B.1. State whether the following statements are true or false.
(i) When a little boy grows he does not share his secrets with his mother.
(ii) The mother becomes very busy when she grows old.
For life is short, the years rush past…
A little boy grows up so fast.
No longer is he at your side
His precious secrets to confide.
The picture books are put away,
There are no longer games to play,
No good-night kiss,
No prayers to hear…
That all belongs to yesteryear.
My hands, once busy, now are still,
The days are long and hard to fill,
I wish I could go back and do
The little things you asked me to.
B.2. What is the mother trying to convey through this poem?
B.3. Match the following.
A B
(i) life (a) busy
(ii) secrets (b) little
(iii) hands (c) short
(iv) things (d) precious
Answers:
B.1. (i) True
(ii) False
B.2. The mother conveys her regret and guilt about the fact that she couldn’t spend more time with her son when he required it most.
B.3. (i - c), (ii - d), (iii - a), (iv - b)