He
wore a question mark for tail,
An overcoat of gray,
He sat up straight to eat a nut.
He liked to tease and play,
And if we ran around his tree,
He went the other way.
The Explanation of the Poem “The Squirrel” From NCERT
Class VII
What
the Poem Shows: -
The poet is watching a squirrel on a tree and
describes how it looks and behaves in a fun, child-friendly way.
Line-by-Line Explanation: -
- “He wore a question mark for tail”
The squirrel’s tail is curved and bushy, shaped like a question mark. It looks funny and interesting. - “An overcoat of gray”
The squirrel’s fur is grey, and the poet imagines it as if the squirrel is wearing a gray coat. - “He sat up straight to eat a nut”
The squirrel sits upright while eating, showing how alert and quick it is. - “He liked to tease and play”
The squirrel enjoys playing and having fun. It’s not afraid of people. - “And if we ran around his tree, he went the other
way”
When children try to catch it or run around the tree, the squirrel playfully runs to the opposite side. It turns the chase into a game.
What Kids Learn:-
- Nature is full of playful creatures.
- Animals like squirrels are smart and fun to watch.
- The poem teaches us to observe and enjoy the little
things around us.
The Squirrel Poem Summary
The poem "The Squirrel" from NCERT Class 7 English playfully
describes a squirrel’s appearance and behavior, highlighting its lively nature
and interaction with humans.
๐ฟ️ Poem Overview
ร Poet: Mildred Bowers Armstrong
ร Theme: Observing nature with curiosity and joy
๐ณ Summary of the Poem
The poet sees a squirrel sitting on a tree, nibbling on a nut. Its tail
is curved like a question mark, which catches the poet’s attention. The
squirrel wears a grey coat, which the poet whimsically compares to
an “overcoat.” It sits upright while eating, showing its alertness and agility.
The squirrel is described as a funny little creature that
enjoys playing.
If someone tries to chase it around the tree, it doesn’t get scared.
Instead, it playfully runs to the opposite side of the tree,
turning the chase into a game.
✨ Key Highlights
ร The poem uses simple language and vivid imagery to make
the squirrel’s actions come alive.
ร It encourages children to observe and appreciate the playfulness of
animals in nature.
ร The squirrel is portrayed as friendly, energetic, and clever,
making it relatable and endearing to young readers.
The Squirrel Textbook Questions
Working with the Poem
Q1. Why does the poet say the squirrel “wore a question mark for tail”?
Draw a squirrel, or find a picture of a squirrel sitting on the ground. How
would you describe its tail?
Ans.
The poet says that the squirrel “wore a question mark for tail” as the shape of
the tail was of a question mark. A squirrel’s tail is curled in such a way that
it appears as a question mark.
The
tail of a squirrel when it is sitting is also in the shape of a question mark.
It is, however, slightly different. If you look closely at the picture given
above, you will see that the tail is less curled than it is when it is standing
up. According to the poem, the tail is curled in such a way that it looks like
a question mark, and that is when the squirrel is standing on a tree branch.
However, now that the squirrel is sitting, the tail is less curled and so it
doesn’t look like a proper question mark.
Q2. Do we usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail? What do we say?
(Think: Does an animal wear a coat? Consult a dictionary if you like, and find
out how ‘wear’ is used in different ways.)
Ans. No, we do not usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail. We say that
an animal ‘has’ a tail.
Yes, an animal does wear a coat. We say this as ‘wear’ here as another meaning.
With reference to a coat, wear is a verb meaning that something or someone has
something on his or her body for clothing, decoration, or
protection. Therefore, here, an animal wearing a coat means that an animal has
a layer on his body which is so warm and so thick that it resembles a coat. The
layer of fur on the squirrel which is the outermost layer of the squirrel’s
body is similar to a coat.
Q3. “He liked to tease and play”. Who is teasing whom? How?
Ans. In the sentence “He liked to tease and play”, the squirrel is the one who is teasing the poet.
The squirrel likes to draw the poet’s attention towards it. Then, the poet tries
to catch the squirrel. However, the squirrel does not get caught easily. It
likes to dodge the poet. For example when the squirrel would be standing on the
left side of a tree, the poet would run there to catch the squirrel but the
squirrel would quickly go to the other side of the tree and when the poet would
run to the other side, the squirrel would again go to the left side of the
tree. In this way, the squirrel would tease and play with the poet.
The Squirrel Poem 1 – Extract
Based Questions
A. He wore a question mark
for tail,
An overcoat of gray,
He sat up straight to eat a nut.
Q1. What is the shape of a squirrel’s tail?
Ans: Its shape is twisted like a question mark.
Q2. What is the colour of the overcoat that the squirrel wears?
Ans: The squirrel’s overcoat is gray.
Q3. How does the squirrel sit while eating a nut?
Ans: The squirrel sits up straight to eat a nut.
Q4. Which specific feature of the squirrel is compared to a punctuation mark?
Ans: The squirrel’s tail is compared to a question mark.
Q5. What is the title of the poem?
Ans: The title of the poem is ‘The squirrel’.
B. He liked to tease
and play,
And if we ran around his tree,
He went the other way.
Q1. What did the squirrel like to do, as described in the poem?
Ans: The squirrel liked to tease and play.
Q2. How did the squirrel react when people ran around his tree?
Ans: The squirrel went the other way when people ran around his tree.
Q3. What is the Name of the poet?
Ans: The poet’s name is ‘Mildred Bowers Armstrong’.
Q4. How does the poem describe the squirrel’s playful behavior?
Ans: The poem describes the squirrel as teasing and playful.
Q5. What does the squirrel’s reaction suggest about its personality?
Ans: The squirrel’s reaction suggests that it is playful and likes to avoid people by running the opposite way.