Robinson Crusoe is a classic story in English literature, written by Daniel Defoe. This chapter for Grade 5 is an excerpt adapted from the main story. The story of Robinson Crusoe is of a young man who desired to go for a sea-voyage like his elder brothers instead of becoming a lawyer in England. He ran away from his home with his friend. He boarded a ship that was going to Guiana. Unfortunately, due to rough waters, the ship was wrecked and Robinson Crusoe was the only survivor in the ship. Somehow, he managed to make it to the shore of an island. Soon, he realized that the island was not inhabited by any humans. He was the only human on the entire island. All through his stay at the deserted island, he showed great strength of character and presence of mind. His remarkable perseverance took him through twenty-eight-year isolation on the island.
Robinson Crusoe Discovers a Footprint Summary
Once a man named Robinson Crusoe was alone on the seaside. His ship was ruined by the sea. So, for a very long time, he was living in a cave near the seashore. One day, he saw a big footprint on the sand. Robinson Crusoe was very surprised to see the footprint. He ran around the area, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of that someone, or even hear something around that would lead him to the other man on the island. He then ran up the hill and looked out in all directions, but found nothing.
He looked and listened very carefully around him but there was only one footmark on the sand and no other. There was no doubt in his mind that the footprints were those of a man – it had five toes, a heel, everything. He remained thoughtful for a long time. The suspense finally got the better of him.
Suddenly, he became fearful of some body’s presence on the seashore. He was crippled with fear and ran fast towards his cave turning back at every step to see whether he was being followed or not. He found all the trees and bushes chasing him masked as men. He wanted to cover himself on reaching home. As much as he tried, Robinson Crusoe could not sleep that night. He stayed in his cave for many days. He got more and more afraid at night and remained inside for the whole time. He fervently prayed for his safety and even as he tried to reason with himself, another more terrifying thought got his imagination completely. He started imagining a group of savages from the mainland caught in that current of the sea and landed on the island, found his boat. They were now looking to kill him and eat him.
For many days, he kept thinking of that footmark and remained inside fearful. After some days, he managed to find the courage and went outside to check for anybody’s presence but found nothing. On seeing nobody for many days, he got strength and courage. He decided to go towards the shore to look and solve the mystery of the footprint. He was sure that he never went to that part of the island in a long time. On reaching there he scaled his foot with that mark and found it was not his own. The mark was much bigger than his foot. His fear emerged again and he ran to his cave feeling someone must be there.
Solving an English Exam
English is a language subject and mostly is easier than the rest of the subjects. But if a student finds the problem in appearing for the English exam and getting good marks, they can follow some basic set of rules to study and appear for the English exam. Students who feel weak in English should know that it is just a language and like other languages, they can master it with some practice. But for now, students can appear for the English exam and score good marks by understanding and working towards the following pattern. Most of the English exams are divided into 3 areas namely- Reading, Writing & Grammar, and Literature. Students can study for each by-
Reading- Reading part of the English Question Paper includes seen and unseen comprehensions from which different types of questions are asked. Fill in the blanks, Synonyms & Antonyms, Short Answer type and Long Answer type questions are some examples of questions types that can be asked in the Reading part of the English exam. Reading part is not always easy as many times passages with difficult vocabulary appear and students get scared. That's why, if possible and allowed, students should avoid starting from the reading part if they are not comfortable and confident with it. To solve the Reading part for maximum marks, students should read the passage first, then go through the questions, and then again read the passage. This will minimize the mistakes that can be created while solving the exam in a hurry. One more important thing to note is that teachers might often cut marks if the answer contains extra information as the main motive of the exam is to check the reading and information extracting skills of the students. Students should practice comprehension from previous year's papers as it will give them a rough idea of how questions can appear in the exam. They can find previous year's papers with solutions at Vedantu's official website.
Writing & Grammar- The grammar and Creative writing part is the place where maximum students lose marks. The creative writing part can include essay writing, article writing, letter writing (formal and informal), notice writing, etc. Students should know the formats of each of the creative writing styles they are given in the syllabus. They should also prepare creative writing by reading some sample essays and seeing how a piece is written without violating the given word limits. Students can find sample creative writing topics and samples of written content at Vedantu's official site. Creative Writing is based on one's imagination, usage of words, and understanding and use of grammar. The grammar part of the exam comprises all the grammar topics mentioned in the syllabus. Students can practice grammar from various reference books and Vedantu's website. Some questions are also given after every chapter or poem in the literature book. Grammar can only be strengthened by more and more practice, but once mastered, can hardly ever go wrong.
Literature- The literature part of an English exam included all the chapters, poems, and plays that are taught in that given semester. The literature part is the easiest part of the English as the student can come prepared for it. Students should go through the chapters again and again until they're confident that they understand the story. Many questions are given by the teachers and students can also prepare Vedantu's official website where they can find questions and answers from all chapters. Students can also solve previous year's questions which will assist them to break down the questioning pattern of the exam. Students can bring full marks in the literature part with a little effort put into practice.
FAQs on Robinson Crusoe Discovers a Footprint: A Summary
1. Why was Robinson Crusoe sure that it was not his footprints?
Robinson Crusoe was sure that it was not his footprints because after scaling the footmark, he found that the mark was bigger than his foot. He also realized that he had not come to that part of the land in a long time. Students can find more such questions on the chapter ‘Robinson Crusoe Discovers a Footprint’ at Vedantu’s official website where they can learn more about the chapter with the help of the summary given. Students can also refer to Vedantu’s website for summaries and questions of English and other subjects.
2. Why did Robinson Crusoe pray when he saw the footprint?
On seeing the big footprint, Robinson Crusoe prayed fervently for his safety. He tried reasoning with himself but his fear got his imagination completely. He imagined that a group of savages from the mainland might have wandered on the shore and after finding his boat, they would now kill him and eat him. More such questions and answers can be found on Vedantu’s official website where the best English teachers have answered the questions of Robinson Crusoe Discovers a Footprint and all the other chapters of English.
3. How did Robinson Crusoe have his courage back and what did he do next?
Robinson Crusoe remained in his caves for many days. He did not come out of his cave. After pondering over the issue for a few days, he finally managed to find the courage again. He reasoned with himself that in all those years on the island, he had never seen a living human. He started to believe in himself and went to the area where he found the footmark. He scaled the mark and realized that the footprint was bigger than his foot and he had not been to that area in a long time. Fear again crippled in him and he ran to his cave and stayed inside for many days.
4. Why was Robinson Crusoe afraid when he looked at the bushes and trees?
When the suspense of someone’s presence on the deserted island caught his imagination, he ran fast towards his cave, looking back at every step to check whether anyone one followed him. He was so scared that he looked at the bushes and trees, which seemed like masked men chasing him. More questions and answers on the chapter Robinson Crusoe Discovers a Footprint can be found on Vedantu’s website. Previous year questions and a list of important questions of English and other subjects are also available on the website and mobile app.
5. How to study English literature for an exam?
English is a subject that students love because it involves their favourite part, i.e literature. Students love literature because they are mostly stories that take them away from technical subjects like maths and science. To study for an English exam, the student should start by reading the chapters as many times as possible as it helps them to understand the story better and answer the fill-in-the-blank type questions in the exam paper. People often think of English as a subject to mug and get marks, but instead, the story of the chapters can be understood while reading or when taught in class. Students should make notes while reading the chapter and also underline good and new words that come across. This will help them in 2 ways; assist them in solving Antonyms and Synonyms type questions and help them increase their vocabulary with new and better words. The grammar part can be practised through chapter exercises and other reference books. Students can also check the FREE resources provided by the Vedantu team at Vedantu's official website. One should also remember the poet's and author's names as many times as asked in the exam. This is how a student can appear for an English exam and bring good marks.
