Poets and Pancakes

Q.1. Who was Ashokamitran? what was his job?

Ans. Asokamitran's job in the Gemini Studios was to cut out newspaper clippings on a wide
variety of subjects. He was to store them in files. The people saw him doing nothing except
tearing up newspapers day in and day out. Most people thought that he was doing next to
nothing.

Q2. Why did the 'boy' in the make-up department come to the author? Why was the author
praying for crowd shooting all the time?
Ans. The 'boy' in the make-up department considered himself a great literary talent.He wanted
to tell the author how his literary talent was allowed to go waste. That department
was fit for barbers and perverts. The author wanted to avoid his epical descriptions. He prayed
for crowd-shooting all the time to keep the boy' busy in his work.

Q3. Against whom was the anger and frustration of the boy directed? Why was he frustrated?

Ans. The 'office-boy' was frustrated. In spite of good education all his dreams ended in smoke.
He could not become a star actor, a director or a script writer. So he was disappointed. His
disappointment and anger was directed against Subbu. He considered him the root cause
of all his troubles and neglect.

Q4. Who was Subbu's enemy? Why?

Ans. Even such a noble and charitable person like Subbu had an enemy. The 'boy' in the make-
up department was the only enemy of Subbu. All his frustration and anger was
directed against Subbu. He was convinced that all his woes and neglect were due to Subbu.
"The boy' was jealous of Subbu's rising stars and success and his intimacy with the Boss.

Q5.How did the lawyer unwittingly bring an end to a brief and brilliant career of a young
actress?
Ans. The lawyer seemed to be a dead-wit. An extremely talented but a moody actress once
burst out on the sets. While everyone stood surprised and stunned, the lawyer switched
on the recording equipment. When she heard her voice again through the sound equipment,
she was struck dumb. That was the end of her bright film career so unwittingly ruined by the
lawyer.

Q6. No one knew what the English poet was talking about. The poet looked pretty baffled too.
What was the reason of the total lack of communication between the two?
Ans. The visit of the English poet proved to be a great disaster. The people at the Gemini had
not cultivated any taste for English poetry. Moreover, the accent of the poet posed a great
problem. No one knew what he was talking about. The whole thing lasted for an hour.
The poet was quite baffled himself.

Q7.. How did the narrator discover that the English poet who came to the Studios and the editor
of "The Encounter' was the same person?
Ans. Very few were familiar with the English poet who visited the Gemini Studios. Even the
'Boss' didn't know much about him. Once the narrator was going through the periodical The
Encounter'. When he read the editor's name, he was surprised. He was Stephen Spender.
He was the same poet who had visited the Gemini Studios.

The Interview

Q1.The Name of the Rose' deals with medieval history. Was it responsible for the novel's
success?
Ans. One of the reasons of the success of "The Name of the Rose' was perhaps its theme
dealing with medieval history. But Eco was not very sure about it. There were many other
novels which dealt with medieval history. All of them didn't achieve that much success. Perhaps
the most important factor was the timing of its publication.

Q2. What was unique and distinctive about Eco's academie writing style?

Ans. Eco's academic writing style was quite distinctive from the regular one. It had a certain
'playful and personal quality' about it. It was not the invariably depersonalised, often dry or
boring regular academic style. Eco had followed quite an informal and natural approach even to
his academic writings.

Q3.What secret does Umberto Eco reveal about his time-management?

Ans. Umberto is generally asked how he can do so much work he does. Eco reveals the secret
of his time-management. He eliminates the 'empty spaces' in his life. He calls them interstices.
While the interviewer was coming up in the elevator and Eco was waiting, he got an empty
space- an interstice. He utilised this interstice and had already written an article.

Q4.. What is the position of the interviewer during the interview?

Ans. According to Denis Brian the interviewer holds a position of 'unprecedented power and
influence. He holds the balance between the audience and the man who is being interviewed.
Almost everything of the celebrity reaches us through one man asking questions of another.

Q5. Justify the title 'The Interview'.

Ans. The title of the excerpt is quite logical and apt. Umberto Eco likes to be interviewed. He
cooperates fully with the interviewer, Mukund. He prefers himself to be called an academician
than a novelist. He tells him that he started writing novels at the age of 50 just by accident. He
wrote 40 non-fictional writings against 5 novels.

Going Places

Q1.Jansie is Sophie's classmate and friend but doesn't entertain any 'wild dreams' like her.
Why?
OR
Sophie and Jansie are classmates but in traits and temperaments, they are poles apart. In what
respect are these contrasts evident?
OR
How is Jansie wiser than Sophie ?
Ans. Sophie and Jansie are classmates. But Jansie is wiser, pragmatic, and practical. They are
almost of the same age and belong to low income groups. However, in traits and temperaments,
they are poles apart. Sophie dreams of big and beautiful things. She dreams of having a
boutique, becoming an actress or a fashion designer. She dreams of things beyond her reach
and means. On the other hand, Jansie is more practical and realistic. She knows that big things
require big money and experience which they have none. She advises Sophie to be sensible
and stop entertaining wild dreams.

Q2.. Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from having dreams?

Ans. Jansie was highly practical and worldly wise. She didn't suffer from day-dreaming. She
understood the harsh realities of life and also wanted Sophie to understand them as such. She
knew that Sophie belonged to a low income group family. Her dreams of having a boutique,
becoming an actress or a fashion designer were beyond her means. She always discouraged
Sophie from indulging in such unattainable dreams.
Q3.What did Sophie think of Geoff?
Ans. Geoff was almost grown up now. He spoke little. Words had to be prized out of him like
stones out of the ground. Sophie was jealous of his silence. She knew when he was not
speaking, he was away somewhere. He was out in the world in those places she had never
been. She wanted to share her brother's affections.

Q4. What is your impression of Sophie's brother Geoff?

Ans. Geoff was quite different from his sister Sophie. He was a boy of few words. He
spoke little. Words had to be prized out of him. Sophie was jealous of his silence. She wanted
to share her brother's affections. He didn't believe Sophie's meeting with the Irish footballer
Casey. However, he never tried to hurt Sophie. He was not of romantic disposition like
Sophie.He was an apprentice mechanic. He had to travel to his work each day on foot as he
had no money.

Q5. Why was the visit of Sophie's father and his family to watch United equal to their weekly
pilgrimage'?
Ans. Sophie's father was a football fan. He was taking a lot of interest in the growing career of
the young Irish genius Danny Casey. Geoff too was interested in football. Sophie was mad after
Danny Casey. The celebrity was her personal hero. Watching Casey playing for United was like
a religious or holy weekly ritual for the family.

Q6.How was Geoff employed?

Ans. Geoff belonged to a socio-economic background that could be called a low-income group.
He was three years out of school. He was an apprentice mechanic. He had no money to hire a
transport to his place of work. He had to travel to his work each day to the far side of the city.
Even at home, the apprentice mechanic could be seen tinkering with the parts of motorcycle in
his room.

Q7.Why did Sophie curse Geoff? Why did she say "Damn that Geoff, it was not a Jansie thing"?
Or
Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Ans. Sophie didn't want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny Casey. Sophie
knew that her classmate and friend Jansie was 'nosey'. She took especial interest in knowing
new things about others. She came to know of her story of meeting with Danny Casey through
Geoff. She cursed Geoff because Sophie didn't believe Jansie. She could spread the rumour in
the whole neighbourhood.

Q8. Did she ever meet Danny Casey? When did she actually see Casey in person?
Or
Which was the only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person?
Ans. Young girl Sophie actually never met Danny Casey. She indulged in wishful thinking and
dreams of meeting him. Her imagined meeting gave her immense pleasure. She saw Danny
Casey in person only once. She went with her family to the stadium to watch the match. She
saw her hero in action there.

Q9. "Sophie's dreams and disappointments are all in her mind." Discuss. (Imp.)
Ans. It is true that Sophie's dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. She is crazy and
lets her lose in Danny Casey's dreams. She imagines her meeting with Casey. She hopes
against hopes. Her day-dreaming leads to despondency. So Sophie's dreams and
disappointments are not real. They are merely the products of her mind.

The Enemy

Q1.What was the chief concern of Sadao's father about Dr Sadao?

(CBSE 2016)

Ans. Sadao's education was his father's chief concern. For this reason at the age of 22
Sadao was sent to America to study surgery and medicine. By the time his father died Sadao
had established himself as a famous surgeon and scientist.

Q. 2. How does the writer indicate that Dr Sadao's father was a very traditional and conventional
man?
(CBSE 2018)

Ans. Dr Sadao's father was a very traditional and conventional man. He was proud of his nation
and race. Like traditional Japanese, he was strict and dominating. The influence of his father
was quite dominating on Sadao. His father never joked or played with him. The narrator
indicates that his father would not have accepted Hana if she had not been a Japanese.
Sadao's father was proud of Japan and the Japanese race.

Q 4. Why was Dr Sadao kept in Japan and not sent abroad with the troops?
Or
Why was Dr Sadao not sent abroad along with the troops? (CBSE 2016)

Ans. Dr Sadao was a famous surgeon and scientist. He was perfecting a major discovery.
It would render wounds entirely clean. There was another reason of keeping Sadao in Japan.
The old general might need an operation. Dr Sadao's services were needed at any time. Hence,
he was not sent abroad with troops.

Q. 5. Where, when and how did Dr Sadao meet Hana?

Or
Who was Hana and where did Sadao meet her? How were they married? (CBSE 2016)
Ans. Hana was a beautiful Japanese. She met Dr Sadao in America at a professor's
house in a very casual way, literally by chance. Hana was a new student. Sadao felt he would
love her if it were at all possible. But he had waited to fall in love with her until he was sure she
was Japanese. She was pure in her race. Otherwise, his father would not have accepted her in
the family. They were married as per the old Japanese way.

Q 6. What was the reaction of the two servants and Yumi when they were told about the
wounded American? (Imp.)
Ans. The two servants were frightened at what their master had told them. They thought that
their master should not heal the wound of that white man. The white man must die. If their
master healed what the gun and the sea did, they would take revenge on them. Yumi refused to
wash a white man.

Q7. Hana told Yumi to wash the soldier. How did Yumi react?
(CBSE)

Ans. Hana realised that at first the soldier must be washed. She told Yumi to fetch hot water for
washing. When she saw the white man she shook with anger. She would not wash such a dirty
white man. Hana cried and commanded her to do as asked. Yumi had a fierce look of
resistance and left the room.

Q.8 "If all the Japs were like you there wouldn't have been a war," said Tom. Justify his
statement. (Imp.)

Ans. The wounded American soldier was an enemy. In spite of all this Dr Sadao gave him
shelter in his house. He didn't hand him over to the police. He operated on him. Dr Sadao risked
his own life but saved an enemy from dying. Tom thought if all the Japanese were like him,
there would not have been a war between America and Japan.

Q9 .How did Sadao ensure that the American sailor left his house but he himself remained safe
and secure ?
Or
What did Dr Sadao do to help Tom to escape to freedom?(CBSE 2019)

Ans.Dr Sadao knew that the wounded American sailor could be arrested (at) any time. Se he
decided to help him in escaping. He decided to give his private boat with food and clothes in it.
He could row it to a little island not far from the coast. Nobody lived there. In this way,he could
escape to freedom. Dr Sadao was also now free to live in peace and security.

Q 10. What made Dr Sadao sure that the wounded American soldier had escaped safely in
darkness?
Ans. Dr Sadao had made elaborate arrangements for the safe escape of Tom. He was made to
row to a nearby island. All necessary things were provided to him. He was to signal two flashes
if he ran short of food. When no signal came, Dr Sadao was convinced that Tom had escaped
safely.

Q11. Justify the title of the story The Enemy'.

Ans. Pearl S. Buck has given a suitable title to the story. The title is quite appropriate and
logical. The wounded American prisoner of war is their natural enemy. Dr Sadao and Hana
should have handed him over to the police. But human consideration outweighed all other
considerations. His duty as a doctor made Dr Sadao to save the life of even a dying enemy.