Question

Read the poem “If—” by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:



If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:



If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’



If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

In Rudyard Kipling’s “If—”, the repeated phrase “If you can …” begins many lines. What is the primary figurative effect of this repetition?(5 points)
Responses

It highlights the contrast between success and failure throughout the poem.
It highlights the contrast between success and failure throughout the poem.

It represents the challenges and moral tests a person must face to grow into maturity.
It represents the challenges and moral tests a person must face to grow into maturity.

It mirrors the rhythm of natural speech, making the advice feel conversational.
It mirrors the rhythm of natural speech, making the advice feel conversational.

It emphasizes the unpredictability of life and the need to adapt to circumstances.
It emphasizes the unpredictability of life and the need to adapt to circumstances.
Question 5
A — Attitude (Tone)
Which best describes the speaker's tone in the poem?
(5 points)
Responses

Encouraging and guiding
Encouraging and guiding

Depressed and hopeless
Depressed and hopeless

Judgmental and harsh
Judgmental and harsh

Sarcastic and mocking

Answer 1

Question 4 — Repetition effect:
Answer: It represents the challenges and moral tests a person must face to grow into maturity.
Brief justification: The repeated conditional “If you can…” sets up a series of moral and practical trials the reader must meet; together they outline the qualities needed to become the mature, self‑mastered person the speaker is describing.

Question 5 — Tone:
Answer: Encouraging and guiding.
Brief justification: The speaker offers paternal advice and exhortation throughout the poem, aiming to instruct and uplift rather than mock or despair.