khushikhanera

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and choose the correct option : [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

Q1. I chatter, chatter, as I flow To join the brimming river For men may come and men may go But I go on forever.

(a) The brook chatters by __________ .
(i) making sounds like a monkey
(ii) jumping like a monkey
(iii) keeping up with the monkey’s pace
(iv) making a loud noise as it rushes over different surfaces

(b) The final destination of the brook is _____ .
(i) Philip’s farm
(ii) the brimming river
(ii) a sea
(iv) Brambly wilderness

(c) The last two lines of this stanza are repeated several times in the poem. The reason for this repetition is to show the __________ .

(i) perennial nature of the brook in contrast to the mortal existence of man
(ii) mortal nature of the brook
(iii) perennial nature of the brook
(iv) immortal existence of man

Ans.
(a) (iv)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

Q2. With many a curve my banks I fret By many a field and fallow, And many a fairy foreland set with willow-weed and mallow.

(a) Trace the movement of the brook :
(i) from the banks
(ii) from bank to the fields
(iii) through marshes and willows
(iv) both (ii) and (iii)

(b) How does the brook react to the curve of the bank?

(i) fallow
(ii) fret
(iii) mallow
(iv) babble

(c) What is the condition of the fields?
(i) full of weeds
(ii) fertile
(iii) marshy
(iv) plain

Ans : 
(a) (iv)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

Q3. I wind about, and in and out,
 with here a blossom sailing,
 And here and there a lusty trout,
 And here and there a grayling.

(a) What things does the brook encounter in its path?
(i) birds
(ii) grayling
(iii) trout
(iv) both (ii) and (iii)

(b) Identify two names of fish from the above stanza.
(i) grayling
(ii) trout
(iii) blossom
(iv) both (i) and (ii)

(c) What makes the brook so colourful and lively?
(i) blossom and trout
(ii) blossom sailing
(iii) blossom and grayling
(iv) both (i) and (iii)

Ans : 
(a) (iv)
(b) (iv)
(c) (iv)

Q4. And draw them all along, and flow To join the brimming river For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. (CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) The ‘I’ in the last lines refers to :
(i) Life
(ii) River
(iii) Brook
(iv) Stream

(b) The ‘I’ in the line carries along :
(i) Fishes, flowers, foam
(ii) Trout, grayling, gravel
(iii) Lusty tout, foamy gravel, golden grayling
(iv) Weeds, hazel leaves, forget-me-nots

(c) The significance of the last two lines is :
(i) Humans have a temporary existence in contrast to Nature’s eternal presence
(ii) Brook has an eternal existence in contrast to Nature’s temporary existence.
(iii) Life is temporary in contrast to Brook’s momentary existence
(iv) Humans have an eternal existence in contrast to Nature’s momentary existence

Ans.
(a) (iii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

5. I chatter over stony ways,
 In little sharps and trebles,
 I bubble into eddying bays.
 I babble on the pebbles.

(a) The brook flows over stony ways :
(i) with a noise
(ii) slowly
(iii) speedily
(iv) angrily

(b) When the brook joins the eddying bays :
(i) it babbles
(ii) it loses its shape
(iii) it overflows
(iv) it joins the sea

(c) ‘Babble’ means :
(i) quarrel
(ii) causing bubbles
(iii) causing froth
(iv) causing joyful sounds

Ans.
(a) (i)
(b) (i)
(c) (iv)

Q5. I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance, Among my skimming swallows; I make the netted sunbeam dance Against my sandy shallows. [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) Identify the figure of speech in the first two lines :
(i) Metaphor
(ii) Imagery
(iii) Alliteration
(iv) Simile

(b) ‘the netted sunbeam dance’ refer to :
(i) sunrays filtering through the intertwined leaves seem to move with the undulating movement of water
(ii) rays of sun dance to the music of water creating a netted effect
(iii) shadow of leaves falling on water create a dance-like effect
(iv) the moving water creates the effect of dancing rays caught in the net

(c) The sandy shallows indicate that the brook is :
(i) On the last leg of her journey
(ii) Drying up due to heat
(iii) Filled with sediments
(iv) Flowing on sandy bed

Ans. 
(a) (iii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow by choosing the option you consider the most appropriate.

Q1. “Say,” said Pescud, stirring his discarded book with the hand, “did you ever read one of these bestsellers?”

(a) Who is Pescud talking to?
(i) Ladies in the chair-car
(ii) The narrator
(iii) The Colonel
(iv) Jessie

(b) What is the bestseller about?
(i) College students
(ii) Business trips
(iii) A romantic story
(iv) A ghostly story

(c) The name of the bestseller is
(i) Trevelyan and the Rose Lady
(ii) The Rose Lady and Trevelyan
(iii) Trevelyan
(iv) The Rose Lady

Ans : 
(a) (ii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (ii)

Q2. “Oh, I’m on the line of General Prosperity”.
 (a) Who is ‘I’ referred to here?
(i) The narrator
(ii) Jessie
(iii) Pescud
(iv) The colonel

(b) ‘General Prosperity’ here relates to
(i) Hike in salary, shares, and property
(ii) Good health
(iii) Happy married life
(iv) Excellence in education

(c) What does the person with whom ‘I’ is talking asks him next?
(i) “Met your affinity yet?”
(ii) “Getting along all right with the Company?”
(iii) “Oh, I didn’t tell you about that, did I?”
(iv) Would I aspire?

Ans : 
(a) (iii)
(b) (i)
(c) (i)

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the extract and answer the questions that follow by choosing the option you consider the most appropriate.

Q1. ‘Certainly, he was very persuasive. Mr. Bramble had fallen in with the suggestions without demur.’

(a) Who is ‘he’ referred to here?
(i) Mr. Bramble
(ii) Major Percy Stokes
(iii) Harold
(iv) Jerry Fischer

(b) What was ‘he’ trying to persuade?
(i) That Harold should change his school.
(ii) That Mrs. Bramble should take up a job.
(iii) That Mr. Bramble’s boxing career should be hidden from Harold.
(iv) That Mr. Bramble should carry on working as a commercial traveller.

(c) What is meant by ‘without demur’?
(i) With sadness
(ii) Without any charm
(iii) Without delay
(iv) Without objection

Ans :
(a) (ii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iv)

Q2. ‘A week from tonight would see the end of all her anxieties.’

(a) Who is ‘her’ referred to?
(i) Mrs. Stokes
(ii) Mrs. Fisher
(iii) Miss Mary hoyd
(iv) Mrs. Bramble

(b) Why is she anxious?
(i) About her son’s health
(ii) About her son’s education
(iii) About her husband’s debts
(iv) About her own job

(c) What would end her anxieties?
(i) Her husband’s boxing fight with Murphy
(ii) Her son’s admission in a new school
(iii) Getting a new loan
(iv) Buying a new house

Ans : 
(a) (iv)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

Q3. ‘He considered that he had been badly treated, and what he wanted most at the moment was revenge.’

(a) ‘He’ here refers to
(i) Bill
(ii) Percy
(iii) Jerry
(iv) Harold

(b) Why did he want to take revenge?
(i) Bill had refused to fight on Monday
(ii) Percy had ill-treated him
(iii) Mrs. Bramble had been inhospitable to him
(iv) He had lost the boxing game

(c) What had been his relations with Bill in the past?
(i) Hostile
(ii) Formal
(iii) He had been fond and proud of Bill
(iv) He had used Bill for his interests

Ans :
(a) (iii)
(b) (i)
(c) (iii)

Multiple Choice Questions

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow by choosing the option you consider the most appropriate.

Q1. ‘The Sergeant asked, “You had any training before?”

(a) Who is ‘You’ referred to here?
(i) The author
(ii) Quelch
(iii) The Corporal
(iv) The cook

(b) Why did the sergeant ask this question?
(i) He was impressed
(ii) He was furious
(iii) He felt interrupted
(iv) He wanted to know the name of the training institute

(c) In reply, the person
(i) boasted of his intelligent reading
(ii) kept quiet
(iii) told the name of the training institute
(iv) gave the credit of his knowledge to the sergeant

Ans :
(a) (ii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (i)

Q2. ‘His salute at the paytable was a model to behold.’

(a) Who is ‘his’ referred to here?
(i) The Corporal
(ii) The Sergeant
(iii) Author’s friend ‘Trower’
(iv) Professor

(b) What is the tone of the writer here?
(i) Sarcastic
(ii) Sympathetic
(iii) Appreciative
(iv) Fearful

(c) What would he do when he saw the officers?
(i) He would stop to let them pass
(ii) He would bow before them
(iii) He would look down upon them
(iv) He would swing his skinny arms and march to the canteen like a guardsman

Ans : 
(a) (iv)
(b) (i)
(c) (iv)

Q3. ‘The squad listened in a cowed, horrified kind of silence.’

(a) To whom was the squad listening?
(i) The Corporal
(ii) Quelch
(iii) The writer
(iv) The sergeant

(b) What was the person giving a lecture on?
(i) The war
(ii) A worrying incident
(iii) Hand grenade
(iv) A natural calamity

(c) Why was the squad ‘horrified’?
(i) They were shocked at the rudeness of the Professor
(ii) They could not understand the lecture
(iii) The lecture was too boring
(iv) The squad was afraid of punishment

Ans : 
(a) (ii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (i)

Q4. ‘Through the open door, we could see the three cooks standing against the wall as if at bay.’

(a) Who is ‘we’ referred to?
(i) The Squad
(ii) The Writer and Trower
(iii) The Sergeant and the Writer
(iv) The Writer and the Corporal

(b) What is meant by ‘at bay’?
(i) Trapped and Cornered
(ii) To shout at someone
(iii) To learn something
(iv) To delay work

(c) Who was sermonising the three cooks?
(i) The Corporal
(ii) The Canteen incharge
(iii) The Professor
(iv) The Sergeant

Ans :
(a) (ii)
(b) (i)
(c) (iii)

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Ques 1: “Secretly, Marcy cried as she watched the big man’s grin fade away. Severe face lines set in like cement as Chuck stared at the ceiling for hours, then out of the window, then at Duke.” [CBSE 2010 (Term 1)]

(a) Marcy cried secretly because :
(i) She didn’t want Chuck to be upset
(ii) It was her personal grief
(iii) She was upset at the turn of events
(iv) She didn’t want to exhibit her feelings

(b) Identify the figure of speech from the above lines :
(i) Metaphor
(ii) Simile
(iii) Personification
(iv) Imagery

(c) The big grin was replaced by severe lines because :
(i) Boredom had set in
(ii) He was going into depression
(iii) There was no improvement in his condition
(iv) He started losing hope

Ans:
(a) (i)
(b) (iv)
(c) (iv)

Ques 2: But Duke wouldn’t. He’d lie down with a reproachful eye on Hooper.” [CBSE 2010 (Term 1)]

(a) Duke wouldn’t, what? :
(i) Stop barking
(ii) Stop jumping
(iii) Obey Hooper
(iv) Eat his food

(b) Duke is angry with Hooper because of Hooper :
(i) wouldn’t play with him
(ii) wouldn’t take him out for a walk
(iii) didn’t serve him with interesting food
(iv) would just stare at the wall

(c) Hooper has earned Duke’s reproach because he is :
(i) Not interested in playing
(ii) Bedridden
(iii) Bored with Duke’s game
(iv) His wife doesn’t like it

Ans:
(a) (i)
(b) (ii)
(c) (ii)

Ques 3: ‘‘In 1953, Hooper was a favoured young man. A big genuine grin civilized his highly competitive nature. [CBSE 2010 (Term 1)]

(a) By stating that ‘Hooper was a favoured young man’, the author means that:
(i) Hooper was a successful person
(ii) he was the favourite of all
(iii) he was the answer to all problems
(iv) he could rise higher

(b) By the word civilized, the author wants :
(i) to say that before that Hooper was uncivilized
(ii) to say that he had no sense
(iii) to create humour by suggesting his earlier roughness
(iv) to laugh at Hooper

(c) Hooper had been working as a / an :
(i) sales manager
(ii) area sales manager
(iii) zone sales manager
(iv) assistant sales manager

Ans:
(a) (i)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iii)

Ques 4: The pair set daily goals; Monday, the sixth fence post, Tuesday, the seventh fence post, Wednesday___. [CBSE 2010 (Term 1)]

(a) The pair in the above line refers to :
(i) Doctor & Hooper
(ii) Marcy & Hooper
(iii) Duke & Hooper
(iv) Marcy & Duke

(b) Their daily goal was to :
(i) cross the road
(ii) cover more and more distance
(iii) carry each post everyday
(iv) fence one post everyday

(c) The pair needed to set daily goals as :
(i) Chuck had realized that he could be normal
(ii) they had been given a deadline
(iii) they were in competition
(iv) they were lagging behind

Ans: 

(a) (iii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow by choosing the option you consider the most appropriate.

Ques 1. ‘Her stories usually dealt with complex psychological problems in the lives of ordinary people and were always very interesting.’

(a) Who is ‘her’ referred to?
(i) Krishtakka
(ii) Triveni
(iii) Narrator
(iv) None of the above

(b) What was the person referred to here, by profession?
(i) Writer
(ii) Doctor
(iii) Social Worker
(iv) Teacher

(c) How many years ago did the person referred to here, die?
(i) Ten years
(ii) Thirty years
(iii) Forty years
(iv) Sixty years

Ans: 
(a) (ii)
(b) (i)
(c) (iii)

Ques 2.“Many times, I rubbed my hands over the pages wishing they could understand what was written.” [CBSE 2010 (Term 1)]

(a) The ‘I’ in the above lines refers to :
(i) Sudha Murthy
(ii) Triveni
(iii) Krishtakka
(iv) Saraswati

(b) The ‘pages’ were of a :
(i) Kannada Newspaper
(ii) Magazine
(iii) Novel ‘Kashi Yatre’
(iv) Weekly magazine ‘Karmveera’

(c) “Rubbing my hands over the pages” suggests the speakers:
(i) disappointment
(ii) desperation
(iii) deep yearning
(iv) regret

Ans. 
(a) (iii)
(b) (iv)
(c) (ii)

Ques 3. “Later, she could repeat the entire text by heart.” [CBSE 2010 (Term 1)]

(a) ‘She’ is referred to :
(i) Sudha Murthy
(ii) Sudha Murthy’s classmate
(iii) Sudha Murthy’s grandmother
(iv) Sudha Murthy’s neighbour

(b) The ‘text’ is referred to :
(i) Holy scriptures
(ii) Text-books
(iii) Homework
(iv) The story of the episode

(c) The speaker intends to :
(i) highlight the memory of the girl.
(ii) highlight the memory of the grandmother.
(iii) say that the girl was so fascinated with the episodes of the novel.
(iv) tell that grandmother was very much fascinated with the episodes of the novel.

Ans. 
(a) (iii)
(b) (iv)
(c) (iv).

Ques 4. “I knew my student had passed with flying colours.” [CBSE 2010 (Term 1)]

(a) ‘my student’ refers to :
(i) Duke
(ii) Triveni
(iii) Avva
(iv) Jeanne

(b) The student has passed in :
(i) Flying colours
(ii) Class
(iii) Exam
(iv) Life

(c) I knew that my student had passed when she :
(i) Could read on her own
(ii) Could write on her own
(iii) Paid the fee
(iv) Stopped the classes

Ans.
(a) (iii)
(b) (iv)
(c) (i)

Ques 5. “I have decided I want to learn the Kannada alphabet from tomorrow onwards. I will work very hard.” [CBSE 2010 (Term 1)]

(a) The speaker wants to learn Kannada alphabet______
(i) To be able to read a novel on her own
(ii) To be able to write a novel on her own
(iii) To be able to teach others.
(iv) As the speaker can read other languages fluently but not Kannada.

(b) The above statement reveals that the speaker is______
(i) Humorous
(ii) Helpful
(iii) Determined
(iv) Concerned

(c) At the time of speaking these lines she was______
(i) 61 years old
(ii) 62 years old
(iii) 63 years old
(iv) 64 years old

Ans.
(a) (i)
(b) (iii)
(c) (ii)

Ques 6. “I will work harder than anybody but I will do it.”
 (a) The speaker has decided to learn :
(i) to walk
(ii) to speak Hindi
(iii) to read
(iv) to act

(b) The speaker is addressing :
(i) Maid
(ii) Marcy Hooper
(iii) Sudha Murthy
(iv) Jeanne

(c) From the line, the speaker’s ____ is reflected :
(i) Determination
(ii) Personality
(iii) Attitude
(iv) Stubbornness
Ans.
(a) (iii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (i)

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow :
Q1. Marie : Pardon, Madam, but I think it was for Mere Gringoire.
Persome : Mere Gringorie indeed. Mere Gringoire. What, the old witch who lives at the top of the hill, and who says she is bedridden because she is too lazy to do any work ? And what did Mere Gringoire want with the money, pray ?
(a) What was done for Mere Gringoire ?
(b) Why does Persome refer to Mere Gringoire as an old witch ?
(c) What does the extract reveal about Persome’s character ? (CBSE 2014)
Ans. (a) The Bishop had to sell his salt-cellars to pay the house rent of Mere Gringoire.
(b) Persome does so as she feels Mere Gringoire is a wicked and selfish woman.
(c) The extract reveals that Persome is short-tempered and narrow-minded. She is not generous like her brother.

Q2. You told him she was feeling poorly, did you ? And so my brother is to be kept out of his bed, and go without his supper because you told him she was feeling poorly. There’s gratitude for you !
(a) Who is ‘she’ in the above extract ?
(b) Who is the speaker’s brother and why was he kept out of bed ?
(c) Explain the line ‘there’s gratitude for you’. (CBSE 2014)
Ans. (a) ‘She’ in the extract is Mere Gringoire.
(b) The speaker’s brother is the Bishop. He was kept out of bed in order to help Mere Gringoire.
(c) Persome remarks ironically that Marie had paid her gratitude to the Bishop by making him help her mother in such bad weather. She wants to say that she had proved to be ungrateful to the Bishop.

Q3. Bishop : That is why they are left open.
Convict: Well they are shut now!
Bishop (sighs) : For the first time in thirty years.
(a) Why were ‘they’ left open ?
(b) Why are they shut now ?
(c) Why weren’t they shut for thirty years ?
Ans. (a) ‘They’ are doors and windows which were left open to welcome any person who came in.
(b) ‘They’ are shut now by the convict to prevent anybody else in the house.
(c) ‘They’ were not shut for thirty years to let anyone come at any time to see the Bishop.

Q4. Bishop : The knife, oh, well, you see, dear, perhaps he may have thought that 1-1 had sold ours, (laughs gently)
Persome : Brother, I am frightened. He glares at us like a wild beast (aside to him).
(а) What is the tone of the Bishop in the above extract ?
(b) Why is Persome frightened ?
(c) Why is‘he’ being compared to a wild beast? (CBSE2014)
Ans. (a) The Bishop’s tone is kind and gentle.
(b) Persome is frightened because the convict’s looks are very cruel and dangerous.
(c) ‘He’ is being compared to a beast as there is no human feeling on his face. Moreover, his way of eating is just like any beast’s.

Q5. None of that, my friend ! I’m too old a bird to be caught with chaff. You would ask your sister for the keys, would you ? A likely story ! You would rouse the house too. Eh? Ha! A good joke truly. Come, where is the food. I want no keys. I have a wolf inside me tearing at my entrails, tearing me; quick, tell me where the food is,
(а) What does the convict mean when he says I’m too old a bird to be caught with chaff ?
(b) Why does the convict say, ‘I have a wolf inside me’ ?
(c) Why does the convict think it is ‘a good joke’. (CBSE 2014)
Ans. (а) The convict wants to say that he is too experienced to be duped by cheap tricks.
(b) The convict says so as he is very hungry and can’t eat anything apart like a hungry wolf.
(c) The convict thinks it to be a good joke that the Bishop will ask his sister to bring keys and she will go out to seek help.

Q6.I -I didn’t believe there was any good in the world One does’t when one has been in Hell, but somehow, I -I know your’re good and, and it’s a queer thing to ask but, but could you, would you bless me before I go ? 1-1 think it would help me.
(a) Why didn’t the speaker believe that there was any good left in the world ?
(b) How did the speaker know about hell ?
(c) Why did he seek the Bishop’s blessing ? (CBSE 2014)
Ans. (а) The speaker believed so as he had been ill-treated and tortured all those years for a petty crime.
(b) The speaker knew about hell as he had been in prison where conditions were as bad as in hell.
(c) He sought the Bishop’s blessings so that he could begin his life anew like a normal human being.

Q7. Convict: Ah, thanks, thanks, Monseigneur. I, I (he sobs) Ah ! Trn a fool, a child to cry, but somehow you have made me feel that, that it is just as if something had come in to me, as if I were a man again and not a wild beast.
Bishop (putting his hand on his shoulder) : Always remember, my son, that this poor body is the Temple of the Living God.
(а) Why was the convict crying like a child ?
(b) How is the speaker ‘a man again’ ?
(c) Explain the phrase ‘the poor body is the temple of the living God’.
(CBSE2014)
Ans. (a) The convict was crying like a child as he felt guilty and remorseful. He realized he had been on the wrong track.
(b) The speaker is a man again as he has regained his faith in God and humanity.
(c) The human body is a sacred place where God dwells.

Q8. ‘My dear, there is so much suffering in the world, and I can do so little ’
(a) Who speaks these lines and to whom ?
(b) What do you learn about him from the given line?
(c) What do you mean by ‘suffering’ ?
Ans. (a) The Bishop speaks these lines to his sister Persome.
(b) The Bishop is extremely generous, selfless and kind-hearted.
(c) ‘pain’.

Q9. ‘One must do a great deal for the devil in order to do a little for God’.
(а) Who is the speaker ?
(b) what does he want to say ?
(c) Give the meaning of the word ‘devil’.
Ans. (a) The Bishop is the speaker.
(b) He wants to say that one has to do a lot to remove wickedness (devil) in doing a bit of service to God.
(c) ‘a wicked being’ (satan).

Q10. ‘Look-here, why the devil are you-ki-kind to me ? What do you want ?
(а) Who is the speaker ?
(b) Why is he so confused ?
(c) What has he actually expected ? 
Ans. (а) The convict is the speaker.
(b) He is baffled at the kind behaviour of his host, the Bishop.
(e) He has actually expected to be treated badly.

Q11. You have your soul, to lose, my son; it is of more value than my heart’.
(а) Why does the Bishop call the convict ‘my son’ ?
(b) What tells you that he is a fearless person ?
(c) What does he want to do ?
Ans. (а) The Bishop calls the convict ‘my son’ as he would call anyone else. In his eyes, he is as good as any other human beings.
(b) He does not care for his life. He is not afraid of being killed by the convict.
(c) He wants to reform the convict by showing him the right path through love
and compassion.

Q12. You told him she was feeling poorly, did you ? And so my brother is to be kept out of his bed, and go without his supper because you told him she was feeling poorly”
(а) Who is ‘she’ referred to in the above lines ?
(b) What is the tone of the speaker ?
(c) Explain ‘kept out of his bed’.
Ans. (а) ‘She’ referred to in the above lines is Marie’s mother.
(б) The speaker (Persome) here speaks in a reproachful tone.
(c) ‘Did not sleep and take rest’.

Q13. If you call out you are a dead man !
(а) What was the Bishop doing when the convict entered ?
(b) What warning did the convict give the Bishop ?
(c) What does‘call out’mean ? 
Ans. (a) He was reading then.
(b) The convict warned the Bishop that if he called for help he would be killed.
(c) ‘Shout

Q14. “I believe you want to convert me; save my soul, don’t you call it ? Well, it’s no good-see ? I don’t want any damned religion, and as for the church – bah ! / hate the church.”
(a) What does the convict resent ?
(b) Why does he hate the church ?
(c) Give the meaning of the word ‘damned’.
Ans. (a) The convict resents the Bishop’s talking of saving his soul.
(b) He hates the church for even the church did not come to his rescue.
(c) ‘accursed’.

Q15. ‘Ah, that is hard, very hard, I – He might have left me those. They were all I had.’
(a) Who speaks these words and to whom ?
(b) What does‘those’refer to here ?
(c) What does ‘hard’ mean in this context ?
Ans. (a) The Bishop speaks these words to his sister Persome.
(b) Those’ refers to the silver candlesticks stolen by the convict.
(c) ‘difficult’.

Q16. Yes, to starve. They feed you in Hell, but when you escape from it you starve.’
(a) Who is the speaker ? Who are ‘they’ ?
(b) Why has he come to ‘starving* ?
(c) Give the meaning of ‘starve’.
Ans. (a) The convict is the speaker. ‘They’ refers to jail authorities.
(b) He is out of jail, but he has no work and no money. He cannot do work for fear of police. So he has come to the state of starvation.
(c) ‘to die of hunger’.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (SOLVED)

Answer each of the following questions in 30-40 words ?
Q1. What makes Persome lost her temper ?
Ans.  Persome feels irritated that the Bishop has gone out in the extreme cold. When she learns from the maid, Marie, that he has gone to see Marie’s ailing mother, she loses her temper.

Q2. What grouses does Persome have about her brother ?
Ans.  Persome is the Bishop’s sister. The Bishop is in the habit of helping all who seek his help. He has sold his estate, his furniture and many other valuable things to help the poor. Person who feels concerned about his future naturally has grouses in her mind about this kind of behaviour on his part.

Q3. What comes as a shock to Persome ? 
Ans.  Persome is already pained at her brother’s excessive magnanimity. When she learns about his selling of his silver salt-cellars to help an old lady to pay her rent, she is shocked.

Q4. How and when does the convict enter the Bishop’s room ?
Ans.  It is almost midnight. The Bishop is reading in his room. A convict enters his room stealthily. It is not difficult for anyone to enter the Bishop’s house as its doors and windows are never shut.

Q5. How does the convict behave when he encounters the Bishop ?
Ans.  The convict enters the Bishop’s room. He seizes the Bishop from behind and demands something to eat at once. He threatens to kill him if he raises an alarm.

Q6. How is the convict treated by the Bishop ?
Ans.  The Bishop treats the convict as if he were his guest. He calls him ‘son’ and tries to calm him down. He asks his sister to bring some food for the guest. He offers him bed for rest.

Q7. Why was the convict caught and imprisoned ?
Or
‘Now I’m not a man, now I’m a number.’ How had the speaker become a number ?
Ans. The convict’s wife was ill and starving. He had no money and work at that time. He had to steal to feed his sick wife and was thus caught and imprisoned. In the prison, he was given a number. He suffered there so much that he had forgotten his name. He had been reduced to a mere number.

Q8.Why does the convict call the prison a hell ?
Ans. The convict recalls his days in the prison which was nothing short of Hell. He was chained like an animal. He was fed on filth. He was made to sleep on boards. He suffered from vermins. He was often beaten mercilessly. He became a beast.

Q9. Why does the convict show contempt for the Bishop’s good behaviour ?
Ans.  The convict was in the prison for ten years. He was treated very badly. He lost faith in God and humanity. So he has nothing but contempt for any good behaviour shown by the Bishop.

Q10. Who was Jeanette ? What was the cause of her death ?
Ans.  Jeanette was the convict’s wife. She fell seriously ill. The convict was out of work then. He had no money to feed and treat her. When he stole and got arrested, she died of starvation.

Q11. Do you justify the Bishop’s behaviour in not handing over the convict to the police when he decamps with his silver candlesticks ? Give reason.
Ans.  Had the Bishop handed the convict over to the police, the convict would never have got another chance to reform himself. As the Bishop wants to give him a chance to start a new life he saves him from the police.

Q12. What brings about real transformation in the convict ?
Ans.  When the Bishop gives the convict his silver candlesticks as a gift before he leaves for Paris, the convict is speechless. He kneels himself down before the Bishop and weeps. He feels that he has become a ‘man’ once again. His tears are a symbol of his transformation.

Q13. Do you think the punishment given to the convict was justified ? Why/ Why not ? Why is the convict eager to reach Paris ?
Ans.  The punishment given to the convict for a minor crime was too much and was unjustified. He did not commit a murder or indulge in any other major crime. His circumstances had forced him to steal. No, it. He should have been given a light punishment instead of ten years in a hell¬like jail.

Q14. Before leaving, the convict asks the Bishop to bless him. What brought about this change in him ?
Ans.  The convict had lost all faith in goodness. The Bishop’s love, kindness and generosity bring about a remarkable change in him. He feels as if he were a man once again. He regains his faith in God. So he asks the Bishop to bless him.

Q15. Identify the situations which can be termed as the turning points in the convict’s life ?
Ans.  There are many situations in the play which can be termed as the turning points in the convict’s life. He stole to feed his sick wife. His consequent arrest on the charge of stealing was the first significant turning point in his life. His encounter with the kind, noble and generous Bishop was another turning point in his life. Again, his arrest for having stolen the Bishop’s candlesticks and the Bishop’s magnanimity and kindness in saving him from the police and gifting him his candlesticks are the other turning points in the convict’s life.

Q16. How does the Bishop’s attitude touch the convict ?
Ans.  The Bishop’s attitude towards the convict is extremely amiable, kind and generous. He calls the convict his ‘son’ and ‘friend’ – the words the convict has forgotten in his life. He offers him food and shelter. Even when the convict decamps with his cherished candlesticks, he saves him from the clutches of the police. He even gifts the candlesticks to the convict and helps him escape to Paris. His attitude moves the heart of the convict. The convict feels as if he were a human being again. He sees a ray of hope in his life.

VALUE-BASED LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (SOLVED)

Q1.‘It is easy to close the doors but difficult to open a window.’ Comment with reference to the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’. (CBSE 2014)
Ans. The statement-Tt is easy to close the doors but difficult to open a window’- is true. It is easy to close the doors implies that man can easily live selfishly; he can easily shut doors on others and live a life of a recluse, as some religious people do. It is not difficult to dislike or hate others. But to open a window for others is not easy. To go out of one’s way to show the right path ‘ or to help other is indeed a difficult but divine task.
The Bishop in the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’ keeps his doors and windows literally open for needy persons. He does everything possible to help the poor. But the way he treats the convict is something uncommon. He goes beyond the call of his duty. When his beloved candlesticks are stolen, he finds it difficult to forgive the thief, but very soon he realizes his mistake. By gifting the candlesticks he touches the raw nerves of a hardened criminal. He opens a window at the back of his house for the convict to go to his destination and start a new life. What a noble act !

Q2. ‘Minds are open only when hearts are open. Keeping this in mind, the Bishop’s house had unshuttered windows and unbarred doors for thirty years. Discuss. (CBSE 2014)
Ans.  It is unthinkable that one could keep the doors and windows of one’s house open for thirty long years. Only a really fearless hermit can do it. The Bishop keeps the doors and windows open so that the poor and the needy could come anytime to his house. It reveals that his mind and heart are open. He is so generous and magnanimous that he attaches no importance to any material thing. He sells his estate, his silver salt-cellars and many other valuable things to help the poor. Though he cherishes his silver candlesticks, he readily gifts them to the convict.
Earlier in the play, Persome reminds the Bishop how people take undue advantage of his generosity. Even the convict mocks at him for leaving his windows and doors open. But the Bishop does not have a second thought at what he does.

Q3. Love, compassion and forgiveness are great human values which we must try to imbibe. Discuss it in the context of the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks.’
Ans.  There is no doubt that love, compassion and forgiveness are great human virtues. We should try to imbibe them in our day-to-day life. We should learn to love all. We should be compassionate towards the weak. We should forgive all those who offend or harm us in any way.
The Bishop in the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’ is a true Christian who has imbibed in him the divine virtues of love, compassion and forgiveness. He loves one and all without any discrimination. He treats even the convict as his friend and guest. The convict proves to be ungrateful by stealing the silver candlesticks of a person who offered him food and shelter and comforted him. However, the Bishop forgives him easily. Rather he gifts the candlesticks to him so that he may start a new life. This is what we should do in our life, though it is not an easy task.

Q4. The prison is meant for reformation, not punishment. Justify this statement with reference to the lesson ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’.
(CBSE 2014)
Ans.  The prison is meant for reformation. That is why, it is often called ‘Sudhar Ghar’. Here the prisoners should be treated in such a way that they realize their mistakes and reform themselves. They should not be treated like animals as was done in the prison which the convict calls ‘Hell’. The convict had to steal out of compulsion. When he was in the prison, he was given a number. He was fed on filth. He had to sleep on boards. He was beaten mercilessly. They turned him into a hardened criminal. He lost faith in humanity. He began to hate everybody. When he escaped from the prison, he was not a reformed person. He again stole-this time the silver candlesticks of a really noble person, the Bishop.
If he was a changed man towards the end, it was due to the Bishop’s extremely kind and humane treatment. The Bishop changed his heart by his kindness and generosity.

Q5. ‘I’m a number, number 15729’. An individual’s human identity is being degraded to a mere number. What does your conscience tell you about this ? (CBSE 2014)
Ans.  The convict became a victim of circumstances. He was once a normal human being. He led a poor life with his wife, Jeanette, in a little cottage. She was ill and starving. He was out of work and had no money to buy food for his wife. So he stole money to buy her food and was caught by the police. He tried to explain to the policemen why he had stolen. But they laughed at him and he was sentenced to ten years in the prison hulks. The convict was treated like a beast. He was tortured and beaten. The policemen chained him like a wild beast and lashed him like a hound. He was fed on filth and was covered with vermin. He slept on the board and when he complained, he was lashed again. They treated him cruelly and took away his soul and made him a devil. They took away his name. Now he was not a man; he was a number; number 15729 and he had lived in Hell for ten long years. He lost faith in the essential goodness of man. As for the church he began to hate church. He was so fed up with the society that he told the Bishop that he did not want any of his Faith, Hope and Charity. He considered himself a devil and told the Bishop that his efforts to convert him would fail. He lost belief in religion. He had no identity, no faith in humanity, no faith in church and religion.
Thus, a man who is brutally treated loses his identity and conscience. But it is the society which is at fault in making him what he is.

Q6. In the end realization dawns upon the convict that he is a man again and not a wild beast. Who do you think is responsible for this change in the convict and what qualities would you associate with him ?
(CBSE 2014)
Ans.  The convict, who had been brutally treated in jail for ten long years, escaped, but only to starve. One night he entered the Bishop’s room and demanded food at the point of knife. The Bishop was very kind, generous and loving towards him. He gave him cold pie, bottle of wine and some bread. He also gave him a bed to sleep. But the convict stole his candlesticks and ran away. He was arrested by the police and brought to Bishop’s house. The Bishop pleasantly surprised the convict and the sergeant by saying that the convict was his very good friend. The Bishop told the sergeant that he had supped with him the previous night and that he had given him the candlesticks. He called the convict his ‘son’. So unlike the police and the rest of the society, the Bishop treated him gently and kindly. He called him son and friend. Such affectionate words were not heard by the convict in his life. The Bishop offered him food, shelter and saved him from the clutches of police. The kindest act that the Bishop did was to gift the prized silver candlesticks to him and suggested him a safe passage to Paris. Bishop’s kindness, benevolence and love helped the convict to rediscover his innocence and goodness. In fact, he rediscovered his essential human self. Finally, he learnt from the Bishop that the body is the Temple of the Living God. In this way, the Bishop reformed the convict.

Q7. The Convict goes to Paris, sells the silver candlesticks and starts a business. The business prospers and he starts a reformatory for ex¬convicts. He writes a letter to the Bishop telling him of this reformatory and seeks his blessings.
As the convict, Jean Valjean, write the letter to Bishop.
Ans.  J.V. Reformatory Paris
16 March, 20…
Venerable Father
You will be delighted to know that your ‘son’ has at last found his feet. The candlesticks that you gifted me did wonders for me. I sold the candlesticks and opened a workshop. By the grace of God and with your blessings, my
business flourished and I earned a lot of money. I am now a happy and respectable person in the society. I have recently opened a reformatory for ex-convicts. My aim is to enable the ex-convicts to lead a life of dignity and respect. They work and lead a comfortable life. Learned men are invited for weekly discourses on religious and moral matters. Their discourses leave a great impact on them.
I seek your blessings.
Yours sincerely
Jean Valjean

Q1. Jeanne What on Earth have you done? Gaston I? Made a hundred thousand Francs and a Carot! 
(i) How has Gaston made a hundred thousand francs? 
(b) Mention any two characteristics displayed by Gaston when he made a hundred thousand francs. 
(c) What is a Carot in these lines?

Ans. (a) He had sold Juliette’s villa for three hundred thousand francs to Mrs Al Smith without actually buying it. Subsequently, he bought it from Juliette for two hundred thousand francs.
(b) Gaston appears as an opportunistic and calculative when he made a hundred thousand francs.
(c) A painting made by a French landscape painter who is named JC Carot.

Q2. Juliette Oh Pm fed up with the place. Because nobody really wants it! What time did those agency people say the lady would call? 
(a) Which place is Juliette fed up with? 
(b) What do you think maybe the reason that nobody wants it? 
(c) Identify the context about which the lady would call in.

Ans. (a) Juliette is fed up with the villa.
(b) Nobody is interested in the villa because the villa is very small and the rate of the villa Juliette has quoted is much higher than the actual rate.
(c) The lady would call to see the villa Juliette was going to sell. 

Q3. But still… even so … it would be funny if I couldn’t manage to sell a place here, a stone’s throw from Joinville, the French Hollywood, when all I’m asking is a paltry hundred thousand! 
(a) Identify the speaker and the listener. 
(b) Where is the villa situated? 
(c) What does ‘paltry’ mean?

Ans. (a) Juliette is the speaker and her maid is the listener.
(b) It is situated at a stone’s throw from Joinville, the French Hollywood.
(c) An amount too small to be considered important or useful.
or            
(a) Juliette’s maid is the speaker here.
(b) They’ refers to the film studio people.
(c) She will do so as she is going to play the role of a maid in a film.
or
(a) They’ refers to the film studio people.
(b) Juliette’s maid is the speaker here.
(c) She is going to the film studio.  

Q4. They prefer the real article. They say maids are born, maids are not made maids. They are giving me a hundred francs a morning for doing it. 
(a) Identify the speaker. 
(b) Identify ‘they’. 
(c) How is she going to make a hundred francs? 
or 
(a) To whom does the term ‘they’ refer to? 
(b) Identify the speaker of the given extract. 
(c) Where is the speaker going?

Ans. (a) Juliette’s maid is the speaker of the given line.
(b) Juliette will have to do so if she agrees to play the role of a cook in the film the maid is talking about.
(c) The listener is advised so because Juliette is having a financial crisis and the villa still remains unsold. 

Q5. You would only have to peel potatoes one minute and make an omiette the next, quite easy. 
(a) Identify the speaker. 
(b) Who would have to perform the jobs mentioned in the current stanza and when? 
(c) Why is the listener being advised to accept this role?

Ans. (a) ‘It’ refers to the act in films.
(b) Everybody wants to act in films as it comes with handsome money.
(c) Everybody, whatever their profession maybe, wants to act in films. 

Q6. “Everybody wants to do it. Yesterday the butcher didn’t open his shop, he was being shot all morning. Today, nobody could find the four policemen, they were taking part in Monsieur Milton’s fight scene in his new film”. 
(a) Identify ‘it’. 
(b) Why does everybody want to do ‘it’? 
(c) How can you say that “it” is the most popular business?

Ans. (a) Juliette is going upstairs as she wants to display to her visitors that she is very busy.
(b) The lady is Jeanne, who is scheduled to come to see the villa. (c) She wants to hide that she had been awaiting the visitor for long.
Or
(a) Juliette is going upstairs as she wants to display to her visitors that she is very busy.
(b) She doesn’t want to give the impression that she had been desperately waiting for buyers.
(c) The speaker is revealed as a clever and calculative woman.
or 

(a) Juliette speaks these lines to her maid.
(b) The lady in question is ‘ Jeanne’. She is a prospective buyer of the villa.
(c) Juliette is trying to show that she is not desperate about selling her villa. 

Q7. “I am going upstairs for a moment. If that is the lady, tell her I will not belong. It won’t do to give her the impression that I am waiting for her.” 
(a) Why is the speaker going upstairs? 
(b) Who is the lady being talked about? 
(c) What does the speaker want to hide from the visitor? 
or 
(a) Why is the speaker going upstairs? 
(b) “It won’t do to give her the impression”, what impression is the speaker talking about? 
(c) What character traits of the speaker are revealed in the above passage? 
or 
(a) Who speaks these words and to whom? 
(b) Who is the ‘lady’ here? Why is she expected to visit the speaker? 
(c) What does the speaker try to pretend here?

Ans. (a) He is pointing out to the shortcomings of the villa.
(b) He does not want Jeanne to buy the villa as it is a costly affair.
(c) A heavy cotton material in colorfully printed designs used specially for drapery and slipcovers.

Q8. Gaston And they call that a garden! Why it’s a yard with a patch of grass in the middle. Jeanne But the inside of the house seems very nice, Gaston. Gaston Twenty-five yard of Cretonne and a dash of paint…you can get that anywhere. Jeanne That’s not fair. Wait until you’ve seen the rest of it. Gaston Why should I? I don’t want to see the kitchen to know that the garden is a myth and that the salon is impossible. Jeanne, What’s the matter with it? Gaston Matter? Why you can’t even call it a salon. 
(a) What is Gaston trying to do? 
(b) What do you think maybe the reason for this attitude? 
(c) What is the meaning of ‘Cretonne’?

Ans. (a) We are not means that Gaston and Jeanne are not buying the villa.
(b) Jeanne wants to buy it but Gaston doesn’t seem to be at all interested.
(c) No, he actually bought the villa in the end, but by actually ‘selling’ it before.

Q9. Jeanne Don’t be aggravating, please! If you don’t want the house, tell me so at once and we’ll say no more about it. Gaston I told you before we crossed the road that I didn’t want it. As soon as you see a sign ‘Villa for Sale’, you have to go inside and be shown over it. Jeanne But we are buying a villa, aren’t we? Gaston We are not. Jeanne What do you mean ‘We are not’? Then ‘we’re not’ looking for a villa? 
(a) Explain ‘we are not’. 
(b) Do you really think that they are not buying the villa? 
(c) Did Gaston stuck to his decision till the end?

Ans. (a) Juliette is the speaker and Jeanne and Gaston are the listeners here.
(b) ‘It’ refers to Juliette’s villa.
(c) Juliette is pursuing the couple to buy the villa by, flattering them.
or
(a) ‘It’ refers to the villa.
(b) She is speaking to Gaston and his wife, Jeanne.
(c) She wants to sell her villa and for that purpose, she is trying to flatter the buyers. 

Q10. Juliette, It is a most delightful little place. Its appearance is modest, but it has a charm of its own. I can tell by just looking at you that it would suit you admirably, as you suit it if you will permit me to say so……….. 
(a) Identify the listener. 
(b) Identify ‘it’ used repeatedly. 
(c) What is the attitude of Juliette while talking to the listeners? 
or 
(a) What is the ‘it’ that Juliette describes? 
(b) Who is she speaking to? 
(c) What is her intention that is revealed in this dialogue?

Ans. (a) Mrs Al Smith is the speaker and Gaston is the listener here.
(b) Gaston is being called an exception because he’ says, that he needn’t consult his wife regarding the sale of the villa.
(c) Mrs Al Smith thinks that the French people have no decision making power.
or
(a) ‘You’ refers to Gaston in the above lines.
(b) Mrs Al Smith thinks that the French people have no decision making power.
(c) She calls Gaston an exception because he doesn’t consult his wife before taking decisions.  

Q11. “You are an exception. Frenchmen usually have to consult about ten people before they get a move on. Listen! Do you or don’t you want to sell this house?” 
(a) Identify the speaker and the listener. 
(b) Why is the listener being called an exception? 
(c) What opinion does the speaker seem to have about the French? 
or 
(a) Who is ‘You’ referred to in the above lines? 
(b) What is the opinion of the speaker about Frenchmen? 
(c) Why is the listener, an exception?

Ans. (a) Gaston is the speaker of the given line and Mrs Al Smith is the listener.
(b) Mrs Al Smith is ridiculing the French whereas Gaston is denying her claims.
(c) Parodies are an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect here it means copying the lifestyle.
or
(a) Gaston is the speaker of the given lines.
(b) It means that Americans and Europeans have different mindsets.
(c) Gaston fools Mrs Al Smith by selling her the villa which didn’t even belong to him. 

Q12. “Copies are not always good. We could only imitate you and imitations are ho better than parodies. We are so different. Think of it…” 
(a) Identify the speaker. 
(b) What context are they talking in? 
(c)What are ‘parodies’? 
or 
(a) Who is the speaker in these lines? 
(b) ‘We are so different’ means _______. 
(c) How does the speaker fool the person he is speaking to? “My lawyer is Mr Who, 5, Rue Cambon. He will get in touch with yours about the rest of the transaction. Goodbye.” 
or
(a) Who makes mention of the lawyer? 
(b) Identify ‘yours’. 
(c) Which transaction is being discussed here?  

Ans. (a) Mrs Al Smith makes the mention of her lawyer Mr Who.
(b) ‘Yours’ here refers to Gaston’s lawyer.
(c) The sale of the villa made by Gaston to Mrs Al Smith is being discussed here. 

Q13. Why does Juliette put up her villa for sale? or Despite her ardent love for the villa, Juliette had to sell it. Why?

Ans. Juliette loved her villa very passionately. Yet, she had to put up her villa for sale as she was going through a financial crisis. The business was not doing well and the only possible source of money was through the sale of the villa.  

Q14. Write a note on the theme of the current drama.

Ans. Villa for sale revolves around the sale of a villa owned by Juliette. Juliette wants to sell the villa as she is under a financial crisis. Gaston and Jeanne arrive to see the villa. The opportunist Gaston, sells the villa to Mrs Al Smith at a huge price, while Juliette and his wife were gone inspecting the villa. Hence, he tricks everybody and makes a huge profit.  

Q15. How can you say that Juliette was very fond of her villa?

Ans. She did put up the ‘For Sale’ sign on the villa gate, but only after it was dark. She put up the sign in the dark, so that no prospective buyer would be able to read it and she would have a chance to live in her villa for one more night. She wanted to hold the villa for as long as possible. 

Q16. Why was Juliette ready to dispose off her villa for a lower price?

Ans. The villa had been on sale for over a month. Some customers did approach, but none showed much interest in buying the villa. But their attitude made Juliette worry and suspect lest she should not be able to dispose it off at a handsome price. So, she got ready to dispose it off for a lower price. 

Q17. Why does Jeanne want to buy a villa?
or
Why Jeanne was interested in buying the villa? or Why was Jeanne so desperate to buy a villa in the play “A Villa for Sale”?

Ans. Jeanne doesn’t want to buy the villa for herself. She is looking for a villa for her parents and her sister’s children who would spend time there from the month of April to September. This is the reason why Gaston is against the idea. 

Q18. Why is Gaston not interested in buying the villa in the beginning? 
or 
Why was Gaston not interested in buying the Villa?

Ans. Gaston knows that Jeanne doesn’t want to buy the villa for them. Instead, she wants to buy the villa for her parents. Gaston thinks that Jeanne’s parents along with her sister’s children would occupy it for most of the year. Hence, he was averse to the idea of buying the villa.  

Q19. Why does Gaston agree to buy the villa? 
or 
Describe how the villa was sold or In the end, Gaston has changed his views of buying the villa. Give reasons to support your answer.

Ans. Gaston was reluctant to buy the villa. He was waiting for his wife when Mrs Al Smith arrived and mistook him to be the owner of the house. Gaston tricked her in buying the villa for three hundred thousand francs. Later, he bought the villa from Juliette for two hundred thousand francs and hence made a huge profit.  

Q20. Write a note on Mrs Al Smith’s encounter with Gaston.

Ans. Mrs Al Smith is a haughty character. She met Gaston at Juliette’s villa when the former was waiting for his wife. She thought him to be the owner of the house. She is pretty showy and buys the villa in hastiness. 

Q21. Describe Juliette’s relationship with her maid.

Ans. Juliette and her maid share quite a friendly relationship. Juliette is very kind towards her and listens to what she has to say. The maid also cares about her mistress and when she realises that she is in trouble, advises her to take up an acting assignment.  

Q22. Gaston’s serious interest in buying the villa was a surprise. Why? 
or
How did Jeanne react to Gaston’s decision to purchase the villa?

Ans. Gaston was not at all interested in buying the villa and continuously kept belittling it. But when Juliette and Jeanne come back they are shocked to see that Gaston is actually very keen to buy the villa. His sudden change was a mystery to them.  

Q23. Describe the villa briefly.

Ans. The villa was situated at a stone’s throw from Joinville, the French Hollywood. It had three bedrooms, two large and one small. Besides, it also had two servant’s rooms. It had a modest garden. It had all the basic amenities like cooking gas, electricity, water, telephone, drainage and a bathroom with a bath.  

Q24. How did Juliette persuade the French couple to buy the villa? or Juliette, while commenting to Jeanne, also praised her villa. How? 
or 
In what ways did Juliette flatter Jeanne?

Ans. Juliette tried to persuade the French couple to buy the villa by using a bit of flattery. She said that the villa will suit the couple admirably as they would suit the villa. She added that the couple already appeared to be at home in the house. She called Jeanne an elegant lady and her villa a graceful house. She flattered her all the more by saying it was not easy to find an adequate frame for a delightful pastel.  

Q25. What opinion did Mrs. Al Smith have about the French people?
or 
Mrs Al Smith makes many statements about the French. Pick out any two and explain them. or How does Mrs. Al Smith comment on the French people?

Ans. Mrs Al Smith did not have a high opinion about the French people. She criticised the French, people, who were lacking any business sense and always contemplating their past. She also said that the French people did not possess any decision making power, so they consulted ten people before finalizing a deal.  

Q26. Juliette says “….. now I have only one thought that is to get the wretched place off my hands. I would sacrifice it at any price”, Does she stick to her words? Why / Why not?

Ans. Juliette was quite frustrated at not being able to dispose off her villa. She needed the money desperately. As far as the selling of the villa is concerned, Juliette fails to keep her word at the time of actual sale. She uses all sorts of tactics to convince Gaston and his wife to buy the villa.  

Q27. Who is better in business -Juliette or Gaston? Why? 
or 
What makes Gaston a better businessman than Juliette? Mention any two characteristics.

Ans. Gaston appears to be better at business but through the means of a shady deal. He didn’t even spend a single penny and yet made a profit of a hundred thousand francs. Juliette also made a profit on the deal as she had bought it at a price of fifty thousand francs.  

Q28. Do you like/dislike Gaston? Give your reasons. 
or 
Do you like Gaston? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans. A person like Gaston can never be trusted and hence can never be liked. His money-minded personality makes him stoop to a point that he cheats everybody around him, even his wife. He is mean, a cheat and very selfish.  

Q29. Explain “the whole thing was going to be much more of a sell than a sale.”  

Ans. Juliette thought that her villa was really nice and was also situated at a good place, near French Hollywood. But even after putting it up for sale for over a month, she was unable to strike any deal. Hence, she was utterly disappointed.  

Q30. You are Juliette. You feel duped and cheated by Gaston. You decide to take legal action against him. Write a letter to your friend, sharing this incident and the action you plan to take against him. or You are Juliette. Write a letter to your friend describing how the villa was finally sold and how you suffered a loss. Write the letter.

Ans. Flat no 326 Napoleon Apartment Pans
11th December, 20XX “
Dear Mane
How have you been? I wish that things are good around you and not bad as they are with me. I was tricked by a man who came to buy my Joinville villa. Initially, his wife was interested in purchasing my villa, although her husband was against it. However, after I had shown his wife the whole premises, the man suddenly decided to buy the villa at the price I wanted. This was really very surprising. Actually, while I was showing his wife the house, Mrs Al Smith visited. This man pretended to be the owner of the villa and ‘sold’ it to her for a much higher price than what I had asked! How can he sell a house which is not his own? Now I am consulting my lawyer on how to take legal action against him. Will keep you posted about further happenings. With Regards
Yours sincerely
Juliette   

Q31. “Soul-mates are people who bring out the best in you. They are not perfect, but are always perfect for you.” But Gaston cheated his soul-mate. He was perfect for Jeanne, but his betrayal made him imperfect forever. Elucidate with reference to the current drama.

Ans. Faith and honesty play an important role in our life. But they are more crucial for relationships. Sustaining trust and belief in a relationship is a tough yet continuous task. A relationship is strong only if these two ingredients exist. Without them, the relationship is like a barren land where no fruit of love can grow. Gaston fools all three women including his wife, Jeanne, the landlady, Juliette and the other buyer Mrs Al Smith. For materialistic gain, he has forgotten the importance of relations in life. He may lose the faith of his wife as he does not practise honesty anymore. Juliette and Mrs Al Smith might forgive him as their aims are achieved, but what about Jeanne? She won’t be able to forgive him. She is filled with rage, disgust and helplessness due to Gaston’s betrayal. 

Q32. You are Jeanne. After coming home, you realize that the villa was not actually bought and your husband has fooled both you and the landlady of the villa. You are filled with rage, disgust and helplessness because of your husband’s betrayal. Write your feelings in the form of a diary entry.  

Ans. Wednesday 12th March 20XX. 10 pm
Dear Diary
Today I am shocked to learn about the trick my husband played on me and Juliette, the landlady of the villa. I did not want to buy the villa, as I found it very small and thought that Gaston was right about it. But later his promptness to buy the villa puzzled me greatly. At that time I was too perplexed. to guess about Gaston’s manipulations.
He had actually sold the villa to Mrs. Al Smith at a higher price than what Juliette had asked. He cheated all three of us. I would have been happy had he first bought it and then solid it. gut he duped Mrs. Al Smith, then Juliette and filially his own wife.
I don’t trust him anymore. He has defiled our sacred matrimonial bond. I will never forgive him for this cheating.                                
Jeanne

Q1. I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven By the gods. Nature then takes me to adorn Her fields and valleys. 
(a) Why does the rain call itself dotted silver threads? 
(b) How is the tone and mood of the rain in the poem? 
(c) What does nature take the rain once it falls from heaven? I am beautiful pearls, plucked from the Crown of Ishtar by the daughter of Dawn, To embellish the gardens.
OR
(a) Who plucks the pearly rain from the crown of Ishtar? 
(b) What is the significance of Ishtar in the poem? 
(c) How is the rain beautiful pearls?

Ans. (a) When raindrops fall apart from one another, in a line of succession, brightened by the sunlight, they appear like dotted silver threads.
(b) The tone and mood of the rain in the poem reflects a love for the Earth.
(c) Once, rain falls, nature takes it to beautify its fields and valleys. 

Q2. When I cry the hills laugh; When I humble myself the flowers rejoice; When I bow, all things are elated. 
(a) Explain the first two lines of the stanza. 
(b) How does the rain help all things to be elated? 
(c) When do the flowers make merry?

Ans. (a) It is the daughter of Dawn that plucks the pearly rain from the crown of Ishtar.
(b) Ishtar is the goddess of fertility. Ishtar is significant in the poem because rain helps nature to add to its fertility.
(c) When droplets fall down to the Earth from clouds, they are pearly round and pearly white in the sunshine.

Q3. The field and the cloud are lovers And between them, I am a messenger of mercy I quench the thirst of one; I cure the ailment of the other. 
(a) Explain- ‘I quench the thirst of one, I cure the ailment of the other’. 
(b) How is the rain the messenger of mercy? 
(c) In what sense are the fields and clouds lovers?

Ans. (a) Rain’s cry refers to downpour. When it rains on the parched hills they laugh with joy at the arrival of a long awaited rain and flowers too rejoice, for they too can bloom and make nature beautiful once again.
(b) Rain helps all things to come back to a normal existence and once again they are all made happy.
(c) Flowers make merry when the rain comes in the form of a drizzle.

Q4. The voice of thunder declares my arrival; The rainbow announces my departure; I am like earthly life which begins at The feet of the mad elements and ends Under the upraised wings of death. 
(a) How is rain similar to earthly life? 
(b) What are the mad elements from where life on Earth begins? 
(c) What are the upraised wings of death for rain?

Ans. (a) The two lovers, fields and clouds, need the rain. The field is thirsty for the clouds’ mercy while the clouds suffer from the ailment that they cannot embrace the field, their lover. When the rain pours down, both the lovers are satisfied.
(b) Rain is a messenger of mercy between the field and the clouds, two lovers. It is a messenger of mercy rather than of love because rain is nature’s merciful blessing for the Earth. Rain takes the messages to and from the fields and the clouds.
(c) Like two lovers who cannot exist without the other, who needs the other for its completion, the parched fields and the dark clouds are complementary. The fields want clouds for its rain and the clouds want the fields for creation. The fields want the clouds to satisfy its passion while the clouds need a warm place to fall down and create.

Q5. I emerge from the heart of the sea and Soar with the breeze. When I see a field in Need, I descend and embrace the flowers and The trees in a million little ways. (a) What does rain mean by its million ways of embracing flowers? (b) What is a field in need? (c) What is the origin of the rain and with how does it soar?

Ans. (a) Birth of rain is similar to the birth of human beings on Earth. Rain undergoes various processes and involvement of multiple elements just like the birth of beings such as animals. Rain turns back to water and then to vapour and then to solid ice before it turns to water again, similar to which is life, that turns from one stage to the other, from one state to another.
(b) The mad elements of life are probably those elements such as carbon, calcium, phosphorus, etc.
(c) The upraised wing under which rain dies is probably the wings of the wind that blows the rain to a stop. 

Q6. I touch gently at the windows with my Soft fingers, and my announcement is a Welcome song. All can hear, but only The sensitive can understand. 
(a) Explain ‘I touch gently ……… welcome song.’ 
(b) Explain ‘All can hear…… understand.’ 
(c) Pick out an instance of personification from the stanza.

Ans. (a) Rain falls down in various ways. All the million drops that fall down are different in size, speed, length and many other qualities. They reach the Earth at various times, creating various sounds.
(b) A field in need is a dry, parched summer field that awaits rain.
(c) The origin of rain in the sea and it soars up into the sky with the breeze. 

Q7. The heat in the air gives birth to me, but in turn, I kill it. As woman overcomes man with The strength she takes from him. 
(a) How does heat in the air give birth to rain? 
(b) How does rain kill the one who begot it? 
(c) Name the poet of the above extract.

Ans. (i) It means that the rain falls very gently on the windows because these are shaded. So, when the rain falls on the windows in showers, it falls like touching them with’ soft fingers’.
(b) The poet believes that the wonderful beauty of rain can be enjoyed only by those who have a passionate love for Nature’s phenomena. Rain falls on everyone alike but its beauty is discovered only by those who love it.
c) The word ‘touch’ inline 1 is a personification. The rain says it touches the windows like a person who does so. 

Q8. I am the sigh to the sea The laughter of the field The tears of heaven So with love Sighs from the deep sea affection, laughter from the colourful field of spirit, Tears from endless heaven of memories. 
(a) How is rain the sigh of the sea? 
(b) How is rain the laughter of the fields? 
(c) How is rain the tears of heaven?  

Ans. (a) It is the heat that evaporates the water into vapour, which gives birth to the rain,
(b) Rain is given birth by the heat but the rain is able to cool the air, thus killing the heat.
(c) Kahlil Gibran is the poet of the above extract.  

Q9) Why is the rain divine?

Ans. Rain is divine as it falls from heaven, from the crown of God Ishtar, and brings love and happiness for people, quenches the thirst of Earth and makes the fields fertile. 

Q10. In this universe, rain performs many functions. What are those?

Ans. Rain adorns the gardens and valleys. It makes hills laugh and embraces the flowers and trees. It quenches the thirst of Earth and makes the land fertile. It cures the clouds who are overloaded by water vapour. It provides joy to everybody and everything in nature. 

Q11. When I cry the hill’s laugh; Where I humble myself the flowers rejoice; When I bow, all things are elated. Cry, humble and. bow indicate different intensity with which the rain falls. Explain the three in context

Ans. ‘Cry’ means when it rains heavily. ‘Humble’ means when it rains modest and light. ‘Bow’ means very light rain.

Q12. How do you think the rain quenches the thirst of the fields and cures the clouds’ ailment?

Ans. When rain falls on the dry fields they become fertile and crops grow in them. Moreover, rain releases clouds from the overburden of water vapour. Clouds, after rainfall, become light and relaxed.  

Q13. Mention a few ways in which rain embraces the trees.

Ans. ‘Rain embraces the trees’ is a metaphor used in the poem. Rain covers the trees with water and washes away all dust and soil, due to which the leaves glisten and look fresh. Moreover, rain makes the roots of the trees strong and provides all the nutrition to them. It provides strength and energy to trees. It becomes a source of life for the trees. Rainfall also promotes the growth of new small trees which have grown like plants. It provides them with water by which they get energy to grow faster. It feels as if the rain hugs all the trees and plants, and give its love and affection to them.  

Q14. ‘All can hear …… but only the sensitive can understand’. What does the poet want to convey?

Ans. The poet wants to convey the idea that everybody hears the sound of rain when it falls. However, only a few sensitive people enjoy that sound and feel the value and need of rain in life. Rain brings joy, happiness, freshness and love for all those who realise it.

Q15. (i) Notice the imagery built around ‘sigh of the sea’, ‘laughter of the field’ and ‘tears of heaven’. Explain the three expressions. 
(ii) How would you express rain as an agent of flood? A source of water for dams?

Ans. Rain rises from the sea in the form of water vapour. This water vapour forms clouds. Due to precipitation, the vapours get converted into rain and fall back to Earth. Fields get water and become fertile. This fertility supports the growth of plants on fields and everyone becomes happy. The rain becomes the drops of heaven as it brings happiness and prosperity on Earth. 

Q16. I am like earthly life… Why does the poet call the rain as earthly life?

Ans. Rain becomes an agent of a flood when it rains heavily nonstop for days together and this unexpected rain overflows the rivers and the water comes to cities, towns and villages. Earth is also unable to sustain that water. Flood causes a lot of miseries to all. Rainwater is properly channelised in the rivers and therefore rain becomes the source of water in dams. Then, as per the needs and requirement, dam water can be properly used. Dam water is used for generating electricity, irrigation and for drinking purposes. 

Q17. Explain the ending of the song.

Ans. The poet calls rain as earthly life. As on Earth, we all are born and die, similarly, rain also emerges from the sea, and then falls back to Earth before death. Life on Earth also goes through the birth and death process. 

Q18. Explain how rain is a messenger of mercy between the two lovers.

Ans. The ending of the song is like a farewell to all with love. “The rain recollects its various aspects. They are ‘sigh from the sea’, ‘laughter from the fields’ and ‘tears due to endless memories of time’. 

Q19. Explain the line ‘ The voice of thunder declares my arrival. The rainbow announces my departure’.

Ans. The fields and the clouds are lovers and between them, the rain is a messenger of mercy. The rain quenches the thirst of one and cures the ailment of the other. The field refers to Earth whereas the cloud refers to heaven. The rain as a messenger between the two tries to connect them as it is divine. As Earth is dry, it needs water, as water is the elixir of life. Therefore, the clouds burst, resulting in rainfall and the clouds are relieved. The rain is trying to suggest that both the Earth and the Heaven need each other and they both depend on rain.

Q20. Explain the lines ‘I am dotted silver threads dropped from heaven’ and ‘lam beautiful pearls, plucked from the crown of Ishtar’.  

Ans. Rain is like earthly life, which begins at the feet of the mad elements and ends Under the upraised wings of death. The rain falls accompanied by thundering. Its sound appears as if it announces the arrival of rain. Soon after the rain falls the beautiful rainbow appears in the sky as if it is informing the Earth about the departure of the rain. The rain is as short-lived as is man’s life on the Earth. It comes and goes just as the man is born and he dies. Both rain and earthly life are similar as both of them are born out of elements of nature and they both meet their death.

Q21. Rain in the hills and rain in the desert present entirely different scenarios. In the hills it revitalises the greenery and freshens the vegetation; it waters the parched land and relieves the thirsty and panting souls in the desert. This has been a year of scanty rains. Imagine how the rain would be welcomed when it pours in the hills and in the desert after a long dry spell. 
(a)What are you likely to see? 
(b) What would happen to the rainwater? 
(c) What would be the scene before and after the rain?

Ans. Rain always comes with joy after a dry spell. When the rain comes, the soil absorbs it and soon the hills and deserts change their dry look. In a hilly area, it presents a green and refreshing colour. In deserts, Earth starts changing its dull colour to greenish with vegetation coming up in the fields. The scanty vegetation of the desert looks fresh and greenish also. The temperature comes down. The dry environment becomes refreshing. Everybody enjoys the greenery and freshness all around.

Q22. Explain the significance of the ending of the poem.

Ans. The lakes are full of water after the rain. Nature takes the help of rainwater to beautify her fields and valleys. People become busy with the process of sowing crops.

Q23. The Poem. ‘Song of the Rain’ is the best form of personification. Illustrate this statement with examples.  

Ans. Actually, rain is regarded as a messenger of love, mercy and blessings. It quenches the thirst of the fields. It embraces all kinds. I of vegetation giving it a new lease of life. After the rain, Earth gets its power to sustain all kinds of life. The dry and uncomfortable environment is replaced by all-round greenery. Beauty and freshness. Everybody welcomes rain with an open heart and enjoys pleasant ambience.

Q1. How I laughed at my mother’s false teeth, As they foamed in the waters beneath, But now comes the reckoning It’s me that they are beckonin Oh! I wish I’d looked after me teeth 
(i) What does ‘they’ in line 2 stands for? 
(ii) The last line’ Oh! I wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth’ expresses………. 
(iii) The rhyming scheme of the stanza is ……..

Ans. (i) In the line 2 ‘they’ stands for teeth other mother,      
(ii) regret            
(iii) aabba 

Q2. Oh, I showed them the toothpaste all right, I flashed it about late at night, But up-and-down brushin’ And pokin’ and fussin’ Didn’t seem worth the time-I could bite! 
(i) What does the line T showed them the toothpaste’ imply? 
(ii) What does the line ‘Didn’t seem worth the time’ mean

Ans. (i) The line implies that the poet used to brush; but not properly.
(ii) The line means that as a child she felt brushing her teeth was a wastage of time, as she could bite without any difficulty. 

Q3. Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth, And spotted the perils beneath All the toffees I chewed, And the sweet sticky food Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth. 
(a) Why does the poetess wish that she had taken better care of her teeth? 
(b) What caused perils/decay beneath the poetess’s teeth? 
(c) The poetess ate ……….. and ………… is. 
(c) Sweet sticky food and chewed toffees.

Ans. (a) The poetess wishes that she should have taken better care of her teeth and wouldn’t have to face the problems she is facing now.
(b) The poetess used to chew a lot of toffees and sweet sticky food, which caused the decay beneath her teeth.
(c) Sweet sticky food and chewed toffees. 

Q4. I wish I’d been that much more willing’, When I had more tooth there than flllin’ To pass up gobstoppers, From respect to me choppers, And to buy something else with me shillin’ 
(a) What is the present scene inside the poetess’s mouth? 
(b) What happened to the poetess’s teeth when she continued eating all kinds of sweets? 
(c) Explain, from respect to me choppers’?

Ans. (a) The poetess’s teeth are eaten up by cavities. Most of her teeth are filled with amalgum.
(b) When she continued eating all kinds of sweets, her teeth decayed and needed more fillings
(c) This line suggests that now poetess should have paid more attention to her teeth by reducing eating sweets, 

Q5. When I think of the follies I licked, And liquorice all sorts I picked, Sherbet dabs, big and little, All that hard peanut brittle, My conscience gets horribly pricked. 
(a) Why does the poetess feel her conscience horribly pricked? 
(b) What was responsible for the poetess’s present state of pain and suffering and guilt feelings? 
(c) What did the poetess eat the most?

Ans. (a) Having almost all her teeth lost or filled and having gone through the extreme pain of drilling and fillings and having to wait for her turn at the old dentist’s clinic pricked the poetess’s conscience.
(b) The poetess’s love for a number of follies, liquorices, sherbets and peanut brittles was responsible for her present sufferings and guilt.
(c) The poetess ate all kinds of sweets like follies, liquorice, sherbet dabs, peanut brittles etc. 

Q6. Oh! I showed them the toothpaste all right, I flashed it about late at night, But up-and-down brushing, And pokin’ and fussin Didn’t seem worth the time-I could bite! 
(a) Whom did the poetess show the toothpaste? What does ‘show’ means? 
(b) What does poking and fussing mean? 
(c) What did the poetess flash about late at night?

Ans. (a) The poetess, as a child, showed her teeth as brushed with toothpaste to her parents, ‘show’ here means that she brushed very quickly only to please her parents.
(b) Poking and fussing refer to the inspection of the poetess’s teeth done by her mother each night. The poetess’s had to get her teeth inspected by her mother and the mother would blame her the bad brushing and decay that developed.
(c) The poetess’s flashed her toothbrush across her teeth late at night because brushing the teeth is done just before going to bed. 

Q7. If I’d known, I was paving the way To cavities, caps and decay, The murder of mlin’s Injections and drillin’s I’d have thrown all me sherbet away. 
(a) How did the poetess pave the way for cavities in her teeth? 
(b) Explain ‘murder of fillings’. 
(c) What had the poetess not known?

Ans. (a) The poetess paved the way for cavities in her teeth by eating a large amount of sweets, gobstoppers, follies, candies and by not brushing her teeth properly.
(b) ‘Murder of fillings’ means that when the filling is done it  is very painful for her.
(c) The poetess had not known that in eating all kinds of sweets she was causing tooth decay and would need  fillings in her teeth. 

Q8. So I lay in the old dentist’s chair, And I gaze up to his nose in despair, And his drill it do whine In these molars of mine “Two amalgam”, he’ll say, “for in there” 
(a) What would have the poetess done if she had known the pain she would suffer due to her teeth? 
(b) What is ‘amalgam’ ? 
(c) Pick out two expressions that add fear to the poet? How?

Ans. (a) Had the poetess known the pain, she would suffer because of her teeth she would have taken utmost care of her teeth and spent her money in purchasing something other than candies, sweets and sherbets.
(b) Amalgam is a filling made of mercury and silver.
(c) The expression is, His drill it does whine’ and amalgam for in there.’ The dentist is one who doesn’t generally treat patients with sympathy and so she is afraid of him.

Q9. How I laughed at my mother’s false teeth, As they foamed in the waters beneath But now comes the reckonin’ It’s me they are beckonin’ Oh I wish I’d looked after me teeth. 
(a) Explain ‘ But now comes the reckoning, it is me they are beckoning’. 
(b) What is ‘they’ in line 2 of the stanza? 
(c) When did the poetess laugh at her mother’s false teeth?  

Ans. (a) Now, the poetess has to pay for making fun of and laughing at her mother’s false teeth as now she also needs false teeth.
(b) ‘They’ refers to the teeth of the poetess’s mother.
(c) The poetess laughed at her mother’s false teeth when her teeth were in good condition during her childhood. 

Q10. But and up-down brushin’ And pokin and fussin’ Didn’t seem worth the time -1 could bite! What do these lines convey?

Ans. In these lines, the poetess described that she did not follow a proper pattern of brushing the teeth. She did not brush her teeth by moving the brush up and down in all the right directions and did not spend enough time brushing her teeth, as she could bite comfortably.  

Q11. Why did the poetess go to the dentist? How could she have avoided it?

Ans. The poetess went to the dentist for the treatment of her teeth by the process of drilling, filling or injection. She could have avoided this by eating less chocolates and sweets and by brushing her teeth properly and regularly. 

Q12. “If you got a tooth, you got a friend”, what do you understand from this line?

Ans.  It means that a tooth in the mouth is a friend who helps us in chewing food. If there is no tooth in the mouth, one can not chew food and becomes friendless.

Q13. With reference to the poem, how can you look after your teeth?

Ans. We can look after our teeth by avoiding eating chocolates, toffees, sticky sweets etc. It is also necessary to brush our teeth properly and regularly. 

Q14. Give an appropriate proverb that conveys the message that this poem carries.

Ans. Healthy and sparkling teeth. Add lustre to your health. 

Q15. The poetess has misspelt the word amalgum. Why do you think she has done that?

Ans. The poetess’s has knowingly miss pelt the word amalgam as amalgum because children are usually very fond of a candy known as chewing gum. Even while having the cavities in her teeth filled with amalgam, the poetess thinks of her favourite chewing gum and so she misspells the word. This misspelling is deliberate and is done to add humour.

Q16. Write some linguistic variations in the poem.

Ans. Some linguistic variations in the poem are
(i) ‘Me teeth’ for ‘my teeth’
(ii) ‘Me choppers’ for ‘my choppers’
(iii) ‘Me shillin’ for ‘my shillings.’
(iv) ‘All me sherbet’ for ‘all my sherbets.’ 

Q17. What did the poetess wish when she had more teeth than fillings?

Ans. The poetess had more teeth than fillings in her childhood but she didn’t care at all for the health of the teeth. Later she repented for not caring about them. She said she wished that she should have skipped eating hard sweets to keep healthy teeth.

Q18. Write a paraphrase of stanza (7). 
So, I lay in ………………………..he’ll say ‘for in there.’

Ans. The poetess has explained the way she sits in the old dentist’s chair. She looks at the nose of the dentist in hopelessness. She can also listen to the whining sound made by the drill while working in her molars. The dentist would say that two fillings are required to carry out in the molars.  

Q19. Explain the line ‘It’s me they are beckonin’ in the last stanza.

Ans. The poetess saw her mother’s false teeth foaming in the water which were kept there so as to be kept clean. She laughed while looking at them, but now, she is terrified. It means that she is afraid because the fun she used to make has become a reality for her now. She also would have such false teeth someday.  

Q20. The poetess kept on neglecting the care of her teeth; what was the consequence of this neglect?

Ans. The poetess kept on neglecting the care of her teeth. She continued to devour all the sweet stuff, but later regrets her habits which led to tooth decay, cavities, caps and tooth fillings. She also regrets that whenever she was asked to brush her teeth at night, she just pretended to do so and she thought she had fooled her parents and cheated them, but didn’t realise that she was cheating herself only.

Q21. What does the poetess, Pam Ayres, regret for? Why?  

Ans. When the poetess thought of all sorts of candies, tiny or bigger sweets she had eaten, her conscience pricked her. Now, she has fillings and tooth decay in her molars. She regrets neglecting her teeth and her careless and casual approach in brushing.  

Q22. Recently you have read the poem, ‘Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth’. Write a letter to your brother/sister advising him/her how he/she must take care of teeth to avoiding any damage.

Ans. House no 44, ABC Street PQR City
August 27, 2012
Dear Ram/Muskan
I hope this letter finds you in good health. Received your letter two days ago and sounds good that you have joined certain certificate courses to improve yourself in computers. I am giving you advice on how to keep our teeth healthy. You know that children like eating various sweets like toffees, gobstoppers, liquorices, sherbet dabs and other stickles. We brush our teeth very carelessly and casually. We think that eating these sticky sweets won’t harm our teeth, but these items slowly damage our teeth and hence cavities develop. Now I find that I too have developed a few cavities and shall have to go to the dentist for fillings. I shudder when I have to sit in the dentist’s chair gazing at him. So I advise you to stop eating sticky sweets at once. Brush your teeth twice a day. Brush carefully before going to bed. Never try to fool our parents, because in the long run, only you have to pay for such carelessness. So, if you don’t take care, then be ready for drilling and the pain involved with filling cavities. I hope you will remember my advice and do inform your classmates too. Getting late for work. Reply to your views on this important point. Convey my regards to Papa and Mummy. Take care.
Yours XYZ 

Q23. Read the following statement where T refers to ‘you’. 7 can’t afford to, after what Jack’s done to his teeth’, what is it, you think you can’t afford and why? Write a diary entry in not less than 125 words.

Ans. September^25,_2012 9:00 pm
Dear Diary
It was so bad to see Jack with decaying teeth. He had sparkling white teeth earlier. But now his cheeks have also deformed due to loss of teeth. It has ruined his personality. I can’t afford to lose my teeth like that. Healthy teeth lead to a healthy life, whereas decaying and diseased teeth lead to many health problems. There are a number of germs that get accumulated in the mouth. I cannot bear the terror of sitting in the dentist chair. So, I have decided to take good care of my teeth. I will now avoid eating sweets and toffees and brush my teeth properly to make my teeth sparkling like pearls. Not much hard work is required for that.  

Q24. Imagine yourself as the narrator of the poem; Express your regret over the damage of cavities, decay, etc in your teeth.

Ans. I wish I had taken care of my teeth when I had more good teeth than cavities. Now that I have those cavities I have to undergo drilling and have fillings. I have to bear the pain of drilling being done in my mouth. I could have averted this condition of mine, had I stopped eating all kinds of sticky sweets. The items I loved eating were candies, toffees, liquorices sweet hard peanuts, sherbet dabs etc. It is obvious that due to eating all kinds of sweets I had more cavities than before. Now, at this stage I regret neglecting the care of my teeth, I didn’t brush my teeth carefully, rather I thought my parents’ advice to be worthless; but now, I realise the value of those words, Now, I have to sit in the dentist’s chain after taking an appointment and bearing the pain. I also laughed at my mother’s dentures but now I feel that they are beckoning to me, I too have to use artificial teeth and someone else would similarly laugh at me. That is why it is well said, ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’. 

Q25. “Parents alone are responsible for inculcating a good sense of dental hygiene amongst children”. Do you agree with this statement?  

Ans. Yes, of course, It is the parents who are responsible for inculcating a good sense of dental hygiene amongst children. Children can’t be expected to live and behave like adults who know what is good and bad for them. It is the parents who guide their children and educate on hygiene. Actually, children have very/limited knowledge. Which toothpaste to use, how to brush, all these types of questions are answered and explained to children by adults only. As sweets are tasty, children eat them in greater quantities. It is mandatory to wash our mouth after eating, no matter if it is a sweet or any food item that we consume. Children do not know the harmful effects of not cleaning their teeth after eating, hence they keep. So, parents must teach their children, in fact, must caution them against the result of eating more sweets and the outcome in the form of teeth damage and decay. They will undergo the pain of drilling and fillings by the dentists. It is quite possible that someday they will wear false teeth.