Lesson 5: Indigo

Summary
The summary of indigo deals in a summarized version where it is about how
Mahatma Gandhi’s struggle and continuous efforts for the underprivileged
farmers of Champaran, Bihar. The peasants were living a hapless and miserable
life and were under a contract to grow indigo. The landlord system of Bihar has
worsened their situation and so, Gandhi Ji decided to fight back against this
injustice.

He was involved in a war that took a year to fight back and made the farmers
courageous and aware of their rights. Gandhi did not work only to tackle the
problem of economic and political injustice but also to tackle the problem of
social issues to make them self-reliant. He focussed to provide education,
health, and hygiene.

About The Author: Summary Of The Indigo

Louis Fischer was an American journalist. He wrote a biography on Mahatma
Gandhi, “The Life Of Mahatma Gandhi’. The summary of indigo is an extract
from this book where the author describes the struggle and efforts of the poor
and helpless farmers of Champaran, who had to share their crops and were
under an agreement and had to grow indigo.

Characters of Indigo Summary

1. Rajkumar Shukla
He is a farmer in Champaran and was very disturbed with the landlords and
their type of contract. Though he was illiterate but was determined and
supported Gandhi in his struggle. He was the one who took initiative and met
Gandhi Ji asking for his support.

2. Mahatma Gandhi
He went with Raj Kumar Shukla and made up his mind to work upon the
political-economic and social injustice. To make them self-reliant he works on
many social issues. He contributed to the struggle to achieve independence and
self-reliance for the masses.
3. Edward Gait
He was the then lt. Governor of the province and dropped the case against him
and later on set up a commission to tackle this problem.

4. C.F. Andrews
He was a British and a pacifist and a devoted follower of Bapu. He wished to stay
in Bihar but Gandhi refused him.

5 Rajendra prasad
He was then a lawyer and later on became the president of India. He could not
recognize Gandhiji from his clothes and felt he was also a sharecropper.

Indigo Summary Class 12th

Get a glimpse of the struggle of Gandhi Ji as how he helped to revamp the
miserable situation of the peasants of the Champaran.

The story has been set in 1916 when Gandhi experimented with satyagraha for
the first time in Champaran, Bihar. It gives a detailed account of how Bapu
struggled to give them justice and equality. The story starts with the open fields
of Champaran where landlords wanted to grow indigo as the chief crop. The
landlords were Englishmen and Indian works as tenants on their own land. The
owners compelled the farmers to grow indigo and on top of it to give 15% of
their whole produce as rent.

However, when Germany started to grow artificial indigo, the Britishers do not
require the indigo crop from the peasants. So, in order to release from the
contract, they started to demand indemnity. Some uneducated farmers agreed
on this, others did not. Amidst this situation we see Rajkumar Shukla arranges a
meeting with Gandhi to work upon the situation.

He then requested Gandhi to look into the matter and provide them justice.
Gandhi Ji agreed and the next day he came to Bihar and with the help of Shukla
he visits Rajendra prasad who thought him to be a poor peasant.
Gandhi Ji planned to provide them justice but before that, he started on some
points to start his journey as the Britishers are trying hard to keep the protesters
and leaders away. The news of Gandhi’s arrival in the village spread like wildfire.
Lawyers and peasant groups were in heavy support of the movement and
Gandhi was not in favor of collecting huge sums from the sharecroppers.

After a great welcome, he was summoned to present at the British law court but
he made them clear about his disobeying the laws. The next day thousands of
peasants came in support of Gandhi and this factor Gandhiji needed in all of
them i.e. fearlessness against the Englishmen. The Government was baffled and
soon the authorities decided to postpone the trial. But Gandhiji did not take a
step back.

He did not want to set a bad example but he has to give justice to many of
them. After many meetings and interviews with the LT. governor, he appointed
an official commission, and Gandhiji was made the representative of the
sharecroppers. There were many shreds of evidence against the British officials.
Gandhi demanded back the half share but the officials refund only one-fourth.
Gandhi agreed because this was the first time when the Britishers were hacked
down. While staying in Champaran Gandhi focussed on social issues also.

Soon two villagers named Narhari Parikh and Mahadev Desai became his
apostle. Many came from other parts as well to support the good cause and
opened primary schools. Through many awareness programs, villagers focussed
on sanitation and personal hygiene. He wants to counsel the farmers also so
that they could build their confidence and become self-reliant.

Conclusion
The Champaran incident was the turning point in Gandhiji’s life and he was able
to understand the gist of the Indian’s problems. it was more than a victory with
this episode he was able to hack down the cruel Britishers with his
determination and intellect. He also tried to revamp the conditions and molding
new India by making them tripped and self-reliant.
 Lesson 6 : Poets And Pancakes

About The Author

Poets and Pancakes were written by a very famous Tamil writer and Sahitya
Akademi winner. He wrote in both English as well as Tamil. He worked in the
Gemini Studio in his early years of life. Though he was involved in the paper
cutting business he learned a lot due to the exposure he got in the studio. After
many years, he wrote his autobiography, My Years With Boss.

Poets And Pancakes: Central Theme

Poets and pancakes summary has been taken from the autobiography ‘My Years
With Boss’ by Asokamitran. It shows the time period when he used to work in
the Gemini Studio. It was a very famous film studio of that time and he got a lot
of exposure there. We came to know that he used to cut paper cuttings of
different topics.

Through this lesson, we get to know about the working of the Indian film
industry. He also wrote about the makeup department and we came to know
that ‘pancake’ was the makeup material used in the industry.

Character Analysis
1. Ashokamitran
Asokamitran is the author of this lesson and used to work as an employee of
Gemini Studio. His job was to cut newspaper clippings on different topics and
make a file on it. The other members of his staff looked down upon his work and
felt superior to him always.
He also tells about the manner in which the legal advisor ruins the career of a
talented actress unwittingly. Communism also finds a place in the musings of
Asokamitran. At that time of India the educated folk took pride in showing their
support for Communism and Gemini Studios was no exception. In the same
stride he also mentions the anticommunism movement run by the West. In this
context he mentions the play troupe of the poet/editor who visited the studio.
Later on he discovers that the poet was in fact the editor of the then famous
magazine 'The Encounter'
Author appears to be idle:
· The nature of the author’s job appeared to be insignificant.
· He was usually seen tearing newspapers
· Everybody would walk into his cubicle and want to give him some work to do.
· The office boy would come in to recite his poems. He wished to impress the
author by his
talent and how it was going to waste on account of Subbu.

2. The Office Boy

· The make-up department had an office boy. He was not a boy but a 40 year old
man
·He had joined the studios years ago
· He believed that he had a great talent and hoped to become a star actor,
director, screen writer or lyric writer.
· But he was frustrated and he blamed his disgrace on Kothamangalam Subbu
for his failure to become a hero or a star.

3. Legal advisor
He was a lawyer in the story department of Gemini Studio. He wore pants and a
tie and sometimes an oversized coat unlike everyone in the department. He
possesses cold and lame logic. He destroyed the career of many actresses by his
unrealistic behavior.

4. Kothmangalam Subbu
He was considered the No.2 at the studio and came from a lower background
than the office boy but being a brahmin he was given more importance than the
office boy. He always looks cheerful as a lark and was loyal towards Vasan,
always being at service for him. He was extremely creative and used his talent to
his own advantage and to make his position strong in the studio.
He was a talented poet also and sometimes performed better than the lead
actors. He used to write poems in Tamil and so he had made some enemies also
in the studio. He was a brilliant poet and actor and contributed a lot to the
Studio.

The office boy was frustrated. Probably he was jealous of Subbu’s nature.
· Subbu was very close to the boss. He had no better qualification than the boy.
· But he had worked hard to reach this position.
· Subbu had a more affluent exposure because he eas a Brahmin. He would
remain cheerful in spite of failures.
·He had talents which he used for the advantage of his Boss.
· Whenever the Boss had any difficulty in presenting a scene in a film, Subbu
would suggest a number of practical ideas.
· Subbu was a good poet too. He could write poems of a high order.
· But he deliberately suppressed his talent to write for the masses.
· He was a novelist too. He had written a novel in which he recreated the moods
and manner of the Devdasis of early 20 century
·He had created life-like characters too.
· Subbu was an excellent actor. But he never aspired for lead roles.
· But whatever minor roles he played, he acted better than the main players.
· Subbu loved all. Several friends and relatives stayed with him for long periods.
 He never gave a thought to the money he spent to support
· But the office boy hated him à Perhaps Subbu appeared to be a sycophant.

5. Stephen Spender
He was an English poet, editor, and a one-time communist who gave a speech
about Communism. He gave a long lecture on communism and also explains his
tough times when he wishes to establish it here. Later on, people could know
about the reason he gave. Asokamitran, later on, came to know that he was the
Editor of the British Periodical, ‘Encounter’.he recognized the connection
between him and the owner of the Studio, S.S. Vasan.

Other Important Points:

Pancake
• Pancake was the brand name of a make-up material. The Gemini studios
bought a lot of it.
• Make-up men used it to turn decent looking players into hideous looking
monsters.
• Infact, it was because most of the shooting of a film was done on the sets.
• The set and studio lights required that every pore of the players’ faces was
closed.
• A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make-up department to make the
players look ugly.
 The chief make-up man made the hero and heroine ugly
 His senior assistant made the ‘second’ hero and heroine ugly
 It went on-in like manner
 It was the office boy’s job to make the crowd players ugly.

The Make-up room

· The make-up department was in the upstairs of a building that was said to
have been Robert Clive’s stables.
· The make-up room looked like a hair-cutting salon because it had large mirrors
and lights.
· The lights gave out intense heat and the person who underwent make-up had
a miserable experience of being scorched as if in hell.
Story Department:
· Though Subbu was always seen with the Boss, he was a member of the story
department.
· Besides writers and poets in the story department there was a lawyer too.
Officially he was known as a legal advisor, but people called him by an opposite
name.
·Once the legal advisor unwittingly ruined the career of a talented actress.
Incident relating to an actress:
· An actress, who was not seasoned in worldly wisdom, lost her temper on the
sets. She spoke angrily against the producer.
· The legal advisor switched on the recording equipment, when she paused, he
played back the record.
· The action was dumbfounded to hear her own voice. Though she had not said
anything offensive, she never appeared on the stage again.
Anti-communism perception:
· The legal advisor wore trousers, shirt and tie. Sometimes he wore a coat too.
· He appeared odd among the khadi clad poets and writers.
· The poets had worshipped Gandhiji though they had no affiliation to his ideas.
· But they were averse to communism.
· They had a notion that communist loved nobody. He was an anarchic.
Arrival of MRA
· The feelings against communism were widespread in South India
· The Moral Re-Armament Army was a sort of anti-communism movement. It
visited Gemini Studios in 1952.
· They were about 200 people belonging to atleast 20 nationalities.
· They presented two plays ‘Jotham Valley’ and the ‘Forgotten Factor’ in a most
professional manner.
· The Gemini family of six hundred and the citizens of Madras were greatly
impressed by their plays.
· Their message was simple but the sets and costumes were excellent.
· For many years the Tamil drama imitated àThe sunrise and sunset scenes
presented by the MRA.
· The scenes were presented on a base stage with white background and a tune
played on the flute.
· But the MRA did not influence the outlook of the Gemini Bosses.
· The staff had enjoyed hosing the MRA
Visit of an Englishman:
· A few months later Gemini Studios received another guest.
· It was an Englishman. Nobody knew who he was.
· Some said he was a poet. Some believed he was an editor because the topmen
of The Hindi were taking the initiative.
· But he was not the editor of any of the newspaper the staff of Gemini Studios
had heard of.
· The Englishman was welcomed by the Boss, Mr. Vasan.
·He read out a long speech talking of freedom and democracy.
· Then the Englishman spoke àwho could not be expected to have any interest
in English poetry.
· The visit of the Englishman remained a mystery.
Mystery solved
· The author saw a notice in the Hindu.
· The Encounter, a British periodical, was organizing a short story contest. The
author had never heard the name of the periodical.
·He wanted to send on entry à but wanted to have information before.
·He visited the British Council library. These he found copies of the Encounter.
·He leaned that its editor was Stephen Spender who visited the Gemini Studios.
· After a few years – The author retired
· One day he saw a pile of low priced paperback editions of ‘The God that
Failed’, He bought a copy.
· It contained six different essays by six different writers.
· They described the writers ‘Journeys into communism and the disillusioned
return.
·One of the writers was Stephen Spender
· The whole mystery of Spender’s visit was cleared.
· Mr. Vasan was not interested in his poetry but in his views on Communism.

Summary
Pancakes were used as make-up material in the studio by many famous
actresses and the studio buys in a very good amount. He humorously told us
that these pancakes turned decent-looking characters into monsters. The
cameras and studio lights require that the artist should look ugly. And in turn, all
players were made to look ugly.

The department had an office boy also who was around 40 years old and
believed he had so much talent. He wishes to become a star actor, director,
screenwriter, or lyrics writer. The make-up department was upstairs and looked
like a saloon, so anyone who comes there in the scorching heat and light to get
themselves ready feels they were in Hell.

The department also stood for national integrity as in its initial days it was
headed by a Bengali, then by a Maharashtrian, assisted by many people all
around the world. The author’s job was looked down upon by everyone in the
department as he was always seen tearing newspapers. Everyone comes to
please him and even the office boy comes to recite his poems but all goes in
vain in front of Subbu.

The office boy got vexed by this and certainly, he had green eyes towards
Subbu. Subbu was very close to the boss and whenever he faced any difficulty in
presenting the scene, Subbu was there with prompt ideas to present. He was
good at writing poems and could write in high order but suppressed his talent
and wrote in simple Tamil.

He has written novels also in which he recreated the mood of Devadasis to make
them life-like always. He was also an excellent actor and sometimes performed
better than the lead actor. But he played subordinate roles only. He loved all of
his relatives who come and live with him and never give a shit to money.
Subbu was a member of the story department in the studio but always seen
with the boss. Besides, there was a legal advisor also in the studio who was
known for his cold behavior and illogical facts. Once he also destroyed the
career of a talented actress.

One day an actress showed tantrums (uncontrolled outburst of anger or

frustration) on the sets and spoke against the producer. The legal advisor
cunningly recorded her voice and played in between the shooting, she was
shocked to hear her own voice and never returned on the sets.

The Gemini Studio hosted the two most influential plays and they became a
huge success and later on, he came to know that MRA was the counter-
communist movement. The writer also informed about the visit of an English
poet Stephen Spender for an unknown reason grand preparations were done for
him. They all were confused about his purpose of visit and could not
understand what he spoke about.

Asokamitran’s duty was not considered important by all and he was engaged in
paper cutting and making files. Everybody wanted to give some tasks to him and
he also remains at beck and call. The author soon looked at a notice in the
Hindu. A story which has been organized by a British Periodical called The
Encounter. He came to know that the editor of that journal was none other than
Stephen Spender.

After that, he came to know about a book titled, The God That Failed. It
contained six essays about the failed communism and out of them one was
written by Stephen Spender. The mystery was solved and the purpose too.

Conclusion
To sum up, the lesson is about the very famous Gemini Studio and talks about
the various elements of each department. From pancakes, he meant the make-
up material which was used in heavy amounts by the then actresses. The lesson
is an extract from the book ‘My Years with The Boss’.

Questions And Answers NCERT

1. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-
up’?
The incandescent bulbs used in the make-up room produced lot of heat, and
caused a lot of discomfort to the artists while in the make-up room. Every actor
has to undergo some sort of make-up before shooting and had to suffer the heat
of the bulbs in the room. This misery has been referred to as fiery in the lesson.
2. What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
The make-up division of the Gemini Studios was an example of national
integration. According to the author, this is so because people from different
regions and religious groups worked together in the same department. The
department was headed by a Bengali who was succeeded by a Maharashtrian.
The other helpers included a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian
Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the local Tamils.
3. What work did the 'office boy' do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join
the studios? Why was he disappointed?
The office boy applies makeup on the lesser know actors who usually played the
role crowd. He would mix various potions and would apply it to the crowd
playing actors in the most unprofessional way. He had joined the studios hoping
that he would become a star actor someday or hold a prominent position in the
film industry. But he failed and remained a mere 'office boy' and this left him
perpetually disappointed.
4. Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?
The office boy was frustrated because despite getting a good opening, he
remained only an office boy. He had had a good formal education and would
write poetry also. But his great literary talent was being allowed to go waste. He
showed his anger on Kothamangalam Subbu, the No. 2 at Gemini Studios.
5. Who was the Boss of Gemini Studios?
Mr. S.S Vasan was the Boss of Gemini Studios.
6. What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the
people at Gemini Studios?
Most of the 600 odd people at Gemini Studios were Tamil speakers. The
Englishman was addressing them in his own language-English. He had a peculiar
accent. Hence, there was a lack of communication between the Englishman and
the people at who could not follow what he was saying.
6. Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?
The Englishman’s visit to the Gemini Studios is referred to as an unexplained
mystery because no one could decipher his identity, whether he was a poet or
an editor. Besides, when he spoke no one at the studio understood what he
intended to say as his accent was beyond their comprehension.
7. Who was the English visitor to the studios?
The English visitor to the Gemini Studios was Stephen Spender. He was the
editor of The Encounter, a British Periodical, and a famous English poet, essayist
and novelist of the twentieth century.
8. How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?
Before investing money in participating in a short story contest organised by an
English periodical The Encounter, the author did a research on the magazine. He
went to the British Council Library where, while going through an issue of that
periodical, he discovered that its editor was Stephen Spender, the poet that had
once visited the studio.
9. What does ‘The God that Failed’ refer to?
'The God That Failed' was a compilation of six essays written by six eminent
writers, namely, Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Arthur Koestler,
Louis Fischer and Stephen Spender. In each of the essays, the respective writers
described “their journeys into Communism and their disillusioned return”.
1. The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out
instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
ANSWER
The instances of humour, used by the author, mark the eccentricities and
idiosyncrasies without making any direct and rude comment on anybody. For
instance, the author portrays the make-up artists and the usage of the pancakes
in an interesting way. Even the caricature of Subbu is hilarious. The way he tries
to help his principal by offering quick
solutions to his problems is quite amusing. The episode of the legal adviser that
inadvertently causes the end of an actress’s career is yet another example. The
frustration of the office boy, the superficial praising of Gandhi, hatred
ofCommunism and the ‘mystery’ surrounding Stephen Spender are some of the
instances where the author hasincorporated gentle humour.
2. Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?
ANSWER
Kothamangalam Subbu succeeded in securing the place closest to The Boss by
means of flattery. He was not brilliant but a rather cheerful person and
exceedingly loyal to The Boss. He offered solutions whenever The Boss was in a
fix. Thus, the other employees considered him No.2 in Gemini Studios.
3. How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing
the audience at Gemini Studios?
ANSWER
The English poet was addressing the Tamil audience at Gemini Studios in English
with a typical provincial accent. He was talking about the thrills and travails of
an English poet to a dazed and silent audience. This was the incongruity because
his audience could not understand him at all.
4. What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the
account?
The writer was a prose-writer. He wanted to send a short story for the short
story contest organised by a British periodical by the name 'The Encounter'.

Lesson 8: Going Places

Introduction

The theme of this story is adolescent fantasizing and hero worship. It is quite
natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams especially when their families
are not well off. It is because of the fact that the socioeconomic background
plays a leading role in the lives of the youths for choosing a particular
 profession. The act of fantasizing may lead to miseries in case it is beyond our
approach. It is useless to build castles in the air.

Characters

1. Sophie: a school going teenager

2. Jansie: a friend and classmate of Sophie
3. Geoff: an elder brother of Sophie
4. Derek: a younger brother of Sophie
5. Danny Casey: A young Irish football player
6. Tom Finney: A great football player
7. United: name of the football team
8. Father & mother of Sophie
Summary

Sophie, a teenager is filled with fantasies and desires. She comes from a poor
financial background. She dreams of owning a boutique one day or being an
actress or fashion designer but her friend Jansie believes that they are from a
poor financial background and have to work in a biscuit factory. Jansie, who is
more realistic, tries to pull Sophie to reality, but in vain. Sophie lives in a small
house with her parents and brothers, Geoff and little Derek. Though she voices
her feelings and desires, her parents don’t believe her because they, unlike her,
are more mature and know the harsh realities of life. Sophie finds a sort of
fascination for her elder brother Geoff, who is tall, strong, handsome and
reserved. She envies his silence and often wonders about his thoughts and areas
of his life that she doesn’t know about. Sophie fantasizes about Danny Casey, an
Irish football player whom she had seen playing in innumerable matches. She
makes up a story about how she met him in the streets and tells this to Geoff.
Geoff, who is more sensible than Sophie, does not really believe her, even if she
wants to. It seems an unlikely incident for Sophie to meet the prodigy in their
street, but when Sophie describes the meeting in all her details, he begins to
hope that it could be true. She tells him that Danny has promised to meet her
somewhere again. Sophie gets so pulled into the story she made that she herself
 begins to believe that it’s true. She waits for the Irish player, but obviously, he
never arrives. Then, she makes her way home, wondering how her brother
would be disappointed on knowing that Danny Casey never showed up.
However, Sophie still fantasizes about her hero, Danny Casey and believes he
would definitely come to meet her.

GIST OF THE LESSON

 The lesson explores the theme of adolescent fantasies and hero worship.
 Sophie and Jansie are both in the last year of high school and both knew that
they were destined to work in the biscuit factory as they belong to a working
class family.
 Yet, Sophie, always dreams of big and beautiful things, glamour and glory. 94
 Her ambitions are not rooted in reality i.e., have no relation with the harsh
realities of life.
 In contrast is Jansie, Sophie’s friend, a realistic and practical girl.
 Sophie lives in male-dominated family where her mother was only a shadow.
The men were football fans and the conversations around the dinner table were
about Danny Casey, their Hero.
 Sophie wants some attention from her father and brother and telling them that
she met Casey, was her way of drawing their attention towards her.
 But she carries her fantasies too far when she starts to live them.
Going Places Textual Questions and Answers
Think-as-you-read Questions

1. Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?

Both the girls belong to poor families. As per their economic background, they
would find a job in a biscuit factory after schooling.

2.What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? WTiy does Jansie
discourage her from having such dreams?
Sophie was dreaming of opening her own boutique. She believed that she was
as efficient and original as Mary Quant. So she would easily get a job of a
manager in a shop or would become an actress. In this way, she would earn
money and then would open her own boutique. Jansie was a practical girl. She
knew that all these were Sophie’s dreams which were not possible so she
discouraged her from having such dreams.

3. Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny
Casey?

When Geoff told his father that Sophie had met Danny Casey, she wriggled
because she knew that her father would not believe it. He would take it as a
story that she had made up.

4. Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?

Initially, Geoff is doubtful but when Sophie starts adding the details, he starts
believing in her story. But when she tells him about the proposed date with
Danny Casey, Geoff becomes sceptical.

5. Does her father believe Sophie’s story?

Sophie’s father does not believe her. He knows that she is a dreamer and lives in
a world of imagination. She is used to make up stories to impress him.

6. How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in the fantasy of her future?

Geoff is a person who speaks very little. Sophie knows that he has his own world
which is far away from her. She believes that he visits places she has never been
to. She hopes that in future, he would introduce her to the beautiful and
glamorous world which is the most appropriate place for her.

7. Which country did Danny Casey play for?

Danny Casey, an Irish sports star, used to play for the Irish team.

8. Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?

Sophie did not want Jansie to know about her story with Danny for two reasons.
First, it was meant to be something special just between her brother Geoff and
herself. Secondly, Jansie would have told the whole neighbourhood about it.

9.Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?

No, Sophie did not meet Danny Casey, but she liked fantasising that she had met
him.

10.Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?

The only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person was in a football
match on a Saturday. Sophie along with her father and little brother Derek went
to watch United. They saw champion Danny Casey there to play football:

Going Places-Understanding the text

1.Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences
between them that show up in the story? [Delhi 2012]
OR
How different is Jansie from Sophie? [All India 2015]

Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends but were very different from
each other. Sophie was filled with fantasies and desires. She lived in her world of
dreams which was far away from reality. She wanted to open a boutique or
become either an actress or a manager. Though she came from a humble
background, she wanted to be part of a rich, sophisticated circle. Moreover, she
liked the football star Danny Casey so much that she started hero-worshipping
him. Her wild fantasies forced her to imagine not only talking to Danny Casey
but to even going for a date with him. She is so much engrossed in her world of
fantasy that she starts hallucinating about Danny Casey.
On the contrary, Jansie is more realistic and practical. She is well aware of her
family background. She knew that both she and Sophie would have to work in a
biscuit factory after passing out the school. She kept on reminding Sophie of her
reality but all in vain. Unlike Sophie who was all the time lost in her own world,
Jansie was nosey to know everything. Sophie never shared her secrets with her
because she knew that Jansie would blab around her secrets.

2.How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?
[Delhi 2012]

Sophie’s father is symbolic of a typical poor class family man. He works hard to
fulfil the needs of his family. He is rough in manners and is described as a ‘heavy
breathing man in his vest’. He never believes any of the Sophie’s stories and
knows that she is not to be believed due to her characteristic fantasies. When
Geoff tells him about Sophie’s meeting with Danny Casey, he gives an expression
of disdain and calls it another of her wild stories. He is a practical man who does
not like his daughter getting too much involved in her fantasies. As a father, he
knows his daughter’s temperament very well. That’s the reason he doesn’t
believe in Sophie’s story of having met Danny Casey. Rather he becomes
aggressive and warns Sophie that one day she would get into a load of trouble.

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

Sophie liked her brother Geoff more than any other person. She hero-worships
him. Geoff was three years out of school and was working as an apprentice
mechanic. She used to confide in him all her secrets. Geoff was silent most of
time and Sophie was curious to know the areas of his life about which she knew
nothing. In fact she wanted to be admitted more deeply into her brother’s
affections and hoped that someday he would take her along with him.

She wanted to be part of the other world which Geoff belonged to. She wanted
to visit that world riding with her brother on his motorcycle. He would be in
new, shining black leathers and she would wear a yellow dress and then the
entire world would applaud and rise to greet both of them. Thus, for Sophie, her
brother Geoff was very close to her heart.

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

Sophie belonged to a poor family. Her parents managed the household with
difficulty. Her father was a typical poor class family man, rough in his manners
and indisciplined. The marks of the sweat on his face indicated that he had to
work hard throughout the day to earn his livelihood. Sophie’s mother was an
average housewife who was burdened with the family’s responsibilities. She was
busy with household chores. She had a crooked back due to constant hard work
and the incongruity of the bow clearly showed that she was not a sophisticated
lady.

Even the younger brother Derek’s comment on Sophie that “she thinks money
grows on trees” emphasized the importance of money in the family. The family
was living in a small house with minimum requirements, including very old
furniture. All those things indicate that Sophie came from a family with a
humble background.

Going Places Talking about the text

1. Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. Explain. [Delhi
2012]

No doubt Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. As a young
girl she is engrossed in the world of fantasy. She talks about buying a shop and
having her own boutique. In order to earn money, she would work as an actress
or a manager. She imagines meeting Danny Casey, the Irish football star, and
even fantasises going for a date with him. She goes to the wharf and waits for
him. But he doesn’t come and she feels sad and disappointed.

In fact, it is all in her mind. She herself has created a story in her mind and finally
starts hallucinating. But finally when she realises that it is all her fantasy she
feels disappointed. Both the things take place in her mind. Thus, her dreams and
disappointments are all in Sophie’s mind.

Going Places – Solved Question Bank

Reference-to-Context Questions

Question 1.
“Well, I’ll be a manager then—yes, of course—to begin with. Till I’ve got
enough. But anyway, I know just how it’s all going to look.”
“They wouldn’t make you manager straight off, Soaf.”
Answer the following.
(a) The speaker was sure they would make her a manager to begin with.
(True/False)
(b) The speaker knew exactly how things were going to shape up. (True/False)
(c) The speaker thought she would become ________ in the beginning.
(d) The speaker said that she knew how it was all going to ________
Answer:
(a) True
(b) True
(c) a manager
(d) look

Question 2.
Jansie, knowing they were both earmarked for the biscuit factory, became
melancholy. She wished Sophie wouldn’t say these things.
(a) Jansie was melancholy because she and Sophie worked in the biscuit factory.
(True/False)
(b) Jansie and Sophie were earmarked to work in a ________ .
(c) What were Jansie’s feelings about her new job at the biscuit factory?
(d) Jansie wished that ________ wouldn’t say the things she said.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) biscuit factory
(c) melancholy
(d) Sophie

Question 3.
“Huh – if you ever come into money ________ if you ever come into money you
’ll buy us a blessed decent house to live in, thank you very much.”
(a) The speaker says that if they ever come into money, they will buy a decent
house. (True/False)
(b) The speaker wants to use the money they come by to buy a decent house.
( True/False)
(c) If you ever come in money you will buy us a ________ decent house.
(d) What kind of house does the speaker think they should be buying?
Answer:
(a) False
(b) True
(c) blessed
(d) decent/blessed

Question 4.
And she was impatient. She was conscious of a vast world out there waiting for
her and she knew instinctively that she would feel as at home there as in the city
which had always been her home.
(a) She would feel as confident in that vast world as she did at her home.
(True/False)
(b) She was confident of a vast world ________ for her out there.
(c) She was ________ .
(d) She experienced ________ at home and in the city?
Answer:
(a) True
(b) waiting
(c) impatient
(d) confidence

Question 5.
“I met Danny Casey, ” Sophie said.
He looked around abruptly. “Where?”
“In the arcade – funnily enough. ”
“It’s never true. ”
“I did too. ”
“You told Dad?”
(а) Sophie told her brother that she had met Danny Casey. (True/False)
(б) The speaker’s Dad had also seen Danny Casey. (True/False)
(c) Sophie had met Danny Casey, according to her, in the
(d) Sophie said that she had met in the arcade.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) arcade
(d) Danny Casey

Question 6.
“Well – he has green eyes. Gentle eyes. And he’s not so tall as you’d think
if she should say about his teeth, but decided against it.
(a) The speaker says that the person she is talking about has green eyes.
(True/False)
(b) The person being described is gentle. (True/False)
(c) The speaker decided against speaking ________ .
(d) She wanted to speak about his teeth but ________ against it.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) teeth
(d) decided

Question 7.
“One of these days you’re going to talk yourself into a load of trouble, ” her
father said aggressively. “Geoff knows it’s true, don’t you, Geoff?”
“He don’t believe you though he’d like to. ”
(a) One of these days Sophie’s father would land in a load of trouble.
(True/False)
(b) Sophie turned to Geoff to validate what she was saying. (True/False)
(c) According to Sophie’s father, Geoff would like to ________ what Sophie had
said. (True/False)
(d) What, according to Sophie’s father, would she land herself into by her
talking?
Answer:
(a) False
(b) True
(c) believe
(d) trouble

Question 8.
“….And, then just as he was going, he said, if I would care to meet him next
week he would give me an autograph then. Of course, I said I would. ”
(a) The speaker said that just as he was going, he enquired if Sophie would care
to go with him. (True/False)
(b) The speaker offered to take her autograph next week. (True/False)
(c) He offered to give his ________ when he and Sophie met the following week.
(d) He offered to give his autograph ________.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) False
(c) autograph
(d) next week

Question 9.
On Saturday they made their weekly pilgrimage to watch United. Sophie and her
father and little Derek went down near the goal – Geoff, as always, went with
his mates higher up.
(a) They went to watch a game by United on Wednesday. (True/False)
(b) Geoff went with his ________ higher up while the rest sat near the goal.
(c) For Sophie and her family, the weekly visit to the football game was like a
________ .
id) Who, along with Geoff, sat higher up to watch the game?
Answer:
(a) False
(b) mates
(c) pilgrimage
(d) his mates

Question 10.
“What’s this you’ve been telling?” Jansie said, next week.
‘About what?”
“Your Geoff told our Frank you met Danny Casey. ”
This wasn’t an inquisition, just Jansie being nosey,
but Sophie was startled.
(a) Jansie asked Sophie what she had been telling others. (True/False)
(b) Jansie said that their Frank had learnt from Sophie’s Geoff that Sophie had
________ Danny Casey.
(c) By enquiring whether Sophie had actually met Danny Casey what was she not
carrying out?
(d) The name of Jansie’s brother was ________ .
Answer:
(a) True
(b) met
(c) an Inquisition
(d) Frank

Question 11.
It was meant to be something special just between them. Something secret. It
wasn’t a Jansie kind of thing at all. Tell gawky Jansie something like that and the
whole neighbourhood would get to know it. Damm that Geoff, was nothing
sacred?
(a) According to the author, if something was told to Jansie, it remained a
secret. (True/False)
(b) The secret between the speaker and Jansie was meant to be something
________ between them.
(c) What unique quality did the message told to Jansie have?
(d) As Jansie broadcast the message, what word did the speaker use, to describe
Jansie?
Answer:
(a) False
(b) special
(c) secrecy
(d) gawky

Question 12.
She realised then that Jansie didn’t know about the date bit – Geoff hadn’t told
about that. She breathed more easily. So Geoff hadn’t let her down after all. He
believed in her after all. After all, some things might be sacred.
(a) The speaker realised that Jansie did not know about her secret date.
(True/False)
(b) Geoff had not told Jansie about his secret date. (True/False)
(c) As Geoff had not let down the speaker she ________ more easily.
(d) ________ were considered sacred between Geoff and the speaker.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) breathed
(d) some things

Going Places Short Questions and Answers

1.Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from living in a world of fantasy? [Delhi
2013 (C)]

Jansie was a realistic and practical girl. She knew very well about her socio-
economic background and accepted it. Being a good friend of Sophie, she often
reminded her of the reality of their lives. She knew that Sophie lived in the
world of her fantasy. But she always used to discourage her from living in that
world because she knew that it would be heartbreaking for Sophie.
2.Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from having dreams? [All India 2017]

The elderly persons had come to know that, that was the last French lesson they
were going to attend as per the order received. They had earlier been
indifferent, so in order to express their gratitude and respect, they had come in
full attendance on the last day.

3.What is unrealistic about Sophie’s dreams of her future life? [Ddhi 2013 (c)]

Sophie belonged to a poor family. Her parents were managing the basic
necessities of life with great difficulty. But Sophie had high dreams. She had
plans to set up her own boutique. She would like to be a manager or an actress.
But she was not ready to accept the reality that she could not get any work
except that in a biscuit factory.

4.What was Sophie’s ambition in life? How did she hope to achieve that? [Delhi
2017]
Sophie wanted to open a boutique for which she thought she would save money
by working as a manager. She also toyed with the idea of becoming an actress to
earn good money and have the boutique too.

5.Sophie was dreaming of so many things in her life. What were they? [Delhi
2017]

Sophie, a daydreamer, dreamt of big things in life. She wanted to open a

boutique after her schooling was completed and was looking at becoming a
manager too. She also harboured the dream of becoming an actress or a fashion
designer.

6. Which was the only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person?
[All India 2011, Foreign 2013]

When Danny Casey was playing with the United team in the stadium, Sophie
saw him for the first time. She was one of the spectators.
7. Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with
Danny Casey? [All India 2012]

Sophie did not want Jansie to know anything about her meeting with Danny
Casey. She did not trust her for keeping secrets as Jansie was fond of gossiping.
Sophie feared that she might gossip about her meeting with Danny Casey. This
might enrage her father.

8. Why was Sophie jealous of Geoff’s silence? [All Foreign 2013]

For Sophie, Geoff’s silence symbolised freedom. Geoff used to work as a

mechanic. He used to ride his motorcycle and visited places where she had
never been to. Sophie believed that he moved into a different exotic world
which was far away from home and their reality. She was jealous of his silence
which does not reveal that world to her.

9.Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey? Why was she always talking about him?
[Foreign 2013]

No, Sophie did not meet Danny Casey in reality. She was a dreamer. She had
developed a liking for Danny Casey and in her world of fantasy she had imagined
herself meeting him. It was just an effect of teenage fantasy and hero-worship
that she started hallucinating about the football star Danny Casey.

10.Did Geoff keep up his promise? How do you know? [All India 2013]

Sophie had shared her secret of meeting Danny Casey with her brother Geoff.
But Geoff didn’t keep his promise not to share it with anyone. He told this to
Frank who was his friend and Jansie’s brother. When Jansie came to ask Sophie
about Danny Casey, it became evident that Geoff had told that secret to her
brother.

11. Why did Sophie long for her brother’s affection? [All India 2014]
Sophie liked her brother Geoff more than any other person. She used to confide
in him all her secrets. She was very curious to know about his world. She longed
for her brother’s affection so that he would take her into his exotic world which
was far away from their own real world.

12. What did Sophie imagine about her brother, Geoff? [Foreign 2017]

Sophie imagined that her brother, Geoff, was in the world that she had never
seen. Besides, she thought that her brother might be knowing interesting
people, she longed to know. She wished that her brother would some day take
her to his world with him.

13. What did Sophie tell Geoff about her ‘meeting’ Danny Casey? [Foreign 2o17]

Sophie told her brother Geoff that she had met Danny Casey, a sports star, in
the arcade. She said that she was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window when
Danny Casey came and stood beside her. He had gentle, green eyes but was not
very tall. She asked him for an autograph for little Derek, but neither of them
had any paper or a pen.

14. Why did Sophie not want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
[Foreign 2017]

Sophie did not want Jansie to know about her story with Danny because she felt
that Jansie would tell the same to the whole neighbourhood. She also felt that
Jansie might disclose her secret to her father who would be angry.

15. Why, according to Sophie, couldn’t she take the autograph of Danny Casey
when she met him?

According to Sophie, she couldn’t take the autograph of Danny Casey when she
met him because neither she nor Danny Casey had a pen. Besides, the meeting
took place only in Sophie’s fantasy.

16. How did the evening “blackened the window of Sophie’s mood too”?
Sophie was a daydreamer who had carried her fantasy too far. She had imagined
her meeting with football star Danny Casey for a date. All this imagination gave
her a lot of pleasure. But she met with the reality when Danny Casey didn’t
come to meet her. This made her sad and despondent and blackened her mood
like the black sky.

17. How is the title ‘Going Places’ most appropriate?

In literary terms, going places refers to achieving success. The title ‘Going Places’
is most appropriate as it very clearly describes the protagonist Sophie. She is
deeply enthusiastic about her successful life and fantasises all good and
successful things for her. In her imagination, she fantasises herself to be an
actor or a manger and then finally a boutique owner. She also fantasises to have
met the football star Danny Casey as her close friend and going for a date with
him. The title ‘Going place’ clearly depicts the exotic journey of Sophie into the
dream world.

Going Places Long Questions and Answers

1.What were Sophie’s plans for future? Why would you call her dreams
unrealistic? [Delhi 2014]

Sophie was a school girl who would pass out in a few months. She came from a
humble background but was untouched by the harsh realities of life. She was
lost in her world of fantasies. She planned to open a boutique after she passed
out of school. She thought she would work as manager or an actress in order to
earn money for the boutique. She didn’t realise that she belonged to a family
that didn’t have the sources to finance her dreams. Her dreams had no ground
of reality. With the kind of socio-economic background that Sophie belonged to,
it was completely unrealistic to have such dreams fulfilled.

2.Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot
realise. Comment. [All India 2015]
There is no doubt Sophie lives in a world of dreams which she cannot realise.
She dreams of opening a boutique which requires a lot of money. But the kind
of family background she has, it is not possible for her to have that much
finances. Moreover, she has high aspirations and a very high esteem about
herself. Despite of her poor socio-economic background, she doesn’t accept the
idea of working in a biscuit factory which is obvious for a girl of her qualifications
and background. Rather she believes that she would get a job not less than that
of a manager or would become an actress.

Sophie, like any adolescent, indulges in daydreaming and fantasy to the extent
that she completely ignores the reality of her life.

3. In one’s approach to life one should be practical and not live in a world of
dreams. How is Jansie’s attitude different from that of Sophie? [CBSE 2018]

Jansie and Sophie have contrasting characteristics and a totally different

approach to life. Jansie is portrayed as very practical with her feet grounded in
reality, whereas Sophie is a daydreamer living in her imaginary world.

Jansie is a mature person and accepts the truth that people of their kind can
only aspire to become workers in a factory. On the other hand, Sophie tries to
escape from reality and dreams of becoming an actress, a manager or a fashion
designer.

It is not unreasonable to have high hopes and aspirations for one’s future, but
daydreaming can be justified only when one is prepared to work hard to fulfil
one’s dreams.

Sophie needs to work hard to achieve her dreams, instead of merely imagining a
bright and successful future for herself or fantasising about her meeting with
Danny Casey. Sophie is a middle class girl with lofty aspirations. She is a
daydreamer, unrealistic and impractical. She aspires to be an actress, own a
boutique, become a manager, etc. which is all beyond her means.

So we conclude that we shouldn’t daydream but have a realistic view of life.

4. Teachers always advise their students to dream big. Yet, the same teachers in
your classrooms find fault with Sophie when she dreams. What is wrong with
Sophie’s dreams? [Delhi 2016]

It is true that in our classrooms, the teachers always encourage us to dream big
but what they discourage is daydreaming which Sophie used to indulge in all the
time. She was far removed from reality and lived in her own world of dreams.
She strongly felt that there was a whole new world waiting for her and that she
was tailor-made for it. All through the story, she never thought practically or
came out of her dreamworld.

Sophie’s ambitions and her dreams were unrealistic as she was from a poor
socio-economic background. She was earmarked for joining a biscuit factory
after completing her studies. Her parents didn’t even have a decent house to
live in. Her father wanted her to step out of her dreamworld and start thinking
worldly-wise. Being an impractical person, it was difficult for Sophie to
understand that she was living in a world of harsh realities.

5. Has Sophie met Danny Casey? What details of her meeting with Danny Casey
did she narrate to her brother. [Delhi 2014]

No, Sophie never met Danny Casey. It was one of her wild imaginations that she
met Danny Casey, the football star. She told her brother Geoff she met Danny
Casey at the market place at Royce’s window. When Geoff showed his disbelief,
she gave him Danny’s description. She told him that Danny Casey had green
gentle eyes and was not very tall. She said she wanted to have his autograph but
unfortunately none of them had a pen. She had a conversation with Danny and
found him to be very lonely. Sophie said she was going for a date with Danny,
the next week.

Sophie’s imagination is so vivid that she creates each and every minute detail
and describes it to her brother so as to make him believe her.
6.Sophie was a dreamer. The lesson ‘Going Places’ reminds us that mere dreams
will not help us to accomplish anything? What qualities, do you think, would
help Sophie to realise her dream? [Foreign 2014]

Sophie represents a teenager who is lost in the world of imagination. She was
fond of daydreaming. As a result, she lost her touch with the reality of life.

She dreams to own a boutique, though she has no financial background. She
doesn’t accept the reality that she comes from a poor background. There is no
harm in aiming high. One should be ambitious in life. But along with aspirations,
we must have a clear planning to achieve that goal. Sophie needs to be practical
in her life and analyse her situation. She should be hardworking and determined
to achieve what she wants in life. Only dreaming doesn’t help. To succeed in life,
actions are required. Sincere and continuous efforts, along with a proper action
plan, bring the desired result. Sophie needs to be practical and patient to
materialise her dreams.

7. It is normal for adolescents to fantasise and indulge in hero-worship. How far

is it true of Sophie? [Foreign 2015]

Teenage is the time of hero-worship and fantasising. When one finds a celebrity
one starts admiring that person so much that the celebrity becomes one’s hero
and one starts fantasising about him/her. A similar thing happened with Sophie.
She liked Danny Casey, the Irish football star. She used to go with her family to
see his match and was attracted by his personality.

She liked Danny Casey to the extent, she started fantasising about him. Her wild
imagination got converted into hallucination and she started imagining to meet
Danny Casey in person. She enjoyed this fantasy so much that she went to the
extent of imagining going for a date with Danny, who was her hero.

Sophie, in fact, represents an adolescent lost in the world of fantasies and hero-
worship.
8. Every teenager has a hero/heroine to admire. So many times they become
role models for them. What is wrong if Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey and
is ambitious in life? [All India 2016]

There is no denying the fact that every teenager has someone to admire who
he/she looks up to as his/her role model. What was wrong with Sophie’s
fantasizing was that she was far removed from reality and lived in her own
world of dreams. She strongly felt that there was a whole new world for her and
that she was tailor-made for it. Sophie’s ambitions and her dreams were
unrealistic as she was from a poor socio-economic background.

She was earmarked for joining a biscuit factory after completing her studies. Her
imaginative meetings with Danny Casey were part of her dream world. She
knew that her parents didn’t even have a decent house to live in. Her father
wanted her to step out of her dream world and start thinking worldly-wise.
Being an impractical person, it was difficult for Sophie to understand that she
was living in a world of harsh realities.

9.Describe Sophie’s so-called meeting with Danny Casey. [HOTS]

As per Sophie, she met with Danny Casey in the arcade outside Royce’s while
she was doing window shopping. Sophie narrated her meeting to her brother
Geoff and said that Danny Casey was standing beside her. She could not take his
autograph as none of them had a pen. She talked to him a little bit. Sophie said
that Danny seemed lonely and promised to give her autograph if she would care
to meet him next week. Sophie not only imagined her meeting with Danny
Casey but also believed to have fixed a date with him.

10. “There was the sound of applause as the world rose to greet them.” What is
the world that Sophie is dreaming about? Why? [HOTS]

Sophie always dreamt of a life of sophistication and elegance. Her brother Geoff
was very close to her and she used to confide in him. Geoff used to speak less
and Sophie believed that he had his own world in which he was moving and
which was far away. She wanted to be part of that world. She imagined to be
introduced to that glorious world by her brother as she believed her to be most
suited for that. She believed that one day she would accompany Geoff to the
world which was waiting for her. Geoff in his black leather and she in her
elegant yellow dress would be welcomed by the people in that world with a
standing ovation and applause.

Sophie, as per her habit, is dreaming of a world of elegance and sophistication

for which she believed herself to be most suitable.

11. What made Sophie imagine her meeting with Danny Casey? What does it tell
us about her life and her relationship with her family?

Sophie is a young girl who lives in her world of imagination. Like adolescents she
dreams of unbelievable and far-fetched things. Though she belongs to a lower
middle class family, she fantasises a world of sophistication. She has seen Danny
Casey playing and has started hero-worshipping him. She not only imagines
talking to him but also goes all the way to have an imaginary date with him. In
fact, it was her longing and dreaming to be part of an exotic world. Her family
knows very well about her imaginary world and always tries to draw her away.

Her father never believed in her stories and says, ‘One day you are going to talk
yourself into a load of trouble’. Even her younger brother Derek says, “She
thinks money grows on trees”, when Sophie is fantasising about opening a
boutique. Her elder brother Geoff also does not believe in her story about
Danny Casey initially. This clearly shows that except for her elder brother Geoff,
Sophie doesn’t connect well with her family.

12.‘I can see the future and now I will have to live with this burden’, says Sophie.
What is the burden being referred to? What light does it throw on Sophie’s life?

Sophie lives in her world of imagination. She tells her brother that she met
football star Danny Cassey in the arcade outside Royce and would be going on
date with him. Her father does not believe that she has met Danny Casey. Geoff,
though believes in her meeting, warns her that Danny Casey is a popular star
and has many girl friends.
Sophie has probably met Danny Casey and exchanged a few words and asked for
an autograph. It is just in imagination that Sophie fantasises to have a date with
Danny Casey. When Danny Casey does not show up for the date, Sophie faces a
dilemma of having to uphold the fact that she had really met Danny Casey. She
is aware that nobody would believe her. She is deeply sad at the realisation that
her life is not going to change. Her life of poverty will not change into the
glamorous world of her dreams. This is a heavy burden for her. She finds it very
difficult to cope with her reality.

13.The theme of the story ‘Going Places’ is an adolescent fantasy and hero-
worship. Every teenager has a hero in his/her life. Based on your reading of the
story, write an article on the topic: ‘Are teenagers justified in their act of hero-
worship’?

‘Hero-worship’ is a very common phenomenon in teenagers. They idolise, even

literally worship their heros or role models. Huge crowds gather outside the
studios and stadia to take pictures or autographs of the celebrity stars or sports
stars. No doubt it is good to admire and appreciate these achievers, but there
must be some limit. The fans should not waste their time because adolescence
is the time when the foundation of the success of life is laid in the form of
career.

Moreover, aping and doing what they see their stars doing is not going to give
them any benefit. In that way adolescents just waste their time and resources.
In fact, the teenagers should select their role model very carefully and should
have self-control and determination. They should imbibe all the good qualities
of these heroes and try to be like them by putting in their sincere efforts. They
should plan out their career and set their priorities. They must have some
inspiring people as their role models to make their lives meaningful.

14. All of us, like Sophie, look up to people who then become our role models.
These role models have a positive impact on our lives and possess those
qualities that we would like to have.
As head boy/head girl of your school, you have to address the students in the
morning assembly telling them about the kind of people, they should adopt as
role models and seek inspiration from them. Write this speech in 120-150
words.

Dear friends

It is said that every successful person has a role model in his life. This role model
is the one who changes our life. Role models guide us in our quest for success
and make the world a better place. We need to be very careful in choosing our
role models. A role model is one who is an embodiment of all virtues; a person
who is selfless and truthful, one who is sincere, honest, and straightforward.
Depending upon our field of interest, we can have many legendary personalities
to make our role models, personalities such as Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother
Teresa, Martin Luther King, Vivekananda, the list is inexhaustive. These are the
people who have enlightened the lives of others, they have lived their life much
above the selfish pursuits. We must idolise someone who has the virtues which
should be followed to be a good human being.

There are such inspiring people even in our surroundings, in our society, at
home, or in school. Our teachers are the best example. They are our best role
models who have taught us to differentiate between right and wrong. To
conclude, I would just like to say that we should make an honest, sincere, and
inspiring person our role model.

Lesson 7: The Interview – Part I & II

Summary
The chapter is an excerpt adapted from The Penguin Book Of Interviews, written
by Christopher Silvester. He talks about the tactics of an interview, a new way of
interrogating someone.

He actually relates it to Journalism. He also discusses the importance of this new

technique and tells us as it is very important irrespective of anything matters. He
also states some views regarding Interviews.
We also got to know about the opinions of many celebrities concerning an
interview. Thus, it also teaches us about the pros and cons of interviews. After
that, the author also gives us an account of an interview with the eminent writer
Umberto Eco.

The Interview Textual Questions - Solutions

1. What are some of the positive views on interviews?
Interview, in the 130 years of its existence, has become an inherent part of
journalism. It is a useful means of communication that is, at times, considered to
be an art, serving as a source of truth. Denis Brian has stated that in today’s
world we get to know “our contemporaries” through their interviews.

2. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?

Celebrity writers believe that interviews unduly interfere with their private lives.
They regard themselves as victims of interviews. They claim that the interview in
some way ‘diminishes’ them, just like some ancient cultures believed that a
portrait of a person takes away his soul. Certain celebrities like V.S Naipaul have
claimed that interviews leave them wounded, while others like Rudyard Kipling
have referred to it as a crime and an immoral act.

3. What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?

Some primitive cultures believed that photographing a person is no less than
stealing his/her soul out of the body and rendering him incomplete and slighted.

4. What do you understand by the expression “thumbprints on his windpipe”?

The expression means having been strangulated. The interview is an assault on a
person as it makes him/her so tense that he/she feels as good as being choked.

5. Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about

personalities?
In modern times, the chief source of information on personalities is the
interviewer who, through his power and influence gathers information, and
provides us with the best possible information on the interviewees. He extracts
everything significant through his questions for us.
Page No: 73 Understanding the Text
1. Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your
opinion.
Yes, Umberto Eco, in all possibilities, likes being interviewed. He felt just at ease
with the interviewer and answered all the questions fully and patiently without
showing any hurry. He stated his achievement in a very modest manner and
explained his philosophical views and interest clearly. He let the interviewer
enter the secret about his craft with a loud laugh. Also, he elaborated on his
approach which was unique. He was mannerly, warm, and properly responsive
as well.

2. How does Eco find the time to write so much?

There are two factors that explain how Eco was able to write so much. In his
own words, the life of every person has expertly spaces- periods with no
important jobs.
He says that he did most of his writing during these free intervals.

Second, he explains that people wondered why he (Eco) had written so much on
various subjects. But the fact is that he was writing on the same lines and same
interests-peace, non-violence, etc. All his works were linked with a thread of
common interests. It saves his time and he could write a lot in a short period of
time. That was the secret behind Eco’s prolific pen.

3. What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?

Umberto Eco’s academic writing style is quite distinctive. It has a certain playful
and personal quality about it. It is a marked departure from a regular academic
style, which is usually depersonalized and often dry and boring.

4. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?

Umberto Eco considered himself an academic scholar first and a novelist later.
He makes his preference clear by saying, “I consider myself a university
professor who writes novels on Sundays”. On weekdays he attends academic
conferences and does other scholarly, non-fictional work.

5. What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose?
‘The Name of the Rose’ is a different sort of Novel It is quite a serious noveL It is
a detective story at one level But it also probes into metaphysics theology and
medieval history. The reasons for the success of the book, however, remain a
mystery.

Talking about the Text

1.The medium you like best for an interview, is print, radio, or television.
The medium I like best for an interview is television. It has both audio and visual
effects. It presents the interviewer and interviewee before the audience in their
true colors.

Usually, celebrities accuse reporters of misquoting them or misreporting them in

the print media or the radio. This is not possible when they are face-to-face on
television. Their lip movement and body movement while replying to probing
questions are there for all to see.

The recording of various expressions coming on the face of the interviewee and
his/her gestures and words are the additional advantages that television holds
over the print media or the radio.

The print media has dull, dry words alongside a picture whereas the radio tries
to create the atmosphere by skillful variation of the sound. Both expect a lot of
attention from the reader/audience.

2. Every famous person has a right to his or her privacy. Interviewers

sometimes embarrass celebrities with very personal questions.
Answer: Interviewers want to present exclusive and intimate details about the
famous person they are interviewing. Some interviewers focus on the public life
and achievements of the individual only.

They try to be objective in their approach as well as assessment. However, there

are others who want to make their interviews spicier and usually cross the thin
limit of privacy of the individual. In their zeal to present good copy, they
embarrass the famous person with personal questions.

Sometimes the impact of such questions on a famous person reveals his/her

aversion as well as irritation at the silliness of the person. If they shout, they are
accused of being rude and proud and if they keep mum they are labeled as
arrogant. In my opinion privacy of an individual must be respected.

The Interview Class 12th: MCQs

1. What kind of a novel was The Name of The Rose?
(a) hilarious (b) fiction (c) non-fiction (d) a serious one

Answer: (d) a serious one

2. In what way interviews have become commonplace in journalism?

(a) because of its power, influence, and medium of communication
(b) because of its pomp
(c) because of its glory
(d) because of its rapport

Answer: (a) because of its power, influence, and medium of communication

3. Who has written Alice in Wonderland?

(a) Christopher (b) Mukand (c) Rudyard Kipling (d) Lewis
Caroll

Answer: (d) Lewis Caroll

4. Why does Eco call the success of his book a mystery?

(a) because of its success
(b) because of its popularity
(c) because of many factors
(d) because of many factors and many other books were written on the same
medieval
period

Answer: (d) because of many factors and many other books were written on the
same
medieval period
5. According to Umberto what will happen to the world if we eliminate empty
spaces from the universe?
(a) The world will become beautiful
(b) The world will be completely ours
(c) The world will shrink and will become as big as a fish.
(d) The world will be round

Answer: (c) The world will shrink and will become as big as a fish.

6. What ideas do you form about Umberto’s personality after his interview
with Mukand?
(a) a very rigid person
(b) a boastful and arrogant
(c) an illusionary vision
(d) an academician with philosophical and ethical interest

Answer: (d) an academician with philosophical and ethical interest

7. How many scholarly works are to his credit?

(a) more than 5 (b) more than10
(c) more than 20 (d) more than 40

Answer: (d) more than 40

8. While interview being interviewed by Mukand, Umberto speaks about his

philosophy and the novel, What does he point out?
(a) he loves writing
(b) he loves to be in the spotlight
(c) at the universe and its workings
(d) at empty spaces in the universe- Interstices

Answer: (d) at empty spaces in the universe- Interstices

9. What impression is formed of Umberto after reading the lesson- The

Interview?
(a) A person of substance
(b) a person of character
(c) a person of words
(d) A person of vision and firm convictions

Answer: (d) A person of vision and firm convictions

10. What is an interview?

(a) a medium of talking to the people
(b) a medium to spread rumors
(c) a medium to be the talk of the town
(d) a medium of interaction and introspection

Answer: (d) a medium of interaction and introspection

11. What does writing novels on Sundays signify?

(a) writing novels- his passion
(b) writing novels- his need
(c) writing novels- his casual job
(d) writing novels- his interest

Answer: (c) writing novels- his casual job

12. What in today’s world our main source of information?

(a) social media (b) newspapers
(c) short screens
(d) Interviews and interactions

Answer: (d) Interviews and interactions

13. What is the primitive view about being photographed?

(a) person’s soul is stolen
(b) part of the personality is lost
(c) a person can be commanded
(d) All these

Answer: (d) All these

14. What days did he used to write novels?
(a) Saturday night (b) Friday night
(c) every evening (d) Sundays

Answer: (d) Sundays

15. At what age was Eco’s book published?

(a) at the age of 20 (b) at the age of 25
(c) at the age of 22 (d) at the age of 26

Answer: (c) at the age of 22

16. What are some of the positive traits of interviews?

(a) brings out the truth and gives a vivid impression of contemporaries
(b) helps find hidden talents
(c) useful medium of communication
(d) All these

Answer: (d) All these

17. What was distinctive (special) about Eco’s academic writing style?
(a) His realistic narrative style with trial and errors
(b) his interrogative style
(c) his monotonous unrealistic style
(d) fictitious imaginative style

Answer: (a) His realistic narrative style with trial and errors

18. According to an old saying what happens when perceptions are made
about a person?
(a) Person feels happy
(b) person becomes popular
(c) Person feels irritated
(d) The original identity of his soul is lost

Answer: (d) The original identity of his soul is lost

19. The excerpt -The Interview has been taken from which book?
(a) Christopher’s introduction to The Penguin Book of Interviews
(b) Features for Vanity Fair
(c) The name of the Rose
(d) none

Answer: (a) Christopher’s introduction to The Penguin Book of Interviews

20. How does V.S. Naipaul feel about interviews?

(a) horror (b) happy (c) wounded (d) none
Answer: (c) wounded

The Tiger King

About The Author
Ramaswamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy, pen name(Kalki) the tenth and last avatar of
Lord Vishnu. He was a Tamil writer, poet, journalist, critic, and activist who
penned down many short stories along with novels editorial and hundreds of
films and musical reviews.

So, lets us go further and enjoy this beautiful prose based on the rich and
powerful king of olden times who tried to change his fate by killing tigers on a
large scale.

Characters:
1. Maharaja (Tiger king)
He was brave, determined, and courageous. He was a firm ruler and when he
got to know about his prediction, he challenged by saying that he was not afraid
and let the tigers beware.

He was raised in an English environment and became tall and sturdy. To fulfill
his proclamation he went on a reckless killing of the tigers and to finish his
target he marries from another state and completes his target.

But very soon he could not find his last tiger and cunningly presented one by his
dewan. But no one can change what is in store in one’s destiny. He was killed at
last by a wooden tiger. We can say though he showed valor, lacked wisdom.
2. Dewan
He was an opportunist and a very cunning man who married two women at the
same time and very well knows how to tackle these types of situations. He is
corrupt and very cleverly he gets an old tiger from the circus to be able to save
himself and the courtiers from the wrath of the tiger king.

He used this opportunity and even after knowing that the tiger died with the
sound of the bullet, not with the shot he proclaimed the tiger king victorious.

Some other characters

 Chief astrologer: a royal foreteller of the state.

 Durai: means “chief, leader” in Tamil.
 A British high ranking officer & his secretary
 Duraisani: the wife of the high-ranking British officer.

Summary
The story is satire referring to the Maharaja Sir Jilani Hung Bahadur of
Prartibandapouram. When he was 10 days old Astrologers predicted that a tiger
would be the reason for the death of the king. Surprisingly the 10 days old infant
said, “ let the tigers beware”. He was raised in royalty by drinking the milk of a
white cow and looked after by a nanny and watching English films.

He was crowned king when he was 20 and came to know about his prediction
about his death by a tiger. So, mercilessly he went on killing tigers and ban the
tiger hunt in this state. But according to astrologers, he needs to kill 100 tigers
to belie this prediction.

According to them, he needs to be very vigilant from the 100th tiger. One day a
high-ranking officer wants to go for the tiger hunt but the king refused and to
save all of them from the vexation of the officer he sent 50 Diamonds to the
officer’s wife and lures her.

After slaying 70 tigers in his own area he went to other areas to complete his
target and marries a girl from the royal state to do so. He completes his target
whenever he goes to his in-laws and every time he killed 5 to 6 tigers. So he was
able to slay down 99 tigers and was unable to find the 100th tiger.
This made him very violent and so he gave threats to Dewan. He managed to get
an old tiger from the circus and presented it in front of the king in the forest to
save his life. He told the Maharaja about the 100th tiger and very happy he went
for his hunting.

After shooting the tiger he felt he had belied his fate and feel victorious. But he
was unaware of the fact that he had missed the bullet and the tiger was old
enough to die from the sound of the gun. No one has the guts to tell as they all
were afraid of their lives and bring the 100th tiger in the Grand Procession.

At last, he was soo happy that he got a wooden tiger for his son as a birthday
present and while playing with it he got injured from the rough edges which
went on into an infection. He died from the 100th tiger and no matter it was not
made of flesh but a wooden toy tiger killed a king and took his revenge. The fate
reminds unchanged.

NCERT Solutions
Q1. Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?
The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was known as the tiger king. When he was
born, the astrologer declared that he would have to die one day. The prince who
was then 10 days old, ordered them to change the manner of his death. The
chief astrologer said it would come from a tiger. But the child said bravely, let
the tigers beware and then he decided to kill 100 tigers. So, he got the name
‘Tiger King’.

Q2. What did the royal infant grow up to be?

The crown prince grew taller and stronger day by day. He drank the milk of an
English cow and was taken care of by an English nanny and tutored in English.
When he was twenty he got the throne and controlled the state. He decided to
kill the tigers in self-defence to evade his death.

Q3. What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?

Within 10 years he was able to kill seventy tigers and slowly, the tiger
population became extinct in Pratibandapuram.
The Maharaja with a marriage alliance decided to kill tigers and with the help of
Dewan, he had decided to draw up the statistics in different regions.

The dewan found a right girl of a region who had a good number of tigers and so
the Maharaja married and the practice was put into use. Every time he was able
to kill 5 or 6 tigers whenever he visited his father-in-law. Through this, he was
able to shoot ninety tigers.

Q4. How will the Maharaja prepare himself for the hundredth tiger which was
supposed to decide his fate?

When he came to know that only one tiger was left, his excitement level
reached its zenith. He day and night thought of the hundredth tiger. Tigers were
left very few in Pratibandapuram and other regions. It became almost
impossible to locate the 100th tiger.

As the late chief astrologer said the king should beware of the 100th tiger, the
maharaja would have no fear at all. Then the villagers ran to inform about the
tiger and Maharaja exempted that village from taxes for three years. The
Maharaja continued with his hunt of the tiger and this seemed not an easy job
for him.

Q5. What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was
indisputably disproved?

To save him from the wrath of the Maharaja, the dewan managed to get an old
tiger from people’s park in Madras and kept it a secret. One Midnight he with
his wife’s help dragged the tiger to the car and himself drove the car.

The next day, the same old tiger was dragged to the jungle. Maharaja was
overjoyed at seeing the last tiger and marked his shot. The tiger fell and the
Maharaja was excited that he had killed the 100th tiger.

The hunters found that the tiger was not dead and so they decided to kill the
beast. They did not want the king to know this fact. The dead tiger was taken in
a grand procession and buried there. A tomb was also erected over there.
The prophecy was not disapproved as the king was killed by the wooden toy
tiger by its silver. Since the astrologer was dead he could not be punished.

Q6. What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to

the willfulness of human beings?

For many years we have seen a very rough attitude towards innocent animals.
Man has been killing animals for sport, meat or to sell their organs. The author
of this lesson does not comment directly. Man has found almost baseless logic
to hurt the ecological balance of the mother earth. They find no objection to
killing any innocent animal for their own selfish cause. The extinction in
Pratibandapuram and the other states of the tiger king illustrates man’s
callousness towards animals. It shows that all the people and the dewan, he
tried to satisfy the tiger king by managing to bring the tiger from the park in
madras.

Q7. How would you describe the behavior of the Maharaja’s minions towards
him? Do you find them truly sincere towards him or are they driven by fear
when they obey him? Do we find a similarity in today’s political order?

A minion is an unimportant person who has to obey the orders of the royalty.
Most of them feared the Maharaja and had to obey and serve him to save
themselves from the wrath. Displeasure to the maharaja would mean loss of
life or job. Only a few of them were sincere towards him. One such person was
the astrologer but after the prediction about which he was certain, he wanted to
cut his tuft, burn his books of astrology if this wouldn’t come true.

Today is also the same scenario, subordinates and the lower rank officers served
the high rankers like their puppets. Their self-interest and fear of losing jobs
would make them puppets and serve like deaf and dumb throughout.

Q8. Why did the Maharaja order the dewan to double the land tax?

The king went out campaigning to find the 100th tiger, and when he could not,
he doubled the land tax.

Q9. How did the chief astrologer react to the infant prince’s observation?
The chief astrologer was astonished and put his finger on his nose. He wondered
that the 10-year-old infant was asking questions so curiously. He said that the
prince was born in the hour of the bull and the bull and tiger are enemies, so he
would die because of the tiger.

Q10. Why did the Maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state?
He banned tiger hunting because he wanted to prove the state astrologers
wrong, and by killing the tigers he could evade his death. That is why he banned
hunting tigers in Pratibandapuram.

Q11. Who was the Tiger King? What is the story associated with the birth of
the Tiger King?
The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was called the Tiger King. At his birth,
astrologers predicted that one day he would actually have to die. They further
said that he would grow up to become a great warrior, a great hero, a great
champion, but would die one day. Surprisingly, a miracle took place. The ten-
day-old prince spoke in his squeaky voice that “everyone who is born has to die
one day. So it would make sense if they could tell the manner of his death”.

Everyone present there was tongue-tied. A baby of ten days not only opened its
lips but even asked intelligent questions. The chief astrologer then said that
since the prince was born in the hour of bull and the bull and the tiger are
enemies, the death of the prince would result from a tiger. The royal infant was
not afraid to hear these words. He grumbled asking the tigers to beware.

Q11. How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge on the Tiger King?
A few days after the Maharaja killed the hundredth tiger, it was the third
birthday of his son. The Maharaja desired to give him some special gift on this
occasion. He purchased a wooden tiger from a toy shop and gifted it to his son.
That day, the Maharaja and his son were playing with the wooden tiger. The
surface of the toy was rough since it had been carved by an unskilled carpenter.
A tiny splinter pierced into the Maharaja’s right hand. He pulled it out. But the
next day, the infection spread even in the Maharaja’s right arm. Within four
days, it developed into pus and his arm became sore. Three famous surgeons
were called from Chennai. They performed the operation. Even though the
operation was successful, the Maharaja passed away. Thus, the hundredth tiger
took its revenge on the king.

Q12. Giving a bribe is an evil practice. How did the Tiger King bribe the British
officer to save his kingdom? How do you view this act of his?
Tiger King wanted to disprove the astrologer’s prediction and therefore started
to hunt and kill tigers. Anyone who disobeyed him would be punished and all his
wealth and property would be confiscated. In order to have enough tigers to
hunt, he had banned hunting tigers in his kingdom. A high-ranking British official
came to the state. He desired to hunt tigers. The British officer was also not
allowed to hunt. The officer sent a word to get himself photographed holding a
gun beside the tiger’s dead body.
However, the Maharaja refused even that. As the Maharaja had prevented a
British officer from fulfilling his desire, he was in danger of losing his kingdom.
Hence, he offered a bribe of 50 gold rings that was valued at three lakhs to the
wife of the British officer. By this act the Maharaja was able to avert the danger.
In my view, this reveals the corrupt attitude of both the King and the British
official. It also shows how blinded the King was in his ambition (to prove the
astrologer wrong) that he wasted the people’s money to appease his ego. He
was ready to relinquish people’s hard-earned money to ensure that his longevity
is ensured by proving the astrologer wrong.

Q13. Even today so many among us believe in superstitions. An astrologer

predicted about ‘the Tiger King’ that he would be killed by a tiger. He ‘killed’
one hundred tigers yet was himself ‘killed’ by a tiger. How did the
superstitious belief ‘prevail’?
A few days after the Maharaja killed the hundredth tiger, it was the third
birthday of his son. The Maharaja desired to give him some special gift on this
occasion. He purchased a wooden tiger from a toy shop and gifted it to his son.
That day, the Maharaja and his son were playing with the wooden tiger. The
surface of the toy was rough since it had been carved by an unskilled carpenter.
A tiny splinter pierced into the Maharaja’s right hand. He pulled it out. But the
next day, the infection spread even in the Maharaja’s right arm. Within four
days, it developed into a pus forming sore spreading all over the arm. Three
famous surgeons were called from Chennai. They performed the operation.
Even though the operation was successful, the Maharaja passed away. Thus, the
hundredth tiger took its revenge on the king.
This shows that the superstitions prophecy did eventually prevail. The 100th
tiger was not killed by the king. However, it died. But with regard to the king,
the 100th tiger, appeared in the form of the inanimate tiger, that caused the
death of the king.

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How many surgeons were summoned to attend the king?

a.3 b. 7 c.12 d.13

Ans – a. 3

2. Identify the literary device in “like quills all over it”?

1.Metaphor 2.Simile
3.Alliteration 4.Personification
Ans- simile

3. The wooden tiger was carved by

1. A master craftsman 2. An unskilled carpenter

3.The shopkeeper himself 4. A British carpenter

Ans- an unskilled carpenter

4. The original cost of the present was

1. 2 annas and a quarter 2. 2 annas and a half

2. One and a half anas 4. 3 annas

Ans – 2 annas and a quarter

5. How old was the king’s son?

1. One year old 2. Three years old

 3. Five years old 4. Seven years old

Ans- three years old

6. The 100th tiger had-

1. Been shot dead 2. fainted

2. Fainted
3. Disappeared 4. Been set free

Ans- fainted

7. The old tiger had been brought from-

1. Calcutta park 2. Business park

3.Father in law’s kingdom 4. People’s park

Ans- people’s park

8. The frustrated tiger king asked the dewan-

1. To resign
2. To go too far off places in search of a tiger
3. To invite the British officer
4. To get a tiger from the madras zoo

Ans- to resign

9. Maharaja on not finding the last tiger-

1. Went to the madras zoo

2. Terminated the services of many officers
3. Went to live in the jungle
4. Gave up the idea completely

Ans- terminated the services of many officers.

10. Each time the maharaja visited his father-in-law, he killed ____tigers

1. 1-2 2. 5-6
 2. 9-10 4.12-13

Ans- 5-6

11. In 10 years of hunting expeditions, the maharaja killed______ tigers

1. 30 b.50 c.70 d.90

Ans- 70

12. Maharaja and dewan ___ the British officer to save the kingdom

1. Entertained 2.Bribed

3. Pacified 4.Confronted

Ans- bribed

13. ______became the king’s main occupation

1. English 2.Justice

3.Governance 4.Tiger hunting

Ans- tiger huntin

14. A high ranking British officer wished to go on

1. A tiger hunting expedition

2. To the jungle
3. And investigate the decrease in tiger population
4. And remove the tiger king

Ans- tiger hunting expedition

15. The astrologer stated he would ___if the king killed the 100 th tiger

1. Leave the state

2. Kill himself
3. Cut his tuft
4. Denounce the world
Ans- cut his tuft

16. The state astrologer predicted that no harm would come to the tiger king
till the killing of ____ tigers

1. 89 2.99 3.79 4.100

Ans- 99

17. What character trait of the prince is revealed when he utters the words,
‘let tigers beware’?

1. Humility 2. Arrogance 3.Pride 4.Will-power

Ans- Arrogance

18. How old was the prince when he ridiculed the astrologer?

1. 10 days 2.10 weeks 3. 10 months 4.10 years

Ans- 10 days

19. Kalki, the author of the “tiger king” has used as a background, days of ____
ings dominating their subjects.

1. Just 2.Brave 3.Eccentric 4.Gullible

Ans- eccentric

20. What shows the false ego and pride of the king in the story?

1. His killings of tigers and no concern for nature

2. His desire to marry
3. His orders from time to time
4. None

Ans- his killing of tigers and no concern for nature

21. Why did the king send rings to a British official’s wife?

1. To save his state and to please the British

 2. To invite them for hunting
3. To invite the, for a feast
4. To find more tigers

Ans- to save the state and to please the British

22. What is the irony in the story?

1. King’s desire to prove predictions wrong

2. King’s desire to marry
3. King’s desire to kill tigers
4. The king killed 99 tigers and died because of a toy tiger

Ans- the king killed 99 tigers and died because of a toy tiger

23. Who actually shot the 100th tiger?

1. One of the hunters who accompanied the king

2. A soldier
3. King’s guest
4. British high officer

Ans- one of the hunter’s who accompanied the king

24. What became the cause of the king’s death?

1. A tiger
2. A tiger from his wife’s forest
3. A tiger in his state
4. The wooden tiger from the toyshop

Ans- the wooden tiger from the toyshop

25. What is the theme of the story?

1. Desire of power
2. Desire to have power for one’s selfish interests and not for the welfare of
the subjects
3. Desire to help others
 4. None

Ans- desire to have power for one’s selfish interest and not for the welfare of
the subjects.

3.Journey to the end of the Earth

TEXTUAL & IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

Answer each of the following questions in about 30-40 words:

1. How do geological phenomena help us to 1 know about the history of

mankind? (2000; 2009 Delhi)

It is geological phenomena that help us to know about the history of mankind.

Geologists say about 650 million years ago a giant ‘amalgamated’ super
continent, Gondwana existed in the South. At that time India and Antarctica
were parts of the same landmass. Gondwana had a warm climate and a huge
variety of flora and fauna. This supercontinent survived for 500 years till the age
of mammals got underway.

2. What kind of indications do we get while visiting Antarctica to save Earth?

(2004 Delhi)

Tishani Doshi’s entire experience of visiting Antarctica was nothing short of a

revelation. It made her wonder about the “beauty of balance in play on our
planet”. She hopes the new generation will understand their planet better and
save it from annihilation. The planet’s ecosystem and its balance that took
millions of years to form can be soon destroyed. Scientists warn that a further
depletion in the ozone layer will affect the activities of the phytoplankton. The
lives of the marine animals and birds of the region will be affected. But the
school students’ visit to the Antarctica may make human beings handle their
planet in a better way.
3. How can a visit to the Antarctica be an enlightening experience? (2008
Outside Delhi; All Comptt. Delhi)

By visiting the Antarctica we can understand the earth’s past, present and
future. A visit there can teach the next generation to understand and value our
planet. Antarctica also holds within its ice-cores half-million-years old carbon
records which will help us to study climatic changes by global warming.

4. Why is a visit to Antarctica important to realise the effect of global

warming? (2008 Outside Delhi)

Antarctica is the perfect place to study the effects that global warming is
causing. It is here that one can see the effect of melting glaciers and collapsing
ice-shelves and how this is likely to raise the water levels in the sea and the
ocean, as a result of which many low lying regions will be submerged under
water.

5. How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate on climate change? (2008

Outside Delhi; 2013 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

Antarctica is a crucial element in the debate on climate change because it is the

only place in the world which has never sustained a human population and thus
remains relatively pristine. Moreover, it holds in its ice-caves half-million- year
old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. The world’s climate is changing
fast and is at present one of the most hotly debated issues. Antarctica is the
ideal place to study the effect of these environmental changes as it has a very
simple ecosystem and lacks biodiversity. If global warming makes Antarctica
warmer, it will have disastrous consequences elsewhere.

6. What was the objective of the ‘Students on Ice Programme’? (2009 Delhi;
2011 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take High School
students to the limits of the world and provide them not only with inspiring
opportunities in education but also enable them to understand and respect our
planet. The idea was to provide them a life-changing experience at an age when
they are ready to absorb, learn and most importantly act. According to Geoff
Green, the High School students are the future policy makers and through this
programme they would save this planet from ecological hazards and the harmful
effects of global warming.

7. Why is Antarctica and its understanding important for the survival of the
world? (2009 Outside Delhi)

Antarctica and its understanding is important for the survival of the world
because it helps us to know that the southern supercontinent of Gondwana
existed and centered around the present-day Antarctica. Human beings had not
come on the global scene but a huge variety of flora and fauna was present in
the supercontinent. It was after 500 million years that the landmass was forced
to separate into countries that exist today. Antarctica’s ice-cores hold over half-
million-year-old carbon records which are crucial for the study of the Earth’s
past, present and future.

8. What are the indications for the future of humankind? (2009 Outside Delhi)

A fast and steady rise in human population in proportion to the limited natural
resources is exerting pressure on land. Forests are being cut and fossil fuels are
being burnt and these factors are increasing the global temperature. Melting of
glaciers, depletion of ozone layer and global warming are endangering man’s
existence on earth. This is bound to adversely affect marine life, birds and
mankind.

9. How did the Antarctica amaze the writer when he first saw it? (2010 Delhi)

When the writer first saw Antarctica he was amazed by its vastness and
immense white landscape. It was an endless blue horizon and the fact that it
was isolated from the rest of the world created an added sense of wonder and
mystery about the continent.
10. Why was Tishani Doshi filled with relief and wonder when he set foot on
the Antarctic continent? (2010 Comptt. Delhi)

Tishani Doshi’s first emotion when he set foot on the Antarctic continent was
one of relief. He felt relieved to have set foot there after over a hundred hours.
Its vastness and immense wild landscape dazzled his eyes. Its endless blue
horizon and its isolation from the rest of the world created a sense of wonder
and mystery for him.

11. Why is Antarctica the place to go to if we want to study the earth’s past,
present and future? (2010 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

The Antarctica landmass, that was an amalgamated southern supercontinent

called Gondwana dates back to 650 million years. It can help us understand
better the formation of continents and mountains like the Himalayas as they are
in the modem world. Its ice-cores hold over half-million-year old carbon records
that are vital to study the Earth’s past, present and future.

12. What were the writer’s feelings on reaching Antarctica? (2011 Delhi)

The writer’s first emotion on reaching Antarctica was that of relief. He felt
relieved to have set foot on the Antarctic continent after over 100 hours. Then
he experienced a sense of amazement on seeing its vastness and immense
white landscape which dazzled his eyes.

13. What sort of brightness and silence prevailed in Antarctica dining summer?
(2011 Delhi)

The brightness that prevailed in Antarctica was surreal (strange) as the austral
summer light remained for 24 hours in the continent. The silence there was
ubiquitous (widespread) interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or calving
ice sheet.

14. What do you think is the reason behind the success of the programme,
‘Students on Ice’? (2011 Delhi)
The programme ‘Students on Ice’ was a success because it offered a life
changing exposure to the future generation of policy makers at an age when
they could absorb, learn and act. It provided them with inspiring educational
opportunities which would help them foster a new understanding and respect
for our planet.

15. Why does the author of Journey to the End of the Earth state that in 12000
years man has managed to create a ruckus on this earth? (2012 Comptt.
Outside Delhi)

Humans have been on this Earth for about 12,000 years and have created a
havoc and ruckus on this Earth. They have done this by encroaching on nature
and establishing cities and megacities. Their increasing population has depleted
natural resources and their callousness towards nature has led to a rise in global
temperature.

16. How was Antarctica a chilling prospect for a South Indian, Tishani Doshi?
(2013 Comptt. Delhi)

Tishani Doshi is a sun-worshipping South Indian and for her to spend two weeks
in a place where 90 per cent of the Earth’s total ice volumes are stored is a
chilling prospect, not just for circulatory and metabolic functions, but also for
the imagination.

2. Answer the following question in about 125-150 words.

17. How the programme, ‘Students on Ice’ was an attempt to equip future
generation with knowledge to save Earth? (2005 Delhi)

The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take the High School
students to the limits of the world and provide them with inspiring
opportunities in education to enable them to understand and respect our
planet. According to Geoff Green, the High School students are the future
policy-makers and through this programme they would be able to save this
planet from the ecological hazards and the harmful effects of global warming.
Antarctica, with its simple ecosystem and lack of biodiversity, is the perfect
place to study how little changes in the environment can have major
repercussions. The school students’ impressionable minds can study and
examine the Earth’s past, present and future by their voyage to Antarctica.

18. The world’s geological history is trapped in the Antarctica. How is the
study of this region useful to us? (2008 Delhi)

The Antarctic landmass dates back to 650 million years. It was an amalgamated
southern supercontinent called Gondwana. This landmass centered around the
present-day Antarctica. Human beings did not exist as their civilization is only
12,000 years old. The climate at that time was warm and landmass flourished
with a vast variety of flora and fauna. The study of this region shows that
Gondwana prospered for 500 million years. But then the dinosaurs got wiped
out and mammals began to appear. The landmass disintegrated into countries
and India, the Himalayas and South America was formed. This left Antarctica
frigid at the bottom of the earth. Today, it stores the key to the significance of
coridelleran folds and pre- Cambrian granite shields, ozone and carbon layers as
well as a study of the evolution and extinction. This can help us to understand in
a better way the formation of continents and mountains like the Himalayas as
we find them in the modem world. Its ice-folds hold over half-million-year-old
carbon records that are so crucial for the study of the Earth’s past, present and
future, thus trapping the world’s geological history in Antarctica.

19. What are phytoplanktons? How are they important to our ecosystem?
(2010 Outside Delhi; 2012 Delhi)

The microscopic phytoplankton are tiny forms of plant life on the sea. They
nourish and sustain the entire southern ocean’s food chain. They are single-
celled plants and use the energy of the sun to assimilate carbon supplying
oxygen and synthesise compounds. Depletion of the ozone layer that protects
us from the harmful rays of the sun adversely affects the activities of the
phytoplankton. Any further depletion in the ozone layer will hamper their
activity which, in turn, is bound to affect the growth of marine animals and birds
and even the global carbon cycle. Thus to save the big organisms the small
organisms need to be cared for because even minor changes have huge
repercussions.

20. The author calls her two-week stay in Antarctica, ‘a chilling prospect’. How
far do you think is she justified? What other features of the Antarctic
environment are highlighted?

Tishani Doshi, is a sun-worshipping South Indian and for her to spend two-weeks
in a place where 90 per cent of the Earth’s total ice volumes are stored is a
chilling prospect—both in terms of circulatory and metabolic functions and for
the imagination. She has been transported from the scorching sun to the ice
floes and glaciers where ninety per cent of the earth’s surface is ice-mass. Her
two-week Antarctic encounter left an epiphanic effect on her and she carried
back indelible memories of the continent. For her, it was like walking into a giant
ping-pong ball, devoid of any human markers like trees, billboards and buildings.
She says one loses all earthly sense of perspective and time here. As the day
pass in surreal 24- hour austral summer light, a silence prevails which is
interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or caving ice sheet.

She learnt that Antarctica has a very simple ecosystem that lacks variety. But if
this system is interfered with and environmental changes are effected
indiscriminately, it can lead to depletion of the ozone layer, which protects us
from the harmful rays of the sun. Since the planet is unravaged by humans, it
remains unblemished. Its ice-cores hold more than half¬million-year-old carbon
records that are imperative for the detailed study of our planet.

21. Why does Tishani Doshi call her trip to Antarctica a “Journey to the End of
the Earth”? What experience did she have during this expedition? (2011
Outside Delhi)

Tishani Doshi calls her trip to Antarctica a ‘Journey to the End of the Earth’
because she crosses nine time zones, six checkpoints, three water bodies and
many ecospheres to reach there. The entire journey takes one hundred hours.
She is wonder-struck by the immensity and isolation of the region. She is also
relieved to see its expansive wide landscape and uninterrupted blue horizon.
Antarctica provides young students like her with a platform to study changes in
the environment. The programme is also likely to help them develop a new
respect and understanding of our planet. Antarctica is also the perfect place for
them to study how little climatic changes can have big repercussions and how
global warming and further depletion of the ozone layer can affect the Antarctic
region. The study of the Antarctica will help them to understand the earth’s
past, present and future.

22. In what ways is the research on Antarctica helpful in the study and
understanding of the Earth’s past and future, according to the author of
‘Journey to the End of the Earth’? (2012 Comptt. Delhi)

A visit to Antarctica will help us to understand where we have come from and
where we could possibly be heading. It will also suggest a lot of future
possibilities, probably for even a million years later. By visiting the Antarctica we
get an opportunity to study about the future climatic changes easily and more
effectively. We also come to know about the repercussions of the various
environmental changes. It also gives us the realization of the appearance of the
‘future world’. The ice-cores of Antarctica hold more than half-million-year-old
carbon records which are very crucial for the study of the past, present and
future of our planet. All this will also help us to understand our planet better
and also give us ideas to save our planet.

8. Memories of Childhood
Introduction
The chapter contains two extracts from two different autobiographical episodes
from the lives of two women – Zitkala Sa and Bama. Both are victims of social
discriminations. Zitkala Sa is the victim of racial discrimination whereas Bama is
the victim of caste discriminations. In both the extracts, the writers look back on
their childhood and reflect on their relationship with mainstream culture which
illtreated them when they were child. But both the accounts are not simple
narratives of oppression. Rather they reveal how oppression was resisted by
both the narrators in their own ways. Zitkala-Sa and Bama were very young but
not so young that they would not understand the evil scheme of the
 mainstream culture. The injustice of their society did not escape their notice
also. Their bitter childhood experience sowed the seeds of rebellion in them
earlier on.

Both the accounts are based in two distant cultures. The first is that of Native
Americans and the second is that of the Tamil Dalits. But the commonality that
brings them closer is the fact that in both cases, the mainstream culture
marginalized the underprivileged section of that society. This gave rise to the
conflict between the mainstream culture and the marginalized community,
which is exquisitely showcased in ‘Memories of Childhood’.

1. The Cutting of My Long Hair

Characters
1. Gertrude Simmons: the narrator of the story
2. Judewin: a friend of Gertrude Simmons
3. A pale-faced woman: a teacher or a member of staff at the Carlisle Indian
Industrial School in Carlisle.
Theme
It highlights the despise, racial discrimination and unhealthy treatment towards
the humanity in general and women in particular.

Introduction
This account relates to an American Indian woman who becomes the victim of
racial discrimination. She is admitted to a school where native Indians do not get
respect, honour, dignity and due weightage in America. She is forced by the
whites to follow their traditions and traits. Simmons is dragged out and tied to a
chair to shingle out her long hair. She cries, struggles, kicks, resists, shows
reluctance and she ultimately feels like one of the many animals driven by a
herder.

Summary
This extract is a painful revelation of a particular period of the life which the
writer had to suffer during her hostel days. It was the first day of her boarding
school situated in the land of apples. The children were given the task of apple
picking in the bitter and biting cold. They were taken to the breakfast hall and
the girl was feeling stressed. She did not know the table manners. She was being
watched very carefully by a strange pale-faced woman. The girl felt very fearful
and insulted. Her friend who could understand some English, told her that the
pale strange woman intended to cut her long hair. Zitkala-Sa learned from her
mother that hair would be shingled only for the unskilled warrior, cowards and
mourners. She decided to fight back and got herself hidden in a dim room under
the bed. Everybody looked for her and called her name but eventually caught.
Her long hair was cut, although she resisted a lot. She spent her rest of the life
there like a small animal being a part of a herd, which was driven by a herder.
GIST OF THE LESSON PART –I
 The first part deals with the account of Simmons, An American Indian, who
fought against the prejudices of the society against American Indians.
 She describes her experiences on her first day at the Carlisle Indian School.
 The customs and rules of the place were strange and new to her.
 She was forced to wear clothes that were considered undignified in her
culture.
 At breakfast, she was embarrassed as she did not know the routine of the
place.
 When she comes to know that they were planning to cut her hair, she
protests by hiding under the bed, even though she knew it was futile. In
her culture, it was the cowards whose hair was shingled.
 She felt like an animal driven by a herder.
PART – II
 The second part is an excerpt from the autobiography ‘Karukku’ by Bama –
a Tamil Dalit.
 She was in her third grade when she becomes aware of the indignities that
the lower caste people face.
 She happens to see an elderly person from her community abase himself
in front of a higher caste person as he was not supposed to touch the food
that he was ordered to fetch for the landlord. 109
  Later, her brother explains to her that the incident was not at all funny as
she initially thought, but very pathetic. The people from the lower caste
were treated as untouchables.
 She was deeply saddened and decided to study hard to overcome
discrimination.

1. Why was Zitkala-Sa in tears on the first day in the land of apples? (All India
2014)
Zitkala-Sa was in tears on the first day in the land of apples because she was
forced to part with her heavy, long hair. To avoid it, she even hid herself under
the bed but she was soon found out and tied fast to her chair. She cried in
protest but it all went in vain and she felt the blades of the scissors against her
neck and heard them gnaw off her thick braids.

2. What comic incident did Bama narrate to her brother? Why was he not
amused? (Foreign 2014)
While walking back home from school, Bama saw an elder of her street walking
towards the landlord, carrying a food packed by its strings without touching it.
This made her shriek with laughter. When she narrated the incident to her
brother, he was not amused and told her that people of their caste were
considered untouchables and that is why the elder carried the packet by its
string.

3. Which words of her brother made a deep impression on Bama? (Delhi 2014)
Bama’s brother had told her that because they were born in a particular caste,
they were stripped off all honour and dignity. For them, the only way to get
their due respect was to make progress by studying hard. Bama took her
brother’s words very seriously and excelled in academics to stan^first in her
class.

4. What is common between Zitkala-Sa and Bama? (Compartment 2014)

Both Zitkala-Sa and Bama had experienced discrimination in their childhood.
While Zitkala-Sa had been a victim of oppression at the hands of the whites in
her boarding school, Bama felt and experienced untouchability early in life for
being born a ‘dalit’,
5. What sort of shows or entertainment attracted Bama? (All India 2013)
or
Which activities of the people would Bama watch keenly in the bazaar?
or
Which actions of the people would Bama watch keenly in the bazaar? (Foreign
2011)
The bazaar on the way home was always buzzing with activities. The snake
charmer, street plays, puppet shows and stunt performances were a few
interesting things going on there.
Bama used to love all these things.

6. What were the articles in the stalls and shops that fascinated Bama on her
way back from school? (All India 2013)
On her way back from school, Bama witnessed a variety of interesting things
which fascinated her. She saw the dried fish stall, the sweet stall and the stall
selling fried snacks. Then there were wild lemurs, needles, clay beads and
instruments for cleaning out the ears on sale. She loved to watch the waiters
cool the coffee and the chopping up of onions.

7. What did Zitkala-Sa feel when her long hair was cut? (Delhi 2011)
When her long hair was cut, Zitkala-Sa felt anguished and pained. She thought
that she was a wooden puppet who had been tossed about in the air. She was
really distressed by the fact that nobody came to comfort her like her mother
did. She missed her mother very much and felt like an animal driven by a herder.

8. What was the advice that Annan gave to Bama? Did she follow it? (All India
2011)
Annan told Bama that because they were born in a particular community, they
were stripped of all honour, dignity or respect. The only way to get all this back
was to study hard and make progress. Annan told Bama that education was the
key to acceptance by the society so she must learn her lessons really well. Yes,
Bama paid heed to his advice and stood first in her class.

9. “I felt like sinking tcffhe floor,” says Zitkala-Sa. When did she feel so and
why?
(All India 2011)
When Zitkala-Sa’s shawl was removed from her shoulders, she felt very
embarrassed due to her c.linging dress. That was when she felt like sinking to
the floor. She considered herself as one of the little animals driven by a herder.

10. What did Judewin tell Zitkala-Sa? How did she react to it? (All India 2011)
The hostel authorities were going to cut the long hair of girls. Wearing short hair
was against Zitkala-Sa’s culture. Judewin told her that they would have to
submit, for they could not fight the strong authorities. However, Zitkala-Sa
disagreed and decided to put up a fight and resist it.

11. What does Zitkala-Sa remember about the first day in the land of apples?
(Foreign 2011)
The first day in the Iand of apples was a ‘bitter-cold one’ firstly because the
snow still covered the ground and the trees were bare. Secondly, die
atmosphere of the school was not at all cordial. It was dictatorial and
regimental. The author did not understand the language spoken there or the
cuiture followed. She detested the way in which even the day to day activities
like eating and dressing up were done ‘by formula’. Even the teachers seemed
to be ruthless.

12. Why was Zitkala-Sa so averse to having her hair cut ? (Foreign 2011)
Zitkala-Sa did not wish to get her hair cut because her mother’s words were
deeply embedded in her mind. Her mother had told her that only the hair of
prisoners of war was shingled by captors. In their culture, short hair was worn
by mourners and shingled hair by cowards.

13. Why did the landlord’s man ask Bama’s brother on which street he lived?
What was the significance? (Delhi 2010)
One day, when Annan was returning home from the library, one of the
landlord’s men approached him and asked him his name. Thereafter the man
asked him in which street he lived. He specifically asked this question because it
was aimed at finding out his caste. Annan narrated this incident to Bama to let
her know the indignity and humiliation their community had to suffer.

14. Why was Zitkala-Sa terrified when Judewin told her that her hair would be
cut short? (All India 2010)
Zitkala-Sa is an American Indian. In her culture, short hair is worn by mourners.
As it is, she was disturbed and embarrassed by the rooms of the school. She got
all the more terrified when Judewin told her that her hair would be cut short.

15. Why did Bama take thirty minutes walking home from school when she
could have covered the distance in ten minutes? (All India 2009)
On her way back from school, Bama got attracted by the little trivialities on the
street. The buzzing market, the snake charmers, the lemurs in cages etc., all
caught her attention. Thus, it took Bama thirty minutes to return from school,
when she could have covered this distance in ten minutes.

16. When did Bama first come to know of the social discrimination faced by
the people of her community? “(Delhi 2009)
Bama was a Tamil Indian belonging to the dalit community. She first came to
know about the social discrimination faced by the people of her community
when she was a student of class three. She saw, on her way back from school,
an elderly man carrying a small packet containing some eatables by a string
without touching it.
She found it very funny but was shocked to know from her brother that since
that bag was for the landlord, it was not to be touched by the dalit who was
carrying it. Thus it was carried in such a manner.

17. How did Zitkala-Sa try to prevent the shingling of her hair? (Delhi 2009)
To escape from her hair being cut, Zitkala-Sa crept upstairs unnoticed. She
entered a large room and crawled under the bed in the dark. However, she was
ultimately found, was dragged out, carried downstairs and tied to a chair.
Finally, despite her fierce resistance, her long braid were chopped off.

18. Describe the experience Bama had on her way back home which made her
feel sad. (Foreign 2009)
One day, when Bama was on her way back home, she saw that an elder of ‘her
street’ was carrying a small packet of vadai or green banana bhajji. He was
holding the packet by its string without touching it. This was because he was an
untouchable and his touch would have rendered it unfit for the consumption of
the upper caste landlord.
This experience made her feel sad because the incident portrayed that from the
beginning, our society has been divided on rigid caste lines. The lower castes
have suffered untold miseries and humiliations by the upper caste people.

Long Answer Type Questions (6 Marks, 120-150 words)

19. What activities did Bama witness on her way back from school?
(Compartment 2014)
Bama’s home was a ten-minute walking distance from her school but it usually -
took her from half an hour to an hour to reach. On her way back, many activities
and sights caught her attention.
Bama got attracted to many novelties and oddities on the street like the
performing monkey, the snake charmer’s snake, the wild lemur in a cage, the
cyclist and spinning wheels, the Maariyaata temple and its huge bell, etc. She
also noticed the pongal offerings being cooked in front of the temple. There was
a dried fish stall near the statue of Gandhiji. There was a sweet stall and a stall
selling fried snacks.
Puppet shows, street plays, public meetings of political parties were other
entertaining activities. She would see the waiters pouring coffee and vendors
chopping onions. She admired the various fruits that flooded the market
according to the seasons.

20. What are the similarities in the lives of Bama and Zitkala-Sa though they
belong to different cultures? (All India 2009)
Bama and Zitkala-Sa belong to different cultures. But both have experienced
oppression and discrimination in their childhood.
Bama was born a ‘dalit’ and was upset to see the humiliations borne by the
members of her community. They were considered untouchables, were made to
live apart, run errands and bow humbly to people of the upper castes.
On the other hand, Zitkala-Sa was a victim of severe prejudice that prevailed
against the native Americans. In the boarding school, her blanket was forcibly
taken off her shoulders. At the same time, the forced cutting of her long hair
only made her feel like a defeated warrior, for in her culture, short hair was only
worn by mourners.
Thus, both Bama and* Zitkala-Sa have suffered as young members of
marginalised communities.
21.What oppression and discrimination did Zitkala-Sa and Bama experience
during their childhood? How did they respond to their respective situations?
(All India 2008)
Zitkala-Sa was a native American who was forcibly sent to a Christian school. She
resisted the strict regimentation of the school. She hated cutting of her hair
because in her culture short hair is worn by mourners. When her friend Judewin
told her that they would have to give in, she disagreed and decided to fight
against it.
Bama, on the other hand, belonged to a marginalised, untouchable community.
She was upset to know the discriminatory treatment meted out to the members
of her community. She was infuriated at this inhuman practice of casteism.
Both Zitkala-Sa and Bama refused to accept any type of oppression, exploitation
or victimisation. Zitkala-Sa throughout her career as a writer criticised dogma
and dedicated her entire life to fight against tryanny and oppression. Bama
became a Tamil dalit writer and ushered a newness and freshness in her
writings. Both of them tried to shed light on the atrocities committed by the
oppressors on the hitherto marginalised communities.

POEM 5: A Roadside Stand

Summary
The roadside stand is another beautiful piece of poetry by renowned poet
Robert Frost. It is an account analysing the widened gap b between society on
the basis of rich and poor. It revolves around the heart-breaking of how the
development of cities has caused despair among individuals. The poet’s
message is to think about once for the low and helpless people. He draws a
complete demarcation between well-off society and the rags.
You can also watch the explanation video on our channel EDUGOGUE for a
better explanation of the poem.

About the poet: A Roadside Stand

Robert lee frost (1874-1963) is an American poet, born in the USA. He was
considered “the voice of America”. His poems bring delight and even focus on
wisdom.
He himself was in a state of dilemma as to which path to follow. In the end, he
made a choice by following the less traveled one and kept the other road for
someday.

It seems he wants to express doubt while making revolutionary decisions. He

believes a small indomitable step will make a great difference.

Main theme: A Roadside Stand

The summary of the poem roadside stand deals with the struggling and
vulnerable lives of countryside people and how the city dwellers don’t even pay
any heed to their hapless conditions.

Further, the city dwellers don’t think about the struggles they face while selling
their goods. Robert frost shows a sympathetic attitude towards these
impoverished masses and feels compassion for them.

Poem’s analysis: A Roadside Stand

Stanza 1

The little old house………..with a mind ahead

There has been an extension of the shed and someone from the village folk had
a shed that ran to a city nearby. It was a small counter selling small berries or
squash to make little money to keep their bread and butter.

Some caravans passed along the highway, but only a few stopped to buy
something. Sometimes didn’t even notice them and if by fluke the traffic stop
they are much disappointed with unattractive signboards.

According to the poet, this place offers a haven for only those who can afford it,
so he advised the traffic to move on.

Meanings

1. Sped: the rate at which someone or something moves

2. Dole: a charitable gift of food, clothes, or money; buroo.
3. Plead: adjure; implore.
4. Withering: fading
 5. Faint: lacking conviction or enthusiasm

Stanza2

Or if ever aside…with silver warts

The traffic belongs to the well-to-do class and expresses their disgust at the
display boards. Farmer’s impetrate eyes had little impact on them.

They offer freshly extracted squash and juices to them kept in antique-looking
jars, still not entertained by the city folks.

They looked down upon and feel low in buying these goodies from them. It
looks like their wealth has, made them blind as they are unable to go down their
status to buy such things.

Meanings

1. Marred: spoiled
2. Quarts: vessel

Stanza3

Or beauty rest…keeping from us.

The ramshackle sack stands appear to be a hurdle against the backdrop of lavish
green fields and high mountains.

For the travelers, the shack is like a spoiler and the city dwellers avoid taking a
glance at it and making them feel left out.

The humble villagers fight to keep their hardships and they feel if they get
enough money they can lead their life according to the appealing to the political
parties as they are in favor of the city- dwellers always.

Meanings

1. Moving pictures: movies.

Stanza4
It is in the news…the ancient way.

The stanza says that very soon they will be relocated to the nearby cities, near
theatres or stores that benefitted from development.

The people who consider them as well-wishers will use them for their own
hidden motives and no one bothers to take their consent they do not want to
leave their ancestral land to live in urban centers

Their simple and complacent lifestyle will be disturbed in the new place On the
other hand, the manipulators will enjoy taking advantage and fulfilling their
selfish motives.

Meanings

1. Beneficent: charitable or do-gooders.

Stanza 5

Sometimes I feel… where it was bound.

The poet feels frenzied as he is expecting much from the city-folks as he knows
that they would never ever keep their promises.

With each car passing hope also passes by as they felt they would buy
something but in vain. The city-folk don’t even bother to stop and look at them.
They looked down upon as if they all were from a different planet.

Even if by chance a car stops but not to buy something they ask for directions or
for filling gas breaking the farmer’s heart and leaving the poet distressed.

Meanings

1. Longing: a yearning desire.

2. Lurks: hide; loiter; slink
3. Squeal: high-pitched cry or noise.
4. Plow up: move in a fast and uncontrolled manner

Stanza6
And another to ask gently out of my pain …

The poet has a yearning desire to uplift and works for the betterment of society.
He holds a sympathetic attitude toward them.

He wants that them should overcome these factors as soon as possible and
imagines how would he react if he could give relief from this kind of hardship.
But the poet fears this might be only short-lived relief.

Meanings

1. Requisite: imperative; mandatory

2. Stroke: moving your hand slowly and gently over something or someone.

Literary devices: A Roadside Stand

TRANSFERRED EPITHET

1. Polished traffic
2. Selfish cars

PERSONIFICATION

1. A roadside stand that too pathetically pled

METAPHOR

1. Trusting Sorrow

OXYMORON & ALLITERATION

1. ‘Greedy good-doers and ‘beneficent beasts’ of prey.

NCERT SOLUTIONS For Class 12th A Roadside Stand

Q1. Have you ever stopped at a roadside stand? What have you observed
there?
The poet believes that when we encounter a beautiful thing, even for a small
moment, the pleasure remains with us forever. It leaves a lasting impression
that inspires us to live life with hope and optimism.
Q2. The city folk who drove through the countryside hardly paid any heed to
the roadside stand or to the people who ran it. If at all they did, it was to
complain. Which lines bring this out? What was their complaint about?
“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” According to the city folk, these stalls
with inartistic signboards blemish the scenic beauty of the landscape.

Q3. What was the plea of the folk who had put up the roadside stand?
The rural folks pleaded pathetically for some customers to stop by and buy
some of their goods. City folks used to pass by on this road and hence the rural
folk set up the roadside stand to attract their attention and sell their goods.

Q4.The government and other social service agencies appear to help the poor
rural people but actually do them no good. Pick out the words and phrases
that the poet uses to show their double standards.
The poet criticizes the double standards of the government and other social
service agencies who
promise to improve the standard of living of the poor farmers and show them
the rosy side of life. Yet, when the time comes to deliver their promise, they
either forget them or fulfill them keeping in view their own benefits. The poet
calls them “greedy good-doers” and “beneficent beasts of prey”, who “swarm
over their lives”. The poet says that these greedy people make calculated and
well-thought-out shrewd moves, to which the innocent, unaware farmers fall
prey.

These humble and simple farmers are robbed of their peace of mind by these
clever people. The poet says, “…..enforcing benefits That are calculated to
soothe them out of their wits, And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep all
day, Destroy their sleeping at night the ancient way.”

Q5. What is the ‘childish longing’ that the poet refers to? Why is it ‘vain’?
The poet thinks that the persons who are running the roadside stand, suffer
from a childish longing.
They are always expecting customers and waiting for their prospective
customers. They keep their windows open to attract them. They become sad
when no one turns up. They are always waiting to hear the squeal of brakes, the
sound of a stopping car. But all their efforts go in vain.

Q6. Which lines tell us about the insufferable pain that the poet feels at the
thought of the plight of the rural poor?
Filled with empathy, the poet is unable to bear the plight of the unassuming and
innocent rural people. The lines below show his insufferable pain: “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, That waits all day in almost
open prayer”

Wrap up
The poet feels very disturbed after he came to know their dilemma as to how
hard they are earning and they wish for a better life and want to sell their
merchandise to the passers-by and city-dwellers.

It shows a great contrast between haves and haves not. He wants us to give
them a helping hand to be able to fulfill their yearning for a superior life. The
poet also expresses his regret that how city folk is engaged in their own world
ignoring the masses.