Unit 8 – Main Course Book

The Walrus and the Carpenter

A. Answer these questions.

1. What was odd about the night?
The sun was out in the middle of the night. It was weird that it was so bright at such an
hour.
2. Why was the Moon sulking?
The Moon was sulking because it did not like the Sun shining at night and spoiling the fun.
3. Why were the Walrus and the Carpenter weeping?
The Walrus and the Carpenter were weeping because of the amount of sand at the beach.
They wanted to clean the sand off the beach.
4. Whom did the Walrus and the Carpenter beg to come for a walk?
They begged the bed of Oysters to come with them for a walk.
5. What was the oldest Oyster’s reaction?
He refused to go with the Walrus and the Carpenter.
6. How far did the young Oysters walk?
They walked for a mile till they were exhausted.
7. What did the Walrus wish to talk about?
He wished to talk about shoes, ships, sealing wax, cabbages, and kings. He wated to discuss
whether pigs had wings.
8. Why did the Oysters turn a little blue?
They realized that the Walrus and the Carpenter would probably have them for a snack.
They were blue because they were scared and worried.

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B. Answer these lines with reference in the contest.
1. “It’s very rude of him,” she said,
“To come and spoil the fun.”
a. Who is ‘she’? Who was she referring to?
She is the moon. She is referring to the sun.
b. How did he spoil the fun?
Sun was shining in the night against Moon’s wishes.
c. What was her mood like?
She was sulky as Sun was outshining the Moon at night.

2. If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year,
a. What would seven maids sweep?
The seven maids would sweep all the sand from the beach.
b. Whose plan was this?
It was Walrus’ plan.
c. Why was such a plan made?
Walrus hated the sand as there was so much of it.

3. But four young Oysters hurried up,

All eager for the treat:
a. What treat were the Oysters ready for?
They were ready for a walk and a nice talk.
b. Who was giving them the treat?
Walrus was giving them a treat.
c. Was it really a treat? Why?
No, it wasn’t a treat. He was tricking them into coming with him so that he could eat
them.

4. After such kindness, that would be

A dismal thing to do!”
a. Who says this and to whom?
The oysters say this to the Walrus.
b. What is the ‘kindness’ being referred to in these lines?
They were taken for a walk along the beach.
c. What would be dismal thing to do?
Eating the oysters would have been a dismal thing to do.

5. “I weep for you,” the Walrus said:

I deeply sympathise.’

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 a. Who is the Walrus weeping for?
He is weeping for oysters.
b. Were his tears genuine?
No, they were not. Walrus was weeping crocodile tears.
c. What does the Walrus do after this?
The walrus ate all the oysters up.

C. Think and answer.

1. Why did the Walrus and the Carpenter invite the Oysters for a walk on the beach? What
was their real intention?
The walrus and the carpenter wanted to eat the oysters so they tricked them into coming
on a walk with them.

2. What do you think about the eldest Oyster’s reaction?

The eldest Oyster was very wise. He knew that there was something suspicious about the
walrus and the carpenter.

3. The young Oysters got ready quickly and neatly. What does that tell us about them?
It tells us that they were very eager to go on a walk with the Walrus. It also tells us that
they were quite gullible and could be easily persuaded.

4. What is your opinion about the Walrus?

Walrus was deceptive. He spoke eloquently and was very persuasive. He convinced people
that his intentions were good, and they did not suspect him at all. When he invited them
for a walk, he managed to get them out of their oyster bed quite easily. They fell for his
sweet words. Walrus, when on the walk suggested that they were hungry after the walk
and should have something to eat. They started listing the items they need and it all
suggested that they were going to eat the oysters. The poor oysters even begged him to let
them go but he just shed crocodile tears for the oysters before eating them. He even took
the time out to select the juiciest ones first.

5. Describe the carpenter.

The carpenter hardly spoke but he was quick at action. He acted like a neutral party and
was very convincing. He even acted like he cared for the oysters. He portrayed the stance
of an ignorant person while the Walrus carefully planned everything. He even pretended
that he was letting the oysters go after the walk but there was no one was left. It was
suggested that they had the oysters for snack. Though Walrus was nothing kind and shed
crocodile tears, the carpenter just coldly remained indifferent to the fate of the oysters.

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6. Have you ever come across people who say one thing and mean another? Do you think
such people can ever be honest or empathise with others? What is your opinion of such
people?
Yes, we often meet people who are self-centred and often don’t care for anyone else. They
can never be honest or truly empathise with anyone as they would do whatever they need
to in order to further their own selfish goals. I believe that there is no one in the world who
can claim that they have never been selfish or did not put their personal interest ahead of
others. We should encourage people to be kind and thoughtful. We should be able to
empathise and work together instead of doing things for personal gain. Only if everyone
can forgo of selfishness can we truly be empathetic towards others.

7. We are often told by our elders that we must not talk to strangers or go out with them.
Do you agree? Why?
I agree with elders who tell us that we should not trust anyone blindly. There are many
people who are on a bad path and are misled. Such people can be dangerous and even
when they pretend to care for us, they may not think twice before harming us.

B. Read these sets of words aloud. These words contain silent letters. Point out the silent
letter in each set.

Silent b Silent k Silent l Silent W

Doubt Know Palm Write
Comb Knot Walk Wrap
Numb Knife Chalk Wrist
Lamb Knew Talk Two
Climb Knight Half Sword
Thumb Knock Would Answer

D. Complete these sentences by choosing the most suitable collective noun from the
options.
1. A troupe of dancers performed on the school stage.
2. The herd of elephants stomped through the forest.
3. We saw a pride of lions at the safari park.
4. There was a large fleet of ships in the harbour.
5. My mother has a beautiful string of pearls.

E. Match of words in column A with words in column B to make ore compound words.
a. Life - time
b. Grand - mother
c. Butter - fly
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 d. Book - shelf
e. Some - thing
f. Earth – quake
g. Eye – Ball
h. Gold – Smith
i. Tooth – Pick
j. River – Bank
F. Find three synonyms and three antonyms of these words.
a. Smooth
i. Synonyms – plane, level, flat, even
ii. Antonym – Uneven, rough, dull,
b. Pleasant
i. Synonyms – enjoyable, nice, agreeable
ii. Antonyms – Agitated, bad, bitter, boring
c. Heavy
i. Synonyms – Weighty, hefty, big, large
ii. Antonyms – Light, thin, wispy
d. Thick
i. Synonyms – Broad, Chunky, Fat
ii. Antonyms – Narrow, slight, slim, thin
e. Neat
i. Synonyms – Elegant, immaculate, precise
ii. Antonyms – Careless, rough, dirty