English Literature
Rapid Reader
The Tempest
STD.7.
Name ____________________________ Roll No. _________ Div. _____ Date___________
Q.1a) Where did Prospero live with Miranda?
Ans. There was an island in the middle of the sea which had been under the magic power of
an evil old witch called Sycorax. In this place lived Prospero, a wise, white – haired
old man and his beautiful sixteen year old daughter Miranda.
Q.1b) Who was Caliban? Why did Prospero make Caliban his servant?
Ans. Caliban was the son of the witch Sycorax who was the ugliest creature on the island. He
was more like a monkey than a man; he was referred to as monster at times.
Prospero had seen Caliban in the woods one day, and had taken him home and tried to
teach him. He found this task impossible so Prospero made this monster his servant.
Caliban had to do all the heavy and dirty work for Miranda and himself.
Q.2. How did Prospero spend his time on the island?
Ans. Prospero and Miranda lived in a cave on the island where he kept his books and studied
magic. Prospero found the magic which he studied very useful to him. With the help of
this magic he freed many good spirits who had been imprisoned in the trunks of trees by
Sycorax because they would not obey her evil commands. By these kind acts he won the
love of the spirits and they served him gratefully.
Q.3. Who other than Caliban served Prospero and why?
Ans. Ariel was the chief of the good spirits that Prospero freed. He was grateful to Prospero
for releasing him and so he was always ready when ever his master called him. Ariel had
the power of flying through the air unseen and could do many other things that were
impossible for an ordinary human being. He could change himself into different shapes
and become a bear or any other animal that he liked. He was very lively and used to play
many jokes on Caliban especially when the monster was too lazy to obey Prospero’s
orders.
Q.4a) What did Prospero and Miranda see one day as they were watching the sea?
Ans. One day, when a great storm broke over the sea near the island, a ship was caught
among the waves and was driven by the wind. It looked like it would sink very soon.
Miranda and her father were watching this from the shore and were feeling sorry for
those in the ship.
Q.4b) How did Prospero allay Miranda’s fears?
Ans. Miranda asked her father to use his magic power to stop the storm but Prospero quieted
his daughter’s fears and told her not to worry, for all would be well, and that the sailors
would be saved. Prospero also added that the time had come to tell her how they had
come on the island twelve years ago.
Q.5. Why has Prospero’s brother Antonio plan to kill him? Whose help did Antonio
gain? How did they plan to kill Prospero?
Ans. Prospero was the Duke of Milan and he gave the management of State affairs to his
brother Antonio because he loved to study more than to rule. Antonio, however,
instead of remaining loyal to him became too greedy for power and wealth that
Prospero owned and planned to kill him.
Antonio gained the help of Alonso, the King of Naples to do so. They planned to seize
Prospero and his daughter, put them in an old boat which was almost falling to pieces
and leave them out at sea, hoping that their boat would capsize.
Q.6. Who was Gonzalo? How did he help Prospero? What opportunity of revenge had
come to Prospero?
Ans. Gonzalo was one of Alonso’s nobles; he was a very kind man. He was forced to seize
Prospero and Miranda and take them in a ship out to sea. He helped Prospero by putting
into the boat, some water, food, clothes and the most valuable books from his library.
One day while Prospero and his daughter Miranda was standing on the shore, a wrecked
ship was brought to the island by a strange chance on which were Prospero’s enemies.
This presented an opportunity of revenge for Prospero.
Q.7. Who were the men on the wrecked ship? By his magic what had Prospero done to
the ship? What was his actual intention?
Ans. The men on the wrecked ship were Prospero’s brothers, Antonio and Sebastian, Alonso,
the King of Naples and his son Ferdinand, as well as the kind old Gonzalo. By his magic
Prospero had raised the storm which blew the ship to the shore of their island and it was
breaking into pieces on the rocks.
Prospero himself had raised the storm but his intention was not to harm his enemies.
Infact, he wished to use his magic to make his enemies feel sorry for their evils deeds
and to bring back good feeling between them and him.
Q.8. Who had landed on some other part of the island? Why was the King of Naples
unhappy? How did the nobles try to console him?
Ans. The King of Naples’ son,Ferdinand had landed on the other part of the island. Alonso,
the King of Naples was unhappy because he believed that his son Ferdinand had
drowned. The nobles tried to comfort him by telling him that his son had been seen
swimming strongly towards the shore, and it was quite likely that he had reached the
land alive.
Q.9.a. Who was Ferdinand? What was Prospero’s plan for Ferdinand?
Ans. Ferdinand was the son of Alonso, the King of Naples. He landed alone and was led by
magic to the place where Prospero and Miranda were sitting. Miranda was delightfully
surprised when she saw him, for she had never seen a young man during these years that
she had been living with her father. Ferdinand loved the beautiful and gentle Miranda
from the moment he saw her. Prospero’s plan was that his daughter and Ferdinand
should marry. However he wished the young Ferdinand should be sincere to his
daughter.
Q9b.How did Prospero test if Ferdinand really loved Miranda?
. Prospero wanted to test Ferdinand to see whether he was sincere, and therefore made fun
of him in front of his daughter, saying that there were many far better young men than
Ferdinand. Then he used his magic to make Ferdinand a prisoner in his cave, and made
him carry heavy pieces of wood to a heap, which was not at all the sort of work that the
prince was used to.
Q.10.What did Ariel do to make the travellers repent on account of their past misdeeds?
Ans. Just as the tired travellers began to eat the rich food brought by the spirit, Ariel appeared
in the form of a winged monster. He shook his wings over the table, causing the food
and dishes to disappear. He reminded Alonso and Antonio how wicked they were, and
told them that they were hardly fit to live, for they had most unjustly sent away the good
Prospero from Milan and given over him and his innocent child to the dangers of the sea.
Ariel also told them that nothing could save them from a slow death on the island but the
sorrow for their past evil deeds, and desire to live a good life in the future. As soon as he
said these words, Ariel disappeared.
Q.11.Why were the travellers unable to recognize Prospero?
How did Alonso and Antonio’s react on discovering Prospero’s identity?
Ans. Prospero ordered Ariel to send the king and his followers to him. Ariel led them into the
old man’s presence, but neither Antonio nor his brother nor indeed any of the others
could recognize Prospero, now dressed in his magic clothes, as the former Duke of
Milan.
Alonso and Antonio both told Prospero how sorry they were for all the evil things they
had done to Prospero; they promised to give him back the dukedom and begged him to
forgive them.
Q.12. What did Prospero do after he was told by Alonso that he would be given his
dukedom back? What effect did the scene have on Alonso?
Ans. Prospero forgave them their crimes against him and welcomed them as friends. He told
Alonso that since he was given his dukedom back, he will do something for him that
would give him much joy. He took him to the cave, opened the door, and there Alonso
saw his son Ferdinand sitting with Miranda. The joy of the father and son was great at
this meeting, for each had believed the other to be dead.
Q.13. What does Prospero now invite Alonso and his company to do?
What does he promise to do? Thereafter, what does he plan to do?
Ans. Prospero gave a big feast, at which he invited Alonso and his company as his guests. He
also told his guests that they could rest that night in his cave, and he would entertain
them by telling them the story of his life since he left Italy.
He promises them that he would bring them to their ship and take them back to Naples
safely, where they shall hold the wedding of Ferdinand and Miranda. Thereafter he
planned to return to Milan and live there till his days on earth ended.
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IV. Pick out the Pronouns and state their kind.
1. This is Rani’s books.
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2. Sheila poured herself a cup of coffee.
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3. Which of these boxes is yours?
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4. I haven’t read either of the books.
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5. Someone entered the class without permission.
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6. He is as lazy as that brother of mine.
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V. Join each of the pair of sentences with a Relative Pronoun.
1) Mr. Roy is an architect. His designs have won him many awards.
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2) The diary was preserved by the family. It belonged to grandfather.
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3) The hurricane is heading towards the next town. The hurricane has caused extensive
damage in our town.
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4) We went to a hotel. It was recommended by you.
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5) The writer will visit us next week. I admire the writer.
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