Important Questions for Class 11

English - Snapshots
Chapter 1 – The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse

Very Short Answer Questions 1 Mark

1. Write the meaning of the given words.

(i) Magnificence
Ans: Greatness
(ii) Pious
Ans: Religious
(iii) Capricious
Ans: Changeable
(iv) Surrey
Ans: A four-wheeled carriage

2. The story is about which two characters?

Ans: The story is about two Armenian lads who belong to a tribe known for their
honesty and trustworthiness. They are extremely impoverished.

3. What incident occurred when the narrator was nine years old?

Ans: When the narrator was nine years old, one of his cousins, Mourad, arrived at
his door at 4 a.m. by tapping on his room's window.

4. What does the narrator see when he goes out of his room to Mourad?

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Ans: The narrator notices that his cousin Mourad was riding on a lovely white horse.

5. What did the narrator‟s family think of Mourad?

Ans: Everyone in the author's family felt Mourad was insane.

Short Answer Questions 2 Marks

1. What does the narrator think of Mourad?

Ans: Mourad, according to the narrator, was a fun-loving person. He was well aware
that Mourad enjoyed being alive more than anyone else. When Mourad woke him
up at 4 a.m. to take him on a horse ride, he was surprised.

2. Why was the narrator not able to believe that Mourad had got a horse?

Ans: The narrator couldn't believe Mourad bought a horse because they were
impoverished and didn't have any money. Not only them, but the entire tribe, was
impoverished. Every family in their Garoghlanian clan was so impoverished that
people wondered how they managed to fill their tummies.

3. Describe the location where the author and his family lived.

Ans: The author and his family were Armenians. They lived on Walnut Avenue, on
the outskirts of town. Behind their house was the country; along with the beautiful
vineyards, orchards, irrigation ditches and the country roads.

4. What does the author think of the horse?

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Ans: The author couldn't believe his cousin had gotten it. He was able to glimpse
the lovely horse. It smelt wonderful, and he enjoyed hearing the horse breathe.
However, he was aware that neither Mourad nor anybody else in his family had
purchased it, so he obtained it. The author is adamant that Mourad did not steal it.

5. What was the tribe famous for and how?

Ans: The tribe was well-known for its candor. People trusted them and knew they
had been truthful for eleven centuries. Even though they had been the wealthiest
family in the world, they were proud first, honest second, and then they believed in
right and wrong. They had no intention of stealing or taking advantage of anything.

Short Answer Questions 3 Marks

1. Who was Khosrove?

Ans: The author's uncle was Khosorove. Before Mourad, he was regarded as the
crazy one in the family. He was a massive man with a massive head of black hair
and the longest moustache in the San Joaquin Valley. He had a fiery and angry
nature. He was easily irritated and so impatient that he could silence anyone by
yelling.

2. How does the author come to know that Mourad had stolen the horse? How
does he react to it?

Ans: The author hesitated to believe that his cousin could steal because they
belonged to a tribe famed for its honesty. When Mourad asked him whether he
wanted to ride the horse, he acknowledged that Mourad had stolen it. The author
believed that stealing a horse just for the sake of riding was not stealing. If they
wanted to sell the horses it may be considered fraud.

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3. Who is Arak? How is he mentioned in the story?

Ans: Khosrove's son was Arak. According to the story, Arak once dashed eight
blocks to Khosrove's barbershop to inform him that their house was on fire. The
author describes him to demonstrate Khosrove's customary approach to the issue, "It
is no harm; pay no attention to it."

4. Who was considered a natural descendant of Khosrove and why?

Ans: Mourad was thought to be a natural descendent of Khosrove because both of

them were insane. Khosrove was a deranged man who couldn't stand it when others
talked. And Mourad was a lunatic who would go to any length to enjoy his freedom
and life. He was a firm believer in living life to the fullest and paid no mind to what
others had to say.

5. Do the boys ride the horse? Who rides it first?

Ans: Yes, the boys did ride the horse. They rode in unison, and Mourad sang. They
were in their former country. After a while, Mourad requested that the author
dismount the horse because he wanted to ride alone. The author inquired of Mourad
whether he would be permitted to ride the horse. He allowed Mourad to ride the
horse alone since he had a way with horses.

Long Answer Questions 5 Marks

1. Was the author able to ride the horse?

Ans: The author wished to ride the horse as well. When he observed how well the
horse was riding, he asked Mourad to let him ride. Then he was given the opportunity
to ride it. The author jumped onto the back of the horse and experienced the most
terrifying experience imaginable. The author notices that the horse hasn't moved. He
obeyed Mourad, and the horse reared and snorted. Instead of going across the field

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to the irrigation canal, the horse galloped down the road to Dikran Halabian's
vineyard, where it began leaping over vines. Before the author collapsed, the horse
leapt over seven vines. Then it kept running.

2. “I‟m not worried about you, he shouted.” Who is “he‟ in this line and who
does he shout at and why does he shout?

Ans: Mourad is the man in this line. He yells at the author because the author lost
control of the horse while riding it, and instead of going across the field to the
irrigation canal, the horse rushed down the road to Dikran Halabian's vineyard,
where the horse proceeded to leap over vines. Before the author fell, the horse leapt
over seven vines and continued running. It took Mourad half an hour to find the
horse and bring him back.

3. Who was John Byro? Why does he visit the author’s house? Was he
welcomed there? Who does he meet there? How does the other person interact
with him?

Ans: John Byro worked as a farmer. He was Assyrian, and he had learnt Armenian
out of loneliness. He was warmly welcomed into the author's home. The author's
mother handed him coffee and tobacco, and he sipped and smoked while rolling a
cigarette. He pays a visit to the author's home to discuss his missing white horse of
one month. John Byro ran into the author's uncle Khosrove, who reacted
aggressively and impatiently to anything he said. Whenever John mentioned his
horse, Khosrove would interrupt and tell him that everything was fine and that he
shouldn't worry about it.

4. Where did the boys hide the horse? Who did they run into while riding the
horse? How does the person react when he sees the horse?

Ans: The horses were hidden in a desolate vineyard by the boys. Every morning,
they would ride it individually. When the author rode the horse, it would leap over

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the grape vines and tiny trees, throw the author, and flee. Mourad and the author
were both on their way to Fetvajian's desolate vineyard when they met John Byro,
who was also on his way to town. John Byro glanced at the horse suspiciously,
questioned if it was his horse, asked the lads what the horse's name was, and then
examined his teeth. He thought it was his horse, but then he trusted the lads because
they belonged to a tribe famed for its honesty, and he walks away believing it is the
horse's twin.

5. What do the boys do after they are confronted with John Byro in the
vineyard? Why did John Byro visit the author’s house again?

Ans: After running into John Byro with the horse, the boys took the horse to John
Byro's vineyard and put it in the stable the next morning. The dogs trailed them
without uttering a peep. And that very afternoon, John Byro paid a visit to the
author's home in Surrey to show the author's family that he had recovered his stolen
horse. According to John Byro, the horse is stronger than ever.

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