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Here we are providing A Dog Named Duke Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Literature Reader, Extra Questions for Class 9 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

A Dog Named Duke Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Literature

A Dog Named Duke Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Answer the following questions briefly.

Question 1.
Why was Duke put in a kennel?
Answer:
Duke was put in a kennel because Chuck had an accident which meant he would not be returning home for a long time. Marcy also would not be home much and there would have been no one to take care of Duke.

Question 2.
Why did Chuck not show much improvement in the hospital?
Answer:
Chuck was probably not being able to come to terms with the fact that he would never regain his health but would remain a cripple all his life. This thought depressed him and slowed down his rate of recovery.

Question 3.
How did Duke behave when he saw Chuck after he came back from the hospital?
Answer:
Duke was so excited to see his master that he launched himself on his master causing him to almost fall down.

Question 4.
Did Duke’s return have any effect on Hooper?
Answer:
After the first day when Duke threw himself on him and Chuck had stood up to welcome him, Chuck did not show any more enthusiasm. He would spend his days in silence, staring at the ceiling for hours.

Question 5.
“The dog knew instantly”—What did he know? How did he behave thereafter?
Answer:
He instantly realised that his master was not well and after that he never jumped on Chuck again but stayed by his bedside around the clock, staring at him in silence.

Question 6.
“Duke finally couldn’t take it.” What does the narrator mean by this? What change did Duke bring about?
Answer:
Duke could not take the long hours of silence from Hooper and his apathy and listlessness. He started poking and nudging Chuck till at last Chuck was forced to respond.

Question 7.
“It was like lighting a fuse. Duke shimmied himself U-shaped in anticipation.” Explain.
Answer:
This line refers to the effect Chuck had on the dog when his good hand idly hooked the leash onto the dog’s collar. The dog jumped up in anticipation that his master would take him for a walk. It made the dog all excited.

Question 8.
“The pair set daily goals.” Who were the pair? What were their daily goals?
Answer:
The “pair” refers to Chuck and his dog Duke. Their goal refers to their determination to get Chuck walking and resuming his normal life. Every day they increased the distance and walked till Chuck was able to walk long distances without help from Duke.

Question 9.
What did Duke do when his master fell in his attempt to walk?
Answer:
Duke would stand very still while his master struggled to get up. It seemed as if he felt it was his job to get his master back on his feet.

Question 10.
Did Chuck give up after Duke’s death? Give reasons for your answer.
Encourage the students to think creatively and formulate their own answer.
Answer:
No, Chuck continued to walk and work as he had done with Duke by his side. He had realised the deep love, dedication, and patience that the dog had shown in getting him back on his feet and he could not let all that effort go in vain.

A Dog Named Duke Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe the first attempts made by Hooper to walk.
Answer:
Hooper’s good hand held onto the leash attached to the dog’s collar and he asked Marcy to help him to his feet. With Marcy supporting him by the elbow, he moved his right leg out in the front, causing the left foot to drag forward alongside the right leg. Duke felt the sudden slackness in his leash and he pulled it tight. Chuck swayed forward, broke the fall with his right leg, and then straightened.

Thrice he repeated the same before collapsing into his wheelchair, thus taking his first step since his accident. Everyday thereafter the dog and his master would set targets for the day, slightly further from the day before and not rest till the target for the day was accomplished. In this way from one step they took several steps to reach the door and finally covered the neighbourhood and beyond.

Question 2.
Write a character sketch of Chuck Hooper. What kind of a man do’you think he was?
Answer:
Before the accident Chuck appears to be a happy-go-lucky m$n who has everything going for him. He has a job, a loving wife, a comfortable home with a dog he loves, and the opportunity to play in the football team. But the accident brings out the real depth of his character. After he shakes off his initial despair and gloom, he appears to be a determined, persevering young man who is not afraid to stretch his limits. He shows tremendous courage in facing his handicap and finding a way to live life on his terms in spite of it. He also has the sensitivity to appreciate the dog’s efforts to help him. His hard working nature and independence is apparent in the way he comes back to work and is promoted due to the excellent work that he puts in.

Question 3.
Charles Hooper writes a diary entry after Duke dies, detailing the impact the dog has had on his life. Write the entry.
Answer:
12 April 20xx
Duke died today. A part of me has been buried with him. There is much that I have to thank Duke for. After my accident I saw no reason to live. I lay in my bed for months staring at the ceiling. Marcy, my wife was so upset to see me so morose and depressed. That is when she decided to bring Duke back home from the kennel where she had put him while I was in hospital. The day he returned I tried to stand up to welcome

him. With a giant leap he launched himself on me. He was so excited and happy to see me! But he was so sensitive; he immediately sensed that all was not fine with me. After that he never jumped on me but sat by my bedside quietly staring at me. For some weeks he sat patiently but one day he decided to take me outside and started prodding and nudging me till I had to give in and try to stand.

I can never forget the care and effort he put in to help me walk. I would hold on to his leash while he would walk forward holding it tight waiting for me to drag my legs till I reached him, then he would run ahead and wait for me. In this way I started walking—first a few steps then some more and finally around the neighbourhood. I owe Duke so much. It is really hard to let him go. May you rest in peace!

Question 4.
Marcy writes a letter to her mother in another city informing her about the change in Chuck’s attitude since the return of Duke, mentioning the effort Duke has been putting in goading Chuck out of the bed. Write the letter.
Answer:
15 August 20xx XYZ
Dear Mother,
I never thought there would be a day when I would be grateful to Duke! But it is true, that dog is a wonder! He has managed to get Chuck out of his bed today! I could hardly imagine this was possible.

When I returned from work I saw Chuck standing holding on to Duke’s leash. Then Duke moved ahead and waited with his leash tight while Chuck slowly shuffled his legs to move forward till he was just behind Duke and the leash was loose. Then Duke again moved forward and stood with his leash straining tight. Once again • Chuck moved forward but was so tired out by the effort that he collapsed into his wheelchair!

I am so happy, Duke is such a godsend. He is so sensitive in spite of his huge size. He understands Chuck’s needs and adjusts his movements to suit Chuck’s. He is better than any physiotherapist! He has got my Chuck once again interested in life. Now I am hopeful that Chuck will resume as normal a life as possible under the circumstances.
Your daughter,
Marcy

A Dog Named Duke Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
In 1953, Hooper was a favoured young man. A big genuine grin civilized his highly competitive nature. Standing six-foot-one, he’d played on the university football team. He was already a hard-charging zone sales manager for a chemical company. Everything was going for him.
(a) With reference to Hooper, the author says, “Everything was going for him.” What does it imply?
Answer:
The author implies that Hooper had everything that a man aspires for.

(b) What was Hooper’s occupation and what made him well suited for the job?
Answer:
Hooper was a hard-charging zone sales manager for a chemical company. He was well suited because of his pleasant personality and competitive nature.

(c) In your own words can you define what hard-charging means?
Answer:
Hard-charging means ambitious or working or performing with a lot of energy and skill

Question 2.
“Hooper was taken to the hospital with a subdural haemorrhage. ”
(a) How did Hooper get hurt?
Answer:
Hooper got hurt in a car accident.

(b) What does subdural haemorrhage mean?
Answer:
The medical term subdural haemorrhage means bleeding in the brain.

(c) For how long did Hooper have to stay in the hospital?
Answer:
Hooper stayed in the hospital for many months.

Question 3.
“But Chuck did not make much headway. ”
(a) What was wrong with Chuck?
Answer:
Chuck was paralyzed after an accident.

(b) What does “did not make much headway” mean?
Answer:
It means that Chuck did not show any signs of recovering.

(c) How did Chuck regain his enthusiasm for life?
Answer:
He regained his enthusiasm for life because of his dog, Duke

Question 4.
“Finally they decided to bring Duke home. ”
(a) Whom does “they” refer to?
Answer:
In the given extract “they” refers to Hooper and his wife.

(b) Where had Duke been?
Answer:
Duke had been put in a kennel after Hooper met with an accident.

(c) Why did they decide to bring Duke home?
Answer:
Hooper was bed ridden and needed companionship. They decided to bring Duke home as he could help Hooper get out of his listlessness.

Question 5.
Those who saw it said the dog knew instantly. He never jumped on Chuck again. From that moment, he took up a post beside his master’s bed around the clock.
(a) Why did Duke never jump on Chuck again?
Answer:
Duke realised that Chuck was not well and could not balance himself.

(b) The author says that Duke “knew his job”. What was the job?
Answer:
Duke’s job was to look after Chuck.

(c) Explain the phrase ‘around the clock’.
Answer:
The phrase around the clock means all day and all night.

Question 6.
“ Go run around the house Duke. ’ But Duke wouldn’t. He’d lie down with a reproachful eye. ”
(a) Why was Duke unhappy with Hooper?
Answer:
Duke was unhappy with Hooper as Hooper was not showing any interest in getting well.

(b) What do these lines tell us about Duke?
Answer:
These lines tell us that Duke did not wish to leave his master alone. He was determined to make his master get up.

(c) What does the phrase ‘reproachful eye’ mean?
Answer:
The phrase ‘Reproachful eye’ means that Duke was looking at Hooper disapprovingly.

Question 7.
“Duke felt the sudden slack in the leash and pulled it taut. ”
(a) Why did Duke pull his leash?
Answer:
Duke pulled the leash as he was helping Chuck to walk.

(b) What does the word “taut” mean?
Answer:
Taut means very tight.

(c) What was the result of Duke’s help?
Answer:
The result of Duke’s help was that Hooper regained his confidence and started to walk.

Question 8.
“By mid-April, neighbours saw a daily struggle in front of Marcy’s house. ”
(a) What is the “daily struggle” being referred to?
Answer:
Here the “daily struggle” refers to Hooper getting out of the house to practice his walk.

(b) Who were the ones who struggled?
Answer:
Duke and Hooper were the ones who struggled.

(c) What had happened to Hooper?
Answer:
Hooper had become paralyzed after an accident.

Question 9.
“Gordon this isn’t just a visit. Bring me up to date…”
(a) Who is Gordon?
Answer:
‘ Gordon was Hooper’s manager at work.

(b) Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker of the extracted line is Hooper.

(c) What does he mean when he says “this isn’t just a visit?”
Answer:
When Hooper says “this isn’t just a visit”, he means he had come to work.

Question 10.
“Chuck hit the target and after March 1, there was no time for the physiotherapy programme… ”
(a) What target does Chuck hit?
Answer:
The target Chuck had was to work a full day.

(b) What did this prove about Chuck? What was the result of Hooper’s hitting the target?
Answer:
It proved that he was persevering, determined, and painstaking. He was appointed regional sales manager for hitting the target.

(c) What do you mean by physiotherapy?
Answer:
Physiotherapy is the treatment of injuries or disease by exercise or massage.

Question 11.
“They carried the big dog into the house.”
(a) Why did they have to carry the dog into the house?
Answer:
They had to carry the dog into the house because he had been run over by a car.

(b) Who carried the dog in?
Answer:
Marcy carried the dog inside.

(c) How does the person’s present attitude differ from earlier attitude?
Answer:
Marcy did not like the dog earlier but after everything he did for Hooper she loved him now.

Question 12.
“Marcy was not really a dog lover…It took a long time before Marcy was more than polite to the dog. ”
(a) Who was Marcy?
Answer:
Marcy was Hooper’s wife.

(b) Explain “More than polite to the dog”
Answer:
“More than polite to the dog” means Marcy finally accepted the dog in their house.

(c) Why was Marcy wary of the dog at first?
Answer:
Marcy was wary of the dog at first because it was very big and boisterous.

Here we are providing Three Men in a Boat Extra Questions and Answers for Class 9 English, Extra Questions for Class 9 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

Three Men in a Boat Extra Questions and Answers for Class 9 English

Question 1.
Name the four characters introduced in this chapter. Give an account of each.
Answer:
The four characters introduced in this chapter are the two friends of the narrator, George and William Samuel Harris, the narrator and his dog, Montmorency. J. is one of the main characters in the book and he is also the narrator of this story. J. sees himself as hardworking, intelligent and competent when in fact in real life he was the exact opposite. He is also a hypochondriac much like his other friends.

George is a very good-natured person. He works at the bank and is seen to be more grounded than his other two friends. He brings a banjo to his house and starts to learning how to play. Harris or William Samuel Harris and J. have known each other for a long time. He is bigger in build and used that to scare away somebody who was trying to blackmail them.

Question 2.
What were the men discussing and why were they doing so? Did they come up with a solution and what did they decide to about it?
Answer:
The men were discussing their poor health and their symptoms because they were experiencing spells of giddiness. The narrator was convinced that his liver was not functioning properly. They diagnosed themselves with every kind of disease they could find and only eliminated a disease called housemaid’s disease. They later identified the source of their poor health and hypochondria could be a result of stress and overwork so they decided to take a holiday. Then they finally decided to row up the Thames.

Question 3.
Why did the narrator suspect that his liver was not well? What made the narrator feel that he was an interesting medical case? Do you think something was wrong with him? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
The narrator felt so because he had been reading a circular that contained symptoms of liver disorder and he was convinced that he had all the symptoms.The fact that the narrator felt that he had every disease listed in the medical book he had ever read in the reading room convinced him that medical students could learn a lot about the various diseases by just studying him.There was nothing wrong with him, he was perfectly normal. The narrator seemed to worry about having a serious illness which turned out to be a phobia.

Question 4.
What does the narrator mean when he makes the following statement: “I had walked into that reading-room a happy, healthy man. I crawled out a decrepit wreck.”
(Encourage the students to think creatively andformulate their own answers.)
Answer:
The narrator means that though he had been quite hale and hearty before going to the reading-room, after reading the symptoms listed in the medical book, he felt that he was actually a very sick man as he seemed to have all the symptoms of most of the diseases listed in the book.

Question 5.
Why did the chemist not give the narrator any medicine when he gave him the doctor’s prescription? What did this mean? Do you think the doctor knew what the narrator was going through? Give ‘ reasons for your answer.
Answer:
The chemist did not give the narrator any medicines because the prescription did not contain th6 names of any medicines. All it had written on it was the name of the food and drink and the exercise that the doctor felt the narrator should have. It also contained the time at which the doctor advised him to sleep. This meant that the doctor did not think anything was wrong with the narrator.

Yes, I think the doctor knew exactly what was going on with the narrator because instead of prescribing medicines-and drugs, he had prescribed food and drinks as well as exercise. This shows that the narrator was healthy and had no tangible physical pain. It was ali a part of his phobia.

Question 6.
How has the narrator dealt with illness in his childhood whenever he complained it? Do you think that is the right approach? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
The narrator would be boxed or slapped hard on the side of his head and this strangely used to cure him of his illness at that time. (Encourage students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.) Despite the proverb, ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’, physical abuse in any form is not healthy and this form of negative reinforcement gives trauma to the recipient of the act.

The narrator is suffering from Hypochondria which is a phobia in itself and the cure itself lay in the parental figures understanding their child’s status. No, I do not think that violence or abuse is not cure for any illness. The parents must’ve figured that the child was acting but in fact the.problem lay in his psyche which by negative reinforcement was only able to suppress.

Question 7.
What does the narrator find strange about people talking about their sea trips? Why did George suggest that they could go on a boating trip?
Answer:
The narrator was surprised at the fact that they never discussed their bouts of sea-sickness. They often recounted tales about other people’s sea-sickness but never their own. They probably felt that it was a sign of weakness and the listeners might make fun of them. According to George, a boating trip on a river would give them fresh air, exercise and peace that they wanted. The change of scene would occupy their minds and the exercise of rowing the boat would give them a good appetite and tire them enough to get a good sleep.

Question 8.
Why was Montmorency not too keen to go on the boat? Is it right to fear the ocean and the boat?
Answer:
Montmorency, the dog, was not keen to go on the boat ride because he was not looking forward to being confined in the boat for hours together without any exercise, neither could he go chasing rats. He was also apprehensive that the men might not be able to handle the boat carefully and so there were chances of then- falling overboard into the river.

(Encourage the students to think creatively andformulate their own answers.)
Yes, I think it is right to fear the ocean because the seas and the oceans are a dangerous place with many unknown perils and subject to the erratic weather conditions. One can be afraid of the boat because the food supplies as well as other essentials could end any day on the boat and they would not have either land or another ship to possibly restock supplies.

Question 9.
What plans did the three men make about their trip? When were they planning on going on their trip and what was the major point of discussion while planning the trip? What was their final decision?
Answer:
The three men planned to leave on their trip on the following Saturday. Two of them, i.e., the narrator and Harris, would take the boat from Kingston to Chertsey, while George who worked in a bank would meet them at Chertsey the same afternoon. They had also taken great pains to pack their things but later on realized only to pack the essential things.The major point of discussion amongst the three was whether they would be camping out or sleeping in the inns. Finally, they decided that on fine nights they would sleep in the tents but on rainy nights they would sleep at the inns.

Question 10.
What are the difficulties described by the narrator about camping out in the open when it was raining? Do you think it would have been an adventure without the rain? Give reasons for ‘your answer.
Answer:
According to the narrator, the boat gets filled with water which makes it is very difficult to put up the tent. Also, making wood fire becomes impossible, the food supplies get soaked in the rain and turn . liquid. Moreover, tobacco becomes damp and the only thing that gives some comfort is a bottle of liquor. Additionally, one is down with a cold in the morning.

(Encourage the students to think creatively andformulate their own answer.)
No, I do not think it would have been an adventure without certain hardships such as the rains. It is only in difficult situations that one is confronted with the idea of happiness and for the three men who took a vacation to find happiness and freedom, the rains somehow reminds them of the fact that happiness is not by doing things or by being with certain people but it’s about appreciating one’s current situation and surroundings.

Question 11.
How does Uncle Podger involve the whole family in the simple task of hanging a picture? Why do you think J. keeps comparing Harris to Uncle Podger?
Answer:
One of the girls from Uncle Podger’s family was sent to buy nails, a boy was sent to tell the girl what size of nails to buy, a boy called Will was asked to get a hammer while Tom got him a ruler, the step-ladder and the ‘ kitchen-chair. Jim was sent to Mr Goggle’s house to lend him his spirit-level. Maria had to hold the light so that he could see clearly.

The girl, who had gone to get some picture-cord, and Tom were called back to hand him the picture. Then he dropped the picture, broke the glass, lost the nail, then the hammer and every time the whole household had to rally around trying to help him. J. keeps comparing Harris to his late Uncle Podger because much like Uncle Podger, Harris also cannot perform basic tasks without making mistakes and ends up riling everyone around him.

Question 12.
What is the narrator’s advice for those who load their boat with useless things? Why? What items did the three finally decide to carry on the trip?
Answer:
According to the narrator, one should discard everything that is unnecessary because it only creates danger and causes unnecessary confusion and clutter. The narrator goes on to compare this with life in general where people seemed to do the same with thoughts and emotions, holding on to them unnecessarily and creating tension for themselves. This could not give anyone a respite from anxiety and care, and one cannot enjoy watching the beauties of the world one lives in.

The three finally decided to carry only the things that they could not do without, such as, a rug each, a lamp, some soap, a brush and comb, a toothbrush (each), a basin, some tooth-powder, some shaving tackle, and a couple of big-towels for bathing along with food provisions. They also decided to take a change of under clothes and plenty of socks, in case anyone wanted a change; also plenty of handkerchiefs and a pair of leather boots, as well as their boating shoes.

Question 13.
Do you think George and Harris were experts at packing and how did Montmorency help in the packing? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
No, George and Harris do not seem to have been experts, because they started by breaking a cup, and continued by squashing a tomato under the bottle of jam. They packed the pies at the bottom and thus squashed them, spilt salt over everything and as for the butter, they stepped on it, sat on it and put it all over themselves and the room.

Montmorency made a complete nuisance of himself. He sat down on things which had to be packed, pushed his nose into Harris or George’s hand whenever they reached out for anything, put his leg into the jam, played with a teaspoon and pretended the lemons were rats. He chased the lemons inside the hamper till he “killed” three of them, before he was hit by Harris with a frying pan.

Question 14.
Who was Biggs? Who were his boys? Why did the narrator get irritated with Biggs’ latest boy? Who were the other people who stopped by to watch the narrator and Harris as they waited for their cab? Why did they do so?
Answer:
Biggs was the narrator’s greengrocer. His “boys” were the errand boys who he hired to help him with his ‘work. The narrator was irritated with Biggs’ latest boy, as instead of going about his work, he stopped to stare at the narrator and Harris, who were waiting for a taxi with all the luggage that they had packed for their boating holiday.

Apart from Biggs’ boy, the grocer’s boy, the gentlemen from the boot shop and the superintendent from the Blue Posts, all stopped by to watch the narrator and his friend. Soon, there was a crowd of people who stopped by. They were curious to know where the narrator and his friend were off to with such a lot of luggage. In fact, one group thought it was a wedding party, with Harris being the bridegroom, while another group thought they were off to the narrator’s brother’s funeral.

Question 15.
What examples does the narrator cite to prove his viewpoint that each person has what he doesn’t want and wants what he doesn’t have? Do you agree with the saying? Give reasons.
Answer:
He mentions the fact that married men have wives they do not seem to want, while single men are not able to get wives at all. Similarly, he mentions poor people were hardly able to take care of their families having eight children and more, but rich old couples had no one to leave their money to. Encourage students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.

Yes, I agree with the statement. This saying is similar to the proverb the grass is always greener on the other side, where when we look at our lot and look at others, we are more envious of them. But if we were to take the viewpoint of each person, one has what he doesn’t want and wants what he doesn’t have, would be incorrect because there are instances where people search for what they want and obtain it. The saying is a typical depiction of needs versus wants.

Question 16.
According to the narrator, why did people leave the countryside and flock to cities and towns? Do you think this movement of people reveal the state of society at that time and why does the three men do the exact opposite? What does the author try to relay in the story?
Answer:
According to the narrator, people flocked to live in cities and towns, because the nights in the countryside could be very lonely, quiet and frightening, with lamps casting ghostly shadows all around. It is the longing for human voices and the throb of life and the gas-lit streets that attracted people to the cities.
(Encourage students to think creatively andformulate their own answers.)

This movement of people might have several reasons, but the answer that the reason that the narrator gives might not entirely be true. The city was seen as a place of opportunities for work, fame and other things, in the cities all modem facilities were available and it was not because of the call of the gas-lit streets. This movement of people could be because of the growing economy where the late 19th century can be seen as the height of industrialization.

The three men do the exact opposite because they are tired of city life and thought that the quiet solitude of the country life as well as the fresh air would do them good. The author makes us understand that the country life is not as idyllic asThe three men made it sound like. Much like the city, country life also had its own share of problems.

Question 17.
In what context does the narrator comment that a boating costume “ought to be a costume that can be worn in a boat, and not merely under a glass-case.” What was his experience of the boating trip with the two ladies?
Answer:
The narrator makes this remark while referring to two ladies who had once gone on a boating picnic with him. They were dressed beautifully, but inappropriately in lace and silk, which could get damaged by even a drop of water falling on it. The narrator was unnerved by trying to prevent any drops of water touch them, and asked his friend to row instead.

However, the friend rowed so carelessly that the girls were covered with water and were upset as a consequence. They had an even worse time at the picnic. The girls completely spoilt the party for themselves, and for their companions, by their wrong choice of clothes.

Question 18.
“I was going on thinking away all these grand, tender thoughts, when my reverie was broken.” What were the grand thoughts that the narrator was thinking? What is a reverie and how was the narrator’s broken?
Answer:
The grand thoughts were the narrator’s musings on a sunny morning when he had visited a little village church. He had felt so much at peace, that he had forgiven all his relatives and friends for all the times they had hurt him. His thoughts were full of forgiveness and blessings. A reverie is a daydream, and the narrator’s was broken by the shrill voice of an old bald- headed man coming towards him with a large bunch of keys, offering to show him some tombs.

Question 19.
What happened when J. and Harris parked their boat near Kempton Park? How did the narrator react to the gentleman’s attempt at blackmail? What chain of thought ensued after this incident?
Answer:
The narrator and Harris stopped for lunch and parked their boat near Kempton Park. They were interrupted by a man who claimed that they were trespassing. The man claimed that he had come to warn them that they were trespassing, but actually, he wanted to make some money by threatening to tell the owner of the property about them. Both the narrator and Harris refused to be scared by the man’s threat.

When the man said it was his duty to keep trespassers away, Harris invited him go ahead and do his job. The man looked at Harris’ well- built body and backed down, saying he would return with the owner. However, he never returned. The narrator and William Harris started discussing about the stupidity of such a prohibition that stops visitors and the ruins.

Question 20.
What is the narrator’s view about tow lines? Why does the man with the tow line get angry with the tourists from stopping on the banks. It seemed to Harris that such an act was punishable and the landowners and his family who were against trespassing of this sort should have violence inflicted on them and that the noticeboard should be buried along with their tombstones while he sings comic songs on man who had handed it to him, and vice versa? How was this muddle resolved?
Answer:
The narrator believes that tow lines are strange objects which get tangled no matter what you do. He believes that even though one might take considerable pains to wind and coil the tow line neatly, it gets tangled within minutes.According to the narrator, the man with the tow line finds the tow line in such a tangle that it takes all his skill to untangle it. He thinks it is the fault of the man, who wound it in the first place, for not doing a neat job.

On the other hand, the man in the boat, having just handed over a perfectly coiled line, blames the man on the bank for being careless and tangling it all up. In the end, they get so angry that they just want to use the tow line as rope to hang each other.The muddle was finally resolved when the men came out of the boat and managed to detangle the tow line. At first they found themselves tugging at the same part of rope from opposite ends, but finally they managed to clear it, often finding that the boat had drifted off in the meantime.

Question 21.
How did George and his friends take advantage of the man and the girl who were pulling along a tow line? Why did the narrator think it was exciting to be towed by girls?
Answer:
Since the girl and the man did not realize that they were towing ah empty line without any boat, George managed to hitch their boat to the tow line. Thus, the boy and girl now towed the boat up to Marlow before realizing what had happened. According to the narrator, it is a sensation that should not be missed. Generally it takes three girls to tow a boat—two to pull and one to run around giggling.

They begin by getting themselves tied up in the rope. Once they undo it from around their ankles and necks, they start off at a run, pulling the boat at a dangerous pace. At the end of a hundred yards, they are breathless and stop suddenly, causing the boat to drift midstream and turn around. They often have to be reminded to keep the boat moving. They also have to keep coming back to the boat to comb their hair or get a shawl. When they finally get going again, they are likely to be scared by a cow in their path. Thus, there is never a dull moment.

Question 22.
Do you think George was a committed worker in the bank? Give reasons for your answer. What does this show about his character? (Encourage students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.)
Answer:
No, George appeared to be doing very little work at the bank from the description of the manner in which he was found sleeping most of the time. He, himself, admits that the bank officers working with him would probably have to awaken him and send him on the trip. George seems to be very lazy and laid back in his attitude and is content to let other’s do his work.

Question 23.
What does the narrator want to suggest through the following statement “If Harris’s eyes filled with tears, you can bet it is because Harris has been eating raw onions.” What does this tell about their characters?
Answer:
The narrator wants to point to the fact that Harris was a practical man unlike himself who had a romantic viewpoint about most things in life. He makes this remark when Harris cuts short the narrator’s romantic description of camping out in a tent in the lap of nature by asking him what they would do if it started raining while they were camping out. The narrator was offended by this interruption and pointed out that Harris had no romance in his soul unlike the narrator, because he, like a pessimist, could only think of problems such as rain instead of visualizing the beauty of nature.

Question 24.
Can you give a description of one of the themes that run in the novel?
Answer:
One of the central theme that runs across the novel is the theme of city and country life. The author describes city life and says that there is a lot of transition and migration of people from the countryside to the cities because the countryside is lonely. He goes on saying that the gas-lit streets are more preferable.

There is a glorification of city life of the late 19th century but at the same time we see the three main protagonists who are suffering from hypochondria try to escape the busy schedule of their city life. They conjectured that a vacation time in the countryside would ease their phobias and help them recover.

They decide to take a river trip and escape to the calmness of nature. The men do enjoy many calm moments and they are wracked less with their hypochondria but they also realize that the country life is not as idyllic as they thought it would be. The author tries to portray the relationship between city life and country life and makes us understand that true calm and peace is not found in things or people but an acceptance and appreciation of the surroundings no matter the situation.

Question 25.
What does the narrator imply by saying that for five and thirty minutes one could hear only the clank of cutlery and crockery? What does this show about the stomach? Explain how the narrator expresses the superiority of the stomach over the mind? Do you agree?
Answer:
The narrator wants to say that for thirty-five minutes the three men and their dog were all engrossed in eating their food. It shows how hungry they were at the end of the day’s journey.

The narrator establishes that the mind is not as powerful as the stomach, by saying that if one has an empty stomach, he is not able to do any work, including thinking. According to him, if our stomachs are not full and satisfied, we cannot indulge in any work or activity, or achieve the higher goals of virtue and contentment. This shows that the stomach rules our mental as well physical faculties and it is hunger that is a strong feeling that overcomes everything else.

(Encourage the students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.)
No, I do not agree with what the narrator tells us because even though hunger determines our moods and emotions, It is also our will that dictates our state of being. For example, we see various different people go on hunger strikes when standing up for their beliefs and convictions. This shows that hunger does cause great discomfort but we can still subdue it with the help of our mind.

Question 26.
Throughout the novel, we can see that the author keeps on digressing. What do you think could be the reason for his digressions?
Encourage the students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.
Answer:
The novel itself is a straightforward journey that takes the three men from London to Oxford on a boat, what the author does is that by adding digression, he has managed to change the straightforward story into a more elaborate one where the same digressions feed into the story and helps us understand the characters as well as their situations better. This narrative style gives the author the artistic license to add some comic relief to the novel and addresses various issues during late 19th century England in a comical way.

There are frequent flashbacks that describe the characters for us in a more in-depth manner. These digressions seem to bring to our attention that no journey, be it our life or any adventure, is ever straightforward. There are always digressions and changes throughout the way. This particular style is an attempt by the author to depict and relay the message of human nature and the constant search for happiness and contentment through a number of approaches.

Question 27.
What are some of the changes that the new Victorian England brought in? Do you think it offered opportunities for fun and leisure? Give reasons for your answer.
Encourage the students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.
Answer:
Victorian England refers to the time of Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901. This period saw many new changes, one was the significance given to gothic architecture, then there was the significance given to the arts and theatre. Technology was making a big headway and it is at this time that the English working and middle class started enjoying public holidays and vacations.

The arrival of steam engine in the form of trains and steamships improved transportation and slowly popularized recreational travel. The countryside and the beach attracted the city residents and there was a lot of movement. Indeed the Victorian Era did offer many opportunities for fun and leisure. Even in the novel, the three men were tired, disillusioned and wanted to take a vacation and decided to opt for an idyllic boat trip to the countryside.

Question 28
Do you think that the Three Men in a Boat has humour in it? What kind of humour or what style of humour do you think the author uses? Why do you think does the author use these styles?
Encourage the students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.
Answer:
Yes, the novel Three Men in a Boat indeed has humour in it. The author Jerome K. Jerome uses a gamut of styles. There is slapstick, social satire and black comedy in it. This novel seems to appeal to a large demographic as its humour caters to many age groups because of its variety. With the help of this variety, the author is able to express his views in different forms and this literary style helps him when he is trying to digress from the main narrative plot. The satire and irony in the novel is actually the main focus of the book and using J. as a protagonist, the author Jerome manages to tie the whole story together and create comical characters making them portray people from different social classes. The author doesn’t seem to overly criticize the English class system.

Question 29.
What was the Magna Carta? Can you give a brief description of its history? By recounting the tale of Oliver Cromwell and King John, what is the narrator trying to say?
Answer:
Magna Carta or the great charter was an agreement signed between the unpopular King John of England and the rebel barons. It was drafted by the archbishop and the island has been long thought of as the place where the agreement took place. It established for the first time that everybody including the King was subject to the law.

By recounting the tale of Oliver Cromwell and King John, the narrator is trying to say that the English countryside they were boating along had not really changed much since the times of Oliver Cromwell and King John. He wants to convey the fact that one could actually imagine all the historical events that had taken place in that area in the past.

Question 30.
The narrator and Harris refuse to enter the two inns at Datchet on some flimsy grounds. What were the excuses they make? What is the irony they have to face at the end?
Answer:
The narrator refuses to enter the first inn because it did not have any honeysuckle flowers growing in or around it. Harris refuses to enter the other inn because he does not like the look of a man leaning against its front door and finds his boots very ugly. The irony is that after they reject the two inns, they come to know that Datchet has only the two inns and when they try to get rooms in the very same inns, they find that they are overflowing with people and are not even allowed to enter inside them.

Question 31.
Why does Harris express a desire to die? What effect does the appearance of the young boy have on him?
Answer:
After the inns refuse to give them any rooms, they go from house to house trying to get a room for the night but are unsuccessful. At this point of time Harris is so exhausted that he wishes he could die. On hearing this, a boy offers them a room for the night in his house. Harris is so overjoyed that he faints and when he is revived, he empties half a can of beer that the boy was carrying and runs towards the’boy’s house much ahead of the others.

Question 32.
How did the men try to open the can of pineapple? Were they successful in their attempts? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
As the men realised that they did not have tin can openers, they unsuccessfully tried opening it with several different objects. Harris was the first to try opening it with a pocket knife which broke and injured his hand badly. The next to try was George who used a pair of scissors which just missed hurting his eyes. The narrator tried opening it with the spiky end of a hitcher but it slipped and jerked him out between the boat and the bank into two feet of muddy water.

Finally, the three took the can out on to the bank, Harris held a sharp end of the stone on its lid, George held on to the can while the narrator picked up the mast and brought it down with all his might onto the stone and missed. He narrowly missed hitting George on his head. They finally abandoned their attempts at opening the can and threw it into the river out of frustration.

Question 33.
Do you think the novel Three Men in a Boat is an autobiography? What do you think are its influences?
Encourage the students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.
Answer:
I think that the novel Three Men in a Boat is not an exact an autobiography but there are instances that have been inspired by his honeymoon with his first wife. They had followed the same route as J. and his fellow companions. Apart from the similarity in the journey that was made, most of the influences are from Jerome’s life. The name J. seems to be a short name for Jerome. Jerome belonged to a lower middle class family and had gone through various hardships especially financially. Thus, he had a good understanding of social classes and he had an astute as well as unique take on society, its pretension and hypocrisy.

Question 34.
What is the narrator referring to when he says-“Strange that Nature’s voices all around them…. should not have taught them a truer meaning of life than this.”?
Answer:
He is referring to the Cistercian monks who had once lived in the abbey in the 13th century. They had lived a very hard life wearing rough tunics, eating vegetarian food and spending their time in hard labour, reading and praying. Most of their time was spent in silent contemplation. The narrator is struck by the irony that these monks were living in the lap of Nature at its best, but were unable to appreciate the beauty that God had provided all around them. They lived grim lives waiting in silence for God’s voice from heaven but were deaf to the sounds of Nature that spoke to them all the time.

Question 35.
What was the outcome of Montmorency’s chasing a large tomcat? How did it affect Montmorency? What is Montgomery’s significance in the novel?
Answer:
Montmorency’s chase had the strangest of outcomes. Instead of running away, or showing any signs of fear, the cat calmly turned around to face Montmorency as if to ask him what he wanted. Montmorency, unused to such a reaction, quietly slinked away with his tail between his legs and would thereafter visibly shrink and have a pained expression on his face at the mention of the word “cat”.

Montmorency features prominently in the novel and somehow provides opportunities for slapstick humour. He also seems to function as a foil to the three men, J., George and William Harris. Unlike the three men, Montmorency is always lively and manages to obtain his own food and most of the time is able to defend himself, which was not the case when Montmorency met the tomcat.

Question 36.
What does the narrator want to express when he says that-“our departure from Marlowe I regard as one of our great successes.”?
Answer:
At Marlowe, the narrator and his friends visited a number of shops to buy different kinds of food materials to last them the next three days on the river. At every shop, they waited till the food was packed in a basket and a boy from the shop carrying the basket followed them to their boat. As a result they had a number of boys following them with baskets in a solemn procession through the centre of the street down to the river, making a very impressive spectacle.

Question 37.
Do you think the narrator hated steam launches? Why? How did the narrator and his friends irritate* the men in the steam launch?
Answer:
Yes, the narrator hated steam launches because, according to him, a person who drives them has hardly anything to do apart from smoking a cigar and blowing the whistle at other boats to clear their path. The narrator was irritated by the superior attitude shown by the people who drove them. The narrator and his friends irritated the men in the steam launch by generally pretending not to hear the whistle of the launch and allowed their boat to drift right into the path of the steam launch. They sat with their backs to them and pretended to be deeply engrossed in a story being told by Harris.

As a result, the launch coming at high speed would run aground in trying to prevent the launch from ramming into their boat. The people from these launches would be found shouting at the men but the narrator and his friends would pretend to be oblivious to all their shouting. Sometimes the men from these launches would come and help to remove their boat from their path and all the time the three friends would pretend to be unaware of all the commotion that they had caused.

Question 38.
What was the shock that George and the narrator received while all three of them were having lunch one day? What had happened?
Answer:
The shock occurred when the trio had just about settled to eat lunch and Harris was carving a pie kept between his knees when he asked the other two for a spoon. Both the narrator and George turned around to get a spoon from the hamper and in the short time that took them to get the spoon Harris just disappeared into ‘ the air along with the pie.

What had happened was that Harris had been sitting on the edge of a small gully which was hidden from view by some long grass and when he had leaned back a little, he had fallen backwards into the gully along with the pie.

Question 39.
What do you think of Montmorency? Why did he come to the narrator with a dead rat? Give an example of how he provides comic relief in the story. Encourage students to think creatively and formulate their own answers.
Answer:
Montmorency was lively, belligerent and seemed to enjoy hunting. When Montmorency saw everyone contributing all kinds of food items for the stew he felt that he too had to give in his contribution which in his case was a dead rat. Montmorency seems to bring comic relief to the story with his funny mishaps. He was also known to have a developed awe, suspicion and hate for the kettle.

He would often watch the kettle as it boiled. Whenever the kettle would start to splutter and steam, he would want to fight it but someone or the other would bear it off before he could do so. Finally, one day, he moved towards the boiling kettle and caught it by the spout and obviously, got burnt. The next moment he was seen running around the island and stopping every now and then to bury his nose in the cool mud.

Question 40.
Why was George contemplating assaulting a policeman? Do you think it was a good idea or was the idea made out of desperation?
Answer:
George and the other two men could not find their boat because they forgot where they moored the boat and now in the dark it was even more difficult to locate it. Since it was raining very heavily with the inns overflowing with people, George felt that by assaulting a policeman, they would at least get a place to sleep in the lock-up in the police station. The only drawback to that plan was that the policeman just might hit them back without locking them up. It was certainly not a good idea because it was thought out of desperation. George was not looking forward to getting drenched in the rain and really wanted some shelter even if the shelter came in the form of a prison.

Question 41
Describe George’s first boating experience?
Answer:
George had started boating at the age of sixteen. He joined eight other gentlemen like himself on their boating expedition. They hired a racing boat, but he had confused recollections of the trip, as he was hit on ’ the head by one of the others’ oars. Another one of their number was similarly situated at the bottom of the boat with his legs up in the air. Only one of the enthusiasts actually knew how to row. When George tried to help him, he lost his oar. They finally passed under Kew Bridge, with all the bystanders enjoying the sight, and were convinced that boating was not the thing for them.

Question 42.
The narrator comments that their towing by the steam launch would have been delightful if it had not been for the wretched small boats. What is ironic about the statement? what does this show-about the narrator?
Answer:
His words are ironic, since earlier he had deliberately blocked the path of steam launches, behaving exactly like the small boats he now thought were such a nuisance. However, now that they were doing what he had done earlier, he was finding fault with them.

Encourage students to think creatively and formulate their own answer.
This shows’us that the narrator was being hypocritical. Throughout the novel we see that the narrator digresses from the narrative to make remarks on people, he is seen getting angry at his friends George and Harris for being lazy when in fact he himself avoids doing chores.

Question 43.
What shocked George that morning? Can you describe in detail the events of what transpired?
Answer:
George noticed something black floating in the river and as the boat drew closer, he laid hold of it. He was shocked to realize that it was the dead body of a woman. The woman had committed suicide by jumping into the river. The three friends later found out her story. She had been deceived by someone she had loved, leaving her alone with a child. Her family and friends had abandoned her and she had to work hard for a living and to care for the baby. Finally, she became so depressed that she decided to end her life.

Question 44.
According to the narrator, what are the ways in which people lie about their fishing? What was strange about the trout mounted in the glass case?
Answer:
According to the narrator, people who fish always exaggerate the size and number of fish they have caught. Also, if they find a stranger, they will claim to have caught any large fish that happen to be seen.The trout mounted in the glass case seemed to be a large and impressive, causing George and the narrator to view it with admiration.

Seeing that they were strangers, no less than five different people, including the innkeeper, pretended to have caught the fish. However, when George tried to get a closer look, he slipped and caused the glass case to fall, shattering the trout into a thousand pieces. It now turned out that the trout was not real at all, having been made of plaster-of-Paris.

Question 45.
Why did the narrator feel that the boat named the Pride of the Thames was a Roman relic? What changes did he make to try and make it more presentable?
Answer:
The narrator felt that the Pride of the Thames was a Roman relic because the boat was a basic wooden structure which looked as if it had been dug out carelessly and had been damaged in the process. He fastened the so-called boat together with string and pasted some wallpaper over the shabbier parts to make it more presentable. Before stepping into it, he also thought it best to say his prayers.

Question 46.
Pick out the simile used by the narrator to describe the close connection between sunlight and nature? Why does he say this?
Answer:
According to the narrator, sunlight is like the blood that gives life to nature. Without light nature looks like a widow who has lost her beloved husband, while her children look into her eyes but receive no warmth or comfort from her. He made these comparisons because it was a wet and gloomy day, making nature seem very different from the radiant beauty they had seen on their way up-stream.

Question 47
“You cannot give me too much work; to accumulate work has almost become a passion with me:” Who says these lines? What do they tell about the speaker’s character?
Answer:
The narrator of the novel says these lines. He himself proclaims that he did not like to work at all. He goes on to say, “I had the general symptoms, the chief among them being a disinclination to work of any kind.” This tells us that he was lazy and a laid-back person, who only worked when there was no other option left.

This character of his became more evident during his boat trip when he expects the other two, Harris and George, to be lively and instead it turns out that both of them are equally lazy. Not only does this show that the narrator is laid-back, it also shows that he is hypocritical because he complains about his friend’s laziness when in fact he too is quite lazy.

Question 48.
What was ironical about the boat journey? What light does it throw on the characters of the three friends?
Answer:
The three friends had planned the boat trip thinking it would be a idyllic journey, offering them a respite , from their day-to-day routine and expected to enjoy two weeks on the river. What they all wanted was rest! Unfortunately, the trip turned out to be full of catastrophes with all of them having to actually work! And they were actually in deep depression because of the continuous rain.

However, they were determined to enjoy themselves and did not want to give up until the full two weeks were up. It shows that despite being terrible boatmen and totally ill-equipped to deal with the simplest of jobs, they were determined to look at the brighter side of life and refused to give in to circumstances, however gloomy and difficult they may be.

Question 49.
The grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Can you describe this common proverb in relation to the novel, Three Men in a Boat. Encourage the. students to thick creatively andformulate their own answers.
Answer:
‘The grass is greener on the other side of the fence’ is a common saying where a person feels that other people seem to be in a better situation than he is which ultimately might not be the case. For example, we admire the life and luxuries that celebrities enjoy but we may not be aware of their situation and problems that they themselves go through to either achieve their status or even to maintain it.

It is human nature to assume that things are going badly for oneself and some other person has the life that we always wanted but in the novel, the author makes us understand that such is not the case. Our happiness, peace and contentment does not come from what we do or with whom we are with or even where we are.

It depends on how we appreciate and acknowledge our situation and surrounding. We see this in the novel where the three men J., George and Harris set out on a boat-ride vacation to the countryside thinking it would give them the peace and quiet that they need but in fact country life was harder than it looked. They soon realize the difficult challenges wherever one is be it in the cities or the countryside.

Here we are providing Gulliver’s Travels Extra Questions and Answers for Class 9 English, Extra Questions for Class 9 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

Gulliver’s Travels Extra Questions and Answers for Class 9 English

Question 1.
Through Gulliver’s Travels Swift comments on England’s growing power. Justify.
Answer:
Gulliver’s Travels was written when England, despite its small size, was rising in power on the basis of its formidable fleet. Its growing military and economic power brought England into contact with new animals, plants, places, and things, and most significantly previously unknown people with radically different modes of existence. The write ‘small-statured’ Lilliputians are a physical incarnation of precisely these kinds of cultural differences.

England in the 17th century became well known for its naval capabilities. The naval strength symbolized prosperity for England because it assured two things, one was military strength and the other was economic power through trade. These two factors greatly boosted England’s status in the international platform and gave birth to its name, ‘the land where the sun never sets’. There was also a growing trend of exploration and discovery, we can see from Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels that the protagonist, Lemuel Gulliver, is seen travelling the world and discovering new and wondrous locations.

Question 2.
How does Swift satirize the British government through the Lilliputians?
Answer:
The procedure for choosing Lilliputian government officials was arbitrary and ridiculous, which was testing merit through their skill at rope-dancing. The officials were literally forced to jump through hoops in order to qualify for their positions. Swift intends for us to understand this episode as a satire on England’s system of political appointments and infers that England’s system is similarly arbitrary.

Swift compares it to the way people in high places get advancements. He implies that people are not always promoted or rewarded because of their skills, but because they have done something to make people in power, like them. The author feels that trying to get ahead by pleasing and submitting to arbitrary wishes of a superior, is as humiliating and as fraught with danger as tightrope dancing. His take on receiving royal honours and working towards it is akin to grovelling, “leaping and creeping” for a little piece of blue, red, or yellow thread.

Question 3.
Lilliput and Blefuscu, the “two great empires of the universe” have been at war for 36 moons? How did the 36 Moon War start?
Answer:
The primitive way of breaking eggs was to cut it from the larger end, but the present emperor’s grandfather, when he was only a child, happened to cut one of his fingers while he was breaking an egg. That is when the then emperor, his father, published an edict, commanding all hi§ subjects to break the smaller end of their eggs. This resulted in six rebellions; one emperor lost his life, and another his crown. Constant trouble was fomented by the monarchs of Blefuscu and those who were exiled found refuge in Blefuscu. Eleven thousand people suffered death, but would not break their eggs at the smaller end.

It was much written about and many hundred large volumes have been published on this controversy but the books of the Big-endians have been long forbidden, and the whole party rendered incapable by law of holding employments. Blefuscans accused Lilliputians of creating a schism in religion-offended a fundamental doctrine of their great prophet Lustrog who said that “all true believers break their eggs at the convenient end” which the Blefuscans interpreted as the big-end. Therefore, a bloody war had been carried on between the two empires for six-and-thirty moons, with varying results.

Question 4.
Write a brief note on the education system of Lilliput.
Answer:
In Lilliput, children were sent to live in schools at a very young age. The schools were chosen according to the station of parents, whom they got to see only twice a year. Schools for young nobles were spartan, and students were trained in honour, justice, courage, modesty, clemency, religion, and patriotism. The schools for tradesmen and ordinary gentlemen were much like those of the nobles, but the duration of schooling was shorter as they were designed for trades and the students were put out as apprentices at the age of eleven years, whereas those of the persons of quality continued their learning till the age of fifteen. The women were educated to be reasonable, agreeable, and literate while the children of workers and farmers did not go to school.

Question 5.
Which “merciful” punishment does the king choose? Do you think it is merciful? Why? Does this punishment reflect any quality of the Lilliputians.
Answer:
The emperor of Lilliput was fully determined against capital punishment. However, the council thought . the loss of eyes too lenient a punishment and wanted another punishment. Reldressal said once blinded, Gulliver’s establishment could be reduced, he would grow weak and faint, lose his appetite, and decay in a few months. He says that the stench of his carcass would not be dangerous as he would be diminished by half.

However, this punishment is not merciful, but rather barbaric, as it is torture resulting in slow death.The punishment reflects badly on the Lilliputians. Out of all the creatures that Gulliver had come across the Lilliputians seemed to resemble the humans in terms of their pride in their own existence and their hypocrisy. This punishment reflects on the hypocrisy of human nature and its excesses.

Question 6.
Bring out the contrast between the Lilliputians and Gulliver.
Answer:
Gulliver manages to break his bonds, and as he does so, one of the Lilliputians shouts an order and the rest shoot their arrows at Gulliver. In a moment, the tiny ones subdue the giant. Then, the work crew arrives and starts building a stage; a person who’s obviously a noble arrives and makes Gulliver a long, highly oratorical speech. Gulliver doesn’t understand a word, and responds to this show by putting his finger on his mouth and grunting to indicate that he’s hungry.

This brings out the contrast between the tiny, ceremonial Lilliputian and the giant. Gulliver is impressed by the Lilliputians as they do sophisticated calculations to arrive at the exact amount of wood they will need for Gulliver’s cart and devise a pulley system to raise Gulliver from the ground to the cart. The Lilliputians don’t hold Gulliver in such high regard. Housed in a polluted temple, Gulliver “creeps” inside his lodging.

Question 7.
What impression do you form of the country of Lilliput and the people?
Answer:
The country is inhabited by small people who are just six inches tall. The countryside looks like a continued garden, and enclosed fields of forty square feet and resembles beds of flowers. The fields are intermingled with woods, and the tallest trees are about seven feet high. The town looks like the painted scene of a city in a theatre. However the people bravely face the “Man Mountain” which is Gulliver.

They were intrigued by the giant spectacle and left towns and villages to come and look at Gulliver. It could also be said that the Lilliputians somewhat symbolized mankind’s pride. They seem to be proud of their puny existence to the extent that they were the only ones in Gulliver’s Travels that made mention of their armies. There is also a lot of gossip and backbiting in the community which begs to question the proud nature of the Lilliputians as compared to their small minds.

Question 8.
Bring out the significance of the small size of the Lilliputians as compared to Gulliver’s large size.
Encourage the students to think creatively andformulate thgir own answer.
Answer:
The difference in size between Gulliver and the Lilliputians emphasizes the importance of physical power. Gulliver succeeds in earning the Lilliputians’ trust, despite threats of crushing them by simply walking carelessly. The humour comes from the Lilliputians’ view of the situation: despite the evidence before their eyes, they never realise their own insignificance. They keep Gulliver tied up, believing they can control him while in reality he could destroy them, effortlessly.

Question 9.
Describe the Lilliputian method of recruiting officials to high posts.
Answer:
The officials in high posts and of high favour at court were recruited by entertaining the emperor. They were not always of noble birth, or liberal education. Skilled rope-dancers impressed the emperor enough to win these positions. When great offices fell vacant, either by death or disgrace, five or six candidates petitioned the emperor, to entertain His Majesty and the court with their rope-dancing skills. Dancers, performed upon a slender white thread, about two feet long, and twelve inches from the ground. Ministers were often commanded to show their skills, to convince the emperor that they had not lost their faculty.

These diversions were, however, attended with fatal accidents or candidates breaking a limb. Another diversion was where the emperor lay on the table and it included three fine silken, six inches long; one blue, the other red, and the third green. The emperor holds a stick in his hands, both ends parallel to the horizon, while the candidates either leap over the stick or creep under it. One who performs with most agility was rewarded with the blue-coloured silk, the red was given to the next, and the green to the third. Great persons at court were adorned with these honours.

Question 10.
How does Gulliver make a playing field for the Emperor’s cavalry?
Answer:
Gulliver ordered several sticks, two feet high and the thickness of an ordinary cane. Taking nine sticks, he fixed them firmly in the ground in a quadrangle, two and a half feet square. He fastened his handkerchief to the nine erect sticks, extended it on all sides, tight as the top of a drum. Then, he took four other sticks, and tied them parallel to each comer, about two feet from the ground four parallel sticks, rising about five inches , higher than the handkerchief, served as ledges on each side. Twenty-four of the best horses exercised upon it; Gulliver placed them up, one by one. The officers were divided into two parties and they performed mock skirmishes. They discharged blunt arrows, drew their swords, fled and pursued, attacked and retired. A fiery horse, pawing with his hoof, struck a hole in a handkerchief and overthrew his rider and himself. The horse strained his left shoulder, but the rider was unhurt.

Question 11.
What impression do you form of the Lilliputians after reading of their political views?
Answer:
In this chapter, Lilliputians seem as mentally small as they are physically diminutive. Like any big rivals, Lilliput and its equally tiny neighbour Blefuscu conceitedly think that they are the only two “great empires” in the universe. Even the presence of the gigantic Gulliver cannot convince them of their relative insignificance. Reldresal informs Gulliver that Lilliputian philosophers have logically proved that Gulliver must have dropped from outer space because there could not be enough food for him on earth.

Their histories, “which go back six thousand moons, make no mention of other empires than Lilliput and Blefuscu”—demonstrates the narrow view of both philosophers and historians so bound by their prejudices that they can’t see things clearly in their proper proportion. The warring parties are the High-Heels and the Low-Heels; the Lilliputian emperor favours the Low-Heels while the Lilliputian heir to the throne wears one high heel and a low one. Blefuscu and Lilliput are at war because of religious differences, represented by the manner in which eggs fire broken before being eaten; earlier everyone broke the larger end of the egg. This gives an insight to their political crisis and war with their neighbour over non-issues.

Question 12.
Swift uses the laws of Lilliput to show that these people’s ideals are good but that the people themselves have not actually been good enough to follow them. List an example of how the people of Lilliput do not live up to the ideals they have set for their society.
Answer:
Gulliver tells us that “ingratitude is a capital crime” for Lilliputians. The reason being— people who are mean to those who have done them a favour are obviously going to be even meaner to the rest of mankind. This they consider to be dangerous and thus such people must be put to death. Yet Lilliputians haven’t managed to stamp out ingratitude. This is evident from the incident where Gulliver brings fifty ships of the enemy fleet to the emperor but all he gets is a new title and the jealous plotting of the High Admiral.

Question 13.
What are Gulliver and his companions doing in Brobdingnag? Why do the others leave Gulliver behind?
Answer:
Two months after his return, Gulliver went to the sea once again. This time on a ship called Adventure. On the 3rd of May, a storm came which was both strange and dangerous. When the storm was off course, on the 17th day of June, 1703, they came in full view of a great island, or continent. The crewmembers including Gulliver went to the island to investigate—wandered on the shore to find out some fresh water near the sea. Gulliver walked a mile on the other side. When he returned he saw his companions already in the boat, and rowing for life to the ship, while they were being pursued by a huge creature walking after them in the sea, as fast as he could. Thus they escaped, leaving Gulliver behind.

Question 14.
Write a short note on the people of Lilliput.
Answer:
The Lilliputians are tiny, six-inch tall people. Their land has proportionally tiny buildings, trees and horses, and is ruled by an emperor of the same size. Their high court officials are appointed according to their skills at rope dancing and not according to rational principles. The people are filled with self-importance and possess all the petty vices and follies of humankind: greed, hypocrisy, selfishness, and moral corruption; spend time plotting against one another.

They are also ungrateful as is evident from the fact that even though Gulliver made himself useful in Lilliput’s wars against Blefuscu, the emperor saw him as dangerous and wanted to get rid of him. Despite their small size the Lilliputians are capable of doing a great deal of harm. They are treacherous and cruel, and think up gruesome ways to kill Gulliver. Even the Lilliputian king’s agreement to the plan that Gulliver be blinded and starved is presented as an example of his mercy and justice.

Question 15.
Write a character sketch of the Lilliputian emperor.
Answer:
The Lilliputian king is taller than his six-inch tall subjects by the breadth of a nail. He has the pompous name of Golbasto Momaren Evlame Gurdilo Shefin Mully Ully Gue. His power and majesty impresses Gulliver even though he is laughable, as despite his tiny size he believes he can control Gulliver. He is proud of possessing the tallest trees and the biggest palace in the kingdom and is quite hospitable, spending a fortune on his captive’s food.

The king is a threatening and sinister figure embodying political tyranny and abuse of power despite his diminutive size. He displays willingness to execute his subjects for trivial reasons such as politics or honour which gives him a frightening aspect. He is vulnerable to manipulation by his ministers, Flimnap and Skyresh Bolgolam, and is too easily influenced by his favourites, which leads to sudden shifts in loyalty. He also loves war, and really wants to enslave the people of his neighbouring island, Blefuscu. He turns against Gulliver when he refuses to help him destroy Blefuscu’s freedom.

Question 16.
Write a short note on the Brobdindnagians.
Answer:
Brobdingnagians are giants, around sixty feet tall, their flora and fauna is correspondingly huge. Besides being physically bigger than Gulliver, they are also morally superior. Gulliver feels vulnerable in this country—stumbles into cow pats, is nearly drowned by a frog, captured by a monkey, and is even vulnerable to flies and wasps. The Brobdingnagians are subject to temptations of the humankind, but choose morality and common sense rather than vice and folly. The farmer with his greed and lack of compassion in his attempts to profit from Gulliver is an aberration, not the norm, whereas Glumdalclitch is kind and caring.

The Brobdingnagian system of government is based on moral values; members of government lead by example; the king questions Gulliver closely about England, and concludes his compatriots are “the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth.” The farmer represents the average Brobdingnagian who is of no great gifts or intelligence, wielding an extraordinary power over Gulliver simply by virtue of his immense size.

Question 17.
The King of Brobdingnag is a giant not just physically but also morally. Comment.
Answer:
The King of Brobdingnag is a true intellectual, well versed in political science among other disciplines. He rules people wisely and compassionately, questions Gulliver about England and is shocked by the moral corruption prevalent in the government and institutions there. He is eager to learn and asks Gulliver about the government of England to leam good practices. He is moral and scrupulous.

On hearing about bribery, corruption, influence peddling, or hypocrisy, he concludes that Englishmen must be “the most pernicious . race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth”. The King is also a good statesman; he asks Gulliver some probing questions about administration and economy that he can’t answer. He is gentle and peace loving. When Gulliver offers the king the recipe for gunpowder, on hearing of the destruction that can be caused due to it, he demands that Gulliver never mention it again.

Question 18.
What impression do you form of the Lilliputians after reading of their political views?
Answer:
In this chapter, Lilliputians seem as mentally small as they are physically diminutive. Like any big rivals, Lilliput and its equally tiny neighbour Blefuscu conceitedly think that they are the only two “great empires” in the universe. Even the presence of the gigantic Gulliver cannot convince them of their relative insignificance. Reldresal informs Gulliver that Lilliputian philosophers have logically proved that Gulliver must have dropped from outer space because there could not be enough food for him on earth.

Their histories, “which go back six thousand moons, make no mention of other empires than Lilliput and Blefuscu”—demonstrates the narrow view of both philosophers and historians so bound by their prejudices that they can’t see things clearly in their proper proportion. The warring parties are the High-Heels and the Low-Heels; the Lilliputian emperor favours the Low-Heels while the Lilliputian heir to the throne wears one high heel and a low one. Blefuscu and Lilliput are at war because of religious differences, represented by the manner in which eggs are broken before being eaten; earlier everyone broke the larger end of the egg. This gives an insight to their political crisis and war with their neighbour over non-issues.

Question 19.
Briefly describe Gulliver’s meeting with the King of Laputa?
Answer:
As Gulliver entered the palace, he saw the king seated on his throne. In front of the king was a large table filled with globes and spheres, and mathematical instruments of all kinds. The king was engrossed” in a problem and took no notice of Gulliver even though Gulliver and the others accompanying him made sufficient noise upon entering the court. After an hour, the king finally solved the mathematical problem he was working on and it was only then, when he was at leisure, that the flapper gently struck his mouth, and his right ear. Only then did the king take notice of Gulliver.

He appeared startled, though he had been informed earlier of their arrival. He spoke some words to Gulliver, whereupon immediately a young man with a flap came up to his side. As Gulliver made a sign that he did not need a flapper, the king and his whole court formed a very poor opinion of his intelligence. The king asked him several questions and though Gulliver spoke many languages the king could neither understand nor be understood. However, he gave Gulliver an apartment in his palace and two servants to attend on him.

Question 20.
Briefly describe the Academy of Lagado. What does the Academy of Lagado do generally?
Answer:
The Royal Academy was located at Lagado, the largest metropolis of Balnibarbi. It was housed not in a single building, but consisted of a continuation of several houses on both sides of a street. These houses which had been lying vacant had been purchased and converted into an Academy for research and study. Gulliver’s description of the Academy questioned the usefulness of the experiments carried out by the “scientists”.

He described all sorts of experiments that sounded ridiculous: extracting sunbeams out of a cucumber, reducing human excrement to its original food, turning limestone into gunpowder, building houses by starting with the roof, etc. Gulliver visited a class where the students worked on a machine that produced random words. He also met a linguist who was attempting to get rid of all aspects of speech excluding nouns, and a math professor who had his students eat wafers with mathematical equations written on them.

Question 21.
Who all from the past did Gulliver meet in Giubbdubdrib and how did he get to meet them? What lesson do you learn from Gulliver’s meetings with the historical ghosts?
Answer:
Gulliver discovered that in Giubbdubdrib there were sorcerers who were able to resurrect the dead for one day. Then later he noticed that the governor had spirits as servants and was curious. Thus, the governor made it possible for him to speak to spirits from the past. He spoke to many ghost out of which the story names Alexander the great, Hannibal, Caesar, Pompey and Brutus. Gulliver’s meetings with the historical ghosts tell us that:

(a) Some of the facts we read about heroes may not be true. Gulliver finds out that several famous stories about Alexander and Hannibal are not true. Alexander didn’t die from a fever, he reveals. He died from drinking too much. And Hannibal never broke any rocks blocking him from the Alps using vinegar. This introduces one of the key themes of this section of the novel: that history itself is a pack of lies.

(b) We also learn that Gulliver really admires men who kill or assassinate severe, exploitative leaders in the name of freedom. He feels that Brutus’s assassination of Jufius Caesar was justified.

Question 22.
What do the Houyhnhnms find amazing about Gulliver? Do you think that Swift meant the country of the Houyhnhnms to represent an ideal society?
Answer:
The Houyhnhnms were amazed that Gulliver, who they thought must be a Yahoo, was teachable, civil, and clean. These qualities were altogether opposite to the qualities possessed by the Yahoos. The Houyhnhnms, who came to see him or talk with him, could hardly believe him to be a Yahoo, because his body had a different covering from the others of his kind. They were astonished to observe him without the usual hair or skin, except on his head, face, and hands. They were perplexed about his clothes, and wondered whether they were a part of his body, for Gulliver never took them off till the family was asleep, and got them on before they woke in the morning.

Swift describes the Houyhnhnms as creatures who live simple lives and are wholly devoted to reason. The Houyhnhnms have created a society in which there is no crime, no poverty, no disagreement, and no unhappiness. They speak clearly, they act justly, and they have simple laws. They are untroubled by greed,politics, or lust. They live a life of cleanliness and exist in peace and serenity. They live by the grand maxim: cultivate reason and be totally governed by it. So perfect is their society in fact, that they have no concept of lies, and therefore no words to express it.On the other hand, there is neither joy or passion, nor love. The author by way makes us understand that the country of the Houyhnhnms is not an ideal society because it lacks life and love. He seems tQ direct the readers into understanding what could be a utopia but is in fact the opposite.

Question 23.
What view of humanity is presented by comparisons between humans and Yahoos?
Answer:
Gulliver, as a fundamentally decent man, dissociates himself from the Yahoos. However, the Houyhnhnm master’s descriptions of the Yahoos and Gulliver’s own observations confirm that the Yahoos’ behaviour is identical to that of human beings at their worst. For example, they are greedy, so that one Yahoo will keep for himself enough food to feed fifty. They have an inordinate fondness for shiny stones, which they hoard secretly in their kennels, and which are the focus of many fights between Yahoos. This is a reference to human avarice. The Yahoos eat to excessively and they are prone to diseases, just as humans are.

Sometimes, a distinction is drawn between humans and Yahoos. Gulliver’s Houyhnhnm master, in spite of his poor view of the Yahoos, notes that Gulliver falls short of them in respect of physical agility. He also points out that while he does not blame the Yahoos for their despicable behaviour, since they are not endowed with reason, when man, a creature who claims to be an intelligent being, commits crimes, he is worse than a beast. Instead of using reason to choose virtue, as the Houyhnhnms do, man uses reason to enlarge his vices.

Question 24.
Who attacked Gulliver and his companions? How did Gulliver escape?
Answer:
Gulliver and his companions set out from Tonquin to trade with neighbouring islands. On the tenth day, they were attacked by two groups of pirates. Gulliver realised that one of the pirates was a Dutchman. Gulliver, who spoke Dutch well, begged him for consideration as they were Christians and Protestants. Gulliver’s pleas, however, angered the Dutchman. It was the captain of the larger of two pirate ships, a Japanese, who spoke to Gulliver and decreed that the sailors should not be killed.

Gulliver reprimanded the Dutchman saying that a Japanese (pagan) had more mercy than Christian. This remark inflamed the Dutchman and he wanted Gulliver thrown into the sea. This was a matter on which the captains of both ships disagreed. They divided the rest of the crew amongst themselves and set Gulliver adrift in a small canoe, with paddles and a sail, and four days’ provisions.

Question 25.
How do the Laputian people differ from those in most countries?
Answer:
The Laputians are peculiar in their habits, and countenances. As they walk, they keep their heads tilted to right, or left. Their eyes never focus on the world around them as one of their eyes is turned inward, and the other directly up to the zenith. Their garments are adorned with the figures of suns, moons, and stars; interwoven with those of fiddles, flutes, harps, trumpets, guitars, harpsichords, and other instruments of music.

They are forgetful and lose interest in the happenings around them while thinking. So they have servants following them carrying a blown bladder, fastened like a flail to the end of a stick and filled with small quantity of dried peas, or little pebbles. With this they flap the mouths and ears of those who stand near them to rouse them and remind them they have to speak or listen. They give a soft flap on their eyes if they are wrapped in cogitation.

Question 26.
Do you think that there is irony in the behaviour and learning of the Laputians. What do you think is the author trying to satirize?
Answer:
There is irony in the behaviour and learning of laputians because although the Laputians had good theoretical knowledge and were dexterous enough on a piece of paper, in the common actions and behaviour of life, they were clumsy, awkward, and unhandy people. They may be dextrous in use of the rule, the pencil, and the divider, but were slow and perplexed in their conceptions upon all other subjects, except those of mathematics and music.

While they were engrossed in mathematics, they had poorly designed houses with no right angles. They were fond of music but what they played sounded like noise to Gulliver. The Laputians engaged in the astronomy and had great faith in judicial astrology, but did not own it publicly.The Laputians seemed to lack practical application of their theoretical knowledge. Swift tries to satirize the folly in making theories that do not have any practical application. He was satirizing the trend in England and Europe where there were new theories coming up which had no practical application. Swift by satirizing the Laputians makes us understand that while knowledge and information is important, it should have an impact in human life.

Question 27.
What made the island of Laputa fly?
Answer:
At the centre of the island of Laputa was a deep canyon, called Flandona Gagnole, or the astronomer’s cave. This contained all their astronomical instruments and a giant magnet six yards long, in the middle of it. The island was raised, lowered and moved from one place to another at the king’s astronomers at his orders with its magnetic force. At one end the magnet had the power of attraction, and at the other the power of repulsion.

These two charges could be reversed by means of an attached control. The magnet was sustained by a strong axle upon which it played, and was poised so exactly that the weakest hand could turn it. It could not be removed from its place by any force, because the hoop and its feet were one continued piece with the bottom of the island. Of course, the movement of Laputa had limits: it couldn’t go beyond the king’s own dominions, or islands he controlled at sea level; neither could it rise higher than four miles above the Earth.

Question 28.
What methods of appointing politicians as suggested by the professors, Gulliver feels are “wholly out of their senses”? Bring out the irony.
Answer:
At the Academy, Gulliver met some professors who were studying issues of government. He sarcastically referred to them as being “wholly out of their senses”. They proposed that monarchs should choose favourites based on their wisdom, capacity, and virtue. They wanted to teach ministers to look for the public good. These professors proposed that merit, great abilities, eminent services should be rewarded.

They suggested that princes be instructed to know their true interest, by placing it on the same foundation with that of their people. Another of their wild schemes was to choose for employments persons qualified to exercise them. Gulliver sarcastically refers to these scientists as being “wholly out of their senses” and their schemes “wild” as what they proposed was not fanciful or outlandish but sensible and down-to-earth, unlike schemes suggested by the other professors.

Question 29.
Briefly describe Gulliver’s arrival at and his interaction with the king of Luggnag?
Answer:
At the court of Luggnag, Gulliver was commanded to crawl upon his belly, and lick the floor as he advanced; but, on account of his being a stranger, care was taken to have it made so clean, that the dust was not offensive. When he had crept within four yards of the throne, Gulliver raised himself gently upon his knees, and then striking his forehead seven times against the ground, he pronounced the words, as they had been taught to him. The king was much delighted with his company, and ordered his BLIFFMARKLUB, or high- chamberlain, to appoint a lodging in the court for him and his interpreter; with a daily allowance for his table, and a large purse of gold for his common expenses. He stayed three months in this country.

Question 30.
How does Gulliver’s Master Houyhnhnm respond when Gulliver tries to explain he comes from another country and that he sailed to the island in a boat built by humans?
Answer:
Gulliver tries to explain to his Master Houyhnhnm that he had arrived at his island in a ship made and sailed by men, that he was set ashore thanks to an argument between men. Gulliver’s Master told Gulliver that he did not believe there could be a country beyond the sea, or that a parcel of brutes could move a wooden vessel wherever they pleased upon water. But what he found even more amazing was that he was sure there wasn’t a Houyhnhnm alive who could make such a vessel, and neither was there one who would trust Yahoos to manage it.

After making his Master promise not to get angry, Gulliver explained that in his country, the Houyhnhnms were the brutes and the men were the reasonable beings. He added that if he told his countrymen, they would hardly think it probable that anywhere on earth a Houyhnhnm was the presiding creature of a nation, and a Yahoo the brute. Gulliver’s Master Houyhnhnm is unable to understand how horses despite being larger and stronger, could be compelled to serve humans.

Question 31.
What are the Houyhnhnms’ customs for the ten days before an elderly Houyhnhnm is about to die and what are the customs for a funeral?
Answer:
Some weeks before their death, the Houyhnhnms feel a gradual decay or a weakening but without pain. During this time many of their friends come and visit them, because they cannot go out visiting other people with their usual ease and satisfaction. The Houyhnhnms are invariably able to figure out that they are about to die. As a result, about ten days before their death, they start returning the visits that have been made them by those who are nearest in the neighbourhood and take solemn leave of their friends.

They behave as if they were going to some remote part of the country, where they are designed to pass the rest of their lives. Their friends and relations express neither joy nor grief at their departure; nor does the dying person express the least regret that he is leaving the world any more than if he were upon returning home from a visit to one of his neighbours.

Question 32.
Describe Gulliver’s meeting with the sailors? How does Gulliver react to their offer to take him back to Europe?
Answer:
While he was escaping from the natives, Gulliver spied a ship on the horizon. Gulliver’s hatred of the Yahoos made him decide to go back to the island rather than be rescued by European Yahoos. He hid on the island but,.unfortunately, the ship’s sailors came ashore on the island for water and found Gulliver. They spoke to him in Portuguese, asking him who he was. He replied in the same language, telling them that he was a “poor Yahoo banished from the Houyhnhnms”. Gulliver told them that he was from England. He spoke with neighing intonations which made the sailors laugh.

The sailors took Gulliver aboard their ship, where he met the captain, Don Pedro de Mendez. Gulliver was unhappy to be back among the Yahoos and he tried to throw himself into the sea to swim away, but was caught before he could. Don Pedro made Gulliver promise that he would not try to kill himself on the way home. Gulliver promised reluctantly.

Question 33.
Explain the Laputian Tailor’s method of measuring Gulliver for a suit of clothes. Why didn’t this work well? Do you think clothes are used as a motif in the novel?
Answer:
The tailor who was to stitch Gulliver’s clothes did not take measurements in the normal way. He took measurement of clothes differently. He took Gulliver’s altitude by a quadrant, and then, with a rule and compasses, described the dimensions and outlines of the whole body, which were entered upon paper. When he returned with the clothes that he had stitched, they were ill-made, and quite out of shape, as the tailor had made a mistake in calculation. However, it didn’t matter because others were similarly dressed.

In the novel, clothing seems to carry an important meaning because we see how Gulliver pays meticulous attention to his clothes. The clothes he wears differs in each of his travels and seem to symbolize him distancing himself from the social conventions of England because in Laputa his clothes were irregular and out of shape. Clothes could also symbolize identity and with each culture Gulliver also adapts and dons the cultural identity of the place.

Question 34.
Write a brief note on the Laputians.
Answer:
The Laputians are a race of strange people. Their heads are always leaning to right or left and their eyes do not focus on the world around them. One of their eyes is turned inward, and other looks up to the zenith. The live on a floating island, controlled by a central magnet. They have only two interests: mathematics and music, and are very far advanced in these. However, they are impractical as they cannot build houses with right angles, and they cannot sew clothes that fit.

The reason is that they do not take measurements from real life, preferring instead to use equations to prove what has to be true. However, though Laputa floats above, the Laputians continue to have political connections to Balnibarbi, the continent below it as many of the king’s ministers have estates on the continent. The king maintains a strict tribute policy; if people do not send in tributes, he orders his astronomers to float the island right above them, blocking the sun and rain and causing further trouble by dropping stones on them.

Question 35.
How were rebels successful in one case against the king of Laputa?
Answer:
The residents of Lindalino, the second City in the Kingdom, had often complained to the king of great oppression by their governor but their complaints were in vain. The people united and shut the Town Gates, seized the Governor, and erected four large towers, one at every comer of the city equal in height to a strong pointed rock that stood directly in the centre of the city. A large magnet was fixed upon the top of each tower and rock. The townspeople had stored provisions and they would not be short of water as a river ran through the town.

When the king heard of these preparations by Lindalinians eight months later, he commanded that the island should be floated over city. The island hovered over them several days depriving them of the sun and the rain. They were pelted with great stones but the citizens hid in the four towers, and other strong buildings, and underground vaults. When the king lowered the island within forty yards of the top of the towers and rock, the magnets fixed on the towers pulled island down at a great speed and damaged the base. The king was forced to give in to the Lindalinians.

Question 36.
What did the Laputians talk of? Why did Gulliver find this strange?
Answer:
The Laputians, when they met, discussed news and politics. Gulliver found their inclination towards news •and politics, inquiries into public affairs, and giving of judgments in matters of state, and they way they disputed party opinions baffling. But he took this quality to arise from a very common infirmity of human nature, inclining us to be most curious and conceited in matters where we have least concern, and for which we are least adapted by study or nature.

The Laputians feared changes in heavenly bodies: and the movement of the earth and the sun. These fears that kept them awake at nights and whenever they met, they discussed their fears. When the Laputians met an acquaintance they inquired about the sun’s health. Gulliver likens their conversation to that of boys who like to hear terrible stories of spirits and hobgoblins but which cause them fear.

Question 37.
Write a brief note on the king of Luggnag.
Answer:
The Luggnaggian king’s behaviour is yet another example of the kind of random cruelty too much power inspires in a person. Anyone appearing before him must say, “May your celestial majesty outlive the sun, eleven moons and a half’. This is an example of flattery the king expects as his due.In his megalomania, the king makes Gulliver kneel in front of him and lick the ground in front of his feet. This in fact is a common practice in this kingdom. At times the ground is dusty and his subjects stand before him with their mouths full of dust, trying not to cough because coughing in front of the King is against the law and could get them executed.

Sometimes, the king assassinates people he does not like by sprinkling the ground in front of his feet with poison. What’s more, accidents have happened in the past where the poison hasn’t been properly cleaned up and people have died. The king has been sorry about this and got the pageboy, who neglected to give orders for cleaning the floor, whipped. Though he is merciful enough to forgive the pageboy when he apologises, he is not sorry enough to stop his method of execution.

Question 38.
What does Gulliver tell his master about the Houyhnhnms in his country? What is his reaction to this?
Answer:
Gulliver told his master that the Yahoos were the only governing animals in his country, and though they had Houyhnhnms among them. They were employed in travelling, racing, or drawing chariots. Although they were treated with much kindness and care, if they got injured or diseased they were sold, and forced into drudgery till they died. After they died, their skins were stripped, and sold, and their bodies were left to be eaten by dogs and birds of prey.

Horses kept by farmers and carriers, and other mean people, had to work harder and were fed poorly. Men also used bridles, saddles, spurs, and whips on horses. Horses had plates of a certain hard substance of iron, below their hooves, to save their hooves from being broken by the stones over which humans made them ride. This angered Gulliver’s Master. He wondered how human beings dared to ride upon a Houyhnhnm’s back as the Houyhnhnms were physically much stronger.

Question 39.
How does Gulliver characterize doctors, lawyers and the ministers of state in speaking to his Master?
Answer:
Gulliver refers to doctors as “another sort of people, who get their livelihood by attending the sick.” They make a profit from those who are sick. They give fake potions to make people cleanse their insides. This group of people, the doctors, make so much profit on diseases that they encourage people to think that they were sick even when they aren’t. Physicians have given several names to these diseases that exist only in the sufferer’s imagination. They have invented imaginary cures for these diseases and so for the drugs that are proper for them.

Gulliver criticises lawyers severely as well. He explains how lawyers are trained from babyhood to defend the wrong side, so they have no sense of justice. He demonstrates this with the example of a neighbour stealing his cow. Lawyers like to split hairs and talk about irrelevant details to distract people from the simple facts of all their cases. In pleading, they studiously avoid entering into the merits of the cause; but are loud, violent, and tedious, in dwelling upon all circumstances which are irrelevant. They have their own private way of speaking, which excludes ordinary people from either understanding or making laws

According to Gulliver ministers are people who are totally without any emotion besides ambition for money, power and titles. These ministers put their words to all uses, except for speaking their mind. They never let others know what is on their mind. The only time they tell the truth is when they intend the others to take it for a lie, and they lie, with the aim of it being taken as the truth. Their essential skills include the ability to get rid of an inconvenient relative; to undermine their predecessors and to shout endlessly against corruption at court.

Question 40.
Give an analysis of the Houyhnhnms and their culture.
Answer:
Gulliver describes the Houyhnhnms as a noble race who are virtuous by nature. They have no conception of evil. They are rational beings and their motto is to cultivate reason, and to be wholly governed by it. Reason is indisputable for the Houyhnhnms and it is not tainted by passion and interest. As a result there are no controversies, wrangling or disputes among the Houyhnhnms. Friendship and benevolence are the two principal virtues among the Houyhnhnms; and these are not confined to particular objects, but universal to the whole race; for a stranger from the remotest part is treated as an equal to the nearest neighbour, and is made to feel at home. They preserve decency and civility in the highest degrees, but are altogether ignorant of ceremony.

They have no fondness for their colts or foals, but take good care of their education. To keep their population under control, the Houyhnhnms have one foal of each sex. But the race of inferior Houyhnhnms, bred up to be servants, is allowed to produce three of each sex, to serve in the noble families. The Houyhnhnm society is based on rigid segregation of breeds and species. To preserve the race from degenerating, Houyhnhnms marry according to the colour of the coat. Marriages of the Houyhnhnms are arranged by parents and they get married.

Question 41.
What a brief note on the Houyhnhnm way of upbringing and education for the young?
Answer:
The young ones are brought up on a strict diet and are not allowed to eat oats, except upon certain days, till they are eighteen years old. They are rarely given milk. In summer they graze two hours in the morning, and two hours in the evening; but the servant foals are allowed to graze for an hour at each time. A great part of their grass is brought home, which they eat at the most convenient hours, when they can be spared from work. The young ones of both sexes are trained in self-control, diligence, exercise, and cleanliness.

The Houyhnhnms have an admirable system of educating the youth of both sexes. The youth are trained to strength, speed, and hardiness, by exercising them in running races up and down steep hills, and over hard stony grounds; and when they are all in a sweat, they are ordered to leap into a pond or river. Four times a year the youth of a certain district meet to show their proficiency in running and leaping, and other feats of strength and agility; where the victor is rewarded with a song in his or her praise

Question 42.
What kind of place is Glubbdubdrib? Who rules over it? What strange powers does he have?
Answer:
Glubbdubdrib is an island of sorcerers or magicians. It is about one third as large as the Isle of Wight, and extremely fruitful. It is governed by the head of a certain tribe, who are all magicians. The eldest in succession becomes prince or governor. The governor lives in a noble palace, which has a park of about three thousand acres, surrounded by a wall of hewn stone twenty feet high. In this park are several small enclosures for cattle, com, and gardening. The governor was skilled in necromancy or a form of magic involving communication with the deceased—either by summoning their spirit or raising them bodily.

He had the power of calling whom he pleased from the deadend commanding their service for twenty- four hours. Also, he could not call the same persons up again in less than three months, except upon very extraordinary occasions. When he saw the servants in the palace, he noticed the guards were dressed in a very strange manner, and with something in their appearance made Gulliver’s flesh creep with horror. The attendants appeared and disappeared. Gulliver was apprehensive, but the governor reassured him saying that he would receive no hurt.

Question 43.
What type of animal frightens away the horrible creatures that attack Gulliver in the fields? Write a brief note on this animal and his family.
Answer:
Gulliver was attacked by the ugly deformed Yahoos. He was rescued by another resident of the island: a kind, gentle looking grey, horse who seemed to frighten the gross animals away. Unlike the Yahoos, the horse had a very mild aspect, never offering the least violence. When Gulliver reached out to stroke its neck, it disdainfully shook his head, and softly raised its right forefoot to remove his hand. The horse seemed fascinated by Gulliver, and his clothing. The horse neighed in a complicated cadence. Another horse joined

the first and the two seemed to be involved in a discussion. They appeared to be so intelligent that Gulliver concluded they were magicians who had transformed themselves into horses. They used the words “Yahoo” and “Houyhnhnm,” which Gulliver tried to pronounce. The two horses parted, and the grey horse took , Gulliver along with him

Question 44.
What does Gulliver ultimately come to believe about the relative virtues of humans and HouUyhmhms?
Answer:
Gulliver was so impressed by the virtues of the Houyhnhnms, that he had started to hate his own species. Gulliver’s love and veneration for the horses is evident when he describes them as being orderly and rational, acute and judicious. They speak clearly, act justly, and have simple laws. Each Houyhnhnm knows what is right and acts accordingly. They are untroubled by greed, politics, or lust. They live a life of cleanliness and exist in peace and serenity. In fact, they have no concept of lies, and therefore no word to express it.

On the other hand are the humans. They give great importance to money. Gulliver finds them greedy and exploitative. Human beings lie to each other. They beg, rob, steal, cheat, and tell lies. They fight wars and kill fellow beings.

Question 45.
Have you ever gone on a journey or an adventure? Do you think going on a journey changes you? Give reasons for your answer.
Encourage the students to think creatively andformulate their own answers.
Answer:
Going on a journey definitely changes people. When we travel, we get to meet people of various different cultures as well as traditions and the interactions with them changes the way we think and feel, it also gives us an opportunity to learn many things. Even in the novel, Gulliver goes on many journeys and meets people of different shapes and sizes and he leams many things about them as well as their language. He also learns about himself in the process. The true point of an adventure and a journey is to give us the thrill of discovery and at the same time encounter new things, thoughts, ideas and that is what challenges us and moulds us. One is never the same after an experience such as that.