TNPSC Group 2 General English: Figures of Speech – The Ant and The Cricket
Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission Group 2 or Combined Civil Service Examination II has 3 tier examination for the selection process. For Preliminary Examination is an objective type (Written Examination) with a maximum of 300 marks. TNPSC Group 2 Prelims examination – General English/ General Tamil portion topic has 50% of total marks. Candidates who are preparing for the TNPSC Group 2 General English Part are more important and you can score maximum marks in this part.
The General English portion is of 3 Parts – Part A: Grammar, Part B: Poem, and Part C: Literature. Part B Poem topic study materials PDF are readily available and given below for those who preparing for TNPSC Group 2 Exam.
Group 2 General English – Poem The Ant and The Cricket Appreciation and Figure of Speech topic question and answers solutions PDF given below,
The Ant and The Cricket
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh! what will become,” says cricket, “of me?”
At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold,
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain.
And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.
Says the ant to the
cricket, “I’m your servant
and friend,
But we ants never
borrow; we ants never
lend.
But tell me, dear cricket,
Did you lay anything by
When the weather was
warm?” Quoth the cricket,
“Not I!”
My heart was so light
That I sang day and night,
For all nature looked gay.”
“For all nature looked gay”.
“ You sang, Sir, you say?
Go then”, says the ant, “and dance the winter away”.
Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,
And out of the door turned the poor little cricket.
Folks call this a fable. I‘ll warrant it true:
Some crickets have four legs, and some have two.
– Adapted from Aesop’s fables
Based on your understanding of the poem, read the following lines and answer the questions given below.
1. A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring.
a) What was the routine of the cricket?
The routine of the cricket was that he got accustomed to singing in summer and spring.
b) Name the seasons mentioned here.
Summer and Winter are the seasons mentioned here.
2. Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
a) Who does ‘he’ refer to?
‘He’ refers to the cricket.
His cupboard was empty because he did not collect and preserve any grains for the winter.
3. Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
a) What couldn’t he find on the ground?
He couldn’t find a single crumb –piece of bread on the ground.
b) Why was the ground covered with snow?
The ground was covered with snow because it was winter season.
4. At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold,
a) What made the cricket bold?
Starvation and famine made the cricket bold.
b) Why did the cricket drip and tremble?
It was winter and he had not made his shelter. So he dripped with wet and trembled with cold.
5. Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,
And a mouthful of grain.
a) Whom did the cricket want to meet? Why?
The cricket wanted to meet the ant because he wanted to get shelter and borrow some grain
b) What would keep him alive?
Shelter from rain and a mouthful of grain would keep him alive.
6. But we ants never borrow;
we ants never lend.
a) Why do you think ants neither borrow nor lend?
Since ants have the habit of saving something for the future, they are boldly saying they neither
borrow nor lend, for borrowing or lending makes one a slave for the other.
b) Who says these lines to whom?
The ant says these lines to the cricket.
7. “Not I!
My heart was so light
That I sang day and night,
For all nature looked gay.”
a) Who does ‘I’ refer to?
‘I’ refers to the cricket.
b) What was the nature of the cricket? How do you know?
The nature of the cricket was that it indulged in merrymaking in summer. This we can know from the way it spent the summer.
8. And out of the door turned the poor little cricket.
a) The ant refused to help the cricket. Why?
The ant refused to help the cricket because it spent the whole summer singing all day long and enjoying his good times during summer season. He lacked farsightedness, for he never had plans for his future.
b) Explain the second line.
The ant chased the little careless and lazy cricket out of the door to fend for himself.
9. He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
a) Pick out the rhyming words in the above lines.
borrow – tomorrow
b) Give more examples of rhyming words.
sing, spring; home, come; found, ground; see, tree; bold, cold; ant, grant; rain, grain; light,
night; gay, say; wicket, cricket; true, two are other rhyming words in the poem.
10. My heart was so light
that I sang day and night,
For all nature looked gay.”
“You sang, Sir, you say?
a) Mention the rhyme scheme employed in the above lines.
aabb.
11. Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree,
oh! what will become, “says cricket,” of me?
a) Who does ‘he’ refer to?
‘He’ refers to the cricket.
b) Why is he sad?
There was no food and shelter for him. So he is sad.
12. ”You sang, Sir, you say?”
Go then, “says the ant,” and dance the winter away,
a) To whom does the ant say this?
The ant says this to the cricket.
b) What does the phrase ‘dance the winter away’ mean?
‘Dance the winter away’ means spending the winter season in a joyful manner.
13. Says the ant to the
cricket, “I’m your servant
But we ants never
borrow; we ant’s neverland.
a) What rule do the ants follow?
Ants follow the rule that never lend or borrow.
b) Pick out the rhyming words. friend, lend.
14. Folks call this a fable. I‘ll warrant it true:
Some crickets have four legs, and some have two
a) What is the fable about?
The fable is about the ant and the cricket.
b) What is the moral of this fable?
Prevention is better than cure.
Important links for TNPSC Group 2 General English Study Materials:
- Click Here For TNPSC Group 2 General English Part B Poem – No Men are Foreign
- For Complete Part B Poem Figures of Speech – TNPSC Gr 2 General English Study Materials