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Hearts and Hands Story Summary in English and Hindi Pdf. Hearts and Hands is written by O. Henry.

Hearts and Hands Story Summary in English by O. Henry

Hearts and Hands About the Author

O. Henry, the son of a physician, was born on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was just three years old. After his mother’s death he and his father began to live with his paternal grandmother.

He came under the care of his aunt Evelina Maria Porter and completed his graduation from her elementary school in 1876. Thereafter, he studied at the ‘Lindsey Street High School’. He was an avid reader since his childhood and enjoyed reading Anatomy of Melancholy and One Thousand and One Nights. He drugstore of his uncle in 1879. He became a licensed pharmacist in 1881.

While serving the ‘First National Bank’, he founded The Rolling Stone, a humorous weekly, and after losing his bank job, he devoted full time in the weekly that published his sketches, short stories apart from satirical and political works. In 1907, he married Sarah Lindsey Coleman, a writer and his childhood sweetheart, but she left him in 1909. He died on June 5, 1910 of several complications including an enlarged heart, cirrhosis of liver and diabetes. He was buried in Asheville, North Carolina, at the ‘Riverside Cemetery’.

In 1902 he relocated to New York and became a prolific writer penning around 381 short stories. For over a year he submitted one story every week to the New York World Sunday Magazine. His remarkable compilations of short stories are Cabbages and Kings (1904), The Four Million (1906), The Gentle Grafter (1908), Roads of Destiny (1909) and Whirligigs (1910). His most famous short stories are ‘The Gift of the Magi’, ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’, ‘The Caballero’s Way’ and ‘The Duplicity of Hargraves’ among others.

Hearts and Hands About the Story

All about the Story Hearts and Hands:
The story, ‘Hearts and Hands’ describes the chance encounter on a train, between two acquaintances – Miss Fairchild and Mr Easton. The story presents an ironical situation with a surprise ending.The irony at the end of the story makes the story interesting.

The story ‘Hearts and Hands’ is set in a train to Denver. At Denver there is an influx of passengers into the coaches on the eastbound B & M. express. An elegantly attired woman named Miss Fairchild is seated on the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing her. It quickly becomes apparent that the woman knows one of them. She speaks to the man, Mr Easton, and then she is surprised to discover that he is handcuffed to the man seated beside him. As Easton greets the young woman, he raises his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining ‘bracelet’ to the left one of his companion. The man with Easton senses Easton’s embarrassment and gives an explanation. He says that Easton is the marshal, and the two are headed for Leavenworth prison. “It’s seven years for counterfeiting,” he adds.

The young woman continues to chat with her acquaintance, but she continues to stare at the handcuffs. “Don’t you worry about them, miss,” said the other man. “All marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr Easton knows his business.” As the two men stand to go to the smoker car, the young woman bids Mr Easton goodbye.

All the while two passengers seated nearby have listened to the conversation. One says that he seems too young to be a marshal. The other says, “Mr Easton is not a marshal; he is the counterfeiter. Did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand ?” The comments of these two characters reveal the irony at the end of the story. This surprise ending makes the story interesting.

Hearts and Hands Summary in English

On a Train to Denver
The story ‘Hearts and Hands’ revolves around three main characters and two minor characters. The story is set in a train to Denver. An elegantly attired woman named Miss Fairchild is seated on the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing her. One is of handsome presence with a bold, frank countenance and manner and the other is a ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed. It quickly becomes apparent that the woman knows one of them. She speaks to this man whose name is Mr Easton. She says, “Well, Mr Easton, if you will make me speak first, I suppose, I must. Don’t you ever recognize old friends when you meet them in West ?” The man rouses himself sharply at the sound of her voice. He overcomes his embarrassment and then clasps her fingers with his left hand.

A Surprise for Miss Fairchild
Miss Fairchild is rather surprised to discover that he is handcuffed to the man seated beside him. As Easton greets the young woman, he slightly raises his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining ‘bracelet’ to the left one of his companion. The glad look in the girl’s eyes slowly changes to bewildered horror. The glow fades from her cheeks. Easton, with a little laugh, as if amused, is about to speak again when the other man forestalls him. The glum-faced man has been watching the girl’s countenance with his shrewd eyes. He senses Easton’s embarrassment and volunteers an explanation that Easton is the marshal, and the two are headed for Leavenworth prison.
“It’s seven years for counterfeiting,” he tells her.

Conversation with Easton
As the conversation continues, the woman is surprised to learn that Easton has discarded his life in Washington to become a marshal in the West, but she finds the West agreeable as well. The young woman continues to chat with her acquaintance, but she continues to stare at the handcuffs. To ease her concern, the rough looking older man tells her, “Don’t you worry about them, Miss. All marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr Easton knows his business.”
“Will we see you again soon in Washington ?” asked the girl.
“Not soon, I think,” said Easton. “My butterfly days are over, I fear.”
As the two men stand to go to the smoker car, the young woman bids Mr Easton goodbye.

A Shocking Revelation : All the while, two passengers seated nearby have listened to the conversation. One remarks that Mr Easton seems too young to be a marshal. The other eavesdropping passenger corrects the mistake – one that the young woman and readers have likely made as well – saying that Mr Easton is not the marshal; he is the counterfeiter.
“Oh! Didn’t you catch on ?” the passenger says.

“Say – did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand ?” These subtle remarks by the two minor characters reveal the irony in the story and make the story interesting.

Hearts and Hands Word Notes and Explanations

influx – many people arriving
elegant – stylish/ attractive
countenance – face
ruffled – frilled
aisle – passage
embarrassment – awkward feelings
bracelet – handcuff/a piece of jewellery worn around the wrist
bewildered – confused
counterfeiting – making an exact copy of something to deceive someone
glittering – shining

Hearts and Hands Theme

O’Henry presents an ironical situation in the story ‘Hearts and Hands’. The subtle comments by the two minor characters at the end of the story make the story interesting. The unexpected revelation about the real situation in which Mr Easton is placed surprises the readers.

The story is set in a train to Denver. An elegantly dressed woman named Miss Fairchild is seated on the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing her. It quickly becomes apparent that the woman knows one of them. She speaks to this man, Mr Easton, and then, she is rather surprised to discover that he is handcuffed to the man seated beside him. As Easton greets the young woman, he slightly raises his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining bracelet to the left one of his companion.

The man with Easton senses the lady’s embarrassment and gives an explanation. He says that Easton is the marshal and the two are headed for Leavenworth prison. “It’s seven years for counterfeiting,” he says. The young woman continues to stare at the handcuffs. To ease her concern, the other man tells her that all marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away.

Two passengers seated nearby have listened to the conversation. One remarks that Easton seems to be too young to be a marshal. The other remarks that he is not the marshal, but is the counterfeiter. He says, “Did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand ?” This unexpected remark deepens the mystery, points out the irony and surprises the readers.

Hearts and Hands Title

The title of the story ‘Hearts and Hands’ is suitable and suggestive. The story revolves around a young girl who is emotionally attached to a counterfeiter. Miss Fairchild, the young girl, is seated on the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing Miss Fairchild. She begins to chat with one of them whose name is Easton.

She is surprised to see that he is handcuffed to the man seated beside him. She sees that his right hand is bound at the wrist by the shining ‘bracelet’ to the left hand of his companion. She gets hurt and becomes tense. To ease her tension, the man with Easton gives an explanation that Easton is the marshal and the two are headed for Leavenworth prison. Miss Fairchild is relieved of the tension. Thus the story has a suitable title.

Hearts and Hands Message

In this story ‘Hearts and Hands’, the writer deals with an ironical situation. The irony is subtle and intelligent. The story is set in a train to Denver. An elegantly dressed woman named Miss Fairchild is seated on the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing her. It quickly becomes apparent that the woman knows one of them. His name is Easton. He speaks to Easton and then she is rather surprised to discover that he is handcuffed to the man seated beside him.

As Easton greets the young woman, he slightly raises his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining bracelet to the left one of his companion. The man with Easton senses the lady’s tension and gives an explanation. He says that Easton is the marshal and the two are headed for Leavenworth prison. Both Miss Fairchild and Easton are relieved of their tension and embarrasment by the man’s remark.

Two passengers seated nearby have listened to the conversation. One remarks that Easton seems to be too young to be marshal.

The other remarks that he is not the marshal but a counterfeiter. He says, “Did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand. This unexpected remark deepens the mystery, points out the irony and surprises the readers.

Hearts and Hands Character Sketch

1. MR EASTON

• handsome person with frank countenance and manners
• feels embarrassed in handcuffs
• the glow fades away
• a counterfeiter in reality
• two passengers reveal his real identity

Mr Easton, the main character in the story ‘Hearts and Hands’, is a handsome person with frank countenance and manner. The story is set in a train to Denver.

An elegantly dressed woman named Miss Fairchild is seated in the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing her. One of the two men is Easton. He is handcuffed to the other man seated beside him. Easton greets the young woman as he knows her. He feels embarrassed and uncomfortable before the young woman due to his handcuffs. She begins to chat with him but continues to stare at the handcuffs. The glow fades from her cheeks and the glad look in her eyes changes to bewildered horror. The other man senses Easton’s embarrassment and gives an explanation that Easton is a marshal and the two are headed for Leavenworth prison.

But Easton is not really a marshal. It is the real marshal who presents him as a marshal. He is a counterfeiter in reality. The two passengers in the train reveal that he is a counterfeiter. One observes that he is too young to be a marshal and the other says, “Did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand.” These remarks by the two passengers reveal the true identity of Mr Easton.

2. MISS FAIRCHILD

• charming and pretty woman
• rich, materialistic and self-centred
• sees Mr Easton in handcuffs
• tense, uncomfortable and embarrassed
• glow from her cheeks fades away
• bewildered, unable to reconcile with the situation
• relieved by the marshal

Miss Fairchild, the most important character in the story ‘Hearts and Hands’ is a charming woman. She is a pretty young woman and is elegantly dressed. She is travelling in a train to Denver. She is rich, materialistic and self-centred. She is seated on the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing her. She knows one of them, whose name is Easton. She begins to chat with him but is surprised to discover that he is handcuffed to the man seated beside him.

She becomes tense and feels embarrassed. The glow fades from her cheeks and the glad look in her eyes changes to bewildered horror. She is unable to reconcile with the situation and stares at him in disbelief. To ease her bewilderment and embarrassment, the other man reveals that he is a marshal and all marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. She is slightly relieved. As the two men stand to go to the smoker car, the young woman bids goodbye to Mr Easton and goes away.

3. THE OTHER MAN (MARSHAL)

• ruffled-glum faced person
• heavily built, roughly dressed
• yet kind and helpful
• observant and intelligent
• sympathetic
• comes forward to help Miss Fairchild
• marshal
• saves the unpleasant situation

The other man (Marshal) who plays a significant role in the story ‘Hearts and Hands’ is a ruffled, glum-faced person. He is heavily built and roughly dressed, yet he is kind and helpful. He has his heart in the right place and so extends the hand of help to his companion. He is handcuffed with Mr Easton. Both are going in a train to Denver. They enter the train and seat themselves in front of an elegantly dressed woman named Miss Fairchild. Mr Easton and Miss Fairchild engage themselves in conversation because they know each other.

Miss Fairchild is surprised to see Mr Easton in handcuffs. She is tense and embarrassed and stares at him in disbelief. The other man is observant and intelligent. He observes that both Miss Fairchild and Mr Easton are feeling embarrassed. So he comes to their rescue. He is sympathetic and helpful. To ease the concern of Miss Fairchild and remove the embarrassment of Easton, he comes forward with an explanation that Easton is a marshal and is taking him to Leavenworth prison. Both feel relaxed. He saves the otherwise unpleasant and uncomfortable situation. It is in this way that he plays a significant role in the story.

Hearts and Hands Critical Appreciation

A Single Episode
The story ‘Hearts and hands’ depicts a brief episode on a train to Denver. It involves three main characters and two minor characters. An elegantly dressed woman named Miss Fairchild is seated on the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing her. One of them is Mr Easton.

Miss Fairchild and Mr Easton engage themselves in conversation as they know each other. When she sees Mr Easton in handcuffs, she is baffled and surprised. She stares at the handcuffs in disbelief. Mr Easton also feels embarrassed and uncomfortable. In order to ease the concern of Miss Fairchild and remove the embarrassment of Easton, the other man comes to their rescue. He comes forward with an explanation that Mr Easton is a marshal and is taking the prisoner to Leavenworth prison. Both are relaxed. Thus the story deals with a single episode.

Irony
‘Hearts and Hands’ presents an ironical situation with a surprise ending. The irony at the end of the story makes the story interesting. The unexpected revelation about Mr Easton surprises the readers, when the two passengers in the train remark that Mr Easton is not a marshal, but a counterfeiter. They strike an ironical note. One says that he is too young to be a marshal, and the other says, “Did you ever know an officer to handcuff the prisoner to his right hand ?” These remarks point out the irony in the story.

Narrative
The story is narrated in a simple language and lucid style. The episode begins and ends in a straightforward manner. The remarks by the two passengers at the end of the story are significant because they reveal the irony in the story. These unexpected remarks reveal the truth about the character of Mr Easton. The simple sentence at the end of the story is brilliant and surprises the readers. The sting in the story is really effective.

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers All Summer in a Day

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers

All Summer in a Day Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is the significance of the title of the story “All Summer in a Day ?” Is the title appropriate ?
Answer:
“All Summer in a Day” is a fanciful story written by Ray Douglas Bradbury. Bradbury is known for his science fiction, horror and mystery stories. The present story is also a curious mixture of mystery, suspense and horror. The setting of the story is the planet Venus where it keeps on raining for years together. Sunshine occurs only once in seven years. The scene of the story is set in a school where the teachers and children await the appearance of the sun with great curiosity. One sunny day is equal to an earthly summer on this planet. Hence, the title is quite appropriate.

Question 2.
What is the majority difference between Margot and other children on the planet Venus ?
Answer:
Margot was like a stranger in her class. She had come to this planet (Venus) only five years ago from Earth. She still remembered the sun and the sky and how they looked when she was only four years old in the city of Ohio. The other children in the school had been on Venus all their lives and they had been only two years old when last the sun come out on Venus. Since they were small at that time, they had now forgotten the colour and heat of the sun and how it looked. When Margot told them that the sun was like a penny or like fire in the stove, nobody was ready to believe her. They thought that she was lying.

Question 3.
Why did the other children dislike Margot ?
Answer:
Margot was a maladjusted girl on the planet, Venus. She stood alone in her class. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years. The continuous rain on the Venus had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She resembled an old photograph dusted from an album. Her voice had become ghostly. She stood separate from all other school mates. She was scared of water. All other children at the school knew that she was different and kept their distance from her. Her biggest crime was that she had come to the Venus only five years ago from Earth. She still remembered the sun and the way it was. She also remembered the colour of the sky and the way it was when she came from the U.S. (Ohio) at the age of four. The other children had been on Venus all their lives. They had been only two years old when last the sun come out and had long since forgotten the colour and heat of the sun. They had always seen rain falling around them since their early consciousness. For them Margot was a kind of alien. That is why they treated her as an outsider who did not belong there.

Question 4.
What were the reason of big and little consequence because of which the other children hated Margot ?
Answer:
Margot was like an alien for the other school children. They thought her to be ‘different’. All kinds of rumours were spreading about Margot. For example, it was rumoured that her father and mother were taking her back to Earth next year. Even Margot wanted that she should go back to Earth, though it would mean the loss of thousands of dollars to her family. Moreover, they thought of Margot as a liar who often talked about the penny-like shape of the sun and also its fire. They could never believe in anything like the sun. They hated her pale snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness and her possible future.

Question 5.
Why did the children lock Margot in a closet ?
Answer:
Margot had seen the sun as a four- year old girl when she was in Ohio. She knew the colour and heat of the sun and remembered it even after coming to Venus. The other children were all nine years old and had completely forgotten about the sun that had risen seven years ago on Venus. For them the sun did not exist. But now the news had come from scientists that the sun would again rise for a day (after seven long years of raining). Though the children were all excited about the coming event, none of them liked Margot for talking about it so authentically. One of the boys said, “Let’s put her in a closet before the teacher comes !” Then they all surged about her, caught her up and pushed her into a closet and locked the door. The teacher had no knowledge of this mischief.

Question 6.
What happened when the sun finally came out ?
Answer:
The rain slackened slowly and came to a stop. It was followed by a disturbed violence which seemed like a tornado, a hurricane or volcanic erruption. Then everything went silent as if the world had ground to a standstill. The silence was so overwhelming that one felt as if one had gone deaf. The children put their hands to their ears. Then, all of a sudden, the sun came out. It was flaming bronze in colour and it looked very large. The sky was blazing blue and the whole jungle seemed to burn with sunlight. It was incredible.

The children felt as if they had been released from a spell. They rushed out, yelling into the springtime (which comes only once in 7 years). The teachers warned them not to go too far. The children had only two hours to remain outside. But the children seemed to go out of control. They were running and turning their faces up to the sky. They were feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron. They were letting the sun bum .their arms after taking off their jackets.

Question 7.
How did the children behave when the sun came out ? How did they feel ?
Answer:
The light of the sun was a new phenomenon for the children. They had never experienced it before. They turned their faces up to the sky and they could feel the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron. They took off their jackets and let the sun burn their arms. One of the children remarked that the real sunlight was much better than the sun lamps. The children stood in the great jungle that covered Venus. The jungle looked like a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh like weed, wavering, flowering in this brief spring.

Question 8.
What kind of games did the children play on the jungle mattress ?
Answer:
The children lay down on the jungle mattress and heard it high and squeak under their pressure. They ran among the trees, slipping, falling and pushing each other. They played games like hide-and-seek and tag. Most of all, they squinted at the sun until tears ran down their faces. This shows excited they were at seeing the sun for the first time in these seven years. They breathed the fresh air and listened to the silence. They wildly escaped from their ‘caves’ and ran around in circles making a lot of noise.

Question 9.
How did it start raining once again and the sun faded off gradually ?
Answer:
One of the girls started wailing when she noticed a single raindrop in her cupped hand. The other children started crying when they looked at it. They understood that their brief summer was over and it would start raining once again. As they looked at the sun, it started fading off gradually behind a stir of mist. A cold wind began to blow and all the children started walking back. Their smiles had vanished. They could hear a boom of thunder and see the flash of lightning coming nearer and nearer. The sky darkened into midnight in a flesh.

Question 10.
How were the children reminded of Margot and why they could not meet each other’s glances ?
Answer:
It had started raining very hard once again. The children knew that the rain would continue everywhere and forever. Suddenly one of the children gave out a little cry “Margot !” When the other children asked her what was wrong, she reminded them that Margot was still in the closet where they had locked her. This dumb founded them all. They could not meet each other’s glances because they felt guilty. It was Margot who had first told them about the sun and its size and colour. But nobody had believed her at that time. Now, everybody had seen the sun face to face and everybody felt that she was right and they were wrong. As soon as they realized their error, they walked down the hall towards the closet. They walked through the sound of storm and thunder and unlocked the door slowly and let Margot out. This is how they discovered the truth. They regained their compassion and consideration for other after spending some time in the light of the sun.

All Summer in a Day Comprehension Passages

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost. Now she stood, separate, staring at the rain and the loud wet world beyond the huge glass. “What’re you looking at ?” said William. Margot said nothing. “Speak when you’re spoken to.” He gave her a shove. But she did not move; rather she let herself be moved only by him and nothing else; They edged away from her, they would not look at her. She felt them go away. And this was because she would play no games
with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her and ran, she stood blinking after them and did not follow.

(i) How did Margot look ?
Answer: Margot stood alone and looked very weak. It appeared as if she had been lost in the rain for years together.

(ii) Explain : She was an old photograph dusted from an album.
Answer: Margot was in a state of depression. She looked like an old photograph dusted from an album. She spoke like a ghost and her face was pale and white.

(iii) Who was Margot ? What effect did rains have on her ?
Answer: Margot was one of the children who lived on the planet Venus. She was different from the other children because she had lived in ohio until she was five. So she had many memories of the sun, whereas the other children had been on Venus all their lives and they had been only two years old when last the sun came out. So they had forgotten the colour and heat of the sun.
Rains had an adverse effect on Margot. Rains had washed out the blue colour from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She had become thin, pale and sad.

(iv) Why did the other children resent Margot ?
Answer: They resented her because she played no games with them in the tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her and ran, she stood blinking after them and did not follow. When the other children sang songs about happiness and life and games, she did not participate.

(v) When did Margot sing along with the other children ?
Answer: When the other children sang about the sun and the summer, she sang along with them.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
He gave her a shove. But she did not move, rather she let herself be moved only by him and nothing else. They edged away from her; they would not look at her. She felt them go away.

(i) Who is ‘she’ ? Describe her.
Answer: ‘She’ is Margot. She is very frail girl. She looks as if she has been lost in the rain for years and rain has washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair.

(ii) Where is this story set ? Mention any two ways in which the way of life on their planet differs from life on earth.
Answer: The story is set on the planet Venus. Life on Venus is different from life on this earth. Here it rains for seven years continuously. Secondly, the sun shines for one day.

(iii) To what does she compare the sun ? What does this tell us about her ?
Answer: She compares the sun to a penny. It is like a fire in the stove. It tells us that she has weak memories of the sun. Unlike other children, she has seen the sun.

(iv) Why did the other children not come to her aid when William shoved her ?
Answer: They did not come to her aid because they did not like her. They disliked her because she would not play with them.

(v) How does her behaviour set her apart from the others ? Why do you suppose the other children treat her the way they do ?
Answer: Margot’s behaviour towards other children was not liked by them. If they tagged her and ran, she stood blinking after them. She did not follow them. When they sang songs about happiness and life she did not participate. That is why other children treated her the way they did.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
They surged about her, caught her up and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet, where they slammed and locked the door. They stood looking at the door and saw it tremble from her beating and throwing herself against it. They heard her muffled cries. Then, smiling, they turned and went out and back down the tunnel, just as the teacher arrived. “Ready, children ?” she glanced at her watch. “Yes !” said everyone. “Are we all here ?” “Yes !” The rain slacked still more. They crowded to the huge door. The rain stopped.

(i) What was the behaviour of the children towards Margot ?
Answer: The children began to dislike her and taunt her. One of the boys started playing jokes with her.

(ii) What did the children suddenly decide ?
Answer: Suddenly the children decided to hide Margot in a closet while their teacher was away. Margot resisted but was over-powered and locked in a closet.

(iii) What sound did the children hear ?
Answer: The children looked at the door and saw it tremble from her beating.They heard Margot’s cries from inside the closet.

(iv) Where did the children move ?
Answer: The children went away smiling and moved out of the tunnel.

(v) What happened when the teacher arrived ?
Answer: Just then the teacher appeared on the scene. She asked the children if they were ready. Everyone responded in the positive. The rain stopped and the children were ready to move.

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The sun faded behind a stir to mist. A wind blew cold around them. They turned and started to walk back toward the underground house, their hands at their sides, their smiles vanishing away. A boom of thunder startled them and like leaves before a new hurricance, they tumbled upon each other and ran. Lightning struck ten miles away, five miles away, a mile, a half mile. The sky darkened into midnight in a flash.They stood in the doorway of the underground for a moment until it was raining hard. Then they closed the door and heard the gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches, everywhere and foreover. “Will it be seven more years ?” “Yes Seven.” Then one of them gave a little cry. “Margot !” “What ?” “She’s still in the closet where we locked her.” “Margot.”

(i) Why did the girl hold out her hand to the other children ?
Answer: The girl held out her hand to the other children to show a huge single raindrop in her opened palm.

(ii) Why did the children begin to walk back ? Why did their smile vanish away ?
Answer: The children began to walk back when a few drops of rain fell on their cheeks. Their smile vanished away because the sun faded and a cold wind began to blow.

(iii) Why did the children tumble upon each other and run ?
Answer: A boom of thunder startled the children. So they tumbled upon each other and ran.

(iv) Why did the children stop in the doorway and close the door ? What type of sound did they hear ?
Answer: The children stopped in the doorway and closed the door to escape the rain. They heard the gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons.

(v) Why did one of the children give a cry ? What did the child say ? How did the other children react to her cry ?
Answer: One of the children remembered Margot and cried the name of Margot. She said that Margot was still in the closet where they had locked her. They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked away.

5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down. “Margot.” One of the girls said, “Well….?” No one moved. “Go on,” whispered the girl. They walked slowly down the hall in the sound of cold rain. They turned through the doorway to the room in the sound of the storm and thunder, lightning on their faces, blue and terrible. They walked over to the closet door slowly and stood by it. Behind the closet door was only silence. They unlocked the door, even more slowly, and let Margot out.

(i) Why did the faces of the children become pale and solemn ?
Answer: When it began to rain heavily, one of the girls reminded the other girls about Margot whom they had locked in the closet. They regretted their action. They could not meet each other’s glances. So their faces became pale and solemn.

(ii) Why did they look at their hands and feet, their faces down ?
Answer: When it began to rain heavily, one of the girls reminded the other girls about Margot whom they had locked in the closet. Their faces became solemn and pale. They regretted their action and so they looked at their hands and feet, their faces down.

(iii) Explain “Go on” , whispered the girl.
Answer: When it began to rain heavily, one of the girls reminded the other girls about Margot whom they, had locked in the closet. But no one moved towards the closet to let Margot out. Then one girl asked the others to move on towards the closet and let Margot out.

(iv) What did the children do when they were reminded of Margot ?
Answer: They walked slowly down the hall in the sound of the cold rain and then turned through the doorway to the room in which Margot had been locked. They walked over to the closet door slowly and stood by it.

(v) Where had Margot been hidden ? How did she come out ?
Answer: Margot had been hidden in a closet. The children unlocked the door of the closet and let Margot out.

All Summer in a Day Assignment

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.

(i) How long has it been raining on the planet Venus ? What was the effect of the rain on the forest ?
(ii) What was the effect of the storms ?
(iii) What damage was caused to the forests because of rain ?
(iv) Explain : And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus.
(v) Why had the rocket men and women come to a rainy world ?

2. (a) Bring out the element of mystery, horror and suspense in the story “All Summer in a Day.”
(b) Does the story deal with the darker side of human nature ? If so, how ?
(c) Comment on the ending of the story. Is the ending optimistic ?

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers My Greatest Olympic Prize

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers

My Greatest Olympic Prize Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Who is the narrator of the story “My Greatest Olympic Prize” ?
Answer:
Jesse Owens is the narrator of the story “My Greatest Olympic Prize.” He is an American negro athlete who set the Olympic record of 26 feet 5 5/16 inches in Berlin in the summer of 1936. He talks of his great friendhsip with a German athlete named Luz Long during these games. It was Luz Long who provided Jesse owens with right kind of approach to his game. Jesse Owens made mistakes in his qualifying jumps and was feeling very desperate. Luz Long gave him a few tips which enabled Jesse Owens to correct himself and win the gold medal. He describes his friendship with Luz Long as a “24 carat friendship.”

Question 2.
What was Hitler’s “master race” theory and how did it affect Jesse Owens’ participation in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin ?
Answer:
Hitler was the Nazi ruler of Germany who held extremist opinions on many issues of his times. He childishly believed in the concept of Aryan superiority. He thought that the people of Germany could outdo all others in sports as well as other fields. Therefore nationalistic feelings were at an all-time high during the Berlin Olympic games which were held just before the beginning of World War II. Jesse owens who was an American negro felt angry when he came to know about Hitler’s fanatical views. He wanted to prove to Hitler and his “master race” who was superior and who wasn’t. Jesse Owens’ anger affected his performance so much that he found it difficult to qualify fpr the competition.

Question 3.
What were Jesse Owens’ ambitions as a sportsman ?
Answer:
Jessa Owens had great expectations from the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. He had trained, sweated and disciplined himself for six years in order to win some medals for the United States. He particularly wanted to win a gold medal in the running broad jump event. While studying at the Ohio State University, he had set
the world record of 25 feet 8 1/4 inches in this event. Therefore, everyone in his country expected him to win this event at the Olympics quite efffortlessly.

However, Jesse Owens was in for a surprise. When the time came for the broad jump trials, he was amazed to see a tall German boy hitting the pit at almost 26 feet during the pratice session. This German boy was Luz Long. Jesse Owens came to know that Hitler had purposely kept Luz Long in a low profile so that he could spring a surprise on other participants in the games. This is what made Jesse Owens nervous about his own hopes. Secondly, Hitler’s theory of Aryan superiority also annoyed and angered Owens. It is often said that an angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes. All this dampened the spirit of Jesse Owens.

Question 4.
What was the bitter reaction of Jesse Owens after failing to qualify in the first and second of his jumps during the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936 ?
Answer:
Jesse Owens, an American negro athlete participating in the Olympic Games in 1936, had a depressing experience. He had been training, sweating and disciplining himself for six years with the Olympic medals in mind. He had already set a world record of 26 feet 8 1/4 inches while still at the University. And yet he made a “foul” in the first of his three qualifying jumps in the Berlin Games trials. He had leapt from several inches beyond the take-off board, which was a foul. On the second jump, he forded even worse. The bitter thought in his mind was “Did I come 3000 miles for this ?” He thought that he was making a fool of himself.

Question 5.
How did Luz Long, the German athlete, relieve Jesse Owens’ tension and helped him qualifying for the Olympic Games ?
Answer:
After making two ‘four’ attempts in the qualifying jumps, Jesse Owens, the American athelete, had gone desperate. If he made a ‘foul’ even in the third attempt, he would be out of the Olympic Games and would have to return home, drawing a blank. So he was kicking disgustedly at the dirt. He didn’t know how to cool himself down. It was in this frustrated condition that Luz Long, the German athlete, came to him and offered a helping hand.Addressing Jesse Owens, he said, “Something must be eating you.” Actually Jesse Owens was upset over Hitler’s statement regarding the German athletes who were members of a “master race,” according to him. Jesse Owens’ anger over such statements spoilt his performance during the qualifying events. Though a German, Luz Long reassured Jesse Owens by telling him that even he didn’t believe in such statements. He also gave him a few tips to better his performance.

Question 6.
What was the tip given by Luz Long to Jesse Owens with which the latter could qualify for the Olympic Games in Berlin in the year 1936 ?
Answer:
Though Jesse Owens, the U.S. athlete, had trained, sweated and disciplined himself with the Olympic Games in mind, he fumbled a lot in the initial trials. Actually he was angered over some racial comments of Hitler regarding the superiority of the German athletes who, according to him, belonged to the Aryan race. An angry athlete is liable to commit mistakes. That is why he leaped from several inches beyond the take¬off board for a foul. On the second jump, he fouled even worse. Now, it was his last chance. It was a ‘do or die’ situation for him. It was here that Luz Long, a German rival, came to him and tried to cool him down. He knew that something was “eating” Jesse Owens. So he told him not to think about what Hitler was saying. He should only concentrate on the game. He advised him to draw a line a few inches in the back of the board and take off from there. This was sure to minimise the chance of a “foul”. This good tip enabled Jesse Owens to qualify for the Olympic Games with a good margin.

Question 7.
How did Luz Long ease the tension on Jesse Owens’ mind and what did Jesse Owens do to thank this friend ?
Answer:
It was owing to the friendly and sportsman-like attitude of Luz Long that Jesse Owens was able to make his mark in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Though Jesse Owens was an athlete of the first order, he was somewhat unnerved by the Aryan-superiority theory of the German ruler, Hitler. Luz Long could recognize what was passing through the mind of the U.S. Athlete and he spontaneously talked to him about his problem. He told Jesse that though he had been schooled in the Nazi youth movement, yet he did not believe in the “Aryan-supremacy business”. All the tension seemed to ebb out of Jesse Owens’ body and mind. After clearing the hurdle, he went to Luz Long’s room in the Olympic village to thank him. They chatted about track and field and a dozen other topics for two hours.

Question 8.
How did Luz Long set a fine example of true sportsmanship in the Olympic games at Berlin ?
Answer:
Luz Long, a tall handsome German athlete with blue eyes, set a great example of true sportsmanship in the Olympic games at Berlin. Though he was a German he did not believe in Hitlers’ theory. He was Jesse Owens’ opponent player and could have easily won a gold medal in the running broad jump event. But being a true sportman he became friendly with Jesse Owens in his precarious condition and showed him the way to qualify for the event. He told him to draw a line behind the take-off board and jump from there. This tip worked and the next day he won the gold medal by jumping 26 feet 5 5/16 inches. Though Luz also broke his own 16 past record, yet he had to concede the gold medal to his new friend, Jesse Owens.

Question 9.
Who congratulated- Jesse Owens on his great win in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and what were his sentiments at that time ?
Answer:
It was Luz Long who was the first to congratulate Jesse Owens on his great performance. Though Adolf Hitler was glaring at them from the stands nearby, Luz Long shook hands with Jesse Owens with a great smile. It was not a fake “smile with a broken heart” as it would have been in some other case of victory and defeat. It was a genuine smile of true freidnship which had been struck between these two athletes from different continents. To quote Jesse Owens :
“You can melt down all the gold medals and cups I have, and they couldn’t be a plating on the 24-carat friendship. I felt for Luz Long at that moment.”
Owens realized that Luz was the epitome of the Olympic spirit which says :
“The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”
These words are from Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modem Olympic Games, and Luz Long’s behaviour is a true testimony of this athletic ideal.

My Greatest Olympic Prize Comprehension Passages

1. Read the extract given below and . answer the questions that follow :
I wasn’t too worried about all this. I’d trained, sweated and disciplined myself for six years, with the Games in mind. While I was going over on the boat, all I could think about was taking home one or two of those gold medals. I had my eye especially on the running broad jump.
A year before, as a sophomore at Ohio State University, I’d set the world’s record of 26 feet 8 1/4 inches. Everyone kind of 4
expected me to win that Olympic event hands down.

(i) When and where were the Olympic Games held ?
Answer: The Olympic Games were held in the summer of 1936 in Berlin, Germany.

(ii) Why were nationalistic feelings at an all-time high ?
Answer: The nationalistic feelings during the Olympic Games were at an all-time high because Adolf Hitler childishly insisted that his performers were members of a ‘master race’ and they would perform better than the other participants in the 1936 Olympics.

(iii) How had Jesse Owens prepared for the Games ?
Answer: Jesse Owens had trained, sweated and disciplined himself for six years in order to participate in the Games.

(iv) What did Jesse Owens think while he was going over on the boat ? What event had he set his eye on ?
Answer: While Jesse Owens was going over on the boat, he thought of taking home one or two medals. He had set his eyes on the running broad jump.

(v) What achievement had he made while he was a student at the Ohio State University ? What were people’s expectations from him ?
Answer: He had set the world’s record of 26 feet 8 1/4 inches. People expected him to win that Olympic event hands down.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
I was in for a surprise. When the time came for the broadjump trials, I was startled to see a tali boy hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps! He turned out to be a German named Luz Long. I was told that Hitler had kept him under wraps, evidently hoping to win the jump with him.

(i) What surprised Jesse Owens at the broad- jump trials ?
Answer: He was surprised to see a tall boy named Luz Long, a German athlete, hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps.

(ii) Who was that person who startled Jesse Owens at the trials ? What was he told about that person ?
Answer: He was Luz Long, a German athlete. He was told that Hitler had kept him under wraps, evidently hoping to win the jump with him.

(iii) How would Long’s victory affect the Nazis ?
Answer: Jesse thought that if Long won, it would add some new support to the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory.

(iv) What was Hitler’s superiority theory ?
Answer: Hitler believed in Aryan-superority theory. He believed that the Germans belonged to the master’s race. He thought that the German athletes would perform better than the other participants in the 1936 Olympic Games.

(n) What was Jesse determined to do ?
Answer: Jesse, the American Negro athlete, was determined to participate in the Olympic Games and show the master race who was superior and who wasn’t.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. I was no exception. On the first of my three qualifying jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board for a foul. On the second jump, I fouled even worse. “Did I come 3000 miles for this?” I thought bitterly. “To foul out of the trials and make a fool of myself ?”

(i) What does every coach tell the athletes ?
Answer: Every coach tells the athletes that an angry athlete will always commit mistakes.

(ii) Why did Jesse Owens fail to qualify for the finals in the first two jumps ?
Answer: He failed to qualify for the finals in the first two jumps because he committed mistakes. On the first of his three qualifying jumps, he leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board for a foul. On the second jump, he fouled even worse. Due to these mistakes he failed to qualify for the finals in the first two jumps.

(iii) How did he curse himself for not qualifying for the finals in the first two jumps ?
Answer: He cursed himself by blaming himself. He said to himself, “Did I come 3000 miles for this ?” He thought bitterly that he had made a fool of himself by committing mistakes.

(iv) What did Jesse do in disgust ? Who was the athlete that had easily qualified for the finals in his first attempt ?
Answer: Jesse kicked at dirt in disgust. Luz Long, the German athlete, was the person who had qualified for the finals in his first attempt.

(v) What was Luz Long’s opinion about Hitler’s superiority theory ?
Answer: Long had been schooled in the Nazi youth movement, but still he did not believe in Hitler’s superiority theory.

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
For the next few minutes we talked together. I didn’t tell Long what was “eating” me, but he seemed to understand my anger, and he took pains to reassure me. Although he’d been schooled in the Nazi youth movement,, he didn’t believe in the Aryan-supremacy business any more than I did. We laughed over the fact that he really looked the part, though. An inch taller than I, he had a lean, muscular frame, clear blue eyes, blond hair and a strikingly handsome, chiseled face. Finally, seeing that I had calmed down somewhat, he pointed to the take-off board.

(i) What did Long tell Jesse that made him feel good ?
Answer: When Long assured him that he would be able to qualify for the finals with his eyes closed, this made him feel good.

(ii) What was Long’s view about Hitler’s supremacy theory ?
Answer: Although Long had been schooled in the Nazi youth movement, he did not belive in the Hitler’s Aryan-supremacy theory.

(iii) Describe Luz Long’s physical appearance.
Answer: Luz Long was an inch taller than Jesse Owens. He had a lean, mascular frame and clear eyes. He had blond hair and a strikingly handsome chiseled face.

(iv) What tip did Long give Jesse that would help him to qualify for the finals ?
Answer: Long told him that he should draw a line a few inches in back of the board and aim at making his take-off from there. That way he would be sure not to foul and he would jump far enough to qualify.

(v) What removed Jesse’s tension ? What did Jesse do to qualify for the finals ?
Answer: Long told Jesse that he should draw a line a few inches in back of the board and aim at making his take-off from there. This suggestion removed Jesse’s tension.

5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Suddenly all the tension seemed to ebb out of my body as the truth of what he said hit me. Confidently, I drew a line a full foot in back of the board and proceeded to jump from there. I qualified with almost a foot to spare.
That night I walked over to Luz Long’s room in the Olympic village to thank him. I knew that if it hadn’t been for him I probably wouldn’t be jumping in the finals the following day. We sat in his quarters and talked for 2 hours – about track and field, ourselves, the world situation, a dozen other things.

(i) Why did Jesse go to Luz Long’s room ? What did they talk about ?
Answer: Long had told Jesse that he should draw a line a few inches in back of the board and aim at making his take-off from there. This suggestion removed all his tension. He went to Luz Long’s room to thank him for this suggestion.

(ii) What feeling did Jesse carry with him after talking to Long for two hours ? What did Long want him to do ?
Answer: Jesse carried a feeling of friendship with him after talking to Long for two hours. Long wanted him to do his best—even if that meant his winning.

(iii) How did Long fare in the event ? What did Long congratulate Jesse for ?
Answer: Long broke his own past record. He congratulated Jesse for winning the gold medal by jumping 26 feet 5 5/16 inches.

(iv) How did Hitler react when Long congra-tulated Jesse by shaking hand with him ?
Answer: Hitler reacted angrily and glared at them from the stands not a hundred yards away when Long congratulated him by shaking hand with him.

(v) What do you understand about Luz Long after his hand shake with Jesse Owens ?
Answer: We understand that Luz Long was a true sportsman. He did not feel jealous of him at his winning the gold medal. He gave a genuine smile at Jesse’s victory.

My Greatest Olympic Prize Assignment

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
You can melt down all the gold medals and cups I have, and they couldn’t be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment. I realized then, too, that Luz was the epitome of what Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, must have had in mind when he said, “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”

(i) Did Owens tell Long what was troubling him ? If not, why ?
(ii) How did Owens manage to qualify for the finals with a foot to spare ?
(iii) How did Luz Long respond to Jesse’s winning the gold ?
(iv) Why did Hitler glare at Luz Long and Jesse Owens ?
(v) What according to Coubertin, is the true spirit of the Olympics ?

2. (a) Comment on the title of the lesson “My Greatest Olympic Win” written by Jesse Owens.
(b) What is the lesson we learn from the example of Luz Long, the great German athlete ?
(c) What according to Coubertin, is the true spirit of the Olympics ?

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers The Blue Bead

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers

The Blue Bead Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Describe in your own words the habitat of the crocodile as given in the story “The Blue Bead.”
Answer:
Norah Burke, the writer of the story “The Blue Bead”, has given a graphic picture of an exciting adventure — an encounter between Sibia, a 12-year old girl and a crocodile. The crocodile is the focus of interest and the story begins from the habitat in which he is living. He is living on the ghat of a great Indian river. This river is being used to float the timber which comes from the forests above. Some logs of wood or ‘sleepers’ lie stuck around the big stones which block their way. These sleepers are a good resting place for the huge crocodile. Quite often this crocodile comes upto the sandbank to breathe the sunny air.

Question 2.
How does the writer paint a pen-picture of the monstrous strength of the crocodile ? What is his purpose in giving these details ?
Answer:
The writer, Norah Burke, has given a graphic account of the monstrous crocodile which is the centre of interest in this story. We are told that the crocodile was twice the length of a tall man. He looked ferocious and formidable. He was a mugger crocodile blackish brown above and yellow white below. He could be scientifically described as an antediluvian saurian reptile. His huge tail had an irresistible power. We are amused to read that inside his stomach there rolled a silver bracelet among the stones which the crocodile had swallowed to help him in his digestion. He had an inch-thick skin which could not be pierced even by rifle-bullets.
Norah has purposely given all these details about the powerful crocodile in order to emphasize the fact that the little girl Sibia had a great strength of mind to fight with his physically stronger rival while saving a woman’s life from his clutches.

Question 3.
How did the crocodile sustain himself after his birth and what kind of food did he get to satisfy his hunger ?
Answer:
The crocodile was hatched from an egg on a sandbank of the river a long time ago (may be a hundred years ago). He was ready to fend for himself from the very moment of his birth. He was ready to snap at anything before he was even fully hatched out of his shell. He had been able to sustain himself by his “brainless craft and ferocity.” He had to save himself from other predators like birds of prey store food in the holes near the bank of the river. By taking plenty of rotted food he grew to his great length in the water of the great river. He lived well in the river, running himself sometimes with other crocodiles — muggers and gharials. In case of danger, the crocodile could easily jump into the river from the sunny sandbank. Thus, the crocodile led a life of ease and tensionlessness until the fateful day when the fearless Sibia encountered him.

Question 4.
How did the crocodile feed himself while living in the great river ?
Answer:
The crocodile had plentiful food to enjoy. His staple food was fish, though he often ate deer and monkeys that came to the river to drink water. Now and then he had the luxury of eating a duck or two. But sometimes he had to satisfy his hunger by eating a pic-dog full of parasites or a skeleton cow. There were times when he had to go down to the burning ghats and eat the half-burned bodies of Indians who had been cast into the stream. Thus, all days were not equal for him. Sometimes it was a lavish feast for him and sometimes he had to satisfy himself with filthy, rotten food.

Question 5.
What was the “blue bead” which forms the title of the story by Norah Burke ?
Answer:
“The Blue Bead” may seem to be a misleading and inappropriate title for the story written by Norah Burke. But on deeper reflection, we find that the title is quite justified. It tells us something about the character of Sibia who is simple, humble and modest girl.
The blue bead was in reality a piece of sand- worn glass that had been rolling about in the river for a long time. By chance, it had a hole in it and could be used like a gem in a necklace. It was glimmering like a blue gem when the heroic girl Sibia found it at the shallow sand bank. The girl is greatly excited and overjoyed to get it, though it was not a real gem. She does not talk about her act of bravery in saving the life of the Gujar woman. She doesn’t want any reward or appreciation for her heroic act. She thinks herself amply rewarded with the piece of glass which she can wear in a string or necklace around her neck. This is a good example of child-like innocence and grace.

Question 6.
Give an account of the thin, starving village girl, Sibia, emphasizing her poor economic background.
Answer: Sibia is the protagonist of the story “The Blue Bead” written by Norah Burke. She lives in a mud house in a noisy village and dressed in an earth-coloured rag. The rag had been torn in two to make a skirt and sari for her. The writer describes her as “a happy, immature child-woman” about twelve years old. Her meal consists of a chupatti wrapped around a smear of green chilli and rancid butter. She wears no shoes. She is as the writer tells us, “born to toil.” She has to husk the corn, gather sticks for fuel and put dung to dry up. She has to fetch water from the river and cut grass for animals fodder. On its often, she has to do the cooking job to help her mother. As far as money is concerned, she has never owned a penny inspite of her hard labour. Like many other young girls of her age, she is also attracted by the colourful bangles, necklaces and other items of jewellery in the bazaar. However, she knows that she is too poor to buy any of these items. Nor can she buy the brilliant honey confections at the sweatmeat stall to satsify her craving for good eatables. This is hard luck indeed. And yet she has never felt sore about this life of want and misery.

Question 7.
Give a brief account of the bazaar near Sibia’s village on the basis of the story “The Blue Bead.”
Answer:
The bazaar near Sibia’s village is always full of hustle and bustle. The colourful wares in the stalls are quite eye-catching. The blown glass- beads piled up in a stall look like stars. There is a bangle-seller who keeps the multi-coloured bangles on a stick to attract the eyes of the passing women. There is a big crowd of people in the bazaar along with stray dogs, monekys full of fleas and sacred bulls with clonking bells. Apart from this there is a sweatmeat stall displaying brilliant honey confections smelling wonderfully. And then, there is a cloth-stall stacked with great rolls of new cotton cloth. Tin trays from Birmingham, embroidered saris and silks added to the charm of this little bazaar.

Question 8.
Describe the occupation of the Gujar community as brought out in the story “The Blue Bead”
Answer:
The Gujar women make their living by cutting paper-grass from the cliffs above the river. When they have cut enough grass, they take it down by the bullockcart to be delivered to the agent. The agent’s job is to arrange for the dispatch of this grass to the paper-mills. The Gujjar women toil all through the day while the agent sits on silk-cushions, smoking a hookah. Besides cutting grass, the Gujar women also graze their buffaloes and other cattle. They have to carry heavy loads on their heads and cross the river to go to the other side. Not only this. They have to fetch drinking water from the river in earthen or brass pitchers for their domestic consumption.

Question 9.
Comment on the Gujar woman’s love of beaded ornaments. Also explain how they made hand-crafted jewllery.
Answer:
The Gujars were tribals who moved from one place to another with their cattle in search of new grazing areas or pastures. They didn’t have the means to have access to precious kind of gold or silver ornaments. However, they crafted their own ‘jewellery’ from the beads that grew in the jungle itself. They wore necklaces made out of lal-lal-beeger, the shiny scarlet seeds that grew almost everywhere in the jungle. They discarded the faded necklaces and made new ones with the new seeds. Even little Sibia was preparing one for herself. She could already imagine the rattling swish of the necklace around her little neck. However, there was a little problem. Each seed (bead), which was as hard as stone, had to be drilled with a red-hot needle. Unluckily the family needle was broken, so Sibia must wait till they could buy another needle. Still she often dreamt about strings and strings of glass and beads—anklets, ear-rings, bangles etc.:— to decorate her little golden body.

Question 10.
Give a brief description of the encampment of the nomadic graziers whose life¬style forms the backdrop of the story “The Blue Bead.”
Answer:
The nomadic graziers lived in a Gujar encampment. They would live there as long as there was green grass for their cattle. They would often live in the area to exhaust their supply of white butter and milk and then move on. Sometimes they had to wait until their young male buffaloes were sold out for tiger-bait. There were times when a cattle-killing tiger would prove to be a nuisance for their cattle and they had to live on for some more time in the encampment.
The Gujar women seemed to be fond of adornments. They wore trousers, tight and wrinkled at the ankles. In their ears they wore large silver rings made out of melted silver rupees. They belonged to the pastoral age. The women went to the river to fill their big brass gurrahs (pitchers) with fresh water.

Question 11.
Give a brief account of Sibia’s heroic act in saving the life of a Gujar woman.
Answer: The Gujar women were returning home after their day’s work. Sibia who remained behind put her big load on a huge boulder to rest for sometime. Suddenly, a Gujar woman came to get clear water in her two pitchers. She walked on to the steps of the ghat, unaware of the crocodile who was waiting for his prey. The woman screamed loudly as the crocodile lunged at her. Both his jaws closed on her leg. Silia at once plunged into the water and aimed at the reptile’s eyes with her hayfork. The blinded crocodile crashed back and disappeared in the bloody foam of water. Then Sibia approached the fainting woman and somehow, dragged her out of the water. Still she did not brag about her act of bravery. She was only excited about the blue bead she found on the sandbank which she could use as a gem in her necklace.

Question 12.
How did the Gujar woman struggle against the crocodile to save herself ? How was she rescued by Sibia ?
Answer: The Gujar woman came down with two gurrahs to the river to get clean water from the river bed. She wanted to fill both the gurrahs to the top without sand. So she walked down the stepping stone. She was within a yard of the crocodile when he lunged at her. He closed his jaws round her leg. The Gujar woman screamed, dropped both her pitchers with a clatter on the boulder. Sibia, who was present nearly, observed this. She at once made up her mind to rescue the helpless woman. She sprang from boulder to boulder like a mountain-goat. In a minute, she was beside the shrieking woman. The crocodile was tugging to and fro when he noticed Sibia and struck at her. But Sibia did not hesitate and aimed straight at the crocodiles eyes. With all the force of her little body. She drove the hayfork into his eyes. The crocodile reared up in convulsion and then disappeared. Sibia dragged the injured woman from the water with a heroic effort. She stopped her wounds with sand and bound them with a rag. She was also able to help her home to the Gujar encampment for further medical care.
This shows that Sibia is a girl with a heroic streak. But the best thing about her is that she does not boast of her great victory over a giant reptile. She is happy with the blue bead she gets near the river bank after the great fight against the monster of the river.

The Blue Bead Comprehension Passages

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Sibia was eating the last of her meal, chupatti wrapped round a smear of green chili and rancid butter; and she divided this also, to make it seem more, and bit it, showing straight white teeth.
With her ebony hair and great eyes, and her skin of oiled brown cream, she was a happy immature child-woman about twelve years old. Barefoot, of course, and often goosey-cold on a winter morning, and born to toil.

(i) Where did Sibia live ? How was she dressed ? What did her last meal consist of?
Answer: Sibia lived in a mud house in a noisy village. She was dressed in an earth- coloured rag. Her last meal consisted of a chupatti wrapped round a green chili and rancid butter.

(ii) What did Sibia like to buy ? Why ?
Answer: Sibia liked to buy a handful of blown glass beads from the bazaar and one of the thin glass bangles that the man kept on a stick. She couldn’t buy those things because she had no money.

(iii) Describe Sibia’s physical appearance.
Answer: Sibia was a twelve years old girl with ebony hair and great eyes. Her skin was of oiled brown cream colour.

(iv) What did she look at when she passed before the sweetmeat stall ?
Answer: She looked at the brilliant honey confections, abuzz with dust and flies.

(v) What did Sibia like to taste at home ? What drink did she like to have at home ?
Answer: Sibia liked to taste wild honey at home. She liked to have the syrup crunched out of a stalk of sugar cane.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
But Sibia, in all her life from birth to death, was marked for work. Since she could toddle, she had husked corn, and gathered sticks, and put dung to dry, and cooked and weeded, and carried, and fetched water, and cut grass for fodder.
She was going with her mother and some other women now to get paper grass from the cliffs above the river. When you had enough of it, you could take it down by bullock cart to the railhead and sell it to the agent who would arrange for its dispatch to the paper mills. The women often toiled all day at this work, and the agent sat on silk cushions, smoking a hookah.

(i) What tasks had Sibia been doing during her childhood ?
Answer: During her childhood, Sibia had been husking corn, gathering sticks, putting dung to dry, cooking and weeding, fetching water and cutting grass for fodder.

(ii) Why did she go with her mother and some other women ?
Answer: She went with her mother and some other women to get paper grass from the cliff above the river.

(iii) What did the women toil for the whole day ? What did the agent do ?
Answer: The women toiled to collect the paper grass for the whole day and then brought it down by bullock cart to the railhead and then sold it to the agent. The agent despatched it to the paper mills.

(iv) What did Sibia carry with her when she went with her mother ?
Answer: Sibia carried with her sickle and hayfork when she went with her mother.

(v) Why could Sibia not skip when she was on her way back from the cliffs ?
Answer: Sibia could not skip when she was on her way back from the cliffs because she carried a great load on her head and was tired.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Oh, for strings and strings of glass and beads-anklets, earrings, nose-rings, bangles- all the gorgeous dazzle of the bazaar—all her little golden body decorated !
Chattering as they went, the women followed the dusty track towards the river. On their way, they passed a Gujar encampment of grass huts where these nomadic graziers would live for a time until their animals had perhaps finished all the easy grazing within reach, or they were not able to sell enough of their white butter and white milk in the district, or there was no one to buy the young male buffaloes for tiger-bait.

(i) What did the women pass by when they went toward the river ?
Answer: The women passed by a Gujar encampment of grass huts where the nomadic graziers lived when they went towards the river.

(ii) What did the Gujar women wear ?
Answer: The Gujar women wore trousers, tight and wrinkled at the ankles and large silver rings made of melted rupees in their ears.

(iii) Where had the Gujar men and boys gone ?
Answer: The Gujar men and boys had gone out with the herd or gone to the bazaar to sell produce.

(iv) What did Sibia notice about the buffaloes that the Gujar men left behind ?
Answer: Sibia noticed that the buffaloes were standing about, creatures of great wet noses, and moving jaws and gaunt black bones.

(v) Why were the Gujars called Junglis ?
Answer: They were called junglis because they were born and bred in the forest. For centuries they had been getting their living from animals and from grass trees. They scratched their food together and stored their substance in large herds and silver jewellery.

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Ah, now there was the river, twinkling between the trees, sunlit beyond dark trunks. They could hear it rushing along.
The women came out on the shore, and made for the stepping-stones.
They had plenty to laugh and bicker about, as they approached the river in a noisy crowd. They girded up their skirts, so as to jump from stone to stone, and they clanked
their sickles and forks together over their shoulders to have ease of movement. They shouted their quarrels above the gush of the river.
Noise frightens crocodiles. The big mugger did not move, and all the women crossed in safety to the other bank.

(i) How had the Gujars been getting their living ?
Answer: The Gujars had been getting their living from animals and from grass trees.

(ii) How did the women cross the river ?
Answer: The women laughed and bickered about as they approached the river in a noisy crowd. They girded up their skirts, and jumped from stone to stone, clanked their sickles and forks together as they crossed the river. They also shouted their quarrels above the gush of river.

(iii) In what mood did the women cross the river ?
Answer: They crossed the river in a happy mood. They laughed and bickered about. They shouted their quarrels above the gush of water.

(iv) What frightens the crocodile ? What had the women to do to get the paper grass ?
Answer: Noise frightens the crocodiles. The women had to climb a still hillside to get the paper grass.

(v) Give the names of the different animals that lived in the river.
Answer: Great turtles, mahseer and crocodiles lived in the river.

5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
When she was halfway over, she put her load down on a big boulder to rest; and leaned, breathing, on the fork.
At the same moment a Gujar woman came down with two gurrahs to the water on the other side. In order to get the good clear water, which would quickly fill both gurrahs to the top without sand, she walked onto the stepping-stones.
She was within a yard of the crocodile when he lunged at her.
Up out of the darkling water heaved the great reptile, water slushing off him, his livid jaws yawning and all his teeth flashing as he slashed at her leg.

(i) When did Sibia put her load down on a boulder ? Why ?
Answer: When Sibia was halfway over, she put her load down on a boulder. She did so in order to take rest.

(ii) Why did a Gujar woman come with two gurrahs to the water on the other side of the bank ?
Answer: A Gujar woman came with two gurrahs to the water on the other side of the bank to get good clean water.

(iii) What happened when the Gujar woman was within a yard of the crocodile ?
Answer: When the Gujar woman was within a yard of the crocodile, the crocodile lunged at her.

(iv) What did the Gujar woman do to save herself ?
Answer: The woman screamed, dropped both brass pots with a clatter on a boulder. She recoiled from the crocodile, but his jaws closed on her leg as she slipped and fell on the stone and clutched one of the timber logs to save herself.

(v) What did the crocodile try to do after pulling her leg ?
Answer: The crocodile pulled her leg and tried to carry her off down into the deeps of the pool.

6. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
With all the force of her little body, she drove the hayfork at the eyes, and one prong went in – right in – while its pair scratched past on the horny cheek.
The crocodile reared up in convulsion, till half his lizard body was out of the river, the tail and nose nearly meeting over his stony back. Then he crashed back, exploding the water, and in an uproar of bloody foam he disappeared.
He would die. Not yet, but presently, though his death would not be known for days; not till his stomach, blown with gas, floated him. Then perhaps he would be found upside down among the logs at the timber boom, with pus in his eye.

(i) What did Sibia do when she saw the woman being attacked by the crocodile ?
Answer: With all her force of her little body, Sibia drove the hayfork at the crocodile’s eyes and one prong went in-right in-while its pair scratched past on the horny cheek.

(ii) What did Sibia aim at to harm the crocodile ? What did she use to attack the crocodile to save the woman ?
Answer: Sibia aimed at the crocodile’s eyes. She used a hayfork to attack the crocodile.

(iii) What happened to the crocodile after he was attacked by Sibia ?
Answer: The crocodile was attacked and hit in the eye with hayfork by Sibia. The crocodile reared up in convulsion and then disappeared.

(iv) What did Sibia do to bring her out of water ? How did Sibia deal with her wounds ?
Answer: Sibia got her arms round the fainting woman, and somehow dragged her out from the water. She stopped her wounds with sand and bound them with rag and took her to her home.

(v) What did Sibia do after saving the life of a Gujar woman ?
Answer: Sibia took her grass, sickle and fork and went back to her home.

The Blue Bead Assignment

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The fork was lying in the river, not carried away, luckily, and as she bent to pick it up out of the water, she saw the blue bead. Not blue now, with the sun nearly gone, but a no colour white-blue, and its shape wobbling in the movement of the stream. She reached her arm down into a yard of the cold silk water to get it. Missing it first of all, because of refraction.
Then there it lay in her wet palm, perfect, even pierced ready for use, with the sunset shuffled about inside it like gold-dust. All her heart went up in flames of joy.
After a bit she twisted it into the top of her skirt against her tummy so she would know if it burst through the poor cloth and fell.

(i) Where did Sibia take the wounded Gujar woman ?
(ii) What did Sibia want to pick up from the water ? What did she see there in the water ?
(iii) Where did she keep the blue bead ? What did she pick up and went back to her home ?
(iv) What was Sibia’s mother apprehensive about ?
(v) What did Sibia tell her mother ?

2. (a) By quoting from the text justify the statement that Sibia is a selfless, bold, modest; and humble girl.
(b) Why does the writer begin her story with a detailed description of the crocodile before shifting to Sibia’s act of heroism ? Explain.
(c) Write a detailed note on the life-style of the Gujar community as brought out in the story, “The Blue Bead.”

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers The Little Match Girl

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers

The Little Match Girl Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is the pathetic situation in which we find the poor little match girl ?
Answer:
The protagonist of the story is a hapless and helpless girl whose miserable condition arouses our sense of pity. We see her suffer on a cold winter evening. It is bitterly cold, snow is falling and darkenss is gathering. What adds to her woes is that she has to walk bareheaded and barefooted through the streets. Her feet are swollen with the cold since she has lost both her slippers (her mother’s slippers which were too big for her small feet). She has not been able to sell a single packet of matches all through the day. Hence she is afraid of her father’s beating for not earning a single penny.

Question 2.
Bring out the irony in the statement Lights were shining in every window, and there was a glorious smell of roast goose in the street.”
Answer:
Three cardinal principles of Christianity are : Faith, Hope and Charity. It is quite ironic that it is the New Year’s Eve and well-to-do people are celebrating the coming of the new year by lighting up their houses and organizing rich feasts. However, on the same evening a poor match girl is wandering bareheaded and barefooted through the streets. She is unable to sell even a single packet of matchsticks. There is nobody to take care of her. She is even afraid of getting a sound beating from her own father for not being able to earn a single penny all through the day. This shows the apathy and uncaring attitude of the rich people towards the poor. The story gives us the message of developing a truly charitable outlook for the betterment of society as a whole.

Question 3.
What is “the picture of misery” drawn by Hans Christian Anderson in his story “The Little Match Girl” ?
Answer:
Hans Christian Anderson had a very unhappy childhood and many of his stories reflect this sadness, dealing with loss and death. “The Little Match Girl” is no exception. Here also we have a poor hapless and helpless girl who is a picture of misery. Set around Christmas, the story tells of a little girl who dies of cold and hunger on the street while the people are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ inside their warm, cosy homes. It is indeed pathetic. The poor match girl is unable to sell a single match box all through the day inspite of her best efforts. She does not dare to go home because she hasn’t earned a single penny and her father is sure to beat her up for that. Besides, it would be equally cold at home. There are large cracks in her house through which the cold wind blows persistently. Her thin hands are almost numb with cold. The height is when we are told that she thinks of warming her fingers with the help of her match-sticks.

Question 4.
Is there any trace of humour in the story “The Little Match Girl” written by Hans Christian Anderson ?
Answer:
“The Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Anderson is full of pathos. We are sad to know about the tragic death of the little Match Girl on the New Year’s Eve. However, there is a bit of humour in the beginning of the story. The writer tells us about the barefoot girl who had lost both her slippers on this cold evening. The slippers were too big for her tiny feet because they belonged to her mother. She was wearing them when she had left home on this particular morning. But as she ran across the street to escape from two fast driven carriages, one of the slippers was lost. A boy ran off with the other slipper saying that it would come in very handy as a cradle some day when he had children of his own. This amuses us though it is part of a grim story.

Question 5.
How does the Match Girl try desperately to shield herself against the cold wind ?
Answer:
It is a bitterly cold evening. Snow is falling and darkness is slowly coming over the street. The poor Match Girl is walking bareheaded and barefoot through the streets. Snowflakes are falling on her long golden hair. When the cold becomes unbearable, she huddles down in a corner formed by two houses. She tries to tuck her little legs up, still she feels colder and colder. Her thin hands are almost numb with cold. Suddenly an idea flashes through her mind, though it is a childish, silly idea. She thinks of warming her numb fingers by pulling out a small match from a packet and striking it on the wall. This is enough to show that she has become desperate and is not in a position to think clearly and logically. The fact is that she is moving closer to her death.

Question 6.
“The Little Match girl” by Hans Christian Anderson is a curious blend of fact and fantasy. Do you agree ?
Answer: Anderson’s story entitled “The Little Match Girl” is a fine blend of fact and fantasy. The little hapless and helpless girl is representative of millions of such children all over the world. They have to put up with hunger, illness and misery. They struggle against the odds but their survival rate is quite low. They live in a world which remains a mute spectator to their miserable existence. There are homes and shelters for such unfortunate children yet a vast majority of such children are victims of society at large. The writer has blended this realism with fantasy in this story. The poor Match Girl tries to save herself from the cold wind by striking matches on the wall. As she strikes the first match, a strange light emanates from it. She finds herself sitting in front of a great iron stove with polished brass knobs. The fire burns so beautifully and gives out such a lovely warmth. But soon afterwards the flame goes out and the girl is back in the real cold world. In the second fantasy, the girl dreams of delicious roast goose. The goose hops down from the dish and waddles across the floor. In the third fantasy, the girl sees a Christmas tree laden with candles which turn into stars. In the next fantasy, the girl meets her grandmother who takes her in her arms and flies to the world of joy and glory.
These fantasies are, in fact, a kind of wish-fulfilment for the poor girl. She gets in her dream-world what she fails to get in her real life.

Question 7.
What happens when the Match Girl scratches the first matchstick on the wall ? What does it signify ?
Answer:
When the Match Girl strikes the first matchstick for the first time, it splutters and is burnt with a bright flame. It looks like a tiny candle when she holds her hand over it. It is, indeed, a strange kind of light. It seems to the girl as if she were sitting in front of a great iron stove with polished brass knobs. It was a source of wonderful, lovely warmth. However, the flame goes out quickly, the stove vanishes and she finds herself sitting with the burnt match in her hand.
The little episode highlits the wish-fulfilment of the little Match Girl. All through the cold evening,the girl had been thinking of a cosy place where she could warm herself. This wish of the girl is fulfilled in a kind of dream or fantasy.

Question 8.
What is the girl’s experience when she strikes the matchstick for the second time ? What is the significance of what she sees ?
Answer:
When the Match Girl strikes the third matchstick, it burns clearly, the bricks in the wall become transparent and she can clearly see into the dining room. A shining white cloth is spread on the table and fine China crockery is laid out. She can smell a roast goose, stuffed with prunes and apples. To her surprise, the goose hops down from the dish, waddles across the floor with knife and fork in its back and moves straight up to her. Then, suddenly, the vision is over. Nothing can be seen except the thick, cold wall.
The second fantasy shows how hungry the child is. She has been thinking of food all day long and now there is some kind of wish- fulfilment for her.

Question 9.
What is the girl’s experience when she strikes the third match and how can we interpret her fantasy that follows ?
Answer:
When the Match Girl strikes the third matchstick, she finds herself sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree. In the previous year, she had seen a lovely Christmas tree in a rich merchant’s house when she peered through a glass door. But today the Christmas tree looks much more lovely and charming. A thousand candles are stuck in the branches and bright- coloured balls are hanging down. The little girl is tempted and she tries to reach forward with both her hands.
Suddenly the vision changes. The match goes out and all the candles on the Christmas tree are transformed into lovely stars. One of the stars falls streaking the whole sky with light. She remembers the saying of her dead grandmother : “Whenever a star falls, a soul goes up to God.”
This fantasy makes us feel that the child is also imagining her imminent death and upward movement of her soul.

Question 10.
What is the girl’s experience when she strikes the fourth and remaining match- sticks ?
Answer: There is a sparkle of light when the Match Girl strikes the fourth matchstick. She can clearly see her gentle, kind and loving grandmother in the glow of the light. The girl cries out that her “granny” should take her along to her own world. She is afraid that her grandmother might vanish as the warm stove, the roast goose and the Christmas tree had vanished earlier. In her apprehension, she bums away all the matches in the packet in order to keep up the vision of her grandmother. This shows her deep attachment to her grandmother.

Question 11.
What is the consequence of burning all the remaining matches in her packet ?
Answer:
The matches flare up with such blaze that it looks like broad day light. Her old grandmother looks extremely graceful and majestic in this light. She takes the little girl in her arms and flies away towards glory and joy. Now they were away from the real world of cold, hunger and fear. Both of them were safe and happy with God.
However, the next day dawns with bad news. The girl is found frozen to death on the last evening of the old year. She is found holding the matches and half a packet burnt near her. The passersby remark that she was evidently trying to warm herself.

Question 12.
Comment on the ending of the story. Is the ending happy or tragic ?
Answer:
The story “The Little Match Girl” has a surprise ending. The little girl who is the protagonist of the story is frozen to death on the last evening of the old year. Before her death she had shifting visions of a warm stove, the lovely roast goose, the fine Christmas tree and finally the kind old grandmother. However, nobody knew about these beautiful visions and nobody could imagine that her old grandmother had taken her away to a world of heavenly joy. The people could only see her sitting in the corner formed by two houses. Her rosy cheeks and smiling lips might indicate that she had died in a blissful state. Perhaps the writer is giving a message through the story of the little Match Girl. It is possible that the writer thinks of the physical, material would as a house of sorrow and the spiritual, heavenly world as a house of joy. Whatever the truth may be, it is certainly a story with an unexpected, unpredictable ending.

The Little Match Girl Comprehension Passages

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
So the little girl walked about the streets on her naked feet, which were red and blue with the cold. In her old apron she carried a great many matches, and she had a packet of them in her hand as well. Nobody had bought any from her, and no one had given her a single penny all day. She crept along, shivering and hungry, the picture of misery, poor little thing!

(i) Describe the miserable condition of the little girl. What effect did the cold weather have on her ?
Answer: The little girl was poor and she walked bareheaded and barefoot in the cold weather through the streets. She was shivering in the cold and was hungry. Her naked feet had become red and blue with cold.

(ii) What did the poor girl carry with her ? Why did she walk about the streets ?
Answer: The poor girl carried a great many matches with her. She walked about the streets to sell the .matches to earn some money.

(iii) How did the little girl lose the slippers that she was wearing when she left her home ?
Answer: She lost them as she ran across the street to escape from two carriages that were being driven terribly fast.

(iv) Why didn’t she dare to go home ? How did her hands become numb ?
Answer: She did not dare to go home because she had sold no matches and earned not a single penny. She knew her father would surely beat her. Moreover it was cold at home because the roof had holes in it. Her hands became numb with cold.

(v) How could she warm her fingers ?
Answer: She could warm her fingers by striking a match on the wall.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
She huddled down in a heap in a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected further out into the street than the other, but though she tucked her little legs up under her she felt colder and colder. She did not dare to go home, for she had sold no matches and earned not a single penny. Her father would be sure to beat her, and besides it was so cold at home, for they had nothing but the roof above them and the wind whistled through that, even though the largest cracks were stuffed with straw and rags. Her thin hands were almost numb with cold.

(i) What did the little girl do to escape the cold ?
Answer: She huddled down in a corner formed by two houses to escape the cold. She tucked her little feet underneath herself but still she grew colder and colder.

(ii) Why was she scared of her father ? When would her father beat her ?
Answer: She was scared of her father because he was very harsh, strict and cruel. Her father would beat her when she failed to sell the matches and earn money.

(iii) How were the largest cracks in the roof of the little girl’s house stuffed with ?
Answer: The largest cracks were stuffed with straw and rags.

(iv) What did the little girl do to warm her fingers ?
Answer: The little girl lit a match to warm her fingers.

(v) What did the fire produced by lighting a match give out ?
Answer: It gave out a warm, bright flame like a tiny candle and she held her hand over it.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
She struck another—it burnt clearly and, where the light fell upon the wall, the bricks became transparent, like gauze. She could see right into the room, where a shining white cloth was spread on the table. It was covered with beautiful china and in the centre of it stood a roast goose, stuffed with prunes, and apples, steaming deliciously. And what was even more wonderful was that the goose hopped down from the dish, waddled across the floor with carving knife and fork in its back, waddled straight up to the poor child !

(i) How did the little girl feel in the bright flame of the burning match ?
Answer: She felt as if she were sitting in front of a great iron stove with polished brass knobs and brass ornaments. The fire gave out a lovely warmth to her.

(ii) What did she find when the flame went out ?
Answer: She found that the stove had vanished when the flame went out.

(iii) What did she visualize when she lit another match ?
Answer: She visualized a table in a room on which was laid a cooked goose, stuffed with prunes and apples, steaming deliciously.

(iv) What did she see when the match went out ?
Answer: She saw nothing but the thick, cold wall.

(v) What did she visualize when she lit another match ?
Answer: She visualized that she was sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree.

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
She struck another match, and suddenly she was sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree. It was much larger and much lovelier than the one she had seen last year through the glass doors of the rich merchant’s house. A thousand candles lit up the green branches, and gaily coloured balls like those in the shop windows looked down upon her. The little girl reached forward with both hands— then, out went the match.

(i) When did the stove vanish from the little girl’s sight ?
Answer: The stove that she had visualized in the light of the burning match vanished when the flame of the match went out.

(ii) What did she visualize when she lit another match ?
Answer: She visualized that she was sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree. It was much larger and lovelier than the one she had seen last year through the glass doors of the rich merchant’s house.

(iii) What did she visualize on the Christmas tree ?
Answer: She visualized that thousands of candles were burning on the green branches and little painted figures, like she had seen in shop windows, looked down on her.

(iv) What did she notice about the candle on the Christmas tree ?
Answer: She noticed that the candles on the Christmas tree rose higher and higher through the air and had now turned into bright stars.

(v) What had the little girl’s grandmother told her about the star when it fell ?
Answer: Her grandmother had told her that whenever a star fell, a soul went up to God.

The Little Match Girl Assignment

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The little girl reached forward with both hands – then, out went the match. The many candles on the Christmas tree rose higher and higher through the air, and she saw that they had now turned into bright stars. One of them fell, streaking the sky with light.
“Now someone is dying,” said the little girl, for her old grandmother, the only one who had ever been good to her but who was now dead, had said, “Whenever a star falls, a soul goes up to God.”
(i) How was the Christmas tree that she visualized better than the one she had seen : last year through the glass doors of a rich merchant’s house ?
(ii) What change did she observe in the candles on the Christmas tree that she imagined ?
(iii) What had the little girl’s grandmother told her about the star when it fell ?
(iv) How did the little girl’s grandmother look when she visualized her after lighting another match ?
(v) What did the little girl tell her grandmother ? Why did she quickly strike all the matches she had in the packet ?

2. (a) Can we sum up the theme of Hans Christian Anderson’s story “The Little Match Girl” by saying that it is a story about “the need for compassion for those who have so much less than we do”?
(b) Bring out the use of irony, imagery and symbols in the story “The Little Match Girl.”
(c) Does the story “The Little Match Girl” have a universal appeal ?

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers A Face in the Dark

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers

A Face in the Dark Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Give a brief description of the public school in which Mr Oliver taught at Simla.
Answer:
Mr Oliver was an Anglo-Indian teacher in a public school at Simla. It was one of the best public schools in India. It was often referred to as the “Eton of the East”. Most of the students came from wealthy Indian families. They dressed themselves up in the smart school uniform which included blazers, caps and ties. The school was situated about three miles away from the Simla Bazaar which was known for its cinemas and restaurants. Mr Oliver had been teaching in this school for several years.

Question 2.
Briefly outline the main episode contained in the story “A Face in the Dark”.
Answer: Mr Oliver often strolled into the town in the evening. He returned after dark and usually took a short cut through the pine-forest. One day, when he was returning, he noticed the figure of a boy who was sitting alone on a rock. Mr Oliver sensed that something was wrong. The boy was crying and shaking fitfully. Mr Oliver flashed his torch-light on the boy’s face but was shocked to see that the face had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round smooth head with the school cap on top. Mr Oliver was frightened and ran away towards the school. The same thing happened when the watchman of the school was found to have a similar face.

Question 3.
Bring out the element of mystery and suspense in the story “A Face in the Dark”.
Answer:
“A Face in the Dark” written by Ruskin Bond is a story replete with horror, mystery and suspense. A paranormal experience of a school-teacher, Mr Oliver, is the subject of this horror story. The atmosphere has been cleverly built up by the writer.

Mr Oliver, the Anglo-Indian teacher in a public school at Simla, often strols into the town because he happens to be a bachelor and has hardly any visitors in the evening. He has to return to the school residence at right and quite often takes a short cut through the pine-forest. When there is a strong wind, the pine trees make sad, eerie sounds. Mr Oliver is a man without a nervous temperament. He always carries a torch while passing through the dark forest.

Mr Oliver encounters a young boy while returning from the town. The boy is sitting on a rock, all alone in the forest. Mr Oliver senses that some thing is wrong. He finds the boy crying and shaking convulsively. When he questions the boy about his problem, the boy doesn’t look up and keeps on sobbing as before. As the teacher flashes the torch on his face, he is horrified to see that the face has no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It is just a round smooth head with a school cap on. The torch falls from the teacher’s hand and he runs towards the school calling for help. As he stumbles upto the watchman, the latter asks him the cause of his terror. The teacher tells him that he,had seen a boy without a face. “Do you 1 mean it was like this, Sahib ?” asks the watchman.

Then the teacher notices that the face of the watchman also resembles that of the boy – no eyes, no ears, no features – not even an eyebrow ! As soon as the teacher sees this apparition, the wind blows out the lamp in the hand of the watchman. Darkness prevails all around.

Question 4.
How does the writer make supernatural look natural in the story “A Face in the Dark” ?
Answer:
Supernatural or paranormal experiences are beyond all logic and reasoning. Ruskin Bond has told a story by mixing the natural details with the supernatural. The setting is quite natural.

The whole story revolves around an Anglo-Indian teacher in a public school at Simla. The teacher is a bachelor and often wanders away to the nearby town in the evening. He returns at night through a dark pine forest. Darkness of the forest adds to the atmosphere of mystery, suspense and horror. The loneliness is another factor which accentuates the element of horror. The repetition of a hollow face – without eyes, ears and mouth – plays on the reader’s nerves and makes him shudder.

Question 5.
What is your impression of Mr Oliver, the Anglo-Indian teacher, in the story, “A Face in the Dark” ?
Answer:
Mr Oliver is teaching in a famous public school at Simla. He is a normal kind of teacher who takes interest in his students and is quite active in his routine. He often visits the Simla Bazaar which is full of hustle and bustle because of its cinemas and restaurants. Being a bachelor, Mr Oliver has hardly any company in the evening. In order to get over his loneliness he strolls out to the Simla Bazaar and often returns at night through the dark pine forest. This shows that he is a daring man without any nervousness or irrational fear. He always carries his torch in order to see through the darkness of the forest. Still, he experiences a paranormal incident on a particular night when he sees a school boy sitting on the dark rocks in the forest. This meeting unnerves not only the teacher but also the reader of the story.

Question 6.
Recount the strange, paranormal experience of the school teacher as given in Ruskin Bond’s story “A Face in the Dark”.
Answer:
Mr Oliver, the Anglo-Indian teacher in a public school at Simla, is the protagonist of the story “A Face in the Dark”. His encounter with a school boy in the dark forest is enough to scare him out of his wits. This boy looks more like a spectre when the teacher flashes his torch at his face. The face is without eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It is just a round, smooth head – with a school cap on top of it. Mr Oliver is too shocked to say anything.

However, the teacher’s predicament does not end there. He turns back and runs blindly towards the school building. He sees a lantern swinging in the middle of the path. Mr Oliver stumbles up to the watchman gasping for breath. The watchman asks him why he is looking so upset. The teacher replies that he’ has seen something weird and supernatural – a boy weeping in the forest and having a faceless face. The watchman asks : “Do you mean it was like this, Sahib ?” and raises the lantern to his own face. The teacher is dumbfounded to see that even the watchman has no eyes, no ears, no features – not even an eyebrow ! Instantly, the wind blows the lantern out and the story comes to an abrupt end. The reader is left in the dark without any kind of explanation for this supernatural, paranormal episode.

A Face in the Dark Comprehension Passages

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The Simla Bazaar, with its cinemas and restaurants, was about three miles from the school; and Mr Oliver, a bachelor, usually strolled into the town in the evening, returning after dark, when he would take a short cut through the pine forest.

(i) Who was Mr Oliver ?
Answer: Mr Oliver, a bachelor, was an Anglo- Indian teacher in a school outside Simla. He had been teaching in the school for several years.

(ii) How had the school been run ? Who studied in that school ? What did the students wear in the school ?
Answer: The school had been run on English . Public School lines. The boys from wealthy Indian families studied in the school. They wore blazers, caps and ties.

(iii) Where did Mr Oliver usually spend his evenings ? When would he return to his lodging ?
Answer: Mr Oliver usually spent his evenings in the Simla Bazaar. He would return only after dark.

(iv) What route did he take to return ? When did most people keep to the main road ?
Answer: He returned through the pine forest. Most people kept to the main road when a strong wind blew and made the pine trees make sad, eerie sounds.

(v) What did Mr Oliver come across when he was passing through the pine forest ?
Answer: Mr Oliver came across a boy sitting alone on a rock.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
When there was a strong wind, the pine trees made sad, eerie sounds that kept most people to the main road. But Mr Oliver was not a nervous or imaginative man. He carried a torch, and its gleam – the batteries were running down – moved fitfully down the narrow forest path. When its flickering light fell on the figure of a boy, who was sitting alone on a rock, Mr Oliver stopped. Boys were not supposed to be out after dark.

(i) What did Mr Oliver carry with him when he walked through the pine forest ? What did he come across in the forest ?
Answer: He carried a torch with him when he walked through the pine forest. He came across the figure of a boy who was sitting alone on a rock.

(ii) Describe the posture of the boy.
Answer: The boy sat on the rock with his head hung down and he held his face in his hands and his body shook convulsively.

(iii) Why did Mr Oliver feel uneasy when he walked through the pine forest ?
Answer: Mr Oliver saw the strange figure of a boy. The boy produced a strange soundless voice of weeping. It made Mr Oliver uneasy.

(iv) What did Mr Oliver ask the boy ? Describe the face of the boy.
Answer: Mr Oliver asked the boy, “Well, what is the matter ? What are you crying for ? Tell me the trouble, look up.” The face of the boy had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round, smooth head—with a school cap on top of it.

(v) How did Mr Oliver react when he saw the face of the boy ?
Answer: Mr Oliver got frightened and the torch fell down from his trembling hand. He got nervous and ran blindly through the trees and called for help.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
‘What are you doing out here, boy ?’ asked Mr Oliver sharply, moving closer so that he could recognize the miscreant. But even as he approached the boy, Mr Oliver sensed that something was wrong. The boy appeared to be crying. His head hung down, he held his face in his hands, and his body shook convulsively. It was a strange, soundless weeping, and Mr Oliver felt distinctly uneasy.

(i) Why did Mr Oliver move closer to the boy whom he had come across in the pine forest ?
Answer: Mr Oliver moved closer to the boy in order to recognize the boy.

(ii) What did Mr Oliver sense when he saw the boy crying ?
Answer: Mr Oliver sensed that there was something wrong when he saw the boy crying.

(iii) How did the boy’s body shake ?
Answer: His head hung down, and he held his face in his hands and his body shook convulsively.

(iv) When did Mr Oliver feel uneasy ?
Answer: Mr Oliver felt uneasy when he heard a strange, soundless voice of weeping.

(v) When did Mr Oliver’s anger give way to concern ?
Answer: When Mr Oliver felt uneasy, he asked the boy in anger, “What is the matter ?” Soon his anger gave way to concern when he asked the boy, “What are you crying for ?”

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
‘Well, what’s the matter ?’ he asked, his anger giving way to concern. ‘What are you crying for ?’ The boy would not answer or look up. His body continued to be racked with silent sobbing. ‘Come on, boy, you shouldn’t be out here at this hour. Tell me the trouble. Look up!’ The boy looked up. He took his hands from his face and looked up at his teacher. The light from Mr Oliver’s torch fell on the boy’s face – if you could call it a face.

(i) Why did the torch from Mr Oliver’s hand fall ?
Answer: When Mr Oliver saw the face of the boy which had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth, he got frightened and his torch fell down from his trembling hand.

(ii) Why did Mr Oliver tell the boy that he should not be out there at this hour ?
Answer: When Mr Oliver saw the boy sitting alone on the rock at night in the pine forest, it appeared strange to him. He felt that the young boys should not stay away from their homes at that time of the night. So he told him that he should not be out there at that hour.

(iii) What did Oliver do when he saw the face of the boy ?
Answer: He got frightened and his torch fell down from his trembling hand. He ran blindly through the trees and called for help.

(iv) What did he see when he was running towards the school building ?
Answer: He saw a lantern swinging in the middle of the path when he was running towards the school building.

(iv) Who did Mr Oliver stumble upto ? What was his condition at that time ?
Answer: Mr Oliver stumbled upto the watchman gasping for breath. He was nervous and frightened at that time.

5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
It had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round smooth head – with a school cap on top of it ! And that’s where the story should end. But for Mr Oliver it did not end here.
The torch fell from his trembling hand. He turned and scrambled down the path, running blindly through the trees and calling for help. He was still running towards the school buildings when he saw a lantern swinging in the middle of the path. Mr Oliver stumbled up to the watchman, gasping for breath. ‘What is it, Sahib ?’ asked the watchman. ‘Has there been an accident ? Why are you running ?’

(i) What had no eyes, nose or mouth ?
Answer: The face of the boy that Mr Oliver saw in the pine forest had no eyes, nose or mouth.

(ii) Why did Mr Oliver call for help ?
Answer: When Mr Oliver saw the face of the boy which had no eyes, nose or mouth, he got frightened. His torch fell down from his trembling hand. He ran blindly through the trees and called for help.

(iii) In what condition did the watchman find Mr Oliver ? What did the watchman ask Mr Oliver ?
Answer: The watchman found Mr Oliver nervous and frightened. Seeing his nervous condition, the watchman asked him if there had been an accident and further asked him why he was running.

(iv) What answer did Mr Oliver give when the watchman asked him why he was running ?
Answer: Mr Oliver answered that he had seen something horrible and added that he had seen a boy weeping in the forest who had no face.

(v) What did the watchman do ?
Answer: The watchman raised the lamp to his face and asked him if he meant it had been like that.

A Face in the Dark Assignment

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
‘I saw something – something horrible – a boy weeping in the forest – and he had no face!’
‘No face, Sahib ?’
‘No eyes, nose, mouth – nothing !’
‘Do you mean it was like this, Sahib ?’ asked the watchman, and raised the lamp to his own face. The watchman had no eyes, no ears, no features at all – not even an eyebrow! And that’s when the wind blew the lamp out.
(i) Why did Mr Oliver’s hands tremble ?
(ii) Why did Mr Oliver scramble down the path in the pine forest ?
(iii) What did Mr Oliver see in the middle of the path ?
(iv) Why did the boy’s face look horrible to Mr Oliver ?
(v) How did the watchman react when Mr Oliver told him about the boy ?

2. (a) How does Mr Oliver react when the boy sitting on the rock looks up at him ?
(b) How does Ruskin Bond build up the atmosphere of strangeness and mystery in the story ‘A Face in the Dark’ ?
(c) Comment on the ending of the story. How does the ending strike you ?

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers Hearts and Hands

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers

Hearts and Hands Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Where does the chance-encounter between Easton and Miss Fairchild take place and how do they react to each other ?
Answer:
Mr Easton and Miss Fairchild are acquainted to each other and meet after a fairly long time during a train journey. When the train, B & M Express, stops at Denver station, two new passengers enter the compartment in which Miss Fairchild is already present. One of the passengers is handsome, bold and frank from his appearance. The other one is ruffled, glum faced and heavily built. Miss Fairchild asks the handsome youngman whether he didn’t recognize her. The youngman felt embarrassed to meet her all of a sudden. He didn’t know how to react in this awkward situation. When she extended her hand to him, he just clasped her fingers with his left hand.

Question 2.
Why does the glad look in the girl’s eyes change to a bewildered look ?
Answer:
Miss Fairchild had looked quite pleased to meet the youngman after a long interval. She had even extended her little hand to him as a token of affection. However, when the youngman, Mr Easton, indicates that he is handcuffed to his fellow traveller, the glad look in her eyes is suddenly changed into a bewildered look. The glow of her face fades away. Her lips part in a vague distress. She understands that the youngman has been arrested by the marshal sitting by his side and is probably being taken to some prison.

Question 3.
How does Easton’s companion save the situation with his presence of mind ?
Answer:
Mr Easton’s companion is a clever man with a great presence of mind. He quickly senses the girl’s distress when she sees Mr Easton in handcuffs. He intervenes to introduce himself as a prisoner and Mr Easton as a marshal. He states that he has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for counterfeiting and Mr Easton is taking him to Leavenworth prison. This statement relieves the girl quite a lot and the usual glow returns to her cheeks. She now thinks that Mr Easton has taken up the job of Marshal and is doing well in life. Now, Mr Easton is also encouraged to keep up the lie. He explains to Miss Fairchild that he had to do something by way of career. His money had dwindled fast and one needs money to compete with the crowd in a city like Washington. He saw this opportunity in the West and accepted the position of a marshal. The young girl, Miss Fairchild, is excited to hear this. She begins to think of him as a dashing western hero who rides and shoots and goes into all kinds of dangers and risks. Thus she has romantic notions about the job of a marshal.

Question 4.
What is the ironical situation in which we find Miss Fairchild and the other two passengers in the train ?
Answer:
The story “Hearts and Hands” is based on irony, the irony of situation. Appearances are deceptive. Two passengers board the train at Denver. Miss Fairchild is acquainted with one of the passengers named Mr Easton. Soon she notices the fact that both the passengers are handcuffed to each other. She is distressed to think that Mr Easton has been arrested by the Marshal and is being taken to a prison. This is actually the position. But the situation takes a turn when the companion of Mr Easton poses to be a criminal and describes Mr Easton as a marshal. Pointing to the handcuffs, he says to Miss Fairchild.
“Don’t you worry about them, Miss. All marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr Easton knows his business.”
This relieves the distress of Miss Fairchild.

Question 5.
What is the shocking revelation at the end of the story ?
Answer:
The story “Hearts and Hands” is a story with a surprise ending. The actual offender is taken as a marshal and vice versa. The girl Miss Fairchild is deluded to think that the youngman whom, she has known in the past is a marshal now and he is taking the other man to a prison. However, the reality dawns upon us at the end of the story. There are two other passengers apart from the main characters. They have been observing and listening to the conversation among these main characters. As soon as the handcuffed passengers move to the smoker car, one of these passengers remarks that Mr Easton seems too young to be a marshal. The other passenger asks : “Did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand ?” This is enough to clear the mystery about the identity of Mr Easton and his companion.

Question 6.
Comment on the crucial role played by the real marshal in the story “Hearts and Hands”.
Answer:
O. Henry, the great American writer, is known for his short stories most of which have a sting in the tail. The readers are swept off their feet as the story reaches towards an unexpected climax. The mystery and suspense is maintained till the end. The characters along with the readers are in for a surprise. The present story “Hearts and Hands” centres around three main characters and two minor characters. In the first set of characters we find Miss Fairchild who is acquainted with one of the two passengers who enter the train at Denver. She is shocked to find the acquaintance Mr Easton handcuffed to his stout companion. However, this companion puts her at ease by pointing out that all marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. This is obviously true but the real fact is that this companion is the real marshal and Mr Easton is the prisoner. Later, the real marshal shifts to the smoker car on the pretext of smoking a pipe. Thus, he saves the youngman, Mr Easton, from embarrassment in front of his acquaintance, Miss Easton. It is only later that the other two passengers who were silent observers till now reveal the actual position about the real identity of Mr Easton and his companion.

Hearts and Hands Comprehension Passages

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
In one coach there sat a very pretty young woman dressed in elegant taste and surrounded by all the luxurious comforts of an experienced traveller. Among the newcomers were two young men, one of handsome presence with a bold, frank countenance and manner; the other a ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed. The two were handcuffed together.

As they passed down the aisle of the coach the only vacant seat offered was a reversed one facing the attractive young woman. Here the linked couple seated themselves. The young woman’s glance fell upon them with a distant, swift disinterest; then with a lovely smile brightening her countenance and a tender pink tingeing her rounded cheeks, she held out a little gray- gloved hand. When she spoke her voice, full, sweet, and deliberate, proclaimed that its owner was accustomed to speak and be heard.

(i) Who were the two new passengers that entered the train ? Where did they seat themselves ?
Answer: The two new passengers were young men who entered the train. One was a handsome person. He seemed bold with frank face and manner. The other was a ruffled, glum-faced person. He was heavily built and roughly dressed. They took the seat facing a young woman named Miss Fairchild.

(ii) Who was the young girl that sat in one of the coaches ?
Answer: The young girl was pretty and dressed elegantly. She seemed to be an experienced traveller. She was Miss Fairchild and was acquainted with one of the two new passengers.

(iii) Why are the two passengers called ‘the linked couple’ ?
Answer: The two passengers are called ‘the linked couple’ because they are handcuffed together. They occupy the same seat in front of Miss Fairchild because they are handcuffed together.

(iv) How did the young woman look at the two passengers initially ? Why did she talk to one of them after a while ?
Answer: Initially, the young woman showed no interest in the two passengers and looked at them with a distant, swift disinterest. After a while, she found that one of them was Mr Easton whom she knew. And so she talked to him.

(v) How did the young woman initiate a chat with Mr Easton ? What was her tone ?
Answer: The young woman initiated a chat with Mr Easton by addressing him by his name, and then by asking him if he did not ever recognize his old friends when they met in the West. She spoke in a sweet and friendly tone.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The younger man roused himself sharply at the sound of her voice, seemed to struggle with a slight embarrassment which he threw off instantly, and then clasped her fingers with his left hand.
“It’s Miss Fairchild,” he said, with a smile. ”I’ll ask you to excuse the other hand; it’s otherwise engaged just at present.”
He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining “bracelet” to the left one of his companion. The glad look in the girl’s eyes slowly changed to a bewildered horror. The glow faded from her cheeks. Her lips parted in a vague, relaxing distress. Easton, with a little laugh, as if amused, was about to speak again when the other forestalled him. The glum¬faced man had been watching the girl’s countenance with veiled glances from his keen, shrewd eyes.

(i) Why did Mr Easton feel embarrassed ? Why did he clasp her fingers with his left hand ?
Answer: Mr Easton felt embarrassed because his old acquaintance, Miss Fairchild, saw him in handcuffs. He clasped her fingers with his left hand because his right hand was bound at the wrist by the shining ‘bracelet’ to the left of his companion.

(ii) Why did he tell Miss Fairchild, “I’ll ask you to excuse the other hand” ? How was it engaged at that time ?
Answer: He told Miss Fairchild that he would ask her to excuse the other hand because it was bound at the wrist by the shining ‘bracelet’ to the left of his companion.

(iii) Why did the glad look in young woman’s eyes change to a bewildered horror ?
Answer: The young woman noticed that Mr Easton, her old friend, was handcuffed to the man seated beside him. As Mr Easton greeted her, he raised his right hand bound at the wrist by the shining ‘bracelet’ to the left one of his companion. When she saw this, the glad look in her eyes changed to bewildered horror.

(iv) How did the glum-faced man save Mr Easton from embarrassment ?
Answer: When Miss Fairchild saw Mr Easton, her old friend, in handcuffs, Mr Easton felt embarrassed. The glum-faced man had been watching Miss Fairchild’s face with his shrewd eyes. In order to save Mr Easton from embarrassment, he came forward with an explanation and said that Easton was a marshal and the two were headed for Leavenworth prison.

(v) What did the glum-faced man tell the young woman ? What effect did his remark have on the young woman ?
Answer: The glum-faced man told the young woman that Mr Easton was a marshal and that they (Easton and the glum-faced man) were headed for Leavenworth prison. His remark relieved the young woman of her embarrassment.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
“You’ll excuse me for speaking, miss, but, I see you’re acquainted with the marshal here. If you’ll ask him to speak a word for me when we get to the pen he’ll do it, and it’ll make things easier for me there. He’s taking me to Leavenworth prison. It’s seven years for counterfeiting.”

(i) Whom does the glum-faced man call marshal ? Why does he do so ?
Answer: The glum-faced man calls Mr Easton marshal. He does so in order to save Mr Easton from embarrassment.

(ii) How does he remove Mr Easton’s embarrassment ?
Answer: When Miss Fairchild sees Mr Easton, her old friend, in handcuffs, Mr Easton feels embarrassed. In order to remove Mr Easton’s embarrassment, he tells Miss Fairchild that Mr Easton is a marshal and they are headed for Leavenworth prison.

(iii) What does he present himself as ? Why ?
Answer: He presents himself as a convict. He does so in order to save Easton from embarrassment.

(iv) Why does he tell that Mr Easton is taking him to Leavenworth prison ?
Answer: He tells Miss Fairchild that Mr Easton is taking him to Leavenworth prison in order to confirm that Mr Easton is a marshal and he is a convict.

(v) How does the young woman react to the remark of the glum-faced man ?
Answer: The young woman is fully relieved of her tension and accepts that Mr Easton is a marshal and is doing his duty as a marshal.

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
“Oh !” said the girl, with a deep breath and returning color. “So that is what you are doing out here? A marshal!”
“My dear Miss Fairchild,” said Easton, calmly, “I had to do something. Money has a way of taking wings unto itself, and you know it takes money to keep step with our crowd in Washington. I saw this opening in the West, and- -well, a marshalship isn’t quite as high a position as that of ambassador, but – ”

(i) Why does the glow in the young girl’s cheeks return ? Whom does he call marshal ?
Answer: When the glum-faced person tells her that Mr Easton, her old friend, is a marshal . and not a convict, the glow in her cheeks returns. He calls Mr Easton marshal.

(ii) What does Mr Easton tell Miss Fairchild to confirm that he is the marshal ?
Answer: Mr Easton tells Miss Fairchild that his butterfly days were over in Washington. So he had to do something. In order to earn money he took up the job of a marshal. Though marshalship is not quite as high as a position as that of an ambassador, yet it fetches him money. In this way he confirms that he is the marshal.

(iii) Why does the young girl call Mr Easton ‘a dashing Western hero’ ?
Answer: The young girl calls Mr Easton ‘a dashing Western hero’ because he has to do a difficult duty and face all kinds of dangers. He has to ride and shoot in dangerous situations. So she calls him ‘a dashing Western hero.’

(iv) Explain the line – “you ride and shoot and go into all kinds of dangers.”
Answer: Miss Fairchild calls Mr Easton ‘a dashing Western hero’ because as a marshal he has to confront all kinds of dangerous situations. She says that he has to ride and shoot in several challenging situations.

(v) How does Miss Fairchild react to Easton’s acceptance of marshal’s job ?
Answer: She reacts favourably to his acceptance of a marshal’s job. She is very happy. Her eyes, fascinated, went back, widening a little to rest upon the glittering handcuffs.
She wishes him goodbye with a promise to see him in Washington.

5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The girl’s eyes, fascinated, went back, widening a little, to rest upon the glittering handcuffs.
“Don’t you worry about them, miss,” said the other man. “All marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr Easton knows his business.”
“Will we see you again soon in Washington ?” asked the girl.
“Not soon, I think,” said Easton. “My butterfly days are over, I fear.”

(i) Why did the girl’s eyes rest upon the glittering handcuffs ? What was she thinking ?
Answer: The girl felt happy to know that her friend had become a marshal. Her eyes glowed and now she was fascinated by the glittering handcuffs. So her eyes rested upon the glittering handcuffs. She was entertaining a pleasant thought of being a marshal’s friend.

(ii) What comment does the other man make on the handcuffs ? Why does he praise Easton in handcuffs ?
Answer: The other man calls Mr Easton marshal. So he comments that all marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. He praises Mr Easton by saying that he knows his job well. In fact, he praises Easton in handcuff because he wants to confirm that Mr Easton is a marshal.

(iii) How does Miss Fairchild feel when she is assured that Mr Easton is a marshal and not a convict ?
Answer: She feels very happy to know that her old friend is a marshal. She is relieved of the tension and feels satisfied that Mr Easton is a marshal and is doing his duty as a marshal.

(iv) The girl asks Mr Easton, “Will we see you again soon in Washington ?” Why ?
Answer: She feels happy that her friend Mr Easton is a marshal and is well-placed. So she wishes to meet him in Washington. Thus she asks him if they will see him again soon in Washington.

(v) Why does the young girl reconcile herself with Mr Easton’s handcuff ?
Answer: The young girl reconciles herself with Mr. Easton’s handcuffs because she is assured that he is a marshal and not a convict. So she reconciles herself with Mr Easton’s handcuffs.

6. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
“Say, Mr Marshal,” growled the glum-faced man. “This isn’t quite fair. I’m needing a drink, and haven’t had a smoke all day. Haven’t you talked long enough ? Take me in the smoker now, won’t you ? I’m half dead for a pipe.”
The bound travelers rose to their feet, Easton with the same slow smile on his face.

(i) Why does the glum-faced man call Mr Easton marshal ? How does he succeed in his plan ?
Answer: Mr Easton feels embarrassed when Miss Fairchild, his old friend, sees him in handcuffs. So in order to save Mr Easton
from embarrasment, the glum-faced man calls Mr Easton marshal. He succeeds in his plan because Miss Fairchild belives in his assertion and thinks that Mr Easton is really a marshal and not a convict.

(ii) What remark did one of the passengers seated nearby make about Mr Easton ?
Answer: One of the passengers seated nearby listened to the whole conversation and remarked that Mr Easton seemed too young to be a marshal.

(iii) What remark did another passenger make about Mr Easton ?
Answer: Another passenger remarked that Mr Easton was not a marshal but a counterfeiter.

(iv) What excuse did Mr Easton make to say goodbye to the young girl ?
Answer: The glum-faced man asked Mr Easton to accompany him to the smoker’s room to smoke. So Mr Easton told her that he was going to the smoker’s room to smoke. He made this excuse and said goodbye to Miss Fairchild.

(v) Why did Easton assert that he must go on to Leavenworth ?
Answer: Easton asserted in the name of duty that he must go on to Leavenworth. So, he held out his hand for a farewell.

Hearts and Hands Assignment

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The two passengers in a seat nearby had heard most of the conversation. Said one of !’ them : “That marshal’s a good sort of chap. Some of these Western fellows are all right.” “Pretty young to hold an office like that, isn’t he ?” asked the other.
“Young !” exclaimed the first speaker, “why – Oh! didn’t you catch on ? Say – did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand ?”
(i) What remark of one of the two passengers makes us doubt about Mr Easton being a marshal ?
(ii) What remark of the other passenger confirms our doubt that Mr Easton is not a marshal ?
(iii) How do the two passengers reveal the story’s irony ?
(iv) How do the remarks of the two passengers reveal the true character of Mr Easton ?
(v) Comment on the surprise ending of the story.

2. (a) What impression do you form of Miss Fairchild from your reading of the story ‘Hearts I i and Hands’ ?
(b) What is the role of the two passengers seated nearby who were listening to the whole conversation ?
(c) Comment on the irony contained in the ending of the story. How does the ‘sting in the tail’ make the story interesting ?

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers A Horse and Two Goats

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers

A Horse and Two Goats Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What do you know about the village named Kritam and point out what the name means ?
Answer:
Kritam was a tiny village in the south of India. Though the village was small and consisted of less than thirty houses, it had a grand name “Kritam” which means “coronet” or “crown”. There was a Big House in the Tamil village which was made of brick and cement. It was gorgeously carved with figures of gods. The other houses were much smaller and were made of bamboo, straw and mud. There were four streets in the village and Muni, the protagonist of the story, lived in the fourth street.

Question 2.
Comment on Muni’s occupation and his domestic situation.
Answer:
Muni is a shepherd who earns his daily bread by grazing goats or sheep. There was a time in his youth when he owned a flock of forty goats and sheep but now his stock has dwindled to two goats only. This change in his economic situation has been caused by famines in the past. The things are so bad now that Muni is under debt and the village shopkeeper refuses to lend him any more. His wife pesters him often to get essential items for the kitchen but he is too poor to get any. He asks his wife to take the drumsticks and sell them in the market place.

Question 3.
Bring out the humour and irony in the conversation between Muni and the shop man.
Answer:
The story “A Horse and Two Goats” by R.K. Narayan is replete with touches of humour. We are amused when Muni’s wife sneers at him by saying “You have only four teeth in your jaw, but your craving is for big things”. She sends Muni to fetch dhall, chilly, curry leaves, mustard, coriander, gingelley oil etc. knowing too well that he has no money in his pocket. The shop man pays no attention to him when he sits on an upturned packing case below the platform of the shop. When he clears his throat and sneezes, the shop man loses his patience and says angrily : “What ails you ? You will fly off that seat into the gutter if you sneeze so hard, young man.” Muni is so much delighted at being addressed as a “young man” that he laughs loudly in order to please the shop man. He is able to win over the shop man as the latter likes his sense of humour to be appreciated. Muni apprises the shop man that he would be able to pay him some money because his daughter will be sending him some money on his fiftieth birthday. Later on, we come to know that Muni and his wife are childless. This is indeed ironic as well as tragic.

Question 4.
How does Muni feel after returning empty-handed from the village-shop ?
Answer:
The visit to the grocery fatigues Muni so much that he flings himself down in a corner after returning home. His wife also chides him : “Fast till the evening, it’ll do you good”. He understands that his wife is shattered with her poverty, though she is good-natured and caring about him. Her temper was undependable in the morning but improved by evening time. He knew that she would go out and work – grind corn in the Big House, sweep and scrub somewhere and earn enough to buy some food for the evening. He wonders what his wife would do if he dies suddenly. They had no children to sustain themselves at his age.

Question 5.
Describe the horse statue situated on the edge of the village. What is the part played by this statue in the story ?
Answer:
There was a huge horse-statue on the edge of the village. The pedestal of this statue was a resting place for Muni. Sitting on this pedestal for the major part of the day, Muni could enjoy the full view of the highway and see the lorries and buses pass through to the kills. It gave him a sense of belonging to a larger world. The horse was nearly life-size and it was moulded out of clay. There was a figure of a warrior beside the horse. This horse-statue plays a significant part in the story as it is unwittingly sold away to an Englishman who doesn’t understand the Tamil language spoken by Muni.

Question 6.
Comment on the communication gap between Muni and the red-faced foreigner bringing out the element of humour in the situation.
Answer:
Muni often sits at the foot of the horse- statue watching his goats and the passing vehicles. A yellow vehicle which looks like both a motor-car and a bus stops in front of him on this particular day. A red-faced foreigner gets down and looks around for help since he has run out of petrol. He approaches Muni and asks him if there is a gas-station (petrol pump) nearby. Suddenly his attention is caught by the horse- statue and he exclaims : “Marvellous”. The red faced man was wearing khaki clothes and this scares Muni because he could be a policeman or a soldier. He has an inner urge to run away but stays on. He curses his age since he can no longer put his limbs into action. Meanwhile, the foreigner comes closer to him and says “Namaste ! How do you do ?” Muni exhausts his English vocabulary saying “Yes, no,” in response. Shifting to Tamil language, he informs the foreigner that he is Muni and those two goats belong to him and nobody can challenge his claim. Failing to understand even a word, the foreigner looks in the direction of the two goats and then lights a cigarette from his silver case. Suddenly he asks Muni : “Do you smoke ?” Muni answers again
with his “Yes, no.” At this the foreigner takes out a cigarette and gives it to Muni who accepts the offer readily and gratefully. We have a touch of genial humour in this awkward meeting between a local and a foreigner.

Question 7.
What do you gather about the red-faced foreigner who meets Muni on the roadside ?
Answer:
The red-faced foreigner is an impressive character in the story “A Horse and Two Goats” written by R.K. Narayan. We come to know that this man has come from New York in America and is staying currently with his wife, Ruth, in a Srinagar hotel. Sick of the hot-summer in Connecticut, he suddenly made a plan to visit India and how he is just “doing the rounds”. After his vehicle breaks down on the way owing to shortage of petrol, he finds Muni to while away some time before he can get help from some other driver. He shows his friendliness to Muni by offering him a cigarette from his silver cigarette case. Since there is a language problem, he cannot understand whatever Muni says about his cattle and other things. He even offers to help Muni in chopping wood if the latter so desires.

Question 8.
Discuss the American tourist as an art- lover.
Answer:
Like all other European tourists, the American man shows his love of art and artifacts. Soon after meeting Muni on the roadside, the American is fascinated by the horse-statue. He has an instant desire to buy this souvenir and put it up in his living-room. From the manner in which Muni is sitting on the pedestal of the horse- statue, he gathers that Muni must be its owner. He tells Muni that he will offer a good price for this great piece of art. We are quite amused when he says :
“I appreciate the article. You don’t have to explain its points.”
In the attitude of a demonstrator the American remarks :
“This is a marvellous combination of yellow and indigo, though faded now … How do people of this country achieve these flaming colours ?”

Question 9.
Comment on “A Horse and Two Goats” as a piece of realism.
Answer:
R.K. Narayan is renowned world-wide for his realism. His portrayal of Malgudi in South India has won him great applause. He is regional yet universal in his appeal. This story is a typical example of his realistic description of characters and situations.
“A Horse and Two Goats” is replete with realistic touches. We can easily visualise the setting, the characters and the situation. The author deftly describes the details of his characters, their actions, gestures and mannerisms. Muni’s conversation with his wife, with the shop man and the American businessman is skilfully delineated. His characters are quite convincing and credible. Though there is a language-barrier between the Tamilian shepherd and the American businessman, their mutual admiration is unmistakable. The Tamilian Muni can speak only two words of English, “Yes, no” while the American can only say “Namaste”. It is this language barrier because of which Muni gets a hundred rupees from the American tourist under the impression that he has sold his goats to that foreigner whereas the American has paid this price for the horse-statue (under the impression that it belongs to Muni). Such a funny mistake proves to be harmless for both the characters. Such mistakes are the stuff of which human life is made.

A Horse and Two Goats Comprehension Passages

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The village consisted of less than thirty houses, only one of them built with brick and cement. Painted a brilliant yellow and blue all over with gorgeous carvings of gods and gargoyles on its balustrade, it was known as the Big House. The other houses, distributed in four streets, were generally of bamboo thatch, straw, mud, and other unspecified material. Muni’s was the last house in the fourth street, beyond which stretched the fields. In his prosperous days Muni had owned a flock of forty sheep and goats and sallied forth every morning driving the flock to the highway a couple of miles away.

(i) What is the name of the village referred to here ? Where is it situated ?
Answer: The name of the village referred to here is Kritam. It is a tiny village, situated far away from the highway at the end of a rough track. ‘Kritam’ in Tamil means ‘crown’.

(ii) Describe the Big House.
Answer: The Big House was built with brick and cement. It was painted in a brilliant yellow and blue colour. There were carvings of gods and gargoyles on several posts.

(iii) What had Muni owned in his days of prosperity ? What did he do every morning ?
Answer: Muni had owned a flock of forty sheep and goats in his days of prosperity. Every morning he went out with his cattle to graze them.

(iv) What did Muni feed his flock with ? When did he come back home ? What did he carry home ?
Answer: Muni fed his flock with foliage. He came back home at sunset. He gathered faggots and dry sticks and carried them home for fuel.

(v) What did Muni’s wife cook for him in the morning ? How did she cook it ?
Answer: Muni’s wife cooked balls of millet flour for him in the morning. She boiled water in a mud pot. Then she threw a handful of millet flour into it, and added salt in it. Then she made balls of millet flour.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
He flung himself down in a comer to recoup from the fatigue of his visit to the shop. His wife said, “You are getting no sauce today, nor anything else. I can’t find anything to give you to eat. Fast till the evening, it’ll do you good. Take the goats and be gone now,” she cried and added, “Don’t come back before the sun is down.”

(i) What fatigue does Muni refer to ?
Answer: Muni had gone to the shop to get rice, dhal, spices, oil and a potato on credit, but the shopman refused to give any item on credit. Rather, he was insulted by the shopman for making lame excuses and telling lies. He was disappointed and sad. He refers to his insult and disappointment as fatigue.

(ii) Why does Muni’s wife tell Muni, “Fast till the evening, it will do you good” ?
Answer: Muni asks his wife to cook drumsticks in a sauce. In order to cook drumsticks, she needs rice, dhal, spices, oil and a potato, but not a single item is there in the kitchen. Muni goes to the shop to get these things on credit. The shopman refuses to give him any item on credit. Rather he insults him. He comes back and tells everything to his wife. So Muni’s wife gets angry and tells him “fast till the evening, it will do you good.”

(iii) Why is Muni’s wife upset and angry ?
Answer: Muni and his wife lead a poor life. They don’t have anything to eat. Muni asks him to cook drumsticks in a sauce. But there is no sauce in the kitchen. Muni goes, to the shop to get the essential items on credit, but the shopman refuses to give him any item on credit. Rather he insults him. He tells everything to his wife. So Muni’s wife gets upset and angry because there is nothing to eat at home. She is upset and angry due to poverty and absence of eatables in the house.

(iv) Why did she ask Muni not to come back home before sunset ?
Answer: Muni went away to graze his goats without eating anything. She asked Muni not to come back home before sunset because she would somehow manage some food for him in the evening.

(v) How did she plan to earn enough to buy foodstuff for the evening meal ?
Answer: She planned to go out and grind com in the Big House, sweep or scrub somewhere, and earn enough to buy foodstuff and keep a dinner ready for him in the evening.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Unleashing the goats from the drumstick tree, Muni started out, driving them ahead and uttering weird cries from time to time in order to urge them on. He passed through the village with his head bowed in thought. He did not want to look at anyone or be accosted’. A couple of cronies lounging in the temple corridor hailed him, but he ignored their call.

(i) What did Muni do to urge the goats to move on ? Why didn’t he want to talk to anybody?
Answer: Muni uttered weird cries from time to time to urge the goats to move on. He was absorbed in his own thoughts and therefore did not want to talk to anybody.

(ii) Why did he ignore his cronies who had known him since his days of affluence ? Describe his days of affluence.
Answer: He ignored his cronies who had known him since his days of affluence because he was now poor and led a miserable life. He had no money to entertain his cronies. During his days of affluence, he had a flock of forty sheep and goats.

(iii) How does wealth lie in sheep ?
Answer: During his days of affluence, Muni had a flock of sheep. Fleece on the sheep is used to make woollen clothes. So wealth lies in the fleece of the sheep.

(iv) Where did Muni lead his goats to ? What did he do there ?
Answer: Muni led his goats to a grassy spot near the horse statue on the edge of the village. He sat on the statue’s pedestal while the goats grazed nearby.

(v) How did Muni lose his several cattle ? What is he left with now ?
Answer: Years of drought, a great famine and an epidemic ruined Muni’s several cattle. At present he is left with two goats.

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The horse was nearly life-size, moulded out of clay, baked, burnt, and brightly coloured, and reared its head proudly, prancing its forelegs in the air and flourishing its tail in a loop; beside the horse stood a warrior with scythe – like mustachios, bulging eyes, and aquiline nose. The horse itself was said to have been as white as a dhobi-washed sheet, and had on its back a cover of pure brocade of red and black lace, matching the multi coloured sash around the waist of the warrior. But none in the village remembered the splendour as no one noticed its existence.

(i) What advantage did Muni have of sitting on the pedestal of the statue ?
Answer: Muni had the advantage of watching the highway and seeing the lorries and buses pass through the hills and it gave him a sense of belonging to a larger world.

(ii) Describe the statue of the horse.
Answer: The statue of the horse was nearly life-size. It was moulded out of clay, baked, burnt and brightly coloured. Beside the horse stood a warrior with scythe-like moustachios, bulging eyes and acquiline nose.

(iii) What did the image makers believe in ?
Answer: The image makers believed in indicating a man of strength by bulging out his eyes and sharpening his moustache tips, by decorating the man’s chest with beads.

(iv) What was the splendour of the horse ? Why did the people in the village not recognize it ?
Answer: The horse was as white as a dhobi-washed sheet and had had on its back a cover of pure brocade of red and black lace, matching the multi-coloured sash around the waist of the warrior. This was the splendour of the horse.
The people of the village never noticed the splendour of the statue and so never recognized it.

(v) How did the young village lads damage the things near the statue ?
Answer: The young village lads gashed tree trunks with knives and tried to topple off milestones and inscribed lewd designs on the walls.

5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
“I am sure you know when this horse was made,” said the red man and smiled ingratiatingly.
Muni reacted to the relaxed atmosphere by smiling himself, and pleaded, “Please go away, sir, I know nothing. I promise we will hold him for you if we see any bad character around, and we will bury him up to his neck in a coconut pit if he tries to escape; but our village has always had a clean record. Must definitely be the other village.”

(i) What case does Muni refer to ? Why is he afraid to confront the American businessman ?
Answer: Muni refers to the case of murder that had taken place. He tells the American businessman that he knows nothing of the case. But the murderer would not be able to escape the law. He swears by God and says that he knows nothing about the murder.
He is afraid to confront the American businessman because he thought the American businessman to be either a policeman or a soldier.

(ii) Why did the foreigner nod his head to whatever Muni said about the murder ? What question does the foreigner ask Muni ?
Answer: Muni spoke in Tamil which the foreigner did not understand. So he nodded his head whatever Muni said about the murder.
The foreigner asks Muni if he knew when this horse was made.

(iii) What promise did Muni make to the foreigner with regard to the murder ? What did he tell him about his village ?
Answer: Muni promised the foreigner that if they found the murderer, they would hold him for him. They would bury him up to his neck in a coconut pit if he tried to escape. He told him that their village had clean record. The murderer must be from some other village.

(iv) Why are Muni and the American businessman unintelligible to each other ? What did Muni do to get out of this awkward situation ?
Answer: Muni, a south Indian Tamilian, speaks Tamil whereas the American businessman speaks English. They don’t understand each other’s language, and so they are unintelligible to each other.
Muni felt confused and tried to get away from this place. He said that he must go home and also turned to go. But the other man seized his shoulder.

(v) What difficulties did the American face while working in the Empire State Building last August ?
Answer: In the summer of last August, he was working in short sleeves in his office on the fortieth floor of the Empire State Building. There was a power failure that day. And he was stuck there for four hours because neither the elevator nor the air conditioning plant worked.

6. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The old man now understood the reference to the horse, thought for a second, and said in his own language, “I was an urchin this high when I heard my grandfather explain this horse and warrior, and my grandfather himself was this high when he heard his grandfather, whose grandfather. …”
The other man interrupted him. “I don’t want to seem to have stopped here for nothing. I will offer you a good price for this,” he said, indicating the horse.

(i) How did Muni understand that the foreigner was making reference to the horse ?
Answer: The foreigner spoke English and tried to make Muni understand that he was referring to the horse, but Muni did not understand because he did not know English. So the foreigner almost pinioned Muni’s back to the statue and asked, “Isn’t this statue yours ? Why don’t you sell it to me ?” Muni now understood that he was making reference to the horse.

(ii) How did the American businessman conclude that Muni was the owner of the statue of the horse ?
Answer: The American businessman guessed that Muni was the owner of the statue of the horse by the way he sat on the pedestal of the statue of the horse.

(iii) How did Muni understand that the foreigner was talking about the horse ?
Answer: Muni followed the man’s eyes and pointed fingers towards the statue and then dimly understood that the foreigner was talking about the horse.

(iv) Why did Muni begin to talk about the horse enthusiastically ?
Answer: Muni felt relieved that the theme of the mutilated body had been abandoned. So, he began to talk about the horse enthusiastically.

(v) Why did the foreigner listen to the foreigner with fascination when he did not understand Muni’s language ?
Answer: Muni spoke Tamil in a stimulating manner and the foreigner listened to the sound of the language with fascination. He loved the sound of the language so much that he said, “Your language sounds wonderful.”

7. Answer the following questions with reference to R.K. Narayan’s short story entitled ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ :
The foreigner followed his look and decided that it would be a sound policy to show an interest in the old man’s pets. He went up casually to them and stroked their backs with every show of courteous attention. Now the truth dawned on Muni. His dream of a lifetime was about to be realised.

(i) What did Muni often dream of ?
Answer: Although Muni was extremely poor he often dreamt of big things. He had a craving of chew drumstick out of sauce.

(ii) How was the foreigner dressed ? Why did Muni feel the urge to run when he first laid eyes on him ? What stopped him from doing so ?
Answer: The foreigner was dressed in Khaki clothes. Evidently he looked like a policeman or a solider. Seeing the man dressed in Khaki, Muni mistook him for a policeman. He had an urge to run away. He feared lest the policeman should arrest him. His old age stopped him from running away.

(iii) Muni assumed that a recent incident had brought this visitor to his village. Give details of this incident.
Answer: A man had been murdered and his dead body was found mutilated and thrown under tamarind tree at the border between Kritam and Kuppam. This incident had take place a few weeks before.

(iv) What was the visitor actually interested in ? What did he offer Muni soon after they met ? Why did the offer surprise Muni ?
Answer: The visitor was actually interested in the statue of the horse. He offered Muni a cigrette. The offer surprised him because he had never been offered anything so respectfully.

(v) Which part of the story do you find most amusing ? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: The visitor was actually interested in the statue of the horse. He offered Muni a cigarette. The offer surprised him because he had never been offered anything so respectfully.

A Horse and Two Goats Assignment

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
While he was brooding on this pleasant vision, the foreigner utilized the pause to say, “I assure you that this will have the best home in the U.S.A. I’ll push away the bookcase, you know I love books and am a member of five book clubs, and the choice and bonus volumes mount up to a pile really in our living room, as high as this horse itself.”

(i) How did the foreigner praise the horse ?
(ii) What did Muni say about the horse ?
(iii) What assurance did the foreigner give to Muni with regard to the horse ? What will he do to accommodate the horse in his house ?
(iv) What does Muni say about the pundit’s discourse in the temple about the horse ?
(v) What reply did the foreigner give to Muni when he was telling him about the pundit’s view about the horse ?

2. (a) What are Muni’s apprehensions about the American ? How does he react when the latter gives him his business card ?
(b) What do you know about the everyday life of Muni and his wife ? What impression do you form about them ?
(c) The story ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ reflects a clash between Indian culture and
American culture. Discuss with reference to the story.

Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers Class 10 & 9 English

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers ICSE Class 10 & 9 English

1. The Heart of a Tree
2. The Cold Within
3. The Bangle Sellers
4. After Blenheim
5. Television
6. Daffodils
7. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
8. The Patriot
9. Abou Ben Adhem
10. Nine Gold Medals

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers ICSE Class 10 & 9 English

1. Chief Seattle’s Speech
2. Old Man at the Bridge
3. A Horse and Two Goats
4. Hearts and Hands
5. A Face in the Dark
6. An Angel in Disguise
7. The Little Match Girl
8. The Blue Bead
9. My Greatest Olympic Prize
10. All Summer in a Day

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers ICSE Class 10 & 9 English

1. Chief Seattle’s Speech
2. Old Man at the Bridge
3. A Horse and Two Goats
4. Hearts and Hands
5. A Face in the Dark
6. An Angel in Disguise
7. The Little Match Girl
8. The Blue Bead
9. My Greatest Olympic Prize
10. All Summer in a Day

Treasure Trove Short Stories Summary

1. Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary
2. Old Man at the Bridge Summary
3. A Horse and Two Goats Summary
4. Hearts and Hands Summary
5. A Face in the Dark Summary
6. An Angel in Disguise Summary
7. The Little Match Girl Summary
8. The Blue Bead Summary
9. My Greatest Olympic Prize Summary
10. All Summer in a Day Summary