Chapter: 11. Limericks
Comprehension Answer Key
A. Tick (✓) the correct options.
Which character became “unhappy” in one of the Limericks? Edward Lear’s Limericks are famously known as a type of: How many lines does a standard Limerick poem have? B. Answer these questions.
What was the unusual place where the ‘sarpint’ ended up in one of the poems? The ‘sarpint’ ended up in the Old Man’s boot. Why did the Old Man, who spotted the bird, say ‘Hush!’? The Old Man said ‘Hush!’ because he perceived a young bird in the bush and wanted others to be quiet so he could show it. What is the main characteristic of the lines that rhyme in a Limerick? The first, second, and fifth lines rhyme, and the third and fourth lines rhyme (AABBA rhyme scheme). How do Limericks generally make people feel? Limericks are usually funny poems meant to make people laugh and feel amused. C. Answer these questions with reference to the context.
“A ‘sarpint’ ran into his boot;
But he played day and night,”
a. What kind of creature is a ‘sarpint’?
* A ‘sarpint’ is an informal or poetic spelling for a snake.
b. What was the Old Man doing continuously?
* The Old Man was playing his flute continuously, both day and night.
c. What was the final outcome of his continuous action regarding the ‘sarpint’?
* The final outcome was that the continuous playing of the flute made the ‘sarpint’ take flight, meaning it ran away or fled from the Old Man’s boot. The music successfully drove the snake away. “When they said-‘Is it small?’
He replied-‘Not at all!
It is four times as big as the bush!’”
a. Who is ‘he’ in these lines?
* ‘He’ in these lines refers to the Old Man who had just perceived a bird in the bush.
b. What specific question were ‘they’ asking ‘him’ about the bird?
* ‘They’ were asking the Old Man if the bird he perceived was small.
c. Explain what makes ‘his’ reply humorous or surprising in the context of the poem.
* His reply is humorous and surprising because he states the bird is “four times as big as the bush!” This is an extreme exaggeration and physically impossible, as a bird cannot be larger than the bush it is sitting in. This absurdity creates the comedic effect typical of a Limerick. 
Answer key