Author name: Prasanna

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions Footprints without Feet Chapter 6 The Making of a Scientist Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions Footprints without Feet Chapter 6 The Making of a Scientist

HBSE 10th Class English The Making of a Scientist Textbook Questions and Answers

Read and Find Out (Page – 32)

1. How did a book become a turning point in Richard Ebright’s life?
Answer:
By the time Richard Ebright was in the second grade, he had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown. According to him, this would probably have been the end to his butterfly collecting. However, a book made him think otherwise. The book titled ‘The Travels of Monarch TC became a turning point in his life. The book was about how monarch butterflies migrated to Central America. This opened up the world of science to the eager young butterfly collector. At the end of the book, readers were invited to help study butterfly migrations. He actively participated in tagging butterflies to help in the research being conducted by Dr Frederick A. Urquhart. He went on to raise an entire flock of butterflies in the basement of his home. Thus, it can be said that the book had managed to keep his enthusiasm alive by making him aware of the never-ending possibilities in the world of science.

2. How did his mother help him?
Answer:
Richard Ebright’s mother helped him by encouraging his interest in learning. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipments, and helped him in many other ways. If he did not have anything to do, she found things for him to leam. Even the book that became a turning point in his life was given to him by his mother. Hence, it can be said that his mother played a crucial role in the making of the scientist.

Read and Find Out (Page – 34)

1. What lesson does Ebright learn when he does not win anything at a science fair?
Answer:
When Richard Ebright did not win anything at the science fair, he realized that the winners
had tried to conduct real experiments. He, on the other hand, had simply made a neat display. He had shown slides of frog tissues under a microscope. It was the first time that he got a hint of what real science was. This event served to develop the competitive spirit in him. Ultimately, it was this spirit of enthusiasm and competitiveness that drove him to achieve new heights in science.

2. What experiments and projects does he then undertake?
Answer:
After losing out at the science fair, Richard Ebright undertook various experiments and projects. For his eighth grade project, he tried finding the cause of a viral disease that killed nearly all monarch caterpillars every few years. He tried raising caterpillars in the presence of beetles as he thought the disease might have been carried by a beetle. He did not get any results. However, he went ahead and showed that he had tried the experiment, and this time he won.

The next year, his science fair project was to test the theory that viceroy butterflies copied monarchs in order to prevent being eaten by birds. His project was to see whether birds would eat monarchs. He found that a starling would not eat ordinary bird food, but ate all the monarchs it could get. This project was placed first in the zoology division and third overall in the county science fair.

In his second year at high school, he did the research that led to the discovery of an unknown insect hormone. It also led to his new theory on the life of cells. He tried to find the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa. Along with another excellent science student, he built a device which showed that the spots were producing a hormone necessary for the butterfly’s full development. This project won the first place in the county fair and also an entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair, where it was adjudged the third best in zoology.
In his senior year, he grew cells from a monarch’s wing in a culture and showed that the cells would divide and develop into normal butterfly wing scales only if they were fed the hormone from the gold spots. That project won first place in zoology at the International Fair.

The summer after his freshman year at Harvard, Richard worked on the hormone secreted from the gold spots, and was able to identify the chemical structure of the hormone. During his junior year, he got the idea for his new theory on the life of cells. Along with his room¬- mate, James R. Wong, he worked on his theory and wrote a paper explaining the same.

3. What are the qualities that go into the making of a scientist?
Answer:
The author mentions three qualities that go into the making of a scientist, i. e., mind, curiosity, and the will to win for the right reasons. Richard Ebright was a very intelligent student. He was also a champion debater, a public speaker, a good canoeist and an expert photographer. He always gave that extra effort. He was competitive, but for the right reasons. From the first he had a driving curiosity along with a bright mind; and it was this curiosity that ultimately led him to his theory about cell life.

Think about It

1. How can one become a scientist, an economist, a historian… ? Does it simply involve reading many books on the subject? Does it involve observing, thinking and doing experiments?
Answer:
This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

2. You must have read about cells and DNA in your science books. Discuss Richard Ebright’s work in the light of what you have studied. If you get an opportunity to work like Richard Ebright on projects and experiments, which field would you like to work on and why?
Answer:
This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

Talk about It

1. Children everywhere wonder about the world around them. The questions they ask are the beginning of scientific inquiry. Given below are some questions that children in India have asked Professor Yash Pal and Dr Rahul Pal as reported in their book, Discovered Questions (NCERT, 2006).
(i) What is DNA fingerprinting? What are its uses?
(ii) HOW do honeybees identify their own honeycombs?
(iii) Why does rain fall in drops?
Can you answer these questions? You will find Professor Yash Pal’s and Dr Rahul Pal’s answers (as given in Discovered Questions) on page 75.
Answer:
(i) DNA fingerprinting is a method used to identify an individual from a sample of DNA
by looking at unique patterns in their DNA.

Uses of DNA fingerprinting:

• It is widely used to find out the real biological parent in paternity-maternity disputes.
• It is used to identify the real culprit involved in crimes, such as murder, rape etc.
• It is also used to find the original background and historical migration of a particular racial group.
• It is also used in gene therapy.

(ii) Honeybees have an incredible sense of direction and smell. They are guided by the queen pheromone which is unique to the hive. Bees smell their pheromone secreted by them on their own hive and identify their hive combs.
(iii) Water remains suspended in the clouds and when the force of gravity exceeds the force of updraft, it starts falling.
Because of surface tension of water, it forms spherical or round drops, as a sphere has the minimum surface area for a given volume.

2. You also must have wondered about certain things around you. Share these questions with your class, and try and answer them.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

HBSE 10th Class English The Making of a Scientist Important Questions and Answers

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Richard became a collector at an early age. How?
Answer:
Richard was the only child of his parents. He had no company at home to play with. So, he started collecting things in his spare time. He would collect coins, fossils, rocks and butterflies as a hobby.

Question 2.
Comment on the role played by Richard’s mother in his success.
Or
How did Ebright’s mother help him in becoming a scientist?
Answer:
Richard’s mother made his son the centre of her life. She would buy microscopes, telescopes and books for him. She arranged trips for him and would also prepare difficult tasks for him. This helped him to learn a lot.

Question 3.
How did ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ prove a turning point in his life?
Answer:
Richard was bored with collecting butterflies. At this time, his mother got the book ‘The Travels of Monarch X for him. After reading the book, he studied the migration of butterflies and it opened the world of science to him.

Question 4.
Which project did Richard undertake in the eighth grade?
Answer:
Richard undertook the project to find the cause of a viral fever that had killed thousands of butterflies. He thought that a beetle might carry the virus although he was not able to prove it.

Question 5.
Richard’s project on the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa was highly valuable in two ways. List the two ways.
Answer:
This project had a huge impact. First, he discovered a hormone that was necessary for the growth of the pupa. Secondly, he got a chance to work at a famous laboratory.

Question 6.
Mention any two of Ebright’s contributions to the world of science.
Answer:
Ebright discovered a hormone that was necessary for the growth of a butterfly. His other important contributions proved to be his study of how cells read their DNA.

Question 7.
In addition to science, what were the other interests of Richard?
Answer:
In addition to science, Richard was a good debater and a public speaker as well as a canoeist and an all-around-outdoor person. He loved photography as well.

Question 8.
Hobbies play a very important role in one’s life. Elaborate this with reference to “The Making of a Scientist”.
Answer:
Richard Ebright started collecting butterflies as a hobby. This led him to research and discover many things. Hence, hobbies play an important role in one’s life.

Question 9.
What were the factors which contributed in making Ebright a scientist?
Answer:
Three qualities of Ebright which contributed in making him a scientist were; a first rate mind, a sense of curiosity and a will to win for the right reason.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What rare achievement did Richard manage at the age of twenty-two?
Answer:
Richard had a rare honour at the age of twenty-two. He wrote an article with his friend about a theory of how cells work. The article was published in the scientific journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science’. No one had this achievement at such a young age before him.

Question 2.
Why did Richard lose interest in tagging butterflies?
Answer:
Richard raised thousands of butterflies, tagged them and released them to study their migration. But soon, he lost interest because only two of his tagged butterflies returned to him and they had travelled only seventy-five miles.

Question 3.
Mr. Weiherer pays a glowing tribute to Richard. What did he say?
Answer:
Mr. Weiherer was Ebright’s social studies teacher. He praised him for his brilliant mind, his curiosity and a will to win for the right reason. He also admired Richard for his spirit to do his very best all the time.

Question 4.
Why do viceroy butterflies copy the monarch butterflies?
Answer:
Birds eat viceroy butterflies because they taste good to them, whereas monarch butterflies do not taste good to the birds. So the viceroys try to copy the monarchs to protect themselves from the birds.

Question 5.
Ebright’s basement became a home to thousands of monarch butterflies. How?
Answer:
Ebright’s basement became a home to thousands of monarch butterflies because he raised some of the butterflies in his basement. He catched a monarch butterfly, took her eggs and raised them. He also taggled the wings of butterflies and let them go.

Essay Type Questions

Question 1.
Richard’s mother had a great influence on him. Discuss.
Or
Discuss the role of Ebright’s mother in making him a scientist. [CBSE 2011]
Answer:
Richard’s mother played an important role in making him a great scientist. She would take him on trips to encourage learning. He was a single child. After the death of his father his mother made him the focus of her life. She would buy him all kinds of microscopes, telescopes and other equipment. After dinner, she gave him problems to solve. This helped Richard to learn a lot. She was his only companion for a long time. It was his mother who got him the book ‘The Travels of Monarch N. This book opened the world of science for Richard. She also wrote to Dr Urquhart to guide her son. The scientist helped Richard and guided him. Thus, his mother actually shaped him into an extraordinary scientist.

Question 2.
Ebright’s study of monarch pupas had a far reaching impact. Elaborate.
Answer:
For a long time the scientific community had regarded the bright spots on a monarch pupa as purely ornamental. But Dr Urquhart did not believe it. Nor did Richard. He started his experiments on the monarch pupa. He built a device with the help of a friend. This led to the discovery of a hormone. Richard proved that the hormone was necessary for the growth of the butterfly. This discovery got him many honours. Also, it led to another important study. He began working on how cells read their DNA. DNA is the carrier of heredity and is called the blueprint of life. His theory could find answers to many cancers and diseases.

Question 3.
Richard Ebright displayed a well-rounded personality. Do you agree? Elucidate in the
context of the given text. [CB SE 2016]
Answer:
Richard’s genius was obvious by the time he was in his second grade. He managed to collect all twenty-five species of butterflies around his hometown and classify them. He also loved to collect coins, fossils and rocks. Science was not his only passion. He was an active member of his school’s oratory club and model United Nations club and was an effective debater and a public speaker. He loved photography as well.
He was an enthusiastic canoeist and an all-around outdoors-person. Learning was easy for him. So he found it simple to devote time and energy to many other interests. He became a champion in whatever he did. He believed in the spirit of competition to win. But, he did not wish to defeat others just to win. He wanted to win to do his best. Thus, he displayed a well- rounded personality.

Question 4.
Dr Urquhart contributed significantly to Ebright’s growth as a scientist. Explain.
Answer:
Richard had become bored with collecting butterflies. His mother got him a book on the
migration of butterflies. Richard came in contact with Dr Urquhart through the book. Dr Urquhart directed him to study the migration pattern of butterflies.
When he did not win any prize in the science fair in seventh grade, he again wrote to Dr Urquhart to guide him. The scientist gave him many suggestions for new experiments. Richard performed these experiments throughout his high school and won many prizes. Later, he worked on why bright spots are found on a monarch pupa, motivated by Dr Urquhart. It led to the discovery of a new hormone. The discovery of this new hormone further led to an important theory. The theory was about how cells read their DNA. In this way Dr Urquhart proved to be his true mentor.

Question 5.
What are the values required to become a successful scientist like Richard Ebright? Elaborate with reference to the lesson ‘The Making of a Scientist’.
Answer:
Curiosity to know more and a motivation to find reasons for existence of anything or any phenomenon are necessary for becoming a successful scientist. The urge to know more develops the scientific aptitude in a person. At a very young age, Ebright became competitive by participating in various county fairs. He never lost hope and kept on trying to do better. In addition to curiosity and motivation, Ebright displayed the qualities of hard work, sincerity, determination and patience. He also accepted failure and success in the right spirit. Thus, he became a successful scientist.

Question 6.
What role did Ebright’s mother play in his life? Discuss it on the basis of the lesson.
Answer:
After the death of Ebright’s father, her mother played an instrumental role in his life. She also
stood behind him. Every evening they spent together at the dining table. She also developed
his interest in learning. She took him on trips, bought him microscopes, telescopes, cameras and other instruments. She worked as a bridge between her son and Urquhart. Ebright was mainly interested in collecting things. When he was in third, her mother gave him a children’s book called ‘The Travels of Monarch X. It aroused his curiosity in collecting butterflies. This way we can say that Ebright’s mother was a source of inspiration for him. Through her inspiration, he could become a great scientist.

The Making of a Scientist Summary

‘The Making of a Scientist’ Introduction

About the Author

• Robert W. Peterson (1925 – February 11,2006 Warren, Pennsylvania) was an American newspaper writer who later became a freelance author of magazine articles and books, mainly on the topics of sports and Scouting. His 1970 chronicle of Negro league baseball titled Only the Ball Was White was hailed by The New York Times as having “recaptured a lost era in baseball history and a rich facet of black life in America”.
• He was raised in Warren, Pennsylvania Peterson played baseball while attending Upsala College. He was a writer and editor with the old New York World-Telegram newspaper, which folded in 1966. Peterson died of lung cancer on February 11,2006, in Salisbury, Pennsylvania. At the time of his death, he was on a committee selecting Negro league players for the Hall of Fame.
• Peterson’s book, The Boy Scouts: An American Adventure, was written in 1984 on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Peterson also wrote numerous articles for Scouting magazine between 1970s -1990s, such as a tribute to William Hillcourt in 1985, acclaiming the influential BSA leader as “the foremost influence on development of the Boy Scouting program”. He subsequently wrote another article for Scouting magazine about Hillcourt in 2001. Among the articles Peterson penned for the BSA’s Scouting magazine was an account of Scouting activities in the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.

Gist of the Story

Richard H. Ebright published the theory of how cells work in an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science at the age of twenty two.

Richard H. Ebright grew up in north of Reading in Pennsylvania. There he was not able to do anything. He was not able to play football or baseball too. But he collected things only.
In kindergarten, Ebright collected butterflies. He also collected rocks, fossils, and coins. He would observe sky at night too. His mother developed his interest in learning. She took him on trips, bought him telescope, microscope, cameras, mounting materials, and other materials required for learning. He lost his father when he was in third grade. Her mother always discussed with him every night and gave him mental exercise instead of physical exercise, which he wanted to learn. Ebright had also collected all twenty five species of butterflies found around his hometown.

Richard’s mother gave him a children’s book called “The Travels of Monarch A” which discussed how monarch butterflies migrate to Central America.

At the end of the book, readers were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr. Frederick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. Anyone who found a tagged butterfly was asked to send the tag to Dr Urquhart.
Richard rose a flock of butterflies. Caught a female monarch, took her eggs, and raised them in his basement through their life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult butterfly. Then he would tag the butterflies’ wings and let them go. For several years, his basement was home to thousands of monarchs in different stages of development.

He got a hint of what real science is when he entered a county science fair. He lost there and said that that was a sad feeling to sit there and not to get anything while everybody else had won something. He realized that winners had tried to do real experiments.
Ebright also tried to find the cause of a viral disease that killed nearly all monarch caterpillars every few years. Ebright thought the disease might be carried by a beetle. So he rose caterpillars in the presence of beetles. But he didn’t get any real result. But he went ahead and showed that he had tried the experiment.

His science fair project also tested the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. Monarchs don’t taste good to birds. Viceroys, on the other hand, do taste good to birds. So the more they look like monarchs, the less likely they are to become a bird’s dinner. Ebright’s project was to see whether, in fact, birds would eat monarchs. He also found that a starling would not eat ordinary bird food. It would eat all the monarchs it could get. This project was placed first in the zoology division and overall third in the county science fair.

Richard Ebright also began the research that led to his discovery of an unknown insect hormone. Indirectly, it also led to his new theory on the life of cells. The question he tried to answer was simple: What is the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa?
Ebright and other science students built a device that showed that the spots were producing a hormone necessary for the butterfly’s full development to find the answer.

This project won Ebright first place in the county fair and entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair. Richard Ebright continued his advanced experiments on the monarch pupa.

‘The Making of a Scientist’ Summary

Brief Introduction: In this lesson, the author has presented the views of a scientist on the scientific world with a new theory.

Article published in the magazine: Richard H. Ebright and his college roommate explained the theory in an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science when he was barely twenty-two years of age. He excited the scientific world with a new theory on how cells work. His first experiment started with butterflies.
Fascination for collecting butterflies: Ebright did not play football or basketball. He had fascination only for collecting butterflies. He also collected rocks, fossils and coins.

Mother – a driving force: His mother was a driving force in his career. She also encouraged his interest in learning. She helped him in many ways. She provided him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and also took him on trips. After the death of his father, he was the only ray of hope for her. Every evening at the dining room table she made him leam many things. When he was in the second grade, Ebright had collected twenty-five species of butterflies around his hometown.

The Travels of Monarch X: Ebright’s mother gave him the book The Travels of Monarch X which discussed how monarch butterflies migrate to central America. It also opened the world of science to the young collector. Readers were also invited to help them study butterfly migrations. They were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr Frederick A. Urquhart of Toronto University. Ebright also attached light adhesive tags to the wings of monarchs. He also made an experiment on female monarch, took her eggs, raised them in his basement through their life cycle. The life cycle was like this:
egg → butterfly → pupa → adult butterfly
His basement was home to thousands of monarchs in different stages of development.

Finding the cause of viral disease: While in eighth grade, Ebright tried to find the cause of a viral disease which killed all monarch caterpillars every few years. According to him, the disease might be carried by a beetle. He was also testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. Ebright’s project was also placed first in the zoology division. In the county science fair, it also stood third.

Continuing his advanced experiments: Richard Ebright continued his advanced experiments on the monarch pupa when he was in his high school junior. He went ahead and grew cells from a monarch’s wing in a culture. It showed that the cells would divide and develop into normal butterfly wing scales only if they were fed the hormone from the gold spots. This project gave him first place for zoology at the International Fair.

Identifying hormone’s chemical structure: Through the sophisticated instruments of laboratory, Ebright identified the chemical structure of the hormone. He also got the idea for his new theory about cell life. He also knew how the cell can read the blueprint of its DNA, the substance in the nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It also determines the form and function of the cell. DNA is also the blueprint for life.

Extra-curricular activities: Richard Ebright was also interested in other extra-curricular activities. He became a champion debater, public speaker, a good canoeist and an all-around outdoors-person. He had much fascination for photography particularly of nature and scientific exhibits. Richard A. Weiherer was the most important person for him. He opened his mind to new ideas.

Qualities of a scientist: Ebright had all the qualities which a scientist should have. He did not believe in the dictum.
Winning for winning’s sake: He just wanted to be the best. He had a scientific bent of mind. He never lost his scientific curiosity.

Lesson at a Glance

• Richard H. Ebright and his college roommate published the theory on how cells work in an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
• Ebright grew up in the north of Reading, Pennsylvania.
• He could not play football or baseball but he could only collect things.
• Ebright collected butterflies in kindergarten. He also collected rocks, fossils and coins.
• He was a curious astronomer who gazed at stars throughout night.
• His mother encouraged his interest in learning.
• She often took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other equipment.
• His father died only when he was in third grade.
• He earned up top grades in school.
• When he was in the second grade, Ebright had collected twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown.
• A children’s book, “The Travels of Monarch X’ told how monarch butterflies migrated to Central America and opened the world of science to Ebright.
• Readers were also invited to help study butterfly migration.
• Dr Frederick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada told them to tag butterflies for research.
• Around Reading, the butterfly collecting season went on for six weeks.
• Ebright raised a flock of butterflies, caught a female monarch, took her eggs, and raised them in his basement through their life cycle. This cycle ranged from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult butterfly.
• His basement was home to a number of monarchs in different stages of development.
• In the seventh grade, he got a hint of what real science is.
• He was only concerned with the subject of insects.
• Dr. Urquhart gave Ebright suggestions for experiments which gave him prize in country and international science fairs.
• Ebright tried to find the cause of a viral disease which kills all monarch caterpillars every year.
• The next year his science fair project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs.
• Ebright found that a starling would not eat ordinary bird food.
• Richard Ebright also led to his discovery of an unknown insect hormone.
• He wanted to know the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa.
• It was the assumption of everyone that the spots were just ornamental.
• To get its answer, Ebright and his colleagues built a device that showed that the spots were producing a hormone that is essential to the full development of the butterfly.
• This experiment gave him a new recognition into the International Science and Engineering Fair.
• When he was in his senior level, he grew cells from a monarch’s wing in a culture. It also showed that the cells would divide and develop into normal butterfly wing scales only if they were fed the hormone from the gold spots. This project won him first place for zoology at the International Fair.
• Ebright also did more work on the hormone from the gold spots.
• Now, he was able to identify the hormone’s chemical structure.
• DNA is the substance in the nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It determines the form and function of the cell. Thus DNA is the blueprint for life.
• Richard Ebright did his graduation from Harvard with the highest honours.
• Richard Ebright was also a champion debater and public speaker and a good canoeist.
• He was very competitive.
• He was not interested in winning for winning’s sake.
• He just wanted to do the best job he could.
• Ebright had all the qualities of a scientist prevalent in him.

Character Sketch

Richard H. Ebright: Richard H. Ebright was a great scientist and debater. He was really a genius. He created a sensation in the scientific world with a new theory on how cells work. He did his experiments on butterflies. Since childhood, he had the fascination of collecting butterflies. He also did a lot of work on monarch butterflies, the cell and its DNA. It determines the form and function of the cell. It is also the blueprint for life. His mother was a source of inspiration for him.

Dr Urquhart: Dr Urquhart played an instrumental role in Ebright’s life. He taught at the University of Toronto, Canada. He was famous for his work on monarch butterflies. He moulded the career of Ebright with new ideas and suggestions.
Richard A. Weiherer: Richard A. Weiherer taught social studies to Ebright. Ebright respected and admired him most. He turned Ebright’s energy towards the Debating and Model, United Nations clubs. He also played an important role in his life.

‘The Making of a Scientist’ Word-Meanings

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions Footprints without Feet Chapter 5 Footprints without Feet Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions Footprints without Feet Chapter 5 Footprints without Feet

HBSE 10th Class English Footprints without Feet Textbook Questions and Answers

Think about It

Read and Find Out (Page – 26)

1. How did the invisible man first become visible?
Answer:
Griffin was completely invisible until he happened to step in some mud, which caused him to leave footprints as he walked. His footprints were seen by two boys, who followed him as long as the prints were visible. On getting rid of them, he went into a big London store to put on some warm clothes. After the store was shut, he got dressed by putting on shoes, an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat. This made him visible to the people who came to work at the store the next day.

2. Why was he wandering into the streets?
Answer:
Griffin was a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to get rid of him. In revenge, he set fire to the house. He had to remove his clothes to get away without being seen. That was why he had become a homeless wanderer – without clothes and money.

Read and Find Out (Page – 28)

1. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Answer:
The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was in itself a strange occurrence. In addition, the stranger had an uncommon appearance. In spite of Mrs Hall’s attempts to be friendly, he would respond in a cold manner. He told her that he had no desire to talk, and that all he wanted was solitude. He did not wish to be disturbed in his work. For all these reasons she regarded him as an eccentric scientist.

2. What curious episode occurs in the study?
Answer:
A clergyman and his wife were awakened very early in the morning by noises coming from the study. They crept downstairs and heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman’s desk. With a poker grasped firmly in his hand, the clergyman hoped to surprise the thief. However, it was he who was surprised when he found the room to be empty. He and his wife looked under the desk, behind the curtains, and even up the chimney. There was nobody. Yet the desk had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing. It was a curious episode, and the clergyman kept saying the words “extraordinary affair” for the rest of the day.

3. What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?
Answer:
Apart from the study room incident, many other extraordinary things happened at the inn. When the landlord and his wife saw the scientist’s door open, they entered his room. They saw that the clothes and bandages that he always wore were lying about the room. Suddenly, Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. A moment later, the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed itself into her face. Then, the bedroom chair became alive and charged straight at her. As she and her husband turned away in terror, the chair pushed them out of the room, and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them. Mrs Hall, who almost fell down the stairs in hysterics, was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits, and that these spirits had something to do with the strange scientist.
Griffin was strongly suspected of having a hand in the burglary at the clergyman’s home. When Mrs Hall questioned him on the strange happenings in his room, he threw off his bandages, whiskers, spectacles and false nose. The people were horrified to see a headless man. When the police arrived, he threw off one garment after another, thereby becoming invisible and running away.

Think about It

1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
Answer:
Griffin was a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to get rid of him. In revenge, he set fire to the house and ran away. He had no money. Therefore, he stole and robbed people after becoming invisible. When he went into the London store, he gave himself the pleasure of clothing. He fed himself regardless of expenses. Later, he went to Drury Lane, which was the centre of the theatre world. He went to a suitable shop and came out wearing bandages round his forehead, dark glasses, false nose, big bushy side-whiskers, and a large hat. He was visible then. To escape without being seen, he callously attacked the shopkeeper from behind, and robbed him of all the money he could find. When he had exhausted all the money he had stolen, he robbed a clergyman. He even attacked the innkeeper and his wife when they tried to sneak into his room. Later, when the police came to arrest him, he threw off his clothes, thereby becoming invisible and running away.

2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
Answer:
After repeated experiments, Griffin had discovered how to make the human body transparent. This was a big achievement. However, he misused his discovery for personal gains and for hurting others. Thus, though he can be termed as a brilliant scientist, he was not a noble one.

Talk about It

1. Would you like to become invisible? What advantages and disadvantages do you foresee, if you did?
Answer:
Do it yourself.

2. Are there forces around us that are invisible, for example, magnetism? Are there aspects of matter that are ‘invisible’ or not visible to the naked eye? What would the world be like if you could see such forces or such aspects of matter?
Answer:
Yes, there are forces which are present around us and are invisible. Like, gravitational force, magnetic force, electromagnetic force, etc.
Yes, there are aspects of matter that are invisible to us. If we could see these invisible forces and aspects, then we would have known some more things about the origin, pattern, propagation and behaviour of the various forces.

3. What makes glass or water transparent (what is the scientific explanation for this)? Do you think it would be scientifically possible for a man to become invisible, or transparent? (Keep in mind that writers of science fiction have often turned out to be prophetic in their imagination!)
Answer:
Glass or water is transparent to our eyes. This is because glass and water don’t absorb most of the light and majority of the photons pass through them.
Glass being an amorphous (not having a crystalline structure) will not reflect light and there is not enough energy in the photons to excite the electrons of the atoms to move them to a different energy level. So the light passes unabsorbed through the glass making it transparent.
Water will behave the same way for the same reason. This only happens in the visible region (380-700 nm). Scientifically it is possible for a man to become invisible, in the coming years. The vision is shown in the movies.

HBSE 10th Class English Footprints without Feet Important Questions and Answers

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What made Mrs Hall angry with Griffin?
Answer:
In the hotel room, Griffin had attacked Mr and Mrs Hall and even hurled a chair on Mrs Hall. Moreover, he had not paid the rent for a long time. This made Mrs Hall angry.

Question 2.
What did Griffin do in the clergyman’s house?
Answer:
After living for a considerable amount of time at the hotel in Iping, Griffin ran out of money. He decided to steal it from the clergyman’s house. He entered the house invisibly and stole money from the desk.

Question 3.
Why did Griffin decide to slip into a big London store? [CBSE2011]
Answer:
Griffin decided to slip into a big London store, because the season was mid-winter, due to
which it became difficult to wander around without clothes in London.

Question 4.
What did Griffin do in the shop of a theatrical company? [CBSE2012]
Answer:
The second time Griffin tried the stock of a theatrical company in the hope of finding not
only clothes but also something like side whiskers, glasses, false nose, bandages, hat, etc. that would hide the empty space above his shoulders.

Question 5.
What happened to Jaffers when he tried to catch the invisible scientist?
Answer:
When constable Jaffers tried to catch Griffin, he became invisible by removing his clothes.
Jaffers found himself struggling with someone who couldn’t be seen. He was hit by blows and soon was knocked unconscious by Griffin.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Why did Mrs Hall, the landlady at Iping inn at first try to be friendly with Griffin?
Answer:
It was not usual for visitors to come to Iping in winters. So, when Mrs Hall noticed that a
visitor, Griffin, had come to stay there and moreover he had paid the rent in advance, she was obliged to welcome him and therefore tried to be friendly with him. She also excused Griffin’s irritable habits.

Question 2.
Why were the two boys in London surprised and fascinated?
Answer:
The two boys in London were surprised and fascinated when they saw fresh muddy footprints of a human being on the steps of a house, but no man was there making them. As they looked, a fresh footprint appeared from nowhere. Further, more footprints followed. The boys got fascinated and followed them until they disappeared.

Question 3.
How was Griffin a lawless man?
Answer:
Griffin was lawless because he had committed many anti-social deeds for which he never felt guilty. He set fire to his landlord’s house and ran away, he stole foodstuffs and clothes from a London store, stole other goods from a theatrical company and also stole money from a clergyman’s house to pay his bills.

Question 4.
How did Griffin find himself invisible but naked in the chilled January air for the second time?
Answer:
When the London store opened in the morning, Griffin panicked as he had overslept in the store and he was chased by store assistants. He had to take off his newly found clothes to become invisible and escape, so he found himself invisible but naked in the chilled January air for the second time.

Question 5.
What did the Halls see in the scientist’s room? [CBSE2013]
Answer:
As the door of the room was open and nobody appeared to be inside, the Halls entered the scientist’s room. They saw that the bedclothes were cold, showing that the scientist must have been up for some time; and stranger still, the clothes and bandages that he always wore were lying about the room.

Question 6.
How did the visible man become invisible? What did he do then? [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
The invisible man got angry with Mrs Hall for asking an explanation for the mysterious happenings and threw off all he was wearing on his head so that he became a man without a head. Soon the constable Jaffers arrived to arrest him, but the invisible man threw off all his clothes to become invisible and, in the ensuing scuffle he knocked Jaffers unconscious and escaped.

Question 7.
What was the explanation of ‘mystery’ as discussed in the lesson Footprints Without Feet?
Answer:
The two boys followed muddy footprints, being made fresh without seeing anybody making the prints, which was a ‘mystery’ for them. The explanation was that the bewildered boys had been following a scientist who had just discovered how to make the human body transparent, and thus invisible, by swallowing certain drugs.

Essay Type Questions

Question 1.
Why did Griffin set fire to his landlord’s house? What happened after that?
Answer:
Griffin was a genius but eccentric scientist. He made a number of experiments. He also discovered how to make human body transparent and invisible. He also misused his scientific knowledge to settle his personal gain. He was also a lawless person. Griffin’s landlord did not like him. So, he wanted to eject him. He was very furious. So, he decided to take revenge. In retaliation, he set the house of the landlord on fire. After setting the house on fire, to avoid arrest he had to remove his clothes. He removed his clothes and became invisible. But, he had to face the consequences for all the things which he had committed. Now, he was without clothes, money etc. He had now become a homeless wanderer. He also entered the London store to warm himself with clothes and also to feed himself.

Question 2.
Griffin was not a true scientist as he misused his scientific discovery. Illustrate this point by giving two incidents from the story.
Answer:
A true scientist is a law-abiding person. A scientist is also called a ‘natural philosopher’. Griffin was not a true scientist as he did not use his discovery of how to make himself invisible for good uses. He lost control of himself and behaved like a criminal. First, he set fire to his landlord’s house and ran away. Then he stole food without paying for it in a London store. Besides, he robbed the owner of a theatrical company and stole money from a clergyman’s desk. All the incidences show that Griffin was not a true scientist. He did nothing that could give a new dimension to the world. He was a genius. But he did not apply his intelligence in the discovery of new things. This way he did nothing for the society.

Question 3.
Describe the landlord’s and his wife’s experience with the strange scientist.
Answer:
Both Mrs Hall and her husband were surprised to find the scientist’s room door open because normally it was always locked. So they peeped in, but found nobody inside there. The clothes and bandages that he always wore were lying about the room. Suddenly Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear and the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed itself into her face. Then the bedroom chair sprang into the air and pushed them both out of the room and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them. Mrs Hall became hysterical and almost fell down the stairs. She thought that her furniture was haunted. They decided to confront the scientist next time when they met him.

Question 4.
What impression do you form of Griffin after reading the lesson, “Footprints Without Feet”?
Answer:
Griffin was a brilliant but eccentric scientist, as he discovered a drug due to which his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass after swallowing it. This made him invisible. But he was a lawless person. Because of his misdeeds, he became a homeless wanderer without clothes and money. He was an introvert with a desire for solitude. He was always seeking adventure. He was also fond of mysterious things. However, he was unscrupulous, he robbed various people to complete his work, besides he got angry very quickly, which caused him to become a fugitive. After reading the lesson, we come to the conclusion that Griffin was not a scientist in the real sense of the term. Had he been a true scientist, he would have given something new to the society through his inventions. He would not have committed such type of silly mistakes.

Question 5.
If, somehow you discovered how to become invisible, how would you use that opportunity?
Answer:
If I discovered how to become invisible, I would use this opportunity to punish all those people who cause trouble to others for their own selfish motives. I would catch them and hand them over to the police without letting them know that I was behind them. I will also help the law-enforcing agencies when they conduct raids on criminal hideouts, as I will be able to move in the open without fear of being seen. This will help the people of the country to become more law-abiding citizens.

Footprints without Feet Summary

‘Footprints without Feet’ Introduction

About the Author

• H.G. Wells was a writer of science-fiction works – including The Time Machine and War of the Worlds – who had a great influence on our vision of the future.
• H.G. Wells was bom in England in 1866. His parents were shopkeepers in Kent, England. His first novel, The Time Machine was an instant success and Wells produced a series of science fiction novels which pioneered our ideas of the future. His later work focused on satire and social criticism. Wells laid out his socialist views of human history in his Outline of History. He died in 1946.

Gist of the Story

This story is about a scientist, Griffin, who discovers a drug which makes a person invisible. He uses that drug for his personal gains. He was a brilliant but lawless scientist. He consumed the drug and a series of incidents ensued. Upon ejected by the landlord, he burned his house down. Then he became a wanderer with no clothes, money and home. It was mid-November and the winter was getting on its peak. To get rid of the cold, he stayed at a store where he was chased by the store assistants but he used his invisibility and got away. After this, he stole some items from a theatrical shop and went to Iping, a village where he took refuge in a hotel room. He convinced the landlord not to disturb him as he was there to feel a sense of solitary. As he ran out of money, he stole again from a clergyman’s house and scared the landlord and his husband with a show of his invisibility and short-temper. After reporting the incidence of theft at clergyman’s house to the police, a constable arrives at the hotel to arrest the invisible scientist but a scuffle takes place between the two and the scientist removes all his clothes to go unnoticed by the constable and the people. Thus he fled again.

‘Footprints without Feet’ Summary

Brief Introduction: Griffin was a great but eccentric scientist. He was a lawless person. He used to become invisible.

Muddy imprints of bare feet: There were two boys who were much surprised to see the muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet on the steps of a house in London. The boys got fascinated towards the muddy impressions but they became fainter and later on disappeared.

Obscurity of imprints: The obscurity of imprints was very simple. The bewildered boys had been following a scientist who had just discovered how to make the human body transparent.

Griffin-an eccentric scientist: Griffin was an eccentric scientist. He did numerous experiments to prove that human body too could become invisible. He galloped certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass. He was a lawless person also. His landlord disliked him. So, he set his house on fire in revenge.

Griffin-a homeless wanderer: After burning the house down, Griffin became a homeless wanderer. He had neither money nor clothes. If he wanted himself to be unseen by the people, he had to remove all his clothes.

Entry into a big store: In the mid-winter, the air was bitterly cold. It was not possible to live without clothes. Instead of walking around the streets, he decided to enter into a big London store for warmth. Griffin broke open boxes and wrappers. He fitted out himself with warm clothes. He wore shoes, an overcoat and a hat. Now, he became a fully dressed and visible person. He also took cold meat and coffee and also sweets and wine. Lastly, he slept on a pile of quilts. He did not get up until the assistants of the shop arrived next morning. When they started chasing him, he tried to escape and also became invisible quickly taking off his clothes. He became naked in chilled January once again.

Entry into Iping village: Griffin came out of the crowded London and took a train to the village Iping. He booked two rooms at the local inn. The entry of a stranger in the village was really an unusual event. The owner’s wife, Mrs Hall wanted to be friendly with him. But he was not interested in doing so. He wanted to live in solitude. She was paid in advance. So, she was prepared to excuse his strange habits and irritable temper. But the stolen money did not last long. Now, he was expecting his new cheque.

Curious episode occurred: All of a sudden, the curious episode occurred. In the early morning, a clergyman and his wife heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman’s desk. Without making a noise, the clergyman opened the door. But to his utter surprise, he realised that the room was empty. They looked into the entire room but there was not a sign of anybody. The desk had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing.

A unique behaviour: The landlord and his wife were surprised to see the scientist’s door open. His door always remained shut. He even got irritated when someone entered his room. They looked out of the window but saw none. Suddenly Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. Within a moment, the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed itself into her face. The bedroom chair became alive. They were pushed out of the room. The door was slammed and locked after them. Suddenly Mrs Hall fell down the stairs in frenzy. She was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits. It was the thinking of people that the trouble was caused by witchcraft. When the news of the burglary at the clergyman’s house came into light, it was suspected that there was the hand of Griffin behind it. This suspicion even became stronger when he produced some ready cash.

The village constable arrives: The village constable arrived at the spot. Instead of waiting for the constable, Mrs Hall went to the scientist, who had somehow appeared mysteriously from his bedroom. The scientist became furious and threw off bandages, whiskers, spectacles, nose, etc.

Jaffers totally surprised: The village constable, Mr Jaffers was quite surprised to find that he had to arrest the man who was without head. But he had to do his duty. In the meanwhile, there occurred a new scene. The policeman who was trying to get hold of the man was becoming more and more invisible. He threw off one cloth after another. Ultimately, a shirt flew into the air. The policeman was struggling within himself. The people who tried to help him were hit by blows that came from nowhere. Ultimately, Jaffers got unconscious while he was making an attempt to hold on to the unseen scientist. Now Griffin was invisible and free.

Lesson at a Glance

• There were two boys who were surprised to see the muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet.
• The boys were fascinated to see the impressions until they became fainter and later disappeared.
• They were following the scientist who had just discovered how to make the human body transparent.
• Griffin, who was a great scientist, carried out a lot of experiments to prove that the human body could become invisible.
• In spite of being great, he was rather a lawless person.
• His landlord did not like him. So, Griffin set fire to the house in revenge.
• To become invisible, he had to remove his clothes.
• He became a homeless wanderer without clothes, money etc.
• He easily escaped enough from the boys who followed his footprints in London.
• In the mid-winter and bitterly cold season, Griffin could not live without clothes.
• Instead of wandering into the streets, he decided to slip into a big London store for warmth.
• So, Griffin entered the store and took the pleasure of clothing and feeding himself without any expenses.
• He broke open boxes and wrappers and also wore warm clothes.
• In no time, he became a fully dressed and visible person.
• He also enjoyed cold meat and coffee with sweets and wine. He slept on a pile of quilts.
• Next morning, the employees came and saw him dressed.
• When they approached Griffin, he panicked and started running.
• The employees started chasing him and he escaped only by taking-off his newly found clothes.
• Once more he became invisible but naked in January.
• He came to Drury Lane and wore bandages round his forehead, false nose, big bushy side- whiskers and a large hat.
• Leaving London, he reached the village of Iping and booked two rooms at the local inn.
• The landlord’s wife, Mrs Hall wanted to be friendly with Mr. Griffin but he did not show his inclination towards it.
• Mr. Griffin told her that he only wanted to live in solitude.
• Griffin was an eccentric scientist. So Mrs Hall excused his strange habits and irritable temper.
• Griffin had no cash. So, he burgled a clergyman’s house to get it.
• When the clergyman and his wife looked under the desk, money was missing.
• One day the landlord and his wife were surprised to see the scientist’s door wide open. It was usually kept shut and locked.
• When they came to the stranger’s room, they found that his hat was hitting into Mrs Hall’s face.
• Mrs Hall was now fully convinced that the room was haunted by spirits.
• All the people suspected that there was the hand of the scientist behind the burglary in the clergyman’s house.
• Suspicion grew even stronger when he produced some ready cash.
• The constable was called for when Mrs Hall went to the scientist’s room. He suddenly appeared from his empty bedroom.
• Mrs Hall asked Mr Griffin how he had entered the locked room.
• He was quick-tempered. So, he became furious.
• Griffin threw off bandages, whiskers, spectacles and even nose.
• When the constable Mr Jaffers arrived, he was quite surprised to see that the man whom he had to arrest was a headless man.
• As the policeman was trying to get hold of a man, he was becoming more and more invisible. He was throwing off one garment after another.
• Jaffers and the men who came to help him were hit by blows from nowhere.
• Ultimately, Jaffers was knocked unconscious when he made a last attempt to hold on to the invisible scientist.
• Now Griffin had shaken himself free and no one knew where to lay hands on him.

Character Sketch

Griffin: Griffin is the main character of the story. The entire story revolves around him. Griffin was a brilliant but eccentric scientist. He made one experiment after other. He discovered that the human body could become invisible and transparent. But he misused his discovery. Griffin even committed theft and burglaries. He was a lawless person. His invisibility was possible only when he did not wear any clothes. The burglary committed in the clergyman’s house was really a shameful act to the people like Griffin. All these things brought infamy to him.

Mrs Hall: Mrs Hall was the wife of the house owner at Iping. She was happy to see the guest in her house in the lean period. Griffin had paid her in advance. That was why she excused his strange habits and irritable behaviour. The strange behaviour of furniture in her room made her convince that the room was haunted by spirits.

Jaffers: Jaffers was the village constable. He was very particular to his duty. He was called in at the time when the stranger made uproar and chaos. But there was an undaunting task before him. He was called to arrest such a person who was without head. He made each and every attempt to catch the burglar but of no avail. Ultimately, Jaffers was knocked down unconscious.

‘Footprints without Feet’ Word-Meanings

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions Footprints without Feet Chapter 2 The Thief’s Story Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions Footprints without Feet Chapter 2 The Thief’s Story

HBSE 10th Class English The Thief’s Story Textbook Questions and Answers

Think about It

Read and Find Out (Page – 8)

1. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Answer:
In this story, ‘I’ refers to the thief.

2. What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?
Answer:
He is “a fairly successful hand” at stealing and robbing people.

3. What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
Answer:
When Hari Singh asked Anil if he could work for him, Anil said that he could not pay him. Finally, the agreement was that if he would cook, then Anil would feed him. However, Anil soon found out that he did not know how to cook. Therefore, he taught him how to cook and later on how to write his name. He promised that he would teach him how to write whole sentences and how to add numbers. Apart from this, when Hari Singh went out to buy the day’s supplies, he would make a profit of a rupee a day.

Read and Find Out (Page -10)

Question 1.
How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
Answer:
The thief thought that on discovering the theft, Anil’s face would show a touch of sadness. The sadness would not be for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.

2. What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
Answer:
As a thief, he had leamt how to make a study of men’s faces when they lost their goods. He
said that the greedy men showed fear; the rich men showed anger and the poor men showed acceptance.

3. Does Anil realise that he has been robbed?
Answer:
Yes, Anil had realized that he had been robbed. He knew this probably because all the notes were wet and damp from the rain. However, he did not say anything to the thief and behaved normally.

Think about It

1. What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education? Do they change over time? (Hint: Compare, for example, the thought: “I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve” with these later thoughts: “Whole sentences, I knew, could one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees. It was a simple matter to steal – and sometimes just as simple to be caught. But to be a really big man, a clever and respected man, was something else.”) What makes him return to Anil?
Answer:
Initially, when Anil offered to educate him, he thought of it as a bright prospect for himself. He knew that once he could write such as an educated man, there would be no limit to what he could achieve in his field. For him, the motivation behind getting educated was robbing people. However, later, when he had stolen Anil’s money and then missed his train in which he would have escaped, he realized that he had completely forgotten about the whole sentences that Anil had promised to teach him to write. He thought about getting educated in a different light. He thought that it was a simple matter to steal and be caught, but to be a really big, clever and respected man was something else. He was inspired by the trusting and simple nature of Anil. This motivation to earn someone’s trust and be respectable made him return to Anil.

2. Why does not Anil hand the thief over to the police? Do you think most people would have done so? In what ways is Anil different from such employers?
Answer:
Anil does not hand over the thief to the police because he realized that Hari Singh had learnt his lesson and had changed for the better. Otherwise, he would never have come back and kept the money at the same place from where he had stolen it. Anil even knew how Hari Singh cheated him of a rupee a day while buying the day’s supplies. But he never said anything to him. This is such a case where most people would have handed him over to the police. Anil was different from such employers because he was a modest and trusted man. He had offered to teach Hari how to cook and also to educate him. When he found out that Hari Singh had stolen the money, but had kept it back, he knew that it was Hari’s conscience that had made him do so. He could have easily run off with the money, but he did not. This made Anil give him another chance and build him into a better person that he could already see him becoming.

Talk about It

1. Do you think people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction, or are there such people in real life?
Answer:
Yes, people like Anil and Hari Singh are found in real life. They are not merely characters of fiction. The persons like Anil who is humble, helpful, responsible and caring do exist in reality. Anil helped Hari Singh by allowing him to stay and feed at his abode. He taught him how to read and write, which shows him as a responsible person.

Contrary to it, Hari Singh was a thief initially. He was only interested in robbing people and had only goal, to steal.
It is reflected in the way of his thinking when he perceives the ability of reading and writing as an enhancement to his stealing skills. But later, his heart changes for good and he perceives education as a way of living a decent life. People like Hari Singh also exist who were bad at first but as life unfolds, they become good humans.

2. Do you think it a significant detail in the story that Anil is a struggling writer? Does this explain his behaviour in any way?
Answer:
Yes, this detail of Anil being a struggling writer is a significant detail. Being a struggling writer, he used to earn on some days only. This detail explains his behaviour of being tenacious and not to opt for shortcuts and wrong ways of getting money. Despite getting money intermittently, he didn’t plan any conspiracy of stealing. Rather he taught Hari Singh how to read and write.

3. Have you met anyone like Hari Singh? Can you think and imagine the circumstances that can turn a fifteen-year-old boy into a thief?
Answer:
Do it yourself.

4. Where is the story set? (You can get clues from the names of the persons and places mentioned in it.) Which language or languages are spoken in these places? Do you think the characters in the story spoke to each other in English?
Answer:
The story is set in slum area of one of Uttar Pradesh’s cities. In Uttar Pradesh, Hindi language is spoken and the characters in the story were talking in Hindi only. It can be referred from the instance of Hari Singh, since he was illiterate and couldn’t speak English. Words like maidan, bazaar show that the language they used was Hindi.

HBSE 10th Class English The Thief’s Story Important Questions and Answers

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Why did Hari Singh not have many friends?
Answer:
In Hari Singh’s opinion, friends were more troubles than help. Moreover, he did not intend to make anyone curious about him.

Question 2.
Why did Anil hire Hari Singh?
Answer:
Hari Singh showed his desire to work for Anil but he was not in a position to pay him. Hari Singh asked if he could feed him. Then Anil replied if he knew how to cook then he might work for him.

Question 3.
What did Anil do to earn his living?
Answer:
Anil was a writer. He used to write for the magazines to earn his living. He had no regular source of income.

Question 4.
Why, according to Hari Singh, was it difficult to rob a careless man?
Answer:
According to Hari Singh it was an easy job to rob a greedy man as he could afford to be robbed. But it was difficult to rob a careless man because he would hardly notice that he had been robbed and that would take all the pleasure out of stealing.

Question 5.
Why did Hari Singh approach Anil?
Answer:
Hari Singh was a thief who had not much luck in his work recently. So he approached Anil with the intention of robbing him, as he seemed to be an easygoing and simple man. According to Hari Singh winning Anil’s confidence was an easy task.

Question 6.
‘Anil walked away. I followed casually’. Why do you think the narrator followed Anil?
Answer:
The narrator’s purpose of robbing Anil had not yet been served. He followed Anil to gain his
trust and look for an opportunity that may help him give shape to his plans.

Question 7.
Did Hari like working for Anil? Give reasons in support of your answer.
Answer:
Yes, Hari liked working for Anil. He was happy to carry on the chores for him and was grateful for the education he was getting. He used to make profit of about a rupee a day as well, which was a decent amount besides being fed.

Question 8.
How do you think Anil may have come to know about the theft?
Answer:
Anil may have come to know about the theft because of the dampness of the notes drenched in rain. He was a kind but wise man. It wouldn’t have been difficult for Anil to make out the series of events that would have taken place in the night.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Why did Hari Singh tell a lie to Anil about his cooking?
Answer:
Hari Singh wanted to go along with Anil as he had evil plan of robbing him in his mind. In order to execute his plan, he was looking for an opportunity to stay with him, so Hari Singh asked if he could feed him. Before answering to his question, Anil asked if he could cook. As Hari Singh did not know how to cook even then he said that he knew it. He saw himself of losing out on an opportunity for manifesting his plans into reality. To keep his plans in place and not losing contact with Anil, Hari lied about his cooking.

Question 2.
Regarding which context did Hari Singh feel grateful? Why?
Answer:
After cooking terribly, Anil told Hari Singh that he would teach him cooking food. He taught him to write his name and promised to teach him to write whole sentences and to add numbers. In this context, Hari Singh felt grateful as he knew that once he could write like an educated man, there would be no limit to what he could achieve.

Question 3.
Was Hari Singh successful in robbing Anil? Was Anil the only one who was robbed or did Hari Singh also rob himself of something?
Answer:
Yes, Hari Singh was successful in robbing Anil. But Anil was not the only one who was robbed at that time. Hari had robbed himself as well. He had lost the chance of receiving education and being literate. He had robbed Anil monetarily but he had robbed himself of the chance for a better and brighter future, which was much more valuable.

Question 4.
What did Anil and Hari Singh agree upon to be the mode of payment?
Answer:
When Anil stated his inability to pay Hari Singh he questioned Hari if he could feed him. Herealised that he had misjudged his target and moulded the situation for his benefit. Anil then agreed to feed him if he knew how to cook.

Question 5.
What made Hari Singh go back to Anil’s house?
Answer:
Hari Singh realised the importance of education he was getting from Anil. He knew that learning how to read and write and being a literate person would open doors to many opportunities. He was sure that he would then be able to earn more than a few hundred rupees he had in hand at that time. This made him go back to Anil.

Question 6.
What incidents took place on the night of the theft?
Answer;
The night of robbery was quite eventful for Hari Singh. After stealing Anil’s money and leaving his house, Hari Singh went to the railway station but didn’t board the Lucknow Express. He walked slowly through the bazaar as he did not know anyone who would provide him shelter except Anil, for he didn’t have any friends. He was forced to take shelter under the clock tower later when it started raining heavily. That is where he realised the importance of education and decided to go back to Anil.

Question 7.
How was the morning after the night of the theft?
Answer:
The morning after the night of the theft was just like a normal one. Hari Singh woke up late and Anil had made tea by then. Anil gave a fifty rupee note to Hari Singh and told him that he would then be paid regularly. He was aware that Anil knew about the theft but he didn’t show anything.

Question 8.
Had Anil really forgiven Hari Singh? Support your answer with evidence.
Answer:
Yes, Anil had forgiven Hari Singh. It is evident because Anil handed over to Hari Singh a fifty rupee note as soon as he woke up. Though he knew that Hari Singh had robbed the money at the first instance but his subsequent actions gave him hope of change in his character.

Essay Type Questions

Question 1.
‘He was the most trusted person I had ever met.’ Elucidate it with reference to the lesson.
Answer:
After talking to Anil, Hari Singh comprehended Anil’s nature quite well. Even after knowing about telling lie of cooking, Anil allowed him to work for him and also taught him how to cook. Hari Singh knew every subtle trick of his stealing job. He made one rupee every time he bought the day’s supplies. Though Anil knew about it, he did not mind it at all. He had, in fact, given one of his keys to Hari Singh. This made him think about Anil that he was the most trusted person and it became quite difficult for him to rob a trusting and careless person. Notwithstanding all these kinds of situations, Hari Singh stole the money from Anil one night. Anil also knew about the theft but didn’t show that he saw Hari Singh placing the money back under the mattress.
Trust begets trust. Finally, Hari Singh realised that the only person who could help him was the man whom he had robbed. Naturally, Anil was the most trusted person Hari had ever come across. Later he also rewarded Hari Singh by giving him a fifty-rupee-note and promising to pay him regularly.

Question 2.
‘Money can’t make a man as much as education can! Elucidate the statement.
Answer:
The statement stands true in almost all the aspects of life. Money may buy us all the luxuries and fulfil our needs but it cannot buy us knowledge, civilised thinking, skills and abilities to achieve our dreams. Education lays the platform for all to act upon our goals according to our abilities. It enables us to keep up with the fast moving world. It opens the door to opportunities we do not know even exist. Money, on the other hand, can assist us to a certain level. It can buy us a plan but education gives us the knowledge of its execution. Just as in the story ‘A Thief’s Story’, Hari Singh prioritised the chance of being literate over a few hundred rupees, we must understand that education can help us to achieve whatever we desire.

Question 3.
Hari Singh didn’t board the Lucknow Express and returned to Anil. Why did he return? On what values does this incidence put light on?
Answer:
Hari Singh was a thief and he had stolen Anil’s money. After the theft, he realised that he had robbed not only Anil but also himself of the chance of being literate and having a bright future. His conscience pricked him to think what all he could have got had he not done this. It was difficult for him to rob Anil but it was tougher for him not to back. He realised that he could not make tea, buy daily supplies and learn how to read and write then. His inner self did not agree to bypass this and forced him to return.
Hari Singh return to Anil shows that despite indulging in criminal acts, he still had a practical and positive attitude towards life. It is the awakening of his conscience and Anil’s love and care that reformed Hari Singh’s character. It teaches us that love alone can change a person. Anil’s understanding nature and care changed Hari Singh’s thinking to mend his ways for good.

The Thief’s Story Summary

‘The Thief’s Story’ Introduction

About the Author

• Ruskin Bond is an award winning Indian author of British descent, much renowned for his role in promoting children’s literature in India.
• A prolific writer, he has written over 500 short stories, essays and novels. His popular novel ‘The Blue Umbrella’ was made into a Hindi film of the same name which was awarded the National Film Award for Best Children’s Film, in 2005.
• He is also the author of more than 50 books for children and two volumes of autobiography.
• Bom as the son of a British couple when India was under the colonial mle, he spent his early childhood in Jamnagar and Shimla.
• His childhood was marred by his parents’ separation and his father’s death.
• He sought solace in reading and writing, and wrote one of his first short stories at the age of 16.
• He then moved to the U.K. in search of better prospects, but returned to India after some years.
• He earned his living by freelancing as a young man, writing short stories and poems for newspapers and magazines.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014.

Gist of the Story

Anil, a young writer used to write for the magazines to earn money. One day Anil was watching a wrestling match and Hari Singh knew it well how to befriend an unknown person. He used his own formula of flattering the person. Thus, he befriended Anil and started living with him. Anil taught him how to cook tasty food and how to write and add numbers. Hari Singh would buy daily needs and have profit of one rupee daily. Anil knew it but he did not mind it.
One day he saw Anil putting a bundle of notes under the mattress. He decided to rob Anil that night. After taking dinner Anil slept peacefully. Hari crept to the bed and slipped his hand under the mattress. He found the notes and ran away on the road. He also made up his mind that he would directly go to the railway station and would catch the Lucknow Express.
As he reached the railway station, good sense prevailed in him. The inner voice told him not to betray Anil. The train was moving but Hari did not dare to catch it. He thought that Anil would not worry about the money but he might feel bad that the man had broken his trust. He did not want to lose trust of Anil. He felt more uncomfortable as he had cheated an innocent person.

Then he went to the Clock Tower to save himself from the rain. He found that all the notes were wet. He crept again and secretly put back the money under the mattress. The next day Anil woke up and handed over fifty rupee note to Hari and told him that he would be regularly paid now. Hari took the note and found that it was still wet. He understood that Anil knew about the last night episode.

‘The Thief’s Story’ Summary

Anil’s meeting with Hari Singh: Hari who was only 15 years old met Anil. He was watching a wrestling match when Hari approached him. Anil was a tall, lean fellow of 25 years. He looked easy¬going, kind and simple enough for his purpose. Hari Singh wanted to take Anil into his confidence. To avoid arrest from the police, he changed his name frequently. This time he introduced himself as Hari Singh.

Hari Singh wanted to work for Anil: Hari Singh wanted to do work for Anil. But Anil was not in a condition to pay him in lieu of his service. Anil asked him if he could cook. Hari Singh lied that he knew how to cook. But the food that he cooked that night was really terrible. That was why Anil gave all food to the stray dog. He also taught Hari Singh how to write his name, to add numbers and write whole sentences.

Working for Anil, a better experience: It was really a pleasant experience for Hari Singh to work for Anil. He made tea in the morning and bought the day’s supplies. It fetched him a profit of about a rupee per day. This way he made little money.

No regular source of income: Anil had no regular source of income. He wrote for magazines only. He borrowed for one week and lent the next. He always remained worried for his next cheque.

Anil’s money was stolen: One day Anil had sold out a book to a publisher. So he came out with a small bundle of notes. He put it under the mattress. Hari Singh had the experience of cheating on the shopping. The key of the door was also with him. All things were left on him. He was the most trusted person of Anil. According to him, it was difficult to rob a careless man like Anil. When Anil was sleeping, he took the money and quickly wandered out of the room. After coming out of the room, he walked slowly and counted the notes of 600 rupees in fifties. This way, he could live like an oil-rich Arab for a week or two.

Good sense prevailed: When Hari Singh was about to jump into one of the compartments of the Lucknow Express, he hesitated a little bit and left the train.

Hari Singh alone in this world: Hari Singh was now alone in this world. He had no friends. The only person whom he knew really well was the man whom he had robbed. He left the railway station.

Study of different faces: Within his short span of career as a thief, he had learnt how to make study of men’s faces. The greedy man showed fear, the rich man showed anger and the poor man showed acceptance. But, in this case, it was not for the loss of money but for the loss of trust.

Hari Singh returned to Anil’s house: Hari Singh returned to Anil’s house with his money. It had got wet due to the rain last night. He had forgotten about education in the name of theft. He opened the door quietly and put the notes under the mattress. When Hari Singh met Anil the next morning, he gave him a fifty-rupee note and even explained that he would be paid regularly.

Anil did not say anything: Anil told Hari Singh that now they would start writing sentences. He knew all the things but neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything.

Lesson at a Glance

• A boy named Hari Singh met Anil.
• Although he was 15 years old, he was very experienced and had fairly successful hand.
• Anil was a tall, lean fellow. He was 25 years of age.
• Anil was watching a wrestling match when Hari Singh approached him.
• After the introduction, Anil talked about the famous wrestlers.
• Hari Singh wanted to work for Anil. But he was not in a position to pay him.
• Anil asked if he could cook for him.
• Hari Singh was taken over the Jumna Sweet Shop where he was told to sleep on the balcony.
• The meal that Hari Singh had cooked that night was very terrible. So, Anil gave it to a stray dog.
• Later on, Anil told him not to get worried and he would teach him how to cook.
• Anil also taught Hari Singh how to read and write, make whole sentences and to add numbers.
• Hari Singh was working pleasantly for Anil.
• He would also take time buying the day’s supplies and made a profit of about a rupee a day.
• One evening, Anil came out with a small bundle of notes. He told that he had just sold a book to a publisher. He kept his money under the mattress.
• Hari Singh was working for Anil for almost a month. He had the only experience of cheating on the shopping.
• Anil had given him a key to the door. So he could come and go frequently; whenever he liked.
• Anil was the most trusted person for Hari Singh.
• It is easy to rob a greedy man but difficult to rob a careless man.
• While Anil was sleeping, he took out the money and quickly crawled out of the room.
• After coming out on the road, he started running. He counted the notes. There were 600 rupees in fifties.
• Hari Singh thought that he could live like a rich Arabian for a week or two.
• After reaching at the platform, he just wanted to board the Lucknow Express. It was just to pick up the momentum. Hari Singh wanted to jump into one of the compartments but he hesitated due to some reason.
• He had no friends. He believed that friends were more trouble than help.
• Hari Singh thought that the only person whom he knew really well was the man he had robbed.
• Hari Singh had done the study of men’s faces very minutely. According to his observation, the rich man showed anger, the poor man showed acceptance, but Anil’s face showed only sadness.
• This sort of sadness was not for the loss of money but for the loss of trust.
• In the excitement of theft, Hari Singh had forgotten about all the things which Anil had made accessible to him.
• Hari Singh thought that he should go back to Anil.
• He went back to the room and put the wet notes under the mattress from where he had stolen it.
• Next morning, Anil stretched out his hand towards him and kept a fifty-rupee note between his fingers.
• Anil told that now he would pay him regularly.
• In fact, Anil knew everything about the theft but didn’t show or tell anything about it.

Character Sketch

Anil: Anil is the main character of the story. He is a very kind, noble and generous man. He loves wrestling very much so he watches it. He is not economically sound. So, he cannot employ Hari Singh as a cook. Later, he not only teaches Hari how to cook, but also how to read, write and add numbers. Anil is quite acquainted with the fact that Hari Singh steals money but he ignores such thing. Anil writes for magazines and earns money. Although he earns money by hard means, he keeps them under the mattress. Moreover, when Hari Singh tried to steal money, Anil did not pay heed to it. He even told Hari Singh that now he would be paid regularly. Anil knew everything but did not say anything to him.

Hari Singh: The real name of the narrator of the story is not Hari Singh. He frequently changed his name. To escape from the arrest of police, he changed his name to Hari Singh. He goes to Anil for some work. He has no capacity to pay him. He even teaches Hari Singh how to cook food and also how to read, write and add. He even steals a little money from the groceries of Anil daily. Hari Singh even takes the money of Anil which he keeps under the mattress. Hari makes up his mind to steal the money and goes to the station to board the Lucknow Express. But good sense prevails and he returns to Anil with his money. This way, he keeps the door of friendship open.

‘The Thief’s Story’ Word-Meanings

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions Footprints without Feet Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions Footprints without Feet Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery

HBSE 10th Class English A Triumph of Surgery Textbook Questions and Answers

Think about It

Read and Find Out (Page -1)

1. Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey was worried and distraught because Tricki would not eat anything. It even refused its favourite dishes. It had bouts of vomiting. It spent all its time lying on the rug and panting. It did not want to go for walks or do anything.

2. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Answer:
She called the doctor to help Tricki. Yes, her decision was wise. The doctor suggested that Tricki should be hospitalised. She swooned and wailed, but let the dog go with the doctor. Ultimately, the doctor was successful in curing Tricki.

3. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Answer:
In this story, ‘I’ refers to the veterinary surgeon, Mr Herriot.

Read and Find Out (Page – 3)

1. Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?
Answer:
Though not clearly stated, there are instances in the story which suggest that the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphrey.
While the narrator is able to provide Tricki with a warm loose box as a bed, at Mrs Pumphrey’s house, Tricki has a day bed, a night bed, cushions, toys, rubber rings, a breakfast bowl, a lunch bowl, a supper bowl, a whole wardrobe of tweed coats and perhaps many more things. The reference of ‘happy period’ when the narrator and his partner had two eggs for breakfast and calling the lunch a ‘ceremonial occasion’ with two glasses of wine shows that the narrator had an ordinary lifestyle which was not as rich and luxurious as that of Mrs Pumphrey.

2. How does he treat the dog?
Answer:
The doctor gave Tricki no food, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest in his surroundings and began mixing with the other dogs at the surgery. On the third day, the doctor saw Tricki licking the empty supper bowls of the other dogs. Next day, a separate bowl was kept for it and the doctor was pleased to note that Tricki had run to eat its food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, its progress was rapid. It did not require medicinal treatment of any kind and recovered quite well at the end.

3. Why is he tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey had started bringing around eggs to make Tricki more energetic. Later, even bottles of wine and brandy began to arrive. The narrator and his partners started enjoying the eggs, wine and brandy meant for Tricki. According to the narrator, they were days of deep content for them – starting with the extra egg in the morning, then the midday wine, and finally finishing the day with brandy. This was the reason why the narrator was tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest.

4. Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey thought that the dog’s recovery was “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, it 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.

Think about It

1. 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:
The narrator is lull of common sense. He was very concerned for Tricki when he saw its appearance. He immediately told Mrs Pumphrey to stop giving it food and sweets, and to take it out for daily walks. When she called him to describe Tricki’s deteriorating condition, he immediately took the dog with him to the surgery. He took good care of it all the while and helped it recover completely.
He could be called tactful as he enjoyed the eggs, wine and brandy that Mrs Pumphrey had brought for the dog. He was even tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest in order to continue enjoying these luxuries. However, he was a good man. Thus, he called Mrs Pumphrey and told her to take the dog home when it had fully recovered.

2. 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. He jumped out of the narrator’s arms and leaped into
Mrs Pumphrey’s lap as soon as he saw her. Tricki licked her and barked. After this, if Mrs Pumphrey takes good care of the dog and does not feed him a lot, he will be as healthy as he is at the end of the story.

3. Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?
Answer:
This story could be a mixture of both: real-life episode and a mere fiction. The spoiling of
the dog’s health by a rich mistress is believable and could also be a real life incident. The doctor’s advice also depicts real life situation. However, the extremely speedy recovery of the dog could be fictitious. Also, the enjoyment of the luxuries (eggs, wine and brandy) by the narrator could be termed as a real life episode as there are people who would do so. The giving up of these luxuries because the owner of the dog would be getting worried is another episode that could be both real life and fiction. At the end, the happiness of Mrs Pumphrey on seeing her dog healthy seems to be a real life happening. Therefore, the story is a mixture of both real-life and fiction.

Talk about It

1. This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly, or can their actions cause harm to others?
Answer:
The actions of Mrs Pumphrey in this episode show that she was not able to relate the ramifications to her actions. She was in the delusion that feeding her dog and pampering him all the time will satisfy her conscience, whereas in reality her out of love actions were making her dog vulnerable to health issues. It was indeed silly of her that even after Mr Herriot’s advice she didn’t act wisely.
Ultimately, her actions harmed the dog by making him sedentary which made the dog nongregarious.

2. Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?
Answer:
Yes, there are parents like Mrs Pumphrey who pamper their kids to such an extent that their overprotective nature starts to cause trouble for their children as they grow. They lack self-confidence and are emotionally weak.

3. What would you have done if you were: (i) a member of the staff in Mrs Pumphrey’s household, (ii) a neighbour? What would your life have been like, in general?
Answer:
(i) If I were have played a member of the staff in Mrs Pumphrey’s household, I would with Tricki ruggedly, daily in the evening. I would have added some activities in his routine like mountain trekking once in a week, trained him life saving tactics, to keep his health in check.
My life would have been like of a personal dog trainer then.
(ii) If I were a neighbour of Mrs Pumphrey, I would have asked her to take Tricki along with me for a morning run daily. As a neighbour, I would have played with him and helped Mrs Pumphrey in her dog caring.
My life would have been like a friend of Mrs Pumphrey.

4. What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?
Answer:
If I were in the narrator’s place, I would have done the same as he did, except one thing. When Mrs Pumphrey sent the eggs, brandy and wine for the speedy-recovery of Tricki, I would have denied her to send anything and returned the delivered items.
Moreover, while returning Tricki to her, I would have told her the reality of her dog’s condition and the way he was treated. I would have strongly and explicitly advised her not to spoil the dog with the food for which he was not made to eat regularly.

HBSE 10th Class English A Triumph of Surgery Important Questions and Answers

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Was Mrs Pumphrey a rich lady? How?
Answer:
Yes, Mrs Pumphrey was a rich lady. She had many servants and maids. She also had a pet, named Tricki and had a separate room for him, which had a separate wardrobe for her pet. She used to feed him a lot of dishes, sweets and snacks. All these traits show that she was a wealthy lady.

Question 2.
Why was the staff of Mrs Pumphery at work when Tricki was going to the hospital?
Answer:
Tricki was Mrs Pumphrey’s beloved pet and if he was going to the hospital, then the entire staff
had to work. His wardrobe, favourite cushions, toys, food bowls were being loaded into Mr Herriot’s car by them. Mrs Pumphrey did not want her pet to live uncomfortably in any way.

Question 3.
What made Mrs Pumphrey call the vet?
Answer:
Tricki’s condition made Mrs 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.
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 5.
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. Herriot used to relish the fresh eggs in breakfast, wine before and during lunch and brandy in the night.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What type of man was Dr Herriot in your opinion?
Answer:
Dr Herriot was a very noble, generous and practical man. When he saw Tricki, he advised Mrs Pumphrey to curtail his food and enhance the quantity of water. After getting ill, Herriot advised that Tricki should be hospitalised and kept under his supervision for a fortnight. He took proper care of Tricki and cured him within two days. This way, he was a good natured man.

Question 2.
How was Dr Herriot sure about the hospitalisation of Tricki?
Answer:
Tricki was moving in the house unsteadily and he was not eating anything, not even his favourite food. He was having many bouts of vomiting. Observing these symptoms, Dr Herriot was sure that if his food was not cut down and exercise was not included in his routine, he would become really sick soon.

Question 3.
What made James Herriot expect a call from Mrs Pumphrey? [CBSE 2015]
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 4.
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 5.
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 6.
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 into an energetic, hard-muscled dog in just a fortnight.

Question 7.
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 shaggy household dogs. He had found a new joy in being bowled over, tramped 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.

Essay Type Questions

Question 1.
Why did Mrs Pumphrey say, “This is a triumph of surgery”? Elaborate it with reference to the lesson.
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey loved her dog, Tricki very much. He got seriously ill. He did not even eat anything and vomitted at frequent intervals. So, Mrs Pumphrey was very much worried. She called the veterinary surgeon, Dr Herriot. He took Tricki to his surgery and did not give food for two days. He was given only lots of water and exercises. He was now completely changed into a lithe and hard-muscled dog. Now Tricki was completely cured. Seeing Tricki cured, Mrs Pumphrey became emotional and expressed gratitude to Dr Herriot saying that “This is a triumph of surgery’.’

Question 2.
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 3.
Pen 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 Herriot 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 4.
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. These people spoil their children by making sure all their demands are met. They spoil their children in the name of love and care. They not only feed them junk food 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’.

Multiple Choice Questions

A Triumph of Surgery Summary

‘A Triumph of Surgery’ Introduction

• James Herriot was a British veterinarian and author bom on October 3, 1916, in Sunderland, England.
• He attended veterinary college in 1933 and worked as a well- respected veterinarian for many decades.
• Herriot’s first book If Only They Could Talk was published in 1970 followed by It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet.
• In the U.S., these books were published under the title A// Creatures Great and Small in 1972. Two films and a television show were based on this book.
• Herriot died on February 23, 1995, in Yorkshire, England.

Gist of the Story

Mrs Pumphrey, a rich and emotional lady had a cute pet called Tricki. She loved him very much and took proper care of the pet. Tricki had put on a lot of weight which made him lethargic. When doctor Herriot saw the fat dog like a bloated sausage he was shocked. He told Mrs. Pumphrey that Tricki needed treatment for an ailment which was possible only in the hospital. The doctor knew that Mrs. Pumphrey would not be able to keep the dog on a proper diet. When the greedy dog went to the hospital he had to remain hungry. He was given food at fixed intervals. Soon he shed off a lot of his body weight and became quite active.
When Tricki was at home he was pampered by Mrs. Pumphrey. He had a luxurious life when he was served with cream cake, chocolate and horlicks. But when he came to the doctor he became all right. When Mrs. Pumphrey saw her dog fit and active, she thanked the doctor and felt that it was a triumph of surgery.

‘A Triumph of Surgery’ Summary

Brief Introduction of Tricki: Tricki was a small dog. He was pampered and overfed by his rich mistress. All of a sudden, he fell seriously ill. So, Mrs Pumphrey consulted a veterinary surgeon. James Herriot got anxious: James Herriot, a veterinary surgeon was too anxious to see Tricki. Tricki had become very fat. His eyes were red and rheumy. His tongue lolled from his jaws.
Mrs Pumphrey thought that the dog was suffering from malnutrition. So, she gave him malt, cod- liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks daily at night. But it did not work upon him.

Doctor’s advice to Mrs Pumphrey: Dr James Herriot advised Mrs pumphrey to cut down Tricki’s food. He told that Tricki should be given some exercises otherwise he would fall ill.

Tricki fell ill: After a few days, Mrs. Pumphrey called on Dr. Herriot because Tricki fell seriously ill. He had not been eating for the last two days and vomitting at regular intervals. He did not go even for walk. Mrs. Pumphrey was very disturbed. The doctor advised that Tricki should be kept under observation. So, he should be hospitalised for a fortnight.

Tricki admitted to the hospital: Tricki was to admitted to the hospital. Everybody was in distress. At the surgery, the household dogs surged around Tricki. He was lying motionless on the carpet. A bed for him in a warm loose box was made. For two days, he was only given plenty of water but no food. After two days, he started to take some interest in his surroundings and began to whine when he heard the dog in the yard.

Tremendous progress in Tricki: After two days, there was tremendous progress in Tricki. He was not given any kind of medical treatment. He started running behind other dogs and became an accepted member of the gang. Each time Mrs Pumphrey was eager to know about his health. The doctor intimated her that Tricki was recovering rapidly. She was very much happy. After this, she started to bring round fresh eggs, bottles of wine to improve his health.

Tricki handed over to Mrs Pumphrey: After getting cured, the doctor phoned her to tell that Tricki had recovered well and was awaiting collection. Tricki was handed over to her. It was really an unbelievable moment for her.

Thankful to the doctor: Mrs Pumphrey was very much thankful to Dr Herriot. She had no words to express her gratitude. Now, Tricki had become a hard-muscled animal. Seeing Tricki, tears were in her eyes and her lips trembled. At last, she told that this is a triumph of surgery.

Lesson at a Glance

• Tricki was a very small dog. He was pampered and overfed by his rich mistress.
• The dog fell seriously ill. Mrs Pumphrey consulted a veterinary surgeon for her illness.
• Dr Herriot, the veterinary surgeon had been very upset to see the dog, Tricki.
• The dog was very fat, bloodshot and rheumy.
• Mrs Pumphrey thought that the dog lacks energy due to malnutrition. So, he was given some little extras like malt, cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks.
• Tricki never refused anything to eat. He was always ready to take a meal at any hour of the day or night.
• But now Tricki had not been eating anything for the last few days. He had bouts of vomiting.
• The surgeon advised Mrs Pumphrey to cut his food down and give him more exercise.
• But Tricki lay down panting and didn’t go for walks.
• Dr Herriot advised Mrs Pumphrey for the hospitalisation of Tricki for a fortnight to be kept under supervision.
• Tricki was wrapped in a blanket and the entire staff were busy in bringing things for him.
• At the surgery, the household dogs gathered around him and thought that he was an uninteresting object and ignored him.
• For two days, Tricki was not given food but only plenty of water.
• After two days, Tricki started showing some interest in his surroundings and began to whimper when he heard the dogs in the yard.
• Next day, the doctor was very happy to see Tricki jostling his way to food bowl.
• There was much progress in Tricki. He was not given medical treatment of any kind and ran about with the dogs throughout the day.
• The doctor told her that Tricki was recovering rapidly.
• After hearing this news, Mrs Pumphrey started arranging different kinds of food, wine, etc. Later on, the doctor went to handover the dog to Mrs. Pumphrey. It was really an amazing moment for her.
• Mrs Pumphrey had no words to express her gratitude to Dr Herriot.
• She told the doctor that it was really a triumph of surgery.

Character Sketch

Tricki: Tricki was a small dog. He had much fascination for food. He was very fond of sweets, cakes and chocolates. Excessive food made him fat. His eyes had become bloodshed and rheumy. His tongue lolled from his jaws. Tricki became obese due to overeating. Dr Herriot advised Mrs Pumphrey to cut his food and give him more exercise. Because he was getting ill. But Mrs Pumphrey ignored the doctor’s advise. After a few days, Tricki left eating and started vomiting at regular intervals. Later on, he was hospitalised and kept under observation for a fortnight. He was not given food but plenty of water only. After two days, there was much improvement in his health. Now, he got cured and became a hard-muscled dog.

Mrs Pumphrey: Mrs Pumphrey was a very rich lady. All sorts of facilities were available in her house. She had a lot of servants and maids to take care of. But, she was much attached to her pet, Tricki. She took special care of the dog. Tricki was given malt, cod-liver oil and Horlicks. So, Tricki became excessively fat. Mrs Pumphery was very sad and disappointed. She took proper care of the dog. She was a very caring lady. Tricki was provided all comforts, bed, cushion, etc. When Tricki became ill, she was taken to the hospital under the supervision of Dr Herriot. After getting cured, Mrs Pumphrey thanked Dr Herriot for saving Tricki’s life. She called it “A Triumph of Surgery”. Dr James Herriot: Dr James Herriot was a veterinary surgeon. Seeing the physique of Tricki, he became very sad. That is why he advised Mrs Pumphrey to keep Tricki on a very strict diet. When Tricki became ill and was admitted to the hospital, he did not give any food but lots of water to the dog. Through this method, Dr Herriot cured the dog. Then Mrs Pumphrey expressed her gratitude towards the doctor calling it “A Trimph of Surgery”.

‘A Triumph of Surgery’ Word-Meanings

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares

HBSE 10th Class English The Sermon at Benares Textbook Questions and Answers

Before You Read

Activity

Use a dictionary or ask for your teacher’s help as you discuss the following questions in groups.

1. What is a sermon ? Is it different from a lecture or a talk ? Can this word also be used in a negative way or as a joke (as in “my mother’s sermon about getting my work done on time …”) ?
Answer:
A sermon is a ‘spoken or written discourse on a religious or moral subject. It is serious in nature. It is different from a lecture or a talk because a lecture or a talk can be on any subject, while a sermon is on religion or a moral subject.
The word “sermon’ can be used in a negative way or as a joke also. In that case it means a taunt, an irony or a sarcasm. For example, “Mohan is always sermonizing on any topic.”

2. Find out the meanings of these words and phrases given in the box :
afflicted with
be composed
desolation
lamentation
procure
be subject to
Answer:
Afflicted with means to be affected with bodily or mental trouble.
Be composed means to have control over our mental faculties or to at peace with self.
Desolation means a ruined or neglected state.
Lamentation means expressing one’s sorrow or grieving.
Procure means to obtain, to get, to find, etc.
Be subject to means to be governed by some rules, etc.

3. Have you heard of the Sermon on the Mount ? Who delivered it ? Who do you think delivered a sermon at Benares ?
Answer:
I think the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ was delivered by Jesus Christ. ‘A Sermon at Benares’ was delivered by Gautama Buddha. It was his first sermon after he got Enlightenment.

Thinking about the Text

1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it ? Why not?
(जब उसका बेटा मर जाता है, किसा गौतमी घर-घर जाती है। वह क्या माँगती है ? क्या उसे वह मिलता है? क्यों नहीं?)
Answer:
Gotami goes from door to door and asks for a medicine which could bring her dead son back to life. She does not get it because there is no medicine that can revive the dead. It is so because death is inevitable. – (गौतमी घर-घर जाती है और ऐसी औषधि की माँग करती है जो उसके मृत बेटे को जीवित कर दे। वह इसे प्राप्त नहीं करती है क्योंकि ऐसी कोई औषधि नहीं है जो मृत को जिन्दा कर सके। ऐसा इसलिए है क्योंकि मृत्यु अटल है।)

2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around ? Does she get it ? Why not?
(बुद्ध से बात करने के पश्चात् किसा गौतमी फिर घर-घर जाती है। वह दूसरे चक्कर में क्या माँगती है ? क्या उसे वह मिलता है ? क्यों नहीं ?)
Answer:
When she goes door to door for the second time, she asks for a handful of mustard-seed. But there is one condition. She wants mustard-seed from a house where there has not been any death. She does not get it because she finds no house in which there has never been a death. Death spares nobody who has been born.
(जब वह दूसरी बार घर-घर जाती है, तो वह एक मुट्ठी सरसों के बीजों की माँग करती है। लेकिन एक शर्त है। उसे ऐसे घर से सरसों के बीज चाहिएँ जिस घर में कभी कोई मौत न हुई हो। वह इसे प्राप्त नहीं कर सकी क्योंकि उसे कोई ऐसा घर नहीं मिलता है जिसमें कभी किसी की मौत न हुई हो। जिस किसी का भी जन्म हुआ है मौत उसे नहीं छोड़ती है।)

3. What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time ? Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand ?
(दूसरी बार में किसा गौतमी की समझ में क्या आता है जो वह पहली बार समझने में नाकाम रही थी ? क्या बुद्ध उसे यही समझाना चाहते थे ?)
Answer:
Now Gotami understands that death is inevitable. She thinks over the fate of men. She realises that man’s life is like the light of the city which flickers and extinguishes again. Yes, it is the very thing that Gautama the Buddha wanted her to understand.
(अब गौतमी को समझ आ जाता है कि मृत्यु अटल है। वह मनुष्यों के भाग्य के बारे में सोचती है। वह सोचती है कि मनुष्य का जीवन शहरी रोशनियों की तरह है जो बार-बार टिमटिमाती रहती हैं। हाँ, गौतम बुद्ध उसे यही बात समझाना चाहते थे।)

4. Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time ? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding ?
(आपके विचार में किसा गौतमी ने यह बात दूसरी बार में ही क्यों सीखी ? बुद्ध ने उसकी समझ को कैसे बदल दिया?)
or
How did Kisa Gotami come to realize the fact that death is the common end of life.
(किसा गौतमी ने यह कैसे समझा कि मृत्यु जीवन का सामान्य अंत है?)
Answer:
She understood this only the second time because she finds not even a single family in which there has been no death. Then they asked her not to remind them of their deep grief. Thus in a wise manner, Buddha made her understand that death is inevitable.
(उसने यह बात केवल दूसरी बार में सीखी क्योंकि उसे एक भी परिवार ऐसा नहीं मिला जिसमें किसी की मौत न हुई हो। तब उन लोगों ने उससे कहा कि वह उनको उनके गहरे दुःखों की याद न दिलाए। इस प्रकार से एक बुद्धिमतापूर्ण तरीके से, बुद्ध ने उसको यह समझा दिया कि मृत्यु अटल है।)

5. How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being ‘selfish in her grief?’
(आप प्रायः ‘स्वार्थ’ के विचार को कैसे समझते हैं ? क्या आप किसा गौतमी से सहमत हैं कि वह अपने दुःख के कारण स्वार्थी हो गई थी ?)
Answer:
The idea of ‘selfishness’means thinking of oneself only and only of those things that concern one only. I agree with Kisa Gotami that she is selfish in her grief. She now understands that death is common to all. One should not grieve over a thing which is inevitable.
(‘स्वार्थीपन’ के विचार का अर्थ है केवल अपने बारे में सोचना या फिर उन चीज़ों के बारे में सोचना जिनका केवल एक व्यक्ति से ही सम्बन्ध है। मैं किसा गौतमी से सहमत हूँ कि वह अपने दुःख के कारण स्वार्थी है। अब उसकी समझ में आ गया है कि मृत्यु सभी के लिए साझी है। व्यक्ति को किसी अटल चीज़ के ऊपर दुःख प्रकट नहीं करना चाहिए।)

Thinking about Language

I. This text is written in an old-fashioned style, for it reports an incident more than two millennia old. Look for the following words and phrases in the text, and try to rephrase them in more current language, based on how you understand them.

1.  give thee medicine for thy child
2. Pray tell me
3. Kisa repaired to the Buddha
4. there was no house but someone had died in it
5. kinsmen
6. Mark !

Answer:

1. Give the medicine to your child
2. I request you to tell me
3. Kisa went to the Buddha
4. There was no house in which someone had not died
5. Relatives
6. Listen /pay attention

II. You know that we can combine sentences using words like and, or, but, yet and then. But sometimes no such word seems appropriate. In such a case we can use a semicolon (:) or a dash (-) to combine two clauses.
She has no interest in music ; I doubt she will become a singer like her mother. The second clause here gives the speaker’s opinion on the first clause.
Here is a sentence from the text that uses semicolons to combine clauses. Break up the sentence into three simple sentences. Can you then say which has a better rhythm when you read it, the single sentence using semicolons, or the three simple sentences ?
For there is not any means by which those who have been born can avoid dying; after reaching old age there is death ; of such a nature are living beings.
Answer :
There is not any means by which the born can avoid dying. After reaching old age there is death. Living beings are of such a nature.
The three simple sentences have more beauty and rhythm than the single sentence using semicolons.

Speaking

The Buddha’s sermon is over 2500 years old. Given below are two recent texts on the topic of grief. Read the texts, comparing them with each other and with the Buddha’s sermon. Do you think the Buddha’s ideas and way of teaching continue to hold meaning for us? Or have we found better ways to deal with grief? Discuss this in groups or in class.

I. A GUIDE TO COPING WITH THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE

Martha is having difficulty sleeping lately and no longer enjoys doing things with her friends. Martha lost her husband of 26 years to cancer a month ago.
Anya, age 17, doesn’t feel like eating and spends the days in her room crying. Her grandmother recently died.
Both of these individuals are experiencing grief. Grief is an emotion natural to all types of loss or significant change.

Feelings of Grief
Although grief is unique and personal, a broad range of feelings and behaviours are commonly experienced after the death of a loved one.

* Sadness. This is the most common, and it is not necessarily manifested by crying.
Anger.”This is one of the most confusing feelings for a survivor. There may be frustration at not being able to prevent the death, and a sense of not being able to exist without the loved one.
Guilt and Self-reproach. People may believe that they were not kind enough or caring enough to the person who died, or that the person should have seen the doctor sooner.
Anxiety. An individual may fear that she/he won’t be able to care for herself/himself.
Loneliness. There are reminders throughout the day that a partner, family member or friend is gone. For example, meals are no longer prepared the same way, phone calls to share a special moment don’t happen.’
Fatigue. There is an overall sense of feeling tired.
* Disbelief. This occurs particularly if it was a sudden death.

Helping Others Who Are Experiencing Grief
When a friend, loved one, or co-worker is experiencing grief–how can we help? It helps to understand that grief is expressed through a variety of behaviours.
Reach out to others in their grief, but understand that some may not want to accept help and will not share their grief. Others will want to talk about their thoughts and feelings or reminisce.
Be patient and let the grieving person know that you care and are there to support him or her.

II. GOOD GRIEF

AMITAI ETZIONI

Soon after my wife died — her car slid off an icy road in 1985 — a school psychologist warned me that my children and I were not mourning in the right way. We felt angry; the proper first stage, he said, is denial.
In late August this year, my 38-year-old son, Michael, died suddenly in his sleep, leaving behind a 2-year-old son and a wife expecting their next child.

There is no set form for grief, and no ‘right way to express it. There seems to be an expectation that, after a great loss, we will progress systematically through the well-known stages of grief. It is wrong, we are told, to jump to anger or to wallow too long in this stage before moving towards acceptance.

But I was, and am, angry. To make parents bury their children is wrong; to have both my wife and son taken from me, for forever and a day, is cruel beyond words.

A relative from Jerusalem, who is a psychiatrist, brought some solace by citing the maxim: ‘we are not to ask why, but what.’ The ‘what’ is that which survivors in grief are bound to do for one another. Following that advice, my family, close friends and I keep busy, calling each other and giving long answers to simple questions like, “How did your day go today?” We try to avoid thinking about either the immediate past or the bereft future. We take turns playing with Max, Michael’s two-year-old son. Friends spend nights with the young widow, and will be among those holding her hand when the baby is born.
Focusing on what we do for one another is the only consolation we can find.
Answer:
To be discussed at class level.

Writing

Write a page (about three paragraphs) on one of the following topics. You can think about the ideas in the text that are relevant to these topics, and add your own ideas and experiences to them.
1. Teaching someone to understand a new or difficult idea
2. Helping each other to get over difficult times
3.” Thinking about oneself as unique, or as one among billions of others
Answers:
1. Teaching someone to understand a new or difficult idea
It is very difficult to teach someone to understand a new or difficult idea. Generally people don’t like to change their old or settled ideas or opinions. When James Watt discovered steam engine, people laughed at him. They said that no force other than that of horses could pull wagons. But with the passage of time, they were adapted to it. In the same way, when Copernicus said that the Sun is stationary and the earth revolves round it, people laughed at him.
Thus if you have a new or difficult idea and want it to be understood, you will have to work hard. You should be prepared to be the object of people’s satire or even violence. But if you are true, you should not lose heart. If your idea is workable, people will learn it sooner or later.
You should make people understand your idea by giving practical examples. You should demonstrate to them that your idea has practical benefits. You should never give up. Only this way you can teach others to understand your idea.

2. Helping each other to get over difficult times

Our life is a mixture of joys and sorrows. It is a cycle of good and difficult times. Man is a social animal. He lives in society. Therefore it is not possible to avoid the sufferings and difficulties of others. If we find someone in a difficult time, we must extend our helping hand to him.
But sometimes, the whole community or group of people face difficult times. For example, there can be flood, an earthquake or a draught. When such a calamity is there, many people suffer. In such a situation, the best remedy is to work together and fight the calamity together. One good example of this was the calamity of Tsunami which struck the people of Tamil Nadu a few years ago. Then the people worked together and faced the calamity.
When such a difficult time comes, we should not think only of ourselves. But we must work collectively. We must pool our resources together and distribute them among all of us. The younger and able bodied people must help the weaker and older people. Children and women should also be given preference. We must teach others the lesson of courage.

3. Thinking about oneself as unique, or as one among billions of others

It is not a good idea to think about oneself as unique, or as one among billions of others. If we nourish such an idea it will do us more harm than good. Moreover, having this kind of idea means that we are very proud of ourselves. And we know that pride is an evil. Pride has a fall.
History is full of examples where this kind of idea led to destruction. Hitler believed that he was one of a kind in billions. He thought that he belonged to a superior caste. He got millions of Jews killed. He attacked other countries in order to establish the superiority of the Germans. But what was the result? His egotism resulted in the Second World War and there was a lot of destruction.
Guru Nanak has said, “O Nanak, remain low and humble. When the storm comes, the tall and proud trees are uprooted. But the humble grass remains unaffected.” Thus be like a drop of water and mix with the ocean. Don’t become a stone which comes in the way of others and earns curses.

HBSE 10th Class English The Sermon at Benares Important Questions and Answers

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
When was Siddhartha Gautama born ?
Answer:
Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 B.C.

Question 2.
At what age was Siddhartha married ?
Answer:
He was married at the age of sixteen years.

Question 3.
What did Gautama chance to see one day?
Answer:
One day he chanced to see a sick man, an old man, a dead man’s funeral procession and a monk.

Question 4.
At what age did Gautama leave home for enlightenment ?
Answer:
He left home at the age of twenty-five for enlightenment.

Question 5.
How long did Gautama wander in search of wisdom ?
Answer:
He wandered for seven years in search of wisdom.

Question 6.
After how many days of meditation did he get enlightenment ?
Answer:
He got enlightenment after the meditation of seven days.

Question 7.
What is the meaning of Buddha ?
Answer:
The meaning of Buddha is the Awakened or Enlightened.

Question 8.
Where did Buddha give his first sermon ?
Answer:
Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares.

Question 9.
What did Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to bring ?
Answer:
Buddha asked Gotami to bring a handful of mustard-seeds from a house where no one had died.

Question 10.
What did Kisa Gotami realise in the end ?
Answer:
In the end she realised that death is inevitable.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Who was Gautama Buddha? Where was he born ?
Answer:
Gautama Buddha was a prince in northern India. He was born in a royal family. His full name was Siddhartha Gautama and he was sent away for schooling at the age of twelve. He married Yashodhara when he returned after four years.
(गौतम बुद्ध उत्तर भारत का एक राजकुमार था। उसका जन्म एक शाही परिवार में हुआ था। उसका पूरा नाम सिद्धार्थ गौतम था और उसे बारह वर्ष की आयु में शिक्षा ग्रहण करने के लिए भेजा गया। जब वह चार वर्ष बाद लौटा तो उसकी शादी यशोधरा से कर दी गई।)

Question 2.
How did Siddhartha Gautama get the name of Buddha? (सिद्धार्थ गौतम ने बुद्ध का नाम कैसे हासिल किया ?)
Answer:
Siddhartha Gautama sat under a big peepal tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. He was enlightened after seven days. He began to teach and share his new understandings. Then he came to be known as Buddha.
(सिद्धार्थ गौतम यह प्रतिज्ञा करके पीपल के एक बड़े पेड़ के नीचे बैठ गए कि जब तक ज्ञान की प्राप्ति नहीं होगी उठेंगे नहीं। सात दिन के पश्चात् उन्हें ज्ञान की प्राप्ति हुई। उन्होंने अपने नए ज्ञान का प्रचार-प्रसार करना शुरु कर दिया। तब वे बुद्ध के नाम से जाने जाने लगे।)

Question 3.
What did Buddha ask the lady to do? (बुद्ध ने महिला से क्या करने को कहा ?)
Answer:
Buddha asked the lady to bring a handful of mustard-seeds. But these must be taken from a house where no one had ever lost a child, husband or a friend. Then he would be able to help her..
(बुद्ध ने महिला से एक मुट्ठी सरसों के बीज लाने को कहा। लेकिन उसे ये बीज एक ऐसे घर से लाने थे जिसमें कभी किसी बच्चे, पति या मित्र की मृत्यु न हुई हो। तब वह उसकी मदद कर सकेगा।)

Question 4.
What does Gautama Buddha say about the life and death of human beings ? (गौतम बुद्ध मनुष्यों के जीवन और मृत्यु के बारे में क्या कहते हैं ?)
Answer:
Gautama Buddha says that the life of human beings in this world is troubled, brief and combined with pain. It is because there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying.
(गौतम बुद्ध कहते हैं कि इस संसार में मनुष्यों का जीवन कष्टों से भरा और पीड़ा से युक्त है। ऐसा इसलिए है क्योंकि ऐसा कोई तरीका नहीं है कि जिसने जन्म लिया है वह मृत्यु से बच जाए।)

Question 5.
Can an aggrieved person get peace of mind by weeping or grieving? (क्या एक दुःखी आदमी रोने से और विलाप करने से शांति हासिल कर सकता है ?)
Answer:
No, nobody can get peace of mind by weeping or grieving. Rather, his pain will be greater and his body will suffer by doing so. He will make himself sick and pale.
(नहीं, कोई भी व्यक्ति रोने या विलाप करने से मन की शांति हासिल नहीं कर सकता है। बल्कि, उसकी पीड़ा और ज्यादा होगी और ऐसा करने से उसका शरीर भी पीड़ित होगा। वह अपने-आपको बीमार और कमजोर बना लेगा।)

Question 6.
Where did Buddha preach his first sermon? (बुद्ध ने अपना पहला उपदेश कहाँ दिया था ?)
Answer:
After attainment of enlightenment, Buddha preached his first sermon at the holy city of Benares. which is situated on the sacred river Ganges.
(ज्ञान की प्राप्ति के पश्चात्, बुद्ध ने अपना पहला उपदेश पवित्र नगरी बनारस में दिया था जोकि पवित्र नदी गंगा के तट पर स्थित है।)

Question 7.
Why did the Buddha choose Benares to preach his first sermon?
(बुद्ध ने अपना पहला धर्मोपदेश का प्रचार करने के लिए बनारस को क्यों चुना?)
Answer:
Benares is considered to be the most holy place on the banks of the sacred river Ganges. Many people come here to get rid of their sorrows and sufferings and to repent for their sins. As the Buddha wanted to lesson their sorrows and sufferings, he chose Benares to preach his first sermon.
(बनारस को पवित्र नदी गंगा के किनारे सबसे पवित्र स्थान माना जाता है। बहुत-से लोग अपने दुःखों और कष्टों से छुटकारा पाने के लिए आते हैं। जैसा कि बुद्ध अपने दुःखों और कष्टों को कम करना चाहते थे। उन्होंने अपने पहले धर्मोपदेश का प्रचार करने के लिए बनारस को चुना।)

Essay Type Question

Question 1.
Who was Gautama Buddha? What made him renounce his royal life and become a monk ?
(गौतम बुद्ध कौन थे ? किस कारण से वे अपना शाही जीवन छोड़कर भिक्षु बन गए ?)
Answer:
Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. He was born in a royal family. His name was Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of twelve, he was sent away for schooling. He studied all the sacred Hindu scriptures. At the age of sixteen he married a princess. They had a son. For ten years the couple passed a happy life. Siddhartha had been shielded from the sufferings of the world. However, when he was twenty-five, Siddhartha saw a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession. Finally, he came across a monk begging for alms. This was his first encounter with the harsh realities of life. These sights made him so sad that he decided to renounce the worldly pleasures. He left his family and became a monk. He went out into the world to seek spiritual knowledge.
” (गौतम बुद्ध का जन्म 563 ई०पू० में हुआ था। उनका जन्म एक शाही परिवार में हुआ था। उनका नाम सिद्धार्थ गौतम था। बारह वर्ष की आयु में, उसे शिक्षा ग्रहण करने के लिए भेज दिया गया। उन्होंने हिन्दू धर्म के सभी पवित्र धार्मिक ग्रन्थों का अध्ययन किया। सोलह वर्ष की आयु में एक राजकुमारी से उसकी शादी हो गई। उनका एक बेटा था। दस वर्ष तक दम्पति खुशहाल जीवन व्यतीत करते रहे। सिद्धार्थ को संसार के कष्टों से दूर रखा गया था। लेकिन, जब वह पच्चीस वर्ष का था तो एक दिन उसने एक बीमार आदमी को, एक वृद्ध आदमी को, एक मृत आदमी की शव-यात्रा को देखा। अंत में, उसने एक भिक्षु को देखा जो भिक्षा माँग रहा था। जीवन की कड़वी सच्चाइयों से यह उसका पहला साक्षात्कार था। इन दृश्यों ने उसे इतना उदास कर दिया कि उसने सांसारिक सुखों का त्याग करने का मन बना लिया। उसने अपने परिवार का त्याग कर दिया और एक भिक्षु बन गया। वह बाहरी संसार में आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान की खोज में चला गया।)

Question 2.
Why did Siddhartha come to be called the Buddha ? Where did he give his first sermon? (सिद्धार्थ को बुद्ध क्यों कहा जाने लगा ? उन्होंने अपना पहला उपदेश कहाँ दिया ?)
Answer:
Siddhartha Gautama wandered for seven years in search of wisdom and truth. Finally, he sat down under a big peeple tree to meditate. He vowed to stay there until he got enlightenment. After seven days, Gautama got enlightenment. He named the tree as the ‘Bodhi Tree’. , that is ‘The tree of wisdom.’ He became known as the Buddha’ which means ‘enlightened’ or the awakened’. He began to teach and to spread his message of wisdom and truth. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares. It is the holiest of places on the bank of the Ganges. His first sermon reflects his wisdom about one kind of suffering i.e. death. Here the Buddha tells about the universality of death which is inevitable and can’t be escaped.
(सिद्धार्थ गौतम ने सात वर्ष तक ज्ञान और सत्य की खोज की। अंत में वे पीपल के एक बड़े पेड़ के नीचे समाधि में बैठ गए। उन्होंने प्रतिज्ञा की कि जब तक ज्ञान की प्राप्ति नहीं होगी उठेंगे नहीं। सात दिनों के बाद गौतम को ज्ञान की प्राप्ति हुई। उन्होंने उस वृक्ष का नाम ‘बोधि वृक्ष’ अर्थात् ‘ज्ञान का वृक्ष’ रख दिया। वे बुद्ध के नाम से जाने जाने लगे जिसका अर्थ है ‘प्रकाशमयी’ और ‘जागृत’ । उन्होंने ज्ञान और सच्चाई के अपने संदेश का प्रचार करना शुरु कर दिया। बुद्ध ने अपना पहला उपदेश बनारस में दिया। यह गंगा के तट पर स्थित स्थानों में सबसे पवित्र स्थान है। उसका पहला उपदेश उसके ज्ञान की झलक देता है एक प्रकार के मृत्यु रूपी दुःख का वर्णन करता है। यहाँ पर बुद्ध मृत्यु की सार्वभौमिकता के बारे में बताते हैं जोकि अटल है और इससे बचा नहीं जा सकता।)

Question 3.
How did the Buddha made Kisa Gotami realize that death is inevitable ? (बुद्ध ने किसा गौतमी को इस बात का अहसास कैसे कराया कि मृत्यु अटल है ?) Or
Why did Kisa Gotami go from house to house? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?
(किसा गौतमी घर-घर क्यों गई? बुद्ध ने उसकी सोच को कैसे बदला?)
Or
Why did Kisa Gotami go to the Buddha ? What did the Buddha say to her and why? (किसा गौतमी बुद्ध के पास क्यों गई? बुद्ध ने उससे क्या कहा और क्यों?)
Or
Who was Kisa Gotami? How did Buddha Change Kisa Gotami’s understanding of life and death? (किसा गौतमी कौन थी? बुद्ध ने किसा गौतमी की जीवन और मृत्यु की सोच को कैसे बदला?) [2020 (Set-D)]
Answer:
A lady named Kisa Gotami had only one son. One day, her son died. She wanted that her child should become alive again. She wanted some medicine to bring her son to life. People called her mad. At last she came across a man. He advised her to meet the Buddha. She approached the Buddha with a request to give her a medicine so that her only son could be live again. After a deep thought, the Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard-seed. But there was a condition. She must bring it from a house where no one had died. Kisa Gotami went from door to door to get the mustard-seed. She found mustard-seed in every home but she could not find a house where nobody had ever died. By evening, she was sad and tired. She saw the lights of the city. They were trimming. Soon there was darkness of the night. Now she considered the fate of man. Now . she realised that death is inevitable. No one can escape it.
(किसा गौतमी नाम की एक महिला का एकमात्र बेटा था। एक दिन उसका बेटा मर गया। वह चाहती थी कि उसका बच्चा फिर से जीवित हो जाए। वह कोई औषधि चाहती थी जो उसके बेटे को जीवित कर दे। लोग उसे पागल कहते थे। अंततः वह एक आदमी से मिली। उसने उसे बुद्ध से मिलने की सलाह दी। वह एक प्रार्थना के साथ बुद्ध के पास पहुँची कि उसे कोई औषधि दी जाए ताकि उसका एकमात्र बेटा फिर से जीवित हो सके। गहरे विचार के बाद, बुद्ध ने उसे एक मुट्ठी सरसों के बीज लाने को कहा। लेकिन वहाँ एक शर्त थी। उसे ये बीज ऐसे घर से लाने थे जहाँ कभी किसी की मौत न हुई हो। किसा गौतमी घर-घर सरसों के बीज लेने के लिए गई। उसे सरसों के बीज तो हर घर में मिले लेकिन कहीं ऐसा कोई घर नहीं मिला जिसमें किसी की मौत न हुई हो। शाम तक वह थक चुकी थी और उदास थी। उसने शहर की रोशनियों को देखा। वे टिमटिमा रही थीं। शीघ्र ही रात्रि का अंधेरा छा गया। अब मनुष्य का भाग्य उसकी समझ में आ गया। अब उसे अहसास हो गया कि मृत्यु अटल है। कोई भी इससे नहीं बच सकता।)

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1.
Gautama was born in :
(A) 563 B.C.
(B) 483 B.C.
(C) 463 B.C.
(D) 383 B.C.
Answer:
(A) 563 B.C.

Question 2.
Which family did Gautama belong to?
(A) farmer
(B) royal
(C) monk
(D) none of the above
Answer:
(B) royal

Question 3.
In his childhood what was Gautama shielded from ?
(A) pleasures
(B) money
(C) wisdom
(D) sorrows of world
Answer:
(D) sorrows of world

Question 4.
Gautama was sent for schooling at the age of.
(A) eight years
(B) ten years
(C) twelve years
(D) sixteen years
Answer:
(C) twelve years

Question 5.
Gautama was married at the age of :
(A) sixteen years
(B) twenty years
(C) thirty years
(D) he was never married
Answer:
(A) sixteen years

Question 6.
At what age did Gautama leave home for wisdom ?
(A) sixteen years
(B) twenty years
(C) twenty two years
(D) twenty five years
Answer:
(D) twenty five years

Question 7.
Gautama left home in search of …..
(A) power
(B) money
(C) enlightenment
(D) all of the above
Answer:
(C) enlightenment

Question 8.
Where did Gautama give his first sermon?
(A) Benares
(B) Patna
(C) Haridwar
(D) Gaya
Answer:
(A) Benares

Question 9.
What is inevitable?
(A) life
(B) enlightenment
(C) death
(D) youth
Answer:
(C) death

Question 10.
For how many years did Gautama wander in search of enlightenment ?
(A) five years
(B) seven years
(C) ten years
(D) sixteen years
Answer:
(B) seven years

Question 11.
Kisa Gotami went from house to house demanding a handful of …….
(A) rice
(B) food
(C) mustard seed
(D) all of the above
Answer:
(C) mustard seed

Question 12.
According to Buddha the life how is the life of the mortals in this world?
(A) troubled
(B) brief
(C) combined with pain
(D) all of the above
Answer:
(D) all of the above

Question 13.
Gautama Buddha was born in ……. ……. India.
(A) northern
(B) southern
(C) central
(D) eastern
Answer:
(A) northern

The Sermon at Benares Important Passages for Comprehension

Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow :

PASSAGE 1

Gautama Buddha (563 B.C.-483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once became a beggar and went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.

Word-meanings : Sacred = pious (पवित्र); scriptures = religious books (धार्मिक पुस्तकें); befitted = suited (उचित था); royalty = kingly family (शाही परिवार); heretofore= till then (तब तक) shielded = protected (रक्षा की); funeral procession = procession on a dead body for cremation (शव-यात्रा)।

Questions :

(a) What did Siddhartha Gautama study ?
(b) When was he married ?
(c) When did he see a sick and old man ?
(d) What was the effect of these sights on Gautama ?
(e) Find a word from the passage which means “holy books’.
Answers :
(a) Siddhartha Gautama studied holy books.
(b) He was married at the age of sixteen.
(c) He saw an old and sick man when he went out for hunting.
(d) On seeing these sights, he decided to renounce the world and become a beggar.
(e) ‘Scriptures.’

PASSAGE 2

He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a fig tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bo Tree (Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new understandings. At that point he became known as the Buddha (the Awakened or the Enlightened). The Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River Ganges.

Questions :

(a) How long did the Buddha wander in search of wisdom ?
(b) After how many days of meditation did he get enlightenment ?
(c) Why did he name the tree as the “Tree of Wisdom’?
(d) Where did he give his first sermon ?
(e) Find a word from the passage which means ‘took a pledge’.
Answers :
(a) He wandered for seven years in search of wisdom.
(b) He got enlightenment after seven days.
(c) He named it as such because under it he got ‘Enlightenment, i.e., wisdom.
(d) He gave his first sermon at Benares.
(e) ‘Vowed.’

PASSAGE 3

Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is mustard – seed; take it !” But when she asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family ?” They answered her, “Alas ! the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.

Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again. And she thought to herself, “How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.”

Questions :

(a) What did Kisa Gotami ask the villagers ?
(b) What reply did Kisa Gotami get ?
(c) What happened to Kisa Gotami in the end ?
(d) What did Kisa Gotami realize in the end ?
(e) Name the chapter.
Answers :
(a) Kisa Gotami asked the villagers to give her a handful of mustard.
(b) She got the answer that many members of their families had died earlier.
(c) In the end she became weary and hopeless.
(d) In the end she realized that death is common to all.
(e) The name of chapter is “The Sermon at Benares”.

PASSAGE 4

And the girl said, “Please tell me, sir, who is it?” And the man replied, “Go to Salyamuni the Buddha.”
Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and cried, “Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy.”
The Buddha answered, “I want a handful of mustard-seed.” And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added, “The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend.”

Questions :

(a) Name the chapter.
(b) What suggestion did a man give to Gotami?
(c) What request did Gotami make to the Buddha?
(d) What did Buddha ask the girl to do?
(e) Find a word from the passage which means the same as ‘to get’.
Answers :
(a) Chapter : The Sermon at Benares.
(b) A man suggested her to go to Salyamuni the Buddha.
(c) She requested the Buddha to give her medicine that could cure her son.
(d) Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard-seed from a house where no one has not lost a family member.
(e) Repaired.

The Sermon at Benares Summary in English

The Sermon at Benares Introduction in English

Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. He was a philosophical fellow even in his childhood. He was sent for schooling at the age of twelve. He was married at the age of sixteen. They had a son. When he was twenty-five years old, one day when he was going for hunting he caught sight of a sick man, an aged man, a dead man’s funeral procession and a monk. He realised that this world is a home of sufferings. He left home in search of wisdom. He wandered for seven years and got enlightenment.

The Sermon at Benares Summary in English

Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. He was born in a royal family. He was a prince. His name was Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of twelve he was sent away for schooling. He studied all the sacred Hindu scriptures. He returned after four years. At the age of sixteen he married a princess. They had a son. For ten years the couple passed a happy life. Siddhartha had been shielded from the suffering of the world. However, when he was twenty-five, Siddhartha saw a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession. Finally, he came across a monk begging for alms. This was his first encounter with the harsh realities of life. These sights made him so sad that he decided to renounce the worldly pleasures. He left his family and became a beggar. He went out into the world to seek spiritual knowledge.

Siddhartha Gautama wandered for seven years in search of wisdom and truth. Finally, he sat down under a fig tree to meditate. He vowed to stay there until he got enlightenment. After seven days, Gautama got enlightenment. He named the tree as the ‘Bodhi Tree’, that is ‘The tree of wisdom’. He became known as the Buddha’ which means “enlightened’ or ‘the awakened’. He began to teach and to spread his message of wisdom and truth. He became known as the Buddha (the enlightened).

Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares. It is the holiest of places on the bank of the Ganges. His first sermon reflects his wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering i.e. death. Here, the Buddha tells about the universality of death which is inevitable and can’t be escaped.

A lady named Kisa Gotami had an only son. One day, her son died. She wanted that her child should become alive again. She wanted some medicine to bring her son to life. People called her mad. At last she came across a man. He advised her to meet the Buddha. She approached Buddha with a request to give her a medicine so that her only son could be live again. After a deep thought, the Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard-seed. But there was a condition. She must bring it from a house where no one had died. Kisa Gotami went from door-to-door to get the mustard-seed. She found mustard-seed in every home but she could not find a house where nobody had died. By evening, she was sad and tired. She saw the lights of the city. Soon there was darkness of the night. Now she considered the fate of man. Now she realised that death is inevitable. No one can escape it.

She came back to the Buddha and asked for his blessings. The Buddha in his sermon told her that our life is brief and painful. Everyone who takes birth has to die. The vessel made by the potter is not permanent. It has to break one day. In the same way, everyone has to die. Death spares none. A father cannot save his son. Everyone grieves when someone dear dies. But grieving cannot bring the dead back to life. So death and sufferings are unavoidable. The wise persons do not grieve as they know the truth. Weeping does not bring peace to the mind. On the other hand a person’s pain becomes greater by grieving. His body also suffers. One who has learnt to control his grief shall have peace of mind. That person is blessed, who has overcome his sorrow.

The Sermon at Benares Summary in Hindi

The Sermon at Benares Introduction in Hindi

(गौतम बुद्ध का जन्म 563 ई०पू० में हुआ था। वह बचपन से ही दार्शनिक विचारों का था। बारह वर्ष की आयु में उसे शिक्षा ग्रहण करने के लिए भेजा गया। सोलह वर्ष की आयु में उसकी शादी हो गई। उनका एक बेटा था। जब वह पच्चीस वर्ष का था, एक दिन जिस समय वह शिकार करने जा रहा था तो उसकी नज़र एक बीमार आदमी, एक वृद्ध आदमी, एक मृत आदमी की शव-यात्रा और एक भिक्षु पर पड़ी। उसने महसूस किया कि यह संसार दुःखों का घर है। उसने ज्ञान की खोज में घर छोड़ दिया। वह सात साल तक भटकता रहा और ज्ञान की प्राप्ति हो गई।)

The Sermon at Benares Summary in Hindi

गौतम बुद्ध का जन्म 563 ई०पू० में हुआ था। उसका जन्म एक शाही परिवार में हुआ था। वह एक राजकुमार था। उसका नाम सिद्धार्थ गौतम था। बारह साल की उम्र में उसे स्कूली शिक्षा के लिए भेजा गया। उसने सारे पवित्र हिन्दू धार्मिक ग्रंथों का अध्ययन किया। वह चार वर्ष बाद लौटा। सोलह साल की उम्र में उसकी शादी एक राजकुमारी से हुई। उनका एक बेटा हुआ। दस साल तक इस युगल ने बड़ा प्रसन्नतापूर्वक जीवन व्यतीत किया। सिद्धार्थ को अब तक संसार के दुःखों से दूर रखा गया था। मगर जब वह पच्चीस साल का था तो सिद्धार्थ ने एक बीमार व्यक्ति देखा, फिर एक बूढ़ा व्यक्ति देखा और फिर उसने एक शव-यात्रा देखी। अंत में, उसने एक भिक्षु को देखा जो भीख माँग रहा था। यह उसका जीवन की वास्तविकताओं से पहला साक्षात्कार था। इन दृश्यों ने उसे इतना उदास कर दिया कि उसने सांसारिक सुखों को त्याग देने का प्रण कर लिया। उसने अपने परिवार को छोड़ दिया और एक भिक्षु बन गया। वह संसार में आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान की खोज में निकल पड़ा।

सिद्धार्थ गौतम सात साल तक ज्ञान और सच्चाई की खोज में भटकता रहा। अंत में, वह मनन करने के लिए एक वट वृक्ष के नीचे बैठ गया। उसने प्रण किया कि वह वहाँ पर तब तक बैठा रहेगा जब तक उसे ज्ञान की प्राप्ति नहीं हो जाती। सात दिन के बाद उसे आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान मिला। उसने उस वृक्ष का नाम ‘बोधि वृक्ष’ रख दिया अर्थात् ‘ज्ञान का वृक्ष’ । उसे लोग ‘बुद्ध’ के नाम से जानने लगे अर्थात् “ज्ञान वाला” अथवा “जागृत”। उसने शिक्षा देना और ज्ञान और सच का संदेश फैलाना आरंभ कर दिया।
बुद्ध ने अपना पहला उपदेश बनारस में दिया। यह गंगा के तट पर सबसे पवित्र स्थान है। उसका पहला उपदेश रहस्यमयी कष्ट अर्थात् मृत्यु के बारे में उसके ज्ञान को दर्शाता है। इसमें बुद्ध मृत्यु की सार्वभौमिकता के बारे में बताता है जोकि अटल है और उससे बचा नहीं जा सकता।

किसा गौतमी नाम की एक स्त्री का एकमात्र बेटा था। एक दिन उसके बेटे की मृत्यु हो गई। वह चाहती थी कि उसका बेटा फिर से जीवित हो जाए। वह चाहती थी कि कोई ऐसी औषधि मिल जाए जो उसके बेटे को जीवित कर दे। लोगों ने उसे पागल कहा। आखिर उसे एक आदमी मिला। उसने उसे सलाह दी कि वह बुद्ध से मिले। वह बुद्ध के पास आई और उससे प्रार्थना की कि वह उसे कोई औषधि दे ताकि उसका बेटा फिर से जी उठे। काफी गहरे विचार के बाद बुद्ध ने उसे कहा कि वह एक मुट्ठी भर सरसों के बीज ले आए। मगर एक शर्त थी। उसे सरसों उस घर से लानी थी जहाँ कोई भी व्यक्ति नहीं मरा था। किसा गौतमी सरसों लाने के लिए घर-घर गई। उसे सरसों तो हर घर में मिली मगर ऐसा कोई घर नहीं मिला जहाँ कभी किसी की मृत्यु नहीं हुई हो। शाम तक, वह उदास हो गई और थक गई। उसने शहर की रोशनियाँ देखीं। शीघ्र ही रात का अंधेरा हो गया। अब उसने मनुष्य के भाग्य के बारे में सोचा। अब उसने महसूस किया कि मौत अवश्यम्भावी है। इससे कोई भी नहीं बच सकता।

वह बुद्ध के पास लौट आई और उससे आशीर्वाद माँगा। अपने उपदेश में बुद्ध ने उसे बताया कि हमारा जीवन संक्षिप्त और कष्टपूर्ण है। हर प्राणी जो जन्म लेता है, मरता है। कुम्हार द्वारा बनाया गया बर्तन स्थायी नहीं है। एक दिन इसे टूट जाना है। इसी प्रकार हर व्यक्ति को मरना है। मौत किसी को नहीं छोड़ती। कोई पिता अपने बच्चे को नहीं बचा सकता। जब कोई प्रिय मरता है तो हर व्यक्ति रोता है। मगर रोने से मरा हुआ व्यक्ति वापस नहीं आ जाता। इसलिए मौत और कष्ट अटल हैं। अक्लमंद व्यक्ति अफसोस नहीं करते क्योंकि वे सच को जानते हैं। रोने से मन को शांति नहीं मिलती। इसके विपरीत विलाप करने से व्यक्ति की पीड़ा बढ़ जाती है। उसके शरीर को भी कष्ट होता है। वह व्यक्ति जिसने अपने दुःख पर काबू पाना सीख लिया है, उसे मन की शांति मिलती है। जिसने अपने दुःख पर काबू पा लिया है, उसे आशीर्वाद मिलता है।

The Sermon at Benares Translation in Hindi

[PAGE 133]: गौतम बुद्ध (563 ईस्वी पूर्व-483 ईस्वी पूर्व) ने अपना जीवन उत्तरी भारत में सिद्धार्थ गौतम के नाम से शुरु किया था। 12 वर्ष की आयु में, उसे हिन्दू धार्मिक ग्रन्थों का अध्ययन करने के लिए भेज दिया गया और चार वर्ष पश्चात् एक राजकुमारी से शादी करने के लिए वह घर लौटा। उनका एक बेटा था तथा दस वर्ष तक उन्होंने एक शाही परिवार वाला जीवन बिताया। लगभग 25 वर्ष की आयु में, राजकुमार, जिसे अब से पहले तक संसार के कष्टों से बचाकर रखा गया था, शिकार पर जाते समय उसे एक बीमार आदमी, फिर एक बूढ़ा आदमी, फिर एक मृत आदमी की शवयात्रा और अन्त में भीख माँग रहा एक भिक्षु मिल गया। इन दृश्यों ने उसे इतना हिला दिया कि वह तुरन्त उन दुःखों के बारे में ज्ञान प्राप्त करने के लिए बाहरी संसार में चला गया जो उसने देखे थे। वह सात साल तक घूमता रहा और अंततः एक पीपल के वृक्ष के नीचे बैठ गया, जहाँ उसने तब तक बैठे रहने की प्रतिज्ञा की जब तक उसे ज्ञान की प्राप्ति नहीं हो जाती।

[PAGE 134] : सात साल के पश्चात् ज्ञान की प्राप्ति होने पर उसने उस वृक्ष का पुनः नामकरण करते हुए उसे बोधि वृक्ष (ज्ञान का पेड़) का नाम दे दिया और वहाँ पर उपदेश देना तथा अपनी नई समझ का प्रसार करना शुरु कर दिया। उस समय वह बुद्ध (जागृत एवं ज्ञानी) के रूप में प्रसिद्ध हो गया। बुद्ध ने अपना पहला उपदेश बनारस शहर में दिया था, जो गंगा नदी पर स्थित स्नान घाटों में सबसे अधिक प्रसिद्ध है। उस उपदेश को सुरक्षित रखा गया जो यहाँ पर दिया गया। इससे एक अति कठिन प्रकार के दुःख के बारे में बुद्ध की बुद्धिमता का पता चलता है।

किसा गौतमी का एक इकलौता पुत्र था, और वह मर गया। अपने दुःख में वह उस मृत बच्चे को अपने सभी पड़ोसियों के पास लेकर गई, और उनसे औषधि की माँग की और लोग कहते थे, “वह पागल हो गई है। यह लड़का मर गया है।”

अंततः किसा गौतमी एक आदमी से मिली जिसने उसकी प्रार्थना का उत्तर दिया, “मैं तुम्हें तुम्हारे बच्चे के लिए औषधि नहीं दे सकता हूँ लेकिन मैं एक चिकित्सक को जानता हूँ जो औषधि दे सकता है।”
और औरत ने कहा, “भगवान के लिए मुझे बताइए, श्रीमान जी, वह कौन है ?” और उस आदमी ने उत्तर दिया, “शाक्यमुनि, बुद्ध के पास जाओ।”
किसा गौतमी बुद्ध के पास चली गई और रोते हुए बोली, “भगवान और स्वामी, मुझे औषधि दीजिए जो मेरे लड़के को ठीक कर देगी।”

बुद्ध ने उत्तर दिया, “मुझे मुट्ठी-भर सरसों के दाने चाहिएँ।” और जब औरत ने अपनी प्रसन्नता में इसे प्राप्त करवाने का वायदा किया तो बुद्ध ने आगे कहा, “सरसों के दाने ऐसे घर से हासिल करने हैं जिस घर में किसी बच्चे, पति, माता-पिता या फिर मित्र की मौत न हुई हो।”

बेचारी किसा गौतमी घर-घर भटकती रही तथा लोग उस पर दया व्यक्त करते हुए कहते, “ये रहे सरसों के दाने, इन्हें ले लो!” लेकिन जब वह पूछती, “क्या कोई बेटा या बेटी, पिता या माता की तुम्हारे परिवार में मृत्यु हुई है ?” वे उसे उत्तर देते, “अफसोस! जीवित तो बहुत थोड़े हैं परन्तु मृत अनेकों हैं। हमें हमारे अत्यन्त गहरे दुःखों की याद न दिलाओ। तथा वहाँ कोई ऐसा घर नहीं था जहाँ किसी प्रियजन की मृत्यु न हुई हो।

किसा गौतमी हताश और निराश हो गई, और सड़क के किनारे बैठकर शहर की रोशनियों को निहारने लगी, जैसे-जैसे वे चमक रही थीं और फिर लुप्त हो जाती थीं। अंत में रात का अन्धेरा सभी जगह छा गया। तथा वह मनुष्य के भाग्य के बारे में सोचने लगी कि उनके जीवन टिमटिमाते हैं और फिर बुझ जाते हैं। तथा वह अपने मन में सोचने लगी, “मैं अपने दुःख में कितनी स्वार्थी हूँ! मृत्यु तो सभी के लिए सांझी है, फिर भी गहरे दुःखों की इस घाटी में, एक रास्ता है जो ऐसे व्यक्ति को अमरता की ओर ले जाता है जिसने सारे स्वार्थों का त्याग कर दिया है।”

बुद्ध ने कहा, “इस संसार में नश्वर लोगों का जीवन कष्टों से भरा हुआ है और बहुत छोटा तथा पीड़ा से युक्त है।”

[PAGE 135] : क्योंकि कोई भी ऐसा तरीका नहीं है कि जिसका इस पृथ्वी पर जन्म हुआ है उसकी मृत्यु न हो। बुढ़ापे में पहुँचने के पश्चात् मौत आती है। जीवित जीवों की प्रवृत्ति ऐसी ही होती है। क्योंकि पके हुए फलों के नीचे गिरने का खतरा पहले होता है, इसलिए नश्वर जीव जब जन्म लेते हैं तो उनके लिए हमेशा मौत का खतरा है। जिस प्रकार कुम्हार के द्वारा बनाए गए मिट्टी के सभी बर्तनों का अंत टूटने से होता है, नश्वर जीवों का जीवन भी वैसा ही होता है। छोटे तथा बड़े दोनों ऐसे जो मूर्ख हैं तथा वे जो बुद्धिमान हैं सभी मृत्यु के वश में आ जाते हैं। सभी मृत्यु के अधीन हैं। .

“वे, जिनकी मृत्यु आ जाती है, जीवन से प्रस्थान कर जाते हैं, एक पिता अपने पुत्र को नहीं बचा सकता है, न ही सम्बन्धी अपने किसी रिश्तेदार को। देख लीजिए। जिस समय सम्बन्धी देख रहे होते हैं और विलाप कर रहे होते हैं एक-एक करके नश्वरों को उसी प्रकार से उठाकर ले जाया जाता है जैसे किसी बैल को वध करने के लिए ले जाया जाता है। इसलिए संसार मृत्यु और जीर्णता से पीड़ित है, इसलिए बुद्धिमान लोग संसार की सीमाओं का ज्ञान रखते हुए दुःख प्रकट नहीं करते हैं।”

“न तो रोने से और न ही दुःखी होने से किसी व्यक्ति को मन की शांति मिलती है, बल्कि इसके विपरीत उसकी पीड़ा और बढ़ जाती है और उसका शरीर पीड़ित होता है। वह स्वयं को बीमार और कमजोर बना लेता है, फिर भी उसके विलाप करने से मृत को नहीं बचाया जा सकता है। वह जिसे शांति चाहिए होती है उसे विलाप करने, शिकायत करने और दुःखी होने के तीर को निकाल बाहर फैंक देना चाहिए। वह जिसने इस तीर को बाहर निकाल लिया है और शांत हो गया है उसे मन की शांति मिलेगी। वह जिसने सारे दुःखों पर काबू पा लिया है, वह सारे दुःखों से मुक्त हो जाएगा और भगवान का आशीर्वाद प्राप्त करेगा।”

The Sermon at Benares Word-Meanings in Hindi

[PAGE 133] : Sacred = pious (पवित्र); scriptures = religious books (धार्मिक पुस्तकें); befitted = suited (उचित था); royalty =kingly family (शाही परिवार); heretofore=till then (तब तक); shielded = protected (रक्षा की); chanced upon = saw by chance (संयोग से देखा); funeral procession = procession of a dead body for cremation (शव-यात्रा); monk= mendicant (भिक्षु); alms = beggings (भिक्षा); enlightenment = spiritual knowledge (आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान); witnessed = saw (देखा); vowed = swore (कसम खाई)।

[PAGE 134] : Preached = gave sermons ; sermon = preaching; dipping places = place where people take bath (नहाने के स्थान); preserved = protected (रक्षा की); reflects = shows (दिखाना); inscrutable = mysterious (रहस्यपूर्ण); at length = in the end (अंत में); physician = doctor (डॉक्टर); repaired = (here) went (गया); mustard-seed = an oil seed (सरसों); procure= get (प्राप्त करना); grief = sorrow (दुःख); weary = tired (थक गई); hopeless = in despair (दुःख में); flickered up = shone (चमका); extinguished = put out (बुझ गया); desolation = deep sorrow (गहरा दुःख); immortality = deathlessness (अमरत्व); surrendered = submitted (हार मान लेना/समर्पण करना); mortals = human beings (नश्वर)।

(PAGE 135] : Earthen vessels =’pot made of baked clay (मिट्टी का बर्तन); potter = one who makes pots (कुम्हार); overcome = controlled by (नियंत्रित होना); depart= go away (चले जाना); kinsmen = relatives (रिश्तेदार); mark = look (देखना); lamenting = grieving (अफसोस करना); slaughter = killing (वध करना); afficted with = affected by (पीड़ित होना); decay = rotting/degeneration (गलत/पतन होना); pale = yellow (पीला); composed = controlled (शांत); blessed = the one who gets blessing (जिसे आशीर्वाद मिला हो)।

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 10 The Tale of Custard the Dragon Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 10 The Tale of Custard the Dragon

HBSE 10th Class English The Tale of Custard the Dragon Textbook Questions and Answers

Thinking about the Poem

1. Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names.
Answer:
The characters in this poem are Belinda, a little black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog, a little pet dragon and a pirate.
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2. Why did Custard cry for a nice, safe cage? Why is the dragon called a “cowardly dragon”?
Answer:
Custard cried for a nice, safe cage because it was a coward. It is called a ‘cowardly dragon’ because everybody else in the house was brave. Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink are described as so brave that they could chase lions down the stairs and Mustard was as brave as a tiger in rage. Compared to them, Custard is a coward because it cried asking for a nice and safe cage.

3. “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful…” Why?
Answer:
Belinda tickled the dragon unmercifully because it was very scared and cried for a safe cage. They all laughed at it as it was a coward.

4. The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example: “Clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon” – the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your partner, list some more such poetic devices used in the poem?
Answer:
In the entire poem, the poet has made extensive use of similes. Apart from simile, another poetic device that has been used is repetition. For example, the repetitive use of the word Tittle’ in the first stanza to emphasise how everything from the house to Belinda to her pets were all little. Also, in the seventh stanza, the poet has made use of incorrect spelling as a poetic device to maintain the rhyme scheme of the poem. He has chosen to write ‘winda’ instead of‘window’ as ‘winda’ rhymes with ‘Belinda’, whereas ‘window’ does not. He has also used alliteration in the poem. For example, in the tenth stanza, ‘Custard’ has ‘clashed’ his tail with a ‘clatter’ and a ‘clank’. Similarly, in stanza eleven, the pirate ‘gaped’ at the dragon and ‘gulped’ some ‘grog’.

5. Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

6. Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?
Answer:
The rhyme scheme of each stanza of this poem is aabb.

7. Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they mean. Can you trace some images used in the poem?
Answer:
Some such images used in the poem are ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘chimney for a nose’, ‘brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘brave as a tiger in a rage’, ‘went at the pirate like a robin at a worm’, etc.

8. Do you find The Tale of Custard the Dragon to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.
Answer:
The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a light-hearted poem. It is almost a parody. The names of the pets of Belinda are all rhyming and funny. Belinda has been compared to a barrel full of bears. The kitten and mouse, both little, could chase lions down the stairs. The little yellow dog was as brave as a tiger, while the dragon was a coward and they all teased him. However, when the pirate came to their little house, all of them were engulfed in fear and had hid themselves. Ironically, the ‘cowardly’ dragon came to their rescue and jumped snorting like an engine. It clashed its tail and charged at the pirate like a robin at a worm and ate him up. Even as everybody became happy to see the bravery of the dragon, they again came back to glorify themselves that they could have been twice or thrice braver than the dragon. Finally, at the end of the poem, the situation again came back to the other pets being brave and the dragon being the coward.

9. This poem, in ballad form, tells a story. Have you come across any such modern song or lyric that tells a story? If you know one, tell it to the class. Collect such songs as a project.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

HBSE 10th Class English The Tale of Custard the Dragon Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20-30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
In which way did everyone react after Custard ate the pirate?
Answer:
Custard the dragon had killed the pirate. So, Belinda hugged him. Mustard licked him. This way they showed their affection. Ink and Blink danced merrily around Custard in happiness.

Question 2.
How was the appearance of the pirate? Discuss.
Ansswer:
The pirate was very horrifying. He carried pistols in both his hands. He stuck a dagger in his teeth. The pirate had black beard and one of his legs was of wood. All these things show that his appearance was dreadful.

Question 3.
Why was Custard the dragon called ‘percival’?
Ansswer:
Belinda considered Custard the dragon a coward. She always made mockery of the dragon. All the pets including Ink, Blink and Mustard also made sarcastic remarks on the timidity of Custard and lack of courage. That is why Custard the dragon was called ‘percival’.

Question 4.
Describe the appearance of the dragon.
Ansswer:
Custard, the dragon had a formidable appearance, with sharp teeth, toes like daggers, spikes on back and scales on the belly. Its mouth was a fireplace and the nose was always fuming like a chimney. However, in sharp contrast to the appearance its temperament was extremely timid.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40-50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
What message does the poet convey to the readers through this poem?
Ansswer:
The poet gives a very clear message to the readers. One should be energetic and physically fit. But it does not mean that outward appearances and physical strength make a person brave. One must be strong from within. One must have the strength of mind and self-confidence.
Although Custard the dragon had lot of physical strength even then he was bullied. He was retorted for his timidity and cowardly behaviour.

Question 2.
Do you find ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ to be a serious or a light-hearted comedy? Give reasons to support your answer.
Ansswer:
‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a humorous, light-hearted poem as the characters display behavioural attributes contrary to their appearance as well as nature. It is extremely funny to imagine a fierce looking dragon crying for a safe cage or mouse raging like a lion.

Question 3.
Is there any hidden message that the poet is wishing to convey or do you think that entertainment is the sole purpose of writing this poem?
Ansswer:
The interpretation of the message in the poem may vary for different readers. The situation narrated, underscores a basic truth that the real test of courage is seen during a crisis. The dragon though never put his strength on display, exhibited it in action when it was required to do so.

Question 4.
What do you think changed the attitude of the other animals and that of Belinda towards the dragon?
Ansswer:
Custard, the dragon initially commanded no amount of respect from Belinda and the other pets, on account of its cowardice; but when the house was attacked by an armed pirate, all others panicked and ran for shelter. Only the dragon savagely attacked the pirate and ate it up. Thus, the other animals realised his worth and came to respect him genuinely.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Why was Custard the dragon called ‘cowardly’? But he proved everyone wrong. How?
Answer:
Custard the dragon was physically strong. But each moment he cried for a nice safe case. It was his aspiration that the little house in which he lived with Belinda was not safe. He appeared to be a coward as he always cried for a safe cage. When the pirate entered the house of Belinda, everyone was terrified. The face of Belinda had become pale due to fear. Custard faced the pirate boldly and hit him hard. It led to the death of the pirate. Through these activities, we can say that he proved everyone wrong.

Question 2.
‘Bravery is spontaneous’. Explain it with reference to the poem.
Answer:
Custard was truly brave and did not boast like Belinda and her other pets. Custard had the courage to face real danger, whereas everyone only boasted of their bravery. Custard faced the pirate and killed him, and he proved it by not running away. Bravery and courage are the qualities, which are exhibited when someone actually faces a dangerous situation. Thus these qualities are spontaneous.

Question 3.
Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears.
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cring keeps for a nice safe cage.
Discuss the humorous elements in the given passage.
Answer:
The extract from “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” is humorous in vein. The poet gives a vivid description of Belinda and her pets. Belinda was very brave. She was as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink also chased the lions down the stairs and showed their strength. Mustard showed his bravery like a tiger in anger. But Custard demanded for a nice safe cage to hide himself. This way Belinda and her pets like Mustard, Ink, Blink, etc., have been shown as courageous. The poet has presented all these things in a humorous vein. He also says that one must be strong from within so that one can have the strength of mind and self-confidence.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little grey mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

Paraphrase: Belinda lived in a little white house with her pets. A little black kitten, a grey mouse, a yellow dog, a red wagon, little pet dragon etc. were her pets.

Choose the correct option:

(a) For whom are the words ‘realio’ and ‘trulio’ used?
(i) Belinda
(ii) Dragon
(iii) Cat
(iv) Mouse
Answer:
(ii) Dragon

(b) With whom did Belinda live?
(i) A little brown kitten and a little white mouse
(ii) A little black kitten and a little grey mouse
(iii) A little white kitten and a little brown mouse
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) A little black kitten and a little grey mouse

(c) Belinda lived in a little ___________—-.
(i) black house
(ii) brown house
(iii) red house
(iv) white house
Answer:
(iv) white house

(d) What was the colour of wagon?
(i) Green
(ii) Red
(iii) White
(iv) Blue
Answer:
(ii) Red

(e) Who were the pets of Belinda?
(i) Kitten
(ii) Mouse
(iii) Dog
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iv) All of these

2. Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little grey mouse, she called him Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

Paraphrase: The name of the little black kitten was Ink, little grey mouse was Blink, little yellow dog was Mustard and the name of the dragon was Custard, who was a coward.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Who was a coward?
(i) Ink
(ii) Belinda
(iii) Blink
(iv) Dragon
Answer:
(iv) Dragon

(b) What were the colours of dog and mouse respectively?
(i) Red and green
(ii) White and black
(iii) Yellow and grey
(iv) Yellow and brown
Answer:
(iii) Yellow and grey

(c) The little yellow dog was sharp as ___________-.
(i) Custard
(ii) Blink
(iii) Ink
(iv) Mustard
Answer:
(iv) Mustard

(d) What did Belinda call the dragon?
(i) Blink
(ii) Mustard
(iii) Custard
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Custard

(e) Who was Blink?
(i) A cat
(ii) A mouse
(iii) A dog
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) A mouse

3. Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.

Paraphrase: Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth. There were sharp spikes on top of him and scales were below him. The mouth of the dragon looked like a fireplace and nose like a chimney. There were daggers on his toes.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What was like a fireplace?
(i) Custard’s toes
(ii) Custard’s mouth
(iii) Blink’s mouth
(iv) Ink’s nose
Answer:
(ii) Custard’s mouth

(b) Which of the following is not a characteristic of Custard?
(i) Scales
(ii) Spikes
(iii) Sharp teeth
(iv) Fair skin
Answer:
(iv) Fair skin

(c) Custard the dragon had big .
(i) sharp teeth
(ii) tail
(iii) mouth
(iv) body
Answer:
(i) sharp teeth

(d) How did the nose of dragon look like?
(i) Tree
(ii) River
(iii) Chimney
(iv) Mountain
Answer:
(iii) Chimney

(e) Who had sharp spikes on top of him?
(i) Ink
(ii) Custard
(iii) Blink
(iv) Mustard
Answer:
(iv) Mustard

4. Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Paraphrase: Belinda was very brave like a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink were so brave that they could chase lions down the stairs. Mustard was brave like a tiger in anger but Custard always wanted a cage to hide.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Who chased the lions down the stairs?
(i) Ink, Blink
(ii) Blink, Belinda
(iii) Belinda, Custard
(iv) Custard, Ink
Answer:
(i) Ink, Blink

(b) How brave was Mustard?
(i) As a cat
(ii) As a dog
(iii) As a tiger
(iv) As a mouse
Answer:
(iii) As a tiger

(c) Belinda was as brave as a barrel .
(i) full ofjuice
(ii) full of bears
(iii) both (i) and (ii)
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) full of bears

(d) The bravery of Mustard has been compared with whom?
(i) Roar of lion
(ii) Chirping of birds
(iii) Anger of tiger
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Anger of tiger

(e) Who wanted a cage to hide?
(i) Custard
(ii) Mustard
(iii) Dragon
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) Custard

5. Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.

Paraphrase: Belinda tickled the dragon and she tickled him in an unmerciful way. Ink, Blink and Mustard called the dragon, ‘Percival’. They all sat together laughing in the little red wagon.

Choose the correct option:

(a) By what name was Custard rudely called?
(i) Ink
(ii) Percival
(iii) Mustard
(iv) Trulio
Answer:
(ii) Percival

(b) Who is tickling whom?
(i) Belinda is tickling Ink.
(ii) Blink is tickling Ink.
(iii) Belinda is tickling Custard.
(iv) Ink is tickling Custard.
Answer:
(iii) Belinda is tickling Custard.

(c) Ink, Blink and Custard sat laughing in the .
(i) white car
(ii) red wagon
(iii) blue boat
(iv) all of these
Answer:
(ii) red wagon

(d) How did Belinda tickle the dragon?
(i) Merciful way
(ii) Unmerciful way
(iii) Embarrassing way
(iv) Naughty way
Answer:
(ii) Unmerciful way

(e) How is dragon?
(i) Coward
(ii) Innocent
(iii) Honest
(iv) Rude
Answer:
(i) Coward

6. Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Weeck! which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Paraphrase: Belinda giggled very loudly till the entire house shook its foundation. Blink also giggled like a mouse. Ink and Mustard asked the age of Custard and made his mockery.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What did Blink say?
(i) Greek
(ii) Breek
(iii) Weeck
(iv) Dreek
Answer:
(iii) Weeck

(b) How had Belinda shaken the entire house?
(i) With her superpower
(ii) With her giggling
(iii) With her friends
(iv) With her talks
Answer:
(ii) With her giggling

(c) Ink and Mustard made fun of Custard by asking his
(i) name
(ii) home town
(iii) age
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) home town

(d) What happened with the giggling of Belinda?
(i) The foundation of entire house shook,
(ii) All members went out of house.
(iii) Nothing happened.
(iv) Both (i) and (ii)
Answer:
(i) The foundation of entire house shook,

(e) Who also giggled like a mouse?
(i) Mustard
(ii) Ink
(iii) Blink
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Blink

7. Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
Paraphrase: Suddenly, they heard a very nasty sound. Mustard growled in the way all looked him. Ink cried, ‘Meowch!, Belinda cried ‘ooh’! They saw that a pirate was climbing through a window.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Who growled at the nasty sound?
(i) Ink
(ii) Custard
(iii) Mustard
(iv) Belinda
Answer:
(iii) Mustard

(b) How did Ink cry?
(i) Meowch!
(ii) Ooh!
(iii) Ouch!
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Meowch!

(c) They all saw a ………………… climbing through the window.
(i) dog
(ii) pirate
(iii) monkey
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) pirate

(d) How did Belinda cry?
(i) Meowch!
(ii) Ooh!
(iii) Ouch!
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Ooh!

(e) For which word is ‘Winda’ used?
(i) Pirate
(ii) Window
(iii) Sound
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Window

8. Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.

Paraphrase: The pirate had pistols in both his hands. There was a dagger in his teeth. The beard of the pirate was black and one of his legs was of wood. It clearly indicated that the pirate entered their house with a bad intention.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Which weaponry did the pirate carry?
(i) Knife and sword
(ii) Knife and pistol
(iii) Gun and cannon
(iv) Sword and pistol
Answer:
(iv) Sword and pistol

(b) The pirate held the short sword in his
(i) hands
(ii) teeth
(iii) legs
(iv) feet
Answer:
(ii) teeth

(c) The beard of pirate was _______
(i) black
(ii) white
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) black

(d) One of the legs of the pirate was of
(i) iron
(ii) wood
(iii) plastic
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) wood

(e) How was the intention of the pirate?
(i) Bad
(ii) Good
(iii) Neither bad nor good
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Bad

9. Belinda paled, and she cried Help ! Help !
But Mustard fled with terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.

Paraphrase: Seeing the pirate, Belinda got frightened. She became pale and cried for help. Mustard also ran away crying. Ink hid under the bottom of the household and Blink hid under the hole.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Who trickled down to the bottom of the household?
(i) Ink
(ii) Blink
(iii) Belinda
(iv) Custard
Answer:
(i) Ink

(b) What did Belinda cry for?
(i) Benefit
(ii) Help
(iii) Blessings
(iv) Advantage
Answer:
(ii) Help

(c) Mustard fled with __________ yelp.
(i) loud
(ii) terrified
(iii) mild
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) terrified

(d) How was the condition of Belinda after seeing the pirate?
(i) She fainted.
(ii) She laughed.
(iii) She got frightened.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) She got frightened.

(e) Where did Blink hid?
(i) Under the window
(ii) Under the hole
(iii) Under the bed
(iv) Nowhere
Answer:
(ii) Under the hole

10. But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.

Paraphrase: Mustard jumped and snorted like an engine. His tail clashed with the pirate like irons in the jail. With a clattering and clanking sound, he jumped upon the pirate like a robin jumped upon a worm.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Who is doing all the actions in the given stanza?
(i) Belinda
(ii) ink
(iii) Blink
(iv) Custard
Answer:
(iv) Custard

(b) How was Custard snorting?
(i) Like a horse
(ii) Like a lion
(iii) Like an engine
(iv) Like an ape
Answer:
(iii) Like an engine

(c) Custard went at the pirate like a ______________ at a worm.
(i) robin
(ii) housefly
(iii) butterfly
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) robin

(d) Who snorted like an engine?
(i) Mustard
(ii) Custard
(iii) Belinda
(iv) ink
Answer:
(ii) Custard

(e) Whose tail clashed with the pirate?
(i) Mustard
(ii) Ink
(iii) Blink
(iv) Custard
Answer:
(i) Mustard

11. The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon.
He fired two bullets but they didn’t hit,
And Custard gobbled him every bit.

Paraphrase: The pirate watched intently at Custard, swallowed some wine taking out a small container from his pocket. The pirate fired two bullets but it did not hit Custard the dragon. Custard gobbled every bit of the pirate.

Choose the correct option:

(a) At whom did the pirate fire?
(i) Belinda
(ii) Ink
(iii) Blink
(iv) Custard
Answer:
(iv) Custard

(b) What drink was the pirate carrying?
(i) Lemonade
(ii) Soda water
(iii) Alcohol
(iv) Mint-tea
Answer:
(iii) Alcohol

(c) gaped at Belinda’s dragon.
(i) Mustard
(ii) The pirate
(iii) Ink
(iv) Blink
Answer:
(ii) The pirate

(d) What did the pirate fire?
(i) One bullet
(ii) Two bullets
(iii) Three bullets
(iv) Four bullets
Answer:
(ii) Two bullets

(e) Who gobbled every bit of pirate?
(i) Mustard
(ii) Custard
(iii) Dragon
(iv) Ink
Answer:
(ii) Custard

12. Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate Around the dragon that ate the pirate.
Paraphrase: Belinda hugged Custard and Mustard licked him. No one wailed for the pirate victim who was dead. Ink and Blink danced merrily around the dragon.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Who embraced Custard?
(i) Belinda
(ii) Blink
(iii) Mustard
(iv) Ink
Answer:
(i) Belinda

(b) Who danced in happiness?
(i) Belinda and Mustard
(ii) Ink and Blink
(iii) Blink and Belinda
(iv) Mustard and Ink
Answer:
(ii) Ink and Blink

(c) Everyone _________ Custard because he killed the pirate.
(i) embraced
(ii) reprimanded
(iii) condemned
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) embraced

(d) Who wailed for the dragon?
(i) Custard
(ii) Mustard
(iii) Belinda
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iv) None of these

(e) Who licked Custard?
(i) Mustard
(ii) Blink
(iii) Belinda
(iv) No one
Answer:
(i) Mustard

13. But presently up spoke little dog Mustard,
I’d have been twice as brave if I hadn’t been flustered.
And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink,
We’d have been three times as brave, we think,
And Custard said, I quite agree
That everybody is braver than me.

Paraphrase: The little dog Mustard started speaking. He told had he not flustered, he would have been twice as brave as he was. According to Ink and Blink, they would have been thrice time as brave as they had been. In their response, Custard told that all are braver than him.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Who claimed that they had been three times as brave as Custard?
(i) Ink and Blink
(ii) Blink alone
(iii) Belinda
(iv) Mustard
Answer:
(i) Ink and Blink

(b) How was Custard?
(i) Hateful
(ii) Jealous
(iii) Unkind
(iv) Humble
Answer:
(iv) Humble

(c) __________ had not flustered.
(i) Blink
(ii) Mustard
(iii) Belinda
(iv) Ink
Answer:
(ii) Mustard

(d) Who considered themselves braver three times more?
(i) Ink and Blink
(ii) Custard and Mustard
(iii) Belinda and Mustard
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Ink and Blink

(e) Who accepted that everybody is braver than him?
(i) Mustard
(ii) Blink
(iii) Custard
(iv) Belinda
Answer:
(iii) Custard

14. Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little grey mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio little pet dragon.

Paraphrase: But Belinda still lives in her little white house along with her little black kitten, grey mouse, little yellow dog and red wagon. Her pet dragon realio, trulio are also with her.

15. Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.

Paraphrase: Now, Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink arid Blink chase lions down the stairs. Mustard is much brave like a tiger in a rage. But, Custard the dragon is crying for a nice safe cage.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Summary

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Introduction

About the Poet

• Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse. He wrote more than 500 pieces of verse. With his unconventional rhyming schemes, he was declared the country’s best-known producer of humorous poetry.
• Nash died at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital on May 19, 1971. He was buried in East Side Cemetery in North Hampton, New Hampshire.
•  At the time of his death in 1971, The New York Times said his “droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country’s best- known producer ofhumorous poetry.”
• A biography of Ogden Nash: The Life and Work of Americas Laureate of Light Verse, was written by Douglas M. Parker, published in 2005 and in paperback in 2007. The book was written with the cooperation of the Nash family, and quotes extensively from Nash’s personal correspondence as well as his poetry.

Central Idea of the Poem

‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a humorous poem. It gives a detailed description of a little girl Belinda and her pets. She lives with her pets like a kitten, a mouse, a dog and a dragon. All the dwellers of the house except Custard,pride themselves on their fearlessness. They mock poor Custard for his timidity. The mouse and the kitten are so brave that they can even chase lions. Custard the dragon is such a coward that it always wants to live under the cage to protect itself. However,when the real danger comes, all other run away in panic except Custard. The pirate who comes to Belinda’s house is killed by the dragon with his heroic act. The bravery of Belinda and rest of her pets fails. They all shout for help and it is Custard who rescues them from the pirate.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Summary

This is a story of a girl Belinda, who has some strange pets. They have queer names. She calls the black kitten Ink, the little grey mouse Blink, the yellow dog Mustard and the cowardly dragon Custard. Belinda, the kitten, the mouse and the dog are very brave but the dragon is timid. One day, a pirate, armed with a pistol, enters their house. Except the dragon Custard, all the others become afraid of the pirate. Custard attacks the pirate and gobbles him up. Belinda then embraces him while Mustard licks him. Even after this brave incident, Custard does not give up his cowardly ways. He still keeps on crying for a safe cage.

Poem at a Glance

• Belinda lived in a little white house with her pets.
• Blank kitten, Ink, grey mouse, Blink, yellow dog, Mustard and a dragon named Custard were her pets.
• All the pets were sharp and brave except Custard. Custard was a coward who always cried for a nice safe cage.
• Custard had a big sharp teeth with spikes on the top and scales below him.
• Belinda and Mustard always made mockery of timidity of Custard and called him ‘Percival’.
• Belinda and Blink giggled loudly. Custard was insulted by asking his name.
• All of a sudden, they saw a pirate climbing up through the window.
• The pirate had pistols in both his hands and a dagger in his mouth.
• Seeing the pirate, Belinda got frightened and cried for help. She also became pale in fear.
• Mustard ran away in terror and cried. Ink reached in the household and Blink reached in the mousehole.
• Custard snorted like an engine and struck his tails like irons in a prison.
• The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon and gulped down some wine. He even fired two bullets but they did not hit.
• Belinda hugged Custard, Mustard licked him, Ink and Blink danced around him in glee.
• On the bravery of Mustard, Ink and Blink, Custard agreed that everybody was braver than him.
• Belinda still lives in her white house alongwith little black kitten, grey mouse, yellow dog, red wagon and realio, trulio, her little pet dragon.
• Belinda is very brave like a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink, Mustard are also brave but Custard cries for a nice safe cage.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Word-Meanings

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 7 Animals Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 7 Animals

HBSE 10th Class English Animals Textbook Questions and Answers

Thinking about the Poem

1. Notice the use of the word ‘turn’ in the first line, “I think I could turn and live with animals…”. What is the poet turning from?
Answer:
The poet is turning away from living with other humans because he finds them complicated and false. He would rather live with animals that are self-contained and non-complaining. Human beings are not content and they always complain about something or the other.

2. Mention three things that humans do and animals don’t.
Answer:
The poet has drawn three comparisons between humans and animals.
(a) Humans sweat and work to make a living, but animals don’t do that.
(b) Humans lie awake at night and cry for the wrongs they have done, but animals do not repent such things. They sleep peacefully.
(c) Humans make each other sick by discussing with them their duties to God, while animals live and survive without any prayer.

3. Do humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago? Discuss this in groups.
Answer:
Yes, humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago. They worship their ancestors and pray by kneeling in front of their portraits. They hold religious sermons and ceremonies in their memory.

4. What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago, and which the animals have kept for him? Discuss this in class.
{Hint: Whitman belongs to the Romantic tradition that includes Rousseau and Wordsworth, which holds that civilisation has made humans false to their own true nature. What could be the basic aspects of our nature as living beings that humans choose to ignore or deny?
Answer:
The tokens that the poet says he might have dropped long ago are true nature of man, his affection, kindness, friendship, etc. As humans came closer to civilisation, they gradually deviated away from their true nature. As they came close to civilisation, they chose to leave behind the virtues of kindness, sincerity, unselfishness, joy, satisfaction, respectability and sharing. They adopted the path of greed, selfishness, desire to capture everything, and other such inhuman characteristics. Animals have carried forward the real instincts and characteristics, which the poet looks at and tries to remember where he had negligently lost his true nature.

HBSE 10th Class English Animals Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20-30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
What makes the poet sick?
Answer:
Humans do all kinds of sins and discuss with one another about their duties to God. It makes the poet sick. It shows the hypocrisy of humans, but animals do not repent such things.

Question 2.
What is the poet’s yearning?
Answer:
The poet’s yearning is to live with animals. Animals lead quite peaceful lives. They are
satisfied and never complain about it. Humans hanker after worldly possessions. Their desire and greed can never be satiated. That is why the poet wants to live with animals.

Question 3.
What does the poet say about animals in the poem?
Answer:
The poet says that animals are placid, calm, peaceful and self-contained. They never compromise with anything.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40-50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
In what respect are animals better than human beings?
Answer:
Animals are more sympathetic and considerate than human beings. They are quiet, calm and self-satisfied. They have no ill-will, grudge or envy against anyone. So, animals are better than human beings in numerous ways.

Question 2.
What qualities of animals have attracted the poet most?
Answer:
The noble virtues of animals have attracted the poet most. Animals are independent. They are not jealous, envious. They do not show unnecessary respect for their ancestors or to their fellow beings. They do not possess anything like human beings. These qualities of animals have attracted the poet most.

Question 3.
What is the underlying idea in the poem ‘Animals’?
Answer:
The idea depicted in the poem ‘Animals’ is the difference between human beings and animals. Initially, both animals and humans were similar in their innate goodness but over the years, humans have lost this natural goodness whereas it is still intact in animals. The peaceful, self-contained and happy nature of animals compels the poet to contemplate on man’s lost goodness.

Question 4.
Explain the satisfaction that animals have and humans don’t.
Answer:
Animals do not wish to possess worldly things. Whereas, humans’ desire grows constantly and they are never satisfied with what they have. The lack of this greed in animals keeps them satisfied and the presence of it in humans makes them dissatisfied.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Do you think that the poem ‘Animals’ presents a contrast between humans and animals?
Answer:
Human beings are jealous, envious, selfish and self-centred lot while animals are quiet, calm,
self-contained and happy lot. Animals do not lie awake at night, cry over their sins and discuss their duty towards God as human beings do. They have no intention of possessing things. They never kneel down before others. There are noble virtues inherent in them. But, humans lack all these things. They just change their perception according to circumstances. Animals remain whatever they are. They do not do things like that.

Question 2.
‘It is not complaining but accepting a situation, is the key to happiness in life.’ Elaborate this in context of the poem ‘Animals’.
Answer:
In the poem ‘Animals’, the poet has brought out the differences between animals and humans on the basis of their characteristics. In poet’s opinion, animals are ranked higher than humans, as they do not complain about anything and thus they are considered much happier than humans. Animals always live in their natural surroundings but humans tend to mould their surroundings as per their need and greed. Even after altering their habitat, humans remain sad and complaining.

Question 3.
Why do you think the poet has called the desire to own things, a mania? Is the poet right in doing so? Write your own views.
Answer:
The poet uses words such as ‘demented’ and ‘mania’ for never ending desire of human beings to own things. These words show that the poet is comparing this desire to madness. The poet stands right in doing so as this desire makes us so greedy. It traps us in a vicious circle of yearning more and more. Animals that are free from any possession are also free from sins, worries and complaints. In order to gain more wealth, all the important values such as morality and kindness are left behind.

Question 4.
What, according to you, should be the virtues that humans should possess? Discuss with reference to the poem, ‘Animals’.
Answer:
Human beings should be gentle not only to their own kind but also to everyone and everything. Virtues such as kindness bring other values like innocence and honesty. That makes the world a better place to live in. The lack of such values results in a corrupt society where people commit sins and repent in dark. They get dissatisfied and unhappy in their life. Human beings probably had these virtues in them but along with the advancement of civilisation, they have left them behind and adopted greed and cunningness.

Question 5.
Not one kneels another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth,
So they show their relation to me and I accept them
What does the poet want to convey through this?
Answer:
In this poem, it is the ardent desire of the poet to live among animals. According to him, the animals are quiet, calm and satisfied. One of the most important qualities of animals is that they neither feel happy nor sad over anything. Like human beings, they neither kneel down before others to show respect either to their elders or their ancestors. Animals want to lead independent life. They are quite indifferent to human beings. Animals are not greedy like human beings. The poet is quite happy with the behaviour and habits of animals. They just want to lead their own lives without bothering others. There is no greed, envy, hatred, ill-will, grudge, etc., prevalent among animals. So, the poet wants to live in the company of animals.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-contain’d,
I stand and look at them long and long.

Paraphrase: The poet has drawn differences between human beings and animals. The poet wants to live in the company of animals. Because they are quiet, calm and self-satisfied. Animals impress him so much that he looks upon them constantly for a long time.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Why does the poet want to live with the animals?
(i) They are calm and self-contained.
(ii) They are good to be friend with.
(iii) They run errands for him.
(iv) They entertain him.
Answer:
(i) They are calm and self-contained.

(b) At whom does the poet look long and long?
(i) Himself
(ii) Friends
(iii) Animals
(iv) Poet’s family members
Answer:
(iii) Animals

(c) The poet says that the animals are .
(i) disturbing
(ii) noisy
(iii) calm and self-contained
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) calm and self-contained

(d) Between whom has the poet drawn differences?
(i) Animals and human beings
(ii) Animals and birds
(iii) Nature and mankind
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Animals and human beings

(e) Why does the poet look at animals for long time?
(i) Because they disturb him
(ii) Because they impress him.
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) Neither (i) nor (ii)
Answer:
(ii) Because they impress him.

2. They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God.

Paraphrase: Animals do not whine about their miserable condition. They just take their sound sleep at night and never weep for their sins. Animals do not make anyone sick by discussing their duties to God.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What do the animals not complain about?
(i) They do not care for other animals.
(ii) They do not complain about their condition.
(iii) They do not have greed.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) They do not complain about their condition.

(b) What makes the poet sick?
(i) When someone discusses their duty to God.
(ii) When animals bite him.
(iii) When he eats poisonous food.
(iv) When the poet travels.
Answer:
(i) When someone discusses their duty to God.

(c) …………………. do not lie awake in the dark.
(i) Animals
(ii) Human beings
(iii) Thieves
(iv) Nature
Answer:
(i) Animals

(d) Who does not whine about their miserable condition?
(i) Human beings
(ii) Animals
(iii) Beggars
(iv) The rich people
Answer:
(ii) Animals

(e) Why do animals not weep for their sins?
(i) They are innocent.
(ii) They lack sense.
(iii) They are aggressive.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) They are innocent.

3. Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,

Paraphrase: There is no sense of dissatisfaction among the animals. They do not believe in possessing things like human beings. They do not kneel down before others to show respect either to their elders or to those who were bom thousands of years ago. According to them, nobody is respectable or unhappy on this earth.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What are the traits of animals?
(i) Satisfaction, not crazy about owning things
(ii) Anger, lust and restlessness
(iii) Loyal but lazy
(iv) Dissatisfied and mad
Answer:
(i) Satisfaction, not crazy about owning things

(b) What type of relation is being talked about here?
(i) Husband-wife
(ii) Brother-sister
(iii) Human-animal
(iv) Parents-kids
Answer:
(iii) Human-animal

(c) Animals do not before others like human beings.
(i) stand
(ii) kneel
(iii) sit
(iv) think
Answer:
(ii) kneel

(d) According to animals, who is respectable?
(i) Nobody
(ii) Human beings
(iii) God
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) Nobody

(e) In which things do animals not believe?
(i) God is one.
(ii) Possession of things
(iii) All are equal.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Possession of things

4. They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?

Paraphrase: Animals show the token of noble virtues because they are full of such things. The poet is awestruck on this thing. After all from where animals got those qualities. The noble virtues have been left by the humans centuries ago.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What have the human beings lost?
(i) Grudge, ill-will
(ii) Tokens of noble virtues
(iii) Hatred
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Tokens of noble virtues

(b) How is the reaction of the poet in the last line?
(a) Exciting
(b) Surprising
(c) Gloomy
(d) Neutral
Answer:
(b) Surprising

(c) Animals show the token of …………………
(i) honesty
(ii) Noble virtues
(iii) discipline
(iv) incivility
Answer:
(ii) Noble virtues

(d) How is the mood of the poet?
(i) He is awestruck on such thing.
(ii) He is disappointed
(iii) He is optimistic.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) He is awestruck on such thing.

(e) When did the human beings leave the noble virtues?
(i) Ten years ago
(ii) Hundred years ago
(iii) Centuries ago
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Centuries ago

Animals Summary

Animals Introduction

About the Poet

•  Walt Whitman was bom on May 31,1819 in West Hills, Huntington.
• He was an American poet, essayist, and journalist.
• He incorporated transcendentalism and realism.
• Whitman worked as a j oumalist, a teacher and a government clerk.
• He also volunteered for nurse during the American Civil War.
• Whitman’s major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855.
• He died in 1892 at the age of 72.

Central Idea of the Poem

The poet has very beautifully drawn out a contrast between human beings and animals. According to him, human beings are greedy, selfish and envious whereas animals are simple and loyal. He wants to live among the animals who are always satisfied and do not possess things. They do not have any kind of falsehood. They just enjoy their lives in their surroundings.

Animals Summary

In the poem, ‘Animals’, the poet has portrayed a beautiful description of animals. The poet desires to live among the animals, because they are quiet, calm and self-contained. They do not bother about their guilt or sin. They neither feel too happy nor get frustrated over anything.
The animals are always satisfied. They do not possess the mania of possessing things. They do not show respect for the others. But, such is not the case with human beings. They hanker after worldly pleasures and money. They do not get satisfaction. They show respect to the elders.
The poet has a deep desire to leam from the animals since they show their deep concern for him. They pay him respect in the form of a token and show their plain feelings. They do not have any kind of falsehood. The poet is much surprised at their quality.

Poem at a Glance

• The poet has tried to find out the differences between animals and human beings.
• The poet feels comfortable in the company of animals.
• Because animals are quiet, calm and satisfied.
• The poet looks at them for a long time.
• The animals neither repent over their miserable conditions nor weep for their sins.
• The animals are not mad after possession of things.
• Although human beings have lost their tokens of love but it still persists in animals.
• Human beings have become jealous, envious, greedy but animals are not so.

Animals Word-Meanings

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 6 Amanda Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 6 Amanda

HBSE 10th Class English Amanda Textbook Questions and Answers

Thinking about the Poem

1. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
Answer:
Amanda is a school going girl. She may be about 9-10 years old. It is apparent from the instructions given to her not to bite her nails or to do homework.

2. Who do you think is speaking to her?
Answer:
It seems that the poet is speaking to her.

3. Why are Stanzas 2,4 and 6 given in parenthesis? „
Answer:
Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are given in parenthesis because they are the thoughts of the child. And these are given in different conditions.

4. Who is the speaker in Stanzas 2, 4 and 6? Do you think this speaker is listening to the speaker in Stanzas 1, 3, 5 and 7?
Answer:
In Stanzas 2,4 and 6, the speaker is the child, Amanda. No, she is not listening to the speaker in Stanzas 1,3,5 and 7. She is lost in her thoughts and she is clearly not listening to anybody.

5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
Answer:
If Amanda were a mermaid, she would have drifted slowly on a languid emerald sea. She would be the sole inhabitant of the relaxed green sea.

6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?
Answer:
No, Amanda is not an orphan. She says so because she wants to be alone. She wants to roam around the street alone. She finds silence ‘golden’ and freedom ‘sweet’. It is for this reason that she calls herself an orphan.

7. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?
Answer:
Rapunzel was a fairy. Amanda wants to be Rapunzel because she wants to live alone. Rapunzel lived alone in a tall tower and had long, beautiful hair. She was held captive by her grandmother, who came up the tower by climbing her long hair. The girl also wants to live alone in a tower as she would not have to care about anything as life in a tower would be tranquil, peaceful and rare. However, she also decided that she would never throw down her hair for anyone to come up as she wanted to live alone always.

8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?
Answer:
The girl yearns for freedom. She wants to stay alone. If she were a mermaid, she would have wanted to drift slowly on a calm sea where she would be the only inhabitant. She imagines herself to be an orphan, roaming the street in silence and freedom. She also wishes to be Rapunzel though she would not let her hair down for anybody to climb up. This shows that she is fed up with the continuous scolding she receives from her mother. She wants to go away from her home to some place where she would not be constantly teased or rebuked by anybody and would be able to live peacefully.

9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?
Answer:
It does not seem that she is sulking, though she could be moody. She is completely lost in her thoughts. She is not even listening to her mother. Her mother perceives her to be sulking as she does not react to her instructions at all. Since Amanda does not listen to her, she concludes that she is very moody and continues to nag her.

HBSE 10th Class English Amanda Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20-30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
What does Amanda imagine herself to be while day-dreaming and reaching the sea?
Answer:
While reaching the sea in her daydream, Amanda imagines of being a mermaid. She finds the sea relaxed and peaceful as she dreams of drifting on the waves blissfully.

Question 2.
What sort of instructions did Amanda get?
Answer:
Amanda is instructed not to bite her nail, complete her homework and clean her room. She is even asked not to hunch her shoulders. She is told to sit only in a straight manner.

Question 3.
What can you depict of Amanda’s nature?
Answer:
Amanda is a moody girl. She is nagged most of the time. She often escapes from reality, which makes her moody and uninterested.

Question 4.
How does Amanda describe herself as an orphan?
Answer:
Amanda says that she is an orphan. She roams the street freely. There is dust under her bare feet. With her bare feet, she creates patterns on the dust. Silence is golden and freedom is sweet.

Question 5.
Why is Amanda told not to eat chocolates?
Answer:
Amanda is told not to eat chocolates because she had been suffering from acne. Eating more chocolates will cause pimples on her face. That is why she is told so.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40-50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
What is the importance of punctuation in a language? Why has the poet used the exclamation mark after Amanda in the title of the poem?
Answer:
Punctuation in a language makes the sense of a text clear. It helps in conveying the message with clarity. It is further used to structure and organise a piece of writing. The exclamation mark used in the title ’Amanda’ is to show the mother’s surprise on seeing Amanda. Amanda is a moody girl and this trait of hers upsets her mother.

Question 2.
Who is instructing Amanda? Is he/she constantly giving instructions fulfilling some-thing?
Answer:
Amanda’s mother is instructing Amanda. When she keeps on instructing her, Amanda sulks and becomes moody. Her mother intends to make her well-behaved by constantly giving instructions to her but Amanda doesn’t care much and nor can she ignore her mother, so she sulks down rather than executing all the instructions.

Question 3.
Despite imagining to be Rapunzel, Amanda does not want to do what Rapunzel did. Why?
Answer:
Amanda wants to be Rapunzel to live a peaceful life in a tower. But she does not intend to
elope with a prince because she does not want to depart from the peaceful life on the top of the tower.

Question 4.
Why does Amanda seem moody most of the times?
Answer:
Amanda seems moody because she is constantly trying to make an escape from her reality where she is instructed all the time. It is indeed a sorry state for a little kid like Amanda to bear. Here, the only solution she finds to escape this reality is her imaginary world. Therefore, it makes her look moody and indifferent towards her mother’s instructions.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Why does Amanda want to escape into the dreamy world of mermaids and fairies? Discuss it on the basis of the poem ‘Amanda’.
Answer:
In this world, each one (including child, young, old, etc.) wants to lead the life of freedom. Amanda also like other child loves freedom. She does not want to be a pampered child. Amanda does not want that her parents should control and guide her activities. She wants to do the activity of her own choice. She does not want to be dictated by anyone. She creates a world of her own choice. Amanda wants to live in the dreamy world of mermaids and fairies. She wants to enjoy freedom roaming around the streets like an orphan. Like Rapunzel, Amanda wants to live in an imaginary tower. She does not like the nagging of her mother. This way Amanda wants to escape into the dreamy world of mermaids and fairies.

Question 2.
How has the poet discussed the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem, ‘Amanda’?
Answer:
Every child is bom with some innate quality. Their upbringing plays an important role in sharpening their personality. It is the moral duty of the parents to instil good values and moral principles in a growing child. Amanda shows how a child feels trapped in instructions. She is instmcted to do numerous things. Amanda is very frustrated. She wishes to be an orphan. She is even instmcted not to eat chocolate because it causes acne. She wants to live alone and lead a carefree life. So, children should be reared up with proper care.

Question 3.
State the value points in the poem ‘Amanda’.
Answer:
Every child is unique in its own way. There are some positive and negative aspects in each child. It requires a great deal of patience and love to make them understand this. Parents should impart proper education to children, as they leam through experiences as well. If children do leam some bad habits, it requires great level of understanding and right approach to rectify them. Children cannot be taught everything in one day. They should be told to behave properly. It is natural for a child like Amanda to seek freedom at her place. Growing up of child should not be about do’s and don’ts only. The fact is that Amanda is forbidden to do anything without seeking permission. She can’t sit lazily around. She can’t eat chocolate because it could cause acne. Life of Amanda is very suffocating and limited in itself. She desires for more freedom and choice. The fact is that Amanda is innocent and naive. She is too small to understand the benefits of advice. That is why Amanda wishes to be an orphan. That is why she wants to be free.

Question 4.
I am an orphan, roaming the street
I pattern soft dust with my hushed bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.
What does Amanda imagine herself to be? What does the poet want to convey through this?
Answer:
Through this paragraph, the poet has tried to depict the state of a little girl’s mind and also instructs her to do something good and change her habit. When the poet tells her so, she assumes that had she been an orphan, she would have roamed into the street. She would have made design on the soft dust with her feet quietly. According to her, silence is golden and freedom is the sweetest thing in the world. She wants to lead the life of freedom not of bondage. Through golden silence, the poet estimates the worth of silence. Amanda seeks peace and calmness. It is absent in her reality. Through this paragraph, the poet wants to say that freedom is the sweetest thing in the world. Not only the girl like Amanda but all living beings want freedom.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!

Paraphrase: In this paragraph, the mother is instructing Amanda not to bite her nails because it is considered to be a bad habit. She even tells her to sit straight in right posture without bending her shoulders.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What was Amanda biting?
(i) A piece of cake
(ii) Bread crumbs
(iii) Strawberry
(iv) Nails
Answer:
(iv) Nails

(b) What does the poet mean by ‘sit up straight’?
(i) The poet tells Amanda to straighten up her hair.
(ii) The poet tells Amanda not to bend while sitting.
(iii) The poet tells Amanda to go straight.
(iv) The poet tells Amanda to bend down.
Answer:
(ii) The poet tells Amanda not to bend while sitting.

(c) The poet tells Amanda to stop .
(i) telling
(ii) walking
(iii) slouching
(iv) writing
Answer:
(iii) slouching

(d) What does her mother consider it?
(i) Good habit
(ii) Bad habit
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Bad habit

(e) To whom is the mother instructing here?
(i) Amanda
(ii) Her friend
(iii) Her father
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Amanda

2. (There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me—
a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

Paraphrase: Amanda imagines herself to be sitting near a calm and small island. She wants to be the only resident of the beautiful green sea. She imagines herself like a mermaid who leads her life in a relaxing way.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What is emerald here?
(i) The poet
(ii) The girl
(iii) The sea
(iv) Gemstone
Answer:
(iii) The sea

(b) What does Amanda imagine her to be?
(i) An actor
(ii) A chef
(iii) A fish
(iv) A mermaid
Answer:
(iv) A mermaid

(c) The poet uses brackets to present the
(i) trust
(ii) imagination
(iii) disappointment
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) imagination

(d) What does Amanda want?
(i) She wants to be the only resident of the beautiful Green Sea.
(ii) She does not want anything.
(iii) She only wants to play.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) She wants to be the only resident of the beautiful Green Sea.

(e) What type of life does Amanda want to lead?
(i) Disappointing
(ii) Relaxing
(iii) Miserable
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Relaxing

3. Did you finish your homework, Amanda?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda!

Paraphrase: Amanda was enquired whether she had finished her homework or not. She was even enquired whether she had cleaned her room or not. She was even instructed to clean her shoes.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What was Amanda asked to clean?
(i) The house
(ii) The dishes
(iii) The room
(iv) The curtains
Answer:
(iii) The room

(b) What did the poet think about Amanda?
(i) She thought that she had told her to clean her shoes.
(ii) She thought that she had asked her to buy grocery.
(iii) She thought that she had told her to tidy her room.
(iv) She thought that she had told her to watch out for birds.
Answer:
(i) She thought that she had told her to clean her shoes.

(c) Amanda is a very girl.
(i) careful
(ii) careless
(iii) stupid
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) careless

(d) What did her mother enquire first?
(i) About the completion of homework
(ii) About her imagination
(iii) About her dirty habits
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) About the completion of homework

(e) What does Amanda’s mother want from her?
(i) To learn bad habits
(ii) To learn good habits
(iii) To speak fitiently
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) To learn good habits

4. (I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)

Paraphrase: Amanda imagines herself to be an orphan who is roaming into the street. It implies that had she been without parents she would have wandered freely into the street. She is barefoot. She would have made designs on the soft dust with her bare feet quietly. In her opinion, silence is golden and freedom is the sweetest thing in the world.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What kind of silence does Amanda envision?
(i) Amazing
(ii) Silver
(iii) Sweet
(iv) Golden
Answer:
(iv) Golden

(b) What does Amanda do with her feet?
(i) Makes design on the deposited dust
(ii) Hushes the little puppies
(iii) Runs along the road
(iv) Roam in the street
Answer:
(i) Makes design on the deposited dust

(c) Amanda wants to roam like a/an
(i) dishonest
(ii) honest
(iii) orpan
(iv) stupid
Answer:
(iii) orpan

(d) What is golden here?
(i) Silence
(ii) Conversation
(iii) custom
(iv) Tradition
Answer:
(i) Silence

(e) What is the sweetest thing in the world?
(i) Passion
(ii) Freedom
(iii) Imagination
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Freedom

5. Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!

Paraphrase: Amanda’s mother is instructing her not to eat chocolates. She reminds of her pimples which she has due to eating chocolates. She even reminds her for not paying attention to what her mother says.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What is Amanda asked to do?
(i) To look into the mirror
(ii) To look at the narrator
(iii) To look inside the tidy room
(iv) To look before crossing the road
Answer:
(ii) To look at the narrator

(b) When does the narrator want Amanda to look at her?
(i) When she is speaking to her
(ii) When she needs a make up.
(iii) When she asks a question.
(iv) When she waves at her.
Answer:
(i) When she is speaking to her

(c) Amanda should not eat chocolate because it will cause .
(i) disappointment
(ii) irritation
(iii) acne
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) acne

(d) Amanda’s mother is instructing her not to eat—
(i) cake
(ii) chocolates
(iii) fruits
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) chocolates

(e) What does her mother remind her of?
(i) For not paying attention to her advice
(ii) For studies
(iii) For playing
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) For not paying attention to her advice

6. (I am Rapunzel, I have not a care;
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)

Paraphrase: Amanda only imagines herself to be Rapunzel, (a character from a fairy tale), who lives in a tower. But Amanda does not care for anybody. She wants to live alone in a quiet and calm tower. She also tells that she will never let her hair down to anyone so that nobody could come to her in the tower.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Who does Amanda envision to be?
(i) Snow-white
(ii) Cinderella
(iii) Rapunzel
(iv) Sleeping beauty
Answer:
(iii) Rapunzel

(b) What legend is related with Rapunzel?
(i) Long-bright hair
(ii) Missing sandal
(iii) Beauty and the Beast
(iv) Magic mirror
Answer:
(i) Long-bright hair

(c) The life of Rapunzel in a tower is .
(i) disturbing
(ii) calm and quiet
(iii) illusory
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) calm and quiet

(d) Who is Rapunzel?
(i) A character-from–the Ramayana
(ii) A character from the fairy tale
(iii) A character from the folk tale
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) A character from the fairy tale

(e) Why does Amanda not care for anybody?
(i) Because she wants to live alone.
(ii) Because she is not interested in studies.
(iii) Because she does not want to do any work.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) Because she wants to live alone.

7. Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!

Paraphrase: Amanda’s mother warns her not to feel unhappy and disappointed. She should be more happy. Amanda is very moody. She is of unstable nature. Her mother tells her to remain cheerful, otherwise her mother will be blamed for harassing her.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Who would think that the narrator is nagging at her?
(i) Anyone
(ii) Amanda
(iii) Poet
(iv) Her friends
Answer:
(i) Anyone

(b) Amanda’s nature is said to be
(i) moody and happy
(ii) sulky and moody
(iii) cheerful and excited
(iv) calm and composed
Answer:
(ii) sulky and moody

(c) The narrator tells Amanda to stop .
(i) talking
(ii) sulking
(iii) walking
(iv) writing
Answer:
(ii) sulking

(d) What does her mother advise her?
(i) She tells her to remain cheerful.
(ii) She tells her to talk agressive.
(iii) Does not say anything
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(i) She tells her to remain cheerful.

(e) Who will be blamed for harassing her?
(i) Amanda’s father
(ii) Amanda’s mother
(iii) Amanda’s sister
(iv) Amanda’s friends
Answer:
(ii) Amanda’s mother

Amanda Summary

Amanda Introduction

About the Poet

• Robin Klein was bom on 28 February, 1936, in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia.
• She wrote more than 40 books, including Hating Alison Ashley, Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left and Came Back to Show You I Could Fly.
• She left school at the age of 15 and did several jobs to establish herself as a writer.
• She won the CBCA Children s Book of the Year Award in both the Younger Readers and the Older Readers categories, and a Human Rights Award for Literature in 1989.
• Klein is considered one of the most prolific and beloved authors of Australia.

Central Idea of the Poem

‘Amanda’ is the poem of a young girl who does one thing after other but she is instructed not to do so, by the poet. It is the ardent desire of every child to enjoy the beauty of the dreamy world of childhood. The instructions given by the poet curtail her freedom. As the poet tells her not to eat chocolates, she considers it to be an infringement of her freedom. She only wants to remain in fantasy. Amanda does not want to grow up. She wants to remain a child now.

Amanda Summary

The poem ‘AmandaV depicts the state of a little girl’s mind. She is constantly instructed about do’s and don’ts by her elders. The narrator scolds and instructs her. She is told not to bite her nails. She is told not to hunch her shoulders and to sit up straight. The girl imagines that she is in an emerald sea. She is told to finish her homework and tidy her room. She is an orphan, that is why she roams in the street. She is forbidden from eating a chocolate because she has acne on her face. But all the time, the little girl Amanda keeps dreaming of a life of freedom in the open. She dreams of mermaids in the sea, of roaming barefoot in the dusty street and of the golden-haired Rapunzel who lived alone in a high tower. She takes no note of what is being said to her. Then she is rebuked for being moody and sulking all the time. This way the girl has been advised.

Poem at a Glance

• This poem is about a girl, Amanda who bites her nails.
• The poet asks her not to do so and also sit straight.
• The girl is lost in the world of dreams and fantasy.
• She imagines as if she were a mermaid.
• Amanda lives in a peaceful emerald sea all alone.
• She roams all around freely like a mermaid.
• Amanda lives in a peaceful emerald sea all alone.
• She roams all around freely like a mermaid.
• The poet asks if she has finished her homework and cleaned the room.
• She is told to clean her shoes but she has not done so.
• She does not care for all the things.
• Amanda wants to walk on the dust with her bare feet.
• She is told not to eat chocolates as it might cause her some problem.
• Amanda is told to inculcate good manners. But she ignores all these things.
• Amanda imagines herself as Rapunzel living in a tower.
• There is the atmosphere of peace and tranquillity here.
• The poet calls Amanda moody.
• She asks her not to be unhappy.

Amanda Word-Meanings

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 5 The Ball Poem Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 5 The Ball Poem

HBSE 10th Class English The Ball Poem Textbook Questions and Answers

Thinking about the Poem

1. Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him”? Why doesn’t he offer him money to buy another ball?
Answer:
The poet says so because the boy has lost his ball. He is quite unhappy. He wants the boy to learn the meaning of loss on his own. He does not offer him money to buy another ball because according to him, money or another ball is worthless. The boy was trying to understand his responsibility because he had lost something, which could not be brought back.

2. staring down/All his young days into the harbour where/His ball went…”
Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the memories of days when he played with it?
Answer:
Yes, it seems like the boy has had the ball for a long time. He had more affection with the ball. When it bounced into the water, all his memories of the childhood days flashed in his mind. This led to a realisation that those moments would not come back, just like the ball. He can buy new balls but the moments which had gone would never come again.

3. What does “in the world of possessions” mean?
Answer:
“In the world of possessions” means the materialistic world. Here everything and every action is made to possess something, whether it is the possession of land, property, money, or anything else. This would make the boy realise that this is the world of possessions where one can possess more things by buying them. One cannot buy what has been lost.

4. Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that suggest the answer.
Answer:
No, it seems that the boy has not lost anything earlier. The words that suggest so are ‘He senses first responsibility, in the world of possessions’.

5. What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try to explain this in your own words.
Answer:
The poet suggests that from the loss of the ball, the boy is just learning about the loss and how it hurts. The boy gets upset with this loss. The boy is learning what it means to lose something. Every man has to stand up after such losses. The boy too will learn how to stand up and leave the losses behind as he would have understood the true meaning and nature of loss.

6. Have you ever lost something you liked very much? Write a paragraph describing how you felt then, and saying whether — and how — you got over your loss.
Answer:
Yes, I have lost numerous things, but the loss of a dictionary really shocked me. The price of money does not matter here but the dictionary of Dr. Kamil Bulke – from English to Hindi really was an indispensable book to me, because I had leamt a lot of words and their uses from it. It not only enriched my vocabulary but also helped me learn idioms and phrases. I had bought it by saving my pocket money, that is why I really liked it much. Finally my loss was compensated. One of my friends suggested me to go to the store where I got an old piece of dictionary. I got really happy and purchased it. This way I overcome the loss.

HBSE 10th Class English The Ball Poem Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20-30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
How was the ball valuable for the boy?
Answer:
The ball was valuable for the boy is obvious from his reaction after losing it. He was much disappointed, dejected, shocked, fixed and stared at the place constantly where the ball had fallen.

Question 2.
What responsibility is the poet referring to?
Answer:
The poet is referring to the responsibility of the boy, who lost his ball and then stands up and bears the loss through self-understanding.

Question 3.
Write the sum and substance of the poem ‘The Ball Poem’.
Answer:
The poet, John Berryman tells us how quickly our childhood can go, like the pace at which the ball is lost in the poem and how at times we must face the hardships like loss unsuspectingly in our life.

Question 4.
What is the boy’s state of mind at the loss of his ball?
Answer:
The boy is very disturbed at the loss of his ball. He keeps staring at the ball with his desperate eyes.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40-50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
“And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.” What does these lines denote?
Answer:
These lines denote that no one can buy something that is lost for good. Here, the poet has compared money with an external thing. Nobody can buy the boy that very ball which he has lost. Money is a medium of possessing things. Even money cannot buy a ball back to the boy. The poet wants to make the boy aware of the loss.

Question 2.
What message does the poet want to convey through ‘The Ball Poem’?
Answer:
The poet has given a very positive message through the poem. He has tried to convey that gain and loss are the part and parcel of life. But one must be aware about the knowledge of loss. We may repent over the losses we have suffered from. But one must try to face even the adverse circumstances with good stead.

Question 3.
How did the boy react to the loss of the ball or was he fearful of something? Explain on the basis of the poem.
Answer:
When the ball of the boy lost, he was very upset. He was not fearful of anyone. He was really shocked, grief-stricken and disappointed. The ball might be a little thing and easily available, but the loss of the ball taught a lesson to the boy. Money can give only external happiness and satisfaction. It can not give us emotional satisfaction.

Question 4.
Write the theme of the poem, ‘The Ball Poem’.
Answer:
Each individual has fascination for something. But if we lose something that we love, we
should not feel disappointed, desperate and dejected. We should just try to bear the loss through our understanding. This is what the poem is all about.

Question 5.
Why does the poet say, “Balls will be lost always”?
Answer:
Here, balls symbolise man’s possession. These are dearer to us than the others. But nothing is permanent in this world. Everything is transitory. When we lose something, we suffer from a sense of loss. It happens in everyone’s life. That is why the poet says the ball will always be lost.

Question 6.
Why did the poet not console the boy?
Answer:
There are two reasons behind it. Firstly, the boy was too shocked and grief-stricken to know about the loss of the ball. Secondly, the boy was trying to bear the loss on his own through self-understanding which is much more lasting. Due to these reasons, the poet did not console the boy.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
What is the epistemology of loss in this world of possessions? How far has the child learned to stand up in life? Substantiate it on the basis of the poem.
Answer:
The poet has tried to show that gain or loss are the part and parcel of life. These are the two facets of the same coin. At the loss of his ball, the boy is very depressed and dejected. It is not only the matter of an ordinary ball but the boy’s association and memories with the ball. The ball once lost will be lost for ever. But what is the ultimate solution to this problem? In this materialistic world, it is the notion of people that money can buy everything. But this notion is totally wrong. Money has its own limitations. It can compensate the financial losses to certain extent but it can not compensate the losses that a person suffers emotionally or internally. No money can buy back that ball that has been lost for good. It cannot buy even the lost childhood. But even in the adverse circumstances, the boy will have to stand in good stead. He must not repent over the losses. On the contrary, he should have to go ahead in his life.

Question 2.
Elaborate the idea that “one should learn to accept and let go and not stick to something that we can not have.”
Answer:
It is important for everyone to experience to accept the loss and be bold and get on with life. Staying strong is the only way to survive. One should understand that the past is gone and will never come back. Sometimes loss helps us to grow up and we are able to face hardships like loss. We also leam to accept and let go and not to stick to something which we can not have.

Question 3.
Why is it important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it?
Answer:
It is important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after it in order to be strong and to get on with life. One must be strong irrespective of how much it hurts inside. Staying strong is the only way to survive. Moreover, one needs to leam to accept and let go and not cling to something that they can never have. One should understand that the past is gone and it will never come back. Sometimes loss helps us to grow up and face hardships. So, we must look at it with positive perspective.

Question 4.
I would not intrude on him,
A time, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possession.
On the basis of the given passage, what message does the poet want to convey through this?
Answer:
Through this, the poet has tried to convey that this world is materialistic. The boy who has lost his ball must understand the profoundness or intensity of loss. Although the ball is a small thing and it does not matter if it gets lost, he must understand to take the responsibility from the very beginning of his life. Another ball is worthless for the boy. Because he has lost something dear to him. He suffers from a sense of loss. He senses responsibility when his possessed ball is lost. The main thing that the poet wants to convey to us is that money cannot compensate for the loss of boy. Through this the poet also realises what is his first responsibility in such a world. The boy must inculcate the value of loss or gain from his childhood because then only he can become a sensible and rational man in the latter part of his life.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over – there it is in the water!

Paraphrase: In this paragraph, the poet is talking about a boy who has lost his ball while playing. He wants to know about him and his reaction after losing his ball. He said that the ball was bouncing and jumping up and down into the street. The ball skipped from the hands of the boy and lost into the water for ever.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Which thing was bouncing merrily down the street?
(i) Ball
(ii) Water
(iii) Poet
(iv) Boy
Answer:
(i) Ball

(b) Where did the ball go ultimately?
(i) Rooftop
(ii) Water
(iii) Road
(iv) Pit
Answer:
(ii) Water

(c) After bouncing, the ball went down the
(i) street
(ii) corner
(iii) home
(iv) nowhere
Answer:
(i) street

(d) “Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over-there it is in the water!”
Which literary device has been used here?
(i) Metaphor
(ii) Alliteration
(iii) Simile
(iv) Anaphora
Answer:
(iv) Anaphora

(e) About whom does the poet talk about?
(i) A boy who has lost his ball.
(ii) A boy who has lost his memory
(iii) A boy who has lost his pen.
(iv) A boy who has lot his school bag
Answer:
(i) A boy who has lost his ball.

2. No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went.

Paraphrase: There is no advantage of consoling the boy by saying that he will get another ball in lieu of the lost ball. The boy is very disappointed. He is shaking with grief. He is trembling with fear. He is staring at the ball that has gone into the harbour. The loss of the ball reminds him of his childhood days that have been lost in the harbour.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What fixes the boy unlimitedly?
(i) Happiness
(ii) Grief
(iii) Madness
(iv) Calmness
Answer:
(ii) Grief

(b) How is the boy standing?
(i) Laughing
(ii) Rigid
(iii) Fearful
(iv) Joking
Answer:
(ii) Rigid

(c) The boy is in because his ball has been lost.
(i) bad mood
(ii) anger
(iii) imagination
(iv) grief
Answer:
(iv) grief

(d) Where has the ball gone?
(i) Into the harbour
(ii) Into the room
(iii) Into the field
(iv) Nowhere
Answer:
(i) Into the harbour

(e) What is the condition of the boy?
(i) He is very happy.
(ii) He trembles with fear
(iii) He is in high temper.
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) He trembles with fear

3. I would not intrude on him;
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions.

Paraphrase: The poet does not want to intrude on the boy. He cannot console the boy saying that he can buy him another ball. He says so because the new ball will not bring the sense of belonging to the boy. It is the time for the boy to learn the responsibility of taking care of the things. He must realise what is his first responsibility in this world.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What does the boy sense?
(i) Taste of ice-cream
(ii) A gust of wind
(iii) Presence of a dog in bushes
(iv) First responsibility
Answer:
(iv) First responsibility

(b) What is worthless here?
(i) Another bottle of milk
(ii) A dime for another ball
(iii) Company of friends
(iv) Putting efforts in something
Answer:
(ii) A dime for another ball

(c) The ‘world of possessions’ depicts that the world is .
(i) transient
(ii) materialistic
(iii) spiritual
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) materialistic

(d) What should the boy realise?
(i) His first responsibility
(ii) His first priority
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) His first responsibility

(e) What will the new ball not bring?
(i) Attitude
(ii) Belongingness
(iii) Manners
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(ii) Belongingness

4. People will take
Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.
And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.
He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up.

Paraphrase: In this materialistic world, many of his belongings will be lost. The poet says that the boy is learning how to withstand the sense of losses. Once a ball has been lost, it can be replaced with another one. Here money is external. It can buy us ball but not the memories and emotions related with it. The boy with his hopeless eyes sees the nature of loss and also thinks how to come out of that situation. The poet says that one must learn to accept the miseries of life and stand up again. This is the truth of life.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What is the boy learning?
(i) How to gain
(ii) The epistemology of loss
(iii) How to become passive
(iv) How to compensate
Answer:
(ii) The epistemology of loss

(b) What must every person learn at the end of the day?
(i) To run away
(ii) To stand up even in odds
(iii) To cook
(iv) To laugh
Answer:
(ii) To stand up even in odds

(c) The boy sees this loss with _________ eyes.
(i) desperate
(ii) optimistic
(iii) gazing
(iv) all of these
Answer:
(i) desperate

(d) What is external here?
(i) Ball
(ii) Money
(iii) Harbour
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Money

(e) What does the poet say?
(i) One must accept the miseries of life.
(ii) One must not accept the miseries of life.
(iii) One must be ignorant from all these.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) One must accept the miseries of life.

The Ball Poem Summary

The Ball Poem Introduction

About the Poet

• John Berryman was bom on October 25, 1914 in McAlester, Oklahoma in America. He was a renowned scholar and famous American poet.
• He was concerned with the literary movement, viz., Confessional Poetry.
• The Dream Songs’ is one of his notable works. It is an intensely personal sequence of 385 poems.
• He was bestowed with Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Bollingen Prize, etc.
• He died on January 7, 1972.

Central Idea of the Poem

In this poem, the poet has described the grief of a boy over the loss of his ball. This is the world of materialism. In this materialistic world, the things which you love will not always remain with you. In this life, you will be forced to do things that you do not want to do and you will have to give up the things which you love the most. All these may happen due to circumstances. In spite of all the circumstances, you must have to stand in good stead. It does not matter how much does it hurt. It teaches us to leam to accept and do not cling onto something that you can never have.

The Ball Poem Summary

In ‘ The Ball Poem ’, the poet has narrated the desperation and disappointment of a boy who has lost his ball. It was more lovable to him. For a common man, the loss of a ball is of minor significance. But to a little boy, this is not so. Money is external; it cannot buy back our love. It can also not replace the things that we love. The loss of the ball will teach the boy a lesson. This way he will leam how to accept the loss with tolerance and pleasure. Everyone has to lose something or the other in this world if he has to survive and fulfil his obligations. It is the part and parcel of life. But if you lose something you will have to stand up to be strong and get on with your life.

Poem at a Glance

• This poem is about a boy who lost his ball while playing.
• He saw the ball bouncing down the street.
• But ultimately it fell down into the river and lost for good.
• All the incidents occur before the boy but he is unable to do anything.
• He only repents at the loss of a ball.
• Although the loss of a ball is considered to be an ordinary incident but the poet has given a deep thought to it.
• According to the poet, the loss of the ball is the loss of childhood and his dreams.
• If it is lost once, it never comes back again.
• The child is sad that the ball he has lost cannot be brought back.
• At last, change comes in the life of a boy.
• He draws this conclusion that loss is a part of human life.
• One should not grieve over one’s loss.
• The loss cannot break one’s spirits.
• One should face such losses with courage and determination.

The Ball Poem Word-Meanings

Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 3 A Tiger in the Zoo Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

Haryana Board 10th Class English Solutions First Flight Poem 3 A Tiger in the Zoo

HBSE 10th Class English A Tiger in the Zoo Textbook Questions and Answers

Thinking about the Poem

1. Read the poem again and work in pairs or groups to do the following tasks.
(i) Find the words that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.
(ii) Find the words that describe the two places, and arrange them in two columns.
Now try to share ideas about how the poet uses words and images to contrast the two situations.
Answer:
table

(i) Movements and actions of Tiger in the cage | Movements and actions of Tiger in the wild Stalking
Lurking Hearing
Snarling Staring
Baring his white fangs Ignoring
Sliding, Terrorising
A Tiger in the Zoo
359

(ii)
Places in the cage Few steps of his cage Concrete cell
, Places in the wild Long grass Water hole Houses at the jungle’s edge
Locked
Behind bars
Village

2. Notice the use of a word repeated in lines such as these:
(i) On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
(ii) And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
What do you think is the effect of this repetition?
Answer:
Repetition is a poetic device used by the poet in order to enhance the beauty of the poem.
‘Velvet quiet’ refers to the quiet velvet pads of the tiger’s paws. He can only walk around the limited space in the cage. The use of quiet rage’symbolises the anger and ferocity of the tiger. He wants to run out into the forest and hunt a deer, but his rage is quiet because he is caged and can not come out in the open. The use of ‘quiet’ has brought immense beauty to the poem. Similarly, the use of “brilliant for the tiger’s eyes as well as the stars also bring out the magnificence of these lines.

3. Read the following two poems – one about a tiger and the other about a panther. Then discuss:
Are zoos necessary for the protection or conservation of some species of animals? Are they useful for educating the public? Are there alternatives to zoos?

The Tiger
The tiger behind the bars of his cage growls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage snarls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage roars.
Then he thinks.
It would be nice not to be behind bars all
The time
Because they spoil my view
I wish I were wild, not on show.
But if I were wild, hunters might shoot me,
But if I were wild, food might poison me,
But if I were wild, water might drown me.
Then he stops thinking
And…
The tiger behind the bars of his cage growls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage snarls,
The tiger behind the bars of his cage roars.
– PETER NIBLETT

The Panther

His vision, from the constantly passing bars,
has grown so weary that it cannot hold
anything else. It seems to him there are
a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world.
As he paces in cramped circles, over and over,
the movement of his powerful soft strides
is like a ritual dance around a centre
in which a mighty will stand paralysed.
Only at times, the curtain of the pupils
lifts, quietly. An image enters in,
rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles,
plunges into the heart and is gone.
– RAINER MARIA RILKE
Answer:
To some extent, zoos are necessary for the protection or conservation of some species of
animals. In the forest, they might be hunted down, poisoned by some wild food, or could be drowned in water. But, a zoo is not the correct alternative to a forest. In a zoo, an animal feels caged and bound. They cannot roam freely as in the wild. Only due to this reason, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks have been made in order to conserve several endangered species. These places provide protection as well as natural surroundings to these species. They can roam freely in their habitats and are safe too. The public can visit these parks and get educated about the animals and their lifestyles. The parks and sanctuaries are run using a strict set of rules, the most prominent being the ban on hunting. If animals roam in the open, visitors would not be able to feed them and would not misbehave or try to play with them as they are under strict supervision. Such incidents have been recorded in zoos where people irritate and tease the animals. Hence, a wildlife sanctuary is a good alternative for animals to be safe as well as free to move in their natural surroundings. Yes, they are quite useful for educating the public. The public may get proper information about them.

4. Take a point of view for or against zoos, or even consider both points of view and write a couple of paragraphs or speak about this topic for a couple of minutes in class.
Answer:
Hints:
• Teaches about the importance of nature.
• Provides recreation to the visitors.
• Scientists do study about wild animals.
• Saves from danger of extinction.

On the hints given above, the students may develop their views accordingly.

HBSE 10th Class English A Tiger in the Zoo Important Questions and Answers

I. Short Answer Type Questions (20-30 words & 2 marks each)

Question 1.
Enlist some of the activities of the tiger, as described in the poem.
Answer:
Some of the activities of the tiger are – walking along the cage, hearing the patrolling of cars, ignoring visitors and staring at the brilliant stars of the sky.

Question 2.
Why does the tiger express his anger quietly?
Answer:
The tiger expresses his anger quietly, because he is helpless. He can do nothing from behind the bars. He is no longer independent in the cage the way he was in the forest.

Question 3.
How does the tiger terrify the villagers?
Answer:
The tiger growls at the villagers who pass through that way. He also shows his white sharp teeth and ferocious claws to the villagers to terrify them.

Question 4.
Why does the tiger not take much interest in the visitors?
Answer:
The tiger is imprisoned in the cage. He feels uncomfortable and is in a rage. He wants to enjoy freedom. That is why the tiger does not take much interest in the visitors.

Question 5.
Why are the eyes of the tiger said to be brilliant? What is common between the tiger’s eyes and the stars?
Answer:
The eyes of the tiger shine brightly in the darkness of night. That is why they are said to be brilliant. And it is this brilliance that is common between the tiger’s eyes and the stars.

II. Short Answer Type Questions (40-50 words & 3 marks each)

Question 1.
Is living in the wild safe for tigers these days?
Answer:
It is ideal for tigers to live in the wild. But looking at today’s jungles where poachers are always on the hunt of innocent animals, frequent forest fires caused by men are on the rise, it is becoming less viable for wildlife to thrive in natural habitat.

Question 2.
How does the tiger hunt in his natural habitat, i.e., jungle?
Answer:
The ferocious tiger roams freely in his natural habitat. He is wary of catching his prey. He waits for his prey lurking invisibly in the shadow of trees. He slides through the long grass stealthily and unnoticed. He comes to the water hole where he can hunt his favourite prey, i.e., plump deer.

Question 3.
Why should the tiger snarl around houses at the edge of the forest?
Answer:
The tiger should snarl around houses at the edge of the forest so that the villagers do not disturb the peace of the forest and they do not kill the wild animals to fulfil their selfish motive.

Question 4.
What message does the poet want to convey through the poem, ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’?
Answer:
All creatures of the earth, i.e., human beings, animals, etc., want freedom. It is quite unwise and cruel to keep the wild animals in the zoo. They feel angry, and irritated there. So, their freedom should not be caged. The tiger should be allowed to live only in forests not in cages.

Question 5.
How does the poet make a contrast between the tiger in the cage with tiger in the forest?
Answer:
The poet makes a very beautiful contrast between the tiger in the cage with tiger in the forest.
In the cage, the tiger is not free. He is quite angry and irritated. While the tiger in the forest remains free and lives with ease. The tiger walks in the tall grass and hunts the deer that passes by the water hole.

III. Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words & 5 marks each)

Question 1.
Love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Comment.
Answer:
It is absolutely true that love for freedom is the natural instinct of every living being. Everyone prefers to live without restrictions and tends to deny any kind of confinement. Likewise, the caged tiger also longed for freedom. He was so fed up that he even ignored the visitors who would always be awestruck looking at him. He took to and fro steps inside the cage as if looking for an opportunity to escape the captivity. God has made all living beings equal and therefore the animals too have the right to freedom. They are not supposed to be caged. It is their right to enjoy their natural habitat in the wild. Hence, humans should not cage them out of sheer selfishness and respect them as well.

Question 2.
Do you agree that wild animals should be caged? Comment with reference to the poem.
Answer:
Wild animals should not be caged at any cost. This is a well-known fact that tiger is a royal species. They are on the verge of extinction. In ancient times, tigers moved around freely in the forests. But today, they are caged and left in the zoo for the entertainment of people. In fact, they are not meant for confinement only. The result is that their offsprings also do not learn how to hunt, when they are caged. Caging wild animals also leads to disturbance of ecological balance. So, wild animals should be left free. They belong to the forest. Cages are not meant for any wild animal, specially a tiger.

Question 3.
“Captivity is the greatest curse one suffers from. No creature likes to stay behind the bars.” Discuss with reference to the poem, ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’.
Answer:
Since the evolution of human civilization on the earth, we have been finding that man has tried to exploit others for his own benefit. The weak have been enslaved and made to bow before the master. A bird also does not want to live in a caged nest but wants to live and sing freely under the sky. Leslie Norris, the poet has depicted the irony of the situation for the tiger. A ferocious animal like tiger has to satisfy itself by moving in the closed bars. His strength is behind the bars where instead of terrorising, he himself is being terrorised.

Question 4.
But he’s locked in concrete cell, His strength behind bars, Stalking the length of his cage, Ignoring visitors. On the basis of the given passage, explain how the tiger looks like from the outside of the cage. What does the poet want to convey through this?
Answer:
The poet, Neslie Norris has given a vivid description of a tiger in the zoo. In the zoo, the tiger can’t lead his natural life. He remains helpless there. He remains locked in a cage, i.e., a concrete cell. His strength is locked behind bars. The tiger moves slowly and quietly along the length of the cage. He walks to and fro in utter helplessness. The tiger also ignores the visitors because he considers them devoid of feelings. Nobody tries to help him come out of the cage. He is under the strict surveillance of the curator. Actually, this is not the natural habitat of the tiger in which he is living. He is really helpless in the cage and draws pity for his condition. Through this, the poet wants to convey that everybody loves freedom whether it is a human being or an animal. Nobody wants to lead the life of bondage and slavery. God has made all living beings free. So their right to freedom must not be snatched at any cost.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.

Paraphrase: The poet has given a vivid description of the tiger. The tiger is confined in the zoo and roams in the cage. The stripes are visible on his skin. He walks quietly on the pads of velvet in his cage without showing his anger.

Choose the correct option:

(a) What does the tiger do in his cell?
(i) Hunts
(ii) Hides
(iii) Stalks
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Stalks

(b) How is the cage?
(i) It is very small.
(ii) It is very big.
(iii) Both (i) and (ii)
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) It is very small.

(c) The tiger stalks in his vivid
(i) zoo
(ii) cage
(iii) stripes
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) stripes

(d) Why can one not hear the footsteps of tiger?
(i) Because the tiger has no feet.
(ii) Because he has very soft feet.
(iii) Because there is problem in his feet.
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Because he has very soft feet.

(e) What does the tiger do to control his anger?
(i) The tiger does nothing.
(ii) The tiger barks violently.
(iii) The tiger walks quietly in the limited area of his cage.
(iv) Both (ii) and (iii)
Answer:
(iii) The tiger walks quietly in the limited area of his cage.

2. He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.

Paraphrase: According to the poet, had this tiger been free, he would have hid himself behind the long grass near the waterbodies and could have easily caught a deer in order to have its prey. But the tiger is not in a position to do so, because he is entrapped in a cage.

Choose the correct option:

(a) How should the tiger walk through the grass?
(i) Sliding through long grass
(ii) Jumping through long grass
(iii) Walking through bushes
(iv) Both (ii) and (iii)
Answer:
(i) Sliding through long grass

(b) Who passes by the water hole?
(i) Tiger
(ii) Rabbit
(iii) Langur
(iv) The plump deer
Answer:
(iv) The plump deer

(c) The tiger lurks in shadow to wait for his
(i) friend
(ii) prey
(iii) mother
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(ii) prey

(d) What is the rhyming scheme of the above stanza?
(i) aabb
(ii) abab
(iii) abcb
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) abcb

(e) Had the tiger been free what would he have done?
(i) He would have hid himself behind the long grass.
(ii) He would have done nothing.
(iii) He would have attacked on the animals of the forest.
(iv) Both (ii) and (iii)
Answer:
(i) He would have hid himself behind the long grass.

3. He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!

Paraphrase: The poet says that if the tiger would have been free, he would have roamed around freely. The tiger would have been snarling around houses on the outskirts of the jungles. He would terrorise the village people with his sharp teeth and claws.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Whom does the tiger terrorise?
(i) The zoo people
(ii) The town people
(iii) The villagers
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iii) The villagers

(b) How will the tiger terrorise the people?
(i) With sharp teeth and claws
(ii) With his nails
(iii) By roaring
(iv) By attacking upon them
(i) He would have hid himself behind the long grass.
Answer:
(i) With sharp teeth and claws

(c) The tiger should be snarling around the
(i) forests
(ii) zoos
(iii) houses
(iv) fields
Answer:
(iii) houses

(d) How would the village people feel?
(i) They would be scared.
(ii)They would be in panic.
(iii) They would feel happy.
(iv) They would be sad.
Answer:
(ii)They would be in panic.

(e) What are the ‘white fangs’ referred to?
(i) Claws
(ii) Jaws
(iii) Teeth
(iv) Nails
Answer:
(iii) Teeth

4. But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.

Paraphrase: The tiger is inside the cage. He is confined in a concrete cell. His strength and ferociousness is also hidden behind the bars. He is stalked in the cage. The tiger is locked in
the cage, so he does not pay heed to the visitors.

Choose the correct option:

(a) Where is the tiger locked?
(i) Concrete cell
(ii) In the house of a hunter
(iii) In the forest
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Concrete cell

(b) What is found behind the bars of cage here?
(i) Criminals
(ii) Children
(iii) Tiger’s strength
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(iii) Tiger’s strength

(c) The tiger is stalked in the
(i) cage
(ii) wall
(iii) waterfall
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(i) cage

(d) Along with the tiger what is also behind bars?
(i) Tiger’s ferociousness
(ii) Tiger’s nature
(iii) Tiger’s weaknesses
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(i) Tiger’s ferociousness

(e) Whom does the tiger ignore?
(i) Friends
(ii) Relatives
(iii) Visitors
(iv) All of these
Answer:
(iii) Visitors

5. He hears the last voice at night,
The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.

Paraphrase: The tiger hears the sounds of the patrolling cars at night. He gazes at the shining stars with his eyes. It shows that the tiger is sad and he is confined in the cage.

Choose the correct option:

(a) With which eyes does the tiger stare?
(i) Tired
(ii) Sleepy
(iii) Ferocious
(iv) Brilliant
Answer:
(iv) Brilliant

(b) Where is the tiger staring at?
(i) Stars in the sky
(ii) Walls of the cage
(iii) Television screen
(iv) Visitors
Answer:
(i) Stars in the sky

(c) The tiger hears the voice of the
(i) animals
(ii) trains
(iii) human beings
(iv) patrolling cars
Answer:
(iv) patrolling cars

(d) How is the mood of the tiger?
(i) Happy
(ii) Sad
(iii) Nostalgic
(iv) None of these
Answer:
(ii) Sad

(e) What is the rhyming scheme of the above stanza?
(i) aabb
(ii) abab
(iii) abcb
(iv) none of these
Answer:
(iii) abcb

A Tiger in the Zoo Summary

A Tiger in the Zoo Introduction

About the Poet

• George Leslie Norris (May 21, 1921 – April 6, 2006), was a famous poet and short story writer. He was born in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. He is considered one of the most important Welsh writers of the post-war period.
• Norris published his first poem in 1938. By 1943, he published his first book of poetry. His first collection of poetry was Finding
• Gold that was published in 1967. By 1980, Norris published three volumes in the Phoenix Living Poets.
• The Loud Winder, Sliding, The Girl from Cardigan, Holy Places, etc., are some of his important works.
• He was bestowed with Cholmondeley Poetry Prize, the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Award, the AML Award for poetry and many more awards. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Welsh Academy.
• Leslie died on April 6, 2006 in Provo.

Central Idea of the Poem

The poem ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’ deals with the feelings of a tiger inside the cage. He is not free to move freely as he is restricted to its boundaries. The animals, like tiger is meant to roam in the open terrorising the village with his paws and roars. He never harms anyone until provoked. He yearns to get out of the cage while watching the stars at night. The tiger values his freedom like humans do and we should not earn out livelihood at the expense of the freedom of animals.

A Tiger in the Zoo Summary

DO In the poem, ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’, the poet has presented a contrast between a tiger when it is in its natural habitat and when it is imprisoned in a zoo. The poet sees a tiger in a zoo on a starry night. The tiger moves slowly up and down in his cage. He is full of anger. The poet says that the tiger should have been in the jungle. He should have been lurking quietly in the shadows near some water hole, and waiting for a plump deer to pass that way. But he is locked in a concrete cell. He does not take cognizance of the visitors and is looking at the brilliant stars with his brilliant eyes. Now he is content with merely looking at the stars. He is no longer free to move in his natural habitat and look at the brilliant stars from there.

Poem at a Glance

The tiger is not free to roam.
It is confined to a caged habitat in a zoo.
There are dark spots on the skin of a tiger. It is visible from a distance.
The tiger walks quietly with his velvety soft feet.
But in the forest, the tiger terrorises the villagers by opening his white fangs, long teeth and the claws.
But the tiger has no intention of terrorising the villagers.
A lot of visitors come to see him in the zoo but he does not like the stares of the visitors.
He does not take much cognizance of the visitors.
Now, the tiger limits his movements only to the caged habitat.
Late night, he hears the noise of the patrolling cars moving around the zoo.
The tiger looks at the shining stars in the night.
He just watches the shining stars standing in the caged habitat.

A Tiger in the Zoo Word-Meanings