The Caucus Race by Lewis Carroll

The Caucus Race by Lewis Carroll is a chapter in English Literature subject for ICSE class 4 students. Find summary of the chapter, study notes, and questions and answers.

The author of this story is Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), an English writer well known for writing children’s fiction. His notable works include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass.

Caucus Race: These are races we see and hear about. But have you every heard of a Caucus Race? For over a century, children and adults alike have enjoyed the adventures of Alice in her amazing, magical world. This play is about a very strange caucus-race from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Match the Following – Quick Answers

• Narrator – introduces the play and the characters
• Lory – quarrels about her age
• Mouse – begins a boring tale
• Dodo – Introduces the Caucus Race
• Canary – flies during the race
• Lizard– is the first one to get tired during the race
• Alice – hands out prizes

Reference to Context

“Mouse: William the Conqueror was the first Norman King of England…”

a. What does Mouse start telling the group?
Answer: The Mouse starts telling the group that he knows how they all could become dry.

b. What does he mean by ‘a dry story’?
Answer: A dry story basically means a boring story, but in this context the Mouse is trying to say that a dry story will dry them out. Whether he says that as a joke or seriously, cannot be ascertained from his lines.

c. Does the group like the story? What do they say?
Answer: The group did not like the story. Alice said how could William the Conqueror help them get dry, and she also felt that it was a dry story.

“Dodo: See! Everybody has won. everybody must get a prize…”

a. What is going on? What has everybody won in ?
Answer: Dodo says that everybody who ran in the Caucus Race has won.

b. How has everybody won? why isn’t there just one winner?
Answer: Everybody ran to get dry, and because everybody got dry in the end, they all were winners.

c. What prize does everybody get?
Answer: Everybody gets a candy as a prize. Alice gets a thimble.

Read, reflect and write

Question: Where do you think White Rabbit was going?

Answer: The white rabbit jumped into a big rabbit hole and went down and down to reach Wonderland.

Question: Write what happens before Alice and her new friends swim to the shore.

Answer: Alice wanted to go through the door into the garden. But after eating the cake, she grew a lot in size, almost touching the roof, because of which she started crying and her tears made a large pool.

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