Introduction: “Robinson Crusoe” is Lesson 5 from the ASSEB (Assam State Board of Secondary Education) Class 6 English textbook Rainbow. The lesson is an adapted prose extract from Daniel Defoe’s famous adventure novel The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1719). It tells the story of a young English sailor named Robinson Crusoe whose ship is wrecked in a violent storm, leaving him as the sole survivor on a deserted tropical island. The lesson highlights Crusoe’s courage, intelligence, hard work, and never-say-die spirit as he learns to survive completely alone in the wilderness for many years.
Summary
Robinson Crusoe was a young Englishman who loved the sea and longed for adventure. Against his father’s wishes, he ran away from home and became a sailor. After several voyages, he set out on a long sea journey. In the middle of the ocean, a terrible storm suddenly arose. The wind blew fiercely, the waves rose like mountains, and the ship was tossed about helplessly. After many hours of struggle, the ship was driven upon a hidden rock and broke into pieces. Every member of the crew was drowned in the angry sea — except Robinson Crusoe. By great good fortune, the waves carried him safely to the shore of an unknown island.
When Crusoe came to his senses, he found himself completely alone on a strange, deserted island. There was no sign of any human being. At first he was full of fear and sorrow, but he soon realised that he must use his courage and common sense to stay alive. He swam back to the broken ship many times and brought ashore useful things — tools, guns, gunpowder, food, clothes, ropes, nails, a few books, and even a Bible. With these things he began to build a new life. He made a small tent under a rock, and later built a strong house with a fence around it to protect himself from wild animals.
Crusoe slowly learnt to take care of himself on the island. He hunted wild goats for meat, dried grapes to make raisins, and grew barley and rice from a few seeds he had saved. He tamed a parrot and some goats for company. He kept a careful record of the days by cutting marks on a wooden post. Many lonely years passed in this way. One day, to his great surprise, he saw the footprint of a man on the sandy beach. Later he rescued a native from a group of cannibals and named him Friday because that was the day on which he saved him. Friday became his loyal companion. After living on the island for about twenty-eight years, Crusoe was finally rescued by an English ship and returned safely to his homeland. The lesson teaches us that with courage, hard work, patience, and faith, a person can overcome even the greatest difficulties of life.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| voyage | a long journey by sea or in space |
| storm | a violent weather condition with strong wind and rain |
| shipwreck | the destruction of a ship at sea by sinking or breaking up |
| crew | the people who work on a ship or aircraft |
| drown | to die by being under water and unable to breathe |
| shore | the land along the edge of a sea, lake or river |
| deserted | empty of people; without inhabitants |
| island | a piece of land surrounded on all sides by water |
| survivor | a person who remains alive after an accident or disaster |
| tent | a portable shelter made of cloth held up by poles |
| fence | a barrier made of wood or wire put around a piece of land |
| tame | to make a wild animal gentle and obedient |
| cannibal | a person who eats human flesh |
| footprint | the mark left by a foot on the ground |
| rescue | to save somebody from a dangerous or difficult situation |
| companion | a person who travels with another or spends time with another |
| raisins | dried grapes |
| barley | a kind of grain used for food and for making beer |
| gunpowder | an explosive powder used in guns and bombs |
| loyal | faithful and true to a friend or master |
Question Answers
A. Comprehension
1. Who was Robinson Crusoe?
Answer: Robinson Crusoe was a young Englishman who loved the sea and longed for adventure. He left his home against his father’s wishes and became a sailor. He is the hero of the lesson and the only survivor of a terrible shipwreck.
2. What happened to Robinson Crusoe’s ship?
Answer: While Robinson Crusoe was on a long sea voyage, a terrible storm broke out. The strong wind and huge waves drove his ship onto a hidden rock and broke it into pieces. The ship was completely wrecked.
3. What happened to the other members of the crew?
Answer: All the other members of the crew were drowned in the rough sea when the ship was wrecked. Robinson Crusoe was the only person who survived the shipwreck.
4. How did Robinson Crusoe reach the shore?
Answer: Robinson Crusoe was very lucky. After the ship broke up, the huge waves of the sea carried him safely to the shore of an unknown island. He was tossed about for a long time before he was finally washed up on the beach, exhausted but alive.
5. What kind of place did Crusoe find himself in?
Answer: Crusoe found himself on a deserted tropical island. There was no other human being on it. The island had trees, hills, fresh-water streams, wild fruits, wild goats, and birds, but it was completely lonely and unknown to him.
6. How did Crusoe feel when he realised he was alone on the island?
Answer: At first Crusoe felt very sad, frightened, and helpless when he realised that he was completely alone on a strange island with no friends, no family, and no shelter. But he was a brave young man and soon decided that he must use his courage and intelligence to survive.
7. What useful things did Crusoe bring from the wrecked ship?
Answer: Crusoe swam back to the broken ship many times and brought many useful things to the shore. These included tools, guns, gunpowder, food, clothes, ropes, nails, a few books and a Bible. These articles helped him to build a shelter and lead a new life on the island.
8. How did Crusoe make his shelter on the island?
Answer: Crusoe first set up a small tent under a big rock. Later he built a strong wooden house with a high fence around it. This fence protected him from wild animals and from any danger that might come at night.
9. How did Crusoe get food on the island?
Answer: Crusoe got food in many ways. He hunted wild goats for meat with his gun. He ate wild fruits found on the island and made raisins by drying grapes. He also grew barley and rice from a few seeds that he had saved from the ship. In time, he kept goats of his own and got milk from them.
10. How did Crusoe keep a record of the days he spent on the island?
Answer: Crusoe set up a wooden post on the shore and cut a mark on it for every day that passed. In this way, he kept a careful record of all the days, weeks, and years he spent alone on the island.
11. Who was Friday and how did he get his name?
Answer: Friday was a native man whom Crusoe rescued from a group of cannibals. Crusoe gave him this name because the day on which he saved him happened to be a Friday. Friday became Crusoe’s loyal companion and helped him in many ways on the island.
12. How long did Crusoe stay on the island? How was he finally rescued?
Answer: Crusoe stayed alone on the island for about twenty-eight years. He was finally rescued by an English ship that came to the island. He returned safely to his own country with his loyal companion Friday.
13. What lesson do we learn from the story of Robinson Crusoe?
Answer: The story of Robinson Crusoe teaches us that with courage, hard work, patience, and faith in God, a person can face and overcome the greatest difficulties of life. It also tells us that we should never lose hope, even when everything seems against us. Self-help and a strong will can turn even a deserted island into a comfortable home.
B. Vocabulary
1. Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B:
| Column A | Column B (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| voyage | a long journey by sea |
| shore | the land along the edge of the sea |
| deserted | empty; without people |
| rescue | to save somebody from danger |
| companion | a person who spends time with another |
| tame | to make a wild animal gentle |
2. Find words from the lesson that mean the following:
| Meaning | Word from the Lesson |
|---|---|
| a violent storm at sea | tempest / storm |
| the people working on a ship | crew |
| a piece of land surrounded by water | island |
| a person who eats human flesh | cannibal |
| the mark of a foot on the ground | footprint |
| faithful and true | loyal |
3. Give the opposites of the following words:
| Word | Opposite |
|---|---|
| brave | cowardly |
| safe | unsafe / dangerous |
| wild | tame |
| alone | together / accompanied |
| strong | weak |
| friend | enemy |
4. Make sentences with the following words: storm, island, rescue, companion, hunt.
- storm — A terrible storm broke out at sea and the ship was wrecked.
- island — Robinson Crusoe lived alone on a deserted island for many years.
- rescue — The fireman rushed into the burning house to rescue the child.
- companion — Friday was Crusoe’s loyal companion on the lonely island.
- hunt — Crusoe used to hunt wild goats for his food.
C. Grammar
1. Fill in the blanks with suitable articles (a, an, the):
- (a) Robinson Crusoe was an Englishman.
- (b) He was caught in a terrible storm.
- (c) The ship was wrecked on a hidden rock.
- (d) Crusoe reached an unknown island.
- (e) He saw a footprint on the sand.
- (f) Friday became the loyal companion of Crusoe.
2. Change the following sentences into the past tense:
| Present Tense | Past Tense |
|---|---|
| Crusoe sails on a ship. | Crusoe sailed on a ship. |
| A storm breaks out at sea. | A storm broke out at sea. |
| The ship hits a hidden rock. | The ship hit a hidden rock. |
| He swims to the shore. | He swam to the shore. |
| He builds a small tent. | He built a small tent. |
| He rescues a native man. | He rescued a native man. |
3. Pick out the verbs from the following sentences:
| Sentence | Verb |
|---|---|
| Crusoe loved the sea. | loved |
| The waves carried him to the shore. | carried |
| He hunted wild goats for food. | hunted |
| Friday helped Crusoe in many ways. | helped |
| The English ship rescued him at last. | rescued |
4. Identify whether the underlined words are nouns, pronouns, or adjectives:
| Sentence | Word | Part of Speech |
|---|---|---|
| Crusoe was a brave young man. | brave | Adjective |
| He reached a deserted island. | He | Pronoun |
| The island was lonely. | island | Noun |
| Friday was loyal to his master. | Friday | Noun |
| The strong waves washed him ashore. | strong | Adjective |
5. Use the following prepositions to complete the sentences: on, in, into, to, from.
- (a) Crusoe ran away from his home.
- (b) The ship sank in the deep sea.
- (c) He was washed on the shore.
- (d) He went into the broken ship to bring useful things.
- (e) At last he returned to his own country.
D. Writing
1. Write a short paragraph (about 80 words) on “The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe”.
Answer: Robinson Crusoe was a young Englishman who loved adventure and the sea. Once, while he was on a long voyage, his ship was caught in a fierce storm and broke to pieces on a hidden rock. All the sailors were drowned, but Crusoe was carried by the waves to a deserted island. There he lived all alone for nearly twenty-eight years. He built a house, hunted wild goats, grew barley, and tamed animals. Later he rescued a native and named him Friday. At last an English ship rescued him and brought him safely home. His story is one of the greatest adventure tales in English literature.
2. Imagine you are Robinson Crusoe. Write a diary entry of your first day on the island.
Answer (Sample Diary Entry):
30th September, Night.
What a strange and terrible day this has been! Our ship was caught in a fearful storm and broke into pieces. All my friends were drowned in the cruel sea. By God’s mercy, the waves washed me up on the shore of an unknown island. When I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but sand, trees and the empty sea. I am all alone here. I have no food, no shelter, no friend. I am tired, hungry and afraid. But I will not lose courage. Tomorrow I shall swim back to the broken ship and bring whatever useful things I can find. I pray to God to give me strength and to send help soon.
3. Write five sentences about the qualities that helped Robinson Crusoe to survive on the island.
- Robinson Crusoe was a very brave and courageous young man.
- He was hard-working and never sat idle on the lonely island.
- He used his common sense and intelligence to make tools, shelter, and food.
- He was patient and did not lose hope even after many lonely years.
- He had strong faith in God, which gave him the strength to face every difficulty.
4. Answer in your own words: If you were left alone on a deserted island, what three things would you take with you and why?
Answer (Sample): If I were left alone on a deserted island, the three things I would like to take with me are a knife, a box of matches, and a notebook with a pen. The knife would help me to cut fruits, build a shelter, and protect myself from wild animals. The matches would help me to make a fire for cooking food and keeping myself warm at night. The notebook and pen would help me to keep a record of every day, write down my plans, and never feel completely alone, just as Robinson Crusoe found comfort in his diary.