Memories of Childhood Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Vistas

Memories of Childhood Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

The Cutting of My Long Hair

Question 1.
What does this chapter tell us about the weather in the land of apples on the very first day?
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa unfolds that the first day in the land of apples was a bitter cold one; for the snow still covered the ground, and the trees were bare.

Question 2.
How were the Indian girls dressed? Why did Zitkala feel sinking in the floor?
Answer:
The Indian girls were in stiff shoes and closely clinging dresses. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and singled hair. It appeared very immodest to Zitkala. She felt sinking in the floor because her blanket had been stripped off from her shoulders.

Question 3.
Who was Judewin? What did she tell Zitkala?
Answer:
Judewin was a friend of Zitkala. She knew a little English. She had overheard the white woman saying that they would shingle Zitkala’s long, heavy hair. She said that Zitkala had to submit to them.

Question 4.
What had Zitkala’s mother told her about the tradition regarding hair in their tribe?
Answer:
Zitkala’s mother had told her that only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among her tribe, short hair were worn by mourners and shingled hair by cowards.

Question 5.
Where did Zitkala hide herself to save her hair?
Answer:
Zitkala hid herself in a big room. The windows were covered with dark green curtains, which made the room very dim. No one was there in the room. She crawled under a bed and huddled herself in the dark corner.

Question 6.
How were Zitkala-Sa’s long hair shingled?
Answer:
Women and girls entered the room where Zitkala-Sa was hiding. She was dragged out. She resisted and cried aloud. They tied her fast in a chair. She was shaking her head all the while until she felt the cold blades of the scissors against her neck. Thus her hair were shingled.

Question 7.
At the dining table why did Zitkala-Sa begin to cry when others start eating?
Answer:
At the dining table all the others started eating us¬ing knife and fork. But Zitkala began to cry. She found eating by formula a very hard trial for her.

Question 8
How did Zitkala-Sa’s first day in the land of apples begin?
Answer:
The first day in the land of apples was very cold. Zitkala saw. that the Indian people were bearing tight clinging clothes which appeared very immodest to her. At the dining table, she began crying since she could not eat with knife and fork. And in the end her hair were shingled.

We Too are Human Beings

Question 9.
How long would it take Bama to reach her home?
Answer:
It was actually possible to walk the distance in ten minutes from Bama’s school to her home. But, usu¬ally it would take her thirty minutes at the very least to reach home. Many interesting things would tether her feet to the ground.

Question 10.
What did she see one day when she came from school?
Answer:
One day, when she came to her street she saw at the opposite corner a threshing floor had been set up, and the landlord watched the proceedings, seated on a piece of sacking spread over a stone ledge. The people of her community were hard at work, driving cattle in pairs, round and round to tread out the grain from the straw.

Question 11.
What scene made Bama laugh loudly?
Answer:
Bama saw an elder of her street came along from the direction of the bazaar. He was carrying a small packet in his hands. Bama guessed there was something like vadais in the packet. Bama wanted to laugh loudly when she saw this. He was holding out the packet by its string, without touching it. She thought that in this manner, the packet could be undone and all the contents would fall out.

Question 12.
When Bama did come to know about the social discrimination towards her community?
Answer:
Bama came to know about it when she was just a school going girl. She saw an elder of their commu¬nity carrying a packet of vadais from its string. She thought that in this manner, the packet could be un done and the whole contents would be spilt out. But her brother told her that the reason for that was that the person for whom that snacks brought belonged to high caste and he thought that the very touch of any from their community would pollute him.

Question 13.
What advise did Annan give to Bama?
Answer:
Annan advised Bama that she should study with care and learn all. Then the people would come to her of their own accord and attach themselves to her. These words of Annan made a deep impression on her.

Question 14.
Why did the landlord’s man ask Bama’s brother on which street he lived? What was the significance?
Answer:
The people of the community to which Bama be longed were segregated and lived in a particular street. The landlord’s man wanted to ascertain the caste of Bama’s brother. Therefore he asked him on which street he lived.

Memories of Childhood Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Explain in detail Zitkala’s experience at the land of apples?
Answer:
It was bitterly cold on the first day at the land of apples. A large bell rang for breakfast. There was annoying clatter of shoes on the floor. An elderly white woman came up after them. She saw Indian (Native-Americans) girls in stiff shoes and closely clinging dresses. It appeared quite immodest to her. While the boys entered from the other door.

They all were marched for the breakfast.A small bell was tapped and all the students drew a chair from under the table. Zitkala thought they were perhaps going to sit. She also sat down but she found that the others were standing murmuring a sort of small prayer. Zitkala-Sa also stood up.

But then she found that the others had sit in their seats. Then she heard a voice of a man. Every one picked up their knife and fork and began eating. But Zitkala found this eating by formula very difficult. But this was not the hardest trial for her. Her hair were shingled and she felt herself like an animal in a herd.

Question 2.
Reproduce briefly in your own words Zitkala- Sa’s experience in the dining room.
Answer:
The tables and chairs were arranged in the dining room. A small bell was tapped, and each of the students drew a chair from under the table. Zitkala also pulled out the chair and sat down. But she noticed that all others were standing but she was sitting. She began to rise up, but soon the second bell was tapped. All were seated at last.

She heard a man’s voice at one end of the hall, and she looked around to see him. But all the others hung their heads over the plates. The man ceased his mutterings, and then the third bell was tapped. Every one picked up their knife and fork and began eating. But Zitkala started crying instead. This eating by formula proved too hard a trial for her.

Question 3.
What did Zitkala do to prevent her hair? How did her efforts prove futile?
Answer:
Zitkala decided that she would not let her hair shingled. She watched her chance and when no one noticed, she disappeared. She hid herself in a big room. The windows were covered with dark green curtains, which made the room very dim. No one was there in the room. She crawled under a bed and hid herself in the dark comer.

From her hiding place she heard footsteps nearby. In the hall some voices were calling her name. Even her friend Judewin was searching for her. The sounds came nearer and nearer. Women and girls entered the room. She was dragged out. She resisted and cried aloud. They tied her fast in a chair. She was shaking her head all the while until she felt the cold blades of the scissors against her neck. Thus her hair were shingled.

Question 4.
How long did Bama take to reach home from school and why? Write briefly what she did on her way?
Answer:
It was actually possible to walk the distance in ten minutes. But usually it would take her thirty minutes at the very least to reach home. Many interesting things would tether her feet to the ground. There could be a performing monkey. There could be a snake charmer with his snake kept in a basket. There could be a cyclist who had not got off cycle for three days.

She would watch the huge bell hanging at the temple. She would watch the Pongal offerings being cooked. Then there could be some entertainments going on the way-a street play, a puppet show or a magic show. These were the things that stopped her at many points in her way.

Question 5.
When did Bama come to know about the social discrimination towards her community?
Answer:
Bama found that the manner in which the elder of her community carrying snacks was funny. He was holding out the packet by its string, without touching it. She thought that in this manner the packet could be undone and all the contents fall out. But her brother told her that there was nothing funny about it.

The people of upper caste thought that the very touch of the people of their community would pollute them. It was then that Bama came to know about the social discrimination towards her community. This thought filled her with rage. She thought that why their people should run petty errands for the upper caste people. They should just take their wages and that was all.

Question 6.
The two accounts that you read above are based in two distant cultures. What is the commonality of theme found in both of them?
Answer:
The first account refers to a Native American girl, Zitkala-Sa. The European settlers, there are prejudiced against the native people. For them Native Americans are no better than enemies. They shingled Zitkala’s hair much against her wish. They did not care to respect their culture. The second account is of Bama. She belonged to a downtrodden community. The people of upper caste looked at them with hatred. They thought that the very touch of the people of her community would pollute them. Thus we can see that Zitkala and Bama belonged to different cultures and communities. Yet the theme of both the accounts is same that people of downtrodden communities are treated like animals and racial prejudice is there in almost every part of the world.

Question 7.
It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life. Do you agree that injustice in any form cannot escape being noticed even by children?
Answer:
Elders of downtrodden communities become used to oppression. They consider it a part of their destiny and thus do not protest against any oppression. But the minds of children are very impressionable. They understand every oppression or humiliation. They generally rebel against any oppression.

They feel quite disturbed when they see injustice being done to someone. When they grow up, they try their best to root out all the traditions that consider them to inferior beings. Thus, we can say that the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life.

Question 8.
Bama’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination does ZitkalaSa’s experience depict? What are their responses to their respective situations?
Answer:
Zitkala-Sa was a Native American. The European settlers have great prejudice against the Native Americans. They consider them inferior beings. They have no respect for their traditions. That was why

Zitkala’s long was shingled. On the other hand, Bama belongs to a downtrodden community. The people of high caste consider them inferior beings. They think that the very touch of theirs would pollute them. Both Zitkala and Bama reacted to their respective situation in their own way.

Zitkala hid herself in a room to prevent her hair from being shingled. But she was found out and her hair were shingled. When Bama came to know the humiliation of an elder of their street’ she was filled with anger. She studied very hard so that the others realise her worth and come to her as friends.

Evans Tries an O-level Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Vistas

Evans Tries an O-level Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
When did the Governor rang up the Secretary of Examination Board and why?
Answer:
It was in early March when the Governor of Oxford , Prison rang up the Secretary of Examination Board that their one of the prisoners Evans wanted to take an O-Level examination in German.

Question 2.
What was Evans known as by the prison officers? What did the Governor decide?
Answer:
The prison officers used to call Evans – Evans the Break. Thrice he had escaped from the prison already. But this time the Governor decided that he would see everything personally.

Question 3.
Who were Jackson and Stephens?
Answer:
Jackson was the senior prison officer on D wing. Stephens was also an officer at the Oxford Prison. He was recently recruited to the profession. How-ever, they both proved good for nothing and used to jump into conclusion very soon without doing any investigation.

Question 4.
What were the contents of the small suitcase that McLeery carried?
Answer:
The suitcase that McLeery carried had a yellow invigilation paper, a sealed envelope containing the question paper, a copy of the Bible, the newspaper ‘The Church Times’, a paper knife and a small inflated rubber ring. McLerry said that he was suffering from piles and he needed it if he had to sit for some length of time.

Question 5.
Do you think Evans was really keen to get some sort of academic qualification?
Answer:
No, Evans was not at all keen to get any academic qualification. He pretended to take an O-level examination to escape from the prison. The German teacher, the invigilator, someone at the Examination Board and a fake prison officer were all part of his plan.

Question 6.
When did the Assistant Secretary, Examination Board ring up the Governor and why?
Answer:
At 9.40 a.m. the Assistant Secretary of the Examination Board rang up the Governor to say that there was a correction slip which some fool had forgotten to place in the examination package.

Question 7.
What did Jackson ask Stephens to take away from Evans’ cell and why?
Answer:
Stephens was asked to take away Evans’ razor which he was going to shave and also his nail file. In fact they didn’t want to leave anything with which Evans could do any mischief.

Question 8.
How did the Governor react to the two phone calls he received in quick succession?
Answer:
The Governor received two phone calls in quick succession in the morning. One was from the Examination Board informing him about the correction slip. The second call was from the magistrate’s court asking for the prison van. In fact, both the calls were hoax and part of Evans’ escape plan.

Question 9.
Who was Reverend Stuart McLeery?
Answer:
Reverend Stuart McLeery was a parson. He was appointed by the Examination Board to act as an invigilator for the exam to be conducted in the prison. But in fact the person who came there to invigilate was one of Evans’ accomplices. The real McLeery had been kept tied in his room.

Question 10.
How did the Governor, Oxford Prison describe Evans to the Secretary Examinations Board?
Answer:
The Governor said that Evans was quite a pleasant sort of chap. He had no record of violence. He was one of the stars at the Christmas concert. But he was just a congenital kleptomaniac.

Question 11.
What seating arrangements were made in Evans’ cell for the examination?
Answer:
Two square tables were placed opposite to each other in the cell. One of the tables was placed nearer the cell door. Then Stephens brought two hard chairs. He placed them in front of each table.

Question 12.
What would Stephens see whenever he peeped from the peephole?
Answer:
Whenever Stephens saw through the peephole he found that the scene was much or less the same. Evans, his pen between his lips, sat staring straight in front of him towards the door. And opposite him, McLeery seated slightly askew from the table.

Question 13.
What was the scene at the D-wing when Stephens went there after McLeery had left?
Answer:
When Stephens re-entered D Wing, walked to Evans’ cell and opened the peephole, he saw a man was fallen back in Evans’ chair. A grey blanket was slipping from his shoulders and his closely cropped hair were covered with fierce red blood.

Question 14.
What did Evans tell the Governor about the blood on his head?
Answer:
The Governor asked Evans how he got that blood to pour over his head. At this Evans replied that it was a pig’s blood that the person disguised as McLeery brought with him in a little rubber ring. They had got to mix with trisodium citrate to stop it clotting.

Question 15.
What kind of a person was Evans?
Answer:
Evans was quite a pleasant sort of fellow. There was no record of violence against him. At prison, he was one of the stars at Christmas concert. But he was a kleptomaniac. The police would often arrest him. But he was very clever. He always managed to escape from prison. Therefore the prison officers would call him ‘Evans the Break’.

Question 16.
Did the exam go as scheduled?
Answer:
The exam did not go as scheduled. The exam was scheduled to start at 9.15 a.m. Stephens took some time to frisk McLeery. When the exam was just going to begin, Evans objected Stephens’ presence there in his cells. The Governor asked Stephens to come out of the prison. At last the exam started at 9.25.

Question 17.
Did the clues left behind on the question pa¬per put Evans back in prison again?
Answer:
The injured McLerry said he knew where Evans had gone. He pointed towards the question paper. A photocopied sheet had been carefully and cleverly superimposed over the last but blank page. McLeery said that Evans had gone to Elsfield Way. But the person impersonating McLeery was in fact Evans himself. The clues left on the question paper were to misguide the police.

Question 18.
Where did Evans go?
Answer:
Evans went to a hotel named Golden Lion at Chipping Norton.

Question 19.
Did the injured McLeery help the prison officers to track Evans?
Answer:
The person who pretended to be injured was not McLeery. He was Evans himself. Actually he produced some such clues which were to put the police on the wrong track. Thus, he did not help the prison officers to track Evans.

Question 20.
While we condemn the crime, we are sympa-thetic to the criminal. Is this the reason why prison staff develop a soft corner for those is custody?
Answer:
It is commonly said that we should hate the crime and not the criminal. One may become criminal due to some compulsion. The best way to remove crime from the society is to reform criminals. Harsh punishment often makes the convicts hardened criminals. When a criminal is sent to prison, the prison staff treat him as a human being. The crime committed by him generally becomes a thing of the past. Therefore the prison staff develop a soft corner for those in custody.

Question 21.
Do you agree that between crime and punishment it is mainly a battle of wits?
Answer:
Yes, it is certainly a battle of wits between crime and punishment. The criminals generally prove too smart for the police officers. They generally guess what the next step of the police would be. The same thing happens in the present story. Evans very easily be fools the entire prison staff from the beginning to the end. He escapes under the very nose of the Governor.

Evans Tries an O-level Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1
Who checked McLeery’s suitcase and why? What things had McLeery brought with him?
Answer:
Mcleery’s suitcase was opened by Jackson. The prison people did not have any doubt on McLeery but they thought that innocently he might have brought something which Evans could use to hold him as a hostage. Jackson picked up each envelope in turn, carefully passed his palms along the surfaces and seemed satisfied.

But one of the objects puzzled him the most. It was an inflated ring of about twelve inches circumference. At this, McLeery explained that he was suffering from haemorrhoids and he needed it when he had to sit for some time.

Besides that there were a sealed question-paper envelope, a yellow invigilation form, a special authentication card from the Examination Board, a paper- knife, a Bible and a copy of‘The Church Times’. Jackson took the paperknife from there.

Question 2.
Describe the precautions taken by the prison officers to prevent Evans from escaping?
Answer:
All the measures were taken to prevent Evans from escaping. The governor decided to inspect all the arrangements. The examination was conducted in the prisoner’s cell. It was locked from outside with a heavy lock. A device was placed so that the conversation could be heard. All the objectionable objects of Evans were taken away. Even the invigilator was frisked.

His paper knife was taken away by Jackson. There was a peephole in the door of the cell and Stephens was asked to peep through it every minute. The prison staff wanted to take no chance with Evans. But Evans proved too smart for them. In spite of all these arrangements he managed to escape.

Question 3.
Where did the Governor find Evans? How was he able to locate that place?
Answer:
After a gentle stroll round the centre of Chipping Norton, Evans decided to return to the hotel. He collected his keys from the receptionist and went up the stairs to his room. He unlocked the door and closed it quietly behind him. But he was frozen to the spot when he saw on the bed the very last man in the world he had wanted to see.

That man was the Governor.Evans asked him how he, came to know that he would be in the Golden Lion Hotel. The Governor told him with the help of the correction slip. Then Evans wanted to know how he came to know about the location of the hotel since there would be thousands of the same name. At this, the Governor said that from the Index number 313; centre number 271. When took an Ordnance Survey Map for Oxfordshire, he found the place was in the centre of Chipping Norton.

Question 4.
How far was Stephens helpful for Evans’ escape?
Answer:
Stephens was a newly recruited officer in the prison. He was very particular about showing his efficiency ” in front of the higher authorities. He was especially glad that he was in charge of Evans’ examination. However he forget that to handle such a criminal like Evans could he risky for a novice like him. Evans complained of Stephens’ breathing and got him naturally out of the cell. Once out of the cell, Stephens kept peeping into the cell but soon fed up with.

To show that he was very confident and efficient, he left the cell door to come after short intervals. The short intervals soon became longer and very longer giving time for Evans to dress himself up inside the cell. Stephens was taken to the highest joy when he received the fake call from the Governor to take the invigilator out of the prison. He in his pride took the invigilator out of the prison and made way for Evans’ escape in a wonderful way.

Question 5.
Write a brief character-sketch of the Governor?
Answer:
The Governor was a dutiful officer. He took all precautions for the smooth conduct of the examination. But he was a bit too over-confident. No doubt that the Governor knew a little German and he deduced that Evans tactful be at a hotel Golden Lion. And from the index number and centre number he was able to find out that the hotel would be located at the centre of Chippping Norton.

But instead of going there with full police force he went there alone. He had already seen that Evans had been fooling them since morning. He handed him over to the prison officer whom he had never seen before. It did not occur to him that the prison officer could also be one of Evans accomplices.

And that was exactly the case. As a result, Evans was able to escape once again. So we can say that he was just a good-for-a-giggle, gullible person.

Question 6.
What were the precautions taken for the smooth conduct of the examination?
Answer:
All precautions were taken for the smooth conduct of the examination. The Governor decided to keep a close eye over the whole affair. The examination was conducted in the cell of the prisoner. The door of the cell was locked. The cell was thoroughly searched before the day of examination.

Evans’ nail file, razor and any other thing that could help in his escape was removed from there. The prison officers put a device over the door of the cell so that the Governor could hear all the conversation going during the examination.

Even the invigilator McLeery was thoroughly frisked before the start of the ex¬amination. Stephens was posted outside the cell. He was asked to peep through the peephole to see that everything was going smoothly. However all this arrangements proved futile and Evans managed to escape from prison.

Question 7.
Did the Governor and his staff finally heave a sigh of relief ?
Answer:
The Governor and his staff had a sigh of relief for a few minutes only. After Stephens had escorted McLeery out of the prison gates, he decided to have a look at Evans. He found that a man badly wounded was sitting in Evans chair. He immediately concluded that Evans had run away after hitting McLeery on . his head. He raised alarm and panic spread everywhere.

The wounded McLeery said that he knew where Evans had gone. But the person who pretended to be wounded was not McLeery. He was Evans himself. Actually he produced some such clues which were to put the police on the wrong track. The prison officers thinking him to be McLeeiy provided him ambulance. Thus Evans again escaped from the prison. Thus, there was no relief for the Governor but only trouble.

Question 8.
Reflecting on the story, what did you feel about Evans’ having the last laugh?
Answer:
‘Having the last laugh’ means to have a final victory over one’s rival. By taking the hint from the question paper, the Governor reached the hotel where Evans was and captured him and came to know how he planned his escape and said that his game was over.

Evans surrendered himself to the Governor. The Governor told Evans that they would meet soon. But Evans still had a last card in his ‘ sleeve.The moment the Governor was away, the so called ‘ prison officer-a friend of Evans-unlocked the handcuffs and asked the driver to move fast and Evans told him to turn to Newbury. Evans, thus, has the last laugh.

Question 9.
When Stephens comes back to the cell he jumps to a conclusion and the whole machinery blindly goes by his assumption without even checking the identity of the injured ‘McLeery’. Does this show how hasty conjectures can prevent one from seeing the obvious? How is the criminal able to predict such negligence?
Answer:
Evans was a smart criminal. He had beforehand assessed the weaknesses of the jail officers successfully. Stephens was a new recruit to the prison set up. When he saw the injured McLeery in the cell he at once jumped to the conclusion that Evans had escaped from the prison. He did not even check who he really was and neither did anyone else. It did not occur to anyone to question how there could there be two persons one in the cell and the other who had been escorted out by Stephens.

It was for this very reason that friends of Evans, who, posing as the Governor on the phone, have directed Stephens that he himself should escort the parson out, when the exam is finished. The Governor and his officers, lead Evans out of the prison. The question paper is left behind to mislead the Governor. This shows that Evans type criminals had enough time to study the behaviour patterns of the jail officers and plan their strategy well.

Question 10.
What could the Governor have done to securely bring back Evans to prison when he caught him at the Golden Lion? Does that final act of foolishness really prove that ‘he was just another good-for-a giggle, gullible Governor that was all’?
Answer:
No doubt that the Governor knew a little German and he deduced that Evans could be at a hotel Golden Lion. And from the index number and centre number he was able to find out that the hotel would be located at the centre of Chippping Norton. But instead of going there with full police force, he went there alone. He had already seen that Evans had been fooling them since morning.

He handed him over to the prison officer whom he had never seen before. It did not occur to him that the prison officer could also be one of Evans accomplices. And that was exactly the case. As a result, Evans was able to escape once again. Thus this final act of foolishness of the Governor proved that he was just a good-for- a-giggle, gullible person.

On the Face of It – Important Questions

Important Question and Answers

Q. In what sense is the friendship between Mr. Lamb and Derry fruitful?

Ans. Mr. Lamb helped Derry overcome his sense of inferiority. He advised him not to pay too much attention to what others thought about him; to celebrate life and its wonders. Mr. Lamb brought about a positive change in Derry’s attitude.

Q. Why did Mr. Lamb help Derry?

Ans.

Q. If you were to give a different ending to the story, “On The Face of It” how would you end it?

Ans. Mr. Lamb helped Derry because he too was handicapped, therefore he understood how Derry felt. Also, he was concerned about Derry’s negative attitude towards life. Mr. Lamb wanted to save the little boy from the habit of self-pitying.

Q. How does Mr. Lamb keep himself busy when it is a bit cool?

Ans. The play is quite sad and open ended. According to me, the play should have ended on a positive note, giving the reader a sense of hope. I feel, even if Mr. Lamb dies in the end, Derry would show some positive changes in his character. He would not remain his old withdrawn and defiant self. Instead, he would become as cheerful, open and friendly as Mr. Lamb.

Q. What peculiar things does Derry notice about the old man, Mr. Lamb?

Ans. When it is a bit cool, Mr. Lamb likes to keep himself busy by breaking crab apples and making jelly from them. He enjoys the humming of bees in his garden while he sat in the sun reading books.

Q. Why does Derry’s mother not want him to go back to visit Mr. Lamb?

Ans. Derry notices that Mr. Lamb always leaves the gates open for anybody and everybody so as to welcome strangers. Derry is amazed that unlike others old Mr. Lamb treated him with utmost kindness, that he is not repulsed by Derry’s scarred face. Derry also finds it peculiar that Mr. Lamb lives in a huge house with a huge garden but without curtains.

Q. Why did Derry insist that he would go back to Mr. Lamb?

Ans. Derry’s mother does not want him to go back to visit Mr. Lamb because she has not heard good things about him and hence, she does not have positive views about him. She thinks that Mr. Lamb is not a nice man and forbids Derry to get acquainted with him or even see him.

Q. How did Derry’s handicap damage his life?

Ans. Derry insisted that he would go back to Mr. Lamb because it was for the first time that Derry felt comfortable and happy in someone’s presence. That someone was Mr. Lamb. While Derry was jovial with Mr. Lamb, Derry completely forgot about his burnt face. He felt that he too could live an independent life for he had all his faculty intact. Therefore, even though his mother forbade him from meeting Mr. Lamb, Derry insisted on going; he did not want to lose his new found companion.

Q. What benefits did Derry reap from his association with Mr. Lamb?

Ans. Fourteen years old Derry had half a burnt face, which resulted in poor self image. He became conscious of people’s stares and their comments hurt him. This made him avoid people. Eventually, he become introvert. Thus, Derry’s handicap damaged his life.

Q. Both Derry and Lamb are physically impaired and lonely. It is the responsibility of society to understand and support people with infirmities so that they do not suffer from a sense of alienation. As a responsible citizen, write in about 100 words what you would do to bring about a change in the lives of such people.

Ans. Derry is a withdrawn and defiant boy. He does not like to be around people because they look at his face and pass uncharitable remarks. Once, one side of his face got burnt by acid, which left a scar on his face. This created a complex in his mind. He thinks that people are afraid of him. Mr. Lamb is a physically challenged man, one of whose leg is made of tin. Mr. Lamb is a complete contrast to Derry when it comes to his attitude and outlook towards life. He is an optimist who does not allow trivial teasing and name calling do not bother him. In fact, he likes having company. Mr. Lamb is not repulsed by Derry’s scarred face. Neither he is angry nor put off by the boy’s rudeness. Instead, Mr. Lamb understands Derry’s anguish and tries to make him realise that being handicapped is not a drawback. His meeting with Mr. Lamb becomes a turning point in Derry’s life because Derry is ready to overcome his obstacles and face the world. He finds courage and strength to get what he wants.

Q. “Things that matter. Things nobody else has ever said. Things I want to think about.” What are the ‘things’ that Derry is referring to? How did Derry’s chance meeting with Mr. Lamb prove meaningful for him?

Ans.

Q. Derry sneaked into Mr. Lamb’s garden and it became a turning point in his life. Comment. OR What change took place in Derry when he met Mr. Lamb? OR How did Mr. Lamb’s meeting with Derry become a turning point in Derry’s life?

Ans.

Q. Both Derry and Lamb are victims of physical impairment, yet each has a different attitude from the other. Comment.

Ans

Q. Derry and Mr. Lamb both are victims of physical impairment, but their attitudes towards life are completely different. Elaborate.

Ans. Derry is an angry, withdrawn and defiant young boy. One side of his face was burnt because of which he lacked self-confidence. He was lonely because he had no friends. People either feared him, found him disgusting to look at, treated him with pity or made fun of him. Derry had alienated himself from the society completely. One day, Derry sneaked into Mr. Lamb’s garden and it became a turning point in his life. One of Mr. Lamb’s leg was made out of tin. Due to his physical impairment, he could not move around much. As a result, Mr. Lamb too was isolated from the rest; children called him lameyLamb. However, it did not affect him. Instead, he always kept the gates of his garden open. Seeing Derry suffer so much at such a young age Mr. Lamb struck up a conversation with him, spending time with Mr. Lamb made Derry look at the world and love and admire everything he saw and heard. Mr. Lamb encouraged Derry to make friends and not be bothered by their comments. He told the boy not to hate people. Mr. Lamb’s life and attitude inspired Derry quite a lot. In spite of his handicap, Mr. Lamb lived an independent and happy life seeing his positive approach to life, Derry decides to get rid of the habit of self-pity and face the world boldly with his newly gained self-confidence.

Q. Both Derry and Lamb are victims of physical impairment, but much more painful for them is the feeling of loneliness. Comment. OR The lesson, ‘On the Face of It’, is an apt depiction of the loneliness and sense of alienation experienced by people on account of a disability. Explain.

Ans. Mr. Lamb and Derry have different sorts of physical disability. While Mr. Lamb has a tin leg, one side of Derry’s face was burnt by acid and now is scarred. Both Derry and Mr. Lamb are victims of physical impairment, but much more painful for them is the feeling of loneliness. Both suffer alienation from the society. Derry feels that he is feared rather than accepted by the society because of his scarred face. Mr. Lamb also has to face name calling-‘Lamey-Lamb’ although it does not bother him much. Loneliness has caused constant pain for both Derry and Mr. Lamb. They both crave for friends, but neither of them have it. However, while his isolation makes Derry a bitter person, Mr. Lamb has a positive outlook and believes that being a handicap is not a drawback. Both expect that the society would neither treat them differently, as freaks, nor with pity. They want to be treated with empathy as equals.

Q. What is the bond that unites the two- the old Mr. Lamb and Derry, the small boy? How does the old man inspire the small boy?

Ans. Mr. Lamb turned Derry into a confident boy from a complex one. Both were physically handicapped but with different perspectives towards life. In the beginning Derry was a defiant and withdrawn boy who hated meeting people. Their stares, jibes and pity made him frustrated. He suffered a lot due to his burnt face and had a pessimistic approach to life. Mr. Lamb transformed his vision of life and suggested to live it on his own terms. Mr. Lamb discussed his own situation with Derry to make him understand that he should be open-minded. He told him that God has made all the things and one should not keep oneself in a room forever. He also kept his garden gate open and welcomed all. Moreover, Derry could open up the layers of his heart and complexes in front of Mr. Lamb, which unburdened his heart. He got a new ray of hope in his life. He also taught Derry to use whatever God had given to him. The lesson of Mr. Lamb could not be ignored by Derry. He was disheartened to find about his death. To meet Mr. Lamb, defying his mother and his return to Lamb’s garden shows his appreciation for living life as shown by Lamb. He learnt the lesson of optimism.

Q. How did Mr. Lamb try to give courage and confidence to Derry?

Ans. When Mr. Lamb found Derry in his garden, he did not make him go away. Instead, Mr. Lamb welcomed Derry in a cheerful way accepting him as he was. Although Derry behaved rudely with him, he remained calm and cordial as if Derry’s bad temper and defiance did not bother him at all. Derry was always angry and bitter because one side of his face was burnt. His face seemed to scare everybody. He withdrew himself from the society because of which he lacked courage and self confidence. Mr. Lamb’s behaviour towards Derry was completely different from others. He told Derry that it’s important to see how one is inside than how one looks on the outside. He inspired Derry with love for life and told him one cannot go through life being scared and alienated. Mr. Lamb asked Derry to enjoy simple joys of everyday living with people around and nature, ignoring the unpleasant. He initiated courage and confidence in Derry by telling him not to brood over limitations but count his blessings.

Should Wizard Hit Mommy? – Important Questions

Important Question and Answer

Q. How was the skunk’s story different from the other stories narrated by Jack?

Ans. The skunk’s story was different from the other stories narrated by Jack because other stories ended on a happy note. The wizard always resolved the problem by the end of the story, which appealed a lot to Jo. However, Roger Skunk’s story had a twisted ending. In this story, the wizard was unable to help Roger Skunk because mother skunk interfered in the Previous Years’ CBSE Board Questions Answers process. Jo had not so much interrupted the narration earlier or challenged Jack’s authority. It was also the only story, the ending of which was unacceptable to Jo. But above all, unlike any of Jack’s stories, the ending of this story remained unresolved.

Q. Why did Roger Skunk go to see the old owl?

Ans. Roger Skunk went to see the old owl because he was upset that all the other animals refused to come near him or play with him because of his bad smell. Roger needed advice on how to get rid of his stink.

Q. How does Jo want the story to end?

Ans. Jo wants Roger Skunk to smell like roses and not have the skunk’s foul smell. She also wants the wizard to take revenge on the mother by hitting her.

Q. Why does Jack insist that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother?

Ans. Jack insists that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother because he wanted to teach a moral lesson to Jo that parents know what is best for their children. Jack also wanted, Jo to understand that one should be content with the way one is born and not change just because the society does not accept him/her the way he/she is.

Q. What did Jo want the wizard to do when Mommy Skunk approached him?

Ans. As the end of the story did not appeal to Jo, she wanted the wizard to hit Mommy Skunk and make Roger Skunk continue to smell like roses. It is evident that the story violated Jo’s sense of fairness for why should Roger Skunk not smell of roses and thus, have more friends.

Q Why does Jo insist that her father should tell her the story with a different ending? OR Why did Jo think Roger Skunk was better off with the new smell?

Ans. Jo was not convinced that the little animals eventually got used to the way the little skunk was and smelt. Moreover, Jo felt that Mommy Skunk was being unfair to Roger Skunk by not allowing wizard to make him smell like roses. She wanted Roger Skunk to be accepted by his peers and thus, be happy.

Q. How did the wizard help Roger Skunk?

Ans. Roger skunk was very unhappy because he smelt bad and had no friends. The wizard made his foul smell go away with the magic spell, gave him the beautiful smell of roses and helped him have many friends.

Q. What part of the story did Jack himself enjoy the most and why?

Ans. The part of the story, which Jack himself enjoyed the most was where Roger goes to the wizard’s house. Jack imitated the wizard’s voice. He felt being an old man suited him. He mixed his own childhood humiliations and experiences with the narration of the story. Jack enjoyed doing so because he liked seeing his daughter holding on to his words, liked seeing her apprehensive and expecting something unexpected. Jack enjoyed the fact that Jo loved the stories narrated by him.

Q. Why was Roger Skunk’s mommy angry with him? What did she finally tell him?

Ans. Roger Skunk’s mommy was angry with him because he had let the wizard change his original bad smell to that of fragrance of roses. Finally she told him that she found the smell of roses on him awful because skunks were supposed to smell the way they actually smell.

Q. How did Jo want the wizard to behave when Mommy Skunk approached him?

Ans. When Mommy Skunk approached the wizard, Jo wanted him to hit her back just as she had hit him on the head with her umbrella and not change Roger Skunk back.

Q. Which do you think is a better ending of Roger Skunk’s story, Jo’s or her father’s? Why?

Ans. In Jack’s version of the Roger Skunk story, the wizard uses reverse magic on Roger so as to give him back his original stink because mother Skunk hit him with her umbrella. From an adult’s perspective, Jack’s version of the story aims at teaching two important lessons acceptance of oneself and that parents are the best judge. However, Jo suggests an alternate ending to the story because she does not agree with Jack’s ending. Jo wants a happy ending. She feels sorry for Roger Skunk and wants him to smell like roses so that Roger Skunk can play with other animals. This shows that peer acceptance is quite important for children. It also shows that the sense of freedom of choice develops at an early age. Therefore, from a child’s perspective, Jo’s version of ending the Roger Skunk’s story is also relevant.

Q. How did Jo want the Roger Skunk story to end?

Ans. Jo wanted the story to have a happy ending i.e., Roger Skunk to smell like roses forever. Also, Jo wanted the wizard to hit mother skunk back because she had no right to interfere in the matter.

Q. Why did Roger Skunk go to the owl? What advice did he get?

Ans. Roger Skunk went to see the old owl as he was upset that all the other animals refused to come near him or play with him because of his bad smell. Roger needed advice on how to get rid of his stink. The wise Owl advised Roger Skunk to go the wizard to get his problem solved.

Q. Why does Jo call the Skunk’s Mommy stupid?

Ans. Jo calls the skunk’s mommy stupid because mommy had hit the wizard and made him give Roger Skunk his real stink back. Jo thought Mommy Skunk was so stupid that she did not understand Roger Skunk’s problem.

Q. How does the story, ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy’ bear testimony to the fact that the frustrations faced by adults and their personal experiences often intrude upon their interaction with their children? Elaborate. OR At the end of the storytelling session, why does Jack consider himself ‘caught in an ugly middle position’?

Ans. Jack feels that he has been caught in an ugly middle position physically, emotionally as well as mentally. He was conscious of his duties as a father and as a husband. His efforts to make Jo fall asleep proved quite fatiguing. She kept on interrupting him, asking for clarifications, pointing errors and suggesting alternatives. Jo’s non-acceptance of the ending of the story is considered an act of defiance by Jack. He is quite taken aback by Jo’s behaviour and the things she said. On the other hand, learning that his pregnant wife, Clare, needs his help in the household chores, he is in a hurry to end the story. However, being a loving father, he gives into Jo’s demands and extends the story. The result of the extension to the story proves unfruitful and unpleasant for Jack and Clare. Being waiting for her husband to come down and help her with painting of the woodwork, Clare complains that he had told a long story. Jack feels utter weariness and trapped in a cage. He is overcome with a sense of detachment and frustration being caught in the ugly middle position.

Q. How did Jo want the Roger Skunk story to end? Why?

Ans. In Jack’s version of the story, Roger Skunk’s mommy hits the wizard on his head with her umbrella, and told him to cast a reverse spell on Roger skunk and give him his original smell back. However, Jo did not agree with this ending and suggested an alternate end for the story. According to her, the wizard should have hit mommy back and not change Roger Skunk. To Jo, the wizard was a good person who helps ‘Roger skunk’ when he was in trouble and seeking a way out. Witnessing Mommy Skunk’s actions, Jo felt that ‘stupid Mommy’ should have been punished for her unkind behaviour towards the kind wizard. She believed that Mommy Skunk was imposing her will both on Roger Skunk and the wizard without considering her son’s fear of not getting accepted by his peers. Jo also thought that Roger Skunk should be allowed to choose his own life even if it meant to get rid of the stink.

Q. In case of a difference of opinion it is generally the adult who has his way. Comment on how Jack justifies the mother skunk’s action?

Ans. It is evident from the story that in case of difference of opinion, it is generally adult who has his or her way. In Roger skunk’s story, Mommy skunk is furious at the wizard for making Roger smell of roses. She is not ready to consider that little Roger may not feel comfortable in his original smell. She marches off to the wizard and hits him hard on his head with her umbrella for changing the way Roger smelt. Jack justifies Mommy skunk’s action even though Jo disagrees with the story’s ending and wants to change it. She suggests that wizard should hit Mommy back, that would be a fair ending. However, Jack says that Mommy skunk is right on her part. In fact, parents are always right. Jack tries to reason with Jo by saying that Roger skunk’s mother really loved him and wanted to bring him up with real values. Mommy skunk knew what’s best for her son, unlike Roger who was too young to understand what is right or wrong for him. By justifying Mommy skunk’s action, Jackson wants to make Jo understand that adults are experienced therefore, children should respect and listen to their parents.

Journey to the end of the Earth – Important Questions

Important Question and Answers

Q. What is ‘Students on Ice?

Ans. ‘Students on Ice’ is an educational expedition to Antarctica. It takes high school students to show them the terrifying impacts of human activities in Antarctica so that, the students will realise that the end of the earth is quite near and therefore something should be done to save the planet.

Q. Why did Geoff Green decide to take high school students to Antarctica?

Ans. Geoff Green didn’t find any good in taking curious celebrities to Antarctica until he thought of taking high school students. He believed that the high school students are the real future policy makers of the earth and the young enthusiasm in them would easily understand the seriousness of the threat that poses the earth by visiting Antarctica and they would act their bit to save the planet from further deterioration.

Q. Why is Students on Ice programme a success?

Ans. When one stands in the midst of the calving ice-sheets, retreating glaciers and melting icebergs, one realises that the threats to the earth are real. It is different and way more pragmatic from talking about Antarctica from the comfort zones of our warm countries and therefore being in Antarctica is a shocking realisation.

Q. Why are the youngsters called the future policy makers of the earth?

Ans. The youngsters according to Geoff Green are the future policy-makers because it is them who will bring substantial changes as they grow up. More than that, the more educated youth of today is the hope for the earth as many students are more informed and more aware of the weakening strength of the planet.

Q. How do geological phenomena help us to know about the history of humankind?

Ans. Geological phenomena certainly helps us to know about the history of humankind. A giant southern supercontinent- Gondwana did exist 650 million years ago. The climate was much warmer. It had a huge variety of flora and fauna. Gondwana thrived for 500 million years. Finally, it broke in to separate countries as they exist today. It was the stage when dinosaurs were wiped out and the age of mammals started.

Q. What are the indications for the future of humankind?

Ans. Rapid human population growth and limited resources exert pressure on land. Burning of fossil fuels has only helped in increasing the average global temperature. Melting of ice-caps, depletion of the ozone layer and global warming are the real and immediate dangers for mankind. They will affect the lives of all the marine animals and the birds of the region.

Q. How is the study of Antarctica useful to us?

Ans. The world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica. Therefore, the study of Antarctica shows that India and Antarctica were part of a supercontinent named Gondwana. This supercontinent existed 650 million years ago. The climate of Gondwana was much warmer. It fostered a huge variety of flora and fauna. Then about 150 million years ago, dinosaurs were wiped out. The age of mammals started. Gondwana was forced to separate into countries. The globe was shaped much as we know it today. A cold circumpolar current was created. It made Antarctica frigid.

Q. What lessons can be learnt from an expedition to Antarctica?

Ans. While in Antarctica, one can witness the icesheets breaking, water level rising, seals taking sun bath on the icefloes. One can also walk on the thin layers of ice and feel the life under ones feet. One can see icebergs as big as a small country. And earlier these ice sheets were many times bigger than their present size. One can see a green patch of phytoplankton – a microscopic grass that feeds the entire marine life. Lastly, if one can get a chance to dig a bit, one can be lucky to see the fossils of half a million years old animals, plants and birds that got killed in the previous ice-age. This way one can learn the lesson of the slow impending death of the planet earth and therefore take some constructive actions to save it from its doom.

The Enemy – Important Questions

Important Question and Answers

Q. What forced Dr. Sadao to be impatient and irritable with his patient? OR What made a cool surgeon like Sadao speak sharply to his wife and what was her reaction?

Ans. When Dr. Sadao started operating on the wounded American soldier, Hana had to be there to assist him. As someone who had never witnessed surgery before, the sight of blood disgusted Hana and she choked. In a sharp tone, Dr. Sadao told his wife to be strong and not faint. However, Hana ran outside and vomited. Sadao wanted to comfort his wife but at the same time, could not leave the American soldier unattended. This helplessness forced an otherwise calm and composed Dr. Sadao to be impatient and irritable with his patient.

Q. Did Hana think the Japanese tortured their prisoners of war? Why?

Ans. Yes, Hana thought the Japanese tortured their prisoners of war. She thought so because she had heard about stories of suffering of prisoners of war. When she saw the tortured body of the American soldier, it confirmed her fears. She remembered General Takima beat his wife cruelly at home and wondered, if he could be so cruel to his wife, he would surely be more cruel to an enemy soldier.

Q. What help did Dr. Sadao seek from Hana while operating on the wounded white man?

Ans. First, Dr. Sadao asked Hana to fetch towels. Then he told her that she would have to give the anaesthesia to the wounded soldier. Hana had never done this before. So, Dr. Sadao explained that it was easy. All she had to do was soak the cotton with anaesthesia and hold it near the patient’s nostrils. Since Yumi and the other servants had refused to help, Dr. Sadao tend to the American P.O.W, it was Hana who had to wash his wounds.

Q. How did Dr. Sadao ensure that the American sailor left his house but he himself remained safe and secure?

Ans. Dr. Sadao offered his personal boat with food and extra clothing and advised the American soldier to go to a nearby island and escape from there by boarding a Korean fishing boat. One week later, he informed the General about the American soldier’s escape, thus, saving the American and remaining safe and secure himself.

Q. Why did Hana wash the wounded soldier herself? OR Why did Dr. Sadao seek Hana’s help to treat the U.S. soldier?

Ans. Hana had to wash the wounded soldier herself because Yumi, the nanny, refused to wash the American soldier. She and the other servants were frightened when they learned about the enemy being in the house. They did not want to get into trouble of any kind. This is why they refused to help their master and mistress.

Q. How does the writer indicate that Dr. Sadao’s father was a very traditional and conventional man?

Ans. Dr. Sadao’s father wanted his son to marry a girl who had been pure in her race. Dr. Sadao and Hana had fallen in love in America but their marriage was arranged by Dr. Sadao’s father in the traditional Japanese way only after he had approved of Hana.

Q. Why did the messenger come to Dr. Sadao? What did Hana think about it?

Ans. The messenger came to Dr. Sadao to inform him that the old General was in pain again and needed his care. Hana had thought that the servants had betrayed them and the messenger had come to arrest Dr. Sadao for sheltering the American, an enemy soldier.

Q. What was his father’s chief concern about Dr. Sadao?

Ans. Dr. Sadao’s father’s chief concern was his education. He wanted Dr. Sadao to go abroad for higher studies and to see him as the best surgeon in the world.

Q. Why was Dr. Sadao not sent abroad along with the troops?

Ans. Dr. Sadao was an eminent surgeon and a scientist. He was perfecting a discovery, which would render wounds entirely clean. Moreover, the old General was being treated medically for a condition for which he might need an operation. This is why Dr. Sadao was not sent abroad with the troops.

Q. Where, when and how did Dr. Sadao meet Hana? OR What role did the American professor play in bringing Hana and Sadao together?

Ans. Dr. Sadao met Hana during his stay in America where he was studying medicine. It was at Professor Harley’s house that Dr. Sadao met Hana for the first time. The professor and his wife organised a party for their foreign students. Dr. Sadao was reluctant to go. Nevertheless he went there, literally by chance and he met Hana, who was a new student.

Q. What conflict in his mind troubled Dr. Sadao when he came to know that the wounded man was an American POW?

Ans. When Dr. Sadao came to know that the wounded man was an American P.O.W., he was troubled by the conflict between patriotism and professional ethics. Dr. Sadao was caught in the dilemma of handing over the wounded soldier to the Japanese authority who would surely end his life and his humanitarian instincts.

Q. How did the General plan to get rid of the American POW?

Ans. In order to get rid of the American P.O.W the General planned to send private assassins to quietly kill the prisoner in his sleep and then dispose off his body without trace.

Q. How did the servants react when they realised that Dr. Sadao was going to save the life of an enemy?

Ans. When the servants realised that Dr. Sadao was going to save the life of an enemy, the servants were not happy. In fact, they disapproved their master saving the wounded American soldier’s life. They refused to serve the patient and quit their job. They were worried for their lives and their master’s and mistress’ too.

Q. What was Sadao’s father’s dream for him? How did Sadao realise it?

Ans. Dr. Sadao’s father wanted him to go abroad for higher studies and become the world’s best surgeon. Dr. Sadao worked hard and became an eminent surgeon and scientist. He was perfecting a discovery, which would render wounds entirely clean.

Q. Who did Dr. Sadao think the survivor from the sea was when he first saw him?

Ans. When the survivor from the sea first came into Dr. Sadao’s view, the doctor thought that he was a fisherman from nearby village who had been badly wounded.

Q. On the seventh day after the American soldier was found by Dr. Sadao two things happened. Why did Hana feel scared of the second?

Ans. On the seventh day, after the American Soldier was found by Dr. Sadao, two things happened. First, all the household servants quit their job and second, General’s messenger in official uniform came to meet Sadao. Hana felt scared of the uniformed messenger because she thought he had come to arrest Dr. Sadao.

Q. What was the General’s plan to get rid of the American prisoner? Was it executed? What traits of the General’s character are highlighted in the lesson ‘The Enemy’?

Ans. The General planned to get rid of the American prisoner by sending his private assassins to kill him and then remove his body from Sadao’s house. The plan was not executed since the General forgot his promise to send the assassins because of his own pain. The old General seemed to be a cold, calculated ruthless man. He had an unusual sense of humour and seemed to generate fear in others’ hearts quite effortlessly. In his interaction with Dr. Sadao, he comes across as a man who puts his self-interest above everything else. The only reason he did not get Dr. Sadao arrested for treason was because he feared that no other surgeon would be as good as Dr. Sadao if ever the General is fatally wounded again. To save Dr. Sadao from his unusual predicament, the General suggested getting the American soldier killed by his private assassins and getting rid of his body off at the same time. When he admitted to have forgotten to send the assassins, the General asked Sadao not to speak about this carelessness. Nevertheless, the General is not completely devoid of human considerations. He understood that from a surgeon’s point of view, Dr. Sadao did the right thing by saving the wounded soldier’s life, later he even promises reward to Dr. Sadao for proving his loyalty and patriotism.

Q. Explain the reactions of the servants in Dr. Sadao’s house when he decided to give shelter to an enemy in the house.

Ans. When Dr. Sadao decided to give shelter to the enemy, the servants in Dr. Sadao’s house openly expressed their disapproval. The old gardener expressed his concern saying the bullet and the sea wanted the enemy dead. They might take revenge on their master for healing the white man. Although they remained skeptical of their master’s loyalty, they did not disclose the secret to the world. For them, the white man was an enemy who did not deserve their help. Yumi, the nanny of the children, refused to wash the American POW. The wounds took time to heal; Dr. Sadao and Hana took great care of the American soldier. However, None of the servants tried to hide their displeasure and they voiced their opinion loudly for Sadao and Hana to hear. They felt that since both Hana and Dr. Sadao had lived in America for a while, they favoured the American P.O.W. over their own countrymen. The servants constantly pressurised the Hoki family to disclose the secret and get the American caught by the police. Finally, their displeasure at their master’s decision made them leave his household.

Q. ‘The Enemy’ portrays the victory of humanity in a moment of crisis. Illustrate this fact through the actions taken by Dr. Sadao for the enemy soldier. OR Good human values are far above any other value system. How did Dr. Sadao succeed as a doctor as well as a patriot? OR Dr. Sadao was a patriotic Japanese as well as a dedicated surgeon. How could he honour both the values? OR Dr. Sadao faced a dilemma. Should he use his surgical skills to save the life of a wounded person or hand an escaped American P.O.W. over to the Japanese police? How did he resolve this clash of values?

Ans. Dr. Sadao Hoki was not only a trained surgeon but also a fervent patriot who dedicated himself to the cause of serving his country in the wartime through scientific research. However, the dilemma that Dr. Sadao faced on the arrival of the wounded American soldier at his doorstep was a clash between his duties as a doctor and that of a patriotic citizen. Since Dr. Sadao was under the Hippocratic oath to serve the mankind as a whole and put his professional duties first, he decided to save the enemy at any cost. For this he faced difficulties at his home from his wife and servants. He even endangered his own life and that of his family. However, he was able to show his patriotism by informing the General about the wounded American soldier and how he saved him. He requested the General to do whatever was necessary in the matter and even agreed to the arrangement of getting the enemy soldier killed by professional assassins sent by the General. The fact that he informed the General about the American’s escape, even though it was he who helped the soldier, is also a proof that Dr. Sadao was a dedicated surgeon as well as a patriotic Japanese.

Q. How did Dr. Sadao help the American POW to escape? What humanitarian values do you find in his act?

Ans. After waiting for several days for the General’s private assassins to come and kill the American P.O.W., Dr. Sadao decided to help the latter escape. Dr. Sadao arranged for a boat, provided fresh water, food, quilts, flashlight, etc. and instructed him to go to the nearest deserted island. Dr. Sadao asked the soldier to wait there for a Korean fishing boat. He also told him to flash the torch light twice as signal in case he ran out of food. Dr. Sadao also provided the American soldier with Japanese attire and covered his blond hair with a black cloth as a part of his disguise. The young soldier shook Dr. Sadao’s hand and left without a word. One can find universal value of sympathy, humanitarian consideration, love for fellow human beings and compassion in Dr. Sadao’s actions.

Q. How did the arrival of the prisoner destroy the peace of Sadao’s home?

Ans. The arrival of the prisoner of war completely destroyed the peace of Sadao household. The servants in Dr. Sadao’s house were against his action of harbouring an American. Yumi refused to wash the wounded soldier. There was a fierce look of resistance on her face. The cook and the gardener criticised Sadao, saying that sea and the gun wanted the white man dead so, why was Sadao trying to save the enemy. They even threatened to leave the house. As the stay prolonged, all the servants quit their jobs and left, it was only Hana, Dr. Sadao’s wife, who stood by him. However, she too lived in constant fear. When the General’s uniformed messenger came for Dr. Sadao Hana thought that he had come to arrest her husband. Hana feared that Dr. Sadao would be condemned as a traitor. Sadao himself was in a dilemma. Being a patriotic Japanese, he doubted whether his action was right since his professional ethics told him to save the wounded American P.O.W. Later, Dr. Sadao had many sleepless nights when the professional assassins did not come to get rid of the American as promised by the General. Only after the American soldier left, things became normal in Sadao household.

Q. Do you think Dr. Sadao’s final decision was the best possible one in the circumstances? Why/ Why not? Explain with reference to the story, ‘The Enemy’.

Ans. In the given circumstances, Dr. Sadao’s final decision to help the American soldier escape was the best possible decision, because Dr. Sadao was a humanitarian. When Dr. Sadao saw the American soldier washed ashore near his house, badly wounded, the doctor could have refused to treat him and handed him over to the authorities instantly. He did not do so because he was duty bound as a doctor to save the American soldier first, even prior to his motherland. Once the soldier recuperated, Dr. Sadao did what he thought was best for his country. He told the General about the American soldier, after all, he had saved an enemy. Dr. Sadao let the General decide the soldier’s fate and agreed with his decision to get him murdered by assassins. However, compassion is a natural instinct in humanitarians. Therefore, after waiting anxiously for the General’s private assassins for three consecutive nights, Dr. Sadao helped the American soldier escape. To have him stay any longer with them was becoming a matter of concern for Dr. Sadao. It could get him imprisoned for treason and jeopardise his family. Besides, Dr. Sadao had already risen above the narrow prejudices of race, hatred and war by saving the American soldier’s life. By letting him escape, the doctor could assuage his conscience; had the General’s plan of the American’s assassination been carried out, it would have bothered Dr. Sadao gravely.

Q. Why did Sadao help the American soldier to escape? How did he do it?

Ans. First, Dr. Sadao was tired of worrying about the General’s private assassins to murder the American. He had already spent three consecutive sleepless nights waiting for them to show up. It was becoming too much for him to bear. Secondly, perhaps Dr. Sadao was feeling sad and sorry for putting the same man’s life in jeopardy whom he had saved. Lastly, Dr. Sadao was a humanitarian by nature. Life was more important to him than war. These are few of the possible reasons why Dr. Sadao decided to help the American soldier escape. To help the P.O.W. escape, Dr. Sadao loaded his boat with food and bottled water, clothing, food, quilts etc. and asked him to row the boat to the island not far from the coast. He also gave the American a flashlight to be used for signalling. Dr. Sadao told him not to light fire and wait only for a Korean boat. Then, Dr. Sadao gave the American soldier Japanese clothes to wear and covered his blonde hair with a black cloth. At last, both men bid each other adieu.

Q. Dr. Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife, sympathise with him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?

Ans. While on one hand, her husband was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier, on the other hand, Hana had to face open defiance from the domestic staff. Amidst the chaos, Hana understood Dr. Sadao’s dilemma is between patriotism and his professional ethics. This made her sympathise with her husband. Hana was a humane and kind person with a tender heart just like Dr. Sadao. She loved and respected her husband and his decisions. She felt that it would be cruel to leave the wounded American soldier to die. This is why she did not give in to the servants’ defiance. She maintained her dignity and selfrespect in front of them. Hana, was proud of her husband and had faith in his expertise, hence she supported Dr. Sadao.

Q. What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty or simply selfabsorption?

Ans. The attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier was strange and unusual. He always portrayed himself as the most patriotic and dutiful General there could ever be. However, when Dr. Sadao told him about treating the American soldier the General did not get Dr. Sadao arrested for treason. He needed the highly skilled surgeon for his own survival. This makes it evident that the General was a self absorbed man, who was concerned only about himself. The fact that he offered to get the American soldier killed by his private assassins, that too as secretly as possible, shows the inhuman side of the General. Dr. Sadao waited for three consecutive nights for the assassins to show up at his house and do their job, but they did not come. Later, the General admitted to have forgotten all about the enemy soldier and the assassins whom he was supposed to send to get rid of the American, because be was distressed by his own pain. Once again, it proves the self-absorbed nature of the General. It is also dereliction of duty to quite an extent on the General’s part because he put himself above his country’s safety.

Important Question and Answers

Q. Why did the Maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state?

Ans. There were various reasons because of which the Maharaja banned tiger hunting in the state of Pratibandapuram. He vowed to hunt and kill hundred tigers to prove the astrologer wrong who predicted that a tiger would be the cause of his death. However, the tiger population of his kingdom was quickly diminishing because of the Maharaja’s hunting spree. This is why he did not want anyone else to hunt or kill tigers.

Q. Why did the Maharaja order the Dewan to double the land tax?

Ans. After hearing about disappearances of sheep, the Maharaja set out on an expedition to find the hundredth tiger, which was supposed to be the reason for the disappearances. However, the tiger could not be found anywhere. The Tiger King was becoming impatient day by day. In his rage, the Maharaja ordered the Dewan to double the land tax.

Q. How did the Maharaja please a high-ranking British official?

Ans. A high ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram and sought permission to hunt tiger from King. Even though the king declined his request, he did not want to displease the officer. So in order to please the high-ranking British officer, he sent fifty diamond rings to his wife which cost the Maharaja three lakh rupees.

Q. What gave the astrologers the greatest surprise of their life while they were studying the horoscope of the ten-day-old prince?

Ans. The fact that the ten-days-old infant prince spoke clearly and coherently and that he raised intelligent questions about life and death, gave the astrologers the greatest surprise of their life while they were studying the horoscope of the infant crown prince.

Q. Why did the Maharaja decide to get married? OR What considerations influenced the Tiger King to get married?

Ans. So far, the Maharaja had succeeded in killing only seventy tigers when they became extinct in Pratibandapuram. In order to fulfil his vow of killing one hundred tigers, the Maharaja decided to get married to a girl from a royal family of a kingdom with a large tiger population.

Q. How did the Tiger King become the victim of the hundredth tiger?

Ans. The Tiger King gifted his son a wooden toy tiger. The toy was made by an unskilled carpenter because of which its surface was rough; tiny slivers of wood stood up like quills all over it. A splinter from the wooden tiger pierced his hand, caused suppurating sore, resulting into his death. This is how the Tiger King became the victim of the hundredth tiger.

Q. What sort of hunts did the Maharaja offer to organise for the high-ranking British officer? What trait of the officer does it reveal?

Ans. The Maharaja refused to allow the British officer to hunt tigers in his kingdom. Instead, the Maharaja offered to organise a boar hunt or a mouse hunt or even a mosquito hunt. It shows the shallowness and pretence of the British official.

Q. How did the Tiger King stand in danger of losing his Kingdom? How was he able to avert the danger? or Why, do you think, was the Maharaja in danger of losing his throne? OR When was the Tiger King in danger of losing his throne? OR How did the Tiger King manage to retain his kingdom?

Ans. A high-ranking British officer, who was fond of hunting tigers, visited Pratibandapuram. The Tiger King refused to allow the British officer to hunt tigers saying it was banned in his kingdom. He did not even permit the officer to get himself photographed with the tiger killed by the king. This annoyed the high-ranking British officer because directly or indirectly, the king was preventing an important man from fulfilling his desire. Anticipating unfavourable consequences of denying a British officer and to avert the danger of losing his kingdom, the Tiger King sent a gift of fifty expensive diamond rings to the British officer’s wife. Although he thought that the duraisani would only select a couple of rings, he did not mind that she kept them all. In fact, he was happy to know that he was able to retain his kingdom even though he had to pay three lakh rupees to the British jewellers for the diamond rings.

Q. Why was the Maharaja so anxious to kill the hundredth tiger? OR What led the Maharaja to start out on a tiger hunt?

Ans. When the Maharaja was only ten days old, an astrologer predicted that a tiger would be the cause of his death. In order to prove the astrologer wrong and also to save himself from getting killed, the Maharaja vowed to hunt and kill hundred tigers. This is why he was so anxious to kill the hundredth tiger.

Q. What did the British officer’s secretary tell the Maharaja? Why did the Maharaja refuse permission?

Ans. The British officer’s secretary sent a message to the Maharaja through his dewan that the Maharaja could actually kill the tiger and then allow the British officer to get himself photographed with the tiger while holding the gun and standing over carcass. However, the Maharaja did not agree to him and refused permission because he feared that doing so will encourage other British officers to turn up for tiger hunting. The Maharaja wanted to kill hundred tigers himself.

Q. How did the Tiger King’s marriage bring him closer to his target?

Ans. The Maharaja had exhausted the tiger population in Pratibandhapuram but he still had thirty more to kill, so he asked his dewan to find out the tiger populations in different native states. He decided to marry in a royal family with a large tiger population. The Maharaja decided to do this so that he could be allowed to hunt tigers from the state of his father-in-law. The dewan found out the right girl. The Maharaja killed five or six tigers each time he visited his father-in-law.

Q. What made the chief astrologer place his finger on his nose?

Ans. The chief astrologer placed his finger on his nose because he was filled with surprise and wonder on hearing a small baby, just ten days old, speak.

Q. How did the Maharaja deal with a high ranking British officer who wanted to shoot a tiger?

Ans. When the high ranking British officer expressed his desire to hunt tigers in Pratibandapurm, the Maharaja denied him permission. He said to the British officer that the latter could hunt anything, even mosquitoes, but not tigers. Later, when the Maharaja realised that refusing the high ranking British officer could jeopardise his kingdom, he sent fifty samples of diamond rings to the British officer’s wife to choose from. She kept them all; it cost the Maharaja three lakhs rupees.

Q. When he was only ten days old, a prediction was made about the future of the Tiger King. What was ironic about it?

Ans. The chief astrologer predicted that the Tiger King would die one day. The irony was that, hearing this, the ten days old infant Tiger King, then a crown prince, spoke like a wise man and said that everyone who is born had to die one day.

Q. How did the ten-day-old baby (the future Tiger King) react to the prediction about his future made by the astrologers?

Ans. After listening to the prediction about his death, the ten-days old crown prince responded by saying that death is inevitable for anybody who is born. It does not require prediction. He wished to know about the manner of death as it is more important than the news of his death itself. When he learnt that the cause of his death would be tigers, he said with a growl: “Let tigers beware!”

Q. What kind of life was enjoyed by crown prince Jung Bahadur till he reached the age of twenty?

Ans. Crown prince Jung Bahadur drank the milk of an English cow. He was brought up by an English nanny and tutored in English by an Englishman, saw nothing but English movies. Until he reached his twenties, the crown prince Jung Bahadur enjoyed everything which other Indian crown princes during British rule were enjoying.

Q. Who killed the 100th tiger? Why?

Ans. The hundredth tiger was killed by one of the hunters accompanying the Tiger King. The Maharaja missed his mark, but loud bang of the gun shot made the old and weak tiger faint. If the king had found out about this, the hunters would have lost their job.

Q. The manner of his (the Tiger King’s) death is a matter of extraordinary interest. Comment.

Ans. The occasion was the Tiger King’s son’s third birthday, he had not been paying much attention to the crown prince because of his obsession of killing hundred tigers. Since, it was his son’s birthday, he wanted to give something special to the crown prince. He went to the shopping centre in Pratibandapuram and searched every shop, but could not find anything suitable. He then saw a wooden toy tiger and thought it was perfect for his son. The toy had been carved by an unskilled carpenter. The surface was rough because slivers of wood were poking out, of the entire toy. One of the quills pierced the Maharaja’s hand. Although the king pulled it out the wound became infected. The infection spread all over the arm. As the situation worsened, three famous surgeons were called from Madras to treat the king. All three surgeons agreed that the king needed to be operated on immediately. After the surgery, the three surgeons announced that the operation was successful but king had passed away. Ultimately, the Tiger King met his end by the hundredth tiger, ironically not by a real tiger but by a wooden one whose splinter injured him proving deadly.

Q. Giving a bribe is an evil practice. How did the Tiger King bribe the British officer to save his kingdom? How do you view this act of his?

Ans. The Tiger King dispatched a telegram to a famous British company of jewellers in Calcutta to send samples of expensive diamond rings of different designs. Some fifty rings arrived and the king sent all of it to the British officer’s wife. The king and his minister expected that the duraisani would choose one or two rings and send the rest back. However, it turned out that the duraisani kept the entire lot and replied with a thank you note for the gifts. In two days, a bill of three lakh rupees was sent by the British jewellers, to the Maharaja which he was happy to pay. This is howthe Maharaja had managed to retain his kingdom. This act of the king sheds light on the deplorable practice of bribery that perpetuates the vicious cycle of corruption, especially considering the fact that the king had personal interests to protect rather than the welfare of his kingdom.

Q. Even today so many among us believe in superstitions. An astrologer predicted about ‘The Tiger King’ that he would be killed by a tiger. He ‘killed’ one hundred tigers yet was himself ‘killed’ by a tiger. How did the superstitious belief ‘prevail’?

Ans. From the moment the Tiger King heard the prediction that a tiger would be the cause of his death, he made it the aim of his life not to lose to the tigers. The Tiger King vowed to kill hundred tigers and not rest until his vow was completed. While the Maharaja believed that he was fighting to change his destiny, it was the other way round. One may find it superstitious, but it was his destiny, which pushed him to act the way he did and eventually die because of a tiger. The Tiger King took lives of the innocent tigers, one after another, until it became an obsession of his. He was selfish, self-centred and to quite an extent, hot-headed, which influenced each of his actions. He banned tiger hunts in Pratibandapuram for others and threatened to confiscate wealth and property of anybody who dared to hurt the tigers. He gave up his royal duties only to fulfil his vow, without once thinking about the effects it would have on his kingdom. He bribed the high ranking British officer, whom he had denied permission to hunt tigers in Pratibandapuram, so that he, the Tiger King, did not lose his kingdom. The Maharaja even married into a royal family only on one condition, the forests of that kingdom had to have tigers. After killing ninety-nine tigers, the Tiger King’s obsession grew. On his last hunting expedition, when the hundredth tiger was nowhere to be seen, the Tiger King became furious and asked Dewan to double the land tax of the village where he had gone to hunt. The Dewan feared that the king’s decision would prove to be catastrophic, if the hundredth tiger was not found and killed quickly; the dewan’s job was in jeopardy too. These chain of events paved way for the death of the Tiger King. The Dewan arranged for a senile tiger to be killed by the Maharaja. However, the King’s bullet did not kill the beast; the old tiger merely fainted by the sound of the gun shot. It was one of the king’s hunters who finally killed the tiger, leaving the king content with the thought of killing hundred tigers. Therefore, the king’s death due to the infection caused by the splinter from the wooden toy tiger, was a death caused by his own action, proving that the superstitious belief prevailed.

The Third Level – Important Questions

Important Question and Answers

Q. How many levels are there in the Grand Central Station? How did Charley reach the third level of the Grand Central Station?

Ans. Grand Central Station, New York, has only two levels. One evening, Charley reached the station and then walked down to the second level to catch an early train to his home. While he was on the second level, he strangely happened to notice a doorway down. He followed the steps and reached the third level which was never heard or seen by anyone. In the third level Charley saw a hundred year old world and people.

Q. What is the role of the stamp – collection in the story?

Ans. The stamps collection is the logic behind the story. It was Charley’s favourite pastime. In fact, this collection was passed on to Charley from his diseased grandfather. The most important fact about his collection is that this was the only thing that connected the old world and the new: the same thing but existing in two different worlds. This collection turned out to be useful for Sam, the psychiatrist friend when he attempted to convey to Charley the truth regarding the existence of the third level. It was by keeping his first day cover in Charley’s grandfather’s collection that Sam could make the same available to Charley.

Q. How did Charley ascertain that he had reached the 1894 world?

Ans. The World was a popular newspaper which stopped its publication before 1894. Having reached the third level of the Grand Central Station, Charley noticed that The World and the date, June 11, 1894 and confirmed that he was back in 1894. In the beginning, when he reached the third level, Charley was confused. Whatever he saw in the third level told him that he had travelled back to the past. This was confirmed when he saw The World. The lead story said something about President Cleveland and it was printed June 11, 1894.

Q. Why did Charley run away from the third level?

Ans. Charley was greatly amazed when he reached the hundred year old third level and was planning to buy two rail tickets to Galesburg where he had spent his childhood. But when he took out his money to pay the fare, the clerk found out that his notes were fake and thought that Charley was attempting to fool him. He warned him that he would call the police. Seeing that there was nothing good about police and jail in the hundred year old Galeburg, Charley ran away.

Q. What was Sam’s answer to Charley’s dilemma?

Ans.

Charley met his psychiatrist friend Sam and told him about this experience. The psychiatrist interpreted it as a mental disorder. Indicating his hobby of stamp collection and this sort of experience, the psychiatrist explained his abnormality to be escaping from the struggles of life by fantasizing. Soon his friends and wife began to consider Charley as a mental patient. But how! Charley was not abnormal. He was a happy man who loved his wife and friends and stamps. But the rest of the world believed that Charley was looking for an exit to escape his reality.

Q. Why was Charley not able to get to Galesburg?

Ans. Next day Charley went to a particular shop that sold old currency. He paid more for less old money and ran to the railway station. He hoped to buy train tickets this time to go to his old village. He reached the first level, went down to the second and searched for the door to the third level. Alas! The door had vanished. He searched and searched but could not find it again.

Q. How did Sam reach Galesburg? How did he settle down there?

Ans. Sam was smarter than Charley. From Charley’s experience, he learnt that one can get into the third level only once. He also believed that once out of the third level, one could never get back. Keeping this in mind, Sam first got old currency from the shop and then went to the railway station. He found the door to the third level as claimed by Charley, purchased ticket and reached the 1894 Galesburg, Charley’s village. Having reached there, Sam settled himself in hay business.

Q. How did Sam’s mail reach Charley?

Ans. When Sam reached the third level and landed in Galesburg, he became part of a hundred year old world, the year 1894 a world devoid of the modern media of communication. He had to depend only on postal system but there was no link between his old world and Charley’s present world. In order to send a mail to Charley, Sam sent it to Charley’s grandfather who still existed in the third level and the grandfather kept the mail in his stamp collection and consequently Charley received the mail.

Q. What was Charley’s strange experience at the Grand Central Station?

Ans. One night, while in a hurry to catch a subway train from the Grand Central Station, Charley took a path, which led him to the third level of Grand Central Station. On arriving here, he encountered something, which appeared outright strange to him. The information booth was made of wood, the lights were open flame gaslight and therefore dim. There where old fashioned railway engines, men and women in old fashioned clothes, carrying old fashioned accessories, such as the gold pocket watch. There were brass spittoons on the floors. By now Charley had an inkling that the path had brought him to the past. In order to confirm his doubt he decided to check the newspaper. The newspaper was ‘The world’ and the date on it read June, 11, 1894. Publication of the same had been stopped hundred years ago. When Charley went to buy two tickets to Galesberg, Illinois, the clerk refused to sell him tickets because he did not recognise the new currency, which Charley was offering.

Q. Do you think Charley was really a worried man as his psychiatrist friend and others believed?

Ans. No, Charley was a happy man. Even though the modern man is generally unhappy and worried, Charley appears to be quite a normal man. The day when he found out the third level, Charley was in a hurry to reach home, to meet his wife. A man who longs to get home and happy with his wife is a happy man. Moreover, Charley had a good collection of stamps which he enjoyed in his free time. Yes, Charley seems to be a worried man, an escapist and a maniac dreamer also. Charley belonged to the post World War time, 1984 and anxiety and insecurity were a part of everyone’s psyche. Everyone wanted to escape to a peaceful place but there was probably none. Charley, being a similar escapist, found peace by escaping into his world of stamps and unknown places in his imagination.

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Important Questions Class 12 English

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Important Questions Short Answer Type Questions (3-4 Marks)

Question 1.
Describe the tigers created by Aunt Jennifer. (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
The poet describes Aunt Jennifer’s tigers as ‘bright topaz denizens’ of the forest. They are fearless and ferocious in sharp contrast to their creator, Aunt Jennifer’s nervousness and timidity. Gallant and confident, they are sure of their purpose and move ahead undeterred by any kind of hindrance or obstruction.

Question 2.
Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel? (All India 2009)
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel because of the nature of the tigers. They symbolise strength and splendour which was in sharp contrast to her own meek nature. The massive weight of the wedding band that sits heavily on her finger symbolises the ordeals and hardships of her married life so she creates tigers as they are a striking contrast to the frail, meek old lady who created them.

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2010)
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.

1. How are aunt Jennifer’s tigers described?
2. Why are they described as denizens of a world of green?
3. Why are they not afraid of the men?

Answer:
1. Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are described as powerful, strong and fearless.
2. The tigers are inhabitants of the dense green forests so they are described as dwellers of a world of green.
3. Their courage and fearlessness gives them a confidence due to which they are not afraid of men.

Question 4.
What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead? (All India 2010)
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers will survive even after she is dead. She has created the tigers in a panel out of wool. These objects of art are immortal. They will continue prancing, proudly and fearlessly. To express her desire for freedom she had created the chivalrous tigers who will survive long after her death but her own longing for freedom will remain unfulfilled.

Question 5.
How has Aunt Jennifer created her tigers? What traits of tigers do they reveal? (All India 2010)
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer has created shining topaz yellow- coloured tigers who are denizens of a dense, green forest. They are fierce, unafraid and fearless and pace in ‘sleek’ and ‘chivalric’ certainty.

Question 6.
Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands fluttering through her wool? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer is a victim of gender oppression at the hands of her husband. She lives a life of total domination and constant fear. So she feels nervous and terrified that the hands shake and flutter through her wool as she sits down to knit.

Question 7.
Describe the contrast between Aunt Jennifer ‘ and her creation, the tigers. (Comptt. All India 2010)
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer is totally victimised and suffers from oppression by her male counterpart. So she creates an alternate world of freedom in her art. The tigers she creates go on prancing menacingly, exhibiting their pride and fearlessness of any social group or gender conflicts.

Question 8.
How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tigers’ attitude? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
‘Denizens’ means that the tigers inhabit a green world. They live in the forests where they are free from constraints. ‘Chivalric’ means they are brave and fearless creatures. This helps us to understand that bravery and fearlessness are the basic nature of the tigers.

Question 9.
Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own character? (All India 2011)
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers possessed all the qualities that Aunt Jennifer did not have. The tigers were free, fearless, confident and proud whereas Aunt Jennifer was meek, submissive and without any identity. She was a rather indecisive woman unlike the confident tigers she had created.

Question 10.
What do the symbols, ‘tigers’, ‘fingers’ and ‘ring’ stand for in the poem, ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’? (Comptt. Delhi 2011)
Answer:
The ‘tigers’ are symbols of bravery and courage and also of Aunt Jennifer’s desire for freedom. The ‘fingers’ are symbolic of the nervousness and fear experienced by Aunt Jennifer and the ‘ring’ symbolises a binding marriage that is full of oppression and curtails one’s freedom.

Question 11.
Describe the tigers created by Aunt Jennifer. (Comptt. All India 2011)
Answer:
The poet describes Aunt Jennifer’s tigers as ‘bright topaz denizens’ of the forest. They are fearless and ferocious in sharp contrast to their creator, Aunt Jennifer’s nervousness and timidity. Gallant and confident, they are sure of their purpose and move ahead undeterred by any kind of hindrance or obstruction.

Question 12.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India 2012)
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.

1. Who are ‘They’? Where are ‘They’?
2. Why are They’ not afraid of men?

Answer:
1. ‘They’ refers to the tigers that Aunt Jennifer has knitted on the panel. They are prancing jerkily in the forest (across a screen).
2. The tigers are not afraid of men because they are gallant and fearless creatures who are undeterred by any obstacles or hindrances and thus are not afraid of the men.

Question 13.
Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel? (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel because of the nature of the tigers. They symbolise strength and splendour which was in sharp contrast to her own meek nature. The massive weight of the wedding band that sits heavily on her finger symbolises the ordeals and hardships of her married life so she creates tigers as they are a striking contrast to the frail, meek old lady who created them.

Question 14.
How do the words, “denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of Aunt Jennifer’s tigers? (All India 2012)
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer chose to embroider tigers on the panel because of the nature of the tigers. They symbolise strength and splendour which was sharp contrast to her own meek nature. The massive weight of the wedding band that sits heavily on her finger symbolises the ordeals and hardships of her married life so she creates tigers as they are a striking contrast to the frail, meek old lady who created them.

Question 15.
What kind of married life did Aunt Jennifer lead? (Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer’s wedding band lies heavily on her hand. It reminds her of her unhappy married life. It is symbolic of male authority and power of her husband who had suppressed her and made her a nervous wreck. He had dominated over her for so long that she had lost her identity.

 Roadside Stand – Important Questions

Important Questions with Answers

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Why greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey,
Swarm over their lives enforcing benefits
That are calculated to soothe them out of their wits,
And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep all day,
Destroy their sleeping at night the ancient way.

1. Who are greedy good-doers and beneficent beasts of pray? Why are they so called? The developers are greedy good-doers and beneficent beasts of pray. They apparently show that they are serving the poor villagers but in fact they are earning a lot of money out of their land. They pretend to be their beneficent but in fact they are hunting them.
2. Who will be soothed out of their wits? How? The poor villagers will be soothed out of their wits. They are being befooled under the pretext that they are being relieved of their pains.
3. How will their sleeping at night be destroyed? Now the villagers are wage-earners. They will have to work in the night shifts. Thus they will be deprived of their sleeping at night.
4. Give the opposite of the word ‘soothe’. – Agiate

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly hear
The thought of so much childish longing in vain,
The sadness that lurks near the open window there,
That waits all day in almost open prayer
For the squeal of brokes, the sound of a stopping car.

1. What is the ‘childish longing’ that the poet refers to? Why is it vain? – Waiting for the prospective customers is the ‘childish longing’. It is vain because they never turn up.
2. Why does sadness lurk near the Open window? – A lurking sadness prevails near the open window because the owner’s longings prove of no consequence or futile.
3. What does the owner of the roadside stand wait for and why? – The owner of the roadside stand goes on waiting the whole day for the sound of brake and the sound of stopping a car so that some prospective customers might turn up.
4. Which word in the passage mean ‘scream’? ‘Squeal’.

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass,
Just one to inquire what a farmer’s prices are.
And one did stop, but only to plow up grass
In using the yard to back and turn around;
And another to ask the way to where it was bound;

1. Why does the poet call the cars selfish? – Here the ‘cars’ mean the car owners. The poet calls the car owners selfish because they think only of themselves, their journey and self-interest.
2. How do the rich city people ignore the rural people? – The rich city-people ignore the rural people. They bother to inquire the price of their product which is on sale.
3. Why do people generally stop there? People generally stop there to use the yard to turn the car across. Another asks where the road leads to.
4. What does the word ‘inquire’ mean? Request information

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

No, in country money, the country scale gain,
The requisite lift of spirit has never been found
Or so the voice of the country seems to complain
I can’t help owning the great relief it would be
To put these people at one stroke out of their pain.
And then next day as I come back into the sane.
I wonder how I should like you to come to me
And offer to put me gently out of my pain.

1. What does the poet mean by the line ‘the requisite lift of spirit has never been found? The life of the rural people is very miserable because they are in paucity of money. It is only the money that can lift their living standard, but which is not available there. This is why the spirit of the rural people remains depressed.
2. What does the poet wish he could do for these people? The poet wishes to relieve the rural people of their pain at one stroke.
3. What makes him change his mind? Next day when the poet comes to his senses, he thinks if some person would come to him and offer relieve him of his pain. This idea makes him change his mind.
4. Which word in the passage ‘Necessary’? Requisite.

Q. The city folk who drove through the countryside hardly paid any heed to the roadside stand or the people who ran it. If at all they did, it was to complain. Which lines bring this out? What was their complaint about?

Ans. The people who drove through the countryside hardly paid any heed to the roadside stand or the people who ran it. The following lines bring this out.

“The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts,… “

If ever they paid any heed, it was to complain. The following lines show it.

“At having the landscape marred with the artless paint.
Of signs that with N turned wrong and As turned wrong”.

As these lines suggest, the complaint is that the people who ran the roadside stand marred the landscape. Their signboards seemed a blot on the beauty of the nature. In their artless paints, they gave the wrong turns to the alphabets also.

Q. What was the plea of the folk who had put up the roadside stand?

Ans. The plea of the folk who ran the, roadside stand was that the people who passed by their stands should buy things from them whenever possible. For these poor people – needed money.

Q. The government and other social service agencies appear to help the poor rural people, but actually do them no good. Pick out the Words and phrases that the poet uses to show their double standards.

Ans. The government and other social service agencies which appear to help the poor rural people, actually do them no good. The following words and phrases used by the poet show their double standard.

1. greedy good-doors
2. beneficient beasts of prey
3. “Swaram over their lives enforcing benefits that are calculated to soothe them out of their wits. And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep all day Destroy their sleeping at night the ancient way.”

Q. What is the ‘childish longing’ that the poet refers to? Why is it ‘vain’?

Ans. The childish longing of the poet is that at least one of the selfish cars that pass by these shops would be interested in buying something from them. It is in vain because even when some cars stop, they do so to turn back or to ask the way where the car wants to reach.

Q. Which lines tell us about the insufferable pain that the poet feels at the thought of the plight of the rural poor?

Ans. The following lines tell us about the insufferable pain that the poet feels at the thought of the plight of the rural poor.

“I can’t help owning the great relief it would be
To put these people at one stroke out of their pain.”

Q. Have you ever stopped at a roadside stand? What have you observed there?

Ans. Yes, we have stopped at a roadside stand. We see a lot of people waiting for the bus. We also see some small shops there. Some vendors sell eatables and other articles there.

Q. Discuss in brief : “The economic well-being of a country depends on a balanced development of the villages and the cities.”

Ans. The statement has its importance. The Agriculture growth, cottage industries, infrastructure and the development of health and education in the villages are no less important than the Industrial growth, cottage industries and infrastructure etc. for the economic well-being of the country.

Q. What should the government do for the rural poor?

Ans. The government should provide the rural people with food, cloth and shelter. Facilities of health, education and opportunities for employment are for their uplift.