Asleep in the Valley Arthur Rimbaud short questions and answers

Asleep in the Valley short questions and answers for class- XII

1. ‘Asleep in the valley’ is the poem about—War.

2. ‘Asleep in the valley’ is—Italian sonnet.

3. The green valley was—Small.

4. The stream flows through the—small green valley.

5.  The feet of the soldier were among the—flowers.

6. The smile of the soldier was like—an infant/child.

7. The rest of the soldier could not be disturbed by—the humming insects.

8. The soldier was lying—open mouthed.

9. The head of the soldier was lying on the pillow of—fern.

10. His one hand was on—his breast.

11. The sitting of the poem is—a bosky pit.

12.Who composed the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’?

Ans. Arthur Rimbaud has composed the poem ‘Asleep in the valley’.

13. What was Rimbaud’s nationality ?

Ans. Rimbaud was a French.

14. What is the theme of the poem ‘Asleep in the valley’?

Ans. The theme of the poem is the futility of war.

15. Where from does the sunrays come ?

Ans. The stream of sunrays comes from the mountaintop.

16. How old is the soldier?

Ans. The soldier is very young.

17. How does the soldier lie ?

Ans. The soldier lies open-mouthed.

18. What is the soldier’s pillow made of ?

Ans. The soldier’s pillow is made of fern.

19. Where is the body of the soldier stretched out?

Ans. The body of the soldier is stretched out in the grass under the sky.

20. What does the expression ‘heavy undergrowth’ suggest ?

Ans. The ‘heavy undergrowth refers to the bushes and plants among which the soldier delightfully sleeps.

21. How does the poet describe the soldier’s smile ?

Ans. The young soldier’s smile is as pure and innocent as that of a child.

22. Where do the soldier’s feet lie ?

Ans. The soldier’s feet lie among flowers.

23. Where does the slow stream flow ?

Ans. The slow stream flows through the valley.

24. How does the stream look like ?

Ans. The stream looks like long strands of silver.

25. What is suggested by the word ‘hollow’ ?

Ans. The word ‘hollow’ suggests a valley surrounded by mountains.

26. What are the sunrays compared with ?

Ans. The sunrays are compared to a softly flowing stream.

27. What  does the poet ask Nature to do ?

 Ans. The poet asks Nature to take pity on the soldier sleeping in the valley and provide him warmth so that he may not catch cold.

28. What are the insects doing ?

Ans. The insects are humming, perhaps trying to wake the soldier from his sleep, but in vain.

29. What do the two red holes depict ?

Ans. The two red holes depict bullet wounds in the soldier’s body and the poet reveals the fact that the soldier is dead.

30. What is meant by the phrase ‘Sun-soaked bed’ ?

Ans. The phrase ‘sun soaked bed’ suggests that the valley absorbs the warmth of the sun and lush vegetation grows there abundantly.

31. How can you say that ‘Asleep in the Valley’ is an anti-war poem ?

Ans. ‘Asleep in the Valley’  is an anti-war poem because the ending of the poem implies our pity at the untimely and unfortunate death of a young soldier.

32.  “…..In his side there are two red holes”

       What do the ‘two red holes’ in the poem, ‘Asleep in the Valley’ signify ?

Ans. The two red holes in the side of the soldier suggest  two bullet wounds which have caused his death.

33. What is the setting of the poem ?

Ans. The setting of the poem is probably the Franco-Russian war of 1877 or the Franco-Prusian war of 1870.

34. Who is asked to keep the soldier warm?

Ans. Nature is asked to keep the soldier warm.

35. Why cannot the humming insects disturb the soldier’s rest ?

Ans. The soldier is dead, so nothing can disturb the soldier’s rest.

A slow stream—a small river flows slowly,  strands—yearn,   stream—the sunrays flow like a stream from the top of the mountain,  rays—sunrays,  hollow—the valley like a hole from the top ,  stretched—extended,  undergrowth—grass and shrubs that grow in plenty in the valley,   humming—making a soft continuous sound .