THAT LITTLE SQUARE BOX

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. Who did the speaker think the two men were? What did he
think they were up to?
The speaker thought that the two men were the agents of some
terror group, who intended to sacrifice themselves, their fellow
passengers, and the ship, in one great explosion. By overhearing
their terrible conversation, the speaker suspected that they were
carrying a bomb with them in the suspicious little square box.

2. Read and answer the questions: a whirl of conflicting

ideas was battling in my mind.
(a) What were the different ideas that the speaker could not
decide between?
The speaker was deliberating in his mind about the correct
course of action. He wondered if he should accuse them directly
before the captain and the passengers or if he should seek a
private audience with the captain. He pondered over the latter for
some time before deciding against it. The possibility of being
interviewed by a stranger and confronted by the two suspects did
not particularly appeal to him.
(b) What did he finally decide? Why?
Answer: He finally decided to wait a little more and follow the two
men very closely and gather more intelligence before making the
matter public. In this way, he could reach an authentic conclusion.
3. How slowly the moments seem to pass! I could count them
by the throbbing of my heart.
(a) Where was the speaker?
The speaker was hiding in one of the lifeboats hung over the deck
in an attempt to monitor the conversation between the two
suspicious men.
(b) How was the speaker feeling at that moment? Why?
The speaker lay tightly wound in a knot of anxiety and deadly fear
as he listened to the mysterious words of the two men. It
convinced him that they were minutes away from blowing up the
ship.
4. Death stared me in the face, whether I did or did not give
the alarm.
(a) Why did the speaker think he was about to die?
The speaker thought that he was about to die because he was
sure that the two men were going to damage the ship and the
passengers at the risk of their own life using explosives in the
box. he thought himself helpless.
(b) Why did he think there was no chance of living?
He thought so because he knew that he was alone there on the
deck and he had no time to stop them. the two men were talking
that they had to act on their plan just that moment
5. What do you think the two men thought of the speaker
when he jumped out in front of them? Which lines from the
text support your answer?
When the speaker jumped out in front of them, the two men
thought him mad. Flannigan told his companion to work according
to their plan. The following lines support this:
"He's mad!" said Flannigan. "Time's up. Let it off, Muller."
6. (a) Why the two men were hiding the box?
The two men were hiding the box because many captains had a
prejudice against organizing such events aboard their ships.
(b) How the box worked?
The box was specially manufactured to keep the pigeons from
prying eyes while also enabling the men to feed the birds.

MARSHLANDS (POEM)

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM

1. The speaker refers to the edge of the sky as its ‘lip’.

a. Why has she described the lip as ‘sun-lost’? How has it
lost the sun?
It means the sun vanishes from the sky.
b. What does the ‘sun-lost lip’ meeting the ‘brim’ of the
marsh look like?
It looks as if the sun has vanished from the sky and it appears as
if a storm is about to drench the land.

2. What in the marsh look like ‘large cups of gold’? Can you
explain why they have been described like that?
The rays of the sun falling on mildews leaves and the way it
shines is compared to large cups of gold.

3. Why has the wild goose come to the marsh? Where is it

going?
The wild goose has come to marshes looking for shelter a place
to rest in the long grass and oozing lichens.
 4. Which words from the poem tell us how big the crane is
and fast it is flying?
The following words from the poem talk about the size of the
crane's heavy wings, the cranes are flying lazily taking their own
sweet time.

5. How is the fog that comes over the marshes described?

Do we know what time of day it is when the fog arrives?
The fog is described as thick, grey, and humid, we come to know
as she describes the marshes which are sleeping then in the next
line talks about the morning. It means she is talking about
night-time when the fog arrives.

6. The poem describes what the marshlands are like during a

shift in time in the day. What shift is this?
A shift in the time of the day is the twilight that the poet describes.

7. What breaks the silence of the marshlands? What do you

think is the effect of one lone sound in the expanding
stillness of the marshes?
The shrill tune of the lizards breaks the silence of the marshlands.
It makes the reader feel real and adds to the ecosystem of the
marshlands.

8. Have the marshlands changed from the first stanza to the

last? Compare how different they look and feel.
Yes, they have changed from the first stanza to the last stanza, as
in the first stanza the poet is talking about daytime when
everything is yellow and bright and then the poet talks about the
night that is approaching and everything becomes dull and grey,
and sleepy.

Appreciating the poem

1. And like a spirit, swathed in some soft veil, steals twilight

and its shadows o’er the swale.
What creature has twilight been compared to? In what way
does twilight look or behave like it?
Twilight has been compared to a spirit, it looks soft and
disappearing.

2. Look at the last stanza and describe how the poet has
brought the marsh alive.
a. Would you describe the images created in the poem as
beautiful? Or are they unpleasant? Or does beauty exist side
by side with the unpleasant? Give examples of images from
the poem to support your answer.
The poet has painted a beautiful picture of the marshlands as if
they were real deliberately using certain words such as cups of
gold, lizard shrills his tune, lazy flight, vapors creep, etc.

b. Do you think the poet is saying something about nature or

the world using her choice of images?
Yes, the poet is describing the raw, untouched beauty of nature
and making the reader experience and feel the marshlands as if
they were human.

THE THREE CASKETS

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. Is the Prince of Morocco conscious of his skin color and a

little apologetic about it? What words support your answer?
How does Portia respond to that feeling of his?
The prince is indeed a little apologetic about his skin color and
ventures to persuade Portia to not dislike him because of it and
although he wouldn't change his skin color because it frightens
even the valiant, he would change it if he could to win over Portia.
Portia, on her part, assures him that she was not biased against
him due to his color and that if her father had not restricted her
choice in the matter, he would have as fair a chance as a
fair-skinned suitor. The words 'Mislike me not for my complexion'
and 'The lottery of my destiny bars me the right of voluntary
choosing' show this.

2. Is the Prince of Morocco nevertheless, proud of his brave

deeds and well-mannered in his speech? What makes you
say so?
Yes, the Prince of Morocco is courteous in his speech and
respectfully dismisses himself when he makes the wrong choice,
so he is well-mannered. That he is also proud of brave deeds is
evident in the words in which he describes the achievements of
his scimitar, which has slain 'the Sophy and a Persian prince won
three fields of Sultan Solyman' and claims to be capable of doing
many brave things to win her over.

3. Look at the Prince of Morocco's reaction to the

inscriptions on the caskets. What do you think of the way he
dismisses lead as dull and dross- 'not worthy of a golden
mind'? (Who is judging by color now)
The Prince of Morocco is certainly unwise and hasty in dismissing
the lead casket due to the low value of lead and possibly its
unattractive color, calling it too worthless for a golden mind to
stoop to. He is certainly judging by color now.

4. How does the Prince of Arragon let Portia know that he is

aware of the rules? What are the rules and how did he get to
know them? What is Portia's response to Arragon's
statement?
The Prince of Arragon lets Portia know that he is aware of the
rules by mentioning the three rules. The three rules are:
i. to never reveal to anyone what choice the suitor made and if he
made the wrong choice.
ii. to leave Portia's premises and Belmont honourably and
immediately.
iii. never even attempt to marry another woman.
Portia replies that every suitor who comes to try his hand at
winning her has to abide by these rules.

5. What is Arragon's response to the inscription on the

golden casket? Do you think he is something of a snob?
Yes, Arragon does show condescension towards the golden
casket, declaring that it is the choice of the masses to which he
doesn't belong.

6. Think of Bassanio's long speech rejecting the golden

casket. Is his strong disapproval of pretense and falsehood
in society sincere and apt for the situation? Or is it
somewhat dramatic and overdone, as though for an
audience?
See how he then goes on to choose the lead casket with a
large-hearted expression like 'thou meager lead' and 'thy
plainness moves me more than eloquence'.
Bassanio's reaction to the golden casket is certainly dramatic but
not overdone because it is just an explanation of why he thinks it's
not the right casket. His large-hearted expressions, although
contradictory and also perhaps not entirely honest are at least an
indicator of his good intentions and superior wisdom as compared
to that of his early suitors.

7. Do you think Portia was equally impartial with all the

suitors or did she, in her mind, favor one of them? What
supports your view?
Portia wasn't entirely impartial with all three suitors and wanted
Bassanio to make the right choice. This is evident from how she
urged Bassanio to take his time to think about the caskets and her
expressions of anxiety over their separation should he make the
wrong choice.