9th Std SLUMBER DID MY SPIRIT SEAL

Extra questions

1. What does ‘a slumber’ refer to?
A slumber refers to the deep sleep.

 2. What did the slumber do to the poet’s spirit?
The slumber sealed the poet’s spirit. He could not feel any human fear.

3. What had sealed the poet’s spirit?
The death of a loved one sealed the poet’s spirit.

4. What is meant by ‘human fears’?
‘Human fears’ mean the common worries and fears that everyone faces in the world.

5. What is meant by earth’s diurnal course’?
‘Earth’s diurnal course’ means the regular movement of the earth around the sun.

Q.6. ‘A slumber did my spirit seal,’ says the poet. That is, a deep sleep “closed off” his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel bitter grief? Or does he feel a great peace?

Ans. The death of his loved one has given him a great shock. It has made his soul a root. He is in a great grief. But he also feels relieved. It is so because this child has now become a part and parcel of nature and moves in the cosmos.

Q.7. ‘The passing of time will no longer affect her’, says the poet. ‘Which lines of the poem say this?

 Ans. The lines which tell about this are—`She seemed a thing that could not feel the touch of earthy years.’

 Q.8. How does the poet imagine her to he, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a `heaven’).? Or does he see her now as a part of Nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer?

Ans. The poet imagines that the child has become now a part of nature. She moves around in this cosmos. The following lines tell us about this
‘She neither hears nor sees
Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course
 With rocks and stones and trees’.

Q9. What changes were brought about in the feelings of the poet on the death of his
loved one?
The poet was grieved at the death of his loved one but the thought that she was
now beyond earthly matters and was one with nature and moving with the earth,
gave him peace.

Q10. How will the poet’s loved one not feel the touch of the earthly years?
The poet’s loved one is dead. Time will not affect her. She has neither motion
nor force. She neither hears nor sees. She has become a part of the rocks, stones
and trees and moves with the regular motion of the earth.

Q11.
How does the poet pay tribute to his loved one in the poem ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit
Seal’?
The poet is grieved and troubled on the death of his loved one. He realises that
his loved one has gone into deep slumber where worldly matters will not affect
her. She is unaffected by passing time. She cannot hear or see anything. She has
become a part of the rocks, stones and trees. The earth moves regularly around
the sun and on its axis. The poet’s beloved also moves along with the earth. She
will live forever like other objects of nature and has become immortal.

9th Std THE BEGGAR

THE BEGGAR 

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS 

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow in one or two lines.

(I)

 For eight years I was a village schoolteacher and then I lost my place through intrigues. I fell a victim to calumny. It is a year now since I have had anything to do.

1.Who is “I” in this extract? Whom is he telling about himself?

I here refer to the beggar, Lushkoff. He is telling advocate Sergei about himself.

2.What was his occupation and why did he lose it?

According to Lushkoff, he was a village schoolteacher and he lost his occupation because of scheming and lies against him.

3.What does he do now?

 He hasn’t had anything to do for a year now. However, he begs in order to survive.

4.What does the speaker expect from the listener?

The speaker appeals to the listener’s kindness and sympathy in order to get words of kindness and monetary help.

(II)

“This is dishonesty, my dear sir!” he cried angrily. “This is swindling -I shall send the police for you, damn you!”

1.Who speaks these lines to whom?

 Sergei, an affluent advocate, says these words to Lushkoff, an alcoholic beggar.

2.Why was the speaker angry?

The speaker, Sergei, was angry because Lushkoff was being dishonest and had been cheating people in order to get money as alms.

3.What, according to the speaker, was ‘dishonesty’ and ‘swindling’?

According to the speaker, Sergei, concealing real identity and telling lies by Lushkoff was dishonesty and swindling.

4.Why did the speaker threaten to send the police for the listener?

 The speaker, Sergei, threatened to send the police for the listener, Lushkoff, because the latter was reluctant to admit that he had adopted unfair means to gain sympathy and monetary help from people.

(III)Olga glared wrathfully at her companion, shoved him aside with her elbow, unlocked the shed, and angrily banged the door.

1.Who was Olga and who was her companion?

 Olga was the cook of advocate Sergei and her companion was Lushkoff, the beggar.

2.How did Olga look at her companion and why?

 Olga looked at her companion, Lushkoff, with wrathful glare because his appearance with tattered clothes and drunken eyes was much too disgusting.

3.Why did Olga unlock the shed?

Olga unlocked the shed to take out the wood and give it to Lushkoff for chopping as instructed by her master, advocate Sergei.

4.Why did Olga bang the door angrily?

Olga banged the door angrily because the sight of the drunkard beggar repulsed her. By banging the door, she expressed her displeasure.

(IV)On the first of the month the waif made his appearance and again earned half a rouble, although he could barely stand on his legs. From that day on he often appeared in the yard and every time work was found for him.

Who was the waif and where did he make his appearance?

 The waif was Lushkoff, the beggar, and he made his appearance at the house of advocate Sergei.

2. How did he earn half a rouble?

Lushkoff earned half a rouble by chopping wood for Sergei.

3. Why could he barely stand on his legs?

 Lushkoff could barely stand on his legs because his addiction to alcohol had made him very weak and he did not have any source of regular income to feed himself.

4. What work was found for him every time?

 Various odd tasks were found every time for Lushkoff. These included shovelling snow, putting wood-shed in order, and beating the dust out of rugs and mattresses.

Q.1. How did Sergei recognise the beggar?

Ans. Sergei looked at the beggar. His face appeared familiar to him. He tried to recollect where he had seen him. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the beggar’s shoes. One shoe was high and the other was low. Now he clearly remembered where he had seen the beggar before. He had seen the beggar in the Sadovya Street

2. The beggar was a liar. What two lies did he tell Sergei?

Ans. When the beggar met Sergei for the first time, he told him that he was a student and had been expelled from the college. When he met Sergei, for the second time, he told him that he had been offered a position in Kaluga, but he had no money for the fare to get there

 Q.3. What kind of work was given to Lushkoff initially? Why did he agree to do it?

Ans. Sergei refused to give alms to Lushkolf, the beggar. lie offered to give him work. He took him home and gave him the work of chopping wood. Lushkoff agreed to do this work, not because he was hungry and scanted work. He agreed to do it because of pride and shame and because he had been trapped by his own words.

Q.4. How did Olga treat Lushkoff in the beginning? Why did she do this?

Ans. In the beginning, Olga treated Lushkoff callously. She called him a drunkard. She rebuked him. Then she would sit before him and grow sad. She looked into his face and wept. Then she chopped wood for him. She did so because she felt pity for him. Secondly, she wanted to put him on the right path.

Q.5. Where did Sergei send Lushkoff? What advice did he give him?

Ans. Sergei wanted to give Lushkoff better, cleaner employment. His friend needed a copywriter. As Lushkoff was able to write, so Sergei sent him to his friend. Sergei advised him to work hard and not to drink. He asked him not to forget his advice

Q.6. Where did Sergei see Lushkoff after two years? What work was he doing then?

Ans. One day, after two years, Sergei came across Lushkoff standing at the ticket window of a theatre, paying for a seat. He was wearing a coat collar of curly fur and sealskin cap. Sergei recognized him. Lushkoff told him that now he was a notary and was paid thirty-five roubles a month.

Q.7.  Was Lushkoff not good at chopping wood ?

Ans. No, Lushkoff was not good at chopping wood. He pulled a piece of wood towards him. Ile put it between his legs. lie hit the wood feebly with the axe. The piece of wood became unsteady and fell down. Ile again pulled it and struck it. The piece of wood again fell down. This shows that Lushkoff did not know how to chop wood.

8. Write a brief character-sketch of Olga.

 Ans. Olga was the maidservant of Sergei. She was stem looking. But she was kind at heart. She rebuked Lushkoff. But then she took pity on him as he was weak and hungry. She did the chopping work for Lushkoff. Olga’s kindness had great effect on Lushkoff. He gave up drinking and started taking interest in work. Thus Olga’s kindness saved Lushkoff’s life. 

Q 9. What plea does Lushkoff make to Sergei when he appears at his yard?

Ans:-Lushkoff pleads to Sergei to have pity on him. He says that he has not eaten anything for three days and does not have five copecks for lodging. He further tells Sergei that he had been a village school teacher for eight years and had lost his job due to scheming and lies.

Q10.Describe the physical appearance of Lushkoff when Sergei observes him in his yard.

Ans:- Sergei observed Lushkoff closely when the latter came to his yard asking for alms. At that time, Lushkoff had a ragged appearance. He had worn a fawn-coloured overcoat and his eyes were dull and drunken. There was a red spot on either cheek. He looked every bit a disgusting beggar.

Q 11. Why does Lushkoff want to go to Kaluga?

Ans:- Lushkoff wants to go to Kaluga because he claims that he has an offer of a position in this province, after having lived without work for nearly a year. However, he cannot go there because he does not have any money.

Q 12. Has Lushkoff become a beggar by circumstance or by choice?                  (Textual)

Ans:-Lushkoff has become a beggar not by choice but by circumstance. He was a singer in a Russian choir but was sent away for his drunkenness. Alcoholism had made him weak and he could not toil, so he took to begging for survival.

Q13. How did Sergei come to remember that he had met the beggar before?

Ans: –A close look at the beggar’s face made Sergei think that he had seen the man somewhere before. Then his eyes fell on his overshoes, one of which was high and the other was low. This made Sergei remember suddenly that he had seen this beggar in Sadovya Street a couple of days before.

 Q 14. Why was the beggar taken aback when Sergei asked if he remembered having met him earlier?

Ans:- The beggar was taken aback because he knew that his lies were going to be caught soon. The repercussions of extracting money by exploiting the sympathy of people could be very harsh for him. He could even be handed over to the police.

Q15. How did Sergei react when the beggar lied about his identity?

Ans:-Sergei got infuriated when the beggar lied about his identity. He turned from the ragged creature with an expression of disgust and reprimanded him for dishonesty and swindling. He threatened to call the police as well.

Q 16. What lies did Lushkoff tell people to beg?

Ans:- In order to beg alms and earn sympathy, Lushkoff told different lies to people. He would claim to be a student who had been expelled or a village schoolteacher who had lost his job because of intrigues and lies of others.

Q 17. What reason does Lushkoff give to Sergei for telling lies?                       (Textual)

Ans:- Lushkoff tells Sergei that he was telling lies because no one would help him if he told the truth about his drunkenness. Instead, lies helped him get both sympathy and money that he required desperately to keep himself alive.

Q18. What offer was made by Sergei to the beggar in order to discourage him from begging? Why?

Ans:- Sergei offered Lushkoff to chop wood for him and earn money instead of telling lies and begging. Sergei made this offer because he believed that people could be reformed by hard work and not by giving sympathy or alms.

Q19.Is Lushkoff a willing worker? Why, then, does he agree to chop wood for Sergei?                                                                                                                    (Textual)

Ans:-Luskhoff is not a willing worker since alcohol has made him very weak, both physically and emotionally. Still, he agrees to do the menial job of chopping wood because of his pride and shame. Earlier he had expressed his willingness to do any work provided he was offered one and now he could not go back on his words.

Q20. Who was Olga? What task did Sergei assign to her?

Ans:-Olga was Sergei’s cook. She appeared to be ill-tempered but eventually played an instrumental role in reforming Lushkoff with her words and noble deeds. Sergei told her to take Lushkoff to the wood-shed and make him chop wood for them.

Q21. How did Lushkoff follow Olga to the wood-shed? What did this reveal about his willingness to work?

Ans:- Lushkoff followed Olga in a gait that showed his reluctance to work. It was obvious that his strength had been destroyed by ‘vodka’ and he was too weak to do any type of hard physical labour.

Q22. Why did Sergei hurry into the dining-room? What did he see from there?

Ans:-Sergei hurried into the dining-room because he wanted to check the beggar’s behaviour while chopping wood. He saw both Olga and Lushkoff walking towards the shed. He also saw Olga’s expression of wrath towards the beggar and the manner in which he struggled to chop wood in the acute cold.

Q23. How did Olga behave with the beggar while taking him to the wood-shed?

Ans:-Olga behaved with Lushkoff in a very shabby manner. She looked at him angrily and even shoved him aside with her elbow while unlocking the shed. She threw an axe at his feet and scolded him all the time as he tried to chop wood.

Q24. Who was the ‘pseudo-teacher’ and why did he sit on a log?

Ans:-The ‘pseudo-teacher’ was the beggar Lushkoff. He sat on a log, lost in his thought as his frail health did not allow him to undertake the hard task of chopping wood but he could not get away from it either.

Q25. Describe Lushkoff’s attempt to chop wood.

Ans:-In order to chop wood, Lushkoff irresolutely pulled a billet of wood towards him, set it up between his feet; and tapped it feebly with the axe instead of hitting it hard. As a result, the billet wavered and fell down. He again pulled it to him, blew on his freezing hands, and tapped it with his axe cautiously. The billet again fell to the ground without being chopped.

Q26. How did Sergei feel after he saw Lushkoff chopping wood?

Ans:- Sergei didn’t feel angry anymore after he saw Lushkoff chopping wood. Instead, he felt a little sorry and ashamed at having given the tough task of wood-chopping to Lushkoff who seemed to him a spoiled, drunkard and probably a sick man. It was difficult for him to do such a menial task in the severe cold.

 Q27. What remuneration was paid to Lushkoff for chopping wood for the first time? What additional offer was made at this time?

Ans:-Sergei paid a rouble as remuneration to the beggar for chopping wood and instructed Olga to tell him that if he wanted, he could come back and chop wood on the first day of each month.

 Q28. Why did Lushkoff return to the yard on the first of the month? Why did he reappear often?

Ans:-Lushkoff returned to the yard on the first of the month in order to chop wood and earn one rouble in return. He reappeared often because every time he used to be given odd jobs like shovelling snow, putting the wood-shed in order and beating the dust out of rugs and mattresses. The money he thus got helped him survive.

Q29. When and why did Sergei hire Lushkoff? How did he appear at this time?

Ans:-Sergei hired Lushkoff when he moved into another house. He hired him to help in packing and hauling of the furniture. This time Lushkoff appeared sober but gloomy and silent.

Q30. Why did Lushkoff become embarrassed when he came to assist Sergei move to another house?

Ans:- Lushkoff became embarrassed when he came to assist Sergei move to another house because he could not help in any way. He simply walked behind the wagons hanging his head and shivered in the cold. The other carters mocked at his idleness, feebleness and his tattered fancy over-coat.

Q31. Sergei says, “I am happy that my words have taken effect.” Why does he say so? Is he right in saying this?                                                                                 (Textual)

Ans:-Sergei says so because Lushkoff looked sober and seemed to have helped in the packing and hauling of furniture. He is partially right in saying this because his constant support had at least given Lushkoff an option to quit his disgusting life as a beggar.

Q32. What revelation was made by Lushkoff to Sergei at the theatre?

Ans:- Lushkoff revealed to Sergei that he did not chop even a single stick of wood at his yard. All the toil was done by the good and noble cook, Olga, who tried to help him and underwent misery and shed tears for his sake.

Q33. “Thank you, too”. Why does Lushkoff say this to Sergei?

Ans:- Lushkoff says this to Sergei because although Olga was the one who had actually reformed him but Sergei’s contribution too was important. He had taken interest in the life of a disgusting beggar and helped him drag himself out of the mess he was in.

Q34. Where did Sergei send Lushkoff? What was his parting advice?

Or

Which cleaner employment did Sergei arrange for Lushkoff? How?

Ans:-Sergei sent Lushkoff to his friend with a letter of recommendation for some copying work. This was a cleaner employment in comparison to wood-chopping. As a parting advice, he told Lushkoff to work hard and not to drink.

Q35. How and why did Sergei express his pleasure before parting from Lushkoff?

Ans:-Sergei expressed his pleasure by tapping Lushkoff gently on the shoulder and shaking hands with him at parting. He expressed pleasure in this manner because he was convinced that the beggar was now a reformed person and deserved respect and honour.