Class 12 English — Chapter 4: The Rattrap

What you'll learn

• ▸The World as a Rattrap Metaphor
• ▸The Rattrap Peddler's Initial Character
• ▸The Crofter's Hospitality and the Peddler's Betrayal
• ▸The Forest as an Impenetrable Prison
• ▸The Ironmaster and Mistaken Identity
• ▸Edla Willmansson's Compassion and Persuasion
• ▸Theme of Essential Human Goodness

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- 4 The Rattrap 12074CH04 About the author Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940) was a Swedish writer whose stories have been translated into many languages. A universal theme runs through all of them — a belief that the essential goodness in a human being can be awakened through understanding and love. This story is set amidst the mines of Sweden, rich in iron ore, which figure large in the history and legends of that country. The story is told somewhat in the manner of a fairy tale. Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context. * keep body and soul together * plods along the road * impenetrable prison * eased his way * things have gone downhill * hunger gleamed in his eyes * unwonted joy * nodded a haughty consent * fallen into a line of thought Once upon a time there was a man who went around selling small rattraps of wire. He made them himself at odd moments, from the material he got by begging in the stores or at the big farms.…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

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1. Describe various kinds of animal traps. Get Solution →
2. Explain how iron is forged. Get Solution →
3. Show images of historic ironworks. Get Solution →
4. What did the main character of the story sell to make a living? Get Solution →
5. Besides selling his wares, what two activities did the peddler resort to in order to survive? Get Solution →
6. What was the former occupation of the old man who gave the peddler shelter for the night? Get Solution →
7. How much money did the crofter show the peddler? Get Solution →
8. Where did the old crofter keep his money? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 The earliest known animal traps were used over 4,000 years ago.
• 💡 The world's first iron smelting dates back almost 4,000 years.
• 💡 Venus flytraps are plants that actually catch and eat insects.
• 💡 Your own blood contains tiny amounts of iron to help you breathe.
• 💡 Some ancient iron objects were made from fallen meteorites.

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