Class 12 Flamingo English The Last Lesson

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Ans:  That day Franz was expected to be prepared with participles because M. Hamel had said
that he would question them on participles. Franz did not know anything about participles.

Q2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Ans: Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the
street. But it was all very still that day. Everything was as quiet as Sunday morning. There was
no opening or closing of desks. His classmates were already in their places. The teacher’s great
ruler instead of rapping on the table, was under M. Hamel’s arm.

Q3. What had been put up on the bulletin-board?

Ans: For the last two years all the bad news had come from the bulletin-board. An order had
come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The Germans had
put up this notice on the bulletin-board.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Ans: M. Hamel had put on his best dress—his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt and the little
black silk cap, all embroidered. The whole school seemed so strange and solemn. On the back
benches that were always empty, the elderly village people were sitting quietly like the kids.

Q2. How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Ans: Franz came to know that it was the last lesson in French that M. Hamel would give them.
From the next day they will be taught only German. Then he felt sorry for not learning his
lessons properly. His books, which seemed a nuisance and a burden earlier were now old friends.
His feelings about M. Hamel also changed. He forgot all about his ruler and how cranky he was.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1. The people? in this story suddenly realise how1 precious their language is to them.
What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Ans: M. Hamel told the students and villagers that henceforth only German would be taught in
the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Those who called themselves Frenchmen would neither be
able to speak nor write it. He praised French as the most beautiful, the clearest and most logical
language in the world. He said that for the enslaved people, their language was the key to their
prison. Then the people realised how precious their language was to them. This shows people’s
love for their own culture, traditions and country. Pride in one’s language reflects pride in the
motherland.

Q2. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeonsT’ What could
this mean?(There could he more than one answer.)
Ans: This comment of Franz shows a Frenchman’s typical reaction to the imposition of learning
German, the language of the conquerors. Being deprived of the learning of mother tongue would
mean cutting off all bonds with the motherland. Teaching the pigeons to sing in German
indicates how far the Germans would go in their attempts of linguistic chauvinism.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Q1. “When a people are en slaved, as long as th ey hold fast to their language it is as if they
had the key to their prison.”
Can you think of examples in history where a conquered people had their lan¬guage taken
away from them or had a language imposed on them?
Ans: Mother tongue helps a person to express his feelings and thoughts most lucidly and
intimately. Conquerors try to subdue and control the people of the enslaved territory by
enforcing many measures such as use of force to crush dissent and imposing their own language
on them.
From time immemorial the victorious nations have imposed their own language on the
conquered people and taken away their own language from them. The Romans conquered many
parts of Europe and replaced the local languages by their own language— Latin. Later on
Spanish, Pourtuguese, Italian and French developed from Latin. The Muslim invaders imposed
Arabic and Persian in the countries of Asia overpowered by them. In many Arab countries the
local religion and language have disappeared. In India, a new language Urdu developed from the
mixture of Persian and Hindi.

Q2. What happens to a linguistic minority in a state? How do you think they can keep their
language alive? For example:
Punjabis in     Bangalore
Tamilians in   Mumbai
Kannadigas in  Delhi
Gujaratis in     Kolkata
Ans. The linguistic minority in any state is easily marked and faces the same discrimination as
the religious, social or ethnic minorities. There is, however, a pronounced difference in the
treatment meted out and the level of acceptance displayed by the majority community in that
region/city. Some cities like Delhi, Mumbai are cosmopolitan in outlook.
The linguistic minority tries to preserve its identity through an intimate contact, interaction and
preservation of their language in social get-togethers, family functions and festivals of their own
region. Adherence to social customs and traditions in family gatherings/group meetings of
women also promote the unity between members of the linguistic minority.
In short, they create a mini-Punjab in Bangalore, mini-Chennai in Mumbai, mini-Bangalore in
Delhi and mini-Surat in Kolkata.

Q3. Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? Do you know what “lin¬guistic
chauvinism” means?
Ans. ‘Linguistic chauvinism’ means an aggressive and unreasonable belief that your own
language is better than all others. This shows an excessive or prejudiced support for one’s own
language. Sometimes pride in one’s own language goes too for and the linguistic enthusiasts can
be easily identified by their extreme zeal for the preservation and spread of their language. In
their enthusiasm, love and support for their own language, they tend to forget that other
languages too have their own merits, long history of art, culture and literature behind them.
Instead of bringing unity and winning over others as friends, having excessive pride in one’s own
language creates ill-will and disintegration. The stiff-resistance to the acceptance of Hindi as
national language by the southern states of India is a direct outcome of the fear of being
dominated by Hindi enthusiasts. The result is that ‘One India’ remains only a slogan.

WORKING WITH WORDS

Q1. English is a language that contains words from many other languages. This
inclusiveness is one of the reasons it is now a “world language”. For example’.
petite – French
kindergarten – German
capital – Latin
democracy – Greek
bazaar – Hindi
Find out the origins of the following words:
tycoon barbecue zero
tulip veranda ski
logo robot trek
bandicoot
Ans.Word Origin Word Origin
Tycoon Japanese Veranda Portuguese
Tulip Persian Robot Czech
Logo Greek Zero Arabic
Bandicoot Telugu Ski Norwegian
Barbecue Spanish Trek South African Dutch

Q2. Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that best explains
their meaning:
(a) “What a thunderclap these words were to me!”
The words were
(i)loud and clear.
(ii)startling and unexpected.
(iii) pleasant and welcome.
(b)“When a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they
had the key to their prison.”
It is as if they have the key to the prison as long as they
(i)do not lose their language.
(ii)are attached to their language.
(iii)quickly learn the conqueror’s language.
(c)Don’t go so fast, you will get to your school in plenty of time. You will get to your school.
(i)very late.
(ii)too early.
(iii)early enough.
(d)I never saw him look so tall.
M. Hamel (i) had grown physically taller.
(ii) seemed very confident.
(iii) stood on the chair.
Ans. (a) (ii) startling and unexpected.
(b) (ii) are attached to their language.
(c)(iii) early enough.
(d)(ii) seemed very confident.

NOTICING FORM
1.Read this sentence:
M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles.
In the sentence above, the verb form “had said” in the first part is used to indicate an
“earlier past”. The whole story is narrated in the past. M. Hamel’s “saying” happened
earlier than the events in this story. This form of the verb is called the past perfect.
Pick out five sentences from the story with this form of the verb and say why this form has
been used.
Ans. (i)For the last two years all our bad news had come from there.
Reason: The ‘coming’ of bad news happened earlier than the bulletin in the story.
(ii)Hauser had brought an old primer.
Reaeon : The event of ‘bringing’ happened earlier than Franz noticed it.
(iii) That was what they had put up at the town-hall!
Reason’. The ‘putting up’ of bulletin happened earlier. Now it is recalled.
(iv)they had not gone to school more.
Reason’. The action of ‘not going* happened much earlier.
(v)the hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof.
Reason’. The ‘planting’ of hopvine happened earlier than its twining about the windows.

WRITING
Q1. Write a notice for your school bulletin board. Your notice could be an announcement
of a forthcoming event, or a requirement to be fulfilled, or a rule to be followed.
Ans:
Q2. Write a paragraph of about 100 words arguing for or against having to study three
languages at school.
Ans:                             STUDYING THREE LANGUAGES AT SCHOOL
In most of the states in India, students have to study three languages at school. One of them is the
mother tongue, the second is Hindi (the national language) and the third is English (the
international or link language). In Hindi speaking region, a South or East Indian language—
Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malyalam or Bangla, Oriya, Assamese etc is taught. The three
language formula helps in national integration by acquainting young students about the social
customs, rituals, culture and traditions of the various parts of the country. It also focuses on the
principle of unity in diversity. The only drawback in this system is that it puts an excessive
burden on the minds of the young learner. To alleviate their problem, the courses of study in the
three languages may be structured suitably.

Q3. Have you ever changed your opinion about someone or something that you had earlier
liked or disliked? Narrate what led you to change your mind.
Ans: Facts are sometimes stronger than fiction. Many occurrences of life come as eye-openers.
Such an experience occurred the previous day which led me to change my mind about our hostel
warden Miss Angela Thomas. Overnight the terrible titan was transformed into a loving and
affectionate elder sister full of milk of human kindness. Now when I remember how I disliked
her and invented nicknames and pranks to tease her, I feel ashamed of myself. Yesterday, I had a
terrible nightmare and I cried and wept. My room-mate failed to console me and reported the
matter to the warden. God knows how long I remained unconscious! When I came to my senses I
found my head in the lap of Miss Angela Thomas. Her eyes were red with tears and bps moving
in prayer. She had really proved an angel for me and saved me.

THINGS TO DO

Q1. Find out about the following (You may go to the internet, interview people, consult
reference books or visit a library.)
(a)Linguistic human rights
(b)Constitutional guarantees for linguistic minorities in India.
Ans: Extension Activity: To be done under the Teacher’s Guidance.

Q2. Given below is a survey form. Talk to at least five of your classmates and fill in the
information you get in the form.
Ans: 
Classroom Activity: Do it yourself.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. Why do you think was little Franz afraid of being scolded?
Ans: Franz was afraid of being scolded that day especially because M. Hamel, the teacher, had
said that he would question them on participles. Franz frankly admits that he was totally ignorant
about the topic. His exact words are: “I did not know the first word about them.” Secondly, he
had started for school very late that morning.

Q2. “It was all much more tempting than the rule for participles.” What did Franz find
‘much more tempting’? How did he finally react?
Ans: Franz found that it was a very warm and bright day. The birds were chirping at the edge of
woods. The Prussian soldiers were drilling in the open field at the back of sawmill. He could
gladly spend life out of doors. However, he had the strength to resist the temptation. Finally, he
hurried off to school.

Q3. “What can be the matter now?” says Franz. Why, do you think, did he make this
comment?
Ans: There was a bulletin-board near the town-hall. When Franz passed by it, he noticed a crowd
there. He did not stop to look at it. He wondered what could be the matter then. For the last two
yeairs they had received all the bad news from the bulletin-board—the lost battle, conscription
and the orders of the commanding officer.

Q4. Who was Wachter? What did he ask Franz and why? How did Franz react?
Ans: Wachter was a blacksmith. He was reading the latest bulletin. He asked Franz not to go so
fast to his school. He added that the little boy would get to his school in plenty of time. Wachter
had read the latest bulletin about teaching of German. Franz thought that the blacksmith was
making a fun of him. So, he ran to the school and reached there breathless.

Q5. What was the usual scene when Franz’s school began in the morning?
Ans: Usually, when the school began, there was a great bustle. The noise could be heard out in
the school. Students opened and closed their desks. They repeated the lessons together very
loudly. They kept their hands over their ears to understand better. The teacher would go on
rapping the table with his great iron ruler.

Q6. How had Franz hoped to get to his desk? What had he to do and why?
Ans: Franz had hoped to get to his desk unseen during the commotion. But that day it was very
quiet. So, Franz had to open the door and go in before everybody. He blushed as he was late. He
was frightened that the teacher might rebuke him, but M. Hamel spoke kindly to him that day.

Q7. What three things in school surprised Franz most that day?
Ans: First, M. Hamel, the teacher had put on his fine Sunday clothes—his beautiful green coat,
frilled shirt and the little black silk cap, all embroidered. Second, the whole school seemed quite
strange and solemn. Thirdly, the village people were sitting quietly like school children on the
back benches that usually remained empty.

Q8. Why had the villagers come to school that day? How did they look?
Ans: The villagers had come there to thank M. Hamel for his forty years of faithful service. They
also wanted to show their respect to the country that was theirs no more. They were sorry that
they had not gone to school more. They were sitting quietly and looked sad.

Q9. “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” Which were the words that shocked
and surprised the narrator?
Ans: M. Hamel, the teacher, told the children in a solemn and gentle tone that it was their last
French lesson. Henceforth, only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.
The new master would come the next day. As that was their last French lesson, he wanted them
to be very attentive. The teacher’s kind gesture and use of soft words shocked and surprised the
narrator.

Q10. How did Franz react to the declaration: ‘This is your last French lesson’?
Ans: The words appeared startling and unexpected like a thunderclap. He now understood why
there was a crowd at the bulletin board, why the village people had come to school, why the
teacher was dressed in his Sunday best and why there was sadness and silence in the school.

Q11. What tempted Franz to stay away from school? [Delhi 2014]
Ans: Franz was not prepared Tor the test on participles. The Prussian soldiers were drilling in
the open field at the back of sawmill. The birds were chirping at the edge of woods. These things
tempted him. So he hurried off to school.

Q12. Who did M. Hamel blame for neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz?
Ans: He thought it typical with the people of Alsace. They would put off learning till tomorrow.
Parents are not quite anxious to have their children learn. They put them to work on a farm or at
the mills in order to have a little more money. The teacher got his flowers watered or gave them
a holiday. He too neglected their lessons.

Q13. What did M. Hamel tell them about French language? What did he ask them to do
and why?
Ans:M. Hamel told them that French was the most beautiful language in the world. It was the
clearest and the most logical language. He asked them to guard it among them and never _ forget
it. He gave a reason also. When a people were enslaved, as long as they held fast to their
language, they had the key to their prison.

Q14. Why were the elders of the village sitting in the classroom? [All India 2014]
Ans: M. Hamel was taking the class of last French lesson. That is why elders of the village were
sitting in the classroom to attend it. It was done not only to pay respect to M.Hamel but to pay
respect to his own language.

Q15. How did Franz and other hoys enjoy their lesson in writing? 
Ans: That day M. Hamel had new copies for them. The words “France, Alsace, France, Alsace”
were written on them in a beautiful round hand. The boys set to work quietly. The only sound
was the scratching of the pens over the paper. Nobody paid any attention to the beetles who flew
in.

Q16. How did M. Hamel feel and behave during the last lesson?
Ans: M. Hamel was solemn and gentle. He sat motionless in his chair during the writing lesson.
He gazed at one thing or the other. Perhaps he wanted to fix in his mind how everything looked
in that little school room. Surely, it must have broken his heart to leave it all after forty years.

Q17. “He had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last.” What led Franz to make
this remark?
Ans: Franz noticed that M. Hamel was feeling sad on having to leave the place sifter 40 years
and not being allowed to teach French any longer. Yet, he kept control on his emotions. He
performed his duties faithfully. He heard every lesson to the last. The school was dismissed only
at mid-day prayer time.

Q18. What happened when the lesson in history was over?

Ans: After the lesson in history was over, the babies chanted their ba, be, bi, bo, bu. Old Hauser,
who was sitting at the back of the room, had put on his spectacles. He was holding his primer in
both hands. He was spelling the letters with the babies.

Q19. “Ah, how well I remember it, that last lesson!” says the narrator. Which scene does he
remember more vividly than the others?
Ans:The narrator remembers the scene of old Hauser spelling the letters from the primer with the
babies. He too was crying. His voice trembled with emotion. It was so funny to hear him that all
of them wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

Q20. How did M. Hamel behave as the last lesson came to an end?
Ans: M. Hamel stood up in his chair. He looked very pale and tall. He wanted to say some
parting words, but something choked him. Then he wrote “Vive La France!” on the blackboard
with a piece of chalk. Then he stopped. He leaned his head against the wall. Without a word, he
made a gesture to the students with his hand to permit them to go as the school was over.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. Why was Franz scared that day 1 What did he see on his way to school and how did he
get to his deski
Ans: Franz was not good at learning. He would rather take the day off and waste time in
searching birds’ eggs or going sliding on the Saar. Franz was scared that day because M. Hamel
had said that he would question them on participles. Franz did not know anything about
participles.
He found that the day was warm and bright. The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods.
The Prussian soldiers were drilling in the open fields. There was a crowd in front of the bulletin-
board near the town-hall.
Franz found the school room unusually quiet. So, he had no option but to open the door and go in
before everybody. He blushed and was frightened of the teacher. M. Hamel spoke very kindly to
him and asked him to go to his place quickly. Franz jumped over the bench and sat down at his
desk.

Q2. What order had been received from Berlin that day? What effect did it have on the life
at school?
Ans: An order had been received from Berlin that only German would be taught in the schools
of Alsace and Lorraine. This order had far-reaching effects on the life at school. M. Hamel, who
had been teaching French at the village school for the last forty years would deliver his last
lesson that day.
It was in honour of the last lesson that M. Hamel, the teacher had put on his best clothes. Old
men of the village were sitting quietly at the back of the classroom. They were sad as well as
sorry for they had not gone to school more. They had come to thank the master for his forty years
of faithful service and to show respect for the country that was theirs no more.
The teacher addressed the students in a solemn and gentle tone. He asked them to be attentive
and explained everything quite patiently. He appealed to them to preserve French among them.
During slavery it would act as key to the prison. He felt so overwhelmed by emotion that he
could not bid farewell properly.

Q3. What do you think is the theme of the story ‘The Last Lesson’? What is the reason
behind its universal appeal?
Ans:The theme of the story ‘The Last Lesson’ is linguistic chauvinism of the proud conquerors
and the pain that is inflicted on the people of a territory by them by taking away the right to study
or speak their own language and thus make them aliens in their own land of birth. The story has a
sub-theme also. It highlights the attitudes of the students and teachers to learning and teaching.
Though the story is located in a particular village of Alsace district of France which had passed
into Prussian hands, it has a universal appeal. It highlights the efforts of the victors to crush their
victims—the vanquished people in all possible manner—materially, spiritually, mentally and
emotionally. Taking away mother tongue from the people is the harshest punishment. The proper
equation between student and teacher, his focused attention, helpful and encouraging attitude and
kind treatment can encourage students to learn better.

Q4. Comment on the appropriateness of the title ‘The Last Lesson’.

Ans: The story has an appropriate and suggestive title. It is the centre of attention throughout and
the whole story revolves around it. The beginning of the story serves as preparation for it. The
unusual quietness at school, presence of village elders and the teacher in his Sunday best dress—
all point out to the unusual and unique occasion—the last lesson in French in a French village
school in a district conquered by the Prussians. While delivering the last lesson, the teacher
wants to transmit all his knowledge in one go. He explains everything with patience and the
students as well as old villagers listen attentively.
For the narrator it is an unforgettable experience. “Ah, how well I remember it, that last lesson,”
says he. Old Hauser is crying and his voice trembled with emotion. As the teacher is unable to
express His emotions because of choked throat, he ends the lesson by writing Wive La France’
on the blackboard. He makes a gesture with his hand to indicate that the school is dismissed and
students can go home.

Q5. What impression do you form ofM. Hamel on the basis of your study of the story ‘The
Last Lesson’?
Ans: M. Hamel is an experienced teacher who has been teaching in that village school for forty
years. He imparts primary education in all subjects. He is a hard task master and students like
Franz, who are not good learners, are in great dread of being scolded by him.
The latest order of the Prussian conquerors upsets him. He has to leave the place for ever and
feels heart broken. He feels sad but exercises self-control. He has the courage to hear every
lesson to the last.
His performance during the last lesson is exemplary. He is kind even to a late comer like Franz.
He uses a solemn and gentle tone while addressing the students. He has a logical mind and can
analyse problems and deduce the reasons responsible for it. The problem for Alsace is that he
(the district) puts off learning till tomorrow.
He knows the emotional hold of a language over its users. He is a good communicator and
explains everything patiently. Partings are painful and being human, M. Hamel too is no
exception. He fails to say goodbye as his throat is choked. On the whole, he is a patriotic
gentleman.

VALUE-BASED QUESTIONS
Q1. War causes destruction and spreads hatred. People feel insecure. Discuss the
disadvan¬tages of war keeping in mind Franco-Prussian war (1870-71).
Ans: War is a great threat to mankind. Fear, anxiety, tension and hatred are some of the
offsprings of war. No individual is in favour of this brutal act. Innocent people lose their life
because of the vested interests of some of the corrupt politicians. Moreover, war is not the
solution to any problem. It only increases the hiatus between two nations. The desire to
overpower the other disseminates hatred and the feelings of enmity. The aftermaths of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki are evident before us. It should also be remembered that each nation is trying its
level best to become a nuclear power. A nuclear bomb has the power to devastate nations.
Thousands of people will lose their lives. There will not be any survivor. If someone is left alive,
he/she will be crippled. There is no doubt that war has put the human existence at stake. We have
heard seers say that one should shed one’s ego. The nations should also feel equally important.
No nation is self-sufficient. Peace enhances creativity and productivity. The concept of a global
village should be followed by all countries. Thus, war does not benefit any individual. It must
not be encouraged.
Q2. It is often said that each language is unique in itself. No language is superior or
inferior. People need to understand that a language is one of the means of communication.
Discuss this statement in the light of the following lines:
“My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you. The order has come from Berlin to
teach only German in schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new master comes tomorrow.
This is your last French lesson…”
Ans: Language is always considered a medium of communication. Man is a gregarious animal.
He has to interact with the fellow human beings. Therefore, a set of complex symbols is designed
to serve this purpose. We must ruminate over the past before discussing the status of a language.
There are innumerable man made problems. At the dawn of civilisation there was no
discrimination on the basis of caste, colour, creed, language and nationality. But in this century
these problems exist. Nature does not segregate nations. Scientific advancement, material
prosperity, lofty aspirations, materialistic attitude, a desire to rule the world and vested interests
are some of the causes of human sufferings. The concepts of all languages are similar. They have
nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions. As no religion is
insignificant in the same way no language is inferior. The characteristics and nature of all
languages are similar. The only difference is in symbols and pronunciation. The purpose and
objective of all languages are synonymous. There is a dire need to understand that there should
be only one religion i.e. humanity and there should be only one language i.e. the language of
love. A language must not become the cause of rift among masses. It should bring people
together instead of spreading hatred. One should not despise others because of their language. It
is against human dignity and grace.

Q3. The people of Alsace and Lorraine were forced to study German. They were not
allowed to study French. It implies that students of the area were taught only one language.
They did not follow the concept of three languages at school. Write an article on the topic
Advantages of Three Language System at school.
Ans:                                                     Advantages of Three Language System
India is a democratic stater. It is replete with people who have diverse backgrounds, and culture.
Their customs and traditions vary. Their languages are also different. The language of a South
Indian is entirely different from that of the North Indians. People have their regional languages
and dialects too. In such circumstances it becomes a herculean task to decide which language
should be taught at schools. So, India opted for three language system at schools. It is a boon to
the residents of a particular area. They do not feel that their language is insignificant and ignored.
They are given ample opportunities to opt for the languages they intend to speak or learn. Pupils
get fundamental knowledge of three languages and can appreciate the literature of all these three
languages. Such students never face failure due to language barriers. They bring laurels to their
parents and nations as well. They explore new avenues and horizons with an astonishing ease.
Three language system must be adopted by all nations so as to acquaint the children with various
language patterns. The people of Alsace and Lorraine could be taught both languages i.e.
German and French. Linguistic discrimination mars the future of humanity.

Q4. Nature has the knack to fascinate even the cynics. Its beauty and spontaneous music
galvanise the beings. Write an article expressing the astounding beauty of nature in the
light of the following lines:
“It was so warm, so bright! The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods… It was all
much more tempting than the rule for participles…”
Ans. Our touch with nature makes the whole world kin. Matthew Arnold has rightly said that:

“Nature, with equal mind,

sees all her sons at play,
sees man control the wind,
the wind sweep man away.”

Nature’s working is mysterious. It is an astonishingly fabricated universe. Man has, undoubtedly,

progressed a lot. Scientific advancement has explored the portals of every field. The hidden
realities have been exposed. But science has not unearthed the mysterious traits of nature. It is
also an acceptable fact that nature gives happiness to weary minds. It soothes and consoles the
troubled souls. It banishes anxiety, tension, worry, fear and dejection. Its law is to please every
beholder. The aesthetic pleasure we derive from Nature is incredible and cannot be expressed in
words. Keats has rightly averred that ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever!’ Lord Byron has said:

“There is a pleasure in the pathless wood,

there is a rapture on the lonely shore,
there is a society where none intrudes, ‘
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less but nature more.”

Nature is our mother. It must be obeyed. It gives us moral lessons. All the seers and intellectuals
have understood the significance of nature. “Nature goes on her own way, and all that to us
seems an exception is really according to order.” It fascinates those who are indifferent to life.
The boring scientific explorations and linguistic principles make our life insignificant. We are
becoming devoid of emotions. But nature evokes sentiments and help us to become sensitive.

Q5. Teachers can act as trailblazers in the lives of pupils. They can affect eternity. But the
advancement of technology has changed the role of a teacher. Write an article on the
para¬digm shift in educational technology and the role of teachers.
Ans:                                                     Technology and Teachers
It goes without saying that teachers shape the destiny of children. They mould them according to
their inbred potential and considerable talent. Dronacharya taught his pupils together. But he
could not make everyone so skilled in using the bow and arrow as Aijuna. He identified his latent
talent and tapped the same potential. In modem education system teachers don’t have much time
to study the child. Children stay in the school campus for six hours a day and study various
subjects from teachers. At times it happens that the subject teachers do not remember the names
of students. They use PITs, projectors and computers to make their lectures interesting. They
lack any kind of emotional attachment with the pupils. It has happened because of the innovative
educational tools and aids. Teachers are given softwares to teach students. The teaching
community has made students information seekers. The role of a teacher has undergone a sea
change. A teacher has become a facilitator. He has no right to scold and punish the child. The
dictum ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ has become obsolete and outdated. A teacher has to
understand the psychology of a child in a period of thirty minutes. The role of a teacher is a
mystery in today’s era.
Class 12 Flamingo English Lost Spring
QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come
from?
Ans. Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. He is in the neighbourhood of the author.
Saheb has come from Bangladesh. He Came with his mother in 1971. His house was set amidst
the green fields of Dhaka. Storms swept away their fields and homes. So they left the country.

Q2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Ans. One explanation offered by the author is that it is a tradition to stay barefoot. It is not lack
of money. He wonders if this is only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty. He
also remembers the story of a poor body who prayed to the goddess for a pair of shoes.

Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.

Ans. No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. He is no longer his own master. His face
has lost the carefree look. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so
lightly over his shoulder. The bag was his. The canister belongs to the man who owns the tea-
shop.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Ans. The city of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged
in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. Families have spent
generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for the women in the land.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?

Ans. Boys and girls with their fathers and mothers sit in dark hutments, next to lines of flames of
flickering oil lamps. They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are
more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. They often end up losing eyesight before they
become adults. Even the dust from polishing the glass of bangles is injurious to eyes. Many
workers have become blind. The furnaces have very high temperature and therefore very
dangerous.

Q3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Ans. Mukesh’s grandmother thinks that the god-given lineage can never be broken. Her son and
grandsons are bom in the caste of bangle makers. They have seen nothing but bangles.
Mukesh’s father has taught them what he knows—the art of making bangles. But Mukesh wants
to be a motor mechanic. He will go to a garage and learn, though the garage is far away from his
home.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
Ans. People migrate from villages to cities in search of livelihood. Their fields fail to provide
them means of survival. Cities provide employment, jobs or other means of getting food. The
problem in case of the poor is to feed the hungry members. Survival is of primary concern.

Q2. Would you agree that promises made to the poor children are rarely kept? Why do you
think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
Ans. The promises made to the poor are rarely kept. The author asks Saheb half-joking, whether
he will come to her school if she starts one. Saheb agrees to do so. A few days later he asks if the
school is ready. The writer feels embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant.
Promises like hers abound in every comer of their bleak world.

Q3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Ans. Certain forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty.
These include the moneylenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the
bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they impose a heavy burden on the child.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Q1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad. Most of the young men of
Firozabad have no initiative or ability to dream, but Mukesh is an exception. He has the capacity
to take courage and break from the traditional family occupation. He has strong will power also.
He does not want to be a pawn in the hands of the middlemen or moneylenders. He insists on
being his own master by becoming a motor mechanic.
He can realise his dream by joining a garage and learn the job of repairing cars and driving them.
He will have to overcome many hurdles before he succeeds. Then comes transport problem.
Money is the first one. He will have to earn some money himself. The garage is a long way from
his home. He will have to cover it twice everyday anyhow—by walking on foot.
Patience, hardwork, firm will and the determination to learn will help him realise his dream.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.

Ans. The glass bangles industry has many health hazards. It usually employs small children. It is
illegal to employ very young children in hazardous industries, but certain forces like !
middlemen, moneylenders, police and politicians combine to entrap the poor workers.
Let us first consider the places where bangle makers work. It is a cottage industry. They work in
the glass furnaces with high temperatures. The dingy cells are without air and light. Boys and
girls work hard during day next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps.
They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the
dark than to the light outside. That is why, they often end up losing their eyesight before they
become adults.
Glass blowing, welding and soldering pieces of glass are all health hazards. Even the dust from
polishing the glass of bangles adversely affects the eyes and even adults go blind. Thus, the
surroundings, prevailing conditions and the type of job involved-all prove risky to the health of
the workers.

Q3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

Ans. Child labour should be eliminated because the children employed at tender age as i
domestic servants, dish-washers at road-side dhabas and in hazardous industries making glass
bangles, biris, crackers etc. lose the charm of the spring of their life. Their childhood is stolen.
Burdened by the responsibility of work, they become adults too soon. Most of them are
undernourished, ill-fed, uneducated, and poor. They have a stunted growth.
Child labour can be eliminated only through concerted efforts on the part of government
agencies, NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), co-operative societies and political leaders.
Mere passing of law will not help. Laws should be enacted faithfully. The children thrown out of
work should be rehabilitated and given proper food, clothes, education and pocket money. Their
feelings, thoughts and emotions should be respected. Let them enjoy sunshine and fresh air.

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE

Although this text speaks of factual events and situations of misery, it transforms these situations
with an almost poetical prose into a literary experience. How does it do so? Here are some
literary devices:
•Hyperbole is a way of speaking or writing that makes something sound better or more exciting
than it really is. For example: Garbage to them is gold.
•A Metaphor, as you may know, compares two things or ideas that are not very similar. A
metaphor describes a thing in terms of a single quality or feature of some other thing; we can say
that a metaphor “transfers” a quality of one thing to another. For example: The road was a ribbon
of light.
•Simile is a word or phrase that compares one thing with another using the words “like” or “as”.
For example: As white as snow.
Carefully read the following phrases and sentences taken from the text. Can you identify the
literary device in each example?
1.Saheb-e-Alam which means the lord of the universe is directly in contrast to what Saheb is in
reality.
2.Drowned in an air of desolation
3.Seemapuri, a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically.
4.For the children it is wrapped in wonder; for the elders it is a means of survival.
5.As her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine, I wonder if she knows the
sanctity of the bangles she helps make.
shoulders.
Answers
1.Hyperbole 2.Metaphor 3.Contrast 4.Contrast
5.Simile 6.Contrast 7.Hyperbole 8.Metaphor
9.Metaphor 10.Hyperbole 11.Contrast

THINGS TO DO
The beauty of the glass bangles of Firozabad contrasts with the misery of people who produce
them. This paradox is also found in some other situations, for example, those who work in gold
and diamond mines, or carpet weaving factories, and the products of their labour, the lives of
construction workers and the buildings they build.
•Look around and find examples of such paradoxes.
•Write a paragraph of about 200 to 250 words on any one of them. You can start by making
notes.
Here is an example of how one such paragraph may begin:
You never see the poor in this town. By day they toil, working cranes and earth movers,
squirreling deep into the hot sand to lay the foundations of chrome. By night they are banished
to bleak labour camps at the outskirts of the city
Ans. For self-attempt.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. Who was Saheb? What was he doing and why?
Ans. Saheb was a young boy of school-going age. He was looking for gold in the garbage dumps
of the big city. He had left his home in Dhaka, Bangladesh and came to the big city in search of
living. He has nothing else to do but pick rags.

Q2. “But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world.” What promise
does the author recall? In what context was it made? Was it fulfilled?
Ans. The author asked Saheb about going to school. Saheb explained that there was no school in
his neighbourhood. He promised to go to school when they built one. Half joking, the author
asked whether he would come in case she started one. Saheb smiled broadly and agreed to come.
After a few days, he ran upto the author and asked if the school was ready. The author felt
embarrassed. She had made a promise that was not meant.

Q3. What is the meaning of Saheb’s full name? Does he know it? How does he conduct
himself?
Ans. His full name is “Saheb-e-Alam”. It means the lord of the universe. He does not know it. If
he knew it, he would hardly believe it. He roams the streets barefoot with other rag-pickers. This
army of arefoot boys appears in the morning and disappears at noon.

Q4. How does the author focus on the ‘perpetual state of poverty’ of the children not
wearing footwear?
Ans. The author notices that most of the young children engaged in rag picking are not wearing
footwear. Some of them do not have chappals. Others want to wear shoes. Some say it is
tradition to stay barefoot. To the author it seems lack of money. Poverty forces them to walk
without footwear.

Q5. Explain: “For children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their
parents. ”
Ans. Small children scrounge heaps of garbage. They expect to get some coin, note or valuable
thing in it. Sometimes they find a rupee or even a ten rupee note. This gives the hope of finding
more. They search it excitedly. For children, garbage is wrapped in wonder.
For the elders it is a means of survival. Thus, garbage has two different meanings.

Q6. Where does the author find Saheb one winter morning? What explanation does Saheb
offer?
Ans. The author finds Saheb standing by the fenced gate of a neighbourhood club. He is
watching two young men, dressed in white, playing tennis. Saheb says that he likes the game, but
he is content to watch it standing behind the fence. He goes inside when no one is around. He
uses the swing there.
Q7. What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy ? [All India 2014]
Ans. Saheb took up the job at a tea-stall. But he was not happy with it. He was no longer his own
master. His face had lost the carefree look. Although he earned ? 800, even then he was not
satisfied.

Q8. How has “a dream come true” for Saheb but what is “out of his reach?”
Ans. Saheb is wearing discarded tennis shoes. One of them has a hole. Saheb does not bother
about the hole. For one who has walked barefoot, even shoes with a hole is a dream come true.
But tennis, the game he is watching so intently, is out of his reach.

Q9. How does Saheb’s life change when he starts working at the tea-stall?
Ans. Saheb now has a regular income. He is paid 800 rupees and all his meals. Thus, food is no
problem. But his face has lost the carefree look. The steel canister in his hand now seems a
burden. He is no longer his own master. He may have to work for longer hours. The helplessness
of doing things at his own will makes him sad.

Q10. Who is Mukesh? What is his dream? Why does it look like “a mirage amidst the
dust?”
Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad, where every other family is
engaged in making bangles. His poor father has failed to renovate his house or send his two sons
to school. Mukesh insists on being his own master. His dream is to be a motor mechanic. He
wants to drive a car. Given the conditions of existence, his dream looks like a mirage amidst the
dust.

Q11.What do you learn about Firozabad from this chapter ?

Ans. Firozabad is famous for its glass bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry.
Families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for all
the women in the land. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles.

Q12. “Born in the caste of bangle-makers they have seen nothing but bangles.” Where do
they ‘see’ bangles?
Ans. Children like Mukesh are bpm in the caste of bangle-makers. They know no other work.
They see bangles in the house, in the yard, in every other house, every other yard, every street in
Firozabad. The spirals of bangles lie in mounds in unkempt yards. They are piled on four
wheeled hand carts.

Q13. What contrast do you notice between the colours of the bangles and the atmosphere of
the place where these bangles are made?
Ans. The bangles are of every colour bom out of the seven colours of the rainbow. These are
sunny gold, paddy green, royal blue, pink and purple. Boys and girls work in dark hutments, next
to the flickering flames of oil lamps around furnaces, blowing glass, welding and soldering it to
make bangles.

Q14. What are most of the bangle-makers ignorant of? What would happen if law were
enforced strictly?
Ans. Most of the bangle-makers are ignorant of the fact that employing children in bangle
making is illegal. This is a hazardous industry. Many children become blind before reaching
tHeir adulthood. If the law were enforced strictly, 20,000 children would be released from
working hard throughout the day at hot furnaces with high temperatures. *

Q15. Where is Mukesh’s house located? What is he proud of?

Ans. Mukesh’s house is built in a slum-area. The lanes stink with garbage. The homes there are
hovels with crumbling walls, wobbly doors and no windows. These are crowded with families of
humans and animals. Most of these houses are shacks or huts. Mukesh is proud that his house is
being rebuilt. His eyes shine as he volunteers to take the author to his home,

Q16. What impression do you form about Mukesh ‘s family on having a glimpse of their
‘house?’
Ans. Mukesh’s house is a half built shack with a wobbly door. One part of it is thatched with
dead grass. There is a firewood stove. Spinach leaves are sizzling in a large vessel. More
chopped vegetables lie on aluminium platters. The eyes of the frail young woman are filled with
smoke, but she smiles. The scene depicts their grinding poverty but contentment with their lot.

Q17. Give a thumb-nail sketch of the “frail young woman” in the chapter ‘Lost Spring’.
Ans. The young woman is the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. Her eyes are filled with the smoke
of firewood. Though not much older in years, she commands respect as the daughter- in-law of
the house. She adheres to customs and traditions. She veils her face before male elders. She
gently withdraws behind the broken wall to do so.

Q18. How would you regard Mukesh’s father’s life and achievement?
Ans. Mukesh’s father was bom in the caste of bangle-makers. His father went blind with the dust
from polishing the glass of bangles. He is an old and poor bangle-maker. He has worked hard for
long years, first as a tailor and then as a bangle-maker. He has failed to renovate a house or send
his two sons to school.

Q19. “Savita is a symbol of innocence and efficiency.” Comment.

Ans. Savita is a young girl. She has put on drab pink dress. She is soldering pieces of glass. Her
hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine. She is innocent as she is ignorant about
the sanctity of the bangles she helps to make.

Q20. What do bangles symbolise? When, according to the author, will Savita know “the
sanctity of the bangles she helps make?” How is the Indian bride dressed? 
Ans. Bangles symbolise auspiciousness in marriage for an Indian woman. Savita will come to
know “the sanctity” of the bangles when she becomes a bride. The head of a bride is draped with
a red veil. Her hands are dyed with red henna. Red bangles are rolled on to her wrists.

Q21. “She still has bangles on her wrist but no light in her eyes.” What exactly does the
author want to convey through this?
Ans. ‘She’ is an elderly woman who became a bride long ago. Since her husband, an old man
with a flowing beard is still alive, she still has bangles on her wrist. She has, however, not
enjoyed even one full nteal in her entire lifetime. So, there is no light in her eyes. This is just a
comment on the abject poverty and helplessness of the bangle-makers.
Q22. “The young men echo the lament of their elders. ” What do you think is the common
complain t ? How has it affected their lives?
Ans. The bangle-makers of Firozabad are quite poor. They do not have enough money to do
anything except carry on the business of making bangles. Some even do not have enough to
pacify their hunger. Building a house for the family is an achievement for them. Years of mind-
numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream.

Q23. Why do the bangle-makers not organise themselves into a cooperative?

Ans. Most of the young bangle-makers have fallen into the traps of the middlemen. They are also
afraid of the police. They know that the police will haul them up, beat them and drag to jail for
doing something illegal. There is no leader among them to help them see things differently. Their
fathers are equally tired. They can do nothing except carrying on their i inherited business.

Q24. Which two distinct worlds does the author notice among the bangle-making
industry ?
Ans. The families of the bangle-makers belong to one of these worlds. These workers are caught
in the web of poverty. They are also burdened by the stigma of the caste in which they are bom.
They know no other work. The other world is the vicious circle of the moneylenders, the
middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of the law, the bureaucrats and the politicians.

Q25. How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad? [Delhi 2014]
Ans. Mukesh is quite different from other bangle makers of Firozabad because he has the
courage to take initiative and break from the traditional family occupation. He has strong will
power also. He insists on being his own master by becoming a motor mechanic.

Q26. What do you think is the plight of the children born in the families of bangle-makers?
Ans. The vicious circle of the middlemen and their allies have entrapped the poor bangle-
makers in their nets. The stronghold is suffocating. They have imposed a heavy burden on little
children. They can’t put it down. Before they are able to think, they accept the baggages as
naturally as their fathers.

Q27. What do you think is the theme of ‘Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen Childhood’?
Ans. The theme of the chapter is the grinding poverty and the traditions which condemn poor
children to a life of exploitation. The two stories taken together depict the plight of street
children forced into labour early in life and denied the opportunity of schooling. The callousness
of the society and the political class only adds to the sufferings of these poor people.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1.What are the dreams of the poor like ‘Saheb-e-Alam’ and Mukesh? Could these be
realised? What is the reality of the situation?
Ans. Poor rag-pickers like Saheb spend the early years of their lives looking for gold in garbage
dumps. The parents of these street children have no fixed income. They wage war against
poverty and hunger. They have no dreams except finding the means of survival. Garbage to them
is gold. It is the source of their daily bread and provides a roof over their heads. He ends up as a
servant at a tea-stall and loses his freedom.
Mukesh, the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad, has a dream of becoming a motor
mechanic. He wants to learn to drive a car. He thinks of joining a garage to fulfil his dream. He
knows that the garage is far away, yet he has decided to walk. He realises the reality and is
willing to overcome the obstacles. His daring to rise and decision to get free from the trap laid by
vicious moneylenders and middle men arouse a sense of hope.Deprived of education, proper
food and upbringing, these children are forced into labour early in life.

Q2. Firozabad presents a strange paradox. Contrast the beauty of the glass bangles of
Firozabad with the misery of the people who produce them.
Ans. Firozabad, the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry, is famous for its bangles. Spirals of
bangles of various colours can be seen lying in mounds in yards or piled on four wheeled push
carts. These bangles have shining bright colours: sunny gold, paddy
green, royal blue, pink, purple-in fact, every colour bom out of the seven colours of the rainbow.
The banglemakers lead a miserable life. They know no other work than bangle making. They
have neither courage nor money to start another trade or job. they have spent generations in the
clutches of middle men and moneylenders. Extreme poverty forces them to remain hungry and
yet work all day. The elderly woman,who works with Savita, has not enjoyed even one full meal
in her entire lifetime. Her husband has made a house for the family to live in. He has achieved
what many have failed in their lifetime. Mukesh’s father has failed to renovate a house or send
his two sons to school. Young boys are as tired as their fathers. Their work at hot furnaces makes
them blind prematurely.

Q3.(i) “Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.”

(ii) “Garbage to them is gold.”
(iii) “For the children it (garbage) is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of
survival.”
In the light of the above remarks write an account of the life and activities of the ragpickers
settled in Seemapuri (Delhi).
Or
Give a brief account of the life and activities of the Bangladeshi squatters like Saheb-e-
Alam settled in Seemapuri.
Ans. Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it metaphorically.
Squatters who came from Bangladesh way back in 1971 live here. Saheb’s family is one of them.
Seemapuri was then a wilderness. It still is, but it is no longer empty. Nearly 10,000 ragpickers
live there in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. These shanties are devoid of
sewage, drainage or running water. These people have lived there for more than thirty years
without an identity or permit. They have got ration cards that enable them to buy grains and get
their names on voters’ lists. For them food is more important for survival than an identity. The
women put on tattered saris. They left their fields as they gave them no grain. They pitch their
tents wherever they find food. Ragpicking is the sole means of their survival.
It has acquired the proportions of a fine art for them. Garbage to them is gold. It provides them
their daily bread and a roof over the heads. Most of the barefoot ragpickers roam the streets early
in the morning and finish their activities by noon. They seem to carry the plastic bag lightly over
their shoulders. They are clothed in discoloured shirts and shorts and denied the opportunity of
schooling.
Q4. “The cry of not having money to do anything except carry on the business of making
bangles, not even enough to eat, rings in every home. The young men echo the lament of
their elders. Little has moved with time, it seems, in Firozabad.” Comment on the
hardships of the banglemakers of Firozabad with special emphasis on the forces that
conspire against them and obstruct their progress.
Ans. The bangle-makers of Firozabad are bom in poverty, live in poverty and die in poverty. For
generations these people have been engaged in this trade—working around hot furnaces with
high temperature, welding and soldering glass to make bangles. In spite of hard labour
throughout the day, the return is meagre. Some of them have to sleep with empty, aching
stomachs. Others do not have enough to eat. Whatever they do get is not delicious or nourishing.
The stinking lanes of their shanty town are choked with garbage. Their hovels have crumbling
walls, wobbly doors and no windows. These are overcrowded with humans and animals.
Poverty and hunger, social customs and traditions, stigma of caste and the intrigues of powerful
lobby that thrives on their labour combine to keep them poor, uneducated and hungry. The
moneylenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the
politicians—all are ranged against them. Children are engaged in illegal and hazardous work.
Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and ability to dream. They are unable to
organise themselves into cooperative due to lack of a leader and fear of ill-treatment at the hands
of the police. They seem to carry the burden that they can’t put down. They can talk but not act
to improve their lot.

Q5. Compare and contrast the two families of bangle-sellers portrayed in ‘Lost Spring.’
Comment on the roles of individuals in highlighting the issues raised by the author.
Ans. One of the families is that ofMukesh’s. It comprises three males and two females: Mukesh,
his brother, their father, their grandmother and the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. The
grandmother had watched her own husband go blind with the dust from polishing the glass of
bangles. Mukesh’s father is a poor old bangle maker, who has failed to renovate a house and
send his two sons to school. Mukesh and his brother make bangles. The wife of Mukesh’s
brother is a traditional daughter-in-law who follows the customs and cooks food for the family.
The grandmother believes in destiny and caste. Only Mukesh shows some sparks of fighting the
system and declares that he wants to be a motor mechanic.
Savita, the elderly woman and her old, bearded husband form the other family. Young and
innocent Savita works mechanically. The elderly woman highlights the plight of bangle makers
who fail to enjoy even one full meal during the entire lifetime. The old man has an achievement
to his credit. He has made a house for the family to live in. He has a roof over his head.
The lifestyle, problems and economic conditions of the two families are similar. There is only a
difference of degree but not of kind in their existence and response to life’s problems.

VALUE-BASED QUESTIONS
Q1.Hunger knows no friend but its feeder. The downtrodden lead a miserable life.
Elucidate the dictum keeping in mind the following lines:
“survival in Seemapuri means ragpicking. Through the years, it has acquired the
proportions of a fine art. Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread a roof over their
heads, “
Ans.                                                        Poverty: A Vicious Circle
It is a well known saying that poverty is the root cause of all evils. Corruption, loot, begging and
incidents of theft are the offspring of abject poverty. The destitute lead a pitiable and miserable
life. They do not get sufficient food. Lack of funds constrain them to take recourse to illegal
activities. Slum dwellers always feel themselves dejected. They recognise only those beings who
help them and feed them. Political leaders take undue advantages of their poverty. They are
misused to win elections. Humanity, mankind, honesty, trust and love become significant when
an individual succeeds in satisfying his hunger. Hungry people need only food. There is a dearth
of people who are capable of converting obstacles into opportunities. These poor people are
exploited ruthlessly by industrialists, politicians and other middlemen. They scrounge for gold in
the garbage dumps to earn their livelihood. The hiatus between the rich and the poor seems
difficult to be bridged. It is increasing day by day. The poor are becoming poorer and the rich
richer. There is no human being who would like to work for their welfare. Their plight is pitiable
and horrible. The residential areas of these people are packed with filth. They become habitual of
foul smell. Poverty is a vicious circle. It never comes to an end. The unemployed youth are
heading towards destruction. They do not remember anything except the help they receive from
the opportunistic people who feed them to materialise their vested interests.

Q2. There is no denying the fact that ‘Life is action and not contemplation.’ Those who
shirk work and waste their time in thinking about bitter consequences never achieve
greatness. They lack enthusiasm. Substantiate the aphorism keeping in mind the following
lines:
“I will be a motor mechanic’’ “I will learn to drive a car”. His dream looms like a mirage
amidst the dust of streets…”
Ans.                                        Life is Action and not Contemplation
Initiation is the law of nature. Success depends on the actions taken by an individual. One has to
take actions without wasting time. Dreams give us directions. But it should not be forgotten that
a man cannot become influential by only dreaming . One who does not utilise time fails to do
anything significant in life. Actions shape the destiny of the beings. Contemplation destroys
happiness. Aimless thinking aggravates woes and worries. It leads to nowhere. Such thinkers
never get pleasure in this world of mortals. Those who believe in taking actions attain their long
cherished goals with an astonishing ease. They never feel confused or perplexed. They never
become a victim of depression. All the human beings are to perform their duties on the earth.
Contemplation leads to idleness. Life is a judicious blend of contemplation and action.
Contemplation transformed into action is of utmost importance. Action without contemplation
may be disastrous. Contemplation without action is a sin. One should not waste time in thinking
only. We should always remember that life is short and time is swift. Procrastination is the thief
of time. One should not forget that there’s a time for everything. One should grab this opportune
time to get success in life.

Q3. Dedication, determination and devotion are the factors responsible for phenomenal
suc¬cess. Substantiate the above quoted statement in the light of the following lines:
“I want to be a motor mechanic,’ he repeats. He will go to a garage and learn. But the
garage is a long way from his home. 7 will walk’, he insists.”
Ans.                                                             Key to Success
Hard work is the key to success. Dogged determination and strong will power are the essential
ingredients of success. Industrious people never feel disheartened. They bum the mid night oil
and strive hard to achieve the desired goals. It is said that between two stools one falls on the
ground. Thus, one has to dedicate one’s life to a specific field. The long term goals and aims of
life must be set thoughtfully and not whimsically. The capricious nature of a fellow does not
allow him to reach the heights. Devotion always brings good results and rewards. The essence of
devotion is trust or faith. If one has trust in performing the actions, one is able in winning the
battle of life. Trust gives strength and strength gives birth to determination which leads to
dedication. Devoted and dedicated people never become a part of a problem. They remain a part
of the solution. They do not do different things but they do things differently. Their devotion to
the field encourages them to have indepth knowledge. Those who dare to climb the hill conquer
Mount Everest. Dedication has no substitute. It is the only way to great accomplishments.

Q4. Health plays an important role in the life of a mortal. But the destitute fail to get
nutritious food and do not remain healthy. It is said that health is wealth. People believe
that a sound mind lives in a sound body. Elucidate it taking ideas from the following lines:
“Ek waqt ser bhar khana bhi nahin Khaya.”
Ans.                                                           Health and Food
One has to accept the fact that if wealth is lost, something is lost and if health is lost, everything
is lost. The proverb A sound mind lives in a sound body’ is apt. A healthy man can enjoy the
beauty of this world. An unhealthy man misses one of the greatest boons given by the Almighty.
A healthy beggar is better than an unhealthy king. A person who accumulates enormous wealth
and suffers from chronic or fatal diseases cannot relish life.
He wastes his time in clinics and hospitals. Health is essential to have positive thoughts.
One should wake up early in the morning and take exercise. Nutritious food is indispensable for
good health. Junk food must be avoided. The destitute suffer because they do not get : sufficeient
food. They do not have any source of income. Undoubtedly good health plays a pivotal role in
the life of a mortal. Pecuniary gains are of utmost importance but a strong and sturdy body free
from ailments is of paramount importance. It has no substitute. A mortal cannot endure the loss
of health. Creativity, productivity and innovation get enhanced if a man is healthy. Thus, one
should be in the best of health so that one can lead a happy and contented life.

Q5. Child abuse is a very serious problem in our country. Children are forced by
circumstances to work in various factories. Write an article, on the topic ‘Child Abuse’.
Take ideas from the following lines:
“None of them knows that it is illegal for children like him to work in the glass furnaces 1
with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light; that the law, if enforced, could
get him and all those 20,000 children out of the hot furnaces where they slog their
daylight /hours, often losing the brightness of their eyes.”
Ans.                                                             Child Abuse
Child abuse is a grave problem in India. Many children work for dhabas, factories and tea stall
owners. These are those unfortunate children of this country who don’t get even . meals three
times a day. It is a blemish on our nation. It is the duty of the governments to make arrangements
of education for these children. Child labour is common in the fields of agriculture, domestic
service, sex industry, carpet and textile industries, quarrying, bangle making and brick making.
These children are forced to work in horrible conditions. There are no set working hours for
these children. They are given low wages.
In some cases poverty of the household and low level of parental education are responsible , for
child labour. Employing children in factories implies that the nation’s future is in dark. These
children never feel happy. They become devoid of human emotions. They adoptillegal ways to
earn their bread and butter when they become able-bodied. It gives rise to .violence and
corruption. Child labour should be stopped and the governments should educate these children
free of cost. At least elementary education should be given to all children.

Class 12 Flamingo English Deep Water

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What is the “misadventure ” that William Douglas speaks about?
Ans. William O. Douglas had just learnt swimming. One day, an eighteen year old big bruiser
picked him up and tossed him into the nine feet deep end of the Y.M.C.A. pool. He hit the water
surface in a sitting position. He swallowed water and went at once to the bottom. He nearly died
in this misadventure.

Q2. What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was
thrown into the pool? What plans did he make to come to the surface?
Ans. Douglas was frightened when he was thrown into the pool. However, he was not frightened
out of his wits. While sinking down he made a plan. He would make a big jump when his feet hit
the bottom. He would come to the surface like a cork, lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the
pool.

Q3. How did this experience affect him?

Ans. This experience revived his aversion to water. He shook and cried when he lay on his bed.
He couldn’t eat that night. For many days, there was a haunting fear in his heart. The slightest
exertion upset him, making him wobbly in the knees and sick to his stomach. He never went
back to the pool. He feared water and avoided it whenever he could.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Ans. His fear of water ruined his fishing trips. It deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating,
and swimming. Douglas used every way he knew to overcome this fear he had developed ’since
childhood. Even as an adult, it held him firmly in its grip. He determined to get an instructor and
learn swimming to get over this fear of water.

Q2. How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?

Ans. The instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas piece by piece. For three months he held
him high on a rope attached to his belt. He went back and forth across the pool. Panic seized the
author everytime. The instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale and to
raise his nose and inhale. Then Douglas had to kick with his legs for many weeks till these
relaxed. After seven months the instructor told him to swim the length of the pool.

Q3. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Ans. Douglas still felt terror-stricken when he was alone in the pool. The remnants of the old
terror would return, but he would rebuke it and go for another length of the pool. He was still not
satisfied. So, he went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a dock at Triggs Island
and swam two miles across the lake. He had his residual doubts. So, he went to Meade Glacier,
dived into Warm Lake and swam across to the other shore and back.Thus, he made sure that he
had conquered the old terror.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1. How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he
almost drowned? Describe the details that have made the description vivid.
Ans. Douglas gives a detailed account of his feelings and efforts to save himself from getting
drowned. He uses literary devices to make the description graphic and vivid. For example,
‘Those nine feet were more like ninety’, ‘My lungs were ready to burst.’ ‘I came up slowly,
I opened my eyes and saw nothing but water….. I grew panicky1 ‘I was suffocating. I
tried to yell, but no sound came out!’ ‘

Q2. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?

Ans. When Douglas grew up, he took the help of an instructor to learn swimming. His training
went on from October to April. For three months he was taken across the pool with the help of a
rope. As he went under, terror filled him and his legs froze. The instructor taught him to exhale
under water and inhale through raised nose. He made him kick his legs to make them relax. Then
he asked him to swim. He continued swimming from April to July. Still all terror had not left. He
swam two miles across Lake Wentworth and the whole length to the shore and back of Warm
Lake. Then he overcame his fear of water.

Q3. Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his
conquering of it? What larger meaning does he draw from this experience?
Ans. The experience of terror was a handicap Douglas suffered from during his childhood. His
conquering of it shows his determination, will power and development of his personality.
He drew a larger meaning from this experience. “In death there is peace.” “There is terror only in
the fear of death.” He had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it
can produce. So, the will to live somehow grew in intensity. He felt released- free to walk the
mountain paths, climb the peaks and brush aside fear.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Q1.“All ice have to fear is fear itself” Have you ever had a fear that you have now
overcome? Share your experience with your partner.
Ans. I must have been about eight or nine years old. It was the night of Diwali. All the houses
were shining bright with the rows of candles, oil lamps and electric bulbs. Children were
bursting crackers. Suddenly, a cracker went up and hit the thatched roof of a poor gardener. Soon
the hut was in flames. His only son, a tiny infant had severe burns  before he could be rescued. I
began to tremble with fear as the police questioned the boys exploding crackers. From then on I
had a fear of crackers, fire and police. My parents and I had to work very hard to remove this
blemish. It was adversely affecting
my personality. By learning the safeguards against fire and safe handling of crackers, I
gradually overcame my fear. However, I still get panicked at the sight of a policeman in uniform.
The fear of police remained now; My uncle came to my rescue. He got me dressed as a police
inspector in one of his plays, I commanded many policemen and scolded them for misbehaving
with the common people. I learnt that policemen were also, humans and not demons. Police
protect and help us to maintain law and order. Thank God, I have overcome all my fears now.

Q2. Find and narrate other stories about conquest of fear and what people have said about
courage. For example, you can recall Nelson Mandela’s struggle for freedom, his
perseverance to achieve his mission, to liberate the oppressed and the oppressor as depicted
in his autobiography. The story ‘We’re Not Afraid To Die,’ which you have read in Class
XI, is an apt example of how courage and optimism helped a family survive under the
direst stress.
Ans. In his autobiography ‘Long Walk to Freedom’, Nelson Mandela tells the extraordinary
story of his life. He brings vividly to life the escalating political warfare in the fifties between the
African National Congress and the government, culminating in his dramatic escapades as an
underground leader and the notorious Rivonia Trial of 1964, at which he was sentenced to life
imprisonment. He recounts the surprisingly eventful twenty-seven years in prison and the
complex, delicate negotiations that led both to his freedom and to the beginning of the end of
apartheid. Mandela also struggled against the exploitation of labour and on the segregation of the
universities. He persevered to achieve his mission and to liberate the oppressed and the
oppressor. In 1990, he was freed from prison. The apartheid laws were relaxed. Mandela became
the champion for human rights and racial equality. He also became the first non-white president
of the Republic of South Africa.

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE

If someone else had narrated Douglas’s experience, how would it have differed from this
account? Write out a sample paragraph or paragraphs from this text from the point of view of a
third person or observer, to find out which style of narration would you consider to be more
effective? Why?
Ans. The third person account or one from the point of view of an observer is detached and
objective. Real-life personal account is subjective and focuses more on the person’s thoughts,
feelings and emotional response. I would consider the first person narrative style more effective
as it is quite authentic and depicts everything faithfully.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPHS
(From the point of view of a third personlobserver)
A big bruiser of a boy, yelled, “Hi, Skinny! How’d you like to be ducked?” with that he picked
up the 10 year old tiny boy and tossed him into the nine feet deep end of the Y.M.C.A. pool. The
kid struck the surface in a sitting position, swallowed water and at once went to the bottom. .
Watching all this from a distance filled me with anxiety for the kid. I rushed towards the side of
the pool. By that time, the boy had risen twice to the surface but being unable to grab a rope or
support on the side wall, he went down.
Before I could bail him out he sucked in more water and went down third time. I at once jumped
into the pool. The boy’s legs were limp. All efforts had ceased. I carried him on my shoulder and
swam to the side of the pool.
He was made to lie on his stomach. His back was slapped gently but firmly to make him vomit
the water he had swallowed. He responded to the first-aid measures and soon regained
consciousness.
WRITING
Q1. Doing well in any activity, for example a sport, music, dance or painting, riding a
motorcycle or a car, involves a great deal of struggle. Most of us are very nervous to begin
with until gradually we overcome our fears and perform well.
Write an essay of about five paragraphs recounting such an experience. Try to recollect
minute details of what caused the fear, your feelings, the encouragement you got from
others or the criticism.
You could begin with the last sentence of the essay you have just read: “At last I felt
released—free to walk the trails and climb the peaks and to brush aside fear.”
Ans.                    MY FIRST EXPERIENCE OF RIDING A MOTORCYCLE
At last I felt released, free to walk the trails and climb the peaks and to brush aside fear. This fear
of injuries had been my old enemy and had thwarted me at crucial moments. I remember exactly
when I started developing this fear. I was a toddler when I was given a tricycle. I would lose
balance and the tricycle would fall over me.
As I grew older, I was given dwarfer versions of cycles but my road fear persisted. I would hit
someone or something and fall down. Sometimes the injuries took time to heal. I felt annoyed
with myself and cursed my fear. But fern assumed monster like proportions.
Now I had passed tenth class examination and joined the city school. My father gifted me a Hero
Honda mobike on my birthday. My uncle volunteered to train me. After telling me in details the
functions of various parts, he took me to the playground. He sat behind me and issued orders. He
held me firmly at first. When I had learnt to start the vehicle,
change gear, increase and decrease speed, turn the vehicle and come to a stop, he asked me to
take a round. I perspired from head to foot. He reassured me and encouraged me. I regained my
confidence.
Then I took a short round of the playground. I still hesitated while tinning the comer. Uncle
explained the mechanism and demonstrated how to handle the machine.
Finally, I took three rounds of the playground. Then uncle and I came to the side road. He trained
me how to avoid the vehicles and give them passage. I drove to the city and returned safe. I had
conquered fear and learnt how to ride a motorcycle.

Q2. Write a short letter to someone you know about your having learnt to do something
new.
Ans. 23, King John’s Lane
Westbury (UK)
12 March, 2007
Dear Dolly,
You will be pleased to learn that at last I have learnt playing tennis. You know how I dotted on
the players taking part in Wimbledon and had cherished a dream to play on the centre court.
Well, I have taken the first step in that direction. After years of perspiration and training I have
learnt playing tennis. This year I am participating in the Junior County Championship.
I must take this opportunity of thanking you for you have been a constant source of inspiration
and support to me, both on and off the court.
I am anxiously awaiting for the day when I’ll intimate to you my achievements in this newly
learnt game.
With best wishes
Yours sincerely
Angela

THINGS TO DO
Q1. Are there any water sports in India? Find out about the areas or places which are
known for water sports.
Ans. India provides exciting opportunities for the following watersports:
(i) White Water Rafting, (ii) Water Skiing, (iii) Canoeing and Kayaking,
(iv) Scuba Diving, (u) Snorkelling, (vi) Angling and Fishing.
Areas or places known for watersports:
(i) White Water Rafting and Kayaking : The Ganges (from Rishikesh); the Beas (from
Manali, the Indus (in Ladakh), Zanskar (in Zanskar), the Teesta (in Sikkim)
(ii)Water Skiing:The Ganges, the Beas.
(iii)Sailing, Yachting and Wind-surfing:Goa, Kovalam Beach in Kerala.
(iv)Scuba Diving:Andaman and Lakshadweep, Goa.
(v)Snorkelling:Andaman and Lakshadweep, Goa.
(vi)Angling and Fishing:Balukpung (Assam) Beas (Kullu Valley)

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. When did Douglas decide to learn swimming? What options were available to him to
swim in? Which one did he choose and why?
Ans. Douglas was ten or eleven years old when he decided to learn swimming. He could swim in
the Yakima River or the Y.M.C.A. pool at Yakima. The Yakima River was dangerous. Many
persons had drowned in it. So, he chose the Y.M.C.A. pool. It was considered safe.

Q2. Which factors led Douglas to decide in favour of the Y.M.C.A. pool?
Ans. The Y.M.C.A. pool was safe. It was only two to three feet deep at the shallow end. It was
nine feet deep at the other. Moreover, the drop was gradual. The Yakima River was treacherous
and had drowned many. So, he decided in favour of the Y.M.C.A. pool.

Q3. “I had an aversion to the water when I was in it?” says Douglas. When did he start
having this aversion and how?
Ans. The aversion started when Douglas was three or four years old. His father had taken him to
the beach in California. They were standing together in the surf. He had held his father tightly,
even then the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in water. His breath
was gone. He was frightened. There was terror in his heart about the overpowering force of the
waves.

Q4. How did Douglas initially feel when he went to the Y.M.C.A. pool? What made him feel
comfortable?
Ans. Unpleasant memories of the past were revived and childish fears were stirred. In a little
while he gathered confidence. He paddled with his new water wings. He watched the other boys
and tried to imitate them. He did so two or three times on different days. He began to feel
comfortable.
Q5. What two things did Douglas dislike to do? Which one did he have to do and why?
Ans. Douglas hated to walk naked, into the pool and show his very thin legs. Secondly, he was
fearful about going in alone. So, he sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. But he had to go
into water as one cannot learn swimming without going into water.

Q6. In what connection does Douglas mention “a big bruiser of a boy ?”

Ans. Douglas mentions him for his misadventure in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool in which he
had nearly died. It was this boxer boy who had picked up Douglas and tossed him into the deep
end. Later on, when Douglas was rescued, the boy said, “I was only fooling.”

Q7. Describe the boy who was responsible for the author’s misadventure?
Ans. He was a big boy, a bruiser. He was probably eighteen year old. He had thick hair on his
chest. He was a beautiful specimen. His legs and arms had rippling muscles. He was a fun loving
fellow and enjoyed teasing the younger and weaker boys.

Q8. How did the “misadventure” happen with Douglas?

Ans. Douglas was sitting alone on the side of the pool, waiting for others. A big, boxer boy of
eighteen came there. Mocking him as ‘skinny’ he enquired how he would like to be plunged in
water. Saying so, he picked up Douglas and tossed him into the nine feet deep end. Douglas
struck the surface of water, swallowed water and at once went to the bottom.

Q9. “I was frightened, but not yet frightened out of my wits,” says Douglas. Which qualities
of the speaker are highlighted here and how?
Ans. Douglas was frightened when he went down into the pool and was about to be drowned. He
had an aversion to water and now he was filled with terror. He had remarkable self¬control. He
used his mind even in the crisis and thought of a strategy to save himself from being drowned.

Q10. “On the way down I planned,” remarks Douglas. What plan had he devised and how
far did it succeed?
Ans. While going down to the bottom, he made a plan to save himself from being drowned. He
decided to make a big jump as his feet hit the bottom. He hoped to move up to the surface of
water like a cork. Then he would lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the pool. The plan was
only partly successful. He rose to surface twice. But each time he swallowed water and went
down.

Q11. What did Douglas experience as he went down to the bottom of the pool for the first
time ?
Ans. Going down to the depth of nine feet was not quick. It seemed a long way down. For him
those nine feet were more like ninety. Before he touched bottom his lungs were ready to burst.
He did not lose his presence of mind. Using all his strength, he made a great jump upwards.

Q12. How was the result of the ‘great spring upwards’ that Douglas made on hitting the
bottom of the pool for the first time?
Ans. Douglas rose to the surface very slowly. When he opened his eyes he saw nothing but water
with a dirty yellow colour. He grew panicky. He tried to grab a rope but his hands clutched only
at water. He was suffocating. He tried to shout, but no sound came out. Then his eyes and nose
came out of the water but not his mouth.

Q13. How did Douglas struggle before hitting the bottom of the pool for the second time?
What was the outcome of his struggle?
Ans. Douglas moved his arms and legs around without control. He swallowed water and choked.
His legs hung as dead weights, paralysed and rigid. A great force was pulling him down. He
struck at the water with full force as he went down. He had lost all his breath. His lungs ached
and head throbbed. He was getting dizzy. He went down through dark water and was filled with
fear.

Q14. What sort of terror seized Douglas as he went down the ‘water with a yellow glow?’
How could he feel he was still alive?
Ans. An absolute, rigid terror seized Douglas. It was a terror that knew no understanding or
control and was beyond comprehension of anyone who had not experienced it. He was paralysed
under water-stiff and rigid with fear. His screams were frozen. The beating of his heart and
throbbing of mind made him feel that he was still alive.

Q15. ‘In the midst of the terror came a touch of reason.’ How did the two forces work in
opposite direction and how did Douglas fare?
Ans. Reason told him to jump when he hit the bottom as he felt the tiles under him, he jumped
with everything he had. But the jump made no difference. A mass of yellow water held him.
Stark terror took an even deeper hold on him. He shook and trembled with fright. His arms and
legs wouldn’t move. He tried to call for help, but nothing happened.

Q16. 7 crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell.’ How did Douglas experience the
sensation of dying before he actually crossed to oblivion?
Ans. As Douglas went down the pool the third time, he swallowed more water. All his efforts to
jump up ceased. His legs felt limp. A blackness swept over his brain and it wiped out fear and
terror. There was no more panic. It was quiet and peaceful. He felt drowsy and wanted to go to
sleep.

Q17. In what state did Douglas find himself on regaining consciousness?

Ans. He found himself lying on his stomach near the pool. He was vomiting. The fellow who
had thrown him in the pool was saying that he was only joking. Then someone remarked that the
small boy had nearly died. He hoped that he would be all right then. Then he was carried to the
locker room for change of clothes.

Q18. How did Douglas react to the frightening experience (i) that day and (ii) later when he
came to know the waters of the Cascades?
Ans. (i) He walked home after several hours. He was weak and trembling. He shook and cried
when he lay on his bed. He couldn’t eat that night. A haunting fear was there in his heart. The
slightest exertion upset him. His knees became wobbly. He felt sick to his stomach. (ii)
Whenever he waded the Tieton or Bumping River or bathed in Warm Lake of Goat Rocks, the
terror that had seized him in the pool would come back. This terror would take possession of him
completely. His legs would become paralysed. Icy horror would grab his heart.
Q19. “This handicap stayed with me as the years rolled by.” How did it affect his pursuits
for pleasure?
Ans. The haunting fear of water followed Douglas everywhere. He rowed in canoes on Maine
lakes fishing for landlocked salmon. He went for bass fishing in New Hampshire, trout fishing
on the Deschutes and Metolius in Oregon, fishing for salmon on the Columbia, at Bumping Lake
in the Cascades. Fear ruined his fishing trips. It deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating, and
swimming.

Q20. What efforts did Douglas make to get over his fear of water and why?
Ans. Fear of water was a handicap Douglas developed during his childhood. It stayed with him
as he grew older. It ruined his pursuits of pleasure such as canoeing, boating, swimming and
fishing. He used every method he knew to overcome this fear. Finally, he determined to get an
instructor and learn swimming.

Q21. What was the first piece of exercise the Instructor gave Douglas? How long did it take
to yield the desired result?
Ans. The instructor made him go across the pool an hour a day for five days with the help of a
rope attached to his belt. The rope went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. The
instructor held on to the end of the rope. They went back and forth across the pool. A bit of panic
seized him every time. Moreover, the old terror returned and his legs froze when the instructor
loosened his grip on the rope and Douglas went under water. It was after three months that the
tension began to decrease.

Q22. Which other exercise did the Instructor prescribe for Douglas to make him shed the
panic caused by water?
Ans. He taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale. Then he was to raise his nose
and inhale. He repeated this exercise hundreds of time. Bit by bit he shed part of the panic that
seized him when his head went under water.

Q23. Which exercise helped Douglas to loosen his stiff legs and make them work as he
desired?
Ans. The Instructor held Douglas at the side of the swimming pool. Then he made Douglas kick
vfith his legs. He did just that for weeks. At first his legs refused to work. But gradually they
relaxed. Finally, he was able to command them.

Q24. Why does Douglas say: ‘The Instructor was finished. But I was not finished?’ How
did he overpower tiny vestiges of the old terror?
Ans. The Instructor’s work was over when he built a swimmer out of Douglas piece by piece and
then put them together into an integrated whole. However, Douglas was not satisfied
as the remnants of the old terror would return when he swam alone in the pool. He would frown
on terror go for another length of the pool.

Q25. Why did Douglas go to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire? How did he make his
terror flee ?
Ans. Douglas was not sure whether all the terror had left even after the training from October to
April and practice till July. So, he went to Lake Wentworth and swam two miles. Terror returned
only once when he was in the middle of the lake. He had put his face under and saw nothing but
bottomless water. The old sensation returned in a smaller size. He laughed and rebuked terror.
His terror fled away and he swam on.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. “There was terror in my heart at the overpowering force of the waves.” When did
Douglas start fearing water? Which experience had further strengthened its hold on his
mind and personality’?
Ans. The water waves which knocked down young Douglas and swept over him at the beach in
California filled him with fear. He was then three or four years old. All this happened when he
had clung to his father. He was buried under water. His breath was gone and he was frightened.
His father laughed, but there was terror in his heart at the overpowering force of the waves.
His introduction to the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred
childish fears. He had gathered some confidence when a misadventure happened as a big boy
threw him at the nine feet deep end of the pool. His efforts to rise to the surface and paddle to the
side failed twice. He would have drowned if he had not been rescued in time. This terror of water
overpowered his limbs and made them stiff. His mind was haunted by fear of water. It was, in
fact, a handicap to his personality.

Q2. Give an account of the fears and emotions of Douglas as he made efforts to save himself
from being drowned in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool.
Ans. Douglas was frightened as he was going down. His active mind suggested a strategy to save
himself from being drowned in water. He knew that water has buoyancy. He must make a big
jump as his feet hit the bottom. He hoped to rise up like a cork to the surface, lie flat on it and
paddle to the edge of the pool.
Before he touched bottom, his lungs were ready to burst. Using all his strength, he made a great
jump. He rose up very slowly. He saw nothing but yellow coloured dirty water. He grew panicky
and he was suffocated. He swallowed more water as he tried to shout. He choked and went down
again. His stiff legs refused to obey him. He had lost all his breath.
His lungs ached and head throbbed. He was getting dizzy. He went down through darkwater
again. An absolute terror seized Douglas. He was paralysed under water. His reasoning power
told him to jump again. He did so, but his aims and legs wouldn’t move. His eyes and nose came
out of water, but not his mouth. He swallowed more water and went down third time. Now a
blackness swept over his brain. He had experienced the terror that fear of death can produce as
well as the sensation of dying.

Q3. How did the misadventure in Y.M.C.A. swimming pool affect Douglas ? What efforts
did he make to conquer his old terror? Did he succeed?
Ans. Douglas had nearly died in the swimming pool. For days there was a haunting fear in his
heart. The slightest exertion upset him. He avoided going near water as he feared it. The waters
of the cascades, fishing for salmon in canoes, bass or trout fishing-all appeared attractive
activities. However, the haunting fear of water followed Douglas everywhere and ruined his
fishing trips? It deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating and swimming.
The fear of water became a handicap. He used every method he knew to overcome this fear.
Finally, he decided to engage a trainer and learn swimming. In seven months the Instructor built
a swimmer out of Douglas. However, the vestiges of the old terror would return when he was
alone in the pool. He could now frown on terror and go for another length of the pool. This went
on till July. Douglas was not satisfied.
He went to Lake Wentworth and swam two miles. The terror returned only once when he had put
his face under water and saw nothing but bottomless water. In order to remove his residual
doubts he hurried west to Warm Lake. He dived into the lake and swam across to the other shore
and back. He shouted with joy as he had conquered his fear of water. He finally succeeded in his
effort.

Q4. Comment on the appropriateness of the title ‘Deep Water’

OR
Do you think the title Deep Water’ is apt? Give reasons in support of your answer.
Ans. The title ‘Deep Water’ is quite appropriate to this extract from ‘Of Men and Mountains’ by
William O. Douglas. The title is highly suggestive and at once focuses our attention on the main
theme—experiencing fear of death under water and the efforts of the author to overcome it.
All the details in the essay are based on his personal experience and analysis of fear. The
psychological analysis of fear is presented from a child’s point of view and centres round deep
water and drowning.
The overpowering force of the waves at the California beach stir aversion for water in Douglas.
His mother warns him against swimming in the deep waters of the treacherous Yakima River.
The nine feet deep water of the swimming pool appears more than ninety to Douglas. However,
when he conquers fear he can dive and swim in the deep waters of Lake Wentworth and Warm
Lake. :
Thus the title is apt and suggestive.

Q5. What impression do you form of William O. Douglas on the basis of reading Deep
Water?’
Ans. William Douglas leaves a very favourable impression on us. He appears quite truthful and
courageous. He gives a detailed account of his fears and emotions as he struggles against deep
water to save himself from being drowned. Confessing one’s faults and shortcomings is not easy.
It needs courage, honesty and will power. Douglas has all these qualities.
His efforts to overpower the fear of water show his firm determination, resolution and strong will
power. He has an analytic mind which diagnoses the malady and prompts him to search the cure.
He is frightened of deep water, but not yet frightened out of his wits.
In his heroic struggle against fear, terror and panic, he rises to heroic stature. He becomes an
idol, a living image of bravery and persistent efforts. He typifies the will not to surrender or
yield. His indefatigable zeal is a source of inspiration for all and specially for the youth.
In short, William Douglas impresses us as a frank, truthful, honest and determined person.

VALUE-BASED QUESTIONS
Q1. It is often said that ‘No Pains, No Gains’. One cannot get anything if one does not work
hard. Write an article on the ‘topic, mentioned above, in not more than 120 words. You can
take ideas from the following lines:
“I went to a pool and practiced five days a week, an hour each day. A rope attached to the
belt went through a pulley that fan on an overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope,
and we went back and forth, back and forth across the pool, hour after hour, day after day,
week after week.”
Ans.                                                   No Pains, no Gains
The dictum implies that one can’t attain phenomenal success without making sincere efforts.
There is no substitute to hard work. There is no short cut to success. All successful persons have
emphasised the importance of hard work in life. Nobody achieved greatness overnight. The
secret of their success was hard and systematic work. Destiny never obliges the shirkers. God
helps those who help themselves. Rome was not built in a day. Man must comprehend the
significance of doing hard labour. One must bum the midnight oil to succeed in this world of
intense competition. Never forget that rest is rust and work is worship. A person who toils and
work hard gets applause and recognition everywhere. Hard work is the only key to success.
Those who work hard flourish and those who are passive rain their earthly existence. They lose
their identity. Industrious people reach at their long cherished destinations. They lead their
fellow human beings with politeness and humility.

Q2. People say that failures are the stepping stones. They are the best teachers. Discuss the
aphorism taking ideas from the following lines:
“I feared water. I avoided it whenever I could. A few years later when I came to know the
waters of Cascades, I wanted to get into them. And whenever I did … the terror that had
seized me in the pool would come back… I decided to get an instructor and learn to swim. ”
Ans.                                      Failures are the Pillars to Success
It is rightly said that failure plays an important role in a man’s life. Failure in one field becomes
the cause of exploring success in other fields. It is a sure key to many a riddle. Failures make us
familiar with our weaknesses and flaws. They become the stepping stones and inspire us to fight
against odd circumstances. Man should learn from his mistakes and strive hard to reach at his
destination. Most of the successful peoples failed at any step but could get their target because
failures guided them and encouraged them to try harder. One should never give up one’s target.
Our duty is to do our ‘karma’. The result is in the hands of the Almighty. It is certain that failure
inspires us to work with more strength and vigour. One should never get depressed and dejected.
All leaders, fighters, businessmen, bureaucrats firmly say that failures are the pillars to success.

Q3. The story “Deep Water” has made you realize that with determination and
perseverance one can accomplish the impossible. Write a paragraph in about 100 words on
how a positive attitude and courage will aid you to achieve success in life. [Delhi 2014]
Ans. Will power plays a pivotal in the life of a human being. Determination and persistent hard
work are the hallmarks of success. A person who has passionate desire to do something achieves
his goals within the stipulated time. There are numerous ways which lead to the desirable goals.
Will power of a human being gives him strength, energy, vigour and enthusiasm. It determines
the fate of a human being. Absolute determination has the uncanny ability to face and overcome
obstacles. No hindrance can defeat the will power. It is invincible and insurmountable. A man
who lacks enthusiasm, will power and determination is like a ship which has no helm. It floats on
the surface of water according to the wind. There is no problem in this world which has no
solution. It has been proved by great personalities that all obstacles can be overcome by sheer
determination. Man has the knack to achieve anything. Nothing is impossible in this world of
science and technology. He must not be fatalist. He should not believe in destiny, but on karma.
Man can accomplish every assignment if he desires. Strong desire is the prerequisite to success.
There is no scope for disappointment in the life of a person who has iron will and dogged
determination. He puts in tremendous efforts to achieve greatness.
Q4. The significance of training cannot be underestimated. Saint Cyprian said, “The
helmsman is recognised in the tempest; the soldier is proven in warfare’. Substantiate the
words quoted above in your own words. You may take ideas from the given lines:
“I decided to get an instructor and learn to swim… he taught me to put my face under
water and exhale, and to raise my nose and inhale… Bit by bit I shed part of the panic that
seized me when my head went under water.”
Ans.                                     Training: An Essential Component of Success
Training sharpens the consumate skills of trainees. Acquiring the profound knowledge of the
work we do is of utmost importance. Nobody can refuse to accept and acknowledge the wider
and potential significance of training. Soldiers receive training to overcome the greatest obstacles
they can face in the battlefield. Doctors are given training so that they
may not become the cause of a patient’s life. Teachers receive training to dispel the darkness of
ignorance. Training keeps the trainees abreast of the latest developments in their specific fields.
The trainers apprise them of all the fundamental and significant instructions. A fresher who joins
any profession without receiving proper training may devastate everything. Experience matters a
lot. It teaches us the way things are to be done. It is rightly said that ‘the best way really to train
people is with an experienced mentor… and on the job’. The experienced advice of the trainer
enlightens the trainees. They are made exceptionally skilled in the basic techniques. The
overwhelming importance of training can be neglected at our own peril. This perception of
beings would bring them perilously close to disaster.

Q5. FD Roosevelt says in his Inaugural Address in 1933 that ‘The only thing we have to
fear is fear itself.’ Write an article on this topic. You may take ideas from the given lines:

“I used every way I knew to overcome

this fear, but it held me firmly in its
grip

Ans. Fear
Fear stifles innovation, erodes creativity and limits the exponential growth. It is said that Those
who love to be feared, fear to be loved. Some fear them, but they fear everyone. Montaigne
wrote that The thing I fear most is fear’. Fear is the principal source of superstition, and one of
the primary sources of cruelly. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. Seneca says that ‘If
we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living. A person who is afraid of something cannot
enjoy life in totality. Fear makes us weak, and cowardly. But it does not mean that one should
become arrogant. A person of peevish nature cannot be called a brave fellow. Aijuna said that a
warrior’s fear always helps him in understanding and analysing the potential of the opponent.
Cervantes wrote in Don Quixote that ‘Fear has many eyes and can see things underground’. Man
should not have unnecessary fear. It discourages him to achieve the lofty aspirations. Fear
impedes action and it is a well known fact that those who do not act lose the battle of life. One
has to face the challenges of life. They can never be ignored and neglected. They help us in
honing our skills and tapping our untapped potential. Hence, one must shed fear.

Class 12 Flamingo English The Rattrap

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED
THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Ans: The peddler had been thinking of his rattraps when suddenly he was struck by the idea that
the whole world was nothing but a big rattrap. It existed only to set baits for people. It offered
riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing in the same manner as the rattrap offered
cheese and pork. As soon as someone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, it closed in on
him, and then everything came to an end.

Q2. Why was he amused by this idea?

Ans: His own life was sad and monotonous. He walked laboriously from place to place. The
world had never been kind to him. So, during his gloomy ploddings, this idea became his
favourite pastime. He was amused how people let themselves be caught in the dangerous snare
and how others were still circling around the bait.

Q3. Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter?
Ans: The crofter served him porridge for supper and tobacco for his pipe. He also played a game
of cards with him till bed time. This hospitality was unexpected as people usually made sour
faces when the peddler asked for shelter.

Q4. Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?
Ans: The crofter’s circumstances and temperament made him so talkative and friendly with the
peddler. Since he had no wife or child, he was happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness.
Secondly, he was quite generous with his confidences.

Q5. Why did he show the thirty kronor to the peddler?

Ans: The crofter had told the peddler that by supplying his cow’s milk to the creamery, he had
received thirty kronor in payment. The peddler seemed to doubt it. So, in order to assure his
guest of the truth he showed the thirty kronor to the peddler.

Q6. Did the peddler respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter?
Ans: No, the peddler did not respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter. At the very
first opportunity that he got, he smashed the window pane, took out the money and hung the
leather pouch back in its place. Then he went away.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap?
Ans: The peddler realised that he must not walk on the public highway with the stolen money in
his pocket. He went into the woods. He kept walking without coming to the end of the wood.
Then he realised that he had fallen in the rattrap. He had let himself befooled by a bait and had
been caught in.

Q2. Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?
Ans: The ironmaster walked closely up to the peddler. In the uncertain reflection from the
furnace, he mistook the man as his old regimental comrade, Captain Von Stahle. He addressed
the stranger as Nils Olof, spoke very kindly and invited him home.
Q3. Why did the peddler decline the invitation?
Ans: The peddler knew that the ironmaster had mistaken him for his old regimental comrade.
Secondly, he had stolen money—thirty kronor—on him. Going to the ironmaster’s residence
would be like entering the lion’s den. So, he declined the invitation.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation?
Ans: Miss Edla Willmansson looked at the peddler quite compassionately. She noticed that the
man was afraid. She assured him that he would be allowed to leave just as freely as he came. She
requested him to stay with them over Christmas Eve. Her friendly manner made the peddler feel
confidence in her and accept her invitation.

Q2. What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?

Ans: As Edla lifted the peddler’s hat, he jumped up abruptly and seemed to be quite frightened.
Even her kind looks, disclosure of her name and purpose of visit failed to calm him. From his
fear, she thought that either he had stolen something or he had escaped from jail.

Q3. When did the ironmaster realise his mistake?

Ans: Next morning, the stranger was cleaned and well-dressed. The valet had bathed him, cut his
hair and shaved him. He was led to the dining room for breakfast. The ironmaster saw him in
broad daylight. It was impossible to mistake him for an old acquaintance now. Then the
ironmaster realised his mistake and threatened to call the Sheriff…

Q4. How did the peddler defend himself against not having revealed his true identity?
Ans: The peddler explained that he had not tried to pretend as his acquaintance. He was not at
fault. All along he had maintained that he was a poor trader. He had pleaded and begged to be
allowed to stay in the forge. No harm had been done by his stay. He was willing to put on his
rags again and go away.

Q5. Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?
Ans: Edla did not think it proper on their part to chase away a human being whom they had
asked to come to their house and had promised him Christmas cheer. She understood the reality
of the peddler’s life and wanted him to enjoy a day of peace with them. Hence, she still
entertained the peddler even after knowing the truth about him.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?
Ans: As soon as Edla opened the package of the gift, the contents came into view. She found a
small rattrap with three wrinkled ten kronor notes and a letter addressed to her. The peddler
wanted to be nice in return as she had been so nice to him all day long. He did not want her to be
embarrased at the Christmas season by a thief.

Q2.Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?

Ans: The ironmaster has invited the peddler to his house mistaking him for Captain von Stahle.
He was welcomed there and looked after as captain even after the reality became known. The
peddler got a chance to redeem himself from dishonest ways by acting as an honourable Captain.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Q1. How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness and hospitality shown by the
crofter, the iron master and his daughter?
Ans: The peddler interprets the acts of kindness and hospitality shown by the crofter, the iron
master and his daughter differently. He cheats the crofter as he provides him company in his
loneliness and helps him pass time. He wants to get a couple of kronors from the iron master and
is surprised at the contrasting style of behaviour of father and daughter. He is touched by the
kindness, care and intervention of Edla on his behalf.

Q2. What are the instances in the story that show that the character of the ironmaster is
different from that of his daughter in many ways?
Ans: The ironmaster is impulsive* whereas his daughter is cool, logical, kind and thoughtful. In
uncertain light he (iron master) mistakes the stranger as his old regiment comrade. He invites
him home and takes care of his feeding, clothing etc. When he sees him in broad day light he
calls the man dishonest, demands an explanation and is ready to call in the sheriff. His daughter
is more observant. She notices the fear of the stranger and thinks that either he is a thief or a run
away prisoner. Inspite of that She is gentle, kind and friendly to him. She treats him nicely even
after knowing the mistake in identity.

Q3. The story has many instances of unexpected reactions from the characters to others’
behaviour. Pick out instances of these surprises.
Ans: The peddler is surprised at the warm welcome, generous supper, cheerful company and
intimate confidences by the crofter. The ironmaster addresses the peddler as Captain von Stahle.
He is surprised when the ironmaster calls him “Nils Olof. The ironmaster assumes his declining
the invitation a result of embarrassment caused by his miserable clothing. The peddler’s
comparison of the world to a rattrap makes the ironmaster laugh and he drops the idea of calling
in the sheriff.
The peddler looks at Edla in boundless amazement when she tells him that the suit is a Christmas
present. She also invites him to spend next Christmas with them. She does all this even after
knowing the mistake about his identity.The crofter is robbed by his guest, the rattrap peddler, in
return of his hospitality.

Q4. What made the peddler finally change his ways?

Ans: Edla Willmansson treated the tramp in a friendly manner. She was nice and kind to her.
She interceded on his behalf when her father was about to turn him out. She still entertained the
peddler even after knowing the truth about him. She offered him the suit as Christmas present
and invited him to spend the next Christmas with them. Her love and understanding aroused the
essential goodness in the peddler and finally he changed his ways.

Q5. How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the human predicament?
Ans: The world entices a person through the various good things of life such as riches and joy,
shelter and food, heat and clothing. These were just like the baits in the rattrap. Once someone is
tempted by the bait, the world closed on him.The peddler was tempted by thirty kronor of the
crofter. It makes him hide himself. He walks through the wood. He is afraid to go to the Manor
house. He gets peace only after returning the bait (money).
Q6. The peddler comes out as a person with a subtle sense of humour. How7 does this serve
in lightening the seriousness of the theme of the story and also endear him to us?
Ans: The peddler has a subtle sense of humour, which is revealed during his interactions with
the ironmaster and his daughter after the truth about him becomes known. He is neither afraid of
being turned out in cold in rags nor of being sent to prison. He makes the ironmaster laugh with
his metaphor of the rattrap. His letter with the Christmas present to Edla is a fine example of his
capacity to make others laugh at him. Thus, he lightens the seriousness of the theme of the story
and also endears himself to us.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Discuss the following in groups of four. Each group can deal with one topic and present the
views of your group to the whole class.
Q1. The reader’s sympathy is with the peddler right from the beginning of the story. Why
is this so? Is the sympathy justified?
Ans: The peddler wins our sympathy for his way of life and how the world treats him. It is an
admitted fact that the underdog always runs away with sympathy, so does the peddler with the
rattraps. He begs the material like wire for his rattraps. His business not being specially
profitable, he resorts to begging and petty thievery to keep body and soul together.
His life is sad and monotonous. He plods along the road lost in his own meditation. The world
has never been very kind to him and he feels happy in calling it a rattrap. Whenever, he asks
shelter for the night, he meets sour faces. He is an unwelcome, unwanted and undesirable figure.
The blacksmiths at forge glance at him only casually and indifferently. The master blacksmith
nods a haughty consent without honouring him with a single word.
The old and lonely crofter finds him an enjoyable company. The ironmaster mistakes him for an
old regimental comrade. Only Edla Willmansson behaves with him in a kind, friendly manner.
Her nice treatment arouses the tramp’s goodness. He redeems himself Hy returning the stolen
money and wins our admiration. Thus, we see that the sympathy is not only well earned but well
justified too.

Q2. The story also focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others.
Ans: There are at least three characters in the story who suffer from loneliness and express the
need to bond with others. They represent three strata of the human society as well. The peddler
with the rattraps, the old crofter and the ironmaster all suffer from loneliness. The peddler is
called a tramp, a vagabond and stranger at various points of the story. He moves wearily from
one place to the other. He is lost in his own thoughts. He seeks shelter for night and people look
at him with sour faces. Even the blacksmiths look haughtily at him and nod consent. The old
crofter suffers from loneliness as he has neither wife nor child with him. Hence, he feels happy
when he gets the peddler to talk to in his loneliness.
The ironmaster is also lonely in his manor house. His wife Elizabeth has died and his sons are
abroad. There is no one at home except his oldest daughter and himself. His requests to Captain
von Stehle to accompany him show his need for human bonding. He admits frankly that they
didn’t have any company for Christmas. The stranger turns down the request not because he is
against bonding with others but because he fears being caught with stolen money.

Q3. Have you known/heard of an episode where a good deed or an act of kindness has
changed a person’s view of the world?
Ans: Yes, I know how the kindness of a Bishop transformed a hard-hearted beastly convict into
a man again with faith in God and human values. The story is presented in the form of a famous
play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’
The Bishop provides food and shelter at midnight to a runaway convict who threatens him with a
knife. Long years of imprisonment and harsh treatment in the prisonship has transformed the
man into beast and he is devoid of all human feelings now. The convict runs away with the
Bishop’s silver candlesticks, but is caught by the police.
In order to save the convict from further punishment and torture, the Bishop tells the police
officer that the fellow is his friend and he had himself given him the candlesticks. This kind act
of the Bishop melts the hard heart of the convict. He sobs and weeps. He promises to be a man
again.

Q4. The story is both entertaining and philosophical. Discuss.

Ans: The story entertains us by providing glimpses into human nature and how people react to
various situations. The actions of the peddler after stealing thirty kronor are quite amusing. The
reactions of the blacksmiths to the tramp’s request for shelter show how casual and indifferent
human beings can be.
The U-turn in the ironmaster’s attitude towards the stranger reveal how selfish and ignorant
human beings can be. Mistaking the vagabond for his old regimental comrade, whom he thinks
he has run across unexpectedly, he asks the stranger to accompany him home and spend
Christmas with them. When the stranger refuses to go with him, the ironmaster sends his
daughter. With her better persuasive power she makes him follow her.
The ironmaster is annoyed on seeing the stranger in broad daylight. But instead of realising his
own mistake, he puts the blame on the man. He talks of handing him over to the sheriff. The
metaphor of the world being a rattrap saves the situation for the tramp, but the ironmaster wants
to turn him out. His daughter’s comments are quite entertaining and philosophical. She wants the
tramp to enjoy a day of peace. Secondly, she does not want to chase away a person whom they
had invited home and had promised Christmas cheer.

WORKING WITH WORDS

Q1. The man selling rattraps is referred to by many terms such as “peddler, stranger” etc.
Pick out all such references to him. What does each of these labels indicate of the context or
the attitude of the people around him.
Ans: Initially, the man who went around selling small rattraps of wire is called a Vagabond’ for
he plodded along the road, left to his own meditations. He is referred to as “stranger” by the
narrator while describing his meeting with the old crofter. When he leaves the next day he is
described as “the man with rattraps.’ When he returns half an hour later to steal money he is
called ‘the rattrap peddler.’
For the blacksmiths at the forge he is an intruder. The narrator now refers to him as a ‘tramp’.
For the rich ironmaster he is a “ragamuffin’. Since he had never seen the ironmaster or known
his name, the man with rattraps is called a ‘stranger’. He is described as ‘stranger* while he
stretches himself out on the floor when the ironmaster leaves. The label sticks to him during his
stay at the manor house as a guest. These descriptions also suggest the degree of social
difference ^between the persons and the peddler of rattraps and their attitude towards him.
Q2. You came across the words, plod, trudge, stagger in the story. These words indicate
movement accompanied by weariness. Find five other such words with a similar meaning.
Ans: Five other words with a similar meaning are: clomp, lumber, lurch, reel, stumble.

NOTICING FORM
1.He made them himself at odd moments.
2.He raised himself.
3.He had let himself be fooled by a bait and had been caught.
4. a day may come when you yourself may want to get a big piece of pork.
Notice the way in which these reflexive pronouns have been used (pronoun + self)
•In 1 and 4 the reflexive pronouns “himself’ and •‘yourself” are used to convey emphasis.
•In 2 and 3 the reflexive pronoun is used in place of personal pronoun to signal that it refers to
the same subject in the sentence.
•Pick out other examples of the use of reflexive pronouns from the story and notice how
they are used.
Ans. 1.He had not come there to talk but only to warm himself and sleep.
2.To go up to the manor house would be like throwing himself voluntarily into the lion’s den.
3…….there is no one at home except my oldest daughter and myself.
4.But he laughed to himself as he went away …
5……apparently hoping that she would have better powers of persuasion than he himself.
6. The stranger had stretched himself out on the floor…
7. It would never have occurred to me that you would bother with me yourself, miss.
8…… if he had not been raised to captain, because in that way he got power to clear himself.
In sentences 3, 5 and 7 the reflexive pronouns ‘myself, “himself and ‘yourself are used to convey
emphasis.
In sentences 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8, the reflexive pronoun is used in place of personal pronoun to signal
that it refers to the same subject in the sentence.

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE

Q1. Notice the words in bold in the following sentence:
“The fire boy shovelled charcoal in the maw of the furnace with a great deal of clatter.”
This is a phrase that is used in the specific context of an iron plant.
Pick out other such phrases and words from the story that are peculiar lo the terminology
of ironworks.
Ans: Words and phrases that are peculiar to the terminology of ironworks are given below:
hammer strokes, smelter, forge, rolling mill, coal dust, furnace, pig iron, anvil, iron bar, big
bellow, coal, charcoal, shovel and sooty panes.

Q2. “Mjolis” is a card game of Sweden.

Name a few indoor games played in your region. “Chopar” could be an example.
Ans: ‘Rang-kaaf and ‘Turap Bol’ are popular indoor card games in our region.
‘Chukkhal’ is a poor man’s substitute for Chopar.
‘Goti-paar’ is popular among young girls in rural areas.

Q3. A “Crofter” is a person who rents or owns a small farm especially in Scotland. Think
of other uncommon terms for “a small farmer” including those in your language.
Ans: The uncommon terms for “a small farmer” are:
tiller, plowman/ploughman, husbandman, rancher, tenant farmer and small holder.
In our language there are words like haali’, ‘bataai-jotta’, ‘jotta’ etc.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. How did the peddler of rattraps manage in survive?
Ans:He made rattraps of wire and went around selling them. He got material for making them
by begging in the big stores or at big farms. Since his business was not quite profitable, he would
beg or steal in order to survive.

Q2. How did the peddler look? Was he different from people of his type?
Ans: He was a man with a long beard, dirty, ragged, and with a bunch of rattraps dangling on his
chest. His clothes were in rags, his cheeks were sunken, and hunger gleamed in his eyes. No, he
looked like the way people of his type usually did.

Q3. What idea. did he get about the world? What were its implications?
Ans: He got the idea that the whole world was only a big trap. It sets baits for people exactly as
the rattrap offered cheese and pork. It offered riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing
as baits. It closed on the person who let himself be tempted to touch the bait. Then everything
came to an end.

Q4. Why did the peddler think of the world as a rattrap? What became his cherished
pastime?
Ans: The world had never been kind to the peddler. So, he got unusual joy to think ill of the
world. His pastime was to think of people he knew who had let themselves be caught in the
dangerous snare of the world, and of others who were still circling around the bait.

Q5. What hospitality did the peddler with rattraps receive from the old crofter?
Ans: The old crofter served the peddler hot porridge for supper and gave him tabacco for his
pipe. He entertained his guest by playing cards with him. He also informed him about his
prosperous past life and how his cow supported him in his old age now.

Q6. ‘The old man was just as generous with his confidences as with his porridge and
tobacco’. What personal information did he impart to his guest ?
Ans: The old man told his guest that in his days of prosperity he had been a crofter at Ramsjo
Ironworks. Then he worked on the land. Now he was unable to do physical labour. His cow
supported him now. He supplied her milk to the creamery everyday. Last month he had received
thirty kronor in payment.

Q7. Where had the old man put his money? Why did he hold it up before the eyes of his
guest and what did he do later on?
Ans: The man had put his money in a leather pouch which hung on a nail in the window frame.
He picked out three wrinMed ten-kronor bills for his guest to see as he has seemed sceptical.
Then he stuffed them back into the pouch.
Q8.‘ The next day both men got up in good, season.’ Why? Who are the men and what did
they do after getting up?
Ans: The two men are the old crofter and his guest-the peddler with, the rattraps. The crofter was
in a hurry to milk his cow. His guest did not want to stay in bed when the host had risen. They
left the cottage at the same time. The crofter locked the door and put the key in his pocket. The
peddler bade him goodbye and thanked him. Then each went his own way.

Q9. Why did rattrap peddler return and how did he rob the old crofter?
Ans: The rattrap peddler was tempted by the thirty kronors he had seen in the leather pouch of
the old crofter. He returned half an hour later, smashed a window pane, stuck in his hand and got
hold of the pouch. He took out the money and thrust it into his own pocket. Thus, he robbed the
old crofter.

Q10. How did the peddler feel after robbing the crofter? Why did he discontinue walking
on the public highway?
Ans:At first he felt quite pleased with his smartness. Then he realised the danger of being caught
by the police with the stolen money with him. He decided to discontinue walking on the public
highway and turn off the road, into the woods.

Q11. Why did Edla plead with her father not to send the vagabond away? [All India 2014]
Ans: Edla was kind and sympathetic. She was much pained by the plight of the peddler. Edla
requested her father to spend a day with them in peace as a respite from the struggle.

Q12. How did the peddler feel while walking through the wood? What did he realise?
Ans: During the first hours the woods caused him no difficulty. Later in the day, it became
worse as it was a big and confusing forest. The paths twisted back and forth. He kept on walking
but did not come to the end of the wood. He realised that he had been walking around in the
same part of the forest.

Q13. What do you learn about the Ramsjo Ironworks from ‘The Rattrap’?
Ans: The Ramsjo Ironworks used to be a large plant, with smelter, rolling mill and forge. In the
summer time long fines of heavily loaded barges and scows slid down the canal. In the winter
time, the roads near the mill were black from charcoal dust.

Q14. Why did the blacksmith fail to notice the entry of the peddler in the forge?
Ans: The forge was full of many sounds. The big bellows groaned and the burning coal cracked.
The fire boy shovelled charcoal into the maw of the fumance with a great deal of clatter. A water
fall roared outside. Sharp north wind made the rain strike the brick-tiled roof. Due to all this
noise the blacksmith failed to notice the peddlar’s entry.

Q15. ‘The blacksmiths glanced only casually and indifferently at the intruder’, What
prompted them to do so?
Ans: Usually poor vegabonds, without any better shelter for the night, felt attracted to the forge
by the glow of fight which escaped through the sooty panes. They came in to warm themselves
in front of the fire. The intruder looked like other people of his type usually did.
Q16. What did the tramp ask? Was his request granted? What did he do then?
Ans: The tramp asked permission to stay. The blacksmiths hardly deigned to look at him. The
master blacksmith nodded a haughty consent without uttering a word. The tramp too did not say
anything. He had come there only to warm himself and sleep. So, he eased his way close to the
furnace. ‘

Q17. Who was the owner of the Ramsjo Iron Mill? Why did he come to the forge that
night?
Ans: The owner of that mill was a very prominent ironmaster. His greatest ambition was to ship
out good iron to the market. He insisted on quality and kept a watch on the work both night and
day. He came to the forge on one of his nightly rounds of inspection.

Q18. What did the ironmaster notice in the forge? How did he react then?
Ans: The ironmaster noticed a person in dirty rags lying quite close to the furnace. Steam rose
from his wet rags. The ironmaster went near him and looked at him very carefully. Then he
removed his slouch hat to get a better view of his face. He thought that he was an old
acquaintance of his and said : “But of course it is you, Nils Olof!”

Q19. Why did the man with the rattraps not want to undeceive the ironmaster all at once?
Ans: The peddler thought that if the fine gentleman thought he was an old acquaintance, he
might perhaps throw him a couple of kronor. So he did not want to undeceive him all at once.

Q20. What observation did the ironmaster make about the stranger? What did he ask him
to do?
Ans: The ironmaster saw the stranger in the uncertain fight of the fumance and mistook him for
his old regimental comrade. He said that it was a mistake on his part to have resigned from the
regiment. If he had been in service at that time, it would never have happened. He asked the
stranger to go home with him.

Q21. What did the peddler think about going up to the manor house? How did he react to
the ironmaster’s invitation?
Ans: The peddler looked quite alarmed. He still had the stolen thirty kronor on him. Going up to
the manor house would be like throwing himself voluntarily into the lion’s den. He did not feel
pleased to go there and be received by the owner like an old regimental comrade. So he declined
the invitation.

Q22. What did the ironmaster assume to be the reason behind his old comrade s refusal?
Hoiw did he try to reassure him?
Ans: The ironmaster assumed that his old regimental comrade felt embarrassed because of his
miserable clothing. He said that his house was not so fine that he couldn’t show himself there.
He lived there only with his daughter as his wife Elizabeth was dead and his sons were abroad.

Q23. What reason did the ironmaster advance in support of his invitation to the stranger?
Ans: He said that they didn’t have any company for Christmas. He thought it was quite bad. He
requested the stranger to come along with him and help them make the Christmas food disappear
a little faster.
Q24. ‘The ironmaster saw that he must give in.’ What made him give in? What did he say?
What did the blacksmith think about the ironmaster?
Ans: The stranger declined the ironmaster’s invitation thrice. The ironmaster then told
Stjemstrom, the blacksmith that Captain von Stahle preferred to stay with him that night. He
laughed to himself as he went away. The blacksmith, who knew the ironmaster, understood very
well that he had not said his last word.

Q25. Who was the new guest at the forge ? Why had that person come there and how did
he I she look’? Who accompanied her and why? 
Ans: The new guest was the ironmaster’s daughter. She drove in there in a carriage along with a
valet who carried on his arm a big fur coat. She had been sent there by her father hoping that she
had better powers of persuasion that he himself. She was not at all pretty, but seemed modest and
quite Shy.

Q26. Describe the scene at the forge when Edla Willmansson came there.
Ans: The master blacksmith and his apprentice sat on a bench. Iron and charcoal glowed in the
furnace. The stranger had stretched himself out on the floor. He lay with a piece of pig iron under
his head and his hat pulled down over his eyes.

Q27. What did the young girl notice about the stranger? What did she conclude? How did
she make him feel confidence in her?
Ans: The stranger jumped up abruptly and seemed to be quite frightened. She looked at him
sympathetically, but the man still looked afraid. She concluded that either he had stolen
something or else he had escaped from jail. She spoke to him in a very friendly manner to make
him feel confidence in her.

Q28. What did the peddler of rat traps think while he was riding up to the manor house?
Ans: Whfie he was riding up to the manor house he had evil forebodings. He questioned himself
why he had taken that fellow’s money. He thought that he was sitting in the trap and would never
get out of it.

Q29. Why did the peddler derive pleasure from his idea of the world as a rattrap? [Delhi
2014]
Ans: The peddler was very happy with the idea of the world as a rattrap because he was never
given kindly treatment by the world. He had quite different feeling for it and loved to think ill of
it by comparing it to a rattrap.

Q30. How did the ironmaster try to convince his daughter about the stranger’?
Ans: He asked his daughter to have some patience. She would see something different as soon as
the stranger got clean and dressed up. Last night he was naturally embarrassed. He asserted that
tramp manners would fall away from him with tramp clothes.

Q31. What impression did the well-groomed guest make? How did the ironmaster react
and why?
Ans: He looked truly clean and well dressed. The ironmaster did not seem pleased. He looked at
him with contracted brow. It was because he had made a mistake in identifying the person in
uncertain light at night. He demanded an explanation from the man.

Q32. What did the ironmaster threaten to do after knowing the mistake? How did the
stranger save himself?
Ans: The ironmaster threatened to call in the sheriff. The stranger told him that the Sheriff might
lock him up for dissembling. He reminded the ironmaster that a day might come when he might
get tempted, and then he would be caught in the big rattrap of the world. The metaphor amused
the ironmaster. He dropped the idea of sending for the sheriff, but asked the stranger to leave at
once.

Q33. ‘The daughter stood there quite embarrassed and hardly knew what to answer.’
What embarrassed her? Why did she intercede for the vagabond?
Ans: The daughter had drawn plans to make things homelike and typical of Christmas, for the
poor hungry wretch. She could not get away from this idea at once. She felt embarrassed when
her father asked the man to get out. She interceded for the vagabond to persuade her father to let
him stay for Christmas.

Q34. What arguments did the young girl give in favour of the stranger’s stay there?
Ans: She said that the whole year long, the stranger walked around. He was probably not
welcome or made to feel at home even at a single place. He was chased away wherever he
turned. He was always afraid of being arrested and cross-examined. She wanted him to enjoy a
day of peace with them-just one in the whole year.

Q35. “He only stared at the young girl in boundless amazement.” What made the man with
the rattraps react in this manner?
Ans: The young girl told him after the Christmas dinner that the suit he wore was to be a
Christmas present from her father. He did not have to return it. If he wanted to spend next
Christmas Eve peacefully, without any evil befalling him, he would be welcomed back again.
This amazed him.

Q36. “The young girl sat and hung her head even more dejectedly than usual.” What two
reasons forced her to behave in this manner?
Ans: First, she had learned at church that one of the old crofters of the ironworks had been
robbed by a man who went around selling rattraps. Second, her father taunted her and held her
responsible for letting that “fine fellow” into the house.

Q37. Sum up the contents of the letter addressed to Miss Willmansson.

Ans: The stranger did not want her to be embarrassed at the Christmas season with a thief. As
she had been nice to him as if he were a captain, he would be nice to her as if he were a real
captain. She asked her to return the money to the old crofter. The rattrap was a present from a rat
who would have been caught in the world’s rattrap if he had not been raised to captain. It was as
captain that he got power to clear himself.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. What is the theme of the story ‘The Rattrap’ ? How has this theme been developed?
Ans: The theme of the story is that most human beings are prone to fall into the trap of material
benefit. However, every human being has an essential goodness that can be awakened through
understanding and love. A human being has the tendency to redeem himself from dishonest
ways.
The theme is developed with the help of the metaphor of the rattrap. The peddler of rattraps calls
the world a big rattrap. The material benefits like riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and
clothing are temptations that that allure a person to fall into the rattrap of the world exactly as the
bait of cheese and pork attract a rat to fall into the rattrap. Once someone takes the bait, the
world closes in on him and then everything is lost.
The peddler is tempted by the thirty kronors of the old crofter. He steals the money. Now he is
afraid of being caught and moves through the woods. It is the kind, sympathetic, loving and
generous treatment given by Edla Willmansson that helps him get himself free from the rattrap
of the world.

Q2. Give an account of the peddler’s meeting with the old crofter. How does the peddler
conduct himself? What light does this episode throw on human nature?
Ans: One dark evening the peddler reached a little gray cottage by the roadside. He knocked on
the door to ask shelter for the night. The owner, an old man without wife or child, welcomed
him. He was happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness. He served him hot porridge for
supper and gave him tobacco for his pipe. Then he played cards with him till bed time.
The host told the peddler that in his days of prosperity, he worked on land at Ramsjo Ironworks.
Now his cow supported him. He sold her milk at the creamery everyday. He showed the peddler
the thirty kronor notes he got as payment that month. Then he hung the leather pouch on a nail in
the window frame. Next morning the crofter went to milk the cow, and the peddler went away.
However, he returned after half an hour, broke the window pane, took the money out of the
leather pouch and hang it back on the nail.This episode shows that in loneliness, human beings
crave for company, for social bonding. Secondly, temptations can overpower the greatest
philosopher. The peddler who calls the world a rattrap is himself tempted by thirty kronor.

Q3. How did the peddler feel after robbing the crofter? What course did he adopt and how
did he react to the new situation? What does his reaction highlight?
Ans: Having robbed his generous host, the peddler felt quite pleased with his smartness. He did
not feel any qualms of conscience that he had abused the confidence reposed in him by the
crofter. The selfish wretch thought only of his own safety. He realised the danger of being caught
by the police with the stolen thirty kronor on his person. Hence, he decided to discontinue
walking on the public highway and turn off the road, into the woods.
During the first few hours the woods caused him no difficulty. Later on, it became worse as it
was a big and confusing forest. The paths twisted back and forth. He kept on walking but did not
come to the end of the wood. He realised that he had only been walking around in the same part
of the forest. The forest closed in upon him like an impenetrate prison from which he could never
escape.
The reaction of the peddler highlights the predicament of human nature. Temptations lead to evil.
The fruits of evil seem pleasant at first, but they deprive man of his goodness and push him into
the maze of the world which holds a vice-like grip on him.
Q4. (i) ‘The blacksmiths glanced only casually and indifferently at the intruder.’ (ii)“The
ironmaster did not follow the example of the blacksmiths who had hardly deigned to look
at the stranger * What do these attitudes reveal? How does the forge-episode help to
develop the story? What is its implication?
Ans: The blacksmiths display the typical attitude of manual workers and labourers for whom
work is the first priority and parasites on human society are drags on the fruit of their labour. The
master blacksmith nods a haughty consent without honouring the intruder with a single word.
Evidently, he regards the tramp as insignificant.
The ironmaster, who is on his nightly round of inspection, behaves differently. He walks closely
up to him and looks him over carefully. Then he removes his slouch hat to get a better view of
his face. In the uncertain light of the furnace he mistakes the stranger for his old regimental
comrade and requests him to go home with him. When the stranger declines the invitation, the
ironmaster sends his daughter to persuade him to spend Christmas Eve with them. Thus the forge
episode helps to develop the story.
The episode highlights the difference in the reactions of various persons to the same set of
circumstances. This reveals the shades of human nature. It shows that even the person with best
discernment may commit an error of judgement.

Q5. Bring out the contrast in the ironmaster’s attitude and behaviour towards the stranger
before and after he realises his mistake.
Ans: The ironmaster is moved to see his old regimental comrade in a pitiable state. He considers
it a mistake on his part to have resigned from the regiment. He insists that his old comrade will
go home with him. As the stranger declines the invitation, he thinks that the man feels
embarrassed because of his miserable clothing. He explains that he does not have such a fine
home that he cannot show himself there. He requests the stranger to provide company to him and
his daughter for Christmas. When the stranger refuses thrice, he sends his daughter, with a big
fur coat to persuade him. Just before breakfast on Christmas Eve, he thinks of feeding him well
and providing him same honourable piece of work.
His behaviour undergoes a U-turn when he looks at the well-groomed stranger and realises his
mistake. He expresses his displeasure with a wrinkled brow and demands an explanation from
the man. Though the peddler defends himself well saying he never pretended to be someone else,
the ironmaster calls him dishonest and threatens to hand him over to the sheriff. When the
metaphor of world being a rattrap softens him a bit, he asks the peddler to quit at once.

Q6. What impression do you form of Edla on reading the story ‘The Raitrap’ ?
Ans: Miss Edla Willmansson is the eldest daughter of the owner of the Ramsjo Ironworks. She is
not pretty, but modest and quite shy. She is quite obedient and visits the forge at the behest of her
father. She has a wonderful power of observation and takes quick judgement. From the stranger’s
frightened looks, she concludes that he is either a thief or a runaway convict. She uses her skills
of persuasion to make the stranger agree to accompany her home. Her compassionate looks,
friendly manner and polite way of address help her. She tells her father that nothing about the
man shows that once he was an educated man.
She believes in the spirit of Christmas and intercedes on behalf of the stranger to per suade her
father to let him stay and be happy. She first makes a passionate plea and then argues that they
should not chase away a person they had invited themselves and promised him Christmas cheer.
Her dejection on learning that the peddler with rattraps was a thief reflects her sensitiveness. The
gift of the captain makes her happy. It is her noble action that helps a thief redeem himself. In
short, she is an intelligent, affectionate and kind young girl.

Q7. Comment on the efuRng of the story ‘The Rattrap’.

Ans: The story ‘The Rattrap’ has a very beautiful ending. It helps us to realise that all is not lost
for human beings who are prone to fall into the trap of material benefits. It is the protagonist of
the story—the peddler with the rattraps—who coins the metaphor of the rattrap, falls
himself in it on being tempted and ultimately redeems himself by renouncing the temptation. His
admission that he had been the thief, and the treatment he got as a captain, show how love and
understanding can transform even a depraved soul. The story thus comes a full circle with the
ending. All questions are answered and no loose tags remain hanging.
The ending also pays tribute to the goodness of humanity here exhibited through Miss Edla
Willmansson. The happy ending also arouses our optimism and belief in the essential goodness
of man and other human virtues. Thus it serves to inspire the readers to do noble acts.

Q8. Do you think the title of the story ‘The Rattrap’ is appropriate? Give reasons to
support your answer.
Ans: The story has an appropriate and suggestive title. It at once draws our attention to the
central theme—the whole world is a big rattrap. This metaphor helps us to understand the human
predicament. All the good things of the world are nothing but baits to tempt a person to fall into
the rattrap. Through the character of the peddler, the writer drives home the idea that most
human beings are prone to fall into the trap of material benefits.
The story begins with rattraps and ends with a rattrap as a present for someone who has helped a
rat to get free from’the rattrap. Even the middle of the story revolves round the rattrap. The
actions of the peddler after he steals thirty kronor of the old crofter reveal the inner conflicts,
tensions and lack of peace of a person who touches the bait of temptation. Renunciation of the
temptation helps in redemption.Thus, we conclude that the title is apt and significant.

VALUE-BASED QUESTIONS
Q1. Honesty is considered the best policy for earning one’s bread and butter. Stealing is a
sin and a punishable act. Vagabonds tend to forget this essential goodness. Elucidate the
dictum in the light of the following lines:“He made them himself at odd moments, from the
material he got by begging in the stores or at the big farms. But even so, the business was
not especially profitable, so he had to resort to both begging and petty thievery to keep
body and soul together. ”
Ans:                                                       Honest Means of Livelihood
Every human being has to earn his bread and butter. Means vary from person to person, but one
has to face many obstacles and odd situations in life. These means can be fair or foul, honest or
dishonest. Unfortunately, the modem man hankers after money and has become commercial-
minded. People are not afraid of the Almighty. They wish to accumulate riches by hook or by
crook. They have no respect for humanity and moral values. The social norms and time-tested
principles bemoan somewhere in a comer. The mortals of this computer age focus only on
pecuniary gains. They are desirous of becoming rich overnight. And it is sure that no one can
make easy money without resorting to corruption. One should always remember that those who
are honest get respect in society and feel themselves satisfied. They don’t have to feel guilty. But
those who are corrupt hide themselves behind the veils when caught. A person should always be
honest and sincere. The factory workers, farmers, teachers and poor artisans live an honest life
and are appreciated everywhere. Freud rightly proclaimed in his letter to Wilhelm Fliess that
‘Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise’. A few honest men are better than
numerous bad ones.

Q2. It is rightly said that the crown and glory of life is character. Alphonse Karr, a French
journalist, said, “Every man has three characters: that which he shows, that which he has,
and that which he thinks he has”. Substantiate the saying taking ideas from the following
expressions:“…It was quite honest, either. You must admit that, and I should not be
surprised if the sheriff would like to have something to say in the matter.”
Ans:

“The crown and glory of life is character

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;
When health is lost, something is lost;
When character is lost, everything is lost”.

Charming said that the great hope of society is individual character. Character plays a pivotal
role in the life of a human being. It is as significant for a man as a crown for a king. It is the
glory of a man’s life. Character reflects the traits and personality of a person. A man of character
retains moral strength and faces the music of life bravely. A man is judged by his character. A
person who has good character is respected and honoured in society. It is often said that our lot
depends on our character. One rises in life in proportion to the strength of one’s character.
Character gives self-satisfaction to a person. He can lead a happy and contended life. He
accumulates wealth in heaven instead of building treasures on the earth. It is only character that
distinguishes man from beasts. Goethe .remarked that “Talent is nurtured in solitude; character is
formed in the stormy billows of the world.

“Not in the clamor of the crowded street,

Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng,
But is ourselves, are triumph and defeat. —Longfellow

Q3. Man is a gregarious animal. Aristotle wrote in Politics, “He who is unable to live in
society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a
god”. Lonliness gnaws a man from within. Write an article on the topic mentioned above in
your own words. You can take ideas from the following lines:“…he knocked on the door to
ask shelter for the night. Nor was he refused. Instead of the sour faces which ordinarily met
him, the owner, who was an old man. without wife or child, was happy to get someone to
talk to in his loneliness.”
Ans:                                                    Loneliness: A Terrible Moment
Enduring loneliness requires perseverance and strength of mind. The state of alienation may
depress a person. He may become insane. Everybody cannot bear the pangs of leading a lonely
life. Seclusion irritates a mortal as it is known to us that man is a gregarious animal. He needs
company to share his views and thoughts. It is also said that solitude is the playfield of satan.
Man gets diverted and takes recourse to illegal ways. The Bible says that ‘woe to him that is
alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up’. An alienated person leads a
miserable and pitiable life. Survival at a deserted place becomes next to impossible for a human
being. Solitude gives vent to the feelings of enmity against mankind. A depressed person may go
to any extent to avenge his seclusion. Solitude and melancholy are synonymous of each other.
Mother Teresa has described loneliness in a fitting manner. She said, “Lonliness and the feeling
of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty”. Each individual needs love, affection and
company. The victims of solitude and lonliness never feel themselves gratified. They never feel
themselves the part of the main stream. It breeds negativity and animosity. They become hostile
towards the fellow human beings. The repercussions of loneliness are catastrophic and
disastrous.

Q4. Voltaire has rightly remarked that ‘Love truth, but pardon error’. It is by forgiving
that one is forgiven. Sympathy is a divine virtue. It is indispensable for a philanthropist.
Elucidate the dictum taking ideas from the following expressions.
“Since you have been so nice to me all day long, as if I was a captain, I want to be nice to
you, in return, as if I was a real captain—for I do not want you to be embarrassed at this
Christmas season by a thief- but you can give back the money to the old man on the
roadside…”
Ans: The Bible proclaims that ‘Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy5. Love
begets love and hatred begets hatred. People in this world have a reciprocal relationship. They
reciprocate the thing they receive. It is a universally accepted aphorism that ‘To err is human, to
forgive, divine’. Sympathy has a great power. A sympathetic person receives the blessings of the
destitute whom he helps or forgives. People can’t imagine the incredible power of sympathy. A
person’s kind acts and words may save many precious fives. One must not forget that those who
sympathise with others get inner satisfaction. It awakens the affection of a human heart. It leaves
an indelible impression even on the most rugged ’ nature. Its results are better than a king’s
power. It helps a man in his endeavour to elevate his fellow human beings from a state of
poverty and distress. Dr. Samuel Johnson averred that the wretched have no compassion. When a
man suffers himself, it is called misery; when he suffers in the suffering of another, it is called
pity. Forgiveness is, undoubtedly, a divine quality. The philanthropists should inculcate the habit
of forgiving others in their character.

“Sweet mercy is nobility’s true badge—Shakespeare

Class 12 Flamingo English Indigo

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. Strike out what is not true in the following:
(a)Rajkumar Shukla was:
(i)a sharecropper (ii)a politician
(iii)delegate (iv)a landlord.
(b) Rajkumar Shukla was:
(i) poor (ii)physically strong
(iii) illiterate.
Ans: (a) (ii) a politician
(b) (ii) physically strong

Q2. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?

Ans: He had come all the way from Champaran district in the foothills of Himalayas to Lucknow
to speak to Gandhi. Shukla accompanied Gandhi everywhere. Shukla followed him to the ashram
near Ahmedabad. For weeks he never left Gandhi’s side till Gandhi asked him to meet at
Calcutta.

Q3. Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?
Ans: Shukla led Gandhi to Rajendra Prasad’s house. The servants knew Shukla as a poor
yeoman. Gandhi was also clad in a simple dhoti. He was the companion of a peasant. Hence, the
servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his
arrival at Champaran.
Ans: Gandhi’s first meeting with Shukla was at Lucknow. Then he went to Cawnpore and other
parts of India. He returned to his ashram near Ahmedabad. Later he went to Calcutta, Patna and
Muzaffarpur before arriving at Champaran.

Q2. What did the peasants pay the British landlords as rent? What did the British now
want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of
natural indigo?
Ans: The peasants paid the British landlords indigo as rent. Now Germany had developed
synthetic indigo. So, the British landlords wanted money as compensation for being released
from the 15 per cent arrangement. The prices of natural indigo would go down due to the
synthetic Indigo.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. The events in this part of the text illustrate Gandhi’s method of working. Can you
identify some instances of this method and link them to his ideas of Satyagraha and non-
violence?
Ans: Gandhi’s politics was intermingled with the day-to-day problems of the millions of Indians.
He opposed unjust laws. He was ready to court arrest for breaking such laws and going to jail.
The famous Dandi March to break the ‘salt law’ is another instance. The resistance and
disobedience was peaceful and a fight for truth and justice…This was linked directly to his ideas
of Satyagraha and non-violence.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers?
Ans: For Gandhi the amount of the refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had
been forced to return part of the money, and with it, part of their prestige too. So, he agreed to
settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers.
Q2. How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?
Ans: The peasants were saved from spending time and money on court cases. After some years
the British planters gave up control of their estates. These now reverted to the peasants. Indigo
sharecropping disappeared.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1.Why do you think Gaffdhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning- point in
his life?
Ans: The Champaran episode began as an attempt to ease the sufferings of large number of poor
peasants. He got spontaneous support of thousands of people. Gandhi admits that what he had
done was a very ordinary thing. He declared that the British could not order him about in his own
country. Hence, he considered the Champaran episode as a turning- point in his life.

Q2. How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.

Ans: Gandhi asked the lawyers what they would do if he was sentenced to prison. They said that
they had come to advise him. If he went to jail, they would go home. Then Gandhi asked them
about the injustice to the sharecroppers. The lawyers held consultations. They came to the
conclusion that it would be shameful desertion if they went home. So, they told Gandhi that they
were ready to follow him into jail.

Q3. “What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of
‘home rule’?
Ans: The average Indians in smaller localities were afraid to show sympathy for the advocates of
home-rule. Gandhi stayed at Muzaffarpur for two days at the home of Professor Malkani, a
teacher in a government school. It was an extraordinary thing in those days for a government
professor to give shelter to one who opposed the government.

Q4. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?
Ans: Professor J.B. Kriplani received Gandhi at Muzaffarpur railway station at midnight. He had
a large body of students with him. Sharecroppers from Champaran came on foot and by
conveyance to see Gandhi. Muzaffarpur lawyers too called on him. A vast multitude greeted
Gandhi when he reached Motihari railway station. Thousands of people demonstrated around the
court room. This shows that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement in India.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Discuss the following:
Q1. “Freedom from fear is more important than Legal justice for the poor.”
Do you think that the poor of India are free from fear after Independence?
Ans: For the poor of India means of survival are far more important than freedom or legal
justice. I don’t think the poor of India are free from fear after Independence.The foreign rulers
have been replaced by corrupt politicians and self-serving bureaucracy. Power- brokers and
moneylenders have a field day. The situation has improved in cities and towns for the poor but
the poor in the remote villages still fear the big farmers and moneylenders. The police and
revenue officials are still objects of terror for them.
The poor, landless workers have to still work hard to make both ends meet. Peasants and tenant-
farmers have to borrow money from rich moneylenders on exorbitant rates of interest, which
usually they fail to repay due to failure of monsoon or bad crops. Cases of small farmers
committing suicide are quite common. If this is not due to fear, what is the reason behind it?

Q2. The qualities of a good leader.

Ans: A good leader has a mass appeal. He rises from the masses, thinks for them and works for
them. He is sincere in his approach. He is a man of principles. Truth, honesty, patriotism,
morality, spirit of service and sacrifice are the hallmarks of a good leader. He never mixes
politics with religion or sect. He believes in working for the welfare of the nation and does not
think in the narrow terms of class, caste or region. Corruption and nepotism are two evils that
surround a leader in power. The life of a good leader is an open book. There is no difference
between his words and actions. Such good leaders are very rare. What we find today are practical
politicians, who think of achieving their end without bothering about . the purity of means. The
law of expediency gets the better of morality.

WORKING WITH WORDS

1.List the words used in the text that are related to legal procedures.
For example: deposition
Ans: Notice, summons, prosecutor, trial, plead, guilty, order, penalty, sentence, bail, judgement,
prison, case, inquiry, evidence, commission.
•List other words that you know that fall into this category.
Ans. Complaint, complainant, decree, defendant, witness, prosecution, defence, sessions, jury,
verdict, decision.

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE

Q1. Notice the sentences in the text which are in ‘direct speech’. Why does the author use
quotations in his narration?
Ans: The following sentences in the text are in ‘direct speech’.
(а)He said, “I will tell you how it happened that I decided to urge the departure of the British. It
was in 1917.”
(b)Gandhi recounted. “A peasant came up to me looking like any other peasant in India, poor and
emaciated, and said, ‘I am Rajkumar Shukla. I am from Champaran, and I want you to come to
my district!”
(c)Gandhi said, “I have to be in Calcutta on such-and-such a date. Come and meet me and take
me from there”.
(d)“It was an extraordinary thing ‘in those days,” Gandhi commented, Tor a government
professor to harbour a man like me.’
(e)He said, “I have come to the conclusion that we should stop going to law courts. Taking such
cases to the courts does little good. Where the peasants are so crushed and fear-stricken, law
courts are useless. The real relief for them is to be free from fear.”
(f) “The commissioner,” Gandhi reports, “proceeded to bully me and advised me forthwith to
leave Tirhut”.
(g)‘But how much must we pay?’ they asked Gandhi.
(h)One woman took Kasturbabai into her hut and said, “Look, there is no box or cupboard here
for clothes. The sari I am wearing is the only one I have”.
(i) “What I did”, he explained, “was a very ordinary thing. I declared that the British could not
order me about in my own country”.
(j) He said, “You think that in this unequal fight it would be helpful if we have an Englishman on
our side. This shows the weakness of your heart. The cause is just and you must rely upon
yourselves to win the battle. You should not seek a prop in Mr ‘ Andrews because he happens to
be an Englishman”.
(k) “He had read our minds correctly,” Rajendra Prasad comments, “and we had no reply …
Gandhi in this way taught uS a lesson in self-reliance”.
The choice of the direct form strengthens the effectiveness of narration. The author uses
quotations to highlight certain points which may not appear so effective in reporting indirectly.

Q2. Notice the use or non-use of the comma in the following sentences:
(a) When I first visited Gandhi in 1942 at his ashram in Sevagram, he told me what
happened in Champaran.
(b) He had not proceeded far when the police superintendent’s messenger overtook him. (c)
When the court reconvened, the judge said he would not deliver the judgement for several
days.
Ans: (i) When the subordinate clause comes before the main clause, a comma is used to separate
it from the main clause.
(ii) No comma is used when the main clause comes before the subordinate clause.

THINGS TO DO
1.Choose an issue that has provoked a controversy like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy or the
Narmada Dam Project in which the lives of the poor have been affected.
2.Find out the facts of the case.
3.Present your arguments.
4.Suggest a possible settlement.
Ans: Extension activity : To be attempted under the guidance of the teacher.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1.Who was Rajkumar Shukla? Why did he come to Lucknow?
Ans: Rajkumar Shukla was a poor peasant from Champaran district in Bihar. He had come to
Lucknow, where a Congress session was being held, to complain about the injustice of the
landlord system in Bihar.

Q2. Where is Champaran district situated? What did the peasants grow there? How did
they use their harvest?
Ans: Champaran district of Bihar is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, near the kingdom
of Nepal. Under an ancient arrangement, the Champaran peasants were sharecroppers. They had
to grow indigo on 15 per cent of the land and give it to the English estate owners as rent.

Q3. How did the development of synthetic indigo affect the English estate owners and the
Indian tenants?
Ans: The English estate owners saw that indigo cultivation was no longer profitable.Ihey wanted
money from the sharecroppers as compensation for being released from the 15 per cent
arrangement. They obtained agreements from their tenants to this effect and extorted money
illegally and deceitfully.

Q4. How did the Indian peasants react to the new agreement released them from
sharecropping arrangement?
Ans: The sharecropping arrangement was troublesome to the peasants. Many of them signed the
new agreement willingly. Some resisted and engaged lawyers. Then they came to know about
synthetic indigo. The peasants wanted their money back.

Q5. Why do you think Gandhi was not permitted to draw water from Rajendra Prasad’s
well at Patna?
Ans: The servants of Rajendra Prasad thought Gandhi to be another peasant. They did not know
him. They were not certain whether he was an untouchable or not. They feared that some drops
from his bucket might pollute the entire well. So, he was not permitted to draw water from the
well.

Q6. Why did Gandhi decide to go first to Muzaffarpur before going to Champaran:
Ans: Gandhi wanted to obtain more complete information about conditions than Shukla was
capable of imparting. Muzaffarpur lawyers, who frequently represented peasant groups in courts,
brief Gandhi about their cases.

Q7. Why did Gandhi chide the lawyers? What according to him was the real relief for the
sharecroppers?
Ans: Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting big fee from the poor sharecroppers. He thought
that taking such cases to the court did little good to the crushed and fear-stricken peasants. The
relief for them, according to Gandhi, was to be free from fear.

Q8. How did Ga n dhi begin his mission in Champaran ? How far did his efforts prove
successful ?
Ans: He began by trying to get the facts. First, he visited the secretary of the British landlord’s
association. He told Gandhi that they could give no information to an outsider. Then Gandhi
called on the British official commissioner of the Tirhut Division. The commissioner tried to
bully Gandhi and advised him to leave Tirhut.

Q9. How did Gandhi react to the commissioner’s advice? Where did he go and how did
people react to his arrival?
Ans: Gandhiji did not leave Tirhut division. Instead, he went to Motihari, the capital of
Champaran. Several lawyers accompanied him. At the railway station, a very large crowd of
people greeted Gandhi.

Q10. Where did Gandhiji want to go? What happened to him on the way? 
Ans: Gandhiji wanted to go to a nearby village where a peasant had been maltreated. He had not
gone far when the police superintendent’s messenger overtook him and ordered him to return to
town in his carriage. Gandhiji obeyed the order and returned with him.
Q11. ‘In consequence, Gandhi received a summons to appear in the court next day.’Which
events of the previous day led to this state of affairs?
Ans: The police superintendent’s messenger served an official notice on Gandhi. It ordered him
to quit Champaran immediately. Gandhi signed a receipt for the notice. He wrote on the receipt
that he would disobey the order. Hence, he was summoned to appear in the court.

Q12. What according to Gandhi was the beginning of the poor peasants’ ‘Liberation front
fear of the British’ ?
Ans: The next morning the town of Motihari was black with peasants. They had heard that a
Mahatma who wanted to help them was in trouble with the authorities. They spontaneously
demonstrated, in thousands, arround the courthouse. Gandhiji called their action of protest as
their liberation from fear of the British.

Q13. Why did Gandhiji feel that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless?
[Delhi 2014]
Ans: Gandhiji felt that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless. Because the real
relief for the peasants would come only when they become fearless. The peasants were in acute
panic.

Q14. What was the “conflict of duties” in which Gandhi was involved?
Ans: First, he did not want to set a bad example as a law breaker. Second, he wanted to render
the “humanitarian and national service” for which he had come. He respected the lawful
authority, but disregarded the order to leave to obey the voice of his conscience.

Q15. What according to Rajendra Prasad, was the upshot of the consultations of the
lawyers regarding the injustice to sharecroppers?
Ans: They thought that Gandhi was a total stranger. Yet he was ready to go to prison for the sake
of the peasants. On the other hand, the lawyers were the residents of nearby districts. They also
claimed to have served these peasants. It would be shameful desertion if they should go home
then.

Q16. “Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India.” How?
Ans: A case against Gandhi was initiated for disregarding government orders. The spontaneous
demonstration of thousands of peasants baffled the officials. The judge was requested to
postpone the trial. Gandhi refused to furnish bail. The judge released him without bail. Several
days later Gandhi received an official letter. The case against him had been dropped. Thus, civil
disobedience had triumphed.

Q17. What do you think, led Gandhi to exclaim “The battle of Champaran is won”?
Ans: Gandhi was ready to go to jail fighting against the injustice to the sharecroppers. Many
prominent lawyers had come from all over Bihar to advise and help him. At first, they said they
would go back if Gandhi went to prison. Later, they had consultations. They told Gandhi they
were ready to follow him into jail. This support made Gandhi extremely happy and confident.
This confidence led him to exclaim that the battle of Champaran was won.
Q18. How did Gandhi and the lawyers try to secure justice for the sharecroppers?
Ans: They started conducting a detailed enquiry into the grievances of the peasants. Depositions
by about ten thousand peasants were written down. Notes were made on other evidence.
Documents were collected. The whole area came alive with the activities of the investigators.
The landlords raised loud protests.

Q19. What was the reaction of Gandhi and his associates when he was summoned to the
lieutenant governor?
Ans: In June, Gandhiji was summoned to Sir Edward Gait, the Lieutenant Governor. Anything
could happen. Gandhi met his leading associates before going. Detailed plans for civil
disobedience were chalked out in case he should not return.

Q20. What was the outcome of the four protracted interviews Gandhiji had with the
Lieutenant Governor? 
Ans: An official commission of enquiry into the sharecroppers’ situation was appointed. This
commission consisted of landlords, government officials and Gandhi as the sole representative of
the peasants.

Q21. Why did the big planters agree in principle to make refund to the peasants?
Ans: The official inquiry assembled a huge quantity of evidence against the big planters. The
crushing evidence forced the big planters to agree in principle to make refund to the peasants.

Q22. What amount of repayment did the big planters think Gandhi would demand? What
did Gandhi ask? What amount was finally settled?
Ans: They thought Gandhi would demand repayment in full of the money they had extorted
from the sharecroppers. Gandhi asked only 50 per cent. The planters offered to refund up to 25
per cent. Gandhi was adamant on 50 per cent. The deadlock was broken when Gandhi agreed to
a settlement of 25 per cent refund to peasants.

Q23. HQW did the refund-settlement influence the peasant-landlord relationship in

Champaran?
Ans: Before the settlement of the refund, the planters had behaved as lords above the law. Now
the peasant saw that he had rights and defenders. He learned courage. Within a few years, the
British planters abandoned their estates. The peasants became masters of the land. There were no
sharecropers now.

Q24. Which other spheres besides political or economic fields received Gandhi’s attention
during his long stay in Champaran?
Ans:The cultural and social backwardness of the Champaran areas pained Gandhi. He appealed
for teachers. Several persons responded to his call. Primary schools were opened in six villages.
Kasturba taught the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community sanitation. With the
help of a doctor and three medicines, they tried to fight the miserable health conditions.

Q25.“This was typical Gandhi pattern” observes Louis Fischer. What do you learn about
Gandhian politics from the extract ‘Indigo’?
Ans:Gandhi’s politics was intermixed with the practical, everyday life of the millions of Indians.
This was not a loyalty to abstractions. It was a loyalty to living human beings. In everything
Gandhi did, he tried to mould a new free Indian who could stand on his own feet and thus make
India free.

Q26. How did Gandhi teach his followers a lesson of self-reliance?

Ans. During the Champaran action, Gandhi’s lawyer friends thought it would be good if C.F.
Andrews stayed on in Champaran and helped them. Gandhi opposed this idea as it showed the
weakness of their heart. Their cause was just and they must rely upon themselves to win this
unequal fight. They should not seek the support of Mr Andrews because he happened to be an
Englishman.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. What solution to the problems of the poor did Gandhi suggest? How far did the
Champaran movement help in this direction?
OR
“The real relief for them is to be free from fear”, remarked Gandhi. What do you think,
was “the beginning of their liberation from the fear of the British” ?
Ans. The sharecropper peasants had to grow indigo on 15 per cent of their holdings and
surrender the indigo harvest as rent to the landlord. When Germany developed synthetic indigo,
the British planters started extracting money illegally and deceitfully as compensation from the
peasants for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement. The peasants were made to sign
new agreements and pay money. The planters behaved as lords above the law. Many peasants
engaged lawyers at hefty fees and went to courts.
The Muzaffarpur lawyers briefed Gandhi about the peasants for whom they frequently
represented in courts. Gandhi realised that these peasants were badly crushed and fear- stricken.
Freedom from fear was more important than legal justice for them. Gandhiji was ready to court
arrest for them. Thousands of peasants demonstrated spontaneously around the court. The
government had to release Gandhi without bail. This voluntary uprising of the peasants marked
the beginning of their liberation from the fear of the British.

Q2. Why was Gandhi summoned to appear in the court? How did he gain his liberty ?
OR
‘Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India.’Relate the events during
Gandhi’s stay in Champaran that led to the triumph.
Ans. Gandhi had reached Motihari, the Capital of Champaran, to study the problems of the
sharecropper peasants. He was on his way to a neighbouring village, where a peasant was ill-
treated. On the way, he was stopped by the police superintendent’s messenger and ordered to
return to town. When he reached home, he was served with an official notice to quit Champaran
at once. Gandhi wrote on the receipt that he would disobey the order. So Gandhi received a
summons to appear in the court the next day.
Next morning the town of Motihari was black with peasants. Thousands of peasants
demonstrated voluntarily outside the court. The prosecutor requested the judge to postpone the
trial. Gandhi protested against the delay. He read out a statement pleading guilty. He asked the
penalty. The judge announced that he would pronounce the sentence after a two-hour recess. He
asked Gandhi to furnish bail for that period. Gandhi refused. The judge released him without
bail. After the recess, the judge said that he would not deliver the judgement for several days.
Meanwhile he allowed Gandhi to remain at liberty.
Several days later Gandhi received a letter. The case against him had been dropped. Thus, civil
disobedience had triumphed, for the first time in India.

Q3. Give an account of Gandhi’s efforts to secure justice for the poor indigo sharecroppers
of Champaran.
OR
“Indigo sharecropping disappeared.” Which factors do you think, helped to achieve
freedom for the fear-stricken peasants of Champaran?
Ans. Gandhi went to Champaran on receiving reports of exploitation of the poor sharecropper
peasants at the hands of British planters. He began by trying to get the facts. The British
landlords as well as the Commissioner of Tirhut were non-cooperative. Lawyers from
MuZaffarpur briefed him about the court cases of these peasants.
Gandhi and the lawyers collected depositions by about ten thousand peasants. Notes were made
on other evidence. Documents were collected. The whole area throbbed with the activities of the
investigators and forceful protests of landlords.
The lieutenant governor summoned Gandhi. After four protracted interviews an official
commission of inquiry was appointed to look into the indigo sharecroppers’ condition. Gandhi
was the sole representative of the peasants. The official inquiry assembled huge quantity of
evidence against the big planters. They agreed, in principle, to make refunds to the peasants.
After consultation, a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers was agreed on. This was a
moral victory of the peasants. They recognised their rights and learned courage.
Within a few years the British planters gave up their estates. These now went back to the
peasants. They became the masters of land. Thus, indigo sharecropping disappeared.

Q4. How did Gandhi work for rural uplift during his stay in Champarant
Ans. Gandhi wanted to do something to remove the cultural and social backwardness in
Champaran villages. He appealed for teachers. Two young disciples of Gandhi, Mahadev Desai
and Narhari Parikh and their wives volunteered themselves for work. Several others responded
from distant parts of the country. Mrs. Kasturba Gandhi and Devdas, Gandhi’s youngest son,
arrived from the Ashram. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba taught the
ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community cleanliness. She also talked to women about
their filthy clothes.
Health conditions were miserable. Gandhi got a doctor to volunteer his services for six months.
Only three medicines were available: Castor oil, quinine and sulphur ointment. Anyone who
showed a coated tongue was given a dose of castor oil; anybody with malaria fever received
quinine plus castor oil; anybody with skin eruptions received ointment plus caster oil.
Thus, Gandhi never contented himself with large political or economic solutions. He worked for
total uplift of villages and the poor sections of the society.

Q5. ‘Self-reliance, Indian independence and help to sharecroppers were all bound
together.’ Elucidate on the basis of reading ‘Indigo’ by Louis Fischer.
OR
‘The Champaran episode was a turning-point in Gandhi’s life. Explain with examples from
‘Indigo’ by Louis Fischer.
Ans. Gandhi stayed in Champaran for a long time. The Champaran episode was a turning point
in his life. It was during this struggle in 1917 that he decided to urge the departure of the British.
Champaran episode did not begin as an act of defiance. It grew out of an attempt to make the
sufferings of large numbers of poor peasants less severe. Gandhi concentrated on their practical
day to day problems. He analysed the root cause of the problem-fear, and tried to eradicate it.
The voluntary demonstration of the poor peasants against the government for putting Gandhi in
trouble was the beginning of the end of their fear of the British.
In everything Gandhi did, he tried to mould a new free Indian who could stand on his own feet
and thus make India free. He taught his lawyer friends a lesson in self-reliance by opposing the
involvement of C.F. Andrews, an Englishman in .their unequal fight. His help would be a prop.
This would reflect their weakness. Their cause was just and they must rely on themselves to win
the battle. Thus self-reliance, Indian independence and help to sharecroppers were all bound
together.

Q6. Justify the appropriateness of the title ‘Indigo’ to this extract.

Ans. The title ‘Indigo’ is quite appropriate, to the point and suggestive. It at once focuses our *
attention on the central issue-the exploitation of the indigo sharecropper peasants at the hands of
cruel British planters. They compelled them through a long term agreement to raise indigo on 15
per cent of their landholding and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent.
After the development of synthetic indigo by Germany, the British planters extracted money
from the peasants as compensation for being released from the 15 per cent agreement. The
peasants who wanted their money back had filed civil suits. The planters who behaved as lords
above the law and were dreaded by the poor were obliged to surrender part of money and with it
part of their prestige.
The extract also points out the work done by Gandhi and his associates to improve the economic,
political, cultural and social life of the indigo sharecroppers. Their education, health and hygiene
also received due attention. The plight of indigo sharecroppers, then- struggle under Gandhi’s
leadership and ultimate victory when Indigo sharecropping disappeared from important
landmarks. Thus, the title ‘Indigo’ is highly suggestive and apt.

Q7. What impression do you form about Gandhi on reading the chapter ‘Indigo’ ?
Ans. The chapter ‘Indigo’ pays a tribute to the leadership shown by Mahatma Gandhi to secure
justice for oppressed people through convincing argumentation and negotiation. Gandhi had a
magnetic attraction and great persuasive power. He could draw people of all classes to himself
and make them partners in the freedom movement. Even ordinary people were inspired to make
contribution to the freedom movement.
Gandhi emerges as a champion of the downtrodden and the oppressed. Rural uplift was his
favourite programme. His knowledge of legal procedure and respect for law is also highlighted.
He does not want to be a lawbreaker. At the same time he wants to render the humanitarian and
national service in obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience. He also
appears as a polite and friendly person. Gandhi’s ability to read the minds of others made them
speechless. He believed in self-reliance, just cause and purity of means to achieve India’s
Independence.

Q8. Why is the Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian struggle
for Independence? [All India 2014]
Ans. The Champaran episode began as an attempt to ease the sufferings of a large number of ’
peasants. He got spontaneous support of thousands of people. Gandhi declared that the British
could not order him about in his own country. Under his leadership, the peasants became aware
of their rights. Raj Kumar Shukla, a farmer of Champaran helped him a lot in bringing about the
change. Other peasants too fought courageously and contributed in their own way to the
movement. It resulted in their winning the battle of Champaran. The effects of Gandhi’s method
of non-violence and non-cooperation proved very fruitful in this movement. Hence, it can be said
that the Champaran episode is the beginning of the Indian struggle for independence.

VALUE-RASED QUESTIONS
Q1. Patriotism is in political life what faith is in religion. John F Kennedy said, “Ask not
what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. Those who
sacrifice their comfort for the welfare of the state get recognition. Write an article on the
topic ‘Patriotism’. You can take ideas from the following hints:
“They thought, amongst themselves, that Gandhi was totally a stranger, and yet he was
prepared to go to prison for the sake of the peasants; if they, on the other hand, being not
only residents of the adjoining districts but also those who claimed to have served these
peasants, should go home, it would be shameful desertion.”
Ans.                                                                    Patriotism

Breathes there the man with soul so dead,

who never to himself hath said,
this is my own native land! —Scott

Patriotism implies love for one’s nation. A patriot is ready to sacrifice his comfort for the service
of his nation. It was for his country’s sake that Sardar Bhagat Singh kissed the gallows. It was for
the love for their land that Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Guru Govind Singh suffered untold
hardships. True patriots respect other nations and religions but don’t allow anyone to insult their
nation. A great philosopher said, “It is not gold that makes a nation great. It is the sacrifice and
martyrdom of patriots that raises a nation to the heights of glory.” India is a land where patriots
are in abundance. It got its freedom only because of the efforts of its patriots. Patriotism is a
religion and an ideal. It is an ideology that guides the people of a nation. It is a feeling and a
bond that unites the people of various sects, beliefs and backgrounds together. A patriot must not
be narrow minded. He should develop an international progressive outlook. It would be pertinent
to quote the words of Seneca here “No one loves his country for its size or eminence, but
because it is his own.”

Q2. Undoubtedly, only a socially just country has the right to exist. In the modern world
justice is a concept. Muscle is the reality. Corruption has become the way of the world. The
destitute are exploited ruthlessly. People feel that ‘to make a living, craftiness is better than
learnedness’. Write an article on the topic mentioned above taking ideas from the given
lines:
“Gandhi protested against the delay. He read a statement pleading guilty… when the court
reconvened, the judge said he would not deliver the judgement for several days.”
Ans.                                              Corruption in Contemporary India
Corruption has engulfed all the educated, skilled and semi-skilled workers. Corruption means
dishonesty and illegal behavior especially of the people in authority. A person resorts to
corruption because of his poverty, lack of moral strength and other psychological and financial
problems. Moreover, the path of righteousness is full of thorns. Some of the youngsters are
misguided by the friends to multiply their benefits within a short span of time. One should
always remember that corruption starts from the top. If the head of the family is corrupt, the
other members will also imitate his actions. Our politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt and
unscrupulous. They don’t have any moral authority. Such corrupt politicians and bureaucrats
should be punished and the honest persons should be rewarded if we intend to create a congenial
atmosphere in our country. The system of justice is outdated and obsolete. It is said that ‘justice
delayed is justice denied’. People do not get justice in the court of law. If corruption is not
checked, the poor will be exploited without any inhibition.

Q3. Obstacles determine the quality of life. Hermits feel convinced that ‘sweet are the uses
of adversity’. Problems are opportunities. Elucidate the saying taking ideas from the given
lines: “Events justified Gandhi’s position. Within a few years the British planters
abandoned their estates, which reverted to the peasants. Indigo sharecropping
disappeared.”
Ans.                                                            Sweet are the Uses of Adversity
The Bible proclaims that ‘Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward’. Adversity is the
first path that leads towards the truth. Emerson opines that ‘every calamity is a spur and valuable
hint’. But one cannot forget the truth that ‘there is no wind that always blows a storm’. Problems
are only opportunities in work clothes. Every individual aspires to attain phenomenal success in
this era of consumerism. No one can refuse to accept the fact that material pleasures and
prosperity bring happiness. But one cannot dare to ignore the significance of trying
circumstances. One wishes to be away from the situations which can be troublesome and
irksome. But one must not despair in those situations and should face the music of life.
Prosperity makes a person lazy and ease loving. Adversity, on the other hand, though trying and
full of hardships, has a chastening effect. One’s character and personality become dynamic and
vibrant if one fights bravely against the odd circumstances. It will not be wrong if we say that “as
gold shines in fire, man shines in adversity.

“If you are distressed by anything

external, the pain is not due to
the thing itself, but to your own
estimate of it; and this you have
the power to revoke at any moment” —Marcus Aurelius

Q4. Education sets the tone of a nation. Joseph Addison has rightly said, “What sculpture
to a block of marble, education is to the soul”. But the quality of education is deteriorating
gradually. Discuss the defects of our education system in your own words. Do remember
the following expressions:
“Gandhi never contented himself with large political or economic solutions. He saw the
cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages… He appealed for teachers.”
Ans.                                                   Defects of our Education System
“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-
confidence”. Education does not mean teaching people to know what they do not know; it means
teaching them to behave as they do not behave, says John Ruskin. The prime objective of our
education system is to develop a child’s over all personality. It should train not only the mind,
but also the body and soul. Unfortunately, our present education system fails to achieve these
objectives. The present education system does not make a child creative. It makes him a
crammer. A child/pupil has to mug up nearly 200¬300 pages a year to pass his examination.
Students are not given any practical training. They never go to laboratories to verify the theories.
Moreover, the present admission system has become the laughing stock of society. The school
authorities have a provision for those tiny tots who seek admission to pre-nursery. This is the
height of absurdity. We need not the people who can only read and write. Our nation requires
engineers, scientists, technicians and doctors. Vocational education is the need of the hour but
not at the cost of values. An educated man should not have only bookish knowledge. He must
have the knowledge of practical things. Maria Montessori conceived that ‘The first idea that the
child must acquire in order to be actively disciplined is that of the difference between good and
evil; and the task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with
immobility, and evil with activity.

Class 12 Flamingo English Going Places

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1.Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Ans: Sophie and Jansie would soon pass out of their school. Only a few months were left. Jansie
knew very well that both of the them were earmarked for biscuit factory. Sophie had wild dreams
about her career. Jansie was a realist. She knew that they did not pay well for shop work and
Sophie’s father would not allow her to work there.

Q2. What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her
from having such dreams?
Ans: Sophie wanted to open a boutique. It would be the most amazing shop that city had ever
seen. Alternatively, she would become an actress and have the boutique as a side business. She
also thought of being a fashion designer. Jansie had her feet firmly planted to the ground. She
wanted Sophie to be sensible and drop all her utopian plans because all of them required much
money and exprience.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1.Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Ans: Sophie knew her father well. He would be angry if he knew of her meeting with the young
Irish footballer, Danny Casey. She didn’t tell him. When Geoff told his father about it, he
became angry. He turned Ms head to look at her with disdain. Sophie wriggled where she was
sitting at the table.

Q2.Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Ans: No, Geoff doesn’t believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey. First, he
looks round in disbelief and says, “It can’t be true”. Again he says, “I don’t believe it.” Sophie
then narrates how Danny Casey came and stood beside her. Geoff asks her, “What does he look
like?” So, he doesn’t seem to be convinced that Sophie met Danny Casey.
Q3. Does her father believe her story?
Ans: No, Sophie’s father does not believe her story. When Geoff tells him that Sophie met
Danny Casey, his father looked at SopMe with disdain. He ignores her totally. He thinks that it is
yet another ‘wild story’. He begins to talk about Tom Finny, another great football player.

Q4. How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?
Ans: Geoff was always the first to share her secrets. So, she told him about meeting Danny
Casey. She also told him about her plan to meet him next week. She suspected areas of his life
about wMch she knew nothing. She longed to know them. She wished that someday he might
take her with him. She saw herself riding there behind Geoff.

Q5. Which country did Danny Casey play for?

Ans: Danny Casey played for Ireland.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
Ans: Jansie was very interested in things that did not concern her. She wanted to know other
people’s affairs. She would spread the news in the whole neighbourhood. So, Sophie didn’t want
Jansie to know about her story with Danny. It may also be mutual rivalry and one-up manship on
her part. Sophie was startled to learn that Geoff had told Jansie about her story with Danny.

Q2. Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey? [Delhi 2014]

Ans: No, Sophie did not really meet Danny Casey. She was very fascinated by the young Irish
footballer. She imagined his coming. She sat in the park, waiting for Casey and knowing that he
would not come. She felt sad. Sadness was a hard burden to carry. She was always lost in a
dreamy world where she imagined Casey meeting her.

Q3. Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?
Ans: The only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person was when the family
went to watch United on Saturday. Sophie, her father and little Derek went down near the goal.
Geoff went with his mates higher up. United won two-nil. Her idol Casey drove in the second
goal. She saw the Irish genius going round two big defenders on the edge of penalty area. He
beat the hesitant goal keeper from a dozen yards. Sophie glowed with pride. She was very happy.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1. Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences between
them that show up in the story?
Ans: Sophie and Jansie are poles apart in tastes and temperament. Sophie has fantastic dreams
and floats in a fairy land. She is an incurable escapist who won’t come out of her dreams. Jansie
is down to earth—a realist. Sophie wants to do something sophisticated. Jansie knows that these
things require a lot of money which their families do not possess. Jansie also knows that they
were earmaked for the biscuit factory. She even advises Sophie to be sensible and practical.
Sophie considers Jansie ‘nosey’ and does not want to confide in her.

Q2. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?
Ans:Sophie’s father has a plumpy face looking grimy and sweaty. He doesn’t seem to be a soft
or sophisticated man. Sophie fears his agressive manliness. He is a realist and does not believe in
his daughter’s wild stories. He loves watching football. He hopes young Casey will be as good as
Tom Finney. He wishes that the young footballer keeps away from all distractions. He shouts
instructions to Casey at the playground. When the Irish genius beats the hesitant goal keeper,
Sophie’s father screams with joy and pride. He goes to a pub to celebrate the victory.

Q3. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her
perspective, what did he symbolise?
Ans: Geoff is the only person who listens to Sophie’s fantasies and long cherished dreams. Her
father is too bossy and aggressive. He hates Sophie’s fantastic stories. Even little Derek – makes
fun of her growing rich. Her classmate Jansie is ‘nosey’ and can’t be trusted with a secret. Only
Geoff can be trusted to keep all the secrets of Sophie to himself.
From her perspective, Geoff symbolises an elder brother who has grown up and visited places
unknown to her. She wished that someday her brother might take her to those places. He is
sympathetic and cautions her by telling her that Casey might have strings of girls. He warns her
that he would never show up again. He speaks softly so as not to break the heart of the young
dreamer.

Q4. What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her
family’s financial status?
Ans: Sophie belongs to a lower middle class family. She is an escapist and has wild dreams. She
dreams of things she can’t have in real life. Jansie tells her that boutique needs a lot of money.
Sophie knows that the family doesn’t have money. She says, “If ever I came into money, I’ll buy
a boutique.” Even little Derek understands her unrealistic nature.
Geoffs occupation reflects their socio-economic background. He is an apprentice mechanic. He
travels to his work each day to the far side of the city. His jacket is shapeless. Her father lacks
sophistication. He is a heavy breathing man. He sits in his vest at the table. He grunts and tosses
one of little Derek’s shoes from his chair on to the sofa. There is stove in the same room where
dirty washing is piled in a comer. Sophie’s father goes to pub on his bicycle. All these indicators
confirm their lower middle-class family background.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Discuss in pairs
Q1.Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.
Ans: Sophie is a young school-girl belonging to a lower middle-class family. She wants to rise
from the situation in which she finds herself. She is an incurable dreamer and escapist. She
dreams of opening a boutique. Her classmate Jansie, who had her feet firmly planted on the
ground, tells Sophie that opening a boutique requires a lot of money and experience and she has
neither of them. Sophie, who floats in a dreamy world of her own, dreams of becoming an
actress or a fashion designer. She has dreams of a hero also. She develops fascination for Danny
Casey, the wonder-boy of football. She sees him in action only once when he scores the second
goal for United. She imagines him coming to her and tells her brother about the meeting. She
goes on waiting for him on the next date but he does not turn up. She becomes sad and carries
the burden of sadness all the times. Thus, her dreams and disappointments are the creations of
her mind.
Q2.It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the
benefits and disadvantages of such fantasising?
Ans: Teenagers have boundless enthusiasm and ambitions. They have sweet dreams and go on
fantasising. It is natural for them to do so. Every youth is a dreamer. Every great scientist or
writer has a dream. Without some thing to aspire for one can’t strive to achieve that goal.
Dreams lead to the golden gate of success. Some teenagers float in the world of fantasy. They
have unreal dreams. It is just like a child asking for the moon. Their feet are in the mud and they
dream of the stars in the sky. Such fantasising results in disappointment and disillusionment. A
dreamer who fails to realise his dream is labelled a failure. Those who realise their dreams
become heroes and achievers in their spheres. I think it is better to have dreams even if we fail to
realise them. Who would have dreams if the teenagers don’t—will these grey-headed, grey-
bearded persons have dreams? Let the teenagers indulge in their natural activity and dream of a
golden future. They will strive to translate them into reality.

WORKING WITH WORDS

Notice the following expressions. The highlighted words are not used in a literal sense.
Explain what they mean.
•Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of a ground.
•Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.
If he keeps his head on his shoulders.
•On Saturday they made their weekly pilgrimage to the United.
•She saw … him ghost past the lumbering defenders
Ans. (i)Phrase Meaning : Words had to be prized out of him. He was so silent that words had to
be extracted from him with great difficulty or force.
(ii)Phrase Meaning : … a tightening in her throat. Sophie felt a stiffness in her throat and felt
upset.
(iii)Phrase Meaning : … keeps his head on his shoulders. If he is sensible or intelligent.
(iv)Phrase Meaning : … they made their weekly pilgrimage. They went to see the football match
every week as if they were visiting a holy place.
(v) Phrase Meaning :… ghost past. Making a silent move or running to dodge/deceive.

NOTICING FORM
Notice the highlighted words in the following sentences:
1.“When I leave,’ Sophie said, coming home from school, “I’m going to have a boutique.”
2. Jansi, linking arms with her along the street, looked doubtful.
3.“I’ll find it,” Sophie said, staring far down the street.
4. Jansie, knowing they were both earmarked for the biscuit factory, became melancholy.
5.And she turned in through the open street door leaving Jansie standing in the rain.
-When we add “ing” to a verb we get the present participle form. The present participle form is
generally used along with forms of “be’, (is, was, are, were, am) to indicate the present
continuous tense as in “Sophie was coming home from school.”
-We can use the present participle by itself without the helping verb, when we wish to indicate
that an action is happening at the same time as another.
-In example 1, Sophie “said” something, “Said”, here, is the main action.
-What Sophie was doing while she was “saying” is indicated by “coming home from school”. So
we get the information of two actions happening at the same time. We convey the information in
one sentence instead of two.
-Analyse the other examples in the same way.
-Pick out five other sentences from the story in which present participles are used in this sense.
Ans. 1.“She thinks money grows on trees, don’t she, Dad? said little Derek, hanging on the back
of his father’s chair. ,
2.She was conscious of a vast world out there waiting for her …
3.She saw herself riding there behind Geoff.
4.Here I sit, she said to herself, wishing Danny would come, wishing he would come
and sensing the time passing.
5.She waited, measuring in this way the changes taking place in her.
6.Sitting here waiting and knowing he will not come I can see the future…

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE

Notice these words from the story.
•“chuffed”, meaning delighted or very pleased
•“nosey”, meaning inquisitive
•“gawky”, meaning awkward, ungainly.
These are words that are used in an informal way in colloquial speech.
Make a list of ten other words df this kind.
Ans. (i) “boutique”, meaning a shop selling fashionable clothes or expensive gifts.
(ii)“dad”, meaning father.
(iii)“scooping”, meaning picking up something with a spoon.
(iv)“prized out”, meaning extract some infrmation with difficulty or force.
(v)“muttered”, meaning murmured.
(vi)“pub”, meaning a place where one can drink.
(vii)jeered”, meaning taunted.
(viii)“damn”, meaning ‘go to hell!’
(ix)“ghost past”, meaning moved unseen and unheard.
(x)“huh”, meaning an expression showing disagreement.

WRITING
-Think of a person who you would like to have as your role-model.
-Write down the points to be discussed or questions to be asked, if you were asked to
interview that person on the Television show.
Ans:                                         INTERVIEWING SUNIL GAVASKAR
1.Welcome, Sunil to our chat show. How do you feel at this stage of life?
2.Sachin Tendulkar has broken your record of hitting the highest number of test hundreds. How
do you react to that?
3.What helps you to keep fit and smart at this age?
4.What are your current international engagements?
5.What do you prefer—writing books on cricket or commenting on television?
6.Have you ever thought of coaching India?
7.Would you like to be involved intimately in grooming budding talent, if offer comes from the
right quarters?
8.What are your plans for helping the players to get a better deal?
9.How do you balance your international engagements with you personal obligations?
10.What are your interests other than cricket?

THINGS TO DO
1.Look for other stories or movies where this theme of hero worship and fantasising about
film or sports icons finds a place.
Ans: Extension Activity : To be attempted under the guidance of the teacher.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. What does Sophie dream of doing after she passes out of school? Why do you call it a
‘dream’ and not a ‘plan’?
Ans: Sophie dreams to have a boutique of her own. It will be the most amazing shop the city has
ever seen. She says that she will buy a boutique if ever she comes into money. She does not mind
becoming an actress to run a boutique as a side business. Since she has no money or experience,
it is called a ‘dream’ and not a ‘plan’.

Q2. What are the other dreams of Sophie in addition to having a boutique?
Ans: The greatest dream of Sophie is to have a boutique. She wants to be a bit sophisticated and
rise above her lower-middle class status. Her other dream is of being an actress as “there’s real
money in that”. Moreover, actresses don’t work full time. She can look after her first love i.e.
boutique as a side business. She has another option. She can be a fashion designer, and do
something sophisticated.

Q3. Why does -Jansie say : “Soaf, you really should be sensible” ?
Ans: Jansie knows Sophie’s family background and financial position. She knows that both of
them are earmarked for that biscuit factory. Sophie dreams of big and beautiful things like
having a boutique or becoming an actress or a fashion designer. All these things need a lot of
money and experience. Sophie has neither of them. So Jansie being down-to-earth advises her to
be sensible and stop having wild dreams.

Q4. Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie?

OR
Jansie is Sophie’s classmate and friend but doesn’t entertain any ‘wild dreams’like her.
Why?
Ans: Sophie and Jansie are classmates and friends, but the similarity ends here. They are poles ’
apart in thinking and temperament. Sophie is an incurable dreamer and escapist. She dreams of
big and beautiful things, which are beyond her reach.
On the other hand, Jansie is realistic and practical. She knows that they are poor and will have to
work in the biscuit factory after leaving school. She is well aware that big things require big
money and experience, which they don’t have. It is better to live in reality and think accordingly.

Q5. What job is Geoff engaged in? How does he differ from his sister, Sophie?
Ans: Geoff is a grown up boy. He left school three years ago. Now he is an apprentice mechanic.
He has to travel to his work each day to the far side of the city. He speaks little but listens to his
sister’s ‘wild stories’. But he is not a day dreamer like her. He knows the financial limitations of
his family. He cautions Sophie against entertaining dreams for a celebrity like Danny Casey.

Q6. Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff’s silence?

Ans: Geoff was almost grown up now. He spoke little. Words had to be extracted out of him like
stones out of the ground. Sophie was jealous of his silence. She knew that when he was not
speaking, he was away somewhere. He was out in the surrounding country—in those places she
had never been. She wanted to share her brother’s affection.

Q7. What does Sophie tell Geoff about her meeting with Danny Gasey? How does Geoff
react to it?
Ans: Sophie tells Geoff that she met Danny Casey. Geoff is surprised. He looks round abruptly
and asks ‘where?’ Sophie replies that she met him in the arcade. Geoff can’t believe her. He
says, “It’s never true.” He asks her, “What does he look like?” She replies that he has green eyes
and is not very tall. Geoff is still not convinced.

Q8. How does Sophie’s father react when Geoff tells him about her meeting with Danny
Casey?
Ans: Geoff informs his father that Sophie had a meeting with Danny Casey. He turns his head on
his thick neck to look at her in disbelief. His expression is one of disdain. He ignores the news
and goes on to talk about Tom Finney. He hopes that Danny will he like Tom Finney one day.
When Sophie says that Casey is going to buy a shop, he reacts sharply. “This is another of your
wild stories.”

Q9. “He don’t believe you—though he’d like to.” Who says so, about whom and in what
context?
Ans: Geoff says so to Sophie about their father. He reacted sharply to her account of meeting
Danny Casey. Geoff said that she had met him in the arcade and then told him how it had been.
Their father said aggressively that she was going to talk herself into a load of trouble. Sophie
asked Geoff to confirm that it was true. It was then that Geoff uttered these remarks. *-

Q10. Why do you think, does Goeff tell Sophie the following?
(i)“Casey must have strings of girls.”
(ii)“As if he’d ever show up.”
Ans: Geoff knows that Sophie is still very young and immature. She is crazy after Danny Casey,
the Irish wonder-boy. He tries to convince Sophie that a celebrity like Casey must have a large
number of girls running after him. She says that he doesn’t have any. He will give her autograph
next week if she cares to meet him next week. Geoff is not convinced. He doubts if he would
ever show up.

Q11.Who was Danny Casey? How did the members of Sophie’s family react towards him?
Ans: Danny Casey was a young Irish football player. He played for the United. The Irish prodigy
could easily dodge the defenders and score goals. Sophie’s father was a football fan. He admired
old heroes like Tom Finney and young wonder boy Casey. Geoff had a large poster of United
first team squad on his bed room wall. There were three coloured photographs of Casey in the
row below it. Every Saturday they went to watch United play.
Q12. Why was the visit of Sophie’s father and his family to watch United ‘their weekly
pilgrimage’ ?
Ans: Sophie’s father was a keen footfall fan. He took great interest in the career of Danny Casey,
the Irish prodigy. Geoff, too was interested in football. Sophie considered Danny Casey her
personal hero. She always dreamt of him. Casey was playing for United. The family visited the
stadium regularly to watch him. So the family’s visit was like a religious or holy weekly ritual—
a pilgrimage.

Q13. Where did Sophie meet Casey and what transpired between them?
Ans: Sophie met Danny Casey in the arcade. It was she who spoke first and asked if he was
Casey. He looked surprised. He was certainly Danny Casey as he had the Irish accent. She had
already heard him on television. She asked him for an autograph for little Derek. But neither of
them had any paper or pen. Before going he promised to give his autograph if she cared to meet
him next week.

Q14. What promise does Sophie want Geoff to make and why ?
OR
Why does Sophie say: “Promise you’ll tell no one” and “Promise, Geoff-Dad’d murder
me.”
Ans: Sophie wants to confide in Geoff what happened dining her meeting with Danny Casey.
Before telling him the details, she wants him to promise that he would tell no one about her
meeting and the next ‘date’. She is afraid of her father’s anger. She fears he would murder her.
Geoff assures her that she is quite safe. Their father does not believe such wild stories.

Q15. Did Geoff keep his promise? How do you know?

‘ OR
Why did Sophie say “Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing.”
Ans: Sophie had told Geoff about her meeting with Danny Casey and asked him to promise that
he would tell no one. It was a secret between the two—something special just between them.
Geoff did not keep his promise. He told Jansie’s brother Frank about it. Sophie cursed Geoff, as
it was his doing, not Jansie’s.

Q16. Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny
Casey?
Ans: Sophie knew that Jansie was ‘nosey’. She was very inquisitive by nature. She took special
interest in knowing new things about others. Sophie did not trust Jansie as she could not keep a
secret. She could spread the rumour in the whole neighbourhood.

Q17. How did Jansie react at Sophie’s story of her meeting with Danny Casey ? [Delhi
2014]
Ans: Jansie was a classmate and friend of Sophie. She lived in the same neighbourhood. She
knew Sophie quite well. She was also aware of Sophie’s habit of dreaming. On learning of her
meeting with Danny Casey, her first reaction was of disbelief. “You never did”, exclaimed
Jansie. But when Sophie told her about her request for autograph, Jansie softened a little and
said, “Jesus, I wish Fd have been there.”
Q18. What did Sophie want to keep a secret from her father and why? How did Jansie
react to this disclosure?
Ans: Sophie told Jansie that she wanted to keep her meeting with Casey a secret. There would be
a row if her father knew it. Jansie thought that he would be pleased. Sophie told Jansie what a
misery her father was. Moreover, she did not want crowd of people asking him about Danny
Casey and her. She feared that he would murder her. Her mother felt upset whenever there was a
row. Jansie assured Sophie that she could trust her to keep the secret.

Q19. Why did Sophie choose to walk by the canal? What did she do there?
Ans: Sophie walked by the canal along a sheltered path. It was far away from the noise and
crowd of the city. It was a place where she had often played when she was a child. There was a
wooden bench beneath a solitary elm tree. Lovers sometimes came there. That was the most
suitable place where she could dream of her hero Danny Casey.

Q20. How did Sophie react as she kept sitting for hours, waiting for Danny Casey and
imagining his coming?
Ans: At first Sophie was optimistic. She imagined him coming out of the shadows. When time
had elapsed, pangs of doubt stirred inside her. She became sad and despondent. Danny would not
come there at all. She feared that people would laugh at the story of her meeting with Casey.

Q21. Sophie is a typical adolescen.t hero-worshipper who carries her fantasising too far.
Comment.
Ans: Sophie is a dreamer and an escapist. She is also a hero-worshipper. Danny Casey, the
wonderful Irish football player was her hero. She indulged in wishful thinking and dreams of
meeting him. Her imagined meeting gave her immense pleasure. But the pangs of not meeting
him made her sad and despondent.

Q22. “Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind.” Do you agree? Give
reasons in support of your answer.
Ans: I fully agree with the observation. Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her
mind, she is a hero-worshipper. The Irish prodigy is her hero. She imagines her meeting with
him. Her day-dreaming makes her sad and despondent. The idea that Casey will not come at all
is quite painful to her. Thus, her dreams and disappointments are products of her mind only.
They have nothing to do with reality. ‘

Q23. Why did Sophie long for her brother’s affection? [All India 2014]
Ans: Geoff was not veiy talkative. He was an introvert. Sophie thought that Geoff had access to
the world where she had not got even a chance to visit. She wanted to be the part of her brother’s
world. That is why she longed for his affection.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. What impression do you form of Sophie on reading the story ‘Going Places’?
OR
Sophie has her own dreams and disappointments, but they are all her creations—the
creations of her own mind. Justify the statement.
Ans: Sophie is a young school girl. She dreams of big and beautiful things. Some of these are
beyond her reach or her means. Her ambitions have no relation with the harsh realities of life.
She thinks of having a boutique. She wants to have the most amazing shop this city has ever
seen. Then she entertains the idea of being an actress There’s real money in that.’ Actresses do
not work full time. So she would nm the boutique as a side business. If need be, she can be a
fashion designer. She doesn’t realise that her family is not rich enough and her dreams can’t be
fulfilled.
Sophie develops a romantic fascination for Danny Casey. He is a young Irish football player and
the hero of her dreams. She indulges in hero worship. She tells a story that she met Casey. Her
father calls it another of her “wild stories”. Even Geoff does not believe her. He tries to caution
her. Casey is a celebrity. Many girls run after him. But Sophie ignores him.
She is an incurable dreamer. She has seen Casey only once, but all the time she thinks of him.
She sits alone and waits for his arrival. She becomes sad and despondent when Casey does not
come. She suffers because of her dreams. These dreams and disappointments are all the creations
of her mind.

Q2. Compare and contrast Sophie and Jansie highlighting their temperament and
aspirations.
Ans: Sophie and Jansie are class-fellows and friends. They belong to lower middle class
families. Both of them are earmarked for biscuit factory. Jansie’s feet are firmly planted on the
ground. But Sophie is totally blind to the harsh realities of life. She dreams of big and beautiful
things. She wants to have a boutique. She thinks of becoming an actress as there is lot of money
in this profession. If need be, she can also be a fashion designer. In short, she loves to be grand
and sophisticated. All her dreams are beyond her reach and resources. Jansie advises her to be
sensible, but she remains a romantic dreamer.
Sophie and Jansie differ in thinking and temperament. Sophie is lost in her dream world. She
shares her secret with only one person. It is her elder brother Geoff. Jansie is ‘nose/. She takes
interests in learning new things about others. She can spread the story in the whole
neighbourhood. So, Sophie doesn’t want to share secrets with her.
Sophie is an incurable dreamer and escapist. She is a hero-worshipper. She adores the young
Irish footballer Danny Casey. She develops a fascination for her. She becomes sad and helpless
but she doesn’t become wiser. She remains a dreamer. Jansie is practical and realist. She has no
such unrealistic dreams.

Q3. Describe the bond between Geoff and Sophie in spite of differences in their
temperament and thinking.
Ans: Geoff was Sophie’s elder brother. He was three years out of school. He was an apprentice
mechanic. He travelled to his work each day to the far side of the city. He was almost grown up
now. He spoke very little. Sophie was jealous of Geoff’s silence. He was quiet
and didn’t make new Mends easily. He thought that Sophie was too young and immature. Geoff
was mature enough to understand his limitations and those of his family. He never dreamt of big
and beautiful things.
In spite of difference in their temperaments, there was a close bond between the two. Geoff was
always the first to share Sophie’s secrets. He knew that Sophie’s story of meeting with Danny
Casey was not true. Still he listened to her. Sophie confided in him. Her secret was something
special just between them. It was not meant for nosey Jansie who would spread it in the whole
neighbourhood. Geoff tried to persuade Sophie. He warned her that Danny Casey was a
celebrity. He must have many girls like her running after him. Sophie told him that Casey would
give her an autograph if she cared to meet him next week. Geoff did not believe “he’d ever show
up.” Thus, he acted like an elder brother.
Geoff and Sophie share a common trait. It is their fascination for the Irish prodigy, Danny Casey.
But they differ in their thinking. Like his father, Geoff wished Casey to be a great footballer one
day. Sophie had romantic fascination for Casey. It was something else other than football.

Q4. Who was Danny Casey ? How was he adored by the family of Sophie, and specially by
Sophie and her father ?
Ans: Danny Casey was an Irish Prodigy. He was a wonderboy of football. He had won the hearts
of his countless fans. He played for United. Sophie’s family was obsessed with the Irish genius.
Sophie’s father compared young Danny Casey to another great football player Tom Finney. He
wished that Casey might be that good someday. He knew there were a lot of distractions for a
youngster in the game those days. He wished that Casey would keep his head on his shoulders.
Geoff remarked that he was with the best team in the country. He hoped that Casey would prove
even a better player than Tom Finney. Geoff considered him the best. His father thought that he
was too young for the first team. The fact was that with his exceptional ability he was playing for
the first eleven.
On Saturday, Sophie’s family made their weekly pilgrimage to the stadium to watch United play
their match. They watched their hero Danny Casey in action. He was running, going round the
two big defenders. Then he was on the edge of the penalty area. Sophie’s father was screaming
for him to pass. They saw him beating the hesitant goal keeper from a dozen yards. He scored the
second goal. United won two-nil. Sophie glowed with pride. Geoff was ecstatic. Someone
wished he were an Englishman. Little Derek declared that Ireland would win the world cup.
Their father went to the pub to celebrate.
Sophie adored Danny Casey. She had a romantic fascination for the Irish prodigy. Her young
heart throbbed for her hero. She imagined Casey coming to her. She would sit under an elm tree,
waiting for Casey and dreaming of him. She realised that he would not come. This made her sad
and dejected. Sophie became a victim of her own dreams and disappointments.

VALUE-BASED QUESTIONS
Q1. The unrealistic dreams determine negativity and failure. Childhood dreams sometimes
dishearten and disappoint the people. Write an article on the topic, “Horrors of Unrealistic
Dreams” taking ideas from the following lines:
“For some while, waiting, she imagined his coming. She watched along the canal, seeing
him come out of the shadows, imagining her own consequent excitement.”
Ans:                                         Horrors of Unrealistic Dreams
People harbour fierce and uncontrollable desires. The search for a better life is one of the most
basic desires of human beings. But they substantially deviate from the path of righteousness
when they feel that their unquenchable desires can never be fulfilled. They found themselves in
the depths of depression. The mortals should use their wisdom to set
realistic goals. Imagination is thrice away from reality. Undoubtedly, the human race is
governed by its imagination. But it is also a harsh reality of life that ‘He who has imagination
without learning has wings but no feet.’ One should not forget that there is a difference
between real life and reel life. The happenings of dreams cannot take place in this physical
world. Those who ignore the present situation while setting their goals repent later. Man
has to identify his latent talent and potential to materialise his goals. One should have thorough
knowledge of one’s interests and outlook.

Q2. The world we are living in is replete with hypocrites and ditchers. It becomes difficult
for us to confide our secrets to someone. But it is important to have someone you can
confide in. Discuss the topic taking ideas from the following expressions:
“Sophie glared at the ground. Damn that Geoff, this was a Geoff thing not a Jansie thing. It
was meant to be something special just between them. Something secret. It wasn’t a Jansie
kind of thing at all.”
Ans: Man is a social animal. He has to interact with the fellow human beings to give vent to his
emotional grievances and sentimental grudges. He needs a person, a Mend to confide in his
secrets. This dog eat dog world has numerous people who seem to be trustworthy. But they are
pretenders, hypocrites and opportunists. A person who leads a lonely life never feels happy and
contented. His life becomes a hell. Expression of thoughts lightens the human soul. It is a matter
of fact that there is dearth of true Mends. People do not believe in one another. Material
prosperity and unhealthy competition have eroded trust. Our forefathers worked together, lived
together and earned their livelihood together. In the modem world lack of trust has created
nuclear families. The concept of joint family was based on the principles of trust, honesty and
brotherhood. These virtues have no significance in the present age. Trust gives us strength and
courage to overcome the obstacles coming in the life. It is said that a Mend in need is a Mend
indeed. We must have someone with us whom we can tell our secrets and reveal the truth. There
should be a person who could objectively listen to our candid confessions.

Q3. “Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever,
do they forgive them.” The attitude of parents shape the child’s perception. Write an
article on effective parenting taking ideas from the following lines:
“Sophie’s father was scooping shepherd’s pie into his mouth as hard as he could go, his
plump face still grimy and seat—marked from the day… outside the pub she passed her
father’s bicycle propped against the wall, and was glad”
Ans:                                                              Effective Parenting
Taking care of children requires infinite patience, great tolerance and profound wisdom. Children
are emotional and delicate creatures. They should not be treated as things. People scold children
frequently. Consequently, they become rude and arrogant. Those who thrash the tiny tots tend to
forget that children intend to explore the mystery of physical objects. All the things available at
home make the children curious. Their insatiable curiosity gets stimulated and stirred when they
get freedom to touch them. Their spontaneity must not be hindered. Parents should encourage
children to create new things. They should develop their interest in various activities so as to
make their lives colourful. Their questions asked out of innocence should be answered
thoughtfully. It is a universally accepted fact that children learn by imitating others. Parents
should never argue with each other in presence of their children. They should treat the children
in an affectionate way. They should play the role of a Mend, teacher, councilor and parents.

Class 12 Flamingo English My Mother at Sixty-six

IMPORTANT STANZAS FOR COMPREHENSION
Read the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow each:
1. Driving from my parents home to Cochin last Friday morning, 1 saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain
that she was as old as she looked but soon
Questions
(a)Where was the poet driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
(b)What did the poet notice about her mother?
(c)Why was her mother’s face looked like that of a corpse?
(d)Find words from the passage which mean :
(i) sleep lightly (ii) dead body (iii) felt.
Answers:
(a)The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. Her mother was sitting
beside her.
(b)She noticed that her mother was dozing with her mouth open.
(c)Her mother’s face looked pale, faded and lifeless like a dead body because she had grown old.
(d)(i) doze (ii) corpse (iii) realised.

2.…………..She
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,
Questions
(a)What did the poet realise? How did she feel
(b) What did she do then?
(c)What did she notice in the world outside?
(d)Find words from the passage which mean: (ii) running fast (ii) happy (iii) moving out.
Answers:
(a)Her mother was lost somewhere else in thoughts. It pained her.
(b)The poet withdrew her thoughts from her mother and looked outside.
(c)The young trees growing outside went past as if they were sprinting. Happy children were
coming out of their houses.
(d)(i) sprinting (ii) merry (iii) spilling.

3………………but after the airport’s

security check, standing a few yards away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s mooft and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear, but all I said was, see you soon,
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
smile
Questions
(a)What did the poet do after the security check?
(b)Why did the poet compare her mother’s face to a late winter’s moon?
(c)What is her childhood fear ?
(d)How do the parting words of the poet and her smile present a contrast to her real
feelings?
Answers:
(a)After the security check, the poet stood a few yards away from her mother and looked at her
face again.
(b)The late winter moon lacks brightness as well as strength. The pale and colourless face of the
mother resembles the late winter moon.
(c)The fear of ageing and ultimate death/separation.
(d)The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles present a stark contrast to the old
familiar ache or childhood fear. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide what is
going on inside.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

Q1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Ans: When the poet sees the pale and corpse-like face of her mother, her old familiar pain or the
ache returns. Perhaps she has entertained this fear since her childhood. Ageing is a natural
process. Time and ageing spare none. Time and ageing have not spared the poet’s mother and
may not spare her as well. With this ageing, separation and death become inevitable.

Q2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?

Ans:  The poet is driving to the Cochin airport. When she looks outside, the young trees seem to
be walking past them. With the speed of the car they seem to be running fast or sprinting. The
poet presents a contrast—her ‘dozing’ old mother and the ‘sprinting’ young trees.

Q3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their
homes’ ?
Ans: The poet has brought in the image of merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’ to present
a contrast. The merry children coming out of their homes in large numbers present an image of
happiness and spontaneous overflow of life. This image is in stark contrast to the ‘dozing’ old
mother, whose ‘ashen’ face looks lifeless and pale like a corpse. She is an image of ageing,
decay and passivity. The contrast of the two images enhances the poetic effect.

Q4. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’ ?
Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. Her shrunken ‘ashen’ face resembles a corpse. She
has lost her shine and strength of youth. Similarly the late winter’s moon looks hazy and obscure.
It too lacks shine and strength. The comparison is quite natural and appropriate. The simile used
here is apt as well as effective.

Q5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Ans: The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles provide a stark contrast to the old
familiar ache or fear of the childhood. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide her
real feelings. The parting words: “See you soon, Amina” give an assurance to the old lady whose
‘ashen face’ looks like a corpse. Similarly, her continuous smiles are an attempt to overcome the
ache and fear inside her heart.
 MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 words)

Q1. Where was the poet going and who was with her?
Ans: The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. The poet’s mother had
comfe to see her off. She was sitting beside her. She was dozing with her mouth open. The words
‘driving’ and ‘doze’ provide a contrast between images of dynamic activity and static passivity
respectively.

Q2. What was the poet’s childhood fear? [All India 2014]
Ans: The child is always in fear of being separated from his parents. In the same way, the poet’s
fear as a child was that of losing her mother or her company.

Q3. What does the poet’s mother look like? What kind of images has the poet used to
signify her ageing decay?
Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. She is sitting beside the poet and dozing with her
mouth open. This is a sign of old age. Usually old people keep their mouth open to overcome
breathing problems. Her face looked pale and faded like ash. Actually, she is an image of death
as her ‘ashen’ face looks like that of a corpse.

Q4. What does the poet realise with pain? Why does the poet ‘put that thought away’ and
look outside?
Ans: The lifeless and faded face of the poet’s mother pains her heart. She looks lifeless like a
corpse. She provides an image of passivity, decay and death. The old lady seems to be lost in her
thoughts. The poet needs a distraction, a change. She puts that thought away and looks outside.
There she gets a picture of life, happiness and activity.

Q5. Describe the world inside the car and compare it to the activities taking place outside?
Ans: The pale and faded face of the poet’s mother looks lifeless like a corpse. Her dozing with
mouth wide open suggests passivity, decay and death. Outside the car, the poet watches young
trees speeding past them. They seem to be running fast or sprinting. Happy children are moving
out of their homes cheerfully. They present an image of life, dynamism and activity.

Q6. Why does the poet look outside? What does she see happening outside?
Ans: The thought of the ageing mother at sixty-six and her pale and ashen face looking like a
corpse becomes too heavy for the poet to bear. She needs a distraction, a diversion and therefore
she looks outside. She watches young trees. These trees speed past them and appear to be
sprinting. Then she sees happy children moving out of their houses and making merry.

Q7. How has the poet contrasted the scene inside the car with the activities going on
outside?
Ans: The poet has used beautiful images to highlight the stark contrast between the scene inside
the car and the activities going on outside. The ‘ashen’ face of the poet’s mother is pale and
lifeless. It looks like that of a corpse. She is dozing and lost to herself. The image of the ‘dozing’
mother is contrasted with the ‘spilling’ of children. The ‘ashen’ and ‘corpse¬like’ face is
contrasted with the young trees sprinting outside.
Q8. What does the poet do after the security check-up? What does she notice?
Ans: They have to pass through a security check-up at the airport. After it, the poet stands a few
yards away. Before saying parting words to her mother, she looks at her mother again. Her face
looks pale and colourless like the late winter’s moon. She presents a picture of ageing and decay.

Q9. Why is the poet’s mother compared to the late winter’s moon?
Ans: The poet’s mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon to bring out the similarity
of ageing and decay. The late winter moon looks hazy and obscure. It lacks shine and strength.
The poet’s mother has an ‘ashen’ face resembling a corpse. She has lost her shine and strength of
youth. The comparison reinforces the impact.

Q10. What is the poet’s familiar ache and why does it return?
Ans: The poet is pained at the ageing and decaying of her mother. The fear is that with ageing
comes decay and death. The sight of her old mother’s ‘ashen’ and corpse-like face arouses “that
old familiar ache” in her heart. Her childhood fear returns. She is also pained and frightened by
the idea that she may have to face all these things herself.

Q11. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?[All India
2014]
Ans: Kamala Das was in much trouble after seeing the lifeless and faded face of her mother. The
old lady seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. The poetess turned away her attention from her
mother and looked outside. The outside world was full of life and activity. The young trees
seemed to be running fast. The children looked happy while moving out of their homes.

Q12. Why does the poet smile and what does she say while bidding good bye to her
mother ?
OR
With fear and ache inside her heart and words of assurance on lips and smile on the face,
the poet presents two opposite and contrasting experiences. Why does the poet put on a
smile?
Ans: The ‘wan’, ‘pale’, face of the poet’s mother at sixty-six brings an image of decay and
death. It brings that old familiar fear of separation back. She fears the ultimate fate of human
beings. But she has to put on a brave face. She regains self-control. She composes herself and
tries to look normal. She utters the words of assurance that they will meet again soon. She tries to
hide her ache and fear by smiling continuously.

Q13. What poetic devices have been used by Kamala Das in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?
Ans: The poem ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ is rich in imagery. Kamala Das uses the devices of
comparison and contrast. The use of simile is very effective. The face of the poet’s old mother is
described as ‘ashen’. This ashen face is ‘like that of a corpse’. The poet uses another simile. The
“wan, pale’ face of the mother is compared to ‘a late winter’s moon’.
The poem excels in contrasts. The old ‘dozing’ lady inside is contrasted with the young trees
“sprinting” and merry children “spilling” out of their homes.
Class 12 Flamingo English An Elementary School
Classroom in a Slum
IMPORTANT STANZAS FOR COMPREHENSION

Read the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow each:
1.Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces.
Like rootless weeds, the hair torn around their pallor:
The tall girl with her weighed-down head. The paper-
seeming boy, with rat’s eyes.
Questions
(a)Where, do you think, are these children sitting?
(b)How do the faces and hair of these children look?
(c)Why is the head of the tall girl ‘weighed down’?
(d)What do you understand by ‘The paper-seeming boy, with rat eyes’ ?
Answers:
(a)These children are sitting in the school classroom in a slum which is far far away from the
winds or waves blowing strongly.
(b)The faces of these children look pale. Their uncombed and unkempt hair look like rootless
wild plants.
(c)The head of the tall girl is ‘weighed down’ by the burdens of the world. She feels depressed,
ill and exhausted.
(d)It means that the boy is exceptionally thin, weak and hungry.

2.…………The stunted, unlucky heir

Of twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease,
His lesson from his desk. At back of the dim class One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live
in a dream,
Of squirrel’s game, in the tree room, other than this.
Questions
(a)Who is the ‘unlucky heir’ and what will he inherit ?
(b)What is the stunted boy reciting ?
(c)Who is sitting at the ‘back of the dim class’ ?
(d) ‘His eyes live in a dream’—what dream does he have ?
Answers:
(a)The lean and thin boy having rat’s eyes and a stunted growth is the ‘unlucky heir’. He will
inherit twisted bones from his father.
(b)He is reciting a lesson from his desk. He is enumerating systematically how his father
developed the knotty disease.
(c)A sweet young boy sits at back of this dim class. He sits there unnoticed.
(d)The boy seems hopeful. He dreams of a better time—outdoor games, of a squirrel’s game, of
a room made inside the stem of a tree. He dreams of many things other than this dim and
unpleasant classroom has, such as green fields, open seas.
3.On sour cream walls, donations. Shakespeare’s head,
Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities.
Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open-handed map
Awarding the world its world.
Questions
(a) What is the colour of the classroom walls?What does this colour suggest ?
(b) What do these classroom walls have ?
(c) Which two worlds does the poet hint at?How is the contrast between the two worlds
presented?
(d) Explain:(i) ‘Open-handed map’
(ii) ‘Awarding the world its world’.
Answers:
(a)The colour of the classroom walls is ‘sour cream’ or off white. This colour suggests the
decaying aspect and pathetic condition of the lives of the children in a slum-school.
(b) The walls of the classroom have pictures of Shakespeare, buildings with domes, world maps
and beautiful valleys.
(c)The poet hints at two worlds : the world of poverty, misery and malnutrition of the slums
where children are underfed, weak and have stunted growth. The other world is of progress and
prosperity peopled by the rich and the powerful. The pictures on the wall suggesting happiness,
richness, well being and beauty are in stark contrast to the dim and dull slums.
(d) (i) ‘Open handed-map’ suggests the map of the world drawn at will by powerful people/
dictators like Hitler.
(ii) ‘Awarding the world its world’ suggests how the conquerors and dictators award and divide
the world according to their whims. This world is the world of the rich and important people.

4.…………And yet, for these

Children, these windows, not this map, their world,
Where all their future’s painted with a fog,
A narrow street sealed ip with a lead sky
Far far from rivers, capes, and stars of words.
Questions [All India 2014]
(a)What are the ‘children’ referred to here?
(b) Which is their world?
(c) How is their life different from that of other children? id) What is the future of these
children?
Answers:
(a)Those children are referred to here who study in an elementary school classroom.
(b) Their world is limited to the window of the classroom. They are confined only within the
narrow streets of the slum, i.e., far away from the open sky and rivers. Their view is full of
despair and despondency. The life of the children seem to be bleak.
(c) “The slum children spend their life only in the narrow streets of the land. They do not get the
basic necessities of life. They are deprived of food, clothing and shelter. But the main thing that
they differ from other children is freedom. They do not enjoy the freedom of life.
(d) The future of these children is uncertain and bleak.
5. Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example,
With ships and sun and love tempting them to steal
For lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes
From fog to endless night?
Questions [Delhi 2014]
(a)Who are ‘them’ referred to in the first line?
(b)What tempts them?
(c)What does the poet say about ‘their’ lives?
(d)Explain: ‘From fog to endless night’.
Answers:
(а)Here ‘them’ refers to the children studying in a slum school.
(b)All beautiful things like ships, sun and love tempt the children of slum school.
(c) The poet says that the children spend their lives confined in their cramped holes like rodents.
Their bodies look like skeletons because they are the victims of malnutrition. Their steel-frame
spectacles with repaired glasses make them appear like the broken pieces of a bottle scattered on
stones. Their future seems to be bleak. id) Their future is foggy or uncertain. The only certainty
in their lives is the endless night of their death. In other words, their birth, life and death are all
enveloped by darkness.

6.………On their slag heap, these children

Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel With mended glass, like bottle bits
on stones.
AII of their time and space are foggy slum.
So blot their maps with slums as big as doom.
Questions
(a)What are the two images used to describe these slums? What do these images convey?
(b)What sort of life do such children lead?
(c)What blot’ their maps? Whose maps?
(d)What does the poet convey through ‘So blot their maps with slums as big as doom’?
Answers:
(а)The images used to describe the slums are:
(i)slag heap
(ii)bottle bits on stones
(iii)foggy slums
(iv)slums as big as doom. (Any two acceptable)
These images convey the misery of the children and the poverty of their dirty and unhygienic
surroundings.
(b)In the dirty and unhygienic surroundings the slum children lead very pathetic and miserable
lives full of woes, wants, diseases, poverty and uncertainty.
(c) These living hells i.e. these dirty slums blot their maps. These are the maps of the civilized
world—the world of the rich and great.
(d) The poet conveys his protest against social injustice and class inequalities. He wants the
islands of prosperity to be flooded with the dirt and stink of the slums.

7. Unless, governor, inspector, visitor,

This map becomes their Window and these windows
That shut upon their lives like catacombs.
Questions
(a)Why does the poet invoke ‘governor’, ‘inspector’, ‘visitor’? What function are they
expected to perform?
(b)How can ‘this map’ become ‘their window*?
(c)What have ‘these windows’ done to their lives?
(d)What do you understand by ‘catacombs’?
Answers:
(a)Governor, inspector and visitor are important and powerful persons in the modem times. The
poet invokes them to help the miserable slum children. They are expected to perform an
important role in removing social injustice and class inequalities. They can abridge the gap
between the two worlds—the beautiful world of the great and rich and the ugly world of slums.
(b)Two worlds exist. This map’ refers to the beautiful world of prosperity and well being
inhabited by the rich and great and shaped and owned by them. Their windows’ refer to the lairs,
holes or hovels of the dirty, stinking slums where the poor and unfortunate children of slums
live. The slum children will be able to peep through windows only when the difference between
the two worlds is abridged.
(c)These windows’ of dirty surroundings have cramped their lives, stunted their growth and
blocked their physical as well as mental development. They have shut them inside their filthy,
dull and drab holes like the underground graves.
(d) ‘Catacombs’ means a long underground gallery with excavations in its sides for tombs. The
name catacombs, before the seventeenth century was applied to the subterranean cemeteries, near
Rome.

8. Break O break open till they break the town

And show the children to green fields, and make their world
Run azure on gold sands, and let their tongues
Run naked into books the white and green leaves open
History theirs whose language is the sun.
Questions
(a)‘Break O break open’. What should they ‘break*?
(b)Explain: ‘. till they break the town’.
(c)Where will ‘their world’ extend up to then ?
(d)What other freedom should they enjoy?
Answers:
(a)They should break all the barriers and obstacles that bind these children and confine
them to ugly and dirty surroundings.
(b)Till they come out of the dirty surroundings and slums of the town and come out to the green
field and breathe in the open air.
(c)Then their world will be extended to the gold sands and azure waves as well as to the green
fields.
(d) They should enjoy freedom of acquiring knowledge as well as freedom of expression. Let the
pages of wisdom (contained in the books) be open to them and let their tongues run freely
without any check or fear.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

Q1. Tick the item which best answers the following.
(a)The tall girl with her head weighed down means The girl
(i)is ill and exhausted
(ii)has her head bent with shame
(iii)has untidy hair.
(b)The paper-seeming boy with rat’s eyes means The boy is
(i)sly and secretive
(ii)thin, hungry and weak
(iii)unpleasant looking.
(c)The stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones means The boy
(i)has an inherited disability
(ii)was short and bony.
(d)His eyes live in a dream. A squirrel’s game, in the tree room other than this means The
boy is
(i)Full of hope in the future
(ii)mentally ill
(iii)distracted from th,e lesson.
(e)The children’s faces are compared to ‘rootless weeds’
This means they
(i)are insecure
(ii)are ill-fed
(iii)are wasters
Ans:  (a)(i) is ill and exhausted
(b)(ii) thin, hungry and weak
(c)(i) has an inherited disability
(d)(i) full of hope in the future
(e)(i) are insecure.

Q2. What do you think is the colour of ‘sour cream’ ? Why do you think the poet has used
this expression to describe the classroom walls?
Ans: The colour of ‘sour cream’ is off white. The poet has used this expression to suggest the
decaying aspect. The deterioration in the colour of the classroom walls symbolises the pathetic
condition of the lives of the scholars—the children of this slum school.

Q3. The walls of the classroom are decorated with the pictures of ‘Shakespeare’ ‘buildings
with domes’, ‘world maps’ and beautiful valleys. How do these contrast with the world of
these children?
Ans: The pictures that decorate the walls hold a stark contrast with the world of these underfed,
poverty-stricken, slum children living in cramped dark holes. Obstacles hamper their physical
and mental growth. The pictures on the wall suggest beauty, well-being, progress and prosperity
—a world of sunshine and warmth of love. But the world of the slum children is ugly and lack
prosperity.

Q4. What does the poet want for the children of the slums? How can their lives be made to
change?
Ans: The poet wants the people in authority to realise their responsibility towards the children of
the slums. All sort of social injustice and class inequalities be ended by eliminating the obstacles
that confine the slum children to their ugly and filthy surroundings. Let them study and learn to
express themselves freely. Then they will share the fruit of progress and prosperity and their
fives will change for the better.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 words)

Q1. In the opening stanza the imagery is that of despair and disease. Read the poem and
underline the words /phrases that bring out these images.
Ans: The following words/phrases bring out these images of despair and disease:
‘Rootless weeds’; ‘the air tom round their pallor’;
The tall girl with her weighed-down head’;
The paper-seeming boy, with rat’s eyes’.
‘The stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones’.
‘gnarled disease’.

Q2. Why does Stephen Spender use the images of despair and disease in the first stanza of
the poem and with what effect?
Ans: He uses the images of despair and disease to describe the miserable and pathetic fives of
the children living in slums. The faces of these children are pale and lifeless. They and their hair
are like ‘rootless weeds’. The burden of fife makes them sit with their head ‘weighed down’. The
stunted growth is depicted by ‘the paper-seeming bo/ and ‘the stunted unlucky heir of twisted
bones’. Their weak bodies recite their fathers’ ‘gnarled disease’.

Q3. In spite of despair and disease pervading the lives of the slum children, they are not
devoid of hope. Give an example of their hope or dream.
Ans: The burden of poverty and disease crushes the bodies of these slum children but not their
souls. They still have dreams. Even their foggy future has not crashed all their hopes. They
dream of open seas, green fields and about the games that a squirrel plays in the tree room.

Q4. How does Stephen Spender picturise the condition of the slum children?
Ans: Stephen Spender uses contrasting images in the poem to picturise the condition of the slum
children. For example:
“A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky Far far from rivers, capes and stars of words.”
The first line presents the dark, narrow, cramped holes and lanes closed in by the bluish grey sky.
The second fine presents a world of beauty, prosperity, progress, well-being and openness.

Q5. What is the theme of the poem ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ ? How
has it been presented?
Ans: In this poem Stephen Spender deals with the theme of social injustice and class
inequalities. He presents the theme by talking of two different and incompatible worlds. The
world of the rich and the ‘civilized’ has nothing to do with the world of narrow lanes and
cramped holes. The gap between these two worlds highlights social disparities and class
inequalities.
Q6. What message does Stephen Spender convey through the poem An Elementary School
Classroom in a. Slum’ ? What solution does he offer?
Ans: Stephen Spender conveys the message of social justice and class equalities by presenting
two contrasting and incompatible worlds. He provides a way out. For achieving any significant
progress and development the gap between the two worlds must be abridged. This can be done
only by breaking the barriers that bind the slum children in dark, narrow, cramped holes and
lanes. Let them be made mentally and physically free to lead happy lives. Only then art, culture
and literature will have relevance for them.

Q7. Who Ttrd, the ivor/d its world and ho,What does this world contain,?
Ans: The conquerors and dictators change the map of the world according to their whims and
will. They change the boundaries of various nations and shape the ‘map’. Their fair map is of a
beautiful world full of domes, bells and flowers, rivers, capes and stars.

Q8. Th e poet says. Aria yet. for these Children, these windows, not this map, their world’.
Which world do these children belong to? Which world is irue ecssihlc to them?
Ans: The world of stinking slums is the world that belongs to these poverty-stricken, ill-fed,
under-nourished children. The narrow lanes and dark, cramped, holes or hovels make their
world. The world of ‘domes’, ‘bells’ and ‘flowers’ meant for the rich is inaccessible to them.
They can only dream of rivers, capes and stars.

Q9. Which images of the slums in the third stanza pr sent the picture of social disparity,
injustice and class inequalities.
Ans: The slum dwellers slyly turn in their ‘cramped holes’ from birth to death i.e. ‘from fog to
endless nights’. Their surroundings are ‘slag heap’. Their children “wear skins peeped through
by bones.’ Their spectacles are “like bottle bits on stones.” The image that sums up their harsh
existence reads : “All of their time and space are foggy slum.”

Q10. So blot their maps with slums as big as do,in;” says Stephen Sp,.meter. What does the
poet want to convex?
Ans: The poet notices the creation of two different worlds—the dirty slums with their narrow
lanes and cramped houses which are virtual hells. Then there are islands of prosperity and beauty
where the rich and powerful dwell. The poet protests against the disparity between the lives of
the people in these two worlds. He wants that the poor should enjoy social equality and justice.
The fair ‘map’ of the world should have blots of slums as big as doom. The gap must be reduced
between the two worlds.

Q11. Stephen Spender while writing about an elementary classroom hi a slum, questions
the value of education in such a milieu, suggesting that maps of the world and good
literature may raise hopes and aspirations, which win never be fulfilled. Yet the gown
offers a solution/hope. What is it?
Ans: The slum children are being imparted education in a room whose walls are off-white in
colour but are decorated with the pictures of ‘Shakespeare’, ‘buildings with domes’, “world
maps’ and ‘beautiful valleys’. The maps of the world and good literature may raise hopes and
aspirations. They may try to steal slyly from their milieu but it is quite unlikely that their hopes
and aspirations may be fulfilled. The only solution/hope for them is to break the artificial barriers
that bind and cramp them. Once free from their milieu, they can enjoy beauty.

Q12. How can powerful persons viz. governor,inspector,visitor may contribute to improve
the lot of slum children?
Ans: Powerful persons like governors, inspectors and visitors may take an initiative and start
abridging the gap between the worlds of the rich and poor. They can play an important and
effective role in removing social injustice and class inequalities. They should break and
dismantle all the barriers that bind these children and confine them to the ugly surroundings.
They will have their physical and mental development only when they leave the filthy and ugly
slums. All good things of life should be within their reach. They must enjoy the freedom of
expression.

Q13. How far do you agree with the statement: “History is theirs whose language is the
sun.”
Ans: This metaphor contains a vital truth. This world does not listen to the ‘dumb and driven’
people. Only those who speak with confidence, power, authority and vision are heard and
obeyed. Those who create history are people whose ideas and language can motivate, move,
inspire and influence millions of people. In order to be effective, their language must have the
warmth and power of the Sun.

Class 12 Flamingo English Keeping Quiet

IMPORTANT STANZAS FOR COMPREHENSION

Read the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow each:
1.Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still.
Questions
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b)Why does the poet ask us to count to twelve?
(c)Why does the poet ask us to keep still?
(d) Find words from the passage which mean.
(ii) say number (iii) quiet and motionless.
Answers:
(a)The name of the poem is Keeping Quiet. The name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.
(b)There are only twelve signs on the clock to measure hours. Therefore, the poet asks us to
count till the clock measures these horns.
(c)Too much activity and rush has only brought misfortunes to mankind. Hence, it is better to be
quiet and still.
(d) (i) count (ii) still

2. For once on the face of the Earth let’s not speak in any language, let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.
Questions
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b)‘Let’s not speak in any language’, says the poet. Why?
(c)What should we not do for a second?
(d) What do you understand by ‘the face of the Earth ?
Answers:
(a)The name of the poem is Keeping Quiet. The poet is Pablo Neruda.
(b)The people of the world have been indulging in wars and bloodsheds on minor excuses. If
they keep quiet, they may not indulge in reasoning, disputes and quarrels. So, let them keep quiet
and not speak in any language. This will ensure peace and prosperity.
(c)We should cease all activities for a second. Man has used his arms only to kill and destroy
others. Therefore, let them not move their arms so much as to harm others.
(d) The expression “the face of the Earth’ refers to the various countries on the surface of the
earth.

3.It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines, we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Questions
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b)What will happen if there is no rush or running of engines?
(c)What sort of moment will it be?
(d)How would all of us feel at that moment?
Answers:
(a)The name of the poem is Keeping Quiet. The poet is Pablo Neruda.
(b)There will be peace all around if there is no rush or the sound of the running of engines and
machines.
(c)It will be a very enticing and beautiful moment.
(d) All of us will enjoy the unusualness and sudden strangeness of that moment.

4. Fishermen in the cold sea would not harm whales and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.
Questions
(a)What do fishermen usually do in the cold sea?
(b)What does the poet ask fishermen not to do?
(c)What has happened to the man gathering salt?
(d) What should the man gathering salt do?
Answers:
(a)Fishermen usually catch fish, particularly whales, in the cold seas.
(b)The poet asks fishermen not to hurt or injure the whales in the seas.
(c)The man gathering salt has injured his hands.
(d)He must take care of his hurt hands.

5. Those who prepare green wars,

wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their
brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
Questions
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b)What sort of wars are mentioned in the above lines?
(c)What kind of victory will it be?
(d) How should the lovers of war behave?
Answers:
(а)The name of the poem is Keeping Quiet. The poet is Pablo Neruda.
(b)Green wars, wars with poisonous gases and wars with the fire are the different kinds of wars.
(c) It will be a victory where no survivors will be left to celebrate it. Such a victory will be
meaningless.
(d) They should put on clean clothes and walk with their brothers under the trees leisurely doing
nothing.

6.What I want should not be confused

with total inactivity. i Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness of never understanding ourselves and of threatening ourselves with
death.
Questions
(a)What does the poet want? What should it not be confused with?
(b)Explain: 7 want no truck with death’.
(c)What do people pursue single-mindedly? Which is the better course the poet suggests?
(d)When can a huge silence do us good?
Answers:
(а)The poet is advocating for silence or stillness. Stillness should not be confused with total
inactivity.
(b)Total inactivity brings death. The poet refuses to associate (or deal) with death. Thus, he is not
advocating for death.
(c)People pursue single-mindedly on keeping their lives moving. ..The poet suggests that it
would be better if they give themselves rest for sometime. For once they may do nothing.
(d)A huge silence can do us a lot of good when we are disappointed at not understanding
ourselves or threatening ourselves with death.

7. Perhaps the Earth can teach us as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive.
Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Questions
(a)What can the Earth teach us?
(b)What remains alive when everything seems dead?
(c)Who is the poet? What does he want to do?
(d)What does the poet ask us to do?
Answers:
‘(a) The earth can teach us a lesson how to live on it.
(b)Only the earth remains alive when everything seems dead.
(c) The poet is Pablo Neruda. He wants to count upto twelve.
(d) He asks us to keep quiet while he is counting upto twelve.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

Q1. What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve?
Ans: Counting up to twelve takes very short time. Keeping still for this brief interval of time
gives us a momentary pause to introspect and review the course of action. It is generally
observed that most of the ills and troubles of the world are caused by our rush or hurry. Violence
is caused by anger. Keeping quiet and still will give us necessary respite and ensure peace.

Q2. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
Ans: No, he doesn’t advocate either total inactivity or death. He makes it quite clear that
‘stillness’ should not be confused with “total inactivity or equated to it. Total inactivity brings
death. But Neruda has ‘no truck with death’. His stillness means halting of harmful and hostile
human activities.

Q3. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem? [All India 2014]
Ans: Man’s sadness is formed out of his own actions and thoughts. It is quite ironical that man
who understands so much fails to understand himself and his action. Rash actions prove harmful
and disastruous. Man is the creator of all disasters. He is always threatening himself with death
because of his thoughts and actions. This is the tragedy of his life.

Q4. What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under
apparent stillness?
Ans: The poet wants to prove that there can be life under apparent stillness. The poet invokes the
earth as a living symbol to prove his point. The earth never attains total inactivity. Nature
remains at work all the time even under apparent stillness. It keeps earth alive. This idea is
beautifully illustrated by the following lines:“as when everything seems dead and later proves to
he alive.”

Q5. Choose a quiet corner and keep still physically and mentally for about five minutes. Do
you feel any change in your state of mind?
Ans: Extension Activity: For self-study.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 words)

Q1. Why does Pablo Neruda urge us to keep still?
Ans: Stillness is essential for calm reflection and quiet introspection. We hear the voice of
conscience in moments of silence. The poet is convinced that most of human ills and miseries are
caused by man’s hurry and rush to do things. The poet wishes that we may withdraw ourselves
from our undesirable actions and keep still for a moment.
Q2. Why shouldn’t we “speak in any language” and “not move our arms so much”?
Ans: People of the world speak in different languages. They indulge in unnecessary debates and
disputes. Most of these arguments lead to destructive wars. The poet urges people to stop
speaking in any language. They must speak through their hearts. So far men have moved their
arms only to harm others. Therefore, the poet wants that they should not move their arms so
much. Let these arms rest for once. Let a feeling of mutual understanding , be created among
human beings.

Q3. Pablo Neruda says:“we would all be together in a sudden strangeness.”

When can we experience such a moment? Why will that be an exotic moment?
Ans: Non-stop activity, unnecessary rush and noise have made our lives unpleasant and full of
misery, pain and troubles. We must stop rushing, hurrying, worrying and running. Even the noise
of engines and machines must stop for once. Then all of us will enjoy the sudden strangeness of
that moment. It will be a unique moment. In that exotic or fascinating moment we shall feel
totally relaxed, physically as well as mentally.

Q4. What does the poet ask the fisherman and the man collecting salt to dot What docs In-
exactly want to convey by this?
Ans: Pablo Neruda is against any kind of violence. He addresses the fishermen and asks them
not to harm whales living in the cold seas of the polar regions. He is also against any kind of self
torturing. The man who is gathering salt has hint his hands. He asks this man to look after
himself and take care of his injured hands.

Q5. What are the different kinds of war mentioned towards war?
Ans: The poet is against wars of all kinds. He wants a total stoppage of war. Green wars against
the environment, wars with poisonous gases and wars with fire must be terminated (stopped) at
once.

Q6. What alternative does Pablo Neruda suggest instead of indulging in wars?
Ans: Instead of indulging in wars, the people must come out in their best dresses with then-
brothers. They should go out for a walk under the shady trees and enjoy themselves doing
nothing. This would bring the feeling of togetherness among them.

Q7. How does the poet distinguish ‘stillness’ from ‘total inactivity’? Why does Neruda saw
I want no truck with death?
Ans: Pablo Neruda is in favour of stillness or silence. We remain still and quiet for sometime.
On the other hand, total inactivity is a permanent suspension of work. It is just like death.
‘Stillness’ should not be Confused with ‘total inactivity’. Life goes on as usual. There can’t be
anything like total inactivity. The poet refuses to associate with death or deal with it.

Q8. Why does the poet fee! that we should not be so single-minded’?
Ans: People are generally single-minded. They want to focus on only one thing. They want to
keep their lives going. They are ever busy in their pursuit. The poet wishes that they would not
be so much absorbed with always remaining on the move. They must have some respite or rest.
They too need peace or silence.
Q9.Why do men become sad? How can this sadness be overcome?
Ans: Men fail to understand themselves. They are always threatening themselves with death.
When they realise their failure to understand themselves they become sad or helpless. Fear of
death also makes them sad. Only a huge silence’ can interrupt this sadness. Such silence will do
them good.

Q10. How might a huge silence interrupt the sadness of men?

Ans: Men never understand themselves. Nor are they ever sure of their actions. They face
another tragedy. Due to their own actions, they are threatening themselves with death. This
realisation makes them helpless and sad. Only a huge (long) silence might interrupt this sadness
and do them some good.

Q11. Under the apparent stillness there is life. Justify this statement giving an example
from the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’.
Ans: Neruda does not equate stillness with total inactivity. He believes that under this apparent
stillness there is life. We can learn it from the earth. When everything seems dead, the earth still
remains alive. The earth is never dead. The life on the earth goes on as usual under the apparent
stillness.

Q12. Justify the title ‘Keeping Quiet’.

Ans: The title of the poem is quite appropriate and logical. It suggests the necessity of quiet
introspection. The people of the world are overactive and always on the move. Their activities
have caused untold troubles and sufferings. Keeping quiet will do them a lot of good. It will save
them from many harmful and violent activities. Moreover, it will help in reflecting over the fate
of man and help in creating a feeling of mutual understanding among human beings.

Q13. Which is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in ‘Keeping Quiet’:[Delhi 201]
Ans: The poet talks about the exotic moment when everyone keeps quiet. There will be no rush
for a second. The machines must stop for a moment. That moment will be fascinating for all of
us. All of us shall enjoy the sudden strangeness of the moment together.

Class 12 Flamingo English A Thing of Beauty

IMPORTANT STANZAS FOR COMPREHENSION

Read the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow each:
1.A thing of beauty is a joy forever Its loveliness increases, it will never Pass into nothingness;
but will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Questions
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b)How is a thing of beauty a joy for ever ?
(c)What do you understand by a ‘bower’l
(d)What kind of sleep does it provide?
Answers:
(а)The poem is A Thing of Beauty. The poet is John Keats.
(b)A thing of beauty is the source of constant joy. Its beauty goes on increasing. It will never
pass into nothingness.
(c)A bower is a pleasant place in the shade under a tree. It protects persons/animals from the hot
rays of the sun.
(d)It provides us a sound sleep, full of sweet dreams, health and peaceful breathing.

2. Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Questions [All India 2014]
(a)Name the poem and the poet.
(b)Why are we despondent?
(c)What removes the pall from our dark spirits?
(d) What are we doing every day?
Answers:
(а)The poet is John Keats. The poem is A Thing of Beauty.
(b)We possess the evil qualities of malice and disappointment. We suffer from the lack of noble
qualities. That is why we feel despondent.
(c) Some beautiful shapes or a thing of beauty removes the pall of sadness from our hearts or
spirits.
(d) We are weaving a flowery wreath to bind us to the beauties of the earth.

3. Some shape of beauty moves away the pall From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;
Questions
(а)What removes the pall from our dark spirits?
(b)What sprouts a shady boon for sheep and how?
(c) How do ‘daffodils’ and ‘rills’ enrich the environment?
(d) What makes the mid-forest brake rich?
Answers:
(a)Some beautiful shape or a thing of beauty removes the pall of sadness from our hearts or
spirits.
(b)Old and young trees sprout to make a green covering. It proves a blessing for simple sheep as
it serves them as a shelter.
(c)Daffodils bloom among the green surroundings. The rills or small streams of clear water make
a cooling shelter for themselves against the hot season.
(d)The mid forest brake is made rich by the blooming of beautiful musk-roses.
(e)(i) pall, (ii) boon, (Hi) rills, (iv) covert.

4. And such too is the grandeur of the dooms

We have imagined for the mighty dead;
Ml lovely tales that we have heard or read;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink
Questions [Delhi 2014]
(a)Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b)Explain: ‘the grandeur of the dooms’.
(c)What is the thing of beauty mentioned in these lines’?
(d)What image does the poet use in these lines?
Answers:
(а)The poem is A Thing of Beauty. The poet is John Keats.
(b)The magnificence that we imagine for our mighty dead forefathers on the dooms day.
(c)The lovely tales of mighty men are mentioned in these lines.
(d)The poet uses the image of ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink’ to describe the beautiful
bounty of the earth. The earth has bestowed us with sun, moon, flowers, rivers, greenery etc.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

Q1. List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.

Ans: Everything of nature is a thing of beauty and a source of pleasure. Some of them are: the
sun, the moon, old and young trees, daffodil flowers, small streams with clear water, mass of
ferns and the blooming musk-roses. All of them are things of beauty. They are a constant source
of joy and pleasure.

Q2. List the things that cause suffering and pain.

Ans: There are many things that cause us suffering and pain. Malice and disappointment are “the
biggest source of our suffering. Another one is the lack of noble qualities. Our unhealthy and evil
ways also give birth to so many troubles and sufferings. They dampen our spirits. They act as a
pall of sadness on our lives.

Q3. What does the line, ‘Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth’
suggest to you?
Ans: Keats is a lover of beauty. He employs his senses to discover beauty. The link of man with
nature is eternal. The things of beauty are like wreaths of beautiful flowers. We seem to weave a
flowery band everyday. It keeps us attached to the beauties of this earth.

Q4. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
Ans: There are many things that bring us troubles and sufferings. They dampen our spirits.
However, ‘some shape of beauty1 brings love and happiness in our lives in spite of such
unpleasant things. A thing of beauty removes the pall of sadness and sufferings. It makes us love
life.

Q5. Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with the ‘mighty dead’?

Ans: The mighty dead were very powerful and dominating persons during their own times. Their
achievements made them ‘mighty’ and great. Their noble works dazzle our eyes. We imagine
that such mighty dead forefathers will attain more grandeur on the doomsday. Hence ‘grandeur’
is associated with the ‘mighty dead’.
Q6. Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting
impression on us?
Ans: We feel happy by coming into contact with things of beauty. They make a lasting
impression on us. Keats makes it clear at the outset. A thing of beauty is a joy forever. It is a
constant source of joy and pleasure. Its beauty never declines or diminishes. Its loveliness goes
on increasing every moment. Its value remains undiminished. It never passes into nothingness. It
removes the pall of sadness that covers our dark spirits.

Q7, What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth?
Ans: John Keats uses a very beautiful image to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth. It is
the endless fountain of immortal drink. It pours constantly into our hearts from heaven. Thus, the
beautiful bounty of the earth is called “an endless fountain of immortal drink.”

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 words)

Q1. How is a thing of beauty a joy forever?
Ans: According to John Keats a thing of beauty is a joy of forever. It is a constant source of
happiness and pleasure. Its loveliness increases every moment. It will never pass into
nothingness. In other words, a thing of beauty is never devalued.

Q2. How does a thing of beauts provide us shelter and comfort?

Ans: John Keats is a great Romantic poet. He is rich in sensuous imagery. Nature provides us
things of rare beauty. It keeps a bower quiet for us. A bower is a pleasant place in the shade
under a tree. A thing of beauty also provides us peace and security. We enjoy a sound sleep
which is full of sweet dreams, health and peaceful breathing.

Q3. How do us bind our self to the earth every morning?

Ans: All the Romantic poets stress upon the relationship between man and nature. Keats believes
that there is an unbreakable bond which binds man with nature and the earth. The beauties of the
earth fascinate man. Every object of nature is a source of beauty and happiness. Everyday we are
weaving a wreath of flowers. This flowery band binds us to the beauties of this earth.

Q4. What are the things that cause miseries, sorrows and sufferings to man ?
Ans: Man himself is the root cause of all his sufferings. We suffer from malice and distress
because we lack human qualities that makes us inhuman. Our life becomes gloomy. We cultivate
unhealthy and evil ways. All such things bring miseries, sorrows and sufferings to man.

Q5. What spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits? How is it removed?
Ans: Man is the creator of his woes. His own nature and actions make his life miserable. He
faces miseries and pains. A pall of despondence covers his dark spirits. A thing of beauty
provides a ray of hope to man. Some shape of beauty works wonders amid these sorrows and
sufferings. It is a thing of beauty that removes the pall of despondence over our dark spirits.

Q6. Name the beauties of nature that are constant source of joy and happiness to man.
Ans: Nature is a store house of beauty. The beauties of nature are endless. The sun, the moon,
old and young trees, beautiful daffodil flowers and green surroundings are some of such
beautiful things. Small streams with clear water, thick mass of ferns, thickets of forest and musk-
rose are some other things of beauty. All such things of beauty are a constant source of joy and
happiness to man.

Q7. Why and how is ‘grandeur associated with the ‘mighty dead’?
Ans: The dooms day is considered the day of judgement, when the dead will receive what is due
to them. Our mighty dead forefathers earned name and fame with their noble deeds. It is hoped
that they will be rewarded with rare magnificence and grandeur.

Q8. How is a thing of beauty lovelier than all the lovely tales we have heard and read?
Ans: All beautiful things of nature are a boon for humanity. The magnificence and beauty of
objects of nature surpasses the grandeur of dooms that we have imagined for our mighty dead
forefathers. It is lovelier than all the lovely tales that we have heard or read.

Q9. What is the source of the ‘endless fountain’ and what is its effect?
Ans: A fountain of eternal joy’and immortality pours into the heart and soul of man. It flows
right from the heavens brink and pours into the human heart. It is like an immortal nectar. The
immortal drink that nature’s endless fountain pours into our hearts is a source of immense joy for
us.

Q10. What is the message for the theme) of the poem ‘A Thing of Beauty’?
Ans: The very first line contains the message that John Keats, the great Romantic poet, wants to
convey. Keats was a worshipper of beauty. For him beauty was truth and truth, beauty. Hence,
for him a thing of beauty is a joy forever. Beauty never fades. Nor is it ever devalued. It never
passes into nothingness. When we are full of sorrows and sufferings, some form of beauty comes
to our rescue. It removes the pall of sadness and sorrows and gives us joy and pleasure. Thus,
beauty is a boon for human beings

Class 12 Flamingo English Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers

IMPORTANT STANZAS FOR COMPREHENSION

Read the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow each:
1. Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree:
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet of these lines.
(b) What are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers doing? How do they look like?
(c) Where do they live? Are they fearless? Give an example.
(d) How do they pace?
Answers:
(а) The poem is Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers. The poet is Adrienne Rich.
(b) They are jumping across a screen or a wall. They look like shining yellow topaz.
(c) They live in green forests. They are fearless. They don’t fear the men under the tree.
(d) They run with a well-groomed, honourable confidence.

2. Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool

Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.

The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.
Questions
(a)What were Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through?
(b)How was she pulling the needle?
(c)What was lying heavily? Where?
(d)What was upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand? How did it sit there?
Answers:
(a) Aunt Jennifer’s fingers were fluttering through her wool.
(b) She was finding even the ivory needle hard to pull.
(c) The weight of Uncle’s wedding band was lying heavily on her hand.
(d) There was uncle’s wedding band upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand. It sat heavily there.

3. When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie

Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
Questions
(a) Why are Aunt Jennifer’s hands called ‘terrified’’?
(b) What are they still ringed with?
(c) Where did she make the tigers?
(d) What will happen to her tigers after her death?
Answers:
(а) Her hands are called terrified because they passed through very hard and bitter experience of
married life.
(b) They are still ringed with those hard and testing difficulties which possessed her dining her
life.
(c) She made the tigers in the panel.
(d) Her tigers will go on jumping ahead, proud and unafraid even after her death.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

Q1. How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?
Ans: Like all beasts of prey, the tigers are the denizens of the forest. They live far away from
human settlements. They are called ‘chivalric.’ This indicates the majestic and honourable
position that they occupy in the world of animals. So, the use of the words ‘denizens’ and
‘chivalric’ adds to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes.

Q2. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer’s hands are ‘fluttering through her wool’ in the
second stanza? Why is she finding the needle so hard to pull?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer is weaving tigers on the panel. Her hands are moving about her wool. She is
finding the needle quite hard to pull. The weight of years of her married life is lying heavy on her
hand. This makes the pulling of the neddle so hard.

Q3. What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of uncle’s wedding band’?
Ans: It suggests the weight of the harsh and tough experience of Aunt Jennifer’s married life.
The image is quite suggestive. The wedding band is symbolic. It represents the unbreakable bond
of marriage between the husband and the wife.

Q4. Of what or whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified in the third stanza?

Ans: In the third stanza, the poet refers to Aunt Jennifer’s ‘terrified hands’. The old unhappy
memories are still fresh in her mind. She had passed through many testing and horrible times
during her married life. These ordeals crushed and suppressed her. Their effect is still visible. So,
she is still ringed with those ordeals that dominated her life.

Q5. What are the ‘ordeals’ Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by? Why is it significant that the”
poet uses the word ‘ringed”! What are the different meanings of ‘ringed’ in the poem?
Ans: The poem addresses the experiences of marriage in the midst of constrictions. The word
‘ringed’ is significant. It suggests that the vicious grip or her unhappy married life is still holding
her tightly. The word ‘ringed’ has been used in two ways. First is the conventional
use. Here ring is a symbol of the sacred bond of marriage. The other is the figurative use of
‘ringed’. It means encircled or surrounded.

Q6. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own
character? What might the poet be suggesting, through this difference?
Ans: The tigers are ‘prancing’. They pace in ‘sleek chivalric certainty’. They ‘do not fear’ the
men beneath the tree. Thus, they are symbols of strength, fierceness and beauty. Aunt Jennifer,
on the other hand, is weak and terrified. Her hands are finding it difficult to pull through her
wool. The massive weight of the wedding band sits heavily on her hand. Her terrified hands are
still ringed by the ordeals of married life. The contrast heightens the intensity.

Q7. Interpret the symbols found in this poem.

Ans: Adrienne Rich’s ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, is rich in symbolism. ‘The massive weight of
wedding band’ symbolises ordeals, hardships and worries of married life. ‘Terrified hands’, and
‘ringed with ordeals’ also indicate those unpleasant experiences that are still clinging to Aunt
Jennifer physically and mentally. ,

Q8. Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker towards
Aunt Jennifer?
Ans: Yes, we do sympathise with Aunt Jennifer. She has experienced hardships and ordeals
during her married life. The attitude of the speaker towards Aunt Jennifer is equally sympathetic.
The poet gives many suggestive images and symbols to present an old lady who has passed
through painful experiences as well as unpleasant and terrifying periods during her married life.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 words)
Q1. What do you learn about Aunt Jennifer’s tigers on reading the poem?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers were created in the panel by her own hands. They appeared to be
prancing (jumping) across a screen. They looked sleek. They were bright like yellow topaz. They
were majestic and courageous. They didn’t fear the men beneath the tree. They paced in
‘chivalric certainty’.

Q2. How has Aunt Jennifer created her tigers? What traits of tigers do they reveal!
Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are her own creations. She works with wool and ivory needles. She
has created them in the panel. They have all the traits of the beasts of prey who are denizens of
green forests. They are well-built and well-groomed. They are chivalric and full of confidence.

Q3. What difficulty does Aunt Jennifer face while making her tigers and why ?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer is making her tigers in the panels. She is using ivory needles. Her fingers are
fluttering through the wool. She finds it difficult (hard) to pull even the ivory needles. The reason
is obvious. The weight of unhappy and unfortunate experiences of her married life sits heavily on
her hands.

Q4. What is the weight that lies heavy on Aunt Jennifer’s hand? How is it associated with
her husband?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer is working with ivory needles and wool. But she can’t move her fingers
freely in the wool. She finds it hard to pull even the ivory needles easily. The experiences
of her past married life are quite bitter. She has unpleasant memories of her married life with her
husband. The heavy weight of the wedding band sits heavily upon her hand.

Q5. How will Aunt Jennifer’s hands look when she is dead?
Ans: When Aunt Jennifer dies, her hands will still look terrified. Perhaps she has experienced a
lot of hardships and troubles in the past. Their effect has left its print on her hands. The ordeals
that crushed her married life had surrounded and cramped her fingers and hands too.

Q6. What will happen to Aunt Jennifer’s tigers when she is dead?
Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers will survive her. She has created the tigers in a panel. They are made
of wool. These objects of art will survive their creator. The tigers will go on jumping, proud and
unafraid.

Q7. Describe the poetic devices used in the poem Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’.
Ans: Adrienne Rich’s Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ a beautiful short poem rich in symbolism and
imagery. The mataphor ‘bright topaz’ depicts the shining yellow complexion of her tigers. The
effective use of alliteration in ‘sleek, chivalric certainty’ describes the pace of the tigers
effectively. ‘The massive weight of wedding band’ symbolises ordeals and hardships of Aunt
Jennifer’s married fife. The images ‘terrified hands’ and ‘ringed with ordeal’ create the effect of
oppression and terror as well as captivity.

Q8. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers different from her?[All India 2014]
Ans: Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are a picture of strength, beauty and certainty. They seem to be
jumping across a screen. They “pace in sleek chivalric certainty”. They are confident and
impressive. Aunt Jennifer is a weak, depressed and terrified person. Life has been a cup of woes
for her. She is still in the grip of those ordeals and terrors that she faced and suffered from dining
her married life. Her fingers are so ‘terrified’ that they find it hard to pull even the ivory needle.
Thus, the contrast is amply highlighted.

Q9. What are the difficulties that Aunt Jennifer faced in her life? [Delhi 2014]
Ans: The Life of Aunt Jennifer was overburdened by the duties of her married life. Hardships
and sufferings were the parts f Oher married fife. She had to face oppression by her husband
even though she was old and weak.