UNIT 3
THE VILLAGE SCHOOL MASTER
– Oliver Goldsmith
THE VILLAGE SCHOOL MASTER
– Oliver Goldsmith
Comprehension :
C1.) Based on your reading of the poem, find answers to the questions and write them in your notebook.
1.) Where was the school located?
Answer: The school was located in school master’s mansion which was fenced by a straggling fence.
2.) How did the children react to the school master’s jokes?
Answer: The children reacted to the school master’s jokes with counterfeited glee means they pretended to enjoy his joke.
3.) How could the children find the morning disaster?
Answer: The children could find the morning disaster by looking at master’s face.
4.) The schoolmaster was kind as well as severe.
a) kind
b) severe
c) kind as well as severe.
5.) Which of the following is not true of the village school master?
a) He could write and cipher.
b) He could write poems and songs.
c) He could measure lands.
d) He could argue even when he was defeated.
6.) What puzzled the villagers?
Answer: The village school master was very smart man and villagers wondered how the master carried so much of knowledge in his small head.
7.) Why does Oliver Goldsmith say that the “blossom’d furze” was “unprofitably gay?”
Answer: The village school master’s garden was not in good condition and the blossomed flowers were of not use.
C2.) Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.
1.) What is the children’s view of the teacher?
Answer: The children knew that their teacher was severe and stern yet he was kind. He had passion and deep love for teaching which made hi earn respect from the children.
2.) Why did the villagers respect the schoolmaster?
Answer: The schoolmaster knew almost everything. He had lots of knowledge about many things. He could write and cipher. He could measure lands and had good argument skills and these qualities made him earn respect from the villagers.
3.) What impression does the poem give you of the
(a) qualities- The schoolmaster is quite stern and severe in his approach. He has passion and deep love for teaching and this is why despite being strict he is loved by the children. He couldn’t stand any truants and very good at teaching. He was a kind man.
(b) abilities of the village school master- The schoolmaster was a multitalented man. He knew many things which wondered the villagers. He could write and cipher. He could measure lands, terms and tides. He was good at arguing.
4.) Pick out the words that convey the different emotions of the poet.
Answer: Glee, kind, severe, stern.
5.) Describe the skills of the village schoolmaster which made the people wonder.
Answer: The schoolmaster’s knowledge about many things made the villagers wonder about him. He could write and decode the secret messages. He could measure lands, terms and tides. He could so well that even if he lost he continued his argument. The villagers wondered how the schoolmaster’s small head had so much of knowledge.
6.) Can you identify the mood of the speaker? Do you consider this poem a serious piece or a humorous one? Justify your answer.
Answer: Though the tone of the poem is quite funny the poet praises the qualities of the schoolmaster. He respects the schoolmaster and describes how kind the schoolmaster is.
C3) Share your views on the following questions with your friends. Based on the discussion, write the answers in the notebook and read them out to the class.
1.) Would you consider the village schoolmaster an ideal teacher in the present context?
Answer: In the present context the village schoolmaster wouldn’t fit because present scenario is quite different from that of the poem. Now there is a different kind of relation between the teacher and the student. There is also technological advancement which has made today’s students very smart.
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