I. Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
Explain with reference to context.
Answer:
These lines are taken from the poem ‘Daffodils’ written by William Wordsworth.
The poem expresses Word worth’s love for nature and how he searched peace in it
from the woes and worries of this world.
In the final stanza, the poet knows how much the flowers have affected him. Often,
when he is lying on his couch or when he is in a thoughtful (pensive) mood, an
image of the daffodils comes to him, and then his heart fills with pleasure and
“dances with the daffodils.”
Question 2.
What happens to the poet when he is sometime in a pensive mood?
Answer:
Whenever the poet lived on his couch in a unoccupied and sad mood the fond and
happy memory of the daffodil flowers flushed upon his eye of imagination which
is a source of joy and inspiration to the poet in such his lonely mood.

Question 3.
What is the bliss of solitude referred to here?
Answer:
By the term ‘bliss of solitude’ the poet wants to express that he felt really happy
in the joyful company of the daffodil flowers and the waves. They seemed
to compete with each other in such a mood. The poet caught the joyful mood and
thus became a part of nature itself. He only kept on watching the scene, unable to
decide what wealth of joy, he had received from it.

Question 4.
What does he mean by the ‘inward eye’?
Answer:
The inward eye refers to the eye of his imagination , his soul which can provide
him the sight of the daffodils in his memory and he can once again experience the
same joy which he had experienced when he had seen the daffodils.
II. Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
Explain with reference to the context.

Answer:
This is stanza has been taken from the poem Patriot into Traitor” written by Robert
Browning. This poem is a criticism of politics and people’s opinion. When a leader
comes into power, people call him a patriot. When he is dethroned, the same leader
is considered a traitor. This is the tragedy of modern politics. The leader in this
poem fell a victim to the same state of affairs. When he came into power, people
showered flowers at him as a patriot. But after a year, they declared him a traitor,
when he was no more in power. They took him to the gallows. But Browning has
ended his poem not on a tragic, rather on a next world optimistic note.

Question 2.
By which flower was the patriot welcomed?

Answer:
He was welcomed with roses and myrtles.
Question 3.
When was the patriot welcomed?

Answer:
The patriot was welcomed a year ago.

Question 4.
“The house-tops seemed to heave and sway”. Explain.

Answer:
The heaving and swaying motion creates an image of overcrowding, emblematic
of our speaker’s importance. It suggests that he is a celebrated figure – one that
everyone wants to see.

III. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
A free bird leaps on the back
of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange sun rays
And dares to claim the sky
Question 1.
Who is referred to as a free bird in the poem? Why?

Answer:
The free bird represents a free person and here the white race because the white
race in America lived free and happy while the African Americans were enslaved
and were in the very poor condition.

Question 2.
To what is the free bird compared to in the first two lines of the extract? How is the
action of the bird shown to be free and enjoyable?

Answer:
The free bird is compared to one who is happy and enjoying life. He leaps and
seems to dip his wings in the orange rays of sun totally carefree.

Question 3.
Explain what do the orange sun rays symbolize?

Answer:
Orange is the color associated with glow and happiness.

Question 4.
Give the meaning of leaps and dares.

Answer:
Leaps means jumps and dares means has the courage to do something.

Question 5.
How does the free bird dare to claim the sky?

Answer:
Freedom gives a being courage. As the bird is free and leaping up and down
wherever he wants, he thinks he can do whatever he wants and thus he feels that
the sky is his.
IV. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So, he opens his throat to sing
The caged sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.

Question 1.
Why does this stanza in the extract begin with, "but'?

Answer:
The first stanza in the extract begins with 'but', to show the difference in the
activities of a free bird and a caged bird, which are just opposite of each other.

Question 2.
Why do you think the cage is 'narrow? What is meant by 'his bars of rage'?

Answer:
The cage is narrow because it symbolizes prison cells and they are always, small,
narrow and suffocating. Bars instil anger in caged bird.

Question 3.
Why does a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars
of rage?
Answer:
There is little space between the bars of the cage and so the bird is unable to see
the outside world. This fills him with an impotent and helpless anger and thus, the
bars become the symbol of his rage.

Question 4.
Under what circumstances does the caged bird sing? What does it tell us about his
condition?

Answer:
The caged bird also wants to fly in the sky but it cannot. Therefore, to express his
condition and feelings, there is no way out except singing. That's why he sings.
The singing tells us about his helplessness and suffering because of his captivity.

Question 5.
Why does the caged bird want to sing of things 'unknown'?

Answer:
The caged birds yearn for freedom and fly to the far-off places. As he cannot do
this, he simply expresses his pent-up feelings by his singing.
V. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Explain with reference to the context.

Answer:
This is stanza has been taken from the poem The Patriot ” written by Robert
Browning. This poem is a criticism of politics and people’s opinion. When a leader
comes into power, people call him a patriot. When he is dethroned, the same leader
is considered a traitor. This is the tragedy of modern politics.

Question 2.
Comment on the tone of the Patriot in this stanza.
Answer:
Throughout the whole of stanza, the patriot is reflecting and thinking . He states,
‘Nought man could do, have I left undone’. He feels he did everything he could have
possibly done. We gather he also has power, ‘what I reap’ illustrating how he has
collected his rewards from the work he has done.

Question 3.
What does the word ‘harvest ‘ connote here?
Answer:
Harvest, here means reward.
VI. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Explain with reference to the context.
Answer:
This is stanza has been taken from the poem The Patriot written by Robert
Browning. This poem is a criticism of politics and people’s opinion. When a leader
comes into power, people call him a patriot. When he is dethroned, the same leader
is considered a traitor.

Question 2.
Give an example of Antithesis from the poem ‘The Patriot”

Answer:
“Thus I entered, and thus 1 go!” is an example of antithesis.

Question 3.
How did the leader come and go?
Answer:
The leader came like a patriot and went like a traitor.

Question 4.
What type of poetic piece ‘The Patriot: An Old Story’ is?
Answer:
‘The Patriot’ is a dramatic monologue.

Question 5.
Can one see the faith of humans in God in the poem?

Answer:
The poem is about human predicament. Good deeds are not often rewarded or
appreciated in this world. People with religious belief find solace in the hope that
they will be rewarded with paradise. The poet has effectively used the metaphor of
calcification Jesus Christ and the poem reminds the life of Gandhiji, Lincon etc.
VII. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Explain with reference to context.
Answer:
These lines have been taken from Abou Ben Adhem written by Leigh Hunt. In this
poem the poet has describe the spiritual experience of Abou who was a pious man.
One night Abou awoke from a deep dream of peace. He saw an angel writing
something in a golden book.

Question 2.
What did Abou Adhem ask the angel?
Answer:
He asked the angel, “What are your writing?”

Question 3.
What did the angel tell Abou bin Adhem?
Answer:
The Angel told Abou Ben Adhem, “I am writing the names of those who love God.”

Question 4.
Why was Abou not afraid?
Answer:
He was not afraid because he was a pious and holy man who believed in God. The
peace he felt in the presence of the vision made him bold enough to ask the
question.

VIII. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Question 1.
Explain with reference to context.
Answer:
These lines have been taken from Abou Ben Adhem written by Leigh Hunt. In this
poem the poet has describe the spiritual experience of Abou who was a pious man.
One night Abou awoke from a deep dream of peace. He saw an angel writing
something in a golden book.

Question 2.
What did Adhem beg the angel to write about him?
Answer:
He begged the angel to write his name as lover of the human beings.

Question 3.
Did the angel appear again?
Answer:
Yes, the angel appeared again the next night.

Question 4.
Where was Abou’s name written amongst those who loved God?
Answer:
Abou Ben Adhem’s name was at the top of the list.
Question 5.
Mention two other words used by the poet to refer to the angel.
Answer:
The two other words used by the poet to refer to the angel are ‘the vision’ and ‘the
presence’.

IX. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Explain with reference to context.

Answer:
These lines are from the poem ‘Nine Gold Medals by David Roth. The poem sends
the message that sports are not only about medals but also about learning the
values of cooperation, sharing, competing and complementing. In this poem ‘Nine
Gold Medals’, the poet, David Roth has presented the idea of empathy and how
human values are as important as the spirit of competition.
Question 2.
The word ‘exploded’ is used for the firing of the pistol. What does the phrase ‘so
did the runners’ mean?

Answer:
As soon as the contestants heard the sound of the pistol being fired they all
sprung into action and ran forward to race.

Question 3.
Who do you think are the competitors? How do you know which is the event
mentioned?
Answer:
The differently-abled people are the competitors. The banner said that it was
Special Olympics. The event mentioned is the 100-yard dash.

Question 4.
How were the dreams of one of the contestants ‘dashed in the dirt’?
Answer:
The ninth, who is the smallest, falls down. He cries out with the pain of
disappointment. He has trained hard but does not get the opportunity to show his
talent. All his dreams of winning the medal are broken and destroyed.

X. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Question 1.
Explain with reference to context.
Answer:
These lines are from the poem ‘Nine Gold Medals by David Roth. The poem sends
the message that sports are not only about medals but also about learning the
values of cooperation, sharing, competing and complementing

Question 2.
Who gave standing ovation? Why?

Answer:
The spectators gave the standing ovation, as they were moved by the feeling of
brotherhood and oneness displayed by the handicapped athletes.

Question 3.
Explain the following phrases in a sentence or two.
(a) Pulled up on their heels
(b) Brought the young boy to his feet.

Answer:
(a) The phrase ‘pulled up on their heels’ means that the other eight contestants
stopped running.
(b) The phrase ‘brought the young boy to his feet’ means that the other eight
contestants helped the boy who had fallen down, to stand up on his feet.

Question 4.
Explain in your own words the meaning of the line ‘the hundred-yard dash now
reduced to a walk’.

Answer:
The phrase ‘the hundred-yard dash now reduced to a walk’ describes the moment
when the other eight contestants help their friend, who had fallen down, to stand
up on his feet. Since the boy was unable to run, the others decide not to run either.
All nine contestants walk hand-in-hand to the finish line. In other words, the
contestants walk the distance of the hundred yards (which was to be run) at the
speed of the contestant who had fallen down.

Question 5.
How would the nine contestants have felt when they all reached the finish line
together? Which words indicate this? Do you think they were happy because they
had won the gold medal? Why?

Answer:
The contestants must have felt happy and united when they reached the finish line
still ‘holding hands’. The words ‘nine beaming faces’ tell us how happy they were.
The contestants get a ‘standing ovation’ which would have made them feel proud
of what they had done.
The contestants were happy not simply because they had won the gold medal.
They were proud of being a united group who stood by each other, understood
each other’s problems and helped each other even at the cost of winning a gold
medal. For this group of contestants it was more important to empathise with and
help each other than to win an individual prize.

Question 6.
How did the spectators react to this gesture of the eight contestants?

Answer:
The spectators gave a ‘standing ovation’ to the contestants, which means they
stood up and clapped and cheered for them. Each of the contestants was
rewarded with a gold medal.

XI. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

This woman had been despised, scoffed at, and angrily denounced by nearly
every man, woman, and child in the village; but now, as the fact of, her death was
passed from lip to lip, in subdued tones, pity took the place of anger, and sorrow
of denunciation.
Neighbours went hastily to the old tumble-down hut, in which she had secured
little more than a place of shelter from summer heats and winter cold: some with
grave-clothes for a decent interment of the body; and some with food for the half-
starving children, three in number. Of these, John, the oldest, a boy of twelve, was
a stout lad, able to earn his living with any farmer. Kate, between ten and eleven,
was bright, active girl, out of whom something clever might be made, if in good
hands; but poor little Maggie, the youngest, was hopelessly diseased. Two years
before a fall from a window had injured her spine, and she had not been able to
leave her bed since, except when lifted in the arms of her mother.
“What is to be done with the children?” That was the chief question now. The dead
mother would go underground, and be forever beyond all care or concern of the
villagers. But the children must not be left to starve.

Question 1.
Why was the dead woman despised and hated by all the people of the village?

Answer:
The dead woman was an alcoholic and despised because of her idleness and
addiction to liquor.

Question 2.
Why did the neighbour’s attitude change when they heard the news of her death?

Answer:
The neighbour’s attitude changed when they heard the news of her death because
they felt pity for her three children left destitute and with no one to care for them
after her death.

Question 3.
What did the neighbours do to help?

Answer:
The neighbours rushed to the dilapidated cottage of the woman to help. Some
carried grave-clothes for a decent interment of the body; and some with food for
the half-starving children, three in number.
Question 4.
Describe the three children.
Answer:
The dead woman had three children. John, the oldest, a boy of twelve, was a stout
lad, able to earn his living with any farmer. Kate, between ten and eleven, was
bright, active girl, out of whom something clever might be made, if in good hands;
but poor little Maggie, the youngest, was hopelessly diseased. Two years before a
fall from a window had injured her spine, and she had not been able to leave her
bed since, except when lifted in the arms of her mother.

Question 5.
What was a matter of concern now that the woman was dead?
Answer:
What concerned the villagers now that the woman was dead was the question of
the care of her three children. They were too young to fend for themselves and
could not be left alone to fend for themselves.

XII. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Its a cruel thing to leave her so.”

“Then take her to the poorhouse: she’ll have to go there,” answered the
blacksmith’s wife, springing away, and leaving Joe behind.
For a little while the man stood with a puzzled air; then he turned back, and went
into the hovel again. Maggie with painful effort, had raised herself to an upright
position and was sitting on the bed, straining her eyes upon the door out of which
all had just departed, A vague terror had come into her thin white face.
“O, Mr. Thompson!” she cried out, catching her suspended breath, “don’t leave me
here all alone!”

Question 1.
Who said, ‘It’s a cruel thing to leave her so.’ Why did he say this?

Answer:
The wheelwright man named Joe Thompson said this when all the villagers
showed that inspite of pity for the disabled child none of them wanted to take her
home and were ready to leave her alone in the hovel.

Question 2.
Describe the feelings and plight of Maggie when she was left alone.

Answer:
Maggie felt desolate and frightened at being left helpless in the rundown cottage
that was the only home she had known. Her spine was broken so with a painful
effort, she raised herself to an upright position and tried to sit on the bed, in an
effort to strain her eyes upon the door out of which all had just departed, uncaring
that she was alone and not in a position to help herself. Her thin white face
reflected a vague terror at the thought of the dark future she could foresee for
herself.

Question 3.
What did Maggie say to Mr Thompson? What do her words show?
Answer:
Maggie pitifully begged Joe Thompson saying, “O, Mr. Thompson! don’t leave me
here all alone!” She was almost not able to breathe due to the fear of being left
alone.

Question 4.
What assurance did Joe Thompson give Maggie? What did he do?
Answer:
Joe Thompson was a kind man and he assured Maggie by saying, “No, dear,” “You
won’t be left here alone.” Mr Thompson went to the bed, and stooping down he
wrapped her with the gentleness almost of a woman, in the clean bedclothes which
some neighbour had brought. He then lifted her in his strong arms and bore her out
into the air and across the field to his home.

Question 5.
What idea do we get of the character of Mr Thompson?
Answer:
Mr Tompson is revealed by his actions as a kind hearted man. Although he had a
rough exterior, Joe Thompson, the wheelwright, had a heart, and it was very tender
in some places. He liked children, and was pleased to have them come to his shop,
where sleds and wagons were made or mended for the village lads free of cost
without taking anything from their hoarded six pences.

XIII. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening— the
last evening of the year. In this cold and darkness there went along the street a
poor little girl, bareheaded, and with naked feet. When she left home she had
slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that? They were very large slippers,
which her mother had hitherto worn; so large were they; and the poor little thing
lost them as she scuffled away across the street, because of two carriages that
rolled by dreadfully fast.

Question 1.
Which day of the year was it in the story?

Answer:
It was terribly cold. It snowed, and it was nearly quite dark. It was New Year’s eve
and the night was freezing cold.
Question 2.
Describe the condition of the girl.

Answer:
The little girl was bare headed and barefoot in the freezing cold as she had lost the
slippers she had worn which belonged to her mother and were too large for her.
Her feet were quite red and blue from cold.

Question 3.
What did the girl carry in her pocket?

Answer:
The little girl carried a quantity of matches in an old apron, and she held a bundle
of them in her hand.

Question 4.
Had she managed to sell any matches?

Answer:
Nobody had bought anything of her the whole livelong day; no one had given her a
single farthing.
Question 5.
Does the author give us a glimpse into the Victorian society?

Answer:
Yes, we get a glimpse into the society in which parents were cruel enough to make
their small children work in the freezing cold. Begging was a menace and child
abuse was common.

XIV. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

She again rubbed a match on the wall, and the light shone round her; in the
brightness stood her old grandmother, clear and shining, yet mild and loving in her
appearance. “Grandmother,” cried the little one, “O take me with you; I know you
will go away when the match burns out; you will vanish like the warm stove, the
roast goose, and the large, glorious Christmas-tree.” And she made haste to light
the whole bundle of matches, for she wished to keep her grandmother there. And
the matches glowed with a light that was brighter than the noon-day, and her
grandmother had never appeared so large or so beautiful. She took the little girl in
her arms, and they both flew upwards in brightness and joy far above the earth,
where there was neither cold nor hunger nor pain, for they were with God.

Question 1.
What happened when she lighted another match?
Answer:
When she lighted another match the light shone round her and, in the brightness,
stood her old grandmother, clear and shining, yet mild and loving in her
appearance.
Question 2.
What did the girl say to her grandmother? Why?
Answer:
The girl pleaded with her grandmother to take her along with her because she was
the only one in the world who loved her.

Question 3.
Why did the girl make haste to light the whole bundle of matches?
Answer:
The girl made haste to light the whole bundle of matches, for she wished to keep
her grandmother there. And the matches glowed with a light that was brighter than
the noon day, and her grandmother had never appeared so large or so beautiful.
She took the little girl in her arms, and they both flew upwards in brightness and joy
far above the earth, where there was neither cold nor hunger nor pain, for they were
with God.

Question 4.
What happened to the little girl? What did the people think?
Answer:
The little girl died and the people saw that one bundle of matches was burnt. They
said she had tried to warm herself.

Question 5.
Why was there a smile on the girl’s lips? Did the people understand?
Answer:
The girl had a smile on her face when she died because she was relinquishing a
world of pain and suffering and was reunited with the person, she loved the most,
her grandmother and God. No one imagined what beautiful things she had seen,
nor into what glory she had entered with her grandmother, on New-year’s day. They
had no idea about the beautiful pictures she had seen.
XV. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Beside him in the shoals as he lay waiting glimmered a blue gem. It was not a gem,
though: it was sand—?worn glass that had been rolling about in the river for a long
time. By chance, it was perforated right through—the neck of a bottle perhaps?—a
blue bead. In the shrill noisy village above the ford, out of a mud house the same
colour as the ground came a little girl, a thin starveling child dressed in an earth—
?coloured rag. She had torn the rag in two to make skirt and sari. Sibia was eating
the last of her meal, chupatti wrapped round a smear of green chilli and rancid
butter; and she divided this also, to make it seem more, and bit it, showing straight
white teeth. With her ebony hair and great eyes, and her skin of oiled brown cream,
she was a happy immature child—?woman about twelve years old. Bare foot, of
course, and often goosey—?cold on a winter morning, and born to toil. In all her life,
she had never owned anything but a rag. She had never owned even one anna—not
a pice.

Question 1.
Describe the blue bead.

Answer:
The blue bead glimmered in the water. It was not a gem, though: it was sand—
?worn glass that had been rolling about in the river for a long time. By chance, it
was perforated right through—the neck of a bottle perhaps.

Question 2.
Describe Sibia’s home.

Answer:
Sibia lived in a mud house which was the same colour as the ground.

Question 3.
Describe Sibia.
Answer:
Sibia was a little girl, a thin starving child dressed in an earth—?coloured rag,
straight white teeth. With her ebony hair and great eyes, and her skin of oiled brown
cream, she was a happy immature child—?woman about twelve years old. Bare
foot, of course, and often goosey—?cold on a winter morning, and born to toil. In all
her life, she had never owned anything but a rag. She had never owned even one
anna—not a pice.

Question 4.
What was Sibia’s life like?

Answer:
Sibia was born to toil and had always lived in poverty. She had been working since
childhood. In all her life, she had never owned anything but a rag. She had never
owned even one anna—not a pice.

XVI. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Sibia sprang.
From boulder to boulder she came leaping like a rock goat. Sometimes it had
seemed difficult to cross these stones, especially the big gap in the middle where
the river coursed through like a bulge of glass. But now she came on wings,
choosing her footing in midair without even thinking about it, and in one moment
she was beside the shrieking woman. In the boiling bloody water, the face of the
crocodile, fastened round her leg, was tugging to and fro, and smiling. His eyes
rolled on to Sibia. One slap of the tail could kill her. He struck. Up shot the water,
twenty feet, and fell like a silver chain. Again!

Question 1.
Why does Sibia think of the two brass vessels when the Gujar woman is attacked?

Answer:
Sibia thought of the two brass vessels when the Gujar woman was attacked
because she was poor enough to understand the value of two brass vessals.

Question 2.
Describe how Sibia flew to save the woman.

Answer:
Sibia leapt forward from boulder to boulder. She came leaping with the agility of a
rock goat. Sometimes it had seemed difficult to cross these stones, especially the
big gap in the middle where the river coursed through like a bulge of glass. But now
she came on wings, choosing her footing in midair without even thinking about it,
and in one moment she was beside the shrieking woman.

Question 3.
What was the reaction of the crocodile when he saw Sibia?

Answer:
When the crocodile saw Sibia his eyes rolled on to Sibia. One slap of the tail could
kill her. He struck. Up shot the water, twenty feet, and fell like a silver chain. He
again tried to strike with his tail. The rock jumped under the blow.

Question 4.
How does Sibia save the woman?

Answer:
Sibia displayed great courage and fearlessness in saving the woman from being
devoured by the crocodile. Sibia did not hesitate. She aimed at the reptile’s eyes.
With all the force of her little body, she drove the hay fork at the eyes, and one
prong went in—right in— while its pair scratched past on the horny cheek.
Question 5.
What would happen to the crocodile?

Answer:
He would die. Not yet, but presently, though his death would not be known for days;
not till his stomach, blown with gas, floated him. Then perhaps he would be found
upside down among the logs at the timber boom, with pus in his eye.

XVII. Read the extract and answer the following questions:

I guessed that if long won, it would add some new support to the Nazis' Aryan-
superiority theory. After all, I am a Negro. A little hot under the collar about Hitler's
ways. I determined to go out there and really show Der Fuhrer and his master race
who was superior and who wasn't. An angry athlete is an athlete who will make
mistakes, as any coach will tell you. I was no exception. On the first of my three
qualifying jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board for a foul.
On the second jump, I fouled even worse. "Did I come 3000 miles for this?" I
thought bitterly. "To foul out of the trials and make a fool of myself?"

Question 1.
Why was Jesse not worried about Hitler's declaration of the supremacy of
Master's race?

Answer:
Owens did not bother about the patriotic feelings which were running high in
Germany. He had full faith in his capabilities. He had trained, sweated and
disciplined himself for six years and what occupied his mind were games and
games only. He thought only of taking one or two gold medals.

Question 2.
What surprised him?
Answer:
Jesse was surprised to see a tall boy hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on his
practice leaps on the broad-jump trials. He was a German named Luz Long who
was kept hidden by Hitler with the hope to win the jump. His marvelous
performance in the trials startled Owens.

Question 3.
An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you.
Justify this statement.

Answer:
Although Jesse Owens' full concentration was on his game and winning the gold
medal but he got distracted somewhat after seeing Luz Long's performance. He
thought that if he won, it would add support to Nazi's Aryan Superiority theory. He
got irritated by this and thinking about this, he was filled with anger and fouled
twice in the qualifying jumps.

Question 4.
What was the Nazi's Aryan-superiority theory?

Answer:
Adolf Hitler believed in Aryan-superiority theory. According to him the athletes of
Germany should be from Master's race and would do better than other
competitors in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The nationalistic feelings were at prime at
that time.

Question 5.
Why did Jesse Owens become so tensed afterwards?

Answer:
On his first three qualifying jumps, Jesse Owens leapt from several inches beyond
the take-off board. He fouled. On the second jump, he did worse and fouled again.
It reminded him that he had not travelled three hundred miles for making repeated
fouls and making a fool of himself. His mind was full of bitterness over his own
underperformance.

XVII. Read the extract and answer the following questions:

That night I walked over to Luz Long's room in the Olympic village to thank him. I
knew that if it hadn't been for him I probably wouldn't be jumping in the finals the
following day. We sat in his quarters and talked for two hours—about track and
field, ourselves, the world situation, a dozen other
things. When I finally got up to leave, we both knew that a real friendship had
been formed. Luz would go out to the field the next day trying to beat me if
he could. But I knew that he wanted me to do my best-even if that meant
my winning.

Question 1.
How did the rivalry between the two players come to an end?

Answer:

Seeing Owens tensed too much, Luz Long approached him and tried to calm him
down by giving suggestions. Suddenly all the tension seemed to flow away from
his body as the truth what Long told him struck him. Full of confidence, he drew a
line a full foot in back of the board and proceeded to jump and qualified with
almost a foot to spare. That night he went to Long's room and thanked him. They
sat and talked for two hours on every topic.

Question 2.
How did Luz Long react to Jesse winning the gold?

Answer:
When Owens finished his jump he found Luz Long beside him congratulating him.
He gave him a firm handshake which was far from any jealousy. He did not bother
about the wrath of Hitler and congratulated Owens. He failed but helped a capable
world record holder to set other records.
Question 3.
Why did Hitler glare at both of them?

Answer:
Luz Long broke his own past record but did not win. But Jesse Owens set the
Olympic record of jumping 26 feet 5 -5/16 inches. Luz Long came to his side
congratulating him by shaking his hands hard. Hitler was watching all this and he
was not a hundred yards away from them. He could not tolerate the defeat of his
athlete and besides congratulating the other athlete he glared at both of them.

Question 4.
Why the reference to Coubertin has been made?

Answer:
Coubertin is said to be the founder of the modern Olympic Games. He believed that
the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The
essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well. Luz Long did not win but
he presented the true example of this spirit.

Question 5.
What is the significance of '24 carat friendship' in the story?

Answer:
When Owens won the finals, Luz Long came to him and congratulated him warmly
by shaking hands with him. Owens found no feeling of regret or jealousy in him as
he was also an opponent. He was too much influenced by Long's sportsmanship.
Then he said that their friendship was 24-carat friendship because it is the purest
form of gold in which there is no other alloy. In the same way, there was no mixture
or any kind of element in their friendship and moreover, its coating couldn't be
done even by melting all the gold medals and cups.

XIX. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it ?”

“Look, look; see for yourself !” The children pressed to each other like so many
roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun. It
rained. It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days
compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush
of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so
heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been
crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And
this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom
of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to
set up civilization and live out their lives.

Question 1.
Which is the place under discussion?
Answer:
The place under discussion is the planet Venus and the weather there.

Question 2.
What is the weather like on Venus? How long has it been like this?
Answer:
The weather is dark and depressing as there is no sun for the past seven years. It
had been raining for seven years ; thousands upon thousands of days compounded
and filled from one end to the other with rain.
Question 3.
What is supposed to happen on this particular day?
Answer:
The scientists had predicted that on that particular day the sun would shine for a
short while.

Question 4.
Describe the rain and its effect on life on Venus.
Answer:
The sun remains hidden for seven years on Venus and it rains continuously for
those seven years, thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled
from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the
sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were
tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been crushed under the
rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again.

Question 5.
Why had the rocket men and women come to Venus?
Answer:
The rocket men and women had come to the raining world of Venus to set up a
civilization and live out their lives.

XX. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in
the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red
from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted
from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost.
Now she stood, separate, staring at the rain and the loud wet world beyond the
huge glass. “What’re you looking at ?” said William. Margot said nothing. “Speak
when you’re spoken to.” He gave her a shove. But she did not move; rather she let
herself be moved only by him and nothing else. They edged away from her, they
would not look at her. She felt them go away. And this was because she would play
no games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged
her and ran, she stood blinking after them and did not follow. When the class sang
songs about happiness and life and games her lips barely moved. Only when they
sang about the sun and the summer did her lips move as she watched the
drenched windows.

Question 1.
What did Margot look like?
Answer:
Margot was a thin and delicate girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain
for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her
mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted from an
album, whitened away.

Question 2.
Why was Margot sad?
Answer:
Margot was sad because she did not like the rain and she remembered the warmth
and brightness of the sun on Earth where it could be seen every day.

Question 3.
What was the reaction of the children towards Margot?
Answer:
The children found Margot strange and bullied her. They edged away from her; they
would not look at her.
Question 4.
Why did they behave in this manner towards Margot?
Answer:
The children behaved in this manner towards Margot because she would not play
games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her
and ran, she stood blinking after them and did not follow. When the class sang
songs about happiness and life and games her lips barely moved.

Question 5.
When did Margot react ?
Answer:
Margot reacted only when they sang about the sun and the summer. Then her lips
moved as she watched the drenched windows. Even the mention of the sun made
her happy and react in some manner.

XXI. Read the passage and answer the following questions:

SALARINO: There is more difference between your flesh and hers than between
coal and ivory;, more between your bloods than there is between red wine and
white Rhine wine. But tell us, do you hear whether Antonio has had any losses at
sea or not?

SHYLOCK: There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a prodigal, who scarcely
dares to show his face in the Market place; a beggar, that used to come on the
market so smugly; let him look to his promise to pay: he was in the habit of calling
me a usurer; let him look to his promise to pay: he was in the habit of lending
money for Christian courtesy; let him look to his promise to pay.

Question 1.
Where are Salarino and Shylock? Is there anyone else there?
Answer:
The scene is set in Venice. Salanio, Salarino and Shylock are engaged in
conversation.

Question 2.
Who used this phrase ‘flesh and blood’? Was it misunderstood by anyone?
Answer:
Shylock used this phrase to describe his daughter, Jessica. He was sorry to say
that his own flesh and blood rebelled. He was thus referring to Jessica’s
elopement. It is unbearable for Shylock that his own daughter should run away with
a Christian and show her disregard for her father.
This remark was misunderstood or deliberately misinterpreted. Shylock uses the
phrase flesh and blood in the usual sense, that Jessica is his natural daughter. He
refers to the biological relationship between father and child. But Salanio/Salarino
make fun of him, asking him if his physical desires are roused even in hid old age.

Question 3.
Explain the comparisons made by Salarino between
(a) Jet and ivory,
(b) Red wine and rhenish

Answer:
Salarino is quick to point out that there is hardly any similarity between Shylock
and his daughter Jessica.
(a) If Jessica is ivory which is white and beautiful, Shylock is jet black and
unattractive.
(b) Jessica is rhenish (white wine) while Shylock is red wine. There can be no
confusion between the two.
Question 4.
In what sense is Antonio a prodigal? Is he a bankrupt? Explain Shylock’s views.
Give your comments.
Answer:
When Salarino talks about Antonio’s losses, Shylock speaks impatiently. He had
given a loan of three thousand ducats against this man’s security. Shylock calls
Antonio a bankrupt who has no money to spend. All he had has been lost.
The Shylock charges Antonio for being a prodigal. He has wasted his money
thoughtlessly. According to Shylock, Antonio has ruined himself by taking a loan
for his extravagant friend. This is a culpable prodigality. We may not, however,
agree with Shylock in blaming a self- sacrificing gentleman like Antonio.

Question 5.
Why is Antonio not seen at the Rialto?
Answer:
Now that Antonio is a bankrupt, with many debts and loans yet to be cleared, he
does not come to Rialto, the stock exchange. This remark of Shylock shows that of
late Antonio had stopped visiting Rialto where merchants generally gather to do
business.

Question 6.
Shylock gives the warning, “let him look to his bond”. What are his reasons?
Answer:
Shylock gives the warning to be conveyed to Antonio to take care of his bond. He
must repay the money within the prescribed limit of time. Shylock complains that
Antonio used to call him a despicable money-lender charging high interest. He also
used to lend money to people without interest to show his Christian generosity.

XXII. Read the above passage and answer the following questions:

PORTIA: I would keep you here for a month or two Before you gamble for me. I
could teach you. How to choose right, but then I’m breaking my. oath; I’ll never do
that; you may not win me; And if you don’t, you’ll make me wish I had sinned, That I
had broken my oath. Curse your eyes, They have looked me over and divided me:
One half of me is yours, the other half is also yours, My own love, I would say; but if
my love, then yours, And so-everything yours. Oh! these wicked times , Put up bars
between the owners and their rights; l’ And so, though I am yours, I am not yours.

Question 1.
In what way does Portia show that she is more fond of Bassanio than the other two
suitors who had attempted the choice of caskets.
Answer:
Portia’s treatment of Bassanio as a suitor is different from her treatment of other
suitors. She was unemotional and business like while talking to the Prince of
Morocco and the Prince of Arragon. She was glad to find that they made the wrong
choice. Their failure was her satisfaction. But not so in case of Bassanio.
First, she wants Bassanio to wait for some time before exercising his choice. In
case he chose wrongly, she would lose his company. This is a clear confession of
Portia’s personal interest in Bassanio. One of the conditions of the lottery of
caskets is that a suitor who is so passionately inclined towards Bassanio, is afraid
that in the event of Bassanio’s wrong choice. He would have leave Belmont
immediately. This would deprive her of his sweet company.
Question 2.
How, and what risk Antonio helped Bassanio and at what risk?
Answer:
Antonio has helped Bassanio to raise a loan of three thousand ducats from
Shylock. The money-lender has imposed a dreadful condition that if the money is
not repaid within three months, he would have the right to cut of a pound of flesh
from any part of Antonio’s body. Thus, Antonio has secured the loan at the risk of
his own life.

Question 3.
What does Portia means by, “I would detain you here some month or two/Before
you venture for me”? Why does she speak in this manner?
Answer:
Portia tells Bassanio to desist from making the choice of the casket. She wishes to
detain him there for a month or two before allowing him to take the final plunge.
Earlier in a line she talked of detaining him for a ‘day or two’. This time has
lengthened to a ‘month or two’. The style is clearly indicative of a maiden’s
unexpressed love which she is finding hard to conceal.

Question 4.
What does “I am forsworn” mean? To what does Portia refer by this expression?
Answer:
Portia could very easily teach Bassanio how to choose the right casket. But she is
bound to honour the will of her father. If she discloses the secret, it would mean
the breach of faith and the breaking of an oath.
Question 5.
What is the ‘sin’ referred to in the extract? Why does Portia feel she can sin?
Answer:
Portia says that if Bassanio chooses wrongly he will have to leave Belmont at once.
She would be filled with remorse, wishing that she had rather broken the oath and
helped him to win by choosing correctly. In case of such a failure she would have
entertained such a sinful wish. Portia does not want to break the wish either, nor
does she want to lose Bassanio. She tries to remain non-committed but her
attitude deceives no one.

Question 6.
How can you conclude at this point of the play that Portia has already fallen in love
with Bassanio?
Answer:
At this point of the play, we can easily conclude that Portia has already fallen in
love with Bassanio. From her cautious confessions and nervous style, we can
surely conclude that she is passionately in love with the handsome suitor.
Portia speaks the language of a romantic lover when she says that Bassanio’s eyes
have bewitched and divided her. One half of her already belongs to Bassanio. The
other half which belongs to her too belongs to Bassanio. So, she wholly belongs to
him. She is no longer a mistress of herself. These are the symptoms of the disease
called love.
XXIII. Read the above passage and answer the following questions

ANTONIO: Let him alone; I won’t follow him any more with useless prayers. He
wants my life; I know his reasons well: Often I saved many who have, at times,
complained to me, From defaulting on his loans. So he hates me.
SALANIO : I am sure the Duke Will never enforce this default.
ANTONIO : The Duke cannot deny the course of law, Because of the benefits that
strangers have With us in Venice, if it is denied, it will reflect very badly on the
justice of the state, Because the trade and profit of the city Is from all nations. So,
go; These griefs and losses have so upset me That I shall hardly have a pound of
flesh Tomorrow give to my bloody creditor. Well, jailer, let’s go on; I pray good
Bassanio comes To see me pay his debt, and then I won’t care.

Question 1.
About whom is Antonio talking to SALANIO?
Answer:
Antonio is talking to SALANIO about Shylock.

Question 2.
Where is this conversation taking place?
Answer:
This conversation takes place outside the jail to which Antonio had been sent as a
consequence of Shylock’s filing a suit against Antonio over his failure to repay
Shylock the loan which he had taken from Shylock. The jailer has brought Antonio
outside the jail at Antonio’s request because Antonio wanted to speak to Shylock in
an effort to appease him and to request him to withdraw his case.

Question 3.
What reason does Antonio give for his hatred of the person who seeks his life? Is
this the only reason?
Answer:
Antonio says that Shylock hates him because he had rescued many debtors from
Shylock’s clutches. Many debtors, who had forfeited the bonds signed by them to
repay their debts to Shylock, had approached Antonio with their complaints against
Shylock’s cruelty; and Antonio had helped those debtors with money.

Question 4.
Why does Antonio want Bassanio to come, and from where?
Answer:
Antonio wants Bassanio to come back from Belmont in order to see him paying
his debt to Shylock in the form of a pound of his flesh. Having failed to repay to
loan in terms of money to Shylock, Antonio has now to let Shylock cut off a pound
of his flesh; and he would like Bassanio to be present to witness the Jew’s exaction
of the penalty.

Question 5.
Explain the following lines:
These griefs and losses have so bated me
That I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh
Tomorrow, to my bloody creditor.
Answer:
Antonio says that his losses, and the grief which those losses have caused him,
have greatly been weighing upon his mind. He has been feeling so worried and
distressed that he has been losing his bodily weight. He says that he has been
reduced almost to a skeleton, and that he does not have enough flesh on his body
to make it possible for the Jew to obtain a full pound of flesh from his body. He
describes Shylock as a bloody creditor because Shylock is a blood-thirsty man
who, having failed to receive the repayment of the loan which he had given to
Antonio, now wants to kill him by cutting off a pound of his flesh from nearest his
heart.
XXIV. Read the above passage and answer the following questions:

I have thousand raw tricks for These bragging Jacks within my mind, Which I’ll
practice.
NERISSA: Why, shall we turn into men?
PORTIA: Nonsense, what kind of a question is that, If you were near a nasty
interpreter! But come, I’ll tell you all about my whole plan When I am in my coach,
which waits for us At the park gate; and so hurry, Because we must travel twenty
miles today.

Question 1.
Who are referred to as ‘bragging jacks’? In what favourable condition will the
speaker be to practise tricks” on these bragging Jacks?
Answer:
Portia refers to those boastful young men who often talk of their imaginary
adventures in love and war. They are referred to as ‘bragging Jacks’.
Portia will be disguised as a young man. So will be her maid, Nerissa. But Portia is
confident that she will look smarter. She will be able to play the role of those
bragging Jacks with perfection.

Question 2.
Briefly state any three of the Portia’s tricks referred to just before this extract.
Answer:
Portia will wear her dagger in a gallant way. She will speak in a voice that is
between a young boy’s and a man’s, which will be a shrill voice. She will tell strange
lies about how honourable ladies tried to win his (being dressed as young man)
love, but fell sick and died when he refused to reciprocate.
This description of how Portia will behave disguised as a young man, besides
revealing her own ingenuity and wit, gives a satirical picture of the typical young
gentleman of the period, who was fond of duelling, boasting, of love and leading a
fashionable, roving life.

Question 3.
What has Portia told Lorenzo about her plans before her departure?
Answer:
Portia discloses her plan to leave her house along with Nerissa. She has taken a
vow to pass her time in prayer and meditation until the return of her husband.
Nerissa will be with her, waiting in the same manner for her husband. There is a
monastery two miles away, and they will stay there.
Portia hands over the charge of her house and servants to Lorenzo and Jessica. In
her absence, they will manage the house. The servants too have been given all
instructions, and they will treat Lorenzo and Jessica as master and mistress of the
house respectively.

Question 4.
Where does Portia really plan to go? What was the purpose of her mission?
Answer:
Portia is actually planning to go to Venice to try to save Antonio’s life. Her mission
is to seek advice from Dr. Bellario of Padua who is an authority on the Venetian
law. Then she will appear in the Duke’s court when Antonio’s comes for trial.
Question 5.
Why has she to “haste away”? What does this extract tell us about Portia’s
character?
Answer:
Portia has a very urgent reason to haste away to Venice Antonio’s case is coming
for hearing in the court. She wants to be there to defend the good merchant
before it is too late. She has no time to lose.
Portia is quick in taking decisions and she has a perfect clarity of vision. She
knows that she herself cannot go to Padua to get her cousin, Dr. Bellario’s legal
advice. So, she deputes her very dependable servant, Balthazar, to rush to Padua
with her, letter. After getting some notes and garments (Lawyer’s robes), Balthazar
is a meet her at the ferry which plies to and from Venice. From there she will
proceed to Venice.

XXV. Read the above passage and answer the following questions:

JESSICA: So much I can’t express it. It is very proper The Lord Bassanio live an
upright life, Because, having such a blessing in his lady, He finds the joys of heaven
here on earth; And if he doesn’t merit it on earth, It stands to reason he should
never enter heaven. Why, if two gods should play some heavenly match, And place
a bet on two earthly women, And Portia is one of them, there must be something
else To bet on with the other, because the poor rude world Does not have her
equal.

Question 1.
Who is the speaker of these words? To whom are these words addressed? What is
the occasion?
Answer:
Jessica is the speaker of these words. She is talking to her husband, Lorenzo. The
two are staying in Belmont in Portia’s house. Portia and Bassanio are away to
Venice. Lorenzo just asks his wife to say how she likes Bassanio’s wife. To this
Jessica gives the reply in these lines.
Question 2.
What is described as “Past expressing”?
Answer:
According to Jessica, she likes Portia (Bassanio’s wife) very much. She lacks
words to express her appreciation for Portia. We have known Portia’s charm and
sweetness from the way she treated people. This praise from Jessica to whom
Portia must have been very courteous and obliging, still further enriches our
conception-of her character.

Question 3.
What kind of life should lord Bassanio lead? What are the reasons to form this
expectation?
Answer:
Jessica says that Bassanio who has the good fortune of getting such a noble wife,
should live a morally upright life, for she has got through her all the joys of heaven
on earth. Perhaps it is a hint that Bassanio’s life in the past has not been up to the
mark. He has been indulging in frivolities.

Question 4.
On what condition will he lose the right to enter heaven?
Answer:
Jessica gives her argument that if by not living uprightly Bassanio does not
appreciate this heaven on earth, then after death he will have no right to come to
heaven above. This passage means that if Bassanio on earth in the sweet
company of Portia does not merit the joys of heaven by leading a pure life and
make Portia happy, then even in heaven he should not expect any happiness.
Question 5.
Explain what is indicated in the comparison of two gods who “play some heavenly
match”.
Answer:
Jessica poetically explains that she wants to impress upon Lorenzo. She says that
if two gods should enter into a competition and two earthly women be on stake, it
will create a difficult situation if Portia was to be one of them. It will be impossible
to find another women to match Portia. Something else will have to be added to
the other woman to make her equal to Portia. Jessica is all praise for Portia, whom
she considers incomparable.

Question 6.
Does the other person claim something humorously? Is his claim accepted?
Answer:
It is then that Lorenzo humorously points out that just as Portia is a matchless
wife, similarly. Lorenzo is a matchless husband to Jessica. Jessica banteringly
contradicts him. She pretends to be dissatisfied with his way. Thus, there is a
comic touch about his non-serious domestic quarrel between newly-married man
and wife.

XXVI. Read the above passage and answer the following questions

SHYLOCK : I have told your Grace of what I purpose, And, by our holy Sabbath, I
have sworn To have the due and penalty of my promise to pay. If you deny it, let the
danger light On your city charter and your city’s freedom. You ask me why I would
rather choose to have A weight of dead flesh than to receive Three thousand
ducats. I won’t answer that, Only to say I feel like it: have I answered you? What if a
rat troubles my house, And I am happy to give ten thousand ducats To have it
captured? What, aren’t you answered yet? There are some men that don’t love a
dead pig; Some that are crazy if they see a cat; And others, when they hear the
song of the bagpipe, Cannot hold their urine, because sympathy. Mistress of
passion, persuades passion to the mood Of what it likes or hates. Now, for your
answer; As there is no firm reason to be given, Why he can’t stand a dead pig ;

Question 1.
What information has Shylock given to the Duke?
Answer:
He has told the Duke that he would obtain the penalty which is due to him.

Question 2.
What, according to Shylock, will happen if he is denied the penalty of the bond?
Answer:
In that case the free rights and the freedom of the city of Venice will suffer.

Question 3.
What reason does Shylock give for insisting on having a pound of Antonio’s flesh?
Answer:
He does not give any reason. It is only a whim of his.

Question 4.
Why, according to Shylock, people like one thing and not the other?
Answer:
People like things according to their nature that produces emotions. It is actually
the nature of a man which makes him like or dislike something.
Question 5.
What is the Shylock’s stack reason for pursuing a suit against Antonio?
Answer:
The reason is that he has deep hatred for Antonio.

XXVII. Read the above passage and answer the following questions

LORENZO: Sweet soul, let’s go in, and wait there for them to come. And yet, it
doesn’t matter; why should we go in’? My friend Stephano, let them know, please,
Within the house, that your mistress is at hand, And bring your music outside. How
sweet the moonlight sleeps on this bank! We will sit here and let the sounds of
music Creep into our ears; soft stillness and the night Compliment the touches of
sweet harmony. Sit, Jessica: look how the sky Is covered thick with layers of bright
gold; Even the smallest star that you see Sings like an angel as it moves, Still
singing like a choir to the young-eyed cherubs; Such harmony is in immortal souls;.
But, while this muddy earth of decay Buries us, we can’t hear it.

Question 1.
What does Lorenzo suggest to his sweet heart?
Answer:
Lorenzo suggests to his beloved that they should go inside and wait for the arrival
of Bassanio and Gratiano. Then he drops the suggestion.

Question 2.
What does Lorenzo tell Stephano to signify?
Answer:
Lorenzo tells him to go and tell the servants that their mistress was about to come
and they should bring their musical instruments in the open air.
Question 3.
Describe the moon-light scene and the playing of music.
Answer:
The moon-light is falling gently on the bank. Musicians are playing on the musical
instruments. A soft silence and the time of night befit the playing of musical
instruments.

Question 4.
Describe briefly the beauty of the sky.
Answer:
The sky is studded with the bright, golden stars. Even the smallest planet
produces an angelic music.

Question 5.
Why cannot human beings hear the music of spheres?
Answer:
Human beings cannot hear the music of the Spheres because their bodies are
made of insensitive clay.

XXVIII. Read the above passage and answer the following questions:
GRATIANO: About a hoop of gold, a worthless ring That she gave me, whose
inscription was, For all the world, like knife maker’s poem on a knife, “Love me and
leave me not.”

NERISSA: Why do you talk of the inscription or the value? You swore to me, when I
gave it you, That you would wear it until the hour of your death, And that it would go
with you to your grave; You should have respected and have kept it Though not for
me, but for your intense oaths. Gave it a judge’s clerk! No, God’s my judge, The
clerk will never grow a beard that took it.

Question 1.
Which quarrel is referred to in the extract? What does Shakespeare want to show
by introducing a quarrel among the lovers?
Answer:
The quarrel referred to in the extract is between Gratiano and his wife Nerissa.
This is about the ring given by Nerissa to her husband which he does not have in
his possession now.
Shakespeare introduces a quarrel among the lovers to produce the comic effect in
the serious atmosphere’ of the play. ‘The Merchant of Venice’ assumes the
seriousness of a tragedy, particularly in the Trial Scene when Antonio’s life is
threatened by the forfeiture of the bond. The playwright introduces the ring episode
to relieve the tension. Thus, the play concludes happily. The quarrel itself is a
practical joke played by Portia and Nerissa on their husbands.

Question 2.
Give the meaning of :
(a) a hoop of gold
(b) cutler’s poetry.

Answer:
(a) A ‘hoop’ is a circular band of metal or anything, here made of gold. It is
contemptuously used for the ring. Gratiano wants to minimise the importance of
the ring so that there may not be much fuss about it.
(b) It was customary to have inscriptions on spoons and table knives. They were
perhaps not so poetical in tone. Gratiano says humorously that the motto
inscribed on the ring was like the one on a piece of cutlery. It was the least poetic.

Question 3.
Who had given the ring to Gratiano? What promise was made by him at that time
about the ring?
Answer:
Nerissa had given the ring to Gratiano soon after their marriage. At that time.
Gratiano had made the promise to his wife that this ring was a token of her love,
and he would never lose it.

Question 4.
To whom did Gratiano give the ring? Why? What is the practical joke about the ring
episode?
Answer:
Gratiano gave the ring to the lawyer’s clerk. The practical joke about the rings is
that he actually gave it to none other than his own wife. Nerissa who was disguised
as the lawyer’s clerk. Nerissa had herself demanded it in order to tease his
husband on returning home. Gratiano was unable to recognize the lawyer’s clerk in
the new outfit.

Question 5.
What does Portia say about the quarrel referred to in the extract?
Answer:
On hearing the sharp exchange of words between Nerissa and Gratiano; Portia
comments that there is a quarrel so soon after their marriage. She does not expect
such a development.

Question 6.
Why did Portia join in accusing Gratiano of doing wrong ? what did she say about
the ring she had given to Bassanio, before she had finished speaking against
Gratiano?
Answer:
Portia soon joins Nerissa in accusing Gratiano for so non-seriously parting with his
wife’s first present to him. She does so to caution Bassanio that a similar attack is
going to be launched on him for a similar lapse. She concludes her speech by
saying that if Bassanio ever behaved in this manner, she would go mad in grief.
There is a dramatic irony in this speech of Portia’s. She naturally takes the side of
the woman in this loving battle between sexes. Thus, she cleverly introduces the
parallel quarrel about her own ring, reminding them that there was a ringing
similarly given by her to Bassanio. She is deliberately making the situation
uncomfortable for Bassanio, and increasing the effect of irony for the delight of the
audience.

XXIX. Read the above passage and answer the following questions

If you had known the virtue of the ring, Or half the worthiness of her who gave the
ring, Or your own honor to hold the ring, You wouldn’t have parted then with the
ring. What man is there so very unreasonable, That, if you had’ bothered to defend
it With any terms of earnestness, lacked the modesty To encourage the thing be
held as a ceremony? Nerissa teaches me what to believe : I’ll die for it, but some
woman took the ring.
BASSANIO: No, by my honor, madam, by my soul, No woman took it. but a civil
doctor, Which refused three thousand ducats of me, And begged for the ring, which
I denied him, And let him go away displeased.

Question 1.
What defence has Bassanio given in the lines preceding the passage, for losing the
ring?
Answer:
In the lines preceding this passage, Bassanio makes an earnest plea while
explaining the circumstances in which he was compelled to part with the ring. He is
sure that Portia will excuse him if she comes to know to whom the ring was given
away. She will understand if she learns for whom it was done, and last of all, the
reluctance with which it was finally given to the lawyer.

Question 2.
How does Portia reject his argument to magnify his offence?
Answer:
Portia seems to reject her husband’s argument. She is equally vehement in
magnifying his offence of parting with the marriage ring soon after his marriage.
Portia rejects Bassanio’s plea as incredible. She thinks that if he had jealously
defended the ring, no man would have been so unreasonable and unmannerly to
ask for the ring which was a ceremonious gift.

Question 3.
What effect the repetition of the word ‘ring’ achieves?
Answer:
Portia succeeds in seriously embarrassing her husband. She achieves the effects
of strong emphasis by repeating the word ‘ring’ at the end of each line four times.

Question 4.
Is Portia right in accusing her husband that he gave the ring to some other woman?
Answer:
Portia is right in accusing her husband for giving away the ring to ‘some woman’.
But, as the audience know, the woman whom he gave the ring was no other than
Portia herself, without knowing it.

Question 5.
How far is Bassanio truthful in saying that he did not give the ring to any woman?
Answer:
Bassanio is truthful when he swears that he did not give the ring to a woman. He
gave it to the lawyer, who appeared to be a young man. He gave it unwillingly under
pressing circumstances. This too is true. And yet he gave it unknowingly to the
‘young man’ who was actually a young woman’, i.e. Portia herself.

Question 6.
What is the source of amusement in this dialogue?
Answer:
This dialogue should be very amusing for the audience. The pleasure is derived
from the fact that what Bassanio and Gratiano do not know, is well known to the
audience. It is a delightful situation to watch young husbands being be fooled and
teased by their newly-wedded wives.
30. Read the above passage and answer the following questions:
PORTIA: Don’t speak so indecently. You are all amazed: Here is a letter; read it at
your leisure; It comes from Padua, from Bellario: There you shall find that Portia
was the doctor, Nerissa there, her clerk: Lorenzo here Shall witness that I set out as
soon as you left, And even just now returned; I have not yet Entered my house.
Antonio, you are welcome; And I have better news in store for you Than you expect:
unseal this letter right away; There you shall find three of your merchant ships
Have richly come into harbor suddenly. You will not know by what strange accident
I happened to get this letter.

Question 1.
“Speak not so grossly, you are all amazed,” Portia advises not to speak ‘grossly’.
What have they been talking? Why are they amazed? Who are the other people
present there.
Answer:
They had been talking something indecent. Portia said that she would sleep with
the young lawyer if he came there. Nerissa said that she would have relations with
the lawyer’s clerk. All this was said to tease Bassanio and Gratiano. At last, Portia
decides to stop talking in that manner.
All are amazed to see that Portia has got the ring which Bassanio presented to the
doctor of the laws. Similarly. Nerissa has the ring which Gratiano gave to the
lawyer’s clerk. This amazement changes into embarrassment to hear from the two
woman that they slept with other men to secure these rings.

Question 2.
Which letter is being shown by Portia? What is the need of showing this letter?
Answer:
Portia is showing them a letter written by Dr. Bellario of Padua, authorising Portia
to act as his representative while arguing the case in the court of the Duke in
Venice.
She needs to show this letter to those present there to prove to them that the
doctor who defended Antonio in the court was no other person that Portia herself.
Bassanio, Gratiano, Antonio and others are listening to her account in sheer
amazement.

Question 3.
What are the new facts revealed by Portia? Where has she come from?
Answer:
Portia springs a surprise on everybody by telling everybody that she and Nerissa
have just returned from Venice. They had left the house soon after Bassanio and
Gratiano left for Venice. – This fact can be confirmed from Lorenzo, who was left
in charge of the house in her absence.
Tire new facts revealed by Portia are that she herself acted as the doctor of laws in
the court of the Duke. Nerissa stood beside her as her clerk. After concluding the
case in the court and extracting the rings from Bassanio and Gratiano, these two
clever women rushed back to Belmont to overtake their husbands.

Question 4.
What good news does Portia have for Antonio?
Answer:
Portia has a good news for Antonio. She has a letter with her which gives the
information that three of Antonio’s merchant ships laden with merchandise have
reached home safely. Antonio had earlier been told that all his ships have been
destroyed in the sea. This means that Antonio is once again a rich merchant of
Venice.

Question 5.
Does she have any good news for Lorenzo and Jessica? Is Portia anyway
responsible for bringing this good news for them?
Answer:
Portia does have a very good news for Lorenzo and Jessica. She has with her a
deed signed by Shylock beqeathing his share of the property for his daughter and
son-in-law. He would have disinherited Jessica who had eloped with a Christian.
Portia has played a vital role in not only saving Antonio’s life, but, also in
interpreting law in a manner that pushed Shylock into a tight comer. Half of the
Jew’s property went to Antonio and the remaining was left to be used by Shylock in
his life time. Thereafter, it goes to Jessica and Lorenzo. In this, Antonio has also
played a gracious role. He is to hold half the Jew’s property only as a trust, to pass
it on to the Jew’s daughter and son-in-law.

HOMEWORK
I. Read the following extract from The Merchant of Venice (Act 3) and
answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate
response from the choices given below:

Salanio: I would she were as lying a gossip in that as ever

knapped ginger or made her neighbours believe she wept for the
death of a third husband. But it is true, without any slips of
prolixity or crossing the plain highway of talk, that the good Antonio,
the honest Antonio,—O, that I had a title good enough to keep his
name company!—

Salarino: Come, the full stop.

Salanio: Ha, what sayest thou? Why, the end is, he hath lost a
ship.

1. Whom does „she‟ refer to in the first line of the extract?

a. Gossip Reporter
b. Gossip reader
c. Gossip wordsmith
d. None of these

2. What was said earlier about the place where a ship of Antonio was
wrecked?

a. in the shallow part of the South Sea off the east coast of England
b. in the shallow part of the North Sea off the east coast of England
c. in the shallow part of the East Sea off the east coast of England
d. in the shallow part of the West Sea off the east coast of England

3. Give the meaning of “without any slips of prolixity or crossing the

plain highway of talk.”

a. Without any lapses in tedious talks or with any untruth or lies in it.
b. Without any lapses in tedious talks or without any untruth or lies
in it.
c. Without any lapses in astounding talks or with any untruth or lies
in it.
d. Without any lapses in astounding talks or without any untruth or
lies in it.

4. What feelings for Antonio are expressed by Salarino and Salanio

in this extract?

a. feel sympathetic and nervous and wish that the news of Antonio’s
losses wasn’t true.
b. feel sympathetic and nervous and wish that the news of Antonio’s
losses was true.
c. feel unsympathetic and happy and wish that the news of
Antonio’s losses was true.
d. feel unsympathetic and happy and wish that the news of
Antonio’s losses wasn’t true.

5. How does Shylock react to the loss of Antonio’s ship?

a. Shylock is sad as he knew if Antonio was unable to repay his

debt.
b. Shylock is pleased as he knew if Antonio was unable to repay his
debt.
c. Shylock is normal as he knew if Antonio was capable enough to
repay his debt.
d. None of these
II. Read the following extract from The Merchant of Venice (Act 3)
and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most
appropriate response from the choices given below:

Shylock: Why thou loss upon loss! the thief gone with so much, and
so much to find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge: nor no ill
luck stirring but what lights on my shoulders; no sighs but of my
breathing; no tears but of my shedding.
Tubal: Yes, other men have ill luck too: Antonio, as I heard in Genoa,
—

1. Who is the thief referred to in the extract?

a. Jessica
b. Salanio
c. Antonio
d. Lorenzo

2. What had the thief stolen?

a. precious jewels
b. ducats
c. Both (a) and (b)
d. None of these

3. What news did Tubal bring from Genoa about the thief ?

a. He was unable to find her

b. He easily located the thief
c. He met with the thief but unable to bring her
d. He met the thief’s husband

4. The ill-luck that befell Antonio was/were:

a. Antonio’s ship had been wrecked in the south east coast of

England
b. His rich cargo had been ruined
c. All his ventures had failed and he was now rendered bankrupt
d. All of the above
5. Why was Shylock happy over the news?

a. He would get an opportunity on his most hated enemy Antonio.

b. He would get an opportunity on his best friend Antonio.
c. He would get an opportunity on his most hated enemy Salarino.
d. None of the above

III. Read the following extract from the short story, ‘The Little Match
Girl’ and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most
appropriate response from the choices given below:

She tucked her little legs under her she felt colder and colder. She
did not dare to go home, for she had sold no matches nor earned a
single penny. Her father would be sure to beat her, and besides it
was so cold at home, for they had nothing but the roof above them
and the wind whistled through that, even though the largest cracks
were stuffed with straw and rags.

1. Where was the girl sitting?

a. On the footpath in a market

b. In a corner formed by two houses
c. In a corner outside a shop
d. In a corner on a footbridge

2. How much money did the girl earn?

a. Not a single penny

b. Only one penny
c. Enough pennies to buy food and clothes
d. Not enough to fulfil her immediate needs

3. The little girl’s father was __________:

a. Loving and caring

b. Affectionate and protective
c. Indifferent and uncaring
d. Indulgent and caring
4. Which of the following is NOT correct about the little girl‟s
house?

a. It was a house in name only with nothing except a roof

b. Wind whistled through it making it very cold
c. The cracks were stuffed with straw and rags
d. It was the only place where the little girl felt protected

5. What was the attitude of the passers-by to the little girl’s

suffering?

a. They remained oblivious to her suffering

b. They sympathized with her
c. They came forward to help her
d. They criticized her parents for her condition

IV. Read the following extract from the short story, ‘2 and answer the
questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate response
from the choices given below:

In the shrill noisy village above the ford, out of a mud house the
same colour as ground came a little girl, a thin starveling child
dressed in an earth-coloured rag.

1. What was Sibia eating?

a. Chapatti with dal

b. Bread and butter
c. Chapatti with green chili and rancid butter
d. Chapatti with boiled potatoes

2. What did Sibia do with what she was eating?

a. She placed it on a hot pan

b. She divided it to make it seem more
c. She ate it instantly
d. She kept half of it for her mother
3. In the story, Sibia is also called ____________.

a. A woman
b. A mature child-woman
c. An ignorant child
d. An immature child-woman

4. What did Sibia do with the rag?

a. She tore it to make skirt and sari

b. She tore it to make hat and skirt
c. She tore it to make shirt and sari
d. She tore it to make skirt and shirt

5. How did Sibia look?

a. She had small eyes, ebony hair and oiled brown skin
b. She had great eyes, snowy hair and dry pale skin
c. She had great eyes, ebony hair and oiled pale skin
d. She had small eyes, snowy hair and dry brown skin

V. Read the following extract from the poem, ‘The Patriot’ and
answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate
response from the choices given below:

There's nobody on the house-tops now -

Just a palsied few at the windows set -
For the best of the sight is, all gallow,
At the Shambles' Gate—or, better yet,
By the very scaffold's foot, I trow.

1. Where is the narrator being led?

a. to the gallows
b. to the courthouse
c. to be beheaded
d. to be felicitated

2. How long ago was 'The Patriot' revered?

a. Same year, a little earlier
b. Last month
c. Last Year
d. Five years ago

3. Why was there just a 'palsied few'?

a. no one wanted to see him anymore

b. he had killed everyone in the town
c. most of them had already left for the gallows
d. none of the above

4. What is 'the Shambles' Gate'?

a. a jailhouse where men are slaughtered

b. a jailhouse where men are imprisoned and executed
c. a place where people are executed in front of the gathered citizens
d. a place where people are stoned to death

5. Which of the following messages does the poem 'The Patriot'

convey?

a. public adulation and memory are short lived

b. Praise and glory are fickle
c. Life is uncertain
d. All of the above