The Ball Poem

CBSE Class 10 · English · Chapter 14

Past board exam questions

CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks

What is the important lesson of life that the boy learns from the loss of the ball ? (The Ball Poem) (Answer in about 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – any two points with textual evidence; Expression 1) Through the loss of the ball, the boy learns that loss is a part of living and that things once lost can never be retrieved – ‘balls will be lost always’. Money is external and cannot buy back what is lost, so he must learn to accept loss – the ‘epistemology of loss’. It is his first sense of responsibility and a step towards growing up.

CBSE 2026 board paper · 5 marks

Read the following extract and answer the questions given below : What, what is the boy now who has lost his ball. What, what is he to do. I saw it go Merrily bouncing, down the street and then Merrily over – there it is in the water !” No use to say ’O there are other balls’. (The Ball Poem by John Berryman) (i) What does the repetition of the word “merrily” suggest in the context of the ball’s movement ? (1) (ii) How does this moment contrast the mood of the poem before and after the ball falls into the water ? (Answer in about 40 words) (2) (iii) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket : (1) The poet uses the ball as a symbol of the boy’s _______. (childhood/adventure) (iv) The line, ‘No use to say, oh there are other balls’ signifies : (1) (A) Words of consolation are inappropriate. (B) The boy must be left alone and play with other toys. (C) The boy should not be left alone. (D) No ball will be as expensive as the one the boy has lost.

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(i) (Any one) It shows the carefree, joyful bouncing of the ball / the playfulness and happiness of childhood. (ii) Before the ball falls into the water, the mood is happy and playful – the ball goes ‘merrily bouncing’ down the street. After it falls into the water, the mood turns sad and gloomy as the boy stands grieving over his loss. (iii) childhood (iv) (A) Words of consolation are inappropriate.

CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks

Why doesn’t the poet want to ‘intrude on’ the boy by offering him money to buy another ball ? (The Ball Poem) (Answer in about 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1) The poet knows that a new ball would not console the boy, as the lost ball represents his childhood, innocence and carefree joy, which are irreplaceable. Money cannot bring back what is lost. He wants the boy to learn, on his own, the epistemology of loss – how to bear loss and stand up again – which is part of growing up.

CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks

How does the expression ‘he is learning, well behind his desperate eyes’, convey the idea that though the boy is helpless yet he is learning a deeper lesson ? (The Ball Poem) (Answer in about 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1) The boy’s ‘desperate eyes’ reflect his shock, grief and helplessness as he watches his ball bounce into the water and realises it is lost forever. Yet, inwardly, he is learning the ‘epistemology of loss’: that loss is inevitable in a world of possessions, that money cannot replace what one is emotionally attached to, and that he must bear the loss and stand up again. It marks his first lesson in responsibility and his transition from childhood innocence to maturity.

CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks

In ‘The Ball Poem’, the poet asserts, ‘A dime, another ball, is worthless’, though material possessions can be easily replaced. Justify. (Answer in about 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1) The lost ball can be replaced with a dime, but the new ball would be worthless to the boy because the old one held sentimental value – memories of the days when he played with it. Money is external; it cannot buy back what is lost. The poet wants the boy to understand the meaning of loss and to learn to stand up after it, since physical possessions can be substituted but emotional losses cannot.

CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks

The boy learns the ‘epistemology of loss’ from the loss of his ball. Elaborate. (The Ball Poem) (Answer in about 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1) Through the loss of his ball the boy learns the nature of loss – that loss is inevitable and that everyone has to learn to bear it and move on from its pain. He also realises that money is external: another ball bought with money cannot replace what he has lost, because an emotional loss cannot be healed by material things.

CBSE 2026 board paper · 5 marks

Read the given extract and answer the questions given below : A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now He senses first responsibility In a world of possessions. People will take Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy. And no one buys a ball back. Money is external He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes, The epistemology of loss, how to stand up Knowing what every man must one day know And most know many days, how to stand up. (The Ball Poem) (i) Comment on the portrayal of the character of the boy in the given extract. (2) (ii) Complete the following suitably : (1) “Money is external” implies that the boy _______ (A) values material possessions. (B) learns the money cannot restore what is lost. (C) believes money is the solution to all problems. (D) is indifferent to material wealth. (iii) What does the poet mean by the phrase, ‘epistemology of loss’ ? (1) (iv) What kind of atmosphere is created through these lines ? Select the correct option. (1) 1. reflection 2. intrigue 3. acceptance 4. anger 5. fear (A) 1, 4 and 5 (B) Only 2 (C) 1 and 3 (D) 4 and 5

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(i) (Any two) The boy is transfixed by the experience and dejected at losing the ball; he undergoes a gradual emotional transformation, moving from innocence to awareness as he senses his first responsibility in a world of possessions. (ii) (B) learns the money cannot restore what is lost. (iii) Understanding the nature of loss – that losses are inevitable and universal, that suffering is part of human fate, and how to reconcile oneself to it and stand up again. (iv) (C) 1 and 3

CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks

How does the line ‘people will take balls, balls will be lost always’, justify that material losses are necessary for emotional growth and to understand the harsh realities of life ? (The Ball Poem) (Answer in about 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1) The ball symbolises material possessions. The line shows that losing things is a part of life that cannot be avoided, and that money cannot buy back what is lost. By bearing the loss of his ball, the boy learns the ‘epistemology of loss’ – how to accept loss, stand up again and become responsible – and so grows emotionally and understands life’s harsh realities.