Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Ballad of Gum Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of Marilla Is Surprised, O Captain My Captain, The Model Millionaire and The Story of Ali Cogia so, you can check these posts as well.
The Ballad of Gum Questions & Answers
Question 1: Choose the correct option:
1. Which of these describe the dog:
(a) a stray dog
(b) a friendly dog
(c) a small dog
(d) a fierce dog
2. The yard labourers were an amiable bunch. What ¡s the meaning of ‘amiable bunch’?
(a) rich
(b) stupid
(c) friendly
(d) lazy
3. Why did Gum jump on the burglar?
(a) He was being friendly
(b) He wanted to chase away the burglar
(c) The burglar was his old master
(d) The burglar was one of the labourers.
4. What item belonging to the burglar did Gum found?
(a) his key
(b) his jacket
(c) his comb
(d) his wallet
Question 2: How did Gum become the family’s pet?
Answer: Gum became the family’s pet when he wandered into their garden one day and they took him in, brushed him, fed him, and the kids named him Gum.
Question 3: What duty was given to Gum?
Answer: Gum was given the duty of guarding the family’s yard.
Question 4: Why does the poet say that Gum was not much of a guard dog?
Answer: The poet says that Gum was not much of a guard dog because he barked at animals and wagged his tail at people, showing that he was friendly rather than fierce.
Question 5: Whom does the poet call ‘an amiable bunch’?
Answer: The poet calls the yard labourers ‘an amiable bunch’.
Question 6: Why did Gum get fat?
Answer: Gum got fat because the yard labourers fed him tidbits and scraps from their lunch.
Question 7: What gave the burglar the confidence to enter the poet’s home?
Answer: The burglar had the confidence to enter the poet’s home because he saw no alarms or heard any siren howling, and he assumed that there were no guard dogs.
Question 8: What did Gum do when he saw the burglar?
Answer: When Gum saw the burglar, he flew through the yard to greet him, knocking the burglar off his feet.
The Ballad of Gum Questions & Answers
Question 9: Who is compared to a champion athlete? Why?
Answer: Gum is compared to a champion athlete because he cleared the hurdle of escaping the yard to chase the burglar.
Question 10: What was the evidence that Gum had collected?
Answer: The evidence that Gum had collected was the burglar’s wallet, which Gum brought to the family.
Question 11: How did the burglar describe Gum in his confession? What was the irony in this confession?
Answer: In his confession, the burglar described Gum as a big vicious guard dog that knocked him down. The irony in this confession is that Gum was actually a friendly dog who wagged his tail instead of attacking.
Question 12: Read the lines and answer the questions:
1. ‘But we brushed him and fed him and the kids called him Gum.’
(a) Which two adjectives are used to describe the dog just after the extract?
Answer: The two adjectives used to describe the dog just after the extract are ‘friendly’ and ‘old’.
(b) What did Gum do when he saw the other animals?
Answer: When Gum saw the other animals, he barked at them.
(c) How did he treat people differently?
Answer: Gum treated people differently by wagging his tail and showing friendliness towards them.
(d) How did the yard labourers treat Gum?
Answer: The yard labourers treated Gum kindly and fed him tidbits and scraps from their lunch.
2. Then one night when Gum was laid at his ease,
A burglar crept in just as quiet as you please.
(a) Why did the burglar assume that there were no guard dogs in the house?
Answer: The burglar assumed that there were no guard dogs in the house because he saw no alarms or heard any siren howling.
(b) What did Gum feel at the sight of the burglar? What did he do?
Answer: Gum felt delighted at the sight of the burglar. He flew through the yard to greet him.
(c) Was the burglar frightened at the sight of Gum? What did the burglar do?
Answer: The burglar was frightened at the sight of Gum and ran off with a wail.
(d) What misunderstanding did the burglar have?
Answer: The burglar misunderstood Gum’s friendliness as an attack by a big vicious guard dog.
Question 13: What proves that the poet’s family was kind to the dog?
Answer: The poet’s family brushed the dog, fed him, and even gave him a name, showing their kindness towards him.
Question 14: How did Gum treat people differently from other animals?
Answer: Gum treated people with friendliness and wagged his tail, while he barked at other animals.
Question 15: What did Gum feel when he could not follow the burglar beyond the gates? What impression can be formed of Gum’s nature?
Answer: Gum felt sad when he could not follow the burglar beyond the gates. This shows that he was loyal and determined to protect his family, even though he physically couldn’t go further.
Question 16: How does the idea that appearances are often deceptive apply to this poem?
Answer: The idea that appearances are often deceptive applies to this poem as Gum was seen as not much of a guard dog because of his friendly nature, but he ultimately proved everyone wrong by protecting the family and catching the burglar.
So, these were The Ballad of Gum Questions & Answers.