Yearly Archives: 2023

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Where is Hasahalli? Why does the author talk about Hosahally with great enthusiasm?
 
Ans. Hosahalli is a place in Karanataka, the Erstwhile Mysore State. The author is greatly enthusiastic about Hosahalli because it is his birthplace.

Q2. What is Dr. Gundabhatta’s opinion about Hosahalli and the world outside?
 
Ans. Dr. Gundabhatta speaks so much glowingly about Hosahally as the author does. He is proud of Hosahalli. Though he has toured quite a number of places outside India, he admits that there is not such a wonderful place like Hosahalli.

Q3. How does the writer describe his village, Hosahalli?
 
Ans. In Hosahalli, the mango trees produce very sour fruits. There is also a creeper growing in the ever-so-fine water of the village pond. The flowers are a feast to behold and the leaves can be used to serve afternoon meals.

Q4. What was special about Rangappa? How did the villagers react to it?
 
Ans. After his return from Bangalore where he had been studying for six months, much to everyone’s surprise, he was just the same. His homecoming became a great event for the villagers. People rushed to his door step to have a look at him. An old lady even ran her hand over his chest, looked into his eyes and remarked that the janewara was still there. He hadn’t lost his caste.

Q5. Who was Ranga? What was special about him?
 
Ans. Ranga was the village accountant’s son who had gone to Bangalore to study. People thought that city education would change him but they were wrong. He still showed respect towards elders in the village and wore the sacred thread. However, his views on marriage had changed.

Q6. How does the narrator give us a vague picture of Indian villages during the British rule?
 
Ans. During the British rule, Indian villages were poor and undeveloped. Very few people could understand or speak English. So when Ranga was sent to Bangalore to study, it w’as a great event. Early marriage was a common practice. Ratna was married off when she was just eleven years old.

Q7. Who was Ratna?
 
Ans. Ratna was the eleven-year-old pretty niece of Rama Rao. She had lost her parents. Since she was from a big town, she knew how to play upon the veena and the harmonium. She also had a sweet voice. Shyama played a key role in her marriage with Ranga.

Q8. How did the narrator carry out his resolve to get Ranga married to Ratna?
 
Ans. The narrator felt that Ranga and Ratna was a suitable match for each other. He arranged a meeting in which Ranga could meet Ratna and get impressed with her quality of singing. He manipulated things in a clever way and made Ranga fall in love with her. He finally got them married.

Q9. What impression do you form of the narrator? How does he add to the humor of the story? 
 
Ans. The narrator appears to be a very talkative man. He jumps from one topic to another. There are too many digressions in his narration. He takes a lot of interest in village affairs. He decides to get Ranga married to Ratna as soon as he realizes that they seem suitable for each other. His narration evokes the humor in the story when he manipulates the situation in a clever way. The astrologer’s remarks and the meeting between Ranga and Ratna add to the humor of the story.

Q10. Why was Ranga’s homecoming a great event?
 
Ans. Ranga was the son of the village accountant. He was sent to Bangalore to study in an English school. People were very excited when Ranga returned home after six months. They expected a big change in the boy. So they rushed to his doorstep. His homecoming became a great event.

Q11. What were Ranga’s views on the selection of a bride and marriage in general?
 
Ans. Rangappa had no intention to marry unless he found the right girl. He wanted a mature girl and also one whom he admired. He was against arranged marriage and against marrying an adolescent girl. If he failed to find the girl of his choice, he was ready to remain a bachelor.

Q12. How did the narrator bring Ranga and Ratna face to face?
 
Ans. The narrator called Ratna to his house to take away some buttermilk. He requested her to sing a song. He also sent for Ranga, so as to know how much he liked or admired the girl. His plan was successful. Ranga fell for the sweet-voiced young and pretty girl.

Q13. Why did the narrator resolve to get Ranga married?
 
Ans. The narrator was pleased when Ranga brought him a couple of oranges. He thought that such a decent boy should marry and settle down. But Ranga had his own views about an ideal life-partner. He was willing to remain single until he found the right girl. So the narrator made up his mind to get the boy married soon.

Q14. What role does Shastri play in bringing about Ranga and Ratna together?
 
Ans. The narrator sought the help of Shastri in bringing Ranga and Ratna together. He tutored Shastri, the astrologer. He took Ranga to his house. Shastriji read the stars and made calculations. He finally declared that the girl in Ranga’s mind should have the name of something found in the ocean. It could be Ratna as well. Ranga was convinced and he agreed to marry.

Q15. Why did the narrator tell a lie about Ratna’s marital status?
 
Ans. The narrator noted Ranga’s growing interest in Ratna. Ranga enquired if she was married. The narrator told a lie that she was married a year ago. He said so to see Ranga’s dejection. Later on he declared that she was not married yet. Ranga was suiprised and happy to marry Ratna.

Q16. What role does the narrator play in the life of Rangappa?
 
Ans. Shyama, the narrator, resolved to get Ranga married. He lays a trap for it. He sends for Ratna and Ranga to his house. They see each other. Ranga after meeting Shastri, agrees to marry Ratna. Thus, the narrator plays the role of a marriage broker.

Q17. How did Ranga and Ratna express their gratitude to the narrator?
 
Ans. Several years passed after the marriage of Ranga and Ratna. They had a three-year-old son, now named after Shyama. Ranga visited the narrator for dinner at his house on the child’s birthday. That was how the two youngsters expressed their gratitude to Shyama.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Give a brief account of Ranga’s education, his views on marriage and finally how he got married.
 
Ans. Ranga was the son of an accountant of Hosahalli village. He made a news when he went to Bangalore to study English. In those days, not many people could speak or even understand English. So when he returned home after six months, a curious crowd of villagers gathered at his house to see the change in the boy. They were disappointed.

Ranga was unwilling to marry a very young and immature girl. He was willing to remain a bachelor until he found the right girl. He was opposed to arranged marriage. A man should marry a girl he admired—that was his clear-cut philosophy.

But the narrator resolved to get Ranga married at the earliest. He so manipulated that Ranga saw young Ratna, got the sanction of Shastri’s astrology and married her.

Q2. Why and how does the narrator conspire to get Ranga married?
 
Ans. Ranga was a young, generous and promising boy. But he was adamant on not marrying a very young and immature girl, selected by his parents. He was bent upon staying single until he found the right girl whom he admired. The narrator resolved to get him married. He thought of Ratna, an eleven-year-old niece of Rama Rao. She could play upon the harmonium and even sang in a sweet voice. The narrator brought Ratna and Ranga face to face at his own house. He roused the boy’s interest in the girl. He declared that the girl was already married. But it was a lie. He conspired with Shastri to further Ranga’s interest in Ratna. With the approval of the Shastras, Ranga gave in and married the girl selected by the narrator.

Q3. This is a humorous story. Which part did you find the most amusing? Describe the narrator of the story.
 
Ans. Shyama, the narrator of the story ‘Ranga’s Marriage’ is also the central character. His style of narration evokes a lot of humor in the story. He is an elderly gentleman and refers to himself as a dark piece of oil cake. He is passionately in love with his village and the villagers and rambles incessantly while describing it. He is a keen observer of his surroundings and uses a colorful style of narration. He feels it is disgraceful to use English words in the native tongue. He is a good judge of people and regards Ranga as a generous and considerate fellow. He is conservative at heart and feels unhappy at Ranga’s decision to remain single. He means well and his intentions are good. He plans  to get Ranga married. He calls Ranga when Ratna was singing. He also arranges a meeting with Shastri whom he had tutored thoroughly. He had decided that Ratna would be a suitable bride for him. He is a shrewd contriver as he tells Ranga that Ratna was married. This he does in order to rouse Ranga’s desire for the unattainable.

The description of the village of Hosahalli evokes some humor in the story. The narrator and Ranga’s visit to the astrologer and their conversation produce a few comic moments in the story.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Why did the narrator go to Number 46, Marconi Street?

Ans. This was the address of the woman who had carried their valuables to her home for safety during war time. So the narrator went there to claim the belongings of her mother.

Q2. Why was Mrs. Dorling cautious while opening the door?

Ans. Mrs. Dorling had committed the crime of misappropriating the narrator’s household things a few years ago. She hoped that the war would uproot the entire family and they would never return. But she also feared one day someone from the family could turn up and claim the things that she kept at her home. Hence she was cautious in opening the door.

Q3. Do you think the woman didn’t recognize the narrator, or she was merely pretending? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans. Obviously, the woman was pretending that she didn’t recognise the narrator. As soon as she realised that she had been found out she said, “Have you come back? I thought that no one had come back.”

Q4.  How was the narrator convinced that she had made no mistake and had reached the right address?

Ans. When the woman who opened the door gave no sign of recognition, the narrator thought she was perhaps mistaken and had rung the wrong bell. When she saw the woman wearing her mother’s green knitted cardigan, she was convinced that she had made no mistake and reached the right address.

Q5. How did the woman try to avoid the narrator?

Ans. First, the woman refused to recognise the narrator. When she realised that she had been found out, she regretted that she couldn’t do anything for the narrator. Then she asked the narrator to come another time. She gave the impression that there was someone in the house whom she didn’t want to be disturbed.

Q6. Why did the author first hesitate to claim her belongings from Mrs. Dorling?

Ans. When the war was over and the narrator began to feel a little secure, she felt like missing her family belongings. On a second thought, she began to suspect that the presence of her family articles would remind her of her dear ones who were no more with her so she hesitated to claim those articles from Mrs. Dorling’s house. Besides, she lived in a poor room that looked the oddest place to accommodate her expensive possessions.

Q7.  Who was Mrs. Dorling? What did the narrator’s mother tell her about the woman?

Ans. Mrs. Dorling was an old acquaintance of the narrator’s mother whom she had not seen for years. She had recently renewed their contact. Since then she has been visiting their house regularly. Every time she left their house she took something home with her.

Q8. Why did the narrator finally decide to forget the address?

Ans. After the war, the author went to collect the things which belonged to her family. Mrs. Dorling who had taken away everything did not allow the author to enter in her house. Later, she tried to take another chance. This time her daughter received her. The narrator entered and saw many things lying here and there. Her past memories stood before her eyes. But soon she realised that the objects which are associated with the past had lost their value as being cut off from them. The easiest way was to forget. So she decided to forget the address.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Describe the narrator’s first visit to Mrs. Dorling’s house in Marconi Street.

Ans. The narrator was sure that her mother’s belongings must still be preserved by Mrs. Dorling. One day she felt an urge to see and touch those objects. So she went to Mrs. Dorling’s house in Marconi Street. She rang the bell. A woman opened the door and looked at her searchingly. The narrator came closer and introduced herself that she was Mrs. S’s daughter. The woman kept staring at her in silence. There was no sign of recognition on her face. The narrator thought perhaps she had come to the wrong house. But she saw the woman was wearing her mother’s green knitted cardigan. She knew at once that she had made no mistake. She asked the woman whether she knew her mother. The woman could not deny this. She said, “Have you come back”? The woman regretted that she could not do anything for her. She asked the narrator to come some other time and cautiously closed the door. The narrator realized that her visit was in vain. She stood on the step for a while and then left the place.

Q2. Describe the narrator’s second visit to Mrs. Dorling’s house.

Ans. The narrator’s first visit to Mrs. Dorling’s house was in vain. She decided to try a second time. This time a girl of about fifteen opened the door to her. Her mother was not at home. The narrator said that she would wait for her. Following the girl along the passage, the narrator saw their old-fashioned iron candle-holder hanging next to a mirror. The girl made her sit in the living room and went inside. The narrator was horrified to find herself in a room she knew and did not know. She found herself in the midst of familiar things which she longed to see again but which oppressed her in the strange atmosphere. She dared not look around her. The woollen table-cloth, the cups, the white tea-pot, the spoons, the pewter plate, everything was full of memories of her former life. Suddenly the objects linked with her former life lost their value. In strange surroundings, they too appeared strange to her. She no longer had desire to possess them. She got up, walked to the door, and came out of the house.

Q3. What did the narrator learn about Mrs. Dorling from her mother?

Ans. The war was going on. The narrator was home for a few days. She immediately noticed that something or other about the rooms had changed. Various things were missing. She looked at her mother questioningly. Then her mother told her about Mrs. Dorling. The narrator had never heard of that woman. Obviously, she was an old acquaintance of her mother, whom she had not seen for years. Since then she had been coming to their house regularly. Every time she left the place she took something home with her. She took all the table silver, then the antique plates and several other precious things. She herself explained that she wanted to save all their nice things because they would lose everything in case they had to leave the house. The narrator’s mother never doubted her intention. She rather felt obliged to Mrs. Dorling for talking all the trouble while carrying their things.

Q4. Why had the narrator remembered Mrs. Dorling’s address? Why did she want now to forget the address?

Ans. Mrs. Dorling was an old acquaintance of the narrator’s mother. She had carried their valuables to her house for safety during the war time. She said that she wanted to save all their nice things because they would lose everything if they had to flee from the place. The narrator’s mother told her Mrs. Dorling’s address. The narrator had remembered the address.

When the war was over and things became almost normal, one day the narrator had an intense longing to see and touch the objects which were linked with the memories of her former life. She knew that all the things must still be preserved by Mrs. Dorling. So she went to Number 46 in Marconi Street. She was horrified to find in a room she knew and did not know. She found herself in the midst of familiar things which she longed to see again. Suddenly the objects lost their value. In strange surroundings, they too appeared strange to her. She realised that she no longer wanted to possess them. Now the address lost all its significance for her and she wanted to forget it.

Q5. Comment on the contrasting elements in the characters of Mrs. S and Mrs. Dorling?

Ans. The mother of the author, Mrs. S was a lady of simplicity. She didn’t seem to have seen the harsh and cruel side of this two-faced world. She could easily befriend people, and rather more easily, trust them. That’s why she trusted Mrs. Dorling, who was just an acquaintance of her, and allowed her to keep all her precious belongings for the time being. Moreover, she was so kindhearted that she was sympathetic enough for Mrs. Dorling, who had to carry all her heavy articles all alone.

In contrast, Mrs. Dorling was an absolute thief, a unique combination of cunningness and betrayal. She cheated Mrs. S and seized her very precious belongings very wittingly. She can be called a perfectionist in this ‘occupation’ of hers.

Q6.  Who is Mrs. Dorling? Do you justify her behaviour in the story?

Ans. Mrs. Dorling is an acquaintance of Mrs. S, the narrator’s mother. In the story Mrs. Dorling exploits Mrs. S’s fears and insecurity during the war. She insists Mrs. S and took away all her valuable things after giving assurance that she would keep them safe until the war was over. In fact, Mrs. Dorling had no intentions of returning the valuables as she was sure that Mrs. S and her family would not survive the war. So when the narrator, Mrs. S’s daughter, went to Mrs. Dorling’s house to claim those articles to which her mother’s precious memories were associated, she even pretended not to recognize her. Instead of returning those articles to the narrator, she shamelessly used them which actually belonged to the narrator’s mother and also behaved rudely to the narrator. So, in the context of the above Mrs. Dorling’s behaviour cannot be justified.

Short Answers Type Questions

Q1. Who were Aram and Mourard?
 
Ans. Aram and Mourad were cousins. Aram was nine years old. Mourad was thirteen. Both of them were fond of horse-riding. They belonged to the garoghlanian tribe of Armenians.

Q2. How does the narrator describe the Garoghlanian family?
 
Ans. Garoghlanian family had the reputation for honesty that has been maintained by its family members for hundreds of years. Every one trusted them. These people took pride in the fact that they were honest in spite of their poverty.

Q3. What did the narrator see when he looked out of the window? Why couldn’t he believe his eyes? 
 
Ans. The narrator heard a tap on the window of his room. When he looked out, he saw his cousin Mourad sitting on a beautiful white horse. He could not believe his eyes because Mourad belonged to a poor family. He could not afford to buy such a lovely horse. Surely, he had stolen it.

Q4. How did Aram justify Mourad’s action of riding a stolen horse?
 
Ans. Aram too was very crazy about horse riding. But riding a stolen horse both delighted and frightened him. He justified Mourad’s action saying that taking out a horse just for a joy-ride could not be called stealing until they offered to sell it.

Q5. Who was the real owner of the beautiful white horse? How did Aram come to know about him?
 
Ans. John Byro was the real owner of the white horse. He was a farmer. On a visit to Aram’s house he complained of his loss to uncle Khosrove. This assured Aram that the horse had been stolen by Mourad.

Q6. In what respect did Mourad and Aram differ from each other?

Ans. Mourad and Aram were cousins belonging to the Garoghlanian family. Both had a common craze for horse riding. But Aram was more honest and straightforward than his cousin. Mourad had a streak of craziness. He could tell lies’. He was boastful. Aram was simple-hearted.

Q7. Why did the sight of Mourad’s horse both delight and frighten Aram?
 
Ans. Aram was just a young lad, truthful and honest. But he had a longing for a joyride on a horse. Naturally, he was delighted when Mourad asked him to sit on the white horse. But he was also frightened because he knew that it was a stolen horse.

Q8. Who was uncle Khosrove? What were some of the notable traits of his character?

Ans. Uncle Khosrove was widely known to be crazy. He was short-tempered and impatient as well. He stopped others from talking by shouting at them. His stock saying was: ‘It is no harm, pay no attention to it.’ Mourad had got that craziness from uncle Khosrove.

Q9. Mourad had a way and some sort of understanding with three creatures. Who were they?

Ans. Mourad was boastful and self-confident. He was good at dealing with a wild white horse, the barking dogs and an angry farmer, like John Byro. The white horse of Byro became better tempered. The dogs at Byro’s barn did not bark. John Byro also accepted Mourad’s lie as true.

Q10. What was Aram’s experience when he rode the white horse alone?

Ans. Aram was keen to ride the white horse alone. He leaped to the horse-back and even kicked into its muscles. It snorted and began to run. It went out of control. It leaped over seven vines. Aram fell but the horse continued running.

Q11. ‘I didn’t want both of us to be liars? Who spoke these words and in what context?

Ans. These words were spoken by Mourad to Aram. Mourad indirectly admitted that he was telling a lie that he had not stolen the horse but in case they were found out by the horse owner, Aram was to tell him that they had started riding that very morning.

Q12. Why did Aram rush to his cousin’s house soon after Byro was gone?

Ans. John Byro visited Aram’s house. He reported that his horse was still untraceable. Uncle Khosrove shouted him down. But Aram overheard the conversation. He ran to Mourad’s house to tell him about it. He asked Mourad that he would keep the horse for some time more.

Q13. How did Mourad put John Byro off when the two met one morning?

Ans. One morning the two cousins ran into the farmer John Byro who examined the horse thoroughly. But Mourad confidently told Byro that his horse’s name was My Heart. Byro made no fuss because he knew about the honesty of Mourad’s family.

Q14. What change did John Byro notice in his horse after it was returned to him?

Ans. John Byro was not only happy but also surprised when he got his missing horse back. He failed to understand how his horse had become stronger and better tempered than before. He thanked God for the change.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Who stole the beautiful white horse and why? How did they use the horse and what made them return the horse to its true owner?

Ans. ‘The Summer of The Beautiful Horse’ is a simple but interesting story about stealing of a horse by two Armenian boys Mourad and Aram, and later how they returned it to its rightful owner. Mourad had a passion and love for horse riding. Due to his passion for riding and fun once, he stole a beautiful white horse. Actually, the poverty of the tribe forced them to fulfill his desire for riding by stealing the horse. His cousin Aram too loved riding and in their childish innocence, they justified that stealing a horse for a fun and riding was not the same as stealing
and selling it for money. The two boys enjoyed riding the horse early every morning and hid it in the barn of the deserted vineyard.

The boys belonged to the Garoghlanian family which was known for its integrity and honesty. One day when the boys met John Byro, true owner of the horse and heard his confidence in the honesty of their family, the boys became conscience – stricken. Soon the pride and honesty which they inherited from their tribe overpowered their childish pranks and they realized that what they did was wrong as this could bring disgrace to their family. Thus conscience-stricken, they eventually returned the horse to its rightful owner.

Q2. Compare and contrast the characters of Mourad and Aram.

Ans. Mourad and Aram were cousins thirteen and nine years old respectively. Both longed for a horse ride. But their family was too poor to buy a horse. Both were adventure- loving. Both knew that their family was well known for honesty and right conduct. But Mourad could not help stealing John Byro’s horse. While he had a streak of craziness, Aram was honest and simple-hearted. Mourad was more talented and bolder than Aram. He domesticated the wild horse of John Byro. He repaired the injured wing of a robin bird; he knew how to deal with a horse, a dog and a farmer. Comparatively, Aram was timid and low-lying.

Q3. Bring out some of the notable traits of Mourad’s character.

Ans. Mourad, the son of Zorab, was the 13-year old cousin of Aram. Zorab was a practical man but Mourad was most unlike him. He was considered as crazy as his uncle Khosrove. He was not so honest as his family or tribe. He did not hesitate to steal John Byro’s horse. He was as fond of horse riding as his cousin. But he did not have the means to buy a horse. Very cleverly he hid the horse in a deserted bam and took it out at daybreak for a joy-ride. He loved adventure and singing. He had remarkable self-confidence. He said boastfully that he had a way with a horse, a dog and a farmer. He was not a thief. He returned the horse to its owner John Byro after about six weeks.

Q4. The narrator’s uncle Khosrove was known to be a crazy fellow. Give a few instances of his craziness.

Ans. The narrator’s uncle Khosrove was an enormous man with a large moustache. But he was considered crazy or capricious by the people who knew him. He was furious by nature. He was easily annoyed. He was impatient. He would not let anybody have his say. He silenced people with his roar. Once his house was on fire and his son ran to the barber’s shop to give the bad news. But he paid no serious attention to it and repeated his words rudely. He got irritated when John spoke about his stolen horse, and walked out of the room. He was a strange character.

Father to Son Important Extra Questions and Answers Class 11 English Hornbill

Father to Son Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Why doesn’t the father know anything about his son though they have lived in the same house?
Answer:
The father-son relationship is actually non-functional. The father doesn’t understand the aspirations, longings arid cravings of the son. They do not communicate with each other and behave like strangers. Therefore, the father doesn’t know anything about his son.

Question 2.
Is the father responsible for the present situation? What are your views?
Answer:
Yes, I think the father is responsible for the present situation. We do not get to hear the son’s version about his relationship with the father here. But the father is guilty of allowing continued silence or non-communication between them and also not understanding the son’s aspirations and feelings.

Question 3.
Father and the son behave like strangers to each other. What can be the possible reason with for this?
Answer:
They both act and behave like strangers due to lack of understanding with each other. A growing son has his own ambitions and aspirations. Elders must try to act like friends rather than command their children to behave according to their orders.

Question 4.
What does the poet mean by ‘Silence surrounds us?’
Answer:
The father feels helpless as he has no dialogue with his son. They don’t understand each other and they are living like strangers to each other in spite of their living under the same roof for years. Their outlook and temperament are so different that they remain separated from each other. They have a communication gap along with the generation gap, which causes the silence.

Question 5.
How does the father feel when his relationship with his son comes under strain?
Answer:
Father feels very helpless at this situation when both father and son do not understand each other. It saddens him to understand that he has never tried to understand his son’s perspective and his son has distanced himself from him from long.

Question 6.
What is the father’s attitude towards his son in the third stanza?
Answer:
The father wants to rectify the situation in the third stanza. The father wants his son return to the home that he has left. The father is willing to forgive his son and restart their relationship.

Question 7.
What does the father wish for?
Answer:
The father is unhappy and helpless. He wants to maintain a healthy relationship with his son. The father wants that his prodigal son may return to his home and start living under the same roof with him.
He doesn’t want that he should create and live in a world of his own.

Question 8.
The father is ready to have his prodigal son return. What inference can you draw from this?
Answer:
Prodigal means wastefully extravagant. Here the reference is to the story in the Bible in which a father gives his inheritance to his sons. The younger brother leaves, wastes his fortune and returns to his father’s home. Still the father is ready to take him back and forgive him. In the poem, the father also wants to forgive him so that they live peacefully together again.

Question 9.
The root cause of the generation gap presented in the poem lies in the fact that it is only the father talking to his son rather than hearing or understanding him. Explain.
Answer:
One of the reasons of the generation gap is absence of understanding and communication. Here in this poem we hear only the father’s point of view. We do not hear anything from the son’s side. The root cause of the generation gap has been lack of sharing of interests or not paying attention to the childs, emotional needs, when he is growing up. The child should be allowed to express his opinions freely and adults should not behave like dictators.

Question 10.
What do the words ‘an empty hand’ signify?
Answer:
The words ‘empty hand’ signify that both the father arid the son want to forgive each other and extend a hand of friendship to each other, but neither of them is willing to be the first one to do so. This means that although they are longing to forgive each other, their egos are coming in the way so that none of them wants to be the first one to do so.

Father To Son Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
The poem talks about the universal problem of generation gap. Why does such a situation exist? How can someone avoid such confrontations? Express your views in 120-150 words.
Answer:
Generation gap is a psychological and emotional gap between parents or elder people and the younger ones. This creates misunderstanding and lack of attachment between parents and children. The success of parenting lies in how effectively they avoid the generation gap or ignore differences with their children.

Generation gap is the result of the fast paced development of society. In earlier times, two or three generations lived in the same lifestyle and environment, as development was slow. Today, parents do not even know many of the modem technologies and equipment children use.

Being up-to-date is the only way to cope .with the generation gap. Moreover, generation gap occurs when there are differences of opinion. One should be flexible in approach and must try to understand the reason of a particular behaviour.

Question 2.
In the fast moving materialistic world, parents are busy in earning while their children grow without them giving enough time to them. This is a major factor in creating a generation gap. There should be a balancing act on the part of parents. Discuss.
Answer:
In today’s materialistic world parents, specially fathers, are busy with their careers, finding very little time for their children.

Childhood is a tender age and the child needs his/ her parents at every stage of his growing up. In the pursuit of money or career, children are left at the mercy of caretakers or maids who may provide or fulfil child’s basic need but their emotional and intellectual needs are left unfulfilled. Bonding between parents and children keeps on diminishing until it reaches an alarming level.

Parents need to understand that between career and children, a balancing act has to be practised. Children need their parents to guide them, to share their likes and dislikes, to spend quality time with them.

No parent should allow such a situation where they may not understand their children or there may be no communication at all between them. Emotional bonding is a must for a family to stay together.

Childhood Important Extra Questions and Answers Class 11 English Hornbill

Childhood Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What question does the poet ask again and again in this poem?
Answer:
In this poem the poet is really confused. He asks the question again and again ‘when did my childhood go?’

Question 2.
The poet has discussed two stages of life – childhood and adulthood. How do we differentiate one from another?
Answer:
Childhood has been considered by the poet as a blissful period in one’s life, where a child trusts everyone.
Adulthood is marked by rational and creative thoughts, ability to perceive and differentiate and learn new things. In this stage of life one also learns to be double faced and crafty.

Question 3.
What did the poet realise when he crossed the age of eleven years?
Answer:
When the poet crossed the age of eleven years, he realised that he had lost his childhood and had developed a mind of his own. He also found out the non-existence of Hell and Heaven.

Question 4.
How did the poet conclude that Hell and Heaven were imaginary places?
Answer:
The poet concluded that Hell and Heaven were imaginary places because Geography books contain names of places, but there is no mention of places like Hell or Heaven in these books.

Question 5.
How did adults seem to the poet when he was a child?
Answer:
As a child, the poet considered all the adults as an epitome of love and sincerity. He believed that their love was true and they were ready to do anything for , their loved ones.

Question 6.
Bring out the hypocrisy that the adults exhibit with regard to love.
Answer:
As the poet grew up, he could make out the double standards followed by adults. He realised that though adults preached of love and talked of love, their behaviour was totally different and full of manipulation. They were all hypocrites who behaved differently from the way they talked.

Question 7.
What did the poet notice about independent thinking? How important was this discovery?
Answer:
The poet discovered that he was different from others and could think independently. He could have his own opinions without getting influenced by anyone else. This discovery was very important to him as it revealed to him his abilities for independent thinking and decision taking.

Question 8.
What is the poet trying to convey when he says that childhood is hidden in an infant’s face?
Answer:
The poet says an infant is really innocent as he trusts everyone and does not try to fool others. The poet brings out this fact by contrasting it with the behaviour of adults, who become manipulative and are hypocrites. As a person develops rational thoughts, his childlike innocence fades away.

Question 9.
According to Markus Natten, when does the child become an adult?
Answer:
Becoming an adult is a complex process which is associated with physical, mental and social development. A child becomes an adult when he is able to live his own life and take care of his responsibilities individually. He also develops his own thought process, using which he can form his own beliefs and opinions.

Question 10.
What is the poet’s feeling towards his childhood?
Answer:
The poet regards childhood as a period of innocence. A child sincerely feels that he is free from all evils and that there is really a Hell and a Heaven. A child knows no hypocrisy. There is no difference between his thoughts and actions. In short, childhood is a state of innocence and purity of heart.

Question 11.
How does the poem expose man and present him in true colours?
Answer:
According to the poet, childhood symbolises innocence, purity, softness and love. As a child grows up, these qualities start receding. Man adheres to lying, shrewdness, cunningness and hypocrisy.

Adults preach about truth and honesty but themselves practise hatred and lying. The simplicity and honesty of childhood evaporates the moment man crosses the threshold of innocent childhood.

Childhood Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Write an article in about 150 words about childhood and the process of growing up.
Answer:

Childhood
by Manav Singh

When I was a child the world seemed to be a place of joy and happiness to me. There was nothing worth worrying about. Whenever I cried, somebody consoled me. When I did not like to sit alone, I was always in somebody’s arms. My mother always looked after me. These are my most cherished memories and I believe that looking at a child playing and enjoying childhood makes me somewhat nostalgic.

Childhood is free from cares. There are no duties or responsibilities on the shoulders of a child. A child only eats, drinks, sleeps and plays. Thus, a child lives in the bliss of ignorance and innocence. As we grow in age, worries about studies, choice of profession, shouldering responsibilities etc keep haunting us. Tensions, stress and worries become a part of adult life and the individual forgets to live a carefree life.

Question 2.
Is independent thinking a step towards adulthood? If yes, then how? Explain with reference to the poem ‘Childhood’.
or
Markus Natten, though showing disapproval regarding the behaviour of adults, also raises a very important point, that of independent thinking and individuality. Do you agree that independent thinking and individuality make us what we are? Elaborate in the context of the poem ‘Childhood’.
Answer:
Of course, independent thinking is a step towards adulthood. As a child, one is not able to make one’s own decisions and one’s thinking is always influenced and directed by adults. A child is so innocent that it is not able to distinguish between truth and imagination.

As a child’s thinking is influenced by others, it has no individuality. Moreover, it is prone to manipulations which lead to fickle-mindedness. Independent thinking makes us what we are. It shapes our personality and we are known among people through what our mind thinks and what decisions we take.

If we want to stay away from evil people who try to influence our thoughts for their selfish purposes, then only independent thinking can help us. We cannot claim to be an individual if we cannot take decisions ourselves.

The Voice of the Rain Important Extra Questions and Answers Class 11 English Hornbill

The Voice of the Rain Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Why does the poet get surprised when he gets an answer from the rain?
Answer:
The poet gets surprised when he gets an answer from the rain, as it is inanimate and cannot speak. In this poem, to the poet’s and reader’s amazement, the rain gives a reply which has been translated by the poet for the readers.

Question 2.
What answer does the rain give back to the poet?
Answer:
The rain answers to the poet’s question by telling him that it is the Poem of Earth and is involved in a continuing process of going up and coming down.

Question 3.
How does the rain justify its claim ‘I am the Poem of Earth’?
Answer:
The rain calls itself the Poem of the Earth because the poem rendered by the poet has the task of bringing joy, happiness, life to its readers. Similarly when the rain falls down over Earth, a rhythm or music is created. That’s why the rain calls itself the Poem of Earth.

Question 4.
Describe the never ending cycle of rain.
Answer:
Water rises unperceived in the form of vapour from land and water bodies on the Earth. It goes up, takes the form of a cloud, changes its shape and falls down on Earth in the form .of water drops to bathe the small dust particles, land and sea. The water returns through rivers to oceans and seas after it rains on Earth.

Question 5.
Why does the rain call itself ‘impalpable’?
Answer:
Impalpable means something that cannot be felt by touching or seeing. When water takes the form of vapour, it is not visible to the human eye and nor can we feel its touch.

The vapour rises to the sky, condenses and forms clouds which cause rain. Though we are aware of its presence, the process remains invisible to us. Hence, the rain has rightly called itself ‘impalpable’.

Question 6.
What happens when it rains after a long hot spell?
Answer:
After a long hot spell, everything is dried up on Earth. When it rains, all the dust that has accumulated on Earth gets washed away, giving a new fresh look to nature. Moreover the seeds which were lying latent till now, get germinated with the help of rain and new trees and plants start growing.

Question 7.
Latent seeds get a life by rain. Explain.
Answer:
The seeds lying on Earth require water to germinate and take shape. When it rains, the seeds start germinating and change into the form of saplings. In this way, the seeds which would have dried up or get wasted get a new lease of life by rain.

Question 8.
Why is rain essential for Earth?
Answer:
If it doesn’t rain then Earth will remain parched, droughts will follow and the dust-layers will not be washed away. There will be nothing to quench the thirst of the plants and trees and their seeds will die.

Question 9.
How does the rain become the voice of Earth?
Answer:
In the poem, ‘The Voice of the Rain’, the poet describes how the rain falls on Earth. He also asks a question to the rain’about it. He calls the showers of the rain as ‘Poem of Earth’ as the rain gives a new lease of life to ‘ the scorched and parched Earth and falls on Earth in a rhythmic manner.

Actually, it is the voice of Earth as the slowly falling showers produce a very soft music and Earth finds its expression only through the showers falling on it.

Question 10.
Why do you think the poet says the phrase ‘reck’d or unreck’d’?
Answer:
The words have been poetically drafted. Reck’d and unreck’d stand for reckoned and unreckoned. The words literally mean cared and uncared for respectively. The poet says these words to emphasise the fact that when it falls on the Earth, we sometimes take notice of it or sometimes completely ignore it. But even if it is left uncared for, it completes its destiny and returns to absorbed where it started from.

Question 11.
Justify the title ‘The Voice of the Rain’.
Answer:
The whole poem is about the eternal process of rain and its benefits. Through the words of the rain, the poet has tried to bring out the importance of rain for Earth, for plants and for man. As the poet is translating what the rain is speaking through its own language (the sounds it makes when it falls), the whole poem is about the rain talking to the poet. Thus, the title is justified.

Question 12.
The poem has a conversational tone throughout. Who are the two participants? Is there any advantage of this method?
Answer:
The two participants are the poet and the voice of the rain which answers the poet’s questions. The advantage of this method is to maintain continuity of thoughts and ideas expressed by the poet and to bring about clarity in what he wants to express.

The Voice Of The Rain Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
The poem ‘The Voice of the Rain’ gives a hidden message that rain is essential for this Earth. Write an article in 120-150 words describing the importance of rain.
Answer:

Importance of Rain
by Ali Jawed

As we all know, the three essentials for survival are water, food and air. The most important element of weather is water. We get water in different forms of precipitation but rain is the most beneficial of all types of precipitation.

Rain helps in harvesting our crops that give us food to eat. Without rain, no crops would grow and we would perish. Also, falling showers remove the dust in air, making our air clean, because we need clean air to breathe.

Rain water plays a key role in creating the climate of certain areas. Its presence in the atmosphere provides replenishment of the moisture in cloud systems.

The most well-known and most important effect of rain water is to provide us with water to drink. Without rain, there would be no life.

Question 2.
Rain is an eternal process benefiting mankind. Contrast it with human life which is short lived on this Earth. Should we disturb these eternal elements of nature?
Answer:
The poem ‘The Voice of the Rain’ beautifully shows the continued process of rain which sounds like music to human ears, as it fulfills our needs.

It is an ever going process which sustains human life and provides us with food, pure air and green cover. On the other hand, human lives are mortal. We come on this Earth for a short period and then depart without leaving any mark on this planet. Moreover human beings, for their greed and selfish motives, indulge in destructive activities which may disturb these eternal processes of nature.

We must learn a lesson from nature. If we want peaceful co-existence, we need not disturb the balance of nature, otherwise the whole of humanity will be in danger. We must learn a lesson from such eternal processes and do something good for humanity at large.

Question 3.
Natural elements such as air and rain make no discrimination and bless everyone equally. Comment on class distinction and inequality, which is a totally human creation.
Answer:
Man’s existence on this Earth is short-lived but even in this short span, he has been responsible for many wrong doings against other human beings. God has created everyone as equal. But it is very unfortunate that man has divided this society on the basis of class, caste and other factors.

Man must learn from elements of nature which provide us fresh air, heat or water, without making any distinction. But in human society class distinctions and caste distinctions both exist and inequalities prevail in large numbers. It is high time that man must learn lessons from nature and adopt universal brotherhood for the betterment of our society.

The Laburnum Top Important Extra Questions and Answers Class 11 English Hornbill

The Laburnum Top Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Why is the poem named ‘The Laburnum Top’?
Answer:
The poem has been named ‘The Laburnum Top’ because the top of the Laburnum tree has been described in detail in the poem. It is on the top of the Laburnum tree that the nest of the goldfinch is located and where all the activity takes place when the goldfinch visits the nest.

Question 2.
What is the significance of ‘yellow’ in the poem?
Answer:
The flowers of the Laburnum tree and its leaves (in autumn) both are yellow in colour. Apart from this, the goldfinch’s feathers are also yellow in colour. The poem highlights the high security that the mother bird (goldfinch) ensures for her babies and the colour yellow helps in camouflaging the babies. Hence they escape being noticed by any predator.

Question 3.
How is the tree transformed during the bird’s visit?
Answer:
After the goldfinch arrives on the tree, the silent and still Laburnum tree suddenly starts trembling and moving. The whole tree comes to life as the chicks of the goldfinch make a lot of noise as they chitter and trill on seeing their mother.

Question 4.
To what is the movement of the goldfinch compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
Answer:
The movement of the goldfinch is compared to that of a lizard. The basis of the comparison is the sleek, alert and sudden movements of a lizard. The goldfinch makes similar kind of movements when it arrives on the Laburnum tree to avoid being noticed by any predator.

Question 5.
‘Then sleek as a lizard and alert and abrupt, She enters the thickness’. Explain the given line.
Answer:
The lizard is a quick moving animal. It is also very alert and its movements are sudden. In the given line, the arrival of the goldfinch on the Laburnum tree is described. The poet describes its movements as alert and sudden just like that of a lizard. This is done to avoid getting the attention of the predators.

Question 6.
What is the engine of the machine? What is its fuel?
Answer:
The goldfinch has been called the engine of her family. Just as the engine starts up the machine, the goldfinch’s arrival in the nest has suddenly started the machine i.e. the young ones in the nest have started making noise. The fuel of the engine is the food that the goldfinch brings for her chicks.

Question 7.
How does the Laburnum ensure security for the nestlings?
Answer:
According to popular belief, the bark and the seeds of the Laburnum tree are poisonous. So, predators normally do not come near the tree. Apart from this, its yellow flowers and yellowing leaves in the autumn season complemented by the yellow coloured feathers of the goldfinch help in camouflaging the nestlings from the predators.

Question 8.
Explain the line, ‘And the Laburnum subsides to empty’.
Answer:
This is the last line of the poem. It describes that with the departure of the goldfinch from the Laburnum tree, it falls silent. The tree was noisy and lively when the goldfinch came to feed its chicks, but it reverts to its earlier self after its departure from the tree.

The Laburnum Top Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
The arrival of the goldfinch on the Laburnum top brings about a change in the poem. How do you interpret this change? Is change good or bad in life?
Answer:
At the start of the poem, the top of the Laburnum tree in the poem is silent and still. There is hardly any activity on it as the sunlight falls on it on a September afternoon. However, with the arrival of the goldfinch, it suddenly becomes a place of feverish activity. The silence of the place is broken by the twittering and chirruping of the chicks and the goldfinch.

I think that the change brought about by the arrival of the goldfinch on the Laburnum top is good, as it breaks the monotony. The tree becomes alive and lively with the movement of the goldfinch and the twitterings and chirrupings of the chicks.

Change can be good or bad in life depending on a situation. However, the fact is that change is the only constant in life. So, even if a change is bad, we have to accept it and move on in life.

Question 2.
What values do you learn from the goldfinch in the poem ‘The ‘Laburnum Top?
Answer:
The goldfinch has its nest on the top of the Laburnum tree in the poem, ‘The Laburnum Top’. Her chicks stay in the nest while she (the mother goldfinch) keeps going out at regular intervals to get food to feed her chicks. This shows her caring nature and highlights the values of motherly care and affection of a mother towards her offspring.

The other aspect of the goldfinch that is captured in the poem is its movement. She arrives at the Laburnum top in a sudden manner and is very much alert to her surroundings. The poet has compared her movement with the sleek movement of a lizard. However, there is a reason for her moving like this (in an alert and sudden manner). She is moving in this manner so as to avoid getting noticed by any predator. She does not want any predator to know that her chicks are resting in her nest on the Laburnum top as then the predators may kill them or harm them. The values of safety and security for her offspring is highlighted in this act of the goldfinch.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word been used?

Ans. ‘Cardboard’ refers to the photograph only. In the past photographs used to be fixed on a cardboard and hung from the wall for everyone to see it.

Q2. What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you?

Ans. The sea has not changed over the years. It suggests the immortality of sea as compared to the mortal human beings whose life comes to an end finally.

Q3. The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What does this laugh indicate?

Ans. The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. This is an indication of the fun and joy she had experienced during the beach holiday and she had fond memories of that particular incident. It brought joy to her when she looked at the snapshot.

Q4. What does ‘this circumstance’ refer to?

Ans. ‘This circumstance’ refers to the loneliness and the sense of loss that the poet suffers as she remembers her mother who is no more.

Q5. What do you learn about the poet’s mother from the photograph?

Ans. The poet’s mother had been a fun loving girl who had taken great delight with her cousins at the beach and had the fond memories of the holiday that she cherished even when she was a grown up.

Q6. What has the camera captured?

Ans. The camera has captured some happy moments from the childhood of the poet’s mother. It was a scene taken from a beach where she had gone with her cousins and her uncle for a sea holiday. The girls were paddling in the water.

Q. The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate?

Ans. This laugh indicates her remembering her past. She looked back to her childhood with nostalgia and remembered the innocent joys of her childhood days.

Q. What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the laboured ease or loss”

Ans. ‘Both’ refers to the sea holiday as remembered by her mother and the poet remembering her mother’s laughing face. Both these now belong to the past. Her mother is no more now.

Q. What scene from mother’s childhood has been captured in the photograph? Who had taken the photograph?

Ans. The scene that has been captured in the photograph is from mother’s childhood when she went for paddling with her two cousins. Mother’s uncle had taken the photograph.

Q. How did the cousins accompany mother for paddling?

Ans. Her cousins accompanied mother by holding her hands when they went for paddling.

Q. Explain the contrast given in the last two lines of the first stanza.

Ans. The contrast is between the sea and the humans. The sea had remained the same for all these years, but the humans have undergone changes. Her mother grew up and now she had been dead for the past twelve years.

Q. How does the poet feel when she remembers the sea holiday of her mother?

Ans. The poet feels sad when she remembers the sea holiday of her mother. Her mother died twelve years ago.

Q. Why doesn’t she want to think about the photograph anymore?

Ans. She doesn’t want think about the photograph anymore because it brings the pain of loss to her mind.

Q. The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they?

Ans. The three stanzas depict three different phases of life. The first stanza refers to the childhood of the poet’s mother. The second stanza refers to the adulthood of the poet’s mother. The last stanza refers to the last phase of life – the death of the poet’s mother.

1. Explain: ‘The cardboard shows me how it was’.

Ans. The photograph shows the narrator who it was that day.

Poetic device: allusion as the cardboard’s lack of durability hints at the lack of permanence of human life

2. Explain: ‘All three stood still to smile through their hair’.

Ans. All three of them stood smiling, their hair were flying over their faces (possibly tossed by the beach wind or water)

Poetic device: alliteration… stood still to smile

3. Explain:

‘And the sea, which appears to have changed less
 Washed their terribly transient feet.’

Ans. The sea in the picture is still the same today and has changed very less. It seems to wash their feet which by nature, are transient because human life is short-lived as compared to nature.

Nature is perennial while human life is temporary or transient. The poet uses a transferred epithet (terribly transient feet) in order to make this comparison and highlight the terribly short-lived life of her mother.

Poetic device: Transferred Epithet. Human life itself is temporary not the feet. When the adjective for one noun like life is transferred to another noun like feet, it is called transferred epithet. It is also alliteration due to the repetition of the ‘t’ sound (their terribly transient feet) but writing only alliteration as the poetic device will lead to a loss of marks)

4. Explain:

‘The sea holiday
was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss’

Ans. The sea holiday was remembered by her mother with a fondness as well as a sense of loss because that time would never return. Similarly, her laughter would never return to the narrator. The sea holiday was the narrator’s mother’s past and her mother’s laughter is the narrator’s past. Both these pasts are remembered with a difficult and yet easy sense of loss.

Poetic device: oxymoron

The coming together of two opposite ideas to describe the same entity. ‘Laboured’ and ‘ease’ are opposite words describing the same entity ‘losses’. The loss of the holiday and the laughter was easy because these things have to be accepted as a part of life. They are merely a part of the past and cannot be brought back or relived. However, precisely because they cannot be relived, there will always be a tinge of difficulty letting them go completely. They will always be seen as loss.

The camera thus managed to capture a moment in time. It kept the memory of the mother and for the mother alive. The sea holiday brought a sad smile (wry) to the mother’s face because she couldn’t relive it but was glad that she once had. Similarly, thinking of her mother’s laughter brought a sad smile to the poet’s face because although that laughter was now gone she was glad to have once had it in her life.

5. Explain: ‘that girl lived’.

Ans. Now, it has been twelve years since her mother passed away. The girl in the photograph seems like a different person altogether. That’s why the poet has used the words, ‘that girl’.

6. Explain:

‘And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all,
Its silence silences.’

Ans. Her mother has passed away leaving behind nothing but memories and photographs like this one. There is nothing to be said. It is a part of life and on thinking of it, one really has no words to express how one feels.The silence of the whole situation silences the poet and leaves her quiet.

Poetic device: alliteration and personification. The situation has been given the human quality of silence and the sound of ‘s’ has been repeated)

1. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: 

The cardboard shows me how it was
When the two girl cousins went paddling
Each one holding one of my mother’s hands, 
And she the big girl- some twelve years or so.

Q.  What does the cardboard refer to?

Ans. The cardboard refers to the childhood photograph of her mother.

Q. Who was the big girl and how old was she?

Ans. The big girl was the poet’s mother. She was then twelve years old.

Q. How did the cousins go paddling with mother?

Ans. The girl cousins went paddling with mother holding her hand.

2. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

All three stood still to smile through their hair
At the uncle with the camera, A sweet face
My mother’s, that was before I was born

Q.  Who does ‘all three’ refer to here?

Ans. ‘all three’ refers to the poet’s mother and her two cousins.

Q. Where are they now?

Ans. They have gone to the seashore. They are paddling in the water.

Q. Why did they smile through their hair?

Ans. They smiled through their hair because they were posing for a photograph.

3. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

……………………….A sweet face, 
My mother’s, that was before I was born
And the sea, which appears to have changed less
Washed their terribly transient feet.

Q. Where was her mother?

Ans. Her mother was on the sea shore with her cousins and posing for a photograph.

Q. When did this incident take place?

Ans. This incident took place when she was twelve years old.

Q. How is the poet able to remember her mother’s childhood?

Ans. The poet is able to remember her mother’s childhood when she looks into the photograph of her mother.

Q. What has stood the onslaught of time and what has not?

Ans. The sea has stood the onslaught of time. It is still the same. However, her mother and her cousins underwent changes. Her mother grew up to be an adult and now she is no more.

4. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

Some twenty- thirty- years later
she’d laugh at the snapshot. “See Betty
And Dolly,” she’d say, “and look how they
dressed us for the beach.”

Q. Who would laugh at the snapshot after twenty – thirty years later?

Ans. The poet’s mother would laugh at the snapshot after twenty – thirty years later.

Q. How did mother remember her past?

Ans. Mother remembered her past with nostalgia.

Q. Who were Betty and Dolly?

Ans. Betty and Dolly were her cousins who had gone with her to the beach for paddling.

5. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

………………………The sea holiday
was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss

Q. Who went for the sea holiday in the past?

Ans. The poet’s mother had gone for the sea holiday in the past when she was a young girl.

Q. What does ‘both’ refer to?

Ans. Both’ refers to the poet’s mother remembering her past sea holiday as well as the poet remembering her mother’s laughter.

Q. How does the poet feel when she remembers her mother?

Ans. The poet experiences great sorrow when she remembers her mother who left for heavenly abode twelve years ago.

Q. What does the poet compare her laughter to and why?

Ans. The mother’s laughter that used to echo in the house when she was alive has now become the poet’s past. The comparison is given in order to remember the mother with fondness while looking at her photograph.

6. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

Now she’s has been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all, 
Its silence silences.

Q. When did the poet’s mother die?

Ans. The poet’s mother died about twelve years ago.

Q. What does the poet remember of that girl?

Ans. She remembers how much her mother had changed from a young girl. She also remembers the sweet laughter of her mother.

Q. Explain: ‘Its silence silences.’

Ans. The loss of her mother is too deep for the poet. Now she has nothing to say at all. The silence of the whole situation silences the poet and leaves her quiet.

Q. What is ‘this circumstance’?

Ans.This circumstance means the death of her mother.

Silk Road Important Extra Questions and Answers Class 11 English Hornbill

Silk Road Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
when they set out on their journey.
Answer:
The narrator was moving towards Mount Kailash to complete the kora. He recalls the day, when they set out from Ravu, with nostalgia. It was a ‘perfect’ early morning to start a journey. The clouds looked like long French loaves glimmering pink as the rising sun shone on them. The far-away mountain peaks glowed with a rose-tinted colour. Lhamo presented him with one of the long-sleeved sheepskin coats that all the men there wore, for protection against cold.

Question 2.
Describe the initial phase of their journey.
Answer:
As they set out, they took a shorter route to get off the Changtang. It was a road that would take them south¬west, almost directly towards Mount Kailash. It required crossing several quite high mountain passes. Tsetan was confident that if there was no snow they would have a comfortable journey but that they would not know till they got there.

From the gently sloping hills of Ravu, the short cut took them across vast open plains with nothing in them except a few antelopes grazing in the arid pastures. As they moved ahead, the plains became more stony than grassy. There, the antelopes were replaced by herds of wild ass.

Question 3.
What did the narrator notice about the ‘drokbas’?
Answer:
As the narrator went further up the hills from the rocky wasteland, he noticed the solitary drokbas tending their flocks. Sometimes these well-wrapped figures would halt briefly and stare at their car. They seldom waved as they crossed. When the road took them close to the sheep, the animals would swerve away from the speeding car.

Question 4.
The narrator was fascinated by the awesome mastiffs. Why?
Answer:
Crossing the nomads’ dark tents pitched in remoteness, the narrator noticed that a huge black dog, a Tibetan mastiffs, guarded most of the tents. These monstrous creatures would tilt their great big heads when someone moved towards them. As they drew closer, these dogs would race straight towards them, like a bullet from a gun. These dogs were pitch black and usually wore bright red collars.

They barked furiously with their gigantic jaws and were so fearless that they ran straight into the path of their vehicle. They would chase them for about a hundred metres. The narrator could understand why Tibetan mastiffs became popular in China’s imperial courts as hunting dogs.

Question 5.
How did Tsetan manoeuvre across the first patch of snow that they came across?
Answer:
Tsetan stopped at a tight bend and got out because the snow had covered the path in front of them. This unexpected-depository was too steep for their vehicle to mount. Tsetan stepped on to the covered snow, and stamped his foot to determine how sturdy it was. The snow was not deep but the car could turn over. Tsetan took handfuls of dirt and threw them across the frozen surface. Daniel and the narrator, too, joined in. When the snow was spread with soil, Tsetan backed up the vehicle and drove towards the dirty snow. The car moved across the icy surface without noticeable difficulty.

Question 6.
When did the narrator feel unwell or the first time? What did he do?
Answer:
When they went further up the trail and were 5,400 metres above the sea level, the narrator got an awful headache. He took gulps from his water bottle, which is supposed to help during a speedy uphill journey. His headache soon cleared as they went down the other side of the pass.

Question 7.
What was the sight on the plateau ruins of the Tethys Ocean?
Answer:
The narrator and his friends stopped for lunch in a long canvas tent, part of a work camp erected beside a dry salt lake. The plateau was covered with salty desert area and salty lakes that were remnants of the Tethys Ocean. This place was bustling with activity. Men with pickaxes and shovels were moving back and forth in their long sheepskin coats and salt-covered boots. All wore sunglasses as protection against the dazzling light of blue trucks that energed from the lake with piles of salt.

Question 8.
Why was the narrator sorry to see the miserable plight of Hor?
Answer:
Hor was a dismal place with no vegetation. It only had dust and rocks coupled with years of accumulated refuse. He found this unfortunate because this town was on the banks of Lake Manasarovar, Tibet’s most venerated stretch of water.

Question 9.
What is the belief about Lake Manasarovar? What is the fact?
Answer:
According to ancient Hindu and Buddhist cosmology Manasarovar is the source of four great Indian rivers: the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra. In actuality only the Sutlej flows from the lake, but the headwaters of the all others rise nearby on the flanks of Mount Kailash.

Question 10.
The narrator ‘slept very soundly. Like a log, not a dead man’. Explain.
Answer:
After going to the Tibetan doctor the narrator soon recovered. Unpalatable as it seemed, the medicine led him to a quick recovery. Hence the narrator had a healthy and sound sleep unlike when he was ailing and restless. He slept undisturbed. He was not tossing and turning because he was sound a sleep, not because he felt lifeless.

Question 11.
‘Darchen didn’t look so horrible after a good night’s sleep.’ Justify
Answer:
The narrator had a very uncomfortable night at Darchen. After he rested, although Darchen was dusty, with heaps of rubble and refuse, the bright sun in a clear blue sky gave the narrator a view of the Himalayas. He also noticed the huge, snow-capped mountain, Gurla Mandhata, with just a tuft of cloud suspended over its peak.

Question 12.
‘I hadn’t made much progress with my self-help programme on positive thinking.’ Why does the narrator feel so?
Answer:
The narrator was very disappointed with Darchen. It was dusty, with heaps of rubble and refuse. But he was even more disappointed as there were no pilgrims. As his mind went over the drawbacks of the place he concluded that he hadn’t made much progress with his self-help programme on positive thinking. In that case he would have been more accepting and optimistic.

Question 13.
Who was Norbu? How could he be a help to the narrator?
Answer:
The narrator met Norbu in a cafe. He was Tibetan, and worked in Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in the Institute of Ethnic Literature. He had come to do the kora. Norbu had been writing academic papers about the Kailash kora and its importance in various works of Buddhist literature for many years but .he had never actually done it himself. The narrator was relieved to team up with him. He would not be alone then.

Question 14.
‘He suggested we hire some yaks to carry our luggage, which I interpreted as a good sign’. Why does the narrator feel so?
Answer:
The narrator was relieved at meeting Norbu. He kept telling the narrator how fat he was and how hard it was going to be for him to climb. He wasn’t really a practising Buddhist, but he was enthusiastic and was a Tibetan. Making the trek in the company of devout believers would not be easy as they would go prostrating all round the mountain. But Norbu suggested that they hire some yaks to carry our luggage. This to the narrator came as a relief.

Silk Road Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
The narrator on his way to Mount Kailash came across a lot of topographic variation. Comment.
Answer:
The narrator and his companions took a short cut to get off the Changtang. Tsetan knew a route that would take them southwest, almost directly towards Mount Kailash. It involved crossing several fairly high mountain passes. From the gently rising and failing hills of Ravu, the short cut took them across vast open plains with nothing in them except a few gazelles that were grazing in the arid pastures. Further ahead,
the plains became more stony than grassy, and there a great herd of wild ass came into view.

Still ahead hills became steeper wh^re solitary drokbas were tending their flocks. This led them to the snow-capped mountains and then to the valley where the river was wide and by and large clogged with ice. At a height of 5,515 metres, piles of stones marked the landscape. Next was the plateau which was covered with salty desert area and salty lakes that were remnants of the Tethys Ocean. Hor was next in line. It was a wretched place with no vegetation just dust and rocks, liberally scattered with years of accumulated refuse.

Question 2.
The narrator realized that the snow was both dangerous as well as beautiful. Justify.
Answer:
Tsetan on his way surveyed the snow on the path by stamping on it. It was not deep. But in case they slipped the car could turn over. Hence to cover the risk, they flung handfuls of dirt across the frozen surface. When the snow was spread with soil, they drove without difficulty. Ten minutes later, they stopped at another blockage. This time they decided to drive round the snow.

However, the risks did not undermine the scenic beauty of the place. In the valley, they saw snow-capped mountains and the river was wide but mostly blocked with ice that was sparkling in the sunshine. As they moved ahead, on their upward track, the turns became sharper and the ride bumpier. The rocks around were covered with patches of bright orange lichen. Under the rocks, seemed unending shade.

Question 3.
Enumerate the difficulties that the group faced in Hor.
Answer:
The group reached the small town of Hor by late afternoon. Daniel, who was returning to Lhasa, found a ride in a truck and left. They had suffered two punctures in quick succession on the drive down from the salt lake and they got them replaced. Hor was a gloomy place devoid of vegetation. It only had dust and rocks, liberally scattered with years of accumulated refuse.

Hor’s only cafe which, like all the other buildings in town, was constructed from badly painted concrete and had three broken windows. The good view of the lake through one of them helped to compensate for the draught. The narrator was served by a Chinese youth in military uniform who spread the grease around on his table with a filthy rag before bringing him a glass and a thermos of tea.

Question 4.
Describe in detail the narrator’s miserable night in Darchen.
Answer:
The narrator reached the Darchen guesthouse after 10.30 p.m. This was just the beginning of a troubled night. The open-air rubbish dump in Hor had set off his cold once more. One of his nostrils was blocked again and he was tired and hungry. He started breathing through his mouth. After a while, he woke up abruptly. His chest felt strangely heavy but when he sat up, his nasal passages cleared almost instantly and relieved the feeling in his chest. He lay down again. Just as he was about to doze something told him not to.

He was not gasping for breath, but could not go to sleep. He sat up but as soon as he lay down, his sinuses filled and his chest felt strange. He tried supporting himself against the wall, but could not manage to relax enough to sleep. He did not know what was wrong but had a feeling that if he slept he would not wake up again. So he stayed awake all night.

Question 5.
Narrate the narrator’s meeting with the Tibetan doctor.
Answer:
After an awfully uncomfortable and breathless night, Tsetan took the narrator to the Darchen Medical College. The college was new and looked like a monastery from the outside with a very solid door that led into a large courtyard. The consulting room was dark and cold and occupied by a Tibetan doctor who did not have any kit that the narrator had been expecting.

He wore a thick pullover and a woolly hat. The narrator explained the symptoms and the doctor shot him a few questions while feeling the veins in his wrist. Finally he said, it was the cold and the effects of altitude. He said that the narrator would be well enough to do the kora. He gave him a brown envelope stuffed with fifteen screws of paper. Each package had a brown powder that had to taken with hot water. It tasted just like cinnamon. The contents of the lunchtime and bedtime packages were less obviously identifiable. Both contained small, spherical brown pellets. Though the medicine looked like sheep dung, it helped him recover quickly.

Question 6.
Meeting Norbu came as an immense relief to the narrator. Why?
Answer:
The narrator was not only disappointed with the filth in Darchen but also because of the lack of pilgrims. Moreover, since Tsetan had left, he had not come across anyone in Darchen with enough English to answer even this most basic question. It was then that he met Norbu in a cafe. He was Tibetan, he told him, but worked in Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in the Institute of Ethnic Literature.

He had also come to do the kora. Norbu had been writing academic papers about the Kailash kora and its importance in various works of Buddhist literature for many years, but he had never actually done it himself. He was relieved to form a team with another academician. This apart, Norbu, wasn’t really a practising Buddhist, though he was a Tibetan. He suggested that they hire some yaks to carry their luggage, as he had no intention of prostrating himself all round the mountain.

The Adventure Important Extra Questions and Answers Class 11 English Hornbill

The Adventure Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
‘That is, assuming that in this world there existed someone called Rajendra Deshpande!’ Why does Professor Gaitonde feel so?
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde had gone through a strange and a harrowing experience. He had been literally transported into an alternative universe. In the alternative world the reality was very different. History had altered its course. Now back into the real world Professor Gaitonde, as a historian felt he would go to a big library and browse through history books and would return to Pune and have a long talk with Rajendra Deshpande, to help him understand what had happened. After the queer happening, he was unsure about the reality and wondered if Rajendra Deshpande existed.

Question 2.
What were the things that Professor Gaitonde noticed as the train entered the British Raj territory?
Answer:
As the train touched Sarhad, from where the British Raj began, an Anglo-Indian in uniform went through the train checking permits. The blue carriages of the train carried the letters GBMR on the side an acronym for ‘Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway’. There was the tiny Union Jack painted on each carriage as a . reminder that they were in British territory. As the train stopped at its destination, Victoria Terminus, the station looked remarkably neat and clean. The staff was mostly made up of Anglo-Indians and Parsees along with a handful of British officers.

Question 3.
Where was Khan Sahib going? How did he intend to reach there?
Answer:
Khan Sahib was going to Peshawar. After the train reached Victoria Terminus he would take the Frontier Mail out of Central,-the same night. From Bombay he would go to Delhi, then to Lahore and then Peshawar. It would be a long journey and he would reach Peshawar two days later.

Question 4.
What was the strange reality that Professor Gaitonde saw as he stepped out of the station?
Answer:
As Professor Gaitonde came out of the station, he saw an impressive building. The letters on it revealed that it was the East India headquarters of the East India Company. He was shocked as it was supposed to have had stopped operating soon after the events of 1857 but here it was flourishing.

Question 5.
What came as the biggest blow to Professor Gaitonde?
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde was shocked to see the East India Company flourishing, a different set of shops and office buildings at Hornby Road. But when he turned right along Home Street and entered Forbes building, a greater shock awaited him. He asked for his son Mr Vinay Gaitonde but the English receptionist, looked through the telephone list, the staff list and then through the directory of employees of all the branches of the firm but could not find anyone of that name.

Question 6.
What did Professor Gaitonde decide to do when the reality that he was living seemed very strange?
Answer:
When Professor Gaitoride saw unfamiliar sights and felt that he was reliving history he was very surprised but not finding his son as an employee in Forbes baffled him completely. He decided to go to the library of the Asiatic Society to solve the riddle of history. So he made his way to the Town Hall.

Question 7.
What books did he browse through in the library? What did he discover?
Answer:
In the Town Hall library, he asked for a list of history books including his own. When he got the five volumes, he started looking through them from the beginning. Volume one dealt with the history up to the period of Ashoka, volume two up to Samudragupta, volume three up to Mohammad Ghori, and volume four up to the death of Aurangzeb. This was history as he had known. However in the last (fifth) volume, history had taken a different turn during the Battle of Panipat. The book mentioned that the Marathas won it handsomely and Abdali was chased back to Kabul by the triumphant Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew, the young Vishwasrao.

Question 8.
How did the victory of the Peshwas in the Battle of Panipat help them?
Answer:
The victory in the battle was not only successful in building their confidence tremendously but it also established the supremacy of the Marathas in northern India. The East India Company, watching these events temporarily deferred its plan to spread out further. For the Peshwas the immediate result was that the influence of Bhausaheb and Vishwasrao increased and Vishwarao succeeded his father in 1780 A.D. The rabble-rouser, Dadasaheb, had to retire from state politics.

Question 9.
What was the effect of the victory of the Peshwas on the East India Company?
Answer:
The East India Company was alarmed when the new Maratha ruler, Vishwasrao, and his brother, Madhavrao, expanded their influence all over India. The Company was limited to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. However, in the nineteenth century the Marathas were aware of the importance of the technological age starting in Europe. Hence when they set up their own centres for science and technology, the East India Company saw another chance to extend its influence, it offered support and experts. But they were accepted only to make the local centres self-sufficient.

Question 10.
What was the final outcome of the Peshwas?
Answer:
During the twentieth century, inspired by the West, India moved towards a democracy. By then, the Peshwas had lost their enterprise and democratically elected bodies slowly but surely replaced them. The Sultanate at Delhi survived even this change because it exerted no real influence. The Shahenshah of Delhi was a nominal head to rubber-stamp the ‘recommendations’ made by the central parliament.

Question 11.
Gangadharpant began to appreciate the India he had seen. Why was it so?
Answer:
After reading this new history, Gangadharpant was pleased at the India he had seen, it was a country that had not been subjected to slavery of the white man; it had leamt to stand on its feet and knew what self-respect was. From a position of strength and for purely commercial reasons, it had allowed the British to retain Bombay as the sole outpost on the subcontinent.

Question 12.
How had the Marathas won the battle?
Answer:
After reading about the consequences of the battle Gangadharpant felt that his investigations were incomplete. To find the answer he went through the books and journals before him. At last, among the books he found one that gave him the clue. It was ‘Bhausahebanchi Bakhar’. He found a three-line account of how close Vishwasrao had come to being killed. However God had been merciful. The bullet brushed past his ear and he was saved by inches.

Question 13.
What did he take with him absentmindedly from the library? How did it help him?
Answer:
At eight o’clock the librarian politely reminded the Professor that the library was closing for the day. Before Gangadharpant left he shoved some notes into his right pocket. Absentmindedly, he also shoved the ‘Bakhar’ into his left pocket. It helped the Professor convince Rajendra that the story was not a figment of his imagination. He produced this as a very important piece of evidence.

Question 14.
What happened did Professor Gaitonde see in the Azad Maidan?
Answer:
In the Azad Maidan, the Professor found a multitude of people moving towards a pandal to listen to a lecture. As the lecture was in progress, people kept coming and going. But Professor Gaitonde stared at the platform, he noticed that the presidential chair was empty. Like a piece of iron attracted to a magnet, he swiftly moved towards the chair.

Question 15.
What happened when Professor Gaitonde went ahead to occupy the chair on the dais?
Answer:
When Professor Gaitonde went ahead to occupy the chair on the dais, the audience protested vehemently. Professor Gaitonde went to the mike to give his views but the audience was in no mood to listen. However, he kept on talking and soon became a target for a shower of tomatoes, eggs and other objects. Finally, the audience rushed to throw him out bodily but he was nowhere to be seen.

Question 16.
‘… facts can be stranger than fantasies, as I am beginning to realise.’ Why did Rajendra say this?
Answer:
Rajendra had thought that Professor’s mind was playing tricks on him till Gangadharpant produced his own copy of ‘Bhausahebanchi Bakhar’, where the account of the war stated that Vishwasrao was hit by the bullet. He then produced the other evidence in the form of a document that he had inadvertently picked up from the Professor Gaitonde’s library.

Rajendra was confused when he saw this material evidence. He then admitted that his experience had not been just a fantasy. He realized that facts could be stranger than fiction.

Question 17.
How did Rajendra explain ‘reality’?
Answer:
Rajendra said that reality was what we experience directly with our senses or indirectly via instruments. It may not be unique as has been found from experiments on atoms and their constituent particles. Physicists discovered that the behaviour of these systems couldn’t be predicted definitively even if all the physical laws governing those systems are known.

Question 18.
How did Rajendra relate the lack of determinism in quantum theory to the Professor’s experience?
Answer:
Rajendra said that the path of an electron fired from a source cannot be determined as in one world the electron is found here, in another it is over there. Once the observer finds where it is, we know which world we are talking about. But all those alternative worlds could exist just the same. Similarly, catastrophic situations offer radically different alternatives for the world to proceed. It seems that so far as reality is concerned all alternatives are viable but the observer can experience only one of them at a time.

Question 19.
How did Professor Gaitonde make the transition from one reality to the other?
Answer:
Rajendra admitted that there are many unsolved questions in science and this Professor Gaitonde’s transition was one of them. But he guessed that since one needs some interaction to cause a transition, at the time of the collision he must have been thinking about the catastrophe theory and its role in wars. Perhaps he was wondering about the Battle of Panipat and the neurons in his brain acted as a trigger.

The Adventure Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe the observations made by the Professor as he entered the alternative universe.
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde was shocked when the train stopped beyond the long tunnel at a small station called Sarhad. An Anglo-Indian in uniform was checking the train permits.

Then the train passed through the suburban rail traffic. The blue carriages carried the letters, GBMR, on the side that stood for ‘Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway’. There was a tiny Union Jack painted on each carriage as a gentle reminder that they were in British territory. The station at Victoria Terminus looked impeccably neat and clean. The staff comprised mostly of Anglo-Indians and Parsees along with a handful of British officers.

Coming out of the station, he found himself facing an imposing building. It was the office of the East India Company. As he walked along Homby Road, as it was called, he found a different set of shops and office buildings. There was no Handloom House building. Instead, there were Boots and Woolworth departmental stores, imposing offices of Lloyds, Barclays and other British banks, as in a typical high street of a town in England.

The greatest shock that awaited was when he entered Forbes building and wished to meet his son, Mr Vinay Gaitonde. The receptionist searched through the telephone list, the staff list and then through the directory of employees of all the branches of the firm and finally shook her head and said, that nobody of that name was either there or any of their branches.

Question 2.
Write a detailed account of the different history that Professor Gaitonde read in the fifth volume of the book in the library.
Answer:
The book mentioned that the Marathas won Battle of Panipat. Abdali was chased back to Kabul by the victorious .Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew, the young Vishwasrao. As a consequence the Marathas gained a great deal of confidence and established their supremacy in northern India. The East India Company, watching these developments, temporarily postponed its expansionist programme. This increased the influence of Bhausaheb and Vishwasrao who succeeded his father to the throne in 1780 A.D.

The troublemaker, Dadasaheb, was pushed to the background and he ultimately left state politics. Vishwasrao and his brother, Madhavrao, combined political insight with courage and expanded their influence all over India. The Company’s influence was limited only to areas near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. For political reasons, the Peshwas kept the puppet Mughal regime alive in Delhi.

In the nineteenth century the Peshwas realized the importance of the technological age and set up their own centres for science and technology. They accepted East India Company’s help only to make the local centres self-sufficient. In the twentieth century India moved towards a democracy. The Peshwas had lost their enterprise and democratically elected bodies gradually replaced them. The Sultanate at Delhi was just a nominal head to rubberstamp recommendations made by the central parliament.

Question 3.
What was the difference in the actual events of the Battle of Panipat and the ones reported in the alternative universe?
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde wanted to look for accounts of the battle itself, so he went through the books and journals before him. At last, he found ‘Bhausahebanchi Bakhar’. There he found account of how close Vishwasrao had come to being killed but the ‘merciful’ God had saved him. A shot had brushed past his ear and he had missed death by inches. However, in this world in which Gaitonde had written his volumes of history, ‘Bhausahebanchi Bakhar’ reported that Vishwasrao had died fighting. God had ‘expressed His displeasure. He was hit by the bullet’. The entire history seemed to have changed radically.

Question 4.
What was the outcome of the Battle of Panipat in the alternative universe?
Answer:
Their victory increased the morale of the Marathas. The East India Company temporarily shelved its expansionist programme. The Peshwas expanded their influence all over India. The Company was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. The Peshwas kept the puppet Mughal regime alive in Delhi. With the dawn of the technological age in Europe, they set up their own centres for science and technology.

The East India Company saw another opportunity to extend its influence but its aid and experts were accepted only to make the local centres self-sufficient. The twentieth century brought about further changes inspired by the West, India moved towards a democracy and democratically elected bodies replaced the Peshwas. After reading this, Professor Gaitonde began to appreciate that India because it had not been subjected to slavery of the white man; it had learnt to stand on its feet and knew what self-respect was. From a position of strength and for purely commercial reasons, it had allowed the British to remain.

Question 5.
Describe the scene that transported Professor Gaitonde to the alternative universe.
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde, after a frugal meal, set out for a stroll towards the Azad Maidan. There he saw a pandal where a lecture was to take place. Professor Gaitonde walked towards the pandal and noticed that on the platform the presidential chair was unoccupied. Drawn to the stage like a magnet, he quickly moved towards the chair.

The speaker stopped in mid-sentence, too shocked to continue. But the audience shouted at him. When he insisted on talking he became a target for a shower of tomatoes, eggs and other objects. But he kept on trying bravely to correct this blasphemy. Finally, the audience crowded on the stage to throw him out. And, in the crowd Gangadharpant was nowhere to be seen.

Question 6.
‘But we live in a unique world which has a unique history.’ Why did the Professor say so?
Answer:
Rajendra tried to rationalize Professor Gaitonde’s experience on the basis of two scientific theories known today. He had passed through a catastrophic experience. He applied it to the Battle of Panipat. The Maratha army was facing Abdali’s troops on the field of Panipat. There was no great disparity between the latter’s troops and the opposing forces. So, a lot depended on the leadership and the morale of the troops.
In the history known to us Vishwasrao, the son of and heir to the Peshwa, was killed.

This proved to be the turning pointing in the battle. Whether Bhausaheb was killed in battle or survived is not known. The soldiers lost their morale and fighting spirit and were defeated. However, in the alternative universe the bullet missed Vishwasrao, and it boosted the morale of the army and provided just that extra force that made all the difference. Professor Gaitonde felt comparable statements are made about the Battle of Waterloo, which Napoleon could have won. But all this is assumption. We live in a inimitable world which has a distinctive history. This idea of ‘it might have been’ is not acceptable for reality.

Question 7.
How did Rajendra explain Professor Gaitonde’s experience by linking it to ‘the lack of determinism in quantum theory’?
Answer:
Rajendra felt that reality might not be unique as has been found from experiments on atoms and their constituent particles. The behaviour of these systems cannot be predicted definitively even if all the physical. laws governing those systems are known. The course taken by an electron fired from a source cannot be asserted. This is the theory of the lack of determinism in the quantum theory. Similarly, in one world the electron is found here, in another it is over there.

In yet another world it could be in a completely different location. Once the observer finds where it is, we know which world we are talking about. But all those alternative worlds could exist just the same. The electron could be orbiting in any of a large number of specified states. These states may be used to identify the world. In state no. 1 we have the electron in a state of higher energy.

Instate no. 2 it is in a state of lower energy. It could make a jump from high to low energy and send out a pulse of radiation. Or a pulse of radiation could knock it out of state no. 2 into state no. 1. Such transitions are common in microscopic systems. If it happened on a macroscopic level people could make a transition from one world to another and back again.