Chapter 5

Mullah Nasredin and the Nail

Answer these questions

1. Who was Mullah Nasredin ? Why was he considered mysterios?

Ans : Mullah Nasredin was a local priest in a small village who lived in extreme poverty. H e
was considered mysterious as his ways were so unconventional that he was so engaged in
spiritual pursuits than had time for material comfort.

2. Why was Mullah Nasredin force to sell his ancestral house?

Mullah Nasredin was force to sell his house because of the debts were rising and his credit
quickly vanished until he had no choice.

3. Who wanted to buy the house ? How did he get it from Mullah?
Nasredin’s neighbour wanted to buy the house .He got it from mullah by pretending that he
is so concerned about him than the house.

4 . what clause did Nasredin added to the contract?

Nasredin added a clause to the contract that he could keep the ownership of a particular
, nail and he could do whatever he wants to do with it.

5, why was the neighbour’s wife angry with him?

The neighbour’s wife was getting angry as days passes as she doesn’t want Mullah to have
any part of the house.

6. Why did the neighbour call for a meeting with the council of elders ? What ruling did they
give?

The neighbour called for meeting of council of elders to stop Mullah from visiting the house
often. The council of elders eventually declared that the Mullah was perfectly entitled to do as he
wished with his nail.

7. How did Mullah Nasredin get back his home?

Mullah Nasredin got his house back as the neighbour and his wife had a long arguments and
sleepless night,he begged the Mullah to buy his house back, at a bargain price.

Answer these questions with reference to the context.

1 . “ My father never had the chance to finish hammering it in”

A . What is being referred to here by the speaker?

The nail is being referred to here by the speaker.

b. Why is the speaker’s father not able to complete the job?

The speaker’s father not able to complete the job as he had an heart attack and died in between the
job.

c. Why does the speaker mention it now?

The speaker mentions it now as he wants to make an excuse to have an ownership of the house.

2 . “…… this is going too far. We cannot have that”

A , Who says this to whom ?

The neighbour says this to Mullah Nasredin.

B . What has the listener done?

The listener brought cow dung to put on the nail.

C. Does the listener stop what he has been doing? Why ?

No, the listener did not stop what he was doing as he have made the contact to do so .
 6. Where the Mind is Without Fear

Answer these questions

1. How would one benefit if the mind was without

fear?
If the mind was without fear one could benefit as he can led his mind into ever-
widening thought and action.

2. What does the speaker mean when he says that

the world has been broken up in to fragments?
The ‘narrow domestic walls’ like differences in caste, creed, sex, religion, language,
race, geographical divisions, colour break up the world into fragments.

3. How would one speak if words came out from

depth of truth?
The poet wants his countrymen to be fearless and confident. Thus he wants words to
come out from the depth of truth, words that are sincere and honest, words that are
devoid of deceit and falsity.

4. What is the similarity between reasoning and

clear stream?
The poet has compared ‘reason’ to a clear stream because he wants the countrymen
to support logic and rationality and discard old, meaningless conventions and
customs.
5. Who does the speaker refer to as ‘thee’? How
would ‘thee’ lead us forward?
God, the Almighty is refered as ‘thee’ here. The poet wants ‘thee’ to lead us forward, into
an ever-widening thought and action, into a heaven of freedom where fear does not exist.

Answer these questions with reference to these questions.

1 . “Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrowing domestic walls.”
 a) Which ‘world’ has the speaker referred to?

The speaker referred to as the nation as the world to here.

b) Why as the world broken up in to fragments?

The world has broken up into fragments as the man made baises upon caste, creed,
sex, religion, language, race, geographical divisions, colour .

C ) What do you mean by “domestic walls”?

The ‘narrow domestic walls’ stand for narrow considerations of caste, creed,
. sex, religion, language, race, geographical divisions, colour divide people ,
instead of uniting them.

2. Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action
a) Who is ‘thee’ in the first line?
Thee is referred to God.
b) How is the mind led forward ?
The mind is led forwarded by thoughts and actions based on logical reasoning rather
than conventional customs and traditions.
c) What does the poet wish to convey by these lines?
The speaker wishes to convey the merits of logical thinking and the demerits of
superstitious thinking.