Question 1
What comparison shapes the poem?
Fog is compared to a cat that moves silently, sits and watches, then leaves. The comparison makes the weather feel alive and stealthy.
Poem guide: central idea and structure
Fog arrives quietly, pauses over a harbour and city, and then moves on. The speaker compares its movement to a cat’s silent approach and departure.
Key ideas
- A short observation can capture a changing natural scene.
- Fog is presented as quiet, watchful and temporary.
- The poem values precise imagery over lengthy explanation.
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
- Extended metaphor: fog behaves like a cat.
- Personification gives it the ability to sit and look.
- Short free-verse lines imitate quiet pauses.
Important vocabulary
- harbour — a sheltered place for ships
- haunches — the back part of an animal’s body
- margins — edges or boundaries
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
Observe fog or low clouds only from a safe place, or use a photograph. Note three visual details and write a five-line free-verse description using one comparison.
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 poem brief?
Its short lines mirror the quiet, temporary visit of fog. A few carefully chosen images communicate the scene without explanation.
Question 3
What does the fog do before it moves on?
It pauses over the harbour and city, looking across them, and then continues elsewhere. The pause makes it seem observant.
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.