Class 9 Bestselller

Summary of the Chapter

One day, the narrator was on his way to Pittsburgh for business purpose by the chair-car. He was sitting on the chair No. 7. After a while, he noticed someone on the chair No. 9 When he saw him, remembered him at once. They both were old acquaintances and met after two years. His name was John A Pescud. He was reading the Best Seller ‘The Rose Lady and Trevelyan’. Pescud was a travelling salesman for a plate-glass company. He also believed that plate-glass was the most important commodity in the world.
Pointing towards the book he was reading, Pescud said that the novel dealt with an American hero who falls in love with a royal princess from Europe. He believed that such romances only happened in novels because in real life, any sensible fellow will pick out a girl from the same kind of status and family.
After mocking the imaginative content of the novel, Pescud informs the writer that professionally, he was prospering and he had also invested in real estate. On being asked regarding his love-interest, Pescud relates his personal experience. He was going to Cincinnati, when he came across a very beautiful girl, whom he wished to marry. He chased her wherever she went, crossing many stations and finally reached Virginia. She was escorted to a palatial mansion by a tall old man. Pescud stayed back in the village and discovered that she was the daughter of Colonel Allyn, who was the biggest and finest man in Virginia. He met the beautiful girl next day and tried to converse with her. He discovers that her name was Jessie and her father was the royal descendant of a renowned British family. She had been aware all along that Pescud was following her and warned him that her father would feed him to the hounds, if Pescud ever thought of a proposal. Nevertheless, nothing seemed to deter Pescud and with due ceremony, he arrives at the mansion. He was surprised to see that the inside of the palace was very impoverished with very old furniture. Colonel Allyn arrived in great style, despite his shabby clothes. Amidst talking of anecdotes and humorous occurrences, Pescud frankly put forth his proposal, giving all details of his business and family. He is accepted by Jessie and her family and the marriage had taken place a year ago. 
Pescud had built a house in East End and the Colonel was also residing with him. He waited daily at the gate for Pescud to hear a new story. By this time, the train was nearing Coketown. It appeared to be a dull and dreary place and the writer questioned Pescud regarding his purpose of getting down at Coketown. Pescud told the writer that he was halting there to get some Petunias which Jessie had seen in one of the houses. Pescud invites the writer to pay a visit and gets down at the station. The train moves forward and the writer discovers that Pescud had left his bestseller behind. He picked it up and smiled to himself because Pescud’s own story was no less than a bestseller.

4. Answer the following questions briefly.

(a) One day last summer the author was travelling to Pittsburg by chair car. What does he say about his co-passengers?

Ans. The compartment was full of affluent people, men and women, sitting in their chair-cars. Women were fashionably dressed in brown silk dresses with laces and veils. Men appeared to be travelling on account of business.

(b) Who was the passenger of chair No.9? What did he suddenly do?

Ans. The passenger of Chair No. 9 was a man from Pittsburgh named John, an old friend of writer. 

He suddenly threw his book between his chair and window. The name of book was the 'The Rose Lady and Trevelyan', one of the bestselling novels of the present day.

 (c) What was John A. Pescud's opinion about best sellers? Why?
 Ans. Pescud believed that the stories about best-sellers were not realistic. The themes revolved around romances between royals and commoners, fencing, imaginative encounters and all the stuff that never happens in real life. In real life, one would always select a prospective bride from a similar background.

(d) What does John say about himself since his last meeting with the author?

Ans .John, since his last meeting with the author was on the line of general prosperity. He had his salary doubled twice and had bought “a neat slice of real estate.” His company was to sell him some shares of stock the coming year. Much settled in life, he had even taken some time off to experience some romance of which he tells the author next.

(e) How did John's first meeting with Jessie's father go? What did the author tell him?

Ans. John’s first meeting with Jessie’s father was successful, since it set the tone for a possible alliance infuture. John not only made his proposal, stated his intentions in clear terms, but also made Jessie’s father laugh with his anecdotes and stories.

(f) Why did John get off at Coketown?
Ans  Jessie had fancied some petunias in one of the windows and she wanted to plant them in her new house. So Pescud thought of dropping at Coketown to dig or get some cuttings of flowers for her.

(g) John is a hypocrite. Do you agree with this statement? Substantiate your answer.

Ans.Yes, I believe that John is a hypocrite. The word hypocrite means the person tries to shows what he is not. John is such type of man. He said that he did not believe in the romance portrayed in best sellers. He believed the stories too good to be true. However, his own story was fantastical. His wife, the only daughter of the oldest family in Virginia, met him, an ordinary travel salesman of a plate glass company, in a journey where he would have least expected to find his life partner. Their courtship also was too fantastical, and even after all the episode, the fashion in which Pescud criticised love stories of best sellers proves him to be a hypocrite.

(h) Describe John A. Pescud with reference to the following points:

Physical appearance ............................................................................................

His philosophy on behaviour ...............................................................................

His profession ......................................................................................................

His first impression of his wife ...........................................................................

His success ..........................................................................................................

Answer

Physical appearance: John was not particularly good looking

His philosophy on behaviour: A man should be decent and law abiding in her/his hometown

His profession: A travelling salesman for a plate glass company

His first impression of his wife: A very fine girl, whose job was to make this world prettier just by residing in it

His success: Much successful John had had his salary raised twice in the previous year and his company was to give him a few shares as well.

5. Complete the flow chart in the correct sequence as it happens in the story.

Hint: it begins from the time John Pescud first saw Jessie till the time they marry.

(1)	Jessie takes a sleeper to Louisville.

(2)	Pescud sees a girl (Jessie) reading a book in the train.
(3)	Pescud speaks to the girl (Jessie) for the first time.
(4)	Pescud follows her but finds it difficult to keep up.
(5)	Pescud goes to the village to find out about the mansion.
(6)	Jessie arrives at Virginia.
(7)	Pescud meets Jessie's father.
(8)	They get married a year later.
(9)	Pescud instantly gets attracted to the girl (Jessie)
(10)	Jessie informs Pescud that her father would not approve of them meeting.
(11)	They meet alone two days later.

Answer

(2)	Pescud sees a girl (Jessie) reading a book in the train.
(9)	Pescud instantly gets attracted to the girl (Jessie)
(1)	Jessie takes a sleeper to Louisville.
(4)	Pescud follows her but finds it difficult to keep up.
(6)	Jessie arrives at Virginia.
(5)	Pescud goes to the village to find out about the mansion
(3)	Pescud speaks to the girl (Jessie) for the first time.
(10)	Jessie informs Pescud that her father would not approve of them meeting.
(7)	Pescud meets Jessie's father.
(11)	They meet alone two days later
(8)	They get married a year later.

Page No: 53

6. Irony refers to the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of their literal meaning. Working in pairs, bring out the irony in the following:

(a) The title of the story, “The Best seller”. 

Answer
The Best Seller is supposed to be most popular and likeable. But John Pescud throws the best seller “The Rose Lady and Trevelyan” to the floor of the chair car. He later says that all bestsellers have the same unrealistic romantic stories.

(b) Pescud's claim, “When people in real life marry, they generally hunt up somebody in their own station. A fellow usually picks out a girl who went to the same high-school and belonged to the same singing-society that he did.”

Answer 
Pescud told the author that unlike the stories of the bestsellers, in real life people marry somebody in their own place. Someone who has been educated in a similar type of school and has grown up in a similar background. Yet the irony behind his claim is seen in his own life history. The moment he saw the unknown girl on the train, he fell in love with her, without much knowledge about her. He followed her to her destination and even after finding out that she lived in Elmcroft, Virginia, in a 50 room mansion, belonged to the oldest family in the state and her father was a descendent of the belted Earls he did not give up his pursuit. In spite of coming from totally different walks of life-he being an ordinary travelling salesman, their paths met and he went on to marry her.

(c) The name Trevelyan.

Answer  Trevelyan is the hero of the bestseller novel “The Rose Lady and Trevelyan.” Pescud condemns such best sellers and makes fun of its unrealistic characters. But at the end of the story, the author calls Pescud a Trevelyan because he had behaved almost like the hero of the bestseller.

Keeping It From Harold -Class-IX

summary
Mr and Mrs Bramble were immensely proud of their son Harold. Harold was ten years old, a prodigy and an exceptional child by all standards. An intellectual, he won prizes in competitions. He was very classy and so superior that even his parents developed a complex. Harold was a model of excellent behavior and he respected his parents a lot. Mr Bramble was a professional boxer and had been proud of his fame but ever since Harold was born, he had kept this as a secret. Harold was told that his father was a commercial traveller. Mr Bramble who had thrived on his feats in the boxing ring, trembled to see his name in print now. Both Mr and Mrs Bramble were secretly a little afraid of their son and did not wish to fall in his esteem. Mr Bramble was already thirty-one years old and he had decided to have his last boxing match and then retire. A week away, Bill Bramble was scheduled to have his last fight, the twenty-round contest with American Murphy at the National Sporting Club, for which he was training at the White Hart down the road. 

Mrs Bramble sends Harold for a walk but she is surprised to see her husband and her brother, Major Percy Stokes in the doorway. She is shocked to know that Bill has decided not to fight and there is lot of discussion regarding his decision with Percy Stokes. Mrs Bramble makes it clear that this step was unacceptable to her, even if she did not like her husband's profession. Bill Bramble was supposed to win five hundred pounds, and one hundred and twenty, even if he lost. This money was very much needed to cater to Harold's education. The trainer, Jerry Fisher, enters at this juncture and he is also shocked to discover that Bill has decided to back out at the eleventh hour. 

Jerry begs, pleads, cries and tempts Bill but he is steadfast in his decision because this fight will be covered by all newspapers and Harold will discover this secret. Tempers are running high, and at this critical moment, Harold makes his entry. Mr Jerry Fisher feels cheated, he wants his revenge. So he spills over the entire story to Harold, despite all opposition. Bill feels let down in front of his son and tells him frankly that he was not a man of wrath but just a professional boxer and he is withdrawing from his last match. Harold who had been watching all, suddenly surprises everyone. He is angry with his parents for hiding this secret but the content of his speech takes everyone's breath away. Harold reveals that he was betting his pocket money on the defeat of Jimmy Murphy and his friends would have been awfully proud of him, had they known that his father was 'Young Porky'. He even requests for a photograph of his father to impress his friends. This talk encourages Jerry Fischer and Bill also goes to complete his training. Harold reverts back to playing games with his mother and continues with his affectionate chat.

4 a) What was strange about the manner in which Mrs. Bramble addressed her son? What did he feel about it?
Ans. Mrs. Bramble always referred to herself in the third person and treated ten-year-old Harold as a baby. He would feel irritated and wished that his mother would give him due credit of being a grown-up boy who had won prizes in spellings and dictation.

(b) Why was it necessary to keep Harold's father's profession a secret from him?
Ans. Harold’s father was a professional boxer but Harold was a scholarly child with a very gentle and sophisticated behaviour. Mr. Bramble and his wife considered that boxing was an inferior profession and it may become difficult for Harold to accept the image and qualities of his father as displayed by any professional boxer. Hence, they thought it was necessary to hide his father’s profession from him.

(c) When Mr. Bramble came to know that he was to become a father what were some of the names he decided upon? Why?
Ans. Mr. Bramble expressed a desire that the child should be named John after Mr. John L. Sullivan American boxing legend and if it was a girl, then she should be named Marie, after Miss Mary Lloyd the music hall artist probably because they were famous and belonged to his world of entertainment and sports.

(d) Describe Mr. Bramble as he has been described in the story.
Ans . Mr. Bramble was thirty one years old, of athletic built and weighed eight stone four. There was no one whom
he could not defeat in the twenty round contest of boxing. Very famous, his feats in the ring were well known. But by nature he was too timid and could never have his way with his wife.He was a very devoted and an overprotective father.

(e) Why was Mrs. Bramble upset when she came to hear that Bill had decided not to fight?
Ans. Although Mrs. Bramble did not like her husband's profession as a boxer, she didn't want him to quit because it earned them good money and made it possible for them to educate Harold. If he beat Murphy at the final match, he would win prize money of five hundred pounds .Even if he lost, he would still get a hundred and twenty, and this money would have been a blessing because it was enough to give Harold a better start in life.

(f)  Who was Jerry Fisher? What did he say to try and convince Bill to change his mind?

 Ans. Jerry Fisher was Bill’s trainer and he had been working hard at White Hart to train Bill for the boxing match, scheduled next week. Jerry tried to tempt Bill with the prize money and when he failed then he tried to emotionally blackmail him. If Bill withdrew, even Jerry’s career and reputation as a trainer would suffer. All the hard work they had put in together would go down the gutter.

(g) How did Harold come to know that his father was a boxer?

 Ans. Jerry Fisher, Mrs. Bramble and her brother were trying to convince Bill not to back out from the fight. When Harold entered, Jerry Fisher told him the truth that his father was a professional boxer.

(h) Why was Harold upset that his father had not told him about his true identity? Give two reasons.

 Ans. He was very upset with his father for not telling him his true identity for two reasons.

(i) Harold was very hurt to know that his parents kept such a secret from him.

(ii) Harold felt that he had missed the golden chance of winning respect and being the subject of envy of his classmates if they had known that his father was the famous boxer, ‘Young Porky’.

(i)  Do you agree with Harold's parents decision of hiding from him the fact that his father was a boxer? Why/Why not?

 Ans. I agree with Harold’s parents’ decision of hiding from him the fact that his father was a boxer. Parents always think for the well being and good caring of children. They considered that a professional boxer was looked upon as a low-profile entertainer, and most of the people in the society did not respect a boxer. Therefore, they had a very good intention about their plan to keep it away from Harold.

Oh!I Wish I'd Looked after My Teeth
oh!I wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth

5. Answer the following questions.

(a) “…But up-and-down brushin’
And pokin’ and fussin’
Didn’t seem worth the time - I could bite!”
What do these lines convey?
Ans. These lines shows that the poet did not realise the importance of regular brushing and proper hygiene, when she was a child. She did not brush her teeth properly. She thought it was useless and worthless to clean her teeth after eating anything.

(b) Why did the poet go to the dentist? How could she have avoided it?

Ans.The poet went to the dentist to get her teeth examined. She had developed cavities in her teeth due to unhealthy eating habits and irregular brushing of teeth.
She could have avoided it if she had taken proper care of her teeth by brushing them properly and regularly.
(c) “If you got a tooth, you got a friend.” What do you understand from the line?
Ans. A tooth is like a friend. As a lost friend can never be regained, a lost tooth can never grow again. It cannot be regained or made naturally.
(d) With reference to the poem, how can you look after your teeth?
Ans.  (i) Brushing properly twice a day.
(ii) Rinsing after each meal, avoiding sweet and sticky food for better oral hygiene.
(iii) Regular dental checkup to maintain healthy teeth.
(e) Given an appropriate proverb that conveys the message that this poem carries.
Ans
Appropriate proverb that conveys the message that this poem carried is “Prevention is better than
cure."

         Poetic devices:

a) Repetition – “Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth”

b) Alliteration – “ sweet sticky” (stanza-1)

                        - “ much more” (stanza-2)

                        - “there than” (stanza-2)

                        - “them the toothpaste” (stanza-4)

                        - “cavities, caps” (stanza-5)

Explain the following phrases briefly:
1. “I showed them the toothpaste alright”
The poet did not brush her teeth but showed the toothpaste to her teeth. It is ironical that she brushed her teeth casually with a view to deceive herself that she had brushed them. There was no effect of this kind of brushing and therefore, she developed decay and cavities.

2. “But now comes the reckoning.”
The poet once laughed at her mother’s false teeth. But now she has to pay for making fun of laughing in the form of tooth decay.
3. “If you got a tooth, you got a friend”
These words are spoken by the poet’s mother.  A tooth is like a friend. As a lost friend can never be regained, a lost tooth can never grow again Also the tooth is like a friend as it helps in chewing and savoring.
4.On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by choosing the right option:
1. The title ‘Oh I wish I’d looked after me teeth’ expresses:
a. regret b. humour c. longing d. pleasure

2. The conscience of the speaker pricks her as she has:
a. been careless b. been ignorant c. been fun-loving d. been rude

3. The speaker says that she has paved the way for cavities and decay by:
a. eating the wrong food and not brushing
b. not listening to her mother
c. laughing at her mother’s teeth
d. not listening to the dentist

4. The tone of the narrator is one of:
a. joy b. nostalgia c. regret d. sorrow

Answers: 1. a, 2. a, 3.a, 4.c
5. What is Pam Ayres’ view on dental hygiene? What message does she convey to children through her poem, “Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth?”
Through her poem, “Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth”, Pam Ayres tell us that we must take proper care of our dental hygiene. We should not eat too many sweets and too much sweet lead to cavities. Consequently, we have to go through dental pain which is terrible while getting our teeth filled up.
The whole poem expresses this idea in a humorous way. It advises children against too much ‘lolly licking and toffee chewing.’ The message that ‘teeth once gone can never be gained’ is conveyed through this poem and is explained convincingly by the mention of ‘false teeth’ used by the poet’s mother.

RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

SUMMARY

In the poem's first line, we meet its protagonist,(main character) "an ancient Mariner." He stops one of three people on their way to a wedding celebration. The leader of the group, the Wedding Guest, tries to resist being stopped by the strange old man with the "long grey beard and glittering eye." He explains that he is on his way to enjoy the wedding merriment; he is the closest living relative to the groom, and the festivities have already begun. Still, the Ancient Mariner takes his hand and begins his story. The Wedding Guest has no choice but to sit down on a rock to listen.

The Ancient Mariner explains that one clear and bright day, he set out sail on a ship full of happy seamen. They sailed along smoothly until they reached the equator. Suddenly, the sounds of the wedding interrupt the Ancient Mariner's story. The Wedding Guest beats his chest impatiently as the blushing bride enters the reception hall and music plays. However, he is compelled to continue listening to the Ancient Mariner, who goes on with his tale. As soon as the ship reached the equator, a terrible storm hit and forced the ship southwards. The wind blew with such force that the ship pitched down in the surf as though it were fleeing an enemy. Then the sailors reached a calm patch of sea that was "wondrous cold", full of snow and glistening green icebergs as tall as the ship's mast. The sailors were the only living things in this frightening, enclosed world where the ice made terrible groaning sounds that echoed all around. Finally, an Albatross emerged from the mist, and the sailors revered it as a sign of good luck, as though it were a "Christian soul" sent by God to save them. No sooner than the sailors fed the Albatross did the ice break apart, allowing the captain to steer out of the freezing world. The wind picked up again, and continued for nine days. All the while, the Albatross followed the ship, ate the food the sailors gave it, and played with them. At this point, the Wedding Guest notices that the Ancient Mariner looks at once grave and crazed. He exclaims: "God save thee, ancient Mariner! / From the fiends that plague thee thus!- / Why lookst thou so?" The Ancient Mariner responds that he shot the Albatross with his crossbow.

Part-2

The ship sailed northward into the Pacific Ocean, and although the sun shone during the day and the wind remained strong, the mist held fast. The other sailors were angry with the Ancient Mariner for killing the Albatross, which they believed had saved them from the icy world by summoning the wind: "Ah wretch! Said they, the bird to slay / That made the breeze to blow!" Then the mist disappeared and the sun shone particularly brightly, "like God's own head." The sailors suddenly changed their opinion. They decided that the Albatross must have brought the mist, and praised the Ancient Mariner for having killed it and rid them of the mist: "Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, / That bring the fog and mist."

The ship sailed along merrily until it entered an uncharted part of the ocean, and the wind disappeared. The ship could not move, and sat "As idle as a painted ship / Upon a painted ocean." Then the sun became unbearably hot just as the sailors ran out of water, leading up to the most famous lines in the poem: "Water, water, every where, / And all the boards did shrink; / Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink." The ocean became a horrifying place; the water churned with "slimy" creatures, and at night, eerie fires seemed to burn on the ocean's surface. Some of the sailors dreamed that an evil spirit had followed them from the icy world, and they all suffered from a thirst so terrible that they could not speak. To brand the Ancient Mariner for his crime and place the guilt on him and him alone, the sailors hung the Albatross's dead carcass around his neck.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Questions and Answer - part -I

Answer the following questions briefly

Question: 1 - How did the ancient mariner stop the wedding guest?

Answer: The ancient mariner used the hypnotic effect of his gleaming eyes to stop the wedding guest.

Question: 2 - Was the wedding guest happy to be stopped? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: The wedding guest was not happy to be stopped. He has come to attend the wedding ceremony where his presence is necessary as he is closely related to the bridegroom.

Question: 3 - Describe the ancient mariner.

Answer: The Ancient Mariner is an old man. He is quite thin and frail. He has a long grey beard and there is a magnetic effect in the glitter in his eyes.

Question: 4 - How does the mariner describe the movement of the ship as it sails away from the land?

Answer: The mariner describes that the ship was waved off on harbor among loud cheers.. All the sailors were in high spirits. The ship left the harbor leaving behind the church, the hill and the lighthouse.

Question: 5 - What kind of weather did the sailors enjoy at the beginning of their journey? How has it been expressed in the poem?

Answer: The weather was pleasant and sunny. The sun seemed to rise out of the sea and set into the sea. The sun was bright during the initial phase of the journey.

Question: 6 - How did the sailors reach the land of mist and snow?

Answer: The fierce storm forced the ship to drift towards the south and reach the land of mist and snow.

Question: 7 - How does the mariner express the fact that the ship was completely surrounded by icebergs?

Answer: The mariner describes how emerald coloured blocks of ice as high as the mast of the ship floated around the ship blocking all view.The repetition of ‘ the ice was here, the ice was there, the ice was all around’ makes the description very vivid.

Question: 8 - How do we know that the albatross was not afraid of the humans? Why did the sailors hail it in God’s name?

Answer: The way albatross came to eat the food offered by thesailors and played with them shows that it was not afraid of the humans. The sailors hailed it in God’s name asthey were pleased with this diversion that took away their gloom and depression.

Question: 9 - What was the terrible deed done by the Mariner? Why do you think he did it?

Answer The ancient Mariner killed the albatross with his crossbow. It was a thoughtless act, as the mariner had no reason to kill it. Later on he was remorseful about his action and had to pay a heavy price for his foolish action

The Rhyme of  theAncient Mariner -II

Q.11) Answer the following questions :
Q.1 - In which direction did the ship start moving? How can you say?
Answer: The ship began to move towards north because the sun now rose’upon the right’ and set on the left.

Question: 2 - Why does the mariner say that ‘no sweet bird did follow’?
Answer: The mariner sounds remorseful as he makes this statement.He means to saythat as he had killed the albatross,it did not follow the ship any longer

.Question: 3 - How did the other mariners behave towards the Ancient Mariner at first? How many times did they change their mind about the Ancient Mariner? What does this tell us about their character?
Answer: The other mariners changed their opinions as per the changing weather. When the weather was favourable, they hailed the Ancient Mariner for killing the albatross. But when the weather was not favourable, they cursed the Ancient Mariner. This shows that the other mariners were fickle-minded.

.Question: 4 - How did the sailing conditions change after the ship had moved out of the land of mist and snow? What or who did the mariners blame for this change?
Answer: Once the ship came out of the land of mist and snow, it had to withstand a condition of complete lull. The wind was still and the ship could not move an inch. The mariners blamed the killing of the albatross for this change.

Question: 5 - What is indicated by the line ‘The bloody sun, at noon, /Right up above the mast did stand, /No bigger than the moon’?
Answer: The sun was blazing red and scorchingly hot.The sailors think that the hot weather is the result of the ‘sin’ of killing the Albatross

Question: 6 - How does the mariner describe the fact that they were completely motionless in the middle of the sea?
Answer: The ship was so still that it appeared as a painted ship on the painted ocean. This sentence aptly describes the motionless ship in the middle of the sea.
Question: 7 - What is the irony in the ninth stanza? Explain it in your own words.
Answer: The biggest irony is that inspite of being in the midst of the ocean of water, the sailors don’t have a single drop to drink. We know that saline water is not fit for human consumption. Hence, if a person is caught in the middle of the sea and he does not have drinking water; only God can save his life.

Question: 8 - What is the narrator trying to convey through the description of the situation in the tenth and eleventh stanza?
Answer: The narrator conveys through this dismal description that the wrongful killing of the Albatross subjected them all to a state of uncertainty where they all helplessly awaited their impending death.

Question: 9 - What or who did the mariners feel was responsible for their suffering?
Answer: The mariners felt that the ancient Mariner was responsible for their misfortune and suffering .They felt that the wrongful killing of the Albatross subjected them to such an agony.

Question: 10 - Describe the condition of the mariners as expressed in the thirteenth stanza.
Answer: With not a single drop of drinking water to quench their thirst, all the sailors yearned for water. The mariners were unable to speak as their tongues were parched due to acute thirst.

Question: 11 - Why did the mariners hang the albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner?
Answer:The mariners hung the Albatross around the neck is used in the proverbial sense as if a heavy burden is thrust upon you. The mariners probably tied the albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner to symbolize the burden of guilt because of killing the albatross

Poetic devices

Alliteration

By thy long grey beard and glittering eye (line 3)

He holds him with his skinny hand (line 9)

The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, 
For he heard the loud bassoon. (lines 31-32)

The merry minstrelsy (line 36)

The furrow followed free (line 104) 

Repetition

The ice was here, the ice was there, 
The ice was all around. (line 59-60)

Personification

The Sun came up upon the left, 
Out of the sea came he ! 
And he shone bright, and on the right 
Went down into the sea. (lines 25-28) 
Comparison of the sun to a person

Simile

The bride hath paced into the hall,................. 
Red as a rose is she (lines 33-34) 
Comparison of the bride to a rose

The water, like a witch's oils, 
Burnt green, and blue and white. (lines 129-130) 
Comparison of water to witch's oils

Day after day, day after day, 
We stuck, nor breath nor motion; 
As idle as a painted ship 
Upon a painted ocean. (lines 115-118) 
Comparison of the motionless ship and ocean to paintings