sangeeta karkari: January 2023

Monday 2 January 2023

12th standard Poets And Pancakes

Read the extracts and answer the following questions.

1.‘…..The make-up department of the Gemini Studios was in the upstairs of a building that was believed to have been Robert Clive’s stables. A dozen other buildings in the city are said to have been his residence. For his brief life and an even briefer stay in Madras, Robert Clive seems to have done a lot of moving, besides fighting some impossible battles in remote corners of India and marrying a maiden in St. Mary’s Church in Fort St. George in Madras … ”

(a) Who was Robert Clive?

Ans: Major-General Robert Clive was the commander who established the military supremacy of the East India Company in Southern India and Bengal.

(b) What was his connection with the Gemini Studios?

Ans: Gemini Studios was in a building that was believed to have been Robert Clive’s stables.

Ans: He had lived in many buildings in the city and also married in St. Mary’s Church in Fort St. George in Madras.

2. ‘… This gang of nationally integrated make-up men could turn any decent-looking person into a hideous crimson-hued monster with the help of truck-loads of pancake and several other locally made potions and lotions … ”

(a) What is implied by ‘gang of nationally integrated make-up men’?

Ans: People in the make-up department were from different parts of the country.

(b) What was the job of the make-up artists?

Ans: Their job was to beautify the actors and make them look presentable.

Ans: The job was to beautify the actors but they turned any decent-looking person into a tedious monster because they overdid the make-up to make them look presentable in films.

3. ‘…..On the days when there was a crowd-shooting, you could see him mixing his paint in a giant vessel and slapping it on the crowd players. The idea was to close every pore on the surface of the face in the process of applying make-up. He wasn’t exactly a ‘boy; he was in his early forties, having entered the studios years ago in the hope of becoming a star actor or a top screenwriter, director or lyrics writer. He was a bit of a poet …”

(a) Who is the ‘him’ in these lines?

Ans: ‘Him’ is the office boy. He was junior-most in the hierarchy of people in the make-up department.

(b) What was his job?

Ans: He had to put the make-up on the crowd players when a crowd scene was to be shot.

Ans: His ambitions of becoming a star actor or a top screenwriter, director or lyrics writer had been thwarted so the circumstances had turned him into a poet.

4. ‘…..The “boy” in the make-up department had decided I should be enlightened on how great literary talent was being allowed to go waste in a department fit only for barbers and perverts. Soon I was praying for crowd shooting all the time. Nothing short of it could save me from his epics … ”

(a) Who is the ‘I’? What was his job?

Ans: He is the narrator/ writer. His job was to extract the relevant newspaper clippings and file them.

(b) What did the ‘boy’ talk to him about?

Ans: He told him how his ‘great literary talent’ was being allowed to go waste.

Ans: That was the only time that the ‘boy’ was occupied and so the writer was saved from his lectures.

5. ‘….He could look cheerful at all times even after having had a hand in a flop film. He always had worked for somebody—he could never do things on his own—but his sense of loyalty made him identify himself with his principal completely and turn his entire creativity to his principal’s advantage. He was tailor-made for films. Here was a man who could be inspired when commanded …”

(a) Who is the person being talked about?

Ans: Kothamangalam Subbu.

(b) How was he viewed by the others employed in the studio?

Ans: They were generally angry with him and blamed him for all their woes and humiliation.

Ans: He was a Brahmin and had exposure to more affluent situations and people. He looked cheerful and was creative. Moreover, he could be inspired when required. He was loyal to his seniors and assisted them when they had a problem. He could suggest fourteen alternative ways of shooting a scene. He was also a great actor.

6. ‘… Often he looked alone and helpless—a man of cold logic in a crowd of dreamers—a neutral man in an assembly of Gandhiites and khadiites. Like so many of those who were close to The Boss, he was allowed to produce a film and though a lot of raw stock and pancake were used on it, not much came of the film. Then one day The Boss closed down the Story Department and this was perhaps the only instance in all human history where a lawyer lost his job because the poets were asked to go home …”

(a) Who is the person being talked about?

Ans: The legal adviser is being talked about.

(b) Why was he a misfit in the studio?

Ans: Unlike the rest, he was logical, while the others were poets/dreamers. He wore a pant, coat, and a tie in an assembly of Gandhiites and khadiites.

Ans: He lost his job because the Boss decided to close down the story department.

7. ‘…..A Communist was a godless man—he had no filial or conjugal love; he had no compunction about killing his parents or his children; he was always out to cause and spread unrest and violence among innocent and ignorant people. Such notions which prevailed everywhere else in South India at that time also, naturally, floated about vaguely among the khadi-clad poets of Gemini Studios. Evidence of it was soon forthcoming …”

(a) What ideology did the people in the Gemini Studios align with?

Ans: Most of them wore khadi and worshipped Gandhiji but beyond that, they had not the faintest appreciation for the political thought of any kind.

(b) What did they think about Communism?

Ans: They felt that the Communist was a godless man with no love and was always out to cause and spread unrest and violence among innocent and ignorant people.

Ans: Years later, it was found out that MRA was a kind of counter-movement to international Communism and the big bosses of Madras, like Mr Vasan, had played into their hands.

8.‘….. At last, around four in the afternoon, the poet (or the editor) arrived. He was a tall man, very English, very serious and of course very unknown to all of us. Battling with half a dozen pedestal fans on the shooting stage, The Boss read out a long speech. it was obvious that he too knew precious little about the poet (or the editor). The speech was all in the most general terms but here and there it was peppered with words like ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ …”

(a) Who was the mystery guest?

Ans: Stephen Spender.

(b) What were the conjunctures of the people working in Gemini Studio?

Ans: They knew he was neither a poet nor an editor of the British publications known in Madras. The surmise was that the poet was the editor of a daily.

Ans: They neither understood the content nor the accent.

9. ‘… Stephen Spender, the poet who had visited Gemini Studios! In a moment I felt a dark chamber of my mind lit up by a hazy illumination. The reaction to Stephen Spender at Gemini Studios was no longer a mystery. The Boss of the Gemini Studios may not have much to do with Spender’s poetry. But not with his god that failed …”

(a) What is meant by ‘a dark chamber of my mind lit up by a hazy illumination’?

Ans: The author was able to place the guest fact appropriately now as to the identity of the guest and the purpose of his visit.

(b) How did the narrator realize the identity of the poet who had visited Gemini Studios?

Ans: In the British Council Library, he saw copies of The Encounter and read the editor’s name.

Ans: Here, it refers to Communism, the idea that had seemed so promising initially but had disillusioned many. The Boss had known about and shared in Stephen Spender’s disillusionment with Communism. The God That Failed was a compilation of essays by six eminent men, including the author, as a sojourn into communism and their disillusioned return.

Short Answer Type Questions

1.What is the significance of the words ‘poet’ and ‘pancake’?

Ans: ‘Pancake’ was the brand name of the make-up material that Gemini Studios bought in large quantities. It was used as a make-up base for the actors shooting in the studio. Thus this chapter deals with the people working in Gemini Studios, most of them in the make-up department. The word ‘Poets’ comes from the fact that Gemini Studios was the favourite haunt of poets, who had influenced the thinking of the employees of the Studios. It was also visited by the English poet Stephen Spender.

2. What is the writer’s view of Robert Clive?

Ans: The make-up department of the Gemini Studios was in a building that was believed to have been Robert Clive’s stables. Various other buildings in Madras were said to have been his residence. The writer says that Clive’s stay in India and specifically Madras, was for a very short period, though he married in St. Mary’s Church in Madras. But during this brief stay, he seemed to have done a lot of moving, besides fighting some tough battles in far-flung areas of India.

3. What does the writer say about national integration in the Studio?

Ans: The writer says that the make-up department did not have people belonging to the same geographical region. It was first headed by a Bengali who was succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the usual local Tamils. All this shows that people from all over the country worked together. So, in a light-hearted manner, he refers to this as national integration.

4. Bring out the humour in the job done by the make-up men.

Ans: The writer says that the ‘gang’ (not group) of men from all corners could transform any decent-looking person into a repulsive crimson coloured fiend because of the enormous amount of make-up they used on the actor. The chief make-up man-made the chief actors and actresses ugly. According to the writer, they used ‘truck-loads of pancake’. Other than the pancake, they used locally manufactured ‘potion and lotions’. He feels with so much make-up, they looked uglier than in real life. This was required to make them look acceptable in the movie.

5. What was the hierarchy that was maintained in the make-up department?

Ans: The authoritarian chain of command in the make-up department spelled the duties of the employees by their position in the hierarchy. The chief make-up man did the makeup for the main actors and actresses; his senior assistant worked on the ‘second hero and heroine’, the junior assistant on the ‘main comedian’, and so on. The players who played the crowd were the responsibility of the office boy, who was the junior-most. Because the office boy was the junior-most in the hierarchy, he was only required when a crowd scene was to be shot as he applied make-up on the crowd players.

6. Why was the ‘office boy’ disgruntled in the Studios?

Ans: The job of the ‘office boy’ was to paint the faces of the crowd on the days when there was an outdoor shooting. Such occasions in those days were rare as only 5 per cent of the film was shot outdoors. Moreover, he wasn’t a ‘boy’ but a man in his early forties, who had joined the studios years ago in the hope of becoming a star actor or a top screenwriter, director or lyrics writer. He felt that his literary talent was being allowed to go waste in a department that was suitable only for ‘barbers and perverts’.

12th standard On The Face Of It

Question & answers

1. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr Lamb in spite of himself?

Answer.Derry notices Mr Lamb is different from others. Mr Lamb shows fearlessness on seeing Derry’s burnt face. Rather, he lovingly talks to him. Derry thinks that his problem is big enough to make him the saddest person in the world. But later, after listening Mr Lamb, he finds his problem to be a small one and starts managing Mr Lamb. I believe that the unusual conversation between Mr Lamb and Derry has pulled him towards Mr Lamb, notwithstanding himself.

2. In which section of the play does Mr Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome these feelings?

Answer. It is midway through the first scene of the story that Mr Lamb exhibits signs of loneliness and disappointment. Although the solitude of Derry controls the play, there are evident shades of Mr. Lamb’s loneliness during the first view of the play. Mr Lamb shows signs of separation when Derry says that he has listened to a lot of passive things about Mr Lamb. Mr Lamb decides to overcome those emotions by listening to the song of the bees in the beehive on the tree in his garden. These are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome his loneliness.

3. The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. What is the kind of behaviour that the person expects from others?

Answer. A person with physical impairment can live life with honour and respect if he is not exposed and punished with ruthless pity. He expects compassion rather than sympathy. Being with a weakness doesn’t mean one is not human. It is an individual with just a tiny defect. There is no necessity for the alienation of disabled people. Helping them in improving their skills, notwithstanding their inabilities, by acting ordinarily with them would be a great thing to do. That is something they would expect from us.

4. Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr Lamb’s brief association effect a change in the kind of life he will lead in the future?

Answer. No, Derry will not get back to his privacy. The small association of Derry with Mr Lamb raised his self-assurance and encouraged him to respect himself. I think Mr Lamb’s brief association would bring a difference in the life of Derry that he is going to lead in the future. It’s because, within a short period, Mr Lamb made him satisfied and comfortable. He has also taught Derry the wish to work for something rather than thinking about his broken face. This will definitely change Derry’s approach towards other people and will surely have an impact on the life that he is going to lead in the future.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1.“Mind the apples!”, says Mr Lamb. Why do you think, does he issue this instruction, to whom and how many times?

Ans. Mr Lamb issues this instruction to Derry, a boy of fourteen, who climbs over the garden wall and enters the garden. He asks Derry twice to mind the apples which have been blown down by the wind from the tree and strewn in the grass. He (Derry) could put his foot on some apple, fall down and hint himself.

Q2. What is the attitude of Mr Lamb to the small boy who comes to his garden ?

Ans. Mr Lamb’s attitude to the small boy is quite gentle, protective and accommodating. Like an elder in the family offering advice and instructions to the younger members, Mr Lamb advises the young boy to mind the apples lest he should trip. He also advises the boy not to feel afraid.

Q3. What explanation does the small boy offer for coming into the garden? How does Mr Lamb react to it?

Ans. The boy thought that this was an empty place. He did not know there was anybody there. Mr Lamb assures him that it is all right. He asks the boy what he is afraid of. He tells the boy that the house is empty as he is in the garden and is likely to stay there. Such a beautiful day should not be wasted indoors.

Q4. “I ‘m not afraid. People are afraid of me,” says Derry. What do people think on seeing his face? How do they react then?

Ans. On looking at Derry’s face they find it bad and frightful. They think that it is the ugliest thing they have ever seen. They call him a poor boy as one side of his face has been burnt by acid. Some of them are afraid of his ugly and horrible face.

Q5. How does Mr Lamb change the subject from ugly face to ripe apples?

How does Mr Lamb keep himself busy when it is a bit cooler ?

Ans. There is a momentary pause in the conversation. Then Mr Lamb changes the subject. He says that when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick. Then he will pull down those ripe crab apples. He makes jelly. He calls these orange coloured and golden apples magic fruit. September is a good time to make jelly. He tells the boy that he could help him.

Q6. Why, according to Derry, has the old man changed the subject?

Ans. Derry says that people always change the subject. They don’t ask him about his physical impairment. They simply pretend that it is not true and isn’t there. They don’t want the boy to mind and get upset. He thinks that the old man has changed the subject because he is afraid to ask him about his burnt face.

Q7. “You got burned in a fire,” says Mr Lamb. What do you think, had happened to Derry’s face?

Ans. Derry’s face did not get burned in a fire. He got acid all down that side of his face and it burned it all away. Derry says that this acid not only ate his face up, it also ate him up. One side of his face is ugly and it won’t ever be any different.

Q8. How does Mr Lamb react to Derry’s query: ‘Aren’t you interested’?

Ans. Mr Lamb tells Derry that he is interested in anybody and anything. There’s nothing God made that does not interest him. Fruit and flowers, trees and herbs, grass and weeds all interest him. Even stuff or rubbish is interesting. He finds no essential difference between a “weed’ and another ‘flower’ as both represent life—developing or growing.

Q9. “We’re not the same”, says Derry. How does Mr Lamb try to convince him that there is no essential difference between them?

Ans. Derry and Mr Lamb are both of the same species. They represent various stages of growth. Derry is young, Mr Lamb is old. Both suffer from the same physical impairment. Derry has a burnt face. The old man has got a tin leg. But this physical disability is not important. What is important is that both are alive. Derry is standing there whereas Mr Lamb is sitting.

Q10. How, according to Derry, does the tin leg not trouble Mr Lamb? What explanation does the old man offer?

Ans. Derry thinks that the old man can put on trousers and cover up his tin leg. Then no one sees it. So, people don’t have to notice and stare at, as they do at his face. Mr Lamb replies that some people do notice and stare at his disability. Some don’t. In the end, they get tired of it. Moreover, there are plenty of things to stare at.

Q11.“There’s plenty of other things to stare at.” Which ‘things’ are worth staring at and why?

Ans. According to the old man there are plenty of things to stare at. These include crab apples or the weeds or a spider climbing up a silken ladder, or his tall sun-flowers. All of them are beautiful and ‘growing’. Derry is surprised at the mention of ‘things’. Mr Lamb tries to convince him that it is all relative. Then he mentions ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

Q12. How does Derry interpret the fairy stoiy ‘Beauty and the Beast’? What does he feel about himself?

Ans. Derry says that he has been told that story before. It teaches us that outward appearance does not matter. It is what one is inside that is important. Handsome is that handsome does. Beauty loved the monstrous beast for himself. When she kissed him, he changed into a handsome prince. No one except Derry’s mother kisses him. She too kisses him on the other side of the face. He has developed a negative attitude and says he does not care ’ “if nobody ever kissed” him.

Q13. How, according to Derry, do people try to console those suffering from some physical impairment?

Ans. They ask the person to look at all those people who are in pain and brave. They never cry or complain. They don’t feel sorry for themselves. Then the person is asked to think of all

those persons worse off than him. One might have been blinded or bom deaf, or confined to a wheelchair, or be crazy and dribble. Since Derry has none of these disabilities he is far better placed.

Q14. Why do these arguments fail to console Derry ?

Ans. Derry has developed negative attitude. He says that the arguments to console him will not make his face change. He feels more hurt and pained by the comments of persons or what he overhears. Once he heard a woman in the street whispering to another, “Look at that, that’s a terrible thing. That’s a face only a mother could love.” Derry calls it cruel of them.

Q15. How does Mr Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry’?

Ans. Derry has developed withdrawal symptoms. He doesn’t like being near people. Mr Lamb tells him the story of a person who was afraid of everything in the world. So he went into his room and locked the door. He got into his bed and stayed there for a while. Then a picture fell off the wall on to his head and killed him.

Q16. Which fears did the man suffer from? What is the common factor in all of them?

Ans. The man feared that a bus might run him over, or a man might breathe deadly germs onto him, or a donkey might kick him to death or lightning might strike him down, or he might love a girl and the girl would leave him, and he might slip on a banana skin and fall and people who saw him would laugh their heads off. Most of these fears are imaginary.

Q17. What peculiar things does Derry notice about the old man?

Ans. Derry thinks that the old man is peculiar. He says peculiar things. He asks questions which Derry does not understand. There are no curtains at the windows in his house. He likes the light and darkness and hears the wind with the windows open.

Q18. What does Derry listen about himself? How does he react to it?

Ans. Derry listens to what his parents talk about him downstairs when he is not there. They seem to be anxious about him and his future. What he will ever do and how will he ever get on in that world. What is going to happen to him with that bum mark on his face. They say what is going to happen to him when they have died.

Q19. In what ways does Mr Lamb inspire Derry to overcome his physical disability?

Ans. Mr Lamb tells Derry that he ‘has got two arms, two legs and eyes and ears. He has got a tongue and a brain. He will get on the way he wants, like all the rest. And if he chooses and sets his mind to it, he could get on even better than all the rest.

Q20. “People are never just nothing. Never.” Why does Mr Lamb say so? Why does he advise Derry not to hate anyone?

Ans. Mr Lamb says that he has friends every where. Derry says that the people passing us in the street are not our friends. Mr Lamb tells him that they are not enemies either. When Derry says they are “Just nothing”, Mr Lamb makes this remark. He tells Derrry that hatred does more harm than any bottle of acid. Acid only bums the face, but hatred may bum a person away inside.

Q21. How should people be judged?

Ans. People should not be judged by what they look like. They must be judged by their actions. Appearances may be deceptive. On the other hand, people with physical impairments overcome their disabilities and perform wonderful feats in different spheres.

Q22. How, according to Mr Lamb, can one overcome of sense of hurt or humiliation caused by remarks at one’s physical disability?

Ans. Mr Lamb does not provide a straight forward solution. He says that in the street kids shout “Lamey-Lamb” at him. Still they come to his garden. They are not afraid of him because he is not afraid of them. He simply ignores their comments. He concentrates on other things which are encouraging and positive.

12th standard Memories Of Childhood

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. What does Zitkala-Sa remember about her ‘first day in the land of apples’?

Ans. It was a bitter-cold day. The snow still covered the ground. The trees were bare. A large bell rang for breakfast. Its loud metallic sound crashed through the belfry overhead and penetrated into their sensitive ears.

Q2. How did Zitkala-Sa react to the various sounds that came when the large bell rang for breakfast?

Ans. The annoying clatter of shoes on bare floors disturbed the peace. There was a constant clash of harsh noises and an undercurrent of many voices murmuring an unknown tongue. All these sounds made a bedlam within which she was securely tied. Her spirit tore itself in struggling for its lost freedom

Q3. Where were the girls taken and how ?

Ans. The girls were marching into the dining room in a line. The Indian girls were in stiff shoes and tightly sticking dresses. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and shingled hair. They did not seem to care that they were indecently dressed.

Q4. “I felt like sinking to the floor”, says Zitkala-Sa. When did she feel so and why ?

Ans. It was her first day at school. She was marching into the dining room with other girls in a line. She walked noiselessly in her soft moccasins. But she felt that she was immodestly dressed, as her blanket had been removed from her shoulders. So, she felt like sinking to the floor.

Q5. “But this eating by formula was not the hardest trial in that first day”, says Zitkala-Sa. What does she mean by ‘eating by formula’ ?

Ans. The ringing of a large bell summoned the students to the dining room. Then a small bell tapped. Each pupil drew a chair from under the table. Then a second bell was sounded. All were seated. A man’s voice was heard at one end of the hall. They hung their heads over the plates. The man ended his mutterings. Then a third bell tapped. Everyone picked up his/her knife and fork and began eating.

Q6. How did Zitkala-Sa find the ‘eating by formula’ a hard trial?

Ans. She did not know what to do when the various bells were tapped and behaved unlike others. When the first bell rang, she pulled out her chair and sat in it. As she saw others standing, she began to rise. She looked shyly around to see how chairs were used. When the second bell was sounded, she had to crawl back into her chair. She looked around when a man was speaking at the end of the hall. She dropped her eyes when she found the paleface woman looking at her. After the third bell, others started eating, but she began to cry.

Q7. What did Judewin tell Zitkala-Sa? How did she react to it?

Ans. Judewin knew a few words of English. She had overheard the paleface woman. She was talking about cutting their long, heavy hair. Judewin said, “We have to submit, because they are strong.” Zitkala-Sa rebelled. She declared that she would not submit. She would struggle first.

Q8. ‘Why, do you think, was Zitkala-Sa so opposed to cutting of her hair?

Ans. Zitkala-Sa had heard from her mother that only unskilled warriors, who were captured, had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among their people, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by cowards. Since she was neither, she was dead against cutting of her long hair.

Q9. How did Zitkala-Sa try to avoid the inevitable loss of her long hair ?

Ans. She crept up the stairs and passed along the hall. She did not know where she was going. She turned aside to an open door. She found a large room with three white beds in it. The windows were covered with dark green curtains. She went to the comer farthest from the door and crawled under the bed in the darkest corner.

Q10. How was the search made for Zitkala-Sa?

Ans. First, they called out her name in the hall in loud voices. Then the steps were quickened. The voices became excited. The sounds came nearer. Women and girls entered the room. They opened closet doors. They peeped behind large trunks. Someone threw up the curtains. The room was filled with sudden light. Someone stooped, looked under the bed and found her there.

Q11. How was Zitkala-Sa treated on being traced from her hiding place ?

Ans. Zitkala-Sa was dragged out. She tried to resist by kicking and scratching wildly. But she was overpowered. She was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair. She cried aloud and kept shaking her head.

Q12. What did Zitkala-Sa feel when her long hair was cut? ‘

Ans. When she heard them remove one of her thick braids, she lost her spirit. She had suffered utmost indignities there. People had stared at her. She had been tossed about in the air like a wooden puppet and now her long hair was shingled like a coward’s. In her anguish, she moaned for her mother. She felt herself as one of the many little animals driven by a herder.

Q13. Which words of her brother made a deep impression on Bama? [Delhi 2014]

Ans. While returning home, Bama’s elder brother told her that although people do not get to decide the family they are bom into, they can outwit the indignities inflicted upon them. It left a deep impression on her.

Q14. Name some of the novelties and oddities in the streets that attracted Bama?

Ans. These included the performing monkey, the snakecharmer’s snake, the cyclist who had kept on biking for three days, the spinning wheels, the Maariyaata temple and the huge bell hanging there. She also noticed the pongal offerings being cooked in front of the temple.

Q15. What were the articles in flit stalls and shops that fascinated Bama?

Ans. She saw the dried fish stall by the statue of Gandhiji; the sweet stall, and the stall selling fried snacks. There were many other shops next to each other. Then there was the narikkuravan huntergypsy. He had his wild lemur in cages. He sold needles, clay beads and instruments for cleaning out the ears.

Q16. What sort of shows or entertainments attracted the passers-by?

Ans. Sometimes various political parties put up a stage. They addressed people through their mikes. There might be a street play, a puppet show, or a “no magic, no miracle” stunt performance. There was some entertainment or the other happening there from time to time.

Q17. Which actions of the people would Bama watch keenly in the bazaar?

Ans. She watched how each waiter in the various coffee clubs would cool the coffee. He would lift a tumbler high up. Then he would pour its contents into another tumbler held in the other hand. She observed how the people, chopping up onion, would turn their eyes elsewhere to avoid irritation in their eyes.

Q18. Why was Zitkala-Sa in tears on the first day in the land of apples?

Ans. On the first day in the land of apples, Zitkala-sa was in tears. The main reason of tears was that her hair was mercilessly cut. She had heard from her mother that only unskilled warriors, who were captured, had their hair shingled by the enemy. That is why she shook her head in resistance.

Q19. Which fruit or sweet delicacies did she observe in the bazaar?

Ans. There would be mango, cucumber, sugar-cane, sweet potato, palm-shoots, gram, palm- syrup, palm-fruit, guavas and jack-fruit, according to the season. She would see people selling sweet and savoury fried snacks, payasam, halva, boiled tamarind seeds and iced lollies each day.

Q20. How were the threshing proceedings going on in the corner of the street?

Ans. There was a threshing floor set up in the comer of the street. People were hard at work. They were driving cattle in pairs, round and round, to tread out the grain from the straw. The animals were muzzled so that they couldn’t eat the straw. Bama stood there watching for fun. The landlord was watching the proceedings. He was seated on a piece of sacking spread over a stone ledge.

Q21. What, do you think, made Bama want to double up and shriek with laughter?

Ans. Bama saw an elder of their street coming along from the direction of the bazaar. He was a big man. He was carrying a small packet, holding it out by its string. The manner in which he was walking along made Bama want to double up. She wanted to shriek with laughter at the funny sight.

Q22. How did the elder approach the landlord and offer him the packet?

Ans. The elder went straight up to the landlord. Then he bowed low and extended the packet towards him. He cupped the hand that held the string with his other hand. The landlord opened the parcel and began to eat the vadais.

Q23. What explanation did Bama’s elder brother Annan give her about the elder’s “funny” behaviour?

Ans. Annan told Bama that the man was not being funny when he carried the package by the string for his landlord. The upper caste people believed that others must not touch them. If they did, they would be polluted. That was the reason why he (the elder man) had to carry the package by its string.

Q24. How did Bama react on learning about untouchability?

Ans. Bama became sad on listening how the upper caste people behaved towards low caste persons like them. She felt provoked and angry. She wanted to touch those vadais herself. She wondered why their elders should run errants for the miserly rich upper caste landlords and hand them over things reverently, bowing and shrinking all the while.

Q25. How did the landlord’s man behave with Annan?

Ans. The man thought that Annan looked unfamiliar, and asked his name respectfully. However, his manner changed as soon as Annan told his name. The man immediately asked the name of the street he lived in. The purpose was to identify his caste from the name of the street.

Q26. How, according to Annan, was the caste system discriminatory? How can one overcome the indignities?

Ans. Annan said that the lower caste people were never given any honour or dignity or respect. They were deprived of all that. Thus, the caste system was discriminatory. But, if they studied and made progress, they could throw away those indignities.

Q27. What advice did Annan offer Bama? What was the result?

Ans. Annan advised Bama to study with care and learn all that she could. If she was always ahead in her lessons, people would come to her of their own accord and attach themselves to her. Bama followed her brother’s advice and studied hard. She stood first in her class, and because of that, many people became her friends.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. Why did Zitkala-Sa feel oppressed in new establishment?

Ans. Since the day, the author was taken away from her mother, she had suffered extreme indignities. People had stared at her. She had been tossed about in the air like a wooden puppet. Her blanket had been removed from her shoulders. She felt that she was immodestly dressed. She was so shocked and oppressed that she felt like sinking to the floor. Later, her soft moccasins were taken away. These were the traditional footwear of the local Indian American. They were replaced by squeaking shoes. She saw other Indian girls in stiff shoes and tightly sticking dresses. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and shingled hair. The worst indignity she suffered was the cutting of her long hair. The coward’s shingled hair made her moan with anguish. She felt she was not a human being but one of the little animals driven by a herder. The systematic erosion of their culture and disrespect to women was quite oppressive.

Q2. “But this eating by formula was not the hardest trial in that first day”, says Zitkala-Sa.What do you understand by ‘eating by formula’ and how did she find it a hard trial?

Ans. There was a fixed procedure laid down for breakfast. Zitkala-Sa calls it ‘eating by formula’. The ringing of a large bell summoned the inmates to the dining room. Boys and girls entered the dining room in lines from separate doors. Then a small bell was tapped. Each of the pupil drew a chair from under the table. The writer also did so. She supposed this act meant they were to be seated. So she slipped into the chair. She found others standing. Just when she began to rise, looking shyly, the second bell sounded and all sat down. Then she heard a man’s voice at one end of the hall. She looked around to see him. But all the others hung their heads over their plates. She found the paleface woman watching her. When the man ceased his mutterings, a third bell was tapped. Everyone picked up his knife and fork and began eating. She began to cry. She was so afraid that she could not do anything further. Her discomfiture was caused by her unfamiliarity with the procedure. However, she found it a difficult experience—a sort of trial.

12th standard The Enemy

1. There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the story you have just read.

Answer.The story revolves around human values that motivate a Japanese doctor, the protagonist, to help an enemy during war. The story is about a doctor who encounters a severely wounded enemy soldier. Being a doctor and as a human being, he observes the white man in critical condition who badly requires the doctor’s help. However, he is afraid of assisting him as the man belongs to the rival country. If he treats the white man, it will make him feel disloyal towards his country. But when he decides to hand over the man to the cops, he feels he is not capable of keeping up his job professionally.

2. Dr Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?

Answer.Dr. Sadao and his wife Hana knew that everyone would question their decision to save the enemy soldier. Hana felt sympathetic to him because she completely understood what Sadao was feeling at that time, as she had known Dr. Sadao for a long period of time. She was aware that his duty compelled Dr. Sadao as a doctor but simultaneously felt it might be considered a lack of patriotism on his part. He was hiding the foe in his home, and their domestic staff had also left the job, making the condition even worse. This helpless situation of her husband made her feel sympathy towards him.

3. How would you explain the reluctance of the soldier to leave the shelter of the doctor’s home even when he knew he couldn’t stay there without risk to the doctor and himself?

Answer.The story says that the white man named Tom was very young, nearly seventeen years old, and he was admitted into the army. When the American war prisoner became conscious and understood that he had been rescued by a Japanese family, he worried that he would soon be handed over to their army. When he walked inside the doctor’s home, the treatment he got from them made him feel affectionate towards them. He knew that although he was a threat to Dr Sadao’s family, his life might be saved there. Overwhelmed with thankfulness towards them, he finally decided to comply with what the doctor planned for him to escape.

4. What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty or simply self-absorption?

Answer.The general was governed by total self-aborption. He was a patient of Dr Sadao, and when it came to his health, he trusted no one else but him. He couldn’t risk going unprotected if the doctor was executed for treason. He had personal assassins whom he vowed to use to eliminate the wounded soldier. But he sadly ‘forgot’ about his promise to help the doctor. He was not swayed by humane considerations.

5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?

Answer.It is very natural to hate one’s enemies, but more challenging is to accept them and to show love towards them. While hatred against the enemy is logical, particularly during wartime, the sense of humanity makes a human being rise above narrow preconceptions. It is obvious that countries at war are enemies, and hatred is a part of this enmity. It becomes essential to break the chains and stand aside from the crowd. Here in this story, when the doctor observed the injured enemy, he was unable to resist his natural impulse to help the man. It is the best example to describe the situation that makes a human being rise above conventional biases.

6. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?

Answer.The doctor attempted his best to save the injured soldier as a part of his service. But the final question was what to do next. It cannot be said that he betrayed his land as he told the truth to the General. The final decision he made was advantageous to both the white man and the doctor’s family as he treated him very finely. He also presented him with attire and food and asked him to leave for his native place. By doing this, he saved himself too. However, when the general remarked that the injured soldier was to be killed not for the advantage of the country but only to save the doctor’s life, he decided to help him flee. In such a condition, the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one.

7. Does the story remind you of ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the similarities?

Answer.Yes, the story reminds me of “Birth” by A.J. Cronin. There are many striking similarities between Birth and The Enemy. Both stories show the gentle character of the doctors towards their patients, irrespective of other circumstances. “Birth” describes the very practical nature of the doctor when Morgan calls him for his child. In “The Enemy”, the doctor helps the white man because of his injury, although he is his enemy. “Birth” shows the patient nature of a doctor. Though the baby is lifeless at birth, the doctor continues to hope to save it. And in “The Enemy”, the doctor takes care of white sailors for many days till the white man securely goes through the boat. In both stories, the doctors treat their patients with devotion towards their job, whatever the situation. For Dr Sadao, the risk was to let the white man stay, and for that, they could get arrested, while Dr Andrew risked giving a new life to the ‘stillborn’ baby. Consequently, both stories deal with humanity’s love, affection, selflessness, and a strong sense of duty.

12th std A Roadside Stand

A Roadside Stand Introduction

In ‘A Roadside Stand’, the poet Robert Frost describes the miserable condition of the people living in the countryside. The city people who drive through the countryside hardly stop at the roadside stand nor do they care tor the people who run it. If at all they do stop, they do so to criticise the place and the people. Frost describes the lives of the poor people with pitiless clarity and with deepest sympathy and humanity.

Question and answers

Question 1.

Why do the people who run the roadside stand wait for the squeal of brakes so eagerly?

Answer:

The “squealing of brakes” means that a car has stopped at their roadside stand. It raises their hopes that the city-folk have stopped there to buy something from their roadside stand and some city money will come into their hands.

Question 2.

Explain: “soothe them out of them wits” with reference to the poem The Roadside Stand’.

Answer:

The powerful men approach the country folk with false promises of providing them with better living conditions and a better life. These innocent and simple rustics repose blind faith in their false claims and feel soothed and satisfied. They fail to see through their crookedness and selfishness.

Question 3.

Why does Robert Frost sympathise with the rural poor?

Answer:

Robert Frost feels an unbearable agony at the plight of the rural poor who are ignored and neglected by the rich politicians. The Government and the party in power are indifferent to their welfare. They fool them by making false promises and then fully exploit them to suit their own selfish interests.

Question 4.

What was the plea of the folk who had put up the roadside stand?

Answer:

The folk who had put up the roadside stand pleaded to the city dwellers to stop and buy their wares so as to enable them to earn some extra money for a decent living. They wanted that the rich people who passed from there in their cars should stop there and buy some goods from them. The money that these folks would earn from the rich people would help them to lead a better life.

Question 5.

What is the ‘childish longing’ of the folk who had put up the roadside stand? Why is it ‘in vain’?

Answer:

The ‘childish longing’, the poet refers to, is the dreams and desires of the rural folk who have a child-like longing for a better life that they hope to live with the help from the city dwellers. Their longing is in vain because the city folk are not willing to help them and so their ‘childish longings’ are not likely to be fulfilled.

Question 6.

Why didn’t the ‘polished traffic’ stop at the roadside stand?

Answer:

The ‘polished traffic’ conveniently overlook the roadside stand and do not stop there as their mind is focussed only on their destination. Moreover, they were critical of the poor decor of the stand, its artless interior and paint.

Question 7.

What news in the poem ‘A Roadside Stand’ is making its round in the village?

Answer:

The news making its round is about the resettlement of the poor, rural people who will be resettled in the villages, next to the theatre and the store. They would be close to the cities and will not have to worry about themselves any more.

Question 8.

Why do people at the roadside stand ask for city money?

Answer:

The rural people running the roadside stand are poor and deprived, unlike the people of the city. They thus ask for city money so that they too can lead a life of happiness and prosperity. This much-needed city money can give them the life that had been promised to them by the party in power.

Question 9.

What does Frost himself feel about the roadside stand?

Answer:

The poet is distressed to see the interminable wait on the part of the shed owners for their prospective buyers. He is agonised at the ‘childish longing in vain’ of the people who have put up the roadside stand.

2. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:

Question 10.

The little old house was out with a little new shed

In front at the edge of the road where the traffic sped,

A roadside stand that too pathetically pled,

It would not be fair to say for a dole of bread,

But for some of the money, the cash, whose flow

supports

The flower of cities from sinking and withering faint.

Where was the new shed put up? What was its purpose?

Why does the poet use the word ‘pathetic’?

Explain: ‘too pathetically pled’

Who are referred to as ‘the flower of cities’?

Answer:

1. A little house at one side of the road was extended and a shed was added to it to put up a road stand. It was set up to attract passersby to buy things from them so that they could earn some money.

2. By using the word ‘pathetic’ the poet emphasizes on the fact that the condition of the shed was most humble and that it presented a rather pitiable sight.

3. It was as if by putting up the shed the owner was desperately pleading to the rich city folks to stop by at his roadside stand and buy things from there so that they could earn some extra money.

4. ‘The flower of the cities’ here refers to the rich and wealthy city-dwellers who can afford the best things.

Question 11.

The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,

Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts

At having the landscape marred with the artless paint

Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned

wrong

Offered for sale wild berries in wooden quarts,

What does the poet mean by ‘with a mind ahead?

What are N and S signs?

Why have these sings turned wrong?

Answer:

1. The phrase ‘with a mind ahead’ suggests that the people who pass the roadside stand in their polished cars conveniently overlook the roadside stand as their mind is focussed only on their destination.

2. The N and S signs stand for the North and the South direction.

3. These signs have turned wrong because they have been painted in the wrong way and so these signboards are wrongly presented.

Question 12.

Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene,

You have the money, but if you want to be mean,

Why keep your money (this crossly) and go along.

The hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be my complaint

So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid

What attraction does the place offer?

What should one do if one wants to be mean?

What does the poet not complain about?

What do you think is the real worry of the poet?

Answer:

1. The place offers a scenic view of the beautiful mountains.

2. If one wants to be mean he can keep his money and move on ahead.

3. The poet does not complain about the landscape which has been spoilt because of the artless painting done on the building.

4. The poet’s real worry is the unexpressed sorrow of the people who have put up the roadside stand.

Question 13.

It is in the news that all these pitiful kin

Are to be bought out and mercifully gathered in

To live in villages, next to the theatre and the store,

Where they won’t have to think for themselves

anymore,

While greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey,

Name the poem and the poet.

Explain why merciful have been called ‘greedy good-doers’ and ‘beneficent beasts of prey’?

Why won’t these poor people have to think for themselves any more?

Answer:

1. The poem is ‘A Roadside Stand’ by Robert Frost.

2. The merciful are the crooked politicians, greedy people pretending to be good, who only pose as beneficiaries. These powerful men are actually beasts of prey in the guise of beneficiaries who ruthlessly exploit the common people.

3. These poor people are now in the hands of the so-called ‘merciful beneficiaries’, who will actually do them more harm than any good, so they will not have to think about themselves any more.

Question 14.

Sometimes 1 feel myself I can hardly bear

The thought of so much childish longing in vain,

The sadness that lurks near the open window there,

That waits all day in almost open prayer

For the squeal of brakes, the sound of a stopping car,

Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass.

What cannot be borne by the poet and why?

What is the ‘childish longing7?

Why the longing has been termed as ‘vain’?

Why do the people driving in the cars stop sometimes?

Answer:

1. The poet cannot bear the thought of how these country folks are lured with false promises which are never going to be fulfilled because he feels genuinely sad about so much deprivation to these innocent people.

2. Like children, these country folk have many unfulfilled wishes and desires. So they keep their windows open expecting some prospective customers to turn up so that some good fortune can fall into their share.

3. The longing has been termed as ‘vain’ because it will never be fulfilled.

4. The people driving in the car stop sometimes either to just enquire about the way to their destination or to ask for a gallon of gas if they ran short of it.

Question 15.

Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear

The thought of so much childish longing in vain,

The sadness that lurks near the open window there,

Why is the longing called childish?

Where is the window?

Why does sadness lurk there?

Answer:

1. Like children, these rural folk nurture many unfulfilled dreams and desires which might never be satisfied. They crave in vain like children waiting for their wishes to be fulfilled.

2. The window is a part of their roadside stand where they wait expectantly.

3. Sadness lurks there because no car halts there to buy anything from their roadside stand and the rural folk are unable to earn some extra money.

Question 16.

The sadness that lurks near the open window there, That waits all day in almost open prayer For the squeal of brakes, the sound of a stopping car, Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass,

Just one to inquire a farmer’s prices are.

Which open window is referred to? Why does sadness lurk there?

What does the farmer pray for?

Is the farmer’s prayer ever granted? How do you know?

Answer:

1. The open window is that of the roadside stand where they wait expectantly for a car to stop by. Sadness lurks there because no city dweller halts there and thus the hopes of the country folk are belied as no customer stops there.

2. The farmer prays that the city folks apply the brakes of the car and halt at their roadside stand to buy something from there.

3. The farmers’ prayers are not granted. The poet tells us that even if city folk do stop at the roadside stand it is only to enquire about the prices of the goods.

12th standard GOING PLACES

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?

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.

Extra questions:

1. Sophie and Jansie were class-mates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?

Ans. Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends, but they couldn’t have been more different. Sophie was a daydreamer who was ambitious, had a lot of fantasies, and was not realistic. Sophie aspired to make a lot of money and become famous. Jansie, on the other hand, was realistic, grounded, and aware of her fate.

2. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?

Ans. Sophie’s father is a very practical person who becomes enraged when she tells him about her fantasy dreams. He was characterized as a plum-faced, sweaty man with no refined behavior or appropriate food patterns. He was a football fan who went to a pub to celebrate his team’s victory.

3. Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?

Ans. Sophie liked her brother, Geoff, more than anyone else because he didn’t talk much and was often lost in his thoughts. She envied his silence and imagined that he had access to a mysterious world. She wished to be a part of that world, and she imagined herself dressed up and welcomed by everyone. For Sophie, Geoff symbolized liberty from the monotonous life they had been living. Geoff represented freedom from the monotonous life they had been living for Sophie.

4. What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status?

Ans. Sophie came from a lower-middle-class family. While describing the setup of the house, which was small with a cluttered sink and a pile of dirty dishes, and while Jansie considers working in the biscuit factory after school, their financial situation is revealed. Furthermore, Geoff’s occupation as a mechanic and Sophie’s dream, the desire to become famous and earn good money; another scene in the story in which her father rides his bicycle to the pub indicates their financial background.

Sunday 1 January 2023

11th std The Tale of Melon City

Short Answer Type Questions ( 3 marks)

Question 1:What sort of king ruled over the state? What did he proclaim?

Answer:The king was fair and gentle. He seemed to be interested in the welfare of the masses. So he proclaimed that an arch should be constructed which should extend across the major thoroughfare. He hoped that it would improve people’s mind on looking at it.

Question 2:Why did the king ride down the thoroughfare and what was the result?

Answer:The king rode down the thoroughfare to edify spectators there. Since the arch was built too low, he lost his crown under it. A frown appeared on his mild face and he called it a disgrace.

Question 3:Who was held responsible for the disgrace? How did he /they react to it? What do you learn about the king?

Answer:The chief of builders was field responsible for the disgrace and ordered to be hanged. The chief called it the workmen’s fault. The king ordered to have all the workmen hanged. The workmen looked surprised but they blamed the wrong size of bricks for it. This shows the king’s fickle mindedness.

Question 4:What argument did the architect advance in self-defence? How did the king take it?

Answer:The architect reminded the king that he had made certain amendments to the original plans of the architect He suggested that it was the fault of the king himself. On hearing it, the king became so angry that he nearly lost his ability to act sensibly or calmly.

Question 5:Why did the king need some counsel and from whom? Do you think the man was really the wisest one? Give a reason for your answer.

Answer:The king got confused by the architect’s clever self-defense. So, he needed the advice of the wisest man in the country. The man selected was so old that he could neither walk nor see. He was not really the wisest one as wisdom does not necessarily come with age. His advice proves his worthlessness.

Question 6:

Comment upon the criteria of selection of the wisest man and the quality of counsel he offered.

Answer:

The criteria was that wisdom comes with grey hair. The old man they selected could not walk or see. He spoke in a trembling voice. The advice he offered was absurd. A lifeless object cannot be deprived of life by hanging it.

Question 7:What does the comment of the councillor about the arch reveal about himself and the king?

Answer:It shows the councillor’s sycophancy and the King’s capriciousness. The councillor, an expert in the art of flattery, checked the king from an absurd action, through an argument that appeared logical. The thoughtless king mused over it.

Question 8:Why did the king succumb to public demand?

Answer:The king noticed that the crowd of spectators had become restless and people were muttering aloud. He judged their mood. He trembled to think of the consequences if they were deprived of the fun of watching someone being hanged. So, in order to save his skin, he ordered that someone be hanged immediately.

Question 9:What was the result of the King’s thoughtless order?

Answer:The king ordered that someone be hanged immediately. So the noose was set up somewhat high. Each man was measured one by one. Only one man was found tall enough to fit the noose. He was the king. He was hanged by the royal order. Thus the king paid with his life for his thoughtless order.

Question 10:Why did the Ministers feel relieved? Do you think their elation was justified?

Answer:The Ministers felt relieved that the public’s eagerness to watch a hanging had been satisfied. They expressed their pleasure by saying that they found someone for hanging. They believed that if they had failed to do so, the unruly town might have turned against the king. Their elation is misplaced. The king had to lose his life to keep the public in good humour.

Question 11:What opinion do you form of the King’s Ministers on the basis of their actions after the King’s death?

Answer:The Ministers believed in tradition and ceremonies. They shouted in one breath, ‘Long live the king! The king is dead’. They were practical-minded men. They knew that the throne could not be left unoccupied. The crown being a symbol of power, someone must be crowned as king.

Question 12:What ‘custom’ of the citizens is referred to in the tale? How did the Ministers decide to observe it?

Answer:It is their custom to choose the new ruler of their state. Whoever passed the City Gate first of all the next day, would choose the ruler of the state. This method of random choice excluded dynastic rule as well as conspiracies. The Ministers decided to observe it with proper formality.

Question 13:How was the new ruler of the state selected?

Answer:The Ministers sent out messengers to declare that the next man to pass the City Gate would choose the ruler of their state. An idiot happened to pass the gate. When asked to decide who was to be the king, he replied, “A melon.” This was his standard answer to all questions. The Ministers declared that a melon would be their new ruler.

Question 14:What does the selection process of the new ruler of the state reveal about the ministers and the people?

How did the people and ministers react to the selection of ‘a melon’ as the new ruler?

Answer:The selection process seems quite ridiculous. It also shows how ignorant masses stick to traditions and clever ministers go on be fooling them. They are more worried about their own peace, freedom and business affairs than the ruler. This shows how selfish, self-centred and ego-centric they are.

Long Answer Type Questions( 6 marks)

Question 1:How did the accused try to shift the blame on others? How far did they succeed?

Answer:The chief of builders was the first one to be held guilty. He shifted the blame on the workmen. The workmen were surprised but did not lose their reasoning power. They told the king he had forgotten the fact that the bricks were made of the wrong size. Swayed by their rational argument, the masons were summoned. They trembled with fear, but shifted the blame on the architect who was responsible for planning and erecting the arch. The king ordered the architect to be hanged. The clever architect reminded the king that he had forgotten one small thing. He had made certain amendments to plans when the former had shown them to the latter. This clearly meant that he held the king responsible for the mishap. The king became very angry and lost” his capacity of clear judgement. He called it a tricky thing and sought the advice of the wisest man in the country. Thus each accused succeeded in shifting the blame on others.

Question 2:What impression do you gather about the king from ‘The Tale of Melon City’?

Answer:The just and placid king appears quite ruthless as he becomes ‘placider’ and decides to have all the workmen hanged instead of the chief of builders. His wobbling mind and capricious nature is indicated by the frequent changes in his decision. He is easily swayed by arguments and seems fickle-minded. He seems to be eager about public welfare and gets an arch constructed across the thoroughfare to edify them. The whimsical king is easily outwitted by the clever architect. The king loses his head in a fit of anger. In order to save his skin, he seeks the advice of the wisest man in the country. The king wants to keep the public in good humour. He is quite observant and judges the mood of the masses correctly. His lack of foresight proves to be his doom. The height of the noose fits only his neck. He foolishly becomes a victim of his own order. He wants to prevent a public revolt but pays for the public amusement with his blood. Thus he is a short-sighted crank with muddled reasoning power.

Question 3:What do you think makes ‘The Tale of Melon City’ interesting and edifying?

Answer:As the title indicates the poem tells a story about Melon City—a city named after its ruler. It is quite interesting and edifying to learn how the country got a melon as its ruler. In short, it was on account of customary choice. The people relate the story of a just and placid king who was hanged by his own Royal Decree.

What the king did for the people and how he held the trails of the accused both are quite amusing. The clever arguments of the accused to save their lives are equally interesting. The king feels the pulse of the people who want to see a hanging. He knows how mischievous an angry mob can be and hence orders that someone must be hanged immediately. The irony of the situation is that only the king is tall enough to fit the noose.

The practical-minded ministers resort to the age-old custom to choose the next ruler. The idiot’s choice is approved of in the name of custom. The people are indifferent to the fact that their ruler is a melon not a man. The behaviour of pragmatic ministers and equally selfish, foolish and mean people seems quite funny and interesting. It is instructive too. A wise man should avoid the company of fools.

Question 4:“The poem mocks the process of fair trial and proper judgement.” How far do you agree with the statement?

Answer:The poem is a severe indictment of the age-old custom of delivering justice by word of mouth of the kings. There was a time when the King’s word was considered divine and whatever he uttered was law. A just and placid king was expected to protect the innocent and punish the quality. However, the process of trial and the ever-changing judgement’s make a fun of the whole process of fair trials and considered awards. This is evident from the statements of the accused who try to save their lives by holding others responsible for the guilt. The King’s capriciousness and inability to see through the thin veil of their arguments make him an object of ridicule rather than a dispenser of divine justice. Hence, we agree hilly with the above statement.

Question 5:Comment on the ending of the poem ‘The Tale of Melon City’. What bearing does the ending have on the title of the poem?

Comment on the title of the poem ‘The Tale of Melon City’.

Answer:The ending of ‘The Tale of Melon City’ is quite significant. It has a direct bearing on the title. The ending of the poem reveals that the incidents took place long ago. It throws fight on the old custom of the state to choose their new ruler. Confronted with the dilemma, the ministers took the easy way out. The person who passed the City Gate next was to name the king. It happened to be an idiot who gave the standard answer “a melon” to every question. So the melon was crowned the king,carried to the throne and respectfully set down there. The people are not at all ashamed to have a melon as their king. They say that if the king rejoices in being a melon, that’s all right with them. They find no fault with him as long as he leaves them to enjoy their peace, freedom and free trade. The capital city is called Melon City after the king. Thus the ending throws light on the selfish nature of the people and their belief in old customs. It also explains the title.

11th std The Adventure

1. Prof. Gaitonde had to decide what to do when the world he was living in seemed very strange?

Professor Gaitoride was very surprised when he saw new things and felt like he was reliving history. He was even more surprised when he didn't find his son working for Forbes. Because history was a mystery to him, he thought he could see the answer by going to the Library of the Asiatic Society, So he went to the Town Hall.

2. What did Professor Gaitonde observe as the train approached British Raj territory?

As the railway approached Sarhad, the starting point of the British Raj, an Anglo-Indian in uniform inspected the train for permissions. On the side of the train's blue cars were the letters GBMR—an acronym for 'Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway.' Each wagon was painted with a little Union Jack as a reminder that they were in British territory. As the train drew to a halt at Victoria Terminus, the station appeared very fresh and spotless. The staff was composed mainly of Anglo-Indians and Parsees, except a few British commanders.

3. When Professor Gaitonde got out of the train, what did he see that was so weird?

When Professor Gaitonde came out of the station, he saw a very tall and beautiful building. People could see that it was the East India headquarters of the East India Company because of the letters on it, which said that it was. He was shocked because it was supposed to have stopped working soon after the events of 1857, but here it was still going strong. This is what happened.

4. What did the victory of the Peshwas do for the East India Company?What happened to the East India Company when the new Marathas took control of India?

Vishwasrao and his brother, Madhavrao, took control of many lands. The Company only had a small amount of power in areas near Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. However, the Marathas were aware of the importance of the technological age that began in Europe in the 1800s. When the East India Company saw another way to spread its influence, it helped the people who set up their science and technology centers. But they were only taken in so that the local centers could be self-sufficient.