Author name: Prasanna

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers Hearts and Hands

Hearts and Hands Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

1. At Denver there was an influx of passengers into the coaches on the eastbound B. & M. Express. In one coach there sat a very pretty young woman dressed in elegant taste and surrounded by all the luxurious comforts of an experienced traveller. Among the newcomers were two young men; one of handsome presence with a bold, frank countenance and manner; the other a ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed. The two were handcuffed together.

Question 1.
Describe the opening scene of the story.
Answer:
There was a crowd of passengers into the coaches on the eastbound B. & M. Express. In one coach there was a pretty looking young woman who was sitting, reflecting all kinds of elegance and delicacy. The two newcomers were two young men, one among them was handsome with bold looks and the other was ruffled, glum-faced who was heavily built and roughly dressed. The two were handcuffed together. The coach was fully crowded and the two men could find only one vacant seat in front of the young lady.

Question 2.
Who was the pretty young lady? Describe her.
Answer:
The pretty young lady was Miss Fairchild who was seated in one of the coaches on the train to Denver. She was elegantly dressed and surrounded by all the luxurious comforts which described her as an experienced traveler. She had a lovely smile and from her appearance she seemed to be rich who had a passion for travelling. She was acquainted with one of the two passengers who arrived in the same coach in which she was sitting. She threw a lovely smile to him which made her cheeks slightly pink.

Question 3.
‘Here the linked couple seated themselves’. How was the two couple linked? What do you understand by this?
Answer:
There was too much crowd on the Eastbound B. & M. Express in one coach, a pretty young stylish woman was sitting. The two young men, who were handcuffed together, entered the coach. One of them was fair and handsome and other was rough and strongly built. They were linked together as they couldn’t be separated from each other. The handcuff had tied them. It means that one of them must be a criminal and the other a policeman

Question 4.
Why did the young lady in the coach say, “Don’t you ever recog¬nize old friends when you meet them in the West?”
Answer:
The two new comers got the vacant seat opposite the attractive young woman in the whole coach. She threw a glance on them from a distance and with a lovely smile greeted them. She held out her little gray gloved hand perhaps in order to handshake with one of the two newcomers who seemed to be her acquaintance. When she didn’t receive any kind of positive response from the other side, she made this remark.

Question 5.
Why did the looks of the young lady suddenly changed?
Answer:
Initially when the two men entered her coach, she seemed to be totally uninterested but soon with a lovely smile she looked at them. She took the initiative to talk to him one of the two was her very well known by her. The younger man was roused at her voice and tried to come out of slight embarrassment of the handcuffs which suddenly clouded him.

2. “You’ll excuse me for speaking miss, but, I see you’re acquainted with the marshall here. If you’ll ask him to speak a word for me when we get to the pen he’ll do it, and it’ll make things easier for me there. He’s taking me to Leavenworth prison. It’s seven years for counterfeiting. ” “Oh!” said the girl, with a deep breath and returning colour. “So that is what you are doing out here ? A marshal!”

Question 1.
What explanation was given by the other man to the young woman about Mr. Easton?
Answer:
When the other man saw that young lady was acquainted with the handsome man with him and seeing him handcuffed, he sensed Easton’s embarrassment. On the other hand, the pretty woman was in a state of bewilderment, so he called Easton as marshal who was taking him to the Leavenworth prison for seven years of imprisonment in the case of counterfeiting.

Question 2.
What reason was given by Mr. Easton for not going to Washington?
Answer:
Mr. Easton told the woman that he wanted to do something. Money, according to him had wings and to live in Washington, lot of money is required. He saw the opportunities in the West as well. Miss Fairchild was surprised to know that Easton has preferred life in West to become marshal over life in Washington.

Question 3.
Why did Miss Fairchild call Mr. Easton ‘Dashing Western Hero’?
Answer:
In the course of conversation, the ruffled man told Miss Fairchild that he was being taken to Leavenworth prison for seven years of imprisonment in the case of counterfeiting. As the conversation continued, the woman was surprised to learn that Easton had given up the life in Washington to become a Marshal in West. She was impressed with this and called ‘Dashing Western Hero’ who ride and shoot and face all kinds of dangers.

Question 4.
“My butterfly days are over”, what kind of irony is there?
Answer:
There is a verbal irony here as Mr. Easton was not talking of his good days with Miss Fairchild. Rather he was talking about being locked up and not being free like a butterfly. His freedom had been snatched away because of his wrong act. But Miss Fairchild thought that he was talking about his social days and as he had taken up a job of responsibility, he won’t be able to move as freely as he was earlier.

Question 5.
Why were Miss Fairchild’s eyes rested upon the glittering handcuffs and what did the other man explain her?
Answer:
Miss Fairchild encountered Mr. Easton, one of her old acquaintances in the same coach on the train to Denver in which she was traveling. She spoke to him but was surprised to see him handcuffed with the other man. The other man guessed her embarrassment and gave her an explanation. She then continued to chat with him but her eyes were still on handcuffs. The other mem told her that she should not worry as all the marshals handcuffed themselves to their prisoners.

3. “I love the West,” said the girl irrelevantly. Her eyes were shining softly. She looked away out the car window. She begain to speak truly and simply without the gloss of style and manner : ‘‘Mamma and I spent the summer in Denver. She went home a week ago because father was slightly ill. I could live and be happy in the West. I think the air here agrees with me. Money isn’t everything. But people always misunderstand things and remain stupid”

Question 1.
How did Miss Fairchild support the life of West?
Answer:
Miss Fairchild loved the life at West, when she was telling this, her eyes were shining softly. She looked out of the car window. She began to speak honestly and plainly. She and her mumma had spent the summer in Denver. She had gone back to home as her father was ill. The young lady could live and be happy in the West. The atmosphere there suited her. She supported the view of Easton as the money was not everything.

Question 2.
How did glum faced man take excuse to go away from that coach?
Answer:
After some conversation, the glum-faced man wished to have a drink as he had not even smoked all through the day. He further added that they had talked too much; he now wanted to go to the smoker. He was dying for a pipe. To this Easton replied that he couldn’t deny a petition for tobacco.

Question 3.
What reason did the other man give for his going for a smoke and why did he do so?
Answer:
Miss Fairchild kept on talking to Mr. Easton but her constant attention was towards the handcuffs. In order to ease the tense situation, the glum-faced man asked Easton to take him to the smoker’s room as he was half dead for a pipe. In addition, he was also worried that Easton might reveal something about himself that should not be told to the young woman. So he intervened and requested him to be taken to the smoker room.

Question 4.
Which remark made by one of the two passengers sitting nearby creates suspicion in our mind?
OR
How do we come to know that Mr. Easton was the real convict?
Answer:
When Miss Fairchild was talking to the two men, two other passengers in the same coach were listening to them and keenly observing everything. One of them remarked that Mr. Easton appeared to be too young to hold the position of a Marshal. This arise doubt in reader’s mind and when the other one exclaimed saying that Easton couldn’t be the Marshal as no officer would handcuff his own right hand with the criminal’s left hand, the truth is revealed.

Question 5.
The final twist in the story may not be expected by the readers. What is it?
Answer:
There is a series of conflict in O Henry’s story “Heart and Hands”. Miss Fairchild when saw Mr. Easton on the train, she recognizes him immediately. Easton was handcuffed to the other rough looking man. He didn’t want Miss Fairchild to notice him. But when she was sure that Easton acknowledged her, she asked him if it was their custom not to recognize the old friends in the West.

The other man understood the situation and came to protect him from it. He told the young lady that Easton was the Marshal who was taking him to Leavenworth prison for seven years imprisonment for counterfeiting. But the actual twist comes in the end when the two other co passengers who had overheard the conversation noticed that a marshal would never handcuff a criminal to his right hand.

Hearts and Hands Questions and Answers

Question 1.
The main theme of the story is kindness. Elucidate.
Answer:
Kindness plays an important role in the story. The glum-faced, rough¬looking, real Marshall is a kind man who saves Mr. Easton as well as Miss Fairchild from some embarrassment with no ulterior motives. He does not stand to gain anything out of this and yet wants to help. He makes sure Miss Fairchild comes to believe that Mr. Easton is the Marshall so that she does not get a shock seeing the handcuffs on him.

Later, when Miss Fairchild seems to be hinting at being interested in Mr. Easton, he decides that the lie has gone too far, and cuts it short. He saves Miss Fair child from any further embarrassment and future heartbreak by taking the other man under the pretext of wanting to smoke. In doing so, he removes Mr. Easton from her presence, so that the truth would not come out and break her illusions. His another intention is to save the young woman and the man from embarrassment.

Question 2.
Attempt a character sketch of Miss Fairchild.
Answer:
Miss Fairchild is a rich woman who has class and style. In the train, she looks and speaks how a noble class person should be. She has a full, sweet, and deliberate voice that shows that she expects to be heard. Her sweet manners also reveal she has feelings for Mr. Easton. At first, she is disinterested but soon her countenance brightens and a tender pink tinges her round cheeks on recognizing Mr. Easton. Miss Fairchild is an interesting character with many different personality traits.

She seems to be smart, and rich. She comes from the east coast, and is adventurous enough to take a train out to Colorado during these violent western times. Like all young women of her times and status, she has marriage in mind and expresses it to the young man indirectly, “I love the West, the air agrees with me here.”

She wants to convey that she is romantically interested in Mr. Easton and does not mind staying with him in the West. Her girlish romantic heart is happy to see the young man as a hero in the garb of a Marshall. That she is gullible, is revealed in her instantly trusting the words of the Marshall. She becomes a victim of mistaken identity and is not shrewd enough to understand that a Marshall never ties himself to the criminal by his right hand.

Question 3.
Explain the significance of ‘hands’ and ‘hearts’ in the story.
Answer:
At the beginning of the story, we see two people, Mr. Easton and a glum-faced man hand-cuffed together. It is the handcuffing that points at the ‘Hands’ part of the title. In fact, the way that the hands are handcuffed reveals the true identities of the two men. Miss Fairchild is misled by the unnamed man about the identity of Mr. Easton as he wants to save Mr. Easton from an embarrassing situation by pretending that he is not her friend, is a convict and is being taken by him to the prison. It is an observation by a passenger in the coach that reveals a Marshal will not handcuff his own right hand with that of a convict.

It is the ‘hearts’ part of the title that unravels the theme of the story. It is because of having a compassionate heart that the Marshall tells a lie to Miss Fairchild. In spite of the rough looks, he has a golden heart. He lies to save the young man and the girl from embarrass-ment and humiliation. He does not want to expose Mr. Easton as a convict in front of an old friend. He tells Miss Fairchild that Mr. Easton is the Marshall and he is the convict who is being taken to the prison. He wants the young woman to retain her romantic illusion. At least she will think of the young man as a daring hero, instead of having to think of him as a fraudster and counterfeiter of notes.

Question 4.
Attempt a character sketch of Mr. Easton.
Answer:
Mr. Easton is described as a handsome young man with a bold and frank countenance and manner. He is preoccupied with some thoughts, and does not notice Miss Fairchild at first. When he recognises her, he is embarrassed but is quick to cover up. We are utterly shocked to know at the end, that he is a criminal and is being taken to prison by the Marshall. The lady is unaware of this fact and is led to believe otherwise. The real Marshall covers up the situation to save both the young people from embarrassment.

Mr. Easton is an opportunist. He doesn’t exactly lie but plays along with the Marshall. All his words have double meaning. He does not confess that he is accused of counterfeiting and has to serve seven years in prison. Instead, he says, “money has a way of taking wings unto itself’, and he requires money to keep step with the well-to-do in Washington. ‘The opening in West’, he mentions, is actually counterfeiting but the lady takes it as the job of the Marshall. Thus, he cleverly lays out an explanation as to why he has moved to the West and why he won’t be able to see her in the future. He even picks up on the hint from the Marshall when he asks to go to the smoke room quickly.

Question 5.
How are the two men a foil to each other ?
Answer:
Both the men are opposite to each other in appearance, behaviour and character. Mr. Easton is dressed like a gentleman having good breeding and manners. The other person handcuffed to him is glum-faced, roughly dressed and heavily-built. Easton is a criminal while the other one is a Marshall. Easton is suave in manners and is quick to cover up his crime and save his face in front of Fairchild. The other man, on the other hand, takes up the crime on himself to save the lady from embarrassment and shock.

One can say, that Easton is a wolf in sheep’s coat, whereas the real Marshall is gentle and caring, beneath the rough exterior. The ‘heart’ part of the title is dedicated to the Marshall because of the kindness he showed. The ‘hand’ part is about Mr. Easton, the hand that counterfeits money; the hand that is handcuffed and is on his way to prison.

Question 6.
‘Appearances are deceptive’, goes the saying. How is it applicable in the story ?
Answer:
The story, ‘Hearts and Hands’ has two main male characters. The men enter into the train handcuffed to each other. One is a young-looking man, well- dressed like a gentleman. He has a bold, frank countenance and manner. The other man is described as “ruffled, glum-faced, heavily built and roughly dressed”. At one glance, one would take the handsome man as the Marshall and the other one as a criminal.

When the real Marshall takes the blame on himself and says that he is on his way to Leavenworth prison for counterfeiting, Miss Fairchild believes it completely, as she cannot connect the man she is acquainted with as a criminal; but she can equate the other one as a criminal due to his rough exterior and abrupt behaviour and manner of talking.

That a criminal is lurking inside the elegant attire and suave manners of Mr. Easton, is unbelievable. That a heart of gold is hidden inside the rugged, unpolished exterior of the shrewd-eyed Mar shall is also unbelievable. The gentleman turns out to be a criminal and the uncultured, unpolished ruffian turns out to be a police officer. One cannot definitely go by appearance!

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers A Face in the Dark

A Face in the Dark Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

1. When there was a strong wind, the pine trees made sad, eerie sounds that kept most people to the main road. But Mr. Oliver was not a nervous or imaginative man. He carried a torch, and its gleam—the batteries were running down—moved fitfully down the narrow forest path. When its flickering light fell in the figure of a boy, who was sitting alone on a rock, Mr. Oliver stopped. Boys were not supposed to be out after dark.

Question 1.
What picture of the school is projected here?
Answer:
The school was situated on the outskirts of the hill station of Shimla. The school had its established reputation from before Kipling’s time. It had been run on English public school lines. The boys of the school belonged to wealthy Indian families. They wore blazers, caps and ties. The Life Magazine had once called the school ‘Eton of the East’.

Question 2.
Why the school in which Mr. Oliver was a teacher, called the ‘Eton of the East’?
Answer:
Eton school is said to run on the British pattern. It begins with the standard of teaching. There is no nonsense there. There are weekly assessments of the boys and the results are public. If there is any drop in the result, the teacher is summoned. The school activities are having unrelenting competition.

The school in Shimla in which Mr. Oliver was a teacher ran on the same principles. The boys were disciplined and followed the rules and regulations of the school. It was a prestigious school and thus called the ‘Eton of the East’.

Question 3.
Who was Mr. Oliver and what was his daily routine?
Answer:
Mr. Oliver was an Anglo-Indian teacher who had been teaching in a school situated on the outskirts of the hill station of Shimla for several years. The Shimla Bazaar was about three miles from the school. It had restaurants, cinemas, etc. Mr. Oliver, a bachelor, used to stroll into the town in the evening and returned after dark taking a short cut through the pine forest.

Question 4.
How can you say that Mr. Oliver was a brave man?
OR
Was Mr. Oliver was a strong or a fearful man?
Answer:
Shimla, a very high hill station has many pine forests. People in those days avoided the route through these forests as when there were strong wind; sad eerie sounds which were frightening enough to raise anyone’s goose bumps. But Mr. Oliver was not that sort of person. He was not a nervous or imaginative man. He usually carried a torch and its beam moved fitfully down the forest path. Even when he saw a boy’s figure in that lonely place, he didn’t got scared. Rather he asked him the reason for being alone and weeping.

Question 5.
What did Mr. Oliver see when he was returning back while passing through the pine forest?
Answer:
Mr. Oliver was on his usual walk in the evening. While returning back from Shimla Bazaar through the narrow path of the pine forest, he came across an unusual sight. He saw a figure on the rock. He usually carried a torch with him always and as soon as the flickering light of his torch fell upon the figure, he found it to be a boy and stopped. It was a strange sight as the boys were not supposed to be out after dark.

2. “I saw something—somethin horrible—a boy weeping in the forest—and he
had no face!”
“Noface, Sahib?”
“No eyes, nose, mouth—nothing!”
“Do you mean it was like this, Sahib?” asked the watchman, and raised the
lamp to his own face. The watchman had no eyes, no ears, no features at
all—not even an eyebrow! And that’s when the wind blew the lamp out.

Question 1.
Why was Mr. Oliver surprised to see the boy?
Answer:
On his usual walk, when Mr. Oliver saw a boy sitting alone on a rock, he was surprised to see him as the boys of the school were not supposed to be out after dark. And as the place was near to school, he could imagine no one else outsider there. He questioned him strongly that what he was doing there and when he got no reply, he moved closer so that he could recognize the boy.

Question 2.
Why was the boy called a miscreant?
Answer:
The place where Mr. Oliver saw the boy in the woods was not far away from the school in which he was teaching. Therefore he thought that the boy must be from that school and the students of the school were supposed to be much disciplined and to abide by the rules. Finding him at that time of hour made him think that the boy might have done some mischief and that was why he was hiding there.

Question 3.
Why did Mr. Oliver move closer to the boy who was sitting alone on the rock in the forest?
Answer:
Mr. Oliver encountered a figure while coming back to school one night. He was surprised and felt uneasy to see it. When the light of his torch fell on the figure, it came out to be a boy. He stopped there and asked him sharply what he was doing there. Getting no response, he moved closer to him and sensed something wrong. The boy appeared to be crying with his face in his hands and his body was moving violently.

Question 4.
How did he show his concern for the boy? Did the boy reply affirmatively?
Answer:
Mr. Oliver became angry on seeing the boy alone in the forest at night. He asked him strongly the reason for being there but the boy didn’t answer. He moved closer to him thinking that he must have done wrong and for that reason he had run away from the school. But then he realized that the boy was sobbing and soon his anger gave way to concern. He again asked him why he was crying but the boy neither replied nor looked up. His body was shivering due to silent sobbing. He told him not to be there alone at that hour and asked what the trouble was.

Question 5.
Which horrible sight frightened Mr. Oliver?
Answer:
As Mr. Oliver approached the boy, he discovered that the boy was sobbing holding his face in his hands. His body was shaking. It was a strange, soundless weeping. Initially, Mr. Oliver got angry but when he heard him crying his anger diverted into concern. He suggested the boy that he shouldn’t be there at that time and asked the problem. When the boy looked up, the light from Mr. Oliver’s torch fell upon the boy’s face which had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. This sight frightened him so much that he ran away from the place without pausing for a second.

A Face in the Dark Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What do you know about Mr. Oliver and the school he worked in?
Answer:
Mr. Oliver, the protagonist of the story, ‘A Face in the Dark’, was an Anglo Indian teacher who worked in one of the prestigious schools in Simla. He had been teaching in the school for several years. He was a bachelor. It had been his habit to go to Simla Bazaar, which was three miles away from the school. There he might watch movies or dine in a restaurant, and return after dark, taking a short cut through the pine forest. He was not a nervous person, nor given to too much of imagination, so he was not scared of walking through the forest which would make an eerie sound when strong winds blew.

The school he worked was known as the ‘Eton of the East’. It had been run on English public school lines. Most of the boys studying there were from wealthy Indian families, and wore blazers, caps and ties. Run on typical English pattern, the school had featured in Life Magazine and was considered as a status symbol.

Question 2.
What bizarre incident took place one day when Mr. Oliver was coming back from Simla Bazaar ?
Answer:
Mr. Oliver was returning after spending some time in Simla Bazaar. He took the pine forest route. It was a lonely path, dark and eerie. In the flickering light of the torch, he saw the figure of a boy, sitting alone on a rock. The boy was crying. It was a strange soundless weeping which made the teacher, rather uneasy. He held his head in his hands and his body shook convulsively. The concerned teacher insisted that the boy should look up and tell him his trouble. To his utter shock, when the boy looked up, he realised, he had no eyes, tears, nose or mouth.

It was just a smooth head, with a school cap on top of it. Immediately, he turned and ran towards the school. He encountered the watchman and told him about the boy without features. The watchman held the lantern to his face and asked whether the face was like his. He also did not have any features. Even Mr. Oliver, with his rational outlook had a fit of terror at the confrontation of what might have been supernatural.

Question 3.
On what two planes can you evaluate the incidents in the story ?
Answer:
The story can be evaluated at two levels : either as a weird supernatural experience or on a rational ground. Dark, lonely path through a pine grove, the eerie sound made by the wind, the reservations the locals had in using the short cut, all create an illusion of the supernatural. A boy sitting on a rock with his head down, his face covered with his hands, his body shaking hi soundless sobs, the flickering torchlight revealing a face without eyes, ears, nose or mouth; enough to make any man shake with fear. That was exactly what the school master went through on that bizarre night. On the top of it, he encountered another being of the same strange face in the form of a watchman, carrying a lantern. It is a perfect setting for a ghost story.

On the other hand, Mr. Oliver is described as a man, who was not easily given to nervousness or imagination. Perhaps, the lonely walk in the stormy night, might have led him to imagine something supernatural like a ghostly figure. A boy’s school cap lying on a rock or a mask someone left behind, might have created an illusion in the flickering light of his torch. The same fear might have made him imagine the watchman too as being faceless.

The story ends with a sense of ambiguity, leaving the ending open. The reader has to decide whether they were ghosts, whether they were optical illusions or whether the whole thing was a prank played upon the teacher by some mischievous students.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers An Angel in Disguise

An Angel in Disguise Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

1. Neighbors went hastily to the old tumble-down hut, in which she had secured little more than a place of shelter from summer heats and winter cold: some with grave-clothes for a decent interment of the body; and some with food for the half-starving children, three in number. Of these, John, the oldest, a boy of twelve, was a stout lad, able to earn his living with any farmer. Kate, between ten and eleven, was bright, active girl, out of whom something clever might be made, if in good hands; but poor little Maggie, the youngest, was hopelessly diseased.

Question 1.
What could be the possible reason for woman’s death?
Answer:
The woman was discovered dead at the threshold of her own door in the presence of her three children. She was in a drunken state, her body lay cold and still among her miserable children. Looking at her house and children’s condition, we can guess that she was a big alcoholic.

Question 2.
People hated the woman; still they turned up on her death. Give reason.
Answer:
It is truly said that why we do not rejoice at our birth and lament on death because we are the person concerned. Howsoever one maybe hostile towards someone but death changes and touches the inner self of the person. Same thing happened here; the dead woman was despised, mocked and condemned by almost every member of the village. But when she died, everybody gathered around her house. They were more worried about her wretched children more than herself and so in spite of pitying her, they were angry with her.

Question 3.
How did everyone try to help the children in their own way?
Answer:
Compassion is the desire to ease other’s sufferings and help the less fortunate. Neighbors went quickly to the old tumble-down hut as soon as they heard the news of poor woman’s death. It was only sufficient enough to secure the family from summer heat or winter cold. They came with grave clothes for the decent burial of the body and some came with food for the half starving children.

Question 4.
How many children did the dead woman leave behind?
Answer:
There were three children in all who were orphaned after the mother’s death. They were nearly half starving. Of these, John, was the oldest boy of twelve years. He was a stout lad who was able to earn his living with any farmer. The second child named Kate was between ten and eleven. She was bright and active girl. She could turn out to be very useful if in good hands. The youngest among them was the poor little Maggie who was hopelessly diseased.

Question 5.
How was the youngest child Maggie got disabled? What was her prospective future?
Answer:
Maggie was the dead woman’s third child. Two years ago, she had fallen from a window and injured her spine for which she was bed-ridden. Since then she had not been able to leave her bed except when lifted in the arms of her mother. She was crippled for life and nobody wanted to take her home as she would turn out to be burden for anyone. Her innocent looks attracted everyone but no one was ready to take her. It was decide that she should be sent to the poorhouse.

2. “Take her to the poorhouse”, said a rough man, of whom the question “What’s to be done with Maggie?” was asked. “Nobody’s going to be bothered with her. ”
“The podrhouse is a sad place for a sick and helpless child”, answered one.
“For your child or mine”, said the other, lightly speaking; “but for tis brat is will prove a blessed change, she will be kept clean, have healthy food, and be doctored, which is more than can be said of her past condition. ”

Question 1.
What was finally decided for the children?
Answer:
After the mother’s death, the chief question which arose was “What is to be done with the children?” The dead mother would be buried soon and she would be free from all the care or concern of the villagers, but humanity was something that could not leave the children to starve. After considering the matter and having discussed with his wife, farmer Jones decided to take John with him. Mrs. Ellis who was looking out for a bound girl did charity on her part by making choice of Katy, although she was too young to be useful for her. Only Maggie was left.

Question 2.
Why no one was ready to take Maggie home when her elder brother and sister’s fate had already been decided?
Answer:
Maggie was suffering from a hopeless disease in which she could not , get up on her own feet. She was completely dependent on other’s mercy. Her spine was damaged and therefore she was confined to bed for the rest of her life. After her mother’s death, she was left all alone in the house. Nobody wanted to deal with her disability as she could be of no use for anybody except a burden though all had pitied her condition.

Question 3.
What did the neighborhood women bring for Maggie? But the humanity did not arise for a poor sick child. Comment.
Answer:
The fate of the elder two children was decided in the hands of farmer Jones and Mrs. Ellis but no one said that I’ll take Maggie. People were giving pity glances on her pale and thin structure and ideas were exchanged on her account. The women helped to remove her soiled and ragged clothes, dressed her in clean attire. Somber the gloomy eyes and patient face of Maggie touched every heart but nobody was ready to open it for her. Nobody wanted a bedridden child.

Question 4.
What suggestions were given by the people for little Maggie?
Answer:
There were as many suggestions as there were people. The first suggestion came from a rough man Who suggested her to be taking to the poor house. Nobody was concerned for her as she seemed to be burden. Another one remarked that the poor house was a sad place for a sick and helpless child. To this another one responded that it might be a sad place for “Your child or mine”. But for poor Maggie, it would be a blessing as she would be kept clean, have healthy food, would be doctored and taken care very well.

Question 5.
What was the scene of the burial day?
Answer:
The day following the day of death was decided as the day of burial. A few neighbors were present at the miserable place but nobody followed the dead cart to the grave. Farmer Jones took John in his wagon after the coffin was taken out and drove away feelings contented that he had fulfilled his duty. Mrs. Ellis also hurriedly asked Kate to bid her sister goodbye and drew the tearful children apart. Both the sisters gave a sobbing farewell to each other. Others went out hurriedly glancing at Maggie and some refrained from a look. The only bedridden child was left unconcerned.

3. “What have you there?” sharply questioned Mrs. Thompson. Joe felt the child start and shrink against him. He did not reply, except by a look that was pleading and cautionary, that said, “Wait a moment for Explanations, and be gentle”, and passing in, carried Maggie to the small chamber on the first floor, and laid her on a bed. Then, stepping back, he shut the door, and stood face to face with his vinegar-tempered wife in the passage-way outside.

Question 1.
Who said, “Then take her to the poorhouse: she’ll have to go there?” Why did Joe Thompson go to Maggie’s hovel again?
Answer:
The above words are said by the blacksmith’s wife who was hastening off with the rest of the villagers after the burial of the children’s mother. John was immediately taken away by farmer Jones and Mrs. Ellis took away Kate. Maggie was almost alone in the hovel. Blacksmith’s wife replied this to Mr. Joe Thompson’s when he called it a cruel thing to leave Maggie like that. She also left the place hurriedly leaving Joe behind. He was puzzled for a while and then went inside again to have a look on her and perhaps with a decision in his mind.

Question 2.
How did poor Maggie’s catchy words “don’t leave me here all alone!” moved Mr. Thompson?
Answer:
When everybody left the place after the burial, Mr. Thompson seemed to be worried about the little girl. He asked blacksmith’s wife who suggested him to take her to the poorhouse. Joe stood there for some time confused. He went into the hovel again and saw Maggie had raised her into an upright position with painful effort and was sitting on her bed. Her eyes were on the door out of which all had departed. A terror had covered her pale face. It aroused a feeling of sympathy in Mr. Thompson and when she cried “don’t leave me here alone!” Mr. Thompson felt guilty leaving the child as she was.

Question 3.
Which brave action full of pity was undertaken by Mr. Thompson?
Answer:
Mr. Thompson was rough from outside but he had a heart which was tender in some places. He liked to have children come to his shop. When he heard the poor Maggie pleading not to leave her alone, he stopped down over her and told her that she would not be left alone. A little show of compassion and courtesy defines the humanity. He wrapped her with the gentleness of a woman in clean bedclothes brought by the neighbors, held her in his strong arms and took her home.

Question 4.
What type of woman Mrs. Jones was? What doubts did Mr. Jones have about her?
Answer:
Mrs. Jones, wife of Joe Thompson was childless and not a woman of saintly temper, or much given to self-denial for others’ good whereas Mr. Joe Thompson had well-grounded doubts about the manner he would be greeted by his wife on reaching home with the crippled child. He had a fear that she would not get along with her and knew that she would not welcome Maggie and it proved to be true when he was confronted by her.

Question 5.
Describe Mrs. Thompson’s reactions on seeing Maggie in her husband’s arms? Where did Mr. Thompson lay her?
Answer:
Joe’s wife was childless, so she had no feelings. She was ill tempered and it had become her usual nature. She had lost the purpose of living. When she saw Mr. Thompson carrying a piece of precious burden in his arms from the window, she sharply questioned him about the child. Her tone was full of anger and astonishment and her face was in flame when she asked. “You haven’t brought home that sick brat”.
Her tone scared little Maggie and she started shrinking in Thompson’s arms. He did not reply but carried Maggie to the small chamber on the first floor and laid her on a bed.

4. Mrs. Thompson did not reply, but presently turned towards the little chamber where her husband had deposited Maggie; and, pushing open the door, went quietly in. Joe did not follow; he saw that, her state had changed, and felt that it would be best to leave her alone with the child. So he went to his shop, which stood near the house, and worked until dusky evening released him from labor. A light shining through the little chamber windows was the first object that attracted Joe’s attention on turning towards the house : it was a good omen.

Question 1.
How did Mr. Thompson manage to touch the soft nerve of his wife?
Answer:
Mrs. Thompson was full of anger and astonishment when she saw Maggie in her husband’s arms. Mr. Thompson noticed this and said, ‘I think women’s hearts are sometimes very hard’. Usually he got out of her sight in such situations or kept silent to avoid further arguments but this time he faced an entirely different person and encountered countenance and well determined eyes. To his counter, she replied that men’s hearts are harder than women’s. By this only, he came to know that he had been successful in touching the strings of her heart.

Question 2.
Why did Mrs. Thompson enquire about the two other children of the dead woman?
Answer:
Mrs. Thompson who was a bitter lady got angry when she saw Maggie in her husband’s arms. She knew that Maggie had one brother and sister too. She was keen to know that where they would have been when Maggie was brought there and why didn’t she was sent along with them. She wanted her to go to the poorhouse.

Question 3.
On the pretext of Bible, how did Mr. Thompson presented his views before his wife?
Answer:
Mrs. Thompson asked her husband to go at once to the poorhouse for getting permit to send Maggie to the poorhouse when she brought the child home. Then he gave the reference of Bible in which much is written about children. And the Savior rebuked and punished the disciples who would not receive them, but took them in his arms and blessed them and even the smallest of help to the children would be considered. Kindness goes in a circle and comes back in one way or the other. Hearing this, a soft feeling crept into her heart.

Question 4.
Why did Mr. Thompson avoid the chamber where Maggie was kept when he returned back home?
OR
Why did Mr. Thompson felt it better to leave Mrs. Thompson alone with the child in the chamber?
Answer:
Mr. Thompson was not sure whether his wife’s temperament would be normal by evening or not. The first thing that caught his attention after reaching home was the light shining through the little chamber. He paused to look in and was satisfied to see the view. His wife was sitting by the bed in the chamber where Maggie lay and was talking to her. But entering the house, he did not go immediately to the little chamber. His heavy footsteps were heard by his wife who hurriedly came out of the chamber where she was with Maggie. Joe thought it best, not to discuss about the child or show any concern for the child.

Question 5.
What did Mr. Thompson notice when he returned back in the evening from his work? Why was he relieved?
OR
What expressions did Mr. Thompson find on the little girl’s face after he returned home?
Answer:
When Mr. Thompson retxirned back home he observed the light shining in the chamber in which Maggie was kept. He considered it a good omen. It was dark enough outside to screen him from the observation. Maggie was lying on the bed with her head little raised on the pillow. His wife was sitting beside her and talking to her. The light fell upon Maggie’s face and Thompson could see that her eyes were fixed upon his wife. Every now and then few words came as if in answers from her lips. There was sadness and tenderness in her expression but no pain or bitterness. This sight lifted the heavy weight from his heart.

5. “Is it good?” asked Mrs. Thompson, seeing with what a keen relish the food was taken. The child paused with the cup in her hand, and answered with a look of gratitude that awoke to new life old human feelings which had been slumbering in her heart for half a score of years.
“We’ll keep her a day or two longer; she is so weak and helpless”, said Mrs. Joe Thompson, in answer to her husband’s remark, at breakfast-time on the next morning, that he must step down and see the Guardians of the Poor about Maggie.

Question 1.
What were Mr. Thompson’s feelings when he saw the child carefully for the first time?
Answer:
After having his dinner, Mr. Thompson washed from his hands and face the dust and soil of work, left the kitchen and went to the little chamber. He found a pair of large bright eyes looking at him from the snowy bed. The looks were tender, grateful and pleading. This gave him extreme joy, his heartbeats became faster. Joe Thompson sat down and for the first time examined the child carefully under the lamp light. The tender face was attractive and full of childish sweetness on which suffering had not been able to leave its marks. It strengthened his sympathy towards Maggie.

Question 2.
What was the subject of discussion between Maggie and Mr. Thompson?
Answer:
On the first day, after returning from his work, Joe Thompson encountered the girl’s childish face for the first time. He sat down beside her and taking her soft little hand, confirmed her name Maggie. She affirmed in a trembled voice. He asked about her sickness and her treatment then about the pain. The girls replied that till now she had some problems and pain also but now as she was in the soft bed it felt good and comfortable. She was satisfied and grateful to Mr. Thompson.

Question 3.
Mrs. Thompson pretended to be indifferent to the child. Was she actually?
Answer:
At first Mrs. Thompson was against taking care of Maggie and insisted her husband to send her to the poorhouse immediately. Thompson reminded her of the Bible and explained her that it was a small thing for them to keep that poor motherless child for a single night. The voice was very strong but simultaneously there was moisture in his eyes. Mrs. Thompson did not answer but a soft feeling crept into her heart.

She spent the whole day with her and at night she made an effort to be indifferent to Maggie in front of her husband. She kept silent on that theme and gave the child a toasted slice of bread which was softened with milk and butter added with a cup of tea. This showed that the chords of her heart were struck with sympathy for the child.

Question 4.
How was the behavior of Mrs. Joe Thompson transformed completely?
OR
What change has been noticed in Mrs. Thompson’s behaviour with regard to Maggie?
Answer:
Earlier Mrs. Thompson was adamant for sending the poor child to the poorhouse. But with the passage of time the harshness of her behaviour
converted into softness and her heart began to melt towards little Maggie. The tenderness, innocence, patience, gratitude, nature and purity of the child moved her a lot and she asked her husband to keep her for one or two day more before sending to the poorhouse on the pretext of her weakness and helplessness. Finally she gave up the idea of sending her to poorhouse and accepted her whole heartedly.

Question 5.
What change did the little child bring in Thompson house? What kind of life were they leading?
Answer:
The sick and helpless child brought light and happiness to Thompson’s house. She was a blessing for them, for a long period of time it had been dark, cold and miserable because Mrs. Thompson had no one to take care or love. That was why she became sore, irritable and ill-tempered and self- afflicting woman. Now the sweetness of that sick child who was also thirsty for getting someone’s love was honey to her soul as she carried her in her heart as well as arms. As for Joe, there was not a single man in the whole neighborhood who drank as precious wine as he. Maggie came as an angel in disguise and Med its dreary chambers with love.

An Angel in Disguise Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is the tragedy of the life of the children ?
Answer:
The tragedy in the life of the children in ‘An Angel in Disguise’ is beyond imagination. Their poor mother died in front of her three frightened children, John, Kate and Maggie. They were nearly half starving. Of these, John, was the oldest boy of twelve years. He was a stout lad who was able to earn his living with any farmer. The second child named Kate was between ten and eleven. She was a bright and active girl.

She could turn out to be very useful, if in good hands. The youngest among them was poor little Maggie who was hopelessly diseased. Two years ago, she had fallen from a window and injured her spine for which she was bedridden. Since then she had not been able to leave her bed except when lifted in the arms of her mother. She was crippled for life and nobody wanted to take her home as she would turn out to be a burden for anyone. Her innocent looks attracted everyone but no one was ready to take her. It was decide that she should be sent to the poorhouse.

Question 2.
What was the reaction of Mrs. Thompson when the handicapped child was brought to her home ?
Answer:
Joe’s wife Mrs. Thompson was childless, so she had no feelings. She was ill-tempered and that had become her usual nature. She had lost the purpose of living. When she saw Mr. Thompson carrying a piece of precious burden in his arms from the window, she sharply questioned him about the child. Her tone was full of anger and astonishment and her face was in flame when she asked. “You haven’t brought home that sick brat”. Her tone scared little Maggie and she started shrinking in Thompson’s arms. He did not reply but carried Maggie to the small chamber on the first floor and laid her on a bed.

Question 3.
Comment on the title ‘An Angel in Disguise’.
Answer:
‘An Angel in Disguise’ is the most appropriate title for the story. Maggie, the youngest of three children brings joy and happiness in the lives of a childless couple, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. She proves to be an angel for them. Mrs. Thompson’s attitude and behaviour show a drastic change. From a rude, ill-tempered and self-afflicting woman, Mrs. Thompson is now a loving and caring figure. The sick and helpless child brings light and happiness to Thompson’s house. She is a blessing for them.

For a long period of time it has been dark, cold and miserable because Mrs. Thompson had no one to take care off or to love. That is why she became sore, irritable and an ill-tempered and self-afflicting woman. Now the sweetness of that sick child who was thirsty for love is honey to her soul as she carries her in her heart as well as arms. Maggie comes as an angel in disguise and fills their dreary chambers with love.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Short Stories Workbook Answers The Little Match Girl

The Little Match Girl Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the extract and answer the following questions:

1. She had been wearing slippers, it is true, when she left home, but what good were they ? They had been her mother’s, so you can imagine how big they were. The little girl had lost them as she ran across the street to escape from two carriages that were being driven terribly fast. One slipper could not be found, and a boy had run off with the other, saying that it would come in very handy as a cradle some day when he had children of his own.

Question 1.
What type of weather has been described in this extract?
Answer:
The weather was extremely cold and it was completely dark. As it was the last evening of the year, the snow was falling heavily and everything seemed to be freezing. The sky was covered with dark clouds. There was chill in the atmosphere and shivering cold had restricted people to move out of their homes. Only few people were seen on the roads. It was gloomy and fearful atmosphere.

Question 2.
In what condition was the little child moving in the streets?
Answer:
The little child was moving in the streets through the biting wind and driving snow. The snowfall of the last day of the year was excessively heavy and as the evening approached, it became almost dark as compared to the other evenings. From her appearance, it seemed as if she belonged to a very poor family otherwise no one would have dared to come out of their house in such a harsh weather.

Question 3.
How could you make out that the girl belonged to a poor family?
Answer:
The little girl was out of her house without enough warm clothes to protect her from chilly winter evening. She had nothing to cover her head or her feet. She had lost her slippers also and so she had to walk on her naked feet which ultimately became red and blue with cold.

Question 4.
Why was the poor child walking barefoot and bareheaded in the streets in such harsh weather?
Answer:
The little girl was among the few people who were seen on the roads in the biting cold weather. There must be some genuine reason for which she was out in the streets and it was clear from seeing her tattered clothes. She was wearing an old apron in which she carried several packages of matches. She held a box of them in her hand for selling but no one had bought any box from her since morning. As she did not get a single cent, she did not dare to go back home.

Question 5.
What has happened to her slippers? Why were they of no use for her?
Answer:
The poor little girl was walking in the streets barefoot. It was obvious that when she had left her house in the morning, she might be wearing them but they were not too much of use for her as they were her mother’s and too big for her. Also she had lost one while crossing the road where two carriages had rattled by speedily. She had not been able to find the slipper and other was taken away by one boy who told that he would use it as a cradle in future for his children. And so she walked on her naked feet.

2. Lights were shining in every window, and there was a glorious smell of roast goose in the street, for this was New Year’s Eve, and she could not think of anything else.She huddled down in a heap in a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected further out into the street than the other, but though she tucked her little legs up under her she felt colder and colder. She did not dare to go home, for she had sold no matches and earned not a single penny.

Question 1.
How has the atmosphere been set up in the given passage?
Answer:
The passage presents the picture of the miserable child. She is walking very slowly on the road due to extreme cold and hunger. She had beautiful long hair which hung in pretty curls over her neck and were covered with snowflakes. It was getting dark so the houses were lit up. In all the windows of the houses the light was shining and wonderful smell of roast goose was coming put as it was New Year’s Eve. The poor little creature was perishing with cold and in the picture of misery.

Question 2.
Why did writer say that ‘she did not think of her appearance now’?
Answer:
The little girl crept along the streets, shivering and hungry with a hope of selling at least few packs of matchsticks But nobody had bought any from her. She was presented as the picture of misery. She kept on trying despite the extremely cold weather. The snowflakes fell on her long golden hair which curled so prettily about her neck but she did not think of her appearance now. The only thing that captured her mind was to sell the matchboxes anyhow.

Question 3.
What did the little girl do to keep herself warm? Did it help her?
Answer:
On the New Year’s Eve, a few days after Christmas when everyone was in festive mood and cuddled in their houses, the miserable child was on the streets. When she could not stand the cold any more, she found a place in a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected further out into the street than the other. She tucked her little legs up under her to feel warm but it did no good and still she felt colder and colder.

Question 4.
Why could the little girl not go home in spite of extremely bad weather?
Answer:
The little poor child was out in the streets barefoot and bareheaded to sell the match boxes which she carried in her old apron. She had been trying to sell those boxes since morning but didn’t succeed till evening. In spite of the harsh weather she could not go home because of the fear of her father’s beating. She knew that as she had not sold a single match box as a result of which she had not earned a single cent, her father would surely scold and beat her. So she found a corner formed by two houses and sat down there drawing up her little feet under her.

Question 5.
Apart from her father’s wrath, she did not want to go home. Why?
OR
What was the other reason for which she did not want to go home?
Ans.
The poor child was out from her house since very morning to sell out the matchboxes. Although evening had approached and it became dark early due to chilling weather and snowfall, she did not dare to go home because she was not able to sell even a single matchbox. She feared her father’s wrath so found it better to spend time there in the street. So she sought shelter in a corner formed by two houses, one of which was projected farther out into the street than the other. But there was other reason too for which she didn’t want to go home as it was not comfortable there. In the name of house, they had a roof through which the wind passes and the cracks had been stuffed with straw and rags.

3. She pulled one out-scr-r-ratch!—how it spluttered and burnt! It had a warm, bright Jlame like a tiny candle when she held her hand over it—but what a strange light! It seemed to the little girl as if she were sitting in front of a great iron stove with polished brass knobs and brass ornaments. The fire burnt so beautifully and gave out such a lovely warmth. Oh, how wonderful that was!

Question 1.
What did the poor child do to warm herself up?
Answer:
Extraordinary chill had created numbness in the hands of the little girl. Although she had the whole bundle of matchboxes in her hand, still she thought that how much warmth she could get from them. She then thought of lighting a single match by rubbing it against the wall she was sitting near, to warm up her hands. She drew one matchstick from the box and burnt it. It gave a strange and wonderful light. For her it was like as if a drowning man has caught hold of a straw. It seemed to her that she was sitting in front of an iron stove and felt comfortable.

Question 2.
Was the method used by the child to keep her warm successful?
Ans.
The girl was literally shivering with cold. Her feet had turned blue and red due to chill and above all she had nothing to wear in her feet. Her head was also not covered. Her clothes were old and not warm. In such situation she even found a corner formed by two houses more comfortable. She sat there and an idea struck her mind that if she lights a match she would get warmth.

As soon as she rubbed it against the wall, a bright flame shone with a spluttered sound, it had a warm and bright flame like a tiny candle when she held her hand over it. It was so comfortable that she stretched out her feet to warm them too. Thought it did not give her as warmth as was required in that weather still she had peace in her mind or one can say a kind of illusion that she was getting warmth.

Question 3.
What do you think she was lighting only one matchstick from the box?
Answer:The girl belonged to a poor family. She had nothing to wear and she was dying from cold and hunger. She had been sent out of the house in the morning only to sell the matchboxes so that she could earn some money for her father. She dared not to disobey her father due to his rude and cruel nature. She knew that if she would return home without earning a cent he would beat her. So she decided to spend time in the street only but because it was too cold and unbearable for the little girl, she thought of getting warmth by lighting matchsticks. On the other hand she knew her father’s nature so she took out only one matchstick out of the box and lit it knowing that how much one little match might warm her.

Question 4.
What was the first vision which she saw after lighting the matchstick?
Answer:
When the girl struck one small match from the packet, it spluttered and burnt. And it was so amazing that she felt like sitting in front of a great iron stove with shining brass knobs and a brass cover. The fire burnt so beautifully and gave out lovely warmth. It appeared Wonderful to the child. But soon the flame went out, the stove vanished and she was left with only the remains of burnt match in her hand.

Question 5.
What is the symbolism in the passage?
Answer:
There are lots of instances where symbolism has been used in the story. They are used to impart more than the literal meaning of the word. Here in this passage too, the iron stove is the symbolic of the little girl’s longing for warmth as she was dying with cold, she was expecting warmth from somewhere. She found a place in the corner between the two houses, and hid her feet under it but it was of no use. So she lit up a match and in the light of the flame and then she visualizes a stove. It is also the symbolic of warm feelings of love and care which her grandmother used to give her.

4. She struck another match on the wall. Once more there was light, and in the glow stood her old grandmother, oh, so bright and shining, and looking so gentle, kind and loving. “Granny!” cried the little girl. “Oh, take me with you! I know you will disappear when the match is burnt out; you will vanish like the warm stove, the lovely roast goose and the great glorious Christmas tree!”

Question 1.
What different images did the poor child see on the wall?
Answer:
The little girl was almost dying with cold and hunger. Therefore she burnt a matchstick to get rid of that chill but it soon went out. Thus she struck another match against the wall and when the light fell upon it, it became thin like a veil. Through it she could see into a room. She saw a table covered with a snow white cloth and on it there was a shining dinner service. The roast goose stuffed with prunes and apples was steaming. Then only the matchstick went out. She lighted another matchstick and found herself sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree with thousands of candles burning on its branches. By this time again the match went out. But the Christmas lights were still there which mounted higher and higher.

Question 2.
Were the images real or merely her imagination?
Answer:
The girl was so innocent that she was unaware of the clever worldly ways. It was her age of playing with the toys but she was being forced to engage in household chores. The only thing that she knew was her father’s rude nature and so she thought of sitting on the road only. Besides, her house was not so cozy so she thought of remaining out. As her hands were almost dead with cold in the biting chill, the poor child burnt a matchstick to keep herself warm, which soon went out. Again she lighted a matchstick and when the light fell upon the wall, she saw various beautiful images. As we know that there was nothing actually, it’s clear that all those images were her mind’s creativity. Whatever she used to imagine, came alive in those images. In fact they were illusions.

Question 3.
Which was the last picture that she saw on the wall and which she did not want to vanish?
Answer:
When the little girl lit a matchstick against the wall, she saw beautiful images formed on the wall which were her mind’s productivity only. The final image which she saw was someone dying. And that was her grandmother, the only person who had loved her and was now dead. She got immense affection from her that she did not want to lose her again. She wanted her company forever as she found solace in her grandmother’s lap. That is why she did not want her grandmother’s picture to vanish from her eyesight.

Question 4.
Can you guess the reason why she wanted to keep the picture alive?
Answer:
Grandmother was the only person in poor child’s life who loved her a lot. Her father was an ill-natured person who scolded and beated her for petty things. And from the story we can guess that there was no other member in her family except these two. The grandmother who used to love her more than anyone was now dead. And when she saw her image, she became so relaxed and felt joy that she did not want to part with her again. Because she knew that as soon as the match went out, the picture would also vanish. So she kept on lighting the matchsticks.

Question 5.
What kind of relationship did the little girl share with her grand¬mother?
Answer:
From the above passage it is clear that the little girl was all alone in the vast world. She only had one person in her life who gave her immense love and that too was not alive. It was none other than her grandmother. She was dead but the child remembered her fondly. She recalled all her views and stories told by her. The memory of her grandmother and her affection gave her warmth for some time and enabled her to bear all the suffering.

5. But in the cold dawn, in the corner formed by the two houses, sat the little girl with rosy cheeks and smiling lips, dead-frozen to death on the last evening of the old year. The dawn of the new year rose on the huddled figure of the girl. She was still holding the matches, and half a packet had been burnt.
“She was evidently trying to warm herself’, people said.

Question 1.
What is the theme of this passage?
Answer:
The theme of this passage projects the happiness of the child which she experienced throughout the series of troubles. The world in which she lived had lost touch with humanity. No one had shown sympathy towards the child who had been out in the bitter weather for selling matches. But when she saw the image dr rather illusion of her grandmother, she became enormously happy and in order to keep her alive, burnt the whole bundle of matches, forgetting the fear of her father.

Question 2.
Where did the grandmother take the child along with her?
Answer:
When the child saw her grandmother, she pleaded to take her away. She struck the whole bundle of matches to keep her grandmother with her forever; the bright glow of the matches reflected the image of grandmother clearly and more effectively. The light was brighter than the daylight. She had never seen such beauty and grandeur of her grandmother. The grandmother took the little girl in her arms and both of them flew in brightness and joy above the earth.

Question 3.
What has happened finally?
Answer:
The child was so fed up of her life that when she saw her grandmother in her illusions, she asked her to take along so that she could also led a peaceful life. The child of her age didn’t know that death was the ultimate truth. As she was told by her grandmother that when a star fell down, a soul went up to the God, she also wanted to join her in heaven. Finally the grandmother took the little girl into her arms and both of them flew in brightness and joy above the earth, very, very high and up there was neither cold, nor hunger, nor fear. They were now safe in the hands of God.

Question 4.
What were the people’s reactions on seeing the poor child’s stiff body?
Answer:
On the last evening of the year, leaning against the wall, the little girl was sitting in the corner with red cheeks and smiling mouth, frozen to death. The New Year’s sun witnessed a pathetic figure. Her body was stiff and cold, she held the matches out of which one bundle was almost burned.

The people, who were unconcerned till now, started making different guesses for the burnt out matches beside her. They said that she might want to warm herself up. They could never been able to imagine what beautiful things she had seen and how cheerfully she had gone with her grandmother in the New Year.

Question 5.
What is the significance of matches in the story?
Answer:
Matches are minor things but sometimes even minor things can get biggest happiness of life. To sell the matches and to get money for her father, the child was out in the streets during the festive time in chilly winter evening. By lighting the matches, she tried to keep herself warm. Then in the light of matches only she was able to visualize different images which were the yield of her mind. Matches are the symbolic of faith and hope, warmth and love.

The Little Match Girl Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How does the writer create sympathy for the little girl in the story ?
Answer:
The title invites our attention to the young age of the girl and the fact that she has to suffer so much from her misfortune, evokes unlimited sympathy for her. Secondly, the writer draws our attention to the bitter cold and darkness of the night and the sight of a delicate and helpless child exposed to its bitterness on the last evening of the year chokes our throat with pain.

Thirdly, how unequipped the girl is, to face the terrible cold is emphasised by describing her pathetic condition. She is walking in the street barehead and barefoot. The oversized slippers which she is wearing belonged to her mother, and one of which she loses while escaping from a speeding carriage. The other is taken away by a boy. Such is the callousness with which the world treats a poor, hapless child.

Further, we are told that her feet are fed and blue due to walking long distance, trying to sell matchsticks which nobody buys. “She crept along, shivering and hungry, the picture of misery, poor little thing.” This very description definitely creates an empathy for the lovely little child with golden hair.

Question 2.
What are the four visions seen by the girl and what do they signify?
Answer:
Huddled in the corner of two houses, the little girl lights a match for warmth. She sees the vision of a great iron stove with polished brass knobs and brass ornaments. She stretches her feet to feel its lovely warmth, but alas ! The warmth vanishes leaving her cold.

Next, the girl strikes another match, and she sees the mouthwatering vision of a dinner table spread with a white cloth, with a steaming roast goose in the centre, stuffed with prunes and apples. Her hunder makes her imagine the goose hopping towards her but this also vanishes.
Thirdly, she sees the vision of a Christmas tree, with a thousand candles lighting up its green branches and gaily coloured balls. When she stretches her hands to touch them,they rise higher and higher to become bright stars.

Finally, she sees the beautiful vision of her grandmother smiling lovingly at her. She implores her granny to take her along with her. Little does she know that she is imploring for her death.The four visions symbolise the wishes of every child in this world, for warmth, for food, for the cheer of sitting under a Christmas tree decorated with candles and other baubles, and most importantly, for love and kindness. The child does not get these in this world; so she longs to go to the other world.

Question 3.
What are your feelings after reading the story ?
Answer:
In one sentence, if I can summarise my feelings, I will simply say, the story makes me cry. It touches the depth of my heart. In fact, it still haunts me in my lonely hours; before falling asleep or when I see small, sweet children. It makes me angry with myself and the callous world around me that is so insensitive about our fellow creatures.

One New Year eve, when the well-to-do are getting ready for their cosy dinner, a little match girl walks in the cold, dark night trying to sell matches. Nobody buys them, no one notices the hungry, shivering girl, her feet red and blue after walking barefoot. She cannot go back to her house as there also, no love, warmth or food awaits her. She is scared of her father who may beat her for not bringing any money home. So, she sits in the corner made by two houses from which the glow of fire and smell of roast goose tempts her taste buds.

Everywhere around her, there is festivity; but not for her. Her simple wishes are manifested each time she lights a matchstick. Her wish for warmth, for food, for beautiful things of life, for love and for protection-she achieves all these, but in dreams. She begs the vision of her grandmother to take her with her and her ultimate wish is fulfilled. She rises in all her glory to the world of God, where no misery will touch her, where no hunger or chill winds will trouble her.

The vision of the frozen child with rosy cheeks and a happy smile, sitting huddled inthe corner, never leaves our memory. However, we also feel happy that she leaves this world with blissful smile after fulfilling her long cherished wishes, in those last moments just before she is lifted by her grandmother to be near God.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers Television

Television Questions and Answers

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. The most important thing we’ve learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set –
Or better still, just don’t install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we’ve been.
We’ve watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone’s place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)

Question 1.
The poet’s treatment of his subject is critical, but he still does not sound too opinionated. Why?
Answer:
In this stanza, the poet criticises the increasing craze for television among children. However, as the stalling line puts it, he has learned about it primarily from other people or some other source. Thus, he does not directly start criticizing television for its bad impact on children, but traces the root of his opinion in how others perceive it. That is why he. does not sound opinionated.

Question 2.
Why do you think the poet has used the adverb ‘never’ three times in the third line?
Answer:
The adverb ‘never’ is generally used to mean ‘not ever’. The purpose of using it is to stress the avoidance of something not agreeable or acceptable. In this stanza, the poet wants to say that children should not be allowed by their parents to spend a lot of time sitting before the television set, because this is a harmful practice in many ways. In order to assert this point forcefully, the poet repeats the adverb ‘never’ three times. The use of capital letters twice further reinforces his point.

Question 3.
What has been referred to as ‘the idiotic thing’ in this stanza? Why?
Answer:
In this stanza, the phrase ‘the idiotic thing’ has been used for the television set. In some way, the phrase reinforces the poet’s view that television is an extremely useless thing as far as children are concerned. This explains why he feels that children should be kept away from it.

Question 4.
Do you think that the idea of not installing a television set sounds practical in today’s context?
Answer:
The presence of a television set in almost every urban household is almost unavoidable today. Keeping that in mind, this idea may appear to be rather unrealistic. However, the negative impact that its presence casts on children is a stark reality. Perhaps the poet is just too impulsive while expressing his view against television. But if we look at the problem with a sensitive and empathetic approach, we may find that his view is not illogical or unacceptable. As readers, we cannot simply overlook his deep concern for children that is quite genuine.

Question 5.
Describe the significance of the bracketed lines at the end of the stanza.
Answer:
The pair of lines bracketed here is an example of a literary device called parenthesis. Usually, a parenthesis is added to a sentence or word, either to provide an explanation or to emphasise the point expressed by its precedent. Here, the poet employs this device to exemplify the negative impact of children’s obsession with television. Indulging in a bit of exaggeration, he says that sometimes the children stare so hard that their eyeballs fall off, and he has seen a dozen such eyeballs rolling about on the floor in one house. This ‘diversion’ from the normal track of expression lends an amusing twist to it, and makes the reading more interesting and enjoyable.

2. They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they’re hypnotised by it,
Until they’re absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don’t climb out the window sill.
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink –
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?

Question 1.
How does this stanza describe children’s fascination with television?
Answer:
The poet says that it is not uncommon to see the children sitting and staring continuously at the television sets. In almost every house, the same scenario is seen. The children are so obsessive of watching the television, that they remain engrossed in it without caring for how long they have been sitting.

Question 2.
How does children’s habit of watching TV gives some relief to their elders in the house?
Answer:
As the poet says, due to their obsessive indulgence in watching television, children remain glued to one place. This means that they do not perform their naughty acts like climbing out of the window sill. Moreover, they do not quarrel or fight as children are normally supposed to do. Due to this, their elders can feel relieved and feel free to cook the lunch or wash the dishes, without worrying too much about them.

Question 3.
What does the phrase ‘all that shocking ghastly junk’ imply in this stanza?
Answer:
This phrase is obviously for the contents of the TV programmes watched by children so obsessively. By using this phrase, the poet wants to tell that almost all that is dished out to children in the name of information and entertainment has no use for them.

Question 4.
Who are the people directly addressed by the poet in the last three lines? Do they have a particular identity?
Answer:
People referred to as ‘you’ are the parents of those children about whom the poet seems to be deeply concerned. They are not particular people with specific identities, but all the parents addressed together. The poet wants all of them to think over the problem, because children are affected everywhere. In other words, the problem that the poet talks about is generic and universal in nature.

Question 5.
What message does the poet want to give his readers?
Answer:
The poet wants to tell them that, they should not feel complacent just because children do not disturb them with their activities and stay away from their engagements. Instead, they must try to closely observe them and try to find out why their children do not behave as they should. What gives them a temporary relief and opportunity to do things without the intervention of their kids is actually a dangerous trap that will spoil their natural talent.

3. IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK – HE ONLY SEES!

Question 1.
What do the personal pronouns ‘IT’ and ‘HE’ signify in this stanza?
Answer:
These two pronouns respectively signify ‘television’ and ‘any child who watches television continuously for hours’. In the first four lines of the stanza, ‘IT’ has been used as the subject thus implying that the poet’s focus is on what television does in terms of its detrimental impact on a child. Subsequently, the focus shifts to the child.

Question 2.
Why are the lines of this stanza written in capitals?
Answer:
These lines are written in capitals with a view to stress the main message of the poem. As they are written differently, these lines show a distinc¬tive appeal capable of easily drawing the attention of the readers. They also suggest the poet’s penchant for experiment in terms of style and presentation.

Question 3.
What is the message that the poet wants to give here?
Answer:
The message is that watching too much television fills up the mind of children with useless facts while at the same time destroying their ability to be creative or imaginative. It takes away their ability to think and they can only keep staring at the television screen.

Question 4.
Why does the poet think that a child cannot understand a fantasy or fairyland?
Answer:
The ability to understand a fantasy or fairyland calls for the application of creativity and imagination. As the poet says, the unproductive and useless practice of watching television for hours and hours continuously has severely affected a child’s creativity and imagination. That is why he/she cannot understand a fantasy or fairyland.

Question 5.
‘HE CANNOT THINK—HE ONLY SEES!’ What does this line suggest?
Answer:
This is the concluding line of this stanza that presents the crux of what the poet wants to say here. In the preceding lines of the stanza, the poet categorically opines that television spoils the creativity of children so much that they cannot use their brain to understand things that are abstract and invisible for which imaginative power is required. As they are absolutely accustomed to seeing things that appear on the TV screen before them, they lose the ability to think of things and situations that are not readily presented before them in concrete form. This indicates the loss of their creativity and imaginative faculty.

4. ‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’ .
We’ll answer this by asking you,
What used the darling ones to do?
‘How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’

Question 1.
Comment on the style of expression employed by the poet in this stanza.
Answer:
The poet adopts a style that is simple, lucid and conversational in nature. It seems that the poet is interacting with the parents directly, and responding to their query.

Question 2.
Who are referred to as ‘you’ and ‘we’ in this stanza?
Answer:
In this stanza, the personal pronoun ‘you’ has been used for the parents of children. ‘We’ is used for the speaker, i.e. the poet himself and all those who like him feel that television has badly affected children.

Question 3.
How does the poet express the dilemma suffered by the parents?
Answer:
In the first four lines of this stanza, the poet focuses on the dilemma of the parents by bringing out their possible response. As it shows, the parents understand that the televisions are of course not good for the development and growth of their child. However, they do not know what they should do to entertain the children.

Question 4.
Why does the poet use the word ‘monster’ in the last line? What does it signify?
Answer:
The word ‘monster’ has been used here for the television set. The poet feels that it is responsible for all the bad things that have happened to children.

Question 5.
Which point does the poet try to stress here?
Answer:
The poet wants to stress the view that substitutes for televisions should be thought about, which are as entertaining as the TV sets and even overcome the flaws which the latter has. He further says that the task of finding such substitutes is quite simple. For this, the parents should take their thinking far before when this TV set was invented. He therefore asks their parents to recall the past when children were able to find better and far more productive ways to entertain themselves.

5. Have youforgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY… USED …TO… READ! They’d READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!

Question 1.
Who are the people addressed in this stanza? What does the poet speak of?
Answer:
People addressed in the first line of this stanza are parents of children who, the poet thinks, have been affected by the ill-effects of watching TV habitually. By posing a couple of questions in the beginning, the poet tries to stir their conscience reminding them of the good old times when children used to get entertained without the TV sets.

Question 2.
What does the poet suggest as an alternative to the harmful practice of watching TV continuously?
Answer:
In this stanza, the poet suggests with emphasises that for children, reading books is the best alternative to the harmful practice of watching TV, In the past, reading books was an extremely useful, engaging and productive pastime. He further says that the parents must motivate their children to read real good books in order to entertain themselves. There are so many great books that were readily available in the past and are still there for the children to read and learn from.

Question 3.
Explain the line: ‘We’ll say it very loud and slow’.
Answer:
This line reflects what the poet feels about the visibly lackadaisical approach of parents to their children. Though they understand that their children’s habit of continuously watching TV is not good, they are not quite prompt and self-motivated to explore sound and effective alternative that can save their future. By being ’very loud and slow’, the poet actually means that he has a solution, which he wants everyone to hear clearly and attentively.

Question 4.
What is the significance of capitalising some words in this stanza?
Answer:
The poet has deliberately capitalised some words with a view for highlighting their importance in the context of. the poem. ‘READ’ is obviously the most important of all words capitalised. By capitalising this word, he wants to reinforce his point that in the olden days, when there were no television sets, children used to read books and that was no doubt far more productive and beneficial.

Question 5.
Which famous writer has been referred to as ‘the great Scott’?
Answer:
Sir Walter Scott, the famous 19th century novelist and poet, has been referred to as ‘the great Scott’ in this stanza. He wrote a number of novels that are immensely enjoyed by young and adolescent readers even today. Scott is often regarded as ‘the father of historical novel’.

6. And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars.
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching ’round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it’s Penelope.)

Question 1.
Explain the first two lines of this stanza.
Answer:
In these lines, the poet talks about the great popularity of books due to which their presence was visible literally everywhere. This was because children were very fond of reading them. The number of books was so large that the process seemed to be almost everlasting, because there were always some books that ‘were waiting to be read.’

Question 2.
What types of tales were read by children in the past? How were they useful for their young readers?
Answer:
As the poet says, the tales read by children in the past were fantasies with a galaxy of interesting characters. These tales were full of adventures and strange but interesting situations that honed the imagination and creativity of their young readers.

Question 3.
How was the world depicted in the fantasies different from the one that is shown in the TV programmes?
Answer:
As the poet says, the world depicted in the fantasies was based on pure imagination. It had a range of unusual characters and situation to entertain and amuse the young readers. That is why the tales of dragons, gypsies, queens and whales were the most engaging pastime for children before the invention of television. Today, the television programmes miss all that, as they do not involve creativity and imagination. Through these programmes, children can only see what is presented before them in concrete form, but they cannot imagine things, characters or situations that are seen so abundantly in fantasies and tales of yesteryears.

Question 4.
Fantasies serve as a productive and interesting pastime that stirs the imagination of children. In which other way are they beneficial for the children?
Answer:
One great advantage of reading books that contain these fantasies is that you can go through them anywhere. This precisely implies that it is not necessary for the readers to sit at a particular place only to read books.

Question 5.
Why has the poet used a parenthesis to end the stanza?
Answer:
Parenthesis, as we know, is a word, phrase or line in brackets either inserted in a passage or stanza, or placed at the end of it. The parenthesis used here seems to be an afterthought that serves as a sort of happy diversion or ‘comic relief from the rest of the stanza that presents his view rather categorically and in a focused manner.

7. The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There’s Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know, .
Those children living long ago!

Question 1.
Which period does this stanza talk about?
Answer:
This stanza talks about the period of time when television had not been invented, and reading books was the favourite pastime of children.

Question 2.
Which important features of reading before the invention of television does the poet highlight here?
Answer:
In this stanza, the poet says that a plenty of books were available for the children before the invention of television. More importantly, they had the freedom to choose books for reading, according to their preference and interest matching their age-group.

Question 3.
How does the poet respond to the practice of reading in the past?
Answer:
In this stanza, the poet lists some of the most popular fictional characters that children in the pre-television era used to read and know about through different books available to them. In the concluding lines of the stanza, he seems to be simply awed by the extraordinary range of their reading and familiarity with comical or fictional characters.

Question 4.
Which age group of children can most easily relate to the fictional characters mentioned in the stanza?
Answer:
Mr. Tod, Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole are the characters that fascinate small, young kids most. Thus, the children, the poet talks about here must be small kids passing through the primary stage of learning. As children grow up, they gradually start looking for more mature reading stuff.

Question 5.
The name of which famous writer of children’s books has been mentioned in this stanza?
Answer:
The famous writer of children’s books referred to in this stanza is Beatrice Potter. Her name being mentioned particularly, suggests that she must have influenced the poet Roald Dahl, an outstanding writer of children’s books himself.

8. So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then Jill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-

Question 1.
Explain these opening lines of the stanza:
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away.
Answer:
In these lines, parents are exhorted by the poet to throw away their TV sets. His request to parents is propelled by his perception that their children’s habit of watching TV for long and continuous hours is dangerous and unproductive.

Question 2.
What does the poet want the parents to replace the TV set with? Why?
Answer:
The poet requests parents to replace their TV sets with a book¬shelf. The reason lies in his time-tested assumption that books alone will save the natural, imaginative, sensitive and curiously passionate inner self of a child from the blunting and barren practice of watching TV. Thus, the fundamental motive is to save the childhood and ensure that children will have a better future.

Question 3.
What does the poet mean by the phrase ‘ignoring all the dirty looks’?
Answer:
The poet says that bringing in a bookshelf as a replacement for TV set may not be tolerated in the beginning. Nevertheless, the parents must remain firm in their decision and overlook any resistance, because a change like this is beneficial for the future of their children.

Question 4.
What does the concluding couplet of this stanza suggest about the response of children to the initiative taken by their parents?
Answer:
This couplet clearly suggests that children will not put up with the change introduced by their parents. In the beginning, they will fail to understand the significance of a bookshelf filled with books. As a result, they will protest against it. Occasionally, they may be violent also. Despite all this, the parents must go ahead with their decision as they know that this will change the liVes of their dear kids for the better.

Question 5.
Parents play a major role in shaping the future of their children. How does this assumption get reflected here?
Answer:
As tire poet says, children who are used to watching television cannot understand its disadvantages themselves. Their parents must therefore take the initiative to change this habit and replace it with a much better and far more beneficial practice of reading books. They should therefore understand that their decision will eventually secure a great future for their children.

9. Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They’ll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.

Question 1.
What does the phrase ‘Fear not’ suggest about the mental state of people to whom this stanza is addressed?
Answer:
The stanza is addressed to parents whom the poet exhorts to replace TV sets with books. The poet feels that the parents are apprehensive of this change, which their children may not accept easily.

Question 2.
Explain the concluding couplet:
Theyll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
Answer:
In these lines, the poet talks about the situation in which children will start realising the urgency to read something. As he says, this will happen only when TV sets are removed from their homes and they find it impossible to watch the programmes they have been used to watching so far.

Question 3.
What does the poet’s promise relate to?
Answer:
The poet’s promise is about a positive change in children, which he thinks, will be noticeable in a period of about a week or two.

Question 4.
Comment on the tone of conversation adopted by the poet.
Answer:
The poet’s approach is thoroughly conversational and his tone seems to be that of a public speaker addressing a gathering of parents. It reflects a high level of understanding, insight and confidence. It seems that he is fully self¬assured and knows the results with a remarkable precision.

Question 5.
Why does the poet feel that children should be compelled to have ‘nothing else to do’, in order to understand the importance and joy of reading books?
Answer:
In this stanza, the poet wants to say that the habit of watching TV is too deep-seated in case of children. It is therefore difficult for them to easily realise how adversely this habit is affecting their creativity, mental strength and health. That is why he feels that when there will be no TV sets inside their homes, and children will have nothing else to do, they will be forced to accept what their parents want.

10. And once they start – oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
ThatJills their hearts. They’ll grow so keen
They’ll wonder what they’d ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

Question 1.
What kind of emotional response does the first line of the stanza convey? When will this response be noticeable?
Answer:
The emotional response of children that this line conveys is that of sheer joy. This type of response, as the poet says, will come into notice when they start reading books.

Question 2.
What has been referred to in this stanza as ‘that ridiculous machine’?
Answer:
The phrase ‘that ridiculous machine’ here refers to the TV set. It is followed by another that refers to the TV screen as ‘That nauseating, foul, unclean, repulsive television screen’. The poem has many such phrases that have been used to denounce the role of television in the lives of children excessively used to watching it.

Question 3.
How does this stanza speak of the maturing of children’s realisation regarding their newly acquired habit?
Answer:
As the poet says, children will gradually understand the joy of reading and soon will gain interest. These books will make its own place in their hearts and they will become fond of reading. Subsequently, showing a mature understanding, they will realize that they had been wasting a lot of their precious time in watching the television.

Question 4.
Why, according to the poet, the children will start loving their parents?
Answer:
The poet thinks that the children will soon realize that their parents did a wonderful thing for them by throwing away the television and instead, installing the lovely books to entertain and teach them so much. Due to this, they will love their parents all the more.

Question 5.
Describe a few qualities that the parents should have, if they want positive change in their children as suggested here.
Answer:
Two qualities that they should have are determination and patience. Determination is required when they decide to replace their children’s bad old habits with a far more productive and positive ones. Patience is needed when their decision is resisted by their own children. Furthermore, they should also be absolutely caring and sensitive to the needs of their children.

Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers

Treasure Trove Poems Workbook Answers Daffodils

Daffodils Questions and Answers

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Question 1.
Who is referred to T in the extract? Where is ‘I’ and what is he doing?
Answer:
The poet William Wordsworth is referred to T in the extract. He is wandering lonely in a natural scenery as a cloud in the sky that freely floats over the hills and valleys, when suddenly he sees a beautiful spectacle of golden bright daffodils near the lake and under the boughs of the trees.

2. Explain the following lines:
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Answer:
All at once the poet notices a group of daffodils waving in the breeze. He calls them a crowd’ because they are packed tightly together. Then he elaborates the word ‘crowd’ by adding the noun ‘host’. A host is a big group. As the daffodils are large in numbers, the poet refers them as a host’. The figure of speech used in ‘A host of daffodils’ is personification as the daffodils are personified and given human qualities.

Question 3.
Why do you think the poet refers to the daffodils as golden?
Answer:
While wandering alone around through the hills and valleys, the poet notices a group of daffodil flowers. The poet is enchanted to see the bright yellow colour of daffodils. He poet uses the word ‘golden’ to create more majestic sound in the poem. His enthusiasm and love towards nature is reflected in the term ‘golden’.

Question 4.
Describe the scene in your own words.
Answer:
The poet was lonely and was just wandering here and there when he saw a large group of bright and beautiful daffodils under the trees, along the bank of a lake. The flowers were moving due to the soft breeze which blew over their heads in a beautiful way. It seemed that they were dancing.

Question 5.
How does the poet describe himself in the first two lines? Do you think the use of the word “wandered” appropriate here?
Answer:
The speaker describes how he walked around and felt as lonely as a cloud. He doesn’t say, “walked around”, but uses the much more descriptive word “wandered.” The verb “to wander” means “to roam around.” Here, the past tense form of this verb has been used to suggest the feeling of purposelessness and directionlessness. Thus, the use of this word is appropriate as it reflects the sad mood of the poet.

Question 6.
What does the use of the phrase “lonely as a cloud” suggest?
Answer:
Usually, the clouds are not supposed to be lonely. It’s more likely, the speaker is projecting his own loneliness on the clouds. But that still doesn’t explain the strange image, because clouds usually travel in groups. Maybe a cloud is lonely because it is so far above the rest of the world. Also, the cloud could be lonely because it floats over a natural landscape with no people in it. Maybe the speaker has thought of hills and valleys because he happens to be “wandering” through such a landscape.

2. Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

Question 1.
With what does the poet compare the daffodils? Explain the resemblance.
Answer:
The poet is enchanted by the sight of the daffodils, shining beautifully in the sun and so he compares the daffodils with the stars that shine and twinkle in the Milky Way. The poet says that the flowers were countless and stretched continuously along the edge of the lake as the stars in the Milky Way.

Question 2.
Explain the lines- “They stretched in never-ending line, along the margin of a bay:”
Answer:
The poet is attracted towards a large number of golden daffodils. He possesses the eagerness to watch them more carefully. He tells that the daffodils are roughly concentrated in a line along the bank of the lake that seems to stretch as far as the eye can see. It creates a beautiful vision to the poet.

Question 3.
Why does the poet says- “Ten thousand saw I at a glance”? What literary device is used here and why?
Answer:
The sight of the daffodils being present in large numbers along the shore of the lake, spellbind the poet that he in a quick glance guesses them to be ‘ten thousand’. The literary device used here is ‘hyperbole’. The poet has used this literary device to stress the number of daffodils in more presentable manner and to reveal the impact it has laid on him and to give a better vision of the scene.

Question 4.
What is meant by the margin of the bay?
Answer:
This stanza tells us that the poet comes across near the shore of a lake. Suddenly, he is enchanted by the beauty of the waving golden daffodils which are stretched far and wide in large numbers along the margin of the bay. ‘Margin of the Bay’ in the poem, means near the shore of a lake.

Question 5.
How are the daffodils described here?
Answer:
The poet says that there are a whole lot of daffodils and in a quick glance guesses them to be ‘ten thousand’. The poet says that the yellow flowers tossed their heads beautifully in the breeze as if they are engaged in a lively dance. Moreover, they gleamed and stretched ‘continuously’, without a break, like the stars in the Milky Way galaxy for putting a greater implication in indicating that the flowers are heavenly as the stars

3. The waves beside them danced; but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

Question 1.
How did the daffodils outdo the waves?
Answer:
The poet says that the sparkling waves danced in the breeze, but the beauty of the bright daffodils surpassed their beauty. The daffodils seemed to dance with the breeze with much more liveliness and their sight seemed happier than the waves which did not bring as much joy as the yellow flowers.

Question 2.
What is meant by jocund company? Which jocund company is the poet referring to? Why does the poet find it jocund?
Answer:
Jocund company means a cheerful company of someone. In this stanza the poet by ‘jocund company’ refers to the joyful company of the daffodils and the waves. He was amazed at the beautiful vision and could not help to be happy. They were successful in changing the pensive mood of the poet.

Question 3.
How does wealth come to the poet by looking at the scene before him?
Answer:
The wealth comes to the poet by an uncountable happiness from the site of daffodils. Its remembrance causes a transformation from the melancholy mood to a joyful mood and fills the poet’s heart with happiness. Sweet memories from the scene which are more valuable than money.

Question 4.
What according to the poet distinguishes the daffodils from the natural surroundings?
Answer:
In these lines the poet says that there are the other things which are producing the beauty. But the happiness of the golden Daffodils is more than other natural scenes. The poet wants to.be here all the day. He thinks that their value is more than money.

Question 5.
What rhyme scheme is followed in the poem? Explain the lines:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had. brought:
Answer:
The rhyme scheme followed in the poem is “ababcc”. The lines explain that the poet was so enchanted at the sight of the flowers that he kept on looking at them. It appeared that he has received some sort of precious wealth as a, permanent kind of happiness far more valuable than money.

4. For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood.
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Question 1.
What does happen to the poet when he lies on his couch?
Answer:
The poet explains that whenever he lies on his couch in a ” contemplative mood, the memory of the daffodils flashes through his mind which brings him happiness and he forgets his sadness. The pleasant sight of the daffodils dancing in the breeze fills his heart with joy and his heart begins to dance with the memory of the dancing daffodils.

Question 2.
Explain the transition from the poet’s pensive mood to his heart filled with joy.
Answer:
When the poet comes back home and lies on his couch lonely and sad, the memory of the daffodils flashes in his mind and fills him with the same happiness as he was before at the real sight of the daffodils. This remembrance changes his pensive mood to a happy mood and his heart is filled with joy.

Question 3.
How can the heart dance?
Answer:
The heart can dance when a man feels happy. His heart is filled with great pleasure and he feels great thrill. When he is relieved from all worries, when the sorrow is away from the mind of the man, then his heart is filled with joy or it dances.

Question 4.
What does the use of the phrase ‘inward eye’ imply here?
Answer:
The author imagines the daffodils in his spiritual vision, for which he uses the metaphor of an “inward eye.” This means that the poet imagined in his mind the beautiful picture of the dancing daffodils and shining waves which became a part of his being.

Question 5.
What is “bliss of solitude” referred to in the extract? How does the bliss of solitude take place?
Answer:
A person cannot share his or her spiritual vision completely with others so it is a form of ‘solitude’. But its truth and beauty makes it ‘blissful’. So whenever the poet is downhearted, the image of the daffodils flashes in his mind. The ‘bliss of solitude’ takes place in contrast between joy of the daffodils and his unhappiness and his heart fills with pleasure.