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Poem: He had such quiet eyes by Bibsy Soenharjo

Question: What does the word quiet imply when describing the mans eyes? (1 mark) Answer: The word quiet implies hidden danger / a sense of uncertainty. Question: What is the man trying to do? (1 mark) Answer: He is trying to seduce the woman / He is trying to deceive the woman. Question: - Quote the line which implies that the woman is nave. (1 mark) - Which line suggests that the woman was unaware of the kind of a man he was? Answer: She did not realise Question: Can women also have quiet eyes? Give a reason for your answer. (2 marks) Answer: Yes, because women too can be deceptive like men. Question: In the first stanza, what does the poet mean by the sentence Layered with thinnest ice? (1 mark) Answer: She means that such a thin and flimsy layer can trap an unsuspecting woman. The poet conveys a sense of danger and also of heartlessness. Question: In the second stanza, what quality does the woman lack? (1 mark) Answer: The sense of being alert / The wisdom to stay out of danger. Question: What does the term pools of lies tell you about the mans character? (1 mark) Answer: He is a man who deceives. / He is a cheat. / He is an opportunist. Question: Does a pleasure-seeking man really love the woman he intends to deceive? Give a reason for your answer. (2 marks) Answer: No, because he just wants to satisfy his sexual desires with her.

Question: What does the phrase the hows and whys tell us? (1 mark) What is referred to as the hows and the whys? (1 mark) Answer: The questions the woman would be asking herself after being cheated by the man. The soul-searching questions she asks herself as she tries to come to terms with her bad experience. Question: What does the phrase Never to compromise mean in the context of this poem? (1 mark) Answer: It means a woman should not surrender her self-respect to a man for whatever reason. Question: Explain the meaning of compromise as used in this excerpt of the poem. (1 mark) Answer: It means to put oneself in danger or to agree to or accept something different from what was really desired. Question: What do you understand by the phrase thinnest ice? (1 mark) Answer: It is metaphorical expression, meaning if one is not careful, that person could be fooled. Question: Do the mans eyes portray his sincere intentions towards the woman? Give a reason for your answer. (2 marks) Answer: No, they dont because they seem to suggest deception. Question: What is the poets warning to women in the last stanza? (1 mark) Answer: To be very sure of ones relationship with a man. Question: What does the line Then youll never be losing at dice suggest? (1 mark) Answer: It means that a wise woman can preserve her respect and dignity. Question: Explain the meaning of losing at dice. (1 mark) Answer: Taking a chance but losing. Question: The poet suggests the possibilities of failed love affairs. What phrase or line does she use to convey this? (1 mark)

Answer: Though you may lose your head once or twice. Question: The poet is giving good advice to women. Do you agree? Give a reason to support your answer. (2 marks) Answer: Yes she is, because she cautions women to be wary of opportunistic pleasure-seeking men. Question: Do you think the speaker likes the man? Why? (2 marks) Answer: No, she describes him in negative terms. Question: Name the people in the poem. (1 mark) Answer: he, she and the pleasure-seeking guys Question: Whose voice do you hear speaking to you? (1 mark) Answer: The poets. Question: What is the quality of ice? (1 mark) Answer: It is cold and hard but can melt. Question: What can happen if you walk on thin ice? (1 mark) Answer: It will crack or break. Question: desolate sighs Can you almost hear him sighing? Give an explanation for your answer. (2 marks) Answer: Yes, the words produce a sound effect. Question: To her, those quiet eyes were breathing desolate sighs. Explain what this means. Answer: She felt that the mans eyes expressed his loneliness, hopelessness and sadness. Question: render him paradise What does paradise mean to you? (1 mark)

Answer: A state of bliss. / Heaven. Question: Explain the meaning of to render him paradise. Answer: To do something for him that would make him very happy. Question:

What attracted the girl to the man? His eyes.


How did the man try to attract the woman? Mention one way. (1 mark) What do you think would have attracted the woman to the man? (1 mark)

Answer: He put on an act of being sincere and nice. He sighed as if he was in deep sadness and knew she would take pity on him He put on an act as if he needed sympathy and help from her. His quiet eyes and seeming calmness. His helplessness may have been attractive to the woman. Question: What kind of eyes does the man have? (1 mark) Answer: He had sad-looking eyes. Question: Do you think the woman was foolish for not seeing through the mans deceptiveness? Give a reason for your answer. (2 marks) Answer: No, she was not foolish. The man probably put on such a good act that anyone could have been deceived. She is probably a soft-hearted person so she felt immediate sympathy for him. OR Yes. He probably made her feel wanted and she fell for his flattery. She was forewarned by someone to be careful but she refused to listen.

Question: Which phrase suggests that the man only cares about pleasing himself? (1 mark) Answer: pleasure-seeking Question: - In the second stanza, what quality was the woman in the poem lacking?(1 mark)

In the first stanza, what could have saved the woman from committing the mistake? (1 mark)

Answer: Wisdom/knowledge to see others as they truly are The willingness to listen to peoples advice Question: According to the speaker, how should one deal with people who use others for their own happiness? (1 mark) Answer: Never compromise with them. Question: - Do you think the advice given is good advice? Give a reason for your answer. (2 marks) - What do you think of the advice given in this poem? Give a reason. (2 marks) Answer: Yes, this is sound advice because one must look after oneself first; otherwise one will be easily influenced. I think it is very good advice because girls should be very careful not to get cheated by men. This could get them into a terrible mess. Question: In what way has the woman been affected by the hows and whys? (1 mark) Answer: She would have been troubled by the questions. Question: Why does the poet compare the game of love to the playing of dice? Is there a similarity? Give a reason for your answer. (2 marks) Answer: Yes, there is a similarity. She sees the game of love as a dice game because in the beginning you will not know what you will get. If you play the game well, you will win the game even though you may lose now and then. Question: What does the expression pools of lies show you about the mans personality? (1 mark) Answer: He is cold hearted and a fraud. He puts on the act of being unhappy and depressed to gain her sympathy. Question: What does the expression layered with thinnest ice show you about the mans personality? (1 mark) Answer: He is a dangerous man.

Question: Does the poem end on a positive note? Give evidence from the poem to support your answer. (1 mark) Answer: Yes. The line youll never be losing at dice suggests that success is definite although one may fail once or twice before that. Question: Explain what the experience of falling in love is being compared to. (1 mark) Answer: It is being compared to a game of dice, in which there are uncertainties and one may emerge a winner or a loser. Question: Who is referred to as she in this excerpt from the poem? (1 mark) Answer: A young lady who had been tricked and cheated by a man. Question: What meaning is expressed in the phrase two pools of lies? (1 mark) Answer: The man was a liar who tricked and cheated the girl. Question: How do you feel about the man referred to in the excerpt of the poem? (2 marks) Answer: I feel angry as he had tricked and cheated the innocent girl and made use of her. Question: In your opinion, what mistake did the girl make? (2 marks) Answer: She had believed the lies in the insincere man and given herself too freely. Question: Why does the lady not realize she has been deceived? Answer: The lady does not realize she has been deceived because the mans eyes seem so gentle and harmless so she trusts him completely. Question: What impression did the girl have of the man? (1 mark) Answer: She thought he was a quiet man, a good and sincere man. Question: How did she get this impression? (1 mark) Answer: From his eyes.

Question: Do you think the girl regretted her behavior towards this man? Give two phrases that tell you so. (2 marks) Answer: Yes. I feel that she regretted her behavior. This is shown in the phrases If only shed been wise and She would be free from the hows and whys.

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