Class 11 English Suggestion 2nd Semester:

 Still I Rise

Short Type Questions Answers: [ 2 marks]

Answer the following questions in not more than 40 words:

1. Who wrote the poem Still I Rise? What is her real name?

2. When was Maya Angelou born? What was her nationality?

3. What is the source of Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise?

4. What type of poem is Still I Rise?

5. What is the main theme of the poem Still I Rise?

6. What reflection of society do we find in the poem?

7. Who is “YOU” addressed in the poem? Who is “I”?

8. What is the structure of the poem?

9. What is the tone of Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise?

10. Who is the speaker of the poem? Whom does the speaker represent?

11. What is the message conveyed through the poem?

12. How does the poet address oppression and discrimination in the poem?

13. “You may write me down in history”-What kind of history has the poet mentioned here?

Long Type Questions Answers:[ 6 marks] 

Answer the following questions in about 120 words:

1. Analyse the title of the poem “Still I Rise.” [HS Modal Question 24]

2. Give the substance of the poem “Still I Rise.”

3. Write a short note on the central idea of the poem “Still I Rise.” OR, What is the message that Maya Angelou wants to convey through her poem “Still I Rise”?

4. “You may write me down in history/With your bitter, twisted lies.” – From where have these lines been taken? Who are referred to as ‘you’ and ‘me’? What are the ‘bitter, twisted lies’ and how do they affect history?

5. “You may trod me in the very dirt/But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” – Who is referred to as ‘you’? What does the phrase “in the very dirt” imply?

6. “You may trod me in the very dirt” – What type of oppression is implied in the given sentence? How will the speaker be abused and trodden by ‘you’?

7. “But still, like dust, I’ll rise” – Who will rise? Why will she rise? Why has the poet used the word ‘still’? Why has the rise been compared to dust?

8. “Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom?” – Name the poem from which the lines are quoted. What does the word ‘sassiness’ mean? Explain the quoted lines.

10. “Just like moons and like suns,/With the certainty of tides” – Name the poet and the poem. What is the figure of speech used here? What message does the poet want to convey through these lines?

11. Just like hopes springing high./Still I’ll rise.”-Who is ‘I’? What is being compared to hope? Explain the significance of the line.

12. “Did you want to see me broken ?/ Bowed head and lowered eyes 7-Who asks these questions and to whom? What do the phrases “bowed head and lowered eyes’ mean? Why does the speaker ask those questions?

13. Does my sexiness upset you ?/ Does it come as a surprise – Who gets upset? What comes as a surprise? Explain the quoted lines.

14. That I dance like I’ve got diamonds / At the meeting of my thighs?- Who is referred to as ‘I’? How does the speaker dance? What is the message conveyed through the lines?