The Squirrel Class 7 Summary and Questions

The poem The Squirrel is taken from the newly introduced textbook Melody English VII for students of Class 7 of JKBOSE. It has been written by the American educator and civil activist Mildred Bowers Armstrong (1901-1984). The poem is a descriptive narration of a tiny creature called a squirrel. This post is precisely about The Squirrel Class 7 Summary and Questions. In this post, I will discuss Word Meanings, Summary, Explanation and Question Answers to The Squirrel for students for JKBOSE. Let’s get started with this post.

The Squirrel Class 7 Summary and Questions

Introduction

The poet Mildred Bowers Armstrong in this poem describes a little squirrel sitting on the ground and eating a nut. The poet describes this tiny creature minutely and shows the poet’s strong feelings towards this creature.

The Squirrel Poem Text

He wore a question mark for tail,

An overcoat of gray,

He sat up straight to eat a nut.

He liked to tease and play,

And if we ran around his tree,

He went the other way.

The Squirrel Poem Word Meaning

The Squirrel Poem Summary in English

The poet in this poem describes a squirrel sitting on a tree and eating a nut. He observes this tiny creature in the garden and describes it in detail. The tail of the squirrel looks at a question mark because of its shape. The body of the squirrel is covered with loose gray fur and the poet calls it an overcoat due to its loose appearance. The squirrel sits in a straight position on the branch of a tree to eat a nut.

The squirrel is a very quick and energetic creature and it loves to play and tease with the poet and his friends. If they ran after him and around the tree, it would run to the other side of the tree. The squirrel is naughty but an innocent creature loves to play and tease anyone near him.

The Squirrel Poem Line by Line Explanation

He wore a question mark for tail,

An overcoat of gray,

He sat up straight to eat a nut.

Reference to Context: These lines have been taken from the poem “The Squirrel” written by Mildred Bowers Armstrong. In these lines, the poet describes the physical appearance of the squirrel.

Explanation: The poet describes the tail of the squirrel as a question mark because it is bent like that. It has a cover of gray fur on its body and it sit straight on its legs while eating a nut with the help of its forearms.

He liked to tease and play,

And if we ran around his tree,

He went the other way.

Reference to Context: These lines have been taken from the poem “The Squirrel” written by Mildred Bowers Armstrong. In these lines, the poet describes the naughty and playful nature of the squirrel.

Explanation: The tiny creature likes to play and tease the poet and his friends. But when poet went too close to this tiny creature or ran around his tree, it would go and hide in another direction.

Working with the Poem The Squirrel

1. Why does the poet say the squirrel “wore a question mark for tail”? Draw a squirrel, or find a picture of a squirrel sitting on the ground. How would you describe its tail?

Ans. The tail of the squirrel has the shape of a question mark and that’s why the poet describes it as “wore a question mark for tail”.

2. Do we usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail? What do we say? (Think: Does an animal wear a coat? Consult a dictionary if you like, and find out how ‘wear’ is used in different ways.)

Ans. The animal wearing a tail is a poetic expression. We usually say that an animal ‘has’ a set of given characteristics rather than saying ‘wear’. The dictionary meaning of ‘wear’ suggests something of an outer covering, for instance, clothes.

3. “He liked to tease and play”. Who is teasing whom? How?

Ans. The poet liked to tease and play with the squirrel. Whenever the poet went a little close to the squirrel, the squirrel would run away in the other direction.

That’s all about The Squirrel Class 7 Summary and Questions. Hope it has helped. Do share your views about this post in the comment section below.