Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
Chapter 4
1. When did the narrator catch a fever and how was his condition at that time and how did he recover from the fever?
= The narrator had been on the island for ten months when he caught a fever.
The weather was hot but he was shaking with cold. He was too weak to go out to look for food. There was nobody to help him. He had no medicines. He grew so thin and weak that he thought he was going to die.
However, he did not die. Little by little, he became stronger. He thanked the good God for making him well again.
2. What did Robinson Crusoe decide when he was quite better?
= When he was quite better, he decided to look at the other parts of the island. He followed the little stream where he had landed his goods. That led him to some green plains where he wild sugar canes were growing. He also found some grapes there.
3. What did he do with the fruits?
= He ate a lot of the fruits. Then he filled a basket with some of them. He then planned to dry them. I knew that dried grapes usually called raisins, form a good food.
4. When Robinson became both happy and sad at the same time?
= On the next day, he travelled farther and came to the loveliest valley that he had ever seen. Orange and lemon trees were growing in it. Bright flowers were blooming everywhere. Birds with bright feathers were flying here and there. The beautiful sight gave him great pleasure. He then felt like a king. Indeed he was the king of the pleasant land.
Then he became sad, remembering that he was all alone. There was nobody with whom he could share his pleasure.
5. How long did it take to go back to his tent?
= It took him three days to went back to his tent.
6. Why the narrator has called the next month as worst?
= The month that followed was the worst that he spent on the island. There was heavy rain every day and all the day. He could not move out from his tent. He could not go out for food. He had to live on dried grapes and some food that he had brought from the ship.
7. How did the narrator become busy?
= The narrator became busy as he was trying to make some pots. Those he found very hard to make. He failed in his attempts very often. Many of his pots broke and fell to pieces. In the end, after two months' work, he succeeded in making several small pots and cups and also two large ugly things - he could hardly call them jars.
8. How did he make the clay pots?
= First he shaped the jars in clay. Then he built a fire around them and on the top of them. I kept the fire burning till the jars were red with the heat. After five or six hours, he let the fire burn out very slowly. He stayed up all night, watching the fire. In the morning, he was delighted to find that the jars were firm and strong. He began cooking in them at once though they were still hot.
9. What was the surprising thing the narrator find near his tent?
= When the great rains were over, he found a surprising thing near his tent. Some English wheat was growing there. He was very surprised and wondered how it had come there. Then he remembered. Among the things that he had brought from the ship were some old bags. One of those had hold wheat.
10. How was Robinson able to make some bread for himself?
= He had a dozen ears of real English wheat. I saved the grain and planted it till he had a field of wheat. This way he was able to make a bread of his own self.
11. What happened after Crusoe had been ten months on the island?
= After Crusoe had been ten months on the island, he caught a fever.
12. What made him think that he was going to die?
= Because there was nobody to help him and he had no medicine.
13. What was growing on the green plain?
= Wild sugar canes.
14. What did Crusoe see in that lovely valley?
= Orange and lemon trees.
15. What made Crusoe stay in his tent?
= Heavy rain made Crusoe stay in his tent.
16. What had he to live on?
= He had dry grapes and some food that he had brought from the ship to live on.
17. How did he make his jars?
= He shaped the jars in clay. Then he build a fire around them and on the top of them. He kept the fire burning till the jars were red with the heat.
18. What "surprising thing" did Crusoe find?
= The "surprising thing" was that some English wheat was growing near his tent.
19. How had the wheat come there?
= Among the things that he had brought from the ship were some old bags. One of these had held wheat. He had shaken it outside his tent, in order to clean it. Some grains of wheat had fallen to ground. These had grown during the heavy rains.
20. What was Crusoe proud of?
= Crusoe was proud of being able to make a bread of his own self.