IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

-QUIZ-

Describe the physical condition of ‘they’ when they returned home

at daybreakTheir limbs are full of scratches and

their legs covered with wounds

In your opinion what had hurt their limbs?

Chips of tree bark

Name two things that were found in the flood water

1. Bloated carcasses2. Chips of tree bark

How long did they take to look for the albino buffalo?

One whole day and night

What was the physical condition of the people who returned home

at dawn?They have scratches and wounds on their body/ They were wet/

their clothes were torn

Explain the phrase ‘soaky clothes torn’.

Their clothes were wet and torn

Name one possible message in the poem.

Being thankful/ Face hardship patiently/ life is full of

challenges/ etc

How did ‘they’ relax after a hard day’s work?

They role their cigarette leaves and joke with one another

Explain in your own words, why it is important to stay optimistic.

So that we won’t get easily frustrated when facing

challenges / etc

At what time of the day did the family returned home?

At dawn/ early in the morning

Which line in stanza 1 tell you that the family accept hardship calmly?

There was not a sign of despair

Explain the phrase they had to brave the horrendous flood.

The flood victim had to walk / go through the terrible flood

What was the family looking for in the flood water?

They were looking for their son’s albino buffalo

In your opinion, why did the family not complain about the

hardships that they had to face?

Any logical answer

Where is the setting of the poem?

In the village/ countryside

In your opinion, why did the family go toward the stove as soon as they returned home?

They wanted to dry their wet clothes

Why do you think they brave the floods to look for the albino

buffalo?Because it’s their son’s prized

possession / any logical answer

How did the family unwind after a hard day’s work?

They smoke cigarettes/ make some jokes

Why had they been away from home ‘the whole day and night’?

They were looking for their son’s albino buffalo

How do we know the flood was terrible?

There were bloated carcasses and tiny tree barks floating

What had made them strong?

They had faced this kind of hardships many times before so

it made them strong

Why do you think they were making jokes?

They wanted to unwind after a long search for the albino

buffalo/ any logical answer

Briefly explain how they managed to cope with disappointment.

They were used to this kind of hardship and this made them strong

and not easily disappointed

Was their son important to them?

Yes, because they went through the terrible flood to look for

their son’s lost buffalo

Which phrase in the poem shows that lives were lost in the flood?

Bloated carcasses

Which line tells you they were not rich people?

Rolling their cigarette leaves/ desperately looking for their

son’s albino buffalo

What was their response to their hardship?

They did not complain but faced it with patience

What was their disappointment that they had to cope in this

poem?They had to face hardship many times in their life but still they

did not complain

In stanza 1, to whom does the word ‘they’ specifically refer to?

The villagers/ the parents of the boy/ the husband and wife

Briefly describe how the people are suffering while out in the rain

They are out in the heavy rain/ their limbs are scratched and

wounded

Why do the people approach the stove?

They are wet and cold and would like to get warm and dry

What does the last line of stanza 1 tell you about the people?

In spite of the hardship, they are not sad. This shows they are

strong and do not lose hope easily

Which word / phrase in the 2nd stanza suggests that the search for the albino buffalo is unsuccessful ?

was never found

How long were the people in the rain?

The whole day and night

What do you think is the people’s attitude towards life?

They accept hard times as natural occurrences in life / any

logical answer

When faced with hard times, do you face it the same way as the

family in the poem? Why?

a) Yes/ Nob) Give any logical reasons

What is your own attitude towards facing life challenges?

Any logical answer

Why were the people in the rain?

They were looking for their son’s albino buffalo

How do you know that the couple had a difficult time looking for the

albino buffalo?They had to go through the flood

water with carcasses and tree bark chips floating all around them

What do you think probably happened to the albino buffalo?

Drowned/ got lost

If you were the parent of the boy, would you go out in the floods to look

for your son’s albino buffalo? Why?

Yes/ No with logical reason

What is the hardship the people had to face?

They are having a hard time struggling and getting drenched in the rain looking for the lost buffalo

What sentence tells you that they are used to this hardship and do

not consider it a problem?

Not a sign of despair/ without a sigh or complaint

Do you think it is strange for the boy to love the albino buffalo?

Yes/ No with logical reasons

Describe in one sentence about a man’s relationship with nature as

shown in the poem?Nature can be merciless and the

man is helpless against the power of nature/ other logical reason