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The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 6 Summary Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 6 Summary

The elopement of Lorenzo and Jessica is the main event that takes place in this scene. Gratiano and Salerio are waiting for Lorenzo outside Shylock’s house. Lorenzo is late and the friends are surprised as normally lovers reach before time. They also remark that mostly lovers keep their appointment in time as long as they are engaged, but once they marry all promises are forgotten. Lorenzo comes at this time and apologizes for being late.

He calls Jessica who appears above, dressed as a boy. She throws down a casket full of money and Jewels. Jessica is ashamed of stealing money as well as her disguise. But she consoles herself by saying that love is blind and lovers sire unaware of the foolish things they do.

Lorenzo tells Jessica that she’s going to be his torch bearer. The idea of holding a light to her may expose her identity. After being reassured, she goes back to the house to lock the doors and fetch more ducats. Lorenzo tells Gratiano that Jessica is the most faithful and loving lady.

When she comes down, the lovers leave with Salerio.Gratiano meets Antonio who has been looking for him. Antonio informs him that Bassanio’s party has been cancelled as the wind has changed and the time is right to set sail for Belmont. Gratiano is delighted, as he is eager to leave for Belmont.

The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 6 Summary Word Meanings

1. penthouse – porch
2. make stand – wait, marvel wonder
3. out-dwells his hour – late
4. Venus – goddess of love who rides in a chariot drawn by pigeons
5. wont – likely to
6. unforfeited – unbrohen
7. ever-holds – always true
8. untread again – retrace his steps
9. tedious measures – boring steps
10. unabated fire – undiminished spirit or enthusiasm
11. younger – a youngster
12. scarfed bark – ship decorated with flags and bunting
13. strumpet wind – uncontrolled wind
14. over-weathered
15. ribs – storm beaten sides
16. ragged – torn
17. abode – delay
18. albeit – although
19. tongue – voice
20. pains – troubles
21. exchange – change of clothes
22. pretty follies – small acts of foolishness
23. Cupid – god of Love
24. hold a candle to – hold up a light to reveal
25. shames – shameful dress
26. sooth – indeed
27. obscur’d – hidden
28. garnish – costume
29. play the runaway – slipping away
30. gild – adorn with gold
31. beshrew me – curse me
32. constant soul – loyal heart
33. Fie – shame.

The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 6 Summary Questions and Answers

1. Gratiano:
That ever holds : who riseth from afeast
With that keen appetite that he sits down ?
Where is the horse that doth untread again
His tedious measures with the unhated fire
That he did pace them first ? All things that are,
Are with more spirit chased than enjoy’d.
How like a younger or a prodigal
The scarfed bark puts from her native bay,
Hugg’d and embraced by the strumpet wind !
How like the prodigal doth she return.
With over-weather’d ribs and ragged sails.
Lean, rent, and beggar’d by the strumpet wind !

Question 1.
To which comment does Gratiano say, ‘That ever holds’? What does it mean?
Answer:
That ever holds means that Gratiano is agreeing with whatever was said before. Salerio had said mostly, lovers are in a greater hurry than the wings of Venus’ pigeons to keep their engagement, than their marriage promises.

Question 2.
Explain, ‘All things that are with more spirit chased than enjoyed’. Which two examples does the speaker give to prove his point?
Answer:
This means that there is more pleasure in pursuit than enjoyment. The speaker first says that no one gets up from the dinner table with the same hunger as he sat down to dine. Then he takes the example of a horse, which cannot retrace his steps with the same enthusiasm as he had earlier.

Question 3.
Explain the meaning of scarfed bark and strumpet wind. What does the want on wind do?
Answer:
Scarfed bark is the ship decorated with flags at the outset of a journey. Strumpet wind is uncontrolled wind. The strumpet wind in its fury blows and pushes about the ship, making it look like an impoverished thing.

Question 4
Give the meaning of:
‘How like a younger or a prodigal
The scarfed bark puts from her native bay,
Hugg’d and embraced by the strumpet wind!’
Answer:
The meaning is that when the ship starts its journey, it is like a young man dressed in all finery, hale and hearty.
But after it is tossed about by the harlot wind, it is battered and torn, more like a spendthrift, returning exhausted like a beggar.

Question 5.
Who comes just after this extract? What does he say to his Mends?
Answer:
Lorenzo comes just after this and apologizes to his friends for making them wait. It was some urgent business, which made him late. He promises to wait for his friends in the same way when they go to steal their wives.

2. Jessica :
What! must I hold a candle to my shames ?
They in themselves, good sooth, are too too light.
Why, ’tis an office of discovery, love,
And I should be obscur’d.

Question 1.
Bring out the context of the extract.
Answer:
The scene takes place In the street outside Shylock’s house. Lorenzo, with his friends, are waiting for Jessica to join them. Jessica, dressed as a boy throws at Lorenzo, a casket full of money and jewels. She is ashamed of her disguise and when Lorenzo tells her that she is going to be the torch bearer, she is embarrassed. She tells him that it is a torch bearer’s duty to light up and reveal everything whereas she has to hide her identity to elope.

Question 2.
Explain, ‘must I hold a candle to my shames? What does this show of her character’?
Answer:
Jessica asks whether she should hold a light to her boyish dresses that fills her with shame as she is masquerading. For her the idea of holding a light is frightening which could expose her identity. She is modest and honest. It’s her love that makes her adopt this disguise.

Question 3.
Explain the last two lines of the extract.
Answer:
The last two lines means, that holding up the torch is the duty of a torch bearer. But if she does so, she’ll be revealing her identity, which she is supposed to conceal.

Question 4.
How does Lorenzo reassure Jessica? Earlier how had Lorenzo summarized his love for Jessica?
Answer:
Lorenzo tells Jessica that she is hiding in the charming get up of a boy. She doesn’t have to worry about getting detected. He had said that Jessica was wise, fair and faithful and he loved her heartily. She would always be placed in his loyal heart.

Question 5.
What information does Antonio give at the end of the scene? How does Gratiano react to this?
Answer:
Antonio at the end of the scene informs Gratiano that Bassanio’s party has been called off. Since the wind is blowing in favourable direction and the time is right to set sail for Belmont, both are eager to get on board to sail off from Venice to the promising and romantic Belmont.

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Call of the Wild Chapter 5 Summary

After arriving at Skagway from Dawson for the second time, the dogs are in a wretched state. The journey took one month. Buck has lost twenty-five pounds in weight. Within four days, Buck and his mates are sold to Charles, a middle-aged man, and Hal, a man of about nineteen. Travelling with the men is Mercedes, who is Charles’s wife and Hal’s sister.

Buck’s new owners are incompetent, and overload the sled. The dogs are unable to move it. Hal calls them lazy and whips them, although Mercedes tries to persuade him not to. An onlooker suggests that Hal help the dogs by freeing the runners of the sled that are frozen in the snow.

When this is done, the dogs are able to pull the sled, but it is so badly loaded, it overturns. The owners reluctantly cut the load in half, and acquire six more dogs, making a total of fourteen. The newcomers, are not of much use, however, and nor does Buck have his heart in the work.

He knows he cannot depend on his new masters, because they do not know how to do anything.They are barely travelling ten miles a day, and it is inevitable they will run short on dog food. One of the dogs,Dub, is injured, and Hal shoots him. Six dogs die of starvation. As the going gets tougher, the three travellers fall to quarrelling.

Mercedes insists on riding on the sled, which adds intolerably to the load pulled by the weak and starving dogs. Hal, Charles and Mercedes are insensitive to the suffering of the animals. But the seven remaining dogs continue to pull the sled, despite their ill-treatment. One day Billie falls and cannot get up. Hal kills him with an axe and cuts him out of the traces. The team knows this fate approaches. The next day Koona goes, but the five remaining struggle on, despite their serious pains. The spring weather is beautiful, but no one can take notice of it.

The ice on the river is beginning to break up, but they manage to reach the camp of John Thornton at the mouth of White River. Thornton tells them to take no more chances on the melting ice. Hal refuses to take his advice and wants to continue. But he cannot persuade his exhausted dogs to get up, so he whips them until they begin to move. But Buck refuses. Hal takes up the club, but Buck will not move. He is too numb.

Thornton intervenes, striking Hal, and telling Hal he will kill him if he hits the dog again. Hal draws a knife, but Thornton knocks it out of his hand. Hal decides to make off without Buck. They pull out from the bank and start off down the river. After a quarter of a mile, the ice break up and the men and dogs are all drowned.

Call of the Wild Chapter 5 Summary Word Meanings:

• Totter – Move without being stable
• Congested – Overfull as with blood
• Remonstrance – The act of expressing earnest opposition
• Unwieldy – Difficult to us because of size or weight
• Aver – Declare
• Computation – The procedure of calculating
• Cajole – Influence or flattering
• Squaw – An American Indian woman
• Innocuous – Not causing disapproval
• Terse – Brief
• Inarticulate – Deprived of the use of speech
• Convulse – Stir about violently
• Evince – Give expression to
• Wretched – Characterized by physical misery

Call of the Wild Chapter 5 Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Who is the new owner of Buck? Describe the situation of Buck’s sale again briefly.
Answer:
The new owner of Buck is a team, in fact a family of amateur settlers who are “out of place” in Northland. They are Hal, Charles and Hercedes. The sled dog team arrives at Skaguay, thirty days later and the dogs are weary.

Question 2.
How do the new masters behave with of the dog team ?
Answer:
The dogs are taken to the camp, where Hal’s sister and Charles’ wife, Mercedes loads up the sled with pots, pans clothes and tents. The sled is so heavy that the dogs cannot pull it. Hal proceeds attempting to spur the dogs forward with his whip.

Question 3.
Why does Buck distrust his new owners ?
Answer:
Buck distrusts his new owners, observing that they are undisciplined, disorderly, and unable to learn. Because Hal miscalculates their rations. Hal, Charles and Mercedes constantly squabble making them “callous” to the suffering of their animals.

Question 4.
Why do Hal, Charles and Mercedes perish ?
Answer:
Hal, Charles and Mercedes ultimately perish because they disrespect nature. They refuse to relinguish their possessions, they ignore the warnings of melting ice, and Hal nearly kills Buck. Buck follows his intuition, emphasizing that his feral senses are strong. Buck’s survival process that not all masters are worthy. Thornton’s brave rescue of Buck shows that he is worthy to take up ownership of Buck.

Question 5.
Explain the statement, “The most important thing of this world seemed fear”.
Answer:
The vision of the strange man from the other world came to Buck frequently. The hairy man could spring up into the trees, and travel just as fast on the ground-never falling, never missing his grip. In fact, he seemed as much at home among the trees as on the ground. And similar to the visions of the hairy man was the call, still sounding in the depths of the forest, filling Buck with great- unrest. This is very clear by the end of the chapter, “The most important thing of this world seemed fear.”

Extract Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Three days passed, by which time Buck and his mates found how really tired and weak they were. Then, on the morning of the fourth day, two men from the States came along and bought them, harness and all for a song. The men addressed each other as “Hal” and “Charles”.
(i) Give the reference of the above extract?
(ii) Describe Charles.
(iii) Charles and Hal’s camp is in what condition when Buck and the sled-dogs enter it?
(iv) Who quickly made friends with Buck?
(v) What advice do the men from the neighbouring states give to Charles, Hal, and Mercedes regarding their
load on the dog sleds?
Answer:
(i) The above extract has been taken from chapter 5, ‘The Toil of Trace and Trail’ of the novel, “The Call of the Wild”, written by. Jack London. In the introductory part of the chapter, Hal and Charles purchase the sled- dog team from the Scotch half-bread.

(ii) In chapter-5, Charles is described as a middle aged, light coloured man, with weak and watery eyes and a moustache that twisted fiercely and vigorously and concealed the dropping lip.

(iii) When Buck and the sled-dogs enter the camp of Charles, and Hal’s, the author describes the camp as ship shod and slovenly, the tent is half stretched, the dishes are kept unwashed and everything is in disorder.

(iv) Skeet, a little Irish setter, quickly made friends with Buck.As a mother cat washes her kittens, so she washed and cleansed Buck’s wounds. Nig, a huge black dog was
equally friendly with Buck.

(v) When the dogs are unable to pull the sleds, the men from the neighbouring tents lend a piece of advice to Charles, Hal and Mercedes. They tell them that the load was very heavy and the dogs are tired and they need rest. They tell them that it would be better if Charles and Hal would half the load and double the dogs.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
This was the first time Buck had failed, in itself a sufficient reason to drive Hal into a rage. He exchanged the whip
for the customary club. Buck refused to move under the rain of heavier blows which now fell upon him.
Answer:
(i) Mercedes is Charles’ wife. She cries and implores Buck to pull harder to stop the whipping. She is too preoccupied with weeping over herself. She is never too tired of quarrelling with Charles and Hal. She is too soft and has been chivalrously treated all her life.

(ii) When the tent was loaded on the sledge, it was very heavy. Even Mercedes and Thornton felt that the load is top-heavy. The dogs were tired also, and weak. The dogs strained against the breast bands unable to move the sledges. Hal thinks the team’s inability to move the sledges were because the dogs were lazy. But in fact, the dogs were not lazy, the load was heavy and the dogs were exhausted.

(iii) ‘Black’ Burton picked up a quarrel with the newcomer, when Thornton stepped in. Burton struck out without warning. Buck rose as he attacked Burton. Burton was able to block Buck and his throat was torn open and from that day Buck become famous in Alaska and made up his reputation.

(iv) When Thornton was carried downstream, Pete and Hans attached a line to Buck’s neck and shoulders and launched him into the stream. Back pulled Thornton into the bank and had three broken ribs.

(v) Buck and half a dozen other dogs, John Thornton, Pete and Hans travelled to the East on an unknown trail. At the end of their wandering, they found a shallow mineral deposit in a broad valley. The gold showed like butter across the bottom of the washing-pan. The gold was stacked in moose-hide bags, and soon they had a heap of treasure.

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Thornton stood between him and Buck, and evinced no intention of getting out of the way. Hal drew his long hunting knife. Mercedes screamed, cried, laughed and manifested the chaotic abandonment of hysteria. Thornton rapped Hals knuckles with the axe-handle, knocking the knife to the ground. He rapped his knuckles again as he tried to pick it up. Then he stopped, picked it up himself, and with two strokes cut Buck’s traces.
(i) Describe the character of Mercedes?
(ii) Why were the dogs lazy?
(iii) How did Buck become famous in Alaska?
(iv) How did Buck break his ribs?
(v) What did the team find when they were searching for Thornton’s fabled mine?
Answer:
(i) In the novel ‘The Call of the Wild’ written by Jack London, Hal is described as a youngster between nineteen and twenty. He is a person who is by nature known for his callowness.

(ii) John Thornton’s partners left him to camp alone the previous December, after he froze his feet and had difficulty in walking. He was limping. But before leaving him behind, his partners ensured that he was comfortable and could manage by himself.

(iii) Buck followed Thornton around for the simple reason that he had become deeply attached to him. Buck always returns to Thornton’s fireside, as he feels secured in the presence of Thornton.

(iv) At the end of all their wandering, Thornton and his team members, did not find the lost mine. They found a shallow mineral deposit in a broad valley. The gold showed like butter across the bottom of the washing pan.

(v) Buck feels a strong connection with Thornton, his final master and is deeply devoted to him. He finds Thornton fair towards him, whereas, he felt a kind of angry revulsion towards his previous masters. This also proves that even animals feel the love and care imparted to them.

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The Merchant of Venice Act 5 Scene 1 Summary Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Act 5 Scene 1 Summary

This is the most romantic scene of the play. There is peace and tranquility in Belmont in contrast to the legal atmosphere of Venice. In moonlit Belmont, Lorenzo and Jessica compare themselves to famous lovers from classical literature, like Troilus and Cressida, Pyramus and Thisbe, and Dido and Aeneas. Though there is a lot of romance in this scene, the scene is saved from being over- romantic when the couple starts teasing each other and their love prate is interrupted by the arrival of a messenger. The messenger comes with the news of the arrival of Portia and Nerissa from the monastery.

Launcelot comes with the news that Bassanio and Antonio will arrive the next morning. Lorenzo calls for music and both, Lorenzo and Jessica sit on the grassy bank beneath the stars. Lorenzo says that the movement of the heavenly orbits creates music, which the mortals cannot hear till they are alive. The musicians arrive and music is played. Lorenzo declares that the person who does not like music deserves the world’s worst cruelties and betrayals.

Portia and Nerissa arrive at Belmont and listening to the music Portia says that the music sounds even better because of the beautiful night and the candles that light up her estate enchant her. Portia believes that the worth of things largely depends upon the context in which they are experienced. Portia is greeted by Lorenzo and she requests him not to reveal the fact to her husband that she was away.

Trumpets sound and Portia greets Bassanio, Antonio and Gratiano who have arrived. Nerissa chastises Gratiano for breaking his promise and parting with the ring. Gratiano tells Nerissa that he had given the ring to the lawyer’s clerk as a fee. Portia confirms to Nerissa that her husband would have never done such a thing. Gratiano corrects her by saying that Bassanio has given his ring to the lawyer who saved Antonio. Portia is very upset and she tells her husband that she will never visit his bed again until he gets back his ring.

Bassanio pleads with Portia to understand that how important it was for him to part with his ring and that it was justified. Portia and Nerissa are not ready to accept anything and they argue that the rings have been given to other women. They say that as if their husbands have been infidel so will they be. Even they will part with their precious things and share their beds with other men. They then give their husbands other rings saying that these ones should be taken better care of.

Gratiano and Bassanio recognize the rings as those they had given to the lawyer and his clerk. Portia and Nerissa claim to have taken the rings from those men by being intimate with them. The two men feel sad at being cuckolded. Then Portia reveals that she was the lawyer and Nerissa her clerk. Antonio receives news that some of his ships have miraculously touched the port. Lorenzo is told that he will receive Shylock’s fortune. All the pairs rejoice in their own fortune.

The Merchant of Venice Act 5 Scene 1 Summary Word Meanings

1. Troilus – Trojan hero
2. Cressida – Troilus1 beloved
3. This be – beloved of Pvramus
4. o’ertrip – walkover
5. ere himself – before she saw the lion
6. dido – Aeneas’ beloved queen of Carthage
7. willow – a branch of the willow tree a symbol of forsaken love
8. wild – barren
9. waft – waved
10. medea – the enchantress who loved Jason
11. renew – bring back to youth
12. Aeson – father of Jason
13. steal – run away and rob
14. unthrift love – penniless lover
15. vows of faith – oaths of loyalty
16. shrew – quarrelsome woman
17. slander – defame
18. out-night you – beat you in this game of ‘in such a night’, stay about wander
19. leave hollowing – stop shouting
20. post – messenger
21. become – suit
22. touches – sounds
23. patens – small pieces of shiny metal-the stars
24. quiring – singing
25. vesture of decay – clothing of mortality (the human body)
26. diana – the classical goddess of the moon
27. draw – attract
28. spirits -mind
29. wanton – playful
30. unhandled – untrained
31. fetching mad bounds – taking wild jumps
32. feign – imagine
33. naught – not
34. stockfish – stubborn
35. concord – harmony
36. stratagems – plots
37. erebus – a dark space in the Greek underworld
38. substitute – deputy
39. be by – is present
40. his state empties itself – his fame and glory vanishes
41. brook – stream
42. bestows – gives
43. attended – listened to
44. wren – a song bird
45. endymion – Goddess Diana’s lover
46. daylight sick – unhealthy
47. hold day – have daylight
48. heavy husband – sorrowful husband
49. sort all – decide everything
50. acquitted of – repaid for
51. breathing courtesy – verbal politeness
52. paltry – petty
53. posy – words engraved on a ring
54. cutler’s poetry upon a knife – doggerel verse
55. vehement – forceful
56. scrubbed – stunted
57. prating – talkative
58. riveted – fixed
59. aught – anything
60. abate – reduce
61. terms of zeal – determination
62. suffer’d – allowed
63. held up – saved
64. beset – overcome
65. argus – a monster with a hundred eyes
66. to mine own protection – to look after my own honour
67. mending of highways in summer – like highways do not need mending in summers similarly newly wedded
68. women do not need lovers
69. cuckolds – husbands whose wives are infidel
70. manna – heavenly food
71. inter’gatory – questions
72. couching – sleeping.

The Merchant of Venice Act 5 Scene 1 Summary Questions and Answers

1. Lorenzo :
The moon shines bright: in such a night as this,
When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees.
And they did make no noise, in such a night
Troilus methinks mounted the Trojan walls.
And stgh’d his soul toward the Grecian tents.
Where Cressid lay that night.

Question 1.
Who is the other person present? Where are they right now? What has brought them here?
Answer:
The other person present is Jessica, beloved of Lorenzo and the daughter of the Jewish moneylender Shylock. Right now, both are in the garden of Portia’s palace in Belmont. Shylock’s hatred for Christians did not allow Lorenzo and Jessica to get married therefore she fled from her father’s house with her Christian lover, Lorenzo.

Question 2.
In what mood is the speaker? What kind of a night is it?
Answer:
Lorenzo is in a very romantic mood. The night is moon lit and the sky is full of stars. There is sweet wind blowing and the trees are dancing in the breeze. The night is soft and quiet.

Question 3.
The speaker speaks of Troilus and Cressida. Who are they? Why is he reminded of them?
Answer:
Troilus was a Trojan warrior, who was separated from his beloved, Cressida, when she was taken into the enemy (Greek) camp. He is reminded of these two lovers because the night is romantic and apt for lovers to meet. The way he wants Jessica, even Troilus would be longing for Cressida.

Question 4.
Which other people are mentioned by the two people in conver¬sation? Give details.
Answer:
The other couples mentioned by Lorenzo and Jessica are Pyramus and Thisbe, Dido and Aeneas, Medea and Jason. Thisbe, seeing the lion, ran and dropped her scarf. The lion mauled the scarf and seeing this bloody napkin Pyramus thought that Thisbe was dead and he stabbed himself. The queen of Carthage, Dido, was deserted by her lover, Aeneas, so she stood at the sea-bank waving a willow. Medea, the enchantress, loved Jason so she restored his father back to youth.

Question 5.
Who enters the scene, next? What news has he brought?
Answer:
Portia’s servant Stephano, enters the scene. He brings the news of, the arrival of Portia, his mistress, along with Nerissa, before the break of day, stopping by at small shrines by the roadside praying for a happy married life.

2. Lorenzo :
The man that hath no music in himself,
Not is not mov’d with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fitfor treasons, stratagems, and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus :
Let no such man be trusted.

Question 1.
According to the speaker, what does a person, who does not like music, deserve? Whom is he talking to?
Answer:
According to the speaker, Lorenzo, the person who does not like music is fit for destruction and treason. He is a dull person and he is a person not to be trusted. His spirits are ‘dull as night and his affections dark as Erebus’. Lorenzo is in conversation with his beloved, Jessica.

Question 2.
The listener gives examples to prove the impact of music. What are they?
Answer:
Lorenzo tells Jessica that even if, by chance, the music falls into the ears of a breed of untrained and youthful colts, which are jumping playfully here and there, bellowing and neighing, they will stand still at once. Their savage eyes will turn gentle. Lorenzo also talks about how Orpheus, a Greek musician, charmed even lifeless objects with his music.

Question 3.
Who enters the scene next? Where are they coming from, actually?
Answer:
Portia and Nerissa enters the scene next. Though they claim that they are coming from a monastery nearby but they are actually coming from Venice after winning the case against Shylock in favor of Antonio.

Question 4.
What philosophy does one of these two people highlight? Explain clearly.
Answer:
Portia believes that everything has its own worth, but nothing is good alone, without taking the circumstances into consideration. She says that in the presence of greater glories the smaller deeds are hidden. Like in the absence of a king his deputy shines but in the king’s presence his glory vanishes.

Question 5.
How would you describe this act in comparison to other acts of the play and why?
Answer:
This act is by far a lighter act and there is happiness all around. The ending is happy which is required of a comedy. All the couples come together and everyone gets what they desire. In fact, there is a fairytale touch to the act. The serious atmosphere of the court room in the previous acts is a contrast to the jolly mood of this act.

The sad downfall of Shylock is contrasted with the happiness of all the couples. Lorenzo and Jessica put themselves in the league of classical lovers and talk of music and love. Portia and Nerissa play pranks on their husbands though things are controlled before they go too far. Everything falls into place miraculously and everyone is happy.

3. Portia :
You were to blame I must be plain with you
To part so slightly with your wife’s first gift;
A thing stuck on with oaths upon your finger,
And so riveted with faith unto your flesh.
I gave my love a ring and made him swear
Never to part with it:

Question 1.
Who is the speaker blaming and for what?
Answer:
The speaker of the above lines is Portia. She is blaming Gratiano, Nerissa’s husband, for parting with the ring that his wife had given him. He had promised Nerissa that he would never part with the ring under any circumstances.

Question 2.
What is the speaker boasting about? What shocks the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker, Portia, is boasting about the love and commitment that her husband has for her. She says that she can swear by anything that if it were her husband, he would have never parted with his ring under similar conditions. Portia is shocked to hear from Gratiano that Bassanio had ended up giving his ring to the lawyer who had saved Antonio’s life.

Question 3.
How does the speaker react to this revelation? What conditions does the speaker put down and for whom?
Answer:
Portia is shocked and she can’t believe that Bassanio could part with such a precious gift as this one. Portia threatens her husband, Bassanio that she would not come to his bed till she sees the ring. She shows her anger and displeasure and tells Bassanio that she is sure that he has given the ring to a woman and not a man. She also threatens Bassanio that if that lawyer ever came near her she would become as liberal as Bassanio with the lawyer and give him her body, her husband’s bed and everything else.

Question 4.
Who is ‘my love’? What has this person done? How does this person justifies himself?
Answer:
‘My love’ here refers to Bassanio, Portia’s husband. Bassanio has given his ring to the lawyer who saved Antonio. The ring had been given to Bassanio by Portia saying that he would never part with the ring, under any circumstances. Bassanio justifies himself by saying that had Portia known why, for whom and how unwillingly he had given away the ring she would never have been so displeased.

Question 5.
Who comes to the rescue of these people? What promise does he make?
Answer:
On seeing the couples fight, Antonio feels that he is responsible for all this. He promises the two ladies that their husbands will never again break their promises which he swears by his soul. Antonio is the security.

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The Merchant of Venice Act 4 Scene 2 Summary Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Act 4 Scene 2 Summary

The scene opens in a street of Venice. Portia sends Nerissa to look for Shylock’s house so that the deed can be signed which gives Lorenzo and Jessica Shylock’s property. Gratiano then enters the scene presenting Bassanio’s ring to Portia. Nerissa also demands for Gratiano’s ring which he gives her thinking that the clerk deserves a gift as much as the lawyer (Portia). Now both the ladies have their husband’s rings. Portia then asks Gratiano to help Nerissa find Shylock’s house. The women plan to reach Belmont a day before their husbands can reach therefore they decline the dinner invitation.

The Merchant of Venice Act 4 Scene 2 Summary Word Meanings

1. this deed – the document in which he promises to make Lorenzo his heir
2. upon more advice – having thought more about the matter
3. thou may’st – you can
4. warrant – assure
5. old – a lot of
6. out them – put them to shame
7. tarry – wait.

The Merchant of Venice Act 4 Scene 2 Summary Questions and Answers

1. Portia :
Inquire the Jew’s house out, give him this deed,
And let him sign it We’ll away tonight,
And be a day before our husbands home :
This deed will be well welcome to Lorenzo.

Question 1.
Who are the two people in conversation? Who is the Jew? Why are they looking for his house?
Answer:
The two people in the conversation are Portia, dressed as a lawyer and Nerissa, dressed as her clerk. Both are in the garb of men. The Jew is the money lender, Shylock, who lends money on interest and is an unfeeling man. Since he has lost the case against Antonio he must sign a deed for which they are looking for his house.

Question 2.
What is in the deed? What brought about this deed?
Answer:
Shylock cannot cut a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body without shedding a drop of blood hence, he has no choice but to let go of his bond and accept the decision of the court. According to the law of Venice, half of Shylock’s property would go to the state of Venice and the other half would go to Antonio. Antonio in turn lets go of his half and makes Shylock sign a bond in which he must bequeath Antonio’s half to his daughter, Jessica and son-in-law, Lorenzo.

Question 3.
Who are the husbands? Why is the speaker so eager to reach home before the husbands? Where is the home?
Answer:
Gratiano, Nerissa’s husband and Bassanio, Portia’s husband are being spoken of here. Portia, the speaker along with Nerissa, her lady-in-waiting, are eager to reach home before their husbands because the husbands are unaware of their wives’ disguise and they still want to keep it a secret from their husbands. They are all bound for Belmont.

Question 4.
Who is Lorenzo and why will he be happy to see the deed?
Answer:
Lorenzo is Jessica’s husband, a Christian and Jessica, being Shylock’s daughter is a Jew. Being the owner of such a large property, which is least expected, would definitely make him happy.

Question 5.
Who enters the scene, hereafter? What transpires between this person and the speaker?
Answer:
Gratiano, Nerissa’s husband, enters the scene. Gratiano offers Bassanio’s ring to Portia and invites her to dinner. Portia accepts the ring, very happily but refuses the invitation for dinner, saying that she needs to reach Padua at the earliest. She then requests Gratiano to show Shylock’s house to Nerissa, her clerk.

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Call of the Wild Chapter 4 Summary

The next morning, Francois discovers Spitz missing and Buck covered with wounds. As the dogs are about to be harnessed, Buck trots up to spot that Spitz occupied. Francois brings Sol-leks to the position of leader instead. Buck is furious and springs upon him. He will not let Francois harness the team. But Francois drags Buck away by the scruff of the neck. Sol-leks does not mind giving up the position, but Francois comes back with the club. Buck retreats but then refuses to take his old position. Francois realizes, that he thinks that he has earned the lead position and will be satisfied with nothing less. Buck trots to the lead position and is harnessed in.

Buck forces Pike to carry his share of the load, and he soundly punishes Joe for his bad behaviour. After receiving their orders, Francois and Perrault leave the team in the care of officials, a “Scotch half-breed,” and pass out of Buck’s life for good. The dogs are tired when they reach Dawson, but they are allowed little rest and are soon on their way out with another load. They are treated well, attended to even before the men.

Dave, one of the dogs, becomes terribly ill, but refuses to stop pulling behind the sled. The driver puts sole in his place, meaning to allow him to run easily behind the sled. Dave cannot stand to see another dog doing his work. He runs into the soft snow beside Sol-leks, trying to resume his usual place, is yelping and again attempts to resume his place. Finally, the driver decides it is kinder to allow Dave to pull, for he will die either way. During his final pull, he often falls and is caught in the traces of the sled. The next morning, Dave is too weak to rise. The team is driven ahead some ways, but they cannot ignore the gunshot that rings out. Buck and everyone else know what the shot means.

Call of the Wild Chapter 4 Summary Word Meaning

• Coveted – Greatly desired
• Obdurate – Stubbornly persistent in wrong doing
• Displace – Cause to move
• Comply – Act in accordance with someone’s rules
• Celerity – A rate that is rapid
• Deluge – A heavy rain
• Aspire – Having an ambitious plan
• Monotonous – Sounded
• Bough – Larger branches of a tree
• Potent – Authority
• Resiliency – Ability of a material to return to its original shape
• Prod – Push against gently
• Flounder – Walk with great difficulty
• Remnant – A small part remaining

Call of the Wild Chapter 4 Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
State in your own words the departure of Francois and Perrault from Buck’s life.
Answer:
Francois and Perrault’s departure from Buck’s life signals the end of one phase in Buck’s relationship with man. They have been wise and just masters to Buck. Francois weeps over Buck this shows the level of deep respect and care he has towards him.

Question 2.
What did Buck learn in Chapter 4 as stated by “Jack London”?
Answer:
Through the team’s record run, Buck demonstrates his mastery of his work. He has learnt how to work, now to and how to lead a pack. He is not only fit to lead the team, but he is more than fit to survive and thrive in the wild.

Question 3.
What happened to Dave in Chapter 4 ?
Answer:
Dave was a supporting character. He was an experienced sled dog whose work meant a lot to him and preferred to be left alone. The Scotsman removes Dave from the traces putting Sor-leks in his place. Dave was sick, but refused to leave his place at the sled. He insists on dying while pulling the sled. Finally he dies by a bullet, in order to end his suffering.

Question 4.
Why did Perrault and Francois exit from Buck’s life ?
Answer:
In Skaguay, Francois and Perrault become minor celebrities for the record timing of their run. They celebrate for a week’s time, but official order from the government forced them to depart from the town, thereby, leaving Buck and his man behind. Francois weeps over Buck as he and Perrault exit Buck’s life “for good”.

Question 5.
State in your own words, Buck’s dream of a primitive man.
Answer:
Buck’s dream of a primitive man shows that his memory is receding into a primeval past, but also that he is looking for something more in a human master, an equality and co-operation, that is impossible when he works for humans. Buck begins to have visions of a “hairy”, “short legged” cave man, clad in animal skins, squatting by the fire.

Extract Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
It was a record run. Each day for fourteen days Perrault and Francois threw chests up and down the main street of Skagnay and mere deluged with invitations to drink, while the team was the constant centre of a worshipful crowd of dog-busters and mushers.
(i) What did Buck see in the fire?
(ii) Why Buck did not want to go back in his old harness?
(iii) Describe the attack faced by Buck in the above chapter?
(iv) What did Buck see in his dreams ?
(v) What happened in the fight between Buck and Spitz?
Answer:
(i) Buck loved to lie near the fire. Sometimes he thought of Judge Miller’s big house. He often remembered the man in the red sweater, the death of Curly, and the fight with Spitz. He also dreamt of a short and hair like man running through the woods.

(ii) Buck did not want to go back into his old harness, because he wanted to be in front of the pack. He wanted to be the leader. In fact, he possessed leadership qualities.
He was better than most, superior attributes. He received the compliment that he was worth $ 1000.

(iii) After a long trip of 14 days, the sled-dogs including Buck, were very exhausted. Some four or five scores of starving huskies attacked the camp. The dog team found shelter from their attackers in the forest.

(iv) When Buck crouched, blinking dreamily, instead of the cook he saw a different man there. The man uttered strange sounds and seemed too afraid of the darkness into which he gazed.

(v) After the attack of starving huskies in the woods, Buck was attacked by Spitz. Spitz was winning until Buck broke Spitz’s front legs. He ended up breaking both of them. When Spitz went down, the dogs from the villages, sled team finished him. Buck won finally.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
It was a hard trip, with the mail behind them, and the heavy work wore them down. They were short of weight inpoor condition when they made Dawson and should have had a ten days’ or a week’s rest at least. But in two days time they dropped down the Yukon bank from the Barracks, loaded with letters for the outside. The dogs were tired, the drivers grumbling, and to matters worse, it snowed every day.
(i) What was the amount of food that was given to the sled dogs?
(ii) How does Buck perform when he succeeds Spitz as lead dog?
(iii) What condition were the dogs in when they arrived at Skagway from Dawson?
(iv) What happened to Dave in ‘the Call of the Wild’?
(v) What did Buck do in the end ?
Answer:
(i) The incompetent humans did not know that they had too many dogs. Sometimes they overfed them and at times they underfed them. Charles and Hal had no idea what they were doing. To them it made sense to have as many dogs they could get.

(ii) In chapter 4 of the novel, ‘the Call of the Wild’, written by Jack London, Buck performs exceedingly well when he succeeds former lead dog, Spitz. At first, the drivers wanted to use another lead dog, but Buck refuses to allow it and finally succeeds.

(iii) The condition of the dogs was miserable, as the dogs and their drivers arrived at Skagway after a thirty day trek from Dawson. They were exhausted and down in weight, because they had not had a proper rest as well as proper food.

(iv) Dave was very weak and fell repeatedly in the traces, when they reached Cassiar. Since he was to die anyway, he wanted to die content in the traces. He howled mournfully and took his last breath.

(v) Buck made no effort. The last whip bit into him again and again, but he neither whined nor struggled. Buck had made up his mind nor to get up. Hal exchanged the whip for the club, and then suddenly without warning, John Thornton sprang upon him.

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Call of the Wild Chapter 3 Summary

At the beginning of Chapter 3, Buck is tough but quiet and does not start fights. One night, Buck settles down under the shelter of a rock, but when he goes to get his food, he finds the space occupied by Spitz. To everyone’s surprise, Buck becomes furious and he fights Spitz. Just then, they hear Perrault shouting and see almost 80-100 starving huskies charging into the camp.

Perrault and Francois fight them off with clubs, and some of Buck’s teammates get hurt. Buck is attacked by three huskies at once, and his head and shoulder are slashed; Spitz continues to nip at him. Some of the dogs fall through the ice but get pulled out.

Dolly, one of the dogs, goes mad one morning and begins chasing Buck. Francois kills the mad dog with an axe, and Buck is left exhausted from running. Spitz jumps at Buck. Francois punishes Spitz, but from then on, Spitz and Buck are at war. Francois and Perrault realize it, with Francois betting on Buck and Perrault on Spitz. It happens one day when a rabbit runs by the camp.

The whole team of dogs and fifty other dogs from a nearby camp start chasing the rabbit, with Buck in the lead. Spitz finds a shortcut and kills the rabbit, and Buck attacks Spitz. The other dogs wait to see who falls first. Spitz was an experienced and smart fighter, but Buck uses imagination, instinct, and his head. In the end Buck kills Spitz.

Call of the Wild Chapter 3 Summary Word Meanings

• Poise – Hold
• Prone – Having a tendency
• Shun – Avoid
• Bleak – Unpleasantly cold
• Grope – Feel about uncertainly
• Pandemonium – A state of extreme confusion and disorder
• Skulk – Lurk, hide
• Famished – Extremely hungry
• Warily – In a manner marked by keen caution
• Contemplation – A calm, lengthy, intent consideration
• Dubiously – In a doubtful manner
• Exertion – Hard work
• Sullen – Showing a brooding ill humor
• Eerise – Suggestive of the supernatural mysterious

Call of the Wild Chapter 3 Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is the theme of chapter 3, “The Dominant Primordial Beast”?
Answer:
Buck, after killing Spitz, has become the lead dog of the team. He excels in this position, as he is both, skilled in maneuvering the sled and an able leader. The team has a new mission which is, to deliver the mail to the gold prospectors. The unhappy part, in the chapter is the death of Dave. So it is very clear, that “The Dominant Beast” is Buck.

Question 2.
How did the huskies attack destroy Francois and Perrault’s supplies ?
Answer:
After the huskies finally left, Francois and Perrault assessed the damage. All the team dogs are badly wounded, and their food supply is gone. The huskies attack magnifies the wild beast stirring within Buck. The supplies are depleted and the dogs are ridded with bites. Francois worries about the ration of the dogs and even their security.

Question 3.
What device does Perrault use to prevent himself from falling in the ice ?
Answer:
Perrault was in a hurry, and he prided himself on his knowledge of ice, which was indispensable, for the fall of ice was very thin. Perrault broke through the ice more than a dozen times, but he was successful in nosing the way. Perrault was saved by the long pole he carried.

Question 4.
How is the first dog on the team to go mad, killed ?
Answer:
The first dog on the team i.e., Dolly, who had never been conspicuous for anything, suddenly went mad. She had completely gone crazy; she sent every dog bristling with fear, then sprang straight on Buck. Buck doubled back hoping that Francois would save him. As Buck shot passed, the axe crashed down upon mad Dolly’s head.

Question 5.
Who attacks Buck after he has had an exhausting chase from the mad dog ? Describe the attack.
Answer:
Spitz attacks Buck, when Buck staggered towards the sledge, exhausted. Spitz sprang upon Buck, and sank his teeth into him, ripping and tearing his flesh. Buck gave the worst lashing ever given to any of the team. Francois was worried that one day Spitz would kill Buck. But Perrault said that Buck is like two devils, one day he will just chew up Spitz.

Extract Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Buck got a frothing adversary by the throat, and was sprayed with blood when his teeth sank through the jugular. The warm taste of it in his mouth goaded him to greater fierceness. He flung himself upon another, and at the same time felt teeth sink into his own throat.
(i) Give the reference of the above passage.
(ii) How did Buck and Pike started the revolt against Spitz’s authority?
(iii) How did the final fight between Buck and Spitz start?
(iv) What went wrong with Dolly?
(v) How did Buck convince the dog drivers to make him the leader after Spitz?
Answer:
(i) The above passage has been taken from chapter-3 ‘The Dominant Primordial Beast’ of the Novel “The Call of the Wild”, written by Jack London. In this chapter, we learn about different dogs-Buck, Pike and Spitz and above all we learn about the dominating characteristics of Buck.

(ii) When Spitz flew to punish Pike, who pretended to be ill, Buck flew with equal rage to defend Pike. Now Pike also joined Buck and Spitz hurled backwards.
In this way, Pike and Buck started the revolt against Spitz.

(iii) When Spitz leapt in front of the rabbit, whereas Buck was also chasing the rabbit, Buck attacked Spitz, but, missed it. Spitz slashed Buck at the shoulder. They snarled at each other. Buck knew the right time would lead to death.

(iv) Dolly, who had never been conspicious for anything, suddenly went mad. She sent every dog bristling with fear, then sprang straight for Buck. She had gone completely crazy.

(v) Buck trotted up to the place of Spitz as a leader. But Francois brought Sol-leks to the position. Buck replaced Sol-leks, when Francois turned his back. Buck openly revolted. Leadership was his right, and he would not be content with less. In this way Buck convinced the dog-drivers to make him the leader after Spitz was killed.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
She announced her condition by a long, heart breaking wolf howl that sent every dog bristling with fear, then sprang straight for Buck. He had never seen a dog go mad, nor did he have any reason to fear madness, yet he knew that near
Answer:
(i) In the above extract, which has been taken from Chapter 3 – ‘The Dominant Primordial Beast’ of the novel, “The Call of the Wild”, written by Jack London. She is Dolly, a female dog who gets mad.

(ii) When Dolly turns mad due to rabies, her action as described by the author, starts to run straight towards Buck to attack him, but Francois started running and took the axe down on 0011)/s head, thus defending Buck.’

(iii) Every time when one of the men or dogs fell through the ice, it was not very easy to force them out. The easiest way was to build a fire, so that the creature could be forced out and it also helped it to get dry by running around the fire.

(iv) Buck’s feet had become soft in ice and the poor creature had a tough time. It was very difficult for him to walk. Francois cut his mocasins into 4, so Buck could never use them.

(v) Every night- at nine, at twelve, at three, the dogs sang a song, a weird and eerie chant, which Buck was delighted to join. It was an old song, a sad one which carried the pain of many generations.

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Call of the Wild Chapter 2 Summary

On Buck’s first day on the Dyea beach, he understands that he has been taken from civilization into a wild, primitive place. Buck’s travelling companion, named Curly, is killed simply for trying to make friendly advances towards a husky dog only half her size. The rest of the dogs in the camp attack and kill Curly when she does not rise. Buck realizes that to survive in this world, he should never go down in a fight. Buck hates Spitz as the latter is a dominating dog.

Francois ties Buck into a harness and sets him to work. Buck has seen horses performing such labour before. He tries his best, responding to Francois’s whip and the nips of Dave. Buck learns quickly and makes good progress. ‘ He learns to stop at “ho” and to move at “mush,” and how to turn and move downhill.

Two more dogs, Billie and Joe, are added to the team. They are both huskies and are brothers. Billie is excessively good-natured, while Joe is sour. Soon another husky, Sol-leks, arrives. He is an old husky with one eye, and he does not like to be approached from his blind side. Buck accidently approaches him from that side once and gets his shoulder slashed. He learns quickly not to repeat the mistake.

That night, Buck had trouble finding a place to sleep. After wandering around the camp, he comes across Billie buried in the snow and proceeds to make his own hole and fall asleep instantly. When he awakes, he forces his way out of the snow. Perrault and Francois are very glad to have Buck. Every night in the camp, Buck is exhausted. He is bigger than the other dogs, and though he receives a larger ration, he never feels satisfied.

He imitates Pike, a new dog, by stealing a whole chunk of bacon and another weaker dog is punished in his place. Buck is placed between Dave and Solleks to receive instruction from them. He also learns to steal; his old morals, learned in Judge Miller’s sunny home, gradually slip away. Old urges and instincts, which belonged to his wild ancestors, begin to assert themselves.

Call of the Wild Chapter 2 Summary Word Meaning

• Peril – A state of danger involving risk
• Imperative – Requiring attention or action
•  Vicarious – Experienced at secondhand
• Intent – An anticipated outcome that guides your planned actions
• Antagonist – Someone who offers opposition
• Reproof – An act or expression of criticism and censure
• Introspective – Given to examining own sensory and perceptual experiences.
• Perpetual – Continuing forever or indefinitely
• Malignant – Dangerous to health
• Appeasement – The act of acceding to demands
• Writhe: Move in a twisting or contorted motion
• Belligerent – Characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
• Forego – Do without or cease to hold or adhere to
• Gaunt – Very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold
• Indiscretion – The trait of being injudicious
• Consternation – Sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
• Forlorn – Marked by or showing hopelessness
• Arduous – Characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion

Call of the Wild Chapter 2 Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What are the “laws of club and fang” Buck learns in chapter 2? How are these laws different from what Buck was used to?
Answer:
The man in the red sweater taught him the laws of clubs and fang. When several clubs were broken over Buck to get him obey, this was the law of club. The law of fang that Buck learnt was as he approached a sled dog from it’s blind side and was bitten. Buck was used to having a domesticated life; he gets as much food he wants. Now he gets raw fish, he’s alone and he is wUd.

Question 2.
What lesson does Buck learn about surviving in cold winter nights?
Answer:
In chapter 2, Buck experiences his first night in the harsh winter environment of the Canadian wilderness. Buck initially attempts to sleep on top of the snow but cannot withstand the coldwind. He digs a hole under the snow and curls up into a ball. Thus, Buck learnt and developed important survival skills.

Question 3.
What were the changes that came about in Buck over the course of the journey?
Answer:
Buck gradually becomes reconnected with his true identity over the course of the journey. Buck has lost over thirty five pounds. More often it had to do with luck; a major environmental change. Although his early life on the ranch was blissfully happy and carefree.

Question 4.
If you were Buck, which of the other sled dogs would you choose to be your teacher and why?
Answer:
If I was Buck, I would go for the current Alpha dog, Spitz, to be my teacher. That was really the only dog position that Buck wants. Moreover, Spitz was more ruthless than Francois. He has to be in the dog world. Unlike Francois, Spitz is not fair but like Francois, he is experienced and knows the ropes of the wild.

Question 5.
How are Spitz and Curly different from each other?
Answer:
Spitz is an experienced and clever Husky. Spitz is the original lead dog of Buck’s dogsled team. He fears and hates Buck, whom he sees as a rival. He is eventually killed by Buck in a fight for leadership. Curly is a sweet new found land dog, one of Buck’s first companions, after he has been kidnapped. She is unexpectedly killed for trying to make friendly advances towards another dog.

Extract Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Spitz was the leader, likewise experienced, and while he could not always get at Buck, he growled sharp reproof now and again, or cunningly threw his weight in the traces to jerk Buck into the way he should go.
(i) How did Curly die?
(ii) What does the death of Curly teach Buck in ‘The Call of the Wild’?
(iii) Why does Buck hate Spitz? Who teaches Buck how to pull a sled?
(iv) Was there any warning of the attack?
(v) What were the positions of Buck, Dave and Spitz in the harness?
Answer:
(i) Curly is killed simply for trying to pet a husky dog. The dog was vicious and began to attack her face. She was trying to protect her face. The rest of the dogs in the camp attack and kill Curly when she does not rise.

(ii) When Curly dies, Buck gets his second important lesson of how to survive in this wilder environment that he has been put in. It also teaches him about the “Law of Club and Fang”. Well, he would see to it that he never went down.

(iii) In chapter 2, Buck hates Spitz for laughing at and participating in Curly’s death. Buck hated Spitz with a bitter and deathless hatred. Francois fastens Buck into a harness and sets him to work hauling sled.

(iv) There was no warning of the attack, only a leap in like a flash; a metallic snap of teeth, and a leap out that was equally swift.

(v) Dave, -an experienced wheeler, nips at Buck, whenever he is making mistakes. Spitz growls from his front post and also refuses to leave the harness preferring to die pulling the sled. The author Jack London, has very well stated the incidents.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
And not only did he learn by experience, but instincts long dead became alive again. The domesticated generations fell from him. In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed, to the time the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest and killed their meat as they ran it down.
(i) How did the dogs keep warm in the snow?
(ii) What was Buck made to learn? And how?
(iii) How was Perrault saved from drowning each time he went into the ice?
(iv) What problem did Buck face that night ?
(v) What were the changes that came about in Buck over the course of the journey?
Answer:
(i) Chapter 2 states that, the sled dogs dug a hole under the snow to stay warm. At times the dogs tried to enter the tent but they were chased out. Keeping themselves in burrows and their thick fur kept them warm through the frigid nights. This was an important survival skill.

(ii) Buck was hitched between Dave and Sol-leks on the sled-dog team, so that he could learn. This worked and Buck learnt through instinct, besides experience. Francois and Perrault were fair enough and guided the sled, which helped Buck to learn easily.

(iii) In chapter 2, a dozen times, Perrault, nosing the way broke through the ice bridges. He was saved by the long pole he always carried with him. Perrault climbed the cliff with the help of the pole as if by a miracle.

(iv) That night Buck faced the great problem of sleeping out in the cold. When he entered the tent, Perrault and Francois attacked him with curses and cooking utensils, till he fled.

(v) Buck is bigger than other dogs, so is never content. He imitates Pike, a new dog, by stealing a whole chunk of bacon. In this way he learns to steal; his old morals learned in Judge Miller’s sunny home, gradually slip away.

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
It was all well enough in the Southland under the law of love and fellowship, to respect private property and personal feelings; but in the Northland, under the law of Club and Fang, whoso took such things into account was a fool, and
in so far as he observed them he would fail to prosper.
(i) Give the reference from where the above extract has been taken.
(ii) What are the laws of “Club and Fang,” that Buck learned?
(iii) What law rules life in the Southland?
(iv) What difficulties did Perrault face in climbing the cliff?
(v) What physical change does Buck experience from living in the Northland?
Answer:
(i) The above extract has been taken from chapter 2 “The law of Club and Fang” of the Novel ‘The Call of the Wild’, written by Jack London. In this chapter, we come to know, how Buck adapts himself to the environment though he faces some difficulties also.

(ii) The “Law” i.e. “the Law of Club and Fang”, signifies the two most important factors for survival in the Northland. Buck understands that the ability to avoid armed men and ability to defend himself from other animals is necessary.

(iii) The above extract states the law of Love and fellowship rules life in the Southland, which is in contrast with the law of Club and Fang, which rules in the Northland.

(iv) The rim ice broke away before and behind, and there was no escape except to go up the cliff. Perrault climbed the cliff, and with every last bit of harness stretched into a long rope, the dogs were hoisted to the top of the cliff.

(v) Buck’s sense of sight and scent became keen, his muscles develop, he learns to tolerate pain, he develops _ ability to scent the wind, and he digests all the nutrients of his food.

Question 4.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
A warning snarl told him that the trespasser was Spitz. Till now Buck had avoided trouble with his enemy, but this was too much. The beast in him roared. He sprang upon Spitz with a fury which surprised them both, and Spitz particularly; for his whole experience with Buck had gone to teach him that his rival was an unusually timid dog, who managed to hold on his own, only because of his great weight and size.
(i) Why did Buck attack Spitz? What was the nature of the relationship that existed between Buck and Spitz?
(ii) Where did their masters decide to make camp? Describe the weather conditions at the time.
(iii) Briefly describe the unexpected happening which distracted the dogs and their masters just then.
(iv) What do you learn about Spitz’s character from his actions during the ‘unexpected happening’?
(v) What was the condition of the camp when the dogs returned at daybreak? To what extent is Buck’s behaviour guided by his instinct to survive?
Answer:
(i) Buck started hating Spitz, when Spitz laughed at Curly’s death. Buck would show no patience when it came to Spitz. Spitz occupied Buck’s snug and warm place, when Buck returned, he sprang upon Spitz. Buck refuses to give it to Spitz eventually killing him.

(ii) The masters decided to make a camp at the mouth of the white river. The ice was soon to melt above the hills.The weather was not safe for animals and the team.

(iii) Thornton rapped Hal’s knuckles. Suddenly a whole section of ice gave way and both the dogs and the humans disappeared. This unexpected happening distracted the dogs and their masters. Even Buck sprang upon Spitz.

(iv) Spitz- Buck’s archrival and the original leader of Francois’s dog team, is a fierce animal- a “devil-dog”. One man calls on him who is used to fight with other dogs and win. He meets his match in Buck, who is as strong as Spitz.

(v) At day break, when the dogs limped back to the camp, the intruders had left and the men were in a bad temper. Half their food was gone. The wild dogs had chewed through the sledge lashings and canvas coverings. In fact, nothing, no matter how remotely edible, had escaped them.

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Call of the Wild Chapter 1 Summary

The story begins in the fall of 1897, at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush. Buck is a large, four year old, one- hundred and forty pound dog, who lives on a ranch owned by Judge Miller in Santa Clara, California, some forty miles south of San Fransciso. Buck, is part St. Bernard and part Scotch Shepherd.

Unlike the other smaller dogs on the ranch, Buck is allowed to roam over the entire property. He goes into the swimming tank, hunts with the Judge’s sons, and escorts the Judge’s daughters on their morning walks. In winter he lies at the feet of Judge in front of the fire in the library. He is like a king who lords it over all the other creatures, and is treated with respect by everyone.

One night, when no one is around, a gardner takes Buck on a walk with a rope on his neck and sells him to a strange man. Buck growls, and is surprised when the man tightens the rope and chokes him. This is the first time Buck has ever been treated badly. He bites the man’s hand, but can’t get away. Buck is put on a train to Seattle with nothing to eat or drink. He’s angry about how he’s being treated.

In the morning, four men come to pick up the crate. They amuse themselves by poking sticks at him. Buck is conveyed to a railway depot, where he is placed in an express car. He stays there for two days and nights, during which he neither eats nor drinks. He is bundled off the train at Seattle, where a man in a red sweater takes charge of him. The man lets Buck out the cage, and Buck attacks him in fury, but the man brutally beats him into submission with a club. Buck is beaten but his spirit is not broken. In the days that follow, more dogs arrive. One day a man named Perrault buys Buck for $300. He can see that Buck is special. He also buys another dog, Curly, and they all travel by boat with a man named Francois, and two other dogs.

The dogs are turned over to Francois, a swarthy French-Canadian. Buck learns to respect both men, since they are calm and fair. There are two other dogs on the ship, a big dog from Spitzbergen, and a gloomy one named Dave. ‘ Buck encounters snow for the first time.

Call of the Wild Chapter 1 Summary Word Meanings

• Demesne – Domain
• Populous – With many people, populated
• Imperiously – Like a king
• Sated – Filled up, full
• Insular – Protected, inexperienced
• Progeny – Children, offspring
• Deft – Skilled
• Futilely – Unsuccessfully
• Vilely – Rudely
• Hydrophobia – Rabies
• Impending – Soon to happen
• Calamity – Disaster
• Surcharged – Charged over normal price
• Primitive – Not sophisticated, uncivilized
• Dormant – Hidden, buried

Call of the Wild Chapter 1 Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why did Perrault purchase Buck?
Answer:
Perrault was a courier for the Canadian government. He needed dogs, so that his packages could reach faster. Moreover, he estimated that Buck is one in ten thousand. He (Perrault) could understand that Buck is a bully dog.

Question  2.
Why were the onlookers laughing when Buck first stepped on to the deck when the propeller stopped ?
Answer:
When the propeller stopped, Buck’s feet sank into a white mush, Buck had seen the snow for the first time. He sniffed it, and licked it. It bit like fire. He was puzzled. He tried again, but with the same result. The onlookers roared with laughter.

Question  3.
How did Manuel ensure that Buck obeyed the stranger at the rail flag station ?
Answer:
No one saw Manuel and Buck arrive at the little rail flag station. The stranger talked to Manuel. Buck accepted the rope with quiet dignity, because he had learnt to trust the men he knew. This was enough for Manuel to be sure that Buck obeyed the stranger.

Question  4.
What is Buck’s introduction to the primitive law ?
Answer:
The first chapter is called “Into the Primitive” and rightly so. In short, Buck’s introduction to the primitive law comes when he observes a pack of dogs fighting early on in the novel”. Buck lives a very civilized life until Manuel kidnaps him. He does not expect to have to go into the primitive, where he will need to rely on his animal instincts to survive. Jack London has established Buck as a product of civilization. This is indicated in Chapter 1 – “Into the Primitive”. Buck had not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing.

Question  5.
How does Buck maintain some measure of pride in Chapter 1?
Answer:
Buck had a fine pride in himself. He was a trifle egotistical. When the unsuspecting Buck is stolen from his owner and sold to become a sled dog, Buck is surprised, to understand that Manuel, a gardener on Judge Miller’s estate a person on whom Buck had trust would do this unreliable task. Buck attacks the stranger, he bites the man’s hand, and does not eat or drink for two days and two nights. The facts of life took him on a fiercer aspect and he faced it with all the latent cunning of his nature, thus maintaining his pride.

Extract Based Questions

Question  1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
And this was the manner of dog Buck in the fall of 1897, when the Klondike Strike dragged men from all the world into the frozen North.
(i) What is meant by, ‘the Klondike Strike’? Why did it attract men to the frozen North? Why did these men require dogs?
(ii) Who is Buck? Give a brief description of his parents.
(iii) What act of treachery does Manuel, the gardener’s assistant commit? Why does he do this ?
(iv) Name the men who buy Buck from the man in the red sweater. What does Buck learn of their nature?
(v) Describe Buck’s first encounter with snow. How does it serve as an introduction to what lies ahead of him in the days to come?
Answer:
(i) This was the manner of dog Buck in the fall of 1897, when the Klondike Strike dragged men from all the world. Men grouping in the Aritic darkness had found a yellow metal, this attracted men from all over the world into the Frozen North. These men required heavy dogs with story muscles to toil, because other animals could not be used easily on the snow.

(ii) Bulk was a four year old dog. He was neither a house dog nor a kennel dog. The whole area was his. Buck’s father, Elmo, was a huge Saint Bernard and Buck’s mother was a huge Scotch shepherd dog.

(iii) Manuel, the Judge’s gardener, sells Buck to a stranger in exchange of money, committing a treacherous act. Manuel has acquired huge gambling debts so he kidnaps Buck and sells him.

(iv) Perrault bought Buck from the man in the red sweater. Buck learnt that Perrault and Francois were fair men and familiar with the way of the dogs.

(v) When Buck first time met with snow, he got many beneath his forelegs with a sour. He sprang back fearful of the unseen. There, curled up under the snow in a snug bell lay Billee. Finally Buck slept well, in a hold that he himself dug.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Buck lived at a big house in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley, Judge Miller’s place, as was called. It stood back from the road, half hidden among the trees, through which glimpses could be caught of the wide cool verandah that ran around its four sides. The house was approached by gravelled driveways which wound about through wide spreading lawns and under the inter lacing boughs of tall poplars. At the rear, things were on even a more spacious scale than at the front.
(i) What does the above extract state?
(ii) What is the tone of the above paragraph?
(iii) What is Buck’s life like at Judge Miller’s place ?
(iv) What type of dog was Buck ?
(v) What is Judge Miller’s relationship with Buck?
Answer:
(i) The above extract has been taken from chapter 1 – Into the Primitive, from the novel ‘The Call of the Wild’ written by Jack London. The complete novel states about a dog named Buck.

(ii) The above paragraph states that the first chapter of the novel sets the tone for the rest of the book. According to Educators, it explores the central tension between the primitive and civilized in London.

(iii) Buck lived a pampered life at Judge Miller’s place. Buck was not always a sheep dog. Before he was kidnapped, he was a pampered house pet. His master Judge Miller was a wealthy person and lived on a large farm in the Santa Clara Valley.

(iv) Buck was neither a house dog nor a kennel dog. The whole area was his. He ruled over the great estate of Judge Miller.

(v) Judge Miller was Buck’ first owner. Buck was born at the farm and lived for four years. His father, Elmo, had been Judge’s inseparable companion. His mother, shop, had been a scotch shepherd dog. So in short, Judge Miller and Buck, both had a very important relationship.

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Buck had accepted the rope with great dignity. To be sure, it was an unwanted performance; but he had learned to
trust in men he knew, and to give them credit for a wisdom that outreached his own.
(i) Who was Manuel?
(ii) Why did Manuel kidnap and sell Buck?
(iii) How did Buck react to the stranger’s rope?
(iv) What was Manuel’s one sin?
(v) How would you describe Buck as stated in the above extract?
Answer:
(i) In chapter 1 – ‘Into the Primitive’ of the novel “The call of the wild” written by Jack London, Manuel was the Gardener’s helper who stole Buck away from Judge Miller’s place in Santa Clara, Valley of California. Manuel was a gambler.

(ii) Manuel has acquired huge gambling debts, and his wages were not even enough to support his family. So he kidnaps and sells Buck to a man who will sell him to be trained as a sled dog.

(iii) Manuel ties a stout rope around Buck’s neck. When the stranger tries to take the rope, Buck growls and the rope tightens around his neck. His strength sagged and his eyes glazed. He had never been so angry.

(iv) Manuel’s had one sin. He loved to play Chinese lottery. To play, he required money, and his wages were not even enough to support his family.

(v) In the introductory part of Jack’s London’s hard-edged and naturalistic adventure, Buck is first described as a large dog of one hundred and forty pounds, who is a St. Bernard Shepherd mix. “He had a fine pride in himself, and was ever a trifle egotistical”.

Question 4.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
They were a new kind of men to Buck and while he developed no affection for them, he none the less grew honestly justice, and too wise in the way of dogs to befooled by dogs.
(i) Why was there a sudden demand for heavy and furry dogs?
(ii) Why did the Man in the Red Sweater take Buck out of his crate and what lesson did he teach Buck?
(iii) Who bought Buck? At what cost? For what purpose?
(iv) How did Buck behave when he was imprisoned ?
(v) What puzzled Buck when he stepped onto the deck of the Narwhal ?
Answer:
(i) In chapter 1 of the Novel “The Call of the Wild” written by Jack London, we come to understand that there is a sudden demand for heavy and furry dogs. The reason behind is that the novel picturises the hilly area. People travelling through Alaska wanted a form of transportation, and heavy and furry dogs are best suited to this climate.

(ii) The man in the Red Sweater threw Buck out of his crate, as Buck was furious in the beginning and would not give up. This man in the Red Sweater taught Buck that he was the law maker and Buck had to obey him.

(iii) Perrault bought Buck for $300, to teach him how to be a sled dog, to carry mail he needed to deliver for the Canadian government. Buck quickly learnt that his new masters were fair enough and familiar with the ways of the dogs.

(iv) Buck neither ate nor drank for two days and nights. His eyes turned blood shot and he transformed into a raging fiend. He was snarling and growling furiously, anxious to get out.

(v) On the deck, Buck’s feet sank into a white mush. It bit like fire and in the next instant, was gone. This puzzled him. In short, Buck was puzzled by the atmosphere and the climate and the snow; since it was his first snow.

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A Tiger in the Zoo Summary in English by Leslie Norris

A Tiger in the Zoo by Leslie Norris About the Poet

George Leslie Norris (1921-2006) was a prize winning Welsh poet and short story writer. He is considered as most important Welsh writer of the post war period and his literary works have won many prizes. His famous works are Finding Gold, The loud winder, phoenix living poets series: Ransoms, etc.

Poet Name	Leslie Norris
Born	21 May 1921, Merthyr Tydfil, United Kingdom
Died	6 April 2006, Provo, Utah, United States
Parents	George, Mary Jane Norris
Spouse	Catherine Morgan
Nationality	Welsh, British

A Tiger in the Zoo Summary in English

The poet has compared the activities of a tiger in the zoo with the tiger in its natural habitat. The Tiger moves slowly and quietly inside the cage in his very bright stripes. He takes a few steps in his cage on pads of’velvet quiet and humbly snarled in his quiet rage. The Tiger should be waiting somewhere secretly in the shadow, sliding through the long grass of the wild, near the water-hole in a forest for wild animal’s where the plump dear pass.

The Tiger should be showing his teeth and making angry noises around houses at the edge of the jungle showing his white fangs, his claws and terrorising the village. But now the Tiger is locked up in a concrete cell and all his strength is kept behind bars. He spends his time stalking the length of his cage and ignoring all visitors. The voice of the patrolling cars is the last voice he hears every night and that is then he stares with his brilliant eyes at the brilliant stars above.

A Tiger in the Zoo Summary Questions and Answers

1. He should he snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!

a. Who is ‘he’?
Answer:
‘He’ here refers to the tiger.

b. Where does he snarl around?
Answer:
He snarls around houses.

c. Why does he do it?
Answer:
It is his natural movement.

d. What effect does it have on the whole village?
Answer:
It has a terrorising effect on the whole village.

2. Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.

a. What is the tiger doing? Why is he ignoring the visitors?
Answer:
The tiger is moving inside his cage. He is ignoring visitors because he does not like to be confined in the cage. He would rather wander about in his natural habitat, the jungle.

3. On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.

a. Who is referred to here? Why does he express his anger quietly?
Answer:
A tiger caged in the zoo is referred to here. He expresse’s his anger quietly because he is in the confines of his cage, restricted and quite helpless and he is unable to do anything about it.

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The Merchant of Venice Act 3 Scene 5 Summary Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Act 3 Scene 5 Summary

This scene takes place in the garden of Portia’s house. The scene opens with a humorous dialogue of Launcelot for the amusement of the groundlings. Launcelot says that Jessica will be damned for her father’s sins. Jessica replies she will be saved because of the virtues of Lorenzo and also because she has converted into Christianity. Launcelot teases her by saying that the Christian community will accuse her of doing wrong to them and they would increase the price of pork.

At this time Lorenzo enters and says that he is getting jealous of Launcelot for talking so much to his wife by getting her ‘into corners’. He tells him to go inside and see that dinner is prepared.Lorenzo asks Jessica’s opinion about Portia. She praises Portia, stating that she has no one even equal to her on this earth. Lorenzo says that the same thing can be said about him. Jessica replies that they can talk about it over dinner. Lorenzo agrees that by talking about such romantic things they will be able to digest the dinner better.

The Merchant of Venice Act 3 Scene 5 Summary Word Meanings

1. laid upon – revenged upon
2. plain – honest
3. agitation – wrongly used for cogitation which means thought
4. damned – fated to go to Hell
5. enow – enough
6. rasher – slice of bacon
7. are out – quarreled
8. commonwealth – Christian community
9. wit-snapper – comedian
10. cover – using it to mean lay the table,
11. quarrelling with the occasion – disputing whether the word is suitable to the context
12. discretion – ability to distinguish words
13. army – a collection,
14. garnished – supplied with words
15. tricksy word – a word that allows a trick to be played (punning)
16. defy the matter – confuse with their meanings
17. past all expressing – beyond words
18. meet – necessary
19. upright – honorable
20. there must be something pawned – If one compares Portia with another human something should be added to the other balance to make the worth even
21. rude world – this earthly world
22. not her fellow – not her equal
23. set you forth – praise your qualities or put you in your place.

The Merchant of Venice Act 3 Scene 5 Summary Questions and Answers

1. Launcelot :
Yes, truly; for, look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children; therefore I promise you, I fear you. I was always plain with you, and so now
I speak my agitation of the matter : therefore be o’ good cheer; for, truly, I think you are damned. There is but one hope in it that can do you any good, and that is but a kind of bastard hope neither.
Jessica : And what hope is that, I pray thee ?
Launcelot : Marry, you may partly hope that your father got you not, that you are not the Jew’s daughter.
Jessica : That were a kind of bastard hope, indeed : so the sins of my mother should be visited upon me.
Launcelot : Truly then I fear you are damned both by father and mother : thus when I shun Scylla (your father) I fall into Charybdis (your mother): well, you are gone both ways.
Jessica: I shall be saved by my husband; he hath made me a Christian.

Question 1.
Who, according to the speaker, is the father here? What sins is he referring to? Who is the child?
Answer:
According to the speaker, Shylock is the father here. He sins by lending money to people with heavy interest and shows no mercy on anyone, as he is greedy for money. Jessica, the daughter of Shylock, is the child who is being talked about in the above lines.

Question 2.
Who is damned and why? What is the only hope, according to the speaker?
Answer:
Launcelot believes that Jessica is damned because she is the daughter of the cunning Shylock. Being the daughter of such a sinner, she will have to pay for her father’s sins. Though Launcelot feels that there is only one hope for Jessica and that is to hope that her father had not begot her, which is a false hope.

Question 3.
How does the person, who is ‘damned’, reacts? How can this person be saved?
Answer:
If Jessica hopes that if she was not the Jew’s daughter then she will have to be punished for the sins of her mother which means that she is doomed from both the sides i.e., from her father’s as well as from her mother’s side. Jessica says that her husband, Lorenzo, who is a Christian and has made her a Christian, will save her.

Question 4. There are four complaints against the speaker. What are they? What does Jessica say in reply?
Answer:
Seeing, both Jessica and Launcelot are talking to each other, Lorenzo points out to Launcelot that he will grow jealous of him if he’ll find him whispering to his wife in the corners. Secondly, Jessica reports to Lorenzo that Launcelot very bluntly stated that she is damned and that Lorenzo is not a good member of his community.

Lorenzo also holds Launcelot responsible for impregnating a Moorish woman. Finally, Launcelot is accused of playing with words to his advantage, twisting and turning their meanings as he desires. Jessica replies that her husband needs no suspicion as she and Launcelot have fallen out as he has flatly said that she has no place in heaven as she isn’t a Christian.

Question 5.
What humorous remarks does Launcelot say about Christian community soon after this extract?
Answer:
Launcelot says that Lorenzo is to be blamed for adding to the Christian community by adding one more Christian. They have enough of Christians and this addition will create one more pig eater, thereby increasing the price of the pigs; ultimately, the demand will be too much that there will not be a decent slice of bacon to be cooked on their fire.

2. Lorenzo :
O dear discretion, how his words are suited !
The fool hath planted in his memory
An army of good words, and I do know
A many fools, that stand in better place,
Garnish’d like him, that for a tricksy word Defy the matter.
How cheer’st thou, Jessica ?
And now, good sweet, say thy opinion;
How dost thou like the Lord Bassanio’s wife ?

Question 1.
Who is the speaker talking about? What observation does he make about him?
Answer:
The speaker is Lorenzo. He is talking about Launcelot Gobbo, the fool. Lorenzo laughs at Launcelot’s ability to use words at his discretion and fit them for his purpose. Lorenzo also says that he knows of many fools better than Launcelot (perhaps professionally) but he outruns them all.

Question 2.
What is Jessica’s opinion of Bassanio’s wife?
Answer:
Jessica feels that Portia, Bassanio’s wife, is beyond any comparison. He is blessed to have such a lady as his wife and he should now, lead an honorable life. Having her as his wife, he’ll lead a heavenly life on earth. She always draws an example by saying that if there was a heavenly match between two gods and two earthly women were on the wager, one being Portia, something else would have to be gambled for the other as there was no other woman in the world to match Portia.

Question 3.
What humorous exchange of words takes place between husband and wife at the end of the scene?
Answer:
Lorenzo says that Jessica has a husband with all the qualities of an ideal husband just as Portia has for an ideal wife, Jessica replies that she should be allowed to decide that. When Lorenzo suggests that they should talk about it over dinner, Jessica says that she’d prefer to talk about his qualities when she has the inclination to do so. Then Lorenzo says that it’ll be better if they have such pleasant conversation while eating, as no matter what she says, he’ll be able to digest it along with the other things on the table.

Question 4.
How does the scene end? What impression do you get about the relationship between the couple?
Answer:
The scene ends on a very sweet note with a romantic conversation between Jessica and Lorenzo. He claims that the way Portia is the best wife, similarly Lorenzo has no match as a husband. Jessica insists on being given the opportunity of expressing her opinion on that. Thus, continuing their love prate, they move to the dinner table. From this, we understand that the couple shares a strong bond of love and are passionate about each other. They can spend hours together in each other’s company.

Question 5.
In what way is the scene important to the play?
Answer:
The scene is a light-hearted interlude that acts as dramatic relief before the commencement of the emotionally charged court scene. The interaction between the newly married Lorenzo and Jessica provides romance and sweetness to the play. It gives the time gap for Portia’s journey to Venice. Jessica’s superlative praises enhances Portia’s character. Launcelot’s clowning and punning is to entertain the common crowd. The comedy would heighten the effect of the court scene.

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The Merchant of Venice Act 3 Scene 4 Summary Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Act 3 Scene 4 Summary

The scene is taking place in Belmont. Bassanio and Gratiano have left for Venice. We see Portia in a new light. She makes a clever plan to save Antonio. She sends a letter to her cousin and a famous lawyer, Dr Bellario. She tells her servant Balthazar to get a reply from the doctor and a lawyer’s robe.

Portia and Nerissa leave for Venice under the pretext of spending time in a monastery. She plans to disguise as Bellario the lawyer and Nerissa will be dressed as a clerk. She bets that when they are dressed as men, she’ll be the prettier of the two.

Portia describes how bravely she’ll wear her dagger and brag of manly conquests so that she’ll be taken for a boy barely one year out of school. This whole plan will be disclosed to Nerissa during their ride in the coach bound for Venrtian ferry.The disguise theme, in which women disguised as men, add the comic element to the play. The theme of friendship gets a ‘godlike amity’.

The Merchant of Venice Act 3 Scene 4 Summary Word Meanings

1. habit – dress
2. accomplished – equipped with
3. wager – bet
4. braver grace – greater air of boldness, mincing steps lady like quick steps,
5. fray – fights
6. bragging – boastful
7. quaint – imaginative
8. puny – small
9. raw – boyish
10. bragging jacks – boastful fellows
11. device – plan
12. stays – waits
13. haste away – hurry up
14. measure – travel.

The Merchant of Venice Act 3 Scene 4 Summary Questions and Answers

1. Portia :
I never did repent for doing good,
Nor shall not now : for in companions
That do converse and waste the time together.
Whose souls do bear an equal yoke of love,
There must be needs a like proportion
Of lineaments, of manners, and of spirit;
Which makes me think that this Antonio,
Being the bosom lover of my lord,
Must needs be like my lord. If it be so,
How little is the cost I have bestow’d
n purchasing the semblance of my soul.

Question 1.
To whom is Portia replying in this manner? What has that person just said to Portia?
Answer:
Portia is talking to Lorenzo in this manner. Lorenzo has just praised Portia’s decision to send Bassanio to Antonio. He says she has a good understanding of spiritual friendship. That is why she willingly bears the absence of her husband; but if she knew the person whom she has shown this kindness and honor, how good a man and a good friend of her husband, she’ll feel proud of her action. In fact, this action is more valuable than her other generous actions so far.

Question 2.
Explain the meaning of ‘companions that do converse and waste the time together’. What is meant by ‘equal yokes of love’ and ‘lineaments’?
Answer:
‘Companions that do converse and waste the time together’ means friends who spend time talking to each other. ‘Equal yokes of love’ means bound to each other like a pair of oxen and ‘lineaments’ mean characteristics.

Question 3.
What makes Portia come to the conclusion that Antonio and Bassanio are similar?
Answer:
Portia feels when two friends spend their time together and interact with each other, bearing equal respect and love for each other in their souls, there is bound to be some similarity in face, manners and disposition.

Question 4.
What does Portia tell Lorenzo about her plans in the next few days, till Bassanio returns?
Answer:
Portia tells Lorenzo that she has made a solemn vow to live in prayer and meditation, with no other attendant but Nerissa, till their husbands return. They are going to live in a monastery two miles away.

2. Portia :
I thank you for your wish, and am well pleas’d
To wish it back on you : fare you well, Jessica.
[Exeunt Jessica and Lorenzo]
Now, Balthazar,
As I have ever found thee honest-true,
So let me find thee still. Take this same letter,
And use thou all th’ endeavour of a man
In speed to Padua : see thou render this
Into my cousin’s hand, Doctor Bellario;
And look what notes and garments he doth give thee,
Bring them, I pray thee, with imagin’d speed
Unto the traject, to the common ferry
Which trades to Venice. Waste no time in words,
But get thee gone : I shall be there before thee.

Question 1.
Who is Portia talking to? What had they wished her?
Answer:
Portia is talking to Lorenzo and Jessica. Lorenzo wished Portia pleasant thoughts and happy hours. Jessica wished her the fulfillment of all the desires of her heart.

Question 2.
Who is Balthazar? What is Portia’s estimation of him?
Answer:
Balthazar is Portia’s trusted servant. Portia has always found him honest and trustworthy and she is sure that he’ll continue to be so and will do the present assignment with utmost sincerity and responsibility.

Question 3.
What job has Balthazar been entrusted with?
Answer:
Portia entrusts Balthazar with the job of taking a letter to her lawyer cousin Bellario to Padua. He has to do this fast and bring the papers and dresses given by the lawyer and reach the landing place of the ferry bound for Venice.

Question 4.
Give the meaning of ‘imagined speed’ and traject’. What reply does Balthazar give to these instructions?
Answer:
‘Imagined speed’ means quickly, with the speed that imagination takes and ‘traject’ is the landing place for the ferry. Balthazar replies that he will fulfill all the instructions as fast as possible.

Question 5.
What does Portia tell Nerissa just after this?
Answer:
Portia tells Nerissa. she has work in hand which Nerissa need not know for the present. The only thing she should know now is that they will see their husbands sooner than they think.

3. Portia :
They shall, Nerissa; but in such a habit
That they shall think we are accomplished
With that we lack. I’ll hold thee any wager,
When we are both acoutered like young men,
I’ll prove the prettierfellow of the two,
And wear my dagger with the braver grace,
And speak between the change of man and boy
With a reed voice, and. turn two mincing steps
Into a manly stride, and speak of frays
Like a fine bragging youth

Question 1.
To what question of Nerissa, does Portia give this reply? Who are the ’they’ mentioned? Where are ‘they’?
Answer:
When Portia tells Nerissa that they will see their husbands before they get time to think of them, Nerissa asks her whether they’ll be able to see them, before time. To this question, Portia says, they will. ‘They’ mentioned here are Bassanio and Gratiano. They have gone to Belmont.

Question 2.
Explain ‘but in such a habit that they shall think we are accomplished with what we lack’.
Answer:
Portia says that their husbands will see them in such a dress that they will think they are equipped with qualities of men which they actually lack.

Question 3.
For what does the speaker laid a bet with Nerissa? How does the speaker intend to behave to justify their disguise?
Answer:
Portia bets that being dressed as a man, she would be the smarter of the two (Portia and Nerissa). She claims that she would wear her dagger more gracefully and would speak like a man. She would convert her lady like steps into manly strides. For her to brag and lie like a youth would be easy and she would claim to have caused many women to faint at the sight of this youth. She would very easily learn a thousand tricks of these boasting fellows.

Question 4.
What lies will Portia say to make people think that he is only twelve months out of his school? What else does she have in her mind?
Answer:
Portia will tell lies like how noble ladies sought his love but being rejected fell sick and died. Then she would wish she had not done that and  regret her behaviour. She has thousand raw plans in her mind, which brew in the minds of boastful school boys.

Question 5.
What question does Nerissa ask thereafter? What reply does she get?
Answer:
Nerissa is confused so she asks Portia whether they are going to dress as men? Portia pretends to think that Nerissa means ‘take men for lovers’ so she ridicules Nerissa for asking such a question. She further says that someone with a dirty mind would feel that they are ready to fall into the arms of men. She then assures Nerissa that she will disclose her entire plan to Nerissa on their way to Venice.