Z1539856611rsolutions - ICSE English 2 - Worksheet PDF

Section-A : Drama
1. The Merchant of Venice 2. The Moustrap

—William Shakespears —Agatha Christie
DRAMA
The Merchant of Venice

1 —William Shakespeare
Worksheet-1
Ans.1 (i) The scene is set in a room in Portia’s house at Belmont. The prince of Morocco is here to try his luck in
choosing the correct casket amongst the lead, silver and gold, which the suitors are suppose to choose
in order to marry the beautiful heiress, Portia.
(ii) Morocco seems to pass a flamboyant and overbearing nature. He is absolutely not embarrassed about
his dark skin and proudly proclaims his peerage.
He comes across as a self-assured and boastful person when he declares that inspite of his skin tone,
the most courageous fear him and he has impressed many of the most beautiful virgins in his country.
He displays flattery when he tells Portia that he will not change his skin tone but for her. He is a self-
conceited person. He brags about his conquests in battles.
(iii) The three actions that Morocco says he would be happy to perform in order to win Portia are :
(a) “Outbrave the heart most daring on the earth” i.e., he would act braver than the bravest man on
earth.
(b) “Pluck the young suckling cubs from the she bear” i.e., he would grab bear cubs from a ferocious
mother- bear, “mock the lion when the roars for prey” i.e., he could tease a hungry lion when it
roars.
(iv) As per the condition of the caskets, Portia reminds Morocco that he may either take his chance or not
choose at all. And if he does choose, he will have to swear before hand that, incase of incorrect choice,
he will never talk about marriage to any woman again.
(v) Portia’s father in his will, set the requirements for the suitors who wish to marry her. They must
choose between three caskets of Gold, Silver and Lead. Whoever chooses correctly, would win the
right to marry Portia. The whole exercise is in simple terms a ‘lottery which would determine Portia’s
destiny’. Her father wanted to ensure that after his death, his daughter and his wealth would be in
the hands of a wise man.
For Portia, the lottery system is a symbol of a dead father’s control over his daughter’s right to choose
her husband. Thus, Portia is a little depressed and feels overburdened with this condition, because she
cannot marry a man of her choosing.
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Worksheet-2
Ans.1 (i) During the trial scene, when Shylock realises that he is defeated, he quickly backpedals. He asks only
for the principal of the debt, the 3000 ducats, hoping for the whole affair to just be over with. Though
Bassanio is ready to pay it, but Portia cuts him off. She says that as he has already refused the offer
earlier in the court and he will receive only the law, just as he asked for. Portia insists that Shylock no
longer has any right to anything but the forfeiture of Antonio’s flesh, which he can take at his own
risk.
(ii) Shylock, realising that he has lost the case and the forfeiture, says he wants to stick around to hear
some more of the case. He says—
“Why, then, the devil give him good of it !
I’ll stay no longer question.”
And he begins to exit.
(iii) Portia further brings up another law of Venice which says that, if a foreigner has sought the life of a
Venetian, either directly or indirectly, then the would–be victim gets half of his property and the other
half goes to the State, while the fate of the would be–murderer rests in the hands of the Duke.
S O L U T I O N S P-3
(iv) As per the law, as stated by Portia, half of Shylock’s property would now belong to Antonio. But
Antonio, being a generous man, says that he would like half of the money to go to Lorenzo and
Jessica, as long as Shylock does two things. Firstly, convert to Christianity and secondly, draw up a
will leaving the rest of his wealth to Lorenzo and Jessica upon his death.
(v) Portia disguised as a lawyer, presented herself as Balthazar, to defend Antonio, she beseeched Shylock
to be merciful and accept thrice more than the original loan amount, which he refused. She is then
referred to the very particular conditions of Venetian law which put Shylock in an extremely difficult
position as he could not cut off more or less than an ounce of Antonio’s flesh, nor could he spill any of
the Merchant’s blood.
Shylock realised that he was in a tight spot and he decided to accept the terms. But Portia pointed out
that any foreigner who deliberately intended to harm a Venetian, would forfeit his property to the
victim and the State and would be under the mercy of the Duke.
Thus, Portia’s intelligent intervention surely saved Antonio’s life and guaranteed a life of misery for
the vengeful Shylock.
Portia’s appeal of mercy to Shylock comes from her own habitual goodness. The words come from
her heart honestly, openly and naturally. This proves Portia’s wisdom and her wit. She displays her
intelligence and just personality by presenting.
A coherent argument saves Antonio’s life and punishes Shylock for his vindictive personality. Thus,
she emerges as the true heroine of the play.
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Worksheet-3
Ans.1 (i) Antonio : “But little ........... cut me off.”
This scene is set in a Court of Justice in Venice. These words are addressed to Bassanio. During the
trial, when Portia asks Antonio if he has anything to say, “You; Merchant, have you anything to say ?”,
then Antonio replies that he has nothing much to say or argue.
(ii) As Antonio has to go into this total condition due to the money he borrowed for Bassanio, and Bassanio
is very tensed and helpless to see his dear friend in this condition, he tells Bassanio not to feel guilty
and sorrowful that he is going to die because of him, because fortune is being very kind to him as she
has spared him from a prolong suffering of old age and a life of poverty. Antonio does not wish to live
as a poor man after his wealth is lost. Thus, he tells Bassanio to be cheerful on his death.
(iii) Immediately after this, Antanio tells Bassanio to convey Antonio’s greeting to Portia, his (Bassanio’s)
wife, and tell her how Antonio died and how much he loved her husband. He tells Bassanio to speak
well of him after his death and after the talk is done, ask her to judge whether Bassanio had a true
friend in Antonio or not. He also tells Bassanio to be sad only at the fact that he’s losing his friend and
not because, Antonio paid his debt.
(iv) Bassanio tells Antonio, that he is married to a woman who is as dear to him as life itself. But his wife
and the whole world aren’t more valuable to him than Antonio’s life. He would gladly give it all up
and sacrifice them all to the devil i.e., Shylock, in order to save Antonio.
(v) Antonio says that Bassanio must regret the loss of a friend; for he had no regrets in paying his debt
and if the Jew cuts deep enough, he would immediately pay the debt with all his heart.
Thus, Antonio proves to be a courageous and patient person, even when faced with death.
According to him, old age and poverty are not the things one should opt for in life if abandoned by
money. In his pre-occupation to take care of his friends, he puts his life at stake without a second
thought.
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P-4 E N G L I S H P A P E R 2 - X
Worksheet-4
Ans.1 (i) Morocco is a Moorish prince who has come to Belmont as a suitor to take Portia’s hand.
In an earlier scene, when he introduces himself to Portia, we find him as a boastful warrior. He says
that, though he is aware that his dark coloured skin may not please Portia, but he considers it a gift
conferred upon him by the sun which shines brightly on his land.
He says he is skilled in the use of sword and had slain the king of Persia and the Persian Prince with
his sword, the very Persian Prince who had defeated the Sultan of Turkey in three battles.
He says he can compete the most handsome person of the North in the show of love for Portia.
According to him, his appearance had terrified many courageous men and the most estimable maidens
of his country had loved him for what he is.
(ii) As per the casket system laid down by Portia’s father for her marriage, the suitor had to choose one
casket from amongst the three, i.e., the gold, the silver and the lead, all the three bearing an inscription.
On being asked by Morocco that how would he know that he had made the right choice, Portia tells
him that one of the three caskets contained her picture and the one who chose that, would have Portia
as his wife. This would be his award.
(iii) Morocco finally chooses the golden casket, because it promised the chooser what many men desire
and according to him, many men desired Portia, as suitors came from all corners of the world to woo
her.
He rejected the lead casket on the following grounds –
The inscription on the lead casket read “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath”. But
the Prince of Morocco finds it utterly useless to risk everything for a base metal like lead, because
according to him, if people stake their all, they do so with the hope of a rich reward. Later, he dismisses
it for its dull look as unworthy of holding the portrait of an angel.
(iv) In the golden casket which he chooses, Morocco finds a fleshless skull and a scroll in the eyeless socket
of the skull.
When he reads what is written on the scroll, he is crestfallen. But he takes his rejection with dignity
and he tells Portia that his heart, being full of grief, could not bid a ceremonious farewell and as per
the condition of the casket, the loser was suppose to leave immediately.
(v) Portia is relieved and happy at Morocco’s departure. She appreciates his gentle behaviour but cannot
hide her relief at the thought that she will not have to marry him. She wishes that all suitors of dark
complexion like that of Morocco, may depart in the same manner, especially when she does not love
him. She says “Let all of his complexion choose me so.”
This episode shows that, though Portia seems to be least interested in the suitors that are coming
to attempt the casket test, yet being an obedient daughter, she sticks to this system for choosing her
husband.
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Worksheet-5
Ans. (i) The scene takes place at an avenue outside Portia’s house.
Just moments before, Portia gives a ‘ring’ to Antonio to give it to Bassanio and ask him to keep it more
carefully than the first one. It is of course the original ring which she had given to Bassanio when he
had chosen the right casket, but as a disguised lawyer, she had taken it back and was now questioning
him for his sincerity for having lost the ring. Both, Antonio and Bassanio, are shocked to see the same
ring.
(ii) The letter which Portia had just given to Antonio was written by Portia’s lawyer cousin Dr. Bellario
from Padua.
From the letter Bassanio gets to know that, it was Portia who was disguised as the ‘Lawyer Balthazar’
at Antonio’s trial in Venice. It was she, along with her companion Nerissa, disguised as a clerk, who
had saved Antonio’s life from the clutches of Shylock’s fatal bond.
(iii) Portia hands over a letter to Antonio containing the good news that three of his ships, richly laden
with cargoes, had come back quite unexpectedly.
Antonio is ecstatic on hearing this. He says, “Sweet lady you have given me life and living”, which
meant that she had not only saved his life but also restored his means of livelihood.
(iv) It’s Nerissa, Portia’s lady in waiting, to whom Portia refers as ‘my clerk’. During the trial scene of
Antonio, Nerissa had assisted Portia as her clerk. Nerissa presents Shylock’s deed to Lorenzo and
Jessica, bequeathing them all of his possessions. As per the final deed signed by Shylock on losing the
trial, everything belonging to the rich Jew would be transferred to his daughter and son-in-law, after
his death. These were the ‘good comforts’ that Nerissa bestows upon them.
(v) After Antonio wins the trial, the Duke asks him to reward the lawyer. Bassanio tries to pay them
the ducats that they had but the lawyer (Portia) rejects the offer. However, they ask the two to take
something with them. Portia then asks for Antonio’s gloves and Bassanio’s wedding ring. Bassanio
is reluctant to give away the ring and says that, it is a ‘trifle’ and not a worthy gift. But Portia insists
that she will settle for nothing else but the ring. She acts as if offended and leaves. On Antonio’s
persuasion, Bassanio at last sends. Gratiano with his ring to be given to Portia.
This episode clearly reveals that Bassanio and Antonio share an extremely profound and sincere
relationship. They could go to any extent for each other. On Antonio’s request, Bassanio gave away
the ring which was given to him by his dear wife under an oath.
Antonio too had put his life at stake for Bassanio and later again, he is ready to stand in guarantee for
his friend when Portia rebukes him for being unfaithful.
This shows that both shared a strong relationship of love and faith.
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Worksheet-6
Ans. 1 (i) The scene is set in front of Shylock’s house. Salarino and Gratiano are in time to help Lorenzo steal
away Jessica from her father’s house. However, Lorenzo is late and it is surprising because lovers are
overeager and arrive even before the appointed time.
(ii)
Salarino calls new lovers ‘Venus’s pigeons’ and says that, for new lovers, time passes ten times faster
than for couples who’ve been married forever.
(iii)
Gratiano says that no one gets up from a meal with the same appetite he had when he sat down. Can
any horse retrace his footsteps with the same energy he had when he walked them the first time? We
chase everything in life more excitedly than we actually enjoy it when we get it. It’s like when a ship
sails out of the harbour with all its flags waving, gently pushed by the wind. When that ship returns,
its timber is all weather-beaten and its sails are ragged. That same wind makes the ship thin and poor.
(iv)
Gratiano explains on the theory that love is at its best when the lover chases the object of his affection,
and that once the lover captures his lady and consummates the relationship, he tends to tire and lose
interest.
(v)
Jessica will be dressed as a boy, as she will pretend to be Lorenzo’s torch-bearer in the masquerade.
She is ashamed to be seen dressed as a boy. Jessica hates living in her father’s house, and in this
scene, she escapes with his gold and jewels. Therefore, she comes across as heartless towards her
father, but also as a young woman deeply in love who risks all to be with the man she loves.
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Worksheet-7
Ans. 1 (i) l A street in Venice/ a public place in Venice/ Venice
l Shylock
l He is speaking to Bassanio and Antonio./ Antonio / Bassanio.
(ii) Antonio had berated [insulted, criticized, mocked, abused] him / at the Rialto for his usances
(practice of taking interest) / called him mis-believer [heathen] / cut-throat dog / spat upon his
Jewish gabardine[cloak, coat, garment] / void his rheum [spat]upon his beard / spat on him /
kicked him as he would kick a stray dog [cur].
(iii) l 3000 ducats.

l Bassanio / Antonio
l He needs the money in order to compete with the other suitors / woo Portia / win her hand
in marriage / Go to Belmont / Antonio needs the money to help Bassanio / Antonio does not
have the money.
(iv) l Shylock means that it is an act of kindness on his part to make the offer to lend the money.
l Shylock also means that he was offering an interest free loan like Antonio normally does.
l Shylock proposes to go to the notary [court, lawyer, solicitor] / and get Antonio to sign a
single bond.
(v) l Antonio appears to be generous / over-confident / imprudent / very trusting / poor judge
of character / has no fear/ confident/ good friend / noble/ loves Bassanio / is not astute/
foolhardy / prejudiced / anti-Semitic
l Whereas Shylock appears to be a villainous person / waiting to take advantage of others
who are at a disadvantage / He is shrewd / cunning / crafty person / who knows how
to trap people / down to earth / practical person / tactful / hated Antonio / revengeful /
manipulative / opportunist / intelligent / hypocritical / cruel / evil / far sighted.
[ICSE Marking Scheme, 2017]
Detailed Answer :
(i) This scene takes place in Venice. The speaker of the above lines is Shylock. He says these words to
Antonio.
(ii) Shylock is referring to the insults hurled at him by Antonio, such as, speaking abusively of him and
his money-lending, spitting on his long Jewish robe, kicking him, calling him a dog and ridiculing
the Jews in general.
(iii) “The present wants” refer to the immediate need of Antonio-three thousand ducats to provide for
Bassanio’s trip to Belmont to woo Portia. The speaker is ready to supply the wants provided Antonio
signs a bond, according to which, if Antonio is unable to pay him the money on the specified date,
the penalty to be paid will be an exact pound of flesh from any part of Antonio’s body.
(iv) “This is kind I offer you” means, ‘this is the kindness that I offer you’. This refers to Shylock lending
money to Antonio without charging any interest on it.
(v) Shylock insists on a pound of Antonio’s flesh to take revenge on him and to put him completely
at his mercy. Shylock’s hatred for Antonio and Christians is shown in his absurd demand. Taking
advantage of the situation, he wants to take revenge on Antonio and all Christians, who persecuted
him and his race. He comes across as cunning, cautious, and crafty.
Antonio is confident that there is no danger in signing the bond because, he is confident that one month
before the date of payment, his ships will have brought nine times the amount they are borrowing and
they will not have to pay the penalty. This incident shows Antonio’s overconfidence and generosity
towards Bassanio. Thus, Antonio comes across as easy-going, trusting, slightly melancholic romantic
and naïve in this scene.
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WORKSHEET-8
Ans. (i) l Prince of Morocco / Morocco
l The golden casket
l A carrion death (skull) / there was a roll of paper (scroll) in its hollow eye.
(ii)
l He must never tell anyone which casket he had chosen.
l If he failed in choosing the right casket, he would never woo a maiden in way of marriage
/ never get married.
l If he failed to make the right choice, he would leave immediately / be gone.
(iii) l Who chooses me shall gain what many men desire.
l The martlet is like the many men who choose by outward show [show, outward
appearance, appearance] / appearances are deceptive / many means the fool multitude/
they do not see the inner worth of things [pry not to the interior] / they are like the
martlet that builds its nest on the outward wall / in the open air / the nest faces dangers
and storms.
(iv) l Silver
l A blinking idiot / a fool
l The lead casket
(v) l A servant / messenger / attendant
l The young Venetian (Gratiano) has come to announce that his lord (Bassanio) is going
to arrive / he is a suitable ambassador of love / he is like a beautiful [sweet day] day in
April / that indicates a splendid [costly] summer was approaching / his appearance is
pleasing (good looking; handsome) / has brought gifts / fore runner [spurrier, herald]
comes before his lord.
l Greetings/ compliments/gifts of rich value from Bassanio/ regards/ courteous breath/
sensible regrets [ICSE Marking Scheme, 2017]
Detailed Answer :
(i) The Prince of Morocco tried his luck in choosing the correct casket before Arragon. He reasoned
that a portrait of Portia, a “mortal, breathing saint,” a woman whom “all the world desires”, could be
only within the golden casket. He, therefore, chose the golden casket, hoping to find “an angel in a
golden bed.”
When he unlocks the casket and looks inside, he discovers only a skull (“carrion Death”) and a scroll
rolled up and inserted within the skull’s “empty eye.” He takes it out and reads the message: “All
that glitters is not gold; . . . Gilded tombs do worms infold.” Defeated and grieving, he made a hasty
exit with his entourage.
(ii) Prince of Arragon has arrived to try his luck at choosing the correct casket to win Portia’s hand
in marriage, and before he decides on one, he promises Portia that he will abide by her father’s
rules. First, if he fails to choose the casket containing her portrait, he will never reveal which casket
he chose; second, he promises never to court another woman; and last, he will leave Belmont
immediately.
(iii) The inscription on the golden casket read, “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.”
What many men want could mean that, most people are fools and make their choice on the basis of
whatever glitters and is attractive. They don’t go beyond what their eyes see. They don’t bother to
find out what’s on the inside. Just like the birds called martlets, who build their nests on the outside
of walls, people pay too much attention to what’s on the outside.
Therefore, Arragon rejects the gold casket because “what many men desire” may place him on the
same level with “the barbarous multitudes.”
(iv) The Prince of Arragon finally chooses the silver casket, which bears the inscription, “Who chooseth
me shall get as much as he deserves.”Arragon reviews his worth and decides that he “will assume
desert” — that is, he feels that he rightfully deserves Portia. When he opens the silver casket, he
finds within “the portrait of a blinking idiot” — a picture of a fool’s head. He protests the contents;
he chose according to what he felt that he deserved: “Did I deserve no more than a fool’s head?”
Portia reminds him that no man is permitted to judge his own cause. The scroll in the silver casket
reads, “There be fools alive, I wish [know] / Silver’d o’er; and so was this.”Arragon departs then
with his followers, promising to keep his oath.
(v) A servant enters the scene soon after and announces the arrival of a Venetian ambassador from
another suitor and adds that he brings gifts. In fact, in the messenger’s estimation, the man who
accompanies this latest suitor is “so likely an ambassador of love” that “a day in April never came
so sweet.” Portia is neither impressed nor optimistic, yet she urges Nerissa to bring the man to her
so that she can see for herself this “Quick Cupid’s post that comes so mannerly.” Nerissa sighs and
hope that this suitor may turn out to be Bassanio.
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Worksheet-9
Ans.1 (i) Antonio says these lines to Bassanio. Antonio tells him not to grieve that he has been reduced to his
current situation, because he borrowed money from Shylock so that Bassanio could go to Belmont,
to win Portia’s hand in marriage.
(ii) Antonio believes that Fortune has been kinder to him than is Her usual custom or habit. Usually, she
makes the unhappy man live on after he loses his wealth, to spend his old age in poverty. But in his
case she’s letting him avoid that misery by offering death.
(iii) Antonio talks about the lingering penance of having to live in misery and wretched poverty after
losing one’s fortune, he says, “ let the wretched man outlive his wealth, to view with hollow eye and
wrinkled brow an age of poverty… ”, he is glad to be spared this fate.
(iv) Bassanio tells Antonio, that he is married to a woman who is as dear to him as life itself. But life itself,
his wife, and the whole world, isn’t more valuable to him than Antonio’s life. He would gladly give
it all up and sacrifice them all to the devil i.e., Shylock, in order to save Antonio.
Portia is miffed at Bassanio’s words and while still disguised, as a lawyer warns him that his wife
would not be pleased if she were to hear his words.
(v) “To you, Antonio, / I owe the most, in money and in love” This is what Bassanio says as he prepares
to leave for Belmont to court his future wife. Like the Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of
Venice is also interested in the dynamics of male friendship, a bond that’s often valued above all
other relationships, especially romance and marriage.
Antonio loves Bassanio enough to give his life for him, indeed it seems that Bassanio’s pursuit of a
wife is the cause of Antonio’s deep melancholy, which may suggest that his affection for his friend
is romantic in nature. Nonetheless, we can say that Antonio and Bassanio share a deep and strong
bond of friendship.
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Worksheet-10
Ans. (i) l Belmont / A room in Portia’s house.
l Bassanio has chosen the right casket / he has won the lottery of the caskets / he has
chosen the lead casket wherein contains Portia’s picture.
l “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.”
(ii) The picture is so life-like that only a demi-god could have painted it / The eyes seem to be
moving / The lips are parted with sugar breath / The painter has shown the skill of a spider
in painting the hair / He has painted a golden mesh (net) to catch the hearts of men / After
painting one eye the artist should have gone blind. He could not have painted the second
eye.
(iii)
l Receives a letter from Antonio / none of Antonio’s ships have returned / Shylock is
demanding a pound of flesh.
l Portio asks Bassanio to go to Venice / pay Shylock and cancel the bond / Bassanio will
have enough gold to pay Shylock twenty times over.
(iv) l Servant to Portia.
l Portia gives him a letter to hand it over to her cousin, Doctor Bellario, who lives in Padua
/ Collect the notes and garments and bring them to the transect or to the common ferry
which trades to Venice.
(v) l Venice
l Selfless generosity / love
l Intelligent / Witty / presence of mind / courage to execute plans / selfless generosity.
l Personal response. [ICSE Marking Scheme, 2016]
Detailed Answer :
(i) Portia and Bassanio are at Belmont in a room in Portia’s house or estate. Bassanio has just chosen
the correct casket and won Portia’s hand in marriage. The inscription on the lead casket states,
“Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.”
(ii) Bassanio opens the lead casket and finds Portia’s portrait inside it. The picture is so life-like that
it seems that only a demi-god could have painted it. The eyes look real and seem to be moving.
The lips are parted with sugar breadth. The hair show the skill of the painter who has worked as
a spider making a golden mesh to catch the hearts of men. The eyes are so enchanting that after
painting one, the artist should have gone blind.
He waxes on about how beautiful the picture is, but then reprimands himself for praising the
picture, which is only a shadow of the real woman’s beauty.
(iii)
Bassanio receives a letter from Antonio with the news that none of Antonio’s ships have returned
and that Shylock is demanding his pound of flesh. This sad and troubling news saddens Bassanio.
Portia tells Bassanio to hasten back to Venice and pay back Shylock to cancel the bond. She assures
him that he will have enough gold to pay Shylock 20 times over.
(iv) Balthazar is Portia’s servant. She gives him a letter and tells him to hand it over to her cousin,
Doctor Bellario, who lives in Padua. She tells him to collect the notes and garments given by
Doctor Bellario and bring them to the common ferry which trades to Venice.
(v) Portia plans to go to Venice to rescue Antonio. Both Portia and Antonio exhibit the virtues of
selfless generosity and share a deep love for Bassanio. This scene serves to highlight Portia’s wit,
intelligence and generosity of spirit.
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Worksheet-11
Ans. (i) l Portia / disguised as a learned Doctor of Law.
l To save Antonio’s life / to free Antonio from the bond.
l Duke
(ii) The quality of mercy is not forced / It drops like gentle rain from heaven / It is twice blessed
/ It blesses him that gives and that takes / It is mightiest in mightiest / The throned monarch
is better than his crown.
(iii) l The sceptre of the king is the symbol of that earthly power which is temporary, but mercy
is the attribute or the power of God, which is above the sceptre / But mercy is far above
this world that is ruled by man with sceptres.
l My deeds are upon my head / he will take responsibility of what he is doing.
l He insists on the bond / the penalty and forfeit of his bond.
(iv) l Bassanio is ready to give twice the sum / ten times over the sum / on forfeit of his hands,
his head, his heart.
l When Bassanio says that his life itself, his wife and all the world are not with him,
esteemed above Antonio’s life / Bassanio is ready to sacrifice his life, his wife and the
world for Antonio.
(v) l Cruel / revengeful / hateful / merciless / pitiless.
l Give examples — justify [ICSE Marking Scheme, 2016]
Detailed Answer :
(i) The speaker is Portia, disguised as a learned Doctor of Law. The speaker appeals to the Jew, Shylock
for mercy to save Antonio’s life. Earlier, the Duke of Venice had appealed to Shylock asking him to
show some mercy on Antonio.
(ii) The quality of mercy is not strained: it drops on to the world as the gentle rain does from heaven. It’s
doubly blessed. It blesses both the giver and the receiver. It’s most powerful when granted by those
who hold power over others. It’s more important to a monarch than his crown.
(iii) A king’s sceptre shows the level of his temporal power – the symbol of awe and majesty, in which
lies the source of the dread and fear that kings command. But mercy is above that sceptred power.
It’s enthroned in the hearts of kings. It is an attribute of God himself. And earthly power most closely
resembles God’s power when justice is guided by mercy.
However, Shylock rejects mercy and demands fulfilment of the terms of the bond.
(iv) Bassanio is ready to give twice the sum owed to Shylock or even 10 times over the sum, is ready to
forfeit his hands, head and heart to save Antonio.
When Bassanio said that his life itself, his wife and all the world are not with him esteemed above
Antonio’s life, Portia is a little hurt and irritated and consequently snubs Bassanio.
(v) Shylock comes across as a cruel, hateful, merciless and pitiless man. He rejects multiple offers of
money and demands his pound of flesh as he wishes to see Antonio suffer.
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DRAMA
THE MOUSETRAP
2 —Agatha Christie
Worksheet-12
Ans. (i) This conversation takes place in the opening part of the play- ‘The Mousetrap’ by Agatha Christie.
The scene is of Act I, Scene I. The scene is at Monkswell Manor, a guest house which the couple
has purchased. The weather is very cold outside. Mollie’s nose gets frozen, cars and vehicles are
stuck in the snow.
(ii) Mollie and Giles are waiting for the guests to arrive at the guest house i.e. the Monkswell Manor,
through the sign board which they have got it made shows Monkswell Manor. The couple wants
to satisfy their guests, since it will be the first impression. It is important because only if the
customers or the guests are satisfied, the guest house will run well and fetch more customers.
(iii) In the conversation between Mollie and Giles, we come to know that Mrs. Barlow secretly went to
London on the day Mrs. Stanning was killed and is the first to find the body of Mrs. Boyle. When
asked by Mollie, if Giles had got the chicken netting, he replied that Mrs. Barlow had hooked it
early being afraid of the weather.
(iv) When Mollie and Giles are discussing about whether everything is in order, Giles realizes that
the daily women are nuisance and everything is left on Mollie’s shoulders. Mollie replies that
many jobs are even on Giles shoulders and further says that it was a partnership. So, here it is a
partnership between the two to make arrangements for the guests, who are to arrive.
(v) The playwright seeks to create a mood, where the readers come to know from the very beginning
that it is a murder mystery. The techniques used by the author are very impressive. The opening
scene reveals a simple set up. Agatha Christie fashioned one of her most ingenious puzzles. ‘The
Mousetrap’, the world’s longest running play, is something less that human. Music, darkness and
the sounds of someone whistling the tune of “Three Blind Mice“, keep the readers bound with
the play, in fact engrossed in the play.
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Worksheet-13
Ans. (i) Mrs. Boyle is a complainer in nature. Firstly, she complains that no one came to receive her and
she had to share a taxi with Major Metcalf. Secondly, she criticizes Mollie for being too young and
feels that young people are not experienced. Thirdly, she thinks that it would have been better if
the Manor could get a coat of paint as there could be worms in the oak.
(ii) Mrs. Boyle is a generally unpleasant person who is always dissatisfied. When Giles tells her that
she is welcome to leave, she said that she would not leave before she tried what the place was
like. She even stated that Giles should not think that he can turn her out. She further told them
to show her bedroom.
(iii) The above extract which has been taken from Act I, Scene, I of the play ‘The Mousetrap’ by Agatha
Christie, shows that Mrs. Boyle is a large, middle aged, quarrellous woman. She is bad tempered.
She complains about everything. She disapproves of every effort that Mollie and Giles make.
(iv) Mrs. Boyle is just one of the guests who arrived that night at Monkswell Manor. She is a former
magistrate. She unwittingly sent the Corrigan children to Longridge Farm.
(v) In the end, Mrs. Boyle is strangled to death. She listens to the radio alone in a room. Someone
whistles the opening notes of “Three Blind Mice”. Mrs. Boyle responds without fear, conversing
with the person only she can see. Suddenly the lights go out. The audience can hear a struggle in
the darkness. Mollie walks in the room and turns on the lights. She finds Mrs. Boyle dead on the
floor. She was murdered by Corrigan, because she had assigned the Corrigan children to London.
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Worksheet-14
Ans. (i) When Trotter says that the telephone wires which linked him to the police headquarters had been
cut, Mollie responded that it could be due to snow.
At this, Trotter answered that the lines were cut purposely, just outside by the front door and he
had found the place.
(ii) Trotter told Mollie that the children‘s father was an Army Sergeant who must have been discharged
from the Army by then. It would take time to trace him. He further added that he is sure that the
police would take every eventuality into account.
(iii) Mollie’s surmise is that, if the children’s father, came home having suffered terribly and found his
wife dead, and his children go through some terrible experience and one of them being dead, he
would want revenge.
(iv) Major Metcalf is a possible suspect, because he was frightfully upset when Mollie said the police
had rung up. According to Mollie, she had seen his face. The murderer may be middle aged or
even old.
(v) The mystery is solved not in a while. Sometimes, Christopher is suspected to be the murderer,
other times Major Metcalf. Trotter sits and speaks to all the guests, and when he speaks to them
he considers each one of them to be the murderer. Finally, Trotter himself is the murderer, which
is proved at the end of the play.
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Worksheet-15
Ans. (i) The above extract has been taken from Act I Scene 1 from the play “The Mousetrap” by Agatha
Christie. Mollie and Giles Ralston have recently started a guest house. The weather is very bad,
snowstorm have made people get stuck.
(ii) The unexpected guest is Paravicini. He is an unexpected guest since the other guests had already
booked their rooms in Monkswell Manor. His Rolls Royce has run into a snowdrift. Everywhere
blinding snow has surrounded. Paravicini does not know where he is. He saw an iron gate and
entered it.
(iii) Mr. Paravicini staggers in the guest house carrying a small bag. He is a foreigner and dark, elderly
person with a rather flamboyant moustache. He wears a heavy fur lined overcoat.
(iv) The above passage reveals that Mr. Paravicini is a brave person, who survived the snow storm. He
is bold but mannered person, as he asks the Ralston’s to pardon him; since he entered the Manor
without informing them. He is simple as he says to Mollie that his wants are very less. In short, he
is a sophisticated person.
(v) Mollie and Giles Ralston welcome him as they are the owners of the guest house and would like
to treat their guests nicely. They offer him a room towards the north, because no other rooms
are vacant. They ask Paravicini about his luggage. Paravicini, Mollie and Giles have a humorous
conservation. So, in all, Paravicini was treated equally good by the Ralston’s.
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Worksheet-16
Ans. (i) The above extract has been taken from Act 1 Scene 2 of the play “The Mousetrap” by Agatha
Christie. Christopher and Mrs. Boyle are speaking about Trotter. Christopher is highly impressed
with Trotter and states that the former is very attractive and further adds that, in fact, policemen
are attractive.
(ii) The term which is used to describe Christopher is, mentally unhinged. He seems to be fixated
with nursery rhymes. He recites ‘The North Wind Doth Blow’ and sings ‘Little Jack Horner’. He
is a wild looking neurotic man.
(iii) Trotter is actually Detective Sergeant Trotter from Berkshire Police. He has arrived at Monkswell
Manor to detect about the murder of Mrs. Maureen Lyon. As there are some clues about Monkswell
Manor, so Trotter has come to visit to find the actual murderer.
(iv) Major Metcalfe is the third guest to arrive. He is a middle aged square-shouldered person. He is
military in manner. He is a typical retired military officer.
(v) Mrs. Boyle is a person who is always criticizing. In the above passage also, she states that Trotter
has no brains. According to her, it can be known by just looking at Trotter, that she is a stern and
generally unpleasant woman. She is also a guest at Monkswell Manor.
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Worksheet-17
Ans. (i) The above extract is the end of Scene 2 of Act I of the play “The Mousetrap”, by Agatha Christie.
Detective Trotter is at Monkswell Manor for a murder case. He wants to use the telephone, but the
wires are cut which were intact a little while before.
(ii) Trotter wants Giles Ralston to find out whether there is an extension of the telephone wire. But he
(Trotter) continues to trace the wire to the window. Giles also exits to the stairs, carrying the glove,
but looking dazed.
(iii) When Mrs. Boyle enters the room from the library and notices the open window, she shuts the
window and closes the curtain, then moves to the window. She frowns at the running music
programme on the radio and tunes into a different programme.
(iv) Mollie is the first person to hear the noise. Mrs. Boyle is speaking to someone and asking what the
person is doing there and further, Mollie asks why did the person turned out the light.
(v) When Mollie hears the noise, she enters by the archway and stands surprised. She switches on the
lights, crosses across to the radio to turn it down. She screams on seeing Mrs. Boyle lying strangled
in front of the sofa. The curtain falls down.
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Worksheet-18
Ans. (i) In the opening scene of Act II, when the curtain rises, Mrs. Boyle’s body has been removed and
everyone is assembled in the room. Trotter is on the upstage side of the reflectory table. Mollie is
standing at the right end. The others are all sitting.
(ii) Mollie is very much disturbed as she was the first one to see Mrs. Boyle strangled. She says that
she can’t think and her head is numbed. She is not sure if she heard a door creak or not. She just
came out of the kitchen.
(iii) When Trotter emphasises Mrs. Ralston to try and think, Mollie moves down the armchair and sits.
Seeing Mollie in a disturbed state of mind, Giles Ralston angrily says to Trotter to stop bullying
Mollie.
(iv) Miss Casewell tells Trotter’s imagination to be senseless. She thinks that it would unlikely be a
coincidence, that there should be two people brought there by chance. Both of them must have a
share in the Longridge Farm case.
(v) Trotter is right at his own place, as he is the Sergeant to investigate the case. He wants statements
from everyone present there. He has to cross question each and everyone, to come to a decision.
Though, his behaviour or cross-questioning is not accepted willingly by other people present
there.
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Worksheet-19
Ans. (i) The term ‘Lovers’ quarrels, is used by Mr. Paravicini in Act II of the play ‘The Mousetrap’ by Agatha
Christie. Mollie and Giles are putting allegations on each other and are fighting for no apt reason.
They have been married one year back and they love each other very much. Thus, Mr. Paravicini
uses above mentioned term.
(ii) Giles and Mollie are fighting for no valid reason. Giles and Mollie put allegation on each other
for going to London. Giles had found a London bus ticket in Mollie’s gloves and Mollie found an
evening paper in Giles overcoat, so they suspected each other of bad relations.
(iii) When Mr. Paravicini enters from the archway up right, he moves between them. He interfered in
between, since he understood that both the young people were not saying a little more than they
meant. He further said that any one of them was right.
(iv) Mr. Paravicini came to say that Sergeant Trotter needed the skis immediately. He needed them
since the snow was still lying there. Trotter wanted to ski over to the police station at Market
Hampton to report on the situation.
(v) When the skis are not found anywhere, Mr. Paravicini advises Mr. Trotter, that now he couldn’t
report on the situation. He further said that somebody has seen to it, and did not want Trotter
to do that. He is also of the view that there might be some other reason. Mr. Paravicini further
suspects that Christopher must have hooked it.
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Worksheet-20
Ans. (i) The above extract is taken from Act II of the play ‘The Mousetrap’ by Agatha Christie. Miss Casewell
is one of the guests at Monkswell Manor. She is being interrogated by Sergeant Trotter with
reference to the murder of Miss Boyle. This interrogation upsets her.
(ii) When Christopher tells Trotter that the later has upset Miss Casewell, Trotter does not believe. He
(Trotter) says that he had seen something he ought to have seen before. He further says that now
he may be able to get to the result.
(iii) Christopher responds to Trotter explaining that Giles and Mollie were in the kitchen. Christopher
himself had been helping Major Metcalf to look for Trotter’s skis.
He further added that Paravicini was not seen anywhere.
(iv) Paravicini thinks that the policeman, i.e., Sergeant Trotter had lost his skis, and he does not know
where to find them. Paravicini asks the Sergeant, what could he do for the latter. Paravicini even
thinks that they’ll come home, dragging a murderer behind them.
(v) Sergeant Trotter wanted co-operation from all the members and he intend to get it. Trotter requests
Mr. Ralston to go and ask Miss Casewell to come down again. He further said that he required
only few minutes from Miss Casewell. Trotter said that he had a shrewd suspicion, which would
be declared later on.
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Worksheet-21
Ans. (i) Trotter admits that he is Georgie-Jimmy’s brother. He further admits that he was not a policeman.
He was the one who had cut the telephone wires, he rang up from a call box saying that he was
speaking from police head quarters and that Sergeant Trotter was on his way.
(ii) Sergeant Trotter wants Mollie to not scream, and if she does that, he would fire the revolver. He
wanted to talk to her. He states that Jimmy, his brother had been killed and the woman was put in
prison.
(iii) Trotter enjoyed being in disguise. He himself stated this, that it was fun watching all and
pretending to be a policeman. He further said that he really did not mind if he would get away or
not.
(iv) Miss Casewell and Trotter had been in an animal farm together. In fact, Miss Casewell came to
England to find Trotter. She recognized him when he twirled his hair the way he always he used
to do.
(v) Giles Ralston was worried when Major Metcalf called for him screaming ‘Ralston! Ralston!’ He
was worried about Mollie whether she was alright or not. Giles rushes over to Mollie, takes her in
his arms, placing the revolver on the sofa.
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Section-B : Poems
1. Heart of a Tree 6. Daffodils
—Henry Cuyler Bunner —William Wordsworth
2. The Cold Within 7. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
—James Patrick Kinney —Maya Angelou
3. Bangle Sellers 8. The Patriot
—Sarojini Naidu —Robert Browning
4. After Blenheim 9. Abu Ben Adheim
—Robert Southey —Leigh Hunt
5. Television 10. Nine Gold Medals
—Roald Dahl —David Roth
Poetry
HEART OF A TREE
1 —Henry Cuyler Bunner
Worksheet-22
Ans. 1. (i) The poem is, ‘The Heart of the Tree’ and the poet is ‘Henry Cuyler Bunner’.

(ii) The poet begins the poem with this refrain because he wants to highlight the thought that, how
beneficial it is to plant a tree and the one who plants, does a marvellous job towards mankind.

(iii) The tree grows upward and gains sunlight for photosynthesis. It protects the earth from the
scorching heat of the sun. It also purifies the air by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. Thus, it
is considered as a friend of sun and sky.

(iv) The poet here compares the leafy branches of the tree to a flag. The breeze flutters the branches like
it flutters a flag.

The trunk of the tree is compared to the beautiful pole shaft of the flag that holds the tall aerial part
firmly to the ground.

(v) ‘Home to heaven anigh’, means a ‘home similar to heaven’.

The tree becomes an abode to birds, where the mother bird sings melodiously to its baby in the
serene twilight, and her song blends with the melody of the heavenly music.
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Worksheet-23
Ans. 1. (i) The poet here wants to emphasize the importance of trees for the future generation. It produces
seeds that will grow and buds that will bloom for our children in future.

(ii) The trees provide shelter to the people from the sweltering heat of the sun. They help in the
seasonal cycle. They invite the beautiful tender rain. They give a scenic beauty to the plains. Thus,
the trees not only beautify the environment, but also provide the humans with pure air, food, wood
and medicines.

(iii) The ‘unborn eyes’ are the eyes of the children yet to be born i.e., the future generation.

The ‘unborn eyes’ will be lucky enough to reap the benefits of the trees that are planted now. They
will see the plants grown up into big trees, that will provide them with shelter against sun and
abundant gifts of nature like the rain, fruits, timber, pure air, etc.

(iv) (a) cooling shelter (b) refers to the seasonal cycle

(v) The poet wants to explain that the one who plants a tree, paves a way for many more seeds and
buds that will grow into numerous new trees contributing to the forest wealth of the nation. The
future generation will then have ample harvest to enjoy in the days to come.
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Worksheet-24
Ans. 1. (i) The tree is made of the juicy sap, leaf and wood.
The planter shows his love and loyalty for his home i.e., the earth; his sense of duty towards his
civilization and forwards his blessings to his neighbourhood.
(ii) The man who plants a tree blesses his fellow beings with food which is provided by the sap and
leaves of the plants. Besides, they can get timber for their professional and domestic use.
(iii) The capitalization of ‘His’ signifies the power and importance of the man who carries the sapling in
the hollow of his hand to plant it, because by planting a sapling he is helping in creating the destiny
of the nation. The ‘hollow’ shows that he is giving something to his people. He is a benevolent
giver. He holds in his hands the progress of humanity and the growth of universe.
(iv) According to the poet, a planter does a generous job by planting a tree which leads to other
subsequent goods, which reflects growth and progress. Forests provide useful resources like wood,
honey, rubber, medicine, etc., thus strengthening the nation financially. Trees control pollution,
global warming and climatic disbalance.

(v) A country’s economic progress relies to a great extent on its import and export with other countries.
The trees provide products which are used to trade within other nations. Thus, the one who plants
a tree works for larger benefits, leading to the enrichment of the economy of a country.
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POETRY
THE COLD WITHIN

2 —James Patrick Kinney
WORKSHEET-25
Ans. 1. (i) It was ‘bleak and bitter cold’ i.e. it was severe cold and life was not possible without the warmth
of fire. It was so cold that a person would freeze to death even in the absence of fire. It was a chill
winter night.
(ii) The third man in the gathering was a poor man, which was evident by his torn and tottered clothes.
Though he is in a miserable state and gives a hitch to his coat to make himself more comfortable,
he is reluctant to give his piece of wood to save the dying fire as he does not wish to help the rich
whom he calls ‘idle’, despite the rich who torture the poor and enjoy a relaxing life themselves.
Thus, the poet showed the discrimination based on the economic standard of different individuals.
The figure of speech used here is ‘alliteration’ viz., repetition of ‘b’ in bleak & bitter.
(iii) ‘The black man’s face bespoke revenge”, which means that the face of the black man depicted the
emotions of hatred and revenge that arises from the discrimination shown to him, once a victim now
turns to an abuser, when he gets a chance.
The poem too contains a reference that highlights the discriminatory attitude of the White when the
White woman in the same group held her stick back when she noticed a black man.
“But the first one held hers back,
For, of the faces round the fire,
she noticed one was black.”
Thus the feeling of the black man are truly justified.
(iv) The sixth and the last man in the gathering was an opportunist. As stated by the poet–
“The last man of the forlorn group
Did naught except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game.”
Thus, it is apparent that this man will not spend his resources without making sure that he has
gained something in return. Though he carries no malice towards anyone, yet he will not give up the
opportunity to make some profit in doing something which may benefit others.
(v) James Patrick Kinney’s poem, ‘The Cold within’ is all about discrimination based on prejudices and its
unpleasant consequences. The six people gathered around the fire in a chilling winter night, possessed
a stick of wood each. They could have easily survived the cold if they had kindled the dying fire with
their sticks. But they rejected to share their logs to keep the fire burning. Five of them were prejudiced
against one another upon petty things like, colour, race, religion, social class, etc; while the sixth one
was an opportunist.
Eventually, they were seen frozen to death, each holding on grimly to a log of wood, and this obviously
due to their prejudiced attitude even in the time of need. Thus, the poet attributes their death to the
cold in their hearts, not to the cold atmosphere outside.
WORKSHEET-26
Ans. 1. (i) The name of the poem is, ‘The Cold Within’ and the poet is ‘James Patrick Kinney’.
(ii) Six humans were trapped accidentally. It was severe cold. The words ‘bleak and better’ symbolize
the extreme situations of life.
The figure of speech used here is, ‘alliteration‘ – ,viz. repetition of ‘b’ in bleak & bitter.
(iii) It was extremely cold and life was impossible without the warmth of fire. Each of the six humans
possessed a stick, which they were suppose to contribute to keep the fire going, else, they would
freeze to death once the fire dies out.
(iv) The first one holds back her stick, because she sees a black man in the group and because of her
racist attitude she is not able to save him by adding her log to the fire, no matter even if she herself
too suffers.
(v) (a) coincidence
(b) the fire which was about to get extinguished
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WORKSHEET-27
Ans. 1. (i) The next man is prejudiced, who, on seeing a man not belonging to his church, decides to hold back
his stick to rekindle the fire.
(ii) ‘Tattered clothes’ mean, ‘old and torn clothes’. It means that the third man was a poor man who did
not have enough money to cover himself with proper clothes.
(iii) ‘Hitch’ means ‘to move with a jerk or tug’.
The man gave a hitch to his coat to make it more comfortable and bring warmth to himself.
(iv) This man seems to be a victim of discrimination based on the economic standard of different
individuals. He is envious of the rich man and considers him an ‘idle.’ Thus, he does not put his log
to fire.
(v) (a) to not be able to force himself to do something

(b) a shake or a jerk
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POETRY
BANGLE SELLERS
3 —Sarojini Naidu
WORKSHEET-28
Ans. (i) The ‘bangle seller’ says that he, along with the other bangle sellers, is going to the temple fair with
his shining load i.e., the lustrous bangles.
(ii) Women of all age group, whether daughters or wives, buy bangles on happy occasions.
(iii) In the first stanza the bangles are described as –
‘shining loads’, ‘delicate, bright’ ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light’ and ‘Lustrous tokens of radiant
lives.’
(iv) (a) Shining load means, the bangles which are sparkling in sunlight.
(b) It refers to the round shaped, multicoloured bangles that glow in sunlight.
(v) The bangles are referred as ‘Lustrous tokens of radiant lives’, which means ‘bright symbols of
shining lives.’ The bangles symbolize the joy and happiness in a girl’s life. Thus, bangles are directly
related to the well-being of a family and the cultural tradition of a typical Indian society.
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WORKSHEET-29
Ans. (i) The examples of simile are –

(a) ‘silver and blue as the mountain mist’ (b) ‘flushed like the buds that dream.’

(ii) The maidens wear silver and blue coloured bangles. Here, the silver and blue colour is compared
to the mist of the mountains, as it symbolizes the freshness and beauty of the maidens.
(iii) The buds dream on the calm and quiet bank of a river that flows through the woods. They dream

of growing up and blossoming into beautiful flowers.

(iv) (a) (here) pink or light red colour

(b) calm

(c) forest
(v) The poet says that, some of the bangles which are suitable for the maiden’s wrist which are green,

and glowing like the transparent beauty of the light green baby leaves. The poet is Sarojini Naidu.
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WORKSHEET-30
Ans. (i) On wedding morning, the bride wears golden yellow coloured bangles of the colour of the corn
fields, which are brightened by sunlight. The symbolism used here is that of fertility. Mother
Nature’s fertility is symbolic of the fertility of a young girl getting married.
(ii) The reddish yellow colour of the bangles is compared to the colour of the wedding’s flame. The
bright red coloured bangles reflect the deep desires in the heart of the bride.
(iii) Marriage is the transition of a girl into a woman through which her mind and heart is filled with

multiple emotions.

On one hand, she is happy and passionate about the new relation shown through her smile and
laughter. While on the other hand, she carries tears in her eyes as she is sad to leave her parental
abode. Thus, she undergoes both kind of emotions, which are referred as “bridal langhter“ and
“bridal tear“.

(iv) (a) filled with the colour of

(b) ringing sound

(c) fragile, delicate
(v) Both the bangles and the feelings of the bride are ‘Tinkling, luminous, tender and clear’ i.e., both

make soft sounds, are glowing, delicate and transparent.
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WORKSHEET-31
Ans. (i) The old man in the poem is ‘Old Kaspar’. His grandson Peterkin had brought a round, large and
smooth object to him for inspection, which he had found while playing near the small river. The
child was curious to see the strange thing. Old Kaspar looks at it and sighs, explaining to Peterkin
that it was the skull of one of the soldiers who was slain in the famous and great War of Blenheim,
and the corpses lie deep scattered in the field, which was a common sight for him as many a times
he had come across them while plowing.
(ii) The mention of the war as a ‘great war’ and ‘a famous victory’, excites the curiosity of Kaspar’s little
grand children. They get anxious to know more about it, expecting some thrilling stories behind it.
So, they prompt him to narrate them whatever he knew about the Battle of Blenhein, and what was
it fought for.

(iii) Old Kaspar recollects that, at the time of the battle, his father lived in a small village of Blenheim,
near a river. During the battle, the homes of several innocent people, including his father’s were
burnt to the ground and they were forced to migrate in search of shelter. The young Kaspar along
with his parents, fled to a different place, but could not find a home because of the impending war.
They had to roam from place to place seeking for shelter.

(iv) The two countries that fought each other were Austria and France. England and Netherlands
formed a coalition with Austria whereas , France was aided by the Bravaria. The English alliance
defeated the Franco-Bravarian army.

The old man gives credit of the victory to the brave English Duke of Malbro and Prince Eugene,
who led the war and brought glory to the nation.

(v) The refrain in the poem is–

‘But t’was a famous victory’

This line is the epitomy of irony. The refrain questions the readers about the validity and the
purposes of war. The poet successfully conveys his message that it is futile and should be avoided.
The wars which are fought over a trivial dispute cause the loss of thousands and thousands of
soldiers. They lead to devastation of life and property on a large scale. Thus, this poem, by Robert
Southey, is an anti-war poem highlighting the casualties caused by wars and their after affects.
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POETRY
AFTER BLENHEIM
4 —Robert Southey
WORKSHEET-32
Ans. (i) It was an evening in summer. ‘Old Kaspar’, an elderly farmer, after finishing his work was sitting
in the sun, watching his grandchildren play in the lush green field outside the cottage.
(ii) His granddaughter, Wilhelmine, was beside him and playing in the greenery outside the cottage.
She saw her brother rolling a large and round object.

(iii) His name was Peterkin. Peterkin found the object while playing near the river. Out of curiosity, he
brings the object to his grandfather, wanting to know about it.
(iv) Though quite young, Wilhenmine could not reconcile herself to the idea of praising the Duke of

Marlborough and Prince Eugene, for the battle they had won because, several lives were lost and a
lot of destruction was done to achieve it. It was surely a ‘wicked thing.’

Yes, she is completely justified in her perception because, it is a fact that, the Kings and Princes take
away the praise and prizes, while the common man suffers the complete brunt leading to grief and
devastation.
(v) The Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene, who represented Britain, fought bravely and
defeated the French, bringing laurels to their nation.
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WORKSHEET-33
Ans. (i) Being a child, Peterkin was quite curious about the strange object he had found, so he was expecting
some thrilling revelation from his grandfather regarding it.
(ii) Kaspar shook his head with a sigh and explained to Peterkin that it was the skull of a poor fellow
which refers to an unfortunate soldier, who had died in the war, namely, the Battle of Blenheim.
(iii) The old man found many such objects in the garden as well as in his field where he went ploughing.
During the Battle of Blenheim, thousands of soldiers died whose carcasses lay scattered in the field.
According to Kaspar, they were the soldiers who sacrificed themselves to win victory for their
people.
(iv) (a) expectant–to know (b) ploughshare-the main cutting of a plough, behind the coulter.
(v) Kaspar was a farmer. This is understood from when he says— “And often when I go to plough, The
ploughshare, turns then out!” The poet is ‘Rober Southey’.
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POETRY
TELEVISION
5 —Roald Dahl
WORKSHEET-34
Ans. (i) The most important lesson the poet says he has learnt is that, while raising children, we should
strictly keep them away from television sets, i.e. the television should not be installed in the house
at all.
(ii) The poet, Roald Dahl, seems to have undertaken a long research on the bad effects of television
by visiting a large number of households. He says that in most of the houses that he visited, he
found the children about all day and staring at the television screen without doing any productive
work. He exaggerates amusingly when he says that he has seen the children stare so hard that their
eyeballs fall off and a dozen such eyeballs seem to be rolling about on the floor in one house that
he visited recently.
(iii) The poet conveys strongly the ill-effects of watching television on the minds of our beloved tots.
He says that watching too much television fills up the mind of the children with useless facts,
while at the same time, destroying their ability to create or understand the world of fantasy and
imagination. It takes away their ability to think. Their brain becomes as soft as cheese. Television
logs and clutters up the organised thought process of a growing child. Gradually, their thinking
and analyzing power freezes and gets rusty.
(iv) The poet recommends ‘Reading’ as the other activity to entertain children.
Firstly, reading will keep the children busy and they will also stop watching ‘the idiotic box’ and
the junk it offers.
Secondly, reading would open a world of knowledge and fantasies for the children which would
provide them ultimate joy and entertainment.
(v) The poet advises the readers to remove their television set and replace it with a book shelf and
fill it with lots of books. The poet, Roald Dahl, now assures the readers that once the children will
start reading books, they will grow so keen for reading that they will discover the real joy, and
will wonder what they had found in that silly machine. They will love and thank their parents for
ushering them into the wonderful world of books.
The central idea conveyed by the poet is his concern over how excessive watching of television can
harm the children, their thinking power, their imaginative faculty and their realization of real joy.
They get deprived of outdoor sports and also of reading.
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WORKSHEET-35
Ans. 1. (i) The most important thing that the poet has learnt in that the children should be kept away from
the television set or not to install the television set at all. The poet says that in most houses he has
visited, he has found the children lazing about all day starting at the television with undisturbed
concentration.
(ii) The poet humorously remarks that sometimes the children store at the television so hard that their
eyeballs fall off and he saw at someone’s place, dozen such eyeballs lying on the floor.
(iii) The two words the poet has used to indicate their addiction to the TV are ‘hypnotized’ and ‘drunk’.
The ‘ghastly junk’ refers to the irrelevant stuff that the children watch, which are mostly unreal
and inappropriate for their age.
(iv) The poet understands that the television keeps the naughty children calm. They do not do nasty
things like climbing a window or jumping over it, which could accidentally hurt them. Television
diverts them from getting into a fight and thus, hitting or kicking each other.
(v) Children’s occupancy with the television set allows the parents to do household chores like,
cooking and washing dishes without any disturbance.
The poet now questions the parents whether they ever realise exactly what harm this idiotic box
does to their dear child.
Ans. 2. (i) According to the poet, watching television all the time is harmful in numerous ways. It rots the
senses of the child and kills his imaginative power. It causes a confusion in his mind. He becomes
dull and inactive. He no longer understands a fairy tale or able to think innovatively. It also effects
his eyesight and numbs the brain.
(ii) Excessive watching of television makes the child’s brain as soft as cheese. He believes blindly
whatever he watches or hears in it. He does not use his own logic to analyse and interpret things.
Television destroys a child’s ability to think, he keeps staring at the television screen.
(iii) The poet, Roald Dahl, expects that the parents might agree to take away the television from
their children but will surely ask, how are they supposed to keep their children occupied and
entertained in the absence of television.
(iv) In response to the parent’s question as to how they should entertain their dear children if they
remove the T.V. sets, the poet raises a counter question asking them what they used to do to keep
themselves entertained when television sets was not invented.
(v) Yes, the poet himself provides the answer. He reminds us that children, in earlier times, used to
‘read’ a lot of books. Amazingly, the people then spent half of their lives in reading books.
The books then filled the Nursery shelves. They were scattered on the Nursery floor. In the
bedroom too, the books waited bedside, to be read.
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WORKSHEET-36
Ans. (i) In earlier times, the children read wonderful stories of dragons, gypsies, queens, whales, smugglers,
etc. They also read about treasure islands and far off lands where the sea-pirates hid their loot/
treasure and themselves.
(ii) Cannibals were man-eating humans. They danced around a pot stirring and cooking their prey.
(iii) Roald Dahl, here, makes a reference to another author of children’s books– Beatrix Potter. Her
books are famous for featuring animals and colourful illustrations.
Mr. Tod— the rotter, Nutkin, the squirrel Bland the piglet, Mrs. Tiggy Winkle, the monkey, the
camel, Mr. Toad, Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole, decorated the stories of Beatrix.
(iv) The stories tell about how the camel got his hump and how the monkey lost his lump.
(v) The poet begs and prays to the parents to remove their television sets and replace them with a nice
bookshelf on the wall.
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POETRY
DAFFODILS
6 —William Wordsworth
WORKSHEET-37
Ans. (i) The poet compares himself with the cloud that floats all alone, atop many hills and valleys.
The figure of speech used here is ‘Simile’.
(ii) The poet suddenly comes across a crowd of golden daffodils growing under the trees beside the
lake.
The daffodils were ‘fluttering’ and ‘dancing’ in the breeze.
(iii) The first two lines of the poem describe that the poet was ‘lonely’, but the sight of the beautiful
daffodils drew the speaker towards a positive progression of mood. He no longer feels lonely.
(iv) (a) walk leisurely (b) flapping rapidly
(v) The poet sees a huge number of daffodils which looked like golden in colour, due to the sunlight
falling on them. They were in a joyous mood as they seemed to be waving and dancing.
The figure of speech used here is ‘Personification’.
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WORKSHEET-38
Ans. (i) The daffodils resemble the stars that shine in the galaxy like the Milky Way. The daffodils seem to
be as unlimited as the stars in the galaxy.
(ii) They are stretched in an infinite line along the edge of the bay.
(iii) The poet felt ecstatic to see a host of golden daffodils by the side of the lake under the trees, shaking
their head in a joyful dance. On seeing them, the poet’s imagination travelled to another world to
find a comparison. He was reminded of the stars twinkling in the Milky Way at night.
(iv) (a) the Galaxy which the sun and the solar system are a part of, and which contain the myriads of
stars that create the light of the Milky Way.
(b) a small body of water set off from the main body.
(v) The poet sees a large flower bed of daffodils; around ten thousand of them rejoicing and dancing
out of alacrity, in the breeze.
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WORKSHEET-39
Ans. (i) The waves of the river flowing beside the daffodils were accompanied with dancing and competing
with them. But the daffodils defeated the waves in the show of happiness through dancing.
(ii) Jocund means ‘lively and happy’. In such a cheerful and joyous company, i.e., in the presence of
such beautiful and gay flowers, the poet cannot prevent himself from being ecstatic.
(iii) The poet was moving about aimlessly over the high valleys and hills watching the beautiful nature
when he comes across a great number of golden daffodils expressing their joy by flattering. The
poet feels delighted at this sight and stops to gaze at them. He is surprised as he is unable to decide
what treasure the present moment has brought him.
(iv) (a) a strong feeling of happiness
(b) shining bright and lively
(v) The ‘show’ of ‘beautiful dancing golden daffodils keeps the poet mesmerized.
The poet fails to understand what happiness did this continuous gazing bring to him and what
enormous treasure he was accumulating in his mind.
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POETRY
I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS

7 —Maya Angelou
WORKSHEET-40
Ans. (i) A free bird enjoys its freedom completely. He glides freely through the air, climbing on the stream
of wind and floating downwards upto the end of the current through the sky that illuminates with
bright sunlight.
(ii) The free bird has the liberty to capture the sky with its flight, while on the other hand, a captured
or caged bird moves around uncomfortably in his narrow cage. His wings are clipped, making him
unable to fly and feet are tied, making his movement restricted. He is deprived of the free open sky,
rather made a slave. He can only use its mouth to sing. Thus, he is held in a very sad position.
(iii) The caged bird is filled with anger and frustration due to his situation. He desires whole heartedly
to escape from his miserable condition. But he can do nothing beyond looking through the bars of
the cage.
(iv) The ‘bars of rage’ are symbolic of the bird’s confinement. The line, ‘his bars of rage’, suggests that
the cage is the bird’s own creation. Bars are a metaphor for anger that trap the bird and keep it away
from being free. Whatever outside force may be acting upon the bird to curb its freedom, the bars
around it are of the birds own making.
(v) In a general sense, ‘clipping’ involves trimming a bird wing’s feathers so that they cannot fly. They
can just glide for a short distance. In Angelou’s poem, the word ‘clipped, refers to being ‘clipped’
in society on the basis of race or some other discrimination. The black Americans were prevented
from exploiting their capability for progress. They were prevented from schooling. They were
differentiated in jobs. Thus, ‘clipped’ from attempting to achieve success in life.
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WORKSHEET-41
Ans. (i) To sing, is the only freedom available to the caged bird. Though his heart is fearful unmet, the bird
continues to sing of liberty, something he does not have. The caged bird’s song is not of sadness but
of inspiration and hope.
(ii) The free bird revels in his freedom. He has dreams and can imagine freely of other things. He can
feel the soothing breeze through his body and also the trade winds that pass through the trees
producing sound. He not only enjoys the ride in the sky but has ample food like, the fat worms,
waiting in the lawn. Thus, the free bird has different things to think and imagine about.
(iii) The caged bird’s cries are heard far and wide. His songs were more of a scream in a dreaded tune.
This was a way to rebel and protest against its enslavement. This is paralleled to the struggle of the
African Americans in Maya Angelou’s time. She states that the black Americans wrote and sang,
danced and cried out for the liberty they deserved, but they were only heard as a distant voice.
(iv) ‘Trill’ refers to a quavering or vibratory sound which means that note on which the bird sings is not
definite or certain. This uncertainly could be a result of his thoughts that it can never achieve the
freedom which it yearns for; the freedom of flight. Maya Angelou refers to the freedom on all levels;
physical, mental and spiritual, for the Black Americans.
This fear becomes a part of his song.
(v) At an instance, the free bird is up in the sky and at the next he’s floating effortlessly along with the
current of the wind. With another breeze, he is ready to take off and bathe himself with the warmth
of the sun. The whole world seems to belong to him. He flies unrestrictedly. He hears the ‘singing
trees’ and whenever he is hungry, he can feed on the fat worms waiting in the lawn.
Thus, the world of the free birds consists of boundless sky, rivers and streams and the whole earth.
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WORKSHEET-42
Ans. (i) ‘Grave’ symbolizes death. The bird is in a way losing its hopes and feels as if his dream of freedom
is going to be buried in the grave since it seems it will never be accomplished. He knows that he can
never fly freely in the sky. His wings are clipped and feet are tied. Thus, his dream to fly is futile.
Though he has never experienced freedom, but somewhere deep down he knows that it was his
right to fly, he was created to fly.
(ii) The caged bird’s condition is quite pitiable. Instead of happy and optimistic dreams, the bird
undergoes nightmares making it to scream. The bird is so shaken with his crumbling hopes that he
feels as if his shadow will also scream out of agony and the suffering he is going through.
(iii) The refrain in the last stanza highlights that in the midst of hopelessness and gloominess, the bird is
still determined to keep pursuing his dream of freedom. He chooses to continue singing and exert
the only right it has.
This states the poet’s message to raise our voice against injustice; to express ourselves even if our
opponent keeps subduing us. Never should one give up under any circumstance, rather make use
of whatever right one has.

(iv) Imagery is used for the sensory words by the poet, to create a mental picture in the readers’ mind.
It consists words or phrases that evoke the five senses namely, touch, sight, taste, sound and smell.
Imagery helps in a better understanding of the concept portrayed by the poet.

In the poem, the poet uses the following imagery ‘free bird … leaping on the back of the wind’, ‘bird
floating downstream’ and ‘dipping its wings in the orange sun rays.‘ And for the caged bird, ‘his
wings are clipped and his feet are tied’.
(v) In Maya Angelous’s poem, the free bird stands for the people in this world who are free from
any type of racial, socioeconomic or psychological discrimination. They are free to make their
own decisions and choices. They relish life as an enjoyable adventure and they are away from the
struggles of survival.
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POETRY
THE PATRIOT
8 —Robert Browning
WORKSHEET-43
Ans. (i) One year ago, the patriot received a grand reception. His walking path was paved with numerous
rose petals with myrtle flowers mixed with it. The housetops were crowded with people and they
were moving and swinging like mad people. The minarets and domes of churches were shining
with light. They were decorated with colourful flags.
(ii) The people welcomed the patriot with so much happiness and excitement, that their voices mingled
with one another and produced a sort of music. The air became misty and saturated because of the
loud slogans and the ringing bells. The walls of the road-side houses trembled due to such a loud
noise.
(iii) The patriot tells that the people held him in such high esteem that had he asked them for anything,
may be the sun, on which their life depended, they would have readily agreed and asked him what
else they could do for him.
(iv) (a) So many people had crowded over the roofs of houses that the roofs seem to be swinging due to
the load.
(b) The air seemed misty with the sounds of the bell that were ringing everywhere.
(v) The patriot says that he tells the people he doesn’t want cheers and applause as the extravagant
celebrations will fade away with time. He wants power and glory like the sun, he wants to stay
immortal in the heart of his people so he thinks of asking for the sun, which is the symbol of ultimate
power and eminence.
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WORKSHEET-44
Ans.1. (i) The people loved and trusted the patriot so much that they were instantly ready to fetch the sun for
him. But he loved his people so much that it was he who leaped for it and presented it to them, i.e.,
he did the impossible, what no man could do.
The word ‘alack’ shows a tone of regret. He says with great sorrow that only one year has lapsed
and what reward is he getting for his great accomplishments and deeds.
(ii) It has been just one year, the Patriot is being lead on the same path, but unlike then, the roof-tops
are empty, no cheering, no rejoicing and only a few paralysed ones are gazing from the windows.
The reason is that, a year ago, he was welcomed as a hero, a Patriot, and now he has been branded
as a traitor by the people of his nation.
(iii) The people would have gathered at the Shamble’s Gate; the gate of the slaughter house or at the
foot of the scaffold.
The reason was that the speaker who was once held as a Patriot has now been convicted for his
supposed misdeeds and is being taken to the gallows to be punished. The people have assembled
there to see him die.
(iv) (a) Paralysed due to a disease called palsy and marked by uncontrollable tremor of the body or any
part.
(b) A place where people assemble to witness public hangings.
(v) As per the speaker, the people’s fickle mindedness is highlighted here. The same people, just a
year ago were filled with exuberance for the same person. He says he had left no stone unturned
for them but they misunderstood him and now they are waiting for the best of the sight, i.e. his
hanging. It is all the reward of his good deeds, which have been misunderstood.
Ans. 2. (i) The speaker highlights his sad condition. He says that people are carrying him to the gallows in the
rain. They have unnecessarily tied his hands behind his back with a tight rope, which is cutting his
both hands at wrists. The supposed culprit, i.e. the speaker feels his forehead is bleeding because
people are petting stones at him.
(ii) The speaker says that those who had mind were throwing stones at him, which means that probably
they were those with some sort of understanding, whether right or wrong, or some passion. The
others were merely idle and ignorant ones and had collected there as dormant spectators.
(iii) In the concluding stanza, the speaker speaks about his entry and exit from the life of power and
glory. He says he is leaving the same way as he entered. He walks down towards his death through
the same streets on which he had entered the town and was hailed as a hero.
This line means that, some people die from doing good things. He is victorious even in his defeat.
Here, we find an optimistic view of the speaker. He says, sometimes great heroes fall from their
climax and die. The most highly held, the most loved, also lose their charm and glory in the eyes of
people and suffer such an end.
(iv) (a) Wrong deed, offense
(b) Great success or achievement
(v) The speaker shows his complete trust in God. He believes that, after enduring so much insult from
the people on Earth, he will be received by God lovingly for the services he has given to his nation.
He feels safe in Heaven because he knows morally he has done right and God will reward him for
his deeds, as God is just.
This reflects that the speaker is an optimistic man with a religious bent. He has complete faith in
God’s love and justice.
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POETRY
ABU BEN ADHEIM

9 —Leigh Hunt
WORKSHEET-45
Ans. (i) Abu was a pious man and belonged to the tribe of good people. He was loving and gentle.
When one night he awoke from deep sleep, he saw an Angel writing something in the Book of
Gold. There was moonlight and peace in his room.
(ii) The moonlight which is silvery bright, resembles a white budding lily full of beauty and freshness.
Thus, this comparison is made.
The figure of speech used here is ‘Simile’.
(iii) ‘A deep dream of peace’ refers to a peaceful sleep. A restful mind sleeps soundly.
Abu could sleep in peace because he was a simple, innocent, God loving man, who cared for his
fellow beings so his life was devoid of any mental stress or unhappiness.
(iv) The extremely peaceful atmosphere in the room made Abu bold enough to question the Angel
what it was writing in the Book of Gold.
(v) The Angel looked up sweetly and affectionately and answered Abu’s question. It said that it was
writing the names of those who loved the Lord.
The terms used to refer to the angel are ‘presence’ and ‘vision’.
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WORKSHEET-46
Ans. (i) Abu lowered his tone because, when he asked the angel if his name was there among those who
loved God. The Angel replied that his name was not on the list. This depressed Abu slightly.
(ii) No, the Angel’s reply does not dishearten him for long, he cheerfully makes a request to the angel
that, if his name is not on the list of those who love the Lord, then his name should be written as
the one who loves his fellowmen.
(iii) Yes, the Angel accepted his request and included him in the list of those who loved their fellowmen.
After, this it vanished.
Yes, the angel re-visited Abu the following night. It came with a bright light that awakened Abu
from his sleep.
(iv) On its second visit, the Angel showed Abu Ben Adheim the names of those whom God had blessed
with his love. And Abu’s name was on the top of the list because God loves those who love their
fellow men.
(v) The message that the poet gives to his readers through this poem is that, devotion to God is directly
proportional to one’s love for one’s fellow being. God resides in the heart of every human being.
So, to love God one needs to love other human beings.
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POETRY
10 NINE GOLD MEDALS

—David Roth
WORKSHEET-47
Ans. (i) The athletes had come from different countries of the world to participate in various events to be
held at the Olympics and win prizes. It was the ‘Special Olympic Games’, in which the differently
abled athletes competed with each other.
(ii) Yes, the contestants were trained and prepared, which is proved by the lines – “Many weeks and
months in training all building up to the games.”
(iii) The ground was filled with a large audience, cheering the participants of the event. The athletes
who had come to participate after a strenuous training for months, were well prepared, and the
people were eagerly waiting for the final event of the day i.e., the race, to begin.
(iv) The names of the participants for one hundred metres race were called out over the loudspeaker.
Nine young athletes assembled, taking their position at the starting point. They waited for the
sound of gun to begin the race.
(v) As soon as the pistol sounded, signalling the start of the race, the runners too charged ahead
along their respective track, with firm determination. Thus, the runners charged like the gun shot
towards their target.
The youngest athlete among the runners had bad luck. Unfortunately, he tripped and unsteadily
fell on his knees to the ground.
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WORKSHEET-48
Ans. (i) ‘He’ refers to the differently abled young athlete of the one hundred metre race, who unexpectedly
fell down as soon as the race began.
The long awaited dream and aspiration of the runner, to participate in and win the prestigious
Olympic race, came crashing down – all the more, the serious efforts he may have put in the
preparation went unfruitful /useless. He felt everything coming dashing in the dirt. The athlete
cried out in dismay and disappointment because he does not get the opportunity to show his
talent.
(ii) When the young athlete fell and cried out in frustration, the other runners who had started running,
suddenly stopped, turned around and very surprisingly, came back one by one and helped the
fallen racer to stand on his feet.
(iii) The race did take place but this was a special one. All the nine runners walked hand-in-hand to the
finish line. The banner above read, ‘Special Olympics’.
(iv) No, the ‘Special Olympics’ is the most appropriate title for this event as it witnessed something
really special. All the athletes had dreamt about winning the medal. However, on seeing their
fellow runner in problem, they forgot their dreams and came forward to help him and completed
the race together hand-in-hand. This is an exemplary example of empathy. Thus, this event could
not have had a better title.
(v) The nine athletes reached the finish line together. There were now nine winners, instead of one,
and each was awarded a gold medal as a reward for the display of empathy, helpful nature and
humanity.
The poet is ‘David Roth’.
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Section-C : Prose
1. Chief Seattle's Speech 6. Angel In Disguise
—Earnest Hemmingway —T.S. Arthur
2. The Old Man at the Bridge 7. The Little Match Girl
—Earnest Hemmingway —Hans Christian Andersen
3. A Horse & Two Goats 8. The Blue Bead
—R.K. Narayan —Narah Burke
4. Hearts and Hands 9. My Greatest Olympic Prize
—O' Henry —Jesse Owens
5. A Face in the Dark 10. All Summer in a Day
—Ruskin Bond —Ray Bradbury
PROSE
CHIEF SEATTLE’S SPEECH

1 —Earnest Hemmingway
WORKSHEET-49
Ans. 1. Chief Seattle in his speech says that the God of the White people is different from that of the
Red men, because the White man’s God only thinks of the welfare of his people and ignores the
Red men. In that case, their God cannot be a reality as God never differentiates between people
and stands equal for all. He also mentions that the religion of the White man was ‘written upon
tablets of stone by the iron finger of God, so that they many remember it. It is not felt by heart.
Whereas, the Red man’s religion is ‘the traditions of our ancestors’ they are dreams of their old
men, given to them in solemn hours of night by the Great Spirit. Thus, the religion of the White
man is artificial and mechanical which consists of some hard and fast rules that the native people
cannot understand well.
Ans. 2. As a response to an offer made by the President of United States to buy their land, Chief Seattle, a
Native American leader, delivers this inspiring speech. It remains the most beautiful and profound
statement on the environment and related issues.
Chief Seattle in his speech feels and argues that, it is impossible to buy or sell natural resources
like, air, water and land, because we do not own them. They are a gift. He says that every part
of the earth is sacred to him and his people; they are a part of the earth and the earth is a part of
them. Even the souls of the Native Americans do not leave their land. Instead, they make it their
permanent residence. In short, the earth is not an inanimate tract of land, but a living presence to
be treated with love, care, respect and fear.
But the worldview of White men is entirely different. For them it is an object to be tamed, conquered
and exploited to the full, until it ceases to be useful.
Though the President has promised to take care of them like their father, and provide them a special
area to live and continue with all their customs and rituals, but it would not be easy to sell their dear
and sacred land.
The leader of the Red Indians, Chief Seattle, knew very well that they were handful so could not
oppose the takeover, hence, he suggests some condition, for the transaction. He says that their land
is sacred and inviolable and so they should also teach their children the same. He wants the White
men to treat rivers and beasts as their own brothers because they had seen White men pollute rivers
and shoot animals for the same of fun. He believes that every object in the Nature is connected
with each other. Whatever happens to animals and land will happen to us sooner or later. None can
escape this fate.
For his people, simple pleasure of Nature are more precious and more important than anything
else. They treat rain, wind and land as living organisms, just like humans. He also expounds the
holistic vision of his people according to which, there is only one God and he does not discriminate
between people, White or Red, human beings hold equal position in his eyes. The earth is precious
to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on the creator.
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WORKSHEET-50
Ans. (i) The above lines form a part of the speech delivered by Chief Seattle, a leader of the Suquamish tribe
of the Red Indians, who lived in the middle of the nineteenth century.
In 1854, the United States Government aggressively offered to buy 2 million acres of land occupied
by native people in the Northwest. This speech is a translation of excerpts from Chief Seattle’s reply
to the Governor of Washington, in December of that year. His speech has been described as one of
the most beautiful and prophetic statements on the environment ever made.
(ii) Chief Seattle in his speech says that, though things seemed to be favourable for them presently, but
future may bring quite drastic changes as the Great Chief of Washington was planning to acquire
their lands behind a mask of friendship.
(iii) Chief Seattle ironically calls the White chief ‘kind’ as in spite of being so powerful, he had sent the
Red Indians greetings of friendship and goodwill, though they were quite scarce in number as
compared to the White people.
He calls him ‘good’, ‘great’ and ‘generous’ as he had offered to buy their land and in exchange
allowed them just enough to live comfortably, which he says is quite wise as they did not need such
a vast land to live on.
(iv) Chief Seattle says that, earlier his people were large in number and they covered the land as the
waves of disturbed sea covering its shell-paved floor. But now they were just a handful, resembling
the scattering trees on a plain swept by a storm whereas, the people of the White chief were
numerous, like the dense grass covering the vast prairies.
(v) Chief Seattle mentions that the God of the White cannot be their God because their God is partial
towards them. He lovingly protects the White men as a father protects his son, but he has forsaken
Seattle and his people. On the other hand, ‘The Great Spirit’ which is the God of the natives, has
also forgotten his people because his tribe is almost on the verge of extinction.
Thus, they seem to be orphans who can look nowhere for help.
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WORKSHEET-51
Ans. (i) He says that the young people are impulsive and their anger towards real and imaginary wrongs
makes them brutal and uncontrolled. He advices the youth to control their feeling of hostility in
any circumstance because its their family that is left to suffer after their glorious sacrifice in the war.
Thus, he discourages the youth from any war feeling.
(ii) Seattle refers to ‘George Washington’ as ‘our father’, as he would be soon taking control over them
and their land. He has promised to protect the Native Americans from their foreign enemy tribes
like ‘Haidas’ and ‘Tsimshians’, if they surrender or sell their land to the White colonists.
(iii) Chief Seattle, in his speech, says that the religion of the White men i.e., Christianity, was written by
their God with an ‘Iron Finger’ which bound them with strict adherence to rules and principles. But
the religion of the Red Indians has been passed on by their ancestors in the form of traditions and
dreams given to them in sacred hours of night by the Great Spirit and their religion is the vision of
their great leaders which has been inscribed on their hearts.
He also says that the dead of the White men cease to love their people and their land and wander
away beyond the stars. Whereas, the dead of the Red Indians have a strong affinity towards their
land, they never forget their beautiful world with lush green valleys, flowing rivers, majestic
mountains and often wander affectionately around their sad and lonely people to provide them
comfort and guidance.
(iv) The Chief realizes that soon their mighty tribe will face extinction, but there is no reason to mourn
over it as this is the law of nature. He is relaxed at the thought that the White men, though much
more powerful than them, will face the same ‘Common Destiny’. They too will decay sooner or
later and their God will also not be able to protect them. Thus, the ‘Common Destiny’ will bind
them as brothers and this will develop empathy in them.
(v) The condition of surrender that he presents to the White men is that, the Red Indians should be
allowed to visit the graves of their dead without any prohibition. He also requests them to treat
their land sympathetically because according to him, the dead were not powerless and the people
who die merely change the world. The Chief says that the White men will never be alone because
even if the Natives vanish, their spirits will always occupy their native land.
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PROSE
THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

2 —Earnest Hemmingway
WORKSHEET-52
Ans. 1. In the story, the two main characters, i.e., the old man and the narrator, who face the reality in
which they find themselves powerless. The old man is not only physically weak to save his life
by escaping from the approaching army but also emotionally drained to continue on at the cost
of leaving his hometown and his family which constituted of few animals. He is 76 years old, has
already come 12 kms and can go no further. He sits in the dust on the side of the road while rest of
the people go right past him.
The officer is constantly looking across the bridge. The vacation is almost complete. Therefore, the
old man cannot be allowed to stay any longer. It is his duty to make everyone clear the area and
reach a safer place. So, he tries to convince the old man about the safety of his animals. The officer
too must be worried about his own safety. He consoles the old man saying, “Why, they’ll probably
come through it all right.” But when the old man is still scared about his pigeons he tells him, “Yes,
certainly they’ll fly. But the others, it’s better not to think about the others.”
Ans. 2. The old man mentioned in the story, is sitting by the side of the dusty road. The lines which show
this are, “But the old man sat there without moving. He was too tired to go any farther.”
He watched the people crossing the bridge with soldiers helping them, but he does not even ask
for any help. When the narrator asks him about his politics, he said he was without politics, but he
also mentions, “I am seventy - six years old. I have come twelve kilometers now and I think now I
can go no further.”
These lines show that he was giving up his efforts to carry on and save himself from the enemy
attack. When the narrator tells him that he could go to Barcelona. He says, “I know no one in
that direction”, which again highlights that he had no interest in starting life afresh in a new
surrounding. “I was only taking care of animals”, confirms his helplessness and failure.
Ans. 3. The short story, ‘Old Man at the Bridge’, is about a conversation between a soldier and an old man
who had to leave his hometown during the Spanish Civil War. The story conveys the subsequent
problems of helpless victims especially old people. The story is based upon an Easter Sunday
stopover at the Ebro River. The old man was a reflection of a war victim. We are informed that the
old man’s family consisted of only animals and he was 76 years old. He travelled twelve kilometers
and could not travel further.
The war has affected his mind and living. He had to leave his native place where he lived comfortably
and harmlessly with his animals. He further says, that he was without politics ‘yet his life gets
destroyed due to politics and the war’.
The poet mentions that it was Easter Sunday, which portrays an iconic contrast as the day of the
celebration of the resurrection of Jesus will be the day another innocent victim who will be crucified
and would be sacrificed to the monster of war.
The prominent reason the narrator seems to be talking to the old man at such length is that, he is
concerned about his safety, but he wants to build some extent of mutual trust and understanding
before advising him to flee. Undoubtedly, the racist soldiers would shoot him if he stayed there.
Thus in this story, Hemmingway shows that though there are wars, they are presented as a glorious
and majestic. The basic fact is hidden. So many people, who do not even participate in the war,
become the worst victims. No one speaks about them, the tragedy they face. They become homeless
and foodless. The old man is a symbol of such victims. A 76 years old man, has to escape and suffer
for no reason during the war. After the war people will talk about heroism and victory, this old man
will find no place in their memory or talks. Hemmingway finds this a disturbing fact and has tried
to portray the uglier side of war, the destruction and distress caused by it. Whichever party wins,
the common man is the guaranteed loser.
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WORKSHEET-53
Ans. (i) The narrator, who is an army officer, is the speaker. He is on a pontoon bridge in an African
looking country of the Ebro Delta. His duty is to cross the bridge and check how far the enemy had
advanced.
(ii) The carts and the people are crossing the bridge to get to a safer place from the advancing enemy
force. The old man sat by the side of the road, near the bridge.
(iii) The old man doesn’t move because he is very tired to go any further as he had already walked twelve
kilometres.
He was wearing steel rimmed spectacles, and very dusty clothes.
(iv) On being asked by the narrator, where did he come from, the old man replied, “San Carlos”. The
mention the place gave him pleasure and made him smile.
(v) The narrator describes that several trucks, carts, men, women and children were crossing the
pontoon bridge. The soldiers helped by pushing against the spokes of the wheels of the staggering
mule-carts. The trucks headed while the peasants followed on foot in the ankle deep dust. A solitary
old man sat by the side of the road. The narrator kept a check on the advancement of the enemy.
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WORKSHEET-54
Ans. (i) ‘He’ is referred to the old man. He stayed at his home town ‘San Carlos’. He is talking about the
animals he took care of i.e., two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons.
(ii) He was forced to leave his town and animals due to heavy firing from the enemy. It was not safe to
stay there.
The old man had no other family except his animals. He loved and cared for them. He was worried
to leave them behind in danger.
(iii) The old man was less worried about his cat because according to him, a cat could look out for itself.
He was seventy six years of age.
The doves had a chance to survive because the old man had left their cage open and they could fly
off.
(iv) The narrator finds it strange to know that the old man was taking care of his animals in San Carlos
as the old man did not at all look like a shepherd or a herdsman.
(v) The narrator is waiting for the signals that would be given when there would be a ‘contact’ by the
enemy. So, he was attentive to the first noises that would be heard on the arrival of the enemy.
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PROSE
A HORSE & TWO GOATS

3 —R.K. Narayan
WORKSHEET-55
Ans. 1. We can comprehend a lot of outstanding differences in the two relationships. When Muni was rich,
he had enough right to decide and control most of the things in his family. He also lorded over his
wife. He had even thrashed her a few times. However, when he loses everything and becomes a
poor man, he also loses his rights in the family. He has to obey what his wife orders him. They love
each other but poverty makes them emotionless.
The relationship of the American and his wife seems to be better than Muni’s relationship, because
their financial condition is better than that of Muni. Ruth, the wife of the American, seems to be a good
and understanding wife. As the man expresses, he desire to visit India, the very next day his wife calls
the travel agent and tells him to fix the tour. Ruth knows how to make her husband comfortable and
free in making most of the decisions. The American is confident of his ability to convince her and also
agrees to let his wife have freedom to take her own decisions. Thus, in comparison, these differences
appear because of their financial condition and tradition in marriage.
Ans. 2. R.K. Narayan in this story has wonderfully depicted how cultural and linguistic difference between
two men can create a humorous situation. Muni is a common Tamil villager in India, who only
knows two words in English, ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. He accidently encounters a ‘red-faced’ American whose
station wagon stops near Muni, due to lack of gas. As he was wearing khaki dress, Muni mistakes the
man for a policeman who he thinks has come to arrest him for a murder committed recently. Muni
wants to escape but is afraid that the man may shoot him. Muni went on to give his introduction
in Tamil language which obviously the man did not understand. When the man offered him a
cigarette, he was surprised and blows off the lighter the man lighted for him. When the man gave
his card, he shrank away considering it as an arrest warrant. He tries to tell the American that he
had no knowledge about the murder and would definitely hand over the culprit if he happens
to catch him. He assured him that he must be from the other village. The foreigner understands
nothing but just nods his head.
The fun comes as the readers get to know the characters’ concerns while they, themselves utterly fail
to understand anything about each other. This makes the conversation humorous and interesting.
Again, when Muni talks about punishing the thieves, the foreigner thought that Muni was talking
about chopping woods with an axe.
The man then pointed to the clay horse and wished to know about it. He found it a masterpiece and
showed interest in buying it and carrying it home. He guessed that Muni was the owner as he was
sitting under it.
Muni, due to misunderstanding, started his story of how the horse would come to life and carry
away the good people after the Kal Yuga ends and the world gets destroyed.
When the man offered Muni a hundred rupee note for the horse, Muni feels amused to think that
he was asking for the change. Muni patting the goats makes him feel that he wanted to buy his
goats which comes to him as a long awaited offer. Muni took the money and went away and the
man went off with the horse by taking help from a passerby.
The fun continues when Muni’s wife accuses him of theft. Muni’s explanation that he had sold
the goats to the red-faced man goes in vain as the goats return back, making his wife all the more
suspicious.
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WORKSHEET-56
Ans. (i) Muni had often dreamt of selling his goats some day and with that money, he wanted to open a
small shop with a thatched roof, spreading a gunny sack on the ground with fried nuts, coloured
sweets and green coconut displayed on it. Sitting there, he would watch towards the hills and
quench the thirst of famished highway wayfarers.
(ii) The red-faced foreigner wore khaki clothes making him look like a policeman or a soldier.
Muni felt the urge to run away when he first laid eyes on him because he thought that the man was
a police officer but could not understand why he was after Muni.
He does not run firstly, because he was unable to put his limbs into action readily due to old age,
and secondly, for the fear of being chased and shot on running.
(iii) Few weeks ago, a body had been found mutilated and thrown away under a tamarind tree at the
border between the villages of Kritan and Kuppam. This caused a lot of talks. So, Muni assumed
that the man was a policeman who had come to enquire about the murder or may be to arrest him.
(iv) The visitor was actually interested in the stone horse statue. He offered hundred rupees for the
horse as he thought that the statue belonged to Muni as he was sitting with it.
When the man offered a hundred rupee note, the old man got confused and thought maybe he is
asking for change and laughed at the idea of someone asking ‘him’ for a change of a thousand or ten
thousand rupee note.
(v) According to me, the most amusing part of the story ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ is towards the end,
where Muni mistakenly thinks that the foreigner is offering him money for his two goats, though it
is actually for the clay horse statue on the pedestal. As the language problem between the two men
persists, they never really understand each other. But most wonderfully, Muni convinces himself
that he was finally able to understand the matter. In addition to this, the foreigner misleads Muni
by showing interest in his pet goats as an act of courtesy.
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WORKSHEET-57
Ans. (i) Kritam was one of the numerous villages in India where the protagonist of the story lived. The
word ‘Kritam’ in tamil means ‘coronet’ or ‘crown’.
The irony about it is that, the name of the village is contrary to it. Though it meant a crown but in
reality it was one of the insignificant villages dotting the map of India, may be the tiniest of all.
(ii) Kritam is one of the smallest of India’s seven hundred thousand villages. There are only thirty
houses in the village, most of them with simple thatched huts. The only sophisticated residence in
the village is the ‘Big House’, a brick and cement building from whose well the local villagers get
their water. It was painted bright yellow and blue with beautiful carvings of Gods and Gargoyles on
its boundary. The other houses were distributed in four streets and Muni the protagonist’s house,
was the last house in the fourth street.
(iii) Every morning, Muni use to drive his goats to the highway on the outskirts of the village and let
them graze as he sat on the pedestal of a clay statue of a horse. He collected faggots and dry sticks
and carried them home for fuel at sunset.
(iv) In the morning, Muni’s wife cooked him millet flour cooked in boiling water with salt. For lunch,
his wife packed some millet cooked into a little ball to be eaten with raw onion.
(v) The drumstick tree grew in front of his hut from which he sometimes shook down drumsticks to
eat. There was no particular owner of the tree but he considered it his as he lived in its shadow. He
also tied his goats to the trunk of the tree.
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PROSE
HEARTS AND HANDS

4 —O’ Henry
WORKSHEET-58
Ans. 1. Miss Fairchild is one of the central characters in the short story, ‘Hearts and Hands’, written by
O’ Henry. She is an elegant woman with a glass of style and manner. She has a fascination for
travelling which is marked by all the luxurious comforts she is surrounded by. She is wearing
gloves.
She has a full, sweet and deliberate voice which is highlighted when she converses with Mr. Easton.
She has a bright countenance with a tender pink colour on her cheeks, especially when she smiles.
She becomes interested in talking to Mr. Easton and she gets too blinded by her feelings that she
couldn’t see past them and allowed herself to be lied to. So, she discusses of her happy past with
Mr. Easton, in Washington, but gets horrified to see the handcuffs. Thus, Miss Fairchild is described
as a beautiful, amicable lady, with certain shortcomings, like any other normal human being.
Ans. 2. In O. Henry’s story ‘Hearts and Hands’, the title speaks about the compassionate heart of the
Marshal, who saved Mr. Easton from the humiliation of being identified as a convict in front of an
old friend.
The story is set on a train to Denver. An elegantly attired woman named Miss Fairchild is seated on
the train when two men arrive and take their seats facing her. It quickly becomes apparent that the
woman knows one of them. She speaks to this man, Mr. Easton, and then she is rather surprised
to discover that he is handcuffed to the man seated beside him. Evidently, the man with Easton
senses the embarrassment of both of them and tells that heaven worth Mr. Easton is a Marshal and
he himself is a convict who is being convicted to seven years of imprisonment in heaven worth
prison for counterfeiting. The young woman continues to chat with her acquaintance, but also
continues to stare at the handcuffs. To make her comfortable, the other man tells her not to worry
because all Marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away.
He then requests that he should be taken to the smoker car as he badly needs to smoke. The two
other passengers, who were sitting nearby, listening to the conversation between Miss Fairchild
and Mr. Easton, finally makes it clear to the readers that Mr. Easton is not the Marshal, but the other
is, as no Marshal would handcuff any convict to his own right hand.
Thus, we see that the glum - faced man handled the situation very appropriately. He referred Mr.
Easton, the prisoner, as the Marshal while himself as the prisoner, not caring about his reputation
in front of the people in the coach. Miss Fairchild believed Easton to be a ‘Dashing Western Hero’.
Thus, Marshal had a big and generous ‘Heart’. The word ‘Hands’ in the little most probably refers
to the handcuffs tied to the hands of both the men, which led to the Marshal speaking the lie and
then the placement of the handcuff on their ‘Hands’, reveals the truth about their identity.
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WORKSHEET-59
Ans. (i) The speaker is a young woman named Miss Fairchild. She has been described as an attractive,
young lady, elegantly dressed, travelling with all the luxuries and seemed to be an experienced
traveller.
(ii) Miss Fairchild was travelling on the eastbound B. & M. Express.
Mr. Easton, whom she is talking to, was a new passenger on the train and they two were old
acquaintances.
(iii) Mr. Easton was a young handsome man with bold appearance and mannerism. The man
accompanying him was a young, upset looking, grim faced, roughly dressed strong-built man.
(iv) The ‘linked couple’ is referred to the two young men who boarded the train at Denver. They are
linked because they are handcuffed to each other. They got seated on the seat facing the young
lady.
At first the lady glanced them indifferently but as soon as she recognized one of them as her old
friend, a lovely smile glowed on her face and made her cheeks blush.
(v) When Miss Fairchild held out her hand towards Mr. Easton, he shook it with his left hand and
told that his right hand was busy. She was bewildered to see his hand bound at the wrist with a
handcuff tied to the left hand of his companion. This faded the glow from her cheeks. But when
the ‘glum faced’ man told her that Mr. Easton was a Marshal and was taking him to the prison, she
relaxed, and the colour brightened her cheeks again.
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WORKSHEET-60
Ans. (i) The girl said that she loved the West. She spent the summers, with her mother, in Denver. Her
mother returned back due to her father’s ill-health. But she could live happily in the West as the air
here was comfortable to her.
(ii) The other man requests Miss Fairchild to ask her friend Mr. Easton, who was suppose to be the
Marshal, to speak a word in his favour so that he may get a relaxation in his punishment, otherwise
it was seven years prison for counterfeiting.
(iii) Mr. Easton tells her that he had to make money because money has power which makes one feel
respected and can make one fly and soar high. He also says that he had to compete with the crowd
and settle himself among the high class society in Washington.
(iv) The ‘glum-faced’ man who was the actual Marshal, makes a petition for tobacco.
Though Miss Fairchild carries on flirting with Mr. Easton but seemed to be uneasy with the
handcuffs, the man senses it and to save Mr. Easton from embarrassment, requests him for tobacco
and they leave for the smoker car.
(v) After Mr. Easton and the other man leave, two eavesdropping fellow passengers converse, in
which the first passenger told as being a Marshal at such a young age, was amazing. Then the
other man corrected him that the man, ‘Mr. Easton’, was not the Marshal but the other man was,
because a Marshal never handcuffed a convict with his right hand, it is always the left hand. Thus,
the handcuffs revealed the truth about Mr. Easton.
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PROSE
A FACE IN THE DARK

5 —Ruskin Bond
WORKSHEET-61
Ans. 1. The writer leaves the readers in an ambiguity as to what might have happened to Mr. Oliver after
he encounters with the faceless watchman and the lamp blows out. One assumption could be
that he must have fainted after the horrible scenes he had seen. In the morning, he would have
reached back to his school and told everyone about his experience. There are chances that many
would have considered it his imagination. On the second-thought, Mr. Oliver, being a daring man
with a strong heart, may have not fainted and would have started running towards his school and
reached there somehow.
Ans. 2. Mr. Oliver, the protagonist of the story the ‘Face in the Dark’, is a teacher in a public school in
Shimla. He seems to be a daring and adventurous person who is not scared to pass through the
pine forest in the dark of the night while returning from Shimla Bazaar. That particular night, as
usual, he takes the path across the pine forests. Though it grew quite dark he had his torch and he
made his way to his school. When he saw a boy sitting and crying, he thought that he was one of
the students of his school and reminded him about the rule that the boys were not supposed to
come out at this time. Then he saw that the boy was sobbing and his anger changed into concern.
He wanted to know the reason for his crying. But as soon as the boy lifted his face, Mr. Oliver was
aghast looking at his face. He had no eyes, no ears, no mouth, and no features at all. The torch fell
from his trembling hands.
Furthering his way to his residence, he saw a watchman with a lantern and he shares his experience
with him. Listening about the boy’s face, the watchman lifts his lantern up to his face and asks if
the boy’s face was like his, revealing his face in the light which was exactly the same, no eyes,
no mouth, nothing. Suddenly, with a gush of wind, the lantern blew off and Mr. Oliver rushed
towards his apartment.
As per my opinion, the existence of supernatural cannot be denied from the face of the earth. There
are instances present around us for which there is no logical explanation. So, what happened with
Mr. Oliver could have been real and not merely his imagination.
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WORKSHEET-62
Ans. (i) The school in Shimla in which the protagonist taught is referred as ‘it’.
Eton College is one of the most esteemed, expensive and reputable English boarding school in
Eton, Berkshire in U.K. This school has been called as the ‘Eton of the East’ because it had been run
on English Public School lines and the boys of the school belonged to wealthy Indian families. They
wore blazers, caps and ties.
(ii) The school was located on the outskirts of the hill station of Shimla. The protagonist, Mr. Oliver,
was an Anglo – Indian teacher in the same school. The author is Ruskin Bond.
(iii) Mr. Oliver usually walked down to the Shimla Bazaar which had cinemas and restaurants in the
evening and returned after dark taking a short cut through the pine forest.
(iv) (a) Strange and mysterious.
(b) To walk slowly and relaxingly
(c) Unsteadily
(v) Mr. Oliver was a bold man but he was not imaginative. This is proved from the fact that he dared
to take the forest path in the dark where the pine trees made sad eerie sounds during strong winds
while most of the people preferred the main road.
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WORKSHEET-63
Ans. (i) One night when Mr. Oliver was returning back to school, he saw a boy sitting alone on a rock in
the forest.
When Mr. Oliver came closer to the boy, it appeared to him that the boy was crying.
(ii) The boy’s head was down and he held his face in his hands. His body was shaking due to his
strange, soundless weeping.
Mr. Oliver thought he was a miscreant i.e., a person who has done some mischief, and boys were
not supposed to be out after dark. As a teacher he had the right to scold the boy.
(iii) The author says, ‘if you could call it a face’ because, when the boy looked up at the teacher, his face
had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was a round smooth head with a school cap on top of it.
(iv) As soon as Mr. Oliver saw the boy’s face, he got horrified. His hands started trembling and his
torch fell down. He immediately turned around and with full of panic he started running blindly
towards the school, calling for help.
(v) On seeing the faceless boys, Mr. Oliver darted towards the school fearfully. On the way he met
a watchman carrying a lantern. When the watchman enquired about his condition, Mr. Oliver
narrated him the encounter with the faceless boy weeping in the forest. To this the watchman
lifted the lamp close to his face. Mr. Oliver finds out that the watchman too does not have any eyes,
ears, nose or mouth. The story ends when the wind blows the lamp out leaving the readers keen
to know what happened with Mr. Oliver..
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PROSE
ANGEL IN DISGUISE
6 —T.S. Arthur
WORKSHEET-64
Ans. 1. A poor woman, who is hated throughout her life by all the village people, dies in a drunken state
on the threshold of her own house. Her three miserable children witness the death of their mother.
The villagers take pity on her sudden death and the orphaned children, she has left behind.
Suddenly, their world has changed. The villagers collect to decide on their fate.
12 years old John, is old enough to work. Farmer Jones adopts him because John would be helpful in
field work. Mrs. Ellis begrudgingly adopts Kate, who is still a few years too young to go to work in a
factory. Mrs. Ellis complains about the burden involved in taking responsibility of an undisciplined
orphan. But no one comes up to adopt Maggie, the youngest child, as she is bedridden due to an
injury which she suffered by falling down from the window and hurting her back. The villagers
talk about taking her to the poorhouse.
Ans. 2. Maggie, is the youngest child of a woman who died of intoxication, leaving her three young
children in a wretched and miserable condition, on the mercy of others. Maggie is crippled and
bed ridden after she fell and hurt her spine severely, two years back. Her other two siblings,
John and Kate, are adopted by the former Jones and Mrs. Ellis respectively. But none is ready to
take the liability of helpless Maggie. Some villagers assume that she will have to be taken to the
poorhouse as she has no one to look after and care for her.
Mr. Joe Thompson, who is a wheelwright, takes pity on Maggie and takes her to his home. She
is an embodiment of innocence and purity. But he knows it would be very difficult to convince
his wife. He draws on the Bible in order to appeal to Jane’s compassion. Seen as a burden at the
first glance, Maggie turns out to be a blessing in the Thompson home. Initially, he states the fact
that he plans on taking her to the poor house possibly the next day, she agrees somehow but after
spending a day and night with the small child, Mrs. Thompson’s heart grew with every moment
tending to the small orphan girl. Not having a child of her own or any interests or things to take
care of, lead her to become less compassionate.
Caring for the child gives her a sense of purpose and meaning in her otherwise dull housewife’s
life. Thus, the little girl not only changed her attitude towards them but also brought light and
joy into their home. She becomes extra careful for Maggie and gives up the idea of sending her
to poorhouse. She accepts her as her child and carries her in her heart as well as arms. From a
rude, ill-tempered and selfish lady, Mrs. Thompson becomes a living and compassionate person.
Thompson household is filled with boundless joy which they had never experienced before. Thus
Maggie, becomes an ‘Angel in disguise’ for the Thompsons.
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WORKSHEET-65
Ans. (i) The children are the innocent orphaned children of a pauper woman who died due to intoxication.
The three children are left with no guardian and they cannot fend for themselves. In spite of the
hatred people had for the woman, they gather at her cottage, arrange for her funeral and now
discuss about the fate of the children.
(ii) The villagers looked at Maggie with pitying glances and troubled thought. Mother brought her
old dirty clothes and dressed her in clean attire. They were touched by the gloomy eyes and calm
face of the little girl but none was ready to take a sick bedridden girl to their home.
(iii) The eldest boy John, is 12 years and old enough to work. Farmer Jones adopts the boy because he
will be of good use in fieldwork.
Kate is a bright and active girl, who is begrudgingly adopted by Mrs. Ellis as she is too young to
work. The most wretched among them was Maggie, the youngest child who is crippled for life
due to a spine injury that happened two years back. She is bedridden. Unable to decide what to
do about Maggie, the villagers assume she will have to be taken to the poorhouse.
(iv) As per the villagers, the poor house was a sad place for a sick and helpless child but as far as
Maggie was concerned, it would be a blessing because there she would be kept clean, have
healthy food, and be doctored, something which she lacked in the past.
(v) After John and Kate were taken away, Maggie was left all alone. Joe sympathies with her and
the blacksmith’s wife suggests him to take her to the poorhouse. After thinking for a while Joe
entered the hovel, where Maggie was sitting upright after some painful effort, but terrorized due
to her loneliness. She urged Mr. Thomson not to leave her there all alone.
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WORKSHEET-66
Ans. (i) One of them is the poor crippled orphan girl, Maggie, and the other is Mr. Joe Thompson, a
wheelwright.
After Maggie’s mother’s funeral, the villagers return to their daily work. Maggie’s siblings are
taken away and she is left alone in her bed in the hovel. Joe, who still lingers there, feels pity
when the child pleads with him in fear. He decides to take her home. As he wraps the child in
bedclothes and carries her in his arms, some tender feeling of affection enters deep into his heart.
(ii) Joe’s wife Jane Thompson is a stern lady with ‘vinegar’ temperament. She is irritated and
displeased at the arrival of the girl. She calms down only when Joe tactfully convinces her that he
would carry the girl to the poorhouse the next day.
(iii) Joe told his wife that women’s heart are sometimes so hard that every woman at the funeral
turned away from the sick helpless child and walked off, discarding her in the old hut, presuming
to be sent to a poorhouse. And as she could not go there on her own, Joe carried her to his house
till the formalities at the poorhouse were completed.
(iv) Earlier Joe had instructed his wife to be kind to Maggie while looking to her, keeping in mind
the death of her mother, her grief, pain and lonliness, that will always be a part of her life. Joe
observes secretly that Jane had developed a soft corner for the little girl. In his absence, she spent
time with her, tending her softly and compassionately.
But when Joe came, she portrayed a veil of coldness and indifference. This gives, Joe a sort of
relaxation and thinks not to interfere in the bond that was developing between the two.
(v) Being childless and not having any interests or things to take care of, had made Mrs. Jane
less compassionate. Caring for the orphaned girl gave a sense of purpose and meaning to her
otherwise dull, housewife life. Thus, her attitude towards life and the little girl changed. Her heart
melts. This little girl brings light and joy in the life of the Thompson’s. Maggie becomes honey to
Jane’s soul whom she carries in her arms like a precious burden.
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PROSE
THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL

7 —Hans Christian Andersen
WORKSHEET-67
Ans. 1. The weather was extremely cold and it was completely dark. It was the last evening of the year,
the snow was falling heavily and everything seemed to be freezing. The sky was covered with
dark clouds. It was a chilling environment, and it seemed that the people preferred to stay indoors
due to shivering cold. The atmosphere was gloomy and somewhat scary.
‘The little match girl’, as the author calls her, is barefoot and bear headed. She is out in the chilling
cold selling matches. She belonged to a very poor family. She couldn’t go back to her house
because her father would scold her for being unsuccessful in selling the matches. Her house too
could not protect her against the cold for they had nothing but the roof above them with holes
stuffed with straws and rags. She chose to freeze in the cold rather than return back home. This
shows that the cold gloomy weather truly symbolised her sad, miserable life.
Ans. 2. ‘The Little Match Girl’ by Hans Christian Anderson, is a story about a small girl no older than
eleven, sent out to sell matches, which was earlier considered as a form of begging. It is the dead
of winter and she has little to keep herself warm. Her ill-fitting shoes had been taken from her
and with the fear of going home only to be beaten for her unsuccessful sales, she curls up in the
cold. As she is struggling to keep warm, all she can contemplate is the thought of lighting one
small match. As she does so, she is filled with feelings of warmth and safety. She sees a vision of a
large iron stove. Hallucinations are one of the symptoms of severe hypothermia, which indicates
that the girl is slowly drifting away. But as the match stick burns off, the stove disappears and she
comes into consciousness.
The second vision describes a magical New Years Eve feast. A goose dancing with knife and fork
in its breast. This vision shows how hungry the small girl truly is, and if she doesn’t freeze she will
surely starve.
The third vision of the night, is a magnificent Christmas tree. It is brightly lit and beautifully
decorated. The story describes bright coloured pictures looking down on her. As the colours and
lights rise, and the tree disappears, the stars become visible, and it seems as though the lights from
the tree have become the stars. The little girl then sees a star fall and claims that someone was
dying, as her old grandmother had told.
The small girl drew another match and there her loving grandmother stood before her in the dark
of the night with kind looks. The girl knew that if the match were to run out her grandmother
would disappear just like all her other wonderful visions, so she struck the rest of the match sticks
on the wall. The little girl pleads with her grandmother to take her back to heaven. This shows
that how truly close the little match girl is freezing to death and so the grandmother carries her in
her arms with brightness and joy away from cold and hunger.
The next morning, the people found her frozen to death, matches in hand and a smile on her face.
None is aware of the beautiful visions of the little girl and the splendor she has entered in.
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WORKSHEET-68
Ans. (i) ‘She’ is the poor little girl.
She was in a miserable state because she was out in the cold selling matches bareheaded and
barefoot.
The slippers were not good for her because they had been her mother’s, so obviously they were
much bigger in size. Also she had lost them while running across the street in order to escape
from the carriages. One was lost and the other was stolen by a boy.
(ii) It was an extremely cold day and the snow was falling. It was getting dark.
It was New Year’s Eve. The author of the story is Hans Christian Anderson.
(iii) The poor girl lost her slippers, the only warmth she had. Her feet were red and frozen because the
temperature was very low. In her old apron she carried many matches to sell but couldn’t manage
to sell any. The hunger and cold increased minute by minute making her shiver.
(iv) The little girl was in a miserable state. She was moving around the streets in extreme weather,
without any footwear or anything to cover her head. She was shivering. The snowflakes fell on
her long golden hair which curled beautifully about her neck but she little cared for her looks and
appearance. Her only concern was to sell the matchboxes somehow.
(v) The poor little girl did not dare to go home, firstly, because her father would surely beat her
for being unable to sell any matches and earn a single penny. Secondly, at home too there was
no respite from cold as they had nothing but the roof above them and the wind easily passed
through the cracks.
Instead, she huddled down in a heap in a corner between two houses and tucked her little legs
up under her.
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WORKSHEET-69
Ans. (i) Though the girl huddled herself in a corner still she felt colder and colder. Her hands were almost
numb with cold so she thought to pull one small match and light it.
The match burnt with a splutter, giving out warmth. Its bright flame seemed like a tiny candle.
The light seemed strange and wonderful because the bright warm flame made the little maiden
feel that she was sitting before a large iron stove with burnished brass knobs and brass ornaments.
The fire burnt blissfully and warmed the girl comfortably which made her stretch out her legs to
warm them too.
(ii) When she lit the second match, the wall on which the light fell, became transparent like a veil, so
that she could see inside the room. A snow-white table cloth was spread on the table, upon it lay
splendid porcelain containing steaming roasted goose stuffed with prunes and apples.
It was more captivating to watch the goose hop down from the dish, and waddle across the floor
towards the girl, with knife and fork in its breast. Suddenly, the match went off and the vision
cleared. Only the thick, cold, damp wall was left behind.
(iii) The little girl says these words to her Grandmother whom she sees in the luster of the glowing
match. Her grandmother was the only person who had loved her and was no more. She looked
very gentle, kind and affectionate. She had told the little girl that when a star falls, a soul ascends
to God.
(iv) When the girl struck the match for the third time, she found herself sitting under the most
magnificent Christmas tree. It was much larger and more beautiful than the one which she had
seen through the glass door in the rich merchant’s house. Numerous lights illuminated the green
branches of the tree along with the gaily coloured balls.
As soon as she reached out for them, the match went out and the numerous candles on the
Christmas tree ascended towards the sky turning into bright stars. One of them fell down leaving
behind a trail of light. This made the girl believe that someone was dying. Her grandmother had
told her that ‘whenever a star falls, a soul goes up to God.’
(v) The girl struck all the rest of the matches to keep her grandmother with her. The old lady took the
little girl in her arms and carried her up towards heaven, away from cold, hunger or fear.
The next morning, i.e., the New Year morning, the people found the little girl frozen to death.
Though they sympathized with her but they were unaware of the beautiful things she had seen
and the spender in which, she had entered with her grandmother. Thus, the New Year had
brought heavenly joy and gladness for her.
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PROSE
THE BLUE BEAD

8 —Narah Burke
WORKSHEET-70
Ans. 1. Sibia, the protagonist of the story, is a young girl of twelve years who lived in poverty. We see her
as a child in rags, thin and starving. She didn’t possess even one anna, a piece or a pit to buy a
handful of glass beads or one of the thin glass bangles from the bazaar. She lost her childhood in
doing household work. She husked corn, gathered sticks, put dung to dry, cooked, fetched water,
cut grass for fodder and accompanied her mother and other ladies to get paper grass from the
cliffs above the river. Thus, we see that Sibia characterises the other poor girls and women of her
group who worked hard to arrange the necessities of their life.
Sibia divided her chappati to make it seem more, she stood expectantly infront of sweet stalls, but
couldn’t have them, her desire to wear silver threaded satin clothes was replaced with earth coloured
rags and she has to wait to buy a small needle to make her necklace as hers is broken and they don’t
have money to buy a mere small needle.
Ans. 2. In Narah Burke’s story ‘The Blue Bead’, Sibia is a poor child who has never owned much in her
entire life. She was marked for work from life to death. She is very hard working. She helped her
mother to make money by picking paper grass for hours, up the hill. She doesn’t have a single
penny to buy a glass bead nor a needle to make her necklace.
One day, after finishing the day’s work of cutting paper grass, she stays back while all other
women, along with Sibia’s mother, come back to their village. She walked down the ghats of the
river, and walked across the stepping stones, but shortly after another woman came to fill her
‘gurrahs’. Suddenly, an armored mugger lunged at her leg dropping the brass ‘gurrahs’ in the
river. Sibia knew she had to do something. She needed to help her. Immediately came into action.
She flew towards the woman, jumping from boulder to boulder, which are normally difficult to
cross, due to the big gap at some places.
She quickly jumped in the boiling bloody water, faced the strong Saurian right in the eye, and
with her hayfork aimed at the crocodile’s eyes, which is the most vulnerable spot in its body.
The crocodile crashed exploded the water. The convulsion made it swim away in pain. Sibia then
dragged the Gujar woman out of the water, stops her wounds with sand and bound them with a
rag and helped her to reach her encampment.
When she came back to get her grass, sickle and fork, she saw a ‘Blue Bead’ laying in the stream
and fetches it. She is overjoyed and carries it home ecstatically. Now, she would be able to complete
her necklace!
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WORKSHEET-71
Ans. (i) The creature mentioned here is the mugger crocodile. It is twice the length of a tall man. It is
blackish brown above and yellowish white below. His mouth is almost the whole length of his
head and tinged green, and its tail is quite huge and strong.
(ii) The baby crocodile had danger from the birds of prey and the great carnivorous fish.
The crocodile caught the food it needed and stored it till it decayed, in holes in the bank.
(iii) The author has used the following words to highlight the strength and grandeur of the crocodile-
“This ante diluvian saurian – this prehistoric juggernaut, ferocious and formidable, a vast force in
the water, propelled by the unimaginable and irresistible power of the huge tail.”
(iv) Nothing can pierce the inch-thick armored hide of the crocodile, not even rifle bullets. The only
places that are vulnerable are the eyes and the soft underarms.
(v) The story’s title is ‘The Blue Bead’. The protagonist of the story, about whom we get to know later,
is earnestly in search of a bead to make a necklace for herself, and she finds this bead near the
crocodile. But what all that she goes through to get it is adventurous. Thus, the Blue Bead carried
great significance and is mentioned in the beginning itself.
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WORKSHEET-72
Ans. (i) ‘She’ is referred to the protagonist of the story ‘Sibia’. She is a twelve year, earthy colour, thin girl
with ebony hair. She had never owned anything except a rag which she had torn in two to make a
skirt and a sari. She lived in such poverty that she divides her chapatti into several pieces to make
it seem more and she has to wait to buy another needle when one breaks while piercing the beads.
She remains bare foot and goosey-cold even in winters. She was born to labour.
(ii) Sibia had seen the finery in the bazaar in the little town at the rail head which she had visited with
her family after passing through the jungles.
In the bazaar, she had gazed amazingly at the wonderful green and magenta coloured honey
confections surrounded with dust and flies.
Then she came across the cloth stall with big rolls of new cotton cloth smelling of the mills. She
also saw satin sewn with real silver thread, tin trays from Birmingham, and a sari embroidered
with chips looking like glass at the borders. In the bazaar was a Kashmiri travelling merchant
showing dawn-coloured silks, he also had a little locked chest with turquoises and opals in it.
Amongst all of these, she loved the box which when pressed, a bell tinkled and a yellow woollen
chicken jumped out.
Throughout her life, Sibia seemed to be born to do various kinds of work like, husking corn,
gathering sticks, putting dung to dry, cooking and weeding, fetching water and cutting grass for
fodder.
(iii) The Gujar men and boys were out of camp with the herd or had gone to the bazaar to sell produce.
The author describes the buffaloes as creatures of great wet noses and moving jaws and gaunt
black bones.
(iv) Both, Sibia and Gujars, were junglis, as they were born and bred in the forest. For many centuries,
their forefathers had lived in a similar manner, living on animals, grass and trees. They searched
their food together and stored their substance in large heads and silver jewellery. They were
neither Stone Age Hunters nor Modern Cultivators, but were ‘Man in the Wandering Pastoral
Age’.
(v) Gujars was a tribe of nomadic graziers who temporarily camped at a place till their animals
finished all the easy grazing within their reach or till they were unable to sell enough of their
white butter or milk in the district, or they couldn’t find a customer for the young male buffaloes
for tiger bait.
The Gujar women wore trousers, tight and wrinkled at the ankles. In their ears they wore large
silver rings made out of melted rupees.
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PROSE
MY GREATEST OLYMPIC PRIZE

9 —Jesse Owens
WORKSHEET-73
Ans. 1. Pierre de Coubertin was the Frenchman whose efforts were responsible for the revival of the
Modern Olympic Games in 1896. He believed that the most important thing in the Olympic Games
is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well. And
Luz Long seems to be the epitome of the very principles of Olympics and true sportsmanship.
He saw a fellow sportsman, Owens in trouble and worried, he extended his hand to help him.
Instead of considering him his staunch opponent and without paying heed to Hitler’s anger, he
became friendly with Owens. He not only guided Owens to qualify for the trials, but also was the
first to congratulate him heartily on his success.
Ans. 2. Jesse Owens was a famous American athlete. He was a member of the American team that went
to Berlin for the 1936 Olympic Games. Adolf Hittler was then the ruler of Germany. He was a
staunch racist. He claimed the supremacy of the ‘Aryan race’, which he considered as the ‘master
race’. While all other belonged to the ‘slave race’. Jesse was a Negro. He wanted to disprove the
foolish theory of Aryan Superiority. With this determination, he went to Berlin. His mind is filled
with winning the Olympic Gold. Nothing could shake his spirits. He had successfully trained,
sweated and disciplined himself for six years, focusing on the games. He had already set the
world record of 26 feet 8-1/4 inches.
But when Jesse went to the trials of the Long Jump event of the Olympic Games, Luz Long,
the tall German athlete, whom Hitler had secretly kept for the final event, unnerved Jesse. He
became under confident and fouled in the first two attempts of the trial. Luz Long, noticing a
world record holder pathetically fouling, understood the reason behind it. Without the hesitation,
despite being an opponent, he extends an arm of friendship to Owens.
He gave him a genuinely friendly advice to draw a line a few inches from the take off board to
avoid over-stepping and fouling. Owens took his advice and was able to qualify with a clear mind.
In the finals, Luz long broke his past record in long jump. However, it is Jesse Owens who won the
gold medal by jumping 26-feet 5, 5/16 inches. Luz Long was the first person to congratulate Jesse,
though Hitler glared at both of them.
At the moment, Jesse Owens felt that the friend that he has found in Luz Long is more significant
than the gold medal he won. The new and noble friendship with Luz seemed more precious to
him than the ‘Greatest’ medal he received in the Olympics.
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WORKSHEET-74
Ans. (i) ‘Me’ refers to the athlete ‘Jesse Owens’, who was participating in the Broad Jump competition in
the Olympic Games of 1936.
Everyone expected him to win because an year ago, as a sophomore at Ohio State University, he
had set the world record of 26 feet 8-1/4 inches. He had also trained and disciplined himself for 6
years.
(ii) At that time, Adolf Hitler stuck to Aryan Superiority theory. He believed that his German athletes
belonged to a ‘master race’ and they would perform better than other participants in the 1936
Olympics, Berlin. So, the nationalistic feeling ran high then.
(iii) As Jessie walks to the broad jump pit, he is surprised to see a tall German practising in the 26 foot
range. He was not expecting such a strong competitor.
It was Hitler who had secretly nurtured a very strong German athlete and kept him hidden until
the final days to petrify other athletes. Hitler would have been fully aware that an angry athlete
makes mistakes so that the other athletes would get nervous and make mistakes, providing more
chance to his German athlete to win and prove the ‘Aryan Superiority Theory’ true.
(iv) The presence of Luz Long, the tall German athlete unnerved Jesse’s confidence. He was filled
with anger and frustration and fouled badly in the first two attempts of the trial. This makes him
bitter.
The tall blue-eyed German broad jumper Luz Long approached Jesse and offered a firm hand
shake. Luz gave him a genuinely friendly advice to draw a line a few inches from the take off
board to avoid over stepping and consequently fouling.
(v) As described by Jesse, Luz Long had a lean, muscular built, clear blue eyes, blond hair and
extremely handsome and crafted face. His offering good counsel to Jesse, proved that he was a
true sportsman and an amazing human being.
He was a strong and competent athlete too.
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WORKSHEET-75
Ans. (i) Yes, Owen felt obliged to Luz as he went to thank Luz for the crucial tips he had given to Owen
which helped him to qualify for the finals. They spent some time together, paving a way for a new
and sincere friendship.
(ii) Owen’s dearly values his friendship with Luz as he says that one could melt down all the gold
medals and cups he had but it could not equal the plating on the 24-carat friendship he felt for Luz
Long.
(iii) Hitler glared at Luz Long shaking hands with Jesse to congratulate him on his victory. He was
angry, firstly, due to the defeat of his athlete and secondly, his defeated athlete was congratulating
his opponent and thus, breaking Hitler’s over-confidence.
(iv) Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games said, “The important thing in the
Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but
fighting well.”
(v) When Luz Long noticed a world record holder pathetically fouling, he understood the reason
behind it. In spite of Owens being his opponent, Luz approached him and advised him genuinely.
Though this could have angered his leader, yet he showed true sportsmanship. Luz even
congratulated Owens openly on his victory, unbothered by Hitler’s glares, and without a tinge of
jealousy.
Thus, Luz Long was the epitome of the message of Coubertin that, not winning but taking part in
Olympics is more important.
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PROSE
ALL SUMMER IN A DAY

10 —Roy Bradhury
WORKSHEET-76
Ans. 1. William, one of Margot’s classmates, is the antagonist in the story, because he often bullies her.
Perhaps, due to a sense of jealously and the inability to understand Margot, he speaks harshly
to her and shoves her. This encourages other children too to trap Margot in a hostile manner. As
Margot was in a depressed state for being away from the feel of sun, she does not mix up with
other children. She does not play with them and it was heard that she would leave for earth soon.
So, the other children disliked her and treated her differently. They are unable to comprehend
her feeling. William leads the others. On the day, when the sun was predicted to rise on Venus,
William, with the support of other children, grabs Margot and locks her in a closet and deprives
her from the greatest joy she had been waiting for so anxiously, so William is the main bully.
Ans. 2. In Ray Bradbury’s story ‘All summer in summer’, children living on planet Venus, eagerly await
the cessation of rain and appearance of the sun, an event that only occurs once every seven years.
The overwhelming rain on Venus has created a harsh, inhospitable environment, suggesting a
sense of displacement from the natural world on Earth. They are all the victims of depression
created on Venus due to lack of sunlight for continuous seven years. They have been traumatized
by the constant rain. When there is no sun, they seem dull and lethargic. Their anxiety to see the
sun leads to a chaos. The children’s teasing of Margot quickly escalates to violent bullying. They
grab Margot and push her into the closet.
Finally, the sun comes out in the sudden roaring silence and stillness, flooding the sky and jungle
with radiant light. The children rush outside and throw off their jackets, reveling in the warmth
of the sun. It is far better than they even imagined it would be. They run, laugh and yell, staring at
the sun, and try to capture every joyful moment. The idyllic hour passes all too quickly, the clouds
sweep in, and the rain starts pelting.
In a dull and sad mood, the children return back to the underground classroom as the sky
darkness and the torrential rain recommences. It seems somehow louder and more painful to
the children. Somber feelings take over them. They glance at each other, with guilt and shame
as they suddenly remember Margot. Slowly and shamefully they move to the closet to free her.
The experience of nature brings a sudden sense of peace. The sun has an extremely pleasurable
effect, and it seems to physically and mentally revive the children. Absence of sunlight had turned
Venus into a tangled and inhospitable wasteland. Similarly, the children too had become cruel and
unruly, when outside in the sun, they felt joyful and energied, highlighting the power of sun.
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WORKSHEET-77
Ans. (i) ‘She’ is Margot. She is a weak lifeless girl who had lost the lustre from her eyes, the blush from
her face, and the yellow from her hair. She looked like an old photograph dusted from an album,
whitened away. Margot is nine years old and resides on planet Venus. She lived on Earth, in ‘Ohio’
until she was four. Now, she studies together with the children of those who have come to civilize
the planet, Venus.
(ii) The story is set on planet Venus, where the sun shines for only two hours once every seven years.
The two ways in which the life on their planet differs from life on earth are :
Firstly, unlike Earth, the rain fell incessantly with storms on planet Venus. Thousands of forests
had been crushed under it and regrounded to be crushed again.
Secondly, the lack of sunlight had washed away the colour of the skin of the people living on
Venus. The people there lived in underground colonies.
(iii) Margot tells the others that sun is round like a ‘penny’ and not like a ‘fire in the store’. Her
description of the sun tells that she is able to accurately recall the sun and the way it looked and
felt as it shone on her when she was back in Ohio, on the planet earth, five years ago.
(iv) Margot struggles to fit into her life on Venus, but in vain. She does not get along with the other
children there. They resent her for her past experiences on Earth with the sun, and they are also
angry and jealous that she has the opportunity to travel back to Earth, regardless of the financial
costs. They do not help her when William, one of her classmates, shoves her, as they supported
him in his dislike for Margot.
(v) Margot has many memories of the sun and she misses it a lot. She refuses to participate in any
classroom activity that doesn’t include the sun. She hated the Venusian rain so much that she
detests the running showers in the schools shower rooms.
The children treat her this way as they despise her and are painfully jealous because Margot has
seen the sun and they have not. They never remember a time when there wasn’t a rain. They
especially hate her when they learn that her parents, fearful of the strong distress that Venusians
life is causing their daughter, are planning to take her back to Earth.
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WORKSHEET-78
Ans. (i) Margot is a thin pale, nine years old girl. She is on the planet Venus. She lived on Earth earlier.
These children are the children of the rocket men and women who had come to planet Venus to
set up their civilization. They had established underground settlements full of long tunnels.
(ii) The children are getting ‘ready’ to witness the momentous occasion when the sun will come out
for an hour after seven years.
Unfortunately, it rains constantly on Venus. It falls without a break, day in and day out, in massive
showers. However, for one day, once every seven years, the rain does cease and the sun is briefly
visible.
(iii) Sometimes during the night, Margot heard the children stir, as if recollecting a memory and she
understood that they were dreaming of gold or a yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the
world with. They remembered a warmth, like a blushing in the face, in the body, arms legs and
trembling hands.
(iv) Margot lived on Earth, in Ohio, until she was four years old. She has many memories of the sun
unlike others, because they were far too young when the sun shone last. When Margot tells them
that the sun is round like a penny and hot like fire, they accuse her of lying. She distances herself
from others.
(v) She does not participate in their games and activities except those that included the sun and
the summer. She misses the sun immensely. She remembers the beauty and warmth of the sun.
Ever since she came on Venus she had been in depression. She had become pale. She refused to
shower in the school shower room as the water reminded her of the Venusians rain. There is a talk
circulating that her parents are considering to take her back to Earth, though it would mean a loss
of thousands of dollars. Thus, the other school children despise her and are jealous of her. They
bully her constantly.
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Section-D : Novels
1. Animal Farm 2. Call of the Wild
—George Orwell —Jack London
NOVEL
ANIMAL FARM
1 —George Orwell
CHAPTER-1
WORKSHEET-79
Ans. (i) The above lines were spoken by the Old Major, a boar. The speaker was at the big barn when he
spoke these lines. He was standing on a raised platform. He was addressing a gathering of animals
and was telling them the ill ways of man and about his dream.
(ii) All the animals of the farm had gathered for the meeting. The pigs- Snowball, Napoleon etc., Boxer
the horse, Clover the mare, Muriel the goat, Benjamin the donkey. Only Moses the raven was
absent from the meeting.
(iii) Major had incited all the animals that the rebellion must happen. The drunkard owner of the farm,
Mr Jones, forgot to feed the animals one day. Overtaken by starvation and years of exploitation, the
animals broke through their stalls. They then chased away Jones and his men.
(iv) According to Old Major, man was very different from the animals. The animals produced their own
food and were hardworking. However, the man was selfish and he exploited the animals to get
food and other things.
(v) The Seven Commandments of the Animal Farm were :
(a) Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
(b) Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
(c) No animal shall wear clothes.
(d) No animal shall sleep in bed.
(e) No animal shall drink alcohol.
(f) No animal shall kill any other animal.
(g) All animals are equal.
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WORKSHEET-80
Ans. (i) The speaker of these lines is the Old Major, a prize-winning boar. The gathering was disturbed
by the entry of the rats. The cats and dogs did not like them and they were a threat to the farm.
However, the Old Major thought that all animals were equal in the rebellion and they had just one
enemy and that was man.
(ii) Immediately after this, a vote was taken to ascertain whether the animals should consider rats as
comrades or not. There was an overwhelming majority to support this. Only the dogs had opposed
the motion while the cats had voted on both sides.
(iii) Old Major told the animals that they had only one common enemy and that was man. He advised
them not to follow his ways ever in their lives. Instead, they should remain hostile to him and all
animals must rebel against his tyranny.
(iv) Old Major talked about the dream that he had the previous night. In his dream, all men had vanished
from Earth. It also reminded him of a song, “Beasts of England”, that he had long forgotten. The
song was sung by his mother and other sons.
(v) The Old Major started singing a song, “Beasts of England”. Everybody picked up the tune and
the lyrics of the song sooner or later. The song threw them into the wildest excitement. Even the
stupidest of them were singing it.
The uproar awoke Mr Jones and he, fearing that a fox had entered the farm, fired his gun. The bang
of the gun scared all the animals and they ran to their respective sheds.
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WORKSHEET-81
Ans. (i) These lines constitute the first verse of the song that Old Major hears in his dream, and which he
teaches to the rest of the animals during the fateful meeting in the barn. All the animals sing these
lines at the end of the meeting called by Old Major.
(ii) As it spreads rapidly across the other farms, the song gives the beasts both courage and solace on
many occasions. The lofty optimism of the words “golden future time,” which appear in the last
verse as well, serves to keep the animals focused on the Rebellion’s goals so that they will ignore
the suffering along the way.
(iii) Yes, the Old Major is responsible for the Rebellion. It’s he who sows the seed of Rebellion in the
minds of the animals. Even though he dies after a few nights after planting the ideas but he’s the
one who brings about a revolution on the Animal Farm.
(iv) After the death of Old Major, Napoleon and Snowball, the more intelligent of the animals, developed
Major’s ideas into a complete system of thought-Animalism. They went about instigating the other
animals with those principles. Soon, they got an opportunity to put them to use and when Jones
started neglecting the animals they openly attacked him and his men which led to the expulsion of
Jones from the Animal Farm.
(v) After the Rebellion is over and Napoleon acquires control over the farm, the song’s revolutionary
nature becomes dangerous. Squealer discourages animals from singing it, noting that the song was
the song of the Rebellion. Now that the Rebellion is over and a new regime has gained power,
Squealer fears the power of such idealistic, future-directed lyrics. Wanting to discourage the
animals’ capacities for hope and vision, he orders Minimus to write a replacement for “Beasts of
England” that praises Napoleon and emphasizes loyalty to the state.
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WORKSHEET-82
Ans. (i) Two young boars, Snowball and Napolean, and a small fat pig Squealer, had elaborated on Old
Major’s teaching.
(ii) The secret meetings were held several nights a week in barn, when Mr. Jones was fast asleep. The
meetings always ended with the singing of song “Beasts of England” by Boxer and Clover leading
other animals.
(iii) The Old Major said that nature of their lives (animal lives) was miserable, laborious and short.
Animals were born, given as much food as would keep the breath in their bodies. And those of
them who were capable were forced to work to the last of their strength in their bodies. The very
instant their usefulness had come to an end, the animals were killed cruelly or slaughtered. No
animal in England knew the meaning of happiness or leisure after it was a year old; no animal in
England was free. The life of an animal was one of misery or slavery.
(iv) The most faithful disciples were the two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover. They accepted the pigs as
their teachers, the two of them absorbed everything they were told, and passed it on to the other
animals by simple arguments. They were the unfoiling attendants to the secret meetings in the barn
and led the other animals in to singing ‘Beasts of England’, during the conclusion of the meetings.
(v) The two changes that took place on the farm after the rebellion were, firstly, Snowball changes the
sign reading ‘Manor Farm’ to ‘Animal Farm’.
Secondly, on the barn wall, they wrote the basic tenets of Animalism as Seven Commandments.
The change was justified because their owner Mr. Jones, ill-treated, and starved them to death.
Nobody wants to lead a slave-life.
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Ans. (i)
Two young boars-Snowball and Napoleon; a small fat pig-Squealer.
(ii)
l Several nights a week, after Jones was asleep.
l In the barn.
l Ended with the singing of 'Beasts of England'.
(iii)
Their lives were miserable, laborious, short/they were born, given just so much food as would
keep the breath in their bodies/those of them who were capable were forced to work to the last
of their strength/the very instant their usefulness had come to an end, they were killed cruelly/no
animal in England knew the meaning of happiness or leisure after he was a year old/no animal
in England was free/the life of an animal was misery/slavery.
(iv) l The two cart-horses-- Boxer and Clover.
l They absorbed everything that they were told and passed it on to the other animals by simple
arguments/unfailing in their attendance at the secret meetings in the barn/led the singing of
'Beasts of England'.
(v) Raced out into the pasture together/Rushed to the top of the knoll and gazed around them in
the clear morning light/gambolled round and round/hurled themselves into the air in great leaps
of excitement/rolled in the dew/cropped mouthful of the sweet summer grass/kicked up clods
of the black earth and snuffed its rich scent/made a tour of inspection of the whole farm and
surveyed with speechless admiration the plough land, the hayfield, the orchard, the pool, the
spinney. [ICSE Marking Scheme, 2016]
Detailed Answer :
(i) Two young boars, Snowball and Napoleon, and a small fat pig Squealer, had elaborated on Old
Major’s teachings.
(ii) The secret meetings were held several nights a week in barn, when Mr. Jones was fast asleep. The
meetings always ended with the singing of song “Beasts of England” by Boxer, and Clover leading
other animals.
(iii) The Old Major said that nature of their lives (animal lives) was miserable, laborious and short.
Animals were born, given as much food as would keep the breath in their bodies. And those of
them who were capable were forced to work to the last of their strength in their bodies. The very
instant their usefulness had come to an end, the animals were killed cruelly or slaughtered. No
animal in England knew the meaning of happiness or leisure after it was a year old; no animal in
England was free. The life of an animal was one of misery or slavery.
(iv) The most faithful disciples were the two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover. They accepted the pigs as
their teachers, the two of them absorbed everything that they were told, and passed it on to the
other animals by simple arguments. They were the unfoiling attendants to the secret meetings in
the barn and led the other animals in to singing ‘Beasts of England’ during the conclusion of the
meetings.
(v) The day after the rebellion, the animals woke up early as usual and raced out into the pasture
together. They rushed to the top of a knoll and gazed around them in the clear morning light. In
ecstasy, the animals gambolled round and round, they hurled themselves into the air in great leaps
of excitement. They rolled in the dew, cropped mouthfuls of the sweet summer grass. They kicked
up clods of the block earth and snuffed its rich scent, made a tow of inspection of the whole farm
and surveyed with speechless admiration the plough land, the hayfield, the orchard, the pool, the
spinney.
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Ans. (i) The Old Major was a prized Middle White Boar living at the Manor Farm, though the name under
which he had been exhibited was, ‘Willingdon Beauty’. He was highly regarded by the residents of
the farm.
(ii) The Old Major talked about the dream that he had the previous night. In his dream, all men had
vanished from Earth. It also reminded him of a song, ‘Beasts of England’, that he had long forgotten.
(iii) The Major had sown the seeds of rebellion in the hearts of the residents of the farm. After his
speech, they all started to prepare for the rebellion to happen not knowing when it would actually
happen. They began teaching and organising themselves.
(iv) The work of teaching and organising the other animals fell naturally upon the pigs, who were
generally considered the cleverest of the animals. Two of them were young boars named Snowball
and Napoleon. The others were porkers and the best known amongst them was a pig named
Squealer.
(v) The pigs were trying to convince the animals that the rebellion was much needed. But they had
a hard time counteracting the lies put about by Moses, the tame raven. He was Jones’ special pet.
He kept telling the animals that he knew of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain, to
which all the animals went when they died.
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Ans. (i) l The implements had been designed for human beings and not for animals / no animal could use
any tool that involved standing on his hind legs / when they harvested the corn, they had to treat
it out in the ancient style since the farm possessed no threshing machine.
l The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others / they were so clever that
they could think of a way round every difficulty.
(ii) Boxer and Clover would harness themselves to the cutter or the horse rake and tramp round the
field / every animal worked at turning the hay and gathering it / ducks carried tiny wisps of hay in
their beaks / not an animal on the farm had stolen so much as a mouthful.
(iii) l Green
l A hoof and a horn in white
l The green signified the green field of England, white, the hoof and brown signified the future
Republic of the Animals, which would rise when the human race had been finally overthrown.
(iv) Egg Production Committee for the hens / The Clean Tails League for the cows / The Wild Comrades'
Re- education Committee / to tame the rats and the rabbits / the Whiter Wool Movement for the
sheep.
(v) Snowball : idealistic; intelligent; enthusiastic
Napoleon : corrupt; opportunist; violent; cruel. Instances [ICSE Marking Scheme 2014]
Detailed Answer :
(i) The problems that animals faced during harvesting were that, they found the work difficult because
the implements had been designed for human beings and not for animals. No animal could use any
tool that involved standing on his hind legs. When they harvested the corn, they had to tread it out
in the ancient style, since the farm possessed no threshing machine.
The pigs being clever thought of a better way of working. They, in fact did not actually work, but
directed and supervised the work done by the other animals.
(ii) l The pigs, with their superior knowledge, directed and supervised the other animals’ work.
l Boxer and Clover harnessed themselves to the cutter or the horse rake and tramped around the
field.
l Every animal worked at turning the hay and gathering it. Ducks and hens carried tiny wisps of hay
in their beaks. With their sharp eyes, they were able to gather up the very lost stalk and ensured
that there was no wastage. Thus, in this way, all the animals worked together harmoniously in
taking care of the farm.
(iii) Green colour flag was hoisted every Sunday. It was made of an old green tablecloth in the harness
room used by Mrs. Jones. Snowball painted a hoof and a horn in white on the cloth as a design. The
green signified the green fields of England and the design of a hoof and horn and white signified the
future Republic of the Animals.
(iv) Snowball organized the animals into various Committees :
l The Egg Production Committee for hens.
l The Clean Tails League for the cows.
l The Wild Comrades’ Re-education Committee, to tame the rats and the rabbits.
l The Whiter Wool Movement for the sheep.
(v) Snowball, right from the beginning was a follower of Old Major and was committed to realize Old
Major’s dream. He thought that helping the animals to read and write was more important in their
fight for freedom. He reduced the Seven Commandments to a single “Four legs good, two legs bad”,
so that even those animals which could not memorize the philosophy of Animalism may understand
and abide by it. He was very idealistic, intelligent and enthusiastic. He organized various committees,
he proved that he is strategic in his plan. The construction of the windmill eased the animals’ efforts
and gave them some free time. Snowball intended to govern the farm through good deeds.
Napoleon, on the other hand, was an opportunist. He was least bothered about the principles of the
farm. He was more corrupt, he just focused on grabbing power as described in the novel, “A fierce
looking boar with a reputation for getting his own way.” He stole cow’s milk for the pigs and took
nine puppies by force on the pretext of educating them. He was very violent and cruel. He also
terrorized innocent animals and dictated them. Finally, he was seen eating and drinking with Jones
much against the commandment, “four legs are good, two legs bad”. He ended up changing the
seventh commandment to, “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others”, and reverting
to the old name of the farm, “Manor farm”. This shows that though he lived with the animals, he was
focused on ruling them.
If Old Major’s speech had inspired Snowball to rebel against humans to achieve freedom for animals,
it had sown seeds of greed in the mind of Napoleon. He was driven towards attaining power and
dictate the farm.
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Ans. (i) Snowball busied himself with organising the other animals into what he called ‘Animal Committees’.
He formed the Egg Production Committee for the hens, the Clean Tails League for the cows, the Wild
Comrades’ Re-education Committee (the object of this was to tame the rats and rabbits), the Whiter
Wool Movement for the sheep, and various others, besides instituting classes for reading and writing.
(ii) The reading and writing classes, however, were a great success. By the autumn, almost every animal
on the farm was literate to some degree. However, the pigs were the most efficient in these skills.
(iii) The sheep were not able to remember all the Seven Commandments. Then Snowball formed a single
maxim for them, “Four legs good, two legs bad”. The sheep developed a great liking for this maxim
and would often start bleating it.
(iv) It happened that Jesse and Bluebell had given birth to nine sturdy puppies. As soon as they weaned,
Napoleon took them from their mothers, saying that he would make himself responsible for their
education.
(v) The mystery of disappearing milk was solved. It was being mixed every day into the pig’s mash.
Then when the orchard became littered with windfall apples, the animals thought that they would be
distributed equally among them.
However, the pigs got the whole of them. They fooled the other animals by saying that they actually
disliked milk and apples, but they were necessary as they needed them for their health. If their brain
was not healthy, then Jones might return. Everybody accepted the explanation.
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Ans. (i) Boxer the horse is being spoken about in the above lines.
(ii) The above lines tell us about his laborious and hard-working nature. He was very brave and
courageous, the entire work of the farm seemed to rest on his mighty shoulders, and he was ever
ready to work harder.
(iii) When the corn was harvested, the farm possessed no threshing machine, so they had to tread out the
corn in the ancient style. Boxer pulled them through his tremendous muscles.
(iv) Boxer was a hard worker even in Jones’ time, but now he seemed more like three horses than one.
From morning to night, he was pushing and pulling, always at the spot where the work was hardest.
(v) After the Rebellion, Boxer started working the hardest. From morning to evening, he was pushing
and pulling. He had made an arrangement with one of the cockerels to call him in the morning half
an hour earlier than anyone else, and would put in some volunteer labour at whatever seemed to be
most needed, before the regular day’s work began. His answer to every problem, every setback was,
“I will work harder!”, which he had adopted as his personal motto.
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Ans. (i) Jones was the owner of the Manor Farm. However, he did not care much for his animals and one day,
the animals rebelled against him. He was thrown out of his own farm and then Animal Farm was
established. This was the ‘monstrous injustice’ that Jones was talking about.
(ii) Jones used to be a good farmer once, but lately, he had fallen for ill ways. He did not care for his farm or
the animals. The animals were starving. One day, he got too drunk and slept without feeding them. The
animals were unable to bear the hunger and in unison, broke away from their sheds and chased away
Jones from the farm.
(iii) The other farmers sympathised in principle, but they did not at first give him much help. At heart,
each of them was secretly wondering whether he could not somehow turn Jones’ misfortune to his
own advantage.
(iv) Every day Snowball and Napoleon sent out flights of pigeons whose instructions were to mingle with
the animals on neighbouring farms, tell them the story of the Rebellion, and teach them the tune of
‘‘Beasts of England.’’
(v) The owner of Foxwood was Mr. Pilkington, an easy-going gentleman farmer who spent most of his
time in fishing or hunting according to the season. The other farm was called ‘Pinchfield’. Its owner
was Mr. Frederick, a tough, shrewd man, perpetually involved in lawsuits and with a name for driving
hard bargains.
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Ans. (i) Jones attempt of recapturing the Manor Farm was long expected by the animals on the Animal Farm.
(ii) Meanwhile, Snowball had studied an old book of Julius Caesar’s campaigns and made a strategy
against Jones recapturing the farm.
(iii) Snowball was in charge for the defensive operations.
(iv) Yes, all the animals finally succeeded in driving Jones and all his men out of the Animal Farm.
(v) After the accomplishment of their plan to drive Jones and all his men out, the Manor Farm totally
changed into Animal Farm. Their dream came true and they proved themselves more powerful than
men. They managed the farm all by themselves and become powerful monsters themselves.
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Ans. (i) It had long been expected that Jones would attack the farm in the near future. Hence, Snowball was
well prepared for it in advance.
(ii) Snowball was one of the cleverest pigs, who won the loyalty of the other animals by his decision for
the betterment of the farm. He failed to see the sinister thoughts of Napoleon who easily chased him
away from the farm.
(iii) The outcome of the attack by Jones and his men was that, they were all beaten up and chased away
from the farm. Although, the animals had won the battle, they had lost one of the sheeps.
(iv) The farm that is being mentioned here is the Animal Farm. Initially, it was named as the Manor Farm
and had belonged to Jones. However, after he was overthrown, the farm was renamed to Animal
Farm and was now owned by the animals.
(v) As the human beings approached the farm building, Snowball launched his first attack. All the
pigeons, to the number of thirty-five, flew to and fro over the men’s head and muted upon them
from mid-air ; and while the men were dealing with this, the geese, who had been hiding behind the
hedge, rushed out and pecked viciously at the calves of their legs.
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Ans. (i) Snowball had the dream of building a Windmill for the Animal Farm. He told the animals that after
the Windmill gets completed, the animals would have electricity and then they would have more
comfortable lives as most of their work would get completed much earlier and more efficiently.
(ii) The animals were greatly excited as they had never heard of anything like this before. They enjoyed
the explanation given by Snowball on the Windmill and imagined the machines doing their work,
while they grazed comfortably or improved their minds with reading and conversation.
(iii) Napoleon had rejected the idea of Windmill from the outset and showed his disdain by urinating on
Snowball’s plans.
On the day of voting, Napoleon was not excited but Snowball impressed everybody with his speech.
Suddenly, Napoleon gives a strange whimper; and nine enormous dogs wearing brass– studded
collars charge into the barn, attack Snowball and chase him off the farm.
(iv) After Snowball’s expulsion, Napoleon announces that from now on, meetings will be held only for
ceremonial purposes. He states that all important decisions will fall to the pigs alone.
(v) Both Napoleon and Snowball have similar intelligence traits. Both could read and write perfectly.
Snowball had written all the windmill plans with careful thinking and use of time. Napoleon had
used his knowledge to write a fake letter said to be written by Snowball to have agreed to be a secret
agent to the Foxwood farm.
Both of them were the most active in the speeches and planning. Both wanted to establish a social and
economic system and be the leader of the farm.
But the difference was that, Napoleon wanted to become a dictator and didn’t care for the animals.
But Snowball was for Animalism, which was freedom and equal treatment for all animals.
Snowball’s belief is that the windmill would make the lives of the animals better- Napoleon doesn’t
have any particular strong reason for opposing the windmill except that he doesn’t want Snowball
to gain power by, proposing it and gaining the animals’ support. Thus, windmill becomes an issue
where the two confront each other and the controversy which was building from the beginning, gets
a chance to explode.
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Ans. (i) It had come to be accepted that the pigs, who were manifestly cleverer than the other animals, should
decide all questions of farm policy, though their decisions had to be ratified by a majority vote. This
arrangement is being talked about here.
(ii) Snowball and Napoleon could not agree on any point. They disagreed at every point where
disagreement was possible. However, of all their controversies, none was so bitter as the one that
took place over the windmill.
(iii) One day, Napoleon arrived unexpectedly to examine the plan. He walked heavily round the shed,
looked closely at every detail of the plan and snuffed at them once or twice, then stood for a little
while contemplating them out of the corner of his eye; then suddenly he lifted his leg, urinated over
the plan, and walked out without uttering a word.
(iv) The day for casting the vote for the windmill came. Snowball, as usual, presented a beautiful speech
and swayed the audience in his favour. However, he had not even finished when Napoleon gave out
a loud whimper and nine ferocious dogs came running after Snowball. They did not stop until they
had made Snowball run out of the farm to save his life.
(v) Napoleon, with the dogs following him, mounted on to the raised portion of the floor where Major
had previously stood to deliver his speech. He announced that from now on, the Sunday-morning
meeting would come to an end. They were unnecessary, he said, and wasted time. In future, all
questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided
over by himself. They would meet in private and afterwards communicate their decisions to the
others.
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Ans. (i) When Snowball’s windmill plan was completed, everyone was asked to vote whether the plan should
be put to work or not. Napoleon opposed it and advised everyone not to vote for it. Snowball pleaded
for it to be put in use until the animals got confused and did not know who to vote for. During all
this mayhem, suddenly nine huge dogs came and attacked Snowball. He ran out of the farm and
managed to escape and was never to be seen anymore.
(ii) Napoleon had trained these dogs. He had taken them away when they were little puppies and now
they were fully grown dogs. He took the puppies and trained them on his own.
(iii) Napoleon’s motive behind bringing these dogs was to establish his power and control over the
animals. This shows that he was more powerful and could get anything done through the dogs he
had trained.
(iv) The most important thing which came out of this incident was that, it was decided by Napoleon
that the Sunday meeting wouldn’t be held anymore. All the matters would be decided by a special
committee of pigs and Napoleon would preside over it. Some animals protested that they had a right
to discuss matters but the dogs, with their deep and menacing growls, silenced all of them.
(v) It was propagated that loyalty and obedience were to be given more importance than bravery and
courage. Boxer, like other animals learnt the maxim : “Napoleon is always right”.
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Ans. (i) In August, Napoleon announced that there would be work on Sunday afternoons as well. This work
was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced
by half. Even so, it was found necessary to leave certain tasks undone.
(ii) As the summer wore on, various unforeseen shortages began to make themselves felt. There was
need of paraffin oil, nails, string, dog biscuits, and iron for the horses’ shoes, none of which could be
produced on the farm. Later there would also be need for seeds, artificial manures, besides various
tools and, finally, the machinery for the windmill.
(iii) From now onwards, Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbouring farms : not, of
course, for any commercial purpose, but simply in order to obtain certain materials which were
urgently necessary. The need of the windmill must over-ride everything else, Napoleon said. He
was, therefore making arrangements to sell a stack of hay and part of the current year’s wheat crop,
and later on, if more money was needed, it would have to be made up by the sale of eggs, for which
there was always a market in Willingdon. The hens, said Napoleon, should welcome this sacrifice as
their own special contribution towards the building of the windmill. The animals were conscious of
a vague uneasiness. Never to have any dealings with human beings, never to engage in trade, never
to make use of money. All the animals remembered passing such resolutions : or at least they thought
that they remembered it.
(iv) Mr. Whymper, a solicitor living in Wellington, had agreed to act as intermediary between Animal Farm
and the outside world, and would visit the farm every Monday morning to receive his instructions.
He was sly-looking little man with side whiskers, a solicitor in a very small way of business, but sharp
enough to have realized earlier than anyone else that Animal Farm would need a broker and that the
commissions would be worth having.
(v) The sight of Napoleon, on all fours, delivering orders to Whymper, who stood on two legs, roused
their pride and partly reconciled them to the new arrangements. The pigs not only took their meals
in the kitchen and used the drawing-room as a recreation room, but also slept in the beds. Napoleon
was finding his ways by breaking Seven Commandments, one after another and for gaining total
power, he was exploiting all animals on the Animal Farm, and earning money out of it.
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Ans. (i) Napoleon’s announcement of a new policy of trading with neighbouring farms for essential material
disturbed the animals’ peace of mind, because dealing with human beings was against their early
resolutions.
(ii) Squealer assured the animals that the resolution against engaging in trade and using money had
never been passed, or even suggested. It was pure imagination probably traceable in the beginning to
the lies circulated by Snowball.
(iii) Few animals still felt faintly doubtful about the matter, but Squealer asked them shrewdly, “Are you
certain that this is not something that you have dreamed, Comrades ? Have you any record of such
a resolution ? Is it written down anywhere? “And since it was certainly true that nothing of the kind
existed in writing, the animals were satisfied that they had been mistaken. This put all the animals’
mind at rest.
(iv) Around this time, it was noticed that the pigs suddenly moved into the farmhouse and took up their
residence there. They ate in the kitchen, relaxed in the drawing room and slept in the beds.
(v) Yes, this incident had violated one of the Seven Commandments. It was the violation of the Fourth
Commandment “No animal shall sleep in a bed”.
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Ans. (i) One Sunday morning, when the animals assembled to receive their orders, Napoleon announced
that he had decided upon a new policy. From now onwards, Animal Farm would engage in trade
with the neighbouring farms. This announcement made the animals uneasy.
(ii) Just after this extract, the four young pigs who had protested when Napoleon abolished the meeting
raised their voices timidly, but they were promptly silenced by a tremendous growling from the dogs.
Then, as usual, the sheep broke into ‘Four legs good, two legs bad!’
(iii) The Seven Commandments of the Animal Farm were :
(a) Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
(b) Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
(c) No animal shall wear clothes.
(d) No animals shall sleep in a bed.
(e) No animal shall drink alcohol.
(f) No animal shall kill any other animal.
(g) All animals are equal.
(iv) Napoleon informed the other animals that there would be no need for any of the animals to come in
contact with human beings, which would clearly be most undesirable. He intended to take the whole
burden upon his own shoulders. Mr. Whymper, a solicitor living in Willingdon, had agreed to act as
intermediary between Animal Farm and the outside world, and would visit the farm every Monday-
morning to receive his instructions.
(v) Napoleon announced that the needs of the windmill would override everything. He was, therefore,
making arrangements to sell a stack of hay and part of the current year’s wheat crop, and later on,
if more money was needed, it would have to be made up by the sale of eggs, for which there was
always a market in Willingdon. The hens, said Napoleon, should welcome this sacrifice as their own
special contribution towards the building of the windmill.
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Ans. (i) The four pigs confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion,
that they had collaborated with him in destroying the windmill, and that they had entered into
an agreement with him to hand over Animal Farm to Mr. Frederick. They added that, Snowball
had privately admitted to them that he had been Jones’ secret agent for years past. When they had
finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out.
(ii) Snowball was one of the cleverest pigs, who won the loyalty of the other animals by his decision for
the betterment of the farm. He failed to see the sinister thoughts of Napoleon who easily chased him
away from the farm. In his absence, Napoleon and Squealer wanted to prove him traitor. According
to them, they forced the four pigs to make false confession which stated that Snowball had deceived
the other animals, because Snowball had privately admitted to them that he had been Jones’ secret
agent for years past, and he had ditched animals welfare, for his personal interests.
(iii) The other animals who had leagued themselves with Snowball were all executed. The three hens
were slaughtered. The goose and the sheep were all slain on the spot. And so the tale of confessions
and executions went on until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was
heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones.
(iv) The animals had chased Mr. Jones, his family and his men out of the Manor Farm during the Rebellion.
They had beaten and chased him during the Battle of Cowshed too. Mr. Frederick the owner of
Pinchfield, a neighbouring farm and Mr. Pilkington, owner of Foxwood farm, were willing to take
over the farm from the animals. And Napoleon was in favour of Mr. Pilkington, the owner of Foxwood
Farm.
(v) Lot of animals were killed by Napoleon under the revenge of Snowball. He proved all of them traitors
working for Snowball. The Commandment was changed to “No animal should kill other animal,
without cause”. The pigs sleeping in the beds with sheet, is another example of change in the Fourth
Commandment.
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Ans. (i) Mr. Whymper was a solicitor living in Willingdon. Upon Napoleon’s consideration, he had agreed
to act as intermediary between Animal Farm and the outside world. He would visit the farm every
Monday morning to receive his instructions.
(ii) The winter was very harsh that year. There was a severe food shortage at the Animal Farm. Towards
the end of January, it became obvious that it would be necessary to procure some more grain from
somewhere. Hence, the price of these would pay for enough grain and meal to keep the farm going
till summer came on and conditions were easier.
(iii) In these days, Napoleon rarely appeared in public, but spent all his time in the farmhouse, which was
guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs. When he did emerge, it was in a ceremonial manner, with
an escort, six dogs who closely surrounded him and growled if anyone came too near. Frequently, he
did not even appear on Sunday mornings, but issued his orders through one of the other pigs, usually
Squealer.
(iv) When the hens heard that they have to surrender the eggs, they raised a terrible outcry. They had
been warned earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary, but had not believed that it would really
happen. They were just getting their clutches ready for the spring sitting, and they protested that, to
take eggs away now was murder.
(v) The hens made a determined efforts to thwart Napoleon’s wishes. Their method was to fly up to the
rafters and lay their eggs there, which were smashed to pieces on the floor. Napoleon acted swiftly
and ruthlessly. He ordered the hens’ rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so
much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished through death. The dogs saw to it that these
orders were carried out. For five days the hens held out, then they surrendered and went back to their
nesting boxes. Nine hens had died in the meantime.
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Ans. (i) Snowball had been called a traitor. This was not the first time that he had been decreed as a traitor. He
was accused of helping the humans attack the Animals Farm and even destroying the windmill.
(ii) After the Battle of the Cowshed, the animals had decided to create the military decorations, ‘Animal
Hero, First Class’ and ‘Animal Hero, Second Class’. Napoleon had recently awarded himself with
these honours.
(iii) Napoleon stood sternly surveying his audience; then he uttered a high-pitched whimper. Immediately,
the dogs bounded forward, seized four of the pigs by the ear and dragged them, squealing with pain
and terror, to Napoleon’s feet.
(iv) The dogs had tasted blood and then unexpectedly, three of them pounced on Boxer. However, he was
much more agile and strong. Boxer saw them coming and put out his great hoof, caught a dog in mid-
air, and pinned him to the ground. The dog shrieked for mercy and the other two fled with their tails
between their legs.
(v) The four pigs confessed that they had conspired with Snowball in destroying the windmill. After
they had confessed to all their crimes, the dogs tore their throats out. Then the three hens, a goose
and a sheep, were all slained on the spot for their crimes. The other animals were totally shaken and
miserable. Since Jones had left, no animal had killed another animal. But now, the air was heavy with
the smell of blood. They had never wanted to see this.
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CHAPTER-8
WORKSHEET-100
Ans. (i) The current scene is set in the Animal Farm. The animals were going into the farmhouse which was
initially occupied by Mr. Jones. Now, they were going in to see Napoleon, their Leader, who was living
in the farm house.
(ii) The rumour behind Napoleon’s current state was that he was dying. Stories were circulated that
Snowball had after all contrived to introduce poison into Napoleon’s food.
(iii) Squealer had announced that Comrade Napoleon was dying. Actually that was not the case. The pigs
had got their hands on whisky in one of the cellars of the farmhouse. Napoleon was not dying, he was
drunk.
(iv) The animals of the farm were totally taken aback after hearing that their Leader, Comrade Napoleon,
was dying. With tears in their eyes, they asked one another what would they do if their Leader was
taken away from them.
(v) Yes, after the effects of whisky wore off, Napoleon started to get better. By evening, however, Napoleon
appeared to be somewhat better, and the following morning Squealer was able to tell them that he
was well on the way to recovery. By the evening of that day, Napoleon was back to work, and on
that day it was learned that he had instructed Whymper to purchase in Willingdon some booklets on
brewing and distilling.
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WORKSHEET-101
Ans. (i) The loud crash had happened as Squealer had fallen off after the ladder he was using, broke into two.
He was also carrying a paint brush and white paint with him.
(ii) Later, when Clover noticed the Seven Commandments, she thought that something was amiss. She
was not able to read the Commandments, and, thus took Muriel’s help. Muriel told her that the Fifth
Commandment now read ‘No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.’
(iii) Squealer, temporarily stunned, was sprawling beside it, and near at hand there lay a lantern, a
paintbrush, and an overturned pot of white paint. The dogs immediately made a ring around Squealer,
and escorted him back to the farmhouse as soon as he was able to walk.
(iv) The animals saw Squealer lying near the Seven Commandments with a broken ladder, a paint brush
and some white paint. Then they saw the dogs escorting him. None of the animals could form any
idea as to what this meant, except old Benjamin, who nodded his muzzle with a knowing air, and
seemed to understand, but would say nothing.
(v) Since Snowball had been overthrown by Napoleon, many of the Commandments saw some minute
changes over time. The Fourth Commandment ‘No animal shall sleep in a bed, was changed to ‘No
animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets’. The Fifth Commandment was, ‘No animal shall drink alcohol’,
but it was changed to “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess’. The Sixth Commandment was changed
from “No animal shall kill any other animal’ to ‘No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.’
Finally, none of the original Commandments were left. There was only one Commandment that
remained. It was ‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others’.
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CHAPTER-9
WORKSHEET-102
Ans. (i) Boxer had fallen/he was lying on his side and could not get up/his neck was stretched out/he was
unable to raise his head/his eyes were glazed/his sides were matted with sweat/ a thin stream of
blood had trickled out of his mouth.
(ii) Except for Molly and Snowball, no other animal had left the farm. They did not like to think of their
sick comrade in the hands of human beings.
Squealer convinced them that the veterinary surgeon in Willingdon would treat Boxer better than
anyone on the farm.
(iii) Boxer expected to live another three years.
He looked forward to peaceful days/ he would live in the corner of the big pasture/he would have
the leisure to study and improve his mind/ he wanted to learn the remaining twenty two letters of
the alphabet.
(iv) l Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon/Dealer in Hides and Bone-
Meal. / Kennels Supplied.

l He tried to kick his way out.
(v) l The Manor Farm.

l The faces of the pigs were just like the human faces.

l The pigs resembled the men against whom they had rebelled to set up the Animal Farm/ Power
had corrupted them/ they were just like the humans.
[ICSE Marking Scheme, 2015]
Detailed Answer :
(i) Boxer had fallen down. He was lying on the side and couldn’t get up. His neck was stretched out,
he was unable to raise his head. His eyes were glazed, his sides matted with sweat. A thin stream of
blood had trickled out of his mouth.
(ii) Except for Molly and Snowball, no other animal had ever left the farm, and they did not like to think
of their sick comrade in the hands of human beings. However, Squealer easily convinced them that
the veterinary surgeon in Willingdon would treat Boxer better than anyone on the farm.
(iii) Boxer expected to live another three years, and he looked forward to peaceful days that he would
live in the corner of the big pasture. It would be the first time he would have the leisure to study
and improve his mind. He wanted to learn the remaining twenty-two letters of the alphabet in that
time.
(iv) Alfred Simmonds’, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone - meal.
Kennels supplied’. Boxer tried to kick his way out, when he heard the screams of the animals.
(v) New name given was Manor Farm. The faces of the pigs were just like the human faces. The
pigs resembled the men against whom they had rebelled to set up the Animal Farm. Power had
corrupted them and they were just looking like the humans.
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WORKSHEET-103
Ans. (i) Boxer was growing old. He had been warned by both Clover and Benjamin not to overstrain himself
but he would not listen. He was working at the quarry one day, pushing a stone for the windmill
when his lungs gave way and he fell on the ground.
(ii) Boxer had a split hoof earlier. He had suffered with a split hoof when he was fighting in the ‘Battle
of the Windmill’. His hurt hoof took a long time to heal.
(iii) There is no exaggeration in saying that Boxer was the most devoted worker of the farm. He worked
diligently for its betterment. He woke up earlier than others and did crucial work. After his hoof
healed, he worked even harder. There was nothing stopping him. He just wanted to get things
completed before he retired.
(iv) About a quarter of an hour after getting to know about Boxer, Squealer appeared, full of sympathy
and concern. He said that Comrade Napoleon had learned with the very deepest distress of this
misfortune to one of the most loyal workers on the farm and was already making arrangements
to send Boxer to be treated in the hospital at Willingdon as he would be getting a much better
treatment there.
(v) After Boxer had fallen at the quarry, it was decided that he was to be sent to the hospital in
Willingdon. The other animals were against it but they were convinced by Squealer who told them
that they would not be able to take better care of him at the farm. However, the greedy pigs had
sold him to a slaughterhouse. Boxer had gotten old and was now of no use to them. He was about
to retire.
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CHAPTER-10
WORKSHEET-104
Ans. (i) The sheep returned from a piece of waste ground at the other end of the farm.
They were under the supervision of Squealer, a small, white, fat porker, who served as Napoleon’s
second-in-command and minister to spread propaganda among the other animals. There they were
taught a new song by squealer, “Four legs good, two legs better.”
(ii) The animals ran to Clover after hearing her cries. The sight that their eyes met shook them totally.
They saw a pig walking on his hind legs. The pig was none other than Squealer. Then came other
pigs, some were able to walk with a bit of difficulty while others had no problem at all. Then,
Napoleon also came walking like a human being.
(iii) The animals were in utter shock at seeing the pigs walk like the human beings on their hind legs.
They were terrified and were about to protest.
Before the other animals have a chance to protest, as of a signal, the sheep started bleating out
loudly, “Four legs good, two legs better.”
(iv) Clover’s eyes are foiling due to old age, so she took Benjamin gently along to the barn wall where
the Seven Commandments were originally inscribed.
On the wall, only the last Commandment remained. “All animals are equal.” However, it now
carried an addition : “But some animals are more equal than others.”
(v) When later in the evening the animals peered in at the dining room window, they saw that the pigs
had made friendship with the human beings. They were all sitting at a table, drinking beer and
playing a game of cards. They also heard how the humans ridiculed the hard working animals of
the farm and how Napoleon again rechristened the Animal Farm to ‘Manor Farm’.
The irony here is that, it was the pigs who started the rebellion and changed the name of the
farm to ‘Animal Farm’ and developed the belief system known as ‘Animalism and The Seven
Commandments’. The animals later realized that after moving out of the tyranny of the humans,
they would soon fall under the despotic rule of the pigs and be exploited, deceived, cheated and
slaughtered by them.
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WORKSHEET-105
Ans. (i) Squealer was one of the pigs living in the Animal Farm. He was a devotee of Napoleon and had the
duty of spreading his lies and deceit. Immediately after the extract, it is told that the sheep remained
in the waste ground for about a week and Squealer was teaching them a new song.
(ii) It was a pleasant evening and all the animals were returning to the farm after a hard day’s labour.
Then suddenly, they heard a loud neighing of a horse. They were startled and stopped immediately.
Then again the sound came, it was Clover’s. They run to see what the matter was.
(iii) The animals ran to Clover after hearing her cries. The sight that their eyes met totally shook them.
They saw a pig walking on his hind legs. The pig was none other than Squealer. Then came other
pigs. Some were able to walk with a bit of difficulty while others had no problem at all. Then,
Napoleon also came walking like a human being.
(iv) The animals were in utter shock at seeing the pigs walk like the human beings on their hind legs.
They were terrified and were about to protest. Just then, as a signal, the sheep started bleating out
loudly, “Four legs good, two legs better.‘‘
(v) The animals were looking through the window. The pigs had made friendship with the human
beings. They were all sitting at a table, drinking beer and playing a game of cards. They also
heard how the humans ridiculed the hard working animals of the farm and how Napoleon again
rechristened the Animal Farm to ‘Manor Farm’. All the fights, the rebellion, the sacrifices have come
to nothing. Only the regime had changed, everything else was same.
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WORKSHEET-106
Ans. (i) These lines are spoken by Mr. Pilkington of Foxwood Farm to Napoleon and his cabinet, during
their well-catered retreat inside the farmhouse, while raising a toast and dispelling all doubts and
misunderstanding between the animals and human beings.
(ii) Mr. Pilkington and other farmers had been invited by Napoleon to inspect the Animal Farm and
after the inspection, they are invited to the farmhouse for a meeting. The human beings are really
impressed with the way the pigs have managed Animal Farm and praise it. These lines emphasise
the bonding and the similarity between the pigs and human beings by the end of the chapter.
(iii) The other animals are watching the human beings and the pigs from outside the window.
(iv) The pigs have started walking on hind legs and changed the principle of Animalism to “four feet
good, two feet better.” The Seventh Commandment is changed to “All animals are equal but some
animals are more equal”. The pigs have started drinking alcohol and use language to abuse their
fellow animals. They have started carrying a whip to train other animals as they consider themselves
superior. These are the traits that the pigs show which resembles human beings.
(v) The quote serves to emphasize directly the significance of Animal Farm as a social commentary,
drawing a parallel between the downtrodden animals and the working class of the world.
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NOVEL
CALL OF THE WILD

2 — Jack London
INTO THE PRIMITIVE
WORKSHEET-107
Ans. (i) The Klondike Strike refers to the discovery of gold in the Klondike area, thereby leading to the
Klondike Gold rush.
Gold had been discovered in the Arctic, and it attracted men from all over the world as they were
looking to cash in on the find. These men required strong dogs to pull their sleds on the treacherous
journey.
(ii) A crossbreed of St. Bernard and Scottish shepherd, Buck is a large and handsome dog, who lives in
splendour on Judge Miller’s large and spacious big house in the sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley. At four
years old, he is the undisputed master of Judge Miller’s place, the king of his domain. During the day
he has the run of the place, unlike the house dogs or the hunting dogs. He feels he is special in his
master’s eyes and that the whole realm belongs to him. Hunting and walking keep him fit, and he
rejoices in sport and play.
Bucks’ father, Elmo, was a huge Saint Bernard who had been the Judge’s inseparable companion, and
Buck’s mother Shep, was a huge Scotch shepherd dog.
(iii) Manuel, the Judge’s gardener, sells Buck to a stranger in exchange of money, thereby committing a
treacherous act. Manuel has acquired huge gambling debts so he kidnaps Buck and sells him in order
to pay off his debts.
(iv) Perrault buys Buck from the man in the red sweater. Buck learns that Perrault and Francois are fair
men, who are impartial when it comes to administering justice, and moreover are far too familiar with
the way of the dogs, to be outwitted by them.
(v) When Buck stepped onto the deck of the Narwhal, he stepped into a white mushy something which
to him appeared a lot like mud. He was puzzled, as he felt this white stuff falling on him. He tried to
shake it off him, but each time he did, he felt some more of it on him. Curious, he tried licking it and it
felt like fire and immediately disappeared. This puzzled him. He tried it again, with the same result.
This was entirely new to Buck; he had never experienced anything like this before. In a way it also
marks an introduction to what lies ahead of him, as it paves way for new experiences to follow. Buck
leaves his civilized ways behind him as he learns to pick ice from between his toes with his teeth, just
as he learns how to defend himself and live in a world completely foreign to him. He also learns to
survive and becomes hardened against the elements. Adaptability enables both humans and animals
to adjust to a new situation, to learn patterns of behaviour that are suited to that new environment.
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WORKSHEET-108
Ans. (i) The extract which has been taken from the first chapter of ‘The Call of the Wild’ describes an idyllic
setting and the comfortable existence of Buck at a sprawling, beautiful and comfortable home house
owned by Judge Miller. Buck is happy living with him.
(ii) It is a very matter of fact tone that the author uses in this paragraph. It is peaceful, calm as he depicts
the spacious and magnificent house.
(iii) Buck’s life on the Judge’s place is civilized; he is treated with respect, and enjoys absolute freedom.
Buck lives here in splendour. Other dogs are present, but Buck is a prized and pampered pet, allowed
to have the run of the place as a glorified guard dog, who ceremoniously lies by the Judge’s feet
and accompanies his grandchildren on little hunting trips. Buck is the king of his domain, believing
himself the benign master of everyone, including the humans. He is neither a house-dog nor a kennel
dog but goes where he wishes. The whole realm belongs to him. He escorts the Judge’s daughters on
walks; he hunts with his sons, carries his grandchildren on his back. A mix of St. Bernard and Scotch
Shepherd, Buck weighs only 140 pounds. He is not as large as his father was, but he carries himself
like a king. Hunting and walking keep him fit, and he rejoices in sport and play. To sum it up he leads
a much pampered life at Judge Miller’s place.
(iv) Buck was a thoroughly domesticated, strong and a clever dog whose loyalties were unquestionable.
Since he grew up sheltered from any mistreatment, he was given to trusting everyone.
(v) Buck and Judge Miller shared a very special bond. The Judge pampered and showered him with
special privileges like allowing him to escort his daughters for a walk, accompany his sons for hunting,
allowing him to be by his side by the fire place in the Library. This made Buck feel that he was special
as far as the Judge and his family were concerned.
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WORKSHEET-109
Ans. (i) In chapter 1 - ‘Into the Primitive’ of the novel, “The call of the wild”, written by Jack London, Manuel
was the Gardener’s helper who surreptitiously stole Buck away from Judge Miller’s place in Santa
Clara Valley of California. Manuel was a gambler and had incurred a large debt.
(ii) Manuel’s gambling had caused him to incur a huge debt. He saw an opportunity to get some money,
by kidnapping and selling Buck for a large sum. This would enable him to pay off his debts. Manuel
had a gambling addiction. He needed money to feed his habit, while at the same time trying to
provide for his family. At the time that the story takes place (late 1800’s California Gold Rush), there
was a strong need for sled dogs for the Yukon. Manuel apparently was aware of this and knowing
what sort of potential Buck had, decided that he could sell him for money.
(iii) When Manuel tied a stout rope around Buck’s neck, he was confused and taken aback, but he
accepted the rope with quiet dignity. He had never been subjected to mistreatment earlier and thus
saw no cause to react. But when the ends of the rope were placed in the stranger’s hands, he growled
menacingly to convey his displeasure. To his surprise the rope tightened around his neck, almost
choking him. Angry, he jumped violently to attack the stranger. But the stranger acted swiftly and
deftly overthrew him on his back, while tightening the rope even more firmly. Never in all his life had
he been so vilely treated, and never in all his life had he been so angry. He struggled valiantly to fight
back but his strength ebbed and his eyes glazed as he was finally overpowered by the stranger.
(iv) Manuel’s sin was that he loved to play Chinese lottery, which was compounded by his faith in the
system. As a result he incurred heavy debts.
(v) In the above extract, Buck comes across as a well bred, strong, powerful, yet a very civilized dog. His
respectable and good upbringing lends him a dignity of its own. He reposes implicit faith in the men
he knows, and does not question their actions thereby giving them the benefit of doubt. This trait is
evident from the fact that when Manuel puts the rope around him, he is a trifle surprised, but does
not protest and accepts it in a dignified manner, in the belief that Manuel was far more wiser and was
acting in his ( Buck’s) own interest.
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WORKSHEET-110
Ans. (i) Curly an amiable dog, approached the husky dog in a friendly manner and suddenly without any
warning, the Husky pounced on her and ripped open her face from eye to jaw, thus starting a fight.
They were quickly surrounded by the other huskies. Curly lunged at her assailant and he struck
yet again. She tumbled off her feet and could not rise again. This was the opportunity that the other
huskies had been waiting for, and they immediately rushed in and Curly found herself trampled
beneath their bodies. She was killed despite the efforts made by Francois and other men to get the
attackers off her.
(ii) When Curly dies, Buck learns his second valuable lesson of how to survive in this wild and uncivilized
environment that he has been put in. It teaches him about the ‘’ law of the Club and Fang’’. He realizes
that to survive in this type of an uncivilized world, he would have to ensure that he never goes down
in a fight. He quickly learns that he must always be very vigilant.
(iii) In chapter 2, Buck hates Spitz for laughing at and participating in Curly’s death. Buck hates Spitz
with a bitter and deathless hatred. Francois fastens Buck into a harness and sets him to work, which
is hauling a sled.
(iv) No, there was no warning whatsoever of the attack. It was very sudden and unexpected. Only a leap
in like a flash; a metallic snap of teeth, and a leap out that was equally swift.
(v) In the harness, Spitz was the lead dog and Dave was the wheeler, positioned to bring it up from the
rear. Buck was positioned in between Sol-leks and Dave. He was thus positioned so that he could
learn from the two dogs and perform his job correctly.
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WORKSHEET-111
Ans. (i) Chapter 2 states that, the sled dogs dug a hole under the snow to stay warm. At times the dogs tried to
enter the tent but they were chased out. Their thick fur and the burrows that they dug for themselves,
kept them warm through the frigid nights. This was an important survival skill.
(ii) Buck was hitched between Dave and Sol-leks on the sled-dog team, so that he could learn. This
worked well and Buck made remarkable progress under the tutelage of his two mates. Besides, he
was an intelligent dog who also learnt through instinct and experience. Francois and Perrault were
able masters who guided the sled dexterously and this in turn helped Buck to learn easily.
(iii) Perrault often navigated the team through wilderness and icy trails. Very often, the ice bridge would
give way beneath his feet. At times like this, the long pole that he always carried with him, saved him
from falling into the hole. The manner in which he held the pole was such that the pole always fell
across the hole and he would be carry himself across safely.
(iv) The problem that Buck faced was trying to find a warm and comfortable place to sleep in. When
he entered a tent that seemed warm and inviting, he was chased away by Francois and Perrault.
He then attempted to sleep on top of the snow but he couldn’t withstand the cold. Freezing, he
wandered around the camp from one tent to the other searching for a warm place to rest .It is only
when he chanced upon Billie, that he found a solution to his problem.
(v) The changes that came over Buck during the course of the journey was that he was transformed from
a well bred civilized and domesticated dog, to an animal of the wild. He did a full circle and returned
to who he once was, as signified by these lines of the text. He discovered some of the instincts and
abilities that had hitherto been hidden within him .He understood the law of the ‘club and fang’ and
learned how life in a dog pack worked. He learned to sleep beneath the snow on winter nights, fight
in order to survive and scavenge for food. The old morals that he learned in Judge Miller’s house
slowly gave way to a rapid regression.
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WORKSHEET-112
Ans. (i) The above extract has been taken from chapter 2 “The law of Club and Fang” of the Novel ‘The Call
of the Wild’, written by Jack London. In this chapter, we get to know, how Buck adapts himself to the
new environment in order to survive.
(ii) The “Law” i.e. “the Law of Club and Fang”, signifies the two most important factors for survival in the
Northland. Buck understands that the ability to avoid armed men and ability to defend oneself from
other animals is necessary for survival.
(iii) Southland is governed by the law of love and fellowship.
(iv) As Perrault and Francois were travelling along with the team through the frozen river, at one point
the team found themselves trapped with broken ice in front of them and behind them as well. The
only solution for Perrault was to climb a cliff above. There after he had to face a lot of difficulties
because he had to cast down a rope, and hoist each dog one by one across the broken ice to safety on
the other side.
(v) Buck’s sense of sight and scent became keen, his muscles developed, he learnt to tolerate pain,
developed the ability to scent the wind, and digest all the nutrients of his food.
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WORKSHEET-113
Ans. (i) The above extract that has been taken from the chapter ‘The Dominant Primordial Beast’ of the novel
‘The Call of the Wild’ refers to Buck’s fight with the wild huskies who invaded the camp on the shore
of Lake Le Barge. The huskies stormed into the camp and attacked both the food and the sled dogs.
A terrible fight ensued wherein Buck made fierce attempts to ward off the huskies and it was at that
very moment when he felt Spitz’s teeth sink into his throat.
(ii) Buck antagonizes Spitz whenever he can. He takes every opportunity to interfere when Spitz tries to
discipline “shirks” among the dogs. For example, when Pike, a notorious malingerer, does not appear
one morning, Spitz is “wild with wrath”. When he finally unearths the dog, he flies at him to punish
him, but Buck, “with equal rage”, puts himself in between and stands up for Pike. Emboldened by
this, Pike too rushed at Spitz and together they sprang upon Spitz, who then hurled backwards in
sheer surprise and fear.
(iii) The dogs were chasing a rabbit. Spitz, cold and calculating, took a different route to head off Buck
before he could reach the rabbit. Spitz jumped upon the rabbit and killed it. Furious at this, Buck went
straight for Spitz’s throat, but missed it. Spitz slashed Buck at the shoulder. They snarled at each other
and Buck realized that the time for life and death fight had arrived. The instincts of a primitive beast
that had got aroused in Buck during the rabbit chase carried him to the final stage of his fight with
Spitz.
(iv) After being bitten by a wild dog, it is hinted that Dolly, one of the trail dogs, contracts rabies and
becomes completely insane. But, whatever be the cause of her insanity, one day she began howling
uncontrollably , sending shivers down every dog’s spine, and then proceeded to attack Buck without
any warning, and chased him around until Francois smashed an axe down upon her head, putting an
end to her life.
(v) Francois discovers that Spitz is missing and praises Buck. As the dogs are about to be harnessed, Buck
trots up to the spot that Spitz occupied. Francois brings Sol-leks to the position of Spitz, thinking that
he was the most experienced as well as the best dog to lead the team. . Buck is furious and springs
upon him. He will not let Francois harness the team. Francois retaliates by bringing in a heavy club.
Bitterly snarling, but remembering his lesson at the hands of the man in the red sweater, Buck stays
just out of reach. For the rest of the morning, the men try to force Buck back into his place in line, but
to no avail. Buck refuses to allow any of the other dogs to take the leader position and won’t join the
dog team in the harness until he is given it. He wants the leadership. After an hour, aware that they
were falling behind schedule, the men relent, and put Buck as lead dog.
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WORKSHEET-114
Ans. (i) In the above extract, which has been taken from Chapter 3 - ‘The Dominant Primordial Beast’ of the
novel, “The Call of the Wild”, written by Jack London., she refers to Dolly, a trail dog who goes mad.
(ii) When Dolly turns mad due to rabies, , she rushes straight towards Buck to attack him, and Francois
realizing the outcome of a mad dog chasing Buck, defends Buck axing her to death
(iii) Each time when one of the men or dogs fell through the ice, it posed an enormous challenge to force
them out, as they had to be dragged out of the snow. A fire had to be lit immediately to thaw the snow
covered dogs and men, and dry them out. The dogs had to be made to run around the lit fire so as to
enable some warmth to be seeped into their frozen bodies.
(iv) As the team navigates towards Dawson, the dogs break through thin ice repeatedly. Buck’s paws
are not accustomed to the harshness of the trail and the intense cold of the frozen ice. Therefore his
paws begin to hurt him intensely. . He whimpers in agony and cannot even rise to fetch his food and
François often has to bring Buck’s food rations to him;. Seeing his condition, Francois finally cuts away
a part of his own moccasin and fashions four moccasins for Buck and massages his feet every evening
for thirty minutes. This provides a lot of relief to Buck and he slowly begins to recover.
(v) Every night- at nine, at twelve and at three, the dogs sang a song, a weird and eerie chant, which Buck
was delighted to join. It was an old song, a sad one which carried the pain of many generations.
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WORKSHEET-115
Ans. (i) London begins this chapter by stating that the “dominant primordial beast was strong in Buck,”
meaning that the primitive will to survive was now the primary factor in Buck’s life. Thus, the entire
chapter is constructed to show Buck’s will and determination to survive in this uncivilized and
primitive world that he has been transported to. Buck’s survival instinct to survive is climaxed at the
end of the chapter in a dramatic fight – to –the- death scene between him and his arch rival Spitz. Just
as the chapter begins with an emphasis on the ‘’ dominant primordial beast,’’ it ends with the same
words, emphasizing the central concern of the chapter: the survival of the fittest.
(ii) After the huskies finally left, Francois and Perrault took stock of the situation and assessed the damage
done by them. They found that the wild huskies had depleted them of half of their food supply.
So ravenous were the huskies that they had even chewed through the ‘’sled lashings and canvas
coverings’! They had plundered and got their hands on anything that was edible.
(iii) Perrault was in a hurry, and he prided himself on his knowledge of ice, which was indispensable,
for the fall of ice was very thin. Perrault broke through the ice more than a dozen times, but he was
successful in nosing the way. Perrault was saved by the long pole he carried.
(iv) The dog on the team i.e., Dolly, suddenly began a long ‘heart breaking wolf howl’ that left every
dog petrified. And then, just as suddenly, frothing and snarling at the mouth, she attacked the
unsuspecting Buck, who fled in confused terror. After plunging through the woods and ice with
Dolly right behind him, Buck arrived at the camp site. Francois who saw this immediately realized
two things. One, that the implications would indeed be very grave if Dolly in any way, got the better
of Buck. Second, he also understood that a mad dog was dangerous and of no help to the team. He
then positioned himself with an axe in such a way that as soon as Buck shot past him, the axe crashed
down upon mad Dolly’s head thereby killing her instantly.
(v) Spitz attacked Buck, when Buck staggered towards the sledge, absolutely exhausted and worn out.
Seizing the opportunity, Spitz sprang upon Buck, and sank his teeth into him, ripping and tearing his
flesh. Francois, who was close by, took his whip and Spitz received one of the worst lashing ever given
to any of the team. This quietened Spitz and he backed off.
WORKSHEET-116
Ans. (i) Buck loved to lie near the fire. Sometimes he thought of Judge Miller’s big house. He often remembered
theman in the red sweater, the death of Curly, and the fight with Spitz. He also dreamt of a short and
hair like man running through the woods.
(ii) Buck did not want to go back into his old harness, because he wanted to be in front of the pack. He
wantedto be the leader. In fact, he possessed leadership qualities. He was better than most and had
superior attributes. After having triumphed over Spitz, he felt that he clearly deserved the coveted
post. He received the compliment that he was worth $ 1000.
(iii) After a long trip of 14 days, the sled-dogs including Buck, were very exhausted. Some four or five
scores of starving huskies attacked the camp. The dog team found shelter from their attackers in the
forest.
(iv) When Buck crouched, blinking dreamily, instead of the cook he saw a different man there. The man
uttered strange sounds and seemed too afraid of the darkness into which he gazed.
(v) After the attack of starving huskies in the woods, Buck was attacked by Spitz. Spitz was winning until
Buckbroke Spitz’s front legs. He ended up breaking both of them. When Spitz went down, the dogs
from the villages, sled team finished him. Buck won finally.
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WORKSHEET-117
Ans. (i) The incompetent humans did not know that they had too many dogs. Sometimes they overfed them
and at times they underfed them. Charles and Hal had no idea what they were doing. To them it
made sense to have as many dogs they could get.
(ii) As a leader Buck was exceptional. He had the physical traits of a good leader of a sled team. And he
was strong. However, what made him a good leader, was the fact that he was way smarter than the
other dogs and relied on his instincts to make the best choices for his team. With his quick thinking
and sharp reflexes, he turned out to be even superior to Spitz. He excelled in bringing a kind of
solidarity and they all moved as a team. He was a leader whom every one obeyed, respected yet
feared and thus it was no surprise that they made it to their destination in record time.
(iii) Upon their arrival in Skagway, the men and the dogs were very tired and totally worn out. Buck had
lost nearly 25 pounds, and the other dogs had lost weight as well. Pike had injured his leg terribly, and
Dub had an injured shoulder. Lack of proper food and adequate rest was taking its toll on them and
the entire team suffered from extreme fatigue.
(iv) There was something horribly wrong with Dave, though on the face of it, nothing was really visible.
He became very sick and found it difficult to keep pace in his original place. By the time they reached
Cassiar Bar, he was so weak and miserable that he fell in his traces a number of times, which made the
driver take him out of the traces to give him some rest. But Dave resented this vehemently and kept
going back to his original spot. He insisted on dying while pulling the sled, too proud to let another
dog else do his share. He continued to flounder, while at the same time making heroic attempts to get
back to his feet. As they progressed, his condition deteriorated so rapidly, that they had to resort to
mercy killing and ease him of his misery.
(v) Buck made no effort. The last whip bit into him again and again, but he neither whined nor struggled.
Buckhad made up his mind nor to get up. Hal exchanged the whip for the club, and then suddenly
withoutwarning, John Thornton sprang upon him.
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WORKSHEET-118
Ans. (i) Once they reach Skaguay, Francois and Perrault are found to be rejoicing to have made it there in
record time. However; their celebrations are short lived, as they get marching orders for yet another
assignment. This signals their departure from Buck’s life and consequently marks the end of one
phase of Buck’s relationship with man.They have been wise and just masters to Buck. Francois
weeps over Buck—this shows the level of deep respect and care he has towards him.
(ii) Through the team’s record run, Buck demonstrates his mastery of his work. He has learnt how to
work, and how to lead a pack. He is not only fit to lead the team, but he is more than fit and geared to
survive and thrive in the wild.
(iii) Another one of Buck’s first companions, he is one of the most knowledgeable dogs on the team.
Mostly aloof, new life springs into him the moment he is placed in a harness. Not only does he help
teach Buck the procedures, he also embodies pride in his work. But he falls very sick and no one
can determine the cause of his pain as there are no external injuries. Dave gets sicker and sicker, but
refuses to leave his spot in the traces. He insists on dying while pulling the sled, too proud to let any
other dog do his share. Ultimately, in a bid to release him of his misery, the drivers resort to mercy
killing and a gunshot signals his death.
(iv) In Skaguay, Francois and Perrault became minor celebrities, for the record timing of their run. There
were celebrations in the air, but official order from the government forced them to depart from the
town, thereby, leaving Buck and his man behind. Francois wept over Buck as he and Perrault exited
from Buck’s life “for good”.
(v) The physical description of the man in Buck’s dreams is an example of a pre-historic man, somewhat
like a cave man: hairy, practically naked with long arms and short legs, rather inarticulate and
equipped with just a club. He is a symbol of the primitive, probably a figure from ancestral memory
and a reminder of times well before civilization. What is perhaps very interesting is that this figure
becomes even more prominent as Buck degenerates more and more into a wilder form of his original
self. This man probably represents Buck’s breaking away from his civilized or domesticated life to
a wilder life. It is as if Buck is reliving the experiences of his ancestors and the more dangerous life
that they lived. The dream seems to guide him through his deconstruction from a domestic pet to a
wilddog.
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WORKSHEET-119
Ans. (i) The above extract has been taken from chapter 5, ‘The Toil of Trace and Trail’ of the novel, “The Call of
the Wild”, written by Jack London. In the introductory part of the chapter, we are informed about the
arrival of Buck and his team to Skagway. They were there for barely three days and found themselves
totally exhausted after the long and arduous journey. On the fourth day, however, Buck finds himself
and the sled-dog team in the hands of some new owners, who address each other as Hal and Charles.
(ii) Charles, who is from the United States, is a light coloured middle aged man who sports a fiercely
twisted moustache. He has droopy lips and watery eyes. Moreover, he knows nothing about leading a
pack of dogs and blatantly ignores the advice given by more knowledgeable sled drivers. Like his wife
Mercedes, and brother in law, Hal, he is incompetent and disposed towards quarrelling and folly. He
comes across as a weak figure who does not speak much and generally does what he is asked to do.
(iii) When Buck and the sled-dogs enter the camp of Charles, and Hal’s they find it in a total state of
disarray. The tent is not fully put up, in fact, it is just about half-stretched, the dishes are lying dirty
and unwashed, everything appears to be unkempt and there is a general air of disorder. In short, the
camp is shabby and sloppy.
(iv) Skeet, a little Irish setter, quickly made friends with Buck. As a mother cat washes her kittens, so she
washed and cleansed Buck’s wounds. Nig, a huge black dog was equally friendly with Buck.
(v) When the dogs were unable to pull the sleds, the men from the neighbouring tents lent a piece of
advice to Charles, Hal and Mercedes. They told l them that the load on the was very heavy and thus
needed to be reduced considerably. Moreover, the dogs were extremely tired and were in need of dire
rest.
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WORKSHEET-120
Ans. (i) Mercedes is Charles’ wife. She cries and implores Buck to pull harder to stop the whipping. She is too
preoccupied with weeping over herself. She is never too tired of quarrelling with Charles and Hal. She
is too soft and has been chivalrously treated all her life.
(ii) When the tent was loaded on the sledge, it was very heavy. Even Mercedes and Thornton felt that
the load is top-heavy. The dogs were tired also, and weak. The dogs strained against the breast bands
unable to move the sledges. Hal thinks the team’s inability to move the sledges were because the dogs
were lazy. But in fact, the dogs were not lazy, the load was heavy and the dogs were exhausted.
(iii) ‘Black’ Burton picked up a quarrel with the newcomer, when Thornton stepped in. Burton struck out
without warning. Buck rose as he attacked Burton. Burton was able to block Buck and his throat was
torn open and from that day Buck become famous in Alaska and made up his reputation.
(iv) When Thornton was carried downstream, Pete and Hans attached a line to Buck’s neck and shoulders
and launched him into the stream. Back pulled Thornton into the bank and had three broken ribs.
(v) Buck and half a dozen other dogs, John Thornton, Pete and Hans travelled to the East on an unknown
trail.
At the end of their wandering, they found a shallow mineral deposit in a broad valley. The gold
showed like butter across the bottom of the washing-pan. The gold was stacked in moose-hide bags,
and soon they had a heap of treasure.
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WORKSHEET-121
Ans. (i) Hal the brother of Mercedes and brother in law of Charles is a young man aged between nineteen
and twenty years old and thus probably much younger than most of the men travelling through the
Yukon. An inexperienced man, who has no knowledge of handling sleds, however feels he knows
everything. The book describes his revolver which he sports, as his most striking feature, which does
not encourage comfort in the sled dogs, particularly in Buck. Violent, impatient, foolish, he is even
arrogant enough to scorn the advice given by more seasoned and knowledgeable sled drivers. His
incompetence not only leads to the death of many of the dogs in his sled, but also marks the end of
him, his sister Mercedes and her husband Charles, when they fall into a semi frozen lake. If Thornton
in the novel comes across as an ideal human being, Hal is just his exact opposite.
(ii) John Thornton’s partners left him to camp alone the previous December, after he froze his feet and
had difficulty in walking. He was limping. But before leaving him behind, his partners ensured that
he was comfortable and could manage by himself.
(iii) Buck followed Thornton around for the simple reason that he had become deeply attached to him.
Buck always returns to Thornton’s fireside, as he feels secured in the presence of Thornton.
(iv) At the end of all their wandering, Thornton and his team members did not find the lost mine. They
found a shallow mineral deposit in a broad valley. The gold showed like butter across the bottom of
the washing pan.
(v) Buck feels a strong connection with Thornton, his final master and is deeply devoted to him. He finds
Thornton fair towards him, whereas, he felt a kind of angry revulsion towards his previous masters.
This also proves that even animals feel the love and care imparted to them.
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WORKSHEET-122
Ans. (i) The above extract has been taken from chapter 6, ‘For the love of a Man, of the novel, ‘The Call of the
Wild’’ by Jack London. It describes a scene where John Thornton, who is still nursing his frozen feet,
walks with difficulty. He is in the company of Buck and two other dogs namely, Skeet and Nig and
they seem to be loitering around the place, as they await the raft that will take them to Dawson.
(ii) The dogs of John Thornton which are referred to here are, Skeet and Nig. Skeet, the friendly Irish
setter, is motherly and attends to Buck’s wounds and nurses him back to health. She does this routinely
every morning after Buck has finished his breakfast. Buck kind of gets used this and in course of time
he himself goes to her for the healing treatment. Nig, a huge black dog, half bloodhound and half
deerhound, is also described as equally friendly, although, he does not openly show his affection.
Both the dogs, to Buck’s surprise show no feelings of animosity, but accept him warmly to John
Thornton’s camp and life.
(iii) Buck demonstrates his love for John, when Thornton interferes in a bar fight between Black Burton
and Burton strikes John Thornton. In a trice, Buck springs up and nearly kills the instigator. Yet again
Buck’s love for Thornton is expressed when he saves Thornton’s life by rescuing him out of the rapids
and by obeying him when asked to jump over the cliff. There is a genuine respect and love between
Thornton and Buck. The dog recognizes and senses this and reciprocates by showing his love for him
in his own unique way.
(iv) Pete and Hans are John Thornton’s friends, in fact, they are his partners, Buck tolerates both of them
in a passive way. When Hans and Pete arrive on the long expected raft, Buck takes no of notice of
their arrival, thereby exhibiting his indifference towards Hans and (Pete)
(v) One night Buck sprang from sleep. From the forest came the call, distinct as never before. In an open
place among the trees, he saw a long, lean, timber wolf. The wolf fled at the sight of Buck.
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WORKSHEET-123
Ans. (i) Named for its distance from Fort Reliance, Forty Mile Creek has a set of bad rapids for about eight
miles upstream from where it flows into the Yukon River. Gold was first discovered here and for ten
years or so, there was a mining community in this region. However, the subsequent discovery on the
Klondike, dealt a Forty Mile a deathly blow.
(ii) Mathewson’s bet was an outcome of a casual conversation that took place in Eldorado Saloon. The
men were generally boasting about their dogs and their accomplishments. Each one was trying to
outdo the other by bragging about their dogs feats. Buck, because of his record, was the target and
Thornton felt it duty bound to defend him. Suddenly, on an impulse, Thornton claimed that his dog
could start a sled with a thousand pounds loaded on it. A man named Mathewson, who had become
rich in the gold rush, bet a thousand dollars that Buck could pull his sled—which was outside, loaded
with a thousand pounds of flour. Thornton himself had major doubts, but he made the bet anyway,
borrowing the money from a friend to cover the wager. He then egged Buck on by telling him that
his (Buck’s) love for Thornton would help him accomplish the task.
(iii) John pays off his debts with the money that Buck earns from the bet; and helps him, Hans and Pete
to embark on a journey, in search of a fabled lost gold mine that no living man has ever found. They
travel east on an unknown trail.
(iv) When he returns to Thornton’s camp, he finds it has been overrun by Yeehat Indians. The men
and dogs are dead, and the Indians are dancing around the wreckage of the lodge .Seized with an
uncontrollable rage, Buck attacks them with all his ferocity and literally tears them apart and killing
several of them. The remainder flee in panic, thinking that an evil spirit has descended on them. He
then scents down Thornton and discovers that his body submerged in a pool.
(v) Buck’s vision of the other world was about a short legged hairy man with his head between his knees
and his hands clasped above. This man was given to pretty restless sleep. Buck saw himself with this
man by the beach, collecting and eating sea fish. Both of them would be very vigilant as they moved
from place to place, and as they spent nights beneath the trees. He also had visions of the man moving
swiftly and springing on tress and moving silently through the forest.
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WORKSHEET-124
Ans. (i) Coming from a strong lineage of a St. Bernard and a Scotch Shepherd, Buck is naturally strong and
tenacious. This quality helps him survive the cultural shock when he is suddenly thrown into a cruel,
savage and uncivilized world from his luxurious and comfortable dwelling in California. Moreover,
his intelligence and ability to learn from observation and experience always stands him in good stead.
Compounded with this, his strong natural instincts, the ‘’dominant primordial’’ traits helps him to
survive and emerge victorious in adverse situations as we have seen in the book. This very need to
survive, coupled with his sharp sense of scent and sight will ensure his survival in the North.
(ii) With Thornton, Buck experiences love for the first time. It is under his care, affection and protection
that Buck is nursed back to his old self. For the first time, ever since he was kidnapped, Buck has seen
a kind man who treats him like his own child and Buck begins to reciprocate this feeling for Thornton.
Again, for the first time ever, we see Buck becoming emotionally attached to a man; his admiration
and love for Thornton is so powerful that Buck is willing to risk his life for him. It is this steadfast
obedience that underlines Thornton’s mastery over Buck.
(iii) Thornton test’s ( tests) Buck’s loyalty by commanding him to jump off its ledge. Buck starts forward,
but Thornton grabs him before he can toss himself over the ledge. Buck’s unwavering obedience both
delights and disturbs Thornton.
(iv) In chapter 6, just before Buck returns to the primitive world, Jack London shows us the love, and the
devotion of an animal. Buck saves Thornton’s reputation by successfully pulling a thousand pound
load and winning a seemingly impossible wager. This way he saves Thornton’s face as well as his
reputation.
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WORKSHEET-125
Ans. (i) Buck spent four days stalking and killing the great moose in Chapter 7 of Call of the Wild, and then
another day and night “eating and sleeping.” Upon his way back to Thornton’s camp, he sensed a
“calamity;” the birds, squirrels and even the breeze gave a warning. His hair rippled and bristled,
and his nose picked up the scent of death. Buck faced utter disaster that hit the camp in his absence.
Everyone had been shot and killed with feathered arrows. First he found Nig, and then Hans, dead
from Indians’ arrows. But probably what hurt and enraged him the most was when he saw the
wreckage around the spruce bough lodge and his beloved master Thornton lying dead by the pool
side.
(ii) In Buck, the Yeehats see an enormously huge animal the like of whom they have never ever
encountered before. His swift movements, his ferocity, his frenzied roar, not only frighten them but
also leave them thunderstruck. He comes across as an invincible and unstoppable dog or wolf that
the Yeehats have ever seen. He is described as a ‘live hurricane of fury”., convincing the Yeehats that
they saw a great evil spirit in this ‘’ fiend incarnate.’’
(iii) In this chapter Buck proves that while he possesses the finer attributes of love, deep loyalty,
admiration for a man who loves him and takes care of him, his wild and savage characteristics have
also been well formed and developed. Buck proves that he was capable of not only surviving on his
own in the wild but also capable of killing humans. He proves that he has come a long way from the
days when he was subjugated by the club wielding man. He would no longer be cowed down by
men with arrows, , spears or clubs. His slaughter of the Yeehats makes his answering of the call easier
because his last tie to humanity, John Thornton is gone.
(iv) During the long winter nights the wolves go to the lower valleys for their meat. Buck may be seen
running at the head of the pack through the pale moonlight; leaping above his fellows, his great
throat bellowing as he sings the song of the pack.
(v) Dogs are considered domesticated animals unprepared for the challenges of surviving on their own
without humans to care for them. Their cousins, however, are wild animals and are not easily or
wisely domesticated. Those cousins are wolves, and in London’s novel, they represent the more
primitive form. Buck changes from a civilized house dog to a wild beast. He is constantly hearing
voices and seeing visions of his ancestors. By the end of the book, Buck has successfully achieved the
call of the wild. Buck repeatedly feels the mysterious force telling him that what he really needs to do
is leave his current domestic life and hunt things.
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WORKSHEET-126
Ans. (i) Over a period of time, the Yeehats noticed a perceptive change in the physical features of the breed of
timber wolves ‘’ some were seen with splashes of brown on their heads and muzzle. Some had a rift
of white centring down their chest.’’ This was very akin to Buck’s own physical features.
(ii) Buck had a huge advantage as he killed the bear. For one the bear was totally blinded by the mosquitoes
while he too was fishing in the same waters as Buck. This rendered the bear, terribly helpless as he
raged through the forest. But nonetheless, despite putting up a brave fight, it finally succumbed to the
might of Buck.
(iii) Buck has deep love for John Thornton. Buck’s relationship with John Thornton is very different from
what he shared with his other masters, because John Thornton saved Buck’s life and nursed him
back to his health. London illustrates Buck’s intense feelings for Thornton by saying that initially he
never leaves his master’s side. It is his love for Thornton that projects him as more of a dog and less
of a wolf. The call from the forest was tempting enough for Buck to turn his back on the fire and dash
out to the forest; yet his love for Thornton drew him back to the fire. Buck still feels the “strain of his
primitive” instincts, despite his love for John Thornton. He enjoys being in the civilized life again, but
only because of his master. He was with Thornton at his camp site, but he would often go wondering
off into the woods, trying to answer “the call” inside him.
(iv) Buck’s story morphed into a legend as the Yeehats narrated a tale of a mythical Ghost Dog, who
terrorized the valley’s natives and hunters. They spoke of a handsome wolf that roamed, sometimes
alone, sometimes at the head of the pack, singing the “Song of the younger world,” and who fathered
many wolf cubs. This ‘’ghost dog’’ was invincible and terribly feared by everyone, as it was far more
‘’cunning’ than anyone else. During severe winters, it often stole from their camps, robbed their traps
and went about slaying and killing their dogs. Buck’s legacy affirms his masterful spirit. Buck seems
to have cheated death by being immortalized in the legend.
ll

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Section-A : Drama

1. The Merchant of Venice 2. The Moustrap

The Merchant of Venice

THE COLD WITHIN

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS

ABU BEN ADHEIM

10 NINE GOLD MEDALS

CHIEF SEATTLE’S SPEECH

THE OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE

A HORSE & TWO GOATS

HEARTS AND HANDS

A FACE IN THE DARK

THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL

THE BLUE BEAD

MY GREATEST OLYMPIC PRIZE

ALL SUMMER IN A DAY

CALL OF THE WILD

INTO THE PRIMITIVE

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