NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter 4 - The Voice Of The Rain

1. There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to? Which lines indicate this?

Ans: The poet's voice and the voice of the rain are the two voices in the poem. The poem opens with a casual tone. The lines are “And who art thou? Said I ……..” and „I am the poem of Earth‟.

2. What does the phrase “strange to tell” mean?

Ans: The phrase "strange to tell" refers to the rain drops' unexpected and remarkable response to the poet's question about who "it was."

3. There is a parallel drawn between rain and music. Which words indicate this? Explain the similarity between the two.

Ans: The following words/phrases suggest a connection between rain and music: ‘Poem of Earth,' ‘eternal I rise impalpable out of land and the unfathomable sea,' and so on. ‘For singing returns duly with affection’. Both come from a source, rise, find fulfillment, travel around whether or not they are cared for, and eventually return to the point of origin with love.

4. How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem? Compare it with what you have learned in science.

Ans: Rainwater rises untouched from the land and deep-sea, gathers in the sky, changes shape, and finally descends to earth to wash the dry, microscopic dust particles and everything buried beneath them. Then it returns to its original location. According to science textbooks, due to the extreme heat, water vapors from rivers and the ocean rise to the sky. They take the shape of clouds and, after condensing, fall like rain. Rivers carry the water back to the seas and oceans.

5. Why are the last two lines put within brackets?

Ans: A statement about music and its cycle appears in the last two lines. These are not the same as the first nine lines. The poet's voice is heard in the first two lines, while rain speaks in lines three through nine. The song cycle is enclosed in brackets to indicate that the speakers differ but the substance is similar.

6. List the pair of opposites found in the poem.

Ans: The pairs that are found the opposite in the poem are:

Rise- Descend; Day-Night; Reck’d-Unreck’d

7. Notice the following sentence patterns. Rewrite these sentences in prose.

a. And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower.

Ans: I enquired about its identification from the mild rain.

b. I am the Poem of Earth said the voice of the rain.

Ans: The rain's voice presented itself as the Earth's Poem.

c. Eternal I rise.

Ans: The rain's speech described its upward march to the sky as endless.

d. For song…duly with love returns Rewrite the above sentences in prose.

Ans: The poet claims that, like the natural cycle of rain, a song begins in the poet's heart, travels to reach others, and then returns to the poet with all due affection after serving its mission (whether acknowledged or not).

8. Look for some more poems on the rain and see how this one is different from them. 

Ans: In a similar way, Langston Hughes' poem "April Rain Song" explores the impact of rain on life. Rain is described as "silver liquid drops" on the roof, playing a sleepy melody. While Hughes' poem celebrates rain and shows his love for it, Whitman's poem depicts a conversation between the poet and the rain, in which the rain articulates its life cycle, beginning and ending with the poet.

MCQ Questions and Answers

1. In the poem ‘The Voice of the Rain’ who is engaged in a conversation?

1. The poet and rain are engaged in a conversation.

2. The poet and mountains are engaged in a conversation.

3. Rain and trees are engaged in a conversation.

4. Birds and rain are engaged in a conversation. 

Ans. A. The poet and rain are engaged in a conversation.

2. What question does the poet ask the shower that was soft falling?

1. The poet asks - What do you do?

2. The poet asks - What is your name?

3. The poet asks - Who are you?

4. The poet asks - How are you doing?

Ans. C. The poet asks - Who are you?

3. What answer does the rain give to the poet’s question ‘Who are you’?

1. The rain replied that she is rain

2. The rain replied that she is the poem of earth

3. The rain replied that she is rain from the mountains

4. The rain replied that she is a poem about mountains

Ans. B. The rain replied that she is the poem of earth

4. What was the reason according to the rain not being touched?

1. Because she is water

2. Because the rain rises in the form of water vapour

3. As she is in the form of clouds

4. None of the above

Ans. B. because the rain rises in the form of water vapour

5. Name the two places from where the rain rises in the form of water vapour?

A. Land and bottomless sea

B. Land and ocean

C. Mountains and land

D. None of the above

Ans. A. Land and bottomless sea

6. In the poem, what is said happens to the earth when the rain falls on the surface of the earth?

1. It provides water

2. It beautifies and purifies the earth

3. It helps with greenery

4. It provides water to flora and fauna

Ans. A. It provides water

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 4 Poem - The Voice of the Rain

1. The Poem Represents a Parallel That Is Drawn Between Rain and Music. Which Words in the Poem Give You a Feeling of the Same? Explain the Similarity Between Rain and Music, as Depicted in the Poem.

Ans: To quote the last two lines of the poem, readers can witness a parallel line that is drawn to indicate a line between the two elements, ‘rain’ and ‘music’. Interestingly, the words used in the poem narrate the events to be a ‘song’, as a song always comes along with components of music and rhythm to relate with. In the suggested lines of the poem, readers can have a definite idea of how the poet comes across the minute details and closely observes the life-cycle of rain and also relate it to a song, creating a powerful bond between the two. 

The idea begins with the song that starts with a singer and travels to reach others. The rhythms in the song travel and wander around, even if they are being heard, enjoyed or not. 

The poet has now very smartly related the music to rain and has done his best in representing how rain originates from Earth, and again returns to its origin after its work on the planet is done and the role of spreading beauty and purity is fulfilled. 

Lastly, the poet says that both beautiful things are perpetual.   

2. Explain the Unique Resemblance of the Cyclic Movement of Rain and How it Is Brought Out in the Poem? Also, Compare Your Understanding of the Topic With What You Have Learnt in Science.

Ans: To begin with the poem in the first place, the poet indicates how water rises from the ‘land and the bottomless sea’, only to reach the sky as its ultimate destination. On reaching the skies above, the water turns itself into vague formations of clouds that are all unique and different in their structure due to the water from which they originated. After walking miles and covering the planet over other locations, the clouds finally descend to Earth in the form of rain. 

Now, switching over to the science factor, rain is an essential factor of the water cycle. The major factors that come into play in the cyclical process are evaporation, condensation, precipitation, flowing rivers, groundwater, ocean water, etc. In the poem, however, the poet is successful in showing the transition around something exciting and unusual. In the poem, rain is personified to speak about its destination.

Summary of the Poem

In this classic poem, the poet narrates the conversation he had with the falling raindrops. In the opening lines, the poet asks the rain to reveal its identity. To this, the rain replies that she is the poem of the earth. After which the rain goes on defining how she rose as water vapour and how she comes down to the earth as rain. 

Benefits of Referring to Vedantu’s NCERT Solutions

1. The students can understand the type of pattern they will be encountering in the exam. 

2. The students can practice from these solutions. 

3. They can set these answers as a bar for them to achieve. 

4. By following Vedantu’s NCERT Solutions you can know about the important questions and answers asked in the exam.