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AARAMBH (2024)
The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse DPP-01

1. How does the author describe the character of 6. Why did Aram find it hard to believe that Mourad
Mourad? had stolen the horse?

2. Did the boys return the horse because they were 7. How can we say that Aram and Mourad were very
conscience-stricken or afraid? fond of riding?

3. The story revolves around characters who belong to
a tribe in Armenia. Mourad and Aram are members
of the Garoghlanian family. Now prepare a write-up
on the Garoghlanian tribes. As suggested in the
story, you may write about people, their names,
traits, and geographical and economic features.
4. What are the unique traits of the Garoghlanian tribe?
8. Mourad said, “I have a way with a horse”. Do you
agree? Give an example to prove your point.
9. What were the peculiarities in Uncle Khosrove’s
behaviour?
10. What did John Byro say to the boys when he found
them walking with it one morning?

5. Why did Aram find it hard to believe that Mourad

had stolen the horse?

Hints and Solutions
1. Mourad is one of the main characters of the story,
‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’ by
William Saroyan. He is thirteen years old and the
narrator’s cousin. The story evolves with a white
horse brought by Mourad. The author has portrayed
the character as a lively, free-spirited and a little
crazy person. Besides being too enthusiastic, he has
a kind heart too. He can build great bonding with
animals, birds and people. As an innocent boy, he
took the white horse only to ride it. He didn’t
consider it as stealing but later felt guilty and
returned it to its owner. Thus, he carried on the
reputation of trust and honesty of his clan. Murad is
a unique character and plays an important role in the
story.
2. The boys returned the horse because they were
conscience-stricken. Aram and Mourad are the two
main characters of the story who are two young
boys from an Armenian tribe known for their
honesty and trust. Mourad stole a white horse from a
farmer named John Byro to ride on it. The boys
decided to return it after Aram learned how to ride a
horse. When they were with the horse, they came
across John Byro. He recognised his horse. But he
was close to the tribe and knew their reputation for
honesty. So, he didn’t charge them but tried to
awaken their consciences. He stated that if that had
been someone else, he thought it to be his horse, but,
as it was them, it must be a twin of his horse. His act
made the boys guilty. They understood their mistake
and returned it the very next day. They could have
the horse but they didn’t for their honesty.
3. From the story, we come to know about the
Garoghlanian family which is said to be an
imaginary tribe in William Saroyan’s book “My
name is Aram”. The tribe is Armenian and known
for their honesty and trust. They are very proud of it
as it has been a hallmark of their family for
centuries. After honesty, they believe in right and
wrong. They are also a hospitable community. From
the story, it is learned that the family used to be
extremely wealthy, but they have become very poor
with time. Their social get-together takes place in
the form of a large dinner with lots of food. From
this story, we can further know the family has a
streak of madness. A single person from each
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generation is said to have little craziness in their
spirits. The narrator believes his cousin Mourad is
the carrier of this craziness.
4. The unique traits of the Garoghlanian tribe were that
they were extremely poor but still they were 1
famous for their honesty for centuries. They were
proud as well as honest; they believed in doing the
right deeds. No one o^ their tribe would ever steal.
They were trustworthy.
5. Though Mourad was too poor to buy a horse, Aram
found it difficult to believe that he had stolen it. This
was because Mourad came from a family that firmly
upheld honesty as their special trait and were proud
of it.
6. Though Mourad was too poor to buy a horse, Aram
found it difficult to believe that he had stolen it. This
was because Mourad came from a family that firmly
upheld honesty as their special trait and were proud
of it.
7. Mourad brought a horse which did not belong to
him. Though he knew that their tribe was well-
known for honesty, but he could not help stealing
John Byro’s horse for riding. They enjoyed riding at
4:00 a.m. when it was still dark. They used to race
the horse across fields, vineyards, orchards,
irrigation ditches and country roads. Thus we can
say that Aram and Mourad were very fond of riding.
8. Yes, we agree that Mourad had a way with a horse.
When John Byro got the horse back, he found the
horse better tempered because Mourad was good at
dealing with a wild white horse. The horse wanted
to run wild in the beginning but Mourad felt he
could make the horse do anything he wanted.
9. Uncle Khosrove, who had a furious temper was
known to be crazy. He was so impatient and irritable
that he stopped anyone from talking by roaring, ‘It
is no harm; pay no attention to it.’ His son came to
him to tell him that their house was on fire. He
silenced him saying ‘enough’. ‘It is no harm, I say’.
He was irritated and snubbed when John Byro told
him about his horse having been stolen.
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10. John Byro met the boys walking with his horse which had been stolen. He studied the horse, asked its name and
examined its teeth. He said if he did not know their parents’ honesty he would swear that it was his horse. He only
called it the ‘twin’ of his horse.

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