KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 English Poem Chapter 9 Benjamin Jones Goes Swimming
KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 English Poem Chapter 9 Benjamin Jones Goes Swimming
Karnataka State Board Class 8 English Poem Chapter 9 Benjamin Jones Goes Swimming
Benjamin Jones Goes Swimming Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes
Pre-Reading Task:
Question 1.
Have you ever participated in a competition?
Answer:
Yes. I have participated in a running competition.
Question 2.
How did you feel at the start of the competition?
Answer:
I was nervous at the beginning.
Question 3.
Did you win a prize?
Answer:
Yes. I did.
Question 4.
How did you feel then?
Answer:
I felt very happy.
Comprehension:
I. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each:
Question 1.
What did Benjamin inform his wife?
Answer:
Benjamin informed his wife that he was going to compete in the free-for-all swimming competition. He said he was sure to win it, if he tried.
Question 2.
Why did Benjamin’s wife discourage him?
Answer:
Benjamin had not gone swimming for a number of years. His wife thought it was a foolish attempt to compete with great swimmers. She was sure that he would come last. So, she tried to discourage him.
Question 3.
How did Benjamin win the swimming competition?
Answer:
Benjamin was swimming very slowly. A crab saw his toe and wanted to try and bite it. Ben was greatly frightened. To escape from the crab, he swam like a possessed man and won the race.
Question 4.
What do you learn from the poem?
Answer:
Problems in life can be overcome only with strong determination. Luck favours the brave.
II. Appreciation:
Answer the following as directed:
Question 1.
The poem is in the style of a ……………. .
a) dialogue
b) anti-climax
c) satire
d) climax
Answer:
c) satire.
Question 2.
Appreciate the following expressions in 3-4 sentences each:
Answer:
a) With others so fast, you’re sure to be last.
According to Benjy’s wife, there were swimmers who could swim faster than Benjy. If that happened, Benjy would come last in the race. There is an internal rhyme in this line: fast – last. There is humour in the expression which makes the reader laugh.
b) His pace was so slow that a crab saw his toe
And thought it would venture a bite.
Benjy swam so slowly that a crab saw his toe. The crab followed him with the intention of biting him. The two lines present a clear picture of Benjy and the crab before our eyes. Such word pictures are called imagery. There is humour and exaggeration also.
c) She fell in the lake with a splash.
Here is another imagery – Benjy’s wife falling into the lake with a great splash. She was so shocked at the prospect of her husband winning the race, that she fell into the lake. This is a way of exaggerating her reaction.
Multiple Choice Questions:
Four alternatives are given for each of the following questions/ incomplete statements. Choose the most appropriate alternative.
Question 1.
The swimming meet took place on
A) fifth of July
B) fourth of July
C) fourth of June
D) seventh of July
Answer:
B) fourth of July
Question 2.
The swimming competition was a/an
A) acclaimed competition
B) absurd meet
C) invitational meet
D) free-for-all meet
Answer:
D) free-for-all meet
Question 3.
Benjamin’s wife said that he would come last because
A) he hadn’t gone swimming for years
B) it was a free-for-all meet
C) there were wonderful swimmers participating
D) he was not fast enough
Answer:
A) he hadn’t gone swimming for years
Question 4.
Swimmers passed Benjamin on the right and the left because
A) he was swimming in the middle lane
B) there was a crab in the centre
C) he was slow
D) they did not want to trouble him
Answer:
C) he was slow
Question 5.
Benjamin’s wife fell into the water because
A) she was shocked to see him win the competition
B) she was shocked to see a crab trying to grab his toe
C) she was shocked to see the swimmers overtake Benjamin from the left and the right
D) she was tempted to join the competition
Answer:
A) she was shocked to see him win the competition
Question 6.
What prompted Benjamin to swim fast?
A) His wife’s words that he would not win.
B) The thought of the crab grabbing his toe.
C) Seeing the other swimmers overtake him.
D) His claim that he could win if he tried.
Answer:
B) The thought of the crab grabbing his toe.
Exercises
III. Let’s Read And Respond:
A. Fill in the blanks based on your understanding of the poem:
- Benjamin told his wife that …………… .
- It was a …………. competition.
- Benjamin’s wife said that he would come last because ………………… .
- The swimmers galore waited for …………… on the day of the competition.
- The competition took place on ………………… .
- …………… passed Benjamin on the right and the left because …………. .
- The crab thought of biting Benjamin’s toe because …………… .
- Benjamin won the race as ……………… .
- His wife fell into the water because ……………… .
Answer:
- Benjamin told his wife that he would take part in a swimming competition.
- It was a free-for-all competition.
- Benjamin’s wife said that he would come last because he had not gone swimming for years.
- The swimmers galore waited for praise on the day of the competition.
- The competition took place on the fourth of July.
- Swimmers passed Benjamin on the right and the left because he was slow.
- The crab thought of biting Benjamin’s toe because it must have looked like food.
- Benjamin won the race as he swam fast to escape the crab.
- His wife fell into the water because she was shocked to see her husband win the race.
B. Make a list of all the rhyming words in the poem. There are rhyming words in the same lines and at the end of the lines.
Rhyming words:
- Jones – tones
- compete – meet
- word- absurd
- fast – last
- came – acclaim
- place – race
- began – man
- left – right
- slow – toe
- crab – grab
- toe – foe
- dock – shock
- July – try
- years – ears
- galore – shore
- right – bite
- guessed – possessed
- dash – splash
Benjamin Jones Goes Swimming Summary In English
This is a humorous poem. It tells us how Benjamin Jones won the swimming competition, even though he was not a good swimmer. Benjamin Jones told his wife that he would compete in the free-for-all swimming competition on the fourth of July. He was sure to win the competition if he tried. His wife was not enthusiastic about it. She thought it was a foolish decision because Benjamin had not gone for swimming for years. She was sure that he would be the last because the other competitors would swim faster than him. Then she would be ashamed of his failure. On the day of the competition, a group of swimmers lined up at the starting line.
Each one of them wanted to win the race and become famous. The contest began. Benjy was overtaken by swimmers on the left and right. Benjy was swimming so slow that a crab saw his toe and wanted to try and bite it. Benjy saw the crab moving towards his toe. He got frightened at the mere thought of his toe in the claws of the crab. He started swimming fast as if possessed by some supernatural spirit. He overtook all the swimmers in his hurry to escape from the crab. His wife who saw this could not believe it. The shock of her husband winning the race was so great that she fell into the lake with a splash.
Glossary:
confident – sure
free-for-all meet – anyone can participate
absurd – foolish
blush – feel shy
acclaim – praise
swimmers – group of swimmers
poised – stood ready
spectators – onlookers
contest – competition
venture a bite – to try to bite
grab – catch hold of
claw – sharp nails of an animal’s or bird’s foot
foe – enemy
like a swimmer – a swimmer controlled by an extraordinary
possessed – spirit
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