NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 1 A Concrete Example (poem by Reginald Arkell) — Let us do these activities before we read

Book page 17 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.

I. Read the names of items you usually find in a garden and write their names against each picture given below. garden hose, sapling, hedge, flower beds, flower pot, pebbles, rockery, fence, vine, wheelbarrow

Answer

The pictures run in two columns down the page. Taking them row by row (left picture, then right picture):

Row	Left-hand picture	Right-hand picture
1	hedge	flower pot
2	wheelbarrow	pebbles
3	sapling	garden hose
4	flower beds	vine
5	fence	rockery

Word	What it is
hedge	a line of bushes grown close together to form a living wall or boundary
flower pot	a container, usually of clay, in which a single plant is grown
wheelbarrow	an open cart with one wheel and two handles, pushed by hand to carry soil or leaves
pebbles	small stones worn smooth and round, spread over the ground for decoration
sapling	a very young tree
garden hose	a long flexible pipe, coiled when not in use, for watering plants
flower beds	patches of prepared ground where flowers are planted in masses
vine	a climbing or trailing plant with long stems
fence	a barrier of wood or wire marking the edge of a garden
rockery	a raised bank of rocks with small plants growing in the gaps between them

Tip: Remember rockery and pebbles before you read the poem — the whole of Mrs. Jones’ garden is made of them. When the poet says her garden is “full of stones”, he is not exaggerating.

Q2.

II. Work in groups of four. What kind of garden would you like to have? Mention the features that you can include and the reasons for your choice. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.

Answer

Method. A good group answer does not simply list pretty things. Choose a kind of garden first — the choice is the interesting part — and then let every feature follow from it. Give a reason for each feature that goes beyond “it looks nice”.

Sample answer: Our group would make a kitchen garden with a corner for birds.

Feature	Reason
raised beds of tomatoes, methi and green chillies	the plants are used at home every week, so the garden is worked in, not only looked at
a curry-leaf tree and a tulsi plant	both survive our summers with almost no care
a compost pit in one corner	kitchen waste becomes manure instead of rubbish
an earthen water bowl under the tree	birds come in April and May, when open water is hard to find
a bamboo bench in the shade	a garden nobody sits in soon stops being visited
a narrow pebble path between the beds	we can walk to the plants in the rain without stepping in mud

Q3.

III. Read the title of the poem. What comes to your mind when you read the word ‘concrete’? Does it have more than one meaning? Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.

Answer

Yes — the word carries two quite different meanings, and the poem uses both.

Sense	Meaning	Example
as a noun	a hard building material of cement, sand and stone	The new footpath is made of concrete.
as an adjective	definite, solid, particular — the opposite of vague	Give me a concrete example, not a general statement.

The first sense makes you expect stone, paving, hardness — no plants. The second makes you expect proof, a clear illustration. Both expectations turn out to be right, which is the joke the title is preparing.

Why the two senses are connected: Something concrete is something you could touch. That is why a hard building material and a clear example ended up sharing one word — an abstract idea becomes “concrete” when it takes a solid, particular shape.

Tip: Before reading any poem, spend a minute on its title. Poets very rarely waste it, and a title with two meanings is almost always a promise the last line will keep.

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