Chapter 26 of 28

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Rajasthan (RBSE)Class 10 English★ 3–4 marks · RBSE Class 10 English board (First Flight — Poetry)

Fog

RBSE Class 10 English (First Flight — Poem) — Carl Sandburg's tiny masterpiece 'Fog' compares the fog to a cat that comes silently 'on little cat feet', sits looking over the harbour and city, and then moves on. A perfect example of the extended metaphor in just six lines. Summary, the cat metaphor, poetic devices and RBSE board-pattern questions with answers.

⏱ 10 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1State the central metaphor (fog as a cat)
2Explain how each line supports the comparison
3State the central idea of the poem
4Identify the poetic devices used
5Answer metaphor and appreciation questions

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Why this chapter matters

A very short poem the RBSE board uses for metaphor and appreciation questions. Its single, clear cat metaphor makes it a quick, reliable scorer.

Fog — RBSE Class 10 English (First Flight · Poem)

How do you describe fog? Carl Sandburg does it in six short lines and a single, perfect image: the fog is a cat. It arrives silently on soft paws, settles down to watch the city, and then quietly slips away. This tiny poem shows how one well-chosen metaphor can capture a whole scene.

1. The poem in brief

The poet says the fog comes on "little cat feet." It sits looking over the harbour and the city on "silent haunches," and then moves on. That is the whole poem — a brief, vivid picture of fog behaving exactly like a cat.

2. The central image — fog as a cat

The entire poem is built on one extended metaphor: the fog is compared to a cat. Each line deepens the comparison:

"comes on little cat feet" — the fog arrives silently and softly, like a cat padding in on quiet paws.
"sits looking / over harbour and city / on silent haunches" — the fog settles and hovers, still and watchful, the way a cat sits on its haunches surveying its surroundings.
"and then moves on" — the fog drifts away quietly, just as a cat gets up and leaves whenever it pleases.

Fog and cats share exactly these qualities: silent, soft, still, and free to come and go — which is why the metaphor feels so apt.

3. Central idea

The poem shows how a natural phenomenon (fog) can be beautifully captured through a single, imaginative comparison. There is no hidden moral — the delight is in the precise, original image and the way it makes us see fog in a fresh way. It celebrates the poet's power of observation and metaphor.

4. Poetic devices

Metaphor (extended): the fog is a cat — sustained through the whole poem.
Imagery: vivid, visual picture of the silent, watchful fog over harbour and city.
Personification: the fog "sits looking" and "moves on," given animal/human-like behaviour.
Free verse: no rhyme scheme or fixed metre — just six free-flowing lines.
Brevity: the poem's power lies in its extreme shortness and economy.

5. Closing thought

"Fog" is a lesson in how less can be more. In six lines and one metaphor, Sandburg makes fog unforgettable — a soft, silent creature that visits the city and then pads away. There is nothing to decode and no message to preach; the pleasure is purely in the freshness of the image. After reading it, you will never watch fog roll in without thinking of a great grey cat settling on the rooftops.

For the RBSE board, remember the central metaphor (fog = cat) and how each line supports it (silent feet, sitting on haunches, moving on), the central idea (capturing nature through a vivid image), and the devices (metaphor, imagery, personification, free verse, brevity). Metaphor and appreciation questions are common.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Poet

Carl Sandburg

American poet; six-line free verse.

Central metaphor

The fog is a cat (extended metaphor)

Sustained through the whole poem.

'little cat feet'

Fog arrives silently and softly, like a cat's paws

Quiet, gentle arrival.

'silent haunches'

Fog sits still, watching harbour and city, like a cat on its haunches

Still, watchful.

'moves on'

Fog drifts away quietly, as a cat leaves at will

Free to come and go.

Central idea

Capturing a natural scene through one vivid, imaginative image

No hidden moral.

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Calling the comparison a simile

✓ The fog is called a cat directly (through an extended metaphor), not 'like a cat' — so it is a METAPHOR, not a simile.

WATCH OUT

✗ Searching for a deep moral

✓ The poem has no hidden message — its beauty is purely in the fresh, precise image of fog as a cat.

WATCH OUT

✗ Missing the personification

✓ The fog 'sits looking' and 'moves on' — given cat/human-like behaviour, which is personification.

WATCH OUT

✗ Expecting rhyme

✓ The poem is free verse — just six short lines with no rhyme scheme or fixed metre.

WATCH OUT

✗ Overlooking why the cat image fits

✓ Fog and cats are both silent, soft, still and free to come and go — that shared quality makes the metaphor apt.

NCERT exercises (with solutions)

Every NCERT exercise from this chapter — what it covers and how many questions to expect.

Thinking about the Poem

The cat metaphor; how fog resembles a cat

Questions

Poetic devices

Metaphor, imagery, free verse

Questions

Practice problems

Try each one yourself before tapping "Show solution". Active recall > rereading.

Q1EASY· Metaphor

To what is the fog compared in the poem?

▶ Show solution

✦ Answer: to a cat.

Q2EASY· Fact-recall

What does the fog look over as it sits?

▶ Show solution

✦ Answer: over the harbour and the city.

Q3EASY· Device

Is the comparison in 'Fog' a simile or a metaphor? Why?

▶ Show solution

It is a metaphor, because the fog is spoken of directly as a cat (not 'like a cat').

✦ Answer: a metaphor — the fog is directly presented as a cat.

Q4MEDIUM· Comparison

How is the fog like a cat in the poem?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — It comes silently and softly, 'on little cat feet', like a cat padding in on quiet paws.

Step 2 — It sits still on 'silent haunches' watching the harbour and city, then 'moves on' quietly — just as a cat sits, watches and leaves at will.

✦ Answer: both arrive silently, sit still and watchful, and move away quietly and freely.

Q5MEDIUM· Central idea

What is the central idea of 'Fog'?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — The poem captures a natural phenomenon, fog, through a single vivid comparison to a cat.

Step 2 — Its purpose is not to teach a moral but to make us see fog freshly and delight in the precise, imaginative image.

✦ Answer: it beautifully captures fog through one imaginative image (a cat), celebrating fresh observation.

Q6HARD· Appreciation

How does Carl Sandburg achieve so much in just six lines?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — He uses a single, perfectly chosen extended metaphor — fog as a cat — that fits in every detail.

Step 2 — Vivid imagery ('little cat feet', 'silent haunches') and gentle personification make the picture come alive.

Step 3 — The extreme brevity and economy force every word to work, so the poem feels complete and memorable despite its shortness.

✦ Answer: one apt metaphor, vivid imagery and personification, and tight economy make the tiny poem powerful and memorable.

Q7HARD· Extract

'The fog comes / on little cat feet.' Explain the image and why it is effective.

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — The poet imagines the fog arriving as quietly and softly as a cat walking in on its small, silent paws.

Step 2 — This captures how fog appears gradually and noiselessly, without anyone noticing its approach.

Step 3 — The image is effective because it is fresh, precise and instantly recognisable — one comparison conveys the fog's silent, gentle arrival perfectly.

✦ Answer: fog is likened to a cat's silent, soft approach — a fresh, exact image that captures how quietly fog arrives.

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•Poet: Carl Sandburg; a six-line free-verse poem.
•Central metaphor: the fog is a cat (extended through the whole poem).
•'comes on little cat feet' — fog arrives silently and softly.
•'sits looking / over harbour and city / on silent haunches' — fog sits still and watchful.
•'and then moves on' — fog drifts away quietly, at will.
•Fog and cats share: silent, soft, still, free to come and go.
•Central idea: capturing nature through one vivid image (no hidden moral).
•Devices: metaphor, imagery, personification, free verse, brevity.

Rajasthan (RBSE) marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 3–4 marks

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
MCQ / extract-based	1	1–2	The metaphor, what fog watches, simile vs metaphor
Short answer	2	1	How fog is like a cat; central idea
Short/appreciation	3–4	0–1	Economy/brevity; extract explanation

Prep strategy

Lock in the fog = cat metaphor and its support in each line
Be clear it is a metaphor, not a simile
State the central idea (capturing nature through one image)
Note the devices: metaphor, imagery, personification, free verse, brevity

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

The power of metaphor

A perfect example of how one metaphor can capture a whole scene.

Observation skills

It encourages fresh, imaginative observation of everyday nature.

Economy in writing

A model of how brevity and precise words create impact.

Poetry appreciation

Ideal for introducing metaphor and imagery to learners.

Creative writing

Inspires students to describe things through original comparisons.

Imagism

A gateway to the imagist style of vivid, compact images.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

State the fog = cat metaphor at the start of any answer.
Clarify it is a metaphor, not a simile, if asked.
Show how each line supports the cat image.
Mention imagery and personification for device questions.
For central idea, note there is no moral — just a vivid image.
For extract questions, explain the image and why it is effective.

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

Imagism and the compact image-poem.
Extended metaphor vs simple metaphor and simile.
How brevity and economy work in poetry.
Comparing nature-image poems across poets.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

RBSE Class 10 Board (BSER Ajmer)Medium–High — metaphor and appreciation questions

NTSE / state scholarshipLow — reading comprehension

CBSE/other board EnglishHigh — same prescribed poem

Olympiads (English/IEO)Low–Medium — figures of speech

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Questions students ask

The real ones — pulled from the Q&A community and tutor sessions.

Yes. RBSE prescribes the NCERT reader 'First Flight' for Class 10 English, and 'Fog' by Carl Sandburg is one of its poems. RBSE (BSER Ajmer) sets the exam pattern and marking.

It is a metaphor — an extended one. The poet does not say the fog is 'like' a cat; he presents the fog directly as a cat throughout the poem, describing it coming on 'little cat feet' and sitting on 'silent haunches'.

Both arrive silently and softly, sit still and watchful over their surroundings, and then move away quietly whenever they please. Fog and cats share the qualities of being silent, soft, still and free to come and go — which makes the comparison so apt.

No. Unlike many poems, 'Fog' has no hidden message. Its beauty lies entirely in the fresh, precise image of the fog as a cat — it invites us simply to see a natural scene in a new and delightful way.

Through one perfectly chosen extended metaphor, vivid imagery and gentle personification, all packed into just six lines. The extreme economy makes every word count, so the tiny poem feels complete and stays in the memory.

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