A. Answer in one or two words.

Q1. Who was stung by the scorpion?
Answer: The speaker’s mother.

Q2. What kind of a night was it?
Answer: Night of “steady rain”.

Q3. Who came like swarms of flies?
Answer: The peasants.

Q4. Who is the ‘Evil One’ in the poem?
Answer: The scorpion.

Q5. What will purify the flesh and soul of the mother?
Answer: Poison and suffering.

B. Answer in a few words each.

Q1. What led the scorpion to crawl beneath the sack of rice?
Answer: Ten hours of steady rain drove it there.

Q2. Which lines in the poem suggest the mother’s suffering?
Answer: “My mother twisted through and through, / groaning on a mat.”

Q3. Which word or phrase in the poem suggests that the scorpion represents something evil?
Answer: “Flash of diabolic tail” and “the Evil One”.

Q4. What does ‘sun-baked walls’ suggest in the poem?
Answer: The setting is a simple, rural Indian village.

Q5. What led to the formation of giant scorpion shadows on the walls of the speaker’s hut?
Answer: Candles and lanterns carried by the peasants.

C. Answer these questions briefly.

Q1. What is the role of superstition in the poem? How do the villagers’ beliefs impact their actions and attitude towards the mother?
Answer: Superstition motivates the villagers to pray, search for the scorpion, and philosophize, believing the mother’s suffering purifies her sins.

Q2. What does the mother’s reaction to the scorpion’s sting suggest about her character?
Answer: She is selfless and loving, thinking first of her children rather than her own pain.

Q3. What are the themes and ideas explored in the poem?
Answer: Faith, superstition vs. rationality, sin and redemption, maternal love, community solidarity, and compassion.

Q4. Describe the use of language and vivid imagery by the poet.
Answer: Simple, direct language with sensory imagery, e.g., peasants “like swarms of flies,” “flash of diabolic tail,” “giant scorpion shadows.”

Q5. How do the religious and cultural references in the poem contribute to its themes?
Answer: They establish the Indian rural setting and villagers’ reliance on traditional beliefs, contrasting with rational approaches, highlighting the balance between faith and reason.

D. Answer in detail.

Q1. What according to you is the central theme of the poem? How does it develop in the poem?
Answer: The central theme is the conflict between superstition and rationality, ultimately resolved by the unconditional love of a mother. The villagers’ superstitious actions contrast with the father’s rational remedies, and the mother’s selflessness transcends both, showing that love and sacrifice are paramount.

Q2. Comment on the poem’s use of various literary devices.
Answer: The various literary devices used in the poem are –

1. Metaphor and Simile: Peasants “like swarms of flies”; scorpion as “Evil One.”
2. Juxtaposition: Villagers’ superstition vs. father’s rationality.
3. Symbolism: Rain symbolizes misfortune; mother’s suffering symbolizes sacrifice.
4. Repetition: “They said” emphasizes communal belief.
5. Enjambment: Creates a conversational, flowing narrative.

Q3. How does the poem bring forth the strong sense of solidarity among the village folk of India?
Answer: The peasants arrive immediately, cluster around the mother, share advice and prayers, and demonstrate unity. Misfortune brings the community together, highlighting cultural solidarity and collective support.