Welcome to our blog post ISC Macbeth Workbook Answers : Act 4, 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 4, 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 4, Scene 2 . Let’s embark on an adventure where Shakespeare’s words transcend time, captivating minds across generation
Table of Contents
Workbook Summary :
Macduff has fled to the Court of England to seek the assistance of the kind King Edward the Confessor, against the tyranny of Macbeth Lady Macduff is full of despair as she never had dreamt that a terrible retribution should fall on an innocent woman like herself and a harmless creature like her child on account of the flight of her husband. Ross goes to visit her and she engages in a conversation with him, in which she charges her husband with faithlessness and want of affection and love towards herself and her child. Ross attempts to justify the conduct of her husband. In an embarrassed language he tries to explain to her that it is her husband’s wisdom, and, not his fear, nor his want of love and affection that is the reason for his flight. He tries to assure her that all her troubles will soon end. With these words of comfort he takes leave of her. Lady Macduff then engages herself in a playful conversation with her precocious little son who innocently prattles and evokes laughter which is much needed in the play. While mother and son are engrossed in their conversation a messenger arrives and warns her of the approaching murderers, but he is too late to do so as the murderers actually appear and without any pity or remorse, ruthlessly butcher the two innocent lives. Lady Macduff tries to flee but cannot escape her tragic fate.
Workbook MCQs :
1. Lady Macduff: “What had he done, to make him fly the land”? Where has Macduff flown to?
a. England
b. Ireland
c. Northumberland
d. Wales
Answer :- a. England
2. What does Lady Macduff consider this flight to be?
1. An act of treachery
2. An act of madness
3. A foolish act
4. An act of cowardice
a. 1 and 3
b. 1 and 2
c. 2 and 4
d. 2 and 3
Answer :- c. 2 and 4
3. What does Lady Macduff accuse her husband of?
a. He lacks natural affection
b. He is very selfish
c. He is too impulsive
d. He is irrational
Answer :- a. He lacks natural affection
4. What kind of bird is the wren?
1. The most diminutive bird
2. Brave bird
3. Huge bird
4. Cunning bird
a. 1 and 2
b. 2 and 4
c. 2 and 3
d. 3 and 4
Answer :- a. 1 and 2
5. Ross “But float upon a wild and violent sea”
What is the literary device used in the above lines?
a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Personification
d. Imagery
Answer :- b. Metaphor
6. What are Ross’s contentions about Macduff?
a. He considers Macduff to be noble, wise, judicious
b. He considers Macduff to be uncaring, inconsiderate
c. He considers Macduff to be foolish.
d. He considers Ross to be a traitor
Answer :- a. He considers Macduff to be noble, wise, judicious
7. “Father’s he is, and yet he’s fatherless
What is the literary device used in the above lines?
a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Oxymoron
d. Verbal irony
Answer :- d. Verbal irony
8. Why does Ross not want to stay any longer with his cousin Lady Macduff?
a. He feels ashamed of Macduff
b. He is too filled with emotion and wants to hide his tears
c. He is afraid that Macbeth may kill him
d. He feels that his words are having no impact on Lady Macduff.
Answer :- c. He is afraid that Macbeth may kill him
9. What kind of a boy is Lady Macduff’s son?
a. A precocious boy
b. A foolish boy
c. An uncaring son
d. An immature and foolish boy
Answer :- b. A foolish boy
10. What does Lady Macduff tell her son?
a. “Sirrah, your father is a coward”
b. “Sirrah, your father is dead”
c. “Sirrah, your father does not love you anymore”
d. “Sirrah, we need to runaway”
Answer :- b. “Sirrah, your father is dead”
11. Lady Macduff “Sirrah, your father’s dead:
And what will you do now? How will you live?”
What is Lady Macduff’s son’ answer to the above question?
a. As how other children without fathers do.
b. As birds do, mother.
c. By making a living of my own
d. By fending for myself.
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
12. What does Lady Macduff tell her son about procuring a husband for herself?
a. She will buy twenty husband’s in the market
b. She will find a husband to buy in the market.
c. She will put up a notice in the market place
d. he will go around looking for one
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
13. What according to Lady Macduff do traitors do?
a. Traitors lie and swear
b. Traitors kill the King
C. Traitors kill good people
d. Traitors are disloyal to their country
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
14. What does Lady Macduff say about the fate of traitors?
a. They should be hanged
b. They should be exiled
c. They should be punished
d. They should be counselled
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
15. By whom would the traitors be hanged according to Lady Macduff?
a. By honest men
b. By patriots
c. By fools
d. By Kings
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
16. What does the son say he will do if his mother does not weep for her husband?
a. He will disown his father
b. Get another father.
c. Forget his father
d. Go in search of his father
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
17. What advice does the messenger give Lady Macduff?
a. To runaway
b. To go and look for her husband
c. To go and speak to Macbeth
d. To go to meet the witches
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
18. Why is Lady Macduff angry?
a. She wanted to be queen
b. She couldn’t go with her husband
c. Her husband left for England without informing her
d. Her son is too demanding
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
19. Why does the son get angry?
a. When the Murderer calls his father a traitor
b. When the Murderer calls him a “young fry”
c. When the Murderer refers to his house to be unholy
d. When the Murderer tries to get hold of their house
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
20. The scene ends with Lady Macduff being pursued by
a. The murderers
b. Her son
c. By the witches
d. By her cousin Ross
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Contextual Questions :
(I) Ross requests Lady Macduff to have patience because her husband knows the disorder of the day and is working wisely
(II) When Ross justifies Macduff’s desertion of his wife and children to be either wisdom or fear, Lady Macduff becomes angry because she feels that her husband has left her and her son in the lurch.
(III)Ross does not dare to speak any further because he is afraid of offending Macbeth.
(IV) According to Lady Macduff’s son liars and swearers are fools because liars and sweepers are greater in number and they can beat the honest men.
(V) The son considers it to be a good sign if his mother will not weep for her husband if he was dead because if she does not weep, he will get another father
(VI)The messenger advises Lady Macduff to runaway with her little ones because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(VII) Lady Macduff does not want to runaway in the first instance because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(VIII) Lady Macduff calls the world in which they live in to be “earthly” because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(IX) Lady Macbeth considers the place she is in to be unsanctified because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(X) The son tells his mother to leave him and runaway because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Question Answers :
(I) Write a note of Lady Macduff’s assessment of her husband in the scene. Referring closely to the scene express your thoughts regarding the same. Write your answer in a short paragraph of about 100-150 words.
Answer :- Lady Macduff is an extremely gentle and innocent woman. She little knows the circumstances in which her husband is caught. She has a feeling that she has been deserted by her husband. In spite of this she retains her self composure. She indulges in a lively conversation with her son. Internally she is disturbed and heart broken, still talks to her son in a light mood saying that she can buy twenty husbands from the market. Ross tries to make her understand that her husband is wise, noble and judicious, yet she goes on saying that Macduff has played false to her and her son. According to her it is an inhuman act which shows his lack of affection for the family.
(II) Describe the relationship between Lady Macduff and her son. Write your answer in a short paragraph of about 100-150 words.
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(III) (a) Describe the prevailing situation in Scotland with special reference to the killing of Macduff’s family. Write your answer in a paragraph of about 200-250 words.
Answer :- Scotland under Macbeth’s rule has descended into a reign of terror and chaos. After his coronation, Macbeth eliminates all perceived threats, creating an atmosphere of fear and suspicion. The nobles, including Macduff, who refused to attend Macbeth’s crowning, are branded traitors. Macduff’s flight to England to join Malcolm (Duncan’s rightful heir) enrages Macbeth, who orders the brutal slaughter of Macduff’s entire family—a ruthless act that shocks even his supporters. The murder of Macduff’s young son is especially heartbreaking, symbolizing Macbeth’s complete moral decay.
Meanwhile, Malcolm and Donalbain remain in exile, fearing assassination. The Scottish lords, terrified of speaking out, secretly pray for deliverance from Macbeth’s tyranny. The country, once prosperous under Duncan, is now cursed—crops fail, animals turn wild, and darkness looms, reflecting the moral corruption of its ruler. Macduff’s family’s massacre becomes the final outrage, pushing Scotland toward rebellion. The people long for liberation, setting the stage for Macduff and Malcolm’s return to restore justice.
(b) How does the murder of Macduff’s family become a turning point in the play? Write your answer in a paragraph of about 200-250 words.
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Essay Question :
Q. Sketch the character of Lady Macduff as portrayed in the scene.
Answer :- Lady Macduff the wife of Macduff is an epitome of gentleness and love. She has deep confidence in her husband. She shows great strength of character even though she has been deserted by her husband. In spite of this she retains her self composure and indulges in a lively conversation with her precocious son. She tries to lighten the situation though she is disturbed and heartbroken. She is very unlike Lady Macbeth who lacks maternal feelings. For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
