NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Poorvi Poem 2 – Somebody’s Mother (Mary Dow Brine)

The poet introduces a poor old woman — ragged, grey and bent with cold — standing on a wet, snowy street. Her feet are aged and slow. She waits a long time at the crossing, alone and uncared for, while a throng of people passes by, not one of them noticing the anxious look in her eyes. The opening sets a mood of cold, loneliness and helplessness.

Down the street come the schoolboys, full of laughter and shouts, delighted that school is over and happy to see the deep white snow. They are compared to “a flock of sheep”. They hasten past the old grey woman without offering a single helping hand. She is too meek and timid to move, afraid the carriage wheels or horses’ feet might knock her down in the slippery street.

At last one boy — the merriest and gayest of the group — pauses beside her and gently whispers that he will help her cross if she wishes. She places her aged hand on his strong young arm, and he guides her trembling feet across without any hurt or harm, proud that his own feet are firm and strong. Then he returns to his friends, his young heart happy and well content.

The boy tells his friends that she is “somebody’s mother”, deserving of help in spite of being aged, poor and slow. He hopes that some kind person will lend a hand to help his own mother one day, if ever she is poor, old and grey when her son is far away. His words reveal his deep empathy and love for his mother.

That night, “somebody’s mother” bows her head in her home and offers a prayer: “God be kind to the noble boy, who is somebody’s son, and pride and joy!” The poem ends on a tender note of gratitude, showing how one small kindness blesses both the giver and the receiver.

The correct chronological order is:

Order: 2 → 3 → 6 → 4 → 7 → 1 → 8 → 5.

The poet repeats the phrase “Somebody’s mother” because it reminds us that every helpless old person is dear to someone — a mother, a parent — and therefore deserves our love, respect and help, just as we would want our own mother to be treated kindly.

The old woman: vulnerable and neglected :: The young boy: kind and caring (compassionate and helpful).

1. What might be the old woman’s fears as she waited for a long time at the crossing?
She feared slipping and falling on the snowy, slippery street. She was afraid that the moving carriage wheels or the horses’ feet might knock her down and hurt her. Being meek and timid, she also feared that no one would notice or help her, and that she might be stuck there, cold and alone.

2. How does the poet show the helplessness of the old woman? Support your answer with evidence from the poem.
The poet shows her helplessness through her appearance and situation — she is “old and ragged and grey”, “bent with the chill”, with feet “aged and slow”. She stands “alone, uncared for, amid the throng” while people pass without heeding “the glance of her anxious eyes”. She is “so meek, so timid, afraid to stir”, unable to cross by herself. All these details prove she is weak, frightened and dependent on others’ kindness.

3. Why does the boy decide to help the old woman? What does this tell us about him?
The boy helps her because he sees her as “somebody’s mother” and imagines his own mother in her place. He hopes someone would help his mother one day if she were old and alone. This tells us that he is kind, empathetic, thoughtful and loving — a boy with a noble heart who acts out of genuine compassion rather than for praise.

4. How was the boy’s approach towards the old woman different from that of the other boys in the group?
The other boys, “glad in the freedom of school let out”, hastened past her “like a flock of sheep” and “offered no helping hand”, ignoring her completely. This one boy, though “the gayest laddie of all the group”, paused, whispered kindly that he would help, and guided her safely across. Unlike the rest, he noticed her need and acted on it with care and respect.

5. Justify the appropriateness of the title of the poem.
The title “Somebody’s Mother” is very appropriate because it carries the poem’s central message. The old woman is a stranger, yet the boy realises she is somebody’s mother — loved and precious to her own children. The title makes us see every elderly person as a parent deserving care, and it links to “somebody’s son”, reminding us that kindness given returns as kindness. Thus the title captures the theme of empathy and respect for the elderly.

6. What does the poem suggest about the role of empathy and humanity in society?
The poem suggests that empathy and humanity are the true marks of a good society. A small act of kindness — helping an old woman cross a street — can comfort the helpless and bless the helper too. It teaches that we should treat strangers, especially the old and weak, as we would treat our own family. When people care for one another in this way, society becomes warmer, kinder and more humane.

The grid contains the antonyms of the listed words. The words to find are:

Note: “FRAGILE”, “PEACEFUL” and “STRAIGHT” appear clearly in the grid (the example “FRAGILE” is already marked); “BOLD”, “SAD” and “CRUEL” are read across, down or diagonally.

This is a listening exercise based on the teacher’s audio transcript (textbook page 99). Listen carefully and number the six pictures in the order the events occur in the news story — a woman struggling in a river, a boy named Rohan noticing her, Rohan leaping in to save her, bringing her to safety, the crowd witnessing it, and Rohan finally being honoured for his bravery. Arrange the pictures: struggling woman → boy noticing → boy jumping in → rescue → crowd/onlookers → award ceremony.

Note: Fill in the exact words you hear in your class audio; the answers above match the typical broadcast transcript.

Note: As the textbook reminds us, adjectives that come before a noun and end in ‘-ed’ (e.g. ragged, aged) take the /id/ sound. (“paused” ends in a /z+d/ but its final cluster is articulated like /zd/; in the textbook column it is placed under the /d/-type — follow your teacher’s classification.)

It all started when I went to the market with my mother last Sunday. The day began like any other, but at the vegetable shop I saw an elderly man struggling to carry two heavy bags of groceries. At that moment, I realised he might fall, so I rushed over and offered to carry the bags to his rickshaw. He smiled gratefully and blessed me. A wave of joy washed over me when I saw his relieved face. From that day on, this memory reminds me always to help the elderly. This experience taught me the value of small acts of kindness — just like the boy in Somebody’s Mother.

26 April 20xx, Saturday    8:00 p.m.

Dear Diary,

Today, I feel, was a special day. In the afternoon, while returning from the library near the bus stand, I saw a small boy of about five crying loudly. He had lost his mother in the crowded market and looked frightened and helpless. I knelt down, spoke to him gently, and asked his mother’s name and what she looked like. Holding his little hand, I took him to the shopkeeper nearby and made an announcement on the shop’s speaker. Within ten minutes, his worried mother came running and hugged him tightly. She thanked me again and again, with tears of relief in her eyes.

During those minutes I felt both nervous and determined, but after reuniting the boy with his mother I felt a deep, quiet happiness. Helping someone in need gives a joy that nothing else can. I would surely do something like this again, because a little kindness can turn someone’s fear into a smile — just as the boy in Somebody’s Mother taught me.

Goodnight,
(Your name)

Yes. The line “माता भूमिः पुत्रोऽहं पृथिव्याः” from section 12.1.12 of the Pṛthvi-Sūkta (Hymn to the Earth) in the Atharva Veda is translated as “Earth is my mother and I am her child.” It beautifully shows that ancient Indian thought treated the Earth as a nurturing mother who must be loved, respected and protected — the same spirit of care and reverence the poem shows towards “somebody’s mother”.

Many countries personify their nation as a mother to express love, nourishment and protection; a few call it the fatherland to stress heritage and ancestry.

This is a reading-for-enjoyment activity. Emerson’s poem teaches that a nation is made great not by gold but by brave, truthful and honourable people who work hard and stand firm for truth — “They build a nation’s pillars deep / And lift them to the sky.” Like Somebody’s Mother, it reminds us that true greatness lies in good character and selfless values.

Five things to thank her for: (1) cooking warm, healthy meals every day; (2) caring for me when I am ill; (3) helping me with my studies and worries; (4) teaching me good values and manners; (5) always loving and forgiving me. Two things I will do regularly to help: (1) keep my room and study table tidy without being told; (2) help her with small household chores such as setting the table and watering the plants. (Decorate the card using recycled paper and your own message.)

Q1. Where and when is the poem set?
The poem is set on a busy city street on a cold winter’s day. The road is wet and slippery with freshly fallen snow, and an old woman stands waiting at the crossing.

Q2. Why could the old woman not cross the street alone?
She was old, frail and her feet were “aged and slow”. The street was slippery with snow, and she was too meek and timid, afraid the carriage wheels or horses’ feet might knock her down.

Q3. How are the schoolboys described as they come down the street?
They come “with laughter and shout”, glad that school is over, hailing the deep white snow. They are compared to “a flock of sheep”, running and hastening past the old woman.

Q4. What did the kind boy whisper to the old woman?
He paused beside her and whispered low, “I’ll help you cross, if you wish to go,” gently offering his arm to guide her safely across the slippery street.

Q5. What prayer did the old woman make that night?
At home that night she bowed her head and prayed, “God be kind to the noble boy, who is somebody’s son, and pride and joy!” — blessing the boy who had helped her.

Q6. “A single act of kindness can bless both the giver and the receiver.” Discuss with reference to the poem.
In Somebody’s Mother, the boy’s small act of helping an old woman cross the street blesses both of them. The helpless woman, ignored by the crowd and the other boys, is filled with relief and gratitude; that night she prays sincerely for the “noble boy”. The boy, in turn, returns to his friends with a heart “happy and well content”, glad that he could use his strength to help. His kindness is not lost — it returns to him as a blessing and as the hope that someone will one day help his own mother. The poem shows that compassion enriches the giver as much as it comforts the receiver, making kindness one of life’s truest rewards.

Q7. What lesson does the poem teach about our behaviour towards the elderly?
The poem teaches that the elderly, however poor, weak or shabby they may look, deserve our respect, patience and help. The crowd and most of the boys ignored the old woman, but the kind boy saw her as “somebody’s mother” and treated her with gentleness. By imagining his own mother in her place, he reminds us that every old person is dear to some family. The poem urges the young and strong to use their strength to support the weak, and to show empathy rather than indifference. In this way it instils the values of kindness, humility and care for the elderly in society.