Two Gentlemen Of Verona Chapter Wise
Important Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Fiction
2016
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 1.
Read the extract given below and Answer
briefly the Questions that follow.
He smiled uncomfortably, “Just plans, sir, ” he
Answered in a low voice.
In the above line, who is talking and to whom?
What plans is the speaker referring to?
Give the antonym of ‘smiled’.
Answer ->Nicola is talking to the narrator.
The speaker Nicola is referring to their plans for
saving money for the treatment of their sister.
frowned.
Question 2.
Read the extract given below and Answer
briefly the Questions that follow.
“We do many things, sir”, Nicola Answered
seriously. He glanced at us hopefully.
a What many things did the boys do?
B Why did they have to do them?
C Give the antonym of‘seriously’.
Answer:-
A )The boys did many things such as
shoeshining, selling fruits, hawking newspapers
and conducting tourists round the town and
running errands.
b)They were doing these things to earn money
for the treatment of their sister who was in
hospital.
c)carelessly.
2015Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 1. How did Luigi behave on seeing the
two boys?
Answer:- Luigi behaved in an unfriendly way.
He expressed his disgust for them. Moreover, he
doubted them as cheats or thieves owing to their
shabby appearance. He requested the author
not to buy fruits from them.
Question 2 Why was the author and his friend
attracted towards the two boys?
Answer:- Both the author and his friend
observed that the two boys possessed a series
of virtues. They were diligent, honest, dutiful,
modest and courteous. In their tender age they
were doing various kinds of work to earn more
money. Their devotion and dedication to duty
impressed both the author and his friend.
2014
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 3 Although Nicola and Jacopo are
young boys, the author refers to them as
gentlemen. Why does he do so?
Answer:- The author finds that the two brothers
are law-abiding, responsible, caring more for
human values, respectful and self-dependent.
They are also honest, diligent and soft-spoken.
For saving the life of their only surviving blood
relative, their only sister, they are sacrificing their
lot.
2013 Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 4.
Read the extract given below and complete the
statements that follow:
“You will get fruit much better in Verona.
Besides, these boys… ”
Who speaks these lines and to whom?
Why does the speaker disapprove of the boys?
What fruit has been referred to here?
Answer:-
Luigi, the driver, speaks these lines to the
author.
The speaker does not like their shabby
appearance. He doubts them as cheats or
thieves.
Wild strawberries have been referred to here.
2012
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 5.
Read the extract given below and Answer
briefly the Questions that follow.
They greeted us with friendly faces.
“I thought you picked fruit for a living”, I said.
Who are ‘they’?
How did ‘they’ greet the narrator?
What did the narrator think ‘they’ did for a living?
Answer:-
‘They’ here stands for the two boys, Nicola and
Jacopo.
They greeted the narrator in a very respectful
and courteous manner.
The narrator thought that they picked wild
strawberries for earning their livelihood.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 6. What did the narrator see when he
looked through the glass partition? (Two
Gentlemen of Verona)
Answer:-
The narrator saw that the two boys seated
beside a girl of about twenty, who propped up on
pillows. She was listening to their chatter. She
bore resemblance to her brothers. They gave
her vase of wild flowers, fruits and several
books.
Question 7. What errands did Nicola and
Jacopo do to earn their living?
Answer:-The two boys used to shine shoes, sell
fruits, hawk newspapers, conduct tourists round
the town and ran errands. They never bothered
for themselves. For earning their livelihood and
saving the life of their sister, they performed
even difficult tasks.
2011
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 8.
Read the following extract and Answer the
Questions that follow.
When the resistance movement began secretly
to form they were among the first to join. When
the war was over, and we had peace at last,
they came back to their beloved sister.
Who are the ‘they’ referred to here?
Why did they join the resistance movement?
What had happened to their sister?
Answer:-
The word ‘they’ here stands for the two boys,
Nicola and Jacopo.
Their spontaneous hatred and anger for the
Germans led them to join the resistance
movement. The Germans had ruined their entire
family and thrown them into the streets.
Owing to poverty, she became a victim of
malnutrition. In course of time, she began to
suffer from tuberculosis of the spine.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 9.
What were the hardships faced by Nicola and
Jacopo?
Answer:-
Both Nicola and Jacopo had to work hard from
morning till midnight to make their both ends
meet. They had to earn more and spend less as
they had to meet the expenses of the treatment
of their only surviving blood relative, i.e. their
sister.
Question 10.
Why were the narrator and his companion
impressed by the two boys?
Answer:-
Both the author and his friend observed that the
two boys possessed a series of virtues. They
were diligent, honest, dutiful, modest and
courteous. In their tender age, they were doing
various kinds of work in order to earn more
money. Their devotion and dedication to duty
impressed both the author and his friend.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 11.
Imagine you are the narrator in ‘Two Gentlemen
of Verona’. You were touched by the love and
devotion of the boys for their sister. Write a letter
to a friend about the two boys and the attraction
you felt for them.
Answer:-
11, Church Road Venice
25 June 20XX Dear John
I hope you are hale and hearty. I am writing
about selfless action and sacrifice of the two
small boys of Verona.
Life has many surprises. I happened to
encounter two boys in Verona. They were
homeless orphan . But they were working hard
to earn more money. They spent less and saved
more to save the life of their only surviving blood
relative, their sister Lucia. She was suffering
from tuberculosis of the spine. Her treatment
was going on in a hospital.
These two boys undertook all kinds of work for
saving the life of their sister. Their selfless
action, their sacrifice and their total devotion to
their cause impressed me so much. Their series
of virtues earn our respect, sympathy and love
for them. They were too self-respecting and
proud to show their personal problems or agony
to any outsider. They never asked for any favour
from anyone.
They are indeed two little angels. I salute their
sacrifice and far-sightedness. With love.
Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger Chapter Wise
Important Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Fiction
2016
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 1.
Who arranged for the tiger shooting and why?
Answer:-
Mrs. Packletide arranged for the tiger shooting
because she wanted to show off her exploits and
make Loona Bimberton jealous of her
achievements. It was the only way in which she
could counter all the publicity achieved by Loona
Bimberton.
2015
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 2.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“How amused every one would be if they knew
what really happened. ”
Who is the speaker?
What had ‘really happened’?
What does the word, ‘amused’ mean?
Answer:-
Miss Mebbin is the speaker.
Mrs Packletide had missed the aim and the tiger
had died of heart attack.
The word ‘amused’ means ‘entertained’.
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 3.
How was Mrs Packletide able to achieve her
heart’s desire?
Answer:-
Mrs Pacletide offered an amount of? 1,000 to
the villagers to help her in shooting a tiger
safely. They managed a very old and weak tiger
whose hunting was absolutely safe. She also got
a paid companion named Louisa Mebbin, who
helped her in shooting the tiger.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 4.
The story Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger revolves
around big time shooting. Though hunting is
banned nowadays, animals are still being
hunted. Write an article for ‘Earth Today’
magazine voicing your concern over the killing of
animals and its impact on the environment.
Answer:-
Hunting: A Threat to Environment
by ABC
Despite much hue and cry and implementation
of strict laws by the government, the grim
business of hunting animals is still in practice in
several parts of our country. This evil practice
commenced several centuries ago, when
wealthy people had adopted it to show their
bravery and satisfy their whims. In course of
time, millions of animals were killed and such
killings affected the environment badly.
Animals are also the beautiful creation of God.
They help us in many different ways. They are
integral part of our ecological system. Any
further reduction in their number will cause
severe ecological imbalance. We, Indians, are
known for our love and affection towards
animals. Our scriptures reveal that our ancestors
used to worship animals.
Time has now come when we have to use our
best endeavours to stop all sorts of hunting.
Government must formulate more effective laws
to stop this grim business. People have realised
their mistakes and the significance of animals in
our ecological system. Good sense will prevail
and animals will never be shot.
Question 5.
Ms. Mebbin’s devotion to Mrs. Packletide is fake
and pretentious. She reminds you of a similar
situation when you had been disloyal to one of
your good friends. Write a letter to your friend
mentioning the situation: how you had taken
advantage of the situation and apologizing to
him/her for your behaviour.
Answer:-
E 44 Safdarjung Enclave
New Delhi 1100XX
25 June 20XX
Dear Rohan,
Hope this letter finds you in the best of your
health and spirit. I am going to reveal a fact
pertaining to an event which took place last year.
You bought a laptop from Dell company and you
damaged it deliberately as it was not functioning
properly. As your laptop was insured, you
wanted to Save a new laptop from the company.
As I was the eyewitness of what you had done
with the laptop I started blackmailing you. I
asked you to give me 5,000 if you wanted to
keep me mum. You had no option and you gave
me the amount reluctantly.
This very incident has been haunting my mind
since then. I confess my guilt. Actually, I had to
pay a debt and I was in dire need of money.
Now, I feel that what a big crime
I had committed. After reading the story ‘Mrs.
Packletide’s Tiger’, I form a very bad impression
of Miss Mebbin. Owing to her blackmailing
attitude, she became a disgusting figure. I
assure you that I will refund your amount.
Moral values must be given due importance.
Hope to see you soon.
Yours sincerely
Manish
2014
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 6.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“How amused every one would be if they knew
what really happened. ”
Who is the speaker?
What had ‘really happened’?
Why would everyone be amused?
Answer:-
Miss Louisa Mebbin is the speaker.
Mrs Packletide had shot the goat instead of the
tiger and the tiger died of heart attack.
Mrs Packletide would become a laughing stock
for paying a huge amount for killing a goat.
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 7.
Why did Mrs Packletide give up big-game
shooting?
Answer:-
Mrs Packletide had a very sad and bitter
experience of shooting. She had to pay a huge
amount to the villagers as well as Miss Mebbin.
She realised that her vanity was responsible for
her loss and suffering.
2013
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 8.
“Louisa Mebbin had a protective elder-sister
attitude towards money in general.” How?
Answer:-
Louisa Mebbin scolded Mrs Packletide for giving
a huge amount to the villagers. She asked Mrs
Packletide not to pay the price of the goat if it
was not touched by the tiger. But all her
pretentions were for the sake of her personal
motive to get a huge amount from Mrs
Packletide.
2012
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 9.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
‘The incidental expenses are so heavy’, she
confides to inquiring friends.
Who is the speaker in the above lines?
Why had the ‘incidental expenses’ become so
heavy?
Why had the speaker incurred the incidental
expenses?
Answer:-
Mrs Packletide is the speaker in the above lines.
Mrs Packletide had to keep Miss Mebbin mum
by paying money as the latter had started
blackmailing her.
The speaker had to satisfy her vanity by
outshining her rival Loona Bimberton.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 10.
Who was Miss Mebbin? What was her
relationship with Mrs Packletide?
Answer:-
Miss Mebbin was the paid companion of Mrs
Packletide. Actually, she had not any blood
relationship with Mrs Packletide. She adopted an
elder-sister attitude (protecting) towards money
irrespective of which currency that money
beLonged to or who was its owner.
Question 11.
How did Miss Louisa Mebbin blackmail Mrs
Packletide?
Answer:-
Miss Louisa Mebbin was the eyewitness of the
shooting. She knew that Mrs Packletide had
killed the goat and the tiger had died of heart
attack. So, she asked Mrs Packletide to buy a
cottage for her if she wanted her not to disclose
the fact.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 12.
Describe how the shooting was arranged and
the role the villagers played in the same.
Answer:-
The villagers played a very significant role in
arranging the shooting. The offer of a thousand
rupees stimulated them. They posted children
night and day on the outskirts of the forest. They
wanted to keep the tiger in the same forest. To
keep the old tiger alive, many cheap goats were
left in the forest. Mothers were asked not to
disturb the restful sleep of the tiger by singing. A
persistent bleating goat was tied near the
platform constructed by the villagers for shooting
purposes. After the shooting, the villagers
started a chorus of triumph by thumping tom-
toms. They also connived at the fiction that the
bullet of Mrs Packletide had killed the tiger. The
triumph and rejoicing of the villagers found a
ready echo in the heart of Mrs. Packletide.
Without the assistance of the villagers the killing
of even this old tiger could not have been
possible. Thus, the role of the villagers in killing
the tiger can’t be underestimated.
Question 13.
A few years later Mrs Packletide writes a daily
entry about her experience of killing the tiger. As
Mrs Packletide, write this diary entry.
Answer:-
Sunday
10 July 20XX 9 p.m.
Tonight I feel extremely repentant to recall a
past event. What a sad day it was when I
decided to outshine my rival Loona Bimberton. It
happened a few years ago. Loona tried to prove
her superiority by possessing some items made
of the organs of tigers. I decided to outshine her.
I paid a huge amount to some villagers who
arranged a tiger shooting for me. I was excited in
the beginning. But I missed my aim while
shooting and killed the goat instead of the tiger.
It was so shocking for me. But the villagers
connived at the fiction that I had killed the tiger.
They did so as they had to get money from me.
On the other hand, my paid companion Miss
Mebbin started blackmailing me. She warned me
that she would make me a laughing stock by
disclosing the fact if I didn’t buy a cottage for
her. I underwent a great financial loss. Now I feel
that the conflict of vanity was responsible for this
loss. I must have been a tolerant and submissive
lady. I have got a lesson and in future I will take
every decision sagaciously and judiciously.
2011
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 14.
How did Miss Mebbin exploit Mrs. Packletide?
Answer:-
Miss Mebbin won the faith of Mrs Packletide by
adopting a protective elder-sister attitude
towards money. After becoming the eyewitness
of the fact of the shooting she blackmailed Mrs.
Packletide into buying a cottage for her if she
wanted her not to disclose the fact. Mrs.
Packletide had to buy the cottage to keep Miss
Mebbin mum.
Question 15.
Depict the instances of humour in the chapter,
“Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger”.
Answer:-
Instances of humour can be enumerated as
follows:
Mrs Packletide wanted the tiger skin spread
before her eyes and also wanted the people
including Loona Bimberton to talk about it.
Mothers were asked not to disturb the tiger by
singing.
Miss Mebbin protected her monetary interests
everywhere and in every way.
The tiger was not killed by Mrs. Packletide.
Actually, it died of heart attack.
Question 16.
How did the villagers react to the tiger’s death?
Answer:-
A crowd of excited natives gathered on the
scene. They started shouting that Mrs Packletide
had killed the tiger. A thumping of tom-toms took
up the chorus of triumph. They pretended that
they did not know that the tiger had died of heart
attack.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 17.
Miss Mebbin feels extremely elated at the way
she exploited Mrs. Packletide and made her to
pay a huge sum as bribe. Miss Mebbin takes a
merry twinkle at her own cleverness and
expresses her delight in a diary entiy. Write the
dairy entry on her behalf.
Answer:-
Monday,
15 July 20XX
9 p.m.
I feel to be in seventh heaven. As Long as fools
have money on earth, the wise will be enjoying.
Unprecedently, a lady named Mrs Packletide
came to my village and expressed her desire to
shoot a tiger safely. She was credulous and
docile. I decided to make money out of her. I
pretended to be her protective elder sister. She
appointed me as her paid companion. She took
me to the platform from where she had to shoot
the tiger. I came to know such a secret which
could be utilised to blackmail her. At the right
time, I asked Mrs Packletide to buy a cottage for
me if she wanted me not to reveal the secret.
When I made her aware of the consequences of
revealing the secret before Loona, she became
ready to buy the cottage. Now, I am enjoying my
life in my new cottage.
The Letter Chapter Wise Important
Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Fiction
2016
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 1.
Ali in the story, ‘The Letter’, is a lonely man. How
does the writer bring out his loneliness?
Answer:-
Ali lived all alone after his only daughter Miriam
had got married and left him. He was passing his
days waiting for a letter from his daughter. Ali
walks his lonely way to the post office. The
whole town is wrapped in deathly silence.
Question 2.
“For now the postmaster understood Ali’s heart
and his very soul.” Explain.
Answer:-
The postmaster understood Ali’s heart and soul
when his daughter lay ill in another
town, and he was anxiously waiting for news
from her. This worry and anxiety for her
daughter changed the postmaster. He
understood Ali’s heart and soul and his yearning
for his daughter.
2015
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 3.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
The old man, shivering at times but fixed of
purpose, plodded on till he came out of the town-
gate on to a straight road. ALong this he now
went at a somewhat slower pace, supporting
himself on his old staff.
Who was the old man and why was he
shivering?
Where was he going so early?
What does the phrase, ‘plodded on’ mean?
Answer:-
The old man was Coachman Ali. He was going
to the post office early in the morning. It was
winter and he was wearing limited torn clothes.
He was going to the post office so early with in
the hope of receiving the letter of his daughter.
‘Ploded on’ means walked laboriously.
2014
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 4.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
The whole universe is built up through love and
that the grief of separation is inescapable.
When did the speaker acquire this philosophy?
What pain has the speaker gone through?
What does the word ‘inescapable’ mean?
Answer:-
The speaker acquired this philosphy when his
daughter went to the Punjab with her husband.
The speaker has gone through the pain of
separation from his dear daughter.
The word ‘inescapable’ means ‘that can’t be
escaped or avoided’.
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 5.
What was the reason behind Ali’s unshakeable
faith that he would receive a letter from Miriam
one day?
Answer:-
Ali had immense love and affection for his
daughter. He was also aware of the fact that his
daughter loved him so much. He had faith in
Allah. All this brought conviction in him that he
would receive the letter of his daughter Miriam
one day.
2013
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 6.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
The old man got up, raised his eyes to heaven in
gratitude and stepping forward put his hands to
the door.
Who was the old man?
Why did he raise his eyes to heaven in
gratitude?
Why had the clerk called out his name?
Answer:-
The old man was Coachman Ali.
When the clerk called out his name, he felt that
his Long cherished desire of getting the letter of
his daughter had been fulfilled.
To make fun of Ali and to make the staff of the
post office laugh, the clerk called out Ali’s name.
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 7.
Describe the early morning scene when Ali
visited the post office.
Answer:-
It was early dawn of the winter reason. The stars
were still glowing in the grey sky. The sound of
grinding mills and sweet voices of women
singing at their work were coming from some
houses. The occasional bark of a dog and the
screech of a bird could be heard. The whole
town was wrapped in deathly silence but Ali was
going to the post office.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 8.
One feels other’s pain only when one goes
through it himself/herself. Explain the
postmater’s change of heart in the story ‘The
Letter’ and why it took place.
Answer:-
Coachman Ali used to go to the post office
regularly in the hope of receivingthe letter of his
daughter. He used to sit on the varandah of the
post office. The staff of the post office began to
make fun of him. They also told the postmaster
that Ali was an insane old man who had been
coming to the post office for several months
without any reason. One day, Ali lost his
patience and went to the postmaster to enquire
about the letter of his daughter. The postmaster
lost his temper for this simple reason and began
to reprimand Ali. Neither did he bother about
Ali’s age nor did he realise the significance of
love and affection that Ali had in his heart for his
daughter. He called Ali a pest. He scolded Ali so
badly that Ali’s eyes were filled with tears of
helplessness.
One day, trouble came to the postmaster when
he began to wait for the letter of his own
daughter, who was ill in another town. Seeing an
envelope of the colour and shape he had
expected, he eagerly snatched it up. But it was
the letter of Ali. It was then that he realised the
significance of letter. Till he did not undergo the
same affliction himself, he could not know the
grief of a father.
2012
Snort Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 9.
What were Ali’s reasons for giving up hunting?
Answer:-
After marriage Ali’s daughter went to the Punjab
with her husband. Ali felt pangs of separation
from his daughter. Then he realised that he must
not kill any bird or animal as they would have the
same grief of separation.
Question 10.
Why could Ali not enjoy a sportsman’s pleasure
of hunting any more after Miriam left him?
Answer:-
After the departure of Miriam, Ali began to live in
utter solitude. Having felt the agony of
separation, he began to imagine the grief of
separation in the life of birds and animals that
his hunting caused. He became kind and
sympathetic towards animals and left the grim
business of hunting.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 11.
Rebuked by the postmaster, Ali walks away from
the post office with a heavy heart. That night, he
writes his diary expressing his feelings about the
day’s events and his approaching end.
Answer:-
Monday, 24 August
9 p.m.
What will be the fate of the posterity? Every
member of the society is becoming furious. I did
not harm the postmaster by simply inquiring
about the letter of my daughter. But he began to
rebuke me as if I had committed a crime. I
began to weep. But I did not reply. Allah gave
me courage to tolerate. But he himself is a
father. Why couldn’t he realise the love and
affection of another father that he had in his
heart for his daughter. I will never go to the
postoffice. I have been badly humiliated. I am
nearing my death. Very soon I will depart from
this world. But I am worried about deteriorating
human values. Elderly people must be respected
in society. I am hopeful that good sense will
prevail and elderly people will get the same
respect as they would get in ancient India.
Question 12.
Imagine you are Ali’s daughter Miriam. Write a
letter to a friend expressing your feelings on
learning about your father’s life and death.
Answer:-
23 A Model Town
New Delhi 1100XX
27 August 20XX
Dear Nilufa,
Hope this letter finds you in the best of your
health and spirit. I am writing to you to share my
grief which I feel after knowing about the passing
away of my father. My father was indeed an
epitome of love and sacrifice. After the death 6f
my mother, he played, in my life, the dual role as
mother and father. He left no stone unturned to
bring happiness in my life. But after marriage, I
forgot him for a Long time. He went on waiting
for my letter and tolerated all sorts of humiliation
in the post office. I feel ashamed for remaining
selfish. My father had to struggle a lot and he
dragged his cheerless existence to know about
me before his departure from this world. But my
letter reached there only after the death of my
Abbu. I am repentant and confess my guilt.
I hope that his soul will forgive me.
Convey my regards to elders.
With love.
Yours sincerely
Miriam
2011
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 13.
In the story, ‘The Letter’ the postmaster called
Ali ‘a pest’. Do you find his comment justified?
Explain.
Answer:-
No, the postmaster is not justified. Ali was
indeed an epitome of love and affection. His
fatherly love is applaudable. He went to the
postmaster to enquire about the letter only when
he felt that he would not be able to come to the
post office the next day. The postmaster failed in
measuring the depth of love in Ali’s heart of
hearts.
Question 14.
‘Ali displays qualities of love and patience.’ Give
evidence from the story to support the
statement.
Answer:-
Being ignited by the feeling of love and affection,
Ali would go to the post office regularly. He
never bothered about the heat or cold caused by
others. His love for his daughter gave him
courage to tolerate all sorts of scolding and
humiliation. He used to sit on the varandah of
the post office waiting for the letter. He never
became impatient.
Question 15.
How did the postmaster’s attitude towards Ali
eventually change?
Answer:-
The postmaster humiliated Ali as he failed to
realise the fatherly love of Ali. In the course of
time, he got the news of the illness of his
daughter. He became impatient and snatched a
letter from a clerk thinking it to be the letter of his
daughter. But it was the letter of Miriam. Then he
confessed his guilt and decided to handover the
letter to Ali himself.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 16.
Imagine, Ali writes a letter to one of his friends
about what he does befofre his death. Write that
letter on his behalf.
Answer:-
26C Muradabad
Uttar Pradesh 20XXXX
29 August 20XX
Dear Karim
I hope you are hale and hearty by the grace of
Allah. I am trying to justify the last decision of my
life.
I used to go to the post office to receive the letter
of my daughter. One day, the postmaster
scolded me badly and humiliated publicly. But he
could not kill my desire to receive the letter of my
daughter. When I felt that my death was
approaching nearer and nearer, I decided to
adopt another way of receiving the letter of my
daughter. In the postoffice, there is a descent
clerk named Laxmi Das. I gave him five golden
guineas and asked him to forward the letter of
my daughter to me if it came after my death. I
have faith in Laxmi Das. He will certainly forward
the letter to me. I think that the letter is more
important than the golden guineas. So my
decision is judicious. Now I will depart from this
world with satisfaction. Hope that you will take
care of my daughter as you are my most faithful
friend.
The rest is OK.
Yours lovingly
Ali
A Shady Plot Chapter Wise Important
Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Fiction
2016
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 1.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
I sat staring at it and presently noticed
something just taking shape. It was exactly like
watching one of these moving picture cartoons
being put together.
Who does ‘it’ refer to?
How was ‘it’ taking shape?
What is meant by the word, ‘presently’?
Answer:-
‘It’ refers to the ghost of Helen.
‘It’ was appearing in bits and pieces.
Presently means ‘at that time only’.
Question 2.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“Well, you needn’t be, because I just came to tell
you to stop bothering us for assistance; you ain’t
going to get it. We ’re going on strike! ”
Who is the speaker?
How is ‘you’ bothering ‘us’?
What does the word, ‘assistance’ mean?
Answer:-
The ghost of Helen is the speaker.
‘You’ refers to the aspiring writers who needed
help from the ghosts to write their entires.
The word ‘assistance’ means ‘help’.
Question 3.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
So I went home and set down before my desk
and … waited, but nothing happened. Pretty
soon my mind began to wander off on to other
things.
Who is T?
What did T wait for?
What does the phrase, ‘wander oFF mean?
Answer:-
‘I’ is the protagonist, John Hallock, of the story ‘A
Shady Plot’.
‘I’ waited for an idea of a ghost story to strike his
mind.
‘Wander off’ means ‘roam around aimlessly’.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 4.
What made the writer believe that he was good
at writing ghost stories?
Answer:-
The narrator thought that he was good at writing
ghost stories because his publisher Jenkins
always wanted him to write ghost stories. He told
the narrator that his ghost stories were very well-
received by the audience.
Question 5.
Why did the ghost of Helen come to see John
Hallock?
Answer:-
The Ghost came to see Hallock because the
people on earth were making the lives
of ghosts a hell by calling them every now and
then using Ouija Boards and forcing them to
Answer their Questions. The people had
robbed them off all their joy and amusement and
they couldn’t go haunting people.

Question 6.
Why did the spirit in the Ouija Board call Hallock
a traitor?
Answer:-
The spirit of Helen had come to Hallock with a
request. She wanted him to convince all his
friends and relatives to stop using Ouija Board
and there he himself was using Ouija Board in
the party. So, she called him a traitor.
Question 7.
Why is John’s wife angry and what does she
decide to do?
Answer:-
John’s wife was angry when all the Ouij a boards
in the party called him a traitor and another
name which was called was Helen. Lavinia
thought that her husband was cheating on her
and was going around with a woman named
Helen. She decided to leave him and said that
her lawyer would talk to him.
Question 8.
John Hallock could never displease Jenkins.
Why?
Answer:-
Jenkins was the only publisher who published
John’s books. He wanted John to write books
which had supernatural elements in them. All his
ghost stories were liked by the public. So, John
could never annoy Jenkins.
Question 9.
Why didn’t John want to partner Laura Hinkle at
the Ouija Board party?
Answer:-
John didn’t want to be partner with Laura Hinkle
during the Ouija Board Party because he had
been asked by the ghost to not only stop playing
but also dissuade others. The ghost made it very
clear that only then it would help him write his
ghost story.
Question 10.
What is ‘The Writer’s Inspirational Bureau’ and
what was its protest?
Answer:-
It was a bureau which was started by all the
ghost writers to help the aspiring authors. The
main task of this organisation was to scout
around until a writer without ideas was found.
They would then plant an idea into their
inspirational mind.
Question 11.
Why were Helen and other ghosts unhappy with
the use of Ouija Boards?
Answer:-
Helen and other ghosts were unhappy with the
use of Ouija Boards because they had to be
always on their toes for the Ouija Board fanatics
called them too often to Answer their
Questions. This did not leave them with any
time to amuse themselves by haunting others.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 12.
How does Helen’s appearance in the party make
Lavinia get rid of her superstitious belief in Ouija
Boards?
Answer:-
Helen was quite superstitious and she bought an
Ouija Board from the sale and organised an
Ouija board party. The author was also forced to
participate in the party. All the boards in the
party screamed the author’s name and called
him a traitor. Everyone in the party believed that
the narrator was having an affair with a woman
called Helen. Lavinia was very angry and she
made up her mind to leave the author. But when
Lavinia entered the author’s room and saw
Helen, the ghost, she forgave her husband. She
then told the ghost, she forgave her husband
and told her maid to burn the Ouija Boards in the
kitchen fire.
2015
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 13.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“Well, you needn’t be, because Ijust came to tell
you to stop bothering us for assistance; you ain’t
going to get it. We ’re going on strike!”
Who speaks these words and to whom?
What was the ‘bothering’ that was denied?
What does the word ‘bothering’ mean?
Answer:-
Helen, the ghost, speaks these words to John
Hallock.
Assistance for providing ideas for writing ghost
stories was denied.
The word ‘bothering’ means ‘worrying’ or
‘troubling oneself’.
Question 14.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow: ”
I only waved denial and gurgled in my throat.
She went on “It’s bad enough to have you flirt
over the Ouija board with that hussy—. ”
What was John denying?
What does the word ‘hussy’ mean?
Why did Lavinia think that John was flirting?
Answer:-
John was denying his love affair with Helen.
The word ‘hussy’ means an impudent or immoral
girl or woman.
Every Ouija board was telling that John was a
traitor who had deceived a lady named Helen.
Question 15.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
And I had never found it healthy to contradict
Jenkins. Jenkins always seemed to have an
uncanny knowledge as to when the landlord or
the grocer was pestering me, and he dunned me
for a ghost. And somehow I’d always been able
to dig one up for him, so I’d begun to get a bit
cocky as to my ability.
Why couldn’t John contradict Jenkins?
What did John ‘dig up’ for Jenkins?
What does the word ‘cocky’ mean?
Answer:-
Jenkins was the only publisher who used to
publish whatever was written by John. Moreover,
John was in dire need of money at that time.
John dug up ideas for writing ghost stories.
The word ‘cocky’ means ‘overconfident’.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 16.
How did ‘The Writer’s Inspiration Bureau’
function?
Answer:-
Those writers who faced difficulties in gathering
ideas for writing ghost stories
organised ‘The Writer’s Inspiration Bureau’.
They moved around until they found a writer
without ideas and with a mind soft enough to
accept impression. Then, the case was brought
to the attention of the main office, and one of
them was assigned to it. When that case was
finished they would bring in a report.
Question 17.
What does the ghost mean when it says, ‘It is all
your fault’?
Answer:-
The ghost means to say that she requested her
to persuade the people to stop the use of the
Ouija board. But in his own house his wife has
arranged an Ouija party. The ghost remains
busy Answering the Questions asked by the
people using Ouija boards. It is the violation of
the promise and John is bound to suffer.
Question 18.
Why had John forgotten about Lavinia’s
message?
Answer:-
At that moment John wanted to conceal Helen
from Lavinia because he knew that Lavinia was
too sensitive to bear the presence of a ghost in
her house. So he gave priority to the act of
concealing Helen.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 19.
How does the lesson. ‘A Shady Plot’ remind us
that man has no right to invoke supernatural
powers through Ouija boards, Tarot cards, etc.
to solve his problems and that one should face
life boldly and overcome difficulties using wit and
intelligence. Write in 80-100 words.
Answer:-
Man must honour the balance between earthly
creatures and supernatural power as it has been
made by Nature. He has no right to intrude into
the placid world of the ghosts. Compelling the
ghosts to Answer the Questions using Ouija
board is an immoral activity. They don’t get time
to take rest, nor do they get time for recreation.
In this scientific world man is not supposed to
believe in ghosts. God has given man immense
power of thinking and made him next to Him.
Man must have confidence of solving all sorts of
problems instead of hankering after superstitions
and antiquated ideas. Using his wit and courage
he himself can do wonders.
2014
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 20.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“I hadn’t the shade of an idea, but at the time
that didn’t worry me in the least. You see, I had
often been like that before ”
Who is ‘I’? What did he not have an idea about?
Why was he not worried?
What had actually happened earlier to make
things right for him?
Answer:-
There stands for John Hallock. He had no idea
about writing a ghost story
He was not worried because he was
overconfident that idea would come to him
mysteriously as it had come to him on a previous
occasion.
While he was struggling for an idea for writing a
ghost story it came to him abruptly and
mysteriously. Then he became successful in
writing a ghost story for the magazine of
Jenkins.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 21.
Why did John’s wife get angry with him? What
did she decide to do?
Answer:-
John’s wife came to know that her husband had
fallen in love with a lady named Helen. She
decided to leave John’s house and take legal
action against him using her lawyer.
Question 22.
At one stage in the story, John wishes that he
were dead. Why?
Answer:-
John found himself in a vicious cycle. His
publisher was putting pressure to write
the ghost story as soon as possible. Helen was
not going to help him in writing the story. His
wife had the confusion that her husband had
fallen in love with Helen. She had warned him
that she would divorce him. The maid servant
was going to leave the house of John. Under this
situation, John wished that he were dead.
Question 23.
What made the writer believe that he was good
at writing ghost stories and how was it
disproved?
Answer:-
A ghost story had been the first fiction that the
author had written. As it was liked by the
readers, Jenkins called on him whenever he
wanted a ghost story for his magazine. It was
disapproved when he felt that idea had not been
coming to him despite his incessant endeavour.
2013
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 24.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“I have come to tell you that I am leaving, ” she
staccatoed.
“Oh, yes, yes!” I agreed, flapping my arms about
to attract attention from the comer.
Who is the ‘she’ referred to here?
Why had she decided to leave?
Why did her husband behave in a strange
manner?
Answer:-
The word ‘she’ here refers to Lavinia, the wife of
John Hallock.
She came to know that her husband had love
affair with Helen. She could not tolerate it and
decided to leave John’s house.
At that time Helen was in his room. He did not
want Lavinia to see Helen. Moreover, Lavinia
was going to leave his house.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 25.
Why does Lavinia feel that the Ouija board
would help her husband?
Answer:-
Answer:-
Lavinia has seen her husband struggling for
getting ideas for writing a ghost story. She thinks
that her husband will be able to talk to ghosts
using an Ouija board and then he will have
sufficient ideas for writing a ghost story.
Question 26.
Who formed the ‘Writer’s Inspiration Bureau’?
Why was it formed?
Answer:-
In her previous life, Helen was confused as a
writer she hardly got ideas to write stories. In her
ghost life she found others who had suffered
similarly and they together formed ‘the Writer’s
Inspiration Bureau’. It was formed to help a
writer without ideas and with a mind soft enough
to accept impression.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 27.
What does Helen, the ghost, demand from John
Hallock? Why does she do so?
Answer:-
Helen was the member of ‘The Writer’s
Inspiration Bureau’. She had to go to the writers
with no idea of writing ghost stories to help them.
For this purpose only, she came to John. She
explained her problem saying that she and other
ghosts had to respond to the Questions asked
by the people using Ouija boards. All the ghosts
had to work even at odd times and for Longer
time. They had no time for their own
entertainment. Expressing her problems, she
began to weep.
Helen requested the author to persuade the
people to stop using Ouija boards using his own
influence. If he did so, she would help him by
providing ideas for writing a ghost story. If Helen
succeeded in her mission, she and other ghosts
would lead a peaceful life. So for getting rid of
her problems as well as the problems of the
other ghosts, she showed her eagerness to help
John and get his help.
Question 28.
What problems did Helen, the ghost, cause in
John Hallock’s life?
Answer:-
Helen came to John to get rid of her own
problems. So she showed her eagerness to help
John in writing a ghost story. In return, she
wanted John’s help. John had to persuade the
people to stop the use of Ouija boards. So John
and Helen promised to help each other. But
John’s wife arranged a Ouija board party in her
house. It was the violation of the promise made
by John. So when the party was going on Helen
appeared and called John a traitor. It was
wrongly interpreted by everyone and John felt
humiliated as everybody blamed that he had
fallen in love with Helen. His wife warned John
that she was going to leave his house and
divorce him very soon.
The maid servant was also going to leave his
house. John was already in extreme stress as
the publisher was putting pressure on him to
write the ghost story and John was unable to
have any idea for writing the same. So we can
say that Helen was the root cause of the various
problems being faced by John Hallock.
Question 29.
As Lavinia, John Hallock’s wife, write a letter to
your sister on Helen, the ghost and how you
misunderstood your husband.
Answer:-
182 Z Block
G.K.9
New Delhi
15 June 20XX
Dear Robinia
Hope this letter finds you in the pink of health. I
am going to explain how I misunderstood my
gentle husband who has been so loyal to me
since our marriage.
Recently, I arranged an Ouijaboard party and
invited many couples. When itwas going on a
lady appeared on all the Ouija boards and
started calling my husband a traitor. I felt so bad
as I was publicly humiliated. All the couples were
saying that my husband had fallen in love with a
lady named Helen and he deceived her later on.
The ignominy became so intolerable for me that
I decided to leave the house of my husband and
divorce him.
My eyes were opened the next day when the
reality came before my eyes. I saw that Helen
was so ugly. She was a ghost. So there was no
Question of love affair between her and my
husband. As he knew that I would be extremely
afraid to see a ghost he always hid her from me
and never told me about her arrival. So I was
mistaken and doubted my loyal husband. Now I
am repenting for what I did.
Convey my regards to elders and love to
children.
With heaps of love.
Yours lovingly
Lavinia
2012
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 30.
Read the following extract and Answer the
Question that follow:
“It’s those Ouija board fanatics. There was a
time when we had nothing much to occupy us
and used to haunt a little on the side, purely for
amusement, but not any more. ”
Who is the speaker? Who is being addressed?
What is the speaker’s complaint?
What is a Ouija board?
Answer:-
Helen is the speaker. She is explaining her
problems to John.
The speaker complains that the ghosts don’t get
time for amusement as they have to respond to
the Questions of the Ouija board fanatics.
It is a board on which the letters of the alphabet
are marked. Answers to Questions are spelt
out by a pointer or glass held by the fingertips of
the participants and are supposedly formed by
spiritual forces.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 31.
Why did the ghost want people to stop using the
Ouija board?
Answer:-
The number of the Ouija board fanatics had
increased alarmingly. The ghosts were facing a
lot of problems. They had to Answer the
Questions of the people anytime. They had no
time for their amusement. Previously they had
sufficient time to haunt people. Their life had
became so pathetic that Helen began to weep
while she was explaining her miseries to John.
Question 32.
Why was John surprised at Lavinia’s reaction on
seeing the ghost?
Answer:-
John was of the view that Lavinia would faint
after seeing a ghost. But when John saw that
Lavinia was looking at the apparition, he became
surprised. Lavinia also fell forgivingly into the
arms of John though she had warned John that
she would leave his house and divorce him. The
drastic change in Lavinia was indeed a startling
fact for John.
Question 33.
Why was John not worried when Jenkins asked
him for a ghost story?
Answer:-
John had been writing ghost stories for several
years. It was an easy piece of work for him. He
impressed Jenkins first time by writing a ghost
story. Since then whenever Jenkins assigned
John the task of writing a ghost story, ideas for
writing the same would come to him without
making much effort. Like previous occasions he
was sure that he would have no difficulty in
writing a ghost story.
Question 34.
‘We’re going on strike!’ Explain the context.
Answer:-
When John was facing problems in writing a
ghost story, Helen was sent to him by ‘The
Writer’s Inspiration Bureau’ to help him. But she
explained the problems of the ghosts and said
that the ghosts were fed up with the excessive
use of the Ouija boards by the people. They
were going on strike and they would not help
anyone in writing ghost stories. So she
requested John to persuade the people to stop
the use of Ouija boards. She warned further that
the ghosts would go on strike if the use of the
Ouija boards continued.
Question 35.
Why did John Hallock’s wife decide to leave
him?
Answer:-
Lavinia, the wife of John Hallock, came to know
from the users of the Ouija boards that John had
fallen in love with a lady named Helen. When the
Ouija party was going on in the house of Lavinia,
she felt very much humiliated and took it as a
severe offence on the part of John, she could
not tolerate the ignominy and decided to leave
John for good.
Question 36.
Why did John want his wife to get rid of the Ouija
board she had bought?
Answer:-
John had to write a ghost story for Jenkins. He
had been facing problems in getting ideas for
writing the same. One evening, Helen came and
promised to help him in writing a ghost story on
one condition. The condition was that John had
to persuade the people to stop the use of the
Ouija board. John promised Helen that he would
persuade the people. Then if John’s wife used
an Ouija board it would be the violation of the
promise made by John.
Question 37.
Why did John Hallock try to prevent Lavinia from
seeing the ghost?
Answer
John was well aware of the nature of Lavinia.
According to him, Lavinia was very sensitive
who would say boo even on seeing a mouse in
her room. It would be a very terrifying and
shocking experience for Lavinia, if she saw a
ghost in her house. So John thought that Lavinia
would faint on seeing a ghost. Under this
situation, John thought it his moral duty to
prevent Lavinia from seeing the ghost.
Question 38.
John’s apprehension about his wife’s reaction to
the encounter with the ghost is unfounded.
Justify.
Answer:-
John was of the view that Lavinia would faint on
seeing a ghost. Whenever Helen came to John,
he tried to prevent Lavinia from seeing her.
When Helen came last time, Lavinia managed to
see Helen but she didn’t faint. She bagan to
smile. Later, she talked to Helen. So she was
quite normal. Hence, the apprehension of John
was indeed unfounded.
Question 39.
Why did the ghost come to meet John and what
did she announce?
Answer:-
When John was facing problems in writing a
ghost story, Helen was sent to him by
‘The Writer’s Inspiration Bureau’ to help him. But
she explained the problems of the ghosts and
said that the ghosts were fed up with the
excessive use of the Ouija boards by the people.
They were going on strike and they would not
help anyone in writing ghost stories. So she
requested John to persuade the people to stop
the use of Ouija boards. She warned further that
the ghosts would go on strike if the use of the
Ouija boards continued.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 40.
How did the ‘Ouija board party’ prove disastrous
for John Hallock?
Answer:-
In the Ouija board party, several couples had
been invited by Lavinia. As Mrs Laura Hinkle
was without her husband, Lavinia requested her
husband to use the Ouija board aLong with Mrs
Hinkle. All of a sudden, a piece of news spread
in the party that Mr. John had fallen in love with
a lady named Helen. As he deceived her, she
was calling him a traitor. Some ladies in the
party tried their level best to make Lavinia know
the rumor that had spread. It was a very
humiliating experience for John. Lavinia doubted
the loyalty of her husband and warned that she
would leave his house and divorce him. Gentle
and loyal John was unable to prove himself
innocent. He was of the view that Lavinia would
faint if she came to know that Helen was a
ghost. Later, the maid servant also announced
that she was going to leave the house. On the
other side, Helen was angry thinking that John
had not kept his promises as the Ouija party was
organised in his house. So she would not help
John in writing a ghost story. His publisher
Jenkins was putting pressure on him to write the
ghost story as soon as possible and John was
unable to get ideas for writing a ghost story. So
the Ouija board party proved so disastrous for
John.
Patol Babu, Film Star Chapter Wise
Important Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Fiction
2016
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 1.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“This is only the first step on the ladder, my dear
better-half! Yes. the first that would…..
God willing….. mark the rise to fame and fortune
of your beloved husband!”
What was “the first step on the ladder”?
What characteristic does the speaker display
here?
What does the word, ‘fortune’ mean?
Answer:-
The first step was the break in the film, which he
had got.
The speaker’s overconfidence is displayed here.
The word ‘fortune’ means ‘luck’.
Question 2.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh… ’’Patol Babu began giving
the exclamation a different inflection each time
he uttered it. After doing it a number of times he
made an astonishing discovery.
Why did Patol Babu repeat the word, ‘oh’ over
and over again ?
What ‘astonishing discovery’ did he make ?
What does the word, ‘uttered’ mean ?
Answer:-
Patol Babu repeated the word ‘Oh’ over and
over again to bring ofit different meanings of the
word.
He made that the single word ‘Oh’ could be
spoken with different inflections and when
spoken in a different manner it conveyed a
different meaning.
‘Uttered’ means ‘spoke’.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 3.
Why does Patol Babu’s wife tell him that he is
counting his ‘chickens before they’re hatched’ ?
Answer:-
Patol Babu broke the news about his acting
debut in a movie. He told his wife that it would
be his first step to rise to fame and fortune. But
his wife knew that Patol Babu always used to get
overenthusiastic even before anything concrete
happened. So she told him not to count the
chicks before the eggs hatched.
Question 4.
What did Gogon Pakrashi teach Patol Babu?
Answer:-
Gogon Pakrashi was Patol Babu’s mentor. He
was a wonderful actor without a trace of vanity in
him. He told Patol Babu that whatever part he
was offered he should never consider it beneath
his dignity. He told him to squeeze the essence
of every dialogue and serve it to the audience.
Question 5.
What idea did Patol Babu have while
rehearsing? What was the director’s reaction?
Answer:-
Patol Babu got an idea that he should hold a
newspaper in his hands to make the scene more
effective. He also suggested that he should wear
moustache in the scene. Both his suggestions
were accepted by the director.
Question 6.
What attention did Patol Babu pay to the minor
role he played in the movie ?
Answer:-
Patol Babu was given only a minor role in the
film, as a pedestrian, who was to collide into the
main actor Chanchal Kumar and utter a
monosyllabic sound “oh”. But his passion for the
job drove him hard and he rehearsed for that
single word many a time. He discovered that
each time he pronounced the word it came out
differently and conveyed a different meaning. He
suggested the director that he should hold a
newspaper in his hand and also wear a
moustache to look more authentic. He ultimately
delivered the role to his utmost satisfaction.
Question 7.
What good news did Patol Babu receive at the
start of the day?
Answer:-
Patol Babu received the news that one of
Nishikanto Babu’s brothers-in-law who was
involved into film-making was looking for a bald,
middle-aged man for a role in the film.
Nishikanto Babu being Patol Babu’s neighbour
and friend had suggested his name to them.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 8.
Naresh Dutt was surprised to see that Patol
Babu was so much satisfied with his
performance that he did not wait to get his
payment. Comment.
Answer:-
Patol Babu was a meticulous man for whom
acting was a passion and not a job. He had got
only a monosyllabic dialogue ‘oh’ to utter in his
movie. He practised hard for his role and
executed it to the perfection. He was happy with
his performance and even the director and the
leading actor praised his performance. Patol
Babu thought that film people would not realise
the importance of the hard work done by him. He
felt that taking money for the small part he
performed will be trivialising his performance. He
was a passionate actor to whom creative
satisfaction mattered more than money. That
made Naresh Dutt a little surprised.
Question 9.
Who was Mr. Pakrashi and how did he instil the
value of being true to one’s work in Patol Babu ?
Answer:-
Mr. Prakashi was the mentor and guru of Patol
Babu. He always told Patol Babu whatever small
part he was offered he should never consider it
below his dignity to accept it. As an artist his aim
should be to make the most of the opportunity
and squeeze the last drop of meaning of his
lines. When Patol Babu was given only a single
dialogue ‘oh’ to utter, he thought of quitting. But
when the worcjs of wisdom of his mentor echoed
in his ears, he came to term with the small,role.
He did it so well that everyone was all praise for
Patal Babu. He did it with committment and
perfection.
2015
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 10.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Were these people pulling his leg? Was the
whole thing a gigantic hoax? A meek, harmless
man like him, and they had to drag hirp into the
middle of the city to make a laughing -tock out of
him.
Who is the speaker?
Why does he think that he is being made a
‘laughing stock’?
What does the word ‘hoax’ mean?
Answer:-
Patol Babu is the speakerj
Patol Babu has been given a monosyllabic
exclamation as his dialogue.
The word ‘hoax’ means ‘a humorous or
malacious deception’.
Question 11.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Patol Babu suddenly felt that he could write a
whole thesis on that one monosyllabic
exclamation. Why had he felt so disheartened
when this single word contained a gold-mine of
meaning?
Why was Patol Babu disheartened?
Which was the word that contained a ‘gold-
mine’?
What does the word ‘monosyllabic’ mean?
Answer:-
Patol Babu felt that he would not be able to
show his talent as he had been given a
monosyllabic exclamation as his dialogue.
The word was ‘oh’.
The word ‘monosyllabic’ means ‘a word of one
syllable’.
Question 12.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
It is true that he needed money very badly, but
what was twenty rupees when measured against
the intense satisfaction of a small job done with
perfection and dedication?
Why was Patol Babu badly in need of money?
What was the small job which gave him intense
satisfaction?
What does the word ‘measured’ mean in the
above context?
Answer:-
Patol Babu was unemployed for a Long time. .
It was the job of performing his role of a
pedestrian in a film.
In the above context the word ‘measured’ means
‘ascertained the extent of (a thing) by
comparison with a fixed unit’.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 13.
How did Patol Babu lose his job in Calcutta?
Answer:-
Patol Babu joined a clerical post with Hudson
and Kimberley in Calcutta. He also got a flat in
Nepal Bhattachaiji Lane. His life was going on
smoothly. The 2nd World War began in 1939. It
affected his employment. He was retrenched
from his job.
Question 14.
Why did the dialogue given to him disappoint
Patol Babu?
Answer:-
He was of the view that he would get a good role
in the film. He would have a big speaking part.
But when he was given his role on a piece of
paper it contained only one monosyllabic sound
‘oh!’. He thought that he had been humiliated
Question 15.
What was the role offered to Patol Babu?
Answer:-
Patol Babu was offered a role in a film by a man
named Naresh Dutt. It was the role of a
pedestrian. He had to be an absent-minded and
Short-tempered person. As per the role he had
to collide with the hero of the film.
Question 16.
What advice had Mr Pakrashi given to Patol
Babu?
Answer:-
Mr Pakrashi was the mentor and guru of Patol
Babu. He had advised him that each word of a
dialogue was just like a fruit of a tree. An actor
should pluck that fruit and give its essence to the
audience. The quality of the performance should
matter.
Question 17.
Why had Nishikanto Ghost came to Patol Babu’s
house?
Answer:-
Nishikanto Ghosh met his brother-in-law, Mr
Naresh Dutt at a Chemist’s shop.
He was working in a film and was in need of a
person who could play the role of a pedestrian.
Whatsoever description of the character he had
given matched Patol Babu. So Nishikanto Ghosh
came to Patol Babu to intimate him that his
brother- in-law would come to him with that offer.
Question 18.
Why does Sosanko say that Patol Babu was a
lucky actor?
Answer:-
Mr. Baren Mullick was a famous director of films
at that time. Only lucky people would get a role
in his films. Speaking part was given to only a
few persons. Hundreds of people would remain
silent as per the role. On the day Patol Babu
was given a monosyllabic sound as a dialogue
even the hero of the film Mr Chanchal Kumar
had no speaking role. That’s why Sosanko says
that Patol Babu was a lucky actor.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 19.
Patience and hard work go a Long way in
achieving your goals. How does Patol Babu win
the admiration of the director through a very
small role ? Write in 80-100 words.
Answer:-
Patol Babu was offered the role of a pedestrian
in a film. He had expected to get a speaking
part. He took it as an opportunity to prove his
skill. But he was disappointed to see his role as
it was a monosyllabic exclamation. He became
angry to think that he had been humiliated. Then
he recalled the precious advice of his mentor, Mr
Pakrashi, his guru who would say that a real
actor should take each word of his role like a
fruit of a tree and then he should pluck it and
serve the essence of the word to the audience.
Using his patience he made himself calm and
composed. Then he contemplated deeply and
found that he had an ability to write a thesis on
it. He started his rehearsal. He gave the director
the valuable suggestion of reading a newspaper
at the time of collision. Instead of the two
components suggested by the director he added
three components in his exclamation. Thus, he
proved that patience and hard work played an
important role in achieving his goals.
2014
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 20.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
‘Oh yes. I must say I was quite taken aback.
After so many years’.
Who is the speaker of the above lines?
What offer was made to the speaker?
Which quality of the speaker is highlighted in this
extract?
Answer:-
Patol Babu is the speaker.
He was given the offer of playing the role of a
pedestrian in a film.
Enthusiasm.
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 21.
How do we know that Patol Babu was a
dedicated actor?
Answer:-
When Patol Babu was given the offer of playing
the role of a pedestrian in a film he started his
preparation immediately. He reached Faraday
House in time. After getting his role he became
sad. But using his patience he controlled his
emotions and started the rehearsal work. He
continued it for a Long time. Applying his
innovative idea he gave suggestion to Baren
Mullick. Ultimately, he proved his ability.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 22.
“Counting your chickens again before they’re
hatched, are you? No wonder you could never
make a go of it. ”
As soon as Patol Babu gets the offer of a role in
the film, he starts daydreaming of the success,
money and fame he will achieve. Unfortunately it
does not work out in that way. Write a speech in
120-150 words for the morning assembly on the
topic—Dream big, but follow it up with action.
Answer:-
Good Morning!
Resppcted Principal Sir/Madam, Vice Principal,
teachers and all dear colleagues. Today I am
going to throw light on the topic ‘Dream big, but
follow it up with action’. The mere imagination of
any success gives us immense pleasure. It is
good to dream big. But meticulous endeavours
must be started from the very day that one has
the dream. You must have heard that one must
deserve first before one desires.
Have you ever heard about a man who has
become successful just by having a big dream?
A big dream is a motivating factor. It makes one
ready to commence one’s hard work. There
must be proper introspection of the efforts after
certain interval. For achieving goal one must be
sagacious, diligent apd patient. There must be
indomitable spirit in the individual. Man should
dream once but continue his effort regularly. It is
known that everybody will share our success but
nobody will share our failures. Keeping this fact
in mind we must continue our efforts
meticulously till the big dream seen by us
becomes true.
Thanks
2013

Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 23.
Read the extract, given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
‘What are you saying, Grandpa? You think that’s
nothing? Why, this is a regular speaking part!
Who is the speaker?
Who is referred to as ‘Grandpa’?
What does the speaker mean by ‘a regular
speaking part’?
Answer:-
Sosanko is the speaker. ,
Patol Babu is referred to as ‘Grandpa’.
The speaking part usually done by the actors on
regular basis.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 24.
What was Patol Babu’s role in Baren Mullick’s
film?
Answer:-
Baren Mullick was the director of a film. As per
the requirement of the film he
wanted to have a Short and bald-headed person
to play the role of a Short-tempered pedestrian.
This offer was given to Patol Babu by Naresh
Dutt, who was also an employee of the film
division.
Question 25.
What unexpected news does Patol Babu receive
early one morning?
Answer:-
Patol Babu was passing through financial
problems. After performing many jobs and
running a business he was facing the problem of
unemployment. One early morning, Nisikanto
Ghosh of the same colony visited the house of
Patol Babu and gave him the news that his
brother-in-law was working in a film and he
would come to his house with an offer of playing
the role of a Short-tempered pedestrian in a
film.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 26.
Patol Babu always remembered the words of his
mentor that one has to accept whatever is
offered and make the best of any opportunity.
Write abetter to a friend telling him about the
value of hard work and the art of putting in your
best. Write the Answer in 120-150 words.
Answer:-
21Z, G.K.7
New Delhi 1100XX 7 October 20XX
Dear Mohanto
There is no substitute to hard work. I have heard
this sentence so many times. But today I have
realised the practical significance of this
statement.
I was given the role of a pedestrian in a film. I
was very excited as I got an opportunity to prove
my ability. I was eager to know my dialogue well
in advance so that I could start my rehearsal
properly. But I was shocked to know that I had to
utter only a monosyllabic exclamation, ‘Oh’. I
became very angry and decided to leave the
place.
In the meantime, the precious advice of my
mentor, Mr Gogon Pakrashi, came to my mind.
He used to say that a true actor should make the
best use of any opportunity. An actor must not
bother about the size of the role. He should take
the essence of the word and serve it to the
audience. . Recalling all this I was charged with
a new energy. Using my patience I started my
rehearsal and gave my best. Even a great film
director like Baren Mullick appreciated me.
Now I have realised the immense significance of
the two tools of human life. By dint of hard work
and patience even the impossible can be made
possible.
With immense love
Your affectionately
Patol
Question 27.
“Jolly good! Why, you’re quite an actor.” What
are the difficulties that Patol Babu undergoes to
earn these words of appreciation form the
director of the film?
Answer:-
Patol Babu was taken aback to see his dialogue.
He felt that they had deliberately humiliated an
old man publicly. He became so angry that he
decided that he would not play his role. In the
meantime he recalled the motivating advice of
his guru and started pondering over the
monosyllabic exclamation. Then he went to a
lonely place and started rehearsal. An innovative
idea came to him that he must be reading a
newspaper at the time of collision. This idea was
liked by Baren Mullick. He permitted Patol Babu
to do so. To make his role effective he mixed
three components of emotions in pronouncing
the sound ‘oh’ instead of the two components
suggested by his director, It was his desire to get
the applause of the audience that he became
ready to tolerate ignominy and sufferings of the
rehearsal. He also gave a message that one is
sure to come across obstacles on one’s way to
success.
Question 28.
Pick up instances from the story to show that
Patol Babu was a good actor.
Answer:-
Right from his youth Patol Babu had proved that
he had all the qualities of a good actor. While
working in a local theatre he started his role as a
dead soldier. Developing his skill he came to a
high position in the theatre and started playing
main role in the drama. The audience was so
impressed that they began to come only to see
the role of Patol Babu. His name was given in
bold letter in the poster of the drama.
Patol Babu surpassed all the characters when
he was offered the role of a pedestrian in a film.
He prepared for it so nicely that he performed it
in a splertdid manner. Even the director had to
accept his valuable advice of reading a
newspaper at the time of collision. As an actor
his greatest quality was his sacrifice that he
made after playing his role. Though the family
was passing through financial crunch he left the
place without taking his remuneration. From the
aforesaid instances it is quite conspicuous that
Patol Babu was an excellent actor.
Question 29.
How did Patol Babu prove that money was
nothing when compared to the satisfaction of
doing a job with perfection and dedication?
Answer:-
Patol Babu was an unemployed man. He had
lost his job and did not succeed as a
businessman. His family was facing financial
problems. It was difficult for him to run his family
as he had no source of income.
After getting the offer of a role of a pedestrian in
a film Patol Babu got a ray of hope to improve
his financial condition. But he possessed the
latent qualities of a true actor. When he got his
role he became dejected. But very soon he
reconciled with the situation and started
meticulous preparation. Owing to his diligence
and patience he prepared himself for the role so
nicely that he gave a splendid performance and
won the applause of everyone including the
great director Baren Mullick. He felt spiritual
pleasure as he had done the job with perfection
and dedication. After that he did not bother
about the remuneration though he was in dire
need of money.
2012
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 30.
What was the role offered to Patol Babu?
Answer:-
Baren Mullick was the director of a film. As per
the requirement of the film he wanted to have a
Short and bald-headed person to play the role
of a Short-tempered pedestrian. This offer was
given to Patol Babu by Naresh Dutt, who was
also an employee of the film division.
Question 31.
How does Jyoti explain the crucial shot to Patol
Babu ?
Answer:-
Putting his hand on the shoulder of Patol Babu
Jyoti explains him how he has to perform his
role. He informs Patol Babu that in the film the
hero Chanchal Kumar is a young executive who
has got the news of embezzlement in his office.
So Chanchal Kumar comes to find out the fact.
He comes out of the car and rushes to his office.
Just then he collides with an absent-minded
pedestrian and Patol Babu has to play the role of
that pedestrian.
Question 32.
How did Mr. Pakrashi help Patol Babu in
enacting his role well?
Answer:-
Mr Pakrashi was the mentor and guru of Patol
Babu. He had advised him that each word of a
dialogue was just like a fruit of a tree. An actor
should pluck that fruit and give its essence to the
audience. The quality of the performance should
matter.
Question 33.
Why did Patol Babu leave Calcutta?
Answer:-
Patol Babu joined a clerical post with Hudson
and Kimberley in Calcutta. He also got a flat in
Nepal Bhattachaiji Lane. His life was going on
smoothly. The 2nd World War began in 1939. It
affected his employment. He was retrenched
from his job.
Question 34.
What did Sosanko mean when he said that Patol
Babu was lucky?
Answer:-
Mr. Baren Mullick was a famous director of films
at that time. Only lucky people would get a role
in his films. Speaking part was given to only a
few persons. Hundreds of people would remain
silent as per the role. On the day Patol Babu
was given a monosyllabic sound as a dialogue
even the hero of the film Mr Chanchal Kumar
had no speaking role. That’s why Sosanko says
that Patol Babu was a lucky actor.
Question 35.
“Counting your chickens before they are
hatched.” Who says these words and when?
Answer:-
These words are said by fhe wife of Patol Babu.
Patol Babu has got an offer of playing the role of
a pedestrian in a film. He gets it when he is
unemployed and is in dire need of a job. He
thinks that this opportunity of playing a role will
provide him a ladder to excel in the field of film.
Then he will have sufficient money, name and
fame. He starts making castle in the air then his
wife tells him this sentence.
Question 36.
‘Well, at least he had gathered some useful
information.’ What was the information gathered
by Patol Babu?
Answer:-
Patol Babu had already apprised his wife that he
was going to play a role in a film. But when he
came to the shooting site he was totally unaware
of the details of the characters of the film. A man
standing beside him gave him two important
pieces of information about the film viz. the
name of the director and the name of the hero of
the film in which he was going to play his role.
Now he was in a position to give Answer to two
important Questions pertaining to the film to be
asked by his wife on his return.
Question 37.
What was Patol Babu’s role in the film?
Answer:-
Patol Babu was offered a role in a film by a man
named Naresh Dutt. It was the role of a
pedestrian. He had to be an absent-minded and
Short-tempered person. As per the role he had
to collide with the hero of the film.
Question 38.
Who was Gogon Pakrashi and what was his
teaching to Patol Babu?
Answer:-
Mr Pakrashi was the mentor and guru of Patol
Babu. He had advised him that each word of a
dialogue was just like a fruit of a tree. An actor
should pluck that fruit and give its essence to the
audience. The quality of the performance should
matter.
Question 39.
Why does Patol Babu walk away before he can
be paid for his role? What does this reveal about
his character?
Answer:-
Patol Babu possesses all the virtues of a good
actor. He is a born actor who gets pleasure by
performing his role with utter devotion and
dedication. He has whim for the applause of his
audience. For playing his role of a pedestrian he
tolerates ignominy and undergoes hardships.
But when he gets the applause of the director as
well as other characters present on the shooting
site he becomes extremely happy. Then he does
not bother about the amount of the
remuneration. It shows that he is an actor of
sacrificing nature.
Question 40.
What did Nishikanto Ghosh tell Patol Babu one
morning?
Answer:-
Nishikanto Ghosh met his brother-in-law, Mr
Naresh Dutt at a Chemist’s shop.
He was working in a film and was in need of a
person who could play the role of a pedestrian.
Whatsoever description of the character he had
given matched Patol Babu. So Nishikanto Ghosh
came to Patol Babu to intimate him that his
brother- in-law would come to him with that offer.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 41.
“That’s odd – the man hadn’t been paid yet.
What a strange fellow!” What traits of Patol Babu
make him a strange fellow?
Answer:-
Naresh Dutt speaks these sentences. He visited
the house of Patol Babu to give him the offer of
playing the role of pedestrian in a film. He saw
two things — the bad economic condition of the
family as well as the extreme desire of Patol
Babu to play a role in a film. But when Patol
Babu played the role, Naresh Dutt asked him to
wait for a few minutes so that he could pay him
the remuneration. After playing his role with
perfection and dedication Patol Babu got so
much satisfaction that he did not bother about
the ar mnt that he had expected as his
remuneration. He got spiritual pleasure and was
in the seventh heaven. He measured the value
of twenty rupees against his intense satisfaction
and found the latter so important that he decided
to leave the place without taking his
remuneration. When Naresh Dutt came back he
found that Patol Babu had already left the place
without taking his remuneration. He was taken
aback. Naresh Dutt realised the sacrificing
attitude of a poor actor like Patol Babu and he
called him a strange fellow.
Virtually True Chapter Wise Important
Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Fiction
2016
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 1.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
A real message from the real Sebastian Shultz.
We both knew that by reliving the accident,
something wonderful had happened.
Who is the narrator?
What accident’s he referring to?
Write the antonym for the word, ‘wonderful’.
Answer:-
The narrator is the boy ‘Michael’.
The accident in which ‘Sebastian Shultz’ lost his
memory and entered into comma.
The antonyms for the word ‘wonderful’ are
‘dreadful’, ‘awful’.
Question 2.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Answering a reporter’s Question as to what the
family was going to do next,
Mr. Shultz said that they were off to stock up on
some games. “It was while we were in the
hospital, someone stole the lot. I don’t know
what happened to them. ”
Why was Shultz in the hospital ?
What happened to the games after they were
stolen ?
What does the phrase, ‘stock up’ mean ?
Answer:-
Mr. Shultz was in the hospital because his son
Sebastian Shultz was in a critical stage.
They were sold at a fair and Michael and his
father bought them,
The phrase ‘stock up’ means to fill up.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 3.
Why was Michael shocked when he read the
name Sebastian Shultz in a newspaper?
Answer:-
Michael was shocked when he read the name
Sebastian Shultz in the newspaper because
Sebastian Shultz was a character in the virtual
reality game and he had rescued him. It meant it
was not a game character but a real human.
Question 4.
What sort of person was Michael’s dad ?
Answer:-
Michael’s dad was nutty about computers. He
was a gadget freak. He visited the computer fair
and purchased virtual reality visor and glove and
a handful of the latest interactive psycho-drive
games.
Question 5.
How was Shultz finally rescued by Michael ?
Answer:-
Michael played four games. He first played the
game the ‘Wildwest’ and lost the
first game. He then played the, second game the
‘Dragon Quest’. But in that game also Sebastian
was killed. He then played the ‘Jail Break’ but
there also Michael was unable to rescue
Sebastian. In the last game ‘Warzone’ Michael
hit jackpot and was able to rescue Sebastian.
Question 6.
What does the narrator mean when he says,
‘Sebastian Shultz was the game’ ?
Answer:-
It mean tnat Sebastian shultz was a wonderful
player. Being a player in the virtual reality game,
he played to the best of his capabilities. He was
an enthusiastic player. He fought till the end and
was ultimately rescued.
Question 7.
How was Shultz rescued from ‘Warzone’ ?
Answer:-
‘Warzone’ was the last game which Michael was
playing to rescue Sebastian. The Warzone was
a city with tall windowless buildings riddled with
holes. Machine gun fire raked the sky. Michael
and Sebastian had to make it to sniper fire when
a helicopter was waiting for them. They started
to run but the tank fires sent them scuttling back
to the wall. All of a sudden Sebastian jumped
into a jeep, started the ignition key and they both
went. Suddenly, the jeep skidded and Sebastian
was thrown into the air but Michael somehow
pulled him up and rescued Sebastian. Michael
cracked the game by hitting a jackpot.
Question 8.
How did Michael and his father indulge in their
taste for new gadgets ?
Answer:-
Michael’s father was nutty about computers. He
visited the computer fair aLong with Michael and
bought computer of Pentium 150 MHz, 4
processer with 256 of RAM, a 1.2 GB hard disk
drive and 16 speed CDROM, complete
speakers, printers, modems and scanner. He
was very fond of gadgets and gizmos. He
bought some interactive psycho-drive games for
his son.
Question 9.
How did Shultz get trapped in the video games?
Answer:-
Shultz was playing one of the virtual video
games in the car. Suddenly, his car met with an
accident and his head banged against the
computer and his memory was transferred into
the computer’s memory and he .went deep into
the coma. His memory was stored in the
memory of the computer.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 10.
I magine you are Michael. Write a diary entry
describing your spirit of fellow feeling with which
you finally rescued Sebastian.
Answer:-
Dear diary
I am ecstatic that I saved the life of Sebastian. I
never knew that he was actually a human being.
I got a message from Sebastian ‘Rescue Me’. I
didn’t know that he was a real human. I tried
rescuing him from the ‘Dragon Quest’ game but I
failed. I played another game ‘Jail Break’ where I
failed again and then finally I played the game of
‘Warzone’ and I am finally able to save
Sebastian and hit a jackpot. I think Sebastian
had been playing the psycho-drive game when
he met with an accident and his memory got
transferred into the memory of the laptop. I have
a feeling of real joy that I was able to help a boy
in need. He seems to be an intelligent boy and
we will be great companions.
Question 11.
Imagine you are Sebastian’s parents. Write a
diary entry describing your feelings when you
come to know what has happened to him.
Answer:-
I am feeling very sad today. I was very fond of
video games and even my son was also fond of
them. I didn’t realize that these virtual games
could do so much harm to anyone. My son
Subastain was going to school in his car. He
was playing psycho¬drive games on his way to
school. Suddenly the car screeched to a halt and
he banged his head against the computer. His
memory was transferred into the computer’s and
he went into a deep coma. The doctors didn’t
have any hope of his revival but he was some
how rescued from the game by a boy named
Michael. I now realise how much damage these
computer games can cause to us. These games
can lead to cyber addiction and the an lead to
desensitisation. They make us violent and also
cut us off from the real world. I will now take care
that Sebastian doesn’t play these games.
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 12.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
On the roof, Sebastian looked round, and
glanced at his watch nervously. ‘It should be
here by now. ’
Which game was Michael playing?
Why was Sebastian nervous?
WTiat does the word, ‘nervously’ mean?
Answer:-
Michael was playing the game Jailbreak.
Sebastian was nervous because he did not find
any helicopter on the roof. According to his plan,
a helicopter must have been on the roof by that
time.
‘Nervously’ means ‘timidly or anxiously’.
Question 13.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
When we got therh, I remember some of them
were not new. Anyway, back at home, I
launched myself off into the first of the games.

Who is the speaker?
What did the speaker get?
What does the word ‘launched’ mean?
Answer:-
Michael is the speaker.
The speaker got many gizmos and psycho-drive
games.
The word ‘launched’ means here ‘formally
introduced (a new product) with publicity’.
Question 14.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Stupid Question. With the help of a skeleton
swipe-card, we were soon out of the cell and
racing down corridors.
What was the stupid Question?
What is a ‘skeleton swipe-card’l
Which game was Michael playing?
Answer:-
The Question asked by Sebastian ‘if Michael
had got a plan’ yras the stupid Question.
A skeleton swipe-card is a plastic card on which
data is stored magnetically and that can be read
by an electronic reading device.
Michael was playing a game named Jailbreak.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 15.
What did Sebastian write in the final e-mail he
sent to Michael?
Answer:-
The final e-mail sent to Michael by Sebastian
had the feeling of immense gratitude. He wrote
that he could not know how the process of his
rescue happened. He expressed his desire to
meet Michael very soon. He also requested
Michael to keep thethe games with him as he
had earned them.
Question 16.
How did Michael in the last game save
Sebastian?
Answer:-
Using the Skeleton swipe-card, Michael and
Sebastian came out of the Jail. Then, they ran
amidst the fire and gunshots. They jumped onto
a jeep. Sebastian braked the jeep suddenly and
he was thrown into a spin. He landed with a thud
near the hatch but Michael pulled him up in a
helicopter. Then the helicopter soared into the
sky and Michael succeeded in saving shultz.
Question 17.
Why did Michael and his father go to the
computer fair?
Answer:-
Michael’s father was crazy about computers. He
had extreme passion for gizmos.
He had a Pentium 150 Mhz4 processor, with 256
of RAM, a 1.2 Gb hard disk drive and 16 speed
CD ROM, complete with speakers, printer,
modem and scanner. It could do anything. But
technology was advancing everyday and
Michael’s father could not resist any of the new
gadgets. So they went to the computer fair.
Question 18.
Why couldn’t Michael help Sebastian the first
time?
Answer:-
The first time Shultz appeared as the second
sheriff. But he did not tell his name though
Michael asked him who he was. Both of them
jumped out of the window and sped off on a
horse. At that juncture, only a gun shot hit the
second sheriff. He cried and slumped back
against Michael. Michael was unable to help
him.
Question 19.
Why did the news about Sebastian Shultz shock
Michael?
Answer:-
Michael gasped when he saw the photograph
that went with the story in the newspaper. The
boy in the picture was the same boy who was
with him in the psycho-driven games and his
name was Sebastian Shultz. He was shocked to
know that shultz had been in coma for all the
time. The situation didn’t make any sense at all
and Michael was shocked.
Question 20.
How did Sebastian Shultz request Michael to
help him?
Answer:-
Sebastian Shultz requested Michael to save his
life. According to his plan, there was to be
helicopter on the roof and they were to fly in it to
escape from the dragon. He conveyed this
message by e-mail. When this plan failed, Shultz
requested Michael further using an e-mail. He
promised that he would not make any further
request if he didn’t succeed in his next game.
Question 21.
How had Sebastian entered the games Michael
later on bought?
Answer:-
When Sebastian met with an accident, he was
playing one of the psycho-driven games using
his laptop. He entered the games when he
banged his head in the accident and the laptop
saved his memory in its own. When Shultz was
in hospital, his laptop ’ was stolen and sold in the
computer fair. It was bought by Michael’s dad.
Question 22.
Why was the first game complicated for
Michael?
Answer:-
The first time Shultz appeared as the second
sheriff. But he did not tell his name though
Michael asked him who he was. Both of them
jumped out of the window and sped off on a
horse. At that juncture, only a gun shot hit the
second sheriff. He cried and slumped back
against Michael. Michael was unable to help
him.
Question 23.
What was the aim of the game ‘Dragonquest’?
Answer:-
The aim of the game Dragon quest was simple.
In the game, Michael had to rescue the fair
princess Aurora from the wicked dragon, and
collect the wicked creature’s treasure aLong the
way. The princess had been imprisoned at the
top of a tall tower. She was a young woman with
Long golden plaits.
2014
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 24.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
It all started a month ago. Dad and I had spent
the entire Saturday afternoon at the Computer
Fair.
Who does T in the extract refer to?
What started a month ago?
What does the speaker have a keen interest in?
Answer:-
‘I’in the extract refers to Michael.
The process of the miracle recovery started a
month ago.
Michael has keen interest in gizmos and psycho-
driven games.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 25.
How did Sebastian Shultz communicate with
Michael? What did he say in his last message?
Answer:-
Sebastian Shultz communicated with Michael by
e-mail. In his last message, he expressed his
gratitude. He conveyed the fact to Michael that
he could not know how the process of his rescue
happened. He also expressed his desire to meet
Michael soon. Further he requested Michael to
keep the games with him. Thus Shultz
expressed his felling of obligation.
Question 26.
Why did the news of Shultz’s miracle recovery
shock Michael?
Answer:-
Michael gasped when he saw the photograph
that went with the story in the newspaper. The
boy in the picture was the same boy who was
with him in the psycho-driven games and his
name was Sebastian Shultz. He was shocked to
know that shultz had been in coma for all the
time. The situation didn’t make any sense at all
and Michael was shocked.
2013
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 27.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow. At least, that was what I
thought then. Now I knew that Sebastian Shultz,
the boy from . the game, really did exist. I’d seen
the proof in the newspaper.
What had Michael thought earlier?
Why is Sebastian Shultz called ‘the boy from the
game’?
What had Micheal seen in the newspaper?
Answer:-
Michael had thought earlier that the story of the
Miracle recovery was related to someone else
and he had nothing to do with that.
Sebastian was called ‘the boy of the g^me’
because he was involved in all the psycho-
driven games played by Michael. In each game,
the life of Sebastian was to be save.
Michael had seen in the newspaper that a 14
year-old school boy from South London, awoke-
yesterday from a coma that doctors feared might
last forever.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 28.
Why had Michael and his father gone to
thecomputer fair?
Answer:-
Michael’s father was crazy about computers. He
had extreme passion for gizmos.
He had a Pentium 150 Mhz4 processor, with 256
of RAM, a 1.2 Gb hard disk drive and 16 speed
CD ROM, complete with speakers, printer,
modem and scanner. It could do anything. But
technology was advancing everyday and
Michael’s father could not resist any of the new
gadgets. So they went to the computer fair.
Question 29.
What was the aim of the game, ‘Dragonquest’?
Answer:-
The aim of the game Dragon quest was simple.
In the game, Michael had to rescue the fair
princess Aurora from the wicked dragon, and
collect the wicked creature’s treasure aLong the
way. The princess had been imprisoned at the
top of a tall tower. She was a young woman with
Long golden plaits.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 30.
Describe the circumstances under which
Michael saves Sebastian Shultz’ life.
Answer:-
Michael comes to know that Sebastian Shultz is
in problem. He feels pity for him and uses his
best endeavour to save the life of Sebastian
Shultz. For this, first he plays a game named
wild west. In this game, Michael plays the role of
a sheriff. Sebastian comes to the scene as the
second sheriff. But Sebastian remains silent
when Michael tries to know his name. Michael is
unable to execute his plan and he is defeated in
the game. In the second game, namely
‘Dragonquest’, Michael wants to save Sebastian
but the latter does not find the helicopter on the
roof and Michael once again loses the game.
Then he receives the next e-mail of Sebastian
who requests Micheal to make his last attempt to
save his life. Michael is persuaded by Sebastain
to play the last game namely ‘Warzone’ to save
Sebastian. In this game, Michael becomes
successful in saving Sebastian as he uses a
helicopter this time. Ultimately, Michael wins the
game and Sebastian comes back to life from his
coma.
Question 31.
What are the interactive psycho-drive games
played by Michael? What peculiarity did he
notice in each one of them?
Answer:-
The interactive psycho-driven games played by
Michael are wildwest, dragonquest, Jailbreak
and warzone.
In the first game namely wildwest Michael plays
the role of a sheriff. He is playing the game
properly. All of a sudden, he finds the second
sheriff. He wants to know the name of the
second sheriff who remains silent. Michael loses
the game owing to the mistake of the second
sheriff whom he wants to save.
The second game is full of challenges and risks.
Despite their efforts both of them meet with
failure. The third game also tells the story of the
failure of Michael. But the fourth game i.e., the
warzone brings good luck for Sebastian Shultz.
First Michael is picked up by a helicopter. Then
Michael picks up Sebastian when he is thrown in
air owing to the attack of the soldiers on
Sebastian’s jeep. In all, these psycho-drive
games Michael plays with virtual pictures on
computer. The pictures become the real one
later on. When Michael wins the last game the
real Sebastian Shultz comes back to life.
2012
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 32.
What news about Sebastian Shultz did Michael
see in the newspaper?
Answer:-
The news that Michael saw in the newspaper
was under the heading ‘Miracle
Recovery’. It was about Sebastian Shultz, a 14
year-old school boy from South London who
awoke from a coma that doctors feared might
last forever. His condition was critical but stable.
The doctors were doing all they could. But the
parents of Shultz needed a miracle and that
miracle had happened.
Question 33.
Why did Michael and his father go to the
computer fair? What did they buy?
Answer:-
Michael’s father was crazy about computers. He
had extreme passion for gizmos.
He had a Pentium 150 Mhz4 processor, with 256
of RAM, a 1.2 Gb hard disk drive and 16 speed
CD ROM, complete with speakers, printer,
modem and scanner. It could do anything. But
technology was advancing everyday and
Michael’s father could not resist any of the new
gadgets. So they went to the computer fair
Question 34.
Which was the first computer game played by
Michael? What strange thing happened as he
was playing it?
Answer:-
The first computer game played by Michael was
wildwest. In this game Michael was really
striding down the dusty track through the centre
of the town. There was a sheriff badge pinned to
his shirt. When he burst into a saloon everybody
became silent. He took a sip from the glass of
fizzy red stuff. Then he saw Black-Eyed Jed, the
fastest gun in the west. There appeared the
second sheriff and the game became more
complicated. The second sheriff did not tell his
name. Ultimately, Michael lost the game when
the second sheriff was shot and he slumped
back against Michael.
Question 35.
What explanation did Michael find for Sebastian
Shultz’s miraculous recovery?
Answer:-
Michael found the explanation that Sebastian
shultz was playing a psycho-driven game when
he met with an accident. His memory was saved
in the memory of his laptop though he went into
a coma because of the severity of the accident.
When Sebastian was in hospital, his laptop was
stolen and sold in the computer fair. Michael’s
dad bought this laptop. When Michael played a
psycho-driven game and got victory in it,
Sebastian’s miraculous recovery took place.
Question 36.
What was common in all the computer games
played by Michael?
Answer:-
In all the psycho-driven games namely wildwest,
dragonquest, jailbreak and warzone, Michael
came across virtual reality. Images created by
the laptop appeared to surround Michael as he
was looking at them. They seemed to be almost
real. The theory of Sebastian’s memory being
saved in the computer and finding its way into
the games were virtually true. This uniqueness
was common in all the games.
Question 37.
What help did Sebastian ask Michael for? How
did he convey this message?
Answer:-
Sebastian was in a coma as he had met with a
severe accident. His memory had been saved in
his laptop as he was playing a psycho-driven
game at the time of the accident. So Sebastian
told Michael using an e-mail that he was stuck.
He requested Michael to retrieve him. It was
possible only when Michael became victorious in
any psycho-driven game. Michael felt pity for
Sebastian and played various games. Ultimately,
he could save Sebastian after gaining victory in
the game named warzone.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 38.
In the lesson, ‘Virtually True’ how did Michael
unwittingly save Sebastian Shultz’s life?
Answer:-
Michael comes to know that Sebastian Shultz is
in problem. He feels pity for him and uses his
best endeavour to save the life of Sebastian
Shultz. For this, first he plays a game named
wild west. In this game, Michael plays the role of
a sheriff. Sebastian comes to the scene as the
second sheriff. But Sebastian remains silent
when Michael tries to know his name. Michael is
unable to execute his plan and he is defeated in
the game. In the second game, namely
‘Dragonquest’, Michael wants to save Sebastian
but the latter does not find the helicopter on the
roof and Michael once again loses the game.
Then he receives the next e-mail of Sebastian
who requests Micheal to make his last attempt to
save his life. Michael is persuaded by Sebastain
to play the last game namely ‘Warzone’ to save
Sebastian. In this game, Michael becomes
successful in saving Sebastian as he uses a
helicopter this time. Ultimately, Michael wins the
game and Sebastian comes back to life from his
coma. Question 39.
How did Michael save Sebastian with the help of
the interactive psycho-drive games?
Answer:-
The interactive psycho-driven games played by
Michael are wildwest, dragonquest, Jailbreak
and warzone. In the first game namely wildwest
Michael plays the role of a sheriff. He is playing
the game properly. All of a sudden, he finds the
second sheriff. He wants to know the name of
the second sheriff who remains silent. Michael
loses the game owing to the mistake of the
second sheriff whom he wants to save. The
second game is full of challenges and risks.
Despite their efforts both of them meet with
failure. The third game also tells the story of the
failure of Michael. But the fourth game i.e., the
warzone brings good luck for Sebastian Shultz.
First Michael is picked up by a helicopter. Then
Michael picks up Sebastian when he is thrown in
air owing to the attack of the soldiers on
Sebastian’s jeep. In all, these psycho-drive
games Michael plays with virtual pictures on
computer. The pictures become the real one
later on. When Michael wins the last game the
real Sebastian Shultz comes back to life. The
Frog and
The Nightingale Chapter Wise Important
Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Poetry
2016
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 1.
The frog, who was not at all talented, ruled in the
end and the nightingale, who possessed the
fineness and versatility of voice, died. Explain
the irony of the statement, highlighting the
values the frog should have possessed.
Answer:-
The frog, who was not at all talented, ruled in the
end by dint of his cunningness and wickedness.
He was jealous of the nightingale and hatched a
plot to get rid of her. He was dismissive and
condescending and treated the nightingale as a
stupid creature. The irony in the statement is
that the frog was the one who tried to teach the
nightingale to’sing differently. He did not let her
song to be her own.On the other hand, the
nightingale was a meek and submissive creature
who lacked confidence. Her gullibility and
credulity made her an easy prey to the
cunningness of the frog. Despite having the
fineness and versatility of her voice, the
nightingale met a fitting end as she was truly
brainless.The frog philosophized that one’s song
must be one’s own. One should realise his self
worth and should not think low of oneself.
Question 2.
The poem, ‘The Frog and the Nightingale’
highlights the fact that lack of confidence can
lead to disaster. Keeping this in mind, elaborate
the statement: ‘If you accept yourself, the whole
world accepts you’.
Answer:-
“If you accept yourself, the whole world accepts
you” teaches us that one should exercise one’s
reasoning without letting others lead us blindly. If
one has self-confidence the one can win the
whole world. Without self-confidence nobody
can succeed in life. You can hold the infinity into
your palm only if you have the confidence in you.
In the context of the poem, the nightingale was
herself responsible for her downfall and death,
because she did not have faith in her ability and
did not have the brains to realise the enormity of
her talent.
2015
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 3.
It is the nightingale’s gullible nature that brings
about its death. Comment.
Answer:-
The nightingale believed blindly whatever the
frog told in his appreciation. She never tried to
know the fact. She failed to look through the
conspiracy of the frog. Being credulous, she
came to the conclusion that the frog was a better
singer. So, she herself was responsible for her
death.
2014
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 4.
The nightingale believed blindly whatever the
frog told in his appreciation. She never tried to
know the fact. She failed to look through the
conspiracy of the frog. Being credulous, she
came to the conclusion that the frog was a better
singer. So, she herself was responsible for her
death.Read the passage given below and
Answer the Questions that follow.
Now the nightingale inspired,
Flushed with confidence, and fired With both art
and adoration,
Sang – and was a huge sensation.
Animals for miles around Flocked towards the
magic sound,
And the frog with great precision Counted heads
and charged admission.
What made the nightingale become a huge
sensation?
What does the phrase, ‘flushed with confidence’
mean?
Which quality of the frog is evident in this
extract?
Answer:-
The melody and the charm of her song made the
nightingale a huge sensation.
The phrase ‘flushed with confidence’ means
‘excited with firm trust’.
The frog is shrewd and clever, and knows how
to get advantage of the situation.
Question 5.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
Now the frog puffed up with rage.
“Brainless bird you ’re on the stage
Use your wits and follow fashion.
Puff your lungs out with your passion.
Why was the frog puffed up with rage?
Give the opposite of ‘Brainless’?
What happened when the nightingale puffed up
her lungs?
Answer:-
The number of the audience was going down
and he was getting less money as fee.
The opposite opposite of ‘brainless’ is ‘brainy’.
One of her veins burst and she died.
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 6.
What message does the poet wish to give in the
poem, “The Frog and the Nightingale”?
Answer:-
Credulous and docile people always suffer in
this world. Owing to the lack of selfconfidence,
they are always misguided by others, and they
always suffer disaster ultimately. The
Nightingale never knew her virtues. She could
not realise that she was far better than the frog.
So, the crafty frog exploited her and caused her
death.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 7.
Imagine yourself to be the Nightingale (The Frog
and the Nightingale). You realise how foolish
you were not to recognize your capabilities and
tried to emulate the frog. Write a letter to your
Mend ‘Cuckoo’ describing your feelings.
superior to the frog in many respects, the frog
exploited her and even caused her death.
Answer:-
26, North Gir forest Gujarat
25 August 20XX Dear Cuckoo
Hope that your melody must be echoing through
your forest. I am going to share my grief caused
due to my poor confidence.
One evening, I visited the Bingle Bog and sat on
the Sumac tree. Then, I began to sing a song.
All the bog creatures became spellbound, and
they began to applaud me. But there was a
crafty and boastful frog in the same bog. He
overstated his qualities and I trusted him like a
credulous creature. Then, the frog began to
exploit me. He became my trainer and started
collecting money from the audience. I had been
so much impressed by him that I never dared to
oppose him. The cruel and cunning frog
conspired against me. He scolded me and asked
me to sing louder. Being timid, I followed him
and I met my death as one of my veins burst.
All creatures must have confidence and
courage. Otherwise, they would be exploited.
Convey my regards to all the elderly birds and
animals of your forest.
With heaps of love.
Yours affectionately Nightingale
Question 8.
The Nightingale placed her blind trust in the Frog
but he exploited her. With reference to the poem
elaborate on the statement ‘Betrayal always
come from those whom you trust.’
Answer:-
Being credulous, docile and simple-hearted, the
Nightingale trusted the frog blindly. She never
tried to verify whatsoever was boasted of by the
frog. She regarded him Mozart and asked him to
evaluate her song. But the frog was an epitome
of avarice and evil. He was cunning, crafty and a
shameless bully. His blind avarice for earning
made the Nightingale sing for Long hours and
tired her to death. So, it was indeed a betrayal of
trust.In real life situation, we happen to see
several examples of betrayal. Those who trust
others blindly are considered foolish. Greedy
people start making use of them as such people
are considered to be so gentle and tolerant. So,
the treacherous fellows betray such credulous
and timid people easily in their own interest.
2012
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 9.
What is the irony in the statement of the frog
when he says, “That your song must be your
own”?
Answer:-
The nightingale had been singing her natural
song since her arrival in the Bingle Bog. It was
the frog who impressed her cunningly and
persuaded her for training. He started exploiting
her and did not allow her to take rest. He
compelled her to sing louder and louder. It was
the part of his conspiracy that caused her death.
Later on, the frog himself told that she must not
have changed her way of singing. 2011
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 10.
Nightingale was responsible for her own fate.
Elucidate.
Answer:-
The nightingale was timid, credulous and
brainless. She lacked confidence and was a
poor judge of herself. She failed to see through
the evil designs of the crafty and heartless frog.
She was prone to betrayal, and she allowed the
heartless frog to intimidate and dominate her.
Being submissive, she could not oppose the
frog.
Question 11.
To some extent the nightingale was herself
responsible for her downfall and death. The
comment.
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 3.
Question 12.
How did the frog once again become the
unrivalled king of the bog?
Answer:-
On listening to the melodious song of the
Nightingale, the frog was taken aback. But he
made a secret plan to kill his rival. He impressed
her by boasting and began to exploit her. He
compelled her to sing for Long hours without
taking rest. He also compelled her to sing louder
and louder. One of her veins burst and she died.
Thus, he became the unrivalled king of the bog.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 13.
‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ is a symbolic
poem. What lesson do you learn from it?
Answer:-
For survival and success, one must have certain
qualities. One must be able to protect one’s
interest as well as one’s life. Credulous people
are always misguided by others. Those people
who lack confidence always suffer. We must not
be docile. People may get advantage of this
quality of ours. It is absolutely true that our self-
image is often based on what others make us
believe what we have. We lack self-confidence
and crafty people start using us. The need of the
time is that one must imbibe those qualities that
can protect us from the conspiracy and
exploiting attitude of the heartless and cunning
people. There is no end of the avarice of such
people. We ourselves will have to know how to
protect our interests. Though the Nightingale
was superior to the frog in many respects, the
frog exploited her and even caused her death.
Mirror Chapter Wise Important Questions
Class 10 English Communicative –
Poetry
2016
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 1.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
I am silver and exact, I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it
is, unmisted by love or dislike I am not cruel,
only truthful.
Who is T?
What is an important trait of the speaker?
What does the word ‘unmisted’ mean?
Answer:-
‘I’ refers to the mirror,
An important trait of the speaker is that it is
unbiased and truthful.
The word ‘unmisted’ means ‘unbiased’.
Question 2.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
“Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candle or the
moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully”.
Why is the mirror called a lake?
Which poetic device is used in the first line?
What does the phrase, ‘my reaches’ mean?
Answer:-
The mirror is called a lake because the person
who looks into it will get a flattering view of
herself or himself as a lake is not exact as a
mirror.
It is a metaphor as the comparison is made
between two different things—lake and mirror.
To find her lost looks.
2015
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 3.
The Mirror reflects the image of life as it is, but
still people find it difficult to come to terms with
the truth. Why?
Answer:-
People, in general, like those people who go on
appreciating them. Flattery is so delicious that
everybody likes it. Nobody likes to be bitten by
the reality of truth. Mirror is a symbol of
truthfulness. It is also known for its objectivity. It
does not suffer from any preconceived notions. It
is never affected by any sort of emotion, hatred
and love. Owing to its objective nature, it reflects
the image of the thing that comes before it
faithfully. That is why it is not liked by people of
old age. The woman who goes on using it
becomes angry with it when it shows her ugly
face. It is unbearable for her. Then she goes to
the liars. They enhance her beauty temporarily.
She flatters herself and indulges in self-
deception.
2014
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 4.
How is the mirror different from most of the
human beings?
Answer:-
A mirror is free from any preconceptions and
prejudice. Unlike human beings, it is not
influenced by feelings and emotions. So, it
doesn’t judge others with pre-conceived ideas. It
is truthful and objective and shows the exact and
accurate image without any distortion.
2013
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 5.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink with speckles. I have looked at it so
Long I think it is a part of my heart. But it
flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
Why has the mirror been called ‘a four-cornered
god’?
What do the speckles refer to?
Faces and darkness separate us because .
i)people look into the mirror or when it is dark.
ii)the mirror is covered.
iii)people wear a mask.
iv)it is night time.
Answer:-
Being omniscient, the mirror is able to see and
reflect the truth. It is something mystic and divine
which looks at everything with an equal eye. Like
God it sees people as they really are without
being biased.
‘Speckles’ refers to the stains or marks on the
pink wall.
People look into the mirror or when it is dark.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 6.
What important lesson does the ‘Mirror’ teach
us?
Answer:-
The mirror is an epitome of truthfulness and
objectivity. It reflects exactly whatever comes
before it. It does not help anyone out of
romanticism about them. The speckles of the
mirror have been compared to the wrinkles of
human faces. So change is the eternal law of
nature Everyone must accept it gladly. As
nothing is permanent in this world, it is
foolishness to have ego or illusion around
oneself. When the mirror shows the reality to old
women, they behave strangely. They try to see
in their faces what they had once. They become
downcast to see their charmless faces. But the
mirror wants them to be truthful like it. They must
accept the power of time. With the passage of
time human beings undergo many changes in
their bodies. So they must be aware of these
physical changes and they must compromise
with them. If they don’t learn how to
compromise, they will incur irritation and anxiety.
If one makes oneself aware of the eternal law of
changes of nature, one will never become
restless and depressed.
2012
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 7.
Why are the candles and the moon called liars?
Answer:-
The candles and the moon are called liars
because they create illusion and make the
woman appear beautiful. Both the candles and
the moon are soft and flattering romanticized
light sources that enhance beauty temporarily
concealing the truthful image.
Question 8.
Why do you think has the mirror been compared
to a lake?
Answer:-
Owing to its action, the mirror has been
compared to a lake. In her old age, when the
woman checks her appearance, she is startled
and horrified to see her face as she has lost her
beauty. Then she starts moving the mirror in a
way so as to find her face that she had when
she was young.
2011
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 9.
Why does the Mirror state that the pink coloured,
opposite wall is a part of its heart?
Answer:-
The mirror meditates on the pink coloured,
opposite wall for most of the time. It is
passionate about it and thinks of it as its heart. It
is able to form abstract thoughts and meditate
with the help of the pink wall. So, the pink wall
has become an integral part of its existence.
Question 10.
Why has the mirror been called a four-cornered
god?
Answer:-
Being omniscient, the mirror is able to see and
reflect the truth. It is something mystic and divine
which looks at everything with an equal eye. Like
God, it sees people as they really are, without
being biased.
Not Marble, Nor The Gilded Monuments
Chapter Wise Important Questions Class
10 English Communicative – Poetry
2016
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 1.
What, according to Shakespeare, outlives the
ravages of time?
Answer:-
According to Shakespeare, his poetry outlives
the ravages of time. The poet asserts that his
portrait of the youngman written in verse will
outlive even marble, memorials of prince, which
will inevitably become neglected. His poetry is
eternal and will immortalise the subject of the
poetry.
Question 2.
In what ways are wars wasteful?
Answer:-
The wars are really wasteful in many ways. First,
a war kills many innocents. Second, it destroys
houses and other properties; Third, it never
establishes peace. In the context, In the Second
World War a bomb blast killed the boys’ father
and destroyed their homes.
2015
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 3.
In the poem, “Not Marble, Nor the Gilded
Monuments”, what is time portrayed as?
Answer:-
Time is portrayed predominantly as a negative
force relating to death and decay. It has been
compared unfavourably to a female subject who
loses her glow and beauty. It condemns human
attempts to achieve immorality by building stone-
monuments.
Question 4.
In what way is the poet stronger than powerful
rulers?
Answer:-
The poet is stronger than the powerful rulers as
his creations, i.e. his poetry can’t be destroyed
by time, whereas the creations of powerful
rulers, i.e. statues and monuments are
destroyed by time. Poetry will outlive mankind
and will not be ravaged by time unlike the
statues and monuments.
Question 5.
The Kings and the Queens got statues and
monuments erected in a desire to be
remembered and immortalized. Recently you
visited a few historical monuments in Delhi.
Write a letter to a friend mentioning some
historical buildings and how these monuments
have changed in the course of time. (Nor
Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments)
Answer:-
27 Z, G.K. Extn.
New Delhi 1100XX
2 September 20XX Dear Ranjit
I have felt that it is a general tendency of
mankind to be liked, loved and remembered by
posterity. But the icy hands of time leave none. I
am going to give a vivid description of the same.
A few days ago, I visited the Red Fort and the
Qutub Minar. In my childhood, I had read about
the glory of the rulers who got them built. I was
of the view that time must not have been able to
decay them. But I was amazed and horrified to
see their dilapidated condition. Though the
government tried to maintain them but they
could not retrieve their glaze.
Now, I feel that all the signs of worldly power,
grandeur and glory fade away with the passage
of time. All the gold-plated memorials,
monuments and statues of stone lose their glory
and grandeur and fall to utter neglect, decay and
deterioration. Only the poetry composed in
applause of one’s beloved can be praised by the
posterity. All the agents of destruction are
outlived by such poems.
Shakespeare has made us know how to
immortalize our friends and patrons.
With love.
Yours affectionately Suresh
2014
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 6.
How do wars affect the monuments erected by
greatmen to be remembered after their death?
Answer:-
Wasteful and unnecessary wars destroy all
monuments, memorials and statues erected by
the powerful rulers with a hope to be
remembered by posterity. The conflicts of the
rulers and the turmoil ruin even the monuments
built of stones. The fire of war leaves nothing
except the written memory of a lover for his
beloved.
2013
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 7.
Materialistic things don’t really last. What
matters most are the people we care about and
the values we live with. Explain this with
reference to the poem Not Marble, Nor the
Gilded Monuments.
Answer:-
The icy hands of time destroy everything in
nature sooner or later. With the passage of time,
all signs of glory, grandeur and worldly power
fade away. Even the gold-plated monuments,
memorials and statues of stone lose their
grandeur and glory and fall to litter neglect,
decay and deterioration. The powerful people
who had got them built thought that such
monuments and memorials would bring them
immortality. But it was nothing but their delusion.
Only the love and affection that one has in his or
her heart for their beloved or loved ones will
remain permanent. Such things are remembered
by posterity. Such things move from generation
to generation. Even the powerful swords of Mars
cannot destroy them. People must realise it and
act accordingly.
2013
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 8.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Not marble, Nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
Why do Princes get monuments made?
What do you mean by ‘gilded’?
Why the Monuments won’t outlive this Rhyme?
Answer:-
Princes get monuments made so that they would
be remembered.
‘Gilded’ means gold-plated.
Rhymes are eternal. They are not affected by
wars and time. On the other hand, monuments
are destroyed with the passage of time. So they
can’t outlive rhyme.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 9.
In what context, does the poet mention “death”
and “oblivious” enmity?
Answer:-
Man has a desire to be remembered and
immortalized in order to overcome death. The
poet suggests that the force that conspires to
ensure that an individual is forgotten such as
war’s quick fire and the all oblivious enmity of
other people, is worse than death.
Question 10.
How will the poet’s friend dwell in lover’s eyes?
Answer:-
This poem will immortalize the poet’s friend.
Poetry can’t be ravaged by time, so this poem
will be a living record of his friend’s memory.
Neither will time nor war be able to destroy it. He
will stay in the eyes of lovers till doomsday.
2011
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 11.
The poet says that neither forces of nature nor
war can destroy his poetry. What quality of the
poet is revealed through these lines?
Answer:-
These lines state that the poet is proud of his
creations. He is confident of his skill of creating
art and literature. He considers them to be
permanent. Moreover, these lines reveal his
contempt for arrogant rulers.
Ozymandias Chapter Wise Important
Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Poetry
2016
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 1.
What is ironic about the inscription on the
pedestal of Ozymandias’ statue ?
Answer:-
The inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias
statue says I am Ozymandias, the king of kings,
look on my works, ye mighty and despair. This
suggests that the king was very boastful, vain
and arrogant. He thought that his kingdom would
remain forever. But his kingdom was no where
to be seen and even his own statue was in a
dilapidated state. He failed to realise that life is
ephemeral.
Question 2.
Who does the ‘shattered visage’ in the poem,
‘Ozymandias’, beLong to and why is it ‘half
sunk’ ?
Answer:-
It beLongs to the kind Ozymandias. It is in a
shattered condition as it is ravaged by time. King
Ozymandias had got the statue created as a
symbol of his power and mightiness but the time
destroyed it. Time is all powerful and can
destroy everything.
Question 3.
Why does Ozymandias refer to himself as ‘king
of kings’ ?
Answer:-
Ozymandias was a mighty king who had
defeated many of the kings around his kingdom
and had acquired those kingdoms. He was
proud of his glory and power. He felt that he was
the mightiest of all.
Question 4.
What is ironic about the fate of Ozymandias ?
Answer:-
Ozymandias, the king, had got written at the
pedestal of the statue, I am the king of kings’.
But the irony is that the king’s statue was lying in
the dust. He got a statue built to immortalise his
name but he forgot that nothing could stand
against time and powerful elements of nature.
Question 5.
In the poem, ‘Ozymandias’, the poet says, ‘the
hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed’.
How does the hand ‘mock’ them?
Answer:-
The ‘hand’ here is the hand of the sculptor. The
sculptor was really good at his job as he was
able to read not only the face but also the heart
of the king and portrayed the feelings of the king
on the statue so clearly that even though the
statue was destroyed, the feelings could be well-
read.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 6.
Bring out the irony in the words, “My name is
Ozymandias, king of kings, Look on my works,
ye mighty, and despair!” as inscribed on the
pedestal of the statue. What lesson does this
irony teach us?
Answer:-
Ozymandias, a powerful king of Egypt, was
proud of his glory and achievements. He got a
statue built in his name and tried to get himself
immortalised. But the statue couldn’t withstand
the powerful influence of time and with the
passage of time it was destroyed. The statue lay
broken in the lonely sands symbolising that time
is all powerful, Everything in this life is
ephemeral and transient. Nothing stays forever.
Everything in this world decays with time. The
poem highlights the vanity of human glory and
power.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 7.
What quality of King Ozymandias does the poem
reflect?
Answer:-
The poem conveys that Ozymandias was a very
powerful ruler. He had immense pride of his
strength. Owing to his achievements he had
become arrogant. He was indeed an
authoritarian and a despot. His wishes were
laws. He had desire of being remembered by the
posterity as a very powerful ruler.
Question 8.
“The hand that mocked them, and the heart that
fed.” Whose hand and heart are referred to in
this line? Why?
Answer:-
In this line the hand of the sculptor and the heart
of Ozymandias are referred to. The hands of the
sculptor made the statue of Ozymandias. The
sculptor was so skilled that he expressed all the
feelings of the heart of Ozymandias on his
statue. The face of the statue was telling that the
man was so cruel and heartless. Question 9.
What did the traveller see in the desert?
Answer:-
The traveller intimated the narrator that he came
across a queer scene in a desert
while he was travelling to an ancient land. He
beheld two vast and trunkless legs of stone
standing in the desert. Near the trunkless legs a
human face lay half buried in the sand. The
sculptor of the statue very aptly carved the
emotions of the despot whose statue it was.
Question 10.
What message does the poem, ‘Ozymandias’
convey?
Answer:-
The icy hands of time leave nothing in this world.
All human emotions like arrogance,frown, sneer,
haughtiness, etc. vanish into thin air in the
course of time. Time is so powerful that even the
statue made of stone could not resist it.
Ozymandias realised the futility of his vices.
People must take a lesson from his life.
Question 11.
What feelings does the partially destroyed statue
of Ozymandias convey?
Answer:-
The partially destroyed statue of Ozymandias
conveys the feelings that time is the most
powerful thing in the world. It also expresses that
the sculptor of the statue was a very skilled
person. The ruler was full of scorn and hostility.
He was drunk with power and authority. He
threw a challenge to all the powerful persons of
the contemporary world.
Question 12.
What words were written on the pedestal of the
broken statue? What did they show?
Answer:-
The pedestal of the statue had a brief
description of the ruler whose statue it was. The
mighty and the most powerful ruler of his time
claimed himself to be ‘the king of kings’. This
despot was drunk with authority and power. He
threw a challenge to all the contemporary rulers.
His intention was to outshine them.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 13.
Describe how Shelley brings out the futility of
power and riches in the poem, ‘Ozymandias’.
Answer:-
The icy hands of time leave none. Nothing is
more powerful than time. Our glory, grandeur
and power are only a nine days’ wonder.
Ozymandias was ruthless and he had hatred
and cold command. He demonstrated pride and
sneer. The great sculptor of his time also carved
out the emotions of Ozymandias on the face of
his statue. ‘The wrinkled lip’ and ‘sneer of cold
command’ say that he was drunk with pelf,
power and authority. In the course of time all the
pelf and power dwindled to nothingness. The
statue of Ozymandias was spilled all around the
desert in a very bad state. The sands
symbolising death and extinction had engulfed it.
All the power and riches had become futile. Time
had swallowed them fully. Whatsoever he got
carved on the pedestal of his statue could not
stand against perpetually powerful swords of
time. Ozymandias displays his lamentation and
regret.
2014
Extract Based Question [3 Marks] Question
14.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless
things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that
fed.
What do “lifeless things” refers to?
How do we know that he was a good sculptor?
How did the heart feed the passions?
Answer:-
The ‘lifeless things’ refers to the broken pieces
of the statue of Ozymandias.
The sculptor read the emotions on the face of
Ozymandias and clearly transferred them into
stone.
Using his skill the sculptor expressed the
emotions of the cruel heart of the ruler on the
face of his statue.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 15.
What message does the poem, ‘Ozymandias’
convey?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 13.
2012
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 16.
Describe the statue of Ozymandias in the desert.
Answer:-
The statue was in broken state. There were two
vast and trunkless legs of stone. The head of the
statue was lying on the ground, half buried in the
sands of the solitary and vast desert. The broken
parts of the statue were conveying that they
were the parts of the statue of a very powerful
but cruel and arrogant despot. The powerful
strokes of time had dwindled the statue of stone
to nothingness.
Question 17.
What message did the poet convey in the poem,
‘Ozymandias’?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 10.
Question 18.
Which sight was seen by the traveller in the
desert?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 9.
Question 19.
Bring out the irony in the poem, “Ozymandias”.
Answer:-
Ozymandias was a despot of an ancient
Kingdom. He had desire of being called asking
of kings. He was drunk with pelf, power and
authority. For others he had only sneers of cold
command. He tried to attain immortality but no
trace of him and his works can be seen in the
world. The miserable state of his statue mock at
his claim of being king of kings.
Question 20.
What message is conveyed through the poem,
‘Ozymandias’?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 10.
Question 21.
What was written on the pedestal of the statue?
What does it indicate?
Answer:-
In his endeavour to immortalise himself,
Ozymandias got his vast statue of stone built.
On its pedestal he got carved: ‘My name is
Ozymandias, King of Kings : Look upon my
works, Ye mighty, and despair’.These words
indicate that he wanted to convey the people a
bitter truth of human life. The icy hands of time
dwindled his pelf, power, arrogance, brutality,
etc. to nothingness.
The Rime of Ancient Mariner Chapter
Wise Important Questions Class 10
English Communicative – Poetry
2016
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 1.
What were the blessings the albatross brought
with it ?
Answer:-
The albatross was considered as a bird of good
omen and as a spirit of Christ which had come to
help them. When the albatross appeared, the
ship was surrounded by massive icebergs but
soon the good South Wind blew, the ice cracked
and they were able to move out.
Question 2.
How did the mariners enjoy the arrival of the
albatross?
Answer:-
The mariners enjoyed the arrival of albatross
because its arrival was marked by the beginning
of good south wind which helped them by
cracking of the icebergs and making a way out
for them from the land of ice. It helped their ship
move to the right path.
Question 3.
Give two examples of the use of the
supernatural in ‘The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner’
Answer:-
The arrival of Albatross as a bird of good omen
or a Christian soul.
The polar spirit had all aLong followed the ship.
The different colours of light emitted by the sea.
Question 4.
Why were the mariners angry with the Ancient
Mariner ?
Answer:-
The mariners were angry with the Ancient
Mariner as he had killed the bird of good omen.
He had killed the bird whom the mariner’s hailed
in the name of Christ. The bird had helped them
steer clear out of the land of ice and snow.
Question 5.
Why did the mariners hang the dead albatross
around the Ancient Mariner’s neck ?
Answer:-
The mariners hanged the dead albatross around
the Ancient Mariner’s neck as a symbol of his
guilt. They wanted him to constantly remember
the sin he had committed and repent for his evil
deeds.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 6.
You are one of the crew on the ship. After the
mariner kills the Albatross, you have to suffer
and there is no hope of survival. Write a diary
entry describing your feelings at this point of
time.
Answer:-
Dear Diary,
I am fed up with being stuck into the slimy water
of the sea for days. I don’t know what came into
the mariner’s mind that he killed the albatross. I
believe that the albatross was a holy spirit sent
to help us. If we defy the orders of God it leads
to disastrous results. I don’t think I will ever be
able to see the land again. I will die of hunger
and thirst or the evil spirits in the form of these
creatures would kill me. I think we all are
partners in Mariner’s crime as we also lauded
him for killing the Albatross. May God forgive me
for my sins so that I am able to reach my home
and family.
Question 7.
When the albatross arrived, the mariners
experienced a sense of joy and were infused
with new hope. It was hailed as a Christian soul
which brought hope to the ship. Comment.
Answer:-
When the ship moved southward, the weather
deteriorated and they encountered mist, show
and cold. Visibility was reduced and movement
slowed down. They were in dangerous waters
because there were icebergs all around and
steering the ship through such tricky waters in
poor visibility was a nightmare. At this crucial
juncture in their journey, a lone albatross was
spotted above the mist and was hailed as a
Christian spirit because this bird heralded a turn
in their fortunes.The sailors fed it and the bird
encircled the waters even as icebergs kept
crackling all around. The bird thus helped the
steering team course through the waters,
thereby strengthening the belief among the
sailors that the bird was a lucky omen guiding
their ship to safety.Also, a strong south wind
blew after its appearance and helped to take the
ship forward, with the albatross following above.
The bird was thus an anchor hold of hope for the
crew who were able to successfully sail through
dangerous waters in such an inclement weather
under the guidance of the albatross.
2015
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 8.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
He holds him with his glittering eye
The Wedding-Guest stood still,
And listens like a three years’ child:
The Mariner hath his will.
Why did the mariner hold back the wedding
guest?
Why was the wedding guest unable to move?
What does the word, ‘glittering’ mean?
Answer:-
The mariner held back the wedding guest as he
had to confess his guilt of killing an innocent
bird.
The mariner had hypnotised the wedding guest
using his magic which he had learnt for this
purpose.
The word ‘glittering’ means ‘shining’.
Question 9.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
‘Ah! well a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung. ”
Who is the speaker in these lines?
Why did others give him evil looks?
What does the word ‘evil’ mean?
Answer:-
The ancient mariner is the speaker in these
lines.
He had caused them problems by killing an
innocent bird whose arrival had brought good
luck to them.
The word ‘evil’ means ‘morally bad’ or
‘wickedness’.
Question 10.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine;
Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
Glimmered the white moonshine. ”

Where were the mariners?
Who is the ‘It’ referred to in these lines?
What does ‘vespers nine’ mean?
Answer:-
The mariners were in the south sea. Their ship
was now moving as the ice had begun to melt.
In these lines ‘It’ refers to the albatross.
‘Vespers nine’ means ‘a fixed time every day
(the evening church service)’
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 11.
Why did the wedding guest beat his breast?
Answer:-
The wedding guest was a very close relative of
the bridegroom. He had extreme desire to attend
the wedding ceremony. Being a close relative he
knew that his presence was indispensable. But
the ancient mariner compelled him to listen to
his story. The wedding guest was unable to free
himself from the magical effect of the ancient
mariner. So, his helplessness made him beat his
breast.
Question 12.
How did the mariners reach the land of ice and
snow?
Answer:-
The mariners were going towards the south. All
of a sudden, there came a storm. It was very
powerful and tyrannous. It took the ship for away
in the sea. The mariners began to cry out of fear
that their ship was about to sink in the sea. Then
the temperature went down. It was a wonderous
cold and sea water began to freeze. The ship
was surrounded by icebergs from all sides and
the mariners found themselves in the land of ice
and snow.
Question 13.
How were the mariners saved from the land of
ice and snow?
Answer:-
When the sea water froze and the ship was
surrounded by icebergs from all sides, the
mariners lost their hope of survival. They thought
that they would die of starvation and thirst after
consuming their limited food and water. All of a
sudden, there came an albatross piercing the
fog and the mist. Its arrival proved auspicious
and ice began to melt. Their crewmen started
steering the ship and the mariners were saved.
Question 14.
Why was the Albatross considered as a
‘Christian Soul’?
Answer:-
After the storm there was a drastic change in the
condition of the weather and the sea water froze.
The ship was surrounded by icebergs from all
sides. The life of the mariners was at stake.
They had no hope of survival. Piercing the fog
and smoke, an albatross came there. They
thought that it was a Christian soul that had
come to save them. A true Christian soul is
supposed to help the needy. The arrival of the
albatross proved auspicious and ice began to
melt.
Question 15.
What was the crime committed by the mariner?
Answer:-
When the ship was unable to move owing to
icebergs, the mariners were afraid of death. All
of a sudden an albatross appeared there. Its
arrival proved to be auspicious and ice began to
melt. The ship began to move. The albatross
was following the ship. Unprecedentedly, evil
sense prevailed on the Ancient Mariner and he
killed the albatross using his crossbow without
and provocation. It was indeed a very sinful act.
Question 16.
Why did the mariners blame the Ancient Mariner
for their plight?
Answer:-
The arrival of the albatross proved so auspiciops
for the mariners. They saw a ray of hope. They
were hopeful that they would return home safely.
But the Ancient Mariner killed the albatross.
After that the wind came to a stop. The ship
appeared to be a painted ship in the painted
ocean. Death fire began to dance at night. The
mariners dreamt that the spirit of the albatross
was taking revenge and they blamed the Ancient
Mariner for their plight.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 17.
Respect for all forms of life is an essential value.
Unmindful destruction of nature and its creatures
deserves just punishment. Write in 80-100 words
this essential value as brought out in the poem,
‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’.
Answer:-
After the storm, the temperature went down
abruptly and the water began to freeze. The ship
was unable to move and the lives of the
mariners were at stake. Piercing the fog and
mist, an Albatross appeared. All the mariners
welcomed it considering it to be a Christian soul.
They gave it the best food they had and began
to play with it. As a creature of God it was
welcomed, God became happy and the ice
began to melt..The sailors found the situation
favourable to move their ship. But when the
Ancient Mariner killed the albatross without any
provocation God became angry and the wind
came to a stop. The mariners found that death
fire was dancing before them. Then they took a
judicious decision of punishing the culprit. They
hung the , dead body of the albatross around the
neck of the culprit to convey the message that
killing any creature of God is a crime. It is our
pious duty to love all the creatures made by
God.
2014
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 18.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
He holds him with his skinny hand,
“There was a ship, ” quoth he.
Who does ‘He’ refer to in the above extract?
What do we know about the speaker’s feelings?
Why is his hand called ‘skinny’?
Answer:-
‘He’ here refers to the ancient mariner.
The speaker was repenting. Hence he wanted to
confess his guilt.
He is very old and his pouch of skin is hanging .
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 19.
Why does the Ancient Mariner compel the
wedding guest to listen to his story?
Answer:-
The Ancient Mariner had committed a sinful act
by killing an innocent bird without any
provocation. He was atoning and lamenting for
his crime. He was of the view that if he
confessed his guilt God would reduce his sin.
Nobody was interested in listening to him. So he
compels the wedding guest to listen to his
confession.
Question 20.
Why did the Ancient Mariner stop the wedding
guest?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 19.
2013
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 21.
How did the mariners reach the land of ice and
snow?
Answer:-
The mariners commenced their voyage in a very
fine weather. When their ship was in the middle
of the sea, there came a storm. It was very
powerful and tyrannous. It took the ship in its
grip and took it to the south. Then there was a
sudden change in weather. The sea water
turned into ice and the ship was surrounded
from all sides by iceberg. Question 22.
How was the ancient mariner punished for his
crime?
Answer:-
The Ancient Mariner had committed a sinful act
by killing an innocent bird without any
provocation. After that the other Mariners began
to suffer. They came across a lot of problems.
They felt that their end was coming nearer and
nearer. So they hung the dead body of the
albatross around the neck of the Ancient Mariner
as a mark of punishment. He was humiliated
publicly.
Question 23.
How did the albatross prove to be a good omen
for the mariners?
Answer:-
After the storm, the temperature came down
suddenly and the sea wdter began to freeze.
The ship was unable to move and the mariners
were scared that they would die of thirst and
starvation. All of a sudden there appeared an
albatross piercing the fog. Then the temperature
went up and ice began to melt. The crew
members began to steer the ship. The voyage
was resumed and the albatross began to follow
the ship.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 24.
As the wedding guest, make a diary entry of
your observations about the Ancient Mariner.
Answer:-
Dear Diary
9 p.m. 10 December 20XX
What a horrible encounter it was! I came across
a lunatic person. He captured me when I was
going to attend a wedding ceremony with two of
my companions. He used his magic with his
skinny hands. I was totally at his mercy. I asked
him to free me. He dropped his hand and used
his magic further using his eyes. He appeared to
be a strange fellow. He wanted to confess his
guilt by telling a story. His magic was so
powerful that I began to listen to his story like a
three years old child. On listening to the music
caused by the musical instrument at the wedding
spot I began to beat my breast. But he was rigid
to tell his story. This bizarre caused me extreme
agony of mind and heart as he deprived me of
attending the marriage ceremony of one of my
close relatives. I will never forget this tragic
event of my life.
Question 25.
Describe the circumstances under which the
albatross was hung around the Ancient
Mariner’s neck
Answer:-
The Ancient Mariner had killed the albatross
without any provocation. The fellow mariners
were of the view that the albatross had brought
good luck to them. So they held the Ancient
Mariner guilty of committing a crime. After that
there was an improvement in weather condition.
The fickle-minded mariners told that the Ancient
Mariner had done the right job by killing the
albatross that had brought fog and mist. Then
the wind came to a stop all of a sudden. The real
ship in the i real ocean appeared to be a painted
ship in the painted ocean. The mariners were
surrounded by water from all sides but they had
no water to drink. Rottening process started in
the stagnant sea water. Slimy creatures began
to move on the ship. The mariners began to
think that they would die of thirst and starvation
after finishing their limited water and food. Death
fire began to dance at night. Some mariners
.saw in their dreams that the spirit of the
albatross was causing all these problems.Under
these circumstances, all the mariners decided to
punish the Ancient Mariner by hanging the dead
body of the albatross around his neck.
Question 26.
The mariners were stranded in the silent sea
with the hot sun above them. Describe their
frightening experience at sea.
Answer:-
After the wind came to a sudden stop, the
mariner were under the scorching sun. The
blazing sun appeared to be like copper. The real
ship in the real ocean seemed to be just like a
painted ship in the painted ocean. The mariners
were surrounded by water from all sides but they
had no water to drink. The sea did rot and about
to boil. The sea water was changing its colour
and slimy creatures were sprawling on the ship.
Death fire was dancing at night. There was no
end to the predicament of the mariners. Some
mariners dreamt that a spirit was plaguing them.
Their throats became dry and choked. They felt
themselves under the spell of a curse. They
were of the view that their death was inevitable
under the prevailing circumstances.
2012
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 27.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
And some in dreams assured were Of the Spirit
that plagued us so;
Nine fathom deep he had followed us
From the land of mist and snow.
Where were the mariners?
Which is the Spirit referred to here?
Why has the Spirit followed them?
Answer:-
The mariners were in the sea near the south
pole.
The spirit is referred to the spirit of the albatross.
The spirit has followed them for food and play.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 28.
How did the mariners escape from the South
Pole?
Answer:-
When the ship of the mariners was unable to
move owing to the ice, there came an albatross
piercing the fog and the mist. The arrival of the
albatross proved so auspicious that ice began to
melt. The mariners began to steer their ship and
escape from the polar region.
Question 29.
Why couldn’t the wedding guest attend the
wedding?
Answer:-
The wedding guest was captured by the Ancient
Mariner all of a sudden. First the mariner held
the wedding guest using his hands. Later on he
controlled the wedding guest by using his magic.
The wedding guest was under the complete
control of the mariner and was unable to attend
the wedding.
Question 30.
Describe the circumstances under which the
mariner reached the South Pole?
Answer:-
The mariner had commenced his voyage in a
very favourable weather condition. The fellow
mariners were also very excited and happy. All
of a sudden there came a storm and it was very
powerful and tyrannous. It struck the ship as if it
had wings and had overtaken it with its immense
power. It chased the ship towards the south and
the mariner reached the south pole.
Question 31.
How did the mariners react after the death of the
albatross?
Answer:-
After the death of the albatross the mariners
reacted strongly against the Ancient Mariner.
They were highly obliged to the albatross whose
arrival had proved to be so auspicious for them.
They had regarded it a Christian soul. The killing
of such a lucky creature by the Ancient Mariner
infuriated all the fellow mariners. They became
vindictive.
Question 32.
What are the miseries the mariners had to face
after the death of the albatross?
Answer:-
After the death of the albatross, the wind came
to a stop. The sail of the ship of the mariners
dropped and the ship was unable to move. The
real ship appeared to be just like a painted ship
in the painted ocean. They were about to meet
with their death owing to thirst and starvation.
The sea water began to change its colour. Death
fire began to dance at night. Their tongues
became dry. There was no end to their sad
plights and predicament.
Question 33.
How did the mariners escape from the land of
mist and snow?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 13.
Question 34.
Why is the albatross called a ‘Christian soul’?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 14.
Question 35.
Why did the sailors give the ancient mariner evil
looks?
The same as Answer no. 26.
Answer:-
The sailors were of the view that the arrival of
the albatross had proved so beneficial for them.
It had come to them as a Christian soul to save
their life when they were in problem. So they
thought that the Ancient Mariner had committed
a heinous crime by killing this innocent creature
without any provocation. To show their disgust
for the Ancient Mariner they gave him evil looks.
Question 36.
How does the Mariner express the fact that the
ship was completely surrounded by the
icebergs?
Answer:-
The Mariner says that after the storm the
temperature came so down. Water began to
freeze. There came both mist and snow. It grew
intensely cold. Iceberg began to form and it was
as high as mast. The entire sea water turned
into ice. The mariners were unable to see any
men or beasts. The ice was everywhere and all
around.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 37.
Describe the events that led to the hanging of
the dead albatross around the mariner’s neck
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 25.
Question 38.
Describe the sufferings faced by the mariners in
the silent sea.
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 26.
2011
Extract Based Question [3 Marks]
Question 39.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
‘God save thee, ancient Mariner,
From the fiends that plague thee thus!
Why look’st thou SO?’
Who is the speaker?
Why do fiends plague him?
Which word in the above lines means the same
as ‘to trouble’?
Answer:-
The Ancient Mariner is the speaker.
Evil sense prevails upon him and that gives
chance to friends to plague him.
Plague
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 40.
How did the Albatross save the mariners from
the land of ice and snow?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 13.
Question 41.
Why did the mariners believe that the ancient
mariner was responsible for their misfortunes?
Answer:-
First time when the mariners were in problems
after the storm, the arrival of the albatross
proved auspicious for them and they escaped
from the land of ice. After a few days, the
Ancient Mariner killed the albatross without any
provocation. After that, the mariners faced a
series of problems and they felt that their end
was quite near. Under the situation, it was quite
natural for the mariners to believe that the
Ancient Mariner solely was responsible for their
agony and affliction.
Question 42.
How were the mariners trapped in the South
Pole?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 30. Question 43.
In ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ who is
called ‘a Christian Soul’? Why?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 14.
Question 44.
What is the “hellish thing” done by the ancient
mariner? Why?
Answer:-
The albatross had brought good luck for all the
mariners of the ship. The voyage was resumed
and everyone on the ship was in a elated mood.
The presence of the albatross was enhancing
the beauty of the ship. But the Ancient Mariner
caused a turmoil in their placid life by killing the
albatross without any provocation. They faced a
series of problems. The killing was indeed a
hellish thing done by the Ancient Mariner.
Question 45.
Why was the wedding guest desperate?
Answer:-
The same as Answer no. 11.
2010
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 46.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow. Write the Answers in
your Answer sheet in one or two lines only.
Number the Answers correctly.
But no sweet bird did follow,
Nor any day for food or play Came to the
mariners’ hollo !
And I had done a hellish thing,
And it would work ‘em woe:
Who is the speaker?
What is the ‘hellish thing’ done?
Explain : “work, ‘em woe.”
Answer:-
The Ancient Mariner is the speaker.
The killing of the albatross by the Ancient
Mariner was the hellish thing as it had brought
good luck for the mariners.
The heinous act of killing the albatross by the
Ancient Mariner caused a lot of problems for all
the mariners on the ship.
Question 47.
Read the passage given below and Answer the
Questions that follow.
The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.
Why is the sea called ‘silent’?
What according to the mariners was the reason
for their fate?
Which poetic device is used in these lines?
Answer:-
The sea is not causing any problem in the sailing
of the ship. It is not stormy.
The fickle-minded mariners said that they got a
better fate after the Ancient Mariner killed the
albatross.
The poetic device used in these lines is
‘alliteration’.
Question 48.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow. Write the Answers
in your Answer sheet in one or two lines only.
Number the Answers correctly.
It ate the food it ne’er had eat,
And round and round it flew.
The ice did split with a thunder-fit;
The helmsman steered us through!
What is ‘It’ referred to here?
What difficulties did the mariners face before ‘it’
arrived?
How did their fate change after its appearance?
Answer:-
Here ‘it’ is referred to the albatross.
The ship of the mariners had been stuck in ice. It
was unable to move.
The ice began to melt. Now the ship of the
mariners could resume its return journey.
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 49.
What traits of the ancient mariner’s character are
revealed in the poem, “The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner’?
Answer:-
The protagonist of the poem is feeble, frail and
skinny owing to his old age. He is neither
considerate nor positive in his attitude. Being
cruel and Short tempered he kills an innocent
bird without any provocation. Being Selfish, he
compels others to listen to his story so that he
can get his sin reduced by making confession.
He has learnt magic for getting his work done
according to his own wish and desire.
Julius Caesar Chapter Wise Important
Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Drama
2016
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 1.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
By whom have the above lines been spoken?
Why is the speaker meek with the butchers?
Write the antonym of the word, ‘gentle.’
Answer:-
Antony is the speaker.
Antony was meek because he wanted to take
revenge for Caesar’s murder which he knew he
wouldn’t be able to do without being friendly with
them.
The antonyms of ‘gentle’ are ‘rude’, ‘harsh’.
Question 2.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“They that have done this deed are honourable:
What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,
That made them do it”:
Who is the speaker ?
What deed have ‘they’ done ?
What does the word, ‘griefs’ mean ?
Answer:-
The speaker is Antony.
They have killed Caesar mercilessly.
‘Griefs’ here means ‘anger’ or ‘differences’.
Question 3.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Calpumia: Do not go forth today: call it my fear
That keeps you in the house, and not your own.
Let me, upon my knee prevail in this.
What is Calpurnia’s fear ?
What is the cause of her fear?
What does the phrase, ‘go forth’ mean?
Answer:-
Calpumia’s fear was that someone would
murder Caesar.
She had bad dreams throughout the night and
she saw Caesar being murdered and people
washing their hands in the blood of Caesar.
phrase ‘go forth’ means ‘move forward’. Here it
means ‘go out from the house’.
Question 4.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
mark’d ye his words? He would not take the
crown;
Therefore ’tis certain he was not ambitions.
Who is ‘He’?
What does his not taking the crown show?
What does the word ‘certain’ mean?
Answer:-
‘He’ is Caesar here.
This shows that he was not hungry for power.
The word ‘certain’ means ‘sure’.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 5.
How does Brutus interpret Calpurnia’s dream?
Answer:-
Calpumia dreamt that Caesar’s statue was
spouting blood like a fountain and Romans were
washing their handkerchiefs in the blood of
Caesar. Brutus said the dream foretold some
positive events. He said the blood from the
statue indicated the Caesar’s influence would
increase.
Question 6.
Describe the superstitions which scared
Calpumia?
Answer:-
Calpumia dreamt that Caesar’s statue was
spouting blood and many lusty Roman came up
to his statue and bathed their hands in the blood.
She cried thrice in her dream ‘Help ho they
murder Caesar’.
Question 7.
Why did Calpumia not want Caesar to go to the
Senate?
Answer:-
Calpumia did not want Caesar to go to the
Senate because she had dreamt the previous
night that someone had murdered Caesar and
the people were washing their hands in Caesar’s
blood.
Question 8.
Why does Brutus kill Caesar ?
Answer:-
Bruters was a true Roman and he loved Rome
more than his life. But he was not
able to judge the real worth of people. He
believed the conspirators when they said Caesar
was ambitious. Brutus killed Caesar as he was
convinced by the conspirators that Caesar
wanted to be a dictator and treat the Romans as
slaves. The freedom, liberty and democracy of
Rome was under threat. Question 9.
What did Caesar leave for the Romans in his will
? about the betterment of Rome. When Antony
Answer:-
Caesar had bequeathed a major part of his
wealth to the people of Rome. He had given
seventy five drachmas to every Roman. In
addition he had left his private gardens and
orchards on one side of Tiber to Romans for
their rest and recreation and also for the
enjoyment by their future generations.
Question 10.
How is Decius Brutus successful in taking
Caesar to the senate inspite of Calpumia’s
efforts to prevent him ?
Answer:-
Calpurnia had a very bad dream the previous
night. She saw people washing their
handkerchiefs in the blood of Caesar. Decius
interpreted the dream in a very positive way
saying that people washing their handkerchiefs
in the blood of Caesar symbolised that people
would take inspiration from Caesar and there
would be renaissance.
Question 11.
How did Brutus justify Caesar’s assassination ?
Answer:-
Brutus was a patriotic man and he was very well
respected in Rome. People of Rome loved him
dearly. He said that he loved Caesar dearly but
he loved Rome more than he loved Caesar. He
said that he honoured him for his bravery but he
was ambitious so he was killed.
Question 12.
Cassius knows Antony well and does not want
Brutus to let him speak. Why?
Answer:-
Cassius knew that Antony was a skilful orator
and a true friend of Caesar. He knew that
Antony could see through their plans and would
expose them in front of the people of Rome. He
knew that Antony’s speach could do a good deal
of harm to them.
Long Answer Type Question [1 Marks]
Question 13.
Caesar’s murder is rightly avenged by Antony.
Comment.
Answer:-
Casca, Decius Brutus, Brutus and conspirators
killed Caesar on the pretext of him
being ambitious. All the conspirators were
actually jealous of his growing popularity. Only
Brutus was the one who was actually concerned
came to the Senate he saw Caesar’s body lying
in a pool of blood. He told Brutus to kill him also
and with the same weapon with which he had
killed Caesar. Brutus told him to join hands with
them and agreed to be their friend but at heart
he was full of anger and wanted to take revenge
for Caesar’s murder. He requested Brutus to
allow him to give a funeral speech to the people
of Rome. Brutus allowed him to do so. Antony
revealed to the mob how Caesar loved them and
that he had given everything to the people of
Rome in his will. His scathing and sarcastic
speech drove the mob crazy. It enraged them
and the masses set the houses of conspirators
on fire.
2015
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]

Question 14.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Caesar shall forth; the things that threaten’d me
Ne’er look’d but on my back; when they shall
see The face of Caesar, they are vanished.
Where is Caesar planning to go?
What are the ‘things’ that threaten him?
What does the word ‘vanished’ mean?
Answer:-
Caesar is planning to go to the senate-house.
The various horrible sights that Calpurnia had in
her dream are threatening him.
The word ‘vanished’ means ‘disappeared.’
Question 15.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!
Iam ashamed. I did yield to them.
Give me my robe, for I will go.
Why was Calpurnia afraid?
Where did Caesar decide to go?
What does the word ‘yield’ mean?
Answer:-
Calpurnia had a very horrible dream. Her
watchman told that he had also seen many
unusual things in his dream. Taking these
dreams as ominous she was afraid.
Caesar decided to go to the senate-house.
The word ‘yield’ means to give way or to
surrender.
Question 16.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
This was the most unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors’ arms,
Quite vanquish’d him: then burst his mighty
heart;
Who speaks these words?
Whose ingratitude was he referring to?
Why did it break CaesarAnswer:-
Mark Antony is the speaker of these lines.
He was referring to the ingratitude of the
conspirators who had assassinated Caesar.
Caesar had immense trust in the members of
the senate particularly Brutus. When he saw
them including Brutus stabbing him, his heart
broke.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 17.
Why did Cassius tell Brutus not to allow Antony
to speak on Caesar’s funeral?
Answer:-
Cassius knew it well that Marks Antony was a
great diplomat and orator. Using his oratory, he
might win the hearts of the people in his favour.
At that point of time, Cassius and other
conspirators were quite near the crown after
assassinating Caesar. Moreover, the Romans
were very emotionally charged at that time.
Cassius did not want to take any risk at that
time. Hence, he told Brutus not to allow Antony
to speak on Caesar’s funeral.
Question 18.
Why did Caesar’s will infuriate the Romans?
Answer:-
Caeser’s will was the most powerful weapon is
the hands of Antony against the conspirators
who were saying that they had assassinated
Caesar as he was ambitious. The revelation of
the contents of the will proved to be a turning
point in the entire episode. According to the will,
all the Romans were to get seventy-five silver
coins from the property of Caesar and the
private arbours of Caesar were to become a
national property. So the Romans held the
conspirators guilty of assassinating a great
patriot of Rome.
Question 19.
How did Antony prove that Caesar was not
ambitious?
Answer:-
Antony being a great diplomat and orator proved
Caesar’s innocence very meticulously. He
informed the Romans that Caesar refused to
accept the crown thrice when it was offered to
him on the eve of Lupercal. If he had been
ambitious, he must have accepted it. He also
told the Romans that Caesar had brought many
captives from the battlefield. Whatsoever
amount, he got as ransom to set the captives
free, he put it in the national treasure. When the
poor wept, Caesar also wept. Reading the will of
Caesar, Antony disclosed to the Romans that
Caesar had left seventy-five silver coins for
every citizen and his personal arbours were o
became national property. These evidences
were adequate to prove that Caesar was not
ambitious.
Question 20.
How did Decius Brutus interpret Calpumia’s
dream?
Answer:-
The misinterpretation of Calpumia’s dream by
Decius Brutus proved fatal for Caesar.
Otherwise Caesar had made up his mind to
remain at home on that unfortunate day. Decius
Brutus said that Calpumia’s dream that blood
was coming out of Caesar’s statue signified that
the Romans would get reviving blood. It would
be preserved as an object of reverence by the
RomAnswer:- It would serve as colours added
to a coat of arms. So Decious Brutus succeeded
in persuading Caesar to go the senate-house
where his death was waiting for him in the
daggers of the conspirators.
Question 21.
How did Brutus justify Caesar’s assassination?
Answer:-
The shrewd, cunning and manipulating Cassius
had been successful in poisoning the ears of
noble Brutus. After Caesar’s assassination,
Brutus told the Romans that he loved Caesar
more than any RomAnswer:- But he loved the
democracy of Rome more than anyone and
anything. So he assassinated Caesar when he
felt that the growing ambition of Caesar would
be perilous to Roman democracy and he was
not ready to accept it at any rate as he was a
great patriot.
Question 22.
Why did Julius Caesar deny the repeal of
banishment of Publius Cimber?
Answer:-
Caesar was a great ruler and administrator. He
was very disciplined and strict in taking decision.
He would take decision in the welfare of Rome
and the RomAnswer:- Giving reply to the
request for the repealing, Caesar said that if he
was moved by prayer on that point, one day
prayers would move him completely. He was as
constant as the northern star. He was of the
view that the repeat of banishment of Publius
Cimber would not be in the interest of Rome.
Question 23.
On what conditions was AAntony allowed to
speak on Caesar’s funeral? Answer:- After the
assassination of Caesar, Brutus wanted to justify
the act of the conspirators.
Answer:-
After delivering his speech he wanted Antony to
address the RomAnswer:- But certain
conditions were imposed on Antony. He was not
allowed to blame any conspirator though he was
allowed to praise Caesar. He had to disclose the
Romans in his funeral speech that he was
speaking by the permission of the conspirators.
Antony had to accept all the conditions as his
position was weak at that moment.
Question 24.
How did the Roman mob react to Antony’s
speech?
Answer:-
Antony’s speech revolutionised the Roman mob.
He had become successful in
making the Romans realise that Caesar was not
ambitious and the conspirators were guilty. So
the mob became vindictive. They became ready
to die with Antony. They said that they would
bum the house of Brutus. They became ready to
seek the conspirators. They also said that they
would bum the dead body of Caesar at a holy
place and using the brands they would bum the
houses of the traitors.
Question 25.
Which was ‘the most unkindest cut’ of all? Why
was it called so?
Answer:-
The cut caused by the dagger of Brutus was the
most unkind. It was called so as
Brutus was a very close friend of Caesar.
Caesar trusted him blindly. He regarded Brutus
as an angel. So Brutus was not supposed to
think of harming Caesar. He was supposed to
assist Caesar when the conspirators attacked
him. As Brutus joined hands with the
conspirators and stabbed Caesar, it was an act
of treachery. Hence, it was called the most
unkind.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 26.
Mark Antony, with the help of his oratory,
succeeded in winning the mob over to his side.
This led to the downfall of the conspirators. Write
in 80-100 words, how with the power of words
he could effect a change in his listeners.
Answer:-
Mark Antony was indeed a great orator and
diplomat. After the assassination of Caesar, he
reached the site and made his plan how to take
revenge on the conspirators and get advantage
of the situation. He warned the Romans that
Rome would face natural calamities if they didn’t
take revenge for the assassination. Further, he
said that Caesar’s spirit would come with the
God of death and cause a great loss of life. Very
systematically, he proved that Caesar was not
ambitious. As Long as his position was weak,
he pointed out the guilts of the conspirators
ironically. Later, he told the Romans that Caesar
had neither accepted the crown nor kept the
ransom in his personal treasure. He made the
mob emotional by saying that Caesar used to
weep for the poor and for the sake of Romans
he left his entire property. Showing the cuts to
the mob and deliberate delay in reading the will
were the effective endeavours of Antony to
instigate the Romans against the conspirators.
Thus, the oratory of Antony altered the entire
scene. The conspirators, though appeared to be
successful in the beginning, were badly
defeated.
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 27.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
and grievously hath Caesar Answere’d it.
Who is the speaker? Who are ‘you’?
How did Caesar pay for being ambitious?
What argument did the speaker give to show
that Brutus was wrong in his judgement of
Caesar?
Answer:-
Antony is the speaker. ‘You’ here stands for the
people of Rome.
The conspirators blamed Caesar for being
ambitious and they assassinated him on this
ground.
The speaker said that Caesar must have
accepted the crown if he had been ambitious.
But he rejected it thrice.
Question 28.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Good countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my sake, stay here with Antony:
Identify the speaker of the above lines.
When and where were the above lines spoken?
Bring out the irony in the aboveMarcus Brutus is
the speaker.
The above lines were spoken after Brutus
delivered his speech. These lines were spoken
form the pulpit in the market place.
Brutus asked his countrymen to listen to his
enemy Antony for his sake. The speech of
Antony later proved fatal for Brutus.
Question 29.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy
Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips,
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue—
Who spoke the above words?
Whose ‘wounds’ is the speaker referring to in the
above lines?
Identify and explain the figure of speech used in
the above extract.
Answer:-
Antony spoke the above words.
The speaker is referring to the wounds of
Caesar.
The figure of speech used in the above extract is
‘simile’. The wounds of Caesar have been
compared to dumb mouth using the word ‘like’.
Question 30.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
This dream is all amiss interpreted.
Name the speaker of the above line.
Whose ‘dream’ has been referred to in the
extract?
Explain: ‘amiss interpreted’.
Answer:-
The name of speaker is Decius Brutus.
The dream of Calpurnia has been referred to in
the extract.
Decius Brutus tells Caesar that the dream of
Calpurnia has been wrongly interpreted.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 31.
Why did Calpumia try to stop Caesar from going
to the senate?
Answer:-
Calpurnia had a very bad dream the previous
night. She was also informed by the watchman
that in his dream he had seen many unnatural
things. A lioness had given birth to her little ones
in the streets. Dead bodies were coming out of
graveyards. A fierce war was going in air and
blood was falling upon the capital. Calpumia saw
that blood was coming out of the statue of
Caesar and lusty Romans were bathing their
hands in it with smiling faces. All these were
ominous and Calpumia thought that the life of
Caesar was in danger.
Question 32.
How does Decius Brutus persuade Caesar to
accompany him to the senate house?
Answer:-
Decius Bmtus says that the dream of Calpumia
has been wrongly interpreted. Actually the
Romans will get a reviving blood from Caesar’s
blood. They will get their handkerchiefs
drenched in his blood and the same will be
worshipped by the future generations. He also
tries to entice Caesar by saying that the
senators have decided to offer him the crown
that day. If he does not go, they may change
their decision.
Question 33.
What did Caesar leave for the Romans in his
will?
Answer:-
Antony brought the will of Caesar and read it to
the people of Rome. According to the will, all the
Romans had to get seventy-five silver coins from
the property of Caesar. The private arbours of
Caesar were to become the national property
and every Roman would be enjoying there.
These were the sufficent proofs to prove that
Caesar was not ambitious.
Question 34.
How did nature foretell Caesar’s death?
Answer:-
For nature Caesar was a prominent person. So
she gave a warning of danger in
Caesar’s life. Calpumia saw in her dream that
blood was coming out of Caesar’s statue and the
lusty Romans with their smiling faces were
washing their hands in it. The watchman saw
that a lioness was giving birth to its little ones in
the street. Dead bodies were coming out of the
graveyards and warriors were fighting in the sky.
These ominous signs were the nature’s
foretelling of Caesar’s death.
Question 35.
What is the purpose of Antony’s speech? Does
he succeed in his mission?
Answer:-
Antony is greatly agrieved to see the dead body
of Caesar. His purpose is to take revenge for
Caesar’s death on the conspirators and to
become the rulefby defeating the conspirators
with the help of the people of Rome.
Antony succeeds fully in his mission. The
conspirators are defeated and Antony becomes
the ruler.
Question 36.
What did Caesar’s will have for the common
men of Rome?
Answer:-
Antony brought the will of Caesar and read it to
the people ofRome. According to the will, all the
Romans had to get seventy-five silver coins from
the property of Caesar. The private arbours of
Caesar were to become the national property
and every Roman would be enjoying there.
These were the sufficent proofs to prove that
Caesar was not ambitious.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 37.
‘Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome
more. ’
Brutus says this as he justifies to the Romans
why Caesar was assassinated by them. Do you
agree with Brutus? Justify your Answer in 120-
150 words by giving examples from the play.
What values does Brutus display as he says this
line to the Romans?
Answer:-
Yes, I agree with Brutus. As a matter of fact,
Brutus was a noble man. He possessed a series
of virtues. He was a very close friend of Caesar.
He had a very good image in the eyes of the
Rom Cassius was very shrewd and
manipulative. He knew that he would be
successful in implementing his conspiracy if he
won the favour of Brutus. So he poisoned the
ears of Brutus saying that the growing power of
Caesar would be dangerous to the democracy of
Rome. Brutus could not understand the real
motive of Cassius and believed his words
blindly. He failed to see through the cunningness
of Cassius and supported him in the execution of
his conspiracy.
Brutus displays that he has feeling of patriotism
and loyalty to Roman democracy.
Question 38.
Now let it work. Mischief thou art afoot.
Take thou what course thou wilt!
Antony seeks justice by getting the mob to kill
the conspirators. But to correct a wrong, one
cannot commit another wrong. Write a speech
for the school assembly on—The ends do not
justify the means: (120-150 words)
Answer:-
Good Morning!
Respected principal, teachers and my dear
colleagues. I am going to deliver a speech on
the topic ‘the ends do not justify the me
In this fast changing materialistic world, it has
become very difficult for mankind to keep control
on his emotions. People have become vindictive
in nature. They have neither tolerance nor
patience. But vindictive attitude must be checked
otherwise there will be the extinction of the
world. For achieving success people should
follow the right path.
In the case of Antony, we find that he instigates
the Roman mob to kill the conspirators and burn
their houses. This led to the huge destruction of
life and property. No civilized society will
approve of this act of Antony. He should have
adopted another safe method of reconciliation.
Taking experience from this event of the drama
‘Julius Caesar’ we must take a vow to settel
every dispute harmoniously. Vindictive attitude
must be discarded and feeling of forgiveness
must be spread in every nook and corner of the
world.
I think tolerance and forgiveness will be the two
effective tools to save humanity in future.
Thanks
2013
Extract Based Questions [3 MarkQuestion 39.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
‘Shall Caesar send a lie?
Have I in conquest stretch’d mine arm so far,
To be afraid to tellgraybeards the truth?
Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come’.
Why has Decius come to Caesar’s place?
What message does Caesar give him?
Who are the ‘graybeards’ referred to here?
Answer:-
He comes to Caesar’s place to persuade Caesar
to go to the senate-house so that the
conspirators can execute their conspiracy.
Caesar told Decius Brutus that he would not go
to the senate-house as Calpumia had a very bad
dream last night.
The graybeards referred to here are the
senators of the senate-house.
Question 40.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard,
Now, whilst your purpled hands do reek and
smoke,
Fulfil your pleasure. Live a thousand years,
I shall not find myself so apt to die:
When does Antony say these words?
What is his request?
What does ‘reek’ in the above lines mean?
Answer:-
Antony speaks these words after the
assassination of Caesar by the conspirators.
He requests the conspirators to kill him also.
The word ‘reek’ here means ‘stench’ or ‘an
offensive smell’.
Question 41.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
BRUTUS: Then none have I offended. I have
done no more to Caesar than you shall do to
Brutus.
In which context does Brutus say these words?
How does Brutus justify his action?
What was the immediate reaction of the
listeners?
Answer:-
Brutus is justifying the assassination of Caesar
by him aLong with the other conspirators.
He says that the growing power of Caesar made
him ambitious which was dangerous to Roman
democracy.
The listeners begin to admire Brutus and decide
to give Brutus the same position as Caesar had.
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 42.
How does Brutus convince the Romans that
Caesar deserved his death?
Answer:-
Brutus tells the Roman that Caesar made
himself very ambitious. He also says that
Caesar was his friend and he had many good
qualities. He was worshipper of the courage of
Caesar. But he had to join his hands with the
conspirators when he came to know that the
growing power of Caesar would be dangerous to
the democracy of Rome.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 43.
Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
These words of Julius Caesar bring out the
importance of courage in the face of adversity.
Send an e-mail in 120-150 words to your
younger brother on the importance of courage
and bravery in one’s life.
Answer:-
Date : 15 June 20XX
From: mahesh79@gmail.com
Subject: Importance of courage and bravery
To: suresh8@live.com
Dear Suresh
Hope everything is good at your end. I want to
make you aware of the significance of courage
and bravery in one’s life.
These two divine qualities are rarely seen in
human being. People in general are timid and
afraid of death. But 1 think that it is a blunder.
Death is the necessary end of human life. It will
come when it is destined to come. It can’t be
avoided by any human being.
A brave person faces all the challenges of life
boldly. It has been seen $iat success has to kiss
the feet of the brave. When it has been observed
that cowards are always met with failure, it is
foolishness to behave like a coward.
Human history is full of the achievement of the
brave and the courageous. We admire their
achievements even today. Even after more than
two thousand years, we applaud the bravery of
Julius Caesar.
I hope that you will take lesson from this e-mail
of mine and remain brave and courageous even
in adverse situation in future.
With best wishes
Yours lovingly
Name: Mahesh
Question 44.
Caesar was assassinated ruthlessly and the
conspirators tried to gain power. Write a letter to
a friend on how important it is to think of not only
the end but also the meAnswer:- You are
Rameshwar/Ragini of 18, Princess Street18
Princess Street
Kolkata
10 June 20XX
Dear Mohan/Mohini
Hope this letter finds you in the pink of your
health. In this letter, I am going to make you
aware of the significance of the proper way of
achieving the goal.
In this swift changing and materialistic world
people are striving to achieve their goals by
hook or by crook. But experience says that if a
person achieves his goal following a wrong path,
he has to repent as Long as he lives. Neither
does he get satisfaction nor does he enjoy the
real pleasure of achieving his goal. He goes on
feeling himself guilty all through his life.
In the play Julius Caesar, Cassius conspired
against Caesar and assassinated him with the
help of other conspirators. But his desire to
become a ruler remained a mirage. He and his
friends were defeated and some of them were
killed in the battle. Some of them had to commit
suicide. If he had wished to become the ruler, he
should have followed a creative way. But
Cassius thought of only the end but not of the
means and he had to lament.
We must take lesson from his life for our better
future. Hope you will follow my advice in future.
Convey my regards to the elders and love to the
children.
With heaps of love
Your sincerely
Rameshwar/Ragini
Question 45.
‘What mean you Caesar? Think you to walk
forth?
You shall not stir out of your house today’.
Describe the circumstances under which
Caesar’s wife Calpurnia makes this statement.
Answer:-
Calpurnia and the watchman had seen very bad
dreams. In their dreams, they saw many unusual
and unnatural things. The watchman saw that
the lioness was giving birth to her little ones in
the street. Dead bodies were coming out of the
graveyards and a fierce fight was going on in the
sky. The blood of the warriors was falling on the
capital. All these were ominous sights and the
watchman explained his entire dream to
Calpumia. She herself had seen in her dream
that blood was coming out of the statue of
Caesar and the lusty Romans were washing
their hands in it. While doing so they were
smiling. All these sights made Calpurnia afraid.
She decided that she would implore Caesar not
to go to the senate-house. But Caesar was a
very brave man and he said that he would go to
the senate-house. He also told Calpumia that
cowards die many times before their death. But
Calpurnia was rigid and she uttered line ‘you
shall not stir out of your house today’.
Question 46.
How and when did Caesar’s murder take place?
Answer:-
Julius Caesar was a great administrator. His
name and fame was spreading by leaps and
bounds. Cassius, one of the senators, was
envious of the position of Caesar and he himself
wanted to become the ruler. So he began to
conspire against Caesar with the help of some
cunning and wicked people. Later on, he
poisoned the ears of noble Brutus saying that
the growing power of Caesar would be
dangerous to the democracy of Rome. All the
conspirators planned to assassinate Caesar in
the senate-house.
On the scheduled date, Decius Brutus
persuaded Caesar to go to the senate-house.
The conspirators requested Caesar one by one
to repeal the banishment of Publius Cimber. But
Caesar turned down their requests and the
conspirators got an excuse to assassinate
Caesar. Casca attacked Caesar first and he was
followed by other conspirators. Caesar could not
believe his eyes when he saw Brutus attacking
him. Ultimately, Caesar was assassinated in the
senate-house at the feet of the statue of
Pompey.
Question 47.
How did Antony prove to the Romans that
Caesar was greatly wronged?
Answer:-
Mark Antony was indeed a great orator and
diplomat. After the assassination of Caesar, he
reached the site and made his plan how to take
revenge on the conspirators and get advantage
of the situation. He warned the Romans that
Rome would face natural calamities if they didn’t
take revenge for the assassination. Further, he
said that Caesar’s spirit would come with the
God of death and cause a great loss of life. Very
systematically, he proved that Caesar was not
ambitious. As Long as his position was weak,
he pointed out the guilts of the conspirators
ironically. Later, he told the Romans that Caesar
had neither accepted the crown nor kept the
ransom in his personal treasure. He made the
mob emotional by saying that Caesar used to
weep for the poor and for the sake of Romans
he left his entire property. Showing the cuts to
the mob and deliberate delay in reading the will
were the effective endeavours of Antony to
instigate the Romans against the conspirators.
Thus, the oratory of Antony altered the entire
scene. The conspirators, though appeared to be
successful in the beginning, were badly
defeated.
2012
Extrdct Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 48.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
What is the ‘bleeding piece of earth’ referred to
here?
Why was Antony ‘meek and gentle’?
Who are the butchers mentioned here?
Answer:-
These words refer to the spot where Caesar has
been assassinated ruthlessly.
The position of Antony was weak at that time.
The conspirators who assassinated Caesar have
been called the butchers.
Question 49.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.
Who is speaking these lines?
Why does he call them butchers?
How does he praise Caesar?
Answer:-
Antony is the speaker here.
They assassinated Caesar mercilessly.
He wants the Romans to take revenge on the
death of Caesar.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 50.
How did Brutus win the heart of the Roman
mob?
Answer:-
Brutus tells the Roman that Caesar made
himself very ambitious. He also says that
Caesar was his friend and he had many good
qualities. He was worshipper of the courage of
Caesar. But he had to join his hands with the
conspirators when he came to know that the
growing power of Caesar would be dangerous to
the democracy of Rome.
Question 51.
Under what condition does Brutus allow Mark
Antony to make the funeral speech?
Answer:-
After the assassination of Caesar, Brutus
wanted to justify the act of the conspirators.
After delivering his speech he wanted Antony to
address the Romans. But certain conditions
were imposed on Antony. He was not allowed to
blame any conspirator though he was allowed to
praise Caesar. He had to disclose the Romans
in his funeral speech that he was speaking by
the permission of the conspirators. Antony had
to accept all the conditions as his position was
weak at that moment.
Question 52.
Why did Metellus Cimber kneel before Caesar?
Answer:-
The brother of Metellus Cimber had been given
the punishment of banishment by Caesar. So
the conspirators asked Metellus Cimber to
request Caesar to forgive his brother. They knew
it well that Caesar would not forgive Publius
Cimber. Then the conspirators would also make
request and if it was turned down by Caesar,
they would get proper excuse to attack and
assassinate Caesar. Question 53.
What offer did the conspirators make to Antony
after Caesar’s assassination?
Answer:-
The conspirators were well aware of the power
of oratory of Antony. They also knew that Antony
was a great diplomat. So they thought it was
better to win the favour of Antony. Therefore
they offered Antony a place in the
commonwealth. Actually the conspirators
wanted to pacify the chaotic situation caused by
the assassination of Caesar.
Question 54.
How did Decius Brutus interpret Calpumia’s
dream?
Answer:-
The misinterpretation of Calpumia’s dream by
Decius Brutus proved fatal for Caesar.
Otherwise Caesar had made up his mind to
remain at home on that unfortunate day. Decius
Brutus said that Calpumia’s dream that blood
was coming out of Caesar’s statue signified that
the Romans would get reviving blood. It would
be preserved as an object of reverence by the
Romans. It would serve as colours added to a
coat of arms. So Decious Brutus succeeded in
persuading Caesar to go the senate-house
where his death was waiting for him in the
daggers of the conspirators.
Question 55.
How did Caesar make the Roman his heirs?
Answer:-
Antony brought the will of Caesar and read it to
the people of Rome. According
to the will, all the Romans had to get seventy-
five silver coins from the property of Caesar. The
private arbours of Caesar were to become the
national property and every Roman would be
enjoying there. These were the sufficent proofs
to prove that Caesar was not ambitious.
Question 56.
What prophesy did Antony make after Caesar’s
death?
Answer:-
Antony was a great diplomat and a close friend
of Caesar. So he made prophesy to infuriate the
Roman to take revenge. He said that Romans
would witness civil war. He further said that
blood and destruction would be common and
dreadful objects would be so familiar that
mothers would smile to see the dead bodies of
their children. The spirit of Caesar would come
with god of death and take revenge on the
RomAnswer:-
Question 57.
‘Let him be Caesar’. What does this line tell us
about the attitude of the Roman mob?
Answer:-
The Roman mob is very emotional and fickle
minded. The citizens are credulous and docile.
Only a few sentences of Brutus impress them so
greatly that they forget all the contributions of
great Caesar. They are also quick in taking
decision. Without going deep into the matter,
they are going to hand over the bridle of the
reins of Rome in the hands of the conspirators
and the murderers.
Question 58.
What was the effect of Antony’s speech on the
Roman citizens?
Answer:-
Antony’s speech revolutionised the Roman mob.
He had become successful in
making the Romans realise that Caesar was not
ambitious and the conspirators were guilty. So
the mob became vindictive. They became ready
to die with Antony. They said that they would
bum the house of Brutus. They became ready to
seek the conspirators. They also said that they
would bum the dead body of Caesar at a holy
place and using the brands they would bum the
houses of the traitors.
Question 59.
What are the arguments put forward by Decius
Brutus to convince Caesar to go to Capitol?
Answer:-
Decius Bmtus says that the dream of Calpumia
has been wrongly interpreted. Actually the
Romans will get a reviving blood from Caesar’s
blood. They will get their handkerchiefs
drenched in his blood and the same will be
worshipped by the future generations. He also
tries to entice Caesar by saying that the
senators have decided to offer him the crown
that day. If he does not go, they may change
their decision.
Question 60.
Why did Cassius object to Antony’s speech at
Caesar’s funeral?
Answer:-
Cassius knew it well that Marks Antony was a
great diplomat and orator. Using his
‘oratory, he might win the hearts of the people in
his favour. At that point of time, Cassius and
other conspirators were quite near the crown
after assassinating Caesar. Moreover, the
Romans were very emotionally charged at that
time. Cassius did not want to take any risk atat
that time. Hence, he told Brutus not to allow
Antony to speak on Caesar’s funeral.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 61.
How was Mark Antony successful in setting
mischief afoot?
Answer:-
Mark Antony was indeed a great orator and
diplomat. After the assassination of Caesar, he
reached the site and made his plan how to take
revenge on the conspirators and get advantage
of the situation. He warned the Romans that
Rome would face natural calamities if they didn’t
take revenge for the assassination. Further, he
said that Caesar’s spirit would come with the
God of death and cause a great loss of life. Very
systematically, he proved that Caesar was not
ambitious. As Long as his position was weak,
he pointed out the guilts of the conspirators
ironically. Later, he told the Romans that Caesar
had neither accepted the crown nor kept the
ransom in his personal treasure. He made the
mob emotional by saying that Caesar used to
weep for the poor and for the sake of Romans
he left his entire property. Showing the cuts to
the mob and deliberate delay in reading the will
were the effective endeavours of Antony to
instigate the Romans against the conspirators.
Thus, the oratory of Antony altered the entire
scene. The conspirators, though appeared to be
successful in the beginning, were badly
defeated.
Question 62.
Suppose after the murder Brutus goes back to
his room, he closes his eyes and finds that his
conscience is pricking him. He feels disturbed,
upset and restless. Write the page you think he
would have written in his diary expressing his
thoughts and emotions.
Answer:-
Dear Diary
10 pm, 11 June 20XX
What a sin I have committed today! I failed to
understan^Jhe selfish motive of cunning and
manipulative Cassius. He poisoned my ears
aga|$st my close friend
Caesar saying that Caesar had become
ambitious and his growing power would be
dangerous to the Roman democracy. Like a
credulous and docile person, I bebeved his
words and supported the conspirators.
After going deep into the matter, I feel that
Caesar was not ambitious and I have committed
a sin. God will not forgive me for my betrayal.
Caesar had immense trust in me. I am very
much repentant and want to expiate my blunder.
I confess to my guilt and will remain cautious of
the manipulative and shrewd people in future.
May God forgive me and instill good sanse in
me.
Brutus
Question 63.
What are the conditions imposed on Antony by
the conspirators before permitting him to speak
at Caesar’s funeral?
Answer:-
After the assassination of Caesar, the situation
of Rome became chaotic. Caesar was a popular
ruler and the Romans loved him so dearly. The
Romans regarded him a great patriot. So the
conspirators had to justify the assassination of
Caesar. Brutus delivered a Long speech and
tried to justify the assassination. But the
conspirators thought that if Antony spoke, the
Romans would be easily convinced. So the
conspirators asked Antony to deliver a speech
but he was not permitted to speak anything
against the conspirators. He was permitted to
speak everything in admiration of Caesar. The
conspirators also imposed the condition that
Antony had to proclaim in his speech that he
was speaking to them with the permission of the
conspirators.
Actually the conspirators wanted to make their
good image in the eyes of the RomAnswer:-
They also wanted to keep control on Antony as
he was a great orator.
2011Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 64.
Why did Calpurnia beg Caesar not to go to the
senate house?
Answer:-
Calpurnia had a very bad dream the previous
night. She was also informed by the watchman
that in his dream he had seen many unnatural
things. A lioness had given birth to her little ones
in the streets. Dead bodies were coming out of
graveyards. A fierce war was going in air and
blood was falling upon the capital. Calpumia saw
that blood was coming out of the statue of
Caesar and lusty Romans were bathing their
hands in it with smiling faces. All these were
ominous and Calpumia thought that the life of
Caesar was in danger.
Question 65.
With what plea did the conspirators approach
Caesar in the senate house?
Answer:-
The brother of Metellus Cimber had been given
the punishment of banishment by Caesar. So
the conspirators asked Metellus Cimber to
request Caesar to forgive his brother. They knew
it well that Caesar would not forgive Publius
Cimber. Then the conspirators would also make
request and if it was turned down by Caesar,
they would get proper excuse to attack and
assassinate Caesar.
Question 66.
Why does Brutus allow Antony to deliver the
funeral speech?
Answer:-
Brutus is a noble man and quite unware of the
fact that Antony may harm him and the other
conspirators. He is straight in his thinking. He
thinks that if Antony addresses the Roman
citizens, it will have a better impact on them. He
is sure that Antony will not be able to harm him
as he will impose certain restrictions on Antony’s
speech.
Question 67.
Why was Cassius unwilling to allow Antony to
speak to the Roman public?
Answer:-
Cassius knew it well that Marks Antony was a
great diplomat and orator. Using his
‘oratory, he might win the hearts of the people in
his favour. At that point of time, Cassius and
other conspirators were quite near the crown
after assassinating Caesar. Moreover, the
Romans were very emotionally charged at that
time. Cassius did not want to take any risk at
that time. Hence, he told Brutus not to allow
Antony to speak on Caesar’s funeral.
Question 68.
Why did Cassius decide to assassinate Caesar?
Who were the other conspirators?
Answer:-
Cassius is an ambitious man who has extreme
desire to become the ruler of Rome. He is
envious of the growing power of Caesar. The
name and fame of Caesar is spreading by leaps
and bounds. So Cassius thinks that Caesar must
be assassinated before he is crowned.
The other conspirators are Marcus Brutus,
Decius Brutus, Casca, Metellus Cimber,
Trebonius, Cinna, Popilus, etc.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 69.
How did Antony prove himself to be a clever
orator?
Answer:-
Mark Antony was indeed a great orator and
diplomat. After the assassination of Caesar, he
reached the site and made his plan how to take
revenge on the conspirators and get advantage
of the situation. He warned the Romans that
Rome would face natural calamities if they didn’t
take revenge for the assassination. Further, he
said that Caesar’s spirit would come with the
God of death and cause a great loss of life. Very
systematically, he proved that Caesar was not
ambitious. As Long as his position was weak,
he pointed out the guilts of the conspirators
ironically. Later, he told the Romans that Caesar
had neither accepted the crown nor kept the
ransom in his personal treasure. He made the
mob emotional by saying that Caesar used to
weep for the poor and for the sake of Romans
he left his entire property. Showing the cuts to
the mob and deliberate delay in reading the will
were the effective endeavours of Antony to
instigate the Romans against the conspirators.
Thus, the oratory of Antony altered the entire
scene. The conspirators, though appeared to be
successful in the beginning, were badly
defeated.
Question 70.
Write a character sketch of Julius Caesar.
Answer:-
Julius Caesar, the protagonist of the drama
‘Julius Caesar’, was indeed a towering
personality. He possessed a series of virtues
which had made him a great ruler of the
contemporary world. Under his regime, the
Roman Empire expanded greatly and earned
good name and fame in the entire world. In the
battle field, he was a warrior of warriors and
under his leadership, Rome had won many
battles. Rome had never seen a great patriot like
him.
Caesar was an eptome of bravery and courage.
When Calpurnia implored her not to go to the
senate-house, he said ‘cowards die many times
before their death.’ He was so confident of his
courage and strength that he said that he was
more dangerous than danger. Being a strict and
able ruler, he never altered his decision under
pressure. As he was not a great diplomat, he
failed to guess the motive of the conspirators.
The Romans remained indebted to him and took
revenge on the conspirators. History rarely sees
such a great personality.
2010
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 71.
How does Brutus convince the Roman mob that
he was justified in murdering Caesar.
Answer:-
The shrewd, cunning and manipulating Cassius
had been successful in poisoning the ears of
noble Brutus. After Caesar’s assassination,
Brutus told the Romans that he loved Caesar
more than any Romans. But he loved the
democracy of Rome more than anyone and
anything. So he assassinated Caesar when he
felt that the growing ambition of Caesar would
be perilous to Roman democracy and he was
not ready to accept it at any rate as he was a
great patriot.
Question 72.
What convinced Caesar to go to the senate
house?
Answer:-
Decius Bmtus says that the dream of Calpumia
has been wrongly interpreted. Actually the
Romans will get a reviving blood from Caesar’s
blood. They will get their handkerchiefs
drenched in his blood and the same will be
worshipped by the future generations. He also
tries to entice Caesar by saying that the
senators have decided to offer him the crown
that day. If he does not go, they may change
their decision.
Question 73.
How did Antony convince the Roman mob that
Caesar was not ambitious?
Answer:-
Antony being a great diplomat and orator proved
Caesar’s innocence very
meticulously. He informed the Romans that
Caesar refused to accept the crown thrice when
it was offered to him on the eve of Lupercal. If he
had been ambitious, he must have accepted it.
He also told the Romans that Caesar had
brought many captives from the battlefield.
Whatsoever amount, he got as ransom to set the
captives free, he put it in the national treasure.
When the poor wept, Caesar also wept. Reading
the will of Caesar, Antony disclosed to the
Romans that Caesar had left seventy-five silver
coins for every citizen and his personal arbours
were o became national property. These
evidences were adequate to prove that Caesar
was not ambitious.
Question 74.
Why is Antony’s speech more effective than that
of Brutus?
Answer:-
The speech of Antony was far more effective
than that of Brutus. In his speech, Brutus simply
said that he and the other conspirators
assassinated Caesar as his growing power was
dangerous to the Roman democracy. But Antony
proved his statement very systematically and
with adequate evidence. He succeeded in
winning the favour of the people of Rome and
infuriated them. After listening to his speech, the
Roman citizens became so indignant and started
taking revenge on the conspirators
The Dear Departed Chapter Wise
Important Questions Class 10 English
Communicative – Drama
2016
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 1.
Mrs. Jordan says that she has a feeling that
father has not paid his insurance premium. How
do all react to it?
Answer:-
They all were worried about father’s overdue
insurance premium. Mrs. Jordan says that she
has a ‘warning’ from the insurance office. She
says that father has done it on purpose. After a
Long search, the receipt is found in the bureau.
The two sisters express anger at father’s
irresponsibility and ‘swindling’ motive.
Question 2.
What does the shifting of the bureau tell us
about the character of Mrs. Slater?
Answer:-
Mrs. Slater has always wanted to have the
bureau after the grandfather died. She feels she
can easily take it before her sister arrives. It
shows that she was greedy and selfish. She
lacked feelings.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 3.
Even at the time when the grandfather is
supposedly dead, the sisters are trying to pull
each other down. With reference to the play, The
Dear Departed, mention the traits that the sisters
display. Do you approve of them ? Give a
reasoned Answer.
Answer:-
No, I do not approve of the selfish motive and
morality of the two sisters, Mrs. Slater (Amelia)
and Mrs. Jordan (Elizabeth).
At the time when the grandfather is supposedly
dead, the selfish and greedy sisters are craving
to grab his wealth. In fact, he was not dead but
merely drunk.
In the play, both the sisters—Amelia and
Elizabeth—are portrayed as greedy and selfish.
Amelia is after the bureau and Elizabeth wanted
the gold watch. Since their father is alive, the
truth behind their spat comes out. The sisters do
not love their father, they only want his wealth
and beLongings. So says the grandfather, “It
seems to me that neither of you has any cause
to feel proud about the way you treated me….
neither of you cared to put up with me”.
Question 4.
Life in metropolitan cities has left no time with
members of the family to spend with each other.
As a concerned citizen, write a letter to the editor
of a national daily voicing your concern over the
increasing number of old age homes in
metropolitan cities (The Dear Departed)
highlighting the values required in the younger
generation to care for the elderly.
Answer:-
The Editor
The Indian Express
New Delhi 1100XX
Dear Sir
Subject: Old Age Homes in metropolitan cities
Through the esteemed columns of your daily I
would like to voice my grave concern over the
increasing number of old age homes in
metropolitan cities. It is found that life in
metropolitan cities has left the younger
generation no time to look after the elderly souls
of the family. They are more interested in what
they will inherit and try to grab the lion’s share.
They hardly bother to take care of old parents
and elders. To them, money is more important
than relationships. They lack moral values to
respect and care for the old and aged members
of the family who have to take shelter in old age
homes.
I would, therefore, request you to publish my
letter so that the younger generations realise
their duty.
Yours faithfully
XYX
2015Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 5.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
“Pringle attended him when he was alive and
Pringle shall attend him when he’s dead. That’s
professional etiquette. ”
Who is Pringle?
Why couldn’t Pringle attend him recently?
What does ‘professional etiquette’ mean?
Answer:-
Mr Pringle is the family physician of Abel
Merryweather.
Dr. Pringle was out of the city. So he could no
attend Abel Merryweather recently.
‘Professional etiquette’ means conventional
rules pertaining to every profession..
Question 6
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
‘And you, too. Are you such a poor creature that
you must do every dirty thing she tells you?”
Who is the ‘poor creature’?
Why is he/she being called a ‘poor creature’?
Which word in the extract is the opposite of
‘clean’?
Answer:-
Henry Slater, the husband of Mrs Slater is the
poor creature.
He is called so as he had to steal items from the
room of the grandfather under the instruction of
his wife.
The opposite of the word ‘clean’ is ‘dirty’.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 7.
Why does Abel Merryweather say, “It’s a bit late
to say it (sorry) now”?
Answer:-
Abel Merryweather knew the real nature of his
two daughters. Neither of them had any love and
affection for him. They regarded him as a burden
over him. They simply pretended to have love for
him. When Mrs Slater came to know that Abel
was dead, she started stealing his items. The
two sisters started quarrelling over their share in
the property of Mr Abel Merryweather.
Question 8.
What message do you get from the play, ‘The
Dear Departed’?
Answer:-
The drama ‘The Dear Departed’ throws light on
the deteriorating human values in modern
society. People are hankering after materialistic
pleasure and losing real human values. Elderly
people are regarded as burden on the family.
Every member of the family wants to get rid of
them. The elderly people are helpless.
Everybody throws greedy glance over their
property but nobody wants to take care of them.
2014
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 9.
What change in the grandfather’s will led to
another spat between his two daughters? Why?
..
Answer:-
The grandfather, Mr Abel Merryweather
announced that he would change his old will. In
the new would, there would be a provision that
his property would go to the person with whom
he would be at the time of his death. This very
provision was a bone of contention between the
two sisters. Each of them wanted to keep their
father in her house as both of them had avarice.
Question 10.
Why does Mrs Slater ask Victoria to go upstairs?
How does Vicky react?
Answer:-
Mrs Slater asks Victoria to go upstairs in the
room of the grandfather to bring the bunch of
keys that is on the dressing table of the grandpa.
She has to check the receipt of the paid
premium in the bureau.
Vicky reacts very fearfully. She has seen
grandpa getting up. She is extremely afraid to
think that it was the ghost of grandpa.
Long Answer Type Question [4 Marks]
Question 11.
The grandfather had been living with his
daughters turn by turn. What he needed was
only love but what he received was greed and
loneliness. Keeping this in view, write an article
on ‘LUST is all GET… LOVE is all GIVE’.
(The Dear Departed)
Answer:-
LUST is all GET … LOVE is all GIVE
In this swift changing world, people are
becoming so materialistic that they want to grab
the property of the elderly members of their
family. In this changed society, people go on
playing dual role. They keep the elderly
members of the family in a dilemma.
As a matter of fact, society is losing human
values by leaps and bounds. To satisfy their
greed, people can go up to any extent. They
begin to regard the elderly people as burden
over the family. But they hide their evil intentions
so cleverly that one cannot guess it easily. They
pretend that they have immense love and
affection for their elderly members of the family.
They talk politely just to win the trust. But in their
hearts, they keep the evil intention of grabbing
their property.
As deteriorating human values are beheld in
every society, we can say that we have
damaged the old customs of our forefathers. The
monster of avarice is growing in size. Everybody
is becoming its slave sooner or later. But itis not
a good sign. For smooth functioning of the
society, we will have to love our elderly people
as everyone has to become old one day.
2013
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 12.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
Amelia and Henry. They’ve stolen your clock
and bureau. (working herself up.) They sneaked
into your room like a thief in the night and stole
them after you were dead.
Who is Amelia?
How did they steal the things?
Why did they have to steal them?
Answer:-
The real name of Amelia is Mrs. Slater, who is
the daughter of Abel Merryweather and sister of
Mrs. Jordan.
They closed the main door of the house and
shifted the things from the room of Mr. Abel to
their own room.
They stole the things of Mr. Abel so that they
would not have to give the share of those items
to Mrs. Jordan.
Question 13.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
I’ll tell you what I’ve got to do. On Monday next
I’ve got to do three things. I’ve got to go to the
lawyer’s and alter my will.
Who is the speaker?
Who is he speaking to?
What is the speaker going to do and why?
Answer:-
Mr Abel Merryweather is the speaker.
He is speaking to his two daughters and their
husbands.
He is going to change his will, pay the premium
of his insurance and marry at St Philip’s Church.
He wants to do so for his better future and for
giving a lesson to his greedy daughters.
Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks]
Question 14.
What reason does Amelia give for not getting
another doctor to examine Mr Merryweather?
Answer:-
Amelia does not want to go to any doctor as she
wants to get rid of Mr Abel so she says that Dr
Pringle has been providing treatment to Mr Abel
for a Long time. She pretends that it would not
be a wise step for her to call another doctor to
check Mr Abel. Another doctor might give him
wrong treatment. She tries to prove that her
decision of not calling another doctor is justified.
Question 15.
Why does Elizabeth wish to draw up a list of
Grandpa’s things?
Answer:-
Elizabeth is well aware of the nature of her sister
Amelia. She knows that Amelia is a dishonest
and cunning lady. She also knows that Amelia
will try to keep maximum items of the
grandfather. It will not be an easy task for her to
get 50 per cent of her share. For getting her full
share and for ensuring proper and smooth
process of the division of the property, she
wants to make a list of the things.
2012
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 16.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
No? For myself it’s such a relief to get into the
black. And now perhaps you’ll tell us all about it.
What did the doctor say?
What is a great relief for the speaker?
What does the speaker mean by telling “us all
about it”?
Who is the speaker of these lines?
Answer:-
Getting into the mourning dress is a great relief
for the speaker.
The speaker means that her sister will give her
the details of the death of their father.
Mrs Jordan is the speaker of these lines.
Question 17.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
‘She’s never been here since grandfather bought
it. If it was only down here instead of in his room,
she’d never guess it wasn’t our own. ’
Who is the speaker?
Why does ‘it’ have to be shifted?
What character trait of the speaker is highlighted
through this extract?
Answer:-
Mrs Slater is the speaker.
It has to be shifted because Mrs Slater does not
want to give the share of the bureau to her sister
Mrs Jordan.
This extract shows that Mrs Slater was
dishonest, greedy and shrewd. Short Answer
Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 18.
What change in the grandfather’s will led to
another spat between his two daughters? Why?
Answer:-
The grandfather, Mr Abel Merryweather
announced that he would change his old will. In
the new would, there would be a provision that
his property would go to the person with whom
he would be at the time of his death. This very
provision was a bone of contention between the
two sisters. Each of them wanted to keep their
father in her house as both of them had avarice.
2011
Extract Based Questions [3 Marks]
Question 19.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
I’ll tell you what I’ve got to do. On Monday next
I’ve got to do three things.
These words are spoken by————- to———
—-
The listeners’ reaction to the speaker’s
declaration is that they are ————–
————-has made the speaker decide on three
things.
Answer:-
These words are spoken by Mr Abel
Merryweather to his daughters and their
husbands.
The listeners’ reaction to the speaker’s
declaration is that they are astonished and
terrified.
The evil intention of his daughters has made the
speaker decide on three things.
Question 20.
Read the extract given below and Answer the
Questions that follow:
She’ll come fast enough after her share of what
grandfather’s left. You know how hard
she can be when she likes. Where she gets it
from I can’t tell.
Who speaks these words and about whom?
The speaker implies that ‘she’ is .
The literary device used in the above lines is .
Answer:-
Mrs Slater speaks these lines about her sister
Mrs Jordan.
The speaker implies that ‘She’ is very cunning
and she will be hard about getting her share.
The literary device used here is repetition.
Short Answer Type Question [2 Marks]
Question 21.
Briefly describe the character of Victoria in ‘The
Dear Departed.’
Answer:-
Victoria in the drama ‘The Dear Departed’ is a
very precious girl who knows what is good and
what is bad. She is an innocent girl who has
nothing to do with the evil deeds of her mother
and her father. She is actually dejected over the
death,of her grandfather as she has real love
and affection in her heart of hearts for him.
Long Answer Type Questions [4 Marks]
Question 22.
You are Abel Merryweather. Express your
ideas/feelings after you wake up and come to
know about your daughters’ feelings/greed and
intentions.
Answer:-
My eyes have been opened by my daughters
and their husbands. I was of the view that my
daughters have real love and affection for me in
their hearts. But the incident of my temporary
Tainting has revealed everything. Now I have
come to know that they love my property more
than me and I am a burden over them. They
want me ” to depart from this world as soon as
possible. What a drastic change has,taken place
in the new generation. Their avarice has killed all
their values.
Now I will have to think differently. I have come
to know about their evil intention. I must remain
alert in future. I am going to change my will in
such a way that I’Will remain important for them
till my death. For enhancing my importance, I will
pay the premium of insurance in time. I will also
marry an old lady, who will take care of me.
Now, all my doubts have been dispelled and I
am well aware of the nature of the daughters.

Question 23.
Abel in “The Dear Departed” is very upset at the
behaviour of his family. He expresses his
feelings to a close friend in a letter. As Abel,
write this letter.
Answer:-

12A Church Street

London
29 August 20XX

Dear John

God always comes to help elderly people. I am

going to tell you a fact of this funny but cruel
world.
Owing to a headache, I lost sense for a few
hours. The members of my family thought that I
had passed away. My daughter began to wear
mourning dress aLong with her husband and
her daughter instead of calling a doctor. With the
help of her husband, she began to shift my items
from my room to her room. Only my innocent
granddaughter was sad over my death.
When my second daughter Jordan came, she
didn’t come to check whether I was actually
dead or not. She also got busy getting her share.
Both the sisters began to quarrel. When they
came to know that I had not paid the pr emium
of the insurance company, they called me a
drunken old beggar. The incident opened my
eyes. I will alter my will for my better future. In
future, I will remain alert. The new generation
has so much avarice that they give no
importance to human values.
Convey my blessings to the children of your
family.
The rest is OK.

Your affectionately
Abel Merryweather