Grade VII ENGLISH LITERATURE

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7. Pip and the Convict
- Charles Dickens
Q 1 Write the meanings:

Q2 Answer the following questions:

1. How did Mrs. Joe treat Joe? Was there any special reason for doing so ?

Ans: Mrs Joe treated Joe and Pip in an ill-tempered manner. There was no special reason for doing so.

2. Why did Pip visit the churchyard on the day before Christmas?

Answer: Pip visited the churchyard where his parents were buried on the day before Christmas as he
had been feeling particularly miserable and lonely that day.

3. Describe the man Pip met at the churchyard on the day before Christmas. What did the man want?

Answer: The man whom Pip met at the churchyard, on the day before Christmas had a menacing
manner. He wore grey clothes and torn shoes. A dirty handkerchief was tied around his head. Pip also
noticed a thick iron band around his ankle. He was drenched and covered in mud from head to toe. He
limped and shivered as he walked. The man wanted Pip to bring him and iron file and food the next
morning to a spot in the marshes.

4. When did Pip learn about the man's identity? How?

Answer: Pip learnt the man's identity when the guns went off in the evening and Joe explained that it
meant that a prisoner in the big ships anchored in the river across the marshes, had escaped.

5. What did Pip do at dawn? Why?

Answer: Pip crept downstairs at dawn to steal some bread and cheese and a meat Pie from the pantry
as well as an iron file from the forge. He stole the food to take it to the Convict in the marshes who had
a threatened to curve his heart out and eat it if he failed to arrive the next morning.

6. How did people realise that the man at the churchyard was not the same as the one he had met the
previous day? What did this man do when he saw Pip?

Answer: Pip realised that the man at the churchyard was not the same man he had met the previous day
when he noticed The bruise on the man's cheek. This man ran away the moment he noticed Pip.
7. Why was Pip relieved when Joe heard the prisoner confess that he had stolen a meat pie from the
blacksmith's house?

Answer: Pip was relieved as the prisoner's confession meant that no one would suspect him about the
missing meet pie and file.

Q3 Reference to the context:

1. "Keep still you little imp!"

Answer: This line is taken from the lesson, 'Pip and the Convict' written by Charles Dickens.

The Convict said this to Pip.

The convict picked Pip up roughly and placed him on top of a tombstone and tilted him so far back that
Pip was almost upside down. He threatened to cut Pip's heart out and eat it if the boy did not to do as
the Convict ask him to. The convict wanted Pip to bring him some food and an iron for the next day.

2. Just as she went to get the pie, Pip got up from the table to run away. But as he opened the door, he
ran into a file of soldiers.

Answer: This line is taken from the lesson, 'Pip and the Convict' written by Charles Dickens.

Pip was afraid that his sister would discover the missing meat pie and would understand that he had
stolen it, so he got up to run. But as he opened the door, he ran plump into a file of soldiers. The soldiers
had come to the forge as they needed Joe, the blacksmith to mend a broken handcuff.

3. Immediately, Pip knew that the man was a friend of the convict he had aided.

Answer: This line is taken from the lesson, 'Pip and the Convict' written by Charles Dickens.

One evening, Mrs. Joe sent Pip to the village inn with a message. He was certain about the identity of
this man as the man winked at him. The man also took out from his pocket, the very same file that Pip
had stolen years ago to give to the convict and stirred his drink with it. The man gave up a shilling
wrapped in a piece of paper when he was about to leave.

Q 4 Think and answer:

1. The convict is described as a dangerous man in the text. Do you think there is also some sympathy
towards him? Explain.

Answer: The convict is not as a frightening and threatening as he appears to be for he does not really
hurt Pip. The fact that he remembered what Pip did for him and related it to his friend shows that he
appreciated a kind gesture.

2. Describe the relationship between Joe Gargery and Pip.

Answer: Joe gargery and Pip shared a very loving and tender relationship. They looked out for each
other and he often protected Pip from her wrath, by signalling a cross with his fingers whenever she was
furious. He also answered Pip's query about the gun's boom. Later, when the soldiers advance towards
the marshes to search for the escaped convicts, Joe set Pip upon his the shoulders, in a very caring
gesture.

3. How does the text indicate that the convict was grateful to Pip for his help.

Answer: The convict expressed his gratitude towards Pip at least twice in this extract. The first instance
was when he confessed to having stolen a file and a meat pie from a blacksmith's house near the church
to protect Pip from suspicion. Later, when the stranger at the inn gave Pip a shilling wrapped in twp
bank notes, it became evident that the convicte had discussed Pip with this man, Pip felt, he was a friend
of the convict who was trying to repay Pip for his help.

HW: Write "My Understanding" .