LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1. Write a character-sketch of Margayya.

Ans. Margayya had been named after the enchanting god krishna by his parents but the people did
not know it and called him Margayya and thought it to be his real name. ‘Marga’ meant the way and
the “Ayya’ denoted the ma who showed the way.
Margayya and his elder brother and his wife, Meenakshi have a male child Balu,
Margayya in led to believe that money is as essential in life as food and air. He is blindly obsessed
with money.
Margayya runs a wayside counter opposite the Co-operative Bank in Malgudi. He writed loan
application forms on behalf of illiterate and ignorant villagers who come to seek loans from the
bank. He charges a modest fee for expediting application forms of the villagers.
So the bank secretary orders him to leave the place. Margayya leaves this business and enters into
an agreement with Makhan Lal, A book ‘Bed Life’ is Printed on partnership but changes his business.
Then he launches an attractive deposit scheme and accepts millions of rupees as deposits on
interest at the rate of 20% annual interest. This is strange. The banks give only 3% annual interest.
Financial management consumes his time and energy and Margayya neglects his wife and child. Balu
converts into a spoilt child and he runs away from the house.
He causes a great loss of money to his father and ruining his money-lending business. Margayya
engages. Mr. Murti to guide Balu at home, he fails in his Matriculation examination.
He squanders money in smoking, sleeping and drinking. Margayya spoils his relation with Dr. Pal and
his money pending business comes to a stand still.
In a way Margayya is responsible for spoiling his son at all levels. We admit that Margayya knows
how to mint money. He is an expert financial manger. But he fails miserably as father and husband
He doesn’t know how to bring up his child. He site on a mountain of wealth but life slips from
underneath him throwing hism into hell.
Q.2. Discuss the role of Dr. Pal in the Financial Expert.
Or, Describe Dr. Pal’s role in the life of Margayya and his family.
Or, How does Dr. Pal make and mar Margayya’s fortune in the Financial Expert?
Or, Attempt a character-sketch of Dr. Pal in The Financial Expert.
Or, What impression do you form of Dr. Pal from his first meeting with Margayya? Is
he really responsible for Margayya’s ruin?
Or, Who, do you think, is responsible for the ruin of Margayya-Dr. Pal or Balu? Give a
reasoned answer.

Ans. Dr. Pal plays a significant role in the life of Margayya and his family. Infact, he is responsible for
making and marrying Margayya’s fortune.
Dr. Pal meets Margayya near the pond where the latter has gone to collect a red lotus.
He helps Margayya pluck a red lotus from the middle of the pond. He is a man of about thirty, lank,
tall, having long hair and sunken eyes. He has a very youthful and imposing appearance.
He informs Margayya that he is associated with Silver Way, a Tamil newspaper brought out from
Madras.
Margayya is charmed by the personality of Dr. Pal and accompanies him o his hut. Dr. Pal tells
Margayya that he is a sociologist. He is writing a book On sexology entitled ‘Bed Life’.
He tells Margayya that all the problems in life are caused by the ignorance of the people regarding
sexual matters, in writing
this book, his aim is to make people understand the significance of sexual matters for domestic
harmony. Margayya is overwhelmed with his knowledge. But now Dr. Pal has completed his book.
He knows that he can make lakhs of rupees in one go by publishing the book. He gladly gives the
book to Margayya for only twenty five rupees. Margayya gets into fifty-fifty partnership with a
printer Madan Lal and Margayya.
The book is published earns a lot of money through the sales of the book and within a short time he
becomes a very rich man.
Then Margayya starts his banking business, with the help of Dr. Pal as his agent.
At his advice the rich merchants of Malgudi deposit all their money with Margayya. Margayya mints
millions of rupees from his deposit-cum-interest scheme.
Dr. Pal, transforms his life into a pleasant chapter, plays a corrupting role in the life of Margayya. He
exercises a very bad influence on Balu.
When Balu settles in his new house with his wife Brinda, Dr. Pal becomes a regular visitor. Then he
starts taking Balu outside to a house of ill-repute where there are cheap theatre girls. They eat,
drink, gamble and enjoy in the company of those girls.
Dr. Pal instigates Balu to demand his share of the ancestral property from his father. Margayya visits
his son’s house. Finding B. J, Dr. Pal and three girls, Margayya loses his temper. He drag’s Dr. Pal out
of he car and beats him with sandal.
Dr. Pal lodges an F.I.R. with the police. Next day, he spreads rumour among Margayya’s clients that
their money is not safe with him. The clients take back all their money making Margayya bankrupt.
Thus, Dr. Pal brings about Margayya’s ruin.

Q.3. Attempt a character-sketch of Meenakshi in the novel “The Financial Expert.’

Or, Meenakshi is a typical Indian housewife-loving, faithful, submissive and practical.
Discuss.
Or, How would you rate Meenakshi as a traditional Indian housewife?

Ans. Meenakshi, the wife of Margayya, is a lovable character. She is a typical Indian housewife in a
middle class family. She represents the loving, faithful, submissive and practical middle class women
of India. Her home is all the world to her.
Her sole duty is to look after her son and her husband. Although her son Balu is a bundle of mischief,
giving her untold inconveniences, she bears with him with the characteracally motherly fortitude,
Meenakshi is a loving mother. She loves her son deeply.
One day when she has gone to nearby shop to buy something, her husband is at home with Balu.
Balu burns his finger by his mischief by touching a burning lamp and lets out a shriek.
She comes running into the house and blames her husband for the calamity. The other instance is
when Balu disappear from the house. She sheds tears constantly, eats very little and asks her
husband to go out in search of the son.
It is she who forces her husband to go to Madras and find him. Meenakshi is a devoted and faithful
wife.
Her husbands often scolds her but even then she remains calm and silent.
She suffers humiliation at her husband’s hand, but she tolerates everything. Even when Margayya
has enough money he does not employ any servant, and Meenakshi continues to do all the
household work herself.
Meenakshi is meek, submissive and self-sacrificing in nature. She is so tolerant that she even
surrenders before her aggressive and domineering husband.
She does not argue with him even when she knows that her husband is in the wrong. When Balu is
married to Brinda, she does not like Margayya’s idea of putting the son and his wife up in a separate
house at Lawley Road. Despite the pain she undergoes due to this, she does not assert and suffers
silenty,
Meenakshi is a practical woman. She knows that money is important in life but it is not everything.
She is satisfied with what she is given and does not crave for more. Like her husband, she does not
have lust for money.
Meenakshi does not regard money as the most important thing in the world. The sensible and
practical aspects of her character are clearly manifesto in her advice to her
husband when Margayya speaks rudely to the peon, Arul Doss. In short, meenakshi is a typical
homely, Indian housewife. Her field of activity is confined to the four walls of her house.
Silent suffering is her lot in life and she bears this suffering without any complaint. She is an ideal
Indian housewife.

Q.4. Discuss the character of Margayya with reference to

(a) his greed for money.

(b) his vanity and(c) his piety.

Ans. Margayya is the central character of the novel. Everything the novel revolves round him.
He is the financial expert; the ‘financial wizard’. Margayya thinks money to be the most important
thing in the world. So he is always thinking of making more and more money.
(a) His greed for money: There is nothing wrong in craning money but when it becomes the sole
aim in life ignoring every other aspect of life, it overcomes greed and avarice. Margayya also
becomes greedy and full of avarice.
(b) His vanity: Margayya’s financial success makes him vain, proud and arrogant. Earlier when he
sat under the banyan tree as a small-time banker, he suffered from inferiority complex. He
always thought of ways and means to bring down the secretary of the Cooperative Bank and
Arul Dass, the head peon. But now, as a rich man, He develops a superiority complex.
(c) His Piety: Margayya is mad after money. His only aim in life seems to be to earn and
accumulate money. For this purpose, he undertakes a rigorous worship of Lakshmi, the goddess
 of wealth and prosperity. At last, the goddess smiles on him and he becomes rich, but he loses
his humanity.

Q.5. Justify the title of R.K. Narayan’s novel The Financial Expert.

Ans. R.K. Narayan’s novel ‘The Financial Expert’ deals with the theme of universal passion for
money. Margayya, the hero of the novel, is obsessed with the idea of accumulating wealth by hook
or by crook. He rises from a very humble position to a big banking magnet.
a financial The title ‘The Financial Expert’ refers to Margayya who is really expert in his capabilities
and ambitions.
A study of Margayya’s character brings out convincingly the aptness of the title. When the novel
opens, we are tole that Margayya is a forty two year old man. His real name is ‘Krishna’ but it has
long been forgotten.
Now people call him Margayya. Margayya means one who show the way’. Margayya shows the way
to the poor and needy villagers to get unlimited loans from the Central Co-operative Bank.
He is always surrounded by people seeking loans and other types of financial guidance. He keeps
himself at the centre of all these complex transactions and claims for his services a share of profit
from all parties concerned. Like a master magician, he caste a spell on all those who approach him.

Q.6. Attempt a character-sketch of Balu.

Ans. Balu is the only child of his parents, Margayya and Meenakshi. He is born after twelve years of
their marriage, he is the lonely child. But his father is always busy with his financial transactions.
He has neither time nor intention to come back home in time to spend a few moments of leisure
with his son. His mother is busy with the domestic chores and has hardly any time for him.
Thus, Bulu grows neglected and isolate in his early childhood. This has an adverse impact on his later
growth. Balu turns into a stubborn and obstinate child because of the utter neglect by his parents.
He runs away with his father’s valuable accounts book and throws it into the gutter and stands there
smiling He reaps the childish joy by teasing his parents.

Q.7. Write a note on Margayya attempts at educating his son.

Or, Describe Margayya’s efforts to educate his son. Why does he fail?

Ans. When a book named Domestic Harmony was published, Margayya’s days changed
entirely.
He became rich. In the meantime Balu has become six years old. Margayya was very keen about the
education of his son. He wanted his son to excel in every field after completing his education.
So he took him to the Town’s Elementary School and admitted him there. Margayya made it a grand
show. He took the young boy in a decorated motor car with pipes and drums through the Market
Road:
Margayya walked in front of the car. He had also invited a few citizens on the road to go up with him
as well.
Next day they celebrate schooling ceremony and as such the family of his brother too graced the
occasion. Within fifteen days of the schooling ceremony of his son, Margayya
hears reports that Balu is being canned almost every day. At the end of the term Balu returns home
with his progress card marked zero. Margayya decides to take charge of the school and becomes its
secretary.
Now Balu has a special standing in the school, for Margayya is School’s Secretary. Teachers salute
before him while he passes beside them. But when the boy does not study well they have to cane
him.
Although, Margayya gets angry, he never interferes in their work as he wants his son to get higher
education. He wants that he should go to America or Europe to take up higher education.
He provided all the facilities to the boy for studying. He provides him a separate room as well as
tutors for study. He even puts on a framed picture of Goddess Saraswati in his study room.
He even advises Balu’s teacher to thrash the boy if the does not study well. Hence he makes every
possible effort to get the boy good education but Balu could only reach upto
matriculation somehow or the other. He fails to pass the S.S.L.C. examination. Thus, all efforts of
Margayya to educate his son in smoke.

Q.8. Describe the various phases of Margayya’s rise and fall.

Or, Explain how Margayya contributes to his own ruin.
. Or, How does Margayya become rich? What leads to his ruin?

Ans. The Financial Expert’ is the story of the rise and fall of Margayya. It is his obsession with money
that takes him to the pinnacle of wealth and ultimately bringe his downfall. The story of his rise and
fall is in five phases.
In the firs phase, Margayya acts as the financial adviser to the peasants. He transacts his business
under a banyan tree in front of the Malgudi Central Co-operative Mortgage Bank.
There is always a semi-circle of peasants sitting round him, and by their attitude and expression one
might easily guess that they are suppliants.
Margayya is to them a wizard who enables to draw unlimited loans from the cooperative Bank, In
the second phase, Margayya becomes the prosperous published of the
book ‘Domestic Harmony’ in collaboration with the printer, Mr. Lal. But he hates this business. He
goes to the priest, shows him his horoscope and tells him to worship Lakshmi, the Goddess of
Wealth for forty days. Margayya goes to the pond of the red lotuses.
He meets Dr. Pal, a journalist, correspondent and author. His book ‘Bed Life’ is printed in the press of
Madan Lal, on a fifty partnership basis.
He earns a lot of money through the sales of the book and within a short period he becomes well-
known for his riches. In the third phase, Margayya becomes ‘Financial adviser’ and money lender to
the peasants, With his own offices in Market Road.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

 Answer the following questions in about 50-60 words each:

Q. 1. Write a few sentence on Brinda, the wife of Balu.

Ans. Brinda is Balu’s young wife. She belongs to a rich family of landed aristocracy. Brinda is a
harassed persecuted and tortured young lady duly married to a bullhead Balu. She is made to live
separate immediately after her marriage. Brinda has not tasted love and affection of her father-in-
law and mother- in-law.
She is a fish out of water. Balu prosperous with his father’s cash dole falls to wine, wealth and
women. In the end Brinda discloses to her father-in-law Balu’s misadventures. She is scared when
she discloses all Balu’s unpleasant activities. She is a suffering wife like her mother-in-law.

Q.2. What details do you get about Margayya’s ancestry.

Ans. Margayya’s family now is considered to be of good caste but really he belonged to a very low
caste. There was a time when his father’s grandfather and his brothers were corpes-bearers.
They were the handlers of dead animals. Whenever an animal died, they were called for to carry the
corpse. Then gradually they acquired a piece of land and became agriculturists. Margayya
even now fears lest this stigme on his family should come out. In Malgudi, Margayya now lives in
Vinayak Street at house No. 14D and has amassed a good fortune. Margayya and his brother share
their ancestral house. It is a simple home, situated on the fringe of the cremation ground.

Q.3. Describe the relationship between the family of Margayya and that of his
brother.
Ans. The family of Margayya and that of his brother live in their ancestral house in
Vinayak Street. After the death of their father, both the two brothers got separation.
The house was partitioned from the street to the backyard and other things left by their father were
divided among them. But the backyard of the same house with its single wall. It fell to Margayya’s
share.
He wanted to close it but the public prevented. People insisted that the wall should remain
common property. They did not have find relations but their terms come to have amicable relations
when schooling ceremony of Balu was arranged.
Q.4. Margayya’s is torn to shreds. Detail the relevant facts.

Ans. Margayya was working as a writer of applications for people who came to the Bank for getting
loans. One day Arul Doss, the head peon of the bank, comes to Margayya to tell him that the Bank
Secretary has called him to his office.
This makes Margayya angry and replies suddenly that the secretary should come to see him.
Meanwhile the Secretary appears on the scene wearing impressive clothes. He looks very smart
with a hat on his head. The Secretary questions him from where he has got so many loan forms.
This upsets Margayya. The Secretary tells Margayya that he is in the illegal possession of bank
documents, but Margayya tells him that these documents belongs to the shareholders who are his
customers. At this the Secretary orders Arul Doss to remove all the loan application forms.
He snatches some of his forms and tells that reports have come to me of your activities. If you are
seen here again, you will find yourself in prison. Margayya is now torn to shreds. It is a crushing
defeat for him.

Q.5. How was a suitable match for Balu traced?

Ans. Balu has grown up but he wastes time and money on betel leaves and
indulges in smoking. Balu has spoiled his health and his eyes have started shrinking. Margayya does
not know what to do with this child. At last, he plans to marry him off so that his life becomes
regular and he starts behaving in a responsible manner.
There are hundreds of marriage proposals for Balu but Margayya does not find them suitable
according to his status. Margayya’s chief assistant.
Sastri examines all the marriage proposals. He hankers for a status alliance. In reality Margayya is
proud of his status. He ultimately selects Brinda, the daughter of a rich tea estate owner of Mempi.
An astrologer who gets only one rupee declares the horoscope not good. The second astrologer
declares their union most useful when he gets seventy-five rupees. At this critical moment, it is Dr.
Pal who gets him a favorable astrologer.
Q.6. Who is Madan Lal and how does he helps Margayya in his business?

Ans. Madan Lal is a businessman from Bombay settled in Malgudi. He seems to be an honest
businessman with the work of printing.
He gives due welcome to Margayya who comes to him to talk about the publication of Dr. Pal’s book
on sexology. He looks at the manuscript most patiently before committing anything.
Madan Lal is very hospitable towards his clients and he invites Margayya to have a lunch with him in
the restaurant. Margayya enjoys jalebies’ and other delicacies. Marg-yya is highly impressed by his
hospitality.
After seeing the entire manuscript Madan Lal declares to seek the opinion of his lawyer. Who finds
the book all right. Margayya doesn’t come forward to spend anything on the production of the
book.
Even then, Madan Lal agrees to pay Margayya a share in the profits. The title of the book is changed
to “Domesstic Harmony”. The book proves to be a roaring success. Margayya earns a lot from the
sale of this book.

Q.7. Describe the role of Arul Doss in the play.

Ans. Arul Doss is the head peon of the Co-operative Bank at Malgudi. He is always on the look out
for some victims. Margayya calls him the worst blackguard under the sun.
Arul Doss in instrumental in getting Margayya destabilized from his place of work. He instigates the
Secretary to punish Margayya. It is he who comes and threatens Margayya.
Arul Doss reports to the Secretary how Margayya has insulted him and other bank employees. He
irritated Margayya first and then brings the Secretary to do the rest. He collects all the forms the tin
box of Margayya under the instructions of the Secretary.
Q. 8. How can you say that Murti, the School teacher is a helpless cost person?

Ans. Murti is an arithmetic and English teacher at the school where Balu studies. He has

earned a reputation of being a great teacher and strict disciplinarian.

Baul’s father engages Murti as a tutor to teach his son at home and instructs him to use the came
fearlessly. Murti is wise enough to understand the intention of Margayya.
He gets ten rupees a month for the home tuition in addition to twenty five rupees a month from the
school job. He is cautious enough not to use his cane. Balu may poison his father’s ears and he may
lose both the jobs.
Murti always tries to keep Balu in good humour. He give him gifts of pencils, rubbers, sweets and
solves all his sums. Murti is a helpless teacher like his colleagues at the school. Balu is naughty and
delinquent child. Murti soon discovers that the father is also disinterested in Balu’s studies. He
performs his duty as a formality without his heart in it.

Q.9. Write down the duties entrusted to with Sastri, the Accoutant of Margayya?
Ans. Sastri, a retired government servant, is Margayya’s accountant. He is honest, sincere and
consistent in his assignment. Margayya is a hard task master and does not want even a minute of
office time to be wasted in courtesies and greetings.
When Sastri greets him, he retorts, “I do not want all this formality of a greeting. If you want to
please me, do your work and get on with it without wasting your time.” He has a very difficult and
tight schedule time table in the office.
He is to write down the mortgages that are left with him by the villagers who come round for
financial assistance.
He gets fifty rupees a month. He does not ask his master to raise his salary for fear of losing his job.
Sastri suffers with his master till end. Sastri does not leave him in the church.
Some of the clients, when Margayya become a pauper, people pounce upon Sastri. They break his
glasses, tear his turban and hand him over to the police. Sastri suffers for his master without a word
of complaint.
Q. 10. Why did the secretary of the cooperative bank become against Margayya?

Ans. Margayya transacts his traditional business under the shade of a banyan tree in front of the
Cooperative Bank.
The Secretary of the bank is provoked by his peon of working. He first sends his peon to call
Margayya in the bank premises. Margayya answers back rather rudely.
He refuses to be cowed and bossed by anybody. The Secretary comes in person and interrogates
Margayya. He charges Margayya with illegally possessing loan application forms with him and asks
him to behaves like an educated man.
On the other hand he snatches his forms. He through Doss and warns Margayya to put in jail if he is
found working in that place again.

Q.11. How was Balu’s School Ceremony organised by Margayya?

Ans. When Balu was six years old, he was admitted to Two Elementary School. His admission to the
school was a grand fan-fare. He was taken to the school in a decorated motor with pipes and drums
through the Markes Road.
The traffic was help up for half an hour when Balu’s a admission procession was passing. Margayya,
his elder brother and some rich dignitaries of the city were walking in front of the car.