Available Answers

1. 1.

   Tick (√) the correct options.

   1. The Inchcape Bell was placed-
      1. near a lighthouse.
      2. on a buoy on a rock.
      3. at the shore.
   2. The Inchcape Bell could be heard when-
      1. strong winds and rough waves would swing it.
      2. the Abbot rang it during a storm.
      3. the Abbot rang it at periodic intervals to indicate time.
   3. The purpose of the bell was to warn sailors that-
      1. the Inchcape Rock was close by.
      2. there was a storm.
      3. the shore was near.
   4. Sir Ralph removed the bell because-
      1. he felt that the Inchcape Rock posed no harm to anyone.
      2. he was jealous of the Abbot.
      3. he wanted to undo the Abbot's good deed.
   5. On the day Sir Ralph's ship crashed into the rock-
      1. there had been a terrible storm.
      2. there were strong winds but the sea was calm.
      3. the wind had died down but the waves were strong.
   6. Just before the ship crashed, one of Sir Ralph's sailors wished-
      1. he could hear the breakers.
      2. that the moon would rise soon so that there would be light.
      3. that he could hear the Inchcape Bell.
2. 2.

   And then they knew the perilous rock,
   And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok.

   1. Who were 'they'? How did they know the 'perilous rock'?
   2. Why was the rock 'perilous'?
   3. Why did they bless the Abbot?
3. 3.

   They bear no sound, the swell is strong,
   Though the wind bath fallen, they drift along;
   Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,-
   "O Christ! It is the Inchcape Rock."

   1. Who were 'they'? Where were 'they'?
   2. Which sound would they have heard at this time, if not for Sir Ralph?
   3. Why did they react in this way when their vessel struck the Inchcape Rock?
4. 4.

   Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair,
   He curst himself in his despair;

   1. Where was Sir Ralph?
   2. Why did Sir Ralph curse himself?
   3. What sound did he hear in his dying moments?
5. 5.

   Those who do bad things will ultimately be punished accordingly. Explain how this is true of the poem. Do you sympathise with Sir Ralph at the end?

6. 6.

   When we read the poem, several images come to our mind. List a few images of your choice from the poem. Here are two examples-

   1. the sea is calm, the air is still and the ship with its keel is steady on the ocean
   2. the bell on the Inchcape Rock swings and rings wildly during the high tide