Salam and hello everyone!! I guess you are busy with your revision since the examination has started. Here are some Q & As for the SPM 2010 students, for you to recapitulate the poems you learned last year. Good Luck!!
SONNET 18
1. Why does the poet compare his beloved to a summer’s day?
The poet compares his beloved to a summer’s day because it is bright, sunny & the best season in the whole year.
2. Why is his beloved “more lovely” and “more temperate” than a summer’s day?
The poet’s beloved is more beautiful than a summer’s day because her perfect beauty does not change.
3. What does the phrase “darling buds” refer to?
“Darling buds’ refers to the tender/delicate buds that are waiting to blossom into flowers.
4. What will the rough winds do to the “darling buds”?
The rough winds blow strongly and the shake the tender buds.
5. Why is the summer season considered a “lease”?
Summer is considered a lease because it seems to be renting for only 3 months in a year.
6. Why does “summer’s lease” have “all too short a date”?
Summer only lasts for 3 months and it is too short to be experienced by the people.
7. What does the phrase “eternal summer” mean?
“Eternal summer” is a metaphor that refers to the everlasting beauty of the poet’s beloved.
8. What are the weaknesses of summer?
i)Summer is too short. It only lasts for 3 months.
ii) Summer is too hot when the sun shines too brightly.
iii) The weather is not exactly temperate as it is unpredictable.
iv)Sometimes the wind blows very strongly that it threats the lovely May flowering buds.
9. What are the strengths of “eternal summer”?
i) Summer season lasts forever.
ii) The beauty and joy of summer lasts forever.
10. Why does the poet describe the sun as the “eye of heaven”?
The sun is in the sky and as if it is looking at the earth from above.
11. Why is the “eye of heaven” itself not perfect?
Sometimes it shines too brightly that it makes people feel hot and uncomfortable.
12. What does “his gold complexion dimm’d” refer to?
Sunshine can sometimes be hidden by dark clouds.
13. What does line 11 mean : “Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade”?
Death cannot boasts over the death of the poet’s beloved as it can only take her life away, not her beauty.
14. “When in eternal lines to time thou grows’t” (line 12). What does this line mean?
The beauty of the poet’s beloved remains captivating as the poet has written about it in this sonnet.
15. What does “this” in line 14 refer to?
The lines in the poem.
IF
Stanza 1
The father advises his son to:
keep his sanity and be sensible at all times
trust himself when others doubt him
give others the benefit of the doubt
practise patience (line.5)
avoid lying and being lied to (line 6)
put aside all hatred (line 7)
be moderate in appearance and speech(line 8)
be humble and not be arrogant (line 8)
Stanza 2
The father advises his son to:
not to indulge in dreams(line 9)
not to show off or try to impress(line 10)
be open-minded and treat success and failure on equal terms (line 11)
to be strong in times of failure (line 12)
remain calm no matter how other people twist your words of truth.(line 13)
evil cheater will twist your words and use them for their own advantage. (line 14)
remain calm when you watch your life’s work being destroyed by unscrupulous people. (line 15)
to rebuild whatever he has lost in life(line 16)
question 8
To become a true man who is perfect in every way.
Stanza 3
The father advises his son:
to gather all his wealth in one venture(line 17)
to be prepared to take risks(line 18)
that if he loses all of his wealth, he has to start all over again(line 19)
not to tell anyone about his loss.(line 20)
to perservere and discipline your mind and heart. (line 21)
be positive and be objective even if you are feeling weak or fearful (line 22)
not to quit even though the odds are against him(line 23)
not to give up easily and to have strong will power(line 24)
Stanza 4
The father advises his son to:
mix with all sorts of people and be true to your values and upbringing(line 25)
socialise with the upper class without looking down on the lower class (line 26)
live in harmony with both your friends and enemies without being harmed by them. (line 27)
be just and equal treatment to everyone(line 28)
be virtuous
have humility
socialise without fear or prejudice
live in harmony with others
be careful not to get hurt
be dependable
appreciate time
make full use of time
si tenggang’s homecoming
by Muhammad haji salleh
1) What does “physical journey” refer to?
The physical journey refers to si tenggang’s journey overseas.
2) What does “A journey of the soul” refer to?
“A journey of the soul” refers to the journey of the mind and heart of the persona.
3) What do lines 5 & 6 mean?
the knowledge that sweats from it
is a stranger’s knowledge
The word sweats suggests that it is not easy to acquire new knowledge. The word stranger means foreign. Now this knowledge is part of his identity.
4) What has this knowledge helped si tenggang to do?
It has helped him to think, see and choose between realities
5) How do his family members feel about the new si tenggang?
His family members do not understand the new si tenggang and they feel that si tenggang has entirely changed.
6) Who understood and accepted him?
His wife
7) si tenggang feels he has “not entirely returned”(line 16). Why is this?
He has physically returned but he is not accepted by his people. He also has a lot of knowledge to share with his people but they refuse to accept the new changes.
8) How has he been changed?
He has been changed by time and place during his travels. He can overcome his problems by himself.
9) What does “the contents of thee boats are yours too” mean (line 37)?
The knowledge he learnt from his travels.
10) Why does si tenggang say that he is “still malay”(line 32)?
He still practise the Malay traditions and believe in what is good.
11) 26.What is si tenggang’s journey compared to (line 28-30)?
A loyal teacher.
12) 27.Why does he say he is “not a new man?”
He has not changed into a different person.
13) In the last stanza (line 55-68), what does he say he has learned?
He has learned not to brood over a foreign world,
He has learned not to be fearful of possibilities.
14) What do lines 64 to 66 mean?
i am you,
freed from the village,
its soils and ways,
si tenggang is still the same person, but he has changed his way of thinking because he has gain more knowledge than his villagers, He has freed his way of thinking which was narrower before his travels.
15) What does he say he has become in lines 67 to 68? What does he mean?
independent, because
i have found myself
He has become more independent because he has discovered his strength and weaknesses.
Monsoon History
By Shirley Geok-lin Lim
1.Describe the air and what it does in lines 1-3.
It has been raining heavily and the air is filled with water vapour.The water vapour soaks into the mattresses causing them to be damp.
2.Why does the poet use the word “apparitions” to describe the air (line 3)?
The image of damp air is seen in the water vapour looking like circles of smoke.
3.What other creatures start to appear in the garden?
fat white slugs and snails.
4.Why do “Nyonya and Baba” count “silver paper for the dead” (lines 21-24)?
It is the practices of the Chinese custom of preparing “silver paper” for the dead to pay respect to the dead.
5.Why do they hang the “portraits of grandfathers” in “the parlour”?
The family has great respect for their ancestors.
6. Why does the poet mention the ancestors and their portraits?
To show the customs and traditions of the Nyonya-baba family which respect their ancestors and preserving the family history.
7. What creatures does the poet see around her?
termites, black spiders, gnats
8.Why are these creatures associated with the “down-pouring rain”?
The creatures normally appear when it rains.
9.Why do you think this poem is called “Monsoon History”?
It tells about an old tradition of the Nyonya Baba family.
10.State 3 themes found in the poem.
a)Monsoon Season in Malacca
b) Family
c) The Nyonya Baba customs
10. State 3 moral values found in the poem.
a) We must know know and value our heritage
b) We must appreciate our home for it is a place of love and warmth.
c) Man and nature can live in harmony with one another.
