The Prize Poem Question and Answers Class 7 English Wind Chimes

‘The Prize poem‘ is story by P G Wodehouse. Here you would find a summary and answers to exercise questions given in the book Wind Chimes for class 7. The story is witty but a satire also as what happens when pupils are compelled to do against their natural taste. See the video tutorial below to enjoy and understand the story.

Summary

“Prize Poem” by P.G. Wodehouse is a humorous narrative set in St. Austin’s College, a boarding school, revolving around a tradition of an annual poetry prize. The story begins with the establishment of this prize by a wealthy and misanthropic benefactor, stipulating that every member of the Sixth Form must submit a poem on a topic chosen by the headmaster. Despite some initial excitement from a few aspiring poets, the majority of the students dread the announcement of the subject each year, feeling inadequate in their poetic abilities.

The narrative takes a turn when Reynolds, a student confined to the infirmary, expresses interest in the poetry prize to Smith, a member of the Sixth Form. Despite Reynolds’ lack of poetic talent, he requests Smith to submit a poem on his behalf. Meanwhile, Montgomery, another student, stumbles upon Reynolds’ incomplete poem and decides to add a couplet to it, intending to submit it for the prize. Later, Morrison finds the same poem and brings it to Evans, thinking it might be suitable for submission.

As the deadline for submission approaches, all three versions of the poem, each starting with the same four lines, are submitted for the prize. When the Headmaster, Mr. Perceval, discovers the identical entries, he calls Smith, Montgomery, and Morrison for questioning. Through their confession, it is revealed that none of them actually wrote the poem themselves. Smith had asked Reynolds to write it for him, while Montgomery and Morrison found it and made additions to it.

In response to the deception and absurdity of forcing students to participate in an activity they are not genuinely interested in, Mr. Perceval decides to change the rules of the competition. Henceforth, students are not required to compete unless they feel genuinely inspired to do so.

The story concludes with a reflection on the consequences of the events, highlighting the humor and absurdity of the situation. It also showcases the understanding and humor of Mr. Perceval, the Headmaster, who ultimately seeks to bring about positive change in response to the tradition’s absurdity.

In short, “Prize Poem” is a witty and satirical exploration of academic expectations, conformity, and the complexities of human nature, told in the engaging style characteristic of P.G. Wodehouse’s writing.

Textbook Exercises Q/Ans.

Comprehension

A. Answer the following questions briefly.

1. Who was the person responsible for the annual prize for the best poem in St Austin’s College?
2. What was the subject of the annual prize poem?
3. How long did the tradition of the prize poem last before it was changed? What did Reynolds do when Smith told him about the prize poem?
4. Where did Montgomery find the paper with the poem, and what did he do with it?
5. How did Morrison claim to have obtained the poem?
6. How did Smith defend his actions when questioned by the headmaster?
7. What was the outcome of the meeting with the headmaster regarding the prize poem

Answers:

1. The person responsible for the annual prize for the best poem in St. Austin’s College was a rich and misanthropic man who established it in his will.
2. The subject of the annual prize poem was the College itself.
3. The tradition of the prize poem lasted for twenty-seven years before it was changed. When Smith told Reynolds about the prize poem, Reynolds became interested and decided to participate by asking Smith to submit a poem on his behalf.
4. Reynolds was indirectly the cause of the change in the tradition. He expressed interest in the prize poem when Smith told him about it and asked Smith to submit a poem for him.
5. Montgomery found the paper with the poem between the Pavilion and the infirmary. He added a couplet to it to make it a complete poem.
6. Morrison claimed to have obtained the poem by finding it in the field between the Pavilion and the infirmary.
7. Smith defended his actions by stating that according to the rules, everyone must submit something, and since he couldn’t write poetry, he asked Reynolds to do it for him.
8. The outcome of the meeting with the headmaster regarding the prize poem was a change in the rules of the competition, so that from then onward, no one needed to compete unless they felt themselves filled with the immortal fire.

B. Answer the following with reference to the context.

1. What’s the subject this year?’ he asked.
   The College of all idiotic things.”
   ‘Couldn’t have a better subject for an ode. By Jove, I wish I was in the Sixth.”
   a. Between which characters does the dialogue given above take place?
   b. Which ‘subject’ has been referred to here?
   c. Why does ‘he’ wish to be in the Sixth?
2. “But look here,” said Morrison with sudden suspicion, ‘I don’t believe you made all this up yourself. Did you?”
   “Well,’ he said, “I found it in the field between the Pavilion and the infirmary.”
   ‘Oh! Well, it doesn’t matter much. They’re just what I wanted, which is the great thing
   a. Between which characters does the dialogue given above take place?
   b. What was the speaker referring to when he said ‘I don’t believe you made all this up yourself?
   c. Why didn’t it matter that the object was found in the field?
3. Well, sir, the rules say everyone must send in something, and I can’t write poetry at all, and Reynolds likes it, so I asked him to do it.’
   And Smith waited for the storm to burst. But it did not burst.
   a. Which ‘storm’ did Smith wait for?
   b. Why did Smith wait for ‘the storm’?
   c. Why didn’t the ‘storm’ burst?

Answers:

1. a) The dialogue takes place between Reynolds and Smith.
   b) The subject referred to here is the College.
   c) He wishes to be in the Sixth because he believes the College would make a good subject for an ode.
2. a) The dialogue takes place between Morrison and Evans.
   b) The speaker was referring to the poem found by Evans, expressing suspicion about its origin.
   c) It didn’t matter because the poem found in the field was exactly what Morrison needed for his purpose.
3. a) Smith waited for the storm of punishment or reprimand from the headmaster.
   b) Smith waited for the storm because he knew he had deceived the headmaster and expected consequences.
   c) The storm didn’t burst because the headmaster, Mr. Perceval, reacted with a quiet sense of humor and understanding.

C. Answer the following questions.

1. What is the main theme or message conveyed in the passage?
2. How does the author use humour to highlight the absurdity of the prize poem tradition?
3. Describe the different characters’ attitudes towards the prize poem and their actions in response to it.
4. How does the passage explore the idea of creativity and artistic expression?
5. What does the headmaster’s reaction to the situation reveal about his character and leadership style?
6. Discuss the significance of the examiner’s letter in the passage and how it impacts the headmaster’s decision.
7. How is this passage a comment on on students and the expectations placed the pressure to conform to certain standards in education?
8. In what ways does the passage showcase the complexities of human nature, including ambition, deception and creativity?

Answers:

1. The main theme or message conveyed in the passage is the absurdity and pressure of conformity within academic institutions, highlighted through the tradition of the annual prize poem and the students’ reactions to it.
2. The author uses humor to highlight the absurdity of the prize poem tradition by portraying the students’ ineptitude and deception, as well as the headmaster’s reaction to the situation.
3. The different characters have varied attitudes towards the prize poem, with some reluctantly participating, some resorting to deceit, and others simply complying with the rules. Their actions range from submitting poems themselves to asking others to do it for them.
4. The passage explores the idea of creativity and artistic expression by depicting the students’ struggles to meet the expectations of the competition and the consequences of their attempts to do so.
5. The headmaster’s reaction to the situation reveals his character as someone with a quiet sense of humor and understanding, who ultimately seeks to bring about positive change in response to the absurdity of the tradition.
6. The examiner’s letter impacts the headmaster’s decision by highlighting the absurdity of the situation and prompting him to reconsider the rules of the competition.
7. This passage comments on students and the pressure to conform to certain standards in education by portraying the absurdity of the prize poem tradition and the lengths students go to meet expectations.
8. The passage showcases the complexities of human nature, including ambition (Smith’s desire to win the prize), deception (the students’ attempts to submit poems under false pretenses), and creativity (the students’ efforts to express themselves through poetry).

Another set of answers:

1. The main theme conveyed in the passage is the absurdity of forcing students to participate in activities they are not genuinely interested in or skilled at, and the consequences of deception.
2. The author uses humor to highlight the absurdity of the prize poem tradition through situations like students submitting identical poems and the revelation of their actions.
3. The different characters have varied attitudes towards the prize poem, ranging from reluctance (majority of students) to interest (Reynolds), and their actions include deception (Smith, Montgomery, and Morrison) and honesty (Mr. Perceval).
4. The passage explores the idea of creativity and artistic expression by depicting students’ attempts at writing poetry and the consequences of forcing them to do so.
5. The headmaster’s reaction to the situation reveals his character as fair, understanding, and possessing a sense of humor, with a leadership style that balances discipline with compassion.
6. The examiner’s letter impacts the headmaster’s decision by highlighting the absurdity of the situation and influencing him to change the rules of the competition.
7. The passage comments on students and the pressure to conform to certain standards in education by showing how they react to expectations placed upon them, and the consequences of trying to meet those expectations through deception.
8. The passage showcases the complexities of human nature through themes of ambition (students’ desire to win the prize), deception (students’ actions to submit identical poems), and creativity (students’ attempts at writing poetry).

Vocabulary

A. Rewrite these sentences using capital letters wherever necessary.

1. the red fort is in delhi.
2. the statue of liberty is in new york.
3. my brother james visited america last year.
4. mrs kar and her son navin often go abroad.
5. last year they visited japan and saw mt fujiyama.
6. they saw the river nile in egypt.
7. mr kar is a doctor and he works in sunshine hospital.
8. mrs kar is also a doctor with her own practice in leela nagar.
9. prof anand is a very good teacher.
10. queen elizabeth celebrated her birthday.

Answers:

1. The Red Fort is in Delhi.
2. The Statue of Liberty is in New York.
3. My brother James visited America last year.
4. Mrs. Kar and her son Navin often go abroad.
5. Last year they visited Japan and saw Mt. Fujiyama.
6. They saw the River Nile in Egypt.
7. Mr. Kar is a doctor and he works in Sunshine Hospital.
8. Mrs. Kar is also a doctor with her own practice in Leela Nagar.
9. Prof. Anand is a very good teacher.
10. Queen Elizabeth celebrated her birthday.

B. End each of these sentences using the correct punctuation mark.

1. I went to Chennai last week
2. What a beautiful city it is
3. Have you ever been to Chennai
4. Please accompany me to Canada when I go there next month
5. Oh what fun we could have
6. Will you come with me
7. My sister and I will join you
8. What a great idea
9. Let us get our tickets booked
10. Should we ask our parents to do that for us

Answers:

1. I went to Chennai last week.
2. What a beautiful city it is!
3. Have you ever been to Chennai?
4. Please accompany me to Canada when I go there next month.
5. Oh, what fun we could have!
6. Will you come with me?
7. My sister and I will join you.
8. What a great idea!
9. Let us get our tickets booked.
10. Should we ask our parents to do that for us?

Grammar

A. Complete these sentences using appropriate reflexive pronouns.

1. I don’t like eating by ……..
2. They amused …….. by watching the play.
3. Our cat comes home by …….
4. Boys, did you decorate the hall by ……..
5. My aunt lives by ……..
6. Did the two of you do this by ……..

Answers:

1. I don’t like eating by myself.
2. They amused themselves by watching the play.
3. Our cat comes home by itself.
4. Boys, did you decorate the hall by yourselves?
5. My aunt lives by herself.
6. Did the two of you do this by yourselves?

B. Identify whether the highlighted pronouns in these sentences are reflexive (R) or emphatic (E).

1. I will paint it myself.
2. The poor boy blamed himself.
3. You yourself are to be blamed for this mess.
4. He hurt himself while playing.
5. The girls themselves admitted to missing the dance class.
6. I cannot bring myself to tell a lie.
7. The little pup opened the lid itself.
8. They enjoyed themselves at the book launch.
9. He saw Juhi make it herself.
10. You both have got yourselves enough bread.

Answers:

1. I will paint it myself. (R)
2. The poor boy blamed himself. (R)
3. You yourself are to be blamed for this mess. (R)
4. He hurt himself while playing. (R)
5. The girls themselves admitted to missing the dance class. (E)
6. I cannot bring myself to tell a lie. (R)
7. The little pup opened the lid itself. (E)
8. They enjoyed themselves at the book launch. (R)
9. He saw Juhi make it herself. (E)
10. You both have got yourselves enough bread. (R)

C. Complete these sentences using appropriate relative pronouns.

1. The parcel,……. she sent, never reached me.
2. My sister,……. is a chef, has gone to Delhi.
3. We met the villagers …….. houses were destroyed in the flood.
4. Is this the route ……. we took last time?
5. This is the pup …… sleeps in the laundry basket.
6. This is the book ……. I bought yesterday.

Answers:

1. The parcel, which she sent, never reached me.
2. My sister, who is a chef, has gone to Delhi.
3. We met the villagers whose houses were destroyed in the flood.
4. Is this the route that/which we took last time?
5. This is the pup that sleeps in the laundry basket.
6. This is the book that/which I bought yesterday.

D. Complete these sentences using reciprocal pronouns.

1. The thieves were all blaming …….. for the robbery.
2. The teams fought against …….
3. We gave ……. gifts on Christmas.
4. Why don’t you forgive
5. They can see ……..
6. The dogs were barking at ……

Answers:

1. The thieves were all blaming one another for the robbery.
2. The teams fought against each other.
3. We gave each other gifts on Christmas.
4. Why don’t you forgive each other?
5. They can see each other.
6. The dogs were barking at one another.

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