The Ballad of Rumm (by Peter Wolveridge)

About the poem

Read to understand

A. Answer these questions with reference to the context.

‘ He departed the yard he’d come in to burgle

Like a champion athlete clearing a hurdle.’

1.  Who is ‘he’ in these lines?

Ans. He in these lines refers to burglar who came to the house with an intention to steal.

2. Why did ‘he’ depart the yard?

Ans. He departed from the yard when Rumm’s weight bowled his right off his feet.

3. Do you think ‘he’ was right to be afraid?

Ans. In my opinion, the burglar was right to be afraid as Rumm was vicious looking dog.

B. Answer these questions.

1. How did the family come to have a dog?

Ans. Rumm was an over-friendly dog who once came wandering into the poet's garden. The poet's family accepted the dog with an open heart and included it as their family member.

2. What shows that Rumm was not a stray dog?

Ans. The dog was very friendly to the people. This shows that Rumm was not a stray dog.

3. What did Rumm want to do all day?

Ans. It would bark at the cats, toad, cattle, and horses. Whenever it would see a human being it would start wagging its tail.

4. How did people respond to Rumm?

Ans. The people respond to Rumm’s amiable nature by providing him tidbits and scraps.

5. What proved that Rumm was not a guard dog?

Ans. Rumm was not a guard dog as he was over friendly.

6. How was the wallet useful to the police?

Ans. Wallet was useful for police as it helped the police to capture the burglar and put him in jail.