Progress

(Question and Answers)

Q1:-What is the setting of the play Progress?

Ans : It is on the spring day in the year 1919. The scene of the play is laid in the study room of Professor Henry Corie.
There is a large table in the middle of the room which is occupied by the different scientific retorts. A man aged between
fifty and sixty is busy in some calculations unaware of the external world. The walls of the room have been decorated
with the different diagrams of sections of huge bombs, beneath them there is a huge model of an aeroplane. The
weather is very chilly outside but the love for his work has warmed the room for this scientist .

Q2:-Who is the professor Henry Corrie?

Ans: Professor Henry Corrie is a man of letter but an evil advocate character. He is an atomic scientist and has invented
formulae of a big bomb. He is a bachelor and has very mean attitude towards women. Material comfort, money and
popularity have unhinged his mind. Feelings, sentiments and emotions have no importance and meaning for him. He has
totally a scientific attitude to life. He believes in pragmatism. He is an unpatriotic being.

Q3:- What is the most fundamental cruelty about Corrie's character?

Ans: Though, there are many things undesirable in the character of Professor Henry Corrie but the most fundamental
cruelty about his character is his total absorption in his scientific works. He cares no one even his only sister Mrs.
Meldon when he is busy. He is an unsocial person who has nothing to do with relationships, humanity, society and social
gatherings.

Q4:-Who is Mrs. Meldon?

Ans: The name Mrs. Meldon signifies the humanity. Her real name is Charlotte. She is the mother of Eddie and wife of
Tom Meldon. Moreover, she is famous and known for being sister of the eminent scientist Professor Henry Corie. She is
a bereaved mother but simple and honest by her nature.She is alone and deserted.The war has left no single stone
unturned to desolate her by snatching her only son and indirectly killing her husband. She belongs to the world of
moisture where feelings, sentiments and love count much more than material benefits and comforts. She sacrifices her
blood relation over the safety of human beings .

Q5:-Why does Mrs. Meldon wear black dress ?

Ans: Black is the symbol of mourn and sadness. It symbolizes inner melancholic conditions of human heart. Moreover, in
some cultures, widows use to typify themselves. Mrs. Meldon wears black dress as she is deserted and happy because of
her son and husband's death. She is clad in black partially because she widow and chiefly because of her son's death.

Q6:-What are the ambitions of Professor Henry Carrie in his life?

Ans: Being a scientist, Professor Henry Corrie believes in pragmatism. He has a very materialistic approach towards life.
He is a greedy and ambitious person. His aim of life is to become a rich person. He wants to earn name and fame even at
the cost of humanity. As he rejoices on the success of his mention. "this will bring fame and fortune to me. I shall be rich
now, but more than that, I shall be famous. My name will live forever." Thus, this quoted speech speaks of Professor
Henry Corrie's ambition in life.

Q7: How do we know that professor Henry Corrie is an unpatriotlc person?

Ans: In the course of the play Professor Henry Corrie appears as an unpatriotic person. The lust for wealth and fame
make him ready to sell his disastrous invention to any country to the enemy of his own country. His unpatriotic ideas
become clear when he says ,”I shall offer it first to the British Govt. of course but, if they won't pay my price, I'll offer it
to somebody else".

Q8: What Mrs Meldon has discovered on the third anniversary of Eddie?
Ans : Mrs. Meldon has discovered the truth about the death of her son Eddie who was killed in a war. When her son was
killed she was told that he was killed by a shell of bomb and his dead body was buried in soldier's grave behind war line
by the soldiers. This gave her comfort that her son was not obliterated and when he was buried he was still her beautiful
son, but the reality was contrary to this. A lad in the town, who was in the same battalion, told her that Eddie and his
men waited in a shallow trench for eight days and nights then a shell came in middle of them and utterly destroyed
them and had left nothing to bury.

Q9 : How does Professor Henry Corrie perceive the nature of woman OR what kind of attitude Professor Henry Corrie
shows towards woman?
Ans : Professor Henry Corrie has a very mean contemptible attitude towards women. He is a misogynist. He thinks that
women have no capacity of impersonal devotion. They cannot sacrifice one thing for another. They always go at the drift
of their feelings, emotions and sentiments. Thus they make fuss of things. "Oh, how women do often fuss! No
application No, concentration. That's why no woman has ever been great artist or scientist.“

Q10:-What does Professor Henry Corrie mean by revolutionizing war? OR what does Corrie mean when he says ,war
ought to be more expeditious?
Ans: Revolution simply means upheaval-bringing out a complete change in existing condition of something. By
revolutionizing war, Professor Henry Corrie means to bring changes in the format of the war. He wants to make it
speedier and horror. By revolutionizing war Corrie intends to replace the use of those small footling bombs, tanks and
tin hat by his enormous bomb and airships. He wants to minimize the war duration by limiting it to few weeks or months

Q11:-Why death of Tom Meldon seems unscientific to Professor Henry Corrie?

Ans : Professor Henry Corrie is a scientist and believes in pragmatism. Emotions, sentiments and feelings offer no
meaning to him. Tom Meldon, who is the husband of his sister Mrs. Meldon, died as the result of broken heart when he
heard the death news of his only son Eddie. Thus suffering in worry of other person seems totally unscientific to
Professor Henry Corrie. That's why the death of Tom Meldon appears unscientific to Professor Henry Corrie.

Q12-What is the opinion of Professor Henry Corrie about dead people?

Ans: "It is not right for living to think so much of the dead", said Corrie. Professor Henry Corrie is a scientist and has very
practical and scientific attitude towards life. For him, dead people have no importance in the life of living people. He
thinks that people after their death should be excluded from our life that's why throughout the course of the story he
insists his sister to forget about her son who is dead now as he has been killed in war.

Q13:-What Corrie means to make war more horrible and devastating?

Ans: Professor Henry Corrie desires to make war more horrible and devastating by his invention. He wants to destroy the
whole cities as big as Manchester like, with a single bomb. According to him man has not yet reached to the limits of
horror in the war. So, the war could be made more horrible and devastating by making more powerful bombs and
deadlier weapons.

Q14: What is the center of Mrs Meldon's life?

Ans: Mrs. Meldon is not only a loving and caring mother but also a devoted and an affectionate wife. She has one centre
of life that is love for her son and husband. Now, as her centre of life has been destroyed by the war taking her son's life
directly and indirectly her husband's life, she is deserted and cruelly alone.

Q15:- Why Professor Henry Corrie calls his invention of bomb most humanitarian?
Ans: It is the irony of humanity that Professor Henry Corrie calls his invention of a fatal bomb “ the most humanitarian".
He thinks that by inventing a deadlier bomb he has done a great job to humanity. Because his fatal bomb is going to save
the time and change the difficult format of war and will enable mankind to kill many and destroy whole cities easily and
quickly. He thinks that his invention will enable man to get rid of using those heavy tanks and tin hats in the war.

Q16-What kind of bomb has Professor Henry Corrie invented?

Ans: Professor Henry Corrie has discovered the combination of poison and explosive gases. He has invented a formula of
bomb Where it falls, it will releases powerful poison gases which have no taste and smell. No one will know what he or
she has inhaled until they will see their bodies rotting.
Q17:-Why Professor Henry Corries against about keeping any distinction between civilians and soldiers in war?
Ans: Professor Henry Corrie finds no logical distinction between civiliens and soldiers in a war.He thinks that there is no
difference between a girl who makes ammunition sitting in a factory and a man using it in battle field. For him, both are
equally involved in the war then why should distinction be kept in killing them.

Q18.-Why Mrs. Meldon calls her brother the stupidest man on the earth?
Ans: Instead of recognizing his talent and appreciating his intelligentsia, Mrs. Meldon calls her brother the most stupid
person on the earth. Despite of being a genius person Professor Henry Corrie fails to understand the feelings of his
sister. He cannot understand the emotions of a mother as his mind is unhinged by fame, popularity and wealth. She
thinks that women like her make the most beautiful things, like her son Eddie, and Corrie like men destroy them in few
minutes. That's why she does not only call Corrie the most stupid person but she also calls him a fool.

Q19 : What kind of feelings Mrs. Meldon held before the birth of Eddie ?
Ans: The feelings of Mrs. Meldon before the birth of her only son depict her as typical woman who is bearing a child for
the first time. She used to get up at midnights to think about her coming child. She had mixed feelings of both happiness
and fear- happiness for becoming mother of a child and fear of dying during the child's birth. She was sure that child
would be a boy. She used to think about her nursing and future planning for the child.

Q20:-What joke did Mrs. Meldon make about the arrival of her son at battlefield?
Ans: When her son Eddie was going to France for the war she made a silly joke not to shame him before other boys. She
made a joke about the fear of Germans when they would listen about the arrival of her son Eddie. In fact, she did it only
to prove it in front of others that she was proud on her son for going to defend his country but in reality she was about
to cry for sending Eddie away from her because he was the centre of her life.

Q21: What is meant by an organized butchery? OR According to Mrs Meldon ,what is an organized butchery of young
boys?
Ans: literally, an organized butchery means a deliberate and an intentional slaughtering of men. Mrs. Meldon calls the
Killing of human beings in a war an organized butchery. Because in a war people of opponent country are killed in an
organised way without making any distinction of civillians and soldiers.

Q22:- What Mrs Meldon means when she asks her brother, "why not say thirty pleces of silver”?
Ans: In this sentence, Mrs. Meldon refers to a historical event while answering her brother on his question, how much
he ought to ask for his invention. In literary speech, these types of historical references we called "allusions". This
allusion talks of the event when Jesus Christ was sold for thirty pieces of silver among the false Jews. So, Mrs. Meldon
here ironically asks her brother to price his invention thirty pieces of silver because if the savoir (The Jesus Christ) was
sold for the thirty pieces then the mean of destruction and devastation(Corrie's fatal bombs) should not have more than
that.

Q23: How killing someone by bomb is more merciful than stabbed to death by a bayonet?
Ans: Being a man of practicality, Professor Henry Corrie sees no difference in the nature of death. For him, there is no
distinction in death whether someone blows into pieces or he dies a physical death at his bed. He thinks that it mercy to
kill someone by a bomb than to stab him to death by a bayonet because if someone is stabbed he will moan and cry for
his life for long time on the other hand if he is killed by bomb his soul will leave his body very soon without paining him.

Q24: Can Mrs.Meldon be justified for killing her brother?What motive stimulates her to killing her brother? OR Why
did Mrs Meldon kill her brother?
Ans: Yes,Mrs.Meldon can be advocated and justified for her action of killing her brother.Her action truly reflects her
deep concern about humanity.She sacrifices her brother for the sake of humanity.Mrs. Meldon takes this step by
compulsion,as her brother Professor Henry Corrie is admant to destroy his invention in the name of humanity.Above
this,she cannot see the organized butchery of humanity by his brother’s invention in the same way as her son Eddie was
obliterated and mutilated by enemies’ bomb .She knows it very consciously that if she allows her brother to fulfill his
ambition it will cause suffering for many women of the world as her.These motives stimulate Mrs. Meldon to take her
own brother’s life.Her action will be written on the golden pages in the history of humanity.

Q25: What does the title of the play ‘Progress’ mean according to Mrs. Meldon?
Ans : The title of the play ‘Progress’ means an irony according to Mrs. Meldon. She seemed to be offended with wars
and used this word in the negative sense that was progress in the field of science and technology but destructive in the
sense of humanities. She doesn’t like the idea of mass killing or the idea of expeditious war. Some people might think it
progress to make war horrible but Mrs. Meldon seemed to be against wars. She, therefore, was justified, to give the
name of progress ironically.

Q26: Who was Charlotte and what role did she play in Progress?
Ans : Chartotte was the name of Mrs. Meldon and she was a bereaved lady whose husband and son had been died in a
war. She was very much against of wars and the killing of people. When she came to know that her brother had invented
a dangerous bomb which could destroy millions of people she requested him to destroy it. He called her mad by her
behavior and tried to persuade her but in vain. When she destroyed all the equipments and the formulas of the bomb he
told her that it made no difference as he had all in his mind. Mrs. Meldon had no other choice but to kill him. She killed
him and destroyed his formula for the safety of humanity.

Q27: What did Corrie want to achieve through his invention?

Ans : Professor Henry Corrie was a selfish and materialistic person. He didn’t care of the grief of his sister and always
talked about his invention. He didn’t mind it that his bomb would destroy millions of people. He was not a patriotic in his
sense and wanted to sell his bomb to any government who would pay him highest. Although, he was a great scientist
but he lacked the feeling of sympathy. His only purpose was to become rich and become popular among the people. In
spite of his greatest invention he seemed to be full of all the humans’ tendencies of materialism and selfishness.

Q28: Write a few sentences on Professor Henry Corrie’s invention?

Ans : Professor Henry Corrie had invented a dangerous bomb and he thought that in this way war would be
revolutionized and the country which would have it, considered powerful. He thought that if there were such weapons
no nation would dare to fight in the presence of such destructive weapons. He thought that in this way he was
revolutionizing the war but he forgot that if there were such weapons they would certainly be used and there would be
no winner and no loser as all would meet the same fate- death.

Q29: What are the views of Prof. Henry Corrie about women? OR Why does Prof. Henry Corrie hate womenfolk?
Ans : Professor Corrie is cynical about women and has a poor opinion of them. He thinks that women lack in
concentration and have a fussy and talkative nature. That is why they are not very often crowned with success.
According to him:
“Your sex is most extraordinary, Charlotte. Always willing to break off things, for other things. No application, no
concentration, no capability for complete impersonal devotion,”

Q30: Why was Mrs. Meldon against her brother’s invention?

Ans : Mrs. Meldon hated wars. She considered them as an organized butchery of the young ones. She though wars to be
the terrible thing, which was responsible for the destruction of human peace She wanted ban on wars .. She wanted the
scientists to stop making dangerous weapons. This was the war, which made her widow and which snatches away her
beautiful young son.

Q31: I am the most lonely woman, cruelly alone,’ Explain the line with reference to the context?
Ans : Eddie was Mrs. Meldon’s only son, he was killed in First World War. She had brought up her son with a great care
and love. She wanted him to be great in future. Her son enlisted himself in war. She could not decide to be happy or
sorry but chiefly she was happy. The sight of the messenger made her heart sink and she remained worried about her
son. He came on his first and second leaves all safe but he did not come for third visit. He was killed in a moment by the
men, who had never seen him. This was the most shocking news. Her husband could not bear it and died away out of
heart failure. She remained all alone in this miserable world.She often says:
“I sometimes wonder why I was not granted the death. Why I should be compelled to live alone.”
The words of the play reflects her loneliness:
“I had a husband and a son, when the war began. I had neither when it was over. I am the most lonely woman – cruelly
alone.”
Q32: what was the opinion of Mrs Meldon about war?
Ans : Mrs. Meldon is totally against war. She calls it “an organized butchery of boys”. She hates war to such an extent
that she is willing to side with the mothers of the enemy soldiers.

Q33: Who was Tom ? How did he die?

Ans : Tom was the husband of Mrs Meldon and Eddie’s father. When Tom Heard about the death of his only and loving
son Eddie ,he could’nt bear and died by heartfail.

Q34: Who was Eddie? How did he die? OR How did Eddie die in battlefield?
Ans : Eddie was the only son of Tom Meldon and Mrs Meldon . He died in a war in young age by the devastating bomb of
his enemy.He was obliterated,his body was torn in to pieces.

Q35. Why does Mrs. Meldon want the formula to be destroyed?

Ans: Mrs. Meldon wants the formula to be destroyed because she had lost her son and had suffered a lot after her son
died in a war. She now hates this organized butchery of young boys and is a peace loving lady who doesn’t want anyone
to contribute to war in anyways. If Corrie’s bomb will be made, it will bring about huge destruction which isn’t
acceptable to any sensible human and none wants to see any mother suffering the consequences of war like she had.

Q36: “She’ll be pleased as I Am” who is pleased and what is the cause of pleasure. Answer with the reference to the
short play “Progress”?
Ans: Prof. Henry Corrie is pleased. He is pleased with himself because he has succeeded in his experiment. By these
words he means that he expects Mrs. Meldon to be happy on listening about his success as he himself is.

Q37: Does the physical appearance of Prof. Henry Corrie depict his true nature? Support your answer by giving a few
adjectives describing his true nature?
Ans: He has a devilish form and features. His mouth has lines that are covered with the beard. By looks he is determined
and loyal to his profession but seems greedy and over ambitious.

Q38: Who is Charlotte and what role does she play in Progress?
Ans: She is Mrs. Meldon, a sensitive and loving mother. She altogether hates war and weapons of Mass destruction. She
is the sister of Professor Corrie, the central character of the play.

Q39: “Why not say thirty pieces of Silver?” Who said these words and why?
Ans: Mrs. Meldon speaks these words to Professor Henry Corrie while expressing her hatred against the worth of his
brother’s invention.

Q40: Briefly describe Mrs. Meldon’s characterstics?

Ans: Mrs. Meldon is a highly sensitive and loving mother. She is a true philanthropist. She not only loves and missed her
child but she is equally caring of other’s children, even of the enemies. She does not allow the invention of such a lethal
weapon to exist not hesitate to sacrifice her brother, the only family member, to save the humanity from destruction.

Q41: Write a few sentences about Eddie?

Ans: Eddie Meldon was an Oxford Alumuns. He joined Army as a commissioned officer, when nineteen. He was sent to
the battlefield on front where he stayed in a trench for eight days. After staying for eight days, a shell from the enemy
plane struck him and his comrades and obliterated them.