EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Chapter 8

Fog Class 10 Poem by Carl Sandburg: Summary and Analysis

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Fog is a six-line free verse poem by Carl Sandburg in First Flight. It compares the fog to a cat without using 'like' or 'as': the fog arrives silently, sits over the harbour and city, then moves on. The board asks extract questions on imagery, tone and metaphor, plus 40-50 word and long answers.

What Fog is about

Fog is a poem by Carl Sandburg in your First Flight textbook. It is only six lines long and is written in free verse, which means it has no regular rhyme or rhythm. In one line: the poet shows the fog as a quiet cat that creeps in, sits and watches the harbour and city, and then slips away.

In the board paper, Fog can come as a poetry extract in Section C (Q7, one of two extracts), with MCQ or one-word parts worth 1 mark and a 2-mark part of 30-40 words that asks for analysis or inference. It can also appear as a short answer of 40-50 words for 3 marks (Q8) or a long answer of about 100-120 words for 6 marks (Q10), where you may need to think beyond the text.

In real board papers: asked in 1 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 0.2 marks per paper. See the questions

Fog: explanation

In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.

Lines 1-2: the fog arrives. The poem opens with the fog coming in. The poet says it comes "on little cat feet". He does not say the fog is like a cat; he simply gives the fog a cat's feet. This tells you how the fog moves: softly, quietly, without any sound or warning. Just as a cat walks so lightly that you hardly notice it, the fog spreads over the place before anyone realises it has come. The word "little" makes the fog seem gentle and harmless rather than large or frightening.

Lines 3-5: the fog sits and watches. Next, the fog "sits looking" over the harbour and the city. The word "It" here refers to the fog. The fog sits "on silent haunches", and the NCERT note explains that sitting on haunches means sitting with knees bent. This is exactly how a cat sits, crouched and still, gazing at something. So the fog does not just cover the city; it seems to observe it calmly, like a curious cat watching from a height. The word "silent" again stresses that the fog makes no noise.

Line 6: the fog leaves. Finally, the fog "moves on". It does not stay forever. Like a cat that wanders off whenever it likes, the fog goes away on its own, and the harbour and city are left clear again. The ending is quiet and sudden, just like the fog itself.

How the poem works. The whole poem is one extended picture. Three things in the text link the fog to a cat: its little cat feet, its sitting on silent haunches, and its moving on when it chooses. Because the poet never uses 'like' or 'as', this is a metaphor, not a simile. The poem also does not rhyme and has no fixed beat, so it is free verse. The plain, everyday words and very short lines make the poem feel as light and quiet as the fog.

Central idea. The poem captures one moment in nature through a single fresh image. We can infer that the poet wants you to see something ordinary, like fog, in a new way: as a living, gentle, silent presence that comes, watches and leaves. It also suggests that such moments in nature are short and pass on their own.

Themes and message

Seeing nature through imagination

The poem takes something ordinary, a foggy day, and makes it fresh by imagining the fog as a cat. The poet does not describe the fog's colour, cold or thickness. Instead, he gives it a cat's feet, a cat's way of sitting and a cat's habit of wandering off. This suggests that a poet's job is to help us look at familiar things differently. When you next see fog, you may remember a cat creeping in. The theme shows how one strong image can change the way we notice the world around us.

From the text: The fog comes "on little cat feet" and sits "on silent haunches", details that belong to a cat, not to weather.

Silence and stillness

Everything about the fog in the poem is quiet. It arrives softly, sits without a sound and leaves without fuss. There is no noise, no action and no drama. The calm mood suggests a peaceful, almost hushed atmosphere over the harbour and city. The poem's own short, gentle lines match this silence. We can infer that the poet admires the fog's quiet power: it changes the whole look of a city without making any sound at all.

From the text: The words "little cat feet" and "silent haunches" stress soft, noiseless movement and stillness.

Change and impermanence

The fog does not stay. After sitting and looking, it "moves on". This last line suggests that moments in nature are temporary: they come, last a while and pass away by themselves. Just as a cat comes and goes at its own will, the fog's visit is brief. We can read this as a gentle reminder that nothing in nature is fixed. The poem itself is short and ends quickly, which mirrors how quickly the fog disappears.

From the text: The final line, "and then moves on", shows the fog leaving on its own.

Nature and the human world

The fog sits over the "harbour and city", places built and used by people. Yet the fog is not shown as a threat or a nuisance. It simply watches over them calmly and then leaves. This suggests a peaceful relationship: nature can spread over the busy human world, quietly take hold of it for a while, and let it go. The image of the fog looking over the city like a cat on a height also hints that nature is a silent observer of human life.

From the text: "It sits looking over harbour and city": the fog calmly overlooks the human settlement.

The speaker and the people in the poem

The poet (speaker)

The voice that watches the fog and describes it to the reader in a single imaginative picture.

Observant: notices how the fog moves, sits and leaves
Imaginative: sees a cat in the fog
Economical with words: uses only six short lines
Calm and gentle in tone: no strong emotion, only quiet description

He describes every stage of the fog's visit (coming, sitting, moving on) in plain words, and links each stage to a cat without ever using 'like' or 'as', showing close observation and imagination.

The fog

The subject of the poem, presented as if it were a living cat.

Silent: it makes no sound as it comes and sits
Gentle: described with the word 'little'
Watchful: it sits looking over the harbour and city
Independent: it leaves when it chooses
Mysterious: it arrives and goes without explanation

It comes "on little cat feet", sits "on silent haunches" while "looking over harbour and city", and then "moves on".

Poetic devices

Device	Example	Effect
Metaphor (implied)	"The fog comes on little cat feet."	The poet compares the fog to a cat without using 'like' or 'as'. By giving the fog a cat's feet and posture, he makes you picture its soft, silent movement instantly. The comparison runs through the whole poem, so it is an extended metaphor.
Personification	"It sits looking over harbour and city"	The fog is given the actions of a living creature: sitting and looking. This makes the fog seem alive and aware, as if it is calmly watching the city, and creates a mysterious mood.
Visual imagery	"on silent haunches"	You can see a cat crouched with knees bent, still and watchful, and through it the fog resting low and heavy over the harbour. The picture helps you visualise how the fog settles.
Auditory (sound) imagery through silence	"little cat feet" and "silent haunches"	The poem creates a sense of soundlessness. You 'hear' the absence of noise, which builds a calm, hushed atmosphere and matches the quiet nature of fog.
Free verse (no rhyme scheme)	Lines such as "over harbour and city" and "and then moves on" do not rhyme and follow no fixed beat.	The loose, natural lines feel like the fog itself, shapeless and drifting. Plain everyday words also break the traditional idea that a poem must rhyme and use grand language.
Alliteration / sibilance	"It sits looking" and "on silent haunches" repeat the soft 's' sound.	The gentle hissing 's' sounds are soft and quiet, adding to the feeling of hush and the fog's noiseless presence.
Enjambment	"The fog comes" runs on into "on little cat feet."	The sentence flows across the line break, so the reading moves slowly and smoothly, just as the fog creeps forward without stopping.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

The fog comes
Poet: The opening line, introducing the arrival of the fog.
It sets up the subject simply and directly. The plain words show that this is free verse in everyday language.
on little cat feet
Poet: Describes how the fog arrives.
This is the heart of the metaphor. 'Little' makes the fog gentle, and 'cat feet' shows its soft, silent, unnoticed movement.
It sits looking
Poet: The fog, now settled, is shown watching.
'It' refers to the fog. The verbs 'sits' and 'looking' personify the fog as a watchful creature, like a cat on a perch.
over harbour and city
Poet: Names the places the fog covers and watches.
It shows nature spreading over the human world calmly, linking the fog to the busy life of people.
on silent haunches
Poet: Describes how the fog sits.
Sitting on haunches (knees bent) is a cat's posture. 'Silent' stresses the stillness and quiet mood of the poem.
and then moves on
Poet: The final line, as the fog leaves.
It shows the fog's independence and suggests that moments in nature are brief and pass on their own.

Fog in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Seeing nature through imagination (metaphor)

Imagine your English teacher asks the class to describe the morning traffic outside school as an animal, the way Sandburg describes fog as a cat. Your friend writes 'The traffic is like a buffalo' and stops there.

Write a short metaphor of 3-4 lines about the traffic without using 'like' or 'as', and explain how it follows the method of 'Fog'. Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Pick one animal whose movement matches the traffic.
Drop 'like' so the traffic becomes the animal.
Give it two or three actions that fit the animal.
Link to how every action of the fog fits a cat.

Answer: Morning traffic crawls / on tired buffalo legs. / It grunts and halts / at every red light. / Like Sandburg, I never use 'like'; the traffic becomes a slow buffalo, so the reader feels its heavy, lazy movement. Each action fits the animal, just as each of the fog's actions fits a cat.

Memory hook: No 'like', just become: fog becomes a cat, traffic becomes a buffalo.

Silence and stillness

Suppose it is a winter morning before your first board exam. You wake early and sit on the balcony. A thick fog lies over your colony, and there are no horns or voices yet.

How does this moment help you understand the fog sitting 'on silent haunches'? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Connect the still morning with the fog's stillness.
Explain 'silent haunches': sitting quietly, watching.
Show how you also sit and watch.
Value: quiet moments calm the mind before a challenge.

Answer: Like the fog in the poem, the morning is still and silent. The fog sits quietly 'on silent haunches', just watching, and I too sit and watch without rushing. This stillness calms my nerves, showing how quiet moments help us think clearly before a challenge.

Memory hook: Exam-morning calm = fog on silent haunches.

Change and impermanence

Imagine your closest friend's family moves to another city after Class 9. You feel the school day is empty without them and keep thinking things will never feel normal again.

How can the last line of 'Fog', 'and then moves on', help you deal with this change? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The fog does not stay forever; it moves on.
People and phases of life also move on.
Value the time shared instead of only feeling loss.
Accept change calmly, as the poet calmly watches the fog.

Answer: The fog does not stay forever; it 'moves on'. Friends, too, may move away, and phases of life end. Instead of feeling only sad, I can value the time we shared, just as the poet calmly watches the fog's brief visit, and accept change calmly.

Memory hook: Fog moves on, friends move on, life moves on.

Free verse

Suppose you are writing a poem for the school magazine. A classmate on the editing team says your poem is not a 'real poem' because the lines do not rhyme.

Using 'Fog' as your example, argue that a poem need not rhyme to be a good poem. Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

State that rhyme is not essential.
'Fog' has no rhyme scheme or regular rhythm: free verse.
Its power comes from metaphor and imagery.
Apply to your own poem.

Answer: A poem need not rhyme to be a poem. 'Fog' has no rhyme scheme or regular rhythm; it is free verse. Yet its strong cat metaphor and vivid images make it powerful. So, my poem can succeed through fresh images, not forced rhymes.

Memory hook: Fog has no rhyme, but it still has a cat.

Topics in this chapter

Fog by Carl Sandburg: Summary and ExplanationComing soon
Fog Poem Question AnswersComing soon
Fog: Metaphor, Imagery and Poetic DevicesComing soon
Fog Poem: Free Verse and Rhyme SchemeComing soon

How the board asks Fog

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Extract MCQ / objective on imagery or tone (1 mark)	You get the poem's lines and are asked to pick the type of imagery, the tone (for example, playful and mysterious versus cold and rough), what an image evokes, or what the city is like.	Read every option against the actual words. The images are visual and soundless; the tone is calm, quiet and mysterious. Choose the option that matches 'little', 'silent' and 'moves on', and reject anything loud, violent or sad.
Extract 2-mark analysis (30-40 words)	You are asked about the effect of a word such as 'little', how the poet links nature and the city, or how the language challenges traditional poetry.	Make two clear points backed by a word from the lines. Name the device or effect (gentleness, silence, free verse, plain words), then explain how it shapes the mood. Stay within 40 words.
Short answer on the cat metaphor (Q8, 40-50 words, 3 marks)	You are asked how the cat metaphor shows the fog's nature, or whether the poet actually calls the fog a cat.	Say it is an implied metaphor (no 'like' or 'as'). Give the three cat-like details: little cat feet, sitting on silent haunches, moving on at will. Link each to a quality of fog: silent, still, temporary. Keep to 50 words.
Short answer on form (Q8, 3 marks)	You are asked whether the poem has a rhyme scheme, or how its free verse suits its subject.	State that it has no rhyme or fixed rhythm, so it is free verse. Then explain why this fits: the loose, short lines drift like fog, and plain words keep the quiet, simple mood.
Long answer with extrapolation (Q10, 100-120 words, 6 marks)	You may be asked to discuss how one image can change the way we see nature, the idea of change and passing moments, or to compare the fog with another natural sight in your own life.	Open with a clear claim, support it with two or three short words from the poem, then extend the idea to your own life or a 'suppose' situation. Organise in short linked paragraphs and end with a one-line conclusion. Do not bring in other chapters.

Tricks to remember Fog

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

The four verbs of the fog
Remember 'Cats Sit, Look, Leave': the fog COMES, SITS, LOOKS (over harbour and city), MOVES ON. Four verbs, six lines, one cat.
Use it when: Recall the order of the poem and its beginning, middle and end in any extract or summary answer.
Two S-words, one L-word
The three describing words to quote are 'Little' (cat feet), 'Silent' (haunches) and 'Sits'. Think 'L-S-S: Little, Silent, Sits' = the softness, the hush and the stillness.
Use it when: Use these as evidence when asked about mood, tone or imagery.
Like = simile, no like = metaphor
If you can see 'like' or 'as', it is a simile. 'Fog' has neither, so it is a metaphor. Say it as: 'No like, no simile.'
Use it when: Avoid calling the cat comparison a simile in MCQs and short answers.
Theme map: S-S-C-H
Silence, Stillness, Change ('moves on'), Human world ('harbour and city'), all seen through imagination.
Use it when: Quickly list themes for a 6-mark long answer plan.

Fog: extract-based questions

Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.

Extract 1: The fog arrives and settles

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
The way the fog arrives is pictured through the way a cat:
(a) pounces on its prey
(b) walks softly and quietly
(c) purrs loudly near people
(d) chases mice through the streets
(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
To which animal does the extract compare the fog?
(3) · 1 mark · MCQ
Which of these is NOT suggested by the extract?
(a) The fog arrives without noise.
(b) The fog moves softly, like a small animal.
(c) The fog roars as it rolls in.
(d) The fog comes gently, almost unnoticed.
(4) · 2 marks · Short answer
The poet never uses the word 'like' or 'as' in these lines. How does this choice make the image stronger? Answer in 30-40 words.

Show the answersAnswers

(b) walks softly and quietly
A cat: the fog comes 'on little cat feet'.
(c) The fog roars as it rolls in.
By dropping 'like', the poet does not say the fog resembles a cat; he speaks as if it is one. This direct metaphor lets us picture soft paws and quiet steps at once, making the fog feel alive.

Extract 2: The fog watches and leaves

on silent haunches
and then moves on.

(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
In the extract, 'on haunches' means:
(a) lying flat on the ground
(b) sitting with knees bent
(c) running at great speed
(d) standing tall on hind legs
(2) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which word in the extract shows that the fog makes no sound?
(3) · 1 mark · MCQ
The last line, 'and then moves on', suggests that the fog is:
(a) permanent
(b) dangerous
(c) temporary
(d) angry
(4) · 2 marks · Short answer
Why do you think the poet ends the poem with the fog leaving rather than staying? What does this suggest? Answer in 30-40 words.

Show the answersAnswers

(b) sitting with knees bent
'silent' (it sits 'on silent haunches').
(c) temporary
Ending with the fog leaving shows that it is only a passing visitor. Like a cat, it rests for a while, then drifts away. This suggests that moments in nature are brief and keep changing.

Fog: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: The three stages of the fog's visit · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Trace the fog's movement in the poem 'Fog' from beginning to end. How is each stage like a cat? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Stage 1: the fog arrives 'on little cat feet', softly and silently.
Stage 2: it sits and looks over harbour and city on 'silent haunches', still like a watching cat.
Stage 3: it 'moves on', leaving quietly, as a cat wanders off.
Link each stage clearly to cat behaviour.

Answer: The fog first arrives silently, like a cat padding in on small soft feet. Next, it sits still on its haunches, gazing over the harbour and city, as a cat watches calmly. Finally, it quietly moves on, as a cat wanders off.

Example 2: Why free verse suits the fog · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

'Fog' is written in free verse. How does the absence of rhyme and regular rhythm suit the subject of the poem? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Define free verse: no obvious rhyme or regular rhythm.
Fog drifts without a fixed pattern, so a loose form matches it.
Short, uneven lines (some just three words) feel quiet and unhurried.
Form matches the fog's silent, soft movement.

Answer: 'Fog' is in free verse: it has no rhyme scheme and no regular rhythm. This suits the subject, because fog drifts without a fixed pattern. The short, uneven lines, some just three words long, feel quiet and unhurried, matching the fog's silent, soft movement.

Example 3: How the poem creates silence and stillness · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

How does Carl Sandburg create a mood of silence and stillness in 'Fog'? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

'little' cat feet suggests noiseless arrival.
'sits' and 'silent haunches' show the fog perfectly still.
Even the exit, 'moves on', is quiet and unhurried.
No loud or harsh words, so the mood is hushed and peaceful.

Answer: The poet builds silence through the cat image: a cat's 'little' feet make no noise. The fog then 'sits' on 'silent haunches', perfectly still, watching. Even its exit is quiet, with no sound words anywhere. The calm, gentle words create a hushed, peaceful mood.

Example 4: Character sketch of the fog · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

The poet turns the fog into a living character. Write a character sketch of the fog as it appears in the poem. Answer in about 100-120 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Introduction: the fog is brought alive through a cat metaphor, without 'like'.
Gentle and quiet: it comes 'on little cat feet'.
Calm, patient observer: it 'sits looking' over harbour and city on 'silent haunches'.
Independent: it 'moves on' when it chooses, serving no one.
Conclusion: mysterious, peaceful, temporary; inference about the poet's admiration.
Expression: clear paragraphs, quotations woven in, within word limit.

Answer: In 'Fog', Carl Sandburg turns the fog into a living character by giving it a cat's habits, without ever using the word 'like'.

First, the fog is gentle and quiet. It comes 'on little cat feet', arriving so softly that nobody hears it.

Second, it is a calm, patient observer. It 'sits looking' over the harbour and the city, resting on 'silent haunches' as a cat quietly watches its surroundings.

Third, it is independent. It does not stay to serve or please anyone; it simply 'moves on' when it chooses.

Overall, the fog appears mysterious, peaceful and temporary. We can infer that the poet admires its quiet freedom.

Example 5: What if the fog were an elephant? · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Suppose the poet had compared the fog to an elephant instead of a cat. How would the mood of the poem change? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

An elephant suggests weight, noise and force.
The calm, gentle mood would be lost; the scene would feel threatening.
The cat works because it moves silently and lightly, as fog drifts in.
Conclusion: the choice of animal decides the mood.

Answer: If the fog came like an elephant, it would feel heavy, noisy and threatening, perhaps trampling the city. The poem's calm, gentle mood would vanish. The cat image works because a cat moves silently and lightly, exactly as fog drifts in unnoticed.

Example 6: Lessons from a fog that moves on · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

The fog stays only for a while and then 'moves on'. What does this teach you about handling difficult phases in life? Answer with reference to the poem and your own experience in about 100-120 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Link to the text: the fog arrives, sits over harbour and city, then 'moves on'; its stay is temporary.
Extrapolation: hard phases in life are like fog, unclear for a while.
Personal example showing how a difficult feeling passed with patience.
Calm in the poem ('silent haunches') as a model for staying calm.
Conclusion: no situation is permanent; clarity returns.
Expression: organised paragraphs, within the word limit.

Answer: In 'Fog', the fog creeps in quietly, sits over the harbour and city, and then 'moves on'. It seems to settle over everything for a while, but its stay is temporary.

This teaches me that difficult phases in life are often like fog. When I failed a maths test, everything felt grey and unclear, just as fog hides a city. Yet with patience and steady effort, that feeling lifted.

The poem also shows calm. The fog does not rush; it sits on 'silent haunches'. Similarly, staying calm helps us wait out hard times instead of panicking.

So, the poem reminds us that no situation is permanent. Clarity returns, just as the city reappears once the fog leaves.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

How does the poet use the image of a cat to show the nature of the fog? Answer in 40-50 words. (3 marks) (3 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: the fog comes 'on little cat feet', quietly and softly, and sits on 'silent haunches', watching harbour and city	1
Content: it 'moves on' like an independent cat, showing the fog is calm, mysterious and temporary; metaphor without 'like'	1
Expression: clear, accurate sentences within 40-50 words (up to 1 mark deducted for spelling or grammar errors)	1

'Fog' shows how imagination can turn an ordinary sight of nature into something alive. Discuss with reference to the poem and add your own view. Answer in about 100-120 words. (6 marks) (6 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: cat metaphor explained with evidence ('little cat feet', 'silent haunches'), the fog's journey (comes, sits, looks, moves on), themes of stillness, change and nature meeting the human world, plus a relevant personal view	3
Expression: organised introduction, body and conclusion; smooth links; quotations woven into sentences	2
Accuracy: correct spelling, grammar and exact quotations; within the word limit	1

Where students lose marks in Fog

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Calling the cat comparison a simile
Students treat every comparison as a simile, but the poem never uses 'like' or 'as'.
Wrong working
The poet uses a simile and says the fog is like a cat.
Right working
The poet uses a metaphor: he describes the fog with a cat's feet and haunches without using 'like' or 'as'.
Do this: Check for 'like' or 'as' before naming the device; none means metaphor.
Usually costs: 1 mark in an MCQ; up to 1 mark of content in a 3-mark answer.
Mistake: Inventing a rhyme scheme
Students assume all poems rhyme and write a pattern from habit.
Wrong working
The poem has a rhyme scheme of abab.
Right working
The poem is in free verse; it has no obvious rhyme or regular rhythm.
Do this: Read the line endings aloud: comes, feet, looking, city, haunches, on. None rhyme.
Usually costs: 1 mark for the form point; can cost the whole 1-mark part.
Mistake: Retelling the poem instead of analysing
With only six lines, students simply repeat what happens even when the question asks about mood or meaning.
Wrong working
The fog comes, it sits and then it moves on.
Right working
Words like 'little' and 'silent' create a hushed, gentle mood, and 'moves on' shows the fog is temporary.
Do this: Name the effect (mood, tone, theme) and support it with one word from the poem.
Usually costs: Up to 1 of the 2 marks in the extract analysis question; up to 1-2 content marks in a 3-mark answer.
Mistake: Misquoting the poem
Students quote from memory and change words.
Wrong working
The fog comes 'on tiny cat paws' and sits 'on quiet haunches'.
Right working
The fog comes 'on little cat feet' and sits 'on silent haunches'.
Do this: Learn the six lines by heart exactly; they are short enough.
Usually costs: Loses the accuracy credit and weakens content; up to 1 mark.
Mistake: Adding ideas the poem does not contain
Students bring in their own ideas about fog being cold, dangerous or harmful and present them as the poet's view.
Wrong working
The poet shows that fog is dangerous and destroys the city.
Right working
The poet shows the fog as gentle and quiet; it watches the harbour and city and then moves on.
Do this: Keep the poet's view to what the six lines say; give your own ideas only in 'Suppose' or extrapolation questions.
Usually costs: Up to 2 content marks in a short answer.
Mistake: Going far over the word limit
Students try to write everything they know about metaphor and free verse in a 2-mark part.
Wrong working
A 70-word answer to a 2-mark extract question repeating the whole poem.
Right working
A 30-40 word answer making one clear point with one quoted word.
Do this: Plan one point plus one piece of evidence for 2 marks; two or three points for 3 marks.
Usually costs: Expression credit and valuable time for later questions.

Fog: previous year questions

Asked in 1 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 0.2 marks per paper; 1 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 2 of 4 sample papers.

Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.

Solved board questions from Fog

Real questions from recent papers. Try each one first, then open our step-by-step solution with marks per step.

2026, set 2/3/1, Q7(b) · 5 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-based

The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
(Fog)

(i)
Examine the strategic use of imagery in the above lines.
1 mark
(ii)
How does the poet portray the relationship between nature and the urban environment?
2 marks
(iii)
On the basis of the extract, select the correct option. The image of a cat moving "on little cat feet" evokes:
1. (A)softness
2. (B)roughness
3. (C)wilderness
4. (D)hardness
1 mark
(iv)
Fill in the blank with the appropriate option from the brackets: In the given extract, the tone of the poet is __________ (playful and mysterious/cold and rough/pessimistic and aggressive).
1 mark

Try it first, then show our solutionSolution

(i) The fog is compared to a cat, a metaphor that creates the image of a cat moving silently, then sitting on its haunches looking over the city and harbour.
1 mark
(ii) The fog covers the city and harbour, yet it is shown only quietly watching the busy human world.
1 mark
It is soft, silent and harmless, a natural force that exists alongside the urban world and then moves on.
1 mark
(iii) (A) softness.
1 mark
(iv) playful and mysterious.
1 mark

Answer: (i) cat metaphor creates a vivid image; (ii) fog quietly watches and covers the city, a gentle part of nature; (iii) A; (iv) playful and mysterious

Where the marks are

Identifies the cat imagery (1 mark)
Two points on nature and city relationship (2 marks)
Option A (1 mark)
'playful and mysterious' (1 mark)

See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 2/3/1

Every Fog question, by year

For 2027: Sample paper 2026-27: Q8 (12 marks, solved)
2026: Set 2/3/1: Q7(b) (5 marks, solved)
For 2024: Sample paper 2023-24: Q7.B (5 marks, solved)

Practice questions on Fog

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The central poetic device on which the whole poem 'Fog' is built is:
(a) simile
(b) rhyme
(c) metaphor
(d) refrain
Hint
Does the poet say the fog is 'like' a cat, or does he simply describe it as one?
Answer
(c) metaphor. The fog is described with a cat's feet and haunches without 'like' or 'as'.
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
What does the fog do after it arrives, and what does 'on silent haunches' tell you about it? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Look at lines 3-5 and the glossary meaning of 'haunches'.
Answer
Value points: sits and looks over harbour and city; 'haunches' means sitting with knees bent, like a cat; still and quiet; then moves on.
Model answer: After arriving, the fog sits and looks over the harbour and the city. It rests 'on silent haunches', which means sitting with knees bent, like a cat. It stays still and quiet for a while, then quietly moves on without any fuss.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does the poem bring together nature and the human world? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
What does the fog look over? Who builds and uses those places?
Answer
Value points: fog is nature; harbour and city are human places; it watches calmly and then leaves; inference about nature quietly visiting human life.
Model answer: The fog, a part of nature, sits 'over harbour and city', places built and used by people. It watches them calmly but does not harm or change them, and then leaves. This suggests nature quietly visits the human world, observing it without becoming part of it.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What kind of speaker do we meet in 'Fog'? How does his role shape the poem? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Does the speaker ever say 'I' or tell us his feelings?
Answer
Value points: no 'I', no direct opinions; he observes and reports the fog's actions; he is a silent watcher like the fog; keeps the poem calm and imaginative.
Model answer: The speaker never says 'I' and gives no direct opinions. He simply watches and reports what the fog does: it comes, sits, looks and moves on. Like the fog itself, he is a silent observer, which keeps the poem calm, objective and imaginative.
Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): 'Fog' is written in free verse.
Reason (R): The poem has no obvious rhyme or regular rhythm.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Hint
Recall what the textbook says free verse means.
Answer
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. Free verse is poetry without an obvious rhythm or rhyme, which is exactly why 'Fog' is free verse.
Q6 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
In just six lines, 'Fog' paints a complete picture. Explain how the poet achieves this through metaphor, imagery, word choice and form. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Take each of the four tools in turn and give one piece of evidence for each.
Answer
Value points: one sustained cat metaphor; visual images of arriving, sitting, looking, leaving; 'little' and 'silent' create a hushed mood; free verse lets lines drift; conclusion on economy of words.
Model answer: Carl Sandburg's 'Fog' has only six short lines, yet it paints a full picture.
Metaphor: the whole poem rests on one comparison. The fog is shown as a cat, though the word 'cat' appears only in 'little cat feet'. Every action that follows fits a cat.
Imagery: we see the fog arrive, sit and look over 'harbour and city', then leave. These visual images create a clear scene.
Word choice: words like 'little' and 'silent' build a soft, hushed mood.
Form: the free verse, with no rhyme, lets the lines drift like fog.
Thus, careful choices make each word work hard, giving a vivid, complete image.
Q7 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a fisherman waiting at the harbour reads 'Fog'. Would he agree with the poet's gentle picture of the fog? Give reasons. Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Think about what a person working at the harbour needs, and then about the fog's last line.
Answer
Value points: he may partly disagree, since fog over the harbour makes seeing hard; he may still accept the quiet arrival and that it 'moves on'; balanced judgement.
Model answer: He might partly disagree. A fisherman needs to see clearly, so fog settling over the harbour could feel worrying, not charming. Yet he might also accept the poet's view that fog comes quietly and always moves on, so his wait would end.
Q8 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
The poet pauses to notice something many people pass by without a thought. Write about the value of pausing to observe nature, drawing on 'Fog' and your own life. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Link the fog that 'sits looking' with the poet who also simply looks, then move to your own routine.
Answer
Value points: the poet observes closely enough to see a cat in fog; slowing down makes ordinary sights fresh; the fog and the poet both 'look'; personal example; moments pass ('moves on'), so notice them.
Model answer: In 'Fog', we can infer that the poet notices something most of us ignore: the quiet arrival and departure of fog. He watches it closely enough to see a cat in it.
This shows the value of pausing. When we slow down, ordinary sights become fresh and interesting. The fog 'sits looking' calmly, and the poet, too, simply looks.
In my own life, rushing between school, tuition and the phone leaves little time to observe. Yet a few minutes watching rain clouds or a sunrise can calm the mind and spark imagination.
The poem also reminds us that such moments pass, as the fog 'moves on'. So, we should notice them while they last.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Who wrote the poem 'Fog'?Show answer
Carl Sandburg.
2.Which animal is the fog compared to?Show answer
A cat.
3.How does the fog arrive?Show answer
'on little cat feet', softly and silently.
4.What two places does the fog look over?Show answer
The harbour and the city.
5.What does 'on haunches' mean?Show answer
Sitting with knees bent.
6.What is the last thing the fog does?Show answer
It moves on.
7.Is the comparison a simile or a metaphor, and why?Show answer
A metaphor, because the poet never uses 'like' or 'as'.
8.What form is the poem written in?Show answer
Free verse: no obvious rhyme or rhythm.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you write all six lines of 'Fog' exactly, without looking?
Can you name the four actions of the fog in order: comes, sits, looks, moves on?
Can you explain why the cat comparison is a metaphor, not a simile?
Can you give two words that create the hushed mood ('little', 'silent') and say what each does?
Can you explain what 'moves on' shows about change and impermanence?
Can you say how the fog connects nature with the human world through 'harbour and city'?
Can you define free verse and show why 'Fog' fits it?
Can you plan a 6-mark answer on the fog as a character in four points?

Fog: frequently asked questions

Does Carl Sandburg say that the fog is like a cat?

No. He never uses 'like' or 'as', so it is not a simile. He gives the fog a cat's feet, posture and habits, which makes it an implied metaphor that runs through the whole poem.

What are the three things that show the fog is like a cat?

The fog comes on little cat feet, it sits on silent haunches looking over the harbour and city, and it moves on when it chooses. Each shows a cat's silent, watchful and independent nature.

Does the poem Fog have a rhyme scheme?

No. The lines do not rhyme and have no fixed rhythm, so the poem is written in free verse. This loose form suits the soft, drifting movement of fog.

What is the tone of the poem Fog?

The tone is calm, quiet and gently mysterious. Words like 'little' and 'silent' remove any sense of danger, and the fog simply comes, watches and leaves.

What does 'it' refer to in the third line?

'It' refers to the fog. The fog is now shown sitting and looking over the harbour and the city, like a cat.

What does 'on haunches' mean?

The NCERT note says it means sitting with knees bent. This is the way a cat crouches, so the phrase helps you picture the fog settling low and still over the city.

Based on: CBSE English Language and Literature syllabus 2026-27; NCERT First Flight (Reprint 2026-27), Fog