THE INCHCAPE ROCK
Robert Southey
The Inchcape Rock Poem Text
Unit I
The Text
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The ship was still as she could be,
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock
The waves flowed over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
When the Rock was hid by the surge's swell,
The mariners heard the warning bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blessed the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
Unit II
The Text
The sun in heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds screamed as they wheeled round
And there was joyance in their sound,
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walked his deck,
And he fixed his eye on the darker speck.
He felt the cheering power of spring;
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthfül to excess.
But the Rover's mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the Inchcape float;
Quoth he, 'My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I'll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok'
The boat is lowered, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And he cut the Bell from the Inchcape float.
Down sunk the Bell with a gurgling sound;
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, 'The next who comes to the Rock
Won't bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
Unit III
The Text
Sir Ralph the Rover sailed away,
He scoured the seas for many a day;
And now grown rich with plundered store
He steers his course for Scotland's shore.
So thick a haze o'erspreads the sky
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind hath blown gale all day,
At evening it hath died away
On the deck the Rover takes his stand.
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, 'It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising moon.
'Canst hear', said one 'the breakers roar?
For methinks we should be near the shore'
Now where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish I could hear the Inchape Bell'.
They hear no sound; the swell is strong;
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along,
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock
'Oh Christl it is the Inchcape Rock'.
Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair,
He cursed himself in his despair;
The waves rush in on every side;
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
But even in his dying fear
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear,
A sound as if with the Inchcape Bell
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
The Inchcape Rock Poem Short Question Answer
1.How does the poet describe Inchcape Rock ?
Answer. The poet describes that the Inchcape Rock was a few inches high above the surface of the sea in low tide and was completely covered by the sea in high tide or when the sea was rough.
2. Was the Inchcape Rock dangerous ? Give your reasons ?
Answer. The Inchcape Rock was quite dangerous, because during sunny days the huge stone could be easily noticed, but it was completely covered by the sea in a high tide or when the sea swelled. As a result, many ships had been wrecked.
3. Why did the Abbot place a bell on the Inchcape Rock ?
Answer. The Abbot placed a bell on the Inchcape Rock to warn the sailors of the presence of this fatal rock nearby.
4. When did the Inchcape bell ring ?
Answer. The Inchcape bell rang during a storm or when the sea swelled.
5. Why did mariners bless the Abbot ?
Answer. Mariners blessed the Abbot because he saved many imminent ship-wrecks during the storm by placing a bell on the perilous Inchcape Rock. In other words, humanitarian deeds gave them strength where nature was inhospitable.
6. How does the poet express 'the cheering power of spring' ?
Answer. The poet expresses the cheering power of spring in terms of bright sun, screaming birds and joy in their sounds merriment was in the air.
7. How did Ralph come across the Inchcape Bell ?
Answer. Ralph came across the Inchcape Bell by walking his deck and focusing his attention on it when spring set in and it surfaced on the calm sea.
8. What was the effect of 'the cheering power of spring' on Ralph ?
Answer. The cheering power of spring made Ralph whistle and sing, and filled his heart with great delight.
9. What kind of a person was Ralph ? Which line tells you so ?
Answer. Ralph was a wicked person to the backbone. The line His heart was mirthful to excess' tells us so.
10. What act of wickedness did he do ?
Answer. He committed a wicked deed by cutting the bell that the Abbot of Aberbrothok had placed on the dangerous Inchcape Rock.
11. Why did he do the wicked act ?
Answer. He did the wicked act because the sailors would not bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
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12. How did Ralph become rich ?
Answer. Ralph became rich by plundering the ships that met with wrecks.
13. Why did the ship lose its way in the sea while it was heading towards Scotland?
Answer. The ship lost its way in the sea while it was heading towards Scotland because of a dense fog and a strong gale. Besides, it was nearing night time.
14. Why did a mariner think that they were near the shore ?
Answer. A mariner thought that they were near the shore.
15. "Oh Christ ! it is the Inchcape Rock' - why did the mariners exclaim so ?
Answer. The mariners exclaimed in their stale hopelessness. To their stunned disbelief, they feel the presence of the dangerous Inchcape Rock and consequently think of their imminent death. In Christ, they see their saviour.
16. Why did Sir Ralph curse himself ?
Answer. Sir Ralph cursed himself, because he realized that his notorious act of cutting the bell to tarnish the image of the Abbot of Aberbrothok paved the way for the sinking of his own ship in the roaring waves of the sea
17. The Devil below was ringing his knell.' - what does this expression mean ?
Answer. The expression 'The devil below was his nail' means the death of the notorious Ralph the Rover. Even as he was dying he could hear one fearful sound as if it was the warning sound of the Inchcape bell. It was as if the devil was ringing the sound of its disaster.
18. Do you find this poem musical ? The rhyme scheme of the first stanza is AABB (sea-A, be-A, motion-B, ocean-B). Is the rhyme scheme the same for all the stanzas?
Answer. We find this poem completely musical. The poet's profuse use of alliteration - "S' sea/ship/still and so on justifies this fact. The rhyme scheme is the same for all the stanzas.
The Inchcape Rock Poem MCQ Question Answer
1. What does the word ‘plague’ mean ?
(a) cause pleasure
(b) cause success
(c) cause accident
(d) cause pain
Answer is (d) cause pain
2. Sir Ralph was a ________
(a) ranger
(b) rover
(c) counsellor
(d) doctor
Answer is (b) rover
3. What did he do moving in the sea ?
(a) visiting different places
(b) discovering the things in the sea
(c) plundering the ships for wealth
(d) none of the above
Answer is (c) plundering the ships for wealth
4. What did Ralph do at last ?
(a) enjoyed this days in the sea
(b) returned to Scotland’s shore
(c) crossed Inchcape safely
(d) fulfilled his mission
Answer is (b) returned to Scotland’s shore
5. How was the weather when sir Ralph’s ship was near the Scotland’s shore ?
(a) dark, foggy and stormy
(b) bright, clear and fine
(c) cloudy, smoky and semi-darkness
(d) none of the above
Answer is (a) dark, foggy and stormy
6. But standing on the deck of ship , Sir Ralph was hopeful of a clear day with the rising of ________
(a) sun
(b) stars
(c) moon
(d) a bright celestial object
Answer is (c) moon
7. Why was the land not visible to the mariners of the sir Ralph’s ship ?
(a) because of the darkness
(b) because they were far from the shore
(c) because mariner’s had no microscope
(d) all of the above
Answer is (a) because of the darkness
8. But one of the mariners could hear the ________
(a) wreck of a ship
(b) thunder on a ship
(c) Inchcape Bell
(d) sound of the sea animal
Answer is (c) Inchcape Bell
9. At last the ship lost its way and got wrecked hitting against _________
(a) the other ship
(b) the Inchcape Rock
(c) a huge sea animal
(d) none of the above
Answer is (b) the Inchcape Rock
10. What did sir Ralph in despair ?
(a) pray God
(b) scolded his mariners
(c) a huge sea animal
(d) none of the above
Answer is (b) scolded his mariners
11. While dying in fear, sir Ralph could hear a sound similar to ________
(a) band party drum
(b) thunder
(c) sweet music
(d) Inchcape Bell
Answer is (d) Inchcape Bell
12. Who was in fact ringing this bell ?
(a) Abbot
(b) the devil
(c) Inchcape Bell
(d) mariners
Answer is (b) the devil
13. What does the last line of the poem signify ?
(a) death of sir Ralph
(b) end of his journey
(c) a lesson taught to him
(d) Both (a) and (c)
Answer is (a) death of sir Ralph
14. Who is author of the poem “ Inchcape Bell” ?
(a) Robert Frost
(b) Robert Smith
(c) Robert Stewart
(d) Robert Southey
Answer is (d) Robert Southey
15. What did Sir Ralph do to blame Abbot ?
(a) Stopped to bell ringing
(b) Cut the bell form the buoy
(c) Criticised Abbot in public
(d) Proved abbot ‘s method was wrong
Answer is (b) Cut the bell form the buoy
16. What did Sir Ralph say after cutting the bell form the Inchcape Rock ?
(a) everybody would praise him
(b) he would fix a new ball
(c) the next who comes to the Rock won’ t bless the Abbot
(d) none of the above
Answer is (c) the next who comes to the Rock won’ t bless the Abbot
17. What is the ‘Inchcape Rock’ ?
(a) the name of a rock on the east coast of Scotland near the mouth of the river Tay
(b) the name of a ship which could cross all obstacles
(c) the name of sea animal which is very dangerous
(d) none of the above
Answer is (a) the name of a rock on the east coast of Scotland near the mouth of the river Tay
18 The first four lines present a similar picture of the air, sea, ship, sails and ocean What is that ?
(a) stormy
(b) stillness
(c) sometimes stormy and sometimes clams
(d) none of the above Answer is
Answer is (b) stillness
19. What do you mean by the word ‘keel’?
(a) old form the word hill
(b) bottom of the sea
(c) bottom part of the ship
(d) top of the rocks
Answer is (c) bottom part of the ship
20. What did happen to the Inchcape Rock when there was low tide ?
(a) fully visible
(b) only its top was visible
(c) not visible
(d) none of the above
Answer is (b) only its top was visible
21. What did happen to the Inchcape Rock when there was high tide ?
(a) completely covered by the sea water
(b) only its top was visible
(c) The rock moves away to one side of the sea
(d) the rock floats on the sea like a ship
Answer is (a) completely covered by the sea water
22. What did happen to ship those who could not see the Inchcape Rock ?
(a) they could not move
(b) they returned away
(c) they got wrecked
(d) they passed away by the other direction
Answer is (c) they got wrecked
23. What did abbot do to save the ship form wreckage?
(a) He fixed a red on the Rock
(b) He fixed a bell which rang in a normal situation on the sea
(c) He fixed a huge magnet to check the movement of the sea
(d) None of the above
Answer is (b) He fixed a bell which rang in a normal situation on the sea
24. When did the Inchcape bell ring ?
(a) during the visit of a ship
(b) during the low tide in the sea
(c) during a storm or when the sea swelled
(d) during the attack of sea pirates
Answer is (c) during a storm or when the sea swelled
25. The ‘bell’ floated and swung on a______.
(a) log
(b) pole
(c) pillar
(d)buoy
Answer is (d)buoy
26. The ‘bell ‘worked as a_______ to the ship.
(a) information
(b) warning
(c) signal
(d) sailing
Answer is (b) warning
27. What do you mean by the word ‘buoy’ ?
(a) a flying object
(b) a sinking object
(c) a floating object
(d) a moving object
Answer is (c) a floating object
28. What do you mean by the words ‘surge’s swell ?
(a) rise of the ship on the rock
(b) rise of the tidal waves
(c) rise of the rock on the sea
(d) rise of the sea water on the banks
Answer is (b) rise of the tidal waves
29. How the Inchcape Rock was hidden ?
(a) by the low tide
(b) by the darkness
(c) by the clouds
(d) by the high tide
Answer is (d) by the high tide
30. Who did hear the warning bell ?
(a) the sea pirates
(b)the visitors
(c) the mariners
(d) the ship owners
Answer is (c) the mariners
31.What do you mean by the word ‘mariners’ ?
(a) the engineers
(b) the pirates
(c) the sailors
(d) the passengers
Answer is (c) the sailors
32. How was the rock as described by the poet ?
(a) pleasures
(b) disadvantageous
(c) advantageous
(d) perilous
Answer is (d) perilous
33. Who did bless Abbot?
(a) the visitors
(b) the mariners
(c) the ship owners
(d) none of the above
Answer is (b) the mariners
34. ‘Aberbrothok’ is associated with_______.
(a) the mariners
(b) the Inchcape Rock
(c) the ship
(d) Abbot
Answer is (d) Abbot
35. The description of the sun in the line 17 of the poem signifies :
(a) scorching sun
(b) setting sun
(c) rising sun
(d) pleasant bright sun
Answer is (d) pleasant bright sun
36. What does the screaming sound of the sea birds signify ?
(a) melancholy
(b) joyance
(c) a sight of horror
(d) a bad day
Answer is (b) joyance
37. How was the buoy of the Inchcape Bell seen on the sea ?
(a) a brighter spot
(b) a green speck
(c) a darker speck
(d) a white speck
Answer is (c) a darker speck
38. Whose eye was fixed on the darker speck ?
(a) the poet’s
(b) the mariner’s
(c) sir Ralph’s
(d) pirate’s
Answer is (c) sir Ralph’s
39. What do you mean by the word ‘speck’ ?
(a) a very big spot
(b) a very small spot
(c) a bright spot
(d) an visible spot
Answer is (b) a very small spot
40 What, according to the poet, the bright sun, screaming of the birds and their joyance do signify ?
(a) terrible summer
(b) cheerful spring
(c) the memory
(d) unpleasant day
Answer is (b) cheerful spring
41. Who was mirthful by the cheerful spring ?
(a) the poet
(b) the mariner
(c) Sir Ralph
(d) the visitor
Answer is (c) Sir Ralph
42. What was the secrecy of Sir Ralph’s mirth ?
(a) success
(b) cheerful spring
(c) wickedness
(d) achievement
Answer is (c) wickedness
43. What did Sir Ralph want to do ?
(a) to praise Abbot
(b) to blame Abbot
(c) to destroy Inchcape Rock
(d) to earn a good name
Answer is (b) to blame Abbot
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