John Keats wrote the poem "On the Grasshopper and Cricket" to appreciate how these insects continue singing even in difficult conditions, ensuring "The poetry of earth is never dead." He describes how on hot days when birds rest, and during lone winter evenings when frost creates silence, the grasshopper and cricket persist in their songs, providing a calming melody that soothes people. Keats views these insects as poets for their consistency, with the grasshopper found in meadows in summer and indoors in winter. Though Keats died young of tuberculosis at age 25, he is remembered as a romantic poet whose works contained warmth and love.

1. MADE BY
-

5. 1. By 'the poetry of the earth', the poet means
(a) a song about the earth
(b) the music of birds etc
(c) the poetry of poets
(d) the pleasures of life.
2. The birds hide in trees because of
(a) rain
(b) tiredness
(c) cold
(d) heat.

6. 3. The 'voice' mentioned here is the voice of
(a) a grasshopper
(b) a cricket
(c) a bird
(d) the poet.
4. The word 'cooling' here means
(a) pleasing
(b) amusing
(c) comforting
(d) brightening.

8. 1. The word 'that' refers to
(a) the voice
(b) the insect
(c) the bird
(d) the hedge.
2. The grasshopper is happy in
(a) Winter
(b) spring
(c) summer
(d) autumn.

9. 3. The grasshopper 'has never done' means
(a) he is never crying
(b) he is never content
(c) he is always singing
(d) he is always on the move.
4. The word 'beneath' means
(a) below
(b) neat
(c) above
(d) under.

11. 1. The poetry of earth is
(a) pleasant
(b) unpleasant
(c) constant
(d) loud.
2. The winter evening is 'lone' because
(a) the poet has no company
(b) there is silence all around
(c) there is frost
(d) it is cold.

12. 3. The cricket's song
(a) pleases everybody
(b) breaks winter's depression
(c) makes people angry
(d) is disliked by the people.
4. The word 'warmth' in the passage means
(a) loudness
(b) shrillness
(c) heat
(d) cheer.

14. 1. One is lost in drowsiness because of
(a) the bad weather
(b) the dark night
(c) tiredness
(d) loss of sleep.
2. The lines refer to the song sung by
(a) a grasshopper
(b) a cricket
(c) a bird
(d) a girl.

15. 3. The passage is describing a scene of
(a) summer
(b) winter
(c) rains
(d) autumn.
4. 'Drowsiness' means
(a) tiredness
(b) depression
(c) half asleep
(d) working.

16. John Keats wrote his poem On the
Grasshopper and Cricket because he feels as
though the grasshopper and the cricket are
constantly chirping and singing to make sure
“The poetry of earth is never dead...” (Keats,
1) He is amazed how even “When all the
birds are faint with the hot sun,” (Keats, 2)
and “On a lone winter evening, when the frost
has wrought a silence” (Keats, 10-11) the
grasshoppers and crickets continue their
symphony to the world. He writes how it is a

17. calming melody that soothes and warms
people even in the coldest times of winter. The
grasshopper and cricket are with the people
year round as opposed to birds migrating in
the winter. The grasshopper can be found in
the “new-mown mead” (Keats, 3) in the
summer and in “the stove” in the winter. He
describes them as poets because he can
appreciate their consistency at working at
their songs.

20. John Keats was born in 1795 in London,
England and attended school at Enfield. First
beginning his apprenticeship as a surgeon, a
friend encouraged his poetry. His first volume
of poems was published in 1817. He became
very well known in poetry, even having an
article published about him in Blackwood’s
Magazine. Keats continued to write poetry
and receive fan mail, but began to feel weak,
which was later to be found from tuberculosis.
The disease prevented the marriage to his
love Fanny Brawne. After publishing his finest

21. volume of poetry, John
Keats traveled to Italy with
a friend where he fell
seriously ill. Keats died in
Rome in February of 1821
at the age of 25. Despite
dying tragically at such a
young age, John Keats will
always be remembered as one of the most
romantic poets of all time with warmth and
love within all of his poems.