Somebody’s Mother — Class 8 English Poorvi Questions and Answers
Study Somebody’s Mother with textbook-based answers, a clear English and Hindi summary, vocabulary and poetry explanations. Listening answers use the printed teacher transcript; writing and personal activities include original models to adapt.
Source: NCERT Poorvi, Grade 8, Unit 2, printed pages 70–81; listening transcript 99; supplied reprint 2026–27. Open-ended and personal responses are examples to adapt. These explanations are study support, not an official NCERT answer key.
Poem Overview & Central Idea
On a wet winter street, an elderly woman waits anxiously while crowds and schoolboys hurry past. One cheerful boy stops, asks whether she wants help, offers his arm and guides her across safely. Thinking of his own mother, he hopes someone would help her too. The woman later prays for him. The poem connects empathy with practical, respectful action. These are individual characters, not a claim that every elderly person is helpless or every young person strong.
About the Poet – Mary Dow Brine
The NCERT text credits Mary Dow Brine. Her name should not be confused with the author credited for the separate poem in “Let us explore”. This narrative poem connects an ordinary act of help with a wider lesson about empathy.
Summary in English
The poem opens on a bitterly cold winter day. An old woman, ragged, grey and bent with cold, stands at a busy street crossing. The road is wet and slippery with fresh snow, and her feet are aged and slow. She waits a long time, alone and uncared for, while crowds of people pass by without even noticing her anxious eyes. A group of schoolboys, freed from school and glad in the fresh snow, comes rushing down the street with laughter and shouts. Like a flock of sheep they hasten past the helpless old woman, none offering a helping hand. She is too meek and timid to step forward, afraid that the carriage wheels or horses’ feet might knock her down in the slippery street. At last the merriest and gayest boy of the group pauses beside her and softly offers to help her cross. She places her aged hand on his strong young arm, and he guides her trembling feet safely across, proud that his own feet are firm and strong. He returns to his friends, his heart happy and content, telling them she is “somebody’s mother” and deserves help despite being aged and poor. He hopes that one day, when his own mother is old, far from her son, some kind person will help her too. That night the old woman bows her head at home and prays that God may bless the noble boy who is “somebody’s son”, his parents’ pride and joy.
Summary in Hindi (सारांश हिंदी में)
यह कविता एक ठंडे सर्दी के दिन की है। एक बूढ़ी, फटे-पुराने कपड़े पहने, सफ़ेद बालों वाली और ठंड से झुकी हुई स्त्री एक भीड़भाड़ वाले चौराहे पर खड़ी है। ताज़ी बर्फ़ से सड़क गीली और फिसलन भरी है, और उसके पैर बूढ़े तथा धीमे हैं। वह बहुत देर तक अकेली, उपेक्षित खड़ी रहती है, जबकि लोग उसकी चिंतित आँखों की ओर देखे बिना ही गुज़रते जाते हैं। तभी स्कूल से छूटे हुए लड़कों का एक झुंड हँसते-शोर मचाते हुए, भेड़ों के समूह की तरह, उसके पास से दौड़ता हुआ निकल जाता है — कोई भी मदद का हाथ नहीं बढ़ाता। वह स्त्री इतनी डरी और संकोची है कि आगे बढ़ने से घबराती है, कहीं गाड़ी के पहिये या घोड़ों के पैर उसे फिसलन भरी सड़क पर न गिरा दें। अंत में उसी झुंड का सबसे प्रसन्न लड़का रुकता है और धीरे से उसे सड़क पार कराने की पेशकश करता है। वह अपना बूढ़ा हाथ उसकी मज़बूत बाँह पर रखती है और लड़का उसके काँपते पैरों को सुरक्षित पार करा देता है, यह सोचकर गर्व करता है कि उसके अपने पैर मज़बूत हैं। वापस लौटकर वह मित्रों से कहता है कि वह ‘किसी की माँ’ है और मदद की हकदार है; वह आशा करता है कि जब उसकी अपनी माँ बूढ़ी होगी, तब कोई उसकी भी मदद करेगा। उस रात वह बुज़ुर्ग स्त्री घर में सिर झुकाकर उस नेक लड़के के लिए प्रार्थना करती है।
Explanation of the poem’s events
The poem uses two-line couplets. The following are five reading sections, not five stanzas.
- The woman waits: worn clothes, grey hair, cold weather and slow feet establish her difficulty. The passing crowd ignores her anxious look.
- The boys hurry past: their joyful movement contrasts with her fear of slipping or being knocked down by horses or carriage wheels.
- One boy stops: he gently offers help, leaving her the choice to accept. His arm and steady steps give her support.
- The boy explains: recognising her as somebody’s mother, he imagines his own mother in a similar situation. His satisfaction comes from helping.
- The woman responds: at home that night she prays for the noble boy. Her gratitude completes the exchange of kindness.
Poetic Devices in the Poem
| Device | Accurate example and effect |
|---|---|
| Couplet rhyme | The intended exercise answer is AABB: successive pairs rhyme, as in grey/day and snow/slow. The supplied by/eyes pair is a near-rhyme, rather than a perfect rhyme. |
| Simile | “like a flock of sheep” compares the boys’ group movement with sheep. |
| Alliteration | “woman was” repeats /w/; “slippery street” repeats /s/; “helping hand” repeats /h/. |
| Repetition | “somebody’s mother” and “old and grey” recur. “somebody’s son” is a parallel phrase at the end, not a repeatedly occurring phrase. |
| Imagery | Wet snow, the crowded road, her anxious eyes and trembling feet make the scene vivid. |
| Contrast | Her trembling feet contrast with his firm steps; the crowd’s indifference contrasts with his kindness. |
“faithful feet” and “forever” are not in this NCERT text. Ordinary cold affecting a person is not, by itself, personification.
Word Meanings (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | English Meaning | हिंदी अर्थ |
|---|---|---|
| ragged | (of clothes) old and torn; shabby | फटे-पुराने कपड़ों वाली |
| grey | having grey/white hair; aged | सफ़ेद बालों वाली, वृद्ध |
| bent | curved over, stooping | झुकी हुई |
| chill | unpleasant cold | कड़ाके की ठंड |
| crossing | a place to cross a road | चौराहा, पार करने की जगह |
| uncared for | neglected, looked after by no one | उपेक्षित, बिना देखभाल के |
| throng | a large crowd of people | भीड़ |
| heeded | paid attention to | ध्यान दिया |
| anxious | worried, nervous | चिंतित, घबराई हुई |
| hailing | greeting joyfully; welcoming | हर्ष से स्वागत करते हुए |
| hastened | hurried; moved quickly | जल्दी-जल्दी निकल गए |
| meek | gentle and submissive | विनम्र, दब्बू |
| timid | shy and easily frightened | डरपोक, संकोची |
| stir | to move slightly | हिलना-डुलना |
| lest | in case; for fear that | कहीं ऐसा न हो कि |
| merry troop | cheerful group | हँसमुख टोली |
| laddie | a young boy (informal) | लड़का (बोलचाल में) |
| trembling | shaking, shivering | काँपते हुए |
| well content | fully satisfied and happy | पूर्ण संतुष्ट |
| noble | good, generous, honourable | नेक, उदार |
NCERT textbook exercises
Before reading — printed page 70
I. Personal response, sample: after helping: happy, satisfied; person helped: relieved, grateful. Your own feelings may differ.
II. Possible choices in this poem: elderly woman — worried, trembling, bent, grey, slow; schoolboy — strong, hastening, firm, merry, guide, helpful. Explain your choices; these qualities can belong to people of different ages.
III. Ragged means old and torn / shabby clothes (meaning 1).
Let us discuss
I. Arrange the events of the poem in the correct order of occurrence.
The correct chronological order is:
1. The old woman stood alone at the crossing, hesitant to move. (point 2) 2. A group of schoolboys passed by, playing, and laughing. (point 3) 3. The children hurried past the old woman without offering help. (point 6) 4. The boy offered to help the old woman cross the street. (point 4) 5. The woman placed her hand on the boy’s arm, and he guided her safely across the street. (point 7) 6. The boy returned to his friends, feeling proud of what he had done. (point 1) 7. The boy thought about his own mother and hoped someone would help her one day. (point 8) 8. The woman prayed for the boy who helped her. (point 5)Order: 2 → 3 → 6 → 4 → 7 → 1 → 8 → 5.
II. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct answer from the options given in the brackets.
III. Pick examples from the poem for the following poetic devices.
IV. Complete the following sentences appropriately explaining the imagery.
V. Complete the following sentence with a suitable reason.
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.
VI. Complete the analogy.
The old woman: vulnerable and neglected :: The young boy: kind and caring (compassionate and helpful).
Let us think and reflect
I.1. Read the extract — “The woman was old and ragged and grey / And bent with the chill of the Winter’s day. / The street was wet with a recent snow / And the woman’s feet were aged and slow.” — and answer the questions.
A. “The street was wet with recent snow.” — Fact (it can be observed and proven).
B. “The woman was too weak to cross the street on her own.” — Opinion (it is a judgement/inference about her). (iv) The woman’s feet were described as ‘aged and slow’ because old age had weakened her legs, so she could walk only slowly and unsteadily; the poet wants us to feel her physical frailty and her need for help.
I.2. Read the extract — “He guided the trembling feet along, / Proud that his own were firm and strong. / Then back again to his friends he went, / His young heart happy and well content.” — and answer the questions.
II. Answer the following questions.
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.
Let us learn
I. Antonym grid — page 76
Count rows from the top and columns from the left.
| Text word | Grid answer | Location |
|---|---|---|
| firm | FRAGILE | Row 2, columns 3–9 |
| meek | BOLD | Column 3, rows 4–7 |
| merry | SAD | Column 8, rows 4–6 |
| kind | CRUEL | Diagonal: row 6 column 5 to row 10 column 9 |
| anxious | CALM | Column 1, rows 3–6 |
| bent | STRAIGHT | Row 10, columns 1–8 |
The grid answer for anxious is CALM. Row 8 spells “PEASEFUL” in this source copy; it is not the spelling PEACEFUL.
II. Vocabulary matching
1–iii, 2–vi, 3–i, 4–ii, 5–iv, 6–v. Hastened = worked quickly; heeded = paid attention; stir = move slightly; lend = give support; piled = kept in a heap; offered = came forward.
III. Hand idioms
1–iv, 2–i, 3–vi, 4–ii, 5–iii, 6–v. Get out of hand = become hard to control; try your hand = attempt something new; give a free hand = allow freedom; give a big hand = applaud; hand in hand = together; hands full = very busy.
IV. Analogies — words from the poem
- chill
- harm
- proud
- glance
- throng
Lest: “for fear that” or “to avoid the risk that”. She fears the wheels or horses might knock her down. It should not be mechanically replaced with “just in case” in every sentence.
Let us listen
Answers are checked against the printed transcript on page 99, rather than a guessed news report.
I. Picture sequence — page 78
3 → 1 → 5 → 6 → 2 → 4. Riverside before the accident → woman struggling → Rohan jumps → reaches/supports her in water → brings her to shore → award ceremony. Write ranks beside pictures 1–6 as 2, 5, 1, 6, 3, 4.
II. One to three exact words
- strong currents
- hesitation
- onlookers
- selfless act
- no barrier
“Presence of mind” and “just a number” are not the wording of the supplied transcript.
Let us speak
I. Final -ed sounds — corrected pronunciation
| /ɪd/ — extra syllable | /d/ | /t/ |
|---|---|---|
| ragged, aged (elderly), waited, heeded, guided | offered, paused, whispered | None of the eight listed words |
Textbook correction: page 79 puts heeded under /d/ and paused under /t/. Heeded ends in /ɪd/ because heed ends in /d/; paused ends in /d/ after /z/. For regular past forms, /t/ or /d/ depends on the preceding sound, and /t/ or /d/ themselves take /ɪd/. The adjective note is too broad: a tired child ends in /d/, and finished work in /t/. Ragged and aged meaning elderly have their own /ɪd/ pronunciations; aged used as a verb usually ends in /d/.
II. Pair narration — original sample
It all started when I went to the market with my mother. I saw an elderly man finding his grocery bags difficult to carry. I asked whether he would like help. When he agreed, I carried one bag to his waiting rickshaw. His smile made me feel happy. This memory reminds me to notice other people’s needs and offer help politely. Adapt one cue — a classmate’s lesson, neighbourhood cleaning, shopping bags or a playground incident — to something you actually experienced.
Let us write
Original model diary; change the date, event and feelings to your own.
26 April 20XX
8:00 p.m.
Dear Diary,
Today I helped a classmate who had missed school for a few days. At lunchtime, she looked worried because her notebook had many gaps. I asked if she wanted to go through the work together. We sat in the library and compared her notes with mine. I explained a difficult exercise slowly and asked her to try a similar example herself. By the end, she solved it confidently.
At first I was unsure whether my explanation would help, but her smile made me feel useful and relieved. I learnt that helping does not always require a grand gesture. Giving someone patient attention can make a difficult day easier. I would gladly do it again.
Goodnight,
[Your name]
Let us explore
I. Earth as mother
The textbook cites the Pṛthvī-Sūkta of the Atharva Veda: “माता भूमिः पुत्रोऽहं पृथिव्याः” — Earth is my mother and I am her child. Discuss how this expresses belonging and care for the Earth.
II. Motherland and fatherland — research examples
These are cultural and linguistic examples, not fixed, exclusive categories for whole countries.
| Metaphor | Examples and evidence |
|---|---|
| Mother | India: Bharat Mata is a familiar personification. Bangladesh: its national anthem addresses the land as mother; see the Foreign Ministry’s anthem text. |
| Fatherland | Germany: the word Vaterland, documented in Duden. Portugal: its anthem’s official English translation uses fatherland; see the Presidency’s national symbols. |
In groups, record the country, original word, translation and reliable source. A language or culture may use more than one metaphor; avoid the former unsupported claim that France is simply a “motherland” country.
III. A Nation’s Strength
This is reading for enjoyment. The textbook credits Ralph Waldo Emerson. Its message is that brave, truthful people who work and endure difficulties give a nation strength, rather than wealth alone. NCERT notes that “men” here should be read as including men and women. Compare this emphasis on character with the schoolboy’s compassionate action.
IV. Gratitude card — sample
Thank you for (1) caring for me when I am ill, (2) listening to my worries, (3) encouraging my studies, (4) sharing good values and (5) making me feel loved. I will regularly keep my study space tidy and help set the table. Adapt the five thanks and two practical commitments to your mother or grandmother’s actual contribution.
Additional ClearStudy questions
This practice is separate from the printed textbook exercises.
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.
ClearStudy MCQ practice
1. Who is the poet of ‘Somebody’s Mother’?
(a) Ralph Waldo Emerson (b) Mary Dow Brine (c) Robert Frost (d) Sarojini Naidu
2. The season described in the poem is —
(a) spring (b) summer (c) winter (d) autumn
3. The old woman was waiting at the —
(a) bus stop (b) crossing (c) market (d) railway station
4. The boys are compared to —
(a) a herd of cattle (b) a flock of sheep (c) a swarm of bees (d) a row of soldiers
5. The boy who helped her was —
(a) the quietest boy (b) the gayest (merriest) laddie of the group (c) the eldest boy (d) a stranger passing by
6. The old woman placed her hand on the boy’s —
(a) shoulder (b) strong young arm (c) head (d) coat
7. The rhyme scheme of the poem is —
(a) ABAB (b) ABBA (c) AABB (d) free verse
8. “Somebody’s mother” prayed that God be kind to the —
(a) other boys (b) noble boy (c) people in the throng (d) her own son
9. The poem is mainly about the value of —
(a) courage in war (b) kindness and empathy (c) hard work (d) honesty in business
10. “Came the boys like a flock of sheep” is an example of —
(a) metaphor (b) simile (c) personification (d) alliteration
ClearStudy assertion–reason practice
For each question choose: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A. (c) A is true but R is false. (d) A is false but R is true.
1. Assertion (A): The old woman waited a long time at the crossing.
Reason (R): She was too frail and timid to cross the slippery street alone. — Answer: (a)
2. Assertion (A): The boy helped the old woman cross the street.
Reason (R): He thought of his own mother and hoped someone would help her one day. — Answer: (a)
3. Assertion (A): The other schoolboys stopped to help the old woman.
Reason (R): They were glad in the freedom of school being let out. — Answer: (d)
4. Assertion (A): The poem is written in rhyming couplets.
Reason (R): Successive couplets mostly rhyme, giving the intended AABB pattern (for example, grey/day and snow/slow). — Answer: (a)
5. Assertion (A): The old woman prayed for the boy that night.
Reason (R): She was angry that the other boys had ignored her. — Answer: (c)
FAQs
Who wrote Somebody’s Mother?
NCERT credits Mary Dow Brine. The poem appears in Unit 2, Values and Dispositions, of Class 8 Poorvi.
Why does the boy help the woman?
He notices her difficulty, imagines his own mother in her place and offers respectful practical help. His action shows empathy.
What is the corrected -ed pronunciation answer?
Ragged, aged meaning elderly, waited, heeded and guided end in /ɪd/. Offered, paused and whispered end in /d/. None of the listed words ends in /t/.
Also read: Poorvi – All Chapters · Class 8 – All Subjects · NCERT Solutions Home. Official textbook PDF: ncert.nic.in