Extracts of Discovery Prose SSLC

1. “A good sailor knows his place” says Columbus to Diego
2. Was Columbus giving to Diego a piece of advice or was it an indirect command?

Ans.: It is an indirect command.

1. What was ‘Diego’s reaction?

Ans.: Diego tried to suppress his anger and with a scowl goes off from there.

1. Why did Columbus say so? Ans: Because his claim was that only the captain of the ship has the

right to appear on the quarter deck.

2. “The Santa Maria will be lighter for his carcass”.
3. Whose words was Pepe quoting here?

Ans: Pepe was quoting the words of Guillermo Ires.

1. What do the words reveal about the person who said them?

Ans: These words show that the speaker was so upset with Columbus that he wished he was dead.

C .What does the word carcass mean here?

Ans: Dead body.

3.“Once clear of the Devil’s track to nowhere”, we’ll below our way back home”.

1. What does ‘Devil’s track to nowhere’ suggest about the thinking of the seamen?

Ans.: He was risking their lives and taking them on a voyage which would take them nowhere.

1. How did they prove to be wrong?

Ans.: Very soon, land was sighted and a New World was discovered. So they proved to be wrong.

1. Why did they say so? Ans : Because the sea men thought Columbus was trying take the

lives of fifty men and they were fed up with arrogancy of Columbus.

4.“Your duty is to obey me as mine is to obey the Royal Sovereigns of Spain who sent me’.

1. When did Columbus say these words to Guillermo?

Ans.: Guillermo rebelled against Columbus and demanded that they should give up their search for a new land.

1. What do these words prove?

Ans.: These words prove that Columbus was not only a strong leader but was also loyal and obedient towards his king and queen.

1. Why did Columbus say so?

Ans: To calm the rebbled of Guillermo and the sea men.

5. “Why should one man have lives of fifty in his hands?”
6. Who is the speaker? Ans.: Diego said these words to Pedro
7. What does the speaker mean?

Ans: Diego said these words meaning that Columbus had no right to spoil their lives.

1. What made him to say so? Ans: Diego and other Seamen were becoming impatient and they

wanted to

6. “Mutiny is an ugly word, Sir”
7. Who is the speaker of the statement?

Ans: Diego said these words Ans: The word is ugly because Mutiny’ is a deed which leads to destruction.

1. Why did he say so?

Ans: Because Pedro thought that Deigo and the Sea Men were entertaining the Mutinous thoughts .

7. “Discipline knows no buts” says Columbus
8. When did Columbus say this? Ans.: when He asked Francisco to bring Guillermo Ires to him for

speaking against him. Francisco hesitated to obey his order.

1. What did Columbus mean to say by these words?

Ans: Columbus meant that one should not hesitate to enforce discipline.

C . To what does the word discipline here refer to?

Ans : It refers to the rules and regulations that the sea men and others to follow on the ships.

8. Pepe said, “Captain, be careful sometimes they are desperate”
9. Why did Pepe say these words?

Ans: Pepe tried to warn Columbus that these could be danger from them anytime

1. Why were they desperate? Ans.: they lost their patience as they left their family since many days

back they wanted to go back to Spain

c . Whom does the word they refer to?

Ans: to the sea men.

9. “What! does that child stand between me and death?”
10. Who is the speaker? Ans: Columbus said this
11. When did speakeray this? Ans: When Columbus hears Pepe saying that he had to be killed first.

c.What had the child done? Ans: The child (Pepe) stood in front of Columbus to protect him from

being attacked by the seamen.

1. Why did speaker say so? Ans: Because when the sea men rushed towards Columbus to kill him

Pepe runs to the foot of the stairs and stands with arms spread out.

10. “They ought to stop that. The captain is always furious when he hears it.”
11. Who should stop that? Ans: The sailors should stop that.
12. What does ‘it’ refer to? Why is the captain furious to hear that? Ans: ‘it’ refers to the seamen’s

song. The captain Columbus is furious to hear that because he did not like the attitude of sailors.

1. What made him to say so? Ans: Juan thought that the song of the sea was having the smell of

mutiny.