Chapter 5 The Happy Prince | Class 9th Moments Most Important Questions english

The Happy Prince important Questions Class 9 English

Short Answer Type Questions for The Happy Prince

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words.

Question 1: How was the statue of the Happy Prince built?

Answer

The statue of the Happy Prince was built in lead covered with gold. The eyes of the Prince were made of precious gems and his sword had a ruby on it. It was built on a tall pillar in the middle of the town.

Question 2: How did the swallow happen to meet the Happy Prince?

Answer

The little swallow’s friends had gone to Egypt but he had decided to stay behind initially. Later he decided to go to Egypt. On the way, he stopped for a night at the statue of Happy Prince to rest.

Question 3: How did the Happy Prince get to know about the miseries of the people after becoming blind? 

Answer

After becoming blind, the Happy Prince sent the swallow to see around the town. The swallow went around, observed the people and returned to the Prince to inform what he had seen in the town.

Question 4: How did the Mayor and Councillors feel when they saw the Happy Prince’ dull appearance and the dead swallow at its feet?

Answer

The greedy Mayor and his Councillors felt angry and disappointed when they saw the dull appearance of the Prince and the dead body of the swallow. They wanted to remove the statue from the pillar and build a new one in its place.

Question 5: What did God ask his angels to bring from the earth? What did they bring from the earth?

Answer

God asked His Angels to bring two most precious things from the town of the Happy Prince. The Angels brought the heart of the Happy Prince and the dead body of the swallow.

Question 6: Do you think that the angels had really brought the most precious things? Support your answer. 

Answer

Yes, the angels had brought the most precious things. The Happy Prince’ gave up everything he had without caring how he would look to help other people in need. The bird was to go a warmer place and be with his family and friends. But, he also gave up his life with the Prince to help the needy people.

Question 7: The world is full of two kinds of people – the kind and the unfeeling. How does the story of the Happy Prince present this truth?

Answer

This story presents two kinds of people in the world- The kind and the unkind When the prince was alive, he had never known unhappiness. However, when he became a statue, he saw people in dire situations whereas the administrators did not care about them.

Question 8: Whom do you like more- the Prince or the swallow? Why?

Answer

It is hard to say who is sweeter because both, the Prince and the Swallow, are equally sweet and good. The Prince is sweet because he was full of sympathy for the suffering poor of the city. Similarly, the swallow was sweet, too. It had a heart that was as soft as that of the Prince’s. Although it was going far away to join its loved ones, it stayed back to help the people.

Question 9: Where was the swallow going? Why?

Answer

Winter had set in. The swallow was migrating to the warm climate of Egypt. His friends had already gone there and were flying up and down the Nile.

Question 10: What broke the heart of the Prince?

Answer

The swallow was going to die. He gave the prince the last kiss and died. This grief broke the Prince’s heart.

Question 11: What do you think is the most pathetic event in the story?

Answer

The swallow flew over the city and saw the misery of the poor. He took gold leaves which covered the statue to help the poor as commanded by the prince. Winter had set in and it was too cold. There was snow and frost. It still stayed back and finally sacrificed its life.

Question 12: For whom does the prince send the sapphire and why?

Answer

The prince sends the sapphire to the poor playwright. The playwright’s hands are cold and numb. He cannot write. He has to finish the play for the director. He cannot buy fire-wood to keep himself warm. So, the prince sends the sapphire to the playwright.

Question 13: What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?

Answer

The swallow flies over the great city. He sees the rich making merry in their beautiful houses. He sees poor beggars at the gates. In dark cold lanes, he sees starving children, and hungry boys being pushed out of the archway of a bridge into the rain.

Long Answer Type Questions

Answer the following questions in 100-150 words.

Question 1: Write a character-sketch of the Happy Prince.

Answer

When the Prince was alive, he was unaware of the miseries of the poor people of his city. After his statue was placed on a high pedestal, he wept at seeing the plight of the poor people. He wanted to help them but he could not move. Once he befriended a swallow, it would send his precious stones to the poor people in need. He didn’t care of about how he would look in the end or become blind. All he cared for was to see the poor people happy. He loved the swallow and when he died the Prince’s heart broke with grief. He was kind and noble.

Question 2: How has the writer brought out poverty in the story “The Happy Prince”?

Answer

The writer has brought out poverty in a very heart-touching manner. The son of the tailor is suffering from fever. He is thirsty and asks for oranges. However, she is a poor tailor. She cannot buy oranges for her son. She is embroidering passion flowers for the Queen’s maids-of-honour. Her poverty is very touching. The poverty of the writers of the Victorian age has also been reflected very beautifully. The young writer is cold and hungry. Hunger has made him faint.

The little weeping match girl also depicts the poverty of the Victorian age. She has no shoes or stockings, and her little head is bare. The beggars are sitting at the gates of the houses of the rich people. In dark lanes, there are children who have white starving faces. They are looking out listlessly at the black streets. People do not have their own houses. The two little boys are lying under the archway of a bridge. It is cold so they are lying in one another’s arm to keep themselves warm. They are very hungry. 

Therefore, all these suggest the poverty of the Victorian age.

Question 3: The story describes exploitation of the poor and weak by the rich and affluent people. Elaborate. 

Answer

The writer has brought out exploitation of the poor and weak in a very touching. The people at court and the rich are exploiting the poor. The Mayor and the Town Councilors represent the exploitation of the power. The son of the seamstress is suffering from fever, but she cannot attend to him. She is embroidering passion flowers for the Queen’s made-of-honour to wear at the next court-ball. The poor are working hard, but they cannot buy even oranges. This is the worst kind of exploitation.

On one side, some people are so poor that they are starving and on the other hand the rich are making merry. The writers of that time have also been exploited. They are cold with hunger. The Mayor and the Town Councilors are exploiting their powers. Each one of them wants to have a statue. The Mayor even issues a proclamation that birds are not to be allowed to die there. This is purely an exploitation of power.

Question 4: Write an essay on the themes in the story “The Happy Prince”?

Answer

The story “The Happy Prince” has at least three themes.

The first theme of the story is that outward beauty is nothing it is just a show. The real beauty is love and sacrifice. The end of the story gives this idea. The Happy Prince has a lead heart, but this heart is full of sympathy for the poor and the needy. The same happens with the Swallow. He sacrifices his life for the love of the Happy Prince. Nevertheless, he also achieves spiritual beauty. He will sing evermore in God’s garden of Paradise.

The second theme is that love and sacrifice are two saving forces. This world is full of poverty, hypocrisy, and exploitation. If there was no love and sacrifice, the world could not go on its axis. It is because of love and sacrifice that this life is going on.

The third theme of the story is that there was a great gap between the rich and the poor, the rulers and the masses. The Happy Prince did not know about the poor and their problems when he was alive. Therefore, it means that the rulers at that time did not know about the problems and the difficulties of the masses.

Question 5: Why does the Happy Prince weep?

Answer

The Happy Prince weeps because he cannot bear the sufferings and the miseries of the poor and the needy. He weeps because he has a very soft heart, although it is made of lead. This heart had nothing but the sympathies for the poor and the needy.

The Happy Prince used to live in a palace where life was full of comforts and hence happy. At that time, the Happy Prince did not know what tears were. His courtiers called him Happy Prince. After his death, his courtiers made his statue and set it up on a very tall column. Now from that height, he could see all the ugliness and all the miseries of the city. Therefore, he weeps because he has very soft heart and he cannot stand the miseries of the people. It is because of this soft heart that he sacrifices his beauty and sapphire eyes.

Question 6: What did the Swallow tell the Happy Prince about the city and the people? Or What did the Swallow report to the Happy Prince about human misery or suffering?

Answer

When the Happy Prince gave away his sapphire eyes, he could not see any more. Therefore, he asked the Swallow to fly over his city and tell him what he saw there. The Swallow flew over the great city and reported to the Happy Prince what he had seen.

He told the Happy Prince about the condition of the rich and the poor. The rich were making merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gates. In the dark lanes, he saw the white faces of starving children. These children were so hungry that they were looking out listlessly at the black streets.

Therefore, the Swallow told the Happy Prince about the condition of the rich and the poor who were hungry and homeless. When the Happy Prince heard this, he asked the Swallow to give his gold covering to the poor and the needy.

Question 7: Discuss the end of the story “The Happy Prince”.

Answer

The story “The Happy Prince” is a fairy tale and the end of a fairy tale is always happy. In a fairy tale, characters face difficulties and they endanger their lives to achieve their desired goals. They face so many hardships that it appears that they would not succeed. However, at the end they always succeed and live happily ever after.

In the story, “The Happy Prince” the end appears tragic. The Swallow and the Happy Prince both die and are thrown on a dust heap. However, this is not the real end of the story. The Swallow and the Happy Prince have sacrificed their lives to help the poor and the needy. God is happy with their sacrifices. Therefore, God rewards them and orders that the Swallow will sing in the garden of paradise forever and the Happy Prince will praise him in his city.

Therefore, we see that this is quite a happy ending. It fulfills the most important requirement of a fairy tale. This end cannot be called a tragic end.