Lesson 1

A Triumph of Surgery
James Herriot

1. What was Mrs. Pumphrey's reaction when Tricki showed little enthusiasm for exertion?
When Tricki showed little enthusiasm for exertion Mrs. Pumphrey assumed he had no energy. She thought he
was suffering from malnutrition. She decided to give him some little extras between meals to build him up.
2. What did Mrs Pumphrey do to bring Tricki back to normal health? Was she wise?
To bring Tricki back to normal health Mrs. Pumphrey gave him some little extra eatables between meals, some
malt and cod liver oil and a bowl of horlicks at night. She was unsuccessful in her attempt.
3. Why was Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
4. Why did Mrs Pumphrey make a frantic call to Mr Herriot?
Mrs Pumphrey was worried and made a frantic call to Mr Herriot because Tricki refused to take his food and
seemed listless. He had bouts of vomiting. He spent all his time lying on the rug kept panting.
5. How can you say that Tricki had an affluent life?
Tricki led an affluent life. It included extra meals of horlicks, cream cakes, chocolate etc. His night bed,
cushions, toys, bowls and coats were very expensive.
6. Which two suggestions did Mr Herriot give to Mrs Pumphrey at the initial stage? Did she follow them?
At the initial stage Dr Herriot told Mrs Pumphrey to cut down Tricki's food and to give him more exercise. But
she did not follow his advice.
7. How does Mr Herriot treat the dog?
Mr Herriot takes the dog, Tricki to his clinic. There he keeps it on a strict diet under observation. He gave him
no food but plenty of water for two days.
8. Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?
9. Why was it a temptation to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?
Mrs Pumphrey would send two dozen fresh eggs, bottles of wine and brandy for Tricki, which Dr Herriot andhis
partners feasted on. This was the temptation to keep Tricki on as permanent guest.
10. How can it be said that Mrs. Pumphrey was a very loving and caring mistress for Tricki?
We can say that Mrs. Pumphrey was very loving and caring mistress for Tricki because when Tricki became ill,
she admitted it to the hospital of Dr. Herriot and she started sending fresh eggs, wine and brandy for him.
11. What kind of person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as
well as full of common sense?
I think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon is a very practical man. He is also tactful and has a lot of
commonsense. He at once understood Tricki's illness and planned to cure Tricki keeping away from Mrs.
Pumphrey.
12. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?
Yes, Tricki was happy to go home.I think that Mrs Pumphrey will again give Trickia lot of food. It would be
victim of overeating again.
Lesson 02
The Thief's Story
Ruskin Bond
1.Why according to Hari Singh is it easier to rob greedy man than a careless person like Anil?
2.Why was it difficult for Hari Singh to rob Anil?
According to Hari Singh, it is easier to rob a greedy man because he can afford to be robbed but a careless person like Anil
does not even notice that he has been robbed and that takes the pleasure out of the work.
3.What was Anil's job? What did he usually do with the money he earned?
Anil made money by fits and starts. He would borrow one week and lend the next. He wrote for magazines to earn his
living. As soon as he got a cheque, he would go out and celebrate with friends.
4.How did Hari Singh get a job at Anil's House?
Hari Singh began to work at Anil's house only for food with the intention to rob him at last. While Anil was watching a
wrestling match, Hari Singh approached him. He finally managed to convince him to work for him.
5.Who is the narrator of the story' The Thief’s Story' ? Why did he change his name every month?
The narrator of the story is Hari Singh, the thief himself. He changed his name every month in order to escape police and
his former employers.
6.Was the food cooked by Hari Singh the first night tasty? What was its result?
No, the food cooked by Hari Singh the first night was not tasty. It had a horrible tasste. Anil gave it to a stray dog and
asked Hari Singh to be off.
7.Why does Hari rob Anil first and then returns the stolen money'?
8.How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
Hari had robbed Anil because of his habit. He knew that Anil would be heart broken over the lost trust. He also realises
that he would never be able to learn to read and write. So he decided that he should go back to Anil and return his
money.
9.What does Hari Singh say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
The greedy man shows fear, the rich man shows anger, the poor man shows acceptance and the careless does not even
notice it when they are robbed. According to Hari Singh, these are the different reactions of people when they are
robbed.
10.Does Anil realise that he has been robbed?
11.How is Anil's behaviour towards Hari Singh?
12.How did Hari Singh know that Anil had forgiven him?
Anil treated Hari Singh nicely. Anil also understands that Hari had robbed him but he decides to forgive him. He also
offered to pay 50 rupees as salary every month to Hari and continues teaching him. sThis shows that he was of a forgiving
nature and forgave Anil.

Lesson 3
The Midnight Visitor
Robert Arthur
1. Why did Max enter Ausable's room? How did he do so?
Max entered Ausable's room for the report that was being brought to him that night concerning some new
missiles. As Max told he entered the room using a passkey.
2. Did Ausable know who had knocked at the door? How did he know?
Ausable knew pretty well who had knocked at the door. He knew it was waiter because he ordered for drink.
3. Why did Fowler want to meet Ausable? Why was he disappointed?
Ausable was a secret agent. Fowler was a writer. He was young and romantic. He wished to meet Ausable to
know something about the life of a secret agent. Fowler was disappointed on meeting Ausable because the
latter had nothing special in him as a secret agent. Ausable was sloppy fat man. His room was also very small.
4. Why did Ausable frame the story of the balcony?
5. How did Ausable get rid of Max?
Ausable framed the story of the balcony, that actually didn't exist, to get rid of Max by befooling him. We see
that Max even believed the story and got befooled.
5. Who was Ausable and where did he live?
Ausable was a secret agent. He was fat, very fat. He lived in French hotel where he had a room on the sixth and
top floor.
6. What story did Ausable tell about the unwelcome guests that entered his room?
Ausable told a fake story that he would fight with the manager of the hotel because he had promised to block
off the balcony but he didn't. Befooling Max he lied that during that month it was second person who entered
the room through the balcony. In actual no balcony existed there.
7. Give the appearance of Max, another secret agent.
Max was slender, a little less than tall, with features that suggested slightly the crafty, pointed countenance of
a fox. There was about him, aside from the gun, nothing especially menacing.
 Lesson 4
A Question of Trust
Victor Canning
1. Why was it not difficult for Horace to open the safe?
It was not going to be hard to open the safe for Horace. Because he had lived with locks and safes all his life.
Moreover, the burglar alarm was also poorly built.
2. Who is the real culprit in the story—the lady or Horace? Why?
According to me neither of them can be absolved from being culprit. However the real culprit is the woman
who pretended to be a member of the family living at Shotover Grange. She tricked Horace into believing her,
and cleverly took away all the jewels that were kept in the safe.
3. Did Horace get the jewels home from the Grange safe? If not, why did the police arrested him?
Horace didn't get the jewels home from the Grange safe because the women, who pretended to be a member
of the family living at the Grange, tricked him carried all jewels with her. The police arrested him because his
fingerprints were found all over the room.
4. How did the lady dressed in red manage to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint?
The lady dressed in red managed to rob the safe without leaving a single fingerprint. She tricked Horace
pretending to be a member of the family living in the Grange. She got the safe unlocked by Horace.
5. Why did Horace need a lot of money?
6. What does Horace Danby like to collect?
Horace loved rare and expensive books to collect and collect.. So he robbed a safe every year. There were three
very interesting books coming up for sale in the autumn. That's the reason Horace needed a lot of money.
7. How did Horace manage the small dog when he attempted to rob the house at Shotover Grange?
Horace said that all you had to do to keep dogs quiet was to call them by their right names, and show them
love. That's what Horace did to manage the small dog when he attempted to rob the house at Shotover.
8. How were flowers hindering Horace in his work?
There was a great bowl of flowers on the table. Horace felt his nose tickle because of the smell of the flowers.
He gave a little sneeze. When he came back after cutting wire, he sneezed loudly as the smell of the flowers
came to him again. In this way flowers were hindering Horace in his work.
9. Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly punished or that he deserved what he got?
I think it can never be said that Horace Danby was unfairly punished. He of course deserved punishment. But
the cause he was punished creates sympathy towards him because he was tricked by the lady of the same
profession. The lady was more deserving to be punished because she got all jewels instead Horace.

Lesson 5
Footprints without Feet
Herbert George Wells
1. Why were two boys in London surprised?
The two boys in London were surprised as they could see fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet without
any sight of the barefooted man.
2. What did Griffin do to become invisible?
Griffin had discovered some drugs which could make human body invisible. He had consumed those drugs.
Thus he became invisible.
3. What did Griffin do inside the big London store ?
Inside the big London store Griffin had the pleasure of clothing and feeding himself without any payment. Then
he settled down to sleep on a pile of quilts.
4. What did the landlord and his wife find on investigating the scientists room?
5. What incidents happened in the scientist's room?
Mrs. Hall saw the door of Griffin's room wide open one morning. She and her husband decided to investigate.
They found that Griffin's clothes and bandages were lying about the room. Mrs Hall then heard a sniff near her
ear. Soon, the hat on the bedpost leapt up and struck her face. The chair rose up and pushed them out of the
room. The door was slammed and locked.
6. How did Griffin escape from the London Store?
Ans. When Griffin saw two assistants of the London Store approaching, he panicked and began to run to escape
by quickly taking off his newly found clothes and became invisible.
7. Why does Mrs. Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Ans. Mrs. Hall found the scientist eccentric because she wanted to be friendly with him and desired to talk to
him. But he did not show any interest in that.
8. What curious episode occurred in the study of clergyman?
They heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman's desk. But when the clergyman flung open the
door, there was no one inside. Yet the desk was open and the money was stolen.

Lesson 6
The Making of A Scientist
Robert W. Peterson
1.What lesson did Ebright learn when he did not win anything at a science fair?
When Ebright did not win anything at a science fair, he realized what real science was all about. He understood
the importance of real experiments.
2. Where did Richard Ebright grow up? What did he play with his companions?
Richard Ebright grew up north of Reading, Pennsylvania. He was the only child there. He had no companions to
play with.
3. What was the achievement of Richard Ebright by the time he was in the second grade?
By the time Richard Ebright was in the second grade, he had collected all twenty-five species of butterflies
found around his home town.
4. What mishap happened with Richard Ebright when he was in the third grade?
When Richard Ebright was in third grade, his father died. Now his mother was only his companion.
5. How did his mother help him?
His mother encouraged his interest in learning. She took him on trips, bought him telescope, microscope,
cameras, mounting materials and other equipments that helped him in many ways.
6. How did a book become a turning point in Richard Ebright's life?
A children's book called "The Travels of Monarch X told how monarch butterflies migrate to central America. It
opened the world of science to the eager young Richard Ebright.
7. "But there was one thing I could do collect things." What collection did Ebright make? When did he start
making collection?
Ebright was only child in north of Reading Pennsylvania. He could not play football or baseball with a team of
one. He collected butterflies, rocks, fossils, and coins. He began it in kingdergarten.
8. What are the qualities that go into the making of a scientist?
To become scientist a person should start with a first-rate mind, curiosity, and will to win for the right reasons.
9. What is DNA fingerprinting? What are its uses?
DNA carries genetic information to each living being. DNA is inherited fingerprinting is important in Forensic
Department.
10. How do honeybees identify their own honeycombs?
Honeybees have a well developed direction finding mechanism and a way of reckoning distance. The try to find
their honey combs through a clever dance language. The dance indicates the direction direction and distance of
the food source. The also appear to have a good memory.
 Lesson 7
The Necklace
Guy De Maupassant
1. What kind of person is Mme Loisel why is she always unhappy?
2. What ruined Matilda ? Give reasons for your answer.
Madam Loisel is a pretty young lady. She is always dissatisfied with her life. She was married with a clerk. She gives much
importance to her dreams. She always overlooks the realities of life.
3. What did Matilda's husband bring home one evening? Why was he greatly elated?
One evening Matilda's husband brought home an invitation card for Ministerial ball. He was greatly elated because he
thought it would make Matilda happy.
4. How did Matilda get the jewels to wear at the ball?
Matilda borrowed the jewels to wear at the ball from her friend and schoolmate Mme Forestier.
5. What happened at the ball? Was Matilda's dream fulfilled?
At the ball Matilda was a great success. She was the prettiest of all. All the men noticed her, asked her name and wanted
to be presented.
6. What did Loisels do to replace the necklace?
To return the lost necklace both of them had to work hard. They borrowed money and even used the money left by Mr.
Loisel's father. The necklace was bought for 36,000 francs and given back to Mrs. Forestier.
7. Why did Matilda's husband (Monsieur Loisel) go out into the cold night minutes after returning from the ball?
Monsieur Loisel went out into the cold night minutes after returning from the ball to look for the necklace which his wife
had lost.
8. The course of the Loisels' life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
A tremendous change came in the life style of Loisel. She suffered poverty for ten years after replacing the false necklace
with a genuine necklace. They changed their lodging style. Mme Loisel did all the cooking, rubbing and cleaning work. Mr
Loisel worked evening and night. They suffered for ten years.