ICSE Class 10 English Solutions In the Bazaars of Hyderabad [Poem]

Passage 1

Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you sell, O ye merchants?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirrors with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.

What is displayed by the merchants? Where?

Answer:
The merchants have grandly displayed their wares in the bazaars of Hyderabad. There are turbans in crimson and silver and purple brocade tunics for sale. The merchants also have mirrors with amber panels and jade-handled daggers for sale.

Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you sell, O ye merchants?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirrors with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.

Explain the lines:
Mirrors with panels of amber
Daggers with handles of jade

Answer:
The lines ‘mirrors with panels of amber’ refer to the antique looking mirrors having amber edges.

The line ‘daggers with handles of jade’ refers to daggers that have handles studded with the green coloured precious stone called jade.

Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you sell, O ye merchants?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirrors with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.

Describe the given extract in your own words.

Answer:
This is the first stanza of the poem. It describes the richness of India. The poet opens the poem with a luxurious and an opulent vision of merchants displaying turbans of silver and crimson, colours that are synonymous with royalty and elegance. Next, we read about purple coloured tunics, a colour which again represents royalty. The merchants also have mirrors with amber panels and daggers with jaded handles.

Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you sell, O ye merchants?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirrors with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.

State the rhyme scheme of the given lines.

Answer:
The rhyme scheme of the given lines is a-b-c-b-c-b.

Passage 2

Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna and spice.
What do you call, O ye pedlars?
Chessmen and ivory dice.

What are the vendors selling?

Answer:
The vendors are selling commodities of daily use such as saffron, lentil and rice.

Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna and spice.
What do you call, O ye pedlars?
Chessmen and ivory dice.

What is in store from maidens and pedlars?

Answer:
The maidens have brought to the market sandalwood, henna, and spices that they themselves have ground. The pedlars have chessman and ivory dice on sale.

Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna and spice.
What do you call, O ye pedlars?
Chessmen and ivory dice.

Who are the chessmen? What are they made of? What does it signify?

Answer:
The solid figures used to play chess are the chessmen. The pedlars have displayed chessmen and dice made of ivory. This indicates the Indian fascination for games and the use of precious materials to make the game pieces.

Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna and spice.
What do you call, O ye pedlars?
Chessmen and ivory dice.

Name and explain the figure of speech in the second line of the given extract.

Answer:
The figure of speech in the second line ‘saffron and lentil and rice’ is climax as the things ‘saffron, lentil and rice’ have been mentioned in the increasing order of usage.

Passage 3

Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you make, O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlet and anklet and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons,
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing,
Girdles of gold for the dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.

What do the goldsmiths make?

Answer:
The goldsmiths are people who make expensive and intricately designed ornaments. They have on sale wristlets, anklets and rings that will adore delicate hands and feet. They have girdles and scabbards for the dancers and kings. In addition, the goldsmiths have also designed delicate bells for the feet of blue pigeons.

Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you make, O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlet and anklet and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons,
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing,
Girdles of gold for the dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.

What do scabbards and girdles of gold refer to?

Answer:
The dancers can buy straps of gold to tie around their waist for their various performances. These straps are nothing but girdles that are being sold in the bazaars of Hyderabad. In addition, the goldsmiths have gold scabbards to cover the swords of the kings. The mention of the two together reflects the wide range of articles which the goldsmiths have made thus highlighting their skillfulness.

Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you make, O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlet and anklet and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons,
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing,
Girdles of gold for the dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.

What is special about the pigeon bells?

Answer:
The pigeon bells that are made by the goldsmiths are as delicate as a dragon fly’s wings. The skilful hands of the goldsmiths have made the bells so light that the feet of the pigeon wearing them will not be discomforted.

Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you make, O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlet and anklet and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons,
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing,
Girdles of gold for the dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.

Name and explain the figure of speech in the given extract.

Answer:
The extract uses simile in the line ‘Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing’ to compare the bells to the delicate wings of a dragon fly. A simile is a figure of speech in which a direct comparison is made between two different objects using ‘like’ or ‘as’. This figure of speech is use to share the qualities of one object with the other.

Passage 4

Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you cry, O ye fruitmen?
Citron, pomegranate and plum.
What do you play, O musicians?
Cithar, sarangi and drum.
What do you chant, O magicians?
Spells for the aeons to come.

What does the word ‘cry’ mean in the given extract?

Answer:
The word ‘cry’ refers to the sharp calls given out by sellers to attract buyers.

Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you cry, O ye fruitmen?
Citron, pomegranate and plum.
What do you play, O musicians?
Cithar, sarangi and drum.
What do you chant, O magicians?
Spells for the aeons to come.

Name and explain the figure of speech in the second line of the extract.

Answer:
The figure of speech in the line ‘Citron, pomegranate and plum’ is alliteration as the sound of ‘p’ has been repeated in the words ‘pomegranate’ and ‘plum’.

Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you cry, O ye fruitmen?
Citron, pomegranate and plum.
What do you play, O musicians?
Cithar, sarangi and drum.
What do you chant, O magicians?
Spells for the aeons to come.

What are the magicians doing? What does the word ‘aeon’ mean?

Answer:
The magicians in the bazaars are attracting the attention of the crowd by chanting spells so that people are easily drawn to the bazaar. The word ‘aeon’ in the context above means a very long period of time, the end of which is not known.

Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you cry, O ye fruitmen?
Citron, pomegranate and plum.
What do you play, O musicians?
Cithar, sarangi and drum.
What do you chant, O magicians?
Spells for the aeons to come.

What is on display for the buyers in the given stanza?

Answer:
In this stanza, the poet writes about fruits like citrons, pomegranates and plums that are being sold by the fruit sellers. Further, she also mentions the musicians who have their cithar, sarangi and drum on display.

Passage 5

Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

What do you weave, O ye flower-girls?
With tassels of azure and red?
Crowns for the brow of a bridegroom,
Chaplets to garland his bed,
Sheets of white blossoms new-gathered
To perfume the sleep of the dead.

What are the flower-girls doing in the bazaar?

Answer:
The flower-girls have come to the bazaar to sell flowers. They are making different decorative ornaments out of flowers for different occasions and inviting people to buy them.

Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

How has the poet used flowers to describe various occasions in this stanza?

Answer:
This is the last stanza of the poem. In this stanza, the poet describes how flowers are used to make tassels, crowns and chaplets for the bridegroom and the bride to wish them a happy married life. In addition, she also describes how fresh white flowers are collected for people who wish to pay their last tribute to their loved ones who are no more.

Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

Identify and explain the figure of speech used in the last line of the poem.

Answer:
The poet uses euphemism in the last line of the poem. The phrase ‘the sleep of dead’ indirectly refers to a sleep from which one would never awake; that is, it refers to the condition of being dead.

Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

Find a word from the stanza that means ‘garlands’.

Answer:
Garland: chaplet