Prasanna

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The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 9 Summary Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 9 Summary

The second of the Casket scene reveals Prince Arragon making the choice. The rituals of the selection start. Portia tells about the rules of the game. The Prince quickly rejects the lead casket. It is not worthy or beautiful enough to risk everything. He rejects the gold one also, as choosing what many desire will put him at the same level as the common ones, He, finally chooses the silver casket as the inscription appeals to him.

He does not like to get anything without deserving, and the inscription on the casket says, ’Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.’ He is sure that he’s full of merit, and therefore deserves the prize of Portia’s hand. When he opens the casket, much to his horror, he finds a portrait of a blinking idiot. He reads the message, which says. ‘There be fools alive, iwis’ silver’d over, and so was this. ‘He then departs with his followers. Portia is happy. She tells Nerissa that even fools choose deliberately, thinking that they are wise in their decision; but their deliberate decision finally defeats them.

After the departure of Arragon, a messenger comes to inform them that a handsome Venetian young man has arrived with rich gifts to her. Portia, weary of all unsuccessful suitors, thinks of Bassanio. She is eager to see the newcomer because he appears to be decent. Nerissa wishes the young man turns out to be Bassanio. The servants comment, ‘A day in April never came so sweet to show how costly summer was at hand’, anticipates the fulfillment of Nerissa’s wish.

The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 9 Summary Word Meanings

1. straight – at once
2. election – choice
3. contain’d – enclosed
4. nuptial rites – marriage ceremony
5. solemniz’d – performed, enjoin’d bound,
6. unfold – disclose
7. injunctions – conditions
8. hazard – gamble
9. fool multitude – foolish commoners
10. fond – foolish
11. pries not th’ interior – does not look more cautiously into the deeper meaning
12. martlet – house martin that foolishly build nest in open air.
13. casualty – danger
14. cozen – untrustworthy
15. wearer – who have the merits
16. stand bare – with head uncovered
17. peasantry – commoners
18. gleaned – separated
19. seeds – sons
20. chaff – unwanted
21. new varnish’d – newrly painted
22. deserts – deserving
23. choose amiss – choose wTong
24. shadows kiss – embrace illusions
25. linger – remain
26. wroth – misfortune
27. sing’d – burnt
28. deliberate – think but make wrong decisions
29. wiving- getting a wife
30. alighted – dismounted
31. signify – announce
32. regrets – greetings
33. schedule – scroll
34. offices – functions
35. commends – compliments
36. breath – words
37. likely – pleasing in appearance
38. high day-wit – holiday humour
39. anon – presently
40. Cupid – god of Love
41. mannerly – courteous.

The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 9 Summary Questions and Answers

1. Portia:
Behold, there stand the caskets, noble prince :
If you choose that wherein I am contain’d
Straight shall our nuptial rites be solemniz’d;
But if you fail, without more speech, my lord,
You must be gone from hence immediately.

Prince of Arragon :

I am enjoin’d by oath to observe three things :
First, never to unfold to any one
Which casket ’tivas I chose; next, if I fail
Of the right casket, never in my life
To woo a maid in way of marriage; lastly
If I do fail in fortune of my choice
Immediately to leave you and be gone

Question 1.
Who is the noble Prince? Explain ‘Wherein I’m contained’.
Answer:
The noble prince is Prince of Arragon, a pompous suitor of Portia. Portia says that if he chooses the casket in which her portrait is contained, he will be able to marry her.

Question 2.
What are nuptial rites? What will happen, if he doesn’t choose the right casket?
Answer:
Nuptial rites are ceremonies of marriage. If he doesn’t choose the right casket, he will have to leave without saying anything.

Question 3.
What three things does he have to observe?
Answer:
As per the conditions of the will, he has to observe three things. He should not reveal to anyone which casket he had chosen. If he fails, he should not woo a maid ever in his life. And he should leave immediately.

Question 4.
Later on, which casket does he choose and why?
Answer:
Prince of Arragon chose the silver casket as the inscription on it says, ‘Who chooseth me shall get what many men desire’. He feels that there is no one in the world who deserves Portia as he does, because he doesn’t choose anything that he doesn’t deserve. Clear honour is purchased by the merit of the wearer.

Question 5.
What does the person find in the chosen casket?
Answer:
The person finds the portrait of a blinking idiot. The scroll along with it says that perfect judgement, that never makes mistakes, is tested seven times. Some embrace the illusion of happiness. Foolishness of some people is concealed by their silvery hair, just like what is inside the casket is concealed by the silver casket.

2. Prince of Arragon :
Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath’.
You shall look fairer, ere I give or hazard.
What says the golden chest ? ha ! let me see :
Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire’.
What many men desire ! that ‘many’ may be meant
By the fool multitude, that choose by show.
Not learning more than the fond eye doth teach,
Which pries not to th ’ interior, but, like the martlet,
Builds in the weather on the outward wall,
Even in the force and road of casualty.
I will not choose what many men desire,
Because I will not jump with common spirits
And rank me with the barbarous multitudes.

Question 1.
The inscription given in the extract is etched on which casket? What does the speaker take the ‘many’ for? What does it reveal about his character?
Answer:
This inscription is found on the gold casket. The speaker takes the ‘many’ for common multitude. This shows that he is arrogant and considers himself above the others because of his noble birth and status.

Question 2.
Explain the reference to the Martlet.
Answer:
Martlet is the common house-bird that builds its nest in open areas, foolishly inviting the onslaught of nature. Here, Arragon means, in the same way, people who choose gold are falling for its outward show, without deeply understanding that all that glitters is not gold. It later on invites trouble.

Question 3.
Give the meaning of ‘rank me with the barbarous multitudes’.
Answer:
Arragon is not prepared to take the position of common people by choosing what many men desire.

Question 4.
To which casket does he go now? Who had earlier chosen the gold casket? According to Shakespeare what does gold stand for?
Answer:
Arragon goes to the silver casket. Prince of Morocco had earlier chosen gold casket. According to Shakespeare, gold symbolizes wealth and sensory beauty, which are temporary or transient. This shows that there is a difference between appearance and reality.

Question 5.
What does silver stand for? What theme does this scene depict?
Answer:
Silver stands for self-deception, vanity and conceit. The theme of the difference between appearance and reality is implied in this also. The folly of men who are victims of pride think they are logical in approach but are deceived by their own arrogance.

3. Arragon :
How many then should cover that stand bare !
How many be commanded that command!
How much low peasantry would then be glean’d
From the true seed of honour ! and how much honour .
Pick’d from the chaff and ruin of the times
To be new varnish’d! Well, but to my choice :
Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves
I will assume desert.

Question 1.
In which context does the prince speak these words?
Answer:
Prince of Arragon is shown the three caskets. He is impressed by the Silver one, as the inscription says that whoever chooses it shall get what he deserves. Due to his arrogance, he feels that he is the most deserving as he is full of merit by way of rank and position. He is comparing himself with the less deserving ones who really do not realize their lowest positions.

Question 2.
What did he say about merit?
Answer:
Prince of Arragon says that people should not try to cheat fortune and win something without merit. No man should wear the garb of dignity, which he does not deserve.

Question 3.
Who should cover? What does it mean?
Answer:
According to Prince of Arragon there are many who should actually cover their heads with their hats when in front of people of higher ranks, but they don’t do so. There are many who give orders without realizing that they are the ones who should obey them. It means that these people do not realize that they don’t deserve honor as they are not of noble family nor do they have merit.

Question 4.
What’s the meaning of low peasantry gleaned and ‘the chaff and the ruins of times’?
Answer:
Prince of Arragon means low ranking or common people by the peasantry. There are many such people who should be separated from the ranks of the truly honorable. True honor should be recovered from the unworthy rubbish of society so that they shine in their original brilliance.

Question 5.
What does the speaker think of himself in this scene? What does he realize at the end of the choice?
Answer:
The speaker thinks that he is above others in a position and qualities. He thinks he is wise and most deserving of all. He realizes what a foolish choice he has made. He gets the head of a fool for all his ‘wise’ deliberations.

4. Prince of Arragon :
What’s here ? the portrait of a blinking idiot,
Presenting me a schedule ! I will read it.
How much unlike art thou to Portia !
How much unlike my hopes and my deservings !
‘Who chooseth me shall have as much as he deserves ’.
Did I deserve no more than a fool’s head ?
Is that my prize ? are my deserts no better ?

Question 1.
Whose portrait was the speaker expecting? What does he get instead? What does it mean?
Answer:
The speaker was expecting the Portrait of Portia but instead there was one of a blinking idiot. It stands for the foolish decision made by the chooser.

Question 2.
What’s meant by schedule? What is written about that?
Answer:
The schedule is the scroll with its message. It is written that silver is tested seven times by the fire. Just like this, judgment has to be thought over seven times. Some give importance to shadows, and they get shadowy happiness. There are fools whose foolishness is hidden under silvery hair. It also mocks at the chooser by saying that no matter what wife he takes, his head will always be the fool’s head. He is asked to leave at once as his venture is over.

Question 3.
Earlier what does the speaker say about the reasons why he chose the silver casket?
Answer:
The speaker says that he chooses the silver casket as the inscription on it says that he’ll get what he deserves. He feels that those who choose on the basis of fortune don’t deserve the prize. Pure honor is attained only by deserving men like him.

Question 4.
What does the servant convey to the ladies at the end of the scene?
Answer:
The servant tells the ladies that a young Venetian has just arrived, who is actually a messenger to his lord from whom he brings worthy gifts and greetings. He has never seen such a messenger of love. A day in April never came so sweet to show how gorgeous the summer will be.

Question 5.
How do the ladies react to this information?
Answer:
Portia tells the servant to say no more as she is afraid, he is some relative of his, since he spends the fullest force of his intelligence and emotion in his praise. She tells Nerissa to go with her to meet this swift messenger of Cupid who has arrived in such a fine manner. Nerissa hopes it is Bassanio who has come like The God of Love.

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Amanda Summary in English by Robin Klein

Amanda by Robin Klein About the Poet

Robin Mc Maugh Klein is an Australian author of books for children. She writes Children’s and young adult fiction. Some of her famous books are Hating Alison Ashley, People might hear you, etc.

Poet Name	Robin Klein
Born	28 February 1936 (age 84 years), Kempsey, Australia
Genre	Children’s and young adult fiction
Movies and TV Shows	Hating Alison Ashley, Say a Little Prayer, Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left
Awards	Dromkeen Medal, Grammy Award for Best Music Film

Amanda Summary in English

Amanda’s mother tells Amanda in a very strict voice not to bite her nails. Then she tells Amanda not to slouch her shoulder’s. Instead she wants Amanda to sit up with her back straightened. Amanda withdraws from her real life to an imaginaty world. She imagines that there is a beautiful green sea, in which only she lives and there is nobody there to bother her Moreover, she is no longer a human being, but has taken the form of a mermaid, and is drifting along in a relaxed fashion within that sea.

Amanda’s mother asks Amanda whether she has completed the homework. She further asks Amanda whether she has cleaned up her own room. Finally, she asks Amanda whether she has cleaned her shoes or not. Amanda withdraws into again an imaginary world. She imagines that she is an orphan and is romancing around on the street bare feet. She designs in the soft dust with her bare feet thus making them dirtier. She cherishes the silence and the freedom.

Amanda’s mother forbids her to have any chocolate for they might cause her to develop acne on her face. She commands her to look at her when she is talking to her. Amanda withdraws into her fantasy world and imagines herself to be Rapunzel. She imagines that she is perfectly happy to live alone in the tower, for she has nothing to worry about. In fact, she is so happy with her life that she will never let down her hair in an attempt to escape from the tower.

Amanda’s mother tells her to stop sulking. She also accuses her daughter of having mood swings very frequently. Finally, she tells Amanda that anyone who saw her would think that her mother has been nagging at her.

(The poem depicts the dilemma of a teenage girl when she feels that her freedom is curtailed.)

Amanda Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow’s by choosing the most appropriate options.

Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!

a. The speaker in the above lines is ……………….
(i) Amanda’s n-eighbour
(ii) Amanda’s friend
(iii) Amanda’s mother
(iv) Amanda’s physician
Answer:
(iii) Amanda’s mother

b. She is advised not to eat the chocolate because eating of chocolate ……………….
(i) causes skin problems
(ii) spoils the habits
(iii) is not good for children
(iv) is a very costly habit
Answer:
(i) causes skin problems

c. The person addressed here is listening to the advice ……………….
(i) inattentively
(ii) angrily
(iii) attentively
(iv) indifferently
Answer:
(iv) indifferently

Question 2.
Who is Amanda? What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
Answer:
If Amanda were a mermaid she could drift in the sea. It shows her desire to get away from the restrictions of her mother.

Question 3.
(I am an orphan, roaming the street ….)
Who is ‘I’? Is she an orphan? Why does she say so?
Answer:
‘I’ here refers to Amanda. No, she is not an orphan. She imagines to be an orphan as she feels her freedom is curtailed in her present position. By imagining herself as an orphan she can do whatever she wants to do.

Question 4.
‘The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet’
Why does Amanda say so?
Answer:
Amanda is a child and she does not like several restrictions put on her by her mother.
Therefore, she wants solitude and. freedom.

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The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scene 3 Summary Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scene 3 Summary

Again, the scene shifts to a public place in Venice. The audience is brought back to the world of business and hard talk. Shylock, one of the most complex characters in English Literature, is introduced here. The scene completes the exposition that started with the bond story when Antonio agrees to Shylock’s demand of a pound of flesh.
Bassanio meets Shylock and asks for a loan of three thousand ducats on Antonio’s credit.

Shylock considers that since Antonio’s riches Eire at the mercy of the sea, he’s ‘a good man’ and if fortune wills, he can make some money. When Bassanio invites him to dine with Antonio, Shylock refuses as it’s his principle not to dine with Christians. Antonio makes his appearance and at the very sight of the merchant Shylock is filled with loath.

Antonio has always criticized him for taking interest on the money lent. Many a time Antonio has insulted the Jew, spat on him and called him a dog. Shylock considers it as a good opportunity to take his revenge against the Christians.

So he says, he wants Antonio’s friendship and will advance the money without interest. But he wants to make the transaction a merry sport’ and a penalty clause is to be inserted by way of a bond. If Antonio is unable to repay the borrowed money, Shylock would cut a pound of flesh from any part of his body. Bassanio is worried about Shylock’s intentions, but Antonio expresses his happiness as the usurer is turning into a Christian. Antonio is confident that his ship’s cargo will be sold by that time, and he will be able to settle the debt.

The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scene 3 Summary Word Meanings

1. ducats – Venetian gold coins
2. be bound – will stand as guarantee
3. stead – supply
4. imputation – allegation
5. in supposition – at risk
6. argosy – merchant ship
7. Rialto – Venetian Stock Exchange
8. squandered – scattered lavishly
9. bethink – think it over
10. fawning – servile
11. publican – tax collector
12. gratis – free of interest
13. sacred nation – Jewish tribe
14. rails – abuses
15. congregate – gather
16. bargains – business deals
17. debating – calculating
18. present store – ready money
19. gross – full amount
20. Hebrew – Jew
21. furnish – supply
22. albeit – although
23. excess – interest
24. ripe – pressing
25. wrought – schemed
26. third possessor – third in line of possession
27. compromis’d – agreed
28. eanlings – new born lambs
29. streak’d and pied – with fleeces of two colours
30. thrive – succeed
31. thrift – profit
32. swayed and fashioned – controlled and shaped
33. holy witness – biblical arguments
34. goodly – pleasant
35. beholding – indebted
36. rated – abused
37. usances – money deals
38. sufferance – long suffering
39. badge – characteristic
40. gabardine – loose cloak
41. void your rheum – spit
42. cur – stray dog
43. bondman’s key – like a bond man in the tone of a slave
44. bated breath – holding breath in a suppressed manner
45. spum’d – rejected
46. exact – take
47. doit – interest
48. notary – lawyer for drawing up contracts
49. nominated – named
50. forfeiture – penalty
51. adieu – good-bye
52. merry bond – a pleasant joke
53. unthrifty knave – irresponsible servant
54. dismay – reason for anxiety.

The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scene 3 Summary Questions and Answers

1. Bassanio: Be assured you may.
Shylock: I will be assured I may; and, that I may be assured, I will be think me.
May I speak with Antonio?
Bassanio: If it please you to dine with us.
Shylock: Yes, to smell pork; to eat of the habitation which your prophet the Nazarite conjured the devil into. I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. What news on the Rialto? Who is he comes here?

Question 1.
Where is Shylock and Bassanio at this time? What is the purpose of their meeting?
Answer:
The characters are in a public place in Venice. Bassanio has come to ask Shylock whether he will lend three thousand ducats for which Antonio will stand as security, or not.

Question 2.
Why does Bassanio say, use assured you may?” What has Shylock said earlier about Antonio’s ventures?
Answer:
Bassanio approaches Shylock to lend him three thousand ducats, for which Antonio will stand as a surety. Shylock says that since Antonio’s merchandise is in various ships, and anything may happen to the ships, Shylock is hesitant, and Bassanio assures him that he can take the bond from Antonio; he won’t stand to lose.

Question 3.
Why is Shylock invited to dinner? Why was the invitation not accepted?
Answer:
Shylock is invited for dinner to meet Antonio who will stand as a credit for the loan taken. The invitation was not accepted as it is the Jew’s principle, to not to dine with the Christians. They eat pork which is forbidden for Jews.

Question 4.
Explain the reference to Nazarite.
Answer:
Jesus of Nazarite released the devils from a possessed man to inhabit the bodies of a herd of pigs.

Question 5.
What all Shylock would not do with Christians? What is the one thing he would do? To whom does the last line refer to?
Answer:
Shylock would not eat, drink or pray with a Christian but he could talk with them, walk with them and do business with them. The last line of the extract refers to Antonio who has come to meet them.

Question 6.
What does Shylock say ‘aside’ about Antonio when he enters the scene?
Answer:
Shylock hates Antonio and says in an aside that he looks like a fawning tax-collector. He hates him because he is a Christian and also because he foolishly lends money without interest thereby affecting the business of others in Venice. He will get a chance to catch hold of Antonio, if he fails to pay the borrowed money in time.

Question 7.
Explain:
(a) Rialto
(b) Conjured
(c) habitation
Answer:
(a) Rialto is the market place or stock exchange of Venice.
(b) Conjured up refers to the incident in which Jesus of Nazarite, by magic, transferred the devil from the body of the possessed person, into the body of pigs.
(c) Habitation refers to the body of the pig, the home of the devil. He says he’ll not eat pork or pig as Jews consider it as a sin.

2. Antonio :
This was a venture, sir, that Jacob serv’d for;
A thing not in his power to bring to pass,
But sway’d and fashion’d by the hand of heaven.
Was this inserted to make interest good ?
Or is your gold and silver ewes and rams ?

Question 1.
What makes Antonio refer to Jacob?
Answer:
Shylock citesa biblical story of Jacob and Uncle Leban to prove that there is nothing wrong in charging an interest. In response to this, Antonio refers to Jacob in order to prove that he became prosperous not because he had the power to arrange the birth of streaked and spotted lambs but because of God’s will who decided and directed the whole thing.

Question 2.
Which story form the Bible is being referred by Shylock? Why does he do that?
Answer:
Shylock narrates a biblical story, which says that when Jacob the prophet went to look after the sheep of his uncle Leban, an agreement was made between the two. It was decided that Jacob would receive all the lambs born with spots and stripes. During breeding season, Jacob placed wooden rods on the ground, so that their shadows would fall on the sheep. Almost all the lambs were born with spots and stripes and Jacob profited by his trick. He did this in order to justify his practice of charging interest.

Question 3.
According to the extract, what was swayed and fashioned by the hand of heaven?
Answer:
According to the extract, the birth of lambs with spots and stripes was swayed (controlled) and fashioned (shaped) by the will of God.

Question 4.
With what are ewes and rams compared? What is the tone of Antonio, when he refers to them?
Answer:
The ewes and rams are compared to gold and silver coins. Antonio is sarcastic when he asks whether Shylock mentioned the ewes and rams to justify his taking an interest. Did he expect the coins to multiply like the animals.

Question 5.
What does Antonio tell about Shylock, when he talks to Bassanio, just after this extract?
Answer:
Antonio calls Shylock a devil and says that the villain can quote scriptures to justify his evil purpose. A bad man producing holy arguments is like a villain with a smiling face. He is like a fine looking apple, all rotten inside. Falsehood does have a fine appearance.

3. Shylock :
Signior Antonio, many a time and oft
In the Rialto you have rated me
About my moneys and my usancess:
Still have I borne it with a patient shrug,
For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe.
You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine.
And all for use of that which is mine own.

Question 1.
Bring out the meaning of the extract.
Answer:
When Antonio asks whether, Shylock would oblige him with three thousand ducats, Shylock gets an opportunity to vent out his feelings. He says that Antonio had abused him in Rialto about his money and his money-lending practices. He had endured the insults patiently as endurance is the characteristic of his race. Antonio had called him a non-believer, murderous dog, spat on his cloak, all because he used his money to advantage. Well, now it appears that Antonio is in need of the same money which he had made fun of.

Question 2.
What’s the significance of the reference to ‘our tribe’?
Answer:
‘Our tribe’ is with reference to the Jews, whom the Christians hated. Shakespeare here refers to the racial prejudice that has been existed for years. Christians considered them as non-believers, cut-throats, and uncultured lot.

Question 3.
Apart from the instances mentioned in the extract, what other acts of insult had Antonio shown to Shylock?
Answer:
Apart from the insults mentioned in the extract, Shylock says that, Antonio had spat on his beard, and kicked him as he would kick a stray dog.

Question 4.
How does Antonio reply to this speech of Shylock? What kindness does Shylock offer a little later? Do you think this is kindness? Give your reason.
Answer:
Antonio again calls Shylock a dog, spit on him and push him aside. It is a business transaction they are doing and Shylock should lend the money as to an enemy because a friend would never expect profit when he lends money.

As an enemy, Shylock can claim penalty from him if he fails to repay. Shylock, offers to show kindness by not taking any interest. I don’t think it’s kindness as he has the ulterior motive of killing Antonio by taking his flesh.

Question 5.
Whom does Shylock asks Antonio to meet and why?
Answer:
Shylock asks Antonio to meet the lawyer and put his signature on the bond drawn between them that he’ll not take any interest in the form of money as an act of kindness.

4. Antonio :
I am as like to call thee so again,
To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too.
If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not
As to thy friends, for when did friendship take
A breed for barren metal of his friend?
But lend it rather to thine enemy;
Who if he break, thou may’st with better face
Exact the penalty.

Question 1.
Whom is Antonio addressing to? What is the occasion ?
Answer:
Antonio is addressing Shylock. When Antonio asked Shylock for a loan of three thousand ducats for his friend, Shylock reminded him how he had been insulting him in private and public for his usury. Antonio told him that he would always behave with him in that manner irrespective of whether he gives a loan or not.

Question 2.
Why does Antonio say ‘to spit on thee again’?
Answer:
Antonio says this because of his communal prejudice and personal hatred for Shylock; he would continue his negative attitude towards him.

Question 3.
Explain :
(a) A breed for barren metal
(b) If he breaks
Answer:
(a) A breed of barren metal’ implies interest on a loan of money. Money is regarded to be barren since it cannot breed like Laban’s sheep and cattle.
(b) ‘If he breaks’ means that if he fails to pay back his loans.

Question 4.
Do you think Antonio himself is guilty of hardening the attitude of the person he is addressing? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Antonio, to a large extent is guilty of hardening the attitude of Shylock. Firstly, he says that he would continue insulting the Jew. Secondly, he urges him to advance this loan to an enemy, not to a friend. Thirdly, it was he who suggested that if he failed to repay the loan, Shylock was free to impose any penalty on him.

Question 5.
What penalty does the other person propose?
Answer:
Shylock proposed to sign a bond according to which he would be entitled to a pound of Antonio’s flesh if he failed to pay back the money on time.

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Animal Farm Chapter 1 Summary

Soon after the meeting, something unusual happened at Manor Farm. Old Major died peacefully in his sleep, three days after the meeting took place. The animals buried him in the farm’s orchard. In the three months that followed, the most intelligent of the animals began meeting regularly. Even though they didn’t know when the Rebellion would happen, yet, they organized for it. The work of organizing and teaching fell upon the pigs, who were considered to be the cleverest of all animals.

The two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, took the responsibility upon themselves. Snowball was a vivacious pig, whereas Napoleon was a large, rather fierce pig who was not much of a talker. Another pig named Squealer, joined Napoleon and Snowball, as he was well known for his powers of speech and persuasion. The three pigs worked together to formalize old Major’s ideas into a system of ideas called ‘Animalism’. They held several secret meetings to expound the principles of Animalism to others.

The pigs faced difficulty to convince other animals about the need for Rebellion. Some wondered why they should work for the Rebellion that might not happen in their lifetimes. Among them was Moses, the raven, who promised them that they would go to a land of plenty called ‘Sugarcandy Mountain’, when they died. Boxer and Clover proved helpful in winning the animals over to the cause because the animals believed the horses to be trustworthy.

Soon the animals got the opportunity to rebel against Mr. Jones who had lately fallen into evil ways. He lost a lawsuit and therefore, continued to neglect the farm and drank too much. His men were dishonest who also neglected the farm and, thus the farm kept deteriorating and the animals were kept underfed.

One Saturday night, Mr. Jones got drunk in the Red Lion and forgot to feed the animals. The cows broke in the door of the storage shed and, thus all animals helped themselves to food. When Mr Jones tried to stop and whip the animals, they fought back. Jones, his family, and his men ran out of the farm.

The animals, seeing what they had accomplished and realizing that they were free, destroyed the farmer’s tools and the symbols of their bondage, such as bits, nose rings, and halters. They burned everything that reminded them of their oppressor. After that, they all sang ‘Beasts of England’ seven times before they could go to sleep.

The next morning the animals hurled themselves into the air with leaps of excitement and gazed around in the morning light. They all agreed on the point that no animal must ever live there. In the meantime, the pigs had taught themselves to read and write and renamed Manor Farm as Animal Farm.

On the bam wall they wrote the basic tenets of Animalism as Seven Commandments :

• Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
• Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
• No animal shall wear clothes.
• No animal shall sleep in a bed.
• No animal shall drink alcohol.
• No animal shall kill any other animal.
• All animals are equal.

All animals agreed to them. just before the animals moved out to the hayfield to harvest, they realized that the cows needed milking, so the pigs decided to do the job. When the animals wondered about what would be done with the buckets of milk, Napoleon told them not to worry. Soon after when the animals returned from the hayfield, they noticed that the milk in the buckets had disappeared.

Animal Farm Chapter 1 Summary Word Meanings:

1. Dissentient – Refusing to attend service of the church in England
2. Resolution – A decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner
3. Tyrant – A cruel and oppressive dictator
4. Tyranny – Government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator
5. Tread – Put down or press the foot, place the foot
6. Rebellion – Organized opposition to authority
7. Tidings – Information about recent and important events
8. Knacker – Someone who buys up old horse for slaughter
9. Cynical – Believing the worst of human nature and motives
10. Majestic – Having or displaying great dignity or nobility
11. Lurch – Walk as if unable to control one’s movements
12. Confinement – The state of being enclosed

Animal Farm Chapter 1 Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
” your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that man and the animals have a common interest we must not come to resemble him No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade.”
(i) Who is the speaker of the above lines? Where is the speaker at this moment and why?
(ii) Name the animals who attended the meeting.
(iii) How does the rebellion finally happen?
(iv) According to the speaker, how are animals different from men?
(v) What are the Seven Commandments of the Animal Farm?
Answer:
(i) The above lines were spoken by the Old Major, a boar. The speaker was at the big barn when he spoke these lines. He was standing on a raised platform. He was addressing a gathering of animals and was telling them the ill ways of man and about his dream.

(ii) All the animals of the farm had gathered for the meeting. The pigs- Snowball, Napoleon etc., Boxer the horse, Clover the mare, Muriel the goat, Benjamin the donkey. Only Moses the raven was absent from the meeting.

(iii) Major had incited all the animals that the rebellion must happen. The drunkard owner of the farm, Mr Jones, forgot to feed the animals one day. Overtaken by starvation and years of exploitation, the animals broke through their stalls. They then chased away Jones and his men.

(iv) According to Old Major, man was very different from the animals. The animals produced their own food and were hardworking. However, the man was selfish and he exploited the animals to get food and other things.

(v) The Seven Commandments of the Animal Farm were :

• Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
• Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
• No animal shall wear clothes.
• No animal shall sleep in bed.
• No animal shall drink alcohol.
• No animal shall kill an other animal.
• All animals are equal.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
‘Comardes’, he said,’here is a point that must be settled.’
The wild creatures, such as rats and rabbits- are they our friends or our enemies?
Let us put it to the vote. I propose this question to the meeting: “Are rats comrades ?”
(i) Name the speaker. What makes the speaker say the above words?
(ii) What is done immediately after this extract? What is found out?
(iii) What advice does the speaker give to the comrades?
(iv) The speaker talks about his dream later. What does he say about his dream?
(v) What is the effect of the song that is sung later? How do the comrades sing the song? How is the song interrupted?
Answer:
(i) The speaker of these lines is the Old Major, a prize-winning boar. The gathering was disturbed by the entry of the rats. The cats and dogs did not like them and they were a threat to the farm. However, the Old Major thought that all animals were equal in the rebellion and they had just one enemy and that was man.

(ii) Immediately after this, a vote was taken to ascertain whether the animals should consider rats as comrades or not. There was an overwhelming majority to support this. Only the dogs had opposed the motion while the cats had voted on both sides.

(iii) Old Major told the animals that they had only one common enemy and that was man. He advised them not to follow his ways ever in their lives. Instead, they should remain hostile to him and all animals must rebel against his tyranny.

(iv) Old Major talked about the dream that he had the previous night. In his dream, all men had vanished from Earth. It also reminded him of a song, “Beasts of England”, that he had long forgotten. The song was sung by his mother and other sons.

(v) The Old Major started singing a song, “Beasts of England”. Everybody picked up the tune and the lyrics of the song sooner or later. The song threw them into the wildest excitement. Even the stupidest of them were singing it. The uproar awoke Mr Jones and he, fearing that a fox had entered the farm, fired his gun. The bang of the gun scared all the animals and they ran to their respective sheds.

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tiding Of the golden future time.
(i) Who sings these lines and why?
(ii) What is the significance of these lines?
(iii) Is the Old Major responsible for Rebellion?
(iv) Explain how does the Rebellion come about?
(v) What happens after the Rebellion is over?
Answer:
(i) These lines constitute the first verse of the song that Old Major hears in his dream, and which he teaches to the rest of the animals during the fateful meeting in the barn. All the animals sing these lines at the end of the meeting called by Old Major.

(ii) As it spreads rapidly across the other farms, the song gives the beasts both courage and solace on many occasions. The lofty optimism of the words “golden future time,” which appear in the last verse as well, serves to keep the animals focused on the Rebellion’s goals so that they will ignore the suffering along the way.

(iii) Yes, the Old Major is responsible for the Rebellion. It’s he who sows the seed of Rebellion in the minds of the animals. Even though he dies after a few nights after planting the ideas but he’s the one who brings about a revolution on the Animal Farm.

(iv) After the death of Old Major, Napoleon and Snowball, the more intelligent of the animals, developed Major’s ideas into a complete system of thought-Animalism. They went about instigating the other animals with those principles. Soon they got an opportunity to put them to use and when Jones started neglecting the animals they openly attacked him and his men which led to the expulsion of Jones from Animal Farm.

(v) After the Rebellion is over and Napoleon acquires control over the farm, The song’s revolutionary nature becomes dangerous. Squealer discourages animals from singing it, noting that the song was the song of the Rebellion. Now that the Rebellion is over and a new regime has gained power, Squealer fears the power of such idealistic, future-directed lyrics. Wanting to discourage the animals’ capacities for hope and vision, he orders Minimus to write a replacement for “Beasts of England” that praises Napoleon and emphasizes loyalty to the state.

Question 4.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
“All men are enemies. All animals arficomrades. Whatever goes upon two legs in an enemy”.
(i) Who is the speaker of these lines? To whom are these lines addressed?
(ii) What are the reasons for these lines to be said?
(iii) What are the basic values which the speaker of these lines dreams about?
(iv) What does he warn the listeners about?
(v) Do you think the listeners are able to achieve the dreams and aspirations of the speaker?
Answer:
(i) The speaker of these lines is Old Major. These lines are addressed to all the animals who are present in the meeting called by Old Major.

(ii) The reason he says all these lines to the animals is, because he had dreamt of a world where all the animals are free and liberated. He calls a meeting to convey his message to all the animals on the farm.

(iii) The basic values that the Old Major dreams about are

• a world in which all the animals are free and equal,
• where they don’t have to serve any human beings and
• lead a life free of misery and slavery.

(iv) The Old Major warns his listeners about Man, a species which consumes without producing. He informs the animals that all habits of “Man” are evil. He is selfish and can never treat animals equally so they should stay away from Man as far as possible.

(v) The listeners are able to gain independence and freedom for a short period of time till some other animals i.e., pigs gain ascendancy and leadership and started ruling over the other animals.

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The Ball Poem Summary in English by John Berryman

The Ball Poem by John Berryman About the Poet

John Berryman (1914-1972) was an American poet and scholar. He is best known for the Dream Songs (1969) which was a sequence of 385 poems. He won Pulitzer Prize for the dream songs. He also won the National book award.

Poet Name	John Berryman
Born	25 October 1914, McAlester, Oklahoma, United States
Died	7 January 1972, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Education	Columbia University (1936), Columbia College
Awards	Bollingen Prize, National Book Award for Poetry

The Ball Poem Summary in English

This poem is about losing something that you love, and learning to grow up.

A little boy, who for the first time in his life, is learning what it is like to experience grief at the loss of a much beloved possession his ball. To us, the loss of a ball is of minor consequence, and our reaction to it is to say ‘Oithere are other balls’. But to a little boy, this is not so. A dime, another ball, is worthless. Money is external, it cannot buy back our love, nor replace the things that we love: the thing’s that really matter.

In this poem, the boy’s ball personifies his young days and happy innocence. In this world, people will take balls just as they will take away our innocence and force us to grow up. And once we lose this innocence, we can never get it back. Balls will be lost always, little boy, and no one buys a ball back.

This poem goes to show how, all throughout your life, you will be forced to do things that you don’t want to do; and you will lose or have to give up the things that you love. But, despite this, you have to learn to stand up – to be strong and get on with your life no matter how much it hurts inside. Because that is the only way you will survive; you have to learn to accept and let go and not cling onto something that you can never have.

The Ball Poem Summary Questions and Answers

1. What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over – there it is in the water!

a. What is the boy doing?
Answer:
The boy is playing with the ball joyfully.

b. What has happened to the ball?
Answer:
The ball has fallen down into water.

c. What is the state of boy’s mind?
Answer:
The boy feels sad and helpless. He has lost his priceless possession.

Question 2.
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
What do the words in inverted commas mean? Why does the poet think that it is useless to give this suggestion to the boy?
Answer:
The word’s in the inverted commas try to suggest that the loss of the ball is not that significant. The poet thinks that it is useless to give this suggestion to the boy as the boy has lost his priceless possession.

Question 3.
’An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy’
Who is the boy? What is his state of mind? Why is he in such a state of mind?
Answer:
The boy is playing with the ball. He is in the state of grief, sadness and disappointment. His ball has fallen down into the water which can’t be retrieved. could confide. She also believes that a paper to have more patience than people, so she decided to write and confide in a diary.

Question 4.
What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
Answer:
Anne justified her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr. Keesing. On three occasions, as punishment, he gave her topics to write essays on. However, on each occasion he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments. Finally, Mr. Keesing accepted the fact that Anne would always be that way. Hence, she was allowed to talk in class.

Question 5.
How did Anne finally stop Mr. Keesing from punishing her? Explain.
Answer:
Anne was assigned to write an essay for talking in the class. Her friend helped her to write the essay from beginning to end in verse. She believed Mr. Keesing was trying to play a joke on her but she would make the joke was on him.

She wrote a poem about a mother duck and a father swan with three baby ducklings who were bitten to death by the father because they quacked too much. Luckily, Mr. Keesing took the joke in the right way. He allowed Anne to talk in the class and did not give her any extra homework.

Question 6.
Why was Anne’s teacher annoyed with her? How was she able to bring about a change in his attitude towards her?
Answer:
Mr. Keesing who taught maths to Anne was annoyed with her because she talked too much. After several warnings, he assigned her extra homework. She tried to prove that talking was a student’s trait and she would do her best to keep it under . control. Mr. Keesing had a hearty laugh at her arguments and assigned her a second essay. But in her final essay she succeeded to convince Mr. Keesing. She wrote a poem about a mother duck and a father swan with three baby ducklings who were bitten to death by the father because they quacked too much. Luckily, Mr. Keesing took the joke in the right way. He allowed Anne to talk in the class and did not give her any extra homework.

Question 7.
How did Mr. Keesing assign Anne extra homework, an essay on “A Chatterbox”?
How did she justify her being a chatterbox?
Answer:
Mr. Keesing who taught maths to Anne was annoyed with her because she talked too much. After several warnings, he assigned her extra homework. She tried to prove that talking was a student’s trait and she would do her best to keep it under . control. Mr. Keesing had a hearty laugh at her arguments and assigned her a second essay. But in her final essay she succeeded to convince Mr. Keesing. She wrote a poem about a mother duck and a father swan with three baby ducklings who were bitten to death by the father because they quacked too much. Luckily, Mr. Keesing took the joke in the right way. He allowed Anne to talk in the class and did not give her any extra homework.

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The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scene 2 Summary Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scene 2 Summary

The location of the scene is now at Belmont. From the masculine commercial world of Venice we are taken to a romantic, feminine world of Belmont. The plot unfolds through the conversation of Portia and Nerissa. Like Antonio, Portia is also sad; but there is a reason for her sadness. At the time of death, her father had willed that Portia’s husband should be chosen by a lottery. The suitor has to choose one of the three caskets displayed.

They are made of gold, silver and lead with cryptic inscriptions on each. The one who chooses the right casket with the portrait of Portia will win her hand. The person who chooses the wrong casket should take an oath never to marry or reveal what is written on the casket.

There is an interesting conversation between the two ladies regarding the suitors. Portia wittily find out faults within each suitor who has come to try their luck. There is a Neopolitan prince who only talks about horses, a Palatine who does nothing but frown, Monsieur Le Bon has no character of his own, someone is a drunkard, the other one is strangely dressed and so on. Fortunately, for Portia all of them decide to leave without taking any risk. The lady is highly relieved. The real reason is that she is attracted to Bassanio whom she had met earlier on some occasion.

Nerissa informs Portia that ‘a Venetian, scholar and soldier’ has arrived. Portia remembers the man as ‘the best deserving of a fair lady’. This kindles the curiosity of the audience to meet the young man who has captured the fair lady’s imagination.

The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scene 2 Summary Word Meanings

1. troth – faith
2. aweary – tired
3. aught – anything
4. surfeit – having too much
5. superfluity – state of having too much
6. divine – preacher
7. madness (the youth) – high spirits of the youth
8. skip o’er – jump over
9. meshes – nets
10. cripple – hurt
11. reasoning – wise talk
12. curbed – restrained
13. virtuous – having good qualities like wisdom
14. inspirations – divine guidance
15. over-name – call out their names
16. Neapolitan – from Naples
17. colt – am inexperienced young man
18. appropriation – qualification
19. county palatine – count of palatinate
20. frown – have an angry or disgusted expression
21. the weeping philosopher – Heraclitus of Ephesus who went to the mountains as he was disgusted by human stupidity
22. death’s-head – skull
23. throstle – thrush, a song bird
24. capering – jumping or leaping
25. suited – dressed
26. doublet – jacket
27. round hose – breeches
28. a box of the ear – a blow on the ear
29. vilely – badly, fell – happen
30. make shift – manage
31. Rhenish wine – white wine made in Rhine valley
32. contrary – wrong
33. imposition – will
34. Sibylla – an old woman
35. wooers – suitors
36. fore-runner – messenger
37. shrive – hear my sins and grant forgiveness.

The Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scene 2 Summary Questions and Answers

1. Nerissa :
You would be, sweet madam, if your miseries were in the same abundance as your good fortunes are :
and yet, for aught I see, they
are as sick that surfeit with too much as they that starve with
nothing. It is no mean happiness therefore, to be seated in the mean :
superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer.

Question 1.
Whom Nerissa is addressing as Madam? Where are the characters? To what comment made by the other person does the speaker give this reply?
Answer:
Nerissa is addressing Portia, as Madam, one of the main characters of the play. The characters are now in Belmont, in a room in Portia’s house. The speaker gave this reply to the comment made by Portia that her little body is tired with this great world.

Question 2.
According to Nerissa, why is the body of the other person ‘aweary of this great world’? What is Nerissa’s relationship with the other person?
Answer:
According to Nerissa, Portia is doubtful about her future because of strange provisions of her father’s will. Nerissa is Portia’s maid but she is her friend and confidante too. She says some people are tired of their extreme poverty while others due to too much of wealth.

Question 3.
Earlier, in what way did Nerissa try to cheer Portia? What was Portia’s reaction to what Nerissa had said?
Answer:
When Portia says that she is weary, Nerissa comforts Portia by saying that she would have been really weary, if her miseries were in the same abundance as her fortunes. People who suffer from too much tiredness emanating out of boredom are just as those who suffer from starvation.

It is better to be placed in the middle. Those who have too much, age sooner. Those who have just enough, live longer. But Portia is placed in the middle, so she should not feel sad. Portia reacted by saying that they were good words. She compliments Nerissa by saying that the speech was well-spoken.

Question 4.
Where does happiness lie, according to the extract? What opinion have you formed of Nerissa, from this extract?
Answer:
Happiness is ‘seated in the mean’. It means, happiness is placed in the middle; between poverty and riches. Although Nerissa is a maid, she has a lot of wisdom. She is a philosopher and this is the reason, Portia considers her as a friend and close companion.

Question 5.
Give the meaning of ‘they are as sick as that surfeit with so much’, and ‘superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer’.
Answer:
The expressions mean that the people with too much money and good fortune are as unhappy as the ones who are poor. In fact people having too much of everything age faster but who have just enough live longer.

Question 6.
In the light of what happens later, why do you think, the ‘Madam’ is unhappy?
Answer:
Portia is unhappy because her father had willed that her marriage should take place by lottery. Portia, being independent personality would like to make her own choices. She is attracted to Bassanio. She feels restricted and anxious because her fate depends on who chooses the right casket.

2. Portia :
If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had
been churches, and poor men’s cottages princes’ palaces. It is a good
divine that follows his own instructions : I can easier teach twenty
what were good to be done, than be one of the to follow mine own
teaching. The brain may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper
leaps o’er a cold decree: such a hare is madness (the youth), to skip
o’er the meshes of good counsel (the cripple).But this reasoning is not
in the fashion to choose me a husband. O me, the word ‘choose’. I
may neither choose who I would nor refuse who I dislike; so is the
will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father.

Question 1.
Where are Portia and Nerissa at this moment? Why are they there?
Answer:
Portia and Nerissa are in a room of Portia’s house at Belmont. They are there waiting for the various suitors to make their choice of the caskets.

Question 2.
Give the meaning of ‘If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men’s cottages princes’ palaces’. Explain the allusion to the ‘good divine’.
Answer:
The lines mean that if doing good is as easy to know what is good. The chapels would be churches and poor men’s house will be like royal palaces. If the priest is able to follow what he preaches, he is a good preacher. This alludes to the difficulty in following instructions, even if it is good.

Question 3.
Why does Portia say that she finds it difficult to follow than to preach?
Answer:
Portia wants to follow her heart. She doesn’t have any desire to marry according to what her father has mentioned in the will. She says it is easy to give advice to twenty people as compared to follow her own teachings. The brain may make laws for the blood but the heat of the blood overpowers the dictates of such dry laws.

Question 4.
What does the impulse of youth makes one do? Explain the comparison here.
Answer:
The madness of youth can leap across good advice without paying any heed to it. They are like a hare avoiding the trap of good advice of experienced people.

Question 5.
Later the speaker says. ‘O me, the word choose’. Why is it said in such anguish?
Answer:
Portia is a spirited woman brought up in such a way that she is used to make her own decisions. When it comes to the most important decision of her life of choosing her husband, she finds herself restricted by her father’s will. She has to depend on lottery to choose her husband and this makes her unhappy.

Question 6.
Immediately after this extract, what reasons does Nerissa give to Portia to justify ‘the will of a dead father’? Do you think that the justification proved correct? Give reasons for your answer.
Or
What answer does Nerissa give in reply to these words?
Answer:
Nerissa tells Portia that she should not despair of her father’s will. He was a pious and wise man. Moreover dying people get divine inspiration which makes them do what is right, so Portia will get the right person who truly loves her. This actually proved true as Bassanio who is a true lover chooses the right caskets while others due to their self-love and vanity fail to win her.

Question 7.
State in your own words what Portia means by ‘the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father’.
Answer:
Portia means that her dead father’s will is taking away her liberty to choose a husband on her own. Her wishes in life are being controlled by the wishes of a dead father.
‘the will of a dead father’.

Question 8.
What does she say? From what she says, what opinion do you form of her?
Answer:
Portia feels that even if she lives like Sybil who has been granted eternal life, she prefers to die a virgin like Diana. There is no option for her but to abide by her father’s will, if at all she has to marry. One hope is that, the suitors are very reasonable and are planning to go back as they don’t want to abide by the conditions of the will. This shows that Portia is an intelligent lady who has a mind of her own. She has not liked any of the suitors and is glad at their departure. She is willing to wait for a man who’ll be after her own heart.

3. Nerissa :
How say you by the French lord, Monsieur Le Bon?
Portia : God made him, and therefore let him pass for a man. In truth, I know
it is a sin to be mocker; but, he! why, he hath a horse better than
the Neapolitan’s, a better bad habit of frowning than the Count
Palatine; he is every man in no man; if a throstle sing, he falls
straight a-capering; he will fence with his own shadow. If I should
marry him, I should marry twenty husbands : if he would despise
me, I would forgive him, for if he loves me to madness, I shall never
requite him.

Question 1.
Bring out the context of the passage.
Answer:
At Belmont, Portia and Nerissa were discussing the suitors who have come to marry Portia by the lottery of caskets. Portia is weary as she doesn’t like her father’s stipulation at all. In order to entertain her, Nerissa asks about each of the suitors and Portia wittily describes each one of them much of our entertainment. Here, they are talking about the French Lord, Le Bon.

Question 2.
Explain, ‘God made him and therefore let him pass for a man.’
Answer:
Portia is making fun of Le Bon by saying that since God made him; they have to consider him a man. Otherwise, he is a combination of all men, and no individuality to boast about.

Question 3.
In what way has Portia described Neapolitan prince & Count-Palatine?
Answer:
According to Portia, the Neapolitan prince is as immature and rash as a wild young horse. He talks about nothing but horses and considers it a great qualification that he can shoe his own horse. She feels that his mother must have had a love affair with a blacksmith. Count Palatine, on the other hand, does nothing but frown as though to say he cares little whether Portia accepts him or not. He hears good stories without a smile, and will prove a philosopher before he is old. Since he is such a gloomy man, Portia would rather marry a skeleton with a bone in its mouth.

Question 4.
Why does she say, ‘If I should marry him, I should marry twenty husbands?
Answer:
Portia feels that Le Bon is more attached to the horse than the Neapolitan frown more than Count Palatine. He has every man’s fault, but is not a man at all. Marrying him will be like marrying twenty different men.

Question 5.
What does Portia say about Falconbridge?
Answer:
Portia says that Falconbridge, the young Baron does not understand her just like she doesn’t understand him. He doesn’t know any language and his grasp of English is very poor. He is a fine figure of a man but who can hold a conversation by means of signs. He dresses incongruously in different styles, and borrows manners from everywhere.

4. Portia :
Therefore, for fear of the worst, I pray thee, set a deep glass of
Rhenish wine on the contrary casket, for, if the devil be within and
that temptation with-out, I know he will choose it. I will do any
thing, Nerissa, ere I will be married to a sponge.

Question 1.
In what context does Portia speak these words?
Answer:
Portia and Nerissa are talking about the suitors who have come to seek the Portia’s hand in marriage. When Portia is asked whether she has any preference for any one of these, she tells Nerissa to overname them and she’ll inform her about her opinion. From the description, Nerissa can make her own judgment. They are now talking about a young German, the Duke of Saxony’s nephew.

Question 2.
How does Portia describe the character talked about in the extract?
Answer:
Portia says that the young German does not have a good disposition. In the morning when he is sober he is bad but in the noon when he is drunk, he becomes worse. When he is at his best he is a miserable type of man, and when he is at his worst he is like a beast.

Question 3.
Why does she ask Nerissa to keep the wine on the wrong casket?
Answer:
Portia does not want to marry this young drunkard, and tells Nerissa to keep the Rhenish wine on the top of the wrong casket. So that even if the devil is inside the casket, he would not be able to resist the temptation to drink and he’ll choose that casket.

Question 4.
How does Nerissa comfort Portia just after this?
Answer:
Nerissa says that Portia need not worry if she has not liked any of the suitors as all these suitors have informed their desire to go back without choosing the caskets for fear of wrong choice as no one is ready to remain unmarried according to the condition put forward. They are ready to try their luck if there is another way other than choosing the caskets.

Question 5.
Portia talks about Sybilla and Diana, soon after this. Why does she do so? Which young man is talked about at the end of the scene?
Answer:
Portia half playfully and half seriously says that ultimately none of the suitors will agree to the lottery of the caskets and she’ll have to remain an old spinster like Sybil who got eternal life but not youth or Diana, the moon Goddess, who chose to remain unmarried. Bassanio, who visited Belmont at the time of Portia’s father, is talked about at the end of the scene.

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The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 8 Summary Workbook Answers

The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 8 Summary

This scene takes place in a street of Venice. Salerio and Solanio reveal the recent developments to the audience. We learn from their conversation that Bassanio had set sail for Belmont on the very same night of Jessica-Lorenzo elopement. They are sure that eloped couples had not set sail with him. Shylock suspects that Jessica is aboard on the ship and complains to the Duke of Venice and insists that the ship should be searched.

Antonio, who was at the dock, assured that they were not in the ship. It was reported, that someone had seen them in a gondola. Salerio informs how agitated Shylock was, at the loss of his money and jewels along with his daughter. Frantic with rage and misery he had been shouting on the streets of Venice ‘My daughter, my ducats’. All the boys in Venice are mocking him, his daughter and his ducats. This incident strengthens the.resolve of Shylock to take revenge on Antonio, the English man.

Salerio comes to know from a Frenchman that a Venetian ship, richly laid with cargo, has sunk in the English channel. Solanio tells him to report the matter to Antonio in a gentle way. The two discuss the loving nature of Antonio. They recall how he had parted from Bassanio, ensuring him not to think about the bond. He also told his friend not to rush up with the courtship in order to get back to him in a hurry. Salerio along with Solanio leaves the stage to meet Antonio and cheer up his spirits.

The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 8 Summary Word Meanings

1. outcries – complaints
2. gondola – a flat bottomed boat used on the canals of Venice
3. amorous – loving
4. certified – assured
5. passion – intense feeling
6. outrageous – excessive
7. two stones – one of diamond and one turquoise
8. stones up her – stones with her
9. look he keep his day – be careful to pay his debt on the stipulated day
10. reason’d – talked to
11. miscarried – lost or wrecked
12. vessel – ship
13. fraught – laden with
14. treads – lives
15. slubber not business – do not hurry your business carelessly
16. riping of time – till the right time comes
17. hath – has
18. ostents – demonstrations
19. wrung – clasped tightly
20. quicken – cheer up
21. has embraced heaviness – is under depression or melancholy
22. delight – amusement
23. do we so – let us do so.

The Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scene 8 Summary Questions and Answers

1. Salerio :
He came too late, the ship was under sail,
But there the duke was given to understand
That in a gondola were seen together
Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica.
Besides, Antonio certified the duke
They were not with Bassanio in his ship.

Question 1.
Who is referred to as ‘he’? Which ship was under sail? Why is ‘he’ said to be late?
Answer:
He is Shylock. The ship in which Bassanio and others travelled has already set sail. Shylock thinks that his daughter has boarded the ship along with Lorenzo but by the time he comes to search for them, the ship had already left.

Question 2.
What was suspected earlier?
Answer:
Earlier it was suspected that Jessica and Lorenzo had gone with Bassanio, in his ship.

Question 3.
Give the meaning of ‘amorous’ and ‘certified’. What did Antonio certify?
Answer:
‘Amorous’ means loving and ‘certified’ means assured. Antonio certified that Jessica and Lorenzo have not gone in Bassanio’s ship.

Question 4.
What does Solanio says about Shylock, just after this?
Answer:
Solanio describes Shylock’s behavior after finding out that his daughter has run away with a Christian, taking with her all his money and jewels. He has never heard or seen such an outburst of feelings, so strange, intense and frequently changing. Shylock went along the streets shouting, ‘My daughter, O my ducats!’ lamenting the loss of the two alternatives. He wants justice and also needs to find the girl as she has taken the ducats along with her.

Question 5.
Why did all the boys in Venice follow Shylock? What else did they do?
Answer:
All the boys were following Shylock mocking him as they feel that he has gone mad. They also repeat his cries ‘his stones, his daughter and his ducats’.

Question 6.
What does Solanio say that Antonio should do now?
Answer:
Solanio says that Shylock is mad with his loss and will certainly take revenge from Antonio by extracting his flesh, if he doesn’t pay back the borrowed money in time. So he feels Antonio should pay his debt on the appointed day; otherwise, he may have to pay for it with his life.

2. Salerio :
Marry, well remember’d.
I reason’d with, a Frenchman yesterday,
Who told me, in the narrow seas that part
The French and English, there miscarried
A vessel of our country richly fraught.
I thought upon Antonio when he told me,
And wish’d in silence that it were not his.

Question 1.
What does he mean by ‘well remembered’? What did he reason with a Frenchman and what did he come to know?
Answer:
When Solanio says that Antonio should better pay back the debt to Shylock on the stipulated day, Salerio remembers his talk with the Frenchman. He takes this opportunity to share the information with his friend, that he came to know about a ship with rich cargo had been wrecked in the English Channel.

Question 2.
Give the meaning of ‘reasoned’, ‘miscarried’ and ‘richly fraught’?
Answer:
The word ‘reasoned’ means talked, ‘miscarried’ means lost or wrecked and ‘richly fraught’ means laid with expensive goods.

Question 3.
What does Soianio tells his friend to do. How should he do it and why?
Answer:
Soianio tells his friend to give a hint about the wreckage to Antonio, but not abruptly. He should do it gently and with tact as Antonio is a tender-hearted person, very loving and sensitive.

Question 4.
What does Salerio says about Antonio at this time? How did ‘he’ part from Bassanio?
Answer:
Salerio says about Antonio that ‘a kinder gentleman treads not this earth’ He parted from Antonio with great love, saying that he need not return from Belmont in a hurry but give proper time for courtship. He need not worry about the bond rather focus his mind on courtship and show of love. Then with his eyes full of tears, he clasped Bassanio’s hand and they parted.

Question 5.
What does Soianio say towards the end of the scene and what do the two friends plan to do?
Answer:
Soianio says that Antonio loves the world only because of Bassanio. The two friends plans to visit Antonio, amuse him and cheer up his spirit as he is lately gripped with melancholy.

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The Squirrel Summary in English by Mildred Bowers Armstrong

The Squirrel by Mildred Bowers Armstrong About the Poet

Poet Name	Mildred Bowers Armstrong
Born	November 11, 1930
Died	February 20, 2017 (aged 86)
Nationality	American
Awards	National Medal of Science (1990), IEEE Founders Medal (2004) More

The Squirrel Summary in English

Squirrel is a little fun-loving creature. It sits on a tree and loves eating nuts. It has a tail with a curve at the tip. The tail looks like a question mark. Its loose skin looks like a gray overcoat. It likes to play. When a person runs after it, it goes in the opposite direction.

The Squirrel Summary in Hindi

गिलहरी छोटी-सी मनोरंजन पसन्द जीव है। वह वृक्ष पर रहती है और अखरोट खाना पसन्द करती है। उसकी पूँछ सिरे पर मुड़ी रहती। है। यह पूँछ एक प्रश्नवाचक चिन्ह की भाँति दिखती है। इसकी ढीली त्वचा मानो इसका भूरे रंग का ओवरकोट है वह खेलना पसंद करती है। जब कोई व्यक्ति इसके पीछे भागता है तब वह विपरीत दिशा में भागने लगती है।

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Call of the Wild Chapter 7 Summary

The money Buck wins for him enables Thornton to pay off some debts and journey with his partners in search of a fabled lost gold mine that no living man has ever found. They travel east on an unknown trail. Buck leads a team of six dogs 70 miles up the Yukon. Buck is very happy as they trek through the wilderness, fishing, hunting and unthinking of time.

For two years they wander, seeking an ancient cabin and a mythical mine. They never find the mine, but in the spring of the second year they find a “shallow place in a broad valley where the gold showed like yellow butter across the bottom of the washing-pan.”

With little work to do, Buck spends his days by the fire, dreaming once more of that ancient man. In his mind he wanders in this early, undefined world. Buck rightly hears an ancient call deep in the forest. Sometimes he searches for it, sometimes he hears it, springs from his place and runs wild through the forest. One night he hears it more clearly than ever before. He goes into the forest and sees a timber wolf. Wishing to make friends, Buck approaches; but the wolf is afraid of this beast three times his size and flees. Several times this meeting is repeated, until finally the wolf understands Buck’s intentions, and they sniff noses.

For two days he does not leave, but then he hears once more the call of the forest. He starts to wander in the woods, and stays away from the camp for days at a time, hunting and fishing for his food. He exhibits a wild, wolf-like cunning. As a fearsome hunter, he kills a moose by separating it from the herd and remorselessly pursuing and attacking it. He shows great patience and ferocity. It takes him four days to pull the moose down.

When he returns to Thornton’s camp, he finds it has been overrun by Yeehat Indians. The Yeehats are gleefully dancing. Three miles out he sees a fresh trail, and he becomes more cautious. Suddenly he comes across the body of Nig, an arrow sticking from his head. He passes the dog almost dead, and then he passes the body of Hans. He sees Yeehat Indians dancing around the wreckage of the camp.

Buck leaps at the Indians, ripping open the throat of the chief, and keeps killing until the rest of the tribe runs away in terror. For a few moments, Buck pursues them, killing a few more as they attempt to flee. Buck sees Pete’s body, and then he follows the scent to the lake, where he knows John Thornton’s body lies. Skeet, loyal to the end, lies dead just by the lake. Buck sits and contemplates the ache in his heart. He feels a bit better only when he looks at the bodies of the men he has killed. He realizes that men are no match for dogs without their arrows, clubs and spears.

For years Buck runs in the wild as a wolf. The Yeehats say a Ghost Dog that runs at the head of the pack, and they are afraid of him. They know he continues on occasion to kill human hunters. They do not enter the valley where he lives.

Call of the Wild Chapter 7 Summary Word Meaning

• Abiding – Unceasing
• Asunder – Into parts or pieces
• Certitude – Complete assurance or confidence
• Cessation – A stopping
• Desolate – Providing no shelter or sustenance
• Flank – The side between ribs and hipbone
• Frenzy – State of violent, mental agitation
• Gorge – A deep ravine, usually with a river running through it
• Incarnate – Possessing or existing in bodily form
• Infinitesimal – Immeasurably small
• Intent – An anticipated outcome that guides your planned actions
• Melancholy – A constitutional tendency to be gloomy and depressed
• Obliterated – Reduced to nothingness
• Overture – Orchestral music at the beginning of an opera
• Prowess – A superior skill learned by study and practice

Call of the Wild Chapter 7 Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What changes do the Yeehats notice the timber wolf?
Answer:
Buck dashes through the woods and finds a timber wolf, one-third of his size. Buck joins the wolf pack and the Yeehats notice a difference in the local breed. In the beginning the wolf is afraid, but later on, the two show their friendship by sniffing noses.

Question 2.
What advantage did Buck have when he killed the bear?
Answer:
Buck kills a bear and fishes for salmon the river; when the moose comes in the fall. Buck is not alone in the wild, he finds companionship, and the advantage is that he has learnt that he will not fear men. He found Hal and Thornton in trouble. Buck mourns his dead master, but feels pride at having killed the Yeehats.

Question 3.
What are the two identities of Buck as shown in Chapter 7?
Answer:
Buck has two identities as shown in chapter 7, one as a sled dog in Thornton’s camp, another as a wild hunter in the forest. He kills a bear and fishes for salmon in the river. He cuts a bull away from’ the pack to kill him and finally brings him down after fou todays. Then he heads back to the camp.

Question 4.
Show with references drawn from the text how Buck balances his love for Thornton with his more primitive self.
Answer:
Buck has a deep love for John Thornton. Buck’s instincts and connections to his primitive side draw him toward the forest. Buck does not want to let him out of his sight and the latter is rescued by the former. Thornton also looks after Buck and cares for him as if he was his own child. In the text, it is stated that Thornton had a way of taking Buck’s head roughly between his hands and resting his own head upon Buck’s. Buck felt joy in return for the love and care he received. Buck demonstrates his loyalty and love by being willing to do whatever John Thornton asks of him.

Question 5.
What is the legend of the Ghost Dog that is told among the Yeehats?
Answer:
Buck’s story morphs into legend as the Yeechats tell of a mythical Ghost Dog, who terrorizes the valley’s natives and hunters. But apart from the Indian legend the narrator tells us that there is a handsome wolf that roams, sometimes alone, sometimes at the head of the pack, singing the “Song of the younger world,” and who fathers many wolf cubs. Buck’s legacy affirms his masterful spirit. Buck seems to have cheated death by being immortalized in the legend.

Question 6.
What proves that Thornton is a successful miner?
Answer:
John Thornton’s pursuit of the lost place in the wilderness alludes to his yearning to tame the wild for profit. Finding the mine may lead to richness. But the simple way that Thornton lives proves that he is already a master of out doors and a successful miner. When Thornton and his team; i.e., Buck, Skeet, Nig, Hans and Pete, fail to find the site, they end up planning for gold in a shallow river valley.

Extract Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
And closely akin to the visions of the hairy man was the call still sounding in the depths of the forest. It filled him with a great unrest and strange desires. It caused him to feel a vague, sweet gladness, and he was aware of wild yearnings and stirrings for he knew not what.
(i) What happens when Buck begins to feel the call of the wild in “the Call of the Wild” by Jack London?
(ii) What is the call of the wild?
(iii) What are some symbols in the call of the wild?
(iv) Why did the pack of wolves fling forward ?
(v) Who does Buck see in his dreams?
Answer:
(i) When Buck first hears the call of the wild in the night, he springs to his feet and runs in the direction of the sound plunging into the foreit; he goes so far, however he hears the howling of the wolves; a wolf who later becomes his “brother” wolf.

(ii) The call of the wild is Buck’s primordial desire to embrace his primitive nature, which he experiences when . he enters the wilderness of Alaska. Buck, who is a domesticated dog living a carefree life, possesses special traits. Buck makes friends with a wolf and almost takes off for the wild.

(iii) A symbol is something that stands for something other than itself. One of the symbols in the story is the club. For Buck, the club is a symbol of man’s power over animals. We see the symbols of the red shirt, which stands for anger. Traces and harness symbolize Buck’s role as a servant to his masters.

(iv) The wolf pack is awed by the largeness of Buck. Like a flash, Buck struck, breaking the neck of the wolf. Three others tried it in sharp succession and one after the other they drew back. This was enough for the whole wolf pack to fling forward.

(v) The author Jack London describes that, Buck sees a short legged hairy man in his dreams. Buck has a recurring dream of his distant ancestors. These dreams become more prominent and vivid as the story progresses indicating Buck’s transformation back into a more wild creature.

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
As the fall of the year came on, the moose appeared in greater abundance, moving slowly down to meet the winter in the lower and less rigorous valleys. Buck had already dragged down a stray part grown calf; but he wished strongly for larger and more formidable quarry.
(i) What does Buck find when he returns to the camp after killing the moose?
(ii) What do the Yeehats see in Buck?
(iii) What does Buck prove in this chapter?
(iv) What do the wolves do and see during the long winter nights?
(v) Explain the title “The Call of the Wild”.
Answer:
(i) In Jack London’s ‘The Call of the Wild’, when Buck returns from his moose hunt, he does not find his beloved master, John Thornton and everyone else, including his dog friends. They are all dead, in fact killed by the robbers. Buck had been away from the camp for quite a while. Thornton has abandoned Buck.

(ii) The Yeehats saw a great evil spirit in Buck. One man even throws a spear to hit him and ends up killing another man. They have never seen an animal like this before. Finally, they are convinced that it must be an evil spirit, because no animal could do what Buck did. They run awav to save their lives.

(iii) In chapter 7, it is proved that how, thoroughly, Buck became a creature of deep loyalty and admiration to a man fully deserving this devotion. Buck shows that human life is really just a long struggle for mastery and the greatest man will always seek out successfully. Buck’s vivid vision of the encounter with the wolf show that Buck’s wild yearnings had strengthened.

(iv) During the long winter nights the wolves go to the lower valleys for their meat. Buck may be seen running at the head of the pack through the pale moonlight; leaping above his fellows, his great throat bellowing as he sings the song of the pack.

(v) Buck changes from a civilized house dog to a wild beast. He is constantly hearing voices and seeing visions of his ancestors. By the end of the book, Buck has successfully achieved the call of the wild. Buck repeatedly feels the mysterious force telling him that what he really needs to do is leave his current domestic life and hunt things.

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Beauty Summary in English by John Masefield

Beauty by John Masefield About the Poet

Poet Name	John Masefield
Born	1 June 1878, Ledbury, United Kingdom
Died	12 May 1967, Abingdon, United Kingdom
Poems	Sea Fever, Cargoes, The West Wind, Sea Change, Beauty
Awards	Shakespeare Prize

Beauty Summary in English

Beauty gives pleasure to all our senses. It can be noticed in the sunlight, the trees, the birds, the fields and the dancing groups. The people dance joyfully for their harvest.

Beauty can also be heard in the night when the wind makes a whistling sound the rain falls or some singer sings merrily.

True beauty, however, shows itself in our noble actions and good ideas. That beauty is repeated in one’s dreams and deeds, and even when one rests.

Beauty Summary in Hindi

सुन्दरता हमारी सभी इंद्रियों को आनन्द देती है। इसे सूर्य के प्रकाश में, वृक्षों में, पक्षियों में, खेतों और नृत्य करते लोगों में देखा जा सकता है। लोग अपनी फसल काटने के बाद खुशी से झूमते, नाचते हैं।

सुन्दरता को रात में सुना भी जा सकता है जब पवन साँय-साँय का शोर करता है, वर्षा का शोर होता है अथवा कोई गायक खुशी से गाता है।

पर सच्ची सुन्दरता तो आदमी के कार्यों और नेक विचारों में झलकती है। वही सुन्दरता व्यक्ति के सपनों में, सद्कार्यों में और उसके विश्राम में भी दोहराई जाती है।

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The Quarrel Summary in English by Eleanor Farjeon

The Quarrel by Eleanor Farjeon About the Poet

Poet Name	Eleanor Farjeon
Born	13 February 1881, Strand, London, United Kingdom
Died	5 June 1965, Hampstead, London, United Kingdom
Genre	Classical
Albums	David Hobson & Teddy Tahu Rhodes
Awards	Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing, Carnegie Medal, Regina Medal

The Quarrel Summary in English

One day the sister quarrelled with her brother. The reason was very petty. But they shouted at each other. The quarrel was mild at first. But it became strong in the end. Both claimed that they were right.

They began to hate each other. They did not talk to each other till evening. Then suddenly the brother realised his mistake. He decided to make up with the narrator. He walked up to her, and patted on her back. He suggested that they should patch up. He admitted that he was at fault. The narrator also forgot and forgave him.

The Quarrel Summary in Hindi

एक दिन बहन अपने भाई से झगड़ा कर बैठी। कारण बहुत छोटा-सा था। पर वे दोनों एक-दूसरे पर गरजने लगे। झगड़ा प्रारंभ में तो बहुत हल्का-फुल्का था। पर अंत में वह प्रबल हो गया। दोनों ने दावा किया कि वही सही है।

वे दोनों एक दूसरे से नफरत करने लगे। उन्होंने शाम तक परस्पर बात नहीं की। फिर सहसा भाई को महसूस हुआ कि गलती उसकी थी। उसने अपनी बहन से समझौता करने का निर्णय ले लिया। वह उसके पास गया तथा उसके कंधे को थपथपाया। उसने कहा चलो हम लोग गुस्सा थूक कर पुनः दोस्ती कर लें। उसने स्वीकार कर लिया कि गलती उसी की थी। बहन ने भी झगड़ा भुला दिया तथा भाई को क्षमा कर दिया।