POEM: Mr. Nobody

I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse,
Who does the mischief that is done
In everybody's house!
There's no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked
By Mr. Nobody

`Tis he who always tears our books,
Who leaves the door ajar,
He pulls the buttons from our shirts,
And scatters pine afar;
That squeaking door will always squeak,
For, prithee, don't you see,
We leave the oiling to be done
By Mr. Nobody

The finger marked upon the door
By none of us are made;
We never leave the blind unclosed,
To let the curtains fade.
The ink we never spill; the boots
That lying round you. See
Are not our boots they all belong
To Mr. Nobody.

 

Exercise on Mr Nobody 

 

SECTION A

Read the following stanza and then answer the questions below.

The  finger marks upon the door          By none of us  are  made; We never leave the blinds  unclosed,          To let the curtains fade; The ink we  never  spill; the boots           That lying  round you see Are not our  boots – they all  belong           To Mr. Nobody

1.         What do you think the following lines mean?

            “The finger marks upon the door / By none of us are made;”

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

2.      Why are the blinds never left undone?

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

3.         What do these  lines  “the boots /that  lying  round …” tell you about Mr, Nobody?

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

4.         Who do you think Mr. Nobody is?

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

SECTION B

Read the following questions and choose the best answer for each.

1.	Mr Nobody can be described as being
	A	agreeable
	C	careless
	D	quiet
	E	dirty

2.	Where is the poem set?
	A	In a house.
	C	Near a campsite.
	D	At a place of work.
	E	Outside the house.

3.	Why does the kettle not boil in stanza 3?
	A	Muddy feet
	C	Damp wood
	D	Soiled carpets
	E	Squeaky doors

4.	The mischief in the house was done by
	A	the mouse
	C	Mr. Nobody
	D	the people in the house

5.	Which one of these words from the poem suggests carelessness?
	A	quiet
	C	oiling
	D	mislaid
	E	squeaking

6.	The poem teaches us to be
	A	careless
	C	untruthful
	D	accountable
	E	irresponsible

 SECTION C

With reference to “Mr Nobody”, answer the following questions.

1.         How is Mr Nobody like a mouse?

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

2.         What happened to the buttons on the shirts?

            _______________________________________________________________

3.         Why is it important to oil the doors of the house?

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

4.         What is causing the curtains to fade?

            _______________________________________________________________

5.         Who do you think is doing all the mischief in the house?

            _______________________________________________________________

6.         Have you done anything in your home that you did not want to admit to?

Share it here.

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________