The Browning Version Summary

by Terence Rattigan
The play presents a conversation between a lower fifth grade
science student, Taplow and Frank, a teacher.
A chance meeting between Taplow and Frank
The scene of the play is set in a school. The play opens with a
sixteen year old boy, Taplow who has come to do extra work for
his teacher, Crocker-Harris. He is waiting for his teacher, who has
not yet arrived. Another teacher, Frank, finds Taplow waiting in the
room and strikes a conversation with him.
Taplow awaiting his result
From the conversation between Frank and Taplow, we are
informed that Taplow is waiting for his result to be declared on the
following day. He is keen to specialise in science provided he gets
a favourable result. The uniqueness of Mr. Crocker-Harris is
hinted as he does not tell the results like the other teachers do.
He follows the rule of the headmaster declaring the results on the
last day of the term.
Taplows views on art and science
Their conversation provides us an insight into the mind of Taplow.

He lets Frank know how much he dislikes the play Agamemnon.

He is more interested in science. He admits that though the play
is not that bad, the way it is taught is terrible- Just a lot of Greek
words strung together and fifty lines if you get them wrong.
The question of the extra work
Taplow is doing extra work as he had missed a class a week ago.
Frank remarks that Taplow will certainly get his remove for doing
the extra work. But Taplow feels the other way. He asserts such
sort of rules do not work with Mr. Crocker-Harris, as he is not like
other teachers who appreciate the students who do extra work.
Taplows views about Crocker-Harris
As per Taplow, Crocker-Harris is a different kind of teacher. He is
too strict and hardly human. Unlike other teachers, he does not
tell his students their result before the judgement day. Taplow had
asked Harris about his remove and in response Harris told him
that he has given Taplow exactly what he deserves- No less; and
certainly no more.
Franks suggestion to Taplow
After calling Taplow for extra work, Crocker himself is late by ten
minutes. Frank points that as Crocker is late, Taplow has a
chance to leave and play golf. However, Taplow seems shocked
at this suggestion and is scared that Mr. Crocker-Harris might
follow him home.

Further contemplation on Crocker-Harriss character

Frank admits envying Mr. Harris for the effect he has on his
students. He asks Taplow if Mr. Harris beats them. However,
Taplow tells Frank that unlike one or two of the other teachers, Mr.
Harris is not a sadist. He is not a sort of a person who would
beat students and vent his frustration. He is hard like a nut. He is
heartless. He possesses no feelings at all.
Taplows unusual liking towards Crocker-Harris
Taplow admits that in spite of all this, he still likes Crocker. The
boy narrates an incident when he laughed at a classical joke
cracked by Harris, though he had not understood it. It was a
gesture from Taplows side to be polite to him.
Millie Crocker-Harris
At this point, Millie Crocker-Harris enters the room. She was Mr.
Crocker-Harris's wife. She suggests Taplow to run away for a
quarter of an hour and come back. She advises him to leave as
Harris has been at Bursars and may take quite a time to get
back.
The behaviour and attitude of Mrs. Mille Crocker Harris, baffles
Taplow. He is not willing to leave for it has been the order of his
teacher whom he fears to disobey. Mille assures him that she will
take the blame on herself. Proposing an excuse for his absence,

she hands Taplow a prescription asking him to take it to a chemist

and get it made up for Harris. Convinced Taplow accepts the
proposal and leaves Frank and Mrs. Crocker Harris behind.

Mother's Day Summary

a play by J. B. Priestley, portraying the status of a mother in a
household.
Priestly humorously explores the story when Mrs. Pearson, in
her forties, stands up for her rights and how her family reacts
at this. Mrs. Pearson is very fond of her family and works day
and night to support her family member in the best possible
manner. However, she is upset at the way she is being
treated. Nobody cares for her or asks about her. All day long
she stays at home doing all the work. In the evening when the
kids and her husband return she gave threw herself in meeting
their demands. She did not want any dislikeable thing to
happen in her household yet she craved for their attention and
a little respect. She went to her neighbour Mrs. Fitzgerald, a
fortune teller and a magician. Older and heavy, Mrs. Fitzgerald
comes with a plan. She proposed that they could exchange
bodies and then with Pearsons body, she would teach a
lesson to Pearsons family that Mrs. Pearson could not herself
for she was too humble and nice to do that. Though reluctant,
Mrs. Pearson agreed to the idea and the two exchanged their
bodies. Mrs. Pearson was still not sure and asked Mrs.
Fitzgerald if she could get her body back. However,
determined Fitzgerald tells Pearson to not worry and that she

would handle the matter carefully. She left for Pearsons home
with Mrs. Pearsons body. She entered the home and knew
what she was to do to teach Pearsons' a lesson so they would
not bother Mrs. Pearson in future unnecessarily. Mrs. Pearson
(Mrs.Fitzgeralds soul) smoked a cigarette and was confident
than ever. A few moments later, her daughter, Doris Pearson,
entered the house and started demanding tea and her dress.
Mrs. Pearson was sure to make her realise that she was Doris
mother and not a servant. She was stunned to see her mother
smoking and that she had not prepared tea for her and that
her dress was not ready as well. Doris told her mother that
she was to go out with her beau Charles Spencer on which the
mother remarked if she could not find someone better. This
broke Doris and she left weeping. Then came the son, Cyril
Pearson, who is amused at his mothers strange behaviour.
They get into an argument. The children could not baffle the
situation. When the mother left to fetch the stout, the children
discussed their mothers behaviour. Doris felt that it might
have been that mother got her head hit. Then enters mother
with a bottle of stout and a glass half filled with it. The children
began to laugh and the mother chided them and asked them
to behave like grown-ups. Doris then asked her mother for her
such behaviour and if they had done something wrong. Then
Mrs. Pearson tells them that it is actually the childrens and
her husbands behaviour that has disturbed her. They always
come and go without bothering about her. They demand duties
from her and she does her best to keep everyone happy and
still no body is bothered about her. She remarks that while the
three of them do a job of forty hours a week with two days as
weekend, she goes on working seven days round the clock.

She proclaimed that she would do some work on Saturday and

Sunday only if she is thanked for everything. When the mother
scolded Doris and Cyril duly, entered George Pearson and is
annoyed at her wife sipping stout. He told her that he would
have supper at the club and that he did not want tea. The wife
told him that there was no tea. He got annoyed and the wife
then said that when he did not want tea then why was he
fighting for it. Mr. Pearson is flabbergasted at such conduct of
his wife. The wife continues to rebuke the husband telling him
that why he goes to club when he is a joke among all there.
He is stunned and demanded the truth from his son. Cyril got
upset at his mother yet told the father that it was the truth.
Then enters Mrs.Fitzgerald (actually Mrs.Pearson). Mrs.
Pearson(actually Mrs.Fitzgerald) told her that she was just
putting everyone at place and that the things were alright.
Mrs.Pearson(Mrs.Fitzgerald in body) requested to have her
body then and Mrs.Pearson(Mrs.Fitzgerald in body) on a
condition that Pearson would not go soft on her family again.
They got into their original bodies and Mrs.Fitzgerald left. The
mother and the children and husband smiled at each other
and it was decided that they all will have the dinner together
and play a game of rummy.

CHILDHOOD

by Markus Natten Summary:

The speaker pondered deeply upon the spiritual questions of
life and ultimately realized the fact that his childhood days
were finally gone down into the past of eternity for good and
would never return. Childhood would now only remain in his
memories. He wandered if the end of childhood was the day
he ceased to be eleven years old. The time when he realized
that Heaven and earth could not be found in Geography and
never could be. Where did his childhood go? Was it the time
he realized that adults were not all they seemed to be? They
talked of love and they preached of love, but did not act so
lovingly nor practiced what they preached. Was that the day.
Where did his childhood go? Was it when he found out that his
mind was really his? To use it whichever way he chose? To
produce thoughts that was not those of other people but his
and his alone. Was that the day? Where did his childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place that is hidden in a babys face.
That was all that he knew and that was all that he
remembered. The poet feels that heaven and hell are not real
places because they could not be located in geography. In the
poem 'Childhood', the poet is trying to realise the age when he
lost his childhood, when he became mature enough to
understand the worldly things. So he keeps saying, "when did
my childhood go?" He finally realises that his his childhood is
gone to "some forgotten place", "that is hidden in an infant's
face." Wordsworth in his poem, My Heart Leaps Up, said,
"Child is the father of the man". Markus Natten in his poem
'Childhood' has tried to explain this thought. It is child who is
noble and pure in her/his thoughts and heart. A child
appreciates the nature's beauty and the innocence in the

world. A child is the one who teaches a mature human to

selflessly appreciate simple love and natural wonders.
Q. One out of two extracts based on poetry from the text to
test reference to context, comprehension and appreciation.
01X04= 04 Marks A.
Read the stanza given below and answer the questions that
follow : When did my childhood go?
Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,
Was it the time I realised that Hell and Heaven,
Could not be found in Geography,
And therefore could not be,
Was that the day!
How did the poet realise his being grown up?
What does the Hell and heaven stand for?
What kind of phase of his life does the stanza reveal?
Ans.a. The poet realised his being grown up, when he was
able to differentiate between truth and fiction. / when he was
analysing the statement of adults.
Ans.b. It stands for the world of imagination that fascinates
only small children./ These are nothing but the product of our
imaginative mind that helps the person to escape from reality.

Ans.c. The stanza reveals the phase of rationalism where he

is using his seat of reasoning .
B. Read the stanza given below and answer the questions that
follow :
When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realised that adults were not
All they seemed to be,
They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
Was that the day!
1.What does the stanza expose?
2.According to the poem when did his childhood go?
3.What contrast did he find in adults behaviour?
Ans.1. The stanza exposes the hypocrisy of the adult.
Ans.2. It might go when he was able to analyse the contrast of
adults way of thinking and way of life.
Ans.3. They talked of human values but did not practise in
their day to day life.

C. Read the stanza given below and answer the questions that
follow :
When did my childhood go?

Was it when I found my mind was really mine,

To use whichever way I choose,
Producing thoughts that were not those of other people
But my own, and mine alone
Was that the day!

What do the words My own and mine stand for?

When did his childhood go?
Which phase of life does this stanza show?
Ans.1. Its shows the independent way of thinking of a grown
up./ It reveals the development of his own seat of reasoning.
Ans.2. It might go when I realised his self thinking./When he
was able to take his own decision.
Ans.3. Individuality, transitional period between childhood
and grown up.
D. Read the stanza given below and answer the questions that
follow :
Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
Thats hidden in an infants face,
Thats all I know.

What does the first line suggest?

What would the forgotten place stand for ?
What does he know about his childhood?
Ans.1. It suggests place where his childhood went.
Ans. 2. Forgotten place stand for the childhood that cannot
be regained or restored.
Ans.3. He knows that childhood is the state of mind of a
person it will reside in an infants face only.
Answer the following question up to 40 words.
Q.1.How does the poet describe the process of being grown
up ?
Ans. The process of being grown up develops the critical
thinking and analytical point of view in the person. It makes
the person rationalized and abled to take his decision by virtue
of his seat of reasoning.
Q.2. How does the poet repent on his loss of childhood?
Ans. He expresses concern over his childhoods
disappearance. Childhood cannot be regained. It keeps our
life aloof from the world of hypocrisy, bitter reality and
materialism.
Q.3. The poet has asked two questions one is about the time
and other is about the place. Why has he used these
questions?
Ans: He has used these two questions to interpret the time
and place of way of going his childhood away. When points

out the process of being rational at a particular time and

where states the place where the innocent world of childhood
resides.

Voice of the Rain

Q. 1 Read the extract carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1x3=3

And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin. And make pure and beautify
it. (For song, issuing from its birth place, after fulfilment, wandering Reckd or unreckd, duly
with love returns)
How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem?
What is the significance of the world song here?
How does the rain benefit the earth?
Ans1: The poem gives a clear picture of how clouds are formed and how they dissolve into
water again.
Ans2 the word song is the repetition of the earlier expression-poem of the earth.
Ans3 It is a real benefactor of the earth .It makes the earth pure and beautiful.