Eng Imp Points 1st Term

DEEP WATER
(Flamingo)
Deep Water Summary in English
Deep Water is about the writer’s journey of

overcoming the fear of water, which is
deeply rooted in him since childhood.
The author started fearing water since
the age of four. It starts when he was
visiting California with his father. He
visits a beach where a wave knocks him
down and sweeps over him. This terrifies
the author, although the father laughs
at this knowing it was no danger.
However, this experience terrifies him
and develops a fear of water. After that,
when the author is 11 years old, he
experiences another incident which
escalates his fear.
He is at a swimming pool in Yakima,

trying to learn swimming. On one fine
day, a bully decides to pull a dangerous
prank. He pushes him in the deep end of
the pool which frightens the author. He
reaches nine feet into the water and
starts struggling desperately to hold on
to something.
Moreover, he yells for help but he starts

feeling paralyzed and only his heart was
moving now. Thus, he gives up and
readies himself to die but wakes up at the
side of the pool. However, the terror he
experiences while drowning never goes
away. It continues to haunt him for
many years and even spoiled his future
expeditions concerning canoeing,
swimming, fishing and more.
He even visits Marine Lakes, Columbia,

New Hampshire and more but is not able
to enjoy it. Thus, he decides to overcome
this fear by hook or by crook. He enrols
himself in a swimming class and tries to
learn from the instructor. The instructor
teaches him many tips and tricks for
swimming. He begins with the inhaling
and exhaling part then he practices it for
many weeks.
Further, he moves on to the kicking the

legs on the side of the pool. Finally, he
combines all this with the final move of
swimming. Although the author knows
how to swim, he is still terrified of water.
Thus, in order to get rid of the fear, he
decides to confront it. He mocks it by
thinking what can it really do?
Consequently, he plunges in to the water
and to his surprise, his fear goes away. He
faced it in many places and at last,
manages to conquer it.
Conclusion of Deep Water
To sum up, Deep Water summary, we

learn that if we are determined enough
and have the courage, we can overcome
any fear that comes our way without
letting the fear overpower us.
Introduction
In this story, Douglas talks about his fear

of water and how he finally overcomes it
with strong will power, courage, hard
work, and firm determination. Once he
took courage, the fear vanished. That
Shows most of our fears are baseless. Fear
creates dangers where there is none. The
writer’s Experiences further confirm the
proverbial truth, “Where there is a will,
there is away.”
Characters & Places
 Douglas: Narrator of the story

 YMCA Pool: A swimming pool runs by
Young Men’s Christian Association
 Yakima: Yakima is a US city located
about 60 miles southeast of Mount
Rainier in Washington.
Gist of the lesson:
 William O. Douglas had a desire to

learn swimming since childhood.
 At the age of three or four, he was
knocked down and buried by a wave at
a beach in California.
 He developed a great aversion to water.
 At the age of ten or eleven he decided
to learn to swim with water wings at
the Y.M.C.A pool since it was safe at the
shallow end.
 A misadventure:- while sitting alone
and waiting for others to come at the
Y.M.C.A pool, a big boy came and threw
Douglas into deep end of the pool.
 Douglas swallowed water and went
straight down to the bottom of the pool.
 While going down he planned to make
a big jump upwards but came up slowly.
Tried to shout but could not.
 As he went down the pool second time,
he tried to jump upwards but it was a
waste of energy.
 Terror held him deeper and deeper.
 During the third trial he sucked water
instead of air.
 Light was going out and there was no
more panic.
 So he ceased all efforts and he became
unconscious.
 He crossed to oblivion.
 When revived he found himself
vomiting beside the pool.
 He was in grip of fear of water and it
deprived him of the joys of canoeing,
boating swimming and fishing.
 Hired an instructor to learn
swimming.
 The instructor taught him swimming
piece by piece.
 He went to different lakes to swim and
found tiny vestiges of fear still gripped
him.
 He challenged the fear and swam.
 Swimming up and down the Warm
Lake he finally overcame his fear of
water.
 He realized that in death there is
peace and there is terror only in fear of
death
Characters
i. Douglas - He is the main character

in the story. He had two
misadventures in his life. First,
on the beach in California with
his father and the other at the
Y.M.C.A pool. Where a big bruiser
of a boy threw him into the pool.
But with the help of an instructor
and the strong will, he was able
to overcome his fear.
ii. A Bully -He was probably 18 years
old. He had thick hair on his
chest. He was beautiful physical
specimen with his hands and legs
showing rippling muscles. He
came and threw douglas in pool.
iii. Instructor - When Douglas failed
to learn swimming on his own, he
hired an instructor in October.
The instructor taught him
inhaling, exhaling, kicking and
all other things. In April, he
finished his training.
GLOSSARY
Treacherous - Deceitful, Unsafe

Water wings- Floatation device
Subdued - Suppressed, Subjugated
Aversion - Dislike, Hatred
Overpowering-
Overwhelming, Irresistible
Revive-Bring back, Animate
Aping-Copying,Imitating
Bruiser - Bully, Rowdy

Yelled - Shouted, Called out
Duck - Dip, Plunge
Swallowed - Gulp, Slurp
Panicky - Frightened, Hysterical
Flailed - Beat up, Struck
Expending - Spending, Outlaying
Nightmare - Bad dream
Irresistible - Uncontrollable,
Untamable
Dizzy - Giddy, Unsteady
Throbbed - Pulsated, Pounded
Sheer - Absolute, Complete
Stark - Plain, Clear
Awful- Unpleasant, Dreadful
Oblivion - Unconsciousness,
Senselessness
Wobbly - Shacky, Trembling
Seized - Grab, Capture
Handicap - Disability, Defect
Canoe - Small and light boat pointed
at both ends
Haunting - Persistent, Unforgettable
Deprive - Divest, Strip
Slack - Relax, Loose
Vestige - Remains,
Remnant
Scare-Frighten, Terrify
Miniature - Small, Mini

Conquered -Overcome, Surmount
Trails-Path, Course
Brush aside -Dismiss, Ignore
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:
Question 1.
How did Douglas finally get rid of the
fear he had of water? (Delhi 2009)
Answer:
The terror that seized Douglas because of
his misadventure with water twice was so
intense that he sought professional help
to overcome this fear. He engaged a
swimming instructor who gave him
intensive training for six months to
ensure he overcame his fear of water
which he eventually did.
Question 2.
How did the incident at the YMCA pool
affect Douglas? (All India 2009)
Answer:
Douglas, a ten year old boy, was
standing alone at the YMCA pool when a
big bully of a boy picked him up and
tossed him into the deep end and at
once he was at the bottom of the pool.
Though he did manage to come up with
extreme difficulty, he could never again
go back to the pool. He started fearing
and avoiding water. Whenever he went
near water a haunting terror would
seize him.
Question 3.
Why was Douglas keen to overcome his
fear of water? (All India 2009)
Answer:
Douglas was determined to overcome his
fear of water because this phobia had
ruined his fishing trips. Moreover, he
had also never been able to enjoy water
sports like canoeing, boating, and
swimming. He was determined to get an
instructor and learn swimming to get
over his fear of water.
Question 4.
When Douglas realised that he was
sinking, how did he plan to save himself?
(Delhi 2010)
Answer:
When Douglas realised he was sinking he
was frightened out of his wits and it was
then that he decided to make a big jump
and come up to the surface. He thought
of lying flat on water for some time and
then to paddle to the edge of the pool.
Question 5.
What did Douglas experience as he went
down to the bottom of the pool for the
first time? (Delhi 2010)
Answer:
When Douglas is pushed into the pool, he
at once goes to the bottom of the pool.
The nine feet deep pool appears like
ninety feet to him. He feels a sense of
acute uneasiness and as if his lungs are
ready to burst. Despite feeling absolutely
suffocated he makes desperate efforts for
survival.
Question 6.
What sort of terror seized Douglas as he
went down the water with a yellow glow?
How could he feel that he was still alive?
(Delhi 2010)
Answer:
When Douglas went down the water with
a yellow glow it was a nightmarish
experience for him. His legs were almost
paralysed, his lungs were aching and his
head was throbbing. He felt the
thumping of his heart and the pounding
in his head and these made him realize
that he was still alive.
Question 7.
Why did William Douglas develop
aversion to the water when he was three
or four years old? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer:
William Douglas developed an aversion
to water when he was three or four years
old. He stood at a beach with his father
when a wave Swept over him and
knocked him down. He was buried under
water and became breathless. He was
petrified and developed a permanent
fear for water.
Question 8.
What misadventure did William Douglas
experience at the YMCA pool? (Comptt. All
India 2010)
Answer:
A misadventure at the YMCA pool
wherein Douglas was thrown into the
deeper end of the pool by a big boy made
Douglas afraid of water. He went down
into the water three times but failed to
come up. Though he was ultimately
saved, a terror of water developed in him
as his lungs filled with water. His head
throbbed and his legs felt paralysed thus
making him fear water permanently.
Question 9.
Why was Douglas determined to get over
his fear of water? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
Question 10.
Why did Douglas go to Lake Wentworth
in New Hampshire? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
Douglas went to Lake Wentworth in New
Hampshire to test whether he still had
any fear of water. After his vigorous
swimming practice he was still not very
sure if his terror for water had left him.
So he wanted to try out his swimming
skills at Lake Wentworth. He dived into
the lake and only after swimming across
the shore and back did he feel certain
his terror of water had fled.
Question 11.
Which factors led Douglas to decide in
favour of YMCA pool? (All India 2011)
Answer:
When Douglas decided to overcome his
childhood fear of water he preferred to
go to YMCA swimming pool to learn
swimming because it was safe. It was
only two or three feet deep at the shallow
end; and although it was nine feet at
the other end, the drop was quite
gradual.
Question 12.
What did Douglas learn from his
experience at the YMCA pool? (Comptt.
Delhi 2011)
Answer:
His experience of drowning at the YMCA
pool had a very deep impact on Douglas.
He became extremely terrorised and
fearful of death. He had experienced
both the sensation of dying and the
terror that fear of it can produce. So his
will to live grew in intensity. He learnt
slowly to become a swimmer brushing
aside his fear gradually.
Question 13.
Why was Douglas determined to get over
his fear of water? (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Question 14.
Why did Douglas go to Lake Wentworth
in New Hampshire? How did he make his
terror flee? (All India 2012)
Answer:
Question 15.
What efforts did Douglas make to get
over his fear of water? (All India 2012)
Answer:
Douglas was determined to get over his
fear of water. He engaged a professional
instructor who understood the intensity
of his fear and decided to not just teach
him how to swim but ‘build’ a swimmer
out of him slowly and steadily.
Question 16.
Which two frightening experiences did
Douglas have in water in his childhood?
(Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Douglas’ first frightening experience in
water was when he was three or four
years old. He was knocked down by waves
while surfing at California beach. He
had been terror-struck at that time.
Years later, his experience at the YMCA
pool revived unpleasant memories when
an eighteen year old boy had hurled
Douglas into the deep end of the pool.
Both these experiences led Douglas to
develop a fear of water.
Question 17.
How did the instructor turn Douglas
into a swimmer? (Delhi 2013)
Answer:
To ‘build a swimmer’ out of Douglas, the
instructor began his training with
extreme caution. He attached a rope to a
belt and put it around Douglas. The rope
went through a pulley that ran on an
overhead cable. Supported by the cable,
they went to and fro in the pool and
practiced for weeks together. The
instructor taught Douglas to put his face
underwater and exhale and to raise his
nose and inhale. He then taught him to
kick in water for many weeks. Finally
after seven months, the instructor told
him to swim the length of the pool and
Douglas’ persistent fear started fading.
Question 18.
How did Douglas make sure that he
conquered the old terror? (All India
2013)
Answer:
Question 19.
How did William Douglas’s aversion to
water begin? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
William Douglas developed an aversion
to water when he was three or four years
old. He stood at a beach with his father
when a wave Swept over him and
knocked him down. He was buried under
water and became breathless. He was
petrified and developed a permanent
fear for water.
Question 20.
Why did William Douglas use the YMCA
pool and not Yakima river to learn
swimming? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
Douglas used the YMCA pool and not the
Yakima river to learn swimming because
the river was treacherous His mother
continually warned him against it and
kept the details of each drowning in the
river fresh in his mind. On the other
hand the YMCA pool was safe, only two or
three feet deep at the shallow end.
Question 21.
What happened when ‘a big bruiser of a
boy’ tossed Douglas into the YMCA pool?
How did Douglas plan to come out?
Answer:
Douglas landed inside the pool in a
sitting position, swallowed water and
went at once to the bottom. He was
frightened but on the way down he
planned how he would come out. When
his feet would hit the bottom, he would
make a big jump, come to the surface, lie
flat on it and paddle to the edge of the
pool.
Question 22.
Which two incidents in Douglas’ early
life made him scared of water? (Comptt.
Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Douglas’ first frightening experience in
water was when he was three or four
years old. He was knocked down by waves
while surfing at California beach. He
had been terror-struck at that time.
Years later, his experience at the YMCA
pool revived unpleasant memories when
an eighteen year old boy had hurled
Both these experiences led Douglas to
develop a fear of water.
Question 23.
Why did Douglas prefer to go to YMCA
swimming pool to learn swimming?
Answer:
When Douglas decided to overcome his
childhood fear of water he preferred to
go to YMCA swimming pool to learn
swimming because it was safe. It was
only two or three feet deep at the shallow
end; and although it was nine feet at
the other end, the drop was quite
gradual.
Question 24.
What did Douglas feel and do when he
was pushed into the swimming pool?
(Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
Douglas landed in the pool in a sitting
position, swallowed water and went at
once to the bottom. Though he was
frightened, on the way down he planned
that when his feet would hit the bottom
he would make a big jump and come to
the surface.
Question 25.
How did his swimming instructor ‘build
a swimmer’ out of Douglas? (Comptt. All
India 2014)
Answer:
Question 26.
Why did Douglas’ mother recommend
that he should learn swimming at the
YMCA swimming pool? (Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Douglas’ mother recommended that he
should learn swimming at the YMCA pool
because it was safe. It was only two to
three feet deep at the shallow end; and
while it was nine feet deep at the other
end, the drop was gradual.
Question 27.
How did Douglas remove his residual
doubts about his fear of water? (Delhi
2015)
Answer:
To remove his residual doubts about his
fear of water, Douglas went up the Tieton
to Conrad Meadows, up the Conrad Creek
Trail to Meade Glacier. He camped in the
high meadow by the side of the warm
lake. There he dove into the warm lake,
swam across to the other shore and back
just as Doug Corpron used to do.
Question 28.
How did Douglas’s experience at the
YMCA pool affect him? (Delhi 2015)
Answer:
The drowning experience left Douglas
weak and trembling. He was unable to
eat that night and was haunted by
extreme fear for days. The slightest
exertion would upset him, making his
knees wobble and his stomach sick. He
developed a complete aversion to the
swimming pool and this aversion stayed
with him for years.
Question 29.
What lesson did Douglas learn when he
got rid of his fear of water? (Comptt.
Delhi 2015)
Answer:
After getting rid of his fear of water
Douglas realized that ‘what one has to
fear is fear itself’ and if he is able to
overcome that fear he can achieve
anything he wants.
Question 30.
How did the instructor turn Douglas
into a swimmer?
Answer:
Question 31.
How did his experience at the YMCA
swimming pool affect Douglas? (Delhi
2016)
Answer:
The drowning experience left Douglas
weak and trembling. He was unable to
eat that night and was haunted by
extreme fear for days. The slightest
exertion would upset him, making his
knees wobble and his stomach sick. He
developed a complete aversion to the
swimming pool and this aversion stayed
with him for years.
Question 32.
What deep meaning did his experience
at the YMCA swimming pool have for
Douglas? (All India 2016)
Answer:
After his experience at the YMCA there
was a haunting fear in Douglas’ heart.
The experience of fear and death and its
conquest made him live intensely.
Conquering fear made him realise the
true value of life and helped him enjoy
every moment.
Question 33.
‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’ When
did Douglas learn this lesson? (All India
2016)
Answer:
Douglas learnt this lesson after he had
conquered his fear of water completely.
He went to Lake Wentworth, dived into
the warm lake, and swam across to the
other shore and back. He shouted with
joy at finally having con¬quered his fear
of water and realized the meaning of
Roosevelt’s words.
Question 34.
When did Douglas first become afraid of
water? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)
Answer:
Douglas first became afraid of water
when he was three years old and had
gone to the California beach with his
father. He went under a wave for a few
seconds and though he was not in any
kind of danger, yet he developed a fear
of water.
Question 35.
When did Douglas’ dislike of water first
begin? (Comptt. All India 2016)
Answer:
Douglas’ dislike of water first began
gone to the Cali-fornia beach with his
father. He was knocked down by the
waves which swept over him and he was
buried under the water. His breath was
gone and he developed a fear of water.
Question 36.
How did his experience at the YMCA pool
make Douglas feel scared of water?
Answer:
Question 37.
What shocking experience did Douglas
have at YMCA pool? (Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Question 38.
Why did Douglas fail to come to the
surface of the pool as he hoped to? (All
India 2017)
Answer:
Douglas had hoped that when his feet hit
the bottom of the pool, he would make a
big jump and come to the surface but
before he touched the bottom his lungs
were ready to burst. Then when his feet
hit the bottom and he summoned up all
his strength to spring upwards, he came
up slowly and saw nothing but water.
Question 39.
How did Douglas’ introduction to YMCA
pool revive his childhood fear of water?
(All India 2017)
Answer:
Douglas’ introduction to the YMCA
swimming pool revived unpleasant
memories and stirred his childish fears
when he was knocked down and swept
over by the waves in a beach in
Cali¬fornia and had been buried in
water. Thereafter he had an aversion to
water when he was near it.
Question 40.
When did Douglas first start fearing
water? (Comptt. All India 2017)
Answer:
Douglas first became afraid of water
gone to the California beach with his
father. He went under a wave for a few
seconds and though he was not in any
kind of danger, yet he developed a fear
of water.
Question 41.
What was the deep fear in William
Douglas’ mind? How did he get over it?
(Comptt. AI 2017)
Answer:
William Douglas had a deep fear of
water. Douglas had to resort to
professional assistance to overcome his
fear of water. He employed an instructor
to teach him how to swim. He practiced
five days a week, an hour each day with
the instructor and piece by piece the
instructor built a swimmer out of
Douglas.
Question 42.
What happened to Douglas at the YMCA
pool?
Answer:
As Douglas was sitting on the side of the
YMCA pool waiting for others, a boy who
was around eighteen years old came
there and yelled, ‘Hi, Skinny! How’d you
like to be ducked?” saying this, he picked
up Douglas and tossed him into the deep
end of the pool.
Deep Water Important Questions Long

Answer Type Questions (5-6 MARKS)
Question 43.
” There was terror in my heart at the
overpowering force of the waves.” When
did Douglas start fearing water? Which
experience had further strengthened its
hold on his mind and personality? (All
India 2010)
Answer:
As a child of three or four years, Douglas
had been knocked down by the waves at
California beach. The waves swept over
him and he was buried under them. The
overpowering force of water terrorized
him and he developed an aversion for
water. This aversion to water resurfaced
once again when Douglas was eleven
years old and further strengthened its
hold on his mind and personality. An
eighteen years old boy tossed little
This downward journey into water for
the second time was a nightmarish
experience. His legs were almost
paralysed, his lungs ached, his head
throbbed and he felt suffocated. Keeping
his wits intact, he pushed himself up to
the surface of the swimming pool but all
his efforts proved futile. Finally when he
came to his senses he was lying on his
stomach beside the pool. Now the
haunting fear of water gripped his heart
and he continued to be mortally scared
of water for a very long time.
Question 44.
How did Douglas develop an aversion to
water? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
When Douglas was three or four years
old, his father had taken him to the
beach in California. As he and his father
had stood together in the surf, the waves
had knocked him down and swept over
him. He was buried in water. His breath
was gone and he was frightened. Then,
when he was about ten or eleven years
old and had decided to learn to swim,
he had gone to the YMCA pool. There an
eighteen year old boy picked him up and
tossed him into the deep end of the pool.
After this incident he never went back to
the pool. He developed a fear of water
and avoided it whenever he could. Even
when he went wading or boating in
water the terror that had seized him
during these experi¬ences would come
back and take possession of him
completely. His legs would become
paralysed and icy horror would grab his
heart.
Question 45.
How did Douglas try to save himself from
drowning in the YMCA pool? (Delhi
2011)
Answer:
When his feet hit the bottom of the pool
Douglas summoned up all his strength
and made a great spring upwards
thinking he would bob to the surface like
a cork. But when nothing like that
happened Douglas tried to yell but no
sound came out. Now a great force was
pulling him under. He was paralysed
under water stiff and rigid with fear.
Then in the midst of the terror came a
touch of reason that he should remember
to jump when he hit the bottom. As soon
as he felt the tiles under him he reached
out his toes towards them and jumped
again with all his strength. Yet again
the jump did not make any difference.
The water was still around him. Stark
terror took an even deeper hold on him
and he shook and trembled with fright.
He could not move his arms and legs. He
tried to call for help but nothing
happened. Finally he ceased all his
efforts and decided to relax as blackness
swept over his brain.
Question 46.
How did the instructor make Douglas a
good swimmer? (All India 2011)
Answer:
The instructor put in serious efforts to
‘build a swimmer’ out of Douglas. He
understood Douglas’ mortal water-
phobia and practiced five days a week,
an hour each day, with him. He devised
a unique way to teach him how to swim.
He attached a rope to Douglas’ belt that
went through a pulley which ran over an
overhead cable. Holding the end of the
rope in his hand, he made Douglas move
back and forth in the pool without
causing him much fear. Douglas was
taught how to exhale under water and
raise his nose to inhale.
This exercise was repeated numerous

times and they went to and fro across the
pool week after week. The instructor then
taught Douglas to kick with his legs. At
first his legs would not work but finally
he was able to control and command
them. Finally he was transformed into
quite a perfect swimmer by his instructor.
Question 47.
What horrific experiences did Douglas
have in his childhood? What impact did
they have on him? (Comptt. All India
2011)
Answer:
When Douglas was three or four years
old, his father had taken him to the
beach in California. As he and his father
had stood together in the surf, the waves
had knocked him down and swept over
him. He was buried in water. His breath
was gone and he was frightened. Then,
when he was about ten or eleven years
old and had decided to learn to swim,
he had gone to the YMCA pool. There an
eighteen year old boy picked him up and
After this incident he never went back to
the pool. He developed a fear of water
and avoided it whenever he could. Even
when he went wading or boating in
water the terror that had seized him
during these experi¬ences would come
back and take possession of him
completely. His legs would become
paralysed and icy horror would grab his
heart.
Question 48.
What misadventure did Douglas
experience at the YMCA swimming pool?
Answer:
As the timid Douglas sat alone at the
side of the YMCA swimming pool waiting
for other people to come, a big bruiser of
a boy, probably eighteen years old came
there. He asked Douglas whether he
would like to be ducked. Saying this he
picked up Douglas and tossed him into
the deep end of the pool. Douglas landed
inside the pool in a sitting position,
swallowed water and went at once to the
bottom of the pool. Though Douglas was
extremely frightened he had his wits
intact so on his way down he started to
plan. He decided that when his feet
would hit the bottom he would make a
big jump, come to the surface, lie flat on
it and then paddle to the edge of the
pool. At that moment the nine feet deep
pool seemed like ninety feet to him and
before he touched the bottom he felt his
lungs were ready to burst.
Question 49.
Describe the efforts made by Douglas to
save himself from drowning in the YMCA
swimming pool. (Comptt. All India 2013)
Answer:
Douglas was picked up and tossed into
the deep end of the YMCA swimming pool.
At that time those nine feet seemed a
long way down. As his feet hit the bottom
he summoned all his strength and made
an upward spring. He came up slowly,
opened his eyes and saw only water. He
reached up as if to grab a rope and his
hands clutched only at water. He flailed
at the surface of the water, swallowed
and choked. He tried to bring up his legs
but they hung as if paralysed. He again
started on a journey back to the bottom
of the pool.
Then he remembered the strategy —he

would spring from the bottom of the pool
and come like a cork to the surface. He
would lie flat on the water, strike out
with his arms and thrash with his legs.
Then he would get to the edge of the pool
and be safe. Yet again the jump made no
difference and finally Douglas ceased
all efforts and relaxed as blockness swept
over his brain.
Question 50.
How did Douglas’s experience at the
YMCA pool affect him and how did he
overcome his fear of water? (Comptt. All
India 2013)
Answer:
The big bully of a boy found Douglas
alone at the pool. He picked him up and
Douglas was thrown at the bottom of the
pool and feared that he would be
drowned. This ‘misadventure’ caused
Douglas a lot of trouble and agony. He
developed an aversion to water as he
experienced a series of fears and
emotions. Icy horror grabbed his heart
and made him panicky. This experience
had a lasting effect on Douglas. It
deprived him of the joys of boating and
swimming. This fear of water ruined his
fishing trips. He never went back to the
pool. This fear of water stayed with him
as the years rolled by.
Whenever he tried to enter water, he was

seized by fear. Wherever he went his joys
of fishing, boating and swimming were
ruined. This fear of deep waters stayed
with him for years and firmly held him
in its grip. Douglas had to resort to
professional assistance to overcome his
fear of water. He employed an instructor
to teach him how to swim. He practiced
five days a week, an hour each day with
the instructor and piece by piece the
instructor built a swimmer out of
Douglas.
Question 51.
The story “Deep Water” has made you
realize that with determination and
perseverance one can accomplish the
impossible. Write a paragraph in about
100 words on how a positive attitude
and courage will aid you to achieve
success in life. (Delhi 2014)
Answer:
Douglas was afraid of water from a very
young age. His misadventure at the
YMCA pool further increased his water
phobia. He was unable to enjoy fishing
and boating trips. Finally he decided he
had to overcome his fear. He could not
do it without seeking professional help,
so he appointed an instructor who
gradually made him an excellent
swimmer. Still Douglas was not satisfied.
He made use of every opportunity to swim
and dive in water thus challenging his
fear. He was able to overcome his fear
completely and this led him to make the
statement that what one is afraid of is
fear itself and if we are able to overcome
that fear then we can achieve anything
in life.
Question 52.
Desire, determination and diligence
lead to success. Explain the value of these
qualities in the light of Douglas’
experience in “Deep Water”. (Comptt. All
India 2014)
Answer:
Determination and perseverance is a
combination of attributes and abilities
that drive people to set goals for
themselves and then to take the
initiative to achieve these goals. Douglas
was able to overcome his fear of water by
the values of positive attitude and
courage. Initially he was afraid of water
but his grit and determination made
him get an instructor and overcome his
fear. Determination today leads to our
success tomorrow. It is that innate
quality in our soul, which comes to
surface when an incident irks it. It is a
reflection of our values taught to us by
society and circumstances and enables
us to overcome all obstacles.
There is always admiration for heroes

like William Douglas who face
challenges courageously and finally
emerge successful. For years the fear of
water haunted him. It deprived him of
the joy of canoeing, swimming, fishing
and boating. However, it was deliberate,
planned and continuous efforts that
enabled Douglas to get over his fear. He
was absolutely determined to get rid of
his fear and it was due to his
perseverance and resoluteness that he
emerged victorious.
Question 53.
“All we have to fear is fear itself.”
Describe Douglas’s experiences which led
to the making of this statement. (Comptt.
Delhi 2015)
Answer:
swimmer.
Still Douglas was not satisfied. He made
use of every opportunity to swim and dive
in water thus challenging his fear. He
was able to overcome his fear completely
and this led him to make the statement
that what one is afraid of is fear itself
and if we are able to overcome that fear
then we can achieve anything in life.
Question 54.
With the help of courage one can achieve
a lot. How did Douglas overcome his fear
of water? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)
Answer:
swimmer. Still, Douglas was not satisfied.
He made use of every opportunity to swim
and dive in water thus challenging his
fear. He was able to overcome his fear
completely and this led him to make the
statement that what one is afraid of is
fear itself and if we are able to overcome
that fear then we can achieve anything
in life.
Question 55.
We always admire those as heroes who
face challenges bravely in different
phases of life and emerge successfully.
Elaborate on this statement with
reference to William Douglas. (Comptt.
Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Determination and perseverance is a
combination of attributes and abilities
that drive people to set goals for
themselves and then to take the
initiative to achieve these goals. Douglas
was able to overcome his fear of water by
the values of positive attitude and
courage. Initially he was afraid of water
but his grit and determination made
him get an instructor and overcome his
fear. Determination today leads to our
success tomorrow. It is that innate
quality in our soul, which comes to
surface when an incident irks it. It is a
reflection of our values taught to us by
society and circumstances and enables
us to overcome all obstacles.
There is always admiration for heroes

like William Douglas who face
challenges courageously and finally
emerge successful. For years the fear of
water haunted him. It deprived him of
the joy of canoeing, swimming, fishing
and boating. However, it was deliberate,
planned and continuous efforts that
enabled Douglas to get over his fear. He
was absolutely determined to get rid of
his fear and it was due to his
perseverance and resoluteness that he
emerged victorious.
INDIGO
(Flamingo)
Introduction Of Chapter …..

 Indigo is a story which deals with
patience, courage and
determination of Mahatma Gandhi
to fight for Champaran.
 Who were oppressed by the

Britishers, Zamindar and Big
Planters.
 This chapter depecits how the

Britishers forced the farmers to plant
Indigo on their land.
 It also shows how the farmers were
forced into an ancient arrangement
of share cropping.
 The chapter deals with importance

of self reliance and civil
disobedience.
 It shows how Gandhi Ji tried to

educate them and make the farmers
fearless to fight their own battle.
Short Explanation …..

“Indigo” portraits Gandhiji’s struggle for
the poor peasants of Champaran. He
managed to get justice after a yearlong
battle for the peasants. He also made
arrangements for the education, health
and hygiene for the families of the poor
peasants. He gave them the lesson of self-
reliance.
Short notes …..

Raj Kumar Shukla- A poor
sharecropper from Champaran wishing
to meet Gandhiji.
Raj Kumar Shukla- an illiterate but

resolute (determined) hence followed
Gandhiji to Lucknow, Kanpur,
Ahemdabad, Calcutta, Patna,
Muzzafarpur & then Champaran.
Servants at Rajendra Prasad’s

residence thought Gandhi to be an
untouchable because of his simple living
style, scanty clothes and company of Raj
Kumar Shukla.
Decided to go to Muzzafarpur first to

get detailed information about
Champaran sharecropper.
Sent telegram to J B Kriplani and

stayed in Prof. Malkani’s home a
government servant.
Gandhiji went to the British Official
Commissioner who asked him to leave
Trihut, Gandhiji disobeyed, went to
Motihari the capital of Champaran
where multitude greeted him, continued
his investigations.
Indians afraid to show sympathy to

the supporters of home rule.
The news of Gandhi’s arrival spread-

sharecroppers gathered in large number
to meet vast their champion.
Gandhiji chided the Muzzafarpur

lawyer for taking high fee.
Champaran district was divided into

estate owned by English people, Indians
only tenant farmers.
Landlords compelled tenants to plant
15% of their land with indigo and
surrender their entire harvest as rent.
In the meantime Germany had

developed synthetic indigo-British
landlords freed the Indian farmers from
the 15% arrangement but asked them to
pay compensation.
Many signed, some resisted, engaged

lawyers, landlords hired thugs.
Gandhiji reached Champaran- visited

the secretary of the British landlord
association to get the facts but denied as
he was an outsider.
Visited maltreated villagers, stopped

by the police superintendent but
disobeyed the order.
Motihari black with peasants’
spontaneous demonstrations, Gandhi
released without bail Civil Disobedience
triumphed.
Gandhiji agreed to 25% refund by the

landowners, it symbolized the surrender
of the prestige.
Gandhiji worked hard towards social

economic reforms, elevated their distress
aided by his wife, Mahadev Desai,
Narhari Parikh.
Gandhiji taught a lesson of self-

reliance by not seeking help of an
English man Mr. Andrew.
SUMMARY
Louis Fischer met Gandhi in 1942 at
his ashram in Sevagram. Gandhi told
him how he initiated the departure of
the British from India. He recalled
that it in 1917 at the request of
Rajkumar Shukla, a sharecropper
from Champaran, he visited the place.
Gandhi had gone to Lucknow to
attend the annual meeting of the
Indian National Congress in the year
1916. Shukla told him that he had
come from Champaran to seek his help
in order to safeguard the interests of
the sharecroppers. Gandhi told him
that he was busy so Shukla
accompanied him to various places
till he consented to visit Champaran.
His firm decision impressed Gandhiji
and he promised him that he would
visit Calcutta at a particular date
and then Shukla could come and take
him along to Champaran. Shukla met
him at Calcutta and they took a train
to Patna. Gandhi went to lawyer
Rajendra Prasad’s house and they
waited for him. In order to grab
complete knowledge of the situation,
he reached Muzzafarpur on 15th April
1917. He was welcomed by Prof. J.B
Kriplani and his students. Gandhi was
surprised to see the immense support
for an advocate of home rule like him.
He also met some lawyers who were
already handling cases of
sharecroppers. As per the contract, 15
percent of the peasant’s landholding
was to be reserved for the cultivation
of indigo, the crop of which was given
to the landlord as rent. This system
was very oppressive. Gandhi wanted to
help the sharecroppers. So he visited
the British landlord association but
he was not given any information
because he was an outsider. He then
went to the commissioner of the Tirhut
division who threatened Gandhi and
ask him to leave Tirhut. Instead of
returning, he went to Motihari. Here
he started gathering complete
information about the indigo
contract. He was accompanied by
many lawyers. One day as he was on
his way to meet a peasant, who was
maltreated by the indigo planters, he
was stopped by the police
superintendent’s messenger who served
him a notice asking him to leave.
Gandhi received the notice but
disobeyed the order. A case was filed
against him. Many lawyers came to
advise him but when he stressed, they
all joined his struggle and even
consented to go to jail in order to help
the poor peasants. On the day of trial,
a large crowd gathered near the
court. It became impossible to handle
them. Gandhi helped the officers to
control the crowd. Gandhi gave his
statement that he was not a
lawbreaker but he disobeyed so that
he could help the peasants. He was
granted bail and later on, the case
against him was dropped. Gandhi
and his associates started gathering
all sorts of information related to the
indigo contract and its misuse. Later,
a commission was set up to look into
the matter. After the inquiry was
conducted, the planters were found
guilty and were asked to pay back to
the peasants. Expecting refusal, they
offered to pay only 25 percent of the
amount. Gandhi accepted this too
because he wanted to free the
sharecroppers from the binding of the
indigo contract. He opened six schools
in Champaran villages and
volunteers like Mahadev Desai,
Narhari Parikh, and his son, Devdas
taught them. Kasturbai, the wife of
Gandhi used to teach personal
hygiene. Later on, with the help of a
volunteer doctor, he provided medical
facilities to the natives of Champaran,
thus making their life a bit better. A
peacemaker, Andrews wanted to
volunteer at Champaran ashram. But
Gandhi refused as he wanted Indians
to learn the lesson of self-reliance so
that they would not depend on others.
Gandhi told the writer that it was
Champaran’s incident that made him
think that he did not need the
Britisher’s advice while he was in his
own country.
Q1- Why do you think Gandhi

considered the Champaran episode to be
a turning point in his life?
A1- The Champaran event had solved

various problems faced by the poor
peasants. They were relieved from the
torture they had to face at the hands of
the landlords. Thousands of people
supported him. This was considered as a
turning point in the life of Gandhi. He
once said that what he did was an
ordinary thing as he didn’t want the
Britishers to order him in his own
country.
Q2- How was Gandhi able to influence

lawyers? Give instances.
A2- Gandhi asked the lawyers about

their course of action if he was sentenced
to jail. They answered that they would
return back. He then asked them about
the plight of the peasants. This made
them realize their duty towards the
social issue and they decided to go to
jail with Gandhi.
Q3- What was the attitude of the average
Indian in smaller localities towards
advocates of ‘home rule’?
A3- The average Indians in smaller

localities did not support the advocates
of Home Rule as they feared to go
against the British government. For
Gandhi it was surprising that Professor
Malkani allowed him to stay at his home
even though he was a government
teacher.
Q4-How do we know that ordinary people

too contributed to the freedom
movement?
A4- Ordinary people too contributed to

the freedom movement. This can be
justified by the following events:
 A large number of students
accompanied Prof. J.B Kriplani to
welcome Gandhi at Muzzafarpur
railway station.
 Peasants also came to see him either on
foot or by conveyance.
 A large number of people gathered to
demonstrate around the courtroom.

Characters of Indigo Summary
1. Rajkumar Shukla
He is a farmer in Champaran and was
very disturbed with the landlords and
their type of contract. Though he was
illiterate but was determined and
supported Gandhi in his struggle. He was
the one who took initiative and met
Gandhi Ji asking for his support.
2. Mahatma Gandhi
He went with Raj Kumar Shukla and
made up his mind to work upon the
political-economic and social injustice.
To make them self-reliant he works on
many social issues. He contributed to the
struggle to achieve independence and
self-reliance for the masses.
3. Edward Gait
He was the then lt. Governor of the
province and dropped the case against
him and later on set up a commission to
tackle this problem.
4. C.F. Andrews
He was a British and a pacifist and a
devoted follower of Bapu. He wished to
stay in Bihar but Gandhi refused him.
THE RATTRAP
(Flamingo)
The Rattrap Peddler/Traveler/Vagabond
A vagabond traveling the roads and

trying to make an honest income selling
handmade rattraps who finds he must
nevertheless supplement the meager sales
with begging or thievery. He steals from
a crofter, is mistaken for an old military
acquaintance by the Ironmaster, and is
treated with such generosity by the
Ironmaster's daughter that it redeems
him and encourages him to alter his
cynical and pessimistic attitude
The Crofter
The vagabond comes across an old man

who kindly offers him food and shelter.
The crofter is a widower and is thrilled
to have company. They play cards and
converse into the night. But despite the
crofter sharing his warm food and
tobacco, the peddler steals the money
hanging on a nail by the front door.
The Ironmaster
Owner of Ramsjö Ironworks, where the

vagabond takes shelter after getting lost
in the woods. The Ironmaster served in
the war, and he mistakes the vagabond
for an old war buddy.
Edla Willmansson
Edla is the Ironmaster's plain but kind

daughter who convinces her father that
despite the initial deception, the
vagabond should be allowed to stay for
Christmas. She insists that there is no
reason to kick him out because there is
plenty of food and space for him to sleep.
Edla is a force of non-judgemental
kindness that ultimately leads to the
vagabond's redemption.
THE
THIRD LEVEL (VISTAS)
Introduction Of Chapter …..
The Third Level by Jack Finney is an
interesting story that is set after
the world wars . Consequently, the life
was full of fear, insecurity , war& worry .
This story talks about the figments of

imaginations that can be used to escape
from reality . It takes readers back in the
time of joy and peace . Charley, the
protagonist wants to escape from the
harsh realities of modern world and
imagines the world of 19th century
where the people were living peaceful life
and they had ample time for themselves.
The story weaves together

psychological journey of the narrator
into the past , present and progresses
towards future.
Explanation Short notes …..

About Charley
 31 years old ordinary person

 Takes temporary refuge from reality
 Wife Louisa worries
 Imagines himself at Galesburg in 1894
to stay back at the Third level “ Wants
security and peace.
 Hobby stamp collection.
Charley ‘s description of the Third
Level (imaginary)
 Smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows,

wooden old styled information
 booths
 Derby hat and gold pocket watches
 Men with beards ,sideburns and
moustaches
 Women with skirts, high buttoned shoes
and legs of buttoned sleeves
 Brass spittoons on the floor,open
flamed gas lights
 Old styled locomotives with funnel
shaped stack ,
 Newspaper ‘The World’, 11th June 1894
 Charley wishes to buy two tickets to
Galesburg
 Clerk stares at him since the currency is
different
 Moves from past to present ( in reality)
runs from there

Charley shares his experience
 Psychiatrist friend Sam refuses to

believe
 Considers waking dream wish
fulfillment
 Wife Louisa gets worried, disbelieves too
 Presidents of Newyork swear on the
existence of two levels
Sam disappears
 Charley gets note from Sam of dated

18July 1894
 Sam suggests to keep on searching for
the Third Level
 Reaches Third Level (Galesburg)world
of peace
 Starts new business of hay ,grain and
cattle
 Enjoys happy and peaceful life
First Day Cover
 Stamp collectors buy stamps on the day

of release
 Mail the envelopes , blank paper in it
with the postmark of the date to
themselves
 Covers remain unopened, Charley
inherited stamp collection from his
grandfather
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS …..
1. How do Charley’s wife Louisa and his
friend Sam react to the narrator ‘
observation?
ANS. Charley the narrator states that

there are three levels at Grand Central
Station. His assertion is based on his
personal observation. But his friend Sam
said that Charley was unhappy and
wanted to escape. His wife Louisa was
shocked and worried. They both
isbelieved him.
2. What do you learn about Galesburg,

Illinois during 1894 ?
ANS. Galesburg has been describede

peaceful place that was not ravaged by
the two world wars It has old framed
houses, huge lawns and splendid trees
with expanded branches. The men would
smoke cigar talk quietly. The women
would be waving palm leaves fans. They
have ample time for themselves .
3. What do you know about the ‘First Day

Cover ‘?
ANS. When a new stamp is issued in any

country, stamp collectors buy some and
use them to mail envelopes at their on
address on the very first day of release
.They put a blank paper in the envelopes
.The postmark proves the date of issue
.The envelope is called a first day cover.
It remains unopened.
EXPLANATION IN DETAIL
THE presidents of the New York Central

and the New York, New Haven and
Hartford railroads will swear on a stack
of timetables that there are only two. But
I say there are three, because I’ve been
on the third level of the Grand Central
Station. Yes, I’ve taken the obvious step: I
talked to a psychiatrist friend of mine,
among others. I told him about the third
level at Grand Central Station, and he
said it was a waking dream wish
fulfillment. He said I was unhappy. That
made my wife kind of mad, but he
explained that he meant the modern
world is full of insecurity, fear, war,
worry and all the rest of it, and that I
just want to escape. Well, who doesn’t?
Everybody I know wants to escape, but
they don’t wander down into any third
level at Grand Central Station.
Stack- a pile of objects, typically one that
is neatly arranged
Timetables- a schedule showing the
departure and arrival times of trains,
buses or aircraft
Waking dream- an involuntary dream
occuring while a person is awake
Wander- walk; roam
The story begins with the mention of a

third level at the Grand Central Station
(which only has two levels in real). The
protagonist himself is aware that even
the Presidents of New York Central and
the New York, New Haven and Hartford
railroads would express great confidence
in the existence of only two levels but he
himself has been to the third level.
Considering the entire scenario, Charley,
the protagonist had a word with his
psychiatrist friend. He explained that
Charley was experiencing a ˜waking
dream wish fulfillment or in other words,
hallucination. According to the
psychiatrist, Charley was unhappy (the
fact her wife did not like). Upon
explaining further, it became clear that
it is the burden of all the modern
problems that is pushing him to
experience the apparent perception of
something not present. He tends to escape
the reality. Charley agreed with what his
psychiatrist friend had to say but he still
found it a bit odd to have been to the
third level of the Grand Central Station.
But that’s the reason, he said, and my

friends all agreed. Everything points to
it, they claimed. My stamp collecting, for
example; that’s a temporary refuge from
reality. Well, maybe, but my grandfather
didn’t need any refuge from reality;
things were pretty nice and peaceful in
his day, from all I hear, and he started
my collection. It’s a nice collection too,
blocks of four of practically every U.S.
issue, first-day covers, and so on.
President Roosevelt collected stamps too,
you know.
Refuge- the state of being safe or
sheltered from pursuit, danger, or
difficulty
Charley begins to believe in the
possibility that he has been experiencing
all this to escape the harsh realities of
the modern world. His friends agreed to
it as well. Even his stamp collecting is a
sort of asylum he resorts to in order to
feel protected. On the other hand, he
starts thinking otherwise. His
grandfather started his stamp collection
but in those days, they had not seen the
consequences of war and there was
peace, harmony and security. His
grandfather must have not been
insecure. The collection, moreover was
amazing, with blocks of four of
practically every U. S. issue. Even
President Roosevelt collected stamps.
Anyway, here’s what happened at Grand
Central. One night last summer I worked
late at the office. I was in a hurry to get
uptown to my apartment, so I decided to
take the subway from Grand Central
because it’s faster than the bus.
He starts explaining what exactly
happened and begins with how he chose
to take the Subway to his apartment
instead of the usual bus after a late-
night shift. He did this in order to save
time.
Now, I donâ€™t know why this should

have happened to me. I’m just an
ordinary guy named Charley, thirty-one
years old, and I was wearing a tan
gabardine suit and a straw hat with a
fancy band; I passed a dozen men who
looked just like me. And I wasn’t trying
to escape from anything; I just wanted to
get home to Louisa, my wife.
Gabardine- a smooth, durable, twill-
woven worsted or cotton cloth
He describes himself as an ordinary man
of 31 dressed in a tan gabardine suit
and a straw hat with a fancy band. It
was so ordinary that he could see other
similar men at the station. He explains
how he was in his normal state of mind
not wanting to escape from anywhere.
All he wanted was to be with his wife
Louisa at that hour. He still doesn’t
understand why this happened with him.
I turned into Grand Central from
Vanderbilt Avenue, and went down the
steps to the first level, where you take
trains like the Twentieth Century. Then I
walked down another flight to the
second level, where the suburban trains
leave from, ducked into an arched
doorway heading for the subway and
got lost. That’s easy to do. I’ve been in
and out of Grand Central hundreds of
times, but I’m always bumping into new
doorways and stairs and corridors. Once
I got into a tunnel about a mile long
and came out in the lobby of the
Roosevelt Hotel. Another time I came up
in an office building on Forty-sixth
Street, three blocks away.
Suburban- residential
Ducked- lower the head or body quickly
Arched- curved
Bumping- knock or run into something
Charley comes to the part of the incident
where he entered the Grand Central from
Vanderbilt Avenue and took the stairs to
the first level where one boarded trains
like the Twentieth Century. Then he went
down another floor to reach the second
level from where the suburban trains
leave. From there he entered an arched
doorway and got lost. It was nothing
unusual for him because even if he had
come to that station a thousand times,
there were occasions he bumped into new
corridors and doorways. Once he entered
the wrong lobby and reached Roosevelt
Hotel and another time in an office
building which was three blocks away.
Sometimes I think Grand Central is
growing like a tree, pushing out new
corridors and staircases like roots.
There’s probably a long tunnel that
nobody knows about feeling its way
under the city right now, on its way to
Times Square, and maybe another to
Central Park. And maybe because for so
many people through the years Grand
Central has been an exit, a way of escape
maybe that’s how the tunnel I got into…
But I never told my psychiatrist friend
about that idea.
He wondered that Grand Central was
expanding at a very fast rate just like a
tree and with its roots. HeÂ it is no big
deal that they even have a secret tunnel
under the city to the Times Square or
maybe the Central Park. He feels it might
be because Grand Central is a place of
exit for innumerable people, he also
managed to escape reality because of the
same reason. Although he never shared
it with his psychiatrist.
The corridor I was in began angling left
and slanting downward and I thought
that was wrong, but I kept on walking.
All I could hear was the empty sound of
my own footsteps and I didnâ€™t pass a
soul. Then I heard that sort of hollow
roar ahead that means open space and
people talking. The tunnel turned sharp
left; I went down a short flight of stairs
and came out on the third level at
Grand Central Station. For just a
moment I thought I was back on the
second level, but I saw the room was
smaller, there were fewer ticket windows
and train gates, and the information
booth in the centre was wood and old
looking. And the man in the booth wore
a green eyeshade and long black sleeve
protectors. The lights were dim and sort
of flickering. Then I saw why; they were
open-flame gaslights.
The unusual corridor he had entered
into began angling left and slanting
downward which he felt odd about but
nevertheless, he kept on walking. There
was no one except him and the voice of
his feet echoed. He finally heard the
sound of people talking from a distance,
then he took a left and walked down the
stairs again only to reach the third level
of the Grand Central. He thought he had
somehow made his way back to the
second level but as he noticed, the room
was smaller, there were fewer ticket
windows and train gates, and the
information booth in the center was
wood and old-looking. The man in the
booth was also different and the station
was dim-lit for there were open-flame
gaslights.
There were brass spittoons on the floor,

and across the station a glint of light
caught my eye; a man was pulling a
gold watch from his vest pocket. He
snapped open the cover, glanced at his
watch and frowned. He wore a derby
hat, a black four-button suit with tiny
lapels, and he had a big, black,
handlebar mustache. Then I looked
around and saw that everyone in the
station was dressed like eighteen-ninety-
something; I never saw so many beards,
sideburns and fancy mustaches in my
life. A woman walked in through the
train gate; she wore a dress with leg-of-
mutton sleeves and skirts to the top of her
high-buttoned shoes. Back of her, out on
the tracks, I caught a glimpse of a
locomotive, a very small Currier & Ives
locomotive with a funnel-shaped stack.
And then I knew.
Spittoons- a metal or earthenware pot
typically having a funnel-shaped top,
used for spitting into
Vest- a garment worn on the upper part
of the body
Snapped- break suddenly and completely
Locomotive- a powered railway vehicle
used for pulling trains
Charley could see brass spittoons
everywhere when suddenly a glimpse of
light caught his eye and he saw a man
pulling his gold watch from the vest. He
was dressed in an old-fashioned style.
Suddenly, he noticed that everyone was
dressed like the nineteenth century. It
was basically the time before deadly
wars. So many beards and fancy
mustaches all around, something that
the protagonist had never seen before. He
even saw a very small Currier & Ives
locomotive which made him sure about
which time he is in.
To make sure, I walked over to a newsboy
and glanced at the stack of papers at his
feet. It was The World, and The World
hasnâ’t been published for years. The
lead story said something about
President Cleveland. I’ve found that
front page since, in the Public Library
files, and it was printed June 11, 1894.
To validate his suspicion, he went over to
the newspaper boy who was selling The
World, a newspaper which was
discontinued years ago. There were some
headlines about the then President
Cleveland. The date on the front page
was also June 11, 1894. He was now sure.
I turned toward the ticket windows

knowing that here â€” on the third level
at Grand Central â€” I could buy tickets
that would take Louisa and me
anywhere in the United States we wanted
to go. In the year 1894. And I wanted
two tickets to Galesburg, Illinois. Have
you ever been there? Itâ€™s a wonderful
town still, with big old frame houses,
huge lawns, and tremendous trees whose
branches meet overhead and roof the
streets. And in 1894, summer evenings
were twice as long, and people sat out on
their lawns, the men smoking cigars and
talking quietly, the women waving
palm-leaf fans, with the fire-flies all
around, in a peaceful world. To be back
there with the First World War still
twenty years off, and World War II over
forty years in the future… I wanted two
tickets for that.
Immediately, he went to the ticket

window to get the tickets for Galesburg,
Illinois for him and his wife. It was a
wonderful town with a lot of greenery.
He was well aware that from here one
could buy tickets that would take them
anywhere in the United States. He
describes how things were in 1984 before
the two World Wars took place. Evenings
were twice as long as they are now and
men and women living in peace and
serenity.
The clerk figured the fare he glanced at
my fancy hatband, but he figured the
fare â€” and I had enough for two coach
tickets, one way. But when I counted out
the money and looked up, the clerk was
staring at me. He nodded at the bills.
That ain’t money, mister,he said, and if
youâ€™re trying to skin me, you won’t
get very far, and he glanced at the cash
drawer beside him. Of course the money
was old-style bills, half again as big as
the money we use nowadays, and
different-looking. I turned away and
got out fast. Thereâ€™s nothing nice
about jail, even in 1894.
Clerk- administrator
As the clerk calculated the fare, he
looked at Charleyâ€™s fancy hatband.
Charley just had enough for one sided
journey. Just as he took out money, the
clerk informed that this is not the
acceptable legal tender and by any
chance if he tried to be smart, he
wonâ€™t be able to get away with it. He
glanced at his cash drawer and realised
that currency used back then was
different and almost double the size. He
ran out because he didnâ€™t want to go
to jail.
And that was that. I left the same way I
came, I suppose. Next day, during lunch
hour, I drew three hundred dollars out
of the bank, nearly all we had, and
bought old-style currency (that really
worried my psychiatrist friend). You can
buy old money at almost any coin
dealers, but you have to pay a premium.
My three hundred dollars bought less
than two hundred in old-style bills, but I
didnâ€™t care; eggs were thirteen cents
a dozen in 1894.
The day ended after he came out. The

next day he went to withdraw his entire
savings and got them converted into old
money by paying some amount of
premium. It cost him much and even
worried his psychiatrist friend but he still
went with it. Back then, eggs cost
thirteen cents a dozen.
But Iâ€™ve never again found the

corridor that leads to the third level at
Grand Central Station, although Iâ€™ve
tried often enough. Louisa was pretty
worried when I told her all this, and
didnâ€™t want me to look for the third
level any more, and after a while I
stopped; I went back to my stamps. But
now weâ€™re both looking, every
weekend, because now we have proof that
the third level is still there. My friend
Sam Weiner disappeared! Nobody knew
where, but I sort of suspected because
Samâ€™s a city boy, and I used to tell
him about Galesburg â€” I went to school
there â€” and he always said he liked
the sound of the place. And thatâ€™s
where he is, all right. In 1894.
But unfortunately, he could never find
the way to the third-level corridor again
despite hard efforts. His wife Louisa was
pretty worried when she got to know
about it all. After a while, he went back
to finding distractions with the help of
stamps. Somehow, Sam, the psychiatrist
disappeared out of the blue. Charley
suspected that he had gone to Galesburg.
He finds himself in the time-space of
1894.
Because one night, fussing with my

stamp collection, I found â€” Well, do
you know what a first-day cover is? When
a new stamp is issued, stamp collectors
buy some and use them to mail envelopes
to themselves on the very first day of sale;
and the postmark proves the date. The
envelope is called a first-day cover.
Theyâ€™re never opened; you just put
blank paper in the envelope.
Fussing- show unnecessary or excessive
concern about something
One night Charley came across a first-
day cover. It is an envelope (with a
stamp on it) that stamp collectors mail
to themselves on the first day of its sale to
mark the date. Theyâ€™re just blank
inside and are not meant to be opened.
That night, among my oldest first-day
covers, I found one that shouldnâ€™t
have been there. But there it was. It was
there because someone had mailed it to
my grandfather at his home in
Galesburg; thatâ€™s what the address on
the envelope said. And it had been there
since July 18, 1894 â€” the postmark
showed that â€” yet I didnâ€™t
remember it at all. The stamp was a six-
cent, dull brown, with a picture of
President Garfield. Naturally, when the
envelope came to Granddad in the mail,
it went right into his collection and
stayed there â€” till I took it out and
opened it. The paper inside wasnâ€™t
blank. It read:
That night he found by surprise one of

his grandfatherâ€™s old first day covers.
Someone had mailed it to his father at
his home at Galesburg, as he saw from
the address on the envelope. The post
mark showed that it had been there
since July 18, 1894. The stamp had a
picture of President Garfiled on it. It was
a six cent, dull brown colour stamp. His
grandfather had put put it in his stamp
collection and the Charley now
discovered it. The paper inside and a
letter written in it. The letter read as:
941 Willard Street Galesburg,
Illinois
July 18, 1894
Charley
I got to wishing that you were right.
Then I got to believing you were right.
And, Charley, itâ€™s true; I found the
third level! Iâ€™ve been here two weeks,
and right now, down the street at the
Dalyâ€™s, someone is playing a piano,
and theyâ€™re all out on the front porch
singing â€˜Seeing Nelly Home.â€™ And
Iâ€™m invited over for lemonade. Come
on back, Charley and Louisa. Keep
looking till you find the third level!
Itâ€™s worth it, believe me!
The letter talked about how the writer
wished his third level story was true until
he actually started believing it to be
true. He had found the third level and
had been there for two weeks. He
describes the place he was at that
time. He asks Charley and Louis to never
stop searching for the third level and
come back.
The note is signed Sam.
At the stamp and coin store I go to, I
found out that Sam bought eight
hundred dollar’s worth of old-style
currency. That ought to set him up in a
nice little hay, feed and grain business;
he always said that’s what he really
wished he could do, and he certainly
can’t go back to his old business. Not in
Galesburg, Illinois, in 1894. His old
business? Why, Sam was my psychiatrist.
The letter had been signed off as Sam.Â
Charlie found out from the coin store
that he used to visit that Sam had
bought old currency worth eight
hundred dollars., which was to be
utilised in a hay, feed and grain
business, which what he always wished to
do. He could not go back to his old
business certainly not in Galesburg,
Illinois. The story ends at a mysterious
note where Charlie is wondering that
Sam is psychiatrist.
The Third Level Question Answers
1. What does the third level refer to?
A. Third level refers to an

additional floor at the Grand
Central Station which originally
only had two levels. Charley was
hallucinating one night while
going home when he reached the
third level.
2. Would Charley ever go back to the

ticket counter on the third level to buy
tickets to Galesburg for himself and his
wife?
A. Charley went looking back for the

third level that could take him and
his wife to Galesburg because he
wanted to go back to his past. He
wanted to go back to the world that
has not seen two of its deadliest
wars that changed everything.
Read with insight
1. Do you think that the third level was a

medium of escape for Charley? Why?
A. Yes, the third level of the Grand
Central Station was a medium of
escape for Charley. Modern world
offers a lot of challenges and in
order to take refuge from reality,
one might resort to day-dreaming
or hallucination We all understand
the miseries of the modern world
which is full of worry and pressure,
thus, in order to take the burden
away from his shoulders and heap a
sigh of relief, Charley resorted to
escaping reality, although
unintentionally.
2. What do you infer from Samâ€™s

letter to Charley?
A. The way Charley discovered

Samâ€™s letter was rather peculiar.
It was one of those first-day covers
people used to mail to themselves
back in time with a blank page
inside. So to begin with, the cover
had a letter in it and not a blank
page in it. Secondly, the letter dates
back to 18 July, 1894 when Sam (the
writer of the letter) didnâ€™t exist
because both Sam and Charley exist
in the present times. Thus, it is
sound to conclude that it was just a
product of Charleyâ€™s
imagination.
1. The modern world is full of insecurity,

fear, war, worry and stress. What are
the ways in which we attempt to
overcome them?
A. One cannot count on fingers the

negative aspects the modern lifestyle
has to offer. There is stress, pressure,
fear, insecurity and worry. In order
to relieve yourself of all these
miseries, one can indulge in
creative activities from time to time.
Making time for yourself and what
you love without worrying about a
productive outcome is a crucial
thing many people tend to ignore in
the hustle and bustle of daily lives.
Secondly, one can read a good book
or even meditate. Long walks in the
lap of nature are not to be
underestimated because nature has
its own healing power. Apart from
these, a short weekend getaway,
movie night with friends or even
alone at home can be done in order
to dissociate oneself from the
routine.
2. Do you see an intersection of time

and space in the story?
A. Yes, there are a lot of instances that

tell us about the intersection of time
and space in the story. First
intersection being the one between
the first two levels of the Grand
Central Station and its third level
which is based somewhere in the
1890s whereas the former exists in
the present times. Also when Charley
went to buy tickets for Galesburg
which existed in 1894 while he and
his wife exists in the present times.
NotÂ to ignore the old-fashioned
architecture of the third level in
contradiction to the modern
interiors of the first two levels.
Lastly, the letter dated 18th July,
1982 that Charley found also throws
light upon the intersection of time
and space as both the sender (Sam)
and the receiver (Charley) exist in
the present times.
3. Apparent illogicality sometimes turns

out to be a futuristic projection?
Discuss.
A. While a lot of the worldâ€™s

greatest inventions were made by
people who were criticised for their
ideas. Audiences used to mock at
them for being illogical. Sighting
the example of Thomas Edison who
invented the light bulb, no one
believed in him at first but all he
had was an idea and itâ€™s
realistic projection in mind. The
idea here tells us how important it
is to sometimes follow oneâ€™s
insight and have hope for it holds
the capacity to change the world
through its futuristic projections.
4. Philately helps keep the past alive.

Discuss other ways in which this is
done. What do you think of the
human tendency to constantly move
between the past, the present and the
future?
A. Philately does indeed help in keeping

the treasures of past alive. It gives one a
chance to revisit and embrace the past of
one’s existence. Some of the other ways in
which it can be done is by keeping a
record of all the letters, ancient
manuscripts, things that are
discontinued but were a significant part
of the past, images, videos and written
records of experiences.
Human beings are a collection of all the
experiences they have been through.
Their tendency to connect with the past
from time to time helps them stay
connected to the roots while helping
them to face the present and future
challenges with more strength.
Connecting with the future on the other
hand, is just as important to know the
outcome of one’s current actions and
decisions. If one doesn’t seem satisfied
with the realistic interpretation of
future, it can certainly help in altering
current actions to direct towards a
better future.
Character Sketch of Charley in The Third

Level
Charley: The protagonist of the story,
Charley is a true representative of
modem man. He is a victim of stress,
insecurity and fear and wants to run
away from reality. He is an escapist and
wants to escape from the world of harsh
realities. He is fond of stamp collection, a
hobby, which he takes up to make his
leisure hours more productive and
fulfilling experience. But his psychiatrist
friend calls it a temporary refuge from
reality.
He yearns to lead a good simple life of

his grandfather’s time, when things were
pretty nice and peaceful. He quests for
the fabulous ordinariness of a bygone
age that was free from modern razzle-
dazzle, sophistication and material
comforts but exudes peace and
tranquillity. He wants to go to Galesburg,
Illinois, in the year 1894 when the First
World War was twenty years off and the
Second World War still forty years ahead.
He is an imaginative person. Hence on

the wings of his imagination, he takes a
flight to the non-existent world – the
third level at Central Station. But after
finding it once, he and his wife fail to
find it again. In short, Charley is the
true representative of the modern man
who is torn between the pulls and
pressures of a hectic modem life and
wants to escape since he is not happy.
Character Sketch of Louisa in The Third

Level
Louisa: Louisa is Charley’s wife. She is

loving and caring towards her husband.
However, she is a simple lady and it is
not difficult to take her in. She refuses to
accept the psychiatrist’s observation that
her husband is unhappy. She takes this
comment as a personal attack and feels
‘kind of mad’. On being told the modern
world is full of insecurity, fear, etc. she
feels satisfied with the psychiatrist
explanation.
When Charley talks to her about his

predicament regarding the third level,
she gets alarmed and advises him not to
look for the third level anymore. Her
husband’s exchanging the new currency
with the old one is a cause of concern for
her and she tells Charley emphatically to
stop looking for it. When Charley tells her
about Sam’s disappearance, she joins
him in looking for the third level every
weekend.
Character Sketch of Sam in The Third

Level
Sam, Charley’s Psychiatrist friend: Sam is

a psychiatrist by profession. He is a
typical city boy. When Charley shares his
visiting the third level he tells him it is a
waking dream wish fulfilment. He tells
him that he is looking for ways to escape
since he is not happy. But he
immediately revises his statement that
Charley is a victim of insecurities of
modern life. He dubs the argument of
narrator’s hobby of stamp collection as a
temporary refuge from reality. He does
not believe in mixing up his profession
with his friendship.
He gets fascinated by Charley’s

description of Galesburg, Illinois, as a
wonderful town with big old frame
houses, huge lawns, tremendous trees
lining the streets. He is also affected by
the pulls and pressures of modern life
that he thinks of escaping to the peaceful
world of Galesburg of 1894. In the end,
he discovers the third level of Grand
Central and goes there. He writes a letter
from there advising Charley and Louisa
to keep finding the third level because it
is worth. According to Charley, Sam must
have set up his little hay feed and grain
businesses as he can’t go back to his old
business as psychiatrists are redundant
in Galesburg of 1894.
What is the summary of third level?
Third Level Summary – It is a story about

a 31-year-old man name, Charlie.
Besides, this is a psychological story that
refers to the subway at the grand central
railway station which takes passengers to
Galesburg. In addition, this subway
becomes the interconnection between the
narrator’s harsh reality and fantasy.
What is the main theme of the Third

Level?
He has experimented with this theme in

his various short stories among which
lies ‘The Third Level’. The Theme of the
story: The narrative oscillates twice
between the past and the present,
therefore, the prime theme of the story is
time travel.
What do we learn from the Third Level?
The third level is a medium of escape

through which man yearns to be away
from life’s harsh realities. Modem life is
devoid of peace and tranquility so man
in his quest to seek solace escapes to a
place where his aim is to seek the
realization of his dreams and
unfulfilled wishes of his subconscious
mind.
What third level means?
The third level signifies an escape from

the modern world that is “full of
insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the
rest of it….” The period of 1890s
represents a peaceful life not possible in
the present era. From this level, the
protagonist wants to travel to Galesburg,
Illinois, with his wife Louisa.
What is the conclusion of the third level?
All in all, The Third Level brings us to

the conclusion that people find it hard
to make peace with unpleasant things
they come across in life. The story further
makes the reader realize that the past
and future are real illusions. They exist
in the present, which is all there is.
THE
TIGER KING (VISTAS)
The Tiger King Introduction
The story is a satire on the rich and

powerful kings of the olden times. In
order to prove the prophecies of the
fortune teller wrong, the king of
Pratibandapuram mindlessly kills
ninety nine tigers but the hundredth
one, the cause of the king’s death escapes
his bullet. Ultimately, the king is killed
by an inanimate tiger made of wood.
Hence, the prophecy turns to be true,
despite the king’s efforts to prove it
wrong.
The Tiger King Summary
The Tiger King is the story of king Jung

Jung Bahadur of Pratibandapuram, a
brave warrior whose death had been
predicted when he was born. The chief
astrologer had predicted as the royal
child was born in the hour of the bull,
the tiger being its enemy, death would
come to the child by a tiger. The brave
prince asked all tigers to beware of him.
He came to be known as ‘tiger king’.
The prince became king at the age of
twenty and considering killing a cow in
self defense to be lawful, went on a tiger
killing spree. He was warned of danger
from the hundredth tiger that he
encountered. As all the tigers in his
kingdom had been killed by him but still
he had to kill more, he married into a
state having a high population of tigers.
When his killings reached ninety nine,
he desperately sought the next hunt.
Fearing the king’s harshness, the
minister planted an old tiger in the
forest for him to kill. The king fired at it
but the tiger escaped the bullet
miraculously. The royal hunters feared
the king and so did not inform him;
rather they killed the beast themselves.
The king was satisfied that he had
evaded death and now celebrated his
son’s third birthday. He got a wooden toy
tiger as a gift for the prince. Although it
was poorly done, the shopkeeper, fearing
punishment under the rules of
emergency charged a high price. As both
the king and his son were playing with
the tiger, one of the thin pieces of wood
that were erupting out of the wooden
tiger like feathers pierced the king’s
right hand.
The wound became infectious, spread
through his arm and as he was being
operated upon, he died.
So, ironically, the hundredth tiger killed
the king and eventually took its revenge.
The Tiger King Lesson Explanation
THE Maharaja of Pratibandapuram is

the hero of this story. He may be
identified as His Highness Jamedar-
General, Khiledar-Major, Sata Vyaghra
Samhari, Maharajadhiraja Visva
Bhuvana Samrat, Sir Jilani Jung Jung
Bahadur, M.A.D., A.C.T.C., or C.R.C.K. But
this name is often shortened to the Tiger
King.
The writer introduces the main
character of the story – the king of
Pratibandapuram. The king is a hero
due to his bravery. He is given a list of
titles to emphasize on his greatness. To
sum up all the titles in one, the king is
called “The Tiger King”. The reason for
him being called so shall be revealed in
the lesson ahead.
I
have come forward to tell you why he

came to be known as Tiger King. I have
no intention of pretending to advance
only to end in a strategic withdrawal.
Even the threat of a Stuka bomber will
not throw me off track. The Stuka, if it
likes, can beat a hasty retreat from my
story.
Pretending: behaving so as to make it
appear that something is the case when
in fact it is not
Strategic: calculated
Stuka bomber: a German bomber
aircraft that was used in the second
world war
The writer tells us that he would let us
know why the king was called ‘The Tiger
King’. He further promises the reader
that he will not go back on his promise
even if he is under the threat of an
attack by a Stuka Bomber aircraft.
Instead, he says that the Stuka bomber
aircraft can go back because he is not
scared of it and he will tell the reader
why the king was called the tiger king.
Right at the start, it is imperative to
disclose a matter of vital importance
about the Tiger King. Everyone who
reads of him will experience the natural
desire to meet a man of his indomitable
courage face-to-face. But there is no
chance of its fulfillment. As Bharata said
to Rama about Dasaratha, the Tiger
King has reached that final abode of all
living creatures. In other words, the
Tiger King is dead.
Indomitable: undefeatable
Final abode: refers to the final residence
of the soul – the heaven.
The writer says that before elaborating
about the tiger king one important
thing about him was that any person
who read about the tiger king would be
very excited to meet a man of such
undefeatable courage. But he says that
there is no chance of meeting the tiger
king as the tiger king is already dead
and he has reached heaven.
The manner of his death is a matter of
extraordinary interest. It can be
revealed only at the end of the tale. The
most fantastic aspect of his demise was
that as soon as he was born, astrologers
had foretold that one day the Tiger King
would actually have to die.
Demise: death
Foretold: predicted
The manner in which the tiger king died
was very interesting. The writer could tell
us about it only at the end of the story
but he adds that a very interesting fact
about the tiger king’s death was that
when the tiger king was born,
astrologers had predicted at that time
that one day the tiger king would die.
This prediction is meaningless because
as a matter of fact everyone has to die
one day.
“The child will grow up to become the
warrior of warriors, hero of heroes,
champion of champions. But…” they bit
their lips and swallowed hard. When
compelled to continue, the astrologers
came out with it. “This is a secret which
should not be revealed at all. And yet we
are forced to speak out. The child born
under this star will one day have to meet
its death.”
Compelled: forced
The writer gives an elaborate description
of what the astrologers predicted at the
time of the birth of the tiger king. They
said that the child would grow up to
become a brave warrior, a hero and a
champion but after that they stopped
and bit their lips in order to show their
reluctance to speak. When the astrologers
were forced to continue, they said that
what they would reveal just now was a
secret. They said that the child that is
the tiger king was born under such a
star (that means when he was born the
star which was up there in the sky was
such) that any person who was born at
that time had to meet his death one day.
Again, this prediction is meaningless
because as a fact everyone has to meet
his death one day.
At that very moment, a great miracle
took place. An astonishing phrase
emerged from the lips of the ten-day old
Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, “O wise
prophets!’’
Everyone stood transfixed in
stupefaction. They looked wildly at each
other and blinked.
‘‘O wise prophets! It was I who spoke.’’
This time there were no grounds for
doubt. It was the infant born just ten
days ago who had enunciated the words
so clearly.
The chief astrologer took off his spectacles
and gazed intently at the baby.
‘‘All those who are born will one day
have to die. We don’t need your
predictions to know that. There would be
some sense in it if you could tell us the
manner of that death,’’ the royal infant
uttered these words in his little squeaky
voice.
Transfixed: cause (someone) to become
motionless with horror, wonder, or
astonishment.
Stupefaction: shock
Enunciated: say or pronounce clearly.
As the astrologers reveal their secret
prediction, a miracle took place. The 10-
day old tiger king whose name was
Jilani Jung Jang Bahadur spoke up. All
the listeners were surprised to see a 10-
day old baby speak. The tiger king called
out to the wise astrologers and the main
astrologer removed his spectacles and
looked intently at the little baby. The
tiger king said in its squeaky voice that
all those who are born have to die one
day and he did not need their
predictions to know this fact. He added
that if they told him the manner of his
death, that would make some sense to
him.
The chief astrologer placed his finger on
his nose in wonder. A baby barely ten
days old opens its lips in speech! Not only
that, it also raises intelligent questions!
Incredible! Rather like the bulletins
issued by the war office, than facts.
The chief astrologer took his finger off
his nose and fixed his eyes upon the little
prince.
‘‘The prince was born in the hour of the
Bull. The Bull and the Tiger are enemies,
therefore, death comes from the Tiger,’’
he explained.
Incredible: unbelievable
The chief astrologer was amazed to see a
10- day old baby speak and ask
intelligent questions. It was unbelievable
for him just like the news which came
from the wars. He took off his finger from
his nose and looked carefully at the little
prince. Then he added that as the tiger
king was born in the hour of the bull
which was an enemy of the tiger, hence,
the tiger king would die due to a tiger.
You may think that crown prince Jung
Jung Bahadur was thrown into a quake
when he heard the word ‘Tiger’. That was
exactly what did not happen. As soon as
he heard it pronounced, the crown
prince gave a deep growl. Terrifying
words emerged from his lips.
‘‘Let tigers beware!’’
The writer says that the reader may feel
that the tiger king trembled upon
hearing the name of a tiger but actually
that did not happen. On the other hand,
as soon as the Crown Prince Jung Jang
Bahadur heard the name of a tiger he
made a deep growing sound and spoke
terrifying words. He said that all the
tigers should beware.
This account is only a rumor rife in
Pratibandapuram. But with hindsight
we may conclude it was based on some
truth.
Rumour: a currently circulating story or
report of uncertain or doubtful truth.
Rife: widespread, prevalent
Hindsight: to understand an event or
situation only after it has happened
Further the writer says that this story is a
rumour that was heard by him in
Pratibandapuram but if we look at the
happenings of the past we could
conclude that these rumours were based
on true happenings.
II
Crown prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew
taller and stronger day by day. No other
miracle marked his childhood days
apart from the event already described.
The Crown Prince Jung Jung Bahadur
grew taller and stronger as the days
passed by there were no other miracles in
his childhood.
The boy drank the milk of an English
cow, was brought up by an English
nanny, tutored in English by an
Englishman, saw nothing but English
films — exactly as the crown princes of
all the other Indian states did. When he
came of age at twenty, the State, which
had been with the Court of Wards until
then, came into his hands.
Court of wards: The Court of Wards was a
legal body created by the East India
Company. Its purpose was to protect heirs
and their estates when the heir was
deemed to be a minor and therefore
incapable of acting independently.
As a boy, he drank the milk of an English
cow, was brought up by an English
governess, got lessons in English by an
Englishman and watched English films
just like the Crown princes of other
Indian states did. When the Crown
Prince Jung Jung Bahadur turned
twenty years of age, the royal state which
had been in the custody of the court of
wards was given to him.
But everyone in the kingdom
remembered the astrologer’s prediction.
Many continued to discuss the matter.
Slowly it came to the Maharaja’s ears.
All the people who lived in the kingdom
were aware of the astrologer’s prediction.
Many of the people discussed these
predictions and one day, King Jung
Jung Bahadur came to know of it.
There were innumerable forests in the
Pratibandapuram State. They had tigers
in them. The Maharaja knew the old
saying, ‘You may kill even a cow in self-
defence’. There could certainly be no
objection to killing tigers in self-defence.
The Maharaja started out on a tiger
hunt.
The Pratibandapuram state had many
forests which had a number of tigers in
them. The Maharaja was aware of an old
saying that you could kill even a cow in
order to protect yourself. So, he felt that
the cow which was considered to be a
holy animal could also be killed by a
Hindu in order to save himself, then no
one would object if he killed a tiger in
order to protect himself. So, Maharaja
Jung Jung Bahadur started out on a
tiger hunting expedition.
The Maharaja was thrilled beyond
measure when he killed his first tiger. He
sent for the State astrologer and showed
him the dead beast.
He was very excited when he killed the
first tiger. He called for the state
astrologer and showed him the dead
tiger.
‘‘What do you say now?’’ he demanded.
‘‘Your majesty may kill ninety-nine tigers
in exactly the same manner. But…’’ the
astrologer drawled.
‘‘But what? Speak without fear.’’
“But you must be very careful with the
hundredth tiger.’’
‘‘What if the hundredth tiger were also
killed?’’
The king asked the astrologer for his
comments and The Astrologer replied
that the king could kill ninety nine
tigers in exactly the same way as he had
killed the first one and he stopped
speaking. The king encouraged the
astrologer to continue without fear. So,
the astrologer said that the king had to
be very careful with the hundredth Tiger
that he hunted. The king asked him that
what would happen if he killed the
hundredth tiger also.
‘‘Then I will tear up all my books on
astrology, set fire to them, and…’’
‘‘And…’’
‘‘I shall cut off my tuft, crop my hair
short and become an insurance agent,’’
the astrologer finished on an incoherent
note.
Tuft: a bunch or collection of threads,
grass, hair, etc., held or growing
together at the base.
Incoherent: unclear, confused
The Astrologer replied that he would tear
all his books of astrology and set them
on fire. He continued that he shall cut
off his hair and would change his
profession from an astrologer to an
insurance agent as he would not remain
a good astrologer any longer.
III
From that day onwards it was

celebration time for all the tigers
inhabiting Pratibandapuram.
The State banned tiger hunting by
anyone except the Maharaja. A
proclamation was issued to the effect
that if anyone dared to fling so much as
a stone at a tiger, all his wealth and
property would be confiscated.
Proclamation: a public or official
announcement
Fling: throw
Confiscated: taken with authority
From that day the tigers in
Pratibandapuram had a nice time as
the kingdom banned tiger hunting by
anyone except the Maharaja. No one was
allowed to kill a tiger other than the
Maharaja himself. The law was so strict
that an official announcement was
made that if anyone was caught killing
a tiger or even throwing a stone at a
tiger, his wealth and property would be
taken away by the kingdom of
Pratibandapuram.
The Maharaja vowed he would attend to
all other matters only after killing the
hundred tigers. Initially the king
seemed well set to realise his ambition.
Ambition: a strong desire to do or
achieve something.
The king of Pratibandapuram took an
oath that he would attend to all other
matters of the kingdom only after he
had killed 100 tigers. In the beginning
it seems that he would achieve his target
very fast.
Not that he faced no dangers. There
were times when the bullet missed its
mark, the tiger leapt upon him and he
fought the beast with his bare hands.
Each time it was the Maharaja who won.
Bare: here, unarmed
It was not that he feared the tiger. When
the king went on his hunting
expeditions, he faced danger many
times. At times, his Bullet missed its
target and the tiger jumped upon him.
The king would fight with the tigers
barehanded but each time he won and
killed the tiger.
At another time he was in danger of
losing his throne. A high-ranking British
officer visited Pratibandapuram. He was
very fond of hunting tigers. And fonder
of being photographed with the tigers he
had shot. As usual, he wished to hunt
tigers in Pratibandapuram. But the
Maharaja was firm in his resolve. He
refused permission. ‘‘I can organise any
other hunt. You may go on a boar hunt.
You may conduct a mouse hunt. We are
ready for a mosquito hunt. But tiger
hunt! That’s impossible!’’
Firm: determined
Resolve: decision
Boar: pig
The writer tells us another instance when
King Jung Jung Bahadur was about to
lose his throne. A high ranking British
officer visited Pratibandapuram. He was
fond of hunting tigers and he wanted to
get himself photographed with the dead
tigers. He wanted to hunt tigers in
Pratibandapuram also but as the
Maharaja had banned killing tigers by
any other person, he did not give
permission to this British official also. He
offered him to go on any other hunting
like mouse or even a mosquito hunt but
he refused to arrange a tiger hunting
for this British officer.
The British officer’s secretary sent word
to the Maharaja through the dewan that
the durai himself did not have to kill the
tiger. The Maharaja could do the actual
killing. What was important to
the durai was a photograph of himself
holding the gun and standing over the
tiger’s carcass. But the Maharaja would
not agree even to this proposal. If he
relented now, what would he do if other
British officers turned up for tiger hunts?
Durai: tamil word meaning chief or
leader
Carcass: the dead body of an animal.
Relented: relaxed his decision
The British official’s secretary send a
message to the Maharaja that the Durai
that is the official himself did not want
to kill the tiger. The king could kill the
tiger, he only wanted to get himself
photographed with the dead body of a
tiger. But the king did not agree to this
proposal also. He said that if he relaxed
his decision and allowed the official to
get himself photographed with the dead
tiger, then other British officers would
also come to Pratibandapuram in order
to fulfill their wish of hunting a tiger.
Because he prevented a British officer
from fulfilling his desire, the Maharaja
stood in danger of losing his kingdom
itself.
The Maharaja and the dewan held
deliberations over this issue. As a result,
a telegram was despatched forthwith to
a famous British company of jewellers in
Calcutta. ‘Send samples of expensive
diamond rings of different designs.’
Deliberations: discussions
Dispatched: sent
As the king had refused a British officer
from fulfilling his wish, he was in
danger of losing his kingdom. The king
had discussions with his Minister over
this issue. The king sent a telegram to a
famous British company of Jewellers
based in Calcutta. He asked them to send
samples of expensive diamond rings of
different designs.
Some fifty rings arrived. The Maharaja
sent the whole lot to the British officer’s
good lady. The king and the minister
expected the duraisani to choose one or
two rings and send the rest back. Within
no time at all the duraisani sent her
reply: ‘Thank you very much for your
gifts.’
Duraisani: Tamil word for wife of the
chief.
In two days a bill for three lakh of
rupees came from the British jewellers.
The Maharaja was happy that though he
had lost three lakh of rupees, he had
managed to retain his kingdom.
The Jeweller sent fifty rings and the
Maharaja sent all of them to the British
officer’s wife. He wanted to please her in
order to make good the damage that he
had done by refusing the official from
going on a tiger hunt in his kingdom.
The king had expected that the British
officer’s wife would choose one or two
rings and return the others but she just
sent a reply saying thanks for the gifts
and she kept all the rings. After two days
the British jewelers sent a bill of three
lakh rupees for the fifty diamond rings
they had sent. The Maharaja was happy
that he had saved his kingdom for a sum
of three lakh rupees.
IV
The Maharaja’s tiger hunts continued to

be highly successful. Within ten years he
was able to kill seventy tigers. And then,
an unforeseen hurdle brought his
mission to a standstill. The tiger
population became extinct in the forests
of Pratibandapuram. Who knows
whether the tigers practised birth control
or committed harakiri? Or simply ran
away from the State because they desired
to be shot by British hands alone?
Unforeseen: unplanned, accidental
Hurdle: problem
Standstill: stop
Extinct: having no living members.
Hara-kiri: a ritual of suicide practiced
in Japan.
The king was very successful in his tiger

hunting missions. In a span of ten years
he had killed seventy tigers. An
unplanned problem stopped his mission.
The problem was that there were no more
tigers in Pratibandapuram. The writer
creates humour when he says that maybe
the tigers practiced birth control
activities and did not produce offsprings
or maybe they committed suicide. He
also adds that it could be that they ran
away from Pratibandapuram because
they did not want to be killed by an
Indian and on the other hand they
want it to be killed by a Britisher.
One day the Maharaja sent for the

dewan. ‘‘Dewan saheb, aren’t you aware
of the fact that thirty tigers still remain
to be shot down by this gun of mine?’’ he
asked brandishing his gun.
Brandishing: waving as a threat or in

anger or excitement
Shuddering at the sight of the gun, the
dewan cried out, ‘‘Your Majesty! I am not
a tiger!’’
Shuddering: tremble with fear
‘‘Which idiot would call you a tiger?’’
“No, and I’m not a gun!’’
“You are neither tiger nor gun. Dewan
saheb, I summoned you here for a
different purpose. I have decided to get
married.’’
Summoned: called
One day the king called his minister
and waved his gun towards him. He said
that he was yet to kill thirty more tigers.
The Minister was scared when he saw the
gun and he cried to the king that he was
not a tiger as he feared that the king
might aim his gun at him. The king said
that he was not foolish that he would
mistake the minister for a tiger. The
Minister was so scared that he added
that he was neither a gun. The king said
to him that he knew that he was neither
a tiger not a gun but on the other hand,
the king had called his minister for
another work – the king wanted to get
married.
The dewan began to babble even more.
‘‘Your Majesty, I have two wives already.
If I marry you …’’
Babble: to talk or say something in a
quick, confused, excited, or silly way
‘‘Don’t talk nonsense! Why should I
marry you? What I want is a tiger…’’
‘‘Your Majesty! Please think it over. Your
ancestors were married to the sword. If
you like, marry the gun. A Tiger King is
more than enough for this state. It
doesn’t need a Tiger Queen as well!’’
The Minister was so confused that he
started speaking something in a silly
way. He said that the king already had
two wives and if the Minister married the
king…. the king interrupted the Minister
and scolded him for speaking nonsense.
He said that he had no reason to marry
the Minister and he did not want to
marry the Minister. He said that he
wanted a tiger so the writer again
creates humour when he says that the
Minister told the king that he should
think over his decision. The minister
adds that the king’s ancestors were
married to the sword and so, if he
wanted he could marry the gun. But
marrying a tiger and getting a ‘Tiger
Queen’ for the kingdom of
Pratibandapuram was not a good
thought. He added that a Tiger King was
enough for the state and they did not
need a Tiger Queen.
The Maharaja gave a loud crack of
laughter. ‘‘I’m not thinking of marrying
either a tiger or a gun, but a girl from
the ranks of human beings. First you
may draw up statistics of tiger
populations in the different native states.
Next you may investigate if there is a girl
I can marry in the royal family of a
state with a large tiger population.’’
Investigate: find out
This was very hilarious and the
Maharaja started laughing. He said
that he did not want to marry either a
tiger or a gun but he wanted to marry a
girl from another Kingdom. He asked his
minister to make a list of all the
kingdoms and the number of tigers they
had. Next, the Minister was supposed to
find out if there was a girl worth
marrying in the royal family of a state
which had a large number of tigers.
The dewan followed his orders. He found
the right girl from a state which
possessed a large number of tigers.
Maharaja Jung Jung Bahadur killed
five or six tigers each time he visited his
father-in-law. In this manner, ninety-
nine tiger skins adorned the walls of the
reception hall in the Pratibandapuram
palace.
Adorned: decorated
The Minister followed the orders and he
found the right girl from a state which
had a large number of tigers. So every
time king Jung Jung Bahadur visited his
father-in-law, he would kill five or six
tigers in the kingdom. In this manner,
the king killed ninety-nine tigers and
the skins of the tigers decorated the walls
of the lobby hall of the
Pratibandapuram palace.
V
The Maharaja’s anxiety reached a fever
pitch when there remained just one tiger
to achieve his tally of a hundred.
Fever pitch: extreme
Anxiety: curiosity
Tally: count, total
As the Maharaja has killed ninety-nine
tigers, he was to kill just one more to
complete his total of hundred tigers. He
became very anxious and curious to kill
the hundredth tiger.
He had this one thought during the day
and the same dream at night. By this
time the tiger farms had run dry even in
his father-in-Iaw’s kingdom. It became
impossible to locate tigers anywhere. Yet
only one more was needed. If he could
kill just that one single beast, the
Maharaja would have no fears left. He
could give up tiger hunting altogether.
All through the day and night he kept
on dreaming of killing the hundredth
tiger. The tiger population in the king’s
father-in-law’s kingdom had also
finished. He could not find a single tiger
anywhere. The king was very desperate
for one single tiger that he could hunt
after which he would give up hunting as
he would not fear tigers any longer.
But he had to be extremely careful with
that last tiger. What had the late chief
astrologer said? “Even after killing
ninety-nine tigers the Maharaja should
beware of the hundredth…’’ True
enough. The tiger was a savage beast
after all. One had to be wary of it. But
where was that hundredth tiger to be
found? It seemed easier to find tiger’s
milk than a live tiger
.Savage: uncontrolled
Wary: be cautious
He was reminded of the late astrologer’s
words that he was supposed to be very
careful with the hundredth tiger that he
hunted and the king agreed that tigers
were uncontrolled animals and so he
had to be cautious of it. But he was not
able to find the hundredth tiger that he
could kill. The writer again creates
humour by saying that it was easier to
find tiger’s milk in the kingdom rather
than an alive tiger.
Thus the Maharaja was sunk in gloom.
But soon came the happy news which
dispelled that gloom. In his own state
sheep began to disappear frequently from
a hillside village.
Gloom: sadness
Dispelled: removed
It was first ascertained that this was not
the work of Khader Mian Saheb or
Virasami Naicker, both famed for their
ability to swallow sheep whole. Surely, a
tiger was at work. The villagers ran to
inform the Maharaja. The Maharaja
announced a three-year exemption from
all taxes for that village and set out on
the hunt at once.
Exemption: freedom
This made the king very sad. He sadness
came to an end when he got the news
that in a hillside village, sheep was
disappearing very fast. There were two
people in the kingdom- Khader Mian
Sahib and Virasami Naicker who could
swallow whole sheep. As this was not their
job, so it was calculated that there was a
tiger at work. The villagers were very
excited and they informed the king
about it. The Maharaja was so happy
that he exempted the villages from all
taxes for three years and set out to hunt
this tiger.
The tiger was not easily found. It seemed
as if it had wantonly hid itself in order
to flout the Maharaja’s will.
Wantonly: carelessly
Flout: to go against something or
someone
The Maharaja was equally determined.
He refused to leave the forest until the
tiger was found. As the days passed, the
Maharaja’s fury and obstinacy mounted
alarmingly. Many officers lost their jobs.
Fury: anger
Obstinacy: firmness
Mounted: increased
The king could not locate the tiger easily
and it seemed as if the tiger was hidden
in order to go against the king’s desire
of killing the tiger. But the king was very
determined he did not leave the forest
until he would find the tiger. With the
passing days he became very angry and
was firm to kill the tiger. In his anger he
removed many officers from his
Kingdom.
One day when his rage was at its height,
the Maharaja called the dewan and
ordered him to double the land tax
forthwith.
Rage: anger
‘‘The people will become discontented.
Then our state too will fall a prey to the
Indian National Congress.’’
Discontented: unhappy
One day, in his fury he called the
Minister and ordered him to increase
the land tax to double. He felt that by
doing this, the people would become
unhappy and his kingdom would become
a part of the Indian National Congress.
‘‘In that case you may resign from your
post,’’ said the king.
The dewan went home convinced that if
the Maharaja did not find the tiger
soon, the results could be catastrophic.
He felt life returning to him only when
he saw the tiger which had been brought
from the People’s Park in Madras and
kept hidden in his house.
Catastrophic: causing sudden great
damage or suffering
By doing so the Minister would also
resign from his post. This was the king’s
way of threatening the Minister. The
Minister realized that the king was very
angry and he thought that if the tiger
was not found soon, it could lead to
destruction. The Minister found that the
tiger that had been brought from the
People’s Park in Madras was hidden in
his house, he felt relieved.
At midnight when the town slept in
peace, the dewan and his aged wife
dragged the tiger to the car and shoved
it into the seat. The dewan himself drove
the car straight to the forest where the
Maharaja was hunting. When they
reached the forest the tiger launched its
satyagraha and refused to get out of the
car.
The dewan was thoroughly exhausted in
his efforts to haul the beast out of the car
and push it down to the ground.
Haul: pull or drag with effort or force
The Minister along with his wife pulled
the tiger into his car and drove the car
to the forests where the Maharaja was
hunting. The tiger did not come out of
the car and the Minister had a tough
time pushing the tiger out of the car into
the forest.
On the following day, the same old tiger
wandered into the Maharaja’s presence
and stood as if in humble supplication,
“Master, what do you command of me?’’
It was with boundless joy that the
Maharaja took careful aim at the beast.
The tiger fell in a crumpled heap.
Supplication: pray
The next day the same tiger was spotted
by the Maharaja. He was very happy to
see the hundredth tiger and he aimed at
the tiger. The tiger fell down as if it had
been shot dead by the king. He was
overjoyed to have killed the hundredth
tiger and had fulfilled his wow.
‘‘I have killed the hundredth tiger. My
vow has been fulfilled,’’ the Maharaja
was overcome with elation.
Ordering the tiger to be brought to the
capital in grand procession, the
Maharaja hastened away in his car.
Elation: joy
Procession: parade
The king was happy to have killed the
hundredth tiger. He ordered that the
tiger should be brought to the capital in
a grand procession and went away in
his car.
After the Maharaja left, the hunters
went to take a closer look at the tiger.
The tiger looked back at them rolling its
eyes in bafflement. The men realized
that the tiger was not dead; the bullet
had missed it. It had fainted from the
shock of the bullet whizzing past. The
hunters wondered what they should do.
They decided that the Maharaja must
not come to know that he had missed his
target. If he did, they could lose their
jobs. One of the hunters took aim from a
distance of one foot and shot the tiger.
This time he killed it without missing his
mark.
Bafflement: confusion
After the king had left the hunters took a
closer look at the tiger and saw that it
was alive. They realized that the king’s
bullet had missed the tiger. The tiger
had nearly fainted due to the shock as
the bullet had passed close to it. The
hunters were confused what to do and
so, one of them aimed at the tiger and
shot it dead.
Then, as commanded by the king, the
dead tiger was taken in procession
through the town and buried. A tomb
was erected over it.
Then the hunters followed the king’s
orders and took the dead tiger to the
town in a procession. It was buried and
a beautiful tomb was erected on the
tiger’s grave.
A few days later the Maharaja’s son’s
third birthday was celebrated. Until
then the Maharaja had given his entire
mind over to tiger hunting. He had had
no time to spare for the crown prince.
But now the king turned his attention to
the child. He wished to give him some
special gift on his birthday. He went to
the shopping centre in
Pratibandapuram and searched every
shop, but couldn’t find anything
suitable. Finally he spotted a wooden
tiger in a toyshop and decided it was the
perfect gift.
After a few days, the maharaja’s son’s
third birthday was celebrated. Till that
time the king had been so engrossed in
tiger hunting that he had never spent
any time with his family. Now, as he had
fulfilled his wow of killing hundred
tigers, he gave his attention to his child.
King Jung Jung Bahadur wanted to give
a special gift to his son on his birthday
and so he went to the shopping centre in
Pratibandapuram. He searched every
shop but could not find any suitable gift
for his son. Finally, he saw a wooden
tiger in a toy shop and considered it to
be the perfect gift.
The wooden tiger cost only two annas

and a quarter. But the shopkeeper knew
that if he quoted such a low price to the
Maharaja, he would be punished under
the rules of the Emergency. So, he said,
‘‘Your Majesty, this is an extremely rare
example of craftsmanship. A bargain at
three hundred rupees!’’
Annas: currency used in the olden times.
1 anna = 1/16 rupee.
The wooden tiger cost only two and a
quarter annas but the shopkeeper knew
that if he quoted such a low price to the
king, he would punish him. So, the shop
owner told the king that the wooden
tiger was a perfect example of
craftsmanship and that it cost a mere
three hundred rupees.
‘‘Very good. Let this be your offering to
the crown prince on his birthday,’’ said
the king and took it away with him. On
that day father and son played with that
tiny little wooden tiger. It had been
carved by an unskilled carpenter. Its
surface was rough; tiny slivers of wood
stood up like quills all over it. One of
those slivers pierced the Maharaja’s right
hand. He pulled it out with his left hand
and continued to play with the prince.
Slivers: shavings
The king was very happy and he said
that this was the shop owner’s gift to the
Crown Prince. He took the tiger with him.
The king and his son played with the
wooden tiger. The tiger had been made
by an unskilled carpenter and it had
tiny shavings of wood pricking out of it.
One of the shavings pierced the
maharaja’s right hand. The Maharaja
pulled it out and continue to play with
the prince.
The next day, infection flared in the
Maharaja’s right hand. In four days, it
developed into a suppurating sore which
spread all over the arm.
Suppurating: a wound full of pus

Sore: painful inflammation
The next day, there was a lot of infection
in the maharaja’s right hand due to
that shaving of wood that had pricked
his hand. In a period of four days, the
infection turned into a wound full of pus
and spread all over the king’s right arm.
Three famous surgeons were brought in
from Madras. After holding a
consultation they decided to operate.
The operation took place.
The three surgeons who performed it
came out of the theatre and announced,
“The operation was successful. The
Maharaja is dead.”
In this manner the hundredth tiger
took its final revenge upon the Tiger
King.
Three famous surgeons were called from
Madras and they decided to operate
upon the king. After the operation the
surgeons came out of the theater and
said that the operation was successful
and the Maharaja was dead.
Here the surgeons’ words are
contradictory because if the king died, it
meant that the operation was
unsuccessful whereas they said that it
was successful. Actually, they were
supporting the words of the astrologer.
The wooden tiger was the hundredth
tiger that had killed the king Jung Jung
Bahadur and thus, made the
astrologer’s prediction true. So, in this
manner the hundredth tiger took
revenge upon the tiger king and killed
him.
The Tiger King Question Answers
1. The story is a satire on the

conceit of those in power. How
does the author employ the
literary device of dramatic
irony in the story?
A.The king was full of pride. He thought

he could achieve anything, even
overpower death. He tried to prove the
predictions of the royal astrologer as
false. He had predicted death for the
king by a tiger. As the king killed one, he
cautioned him against the hundredth
tiger that he came across.
Ironically, the king killed the
hundredth tiger also and overpowered
death but as it was destined to be, the
tiger escaped the bullet miraculously. He
had killed ferocious tigers of flesh and
blood but his satirical death came by a
wooden toy tiger which he had got as a
birthday gift for his son. A tiny piece of
wood from the toy wounded the tiger
king’s hand and finally killed him. This
was an unexpected end of the mighty
maharaja ‘the tiger king’.
2. What is the author’s indirect comment

on subjecting innocent animals to the
willfulness of human beings?
A. The author is indicating that the king
being mighty, killed so many innocent
animals merely to prove the astrologer
wrong or to overcome his fear without
realizing the severity of his actions. He
did not accept destiny which has its own
ways as death struck upon him by a
lifeless, wooden tiger.
2. How would you describe the

behavior of the Maharaja’s
minions towards him? Do you
find them truly sincere
towards him or are they
driven by fear when they obey
him? Do we find a similarity
in today’s political order?
A. The king’s minions feared him and

tried to please him. They wanted to keep
him happy and so, spoke what was
pleasing to the king’s ears.
The astrologer was initially reluctant to
predict the king’s future. It was when the
king asked him ‘to speak without fear’
that he spoke.
The minister did not advise the king not
to kill so many innocent animals; rather
he searched for a kingdom with a high
population of tigers for the king to kill.
The royal hunters did not inform the
king about the hundredth tiger being
alive as they feared losing their job.
The shopkeeper sold the toy tiger to the
king at a high price because he feared
punishment.
In today’s political order also, we can
see that the people who are in
subordination try to please their seniors
in order to retain their positions.
THE LAST
LESSON (FLAMINGO)
Main Character In This Story …..

1. M. Hamel :- French Teacher
2. Franz :- Student
Introduction Of The Story …..

Whole story is about last day of France
teacher in his school.
It was in 1870.
It was time of Franco – Prussian War (
Franco – German War ) .
France was defeated by Prussia.
German Victory.
French districts ( Alsace and Lorraine

) Occupied by Germany.
German language forced on French

Speakers.
Order came from Berlin for German

language.
Berlin :- Large City of Germany.
Explanation And Short notes

Explanation …..
“The Last Lesson”, beautifully brings
out the human tendency to postpone the
learning of things feeling there is plenty
of time to do so but they don’t realize
when the doomsday will dawn and
bring an end to our hopes and
aspirations.
Franz is scared of going to school that

day as his French teacher Mr. Hamel had
announced a test on participles which he
has not learnt. Although, Franz wants
day out of the school and enjoy beauty of
nature- the bright sunshine, the birds
chirping in the woods, but eventually
plans to go to school.
On the way, he passes through the

Town Hall and sees the huge crowd
around the Notice board. He does not
stop as Bulletin board served all bad
news, lost battles, the drafts and orders
of the commanding officers. He sees
Prussian soldiers drilling but resists.
Short notes …..

 On reaching the school, the changes he
noticed were:-
 Instead of noisy classrooms everything
was as quiet as Sunday morning.
 All students were already in the
classroom.
 Mr. Hamel, the French teacher did not
scold him and told him very kindly to
take his seat .
 He was dressed in his Sunday best-
beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and
black embroidered cap which he wore
on functions and prize ceremonies
only.
 Villagers occupying the last benches-
old Hauser, former mayor and
postmaster were also there.
 M. Hamel announced the notice which
was served from Berlin as from
tomorrow onwards German would be
taught in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine;
 He realizes that, that is what was put
up on the bulletin board. Franz could
not believe that it would be his last
lesson of French. He repented that he
does not know his own mother tongue
and for not taking his lessons seriously.
Explanation …..
Now he realizes the reason why
teacher is dressed in his Sunday best and
villagers sitting at the back to pay
tribute to M. Hamel for his 40 yrs of
sincere service and also to express their
solidarity with France. M. Hamel realizes
that all three, the children, the parents
and he himself are to be blamed for
losing respect and regard for the mother
tongue.
Franz is called to recite the lesson

and he makes mistakes, but opposite to
his thinking teacher does not scold him
rather preaches that one should not
waste time and postpone the things
thinking that there is plenty of time.
Always keep the mother tongue close to
your heart as it is the key to the prison of
slavery.
Atmosphere in class: teacher teaching

sincerely and patiently, students and
others studying with utmost sincerity.
Franz wondered sarcastically if

Prussians could force pigeons to coo in
German. M. Hamel overcome with
emotions could not speak and wrote on
the black board “Long Live France” and
dismisses the class.
Short notes …..

 Franz is afraid of going to school as he
has not learnt participles.
 He wants to enjoy beauty of nature. The
bright sunshine, the birds chirruping
in the woods, Prussian soldiers drilling
but resisted.
 Bulletin board:all bad news, lost
battles, the drafts and orders of the
commanding officers: wondered what
it could be now .
 The changes he noticed in the school.
 Instead of noisy classrooms everything
was as quiet as Sunday morning
 The teacher does not scold him and
told him very kindly to go to his seat
 The teacher dressed in his Sunday best.
 Villagers occupying the last benches- To
pay tribute to M. Hamel for his 40 yrs of
sincere service and also to express their
solidarity with France.
 M. Hamel making the announcement
that that would be the last French
lesson; realizes that, that was what was
put up on the bulletin board.
 Franz realizes that he does not know
his own mother tongue .
 Regretted why he had not taken his
lessons seriously.
 Also realizes the reason why teacher
was dressed in his Sunday best and
villagers sitting at the back.
 M. Hamel realizes that all three, the
children, the parents and he himself
are to be blamed for losing respect and
regard for the mother tongue.
 Always keep the mother tongue close to
your heart as it is the key to the prison
of slavery.
 Atmosphere in class: teacher teaching
sincerely and patiently, students and
others studying with utmost sincerity.
 Franz wonders sarcastically if
Prussians could force pigeons to coo in
German.
 M. Hamel overcome with emotions
could not speak and wrote on the black
board “Long Live France”.
What was Franz expected to be prepared

with for school that day?
Ans: That day Franz was expected to be

prepared with participles because M.
Hamel had said that he would question
them on participles. Franz did not know
anything about participles.
Q2. What did Franz notice that was

unusual about the school that day?
Ans: Usually, when school began, there

was a great bustle, which could be heard
out in the street. But it was all very still
that day. Everything was as quiet as
Sunday morning. There was no opening
or closing of desks. His classmates were
already in their places. The teacher’s
great ruler instead of rapping on the
table, was under M. Hamel’s arm.
Q3. What had been put up on the

bulletin-board?
Ans: For the last two years all the bad

news had come from the bulletin-board.
An order had come from Berlin to teach
only German in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine. The Germans had put up this
notice on the bulletin-board.
THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. What changes did the order from

Berlin cause in school that day?
Ans: M. Hamel had put on his best dress—

his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt
and the little black silk cap, all
embroidered. The whole school seemed so
strange and solemn. On the back
benches that were always empty, the
elderly village people were sitting quietly
like the kids.
Q2. How did Franz’s feelings about M.

Hamel and school change?
Ans: Franz came to know that it was the

last lesson in French that M. Hamel
would give them. From the next day they
will be taught only German. Then he felt
sorry for not learning his lessons
properly. His books, which seemed a
nuisance and a burden earlier were now
old friends. His feelings about M. Hamel
also changed. He forgot all about his
ruler and how cranky he was.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Q1. The people? in this story suddenly

realise how1 precious their language is
to them. What shows you this? Why does
this happen?
Ans: M. Hamel told the students and

villagers that henceforth only German
would be taught in the schools of Alsace
and Lorraine. Those who called
themselves Frenchmen would neither be
able to speak nor write it. He praised
French as the most beautiful, the clearest
and most logical language in the world.
He said that for the enslaved people,
their language was the key to their
prison. Then the people realised how
precious their language was to them.
This shows people’s love for their own
culture, traditions and country. Pride in
one’s language reflects pride in the
motherland.
Q2. Franz thinks, “Will they make them

sing in German, even the pigeonsT’ What
could this mean?(There could he more
than one answer.)
Ans: This comment of Franz shows a

Frenchman’s typical reaction to the
imposition of learning German, the
language of the conquerors. Being
deprived of the learning of mother
tongue would mean cutting off all bonds
with the motherland. Teaching the
pigeons to sing in German indicates how
far the Germans would go in their
attempts of linguistic chauvinism.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Q1. “When a people are en slaved, as

long as th ey hold fast to their language
it is as if they had the key to their
prison.”
Can you think of examples in history
where a conquered people had their
lan¬guage taken away from them or
had a language imposed on them?
Ans: Mother tongue helps a person to

express his feelings and thoughts most
lucidly and intimately. Conquerors try
to subdue and control the people of the
enslaved territory by enforcing many
measures such as use of force to crush
dissent and imposing their own
language on them.
From time immemorial the victorious
nations have imposed their own
language on the conquered people and
taken away their own language from
them. The Romans conquered many
parts of Europe and replaced the local
languages by their own language—
Latin. Later on Spanish, Pourtuguese,
Italian and French developed from
Latin. The Muslim invaders imposed
Arabic and Persian in the countries of
Asia overpowered by them. In many Arab
countries the local religion and
language have disappeared. In India, a
new language Urdu developed from the
mixture of Persian and Hindi.
Q2. What happens to a linguistic
minority in a state? How do you think
they can keep their language alive? For
example:
Punjabis in Bangalore
Tamilians in Mumbai
Kannadigas in Delhi
Gujaratis in Kolkata
Ans. The linguistic minority in any state

is easily marked and faces the same
discrimination as the religious, social or
ethnic minorities. There is, however, a
pronounced difference in the treatment
meted out and the level of acceptance
displayed by the majority community in
that region/city. Some cities like Delhi,
Mumbai are cosmopolitan in outlook.
The linguistic minority tries to preserve
its identity through an intimate
contact, interaction and preservation of
their language in social get-togethers,
family functions and festivals of their
own region. Adherence to social customs
and traditions in family
gatherings/group meetings of women
also promote the unity between members
of the linguistic minority.
In short, they create a mini-Punjab in
Bangalore, mini-Chennai in Mumbai,
mini-Bangalore in Delhi and mini-
Surat in Kolkata.
Q3. Is it possible to carry pride in one’s

language too far? Do you know what
“lin¬guistic chauvinism” means?
Ans. ‘Linguistic chauvinism’ means an

aggressive and unreasonable belief that
your own language is better than all
others. This shows an excessive or
prejudiced support for one’s own
language. Sometimes pride in one’s own
language goes too for and the linguistic
enthusiasts can be easily identified by
their extreme zeal for the preservation
and spread of their language. In their
enthusiasm, love and support for their
own language, they tend to forget that
other languages too have their own
merits, long history of art, culture and
literature behind them. Instead of
bringing unity and winning over others
as friends, having excessive pride in
one’s own language creates ill-will and
disintegration. The stiff-resistance to the
acceptance of Hindi as national
language by the southern states of India
is a direct outcome of the fear of being
dominated by Hindi enthusiasts. The
result is that ‘One India’ remains only a
slogan.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. Why do you think was little Franz

afraid of being scolded?
Ans: Franz was afraid of being scolded

that day especially because M. Hamel,
the teacher, had said that he would
question them on participles. Franz
frankly admits that he was totally
ignorant about the topic. His exact
words are: “I did not know the first word
about them.” Secondly, he had started
for school very late that morning.
Q2. “It was all much more tempting than

the rule for participles.” What did Franz
find ‘much more tempting’? How did he
finally react?
Ans: Franz found that it was a very

warm and bright day. The birds were
chirping at the edge of woods. The
Prussian soldiers were drilling in the
open field at the back of sawmill. He
could gladly spend life out of doors.
However, he had the strength to resist the
temptation. Finally, he hurried off to
school.
Q3. “What can be the matter now?” says

Franz. Why, do you think, did he make
this comment?
Ans: There was a bulletin-board near the

town-hall. When Franz passed by it, he
noticed a crowd there. He did not stop to
look at it. He wondered what could be
the matter then. For the last two yeairs
they had received all the bad news from
the bulletin-board—the lost battle,
conscription and the orders of the
commanding officer.
Q4. Who was Wachter? What did he ask
Franz and why? How did Franz react?
Ans: Wachter was a blacksmith. He was

reading the latest bulletin. He asked
Franz not to go so fast to his school. He
added that the little boy would get to his
school in plenty of time. Wachter had
read the latest bulletin about teaching
of German. Franz thought that the
blacksmith was making a fun of him. So,
he ran to the school and reached there
breathless.
Q5. What was the usual scene when

Franz’s school began in the morning?
Ans: Usually, when the school began,

there was a great bustle. The noise could
be heard out in the school. Students
opened and closed their desks. They
repeated the lessons together very loudly.
They kept their hands over their ears to
understand better. The teacher would go
on rapping the table with his great iron
ruler.
Q6. How had Franz hoped to get to his

desk? What had he to do and why?
Ans: Franz had hoped to get to his desk

unseen during the commotion. But that
day it was very quiet. So, Franz had to
open the door and go in before
everybody. He blushed as he was late. He
was frightened that the teacher might
rebuke him, but M. Hamel spoke kindly to
him that day.
Q7. What three things in school surprised

Franz most that day?
Ans: First, M. Hamel, the teacher had put

on his fine Sunday clothes—his beautiful
green coat, frilled shirt and the little
black silk cap, all embroidered. Second,
the whole school seemed quite strange
and solemn. Thirdly, the village people
were sitting quietly like school children
on the back benches that usually
remained empty.
Q8. Why had the villagers come to school

that day? How did they look?
Ans: The villagers had come there to

thank M. Hamel for his forty years of
faithful service. They also wanted to show
their respect to the country that was
theirs no more. They were sorry that they
had not gone to school more. They were
sitting quietly and looked sad.
Q9. “What a thunderclap these words
were to me!” Which were the words that
shocked and surprised the narrator?
Ans: M. Hamel, the teacher, told the

children in a solemn and gentle tone
that it was their last French lesson.
Henceforth, only German would be
taught in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine. The new master would come
the next day. As that was their last
French lesson, he wanted them to be very
attentive. The teacher’s kind gesture and
use of soft words shocked and surprised
the narrator.
Q10. How did Franz react to the

declaration: ‘This is your last French
lesson’?
Ans: The words appeared startling and

unexpected like a thunderclap. He now
understood why there was a crowd at the
bulletin board, why the village people
had come to school, why the teacher was
dressed in his Sunday best and why there
was sadness and silence in the school.
Q11. What tempted Franz to stay away

from school? [Delhi 2014]
Ans: Franz was not prepared Tor the test

on participles. The Prussian soldiers were
drilling in the open field at the back of
sawmill. The birds were chirping at the
edge of woods. These things tempted him.
So he hurried off to school.
Q12. Who did M. Hamel blame for

neglect of learning on the part of boys
like Franz?
Ans: He thought it typical with the people

of Alsace. They would put off learning till
tomorrow. Parents are not quite anxious
to have their children learn. They put
them to work on a farm or at the mills in
order to have a little more money. The
teacher got his flowers watered or gave
them a holiday. He too neglected their
lessons.
Q13. What did M. Hamel tell them about

French language? What did he ask them
to do and why?
Ans: M. Hamel told them that French was

the most beautiful language in the
world. It was the clearest and the most
logical language. He asked them to
guard it among them and never _ forget
it. He gave a reason also. When a people
were enslaved, as long as they held fast
to their language, they had the key to
their prison.
Q14. Why were the elders of the village
sitting in the classroom? [All India
2014]
Ans: M. Hamel was taking the class of

last French lesson. That is why elders of
the village were sitting in the classroom
to attend it. It was done not only to pay
respect to M.Hamel but to pay respect to
his own language.
Q15. How did Franz and other hoys enjoy

their lesson in writing?
Ans: That day M. Hamel had new copies

for them. The words “France, Alsace,
France, Alsace” were written on them in
a beautiful round hand. The boys set to
work quietly. The only sound was the
scratching of the pens over the paper.
Nobody paid any attention to the beetles
who flew in.
Q16. How did M. Hamel feel and behave
during the last lesson?
Ans: M. Hamel was solemn and gentle.

He sat motionless in his chair during the
writing lesson. He gazed at one thing or
the other. Perhaps he wanted to fix in his
mind how everything looked in that
little school room. Surely, it must have
broken his heart to leave it all after forty
years.
Q17. “He had the courage to hear every

lesson to the very last.” What led Franz to
make this remark?
Ans: Franz noticed that M. Hamel was

feeling sad on having to leave the place
sifter 40 years and not being allowed to
teach French any longer. Yet, he kept
control on his emotions. He performed
his duties faithfully. He heard every
lesson to the last. The school was
dismissed only at mid-day prayer time.
Q18. What happened when the lesson in

history was over?
Ans: After the lesson in history was over,

the babies chanted their ba, be, bi, bo,
bu. Old Hauser, who was sitting at the
back of the room, had put on his
spectacles. He was holding his primer in
both hands. He was spelling the letters
with the babies.
Q19. “Ah, how well I remember it, that

last lesson!” says the narrator. Which
scene does he remember more vividly
than the others?
Ans:The narrator remembers the scene of

old Hauser spelling the letters from the
primer with the babies. He too was
crying. His voice trembled with emotion.
It was so funny to hear him that all of
them wanted to laugh and cry at the
same time.
Q20. How did M. Hamel behave as the

last lesson came to an end?
Ans: M. Hamel stood up in his chair. He

looked very pale and tall. He wanted to
say some parting words, but something
choked him. Then he wrote “Vive La
France!” on the blackboard with a piece
of chalk. Then he stopped. He leaned his
head against the wall. Without a word,
he made a gesture to the students with
his hand to permit them to go as the
school was over.
THE
LOST SPRING
The Lost Spring Summary
I – Sometimes I find a rupee in the

garbage.
The first part talks about the writer’s

impressions about the life of the
unfortunate rag pickers. The rag pickers
migrate from Dhaka and find a
settlement in Seemapuri. They end up
losing their fields and homes due to
storms. They then come to the big city to
find a living, but are poor. The author
then watches Saheb, the rag picker, every
morning who is always scrounging for
“gold” in her neighbourhood. Garbage is
actually the means of survival for the
elders and it is something wrapped in
wonder for the children. Sometimes, the
children find a coin or two from it. Even
these kids have desires and ambitions,
but they have no clue about how to
achieve them. There are many things
that are unreachable to them, for
instance, shoes, tennis and similar stuff.
Later on, Saheb starts working at a tea
stall where he earns 800 Rupees and also
gets to eat all the meals. But the job takes
away his freedom.
II – I want to drive a car.
The second part is about the life of

Mukesh, who comes from the family of
bangle-makers. Firozabad is quite
popular for its glass-blowing industry. A
staggering 20,000 children are a part of
this business and any law that forbids
child labour is brutally ignored here.
Also, the working environment and the
living conditions are pathetic. Children
live in dingy cells and work around hot
furnaces that make them blind when
they enter adulthood. Since they are
weighed down by debt, they cannot
think or find any way to escape this trap.
The politicians, policemen, middlemen
and bureaucrats obstruct their way of
progress. Most women in such families
think that this is their fate and just
follow the tradition. But Mukesh is very
different from the rest of the folks there.
He has dreams of becoming a
motor mechanic. The garage is quite far
from his house but he shall walk
Gist of the lesson:
Sometimes I find a rupee in garbage

 The author examines and analyses the
impoverished conditions and traditions
that condemn children to a life of
exploitation these children are denied
an education and forced into hardships
early in their lives.
 The writer encounters Saheb – a rag
picker whose parents have left behind the
life of poverty in Dhaka to earn a living
in Delhi.
 His family like many other families of
rag pickers lives in Seemapuri. They do
not have other identification other than
a ration card.
 The children do not go to school and
they are excited at the prospect of
finding a coin or even a ten rupee note
for rummaging in the garbage.
 It is the only way of earning.
 The writer is pained to see Saheb, a rag
picker whose name means the ruler of
earth, Lose the spark of childhood and
roams barefooted with his friends.
 From morning to noon the author
encounters him in a tea stall and is
paid Rs. 800 He sadly realizes that he is
no longer his own master and this loss of
identity weighs heavily on his tender
shoulders.
I want to drive a car
 The author then tells about another
victim, Mukesh who wants to be a motor
mechanic.
 He has always worked in the glass
making industry.
 They are exposed to various health
hazards like losing their eyesight as they
work in abysmal conditions, in dark
and dingy cells.
 Mukesh’s father is blind as were his
father and grandfather before him.
 So burdened are the bangle makers of
Firozabad that they have lost their
ability to dream unlike Mukesh who
dreams of driving a car.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING

Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the
garbage dumps? Where is he and where
has he come from?
Ans. Saheb is looking for gold in the

garbage dumps. He is in the
neighbourhood of the author. Saheb has
come from Bangladesh. He Came with
his mother in 1971. His house was set
amidst the green fields of Dhaka. Storms
swept away their fields and homes. So
they left the country.
Q2. What explanations does the author

offer for the children not wearing
footwear?
Ans. One explanation offered by the

author is that it is a tradition to stay
barefoot. It is not lack of money. He
wonders if this is only an excuse to
explain away a perpetual state of
poverty. He also remembers the story of a
poor body who prayed to the goddess for
a pair of shoes.
Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-

stall? Explain.
Ans. No, Saheb is not happy working at

the tea-stall. He is no longer his own
master. His face has lost the carefree
look. The steel canister seems heavier
than the plastic bag he would carry so
lightly over his shoulder. The bag was
his. The canister belongs to the man who
owns the tea-shop.
THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. What makes the city of Firozabad

famous?
Ans. The city of Firozabad is famous for

its bangles. Every other family in
Firozabad is engaged in making
bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-
blowing industry. Families have spent
generations working around furnaces,
welding glass, making bangles for the
women in the land.
Q2. Mention the hazards of working in

the glass bangles industry?
Ans. Boys and girls with their fathers

and mothers sit in dark hutments, next
to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps.
They weld pieces of coloured glass into
circles of bangles. Their eyes are more
adjusted to the dark than to the light
outside. They often end up losing
eyesight before they become adults. Even
the dust from polishing the glass of
bangles is injurious to eyes. Many
workers have become blind. The furnaces
have very high temperature and
therefore very dangerous.
Q3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his

situation different from that of his
family?
Ans. Mukesh’s grandmother thinks that

the god-given lineage can never be
broken. Her son and grandsons are bom
in the caste of bangle makers. They have
seen nothing but bangles.
Mukesh’s father has taught them what he
knows—the art of making bangles. But
Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic.
He will go to a garage and learn,
though the garage is far away from his
home.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Q1. What could be some of the reasons for

the migration of people from villages to
cities?
Ans. People migrate from villages to

cities in search of livelihood. Their fields
fail to provide them means of survival.
Cities provide employment, jobs or other
means of getting food. The problem in
case of the poor is to feed the hungry
members. Survival is of primary concern.
Q2. Would you agree that promises made
to the poor children are rarely kept? Why
do you think this happens in the
incidents narrated in the text?
Ans. The promises made to the poor are

rarely kept. The author asks Saheb half-
joking, whether he will come to her
school if she starts one. Saheb agrees to
do so. A few days later he asks if the
school is ready. The writer feels
embarrassed at having made a promise
that was not meant. Promises like hers
abound in every comer of their bleak
world.
Q3. What forces conspire to keep the

workers in bangle industry of Firozabad
in poverty?
Ans. Certain forces conspire to keep the

workers in bangle industry of Firozabad
in poverty. These include the
moneylenders, the middlemen, the
policemen, the keepers of law, the
bureaucrats and the politicians.
Together they impose a heavy burden on
the child.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Q1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh

realise his dream?
Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-

maker of Firozabad. Most of the young
men of Firozabad have no initiative or
ability to dream, but Mukesh is an
exception. He has the capacity to take
courage and break from the traditional
family occupation. He has strong will
power also. He does not want to be a
pawn in the hands of the middlemen or
moneylenders. He insists on being his
own master by becoming a motor
mechanic.
He can realise his dream by joining a
garage and learn the job of repairing
cars and driving them. He will have to
overcome many hurdles before he
succeeds. Then comes transport problem.
Money is the first one. He will have to
earn some money himself. The garage is
a long way from his home. He will have
to cover it twice everyday anyhow—by
walking on foot.
Patience, hardwork, firm will and the
determination to learn will help him
realise his dream.
Q2. Mention the hazards of working in

the glass bangles industry.
Ans. The glass bangles industry has

many health hazards. It usually employs
small children. It is illegal to employ
very young children in hazardous
industries, but certain forces like !
middlemen, moneylenders, police and
politicians combine to entrap the poor
workers.
Let us first consider the places where
bangle makers work. It is a cottage
industry. They work in the glass furnaces
with high temperatures. The dingy cells
are without air and light. Boys and girls
work hard during day next to lines of
flames of flickering oil lamps.
They weld pieces of coloured glass into
circles of bangles. Their eyes are more
adjusted to the dark than to the light
outside. That is why, they often end up
losing their eyesight before they become
adults.
Glass blowing, welding and soldering
pieces of glass are all health hazards.
Even the dust from polishing the glass of
bangles adversely affects the eyes and
even adults go blind. Thus, the
surroundings, prevailing conditions
and the type of job involved-all prove
risky to the health of the workers.
Q3. Why should child labour be

eliminated and how?
Ans. Child labour should be eliminated

because the children employed at tender
age as i domestic servants, dish-washers
at road-side dhabas and in hazardous
industries making glass bangles, biris,
crackers etc. lose the charm of the spring
of their life. Their childhood is stolen.
Burdened by the responsibility of work,
they become adults too soon. Most of
them are undernourished, ill-fed,
uneducated, and poor. They have a
stunted growth.
Child labour can be eliminated only
through concerted efforts on the part of
government agencies, NGOs (Non-
Government Organisations), co-
operative societies and political leaders.
Mere passing of law will not help. Laws
should be enacted faithfully. The
children thrown out of work should be
rehabilitated and given proper food,
clothes, education and pocket money.
Their feelings, thoughts and emotions
should be respected. Let them enjoy
sunshine and fresh air.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. Who was Saheb? What was he doing

and why?
Ans. Saheb was a young boy of school-

going age. He was looking for gold in
the garbage dumps of the big city. He
had left his home in Dhaka, Bangladesh
and came to the big city in search of
living. He has nothing else to do but pick
rags.
Q2. “But promises like mine abound in
every corner of his bleak world.” What
promise does the author recall? In what
context was it made? Was it fulfilled?
Ans. The author asked Saheb about

going to school. Saheb explained that
there was no school in his
neighbourhood. He promised to go to
school when they built one. Half joking,
the author asked whether he would come
in case she started one. Saheb smiled
broadly and agreed to come. After a few
days, he ran upto the author and asked
if the school was ready. The author felt
embarrassed. She had made a promise
that was not meant.
Q3. What is the meaning of Saheb’s full
name? Does he know it? How does he
conduct himself?
Ans. His full name is “Saheb-e-Alam”. It

means the lord of the universe. He does
not know it. If he knew it, he would
hardly believe it. He roams the streets
barefoot with other rag-pickers. This
army of arefoot boys appears in the
morning and disappears at noon.
Q4. How does the author focus on the

‘perpetual state of poverty’ of the children
not wearing footwear?
Ans. The author notices that most of the

young children engaged in rag picking
are not wearing footwear. Some of them
do not have chappals. Others want to
wear shoes. Some say it is tradition to
stay barefoot. To the author it seems lack
of money. Poverty forces them to walk
without footwear.
Q5. Explain: “For children, garbage has

a meaning different from what it means
to their parents. ”
Ans. Small children scrounge heaps of

garbage. They expect to get some coin,
note or valuable thing in it. Sometimes
they find a rupee or even a ten rupee
note. This gives the hope of finding more.
They search it excitedly. For children,
garbage is wrapped in wonder.
For the elders it is a means of survival.
Thus, garbage has two different
meanings.
Q6. Where does the author find Saheb
one winter morning? What explanation
does Saheb offer?
Ans. The author finds Saheb standing by

the fenced gate of a neighbourhood
club. He is watching two young men,
dressed in white, playing tennis. Saheb
says that he likes the game, but he is
content to watch it standing behind the
fence. He goes inside when no one is
around. He uses the swing there.
Q7. What job did Saheb take up? Was he

happy ? [All India 2014]
Ans. Saheb took up the job at a tea-stall.

But he was not happy with it. He was no
longer his own master. His face had lost
the carefree look. Although he earned ?
800, even then he was not satisfied.
Q8. How has “a dream come true” for
Saheb but what is “out of his reach?”
Ans. Saheb is wearing discarded tennis

shoes. One of them has a hole. Saheb does
not bother about the hole. For one who
has walked barefoot, even shoes with a
hole is a dream come true. But tennis,
the game he is watching so intently, is
out of his reach.
Q9. How does Saheb’s life change when

he starts working at the tea-stall?
Ans. Saheb now has a regular income. He

is paid 800 rupees and all his meals.
Thus, food is no problem. But his face has
lost the carefree look. The steel canister
in his hand now seems a burden. He is
no longer his own master. He may have
to work for longer hours. The helplessness
of doing things at his own will makes
him sad.
Q10. Who is Mukesh? What is his dream?

Why does it look like “a mirage amidst
the dust?”
Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-

maker of Firozabad, where every other
family is engaged in making bangles.
His poor father has failed to renovate his
house or send his two sons to school.
Mukesh insists on being his own master.
His dream is to be a motor mechanic. He
wants to drive a car. Given the
conditions of existence, his dream looks
like a mirage amidst the dust.
Q11.What do you learn about Firozabad
from this chapter ?
Ans. Firozabad is famous for its glass

bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-
blowing industry.
Families have spent generations working
around furnaces, welding glass, making
bangles for all the women in the land.
Every other family in Firozabad is
engaged in making bangles.
Q12. “Born in the caste of bangle-makers

they have seen nothing but bangles.”
Where do they ‘see’ bangles?
Ans. Children like Mukesh are bpm in the

caste of bangle-makers. They know no
other work.
They see bangles in the house, in the
yard, in every other house, every other
yard, every street in Firozabad. The
spirals of bangles lie in mounds in
unkempt yards. They are piled on four
wheeled hand carts.
Q13. What contrast do you notice

between the colours of the bangles and
the atmosphere of the place where these
bangles are made?
Ans. The bangles are of every colour bom

out of the seven colours of the rainbow.
These are sunny gold, paddy green, royal
blue, pink and purple. Boys and girls
work in dark hutments, next to the
flickering flames of oil lamps around
furnaces, blowing glass, welding and
soldering it to make bangles.
Q14. What are most of the bangle-makers
ignorant of? What would happen if law
were enforced strictly?
Ans. Most of the bangle-makers are

ignorant of the fact that employing
children in bangle making is illegal.
This is a hazardous industry. Many
children become blind before reaching
tHeir adulthood. If the law were
enforced strictly, 20,000 children would
be released from
working hard throughout the day at hot
furnaces with high temperatures. *
Q15. Where is Mukesh’s house located?

What is he proud of?
Ans. Mukesh’s house is built in a slum-

area. The lanes stink with garbage. The
homes there are hovels with crumbling
walls, wobbly doors and no windows.
These are crowded with families of
humans and animals. Most of these
houses are shacks or huts. Mukesh is
proud that his house is being rebuilt. His
eyes shine as he volunteers to take the
author to his home,
Q16. What impression do you form about

Mukesh ‘s family on having a glimpse of
their ‘house?’
Ans. Mukesh’s house is a half built shack

with a wobbly door. One part of it is
thatched with dead grass. There is a
firewood stove. Spinach leaves are
sizzling in a large vessel. More chopped
vegetables lie on aluminium platters.
The eyes of the frail young woman are
filled with smoke, but she smiles. The
scene depicts their grinding poverty but
contentment with their lot.
Q17. Give a thumb-nail sketch of the
“frail young woman” in the chapter ‘Lost
Spring’.
Ans. The young woman is the wife of

Mukesh’s elder brother. Her eyes are filled
with the smoke of firewood. Though not
much older in years, she commands
respect as the daughter- in-law of the
house. She adheres to customs and
traditions. She veils her face before male
elders. She gently withdraws behind the
broken wall to do so.
Q18. How would you regard Mukesh’s

father’s life and achievement?
Ans. Mukesh’s father was bom in the caste

of bangle-makers. His father went blind
with the dust from polishing the glass of
bangles. He is an old and poor bangle-
maker. He has worked hard for long
years, first as a tailor and then as a
bangle-maker. He has failed to renovate
a house or send his two sons to school.
Q19. “Savita is a symbol of innocence

and efficiency.” Comment.
Ans. Savita is a young girl. She has put

on drab pink dress. She is soldering
pieces of glass. Her hands move
mechanically like the tongs of a
machine. She is innocent as she is
ignorant about the sanctity of the
bangles she helps to make.
Q20. What do bangles symbolise? When,
according to the author, will Savita
know “the sanctity of the bangles she
helps make?” How is the Indian bride
dressed?
Ans. Bangles symbolise auspiciousness in

marriage for an Indian woman. Savita
will come to know “the sanctity” of the
bangles when she becomes a bride. The
head of a bride is draped with a red veil.
Her hands are dyed with red henna. Red
bangles are rolled on to her wrists.
Q21. “She still has bangles on her wrist

but no light in her eyes.” What exactly
does the author want to convey through
this?
Ans. ‘She’ is an elderly woman who

became a bride long ago. Since her
husband, an old man with a flowing
beard is still alive, she still has bangles
on her wrist. She has, however, not
enjoyed even one full nteal in her entire
lifetime. So, there is no light in her eyes.
This is just a comment on the abject
poverty and helplessness of the bangle-
makers.
Q22. “The young men echo the lament of

their elders. ” What do you think is the
common complain t ? How has it affected
their lives?
Ans. The bangle-makers of Firozabad are

quite poor. They do not have enough
money to do anything except carry on
the business of making bangles. Some
even do not have enough to pacify their
hunger. Building a house for the family
is an achievement for them. Years of
mind-numbing toil have killed all
initiative and the ability to dream.
Q23. Why do the bangle-makers not

organise themselves into a cooperative?
Ans. Most of the young bangle-makers

have fallen into the traps of the
middlemen. They are also afraid of the
police. They know that the police will
haul them up, beat them and drag to
jail for doing something illegal. There is
no leader among them to help them see
things differently. Their fathers are
equally tired. They can do nothing
except carrying on their i inherited
business.
Q24. Which two distinct worlds does the
author notice among the bangle-
making industry ?
Ans. The families of the bangle-makers

belong to one of these worlds. These
workers are caught in the web of poverty.
They are also burdened by the stigma of
the caste in which they are bom. They
know no other work. The other world is
the vicious circle of the moneylenders,
the middlemen, the policemen, the
keepers of the law, the bureaucrats and
the politicians.
Q25. How is Mukesh different from the

other bangle makers of Firozabad?
Ans. Mukesh is quite different from other

bangle makers of Firozabad because he
has the courage to take initiative and
break from the traditional family
occupation. He has strong will power
also. He insists on being his own master
by becoming a motor mechanic.
Q26. What do you think is the plight of

the children born in the families of
bangle-makers?
Ans. The vicious circle of the middlemen

and their allies have entrapped the poor
bangle- makers in their nets. The
stronghold is suffocating. They have
imposed a heavy burden on little
children. They can’t put it down. Before
they are able to think, they accept the
baggages as naturally as their fathers.
Q27. What do you think is the theme of

‘Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen Childhood’?
Ans. The theme of the chapter is the

grinding poverty and the traditions
which condemn poor children to a life of
exploitation. The two stories taken
together depict the plight of street
children forced into labour early in life
and denied the opportunity of schooling.
The callousness of the society and the
political class only adds to the sufferings
of these poor people.
MY
MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX
SUMMARY
This is a touching poem written by

Indian poet Kamla Das who wrote under
the pen name of ‘Madhavikutty’. In this
poem, she describes her feeling of love
and attachment towards her ageing
mother.
Once the poet went to visit her mother.
She was on her way back to the the
airport to return to Cochin. She looked
at her mother who was seated beside her
in the car. Her mother had dozed off to
sleep and her ageing face – was smoky in
colour like ash. Her mouth was open and
she resembled a dead body. The poet
realized that her mother was old. She
felt pain and sympathy for her. Her
mother needed love, affection and care.
In order to come out of the gloom, the
poet shifted her glance and looked out of
the car’s window. There she saw young
trees pass by. Little children were
running out of their houses into the
playgrounds. These things were contrary
to the ageing face of her mother. They
symbolised energy, life and happiness.
As they reached the airport and the poet

was about to leave for the aeroplane, she
glanced at her mother one more time.
Her mother appeared weak and pale just
like the moon in the winter season which
seems to have lost all its strength. The
poet felt the pain and fear of losing her
mother. She was reminded of her
childhood when she used to fear losing
her mother. As a child she could not bear
to be separated from her mother even for
a few moments. Now the loss would be
permanent as her mother was about to
die and she would lose her forever.
The poet did not express her feelings. She
smiled and said “see you soon, Amma”
because she wanted that her mother
should live and they could meet again.
Explanation:
My Mother at Sixty-Six:
Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children
spilling
out of their homes, but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
smile……
Explanation
Firstly, when the poet is on her way to the
cochin airport with her old mother
sitting beside her, she looks at her closely
and presents before us her image.
She compares her with a corpse. (similie
is a figure of speech to show comparison
between her mother’s face and a corpse.)
As she looks at her mother’s pale and
pallid face, she is struck with the horror
and pain of losing her. The mother with
the dozing face and open mouth is
compared to a corpse. Here, the poet
shows the typical love and affection
which is present in a mother-daughter
relation.
The poet is pained and shifts her
attention outside the car in order to
drive out the negative feelings. She
changes her sad mood .The scene outside
the window is of growing life and
energy. The rapidly sprinting trees
alongside the merrily playing children
symbolize life, youth and vitality. The
poet here is reminded of her own
childhood when her mother had been
young whereas now she is encircled with
the fear of losing her and that has made
her insecure.
She is at the airport to take a flight. It
indicates departure and separation
which creates melancholy. As she bids
goodbye to her mother, the image of the
old, wan, worn out mother in the
twilight of years strikes her again. Here
again a similie is used to compare her
mother with a late winter’s moon whose
light is obstacle by fog and mist As she
looks old now, her personality is affected
by it.
The poet is feeling the pain of separation,
leaving her mother and going. Also, her
childhood fear of losing her mother
which she feels that earlier was
temporary but now, could be forever as
she could die of old age, is haunting
her. She is so pained that it is natural
for her to cry but keeping a brave front
she hides her tears and smiles.
She bids farewell to her mother and
keeping her hope of seeing her again
alive, says “see you soon, Amma”. She
hides her sorrow as she does not want to
create a painful environment for her
mother and conveys her that as she is
enjoying her life similarly her mother
should also be happy and enjoy her life.
(The poem revolves around the theme of
advancing age and the fear that
adheres to its loss and separation. It is a
sentimental account of the mother’s
approaching end through the eyes of the
daughter. The seemingly short poem
touches upon the theme of the filial bond
between the mother and daughter
smeared in the backdrop of nostalgia
and fear. Nostalgia of the past (the time
spent with the mother) and fear of the
future without her.)
It is a short poem, without a full stop, the
poem is like a long sentence, over
flowing thought process. The poet uses the
device of comparison and contrast,
simile and repetition.
NEW / DIFFICULT WORDS

1) doze: a short, light sleep
2) ashen: very pale, like ash.
3) corpse: a dead body.
4) sprinting: here, shooting out of the
ground.
5) spilling: here, to move out in great
numbers.
6) wan: unnaturally pale, as from
physical or emotional distress.
7) ache: pain.
My Mother at sixty six Question Answers
What is the kind of pain and ache that

the poet feels?
When the poet looks at her mother’s face

closely, she discovers that she has aged
and her end is near. The feeling of her
mother being old, needing care and
help pains the poet as there is no one to
look after her. She feels that her mother
can die any moment and that then she
will lose her forever. Her childhood fear
of losing her mother which was then
timely but now, will be forever,
resurfaces. The poet feels the pain of her
mother’s old age and her helplessness
towards her. She has the fear of
separating from her mother forever,
upon her death.
Why are the young trees described as

‘sprinting’?
The young trees have been personified.

When looked at from the poet’s moving
car, they seem to be running past. The
poet found it to be strikingly opposite to
her mother who looked as still as a dead
body.
Why has the poet brought in the image of

the merry children ‘spilling out of their
homes’?
The poet draws a comparison between
what is travelling with her and what she
can see outside. It’s a comparison
between life and death. Her mother is
sleeping, with mouth open, like a dead
body, while outside she can see children
who are full of life, energy and
enthusiasm
.
Why has the mother been compared to
the ‘late winter’s moon’?
Just as the late winter’s moon is dull and

lacks luster, so is her mother at the end
stage of her life. Also, as the late winter
moon gets overshadowed by the fog and
mist in the sky similarly her mother can
get overshadowed by death at any time.
Both of them are nearing an end- one of
season and the other of life.
What do the parting words of the poet

and her smile signify?
The parting words of the poet show her
positive attitude. She overcomes her pain
and fear, assures herself and her mother
that they would meet again. She is being
very brave which is indicated by the use
of repetition in the poem:
“smile and smile and smile……”
KEEPING
QUIET
MAIN IDEA
Its main thrust was the significance of

mindfulness, introspection and
retrospection as these lead to attention,
unity and brotherhood.
Keeping Quiet Introduction

The poem “Keeping Quiet” written by
Pablo Neruda discusses the need of
maintaining peace and silence. He
stresses upon being quiet and harmless to
the human beings, animals and
environment. He suggests that in order
to maintain peace and harmony, it is
required to stop and introspect ourselves.
Keeping Quiet Summary
Keeping Quiet Summary – “Keeping

Quiet” is a peace poem written by the
Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The poet asks
humanity to count numbers from one to
twelve – twelve being the number of hours
shown in a clock or the number of
zodiac signs. He requests everyone not to
speak because languages create barriers
between people. The moment when
everyone stops moving their body will be
very special and different as we have
never experienced such a moment before.
The poet says that in this period of
inactivity the fishermen would not harm
the whales, the salt gatherers will not
hurt their hands, those who are busy
destroying the nature will adopt a new
approach towards life, The men who are
preparing for wars and victory based on
deaths of innocent people will join their
enemy and stand in unity with them,
doing nothing. No one will harm himself
or any other person. Everyone will unite
and ponder upon his acts and realize
the results of his deeds.
The poet clarifies his idea and says
further that he does not want that people
should stand idle. He wants that there
should be no war because he does not
want to see trucks laden with dead
bodies of the soldiers. He is promoting
Universal brotherhood and peace.
The poet says that everyone is working
continuously, to achieve one’s goals.
People are threatened by death and the
fear forces them to work endlessly so that
they can achieve everything quickly. In
this mad rush, they do not realize the
repurcutions of their acts. He wants us to
pause and come out of the mad rush. He
wants us to be happy about our
achivements and celebrate them. He
wants us to overcome the fear of death
and to relax for a while. We should know
the results of our deeds and celebrate
our achievements.
When the people will remain quiet for a

while, they will realize the purpose of
their lives. Just like all the creations of
nature undergo a rebirth with the
change of seasons, similary, keeping
quiet will be a rebirth for the human
soul. It will give a new meaning to our
life. Again, the poet says that he will
count till twelve and asks everyone to
remain quiet while he leaves.
Keeping Quiet Explanation
1. The poet asks everyone to count up to
twelve in their mind. The number twelve
represents the hours of the day or the
months of a year.
2. He wants all of us to be calm and
still.
3. People across the nations have to
unite together, so, they shall not speak
their own languages, rather they all
shall keep quiet and speak the language
of silence.
4. This will bring unity among all the
humans on the face of the Earth.
5. For at least one moment, no one shall
move his arms either to signal, or to
fight, or argue with each other.
The poet here requests everyone to count
till twelve in their own mind and to stop
for a while. May be this ‘twelve’ referred
by the poet is the twelve hours in the
clock or the twelve months in an year. He
wants everyone to stop and calm down.
The poet urges everyone not to speak any
language. As we all know that there are
different languages spoken in different
parts of the earth which sometimes
become a barrier in our way for peace.
So, he asks people not to speak. Not only
this, he also wants us to stop moving our
arms. By using the word ‘arms’ he means
the weapons which are used by different
countries to raise a war against each
other. So basically the poet is demanding
peace from all of us.
Literary devices:
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘e’

(Now we will count to twelve, not move
our arms so much)
Anaphora: Two consecutive lines starting
with the word ‘Let’s’
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
Alliteration: the repetition of a
consonant sound at the start of 2 or
more closely placed words.
‘we will’ – ‘w’ sound is repeated
Second stanza
It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.
Explanation
When everything will come to a

standstill, it will be a rare situation.
1. No one will be in a rush, there will be
no engines running.
2. Everyone will be calm and quiet,
united with each other in a strange
atmosphere.
3. It will be strange because it has never
happened earlier.
4. No person would be harming any
other living being either for food or to
earn his livelihood.
5. All the people who work endlessly will
get some time to look at their injuries
and the damage they have caused to
their body.
Poet says that it would be a rare
situation when there will be no engines
working. Here he wants to stay that if
everything comes to standstill, it will be
a very different moment. If all the
engines like the vehicles and machines
stop, then there will be a sudden, strange
situation as the world will experience a
sudden calmness. People will not be in a
rush to achieve material things one after
another. Further the poet says that the
fisherman will also stop and not harm
whales in the sea. This means that the
poet is urging everyone not to harm the
animals. Here he gives the example of
whales which are being hunted for the
purpose of food or trade. He also wants
people to calm down so that they can
stop and see what they have achieved or
lost. For this he gives the example of the
man who gathers salt, whose hands are
hurt. Here he wants everyone to stop for a
while in order to see and feel their
achievements and how much they have
lost for the sake of attaining such
materialistic things.
Literary devices:
Alliteration- ‘we would’ – ‘w’ sound is
repeated, ‘sudden strangeness’ – ‘s’ sound
is repeated, ‘his hurt hands’ – ‘h’ sound is
repeated
Third stanza
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
Explanation
1. The people who exploit the green
wealth of nature by deforestation, or
mining, or fishing in the deep seas and
the soldiers who use weapons to kill
fellow human beings need some time to
introspect into the consequences of their
actions. They are merely doing their job
or following orders.
2. He wants them to put on ‘new clothes’
i.e. to adopt a new approach towards life
and to realize that killing so many
people is not a victory.
3. He wants all of us to be united as one,
consider our enemy to be our brother.
4. He is promoting brotherhood, peace
and unity.
5. He does not want us to stop our works
but to take some time and analyze the
results of our deeds.
The poet asks everyone to stop those
activities which are damaging the
environment. Today all the human
beings are making money by damaging
the environment with their activities
such as mining, deforestation, letting
the chemical waste into rivers, etc. The
poet asks us not to do so. He also requests
people not to involve in wars as there is
no benefit of achieving such victory in
which no one is left alive. He says so
because wars and environmental
damage will lead to no life on earth.
Rather, he wants people to adopt a new
approach towards life and mankind. He
says that you should treat your enemy
like brothers and promote peace and
harmony in the world.
Literary devices:
Alliteration: ‘wars with’ – ‘w’ sound is
repeated, ‘clean clothes’ – ‘c’ sound is
repeated
Assonance: use of vowel ‘o’ (victory with
no survivors, would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers)
Repetition: use of ‘war’
Fourth stanza
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could perhaps a huge
silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Explanation
1. All human beings work endlessly with
the aim of completing all their tasks.
2. They are driven by the target of
survival and the threat of death.
3. So they are in a mad rush to
accomplish all their works.
4. He says that perhaps, if they pause for
a while, they can appreciate their
achievements and their lives would
become happier.
5. He suggests that by keeping quiet, we
will be able to understand the true
purpose of our life.
Now the poet wants to clarify to his
readers that when he asks them to stop
from saying or doing anything, he
doesn’t want anyone to become a non
active person. Non active is a person who
remains idle and doesn’t do anything.
Here, he simply means that we should
stop and see the consequences of our
deeds. The poet doesn’t want to see people
being killed due to their greed for money
and expansion of territories. Further, he
says that people are continuously
working to achieve their tasks without
even thinking about their results. They
are in fear of death and therefore, want
to achieve most of the things before their
death. Here he urges them to stop for a
while and take some moment to relish on
what they have achieved till now.
Everyone here is living a life in which he
wants to achieve various things one after
another. But now the poet says it is the
time to stop and see what has been
achieved and should be enjoyed. This
will help us skip the sadness which has
become so prominent in our lives. The
sadness of not enjoying what we have
achieved and the greed to achieve what
next is in the list to be achieved.
Literary devices
Alliteration: we were, so single – minded
enjambment: and for once could perhaps
a huge silence……..of threatening
ourselves with death.
Fifth stanza
Perhaps the Earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Explanation
The poet suggests us to take a teaching
from nature.
1. As the Earth undergoes changes, in
winter, everything freezes, becomes
lifeless but after some time, the season
changes again, and everything comes
back to life.
2. Similarly, taking a pause and
introspecting into our lives will give it a
new meaning. We will be able to
understand the purpose of our life. It will
be like a re birth of the soul.
3. The poet has conveyed to all the
people the purpose of his message and so,
he asks them once again to take a pause,
count till twelve and walks out of the
scene, keeping the scene open for all the
people on the Earth to experience this for
times to come.
So, now the poet suggests to the human
beings that we should learn a lesson
from Earth. During the winters
everything freezes and becomes lifeless.
But when season changes and its the
onset of spring season, everything present
in the nature such as the trees, birds,
rivers, etc gets life. So here, the poet, by
giving the example of nature, wants to
say that all the human beings should
stop and try to judge their deeds. They
can try and make their life better with
calmness, peace. Finally, he ends up by
saying that now he will count upto
twelve so that we all may become quiet.
Here ‘quiet’ means to calm down
ourselves and move towards the path of
peace and harmony. After saying this he
says ‘I will go’. He says so as he has
conveyed his message to the people and
wants them to be left alone to think
about it and work in the direction of
peace.
Keeping Quiet Question Answers

Q1- What will counting upto twelve and
keeping still help us achieve?
A1-If we count upto twelve and keep still,
it will give us some time to analyze our
deeds. It will allow us some moments to
think about the result of our activities.
People in the world are involved in wars
and are also damaging the
environment in order to achieve their
aims. Unfortunately this is taking all of
us toward our own end. So, we need to
think in order to achieve peace and
harmony.
Q2- Do you think the poet advocates

total inactivity and death?
A2- No, the poet doesn’t advocate total
inactivity and death. He clarifies this in
his poem that he wants all the people to
just stop for a while in order to analyze
their activities and their consequences.
He wants human beings not to support
war and damage to the environment.
Q3- What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet

refers to in the poem?
A3- The sadness is the result of our own
actions and deeds. According to the poet
we all are in a hurry of achieving
various tasks in our life. This rush
sometimes proves dangerous for us. As we
don’t analyze our actions, so we land
ourselves in a number of problems. These
problems then become the reason for our
sadness as referred to in the poem.
Q4- What symbol from Nature does the

poet invoke to say that there can be life
under apparent stillness?
A4- The poet takes the example of earth
to prove that there can be life under
apparent stillness. The earth never gets
inactive. We experience the change in
the seasons which brings so many
different things with it. In winters,
things come to a standstill as the water
bodies freeze; the trees shed their leaves,
etc. But as soon as the spring season
comes, it brings with it the lovely flowers,
flowing rivers and a new life is given to
the nature. So, the poet wants to convey
that we should stay calm but that
doesn’t mean that it will bring total
inactivity and stillness.

Eng Imp Points 1st Term

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DEEP WATER

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