Karnataka 1st PUC English Textbook Answers Reflections Chapter 13 Do not ask of Me, My Love

I. Answer the following questions in a word, a phrase or a sentence each:

Question 1.
When does the speaker realise what he thought about love was not true?
Answer:
When he understood that there are other sorrows in the world than love.

1st PUC English Textbook Answers Reflections Chapter 13 Do not ask of Me, My Love

Question 2.
‘That’s the way I imagined it to be.’ suggests
(a) that the speaker’s concept of love is naive.
(b) the speaker’s realisation of realities.
(c) the speaker’s view of love was just a wishful thinking.
Answer:
(a) that the speaker’s concept of love is naive.

Question 3.
‘for there are other sorrows in this world than love,’ here ‘sorrows’ refers to miseries
(a) generated by love.
(b) caused by poverty and deprivation.
(c) caused by jealousy and envy.
Answer:
(b) caused by poverty and deprivation.

1st PUC English Textbook Answers Reflections Chapter 13 Do not ask of Me, My Love

Question 4.
‘You’re beautiful still, my love’ here the speaker is expressing his
(a) fidelity to his love.
(b) inability to pay the same undivided attention to his love.
(c) preoccupations with other issues in life than his love.
Answer:
(a) fidelity to his love.

Do not ask of Me, My Love Additional Question and Answer

Question 5.
Why is the poet helpless?
Answer:
Because there are other sorrows in the world other than love, and other pleasures.

1st PUC English Textbook Answers Reflections Chapter 13 Do not ask of Me, My Love

Question 6.
What was vain according to the poet?
Answer:
Her eyes were everything and everything else was vain.

II. Answer the following questions in a paragraph each:

Question 1.
What does the line ‘those dark and brutal curses of countless centuries’ suggest?
Answer:
The poet mingled the concept of love and contemporary issues in the poem, so he expresses his faith in love and at the same time he remembers his responsibility to contribute some thing to his country. The lines “those dark and brutal curses of countless centuries” suggests there are many problems of poverty and deprivation.

1st PUC English Textbook Answers Reflections Chapter 13 Do not ask of Me, My Love

Question 2.
What harsh realities of life have drawn the speaker’s attention much more than the beauty of his beloved?
Answer:
Though he loved her deep but when he comes to realize that there are other truths than his love. He became helpless towards his beloved. He honestly says his love would be same but he can’t spend the time for her love because there are many problems in the country for which he has to give attention, like poverty and helpless destitutes.

Question 3.
What transformation in the perception of love do you see in the poem?
Answer:
A transformation from imagination to reality can be seen in the perception of love. Every teenager lives in a world of illusions and dreams of his love, but when he is more mature and delves deep in the society and its problems, he realises that love is not a complete world and there are other more important issues out there. This concept is excellently brought out by the poet.

1st PUC English Textbook Answers Reflections Chapter 13 Do not ask of Me, My Love

The poem also gives a message to the youth in how to lead their life and to which world they have to dedicate their life. There are so many problems that are out there to be cared for by all, but the youth simple spend their time in the name of love and spend it in a dream world.

III. Answer the following questions:

Question 1.
At the end of the poem we feel that the speaker does not love his beloved less, but the suffering humanity more. Do you agree?

Question 2.
Many critics have pointed out in this poem ‘the beloved’ means not just a lover but country and nationalism. With this observation, does this poem read differently?
Answer:
The poem “Do not ask of Me My love” by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, presents the concept of love and contemporary issues of our society. The poem begins when the lover expresses his helplessness in not being able to love his beloved as in the past.

1st PUC English Textbook Answers Reflections Chapter 13 Do not ask of Me, My Love

He explains how she seemed so very bright when he had felt that only she was his world. He even exaggerates how her beauty had given breath to the everlasting spring. Her eyes were everything to him and nothing else was there except her in his world. He had felt that with her by his side, the world was his and he could attain everything.

But now, he has realised that all that was just an illusion and only his imagination. He gives as his reasoning his realisation that there out in the wide world were issues, more important than his love for her. He is now more concerned about social problems, war, destruction, poverty diseases and pain of people and would rather try and solve those problems than stay in his illusory world of love for his beloved.

He assures her that his love for her has not diminished, but the social problems have taken priority-justified by these lines, “You’re beautiful still my love, but I’m helpless too. In a way, it is a message to all, that love in youth is quite common, but one’s country and social problems are more important and deserve concern and commitment from all. The speaker has opted for the more fulfilling choice Of social reformation than his love.

1st PUC English Textbook Answers