Preparatory Notes for 10th std

Preparatory Notes

Read the extract and answer the questions that follow. 

1. ‘They were childish enough, and in many ways quite artless.

Jacopo was lively as a squirrel. Nicola’s smile was steady and

engaging. Yet in both these boyish faces there was a seriousness

which was far beyond their years..’

a. Why does the narrator call them ‘childish’ and ‘artless’?

The narrator calls Jacopo and Nicola ‘childish’ and ‘artless’

because of their child-like faces and innocence. They are merely

boys who have not learnt the evil side of life.

b. Contrast the two different styles of Nicola and Jacopo

Nicola had a steady and engaging smile. Jacopo was lively and

full of life like a squirrel.

c. What brought about a ‘seriousness’ which was far ‘beyond their

years’ on their boyish faces/

Their concern and worry about their sister’s illness and her being in

hospital brought about the ‘seriousness’. They were acting like

adults, though they were simply kids.

2. ‘Tortured by doubt and remorse, he sat down in the glow of the

charcoal sigri to wait.’

a. When did the postmaster reproach himself?

The postmaster reproached himself for having failed to understand

Ali’s anxiety. This he did when he himself had to spend another

night of restless anxiety.

b. Why did he feel ‘anxiety’?

He felt ‘anxiety’ as he had not received any information about the

well-being of his own daughter after his illness.

c. Why were the ‘doubt’ and ‘remorse’?

‘Doubt’ because he had not received any information about his

ailing daughter. ‘Remorse’ because he had treated Ali badly and

had made fun of him. He now felt that he should not have done so.

3. ‘”How amused everyone would be if they knew what really

happened,” said Louisa Mebbin a few days after the ball.’

a. To whom does Louisa Mebbin say this?

Louisa Mebbin says this to Mrs Packletide in the story.

b. What is she referring to?

She is referring to the death of the tiger due to heart failure caused

by the sound of Mrs Packeltide’s shot. Mrs Packletide ahd shot the

goat dead instead of the tiger.

c. What is the purpose behind making this statement?

The purpose behind making this statement is to exploit Mrs

Packletide for her selfish ends.

4. ‘Gainst death and all obvious enmity

Shall you pace forth: your praise shall still find room,

Even in the eyes of al posterity

That wear this world out to the ending doom.’ a. What kind of enmity is it?

The enmity mentioned here is that enmity which forgets everything

and seeks to destroy everything.

b. How does the poet immortalise his beloved’s memory here?

The poet immortalises his beloved’s memory by saying that it will

find some space even in the eyes of posterity.

c. What will happen to the world when the poet’s beloved’s praise

shall face it?

The world will be outlived by the beloved’s praise even to the

edge of doom.

5. ‘Amelia and Henry. They’ve stolen your clock and bureau.

(Working herself up)They sneaked into your room like a thief in the

night and stole them after you were dead.’

a. Who is Amelia?

Amelia is Mrs Slater, daughter of Abel Merryweather.

b. How did they steal the things?

They stole the things secretly before the arrival of Mrs Jordan, that

is Elizabeth and her husband Mr Jordan. c. Whom did these things belong to?

These things belonged to Abel Merryweather, father of Amelia and

Elizabeth.

B. Answer in 3-4 sentences 

a. How does the father react to Ben’s saying of him, “....you’ve got to

live with one of your daughters”?

When Ben asks the father that he has got to live with one of his two

daughters he says that he will do three things on Monday. One he

will go to the lawyer and change his will. Two he will pay his

insurance premium. Three, he will get married to the owner of ‘

Ring-O-Bells’ Mrs John Shorrocks.

b. Describe the significance of the comparison between the

woman’s face and the terrible fish as given in ‘Mirror’.

The woman described in the poem was once beautiful and young.

But now she has grown old and wrinkled. Although her physical

beauty has faded mentally, she still would like to see herself as the

beautiful maiden of her youth. The mirror reflects an image with the

ugly reality of her ageing. She cries and wrings her hands in

desperation looking for the candlelight and moonlight which do

not show her ageing face very clearly. Terrible fish is decayed fish

that is rotten and unpalatable just as the withering with age is

unpalatable and unacceptable to the lady. So the comparison is

apt

c. The nightingale had a melodious voice but lacked in intelligence

and confidence. Comment

The poem leads us to believe that the nightingale had a beautiful

voice but lacked in intelligence and confidence. She was easily

swayed by the praise showered on her by the frog. She didn’t

understand his comments and analyse to learn about his ulterior

motives. She was foolish to trust in the frog who is seen to be cruel

and selfish.

d. ‘The postmaster was bewildered. ‘Why was the postmaster

bewildered?

When Lakshmi Das told the postmaster that Ali had died three

months earlier he was bewildered. He remembered seeing Ali that

morning. He was perplexed when he heard that Ali had died. In

order to confirm his suspicion that he had seen Ali’s ghost he

asked Lakshim Das id he was the first to come to the post office

that morning.

e. Though Nicola and Jacopo are two young boys the narrator

addresses them as two gentlemen. What special qualities make fit

to be called gentlemen?

The narrator addresses Jacopo and Nicola as ‘gentlemen’

because of their really human qualities. Being young they work

hard to earn money, spend hardly any on their comforts and use

everything for their sister’s treatment of tuberculosis of the spine. Being young they behave like mature adults in this respect. So

they are called ‘gentlemen’ as only ‘gentlemen’ could rightly do

such things.

C. Long answers 

a. As the narrator write a diary entry about your feelings when you

discovered the true nature of the two gentlemen of Verona.

Express your happiness that even today selfless love exists and can

bring joy to the distressed and sick people.

10 September 20..

It is heartening to know that even today selfless love exists in heart

of some people. This kind of love is the ultimate expression that

brings joy to the giver and receiver as well. Such selflessness is

only possible for people who are gentle, caring and responsible. I

cannot forget the two gentlemen of Verona-Nicola and Jacopo,

the little boys in their teens who worked day and night for their

ailing sister Lucia. They did odd jobs to earn money to meet their

hospital expenses for their sister. She was suffering from

tuberculosis of the psine.

These two young brave hearts saved every cent they got without

spending on comfort and luxury for themselves. Such selfless love

can truly bring blessings from God and can create a heaven on

earth. Truly, God lives in such a love which diminishes human

suffering and grief.

b. How was Louisa Mebbin able to buy a week-end cottage near

Dorking?

It was Louisa Mebbin who told Mrs Packletide that she had shot the

goat dead and the not the tiger. The tiger died due to a heart

failure caused by the booming sound of the rifle shot. This annoyed

Mrs Packletide but she didn’t mind it since she had a dead tiger as

her claim to fame. She got herself photographed for various

magazines. Louisa Mebbin hinted to her that everyone would be

amused if they got to know that she had shot the goat instead of

the tiger. Mrs Packletide tried to silence her by saying that no one

would believe that story. Louisa Mebbin immediately pointed out

that Mrs Packletide’s arch enemy, Loona Bimberton, would.

Knowing that this knowledge would expose her to ridicule and

condemnation from her social class especially her arch rival,

Loona, she agreed to giving Louisa the money to buy the weekend

cottage near Dorking. Although Mrs Packletide knew that she was

being blackmailed into paying for the cottage, she agreed to it

just so her reputation as an ace huntress would not be reduced to

shreds.

c. Victoria felt sad, when she realised the materialistic and callous

attitude of her parents towards the grandfather. As Victoria, write

a letter to your grandfather apologising for your parents’

behaviour.

18 Sherwood Cottage

parliament Road

New Delhi 10...

Dearest/Respected Grandpa, I hope you are feeling well now. I

am sad thinking of how my parents treated you. They are

materialistic and callous towards you. When i saw Mother and

father stealing the bureau I almost cried in shame. I couldn’t

believe that they had declared you dead and were now grabbing

your things.

Even Aunt Elizabeth seems to have no genuine love or affection. I

wish I could put some sense into them.

Human relationships are to be valued more than materialistic

pleasures. I deeply apologize for my parents’ selfish and

shameless behaviour. I hope you will forgive them. Your loving granddaughter,

Victoria

d. The frog in the poem, ‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ was clever,

boastful and insensitive. Duck of Kent felt so sad at the death of his

nightingale that he decided to express his feelings in the form of a

diary entry. Write his diary in about 150 words.

13 August 201..

The death of the nightingale caused by the clever and crafty frog

hangs heavy on my heart. It is heavier due to the fact that the

nightingale was innocent, simple-hearted and a little bit foolish.

The frog exploited her to serve his own interests. The frog stands for

a heartless and cruel politician and behaves like a don. Very

cleverly he trains the nightingale to adopt the latest techniques in

signing merely to increase his income. But underneath he intends

to kill her without any blame. And he is successful in killing her. The

nightingale too is responsible

10th std SA 1 Practice Sheet

Practice Sheet

Reading
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. 

The cacao tree produces the cacao bean. The bean is referred to

as cocoa in trade circles. Ghana and the Ivory coast supply more

than 70% of the world’s cocoa to chocolate companies around the

globe. Hershey’s, Mars, Nestle are indirectly connected to the

horrible exploitation of children and slavery and it is time that these

companies listen to the voice of their conscience.

As the chocolate industry grows the demand for cheap cocoa also

grows. A cocoa farmer makes very little money from his export. He

tries to reduce his cost of production by using children to harvest the

beans. Most of the children working on these farms are between the

ages of 12 and 16 who work for twelve to fourteen hours a day.

Some farms have children as young as five working on them.

A child climbs the tree and cuts off the pod using a machete. He

then cracks open the pod with a couple of strikes from the

machete. The heavy machete can easily slice off the flesh from a

child’s hand. Many of these children’s hands and legs bear scars of

wounds from the machete. These children spray toxic chemicals on

the pods without wearing any protective clothing as African farms

regularly face the problem of infestations. Child labour is a universal problem:
 children in Cambodia work in

brick factories, children in India roll beedies and firecrackers,

children work on tobacco farms of the United States of America.

Childhood is the great and happiest period of the lives of everyone

during which one learns about the basic strategy of the life from

parents, loved ones and nature. Child labour interferes with the

proper growth and development of the children in all aspects like

mentally, physically, socially and intellectually.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that number of

working children are about 250 million in the developing countries,

of whom at least 120 million are working full time. Children work

mainly due to poverty. Poor parents are forced to send their children

to work instead of school. Poverty reduction is the key to reducing

child labour. The government should provide some compensation to

poor parents for sending their children to school.

The government of India has plans to allow child labour for 'family

enterprises'. This is the result of the latest amendment to the Child

Labour Prohibition Act. There may be no hope to the problem of

child labour. As long as a factory owner finds it cheaper to hire a

child instead of an able-bodied worker this inhuman practice will

continue.

I Answer the following questions. 
a. What is the basic raw material used to make chocolates?

b. Why does the cocoa farmer employ children on his farm?

c. What danger does a child worker face on the farm?

d. Why is child labour such a universal problem?

II Choose the correct option that is closest in meaning to the word

given below.

a. exploitation (para 1)

taking offence taking advantage

taking credit taking a stand

b. machete (para 3)

a sharp lance a pocket knife

a broad heavy knife a rifle

c. infestation (para 3)

state of being invaded by insects spraying of chemical fertilizers

spraying a potent pesticide invaded by disease

d. amendment (para 4)

a minor change in a law an addition to a law

a new law implementing a law

B. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. 

Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Peru,

Machu Picchu is believed to have been a royal estate or sacred

religious site for Inca leaders, whose civilization was virtually wiped

out by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. Until, the American

archaeologist Hiram Bingham stumbled upon it in 1911, the

abandoned citadel’s existence was a secret known only to

peasants living in the region.

Hiram Bingham arrived in Peru with a small team of explorers hoping

to find Vilcabamba, the last Inca stronghold to fall to the Spanish.

Travelling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their

way from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer

told them of some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain.

The farmer called the mountain Machu Picchu, which translates to

“old peak” in the native Quechua language. On July 24, after a

tough climb to the mountain’s ridge in cold and drizzly weather,

Bingham met a small group of peasants who showed him the rest of

the way. Led by an 11-year-old boy, Bingham got his first glimpse of

the intricate network of stone terraces marking the entrance to

Machu Picchu.

There was a great flight of beautifully constructed stone terraces,

perhaps a hundred of them, each hundreds of feet long and 10 feet

high. The walls of the ruined houses were built of the finest quality of

Inca stonework. The ruins were overgrown by trees, bamboo thickets

and tangles of vines and covered with moss, but the white granite

walls were carefully cut and exquisitely fitted together.

The excited Bingham spread the word about his discovery in a best- selling book, 
“The Lost City of the Incas,” sending hordes of eager

tourists flocking to Peru to follow in his footsteps up the formerly

obscure Inca Trail. He also excavated artefacts from Machu Picchu

and took them to Yale University for further inspection, igniting a

custody dispute between Yale University and the Government of

Peru that lasted nearly 100 years.

a. What is believed to be the significance of Machu Picchu to the

Incas?

b. What led to the downfall of the civilisation of the Incas?

c. How did Bingham and his group get to know about Machu Picchu

when they landed in Peru?

d. How did the site get the name Machu Picchu?

e. What is special about the entrance to Machu Picchu?

f. What led to an onrush of tourists to Machu Picchu?

g. What did Bigham do with the products of his excavations of the site?

h. What is a custody dispute?

Writing

C. You are Danny / Della. You saw an advertisement in a magazine for

youth. Upset by the misleading language, you decide to write an

article entitled ‘Health is a treasure with no short cuts’ for publication

in your school’s magazine. Write in about 120 words.

5

D. Given below is a newspaper report on the state of cancer prevailing

in India. Taking information from the clipping given below together

with your own ideas, write a article in about 120 words.

‘In India, cities are more cancer-prone than rural areas. In the early

1990s, we expected one out of 10-15 urban Indians to get cancer in

their life-time that is every second or third family would have to face

this disease. This is partly due to high levels of benzene in the air and

also their exposure to high levels of pesticide in their food.

In order to check the steady growth of cancer in the country, the

Government will have to give priority to preventive action. At the

same time measures to undertake improvement in facilities for the

treatment of cancer shall have to be adopted.

5

E, Write a story that begins with these lines...

Last October, we decided to go for a trek. Mother, Rishabh my

cousin and I packed our small knapsacks and began our trek. We

had decided to climb to the top and watch the river cascading over

huge rocks down the steep sides of the valley. (150-200 words)

Grammar

F. Gap filling Conversation 4x4=16

I Sita: Hello can I speak to Rani?

Meera: I’m afraid, mother’s not at home. May i know who is

peaking?

5

Sita: I am Sita. Please tell your mother that I will pick her up at 7 pm

on Wednesday for the lecture on ‘Yoga and your life’

Meera: Yes Ma’am. I will certainly tell her.

a. Sita said hello and asked ___________________ to Rani.

I. if I can speak

II. if she could speak

III. if I could speak

a. if I may speak

b. Hearing this Meera replied that her mother was not at home and

asked ____________________ speaking

I. if I know who is

II. if I know who was

III. if she might know who was

IV. if she might know who is

c. Sita introduced herself and told her to tell her mother that

_______________ on Wednesday for the Yoga lecture.

I. she should pick her up at 7 pm

II. I will pick her up at 7 pm

III. I will pick your mother up at 7 pm

IV. she would pick her up at 7 pm

d. Meera replied respectfully that she certainly _____________.

I. would tell her mother

II. will tell her mother

III. will tell

IV. will tell respectfully

II Attendant: A person wants to see you, Sir.

Principal: did you ask him his name?

Attendant: sorry, sir, I didn’t. I shall go and ask him.

a. The attendant told the principal respectfully that a person

_________________________.

I. wants to see him

II. wanted to see him

III. wants to see you

IV. wanted to see you

b. The Principal asked him ____________ the person his name.

I. if you had asked



II. if you had asked

III. if he asked

IV. if he had asked

c. The attendant regretted the error and told the Principal that ________________________.

I. he did not

II. he hadn’t done that

III. he did not do that

IV. he didn’t ask him

d. He further told the Principal that he ________________________.

I. would go and ask him

II. will go and ask him

III. will ask him

IV. would go and ask

III Father: Where did you go yesterday after school?

Rishabh: I went to the watch the Inter-school football final.

Father: why didn’t you tell us before you left home?

Rishabh: I’m sorry father. I called from school but nobody picked up

the phone.

a. Father asked Rishabh_______________________.

I. where did you go the day before

II. where he had gone the day before

III. where you had gone the previous day

IV. where did he go the previous day

b. Rishabh replied that he ____________________________the Inter-School

Football Final.

I. went to watch

II. had gone to watch

III. had been to watch

IV. was going to watch

c. Father asked him ___________________before he left home.

I. why he did not tell them

II. why you didn’t tell us

III. why he hadn’t told them

IV. why he had not told him

d. Rishabh replied that he _______________________up the phone.

I. had called from school but nobody picked

II. called from school but nobody picked

7

III. had called from school but nobody had picked

IV. called from school but nobody had picked

IV Mrs Geeta: When did you pass your M. Sc.?

Mr Mrs Geeta: what were your subjects?

Mr Mukesh: Are you willing to go for training if it is required?

Mr Shah: What do your parents do?

a. Mrs Geeta asked Mohan ______________ M.Sc.

I. when did you pass your

II. when he had passed his

III. when you had passed

IV. when did you pass your

b. She further asked him ____________________in B. Sc.

I. what were your subjects

II. what were his subjects

III. what had been your subjects

IV. what his subjects had been

c. Mr Mukesh, the other member, asked him __________________

training if it was required.

I. are you willing to go for

II. if he is willing to go for

III. if you are willing to go for

IV. if he was willing to go for

d. Finally, Mr Shah asked him ________________.

I. what do your parents do

II. what did his parents do

III. what his parents did

IV. what your parents do

G. 1 Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful

sentences. The first one has been done as an example.

The/of/plight/ Tanzanians / would/ like/ know /the/you/about/to

Would you like to know about the plight of the Tanzanians?

a. Africa/in/Tanzanians/literacy rate/the /have/highest

b. read/hardly/have/to/they/anything/but

c. the/and/are/costs/soaring/paper/the/the/interest/rates/reasons/of

d. have/they/standstill/the/to/a/brought/publishing industry

G. 2.

a. the refrain/during their holidays/children hear/this is

b. play in the sun/in summer/since one cannot/things are worse

c. with a lot of time on their hands/the children/ to rest indoors/are

condemned

d. parents /this is/worries/what /the

H. Complete the following passage using the most appropriate options

from the ones given.

Is your glass half-full or half-empty? On (a) __________ days when

nothing in your life seems to be going right, it (b) __________ be really

tough to see the silver lining among all those clouds. However, It’s

during these times when the (c) __________to see the good in even

the worst situations is so important. An optimistic attitude (d)

__________not only __________your mental health, but your physical

well being as well.

a. i. some

ii. those

iii. few

iv. these

b. i. can

ii. might

iii. will

iv. must

c. i. wish

ii. desire

iii. chance

iv. ability

d. i. benefitted

ii. will benefit

iii. benefits

iv. benefitting

I. Indian American Wins Democratic Primary in Philadelphia

Thursday, May 20 Iraq. War-veteran, Indian American doctor Manan

Trivedi (a) __________ the Democratic Party nomination to contest

the November elections to the US House of Representatives from

Pennsylvania Congressional district. A doctor-turned war-veteran,

Tirvedi, 35 (b) __________ Dough Pike, a former local journalist, (c)

__________margin of 672 votes; thus earning the right to challenge

Republican incumbent Jim Geralch in the November polls for

Pennsylvania seat for the US House of representatives. Conceding

his defeat, Pike in a statement supported Trivedi. The elections (d)

__________ Tuesday.

a. i. won

ii. had won

iii. has won

iv. was won

b. i. had defeated

ii. been defeated

iii. was defeated

iv. defeated

c. i. through a narrow

ii. with a narrow

iii. to a narrow

iv. in a narrow

d. i. was held on

ii. were held on

iii. been held on

iv. had been held on

J. The following passages have not been edited. There is one error in

each line. Find the errors. Underline them and write the correct word.

1. Ordinary good looks depend on one’s sense

of humour – ‘a merry heart has its cheerful

countenance’. Joyfulness keeps the heart but face

young. Laughter helps us to become better friends to

ourselves and others with whom we interact.

It was worthwhile being happy. the sympathetic nerves are close connected: when one

set of nerves carries bad news with the head, the nerves

reaching the stomach is affected and indigestion

makes ones miserable and doleful.

2. Coorgi homes have a tradition in

hospitality and they are more to willing

at recount numerous tales of valour. The Coorgi Regiment is

one of the more decorated in the Indian Army, but the first Chief of the Indian Army,

General Cariappa, was a Coorgi. Even now, Kodavus

are only people in India

permitted to carrying firearms

without the licence.

K. Insert a ‘/’ where you think a word has been omitted in each line of

the paragraph. Then write the omitted word in the space provided.

Depending / the type of raptor, the birds may make

their nests with sticks / live in nests made by

other birds. They may also live and lay eggs / the

cavities of tree trunks or burrows that have been

made and left /other animals. Some raptors make nests

on treetops, some on / ground while some make them on the

faces / cliffs. Normally, the female bird makes the nest

while

the male bird gathers and brings the material for it.

Different types of raptors lay different types / eggs.

They may be round or oval shaped and even the colour

/vary

9th std Lord Ullin’s Daughter by Thomas Campbell

Lord Ullin’s Daughter by Thomas Campbell

The poem, written as a ballad, is about the tragic drowning of a young man and his beloved while trying to escape the wrath of the latter’s father.

Lord Ullin is the father of the girl. Being the lord of Ulva, he wields considerable power. His young beautiful daughter is madly in love with a chieftain in the same place. Lord Ullin can not reconcile to his daughter’s romantic relationship with the young chieftain. He puts a strong foot down on the idea of the two getting married. The daughter dreads the rage and fury of her father.

Seeing no way to formally marry the chieftain, whom she has already given her heart to, she elopes with him. This infuriates Lord Ullin so much that he sends three horsemen to haunt down the duo and smother the chieftain on the spot.

The duo, frantically trying to evade their pursuers plan to cross the stretch of sea known as Lochgyle. The sea separates Ulva and Gribun on Mull. Gribun can be the duo’s safe haven.

They approach a boatman to ferry them across. But, the weather has become hostile. Darkness is descending and a storm is beginning to blow. Understandably, the boatman is hesitant to venture into water. The chieftain, very eager to get away to the other side, offers a silver coin to the boatman and beseeches him to make the trip somehow or the other.

The boatman learns that the man and woman, deeply in love, are in the run. The boat journey stood between them and their death.

The boatman proudly spurns the lure of the silver. Pulling himself up, he declares that he would make the trip for the sake of the ‘boney’ damsel in distress.

In the mean while, the weather deteriorates further. It gets darker and the storm begins to blow stronger. Thunder rumbles and lightning flickers.

Just then the sound of the three galloping horsemen is heard. It drives the young man and the lady to extreme nervousness and fright. It becomes clear that the horsemen will soon find them out and behead the chieftain with the swish of their sword. The girl would then be left to confront the wrath of her monstrous father.

Seeing the plight of the two lovers, the boatman’s heart melts.He sets out with the duo in his boat on the perilous journey. The weather worsens further making the journey very fraught. The ruthless storm blows without any remorse swaying the boat dangerously.

Lord Ullin soon reaches the sea shore, but just a short while too late. He sees the boat capsizing and his daughter clinging to her lover with one hand and waving to her father for help with the other.

Lord Ullin realizes that this is the last glimpse of his dear daughter who would soon meet her watery grave. His heart is plunged in remorse. Revenge and anger are replaced by a torrent of forgiveness and affection. He is ready to accept the duo and allow them to marry.

But, it is too late. He would see his daughter no more. He realizes how his senseless fury and obduracy have extracted a deadly toll. There was no way he could atone for his folly.

9th std Lord Ullin’s Daughter by Thomas Campbell

The poem consists of 14 stanzas. Each of these stanzas is again made up of 4 lines. Hence, the entire poem consists of 56 lines in total.

^1st stanza:

A Chieftain to the Highlands bound,

Cries, ‘Boatman, do not tarry;

And I’ll give thee a silver pound

To row us o’er the ferry.’

In this stanza, the poet describes how a Scottish chieftain was on his way to the Highlands by way of water and he told the boatman that he would give him a pound to cross the lake without any delay.

2^nd stanza:

'Now who be ye would cross Lochgyle,

This dark and stormy water?'

'Oh! I'm the chief of Ulva's isle,

And this Lord Ullin's daughter.

In this stanza, the boatman asks who it is that wants to cross the Lochgyle Lake on such a stormy day. In reply, the chieftain identifies himself as the ruler of Ulva and his lady companion as the daughter of one Lord Ullin, the chieftain of a neighbouring isle.

3^rd stanza:

'And fast before her father's men

Three days we've fled together,

For should he find us in the glen,

My blood would stain the heather.

In this stanza, the Chieftain of Ulva tells the boatman that he and his lady love have been fleeing for the past three days from Lord Ullin’s men because they would surely kill the Lord of Ulva if they found him with Lord Ullin’s daughter.

4^th stanza:

'His horsemen hard behind us ride;

Should they our steps discover,

Then who will cheer my bonny bride

When they have slain her lover?'

In this stanza, the Chieftain of Ulva continues to tell the boatman that Lord Ullin’s horsemen have been chasing him and his lady love. He then asks the boatman who would cheer his bride once he had been killed after Lord Ullin discovers them journeying together.

5^th stanza:

Out spoke the hardy Highland wight:

'I'll go, my chief - I'm ready:

It is not for your silver bright,

But for your winsome lady.

In this stanza, the poet describes the boatman as a hardy lad who readily agrees to take the Chief of Ulva across the lake not for his offer of money, but at the thought of his innocent companion.

6^th stanza:

'And by my word, the bonny bird 

In danger shall not tarry: 

So, though the waves are raging white, 

I'll row you o'er the ferry.'

In this stanza, the boatman assures the Chief of Ulva that his lovely bride will not spend another moment in the dangerous situation they are in. Even though the water is flowing so fast that white froth is rising to its surface, the boatman would row them across the lake.

7^th stanza:

By this the storm grew loud apace, 

The water-wraith was shrieking; 

And in the scowl of heaven each face 

Grew dark as they were speaking.

In this stanza, the poet says that the thunder and lightning grew ever stronger and it seemed that the mythical water-wraith was shrieking as a signal that everyone on the lake would die soon. The poet imagines that the sky itself is scowling, and as a result, each man’s face was becoming more and more anxiety-stricken.

8^th stanza:

But still, as wilder blew the wind, 

And as the night grew drearer, 

Adown the glen rode armed men- 

Their trampling sounded nearer.

In this stanza, the poet describes how the wind kept blowing at faster and faster speeds, and the night got darker and darker. At this time, Lord Ullin’s horsemen could be heard approaching the lake with all their weaponry intact.

9^th stanza:

'Oh! Haste thee, haste!' the lady cries, 

'Though tempests round us gather; 

I'll meet the raging of the skies, 

But not an angry father.'

In this stanza, we hear Lord Ullin’s daughter speaking for the first time. She tells the boatman to hurry on his way even though their surroundings were getting stormier every minute, for she could bear to face the wrath of the sky but not that of her own father.

10^th stanza:

The boat has left a stormy land, 

A stormy sea before her- 

When oh! Too strong for human hand, 

The tempest gathered o'er her.

In this stanza, the poet says that while the land had been an unsafe place for the Chief of Ulva and his lady love, the sea was none too safe for them either. As the storm became more terrifying, it was proving more difficult for the boatman to control his vessel.

11^th stanza:

And still they rowed amidst the roar 

Of waters fast prevailing; 

Lord Ullin reached that fatal shore- 

His wrath was changed to wailing.

In this stanza, the poet describes how both the sky and the water roared, but the boat stayed on its path. At this moment, Lord Ullin reached the shore of the lake and his anger transformed into lament.

12^th stanza:

For sore dismayed, through storm and shade, 

His child he did discover; 

One lovely hand she stretched for aid, 

And one was round her lover.

In this stanza, Lord Ullin looks hard through the darkness and the storm to see his daughter with one hand stretched out to as if to ask for help, and the other holding onto her lover – the Chief of Ulva.

13^th stanza:

'Come back! Come back!' he cried in grief, 

'Across this stormy water; 

And I'll forgive your Highland chief, 

My daughter!- oh, my daughter!'

In this stanza, Lord Ullin begs his daughter to return to shore and promises to forgive her lover for taking her away from him. It is thus clear that his daughter is the most important thing to him in his life.

14th stanza:

'Twas vain: the loud waves lashed the shore, 

Return or aid preventing; 

The waters wild went o'er his child, 

And he was left lamenting.

In this stanza, the poet says that it was now impossible for the boat to return or to get any help from anyone since the waves were crashing against the shore. Lord Ullin’s daughter was drowned and he was filled with remorse.