Meadow Surprises Poem 8 Summary and Question Answers

Here is a new blog post in Class 7th English. “Meadow Surprises” is Poem 8 taken from the newly introduced textbook Melody English for students of Class 7^th of JKBOSE and Honeycomb English for NCERT students. Lois Brandt Phillips an American poet, playwright, editor, and author of children’s stories wrote it. This post concerns Meadow Surprises Poem 8 Summary and Question Answers. In my previous post, you read about Fire Friend and Foe Chapter 8 Summary and Question Answers with you. So, let’s not waste any more time and get started with today’s post.

Meadow Surprises Poem 8 Summary and Question Answers

Introduction

The poet in this poem says that the meadows offer surprises that we see. We see different types of things while exploring the meadows. But for this, we just need a curious eye and keep our ears open to experience all the surprises of the meadows.”

Meadow Surprises Poem 8 Text

Meadows have surprises,
You can find them if you look;
Walk softly through the velvet grass,
And listen by the brook.

You may see a butterfly
Rest upon a buttercup
And unfold its drinking straws
To sip the nectar up.

You may scare a rabbit
Who is sitting very still;
Though at first you may not see him,
When he hops you will.

A dandelion whose fuzzy head
Was golden days ago
Has turned to airy parachutes
That flutter when you blow.

Explore the meadow houses,
The burrows in the ground,
A nest beneath tall grasses,
The ant’s amazing mound.

Oh! Meadows have surprises
And many things to tell;
You may discover these yourself,
If you look and listen well.

Meadow Surprises Poem 8 Word Meaning

Meadow Surprises Poem 8 Summary in English

The meadow unfolds its enchanting secrets to those who observe it with care and eyes and ears open. The grass, velvety and inviting, beckons with a soft touch. One can see vibrant flowers surrounded by beautiful and colourful butterflies drinking the nectar from them. The rabbits are hoping amidst the diverse flora, including the golden dandelion in full bloom. The meadow serves as a habitat, harbouring burrows for rabbits, ant mounds, and nests for various birds. Its beauty is a treasure trove for those attuned to its nuances, where the art of seeing and listening unveils a world teeming with surprises. The meadow, with its myriad wonders, awaits the perceptive observer’s discovery.

Meadow Surprises Poem 8 Explanation

Stanza 1

Meadows have surprises,

You can find them if you look; 

Walk softly through the velvet grass, 

And listen by the brook.

Reference to Context: The above lines have been taken from Lois Brandt Phillips’s poem, ‘Meadow Surprises.’  The poet notes that a meadow has several surprises.

Explanation: The poet says that there are many surprises in grasslands if one pays attention to them. It is a great pleasure to walk through the soft grass and hear the sound of the water flowing in the stream.

Stanza 2

You may see a butterfly

Rest upon a buttercup

And unfold its drinking straws

To sip the nectar up.

Reference to Context: The above lines have been taken from Lois Brandt Phillips’s poem, ‘Meadow Surprises.’ The poet describes the sight of meadows.

Explanation: When we visit the meadows, it is possible to come across a butterfly sitting on her buttercup flowers which are full of nectar. It looks like with the help of a drinking straw the butterfly is sipping nectar from the flowers.

Stanza 3

You may scare a rabbit

Who is sitting very still;

Though at first you may not see him,

When he hops you will.

Reference to Context:  The above lines have been taken from Lois Brandt Phillips’s poem, ‘Meadow Surprises. The poet describes yet another beautiful sight of the meadows.

Explanation: While walking on the soft grass, one may not find a rabbit hidden in the grass because it could be sitting still. The rabbit may get scared by the visitor’s movement and may jump out.

Stanza 4

A dandelion whose fuzzy head

Was golden days ago

Has turned to airy parachutes 

That flutter when you blow.

Reference to Context:  The above lines have been taken from Lois Brandt Phillips’s poem, ‘Meadow Surprises.’ The poet describes the sight of buds transforming into flowers. 

Explanation: One can find the withering dandelions or bright yellow flowers, that appeared golden several days ago have bloomed and someone blows at the flower, the petals fly away in the air like parachutes.

Stanza 5

Explore the meadow houses,

 The burrows in the ground, 

A nest beneath tall grasses, 

The ant’s amazing mound.

Reference to Context: The above lines have been taken from Lois Brandt Phillips’s poem, ‘Meadow Surprises.’ The poet describes the sight of houses of animals that are to be seen in the meadows.

Explanation: If one goes into the meadow, one comes across various houses. One can see burrows in the ground, meant for smaller animals. There are nests under the tall grass and the anthills of the ants are also found there.

Stanza 5

Oh! Meadows have surprises 

And many things to tell;

You may discover these yourself, 

If you look and listen well.

Reference to Context: The above lines have been taken from Lois Brandt Phillips’s poem, ‘Meadow Surprises.’ The poet reiterates the fact that a meadow has several surprises.

Explanation: The poet ends by saying that the grasslands are full of surprises If one can pay a little attention, and look and listen well, one may find several beautiful surprises in the meadows.

Meadow Surprises Poem 8 Question Answers

Working with the Poem Page No. 124

1. Read the lines in which the following phrases occur. Then discuss with your partner the meaning of each phrase in its context.

(i) velvet grass

(ii) drinking straws

(iii) meadow houses

(iv) amazing mound

(v) fuzzy head.

Ans.

(i) The meadows are covered with velvet grass which is very soft to walk upon.

(ii) The butterfly has a long proboscis which looks like a drinking straw with the help of which it sucks nectar.

(iii) Meadow house means the habitat places of creatures like rabbits, snakes, and ants like burrows or mounds.

(iv) Mound is a small anthill made by ants.

(v) Fuzzy head is the puffy tuft of the dandelion which floats in the air.

2. Which line in the poem suggests that you need a keen eye and a sharp ear to enjoy a meadow? Read aloud the stánza that contains this line.

Ans. The line is: “If you look and listen well.” The stanza is given below which you may read aloud: 

Oh! Meadows have surprises

And many things to tell; 

You may discover these yourself, 

If you look and listen well.

3. Find pictures of the kinds of birds, insects and scenes mentioned in the poem.

Ans. For self-attempt. You have to collect pictures of the birds, insects and scenes mentioned in the poem.

4. Watch a tree or a plant, or walk across a field or park at the same time every day for a week. Keep a diary of what you see and hear. At the end of the week, write a short paragraph or poem about your experiences. Put your writing up on the class bulletin board.

Ans. Students do it yourselves.

That’s it about Meadow Surprises Poem 8 Summary and Question Answers. Hope it has helped. Do share your views about this post in the comment section below.