A Horse and Two Goats

Extract I

1. What is meant by microscopic dot? What is said about Kritam in the extract?

Ans: Microscopic dot means ‘something very small’. Kritam was probably the tiniest of the
seven hundred villages in India as it was a microscopic dot on the survey map.

2. The Answer of this question is out of Syllabus so mark it as wrong question.

3. Give a brief description of the village Kritam.

Ans: It is ‘probably the tiniest’ of India’s seven hundred villages. It is a village that consists of
‘fewer than thirty houses, only one of them built from brick and cement’. There are four streets
in the village, with a shop for foodstuff and other items in the third street.

4. Give the meaning of Kritam in Tamil. Where did Muni live in the village?

Ans: Kritam in Tamil meant ‘coronet’ or ‘crown’ on the brow of the Indian subcontinent. Muni
lived in the last house in the fourth street in the village, beyond which stretched the fields.

5. How did the Big House differ from other houses?

Ans: The Big House, unlike other houses was built with brick and cement. It was painted yellow
and blue all over with carvings of gods. The other houses were of bamboo thatch, straw, mud
and other unspecified materials. This difference reflects about the status of rich and poor in the
story.

Extract II

1. How did Muni care for his sheep and goats? Why did he carry a crook at the end of a
bamboo pole?

Ans: He would take his sheep and goats every day to the highway to graze around. He carried a
crook at the end of a bamboo pole to collect foliage from the avenue trees to feed his flock.

2. In his prosperous days how many sheep and goats did Muni have? What happened to most
of them later?

Ans: In his prosperous days Muni had owned a flock of forty sheep and goats. Gradually,
Muni’s fortunes declined and his flock of forty was reduced to only two goats.

3.What did Muni’s wife give him for breakfast and midday meal? What does it show about his
economic condition?
Ans: Muni’s wife would give him salted millet flour in boiled water for breakfast. For midday
meal, she would give him the same raw onion. This shows their poverty as they could not
afford anything else.

4.Why did Muni tether his two goats to the trunks of the drumstick tree? What claim does he
have over the tree?

Ans: This was done so that his two goats could graze only within a set radius and not wander
off and get lost. Although no one could say precisely who owned the tree, the only claim Muni
had was that he lived in its shadow.

5. Compare and contrast Muni’s prosperous days with his present living conditions.
Give two points of difference between the living conditions of Muni and the
foreigner.

Ans: He once lived a prosperous life and reared a flock of forty, but now he was left with two
goats. Muni wanted to enjoy life, but now he had lost his riches, he had no option but to
remember his past with regret. He remembered the time when he, chewed betel leaves and
bhang in a hut in the coconut grove with the famous butcher from the town. Even today, he
craved to chew the drumstick out of sauce but failed to obtain the food items to prepare it, on
credit from the shopkeeper.

Foreigner knows English language whereas Muni knows South Indian language.
Muni is poor whereas the foreigner is a rich guy.

Extract III

1. What was Muni craving for? Why?

Ans. He was tired of eating drumstick leaves alone. He wanted to relish them with sauce for a
change.
2. Why did his wife agree to supply him with what he was craving for? Under what condition
would she oblige him?
Ans: His wife agreed thinking that next year, Muni might not be alive to ask for anything. She
asked him to bring a few food items including a measure of rice or millet.
3. How did Muni attract the attention of the shopkeeper and win over his goodwill?

Ans: To attract the attention of the shopkeeper, Muni kept clearing his throat, coughing and
sneezing. Muni responded appropriately at the shop man’s jokes. This helped him win the shop
man over.

4. How could Mini get some raw food items from the shop?

Ans: Muni would go and sit outside the shop. He would make polite sounds by cleaning his
throat, coughing and sneezing until he caught the attention of the shop man. He would humour
the shop man by appropriately responding to his jokes and then request the food items he
needed.

5. Question is out of syllabus.

Extract IV

1. Explain what has happened earlier because of which the shopkeeper is reluctant to
give on credit.
Ans: Muni had been in the habit of coming to the shop, humouring the shop man and
requesting for one or two items of food with the promise of repaying later. This time the shop
man was not in good mood so he lost his temper at Muni for daring to ask for credit.
2. Finally, from where did Muni say that he would get money? Was he saying the truth?
Give reason to support your answer.

Ans: Muni said that his daughter would be sending him money soon for his fiftieth birthday.
Muni was lying because he and his wife did not have children.

3. According to Muni, how old was he? How did he calculate his age?

Ans: According to Muni, he was fifty year old. He calculated his age from the time of great
famine.

4. What did the shop man say about Muni’s age? How could he guess that?
Ans: According to the shop man, Muni was seventy years old. Muni might be referring to
himself as fifty years old since past few years.

5. Which characteristics trait of Muni is revealed from this extract? Give examples to support
your answer?

Ans: Muni said his daughter will send money which was a lie but he did not intend to do any
harm. Muni appeared to be an innocent man, as he tried to convince the shopkeeper to give
him food items on credit. It can be said he was artless but was not cunning.

Extract V

1. Who is referred to as scoundrel? Why was Muni annoyed with the scoundrel?
Ans: The shop man is referred to as scoundrel. Muni was annoyed because the shop man
mocked at his habit of mentioning his birthday time and again to procure things on credit.

2. Why doesn’t Muni argue against what she says? How can you conclude that he trusts her as
far as his welfare is concerned?
Ans: Muni did not argue because he knew that if he obeyed his wife she would somehow
conjure up some food for him in the evening. Muni trusted her as far as his welfare was
concerned. He knew by taking up occasional jobs in the big house, she would earn some
money to keep dinner ready for him in the evening.
3. How would Muni’s wife get money to buy foodstuff?
Ans: She would go out and work-grind corn in the Big House, sweep or scrub somewhere, to
earn enough money to buy foodstuff.

4. When Muni was passing through the village what was his and onlookers attitude to each
other? Why?
Ans: When Muni was passing through the village, he avoided looking at anyone. He even
ignored the call of his friends. Muni had this sense of shame of being childless and of losing his
fortunes.

5. Why did Muni’s wife refuse to give him any food? What does it reveal about Muni’s wife?
Ans: First of all, there was no ingredients to prepare the drumsticks sauce. Secondly, she works
at the big house and tries to fulfil the needs of her house. She is stubborn but she wishes to
fulfil the dream of her husband Muni.

Extract VI

1. Which statue is referred to in the extract? Describe the statue of the horse.
Ans: The statue was life-sized made of burnt brightly coloured clay. It stood with its head held
high and its forelegs in the air.

2. How did the statue of the warrior look? How did the image makers depict him as a man of
strength?
Ans: The warrior beside the statue is depicted as a man of strength through his description as a
warrior with ‘scythe-like mustachios, bulging eyes and aquiline nose.”

3. Why didn’t Muni, the villagers or the vandals notice the splendour of the statue of the
horse?
Ans: Nobody from the village noticed its existence. Even Muni, who spent all his days at the
foot of the statue, never bothered to look up.

4. Why didn’t Muni go back home early?

Ans: Muni didn’t go back home early because he wanted to give his wife time to cool off
her temper and feel sympathetic enough to arrange some food for him.

5. Briefly state the difference in the financial status of Muni and the visiting American.
State how does it reflect on the theme of clash between ‘materialism’ and
‘spiritualism’.

Ans: Muni was a poor old man residing in the Kritam village in India. The red faced man
represents a typically wealthy American. The foreigner struggles more with materialism as he is
more prosperous and thus has more possessions than Muni. Unlike the foreigner, however,
Muni revels his spirituality in the form of mythological tales, which is shown to be completely
opposite with the foreigner’s obsession with material objects and financial matters.

Extract VII

1. Describe the arrival of the red-faced foreigner.

Ans: The red faced foreigner entered the story in a strange yellow vehicle. He stopped it, got
down and went around it, poked under the vehicle because his car ran out of gas.

2. Who was the foreigner? What did the foreigner say looking at the clay horse?

Ans: The foreigner was an American tourist. He looked up at the clay horse and cried,
“Marvellous.”

3. State the feelings of Muni after meeting the foreigner. Why did he have such feelings?

Ans: As soon as Muni met the foreigner his first impulse was to run away but his age did not
allow him. He had such feeling because he assumed the foreigner to be a policeman or a soldier
enquiring about the rumoured murder.

4. Looking at the clothes of the foreigner what did Muni think? How did the foreigner put him
at ease?

Ans: The foreigner was wearing khaki clothes. It made Muni think that he was a policeman or a
soldier. To put Muni at ease, the other man pressed his palms together, smiled, and said,
“Namaste!”

5. Having exhausted his English vocabulary, what did Muni say in Tamil? What does it reflect on
the issue of language between Muni and the foreigner?

Ans: Muni said that his name was Muni and the goats belonged to him. The village was full of
slanderers who would claim what was not theirs. It is ironical that language which has been
devised by humans to communicate becomes a barrier between Muni and the American. The
American businessman gives Muni hundred rupees thinking that he has bought the statue.
However, Muni takes the money thinking he has sold his goats. Their different languages do
not let them understand each other. Thus the issue of miscommunication due to lack of
knowledge of each other’s language leads to confusion between Muni and the foreigner.

Extract VIII

1. Who was the foreigner? What was his background?

Ans: The foreigner was a tourist in India. He was a rich American businessman who dealt in
coffee.

2. What is referred to as the courtesies of the seasons? Why did Muni answer ‘Yes, no”?

Ans: The foreigner’s polite behaviour on meeting Muni for the first time is referred to as the
‘courtesies of the seasons’. As a courtesy he offered Muni a cigarette. Muni, being a Tamil
speaking man could not understand the foreigner, and used the only English words he knew,
i.e., “yes,no.”

3. State earlier experience of Muni of smoking a cigarette. When the foreigner flicked the light
open and offered a light to Muni what were the latter’s feelings?

Ans: Muni remembered the cigarette the shop man had given him on credit. He recalled how
good it had tasted. When the foreigner flicked the light open Muni was confused about how to
act so he blew on the light and put it out.

4. What were the consequences of smoking an American cigarette on Muni?

Ans: Muni started coughing after smoking an American cigarette. It pained him yet he felt it
was extremely pleasant.

5. Describe Muni’s fears and anxieties when he was given the card by the visitor. What does it
reveal about Muni’s character?

Ans: Muni feared that the business card was an arrest warrant and he moved back. It reveals
that Muni is someone who fears authority.

Extract IX

1. Why did Muni speak in a fearful tone in the extract?

Ans: A mutilated dead body had been found thrown under a tamarind tree at the border
between Kritam and Kuppam a few weeks ago. Muni feared that the khaki-clad foreigner was a
policeman enquiring about the murder. Muni realised he could not run as he was old. Thus
Muni spoke in a fearful tone to talk his way out of trouble.

2. Which case is Muni referring to in the extract? Why did he say that he did not know anything
about the case and only God knew about it? Which character trait of Muni is revealed from his
talk?

Ans: Muni is referring to the murder case of a ’mutilated body’ thrown under a tamarind tree a
few weeks ago. Muni thought that the foreigner was a policeman and had come to inquiry
about the murder, so he said that he did not know anything about the case and only God knew
about it. From this we can tell, that Muni was a religious man.

3. Explain why Muni spoke of a murder with the foreigner. What does it reveal about Muni’s
behaviour?

Ans: Muni mistook the foreigner’s khaki dress and thought the foreigner was a policeman who
was investigating the case of a mutilated body thrown under a tamarind tree a few weeks
before. This reveals innocent and ignorant behaviour of Muni.

4.State how the title of the story, ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ is relevant.
Ans: The short-story “A Horse and Two Goats” was written by “R.K.Narayan”. In this story, the
author narrates the story of Muni and the foreigner whose miscommunication leads to a
confusion where the foreigner wanted to buy the horse statue but Muni didn’t know English
and misunderstood that he wished to buy his two goats. As the story revolves around the horse
statue and the two goats, ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ is apt title to it.

5. How is the clash of cultures brought about in the story? How is it used in the development of
the plot of the story?

Ans: On one hand, Muni is the representative of typical Indian native; who is poor, rural and
uneducated. He doesn’t know English and is striving to make a living. On the other hand, we
have the American who knows no Tamil but expects Muni to understand English. He is wealthy,
urban and educated and is only interested in a business deal with Muni. Thus the short story is
a conversation between them and the conversation builds up to a climax when by the end
Muni believes that the American wants to buy his goats and the American thinks that he has
got the horse statue.

Extract X

1. What has the foreigner just said about Tamil and Muni’s sales talk?

Ans: The foreigner said that Tamil to him ‘sounds wonderful’ and he got a kick out of every
word Muni uttered. The foreigner assumed Muni to be engaging in sales talk and told him that
he already appreciated the article and was ready for a better sales talk.

2. What is Pongal? What does Muni do on Pongal in his village?

Ans: Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. During Pongal Muni and
father would cut the harvest. Muni would then go out and play with others at the tank.

3. State what Muni hints at the caste and class distinction between the rich and the poor in
Kritam.

Ans: Muni had no formal education. He grew up as a member of a lower caste when only the
Brahmins, the highest caste, could attend school. He has not travelled beyond his village and he
likes to watch trucks and buses go by on highway a few miles away so that he can have ‘a
sense of belonging to a larger world.’

He has some knowledge of the two major religious texts the Ramayana and the Mahabharata,
which he has learned by acting in plays and by listening to preachers at the temple.

4. After the extract, how does Muni show himself as a gossip- monger?

Ans: In the story - "A Horse and Two Goats", Muni shows himself as a gossip monger by asking
the red faced foreigner several questions about his family life and children and telling the
American about his theatrical days, Vishnu avatars, cattles, etc. without even realising that the
foreigner did not understand anything.
5. Explain two characteristic features of Muni’s wife. State briefly the position of women in
villages as seen in the story, A Horse and Two Goats?

Ans: Muni’s wife was very supportive as she never questioned or blamed Muni for his failures.
Sometimes she appeared to be rude from outside but she was a kind-hearted wife. She loved
Muni and cared for him too.
Child marriage was prevalent as in the case of Muni and his wife. Women were honoured and
seen as nurturers but they needed a man to support them. Women in Kritam would do jobs at
the big house to earn their livelihood. They used clay pots and clay ovens to cook food.

Extract XI

1. Which dead body is referred to in the extract? Why was Muni afraid of the dead body
earlier?

Ans: A mutilated dead body, that had been found thrown under a tamarind tree at the border
between Kritam and Kuppam a few weeks before, is referred to in the extract.
Muni mistook the foreigner’s khaki dress and thought the foreigner was a policeman who was
investigating about the dead body, so he was afraid earlier.

2. What is Kali Yuga? What is said to happen in Kali Yuga?

Ans: Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages the world goes through as part of the cycle of the
ages. At the end of Kali Yuga, this world and all other worlds will be destroyed, and the
Redeemer will come in the shape of a horse called Kalki and save all good people while evil
ones will perish.

3. How does the language barrier in the conversation between the American and Muni provide
humour?

Ans: Their different languages do not let them understand each other. They converse, though
in reality, they are both speaking on entirely unrelated subjects. The foreigner is concerned
about the price of the statue, Muni when through gestures realises that he is being asked for
the statue, rumbles on about its religious value, and how it has stood for generations. The
foreigner, owing to the language barrier, assumes Muni as a salesman and offers him a
hundred rupee note in exchange for the statue. Since Muni could not understand English, he
assumes that the money offered is the exchange price for his goats.

4. Describe the living room in America of the foreigner as stated by him.

Ans: The living room of the foreigner has a large bookcase filled with volumes of books. There
are books piled up too.

5. How does Muni describe the horse? How would the horse be accommodated in the
foreigner’s house?
Ans: Muni describes the horse as a warrior. The horse symbolises salvation for the people of
Kritam village during a calamity. The foreigner assures Muni that he would keep the statue with
utmost care in his living room in his house in the USA.

Extract XII

1. Who speaks these words? In what context does he speak them?

Ans: The foreigner speaks these words. Muni was reflecting on the end of the world and asked
the foreigner if he had any idea when Kali Yuga would end.

2. What does Muni say about the coffee hotel in the locality? Why does he say so about
the coffee hotel?

Ans: Muni had heard from passers-by that there were ‘kapi-hotels’ opened at the Friday
Markets in the next town along the highway. Muni only recognized the word ‘coffee’ in the
foreigner’s conversation. He thought that the foreigner wanted to drink coffee.

3. What has Muni said about the end of the world?

Ans: At the end of the world the Redeemer would come on the horse statue which would grow
bigger and be called Kalki. There would be floods in which Kalki would carry good people to
safety and the evil would perish.

4. Explain what kind of businessman was the foreigner.

Ans: The foreigner claimed that he was a modest businessman dealing in coffee. However, he
bragged about having the best home. He was a shrewd businessman-he realised he had
bragged too much about his house. He took out a hundred rupee note and started bargaining
over the price of the statue.

5. How does the foreigner plan to transport the horse to America? What does he intend to do
with it in America?

Ans: The foreigner planned to cancel his air ticket and travel by ship with the horse in his cabin.
The foreigner intended to keep the statue with utmost care in his living room in his house in
the USA.

Extract XIII

1. Muni asked the red man, “ How many children do you have? The red man replied, “ I said a
hundred. “ What was each one talking about? Explain the humour in this conversation.
Ans: Muni was asking the red man about his children, if any. The red man did not understand
Muni and mistook it for the cost of the statue which he was willing to buy in Rs 100/- but Muni
thought that the red man is telling he has 100 children. The humour lies in the number 100. The
humour here also arises out of each one’s inability to understand other. They seem to be
conversing, but in reality, they are talking about entirely unrelated subjects.

2. Give two examples to show that Muni was curious about the red man.

Ans: Muni asks how many children does the man has. He even asks how many of them are boys
and how many are girls.

3. Looking at the hundred rupees note, how did Muni react? What did he think was the
purpose of giving him that money?

Ans: Muni peered closely at the hundred rupees note. He was amazed as he had never seen it
before. Muni thought that the red man wanted him to exchange the note for change. Muni
laughed at this idea.

4. How did Muni describe the village headman?

Ans: The village headman was a moneylender who disguised himself in rags just to mislead the
public. According to Muni, in reality, the headman had so much money that he could even have
changed a lakh of rupees in gold sovereigns.

5. Why did the red man show some interest in Muni’s goats? Briefly describe the intentions of
Muni for rearing the goats. Why couldn’t his plan be carried out?

Ans: The foreigner showed interest in Muni’s goats merely out of courtesy. Muni had reared
the goats in the hope of selling them some day, and with the profit, opening a small shop on
that very spot. His plans couldn’t be carried out because the red man left his goats near the
highway and took away the statue of the horse. Muni realised this because when Muni reached
home the goats also come back after some time.

Extract XIV

1. What food did Muni normally take? Explain why he is expecting miracle food at his occasion.

Ans: Muni would eat salted millet cooked into a little ball along with a raw onion. He was
expecting a miracle food because he craved to chew drumsticks out of sauce the same
morning. He knew that if he obeyed his wife she would somehow conjure food for him by
evening.

2. How did Muni’s wife react when she saw the cash?

Ans: Muni’s wife was an honest and hard-working woman, whom poverty had not worn down.
So she was furious on seeing the hundred rupees note and accused Muni of stealing it.
3. As soon as Muni completed his speech what did Muni’s wife conclude from the scene? What
does that reveal about Muni’s wife?

Ans: Muni and his wife heard bleating outside. On opening the door, she saw the two goats and
thus concluded Muni has stolen the money. We can conclude that Muni’s wife was an honest
lady.

4. How can you conclude that Muni was annoyed by seeing the goats?

Ans: Muni’s annoyance was revealed when he questioned the goats, “Where is that man?
Don’t you know you are his? Why did you come back?

5. How does the story end? What has appealed to you in the story?

Ans: The story ends with a misunderstanding between Muni and his wife. The latter accuses
him of stealing since the goats follow Muni back home. R K Narayan is known for using ironic
humour in his stories. It is in no way insulting but is enjoyable. It lets the readers laugh at the
characters and their situation gently. There are various situations in the story which creates
comic effect.