Chapter 3: Polythene Bag

VVI questions — the ones the board asked most (4)

1. Q1Short answer6 marksAsked: 2022

   Read the poem carefully and answer the questions that follow : Sometimes I feel all thin inside Insufficient ; small ; I feel when people look at me They don't see me at all.) I feel that all my beauty's lost On cold, indifferent eyes And offering what I want to give Would only be unwise But then a friend will greet me And my inner life will bloom It only takes one kind word To sweep away the gloom !) Live thy life, Young and old Like an oak Bright in spring, Living gold. Summer rich And then Autumn — changed Soberer — hued Gold again. All his leaves Fall'n at length Look, he stands, Trunk and bough Naked strength. i) Why does the poet feel that people can't see him ? ii) What falls on cold, indifferent eyes ? iii) What sweeps away the gloom ? (i) What looks like a living gold ? Why ? (ii) Why is the oak gold again ? (iii) What does the poet mean by 'naked strength' ?

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Model answer · Poem comprehension, unseen poems

   1. 1.The poet feels that people cannot see him because they overlook his inner feelings and personality. They look only at his outside. This makes him feel "all thin inside", "insufficient" and "small", as if nobody notices the real person within him.1 mark
   2. 2.The poet's beauty falls on cold, indifferent eyes. He feels that "all my beauty's lost" on people who do not care about him. Because his inner beauty is lost on them, he thinks that offering what he wants to give would only be unwise.1 mark
   3. 3.One kind word sweeps away the gloom. When a friend greets the poet, his inner life blooms. That single kind word is enough to sweep away the gloom of his sadness.1 mark
   4. 4.The oak looks like living gold in spring. This is because in spring the oak is full of fresh new leaves that shine brightly in the sunlight, so the living tree glows like gold.1 mark
   5. 5.The oak is gold again in autumn because its leaves change colour. After the rich green of summer, the leaves turn a soberer, golden hue in autumn. So the oak becomes gold again, though it is less bright than the living gold of spring.1 mark
   6. 6.By 'naked strength' the poet means the bare trunk and boughs of the oak, which stand firmly even after all its leaves have fallen. The beauty of spring and autumn is gone, but the oak still stands strong. In the same way, a person should live bravely and with strength even in old age.1 mark

   • In part (i) of the first poem, write that people "overlook his inner feelings and personality", and quote "thin inside", "insufficient" and "small".
   • For the oak, name the season in each answer: living gold in spring, gold again in autumn.
   • Explain 'naked strength' as the trunk and boughs that stand firmly after all the leaves have fallen.

   Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not Bihar Board’s official scheme

2. Q2Short answer2 marksAsked: 2022

   Does a polythene bag get dissolved into the earth's crust ?

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Model answer · polythene bag, dissolution in earth

   1. 1.No, a polythene bag does not get dissolved into the earth's crust because it is non-biodegradable. Being non-biodegradable, the polythene bag does not mix with or disappear into the soil and continues to exist as it is.1 mark
   2. 2.The polythene bag is not decomposed by microorganisms present in the soil, and so it remains in the environment for a very long time without breaking down or dissolving.1 mark

   • Write clearly that polythene is 'non-biodegradable' and 'never gets dissolved into the earth's crust'.
   • Mention that it is 'not decomposed by microorganisms' and stays for a long time.

   Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not Bihar Board’s official scheme

3. Q3Short answer2 marksAsked: 2023

   What is the mother searching for ?

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Model answer · mother searching for lost earring

   1. 1.In the poem 'The Sleeping Porter', the mother is searching for nettles and vines.1 mark
   2. 2.She lives in the poor porter's hut on the cliff, where his son is shivering with cold and the family suffers from the woes of hunger, so she searches for nettles and vines.1 mark

   Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not Bihar Board’s official scheme

4. Q4Short answer2 marksAsked: 2024

   What do you mean by 'slide soft away' ?

   How the model answer begins

   1. 'Slide soft away' means to slip away slowly and quietly, without making any noise.

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →

Objective questions with the board’s key (10)

1. 1. Bihar Board 2026

   The hurt caused by somebody remains within the human

   • (A) personality
   • (B) body
   • (C) character
   • (D) mind ✓

   Answer: (D)

2. 2. Bihar Board 2026

   The .................... grow in the grief's garbage bin.

   • (A) flowers
   • (B) vegetables
   • (C) fruits
   • (D) germs of the disease ✓

   Answer: (D)

3. 3. Bihar Board 2026

   The polythene bag remains .................... within.

   • (A) living
   • (B) sleeping
   • (C) dead
   • (D) buried ✓

   Answer: (D)

4. 4. Bihar Board 2025

   A polythene bag ................. when a little heat is applied.

   • (A) flies
   • (B) melts ✓
   • (C) strikes
   • (D) burns

   Answer: (B)

5. 5. Bihar Board 2025

   Environment gets .................... when leaves and other waste materials are burnt.

   • (A) dissolved
   • (B) disoriented
   • (C) cleared
   • (D) polluted ✓

   Answer: (D)

6. 6. Bihar Board 2025

   The poet does not want his ....................... to be marked.

   • (A) grave ✓
   • (B) dining room
   • (C) bedroom
   • (D) cottage

   Answer: (A)

7. 7. Bihar Board 2024

   "When touched it makes a squeaky noise" - is from

   • (A) Polythene Bag ✓
   • (B) Martha
   • (C) The Empty Heart
   • (D) Ode on Solitude

   Answer: (A)

8. 8. Bihar Board 2024

   When burnt ..................... 'exudes a pungent smell'.

   • (A) ghee
   • (B) polythene ✓
   • (C) life
   • (D) oil

   Answer: (B)

9. 9. Bihar Board 2024

   Who wrote 'Polythene Bag'?

   • (A) Durga Prasad Panda ✓
   • (B) Puran Singh
   • (C) Periasamy Thooran
   • (D) Laxmi Prasad Devkota

   Answer: (A)

10. 10. Bihar Board 2023

    Deep inside the ........................ garbage bin, the germs of disease keep on growing.

    • (A) grief's ✓
    • (B) anger's
    • (C) character's
    • (D) municipality

    Answer: (A)

Questions parents and students ask

How many marks does "Polythene Bag" carry in Bihar Board Class 10 English?

In the Bihar Board papers of 2021–2026, this chapter carried about 2 marks and about 2 questions a year; by marks it ranks 22 in English.

Which are the most important (VVI) questions of "Polythene Bag"?

The 4 questions above are from the board’s real papers, each with the years it was asked; the most-asked come first with their full model answers. All 4 written questions of this chapter, with answers, are in the AskMedha app.

Do the answers follow the board’s marking scheme?

BSEB does not publish a marking scheme. Each answer is written point by point on a structure derived from past papers and checked by a second, independent model; it is never called the board’s official scheme.