Question 1
What changes the speaker’s mood?
A crow shakes snow from a hemlock tree onto the speaker. The unexpected contact interrupts the speaker’s regret and changes how the remaining part of the day feels.
Poem guide: central idea and structure
A small encounter with a crow and falling snow changes the speaker’s mood. The brief natural event rescues part of a day the speaker had been regretting.
Key ideas
- A small experience can produce a meaningful emotional reset.
- Nature is presented without grand scenery: an ordinary crow, tree and snow are enough.
- The poem balances a dark image with a positive change in feeling.
Reading checklist
- Identify who is speaking and what changes.
- Support each interpretation with a detail from the text.
- Explain how the title, structure or ending develops the central idea.
Literary techniques
- Symbolism: the snow suggests a fresh beginning; the crow and hemlock carry darker associations.
- Alliteration and sound patterning make the short poem memorable.
- Contrast between a negative mood and a renewed outlook.
Important vocabulary
- hemlock — a conifer; also associated with poison in other contexts
- rue — to regret
- dust — a very small amount of loose material
Answer-writing tip: Begin with a direct response, support it with a relevant event or image, and finish by linking the detail to the question. Avoid retelling the entire text.
Activity for close reading
Draw a four-frame storyboard: regretful mood, crow in the tree, snow falling, changed mood. Annotate how the visual sequence creates a turning point.
This is an original study activity based on the text; use the prescribed book for the full work and exact exercise wording.
Solved questions in CBSE/PYQ style
Newly written practice modeled on common extract, inference, theme and character question patterns; these are not copied past-paper questions.
Question 2
Why is the title significant?
“Dust” makes the snowfall seem slight, while “snow” suggests freshness. Together they emphasise that a very small incident can have a surprisingly large emotional effect.
Question 3
What contrast is central to the poem?
The speaker begins in a regretful state, but a brief encounter with nature improves the outlook. The contrast supports the idea that a small moment can interrupt a negative mood.
Self-check
- Can I state the central idea in one or two sentences?
- Can I explain one important turning point, image or technique?
- Can I support my interpretation with evidence without copying long passages?
- Can I answer in the required word limit and keep the response focused?
Prepared as supplementary revision for CBSE Class X English Language and Literature 2026–27. Consult the current CBSE syllabus and your prescribed NCERT edition for assessment details.