Lesson No. 8 - A Nation's Strength

A NATION'S STRENGTH
( Ralph Waldo Strenght (1803- 1882)

Not gold, but only men can make,
A people great and strong.
Men who, for truth and honour's sake.
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly,
They build a nation's pillars deep,
And lift them to the sky.

Words Meaning

Honour

Self-respect
Stand fast

Stand firmly
Fly

Run in fear
Dare

Show courage
Pillars

Foundations

EXERCISES

Q:1 Answer the following questions.

i) Give in your own words the main idea of the poem.
Ans: This poem is written by T.W. Emerson. The poet says that it is men not wealth that makes a nation great and strong. Wealth does not make a nation great and powerful. The brave people fight for the cause of honour and truth. They remain firm and face all problems manfully. They make the foundations of their nation very strong. They raise its pillars very high. Their courage and noble deeds glorify their nation. A nation cannot be great without brave men.

ii) Write a paragraph on "Charter of a brave man." Use these objectives to describe the character: brave, truthful, honourable, hardworking, strong, great.
Ans: I have come across many people in my life, but the character which has impressed me the most is that of Mr. Khan. He is a brave man. He is truthful and steadfast. He is ready to suffer for the cause of honour and truth. He is strong in his beliefs and honourable in his actions. He is really a great man.

Q:2 Write down the rhyming words used in the poem.
Example: make, sake. Strong - long, sleep-deep, fly-sky

Q:3 Add two more rhyming words in each line.
i) gold - old, bold
ii) stand -, band, rand
iii) dare - fare, fair

Q:4 Write down the nouns and verbs used in the poem.

Ans:

Noun:
Gold, men, people, truth, honour, nations, pillars, sky

Verbs:
Make, stand, suffer, work, sleep, dare, fly, build, lift

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NOUNS enter _______ VERBS enter _______ ADJECTIVE enter