) A wise philosopher
b) A "stone savage armed"
c) A mischievous elf
d) A hard-working farmer

8. What is the tone of the speaker towards the wall?
a) Supportive and respectful
b) Conflicted and questioning
c) Angry and resentful
d) Playful and indifferent

9. What does the speaker question about the wall?
a) The materials used to build it
b) The reason for its existence
c) Its height and length
d) Its cost of maintenance

10. What does the neighbor refuse to go behind?
a) His father’s saying
b) The wall’s shadow
c) The speaker’s logic
d) The pine trees

Answers

1. b) Repairing a wall
2. b) Frozen ground swell
3. b) His neighbor
4. c) "Good fences make good neighbors."
5. b) Like playing an outdoor game
6. b) There are no cows to contain.
7. b) A "stone savage armed"
8. b) Conflicted and questioning
9. b) The reason for its existence
10. a) His father’s saying

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