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 lines “I am monarch of all I survey, My right there is none to dispute,” and “I am out of humanity’s reach, I must finish my journey alone” 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: It means the animals were not familiar with man. They had never seen a human being before and ignored Selkirk’s presence.
Q8. What hurried Selkirk back to despair?
Ans: Selkirk hurried back to despair when he recollected his present lonely condition on the deserted island.
Q9. What did Selkirk want to do when evening approached?
Ans: When evening approached, Selkirk wanted to take rest in his cabin.
Q10. Can you choose an alternative title for the poem?
Ans: 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 monarch of all I 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. O had I the wings of a ____, How soon would I taste you again.
(a) crow
(b) dove
(c) 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.
Q2. Why did the poet remember the sages?
Ans: He remembered the sages because they enjoyed solitude, unlike him.
Q3. How does the poet describe the island in the second stanza?
Ans: The island is lonely and uninhabited, with only beasts and birds. It is a no man’s island.
Q4. What are the divine qualities bestowed upon man?
Ans: Society, friendship, and love.
Q5. Why does the poet like the wisdom of age?
Ans: Their wisdom gives guidance and reduces his suffering.
Q6. What is the poet’s prayer to the winds?
Ans: He prays to the winds to convey his message to his friends and bring news from his homeland.
Q7. Why does the poet say that “the tempest itself lags behind”?
Ans: Because the mind travels faster than even a tempest.
G. Let’s Speak:
(a) Role-play 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 man.
Selkirk: Oh wind! Please listen to me.
Wind: What can I do for you?
Selkirk: Please convey my message to my friends.
Wind: It’s not possible. I can’t cross my limit.
H. Let’s Write:
Rhyming words from the poem (six pairs):
dispute – brute
reach – speech
see – me
truth – youth
send – friend
flight – light
Writing Task:
Ans:
I am a sailor named Alexander Selkirk. Once I was on a sea voyage with other crew members. Unfortunately, the ship was wrecked during the voyage. I managed to swim to a lonely island. It was an uninhabited island where only beasts and birds lived. I felt extremely lonely there. The animals ignored me as they were not acquainted with man. I remembered the sages who found charm in solitude, but I could not enjoy it. I longed for my friends and relatives. My memories filled me with despair. I prayed to God for rescue. After four years, I was finally saved by a passing ship.