Chapter 11 A Different Kind of School

* Answer the following questions:

Q 1. What did the author see first upon reaching Miss Beam's school?
Ans. He saw a girl of about twelve, with her eyes covered with a bandage, being led carefully
between the flower-beds by a little boy of eight.

Q2. Which subjects were taught at Miss Beam's school?

Ans. Spelling, adding, subtracting, multiplying and writing were taught at Miss Beam’s school.

Q 3. Why did the children feel that 'dumb day' was the most frightening?
Ans. The children felt that ‘dumb day’ was the most frightening because the children needed
to use all their willpower to not respond or speak. It was hard to not be able to explain
oneself.

Q 4. How did the little girl describe her feelings about the different disabilities they
pretended to have?
Ans. She said that being blind was the most difficult of all. Her head ached from trying to
avoid things around—sometimes worrying about things that weren’t even probably there.
Having a leg tied up and hopping about on crutch was almost fun for her. Having her arm tied
up was a little more troublesome because food had to be cut up for her, and so on. She did
not mind being deaf for a day though.

* Reference to Context:

a) I have heard so much,' I said, 'about the originality of your system.

i. How was the system followed by the school, original?

Ans. The system followed by the school was quite original. The real aim of this system was
not to teach ‘thought’ but ‘thoughtfulness’. In order to get these young minds to appreciate
and understand misfortune, the school made them share in misfortune. During the course of
the term, every child needed to walk around with a cloth over their eyes and pretend to be
blind for one day, lame for one day, deaf for one day and dumb for one day. In this manner,
they would learn how hard it was for those who were not as privileged as them.
It tried to ensure that the students really understood kindness, empathy, humanity and most
important of all, they knew how to share other people's misfortunes.

ii. Why did the author feel sorry for the children at first?
Ans. At first, the author thought that the children were not all healthy and active, even
though they looked jolly.

iii. What does Miss Beam mean when she says that it is the student's 'blind day?
Ans. She means that the child had to wear a bandage around the eyes and carry on through
the day without seeing anything. This activity was a part of the school system.

iv. What were they required to do on a 'blind day"?

Ans. On the ‘blind day’, their eyes are bandaged, and it is a point of honour to not peep. The
bandage is put on overnight. They wake up blind. This means that they need assistance in
everything.

b) Miss Beam led me to one of the bandaged girls-a little merry thing. Here's a gentleman
come to talk to you,' said Miss Beam, and left us.

i. How does the little girl respond when the author asks if she ever peeps? What does
this response say about the teaching methods employed in the school?
Ans. The girl instantly says that she never peeps as that would be equivalent to ‘cheating’. It
tells us that through their methods, the school was indeed effectively able to inculcate certain
values in children, which sometimes we take for granted.

ii. Why does the little girl say she will be more careful when it is her turn to be the
guide?
Ans. She understood the importance of being a sensitive guide to others. Hence, she said that
she would be more careful when it’d be her turn to guide someone on their ‘blind day’.

iii. Who is Millie? How does the little girl describe her?
Ans. Millie was the head girl. She was described as tall and decent.
iv. What change did the author note in himself?
Ans. The author felt that he had become more sensitive towards others who were less
privileged than him. He decided to understand people’s woes better.

Think and answer:

5. The author uses the terms 'jolly' and 'merry' to describe the students of the school.
Why, in your opinion, did they possess this attitude?
Ans. The children in Miss Beam’s school possessed this attitude because when they helped
others every day, in different ways, it gave them inner satisfaction and a sense of
accomplishment. It gave them happiness. So, they appeared ‘jolly’ and ‘merry’.