1 From whose perspective is the poem told? First-person perspective of a woman gathering water from a burst municipal pipe First-person perspective of an adult recounting the instance of a burst municipal pipe when they were a child First-person perspective from the perspective of someone living in poverty Someone recounting the scene of a burst water pipe in an impoverished community afflicted with drought. 2 Describe the poem's stanzas. Four stanzas of varying length Five stanzas of varying length Four quatrains Three quatrains 3 Which of the following is NOT a metaphor or simile? "the small splash" "The skin cracks like a pod" "silver crashes to the ground" "the voice of a kindly god" 4 What is a metaphor? Metaphor is a description of one thing as a different, unrelated thing The repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words in succession A person, object, place, event, or action that suggests more than its literal meaning Metaphor is a comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated using the words "like" or "as" 5 Finish this quote: "The skin cracks like _" the ground a pipe a seed a pod 6 Define "pod" as used in the poem. an elongated seed vessel of a leguminous plant such as the pea, splitting open on both sides when ripe a flowering plant's unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant a detachable or self-contained unit on an aircraft, spacecraft, vehicle, or vessel, having a particular function the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibers. 7 Which is the shortest stanza? The first The fourth The third The second 8 What is the effect of the shortest stanza? To demonstrate a bursting pipe To show an outpouring of water There is no effect To convey the severity of drought 9 What is the poem's meter? Free verse Iambic pentameter Iambic tetrameter Iambic trimeter 10 Which is an example of onomatopoeia? drip mug fortune echo 11 What is onomatopoeia? The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words The repetition of vowel sounds without repeating consonants A comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated using the words "like" or "as" The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named 12 Where has Dharker specified as the setting of "Blessing"? Bhalsw in Delhi Rajendra Nagar in Bangalore Daravi in Bombay Dharavi in Mumbai 13 Is the exact setting (name of the community) specified in the poem? No Yes—Dharavi in Mumbai Yes—Rajendra Nagar in Bangalore Yes—Daravi in Bombay 14 Which of the following is not a symbol in the poem? Pots Water Light The municipal Pipe 15 What is the poem's tone? Critical, Hopeful Joyful, Celebratory Pensive, Happy Bitter, Bleak 16 What word is NOT used to describe water? Flow Silver Gold Blessing 17 What does the blessing do at the end of the poem? Sing over the small bones of the children Flow towards the river Sing to the people gathering Roar out from the pipe 18 Which of the following best alludes to how densely populated the neighborhood is? There never is enough water. and naked children screaming in the liquid sun with pots, brass, copper, aluminium, plastic buckets every man woman child for streets around butts in 19 Which sense does Dharker particularly engage with in this poem? Olfactory Auditory Gustatory Tactile 20 Which is a synecdoche? frantic hands The skin cracks like a pod. and naked children screaming in the liquid sun, the sudden rush 21 What is synecdoche? A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa A word, name, or expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated A comparison between two things that are otherwise unrelated. A person, object, place, event, or action that suggests more than its literal meaning. 22 In the poem, water is personified as a: Deity A fellow community member A lover A child 23 Which of the following is NOT an explicit theme in the poem? The active struggle between the community and the government Drought The presence of children The importance of water 24 What does water transform into when the pipe bursts? A form of currency that causes strife A killing force An angry god A form of currency and a blessing 25 What do the children reveal as being necessary to life? Enjoyment, gratitude, and play Resilience, street smarts, and enjoyment Prayer, presence, and obedience Gratitude, solemnity, and prayer
