Poem · Class 8 English · Chapter 7

Samacheer Class 8 English - My Computer Needs A Break

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Chapter-wise textbook exercise answers for My Computer Needs A Break with validation-aware solutions.

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My Computer Needs a Break — key concepts & quick answers

What is the poem 'My Computer Needs a Break' about?
In a humorous way it describes a computer that becomes 'absent-minded' and stops working properly — even losing the poet's saved work — as if it, too, needs a rest.
What is the theme of 'My Computer Needs a Break'?
The light-hearted theme is our heavy dependence on computers, and the playful idea that machines also seem to tire and need a break.
What went wrong with the computer in the poem?
The computer became forgetful and absent-minded: it failed to do its usual tasks and even lost (gobbled up) the poet's work, which made the poet anxious.
Why does the poet say the computer needs a break?
Because the computer behaves as if it is exhausted and confused, the poet humorously concludes that the machine needs a rest just like a tired person would.
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Warm Up (Text Book Page No. 199) 14
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1Warm Up (Text Book Page No. 199)14 questions
Q.1How does the poet describe her computer?v
Answer:

The poet describes her computer as very intelligent, smart, and knowledgeable. The computer appears to possess a vast amount of information and seems to know many things by heart. It is portrayed as a capable and efficient machine that can process and retrieve information quickly, making it appear highly competent and sophisticated in its functioning.

Q.2What happened to the computer?v
Answer:

The computer has become absent-minded and unreliable. It frequently forgets to save the poet's files, causing her work to be lost. The files sometimes vanish in the most dreadful way possible, disappearing without warning. This erratic behavior has made the computer unpredictable and frustrating to use, as the poet cannot depend on it to preserve her important work.

Q.3List four things that the computer could not do after it became absent-mindedv
Answer:

After the computer became absent-minded, it could not perform several important functions. First, it failed to save the poet's work, causing her to lose valuable documents and files. Second, it did not check her spelling, leaving grammatical and spelling errors uncorrected in her writing. Third, it hid all her files, making them inaccessible and difficult to locate when needed. Fourth, it made her work vanish in the most dreadful way, causing her important documents to disappear completely without any warning or explanation. These failures transformed what was once a reliable tool into a source of frustration and anxiety for the poet.

Q.4What made the poet squirm?v
Answer:

The naughty computer of the poetess gobbled a worm. The computer behaved so erratically that it made the poetess squirm.

Q.5Why did the poet call the doctor?v
Answer:

The poet called the doctor because her computer had caught a virus and fallen very sick. Just like a human being who needs medical attention when ill, the computer required professional help to recover from the virus infection. The poet's action of calling a doctor humorously personifies the computer, treating it as if it were a living being that could fall ill and need medical care.

Q.2We get answers for questions by a ……………..v
Answer:

click of the mouse

Q.3The computer forgot to ……………. the poet’s work.v
Answer:

save

Q.4The computer actually gobbled a ……………..v
Answer:

worm

Q.5The poet feels that his computer needs ……………..v
Answer:

holiday
C) Pick out the rhyming words from the poem.
Smart – heart
click – quick
right – sight
sick – quick.
D) Match the poetic lines with Figures of speech.

Q.1‘My computer always gives me the answer really quick! ’ How does the computer give you an answer?v
Answer:

The computer gives the answer really quick through a simple process. When the poet types in a question and gives the mouse a click, the computer processes the information instantly and displays the answer on the screen very quickly. This rapid response is one of the computer's most useful qualities, as it can retrieve and display information almost immediately, making it an efficient tool for finding answers to questions.

Q.2‘And hides my files so that they vanish from sight’. What does a computer hide?v
Answer:

The computer hides the poet's files so that they vanish from sight. These files contain the poet's important work and documents, but due to the computer's absent-minded behavior, the files become hidden and inaccessible. When the files vanish from sight, they disappear from the visible storage locations, making it impossible for the poet to find or access them easily.

Q.3‘My computer doesn’t check that my spellings are right ’ What does the computer fail to do?v
Answer:

The computer fails to check the poet's spelling. It does not verify whether the words are spelled correctly or identify spelling errors in the written work. This is an important function that the computer should perform to help the poet write accurately, but due to its absent-minded nature, it neglects this responsibility and allows spelling mistakes to remain uncorrected.

Q.4‘My computer has always been so brainy and smart’ What are the qualities of a computer given in the above line?v
Answer:

The qualities of the computer mentioned in the line are that it is brainy and smart. Brainy means intelligent and capable of processing complex information, while smart refers to its quick and efficient functioning. These qualities highlight the computer's ability to think logically, solve problems, and perform tasks with speed and accuracy, making it a powerful and useful tool for the poet's work.

Q.6‘Then my computer caught a virus, and fell, very sick.’ Why did the computer fell sick?v
Answer:

The computer caught a virus and fell sick.