Chapter: 11. Limericks
Practice Paper: Answer Key
A. Tick (✓) the correct options.
What is the primary goal of a Limerick poem? c. To be silly and make people laugh In the Limerick about the ‘sarpint’ and the boot, who was the main character? b. An Old Man with a flute Besides being a poet, Edward Lear was also known as a/an: B. Answer these questions.
What did the Young Lady of Russia’s screams make it impossible for anyone to do? Her screams made it impossible for anyone to hush or quiet her. What was the Old Man in a boat so confident about, even when others disagreed? He was very confident that he was “afloat” (floating on water). How did the sarpint get away from the Old Man with the flute? The sarpint got away by taking flight (fleeing) because the Old Man played his flute day and night. What made the Old Man’s description of the young bird in the bush so funny? The humor came from his exaggerated claim that the bird was “four times as big as the bush,” which is physically impossible. C. Answer these questions with reference to the context.
“There was a Young Lady of Russia,
Who screamed so that no one could hush her;”
a. What was the main problem people faced because of the Young Lady’s actions?
* The main problem people faced was that they could not quiet or stop her screams, no matter how hard they tried.
b. What does the phrase “hush her” mean in this context?
* In this context, “hush her” means to make her quiet or to silence her screams.
c. Describe the nature of her screams based on these lines, and what effect they had on those around her.
* Based on these lines, her screams were extremely loud and persistent. The effect was that no one around her was able to make her stop, highlighting the overwhelming nature of her noise. “When they said, ‘No! you ain’t!’
He was ready to faint,
That unhappy Old Man in a boat.”
a. What specific word did ‘they’ use to contradict the Old Man’s claim?
* ‘They’ used the word “ain’t” to contradict the Old Man’s claim.
b. Why do you think the Old Man became “unhappy”?
* The Old Man became unhappy because his strong belief that he was afloat was directly challenged and denied by others, which seemed to upset him greatly.
c. Based on his reaction, what kind of personality does the Old Man in the boat seem to have?
* Based on his dramatic reaction of being “ready to faint” and becoming “unhappy” when contradicted, the Old Man in the boat seems to have a sensitive, perhaps stubborn, and somewhat dramatic personality. He is very attached to his own perception of reality. 
Answer key