FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH - KSEEB - CLASS 10 - COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - THE STOLEN BOAT

 

Poem – 7

THE STOLEN BOAT

William Wordsworth

Comprehension Questions

I. Answer briefly the following questions.

 1) Who does “her” in the first line refer to?

Ans: Nature is “her” in the first line refers to.

 

2) Where was the boat moored?

Ans: The boat was moored to a willow tree inside a rocky cave.

 

3) What does “home” in line 3 refer to?

Ans: Rocky cave is “home” in line 3 refers to.

 

4) What does “her” in line 4 refer to?

Ans: The boat is “her” in line 4 refers to.

 

5) Why does the poet use words like “home” and “her” while talking about the inanimate boat?

Ans: The poet use words like “home” and “her” while talking about the inanimate boat because he is emotionally involved to the boat and looks at it as an individual and a buddy.

 

6) What stealthy act does the boy commit?

Ans: The boy unloosened the boats chain without the permission of the owner of the boat and sailed away. That was stealthy act the boy committed.

 

7) What sound is captured in lines 6 and 7?

Ans: The sound of the boat on the water is echoed by the mountains as the boat moves on. Thus sound is captured in lines 6 and 7.

 

8) What visual picture is created in lines 8 to 10?

Ans: The visual picture created in lines 8 to 10 are small sparkling circles in the moonlight until it softened into only track of luminous light.

 

9) What does “they” in line 10 refer to?

Ans: The small circles (ripples) created by the boat are “they” in line 10 refers to.

 

10) How many peaks are mentioned in the poem? Which one is bigger?

Ans: There are two peaks mentioned in the poem and the first one is a craggy ridge and second peak is bigger.

 

11) a) What is the boat compared to in line 19 and 20?

Ans: The boat is compared to a swan in line 19 and 20.

 

b) The purpose of the comparison is

i)  to highlight the beauty and grace of the swan

ii)  to highlight the beauty and grace of the boat

iii) to highlight the graceful movement of the boat

Ans: iii) to highlight the graceful movement of the boat.

 

12) In the expression “troubled pleasure” (line 6).

a) What pleasurable experience of the narrator does ‘pleasure’ refer to?

Ans: Rowing the boat without noise is a pleasure to the poet.

 

b) The narrator’s pleasure is ‘troubled’ because

i) his conscience pricks him on his stealthy act

ii)  the pleasure is short-lived

iii)  he is scared of his stealthy act being found out

Ans: i) his conscience pricks him on his stealthy act-

 

13) Read carefully lines 21 to 26

a) Draw a picture of the black and huge peak.

Ans: Peak is large and very black; it is larger than the craggy peak.  

 

b) Pick out the details of the peak that appears fearful to the boy

Ans: The peak that appears fearful to the boy: it is huge, black, threatening and it is larger than the craggy peak.

 

c) The lines refer to the movement of the peak. Is it real or imagined by the boy?

Ans: The lines refer to the movement of the peak is imagined by the boy.

 

d) In the boy’s imagination, the movement is

i)  threatening and menacing

ii)  lively and graceful

iii)  friendly and inviting

Ans: i) threatening and menacing.

 

14) a) In the phrase “trembling oars”, who is trembling?

Ans: The phrase “trembling oars”, here boy is trembling.

 

b) Name the figure of speech in this expression.

Ans: “Transferred Epithet” is the figure of speech used in this expression.

 

c) The boy is trembling because of

i)  he is frightened by the “approaching peak”

ii) of his guilty conscience

iii) of cold

Ans: i) He is frightened by the “approaching peak.”

 

15) The episode of the stolen boat ends with the boy leaving the boat back in its mooring place (line 32).

     The remaining lines of the poem (lines 33 to 44) deal with

i)  the lasting memory of the actual experience

ii)  details not connected with the actual experience

iii)  the mysterious shapes and images haunting him

Ans: iii) the mysterious shapes and images haunting him.

 

16) Wordsworth defined poetry as “emotion recollected in tranquility”. What dominant emotion of the boat experience is recollected by the poet?

Ans: The huge, black and threatening peak is dominant emotion of the boat experience recollected by the poet.

 

17) Many days after the stolen boat experience, the narrator was haunted by a mysterious presence within him. Pick out details of this mysterious presence from lines 37 to 44.

Ans: “What you sow that only reap”. As per this quote the boy had done a mistake by stealing the boat, the stolen boat experience was so horrifying on him. He felt huge, black, and threatening peak such shapes made him frightened. The images of nature were not pleasant the trees, sea, sky and fields were pale, only huge and mighty forms were remaining in his mind.

 

II. Close Study

Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then write the answers to questions given below them.

1) She was an elfin pinnace.

a)  What does “she” refer to?

b)  What is the figure of speech used here?

c)  What does “elfin” mean?

d)  What is the figure of speech used in “elfin pinnace?”

e)  What quality in the movement of the boat is highlighted in the comparison?

Ans: a) The boat is referred to “she.”

b)  Personification is the figure of speech used here.

c)  Elfin means fairy like.

d)  Metaphor is the figure of speech used in “elfin pinnace.”

e)  The elegant movement of the boat is highlighted in the comparison.

 

2) With trembling oars, I turned,

And through the silent water stole my way

Back to the covert of the willow tree.

a)  What is the figure of speech used in the first line?

b)  What made the boy tremble?

c)  What does the boy want to do with the boat?

Ans: a) Transferred Epithet is the figure of speech used in the first line.

b)  The huge, black, and threatening peak made the boy tremble.

c)  The boy wanted to sail it back to same place from where he had taken the boat.

 

III. Paragraph Writing

Discuss in groups of 4 each the answers to the following questions. Note down the important points for each question and then develop the points into one paragraph answers.

1) Why did Wordsworth say that his moving the boat is an act of stealth? Why was he guilty of his act?

Ans: The boy attracted to boat which was in rocky cave, the boat was moored to a willow tree and he took boat to sail in beautiful evening and thought enjoy ride. He united the chains of the boat; overall it was the act of stealing, as boy had not taken owner’s permission to use the boat. So, Wordsworth says that his moving the boat is an act of stealth. The boy felt guilty when he realized that he had stolen a boat.

 

2) Describe the effect that the spectacle of the peak had on the poet’s mind.

Ans: When the boy took a boat that was in rocky cave and moored to a willow tree. He was glad with his act and rowed in river but when came near craggy ridge then he saw huge, black, threatening peak which was following him. The boy rode the boat back to the cave and rushed back to home but the it was very difficult for him to forget those things and they remained for a long time on poet’s mind.

 

3) To Wordsworth, nature was a living presence. Pick out any 5 details from the poem to support this.

 Ans: The five details from the poem for the nature were a living presence:

a)     The poet compared the boat as elfin pinnace.

b)    The boy felt the huge, black, threatening peak.

c)     Lake was silent.

d)    The boy felt that mountain was growing.

e)     The boy saw horrible images.