Questions Answers

Poem

Sea Fever

A. Read the poem aloud in pairs.

B. Choose the best answer.

1. The title of the poem ‘Sea Fever’ means ______________________.

a) fl u fever

b) the poet’s deep wish to be at sea

c) the poet’s fear of the sea

[Answer: (b) the poet’s deep wish to be at sea]

2. The poet asks for ___________________.

a) a fi shing net

b) a big boat

c) a tall ship

[Answer: (c) a tall ship ]

3. The poet wants to lead a life at sea like __________________.

a) the gulls and whales

b) the penguins and sharks

c) the pelicans and dolphins

[Answer: (a) the gulls and whales]

C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

1. I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky

Where does the poet want to go?

Answer: The poet wants to go to the sea again.

2. And the wheel’s kick and the winds song and the white sail’s shaking

What according to the poet are the pleasures of sailing?

Answer: Watching from the shore, the wind's song, the ship's steering wheel and the shaking of the sail in the breeze are the pleasures of sailing.

3. And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying

Why does the poet ask for a windy day?

Answer: The poet asks for a windy day, as it would blow away the thick white clouds from the sky and take the sail forward throughout the day.

4. And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow rover.

What kind of human company does the poet want?

Answer: The poet wants the company of a fellow sailor or wanderer like him.

5. And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over

What does the poet want to do after his voyage is over?

Answer: The poet wants to sleep soundly with pleasant dreams at the end of his long shift on watch.

D. Poem Appreciation

1. Fill in the blanks with correct rhyming words from the poem.

sky____________, knife__________, rover____________

Answer: sky - by, knife - life, rover - over.

2. Quote the line that has been repeated in the poem.

Answer: "I must go down to the seas again".

3. Write the poetic device which is used in the line below.

And a grey mist on the sea’s face ………………………

Answer: Imagery and personification.

3. What poetic device is used for the comparison in the below line?

………….where the wind’s like a whetted life:

Answer: Simile.

E. The poem has many visual and sound images. Complete the table with examples from the poem. The first one has been done for you.

Answer:

Visual images

Wheel’s kick

white sail's shaking

grey dawn

running tide

white clouds flying

blown spume

sea-gulls crying

Sound images

Wind’s song

wild call

clear call

windy day