English - 1st Sem20190717

UNIT I: 1.
1 COMPETITION MATTERS Suzanne Sievert
1.1 COMEPTTION MATTERS
Suzanne Sievert
ANSWER BRIEFLY IN A SENTENCE OR TWO
1. Initially what made the author think that the judges were going to have a tough time choosing
a winner?
The kindergarteners had brought in a wild range of decorated pumpkins that looked too splendid
to be easily judged.
2. How did the judges get over the difficulty of choosing a winner?
The judges declared all children winners to appreciate the hard work of each and to convey that
they all had done a great job.
3. Why were the boy and the author disappointed?
The author and her son had expected to know of a winner and their winning entry. They were
disappointed as all kids were declared winners.
4. What was the message that the school probably wanted to convey?
The school probably was trying to convey that all had done a great job.
5. The author is worried that the school was sending a wrong message. What was the message?
The school perhaps wanted everyone to know that nobody should be hurt for losing in spite of
working hard. This in turn would dishearten the kids who had gone an extra mile in giving their
best.
6. What is he trend that the author has noticed recently?

The author has noticed that declaring everyone winners, keeping in mind the fragility of the kids,
is a new trend.
7. “It has sat gathering dust ever since”- Why?
The game that Suzanne had bought became uninteresting as there had been no winners ever since
they started playing the game.
8. How can a loss in a competition help kids?
Loss in a competition teaches kids to learn from their mistakes, search for ways to improve and
find the will to try again.
9. Who is described as a “good sport”?
The one who accepts defeat is considered better than the winner and hence a good sport.
10. “Too bad my kindergartener wasn’t the judge” – What does this statement mean?
The mother feels if the kindergartener had been the judge he surely would have picked the
winners and given everyone due encouragement.
11. Comment on the observation of the kindergartener, “well, I think the snowman won”.
The kindergartener was able to sportively accept that another entry was better than his own and
that the snowman should have been the winning entry.
12. Why was the competition a big letdown for the kids? How was he satisfied?
Since nobody won, the kids felt letdown. He satisfied himself by picking up an entry that
deserved to win.
ANSWER IN A PARAGRAPH
1. How does the author show with examples that without a potential winner, a game or contest
loses its excitement?
Suzanne had once bought a game. They played the game twice but there weren’t any winners at
all. Next instance was when she declared a race between her two sons to see who got dressed
first. The first instance contradicts the second to prove that a winner is essential to make a game
interesting. When there are no winners, one loses interest since there is no scope for motivation.
As an answer to this, Suzanna explains the event of dressing up where the kids who lost felt
important and proud for having lost which sent a good message of sportsman spirit to the other
child who won.
2. What points does the author give in support of her contention that there must always be
something to compete for?
Suzanne argues that without a potential winner a game loses its excitement. Competitions
motivate the players. Healthy competition is essential for an adult’s success in life. A
competitive spirit allows the loser to accept success and failure equally well.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. What is the message of the lesson? How is it conveyed?
Suzanne’s article illuminates the idea of true sportsman spirit. While winning is
important, to accept defeat is equally important. Losing teaches a person three main lessons like
learning from one’s mistakes, searching for ways to improve and finding the will to try again.
Suzanne’s argument is that teaching children what it is to fail or lose makes them strong
and just. They develop selflessness and righteousness. They learn to contest the competition of
life with a healthy and strong mind and intention.
Through a few examples, Suzanne rightfully points out that each one’s life is
competitive. To skillfully steer to success can only be learnt through a series of failures.
1.2 A PERSONAL CRISIS MAY CHANGE HISTORY Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam
1.2 A PERSONAL CRISIS MAY CHANGE HISTORY
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam
1. Why did Kalam during his 2004 trip to South Africa board a train at Penrich for a journey to
Pietermaritzburg?
Kalam wanted to travel the same route on train that Gandhiji travelled on that day that led to
active non-violence.
2. Why was Gandhi pushed out of the train?
Blacks were not allowed to travel in the same compartments as the whites. Since Gandhi was
dark he was pushed out of the train.
3. What was Gandhi’s immediate reaction to his experience at Pietermaritzburg?
After being insulted, Gandhiji contemplated returning to India but realized that that would be
cowardice. Hence he vowed to stay back and fight apartheid.
4. How did the Kalinga war scene change the character of Ashoka?
Ashoka saw the other side of victory- loss of innumerable citizens. It hurt him so much that he
decided to follow Ahimsa Dharma.
5. What, according to Kalam, are the two great gifts of Nelson Mandela to his nation?
Nelson Mandela magnanimously provided equal constitutional rights to the 10% of the white
population who were the main culprits of apartheid. He also gifted his nation a book that he
wrote stealthily while in prison- ‘A Long Walk to Freedom’.
6. Why does Kalam connect Gandhi and Ashoka?
Gandhiji and Ashoka both believed in Ahimsa Dharma. One particular incident in their lives
changed history.
7. What is common about Gandhi and Mandela?
Gandhiji and Mandela fought for freedom through non-violence. Gandhiji started non-violence
in South Africa and came back to India to fight against the British. Mandela finished off what
Gandhiji had started in South Africa.
8. What is the thread of link that connects Gandhi, Ashoka and Mandela?
Gandhiji, Ashoka and Mandela were followers of non-violence. They showed that any crisis can
be over-ruled through non-violence.
9. How did the freedom of India achieved in 1947 become a trendsetter?
Many Asian and African nations were inspired to fight for freedom drawing courage through
India’s fight for freedom through non-violence.
10. What injustice does Kalam want us to fight?
Kalam wants the nation to fight against social and economic impoverishment and widespread
inequality affecting many citizens of India.
1. How did the ugly experience in South African train change Gandhi?
Gandhiji understood the plight of Black natives of South Africa. The final blow to fight apartheid
came when he was thrown out of the train for being a Black. He decided to fight racial
discrimination through non-violence.
2. How does Kalam relate what happened to Gandhi in South Africa to the Kalinga war scene?
Gandhiji decided to turn to Ahimsa after being insulted. Ashoka saw the other side of victory-
loss of innumerably citizens. It hurt him so much that he decided to follow Ahimsa Dharma.
Both Gandhiji and Ashoka followed Ahimsa to find solution to the crisis without blood-shed.
3. What does Kalam say about the indomitable spirit of Nelson Mandela?
Nelson Mandela was jailed for twenty-six years in a single prison cell. He fought for freedom for
his nation from there. This shows his perseverance as well as unshakeable hope that he nurtured
for twenty-six long years.
4. What does Kalam imply by the question, “Will history repeat itself”?
Kalam observes the rising social and economic poverty and widespread inequality affecting
many citizens of India. Instead of moving ahead to be a trendsetter to other nations, she is
receding to the past. Kalam fears India will soon be in shackles and would need to start from the
beginning.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. How does Kalam establish that personal crisis may not be a turning point in one’s life, but can
alter the course of history?
How one reacts to a situation matters a lot in life. When ridiculed, a person either gets
dejected or angry. Dejection is for cowards. Whereas standing up and fighting may be a turning
point in one’s life.
Kalam brings in an example of how Gandhiji tackled the discrimination he was subjected
to. Gandhiji paved way to uproot apartheid in South Africa through non-violence which Mandela
adopted and succeeded after twenty-six years in jail. On the other hand, Gandhiji’s non-violent
movement in South Africa became a precursor to India’s freedom movement.
Ashoka’s decision to follow Ahimsa Dharma dawned after his visit to the bloodied battle field of
Kalinga. Thus it can be observed that how we react to a crisis not only becomes a turning point
in one’s life but also changes the lives of others.
1.3 WHY PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY Prof. D. Balasubramanian
1. Why does the author say that it is our moral responsibility to protect diversity?
Since humans rule this planet, it is necessary for him to protect diversity. Humans are superior
creatures who have the aesthetics and ethics to protect all that the earth holds.
2. How do animals and birds charm us with their beauty?
Their majesty and beauty charm humans to accept and appreciate them.
3. What is the utilitarian aspect of biodiversity?
Man has to depend on nature for agricultural, textile and housing needs for his survival.
4. What is the networking role that diverse species play?
The natural ecosystem depends on the network of a diverse range of organisms and species for
survival. This interdependence is like a spider web. The disturbance of even one strand of the
web will result in total collapse.
5. What is the prime rule of ecology?
The prime rule of ecology is that everything depends on everything else.
6. Why is it necessary that no species should be wiped out?
Since even the most inconspicuous creature is important in the network of interdependence of
nature no species should be pushed to extinction.
7. What is anthropocentrism?
Anthropocentrism is the belief that human beings are the central and most significant species on
the planet who supports utilitarian causes.
1. Why does the author say that the loss of biodiversity should be a concern for us for thical and
aesthetic reasons?
Humans rule this planet. So it is the responsibility of man to protect all matter of nature. Unless
we protect nature, the beauty and utility of nature cannot be passed on to the next generations. It
is only practical to responsibly preserve what has been bestowed on use because man is both
aesthetic and ethical.
2. Why does the author call biodiversity a precious genetic library?
Man borrows extensively from the warehouse of nature for his agricultural, medical, clothing
and housing needs. Additionally his survival depends on the balance of the nitrogen level in the
atmosphere that is balanced by rhizobium. Man still hasn’t been able to completely and fruitfully
utilize the majority of the abundance of nature.
3. What were the various reasons for the biotic degradation?
There are majorly five reasons of biotic degradation caused by man: 1. Hunger and poverty, 2.
Short term gains and long term failures, 3. Anthropocentrism, 4. Economic pressures on certain
communities and 5. Policy factors.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. Sum up the three reasons for us to be concerned about the loss of biodiversity.
The first reason for the loss of biodiversity is man’s indifference toward his ethical and
aesthetic responsibility of protecting nature. Since he rules the planet it is his duty alone to strive
to maintain the balance.
The second reason is his utilitarian characteristic that makes him depend on nature.
Though there is abundance in the planet at his disposal, his inefficiency in recognizing and
utilizing the richness leads him to overuse few things and underusing or ignoring the majority.
This has resulted in an imbalance in nature.
The third reason is his inability to maintain the ecological network. His anti-pragmatic
approach toward utilizing the diversity has resulted in misusing nature. Man’s population
pressures, leading to hunger and poverty, have lead way to deforestation. His attitude of gaining
in short period of time and failure to see the long term benefits makes him strip mine and cut
down trees of value for trading. His purely utilitarian attitude has made him indifferent toward
his responsibility of conservation of the ecosystem. Economic pressures of certain communities
have resulted in loss of tropical forests. Civil issues as well have affected the ecosystem
considerably. Man, in short, has created a total imbalance in the ecosystem by not adhering to the
principle responsibility he had been trusted with.
1.4 A CALL TO ACTION Hillary Rodham Clinton
1.4 A CALL TO ACTION
Hillary Rodham Clinton
ANSWER IN A SENTENCE OR TWO
1. What does the speaker mean by calling herself the First Lady?
Mrs. Clinton, the First Lady, just like other First Ladies of The United States of America,
occupied the foremost social position in the country and was the leading lady in social activities
generally concerning the welfare of the society.
2. Who are the various people accused of not valuing the work of women?
Most economists, historians and government leaders fail to value the work of women.
3. Why do women choose to work all night?
Women work all night so as to be with their children during the day.
4. When do women become more vulnerable to abuse?
When women are excluded from the political process they become more vulnerable to abuse.
5. To achieve what does the speaker call us to heed for action?
Hillary calls us to heed for action in creating a world in which every woman is treated with
respect and dignity, every boy and girl is loved and cared for equally and every family has the
hope of a stable future.
1. Who are the women for whom the speaker wants to speak up?
First Lady, Mrs. Clinton, wants to speak up for women who burn the midnight oil like the nurses,
fast food chefs, hotel clerks and for all the women who don’t have enough time in a day to
complete all the work they were supposed and expected to do.
2. What are the things that women should be entitled to decide on their own?
Women should be entitled to a spectrum of social and personal security, to the right to determine
freely the number and the spacing of children they bear, right to speak for themselves, to be able
participate in political process, to bear children and to be sterilized only at their will. Women
should be allowed to live with dignity.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. How are the rights of women systematically violated?
Foremost, women and their position in the society is neither recognized nor appreciated.
They are denied participation in political processes that make her more vulnerable to abuse of all
degrees. Baby girls are denied food; they are drowned, suffocated or have their spine broken just
because they were born girls.
Women are sold into slavery and prostitution. Women are subject to unacceptable torture
such as being doused in gasoline, set fire and burned to death because they have provided
insufficient dowry. Women are raped in both their communities as well as in war. Women are
put through unspeakable torture in their homes. Women are denied the right to plan their own
families. They are forced to abort and sterilize. In short they are not allowed to live with dignity.
Their human rights are severely violated.
1.5 IF ONLY THERE WERE MORE LIKE HIM Revathi Seshadri
1. What was the common interest between Gopalan and the Colonel?
Both Gopalan and the Colonel loved to play chess.
2. How did Shankar come into the Colonel’s house?
The Colonel’s old retainer had died and Shankar was brought home as a replacement.
3. Why did Gopalan agree to spend the night in the Colonel’s house?
It was too late into the night to walk back home in safety.
4. Why did the friends wake up immediately to the disturbance?
Since Gopalan and the Colonel were light sleepers, the disturbance woke them up.
5. What happened to the Colonel’s gun?
The Colonel’s gun wasn’t by the side of the bed where he usually kept.
6. Why did Shankar not come to the help of the Colonel?
Shankar had a hand in the robbery and wanted a share of the loot.
7. Why was Shankar shot?
Shankar demanded a share of the loot which was not acceptable to the robbers which lead to
their shooting Shankar.
8. How did Shankar turn a hero?
Instead of testifying against Shankar, the Colonel maintained that Shankar came in late and tried
to save the duo from the robbers and in the process he got shot thus painting a heroic image of
Shankar.
9. On what condition did the Colonel agree to bear the educational expenses of Shankar’s son?
If Shankar’s son studied well, the Colonel was willing to be the benefactor for his education.
10. Why does the author describe the Colonel’s gesture as an act of ‘disinterested kindness’?
The Colonel felt the uselessness for vengeance by telling the society about Shankar’s betrayal of
his trust, since Shankar has paid for the treachery by losing his life. His innocent family,
especially his aged father and young son did not deserve the condemnation of the society for
Shankar’s immoral deed.
1. Describe the friendship of Gopalan and the Colonel.
The affluent duo was good friends who were passionate about chess. Every evening they’d play
chess in either of their houses. Gopalan had no inhibitions in spending a night at the Colonel’s
place because of their closeness. The Colonel had great trust on Gopalan and the vice versa. A
secret entrusted on Gopalan, stays a secret befitting their gentlemanliness and true friendship.
The Colonel was a man of great virtue and Gopalan applauds his easily for that.
2. Describe the treachery of Shankar.
The Colonel had trusted Shankar. But Shankar did not reciprocate his kindness. Shankar first hid
the Colonel’s gun that he kept by his bedside for self-defense. He kept the door of the house
open to allow the robbers free entry. While the robbers gagged the Colonel and Gopalan,
demanding the keys to the safe from the Colonel at gunpoint, a free Shankar stood by the door
watching and animatedly threatening the robbers. To add to all this, Shankar demanded a share
of the loot from the robbers.
3. How did the Colonel justify his actions?
The Colonel had developed no vengeance at what Shankar did to him and informed the police
that Shankar lost his life trying to save his and Gopalan’s life. He met Shankar’s family and
promised the teary-eyed son of Shankar that he shall the benefactor for his education if only he
studied well. His poetic justice in not revealing Shankar’s treachery is to be applauded since
Shankar’s innocent family, especially his aged father and young son, did not deserve to be
ridiculed and condemned by the society. The family deserved to live with respect and dignity.
And the Colonel expected nothing in return his kindness.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. Why does the author wish that there were more like the Colonel?
Very rarely will a person find someone like the Colonel. Most people who are affected,
nurture vengeance and demand justice. Even at his loss, all the Colonel could think was of
Shankar’s family. Had he testified against Shankar, his innocent family would have been
shattered and thus ruined. The society would have ridiculed and condemned them for Shankar’s
immoral deed. The innocent family who had nothing to do with what Shankar’s treachery did not
deserve that!
It takes tremendous selflessness to help the family whose member was the cause of
treason. The Colonel not only was thoughtful toward Shankar’s family, but also expected no
appreciation or recognition in return. He let the secret lose itself in the darkness of the night of
Shankar’s death.
The Colonel’s kindness didn’t end at just hiding the secret. He was the promisor of the
educational expenses of Shankar’s son. He had deep compassion for the young boy whose life
would have changed for the worse had he testified against Shankar. The boy could have easily
gone astray with the condemnation of the society for being the progeny of a thief. The Colonel’s
consideration that it was his moral responsibility to think of the welfare of the people under his,
allowed him the opportunity to mend the mistake of a father and make his innocent son a
graduate and to be an honest and respectful man. Additionally, Shankar’s aged father did not
deserve to spend the depleting days repenting and pining over having raised a son of such
immorality and villainy.
This shows the generosity, thoughtfulness and gentlemanly attitude of the Colonel. These
are very rare traits to expect of any person. The Colonel’s poetic justice baffles Gopalan,
Seshadri and the readers alike wishing that there were more like the Colonel to make the world a
better place.
UNIT II: 2.1 MY GREATEST OLYMPIC PRIZE Jesse Owens
UNIT II PROSE
2.1 MY GREATEST OLYMPIC PRIZE
Jesse Owens
ANSWER BRIEFLY
1. Why were nationalistic feelings running high during the 1936 Berlin Olympics?
Hitler had insisted that his athletes were members of a ‘higher race’.
2. Why does Jesse Owens dismiss the claim of Hitler as childish?
Hitler was a dictator, no doubt. But his casual remark of building the spirit of his athletes has
been taken seriously.
3. Why was Owens expected to win the gold medal in the Long Jump hands down?
Owens had set a world record in Long Jump just the previous year. So Owens knew he could win
the Olympics hands down. Additionally he had practiced hard for the Olympics.
4. Why did Owens become hot under the collar before the trials?
Owens was irritated about the Nazi’s Aryan superiority theory.
5. “I was no exception: - Explain.
An angry athlete is prone to making mistakes. Despite knowing this, Owens got angry that
resulted in his underperformance which disallowed him to qualify in the first jump.
6. Why did Owens kick the pit in disgust?
Owens leaped for several inches beyond the take-off point that ended up in disqualification in the
first jump of his trials.
7. What was actually eating Jesse Owens?
Owens was preoccupied with the disturbing thought of fouling in the finals.
8. Did Owens tell Long what was eating him? If not, why?
Owens did not admit to Long what was eating him because Long was just an acquaintance then,
apart from being a Nazi rival.
9. Describe Luz Long.
Luz Long was taller than Owens with a lean muscular frame with clear blue eyes, fair hair and a
strikingly handsome face.
10. How did Owens manage to qualify for the finals with a foot to spare?
Owens accepted Long’s advice to draw a line a few inches behind the take-off board which
helped him qualify for the finals with a foot to spare.
11. How did Luz Long respond to Jesse winning the gold?
Long was beside Owens congratulating him when Owens finished his jump. He gave Owens a
firm handshake that was devoid of any jealousy.
12. Why did Hitler glare at Luz Long and Jesse Owens?
Hitler had nurtured Long to win the Olympics. Not only did Luz Long lose but was
congratulating Owens heartily on his victory. This angered Hitler.
13. What, according to Coubertin, is the true spirit of the Olympics?
Coubertin had declared that taking part in Olympics was more important than winning.
1. Why did Jesse Owens foul the first two jumps in the trial?
Despite knowing that anger spoils the spirit of an athlete, forcing him to make mistakes, he was
angered at Hitler’s sly introduction of Luz Long to prove Aryan superiority. Owens, being a
Negro, hated it and his angered at Hitler’s way belittled his determination to win the Olympics.
Anger ruled his mind and made him foul in the first two attempts in the trials.
2. How did Luz Long help Jesse Owens?

Luz Long, a true sportsman and an amazing human being, eased Owens’ tension by being
compassionate. He gave him a genuinely friendly advice to draw a line a few inches from the
takeoff board to avoid over-stepping and thus fouling. Owens took his advice and was able to
qualify with a clean mind.
3. How did the rivalry of Owens and Long end?

With Owens developing a misconception, the battle in his mind took over his determination to
win. Long, who noticed Owens fouling, understood what Owens would be going through.
Long’s decision to get acquainted with Owens eased Owens. Owens, after the trials, met Long in
his quarters and both spent some quality time together knowing each other, thus leading to a long
lasting true friendship.
4. Explain the reference to Coubertin.

Coubertin had declared that taking part in Olympics was more important than winning. Luz
Long, being a true sportsman and an amazing human being, helped his fellow sportsman to
qualify in his jump that made him win. This shows Long believed in participating rather than
winning. His rival’s winning did not make him jealous. On the contrary, he congratulated him
with all his heart. This clearly exemplifies that Long believed in Coubertin’s words and passed
the thought to Owens.
5. What do you understand of Hitler from Jesse’s account?

Hitler had secretly nurtured a very strong Nazi youth and had kept him hidden until the day, to
petrify other athletes, especially Owens. Hitler would have been fully aware that an angry athlete
often errs and that perhaps was what he wanted. His slyness in doing so would allow his athlete
to win, if not through competence, thus strengthening the Aryan superiority.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. How did Luz Long exemplify the true sporting spirit?

Luz Long, noticing a world record holder pathetically fouling, understood the reason
behind it. Without hesitation, despite being an opponent, he extends an arm of friendship to
Owens. Long was expected to beat Owens in the finals. His being friendly with Owens will only
result angering his leader. Without paying heed to that, he also gives his rival crucial tips to
avoid fouling. Owens took the advice and won.
When Owens finished his jump, he found Long by his side congratulating him on his
victory, not bothering about his leader’s glares. He didn’t seem to mind his loss. His demeanor
and handshake, at Owens’ victory, showed no sign of jealousy either. Long was the epitome of
the message of Coubertin that not winning, but taking part in Olympics is more important.
2. Describe the professional rivalry and professional friendship of Owens and Long.
Initially Owens saw Luz Long as his professional rival since Long was indeed brought in
by Hitler to beat Owens. His anger led to his fouling in the trials. Long, who noticed the
unnatural development of a crisis in a world record holder, counseled Owens to focus on the
jump by giving him a valuable tip. This not only took Owens by surprise, but also eased him and
allowed him the opportunity to believe Long thus breaking the ice. He later visited Long at his
quarters and they spent some time knowing each other. This paved way for building genuine
friendship between the two. When Owens won the finals, Long was beside him congratulating
him on his victory. Owens could sense no jealousy or regret in Long’s demeanor or handshake. It
was a platonic wish coming right from the bottom of Long’s heart. He respected Long for it and
knew that a strong friendship had bloomed between them.
3. Which is considered as the greatest Olympic prize? Why?

Luz Long’s friendship was the greatest Olympic Prize that Owens ever won in his life.
Luz Long’s compassion and camaraderie touched Owens. Luz Long recognized the battle in
Owens’ mind and offered him a valuable tip. He was genuinely happy for Owens when he won
the gold. He was by Owens’ side, congratulating him. It is very rare for a rival to offer
professional tips but Long did. It is very rare for a rival to congratulate the winner without
feeling a pang of jealousy. But Long felt none. What Long felt was evident in what he said and
how he looked. His selflessness proves that he was an epitome of goodness and true
sportsmanship. His congratulating Owens on his victory was of greater value to Owens than the
gold medal itself. His genuine heart was so that Owens felt nothing could equalize the friendship
that formed between the two.
4. Analyze the character of Luz Long.

Luz Long, though trained in the Nazi youth school, evidently did not possess the sly
characteristics of Nazis. His leader had brought him to take part in the Olympics to win. Long,
though knowing the pressure on him, had not lost the spirit of a true sportsman. He had no
inhibitions in offering his rival a very important tip even though it could have meant his failure.
He saw his rival as a friend. Not just that, he was a good human being; he helped a person in
distress. Long had nothing to hide. His intentions were clear. He had come to participate and
winning to him was just a matter of effort.
Knowing that Owens was a record holder, he did not try any foul means to win the event.
His camaraderie won the heart of Owens. Owens was swept off his feet at this magnificent
Nazi’s pure heart and led to a friendship beyond all material richness of the game. Long nurtured
no jealousy at his failure. He genuinely congratulated Owens. He remained unbothered about
having to face the wrath of his leader, for losing. Long broke the hope of his leader and his
nation, but helped an able world record holder to set yet another record which he rightfully
deserved. He also was by his rival’s side when he won the event. Long is the perfect example of
a true sportsman.
2.2 IF YOU ARE WRONG, ADMIT IT - Dale Carnegie
UNIT II PROSE
2.2 IF YOU ARE WRONG, ADMIT IT
Dale Carnegie
ANSWER BRIEFLY
1. Why did the author not muzzle his dog or keep it in a leash?
Rex, the author’s Boston Bulldog, did not like to be leashed or muzzled. The author himself did
not like to muzzle or leash his dog.
2. What was the warning of the policeman?

The policeman warned Carnegie that he will be charged the next time he did not leash or muzzle
the dog.
3. ‘I was in for it. I knew it’- What was the author in for? What did he know?
For disobeying him, Carnegie knew that he will have to face the wrath of the angry policeman
itching to show his authority
4. How did the author and the policeman reverse their roles in their second meeting?
Carnegie tactfully admitted that he made a mistake and spoke all that the policeman would have,
thus taking his side. The policeman calmed down and took Carnegie’s side by excusing
Carnegie. This is exactly what Carnegie wanted.
5. Why did the policeman become magnanimous toward the author?
Carnegie admitted his mistake. This made the policeman magnanimously excuse him.
6. Why did Warren often leave the art editor in disgust?
The art director’s method of attack by finding faults with some little thing disgusted Warren.
7. How did Warren have a grand time with the art editor?
Warren embarked on self-criticism that took the fight out of his art director which Warren
thoroughly enjoyed.
8. Why did Harvey go to his boss?
Harvey had erred by paying an entire month’s salary to an employee on sick leave. Since he was
not authorized to decide the further course of action, he decided to admit his mistake to his boss.
9. Why did Harvey’s boss treat him with respect?
Harvey not only admitted his mistake but also blamed himself utterly for his mistake. This
earned him the respect of his boss.
10. What was picturesque about Pickett?

Pickett was a confident man with auburn locks who a cap set at a rakish angle over his right ear.
11. How did Lee win admirers even after losing the battle of Gettysburg?
Lee, an honourable General, admitted that he it was entirely his fault. He maintained that he
alone was responsible for the loss in the battle and none but he has lost the battle.
12. How was the problem of the Chinese father rooted in tradition?
Chinese tradition forbids elders from taking the first step to reconciliation with the young. Hence
he did not try to seek his estranged son despite his strong desire.
13. How did Carnegie come to know about the Chinese father?
The Chinese father was the class member of Michael Heung, Carnegie’s course tutor in Hong
Kong.
14. Bring out the contrary aspects in the character of Hubbard.
Hubbard had the rare characteristics of turning his foe into friends by taking their side when he
felt he was right.
15. What should we do when we are right?
When we are right, we should try to win people gently and tactfully to our way of thinking.
1. How did the author turn the majesty of law into a merciful human?
Carnegie knew that to show their authority is the psyche of most people in high ranks. So,
Carnegie admitted his mistake and made the policeman feel important. The policeman thus gave
in to the self-condemned admittance of the guilty Carnegie by excusing him magnanimously.
2. How did Warren take the fight out of his art editor who was always delighted in finding
faults?
Once Warren understood the situation he took the fight out of his art director by instantly
admitting his mistake. He criticized himself extensively and promised to redo the entire work.
This forbade the art director from picking out a volley of mistakes. His intentions were thus
marred by Warren taking his side.
3. How did Harvey handle a tense situation and win the admiration of his boss?
Harvey not only admitted his mistake but also repeatedly blamed himself for all the confusion.
The boss was so pleased at the guilty Harvey’s acceptance of mistake that he allowed Harvey to
rectify his mistake. From that moment he developed a deep admiration for Harvey.
4. What was sublime about Lee’s confession?
Lee was an honourable man of high rank. While he could have blamed several others for the loss
in war, he sought to admit that it was his fault alone that lead to the doom of their army. This is
totally uncharacteristic of a man of such high rank. His acceptance of mistake and supplication of
apology is the most sublime.
5. How did an extraneous factor block the Chinese father from admitting his mistakes? How did
he overcome it?
Despite knowing that it was his fault for his son leaving him, the Chinese father did not budge
since it was their tradition that forbade elders from taking the first step toward reconciliation
with their younger counterparts. But his desire to meet his son and his family and the realization
of his mistakes over powered his long nurtured ego. Full understanding of Carnegie’s words to
‘admit one’s mistake emphatically’ made him decide to break the tradition and seek his son.
6. How would Hubbard handle irritated readers?
Hubbard had the rare characteristic of pulling an irritated reader to his side by confessing that
just like them he too disagrees with what he had written earlier. He would also call them over to
his place to thrash the subject over. This way he ditches the fumes of an explosive reader.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. How did the author and Warren minimize their mistakes and win a forgiving and generous
response in the process?
Both Warren and Carnegie chose to take the side of their opponent by playing their part.
They extensively criticized and self-condemned themselves that were supposed to have been
their opponent’s part. The other persons would be so dumb-struck that their option was only to
take Warren and Carnegie’s side and excuse them.
The spontaneous admittance of their mistake won them the respect they wouldn’t have
received otherwise. In Warren’s case he also got his pay check and commission. Both believed
that self- criticism was better than having to listen to criticism from alien lips.
2. How did Harvey and Lee win admiration by not searching for alibis?
Harvey and Lee chose not to blame others for their mistakes. They went out of their way
to admit their mistake. Harvey and Lee thus won the hearts of their seniors. Lee was an
honourable man of high rank. While he could have blamed several others for the loss in war, he
sought to admit that it was his fault alone that lead to the doom of their army. This is totally
uncharacteristic of a man of such high rank. His acceptance of mistake and supplication of
apology is the most sublime. He was heralded in history for his indomitable character of
acceptance of mistake thus diminishing the pathos of the Gettysburg battle.
Harvey, on the other hand, not only admitted his mistake but also repeatedly blamed
himself for all the confusion. Though the boss had many others to blame for the mistake, Harvey
chose not to fall for the easy way out of the whole mess. The boss was so pleased at the guilty
Harvey’s acceptance of mistake that he allowed Harvey to rectify his mistake. From that moment
he developed a deep admiration for Harvey.
3. How will you categorize the instances given by Carnegie? What do they tell us?
Carnegie has drawn examples from different walks of life. The casual instance of his
encounter with the policeman runs parallel to Warren’s encounter with his art director where
both switch roles with their opponent. They grab the opportunity to admit their mistake and
criticize themselves for it, thus gaining sympathy and respect alike.
Harvey and Lee steer clear from choosing alibis to defend themselves. They take the
blame on themselves and find solution to the crisis. Again, both Harvey and Lee gain respect in
return. Harvey’s sincere admittance of his mistakes and repeatedly blaming himself alone for the
whole mess gains him the admiration and respect of his boss. Lee was heralded in history for his
indomitable character of acceptance of mistake thus diminishing the pathos of the Gettysburg
battle.
The Chinese father for his part breaks an age old tradition to rid his guilt and to satisfy his
desire to reconcile with his estranged son and his family. He leaves his ego behind and with all
his heart seeks his son’s forgiveness.
A very different personality was Hubbard. He had the characteristic of luring his foes to
his side by tactfully bringing them to think the way he did when he felt he was right. He would
pull an irritated reader to his side by confessing that just like them he too disagrees with what he
had written earlier. He would also call them over to his place to thrash the subject over. This way
he ditches the fumes of an explosive reader. Admittance of mistakes, thus, works in each one’s
favour.
2.3 MONDAY MORNING - Mark Twain
UNIT II PROSE
2.3 MONDAY MORNING
Mark Twain
1. How did Tom arrive at a complaint?
Tom thought a lot on what possibilities would best work to his advantage. He canvassed his
system for any ailments but found none. He tried colicky symptoms but he lost hope in it as he
couldn’t act for long on that. He then discovered his shaking tooth but that would work against
him as his aunt would definitely pull it out. Since he didn’t want to be in actual pain, he kept the
idea as reserve. He finally found his sore toe more promising and encouraged the pain.
2. How did Tom win the confidence of Sid?
Tom moaned, groaned and cried that shook Sid up. But most importantly Tom was able to bring
the right reaction of Sid with his emotional antics of forgiving the ‘poisonously annoying’ Sid
for all that he had done to him since he shall be gone forever soon. Completely scared and
shaken of the outcomes, Sid, thus, was taken completely into Tom’s confidence.
3. How did Aunt Polly extract the loose tooth?
Aunt Polly summoned for silk thread and a chunk of burning charcoal from the kitchen which
Mary brought in for her. She fastened one end of the thread to Tom’s shaking tooth and the other
to the bed post. She suddenly took the fire near Tom’s face that startled him thus extracting the
loose tooth in no time.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. Outline the role of Sid and Mary.

The ‘poisonously annoying’ Sid was Tom’s brother. ‘Saintly’ Mary was the antidote to
Sid and was Tom’s cousin. Both Sid and Mary help the events flow. Sid is used by Tom to carry
the message of his illness to his Aunt Polly since Tom needed to pretend and wouldn’t be right to
take the message himself to his aunt. Tom provokes Sid’s emotions by emotionally cornering
him to repentance for all the annoying things he had done to Tom thus taking him into his
confidence in believing his faked illness. A completely shaken and scared Sid is thus falls prey to
Tom’s antics.
Mary, on the other hand, a soft hearted child not knowing how to react to the supposedly
tense situation quietly follows Sid to fetch Aunt Polly for help. She meekly follows Aunt Polly’s
instructions to bring in the silk thread and fire to extract Tom’s shaking tooth. Though she
always had nice things to say about Tom even when he had done a mistake, she unintentionally
ends up working against Tom in this instance. Mary’s helping Aunt Polly turns events, adds to
Tom’s misery and ends the drama Tom had very precariously put up to bunk school.
2. How does the grand plan of Tom on a Monday morning fall?
Tom sought all possible excuses to bunk school. He tried every possibility that can
actually work before calling for his aunt. He wanted to put up the best drama to fool the clever
aunt. While his shaking tooth was genuine, he sought not to encourage since if his aunt pulled it
out, it will definitely hurt. He didn’t want to be in pain so he kept it as reserve. He chose his sore
toe that didn’t actually hurt as much but looked more promising and encouraged the faked pain.
Faking sever pain in his toe, he groans, moans and cries to wake up Sid, the messenger.
Tom was able to bring the right reaction of Sid with his emotional antics of forgiving the
‘poisonously annoying’ Sid for all that he had done to him since he shall be gone forever soon.
Completely scared and shaken of the outcomes, Sid, thus, was taken completely into Tom’s
confidence and runs with Mary to fetch his aunt for help.
Aunt Polly, too clever for Tom, understands the situation and traps Tom. Tom blurts out
the truth in an instant of fright that his toe didn’t hurt as much as his loose tooth. Aunt Polly had
to handle the situation in her way lest Tom continues with his antics. She pulls out his tooth thus
shattering all his well-planned efforts to bunk school.
2.4 THE UNEXPECTED - Robert Lynd
UNIT II PROSE
2.4 THE UNEXPECTED
Robert Lynd
1. How did Lynd’s fascination for hens undergo a drastic change?
Lynd had grown up being with and loving hens. Hens used to be his fascination but as he grew
older he found hens very detestable. He found these flightless captives too monotonous who
worked like slaves for the humans and were nothing more than a drudge. For what they were and
what they did there wasn’t anything interesting enough to gain any fascination or appreciation
except for their fierce ability to take care of their chickens. They spilled about the place so much
that he had grown too bored of them and nothing about them any longer deserved being treated
with dignity.
2. Why do we not lose our respect for wild birds?
Wild birds are no man’s slaves. They have no masters. They come and go anywhere and anytime
they please. They use anything that fancies their attention. They are free. They work for none.
Most of them are not seen often. Wild birds are not drudges. Man can’t expect anything from
them. Man may try to lure them but to be lured is at their disposition thus maintaining their
dignity.
3. Why does the nightingale remain supreme among birds of all kinds?
Though they are not extraordinary singers as heralded by many poets, their rare appearance
makes them supreme and more legendary. The Nightingale, being a wild bird, comes and goes as
it pleases. Their singing is supposed to be the best of its kind. But there are still many who have
heard of this prodigious bird but haven’t had the opportunity to see or hear them in reality.
4. Recount Lynd’s experience when he went into the country to listen to a nightingale.
Lynd went to the country with desiring to listen to a Nightingale sing. But he had no
expectations. The valley where the Nightingales frequented was unusually lacking of their kind.
But there were a volley of other bird species that enthralled Lynd. Without complaining or
protesting, he stretched himself on the hedge where he spotted a Lapwing with its chickens. He
hadn’t seen a Lapwing. The way it grazed about the hedge protectively around its chickens filled
Lynd with much pleasure that he would not have missed for the sight of a hundred Nightingales.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. How does Lynd compare the domestic birds with the wild ones?
Most domestic birds seem to him like slaves and they are no common that he finds them
the most unimpressive. The hen, especially, is a drudge that toils for the humans sulkily, just like
the goose or gander or duck or a turkey-cock. But these except the hen maintain a certain dignity.
The hen does nothing to interest man except in its flurried defense of its young.
The wild birds on the contrary are free and work for none. They have no masters. They
come and go anywhere and anytime they please. They use anything that fancies their attention.
They are free. They work for none. They aren’t bothered about man’s existence. They feel
indebted to none. Most of them are not seen often. Their rare appearance fascinates and excites
man. Man welcomes the seasonal birds with much awe. Man may go bird watching but would
never stop by to watch a hen because wild birds are not drudges. Man can’t expect anything from
them. Man may try to lure them but to be lured is at their disposition thus maintaining their
dignity.
2. Describe Lynd’s encounters with various birds.
As a child Lynd had bred a range of hens. But in his later years he preferred honey-suckle
to a hen. He’d appreciated the goose, the gander, the duck and the turkey-cock for their dignity
though they were drudges too.
Lynd always welcomed the swallow during their seasonal visits. He loved the way the
whitethroat looked. He’d rather enjoy its looks than pay attention to its singing. He had a fancy
for the nightingale. Lynd once went to the country desiring to listen to a Nightingale sing. But he
had no expectations. The valley where the Nightingales frequented was unusually lacking of
their kind. But there were a volley of other bird species that enthralled Lynd. He had the fortune
to spot the wood-wren, willow-wren, the tree-creeper, the long-tailed tit, the jay, the spotted
wood-pecker, the nuthatch and the garden-warblet. They had made the country their home and
without complaining or protesting, he stretched himself on the hedge where he spotted a
Lapwing with its chickens. He hadn’t seen a Lapwing. The way it grazed about the hedge
protectively around its chickens filled the sentimental Lynd with much pleasure that he would
not have missed for the sight of a hundred Nightingales.
3. Critically examine the title, “The Unexpected”.
Nature is the best gift man has been given. To expect something from it only leads to
disappointment as it has many unexpected gifts to shower on man. When man looks at nature
with expectation, his focus remains on the expectation thus losing out on the unexpected
abundance nature has to offer him.
Lynd prefers the unexpected to the mundane expected. There is no fun in seeing the same
things that were around him. He brings the hen as an example to the uninteresting things that irks
no fascination. He considers the hen a slave and drudge doing its work sulkily for man without
complaining or protesting. He found it a waste of time to expect anything interesting from the
hen except for its ferocious protection of its young.
Lynd uses the nightingale to emphasize the dignity all wild birds maintain unlike the
domestic birds. Most wild birds are rare and are sometimes only seasonally found. Famous poets
have sung about the nightingale’s ability to sing beautifully. But to expect it to sing like an Opera
singer would be insane. To accept the way it sings with concurrence of nature is the right way to
enjoy its melody. Same goes with the skylark. The American poet who travelled miles to chance
a skylark only returned disappointed as she set about with an expectation. She thus closed herself
to the supposed unexpected beauty.
Having no expectation helps in appreciating what nature has to offer like Lynd went to
the country with a desire to hear a nightingale sing but had no expectations that not only
disallowed disappointment but also allowed him to appreciate the unexpected beauty of the
landscape filled with a volley of bird species filling his soul with a content he would not have
missed for a hundred nightingales.
UNIT III POETRY: 3.1 PULLEY OR THE GIFT OF GOD GEORGE

HERBERT
UNIT III POETRY
3.1 PULLEY OR THE GIFT OF GOD GEORGE HERBERT
1. What is the gift of God to man?
God has showered on man all the possible things that he deserves, like the planet itself with all its riches, strength
for him to utilize them, beauty to admire, wisdom to choose between the right and the wrong, honour to live with
camaraderie and pleasure to realize the worth of all that he deserves.
2. What is the jewel of God’s blessings? Why does God decide not to bestow it on man?
‘Rest’ is God’s most precious gift to man. Herbert intends to use pun on this word to emphasize on the rest that man
can afford every day and the ultimate rest that is in the hands of God. While man is allowed the pleasure of all gifts,
he retains ‘rest’ with him because it was man’s choice to decide the time of rest, he will either end up using God’s
other gifts completely or over-use it to such an extent to forget the creator of these. So he created pain along with
pleasure to let man realize His worth.
3. How does God intend to make man seek Him?
If God gave man everything including ‘rest’, there would be nothing left for man to seek his Creator. Man would
forget his Creator. To make man realize that everything should be in moderation and balance, he made pain and
retained ‘rest’ with him so that if man forgets to seek Him in happiness, in distress he definitely will seek Him.
4. Which is the real gift of God to man- the blessings that he granted or the blessing that he denied?
‘Rest’, which He retained with Him, is God’s best gift to man because there is an ultimatum to all the pleasures of
the world. Life is interesting and adventurous for man only because ‘rest’ has been withheld. ‘Rest’ was purposely
withheld to allow man to appreciate the worth of His other creations. Man thus yearns for the ultimate rest with his
Creator after enjoying all His other gifts.
5. How does Herbert play with the word ‘rest’?
Herbert intentionally puns on the word ‘rest’. In the II stanza he misguides the readers to conclude that God had
many more gifts in store in His glass while it is the contrary. In the III stanza he takes the reader by hand to show
that God’s creation, the planet, has all the comforts that can lure him to relax and find peace in it. While in the final
stanza, Herbert highlights that ultimate peace is in going back to the Creator. This is the ultimate rest man can get
only at God’s will.
ANALYSIS:
In the poem, the central idea posited by Herbert is that when God made man, he poured all his blessings
on him, including strength, beauty, wisdom, honor and pleasure. However, as in Pandora's box, one
element remained. We are told that God "made a stay," that is, He kept "Rest in the bottome." We might,
in modern parlance, call this God's ace. God is aware that if He were to bestow this "jewel" (i.e. rest) on
Man as well then Man would adore God's gifts instead of God Himself. God has withheld the gift of rest
from man knowing fully well that His other treasures would one day result in a spiritual restlessness and
fatigue in man who, having tired of His material gifts, would necessarily turn to God in his exhaustion.
God, being omniscient and prescient, knows that there is the possibility that even the wicked might not
turn to Him, but He knows that eventually mortal man is prone to lethargy; his lassitude, then, would be
the leverage He needed to toss man to His breast. In the context of the mechanical operation of a pulley,
the kind of leverage and force applied makes the difference for the weight being lifted. Applied to man in
this poem, we can say that the withholding of Rest by God is the leverage that will hoist or draw mankind
towards God when other means would make that task difficult. However, in the first line of the last
stanza, Herbert puns on the word "rest" suggesting that perhaps God will, after all, let man "keep the
rest," but such a reading would seem to diminish the force behind the poem's conceit. The importance of
rest -and, by association, sleep- is an idea that was certainly uppermost in the minds of Renaissance
writers. Many of Shakespeare's plays include references to sleep or the lack of it as a punishment for sins
committed. In Macbeth, for example, the central protagonist is said to "lack the season of all natures,
sleep" and both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are tormented by the lack of sleep. Even Othello is most
disconcerted by the fact that he is unable to sleep peacefully once Iago has poisoned him with the
possibility of his wife's infidelity with Cassio. Herbert's Pulley, then, does not present a new concept. In
fact, the ideas in the poem are quite commonplace for seventeenth century religious verse. What is
distinctly metaphysical about the poem is that a religious notion is conveyed through a secular, scientific
image that requires the reader's acquaintance with, and understanding of, some basic laws of physics.
Pulleys and hoists are mechanical devices aimed at assisting us with moving heavy loads through a
system of ropes and wheels (pulleys) to gain advantage. We should not be surprised at the use of a pulley
as a central conceit since the domain of physics and imagery from that discipline would have felt quite
comfortable to most of the metaphysical poets.
3.2 LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI JOHN KEATS
1. Why does the narrator find the condition of the knight so strange that he has to ask him that he
has to ask him what ails him?
The knight looks pale like winter. He seems to have no purpose. His paleness has something to
with what is ailing him. Paleness is associated to death. So death and his heart break seem to
have engulfed his whole being and thus reflect on his face. The colour of his face had gone from
rode red to lily white signifying complete thrall. This paleness startles the narrator since there
seems no evidence of any war or attack about the calm place where the narrator found the knight.
He thus presumes that there could be something else that could have made the knight death pale.
2. Describe how the knight fell in love with the beautiful lady and declared his love and passion
for her.
The knight instantly fell in love with the lady. Her delicate fairy like stature, her long hair, light
feet, wild eyes in short her beautiful looks sweeps him off his feet the very moment he saw her.
He makes flower garlands for her hair and bracelets too for her picked freshly from nature. Both
look at each other with a lot of love. He takes her on his teed and ride on it the whole day. He
heard her beautiful singing that sounded like a fairy’s song. He relished her words when she said
she loved him. At the elfin grot he kisses her eyes that sobbed heavily and he fell asleep as she
lulled him asleep.
3. What happened at the elfin grot?
The beautiful lady wept her heart out. It is unknowingly why she cried. The reason for her taking
him to her ‘elfin grot’ is also vastly criticized. She probably casts her magic spell on the knight.
Her crying induces the knight to calm her with kisses on those beautiful eyes that shed copious
tears. Two kisses on each eye pacify her. She puts him to sleep gently. She had already cast her
spell on beauty on him. That made him love her with all his heart. Now she further casts her spell
on him to end the dreamy love sequence by putting him to sleep. It is probably not sane to
continue the love story. Everything mortal has to come to an end and every immortal dream
should wake to reality. This is what it probably means to lull him to sleep to wake up to reality.
The whole love affair ought to be a dream. But he actually dreamt of kings, princes and warriors
who gathered about him shouting that the beautiful lady had deserted him, throwing him into
much danger and misery. They all looked pale like death as they shrieked his misfortune. While
the whole love affair had been in summer, this dream seems to be in winter since their lips were
‘pale’ and ‘starved’ either to personify the thrall the knight is in or depicting the wretchedness of
the season which has emanated from summer. This could possibly connote the doom of the
knight.
4. What lines are repeated in the ballad and to what purpose?
The lines ‘o what can ail thee,/ knight at arms’ has been repeated twice to signify the immense
paleness the face of the knight bears. His face seems to be fully thrall struck and its lack of
colour startles the narrator. The line is also repeated to make the ballad effective: to make it
sound appealing while sung. It is rhythmic to suit its purpose. The lines ‘alone and loitering?/
The sedge has withered from the lake,/ and no birds sing’ have been repeated twice once in the
beginning of the poem and once at the end. The lines in the first stanza denote the end of the
dream that has led the knight deep into winter which could mean that his paleness/ his misery has
increased. His battered soul ceases to comprehend the pain it has to go through. The lady has
deserted him for reason unknown. The lines repeated in the final stanza denote how he became
pale and how the season has affected him indirectly. The reason for his paleness that has just
slipped from summer beauty into wintery paleness. It connotes the starvation and desperation of
his heart just like the gruesome winter. Its repetition is to also satisfy the balladic feature of
lyrical rhythm. The word ‘dream’ is repeated twice which makes readers wonder if the knight
wants to insist that the vision he saw was infact a dream and not a real event. The harsh
repetition of the ‘th’ sound in the line ‘hath thee in thrall’ has possibly been used to wake the
knight up from his dreamy sleep. In the next stanza he sees their mouth open, as if in yawning,
after having ‘cried’ their warnig and then he wakes up.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. Narrate the sad tale of the knight at arms.
Keats sets his simple story of love and death in a bleak wintry landscape that is appropriate to it:
"The sedge has wither'd from the lake / And no birds sing!" The repetition of these two lines,
with minor variations, as the concluding lines of the poem emphasizes the fate of the unfortunate
knight and neatly encloses the poem in a frame by bringing it back to its beginning.
In keeping with the ballad tradition, Keats does not identify his questioner, or the knight, or the
destructively beautiful lady. What Keats does not include in his poem contributes as much to it in
arousing the reader's imagination as what he puts into it. La belle dame sans merci, the beautiful
lady without pity, is a femme fatale, a Circe like figure who attracts lovers only to destroy them
by her supernatural powers. She destroys because it is her nature to destroy. Keats could have
found patterns for his "faery's child" in folk mythology, classical literature, Renaissance poetry,
or the medieval ballad. With a few skillful touches, he creates a woman who is at once beautiful,
erotically attractive, fascinating, and deadly.
Some readers see the poem as Keats' personal rebellion against the pains of love. In his letters
and in some of his poems, he reveals that he did experience the pains, as well as the pleasures, of
love and that he resented the pains, particularly the loss of freedom that came with falling in
love. However, the ballad is a very objective form, and it may be best to read "La Belle Dame
sans Merci" as pure story and no more. How Keats felt about his love for Fanny Brawne we can
discover in the several poems he addressed to her, as well as in his letters.
2. Bring out the romantic, medieval and supernatural elements in the poem.
"La Belle Dame sans Merci" is a ballad, a medieval genre revived by the romantic poets. Keats
uses the so-called ballad stanza, a quatrain in alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter lines.
The shortening of the fourth line in each stanza of Keats' poem makes the stanza seem a self-
contained unit, gives the ballad a deliberate and slow movement, and is pleasing to the ear. Keats
uses a number of the stylistic characteristics of the ballad, such as simplicity of language,
repetition, and absence of details; like some of the old ballads, it deals with the supernatural.
Keats' economical manner of telling a story in "La Belle Dame sans Merci" is the direct opposite
of his lavish manner in The Eve of St. Agnes. Part of the fascination exerted by the poem comes
from Keats' use of understatement.
Keats sets his simple story of love and death in a bleak wintry landscape that is appropriate to it:
"The sedge has wither'd from the lake / And no birds sing!" The repetition of these two lines,
with minor variations, as the concluding lines of the poem emphasizes the fate of the unfortunate
knight and neatly encloses the poem in a frame by bringing it back to its beginning.
In keeping with the ballad tradition, Keats does not identify his questioner, or the knight, or the
destructively beautiful lady. What Keats does not include in his poem contributes as much to it in
arousing the reader's imagination as what he puts into it. La belle dame sans merci, the beautiful
lady without pity, is a femme fatale, a Circe like figure who attracts lovers only to destroy them
by her supernatural powers. She destroys because it is her nature to destroy. Keats could have
found patterns for his "faery's child" in folk mythology, classical literature, Renaissance poetry,
or the medieval ballad. With a few skillful touches, he creates a woman who is at once beautiful,
erotically attractive, fascinating, and deadly.
Some readers see the poem as Keats' personal rebellion against the pains of love. In his letters
and in some of his poems, he reveals that he did experience the pains, as well as the pleasures, of
love and that he resented the pains, particularly the loss of freedom that came with falling in
love. However, the ballad is a very objective form, and it may be best to read "La Belle Dame
sans Merci" as pure story and no more. How Keats felt about his love for Fanny Brawne we can
discover in the several poems he addressed to her, as well as in his letters.
3.3 THE NIGHT OF THE SCORPION NISSIM EZEKIEL
1. How was the mother bitten by the scorpion?
Ten hours of heavy rain had driven a scorpion into the small ‘sun-baked’ hut of the narrator.
Since it was dark inside, suspecting possible threat from the inmates, the scorpion stung the
mother who could have been on is way. After stinging, it hastily exits the hut once again.
2. How did the villagers come to the aid of the woman?
The villagers came into the hut like a swarm of flies buzzing. They searched for the scorpion all
around the hut. They swore that it was the sins of the mother’s previous births that she is deemed
to repay this moment by the scorpion sting. Hence the poison shall purify her whole being and
also reduce the suffering that she may have in her next birth. Her sins of this birth shall be
absolved by this suffering as well. They seemingly had a face of ‘complete understanding’.
3. How did the peasants view the stinging in a positive manner?
The villagers came into the hut like a swarm of flies buzzing. They searched for the scorpion all
around the hut. They swore that it was the sins of the mother’s previous births that she is deemed
to repay this moment by the scorpion sting. Hence the poison shall purify her whole being and
also reduce the suffering that she may have in her next birth. Her sins of this birth shall be
absolved by this suffering as well. They seemingly had a face of ‘complete understanding’.
4. What type of a man was the father? How did he treat his wife?
The father was logical and scientific in his thinking and did not believe in superstitions and blind
beliefs. Yet when his wife was bitten by the scorpion he accepted ‘every curse and blessing’ and
every possible antidote- every herb and medicinal powder to nullify the effect of the poison. He
summoned the holy man to perform his rites and even poured paraffin on the bitten to and
ignited it. The mother suffered the bite of the scorpion. She groaned and moaned on the mat
twisting and turning in pain. As soon as the poison lost its effect she thanked God for sparing her
children. She epitomizes motherhood and like a typical Indian mother was selfless in her love for
her children.
5. How did the mother react after her recovery?
The last part of the poem upholds the dignity of the Indian motherhood. The mother's comment:
"Thank God the scorpion picked on me and spread my children" is typical of an Indian mother.
She is relieved to find that the scorpion let her children alone and thanks God for it. The entire
poem may be taken as a tribute to the incomparable love of a mother. The mother's malady
causes considerable disturbance not only to the members of the family but to the whole
neighborhood. All are anxious to alleviate her pain. Different attempts are made by different
people. All these go to prove that the poem is woven around the theme of reverence to the
mother.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. How does the poem bring out the superstitious beliefs of the villagers?
The Night of the Scorpion vividly captures a scene in a rural Indian coastal setting in pre-
Independence India. The risk of being bitten by a scorpion was quite high and the superstitions
mixed with concern for the victim by the villagers is well portrayed as well as the agony and
anguish of the family members.
Nissim Ezekiel then goes on to reveal the superstitions that were highly prevalent in pre-
independence India and are still prevalent in rural India. The villagers were chanting, praying and
recounting superstitious beliefs as the victim, the mother, wreathed in pain. The overwhelming concern of
the villagers is further highlighted by another influx into the home in the following lines in which the
word “more” is repeated to heighten the effect of the scene surrounding the hapless victim, the mother.
It is the belief of the village community that buzzing “the name of God a hundred times" will
bring about relief to the mother stung by the scorpion. The action of the rural folk brings out their firm
faith in God and in the efficiency of prayer. It is the belief of the rural community that the faster the
scorpion moves, the faster the poison in the mother's blood will move. In equating the movement of the
scorpion and that of the poison in the blood stream, the peasants betray their superstition. The peasants sit
around the mother groaning in pain and they try to console her offering remedial advice of a strong
ritualistic and faith - healing kind. Some peasants say that as she has suffered now, in the rent birth she
will experience fewer troubles. She will now be in a balanced state whereby her body is ridden of device
and her spirit of ambition. The incantatory utterances made by the peasants smack of their belief in the
Hindu law of "Karina", in the Hindu doctrine of rebirth and in the 13 Hindu concept of the world as one
of illusion and the physical suffering bringing about spiritual rejuvenation.
2. How does the poet juxtapose religion and rationalism in the poem? What is the poet’s own stand?
The situation of a scorpion-stung mother is encountered in different ways of prayer,

incantation and science. Not one stays at home when the peasants hear of a mother bitten by a
scorpion.
They rush buzzing the name of God times without number. With candles and lanterns,
they search for him. He is not found. They sit on the floor with the mother in the center and try to
comfort her with words of philosophy. Their prayer brings out their genuine concern for the
suffering mother. The father, through a skeptic and a rationalist, does not differ in the least from
the ignorant peasants. He tries both medicine and "mantra" drugs and chants as seen in the phrase
"trying every curse and blessing". A holy man is brought to tame the poison with an incantation.
It is the belief of the village community that buzzing “the name of God a hundred times"
will bring about relief to the mother stung by the scorpion. The action of the rural folk brings out
their firm faith in God and in the efficiency of prayer. It is the belief of the rural community that
the faster the scorpion moves, the faster the poison in the mother's blood will move. In equating
the movement of the scorpion and that of the poison in the blood stream, the peasants betray their
superstition. The peasants sit around the mother groaning in pain and they try to console her
offering remedial advice of a strong ritualistic and faith - healing kind. Some peasants say that as
she has suffered now, in the rent birth she will experience fewer troubles. She will now be in a
balanced state whereby her body is ridden of device and her spirit of ambition. The incantatory
utterances made by the peasants smack of their belief in the Hindu law of "Karina", in the Hindu
doctrine of rebirth and in the 13 Hindu concept of the world as one of illusion and the physical
suffering bringing about spiritual rejuvenation.
3. Consider the poem as a pen portrait of a typical Indian village scene.
‘The Night of the Scorpion’ presents a critical situation in which a mother is bitten by a
scorpion. It involves a typical Indian Situation in which an entire village community identifies
itself with a sad domestic happening. It pictures the traditional Indian society steeped in
ignorance and superstition. The poem is set against the backdrop of Indian rural setting. The
rural habit of Storing rice in gunny bags is referred to in the phrase, “a sack of rice". The rural
practice of building huts with mud walks is captured in the phrase "mud backed walks". The
absence of rural electrification in Indian villages before independence is hinted at in a string of
images, "dark room" and” Candles and lanterns". "Darkness" has the extended meaning of Indian
villages being steeped in ignorance.
The risk of being bitten by a scorpion was quite high and the superstitions mixed with
concern for the victim by the villagers is well portrayed as well as the agony and anguish of the
family members. The situation of a scorpion-stung mother is encountered in different ways of
prayer, incantation and science. Not one stays at home when the peasants hear of a mother bitten
by a scorpion.
They rush buzzing the name of God times without number. With candles and lanterns,
they search for him. He is not found. They sit on the floor with the mother in the center and try to
comfort her with words of philosophy. Their prayer brings out their genuine concern for the
suffering mother. The father, through a skeptic and a rationalist, does not differ in the least from
the ignorant peasants. He tries both medicine and "mantra" drugs and chants as seen in the phrase
"trying every curse and blessing". A holy man is brought to tame the poison with an incantation.
It is the belief of the village community that buzzing “the name of God a hundred times"
will bring about relief to the mother stung by the scorpion. The action of the rural folk brings out
their firm faith in God and in the efficiency of prayer. It is the belief of the rural community that
the faster the scorpion moves, the faster the poison in the mother's blood will move. In equating
the movement of the scorpion and that of the poison in the blood stream, the peasants betray their
superstition. The peasants sit around the mother groaning in pain and they try to console her
offering remedial advice of a strong ritualistic and faith - healing kind. Some peasants say that as
she has suffered now, in the rent birth she will experience fewer troubles. She will now be in a
balanced state whereby her body is ridden of device and her spirit of ambition. The incantatory
utterances made by the peasants smack of their belief in the Hindu law of "Karina", in the Hindu
doctrine of rebirth and in the 13 Hindu concept of the world as one of illusion and the physical
suffering bringing about spiritual rejuvenation.
ANALYSIS OF ‘THE NIGHT OF THE SCORPION’
Nissim Ezekiel’s Night of the Scorpion is a strong yet simple statement on the power of self-
effacing love. Full to the brim with Indianness, it captures a well-detached black and
white snapshot of Indian village life with all its superstitious simplicity. The poet dramatizes a
battle of ideas fought at night in lamplight between good and evil; between darkness and light;
between rationalism and blind faith. And out of this confusion, there arises an unexpected winner
– the selfless love of a mother.
The poem opens with the poet’s reminiscence of a childhood experience. One night his mother
was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours of steady rain had driven the scorpion to hiding beneath a
sack of rice. After inflicting unbearable pain upon the mother with a flash of its diabolic tail, the
scorpion risked the rain again.
The peasant-folk of the village came like swarms of flies and expressed their sympathy. They
believed that with every movement the scorpion made, the poison would move in mother’s
blood. So, with lighted candles and lanterns they began to search for him, but in vain.
To console the mother they opened the bundle of their superstitions. They told mother that the
suffering and pain will burn away the sins of her previous birth. “May the suffering decrease the
misfortunes of your next birth too”, they said.
Mother twisted and groaned in mortifying pain. Her husband, who was sceptic and rationalist,
tried every curse and blessing; powder, herb and hybrid. As a last resort he even poured a little
paraffin on the bitten part and put a match to it.
The painful night was long and the holy man came and played his part. He performed his rites
and tried to tame the poison with an incantation. After twenty hours the poison lost its sting.
The ironic twist in the poem comes when in the end the mother who suffered in silence opens her
mouth. She says, “Thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared my children.”
Night of the Scorpion creates a profound impact on the reader with an interplay of images
relating to good and evil, light and darkness. Then the effect is heightened once again with the
chanting of the people and its magical, incantatory effect. The beauty of the poem lies in that the
mother’s comment lands the reader quite abruptly on simple, humane grounds with an ironic
punch. It may even remind the reader of the simplistic prayer of Leo Tolstoy’s three hermits:
“Three are ye, three are we, have mercy upon us.”
Indian Background: Ezekiel is known to be a detached observer of the Indian scenario and this
stance often has the power of a double-edged sword that cuts both ways. On the one side Night of
the Scorpion presents an Indian village through the eyes of an outsider and finds the deep-rooted
strains of superstition and blind faith which may seem foolish to the western eye. But on the
other, the poem never fails to highlight the positive side of Indian village life. The poet does not
turn a blind eye to the fellow-feeling, sympathy and cooperation shown by the villagers. And in a
poem that deals with the all-conquering power of love, the reader too should be well aware of it.
Clash of Ideas: There is a contrast between the world of irrationality represented by the villagers
and the world of rationalism represented by the father who tries all rational means to save his
wife from suffering. Religion too plays its role with the holy man saying his prayers. But all
three become futile. Or do they? One cannot totally ignore the underlying current of love and
fellow-feeling in their endeavours.
Theme: Images of the dark forces of evil abound in Night of the Scorpion; the diabolic tail of
the scorpion, giant scorpion shadows on the sunbaked walls and the night itself point to evil. In
fact, the poem is about the pertinent question as to what can conquer evil. Where superstition,
rationalism and religion proved futile, the self-effacing love of a mother had its say. Love
conquers all, and that is all you need to know.
3.4 THE DEATH OF A BIRD – A.D. HOPE
Australian poet A.D Hope's "The Death of the Bird" deals with aging and death, using a bird in
migration as the overarching metaphor.
The first line signals the theme of the poem:
"For every bird there is this last migration..."
The line tells us, for this bird, death is near, tells it without sentimentality. The heavy weight of
the line foreshadows what is to follow.
The bulk of the poem introduces us to the inner life of the bird—memories, sensations she has
experienced year after year in the same migration she is taking now, but this year, we know, will
be different. Indeed, we see the bird hasn't the stamina or faculties she once had.
"Single and frail, uncertain of her place, Alone in the bright host of her companions, Lost in the
blue unfriendliness of space."
Finally darkness overtakes the flying flock, and she is no longer able to maintain her flight.
Strong winds overcome her, and she falls to her death.
The last lines of the poem summon up the poet's view of the bird's life—in remorseless nature,
the passing of the life of a bird is received "without grief or malice," but simply as another of the
numberless lives and deaths inhabiting the earth every day.
Yet, the tenderness with which the author presents the life of the bird belies this. The poem itself
individualizes the bird, and therefore gives great dignity to its existence.
UNIT IV SHORT STORIES
4.1 MRS. PACKLETIDE’S TIGER SAKI
1. What prompted Mrs. Packletide to indulge in the big game of shooting?
The vehement desire of Mrs. Packletide to kill a tiger is an embodiment of envy towards Looona
Bimberton, her friendly enemy. The stunning act of Loona Bimberton i.e. a flying in an airplane
for 11 miles with an Algerian aviator, caused Mrs. Packletide to be restless and sleep deprived.
She wanted to outshine Loona and have her own pictures published in newspapers and
magazines. To give the perfect jab she had decided upon the point of killing a tiger and exposing
to all and especially Loona Bimberton.
2. How did the villagers help Mrs. Packletide?
The villagers were delighted at the proposal of earning thousand rupees from Mrs. Packletide.
They made all the arrangements like getting the children to guard the outskirts to guide the tiger
into the village, setting a goat as bait and the like. Many goats were also set free in the forest to
lure the tiger. Women took care not to make noise while passing by, so that the tiger would not
be disturbed. Lastly, the villagers offered to be by Mrs. Packletide’s side on the night of the
shooting. They built her a platform on a tree for her to station for an easy shot at the tiger.
3. Describe the shooting.
The tiger hunt organized by Mrs. Packletide involved a lot of assistance, support and
paraphernalia. On the night of the hunt, Mrs. Packletide along with the villagers, Miss. Mebbin
and the goat, the bait, sat on the platform built for her on a tree. When she saw the tiger coming
in the direction of the goat, she took a shot with a result that the tiger sprang to one side and
collapsed. On closer examination, it was found that the goat had taken the bullet and the tiger
had sprung aside and fallen dead because of the heart attack it experienced at the sound of the
bullet shot. It is therefore justifiable to say that Mrs. Packletide was a good shot even with her
unsuccessfulness at aiming.
4. How did Mebbin manage to get her summer cottage?

Louisa Mebbin blackmailed Mrs. Packletide into buying her the weekend cottage or else she
would have told Loona Bimberton that it was not the tiger but a mere goat that Mrs. Packletide
had shot. The tiger lilies would always remind of how she had procured the cottage.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. Sketch the character of Mebbin.
Miss. Mebbin was a paid companion of Mrs. Packletide. She was so professionally money
minded that she had a morbid dread of performing an atom more service than she was being paid
for. She was very possessive about money and always adopted a protective elder-sister attitude
towards money, irrespective of nationality or denomination. Her devotion to Mrs. Packletide was
fake and pretentious because she later tried to encash the situation by blackmailing Mrs.
Packletide that she would reveal the story of the hunt to Loona Bimberton and thus acquiring
herself a summer cottage from Mrs. Packletide.
2. Bring out the feud between Mrs. Packletide and Loon Bimberton and its repercussion.
Mrs. Packletide, a vain and pretentious lady, is guided by one emotion only. She nurses jealousy
in her heart and wishes to outshine Loona at any cost. Her obsession is so strong that it has
become a mission in her life. She plans a tiger hunt irrespective of the fact that it will cause harm
to the fauna and will cost her a lot of money. She predominated by affectation. Her intoxication
is to such an extent that the caution and advice given by Miss. Mebbin also goes unheard.
Even before the shoot, Mrs. Packletide had manipulated a party in Loona Bimberton’s
honour for having killed a tiger. Very shrewdly she had planned that she would herself kill a
tiger before that and reveals this fact at the lunch party. For Loona’s birthday, she intended to
present her a tiger claw brooch. All this she was able to achieve since her heart’s desire were
fulfilled after shooting the tiger. She gained more fame than Loona. Loona, at this was
completely thrown into deepest abyss of jealousy.
3. Consider Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger as a social satire.
This story is an apt example of satire. The narrator through the fun made in the story
highlighted the negativities of the society. People in the society mainly the rich are controlled not
by love and hunger but by money, status, and jealousy. The story is to hint narrow minded and
rich people and their habit paranoia.
Loona Bimberton and Mrs. Packletide are ironically satired. Mrs. Packletide is mocked
for her sense of jealousy towards Loona Bimberton through her activities to undermine her
friendly enemy. On the contrary Loona Bimberton had been even a sufferer of inferiority
complex which is unfolded in her meaningless act of flying in an airplane to make Mrs
Packletide jealous .Miss Mebbin is also mocked by the narrator as she is delineated as a money
minded spend thrift lady.
Aptly Mrs. Packletide was lady of vain. She had decided to a big extent to fulfill her
biased target. She was totally taken up by the increasing jealousy against Loona Bimberton. She
had a sacrifice of a handsome amount of money fanatically only to create a little sense of enmity
in Loona Bimberton. She was though partially successful; her superiority was totally crushed and
questioned by Miss Mebbin.
Miss Mebbin, on the other hand, perfect example of selfishness and narrow-mindedness,
made unfair advantages of chance and coincidence appeared due to the failure of Mrs. Packletide
in killing the tiger. She blackmailed Mrs. Packletide of leaking out the sensational truth and
became the owner of the cottage.
4.2 A SNAKE IN THE GRASS R K NARAYAN
1. Describe the discussion on the purchase of a grass cutter and its relevance to the problem at
hand.
 The fact that the family members have to discuss whether to buy a grass cutter suggests that they
are not spectacularly rich.
 The “second son” of the house declares that he knows how to buy things even during wartime,
thereby suggesting either that he is highly practical or that he knows the tricks of the wartime
economy. When a neighbor contradicts the son, a “heated debate” follows, suggesting that the
son does not like to be contradicted.
 The current living conditions with hiked prizes naturally must have been running high in the
minds of the son and the neighbours hence the immediate argument about the same. It does no
good to the situation because they must be using their energies to find the snake than haggling
over this unnecessary conversation on economy.
2. How does the author bring out the superstitious beliefs of the women folk?
Several superstitions or rituals are indicated in the conversation with the old beggar woman who
comes to the gate to ask for money. The mother tells her what is happening. The old woman takes it as a
sign from the god Subramanya also called Murugan which is associated with snakes. Abhishekam is a
ritual performed to honor a deity. The person will pour milk on the god that is esteemed. Some milk in a
pot which contains the cobra is considered a religious duty to invoke the snake’s aid.
Snakes are not to be killed in India if possible. Great care is to be taken not to hurt it or give it pain. It
would be a grievous sin to bruise the head of the cobra which would be an omen of calamity for the
family.
The family sends for a snake charmer. He cannot help them until they find the snake. Toward dark, the
family gives up and sits on the porch. Dasa comes carrying a pot that he has sealed. He tells the family
that he has caught the snake, and he is going to take it to the snake charmer. The mother wishes that she
could have put some milk in the pot for good luck.
After Dasa leaves, the youngest son spots the cobra coming through a hole in the compound barrier. The
snake slithers across the yard to go out the front gate. When the snake gets to the gate, he turns and looks
at the family with his hood half up.
It crawled under the gate and disappeared along a drain. When they recovered from the shock they asked:
‘Does it means that there are two snakes here?’ The college-boy murmured: ‘I wish I had taken the risk
and knocked the water-pot from Dasa’s hand; we might have known what it contained.'
The clever old servant fools his family by producing a pot without a snake. The writer portrays the frantic
hunt for the snake; in contrast, when the snake does show up, his cool demeanor seems to say “There is
not a problem.”
3. How did the beggar woman exploit the situation?
The beggar woman exploits the situation by asking the group not to kill the cobra as it may be
god sent and it can be a sin to kill it. The mother immediately remembers an Abhishekam that
she had promised Lord Subramanya and has forgotten totally about it. She thanks the beggar
woman for reminding her and rewards her with a coin. The beggar woman, happy at this,
promises to send a snake charmer she knows. True to her word, she does send one.
4. How did Dasa, the idler, turn a hero?
Dasa, a lazy old servant, was not a bit interested in either finding the snake or working. While
the inmates of the house and neighbours ransacked the garden in the vain hope of finding the
snake, Dasa reluctantly worked on trying to find the snake. After a long tiring search, the group
retreats to the verandah. But Dasa was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly he appears with a pot
covered with stone claiming that he had caught the cobra in it. The group is astounded at this.
The group including the mother is too pleased with Dasa and applauds him for his bravery. Dasa
who was earlier ridiculed for being lazy and useless had suddenly become the hero.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. Describe the search for the snake and how it ended.

The family was informed of a cobras’ entry into their front yard. The mother and the sons go to
wake Dasa up from his siesta only to be admonished by Dasa there could possibly be nothing in the
garden. An argument breaks out between Dasa and the mother. Meanwhile neighbours swarm in and
ridicule Dasa for being lazy and useless. The elder son has an argument about prices with a neighbor
when the issue of buying a grass cutter at Dasa’s demand props up. Meanwhile a beggar woman exploits
the situation by asking the group not to kill the cobra as it may be god sent and it can be a sin to kill it.
The mother immediately remembers an Abhishekam that she had promised Lord Subramanya and has
forgotten totally about it. She thanks the beggar woman for reminding her and rewards her with a coin.
The beggar woman, happy at this, promises to send a snake charmer she knows.
The snake charmer comes but does not catch the snake but asks to be called when the snake is
found. Everybody sets to work with Dasa only reluctantly doing the work. After a few hours, they have
cleared the place but hadn’t found the snake. The group retreats to rest in the verandah where Dasa isn’t
to be found.
After a few minutes Dasa returns. Dasa has supposedly caught the snake in a water pot, which is
sealed with a slab of stone. Dasa claims that he caught the cobra in the pot and is taking it to the snake
charmer. The old servant claims that he saw the cobra peering out of the pot, and he sealed up the pot
before the snake could get out.
The family believes that they have misjudged the old servant, and now, they have to compliment
and reward him for finding the snake and trapping it. Quite proud of himself, he tells the family “Don’t
call me an idler hereafter.” The mother is satisfied, and Dasa, the old servant, becomes the hero of the
day. As he leaves to take the snake to the charmer, the family decides to give him a reward.
Dasa is gone for about five minutes when the family notices another huge cobra slithering out of
a hole in the garden wall. The snake goes toward the gate, and just as it goes under it, the snake turns to
look at the family with its hood half open. It seems to be telling the family that “the old servant tricked
you because here I am.”
In shock, one of the sons says: “Does this mean there are two snakes?” Another son realizes that
they have been duped by the old man.
“I wish I had taken the risk and knocked the water-pot from Dasa’s hand; we might have known what it
contained.”
2. Sketch the character of Dasa.
Dasa was an old servant of the household. Dasa was too lazy. His prudence at demanding openly
for a grass cutter when accused of not working properly highlights his taking advantage of the
family’s financial situation. Dasa probably knows that the family can’t afford a better servant
and thus throws his weight around. His laziness is further highlighted when he sulks about and
reluctantly tries to find the snake.
The lazy Dasa does not, ironically, go to rest in the verandah with the others. He is
nowhere to be seen. Suddenly he appears with a pot covered with stone claiming that he had
caught the cobra in it. The group is astounded at this. The group including the mother is too
pleased with Dasa and applauds him for his bravery. Dasa who was earlier ridiculed for being
lazy and useless had suddenly become the hero.
Dasa’s catching the snake In everyone’s absence makes the reader suspect his sincerity. If the pot
really contained the snake is not known. To call Dasa a snake can be aptsince he was sly enough
to exploit the situation and cheat the group with a false claim of having caught the snake.
3. Examine the title ‘a snake in the grass’
The title of R. K. Narayan’s story “A Snake In the Grass” seems relevant to the story in various
ways, including the following:
 Most obviously, the title refers to the cobra which (according to a passing biker) has slithered
into a compound owned by a family in India.
 The family’s old servant, Dasa, is scolded by the family members for not cutting grass and
foliage on the property in ways that would discourage snakes from visiting the compound. Dasa
asserts that there is no snake, but the family members not only swear at him but threaten to fire
him if the snake is not found. Since the phrase “snake in the grass” conventionally refers to a
treacherous or untrustworthy person, it is possible, especially when the story is re-read, to see the
members of the family as figurative snakes in the grass. They are willing to fire an old servant
simply because they suspect that a snake may be on the property and because they blame him
entirely for the snake’s presence. Surely Dasa must feel that he cannot trust this family; he may
even consider them treacherous.
 Visiting neighbors also blame Dasa for the presence of the snake and accuse him of laziness. It
would not be surprising if Dasa also considered these people “snakes in the grass,” especially if
they criticize him when they know his job is at risk.
 A college-educated son – a member of the family – claims to have read that 30,000 people die of
snake bites each year. It would therefore not surprise this son if there were many, many literal
snakes in many yards or fields throughout the world.
 Finally, near the end of the story, Dasa claims to have caught the snake in a pot, which he has
covered with a slab of stone. The family members are said to have stood at a safe distance and
gazed on the pot. Dasa had the glow of a champion on his face.
Dasa takes the pot out of the compound, his job apparently secure.
 Later, a cobra does indeed appear but then quickly slithers away. This snake is quite literally a
snake in the grass.
 By the end of the story, the family and Narayan’s readers are faced with the real possibility that
Dasa lied when he claimed to have caught a cobra in the pot. Dasa, then, may have been the
literally untrustworthy person in this story – the figurative snake in the grass. It is, however,
hard to blame him, and certainly the tone of the story seems light and almost comical. The title of
the story seems serious; the tone of the story seems relatively light.
4. What are the superstitious beliefs in the story ‘A Snake In The Grass’?
“A Snake in the Grass” by R.K. Narayan depicts a family with a problem. Living in southern India, the
Indian people fear and honor the King Cobra. Its bite is deadly. The family in the story has a cobra
somewhere in their yard. Someone saw it come into the yard, but it has not been found. Narayan finds
some humor in this precarious situation which is characteristic of his writing.
The family consists of the mother and her four sons. They have an old servant Dasa who spends most of
his time sleeping. After finding him asleep while everyone is looking for the snake, Dasa is reprimanded
for not being more alert.
Several superstitions or rituals are indicated in the conversation with the old beggar woman who
comes to the gate to ask for money. The mother tells her what is happening. The old woman takes it as a
sign from the god Subramanya also called Murugan which is associated with snakes. Abhishekam is a
ritual performed to honor a deity. The person will pour milk on the god that is esteemed. Some milk in a
pot which contains the cobra is considered a religious duty to invoke the snake’s aid.
Snakes are not to be killed in India if possible. Great care is to be taken not to hurt it or give it pain. It
would be a grievous sin to bruise the head of the cobra which would be an omen of calamity for the
family.
The family sends for a snake charmer. He cannot help them until they find the snake. Toward dark, the
family gives up and sits on the porch. Dasa comes carrying a pot that he has sealed. He tells the family
that he has caught the snake, and he is going to take it to the snake charmer. The mother wishes that she
could have put some milk in the pot for good luck.
After Dasa leaves, the youngest son spots the cobra coming through a hole in the compound barrier. The
snake slithers across the yard to go out the front gate. When the snake gets to the gate, he turns and looks
at the family with his hood half up.
It crawled under the gate and disappeared along a drain. When they recovered from the shock they asked:
‘Does it means that there are two snakes here?’ The college-boy murmured: ‘I wish I had taken the risk
and knocked the water-pot from Dasa’s hand; we might have known what it contained.'
The clever old servant fools his family by producing a pot without a snake. The writer portrays the frantic
hunt for the snake; in contrast, when the snake does show up, his cool demeanor seems to say “There is
not a problem.”
5. Explain the irony in the short story ‘A Snake in the Grass’
R.K. Narayan writes about real experiences found in his native India. His stories are filled with humorous
anecdotes and irony. The story “A Snake in the Grass” is example of this type of writing.
Irony: Dasa, the old but clever servant, tricks his employers-a mother and her four sons- into thinking
that he has caught a cobra for which the family has been searching in the garden all day. Earlier in the
day, the family had accused the servant of being lazy and not cutting the grass. They had spent the entire
afternoon frantically searching for the snake.
The irony comes from the servant, who is probably very lazy, amusingly tricking the family into
thinking that he has done what they spent all afternoon trying to do. In addition, he saves his job because
the family had threatened to fire him if the snake was not found. Shrewdly, he has outwitted them all with
his pretense of the snake in the jar. The irony at the end of the story is that the family is planning to
reward Dasa when he has in fact lied and endangered them, thus deserving no reward and thus making
himself the "Snake In The Grass" who turns on them.
Dasa has supposedly caught the snake in a water pot, which is sealed with a slab of stone. Dasa claims
that he caught the cobra in the pot and is taking it to the snake charmer. The old servant claims that he
saw the cobra peering out of the pot, and he sealed up the pot before the snake could get out.
The family believes that they have misjudged the old servant, and now, they have to compliment and
reward him for finding the snake and trapping it. Quite proud of himself, he tells the family “Don’t call
me an idler hereafter.” The mother is satisfied, and Dasa, the old servant, becomes the hero of the day.
As he leaves to take the snake to the charmer, the family decides to give him a reward.
Dasa is gone for about five minutes when the family notices another huge cobra slithering out of a hole in
the garden wall. The snake goes toward the gate, and just as it goes under it, the snake turns to look at the
family with its hood half open. It seems to be telling the family that “the old servant tricked you because
here I am.”
In shock, one of the sons says: “Does this mean there are two snakes?” Another son realizes that they
have been duped by the old man.
“I wish I had taken the risk and knocked the water-pot from Dasa’s hand; we might have known what it
contained.”
How is the title of the story ‘snake in the grass’ significant?
The title of R. K. Narayan’s story “A Snake In the Grass” seems relevant to the story in various
ways, including the following:
 Most obviously, the title refers to the cobra which (according to a passing biker) has slithered
into a compound owned by a family in India.
 The family’s old servant, Dasa, is scolded by the family members for not cutting grass and
foliage on the property in ways that would discourage snakes from visiting the compound. Dasa
asserts that there is no snake, but the family members not only swear at him but threaten to fire
him if the snake is not found. Since the phrase “snake in the grass” conventionally refers to a
treacherous or untrustworthy person, it is possible, especially when the story is re-read, to see the
members of the family as figurative snakes in the grass. They are willing to fire an old servant
simply because they suspect that a snake may be on the property and because they blame him
entirely for the snake’s presence. Surely Dasa must feel that he cannot trust this family; he may
even consider them treacherous.
 Visiting neighbors also blame Dasa for the presence of the snake and accuse him of laziness. It
would not be surprising if Dasa also considered these people “snakes in the grass,” especially if
they criticize him when they know his job is at risk.
 A college-educated son – a member of the family – claims to have read that 30,000 people die of
snake bites each year. It would therefore not surprise this son if there were many, many literal
snakes in many yards or fields throughout the world.
 Finally, near the end of the story, Dasa claims to have caught the snake in a pot, which he has
covered with a slab of stone. The family members are said to have stood at a safe distance and
gazed on the pot. Dasa had the glow of a champion on his face. Dasa takes the pot out of the
compound, his job apparently secure.
 Later, a cobra does indeed appear but then quickly slithers away. This snake is quite literally a
snake in the grass.
 By the end of the story, the family and Narayan’s readers are faced with the real possibility that
Dasa lied when he claimed to have caught a cobra in the pot. Dasa, then, may have been the
literally untrustworthy person in this story – the figurative snake in the grass. It is, however,
hard to blame him, and certainly the tone of the story seems light and almost comical. The title of
the story seems serious; the tone of the story seems relatively light.
6. Give the portrait of the family in ‘A Snake In The Grass’

R. K. Narayan’s short story “A Snake In the Grass” is less about the snake mentioned in the little
than about the family whose compound the snake enters. Narayan describes various members in
the family in a number of ways, including the following:
 The family consists of a mother and her four sons. They are apparently wealthy enough to live in
a compound and to be able to afford “an old servant” named Dasa – the only character
mentioned by name.
 The family members swear at Dasa when he dismisses news of the snake. They also threaten to
fire him if he doesn’t quickly catch the snake. Both behaviors suggest that the family members –
including the sons – are not especially kind.
 The fact that the family members have to discuss whether to buy a grass cutter suggests that they
are not spectacularly rich.
 The “second son” of the house declares that he knows how to buy things even during wartime,
thereby suggesting either that he is highly practical or that he knows the tricks of the wartime
economy. When a neighbor contradicts the son, a “heated debate” follows, suggesting that the
son does not like to be contradicted.
 The narrator notes that at this point the college boy of the house butted in with: “I read in an
American paper that 30,000 people die of snake bite every year.”
This news greatly upsets his mother and makes her condemn Dasa even more strongly,
suggesting (1) that the boy likes to parade his knowledge (“knowledge” that may in fact be
exaggerated); (2) that he may enjoy upsetting his mother; and (3) that he may not care how his
report will affect Dasa’s situation. His elaboration upon his comments strongly supports
possibilities 2 and 3. Indeed, his further comments suggest that he may have a sense of humor
and is deliberately trying to provoke his mother. Certainly he seems to be demonstrating both
literal and figurative calculation in his further comments.
 On the positive side, at least the sons take a hand (literally) in cutting down the vegetation in
which the snake may be hiding. They do not leave the job entirely to Dasa. They are not
completely lazy and feckless.
 Their casual dismissal of a visiting beggar makes them appear less than entirely attractive.
 On the other hand, their admiration of the supposed skills of a snake charmer suggests that they
are not completely cynical. (Perhaps they are even a bit naïve.)
 The sons are calculating in the sense that they make plans to “protect themselves from reptiles in
the future,” but this kind of calculation seems only sensible.
 They are calculating as well in the sense that they keep “a safe distance” from the pot in which
Dasa claims to have trapped the snake. Again, however, this kind of calculation is
understandable.
 The fact that Dasa becomes “the hero of the day” suggests that the family members are willing
to give him credit when he seems to do a good job. They admire him and even decide to reward
him.
 Even when they suspect that Dasa has deceived them, they are not too upset. All in all, then, the
family and the sons seem more comical than cynically calculating in any evil way.
4.3 THREE QUESTIONS LEO TOLSTOY
1. What were the three questions that the king wanted to know? Why?
The king wanted to know the answers for 3 questions:
●What is the best time to do each thing?
●Who are the most important people to work with?
●What is the most important thing to do at all times?
He wanted to know the answers for these questions because if he always knew
o The right time to begin anything,
o Who the right people were to be listened to and

o What the most important thing to do was,
he would never fail in anything he might undertake.
2. What were the answers that the king got from the wise men?
Men of varied ranks and status answered that what would help in knowing the right time is
o drawing up tables of days months and years to go by,
o deciding the right time before hand for an action,
o avoiding idle pass times and attending to all that was going on
The right men that the king may need could be
o councilors,
o Priests,
o Doctors warriors and the like.
The things that the King might have to could be with regard to
o Science,
o Warfare and
o Religious worship.
3. How did the king make peace with the enemy?
The king, not knowing who the wounded stranger was, helped him out of danger. Apparently the stranger
was avenging the king for having killed his brother and for having seized his property. Though he had
come to kill the king, while in ambush got stabbed by the king’s soldiers, the king’s kind gesture broke
the ice. He admits his folly and promises to be the king’s slave for the rest of his life and would also make
his sons the king’s slaves to show his gratitude. The king was too touched at this and promised to not only
get his doctor cure him but also return his property.
4. What were the good things that the king did in the hermitage?
The king at seeing the old hermit dig beds with immense difficulty immediately offered to help. Since it
was hot and the king continued digging, the hermit’s advised him to stop to rest and that he would
continue. But the king paid no heed and continued digging until exhaustion did him in. His good thought
was that the old hermit may not be able to toil. When they spotted a wounded man rushing toward them,
the king immediately set himself to dress the wounds. He repeatedly dabbed and dressed the wounds with
fresh water till the end of the day when the man stopped bleeding. The next morning the king listens to
the man’s story, forgives him and promises to get him cured and return his property.
5. How did the hermit interpret the events at the hermitage?
The hermit finally replies that the answer to the first question as to ‘what the right time was to do
anything’. He remarked that ‘NOW”- the present, was the right time. The time that the king came to the
hermitage and the time when he was digging the beds were the right time. Since, had he left in haste at
not being answered, he would have gotten himself killed by the stranger in ambush. The time when the
stranger approached to them was the right time as well.
To the second question as to ‘who the important person was’, he answers that the person who was right in
front of him at the present moment was the most important person as he was sent to help that person. No
one knows if one will have to deal with them in future. The hermit was the most important person then, as
he needed help in digging the beds. The stranger, later, was the person who needed desperate help was the
important person.
To the third question as of ‘what the important occupation was’ he answers that the work that the present
situation demands is the most important like his digging the beds for the old hermit and his dressing the
wounds of the stranger. This left the king speechless.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
How did the king get answers to his three questions?
In the story by famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, the king asks 3 questions in order to never fail in
anything he might undertake. Those three questions were:
●What is the best time to do each thing?
●Who are the most important people to work with?
●What is the most important thing to do at all times?
The answers don’t come easy: they come in an unforeseen and random way. The king gathered wise men
but they couldn’t satisfy him with their answers. So the king decided to consult a hermit living in a wood.
So he disguised himself and went to the hermit. When the king saw the hermit in front of his hut, doing a
hard work, he pitied the hermit and helped him in what he was doing. He also took care of a wounded
man: it turned out that the man was his enemy but they made peace with each other. In the end the
hermit answers his 3 questions. The 3 answers were:
●The most important time is now. The present is the only time over which we have power.
●The most important person is whoever you are with.
●The most important thing is to do good to the person you are with.
The first answer tells us that the most important time is now, and that it’s the only time over which we’ve
got power. I agree with it in some measure. The present is what we all live in, it’s the state we are in, the
person we represent altogether with our ideas, beliefs, feelings and suppositions. The author writes that
the present is the only time over which we’ve got power because our present is the result of our past. But
the future will be the result of our present. Consequently it means we have power over future, too,
because it’s the result of our present!
The second answer is that the most important person is whoever you are with now. Of course, the person
you are with represents a great story and a bunch of ideas and things, but what if you are with the wrong
person now? Well, maybe you don’t realize it, but such a thing may come to pass. You cannot be sure. It
depends on the situation you are in, the circumstances surrounding you.
And the final answer says that the most important thing to do is do good to the person you are with. It’s
one of the most important things to do! We’re all part of this big world that is changing day by day, and if
we cease helping and giving hand to each other, everything will fall apart.
We can observe and consider the questions and the answers inside ourselves and I know that each of us
will express different ideas and thoughts upon them. Everything depends on the worldview, culture,
religion and other fundamental things. But in spite of these things, there are some common, universal,
moral values that humans should have. And I think the 3 answers include and embrace some of those
values.
4.4 THE GIFT OF THE MAGI O’HENRY
1. How does the author bring out the poor financial status of Jim and Della?
The poverty of Jim and Della is stressed from the very first paragraph of the story. Della has carefully
saved a dollar and eighty-seven cents, suffering the ‘silent imputation of parsimony’ because of the way
she has had to haggle so carefully. The amount of money is so precious to her that she counts it three
times. The reader clearly gets the impression that she had to work very hard to save this much and yet it
is so little. Their house is shabbily furnished. Jim’s pay was reduced to $20 per week which didn’t allow
them to save even a penny. She wore an old jacket and an old hat. When she was desperate to buy Jim a
Christmas gift and had no money, she sold her hair. Jim on the other hand sold his watch to get Della her
gift.
2. What are the prized possessions of Jim and Della? How does the author bring out their value?
Jim’s prized possession was his watch that once was his father’s and grandfather’s. Though its old
leather strap had snapped, he carried it with his in his pocket. Della on the other hand bore her long and
beautiful hair with pride. Jim too loved her hair and how she looked with her hair left loose. Both
admired each other and their prized possessions. Della was so proud of her hair and Jim’s watch that she
believed that the queens and kings would envy them for those. They had such regard for their
possessions and love for each other that the Christmas gift they chose was keeping in mind the things
that each one loved.
3. How did Della buy a fob chain as a Christmas gift to Jim?

Della sold her hair at Madame Sofronie for $20. She took that money and the little that she had saved to
the store to buy something for Jim. After ransacking the store for long, she finally chose a platinum fob
chain for Jim’s grand watch. The fob chain that cost $21 dollars was worth the grand watch that would
send Jim anxiously and proudly pulling it out every now and then in the pretext of seeing the time.
4. Why would the Christmas presents of Jim and Della for each other remain useless for some time at
least?
Jim had sold the most valuable possession of his- his watch. Della had sold the only and the most
valuable possession of hers- her hair. Jim admired and loved Della’s hair as much as she loved his watch.
Both Jim and Della hadn’t money to buy each other Christmas gifts. Jim bought Della an expensive comb
set that she had longed for by selling his watch and Della bought Jim a platinum fob chain for his watch
by selling her hair. This renders their gifts practically useless until the time came when Della’s hair would
grow and they got rich enough to buy back Jim’s watch. But what was important was the boundless and
selfless love they had for each other.
5. O’Henry’s short stories are known for their surprising ends. What’s the sudden twist in the story?
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry begins with a dilemma: Della does not have enough money to buy
her husband something nice for Christmas. The inciting action, then, is when she cuts her hair to get the
money to buy her gift.
Everything between the inciting action and the climax is rising action, so the next thing to decide is what
event serves as the climax of the story. It seems to me to be when Della opens her gift and sees the
combs. We know then, though Della does not seem to, that, ironically, Jim has sold his watch to buy the
combs. If you choose something else as the climax, you can adjust the following events which comprise
the rising action.
After Della buys her husband's watch fob, she goes home. When Della reached home she got out her
curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to
love. ‘Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends--a mammoth task?’
After she curls her hair, she fixes a nice dinner and waits impatiently for him. Then Jim comes home and
cannot quit looking at Della's short hair. Della quickly explains why she sold her hair, and Jim gives her
his gift.
ANSWER IN 200 WORDS
1. How does O’Henry bring out the love and concern of Jim and Della for each other?
Jim and Della Young are the only significant characters in "The Gift of the Magi" by O’Henry. They are a
young couple who love each other very much and, though they once had more money, are now
worrying about how to get each other a gift worthy of the other because they have no money to spare.
They try to think what they can give each other for Christmas that will be truly special enough to make
the other happy and yet not cost too much.
Della has long, luxuriant, and beautiful hair; something Jim, her sweetheart, loves about her. But the
point is that he does not love her just for her looks - he loves her and her looks. So when she sells her
hair to pay for a quality gift for him, they are both regretful but still very loving. Jim has a pocket watch
which was handed down from his grandfather and father; it is his prized possession. Because they have
nothing else to give, they each give their prized possession to get a gift worthy of the one they love.
Della sells her hair to buy Jim the perfect chain for his watch so he will no longer have to hide his prized
possession in his pocket because he does not have a chain for it. Jim, we discover at the end of the story,
sold his watch to buy the lovely hair combs Della has admired so she can adorn her beautiful hair.
These sacrificial acts are what prompt the narrator of the story to compare Della and Jim to the Magi. In
the Bible, the Magi are the three kings who travel for years, following a star, just to see the Christ child
which they know was a fulfillment of prophecy that a Savior would be born. They bring Jesus costly gifts,
but their greater gift to him was the sacrifice of their journey, their willingness to leave their homes and
come to him.
Jim and Della's sacrificial love is like the sacrifices the Magi made for Jesus out of love. Both wanted to
honor someone they loved with worthy gifts, and both had to sacrifice to do it, so the comparison is
apt.
Della and Jim show equality in their relationship because they both gave a lot. Jim showed that he loved
her for what she was and Della showed that she was able to give up something of hers for him. Della's
hair was special but it was dispensable, unlike their love for each other which looks as though it will run
and run and go on forever - just like Della's hair which after all, will grow again.
2. Justify the title ‘The Gift of the Magi’.
The title "The Gift of the Magi" is a biblical allusion to the wise men that visit Christ. They also brought
him valuable gifts like gold and spices to acknowledge the birth of the Messiah. The heart of the story by
O’Henry is the idea of gift giving at Christmas time. The couple is compared to the Magi. O’Henry
through his beautiful story reminds people about the purpose of the gift giving. It is not the receiving of
the gifts that is the important part of the tradition. It is the giving unselfishly with love to the person that
receives the gift. Both Della and Jim epitomize this idea. Each one was willing to give the most
important asset that she/her owned to make the other happy: that is the true spirit of the Magi.
In the final moments of the story, O’Henry clarifies the significance of the title:
O’Henry makes the argument that although Jim and Della may have acted foolishly, their gifts were
selfless. In both cases, the character sacrificed what they loved to procure something for the person
they cared for most. The title "The Gift of the Magi" reinforces O’Henry's larger theme about gift-giving;
the gift itself is not nearly so important as the consideration and love put into it. The Magi brought gifts
to honor newborn Jesus; Jim and Della's gifts also pay tribute to their selfless love.
The point of the quote is that it is more blessed to give than to receive. On the surface of the story, Jim
and Della seem very unwise by selling what was most precious to them to give it away to another person
who could not use it. From an economical point of view it is foolish. From a social point of view it is
foolish as well. However, from a loving and spiritual perspective it is wise.
In the end of the story, Jim and Della are very happy. They are filled with joy, because their love showed
in what they gave. Moreover, giving they were able to see the expression on each other faces. This was
priceless for them.
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ANALYSIS OF ‘THE GIFT OF THE MAGI’
The Gift of the Magi is a well-known tale by American short story writer O. Henry (the penname of
William Sydney Porter). The story first appeared in The New York Sunday World on December 10, 1905
and was later published in O. Henry's collection The Four Million on April 10, 1905.
The story tells of a young married couple, James (Jim) and Della Dillingham. The couple has very little
money and lives in a modest apartment. Between them they have two possessions that they consider
their treasures: Jim's gold pocket watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's, and Della's
lustrous, long hair that falls almost to her knees.
It's Christmas Eve, and Della finds herself running out of time to buy Jim a Christmas present. After
paying all of the bills, all Della has left is $1.87 to put toward Jim's Christmas present. Desperate to find
him the perfect gift, out she goes into the cold December day, looking in shop windows for something
she can afford. She wants to buy Jim a chain for his pocket watch, but they're all out of her price range.
Rushing home, Della pulls down her beautiful hair and stands in front of the mirror, admiring it and
thinking. On a sudden inspiration, she rushes out again and cuts off her hair to sell. She gets $20.00, just
enough to buy the platinum chain she'd seen in a shop window for $21.00.
When Jim comes home from work, he stares at Della, trying to figure out what's different about her, and
she admits that she sold her hair to buy his present. Before she can give it to him, however, Jim casually
pulls a package out of his overcoat pocket and hands it to her. Inside Della finds a pair of costly
decorative hair combs that she'd long admired, but which are of course completely useless now that
she's cut off her hair. Hiding her tears, she jumps up and holds out her gift for Jim: the watch-chain. Jim
shrugs, flops down onto the old sofa, puts his hands behind his head and tells Della flatly that he sold his
watch to buy her combs.
The story ends by comparing these gifts to the gifts that the Magi (or three wise-men) gave Baby
Jesus in the manger in the biblical story of Christmas. The narrator concludes that Jim and Della are far
wiser than the Magi, because their gifts are gifts of love, and those who give out of love and self-
sacrifice are truly wise because they know the value of self-giving love.
THEME AND MORAL OF ‘THE GIFT OF MAGI’
The Gift of the Magi is a classic example of irony in literature. Irony is a literary technique in which an
expectation of what is supposed to occur differs greatly from the actual outcome. In this case, Jim and
Della each sacrifice their most treasured possessions so the other can fully enjoy theirs; Jim sells his
watch to buy Della's combs, expecting her to be able to use them, and Della sells her hair to buy Jim's
watch-chain. Neither expects the other to have made that sacrifice. The irony here works both on this
practical level and on a deeper more sentimental level. Both Della and Jim buy each other a gift that
ultimately seems financially foolish. Being poor they can't afford to waste money on things they can't
use. However, what they get is something they don't expect: a more intangible gift in the reminder of
how much they love each other and are willing to sacrifice to make each other happy.
The story's setting at Christmas time makes it a popular story for the holiday season. Its major theme is
wisdom versus foolishness. Both Jim and Della behave impulsively, sacrificing their greatest treasures
without thinking about the consequences and thinking only of making one another happy. From an
entirely practical perspective, this doesn't make much sense because they can't enjoy the gifts that are
supposed to make them happy. Jim and Della are thinking about the present moment and the material
possessions that give us pleasure. What they foolishly don't realize, however, is that they've given each
other a greater gift: their sacrificial love. The lesson they ultimately learn is that their love for each other
is worth more than all of the material possessions money can buy.
FICTION: THE INVISIBLE MAN H G WELLS
What is the story of ‘The Invisible Man’?
A mysterious man, Griffin, arrives at the local inn of the English village of Iping, West Sussex, during a snowstorm.
Griffin is the invisible man. The stranger wears a long-sleeved, thick coat and gloves, his face hidden entirely by
bandages except for a fake pink nose, and a wide-brimmed hat. He is excessively reclusive, irascible, and
unfriendly. He demands to be left alone and spends most of his time in his rooms working with a set of chemicals
and laboratory apparatus, only venturing out at night. While staying at the inn, hundreds of strange glass bottles
arrive that Griffin calls his luggage. Many local townspeople believe this to be very strange. He becomes the talk of
the village (one of the novel's most charming aspects is its portrayal of small-town life in southern England, which
the author knew from first-hand experience).
Meanwhile, a mysterious burglary occurs in the village. Griffin has run out of money and was trying to find a way
to pay for his board and lodging. When his landlady demands he pay his bill and quit the premises, he reveals part
of his invisibility to her in a fit of pique. An attempt to apprehend the stranger is frustrated when he undresses to
take advantage of his invisibility, fights off his would-be captors, and flees to the downs.
There Griffin coerces a tramp, Thomas Marvel, into becoming his assistant. With Marvel, he returns to the village
to recover three notebooks that contain records of his experiments. When Marvel attempts to betray the Invisible
Man to police, Griffin chases him to the seaside town of Port Burdock, threatening to kill him. Marvel escapes to a
local inn and is saved by the people at the inn, but Griffin escapes. Marvel later goes to the police and tells them of
this "invisible man," then requests to be locked up in a high security jail.
Griffin's furious attempt to avenge his betrayal leads to his being shot. He takes shelter in a nearby house that
turns out to belong to Dr. Kemp, a former acquaintance from medical school. To Kemp, he reveals his true identity:
the Invisible Man is Griffin, a former medical student who left medicine to devote himself to optics. Griffin
recounts how he invented medicine capable of rendering bodies invisible and, on impulse, performed the
procedure on himself.
Griffin tells Kemp of the story of how he became invisible. He explains how he tried the invisibility on a cat, then
himself. Griffin burns down the boarding house he was staying in along with all his equipment he used to turn
invisible to cover his tracks, but soon realizes he is ill-equipped to survive in the open. He attempts to steal food
and clothes from a large department store, and eventually steals some clothing from a theatrical supply shop and
heads to Iping to attempt to reverse the invisibility. But now he imagines that he can make Kemp his secret
confederate, describing his plan to begin a "Reign of Terror" by using his invisibility to terrorize the nation.
Kemp has already denounced Griffin to the local authorities and is watching for help to arrive as he listens to this
wild proposal. When the authorities arrive at Kemp's house, Griffin fights his way out and the next day leaves a
note announcing that Kemp himself will be the first man to be killed in the "Reign of Terror". Kemp, a cool-headed
character, tries to organize a plan to use himself as bait to trap the Invisible Man, but a note he sends is stolen
from his servant by Griffin.
Griffin shoots and injures a local policeman who comes to Kemp's aid, then breaks into Kemp's house. Kemp bolts
for the town, where the local citizenry comes to his aid. Griffin is seized, assaulted, and killed by a mob. The
Invisible Man's naked, battered body gradually becomes visible as he dies. A local policeman shouts to cover his
face with a sheet, then the book concludes.
In the final chapter, it is revealed that Marvel has secretly kept Griffin's notes.
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Explain the importance of the EPILOGUE of ‘The Invisible man’.
During his time underground, the narrator has attempted to look through himself, blurring the divisions of which
categorize the world. He understands that he has spent his life justifying and vindicating the desires of others. He is
truly invisible as no one ever wanted to know what he calls himself. So, he has lived in a cellar but cannot escape
his mind. His thoughts usually return to his grandfather, questioning those last words but unable to grasp a
satisfactory meaning. He knows now what he really wants but cannot act on his will. His soul is sick; he blames no
one. He merely is looking for the next step, feeling that he has come to understand his place in a world bent on
attempting conformity.
The narrator tells us how he had seen Mr. Norton on the subway recently and asked him if he remembered him.
The old man did not understand why the narrator said he should be ashamed for not recalling his destiny. Norton
escaped onto another train, leaving the narrator laughing and depressed. He muses on his purpose in writing this
all down and explains that he has learned some things. He has been hurt horribly but refuses to lose life so
approaches it with hate and love. He hopes he has become a little bit as human as his grandfather. He has beaten
everything except his mind and resolves to end his hibernation and accept his social role. He wonders if on some
level, in his invisibility, he speaks for us all.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
1. Analyze the charater of griffin/ Analyze the character of the protagonist/ Analyze the character of the
invisible man.
The major character/ protagonist: Griffin (The Invisible Man): Griffin is the model of science without
humanity. He begins his road to decline in college when he becomes so obsessed with his experiments that he
hides his work lest anyone else should receive credit. When he runs out of money, he kills his own father-a crime
that makes the rest of his crimes pale in comparison. He goes from scientist to fanatic when he begins to focus all
of his attention merely on the concept of invisibility and neglects to think about the consequences of such a
condition. He may not have had any intention initially of trying the potion on himself, but the interference of his
landlord and prying neighbor lady motivate him to cover his work and remove himself from further confrontation.
The evil that he could commit does not occur to him until after he has swallowed the potion and seen the reaction
of the landlord and others. The irony is that his invisibility is good only for approaching unseen and for getting
away. Any gains from his crimes are useless to him. He cannot enjoy any of the normal comforts of life-such as
food, clothes, and money. He cannot eat without hiding the action, as the food in his system will render him
visible. Clothes, when he is able to wear them, must be used to cover him from head to foot in order to conceal his
real “concealment”--hardly a comfortable state in the heat of the summer. He can steal money, but cannot spend
it on his own accord. Thus the condition that would make him invulnerable also renders him helpless.
In spite of his predicament, Griffin at no time expresses any remorse for his behavior or for the crimes, which he
merely describes as “necessary.” His only regret is frustration over not having thought about the drawbacks of
invisibility. For nearly a year, he works on trying to perfect an antidote; when time runs out for that activity, he
first tries to leave the country, and then, that plan failing, tries to find an accomplice for himself so he can enjoy his
invisibility and have all the comforts of life as well. He goes from obsession to fanaticism to insanity.
2. Analyze the character of Marvel.
Marvel: Mr. Marvel is the local tramp. He is harmless, eccentric, fat, but not nearly as stupid as Griffin thinks he is.
He is smart enough to know when a good thing has happened to him; the stories he tells to the press bring him
much attention and sympathy. In the end, he gets to keep all the money Griffin stole, and he contrives on his own
to keep the books of Griffin’s experiments. He becomes the owner of an inn as well as the village bard, as it is to
him that people come when they want to know the stories of the Invisible Man. In spite of his earlier torment, he
is the only one who actually benefits from Griffin’s presence.
3. Analyze the character of Kemp.
Kemp: Kemp is referred to as “the doctor,” but his degree seems to be an academic one rather than a medical
one. He continues his own study in hopes of being admitted to “the Royal Fellows.” His own experiments and
fascination with science enable him to listen sensibly to Griffin, but in spite of being rather contemptuous of his
fellow citizens, his common sense and decency prevent him from being a part of Griffin’s schemes. Kemp is also
the only “cool headed” person in the town once the final attack begins. He runs to escape Griffin, but as soon as
Griffin catches him, he has the presence of mind to turn the capture around. He is also the first to realize that even
though Griffin is invisible, he is injured, and, ultimately, dead.
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PLOT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS
The plot of the story is very straightforward. It begins in third person as the narrator introduces the Invisible Man
midway through his experiences. Once the Man is revealed, Griffin himself takes over and tells how he began his
experiments and what happened to him after he had taken the potion. At the end, the point of view once again
changes to that of an objective narration.
As Griffin tells his story, one can see that his behavior becomes increasingly reprehensible. In a very logical way,
people first in Iping, and then in surrounding towns, become aware of the strange being in their midst. The people
are curious, frightened and then determined in their attempts to bring him down and to find out who and what he
really is.
The climax of the story occurs when Griffin returns to take revenge on Kemp for betraying him. The plot is resolved
with the Invisible Man’s death.
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ANALYZE THE THEMES IN ‘THE INVISIBLE MAN’
The theme of Corruption of Morals in the Absence of Social Restriction
The narrator uses the Invisible Man to experiment with the depth to which a person can sink when there are no
social restrictions to suppress his behavior. When Griffin first kills his father, he excuses it away by saying that the
man was a “sentimental fool.” When he takes the potion himself, he endures such pain that he “understands” why
the cat howled so much in the process of becoming invisible. Nevertheless he has no compassion for the cat, for
his father or for any of the people he takes advantage of in the course of trying to survive invisibility. On the
contrary, he descends from committing atrocities because they are necessary to his survival to committing them
simply because he enjoys doing so.
This theme of corruption in the absence of social law has become a motif that is explored in other literary works.
H. G. Well created his story with very little psychological elaboration or character development. Other writers,
however, have taken the idea much farther; we are thus blessed with novels such as Lord of the Flies, and Heart of
Darkness, along with short stories by Poe and Melville.
The theme of Science without Humanity
Although Wells does not have his characters elaborate on this idea, the concept is represented in the character of
Kemp as well as in Griffin himself. Kemp wants to stop Griffin more out of fear for himself than out of concern for
the community, but he is nonetheless fascinated by the accomplishment of this misguided college student. The
problem with the entire experiment is that Griffin pursued the idea of invisibility without regard to whether or not
there would be any real benefit to society because of it.
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Explain the points of view of the novel ‘The Invisible Man’.
Point of view: Omniscient:
There are times when the narrator stops being objective and starts seeming more omniscient (that means he
knows everything... not a bad gig). For instance, the narrator is able to read several people's thoughts. We hear
that Mrs. Hall had thought about her upcoming argument with the stranger (7.7). We hear Kemp's impatience with
the police coming to trap Griffin (24.2). And we hear Adye's contemplation of death (27.52). These are all thoughts
that only an omniscient narrator could tell us. And this narrator isn't limiting himself to a few people – he seems
able to pop into anyone's head.
How does this affect our reading? If the objective narrator makes the story seem more real, does an omniscient
narrator make the story seem less real? We think so. But at the same time, the omniscient narrator does help us
identify more with the characters since we get to hear their inner thoughts. Basically, there are pros and cons to
every kind of narrative technique.
Point of View: The Monster Speaks
That brings us to our next point. The Invisible Man doesn't need the royal thought-reading treatment given to the
other characters. Instead, The Invisible Man does something that Frankenstein does, too: it gives the monster a
chance to speak for himself. In this case, Griffin takes over much of the narration from Chapter 19 to Chapter 23.
All that we know about London, we know because he tells us.
On one hand, that raises lots of red flags – can we really trust this guy who seems like a total psychopath? On the
other hand, thanks to his, um, psychopathy – because he no longer feels shame or guilt – maybe we can trust him
to tell the truth about whom he robbed or killed.
In any case, the chapters where Griffin takes over narration of his story are a useful opportunity for us to try to see
things from his side. (We hate this side. That's largely why we think of him as an antagonist.) It's interesting to hear
his side of the story from the horse's mouth, without any comments from the peanut gallery (i.e. the narrator).
Unfortunately, people don't always speak the truth about themselves, so even though he's telling us his story,
there might still be something mysterious about the Invisible Man.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyze the plot of ‘the invisible man’
Introduction:
Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication,
climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add
some spice.
Initial Situation: Stranger in a Strange Land:
The novel opens when a stranger arrives at Iping and no one knows what to make of him. From the very
beginning we know that there's some weirdness here, but we're not quite sure what. (Unless, of course,
we've seen the title of the book we're reading. Oh well.)
Conflict: Stranger vs. Village
The stranger doesn't fit in well in Iping and everyone's pretty suspicious of him. This makes it tough for
him to just live his invisible life. Starting with a robbery and ending with the Invisible Man revealing
himself, there is constant discord.
Complication: Marvel: He's No Robin
At first, the conflict is just between the Invisible Man and the village of Iping (at least, as far as we
know). Soon, though, the Invisible Man brings Thomas Marvel in as his accomplice, which just
complicates things. It causes more trouble in town, and also leads to bigger problems for the Invisible
Man, since Marvel doesn't want to help him. So now, the Invisible Man is fighting the villagers and his
ex-accomplice.
Climax: The Back Story
In a weird way, the climax of the story takes place in the past. It's all about the Invisible Man's
development of his invisibility formula. It includes him stealing from his father, burning down his
boardinghouse, almost being caught by the Salvation Army, breaking out of the department store, and
realizing that being invisible isn't so great. This is also the section where we finally learn the Invisible
Man's name. So, if this story is a mystery about the stranger, we finally unravel the mystery here.
Suspense: Who Will Prevail?
After Griffin invents the invisibility formula and finds Kemp, it seems like everything will go okay. (Well,
okay for Griffin – not for everyone else whom he plans to murder and terrorize.) But when Dr. Kemp
betrays the Invisible Man, the IM tries to murder Kemp in response. Now it's Invisible Man vs. the world.
The battle has begun, and we can't wait to see how it ends.
Denouement: The Not-So-Invisible Corpse
Spoiler alert: the world wins. The Invisible Man gets killed by some workmen and slowly but surely,
Griffin becomes visible again. This is the big reveal of the book, though it reveals info we already knew.
Conclusion: The End – Or Is It?
After Griffin dies, Marvel still has his scientific notes, but since they're totally in code, he can't really put
them to use. Maybe whoever inherits those notes will be able to recreate the formula or some other
scientific miracle. It's both a closed conclusion – because Griffin is dead – and an open conclusion –
because who knows what Griffin's notes might lead to next.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONSIDER THE INVISIBLE MAN AS A TRAGEDY
The Invisible Man can be considered a tragedy, but it fits much more snugly into that plot if you put the
story in chronological order. So we'll start with the Invisible Man's own story that he tells to Kemp.
The Anticipation is killing Innocent People: The Invisible Man is an unhappy student-teacher
who wants to be more than he is. This is a classic beginning for a tragedy: a protagonist who
feels unfulfilled because he wants more. But there's one tiny detail that keeps The Invisible
Man from being a regular tragedy: we don't really like the protagonist. There's not much to like
about the Invisible Man. (Certainly, by the time we hear this story in Chapter 19, the Invisible
Man has given us plenty to hate about him – like killing innocent people.)
He Has a Dream: The Invisible Man has a simple dream: he just wants to invent an invisibility
formula. Is that so much to ask? He succeeds in inventing the formula, so it seems like things are
going his way. Although, we should note that there are certain issues that prevent this from being
a real dream. For one thing, the Invisible Man steals money from his father and his father then
commits suicide – not exactly a standard dream stage.
The Frustrations of Being Invisible: It turns out that being invisible isn't so great. He's super
lonely and he almost gets caught several times: on the street, in the department store, in the
costume shop. It's all very…frustrating.
So Bad, it Must Be a Nightmare: It's bad enough when strangers make your life uncomfortable;
it's much worse when people you trusted turn against you. Marvel turns against the Invisible
Man and steals his money and books. Then Kemp jumps on the bandwagon and reveals all the
IM's secrets. Suddenly, the Invisible Man has the whole world fighting against him.
Destroying the Invisible: Bottom line: the Invisible Man gets killed. It's not so surprising, since
he has the whole world against him. That's not great odds. We could call this a tragic ending, but
is it really? After all, the Invisible Man was a dangerous guy by the end of the story. So, this
might be a tragedy for him, but it's not a tragedy for the rest of the world. Unless, of course, he
had a cure for cancer in his scientific notes and it was lost forever. Then we'd be willing to
reconsider.

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UNIT I: 1.

1 COMPETITION MATTERS Suzanne Sievert

1.1 COMEPTTION MATTERS

ANSWER BRIEFLY IN A SENTENCE OR TWO

3. Why were the boy and the author disappointed?

6. What is he trend that the author has noticed recently?

7. “It has sat gathering dust ever since”- Why?

8. How can a loss in a competition help kids?

9. Who is described as a “good sport”?

ANSWER IN 200 WORDS

1. What is the message of the lesson? How is it conveyed?

1.2 A PERSONAL CRISIS MAY CHANGE HISTORY

Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam

ANSWER BRIEFLY IN A SENTENCE OR TWO

2. Why was Gandhi pushed out of the train?

3. What was Gandhi’s immediate reaction to his experience at Pietermaritzburg?

6. Why does Kalam connect Gandhi and Ashoka?

9. How did the freedom of India achieved in 1947 become a trendsetter?

10. What injustice does Kalam want us to fight?

ANSWER IN 200 WORDS

ANSWER BRIEFLY IN A SENTENCE OR TWO

2. How do animals and birds charm us with their beauty?

3. What is the utilitarian aspect of biodiversity?

4. What is the networking role that diverse species play?

5. What is the prime rule of ecology?

The prime rule of ecology is that everything depends on everything else.

6. Why is it necessary that no species should be wiped out?

2. Why does the author call biodiversity a precious genetic library?

3. What were the various reasons for the biotic degradation?

ANSWER IN 200 WORDS

1.4 A CALL TO ACTION

Hillary Rodham Clinton

ANSWER IN A SENTENCE OR TWO

3. Why do women choose to work all night?

4. When do women become more vulnerable to abuse?

5. To achieve what does the speaker call us to heed for action?

ANSWER IN 200 WORDS

1. How are the rights of women systematically violated?

1.5 IF ONLY THERE WERE MORE LIKE HIM Revathi Seshadri

ANSWER BRIEFLY IN A SENTENCE OR TWO

Both Gopalan and the Colonel loved to play chess.

2. How did Shankar come into the Colonel’s house?

5. What happened to the Colonel’s gun?

6. Why did Shankar not come to the help of the Colonel?

7. Why was Shankar shot?

8. How did Shankar turn a hero?

1. Describe the friendship of Gopalan and the Colonel.

2. Describe the treachery of Shankar.

3. How did the Colonel justify his actions?

ANSWER IN 200 WORDS

2.1 MY GREATEST OLYMPIC PRIZE

2. Why does Jesse Owens dismiss the claim of Hitler as childish?

Owens was irritated about the Nazi’s Aryan superiority theory.

5. “I was no exception: - Explain.

6. Why did Owens kick the pit in disgust?

7. What was actually eating Jesse Owens?

9. Describe Luz Long.

13. What, according to Coubertin, is the true spirit of the Olympics?

2. How did Luz Long help Jesse Owens?

3. How did the rivalry of Owens and Long end?

4. Explain the reference to Coubertin.

5. What do you understand of Hitler from Jesse’s account?

ANSWER IN 200 WORDS