EnglishCBSE Class 8 · Chapter 5

Somebody's Mother Class 8: Poem Summary, Devices and Questions

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Somebody's Mother is a poem by Mary Dow Brine in Poorvi, Unit 2. On a snowy winter day, a frail old woman waits alone at a busy crossing while people and noisy schoolboys hurry past. One cheerful boy helps her across, thinking of his own mother. That night she prays for the noble boy.

What Somebody's Mother is about

Somebody's Mother by Mary Dow Brine is the poem in Unit 2 (Values and Dispositions) of Poorvi, the Class 8 English textbook. It is a narrative poem: it tells a short story in verse.

An old, poorly dressed woman stands alone at a slippery, snowy street crossing, afraid of the traffic. Crowds and a group of boys just let out of school pass by without helping. One boy, the merriest of them all, stops and guides her across. He tells his friends she is 'somebody's mother' and hopes someone would help his own mother in the same way. That night the woman prays for him.

The poem is written in rhyming couplets (AABB). Its tone is sympathetic and hopeful, and its message is about kindness, empathy and respect for the elderly.

CBSE sets no Class 8 paper; your school sets the exam. Expect extract questions on lines from the poem, devices (simile, alliteration, repetition, imagery, contrast), the title, the boy's character, word work (antonyms, 'hand' idioms, 'lest'), '-ed' pronunciation and a diary entry about helping someone.

Weightage: CBSE sets no Class 8 English paper or marks: Class 8 is assessed by your school, which teaches from NCERT Poorvi. School papers usually mix extract questions, short answers (about 40-50 words) and longer answers (about 100-150 words), plus grammar and writing from the "Let us learn" and "Let us write" sections.Source: docs/research/cbse-8-2026-27.md (NCERT book list, Reprint 2026-27)

Somebody's Mother: explanation

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

The old woman alone. It is a cold winter's day and the street is wet with fresh snow. An old woman, poorly dressed, grey-haired and bent with the cold, stands at a crossing. Her feet are old and slow, so she waits a long time. Crowds of people pass her, but no one cares or notices the worried look in her eyes. She is alone in the middle of a crowd.

The schoolboys rush past. School has just ended, and a group of boys comes down the street, laughing and shouting, enjoying their freedom and greeting the deep, white snow. The poet compares them to a flock of sheep. They hurry past the old woman without offering any help. She is so gentle and timid that she is afraid to move, in case the carriage wheels or the horses' hooves knock her down on the slippery road.

One boy stops. At last, one boy from the cheerful group, the merriest of them all, stops beside her and quietly offers to help her across if she wants to go. She places her old hand on his strong young arm, and he safely guides her trembling steps across the street. He feels proud that his own feet are firm and strong enough to help.

The boy's reason. He returns to his friends, happy and satisfied. He tells them that the woman, though old, poor and slow, is somebody's mother. He hopes that if his own mother is ever poor, old and grey, and he is far away, some other young man will help her too.

The prayer. That night, in her home, the old woman bows her head and prays that God will be kind to the noble boy, who is also somebody's son and his family's pride and joy.

Central idea: Small acts of kindness matter. When we see every elderly stranger as 'somebody's mother', we treat them with the care we would want for our own family. Kindness also brings joy to the helper.

Themes and message

Kindness and empathy

The boy helps because he imagines the old woman as his own mother. Empathy, feeling what another person feels, turns into kind action.

From the text: 'And I hope some fellow will lend a hand / To help my mother, you understand'

Indifference of the crowd

Many people, and most of the boys, rush past without noticing her. The poem criticises a busy, careless society that ignores the weak.

From the text: 'Alone, uncared for, amid the throng'

Respect for the elderly

Old age brings weakness and fear (trembling feet, slippery street). The poem asks the young to support the old with patience and respect.

From the text: 'Her aged hand on his strong young arm'

The joy of helping

Helping makes the boy happy and content, and earns him the woman's blessing. Kindness rewards both the giver and the receiver.

From the text: 'His young heart happy and well content.'

The speaker and the people in the poem

The old woman ('somebody's mother')

A poor, elderly woman waiting to cross a snowy street.

Frail and slow (aged feet, bent with the cold)
Meek and timid, afraid of the traffic
Grateful: prays for the boy

'So meek, so timid, afraid to stir'

The kind boy

The 'gayest laddie' of the group who helps her.

Cheerful and kind
Gentle (speaks softly, 'whispered low')
Empathetic: thinks of his own mother
Proud in a good way: glad he is strong enough to help

'I’ll help you cross, if you wish to go.'

The other schoolboys

The boy's friends, just let out of school.

Noisy and playful
Thoughtless: hurry past without helping

'Came the boys like a flock of sheep'

Poetic devices

Device	Example	Effect
Simile	'Came the boys like a flock of sheep'	Shows the boys moving together noisily and without thinking, following one another.
Alliteration	'without hurt or harm'; 'His young heart happy'; 'slow ... street ... snow'	Repeated sounds add music and help the lines flow.
Repetition	'somebody’s mother' (and 'old and grey' / 'poor and old and grey')	Stresses the main idea: every old person is someone's loved one.
Imagery	'The street was wet with a recent snow'; 'the slippery street'	Creates a cold, dangerous scene that shows the woman's helplessness.
Contrast	'trembling feet' versus 'firm and strong'	Highlights old age against youth and why help is needed.

Key quotations

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

Alone, uncared for, amid the throng
Poet (narrator): The woman waiting at the crossing.
She is lonely even in a crowd; shows society's indifference.
Came the boys like a flock of sheep
Poet: The boys leaving school.
Simile; they move as a careless herd.
The gayest laddie of all the group
Poet: Introducing the boy who helps.
'Gay' here means cheerful; kindness and joy go together.
I’ll help you cross, if you wish to go.
The boy: His soft offer to the woman.
Polite, respectful help that leaves the choice to her.
Proud that his own were firm and strong.
Poet: As the boy guides her.
He is grateful his strength can be used to help.
God be kind to the noble boy,
The old woman: Her prayer that night.
Kindness is returned as a blessing.

Key concepts

Form, rhyme scheme and tone

A narrative poem (it tells a story) in rhyming couplets: rhyme scheme AABB (grey/day, snow/slow, long/throng, by/eyes). The steady couplets move the story forward step by step.

Tone: sympathetic towards the old woman and hopeful about human kindness. Mood: cold and anxious at first, warm and happy at the end.

Worked example

Give the rhyme scheme of the four lines about the boys leaving school (ending 'shout', 'out', 'sheep', 'deep').

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

shout/out = A A.
sheep/deep = B B.

Answer: AABB (shout/out, sheep/deep).

Significance of the title

The phrase 'somebody's mother' is used by the boy and repeated by the poet. It means that every stranger belongs to someone and is precious to them. Seeing the old woman this way turns her from an ignored stranger into a person who deserves care. The final line balances it: the boy is 'somebody's son'. The title states the poem's message.

Worked example

Why does the poet put 'somebody's mother' in quotation marks near the end?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The boy's words become her new name.
Shows how his kindness changed how she is seen.

Answer: It echoes the boy's words and turns them into a name for her, showing that his empathy has given her identity and dignity.

Word work: antonyms, 'hand' idioms and 'lest'

Antonyms: firm x fragile; meek x bold; merry x sad; kind x cruel; anxious x peaceful (calm); bent x straight.

Meanings in the poem: hastened = hurried; heeded = paid attention to; stir = move slightly; throng = crowd; laddie = boy; gay (old use) = cheerful.

'Hand' idioms: lend a hand (help); get out of hand (become hard to control); try your hand at (attempt something new); give a free hand (full freedom); give a big hand (applaud); hand in hand (together); have your hands full (be very busy).

Lest = 'so that ... not' / 'in case': 'afraid to stir / Lest the carriage wheels ... Should crowd her down'. After 'lest' we usually use 'should' or the base verb.

Worked example

Join using 'lest': 'Hold the railing. You might slip.'

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

lest = in case; drop 'might'.
Use 'should' or base verb.

Answer: Hold the railing lest you (should) slip.

Pronouncing '-ed' endings

The past-tense ending '-ed' has three sounds:

/ɪd/ after a /t/ or /d/ sound: waited, heeded, guided.
/t/ after voiceless sounds (p, k, s, f, sh, ch): helped, walked, crossed.
/d/ after other voiced sounds and vowels: offered, paused, whispered.

Some adjectives ending in '-ed' that come before a noun are said with /ɪd/: a ragged coat, an aged man ('aged' meaning very old).

Worked example

Sort by '-ed' sound: hastened, wanted, laughed.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

hastened: ends in /n/ (voiced) -> /d/.
wanted: after /t/ -> /ɪd/.
laughed: after /f/ (voiceless) -> /t/.

Answer: /d/: hastened; /ɪd/: wanted; /t/: laughed.

Writing a diary entry

Format: date, day and time at the top; 'Dear Diary'; first person; past tense for events, present for feelings now; signature or name optional.

Content: what the day was like; whom you helped, where and when; what the problem was; what you did; how the person reacted; how you felt; why you would do it again. Keep it personal and reflective.

Worked example

Write a diary entry (about 100 words) about a day when someone helped you when you were in difficulty.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Date/time, Dear Diary.
Your difficulty, who helped, how.
Feelings and what you will do differently.

Answer: 12 March 20XX, Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. / / Dear Diary, / / Today began badly. On my way home from the library, my bicycle chain came off near the market, and it started to rain. I was trying to fix it with greasy hands while everyone hurried past. Then an elderly shopkeeper came out of his stall, held an umbrella over me and showed me how to slip the chain back on. He would not take any thanks and only smiled. I felt relieved, and a little ashamed that I had never noticed him before. I remembered the poem 'Somebody's Mother'. Next time I see someone stuck, I will be the one who stops. / / Aarav

Somebody's Mother 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.

Noticing the vulnerable

Suppose you see an elderly woman hesitating at a busy road crossing near your school while everyone hurries past.

What should you do, and how?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Notice and approach calmly.
Offer politely, letting her choose, as the boy did.
Cross safely at the signal or zebra crossing; ask an adult if traffic is dangerous.

Answer: Like the boy in the poem, I would stop and ask softly, 'May I help you cross?' If she agrees, I would offer my arm and cross carefully at the zebra crossing, watching the signals. If the traffic is too dangerous, I would ask a traffic warden or an adult to help.

Memory hook: See, ask, help safely.

Empathy through 'somebody's'

Imagine a new student who struggles with English sits alone at lunch while others ignore him.

How can the poem's idea of 'somebody's mother' help you act?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

He is somebody's son, worried about at home.
Imagine your sibling or yourself in a new school.
Invite him to join you.

Answer: The poem teaches me to see him as someone's loved son whose parents hope he is happy at school. If I imagine myself or my sibling alone in a new place, I would invite him to sit with us and help him settle in.

Memory hook: Everyone is somebody's somebody.

Not following the flock

Say your friends rush to the bus and laugh at an old man who drops his bag of fruit.

What does the simile 'like a flock of sheep' warn us about?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

A group can make us thoughtless.
One person can choose differently.
Others may follow a good example.

Answer: The simile warns that in a group we may simply follow the crowd without thinking. Like the one boy who stopped, I can choose to help pick up the fruit, even if my friends rush on. A good example can change the group too.

Memory hook: Be the one who stops.

Topics in this chapter

Somebody's Mother: The Boy's Reasoning and Kindness

How the school exam asks Somebody's Mother

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

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Extract-based (5 x 1 mark)	Four to six lines with MCQs on meaning, devices, rhyme scheme, fact or opinion, and inference about feelings.	Name the device and quote the words; for feelings, give the feeling and the clue.
Short answer (2 marks, 40-50 words)	Why did the boy help? How is the woman's helplessness shown? Significance of the title.	Point plus a short quotation from the poem.
Long answer (5 marks, 100-150 words)	Role of empathy in society; contrast between the boy and the crowd; the woman's diary or prayer.	Three points with evidence; link to today's world.
Vocabulary and pronunciation	Antonyms, word meanings, 'hand' idioms, analogies, 'lest', '-ed' sounds.	Use the meaning in the poem's context (e.g. 'gay' = cheerful).
Writing: diary entry	A day you helped someone in need.	Date and time, Dear Diary, first person, events plus feelings, a lesson at the end.

Tricks to remember Somebody's Mother

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

Story order
'Wait, Rush, Stop, Guide, Explain, Pray': woman waits, boys rush past, one stops, guides her, explains to friends, she prays.
Use it when: Sequencing events.
Devices
'Sheep Sing Repeated Images Contrastingly': Simile (flock of sheep), alliteration (Sound), Repetition (somebody's mother), Imagery (snow, slippery street), Contrast (trembling vs firm).
Use it when: Device questions.
-ed sounds
'T or D? Add a syllable (ɪd). Hiss or puff? It's a T. Everything else? D.'
Use it when: Pronunciation items.

Somebody's Mother: extract-based questions

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

Extract 1: The boys hurry past

Past the woman so old and grey
Hastened the children on their way.
Nor offered a helping hand to her –
So meek, so timid, afraid to stir
Lest the carriage wheels or the horses’ feet
Should crowd her down in the slippery street.

(1) · 1 mark · MCQ
'Hastened' means:
(a) stopped (b) hurried (c) shouted (d) slipped
(2) · 1 mark · Short answer
Why was the woman 'afraid to stir'?
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which word in the extract shows the danger of the road surface?
(4) · 1 mark · MCQ
The repetition in 'So meek, so timid' stresses:
(a) her anger (b) her gentleness and fear (c) her wealth (d) her speed
(5) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Fact or opinion: 'The children should have helped her.'

Show the answersAnswers

(b) hurried
She feared the carriage wheels or horses might knock her down on the slippery street.
slippery
(b) her gentleness and fear
Opinion (it is a judgement, not something stated as an event in the poem).

Extract 2: The boy explains

“She’s somebody’s mother, boys, you know,
For all she’s aged and poor and slow”,
“And I hope some fellow will lend a hand
To help my mother, you understand”,
“If ever she’s poor and old and grey,
When her own dear boy is far away.”

(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Whom is the boy speaking to?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
'For all she's aged' here means:
(a) because she is old (b) even though she is old (c) for every old person (d) before she grew old
(3) · 1 mark · Short answer
What does the boy hope for his own mother?
(4) · 1 mark · MCQ
The idiom 'lend a hand' means:
(a) give a loan (b) help (c) shake hands (d) applaud
(5) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Which quality of the boy do these lines show most clearly?

Show the answersAnswers

His friends (the other schoolboys).
(b) even though she is old
That if she is ever old and poor while he is far away, someone will help her as he helped this woman.
(b) help
Empathy (he imagines his own mother in her place).

Somebody's Mother: exam-level solved questions

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

Example 1: A dangerous crossing · 2 marks · Short answerExam level

Which details of the weather and the street make the crossing dangerous for the old woman? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Weather: the chill of the Winter's day; recent snow.
Street: wet and slippery; carriage wheels and horses' feet; a throng of people.
Her condition: aged, slow feet, so a fall is likely.

Answer: It is a cold winter's day, and the street is wet with recent snow, so it is slippery. Carriage wheels and horses' feet move along it, and a throng of people passes by. For a woman with aged, slow feet, one slip could mean being knocked down.

Example 2: How the boy helps · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

The boy 'whispered low' and offered help 'if you wish to go'. What do these details show about the way he helps? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Whispering: gentle with a timid, frightened woman; no show in front of the crowd.
'If you wish to go': the choice is left to her.
So his help is respectful and keeps her dignity.

Answer: He speaks softly, which suits a timid, frightened woman and does not make a show in front of the crowd. By adding 'if you wish to go', he leaves the choice to her instead of pulling her along. His help is gentle and respectful, and keeps her dignity.

Example 3: Simile and its effect · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Explain the simile 'like a flock of sheep'. What does it suggest about the boys? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Compares boys to sheep.
Move together, noisily, following each other.
Thoughtless: pass the woman.

Answer: The boys are compared to a flock of sheep because they rush out together in a noisy crowd, following one another. The simile also hints that they act without thinking, like a herd, which is why they hurry past the old woman without noticing she needs help.

Example 4: Proud, not arrogant · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

The boy is 'proud that his own were firm and strong'. Is this pride a fault? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Pride = gladness that strength can help.
Not showing off.
Contrast with her trembling feet.

Answer: No. His pride is not arrogance or showing off. Next to her trembling feet, he is simply glad and grateful that his young, strong feet can support someone weaker. It is the healthy pride of using one's gifts for good, which leaves him 'happy and well content'.

Example 5: Small acts, big change · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

'Small acts of kindness can change a person's day.' Show how the poem proves this, referring to both the old woman and the boy. Answer in 100-150 words. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Before: the woman bent, alone amid the throng, afraid to stir.
The act: one boy stops, whispers an offer, lends his arm.
After, for her: safe crossing; her prayer for 'the noble boy'.
After, for him: 'happy and well content'; he explains his reason to his friends.
Conclusion: kindness helps the receiver, rewards the giver and may spread.

Answer: The poem proves that one small act can change a day for two people. At first the old woman is miserable: bent with the cold, alone amid the throng and too timid to stir in case the carriage wheels or horses knock her down. People, and even a crowd of schoolboys, pass her by. Then one boy stops, whispers an offer and lends his arm. It takes only a few moments, yet she crosses 'without hurt or harm', and that night she bows her head and prays for 'the noble boy'. Her fear has turned into gratitude. The boy changes too. He goes back to his friends with his 'young heart happy and well content', and he explains his reason to them, which may make them think. So kindness helps the one who receives it, rewards the one who gives it and may spread to others.

Example 6: The woman's prayer as a diary · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Imagine you are the old woman. Write a diary entry for that night describing the crossing and your feelings. Answer in 100-150 words. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Date, time; first person.
Fear at the crossing; people passing.
The boy's offer and help.
Feelings: relief, gratitude.
Prayer and reflection.

Answer: A winter evening, 8 p.m.

Dear Diary,

Today the cold bent my old back, and the snow made the street like glass. I stood at the crossing for so long. People rushed past me and nobody looked at my face. When the schoolboys came laughing, I hoped one might stop, but they ran by. I was too frightened to step out in case a carriage or a horse knocked me down. Then one cheerful boy came back and whispered that he would help me cross if I wished. I held his strong young arm, and suddenly my feet did not tremble so much. I heard him tell his friends I was somebody's mother. My eyes filled with tears. Tonight I prayed that God would be kind to that noble boy. His mother must be so proud.

Where the marks are

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

Why does the poem end with the woman calling the boy 'somebody's son'? Answer in 40-50 words. (2 marks) (2 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: it echoes his words 'somebody's mother'; she sees him as someone's precious child just as he saw her as someone's mother; kindness is returned as a blessing.	1
Expression within the word limit.	1

Imagine you are one of the boys who hurried past the old woman. Write a diary entry for that evening, reflecting on what your friend did. (5 marks) (5 marks)

Step	Marks
Format: date, day, time, Dear Diary, first person.	1
Content: what you and the others did, your friend's help and his words, your feelings (shame, admiration), what you will do next time.	2
Organisation and reflective tone.	1
Accuracy of language.	1

Where students lose marks in Somebody's Mother

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

Mistake: Misreading the old word 'gayest'
Not knowing older English usage.
Wrong working
'Gayest laddie' means the oldest or tallest boy.
Right working
In this poem 'gay' means cheerful or merry: the most cheerful boy of the group.
Do this: Use context: 'merry troop'.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Saying all the boys helped
Mixing up the group with the one boy.
Wrong working
The schoolboys helped the old woman cross.
Right working
The other boys hurried past; only one boy helped her.
Do this: Remember: 'one of the merry troop'.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Wrong rhyme scheme
Not checking line endings.
Wrong working
ABAB.
Right working
AABB (rhyming couplets): grey/day, snow/slow.
Do this: Mark each line's end sound.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Diary entry without date or feelings
Writing it like a story.
Wrong working
Once upon a time I helped a man...
Right working
12 March 20XX, 9 p.m. Dear Diary, Today I... I felt...
Do this: Date, Dear Diary, first person, feelings and reflection.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks of 5.

Practice questions on Somebody's Mother

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 · MCQExam level
Who wrote 'Somebody's Mother'?
(a) Ralph Waldo Emerson (b) Mary Dow Brine (c) Reginald Arkell (d) Toru Dutt
Hint
Named under the poem.
Answer
(b) Mary Dow Brine
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
In which season is the poem set? Give one word from the poem as proof.
Hint
Weather words.
Answer
Winter; proof: 'snow' (also 'chill', 'Winter's day').
Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
Give the antonyms, from the poem's sense: (i) merry (ii) firm (iii) bent
Hint
Opposites.
Answer
(i) sad (ii) fragile (or weak) (iii) straight
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Complete with a 'hand' idiom: (i) Once the party ______, the teacher stepped in. (ii) Let's ______ the volunteers for their work. (iii) With exams and a recital this week, I ______.
Hint
out of control; applaud; very busy.
Answer
(i) got out of hand (ii) give the volunteers a big hand (iii) have my hands full
Q5 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder exam level
Rewrite using 'lest': 'Speak softly so that you do not wake the baby.'
Hint
lest + should / base verb.
Answer
Speak softly lest you (should) wake the baby.
Q6 · 1 mark · MCQHarder exam level
Which '-ed' sound do these words end with: guided, paused, kicked?
(a) /ɪd/, /d/, /t/ (b) /d/, /t/, /ɪd/ (c) /t/, /d/, /ɪd/ (d) /ɪd/, /t/, /d/
Hint
After d: /ɪd/; after z sound: /d/; after k: /t/.
Answer
(a) /ɪd/, /d/, /t/
Q7 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Identify the device in the lines where the boy guides the woman's 'trembling feet', proud that his own are 'firm and strong'. Explain its effect.
Hint
Two kinds of feet.
Answer
Contrast: her 'trembling feet' against his 'firm and strong' ones. It highlights the weakness of age and the strength of youth, and shows why her need for help is real.
Q8 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
The poem was written long ago, with carriages and horses. Is its message still relevant today? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Today's traffic, busy people.
Answer
Yes. Today's roads are even busier with cars and bikes, and people rush past while looking at phones. Elderly people still struggle at crossings, stations and shops. The poem reminds us to notice them and offer help, so its message about empathy remains fully relevant.
Q9 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose the boy's friends had laughed at him for helping. Write what he might reply, in about 40 words.
Hint
Use his own reason.
Answer
Sample: 'Laugh if you like, but she's somebody's mother, just as each of you has one. If your mother were stuck at a slippery crossing, wouldn't you want someone to help her? It took one minute, and she is safe now.'
Q10 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a diary entry (100-120 words) about a day you helped a classmate who was struggling with a lesson.
Hint
Date, Dear Diary, situation, help, feelings, lesson.
Answer
Points: date/day/time; Dear Diary; the classmate's difficulty (e.g. fractions before a test); when and where you helped (lunch break, library); how you explained (examples, patience); their reaction (relief, thanks, a good score); your feelings (proud, happy); why you would help again (helping others also deepens your own understanding).

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.Describe the weather in the poem.Show answer
A cold winter's day; the street wet with recent snow.
2.Why had the boys come out?Show answer
School had just let out.
3.What simile describes the boys?Show answer
'like a flock of sheep'.
4.How did the boy speak to the woman?Show answer
He 'whispered low', offering help if she wished to go.
5.How did the boy feel after helping?Show answer
Happy and well content.
6.What did the woman do that night?Show answer
She prayed for the noble boy.

Quick revision checklist

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

Poet: Mary Dow Brine; Poorvi Unit 2, Values and Dispositions; narrative poem.
Old woman: ragged, grey, bent, slow; alone amid the throng at a snowy crossing.
Boys out of school 'like a flock of sheep' hurry past.
She is 'so meek, so timid', afraid of carriages and horses.
The 'gayest laddie' (most cheerful boy) helps her across.
He calls her 'somebody's mother'; hopes someone will help his own mother.
She prays for the 'noble boy' who is 'somebody's son'.
Rhyming couplets (AABB); tone sympathetic and hopeful.
Devices: simile, alliteration, repetition, imagery, contrast.
Language: antonyms, 'hand' idioms, 'lest', -ed sounds; writing: diary entry.

Somebody's Mother: frequently asked questions

Who is the poet of 'Somebody's Mother'?

Mary Dow Brine. The poem is in Unit 2, Values and Dispositions, of Poorvi, the Class 8 English textbook.

What is the rhyme scheme?

AABB: the poem is written in rhyming couplets.

Why did the boy help the old woman?

He saw her as somebody's mother and hoped someone would help his own mother if she were ever old, poor and alone.

What is the central theme?

Kindness and empathy, especially towards the elderly, and the joy that helping brings.

What does 'lest' mean in the poem?

'In case' or 'so that ... not': she was afraid to move in case the carriages or horses knocked her down.

Based on: NCERT Poorvi, Textbook of English for Grade 8 (Reprint 2026-27); NCERT unit PDF: Poorvi Unit 2