Lesson 2.2 The Listeners
Lesson 2.2 > The Listeners
GLOSSARY
| champed | bit and chewed upon noisily | கடித்து அசைபோடுதல் |
| ferny | consisting of flowerless plants (ferns) | பூக்களற்ற செடி |
| turret | a small tower that projects from the wall of a building | சுவர் மதில் |
| smote | knocked loudly | தட்டினான் |
| sill | a horizontal piece of timber beneath a window or a door | சன்னல் சாளரம் |
| perplexed | confused | குழும்பிப் போய் |
| thronging | crowding | கூட்டமாய் |
| hearkening | listening attentively | கவனித்தல் |
A. Find a line from the poem to match the pictures given below and write it in the blank
 |  |  |
| “And his horse in the silence champed the sasses” | “That dwelt in the lone house then” | “No head from leaf-fringed sill” |
 |  |  |
| “Of the forest’s ferny floor….” | “But only a host of phantom listeners” | Where he stood perplexed and still” |
B. Read the statements and say True or False. Quote lines from the poem to support your answer.
| Statement | True or False | Quote |
| The Traveller came at noon. | False | “knocking on the moonlit door” “Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight” “Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair” |
| The house was situated in the forest. | True | “That dwelt in the lone house then” |
| There were ghostly listeners inside the house. | True | “But only a host of phantom listeners.” |
| The Traveller came to the house by bicycle. | False | “And his horse in the silence champed the grasses” |
| The phantoms answered and asked the traveller to go away. | False | “No head from the leaf-fringed sill” |
C. Answer the following questions.
1. Who is the speaker?
The poet is the speaker.
2. What was the horse doing?
The horse was champing the grasses on the forest’s ferny floor.
3. Who were the listeners?
The listeners were a host of ghosts.
4. How did the Traveller feel when nobody answered?
The traveller was confused when nobody came to answer him.
5. What kind of feeling does the poem create?
The poem creates a feeling of mystery.
D. Work in pairs and answer the questions given below.
1. Of the forest’s ferny floor.
Pick out the words alliterated.
forest’s ferny floor
2. Pick out the rhyming words from the poem.
- head – said
- sill – still
- then – men
- hall – call
3. Write the words which are used to create a sense of mystery.
- host of phantom listeners.
- Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight.
- the faint moon beams on the dark stair
- empty hall
- lonely Travellar’s call
சில பயனுள்ள பக்கங்கள்