CH-13 (Ali Cogia)

Question\Answers

B. Read these sentences and answer the questions with reference to context.

1. Tonight, when my wife is asleep, I will fill the jar entirely with fresh olives, for these show they
have been disturbed.

a) Who said this to whom?

Ans- The Merchant said to himself.

b) Why would he fill the jar with fresh olives? Why would he do that when his wife is asleep?

Ans- The Merchant would fill the jar with fresh olives as he took all the gold coins from the jar covered
with olives on the top. To ensure that nobody would be aware that the olives had been disturbed and
touched, he was waiting for his wife to asleep as she insisted him not to betray his friend (Ali Cogia) who
kept his jar with him.

c) What do you think of the character of the speaker from this act?

OR

How did the merchant do with the jar given by Ali Cogia? Explain in detail.

Ans- The speaker (Merchant) was a rogue and betrayer. He was the one who deceived his friend (Ali
Cogia). Ali Cogia, friend of the merchant, kept the jar with his friend filled with olives on the top to guard
it. Initially, the merchant was unaware that the jar had gold coins at the bottom of it. As soon as he got to
know of the gold coins in the jar, he put them in his pocket. However, his wife told him not to break the
trust of his friend but he did this as and when she was asleep and filled the jar with fresh olives so that
nobody would notice if they had been touched.

2. Ali Cogia, have you brought the Jar?

a) Who was referred to as Ali Cogia in this speech?

Ans- Here, Ali Cogia refers to the Third child. He enacted a role play of Ali Cogia who kept the jar of
olives with his friend (the merchant) to guard it.
b) What did the speaker want to check from the jar?

Ans-The speaker/ Zeyn , who played the role of Merchant, wanted Ali Cogia to bring the jar of olives to
prove that it was the same jar that he left with the merchant.

c) How did the speaker help the Caliph through his play?

Ans- The speaker (merchant/Zeyn) confessed that he had the jar in his house but Ali Cogia (third
child)found it in the same manner. He asked Ali Cogia to bring the jar that was kept with him which was
analysed/examined by olive merchants later. It helped the real Caliph to find the truth of the merchant and
olives' jar.

C. Answer these questions briefly.

1. What do you think of the Merchant's wife's character in this play?

Ans- Merchant's wife was an honest and faithful lady. She advised her husband (merchant) not to betray
the trust of his friend (Ali Cogia) as he tempted to eat olives from the jar which Ali gave him to guard. She
had a great sense of integrity/ righteousness thus, she didn't want to be a witness of it. This shows her
quality of being honest and trustworthy towards the other person. She expected her husband(merchant) to
possess the same qualities as hers.

She was thoughtful too as she stopped her husband (merchant) to eat olives which were guarded for past
three years for they wouldn't be good in taste and colour.

2. Describe how the Merchant tried to cheat his friend Ali Cogia.

Ans-The Merchant was a rogue and betrayer. He was the one who deceived his friend. Ali Cogia, friend of
the merchant, kept the jar with his friend filled with olives on the top to guard it. Initially, the merchant
was unaware that the jar had gold coins at the bottom of it. As soon as he got to know of the gold coins in
the jar, he put them in his pocket. However, his wife told him not to break the trust of his friend but he did
this as and when she was asleep and filled the jar with fresh olives so that nobody would notice if they had
been touched.

3. Describe how the boys playfully helped the Caliph with a way to find out the truth about Ali
Cogia's olives.

OR

Describe what the Caliph and the Vizier saw at the court where the children were playing.

Ans- The boys enacted a role play in a narrow street of Bagdad. They were noticed/observed by the Caliph
and Vizier who were disguised as merchants.They observed that the merchant (Zeyn) and Ali Cogia (third
child) were standing infront of Cauzee(first child). The merchant said that Ali gave him a jar of olives
whereas Ali Cogia insisted that he gave a jar containing olives as well as gold pieces. The two olive
merchants were also called to taste the olives to reach a conclusion. Both of them told that the olives were
fresh and they would get rotten in three years. In this way the merchant was proved guilty/ accused.
Hence, the Caliph and the Vizier found out the truth about Ali Cogia's olives.

4. How were the boys rewarded in the end?

Ans- The boys were admired for the enactment of the roles they played. Most importantly, the boy Cauzee
was rewarded with a purse of gold by the Caliph as a token of his admiration of his wisdom and justice
which helped the Caliph to reach a fair and just verdict/conclusion.

5. What qualities of the boy who played the Cauzee and the real Caliph are shown in this play?

Ans- The boy who played the Cauzee was wise enough to make a just and fair decision. He called the
olive merchants to taste the olives to find the truth of the olives' jar which proved the merchant
culprit/accused.

On the other hand, the Caliph wanted to be aware of the truth going through the city that night. So, he
alongwith Vizier disguised himself as merchant. He was a tactful and wise person who wanted to evaluate
the truth first before taking any decision.

D. Discuss these questions and write their answers.

1. In this play, the children find a solution to a problem which wise men couldn't. Why do you think
children sometimes act Wiser than adults? Read the story 'Little Girls Wiser than Men' by Leo
Tolstoy. Discuss how the Tolstoy's story is similar to 'The Story of Ali Cogia'.

Ans- Do it yourself reading the short story 'Little Girls Wiser than Men' by Leo Tolstoy and find the
similarities between the two stories.

Additional questions :

1. Why did Ali Cogia bring the merchant before the cauzee?

Ans - Ali Cogia brought the merchant before the cauzee to claim that the merchant had taken a thousand
pieces of gold from him.

2. What was the boy Cauzee's decision at the end of the trial? What was the Caliph's reaction to this
decision?

Ans - The boy Cauzee found the merchant dishonest and he was taken into the prison as a part of his
punishment. The Caliph admired the boy's wisdom and justice and he said he would do the same in his
court.