Kerala Syllabus Class 8 English - The Seven Ages of Man - Summary, Questions and Answers


Kerala Syllabus Class 8 English - A Comprehensive Study Note on Ruskin Bond's "The Seven Ages of Man" Summary, Questions and Answers

എട്ടാം ക്ലാസ് English ലെ Unit I Bonds of Life ലെ The Seven Ages of Man എന്ന പാഠത്തെ അടിസ്ഥാനമാക്കി Mrs. Jisha K., HST English at GBHSS Tirur, Malappuram തയ്യാറാക്കിയ Summary, Questions and Answers. 
 
Class 8 English - Chapter 2 The Seven Ages of Man - 
∎SSLC English Study Notes
♦ Summary of “Seven Ages of Man “
• Seven Ages of Man is taken from the play, ' As You Like It' written by William Shakespeare. In Act 2, Scene Seven, one of the characters, named Jaques, delivers his monologue. He says the world is a stage and all men and women are just actors. They take their birth and enter the stage, and they die and exit. As for him, there are seven roles or stages a man has to perform in his lifetime. The first being that of an Infant. A stage where the child always cries and is completely dependent on others. The second stage is that of a whining schoolboy who is unwillingly going to school like a snail. The third stage, a man turns to a lover. He is always thinking about his lady love and writing sad poems on her eyebrows. He sighs like a furnace. The fourth stage is of a soldier. He is very brave, energetic and is after reputation. Even in the battlefield, he thinks about reputation, which is like a bubble. The Justice comes then. He is a wise man with a round belly and serious eyes. He is full of wisdom. The sixth stage is that of an old man. He is very lean and thin. His clothes are looser for him. His voice has turned weaker. The last of all stages, the seventh stage, is of extreme old age. At this stage, the man has only forgetfulness, and it is almost like a second childhood, where he needs to be helped. He is without teeth, without eyes, without taste, in fact, without anything.

Shakespeare has used some brilliant poetic techniques for this monologue. They are simile, alliteration and metaphor. ' Sighing like a furnace ' is an example for simile and ' All the world is a stage ' is an example for metaphor. Sans teeth, sans eye, sans taste can be an example for alliteration. The cycle of human life is well portrayed. The theme is universal in nature. The seven roles and the way people behave is also highlighted. This is an extraordinarily well-crafted monologue.
Questions and Answers from the lesson Seven Ages of Man. 

1. The monologue ‘Seven Ages of Man’ is taken from....
Answer. The play’ As You Like It.’

2. Who wrote the play’ As You Like it’?
Answer. William Shakespeare.

3. Which character delivers this monologue?
Answer. Jacques.

4. According to Jacques, the world is a
a) marketplace
b) theatre
c)school
d) stage
Answer. Stage.

5. How many roles does a man perform in one lifetime?
Answer. Seven 

6. What does’ exit and entrance ‘stand for?
Answer. Exit stands for death and entrance birth.

7. What is the first stage?
Answer. Infancy/ Infant 

8. What does ‘mewling and puking’ stand for?
Answer. Crying and vomiting. 

9. Which is the second stage?
a) a lover
b) an old man
c) a school boy
d) a soldier.
Answer. A school boy.

10. What is the boy compared to?
Answer. A snail.

11. Pick out a line from the monologue that shows the boy is not interested to go to school.
Answer. Creeping like a snail unwillingly to school. 

12. Creeping like a snail is an example for
a) alliteration
b) metaphor
c) simile
d) rhyme scheme.
Answer. Simile.

13. Which is the third stage?
Answer. Lover.

14. What is the lover doing?
Answer. He is always thinking about his lady love and writing sad songs on her eyebrows. 

15. Pick out another example for simile.
Answer. Sighing like a furnace.

16. What is a woeful ballad?
Answer. A sad song. 

17. Which is the fourth stage?
Answer. A soldier. 

18. What is he fond of?
Answer. He is fond of reputation. 

19. What is reputation compared to?
Answer. Reputation is compared to a bubble.

20. Why is reputation compared to a bubble?
Answer. Because it is very shortliving.

21. What does ‘ even at the cannon’s mouth ‘mean?
Answer. It means even in the battlefield.
22. The fifth stage is that of a ....
Answer. Justice. 

23. What kind of a man was the Justice?
Answer. He was a wise and experienced man with a serious look. He also has a round belly and a formal beard, and severe eyes.

24. Pick out the line that shows the Justice is very wise.
Answer. He is ‘full of wise saws and modern instances’.

25. Which is the sixth stage?
Answer. An old man.

26. What does’ youthful hose ‘stand for?
Answer. His youthful pants or dress.

27. ' A world too wide’ means
Answer. His pants are too loose or wide for him

28.’Shrunk shank’ refers to....
Answer. His thin or shrunk legs.

29. Why does he keep a pouch on his side?
Answer. As he is getting older, he needs to keep things in his pockets as he has less hand control and things easily fall off.

30. What happened to his youthful voice?
Answer. His youthful voice has turned to be a childish treble.

31. Which is the last stage?
Answer. The last stage is that of extreme old age.

32. 'Strange eventful history’ refers to ....
Answer. The complex lifetime of a man.

33.’Mere oblivion ‘stands for...
Answer. Complete forgetfulness.

34. What is the meaning of ‘sans teeth‘?
Answer. "Sans teeth " means without teeth.

35. Pick out the metaphor from the monologue.
Answer. All the world is a stage.
Seeking the bubble reputation.


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