Class 8 Sunbeam Reader: Sympathy: Important Questions-Answers

1. Read the poem and choose the correct options to complete the sentences.

(a) The poet was in deep sorrow. A proud man came and helped him by

(i) offering him kind words

(ii) ignoring him

(iii) giving him gold

(iv) giving him pleasant company

Ans: (iii) giving him gold.

(b) When the poet lay in want and grief, the one who helped him was

(i) a rich man

(ii) a poor man

(iii) a proud man

(iv) a holy man

Ans: (ii) a poor man.

(c) The poor man gave the poet

(i) a cold look

(ii) sympathy

(iii) gold

(iv) not a kind word

Ans: (ii) Sympathy

(d) When the poet's sorrow passed, he went to the proud man and

(i) gave him back the gold

(ii) ignored him

(iii) didn't give back the gold

(iv) helped him

Ans: (i) gave him back the gold.

(e) The poet refers to sympathy as 'heavenly' because sympathy

(i) is a feeling found in proud people

(ii) is found only in rich people

(iii) is an ordinary human feeling

(iv) is a blessing from God

Ans: (iv) is a blessing from God.

2. (a) Here are some questions to help you find out how much you have understood the poem:

(i) How did the proud person help the poet when the poet was unhappy?

Ans: The proud person helped the poet by giving him gold.

(ii) What did the poor man do when he found the poet lying in pain and sadness?

Ans: The poor man offered him food and also took care of him day and night.

(iii) Why does the poet think that he cannot help the poor man back in the same way?

Ans: Sympathy in the form of selfless service is a blessing from God. So the poet thinks he cannot pay him back.

(iv) Why is the poor man's help greater than gold?

Ans: The poor man helped by offering food and taking care of him. Such selfless service cannot be paid back. But gold can be paid back. So the poor man's help is greater than gold.

(v) "Oh, gold is great, but greater far

Is heavenly sympathy."

Why does the poet think so?

Ans: One can easily pay back money or gold. But one cannot pay back selfless service. So the poet thinks so.

2. (b) Find in the poem lines that match the meaning of the following sentences

(i) I was sad and very unhappy.

Ans: I lay in sorrow, deep distressed

(ii) I was in need and was sad and hurt.

Ans: I lay in want, and grief, and pain

(iii) He fed me and took care of me.

Ans: He gave me bread, He watched me night and day.

(iv) Gold is valuable but sympathy and love are far more valuable.

Ans: Oh, Gold is great, but greater far

Is heavenly sympathy.

3. Below are some lines from the poem with some words underlined. Choose the correct meanings of the words from the options given in brackets.

(a) I lay in sorrow, deep distressed (tired/unhappy/angry)

Ans: Unhappy.

(b) He gave me gold (money/jewellery/sheets)

Ans: Money

(c) And blessed his charity (money/kind help/pride)

Ans: Kind help.

(d) A poor man passed my way (to move past/stopped me)

Ans: To move past

(e) Is heavenly sympathy (selfishness/godly goodness/pride)

Ans: Godly goodness.

(f) Greater far is heavenly sympathy (the feeling of being sorry at another's sadness/the feeling of pain/a superior feeling)

Ans: The feeling of being sorry at another's sadness.