THE UNDESERVED REWARD

BY PREMCHAND

(For your reference only)

1.Why is the narrator a secret admirer of the district officer?

Ans. The narrator secretly admires the district officer as he is a man

of learning. He has done considerable research in history and old
coins. The narrator wonders how he finds time for it in the midst of
his official duties. The narrator had read his works and is impressed
by him.

2. What did the Indian officer do when his father-in-law insisted on

prolonging his daughter’s stay at his house?

Ans. When the father-in-law insisted on prolonging his daughter’s

stay at his house, the Indian officer became furious and issued
summons for the arrest of his father-in-law. The next day the old man
came with the daughter and begged forgiveness.

3. When the narrator was invited by the district officer to see him, his
friends said that it was an insult to him. Why?

Ans. When the narrator was invited by the district officer to see him,
his friends said that it was an insult to him because they thought that
the district officer should have himself come to his house if he was so
keen to meet him. They felt that these district officers consider
themselves superior to others and advised Premchand to keep away
from them.

4. Why was the narrator happy that the district officer had not come to
his house himself instead of calling him?
Ans. The narrator was happy that the district officer had not come to
his house because it would have created a problem for him as there
was not even a decent chair in his house. It would have been difficult
for him to entertain the district officer for long even after spending a
lot of money. If his wife also accompanied him, it would have made
the matter worse as the narrator’s wife would have been able to
entertain her.

5. ‘I considered this as downright mean and dishonest.’ What did the

narrator consider to be mean and dishonest?

Ans. The narrator had acquaintance with the district officer and it was
easy for him to convince people that through him they could get
favour from the district officer. But he considered taking advantage of
his friendship with the district officer as mean and dishonest.

6. How did the narrator and Baldev become friends in their

childhood?

Ans. The narrator and Baldev had studied together about forty- five
years ago. Baldev was dull in studies and his teacher was fed up with
him. So, he gave the narrator the task of giving extra lessons to
Baldev. The narrator’s sympathetic approach gave results. Baldev was
soon well up in studies and they became friends.

7. Why had the police involved Baldev’s son in a false case of

dacoity?

Ans. Baldev’s son quarreled with the police on a number of occasions

and they had always been on the lookout for an opportunity to
implicate him. When a dacoity took place in the village, they got their
chance and during investigation roped him in.

HOTS
 ‘I feel sorry at the mentality of my countrymen,’ says the narrator.
Why does the narrator feel sorry for it? Explain.

Answer :-

The narrator feels sorry that his countrymen gave a lot of importance
to the government officials. They try to impress by inviting them to
preside over public functions, naming the school or a hospital or
widow’s home after them. This mentality of Indians makes the
narrator feel sorry for them.

Life skills

A. ‘Every deserving action should be rewarded; likewise every

reward should be well deserved.’ Does this statement always hold
true in real life? Substantiate your answer with examples.

Answer: Good work should result in a reward as the person who has done
it gets a motivation. Even if he does not demand, the deserving action
should be rewarded. For ex., if someone finds money on the road and
then returns it to its owner, he should be rewarded as this will motivate
him for doing such things in the future also. But reward should also be
given to deserving ones.

B. One should listen to all but take one’s own decision guided by both
intellect and conscience.’ Discuss.
Answer: Our mind involves reasoning and understanding which is
important to make a decision. If decisions are made out of conscience
alone , we may not be able to think about the consequences of our
decision. For instance, in the story, Premchand took advice from his
friends about the invitation of district officer and they all suggested him
not to go as it was an insult and that he could also visit his house. But
Premchand used his intellect and took his own decision to visit him.