Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery | Class 10th | English Footprints without Feet Important Questions

Class 10 English Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery Important Questions

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. What made James Herriot expect a call from Mrs Pumphrey?

Answer: James Herriot’s encounter with Mrs Pumphrey and Tricki made him expect a call for help. He was sure that the extra diet and no physical activity would soon put Tricki’s health in danger. And just as anticipated, Mrs Pumphrey called the vet a few days afterwards.

Question 2. What ‘extra’ did Mrs Pumphrey start to give Tricki and why?

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey thought that Tricki was suffering from malnutrition, as he was weak and listless. So, she started to give him extra snacks like cod-liver oil and malt between the main meals and Horlicks after dinner to make him stronger. She also continued his cream cakes and chocolates.

Question 3. What made Mrs Pumphrey call the vet?

Answer: Tricki’s condition made Mr» Pumphrey call the vet for help. Tricki had become fat and lazy. He just used to lie on his rug and pant. He also refused to eat food, even his favourite dishes. His bouts of vomiting added to Mrs Pumphrey’s worry. That is why, she called James Herriot.

Question 4. How can you say that it was hard for Mrs Pumphrey to part with her doting pet?

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey treated Tricki as her own child. She loved him very much. It was very difficult for her to see Tricki in such a situation. She was distraught when she had to make the decision to hospitalise Tricki, for her love for him knew no bounds. It was a terrible and tearful moment for her but she agreed to Herriot’s suggestion for the betterment of her pet.

Question 5. What kind of treatment was given to Tricki? Did it help in his recovery?

Answer: Tricki was given a non-medicinal treatment. His diet regimen was altered depending upon his body’s response to it. He was kept on liquid diet for the first two days and then his diet was gradually increased. Yes, this treatment did help Tricki as it built up energy in him. He had transformed to an energetic, hard-muscled dog in just a fortnight.

Question 6. Was Tricki suffering from any ailment in reality? If not, then what made him inactive and lethargic?

Answer: No, Tricki was not suffering from any ailment. It was his greed for food and the love of his mistress that spoilt his health to such an extent. He was being overfed everyday and that made him obese and lethargic. That is why his health showed rapid improvement when his diet was controlled.

Question 7. Briefly describe Herriot’s days of content.

Answer: The time of Tricki’s stay at the hospital was a period of content for Herriot. He used to enjoy the treat that arrived in the name of Tricki, as he could not afford all this for „ himself. Herriojj used to relish the fresh eggs in breakfast, wine before and during lunch and brandy in the night.

Question 8. “I think 1 know a cure for you”. What was Dr Herriot’s ‘cure’ for Tricki?

Answer: Seeing the miserable condition of Tricki Dr Herriot at once decides to keep him away from his mistress Mrs Pumphrey for a while. So, he suggested that Tricki should be hospitalized for about a fortnight as he had to be kept upder observation.

Question 9. Do you think Tricki was enjoying his stay at the hospital? 

Answer: Yes, Tricki was definitely enjoying his stay at the hospital. He had befriended the gang of shabby household dogs. He had found a new joy in being bowled over, trampled on and squashed. He had also become very energetic. He used to play and run all day long with the dogs. He was having a great time.

Question 10. Why was Dr Herriot shocked at Tricki’s appearance?

Answer: Dr Herriot was shocked at Tricki’s appearance because he had become hugely fat. His eyes looked bloodshot and rheumy and his tongue lolled from his jaws. He could walk with difficulty.

Question 11. Why was Tricki an uninteresting object for other dogs at the surgery?

Answer: When Tricki was brought to the surgery, all the household dogs surged around him but Tricki looked down at the noisy pack with dull eyes and lay motionless on the carpet. So after sniffing him for a few seconds, they found him an uninteresting object and moved away from him.

Question 12. What evidence do you get from the text about Tricki’s affluent living?

Answer: Tricki was loved by his mistress. She was very much concerned for him. She was rather blind in love. Tricki lived a more lavish life than any noraml human bring. He had a whole wardrobe of clothes for different weather, raincoat for wet days. Different bowls for different meals, toys, cushions, comfortable bed and what not. He was given rich diet including cream cakes and chocolates which he loved.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. Excess of everything is bad. Comment in the wake of Mrs Pumphrey’s love for Tricki.

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey was a rich woman who loved her dog very much. She loved to live a comfortable and lavish life and also wanted her dog to spend a similar one. She had maintained a wardrobe full of fancy fur coats, dresses, beds etc for Tricki. Apart from this, she used to overfeed Tricki out of her love and concern. She used to serve him cod-liver oil and malt between the main meals and Horlicks after dinner to give him strength. She never realised that Tricki was a greedy dog and this would spoil his health. She could not even refuse to answer Tricki drooling for cream cakes and chocolates.

Her overfeeding worsened Tricki’s condition. This made the dog lazy, inactive and obese. He used to lie on his rug and pant all day long. Mrs Pumphrey fed him excessively, spoiling Tricki’s health to such an extent that he had to be hospitalised. Even in the hospital she continued to convey Tricki her love through eggs, wine and brandy. Her fondness and care for Tricki proved that excess of everything made him fall sick.

Question 2. Write down incidences in support of values one should inculcate from Mr James Herriot.

Answer: Mr Herriot was a capable veterinary surgeon who treated Tricki. He was a very compassionate doctor and a wise and sympathetic human being. He showed his capabilities almost immediately when he advised Mrs Pumphrey to put Tricki on a strict diet after understanding his symptoms. He can also be said to be an understanding and tactful person as he knew exactly how to free Tricki from the spoiling love of Mrs Pumphrey for his betterment. He does not operate upon the poor dog unnecessarily and adopts a practical approach to treat him. Mr James was a caring and polite individual as he successfully allays Mrs Pumphrey’s anxiety about Tricki’s recovery patiently. He was in all a good human being and a successful professional.

Question 3. Do you think parents like Mrs Pumphrey exist? If yes, is it a good thing to pamper children? Why or why not? 

Answer: Yes, parents like Mrs Pumphrey definitely exist. They spoil their children in the name of love and care. They not only feed them junk but also spoil their social habits. This kind of a behaviour is very harmful for children. Such overprotective parental behaviour hinders their growth as adults. In fact it sows the seeds of greed and dependency in them They become stubborn and do not learn to value anything. For them, hard work is a myth as they get everything easily. Over pampered children often fail to face the hardships of life later, as for them life has been a cakewalk. Pampering children in moderation is healthy, but excess of it is harmful. It is not just bad for humans but also for animals, as we see in the story ‘A triumph of Surgery’.

Question 4. Write the brief character sketch of Mrs Pumphrey.

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey was a rich but eccentric lady. She was an ignorant kind of person. She had a pet dog Tricki, whom she loved more than anything. Her way of showing love was very different. She overfed Tricki. She showed her concern by giving him rich and extra diet between meals which finally made Tricki ill. She couldn’t bear Tricki doing exercise. She thought that it would make Tricki tired while it was necessary for him.

She pampered her pet which had a wardrobe of clothes for every season, different bowls for each meal, toys and what not. Her way of loving was not normal. But she was also a kind- hearted lady who finally burst into tears while parting with her dog. She had all human qualities as she didn’t forget to thank Mr Herriot at the end.

Question 5. Give a brief character sketch of Tricki.

Answer: Tricki is thoroughly pampered by his mistress Mrs Pumphrey. He has become hugely fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg at each comer. His eyes, bloodshot and rheumy, stares straight ahead his tongue lolled from his jaws. He is greedy and never refuses food. His mistress gives him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep.

Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates. To make things worse he had been doing no exercise. When Tricki is sent to Vet. Hospital, the entire staff of Mrs Pumphrey’s house rush to bring his day bed, his night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl. It all shows that Tricki has an affluent living.

Question 6.  Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey thinks that the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery” because in two weeks, Tricki had recovered completely and had been transformed into a hard-muscled animal. When Tricki saw her, he leaped into her lap and licked her face. She was so excited that tears started rolling out of her eyes. She declared Tricki’s recovery as a triumph of surgery to express her happiness and gratitude towards the doctor.

Question 7. What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense?

Answer: I think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, seems to be a practical and tactful person. He knows how to deal with people. He adjusts himself well to the circumstances. He immediately understands Tricki’s problem, Tricki doesn’t suffer from any sort of illness. The main cause of his illness is overfeeding. He takes the dog to his surgery. There the doctor keeps him on water diet and makes him physically active and treats without any medicine. The dog gets well under his supervision and natural environment of surgery.

Question 8. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?

Answer: Yes, Tricki was very happy to go home. When the dog was brought into the surgery, he was ill. But in spite of that the dog got cured in two days without any medication. The doctor provided proper diet to Tricki and regular exercise also helped a lot in his speedy recovery. The dog regained his best health and was no longer restless.

Now, I think Mrs Pumphrey may again go back to her old ways of treating Tricki with love and care or learning a lesson from what she experienced, she may mend her ways and make him an agile and healthier dog.