THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE

( SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS)

1. About which war was "The Charge of the Light Brigade" written?
The Crimean War

2. According to the first stanza of "The Charge of the Light Brigade", how many British forces rode into
the battle?
Six hundred

3. In stanza one, what does the phrase “the Valley of Death” refer to?
The valley where the British soldiers rode/ the battle occured.

4. Why do you think the poet refers the valley as “The Valley of Death”?
It is because the soldiers knew that they were going to lose in the battle and they would die.

5. Why did the soldiers ride to their death?

They had to obey their commander’s order.

6. In stanza 1, what was the light brigade ordered to do?

They were ordered to move forward on a frontal assault against a well-armed Russian soldiers/ to
attack the Russian soldiers

7. What kind of weapons did the Light Brigade have?

Spears, swords and bows

8. What weapons did their opponents/enemies have?

Cannons, rifles

9. In stanza 2, what does the word ‘dismayed’ suggest?

It means to lose your courage/ to be overcome by terror or sadness

10. Did the British soldiers feel discouraged? Why?

No, they did not. It was because they were carrying out their duty and if they were to die, they would
die with honour/ They had to obey the command of their leader.

11. In stanza 2, what does the line “Someone had blundered” suggests?
The commanding officer had made a stupid and clumsy mistake by ordering them to charge the well-
prepared Russian soldiers/ the leader had made a mistake in giving order

12. Write the meanings of the following lines:

i. “Theirs not to make reply” (line 13) :
The soldiers must not talk back to their commanders.

ii. “Theirs not to reason why” (line 14) :

They must follow the orders without asking why.

iii. “Theirs but to do and die” (line 15) :

All they could do was to ride and fight and possibly die in the battle.

13. Who won the battle?

The Russian soldiers

14. Give two adjectives to describe the six hundred men?

Courageous/ brave/ noble/ heroic/ loyal/ patriotic/obedient

15. In Stanza 1 the phrase valley of Death means

Death awaiting/to die/no escape from clutches of death

16. In Stanza 1 which word means “to advance”?

Forward
17. In stanza 2 who has made the mistakes that caused the tragedy?
The leader of the troop/ the commander/ office in-charge

18. Why do you think the soldiers followed the order even is it would cause their death?
They are loyal

19. There are many ways to show our love towards our nation. Suggest two ways.
i. Contribute towards nation building by being a good citizen
ii. Be united and uphold justice in our country.

20. How do you feel about war? Provide a reason to support your response.
I dislike war. Many people die in the war.