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Here we are providing The Last Lesson Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo, Extra Questions for Class 12 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

The Last Lesson Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

The Last Lesson Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What did the peddler sell? How did he make those things?
Answer:
The peddler sold small rattraps made of wire. He made them himself. He got the material by begging in the stores or at the big farms.

Question 2.
The peddler was given to thievery and hegging. Why?
Answer:
The peddler made small rattraps and sold them. But his business was not profitable. So he had to resort to both begging and petty thievery to keep his body and soul together.

Question 3.
Why did the peddler drive pleasure from his idea of the world as a rattrap?
Answer:
The peddler used to sell rattraps. The world had never been kind to him, so it gave him joy to think ill of it in this way. It became a cherished pastime for him. He thought some people had already been caught in this rattrap while the others are circling around it.

Question 4.
Why did Edla plead her father not to send the vagabond away?
Answer:
Edla had felt so happy when she thought how she would be going to entertain the stranger on the Christmas Eve. She could not get away from the idea all at once, and that was why she pleaded her father for the vagabond. She wanted him to enjoy a day of peace with them in their house.

Question 5.
Why did the crofter welcome the peddler in his cottage?
Answer:
The crofter lived alone in his cottage. He was without wife and child. He welcomed the peddler to over-come his loneliness.

Question 6.
How can you say that the crofter was a good host?
Answer:
The crofter was indeed a good host. He welcomed the peddler in his cottage. He shared with him his meal and tobacco. He also played a game of cards with him. All this show that the crofter was a good host.

Question 7.
What do we learn about the crofter’s nature from the story, “The Rattrap’?
Answer:
The crofter lived alone in his cottage. He welcomed the peddler in his cottage and offered him meal and tobacco. He also played a game of cards with him. Though the crofter was a good host yet he entertained the peddler only to overcome his own loneliness.

Question 8.
Why did the crofter show his thirty kronor to the peddler?
Answer:
The crofter was very proud of his cow. He told the peddler that it gave enough milk to support him. To prove himself true he showed his thirty kronor to the peddler which he had received as a payment for the milk.

Question 9.
How did the ironmaster react on seeing the stranger lying close to the furnace?
Answer:
The ironmaster saw the peddler at the forge. The ironmaster walked close to him. He thought the peddler was his one of the regimental acquaintances. He called him by the name of Nils Olof. The ironmaster felt sorry to see his miserable condition and he invited the peddler to his home.

Question 10.
Why didn’t the peddler tell the ironmaster that he was not Captain Nils Off?
Answer:
The peddler thought that if the ironmaster thought that he was an old acquaintance, he might perhaps help him with a few kronor. Therefore the peddler didn’t tell the ironmaster that he was not his old acquaintance.

Question 11.
What did the ironmaster tell the peddler about his family?
Answer:
The ironmaster told the peddler that his wife, Eliza- beth had already died. Both his sons were abroad. There was no one in the house expect his eldest daughter Edla and himself. He thought it would be so nice if the peddler came with him and gave them the company at the Christmas Eve.

Question 12.
Why did the peddler keep to the woods after leaving the crofter’s cottage? How did he feel?
Answer:
The peddler had stolen the crofter’s money. He realised that he should not continue walking on the public highway. Therefore he turned towards the woods. Initially it caused him no difficulty. Later it became worse for him. He recalled his thought about the world being a rattrap. He thought now his turn had come and he himself had been caught in this rattrap.

Question 13.
What made the peddler accept Edla’s invitation? How did he feel?
Answer:
Edla Willmansson noticed that the man was quite afraid. She reassured him that she would be allowed to leave just as freely as freely he came. She said that she only wanted to stay with them on the Christmas Eve. She said that in such a friendly manner ‘ that the rattrap seller could not refuse her. She thought that the young girl would behave with him ‘ kindly.

Question 14.
What doubts did Edla had about the peddler? How did she reassure him?
Answer:
Edla doubted that the man was quite afraid. She thought that the peddler had stolen something or might have escaped from jail. She reassured him that she would be allowed to leave just as freely as freely he came.

Question 15.
When did the ironmaster realize that the peddler was none of his regimental acquaintances?
Answer:
The valet had bathed the peddler and cut his hair, and shaved him. He was dressed in a good-looking suit of the ironmaster. Though he was so well groomed, the ironmaster didn’t seem pleased. He realised his mistake that the peddler was not his old regimental acquaintance.

Question 16.
What did the ironmaster order the peddler?
Answer:
When the ironmaster saw the peddler in the broad daylight, he came to know that the peddler was none of his regimental acquaintances. Therefore he ordered the peddler to get out of his house at once.

Question 17.
How did the peddler defend himself?
Answer:
The peddler made no attempt to defend himself. He knew all his splendour had come to an end. He told the ironmaster that it was not his fault at all. He had not deceived anyone. He projected himself to be a poor trader. But the ironmaster threatened him to take the matter to the sheriff.

Question 18.
Why did Edla want to entertain the peddler though she knew the truth about him?
Answer:
Edla told her father that the peddler walked and walked whole the year long, and he was not welcomed anywhere. He was afraid of being arrested and cross examined. Therefore Edla wanted the peddler to enjoy a day of peace with them in their house.

Question 19.
Why did Edla feel depressed about his decision’to entertain the peddler?
Answer:
At church Edla came to know that a man selling rattraps had robbed the crofter of his thirty kronor. She had entertained that man in his home nicely. Naturally she felt quite depressed when she came to know that the peddler was a petty thief.

Question 20.
Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?
Answer:
At church Edla came to know that a man selling rattraps had stolen the crofter’s thirty kronor. She was quite dejected and disappointed at her decision to entertain that man in her house. But when she reached home, she came to know that the man had not taken away anything from their house rather he had left a small gift for her. On receiving the gift and reading the letter she felt happy that she was able to free the man from the rattrap of the world.

Question 21.
What was written in the letter that the peddler left for Edla?
Answer:
The peddler wrote, “Since you have been so nice to me all day long, as if I was a captain, I want to be nice to you, in return, as if I was a real captain.The rattrap is a Christmas present from a rat who would have been caught in the world’s rattrap if he had not been raised to captain, because in that way he got the power to clear himself.“Captain von Stahle.”

Question 22.
From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Answer:
One day rattrap seller was going his way along the road. Suddenly an idea struck him. He compared the whole world with a rattrap. It offered riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and pork, and as soon as anyone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, it closed in on him, and then everything came to an end. He thought some people had already caught in it and some other are circling around the bait.

Question 23.
Why was he amused by this idea?
Answer:
The rattrap seller considered whole the world like a rattrap. He thought some people had already been caught in it while the others are circling around it. The world had never been kind to him. He was amused to think about it in this way.

Question 24.
Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter?
Answer:
No, the peddler had not expected the kind of hospitality he received from the crofter. He was not welcomed anywhere. He usually met sour faces. But the crofter was living alone. He was happy to have someone for company.

Question 25.
Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?
Answer:
The crofter was without wife and any child. He was happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness. Therefore, he was so friendly and talkative.

Question 26.
Why did he show the thirty kronor to the peddler?
Answer:
The crofter told the peddler that his cow gave a lot of milk and he sold it to the creamery. He recently had got thirty kronor as a payment for his milk. However, he thought that the peddler didn’t believe his story about the thirty kronor. Therefore, he showed them to the peddler.

Question 27.
Did the peddler respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter?
Answer:
The crofter showed his thirty kronor to the peddler believing him to be his friend. But the peddler did not respect the confidence reposed in him. He was a petty thief and stole with the crofter’s money.

Question 28.
What made the peddler think that he had in¬deed fallen into the rattrap?
Answer:
The peddler had stolen the crofter’s thirty kronor. He thought that now he had also been caught in the vicious circle of evil. He considered himself caught in, a rattrap and now he was finding no way to get out of it.

Question 29.
Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?
Answer:
The ironmaster saw the peddler at the forge. The ironmaster walked close to him, looked at him carefully. He thought the peddler was his one of the regimental acquaintances. He called him by the name of Nils Olof. The iron master felt sorry to see his miserable condition, therefore, he invited the peddler to his home.

Question 30.
Why did the peddler decline the invitation?
Answer:
The peddler had with him the stolen thirty kronor. He thought that he would land himself in big trouble by going to the manor house. Therefore, he declined the invitation.

Question 31.
What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation?
Answer:
Edla Willmansson told the peddler that her father had asked her to bring him to their home. She noticed that the man was quite afraid. She thought that the peddler had stolen something or might have escaped from jail. She reassured him that she would be allowed to leave just as freely as freely he came. She said that she only wanted to stay with them on the Christmas Eve. She said that in such a friendly manner that the peddler could not refuse her.

Question 32.
What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?
Answer:
The peddler was in rags and he was looking very frightened. Edla doubted that the man was not much educated. She also thought perhaps he had stolen something or had escaped from jail.

Question 33.
When did the ironmaster realize his mistake?
Answer:
The ironmaster saw the peddler in the broad day¬light. Now he was truly clean and well dressed. The valet had bathed him, cut his hair, and shaved him. He was dressed in a good-looking suit of the ironmaster. He wore a white shirt and a starched collar and whole shoes. Though he. was so well groomed, the ironmaster didn’t seem pleased. He realised his mistake that the peddler was not his old regimental acquaintance.

Question 34.
What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had thought he was?
Answer:
The peddler told the ironmaster that it was not his fault at all. He had not deceived anyone. He projected himself to be a poor trader. He only wanted that he should be allowed to stay at the forge.

Question 35.
Why did Edla entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?
Answer:
The ironmaster asked the peddler to leave his house immediately. But Edla did not want the peddler to go. That morning she had felt so happy when she thought how she would be going to entertain the stranger on the Christmas Eve. She could not get, away from the idea all at once, and that was why ,she had interceded for the vagabond.

She told her father that the peddler walked and walked whole the year long, and he was not welcomed anywhere. He was afraid of being arrested and cross examined. The ironmaster’s daughter wanted him to enjoy a day of peace with them in their house. Quite reluctantly the ironmaster agreed to that. It showed that the girl was full of compassion.

Question 36.
Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?
Arts.
Edla and her father came to know at the church that the peddler had stolen crofter’s thirty kronor.
She was quite disturbed. The ironmaster thought that he must have stolen something from their house when they reached home. But when they reached home, they came to know that the peddler had not taken anything with him. On the contrary, he had left a small gift for Edla. In the package left by him, there was a small rattrap, three ten- krona notes and a letter. When she read the letter she was very happy that she was able to reform the peddler.

Question 37.
Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?
Answer:
The peddler was invited to the manor house as a captain. Though every truth was revealed about him, yet he was treated as if he were a real captain. Therefore, the peddler signed himself as Captain Von Stahle.

The Rattrap Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
The peddler believed that the whole world is a rattrap. How did he himself caught in the same?
Answer:
The peddler spent his night at the crofter’s cottage. The crofter showed him the thirty kronor he had received as a payment for the milk of his cow. In the morning when the peddler went away to milk his cow, the peddler stole the money and thrust it into his pocket and went away.The peddler was quite pleased at his smartness. However he realised that he should not continue walking on the public highway. Therefore he turned towards the woods. Initially it caused him no difficulty. Later it became worse for him.

The forest was quite confusing. The paths twisted so frequently that he could not understand where he was going. He walked and walked without coming to the end of the woods and finally he realised that he had been walking in the same part of the forest. He recalled his thought about the world being a rattrap. He thought now his turn had come and he himself had been caught in this rattrap.

Question 2.
The peddler thinks that the whole world is a rattrap. This view of life is true only of himself and of no one else in the story. Comment.
Ans.
The world had never been kind to the peddler. He used to sell rattraps. He made them himself and for that he would beg material from stores and farm houses. Even then his business was not profitable. He had to resort to both begging and thievery to keep his body and soul together. That man was a tramp and the world had never been kind towards him. Once a sudden idea came into his mind and he found that idea quite entertaining. He thought that the entire world was nothing but a big rattrap.

It offered all the comforts to the person, exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and pork, and as soon as anyone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, it closed in on him, and then everything came to an end. In this story when he stole the crofter’s thirty kronor he realised that he himself had been caught in the rattrap of the world. However this view of life is true of himself only. The other characters of the story were living a comfortable and good life. The crofter though lonely, had a cow to support him.

The ironmaster were a rich person and he lived in a big manor house. His daughter Edla was a very kind-hearted girl. It who she who helped the peddler to come out of the rattrap of the world. This story clearly shows when a person has to face hard times he became pessimistic.

Question 3.
How did the peddler feel after robbing the crofter? What course of life did he adopt and how did he react to the new situation?
Answer:
The peddler did not respect the confidence that the crofter had shown in him. As soon as the crofter went to milk his cow, the peddler smashed the win¬dow pane and took away the crofter’s thirty kronor. He was quite happy at his smartness. The peddler did not feel any prick in his consciousness due to his act of thievery. But he realised that he must not walk on the public highway. Therefore he turned to the woods. Initially he did not have any problem. Later in the day it became very bad.

It was a big and confusing forest. He tried to walk in a definite direction, but the paths twisted back and forth so strangely. He walked and walked without coming to the ency of the forest. Finally he realised that he had been walking around in the same part of the forest. All at once he recalled his thoughts about the world and the rattrap. He thought now his turn had come. He thought, he had let himself be fooled by a bait and had been caught.

Question 4.
Why did the crofter repose confidence in the peddler? How did the peddler betray that and with what consequences?
Answer:
The crofter was a lonely man. He lived in a roadside cottage. He shared with the peddler his meal and tobacco. He also played a game of cards with the peddler. He told the peddler that his cow supported him, and he received thirty kronor as a payment from the creamery. He showed the peddler three ten-krona bills.

The peddler stole the crofter’s money as he left the cottage to milk his cow. After stealing the money he realised that he must not walk on the public highway. Therefore he turned to the woods. Initially he did not have any problem. Later in the day it became very bad. It was a big and confusing forest. He tried to walk in a definite direction, but the paths twisted back and forth so strangely.

He walked and walked without coming to the end of the forest. Finally he realised that he had been walking around in the same part of the forest. All at once he recalled his thoughts about the world and the rattrap. He thought now his turn had come. He thought, he had let himself be fooled by a bait and had been caught.

Question 5.
Why did ironmaster’s daughter more persuasive than his father while dealing with the peddler. Comment.
Answer:
The ironmaster took the peddler to be one of his regimental acquaintances. He wanted him to spend Christmas Eve with them. But the peddler declined his invitation. The ironmaster sent his daughter to bring the stranger to his house. He hoped that she would persuade the tramp to come to his place. She was followed by a valet, carrying on his arm a big fur coat.

The peddler was lying to the floor with a piece of pig iron under his head and his hat pulled down over his eyes. As soon as the young girl caught sight of him, she went up and lifted his hat. The stranger was still awake and he jumped up and seemed to be quite frightened.

The young girl said that her name was Edla Willmansson and her father had asked her to bring the stranger to their home. She reassured him that he would be allowed to leave just as freely as freely he came. She said that she only wanted him to stay with them on the Christmas Eve. She said that in such a friendly manner that the rattrap seller could not refuse her. He accepted the fur coat, which the valet handed over to him and threw it over his rags, and followed the young lady out to the carriage.

Question 6.
There is a saying ‘Kindness pays, rudeness never. In the story, The Rattrap’ Edla’s attitude towards men and matters from her father’s attitude. How are the values of concern and compassion brought out in this story?
Answer:
Edla’s attitude towards life is very different from that of her father. When the ironmaster came to know that the peddler was none of his regimental acquaintances he was full of rage. He even threatened the matter to be taken the sheriff. He ordered the peddler to leave his house at once.

However Edla, the ironmaster’s daughter is a very kind-hearted girl. Though she comes to know the peddler’s truth she still treats him so well as if he were really a captain. She does not have any selfish motive in serving the peddler. We can say she proves to be an angel in the peddler’s life that he decides to give up thievery and lead a meaningful and honest life.

Question 7.
Describe how the story, The Rattrap’ shows that basic human goodness can be brought out by understanding and love.
Answer:
The protagonist of the story is a peddler. He is a tramp and given to petty thievery and begging. One day he stole a crofter’s thirty kronor. He reached the Ramsjo Ironworks. This iron mill was owned by a very prominent ironmaster. He saw the peddler there and took him to be one of his old regimental acquaintances.

He was full of pity at his miserable condition. The ‘peddler was invited to the ironmas-ter’s house. But when the ironmaster came to realise his mistake he ordered the peddler to leave his house. However the ironmaster’s daughter, Edla, did not want the peddler to go. That morning she had felt so happy when she thought how she would be going to entertain the stranger on the Christmas Eve. She told her father that the tramp walked and walked whole the year long, and he was not welcomed anywhere.

He was afraid of arrested and cross examined. The ironmaster’s daughter told her father that she wanted him to enjoy a day of peace with them in their house. Quite reluctantly the ironmaster agreed to that. At the ironmaster’s house the peddler was treated as if he were a real captain. In the end of the story the peddler changed his ways and decided to live a righteous life. This happened only because of the compassionate and sympathetic treatment of Edla. She brought the basic human goodness in the peddler out by her kind treatment.

Question 8.
How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness and hospitality shown by the crofter, the ironmaster and his daughter?
Answer:
The crofter, the ironmaster and the ironmaster’s daughter all show kindness and hospitality towards the peddler. The crofter lives by the roadside in a cottage. He lives lonely and is without wife and child. He is happy to have someone for company when the peddler reaches his cottage. He entertains the peddler only to overcome his loneliness.

The ironmaster takes the peddler to be one of his regimental acquaintances. He is moved to see his miserable condition. He wants to help him. There-fore, he invites him to his house. But when he realises that the peddler is none of his regimental acquaintances, he immediately orders him to leave his house.

Ironmaster’s daughter comes to know that the peddler is a poor man and not her father’s acquaintance. Even then she entertains the peddler and treats him very kindly. It is only because of her that the peddler finally changes his ways.

Question 9.
What are the instances in the story that show that the character of the ironmaster is different from that of his daughter in many ways?
Answer:
Ironmaster and his daughter are poles apart as far as their character and temperament. The ironmaster is very practical person. He makes regular visits to the forge to see whether the work is done properly or not. He mistakes the peddler to be one of his regimental acquaintances. He is moved to see his miserable condition. He wants to help him. There-fore he invites him to his home. But when he finds that the man is none of his regimental acquaintances but just a tramp, he orders him to get out cf his house.

However Edla, the ironmaster’s daughter is a very kind-hearted girl. Though she comes to know the peddler’s truth she still treats him so well as if he were really a Captain. She does not have any selfish motive in serving the peddler. We can say she proves to be an angel in the peddler’s life. It is only because of her that he decides to give up thievery and lead a meaningful and honest life.

Question 10.
The story has many instances of unexpected reactions from the characters to other’s behaviour. Pick out instances of these surprises.
Answer:
We can say that there are two instances of unexpected reactions from the character’s behaviour. The first one is the crofter’s behaviour towards the peddler. The peddler had expected that he would not be welcomed by the crofter. On the contrary the crofter provides him shelter for night, food and also tobacco. He also plays a game of cards with him.

The second instance is the behaviour of the ironmaster’s daughter towards the peddler. She comes to know that the peddler is not a former captain but just a mere tramp, even then she goes against the wishes of her father and entertains the peddler so well as if he were a real captain.

Question 11.
What made the peddler finally change his ways?
Answer:
The peddler was a petty thief. But the kind treatment of the ironmaster’s daughter had great effect on his heart. He decided to change his ways. While he left the ironmaster’s house he left a small package as a gift for Edla. When she opened the package, she found in it a small rattrap, and three ten krona notes. In the rattrap there was a letter also. It said: “Since you have been so nice to me all day long, as if I was a captain, I want to be nice to you, in return, as if I was a real captain.

The rattrap is a Christmas present from a rat who would have been caught in the world’s rattrap if he had not been raised to captain, because in that way he got power to clear himself. “Captain Von Stahle”.

Question 12.
How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the human predicament?
Answer:
It is the peddler who compares the world to a big  rattrap. He thinks the whole world with its lands ‘and seas, its cities and villages is nothing but a big rattrap. It sets baits for people. It offers riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, in the same manner as a rattrap offers pork or cheese. As soon as anyone is tempted to touch the bait, it closed in on him and then everything comes to an end.

The peddler says that many people are already have let themselves caught in this dangerous snare while the others are circling the bait.The world has never been kind to the peddler to-wards him. He is chased away wherever he goes. It gives him great joy of thinking the world in this term. In this way, the metaphor of the rattrap serve very well to light the peddler’s predicament.

Question 13.
The peddler comes out as a person with a subtle sense of humour. How does this serve in lightening the seriousness of the theme of the story and also endear him to us?
Answer:
The peddler is a poor man. He sells rattraps that he makes himself by the begged material. Even then he is given to thievery and begging to keep his body and soul together. He takes a very funny view of the world. He compares the world to a rattrap. It sets baits for people. It offers riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, in the same manner as a rattrap offers pork or cheese. As soon as anyone is tempted to touch the bait, it closed in on him and then everything comes to an end.

The peddler says that many people are already who have let themselves caught in this dangerous snare while the others are circling the bait. The peddler is a happy-go-lucky fellow. He steals the crofter’s thirty kronor but he feels no prick in his heart. He knows that the crofter’s hospitality was nothing but a way to overcome his loneliness. But when he comes in contact with Edla, he transforms completely.

He knows that the girl is full of compassion and this fact makes him change his ways also. In this way his humorous idea about the world and his true character that is revealed in the end of the story endear him to the readers.

Question 14.
The reader’s sympathy is with the peddler right from the beginning of the story. Why is this so? Is the sympathy justified? .
Answer:
The peddler is the protagonist of the story. He is given to thievery only because his business is not profitable. He has to do that to keep his body and soul together. He considers the whole world as a big rattrap. He thinks all the riches as mere baits to catch the human beings in the snare. When he steals the crofter’s money he thinks himself to be caught in the rattrap. He reaches the forge. The ironmaster takes him to be one of his regimental acquaintances. He invites him to his house on the Christmas Eve.

When the ironmaster recognises him he realises his mistake and orders him to leave his house at once. At this juncture his daughter steps in. Though the peddler is totally a stranger for them she still decides to entertain him. Only because of her the peddler is able to come out of the rattrap he is trapped in. He writes a letter to her saying, “Since you have been so nice to me all day long, as if I was a captain, I want to be nice to you, in return, as if I was a real captain.

The rattrap is a Christmas present from a rat who would have been caught in the world’s rattrap if he had not been raised to captain, because in that way he got the power to clear himself. Captain von Stahle.” All these incidents endear him to the reader’s mind and he is also able to have the reader’s sympathy.

Question 15.
The story also focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others?
Answer:
In this story the three main characters suffer from loneliness and they want to have bond with others. The first one is the protagonist of the story, the rattrap seller. He is just a poor tramp without any company. He is not welcomed anywhere. The second one is the old crofter. He lives totally alone in his cottage. He is without wife or any child. When the peddler reaches there, he finds a way to overcome his own loneliness. He provides the peddler shelter, food and tobacco. He also plays a game of cards with him.

The third one is the ironmaster. His wife is dead and his sons are abroad. When he sees the peddler he takes him to be one of his regimental acquaintances. He wants him to spend the Christmas Eve with him and his daughter, since they have no one else to accompany them.Thus we can easily deduce that this story focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others.

Question 16.
The story is both entertaining and philosophical. Comment.
Answer:
This story is about a peddler who goes around the country selling his rattraps. His business is not profitable, therefore, he resorts to thievery and begging. The story has a lots of interesting elements in it. For example, the spending of night in the crofter’s cottage.

The second element is the case of mistaken identity. The ironmaster thinks that the peddler was one of his regimental acquaintances. He invites him in his house and when he comes to know about his truth he orders him to leave his house.

The ironmaster also threatens the peddler to take the matter to the sheriff. The dialogues between the ironmaster and the peddler are very interesting, This story has a couple of philosophical elements also.. The peddler, like a learned philosopher, considers the whole world to a rattrap. He thinks that many people have already caught in the snare while the many others are circling around that rattrap.

The second philosophical element is that the unconditional love and compassion can change anyone. It is only because of the ironmaster’s daughter’s hospitality and sympathy that the peddler changes his ways of life and saves himself from falling into the rattrap of the world.

The Rattrap Extra Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow :

(Para-1)

The old man was just as generous with his confidences as with his porridge and tobacco. The guest was informed at once that in his days of prosperity his host had been a crofter at Ramajo Ironworks and had worked on the land. Now that he was no longer able to do day labour, it was his cow which supported him. Yes, that bossy was extraordinary. She could give milk for the creamery every day, and last month, he had received all of thirty comor in payment.

Questions :
(a) What did the old man offer to the paddler and why ?
(b) What was old man’s profession ?
(c) Who supported the old man and how ?
(d) What payment did he receive last month ?
Answers :
(a) The old man offered porridge and tobacco to the paddler because he (the old man) was a generous man and lived alone.
(b) After hearing the thumbing, he thought that those were the hammer strokes from an iron mill and there must be people near by.
(c) After having that thought in his mind, he summoned all his strength, got up and staggered in the direction of the sound.
(d) ‘The Rattrap’ is the chapter and ‘Selma Lagerlof is the writer.

(Para-2)

She looked at him compassionately, with her heavy eyes, and then she noticed that the man was afraid. “Ei-ther he has stolen something or else he has escaped from jail,” she thought, and added quickly, “You may be sure, Captain, that you will be allowed to leave as just as freely as you came. Only please, stay with us over Christmas Eve.”
Questions :
(a) Who looked whom and why ?
(b) What did she think after seeing the paddler ?
(c) Why did she come there ?
(d) Why did she add quickly: ‘You may be Christmas Eve.’
Answers :
(a) The girl, the daughter of the ironmaster, Edla Willmansson looked the paddler assuming him as a Captain.
(b) After seeing the paddler, she thought, “Either he has . stolen something or else he has escaped from, jail.”
(c) She came there to carry the paddler with her to their home for celebrating Christmas Eve because her father wanted to do so.
(d) She added quickly : ‘You may be ‘Christmas Eve’, because she wanted the paddler to confirm that he would not be bounded to stay at their house for long.

(Para-3)

After that, Christmas Eve at Ramsjo passed just as it always had. The stranger did not cause any trouble be-cause he did nothing but sleep. The whole forenoon he lay on the sofa in one of the guest rooms and slept at one stretch. At noon they woke him up so that he could have his share of the good Christmas fare, but after that he slept again. It seemed as though for many years he had not been able to sleep as quietly and safely as here at Ramsjo.
Questions :
(a) Why did the stranger not cause any trouble ?
(b) Where was he sleeping continuously ?
(c) What happened at noon ?
(d) Why was he sleeping too much at Ramsjo ?
Answers :
(a) The stranger did not cause any trouble because he, whole day, did nothing but sleep (only).
(b) In one of the guest rooms, on the sofa, he was sleep-ing continuously and at one stretch.
(c) At noon they woke him up so that he could have his share of the good Christmas fare, but after that he slept again.
(d) It seemed as though for many years he had not been able to sleep as quietly and safely as here at Ramsjo.

(Para-4)

The wagon had hardly stopped at the front steps when the ironmaster asked the valet whether the stranger was still there. He added that he had heard at church that the man was a thief. The valet answered that the fellow had gone and that he had not taken anything with him at all. On the contrary, he had left behind a little package which Miss Willmansson was to be kind enough to accept as a Christmas present.
Questions :
(a) What did the ironmaster ask the valet ?
Ob) What was the news at church ?
(c) What was the answer of the valet ?
(d) What did the paddler left behind and why ?
Answers:
(a) The ironmaster asked the valet whether the stranger was still there.
(b) At church, there was the news of theft at Crofter’s house and the thief was that paddler who stayed in ironmaster’s house.
(c) The valet answered that the fellow had gone and that he had not taken anything with him at all.
(d) The paddler left behind a little package becausd’in this way he wanted to thank Miss Willmansson and gift her the Christmas present.

Here we are providing Deep Water Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo, Extra Questions for Class 12 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

Deep Water Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

Deep Water Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
When did the author decide to learn swimming? Why did he join YMCA pool?
Answer:
The author decided to learn swimming at the age of ten or eleven years. There was a pool at the YMCA that offered that opportunity. The YMCA pool was quite safe. It was only two or three feet deep at the shallow end; and while it was nine feet deep at the other, the drop was gradual.

Question 2.
What did the author do to learn swimming at the YMCA pool?
Answer:
The author got a pair of water wings and went to the pool. He paddled with his new water wings, watching the other boys and trying to learn aping them. He did this two or three times on different times on different days and was beginning to feel at ease.

Question 3.
Why did Douglas’ mother recommend that he should learn swimming at the YMCA pool?
Answer:
The author wanted to learn swimming when he was ten or eleven years old. The river Yakima was dangerous. The author’s mother continually warned him against it and kept on telling him the incidents of drowning in it. But the YMCA pool was quite safe. Therefore she recommended YMCA pool to learn swimming.

Question 4.
Describe the author’s childhood experience when he was three or four years old?
Answer:
The author had an aversion to the water when he was three or four years old. His father took him to a beach in California. His father and he was standing together in the surf. Suddenly the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in the water. His breath was gone. This caused a terror in his mind of water.

Question 5.
What happened one day when the author was sitting alone beside the pool?
Answer:
One day the author went to the pool when no one was there. He was timid about going in the pool alone. So he sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. An eighteen year old boy came there and tossed the author into the pool thinking that the author might knew swimming.

Question 6.
How did the big boy throw the author into the pool?
Answer:
The big boy was about eighteen years old. He was a kind of bruiser. He yelled, ‘ Hi, Skinny! How’d you like to be ducked?’ With that he picked the author up and tossed him into the deep end. However, he later said that he was just fooling.

Question 7.
Describe the appearance of the big boy who tossed the author into the pool?
Answer:
The boy who tossed the author was about eighteen years old. He was a kind of bruiser. He had thick hair on his chest. He was a beautiful physical specimen, with legs and arms that showed rippling muscles.

Question 8.
What deep meaning did his experience at the YMCA pool have for Douglas?
Answer:
His experience had a deep meaning for him. The author said that who had known stark fear and conquered it could appreciate it. In death, there is peace. There is terror only in the fear of death. The author concludes saying that all we need is to fear itself.

Question 9.
How did Douglas’ introduction to the YMCA pool revive his childhood fear of water?
Answer:
Douglas had aversion for water since his early child¬hood. However, he decided to learn swimming at the age of ten or eleven. But one day he was sitting alone beside the pool. He was sitting for others to come. An eighteen year old boy came there and tossed the author into the pool. He was saved with great difficulty from being drowned. In this way, the introduction to the YMCA pool reinforced the author’s childhood fear of water.

Question 10.
What did Douglas feel and do when he was pushed into the swimming water?
Answer:
When Douglas was tossed into the water he was frightened but not much. He thought that when he reached the bottom he would make a big jump. Then he would, come to the surface like a cork. It seemed a long way down. He reached the bottom very slow. It appeared to him that those nine feet were like ninety feet, He felt that his lungs would burst.. He came up very slowly. He grew panicky. He thought he would not survive. This thought gave him peace.

Question 11.
How did Douglas’ experience at the YMCA pool affect him?
Answer:
Douglas was saved from drowning. When he came to his senses, he found that he was lying on his stomach beside the pool and he was vomitiftg. After hours later the author walked to his home. He was feeling very weak. He could neither eat nor sleep that night. He never went to the pool again. He avoided it whenever he could.

Question 12.
Why did the author go to Lake Went worth in New Hampshire?
Answer:
The author had learnt swimming from a very capable instructor. But the author wanted to conquer ‘ his fear of water completely. Therefore, he went to Lake Went worth in New Hampshire. He swam across the lake. Only once did his old fear of water return. However he brushed this thought of fear aside and swam across the lake.

Question 13.
How do you think was Douglas rescued when he was about to be drowned?
Answer:
A big boy threw Douglas into the pool thinking that he knew swimming. But Douglas didn’t know swimming. He was about to be drowned. He lost his senses. When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying beside the pool. Naturally someone saved him who was present there. Most probably, it might be the big boy who threw him into the pool.

Question 14.
Why did Douglas decide to overcome his fear of water?
Answer:
Due to his fear of water, Douglas couldn’t enjoy any of the water-related activities. It ruined his fishing plans and his joy of boating or canoeing. Therefore he decided to overcome his fear of water.

Question 15.
What sort of terror seized Douglas as he went down the water with a yellow glow? How could he feel that he was still alive?
Answer:
It was. a kind of terror that the person who had experienced could understand. Douglas was about to be drowned in the water. He was crying. He was stiff with fear. Even the cries in his throat were frozen. Only his heart said that he was alive.

Question 16.
The author says, “The instructor was finished. But I was not finished.” Why?
Answer:
The instructor was a very experienced trainer. He trained the author step by step. After about two months of training, he told the author that he now knew everything about swimming. However the author was yet not satisfied. He himself wanted to become assure that he had overcome his fear of water. Therefore the author said that the instructor was finished but not was he.

Question 17.
How did this experience affect him?
Answer:
This experience had a great effect on the author. He never went to the pool again. He feared water. He avoided it whenever possible. It ruined his fishing trips and also deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating and swimming.

Question 18.
Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Answer:
The fear of water ruined Douglas’ all fishing trips and also deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating and swimming. Therefore, Douglas decided to get over his fear of water.

Deep Water Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Where did the author decide to learn swimming and why? What did he get to learn swimming?
Answer:
When the author was ten or eleven years old, he decided to learn swimming. There was a pool at the YMCA in Yakima that offered exactly swimming opportunity. The river Yakima was dangerous and many incidents of drowning used to happen there. Thus the author’s mother desist him to go and learn swimming there.

But the YMCA pool was safe. It was only two or three feet at the shallow end; and while it was nine feet deep at the other. The drop was gradual. The author got a pair of water wings and went to the pool. The author paddled with his new water wings, watching the other and trying to learn by imitating them. He did this two or three times on different days and started to feel at ease in the water.

Question 2.
Roosevelt said, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Do you agree? Why/why not?
Answer:
Once the American President Roosevelt had said, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” This quote by the President is absolutely right. Almost all great per¬sons believe in this. Mahatma Gandhi had similar views. That was why he was not afraid of the British tyrannical power. In this text the author was about to be drowned.

He became quite afraid when he thought he would not survive. He tried his best to safe himself for drowning but all in vain. Then he accepted his fate. Now he felt at peace. And he was ready to welcome death calmly. However he was saved from being drowned. After that, he decided to overcome his fear of water. He did this with the help of a very capable instructor.

The author’s experience about his misadventure with water had a very deep meaning for him. According to him only those who had known stark terror and conquered it could appreciate it. He said in death there is peace. There is terror only in the fear of death.

Question 3.
Desire, determination and diligence lead to ‘ success. Explain the value of these qualities in the light of Douglas’ experience in ‘Deep Water’?
Answer:
The author had childhood fear of water. When he was just four years old, he was knocked down by the sea waves. This experience caused in him an aversion for water. When he was ten or eleven years old he was nearly drowned in the YMCA pool. His life was saved with great difficulty. Thus, he started avoiding water. It resulted in ruining all his water- related activities viz fishing, boating and canoeing.

The author decided to overcome or fight this fear. He took the help of a very capable instructor. The instructor perfected the author in the art of swimming in about two months. Though the instructor was finished yet not the author. When he swam the length and breadth of the pool, the old memories of terror would return.

One day,the author went to Lake Went worth in New Hampshire. He swam two miles across the lake. Only once did the old terror returned to him. Once the author went across the Warm Lake. He dived into the lake next morning. He swam across to the other shore. The author shouted with joy. He had conquered his old fer of water. It was the result of sheer determination and diligence on part of the author that he was able to overcome his fear of water.

Question 4.
How did the instructor make Douglas a good swimmer?
Answer:
Douglas wanted to overcome his fear of water. He got an instructor to teach him swimming. He went 1 to the pool for five days a week, an hours each day. The instructor put a belt around him. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope, and went back and forth, across the pool, hour after hour, day after day, week after week. On each trip across the pool a bit of his panic seized him.

Each time the instructor relaxed his hold on the rope and the author went under water, some of the old terror returned and his legs froze. After three months, the instructor taught him to put his face under water and exhale, and to raise his nose and inhale. He repeated this exercise hundreds of times. Bit by bit, the author shed the part of the panic that seized him when his head went under water.

Next, the instructor held the author at the side of the pool and had him kick with his legs. At first, it was quite difficult for the author but gradually he was able to command his legs. Thus, piece by piece the instructor made Douglas a good swimmer.

Question 5.
Which two incidents in Douglas’ early life made him scared of water?
Answer:
There happened two incidents in Douglas’ life that made him scared of water. The first incident occurred when the author was just three or four years old and his father took him to the beach in California. He and his father stood together in the surf. The waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in water. His breath was gone. He was frightened.

However the author decided to learn swimming. He joined the YMCA pool. One day there was nobody at the pool. He was waiting for others to come. An eighteen year old boy came there and tossed the author into the pool. He was saved with great difficulty from being drowned. In this way that second incident reinforced the author’s fear of water.

Question 6.
A big boy threw Douglas Into the swimming pool. How did this experience affect Douglas?
Answer:
Douglas was sitting atone beside the pool. didn’t want to go into the pool alone. A big boy came there and tossed the author into the pool. Douglas was saved from drowning with great effort. When he came to his senses, he found that he was lying on his stomach beside the pool and he was vomiting. After hours later the author walked to his home he was feeling very weak. He could neither eat nor sleep that night. He never went to the pool again.

The author would also avoid any water-related activities. This ruined all his fishing trips, his boating or canoeing activities. In the end the author decided to engage a very capable instructor to teach him swimming. And in the span of two months the author became a good swimmer.

Question 7.
Justify the title ‘Deep Water’.
Answer:
This story is about a deep and profound meaning of life. That meaning can be summed up in the author’s statement that there is no fear in death; there is fear .in fear itself. One has to kill that fear in oneself if one wants to enjoy a fuller and meaningful life. The author had a great fear of water.

A couple of his childhood experiences had caused that fear in himself. But with the help of an instructor he was able to overcome this fear. He shouted in joy when he realised that he had overcome his fear of water.

The author had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce. The author learned a very profound and deep meaning of life. He realised that there is no fear in death. The fear is in fear itself. One has to overcome this fear. Thus to conclude with we can say that the title of the story is quite apt.

Question 8.
What is the misadventure that William Douglas speaks about?
Answer:
The author William Douglas joined YMCA pool to learn swimming. One day he was sitting alone on the side of the pool. He was afraid to go inside the pool without anyone’s presence. So, he decided to wait for others. There came a boy of about eighteen. He was a kind of bruiser. He yelled, ‘ Hi skinny! How’d you like to be ducked? He picked the author and threw him into the water. The author at once went to the bottom of the pool.

The author was frightened but not much. He imagined that he would bob to the surface like a cork. Instead he came very slowly. He could see nobody. The author grew very panicky. He tried to jump upwards twice but all proved futile. At last, he stopped all is efforts. He relaxed. Even his legs felt limp. But he was taken out of the water before he was dead. He walked to his house several hours later.

Question 9.
What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown into the pool? What plans did he make to come to the surface?
Answer:
The author was not frightened much in the begining. He thought that his feet would touch the bot-tom and he would come to the surface like a cork. But instead, he came to the surface very slow. The depth of nine feet appeared ninety feet to him. He grew panicky. He was suffocating. He called for help but no one was there to help him. When he came to the surface, he started going down again. This thing happened three times.

Then he stopped all his efforts. He was sure that he was not going to Survive. This thought gave him peace. He relaxed. Now he was no more panic. Everything blanked out. The curtain of life fell. Next he remembered he was lying beside the pool. In this way, the author was saved from his dying. The author experienced near death experience.

Question 10.
How did the instructor ‘build a swimmer’ out of Douglas?
Answer:
Douglas wanted to overcome his fear of water. He got an instructor to teach him swimming. He went to the pool for five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor put a belt around him. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope, and went back and forth, across the pool, hour after hour, day after day, week after week. On each trip across the pool, a bit of his panic seized him.

Each time the instructor relaxed his hold on the rope and the author went under the water, some of the old terror returned and his legs froze.

After three months, the instructor taught him to put his face under water and exhale, and to raise his nose and inhale. He repeated this exercise hundreds of times. Bit by bit the author shed the part of the panic that seized him when his head went under water. Next the instructor held the author at the side of the pool and had him kick with his legs. At first it was quite difficult for the author but gradually he was able to command his legs. Thus, piece by piece the instructor build a swimmer out of Douglas.

Question 11.
How did Douglas make sure that he had conquered the old terror?
Answer:
The author learnt swimming from an expert instructor. Finally, the instructor told him that he had learnt swimming. The instructor was finished but not the author. When he swam the length and breadth of the pool, the old memories of terror would return. One day, the author went to Lake Went worth in New Hampshire.

He swam two miles across the lake. Only once did the old terror returned to him. Once the author went across the Warm Lake. He dived into the lake next morning. He swam across to the other shore. The author shouted with joy. He had conquered his old fear of water.

Question 12.
How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost drowned? Describe the details that have made the description vivid.
Answer:
In this extract, the author vividly describes his experience when he was almost drowned and also when he was saved. The author decided to learn swimming at the YMCA pool. One day a misadventure happened with the author. An eighteen year old boy tossed the author into the pool thinking that the author might know how to swim. But the author didn’t know swimming at all. The author landed in a sitting position. He was frightened but not much. He thought that when he reached the bottom he would make a big jump. Then he would come to the surface like a cork.

It seemed a long way down. He reached the bottom very slow. It appeared to the narrator that those nine feet were like ninety feet. The narrator felt that his lungs would burst. He came up very slowly. He grew panicky. He thought he would not survive. This thought gave him peace. He closed his eyes. He became unconscious. The next he remembered he was lying on his stomach beside the pool and he was vomiting.

The boy who had thrown him inside the pool said that he was just fooling. After hours later the author walked to his home feeling very weak. He could neither eat nor sleep that night. He never went to the pool again. He avoided it whenever he could.

Question 13.
How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer:
The author, Douglas,-had great fear of water. In order to get over this fear he decided to take training from an expert instructor. After two months the instructor told him that now he could swim without any fear. Though the instructor was finished yet not the author. When he swam the length and breadth of the pool, the old memories of terror would return.

One day the author went to Lake Went worth in New Hampshire. He swam two miles across the lake. Only once did the old terror returned to him. Once the author went across the Warm Lake. He dived into the lake next morning. He swam across to the other shore. The author shouted with joy. He had conquered his old fear of water.

Question 14.
Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering of it? What larger meaning does he draw from this experience?
Answer:
The author had an aversion to water from his early childhood. When he was three or four years old he was knocked by water waves on a beach. One day he was saved with great difficulty from being drowned. But the author decided to overcome his fear of water.

With the help of an instructor he was able to overcome this fear, His experience had a deep meaning for him. The author said that who had known stark fear and conquered it could appreciate it. In death there is peace. There is terror only in the fear of death. The author concludes saying that all we need is to fear itself.

Deep Water Extra Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow:

(Para-1)

My introduction to the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears. But in a little while I gathered confidence. I paddled with my new water wings, watching the other boys and trying to learn by aping them. I did this two or three times on different days and was just beginning to feel at ease in the water when the misadventure happened.

Questions :
(a) What does Y.M.C.A. stand for ?
(b) What are narrator’s unpleasant memories and child ish fears ?
(c) After gathering confidence, what did the narrator do ?
(d) What was the misadventure, narrator faced ?
Answers :
(a) Y.M.C.A. stands for “Young Men’s Christian Association’.
(b) Narrators unpleasant memories and childish fears were the moments of his childhood when he was drowned by the powerful waves at the beach of California.
(c) After gathering confidence, the narrator paddled with his new little wings, watching the other boys and trying to learn by aping them.
(d) Narrator faced the misadventure of drowning into the swimming pool when a big bruiser of a boy threw him into the pool just for fun.

(Para-2)

It seemed a long way down. Those nine feet were more like ninety, and before I touched bottom my lungs were ready to burst. But when my feet hit bottom I summoned all my strength and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. I imagined I would bob to the surface like a cork. Instead, I came up slowly. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but water – water that had a dirty yellow tinge to it. I grew panicky. I reached up as if to grab a rope and my hands clutched only at water. I was suffocating. I tried to yell but no sound came out. Then my eyes and nose came out of the water but not my mouth.

Questions :
(a) Nine feet were more than ninety, why ?
(b) What did the narrator do when he reached to the bot-tom ?
(c) What happened when he came upwards ?
(d) What did he try when came outside the water first ?
Answers :
(a) Nine feet were more than ninety because the narrator didn’t know swimming and it was his first experience into the router.
(b) The narrator when reached to the bottom shrouded all his strength and made a great spring upwards, but all in vain.
(c) Though he imagined that he would bob to the surface lice a cork but he came up storoly, saw nothing but water-water with a dirty yellow tinge everywhere.
(d) After outside the water first, he grow panicky tried to grab a rope but clutched only at water, tried to yell but no sound out.

(Para-3)

And then sheer, stark terror seized me, terror that knows no understanding, terror that knows no control, terror that no one can understand who has not experienced it. I was shrieking under water. I was paralysed under water—stiff, rigid with fear. Even the screams in my throat were frozen. Only my heart and the pounding in my head, said that I was still alive.
Questions :
(a) What do you understand by sheer, stark terror ?
(b) Why and how the writer was paralysed ?
(c) How did the narrator come to know that he was alive ?
(d) Name the chapter and it’s writer.
Answers :
(a) Sheer, stark terror here signifies that a terror that is straight, complete and absolutely violent. A terror that can’t be overcome easily.
(b) The writer was paralysed because he was under water as he was thrown by a big boy and nearly drowning and due to fear he was unable to even move his legs and hands.
(c) Feeling the fast heart beats and only the pounding in his head, made him realize that he was still alive.
(d) The chapter’s name is ‘Deep Water’ written by William Douglas.

(Para-4)

The next I remember I was lying on my stomach be-side the pool, vomiting. The chap that threw me in was saying, “But I was only fooling”. Someone said, “The kid nearly died. Be all right now. Let’s carry him to the locker room.”
Several hours later, I walked home. I was weak and trembling. I shook and cried when I lay on my bed. I couldn’t eat that night. For days a haunting fear was in my heart. The slightest exertion upset me, making me wobbly in the knees and sick to my stomach. I never went back to the pool. I feared water, I avoided it whenever I could.
Questions :
(a) What was the chap’s reaction on his deed ?
(b) Why, when laying on the bed, narrator cried ?
(c) What physical problems did he face after recovery ?
(d) How did he take that incident ?
Answers:
(a) The chap who threw him in was simply saying, “But I was only fooling”. He was very normal and taking that fatal incident so ordinarily.
(b) When laying on the bed, narrator cried because he was very weak, trembling and having an intense pain in his stomach.
(c) After recovery, he felt very weak, couldn’t stand as he was trembling, couldn’t eat the food, even the slightest exertion upset him, making him wobbly in the knees and sick to his stomach.
(d) After that incident, he never went back to the pool, he feared water and avoided it whenever he could.

(Para-5)

The experience had a deep meaning for me, as only those who have known stark terror and conquered it can appreciate. In death there is peace. There is terror only in the fear of death, as Roosevelt knew when he said, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Because I had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce, the will to live somehow grew in intensity.
At last I felt released free to walk the trails and climb the peaks and to brush aside fear.
Questions :
(a) What place that experience had in Douglas’s life ?
(b) What did Roosevelt say ?
(c) What type of experience did Douglas have ?
(d) When did the writer feel released ?
Answers :
(a) That experience had a deep meaning in his life and only those who have known stark terror and conquered it can appreciate.
(b) Roosevelt said, “All we have to fear is fear itself’.
(c) Douglas had the experience of both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce.
(d) At last, the writer felt released free to walk the trails and climb the peaks.

Here we are providing Lost Spring Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo, Extra Questions for Class 12 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

Lost Spring Extra Questions and Answers Important Questions Class 12 English Flamingo

Lost Spring Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Who is Saheb? How can you say his name is ironic?
Answer:
Saheb lives at Seemapuri, an area situated at the periphery of Delhi. He is a poor ragpicker. His full name is Saheb-e-Alam. It means lord of the universe. But ironically Saheb is so poor that he can’t even afford buying footwear.

Question 2.
Whom did the author meet every day? Where had that person come from and why?
Answer:
Every day the author met a ragpicker young boy named Saheb, He had come from Bangladesh. There were many storms. These storms swept away their fields and homes. Tliat is why he, along with his parents, left his country

Question 3.
What did Saheb find sometimes in the garbage? What did he do then?
Answer:
Sometimes, Saheb found a rupee or a ten rupee note. When he found a silver coin in a heap of garbage, he ’ didn’t stop scrounging. He always hoped to find more. He had entirely different meaning of garbage.

Question 4.
What does the reference to chappals in “Lost Spring” tell us about the economic condition of the rag pickers?
Answer:
The rag pickers of the Seemapuri area , situated at the periphery of Delhi, are living a in very miser-able condition. They lack all the basic facilities of life. They are so poor that they can’t even afford to buy chappals. But to conceal their poverty they say that it is their tradition to walk bare-footed.

Question 5.
What promise did the author make with Saheb? Why had she to feel small?
Answer:
Saheb used to roam here and there. The author ad-vised him to go to school. But he said that there was no school in the neighbourhood. At this the author said that she would start school. But she had made this promise half-jokingly and was not at all serious about it. After a few days Saheb came to her to ask if her school was ready. She had to feel small. She never wanted to start a school. She said that promises like hers are frequently made but hardly ever kept.

Question 6.
How does the author describe the area of Seemapuri?
Answer:
Seemapuri is situated at the periphery of Delhi. It is a sort of wilderness. Most of the people living here are Bangladeshi immigrants. They live in structures made of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water. They are about 1000 in number and most of these are rag pickers.

Question 7.
What was the full name of Saheb? What did it mean? If he came to know the meaning of his meaning what would be his reaction?
Answer:
The full name of Saheb was Saheb-e-Alam. It meant lord of the universe. It would be difficult to believe about the meaning of his name. He was not a lord at all. He was a poor ragpicker.

Question 8.
Why did the children not wear any footwear? What explanation did they give for it?
Answer:
The children were too poor to afford any footwear. They had become used to roam bare-footed. Different boys gave different reasons for not wearing foot wear. Some admitted that they couldn’t afford them while the others said that it was their tradition to move bare-footed.

Question 9.
Where have the people living in Seemapuri come from? Why don’t they go back?
Answer:
The people living in Seemapuri have come from Bangladesh. It is a place of green fields. Their land is very beautiful. But it is frequently swept by the storms. They had to starve there. Therefore they immigrated to India and do not want to go back.

Question 10.
What was Saheb wearing one morning? Where did he get it?
Answer:
Saheb was wearing tennis shoes one morning. They were the discarded shoes of a rich boy. There was a hole in one of the shoes and thus that rich boy discarded it. But for Saheb who always walked bare footed even these shoes were like a dream come true.

Question 11.
Where did the author see Saheb one morning? What was he doing there?
Answer:
One winter morning, the author saw Saheb standing by the fence gate of the neighbourhood club, watching young men playing tennis. He would go inside when no one is around. The gatekeeper allowed him to use the swing. But the game which he was watching so intently was beyond his reach.

Question 12.
The author says that Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically. What is the meaning of her statement?
Answer:
Seemapuri is situated on the periphery of Delhi. But it is devoid of all basic amenities. Unlike Delhi it is not developed at all. Though it is quite near Delhi, it does not have any effect of the city. Therefore the author is quite right in saying that Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it.

Question 13.
What does garbage mean for the elders and the children in Seemapuri?
Answer:
Garbage to the elders is gold. It is their daily bread, a roof over their heads, even if it is a leaking roof. But for children, it is something wrapped in wonder.

Question 14.
Is Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Why/ Why not?
Answer:
Saheb did not feel happy working at the tea stall. Now he is not his own master. He has lost his previous carefree look. He is no longer his own master. He now belongs to the owner of the tea stall.

Question 15.
Who is Mukesh? What does he want to become and why?
Answer:
Mukesh is a young boy who belongs to a family of the bangle makers in Firozabad. He doesn’t want to adopt his family profession. He wants to become a car mechanic. He has seen that bangle making has given his family nothing but perpetual poverty. Therefore he wants to break away from his family tradition of bangle making.

Question 16.
What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Answer:
The city of Firozabad is a hub of bangle making. Every other family is engaged in making bangles. Bangles are supplied to every comer of the country.

Question 17.
Under what kind of environment are the children forced to work in the glass blowing industry?
Answer:
There are about 20000 children working in the glass blowing industry. They are forced to work for long hours in very hot temperatures. They have to work sin dingy cells without air and light. They often lose the brightness of their eyes.

Question 18.
What kind of locality does Mukesh live in?
Answer:
Mukesh lives in a very dirty locality. The lanes there are stinking and choked with garbage. The homes in the locality are no better than hovels. Their walls are crumbling, doors are wobbly and there are no windows. There humans and animals live together.

Question 19.
What does the author say about Mukesh’s house?
Answer:
The author says that Mukesh’s house was like a half- built shack. In part of, thatched with dead grass, was a firewood stove. The author saw Mukesh’s sister-in-law cooking food for the whole family.

Question 20.
What is the opinion of Mukesh’s grandmother about her husband?
Answer:
Mukesh’s grandmother says that it is his (her husband’s) destiny that he was born in the family of bangle makers. She calls it a god-given lineage which can’t be broken. This shows that she has accepted her fate silently.

Question 21.
What does the writer say about Savita?
Answer:
Savita was a young girl. When the writer saw her she was wearing pink dress. She was sitting with an elderly woman. She was soldering pieces of glass. But she didn’t know the sanctity of bangles she was weilding.

Question 22.
Why can’t the bangle makers organise themselves into a co-operative?
Answer:
The bangle makers can’t organise themselves into co-operative because they have fallen into a vicious circle of middlemen who had trapped their fathers and forefathers. If they get organised, they are beaten and dragged to jail for doing something wrong.

Question 23.
What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
Answer:
Saheb is looking for a coin or even a ten-rupee note from the garbage dump. He lives in Seemapuri (Delhi). His parents came from Bangladesh in 1971.

Question 24.
What expectations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Answer:
Most of the rag pickers roam about bare-footed in the streets. These children are so poor that they can’t afford to buy any footwear. But they told the author that it was their tradition to move about bare footed.

Question 25.
Is it Saheb happy working at the tea stall? Explain.
Answer:
Saheb starts working at a tea stall. He is paid 800 rupees per month and he is provided all his meals. Even then Saheb is not happy working at the tea stall. He no longer remains his own master.

Question 26.
What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Answer:
The city of Firozabad is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. In this city almost every family is engaged in making bangles. These bangles are sent to every part of India.

Question 27.
Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
Answer:
Working in the glass bangle industry has both mental and physical hazards. Mostly children are engaged in this industry. When they grow up, working in the industry for years, they lose the ability to dream. There are many physical hazards of working in this industry. The children have a very bad effect on their eyes. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than light outside. That is why they often end up losing their eyesight before they become adults.

Question 28.
How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Answer:
Mukesh doesn’t want to adopt his family’s profession of bangle making. This profession has in no way helped them to live a comfortable life. Therefore he has decided to become a car mechanic. He will go to a garage and learn.

Question 29.
What could be some of the reasons for the mi-gration of people from villages to cities?
Answer:
The villagers migrate to the cities because of the economic reasons; They come to cities to find better employment opportunities. In the given text Saheb’s ancestors migrated to Delhi from Bangladesh. Their fields and homes were frequently swept by storms. They had nothing to eat. That’s why they left their beautiful land.

Question 30.
Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
Answer:
It is true that promises made to poor children are rarely kept. The narrator, who is an affluent lady, promised Saheb that she would build a school. But she herself admits that she had made this promise half-jokingly. Thus we can well imagine that promises made to poor children are seldom or never kept.

Question 31.
What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Answer:
There are many forces that conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry in perpetual poverty. They are caught in the vicious circle of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. The bangle makers are trapped by these forces and they are not allowed to organise themselves and form a co-operative.

Question 32.
How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Answer:
Mukesh has decided to become a car mechanic. He doesn’t want to adopt his family’s profession. He wants to become a car mechanic. He says that he will go to a garage and learn. The garage is quite far away from his home. But he is firm in determination. “I will walk,” says he.

Question 33.
Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
Answer:
Child labour is a slur on the fair face of our society. It is a very cruel practice. Every child has the right to education. By educating children this evil practice can be stopped. The government has already framed the law that every child between the age of 6 —14 must attend school. However this law is not strictly followed. Social awareness can play a very effective role in this direction.

Lost Spring Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Where had the rag pickers come from? What value of life had been conveyed through their condition?
Answer:
The rag pickers had come from Dhaka. There they had green fields. But there were many storms that swept away their homes and fields. Therefore they had to leave their country and come to Delhi. In Delhi they are living a very hard life. They are living in Seemapuri, a place at the periphery of Delhi. There they are living in the structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water.

The value of life conveyed through their condition is that every government should take care of their people. They should be provided better employment opportunities so that they are not compelled to migrate to other country. In this lesson it been shown that the indifferent attitude of the Bangladeshi government has compelled its citizens to migrate to India.

Question 2.
What does the writer want Saheb to do? She has to feel embarrassed later. Why?
Answer:
Saheb is a rag picker. The writer sees him every morning. One day, the writer advised him to go to school. Saheb told her that there was no school in the neighbourhood. He further said that when one would be constructed, he would definitely go. The writer asked him, half-jokingly, if she started a school would he come.

Saheb replied in affirmative. After some days Saheb came running to her and said to her, “Is your school ready?” the Writer had to feel embarrassed at this because she had made a promise that was not meant.The writer wants to say promises are made to the poor but they are never fulfilled. She shows this fact by giving her own example.

Question 3.
Give a brief account of the life and activities of the people like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.
Answer:
Seemapuri is located on the periphery of Delhi. It is a slum area. About 10,000 people live there. They all are ragpickers and have come from Bangladesh in 1971. They are living in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water. They have lived there for many years without permits but with ration cards that get their names placed on voter lists and enable them to buy grain. Food is more important for survival than an identity.

Wherever they find food they pitch their tents that become their transit homes. They are involved in ragpicking. It has acquired the proportions of a fine art. Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread, a roof over their heads, even if it is a leaking roof. For children, garbage is a thing wrapped in wonder. They often scrounge it to find some coins. On the whole we can say that the people living there are living a very hard life.

Question 4.
Where did the writer see Saheb one winter morning? What was he doing? What was he wearing in his feet?
Answer:
The writer saw Saheb standing at the fenced gate of the neighbourhood club, watching two young men dressed in white, playing tennis. Saheb liked tennis but he knew that game was beyond his reach. However he used to go inside when no one was around. The gatekeeper allowed him to use the swing.

The writer saw Saheb wearing tennis shoes . That looked strange over his discoloured shirt and shorts. Someone had given them to Saheb. In fact they were the discarded shoes of some rich boy. He had stopped them wearing because of a hole in one of them. But Saheb who always walked barefoot, even shoes with a hole was a dream come true.

Question 5.
“For the children it is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of survival.” What kind of life do the ragpickers of Seemapuri lived?
Answer:
The ragpickers lived in the area of Seemapuri located at the periphery of Delhi. Those who live here are the Bangladeshi immigrants. They came here way back in 1971. Seemapuri was then a wilderness. It still is but it is no longer empty. In structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water, live 10,000 rag pickers. They have been living here without any identity. They have their names in the voter lists and they have got their ration cards. It enables to buy them grain.

Survival in Seemapuri is ragpicking. For the elders ragpicking is their profession and means of livelihood. But for the children it is even more. For them it is a sort of wonder. They would sometimes get a coin or even a ten-rupee note in the garbage. They consider ragpicking an activity full of fun and excitement.

Question 6.
‘Garbage to them is gold; How do the rag pickers of Seemapuri survive?
Answer:
About 10,000 Bangladeshi immigrants live in the Seemapuri area of Delhi. Seemapuri is located at the periphery of Delhi. It is a wilderness. The rag pickers live in the structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin, devoid of sewage, drainage or running water. They have been living here without any identity. They have their names in the voter lists and they have got their ration cards.

It enables to buy them grain. Survival in Seemapuri is ragpicking. They do not know no other profession but rag picking. They left their beautiful land of green fields because there were frequent storms and as a result their houses and fields would swept away due to them. As a result they had to starve. They pitched their tents wherever they find food. They could earn their food only by ragpicking.

Question 7.
What do you know about the city of Firozabad?
Answer:
Firozabad is the centre of,bangle making industry in India. All over in India the bangles are supplied from this city. But there is a dark side of this city also. Firozabad is a very dirty city. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. They have been engaged in this profession for many generations. Even then these people always remain poor. The children are also involved in making bangles. They are forced to work for long hours in very hot temperatures. They have to work in dingy cells without air and light. They often lose the brightness of their eyes.

The bangle makers are caught in the vicious circle of sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. They are beaten and put to jails if they try to organise themselves. Also the bangle makers are very poor. The young men are forced to adopt their elders’ profession. Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream.In this extract the writer has depicted that picture of Firozabad which perhaps is not known to many other parts of India.

Question 8.
How in your views can Mukesh realise his dream?
Answer:
Mukesh is very different from the other members of his family. All the members of his family have subsided themselves to the profession of bangle making and considered it their destiny. But Mukesh wants to break these shackles of bangle making. He knows that the profession of bangle making has given them nothing but poverty. Therefore he wanted to become a car mechanic.

He hoped to alleviate the poverty of his family in this way. The garage is quite far away from his home. But he is determined to fulfil his dream. He says that he will walk all the way to the garage. This shows that Mukesh is quite a rebellious and determined boy. He wants to break away with his family profession of bangle making.

Question 9.
It is illegal to employ children in the bangle industry. Even then many children are employed in this industry in Firozabad. How?
Answer:
It is illegal to employ children in any industry in India. It is a punishable offence. But it is seen that this law is not followed or rarely followed. The children work for very less wages. They are very submissive and agile. They give almost the same or even more production as compared to adult workers. Therefore most of the factory owners prefer to employ children in their factories.

They are often able to deceive law. The reason is very clear. The vicious circle follows. There are policemen, middlemen, keepers of law, bureaucrats and also politicians. They all are mixed up to keep tender souls in the quagmire of hard labour. They kill all the initiative and zeal of the children. They become so. discouraged that they quietly accept all this a part of their destiny.

Question 10.
The bangle makers of Firozabad make beautiful bangles and make everyone happy but they themselves live and die in squalor. Explain.
Answer:
In Firozabad, almost every family is involved in the business of bangle making. Firozabad is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. The families here have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for all the women in the land. But these bangle makers are very poor. They can’t earn enough to afford even two square of meals.

Even the children are forced to live in dingy cells without air and light. About 20,000 children work in the glass-blowing industry. They are forced to work for very long hours and also in very inhuman conditions. They often lose the brightness of their eyes. The bangle makers live a very miserable life. Though they make everyone happy by making beautiful bangles, they themselves live and die in very deplorable condition.

Lost Spring Extra Questions and Answers Extract Based

Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow:

(Para-1)

“It takes longer to build a school,” I say, embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant. But prom¬ises like mine abound in every comer of his bleak world. After months of knowing him, I ask him his name. “Saheb- e-Alam”, he announces. He does not know what it means. If he knew its meaning lord of the universe he would have a hard time believing it. Unaware of what his name represents, he roams streets with his friends, an army of barefoot boys who appear like the morning birds and disappear at noon. Over the months, I have come to recognise each of them.

Questions :
(a) Why was the narrator embarrassed ?
(b) What was the meaning of the name of Saheb ?
(c) Why with his friends, Saheb roams the streets ?
(d) Name the chapter and the writer.
Answers :
(a) The narrator was embarrassed because she couldn’t fulfil her promise to start a school.
(b) Saheb’s name meant ‘Lord of the universe’.
(c) With his friends, Saheb roams the streets for ragpicking to scrounge for silver coin or some wonderful unex¬pected things.
(d) ‘Lost Spring’ is the chapter written by ‘Anees Jung

(Para-2)

Food is more important for survival than an identity. “If at the end of the day we can feed our families and go to bed without an aching stomach, we would rather live here than in the fields that gave us no grain,” say a group of women in tattered saris when I ask them why they left their beautiful land of green fields and rivers. Wherever they find food, they pitch their tents that become transit homes.

Questions :
(a) ‘Food is more important for survival than an identity’. Explain.
(b) Who said, “If at the end gave us no grain”?
(c) What did the writer ask to a group of women ?
(d) What are ‘transit homes’ ?
Answers:
(a) Food is more important for survival than an identity as for living a life, a person needs food continuously. Identity or any other thing is secondary, more important is food.
(b) A group of women in tattered saris said the aforesaid statement when the narrator asked them about their migration from Dhaka.
(c) The writer asked to group of women why they left their beautiful land of green fields and rivers.
(d) ‘Transit Homes’ are the homes which are not permanently constructed or settled, they are movable and mostly made with light materials as cloth, bamboos or dried grass.

(Para-3)

This morning, Saheb is on his way to the milk booth. In his hand is a steel canister. “I now work in a tea stall down the road,” he says, pointing in the distance. “I am paid 800 rupees and all my meals”. Does he like the job ? I ask, His face, I see, has lost the carefree look. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulder. The bag was his. The canister belongs to the man owns the tea shop. Saheb is no longer his own master!

Questions :
(a) What is paid to Saheb at tea stall ?
(b) Does Saheb like the job ?
(c) Why steel canister seemed heavier than the plastic ’ bag?
(d) ‘Saheb is no longer his own master !’ Explain.
Answers :
(a) At tea stall, Saheb is paid 800 rupees and ail his meals.
(b) No, Saheb does not like the job. He is a servant now.
(c) Steel canister seemed heavier than the plastic bag because the bag was his whereas the steel canister belonged to the man owned the tea shop.
(d) Saheb is no longer his own master means that now Saheb is working as a servant at tea stall, he has to obey the orders given by the owner of the tea shop. He is a slave now.

(Para-4)

Mukesh’s family is among them. None of them know that it is illigal for children like him to work in the glass furpaces with high temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light; that the law, if enforced, could get him and all those 20,000 children out of the hot furnaces where they slog their daylight hours, often loosing the brightness of their eyes.

Questions :
(a) What is illegal for children according to the writer ?
(b) Where do those children work ?
(c) What do you understand by ‘they slog their daylight hours’ ?
(d) What is the big loss they face working there?
Answers:
(a) According to the writer, it is illegal for children to work in the glass furnaces with high temperature, in dingy cells without air and light.
(b) Those children work in the glass furnaces with high temperature, in dingy cells without air and light.
(c) ‘They slog their daylight hours’ means that the children, during the day time, work very hard sitting there and waste their precious time which should be occupied in studies and various creative activities.
(d) The big loss they (Children) face working there is the loosing of brightness of their eyes.

(Para-5)

“It is his Karam, his destiny”, says Mukesh’s grand-mother, who has watched her own husband go blind with the dust from polishing the glass of bangles. “Can a god- given lineage over be broken ?” She implies born in the caste of bangle makers, they have seen nothing but bangles in the house, in the yard, in every other house, in every other yard, every street in Firozabad.

Questions :
(a) “It is his Karam, his destiny.” Explain.
(b) What does it mean : “Can a god-given lineage ever be broken ?”
(c) What happened to Mukesh’s grandfather ?
(d) What is the scene of Firozabad as per the above given description ?
Answers :
(a) “It is his Karam, his destiny” means that to work in bangle industries is their fate since birth and they have accepted it as natural.
(b) “Can a god-given lineage ever be broken” means that the grandmother in the form of the question declares that the descendency which they have got from their ancestors can never be changed.
(c) Mukesh’s grandfather had gone blind with the dust from polishing the glass of bangles.
(d) In Firozabad in every house, in every yard, in every other house, in every other yard, in even every street—only the bangles and glass prpducts are found and s6en everywhere.

(Para-6)

“Why not organise yourselves into a cooperative ?” I ask a group of young men who have fallen into the vicious circle of middlemen who trapped their fathers and forefathers. “Even if we get organised, we are the ones who will be hauled up by the police, beaten and dragged to jail for doing something illegal.” They say. There is no leader among them, no one who could help them see things differently.

Questions :
(a) What do you understand by a cooperative ?
(b) What is the vicious circle of middlemen ?
(c) Why do they not get organised ?
(d) Why are they unable to see things differently ?
Answers :
(a) A cooperative is an independent association of persons united willingly to work combindly for the same goal.
(b) The vicious circle of middlemen is a never ending domain of middlemen like sahukars, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. The sphere made by them can never be broken nor be crossed.
(c) They do not get organised bemuse if they got organised, they were the ones who would be hauled up by the police, beaten and dragged to jail for doing something illegal.
(d) They are unable to see things differently because there is no leader among them, who could help them see things differently for their benefit.

(Para-7)
To do anything else would mean to dare. And daring is not part of his growing up. When I sense a flash of it in Mukesh I am cheered. “I want to be a motor mechanic”, he repeats: He will go to a garage and learn. But the garage is a long way from his home. “I will walk”, he insists, “Do you also dream of flying a plane ?” He is suddenly silent. “No,” he says staring at the ground.

Questions:
(a) Why word ‘dare’ is used here for bangle makers ?
(b) Why did the writer cheer ?
(c) What does Mukesh want to be ?
(d) Why did the writer ask, “Do you also dream of flying a plane ?”
Answers:
(a) Bangle makers are very fearful from the middlemen. To do or think anything else except bangle making is a sign of revolt which was found only in Mukesh.
(b) The waiter cheered finding a flash of daring in Mukesh when he says, “I want to be a motor mechanic”.
(c) Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic for which he is ready to take any pain as the garage is a long way from his home.
(d) The writer asked, “Do you also dream of flyingn plane” because she wanted to check Mukesh’s dedication and real desire,