Robinson Crusoe

by Daniel Defoe

1. What kind of novel is Robinson Crusoe?

Ans: Robinson Crusoe is an adventure novel presented as an autobiography by the fictional character Robinson Crusoe.

2. In which city was Crusoe born?

Ans: Crusoe was born in the city of York in 1632. 

3. How did Robinson Crusoe get his name?

Ans: Robinson's first name came from his mother (her last name before marriage). His original last name, Kreutznaer, was German and eventually was shortened to Crusoe to make it easier to spell and pronounce.

4. What did Crusoe’s father want him to study? [NU 2015]

Ans: Crusoe's father wanted him to study law.

5. What did Crusoe's father advice his son about his adventure?

Ans: The advice that Crusoe's father gave him about his adventure was to stay home and be content with his "middle station" in life.

7. Why was Crusoe's father against his going to the sea?

Ans: Crusoe's father was against his going to the sea because he thought that only men of desperate and superior fortunes went abroad in search of adventures but Crusoe was a man of “the middle station” and his happiness would be assured if he would stay at home

8. What was Crusoe's dream from the very beginning of his life? [NU 2016]

Ans: Crusoe's dream from the very beginning of his life was to go on sea voyages.

9. What was Crusoe’s intended profession?

Ans: Crusoe’s intended profession was trading overseas though his father wanted him to be a lawyer.

10. When did Crusoe start his first trip?

Ans: Crusoe started his first trip on the 1st September, 1651.

11. Who suggests Crusoe to leave home and go on board the ship?

Ans: One of his acquaintances suggests Crusoe to leave home and go on board the ship.

12. Which port of France did Crusoe take ship from? [NU 2015]

Ans: The port of France from which Crusoe took ship is the Port of Calais.

13. How does Crusoe impress the natives on the African coast?

Ans: Crusoe impresses the natives on the African coast by killing a leopard.

14. What treatment did Crusoe and his companions receive from the Negroes?

Ans: Crusoe and his companions received friendly treatment from the Negroes who provided them with some dry meat and some corn. 

15. How was Crusoe turned into a slave from a merchant?

Ans: Crusoe’s ship was attacked by the pirates and Crusoe was taken as prisoner into Sallee and then he was turned into a slave.

16. How did Crusoe escape from his state of slavery?

Ans: Crusoe escaped from his state of slavery by the help of a boy named Xury.

17. Who was Xury?

Ans: Xury was a young boy who was sent with Robinson and Ismael on the Turkish pirate captain's fishing boat. He was loyal to Robinson who sold him to the Portuguese captain.

18. How did Crusoe communicate with the Portuguese sailors?

Ans: Crusoe communicated with the Portuguese sailors with the help of a Scottish sailor who spoke to him in English. 

19. What was Crusoe's offer to the sailors after he was rescued?

Ans: Crusoe's offer to the sailors after he was rescued included everything he had with him. 

20. What was the feeling of Crusoe after he had been rescued?

Ans: The feeling of Crusoe after he had been rescued was too joyous for him to express.

21. What did the captain want to buy from Crusoe?

Ans: The captain wanted to buy the boat of Crusoe from him.

22. What amount did the captain give Crusoe for some of his goods?

Ans: The Portuguese Captain gave Crusoe twenty ducats for the leopard’s skin and forty ducats for the lion’s skin. 

23. What did the captain suggest Crusoe to have monitory profit?

Ans: The captain suggested Crusoe to be engaged in plantation in Brazil to have monitory profit.

24. Where did Crusoe start sugar plantation?

Ans: Crusoe started sugar plantation in Brazil. 

25. What did Crusoe do to start sugar plantation?

Ans: Crusoe bought land and a Negro Slave and an European Servant using his money to start sugar plantation in Brazil. 

26. Who was Crusoe's neighbour in Brazil?

Ans: Crusoe's neighbour in Brazil was Mr. Wells, a Portuguese. 

27. What were the things Crusoe had had at the time of shipwreck?

Ans: The things which Crusoe had had at the time of shipwreck were a knife, a tobacco pipe, and a little of tobacco in a small box.

28. What did Crusoe carry from the ship?

Ans: Crusoe carried a box with bread, rice, cheese, dried goat’s flesh and corn, some liquor and clothes, and a carpenter’s tool-box.

29. What did Crusoe want to build at first?

Ans: Crusoe wanted to build a home at first.

30. Why did Crusoe want to build home on the island at first?

Ans: Crusoe wanted to build home on the island at first because the land was barren and uninhabited.

31. What did Crusoe discover on that island?

Ans: At the beginning, Crusoe discovered goats on that island.

32. How did Crusoe catch goats?

Ans: Crusoe caught goats by shooting.

33. What furniture did Crusoe make on that land?

Ans: Crusoe made a table and a chair on that land. 

34. Why did Crusoe breed tame animals?

Ans: Crusoe bred tame animals for their meat and milk. 

35. What did Crusoe resolve to sow?

Ans: Crusoe resolved to sow his grain during the dry season.

36. Where did Crusoe find corns?

Ans: Crusoe found corns in the ship.

37. Why was the gunpowder very important to Crusoe? [NU 2016]

Ans: The gunpowder was very important to Crusoe because he collected his livelihood and protected himself from the savages with the gunpowder.

38. How did Crusoe feel at the time of earthquake?

Ans: Crusoe feels frightened at the time of earthquake and prays profusely. He thought that the hill would collapse anytime and bury him.

39. What did the man in his dream tell Crusoe?

Ans: The man in his dream told Crusoe that if he did not repent for his sins of disobedience and obstinacy, he must die on that desolate island.

40. What did Crusoe understand after his dream?

Ans: After his dream Crusoe understood that he had lived an ungodly life.

41. What was the religious view of Crusoe?

Ans: Crusoe views his religion, namely Christianity more broadly as a belief in God and Christ, rather than in an organized system of ritual and practice.

42. What was Crusoe's 'Original Sin?'[NU 2013, 2017]

Ans: The act of ignoring his father’s advice was Crusoe's original sin.

43. Why did Crusoe become repentant? [NU 2014]

Ans: Robinson became repentant because of the realization of the ‘original sin’ of his life.

44. How did God respond to Crusoe's prayer?

Ans: God responded to Crusoe's prayer by installing in him a strong belief in God.

45. Why did Crusoe cry like a child?

Ans: Crousoe cried like a child as an act of repentance.

46. What was Crusoe's gear on that land first?

Ans: Crusoe's first gear on that land was a gun.

47. How did Crusoe make some earthen pots?

Ans: Crusoe made some earthen pots by collecting some clay and moulding the clay into proper shapes without prior experience.  

48. Why did Crusoe need a stone mortar?

Ans: Crusoe needed a stone mortar to grind the corn. 

49. Why did Crusoe need a sieve?

Ans: Crusoe needed a sieve to obtain the flour for making bread. 

50. How did Crusoe feel discovering foot-print in the sand of that shore?

Ans: Discovering foot-print in the sand on that shore, Crusoe felt so perplexed that he didn’t find any word to say.

51. What was the horrifying discovery Crusoe made on that island?

Ans: The horrifying discovery of Crusoe is a large number of skulls, hands, feet and bones of human bodies lying close to the shore.

52. Who are the Cannibals?

Ans: Cannibals are the human beings who eat the flesh of other human beings.

53. Why is Friday excited when he sees the cannibals' captive in the boat?

Ans: Friday is excited when he sees the cannibals' captive in the boat because the captive was his father.

54. What did Crusoe do to save the victim?

Ans: Crusoe saved the victim who was afterwards named Friday by coming in between him and the cannibals who were pursuing him. 

55. What name did Crusoe give to the rescued man? [NU 2016]

Ans: Crusoe gave the name Friday to the rescued man.

56. Who was Friday? [NU 2017]

Ans: Friday was Caribbean native, one of the "savages" that Robinson sees on his island. Friday is taken as a prisoner by some cannibals who prepare to eat him on Robinson's island, but he manages to escape. Robinson helps rescue him,

57. Why did Crusoe name his slave Friday?

Ans: Crusoe named his servant Friday in honor of the day on which the native’s life was saved.

58. What did Crusoe demonstrate Friday?

Ans: Crusoe demonstrated Friday the way of shooting and killing wild birds and goats and taking the flesh of them so that Friday could be restrained from eating human flesh.

59. What was the God of Friday?

Ans: One old Benamuckee living beyond all known places was the God of Friday.

60. Why was Crusoe alarmed about Friday at the very beginning?

Ans: Crusoe was alarmed about Friday at the very beginning because Friday was a cannibal. 

61. What did Crusoe teach Friday first?

Ans: Crusoe taught Friday first to call him ‘master’.

62. What role did Friday play? [NU 2012] 

Ans: As Crusoe could not understand Friday’s father’s language, Friday played the role of an interpreter between his father and Crusoe.

63. Who were rescued by Crusoe from the savages? [NU 2012]

Ans: Friday, a European and Friday’s father were rescued by Crusoe from the savages.

64. How did Crusoe understand the Spaniard?

Ans: Crusoe understood the Spaniard by making Friday act as an interpreter. 

65. What did the Spaniard advise Crusoe?

Ans: The Spaniard advised Crusoe to postpone their trip to England for six months for good reasons.

66. How did Crusoe discover the identity of the prisoners?

Ans: Crusoe discovered the identity of the prisoners by disclosing himself completely before the prisoners.

67. How did Crusoe depart from the land?

Ans: Crusoe departed from the land with the help of a captain whose ship was rescued by Crusoe from the mutineers. 

68. How many years did Robinson live in the isolated island? [NU 2017]

Ans: Robinson lived more than 28 years in the isolated island

69. Why doesn’t Crusoe take his wife back to the island with him?

Ans: Crusoe doesn’t take his wife back to the island with him because she died.

70. What were the goods purchased by Crusoe for profit?

Ans: The goods purchased by Crusoe for profit were toys and trifles. 

71. Where did Crusoe want to settle after he had been rich?

Ans: Crusoe wanted to settle in Brazil after he had been rich.

72. What did the man offer Crusoe?

Ans: The man offered Crusoe to sail to London on his father's ship.

73. When did Crusoe reach England?

Ans: Crusoe reached England on June 11, 1687.

74. After returning to England, what does Crusoe find out about his family?

Ans: After returning to England, Crusoe finds out that his parents are dead and his sisters are alive.

75. Why did Crusoe meet that widow?

Ans: Crusoe met that widow to collect his money that kept to her.

76. How many years did Crusoe spend in Brazil with his plantation? [NU 2013, 2015]

Ans: Crusoe spend four years in Brazil with his plantation.