Extra Question Answers from the poem
Hero by Rabindranath Tagore
Hero – Rabindranath Tagore
(Question and Answer Set)
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
In the poem Hero, who narrates the story?
a) The poet himself
b) A little boy
c) A teacher
d) A soldier
Answer: b) A little boy
What does the boy imagine himself to be?
a) A king
b) A hero
c) A teacher
d) A policeman
Answer: b) A hero
In the boy’s fantasy, whom does he protect?
a) His father
b) His mother
c) His friends
d) A stranger
Answer: b) His mother
Which danger does the boy imagine facing?
a) Wild animals
b) Dacoits/robbers
c) A flood
d) Fire in the house
Answer: b) Dacoits/robbers
How does the mother react in the boy’s imagination?
a) She scolds him
b) She cries
c) She praises him with tears of joy
d) She ignores him
Answer: c) She praises him with tears of joy
Very Short Answer Type (1–2 lines)
Who is the speaker in the poem Hero?
→ The speaker is a little boy who imagines himself as a brave hero.
What does the boy want to prove through his bravery?
→ He wants to prove his courage and win his mother’s praise.
Whose safety is the boy most concerned about?
→ His mother’s safety.
What is the central theme of the poem?
→ The imagination of a child to be heroic and his deep love for his mother.
What do the dacoits symbolize in the poem?
→ They symbolize danger or challenges against which the boy proves his heroism.
Short Answer Type (3–4 lines)
Why does the boy in the poem consider himself a hero?
→ The boy imagines fighting bravely against dacoits and protecting his mother.
In doing so, he dreams of being admired by her, which makes him feel like a
hero.
How does the poem highlight the bond between mother and child?
→ The boy’s fantasy revolves around saving his mother and earning her
affection. This shows the pure, selfless love of a child who wants nothing more
than his mother’s approval and pride.
What qualities of childhood are reflected in the poem Hero?
→ The poem reflects a child’s imagination, innocence, bravery, sense of
adventure, and deep attachment to the mother.
How does the boy imagine his mother reacting after he saves her?
→ The boy imagines that his mother will shed tears of joy and call him her
brave son, full of pride and affection.
What is the setting of the boy’s fantasy in the poem?
→ The boy imagines a journey with his mother through lonely roads and dark
forests where danger appears in the form of dacoits.
Long Answer Type (6–8 lines)
Describe the boy’s heroic fantasy in the poem Hero.
→ In Rabindranath Tagore’s Hero, a little boy imagines himself as a brave
protector of his mother. He visualizes a situation where they travel through
forests, and suddenly dacoits attack. In his imagination, he fights fearlessly,
defeats the robbers, and saves his mother. His mother, overwhelmed with love
and pride, calls him her brave son. The boy’s imagination shows his courage,
adventurous spirit, and strong emotional bond with his mother.
How does the poem Hero reflect the theme of courage and imagination?
→ The poem beautifully blends a child’s imagination with the theme of courage.
The boy, though small and powerless in real life, dreams of being strong and
heroic. He creates a fantasy where he rescues his mother from danger,
displaying bravery beyond his years. Through this fantasy, the poet highlights
how imagination gives children a sense of confidence, courage, and joy. It also
reflects the natural human desire to protect loved ones.
What picture of childhood does Tagore present in the poem Hero?
→ Tagore presents childhood as a stage full of innocence, imagination, and
emotional depth. The boy’s desire to be a hero reflects a child’s natural wish
to be strong and admired. His love and devotion towards his mother dominate his
fantasy, showing the purity of a child’s heart. The poem captures the
adventurous spirit of childhood, the dream of bravery, and the deep emotional
bond between mother and child.
Explain the role of the mother in the poem Hero.
→ The mother is central to the boy’s imagination. She is the one he wants to
protect, and her approval is his greatest reward. In the boy’s fantasy, she
admires his bravery and praises him, which gives him a sense of pride and
fulfillment. She symbolizes love, safety, and affection. Even though she does
not play an active role in the action, her presence motivates the boy’s
heroism.
What message does Rabindranath Tagore convey in the poem Hero?
→ Through the poem, Tagore conveys the power of imagination, the innocence of
childhood, and the depth of love between mother and child. The poem shows how a
child, though weak in reality, becomes fearless in his imagination. It also
highlights that love for the mother can inspire the highest form of bravery.
The message is that imagination shapes courage, and love gives meaning to
heroism.