My Next-Door Neighbour, Mrs. Jones:Class 8th English Poorvi

This humorous and light-hearted poem by Reginald Arkell introduces us to Mrs. Jones, the poet’s quirky next-door neighbour. She has a garden full of stones — including a crazy path, a lily pond, a rockery, and even a sundial. Despite the stony surroundings, she carefully plants tiny, delicate flowers between the rocks.

The poet wonders how she even manages to fit such small plants among the stones — maybe she uses a pin! Her love for the garden is evident, though others may not understand it. One day, Mrs. Jones invites the poet to see a beautiful flower. After talking about it for quite some time, she reveals the flower was under his feet all along!

🌼 Key Themes

Appreciation of Beauty: Even the smallest things can hold great meaning for someone.
Humour and Irony: The poet uses gentle humour to describe Mrs. Jones and her passion.
Perspective: What may seem insignificant to one may be precious to another.

📍 Message

The poem teaches us to respect others’ interests and find joy in the little things in life. It reminds us not to overlook the subtle beauty that surrounds us.

👩‍🌾 Character Sketch: Mrs. Jones

Loves gardening, especially with stones and tiny flowers
Patient, creative, and passionate about her garden
A bit eccentric, yet charming in her own way

Answers for all the sections based on the poem “My Next-Door Neighbour, Mrs. Jones” by Reginald Arkell from Class 8 English Poorvi book, Unit 1: A Concrete Example:

📝 I. Complete the Summary (Fill in the blanks using exact words from the poem)

stones
path
sundial
delicate and small
pin
flower
lovely
standing

✅ II. Multiple Choice Answers

The tone of the poem is:
D. (ii), (iv), and (v) → humorous, amusing, light-hearted
The speaker in the poem is:
(ii) the poet
The rhyme scheme of the poem is:
(i) AABBCC

🧠 III. Complete the Sentences (Choose correct answers)

The poet uses the word ‘stones’ in all stanzas in order to emphasise her
👉 obsession with a stony garden
The poet uses imagery to describe the features of the garden that help readers
👉 visualise the garden’s peculiar nature

🔤 IV. Alliteration Examples

“puts little plants between the stones”
“stood and talked”
“crazy path”

➡️ Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words placed close to each other.

🔁 V. Refrain (repeated line in each stanza)

👉 “My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones”
This line begins each stanza and acts as a refrain.

🤔 VI. Line showing Situational Irony

👉 “You’re standing on it,” she replied.
This is ironic because the speaker expected to be shown a beautiful flower but turns out to be standing on it unknowingly.

🧱 VII. Sentence Completion

The word ‘concrete’ can refer to the stone-filled parts in Mrs. Jones’ garden.
The title also has a symbolic meaning, as the poem provides a clear or ‘concrete’ example of Mrs. Jones’ unusual gardening habits.

🔤 VIII. About the Title: Pun Explanation

The title “A Concrete Example” is a pun:

Literal meaning: The garden is filled with concrete (stones, rockery).
Symbolic meaning: The poem gives a clear (“concrete”) example of Mrs. Jones’ love for gardening, despite its unusual nature.

Let me know if you want this in LearnDash HTML format, interactive quiz (H5P), or as a PDF worksheet!

🧠 Let Us Think and Reflect

📝 I. Read the extract and answer the questions:

“My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,
has got a garden full of stones:
A crazy path, a lily pond,
a rockery and, just beyond
A sundial with a strange device,
which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice.”

🌿 What can be inferred about Mrs. Jones’s taste in gardening?
➤ She has an unusual and artistic taste. Her garden is filled with stones and decorative elements that reflect her unique personality.
✅ True or False: The garden serves as a means to reveal more about Mrs. Jones.
➤ True
🌀 What does the poet mean by “crazy path”?
➤ A path made of irregular, oddly arranged stones, giving a quirky look to the garden.
🕰️ What does the sundial with a “strange device” suggest about Mrs. Jones?
✔️ A. She has a fascination with unusual items.

🧐 II. Answer the following questions:

🌸 How does Mrs. Jones feel about her garden?
➤ She feels proud and affectionate towards her garden. She describes her sundial as “rather nice” and is happy to share it with the speaker.
📌 Why are the plants described as being so small they could be planted with a pin?
➤ This exaggeration adds humor and shows how tiny and delicate the plants are — almost too small to notice.
👩‍🌾 What do we get to know about Mrs. Jones from her gardening style?
➤ She is creative, patient, and proud of her unique garden. She values beauty in simplicity.
👍 How is Mrs. Jones portrayed positively?
➤ The poet uses gentle humor, showing her as a cheerful, artistic, and passionate gardener.
🌍 What does the poem tell us about perspectives?
➤ People see the world differently. Something strange to one might be beautiful and meaningful to another.

📘 Let Us Learn

🔁 I. Replace the underlined word with the correct synonym:

🧭 A sundial with a strange device → peculiar
🌼 which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice → charming
🌱 They are so delicate → dainty
❓“Where is this lovely thing?” I cried → exclaimed

⚙️ II. Match the instrument types with definitions and examples:

🔧 Column 1 (Instrument Type)	📖 Column 2 (Definition)	🧰 Column 3 (Examples)
Implement	Something moved by hand	Spade, knife
Tool	Used by hand to make/repair	Hammer, screwdriver
Equipment	Set of items for a purpose	Bat, gloves, helmet
Appliance	Electrical item used at home	Mixer grinder, microwave
Gadget	Small mechanical/electronic item	Mobile, laptop, smartwatch