On Children II PU Engish Questions & Answers

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MCQs

1. Match column A with column B with reference to the poem ‘On Children’ and choose the correct option.

A                                                         B

A. Living arrows                                 i. the parents

B. Bows                                             ii. the children

C. Archer                                            iii. the God

a. A-i B-ii C-iii b. A-ii B-iii C-i c. A-ii B-i C-iii d. A-iii B-ii C-i

Ans: c. A-ii B-i C-iii 

2. According to the prophet, the parents should not seek to make children like them, because ________ 

a. They are not their children b. They live in the house of tomorrow

c. Life does not go backward d. They have their own thoughts

Ans: d. They have their own thoughts

3. Choose the statement which is incorrect with reference to the poem ‘On Children’. 

a. Parents may strive to be like children b. Parents may house the souls of children

c. Parents’ bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness d. Children do not belong to the parents

Ans: b. Parents may house the souls of children

4. The parents can give their ______ to their children in the poem by Gibran.

a. love b. dreams c. thoughts d. gladness

Ans: a. love 

5. The souls of the children dwell in _________, according to Kahlil Gibran.

a. their parents’ dreams b. the path of the infinite

c. their parents’ houses d. the house of tomorrow

Ans: d. the house of tomorrow

6. Consider the following statement and reason with respect to ‘On Children’ and answer:

Statement: Parents may give their love but not their thoughts to their children [A]

Reason: Children have their own thoughts

a. Both statement and reason are correct. b. Both statement and reason are incorrect.

c. Only statement is correct. d. Only reason is correct.

Ans: a. Both the statement and the reason are correct

7. Match the following

        A.                                                      B

A. Woman                                             i. Bows

B. Children                                            ii. Held a Babe

C. Parents                                             iii. Arrows

a. A-i B-ii C-iii b. A-ii B-iii C-i c. A-ii B-i C-iii d. A-iii B-ii C-i

Ans: b. A-ii B-iii C-i 

8. Statement: Parents may strive to be like children, but do not make children like them.

Reason: Life goes not backward.

a. Both statement and reason are correct. b. Both statement and reason are incorrect.

c. Only statement is correct. d. Only reason is correct.

9. The main speaker of the poem ‘On Children’ is a ________

a. child b. woman c. prophet d. man

Ans: c. Only the statement is correct.

10. According to the prophet in 'On Children', _____ are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself

a. children b. women c. bows d. parents

Ans: a. children 

11. In 'On Children' _______ bends the bow to send the arrows swift and far. [E]

a. archer b. prophet c. babe d. woman

Ans: a. archer 

12. Who asks in the poem ‘On Children’ to speak to them of children?

a. a woman b. a child c. the god d. the prophet

Ans: a. a woman 

13. In 'On Children' the Archer uses the _____ to send forth the living arrows.

a. bow b. love c. thoughts d. dreams

Ans: a. bow

14. According to the speaker of 'On Children' life does not go ______.

a. swift b. backward c. forward d. far

Ans: b. backward 

15. According to the speaker of 'On Children', Life does not tarry with ________. 

a . today b. tomorrow c. yesterday d. day after tomorrow

Ans: c. yesterday

16. In the poem 'On Children' the Archer stands for ___________. 

a. God b. parents c. children d. prophet

Ans: a. God

17. The souls of children dwell in the house of ___________________. 

a. tomorrow b. today c. yesterday d. their parents

Ans: a. tomorrow 

18. The Prophet says that God loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is ______. 

a. flying b. stable c. swift d. mighty

Ans: b. stable

19. The Prophet says, ‘Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for________________.

a. longing b. striving c. dreaming d. gladness

Ans: d. gladness

20. Which is the incorrect statement with respect to the poem ‘On Children’?

a. Parents’ souls dwell in the house of tomorrow

b. Parents can strive to be like their children

c. Parents can house the bodies of their children

d. Parents can give their love to their children

Ans: a. Parents’ souls dwell in the house of tomorrow

21. In the poem, 'On Children' the poet says that parents may house the bodies of their children but not their __________. (Exam 1, 2025)

a. arrows b. bows c. souls d. life

Ans: c. souls

22. The souls of children live _______, according to Kahlil Gibran. (Exam 2 2025)

a. in the house of tomorrow. b. in the house of God

c. in the house of parents d. in the house of arrows

Ans: a. in the house of tomorrow.

23. In 'On Children', parents are the bows and children are _______. (Additional Paper 2025)

a. living things b. living arrows c. the souls d. their bodies

Ans: b. living arrows 

Two marks

1. What are the two reasons given by the Prophet to say, “Your children are not your children”? [E]

(Note: any two of the following: they are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself/ They come through

you, but not from you/ Though they are with you, yet they belong not to you)

2. What parents may give and may not give to children according to the prophet in ‘On Children’? [E]

3. According to ‘On Children’, what may parents not give to children according to the prophet, and why?

[E]

4. According to the prophet in ‘On Children’, what parents may house and what they may not? [E]

5. Who are the arrows and who sends them forward in ‘On Children’? [E]

6. What do ‘bows’ and ‘arrows’ refer to in ‘On Children’? [E]

7. According to the prophet in ‘On Children’, who bends the bow and why? [A]

8. ‘On Children’, who sees the mark upon the path of the infinite? Why does he bend the bow with his might?

[E]

9. Who are the arrows and who sends them forward, according to Kahlil Gibran? (Additional Paper 2025)

10. In ‘On Children’ the poet says, “And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you”. Who do the

words ‘they’ and ‘you’ refer to? [A]

Department of School Education (Pre University) and Karnataka School Education and Assessment Board

II PU English Page 20 of 114

11. Who is holding a babe against her bosom and to whom she is asking to speak about children, in ‘On

Children”? [A]

12. Who is holding a babe against her bosom and what is she asking the prophet, in ‘On Children’? [A]

13. According to the speaker of ‘On Children’ what type of arrow and bow does the God love? [E]

14. Where does the Archer see the mark and whom does he bend with all his might to send the arrow go swift

and far? [A]

Three Marks

1. In what way does Prophet feel that children are independent in ‘On Children’? [A]

2. How should parents look upon their children according to Kahlil Gibran? [A]

3. Bring out the interrelationship among the bows, arrows and the archer with reference to the poem 'On

Children’. (Exam 3, 2025)

Four marks

1."Your children are not your children”. Evaluate this statement in the light of the poem ‘On Children'? [A]

2. According to the prophet in ‘On Children’, what attitude should parents have towards their children? [A]

3. The poem ‘On Children’ focuses on the lives of children and the responsibilities of parents. Discuss [A]

4. “Parents should not be too possessive of their children and try not to live their dreams through their children.”

How does Kahlil Gibran justify this, in the poem 'On Children'? (Exam1, 2025)

5. Why does Gibran advise parents not to be too possessive about their children? (Exam 2, 2025)

Comprehension I

1. 1. And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, “Speak to us of Children.” And he said: Here ‘he’ refers to

 Ans: (b) the Prophet

 2.       ‘Your children are not your children’ means

Ans: (c) parents should not be possessive of their children.

3.       ‘They come through you, but are not from you’ means

Ans: (a) though parents give birth to their children they do not own them.

4.       According to the prophet, what may be given to the children?

Ans: Love

5.  ‘Their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow’ means

Ans: (a) children belong to the future.

6.       ‘The bows’ and ‘living arrows’ refer to parents and children.

Comprehension II

  

1.Why does the prophet categorically state ‘Your children are not your children’?

Ans: Kahlil Gibran is a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist. He is best known for his great work “The Prophet.” This poem “On Children” is a selection from “The Prophet,” which is a critique of the expectations of the parents about their children. The prophet while preaching a woman, who sought to know how much one must be possessive of one’s children, firmly makes the statement above.  According to him, they are the wonderful creations of Life. Parents are just the means; children come through them. Though they are with their parents, yet they do not belong to them. They have their own thoughts and identities. So, the prophet asks parents to give the children just their love.  He stresses on the point that parents only house their bodies whereas their souls live in the house of tomorrow. Parents should rather try to become like the children than moulding them. Thus, the prophet says that children do not belong to their parents.

2.2. What does the metaphor, bows and arrows signify with regard to parent-children relationship?

Ans: Kahlil Gibran is a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist. He is best known for his great work “The Prophet.” This poem “On Children” is a selection from “The Prophet,” which is a critique of the expectations of the parents about their children. Here in this poem, the metaphors ‘bows’ stand for parents while ‘arrows’ stand for children. These two are part of God’s beautiful creation of life. He as an archer bends the bows to send the arrows into the infinite. Both of them have an important role to play. Bows should be steady and take all the pain in order to issue forth the arrows of Future. Parents should be happy in taking more pain for the children. God loves both the bows and arrows equally.

3. 3. According to the prophet, what attitude should parents have towards their children?

Ans: Kahlil Gibran is a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist. He is best known for his great work “The Prophet.” This poem “On Children” is a selection from “The Prophet,” which is a critique of the expectations of the parents about their children. According to the prophet, parents should not be possessive of their children, which is natural though. The stress is laid on children’s individuality and independent ideas without any influence of the parents. Apparently enough, parents try to realize their unfulfilled dreams through the children which should not be done according to the prophet. He wants parents to be more loving towards them. He does not want parents to fill the children with their ideas, for children have their own thoughts.  

Comprehension III

1.  In this poem, ‘parents’ could stand as a metaphor for

a.   the older generation.

b.  leaders.

c. religious heads.

d. teachers.

Having considered the above options, offer different readings of the poem.

Ans: This is from the poem, “On Children” written by Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist. He is best known for his great work “The Prophet.” This poem “On Children” is a selection from “The Prophet,” which is a critique of the expectations of the parents about their children. With reference to the options above, we can give different readings.

a. Parents as the older generation

The older generation generally think that they are more experienced and expect the younger generation to follow their ideas. They even think that their times were very ideal and are very apprehensive about the impressionable youngsters. As model individuals they try to mould their following generation.

b.  b.  Parents as leaders

Leaders want to lead people. They force their views on the youth. They feel that in order to achieve their goals, they should control the youth. So, they do not allow the young minds to think independently. In a bid to prove their power and influence, leaders often snub the tender minds.

c.  c. Parents as religious heads

Religious heads use faith and belief as strong weapons to control the innocent minds. They rather want the devotees to accept the practices unquestionably. Here, thinking takes the back seat and believing occupies the mind overall. These heads capitalize on this laid-out principle. They continue to conquer the young minds in a society dominated by beliefs.

d.  d. Parents as teachers

Teachers command more respect than any one in every society as they nourish young minds with love and help students acquire knowledge. Though they facilitate to develop independent thinking, students are largely controlled. Instead, they should be appreciated for their innovative and independent ideas. They need to be encouraged to make their own path.

2. 3. In the light of the poem, think of different levels of freedom children must have shaping their lives.

Ans: This is from the poem, “On Children” written by Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist. He is best known for his great work “The Prophet.” This poem “On Children” is a selection from “The Prophet,” which is a critique of the expectations of the parents about their children. A child is creative by birth. It learns by exploring the world around; it experiments with everything it meets in the process of its physical and mental growth. Children need support and encouragement at all levels: from parents at home; from people outside and from teachers at school. They ought to enjoy greater degree of freedom so that their creativity flourishes. Parents are always concerned about their children’s future. They influence children with their ideas and forget to understand that children have their own ideas. Some are too protective that they don’t give children needed freedom. Teachers need to give children more space to learn on their own instead of strict adherence to the curriculum. Society plays a key role in shaping the lives of children. There should not be too many restrictions for the young minds. Thus, children need more freedom to excel in their individual lives.

3.  4. The poem does not focus merely on the lives of children, but also talks about the responsibility of parents. Discuss.

Ans: This is from the poem, “On Children” written by Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist. He is best known for his great work “The Prophet.” This poem “On Children” is a selection from “The Prophet,” which is a critique of the expectations of the parents about their children. The poet surprises the parents through his words, “Your children are not your children.” He then continues to explain what should be the attitude of parents towards their children. He says that parents are only the means in the life of children. They don’t belong to the parents. They are rather the most beautiful creation of Life itself. The responsibilities of parents lie in giving unconditional love to children and not changing their thoughts. Since the souls of the children belong to the future, parents cannot control them. Like bows in the hands of the Archer, they should take the pain happily to bend and send the children into the future. God loves those responsible parents who take all the pain to remain stable. Thus, this poem is not just about children and their independent ideas; it is also about a much better attitude of parents towards their children and a new perspective about the responsibility of parents.

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