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Important Questions & Answers

The Rattrap
2019
1. The rattrap focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others.
Comment. (1-1-1) (6 marks)
Rattrap deals with the issues of human loneliness and the need to bond with
others. Not only the peddler but also other characters like the crofter, the
ironmaster, and Edla emphasize this fact. The peddler’s conscience had left him
because he had been lonely in his predicament, for a long time. But Edla’s
kindness and hospitality changed him. The crofter, on the other hand, is a lonely
fellow whose craving for company leads him to give shelter to a vagabond, and he
ends up getting robbed. Even, the ironmaster and his daughter suffer from
loneliness. They crave company on Christmas Eve and are excited when they get
the opportunity to serve a guest.
2. What made the peddler finally change his ways? (1-1-2) (6 marks)
The peddler was not a man who was overburdened with morality. But in the end
he seems to be quite a transformed character. From a small rat trap seller he
raises to heroic heights. The kindness and love of Miss Edla Willmansson
awakened the essential goodness in him that he behaved like a perfect gentleman
in the end. He was amazed to see Miss. Edla plead with her father to let him stay
for Christmas. She also saw to it that he had a comfortable and a peaceful stay at
the manor farm house on Christmas Eve she had also requested him to keep the
suit given as a Christmas present. She told him that if he ever wanted to spend a
peaceful Christmas Eve next year he would be always welcome. The peddler
proves true to faith she had reposed in him. He did not steal nor run away with all
the silver spoon as expected by the father. He kept the thirty kronor notes to be
returned and also a letter for Miss. Edla thanking her for everything. He gifted her
with a rat trap by saying its a ''gift from a rat who has risen to become a
''captain''.
3. How did the crofter tempt the peddler to steal his money? How did it change
the peddler’s life? (1-1-3) (6 marks)
The Peddler is a thief. Crofter is wealthy man he accommodated peddler one day.
Peddler as thief stole crofter money and left the place entered into a new place.
The Iron master mistook peddler to be his old friend and accommodated in his
house. Iron master daughter took care of peddler. The way the daughter treated
him made to feel guilty for his mistake he wrote a letter and ask the daughter to
return the money to the crofter.
4. Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler? (1-2-1)
The crofter was so talkative and friendly with the peddler because he was leading
a lonely life in the cottage. He had no one to whom he could talk with and due to
this reason his life was boring.
He was an old man who was living there without wife or child. So, he was happy
to get someone to talk to in his loneliness.
That's why he was so friendly and talkative with the peddler.
5 Why was the crofter so kind and generous to the peddler? (1-2-3)
The crofter was generous with his confidences when he spoke to the peddler as
he told him that his cow was his source of income. Moreover, he also informed
him that last month he had received 30 kronors by selling the cow's milk and even
showed him his money.
6. What miracle did Edla perform in the peddler? (1-3-1, 6 marks)
The world was never kind with the peddlar. Everywhere he went, he was chased
away. But Edla treated him as if he was really the captain, with so much care and
affection. She allowed him to spend a christmas eve on her home giving him
home like feel for once in a year. This treatment and her politeness changed his
mind and converted him into a good man.
7. When and how did the peddler realise that he had fallen into a rattrap? How
could he get out of it? (1-3-2, 6 marks)
After stealing the crofter’s money, peddler realized that first of all he dare not to
continue to walk on the public highway as he felt that it is not safe. So, he turned
off the road and went into the woods i.e., forest. After sometimes in a day he
realized that it was a big and confusing forest which he had gotten into. He tried,
to be sure, to walk in a definite direction, but the paths twisted back and forth so
strangely. He walked and walked without coming to the end of the wood, and
finally, he realized that he had only been walking around in the same part of the
forest. All at once he recalled his thoughts about the world and the rattrap and
now he found himself fallen into a rattrap. The rattrap peddler thus realized that
he had fallen into the rattrap from which he might not be able to escape.
8. How was the peddler received at the Ramsjo Iron mill? Why did he decline the
ironmaster’s invitation? (1-3-3)
The peddler declined theinvitation of the ironmaster because he was carrying
the money he had stolen from the crofter. He knew that if
the ironmaster discovered his identity, he would hand him over to the police.
9. Give instances from the chapter, ‘The Rattrap’ to show that most of its
characters are victims of loneliness. (1-4-1, 6 marks)
The story also focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others.
The peddler himself leads a very sad, monotonus and lonely life.The old crofter is
also alone in his old cottage with no wife or child.
He welcomes the peddler with all enthusiasm and happiness so that he can talk to
somebody in his loneliness .
The ironmaster also invites the peddler to celebrate Christmas eve at his home.
The approaches made by the ironmaster and the crofter shows that we need to
bond with others to get rid of human loneliness.
10. Why did Edla decide to entertain the peddler against the wishes of her
father? (1-4-2)
Edla had a kind and sympathetic heart that was still having mercy for that poor
peddler. She requested her father to allow him to spend one day with them. Her
principles did not allow her to throw this man out of her house on the Christmas
Eve especially when they had already promised him a “Christmas cheer.”
Therefore, even after knowing the truth, Edla wanted to entertain the peddler.
11. How does the story, ‘The Rattrap’ show the redemptive power of love and
compassion? (1-4-3, 6 marks)
The story 'The Rattrap' highlights the fact that compassion and concern can
awaken the essential goodness in a man. The peddler, who had been resorting to
begging and thievery all the time, never bothered to clear his identity befooled
the ironmaster too. But, Edla gave him a royal treatment, served him delicious
supper, gifted her father's dress to him. This kind of unconditioned love and
compassion from Edla made him realise his mistake and further, he confessed his
guilt too. This way, she made a lot of difference in his life and he got transformed
into a much better person. He left the stolen money behind, even a letter and a
gift for Edla.
12. How did the peddler show his gratitude to Edla? (1-5-1)
When Edla Willmansson returned home from Church the valet gave her a package
given by the peddler for her generosity and her belief in him. Edla opened the
package and found a small rattrap and in it lay three wrinkled ten kronor notes.
There was also a letter written in large, jagged characters —
“Honoured and noble Miss, “Since you have been so nice to me all day long, as if I
was a captain, I want to be nice to you, in return, as if I was a real captain — for I
do not want you to be embarrassed at this Christmas season by a thief; but you
can give back the money to the old man on the roadside, who has the money
pouch hanging on the window frame as a bait for poor wanderers. “The rattrap is
a Christmas present from a rat who would have been caught in this world’s
rattrap if he had not been raised to captain, because in that way he got power to
clear himself.
“Written with friendship
And high regard,
“Captain von Stahle.”
In this way the peddler showed his gratitude to Edla for receiving and treating him
well.
13. Why did the peddler decline the invitation extended to him by the
ironmaster? (1-5-2)
The peddler declined the invitation of the ironmaster to go to his house. He had
stolen thirty kronors from the house of the crofter who lived in that area. So the
peddler thought that going up to the manor house would be like throwing himself
voluntarily into the lion’s den. He was afraid if the ironmaster would came to
know that he is a thief and then the police might arrest him.
So, he declined the ironmaster’s invitation.
14. Why did the peddler accept the invitation extended by Edla having already
declined the one from her father? (1-5-3)
Peddler declined the invitation of iron master because he thought that he was
caught in a rat trap that is why the peddler the decline the invitation. He thought
that if ironmaster came to know about him that he have theft the $30 of the
crofter so that he will handed him over to the police but as EdIa was a merciful
girl. She mercifully and gracefully asked the peddler to come with them and
celebrate the Christmas eve so that and peddler can’t declined his invitation.

2017 ALL INDIA

1. The peddler believed that the whole world is a rattrap. How did he himself
get caught in the same? (1-1, 2, 3, 6 MARKS)
The peddler had been thinking of his rattraps when suddenly he was struck
by the idea that the whole world was nothing but a big rattrap. It existed
only to set baits for people. It offered riches and joys, shelter and food,
heat and clothing in the same manner as the rattrap offered cheese and
pork. As soon as someone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, it
closed in on him, and then everything came to an end.
2017 DELHI
1. The peddler thinks that the whole world is a rattrap. This view of life is
true only of himself and of no one else in the story. Comment. (1-1, 2,3)
The peddler doesn’t think kindly of the world and its people. For him, the
world is a big rattrap to trap the people in. The luxuries of the world are the
baits that tempt the people to get trapped. The world has been very unkind
to him. So it gives him great pleasure to think ill of it. Ironically, he finds
himself trapped like a rat when he steals the thirty kronor of the credulous
crofter. Subsequently, it leads him to Edla’s home where he receives
nothing except kindness. It is true that this bitter view of the world is his
own subjective one. In fact, the world has no dearth of genuinely kind
people like the crofter, Edla and even the ironmaster. All treat him kindly.
Edla believes in compassion and Christian values and eventually touches
the goodness in him and helped him see the world in a positive light.

2017 Foreign
1. Very soon after stealing the crofter‖s money, how did the peddler realise
that he was himself caught in a rattrap? (1-1, 2, 3, 6 marks)
After stealing the crofter’s money, the rattrap peddler did not think it
proper to walk on the public highway. So he turned off the road, into the
forest. But he got entrapped in a big and confusing forest. He tried to walk
in a definite direction, but the paths twisted back and forth in a strange
manner.
He walked and walked without without coming to the end of the forest.
Finally, he realised that he had only been walking around the the same part
of the forest.
Then he recalled his thoughts about the world and the rattrap. Now, his
own turn had come.
The rattrap peddler thus thought that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap
from which he might not be able to escape.

2016 All India

1. What do we learn about the crofter’s nature from the story? (1-1)
The crofter was a very kind man. He took pity on the peddler and not only gave
him shelter but also gave him food to eat and tobacco to smoke. He also
entertained him as if he was guest and trusted him although he was a stronger.
2. Why did the Crofter show the thirty kroner to the peddler? (1-2)
The crofter was making his livelihood by selling milk in his old age. He told the
peddler that last month he had received thirty kronor in the payment. Thinking
that the stranger might not believe this, he showed the wrinkled three ten-kronor
bills to him from a leather pouch.
3. Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home? (1-
3)
The ironmaster spoke kindly to the peddler because he thought that he was the
captain and an old regimental comrade who had resigned from the
regiment. Thus the ironmaster thought that he was an old acquaintance. That is
why the ironmaster invited the peddler to have his company for christmas. And
when the peddler declined the invitation of the ironmaster he send his daughter
to make the peddler agree for their invitation.

2016 Delhi
1. Why was the peddler amused at the idea of the world being a rattrap? (1-2)
The rattrap is depicted as the symbol of the whole world with its lands, seas, cities
and villages which seemed like a big rattrap to the peddler. It had never existed
for any other purpose than to set baits for people. It offered riches and joys,
shelter and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and
pork. But as soon as anyone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, it closed in
on him and then everything came to an end. This is what amused the peddler that
a thing such as his rattrap could so easily be a metaphor for the world.
2. What hospitality did the peddler receive from the crofter? (1-3)
The crofter received the peddler with open arms. He was a lonely man and was
grateful for any company. He immediately put the porridge to cook and carved a
big slice from his tobacco role which was enough for both the guests pipe and his
own. He played a card game until bedtime with the guest.

2016 Foreign
1. How could the peddler enter the forge without being noticed by the
blacksmith? (1-2)
The master blacksmith was busy working with his helper when thepeddler,
who was tired to death,entered the forge. The master and the worker
missed the entry of the peddler inside the forge because of the heavy
sounds of the iron bar hammering on the anvil and the heavy storm
outside.

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