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English · 2025 · 3 marks
CBSE 2025 · Region 2 · Set 1 · Q8
How does “The Ball Poem” by John Berryman explore the theme of loss and its profound impact on an individual's emotional state and perception of the world ? (The Ball Poem)
Official answer
From CBSE’s own marking scheme for this paper.
epistemology/ feeling of loss/ loss and grief – poem deals with profound
grief experienced by the boy.
isolation and fixation/inevitability of loss – portrays the boy’s isolation in
his grief
fixation on the lost object and cannot easily move past it.
emotional depth – symbolizes finality / irreversibility of loss/ deepening the
boy’s sorrow/understand responsibility and his failure to be responsible.
reflection on loss/money is external and can’t compensate for emotions
reflection on the universal human experience of loss
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CBSE Class 10 English past-paper question from the 2025board exam, with the answer as CBSE’s own marking scheme gives it. Where our answers come from.