Class 10 English Dust of Snow summary

Read the extract given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

STANZA 1

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Questions :

(a) What did the crow do to the hemlock tree?

(b) What was there in the tree at that time?

(c) Where do you think was the poet then?

(d) What is the name of the poem?

(e) What is the name of the poet?

(f) Write the rhyming words.

Answers :

(a) The crow shook the hemlock tree.

(b) There was snow in the tree at that time.

(c) Then the poet was under a hemlock tree then.

(d) The name of the poem is ‘Dust of Snow’.

(e) The name of the poet is Robert Frost.

(f) crow – snow me – tree

STANZA 2

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

Questions :

(a) What had given the poet ‘a change of mood’?

(b) What had the poet thought of that day?

(c) How was some part of the day saved for the

poet?

(d) Name the poem.

(e) Name the poet.

(f) What is the rhyme scheme of this stanza?

Answers :

(a) The falling of dust of snow on the poet had

changed his mood.

(b) He had felt sad about that day. But the fall of

snow dust changed his mood.

(c) He stopped ruing the day and his mood changed.

(d) Dust of Snow.

(e) Robert Frost.

(f) The rhyme scheme of this stanza is ‘abab’.

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

(a) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ symbolise?

(b) The mood of the poet changed because___________ .

(c) What does the poet mean when he says and saved some part of the day?

(d) Who shook the dust of snow?

Or

(a) What is the dust of snow?

(b) What mood of the poet is conveyed in these lines?

(c) What did the crow do to the hemlock tree?

(d) What did the tree have on it then?

Ans. (a) The ‘crow’ symbolises ‘joy’ and the ‘hemlock’ tree symbolises ‘sorrow’.

(b) He saw a crow sitting on a hemlock tree shook off the dust of snow on him. Thus, the falling of dust of snow

changed his mood.

(c) The poet has saved some part of the day as he did not waste the time in repenting and regretting.

(d) A crow shook the dust of snow.

Or

(a) Dust of snow refers to the particulate matter of snow that settles on surfaces after a snowfall.

(b) The poet’s altered mood, one that changes from sorrow to joy is depicted here.

(c) The crow shook the dust of snow from the hemlock tree.

(d) The tree had snow on its leaves.

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Answer in one sentence each:

Q.1. Where was the crow sitting?

Ans. The crow was sitting in a hemlock tree.

Q.2. What did the crow shakedown on the poet?

Ans. He shook down snow on the poet.

Q3. In what mood was the poet before falling of snow on him?

Ans. He was in an unpleasant mood.

Q.4. What type of plant is ‘a hemlock tree’?

Ans. It is a poisonous plant with small white flowers.

Q.5. What fell on the poet from the hemlock tree?

Ans. Sonic dust of snow fell on the poet from the hemlock tree.

Q.6. How did the dust of snow affect the poet?

Ans. It changed the poet’s mood.

Q.7. Who is the poet of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?

Ans. The poet of this poem is ‘Robert Frost’.

Short Answer Type Important Questions

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. How has the poet observed nature in the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?

Ans. The poet has observed nature as a positive medium of change for him. The poet had been the sorrowful

and depressive mood in the poem. But then the way a crow shook snow dust off, it changed his mood. Nature

gave him the inspiration to behave in a positive manner.

2. What is the underlying message for us in our hectic life with reference to the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’?

Or What is the central idea of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?

Or What does the poet want to convey through the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?

Ans. In the poem ‘Dust of Snow’, the poet wants to convey that sometimes certain moments or actions which

are simple have larger significance. They can change the mood or life of a person. The way a crow shakes down

dust of snow on the poet inspires and gives him the idea to shake off his depressive thoughts, become cheerful

and do something useful.

3. What side of nature do ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent?

Ans. ‘Crow’ is a black, harsh-voiced bird and ‘hemlock’ is a tree with poisonous bitter fruit. Both are not

beautiful. They represent the dark, depressive, sorrowful and bitter side of nature.

4. Why does the poet use such poetically uncommon bird and tree? What does it reflect?

Ans. The poet seems to be in a depressive and sorrowful mood. In such a mood, one cannot think of a sweet and

beautiful side of nature. The harsh, bitter and poisonous images come to his mind. That is why he uses an

uncommon, harsh, ugly crow and poisonous tree like hemlock.

5. Justify the role of the crow in the poem “Dust of Snow” in changing the poet’s mood.

Ans. I think, ‘the way snow dust was shaken off’ changed his mood. Perhaps it gave the poet inspiration/idea to

behave in the same manner—shake off his depressive thoughts and revive his cheerful mood.

6. What mood of the poet is reflected in the poem? How does it reflect?

Ans. The sorrowful and depressive mood of the poet is reflected in the poem. The use of the bird ‘crow’, which

is ugly and harsh, and hemlock tree, which is a poisonous plant, reflects the poet’s mood.

Q.7. What did the poet think of the day before the dust of snow fell on him?

Ans. Before the fall of the dust of snow, the poet thought that his day was ruined. He was in a bad mood. But

then t use of snow fell on him. It signalled something good and joyful. His mood changed.

Q.8. Write a note on the setting of the poem.

Ans. The poem presents a perfect setting. There are four elements in the poem. All these four elements match

one another. The snow stands for depression. The hemlock tree is a symbol of sadness. The crow considered

ominous. The poet’s mood was also sad. But suddenly the way in which the crow shook the hemlock tree and

falling off the dust of snow. change the poet’s mood.

Q.9. Where was the poet and what happened to him?[H.B.S.E. March 2017 (Set-C)]

Ans. there was snow everywhere. The poet was under a hemlock tree. The tree was covered with snow

Suddenly a crow shook the tree The dust of snow fell on the poet. It changed his mood.

Q.10. The flow was the poet’s mood? What brought a sudden change in it?

Ans. The poet was in a bad mood. He considered that his day was ruined. But the crow shook the tree. The dust

of snow fell on him. His mood changed. The rest of the day was saved for him.

Important Long/ Detailed Answer Type Questions- to be answered in about 100 -150 words each

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

1. Positive attitude in life can make the world a better place to live in. Do you agree or disagree with

reference to the poem ‘Dust of Snow’? Express your views bringing out the inherent values.

Ans. I completely agree with the statement that positive attitude can make the world a better place to live in

Robert Frost, in ‘Dust of Snow’, talks of how an otherwise bad day altered into a not so bad one, due to the

action of a crow. It was a seemingly disconnected occurrence that brought about a change of mood in the poet.

One lesson that can be learnt from the poet, is to see the brightness amidst the gloom. The crow, the hemlock

and the snow are all dark images, and yet, the poet sees the colour of happiness. Another lesson is that life is

made up of small joys. It is through them that one can always manage to see positivity in negativity.

2. Our attitude towards a situation evokes both negative and positive response. Analyze this with

reference to the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’ to bring out the inherent valuable lessons.

Ans. Whatever situation life throws at us, it evokes both positive and negative responses. The poet, in the poem

‘Dust of Snow,’ was in a sorrowful mood. However, when a crow shook down the ‘dust of snow’ on him, his

bitter mood changed into a more optimistic one. Now, being in a sorrowful or bad mood already, the poet could

have got angry at the crow also. However, the dust of snow becomes a positive medium of change for him. It

made him cheerful to some extent and helped him forget his sadness, at least for a few moments. Thus, we see

that instead of seeing the negative aspect of a happening, one should see the positive aspect, and one’s response

may greatly affect the outcome of incidents.

3. The poet has succeeded in giving valuable information in a light-hearted manner. What creates the

desired effect? Highlight its importance in present-day life.

Ans. Truly, Frost has used simple language to drive home a very significant message, that little thing

sometimes, have a big impact. An easy, uncomplicated language, coupled with unusual visual imagery and

brevity of words creates the desired effect. The poet’s bitterness finds reflection even in the environment around

him. The noisy, dark crow, the poisonous hemlock and the icy snow around—all are essentially depressing

images. However, despite the negativity, when the crow shakes down the dust of snow onto the poet, it also

shakes off some of the author’s regretful thoughts. Today, when all of us live in stressful atmospheres, the poem

teaches us to gain happiness from little things.