NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English (First Flight) Poem 5: The Ball Poem (NCERT 2026–27)

Complete solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Poem 5 – “The Ball Poem” by John Berryman: an original summary, the central theme and message, word meanings, and every “Thinking about the Poem” question (printed in the textbook as “In pairs, attempt the following questions”) answered in full, plus extra questions, MCQs and Assertion–Reason practice. Questions are kept exactly as in the NCERT book; all explanations are original and exam-ready.

Class: 10 Subject: English Book: First Flight Type: Poem (Poem 5) Poet: John Berryman Session: 2026–27
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About the poet

John Berryman (1914–1972) was a noted American poet and scholar, regarded as a major figure in the “confessional” school of post-war American poetry. He taught at several universities and is best known for his long, deeply personal sequence The Dream Songs, which won him the Pulitzer Prize. His verse often explores loss, grief, memory and the inner struggles of the human mind. “The Ball Poem” reflects this concern: through a simple childhood incident – a boy losing his ball – Berryman examines how a person first learns about loss, responsibility and the need to cope with sorrow alone.

Summary

“The Ball Poem” describes a small but powerful moment in a young boy’s life. The boy is playing with his ball when it bounces away “merrily” down the street and falls into the water of the harbour. What begins as an ordinary mishap turns into something far deeper. The poet, watching, says there is no use telling the boy that there are “other balls”, because such words cannot comfort him. An “ultimate shaking grief” grips the boy, and he stands stiff and trembling, staring down into the harbour where his ball has disappeared.

The poet deliberately chooses not to interfere. He refuses to offer the boy a dime or buy him another ball, because he understands that a new ball cannot replace what has truly been lost. The ball, played with over many days, carries the boy’s memories and a part of his young life. Its loss therefore feels personal and irreplaceable.

Through this incident the boy learns his first lesson in “responsibility / In a world of possessions.” He realises that things will be lost throughout life, that money is “external” and cannot buy back what is gone, and that no one can purchase a lost ball for him again. Behind his “desperate eyes” the boy is learning the “epistemology of loss” – the very nature of losing – and, most importantly, learning “how to stand up”: how to accept loss with courage. The poet suggests that this is a knowledge every human being must one day gain, and most must face many times over.

Theme & message

The central theme of the poem is loss and the growing-up that loss forces upon us. The lost ball is a symbol of all the things – objects, people, time, innocence – that we lose in the course of life. Berryman’s message is that grief cannot always be soothed by replacement or by money; some losses must simply be felt and endured. The most valuable lesson the boy learns is self-reliance and resilience – “how to stand up” after sorrow. The poet chooses not to intrude, because each person must learn to cope with loss in their own way, and this independence is itself part of growing up.

Word meanings

Word / PhraseEnglish meaningHindi meaning
merrilycheerfully, happilyखुशी से
O there are other balls(here) the loss is not worth worrying about, as it can be replacedदूसरी गेंद मिल जाएगी, चिंता की बात नहीं
ultimatefinal, deepestअंतिम, गहन
shaking griefsorrow that deeply shakes/affects the boyहिला देने वाला दुख
fixesholds firmly, gripsजकड़ लेता है
rigidstiff, unmovingअकड़, स्थिर
tremblingshaking slightly (with emotion)कांपता हुआ
harboura place by the sea where boats stay; here, water by the streetबंदरगाह
(to) intrude onto enter a situation where one is not welcomeदखल देना
a dimeten cents (U.S. coin); a small amount of moneyएक दिम (छोटा सिक्का)
worthlessof no value (here, as comfort)बेकार, मूल्यहीन
sensesbecomes aware of, feelsमहसूस करता है
possessionsthings one ownsसंपत्ति, सामान
externaloutside oneself; not part of one’s inner selfबाहरी
desperatehopeless, in despairहताश
epistemologythe study of the nature of knowledgeज्ञान का दर्शन/अध्ययन
epistemology of lossunderstanding the nature of loss – what it means to loseहानि की प्रकृति को समझना
stand up(here) to face loss bravely; to copeदुख का सामना करना

Thinking about the Poem

The textbook prints these questions under the instruction “In pairs, attempt the following questions.” Questions are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT First Flight textbook; the answers below are original.

1. Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?

ANSWERThe poet says “I would not intrude on him” because he understands that the boy is going through a deep, personal grief and must face it alone. To console him or interrupt his sorrow would be to disturb an important moment of learning.The poet does not offer money to buy another ball because he knows a new ball cannot replace the lost one. The ball is connected to the boy’s memories and a part of his life; money is “external” and cannot buy back what has real, personal value. The boy must instead learn to accept the loss and stand up to it on his own.

2. “… staring down/All his young days into the harbour where/His ball went …” Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?

ANSWERYes, it appears the boy has had the ball for a long time. The line “staring down / All his young days into the harbour” suggests that as the ball sinks, the boy feels as though his happy childhood days are sinking with it. The ball is clearly linked to the memories of the many days he spent playing with it, which is why its loss affects him so deeply – far more than the small cost of a ball would suggest.

3. What does “in the world of possessions” mean?

ANSWER“In the world of possessions” refers to the real, material world in which people own things and become attached to them. In this world, possessions can be gained as well as lost. Through losing his ball, the boy takes his first step into this world – he begins to understand that owning things also means one day losing them, and that he must learn to take responsibility for his belongings and for his own feelings about losing them.

4. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer.

ANSWERNo, it seems the boy has not lost anything significant before; this is his first real experience of loss. The words that suggest this are “He senses first responsibility” and “ultimate shaking grief”. The word “first” shows that this is the first time he is sensing responsibility, and the “shaking grief” shows how new and overwhelming the feeling of loss is for him.

5. What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.

ANSWERThe poet says the boy is learning the “epistemology of loss” – in simple words, he is learning the true nature of loss and what it really means to lose something. He realises that in life, things will keep getting lost, that money cannot buy back something of personal value, and that he must take responsibility for his own belongings. Most importantly, he is learning “how to stand up” – how to face grief bravely and move on. This is the knowledge that every human being must gain at some point in life.

6. Have you ever lost something you liked very much? Write a paragraph describing how you felt then, and saying whether – and how – you got over your loss.

SAMPLE ANSWERYes, I once lost a wristwatch that my grandfather had given me on my birthday. Though it was not very expensive, it meant a great deal to me because it reminded me of him. When I realised it was gone, I felt empty and upset, and I searched for it everywhere for days. Slowly I understood that no new watch could replace the memories attached to that one. With time, I learned to treasure the memory instead of the object, and I became more careful with the things I love. Getting over the loss taught me to value relationships more than possessions. (Write your own experience in 80–100 words.)

Extra questions

Short answer (30–40 words)

1. How is the ball lost in the poem?

ANSWERWhile the boy is playing, the ball bounces away “merrily” down the street and rolls over into the water of the harbour. There it sinks and is lost, leaving the boy standing rigid and grief-stricken.

2. Why is buying a new ball not a solution for the boy?

ANSWERA new ball cannot bring back the memories and emotions attached to the lost one. Money is “external” and cannot replace something of personal value, so a new ball would not heal the boy’s real, inner grief.

3. What does the harbour symbolise in the poem?

ANSWERThe harbour symbolises the depth of loss and the passage of time. As the boy stares into it, his “young days” seem to sink there too, making the harbour represent the place where his childhood innocence and happy memories disappear.

4. What is meant by “Money is external”?

ANSWER“Money is external” means that money lies outside a person’s true, inner self. It can buy material objects but cannot buy back emotions, memories or things of personal value, nor can it heal the grief of a real loss.

5. What is the most important thing the boy learns?

ANSWERThe most important thing the boy learns is “how to stand up” – how to face loss and grief with courage and move on. This resilience and self-reliance is the lesson every human being must learn in life.

Long answer (100–120 words)

6. “The Ball Poem is not really about a ball but about growing up.” Discuss.

ANSWERThough the poem describes a boy losing his ball, its real subject is the painful process of growing up. The lost ball stands for everything we lose in life – objects, people, time and innocence. Through this small incident, the boy moves from a carefree childhood into an awareness of the “world of possessions”, where things are owned and lost. He learns that money cannot replace what has personal value and that grief must sometimes simply be endured. Above all, he learns “how to stand up” after sorrow. The poet wisely does not intrude, because this self-reliance is exactly what maturity demands. Thus the poem uses a ball to teach a deep lesson about life.

7. How does the poet present the idea of loss as a necessary part of human life?

ANSWERThe poet presents loss as an unavoidable and even necessary experience for every human being. He states plainly that “balls will be lost always” and that “no one buys a ball back”, showing that loss is a permanent feature of life. By calling the boy’s learning the “epistemology of loss”, the poet treats loss as a kind of knowledge that must be acquired. He adds that this is something “every man must one day know / And most know many days”. Thus loss is shown not as a misfortune to be avoided but as a teacher – one that builds responsibility, maturity and the strength to “stand up” and carry on.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. Who is the poet of “The Ball Poem”?

(a) Robert Frost   (b) John Berryman   (c) Walt Whitman   (d) Carolyn Wells

2. Where did the boy’s ball finally go?

(a) Into a drain   (b) Into a garden   (c) Into the harbour/water   (d) Under a car

3. How did the ball go down the street?

(a) Slowly   (b) Merrily, bouncing   (c) Silently   (d) In a straight line

4. Why does the poet decide not to intrude on the boy?

(a) He is busy   (b) He dislikes the boy   (c) The boy must face the loss himself   (d) He cannot see the boy

5. What does “a dime” mean in the poem?

(a) A type of ball   (b) Ten cents / a small coin   (c) A toy   (d) A street

6. The “epistemology of loss” means:

(a) The cost of losing   (b) Understanding the nature of loss   (c) A list of losses   (d) A way to avoid loss

7. According to the poet, money is:

(a) everything   (b) internal   (c) external   (d) priceless

8. The boy stands “rigid, trembling” because he is:

(a) cold   (b) overcome by grief   (c) angry at the poet   (d) tired of playing

9. The lost ball in the poem is a symbol of:

(a) wealth   (b) all the things we lose in life   (c) games   (d) the sea

10. The most important thing the boy learns is:

(a) how to buy a ball   (b) how to play better   (c) how to stand up after loss   (d) how to save money

Answer key: 1-(b)   2-(c)   3-(b)   4-(c)   5-(b)   6-(b)   7-(c)   8-(b)   9-(b)   10-(c)

Assertion–Reason – choose: (a) A and R both true, R explains A; (b) A and R both true, R does not explain A; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.

1. Assertion (A): The poet does not buy the boy another ball.

Reason (R): A new ball cannot replace the memories and personal value attached to the lost one.

2. Assertion (A): The boy feels an “ultimate shaking grief” at losing his ball.

Reason (R): A ball is very expensive and difficult to buy again.

3. Assertion (A): The poet calls the boy’s learning the “epistemology of loss”.

Reason (R): The boy is understanding the true nature of what it means to lose something.

4. Assertion (A): Money is described as “external” in the poem.

Reason (R): Money can buy back emotions and memories of personal value.

5. Assertion (A): The poet refuses to intrude on the grieving boy.

Reason (R): The boy must learn to face loss and “stand up” on his own.

Answer key: 1-(a)   2-(c) [A true; R false – the grief is not about the ball’s cost but its personal value]   3-(a)   4-(c) [A true; R false – money cannot buy back emotions/memories]   5-(a)

Exam tips

Score full marks on “The Ball Poem”

• Remember the poet – John Berryman – and that the ball is a symbol of all losses in life, not just a toy.

• Learn the key phrases for quotation: “ultimate shaking grief”, “epistemology of loss”, “Money is external” and “how to stand up”. Use them in your answers for extra marks.

• In long answers, always link the lost ball to the theme of growing up and the lessons of responsibility and resilience.

• Explain “epistemology of loss” in simple words (the nature/understanding of loss) – examiners look for the meaning, not just the phrase.

• Keep summaries original and answers in your own words; avoid copying lines of the poem beyond short quotations.

FAQs

Who wrote “The Ball Poem” and in which book is it included?

“The Ball Poem” was written by the American poet John Berryman. It is Poem 5 in the Class 10 English textbook First Flight (NCERT).

What is the main theme of “The Ball Poem”?

The main theme is loss and growing up. The lost ball symbolises all that we lose in life, and the boy learns responsibility, the nature of loss, and above all “how to stand up” after grief.

What does “epistemology of loss” mean?

It means understanding the very nature of loss – what it truly means to lose something. The boy is learning this deep lesson as he watches his ball sink into the harbour.

Questions are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT First Flight textbook; the summary, explanations and answers are written originally by ClearStudy.

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