The Walrus and the Carpenter KS3 Readathon Quiz

From which book is the poem sourced?

• Alice in the mirror

• Alice in Winterland

• Alice in Wonderland

• Alice Through the Looking Glass

What style of verse is used?

• Sensible

• Nonsense

• Ridiculous

• Fantasy

Answer explanation

Nonsense poems are often 'prosodic' meaning they focus on the sounds and rhythm as much as the meaning.

True or false: all the oysters are eaten

• True

• False

Answer explanation

'And this was scarcely odd, because

They'd eaten every one.'

Which character appears in the poem first?

• The Sun

• The Moon

• The Carpenter

• The Walrus

Answer explanation

This is personification - making the Sun seem like a human by using pronouns like 'His'.

Do you think of the sun as a character in any way?

Using one word, define the word 'encroachment'.

• Intrusion

• Disturbance

• Happiness

• Flummoxed

Answer explanation

The moon is sulking because the sun came along and spoiled 'her' fun.

What do we call the language that uses for example similes and personification?

• Nonsense

• Figurative

• Rhetorical

• Literal

Answer explanation

When you say 'It was a figure of speech', you are saying it was not to be taken literally. So when people say they are 'literally boiling hot' they really mean figuratively (unless they are actually boiling).

How best would you describe a message from this poem?

• Don't go with strangers

• Always take some bread and butter to the beach

• When people have been kind, they can be trusted

• Walking together is better than walking alone

Answer explanation

Hard to say if this poem has a definite message but of the above, this is the one most likely.

Who wrote the verse The Walrus and the Carpenter?

• Roald Dahl

• Lemony Snicket

• Spike Milligan

• Lewis Carroll

Answer explanation

You'll know Lewis Carroll from Alice and Wonderland

True or false: The oysters turned blue because they were cold.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

They were scared to be eaten by the walrus! There is a band from the 70s called 'Blue Oyster Cult' and their name is apparently based on this line!

How many lines are there in the poem?

• 104

• 106

• 108

• 92

Answer explanation

Yep - hope you completed the discussion questions!