Question and Answers of Walt Whitman’s Passage to India

 Question and Answers of Walt Whitman’s Passage to India

 Section 1 – Question with Answers (2 Marks Each):

1. What is the poet singing about in the beginning of the poem?

→ The poet is singing about his life and the achievements of the modern world.

2. Whose achievements does the poet praise in the present time?

→ He praises the achievements of engineers and modern technology.

3. What are described as "modern wonders"?

→ Railroads, sea-cables, and the Suez Canal are described as modern wonders.

4. What does the poet say about the Seven Wonders of the ancient world?

→ He says that modern wonders have outdone the ancient Seven Wonders.

5. Which two great engineering feats are mentioned in the poem?

→ The Suez Canal and the Pacific Railroad.

6. What does "eloquent gentle wires" refer to?

→ It refers to the telegraph cables laid under the sea.

7. Why does the poet call out to "The Past"?

→ Because he believes that the present has grown out of the past.

8. How is the past described in the poem?

→ The past is described as dark, deep, and full of greatness.

9. What does the poet mean by "the sleepers and the shadows"?

→ It means the forgotten people and memories of the past.

10. According to the poet, how is the present related to the past?

→ The present is formed and driven by the influence of the past.

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Section 2 – Question with Answers (2 Marks Each):

11. What call does the poet give to the soul?

→ He asks the soul to travel to India to explore its ancient wisdom.

12. What myths and fables does the poet refer to?

→ Myths and fables of Asia and Africa, including ancient religions and dreams.

13. How does the poet treat myths and modern science?

→ He treats both with equal respect and welcomes both.

14. What are described as "far-darting beams of the spirit"?

→ Myths and dreams that go beyond facts and science.

15. How does the poet describe the temples in India?

→ As fairer than lilies and glowing in the rising sun.

16. What is meant by "towers of fables immortal fashion’d from mortal dreams"?

→ It means that humans' dreams created stories and symbols that live forever.

17. How does the poet welcome the myths and fables?

→ He welcomes them joyfully, as he does with truth and science.

18. What kind of joy does the poet express in this section?

→ The joy of accepting all forms of human imagination and spirit.

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Section 3 – Question with Answers (2 Marks Each):

19. What purpose of God does the poet mention?

→ To connect the earth and make all people united.

20. How does the poet imagine the world to be united?

→ Through networks, travel, and human relationships.

21. What kind of worship does the poet begin?

→ A new kind of worship for explorers, engineers, and builders.

22. Who are the new worshippers according to the poet?

→ Captains, voyagers, engineers, and machinists.

23. Why does the poet praise engineers and machinists?

→ Because they help connect the world and fulfill God’s plan.

24. What does the poet say about transportation and trade?

→ He says these are not just for goods, but also for souls and unity.

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Section 4 – Question with Answers (2 Marks Each):

25. What scene does the poet see at the Suez Canal?

→ He sees steamships passing through the newly opened canal.

26. Who is Empress Eugenie and how is she shown?

→ She was the French Empress, shown leading the ship procession.

27. What does the poet observe from the ship deck?

→ The landscape, sky, sand, workers, and machines near the canal.

28. What is the second tableau described by the poet?

→ The Pacific Railroad running across the American continent.

29. What places are mentioned along the Pacific Railroad?

→ Platte River, Laramie plains, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, etc. are mentioned along the Pacific Railroad

30. What sights and sounds does the poet describe during the train journey?

→ He describes mountains, deserts, mirages, whistles, and echoes.

31. How does the railroad connect East and West?

→ It joins the Eastern sea to the Western sea, uniting lands.

32. What dream of the Genoese is fulfilled according to the poet?

→ The dream of uniting lands across seas, like Columbus once had.

33. How are the tales of old captains and sailors described?

→ They are like clouds in the sky—coming and going in memory.

34. What historical journeys does the poet recall in the end?

→ He recalls voyages like those of Vasco da Gama and Columbus.