khushikhanera

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and choose the correct option :

1. Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
 And sings a melancholy strain ;
 O listen! for the Vale profound
 Is overflowing with the sound.

(a) Identify ‘she’ from the above stanza.
(i) A traveller
(ii) The Poe
(iii) Solitary Reaper
(iv) None of the above

(b) How does the poet know that the song is melancholy when he cannot understand the words?

(i) From the girl’s expression
(ii) From the words of the song
(iii) From the tune
(iv) From her dress

(c) What effect does the girl’s song have over the surroundings?

(i) Has no effect
(ii) All people desert the valley
(iii) The valley echoes with the song
(iv) The valley is indifferent

Ans : 
(a) (iii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iii)

2. A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard
 In spring-time from the cuckoo bird,
 Breaking the silence of the seas
 Among the farthest Hebrides.

(a) What is cuckoo bird famous for?
(i) Cheerfulness
(ii) Thrill
(iii) Driving away tiredness
(iv) Welcoming the spring

(b) How does the Solitary Reaper’s song score over the song of the cuckoo?
(i) It is more far-reaching
(ii) It echoes more
(iii) It is more musical and fresh
(iv) It does not have any effect

(c) Hebrides means :
(i) a group of trees
(ii) far off valleys
(iii) sea
(iv) a group of islands off near Scotland

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

3. Will no one tell me what she sings?
 Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
 For old, unhappy, far-off things,
 And battles long ago.

(a) Explain the use of ‘perhaps’ in the second line.
(i) The poet is not sure
(ii) He is double-minded
(iii) He is indifferent
(iv) None of these

(b) ‘Flow’, – what quality of the solitary reaper song is expressed here?
(i) It’s fluidity
(ii) It’s evocativeness
(iii) Its spontaneity
(iv) It’s music

(c) What is the poet’s guess?
(i) The theme is of spring
(ii) Of happiness and forgotten things
(iii) Of battles and sad events in the past
(iv) Of stories

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

4. Or is it some more humble lay,
 Familiar matter of today?
 Some natural sorrow, loss or pain,
 That has been, maybe again.

(a) ‘It’ in the first line refers to
(i) the valley
(ii) the song
(iii) the solitary reaper
(iv) her dress

(b) Explain ‘humble lay’.
(i) A song about ordinary events
(ii) A song about extraordinary things
(iii) A song about modest things
(iv) A song about rich people

(c) What does the poet wish to convey by saying  ‘that has been and maybe again’?
(i) A natural loss, and pain
(ii) A natural event
(iii) Natural sorrow which can occur again
(iv) Both (i) and (iii)

Ans : 
(a) (ii)
(b) (i)
(c) (iii)

5. Whatever the theme, the maiden sang
 As if her song could have no ending;
 I saw her singing at her work
 And o’er the sickle bending

(a) What other activities is the maiden doing besides singing?
(i) She is ploughing
(ii) binding the corn
(iii) cutting grass
(iv) none of the above

(b) What makes the maiden’s song extraordinary?
(i) It’s musicality
(ii) It’s eternal nature
(iii) It’s theme
(iv) Her voice

(c) What effect does the song have over the poet?
(i) Mesmerising
(ii) Impressive
(iii) Invigorating
(iv) No effect

Ans : 
(a) (ii)
(b) (ii)
(c) (i)

6. I listened, motionless and still
 And, as I mounted up the hill,
 The music in my heart I bore,
 Long after it was heard no more.

(a) Where does the poet go?
(i) Down the valleys
(ii) Doesn’t go anywhere
(iii) Climbed up the mountain
(iv) Nowhere

 (b) How did the song affect the poet?
(i) It impressed him
(ii) Served as an inspiration
(iii) Left a permanent mark on his heart
(iv) Had no effect

(c) What does the poet want to convey by “long after it was heard no more”?
(i) Music is entertaining
(ii) Music is eternal and can give pleasure even when you do not hear it
(iii) Sad music is always remembered
(iv) The universal and permanent impression of the music.

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

7. Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
 And sings a melancholy strain ;
 O listen! for the Vale profound
 Is overflowing with the sound.
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) ‘melancholy strain’ in the second line refers to :
(i) Sad song
(iii) Happy song
(ii) Thrilling song
(iv) Sweet song

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

(c) The last two lines mean :
(i) Her voice is resounding in the valley
(ii) She is singing at a high pitch
(iii) Her voice is reaching outside the valley
(iv) She is asking everyone to listen to her

Ans. (a) (i)
(b) (iii)
(c) (i)

8. No nightingale did ever chant
 More welcome notes to weary bands
 Of Travellers in some shady haunt
 Among Arabian Sands
 A voice so thrilling never was heard
 In spring – time from the cuckoo – bird
 Breaking the silence of the seas
 Among the farthest Hebrides
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) According to the poet, nightingales sing :
(i) to welcome the travellers
(ii) to please themselves
(iii) to welcome the tired travellers
(iv) to get relief from their own pains

(b) The nightingales sing :
(i) in spring season in the desert of Arabia
(ii) in autumn season in deserts
(iii) in spring season in deserts of Thar
(iv) in spring season in deserts of Egypt

(c) The effect of the voice of the cuckoo bird is :
(i) that it refreshes the tired travellers
(ii) that it is spread everywhere
(iii) that it seems to welcome travellers
(iv) breaks the seas’ silence

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

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Read the following extracts and choose the correct option :

1. I shall be telling this with a sigh
 Somewhere ages and ages hence :
 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
 I took the one less travelled by,
 And that has made all the difference.

(a) ‘Sigh’ means :
(i) regret
(ii) to hate
(iii) not to feel sorry
(iv) to be indifferent

(b) What has made all the difference in the poet’s life?
(i) Choosing a travelled road
(ii) Choosing a less travelled road
(iii) By not choosing any road
(iv) By not being weak

(c) ‘Road’ is a metaphor for :
(i) travelling wisely
(ii) good health
(iii) choices we make in life
(iv) morning walks

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

2. And both that morning equally lay
 In leaves, no step had trodden back.
 Oh, I kept the first for another day!
 Yet knowing how way leads on to way
 I doubted if I should ever come back
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) ‘Both’ in line one refers to :
(i) leaves
(ii) roads
(iii) steps
(iv) the poet and his friends

(b) The poet chose to travel on another road because :
(i) it was easier
(ii) it was shorter and easier
(iii) it was grassy and wanted wear
(iv) he was sure of his success on that way

(c) The poet doubted if :
(i) he could ever finish his journey
(ii) he could meet his family again
(iii) he could join his friend
(iv) he could ever come back to travel the first road

Ans : 
(a) (ii)
(b) (iii)
(c) (iv)

3. Then took the other, as just as fair,
 And having perhaps the better claim,
 Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

(a) The poet didn’t take the first road as :
(i) It had worn out by continuous use
(ii) It had been tried and tested
(iii) It was expected of him
(iv) It looked shabby

(b) The second road had better claim as :
(i) It had been lying waste
(ii) It was attractive with green grassy carpet
(iii) It needed to be explored
(iv) It was full of surprises

(c) The poet’s decision to take the other road indicates that he is :
(i) Adventurous
(ii) Calculative
(iii) Opportunist
(iv) Careful

Ans. 
(a) (i)
(b) (iii)
(c) (i)

4. Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
 I doubted if I should ever come back.
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) In this extract, the poet is describing.
(i) a road
(ii) his love for trekking
(iii) two roads, the one he chose and the reason for his choice
(iv) his tastes

(b) The poet doubts his comeback because
(i) he continues to follow the road he chooses
(ii) he is very lazy
(iii) he is a man on the move
(iv) he never repeats himself

(c) The first line of the extract can be explained as
 _________ .
(i) the world is round
(ii) all roads have a dead end
(iii) all roads join at an intersection
(iv) all roads lead to other roads

Ans. (a) (iii)

(b) (i)

(c) (iv)

5. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
 And sorry I could not travel both
 And be one traveller, long I stood
 To where it bent in the undergrowth
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) The poet is standing :
(i) at a crossing
(ii) at a crossing in autumn season
(iii) where two roads cross
(iv) in a forest

(b) He sees before him :
(i) a yellow forest and roads
(ii) two roads crossing
(iii) a dense forest
(iv) two roads diverging in a forest

(c) His desire at this moment is to :
(i) cross the road
(ii) travel further
(iii) travel on both the roads
(iv) see the forest

Ans. (a) (iii)

(b) (iv)

(c) (iii)

6. “And both that morning equally lay
 In leaves, no step had trodden black.
 Oh, I kept the first for another day!
 Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
 I doubted if I should ever come back.”
 [CBSE 2010 (Term I)]

(a) The poet decided that :
(i) he would take the second road and leave the first one for some other day
(ii) he would take the frequently trodden road
(iii) he would go back and decide later on
(iv) he would take the first road

(b) ‘Leaves no step had trodden black’ implies :
(i) that the road was not taken by anyone
(ii) that it was not a safe road
(iii) that the poet was not interested in taking the road
(iv) None of the above

(c) ‘Should ever come back’ shown that the poet was :
(i) confident
(ii) indecisive
(iii) optimistic
(iv) pessimistic

Ans. (a) (i)

(b) (i)

(c) (ii)

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