Q1 of 18 Page 107

On the basis of your understanding of the poem tick the correct answer.

How is the second stanza a contrast to the previous one?


The houses in rows are overscrupulous. The trees along the road have been planted to give an image that appears too unreal. The roads too are levelled, there is no shouting or any shatter of glass. This provokes the poetess and she claims that everything is preplanned.

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1

Look at the two visuals


• What are your first thoughts when you see the pictures? Suggest three basic differences.












City



Village



a. Perfection and uniformity


b. …………………………….


c. ………….



a. Spontaneity


b. …………….


c. ………….



• Mention three advantages and disadvantages of living in each of these places
















Advantages



Disadvantages



City


a. ……….


b. ………….


c. ………..



a. …………..


b. ………..


c. ………



Village


a. ………….


b. …………


c. ………….



a. ……..


b. ………


c. …….



• What would be your personal preference? Why?


1

On the basis of your understanding of the poem tick the correct answer.

What is the setting of the poem?


1

On the basis of your understanding of the poem tick the correct answer.

What is the lament of the poet?


2

Fill in the blanks to complete the summary of the poem

The title ‘The City Planners' suggests that the poem is about___________. The first line 'cruising these residential Sunday/ streets in dry August sunlight' gives us the impression thatthe poet is __________it is a _________ in August. 'Sunday streets' implies________ . The next line 'what offends us is the sanities' comes as a shock and the rest of the poem is Attwood's criticism of __________. 'Pedantic rows' and 'sanitary trees' expresses the poet's thoughts about suburbia which she feels is__________. She then provides a simile by comparing the 'levelness of surface' or rather the height of the trees as a 'rebuke' to the 'dent in our car door'. This suggests that _________________. She supports this lifeless and drab imagery of suburbia by saying that there is 'no shouting here, or shatter of glass' which provides us with a positive image of life in a residential area. This line suggests that ____________. However in the next line the calm and peace is disrupted by the ___________ .


Stanza two continues the mess that confront suburbia in a way by pointing out flaws. The description of the monotony of roof tiling -'all display the same slant of avoidance to the hot sky'-forces us to think that ___________. These is also the offensive smell of oil which smells faintly like vomit and a splash of paint is compared to a bruise. She says that the paint is as 'surprising' as a bruise because __________. The 'a plastic hose poised in a vicious coil' gives us the same impression. The hose is followed by a comma to reinforce the list of things she finds offensive about suburbia, mentioning the 'too-fixed stare of the wide windows.


In Stanza three is the end of complaints and shows the consequences of ___________. It also shows the reality of the real estate agency. Stanza 4 gives the real estate agents a sense of power or authority to them saying they_________. They claim to act in the best interest of only one party that being the buyer or seller but the reality is they safeguard ________.


In the end the tone shifts from a list of suburban ills to what might happen in the future. Attwood's pessimism is revealed when she says that _____________________________ . She later says that even the 'clay seas' will become contested territories and the City Planners of the future will still map out another city.