Chapter 5: The Ball Poem

Important questions — the ones the board asked most (7)

1. Q1Long answer6 marksAsked: 2025

   Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words : I. Explore the theme of loss as it is depicted in both the “Ball Poem” and “The Sermon at Benaras”, highlighting the inevitable nature of this aspect in life? II. Analyse the similarities and differences between the young seagull from “Two stories about flying” and Lencho from “A Letter to God”, and provide a rationale for the significant role faith plays in challenging and adverse situations in life.

2. Q2Case-based5 marksAsked: 2026

   (i) What does the repetition of the word “merrily” suggest in the context of the ball’s movement ? (ii) How does this moment contrast the mood of the poem before and after the ball falls into the water ? (Answer in about 40 words) (iii) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket : The poet uses the ball as a symbol of the boy’s ________. (childhood/adventure) (iv) The line, ‘No use to say, oh there are other balls’ signifies : (A) Words of consolation are inappropriate. (B) The boy must be left alone and play with other toys. (C) The boy should not be left alone. (D) No ball will be as expensive as the one the boy has lost. OR (B) “All night the roots work To disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves strain towards the glass small twigs stiff with exertion long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof like newly discharged patients half dazed, moving to the clinic doors (Trees) (i) What do the roots work upon all night ? (ii) Each part of the trees works to get itself free. Describe their struggle. (answer in about 40 words) (iii) Fill the blank with one word. The long branches are compared to ________. (iv) The phrase ‘half-dazed’ is used for the branches as they adjust from being indoors to being in the open. It highlights the branches’ : (A) disorientation and fragility (B) experience and privilege (C) hurt and injury (D) barrenness and pain

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Model answer · The Ball Poem extract

   1. 1.(i) The repetition of the word "merrily" suggests the happy, carefree bouncing of the ball as it goes down the street. It also reflects the boy's playful childhood and the happiness of those days.1 mark
   2. 2.(ii) Before the ball falls into the water, the mood is happy and playful, because the ball goes "merrily bouncing, down the street". After it falls into the harbour, the mood turns sad and gloomy. An "ultimate shaking grief" fixes the boy, and he stands rigid, trembling and staring down into the water.2 marks
   3. 3.(iii) The poet uses the ball as a symbol of the boy's childhood.1 mark
   4. 4.(iv) (A) Words of consolation are inappropriate.1 mark

   • In (ii), name both moods: "happy and playful" before the ball falls and "sad and gloomy" after it falls.
   • In (i), connect "merrily" to both the bouncing of the ball and the boy's playful childhood.
   • In (iv), write the option letter and its full statement: "(A) Words of consolation are inappropriate."

   Marks split as in the board’s published marking scheme

3. Q3Case-based5 marksAsked: 2024

   Read the following extracts and answer the questions for any one of the given two, (a) or (b) : (a) In a world of possessions. People will take Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy. And no one buys a ball back. Money is external. He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes, The epistemology of loss, how to stand up Knowing what every man must one day know And most know many days, how to stand up. (The Ball Poem) (i) Fill in the blank with one word. When the speaker says “People will take balls, Balls will be lost always, little boy”, his tone is __________. (ii) The poet says that money is external. What inference can be drawn from this statement ? Answer in about 40 words. (iii) Which of the following best describes the speaker’s attitude towards material possessions ? (A) indifferent (B) emotional (C) casual (D) respectful (iv) Identify the poetic device used in “And no one buys a ball back”. OR (b) Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda! Remember your acne, Amanda! Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you, Amanda! (I am Rapunzel, I have not a care; life in a tower is tranquil and rare;) (Amanda) (i) What is the central idea of the poem as reflected in the lines above ? Answer in about 40 words. (ii) Complete the sentence with the appropriate option. “Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you, Amanda!” tells us that the mother’s attitude is __________. (A) loving (B) relaxed (C) authoritative (D) thoughtful (iii) Identify any one poetic device used in the above extract. (iv) For what reason does Amanda imagine herself to be Rapunzel ?

   

   Medha Ma’am

   AskMedha’s AI teacher

   Hear it from Medha Ma’am · 175 s

   Model answer · The Ball Poem, extract

   1. 1.(a) (i) When the speaker says "People will take balls, Balls will be lost always, little boy", his tone is realistic (matter-of-fact). He calmly tells the boy a plain truth of life: in a world of possessions, things will always be lost or taken away.1 mark
   2. 2.(ii) By saying that money is external, the poet means that money can buy a new ball but cannot buy back the love associated with the lost one. The memories of all his young days spent playing with it are gone. Things that one loves cannot be replaced with money.2 marks
   3. 3.(iii) (A) indifferent. The speaker does not give much value to material possessions. To him, a dime or another ball is worthless, because possessions come and go.1 mark
   4. 4.(iv) The poetic device used in "And no one buys a ball back" is alliteration. The 'b' sound is repeated in "buys", "ball" and "back".1 mark

   • In (ii), write both ideas: money can buy a new ball but not the love associated with it, and things one loves cannot be replaced with money.
   • In (iv), name the device as alliteration and point to the repeated 'b' sound in "buys", "ball" and "back".
   • Answer only one extract, (a) or (b), and write its label before your answers.

   Marks split as in the board’s published marking scheme

4. Q4Case-based5 marksAsked: 2023

   Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow : (i) What does the expression 'what, what is he to do' denote ? (a) loss of the ball (b) ask the poet for another ball (c) boy's grief over the loss of the ball (d) go down the street (ii) State whether the following statement is True or False : The poet was delighted to watch the ball bouncing down the street into the water. (iii) The poet repeats the word 'what' in order to __________. (iv) There is no use to say 'O there are other balls' indicates that the poet feels that it would be __________ to console the boy. (a) helpful (b) futile (c) easy (d) shameful (v) 'What is the boy now, who has lost his ball.' Which feeling is expressed in this line ? (a) regret (b) cheer (c) despair (d) thrill (b) Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow : 5x1=5 But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard. Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth, And spikes on top of him and scales underneath Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose, And realio, trulio daggers on his toes. (i) Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the extract. sharp : blunt : : above : __________ (ii) Which one of the following is not a feature of the Dragon ? (a) big sharp teeth (b) spikes on the top (c) brave as a lion (d) could release fire from the mouth (iii) What effect does the poet want to create by the simile 'mouth like a fireplace' ? (a) emphasis (b) compassion (c) rhyme (d) pathos (iv) Complete the sentence appropriately. It is clear that 'Metaphor' is the poetic device used for 'chimney for a nose' because __________. (Clue : explain how metaphor applies here) (v) State whether the following statement is True or False based on the given extract : Custard's formidable appearance was a true reflection of his courage.

   How the model answer begins

   1. (i) (c) boy's grief over the loss of the ball. The words "what, what is he to do?" show that the boy does not know what to do after losing his ball. He is gripped by an "ultimate shaking grief", a sadness that greatly…

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5. Q5Short answer3 marksAsked: 2026

   How does the expression ‘he is learning, well behind his desperate eyes’, convey the idea that though the boy is helpless yet he is learning a deeper lesson? (The Ball Poem)

   How the model answer begins

   1. The expression shows the boy's outer helplessness and his inner learning together. His 'desperate', or hopeless, eyes reflect his shock, grief and helplessness. He stands rigid, trembling and staring into the harbour…

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6. Q6Short answer3 marksAsked: 2025

   How does “The Ball Poem” by John Berryman explore the theme of loss and its profound impact on an individual’s emotional state and perception of the world ? (The Ball Poem)

   How the model answer begins

   1. "The Ball Poem" explores loss through the profound grief a boy feels when he loses a cheap ball. An "ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy" as he stands "rigid, trembling, staring down / All his young days into the…

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7. Q7Short answer3 marksAsked: 2024

   'The Ball Poem' initially appears simple but it is actually quite impactful and intense. Comment upon the theme of 'The Ball Poem'.

   How the model answer begins

   1. The theme of 'The Ball Poem' by John Berryman is loss, suffering and transformation. On the surface, a boy simply loses a cheap ball in the harbour. But an "ultimate shaking grief" grips him, because the ball holds the…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →

Questions parents and students ask

How many marks does "The Ball Poem" carry in CBSE Class 10 English?

In the CBSE papers of 2023–2026, this chapter carried about 1 marks and about 0 questions a year; by marks it ranks 19 in English.

Which are the most important (VVI) questions of "The Ball Poem"?

The 7 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 7 written questions of this chapter, with answers, are in the AskMedha app.

Do the answers follow the board’s marking scheme?

Yes. CBSE publishes its marking schemes; every model answer here is written point by point to the marks the board’s own scheme gives, and checked by a second, independent model.