Nelson’s High School, Uttamnagar

Grade: IX – English Text

Moments
Ch.4: The Kingdom of Fools

Q-1. Meanings:
1. Till - plough
2. Sneaked in - enter a place without making sound
3. Stirring - moving around
4. Summoned -called
5. Merchant - businessman
6. Pursuing - follow
7. Compensate - give money for the loss
8. Accusation - to blame someone
9. Wandered - moved around
10. Bailiffs - a law officer who makes sure that the decisions of a court are
obeyed
11. Execution - an official killing of someone
12. Decree - order
13. Trembling - shivering
14. Pleads guilty - accepts mistake
15. Damned - wicked, disrespectful person
16. Scoundrel - wicked or evil person
17. Clamour - shout loudly
18. Ascetic life - life of a monk, simple life
19. Solemn word - sincere promise
20. Appealed - requested

Q-2 . Answer the following questions in short :

1. Why was the kingdom called the Kingdom of Fools?
Ans : It was called so because the King and the minister were idiots. They
decided to change night into day and day into night, and ordered everyone to
wake at night to till their fields, and sleep during the day.
2. Why did the people follow the orders of the foolish King?
Ans : They were forced to do so because they knew that if they disobeyed his
orders, they would be punished with death.

3. What astonished the guru and disciple at the grocer’s shop?

Ans : They were astonished that everything at the shop whether a measure of
rice or a bunch of bananas cost the same, i.e., a duddu.

4. What made the disciple grow fat?

Ans : The disciple ate his fill of bananas, ghee, rice, and wheat, which cost only
one duddu. As a result, he grew fatter and fatter.

5. Why did the King not decide to execute the merchant even though he found
him responsible for the death of the thief?
Ans : He decided not to execute the merchant because he felt he was too thin
to be properly executed on the stake. He felt they needed someone fatter to fit
the stake.

6. Why did the people approach the guru and his disciple?
Ans : The people realised that they needed a new King and a minister for the
kingdom, and approached the guru and his disciple because they had proved
to be smarter than the previous King.

7. Why did the people of the kingdom panic at the sight of the bodies of the
two executed men?
Ans : They panicked because they realised that the two who had been
executed were the King and the minister, and not the two who had been
condemned to death.

8. What reason did the guru give for his eagerness to die?
Ans : The guru said that if he was the first person to die at the new stake, he
would be reborn as the next King of the kingdom.

9. How did the guru divine that his disciple was in trouble? What did he do?
Ans: The guru had magical powers. He could see far into the future, the past
and the present. When the disciple prayed to him in his heart, he heard him
and appeared before him to help him.

10. Whom does the brick-layer blame for the weak wall that he had built?
Ans : The brick-layer blames the dancing girl for distracting him by walking up
and down the road in front of him with her anklets jingling.

Q-3. Answer the following in brief :

1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the
Kingdom of Fools ?
Ans :The guru and his disciple found two strange things. These were : one,
everything big or small cost the same, a single duddu. Second, people in the
kingdom of fools slept during the day and worked during the night.

2. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the kingdom of fools ? Is it a good
idea ?
Ans : The disciple decides to stay in the kingdom of fools. It is because he finds
here everything cheap. All he wants is good cheap food. It is not a good idea
because such things do not last very long. No one can tell what may happen
the next moment. And it happens to the disciple.
3. Name all the people who are tried in the king's court , and give the reasons
for their trial?
Ans : The people who are tried in the king’s court are the rich merchant who
owned the house, the poor bricklayer, the dancing girl who is now an old
woman and the goldsmith.

The reason for the trial is that the wall of the old house of the merchant had
collapsed on a thief while he had tried to break through the wall and escape
with the loot. The thief’s brother wanted justice done. The merchant was
accused because his weak wall had murdered the man and so he had to be
punished. He however claimed innocence and said that he had not built the
wall but the person who should be blamed was the bricklayer. The bricklayer
was then called to the trial for building a weak wall but he in turn pleaded that
it was not his fault because he had been distracted while building the wall by a
dancing girl who kept dancing up and down the street jingling her anklets. The
dancing girl was then called to the trial for distracting the bricklayer but she
explained that she had given some gold to the goldsmith to make her some
jewellery but he was lazy and made her walk to his house several times. The
king then summoned the goldsmith as he was responsible for making the girl
walk up and down several times. He blamed it on the merchant who said that
he had an order from a rich merchant and so could not complete the girls work
in time.

4. Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape
punishment?
Ans : The real culprit according to the king is the merchant because although
his old father was the real murderer he was dead and someone had to be
punishment in his place.
He escapes the punishment because he is too thin to be properly executed on
the stake

5. What are the Guru's words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember
them?
Ans :The guru’s words of wisdom are that they are all fools and this kingdom of
fools would not last long and nobody can tell what will happen next. The
disciple remembers these words when he was being carried to the place of
execution to be executed on the stake. He then prays to his guru in his heart,
asking him to hear his cry, wherever he was.

6. How does the guru manage to save his disciple's life?

Ans : The guru manages to save his disciple's life by starting a fight about who
should go first on the stake. The king gets puzzled by this behaviour and asks
the guru why he wants to die first. He takes him aside, out of the servants’
earshot, and whispers to him that they have been all over the world but have
never found a city like theirs or a king like him. The stake is the stake of the
god of justice. It’s new, it has never had a criminal on it. Whoever dies on it
first will be reborn as the king of this country. And whoever goes next will be
the future minister of the country. They were both sick of their ascetic lives
and wanted to enjoy themselves as king and the king is now thrown into deep
thought. He doesn’t want to lose the kingdom to someone else in the next
round of life. He needed time. So he ordered the execution postponed to the
next day and talked in secret with his minister. That night, the king and his
minister went secretly to the prison, released the guru and the disciple,
disguised themselves as the two, and as arranged beforehand with loyal
servants, were taken to the stake and promptly executed. In this way the wise
old guru managed to save his disciple’s life.

Q-4 . Choose the correct option for the following questions :

1. Who was made the new king after the previous king’s execution?
(a) The guru.
(b) The disciple.
(c) The king’s minister.
(d) The king’s son.
Answer: (a) The guru.

2. The king said that the merchant had inherited……….

(a) his father’s riches.
(b) his father’s sins.
(c) his father’s riches as well as sins.
(d) None of the above.
Answer: (c) his father’s riches as well as sins

3. Who did the bricklayer hold responsible for making a weak wall?
(a) the rich merchant
(b) the dancing girl
(c) the disciple
(d) the minister
Answer: (b) the dancing girl
4. Who was summoned next to the rich merchant?
(a) the bricklayer
(b) the dancer
(c) the goldsmith
(d) the disciple
Answer: (a) the bricklayer

5. After the thief’s death who ran to the king for justice?
(a) the thief’s brother
(b) the merchant
(c) the disciple
(d) the mason
Answer: (a) the thief’s brother
6. What did everything cost in the Kingdom of Fools?
(a) a duddu
(b) two duddus
(c) five duddus
(d) ten duddus
Answer: (a) a duddu

7. According to the guru whose behavior is unpredictable?

(a) king’s
(b) people’s
(c) foolish people’s
(d) disciple's
Answer: (c) foolish people’s

8.The dancing girl put the blame on ……….

(a) the bricklayer.
(b) the rich merchant.
(c) the goldsmith.
(d) the rich merchant’s father.
Answer: (c) the goldsmith.

9. The wall of the house collapsed on the thief. What happened to him?
(a) his leg was broken
(b) his head injured
(c) he was seriously Injured
(d) he died on the spot
Answer: (d) he died on the spot

10. What did the guru think about living in the Kingdom of Fools?
(a) enjoying the life fully
(b) was a good idea
(c) tension free life
(d) not a good idea
Answer: (d) not a good idea