Sentence:  And the first sound in the house was the bang, bang of the poker against the raker, as Morel smashed the remainder of the coal to make the kettle, which was filled and left on the <WSD>hob</WSD>, finally boil. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The top cooking surface on a cooker; a cooktop. It typically comprises several cooking elements (often four), also known as 'rings'.