W S--The Walrus and the Carpenter

1. The quantity of leaves in my yard made me realize I would be cleaning the yard
all afternoon.
2. What a grand idea to have a picnic by the lake today; the weather is so perfect!
3. The girl felt a bitter sorrow when her pet dog passed away.
4. The Italian restaurant was conveniently located down the street from my house.
5. The young athlete admired the varsity players and all their skills.
6. She sympathized with her best friend’s heartache and frustration when she lost
her job.
7. The boy was scarcely surprised when the game was cancelled; it had been
raining all morning.

II. Choose the correct option:
1. What did the Walrus do with the Oysters?
a. Trotted home with them.
b. Lent them his pocket -handkerchief.
c. Wept for them, and then ate them.
d. Told them to hurry along.

2. Which of the following instances from the poem are most unlikely to happen?
a. The sulking moon
b. Oysters wearing shoes
c. The walrus and the carpenter walking on the beach
d. All of the above

3. Identify the figure of speech in the following line.
‘With sobs and tears he sorted out’
a. Antithesis
b. Tautology
c. Simile
d. Inversion
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow.
1. The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
a. When and where is this story taking place?
The story is taking place in the “middle of the night” at the beach.
b. Who could they not see any cloud?
They could not see any cloud because it was night and there was no cloud in the
sky.
c. Name and explain the figure of speech in the following line:
The sea was wet as wet could be,
Repetition: The word ‘wet’ is repeated for poetic effect.
2. ‘A loaf of bread,’ the Walrus said,
‘Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed –
Now if you’re ready Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed.’
a. What are the things that the Walrus needed?
The Walrus said that they needed a loaf of bread, pepper and vinegar.
b. What happens to the Oysters at the end?
At the end all the oysters are eaten up by the walrus and the carpenter.
c. What is the rhyme scheme of the above stanza? Give the rhyming words.
The rhyme scheme is abcbdb.
Rhyming words are need – indeed – feed.
IV. Answer the following questions:
1. Why is the moon found to be sulking?
The poem begins in the middle of the night with the Sun trying to lighten up the
darkness. The Moon is upset by this. This is her night time and she finds the Sun
very rude for hanging around.
2. What does the Walrus talk of to the Oysters?
The walrus talks to the oysters about shoes and ships and sealing-wax, of
cabbages and kings and about why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have
wings.
Answer briefly:
1. Where does the story “The Walrus and the Carpenter” take place? Describe the
place in your own words.
The poem ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ is takes place on a beach. It is that time
of the night when the sun is just about to set and the moon is just rising. Thus we
can see the moon getting annoyed over the lingering of the sun.
2. Identify four characters in the poem and give an adjective that describes each.
Justify your adjectives with textual evidence.
 the walrus - sneaky, tricky, manipulative
 the carpenter - follower, bystander
 eldest oyster - smart, wise
 the young oysters - gullible, innocent, naive