Class: 10th English

Footprints Without Feet

Q#1 How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
Ans. As a scientist, Griffin seems to be appreciable. He is a brilliant scientist who is very determined
about his experimental skill. He strives very much to make his experiment, of making a human body invisible,
a success. Ultimately, when he is not able to get his desired results from his experiments, he ingests several
unusual and rare drugs and makes his efforts a success by becoming invisible.

Q#2 The two boys in London were surprised and fascinated. Why?
Ans. The two boys got surprised on observing the fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet on the steps
of a house in the middle of London. They were fascinated when they saw some new foot marks appearing one
after the other without the feet being visible at all.

Q#3 What did Griffin do inside the shop?

Ans. Griffin slipped into a big London store and as soon as the shop was closed, he put on warm clothes,
shoes, an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat. Then he ate cold meat with coffee followed by sweets and wine.
Finally, he settled down to sleep on a pile of quilts.

Q#4 How did he escape from the London store?

Ans. In London store, Griffin took rest on a pile of quilts after feeding himself at night. He was fast asleep
and was not able to wake up before the store was opened by the assistants in the morning. On seeing them, the
scientist got into a panic and began to run. The assistants gave him a chase. He quickly took off his clothes and
escaped out of the store invisibly.

Q#5 He entered the shop of a theatrical company. What did he do there?

Ans. After escaping from the London store, Griffin entered the shop of a theatrical company. He wore
bandages round his forehead, put on dark glasses, false nose, big bushy side whiskers and a large hat. Then he
attacked the shopkeeper from behind and robbed him of all the money he had.

Q#6 Why was the arrival of this stranger in a village inn an unusual event? Give two reasons.
Ans. The arrival of this stranger in a village inn was an unusual event because it was mid-winter and the
atmosphere was very chilly and deserted. Moreover, Griffin had disguised himself in a strange way. So, his
strange appearance and arrival surprised everyone.

Q#7 How did the scientist look when he came to the inn?
Ans. The scientist looked very strange when he came to the inn. He had his forehead covered with
bandages, big bushy side whiskers, dark glasses and talked to everyone in an irritable manner. He preferred
solitude and thus appeared to be an eccentric person to everyone at the inn.

Q#8 The landlord’s wife was convinced that Griffin was “an eccentric scientist”. What made
her think of Griffin in these terms?
Ans. Griffin had an uncommon and a very strange appearance. Mrs. Hall tried to be friendly with him but
he avoided her and asked her not to disturb him. Besides this, his strange habits and irritable temper made her
believe that he was an eccentric scientist.

Q #9 What was “the curious episode” that took place in the Clergyman’s study?
Ans. Very early in the morning, the clergyman and his wife heard some noises which revealed that
someone was stealing money from the clergyman’s desk in the study. On entering the room, they were
surprised to see it empty and the money was missing from the desk.

Q#10 The landlord and his wife were surprised to see the scientist’s door wide open. Why were
they surprised?
Ans. The landlord and his wife were surprised to see the scientist’s door wide open because it was shut and
locked all the time and the scientist used to get furious if anyone entered his room , as he preferred solitude.
On finding the door open, Mr. and Mrs. Hall entered the room and started to investigate it. All of a sudden,
Mrs. Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. After a while, Griffin’s hat jumped on its own and hit her in the face.
Then the bedroom chair moved, jumped and pushed them out of the room.
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Class: 10th English
Q#11 Mrs. Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics. Pick out an example of humor from what
follows this incident.
Ans. Mrs. Hall was terrified by the strange incident. She believed that Griffin had made her mother’s spirit
enter the chair which attacked her and she felt quite disturbed on thinking that her mother’s spirit rose up
against her. This is a humorous incident.

Q#12 The Scientist was furious. What did he do in anger? Why were the people in the bar
horrified?
Ans. Mrs. Hall questioned Griffin and enquired about the incident that had happened in his room. He
became furious. He shouted at her and told her that he would show her his real identity. Within just a minute,
he threw off his bandages, whiskers, spectacles and false nose, due to which his head disappeared. All the
people present in the bar were greatly horrified to see a headless man in front of them.

Q#13 What happened to the constable?

Ans. The constable was called to capture Griffin. The scientist was putting off his clothes one by one and
ultimately became totally invisible. The brave constable still tried to get hold of the invisible scientist, but he
was hit by him and he fell unconscious.

Q#14 The scientist was a man of “irritable temper”. Give an example to prove this.
Ans. The scientist was a man of irritable temper. It has been clearly shown by many incidents. One such
incident is when Mrs. Hall interrogates him about the abnormal behaviour of her furniture; he loses his temper
and discloses his identity. Moreover, he dislikes friendly atmosphere and prefers loneliness which depicts that
he was unsociable and a man irritable temper.

Discussion

1. Do you think Griffin misused his discovery? How?

Ans. Griffin is sketched in our perception as a brilliant scientist for he discovered the formula of becoming
invisible, but he was a lawless person as well. He misused his discovery in many ways. Firstly, he slipped
into the London store and gave himself the pleasure of clothing and feeding illegally. Secondly, he went to the
shop bearing the stock of a theatrical company and disguised himself with its stock. He also attacked the
shopkeeper mercilessly and robbed him of his money. He stole money from clergyman’s house and finally, he
had an encounter with the constable, the landlord and the landlady and escaped invisibly to further clarify his
lawless nature.

CHAPTER 2
An Excellent Father
Thinking About The Text:

Q#1 What does Mrs Bennet tell her husband?

Ans. Mrs Bennet tells her husband to visit Mr Bingley, a rich young gentleman, who rent a house in their
neighbourhood.
Q#2 Who takes over Netherfield Park? Why is Mrs Bennet happy about it?
Ans. Mr Bingley, a rich, handsome and eligible young man of North of England takes over Netherfield Park.
Mrs Bennet is happy about it because Mr Bingley is a bachelor and she looks forward for marrying one of her
daughters to him.

Q#3 Why does Mrs Bennet insist her husband to meet Mr Bingley?
Ans. Mrs Bennet insists her husband to meet Mr Bingley because she does not want to miss this golden
opportunity of giving one of her daughters, a happy, prosperous life by marrying her to Mr Bingley.
Moreover, she is sure that many ladies would try to exploit this chance, so she tries to persuade and insist her
husband to meet Mr Bingley.
Q#4 “You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves”. Explain.
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Class: 10th English
Ans. Mr Bennet is a lazy and cool minded person and he enjoys harassing his wife. He suggests his wife not
to accompany her daughters for she can be chosen for marriage because of her beauty. Mrs Bennet gets
irritated and condemns her husband for making her angry. She further adds that her husband Mr Bennet is not
at all sympathetic to her sensitive feelings regarding the marriage of her daughters.

Q#5 Why does Mrs Bennet think Mrs. Long is selfish?

Ans. Mrs Bennet thinks Mrs Long is selfish because she has two nieces and she would not lose the chance of
marrying one of them to Mr Bingley. She would also not give Mrs Bennet any opportunity to marry one of
her daughters to the said gentleman.

Q#6 How does Mr Bennet react to the plan designed by his wife?
Ans. Mr Bennet does not show any excited reaction towards his wife’s plan. He appears to be uninterested in
this affair. He teases his wife and does not seem to be serious about this plan at all.

Q#7 Why does Mrs Bennet tell her girls that they have an excellent father?
Ans. Mrs Bennet and girls get astonished when they come to know that the Mr Bennet had actually paid the
visit to Mr Bingley for acquaintance. She comes to know that although Mr Bennet appears to be least
interested in the marriage of his daughters, but in the heart of hearts, he really cares for them. Mrs Bennet is
very happy with all this, that is why she tells her daughters, “What an excellent father you have girls”.

CHAPTER 3
From The Diary Of A Young Girl (Anne Frank)
Thinking About The Text:-

Q#1 Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musing of a thirteen
year old girl?
Ans. Anne seemed to be right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musing of a thirteen
year old girl because she was the youngest member of her family, so, naturally she would have been treated as
a jolly child who is full of tricks and fun. But Anne seemed to be a child of mature and insightful thinking
which perhaps was not known to her family members. That is why, they did not pay any heed of her musings
and thus she felt to be lonely and depressed.

Q#2 In which language was The Diary Of Anne Frank originally written?
Ans. The Diary Of Anne Frank was originally written in Dutch because her family had immigrated to Holland
where she started writing the said Diary. It was later translated into many languages of the world and became
a very famous book.

Q#3 Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch of her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or
outsider?
Ans. Anne Frank makes Kitty her close friend and before jotting her intimate feelings, she introduces Kitty to
her family, so that her true friend whom she might find in her future life would understand her conversation to
Kitty in a convenient manner.
She treats ‘Kitty’ as an insider because she introduces her life and family to Kitty as if she were to know and
understand her. She receives the diary at the age of thirteen, so she recapitulates the important events of her
life to Kitty.

Q#4 How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing?
Ans. Anne loves and adores her father, Otto Frank, very much. He had been married to Edith Hollander at the
age of thirty six and they had two daughters. They migrated to Holland in 1933.
Anne seems to miss her grandmother who died in 1942, when Anne was 13 years old. She often thinks of her
and still loves her very much.
Mrs Kuperus is Anne’s headmistress at the Montessori Nursery school. She is Anne’s teacher in class six.
She has a close association with her and both Anne and Mrs Kuperus are emotional when Anne leaves the said
school.
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Class: 10th English
Mr Keessing is Anne’s Maths teacher. He is an old fashioned man who has been annoyed with Anne for a
long time because of her talkative nature. He usually assigns Anne extra homework so as to punish her for
her talkative habit.

Q#5 What does Anne write in her first essay?

Ans. In her first essay entitled, ‘A Chatterbox’ assigned to her by Mr Keesing, Anne writes about the
necessity of talking. She describes talking as a student’s characteristic feature. Moreover, she defends her
habit of talking idly by considering it an inherited trait from her mother, who also used to be talkative.

Q#6 Anne says teachers are unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?

Ans. Anne says teachers are unpredictable because one never knows what teachers think about their students.
She cannot foretell who among her friends would be favoured by her teachers and promoted to next class. She
also cannot perceive whether her teachers assign her homework to punish her or to ridicule her. As far as Mr
Keesing is concerned, Anne obviously considers him unpredictable because he has been annoyed with her for
a long time and as a punishment or just to ridicule her, he has assigned her an essay. Anne thinks that Mr
Keesing would have given her this essay, ‘A Chatterbox’ so that she could think about her bad habit and try to
amend it. This assignment could also be given to make Anne, a laughing stock in front of the whole class.
CHAPTER 4
Long Walk To Freedom
Q#1 Why is May 10 an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?
Ans. The months of March, April and May comprise the autumn season in the Southern Hemisphere as such
May 10 is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa.
In profound meaning, autumn is the season when the farmers reap the fruit of their hard work. Similarly, after
a long and tiring struggle for three hundred years the African people were ultimately freed from the traps of
slavery and brutality. The Africans were given the rights and standards which they were worthy of. That’s
why 10th May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa.

Q#2 At the beginning of his speech, Mandela motions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does
he mean by this? What is “the glorious human achievement” he speaks at the end?
Ans. Nelson Mandela has rightly termed the atrocities and brutalities on African Blacks by African Whites as
‘an extraordinary human disaster’. Undoubtedly it’s a disaster to discriminate humans on the basis of the
colour and skin which is out of human control. So it is certainly narrow mindedness to give priority to the
White race over the Blacks.
According to Nelson Mandela, ‘the glorious human achievement’ is the respect, regard and freedom of the
citizens of the country. He thinks that abolishing of Apartheid and building a free South Africa where
everyone is respected and everyone has his dignity is the glorious achievement.

Q#3 What ideals does Mandela set for the future of South Africa?
Ans. Nelson Mandela sets many ideals for a successful South Africa. He wants his countrymen to be loyal
and patriotic towards their nation. He wishes success for his nation and wants it to be a pride of humanity. He
wants his country to free others from the traps of slavery, oppression, exploitation, sufferings and other
discriminations.

Q#4 Why did such a large number of International leaders attend the inauguration? What did it
signify the triumph of?
Ans. The inaugural function of democratic South Africa was attended by a large number of International
leaders and delegates in order to pay their tribute. They were rejoiced by the success of South African Blacks
over the Whites after a long struggle.
It signified the triumph of courage, boldness, valour, determination and patriotism over narrow
mindedness and discrimination.

Q#5 What does Mandela mean when he says he is simply the sum of all the African patriots? Who had
gone before him?

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Class: 10th English
Ans. Nelson Mandela with full confidence believes that the newly born freedom is the precious gift bestowed
to his countrymen by the patriots who have sacrificed themselves for this cause. He feels that the zest and
passion of all those patriots have been aggregated in him and have inspired him to work enthusiastically for
the development of his country.
The brave and bold patriots of the freedom struggle had gone before him.
Q#6 Would you agree that the ‘depths of oppression’ create heights of character’? How does Mandela
illustrate this?
Ans. Yes, we agree with the given statement. Nelson Mandela also agrees with it that the decease of brutality
and oppression has unintentionally created African patriots with unimaginable heights of character. The
continuous atrocities and cruelties committed on the Blacks have evoked their conscience and have motivated
them to stand against the oppression. This gives rise to the valiant personalities who are extremely determined
and tolerant to withstand any brutality. Mandela illustrates this by giving the examples of the great South
African heroes who have sacrificed their lives in overthrowing the racial discrimination and freeing their
citizens and country.

Q#7 What twin obligations does Mandela mention?

Ans. According to Mandela, every human being has two obligations to fulfill; one is at the personal level
towards his family and the other is towards his nation, his society and his people. A person should fulfill both
the obligations with loyalty.

Q#8 How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Ans. In his boyhood, Mandela used to do everything according to the instructions of his elders and the
customs of his clan. He did not have concept of striving for freedom. As he grew up, he found himself and
his fellow countrymen bound in the shackles of racial discrimination. Then after getting mature enough, he
felt that he could not compromise with the limited freedom he could enjoy. This quest of freedom and his
lifelong experiences of slavery and brutality made his perspective wider than before.

Q#9 How did Mandela’s “hunger for freedom” change his life?
Ans. Mandela could feel that he along with his countrymen was bound in the traps of slavery by the whites.
This started increasing their hunger for freedom from the personal level to a national level. In this passion, he
changed from a scared fellow to a bold rebel; a home sick husband to a homeless struggler and a lawful person
to lawless criminal.
CHAPTER 5
The Sermon At Benaras
Q#1 What is a sermon? How is it different from a lecture?
Ans. A sermon is religious talk or a speech made by a renowned, religious personality in order to make people
morally and spiritually uplifted and enlightened.
It is different from a lecture because lecture is a general topic related to any subject given in a college or
university.

Q#2 When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get
it? Why not?
Ans. Kisa Gotami goes from house to house in the hope of getting some wonder drug which would rekindle
the life in her dead child. She is unable to get that medicine. It is a universal truth that once somebody dies,
no medicine can bring back life in him or her. Death is the final destination of life’s journey.

Q#3 Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask
for the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?
Ans. When Kisa Gotami asks for Buddha’s help he asks her to bring a handful of mustard seed. But there is a
condition that the mustard seed should be from a house where nobody has ever died. Death is as certain as
birth. Nothing is immortal on this Earth. Everything gets finished off in due course of time. Kisa Gotami is
up to an impossible task of finding a household where nobody had ever died.

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Class: 10th English
Q#4 What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time?
Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand?
Ans. Kisa Gotami, at first, is not able to understand the mysterious reality of life and death because she being
a mother is very distressed and disheartened by the death of her only son. But when the Buddha tells her to
get the mustard seeds from the family which has never encountered death, she returns unsuccessful and
ponders over the reality of life. The Buddha wanted her to realize that the death is an unavoidable reality of
life.
OR
After she was unable to find a house as per Buddha’s criteria she understands the inevitability of death. She
understands how futile it is to cry endlessly over the death of someone. She understands that the life should go
on as people carry on with their life after abrupt intervals of tragedies in their lives. The Buddha wanted her to
realize that death is an unavoidable reality of life.

Q#5 Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the
Buddha change her understanding?
Ans. Kisa Gotami, at first, was very emotional and hopeless at the death of her only son. She felt that this
tragedy had befallen only her. But when she went to get the seeds to cure her son, she grieved all those
families in order to overcome her own grief. She felt that she had been very selfish in her cause and
understood that death was common to all and it led a human being to immortality without a wink of
selfishness.
OR
When she was seeking for miracle medicine she was not in a position to understand the certainty of death. She
was only thinking about her grief when she went in search of mustard seeds she could understand that grief
strikes everybody. She understood that she was not the only person on this planet who had lost a dear child.
Buddha guided her to discover the sorrow of others. Most of us have a tendency to think about ourselves and
that is why we feel extremely happy or extremely sad. If we try to take a wider perspective then we can be in
a position to withstand ups and downs if life in a better way.

Q#6 How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she
was being ‘selfish in her grief’?
Ans. Selfishness is preoccupation with me, me and me. It means to harm the interests of others in order to
fulfill our personal interests. It also means to make personal benefits by depriving others of those benefits.
Kisa Gotami was certainly ‘selfish in her grief’ because in order to cure her son from an incurable disease of
death, she made many families remember their beloved members who had died. Thus, in order to overcome
her grief, she grieved many mothers and families and was obviously ‘selfish’.

CHAPTER 6
Pappachi’s Moth
Thinking about the text: -

Sketch the characters of Pappachi and Mammachi.

Character sketch of Pappachi: -

Shri Benaan John Ipe (referred to as Pappachi which means grandfather) is a retired Entomologist. He is an
unemotional and jealous person. He is very unfair and indifferent towards his family especially his wife,
Mammachi. He is highly displeased by the success of his wife, which she gains because of her talent of pickle
and jam making. He feels humiliated to see his wife in her prime when he is in his ripe age. When his son,
Chacko stops him from beating his wife mercilessly, being egoistic he abandons his wife. He does not talk to
her or touch her throughout his life. He lacks the love and care of a husband and does not bear anything
against his personality.
He dresses himself in a clean tailored three piece suit. He buys a Plymouth (car) from an Englishman and
drives it very proudly to impress others about his Anglophillic nature. He uses a high class mahogany chair to
sit but breaks it when Chacko stops him from harassing Mammachi. He discovers an unusual kind of moth
and for six months, he struggles for its nomenclature. But to his disappointment, he retires and after twelve
years, the Moth is considered unusual and new and is named after the acting director of Entomology.
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Class: 10th English
He dies as a result of massive heart attack and his death is grieved most by his wife, Mammachi.

Character sketch of Mammachi: -

Soshamma (referred to as Mammachi) is the wife of the renowned Entomologist, Shri Benaan Ipe. She is a
middle aged lady but seventeen years younger than her husband, Pappachi. She is naturally inculcated with
many talents. She is very good at making pickles and jams, which sell very quickly at a particular fair. She
gets more orders and thus becomes employed particularly after her husband’s retirement. She is very good at
playing violin and takes some lessons of playing it during her stay at Vienna. She is a hard working lady and
full of patience. She tolerates the beatings of her husband without a wink of complaint. These beatings are
only stopped when her son, Chacko comes back from Oxford and stops his father from beating Mammachi.
She is suffering from conical corneas and wears contact lenses to visualize things. She does not get the
support of her husband throughout her life but still she keeps on supervising and managing everything alone
and does not feel or let anyone else feel bad about her husband and never lets him down.

Q#2: ‘I never want this to happen again’, he told his father, ‘Ever’. Who says it and why?
Ans: “I never want this to happen again, Ever.” Chacko says this to his father, Pappachi.
He finds his father beating his mother mercilessly. So he stands against this barbaric behaviour and warns him
not to repeat it.

Q#3: ‘Ammu told the twins that Mammachi was crying more because she was used to him than she
loved him.’ In the light of the statement of Mammachi’s daughter, comment on the relationship
between Mammachi and Pappachi.
Ans: Mammachi and Pappachi’s relationship does not have any element of care, love and understanding.
Their relationship has jealousies, harassment and male supremacy in abundance. Mammachi can be considered
as a tolerant lady and a silent worker. She is talented and patient. She loves and respects her husband to a
great extent but she is more habitual of him. She is used to his abusive treatment and perhaps considers it her
fate. On the contrary, Pappachi is an unemotional person who is least bothered about the respect and
sentiments of his family and particularly his wife, Mammachi. He is filled with envy to see his wife
progressing, which is a great flaw in their relationship. He is not helpful and cannot bear Mammachi’s
acclamation in the world of employment. So, we can say that their relationship is a commitment to stay
together than to live and face every joy and sorrow together.

Q#4: How does Mammachi stand out as an independent and resilient woman in the text?
Ans: Mammachi proves to be a praiseworthy character of the story. She prepares delicious pickles and jams
and becomes successful in this work. Soon, she receives more orders and thus becomes employed and
independent. She is also a resilient lady because she adapts herself to the irritating and jealous nature of her
husband. She tolerates the tyranny of her husband like a silent tolerant and never complains.

Q#5: Pick out the elements of irony in the lesson.

Ans: Irony is a figure of speech which consists of a statement that appears to be praise but is really
condemnation.
The various elements of irony in the lesson are: -
i) He was seventeen years older than Mammachi and realized with a shock that he was an old man
when his wife was still in her prime.
ii) When Chacko scolds him, Pappachi does not touch her for the rest of his life.
iii) He bought the skyblue Plymouth from an old Englishman in Munnar. The Plymouth was
Pappachi’s revenge.
iv) His moth was named after the Acting Director of the Department of Entomology a junior officer
whom Pappachi had always disliked.
v) Mammachi was crying more because she was used to him than she loved him.
vi) Ammu said that human beings were creatures of habit, and it was amazing the kind of things they
could get used to.
vii) In the evenings, when he knew visitors were expected, he would sit on the verandah and sew
buttons that weren’t missing onto his shirts.
viii) On his dressing table, next to the cologne and silver hair brush, he kept a picture of himself as a
young man, with his hair slicked down.
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Class: 10th English
Q#6: Identify instances of humour in the story.
Ans: The various instances of humour in the story are: -
i) Pappachi slouched around the compound in his immaculately tailored suit, weaving sullen circles
around the mounds of red chillies and freshly powdered yellow turmeric.
ii) He became a familiar sight in Ayemenem, coasting importantly down the narrow road in his wide
car, looking outwardly elegant but sweating freely inside his woolen suits.
iii) Pappachi’s Moth was held responsible for his black moods and sudden bouts of temper.

CHAPTER 7
The Merchant Of Venice

Q#1 Why does Shylock hate Antonio?

Ans. Shylock is Antonio’s enemy. Antonio is a kind man, but he always treats Shylock most unkindly. The
reason for this is that Shylock is a Jew and Antonio is a Christian. During their times there was great ill-
feeling between the Christians and the Jews. Besides, this Shylock lends money for profit and asks for high
interest on his loans. Antonio, on the other hand, lends money out of kindness and asks for no interest on it.
Moreover, Antonio insults Shylock in public. He calls him ‘a dog’ and spits upon him. Thus Shylock has a
good reason to hate Antonio and he hates him with all his heart.

Q#2 How does Antonio help Bassanio?

Ans. Antonio has a close friend, Bassanio. He is a handsome young man of noble birth, but he is in need of
money. This is because Bassanio is in love with a lady of great beauty, wisdom and wealth. Her name is
Portia, who lives in the city of Belmont. He wants to travel to Belmont to propose her but he needs money to
make himself look as rich and important as her other suitors. So he asks Antonio to lend him three thousand
ducats.
At the moment, Antonio does not have such a great sum because he has invested all his money in trade.
Therefore, Antonio decides to borrow the sum from an old Jew called Shylock.
Antonio asks the Jew to lend him 3000 ducats upon any interest and obtains the money. Thus Antonio helps
Bassanio and he sets out for Belmont with high hopes of winning the beautiful Portia as his wife.

Q#3 How does Shylock feel when Antonio asks for some money? Why is he interested to pay the
required sum?
Ans. Antonio’s request for some money gives Shylock his chance of revenge. At first, Shylock pretends to
hesitate about lending the money. He thinks for a while, making a cunning plan. He agrees to lend Antonio
the sum of three thousand ducats pretending kindness to gain Antonio’s love and trust. He tells Antonio that
he would not take any interest for his money and would supply his wants. Shylock’s real intention is to have
his revenge. This is why he is interested to pay the required sum.

Q#4 What condition does Shylock put forth if the debt is not paid in time?
Ans. Shylock’s pretence of kindness greatly surprises Antonio. He agrees to lend Antonio the sum of three
thousand ducats without any interest on a strange condition. He asks Antonio to come with him to a lawyer
and there sign a bond, that if he does not repay the money by a certain day, he (Shylock) would forfeit a
pound of flesh to be cut off from any part of his body that Shylock pleased.

Q#5 How does Bassanio marry Portia?

Ans. Bassanio is desperately in need of money to court Portia. He wants to woo Portia, who he says has fallen
in love with. He wants to travel to Belmont to propose her but he needs money to make himself look as rich
and important as her other suitors. Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan in order to travel in style to Portia’s
estate. Antonio agrees but is unable to make the loan himself because his own money is invested in a number
of trade ships that are still at sea. Thus, Antonio borrows money from Shylock and with the money, taken
Basanio sets sail for Belmont and arrives at Portia’s estate. They declare their love for one another. Thus
Bassanio succeeds in winning the hand of Portia and asks Portia to marry him.

Q#6 Why is the case brought before the Duke of Venice?

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Class: 10th English
Ans. The case is brought before the Duke of Venice because Shylock ignores the many pleas to spare
Antonio’s life and suits against Antonio claiming the penalty of a pound of flesh. Thus a trial is called to
decide the matter.

Q#7 Who is disguised as the learned counsellor (Doctor Balthasar)? Why has he come to the court of
Venice?
Ans. Portia is disguised as the learned counsellor. Portia enters the high court of justice and presents a letter
from Bellario, in which the learned counsellor writes to the Duke that he would have come himself to plead
for Antonio but he is prevented by sickness and requests that the learned young Doctor, Balthasar (Portia)
might be permitted to plead in his stead. Thus, the learned counsellor (Portia) has come to plead for Antonio
in order to save his life.

Q#8 How did the counsellor start his argument and how was he able to get the judgement in Antonio’s
favour?
Ans. Portia disguised as a young man of law began by arguing in favour of Shylock, by declaring that Shylock
indeed had a right to Antonio’s pound of flesh. But in a moving speech the counsellor asked Shylock to show
mercy, but Shylock remained inflexible and insisted the pound of flesh was rightfully his, according to the
bond. Portia examined the contract and finding it legally binding, declared that Shylock was entitled to
Antonio’s flesh. Shylock ecstatically praised her wisdom but as he was on the verge of collecting his due,
Portia reminded him that he must do so without causing Antonio to bleed, as the bond didn’t entitle him to any
blood. Trapped by this logic, Shylock hastily agreed to take Bassanio’s money instead, but Portia insisted
Shylock to take his bond as written, or nothing at all. Portia informed Shylock that he was guilty of conspiring
against the life of a Ventian citizen and he must turn over half of his property to the state and the other half to
Antonio. Finally, the Duke spared Shylock’s life and took a fine instead of Shylock’s property. Antonio also
gave his half of Shylock’s wealth to Shylock’s daughter who had married a Christian against his father’s
wishes. Thus the counsellor won the case and was able to get the judgement in Antonio’s favour.

Q#9 How does Portia get back her ring?

Ans. After winning the case for Antonio, Bassanio thanks Portia, though he does not see through her disguise,
and offers her to accept a gift. Portia declines the gift and says that having delivered Antonio from Shylock’s
clutches is payment enough. But Bassanio insists and she eventually agrees and asks Bassanio for the ring on
his finger. Bassanio finds himself in a difficult situation because he had promised his wife that he would
never part with the ring. He offers to find the most valuable ring in Venice, but Portia remains firm, and
demands the trifle or nothing. When Bassanio admits that the ring is a gift from his wife, who made him
promise never to part with it, Portia pretends to be angry.
Antonio urges Bassanio to let Portia have the ring, saying that he should value Antonio’s love and the
gentleman’s (Portia) worth more than his wife’s orders. Thus poor Bassanio has to agree and very unwillingly
gives away the ring to Portia.

Q#10 Describe the themes of the play.

Ans. The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy alleged to have been written between 1596 and 1598 by
William Shakespeare. The main themes of this play are ‘love and hatred’ and ‘justice and Mercy’. They aid
us to learn about the characters and comprehend why they act as they do. The play tells us that love is more
important than money, mercy is preferable to revenge and love lasts forever. We notice that the most notable
relationship is the one between Antonio and Bassanio. Antonio loves Bassanio enough to give his life for
him- indeed it seems that Bassanio is one of his only reasons for living. Moreover, there is love between
Bassanio and Portia. On the contrary, the differences between Antonio and Shylock appear to be that Antonio
values human relationship over business ones, whereas Shylock is only interested in money. Antonio lends
money free of interest and puts himself at risk for those he loves, where as Shylock agonizes over the loss of
his money, suggesting that his greed overweighs his love. In between religious intolerance and personal
revenge the play seems devoid of mercy. Against all the odds, Portia does manage to bring about some mercy.
She succeeds in transmitting the proceedings away from violence and towards forgiveness. Therefore, we can
say that love, hatred and mercy are the dominant themes of the play.

CHAPTER 8
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Class: 10th English
The Ghat Of The Only World

Thinking About The Text:-

Q#1 What were the common things between Ghosh and Shahid?
Ans. Amitav Ghosh and Aga Shahid Ali belonged to different religions and backgrounds but still they had
many things in common. Both of these wonderful persons studied in Delhi University which somehow helped
them in getting close to each other. They had common friends which put them in touch with each other. They
both spent many crucial years of their life in Brooklyn. They had a wonderful friendly approach. Their
likings were no different. They had great love for Rogan Josh, Roshanara Begum and Kishore Kumar, old
Bombay films and songs. Both of them totally disliked cricket. Both these friends were enthusiastic,
humorous and interesting. Both of them respected all the religions.

Q#2 What are things Shahid loved?

Ans. Shahid was very gregarious. He loved gathering of people for dinner parties, etc. He also loved
different dishes. He loved to be known far and near. He also loved to answer questions. He was a great fan
of Bengali food. He loved varied clothes and music.

Q#3 How does Shahid face death? Describe the hospital scene?
Ans. Shahid is really an inspiring person. He is well aware of the dreadful reality that he has numbered days
of his life. He is well acquainted of the fact that his death is approaching him yet he accepts this reality in a
very courageous way. He continues to be gregarious, jolly and bold upto the last breath of his life.
On 21st May, Shahid undergoes a surgical procedure. His head is shaved and the shape of the tumour is visible
depicting his serious illness. When it is time for him to leave the hospital, he is not even slightly tense. When
the hospital escort brings a wheel-chair to carry him, he refuses to use it as he is armed with a struggling zeal.
He readily declares that he is strong enough to walk out of the hospital on his own. But unfortunately his
knees stumble after some steps, indicating that now he is weak and really near his death. He is helped by his
companions in facing this tough time. Inspite of his weakness, he still has a brilliant smile on his face. All
these clearly depict that although now he is seriously ill and he knows the fact very well that death can take
him up in its arms at any point of time but still he faces all the hurdles put forth by his luck without a single
trace of hopelessness. He just enjoys every moment of his life and faces his approaching death with a high
spirit.

Q#4 Who is James Merill?

Ans. James Merill is the favourite poet of Shahid. He met him when he was in Arizona. Shahid’s poetry is
deeply influenced by James Merill’s poetic pattern. In one of the poems of Shahid he has tributed Merill by
using his name in a verse which is:
“Shahid, Hush! This is Me, James, The Loved one always leaves”.
This poem is actually a forecast of Shahid’s death written by Shahid himself. In this poem, he wishes to meet
his beloved ones in the life hereafter and James Merill is one of them.

Q#5 Pick out the elements of humour from the lesson.

Ans. The elements of humour in the lesson are:-
i) His house would be full of different personalities like friends, poets, writers etc. One day a crew
arrived at his home with television camera. Instead of being upset or offended, he got excited and
said that he just loved camera.
ii) At Barcelona airport, he was stopped by a female security guard. She asked him about his
occupation. He replied in a very nice way that he was a poet and wrote poetry in Spain.She then
enquired if he had something dangerous with him. He gave an amusing answer that the only
dangerous thing he carried with him was his heart.

Q#6 What facilitated Ghosh to fulfill his pledge? How did it help him?
Ans. One day, on a telephonic conversation Shahid talked to Amitav Ghosh about his death. Before that he
had never discussed anything about the said subject. He entrusted him with a great responsibility that he was
to write his biography so that people do not remember him by repetitive memories but by written words.
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Class: 10th English
Amitav Ghosh thought of making excuses like he was not a poet or he didn’t know him well. Finally, Shahid
made his friend Ghosh to accept it and thus Ghosh decided to write about his friend. After the conversation,
he jotted the date and his conversation with Shahid and this made him fulfill his pledge. Moreover the
continuous meetings and parties with Aga facilitated him to fulfill his pledge. His close association with him
gave him a detailed knowledge about his life.
It helped him to make his dead friend alive forever. It also made him aware of inspiring personality of his
friend. He studied his professional life, poetic life and life as a citizen of a disputed region i.e. Kashmir.
Q#7 What was Shahid’s reputation as a teacher among the students?
Ans. As a teacher Shahid was a favourite of his students. They respected and adored him. His students had
printed a magazine and dedicated an issue to him. Shahid performed marvelously in his class. He made his
class lively because of his laughter, his style and his glamorous personality. He appreciated his students
particularly those from Indian sub-continent because their presence created a patriotic feeling in him.

Q#8 What does “The Ghat of Only World” mean?

Ans. “The Ghat of the Only World” is actually the title of the poem written by ‘Aga Shahid Ali Khan’ in his
collection of poems ‘Rooms are never finished’. Shahid has forecasted his death in this poem. He feels that
he is sitting on the bank of a river waiting for death which would take him to another Ghat where his beloved
ones are waiting for him. Thus ‘The Ghat of Only World’ means the ending phase of life in this world from
where he would journey to hereafter.

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