O12.

Literature Textbook Question (Flamingo)

Question Type: Long Answer Type Questions
One long-answer type question, from Prose/poetry (Flamingo), to be answered in 120-150 words
to assess global comprehension and extrapolation beyond the text. Questions to provide evaluative
and analytical responses using incidents, events, themes as reference points. Any 1 out of 2 ques
tions to be done.

Q13. Literature Textbook Question (Vistas)

Question Type: Long Answer Type Questions
One Long answer typequestion, based on the chapters from the book Vistas, tobe answered in 120
150words to assess global comprehension and extrapolation beyond the text. Questions to provide
evaluative and analytical responses using incidents, events, themes as reference points. Any 1 out
of 2 questions to be done.
Tips: " While writing longanswers, you must cite four instances from the text.
" Read the lessons thoroughly.
" You must know the names of the poets and authors,
" Answer must be vwritten in paragraph form,
A QUICK REVIEVW OF THE LESSONS

FLAMINGO
PROSE

Chapter 1: The Last Lesson

The story is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) led by Bismarck, Prussia
defeoted France, and the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine passed into Prussian hands.
The two protágonists of the story, M. Hamel and Franz, belong to Alsace. M. Hamel is a French
Language teacher at a school andFranz is one of his students.The story revolves around how the
war becomes a life-altering event for both characters.
Characters
Franz is an honest and very sensitive school boy. He accepts his fault of ignoring his lessons.
M. Hamel is a strict teacher who is passionately patriotic. He breaks down at the end of his last
lesson.

Chapter 2: Lost Spring

This chapter starts withthe author's first-handexperience with poverty and traditions prevailing in
sorme Indian parts. The first part describes the plight of the poor ragpickers of Seemapuri; whereas
the second port describes the miserable conditions of the bangle-makers (Firozabad).
Characters
Saheb is a Seemapuri-based ragpicker in Delhiwith simple dreams. He easily believes in promises
being made to him.
Mukesh belongs to afomily of bangle-makers and dreams of breaking away the traditional
monotony and become amotor mechanic.
Annes Jung (narrator) is a social worker who empathizes with the slum-dwellers and honestly
portrays their pitiable lives.

Focus Points 11
 Chapter 3: Deep Water
The excerpt reveals how as a young boy. the narrator (Willam Douglas), nearly drowned in a
swimming pool He talks about his fear of water and how he finally overcame it later with sheer
determination and will power.
Chapter 4: The Rattrap
The story is set amidst the Swedish iron mines and is based on the concept that goodness in any
human being can be awakened through the power of understanding and love. The author has
beautifullsbrought out loneliness and the need for human beings to bond with each other.
Characters
The Peddler is a pettyand poor thief who sold rattraps for a living.
The Crofter is a simple trusting person who is robbed by the peddler.
The Iron master is an ardent law-abiding person and a strict taskmaster, who trusts the peddler
due to his daughter's persuasion.
Edla is the ironmaster's daughter - a kind and fairly compassionate lady.
Chapter 5: Indigo
This is an excerpt from Fischer's book The Life of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1942, the author visited
Gondhi tonarrate the incident which prompted his fight against the British. Rajkumar Shuklacame
to Gandhi withthe problem of exploitation that was happening in his district. Gandhi visited the
place andfreed the people of Champaran from tyranny.
Characters
Gandhi(The Father of the Nation), helps the peasants of Champaran to become self-reliant.
Rajkumar Shukla is poor peasant with a fairly weak physique whose resoluteness impresses
Gonahito work for empowering Champaran's peasants.
Chapter 6: Poets and Pancakes
Poets and Pancakes' is a story by the Tamil writer, Asokamitran. The whole chapter is a series
of humorous episodes. It starts with an account of a makeup routine at Gemini Studios in the
days gone by that especially included abrand called 'pancake' It is applied to all actors making
thern look hideously ugly. The writer continues to give funny accounts of the time spent in Gemini
Studios.
Characters
The Narrator:
He is a witty gnd humnorous author.
He narrates his experiences vwhen working at Gemini Studios under the Boss, S.S. Vasan.
Kothamangalam Subbi:
He is a talented and cheerful person.
He is second-in-cormnand at Gemini Studios.
The Office Boy:
He is afrustrated and chatty man.
He applies make-up to crowd actors for a living.
The Legal Adviser:
He is a practical and pragmatic lawyer.
He accidentally ends the career of a promising actress.
Chapter 7: The Interview
The Interview' is a chapter divided into two parts. The first part is an article by the English writer,
Christopher Silvester. It deals with the origins of the interview as a form of journalism. The second
port is an extract from the interview conducted by an experienced editor of the Hindu, Mukund
Padmanabhan of the professor and novelist, Umberto Eco.

12 Eduart English Core Class XIl

 Characters
Christopher Silvester:
He is aknowledgeable and talentedwriter.
He is the journalist who introduces the interview.
Umberto Eco:
He is a prolific and inventive novelist.
He is an academic who explains his craft in the interviewW.
Mukund Padmanabhan:
He is an observant andfriendls editor.
He interviews Umberto Eco.

Chapter 8: Going Places

Going Places' is a storybs the contemporars writer AR. Barton. It is the story of Sophie and her
imaginars dreams. She makes up a false stors about meeting Danny Casey, a famous football
player, ot the arcade. Neither Geo, her brother nor her father believe her as she does not have
any autographs to prove it. Even at the end of the chapter, Sophie imagines a meeting with Danny
Casey when the crowd erupts in ovation for him.
Characters
Sophie:
She is an imaginative and restless school the girl
She wants to own a boutique and have a sophisticated life.
Jansie:
She is a practical and gossipy school girl.
She is Sophie's friend.
Geoff:
He is a silent and worldly man.
He works as an apprentice mechanic and is Sophie's brother.
POETRY

Poem 1: My Mother At Sixty-six

The poem is alyricoal idiom and written entirely in asingle serntence. punctuated by commas. The
poem brings out the complexity of most human relationships. The poet had gone to meet her
mother arnd was now driving back to the airport. On the way. she notices the pale face of her
mother and is struck with an instant realization that her mother is very old. This upsets the poet
is very deeply upset.
Poem 2: Keeping Quiet
Poblo Nerudo's poern "Keeping Quiet" tells us how important it is to have peace and quiet. He
wonts us to be caln and not hurt people, animals, or nature. He thinks that to keep peace and
nappiness, we should stop and think for awhile.
The poet is worried about violence, cruelty to animals, and the hard lives of workers. He believes
thot many of our problerns with society. politics, and religion can be solved easils. The solution
is to look inside ourselves and think about our actions. If we do this, it will be a big step towards
bringing people together.
Poem 3: A Thing ¡f Beauty
The poern is based on a Greek legendandvoices the poet's eternal love for beauty
Endumion, from Mournt Lotrnos, is a young poet and shepherd. He had the vision to seek out
Cunthia (the Moon Goddess)and so wandered away through the forest and down under the sea.
Thetheme of the poem is about youth, nature &beauty. Keats loved beauty to the extent that he
alnost vworshipped it.

Focus Points 13
Poem 4: A Roadside Stand
This is a deeply moving poem, as it vividls depicts
influence simple rural folk. It shows the sad conditiontheof plight and the complex dynamics that
often fooled bu the cunning people who are insufficiently fed poor people, who are
connot bear their sadness, so he såmpathizesresponsible
for their current pathetiC state. The poet
deepls with the rural people.
Poem 5: Aunt Jennifer's Tigers
The poem illustrotes the poet's feminist concerns and
O womon goes through in a male
presents the incessant conflictsand struggles
chauvinistic society.
Aunt Jennifer is sumbolicof womnen all over the world,
who are victims of oppression at the hands
of the
potriorchu-driven sustem.
VISTAS
SUPPLEMENTARY
Chapter 1: The Third Level
The storu tokes uouto amysterious world,
somewhere between our unfulfilled desires, expectations.
ono dreonms The storsdeals with the curious
experience of Charley. One day. Charley reaches the
throlevel while takingthe subway for his home, but in
of New York's reality, there are only two levels of stations
Grand Central Railway Station.
The third level is actualls an
intersection of time and space, a journey back in time,
o ne norrotors imagination. It is seen as Charley's medium of escape from the something akin
3Qiy pressures of Ufe. hardships and
Characters
Chareyso3-year-old male and a daily subway commuter.
Louisa s horiey's wife. who is worried about her husband coming late.
Som s oreys psychiatrist. He serves as proof of the existence of the Third
erro Soor level at the Grand

Chapter 2: The Tiger King

e e r rire en by the India author Kalki, going by the pen name of
rrsry sa story of the king of Pratibandapuram, who is predicted to Ramaswamy Aiyer
be killed by the
er3s per the astrologers. So, he goes about his life trying to avoid this
danger by killing
-.re gers However, he neets his death by the 100th tiger that is made of wood.
harocters
The Tiger King:
ne 7eorrogort ors proud hing of Pratibandapuram
ne worted oprove the prophecy of his death wrong.
Dewan Saheb:
He r reo,roctul and humourous second in command of the Tiger King
He siIet orid protets Tger Ing

Chapter 3: Journey to the End of the Earth

Journe, to the fid of the forh is witten by the Indian quthor Tishani Doshi. It is the
rer
story of
oirey t Ator1c0 olong with the tudents on lce prOgramne Doshi
boards the Russian
resegrch vesse the ademik hokolsiy to vISit Antarctica, There she
witnesses the beauty and
desoloteness of the continert ot the end of the farth She shares her
the prOSe.
unforgettable experience in
 Characters
Tishani Doshi:
She is a poeticand perceptive author.
She narrates her personal experience of visiting Antarctica.
Geoff Green:
He is an environment-conscious and pioneering founder of the Studernts on lce' Programme.
He wantsto contribute positivels to planet Earth.

Chapter 4: The Eneny

This is a heart-rendering stors of the conflict betweenaman's head and heart An American sailor
washed ashore in a dying state, is found at the doorstep of Dr. Sadao Hoki is torn between his duty
as adoctor and as a patriotic Japanese. His heart is telling him to save the prisoner (listen to his
emotion) whereas, his mind is fighting toturn him over to the police (govern by reason).
Characters
Dr. Sadao Hoki is an accomplished surgeon and an eminent scientist whose conflict revolves
between his patriotic dutyand his duty to save the life of people.
Hana is Dr. Sadao's wife who helps him operate the American despite her physical discomfort.
Tom portrays is atypical American soldier, who is treated by Dr. Sadao Hoki
The General is an old and selfish man., who just wants Sadao to treat his illness.

Chapter 5: On the face of It

It is a play that features Mr. Lamb and Derru, who meet Mr. Lamb in his garden. Both
characters
suffer from physical disabilities (impairments). Mr. Lamb has a very positive mindset. and he takes
and withdrawn
life as it comes and goes with the flow. On the other hand. Derry is quite defiant
to develop
ingeneral. The chance meetingchanges Derru's perspective on life, as Mr. Lanmb is able
hope in him and show him the bright side of life
Characters
Mr. Lamb an old man who is handicapped (crippled).
accident.
Deery (also known as Derek) is a14-year-old boywith one side of his face disfigured in an
Chapter 6: Memories of Childhood
'Memories of Childhood' compiles two stories by Zitkala-Sa and Bama. The Cutting of My Long
her hair.
Hair by Zitkala-Sa is a story of her forceful assimilation into western culture by cutting
Human Beings' bu
She is devastated as she is cut off from all that makes her human. We to0 Are
casteism witnessed bu
Bama is about a young girl's experience with untouchability. An incident of
her, leaves a deep impresion in her mind.
Characters
Zitkala-Sa:
She is a sensitive and defiant young Native American girl.
forcefullu cut
She gets mentally traumatised when her long braids are
Bama:
She is an observant and innocent young Indian girl
She experiences the strangeness and then cruelty of untouchability.

Focus Points 15