NIOS Class 12 English Chapter 12 Where The Mind Is Without Fear Solutions to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse throughout different chapters NIOS Class 12 English Chapter 12 Where The Mind Is Without Fear Notes and select need one. NIOS Class 12 English Chapter 12 Where The Mind Is Without Fear Question Answers Download PDF. NIOS Study Material of Class 12 English Paper Code 302.
NIOS Class 12 English Chapter 12 Where The Mind Is Without Fear
Also, you can read the NIOS book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of NIOS All Subject Solutions. Here we have given NIOS Class 12 English Solutions, NIOS Senior Secondary Course English Solutions for All Chapter, You can practice these here.
Where The Mind Is Without Fear
Chapter: 12
| TEXTUAL QUESTION ANSWER |
INTEXT QUESTIONS 12.1
1. What is meant by “mind is without fear and head is held high”. Tick the correct answer.
(i) To be fearless and self respecting.
(ii) To be proud of one’s high position.
(iii) To stand straight and be carefree.
Ans: (i) To be fearless and self respecting.
2. The ‘domestic walls’ are usually associated with safety, comfort and love. Are these the feelings evoked by the phrase ‘narrow domestic walls’? If not, choose the correct answer from the ones given below:
(i) Small houses which make us feel cramped.
(ii) Ideas which are petty and narrow-minded.
(iii) A house divided into rooms by walls.
Ans: (ii) Ideas which are petty and narrow-minded.
3. Why has the word ‘tireless’ been used to describe ‘striving’?
Ans: Perfection is not an absolute end point. It is something towards which we
work incessantly but never achieve completely. Hence, the ‘striving’ to try to reach it is a continuous process, in which one cannot afford to get tired.
4. What are we striving for?
Ans: We are striving for the perfection of our inner beings to realise our true selves, which is an essential prerequisite in shaping our destinies and claiming independence and liberation.
INTEXT QUESTIONS 12.2
1. Why is reason compared with ‘clear stream’?
Ans: Clarity of logical thought is compared with a clear stream.
2. Where has reason lost its way?
Ans: Reason has lost its way in our mindless adherence to outdated customs,
superstitious beliefs and cultural dogmas, which the poet metamorphoses as “the dreary desert sand of dead habit.”
3. “Where the mind is led forward by thee…” Who is being referred to as ‘thee’?
What is the poet’s purpose over here?
Ans: The poet is referring to the Almighty as “thee.”
He seeks divine guidance for his countrymen to be able to think and act progressively. Tagore perceives thought and action as being complementary – neither thoughtless action nor actionless thought have a role in the nation he envisaged. Only this can allow individuals and a nation to move away from entrenched dogmas and institutions, mindless habits and customs – and the stagnation that results in intellectual and spiritual death.
4. What does the poet mean by “heaven of freedom”? How can that be achieved?
Ans:“Heaven of freedom” is a reference to that future state of India gaining independence, having broken out from the shackles of her colonial oppressors, where there is absolute freedom, dignity, the right to decide on our own fate and individual liberty. It is this state that the poet compares to the divine bliss and magnificence of being in “heaven.” It can be achieved by ensuring all of the conditions mentioned by the poet, like getting rid of discriminatory practices and doing away with divisive social hierarchies, being guided by rational thinking and not being servile to outdated customs and ritualistic beliefs, etc.
INTEXT QUESTIONS 12.3
1. Rewrite the following sentences in the passive voice:
(i) The students performed the experiment.
Ans: The experiment was performed by the students.
(ii) The waiter served the customers.
Ans: The customers were served by the waiter.
(iii) The gardener pruned the bushes.
Ans: The bushes were pruned by the gardener.
(iv) The chef cooked the meal.
Ans: The meal was cooked by the chef.
(v) The artist painted the portrait.
Ans: The portrait was painted by the artist.
2. Rewrite the following sentences in the active voice:
(i) The decision was made by the committee.
Ans: The committee made the decision.
(ii) The project was completed by the team members.
Ans: The team members completed the project.
(iii) The rules were enforced by the authorities.
Ans: The authorities enforced the rules.
(iv) The problem was solved by the mathematician.
Ans: The mathematician solved the problem.
(v) The proposal was rejected by the board.
Ans: The board rejected the proposal.
INTEXT QUESTIONS 12.4
1. Pick out metaphors and similes from the lines given below:
(i) ‘But swift as dreams myself I found within the pilot’s boat’.
Ans: “Swift as dreams” – simile.
(ii) ‘The wind was a torrent of darkness/ the road was a ribbon of moonlight’
Ans: “The wind was a torrent of darkness” – metaphor
(iii) ‘The ship went down like lead.’
Ans: “The ship went down like lead.” – simile.
(iv) ‘I pass like night from land to land.’
Ans: “I pass like night from land to land.” – simile.
2. Can you pick out two lines where letter and sound are repeated?
Ans: “Head is held high,”“dreary desert sand of dead habit”
| TERMINAL QUESTIONS |
1. How does the poet describe ‘heaven of freedom’?
Ans: The poet Rabindranath Tagore describes the “heaven of freedom” as an ideal state for his country where people are free from all fear and oppression, have access to knowledge for all, are united rather than divided by prejudice, speak with truth, and strive tirelessly for perfection guided by reason, not blind superstition.Truth guides action, and people strive towards perfection with honesty and reason.The mind is led forward by God into ever-widening thought and action.
2. What does the poet mean by “where knowledge is free”?
Ans: In “Where the Mind is Without Fear,” when Tagore says “where knowledge is free,” he means a land where learning and education are not restricted by social, economic, or political barriers.society where education and access to information are available to everyone without any discrimination based on class, caste, gender, religion, or any other societal barrier.
3. Who does the poet address as ‘thee’ and my father?
Ans: The poet is making a prayer to God to inspire his country to achieve true freedom,a land free from fear, ignorance, divisions, and oppression, where truth, reason, and knowledge prevail.
4. What does the poet describe as ‘ever widening thought and action’?
Ans: The poet describes “ever widening thought and action” as a state of continuous and limitless expansion of ideas and deeds,where people’s minds are constantly expanding with new ideas, knowledge, and experiences, and their actions are not limited by narrow-mindedness or outdated customs. It suggests a life of progress, growth, and broad vision, where thought and action move forward freely without restrictions.
5. Why does the poet end the poem with the verb ‘awake’? What is its significance?
Ans: The poet ends the poem with the verb “awake” to inspire realization and action. It is a call for spiritual and national awakening, urging people to rise from ignorance and oppression into the “heaven of freedom.” The word signifies hope, renewal, and a fresh dawn, where truth, reason, and unity will guide the nation towards progress.
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