Here is a comprehensive study guide for the SEBA Class 10 English chapter, “Fire and Ice,” including a summary, complete textual question answers, previous years’ HSLC questions, and a list of most important questions in both English and Assamese, all in the requested format.
Poem: “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost
Summary Note (কবিতাটোৰ সাৰাংশ)
English Summary:
“Fire and Ice” is a short, symbolic poem by Robert Frost where he discusses the end of the world. The poet presents two opposing ideas for how the world will meet its destruction: either by fire or by ice.
He equates “fire” with powerful, destructive human emotions like desire, greed, lust, and passion. He says that from his personal experience with these intense feelings (“From what I’ve tasted of desire”), he tends to agree with those who believe the world will end in fire.
However, the poet then considers the alternative: “ice.” He equates “ice” with another set of destructive human emotions: hatred, coldness, indifference, and rigidity. He reflects that if the world had to be destroyed a second time (“perish twice”), he knows enough about hate to be certain that ice would also be a powerful and sufficient cause for destruction.
The central message of the poem is that human emotions, whether they are fiery passions or cold hatred, are destructive enough to bring about the end of the world. Frost uses the simple, powerful symbols of fire and ice to deliver a profound warning about the self-destructive nature of humanity.
Assamese Summary (অসমীয়া সাৰাংশ):
“Fire and Ice” ৰবাৰ্ট ফ্ৰষ্টৰ দ্বাৰা ৰচিত এখন চুটি কিন্তু প্ৰতীকধৰ্মী কবিতা, য’ত তেওঁ পৃথিৱীৰ ধ্বংসৰ বিষয়ে আলোচনা কৰিছে। কবিয়ে পৃথিৱীখন কেনেকৈ ধ্বংস হ’ব তাৰ বাবে দুটা বিপৰীত ধাৰণা আগবঢ়াইছে: হয় জুইৰ দ্বাৰা, নহয় বৰফৰ দ্বাৰা।
তেওঁ “জুই”ক মানুহৰ শক্তিশালী, ধ্বংসাত্মক আৱেগ যেনে ইচ্ছা, লোভ, লালসা আৰু আসক্তিৰ সৈতে তুলনা কৰিছে। তেওঁ কৈছে যে এই তীব্ৰ অনুভূতিবোৰৰ সৈতে তেওঁৰ ব্যক্তিগত অভিজ্ঞতাৰ পৰা (“From what I’ve tasted of desire”), তেওঁ সেইসকলৰ সৈতে একমত যিসকলে বিশ্বাস কৰে যে পৃথিৱীখন জুইত শেষ হ’ব।
কিন্তু, তাৰ পিছত কবিয়ে আনটো বিকল্পৰ কথা বিবেচনা কৰিছে: “বৰফ।” তেওঁ “বৰফ”ক আন এক শ্ৰেণীৰ ধ্বংসাত্মক মানৱীয় আৱেগৰ সৈতে তুলনা কৰিছে: ঘৃণা, শীতলতা, উদাসীনতা আৰু কঠোৰতা। তেওঁ চিন্তা কৰিছে যে যদি পৃথিৱীখন দ্বিতীয়বাৰৰ বাবে ধ্বংস হ’ব লগা হয় (“perish twice”), তেন্তে তেওঁ ঘৃণাৰ বিষয়ে ইমানেই জানে যে তেওঁ নিশ্চিত যে বৰফো ধ্বংসৰ বাবে এক শক্তিশালী আৰু পৰ্যাপ্ত কাৰণ হ’ব।
কবিতাটোৰ মূল বাৰ্তা হৈছে যে মানুহৰ আৱেগ, সেয়া জুইৰ দৰে তীব্ৰ আসক্তি হওক বা বৰফৰ দৰে শীতল ঘৃণা হওক, পৃথিৱীৰ ধ্বংস আনিব পৰাকৈ যথেষ্ট শক্তিশালী। ফ্ৰষ্টে জুই আৰু বৰফৰ দৰে সৰল কিন্তু শক্তিশালী প্ৰতীক ব্যৱহাৰ কৰি মানৱ জাতিৰ আত্ম-ধ্বংসী প্ৰকৃতিৰ বিষয়ে এক গভীৰ সতৰ্কবাণী প্ৰদান কৰিছে।
Complete Textual Question Answers (সম্পূৰ্ণ পাঠ্যভিত্তিক প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
Thinking about the Poem (কবিতাটোৰ বিষয়ে চিন্তা)
1. There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun got so hot that it ‘burst’, or grew colder and colder?
(পৃথিৱীখন কেনেকৈ ‘শেষ’ হ’ব সেই বিষয়ে বহুতো ধাৰণা আছে। আপুনি ভাবেনে যে পৃথিৱীখন এদিন শেষ হ’ব? আপুনি কেতিয়াবা ভাবিছেনে যে যদি সূৰ্যটো ইমানেই গৰম হৈ যায় যে ই ‘ফাটি’ যায়, বা ক্ৰমান্বয়ে শীতল হৈ পৰে তেন্তে কি হ’ব?)
Answer: (This is a personal response question. A sample answer is provided below.)
Yes, I do think the world will end someday, although nobody knows when or how. From a scientific perspective, the end is inevitable. The scenario of the sun getting so hot that it bursts aligns with the scientific theory that the sun will eventually expand into a red giant, engulfing the Earth. On the other hand, the idea of it growing colder and colder could lead to an “Ice Age” scenario where all life freezes to death. Both possibilities are terrifying to imagine.
2. For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas:
greed, avarice, cruelty, lust, conflict, fury, intolerance, rigidity, insensitivity, coldness, indifference, hatred
(ফ্ৰষ্টৰ বাবে ‘জুই’ আৰু ‘বৰফে’ কি বুজায়? ইয়াত কিছুমান ধাৰণা দিয়া হৈছে: লোভ, লালসা, নিষ্ঠুৰতা, কাম, সংঘাত, ক্ৰোধ, অসহিষ্ণুতা, কঠোৰতা, असंবেদনশীলতা, শীতলতা, উদাসীনতা, ঘৃণা)
Answer: For Frost, ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ are powerful symbols for destructive human emotions.
- Fire stands for emotions like desire, greed, lust, avarice, conflict, and fury.
- Ice stands for emotions like hatred, cruelty, intolerance, rigidity, insensitivity, coldness, and indifference.
3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?
(কবিতাটোৰ ছন্দ-বিন্যাস কি? ই কবিতাটোৰ বিপৰীত ধাৰণাবোৰ প্ৰকাশ কৰাত কেনেকৈ সহায় কৰে?)
Answer:
- The rhyme scheme of the poem is a-b-a-a, b-c-b-c-b.
- The rhyme scheme helps in bringing out the contrasting ideas by connecting the concepts. In the first stanza, the ‘a’ rhyme (fire, desire, fire) links the idea of the world ending in ‘fire’ with the emotion of ‘desire’. In the second stanza, the poet uses a different but interlocking rhyme scheme to discuss ‘ice’ and ‘hate’. The structured yet shifting rhyme scheme mirrors the poet’s own shift in thought from one destructive force (fire/desire) to another (ice/hate), effectively holding the two contrasting but equally potent ideas together.
Previous Year HSLC Question Answers (2015-2025)
Short Questions (চমু প্ৰশ্ন)
- What do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ symbolize in the poem “Fire and Ice”? (HSLC 2015, 2019)
(‘Fire and Ice’ কবিতাত ‘জুই’ আৰু ‘বৰফে’ কিহৰ প্ৰতীক?)
Answer: In the poem, ‘fire’ symbolizes destructive emotions like desire, greed, and passion, while ‘ice’ symbolizes hatred, coldness, and indifference. - According to the poet of “Fire and Ice”, what are the two different views about the end of the world? (HSLC 2016)
(“Fire and Ice”ৰ কবিৰ মতে, পৃথিৱীৰ ধ্বংসৰ বিষয়ে দুটা ভিন্ন মত কি কি?)
Answer: According to the poet, the two different views are that the world will either end in fire or it will end in ice. - What is the poet’s opinion about the end of the world in “Fire and Ice”? (HSLC 2018)
(“Fire and Ice”ত পৃথিৱীৰ ধ্বংসৰ বিষয়ে কবিৰ মতামত কি?)
Answer: The poet believes that both fire (desire) and ice (hatred) are equally capable of destroying the world. He first sides with those who believe in fire, but then concludes that ice would also be sufficient for destruction. - How will the world end twice, according to the poet Robert Frost? (HSLC 2022)
(কবি ৰবাৰ্ট ফ্ৰষ্টৰ মতে পৃথিৱীখন দুবাৰকৈ কেনেকৈ শেষ হ’ব?)
Answer: The poet suggests that if the world were to end twice, it would first end by fire (desire) and the second time by ice (hatred), as both are great forces of destruction.
Most Important 10 Questions and Answers (১০টা আটাইতকৈ গুৰুত্বপূৰ্ণ প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
1. What is the central idea of the poem “Fire and Ice”?
(কবিতাটোৰ মূল ভাব কি?)
Answer: The central idea is that human emotions, specifically desire (fire) and hatred (ice), are so powerful that they can lead to the world’s destruction. The poem is a warning about humanity’s capacity for self-destruction.
2. With whom does the poet hold in the first stanza?
(প্ৰথম স্তৱকত কবিয়ে কাৰ পক্ষ লৈছে?)
Answer: In the first stanza, the poet holds with those who favour fire as the cause of the world’s end, based on his own experience with desire.
3. What does the poet think about ‘hate’?
(কবিয়ে ‘ঘৃণা’ৰ বিষয়ে কি ভাবে?)
Answer: The poet thinks that ‘hate’ (symbolized by ice) is also a great and powerful force, fully capable of destroying the world, just like fire.
4. Explain the line: “To say that for destruction ice / Is also great / And would suffice.”
(শাৰীটো ব্যাখ্যা কৰা: “To say that for destruction ice / Is also great / And would suffice.”)
Answer: This line means that hatred (ice) is a powerful and “great” destructive force. It would be “sufficient” or enough on its own to bring about the end of the world, just as desire (fire) would be.
5. What are the two contrasting ideas presented in the poem?
(কবিতাটোত উপস্থাপন কৰা দুটা বিপৰীত ধাৰণা কি কি?)
Answer: The two contrasting ideas are the two possible ways the world could end: through the fiery passion of desire (fire) or through the cold indifference of hatred (ice).
6. Why does the poet say he has “tasted of desire”?
(কবিয়ে কিয় কৈছে যে তেওঁ “ইচ্ছাৰ সোৱাদ” লৈছে?)
Answer: By saying this, the poet is referring to his personal experience with strong feelings of passion, greed, and longing. This experience makes him understand how such fiery emotions can be destructive.
7. What is the tone of the poem?
(কবিতাটোৰ সুৰ কি?)
Answer: The tone of the poem is thoughtful, serious, and cautionary. The poet is calmly contemplating a very grave subject—the end of the world and the destructive nature of human emotions.
8. What is the deeper meaning of the poem?
(কবিতাটোৰ গভীৰ অৰ্থ কি?)
Answer: The deeper meaning is not just about the literal end of the world, but about how destructive emotions like unchecked desire and hatred can ruin relationships, societies, and an individual’s inner peace.
9. What would be the result if the world had to “perish twice”?
(যদি পৃথিৱীখন “দুবাৰ ধ্বংস” হ’ব লগা হয়, তেন্তে তাৰ পৰিণাম কি হ’ব?)
Answer: According to the poet, if the world had to perish twice, both fire (desire) and ice (hatred) would be the causes, as both are equally potent forces of destruction.
10. How is “Fire and Ice” a symbolic poem?
(“Fire and Ice” কেনেকৈ এখন প্ৰতীকধৰ্মী কবিতা?)
Answer: It is a symbolic poem because “fire” and “ice” are not meant to be taken literally. They are symbols representing powerful and destructive human emotions: “fire” symbolizes desire and passion, while “ice” symbolizes hatred and indifference.