NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English (First Flight) Poem 8: Fog

Complete Class 10 English Fog solutions from First Flight (Poem 8) by Carl Sandburg: an original summary, theme and message, word meanings and every Thinking about the Poem question answered in full. The exercise headings and question numbering are kept exactly as in the NCERT First Flight textbook; the explanations and answers are written originally for exam preparation.

Class: 10 Subject: English Book: First Flight Type: Poem (Poem 8) Author: Carl Sandburg Session: 2026–27

On this page

About the poet
Summary
Theme & message
Word meanings
Thinking about the Poem (textbook exercise)
Extra questions
MCQs & Assertion–Reason
Exam tips
FAQs

About the poet

Carl Sandburg (1878–1967) was an American poet, biographer and journalist, widely regarded as a major voice of twentieth-century American poetry. Born in Galesburg, Illinois, to a poor immigrant family, he worked at many jobs before becoming famous for his free-verse poems that celebrated ordinary working people and city life. He won the Pulitzer Prize for both his poetry and his monumental biography of Abraham Lincoln. Sandburg is admired for his simple, direct language, his vivid images of urban America, and his love of free verse – poetry that flows naturally without a fixed rhyme or metre, as seen in his short, much-loved poem ‘Fog’.

Summary

‘Fog’ is one of Carl Sandburg’s most famous poems – a tiny, six-line piece that captures a single moment in nature with remarkable economy. In it, the poet describes the arrival and departure of fog over a harbour town by comparing it, throughout, to a cat. He never states directly that the fog is a cat; instead he lets the comparison build through carefully chosen details, making the whole poem one extended metaphor.

The poem opens with the fog coming “on little cat feet.” Just as a cat walks softly and silently, the fog creeps in quietly, almost unnoticed. Sandburg then shows the fog sitting and “looking over harbour and city,” resting on “silent haunches” – exactly the way a cat sits curled up, calmly surveying its surroundings. The image is peaceful and still: the fog has settled over the town as a cat settles in a favourite spot.

Finally, after this brief, silent stay, the fog “moves on.” Like a cat that suddenly loses interest and pads away, the fog drifts off as quietly as it had arrived. In just a few words, Sandburg makes us see, feel and almost watch a natural process unfold. The poem’s power lies in its simplicity: through one perfect comparison and a handful of soft, quiet images, he turns a common weather event into a living, gentle creature. Written in free verse, with no rhyme scheme, ‘Fog’ shows how a great poet can say a great deal in very little space.

Theme & message

The central theme of ‘Fog’ is the quiet, fleeting beauty of nature and the way a poet can capture it through a single, vivid image. By comparing the fog to a cat – silent, light-footed, watchful and then gone – Sandburg reminds us that even the most ordinary natural events have a mysterious, gentle life of their own. The poem also celebrates economy and observation: it teaches that careful seeing and a well-chosen metaphor can express more than many lines of description. Its message is one of stillness and impermanence – like the fog, beautiful moments arrive softly, stay only a while, and then move on, so we should pause and notice them.

Word meanings

Word / Phrase	Meaning
fog	a thick cloud of tiny water droplets near the ground that makes it hard to see
little cat feet	(image) the soft, silent, light steps of a cat
harbour	a sheltered part of the sea or coast where ships can stay safely
city	a large town with many buildings and people
haunches	the back part of an animal’s body, including the hips and the upper part of the legs
on silent haunches	sitting quietly with the body resting on the haunches, the way a cat sits
silent	making no sound; completely quiet
looking over	(here) watching, surveying from above
moves on	goes away; leaves and continues elsewhere
metaphor	a comparison that describes one thing as if it were another, without using ‘like’ or ‘as’
free verse	poetry written without a regular rhyme scheme or fixed metre
creeps	moves slowly, quietly and carefully

Thinking about the Poem

1. (i) What does Sandburg think the fog is like?

ANSWERSandburg thinks the fog is like a cat. Throughout the poem he describes the fog using the actions and qualities of a cat – the way it arrives, sits and then leaves.

1. (ii) How does the fog come?

ANSWERThe fog comes quietly and softly, “on little cat feet.” Just as a cat walks silently on its soft paws, the fog creeps in without any sound, slowly and almost unnoticed.

1. (iii) What does ‘it’ in the third line refer to?

ANSWERIn the third line (“It sits looking”), ‘it’ refers to the fog – which the poet is imagining as a cat that sits and looks over the harbour and the city.

1. (iv) Does the poet actually say that the fog is like a cat? Find three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat.

ANSWERNo, the poet does not directly say that the fog is ‘like’ a cat. He never uses the words ‘like’ or ‘as’; instead he uses a metaphor and lets the cat-like details suggest the comparison.Three things that tell us the fog is like a cat:1. It comes “on little cat feet” – it arrives silently and softly, the way a cat moves on its paws.2. It “sits looking over harbour and city” “on silent haunches” – it rests quietly, exactly the way a cat sits and watches its surroundings.3. It “then moves on” – like a cat that suddenly gets up and pads away quietly, the fog leaves as silently as it came.

2. You know that a metaphor compares two things by transferring a feature of one thing to the other (See Unit 1).(i) Find metaphors for the following words and complete the table below. Also try to say how they are alike. The first is done for you.

ANSWER (sample)

Word	Metaphor	How they are alike
Storm	tiger	pounces over the fields, growls (already given)
Train	a charging bull	rushes ahead powerfully, snorts and roars as it speeds along the track
Fire	a hungry wolf	spreads quickly and fiercely, devouring everything it can reach
School	a busy beehive	full of constant activity and humming voices, with everyone working together
Home	a warm nest	a safe, cosy place that gives shelter, comfort and protection

(These are sample metaphors – you may write your own suitable comparisons.)

2. (ii) Think about a storm. Try to visualise the force of the storm, hear the sound of the storm, feel the power of the storm and the sudden calm that happens afterwards. Write a poem about the storm comparing it with an animal.

SAMPLE POEMThe Storm
The storm comes
on heavy lion paws.
It roars and pounces
over rooftop and field,
shaking its wild mane
– and then lies still.(This is a sample written in free verse, on the model of ‘Fog’. Compose your own short poem comparing the storm to an animal such as a lion, a bull or an eagle.)

3. Does this poem have a rhyme scheme? Poetry that does not have an obvious rhythm or rhyme is called ‘free verse’.

ANSWERNo, the poem does not have a rhyme scheme. The line endings (“comes”, “feet”, “looking”, “city”, “haunches”, “on”) do not rhyme with one another, and there is no fixed rhythm or metre. Such poetry, which flows naturally without an obvious rhyme or regular beat, is called free verse. ‘Fog’ is therefore a fine example of a free-verse poem.

Extra questions

Short answer

1. What is the central comparison in the poem ‘Fog’?

ANSWERThe central comparison is between the fog and a cat. The whole poem is one extended metaphor in which the fog behaves like a quiet, watchful cat that arrives softly, sits looking around, and then moves away.

2. Why is the fog said to come on ‘little cat feet’?

ANSWERBecause the fog arrives silently and gently, just as a cat walks softly on its small, padded feet without making any sound. The phrase captures how quietly and unnoticed the fog creeps in.

3. What does the fog do while it sits over the harbour and city?

ANSWERThe fog sits silently and looks over the harbour and the city, resting on its “silent haunches” – exactly the way a cat sits calmly and watches everything around it.

4. What is meant by ‘free verse’?

ANSWERFree verse is poetry that is written without a regular rhyme scheme or a fixed metre. It flows naturally, like ordinary speech, without an obvious beat. ‘Fog’ is an example of free verse.

5. How does the fog finally leave?

ANSWERAfter sitting quietly for a short while, the fog simply “moves on” – it drifts away as silently and suddenly as a cat that gets up and pads off, leaving without any noise or fuss.

Long answer

6. How does Carl Sandburg use a single metaphor to describe the fog in the poem? Explain with reference to the text.

ANSWERIn ‘Fog’, Sandburg uses one continuous (extended) metaphor that compares the fog to a cat, and he develops it through three small but vivid stages. First, the fog “comes on little cat feet,” suggesting its silent, soft, light-footed arrival. Then it “sits looking over harbour and city / on silent haunches,” an image of a cat sitting still and calmly surveying its surroundings, which conveys the way the fog settles peacefully over the town. Finally, the fog “then moves on,” just as a cat suddenly rises and slips away quietly. Throughout, the poet never says the fog is ‘like’ a cat; he simply transfers the cat’s qualities – silence, softness, watchfulness and sudden movement – onto the fog. This is what makes the comparison a metaphor rather than a simile. In just six short lines of free verse, Sandburg makes a common weather event come alive as a living, gentle creature, showing how a single, well-chosen image can express far more than a long description.

7. ‘Fog’ is a very short poem, yet it is rich in meaning and imagery. Discuss.

ANSWERAlthough ‘Fog’ is only six lines long, it is remarkably rich in both meaning and imagery, which shows Sandburg’s mastery of economy. The whole poem rests on one striking image – the fog as a cat – and every word works to build it. Sound imagery and movement are suggested by “little cat feet” and “silent haunches,” which make us imagine the soft, noiseless steps of a cat and its quiet sitting posture. Visual imagery appears in the fog “looking over harbour and city,” placing the scene clearly before our eyes. Beneath this simple picture lies a deeper meaning: the poem reflects the quiet, fleeting beauty of nature and the idea of impermanence – beautiful moments, like the fog, arrive softly, stay only briefly, and then move on. Written in free verse, with no rhyme to distract us, the poem feels natural and unhurried. Thus, in very few words, Sandburg captures a complete experience and a gentle truth about life, proving that a short poem can be deeply meaningful.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. Who is the poet of ‘Fog’?

(a) Robert Frost (b) Carl Sandburg (c) Walt Whitman (d) Leslie Norris

2. The fog is compared to which animal in the poem?

(a) a dog (b) a tiger (c) a cat (d) a bird

3. The fog is said to come on:

(a) silent wings (b) little cat feet (c) heavy paws (d) light wheels

4. The fog sits looking over the:

(a) hills and valleys (b) river and forest (c) harbour and city (d) fields and roads

5. The word ‘haunches’ refers to:

(a) the front paws (b) the hips and upper legs of an animal (c) the head (d) the tail

6. The literary device that runs through the whole poem is:

(a) simile (b) extended metaphor (c) hyperbole (d) irony

7. Poetry written without a regular rhyme or fixed metre is called:

(a) sonnet (b) free verse (c) ballad (d) ode

8. How does the fog finally leave?

(a) it pours down as rain (b) it roars away (c) it moves on silently (d) it freezes

9. The word that best describes the mood of the poem is:

(a) noisy (b) violent (c) quiet and calm (d) frightening

10. ‘On little cat feet’ mainly suggests the fog’s:

(a) loud arrival (b) silent, soft arrival (c) bright colour (d) huge size

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

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

1. Assertion (A): The poet describes the fog as coming ‘on little cat feet’.

Reason (R): The fog arrives silently and softly, just like a cat walking on its paws.

2. Assertion (A): ‘Fog’ is written in free verse.

Reason (R): The poem follows a strict ABAB rhyme scheme throughout.

3. Assertion (A): The poem uses an extended metaphor.

Reason (R): The poet compares the fog to a cat without ever using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

4. Assertion (A): The fog sits looking over the harbour and city.

Reason (R): The fog is shown behaving like a cat that sits and watches its surroundings.

5. Assertion (A): The poem creates a loud and frightening atmosphere.

Reason (R): The repeated use of the word ‘silent’ gives the poem a quiet, peaceful mood.

Assertion–Reason key: 1-(a) 2-(c) 3-(a) 4-(a) 5-(d)

Exam tips

Score full marks on ‘Fog’

Always state that the poem is built on one extended metaphor – fog compared to a cat – and that it is free verse (no rhyme scheme). These two points are frequently asked.
When asked “does the poet say the fog is like a cat?”, answer No and explain it is a metaphor (no ‘like’/‘as’), then give the three cat-like details: little cat feet, sitting on silent haunches looking over harbour and city, and then moving on.
Remember the meaning of haunches (the hips and upper legs – how a cat sits) for word-meaning and one-mark questions.
Use short quotations (“little cat feet”, “silent haunches”, “moves on”) to support your answers – never reproduce the full poem in an answer.
For long answers, link the cat image to the theme: the quiet, fleeting beauty of nature and the idea of impermanence.

FAQs

Who wrote the poem ‘Fog’ and to what is the fog compared?

The poem ‘Fog’ was written by the American poet Carl Sandburg. In it, the fog is compared to a cat – it arrives silently, sits looking over the harbour and city, and then moves on, just like a cat.

Is ‘Fog’ written in free verse?

Yes. ‘Fog’ is a free-verse poem – it has no rhyme scheme and no fixed metre, so it flows naturally like ordinary speech.

What is the theme of the poem ‘Fog’?

The poem captures the quiet, fleeting beauty of nature. Through the single image of a cat, it shows how the fog arrives softly, stays briefly and then moves on, suggesting stillness and impermanence.

Exercise questions are taken verbatim from the NCERT First Flight textbook; the summary, explanations and answers are written originally by ClearStudy.