THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE

By
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

1. About which war was "The Charge of the Light Brigade" written?

2. According to the first stanza of "The Charge of the Light Brigade", how many British
soldiers rode into the battle?

3. In stanza one Which word in stanza 1 means ‘attack’?

4. What does the phrase “the Valley of Death” refer to?

5. Why do you think the poet refers the valley as “The Valley of Death”?

6. Why do the soldiers ride to their death?

7. In stanza 1, what was the light brigade ordered to do?

8. What kind of weapons did the Light Brigade have?

9. What weapons did their opponents have?

10. In stanza 2, what does the word ‘dismayed’ suggest?

11. Did the British soldiers feel discouraged? Why?

12. In stanza 2, what does the line “Someone had blundered” suggests?

13. Write the meanings of the following lines:

i. Theirs not to reply

ii. Theirs not to reason why

iii. Theirs but to do and die

14. Who won the battle?

15. Give two adjectives to describe the six hundred men?

16. If you were in the army and your commander told you to fight in a battle where you
would most likely die, what would you do? Why?

17. Do you believe that war is sometimes necessary?

18. Is it noble to follow orders without asking questions?

FIT/SMKAM/FEB 2015