Ans.

A Triumph of Surgery
SUMMARY
This lesson is about a dog named Tricky and his mistress, Mrs. Pumphrey.
She was a very rich lady. Her overfeeding of the dog had made it very fat
and ill. She came to the narrator’s clinic. When the narrator/doctor’s
advice did not work and Tricky was in danger, the doctor decided to take
the dog to his clinic. Mrs. Pumphrey was very frightened. The narrator
gave the dog nothing to eat, for first two days except water. On the third
day, the dog started showing some signs of improvement.
Now he started to take food and within a week, he got well. Mrs Pumphrey
started sending eggs and wine to improve the health of the dog. The
narrator himself ate them and also enjoyed it very much. After a fortnight,
Mrs. Pumphrey was called to take back the dog home. Mrs. Pumphrey was
very happy and called it as a ‘Triumph of surgery’.

TITLE JUSTIFICATION
The story revolves around a dog Tricky. Its mistress showered her care and
made it fat and dull. It didn’t show any interest even in food of his choice.
It didn’t play and thus, health was declining. Its mistress took it to narrator
who was a vet by profession. He understood the condition and took it
under his care at his place. He fed him well and let it play. Soon it turned
out to be a fit pet. Mrs. Pumphrey gave the credit to surgery, which was
not true at all because Tricky didn’t go under any surgery. It was just diet
and play that made him active again.

KEY MESSAGE
• One needs to own their responsibilities.
• They should not shower unnecessary love to their young ones as it
might be fatal to their life.
• Excess of everything is bad and may prove to be fatal.

CHARACTER SKETCH
1. James Herriot
James Herriot is a veterinary surgeon, who proves to be a capable doctor
and a wise individual. He is an animal lover and a caring guardian. When
he first saw the deteriorating health condition of Tricky he could assess the
root cause of the problem. He convinced Mrs. Pumphrey to leave it at his
Ans.

surgery for its treatment. He keenly observed its movement and gave
treatment for fast recovery. He knew well that Mrs. Pumphrey would spoil
it again yet he looked after it well.
2. Mrs. Pumphrey
Mrs. Pumphrey is a wealthy single woman. She is very much attached to
her dog, Tricky. She is very loving but weak at heart. She showered love to
Tricky which was too much for it. Hence it turned out to be a listless and
lethargic dog. She took it to a vet who kept it under his treatment. She, out
of her care and love, sent food and drinks to the surgeon. She was curious
to know if Tricky was missing her. She came in a big car to take Tricky
along with her. Thus she was an overindulgent and loving mistress. She
had given comfortable life to her pet.
3. Tricky
Tricky is a lazy and fat dog who loves food. He is very fond of his owner.
He was showered with extra feeding and overindulgence. He became dull
and uninterested. He was then put under the treatment of vet, Mr. Herriot.
He turns out to be energetic and lively after recovering from his illness.

GLOSSARY/VOCABULARY (write any 10 in CW)

1. Bloated- a build of gas in stomach & intestine;
2. Sausage- meat.
3. Rheumy- discharge of nose or eyes,
4. Lumbago- muscular pain in the lower part of the back;
5. Malt-grain,
6. Hastened- quickly to do something:
7. Relent- to agree upon something after refusing:
8. Pine- to become very sad Lithe flexible:
9. Scrimmages- confused struggle or fight
10. Slopped- dress in an untidy manner;
11. Whimper-low sound (expression of fear. pain).
12. Sniffing- draw up the air audibly through nose to detect a
smell;
13. Engulfed- powerfully affected overwhelmed,
14. Gasping- a quick deep breath;
15. Bouts- a short period of a particular activity.
16. Tottering- to walk in a weak unsteady steps,
17. Distraught- extremely upset,
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18. Regime- ordered way of doing things.

19. Supper- dinner (light food);
20. Despairing-feeling of loosing all hope:
21. Shaggy-having long and untidy hair.
22. Convalescing- medical treatment;
23. Triumph- a great success;
24. Jostling - push roughly in crowd.
REFERENCE TO CONTEXT (VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS)
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
1. Now I really mean this. If you don’t cut his food right down and give him
more exercise, he is going to be really ill. You must harden your heart and keep
him on a very strict diet”
(a) Who speaks these lines and to whom?
Dr James Herriot speaks these lines to Mrs Pumphrev, the owner of
the unwell dog Tricki.
(b) Whose food does the speaker suggest to cut down on and why?
The speaker, Dr James Herriot, suggests cutting down on Tricki's
food because overfeeding was now beginning to threaten his life.
(c) Who must harden his/her heart and why?
Mrs Pumphrey, Tricki's owner, must harden her heart because her soft
attitude had made the dog obese and had put his life in danger.
(d) What, other than a 'strict diet', did the speaker advice to
follow? The speaker advised Mrs Pumphrey to give regular
exercise to Tricki other than a 'strict diet'.

2. He became an accepted member of the gang, an unlikely, silky little

object among the shaggy crew, fighting like a tiger for his share at
mealtimes and hunting rats in the old hen-house at night.
(a) Who is being discussed here?
Tricki, the dog who had fallen ill due to overfeeding, is being discussed
here.
(b) Which gang accepted him/her?
The gang of the household dogs at the surgery owned by Dr Herriot
accepted Tricki.
(c) What made him/her an unlikely member?
Tricki was silky and small in comparison to the shaggy and large dogs at
the surgery. This made him an unlikely member.
(d) How did 'he' behave after becoming part of the gang?
Ans.

After becoming part of the gang, Tricki too hunted rats at night and fought
for his share of food at mealtimes.

3. I was able to tell her that the little fellow was out of danger and
convalescing rapidly. The word 'convalescing' seemed to do something to
Mrs Pumphrey.
(a) Who speaks these lines?
Dr James I lerriot speaks these lines.
(b) Who is the 'little fellow'?
Tricki, the pet dog of Mrs Pumphrey, is the little fellow.
(c) What is the meaning of the word 'convalescing'?
It means recovering gradually.
(d) How was Mrs Pumphrey affected by the word 'convalescing'?
Mrs Pumphrey started to send fresh eggs and bottles of wine to the surgery
to improve Tricki's health, once she heard the word 'convalescing'.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each

1. Why is Mrs. Pumphrey worried about Tricky?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey was worried for her pet because he did not seem well
to her. She was distraught as Tricky was not eating anything. When she
offered its favorite dishes, it did not show any interest. It had bouts of
vomiting. It spent all its time lying on the rug and panting. It did not want
to go for walks or do anything. It became lethargic and disinterested.

2. What does Mrs. Pumphrey do to help him? Is she wise in this? Ans.
She made every effort to make him more lively and happy. But when she
failed in her efforts. She called the doctor to help Tricky. The doctor
suggested that Tricky should be hospitalized. Ultimately the doctor was
successful in curing Tricky. As her pet was healthy again, we can say that
her decision to take him to doctor was wise.

1. What kind of a person do you think the narrator, veterinary surgeon,

is? Would you say he is tactful as well of common sense?
Ans. The narrator was truly a professional vet. He diagnosed the reason
behind the ill-health of the pet. He handled the situation tactfully. He
adjusted himself well to the circumstances. He immediately understood
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Tricks problem. Tricky didn’t suffer from any sort of illness

He took the dog to his surgery. There he keeps it in natural environment.
The dog gets well under his supervision and natural environment of
surgery.

4. Do you think Tricky was happy to go home? What do you think will
happen now?
Ans. When Tricky saw its mistress, it jumped into her lap and thus we can
say that Tricky was very happy to go home. Tricky was also happy at the
surgery. When the dog was brought into the surgery, it was ill. But in spite
of it, the dog got cured in two days without any medication. The proper
diet and regular exercise helped a lot in its speedy recovery. Now, Mrs.
Pumphrey would give extraordinary attention and would over pamper him.
It is praiseworthy, but it would make Tricky listless again.

5.Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a

mixture of both?
Ans. The story could be a mixture of both real-life episode and a fiction.
Mrs. Pumphrey is a rich lady and has a pet dog. Although she has good
intention in her mind but excess of everything is bad. It can be called real
life for those parents who take excessive care of their child. She overfed
her pet that shocked the vet. He observed that its mistress had pampered it
to the level that made her pet lethargic and listless.

6. This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who

is foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you
think such people are merely silly, or can their actions cause
harm to others? Ans. The episode describes about a rich lady who
seems to be lonely as her focus was too much on her pet. Mrs.
Pumphrey overfed it at her home and also sent food to the surgery.
Thus she does extra care that worsens the health of Tricky.

7. Do you think there are also parents like Mrs. Pumphrey?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey is certainly an epitome of over indulgent care takers.
Yes, there are parents who are too much possessive about their kids. Their
overdoing of things harm their children. Either they become rebellious or
too docile to raise their voice. There are also examples of strict parents
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who put unnecessary pressure on their child for study and particular
behavior pattern.

8. What would you have done if you were: (i) a member of the staff
in Mrs. Pumphrey’s household. (ii) a neighbor? What would
your life have been like, in general?
Ans. (i) As a staff I would have no other way than to follow Mrs.
Pumphrey’s orders. Otherwise she would have sacked me of my job.
(ii) As a neighbor, I would have given her the proper suggestion. But the
choice of following or refusing my suggestions is up to her. She is a rich
lady who loves to splurge her money. So there is least chance that anybody
can forcefully change her opinion about a subject.

9. What would you have done if you were place?

I would have done the same thing which the narrator did. In addition
to it, I would have strongly recommend for the severity of health hazard
the over pampering could do.

10. What made James Herriot expect a call from Mrs. Pumphrey?
Ans. James Herriot’s encounter with Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricky made him
expect a call for help. He was sure that the extra diet and no physical
activity would soon put Tricky health in danger. And just as anticipated,
Mrs. Pumphrey called the vet a few days afterwards.

11. Why did Mrs. Pumphrey decided to take help of the vet?
Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey decided to call the vet as Tricky was fat and lazy.
Tricky had become listless. He just used to lie on his rug and pant. He also
refused to eat food, even his favorite dishes. His bouts of vomiting added
to Mrs. Pumphrey’s worry. That is why, she called James Herriot.

12. What treatment did the vet give to the ailing Tricky?
Ans. Tricky was given a non-medicinal treatment. His diet regime was
altered. He was kept on liquid diet for the first two days and then his diet
was gradually increased. Yes, this treatment did help Tricky as it built up
energy in him. He had transformed to an energetic, hard-muscled dog in
just a fortnight.
Ans.

13. Why did Mrs. Pumphrey make a frantic call to Mr. Herriot?
Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey had a dog named Tricky and out of her love for
it, she kept on looking after it. She gave him little extra between
meals i.e., meat, cod-liver oil, etc. Mrs. Pumphrey was more
concerned towards giving him comfortable life. He was not given
any physical exercise. So, the dog fell ill and started vomiting also. It
made Mrs. Pumphrey so much worried that she had to call the
veterinary surgeon. Dr. Herriot for his treatment.

14. What suggestions were given by Dr. Herriot to Mrs. Pumphrey

at the initial stage?
Ans. Dr. Herriot suggested Mrs. Pumphrey to cut down on the sweet
things and not to give extra food to him. He also suggested her to give him
more exercises and keep him on a very strict diet.

15. Why was Mr. Herriot tempted to keep Tricky as a permanent

guest?

Mrs. Pumphrey used to send lots of things like eggs, wine brandy etc.
for Tricky. But nothing was given to Tricky All the things were consumed
by the doctor and the other members of the hospital. Hence, Mr. Harriot
was tempted to keep Tricky on as his permanent guest. Secondly he was
aware that Mrs. Pumphrey would continue to over pamper the dog that
would ruin his health.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Is the narrator as rich as Tricky’s mistress?
Ans. The narrator is not as rich as Tricky’s mistress, Mrs. Pumphrey,
although it is not directly mentioned in the story. While the narrator is able
to provide Tricky with only a warm loose box as a bed and at Mrs.
Pumphrey’s house, Tricky has a day bed, a night bed, cushions, toys,
rubber rings, a breakfast bowl, a lunch bowl, a super bowl, a whole
wardrobe of tweed coats and perhaps many more things when he arrives to
take the dog with him, Mrs. Pumphrey has her entire staff at her disposal
to transfer all of Tricky belonging to the doctor’s car. On hearing from the
doctor about Tricky gradual recovery, Mrs. Pumphrey sends along two
dozen eggs at a time, along with bottles of wine and brandy – all in order
to help in Tricky speedy recovery.
Ans.

Finally, when she calls upon the narrator to take her recovered dog home,
she comes in a chauffer-driven “thirty feet of gleaming black metal”. Thus,
it can be concluded that Mrs. Pumphrey is rich as the vet mentioned her
various instances.

1. How does the narrator treat the dog?

Ans. The doctor observed the slaggy state of the pet. He knew it already
that he was over pampered. The doctor gave Tricky no food, but plenty of
water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest in his
surrounding and began mixing with the other dogs at the surgery. On the
third day, the doctor saw Tricky licking the empty supper bowls of the
other dogs. Next day, a separate bowl was kept for it and the doctor was
pleased to note that Tricky was running to eat its food with enthusiasm.
From that day onwards, its progress was rapid. It did not require medicinal
treatment of any kind and recovered quite well at the end. So, the vet took
some hard steps initially to make the dog more energetic.

2. Why is he tempted to keep Tricky on as guest?

Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady who has spoiled her pet and sent eggs
and wine etc. for it to strengthen its stamina. However, the vet knew that
consumption of such food articles would spoil its health. So he and his
friends started enjoying it. According to the narrator, those were the days
of deep content for them- starting with the extra egg in the morning, then
the midday wine, and finally finishing the day with brandy. This was the
reason why the narrator was tempted to keep Tricky on as a permanent
guest.

3. Why does Mrs. Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “A Triumph

of Surgery”?
Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey had overpampered the pet and spoiled its condition.
She tried everything to make it well. She was worried. She thought that the
dog’s recovery was “A Triumph of Surgery” because in two weeks, Tricky
had been transformed into a hard – muscled animal. When Tricky saw her,
it leaped into her lap and licked her face. She was so excited that tears
started rolling out of her eyes. She declared Tricky recovery as “A
Triumph of Surgery” to express her happiness and gratitude towards the
doctor.
Ans.

4. What was status of Mrs. Pumphrey?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady who had a small dog, named Tricky.
She had pampered the dog by providing him things like a raincoat for wet
days, a whole wardrobe, full of tweed coats. There were separated bowls
like breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl etc. for his different meals.
She had a lot of servants and maids to take care of him. Besides, she
owned a chauffeur driven long, black car. All these things suggest that she
was a rich lady.

5. What kind of a person do you think the narrator, veterinary

surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well of common sense? Ans.
The narrator was truly a professional vet. He diagnosed the reason behind
the ill-health of the pet. He handled the situation tactfully. He adjusted
himself well to the circumstances. He immediately understood
Tricks problem. Tricky didn’t suffer from any sort of illness
He took the dog to his surgery. There he keeps it in natural environment.
The dog gets well under his supervision and natural environment of
surgery.