The Voice of the Rain

 A. Extract-Based Question 

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

“And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin,

And make pure and beautify it;

(For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, wandering,

Reck’d or unreck’d, duly with love returns.)”

1. The phrase “give back life to my own origin” means that the rain:

a. Returns to the poet after purifying the land

b. Returns moisture to the earth where it began

c. Gives life to the rivers only

d. Destroys the origin from where it came

Correct answer: b

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2. What does the rain being compared to a “song” suggest?

a. It is noisy and disturbing

b. It follows a mechanical pattern

c. It is a natural, beautiful, cyclic process

d. It is unpredictable and violent

Correct answer: c

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3. The tone of the poet in this extract is mainly:

a. Angry

b. Philosophical

c. Humorous

d. Satirical

Correct answer: b

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B. Short Answer Questions (3 marks)

4. Why does the rain call itself the “poem of the earth”?

Answer:

The rain calls itself the “poem of the earth” because it rises invisibly from the land and sea, returns as rain, and sustains life on earth. Like a poem that gives joy and meaning, rain nurtures and beautifies the earth.

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5. Explain the cycle described by the rain in the poem.

Answer:

The rain describes a cycle where it rises from the land and oceans as vapour, travels up to the sky, condenses, and falls back as rain. In returning to its birthplace, it purifies, rejuvenates, and sustains all living things.

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6. What parallel does Whitman draw between rain and music (song)?

Answer:

Whitman compares rain to a song because both originate from the earth or the heart, travel away, complete their purpose, and eventually return with renewed beauty and love. Both enrich the world and complete a meaningful cycle.

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7. How does the poem reflect Walt Whitman’s style of writing?

Answer:

Whitman’s style appears in the free-verse structure, philosophical reflection, use of personification (rain speaking), and focus on universal, natural processes. His lines flow freely like the rain’s movement, without rigid rhyme or meter.

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8. What message does the poet convey through the dialogue with the rain?

Answer:

The poet conveys that all elements of nature work in harmonious cycles. Rain performs its duty selflessly by giving life, purity, and beauty to the earth. It reminds readers of the interconnectedness of nature and humanity.

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9. Why does the rain say it “gives back life to its own origin”?

Answer:

The rain means that it falls on the earth and helps plants, trees, and fields grow. It gives life to the very place from where it first rose as water vapour.