Class 9th English Chapter-10 Alexander Selkirk

E. Let’s Understand The Poem:
(a) Comprehension Questions for discussion

Q1.Who does ‘I’ refer to?
Ans: ‘I’ refers to Alexander Selkirk.

Q2.Who is the monarch here?
Ans: Alexander Selkirk is the monarch here.

Q3.Who found charm in solitude?
Ans: The sages found charm in solitude.

Q4.Why were the beasts unfamiliar with Selkirk?
Ans: The beasts were unfamiliar with Selkirk because he had never met them on the island before and the beasts had never seen a human being before.

Q5.What did Selkirk appeal to the wind?
Ans: Selkirk appealed to the wind to convey his message to his friends and relatives whom he could never meet in his life in his native land.

Q6.Which lines in the poem suggest that the island is a no man’s island?
Ans: The line “I AM monarch of all I survey, My right there is none to dispute,” and “/ am out of humanity’s reach, I must finish my journey alone,” in the poem suggest that the island is a no man’s island.

Q7.What is the meaning of the line – “They are so unacquainted with man” in stanza 2?
Ans: “They are so unacquainted with man” – means the animals were not familiar with man. The animals hadn’t seen a man before. The beasts on the island roam around Alexander Selkirk and ignore his presence.

Q8.What hurried Selkirk back to despair?
Ans: Selkirk hurried back to despair when he recollected his own present situation that he was alone on the deserted island.

Q9.What did Selkirk want to do when evening approached?
Ans: When evening approached, Selkirk wanted to take a rest in his cabin (resting place).

Q10.Can you choose an alternative title for the poem?
Ans: The alternative title of the poem may be ‘The Solitude of Alexander Selkirk”.

(b) Choosing the appropriate answers:

Q1.The poem is about the plight of a person named.
(a) Shakespeare
(b) William Cowper
(c) Alexander Selkirk
(d) William Wordsworth
Ans:(c) Alexander Selkirk

Q2.I am of all is a survey.
(a) King
(b) Emperor
(c) Landlord
(d) Monarch
Ans:(d) Monarch

Q3.The beasts ______ over the plain.
(a) run
(b) walk
(c) move
(d) roam
Ans:(d) roam

Q4.0 had I the wings of a ______,How soon would I taste you again.
(a) crow
(d) dove
(e) owl
(d) fowl
Ans:(b) dove

Q5.The ______ itself lags behind, And the swift-winged arrows of light.
(a) tempest
(b) cyclone
(c) blizzard
(d) wind
Ans:(a) tempest

Q6.But the ______ is gone to her nest.
(a) sea horse
(b) sea fowl
(c) sea fish
(d) sea snake
Ans:(b) sea fowl

F. Let’s Appreciate The Poem:

Q1.What did the poet survey?
Ans: The poet surveyed the lonely island and the vast sea around it from the center of the island.

Q2.Why did the poet remember the sages?
Ans: He remembered the sages because they got pleasure in solitude. But he didn’t get any pleasure in solitude in that island.

Q3.How does the poet describe the island in the second stanza?
Ans: The island is very lonely without human beings. It is far from any human dwelling. Only beasts and birds live there. That is a no man’s island. He didn’t find any charm in the loneliness of the island.

Q4.What are the divine qualities bestowed upon man?
Ans: Society, friendship, and love are the divine qualities bestowed upon man by God.

Q5.Why does the poet like the wisdom of age?
Ans: The poet likes the wisdom of the age because their wisdom gives wise advice so that he can spend his days happily. Their wisdom will bring him pleasure by making his sufferings less painful on the deserted island.

Q6.What is the poet’s prayer to the ‘winds’?
Ans: The poet prays to the winds to bring the good news of his native place which he can never visit. He also appeals to the wind to convey his message of solitude to his friends whom he can never meet in his life.

Q7.Why does the poet say that “the tempest itself lags behind”?
Ans: The poet says that “the tempest itself lags behind” because the flight of the mind is so swift that it can surpass the tempest.

G. Let’s Speak:

(a) Role-play the following dialogue.
Selkirk – Why are you so indifferent to me?
Beast – Because you are a man.
Selkirk – So what? I am quite friendly.
Beast – Sorry, I am not acquainted with the man.
Selkirk – Oh wind! Please listen to me.
Wind – What can I do for you?
Selkirk – Please convey my message to my friends as I am far away on this lonely island.
Wind – It’s not possible. I can’t cross my limit.

H. Let’s Write:

Words having sameness of sound of the endings of two or more words are rhyming words. In this poem the words like ‘face ’ and ‘place ’ are rhyming words. Find out at least six pairs of such words from the poem.

Ans:
Other rhyming words (six pairs) are:
1. dispute – brute
2. reach – speech
3. see – me
4. truth – youth
5. send – friend
6. flight – light

Writing task:
This poem is about a sailor named Alexander Selkirk. He swam to a lonely island after a ship wreck. That was a no man’s island. Only beasts and birds lived there. Think yourself as Selkirk and write in about ten lines describing your feeling of loneliness.
Ans:
I am a sailor named Alexander Selkirk. Once I was on a sea voyage along with other crews. Unfortunately the ship was wrecked during the voyage. I was lucky enough to swim to a lonely island after the wreck. It was an uninhabited island. I felt lonely there. Only beasts and birds lived there. They remained aloof. Because they were not acquainted with man. I remembered the great sayings of the sages who used to get charms in solitude . But I myself didn’t get any pleasure in that solitude. I realized that it was better to live in the midst of difficulties than to live in a lonely place like that isolated island. I always remembered my friends and relatives in my native land. I was anxious to hear the voice of my near and dear ones. But my dreams remained unfulfilled. My recollections left me in despair. I prayed to God to rescue me from that difficult situation. God heard my prayers and I was rescued after four years by a passing ship.

Class 9th English Chapter-10 Alexander Selkirk Question Answer

RATINGS

Out of 1 ratings.

Other Chapters

Suggested