By Elimu Assistant Team 
A Sudden Storm: Pius Oleghe
Read the poem below and then answer the questions that follow (20 marks)
The wind howls, the trees sway,
The loose house-top sheets clatter and clang,
The open window shuts with a bang,
And the sky makes night of day.
Helter-skelter the parents run,
Pressed with a thousand minor cares:
‘Hey, you there! Pack the house hold wares!
And where on earth is my son?’
Home skip the little children:
‘Where have you been you naughty boy?’
The child can feel nothing but joy,
For he loves the approach of the rain.
The streets clear, the houses fill,
The noise gathers as children shout
To rival the raging wind without,
And naught that can move is still-
A bright flash! – alighted plain;
Then from the once-blue heavens,
Accompanied by noise that deafens,
Steadily pours the rain
QUESTIONS
- (a) Who is the speaker in the above poem? Illustrate your answer. (2 marks)
- (b) Describe what happens just before rain pours down. (4 marks)
- (c) State and explain the different reactions of the children and their parents as brought out in the poem. (3 marks)
- (d) List any four pairs of words that rhyme in the above poem. (2 marks)
- (e) Who is being addressed in the above poem? Support your answer. (2 marks)
- (f) From the above poem, pick out any six words which describe sound? (3 marks)
- (g) What does the poet mean when he says: (2 marks)
- The noise gathers as children shout,
- To rival the raging wind without,?
- (h) Write down the lines that prove that there is a great confusion in the poem. (2 marks)
