A Synopsis – The Swiss Family RobinsonClass 9 English Chapter 1 Notes – Maharashtra Board

Summary: A Synopsis – The Swiss Family Robinson

William, his wife Elizabeth and their four sons — Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz — are caught in a terrible storm at sea. The other passengers escape and leave them behind on the damaged ship.

Next morning they see a tropical island beyond the reef. They make a boat out of tubs, load it with food, tools and other useful things and row to the island, with their two dogs, Turk and Juno, swimming alongside.

On the island they first live in a tent, then in a tree house high up in a huge tree, then in a cave they cut into the rock for the winter, and finally in a strong house built on four trees after elephants destroy one of their huts.

Ten years later the boys are young men. Fritz finds a message tied to an albatross's leg, sets out and rescues Jenny Montrose, an English girl stranded on a far-off island.

A British ship arrives, sent to look for Jenny by her father. The parents, Ernest and Jack stay on the island they call New Switzerland, while Fritz, Jenny and Franz sail to Europe. The father gives his journals to the captain to be published.

Key points to remember

• A synopsis is a brief outline of the main events of a story or book
• Author of the novel: Johann David Wyss, a Swiss clergyman; the novel has been loved for over two hundred years
• It is fiction, not a fact file, so some events stretch reality a little
• Values taught: self-reliance, determination, love for family, co-operation and wise use of resources
• Family: father William, mother Elizabeth, sons Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz; dogs Turk and Juno
• Four homes: tent on the shore → tree house → rock cave (winter home) → house on four trees
• The father uses geometry (triangles) to find that the lowest branch is thirty feet high
• Fritz rescues Jenny Montrose after reading a note on an albatross's leg
• The island is named New Switzerland
• Happy ending: some stay, some return to Europe, and the father's journals go to be published

A Synopsis – The Swiss Family Robinson – Notes

1. The story in simple words

• Shipwreck: A storm hits the ship. Everyone else leaves in the boats, and the Robinsons are left on board. They survive the night in the ship's hold.
• Reaching the island: They tie tubs together to make a boat, fill it with food, ammunition and useful goods, and row past the reef. The ship's animals, guns, carpentry tools, books, provisions and a small boat in pieces (a pinnace) are also saved.
• Early days: They pitch a tent and use cut grass as beds. They find gourds growing on a tree trunk and turn them into bowls and spoons.
• Building and farming: Mother grows corn, melons, pumpkins and cucumbers. Father and Fritz find a plant whose waxy fruit can make candles and a tree with rubbery sap for boots.
• Ten years later: Fritz rescues Jenny, a ship arrives, and the family decides who will stay and who will go.

2. The family's four homes

• First home — a tent on the shore. Its floor was made soft with armfuls of grass.
• Second home — a tree house. Mother wanted it because the camp was open, dry and hot, and a high house would keep them safe from jackals. The tree's trunk was nearly forty feet across. They made a rope ladder with bamboo pieces fixed at the knots.
• Third home — a cave they carved out of the rock for the winter, with windows for air and light, four rooms and a fireplace. It felt dark, so Jack hung a big oil lamp from a bamboo pole.
• Fourth home — after elephants destroyed a hut and trampled the fields, they built a house on four strong trees standing in a square about twelve feet apart, instead of on stilts that elephants could knock down.

3. Values and good qualities in the story

• Resourcefulness — making utensils from gourds, a boat from tubs and a sledge from driftwood.
• Foresight — planning a winter home before winter came.
• Knowledge and its use — measuring a tall branch using triangles (geometry).
• Cautiousness — moving to safer homes to avoid jackals and elephants.
• Humanity and sensitivity — Fritz feels someone needs help and is determined to find the sender of the note.
• Perseverance and family bonds — working together for ten years and the parents' pride in their sons.

4. Language: compound words and noun–verb words

• Compound word: two words joined to make one new word with its own meaning, e.g. foot + prints = footprints.
• Many English words can be both a noun and a verb. Their job in the sentence decides the part of speech.
• A word after 'a', 'the', 'my' etc. is usually a noun; a word that shows the action of a subject is a verb.
• Climax: the most exciting point of a story. Anticlimax: a disappointing end after a build-up of excitement, or a sudden fall from something serious to something silly.

Words and phrases to know

Key terms

A Synopsis – The Swiss Family Robinson – Flashcards

Read the question, answer it in your head, then tap the card to check. 20 cards.

A Synopsis – The Swiss Family Robinson – MCQ Quiz

15 questions. Tap an option — you will see at once if it is right and why.

How to study A Synopsis – The Swiss Family Robinson

⏱ About 25 minutes

1. Read (10 min)
   Read the synopsis once for the story and again to note the four homes and why each was built.
2. Learn (8 min)
   Learn the characters, word meanings, compound words and how one word can be a noun and a verb.
3. Practise (7 min)
   Answer the 'Try it yourself' questions, take the quiz and play 🎮 Play.