Exercise

Comprehension:
I. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each:

1. What did Benjamin inform his wife?

Ans: Benjamin informs his wife that he is going to compete in the free for all swimming Competition and he is sure to win if he I tired.

2. Why did Benjamin’s wife discourage him?

Ans:Benjamin had not gone for swimming for number of years.His wife thought he is foolish to attempt to compete with the great swimmer, and she is sure that he would come last so she tired to discourage him.

3.How did Benjamin win the swimming competition?

Ans:Benjamin was swimming very slowly . A crab saw his tow and it was tired to bite it he got frightened to escape from the crab and he swimmed fast and won the race.

4.What do you learn from this poem?

Ans:Life can be overcome with strong determination.Luck favors the brave.

II. Appreciation:
Answer the following as directed :

1. The poem is in the style of __
   a. a dialogue
   b. anti-climax
   c. satire
   d. climax

Ans:c. satire

2. Appreciate the following expressions in 3-4 sentences each:
   a. With others so fast, you’re sure to be last.
   b. His pace was so slow that a crab saw his toe and thought
   it would venture a bite.
   c. She fell in the lake with a splash

Ans:a)There are other swimmer who can swim faster than Benjamin. If that happens he would have failed the race. There is a humour in the expression which makes the reader laugh.

b)As Benjamin had not practiced before for the swimming competition he swam very slow that others overbook him. As he was swimming slowly he notices a crab that was about to grab his toe for a bite. This shows his pace was slow.

c)Benjamin was leading the other swimmers in the competition and won the race. The crowd cheered him his wife could not believe this and in a shock fell into the lake.

Exercises
III. Let’s read and respond:
A. Fill in the blanks based on your understanding of the poem:

1.Benjamin told his wife that It was foolishness to compete with trained people as he has not practiced swimming for years.

2. It was a Free for all competition.
3. Benjamin’s wife said that he would come last because he had not practiced swimming for years.
4. The swimmers galore waited for the race to start on the day of the competition.
5. The competition took place on the 4^th of July
6. The other swimmers; he was very slow. passed Benjamin on the right and the left because
7. The crab thought of biting Benjamin’s toe because he was slow and it thought it could get a bit of his toe.
8. Benjamin won the race as he wanted to escape from the claw of the crab.
9. His wife fell into the water because she could not believe that Benjamin was leading the other swimmer and won 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

Ans:Jones – tones, Word – absurd
Came – acclaim, Crab – grab
Quessed – possessed Dash – Splash
Compete – meet Fast – last
Place – race Toe – foe
Dock – shock