“Fire and Ice” poem is a short poem indicating toward the destructive forces embeded withinh in human nature. Here you would get answers to textbook questions given in the CBSE class 10 NCERT book “First Flight”.
Click the below links to see notes & explanation based on this poem “Fire and Ice”.
- Poem Summary, Theme & Message
- Stanza and Line by Line Explanation
- Poetic Devices
- Extract Based MCQs
- Extra Question Answers
Fire and Ice Poem Textbook Q/Ans.
Questions:
1. There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun got so hot that it ‘burst’, or grew colder and colder?
2. For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas: greed avarice cruelty lust conflict fury intolerance rigidity insensitivity coldness indifference hatred.
3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?
Answers:
1. There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun got so hot that it ‘burst’, or grew colder and colder?
Ans. There are many ideas about how the world might end, but it’s impossible to say for sure. Scientists have theories about natural disasters like giant asteroid impacts or changes in the sun’s activity. However, the world might also end through human actions like wars or environmental damage.
Whether the world will end someday depends on how you define “the world.” Life on Earth might eventually come to an end, but the planet itself will likely be around for billions of years.
Thinking about the sun getting super-hot or cold is a fun thought experiment! If the sun got much hotter, it would burn Earth to a crisp. If it got much colder, Earth would freeze over completely.
Another posible answer
Numerous theories exist on how the world could end, yet certainty remains elusive. Scientists speculate on natural catastrophes such as colossal asteroid collisions or shifts in solar activity. Conversely, human-induced factors like warfare or ecological destruction could also precipitate the end.
The prospect of the world’s end hinges on the definition of “the world.” While terrestrial life may face extinction, the Earth as a celestial body is expected to persist for billions of years.
Contemplating extreme changes in the sun’s temperature is an intriguing intellectual exercise. A significant increase in heat would incinerate the Earth, whereas a substantial decrease would lead to its total freezing.
2. For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas: greed avarice cruelty lust conflict fury intolerance rigidity insensitivity coldness indifference hatred.
Ans. In the context of the poem, we can eliminate some that don’t quite fit the imagery:
- Greed, avarice, and lust are all related to selfish desires, which don’t quite match the all-encompassing nature of fire in the poem.
- Conflict and fury are emotions related to fire, but they are more specific than the overall idea Frost is conveying.
- Intolerance and rigidity are interesting but don’t capture the destructive power of fire.
- Insensitivity and coldness are closer to ice, but they lack the emotional weight.
- Indifference doesn’t quite capture the intensity of ice’s destructive potential.
This leaves us with:
- Fire: Desire, passion, intensity
- Ice: Hatred, coldness, indifference
These words capture the strong emotions and their potential for destruction that Frost is exploring.
3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?
Ans. The poem uses a rhyme scheme of ABA ABC BCB. This means the first and third lines rhyme (fire/ice), the second and fourth lines rhyme (desire/fire), and so on.
This rhyme scheme helps to create a sense of rhythm and flow in the poem. It also helps to highlight the contrasting ideas of fire and ice. By placing lines that discuss fire and ice close together with rhyming words, Frost emphasizes the opposition between these two forces.
For example, in the lines “Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice” (ABA), the rhyming of “fire” and “ice” draws attention to the two opposing possibilities. Similarly, in the lines “From what I’ve tasted of desire / I hold with those who favor fire” (ABC), the rhyme scheme connects the speaker’s experience of desire with their belief that fire will be the world’s end.
This use of rhyme helps to make the poem more memorable and effective in conveying its central message.
