Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Sword In The Stone Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of The Quest For Gold, O Flower O Flower and The Journey of The Indian Flag so, you can check these posts as well.
The Sword In The Stone Questions & Answers
Question 1: Who was Merlin?
Answer: Merlin was the greatest magician in Britain.
Question 2: Why did he want to take away Uther Pendragon’s son?
Answer: Merlin could foresee the future. He probably knew that King Uther Pendragon’s enemies would kill his son at the first opportunity. So, Merlin took away the king’s son to keep the boy safe and get him trained for the future.
Question 3: In whose care did Arthur grow up? What was he trained to be?
Answer: Arthur grew up under the care of Sir Ector who brought him up as his own son. Arthur was trained to be a knight.
Question 4: Why did all the nobles gather in London on Christmas Eve?
Answer: When Uther Pendragon died, lords and barons fought for the crown and there was strife all over the country. On Merlin’s advice, the Archbishop of Canterbury commanded all the lords to come to London to learn the will of Heaven about who should be the king. So, the nobles gathered in London on Christmas Eve.
Question 5: What happened while they were praying in the church? What did the words on the stone say?
Answer: When the nobles were praying in the church, a huge square stone with a sword stuck in appeared mysteriously. The words on the stone said that the person able to draw the sword from the stone would be the true-born King of Britain.
Question 6: Why did the Archbishop announce that a great tournament would be held in London?
Answer: The Archbishop announced that a great tournament would be held in London so that all the knights could come there and a true king could be found.
Question 7: Why did Arthur go to the churchyard to get the sword? Who did he give the sword to?
Answer: Arthur had returned to the inn to fetch Sir Kay’s sword but he found that the inn was locked. He remembered that he had seen a sword stuck in a stone in the churchyard. So, he went to the churchyard to get that sword. He pulled the sword out and give it to Sir Kay.
The Sword In The Stone Questions & Answers
Question 8: What did Sir Ector observe when he, Sir Kay and Arthur returned to the churchyard?
Answer: Sir Ector observed that neither he nor Sir Kay were able to pull out the sword from the stone but that Arthur was able to do it easily.
Question 9: Why was Arthur dismayed by Sir Ector’s words?
Answer: Sir Ector read the words on the stone and understood that Arthur was the rightful king. He announced this to Arthur and kneeled before Arthur. Arthur had no clue that he was Sir Ector’s foster son. Arthur was shocked to hear the revelation.
Question 10: How was Arthur recognized as the true king of Britain?
Answer: Sir Ector took Arthur and Sir Kay to the Archbishop. When the Archbishop saw the sword in Arthur’s hand, he knew him to be the true king. He called all the nobles to the church to see for themselves how the will of Heaven had been fulfilled and the true king of Britain had been found at last.
Question 11: Read the lines and answer the questions:
Then every lord and baron raised armed followers from their own lands in order to gain the crown for himself.
(a) Why did every lord and baron want the crown?
Answer: King Uther Pendragon did not have any heir. When he died, every lord and baron wanted to become the next king.
(b) Why was there no one to claim the crown?
Answer: King Uther Pendragon’s son had been taken away by the magician Merlin.
(c) What happened as a result of the fighting among the lords and barons?
Answer: There were ruinous battles amongst the nobles. There was strife all over the country which destroyed towns and villages.
Question 12: Read the lines and answer the questions:
‘Look, Sir! Here is the sword of the stone. By the words on the stone, I must be King of Britain.’
(a) Who said these words and to whom?
Answer: Sir Kay said these words to his father, Sir Ector.
(b) How had he got the sword?
Answer: Arthur had got the sword for him from the churchyard.
(c) What was the reaction of the person to whom these words were said?
Answer: Sir Ector could not believe the said words to be true and rode fast to the churchyard with his two sons. He then swore Sir Kay to tell the truth.
Question 13: Why do you think Merlin did not reveal to Sir Ector the identity of the child he left in his care?
Answer: Sir Ector may not have agreed to take in the child had Merlin divulged the true identity of the child to him.
Question 14: What reason did Sir Ector have to suspect that Kay had not get the sword himself?
Answer: Sir Ector knew the true capabilities of his son. He knew that so many other nobles had not been able to draw the sword from the stone.
Question 15: Compare the difference in reaction of Sir Kay and Arthur when they realized the significance of the sword. What does this reveal about their natures?
Answer: Sir Kay took the credit of drawing out the sword and claimed that he was supposed to be the king. This shows that Sir Kay was selfish and dishonest. He was not principled. On the other hand, Arthur showed no personal interest in the sword. He handed it over to his brother without any second thoughts. When he came to know of the mystery of the sword, he was not overjoyed but was disturbed to know that Sir Ector was not his real father. He was selfless and principled. He had the qualities of a true king.
So, these were The Sword In The Stone Questions & Answers.