Welcome to our blog post ISC Macbeth Workbook Answers : Act 1, Scene 2 of William Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, “Macbeth.” As dedicated learners and educators, we recognize the importance of unraveling the nuances of Shakespearean literature, which is why we’ve curated this comprehensive guide specifically tailored to the ISC curriculum.
Within this blog, we’ll explore Act 1, Scene 2, utilizing the meticulously crafted workbook provided by Morning Star publishers. Our objective is to not only present multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and detailed answers but also to foster a deeper comprehension of the play’s themes, characters, and linguistic complexities.
While our responses are structured based on the workbook, we encourage students to use this resource as a springboard for their own exploration. Shakespeare’s works offer rich layers of interpretation, inviting individual analysis. Therefore, feel empowered to adapt and personalize our insights to suit your unique learning style and needs.
Whether you’re striving for academic excellence or simply eager to unravel the depths of “Macbeth,” join us on this enlightening journey through Act 1, Scene 2. Let’s embark on an adventure where Shakespeare’s words transcend time, captivating minds across generations.
Table of Contents
Workbook Summary :
Duncan, King of Scotland, along with his two sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, and courtiers, is at a camp near Forres, anxiously waiting for news of the battle being fought close by between the rebel forces of Macdonwald and the royal forces. A wounded sergeant, referred to as ‘bloody man’ by the king, reaches the camp and relates to them the latest information from the battlefield.
He says that victory was not assured but then Macbeth entered the fray. He informs them that the general, Macbeth and the rebellious Macdonwald along with their forces, fought an almost evenly balanced battle and that it was difficult to guess which side was going to overpower the other till the bold and brave general of the king, Macbeth, brandishing his sword which reeked of the blood of the wounded soldiers, cut his way through the enemy soldiers and came face to face with Macdonwald. Before the rebel could react, Macbeth attacke,, d him, ripped his body open from the naval to the jaws, cut off his head and hung it up on the parapet as a warning to strike terror in the hearts of the other rebel soldiers.
All through the narration, the bleeding sergeant cannot stop praising the heroic deeds of Macbeth as he faced Macdonwald’s forces. The battle could have been lost but for the ferocious and fearless Macbeth who fought long and hard. The bleeding soldier calls him Valour’s minion, compares his courage to that of an eagle and a lion, compared to whom the enemy is just a sparrow or a hare.
King Duncan is pleased with the courage and boldness Macbeth displayed. The wounded soldier is taken away to be attended to.
However, matters do not end there for Duncan’s enemy, the king of Norway assisted by another rebel and traitor, the Thane of Cawdor, makes an attack on the royal forces. Ross, a noble tuane comes from Fife and once again Macbeth’s courage and bravery in fighting this enemy is described. He tells the king that they were on the verge of being defeated when the brave Macbeth rose to the occasion once again and defeated the Norwegian king and his forces. Ross said that Macbeth deserves to be described as the bridegroom of Bellona, the Roman goddess of war, such was his courage and strength which matched that of the goddess.
Duncan is very pleased as he hears of the heroic deeds of his general. Taking action at once, he orders the immediate execution of Cawdor and sends Ross to honour Macbeth as the new Thane of Cawdor.
Workbook MCQs :
1. Who is a Thane?
a. The name of a person
b. A Scottish feudal lord
c. An Anglo Saxon
d. A tragic hero
Answer :- b. A Scottish feudal lord
2. Who is the ‘bloody man’ in the first line?
a. The Sergeant
b. King Duncan
c. Malcolm
d. Ross
Answer : a. The Sergeant
3. Why does Duncan call him, ‘bloody man”?
a. He is bleeding since he has come straight from the battlefield
b. He is bleeding due to an accident on the road
c. He is bleeding due to a cut he sustained
d. He Is bleeding due to internal injuries
Answer :- c. He is bleeding due to a cut he sustained
4. The sons of King Duncan are
a. Malcolm and Donalbain
b. Macbeth and Banquo
c. Sweno and Macdonwald
d. Rosse and lennox
Answer :- a. Malcolm and Donalbain
5. What is meant by ‘the newest state’?
a. The King of Norway’s country
b. The latest developments of the ongoing battle
c. The newborn state that Malcolm will establish
d. The latest information about Macbeth
Answer :- b. The latest developments of the ongoing battle
6. Why does Malcolm greet the bleeding Sergeant with ‘Hail, brave friend’?
a. The Sergeant had helped Macbeth fight the enemy
b. The Sergeant had saved Malcolm from being taken prisoner
c. The Sergeant had saved Malcolm from being killed
d. The Sergeant had fought bravely against Macbeth
Answer :- b. The Sergeant had saved Malcolm from being taken prisoner
7. An example of a simile (when two things are compared using ‘as’ and ‘like’) is when Ma tells Duncan:
a. This is the sergeant
b. Who like a good and hardy sold
c. As thou didst leave it
d. Hai;, brave friend!
Answer :- b. Who like a good and hardy sold
8. The battle is being fought between
a. The rebel, Macdonwald and King Duncan’ s army
b. King Duncan and Malcolr
c. Malcolm and Donalbain
d. Ross and Angus
Answer :- a. The rebel, Macdonwald and King Duncan’ s army
9. Who is Macdonwald?
a. a rebel against king Duncan
b. the Thane of Fife
c. the Thane of Glamis
d. the friend of Macbeth
Answer :- a. a rebel against king Duncan
10. The two sides in the battle are compared to
a. Two exhausted swimmers
b. Two incapable swimmers
c. Two rejuvenated swimmers
d. Three tired swimmers
Answer :- a. Two exhausted swimmers
11. Even though Macdonwald was favoured by Fortune, he was unable to stand against the brave
a. Macbeth
b. Thane of Cawdor
C. Thane of Ross
d. King of Scotland
Answer :- a. Macbeth
12. Like valour’s minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave
What does ‘valour’s minion’ mean?
a. The one who is the favourite of bravery
b. Someone who is full of courage
c. A person who is full of valour
d. Someone who is not brave
Answer :- a. The one who is the favourite of bravery
13. Which literary device has been used when the Sergeant describes how Macbeth ‘unseamed’ him from the nave to the chaps,
a. Imagery
b. Personification
c. Similie
d. Irony
Answer :- a Imagery
14. ‘O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!’
What leads Duncan to exclaim thus?
a. The fact that Macbeth had killed the rebel, Macdonwald
b. The fact that Banquo had killed Macdonwald
c. The realisation that Macbeth had betrayed him
d. The realisation that the battle had been ended by Macbeth
Answer :- a. The fact that Macbeth had killed the rebel, Macdonwald
15. The literary device allusion has been used when
a. The Sergeant says that Macbeth is brave
b. The Sergeant says that Macbeth is not brave
c. The Sergeant alludes to Golgotha when describing the battlefield..
d. The Sergeant complains about the king of Norway
Answer :- c. The Sergeant alludes to Golgotha when describing the battlefield..
16. Why does the matter not end after Macdonwald is killed by Macbeth?
a. The king of Norway launched a fresh attack on Duncan’s army.
b. He launched a fresh attack on the king of Norway
c. He attacked the common people
d. He attacked the Thane of Ross
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
17. Who assists the king of Norway against Duncan?
a. The traitor, Thane of Cawdor
b. Macbeth
c. Macbeth and Banquo
d. One of Duncan’s sons
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
18. Name the two men who betrayed Duncan.
a. Macbeth and Banquo
b. Macdonwald and the Thane of Cawdor
c. Macdonwald and Macbeth
d. Macdonwald and Banquo
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
19. So well thy words become thee as thy wounds; They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons. Based on the above lines, what does ‘They smack of honour both’ refer to?
a. Malcolm means that the Sergeant’s words are as worthy as his wounds and both indicate his honour.
b. The Sergeant’s wounds are honourable
с. The Sergeant’s words are unworthy
d. The Sergeant’s wounds need to be seen to.
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
20. An example of personification (when lifeless things are spoken of as living things) is when Sergeant says:
a. My gashes cry for help
b. But I am faint,
c. Doubtful it stood
d. Till he faced the slave
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21. The two people who gave the report of the battle are
a. Thane of Ross and Thane of Cawdor
b. The Thane of Cawdor and the bleeding Sergeant
c. The bleeding sergeant and the Thane of Ross
d. Macbeth and Macdonwald
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
22. How did the Thane of Cawdor become a traitor?
1. he joined Duncan’s enemy, Sweno, the king of Norway against Duncan.
2. he betrayed his own king
3. he joined king Duncan against the king of Norway
4. he joined the soldiers of king Duncan
a. 1 and 2
b. 2 and 3
с. 1 and 4
d. 3 and 4
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
23. Where the Norwayen banners flout the sky
And fan our people cold.
What does Ross mean when he says ‘fan our people cold”?
a. Make our people feel very cold
b. Make our people cold (tremble) with fear
c. Make our people feel cold due to the banners flying
d. Make our people feel sorry for the Norwayen king.
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
24. Who is Bellona?
a. The goddess of tapestry
b. The goddess of victory
c. The goddess of war
d. The goddess of heaven
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
25. Ross felt that Macbeth should be described as the bridegroom of
a. Golgotha
b. Bellona
c. Lady Macbeth
d. A Scottish lady
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
26. Who has been described as ‘Like Valour’s minion”?
a. King Duncan
b. Malcolm
c. Donalbain
d. Macbeth
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
27. What makes Duncan to exclaim, Great happiness!
a. The fact that the king of Norway had been defeated.
b. The fact that the king of Norway had been defeated by Macbeth
c. The fact that the king of Norway was afraid of the people.
d. The fact that the king of Norway ran away due to fear
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
28. The Thane of Cawdor is punished by
a. being executed
b. being executed and later, his title, Thane of Cawdor, being conferred on Macbeth
c. being killed by the common people
d. being sent to prison by king Duncan
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
29. Duncan orders Ross to go and greet Macbeth as
a. The Thane of Fife
b. The Thane of Norway
c. The new king of Scotland
d. The new Thane of Cawdor
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Workbook Questions :
(I) Fortune is hailed as ‘rebel’s whore’ because fortune often seems to favour villains, just like a mistress who puts up a show of faithfulness and then turns disloyal.
(II) The two sides of the armies are compared to two spent swimmers because completely exhausted they held on to each other making it impossible for either to win.
(III) The Sergeant compares the battlefield to Golgatha because so many people were killed by Macbeth and his men that the battlefield was turned into golgatha (a place of skulls).
(IV) The Thane of Cawdor is called a traitor because he treacherously joined the king of Norway and deserted his own king Duncan.
(V) Macbeth and Banquo were not frightened by the fresh attack because they were stronger like lion and eagle while the attackers here only sparrow before them.
(VI) Ross considers Macbeth to be Bellona’s bridegroom because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(VII) The battle against the Norwagian king was won because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(VIII) The king of Norway craved for a peace treaty because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(IX) The Scot soldiers would not allow the king of Norway to bury his dead men because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(X) Duncan decides to confer the title of Thane of Cawdor on Macbeth because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Question Answers :
(I) Why according to the bleeding soldier, did the matter not end with Macbeth killing Macdonwald? How did both Macbeth and Banquo come to the rescue once again? Write your answer in a short paragraph of about 100-150 words.
Answers: While the battle was going on Macbeth cut his way through the enemies and with his blood soaked sword split Macdonwald from the navel to the jaw. Then he hung his head on the walls of our fort. But the matter did not end here. The king of Norway, with a formidable number of troops and assisted by the traitor Thane of Cawdor launched a fresh attack. But Macbeth matched him in every way. Their swords clashed and a big fight ensued. But Macbeth checked his insolent spirit and defeated him. Now, Sweno the king of Norway wants to sue the terms of peace. But our soldiers would not allow him to bury his dead soldiers unless he paid ten thousand dollars.
(II) Give a brief account of what king Duncan tells Ross with regard to the Thane of Cawdor before the close of the scene. What is the dramatic irony involved in Duncan’s order? Write your answer in a short paragraph of about 100-150 words.
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(III) a. How does the bleeding soldier describe the battle between Macdonwald and Macbeth with regard to Macbeth’s bravery and boldness? Write in brief the purpose served in narrating Macbeth’s valour by the soldier. Write your answer in about 200-250 words.
Answers: The bleeding soldier gives a dramatic account of the battle between Macbeth and Macdonwald, highlighting Macbeth’s extraordinary bravery and boldness. He describes the two opposing armies as “two swimmers” locked in a fierce struggle, both exhausted from fighting. At first, Macdonwald, supported by Irish soldiers, seemed to have the upper hand, and fortune smiled on him. However, Macbeth, undeterred by the chaos, charged through the enemy soldiers like a fearless warrior.
When Macbeth finally confronted the rebel Macdonwald, he showed no mercy. With a single, brutal strike, he cut Macdonwald open from the navel to the jaws, proving his unmatched strength and ferocity. To send a clear message of victory and warning to other rebels, Macbeth fixed Macdonwald’s head on the castle walls, displaying his ruthless determination.
The purpose of the soldier’s narration is to establish Macbeth as a heroic and loyal warrior before his tragic downfall. This description makes his later moral decline even more shocking—the same man who fought fiercely for his king later becomes a treacherous murderer. By glorifying Macbeth’s early bravery, Shakespeare creates a sharp contrast between his noble past and his dark future, making his tragedy more powerful.
b. Give an account of Ross’s description about how the brave Macbeth fought the king of Norway who was assisted by the Thane of Cawdor.. Write your answer in about 200-250 words.
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Essay Question :
Q. Summarize the descriptions of the battle between Macbeth and
(i) Macdonwald (ii) the Norwegian King as given by the Sergeant and by Ross, adding a comment of your own.
Answer :- The Sergeant and Ross give contrasting descriptions of the battle as they both make their observations according to their own perspectives. The Sergeant begins his description by saying that the result of the battle was uncertain. The two sides moved to and fro without gaining much advantage. The merciless Macdonwald, who had a large army of Irish foot soldiers and For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
