THREE QUESTIONS

BY- Leo Tolstoy

B.1. What were the three questions that occurred to the king?

Ans. The three questions that occurred to the king are as follows:

-What is the right time to begin any work?

-Who is the most important person to deal with?

-What is the most important thing to do?

He thought that if he knew the answers to these questions he would never fail in
anything he might undertake.

2. Why did the king go to the wise hermit? Why did he go there alone and
dressed like a commoner?

Ans. The king went to the wise hermit because he wanted to know the answers to
his three questions. The hermit was well known for his wisdom but he lived in the
woods which he never left. The hermit entertained only common people, so the
king dressed like a common man, left his horse and his bodyguards behind and
went alone to meet the hermit.

3. Who was the bearded man who came running from the woods? How had
he got wounded?

Ans. The bearded man was the King’s enemy who had decided to revenge himself
on the King because the king had executed his brother and seized his property.
He knew that the king had gone alone to see the hermit so he waited in hiding to
kill the King on his way back. But when the King did not return, he came out of his
hiding. The King’s bodyguards recognized him and wounded him.

4. How did digging of beds for the hermit save the King’s life?

Ans. The King helped the hermit to dig beds while he was waiting for the hermit to
answer his three questions. So he did not go back. The bearded man who was
waiting to kill him, came out of his hiding and was wounded by the King’s
bodyguards. If the King would not have helped the hermit the bearded man would
have killed him.

HOTS

Briefly explain the answer the king got to his three questions. Making these
answers your base, comment on the importance of the present moment in
our life. (About 80-100 words)
Ans.

In answer to the first question, the hermit said that there is only one time that is
important and that time is ‘Now’. It is the only time when one has any power to
act.

The hermit answered the second question by saying that the most necessary
person is the person you are with at a particular moment. This is because no one
knows what will happen in the future and whether we will meet anyone else.

The hermit’s response to the third question was that the most important thing is to
do good for the person one is with. This is because all are sent into this world for
that purpose alone.

The present moment is when we have any power because the pas t is already
gone and we cannot change it while the future is yet to come. If we want to
change our future we have to work in the present moment hence the present
moment is the right time to begin any work.