The Song of India notes

The Song of India notes

The Song of India notes is very important for SSLC students. Here we discussed important questions and answers of the poem The Song of India.

Here we explained The Song of India extract questions. The Song of India poem 2 marks question and answer is also provided. The Song of India notes.

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2 marks question and answer

Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.

1)Who were the two speakers in the poem? How do their openions differ?

Ans: The poet V.K.Gokak and the mother India are the two speakers in the poem. The poet wished to sing natural beauty, glorious past and industrial progress of India. But mother India wants him to sing about the ill affecting our land.

2) The poet wished to sing natural beauty of India. What does he want to describe?

Ans: The poet wished to sing about the beauty of snow covered Himalayas and about three oceans that touch our shores and about golden rays of the Sun.

3) More than the natural beauty what does mother India want the poet to sing about?

Ans: The mother India wants the poet to sing about beggers and leapors who filled the street. And also about filth and dirt all around us.

4) What did the poet want to sing about the glorious past of his country?

Ans: The poet wanted to sing about the rock cut temples, which tells the stories of our epics. He also wished to sing about freedom fighters and about sages and prophets who showed us straight and narrow path.

5) What did mother say when the poet wished to sing about glorious past?

Ans: The mother India asked the poet to sing about poor, aged and ignorant people, and also about orphan children, who born in a bleak and dark home.

6) How did the poet wish to describe the industrial progress of India?

Ans: The poet wished to sing about dams, lakes, the steel mills and about ship building yards. He also wished to sing about men who had worked hard to develop technologies, which made our country top in the Atomic Age. 

7) What did mother say when the poet wished to sing about industrial progress?

Ans: The mother India advised the poet to sing about the strikes, the iron men who awakened to fight for nation and about class war and its correlate.

8) Why did the poet felt querulous?

Ans: The poet wished to sing about beauty and progress of our country but mother India asked him to sing about the ill affecting our land. The poet wondered if there was a perfect song which he could sing whole heartedly and this made him querulous.

9) What kind of song did he finally want to sing?

Ans: The poet finally wished to sing whole heartedly a song which was pure and stainless, a song which would not disappear into nothingness.

10) What message does the poet, V.K.Gokak wish to convey through the poem?

Ans: The poet conveys the message that we should be proud of our country’s natural beauty, glorious past and industrial progress. At the same time we should also be aware of the ill affecting our land.

11) Why does the poet, V.K.Gokak call the temples as “epics in stone”?

Ans: Most of our temples are built of stones and their walls are filled with figures which tell the stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata and other epics. So he called the temples as “epics in stone.”

12) Who does the poet mean by “of your children that died to call own”?

Ans: In this poem “of your children that died to call own” refers to the soldiers and freedom fighters. They are the children of mother India. They fought against enemies and sacrificed their lives to get freedom.

13) What, according to the poet, is the contribution of the seers and prophets?

Ans: The seers and prophets showed us straight and narrow path. They have divine power. They showed us how to live on this earth meaningfully.

14) What do the night, the Sun God, and clear dawn represent ?

Ans: In this poem the night represents sorrows, the Sun God represents the hand that saves and the clear dawn represents a bright future of our country.

15) What does the “Motherland writing the book of the Morrow” mean ?

Ans: The poet has the vision of the mother rising from the sky and sitting on a throne of waves. She appeared to be writing the destiny of our country.


3 marks questions

The Song of India notes:

1)What did the poet, V.K.Gokak, want to sing about natural beauty of India?

Ans: The poet V.K.Gokak wanted to sing about snow capped Himalayas, three oceans that wash palm of mother India and the golden rays of the Sun. This are the natural beauties of India.

2) What songs did the mother India want instead of natural beauty?

Ans: The mother India wanted to listen the songs of the beggar and the lepers. And the songs of filth and the dirt. These are the evil effects of our country. She focused on this aspects.

3) What did the poet, V.K.Gokak, want to sing about glorious past of India?

Ans: The poet V.K.Gokak want to sing about rock cut temples, which tells the stories of our epics. And about the soldiers who sacrificed their life for the freedom of our country. And also about seers and prophets who showed us straight and narrow path of life.

4) What songs did the mother India want instead of glorious past of India?

Ans: The mother India wanted to liste the songs of millions of workers, wrinkled faces and ignorance. And also about poor and orphan children who were born in a bleak and dark homes.

5) What did the poet, V.K.Gokak, want to sing about industrial progress of India?

Ans: The poet V.K.Gokak want to sing about dams, lakes, steel mills, and ship building yards. And also about the scientists and technologists who put our country in the top of Atomic age.

6) What songs did the mother India want instead of industrial progress of India?

Ans: The mother India wanted to liste the songs of strikes of early and late. And about iron men who struggled for India and class war and its correlate matters. These are the negative progress of our country.

7) What kind of song did the poet finally want to sing?

Ans: The poet V.K.Gokak want to sing wholeheartedly a song which was pure and meaningful. A song which would not disappear into nothingness. A stainless and pure songs he chose to sing.

8) Why does the poet V.K.Gokak call the temples as “epics in stone”?

Ans: Our ancient temples were built of stones and their walls were filled with figures which tells the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharat. That walls tell us the stories of ancient times. So the poet V.K.Gokak called the temples as “epics in stone.”

9) What, according to the poet, is the contribution of the seers and prophets?

Ans: The seers and prophets showed us straight and narrow path. They showed people the right path of life and how to live on the earth meaningfully. They showed the truth of life and living ways.

10) What do the night, the Sun God and the clear dawn represent?

Ans: The night represents sorrows. The Sun God represents the hand that saves. The clear dawn represents a bright future of our country. The mother India is writing the bright future of India.


The Song of India mcq questions and answers

The Song of India notes:

1. Who are the two speakers in this poem?

a) the poet and mother India

b) the poet and his mother

c) God and the poet

d) the poet and the reader

2.Who does the poet mean by ‘of your children that died to call their own’ ?

a) poor people

b) the poet

c) soldiers

d) citizens of India

3.What is the contribution of seers and prophets?

a) showed straight and narrow path to live

b) showed us how to discriminate among people

c) songs and mantras

d) none of these

4.What does ‘the motherland writing the book of morrow’ signifies ?

a) bright future of our nation

b) bright future of poets

c) sacrifice of soldiers

d) value of humanity

5.What song did mother India ask to sing, when poet wished to sing about natural beauty of India?

a) sing of filth and dirt

b) sing of beggar and leper

c) sing of seers and prophets

d) both A and B are correct 

6. What songs did the poet want to sing in natural beauty of India?

a) about Himalaya, clear dawn and three oceans 

b) about rock cut temples

c) about lakes and dams

d) about soldiers and seers 


The SONG OF INDIA extract questions

The Song of India notes:

1.“ Shall I sing of the Himalayas with their snow –born peaks, of three seas that wash your palms”

a) Whom does ‘ I ‘ refer to ? Ans: the poet

b) How are the Himalayas described here?

Ans: Himalayas are covered with snow-born peaks.

c) Name the three seas.

Ans: The Arabian sea, The Indian ocean, The Bay of Bengal.

2. ” Sing of the beggar and leaper, That swarm my streets. Sing of the filth and dirt,That foul my sylvan retreats.”

a) Who is the speaker?

Ans: The motherland

b) What does ‘ sylvan retreats’ mean?

Ans: A place of seclusion of in deep woods.

c) Why does the speaker ask to sing about beggar and leaper?

Ans: To show sympathy and empathy about these people as they come in crowed on streets.

3. “That beat into my ears like gong That flew about me, a pitiful thing, Like great white birds.”

a) Whom does’ pitiful thing’ refer here?

Ans: The poet himself

b) What does ‘that ‘ mean in the context?

The indignant word of the motherland.

c) Name the figure of speech used here.

Ans: Simile

4. “Querulous , I said : is there no song that I can sing of you.”

a) Whom do ‘ I’ refer here?

Ans: The poet

b) What do you mean by ‘Querulous’?

Ans: Complaining

c) What is the tone of the speaker?

Ans: He is desperate

5. “Of these you may sing, But sing also the strikes , early and late.”

a) Who is the speaker?

Ans: The motherland

b) Whom do ‘you ‘ refer to ?

Ans: The poet

c) What does ‘Of these‘ refer here?

Ans: ‘Of these’ refers to dams, and lakes, steel mills and ship building yard, and the men that work hard.

6. “Shall I sing of your clear dawn with pure gold streaks?”

a) Who said this?

Ans: The poet, V.K.Gokak

b) Who is he addressing?

Ans: Mother India

c) What does clear dawn represents here?

Ans: It represents the beauty of early morning.

7. “Sing of filth and dirt that foul my sylvan retreats.”

a) Who is the speaker?

Ans: Mother India

b) Who is the listener?

Ans: The poet, V.K.Gokak

c) Why does the speaker tell so?

Ans: Because we should be aware of our pollutions and evil effects.

8. “Shall I sing of your rock-cut temples, epics in stone?”

a) Who gave this statement?

Ans: The poet, V.K.Gokak

b) Who is the speaker speaking to?

Ans: Mother India

c) Why does he call the temples ‘epics in stone’?

Ans: Because the rock-cut temples tell us the stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata and other ancient stories.

9. “Of your children that died to call you their own.”

a) Who does ‘children’ refer to?

Ans: The soldiers who struggled for our country.

b) Whose children were they?

Ans: Mother India

c) Why did they die?

Ans: They died for the freedom of our mother India.

10. “Sing of the wrinkled face indexing ignorance.”

a) Who is the speaker?

Ans: Mother India

b) Who should sing thus?

Ans: The poet, V.K.Gokak

c) What does ‘wrinkled face indexing ignorance’ mean?

Ans: The old people, illiterate people and innocent people.

11. “Nervous I yet would ask, deeming it my task.”

a) Who was nervous?

Ans: The poet, V.K.Gokak

b) What did he want to ask?

Ans: He want to ask what he should sing about India.

c) What does ‘it my task’ mean?

Ans: The poet thought that singing and praising about country is his duty.

12. “Querulous, I said: Is there no song that I can sing of you.”

a) Who does ‘I’ refer to?

Ans: The poet, V.K.Gokak

b) With whom does the speaker querulous?

Ans: With Mother India.

c) Why is the speaker querulous?

Ans: Because Mother India is not allowing the poet to sing of he desired songs.

13. “On which she sat and wrote the book of Morrow.”

a) Who does ‘she’ refer to?

Ans: Mother India.  

b) Where did she sit?

Ans: On a throne of waves.

c) What does ‘book of Morrow’ mean?

Ans: The bright future of our country.

14. “It was clear dawn like a nightmare fled the night.”

a) Who did feel like so?

Ans: The poet, V.K.Gokak

b) When did the speaker feel this?

Ans: When our Mother India is writing the thr book of morrow.

c) What does ‘clear dawn’ refer to?

Ans: Our all sadness will disappear and good day will be ahed.


Watch this video for 2 marks questions and answers of this poem.


Watch this video for 3 marks questions and answers of this poem.


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The Song of India notes