Class - VII [Raintree Coursebook Theme - 6: Tales of Magic and Wonder] Chapter

Class - VII [Raintree Coursebook Theme - 6: Tales of Magic and Wonder] Chapter - 12: Kidnapped by Goblins! by JRR Tolkien

Detailed Summary: Kidnapped by Goblins

Kidnapped by Goblins is an extract from the famous children’s fantasy novel The Hobbit by
J R R Tolkien. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, is out on an adventure with Gandalf the Wizard and a
band of dwarves led by their king, Thorin. They are planning to steal treasure hidden away by
Smaug, a dragon. Here, the travellers are passing over Misty Mountains when a storm hits. They take shelter in a cave.

The travellers change into dry clothes and go to sleep in the cave. Bilbo wakes up suddenly in the middle of the night and sees a large crack in the back of the cave. The travellers’ ponies are disappearing into the crack. Bilbo screams and many goblins jump out at the travellers. They capture Bilbo and the dwarves and carry them into the crack. Gandalf escapes using magic, leaving some goblins dead.

The crack closes and the travellers are on the wrong side. They tie up the travellers’ hands and make them run down the passage. The goblins pinch them, whip them and are very rough with them. The travellers finally reach a big cave, where a large goblin is seated on a big stone. He is surrounded by armed goblins.

The Great Goblin asks Thorin who they are and where they are going. Thorin lies very poorly— he does not know what to say. The other goblins tell the Great Goblin that the travellers killed some goblins and the Great Goblin is furious. He jumps at Thorin in anger when the lights go off in a tower of blue smoke. A sword swings through the dark and kills the Great Goblin. A voice asks the travellers to follow him.

The travellers take off running. It turns out that the person who rescued them is Gandalf. He sets the prisoners free from their chains and tells them to continue moving forward even though they do not know where they are and there are angry goblins chasing them. Soon the goblins start catching up to the travellers. There is no point in running anymore. So Gandalf commands them to stop, turn and face the goblins in battle. The goblins are killed and those that survive flee the other way.

Kidnapped by Goblins is a thrilling story of adventure, magic and fantasy. It also contains all the elements of the fantasy genre, including magical creatures. Tolkien’s storytelling is excellent— he narrates an action-packed story that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout, excited and nervous about what is going to happen.

Summary in Points:

Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Wizard, and a group of dwarves are on an adventure to steal treasure from Smaug the dragon.
They take shelter in a cave during a storm in the Misty Mountains.
Bilbo wakes up to see the ponies disappearing into a crack in the cave and goblins attacking them.
The goblins capture the group and take them into the crack.
Gandalf escapes using magic, killing some goblins.
The travellers are dragged through a dark passage and brought before the Great Goblin.
Thorin lies poorly when questioned, and the goblins accuse the group of killing some of their own.
The Great Goblin gets angry and tries to attack Thorin but is killed by Gandalf.
Gandalf rescues the travellers, sets them free from chains, and tells them to keep moving.
The goblins catch up, and Gandalf leads the group into battle, defeating the goblins.
The remaining goblins flee, and the group is saved.

Summary in Paragraph: Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Wizard, and the dwarves are traveling through the Misty Mountains when a storm forces them to take shelter in a cave. In the middle of the night, Bilbo notices the ponies disappearing into a crack and sees goblins attacking. The group is captured and dragged into the cave, where they are tied up and brought before the Great Goblin. Thorin, the leader of the dwarves, poorly tries to lie to the goblins, but they accuse the group of killing some of their own. Just as the Great Goblin attacks Thorin, Gandalf rescues them, killing the goblin leader and setting the group free. Though they are pursued by goblins, Gandalf leads them in battle, and the remaining goblins flee, saving the travellers. The adventure continues as they move forward, unsure of what lies ahead.

Story Analysis

Central Idea: The story is about Bilbo Baggins and his companions, who are captured by goblins while journeying through the Misty Mountains. They are rescued by Gandalf, and together, they fight their way out of danger.

Themes:

Adventure and Courage: The travellers face many challenges and show bravery in overcoming them.
Friendship and Teamwork: Despite being captured, the group works together to survive and escape.
Good vs. Evil: The conflict between the travellers and the goblins represents the struggle between good and evil.
Magic and Mystery: Gandalf's magic plays a key role in saving the group from danger.

Message: Even in the darkest and most dangerous moments, courage, friendship, and teamwork can help overcome evil.

Underlying Message: In times of adversity, the unexpected can happen, and even in hopeless situations, help can come from the most surprising sources.

Characters:

Bilbo Baggins: The hobbit who is on an unexpected adventure, showing courage and resourcefulness.
Gandalf: The wise wizard who rescues the travellers and uses magic to protect them.
Thorin Oakenshield: The leader of the dwarves, who is brave but sometimes unprepared in situations.
The Great Goblin: The leader of the goblins, who is angry and vengeful.
The Goblins: Antagonists who capture and torment the travellers.
The Dwarves: Thorin’s companions, who also face danger alongside Bilbo.

Comprehension

A. 1. Gandalf, Bilbo and the dwarves took shelter from the storm in a cave,
2. The Great Goblin decided to punish Bilbo and the dwarves.
3. Gandalf kills the Great Goblin and rescues Bilbo and the dwarves.
4. Gandalf and the party run down the cave till they are far from the goblins.
5. Gandalf decides to stand and fight the goblins with Thorin and the other dwarves.
6. They destroy many goblins and the rest go running to escape.

B. 1. a. The Great Goblin said this to Thorin.

b. The Great Goblin wanted to know where the dwarves were from and where they were going. The Goblin suspected them and spying and stealing.

c. When the Great Goblin find out that several goblins were killed during the dwarves’ capture, hegets furious and orders the other goblins to catch them and put them away in dark holes full of snakes. He also rushes at Thorin to attack him.

2. a. These noises were made by the goblins.

b. The fire in the cave had gone out POOF into a tower of blue smoke that scattered white sparks.It was pitch dark and the goblins were scared about what would happen.

c. The goblins were right to be scared because moments after the lights went out, Gandalf killed
the Great Goblin.

3. a. Gandalf said this to the dwarves and Bilbo.

b. The situation the group was in was very bad. They had no ponies or food and they didn’t know
where they were and they had an army of angry goblins chasing after them.

c. The group runs down the cave in a direction they hope will lead them out. When they started to
hear the goblins close behind them, Gandalf ordered the group to stop. He and Thorin turned around and ought the goblins off.

C. Think and Answer

1. Bilbo, the dwarves and Gandalf were sleeping in the cave, when they were attacked by goblins in the middle of the night. The goblins captured Bilbo and the dwarves and carried them into the crack in the cave. They tried to capture Gandalf as well but Gandalf was a powerful wizard. He fought the goblins off using his magic wand. There was a loud sound like a gunshot and several of the goblins fell dead.

2. The goblins wanted the group’s horses and the goods they were carrying. When the group discovered the goblins, they were captured by them and taken deep into the cave to the Great Goblin. The goblins were very rough with their prisoners. They pinched them and whipped them and made them run as fast as they could down a dark cave. They were cruel to the group and would have killed them had it not ben for Gandalf.

3. Gandalf and the group faced the dangerous situations they were in very bravely. When Bilbo and the dwarves were captured, Gandalf used his magic to escape. But he did not run away; he came back to rescue his group though it meant facing a large number of goblins by himself. He killed the Great Goblin and saved his group and led them away from the cave. Though the Great Goblin was dead, they still had all the other cruel goblins chasing them. They also had no idea where they were and how to get out of there. Gandalf and the group did not give up hope. They ran till the goblins behind them got too close. Then, they turned around and fought off the goblins.

D.Adventures are unpredictable. You never know what will happen when. The ability to face unpredictable situations is necessary for adventures. Gandalf and the group did not expect any danger in the cave that they took shelter in, but they were attacked by goblins. They did not freeze and dealt with the situation as best as they could. To live through an adventure successfully, you need lots of courage. You face many dangerous and scary situations during adventures. You need to be able to master your fears and take action in order to live. A lot of the time during adventures it seems as though there is no way out. You should never give up hope of survival. Even though Gandalf and the group were outnumbered and lost, they stopped and fought. Adventures are tricky situations which require quick thinking. Gandalf could not have fought with all the goblins directly. So, he used his magic to make it dark and killed the Great Goblin in the confusion. And while the goblins were scared, Gandalf and the group made their escape. This was very smart. Last but not the least, adventures involve a lot of running. You should have the physical stamina to do this.

E. It is the second situation that shows true courage. In the first situation, you ask your friends to stop bullying the little children because you are afraid of being caught and punished by the teacher. You are not really standing up for the right thing. In the second situation, you do something that you do not have to do necessarily. The throwball team needs you and you show courage by deciding to face your fear of crowds in order to help them out.

Grammar
A. 2. is 3. is 4. were 5. are

B. 2. Most of the people in the crowd are holding up a sign.
3. Each member of the winning team was awarded a medal.
4. All of my shoes have a gold star sticker on them.
5. No one celebrates birthdays in class anymore.
6. Every leaf on the tree has turned yellow.
7. Nobody knows whether Vaishali is coming to school or not.
8. Everyone in my class draws very well.

Vocabulary

i. to put things away and keep them till you need them
ii. Did you hear a knock at the door?
iii. Can you go see who knocked?
iv. an instruction
v. to tell someone to do something
vi. the official in a court who decides whether a person is guilty and how they should be punished
vii. The student will be judged on the basis of his behaviour in class.
viii. haste
ix. Hurry up! We do not have much time left.

Answers
1. Minos was the king of Crete.
2. King Minos imprisoned Daedalus and his son because he wanted Daedalus to work only for him.
3. Icarus envied the seagulls that he saw because they could fly away and he could not escape his prison.
4. The wings were made of feathers and wax.
5. Icarus felt thrilled when he started to fly. He loved the freedom and was very excited to be escaping. 6. The feathers looked liked snowflakes as they fell.
7. Daedalus would have been deeply sorrowful at his son’s death. To escape from prison only to lose his precious son would have been tragic.

Writing

I am very strongly in support of the argument ‘Reading books is better than watching films.’ Reading is a vital skill to have and hone. It helps us develop our mind. By reading, we come across new information, new people, new ideas—all of which help us grow as people. Reading helps exercise the brain muscle, which means our ability to understand and process things improves. Reading improves our language. Our vocabulary expands and we become more fluent. This will help us express our ideas better. Excellent language skills will also help us in our future careers. Reading makes us think. We actively imagine what we read and then we ask questions about it. While watching films, we sit back and receive information—our brain does not actively search for knowledge the way it does when it reads. This can make our brains lazy if we are not careful. Films provide stories which have readymade images. You know what the hero looks like and what the place they are in looks like. This leaves no room for imagination. Books allow us to use our imagination and become more creative. Books and reading provide us knowledge and entertainment together in one exciting package. This is why I think reading books is better than watching films.

Spelling
1. description 2. explosion 3. foreign 4. niece; brief 5. receipt 6. sore; doge

KIDNAPPED BY GOBLINS

A. Answer in brief.

1. What did the travellers do when they reached the cave? Were they safe there?

Ans: The travellers were hit by a terrible storm. They found a cave nearby and took shelter there.

They made themselves comfortable inside the cave and discussed what they would do with their

share of the treasure and soon dropped off to sleep, not realising that there was danger lurking in

the cave.

2. How were the prisoners, Bilbo and the dwarves, treated by the goblins?

Ans: Bilbo and the dwarves were treated ruthlessly by the goblins. They pinched, mocked and

whipped them with a swish. They made them run fast and the dwarves kept falling while running

as their hands were chained behind their backs. Bilbo and the dwarves were miserable and totally

in the dark about what was in store for them.

B. Answer in detail.

1. What happened when Bilbo woke up in the middle of the night? Where did he, the dwarves and

the ponies disappear?

Ans: Bilbo woke up with a start in the middle of the night. He thought he had dreamt of a crack

in the wall of the cave. But it was not a dream as he really saw a wide crack in the wall at the back

of the cave. He was just in time to see the last of the ponies disappear through the crack. Before

he could raise any alarm, many fearsome looking goblins jumped out and dragged him and the

dwarves into the crack and disappeared.

2. How did Thorin try to convince the Great Goblin that they were harmless? Was he successful?

Ans: Thorin, when confronted by the Great Goblin, very politely assured him that they had no idea

of harming the goblins. They had just taken shelter in the cave from the severe storm they were

caught in. Thorin further said they were on a journey to visit their relatives who lived on the East

side of the mountains. No, he was not successful in convincing him. The Great Goblin called him

a liar and all of them murderers. He ordered the goblins to take Thorin and the others to the dark

holes full of snakes and let them rot there.

C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

1. “He is a liar, O truly tremendous one!” said one of the goblins.”Several of our people were struck by

lightning in the cave and they are dead as stones.”

a. Who is ‘He’ in the above lines? Who does the goblin refer to as ‘tremendous one’?

b. What did the person say which made the goblin call him a liar?

c. How were the goblins killed?

Ans: a. ‘He’ in above lines refers to Thorin. The goblin is referring to the Great Goblin.

b. Thorin did not tell the truth as to the purpose of their visit to the caves.

c. They tried to attack the wizard Gandalf. They were killed in the encounter.

2. Before Bilbo understood what had happened, he was running along as fast as he could at the end of

the line of dwarves.

a. Where were Bilbo and the dwarves?

b. Why were they running?

c. Were they successful in escaping?

Ans: a. Bilbo and the dwarves were inside the cave almost facing execution at the hands of the

goblins.

b. They were following the instruction of a voice in the dark, which was helping them

escape from being thrown into the dark hole with snakes.

c. Yes, they managed to get out of the cave.

D. Answer in brief. (Think and Answer)

1. Gandalf escaped while the others were caught by the goblins in the cave. What do you

understand about Gandalf?

Ans: Gandalf was the only one who was able to escape being caught by the goblins. From this I

understand that Gandalf must be a wizard who had magical power to become invisible and also

had tremendous power to attack.

2. How do you think the Great Goblin was killed?

There was total confusion in the dark cave as there was fire and smoke everywhere. Suddenly out

of nowhere a sword flashed and pierced through the Great Goblin. It could be the sword of the

invisible wizard Gandalf.

E. Answer in detail. (Think and Answer)

Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarves were courageous but lacked caution. Do you agree with the

statement? Give reasons.

Free response Suggested Ans: I partly agree with the statement. Bilbo and the dwarves along

with Gandalf took shelter in a cave when they were passing over the Misty Mountains. As cautious

travellers they could have taken all precaution before resting in a cave. They were careless to have not

anticipated danger there. As a result they lost all their ponies and had to face a near death situation.

I would not call them courageous. Gandalf also attacked the goblins invisibly and he had magical

powers which he could use to help the others to escape. But for that, they would have all perished.

Bilbo and others followed Gandalf’s orders and fought the goblins. As adventurous travellers they

needed to prepare better to face unexpected challenges.