Geography Lesson Solutions Summary Meanings Class 7 English Wind Chimes

‘Geography Lesson’ is a poem from Class 7 Wind Chimes English book. Here are given answers to book exercise questions along with meanings and summary. Workbook answers are also given.

Summary

The poem ‘Geography Lesson’ portrays the yearnings and imaginings of a teacher who longed to explore far-off, idyllic places. The teacher’s dreams of sailing across a warm blue sea and visiting locations adorned with sweet-scented jasmine and lush orange trees are juxtaposed with his mundane, narrow, and grey living environment. Sadly, the teacher passes away midway through the final school term, leaving behind memories that gradually fade away, much like the yellowing leaves on an orange tree. The poem also emphasizes the impact of the teacher’s creativity and imagination on the speaker, who embarks on a journey to the places that the teacher had taught him to love, despite never having experienced them himself. Ultimately, the poem serves as a poignant tribute to the teacher’s enduring influence and the power of imagination.

Textbook Solutions

Comprehension

A. Find words from the poem that mean the same as these expressions.

1. really wanted: ………………………………….
2. to stick onto: ………………………………….
3. nice-smelling: ………………………………….
4. slowly disappeared: ………………………………….
5. dull, uninteresting: ………………………………….
6. in his imagination: ………………………………….

Answers:

1. really wanted: longed
2. to stick onto: clinging onto
3. nice-smelling: sweet-scented
4. slowly disappeared: faded away
5. dull, uninteresting: drab/narrow and grey
6. in his imagination: in his mind’s eye

B. Answer these questions with reference to the context.

1. …and sail across a warm blue sea
   To places he had only known from maps…
   a. Who is ‘he’?
   b. Why has the word ‘only’ been used in the second line?
   c. What kind of a place does ‘he’ live in?
   d. What kind of a place would he like to go to?
2. The house he lived in was narrow and grey
   But in his mind’s eye he could see
   a. Who lived in a narrow and grey house?
   b. What does ‘narrow and grey’ signify?
   c. What could he see in his ‘mind’s eye’?
   d. How long had he lived in this house?
3. I couldn’t understand why he never left,
   And shook off the school’s stranglehold.
   a. What did ‘he’ do at the school?
   b. Who does ‘I’ refer to?
   c. What does the word ‘stranglehold’ suggest about the school?
   d. How could he have shaken off the ‘stranglehold’?

Answers:

1. a. The ‘he’ refers to the teacher who teaches at the school.
   b. The word ‘only’ has been used to emphasize that the places he dreams of visiting are known to him only through maps and imagination, not through personal experience.
   c. The geography teacher lived in a house that was narrow and grey.
   d. He would like to go to places that are depicted on the maps, places he has only known from maps, where the green leaves of the orange trees burn, and where the weather is never drab or cold.
2. a. The teacher lived in a narrow and grey house.
   b. The word ‘only’ has been used to emphasize that the places he dreams of visiting are known to him solely through maps and imagination, not through personal experience.
   c. In his ‘mind’s eye’, the teacher could see sweet-scented jasmine clambering up the walls and green leaves burning on an orange tree.
   d. He had lived in this house for a long time.
3. a. At the school, ‘he’ was a teacher who shared his longing to travel and explore the world with the students.
   b. ‘Narrow and grey’ signifies a dull, uninteresting, and uninspiring living environment, reflecting the teacher’s desire for something more vibrant and picturesque.
   c. The word ‘stranglehold’ suggests that the school environment was suffocating and restrictive, limiting the teacher’s ability to pursue his dreams and desires.
   d. He could have shaken off the ‘stranglehold’ by either resigning from the job or he could have dared enough to go on an exploration of lands that he had found on the map.

D. Answer these questions.

1. What did the teacher want to do?

2. How did the teacher see the sweet-scented jasmine?

3. What kind of a house did the teacher live in?

4. What happened to the teacher half way through the final term?

5. Why did the teacher’s name fade away?

6. Where does the speaker travel to?

7. Why does the speaker remember the teacher?

8. Explain: ‘…green leaves burning on an orange tree’

Answers:

1. The teacher wanted to leave the school and sail across a warm blue sea to places he had only known from maps, places he had longed to be.

2. In his ‘mind’s eye’, the teacher could see the sweet-scented jasmine clambering up the walls, which indicates that he visualized or imagined it rather than seeing it in reality.

3. The teacher lived in a narrow and grey house.

4. Halfway through his final term, the teacher took ill and never returned.

5. The teacher’s name faded away, and he was forgotten because he never got to the place on the map where the green leaves of the orange trees burned. The maps were pulled down from the classroom wall, and his name was forgotten, signifying how his dreams and desires were overshadowed by the passage of time and his unfulfilled aspirations.

6. The speaker travels to where the green leaves burn, to where the ocean’s glass-clear and blue, and to all those places the teacher taught him to love but which the teacher never knew.

Another answer: The speaker embarked on a journey to a destination characterized by verdant leaves, crystal-clear ocean waters, and a deep blue expanse. He traversed all the places his teacher had imparted a love for, yet remained unexplored by the speaker himself.

7. The speaker remembers the teacher because of the lesson the teacher unknowingly taught, inspiring the speaker to travel to the places the teacher longed to visit but never had the chance to.

Another Answer: The speaker cherishes the memory of his teacher, recognizing him for his profound creativity and imagination. The teacher instilled in his students a passion for exploration and a love for places they knew but had never personally experienced.

8. The phrase ‘green leaves burning on an orange tree’ conveys a vivid and intense image of vibrant, colorful foliage. The use of “burning” suggests the brightness and intensity of the green leaves, creating a striking visual contrast. It symbolizes the teacher’s longing for lively and picturesque places that are depicted on the maps but remain unexplored in reality. The phrase also carries a sense of passion and desire, reflecting the teacher’s fervent yearning for the beauty and warmth of these distant, exotic locations.

Another Answer: “It” refers to the yellowing leaves of an orange tree.

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Poetry Appreciation

A. How has the poet used rhyme in the poem?

Ans. A. The poet has used rhyme in the poem by employing an ABCB rhyme scheme in each stanza (sea, be; see, tree; returned, burned, blue, knew). In this scheme, the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme with each other.

B. Identify the lines that show that the teacher wished to go to a warm place.

Ans. The lines that show that the teacher wished to go to a warm place are:
And sail across a warm blue sea;
And green leaves burning on an orange tree; Where it was never drab or cold. (Stanza 1)

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Workbook Solutions

Vocabulary

1. take a look, take a nap

2. the future, the time

3. have a problem, have sympathy

4. catch your fire, catch your breath

Grammar

1. Whatever you need – noun clause
2. The dog that Jaya owns –noun clause
3. What Shishir was saying – noun clause
4. a fiery speech – noun clause
5. What Kunal enjoys most – noun clause
6. many of whom were found abandoned – adjective clause
7. who is my best friend – adjective clause
8. that has the best fried prawns – relative clause
9. who paints beautifully – adjective clause
10. we used to live in – adjective clause

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