ICSE Class 10 English SolutionsThe Inchcape Rock [Poem]
Passage 1
Question 1
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The Ship was still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock,
The waves flow’d over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
What is the rhyme scheme of the given lines?
Answer:
The rhyme scheme of the given lines is aa-bb-cc-dd.
Question 2
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The Ship was still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock,
The waves flow’d over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
Why didn’t the waves move the Inchcape bell?
Answer:
The waves were small and there was no stir in the air or sea therefore they did not move the Inchcape bell.
Question 3
RRead the extract and answer the questions that follow:
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The Ship was still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock,
The waves flow’d over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
Which lines indicate that the ocean was calm and steady?
Answer:
The lines ‘No stir in the air, no stir in the sea’ and ‘So little they rose, so little they fell’ indicates that the ocean was calm and steady.
Question 4
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The Ship was still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock,
The waves flow’d over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
Name and explain the figures of speech in
a. Without either sign or sound of their shock,
b. So little they rose, so little they fell,
Answer:
Without either sign or sound of their shock,
Alliteration: The sound ‘s’ has been repeated in the words ‘sound’ and ‘shock’.
So little they rose, so little they fell,
Repetition: The phrase ‘so little they’ has been repeated in the lines for poetic effect.
Passage 2
Question 1
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
When the Rock was hid by the surge’s swell,
The Mariners heard the warning Bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok
Why was the bell placed on the rock?
Answer:
The bell was placed on the rock so that sailors who were sailing off the eastern coast of Scotland could know that they are close to the Inchcape Rock hidden under the waves and prevent crashing into it.
Question 2
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
When the Rock was hid by the surge’s swell,
The Mariners heard the warning Bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok
What warning did the bell give?
Answer:
When the sea surged, the bell on the buoy floated and rung and warned the sailors of the rock which was hidden below the waves.
Question 3
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
When the Rock was hid by the surge’s swell,
The Mariners heard the warning Bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok
Who tied the bell to the rock?
Answer:
The Abbot of Aberbrothok, a good natured soul, had tied the Inchcape Bell to the rock.
Question 4
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
When the Rock was hid by the surge’s swell,
The Mariners heard the warning Bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok
Name and explain the figure of speech in the lines:
And over the waves its warning rung.
Answer:
Inversion: The normal order of words has been reversed for emphasis.
The correct order is ‘Its warning rung over the waves.”
Question 5
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
When the Rock was hid by the surge’s swell,
The Mariners heard the warning Bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok
Whom did the mariners bless? Why?
Answer:
The mariners blessed the Abbot as by tying the bell to the Inchcape Rock he had been instrumental in saving many sailing accidents.
Passage 3
Question 1
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Sun in the heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds scream’d as they wheel’d round,
And there was joyaunce in their sound.
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walk’d his deck,
And fix’d his eye on the darker speck.
How did the buoy look from a distance?
Answer:
The buoy looked like a dark spot on the vast green ocean.
Question 2
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Sun in the heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds scream’d as they wheel’d round,
And there was joyaunce in their sound.
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walk’d his deck,
And fix’d his eye on the darker speck.
Why did the birds sound happy that day?
Answer:
The birds sounded happy that day as the day was bright and sunny.
Question 3
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Sun in the heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds scream’d as they wheel’d round,
And there was joyaunce in their sound.
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walk’d his deck,
And fix’d his eye on the darker speck.
Who was Sir Ralph?
Answer:
Sir Ralph the Rover was a pirate.
Question 4
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Sun in the heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds scream’d as they wheel’d round,
And there was joyaunce in their sound.
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walk’d his deck,
And fix’d his eye on the darker speck.
What does the phrase ‘fixed his eye on the darker speck’ indicate?
Answer:
The phrase indicates that the pirate set his wicked eye on the Inchcape Bell and stared at it intently.
Question 5
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The Sun in the heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds scream’d as they wheel’d round,
And there was joyaunce in their sound.
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walk’d his deck,
And fix’d his eye on the darker speck.
List words from the given lines that reflect happiness.
Answer:
Gay, joyful, joyaunce
Passage 4
Question 1
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
He felt the cheering power of spring,
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover’s mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the Inchcape Float;
Quoth he, “My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I’ll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
Who is the ‘he’ referred to in the first line?
Answer:
The ‘he’ referred to in the first line is Sir Ralph the Rover.
Question 2
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
He felt the cheering power of spring,
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover’s mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the Inchcape Float;
Quoth he, “My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I’ll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
What kind of happiness was reflected on his face?
Answer:
The happiness on Sir Ralph’s face was rooted in wickedness.
Question 3
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
He felt the cheering power of spring,
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover’s mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the Inchcape Float;
Quoth he, “My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I’ll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
In which direction did the Rover want his men to row?
Answer:
The Rover wants his men to row him to the Inchcape Rock.
Question 4
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
He felt the cheering power of spring,
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover’s mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the Inchcape Float;
Quoth he, “My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I’ll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
Explain the line “I’ll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
Answer:
The above lines indicate that the Rover had come up with a wicked plan to wreck the good intended work of the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
Passage 5
Question 1
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The boat is lower’d, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And he cut the bell from the Inchcape Float.
Down sank the Bell with a gurgling sound,
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, “The next who comes to the Rock,
Won’t bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
Where do the boatmen row the boat?
Answer:
The boatmen rowed the boat to the Inchcape Rock.
Question 2
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The boat is lower’d, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And he cut the bell from the Inchcape Float.
Down sank the Bell with a gurgling sound,
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, “The next who comes to the Rock,
Won’t bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
What did Sir Ralph the Rover do?
Answer:
Sir Ralph the Rover bent over from his boat and cut the bell from the Inchcape Float.
Question 3
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The boat is lower’d, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And he cut the bell from the Inchcape Float.
Down sank the Bell with a gurgling sound,
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, “The next who comes to the Rock,
Won’t bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
Why did the Rover cut the bell?
Answer:
The rover cut the bell because he wanted ships to crash against the rock so that he could then plunder their goods.
Question 4
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
The boat is lower’d, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And he cut the bell from the Inchcape Float.
Down sank the Bell with a gurgling sound,
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, “The next who comes to the Rock,
Won’t bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.”
Name and explain the figure of speech in:
a. Down sank the Bell with a gurgling sound,
b. The bubbles rose and burst around;
Answer:
Down sank the Bell with a gurgling sound
Onomatopoeia: The word ‘gurgling’ is used to hint the sound of the drowning bell.
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Alliteration: The sound ‘b’ has been repeated in the words ‘bubbles’ and ‘burst’.
Passage 6
Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
Sir Ralph the Rover sail’d away,
He scour’d the seas for many a day;
And now grown rich with plunder’d store,
He steers his course for Scotland’s shore.
So thick a haze o’er spreads the sky,
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind hath blown a gale all day,
At evening it hath died away.
Where did Sir Ralph the Rover sail? Why?
Answer:
Sir Ralph the Rover sailed into the sea as looking out for ships that crashed against the Inchcape Rock so that he could raid and plunder them.
Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
Sir Ralph the Rover sail’d away,
He scour’d the seas for many a day;
And now grown rich with plunder’d store,
He steers his course for Scotland’s shore.
So thick a haze o’er spreads the sky,
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind hath blown a gale all day,
At evening it hath died away.
Why were his men unable to see anything when they steered towards Scotland?
Answer:
A thick haze had spread over the sky due to which his men couldn’t see anything when they steered towards Scotland.
Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
Sir Ralph the Rover sail’d away,
He scour’d the seas for many a day;
And now grown rich with plunder’d store,
He steers his course for Scotland’s shore.
So thick a haze o’er spreads the sky,
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind hath blown a gale all day,
At evening it hath died away.
The word sail’d means ‘sailed’, but is written in a different way. Find other such words in the given lines and also state their modern spelling.
Answer:
scour’d: scoured
plunder’d: plundered
o’er: over
Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
Sir Ralph the Rover sail’d away,
He scour’d the seas for many a day;
And now grown rich with plunder’d store,
He steers his course for Scotland’s shore.
So thick a haze o’er spreads the sky,
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind hath blown a gale all day,
At evening it hath died away.
Find words from the given lines that mean: steal, mist and guide
Answer:
steal: plunder
mist: haze
guide: steer
Passage 7
Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
On the deck the Rover takes his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, “It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon.”
“Canst hear,” said one, “the breakers roar?
For methinks we should be near the shore.”
“Now, where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape Bell.”
They hear no sound, the swell is strong,
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along;
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,
“Oh Christ! It is the Inchcape Rock!”
Why couldn’t the sailors tell where they were?
Answer:
There was a lot of haze and darkness engulfing the ocean due to which the sailors couldn’t see where they were.
Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
On the deck the Rover takes his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, “It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon.”
“Canst hear,” said one, “the breakers roar?
For methinks we should be near the shore.”
“Now, where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape Bell.”
They hear no sound, the swell is strong,
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along;
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,
“Oh Christ! It is the Inchcape Rock!”
What fate does the ship meet at the end of the stanza?
Answer:
The ship crashes against the Inchcape rock at the end of the stanza.
Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
On the deck the Rover takes his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, “It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon.”
“Canst hear,” said one, “the breakers roar?
For methinks we should be near the shore.”
“Now, where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape Bell.”
They hear no sound, the swell is strong,
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along;
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,
“Oh Christ! It is the Inchcape Rock!”
What conditions lead to the wreckage of the ship?
Answer:
Bad weather and the absence of the Inchcape bell caused the ship to crash against the rock.
Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
On the deck the Rover takes his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, “It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon.”
“Canst hear,” said one, “the breakers roar?
For methinks we should be near the shore.”
“Now, where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape Bell.”
They hear no sound, the swell is strong,
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along;
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,
“Oh Christ! It is the Inchcape Rock!”
Why did the sailor wish he could hear the Inchcape Bell?
Answer:
In the absence of the bell, the sailors were clueless about where they were or if they were near the shore. Moreover, they had no way of avoiding crashing into the dreaded Inchcape Rock if they drew close to it. Hence, a sailor thought it would be good had the bell been there.
Passage 8
Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair,
He curst himself in his despair;
The waves rush in on every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
But even in his dying fear,
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear;
A sound as if with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
How did Ralph the Rover react to the ship hitting the rock?
Answer:
When the ship hit the Inchcape Rock, Ralph the Rover realised what a grave mistake he had made by cutting off the Inchcape Bell. His ship was now sinking as waters entered the vessel from all sides. In despair, agony, and frustration he tore at his hair and cursed himself for cutting off the bell.
Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair,
He curst himself in his despair;
The waves rush in on every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
But even in his dying fear,
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear;
A sound as if with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
Whom did Sir Ralph the Rover hear ringing the bell as the ship sank?
Answer:
Sir Ralph the Rover believed he heard the Devil ringing the bell as though indicating that he himself had come to drag the rover to hell for his cruel deeds.
Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair,
He curst himself in his despair;
The waves rush in on every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
But even in his dying fear,
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear;
A sound as if with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
Compare and contrast the character of Sir Ralph the Rover with that of the Abbot of Aberbrothok?
Answer:
The Abbot was a benevolent and an empathetic man while the pirate was a cruel and an inhuman pirate. On the one hand, the abbot placed a bell on the Inchcape Rock to warn sailors of the hidden rock. On the other hand, Sir Ralph the Rover cut the bell off because he did not want sailors to sail across the rock safely. The Abbot taught for the well being of others while Sir Ralph only thought about plundering and increasing his wealth. He was so reckless that he didn’t think twice before cutting off the bell. Ultimately, divine justice was served and he was punished for his recklessness.