The Inchcape Rock

1. Choose the correct option.

a) Who is the poet of the poem?

i. Robert Southey
ii. Robert Frost
iii. Robert Browning
iv. Robert Bridge
b) Who was Sir Ralph the Rover?
i. a priest
ii. a poet
iii. a pirate
iv. a policeman
c) What feelings did Sir Ralph have for the Abbot?
i. pity
ii. jealousy
iii. fear
iv. gratitude
d) The Inchcape Bell was important because it ____________.
i. sounded beautiful
ii. warned about the danger
iii. reminded them of church
iv. was a monument
e) Which proverb best suits the poem?
i. As you sow, so shall you reap.
ii. God helps those who help themselves.
iii. Time and tide wait for no man.
iv. Actions speak louder than words.

2. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words.

a) What was placed on the Inchcape Rock and by whom?

The Abbot of Aberbrothok had placed the bell on a buoy, on the Inchcape
Rock. He had done so to warn the mariners of the perilous Rock when there

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 was a storm at sea. The bell floated on a buoy and in the storm its warning
rung over the waves.
b) What do you make out of the Abbot of Aberbrothok’s character?
The Abbot was a kind and benevolent person. He was compassionate and
generous as he thought about the well-being of the others. The kind hearted
Abbot had tied a bell to the Inchcape Rock to warn the passing ships of the
danger due to the notorious rock.
c) Who was Sir Ralph? Why did he cut off the Bell?
Sir Ralph was a rover or a sea pirate who bent over from the boat and cut off
the bell. The motive of his wicked deed was jealousy. He could not accept the
popularity of the good Abbot and tried to spoil his fame and reputation by
cutting off the warning bell.

3. Look at the words given below. Write the words under the name of the
characters that they describe.

wicked blessed feared

concerned dishonest friendly

The Abbot of Aberbrothok Sir Ralph

blessed wicked

friendly feared

concerned dishonest
4. How is the theme, ‘the evil that one plots for others, recoils on oneself’,
carried out at the end of the poem?
Sir Ralph could not fathom the Abbot’s popularity and was jealous of him.
Hence, he with his cruel attitude cut off the bell that warned the sailors of the

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 Inchcape rock so that he could plunder the sinking ships. However, the same
rock became the cause of his death as his ship too sank by hitting the rock as
there was no bell to warn him. He plotted against others and in turn paved way
for his own destruction.
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