The Night Mail workbook answers

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The Night Mail questions and answers,

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The Night Mail icse workbook answers,

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The Night Mail Summary,

The Night Mail theme,

The Night Mail – WH Auden

This is the night mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,

Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.

Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time.

Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,

Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.

Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.

Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
They slumber on with paws across.

In the farm she passes no one wakes,
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.

Dawn freshens, Her climb is done.
Down towards Glasgow she descends,
Towards the steam tugs yelping down a glade of cranes
Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland waits for her:
In dark glens, beside pale-green lochs
Men long for news.

Letters of thanks, letters from banks,
Letters of joy from girl and boy,
Receipted bills and invitations
To inspect new stock or to visit relations,
And applications for situations,
And timid lovers’ declarations,
And gossip, gossip from all the nations,
News circumstantial, news financial,
Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,
Letters with faces scrawled on the margin,
Letters from uncles, cousins, and aunts,
Letters to Scotland from the South of France,
Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands
Notes from overseas to the Hebrides

Written on paper of every hue,
The pink, the violet, the white and the blue,
The chatty, the catty, the boring, the adoring,
The cold and official and the heart’s outpouring,
Clever, stupid, short and long,
The typed and the printed and the spelt all wrong.

Thousands are still asleep,
Dreaming of terrifying monsters
Or of friendly tea beside the band in Cranston’s or Crawford’s:

Asleep in working Glasgow, asleep in well-set Edinburgh,
Asleep in granite Aberdeen,
They continue their dreams,
But shall wake soon and hope for letters,
And none will hear the postman’s knock
Without a quickening of the heart,
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?

Summary:

This poem describes the night mail train crossing the border, carrying a variety of letters and parcels for people from all walks of life. The train steadily climbs up Beattock, even though the gradient is against it, and passes by various landscapes, such as cotton-grass and moorland boulders. The train makes a lot of noise as it moves, and the animals in the area, such as birds and sheepdogs, notice its presence. It passes by a farm where no one wakes, except for a jug in a bedroom that shakes gently. As dawn breaks, the train descends towards Glasgow, and people all over Scotland eagerly await their mail. The letters that are being transported include thanks, bank statements, joyous letters from loved ones, bills, invitations, job applications, declarations of love, gossip, news, and condolences. Thousands of people are still asleep, but they will soon wake up hoping for letters. The postman’s knock is eagerly anticipated because nobody wants to feel forgotten.

Paraphrase:

The first stanza describes the night mail train crossing the border carrying various items such as cheques, postal orders, and letters for people from different backgrounds and locations, including the rich and the poor. The train pulls up a steady climb in Beattock, despite the gradient being against it, and moves past cotton-grass and moorland boulder while emitting white steam. The train’s noise alerts birds and sheepdogs, but they are unable to change its course or wake the people on the farm it passes by, except for a jug in a bedroom that shakes gently.

As dawn breaks, the train finishes its climb and begins descending towards Glasgow, passing by steam tugs, cranes, fields of apparatus, and furnaces that look like gigantic chess pieces. People all over Scotland eagerly await their mail, and those in dark glens or beside pale-green lochs long for news.

The second stanza lists the various types of letters the train is carrying, including those of thanks, joy, bills, invitations, job applications, love declarations, and news from different countries. These letters come in different hues and styles, from typed and printed to handwritten and with various spelling errors.

The final stanza describes how thousands of people are still asleep, dreaming of monsters or tea, but they will soon wake up hoping for their mail. The sound of the postman’s knock will quicken their hearts as nobody wants to feel forgotten.

Theme of ‘The Night mail by WH Auden

The theme of the poem “Night Mail” by W. H. Auden is the significance of communication through the postal service. The poem describes the journey of a train carrying mail from London to Scotland and highlights the importance of these letters to people from all walks of life. It emphasizes the idea that letters are not just pieces of paper but can carry emotions, news, and connections to people. The poem also touches on the idea of the universal human desire to feel remembered and not forgotten, which is why people eagerly wait for their letters. The poem celebrates the postal service and the power of the written word to bring people closer together.

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Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions

Answers:

1. (c) turn their heads and stare at her.

2. (d) she wants to warn the animals sleeping on the railway tracks.

3. (d) the coaches were without passengers.

4. (a) it uses coal to get power and emits smoke.

5. (c) Personification      

6. (c) Journey of postal services.

7. (c) the slopes.  

8.(d) All of the above.

9. (d) She does not have human passengers.

Section B: Context Questions

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

This is the Night Mail crossing the border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor
The shop at the corner, the girl next door

Answers:

(i) By starting the first line with “This,” the author aims to grab the reader’s attention and indicate the imminent arrival of the Night Mail train. During the 1930s in the UK, the Night Mail was a train service that was responsible for delivering mail across the country at night to ensure prompt delivery.

(ii) The Night Mail delivers not only “the cheque and the postal order” but also letters intended for people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, indicating that the train service is inclusive and delivers crucial financial papers and personal correspondences to both individuals and enterprises.

 (iii) The Night Mail is different from regular trains due to its specialized purpose as a mail service that ran exclusively at night, traversing the Scottish landscape to deliver mail. Unlike ordinary passenger trains, the Night Mail was not equipped to transport people but rather focused solely on delivering mail. The Night Mail played a crucial role in enhancing the postal service’s efficiency and punctuality, ensuring prompt and effective delivery of letters and other mail items.

(iv) The excerpt highlights how the Night Mail treats everyone equally. It delivers mail to individuals from all socioeconomic backgrounds, including both “the rich” and “the poor.” Furthermore, the Night Mail delivers mail to both “the shop at the corner” and “the girl next door,” indicating that it serves both businesses and individuals in the same locality, regardless of their status. The poem underscores the Night Mail’s significance in connecting people from diverse backgrounds and enabling communication and commerce across various segments of society, without bias or prejudice.

(v) Two examples of the use of rhymes in the extract are: “boulder” and “shoulder”, and “passes” and “grasses”. These rhymes play a crucial role in adding rhythm to the poem, rendering it more captivating and memorable for readers. The rhyme and rhythm helps the readers to visual the train moving at a constant speed. Furthermore, the rhyming words help to connect different sections of the poem, producing a sense of coherence. The use of rhymes also contributes to the poem’s overarching message of connectivity and mutual reliance by highlighting the ways in which diverse individuals and locations are united through the Night Mail.

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time.
Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder

Answers:

 (i) In these lines, the poet is describing the Night Mail train and the uphill slope, referred to as the “gradient,” that it encounters along its route. The phrase “against her” implies that the slope presents a challenging obstacle to the train’s progress. However, the poet notes that despite this difficulty, the Night Mail is able to maintain its schedule and arrive on time, as indicated by the phrase “but she’s on time.”

(ii) This extract highlights the Night Mail’s resilience, punctuality, and power. The line “Despite the challenging gradient, the Night Mail arrives on time” showcases the train’s ability to overcome obstacles and stick to its schedule even on difficult terrain. Additionally, the phrase “shovelling white steam over her shoulder” paints the Night Mail as a formidable and unyielding entity, surging forward through the landscape with great force.

(iii) In the excerpt, the poet describes the Night Mail train’s ascent up the slope as “steady,” indicating that it is progressing smoothly and without any trouble. This suggests that the train is not encountering any obstacles or slowing down while climbing the slope, but is instead maintaining a constant speed. Furthermore, the use of the word “steady” suggests that the Night Mail is a reliable and trustworthy service that can be relied upon to deliver mail promptly.

(iv) In this line, “Shovelling white steam over her shoulder”, the poet uses personification to describe how the smoke from the train is released and carried behind it by the wind. The Night Mail is compared to a lady who is racing to her destination while scooping and throwing steam over her shoulders. This imagery not only helps to create a vivid picture of the train in motion but also adds a sense of energy and urgency to the poem.

(v) The poet in this extract uses personification to describe the Night Mail train as if it were a living being, which is a literary device that attributes human qualities to non-human entities. For instance, the line “The gradient’s against her” anthropomorphizes the train, suggesting that it is facing a challenge that requires effort to overcome. By doing so, the poet creates a sense of empathy and connection between the reader and the train. Furthermore, the phrase “shovelling white steam over her shoulder” reinforces the personification of the train, depicting it as if it were physically working hard to generate the power needed to move forward, which adds to the vividness of the image.

III. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Dawn freshens, Her climb is done
Down towards Glasgow, she descends,
Towards the steam tugs yelping down a glade of cranes
Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen
All Scotland waits for her:
In dark glens, beside pale-green lochs
Men long for news.

Answers:

(i) The Night Mail train has finished its uphill climb and has reached the summit, which is signified by the phrase “Her climb is done”. It implies that the train has overcome the uphill challenge and can now proceed to the next phase of its journey. The Night Mail is now traveling towards Glasgow, a city in Scotland, as mentioned in the following line.

(ii) The first two lines of the extract feature alliteration, which is the repetition of the consonant ‘d’. This literary device creates a sense of movement and progress as the Night Mail train descends towards Glasgow. The repeated ‘d’ sound helps to enhance the rhythm and flow of the poem, adding to the overall musicality of the piece. The poet skillfully employs various techniques to depict the changing scenery and synchronize them with the rhythm of the poem and the train.

(iii) The poet utilized a simile by comparing the huge furnaces in Glasgow’s industrial landscape to “gigantic chessmen.” This comparison serves to highlight the urban environment of the city and the large size of the furnaces that are scattered throughout the landscape. It may suggest that the city’s main industry is manufacturing and that there is little natural beauty in the surrounding area.

(iv) The meaning of the line “All Scotland waits for her” is that the Night Mail train is eagerly awaited by the people of Scotland because it brings news and information in the form of letters and correspondence from distant places. The poet is highlighting the train’s vital role in connecting people and communities across Scotland. This line also conveys a sense of collective anticipation and excitement, as people from all over Scotland eagerly await the arrival of the train.

(v) The extract reflects the theme of ‘the importance of communication’. The line “All Scotland waits for her” It emphasizes the idea that letters are not just pieces of paper but can carry emotions, news, and connections to people. The recurrence of the term “waits” touches on the idea of the universal human desire to feel remembered and not forgotten, which is why people eagerly wait for their letters.

IV. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Asleep in granite Aberdeen,
They continue their dreams,
But shall wake soon and hope for letters,
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?”

Answers:

(i) The Night Mail train passed through Granite Aberdeen while its people were asleep. The line “Asleep in granite Aberdeen, they continue their dreams” indicates that the city’s inhabitants are deeply asleep, and are not aware of the train’s journey through their town.

(ii) The dreams mentioned in the poem are diverse, ranging from frightening monsters to pleasant tea beside a band in Cranston’s or Crawford’s. These dreams can be seen as symbols of the different hopes, fears, and desires that people have when they are asleep. Additionally, the dreams may serve as a means of escapism from the hardships of daily life.

(iii) The poem implies that when the postman knocks, people feel a “quickening of the heart” due to their eager anticipation of receiving letters. The postman’s arrival signifies that they may have received a letter, which is a source of excitement and hope for them. The poem emphasizes the significance of communication and connections between individuals, and highlights the anxiety and longing that can arise while waiting for news from loved ones.

(iv) The line “For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?” in the poem suggests that if the postman fails to deliver any letters, people would experience disappointment and a sense of being overlooked. They are eagerly waiting to receive news and updates from their loved ones and the outside world. The lack of letters would leave them feeling cut off and isolated, and the poet emphasizes the importance of communication and connection between people.

(v) The Night Mail serves as a metaphor for communication and unity among people residing in various regions of Scotland. The train’s journey across different cities and towns is significant as it carries letters, postal orders, and cheques for people belonging to different socio-economic strata. The Night Mail effectively reduces the physical distance between individuals and facilitates a sense of togetherness. It reinforces the notion that every person has a valuable voice that deserves to be heard, regardless of their background. Thus, the Night Mail plays a crucial role in promoting human relationships and fostering a strong sense of community.

TREASURE CHEST: A Collection of ICSE Short Stories & Poems Beta Publication Workbook Answers

PROSE (Short Stories):

Std IX

1. Bonku Babu’s Friend – Satyajit Ray

2. Oliver Asks for More – Charles Dickens

3. The Model Millionaire – Oscar Wilde

4. Home-coming – Rabindranath Tagore

5. The Boy who Broke the Bank – Ruskin Bond

Std X

1. With the Photographer – Stephen Leacock

2. The Elevator – William Sleator

3. The Girl Who Can – Ama Ata Aidoo

4. The Pedestrian – Ray Bradbury

5. The Last Lesson – Alphonse Daudet

POETRY:

Std IX

1. The Night Mail – W.H. Auden

2. Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat – T.S. Eliot

3. I Remember, I Remember – Thomas Hood

4. A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 – Vikram Seth

5. A Work of Artifice – Marge Piercy

Std X

1. Haunted Houses – H.W. Longfellow

2. The Glove and the Lions – Leigh Hunt

3. When Great Trees fall – Maya Angelou

4. A Considerable Speck – Robert Frost

5. The Power of Music – Sukumar Ray

Treasure Chest Workbook Solution: Evergreen Publication

Std 9 Vol – I : Poems

1. A Work of Artifice – Marge Piercy

2. Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat – T S Eliot

3. I Remember, I Remember – Thomas Hood

4. A Doctor’s Joumal Entry for August 6, 1945 – Vikram Seth

5. The Night Mail – W H Auden

6. Haunted Houses – H W Longfellow

7. The Glove and the Lions – James Leigh Hunt

8. When Great Trees Fall – Maya Angelou

9. A Considerable Speck – Robert Frost

10. The Power of Music – Sukumar Roy

Std 9 Vol – II: Short Stories

l. Bonku Babu’s Friend – Satyaji Ray

2. Oliver Asks for More – Charles Dickens

3. The Model Millionaire – Oscar Wilde

4. The Homecoming – Rabindranath Tagore

5. The Boy Who Broke the Bank – Ruskin Bond

6. With the Photographer – Stephen Leacock

7. The Elevator – William Sleator

8. The Girl Who Can – Ama Ata Aidoo

9. The Pedestrian – Ray Bradbury

10. The Last Lesson – Alphonse Daudet