Past board exam questions
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
In ‘Dust of Snow’, what role does the unexpected moment play in shifting the speaker’s mood ?
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two points; Expression 1)
The poet was in a sad, regretful mood when a crow perched on a hemlock tree suddenly shook down a dust of snow on him. This simple, unexpected act of nature changed his mood: it lifted his spirits, replaced regret with relief and hope, and saved part of a day he had rued. Small moments can uplift us.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 5 marks
Read the following extract and answer the questions :
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
(Dust of Snow)
(i) In the given lines from the poem, what role does the crow play ? (2)
(ii) Select the option that applies the same rhyme scheme as the lines of the given extract. (1)
(A) How good to lie a little while
And look up through the tree!
The sky is like a kind big smile
Bent sweetly over me.
(B) Upon a nice mid-spring day
Let’s take a look at Nature’s way
Breathe the scent of nice fresh air
Feel the breeze within your hair.
(C) The people along the sand
All turn and look one way
They look at the sea all day
They turn their back on the land
(D) This bird so small and
Sings aloud in the morn
Perched on a green branch
Singing its own melody
(iii) What images come to your mind when you think of a ‘hemlock’ tree ? (1)
(iv) What does the ‘dust of snow’ in the given extract represent ? (1)
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(i) The crow accidentally shakes the branch of the hemlock tree and so spills/drops the dust of snow on the speaker – the small act that changes the poet’s mood.
(ii) (A) How good to lie a little while / And look up through the tree! / The sky is like a kind big smile / Bent sweetly over me. (Same abab rhyme scheme as crow/me/snow/tree.)
(iii) (Any one) The crow and hemlock as a bad omen / harbinger of bad news (the hemlock is a poisonous tree); the image of the crow moving and dropping the snow on the poet; the image of nature.
(iv) (Any one) The healing power of nature; how minor, unexpected events can leave a lasting impact (it lifts the poet’s sad mood).
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
How does the short structure of poem ‘Dust of Snow’ enhance its message about emotional renewal ? Support your answer briefly.
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two points; Expression 1)
The poem is a single sentence of two short stanzas with crisp lines, mirroring the suddenness of the poet’s change of mood. A small act – a crow shaking down the dust of snow from a hemlock tree – lifts his spirits and saves ‘some part of a day’ he had rued. The brevity shows how tiny moments can uplift us, moving the poet from regret to hope with minimal expression.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
“Dust of Snow” presents the polar opposites black and white in a colour pallet. Justify, that ‘black’ and ‘white’ signify something deeper than the superficial meaning in the poem.
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – one point from each aspect; Expression 1)
Black stands for sorrow and despair: the crow is traditionally linked with ill omen and negativity, and the hemlock is a poisonous tree associated with death, reflecting the poet’s gloomy mood. White – the dust of snow – symbolises purity, hope and renewal. When the crow shakes snow on him, an ordinary, seemingly inauspicious moment lifts his mood, suggesting that even dark moments can lead to inner renewal.
CBSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks
What mood of the poet is reflected in the poem ‘Dust of Snow’ initially ? What images are used by the poet to bring about the effect ? Comment.
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two–three relevant points; Organisation 1)
Initially the poet is in a depressed, hopeless and sorrowful mood – he has ‘rued’ (regretted) a part of the day. Frost uses the images of the ‘hemlock tree’, a poisonous tree, and the ‘crow’, a bird usually seen as a sign of bad omen, to bring out this gloom. Ironically, the crow shaking down the dust of snow from the hemlock tree changes his mood and saves the rest of his day.
CBSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks
How far would you agree that one’s positivity can bring in a spark of brightness even in adverse circumstances?
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two–three relevant points; Organisation 1)
I fully agree. A positive attitude helps a person see opportunities where others see only problems. In ‘Dust of Snow’, the poet, in a sad mood, lets a small act of nature – a crow shaking down the dust of snow – lift his spirits and save the rest of his day. Similarly, Lencho in ‘A Letter to God’ never loses faith after the hailstorm. Positivity gives hope and strength to face adversity. (Students may answer with or without reference to any chapter or character.)
CBSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks
It is our attitude towards a situation that makes it positive or negative. Do you agree with it ? Express your views with reference to the poem, ‘Dust of Snow’.
(Answer in 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two relevant points; Organisation 1)
Yes, our attitude towards a situation makes it positive or negative. In ‘Dust of Snow’, the poet is in a sad mood, but when a crow shakes down dust of snow on him from a hemlock tree, his mood changes and he saves part of a day he had rued. Though the crow and hemlock are usually seen as negative images, his attitude does not let them spoil his day.
