In the Midst of Hardship

by Latiff Mohidin

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair
The whole day and night just passed
they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their sons
albino buffalo that was never found
They were born amidst hardship
and grew up without a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

Question
SET 1

1. In stanza 1, which lines indicate the suffering that the people endure while out in the
rain?
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2.

In stanza 1, why did the people approach the stove?

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3.

In Stanza 2, who had to brave the horrendous flood?

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4.

In your opinion, what might happen to the albino buffalo?

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SET 2

1.

How long did the heavy downpour occur?

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2. From the poem, what hardship did the villagers had to faced?
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3. What is the couple's attitude towards the problems they face in life?
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4.

In your opinion, why did the boy love the albino buffalo so much?

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SET 3

1.

When did the family reach their home?

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2.

In stanza 1, 'soaky clothes' are caused by?

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3.

Why they approached to the stove?

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4.

What can you see on their limbs?

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SET 4

1.

What can you see on their brows?

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2.

The word 'horrendous' in stanza 2 can be replaced with?

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3. Who were desperately looking for their son's albino buffalo?

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4.

In Stanza 2, what were floating in the floodwater?

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SET 5

1. Which phrase in Stanza 3 indicates the jovial feelings of the family despite what they
have gone through?
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2. Why were their clothes soaky?
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3. Write down the line in the poem which reveals that this incident took place in a
village?
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4. What does the phrase bloated carcasses refer to?
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SET 6

1. In your opinion, what kind of attitude do the last two lines imply? Explain.
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2. Write down the line which shows that they have been out for long hours?
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3. The theme may not be exactly about hardship as implied by the title. What is the
theme related to?
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4. What does the phrase albino buffalo reveal?
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SET 7

1. What moral value did you learn from the poem? Explain.
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2.

If you have to `brave` a danger, you have to?

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3. What was not seen on their brows?
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4. Why did the tiny chips float in the floodwater?
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SET 8

1.

What type of life is a life of hardship?

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2.

What meaning of not a sign of despair?

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3.

What meaning of born amidst hardship?

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4.

What meaning of grew up without a sigh?

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SET 9

1.

How many stanzas does this poem have?

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2.

What the synopsis stanza 1?

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3.

What the synopsis stanza 2?

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4.

What the synopsis stanza 3?

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Set 10

1.

How did they feel when they reached home?

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2.

What does the word dawn mean?

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3.

Write down phrases from the poem which indicates injury?

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4.

What the moral value of the story?

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Set 11

1.

Which line means their hands and legs had cuts all over?

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2.

Which line means had to put up with the dreadful flood?

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3.

What natural disaster had occurred to the place?

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4.

Name the animal that had gone missing in this poem.

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SET 12

1.

What the tone and mood of the poem?

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2.

Which stanza that show when they returned, their faces did not show despair?

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3.

Describe words that show the poverty situation of the family in the village?

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4.

Describe words that show the spirit of endurance shown by the family through the
year?
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SET 13
1.

How would people normally react when they experience this sort of pain and
discomfort?

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2. What would most likely have caused the scratches and wound on the people?
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3. Describe words that show the various wounds suffered situation by the family
members?
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4. Describe words that show situation of the dead animals?

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SET 14

Write True or False in each sentence

1. The Family members returned home late at night after the search for the lost buffalo.
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2. There was lot of fear and dissatisfaction in the family.

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3. The buffalo was lost because of the sons carelessness.

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4. Life was hard for the family but it didnt bother them.
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SET 15

Write True or False in each sentence

1. The family gave up looking for the buffalo after short time.
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2. The albino buffalo helped the family to plow their fields.
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3. The flood in the village was probably a serious one.
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4. Some of the family members were seriously wounded while searching for the buffalo.
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ANSWER
Set 1
4. Their limbs marked by scratches
5. They are wet and cold.
6. The father and the mother
7. It drowned in the flood.
It died.
It got lost in the flood.
Set 2
1. The whole day and night
2. Flood
3. They are resilient in facing challenges in life
4. A child has unconditional love and he doesn't care much about its
strange look.

Set 3

1. in the early morning

2. the heavy downpour
3. To cook breakfast

4. Wounds

Set 4
1. A calm composure
2. horrific, awful, terrible
3. The father and the mother
4. Bloating carcasses
Set 5
1. making jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves
2. They were wet
3. desperately looking for their sons
albino buffalo that was never found
4. Animals killed as they drowned in the flood water.
Set 6
1. Optimistic. - They were making jokes not crying or show signs of despair.
2. The whole day and night just passed
3. Facing hardship with optimism
4. They are in the village as people in the town will not rear buffaloes.

Set 7
1. Despite the hardship, we must remain resilient and strong. Often, the difficult
time is not a permanent one.
2.

Endure it with resilience

3. An expression of hopelessness
4. The water caused the chips to break off from the tree barks

Set 8

1. A life of suffering
2. Not feeling gloomy
3. Born in suffering
4. Accepted their life without complaining

Set 9
1. 3 Stanza
2. They returned home at day break and headed for the stove. Their clothes were
soaking wet and tattered. Their bodies were covered with scratches and wounds.
Yet, they did not display any signs of being worried.
3. They were out in the flood the whole day and night. They were surrounded by
dead animals and parts of trees that had been destroyed by the flood. They
searched desperately for their sons albino buffalo but were unable to find it.
4. They were born into poverty and difficulty, but do not complain about their
suffer. Instead, they sit in the kitchen, cracking jokes while smoking cigarettes.
Set 10
1. Not sad because they do not show any sign of sadness and continue with their
normal routine and joke.
2. Sun rise / early in the morning.
3. Marked by scratches/full of wounds
4. Facing hardship is part and parcel of life.
Set 11
1. line four n five
2. line nine
3. flood disaster

4. albino buffalo
Set 12
1. The persona is sympathetic towards the people in the poem
2. Stanza 1
3. Born amidst hardship
4. Grew up without a sigh or a complaint

Set 13
1. They would usually complain or be unhappy about the situation especially if it
was a waste effort.
2. The dead animals and sharp twigs and branches knocked against the people and
scratched or hurt them when the people looking for the lost buffalo.
3. Their limbs marked by scratches, their legs full of wounds.
4.

Bloated carcasses

Set 14
1. False
2. False
3. False
4. True

Set 15
1. False
2. False
3. True

4. False