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Roots and Wings (Class 6)Abou Ben Adhem — Back Exercise

Abou Ben Adhem — Back Exercise — Notes

Abou Ben Adhem Back Exercise: Full Answers | Class 6 Roots and Wings Chapter 13

Poem: Abou Ben Adhem

Poet: James Henry Leigh Hunt

Textbook: Roots and Wings Literature Reader, Class 6th

Chapter: 13

Video Type: Back exercise solutions (tick the right answer, fill in the blanks, question-answers, language skills, activity)

About the Poem and Poet

"Abou Ben Adhem" is a short poem written by James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), an English poet and essayist of the Romantic period. The poem is inspired by an old Arabic legend and tells the story of a man named Abou Ben Adhem who discovers that loving one's fellow human beings is the greatest form of love for God.

The poem's central message is simple but powerful: you do not need to directly declare love for God to earn God's favour. When you love the people around you, you are already loving God, because people are God's creation. Abou's name appears at the top of God's list not because he prayed the most, but because he loved people the most.

The poem belongs to Chapter 13 of the Roots and Wings Literature Reader for Class 6.

Background: What Happens in the Poem

Before looking at the back exercise answers, here is a quick recap of the poem's story:

  • Abou Ben Adhem wakes up one night to find his room filled with a bright, moonlight-like glow. An angel is sitting in the room, writing names in a golden book.
  • Abou is calm and bold because of his exceeding inner peace. He asks the angel what she is writing.
  • The angel says she is writing the names of those who love God.
  • Abou asks whether his name is in the list. The angel says no, his name is not there.
  • Abou is not upset. He simply asks the angel to write his name as one who loves his fellow men.
  • The next night, the angel comes back and shows Abou the names of those whom the love of God had blessed. Abou Ben Adhem's name leads all the rest.

    • Difficult Words from the Poem

    These are the key vocabulary words from the poem as explained in the video:

    | Word | Meaning |

    |------|---------|

    | Tribe | Ethnic group |

    | Awoke | Woke from sleep |

    | Within | Inside the range of |

    | Exceeding | Very great |

    | Bold | Showing willingness to take a risk |

    | Presence | Existence |

    | Writest | Write (old English form) |

    | Thou | You (old English) |

    | Cheerily | In a happy way |

    | Thee | You (old English) |

    | Fellow | A man or boy |

    | Vanished | Disappeared |

    Back Exercise: Tick the Right Answer

    Question 1: When did the incident take place?

    Options: afternoon / morning / night

    Answer: Night

    The incident (Abou seeing the angel) took place at night. The poem says Abou Ben Adhem awoke one night, which makes it clear the event happened in the nighttime.

    Question 2: What made Abou Ben Adhem bold?

    Options: his exceeding peace / the moonlight / his fellow men

    Answer: His exceeding peace

    Abou Ben Adhem's boldness came from his exceeding inner peace. He was a deeply calm and spiritually settled person, and this inner calm gave him the confidence to speak to the angel without fear.

    Question 3: Whom does Abou Ben Adhem love most?

    Options: God / the angel / his fellow men

    Answer: His fellow men (fellow human beings)

    Abou Ben Adhem loves the people around him the most. He does not declare love for God or the angel. His love is directed toward his fellow human beings, which is ultimately what puts him at the top of God's list.

    Back Exercise: Fill in the Blanks

    Fill in the blanks using information from the poem:

    1. The angel appeared in Abou's room.

    (The angel was inside the range of Abou's room when Abou saw her.)

    2. The angel was writing the names of those who love God.

    (The angel's golden book contained names of people who love God.)

    3. The angel appeared on a night.

    (The poem begins with the line "Abou Ben Adhem awoke one night," confirming the angel appeared at night.)

    Question Answers

    Question 1: What did Abou Ben Adhem want to know from the angel?

    Abou Ben Adhem wanted to know whether his name was also in the list that the angel was writing. When he found out that the angel was writing the names of those who love God, he asked if he was one of them.

    Answer: Abou Ben Adhem wanted to know if his name was in the angel's list.

    Question 2: What was the angel's reply?

    The angel replied that Abou's name was not in the list. The angel told him that his name did not appear among the names of those who love God.

    Answer: The angel told Abou that his name was not in the list.

    Question 3: Why was Abou Ben Adhem's name at the top of the list?

    Abou Ben Adhem's name was at the top because he loved the people around him, his fellow human beings. Even though his name was not on the first list (names of those who love God), his love for mankind was itself a form of loving God. The next night, the angel returned with a new list: names of those whom the love of God had blessed. Abou's name led all the rest.

    Answer: Abou's name was at the top because he loved his fellow human beings, and loving one's fellow men is considered the greatest act of love for God.

    Language Skills

    Question 1: Write Any Four Pairs of Rhyming Words from the Poem

    A rhyming pair means two words from the poem that end with the same sound. Here are four pairs:

    | Pair | Rhyming Words |

    |------|---------------|

    | 1 | room / bloom |

    | 2 | then / men |

    | 3 | lo / show |

    | 4 | night / light |

    Question 2: Find the Antonyms of the Following Words from the Poem

    An antonym is a word that means the opposite. The antonyms listed below are all found within the poem itself.

    | Given Word | Meaning | Antonym from Poem | Meaning |

    |------------|---------|-------------------|---------|

    | decrease | to become less | exceeding (increase) | very great, to become more |

    | war | conflict, fighting | peace | calm, absence of conflict |

    | wither / faded | to dry up and die | bloom | to grow and flower |

    | absent / empty | no one present | presence | existence, being there |

    | faintly | in a dull or weak way | cheerily | in a happy, bright way |

    | cursed | to have a curse, be ill-fated | blessed | to receive God's favour |

    Activity: Theme of the Poem

    The theme of the poem is:

    The poem is about love and faith. Its central idea is that people who love their fellow human beings are also showing love for God, because human beings are God's creation. God loves those who love others, and such people receive God's blessings. They become God's favourites.

    In other words: loving mankind is loving God.

    This theme connects to broader values of kindness, compassion, and humanity. Abou Ben Adhem did not claim to love God directly, but his love for people made him the most blessed of all.

    Themes of the Poem

    1. Love for Fellow Human Beings

    The poem's main theme is that the best way to love God is to love the people around you. Abou does not pray or perform rituals. He simply loves his fellow men. This love is enough to earn him the highest place on God's list.

    2. Humility and Calm

    Abou's response to learning his name is not on the list is completely calm. He does not argue or feel hurt. He simply asks the angel to write him as one who loves his fellow men. His humility and inner peace define his character.

    3. Faith and Spiritual Peace

    Abou Ben Adhem's exceeding peace is what makes him bold enough to speak to an angel. His spiritual calm comes from deep faith, not from fear or performance of religion.

    4. God's Justice and Grace

    The poem shows that God's love and blessings work in ways that may surprise us. Abou's name was not on the first list, but it led the second. God rewards genuine love for others, not just outward devotion.

    Key Takeaways for Students

  • The incident in the poem takes place at night.
  • Abou Ben Adhem was bold because of his exceeding peace (great inner calm).
  • Abou loves his fellow men the most, not God directly or the angel.
  • The angel was writing the names of those who love God.
  • The angel appeared in Abou's room.
  • The angel appeared at night.
  • Four rhyming pairs from the poem: room/bloom, then/men, lo/show, night/light.
  • Antonyms to remember: decrease (exceeding), war (peace), wither (bloom), absent (presence), faintly (cheerily), cursed (blessed).
  • Abou's name led all the rest on God's list because he loved his fellow human beings.
  • The theme of the poem: loving mankind is loving God.
  • Key vocabulary: exceeding (very great), cheerily (in a happy way), presence (existence), vanished (disappeared), bold (willing to take a risk), thou/thee (you, in old English).

    • Watch the full video here: YouTube