I PUC ENGLISH REFLECTIONS

12. TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

– ARCHIBALD JOSEPH CRONIN

 Archibald Joseph Cronin (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981), known as A. J.

Cronin, was a Scottish physician and novelist.
 A. J. Cronin wrote this memoir after visiting Verona.
 The title of the short story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ is inspired by a popular
play William Shakespeare ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’.
 In the story, the main idea of the author is to underline the virtues that make a man a man.
 The story is about how two sincere and selfless young boys face hardships for the treatment
of their sister suffering from tuberculosis. It conveys the message that as long as people are
willing to make sacrifices for the well-being of others, there is hope for humanity.
 The story is set in Verona (a city in northern Italy) against the backdrop of the Second
World War.

I. Answer the following questions by choosing the right option.

1. The author met the two boys ________.
a. on the outskirts of Padua b. on the outskirts of Verona
c. in Padua d. in Verona
2. The author bought ______ from the two boys.
a. wild strawberries b. fresh apples
c. mangoes d. dried grapes
3. _______ is/are reputed to have lived in Verona.
a. Julius Caesar b. Shylock
c. Mara d. Romeo and Juliet
4. The boys were doing business ______ in the public square.
a. of selling cigarettes b. of polishing shoes
c. of selling wild strawberries d. by attracting customers
5. Nicola was _________ old.
a. thirteen years b. twelve years
c. ten years d. fourteen years
6. The boys were waiting for the last bus from Padua to sell ______.
a. wild strawberries b. the newspapers
c. cigarettes d. tickets to the Opera
7. The narrator thought that the boys must be saving up to _______.
a. emigrate to Germany b. emigrate to France
c. emigrate to Italy d. emigrate to America
8. The narrator observed that the two boys spent _______.
a. very little money on their food and clothing b. more money on their food and clothing
c. little time to earn money d. their time doing nothing
9. The boys did the following work/s to earn their living.
a. selling strawberries and hawking newspapers
b. shining shoes and conducting tourists through the town
c. running errands
d. all the above
10. Every Sunday, the boys made a visit to the country, _______.
a. to Poleta b. to the Alps
c. to Padua d. to Venice

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11. Poleta was ______ from Venice.
a. 35 kilometres b. 30 kilometres
c. 40 kilometres d. 25 kilometres
12. Nicola and Jacopo used to visit Poleta every Sunday to go to ______.
a. a hospital b. the opera
c. the tomb of Juliet d. a villa
13. The boys’ father, a widower, was a well-known ______
a. musician in Venice b. dancer at La Scala
c. fruit seller d. singer at La Scala
14. _______ established headquarters in Verona and for three dreadful years ruled the city with
ruthless severity.
a. The French b. The German Elite Guard
c. The Republicans d. The Secret State Police
15. The boys were used to _______ to the forces of liberation and, more dangerous still, to ferret
out information on the movements of the German troops.
a. carry weapons b. sell fruits
c. polish shoes d. carry messages
16. Their beloved sister was found suffering from_______, contracted during the miseries of the war.
a. an ulcer in her stomach b. a liver disease
c. tuberculosis of the spine d. cancer
17. The narrator was very much impressed by the boys’ personalities because______.
a. they were great b. despite their age, they behaved like true gentlemen
c. they were not successful d. they ferreted messages about German troops
18. In spite of working hard and earning money, the two boys still looked poor because_________.
a. they were saving money to go to America b. they had other plans
c. wanted to save money for medical expenses d. they were scared of getting robbed
19. Nicola was not pleased when Jacopo asked the narrator to drive them to Poleta as he _______.
a. did not want a stranger to become involved with their plans
b. preferred going to Poleta by train so that he could enjoy the scenery
c. did not want to ask anyone for favours
d. did not want to take help from someone he did not know well
20. The narrator did not follow the boys because _______.
a. he was not invited to join them
b. he was not interested in knowing what the boys were up to
c. he wanted to respect their privacy
d. he was in a hurry to get back to Venice
21. _______ had made the two boys and their sister homeless.
a. Their poverty b. Their unemployment
c. The war d. Lack of courage
22. The villa at Poleta had been changed into _______.
a. a parlour b. a hospital
c. a theatre d. a bank
23. The author did not speak to the boys on their return journey because he thought _______.
a. the boys would prefer to keep their secret
b. the boys were ashamed of their sister’s condition.
c. they wouldn’t tell him the truth
d. they were worthless
24. The boys work so hard as ______.
a. they were greedy for money b. they wanted to go to America
c. they wanted to save money for sister’s treatment
d. they wanted to take care of their father

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25. The boys are evasive in disclosing their plan to the narrator in the story because _____.
a. they thought he could never understand their plight
b. they did not want to share their problem with a stranger
c. they did not want to gain anybody’s sympathy
d. they did not trust anybody
26. ________ was the name of the narrator’s driver.
a. Luigi b. Nicola
c. Lucia d. Jacopo
27. ______ the name of the boys’ sister.
a. Cinderella b. Lucia
c. Catherine d. Juliet

II. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of 80-100 words each:

1. In what different ways were the boys useful to the narrator?
In the story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’, the two boys; Nicola and Jacopo were of extreme
use to the narrator A.J Cronin. Whenever he was in need of prompt assistance abroad (Verona
city), luckily, he would encounter Nicola and Jacopo.
The boys were selling delicious wild strawberries, and bright scarlet berries on the outskirts of
Verona when the narrator met them for the first time. Later, he realized that they did various
jobs to earn money. The boys proved to be extremely useful to the narrator and his companion.
They took the narrator to Juliet’s tomb and other places of interest. They brought a pack of
American cigarettes, got seats for Opera, and suggested the names of good restaurants that
could provide ravioli. They were childish in many ways but possessed good behaviour. The
boys could be relied upon to satisfy the needs of the narrator. They did everything with their
cheerful competence.

2. What do you understand about the boys’ character from their actions and behaviour?
In his ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’, the Scottish writer Archibald Joseph Cronin presents the
story of two young boys who stand as the inspiration and hope for humanity.
The two young brothers; Nicola and Jacopo were aged 13 and nearly 12 respectively. They
were forced upon untimely maturity due to war’s disaster. They had to enact inevitably beyond
their ages in their lives. They reshaped their lives from childhood to responsible adulthood in
order to fulfill the duties of their parents and to live a dignified life. They worked hard without
respite to earn money for the ailment of their sister who was suffering from tuberculosis of the
spine and was hospitalized in Poleta. This behavior is shown in their acts of willingness to
work without complaining. They earned money through their honest labour but never requested
anyone for help or money. They never shared their miseries with others. They had accepted all
challenges in their life with dignity and courage. Their selfless action brings a new nobility to
human life, and gives promise of a greater hope for human society.

3. ‘War may destroy one’s home but not one’s heart’. Discuss the statement with reference
to the story of the two boys.
The war is a traumatic experience for the soldiers and also to other civilians who are adversely
affected by war in different ways. On the other hand, the economy of the country is badly hurt
thanks to the war. There are the usual problems of the prices of commodities going up and

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people being forced to live a life of want. Worse still is the loss of property and recession of
every kind. Besides, there is the emotional impact of losing the loved ones.
In case of the boys, we see that they suffer all kinds of loss. They lose their father, though he
is not a soldier; they lose their home and are thrown into the streets; their sister becomes the
victim of tuberculosis of the spine. Even these compounded problems do not break the heart
of the brave boys. They put up their resistance to war and fate in their own way. They oppose
the atrocities committed by the enemies in the war by working for the Resistance Movement.
They put up a fight against the cruel hand of fate itself by working hard to earn enough money
to get medical care for their dear sister. It is as if the boys challenged the injustice of the creator
himself, though without complaints or feelings of self-pity. Indeed, the boys are a fine example
to show that ‘War may destroy one’s home but not one’s heart and spirit.

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