Unit-2 English and Soft Skills

Lesson -1 Legal Alien

Q.1 What was the narrator surprised about at first?

A. The narrator was surprised at the fact that the receptionist was not going to charge consultation
fees as the narrator belonged to her tribe.

Q. 2 Where did the narrator see corruption?

The narrator always saw politicians and big businessmen indulging in corruption.

Q.3 Why did the narrator go to the clinic?

The narrator needed the doctor’s medical certificate which she could get only after being checked
by the doctor. Therefore, the narrator went to the clinic.

Q.4 How does the narrator describe her Ugandan classroom?

The narrator found her Ugandan classroom very big. It consisted of 15 or so benches with at least
seven pupils on each of them. The walls were dirty and the blue paint had been chipped at by the
students. Its floor was cemented and had no carpet, no tiles. The classroom had no cupboard, no
teacher’s desk, no sleeping corner. It had an old blackboard positioned at the front. There were
no hooks on the wall to hang school bags and so, they sprawled all over the floor.

Q. 5 What obstacles did the narrator face before getting her medical form stamped?

Wide spread demonstrations against the government were organized every Monday in Uganda.
It being a Monday, the narrator left for the town before sunrise. She could finish majority of her
work by afternoon. In the afternoon, when the rioting started, she hid herself in the crowded toilets
of the commercial buildings and kept washing her eyes to get tear gas out of her eyes. The last
of her work was to get the medical form stamped. As the riots were going on, she stopped at the
closest town clinic to get her form stamped.

Q. 6 Why did the English teacher slap the new student?

The English teacher slapped the new student as the new student could not show the homework
she had given in the previous session.

Q. 7 How did the teachers decide that the narrator was a good student?

The teachers concluded that the narrator was a good student as the narrator came to thank
teachers during the recess time.

Q. 8 How many students were there in the Ugandan and Australian classrooms?

There were around 100 students in the Ugandan classroom whereas 32 students in the Australian
classroom.

Q.9 How did the narrator become friends with her classmates?
The narrator became friends with her classmates immediately after being slapped by her English
teacher.

Q. 10 How did the narrator adapt herself to the new school situation in Uganda?

The narrator adapted to the new school situation after being slapped by the English teacher. Her
classmates offered her apologies as well as sweets. They consoled her that she would get used
to the beatings.

Lesson-2 Action Will be Taken

Q.1 Why did the narrator interview for a job at Alfred Wunsiedel’s factory?

Financial difficulties compelled the narrator to appear in an interview for a job at Alfred
Wunsiedel’s factory.

Q.2 Why did the narrator suspect the factory?

The narrator suspected the factory because it was built entirely of glass brick. Its coffee shop was
well-lit and had cheerful ambience. They were served breakfast and the waitresses seemed to be
bursting with good cheer.

Q.3 Why did the company give the candidates breakfast?

The company gave the candidates breakfast as a part of interview.

Q.4 How did the company identify suitable candidates?

The company identified suitable candidates by offering them breakfast and conducting aptitude
test.

Q.5 How did the narrator answer the question on free time?

The narrator claimed that he had eliminated the term free time from his vocabulary on his fifteenth
birthday.

Q.6 Why was it important for the narrator to use imperatives in the factory?

It was important for the narrator to use imperatives as it created a sense of urgency and command.

Q.7 What common characteristics did Wunsiedel, Broschek, and Wunsiedel’s secretary share?

Wunsiedel, Broschek, and Wunsiedel’s secretary were vigorous personalities who were fond of
doing work.

Q.8 Why did the narrator hesitate to say ‘Action will be taken’ one Tuesday morning?

The narrator saw something inexplicable on Wunsiedel’s face and therefore, he hesitated to say
‘Action will be taken’ one Tuesday morning.

Q.9 How did the narrator discover the nature of his feelings towards Wunsiedel?
When the narrator turned the corpse of Wunsiedel over onto his back, closed his eyes, he felt
tenderness for him and realized for the first time that he had never hated him.

Q. 10 How did the narrator find his true calling in life?

The narrator was pensive and inactive by nature. Therefore, he was delegated to carry a wreath
of artificial roses behind Wunsiedel’s coffin. Due to his pensiveness and inactivity, he looked like
a perfect mourner. As a result, he was offered to join a fashionable firm of funeral directors as a
professional mourner. In this way, the narrator found his true calling in life.

Lesson-3 The Letter

Q.1 Why did Ali go to the post office every day?

Ali went to the post office every day with a hope to receive a letter from his daughter.

Q.2 What special skill did Ali have?

Ali had been a very clever hunter.

Q.3 Why did Ali stop hunting?

Ali understood the pain of separation when his daughter left him after getting married. He could
then understand the pain of birds and animals he killed and so, he stopped hunting.

Q.4 Why did the narrator say that the postmaster was inexpressive?

The postmaster had a sad face and lacked vigour and liveliness; therefore, the postmaster was
inexpressive.

Q.5 Why did the postmaster consider Ali a pest?

Ali had come to the post office after several days. He directly asked the post master if he had
received a letter from his daughter. The postmaster was in a hurry as he wanted to get out to the
country and so he considered Ali a pest.

Q.6 Why did Ali give five gold coins to Lakshmi Das?

Ali gave five gold coins to Lakshmi Das with an assurance that Lakshmi Das would forward his
daughter’s letter to his grave whenever he received it.

Q.7 How did the postmaster come to understand Ali?

The postmaster’s daughter who lived in another town, had fallen ill. He was anxiously waiting for
news of her but he did not receive his daughter’s letter. It was then he realized the pain Ali
underwent.

Q.8 How did the postmaster begin to see every letter as a beating heart?

The postmaster was awaiting his daughter’s letter. He was worried all night and day. He was
shocked to know that Ali passed away without receiving his daughter’s letter. It was then he was
able to relate with Ali’s anxiety for his daughter’s letter and he began to see every letter as a
beating heart.

Q.9 What strange experience did the postmaster have?

The postmaster was waiting for his daughter’s letter but instead he received Miriam’s letter. He
went to the post office at three and decided to give Ali his letter. At five, he heard a soft knock on
the door. He rose quickly and opened the door. He saw Ali but he shrank back in fear and
astonishment as there was unearthliness about his appearance. Just then, Lakshmi Das arrived
there and revealed that Ali died two months ago.

Q. 10 Where did Lakshmi Das deliver the letter addressed to Ali?

Lakshmi Das delivered the letter addressed to Ali at his grave.

Lesson-4 Lemon-Yellow and Fig

Q.1 Why was Mr Ratnam looking for a new employee?

Mr Ratnam was looking for a new employee because his last salesman in Bombay had run away
with cash and silk saris.

Q.2 What decisive quality did Mr Ratnam want to see in his new employee?

Mr Ratnam was looking for honesty and a pleasant manner with customers in his new employee.

Q.3 What additional quality did the narrator have and feel happy about?

The narrator was not only honest but also hard-working and had good salesmanship.

Q.4 What was striking about the first customer?

The first customer of the day was a dark woman who had worn a good quality but very strong
perfume.

Q.5 How did the narrator guess that both women belonged to the same family?

The narrator guessed that both women belonged to the same family as both of them had worn
the same perfume.

Q.6 Why did the narrator send the hundred-rupee note to another shop?

A dirty trick had been played upon a shopkeeper in the market few days ago. A young lady bought
something in the early morning and gave a new hundred rupee note for a change. Soon after she
had gone, another woman went to the shop and bought one or two little things and demanded her
change. Actually, she had paid no money and when the shopkeeper pointed her mistake, she
called in a policeman and complained that she had given a hundred rupee note which the
shopkeeper put it in the cashbox and refused to give her the change. She knew the number of
her note and it matched with that of the note in the cashbox. The narrator sent the hundred-rupee
note to another shop in order to avoid becoming a victim of such dirty trick.

Q.7 How did the narrator prove that he was a good salesman?

The lady had come to buy a fig colored sari. The narrator convinced her to buy two saris instead
of one as both saris suited her. This showed that he was a good salesman.

Q. 8 Why did Mr Ratnam visit the shop after the first two customers had left?

Mr Ratnam visited the shop after the first two customers had left as he wanted to undertake stock-
taking before trusting the narrator completely.
Q. 9 Why did Mr Ratnam appreciate the narrator?

Mr. Ratnam appreciated the narrator for dealing pleasantly with customers, convincing them to
buy more than they needed and not making them wait for change.

Q. 10 Why was the narrator looking for a new job?

Mr ratnam was happy with the narrator’s salesmanship. He counted stock in the shop and was
satisfied. In the end, he checked cash box and he found 100 rupee note missing. Therefore, he
fired the narrator.

Lesson-5 Changing India

Q.1 What major problems did a traveller to the US face in 1979?

A traveller to the US in 1979 was treated like an inferior being. They asked questions about the
intention to visit the US, the salary, clothing, traditions that existed in India.

Q.2 Why did the Boston immigration officer look at the author with disbelief?

The Boston immigration officer looked at the author with disbelief when she showed her return
ticket and 500 dollars.

Q. 3 How much knowledge of India did the Boston immigration officer have about India?

The Boston immigration officer had little knowledge about India. He did not know where India was
located. He knew nothing about the customs of India like wearing sari or bindi on the forehead.
He believed that India was peopled by Maharajas and beggars and that cows and snakes
wandered on the road.

Q. 4 How did the second immigration officer’s stereotypical presentation of India affect the author?

The author was taken aback by the rude remarks of the second immigration officer’s about India.

Q.5 How did she answer the question on owning an elephant?

The author answered that it was not easy to own an elephant though she had seen many.

Q. 6 How did a customs officer treat her for carrying masalas to the US?

A customs officer treated her as if she was carrying diseases instead of masalas.

Q. 7 Why did she feel proud of India?

She felt proud of India because of its history and five thousand years of civilization. The country
still continued the practices of the Indus valley civilization when other contemporary civilizations
had disappeared. India’s contribution to Science, Astrophysics, Arts, Literature, and Architecture
has been immense.

Q.8 How did Bangalore help in creating a better understanding of India in the West?

Bangalore became a hub of the Indian software industry. As a result, it was connected directly to
the US and the rest of the world by air. The people of Bangalore created an impression of being
confident, well-travelled, tech-savvy and hardworking. In this way, Bangalore helped in creating
a better understanding of India in the West.
Q.9 How was the author’s second trip to the US a totally different and pleasant experience?

The author’s second trip to the US a totally different and pleasant experience because the
immigration officer respected her and talked with her very nicely.

Q. 10 What did the African American customs officer know about India?

The African American customs officer knew many things about India. He knew that sari was
India’s national dress. He also knew about the city of Bangalore. He found Indians to be no-
nonsense people. He liked Bollywood songs.

Lesson-6 The Dispenser of Holy Water

1. Why were the wheelwright and his wife sad for many years after their marriage?

The wheelwright and his wife were sad for many years after their marriage as they were childless.

2. How did the couple lose their son Jean?

Jean had slipped out of the house while playing and then was never found.

3. Why did they sell their house?

They sold their house as they set out to search their son.

4. How did they survive during their search for their son?

The couple searched for their son everywhere. When the couple was exhausted of money, they
worked out by the day in the farms and inns, ate what was left from the tables, slept on the ground
and suffered from cold. When they grew weak due to hardships and growing age, they begged
for food.

5. Why did they decide to go to Paris at last?

They decided to go to Paris when one innkeeper told them that he knew someone who had found
their lost daughter in Paris.

6. How did the wheelwright become friends with the holy water dispenser at a church?

The wheelwright kept visiting churches in search of his son. He became friends with the holy
water dispenser at a church which he visited the most frequently.

7. How did the wheelwright become the holy water dispenser?

The holy water sprinkler of the church died due to severe winter. The parish priest had known
about the wheelwright’s misfortunes and so he made the wheelwright the new holy water
dispenser.

8. Why did the wheelwright ask his wife to accompany him to the church one day?

A young man visited the church. The wheelwright felt that he had formerly seen a young man but
he could not recall the source of a familiar resemblance. Therefore, the wheelwright asked his
wife to accompany him to the church one day.

9. How did the couple finally find their lost son?

The wheelwright’s wife realized that the young man who visited the church looked like the
wheelwright in his young age. This realization made the wheelwright agitated. He exclaimed his
son’s name and the young man stopped and recognized his parents.

10. How did the son raise himself to the status of a gentleman?

The circus people had carried off Jean. When the circus disbanded, they sold him to an old lady
who brought him up like her own son, educated him and passed off her property to him. In this
way, he became a gentleman.

Lesson-7 A Career

1. Why did the residents of Lawley Extension consider the narrator a savior?

Lawley Extension was a mile away from the market. So, when the narrator opened a provision
store over there, the residents considered him a savior.

2. How did the narrator pick up his business?

The narrator visited every house to secure orders and thus by, picked up his business.

3. How did the young fellow impress upon the narrator that he was reliable person?

The narrator had an attractive personality. He looked God-fearing and religious person. He not
only volunteered to do work at home as well as the shop but also executed the work to everyone’s
satisfaction. In this way, the young fellow impressed upon the narrator that he was reliable person.

4. How did Ramu endear himself to the narrator’s family and the town?

Ramu helped the narrator’s wife in the kitchen. He played with the narrator’s children and kept
them entertained all the time. He went to the shop and helped the narrator in his business. He
also supported the residents of Lawley Extension by way of helping them in dealing notorious
children or patching up quarrels or gardening or renovating a house. He participated in every
activity of the school. In this way, Ramu endeared himself to the narrator’s family and the town.

5. How did Ramu become popular among the customers?

Ramu attended the customers very quickly. He talked with them and knew the inside story of
every family. He served everyone to the best of his capacity. Therefore, he became popular.

6. How did Ramu deal with the business and accounts in the absence of his boss?

Ramu pretended to show that he handled the business and accounts in the absence of his boss
very deftly. The fact was that he messed up accounts. He sold the goods and pocketed the profit
instead of paying those from whom the narrator had purchased the goods.

7. Why did Ramu want to leave Malgudi urgently?

Ramu told that his father had contracted cholera and that he was not sure if he would survive.
Therefore, he wanted to leave Malgudi urgently.

8. How did the loss of his business affect the narrator and his family?

The narrator was not only forced to close his business but also sell off whatever he had to clear
debts created by Ramu. He and his family was forced to live on charity. They turned paupers.
9. How did the narrator find out about Ramu’s unhappy fate?

After several years, the narrator had gone to Thirupathi temple to fulfil a vow. It was at the steps
of the hills that he heard a voice of Ramu. When he turned around, he saw him who was no longer
handsome. He looked dark, scarred and pitted. He had become blind. The beggar sitting next to
him informed the narrator that Ramu was deserted by his wife when he became blind and ugly
due to small pox. That he lived the life of a sanyasi ever since.

10. How did the narrator treat Ramu when he happened to meet him in the Tirupati Hills?

The narrator wanted to question Ramu for ruining his business and family life but he realized that
God had punished him enough for his betrayal. Therefore, he left Ramu on his own and moved
ahead.

Lesson-8 After Twenty Years

1. Why were the streets empty?

The streets were empty because chill wind was blowing along with rain.

2. Why did the police officer slow down on his walk?

The police officer slowed down on his walk as he found a man standing at the doorway of a closed
hardware store.

3. Why did the friends make an unusual appointment to meet after twenty years?

The friends had opted for diverse careers and therefore, they parted. They were not sure if they
would keep in touch while being in the different parts of the country. However, they definitely
interested in knowing how each one of them flourished. Therefore, they decided to meet after
twenty years.

4. How did the man from the West describe the character of Jimmy Wells?

The man from the West described Jimmy Wells as the truest, staunchest finest old chap in the
world. Jimmy Wells was his best chum. He never forgot anything. However, he thought New York
was the only place on the earth and could not be convinced to move out of New York.

5. What did the waiting man notice about the appearance of the new arrival?

The waiting man noticed that his friend Jimmy had grown tall by two or three inches after they
separated.

6. How happy was Bob when he met his friend after such a long time?

Bob was extremely happy when he met his friend after such a long time.

7. How did the waiting man conclude that the new arrival was not his friend?

Both the men started walking on the street arm in arm. The waiting man boasted about his
success in the West. Just as they moved under the light, the waiting man gazed at the new arrival
and on the basis of the shape of nose, he concluded that the new arrival was not his friend.

8. Why did the new officer arrest Bob?

Bob was a criminal wanted in Chicago. New York police knew about it. Therefore, the new officer
arrested Bob.

9. Why did Bob tremble as he finished reading the note?

Bob trembled as he finished reading the note because his best friend Jimmy Wells had recognised
him as a criminal wanted in Chicago.

10. How do both Bob and Wells appear to the reader?

Bob appears to be materialistic who can go to any extent for material gains. Jimmy Wells appears
to be a man of words as well as ethics.

Lesson-9 The Power of a Plate of Rice

1. Why did Mrs Cheta Adu want to meet her principal urgently?

The Principal had deferred the payment of Mrs Cheta Adu’s salary to the next month by way of
punishment for taking four days leave without permission. She was a single parent and had three
people to feed. She was desperately in need of money. It was in that context that she wanted to
meet her principal urgently.

2. Why did she remember her mother’s words of advice before entering the principal’s room?

Cheta was full of anger as she went to meet her principal over the deferred payment of her salary.
Therefore, she remembered her mother’s words who had advised her not to do anything in anger.

3. How did the school management pay its staff?

The school management never paid its staff regularly and punctually.

4. Why did the principal stop Mrs Cheta Adu’s payment and delay it endlessly?

The principal stopped Mrs Cheta Adu’s payment by way of punishment for taking four days leave
without permission.

5. How did she manage to feed her family without her salary for nearly four months?

She delayed their meal times so that they did not go to sleep hungry. She herself went without
meals many times. She borrowed money from her friends to buy food.

6. How did her husband die?

Her mother died in the ghastly motor accident.

7. How did the mother-in-law help her?

The mother-in-law came to live with Cheta to save costs and also to look after children.

8. How did she attend to Rapulu when he had high fever?

She gave Rapulu a teaspoonful of the bitter-sweet medicine and began to sponge him to contain
his fever.
9. How did the irregular salary affect Mrs Cheta’s behaviour and relationship with others,
especially her students?

10. How did she get her salary finally?

She followed her principal to his home and ate away his meal. The principal was shocked by such
behaviour and passed an order to pay Cheta her salary.

Lesson-10 Ilyas

1. How did Ilyas prove that he was a good manager?

When Ilyas’s father died, he had left seven mares, two cows and a score of sheep by way of
legacy. Ilyas and his wife worked very hard rising earlier than others and going later to sleep.
They acquired great wealth then.

2. Why did the neighbours say that Ilyas was a fortunate man?

The neighbours said that Ilyas was a fortunate man because he had plenty of everything.

3. How did Ilyas receive and treat his visitors?

Ilyas welcomed every visitor and treated them with food and drink.

4. What happened to his first son and daughter?

His first son was killed in a brawl and his daughter who was married away also died.

5. Why did his second son leave him?

His second son had married a self-willed woman; he stopped paying respect to his father and
could not live together any more.

6. How did Ilyas’s wealth decrease?

Ilyas gave away some portion of his wealth to his second son. Then, a disease broke out among
Ilyas’ sheep and many died. The next year the crop failed and many cattle died in winter. His best
herd of horses were captured by the Kirghiz. In this way, Ilyas’ wealth decreased.

7. Why did Muhammad want to help Ilyas and his wife?

Muhammad wanted to help Ilyas and his wife remembering their kindness and hospitality towards
the visitors.

8. Why did Ilyas ask his wife to give the answer to the visitor’s question?

Ilyas asked his wife to answer because she wore her heart on her sleeve and so, she would speak
truth.

9. What is the truth of life, according to Ilyas?

According to Ilyas, the truth of life was that one could be happy with limited resources.

10. What did the Mullah say at the end?

Mullah said that the Holy scriptures also asserted that one could be happy with limited resources.